Ginger & Vanilla Cider Poached Pears

I had some friends come and visit (one an executive chef) and I wanted to prepare a simple, elegant dessert that would not heat up my kitchen, these poached pears were just perfect! The right amount of sweetness to end a meal and so easy to prepare. They also have a certain wow factor that make anyone you serve them to feel so special. The ginger is spicy and fragrant and  the vanilla is sweet and floral, together they create a wonderful rich flavored sauce that is amazing with the super sweet pears. The pears poach for about 20 minutes soaking up the flavors of the cider, vanilla and ginger and then the sauce is cooked down with some honey and a touch of butter to make a thick caramel, easy and beautiful! I like to sprinkle the pears with some toasted almonds for a bit of crunch and salt.

This recipe makes 6 pears.

Directions

6 Organic pears, whatever are in season are the best, you want firm slightly under ripe ones.

1 Hunk fresh ginger, peeled and chopped, mine was the size of my thumb.

1 Vanilla bean, sliced in half

5 Black peppercorns

3 Cups apple cider

2 Tbsp local honey

1 Tbsp pasture raised butter

6 Tbsp sliced almonds, toasted, 1 Tbsp for each pear.


Directions

Peal the pears.

In a large sauce pan place the cider, ginger, vanilla bean, black peppercorns and the 6 pears. I lay mine down on their sides and cover them all with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the top of the pan. This prevents the pears from discoloring and turning brown.

Heat the liquid over medium high heat till simmering and then turn down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, turn the pears and cook for another 10 minutes or until the pears pierce easily with a butter knife, you want them soft but not falling apart.

Remove the pears and set them in a refrigerator while you cook the sauce. Remove the vanilla bean, ginger and peppercorns. Cook the sauce over high heat for 10 minutes, add in the honey and cook for another 5 minutes or until it becomes thick like maple syrup. Remove from heat, whisk the butter in and pour the sauce into a serving bowl.

To serve: cut off the bottom of each pear, just so that it will stand up. Place the pear on a small dessert plate, ladle with warm sauce and sprinkle with almonds. Enjoy!

You can also serve the pears with crumbles of a sharp goat or blue cheese, or a scoop of lemon sorbet is also a great flavor contrast.

Plum & Mixed Berry Skillet Cake

This is the best cake I have ever made, its moist, decadent and just so incredible! The cake is full of whole grains and topped with lots of antioxidant rich berries and plums. Its super simple to make; saute the berries with butter and sugar, top with a rich batter and bake! Top with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and you have a dessert your friends will be talking about for days...maybe years! This cake is perfect for summer because you can use up any fruit that is local and in season, the combinations are endless!

Makes one 10 inch cake, serves 6-8.

Ingredients


6 Small organic Italian plums, sliced into rounds, any plum will work.

1 Cup organic mixed berries, I used black raspberries, red raspberries and blueberries.

1 1/2 Sticks pasture raised butter, room temperature.

1/2 Cup fair trade brown sugar

2 Tbsp orange liquor, fresh squeezed orange juice can be substituted.

1 Cup unbleached, organic all purpose flour

1/2 Cup wheat germ

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Cup fair trade, organic raw cane sugar

2 Farm raised eggs, room temperature.

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 Cup pasture raised whole milk


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a 10' cast iron skillet* heat up 1/2 stick of butter over medium high heat. Add in the brown sugar, plums, berries and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the orange liquor and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

In another bowl mix together the eggs, vanilla, rest of the butter and milk with an electric mixer. Add the wet to the dry and mix just to incorporate with a spoon. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter on top of the berries and plums and spread out, carefully with a spatula in an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched and is golden brown. Cool completely and then run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out onto a serving platter with a lip, there will be a sauce that runs off.

Slice and serve with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

*This dessert can be made in a non-stick round baking dish but cooks best in cast iron.

Blackberry Icebox Cake

The first time I ever had an icebox cake was at a friend's house in South Carolina. It was cold and creamy and about the most delicious summer dessert you could ever eat. You can make it any flavor, its really a method, rather than a recipe, the premise is this: whipped cream soaks into crispy cookies or crackers and creates a soft and decadent "cake." You don't have to cook anything, you don't have to have master culinary or pastry skills so its perfect for me, I am a terrible baker! I chose to make a blackberry icebox cake because I picked an insane amount of wild blackberries recently that are sweet, plump and just incredible. These little summer jewels deserved an impressive entrance and when you bring this out to your summer table you will most certainly catch everyone's attention. The cake takes about 20 minutes to make and you have to let it sit overnight in the fridge, so make sure you plan ahead. Letting it sit a few hours will not give you desired results so I do not recommend it. I used simple graham crackers in mine because they are slightly salty and they go perfectly with the super sweet berries. Goat cheese, mascarpone and heavy cream create a sharp frosting that is reminiscent of cheesecake, and I layered all this with blackberry jam as well, ummmm seriously....divine!! The blackberries also give the cake an overall light purple color that is just gorgeous, purple is the color of royalty...coincidence? I think not!

This cake will serve up to 10 people easily.

Ingredients

2 Cups pasture raised heavy cream, very cold.

1 (8oz) container pasture raised mascarpone, I used Vermont Creamery.

4oz soft, plain, goat cheese, room temperature, I used Vermont Cremery.

1/3 Cup fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar

1/4 Cup blackberry brandy or other blackberry liquor

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp blackberry jam, I used Bonne Maman.

1 Cup fresh blackberries, I used wild so they are small, if you are using big, cultivated berries then you will want about 2 cups.

Rest of the 13oz jar blackberry jam

1 box honey graham crackers, I used Erewhon.

2 Tbsp fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar, for finishing.

Directions

In a large bowl combine the goat cheese, mascarpone, sugar, blackberry liquor, vanilla and 2 Tbsp blackberry jam with an electric mixer on low. Mix for 2 minutes or until well combined and creamy. Add in the cold heavy cream and mix till stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Fold in 1/2 cup of the fresh blackberries, very gently so that you don't break them up and you don't deflate your whipped cream.

Microwave or heat your jam slightly, not hot but warm so that it spreads easily, about 1 minute in the microwave is plenty. Pour it into a bowl. Set aside.

Place a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a springform pan* I break them up to overlap and fit, they don't have to be neat and they must cover the bottom completely. Next spread a thin layer of blackberry jam over the crackers, with a rubber spatula. Next put 1/5 of the whipped topping over the blackberry jam and spread evenly. Layer with another layer of graham crackers, covering the first layer completely and breaking them to fit snugly, again it doesn't have to be need, you won't see this. Next with the blackberry jam and then whipped topping again. Do this 5 times so that you have 5 layers and end with frosting. Top with the rest of the fresh blackberries, sprinkle with the raw cane sugar and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

To serve: Remove the cake from the springform pan by running a butter knife around all the sides, popping off the side and placing the cake on a serving platter. Slice with a sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water.

Enjoy!!

*If you do not have a springform pan you can use a disposable aluminum pan, the 10' deep round one, you can buy these right at the grocery store. You will be able to cut the pan away from the cake when you are ready to serve, I just cut down the sides and fold it down to pop the cake out, its difficult to get the cake out of a regular pan. It might mess up the sides a little but don't worry, you can spread the frosting easily over the messed up areas making them perfect again. I just use a rubber spatula or frosting knife to smooth the sides again, its a very forgiving cake!

Berry Shortcakes with White Chocolate Whipped Cream

This berry shortcake is so incredibly delicious and is full of perfect summer flavor. I am not a very awesome baker so its a perfect dessert for me, I don't make my own pound cake I just buy a favorite local made one; it also keeps your kitchen cool which is an added bonus! This particular pound cake is lemon but any flavor is perfectly fine. The star of the show is the white chocolate whipped cream, its absolutely perfect. The white chocolate is intensely sweet and creamy and it creates the perfect topping for the tangy, tart fruit. I chose to use blueberries and strawberries because they are in season and can be found locally right now in NY, early July, but feel free to use any combination of berries you would like. I made a strawberry-rhubarb compote earlier in the week for some ginger pancakes and the leftovers were perfect as the berry sauce for the shortcakes. If you don't want to make the compote feel free to macerate some of the berries in sugar and a bit of lemon juice to make a quick berry sauce. I put the berries in a bowl sprinkle them with sugar, squirt of lemon juice and let them sit for an hour. The sugar draws out the fruit's natural juices creating a nice sauce for the dessert. We ate this berry shortcake for dessert and for breakfast, it was just so delicious and its gorgeous to boot, who wouldn't be awed when you bring this to the table:

This recipe serves 6

Ingredients

1 Pint organic, local strawberries, hulled and chopped in half
1 Pint organic, local blueberries
1 Cup strawberry-rhubarb compote, get the recipe here.*
1 loaf locally made pound cake, mine was lemon flavored, any dense cake or angel food cake would work nicely.
1 Cup grass-fed heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp fair trade, organic confectioner's sugar
1/3 Cup white chocolate chips, I used Ghirardelli.
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract

Directions

*If you are not using the strawberry-rhubarb compote then you will want to put half your berries in a bowl with 1/4 cup of sugar and let them macerate in the fridge. If you are using the compote go to the next step.

In a small bowl melt your white chocolate chips, by microwaving them for 30 second intervals, each time I take them out and stir till they are melted. Cool completely.

Prepare your whipped cream by placing very cold heavy whipping cream into a large bowl. Whip on high for 2 to 3 minutes or just until soft peaks form. Add in the confectioners sugar and vanilla extract and whip for another minute. Add in the cooled white chocolate and whip till stiff peaks form. Place in the fridge till ready to serve.

Cut your pound cake into slices, you will want 2-3 for each person, I used 3 per serving but shared with my husband.

To serve: place a piece of pound cake on a serving plate, top with strawberry-rhubarb compote (or some of your macerated berries) top with some whipped cream, another piece of pound cake, more whipped cream and then sprinkle with fresh berries. Its a plate of summer heaven!

Grilled Pineapple Ice Cream with Brown Butter Rum Swirl

This ice cream was inspired by two things, my friends telling me that they would love a pineapple ice cream and my love for the sauce on bananas foster. If you have never had bananas foster, its a brown sugar rum sauce that the bananas are cooked in and its sweet and decadent and maybe the most incredible sauce on the planet. Though bananas are traditional, I think it goes wonderfully with any tropical fruit; boy was I right on when I swirled it into my creamy pineapple ice cream! I started with a vanilla custard base and then mixed in sweet grilled pineapple puree, right at the end. Grilling them caramelizes their natural sugars making them even sweeter and giving them a slightly smoky flavor. I then layered this with the brown butter rum sauce was a match made in ice cream heaven. The pineapples were sweet and slightly smoky and the sauce was salty and decadent, all the flavors I absolutely love in a dessert. I am not a straight up sweet dessert eater, I like something with a bit of personality. I am known to mix herbs or spices into desserts just to bump up the interesting factor and make your guests ask, "what is that incredible flavor?"

This recipe makes 1 quart of ice cream.
Adapted from the vanilla ice cream recipe of David Lebovitz, found here.

Ingredients

Ice Cream

1 Cup grilled pineapple, completely cooled, this is about half a fresh pineapple.*
1 Cup grass-fed whole milk
Pinch of sea salt
Heaping 1/2 cup fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar
1 Vanilla bean, slit and seeds scraped.
2 Cups grass-fed heavy cream
5 local, farm raised egg yolks, I save the whites for frittatas.

Swirl

4 Tbsp grass-fed butter
1/4 Cup fair trade, organic, dark brown sugar
1/4 Cup pineapple juice
1/4 Cup dark rum, I use Kraken.
2 Tbsp arrowroot
Pinch of sea salt

Directions

Heat milk, salt, sugar, vanilla beans and pod in a sauce pan over medium heat. Heat till just starting to simmer, remove from heat, cover with a lid and infuse for one hour.


After your grilled pineapple has cooled, puree it in a food processor till it is smooth. You only need 1/2 a cup of puree for the recipe, just save any leftover to put over top of the finished ice cream, or for another recipe.

Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with water and ice. Place a smaller bowl over this and then a strainer. Put the heavy cream and pineapple puree into the smaller bowl.

In another bowl place the egg yolks. Heat up your steeping milk again, just till steaming and ladle a small amount of this milk into your yolks to temper them. Pour this mixture back into the pan with the leftover milk and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, till the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain through the sieve over the heavy cream and pineapple puree mixture, whisk till combine and cooled, about 3 minutes. Place in the fridge, preferably overnight. If you do not want to wait 24 hours place the mixture into a Ziploc bag and submerge in ice water for an hour.

To make the brown butter rum sauce, place butter in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium high heat till it browns, about 5 to 6 minutes. Keep an eye on it, the milk solids (the white frothy stuff) can go from brown to burned very quickly. Once it has browned and starts to smell nutty add in the rum carefully and cook for a minute. Add in the pineapple juice, sugar and salt, stir to combine and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the arrowroot stir to combine, you will notice it start to thicken, it will thicken more upon standing. Place in the fridge to cool, preferably overnight. Again mixture can be cooled in a Ziploc in an ice bath, but mixture must be cold.

Remove the vanilla bean and churn the custard base in an ice cream maker based on your manufacturer's instructions. Mine gets churned till it looks like mashed potatoes. Fold in the pineapple chunks. Layer the swirl by placing 1/4 of the ice cream in a glass baking dish that has a lid, the more surface area the better. Then spread some of the rum sauce over this and keep repeating with 1/4 ice cream till its all layered. Place a piece of wax paper over the top and your lid and place in a freezer for at least 3 hours.

To serve, scoop out into serving dishes and top with more grilled pineapple or a sprinkle of finishing salt, I have a smoked guava salt that goes wonderfully over top!

*To grill pineapple: butter a grill pan and slice a fresh pineapple in thick slices, they will hold together during the high heat grill process. Grill pineapple on each side till charred, about 4 minutes a side. It reduces the water content of the fruit and caramelizes the natural sugars making it sweeter.

Enjoy all summer long! Feel free to switch up the fruit or make it a combination of tropical fruits!

Red, White & Blue Fruit Skewers

I just love this time of year, when summer is starting to get hot and the berries are emerging at the farmers market! I love all the U-pick signs lining the roads as well, we are big berry pickers and like to plan a whole day, and menu around it. My daughter ends up with a stained face and fingers and rarely has any in her bucket when we are ready to leave. I think that berry picking is incredibly satisfying, all the ripe berries among the prickly branches and green leaves that are plump and warm from sitting in the sun. There are a number of ways that we eat this bounty; simply with cold, sweet vanilla milk or over our local yogurt with just a small drizzle of dark buckwheat honey. We also do fancy things with the berries too, dipping them in decadent chocolate and pairing it with some wine or how about a tall, delicious shortcake! These fruit skewers are a combination of the latter two, making for a very special but very simple and portable snack or dessert. I am going to an annual fourth of July party with a very close friend and we always like to bring something to share. I have seen many red, white and blue desserts on Pinterest and thought, wow what a great idea! I then combined two dessert ideas and made them into, portable individual servings, perfect for a 4th of July picnic! The skewer offers tart tangy fruit, sweet, moist cake and just a smidge of white chocolate that ties the whole thing together nicely. They are festive and delicious! You can use any combination of fruit, cake and chocolate that you would like and change it to fit any party or occasion, I just love these. I do want to note that whatever cake you use, you will want one that is dense because it holds onto the skewer better, that is why I chose pound cake, its incredibly moist and holds together well. I am a terrible baker so I chose to go with a locally made, lemon pound cake and didn't feel the least bit guilty because it was incredible.

This recipe makes 25-30 skewers.

Ingredients

2 Pints local, organic or low spray strawberries, hulled.
1 Pint local, organic blueberries
1 Bag (11oz) white chocolate chips, I used Ghirardelli.
6 Small slices of lemon pound cake, I used a locally made one any dense cake will work.
Small bamboo skewers, I bought them at Amazon for 2$, craft stores also carry them.

Directions

In a small, microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate. I do this by microwaving it for 30 second increments and stirring after each one till the chocolate is melted. Be careful not to get water or anything in the chocolate while melting or it will seize (it will harden and you will not be able to dip in it). Make sure your strawberries are room temp and dry. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Dip each strawberry, half-way into the white chocolate, twist to coat and remove to the wax paper to dry. Once all are dipped, place the sheet in the fridge to dry and harden. About 20 minutes.

Cut the pound cake into bite size chunks.

To assemble: Start with a piece of cake, 2 blueberries, a chocolate covered strawberry* and then another piece of cake. Set them on a serving tray or in a long tupperware dish, with top for storing.

*Note: When skewering the strawberries be sure to do it so that you are not puncturing the chocolate shell, this will cause it to crack and break off making a big mess and frustrating you, I do it through the top half of the strawberry that is not dipped.

Store them in the fridge till ready to eat, Enjoy!

Grapefruit Buttermilk Ice Cream with Lemon Cookie Chunks

This recipe was inspired by my daughter's love for floral, tart grapefruit. Its a perfect combination for sweet and creamy ice cream because it perfumes the vanilla custard beautifully. Your taste buds are in for a treat, it hits every note; sweet, bitter, tart and floral. The ice cream base is a combination of grass-fed sweet cream and tart buttermilk. The combination makes for a creamy yet tart ice cream that pulls out the tangy quality of the grapefruit nicely. The lemon cookies I used are made in Vermont, at the Vermont Country Store, Orton Brothers Lemon Button Cookies. They are crunchy, tangy and slightly salty, which is a perfect combination for this ice cream. Every pocket of them in the ice cream gives you the feeling of eating the most delicious citrus pie, almost like having a pie crust sprinkled throughout! Because I used real grapefruit juice instead of an extract, the ice cream is a little icy in texture. I wanted to use real, whole ingredients and not substitute extract or grapefruit oil for the flavor. I happen to really love the texture but if you want a creamier base then omit the grapefruit juice, bump up the liquid with heavy cream or half and half and use grapefruit extract instead.

This recipe makes a little over 1 quart of ice cream.

Ingredients


2 Cups grass-fed heavy cream
1 Cup grass-fed buttermilk, its hard to find, I suggest asking a local farm for it, store bought buttermilk is fine.
1 Cup fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar
1 Vanilla bean, seeds scraped.
Zest from one organic grapefruit, about 2 Tbsp.
3/4 Cup fresh squeezed organic grapefruit juice, about 2 grapefruits.
3 Whole farm raised eggs
1 Cup Orton Brothers Lemon Button Cookies, crushed. *See end note.

Directions

In a sauce pan, over medium high heat whisk the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla seeds, zest, juice and eggs. Stirring constantly, cook till it comes to a simmer, DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat and strain over a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate till cold, about 2 hours.

When the mixture is cold whisk in cold buttermilk and pour the mixture immediately into an ice cream machine. Churn using the manufacture's instructions (do not add the cookies into the machine).

When the ice cream is done churning pour the mixture into an air tight container and fold in the crushed cookies, mixing just to combine. Place the air tight container into a freezer and freeze for at least 2-3 hours.

To serve scoop the ice cream into serving dishes and sprinkle with more crushed cookies, or garnish with whole cookies, enjoy!

*Note: The Orton Brothers cookies might be hard to find if you do not live on the East Coast, you can order them online by clicking on my link or you can substitute homemade lemon cookies, made by a fellow blogger, that taste almost identical, get the recipe here: http://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2013/03/07/lemon-burst-cookies-from-scratch/.

I am not a wonderful baker so I opted for the wonderful store bought ones that are made with all natural ingredients. :)

Strawberry & Basil Popsicles

My daughter absolutely loves homemade popsicles and they are incredibly easy to do at home, just a popsicle mold and some great ingredients and you have the best freezer pops you have ever had. You can make them in any flavor, with yogurt, with alternative sweeteners or make them with all fruit like this particular recipe. These popsicles are filled with almost 2 pints of fresh, local strawberries and they taste just like you bit into a ripe, sweet berry! I love the flavor of herbs with fruit, it makes for a very interesting dessert or treat. These pops are full of basil, which is part of the mint family so it lends itself well to dessert and fruit. Basil is also very nutritious so its a popsicle you can feel good about eating or feeding your family! Strawberry and basil is my favorite fruit/herb combination, if you have never had herbs in dessert, I highly recommend it!

This recipe makes 8 freezer pops.

Ingredients

2 Pints organic strawberries, hulled and chopped.
1/2 Cup basil simple syrup, recipe to follow*
5 Fresh, organic basil leaves
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 Cup water

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

Enjoy!

*Basil Simple Syrup

A few bunches of fresh, organic basil, leaves and stems, about 1 cup, loosely packed.
1 Cup water
1 Cup fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar

In a sauce pan bring all ingredients to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, cool completely and strain out basil. Use this syrup for anything you need to sweeten that is cold, ice tea, lemonade or your homemade popsicles! Store in fridge for up to 2 months.

Roasted Strawberry-Rhubarb Shortcakes with Orange Mascarpone Sauce

I think that strawberry shortcake is about as summer as you can get. Tart, intensely flavored berries combined with crumbly, buttery shortcakes and topped with a rich, creamy sauce...oh my gosh I want one now! This version combines two of my most favorite "first of the summer fruits," strawberries and rhubarb. I know rhubarb is not technically a fruit, it doesn't matter it goes so well with strawberry and is perfect exception in this dessert. I roasted my strawberries and rhubarb in sorghum and vanilla till they were soft and caramelized. The mixture was so incredible and full of flavor; sweet, tangy and slightly floral. I then heaped it on top of some vanilla, orange biscuits, which were crumbly and slightly salty; just the way I like my desserts, both sweet and savory. This all got a healthy dollop of homemade orange mascarpone sauce that was made with Vermont Creamery mascarpone and Maple Hill orange yogurt. Both of these products are grass fed, whole milk and are so thick and rich, they are like eating pudding! This all together made, strawberry-rhubarb shortcake heaven! I used the Martha Stewart biscuit recipe as my base and added some of my own touches to them. I like the drop biscuits because they are softer and soak up all the berry sauce really well. They are thick and not perfectly formed, I rather like rustic looking desserts. If you have a favorite biscuit recipe feel free to use it here and just add the vanilla, honey and orange to them for the same flavor profile. They are not the star anyway, just a vehicle for shoveling in strawberry-rhubarb perfection. All components of this dessert can be made ahead and served when ready.

This recipe makes 6 shortcakes, I use 2 biscuits per dessert.

Ingredients

1 Pint of fresh, organic strawberries, for serving, hulled and chopped.
1/4 Cup fair trade, organic powdered sugar, for dusting each dessert.

Biscuits 

1 3/4 Cups unbleached, organic, all purpose flour, I use a locally milled, NY wheat.
2 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Sea salt
6 Tbsp pasture raised, unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes.
Zest one organic orange
Juice from zested orange
1 Vanilla bean, seeds scraped.
4 Tbsp local buckwheat honey, I used Rulison.
3/4 Cup pasture raised, whole milk, you might need more or less depending on your flour and humidity level of the day, I like to have a very sticky dough.

Strawberry-rhubarb Sauce

1 Pint organic, strawberries, hulled and chopped.
4 Stalks organic rhubarb, trimmed and chopped.
1/3 Cup fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar
1/4 Cup Sorghum syrup, maple syrup or honey can be substituted.
1 Vanilla bean, seeds scraped.
1 Tbsp organic orange zest
Juice from zested orange, mine had a few Tablespoons of juice.

Orange Mascarpone Sauce

1 (6oz) Container pasture raised, full fat orange yogurt, I used Maple Hill Creamery.
1 (8oz) Container pasture raised, full fat mascarpone cheese, I used Vermont Creamery.
3 Tbsp pasture raised, full fat cream cheese, softened, I used Organic Valley.
1 Vanilla bean, seeds scraped.
Zest one, organic orange.
Juice from zested orange, about 2 Tbsp.
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice.
1/4 Cup local buckwheat honey, I used Rulison, any local honey will do.

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two forks, till it looks like coarse meal.

In a small bowl mix the milk, vanilla, orange zest, orange juice and honey. Whisk till they are completely combined. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix just till combined. Drop with an ice cream scoop, or measure out equal amounts, onto the lined baking sheet. Mine were about 3 Tbsp each. If your dough seems too wet just add in a bit of flour till you get the consistency you desire.

Bake for 13 minutes or until they are golden brown, watch them they go very quickly from golden brown to burned. Remove and let cool completely.

While biscuits are baking mix together all the strawberry-rhubarb ingredients till the fruit is coated evenly. Pour into a large baking dish and bake in the 450 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the fruit is soft and the sauce is bubbling. Remove to cool completely. Place in the fridge till you are ready to serve. It will thicken upon standing.

In a medium size bowl whisk together all mascarpone sauce ingredients till well combined. Store in the fridge till ready to serve. I like to give the sauce time to meld flavors, so its best to let this sit for about an hour.

To serve, place one biscuit on a serving plate, top with strawberry-rhubarb sauce, top with another biscuit then dollop this with the mascarpone sauce. Sprinkle with fresh strawberries and dust with some powdered sugar, enjoy the ultimate taste of summer!

Let me know what you think! Leave some love below! :)

Banana, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, Oat Cookies

These cookies are a perfect "on the go" breakfast or snack. They are loaded with things that are good for you like; oats, dark chocolate, bananas, whole wheat flour and antioxidant rich spices. They will keep you full and fueled all morning long or in between meals. I made them for a picky toddler and they were an instant hit for the whole house. They are super fluffy in texture like a muffin but they are also chewy like a cookie. They are a cookie I feel good about eating and giving to my family! I always have bananas and inevitably overripe bananas at some point, so I am always looking for great, interesting ways to use them; other than just freezing for smoothies. Got some overripe bananas sitting on your counter? Try these!

Let's talk about dark chocolate for a minute! I always buy dark chocolate, and I always buy fair trade, from trusted sellers and producers. This means that the people and companies in the countries where they harvest cacao get paid fairly, and treated fairly by the companies and artisans who are importing it. Other things you should be buying fair trade are: coffee, sugar products, bananas and chocolate products. Here is a link for more information on buying fair trade and why its important to me: http://www.fairtradeusa.org/. Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants and is actually very good for you, I eat it daily! Make sure to buy 60% cacao or more to get the maximum benefits.

The recipe makes 15 to 20 good size cookies.
Adapted from Taste of Home, Banana Oatmeal Cookies; http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/banana-oatmeal-cookies.

Ingredients

1 Cup organic, unbleached, all purpose flour, I used a local one.
1/2 Cup organic, whole wheat flour, I used a local one.
3/4 Cup fair trade, organic, dark brown sugar
1 tsp Sea salt
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Fresh nutmeg, grated on a microplane.
1 tsp Fresh ginger, grated.
1 Stick pasture raised butter, room temperature.
1/3 Cup organic, creamy, peanut butter, mine did not have sugar added.
1 farm raised egg
3 Overripe, fair trade bananas, mashed.
1 3/4 Cups organic, quick cooking oats
1/2 Cup fair trade, dark chocolate, chopped roughly into chunks, I used Callebaut.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix first 8 ingredients to combine.

Mix in the butter and peanut butter and mix till it resembles wet sand.

Mix in the egg and banana and stir to combine well.

Fold in the oats and chocolate and mix to combine.

Scoop onto a cookie sheet, trying to make equal scoops, I like to use an ice cream scoop, it makes getting equal scoops very easy. They don't spread while cooking so you can put them close together.

Bake for 13 to 15 mins or until they are golden brown, and crispy on the edges.

Remove and cool on a wire rack, enjoy!

A cookie you can feel good about! Let me know what you think, stop back and leave some love!

Strawberries in Vanilla Milk

Summer strawberries are here; the first of the season! They are my absolute favorite thing about summer, so deeply sweet and lightly floral. My favorite way to eat them is simply, soaking in some sweetened vanilla milk which mirrors the natural floral nature of the strawberries so beautifully. It is simple, elegant and so utterly delicious. On a hot summer night its wonderful to sit on your porch, feel the warm breeze and drink down the slightly pink, sweet milk that is left after you eat the tender, tangy berries. That is a perfect evening for me!

I always buy strawberries organic or locally grown with a no spray guarantee from the farmer. They are like sponges and they soak up any pesticides that are used on them. It is very important to know where your berries are coming from and how they are grown, they are part of the dirty dozen. I like to soak mine in a bowl of vinegar water for a few minutes as soon as I get them home. This removes dirt and bacteria from the berries and prolongs their freshness. Strawberries are so delicate and grow mold very quickly, this method of washing helps to prolong this from happening. I also like to spread them out on a cookie sheet or plate, that is covered in a towel. This allows the berries to breath and also keeps them fresher, longer. They don't last long in our house so I rarely have a mold issue, but I realize it does happen so I thought I would share some of my berry keeping tips with you.

This recipe serves 2 but is very easy to double or triple.

Ingredients

2 Cups organic strawberries, sliced
2/3 Cup organic, grass-fed whole milk, you can also use cream if you are so inclined.
2 tsp raw cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Directions

In a small bowl whisk together the milk, sugar and vanilla paste. Whisk to combine completely and dissolve the sugar.

Place strawberries, 1 cup each, in two serving dishes. Pour the vanilla milk over the strawberries, 1/3 cup into each bowl. Sprinkle with more sugar if desired and serve.

Enjoy!

Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.
                                     ― Ray Bradbury

Cherry-Orange Greek Yogurt Pops

I never buy ice pops from the store, they are so easy to make at home and you can make them with whatever ingredients you want. You place all your favorite flavors into a blender, pour into molds and in a few hours you have homemade pops that you can feel so good about giving to your family. I like to put tons of healthy things into mine like fruits, veggies, nuts, or yogurt, they are super healthy and super tasty! My daughter eats them right down and thinks they are dessert! These cherry-orange pops are filled with antioxidants from the dark red cherries and from my secret ingredient...sorghum syrup! The syrup was a recent find at my local co-op, made locally and it tastes like a cross between caramel and molasses, I am totally in love with it! It goes so well with the deep dark cherries and gives an incredible depth of flavor to the yogurt pops. I used Chobani Greek yogurt because its thick and creamy, loaded with protein and its located here in NY. I promise after you taste these you will never buy store pops ever again!

This recipe makes 6 yogurt pops.

Ingredients

3 (3.5 oz) containers Chobani Champions orange vanilla Greek yogurt.
1/2 Cup organic cherries, pitted.
1 Orange, segmented, juice also.
1/4 Cup fresh squeezed orange juice, in addition to the juice from the segmented orange.
3 Tbsp sorghum syrup; maple syrup or agave nectar can be substituted.

Directions

Place all ingredients into a blender, blend on high till completely combined.

Pour into a molds and place in freezer for at least 3 hours. Enjoy a creamy, refreshing treat you can feel good about!