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I'm thinking about trying to make a "cappachino foam" molded chocolate - something like a foamy cappachino mocha ganache in a molded shell. A cappachino "Aero" bon bon. Has anybody done something like this, or could point me towards a relevent link? I'm not even sure what this would be called to do a search ;^) TIA

A friend of mine just got chickens and has offered me some fresh eggs to bake with if I will share the dessert with her. I was thinking of doing something custard-based - creme brulee, or an ice cream - but was wondering if anyone here has any suggestions for desserts that will really highlight the eggs?

This sunday I am starting a new tradition where I am trying to make a real nice (at least 3 course) dinner, I have everything ready except for one thing, dessert! The meal itself is quite heavy, so I'm going with a nice light dessert, I have really nice fresh strawberry's in the fridge and wanted to use them for it, making a combo with chocolate, vanilla and the strawberry's. I'll be serving half of the berries fresh and the other half in a coolis drizzled over home made vanilla mousse. I have some nice chocolate here and wanted to do a small cake, but I only know rather moist and heavy chocolate cakes. Does anyone have a nice light cake recipe, or perhaps any other I ideas?

Edy's ice cream was on sale at my local supermarket today so I bought a couple of 48-ounce containers. Turns out, nowhere on the container does it say "ice cream." It says "frozen dairy dessert." What's up with that?

Hello from the Portland, Oregon 'burbs, my fellow eGulleteers! I'm super excited to share my week with you! First a little bio: I'm a mother of three little people, Aria (5), Mina (3), and Gio (10 months). My husband and I relocated to Portland from outside of Milwaukee, WI, in 2002 after the snow plows knocked over our mailbox one too many times ...I highly recommend a corporate relocation package if you can swing it. Anyways, we had a couple of options, but when we came out to see Portland, we fell in love. It's really a beautiful city, lots of green space, with an amazing food culture. I went to culinary school and got my certificate in Patisserie and Baking in 2004, although before and after culinary school I actually worked at a preschool. I bake quite a bit in my spare time, and I got into the habit of baking birthday treats for the other teachers and staff at the center I worked at. At the end of April, I decided to leave my job at the preschool (by then I was Center Director) to start a home-based baking business. I'm still working through the challenges that starting your own (legitimate) business entails, but in the meantime, I make custom cakes and cupcakes for birthdays and casual get-togethers. I'd love to hear any of your experiences with getting into the food business! It's a little challenging to bake with the offspring underfoot, but I love staying home with them. I've always loved to cook and bake, my parents were so-so cooks, and I started cooking the family meals at about age 10. I learned most of what I know from a combination of reading cookbooks, experimenting in the kitchen, and watching cooking shows on PBS, and later, Food Network (back when it wasn't all Next Food Network Stars wandering around the country, marveling at giant pizzas) so I'm still developing my "style." I basically started with a clean slate, no major food traditions to uphold, although my Grandma was an amazing baker. I do have some of her recipes as well. I've got quite a bit planned for this week, but I'm completely open to suggestions if you have things you'd like to see around the city. Let's get this food party started! -Heather (Genkinaonna)

I'm thinking of making these today or tomorrow. Looks simple. Puree raw shrimp to a paste and add in seasonings like fish sauce, chili and onion then shallow fry. I'm seeing lots of recipes around the web. Have you made this before? or had it at a restaurant? Thanks! Grace

Makes: 1 cake, 9" round Time: about 1 hour from start to finish. Ingredients * 3/4 Cups finely-ground gold cornmeal, precooked if you can find it. * 1 1/2 Cups vanilla yogurt (or the same amount of sweet yogurt with 1 tsp of vanilla extract mixed in) * 5 TBSP panela raspadura or other brown/raw sugar * the zest of one lemon * 1 TBSP fresh-squozen lemon juice * 4 TBSP sunflower oil * 2 eggs * 1/2 Cup quinua flour * 1/2 Cup white wheat flour * 1 TSP baking powder Method 1. Mix the cornmeal with the sugar, then blend in the yogurt and lemon juice. Allow the mixture to rest for at least 15 minutes (it should get quite thick) 2. Mix together the flours, zest, and baking powder, and set aside. 3. Grease and/or line your pan. I use a 9" silicone mold in the shape of a sunflower (which means I skip the lining), but any 9" pan will work. 3a. Preheat your oven to 425 F. 4. Now that the cornmeal mixture is rested, add the oil and eggs and beat until homogenous (I use a fork). 5. Add the flours and whip until just mixed, then pour into the pan. Pop that into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If you're using silicone, let it rest out of the oven for 5 minutes and then unmold. Otherwise, let it cool more before attempting to remove it from the pan. Once the cake is fully cool, glaze it using the following: 1/4 Cup honey 2 TBSP panela raspadura or other brown/raw sugar 1 TBSP butter This mixture should be melted in a bain-marie until the butter has clarified and the sugar fully dissolves in the honey. It makes a golden-coloured glaze that accents the cake well and adds a bit of extra sweetness without being too heavy. Just before serving, top with macerated fruit - the photo shows strawberries that were set in Spanish port brandy with honey. Whipped cream adds a nice touch as well.

Next week my GF and I are having dinner with friends and they are preparing a heavy meal – prime beef being the main course. We were asked to bring dessert, and Toots is willing to make her exceptional flan, but I’d like something different – I’ve had the flan numerous times. What I’d like is something light, perhaps even a bit acidic (thinking lemon here), or some kind of sorbet or granita. The problem with the frozen desserts is transport – they may not make the trip successfully and I don’t want to underwrite the experiment. Chocolate is something I’d like, but Toots isn’t too interested in chocolate in the evening as it keeps her awake (is there a “decaf” chocolate?) So, what suggestions are there for a light, refreshing dessert that will travel well and not take too much time to make as our schedule between now and then is very hectic? I’m not much of a baker, so pies, cakes, etc., are not a good choice, although I do make a very nice lemon-poppy seed loaf, which I was thinking might go well with a scoop of store-bought ice cream or sherbet. Not the lightest choice, but acceptable, especially since I make it in a lower-fat version. I was also thinking about making a Parmigiano ice cream, but I’m not sure where the ice cream maker is. Thanks!

While I am not thrilled with all of my youngest (and only one left at home) daughter's 8th grade teachers, I still thought it correct to bring a cake into the teachers' room - as some do desreve it - in mid June to wish them all a good summer holiday. I am quite capable with chocolate, any ideas of how to make a cake with perhaps a glaze/ganache etc? What shape/flavor? Thanks!

I'm planning a bbq in a couple of weeks where I'll be serving homemade Vietnamese coffee ice cream along with some sort of ginger cookies. I'm trying to think of a tasty and unique way to incorporate Sriracha in maybe a caramel sauce, or a candied nut...something of that nature that can go over the ice cream. Any ideas or experience with this?

Smitten Kitchen's (adapted from A Good Appetite) "Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake" with Honey-blood orange compote and thick cream. Compote and cream are added later to the finished cake. The cake was nothing short of fantastic. So moist, such a wonderful crumb, delicious. I was in heaven and 5 of us for lunch ate almost the entire cake. Now I would like to make this cake into muffins. Currently in a 9x5" loaf pan at 350 degrees F, it bakes for 50 to 55 minutes. So I would bake it at the same 350 degrees? in large muffin tins with papers for roughly how many minutes? 35? (That's the timing for large Morning Glory Muffins.) Anything else of import that I should know before I set off to do this thing? Oh, right, I am going to add chopped walnuts to the batter.

Every year for Easter I always make a coconut cake with lemon curd filing for Easter. No matter how I thickened the curd and how long I chilled it it was always too thin to work real well as a filling. So, I switched to a lemon filling with some cornstarch. My recipie is always the same and I am wondering what others use for both filing, cake and icing. I think coconut cake is something lots of folks have at Easter time. So, what does everyone do for this old standby?

I was poking around Johnny Iuzzini's website and found a recipe for a Double Meyer Lemon Tart. It looks and sounds really good. I need help adapting it for my use. The main issue with the recipe as printed is that it's too big. It makes 6-8 individual tarts. It doesn't say how large, but just looking at the amounts of tart dough, it certainly seems to be a lot more than I need. Also, I only have two smaller individual tart pans in addition to a larger (I think 9" ) tart pan. Basically, I want to use the ideas here. A lemon tart with two "layers". A lemon flan (an 'app'??), then a lemon curd on top. The recipe is here. http://johnnyiuzzini.com/storage/recipe/spring/beg/Meyer%20lemon%20tart.pdf I have made sweet tart doughs before. So, that's not much of a challenge to overcome. Next up is the meyer lemon flan app.. first, what is an "app"? Never heard of that term. For amounts, could I simply halve everything? I think it may wind up making enough. The baked tart shell gets filled halfway with this, then baked to set the flan. After that, comes a lemon curd. I've made lemon curd before, so that's not a huge deal. I just wonder if the curd in this recipe would setup thicker than what I have made before. I would think that I would want it fairly firm. Note that the recipe doesn't call for the curd to be baked or anything like that after it's made. It just goes into the tart shell after the flan has been set and cooled. The final part is the Italian meringue. I've never made that before, but I have made marshmallows, so I am familiar with hot syrup into beaten egg whites. The problem with this recipe is the sugar amount. The recipe lists 113 g of sugar with 100g of whites. But the method section calls for 223 g of sugar. Also, could the meringue be made advance? Like several hours and held in a container, then piped out and torched just before service? If not, how long can the meringue sit on a finished tart before service? Any help people can provide would be much appreciated. Has anyone actually made this themselves? I think if I can figure it out, this will be Easter Sunday dessert.

I have to supply a dessert for a dinner for eight next weekend. Two of the guests eat gluten free and are vegan. Other than a fruit salad what else is there?

One of my favourite desserts is a gelatin, flavored with citrus juice and ginger (fresh or grated, depending on what's available); a miniscule pinch of salt keeps it from tasting insipid, and a little sugar rounds it out. I use 10g/0.35oz gelatine for each 100cc of liquid, and let it firm up overnight. Once I've dissolved the gelatin, I add the juice of a lime, lemon, or half a grapefruit, and enough water to bring the volume up to 600cc/2.5 cups. Anyone make something similar, but with different flavorings? I've heard of several Asian ones that use ingredients such as orange flower water, cardamom, and (I think) coconut milk: anyone tried these?

My head has been spinning for the last few weeks about how to make and assemble a tiered wedding cake. OK it's actually my wedding cake. My head already spun from trying to figure out what flavor the cake should be, how to transport it up a mountain on windy roads, how to store it before ( I'll be renting a refrigerator!) and yes I did think if it will be a stupid decision to make my own cake? Cutting to the chase - I am pretty much a home baker so my supplies are basic ( ok maybe above average basic) and I really don't want to acquire a whole bunch of cake pans that I'll barely use. So the idea is since I have a ton of half sheet pans that I can bake the cake in sheets then use cake/pasty rings to cut the sizes. I have to purchase these rings but I know I'll be using them in the future to assemble molded desserts - heck I can use them to make other desserts for the wedding. Also I am thinking in terms of efficiency (baking will be faster, may not have to level) since I'll be making a couple more desserts for the reception and I'll be hosting a brunch the day after and will be buried with prepping, cooking and such and I'll have a house full of family staying with me as well. Am I making sense??!!! like I said my head is spinning with this and other things going on. If you're curious I've decided on a nut sponge cake (hazelnut or almond) - filling is raspberry jam and whipped white chocolate ganache ( about 4 layers for each tier). It'll be covered/iced with whipped white Choc ganache. The cake stacked sizes will be 12-9-6 inches. I would have preferred using SMBC but I am afraid that a majority of the guest won't like it since they're used to the American style BC and I also absolutely dislike the taste of fondant unless it's on a traditional marzipan covered fruit cake but fruit cake will likely be worse to serve the guest since again they aren't accustomed to the taste. Although I welcome any other suggestions? I think I have time - wedding reception is about 10 wks away! Yikes!

Greetings, baking experts! Somewhere out there is a recipe for a bright white frosting, wedding-cake style, that spreads and smooths easier than a classic buttercream. I thought I saw one once, and it had (gasp) shortening in it? I need a recipe for success, as I'm attempting my first wedding cake, and a satiny smooth frosting is what I'm hoping for. Any tips? Lizz

ok so i'm in a bit of a pinch here--helping a buddy out on his food truck doing desserts, and we're doing an event this friday for 1200 people. looking to do about 2400 desserts but i'm completely stuck on what i can make easily (not many components to it) first one i thought was just a classic vanilla creme brulee with some fresh berries (doing this in a 2oz ramekin) after that some sort of sweet crostini or bruschetta dolce maybe a ricotta or mascarpone spread with some fruit or chocolate not sure on the 3rd one...planning on 800 of each small size 2-3 oz tops on each dessert to keep them small and manage the space better. in any case i really welcome (and hope for) your feedback with any ideas i need to start cooking stuff by tomorrow morning the latest so....yeah! thanks again for your help and ideas dd

Recently, I have been working on a project for a student group. They are trying to come up with recipes for desserts with pecan flour and pecan oil that are gluten free. We worked with a couple of recipes, but they turn out wasn't great. Most of them turned out very gummy. We added rice flour and xantham gum to help stablize the products. Does anyone have any ideas? The products have to be fairly stable, because they will be taking the pre-made products to Germany.

Dam heritage!! Cant get rid of anything!! 4 Asparagus Spears--1/4 inch cut ( I had the small pencil type ) 1/2 Clove Garlic ( minced ) 1/2 Shallot ( minced ) Equal volume Mash Potato and bread crumb to the asparagus 1 /2-1 beaten egg S and P Cook in EVOO/butter .. 1-2-3 then cool and blend with 4 and 5 , using more of the bread crumb to be an exterior.. pan fry.. serve with lemon I added a bit of Cayenne Pepper to finish. You can add Parm cheese and parsley if you wish.. I had non!!

i just saw an ad for blackbird bakery on tv and they mentioned a strawberry balsamic pie...has anyone ever made one and have a recipe ? it is something i never thought of but sounds so so good...looking for ideas...saw a recipe that had a crust with black pepper

On the strength of a cake my wife and I made for my parents' 40th anniversary party, a friend has asked us to make her wedding cake. We've agreed. We have the cake recipe pretty well nailed, but are less sure about the frosting. My parents' anniversary party was held indoors, in cool weather. We used a buttercream infused with Grand Marnier, and everyone loved it. The wedding cake, however, will be served outdoors, in June, in the Adirondacks. At a YMCA camp. With sun. And bugs. I would very much appreciate suggestions as to what sort of frosting might be most appropriate for this sort of situation. Flavor is more important than refined appearance; we're probably not interested in fondant. We are ambitious home cooks, but this is a challenging project for us. Please aim us in the right direction.

In her loving search to find me the lemony-est dessert on the planet, my wife grabbed this recipe from epicurious (originally Bon Appetit) for lemon pudding cake. It's delicious, a very light dessert with a meringue top and a cakey-custardy base. But, since neither of us have ever had "pudding cake" before, we don't really know what the genre is. What do you think the prototype is? Good recipes? If they're like this, well, I'm in.

Growing up in the 60's, my Mother and Grandmother always seemed to have a cake under a glass dome on the counter, (or in the fridge. "Icebox" cakes were one of my favorites). Over the past decade(s) or so, some of the "Old-Fashioned" cakes seemed to have been pushed out of the way in favor of trendy cupcakes with flavors and frostings we never would have imagined back in 1964. However, old isn't always bad, and if you're like me, you still have a sweet tooth for a slice from one of the "Old-Fashioned" cakes you remember from your youth. My Mother often frosted her cakes with "7-minute Frosting,"-a frosting made with egg whites and literally "cooked" over a double-boiler for 7 minutes until it had a glossy sheen. Mother often frosted a "Burnt Sugar Cake" with the 7-minute Frosting. Years before caramelized sugar was the rage in pastry, we called it "burnt sugar," which when you think of it, is an appropriate definition. Sugar melted until it "burns" or turns golden. I suppose putting the term "burnt" on a cake menu wouldn't sound appetizing today so we call it "caramelized" instead. I still make Mother's Burnt Sugar Cake with 7-minute Frosting, but I add Heath Bar bits to the cake for a nostalgic crunch, and I add some burnt sugar syrup to the frosting. I gussy-up Mother's cake with a coating of toasted coconut and a dusting of Heath Bar bits. Now I'm not a Master Baker and I don't always present bakery quality cakes in terms of presentation. Mother didn't either, but trusted, prized cakes don't have to win beauty contests. They have to taste great. Do you have a favorite "Old-Fashioned Cake" you still make?

I have seen King Arthur Flour's new Unbleached Cake Flour Blend a few times in local stores. I was wondering if anyone has used it and what they thought of the product. Thanks! Dan