Thursday, May 29, 2014

Almond Biscotti

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures or modifications to this recipe, all I can do is vouch for it.  But that's good enough for me (because then the next time I want to make it I know which recipe is good).

Last semester a couple of new math professors hosted a house warming party.  As a lowly graduate student, I didn't really want to bring them wine (it's more expensive and I don't know their taste).  So I did the only obvious thing I could think of: I decided to bake something.  A loaf of homemade bread is one of my favorite gifts for hosts (but with the gluten free craze it may be risky now).  I think I was a little pressed for time, so I decided on a baked dessert and I wanted something that could be transported easily but was still classy.  Having never made biscotti, it seemed like the perfect option.  And I chose almond because I always have more than enough almonds.  It was a good recipe, I think I baked the biscotti a little longer than recommended in the second bake, which is good: they came out nice and crisp.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/12/almond-biscotti-recipe.html

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Honeyed Nut Tart

As I will be moving in about a month, I am trying to use up the food in my cabinets.  I have a lot of nuts, so I was looking for nut recipes and I came across this one.  Admittedly, it's not really my thing, but I thought it sounded like a good thing to make for a group and a good way to use up my brown sugar, honey, nuts, and rose flower water.

I had people over for enchiladas for cinco de Mayo and thought this seemed like a nice dessert.  A friend who doesn't like fruit didn't think it was to fruity (there is the zest and juice of an orange in the tart crust) and it is okay for anyone with a (not too severe) peanut allergy, but not really any other nut allergies.  It went over pretty well; I think most people liked it more than I did, which is generally what I look for in a shared dessert (if I liked it so much, I wouldn't want to share it)!  It's also nice for company because the crust is a press in rather than roll out, which makes clean up/counter space a little easier to manage.

The receipe can be found here.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Banana Bread

It's been so long since I've posted.  I've actually made lots of things and I've been keeping them as tabs in my browser.  There are now way too many tabs and I want to close them, but first I need to post them.

I'll start with one of my favorites.  I made Dark Chocolate Raspberry Banana bread for a brunch with a couple of friends.  There are so many banana bread recipes with various bells and whistles.  And on any given day, I want different bells and whistles.  Sometimes I want pineapple banana bread, sometimes I want buttermilk banana bread, sometimes I want banana's foster banana bread.  But I can't see myself ever NOT wanting this one.

The recipe is here.

But this post is to let you know that you should be on the lookout!  I hope to post more soon!