dessert recipe

Lisi’s Chocolate Pecan Torte

Oh, so scrumptious and rich and chocolaty! This torte is worth every calorie. Dense and moist with it’s curious texture (ground pecans), this one surprised Lisi from Lisi’s Luscious Desserts. This torte is delicious if served with ice cream and will stay fresh and tasty for several days under a cake dome. Lisi topped it with ganache, some chocolate shavings, a bit powdered sugar and some fruit but you can experiment with your unique toppings.
Chocolate Pecan Torte
Ingredients
1 cup (3.5 ounces) pecan halves (toast them now)
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (66-72 percent), coarsely chopped
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool – cut into chunks
3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cold large eggs
powdered sugar
freshly whipped cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the bottom and sides of springform pan. Toast the pecans by baking them for 7-10 minutes. Stir once or twice as they bake for even toasting. They should be fragrant and golden (but don’t burn or they will become bitter). Let cool completely.
Turn the oven up to 375 degrees.
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a pot with an inch of simmering water. Melt the chocolate. Do not cook it. The simmering water should not touch the bowl with the chocolate in it.
Place the cooled pecans and flour in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
Place the melted chocolate, softened butter, sugar and salt in a bowl fitted with the paddle attachment of your mixer and beat on medium speed until the butter is completely melted and the mixture thickens and gets a little lighter in color.
Add the eggs, one at a time and mix on med/high speed until the is fluffier and even lighter in color, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the pecan mixture and pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the outer edges of the pan should come out clean, but the inner area of the cake should still be gooey.
Place the cake on a cooling rack and carefully run a thin knife along the inside of the pan to loosen the cake and allow the think crust to sink a little.
Let cool completely. Remove from pan.
Serve with your toppings such as the ganache, shavings and confectioners sugar. A little whipped cream makes it extra special.

New England Apple Cheddar Galette

apple-cheddar-galette-vertical Fall is the season for fresh local apples and farmstead cheddar so with that in mind we’re sharing a deliciously simple recipe from SimplyRecipes.com “There is a tradition in New England, and some parts of the midwest, to serve a slice of cheese, usually sharp cheddar, alongside a piece of apple pie, or even melted on top. For those of us who didn’t grow up with this tradition, even though we may love eating apple slices with cheese, the whole idea of cheddar cheese with a pie is well, just wrong. As in, “are you kidding?” wrong.If this is you, I understand. But just let the idea percolate a little while. Apples and cheese are good together, right? A slice of apple with a slice of cheese—bare, naked perfection. Why? Because apples are both sweet and a little tart, and cheese is salty with plenty of umami. So your taste buds are firing on all cylinders when you eat them in combination.”
Still, the idea of cheddar with or in a sweet apple dessert is weird, to those of us unaccustomed to the idea. So, you’ll have to just trust me on this one. It’s good. Like “where has this been all my life?” good. I’m speaking from experience here. I have shunned the idea since the first time I heard of it. But this week I decided to take the plunge and make a simple galette, a rustic tart with apples, some maple syrup for sweetener, cheddar, in a buttery, cheddar speckled crust. All I can say is WOW. Thank you New England.”

New England Apple Cheddar Galette

Crust

1 1/2 cups (200g) of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cups, 6 ounces, 170 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (85 ml) sour cream (full fat, not light)
2 Tbsp finely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Filling

4 good cooking apples, such as McIntosh, Courtland, Jonagold, Pippin, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Fuji, or a mixture of various cooking apples (NOT red delicious)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 half of a lemon, or the juice of half a lemon (to acidulate the water for holding the apples while you peel them to keep them from discoloring)
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 teaspoons minute tapioca or instant tapioca for thickener (can substitute corn starch)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup lightly packed grated cheddar cheese

Make the pastry dough
1 Cut the butter into cubes. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour.
2 Use your clean hands to squish the flour and butter together, breaking up the butter into smaller pieces until the mixture resembles a rather shaggy coarse meal with a few pea-sized pieces of butter. Add the sour cream and a couple tablespoons of finely grated sharp cheddar cheese and stir with a fork until incorporated.
3 Gather the mixture with your hands and form a ball. Shape the ball into a disk. Sprinkle with a little flour, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to a day ahead.
Prepare the galette
1 Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Prepare a large bowl half filled with water. Squeeze into it the juice of half a lemon (and put the squeezed lemon in too if you want). Peel, quarter, and core the apples, and place into the acidulated water while you work to keep the apples from discoloring.
2 Remove the apple quarters from the water. Slice each apple quarter into 4 or 5 slices, lengthwise, about 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick at the widest end. Return the apple slices to the acidulated water.
3 Drain the apple slices. Place the apple slices back in the now empty bowl. Sprinkle with maple syrup and cinnamon and gently toss so that the apple slices are lightly coated with both. Add the minute tapioca and the lemon zest. Gently toss again.
4 On a clean, lightly floured, flat surface, place the disk of dough. Roll out with a rolling pin to an even thickness and about 14 inches wide.
5 Gently move the rolled out pastry dough to a parchment lined baking sheet. Starting from 2 inches from the perimeter of the pastry round, arrange the apple slices, side by side, in a circular pattern, filling the circle. It’s okay if some of the apple slices overlap a little.
6 Sprinkle the top of the apples with grated cheddar cheese. Gently fold the dough up over the apple slices, forming pleats with the dough every few inches.
7 Place an egg in a small bowl with a teaspoon of water, beat with a fork or whisk until smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the exposed border of the dough (don’t put on the apples, just the dough). Sprinkle the egg washed crust with coarse sugar.
8 Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (until beginning to brown) at 400°F (205°C). Then lower the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the apples are cooked through and the crust is nicely browned.
Cool until just lightly warm before serving.

autumn recipe dessert recipe New England Apple Cheddar Galette

Apple Crisp by The Parsley Thief

Every day when the kids come home from school, they see the enormous basket of apples sitting on the counter, and ask, “When are we going to make apple crisp?”. I say, “Soon. “Well, yesterday we finally made it! I was hoping to make my Mom’s recipe. But, she was at work & I knew she wouldn’t have it on her. Once the ball was rolling on this project, there was no stopping it. So, I went to my trusty Ina cookbooks & found one there.

Apple Crisp by The Parsley Thief
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Serves 10
8 large tart apples, peeled & cored
1 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Slice the apples into bite-sized chunks. Place in a large mixing bowl & combine with the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, cinnamon & nutmeg. Toss to combine & pour into a baking dish big enough to fit all the apples.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, salt, oatmeal & butter. Beat on low for 1-2 minutes, until the butter is broken up into small bits. Crumble the mixture evenly over the apples.
Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment, and bake for 1 hour, or until the topping is brown & the apples are bubbling.

Click here for the printable recipe.

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Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

Lisi from Lisi Luscious Desserts shares this cake recipe that is gluten and dairy free…protein packed, and very tasty. This is a quick cake recipe, perfect for a breakfast treat or dessert!
Ingredients
3 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (she suggests 73 percent – but again for kids or for sweeter flavor go semi-sweet)
1 cup (2 to 3) very ripe bananas (mashed)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pan with grape seed oil and dust with almond flour – or use a parchment or foil liner. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl whisk together the grape seed oil, agave nectar, eggs and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate and mashed bananas and then pour into prepared pan. Bake for 33-43 minutes – but check often and try not to over bake as usual! Let the cake cool in the pan then serve.
(adapted from The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam)

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Berry Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

We’re excited to offer a fresh dessert recipe from our newest contributor Lisi, Lisi’s Luscious Desserts, Berry Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping. The store is full of fresh berries this week – a great time to make a berry cheesecake! This mixed berry cheesecake was adapted from Lisi’s mother’s recipe. Not a light and fluffy cheesecake, it is dense and rich and packed with berries of your choosing.
Berry Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping
1 7/8 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup plus
2 tablespoons sugar
7.5 tablespoons melted butter (almost one stick)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound (2 – 8 oz packs cream cheese – not whipped!)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla,
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste),
3/4 teaspoon salt mixed berries (about 2 cups – I use 1 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup each blackberries and raspberries – but do what you love – more or less – one type of berry or even no berries.)
Topping:
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla,
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix crumbs, sugar, melted butter and salt. Squish mixture into an 8 or 9 inch spring-form pan and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. In mixer, mix cream cheese and sugar – when blended, add eggs one at a time and mix well. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Remove from mixer and by hand, fold in the berries being careful not to break them into pieces. Pour mixture into pre-baked crust and continue to bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. (Sometimes the butter from the crust leaks out of my pan, not sure why, and onto the oven floor so I often line the shelf below with tin foil to catch the drips and make clean up easier.) As usual, remember to set your timer for 25 minutes and then check every 5-3 minutes thereafter so that you do not over cook. Put cake on wire rack and let cool for about 15- 30 minutes. Raise the oven temp to 400 degrees and make the topping. Mix the sour cream, sugar, vanilla and salt and spread on top of the baked cheesecake. This tastes delicious and also covers any cracks in the cheesecake. Pop in the oven for 5 minutes to set. Remove and once cool, cover with plastic wrap and let set in the refrigerator. The following day, or several hours later, run a knife around the edges of the pan, unlock the spring and un-mold the cake. If you have a hard time releasing the crust from the pan you can cut in slices first and then remove. Enjoy the love and smiles from your family and friends…
We welcome Lisi’s Luscious Desserts to our Recipe Blog today. This collection of what Lisi, a Cordon Bleu trained baker, loves best in baking. We know you will love the stories and her full range of good and good for you treats. Lisi bakes to to support the efforts of My Sisters’ Place, who strives to engage each member of society in their work to end domestic violence.

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Key Lime Bars – Spring Recipe

Spring is in the air and our guest contributor, Katie Vitucci, from the food blog, The Parsley Thief is thinking spring sweets. These Key Lime Bars are a sophisticated treat to serve guests or as a delicious Easter dessert. The original recipe suggests to cut the bars into 2″ squares, but Katie always prefers to slice them into little bite-sized bars. Either way, they are delicious!
Key Lime Bars
Makes 64-1″ bars {or 24-2″ bars}
I have listed the quantities for the lime zest & lime juice according to what regular {Persian} limes would yield…as Key limes are not always available. If you can find Key limes, use the alternative measurements that I’ve given.
For the Crust:
5 ounces animal crackers
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
2 ounces {softened} cream cheese
zest of 3 limes {or 1 tablespoon}
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 {14 ounce} can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk juice from 3 limes {or 1/2 cup}
1 cup toasted sweetened shredded coconut {as an optional garnish}
non-stick cooking spray
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 9″ x 9″ baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Coat with non-stick cooking spray & set aside.
For the Crust: Add the animal crackers to the bowl of a food processor & pulse until finely ground. Add the brown sugar & salt; process until combined. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs & pulse until evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, leaving the oven on.
For the Filling: Add the cream cheese, lime zest & salt to a mixing bowl. Stir until softened and smooth. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk until no lumps of cream cheese remain. Whisk in the egg yolk. Add the lime juice; whisk until incorporated & the mixture has thickened. Pour the filling over the cooled crust & use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling is set. When done, the edges will puff up slightly & pull away from the edges of the pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Use the foil overhang to remove the bars from the pan. Cut into 1″ squares using a sharp knife. It’s helpful to run the knife under hot water & wipe it clean between slices. Sprinkle the bars with shredded coconut before serving, if desired. To Make Ahead: The bars can be stored, refrigerated for up to 2 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Being a mom of two boys, her blog, The Parsley Thief, focuses on family friendly, made-from-scratch recipes. The Parsley Thief has been named one of “50 Food Blogs You Should Be Reading” by Saveur magazine and was named one of the top 100 Mom Food Blogs by the family website, Babble.