Tag Archives: vanilla bean

Honey Diamonds – A cookie? A small cake?

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Honey DiamondsHoney Diamonds were among my mothers unusual Christmas cookies.  I have no idea why we didn’t have them more often.  But Mom had a great collection of cookies served only at Christmas.  I have never seen most of them anywhere.  I noticed in years passed while blogging that for some reason, I have never shared Holiday recipes ahead of time.  I plan to rectify that this year as you will see them throughout the next few months.

A rare cookie with no shortening, these soft pillows of spiced chocolate are actually more little cakes packed with flavor that only get better when they sit. Its quick preparation is a boon to busy bakers and as a bonus they make the house smell wonderful while baking. Continue reading →

Boston Cream Pie – A Parts Cake

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Boston Cream PieThis Boston Cream Pie is a perfect example of the use of component parts in one recipe. When I started baking for my family and friends, I didn’t care how many recipes I collected and used. However, when I went into baking professionally, making each cake from a different recipe was impractical.  How many yellow cakes, chocolate cakes, or white cake recipes did we need? How many buttercream and ganache recipes could we use –  each with a subtle difference?

It quickly became apparent that base recipes that could be tweaked and varied were what was needed.  Every recipe used in this Boston Cream Pie has already been blogged by me with the how-to photos, which is why I refer to it as a parts cake. Continue reading →

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Ice Cream

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Ice CreamWhen I was a little girl a favorite treat was a dixie cup of ice cream.  There definitely weren’t 31 ice cream flavors or names like Cherry Garcia, Chubby Hubby or Chunky Monkey.  In fact all I remember is vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.  You got a little wooden spoon with which to eat the ice cream.  It was one of the special things I remember from my childhood.

While many ice cream aficionados dictate a creme anglaise base made with cream and eggs, I feel the eggs mask the flavor of many ice creams.  So most of mine are eggless as is this one.

This ice cream is not too sweet and has a twang thanks to the cream cheese and sour cream.  The little specs of vanilla bean add the perfect balance .  It is great eaten on its own or really good teamed with fruit pies, cobblers or crisps. Continue reading →