Desserts | Eat Your Heart Out

Peach and Ricotta Crepes

March 20, 2013 by Stephie 22 Comments

Friends are for emailing when you’ve found the perfect color nail polish and just have to tell someone.

Friends are for sending rant-filled texts when your computer’s hard drive takes a nose-dive and you can’t seem to access your back-up files.

Friends are for taking you out for drinks to celebrate quitting a job you hated.

Friends are for loaning you every season of Sex and the City on DVD to help you heal after a breakup.

Friends are for helping you get over your lingering cooking fears and teaching you new skills. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: brunch, crepes, Dessert, Fruit, peaches, ricotta

Apple Dumplings

March 17, 2013 by Stephie 5 Comments

When I get a recipe in my head, there’s no resting until I make it happen.

These apple dumplings came about in exactly that way: I found myself, somewhat out of the blue, with a craving for apple dumplings. And to top it off, I just knew I could do better than using canned biscuit dough or questionable soda in making them.

You’ve probably already guessed where this is going: I had to drop everything and make these dumplings a reality. Are they better than any recipe using canned biscuits and soda? You bet. Are they still just as easy? Absolutely.

These gorgeous dumplings will make a fantastic dessert (or even brunch item!) for your family this Easter.

Head on over to Food Fanatic for the recipe!

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Apples, Baked goods, Breakfast, Dessert, Food Fanatic, Fruit

Coconut Rice Pudding

March 11, 2013 by Stephie 13 Comments

I have a confession to make: My new job is making me lazy.

Exhibit A: After being on my feet for 8 hours, I come home exhausted. Doing anything aside from collapsing in bed sounds like a monumental feat. And that’s if I haven’t gone to the gym after work. Phew.

Exhibit B: Due to where our store is located, we are required to wear hats. In case you couldn’t figure out where this is going…washing my hair has become a rarity. Forget two-day hair. We’re lookin’ at four-day hair. At least.

Exhibit C: I can’t tell you the last time I wore jeans. It’s either my uniform, workout clothes, or yoga pants (if any). I had to go to an event the other day around real people, thus requiring me to put on polite-company clothes. I dealt by wearing black pants that look cute and borderline dressy, but feel like leggings. Jeans were just too much to handle.

Basically, I am one cat and a mumbling-to-myself habit away from being that lady that mothers direct their small children away from at the grocery store.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Baked goods, coconut, dairy-free, Dessert, Gluten-free, pudding, Rice

Fruit and Berry Cobbler

March 4, 2013 by Stephie 9 Comments

Guys, it’s March. I don’t know what the climate is like where you live, but around here (Chicago), things are still pretty gray. And cold. And snowy.

Why do I still live in the Midwest?

I find myself in need of summer fruit.

But until the weather warms up and the first strawberry plants start to green up, frozen fruit will have to do. And frozen fruit is exactly what makes this fruit and berry cobbler – “baked” in your slow cooker, no less – a perfect dessert this time of year. I can start getting my fruit fix in even while there is still the potential for another blizzard at any moment. I wish I was kidding.

Head on over to Food Fanatic for the recipe! And while you’re there, be sure to follow them on Facebook or Twitter – that way you’ll never miss any posts from all of the other amazing regular contributors!

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Baked goods, cobbler, Dessert, Food Fanatic, Fruit, Quick and easy, slow cooker

Blood Orange and Almond Tart

February 6, 2013 by Stephie 12 Comments

Hey. Y’all. Valentine’s Day is in a week.

Were you aware?

I mean, anyone who shops at Target on a regular basis has been bombarded by heart-shaped everything since January 2nd…

Have you decided what you are making for your sweetheart yet?

I know that chocolate and heart-shaped desserts are traditional for Valentine’s Day, but we all know that chocolate isn’t exactly my best friend and I posted my favorite cut-out cookies last year…so I decided to go a slightly different route this year.

This year, blood oranges were just screaming Valentine’s day to me. It’s that deep red color, ya know? And who doesn’t love a pretty tart?

I think this is just about the prettiest tart I’ve ever seen. Certainly the prettiest tart I have ever made. How could your sweetie not love something this pretty, made just for them?

And it only gets better: I know that Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday this year, so maybe you have to work and don’t know how you’re going to have time to pull together a beautiful dessert. Here’s your answer: You bake this tart straight from the freezer! So put it together this weekend, store it in the freezer, and bake it up next Thursday night. Your romantic evening just go that much less stressful.

You don’t have to tell me: I know you love me.

Adapted from Food & Wine

Blood Orange and Almond Tart

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

¾ cup flour
¼ cup almond flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled and divided
3-4 tablespoons ice water
6 medium blood oranges
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, divided
1 egg yolk whisked with 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the flours, 2 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder and salt. Add in 1 stick of the butter, cutting it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of the ice water, stirring together with a fork, until the mixture is crumbly but just starts to come together. Add in another tablespoon of water if your mixture seems inordinately dry.
Knead the dough 2-3 times on a floured surface, then wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the oranges: Cut the rind off, making sure to remove all of the bitter white pith. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges and remove the pits; set aside. With the other 4 oranges, carefully cut between the membranes to remove the individual segments (you will need about 1 cup of segments); place the segments in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Shake out the juice without smushing the segments. Set aside. Reserve the juice for another use.
Roll the chilled pastry dough into an 11-inch round. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for an additional 15 minutes.
Arrange the orange segments in the center of the pastry dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Sprinkle with 1½ tablespoons of the sugar and 1½ tablespoons of the almonds. Fold up the edges of the dough, brush with the egg wash, and sprinkle with ½ tablespoon of the sugar.
Arrange the slices on the top of the tart, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with with remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½ tablespoon of almonds.
Place into the freezer for at least 4 hours. Once frozen, tart can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the tart on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with a rim to keep juices from going all over your oven…learn from my mistakes) and bake for about 1 hours and 15 minutes, or until deeply golden. Cool on the sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer the parchment with the tart to a cooling rack to cool completely.