Desserts — Page 34

Peppermint White Chocolate Popcorn

December 3, 2013 By Erin Kennedy 1 Comment

You know those giant 8-pound tubs of popcorn kernels you can get at Costco? My family can go through one of those in a month.

A bowl of buttered popcorn and a movie rental are just about all we need to enjoy our weekend.

Lately, though, we’ve been going through popcorn withdrawals. Our son had his wisdom teeth out, and the doctor said he could only eat soft foods, and definitely no popcorn. I thought it would just be cruel to make popcorn and eat it in front of him, so the rest of us went without.

Then we got sick, all of us, really sick. We had a lot of chicken soup and applesauce, and none of us really wanted to eat popcorn. We didn’t want to make it either.

So we have probably been popcorn-free for about 3 weeks now.

Today I decided enough was enough, and started making a big bowl of our favorite snack. Then the season got the better of me. I started imagining how the popcorn would taste with peppermint mixed in, and I remembered the white chocolate in my pantry, and well… it didn’t take long for me to convince myself that what we really needed today was white chocolate peppermint popcorn.

YUM.

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Cranberry Cheese Danish

November 29, 2013 By Erin Kennedy Leave a Comment

With Thanksgiving now behind us, it’s time to take full advantage of the best this holiday has to offer…the leftovers! I have the best memories of raiding the fridge the morning after the big day. All of the stress and commotion have died down, and somehow the food tastes just a little better when you sneak a bite or two straight out of the container as you hover over an open fridge (am I right?).

If you’ve got a houseful of lingering guests, or, heck, if you’re just looking for a little indulgence yourself, this recipe is a great way to use up any of your leftover cranberry sauce. With the use of ready-made puff pastry dough, these Cranberry Cheese Danishes are ready in no time.

Puff pastry is one of my favorite tools of trickery in the kitchen. For some reason, whenever anything is made with puff pastry, people think it’s pretty fancy and complicated. The reality is, though, the frozen packages of dough couldn’t be easier to use. The most difficult part is remembering to take it out of the freezer far enough in advance so that it thaws.

The cranberry is combined with cream cheese and powdered sugar, and the result is tart and luscious. I’m always a huge fan of homemade cranberry sauce, but no judging here if you opt to bust a can out of the cupboard.

After toasting up in the oven, you’ll see the edges pop up to create a nice border around the cheese…hence the “puff” of puff pastry.

To finish off, a fancy little drizzle of glaze is literally the icing on top. I like to use a pastry bag, squeeze bottle, or ziploc bag with the corner snipped off to create a pretty zig zag effect, but a spoon would certainly work as well.

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The Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe

November 26, 2013 By Erin Kennedy Leave a Comment

Be Thankful for Vegan Pumpkin Pie.

That spicy and creamy custard filling. That flaky and rich buttery crust. You know what I’m talking about… pumpkin pie! The time is finally here to indulge in this classic taste of the holidays.

Wouldn’t you love to gratify those taste buds of yours while also choosing the healthiest and cleanest version of this pie? With so many diet restrictions these days, I am always looking for ways to make our favorite recipes enjoyable by all. So, when my clients began asking for a vegan, flax free pumpkin pie, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Thus this journey began, to construct a pie void of all the above ingredients, but of course, not while compromising that classic and delicious taste.

Voila! From my kitchen to yours… vegan pumpkin pie. Enjoy

I decided to make my crust from scratch, but you could easily buy a frozen one.

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Ginger Asian Pear Crisp

November 25, 2013 By Erin Kennedy Leave a Comment

It’s that time of the year when the number of farmers markets in Seattle plummets down to just a handful of hearty markets which run year round. One of my favorites, the University District Market recently pivoted its location from a parking lot to the street. I wasn’t so sure about the move when I first heard about it – but the with new addition of some of my favorite vendors from the Broadway Farmers Market, it’s now holding the title of my favorite market in Seattle.

My original thought for this month’s farmers market sourced recipe was to make a simple apple crisp. However, after walking the new market and spotting oodles of pears in the many booths convinced me to try just a little something different.

I’ve never actually eaten an Asian Pear before, so I figured what better time to try baking with some. The Mair Farm-Taki booth had both some excellent looking pears and fresh ginger, so I came up with this special spiced crisp. This final version came with me to a little dinner party and it turned was a huge hit. Even better, the single portion I had left made a fantastic warmed up breakfast the following morning.

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