This indulgent White Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake is exceptional. White chocolate, coffee and an ingredient no one will guess impart a creamy luxuriousness with a flavor that lingers after the last bite. I modeled this cheesecake after the top layer of the Tri-Chocolate Pate that also uses Maderia as its undetectable, but most important flavoring. Continue reading
This Top Ingredient Substitutions for Baking article was posted several years ago. Due to the present circumstances, I updated it and thought it would be helpful if you find you are missing a key ingredient. Hopefully, you will find it on this list. Continue reading
Reading baking recipes is not as easy as reading a book for pleasure. While it’s true, people read cookbooks for enjoyment, that isn’t the same as cooking or baking from them. Yet, there are a number of things that will help in understanding what the author of the recipe wants you to do. Well written recipes follow a certain form. Continue reading
This Torta Rustica is a savory Italian pastry which I am assuming means Rustic Tart. Its memorable crust holds a filling of spinach with cheese, eggs, onions and bread crumbs to bind it. It is layered with red peppers, artichokes and provolone. It is hard to go wrong with these ingredients. The one caveat here is to thaw the spinach completely and squeeze all the water from it. It is important it is dry when combined with the other ingredients.
We would squeeze 30 pounds of spinach to make 12 Torta Rustica at a time. No matter how long we thawed the spinach it would be freezing cold when we squeezed it. We would keep a bowl of warm water next to us to dip our hands into to warm them as we prepared the spinach. Continue reading
This simple Honey Thyme Apple Tart came about out of total boredom pressing in forty three pastry shells for a dessert at the restaurant. My mind started wandering around the fifth shell. I knew I wanted something simple, easy to put together with an unexpected element to start the year. It is not only beautiful to look at, it is even better to eat. The little bit of thyme gives this an unexpected note while the honey and balsamic vinegar offset each other. Continue reading
