Ask me about Dessert

Lemon-Syrup Pound Cake with Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream and Blueberry Drizzle

    What's the fun of catering dessert?  What's not the fun of catering dessert?  But I DO LOVE TO HAVE A REASON to make dessert.  And I adore having a reason to try something I love or have never done before; dessert for two is so different than dessert for a group.  We simply don't need a whole pie (well, Dave would argue with that.)  We don't want a whole cake or two quarts of ice cream, which is what my new ice cream maker makes.  But if I'm asked to bring dessert or have a catering job, I get to do the whole shebang. (Scroll down for Lemon-Syrup Pound Cake with Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream and Blueberry Drizzle.)

Seasonal crostatas -- free-form pie

Women Game-Changers #37-Severine von Tscharner Fleming- Moroccan Carrot Salad

‘Farming is an attractive path for people who are getting out of school and feeling like there’s kind of a toxic consumerism and not feeling too excited about working for the Man, especially seeing as he’s been spoiling our politics and a lot of our ecology,’’ she said.  (Severine von Tscharner Fleming via NYT)

#36 on Gourmet's list of 50 Women Game-Changers in Food is Severine von Tscharner Fleming-- farmer, activist, and filmmaker...

50 Women Game-Changers - #36 Edna Lewis- Biscuits

"I married her for her beaten biscuits."

Edna Lewis' Best Biscuits

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 1/2 teaspoons single-acting baking powder or double-acting baking powder (see Note)
3. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1/4 cup cold lard or vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
6. 1/2 cup buttermilk
7. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted  

Jambalaya-- A Repeat Post or There's No Crying in Lent

Originally posted February, 2010

In my world, and for some of you, this is the day when traditionally we clean out the beautiful, fattening rich things like butter and dairy.  Adding flour (and whatever else), we come up with stacks of pancakes and, oh, ok, bacon or sausage...Drooling maple syrup (only the real kind) and maybe a few bananas or even leftover frozen and grated cranberries with toasted pecans and a tish orange peel, my personal favorite.  ( pancake photo: Salahan.com; jambalaya photo: Alyce Morgan)

2-21-12:  The church I work at has a Pancake Supper tonight:  6pm @ Prospect Park United Methodist in Minneapolis; come to Fat Tuesday!

  

50 Women Game-Changers in Food - #35 - Delia Smith

Would you cook with this woman?  Meet Delia Smith.

In North America, we might argue over who taught us to cook.  While Julia really was on tv, I'm sure I learned to cook from a. my mother, b. James Beard, and c. SILVER PALATE.  (We all teach ourselves right in our kitchen, don't we?)  But in the UK, there's no question about who taught you to cook; Delia Smith, #35 in Gourmet's 50 Women Game-Changers in Food, did.  (photo courtesy BBC)

No Reservations (Valentine's Day at Home)

Alyce's Tuna with Marinara and Spinach with Onions*

 
To get you in the mood, kick off with Van Morrison's "Moondance."  
Or, if you'd rather, "Someone Like You."
          Note: If you right click on the song title, you can open youtube in another window and keep the music playing.......................................
                    
If you'd rather just order pizza (I know you!) and watch a movie, stop here and look at the best movies of 2011 and call for delivery.   Wow, that was a short blog!   But...if you're in the mood for food at home, read on.

Since everyone and their mother is now a food or wine writer, it's a bit crazy to see just how many articles there are about cooking for Valentine's Day or drinking for Valentine's Day.   "I Wine You to Wine Me," is out from Wine Spectator.  Phew.   The desserts, the bubblies...  It's all somewhat odd, eh?  Because the word has always been that one goes OUT for Valentine's Day--something I've seldom done.  Why?  Too crowded, too expensive, and rushed food.  Enough reasons?  I will admit, however, that if you have children of any age in the house, going out looks better and better.  Who wants to be searing a great piece of salmon while your loved one lights the candles only to be confronted with a dirty diaper, a bloody nose, a soccer practice, or a boyfriend crisis?
 

The only kids now at home sleep under the table!

Women Game-Changers in Food - #34 Ella Brennan - Creole Bread Pudding

  Conventional wisdom says, "If there's bread pudding on the menu, order it."  Now that I've made Brennan's Creole Bread Pudding, I know why.  I won't say who it is, but someone in my house is saying, "Please let me stay out of the frig as long as that bread pudding is in there."

Creole Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

For number 34 on Gourmet Live's List of Women Game-Changers in Food, there's the infamous and famous Ella Brennan, New Orleans restauranteur extraordinaire.   Hailed as the most influential person in the American restaurant business ever,