Join me as I bake through the Great British Bake Off.
A trifle terrine is a layered dessert made in a loaf pan and served in slices. Inspired by another layered dessert, this Spumoni Trifle Terrine highlights four classic Italian flavors: Amarena cherry, amaretto panna cotta, chocolate mousse, and pistachio bavarois. Beneath those creamy layers is an amaretti cookie crumble.
Paul Hollywood's molten puddings (a.k.a. molten lava cakes) harbor a secret surprise — a melty peanut butter center! These fun-size cakes are sure to impress, yet they're surprisingly easy — you can even make them a day or two in advance and heat them up right before serving.
An amuse-bouche is a bite-sized hors d'oeuvre served by chefs at the beginning of a meal. These Crab Rangoon Parcels and Rhubarb-Ricotta Tartlets both feature my Practically Painless and Almost Perfect Phyllo Pastry. Even better, they can be made in advance!
These sweet and savory Danish pastries — an apple and almond braid and a spinach-artichoke egg "soufflé" — can both be made with a single batch of pastry dough. They would complement each other at the brunch table or make great grab-and-go breakfast options.
You'd never know this rich and creamy frozen dessert is dairy free! The pistachio ice cream is made with coconut milk and coconut cream. The hurricane roll is flavored with purple ube. And sandwiched between the two is a thin layer of blackberry jam, all topped off with luscious, marshmallowy Swiss meringue!
No matter how you spell it ("pita" or "pitta"), these ancient flatbreads are pretty versatile: fill them, wrap them, or dip them. Of the two varieties--Greek pitas or pocket pitas--mine turned out more like the pocketless kind, but they're still delicious!
This delicious chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting contains no refined sugars, eggs or butter. Adapted from a Depression-era recipe, the cake is sweetened with honey and the frosting is made with maple syrup. It's the perfect combo for anyone who loves peanut butter cups (or anything combining chocolate and peanut butter, for that matter)!
The inspiration for my three-tiered pie tower comes from the turducken, which is a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey. Rather than debone and stuff three kinds of poultry, I made a separate pie for each bird, dubbing my creation “a poultry excuse for a pie tower,” otherwise known as a Fowlty Tower. While the turkey pie is the epitome of comfort-food-in-a-crust, the duck pie is a gourmet feast of flavors. The chicken curry pie offers a nice contrast to the other two — the warmth of the curry offset by the slightly sweet mango chutney.
These mini pear pies remind me of apple dumplings, but with a twist! Instead of being wrapped in a sheet of pastry, poached pears are surrounded by a long thin spiral of rough puff, which makes the texture light and delicate. Serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and your guests will sing your praises!
Blood oranges have a short growing season, so I wanted to take advantage of this purple-fleshed fruit while I could. Although the color of the custard doesn't reflect the deep jewel-tones of these citrus gems, if you close your eyes and take a bite, the sweet tangy flavor of oranges excites your tastebuds and fills all your senses with happy thoughts!
