Lemon Bars with Browned Butter Short Bread Crust

Lemon Bars are a dessert that bring me back to childhood. I would always beg one of my mom's friends to bring them to our weekend barbecues.  I love how they are the perfect combination of tart and sweet and are supported by a crumbly thin crust.  While I patiently wait for our lemon tree to fruit, I thought that I would whip up this old childhood favorite, but with a twist.  I used this recipe for lemon bars with brown butter shortbread crust and were absolutely delicious.  These delightful lemon squares are perfect for a summer picnic.  

*All photographs by Alison

Berry Tart with Ginger Nut Crust

Why is everything just so much better in miniature?  I clearly have a thing for bite-sized treats as witnessed here and here, however bite-size it is taken to a whole new level when you combine pastry cream and the season's freshest fruit.  When I bake, I like to create small, individual desserts -  it just feels a bit more special than splitting a dessert.  I am still on somewhat of a berry craze (as seen here and here) so I decided to bake miniature Fruit Tarts with Ginger Nut Crust. 

My first experience with a fruit tart was in Paris. The tarts that sit in the windows of the patisseries are like works of art, almost too pretty to be eaten.  The berries are piled high and placed in beautiful artistic patterns.  My aim was to create the same sort of beautiful tart but with a twist.  I love pie crust but I was craving something with a bit more flavor. This ginger nut crust was outstanding, it tasted like a ginger snap and paired nicely with the vanilla pastry cream. I definitely recommend that you whip up a batch of these tarts at your next gathering!

*All photographs by Alison

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love chocolate chip cookies, as I mentioned here and I also adore the recipe mentioned here  from City Bakery here in New York.  Only in my wildest dreams would I think that I would be able to recreate this unbelievably delicious recipe that is so chewy and buttery -  it really is not funny.  When you break apart their cookie, the chocolate chips melt almost as if they were just pulled out of the oven.  

One day I decided that I would try to duplicate their recipe. I scoured many blogs, just to find out that many others are also in search of the same thing.  I used this recipe and was anything but disappointed.  Upon my investigative work, the difference between this version is that you work with cold butter, not it's room temperature counter-part found in a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe.  This recipe also calls for bittersweet chocolate chips, which provides an even richer flavor. Eaten warm with a glass of milk created one of those moments meant to be savored. Do you have any favorite chocolate chip recipes that must be shared?

  

* All photographs by Alison

Baby Blue

In order to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a friends baby boy, I decided to bake her baby blue macaroons with fluffy butter cream frosting.  I believe that macaroons can make anyone happy, especially if they are served at an occasion like a baby or bridal shower. They are particulary lovely since they can be created in an array of hues - my favorite being pastels.  

A Few Things: To color the macaroons I used Wilton Sky Blue Icing Color. I found through experimentation that typcial food coloring does not work when it comes to dying these beautiful cookies, rather using a gel adds a much deeper concentration of color, plus there is a plethora of colors to choose from.  

*Photographs by Alison

Yellow Macaroons with Meyer Lemon Curd

Something is just so pretty about macaroons, as I have mentioned here and here.  After making quite a few batches of this French treat, some better than others, I really hope to get more and more creative with my macaroon creations.  I was craving a light and refreshing cookie, so I settled on Yellow Macaroons with Lemon Curd, a perfect pastel hue for the upcoming Easter holiday.

 
I made the lemon curd recipe that I had used prior, just because I loved the ratio of sweetness to tartness, thanks to the Meyer lemons that pack a heavy dose of citrus, without being overly bitter like typical lemons. Paired with a demitasse of espresso, this treat was just delightful.    

   

Nutella Pudding Parfait

 

When you put two things you love together, magic truly happens. This is exactly what occurred when I paired my undying  love for hazelnuts and moist cake into a Nutella Parfaits - delightful individual desserts.  My inspiration for this comes from Magnolia Bakery's unbelievably delicious Banana Pudding.  Typically I do not like anything with banana, but this is an exception.  Their pudding is so light and airy and between each pocket you will find pieces of cake.  If you are ever in the area, I am telling you this dessert just might change your life!

  These parfaits are very easy and can be assembled in just a few steps. I used the filling recipe from my favorite tart and combined it with the left over yellow cake from here, but you could definitely use chocolate cake to add another layer of richness and depth.  I then finished the parfait with toasted hazelnuts.  I wanted to transport these, so I placed a layer of pudding, followed by a layer of cake, the finished with more pudding inside of a mason jelly jar, however, this would also work very well inside of a traditional parfait jar. Impress your guests by serving this treat at your next dinner party or better yet a springtime picnic. 

  

  

Three Layer Miniature Yellow Cakes with Buttercream and a Magnolia Touch

Baking a cake just makes me happy. There is something to be said about fragrancing your home with the sweet aroma of cake batter and something even prettier about an iced cake sitting upon a pedestal just waiting to be eaten. 

 

New York is beginning to blossom with accents of spring. It is my favorite time to be in the City - daffodils are opening and bursting with vibrant hues of yellow, fragrant hyacinths are sprouting and so are magnolia trees - one of my favorites.  Magnolia blossoms are the lightest shade of pink and almost look like tulips on trees before they open themselves up to the world.  I thought I would add this beautiful bud to my cakes. 

Typically I gravitate towards anything with chocolate, but I was wanting something a bit lighter, so I decided to bake a yellow cake with buttercream frosting. This cake was incredibly moist and fluffy, thanks to the buttercream and extra amount of time that I spent creaming the butter and sugar.  In order to achieve the small cake size, I made three miniature cakes,  I used a round cookie cutter and to finish it off, I placed a healthy dose of buttercream inbetween each layer and then frosted the entire cake.  This would be great idea for a bridal or baby shower, or just any occasion that you might have to eat a slice of cake.  

Vanilla Macaoons with Chocolate Ganache (And a Touch of Gold)

There are so many things in life that inspire me - traveling, a lush floral arrangement, a golden sunset; however there is one thing that allows my mind to shift into full-on dreaming mode and it is fashion.  The Spring 2012 Gucci campaign definitely made my pulse beat just a bit faster than usual - the gorgeous drop-waist flapper dressers were out of this world inparticularly the geometric prints in black, white and gold.  I could not take my eyes off this dress , which inspired me to bake these vanilla macaroons with chocolate ganache. 

To help create the Art Deco inspired theme, I purchased handmade paper from here (it is so gorgeous!) and to add a golden touch, I sprinkled edible gold flakes atop each macaroon to given them the finishing touch.  

 

Rustic Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

What better way to say Happy Valentine's Day than with a little chocolate. 

This chocolate hazelnut tart recipe has been in my arsenal for over a year, and through out that time period, I have made this recipe four times.  It is incredibly easy to make and the result is pure deliciousness.  The rich, creamy hazelnut filling has a pudding like consistency and the sturdy crust, which consists of toasted hazelnuts allows you to literally pick it up and eat it with your hands.  

A Few Things: The previous times that I made this dessert, I used a traditional tart pan; however, this time I was looking to make individual treats, so I cut out the crust using a circular cookie cutter and laid the cutout pieces inside a muffin tin - this made eight tarts.