Gourmet Food on a Budget — Ever Forward, Ever Flavorful
Everything from candy, cupcakes, cake, and pies. We love sweets!
Fig Tart with Balsamic Honey Glaze is a sophisticated way to enjoy this summer fruit. Sauté fresh figs cut-side down in butter, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Arrange in a baked French sweet tart shell. Stuff each fig half with creamy blue cheese. Reduce the pan juices with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon into a glaze and spoon over the top. Refrigerate and serve with sour cream.
This stovetop French tart shell is merely a matter of melting butter, oil, sugar, and salt in a saucepan until lightly caramelized. Pour over flour in a stand mixer bowl. Mix, then press into a tart pan with a removable bottom, prick all over with a fork, and bake.
Process cantaloupe — not to a full puree — sweeten with local honey to taste, chill thoroughly, scoop into a coupe glass, garnish with two mint leaves and one whole canned lychee. Ice cream maker optional for extra cold. Half shot of tequila optional for extra fun. Serves 4.
A no-bake Chocolate Mascarpone Tort with a buttery Danish-cookie and saltine crust, mixed in two stages for the right texture, and finished simply with cocoa—made to share with the ones you love.
Cantaloupe Strawberry Salad is a light, refreshing dessert designed for the end of rich meals. Sweet fruit provides natural sugar, balsamic vinegar adds depth, and gentle spice keeps the finish clean instead of cloying.
Freezer Chocolate-Mint Dream cookies keep their shape and develop richer flavor because the dough is frozen before baking. Sanding sugar is used instead of regular sugar to make mint powdered sugar that won’t melt, and a pinch of pepper gives depth the way traditional holiday cookies do.
Pumpkin Spice Cranberry Muffin Breakfast Cake is a delicious cake you can serve as a breakfast cake, a brunch treat, or a show-stopping holiday cake. The wheat germ in the streusel topping adds nutty richness. It’s great warm or cold topped with whipped cream.
Blueberry Muffin Breakfast Cake with a crumb topping is a celebration of Spring. Fresh blueberries pop in your mouth and make your smile.
Virgin Mojito popsicles are a refreshing answer to hot summer days. They combine lime, mint, sugar, and water into a refreshing make-ahead summer dessert with a cool history.
If tiramisu and strawberry shortcake had a glamorous, rose-scented love child, this would be it. My No-Bake Strawberry Rose Tiramisu is what dessert dreams are made of—layers of airy wafers, mascarpone, espresso, rose petal preserves, hazelnut spread, and juicy strawberries, all crowned with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa.