Tag: dessert

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Crème Caramel

creme caramel
creme caramel
Smooth and creamy!

Nothing is more frustrating than trying a recipe and finding out that it’s wrong. And that’s exactly what happened when we tried making Michael Ruhlman’s recipe for crème caramel from his book Egg: A Culinary Exploration of the World’s Most Versatile Ingredient. Once we started, it became obvious that, as written, it was never tested. But, fortunately for you, every single recipe you read on this site is tested in the Scratchin’ It Test Kitchen, making it possible for you just to whip up desserts like crème caramel as though you were a pro.

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Benne Wafers

benne wafers
Each is wafer thin!
Each is wafer thin!

Have you ever heard of benne seeds? It turns out that they’re sesame seeds, so this recipe could also be said to make Sesame Seed Wafers. Now what, exactly, are Sesame Seed Wafers, you ask? Right there, that tells us that you probably aren’t from South Carolina, where these little wafers are apparently quite popular. And with good reason, as you’ll see when you mix up a batch.

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Pear and Hazelnut Tart — Day 2

hazelnut and pear tart
hazelnut and pear tart
Hazelnut and Pear Tart. Done!

Okay, it’s day 2, and we’re on the downhill stretch with only a few things to do to finish our Pear and Hazelnut Tart. Basically, we’re going to roll out and blind-bake the crust that we made yesterday, make the custard, then assemble. Ready? Good. Let’s get scratchin’ and get this tart ready for tonight’s dessert.

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Pear and Hazelnut Tart — Day 1

hazelnut and pear tart
hazelnut and pear tart
Hazelnut and Pear Tart. Lovely!

This happens to be one of the fanciest-looking tarts in Tart It Up! Sweet and Savory Tarts and Pies, by Eric Lanlard, and, at first glance, it looks impossible for us to tackle. But, here at Scratchin’ Central, we tackled it with a vengeance, just so you could, too. In case the title of this post doesn’t warn you, making this tart takes two days, which sounds intimidating, but, we’re not going to be intimidated, are we? Nope! Not us. Let’s get to it.

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Flaky Almond Pastry Dough

As you’ve noticed, we get fresh goat cheese every other week. It’s really good cheese, but sometimes we can’t keep up with it, or we already have a number of things planned for the week — none of which uses fresh goat cheese. So, into the freezer it goes. Then one day, we realize that we have several logs of cheese just sitting there, and we’ll be getting more. What to do?

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Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

carrot cake
Our carrot cake with fluffy cream cheese frosting!

Two weeks ago, we made carrot cake based on a recipe from The New Best Recipe, by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated. The cake itself was nearly perfect, with just the right amount of spices and carrots. Just what we were looking for in a carrot cake. The frosting, however, left a little something to be desired. It was too sweet, and too heavy. Sure, a heavy and sweet might be exactly what some people look for in a frosting, but not us. Hence, the Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting.

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Scratched Pumpkin Pie

slice of pumpkin pie

During the fall, or even winter, we sometimes get pumpkins in our CSA share. Some years more than others, but always at least one during the year. They are great, because they store well — just put them in a dark cupboard — and because they taste good, too. And you generally get a lot of pumpkin all at once. Wait, what did I hear you ask, “Do you actually eat the pumpkins?” Of course we do, as in pumpkin pie. Yesterday, we wrote up our test of a Vodka Pie Crust, and, naturally we needed something to put in it. So, read on, and see how we make pumpkin pie, starting with a pumpkin.

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