baked goods + desserts

The Black Forest cake is one that rarely comes up when we’re thinking about cakes, but it seemed like a perfect choice for our 14 year old’s birthday a few weeks ago. It has some of her favorite things—chocolate, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries—all in one dessert. I’ve always liked Black Forest Cake, but it reminds me of my teen years for some reason. Maybe because I remember seeing it on menus more often in cafes, back when all you’d see on a dessert menu was cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, and some sort of chocolate cake—either German chocolate or Black Forest. It does seem vaguely like a bit of a throwback dessert, doesn’t it? But I was reminded again of how much… CONTINUE READING

July already? It's been awhile since I've posted here, but we baked a tart yesterday with some rhubarb found at the farmer's market over the weekend and wanted to share. Normally we'd use rhubarb to bake a pie, but as is often the case, Mark threw this together somewhat last minute – it came out well, though! It would make a great 4th of July dessert if you're looking for alternatives to pie, and it would pair well with ice cream too. Happy 4th of July, friends. Looking forward to posting a bit more regularly over the summer (June was a beast of a month). Rhubarb Tart Tart Dough 6 ounces cold butter 2 cups flour 5 tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 egg yolk Cut… CONTINUE READING

We made this fig and blueberry tart right before we left for our annual Northwest trip and never got around to posting the recipe. Better late than never! The beauty of fruit tarts is that with a basic recipe, you can top it with whatever fruits are in season. Blueberries, figs and these beautiful edible flowers were the inspiration over the summer. Admittedly, there isn’t as big a selection of in-season fruits during the winter, but we plan on making these tarts again and experimenting with persimmons, pears, dried fruits, almonds and maybe even some citrus. Fresh Fig & Blueberry Tart (Makes one 9-inch Tart) Cornmeal Tart Dough: 1-1/4 cups flour 3 Tablespoons cornmeal 1 egg yolk 1-1/2 Tablespoons Heavy… CONTINUE READING

I recently read an article behind the reason why produce in Chinatown is so much cheaper than other supermarkets and grocery stores in the city. It's something that always made me curious, but never thought too deeply about, perhaps so I could continue to blindly enjoy bargain priced mangoes, lychees and cherries. Oh, the cherries! I especially get excited when cherries first appear on the streets of Chinatown because they can be bought for as much as half of what the supermarkets charge. How is this possible? Turns out these vendors have a different supplier than mainstream supermarkets – they deal directly with farmers and wholesalers. Eating cherries on their own is probably my favorite way to eat them,… CONTINUE READING

We posted this key lime pie a few weeks ago on Instagram and got requests for the recipe, so we decided to post it. It’s such a simple pie to make, especially if you get a pre-baked graham cracker crust. Mark usually makes his own, but honestly, the pre-baked ones you get at the store can be just fine. We’ve tried a few key lime pie recipes before, but this one came out particularly well, with just the right balance of tart and sweet (sometimes key lime pies can come out a little too tart). Not sure what it is, but I haven’t been craving chocolate desserts for a good long while. Things that I’ve loved in the past like… CONTINUE READING

Every once in a while we’ll see kumquats at the grocery store and toss them in our shopping cart. It’s usually Mia who will spot them first and it’s no wonder…they are small and cute. But the problem with buying kumquats is that we’ll usually never go through a whole pint before they start to shrink and shrivel. One or 2 kumquats at a time is pretty much enough to satisfy and they’ll often be left forgotten in the fridge after awhile. The other day I decided to make candied kumquats. They’re sort of like sweet condiments and you can toss them in salads or on top of desserts as a garnish. Or you can do what Jenna does…and pop… CONTINUE READING