Browsing Tag

fruits-and-berries

Desserts, Sweet Snacks

“Midnight at Kezar Lake” Pie (Blueberry Blackberry Mint)

I am “up to Camp”, as one says in New England-ish, this weekend. So I am packing up Ludwig (yes, my car is named Ludwig van Volkswagon) and headed north from the steamy city. New England, after our brutal winter, skipped spring altogether and it’s been summertime hot for the good part of a week. No complaints, though I do have to put in my air conditioners soon, lest I have to stop baking in the heat. And never one to arrive empty handed, here is the pie I made.

This pie title and idea with the “stars” is based on a pie that I saw somewhere on the intertubes called Midnight in Paris Pie. Of course, they don’t really have pies in French desserts (tarts, yes … pies, not so much) and it was just someone using the cut out stars to decorate a “plain” blueberry pie. I went for the berry combo to make it a little “darker” and then added the mint. You don’t actually taste the mint too much but it does have a nice freshening effect.

I officially declare it summer then, eh? [grin]
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Dinner, Lunch

Baby Back Ribs with Roasted Peach and Smokey Bacon Barbeque Sauce

After last summer’s success of my Barbeque Sauces, I was itching to make some more and seeing it is the “unofficial start to summer” this weekend (Memorial Day), I made this Roasted Peach and Smokey Bacon BBQ Sauce. And these ribs, which are the real star of the show. They were so “fall off the bone” by the time that I was transferring them to the grill, I needed to gingerly use two sets of thongs. The trick with oven smoking them is definitely the Lapsang Souchong tea. It is naturally smokey so it just enhances the flavor like crazy. They take a long time (read the entire recipe before starting!) but boy, are they worth it!
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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Strawberry Lemon Thyme Pinwheel Cookies

It’s getting to be strawberry season in about a months time and I always go PYO strawberry picking and then make at least one kind of jam. Last year, it was Strawberry Lemon Thyme Jam. I had the last jar of it in the pantry and when deciding what to bake, come across the idea to make some more jam pinwheels, and to use this yummy jam. Yes, the thyme is a little unique, but it works well and even better in cookies.
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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Cardamom Fig Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

I clearly have this thing for Chocolate Chip cookies, and I seem to be on this never-ending quest to see what combinations I can manage to put in chocolate chips cookies. I also have this affinity for cardamom (favorite spice by far), so this week, I tried the combination of cardamom, coconut (the unsweetened kind) and dried figs. Oh, and oatmeal, to make them “healthy”. Turned out ok, but if I were to make them again, I think I’d add even more cardamom.
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