Peppermint Chocolate Mousse Pie

The pairing of peppermint and chocolate really puts me in the holiday spirit. It is definitely one of my all time favorite flavor combinations, not to mention my favorite ice cream flavor (mint chocolate chip) and Girl Scout cookie (Thin Mints). So when David hired me to create a dessert for a holiday party he was attending, this pie was born.

Peppermint Chocolate Mousse Pie
Serves about 10

4 cups chocolate cookies
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 stick butter, melted

1 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces dark chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

peppermint candy, crushed

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in food processor and blend until well combined. Press evenly into a 9" pie dish so the crust covers the bottom and sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
2. Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring until completely melted. Stir in the peppermint extract. Set aside in a larger bowl and allow to cool to body temperature.
3. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until medium peaks form (when you pick up the cream on the whisk, it will hold onto the whisk for several seconds before falling back to the bowl).
**It is important not to over whip the cream because you will be folding it into the chocolate.
Both the extra folding action and the chocolate itself will stiffen the cream to the desired
final point for your mousse.
4. Once the chocolate has cooled, add 1/3 of whipped cream and gently fold together with a spatula. After this first batch of cream is completely folded into chocolate, add rest of cream and fold gently to combine.
5. Pipe or spread mousse into prepared crust, decorate with crushed peppermint candy and refrigerate until ready to eat!

Happy holidays to everyone!

Bridal Shower Cupcakes

One of my oldest and dearest friends just got married this past weekend! She has been my closest friend for over 20 years and I had the privilege of being her Maid of Honor. Of course before the wedding weekend, we had to celebrate her engagement. For her bridal shower, I made a batch of strawberry coconut cupcakes. The pink frosting on top makes for cheerful and festive treats and just happens to match her wedding colors perfectly! This recipe is incredibly moist and wonderfully delicious.


Strawberry Coconut Cupcakes

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberry puree (I pureed whole strawberries in a blender)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

1. Cream the butter and sugar in mixer for several minutes until white and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
3. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing slowly.
4. Add half wet ingredients (strawberry/coconut).
5. Add rest of dry ingredients, then the rest of the wet ingredients.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes or until done.

Vanilla Buttercream

9 egg yolks

1/2 cup corn syrup
5 1/2 oz sugar

1# Butter

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
red food color

1. Begin whisking yolks in mixer.
2. Meanwhile, bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil on the stove.
3. Once this is at a boil, slowly pour syrup into yolk mixture (lower speed but keep on). Switch to paddle attachment on mixer, increase speed and allow to fully cool (this will take about 10 minutes).
4. Add butter in pieces, and continue to mix until well blended and mixture becomes shiny in appearance (about 3-5 minutes).
5.Add vanilla extract and red food color.
6. Pipe onto cupcakes and serve at room temperature.

"Anniversary" Apple Muffins

I love when the weather turns and it finally begins to feel like fall. My friends and I drove up to Julian, CA last weekend to celebrate the season by picking apples from the local orchard. Unfortunately, there was a drought this year which made for very slim pickings. Fortunately for us, the orchard provided barrels of pre-picked apples to supplement our bags of hand-picked ones. Thanks Calico Ranch!

I did find a beautiful apple blossom on our quest and have high hopes for next year's expedition. When I arrived home with my bag of apples and began to think of ideas on how to use them, I realized that my very first blog post was after I went apple picking in Julian last year. Happy almost birthday blog!

I decided to make some apple cinnamon muffins this year instead of the classic pie option. I used honey in my recipe, but you can substitute maple syrup for an extra kick. The large proportion of apples to flour in the recipe makes for extremely moist muffins. I pureed the apples in a food processor to be about the size of rice before incorporating them into the batter. If you don't have a food processor, you can simple grate them through a cheese grater or chop them finely. While still warm, I coated the tops of the muffins in cinnamon sugar. Yum yum!


Apple Cinnamon Muffins
makes about 24

2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 eggs
6 apples, peeled and pureed/grated
2 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon maple extract (optional)
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (optional, can substitute nutmeg, ginger, allspice, etc.)

1. Mix first four ingredients by hand.
2. Add apples, mix to combine.
3. Add rest of ingredients and mix. Pour into lined cupcake tins, filling about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
4. Dip each muffin into cinnamon sugar to coat the top.
5. Cool and enjoy!

Vegan Banana Bread with Maple Glaze

I'm so sorry I disappeared for so long everyone, but I'm back now!!! Thanks for all the positive feedback, I won't leave you all high and dry for so long ever again :)

This post is a shout out to my sister's roomate, Maire Camille!, who makes the best vegan banana bread in the world! I forgot to get her recipe last time I visited, but have adapted a version of my own here that's pretty yummy too. Basically what happened was I had a bunch of bananas on the cusp of going bad and didn't feel like heading to the grocery store on my day off. I had no eggs or butter in the house, so I made do without. I must say this is a great way to use up those old bananas and everyone should have these ingredients laying around the pantry. The bread is great on it's own, but I happened to have some powdered sugar, soy milk and maple extract on hand so I made a quick glaze for the top. Yum yum!

Vegan Banana Bread
3 old bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (you may also substitute a combo of allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)

1. Mash the bananas with the sugar and oil in a bowl.
2. Add rest of ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Pour into spray coated mold (bundt pan, loaf pan, muffin tins) and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.
4. Unmold loaf and glaze while warm.

Maple Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon soy milk (regular milk works too)
1 tablespoon maple extract

I accidentally deleted all the pictures of took of my bread!!! Oops!

Paulette Macarons

I spent the weekend up in LA visiting Lindsay and exploring a few bakeries. Lindsay recommended her favorite macaron shop, Paulette Patisserie in Beverly Hills. I went by myself today while she was at work and picked out a few interesting flavors for us to try. The storefront is very simple and the presentation of the product is beautiful. The counter top is a rainbow of macarons and the prices here are excellent. The individual macarons are $1.60 each, which is by far the lowest price I've seen macarons going for in America. The flavors range from caribbean chocolate to New Orleans praline to more exotic flavors like jasmine tea and violet cassis. All the macarons can be ordered online to be shipped overnight or picked up at the store.
I purchased four of the flavors and each macaron I tried was incredibly fresh and bursting with flavor. I chose the caramel, coconut, jasmine tea, and violet cassis.
Yum Yum Yum!!! Brings me back to Paris and my very first experience with the delicate and complex cookie that is the french macaron.
The violet cassis was my favorite. The filling consisted of a violet ganache and a black currant jam. Next time I'm in LA I will most definitely visit Paulette again and I hope the raspberry rose macaron is on special that day!

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

This recipe is so simple and fast, it takes under 10 minutes to prepare the pizza dough. If you own a food processor, the process is even easier (however the dough may be mixed and kneaded by hand or in a standing mixer).

Once I had mixed the ingredients, I allowed half of the dough to rise at room temperature for use later that evening. I placed the other half of the dough in the fridge to use the next evening. The cold temperature of the fridge causes the dough to rise very slowly, which prevents the dough from spoiling and allows you flexibility. This dough will even keep for 2 days in the fridge.

Pizza Dough

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour*, plus more if necessary
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

*If you have cake flour on hand, substitute it for half of the all-purpose flour. This will make for a more delicate crust on your pizza.

Combine the yeast, water, and olive oil in a small bowl and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour and salt in food processor and pulse to mix. Slowly stream the yeast mixture into the flour and mix until the dough forms a ball. If the dough feels sticky at this point, add more flour until dough is soft but not sticky.

At this point, transfer dough to a floured surface and knead for a few seconds to form a round, smooth ball. I cut the dough in half at this point and place one half in the fridge, for later use.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a slightly damp towel. Allow dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Shape dough as desired (I like thin crust) and top with your favorite ingredients. Place pizza in oven for about 20 minutes, or until crust is browning and cheese has melted. I like to crack an egg on top during the last 5 minutes of baking for a little extra flavor. Have fun!

Atomic Fireball

This dessert is for those with an adventurous palette. It is for those who make a habit of ordering the most obscure, odd, and unique item on the menu because they understand that these are the dishes that capture a chef's true passion, talent, and creativity. These are the dishes you never forget.

Roasted Cinnamon Stick Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
5 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbs ground cinnamon

Roast the cinnamon sticks in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Smash and break up the sticks.

Bring the milk, cream, 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon sticks, and ground cinnamon to a boil. Turn off heat, cover pot with foil and allow mix to infuse for 8 hours or overnight in refrigerator.

Bring mixture to a boil. Meanwhile mix 2/4 cup sugar with eggs and yolks with whisk. Temper the eggs by slowing streaming boiling liquid into eggs while constantly whisking. Return entire mixture to pot and switch to a spatula. Lower heat to medium low and continue to stir mix until it just begins to thicken (about 3 minutes).

Transfer mix to container and place in fridge until cold. Churn in ice cream machine.

Mexican Chocolate Sauce

1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup water
8oz dark chocolate
2 tsp cayenne powder*
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Bring cream and water to a boil and pour over chocolate and spices. Stir until melted and combined. Add more cayenne if you prefer more heat. Keep under refrigeration until ready to use. When ready to use, reheat mixture and pour on top of cinnamon ice cream.

*Make sure your cayenne powder is pure and does not contain any other spices such as garlic powder or salt

**This dessert would not be complete unless it sat on top of my mom's delicious brownies!