Sweet Tooth

Back in the day, when I used to eat whatever I wanted, we had a soul food restaurant called McDonald’s Cafeteria. That was some of the best food I ever ate. One of the things I always looked for after dinner was the peach cobbler, the pound cake or the egg custard pie. Egg custard is so good and so easy to make but just not something I readily think about when I want dessert. So I decided to make one and share a bit with some of my girls coming over for a visit.

Turns out, one of them loves, loves, loves egg custard and ended up eating an entire half of pie by herself…in one sitting I might add. Since she was so fond of it, I sent another piece home with her only to find out that she ate it for breakfast the next morning. Her rationale was, “It’s eggs, right?” Wow…now that’s a sweet tooth.

Pie Crust (makes single 9 inch crust)

1 ¼ C all purpose flour
1 stick butter
½ t salt
1 t sugar
2-3 T ice water

Cut butter into small chunks. Place flour, butter, salt and sugar in food processor and pulse until crumbly. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until the flour forms a ball. Remove dough from processor, cover in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Place in the refrigerator and chill 2 hrs to overnight. Remove from fridge and let stand at room temp 4-5 minutes, then roll into round crust. Place in pie plate, crimp edges, and fill.

Egg Custard

1 c granulated sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp table salt
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum
1 ½ c scalded milk
2 tsp butter

Preheat oven to 400. Place the pie shell into the pie dish. In a mixing bowl combine sugar, flour, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl beat eggs well. Heat the milk to just under scalding point. Add butter to milk until melted. Add the beaten eggs to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the milk and butter, along with the flavorings. Brush crust with egg wash. Pour mixture into pie shell.

Place pan in larger baking pan or on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 30 minutes longer until firm.


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

For Pringles From Patty Cakes

Over the summer, I lost a very dear friend who I have known since elementary school. Kevin Pringle (aka Pringles) was a huge fan of my cooking, but was particularly fond of the desserts.

At some point last year we decided to cut back on sweets and began incorporating some healthier items in our diets. During that period I tried to convince myself that if I cut out the heavy stuff and ate desserts like sorbet and sweet breads once every blue moon that I'd be good. That lasted for about 9 months, maybe? I really did try! I’m still working towards eating better but I do nibble on dessert occasionally now and try not to feel too guilty. Nevertheless, this became one of our favorites and is a great palate cleanser after dinner.

So in honor of Pringles, who would be celebrating a birthday this week, I feel compelled to make his sorbet. I know Pringles is smiling down on me as this ice-cream is churning away…I love you man!

This recipe is better with fresh mangoes. But if you don’t have any on hand or prefer not to puree them, I recommend using Jumex’s Mango nectar from concentrate, usually found in the International food section of most grocery stores.

Mango Sorbet

3 c mango juice
½ c lime juice
½ c orange juice
Simple Syrup (see below)

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until cooled. Pour the chilled mixture into your ice-cream machine and churn for 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a plastic container and freeze for 4-6 hours before serving. Optional: Add three tablespoons of tequila during the last 5 minutes of churning to take it up a notch.

Simple Syrup

1 c water
1 c sugar

Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Cool.

I use Cuisinart’s Ice-cream Maker, which was one of the best (and most used) gifts I ever received! Make yogurt, gelato, ice-cream and sorbet in your very own kitchen.


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

American Pie

Today I find myself still stuck on apples. I am having a craving for apple pie but don’t have any green apples in the fridge and not a variety of the red. What’s a girl to do? The best apple pie is made with a combination of apples so there is a mixture of sweetness and tartness. Fuji, Golden Delicious, Rome, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Gala, Braeburn, Empire and Honeycrisp are good choices for apple pie baking. But I only have a bag of Gala apples and two Cripps Pink. So although I have somewhat of a dilemma, I decide to spring for the pie anyway. And since I am feeling a little jazzy, I toss some cranberries in the mix to give it that something extra.

So off I go to handle the most daunting step in making an apple pie…the crust.

Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
2 sticks unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 to 8 tbsp ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.

Remove dough from machine and place on clean surface, that is sprinkled with a little flour. Gently shape into 2 disks and do not over-knead. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Remove disks from the refrigerator. Sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle. Carefully place into a pie plate. Press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and there is some overhang on the sides.

Apple Filling

2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 pounds of apples
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and cut apples. Sprinkle a teaspoon of lemon juice over the apples to keep the oxidation process from occurring. Toss apples with dry ingredients and flavorings. Place apples in prepared pie pan. Dot with butter. Roll out second disk of dough. Gently place onto the top of the filling. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough, leaving an overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger. Be sure to score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam can escape.

Egg Wash

1 Tbsp heavy cream, half and half, or milk
1 large egg yolk

Beat egg yolk with cream and brush on the surface of the pie with a pastry brush. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

This is definitely not the prettiest or tallest pie, considering the apple shortage. But it sure tastes good! And that is all you can ask for to top off a Sunday dinner. Best served with some vanilla ice-cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream.

All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

One of the reasons I love Charlotte so much is because the weather here is almost perfect. Typically during this time of year it is still fairly mild out, around 50 or 60 degrees. But this particular afternoon we are getting a mix of sleet and rain. Are you serious? Usually, I am not opposed to sleet and snow when I have nothing else to do on a Saturday afternoon. But I am not ready for snow quite yet. Glad I got my milk and eggs earlier this week! I am positive that many Charlotteans are flocking to the store to raid the shelves as I type.

Since today is a good day for movies, blankets, hot cocoa or tea, I am thinking something warm and apple may be what’s needed to add some sunshine to this otherwise gloomy day. Apple pie, apple crisp, stewed apples? I think applesauce bread is going to be on today’s menu. That way I can quickly get back under the blanket and see what scandal is brewing on Lifetime Movie Network.

Applesauce Bread

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 loaf pan with parchment paper.

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Fold in add applesauce, eggs, butter and honey. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Delicious with a cup of Twinings Herbal Unwind Egyptian chamomile and apple tea.


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

And The Winner Is…

Of all the cakes I make, the red velvet seems to be the clear winner of the Most Requested Cake award. I’m not quite sure why because there are so many more interesting cakes out there to try. What I remember about red velvet cakes as a kid was that it was not very moist and that it had a very distinct chocolate flavor that I found quite unappealing. But this cake is amazingly good, moist, and the cocoa is barely noticeable at all. Maybe that is why people keep asking for it.

One thing I think is essential when I bake layer cakes is parchment paper. I am sort of anal so I always spend way more time than necessary cutting out my parchment paper in circles for my layer pans so everything is just so. Ssssh…don’t judge me. I have looked in all of the stores for round parchment paper but have never been able to find it. Something told me to check online today and there they were on Amazon. So I will absolutely have to bake another layer cake once they get here so I can give them a whirl. It’s the little things folks. (Parchment Rounds, $6.49 at Amazon.com)

Red Velvet Cake

2 ½ c AP flour
1 tsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ c canola oil
1 1-oz bottle red food coloring
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Line 4 round layer cake pans with parchment paper.

Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda together. Beat sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until mixture becomes a pale yellow color, approximately 3-5 minutes.

In separate bowl combine oil, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla extract. Fold this mixture in with the egg mixture. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8-oz. pkg of Philadelphia cream cheese
2 sticks margarine
1 box confectioner’s sugar
½ tsp vanilla

1 c chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (optional)

Allow butter and cream cheese to get to room temperature. Cream butter and cream cheese together. Increase speed of mixture to high and beat for 3 minutes. Reduce speed and incorporate confectioner’s sugar slowly. Add vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat for about 3 more minutes.

Once cake cools, frost layers. Add toasted nuts to cake top for garnish.

All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

Grand Marnier French Toast

I’m not a real big breakfast person. But every now and again I will fix my famous spinach and egg casserole, Southern grits and Grand Marnier French Toast. Everybody raves about this recipe but it is very heavy. So with people trying to stay fit and trim, I have had to table this dish for a while. I feel inclined to warn you that I have had guests to fall asleep at the table after consuming this French toast so proceed with caution.

So today my bestie is here visiting from New York so I thought, what better way to keep her here for a few extra days than to spoil her or render her useless with this French toast? Unfortunately, she hasn’t fallen asleep yet so I guess my plan isn’t working.

Most people are accustomed to preparing their French toast on a griddle or by frying it on the stovetop. But you will bake this French toast in the oven. The bread can be baked as soon as the milk mixture is absorbed or, better still, after letting it rest overnight.

If you don’t have any Grand Marnier on hand, you can substitute Cointreau.

Grand Marnier French Toast

2 large eggs
1 ½ c half and half or heavy cream
¼ c Grand Marnier
¼ c orange juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp grated orange zest
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
8 challah bread slices
4 tbsp butter, melted

Whisk the eggs, milk, flavoring and seasonings in a bowl. Dip challah into egg mixture and arrange in glass baking dish. Let stand until egg mixture has been absorbed. May be done overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush cookie sheet with butter. Place French toast on cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Turn French toast halfway through.

Garnish with powdered sugar and serve.


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

Hot & Cold

One late September evening my friend Kendra and I are hanging out and we get this craving for the “hot and cold,” which is her term for anything that is served à la mode. So we end up finding a restaurant and having their fudge brownie with chocolate and salty caramel sauce. Now why didn’t I think of that? I would have never combined the two. But together, it took the dessert to a whole new level!

A few days later I could not get that brownie out of my head. So I decided that I would try my own version of the “hot and cold” at home. This caramel sauce recipe is a staple for many of my desserts as I use it on fudge brownies, pumpkin cheesecake, Bourbon pecan cheesecake, vanilla ice-cream and bread pudding. So you will be seeing a lot of the caramel sauce.

Fudge Brownies

1 ¼ sticks unsalted butter
¾ c Hershey’s socoa powder, unsweetened
1 ¼ c sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ c AP flour
2/3 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line bottom and sides of pan with parchment paper.

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a saucepan on stove and stir until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove saucepan and set aside to cool briefly.

Stir in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each one. When batter becomes shiny, add the flour and stir until incorporated. Beat vigorously for about 45 seconds. Fold in nuts.

Spread evenly in lined pan. Bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into squares.

I like this best with a scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice-cream and a drizzle of caramel and fudge sauce. Typically I will just melt a Godiva chocolate bar over a double boiler. But if I don’t have one of those handy, I will use this quick and dirty chocolate sauce.

Caramel Sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter with all three sugars and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook over moderately high heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cream and boil for 2 minutes longer. Stir in the vanilla and salt and serve.

Chocolate Sauce

1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1 c. boiling water
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. butter

Blend together sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt. Add boiling water and cook until thick, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

Silky, Savory Sweetness!

My first experience making a cheesecake during my college years was with a store bought graham cracker crust, some vanilla flavoring and some cream cheese. It was flat, it was tasteless and it was...well...cheesy! So that experience almost deterred me from trying cheesecakes again. But since that time I have definitely turned a corner!

After spending $7-12 buying cheesecake by the slice, I decided that to enjoy the number of pieces I wanted, I needed to learn to make my own, gourmet style.

Making cheesecake is fairly simple. Making great cheesecake largely depends on the ingredients you select, the way you bake the cheesecake and how it cools. For starters, I don't use low-fat or reduced fat cream cheese and I always use Philadelphia Cream cheese for my cheesecake baking. Secondly, I always use a water bath to ensure the cheesecake cooks evenly and gently and there is no cracking.

Irish Cream Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c toasted almonds
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c sugar
1 tbsp Amaretto

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. In a food processor, pulse ingredients until finely ground and the mixture resembles moist sand. Press the crumbs into bottom of springform pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool.

Cheesecake/Filling:
24 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
1 c sugar
4 eggs
1/3 c whipping cream
1/4 c Irish cream liqueur
1/2 tsp Amaretto

Beat softened cream cheese at high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in whipping cream and flavorings/liqueur. Pour into prepared pan.

To prepare water bath: Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove top. Wrap the bottom and sides of your springform pan in aluminum foil. Place the springform pan in a baking pan large enough to hold it. Fill the baking pan with just enough water to go halfway up the outside of the springform pan.

Bake at 325 for 50 minutes. Cheesecake will have a slightly jiggly middle.

Topping:
1 1/2 c sour cream
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c almonds

Combine sour cream, sugar and extract in a medium sized bowl. Mix well. Spoon over cheesecake. Sprinkle almonds around edge of cheesecake and bake for 5 additional minutes.

Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven for an hour with oven door slightly ajar. Remove cheesecake from oven. Cool for another hour on rack. Remove from springform pan. Refrigerate and allow to set overnight.

Now if you can pull this off, trust me, it will be well worth it. It is very rich so a little goes a long way.


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

What's for Breakfast?

If you ask me, sleep is way more important than getting up early in the morning to make breakfast, particularly when you don't go to bed before 3am. So oftentimes, I need some grab 'n go items so I can catch up on my much needed beauty rest.

One of my favorite muffins is the classic bran muffin. When I am not having it for breakfast, I sometimes eat it along with my grilled chicken breast salad at dinnertime. I'm not counting calories but we all need to work on making less trips to the fast food drive-thru and these don't necessarily taste healthy. They're really good! You get what I mean, right? They are also a great source of fiber.

For the cereal portion in this particular recipe, I will typically buy the store brand stuff...but let's just keep that between us. And as per the usual, I snuck a little alcohol in here too. Yes I know, even for breakfast.

Bran Muffins

1 1/2 cups bran cereal (plain)
1 c buttermilk
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp brandy
1 c AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin or line with parchment paper.

Sift flour, soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Combine bran cereal and buttermilk in a bowl and let stand until buttermilk is absorbed. Beat oil, egg, sugar, and flavoring and add to the bran mixture. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture. Fold in raisins. Spoon batter into prepared tins. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Now don't eat too many of these on the way to work or you might have a slight problem! Otherwise, enjoy!


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

Chocolate, Chocolate & More Chocolate!

If you have more chocolate than food in your pantry…wake up and have chocolate for breakfast… can eat a chocolate muffin and drink hot chocolate at the same time…may argue that chocolate is better than sex…then you might be a Chocoholic!

I was having a craving for chocolate cake and decided to make a version of the delectable Chocolate Molten Cake, created by master chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. If you are a Chocoholic, then this is the dessert for you! The warm and silky center, coupled with the firm chocolate exterior, is pure heaven!

This cake would be très magnifique if you use Valrhona chocolate, some of the best French chocolate you can find. But, if you aren’t able to locate Valrhona readily, I find that Godiva premium chocolates do the trick.

Be careful not to get too caught up in cleaning the dishes while these wonderful delights are baking or you will have...well...just cake. DO NOT OVERBAKE. The clean toothpick in the cake center does not apply here!

Molten Chocolate Cake

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 450°. Butter four 6-ounce ramekins or mini-cake pans. Place the ramekins/tins on a baking sheet.

In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the egg yolks, sugar and salt at high speed until thickened and pale.

Whisk the chocolate until smooth. Quickly fold it into the egg mixture along with the flour. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the sides of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft. Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted dessert plate. Very carefully turn each one over, let stand for 10 seconds and then unmold. Serve immediately.

This dessert is perfectly garnished with a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream or simply with a dusting of powdered sugar and a raspberry or two.

Quite an easy recipe for such a divine dessert! Perfect for date night, Valentine's Day or any special occasion. Well…truthfully, when I prepared (and consumed) it, there were no other guests invited to the party but me. I guess that is special enough!


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.