As you might know, I am a huge fan of Burlap & Barrel, the purveyors of single origin spices. They are unique, they are ethical and, hand down, make my food taste a million times better. I went on a small (only 10) spice shopping spree the other day and when planning out what to make this weekend as a sweet treat, I decided to incorporate cinnamon, clove and chili powder into these from-scratch brownies. They are delicious and the warm spices add that “wow” factor!
Desserts
This is a Zwetschgenkuchen (a plum cake). In Southern Germany, this is the quintessential late summer cake to be served at coffee time or even as dessert. This version uses sourdough as the base for the cake, instead of being yeast-based. It’s delicious and reminds me of my aunt, who had a plum tree in her yard when I was a little girl.
These were so good, I had to make them twice. 🙂 Yep, that’s right. I sampled one from the first batch and before I knew it, I had eaten half my giveaway. Whoopsie! At least I had a lot of Blueberry Jam hanging around. It is blueberry season and if you can get the good ones from Maine (or at very minimum, a jar of Stonewall Kitchen stuff), definitely go with the “Wild blueberry” variety. You won’t be sorry!
There is a dessert / sweet dish in Germany called “Apfel im Schlafrock”. It’s an apple dumpling and the name literally translates to “Apple in Nightgown/Dressing Gown”. I’ve always thought it funny then, to think of calling peach dumplings something similar and the alliteration just works for me: Peaches in Pajamas. Pie crust wrapped around ripe peaches and brown sugar, baked to a golden brown and served warm with ice cream or a creme anglais. Serve as a sweet meal, a dessert — or heck, I had it as breakfast this morning!