in the kitchen x pine nut caramel, rosemary cream, & red wine

My next dessert is Italian-inspired. I'm planning my trip to Italy, so let's just say Italy is on the brain. I love rosemary in dessert more than I do savory dishes, it pairs so beautifully with sugar. It is such a strong flavor profile that it can get a bit tricky to balance. Shown is a pine nut salted caramel tart, red wine sauce, blueberry compote, rosemary cream, & crumble. The caramel tart is chewy, crunchy & gooey. I love the rich & buttery taste of pine nuts paired with salted caramel. Honestly the filling is addictive. The red wine sauce adds acidity to cut all the richness. The blueberries are lightly poached, until the outside is cooked but the fruit is still firm. It adds a burst of freshness. The rosemary cream adds an edge to the dish, one that makes it interesting and memorable. 

in the kitchen x cheesecake cloud

With the arrival of warm weather, desserts become lighter and more refreshing. To showcase some of the amazing fruit in store, I like to simplify my desserts to showcase the produce. I love cheesecake and I wanted to make one that was lighter than the traditional NY cheesecake that's popular. I love cream cheese, but sometimes it's a bit too rich for my taste. I opted for fromage blanc for that reason. It's also a great base to compliment fruit. Folded with whipped cream, this cake is airy and light. Pictured is a fromage blanc cheesecake mousse, blueberry compote, vanilla compote, vanilla cake, & sesame seed tuile. The cheesecake is tangy and light, with a spongy vanilla cake base. Topped with juicy blueberries, crunchy crumble, and nutty tuile, its a simple but satisfying end to a spring meal. 

in the kitchen x lime, date, & toffee

This is a dish of mistakes. The meringue wasn't suppose to crack, the sauce should be thicker, and does lime even go with dates?! Mistakes happen, but this is a trifecta of nothing turning out right. Out of the entire batch, I had one meringue kiss that wasn't cracked and honestly it was not that appealing. I loved the cracked meringues. They were imperfectly gorgeous and resembled something The Flintstones would eat. While I should have thickened the sauce, I didn't want the texture to compete with the thick toffee. And dates and lime? Yes, they go together like peanut butter and jelly. This dessert is composed of meringue filled with lime curd, moist brown sugar date cake, a decadent toffee sauce, and blueberry compote. It's not your typical flavor pairings, but sometimes, things work out. Mistakes can be a blessing in disguise. 

in the kitchen x blueberry chiboust

Blueberries are everywhere at the farmer's market. Their abundance inspired me to play around and make some kind of dessert. Pairing blueberries with some fruits in season, I came up with this dessert. I love a good chiboust, and this blueberry version taste like blueberries and cream courtesy of the white chocolate. Included are ground cherries, red currants, blackberries, coconut crumble, coconut cake, and coconut sorbet. The contrast of all the other textures with the smooth and creamy chiboust makes this interesting. I adore coconuts (since they remind me of tropical vacations and hot summer days), hence the coconut flavor all around. While this won't make it to the dessert menu, it's always fun to play around and challenge myself with thinking up of new desserts.

in the kitchen x black sesame bavarois

Ever since I tried black sesame ice cream, I have become obsessed with creating a black sesame dessert. This is not your typical black sesame "cake". The dacquoise is made with a mixture of flour and ground black sesame. The black sesame is steeped in heavy cream, for a delicate and luscious bavarois. The first version of the black sesame dessert is topped with red currants, frais de bois, black sesame seeds and vanilla ice cream. While pretty, I wasn't convinced that strawberries and vanilla were the best accompaniments to black sesame's nutty and distinct flavor. What finally made it on the menu is a thicker black sesame "cake" topped with blueberry compote, sesame tuile, honey powder, and ginger and lemongrass ice cream. The texture of the delicate bavarois and crunchy tuile is a great contrast, and juicy, bursting blueberries complement the black sesame perfectly. The ginger and lemongrass ice cream hold their own next to the black sesame flavor. This is the perfect dessert for a warm summer night.