Happy Birthday Uncle Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim!!!!!!!
My sister called the other day to tell me Rosie wants to grow up to be "a chef like Grandma and Uncle Jim". Now I know she's only 4 and her career plans are hardly set in stone, but I have to admit, it made me a more than a little happy when she told me this. So when I went home last weekend, one of the things I looked forward to most was being Chef Rosie's sous chef while she made my birthday cake.
According to my sister, when my nephew had his very first bite of Tres Leches cake, "His eyes started to sparkle, a huge smile appeared on his face and pure joy radiated out of him."
This iconic Hispanic dessert is typically made with three types of milk (evaporated, condensed and whole milk). Making this dairy-free turned out to be easier than I thought and I actually like it better than the original. By using coconut milk, cream of coconut and almond milk I was able to add a lot more flavor than you typically see in this dessert.
Although you may be tempted to eat this cake the same day you make it, you really need to let it sit overnight in the refrigerator in order for the three milks to fully absorb into the cake. If you don't you'll end up with the outside edges of the cake very soggy while the interior is still dry. Trust me, it's worth the wait.
One of the hardest things about going dairy-free is you end up constantly comparing what you're eating with it's dairy counterpart. Sometimes it's better than the original while other times you end up being disappointed.
Tofu-based puddings always fell in the disappointment category for me. I've tried a number of versions and not one of them was even remotely close to dairy-based puddings. My solution...stop comparing the two.
Even after switching to soy milk a number of years ago, I still can't say I'm totally in love with it. I long for the days when things didn't have that 'toasted marshmallow' flavor I typically associate with soy. So I was happy to see almond milk recently show up in my local store. It's still fairly new on the market and may not be available everywhere so if you can't find it bug your grocery manager.
I was surprised how good it was in my morning latte but the true test came when I tried to make it into pudding. In making a pudding or custard you want a nice, rich mouth feel when you're eating it. Since almond milk is pretty thin, the texture of the first batch was also thin.
Continue reading "Almond Pudding with Bourbon Vanilla Bean Syrup" »
Besides Dolly Parton and Lynyrd Skynyrd, two of the best things to ever come out of the South, have to be peaches and bourbon. It's no secret I love bourbon, so when I was creating this recipe and wanted to give it a bump in flavor I naturally reached for the bourbon bottle.
I'll also confess, the caramelized peaches was a happy accident; I turned my back a little too long when the peaches were cooking. When I smelled the sugar start to caramelize I knew I had a winner.
Needless to say I would serve it with a little bourbon on the side, and of course Lynyrd Skynyrd's Gimmie Three Steps should be playing in the background!
Recipe developed to be featured in Pop the Top on Flavor.
You'll need about 2 (12-oz.) bottles stout beer for this recipe. I prefer a rich stout, but a well-rounded porter will work equally as well.
Prep: 15 min.
Bake: 35 min.
Cool: 1 hr., 10 min.
Makes 12 servings
Continue reading "Gingerbread Cake With Stout Buttercream" »
