Follow along as I document my adventures in baking. I hope it inspires you to try something new.
Thanks for visiting,
Sarah
Bunny Pineapple Buns inspired by Yukiko Tanzi's adorable Bunny Melon Pan recipe. Sweet fluffy buns, filled with chocolate chips and topped with a cookie-like topping. Perfect for spring celebrations.
Potica is a Slovenian term meaning rolled-up. In this case, the yeasted dough is rolled-up with a citrus-maple-nut filling, making for an incredibly flavorful and gently sweet bread. I enjoyed slices of it with my morning coffee. It would also make some amazing French toast.
This savory riff on a classic tart tatin is from Erin Jeanne McDowell's cookbook The Book on Pie, and is one of the best dinners I've had in recent memory. Pounds of cherry tomatoes are cooked down with fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar, and sherry then baked in puff pastry crust until the tomatoes char and the pastry turns a crackly golden brown. It's quite literally bursting with flavor from all directions. If you have the book, it's her alternate version of the Red Onion Tart Tatin.
Peanut butter, chocolate, bananas...you really can't go wrong with this classic flavor combo. This pie comes from Erin Jeanne McDowell's wonderful new cookbook The Book on Pie and is for all the peanut butter lovers out there. I describe a lot of recipes on this site as "decadent" and this one is no exception. A deliciously thick and creamy peanut butter custard wrapped in a black cocoa "all buttah" crust then topped with sliced bananas and homemade salted peanut brittle. My husband called it a giant Reece's peanut butter cup. Not mad about that!
Soft, buttery brioche buns filled with sweet berries, cardamom sugar, and vanilla custard...a decadent brunch treat to be sure. While the brioche buns are best the day they're baked, the dough and custard can be made the day before, so all you'll need to do is assemble and bake before your guests arrive.
If you cook onions slowly over low heat, they lose their sharpness and turn melty soft and sweet. That caramelization is what makes this French beauty a classic. I followed a recipe by André Soltner of Lutèce fame that can be found in NYT Cooking. The caramelized onions are combined with cream, eggs, a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and nutmeg, then baked in a savory tart crust. The result is pure buttery, flaky, onion magic.
Scaccia loaves are crusty and blistered on the outside with soft, delicate layers on the inside. The layers are created by spreading tomato sauce over very thinly rolled out dough, sprinkling cheese or other toppings across, then folding it over on itself. You repeat that process three times, earning the bread it's nickname: Lasagna Bread.
Conchas are super fluffy sweet buns - popular in Mexican bakeries - with a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping, and are absolutely amazing fresh from the oven. So satisfying to sink your teeth into, I definitely recommend giving them a try!
Soft, buttery Filipino buns. A little sweet, a little savory, very swirly, and truly fantastic. I topped my Ensaymada with shredded white cheddar though traditionally they're topped with powdered sugar and Edam cheese or queso de bola. The sweet/savory combination was what first drew me to them. I loved the restrained–but definitely-still-there sweetness of these buns.
I'm so excited to share this recipe, I just loved the way these shortbread turned out. This one is for pistachio lovers. Ground pistachios and oats replace some of the flour of a typical shortbread recipe, chopped pistachios are mixed in for a nutty crunch, finally more ground pistachios get sifted across the top, for even more pistachio flavor and a hint of green color.
These Hamantashen are my tribute to childhood Hamantashen and my mom's efforts to make all of us happy. Poppyseeds for mom, fruit filling for dad, and chocolate for us (grown) kids all wrapped up in a single triangular cookie.
Panna Cotta on it's own is a simple and lovely, honey-flavored milk custard. But a mellow lemon curd is a beautiful accompaniment. It adds brightness and another level of flavor.
For Valentines Day this year I made an attempt at recreating a first date meal with a decadent, cheddar whisky fondue and homemade delicious, buttery soft and chewy garlic breadsticks. (
Coconuty, cardamom spiced rice pudding that’s sweet, rich, and creamy and with chopped dried dates and apricots dotted throughout, you experience different flavors in every bite.
Crisp-on-the-edges, soft-and-chewy-in-the-middle peanut butter cookies. The waffle cones add crunch and a toasty, almost toffee-like flavor, and the yogurt covered pretzels add a slight salty/sweet tang. The yogurt pretzel coating caramelizes in the oven adding an additional depth of flavor and crispy outer cookie edges. This cookie definitely passed the "do I want to immediately grab another one" test.
The combination of flavors in Claire Saffitz’s Salty Nut Tart from her cookbook “Dessert Person” is decadent and unique: so very buttery from the pine nuts and the sweet tart crust, and not too sweet. The rosemary is there but doesn't overpower, making the tart a sophisticated, but not complicated, end to a festive meal.
If you’re a fan of sweet-tart treats, this one is for you! Fresh cranberries are blended with orange juice and orange zest to create the velvety smooth filling for this festive tart from NYT Cooking. I served this for dessert on Christmas this year. It would also be a great option for Thanksgiving or New Year's celebration.
Have you ever tried Canelés? They’re lightly boozy, tiny French pastries with a crunchy, caramelized exterior and soft, custard interior. Such a unique flavor/texture combination and so delicious!
There's no holiday gatherings happening in my part of the world thanks to a certain global pandemic, so instead I've been trying to spread some holiday cheer with a variety of cookie gifts. After all, how can you not smile at a gift bag or platter full of beautiful cookies. I like to include a variety of flavors and textures in my cookie collections: think sweet & salty tahini shortbread, cool and crisp peppermint bark, melt in your mouth butter cookies, and raspberry jam and nut filled rugelach. Those are just a few of my favorites that I've been passing out over the last couple of weeks.
