Cioccolate Nero Gelato

 

Taking a moment to visit TALLblonde's Italian roots with a rich, decadent, frozen bowl of deliciousness.  I researched a number of recipes from cookbooks and the internet and came up with what TALLblonde feels is second best to a real Italian Gelato shop. The consistency in the home ice cream freezer will remain loose and soupy but have no fear it will set up with that traditional dense and chewy texture.  NOTE:  Remember to let your freezer container sit in the freezer for at least 48 hours before using for best results. Delizioso!

Cranberry-Stuffing What ?

 

Last Fall a friend asked if I had tried an ice cream shop walking distance within my friend's and my neighborhood? I said, :"No, what about it?"  My friend said, "You must try it, they have very unique flavors that rotate on their menu. They have a Thanksgiving flavor. right now"  I thought oh boy, what the heck is Thanksgiving ice cream.  About a week later I was out for my weekend neighborhood walk and came upon this ice cream shop "Salt and Straw".  On the sidewalk stood their sign with the flavors of the day.  Sure enough, there it was, first on the list, "Thanksgiving Ice Cream".  The ingredients listed were vanilla ice cream with cranberry sauce and stuffing swirls. I had to have it...

It tasted fabulous, just as I had imagined it should. When I purposely went back the following 

Saturday to satisfy my new savory and sweet addiction the flavor was no longer on the menu.  It has been nearly four months since and I cannot get this unusual concoction out of my head so I decided to make my attempt to re-create it..

Before you laugh or wince at the thought of this Fall combination of flavors in a frozen dessert I must remind you that many of you have been to the Gilroy Garlic Festival just to try the garlic ice cream and I am sure there were skeptics when salted-caramel made it onto the dessert scene, and you love that, right?

Good Reason For Fruit Cake

 

Still holding on to that fruitcake your neighbor gave you over the holiday season? Maybe they are re-gifting a fruitcake from their neighbor; and so on and so on.

This recipe may have you rethink next years' fruitcake.  TALLblonde uses hers to make a fabulous bread pudding and it only takes a few basic pantry items.

Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce

 

Perhaps the best dark chocolate sauce on the planet.  This recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen and I cannot find any room for improvement.  It is perfection in a bowl and simple to make. Makes 10 servings.

Orange - Olive Oil Cake

 

In my past culinary experiments, in an effort to add healthy ingredients to my family meals I attempted substituting olive oil for vegetable oil in my loaf cakes such as banana bread.

Cut - Void - Blue Pencil - Delete - Scratch That - Unsuccessful

I had no clue that perhaps olive oil may be heavier than vegetable oil. It pretty much sank to the bottom of the baking pan and stayed there.  The loaf was fully baked and not undercooked but it was not appetizing.

I have played around researching other recipes and came up with this set of ingredients to create a moist and creamy everyday cake, and yes it includes olive oil. This is perfectly eaten on its own as a light morning breakfast pastry, embellished with a slathering of orange icing, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or with a healthy blanket of sugar macerated fresh ripe strawberries poured over a generous slice. The combination of fresh orange slices and olive oil is a classic dessert in Mediterranean cuisine. My husband born in England carries with him his definitively British appetite for warm "Bird's" <click link> custard poured over cubes of a simple vanilla cake. This sweet treat will replace even your favorite pound cake. Serves 10.

Momma's Pecan Rum Gateau

 

This is an adult affaire...

This is a richy-rich cake...

This is a super moist cake...

...is why I could not understand why it tasted so good made by my restauranteur mother. She was in the biz most of her adult life although her food at home and at the restaurant was always outstanding, without complaint, sweets were never her strong apron, never, nada, zip.  I begged for the recipe and voila, of course, it uses a box cake mix. It all makes sense now.

So here it is, a rich cake elegant enough to take to parties and simple enough for anyone to bake. Good enough to enter in a bake-off contest and win!

Toasted Butter Pecan Ice Cream

 

Have a little patience with this recipe, it is a 3-parter. The flavor you will create is worth all the extra time you will give it.  Ice cream is not meant to be made spontaneously. You can thank me later by whispering to yourself, "Oh, this is so good", with each spoonful.

This toasted butter pecan ice cream is so rich you will not be filling a soup bowl of the stuff after dinner.  Recipe makes 1 luxurious pint.  Double the recipe if you are feeding an army or small party.

Hawaii's Dole Whip

 

Aloha.

If you have ever visited the Hawaiian Islands, you know about Dole Whip.  This is the smoothest, creamiest refreshingly ice coldest cup of nirvana you have ever tasted.  Disney (who owns the Dole company) has released the recipe for you to now make it at home.

After a few attempts of my own I have tweaked the recipe to make it my own.

Gin Tonic Cake

 

Perfect for a New Year's Eve party. This Gin & Tonic cake is very easy and wonderfully refreshing when served chilled just like your favorite classic libation.  In this recipe you may use a box cake mix. (I said it would be easy)

Kitchen Sink Cookies

 

TALL Blonde has been baking in my head the ultimate, unctuous, throw everything to the wall cookie for a couple years.  Have you ever eaten a cookie and thought, this would be better if you added (fill in the blank). I tried to assemble all those "ifs" right here.  I purposely developed this cookie recipe for a small commitment of ingredients and time. Sometimes I get in the mood for a home baked cookie to fill the kitchen with that wonderfully sweet smell but you may be low on ingredients, or for me I would rather not take time to bake several episodes of cookie trays in succession.  One and done is sometimes a very good thing.

The butter used in this recipe is unsalted, but if you like that salt and sweet combination go for the salted butter version.  You may substitute dark brown sugar over light brown sugar but I think the flavor may be a bit too heavy. Always, always pre-toast nuts before using in any recipe, and that include this one.  Be careful not to burn them.

Nut Crust - Gluten Free

Gluten Free pie crust made from pecan nuts pulverized in your food processor.  Other nuts can be substituted, go experiment.  You can control the level of sweet making this almost a crust with savory possibilities.

Straw-Barb Tart

Strawberry Rhubarb pie is not exactly an American original recipe but it sure is a classic. Here is TALL Blonde's three part tart with a Pecan nut crust instead of flour and a crispy, toasty streusel topping.

I made this in an 8-inch springform pan, because I am too cheap to go out and purchase a tart pan as this is my first attempt at this recipe. So if it did not turn out nicely all I wasted was the ingredients at the time of this post.

Obviously by now, it turned out well or this recipe would not be published. HA!

51 second 'HOW-TO' You Tube video

CREPES by Sur La Table

                                          

                                       

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (8 ounces) whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus more for crêpe pan
• 1 cup (4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

5 Ingredients

TALLblonde plans on giving this out as holiday gifts in 2019. I have tried numerous recipes and they are all EASY to prepare, no special COOKING SKILLS, many dishes prepared in 15 MINUTES. Most recipes are measured to serve 2, so this means dinner for one with leftovers. Many recipes will also feed four servings. This QUICK and EASY cookbook by "The Naked Chef" Brit-born Jamie Oliver is not the quick and easy bland gut bombs of the past.  These recipes actually taste GRRREAT!

1 Minute Cake

HOW-To Video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LrC__aV-Ng

Sexy Brownies

All kidding aside, TALL Blonde guarantees you will kill it at every party you bring these raspberry-rich semi-sweet chocolate brownies.  Invitations will come flying your way just to get another morsel of these sweet chewy beauties.

Flourless Brownie Cake

Berry Lemon Custard Tarts

Dress to impress I always say. These fresh Berry Tarts are spectacular to the eye to serve the to your most discriminating friends, they might even try to rummage through your kitchen looking for that pink bakery box because they may not believe you made them. Wonderfully simple to prepare with a little help from my friend named "Pepperidge Farm".

Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chips

Remember the near fabled Mrs. Field's Chocolate Cookie recipe that was making the rounds in the 1980's via chain letter? (pre-email) Whether you believe the fable or not, this truly is one of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes ever.  Now this gal was really thinking when she launched her red and white clad cookie shops.  Who would spend a couple bucks back in the day on one cookie, and how many cookies need to be sold in a month to cover all expenses including a downtown retail storefront?  Well she got everyone hooked as she blew the warm sweet aroma of the kitchen out to the street and all the lunchtime pedestrians.

Cappuccino Cheesecake

Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake

The name says is all, make it, eat it, but not all in one sitting.