Category: Desserts
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Bourbon Preserved Figs
If you’re lucky enough to have a fig tree, or a neighbor who has one, you have figs coming out your ears in early summer…and perhaps again in late fall, especially if you live in a Southern state. This fall crop of figs often gets interrupted by early frosts. The figs are still green when…
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“Ambassador Hotel” Black Bottom Pie
The “black bottom pie” is an ancient staple of Southern home cooking…most often found at church potlucks, family reunions, and Sunday suppers. It’s not common in home kitchens these days, but a unique institution in Los Angeles, of all places, gave this regional favorite a solid spot on the national dessert roster. The Ambassador hotel…
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Cabernet Jelly
Have you ever had wine jelly? It’s divine. And couldn’t be easier to make. In fact, the hardest part of this recipe is sterilizing the jars and lids, which is easy. You should do that first, because the jelly comes together VERY quickly once you start. This recipe makes about 4 pints of jelly, or…
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Bourbon Fig Jam
You fall into one of two categories of humans. The first: someone who has to pay an outrageous amount of money to purchase figs at the grocery store when they’re in season…sometimes up to a dollar a fig. If you’re not that person, you fall into the other category. Either you or a neighbor has…
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Passion Fruit Creme Brulee
I realize that, because I’m obsessed with doing everything from scratch, many of my recipes can be a little bit complex. Personally, I take great joy from avoiding canned and processed ingredients, and doing it all myself. But I realize that many of my fans would enjoy a really easy recipe every now and then…and…
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Ben’s Infamous Butter Pecan Ice Cream
This ice cream is NOT good for you. Let’s just get that out of the way at the beginning. It contains so many calories and so much saturated fat that you should only indulge in it once a year. That said, this ice cream is legendary. If you’re not familiar with the flavor “Butter Pecan”…
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Dandelion “Honey”
Either you love dandelions, or you hate them. If you hate them, it’s probably because you spend so much time trying to rid your lawn of them. If you love them, it’s because the big, soft, bright yellow blossoms and supremely blow-able puff balls bring you back to childhood. Or perhaps you’re one of the…
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1-Hour Hazelnut Cranberry Sticky/Sweet Rolls
When I’m making a very special breakfast, I often choose my Overnight Cinnamon Rolls because they get rave reviews. Any kind of yeast-risen roll for breakfast is a winner…but sometimes you can’t prep the night before, or don’t have HOURS to prep that morning. So I’ve been developing a series of 1-Hour yeast risen recipes…
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How to Cook a Pumpkin and Turn it into Puree
In the fall, we’ve got pumpkins coming out our ears, and it just pains me to think that 95% of the pumpkins grown in this country are simply carved for Halloween and then tossed into the trash. Sometimes people buy 4 or 5, carve only one, and let the rest sit on their front porch…
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Pumpkin Cardamom Souffle
Souffles are one of those things you see on cooking shows and MAYBE you’ll make one or two throughout the course of your life. I’m not sure why this is the case. Perhaps it’s because there is an old myth in the kitchen that souffles are temperamental and impossible to get right. This is malarkey! …