Tag: vanilla sugar
Baked Nectarines with Vanilla Creme Fraiche
The nectarine lovefest continues with this delicious dessert. I don’t know how to begin- first of all, it is delicious. Simple, yet it includes layers of amazing flavors.
I started with fresh nectarines, cut in half and ready to be stuffed with a mixture of oats, walnuts and brown sugar. I laced the topping with ground cardamom and cinnamon. To me, the cardamom was the key ingredient. It was simply amazing with the walnuts, oats and the baked nectarines- floral and sweet.
It is a great dessert to make in advance. I popped it in the oven as we sat down to eat dinner. Ten to fifteen minutes later, the nectarines were ready to be taken out.
I served them with some creme fraiche. I love using this French style soured cream instead of ice cream- although ice cream would be amazing as well. I added a bit of vanilla sugar into the cream and added a dollop on top of the baked nectarines. The combination was delicious. The cream cut through the sweetness of topping and the soft fruit. All in all- it was a very successful try. I will be making this with other fruits as well in the future- sky is the limit…
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Mango Yogurt Panna Cotta
I made this for a dinner party we were having. I served a panna cotta that my cousin made for fourth of July- it was a vanilla coconut one with a mango sauce.
For this dinner I decided to experiment with a low fat version of a panna cotta. Usually this summer dessert calls for cream mixed in with gelatin. I used non-fat Greek yogurt and a bit of half and half. I heated the half and half and melted the gelatin and sugar before mixing it with the yogurt and the mango puree. That was it- I poured the mixture into containers and
I love making this dessert since it is so simple and quick to make. The low-fat version was an excellent try and a bit hit. It was a great combination of sweet and tangy. The mango puree brought it the delicious tanginess and the yogurt provided great creaminess without any of the fat.
Try this dessert for your next summer get together- it is delicious!
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Homemade Baked Apple Sauce
This is first time I have ever made apple sauce. I never understood why someone would make iy- what is the point? You either eat them raw or use them in a dessert or maybe even cook them on the side with pork or duck.
Then I started writing this blog and apple season came along. Well, I had to come up with a few apple recipes- and I did.. I made the apple cranberry bread, which by the way is delicious. I was thinking what else to make when an apple ice cream came to mind. I was of course going to make my healthy gelato- but what else should I was I going to add to it??
That is when apple sauce came to mind. I looked for different recipes and that is when I came across Ina Garten’s apple sauce recipe- I just love her recipes- don’t you want to invited to her house for a fabulous meal?
I adapted her recipe and came up with this. After the big saucepan came out of the oven and I tasted the results- I understood why people make their own apple sauce. It was absolutely delicious! Fresh, yummy and just the right sweetness and tartness. The wheels were turning in my head- all the things I can do with this- dessert topping, with a pork loin, on top of pancakes- sky is the limit… I can’t wait…
Try this recipe- it’s really good. I will be testing the apple sauce gelato tomorrow and posting the recipe soon- stay tuned.
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Apricot Kuchen- Gesa’s German Cake Recipe
My favorite breakfast would be a big-huge cup of perfectly brewed coffee with a huge slice of toasted pound cake!- oh and a big chunk of salty cheese as well. I don’t think I have indulged in just cake and cheese for any meal in a long time. Pound cake has a special place in my heart. I remember eating lots of it in India growing up. My Mom would make it at home but the one I remember fondly is from Standard Bakery. They made their pound cakes in round molds. It was small in diameter but baked really high. It used to be wrapped with a brown parchment paper, which I remember peeling off and devouring a big slice of cake as soon as it came home. I do try to eat that particular one whenever I go back.
I ate an apricot cake a few years ago at a friend’s baby shower. Her Austrian friend had made her Mom’s recipe. It was delicious! It reminded me of the pound cake I used to eat years ago. It was not too sweet but had the pound cake texture. The apricots on top were a great accompaniment- sweet and tangy. The cake was served with sweetened whipped cream- again, my favorite. I could have eaten that whole thing by myself.
Recently my friend made her aunt Gesa’s apple kuchen (word for ‘cake’ in German). I ate some and it reminded me of the apricot cake I had at her shower. I took the recipe, tweaked it a bit and added apricots instead of apples. It was delicious. It is not as rich as a pound cake but has a similar feel. It is not too sweet so it can be eaten for breakfast and tea. Most importantly, it tastes delicious with ice cream or whipped cream. I served it with a mixture of creme fraiche and ricotta cheese. I decided to use creme fraiche because its thick and creamy. I added ricotta cheese for it’s great texture. Both mixed together made a really yummy accompaniment to the cake. I sweetened the whole thing with a bit of vanilla sugar.
Vanilla sugar can be bought but it is quite easy to make. Every time a recipe calls for a vanilla bean, I scrape the seeds out and save the rest. I add the emptied pods to a jar of sugar. After a week or so, the entire jar of sugar is flavored with the yummy vanilla taste. I always have some on hand – it’s a great way to flavor anything. Every morning my daughter, Sia get a bowl of berries topped with a bit of vanilla sugar- she loves it!
Fresh Ricotta and Strawberries with Toasted Banana Bread
We were going to have some friends over for dinner and I was debating what to serve for dessert. I had the banana bread I had baked the day before. I decided to take it a step further and make an actual dessert out of it. I had fresh ricotta in the fridge- I added some honey to it. It tasted like delicious sweet cream! I then sliced the strawberries and added some vanilla sugar to them. If you don’t have vanilla sugar, add some regular sugar with half a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I let them macerate (soak) for an hour- even if the strawberries are not sweet, this process makes them juicy and delicious! I decided to toast the banana bread to make it a bit more sturdy. I added a dollop of the sweet ricotta cheese on top of the bread and then added the strawberries with some juice. A sprinkle of powdered sugar finished the dish! It was quite delicious. Toasting the bread added another layer of texture to the dessert with the soft strawberries and the creamy ricotta! All in all it was a successful attempt! We finished off the night with some double espresso vodka!!
1 loaf banana bread (there is a recipe on the blog)- cut into one-inch slices
- ½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1 heaping teaspoon vanilla sugar
- Powdered sugar for garnish
Add the sugar to the strawberries and macerate them for at least an hour. Mix the ricotta cheese with the honey and keep aside.
Toast a slice of the banana bread and place it on a serving plate. Top it with a dollop of ricotta cheese and then the strawberries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!