Confession: I'm not an apple pie girl. I'm not a vanilla ice cream girl. I have been known to cry in the past when these were being served for dessert (true story, ask my mom). However, I make them for Luke frequently, and I have even eaten them. I even enjoy vanilla bean ice cream now. I know. Shocking. I think I'm now officially a mature grown up. ;-)

But THIS pie. I can honestly say it was amazing. I don't even like caramel on it's own. Together somehow though, the apples and the caramel are perfect together, and it's topped with a spiced streusel. I can't take credit for the recipe, although I did say last week when we were planning the menu, "What about caramel apple pie?" to Luke and he said "Yeah!" and then I did a search on epicurious.com. So there you have it. CLICK HERE to get the recipe for yourself.

A few more confessions/tips for this recipe. I did not make the pie crust. I've been making my own crust for a while but lately I haven't liked it at all. It's too tough, and making it by hand (i.e., no food processor) I think has something to do with it. So I bought a crust. And it was perfect. And easy. Also, I never ever have pumpkin pie spice. I think it's ridiculous, especially when you already have all the spices to make it on hand. I used a mix of cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves to make a total of the teaspoon it calls for. And lastly, do not be daunted by making the caramel. It took a total of 5 minutes for me. Take it off when it's amber, and BE CAREFUL when you add the water & butter. It definitely does bubble vigorously. When you add it to the apples it will instantly harden. Stir as best you can and try to distribute it but don't worry about it too much. It will soften to a caramel sauce when you bake it. Yum.

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

1 c. whole milk
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla

Whisk it smooth, freeze in your ice cream maker. The end.

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts. We love the version Olive Garden has, and after having it a few weeks ago after our trip to Disneyland, Luke and I decided it must be recreated at home. I've made it before but the mascarpone-cream top part was lumpy and runny, and I soaked the ladyfingers too much. This time I got it pretty close to Olive Garden's!

A few things about tiramisu. Mascarpone is what gives the creamy top its unique flavor. It is called "Italian cream cheese," but it definitely doesn't have the same flavor as regular cream cheese, it's less tangy. You can find it at most grocery stores now, near the specialty cheeses.

Next, you can either make or buy ladyfingers. The ones you buy are usually dry and hard, if you make them they will be much softer. I've found it really doesn't matter! I actually have a hard time finding them in my grocery stores, and World Market (where I could always find them) closed down, so for me making them is kind of a necessity. I used this recipe, and they turned out well.





Tiramisu

1-2 pkgs ladyfingers (about 24, bought or homemade)
8 oz. mascarpone
1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. Powdered sugar, divided in half
1/2 c. cocoa
3/4 c. strong coffee or espresso mixed with 1/4 c. coffee liquor (or just straight coffee)

Whip the mascarpone until smooth, then add the cream and whip until it starts to get thick. Add 1/4 c. powdered sugar and continue to whip until it looks like Cool Whip. Set aside.

Mix the coffee and liquor together in a shallow dish. Dip each ladyfinger in it on just one side, you want them wet but not soaked or dripping or soggy. Lay them in a deep baking dish or pan, coffee side up. Layer them two or three deep in the pan (homemade ladyfingers come out thinner, so I did 3 deep). Don't worry about using all the coffee mixture. Spread the mascarpone mixture over top.

Mix the cocoa with the remaining 1/4 c. powdered sugar, and use a strainer or sifter (or a loose leaf tea ball works too!) to sprinkle the cocoa mixture over top. You just want to dust it, not smother it, so if there's any left over, save it to make mochas with coffee (stir a tablespoon or two into a cup of hot coffee!). Chill the tiramisu for a few hours and then serve - and enjoy!

Luke & I don't really need a "reason" to make a cake like this. It would probably be better for us if we did need one, but oh well. "Bittersweet" is probably my favorite dessert cookbook, and that makes sense: it's a book about chocolate. (The cake on the cover is the Tribute Cake, although hers looks much better than mine!) This cake was originally made as a birthday cake for Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma, and I would definitely say it's worthy of that. It has three rich chocolate cakes, with whipped chocolate ganache filling, and dark chocolate glaze. It's topped and circled with chocolate "fans," which are made by scraping thin sheets of chocolate. It took a while to master but I was so excited when I did!

Luke asked me for chocolate cheesecake with cherry topping a little while back and I just happened to have about a pound of fresh cherries that were going to go bad if I didn't use them. He was a bit skeptical about me improvising a recipe for homemade cherry topping, or sauce, but by the time it was finished he decided it was all right and we should do it again for a pie sometime!

This is a really easy recipe that you can do with tons of different fruits. You can also adjust the spices or alcohol for different flavors! I used it on top of chocolate cheesecake, but it would be great in cherry pie or turnovers as well. I've made it with blueberries and used nutmeg, ginger and cloves and then mixed the blueberry sauce with peaches and baked it into a pie. Just adjust the amounts for different weights of fruit. (For example, when I did it with blueberries, I had about 6 oz. and used 1/8 c. sugar instead of 1/3 c.) The measurements are semi-approximate, because you can adjust depending on taste. Enjoy!

Cherry Sauce

Pit 1 pound of cherries. (See below for a tip!) Put in a medium saucepan and add 1/3 c. sugar, 2 to 4 T. rum, about 1/3 to 1/2 c. water and pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer vigorously until the sauce has thickened and reduced.

Crepes are one of my all-time favorite desserts/breakfasts/dinners/anytime foods! =) Luke and I had them for dinner last night, yes, dinner. ;) They're fairly easy to make and so tasty! I want to try savory crepes sometime, but I'll have to do it when Luke's not around, since he doesn't want them "ruined"! ;)


First of all: you need a nonstick pan. I know, I hate nonstick too. But unless you are a seasoned pro (and I've made them a lot, but I still wouldn't do them without nonstick!), you will want the nonstick pan.

Second: it helps to use a blender. You can make this recipe without it, but your batter just won't be as smooth.

Third: you HAVE to chill the batter for at least as long as the recipe says. You can even make it the night before (if you're having it for breakfast) and keep it in the refrigerator all night, just give it another pulse with your blender to make sure nothing has settled.

Ok, now on to the recipe!

Basic Crepes
Tom Colicchio's recipe



1 c. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 c. lukewarm water
4 eggs, beaten (I put them in the blender first, turn it on for a second)
4 T. unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1/2-1 t. salt
butter for cooking


Mix in blender, chill for at least 1/2 hour. If you're not using a blender, add butter last, so it doesn't clump.



To cook, heat nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup batter into the middle of the pan, and lift it by the handle to swirl around so it's uniformly thin in a large circle. Cook until you can easily slide a spatula underneath, then flip. It takes around 3-4 minutes for the first side, around 2 for the second.