Baking Obsession

 Favorite dessert recipes and more

Author

Vera

Baci Ice Cream

Baci or Gianduja – different names with the same meaning. The flavor is the winning combination of chocolate and hazelnuts – one of my favorite ice cream flavors. I was determined to get it right this time (yes, it was… Continue reading →

Tan Fingers

…which are basically the shortbread fingers or squares (if you wish to cut them like so) with a caramel-sort-of layer in the middle. According to Nick Malgieri, the cookies are very popular in New Zealand. I’ve never been there and… Continue reading →

Semolina and Sesame Bread

This bread is traditionally made during spring as a welcome to returning sun at Macrina café in Seattle. Well, I baked it as a goodbye to the central star of the Solar System. Forecast doesn’t sound promising at all. Once… Continue reading →

Crisp Lavash Crackers with Roasted Pepper Sun-Dried Tomato Anchovy Dip and Sweet and Sour Asian Eggplant Sesame Dip

Another month, another Daring Bakers’ challenge. This month challenge is quite different from the previous ones. First of all, it’s a savory dish and the second, it’s vegetarian. Even more, the dip or spread for serving with crackers is supposed… Continue reading →

Chocolate Phyllo Triangles with Cream Cheese and Nut Stuffed Dry Fruits

There were some phyllo dough leftovers occupying my fridge. I needed to get rid of it and that’s how these pastries were born. They are good and easy to make, and even worthy of buying a new package of phyllo…. Continue reading →

Chocolate Juniper Financiers with Blackberries

I had this idea in my head for a while. I wanted to combine the chocolate and blackberries with a spice beneficial mostly for pork and poultry – juniper berries. For me, it seemed like a nice match, especially with… Continue reading →

Italian Plum Upside-Down Ricotta Cupcakes

These are very Italian cupcakes. The list of the ingredients speaks for this well. There are fresh ricotta cheese and cornmeal, ground pine nuts and Italian prune-plums. The upside-down idea is not an exclusive American invention either. Italians have been… Continue reading →

Paste Fritte (Fried Pizza Dough with Soppressata and Sage)

I was feeling lazy today. It happens sometimes. To tell you the truth it strikes me far more often than I’d like. So, instead of cooking dinner I fried a big basket of bread sticks (they can be called that… Continue reading →

Chocolate Marzipan Stuffed Figs in Chocolate Phyllo Purses

As soon as fresh figs appear at the farm markets I start buying them greedily. It seems I can’t get enough. With their season so short I rush to cook and bake what I’ve visualized in my head before. As… Continue reading →

Espresso Ice Cream

This is the ice cream that was served in its unfrozen form with mocha éclairs mentioned earlier. The recipe is from Kate Zuckerman “The Sweet Life”. She emphasizes the importance of the caramel in achieving deeper, more complex and interesting… Continue reading →

Mocha Éclairs with Espresso Crème Anglaise

Pierre Hermé’s chocolate éclairs were the August Daring Bakers’ challenge. The rules were to follow exactly the pâte à choux recipe and make at least one of the two chocolate components from the original recipe – rather the chocolate pastry… Continue reading →

Twisted Cookies from the Val d’Aosta (Torcettini di Saint Vincent)

These yeast-risen cookies are a cross between a bread stick and a caramelized puff pastry palmier. The cookies are crunchy – you can easily tell this by their look. But they are not that hard so deciduous wiggly teeth of… Continue reading →

Frozen Watermelon-Lime Bars

I bought “the hugest” (my little son’s description :) watermelon a couple of days ago. Since there are only two watermelon-eaters in our home, everyone got quite a share; but we still couldn’t finish it. Sometimes, when you eat too… Continue reading →

Capezzana Olive Oil and Orange Cakes

I found this recipe in Nancy Silverton’s book who got it from the famous Italian olive oil production company – “Capezzana’s”. Apparently, it was old and cherished family recipe. The recipe calls for a lot of extra-virgin olive oil, and… Continue reading →

Lemon-Basil Sherbet

There’s another frozen and basil-containing treat. But the basil here is not dominant and very pronounced; it’s more of a subtle and intriguing accent. The sherbet is tangy, refreshing and light. And it’s so effortlessly put together. For an appealing… Continue reading →

Grilled Peaches with Basil Ice Cream and Pine Nut Crocante

I loved everything about this ice cream – the flavor, texture, and the color. I so wanted it to be green (without addition of any food colorings which I avoid whenever possible) that for a moment I thought if I… Continue reading →

Pine Nut Brittle (Crocante)

The most descriptive word for this would be “addictive”. I made the crocante planning to serve it with not-yet-made ice cream in a couple of days (the crocante can be kept for up to 2 weeks – theoretically speaking). But… Continue reading →

Tiramisu Affogato

There’s another, summer-influenced way to consume espresso. Well, yes, the dessert is not made from scratch (if the grinding of the espresso beans doesn’t count), and can be put together within a couple of minutes or so – the time… Continue reading →

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