Caramelized Upside-Down French Sweet Potato Pie {Tarte Tatin}

Caramelized Upside-Down French Sweet Potato Pie {Tarte Tatin}

Caramelized Upside-Down French Sweet Potato Pie

Holiday Spiced Sweet Potatoes are our seasonal favorite side dish, where thinly sliced sweet potatoes are baked with rich cream, brown sugar, warm spices, salt and pepper.

Apple Tarte Tatin, the world famous upside-down apple tart with buttery caramel-y flavors, is super easy to make and results in one impressive dessert time and again.

Here, the recipes are blended together – where the French tart’s apples are replaced with sweet potatoes and seasoned with pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, nutmeg, clove, cardamom) for a unique pie that will definitely make it onto my Thanksgiving menu this year. Caramelized Upside-Down French Sweet Potato Pie makes a fabulous dessert, but could be equally successful served as a sweet-savory vegetable side dish, perhaps along side a Standing Rib Roast or Holiday Turkey.

Caramelized Upside-Down French Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Continue reading “Caramelized Upside-Down French Sweet Potato Pie {Tarte Tatin}”

Classic Apple Tarte Tatin with Cognac and Crème Fraîche

Classic Apple Tarte Tatin with Cognac and Crème Fraîche

Classic Apple Tarte Tatin with Cognac and Crème Fraîche

Here we have the irresistible color and flavors of Autumn on a plate. Top slices of just-from-the-oven apple tarte tatin with a dollop of crème fraîche – its slightly sour, nutty flavor and velvety texture make it the perfect accompaniment. Serve alongside a warmed snifter of Cognac and it would be difficult to find a better dessert to entertain as the weather cools and the leaves turn…

Classic Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe

Continue reading “Classic Apple Tarte Tatin with Cognac and Crème Fraîche”

Chicken Soup with Exotic Saffron Matzoh Balls

Chicken Soup with Exotic Saffron Matzoh Balls
Chicken Soup with Exotic Saffron Matzoh Balls

I’m preparing Chicken Soup in memory of my Nana and in celebration of the Jewish New Year. And of course, my chicken soup for the High Holy Days will include matzoh balls. These saffron matzoh balls are richly-colored and exotic-tasting. The bright metallic flavor of saffron conjures up memories of foods from far away places. Their striking golden hue brings an element of surprise and beauty to the holiday table. The heady spice derived from the dried stigmas of a crocus, evokes interest and is powerfully irresistible.

I wish all of you, my family, and friends a New Year that is sweet and good. May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a healthy, peaceful, and fulfilling year. And may this new year bring satisfaction, achievement, and happiness. L’Shana Tova!

Continue reading “Chicken Soup with Exotic Saffron Matzoh Balls”

Banana Split Pavlovas

A Banana Split Pavlova - For Both Adults and Kids!

 Banana Split Pavlova – A “Sick” Dessert For Both Adults and Kids!

I learned this adjective from my nephews. It now means crazy, cool, insane. OK. This dessert is definitely sick. Our beloved sophisticated pavlova, a refined dessert created to honor prima ballerina Ánna Pávlova, at the turn of the last century has been turned on its graceful ear, so to speak.

Here, our marshmallowy meringue is filled with low-fat vanilla yogurt (for the adults) or ice cream and whipped cream (for the kids). Then it is topped with fresh pineapple and banana, chopped peanuts, a wild drizzle of hot fudge, and studded with (natural, no artificial color) maraschino cherries. For an extra kick, the adults’ cherries get soaked in brandy.  It is not the finale for your next elegant dinner party. But it is delightful and playful, a sick dessert with wholesome “banana split” ingredients for adults and kids alike.

Banana Split Pavlovas Recipe

Continue reading “Banana Split Pavlovas”

“Margarita” Salmon Burger with Tequila, Lime, and Hatch Chiles

"Margarita" Salmon Burger with Tequila, Lime, and Hatch Chiles

“Margarita” Salmon Burger with Tequila, Lime, and Hatch Chiles

This unconventional salmon burger – spiked with flavors of a refreshing Margarita and studded with spicy-hot fire-roasted chiles – captures the essence of summer’s last days and our beloved Hatch chile season. Where the tequila and fresh lime add zing, and the Hatch chiles add heat – these fresh ground salmon burgers are lively, sure to perk up the last long hot days of summer. Relax on Labor Day, enjoy a Margarita or sip some tequila, and savor a spicy “Margarita” salmon burger!

How to Make “Margarita” Salmon Burgers

Continue reading ““Margarita” Salmon Burger with Tequila, Lime, and Hatch Chiles”