My most stressful class in culinary school was Classical Pastries. Chef Jan Bandula was the instructor and he was also a Certified Master Pastry Chef. And he was European. Failure was not an option in any of his courses. But Chef Bandula also wanted us to win. He never made us feel like idiots if…
desserts
Coconut Rum (Coquito) Cream Pie
Okay, Friend, make sure you get my autograph now because, once this Coconut Rum Cream Pie recipe hits the interwebs, I’m blowing up like the Goodyear blimp. Picture it: the infamous Puerto Rican holiday cocktail- Coquito– in. Edible. Form!! Yes, I have done it. I have created a dessert that will go down in the…
Quick Lemon Curd and Raspberry Tart
I’ve just spent the last 5 hours at the Department of Motor Vehicles attempting to get my license renewed. Since I’m trying to become more mature, I won’t tell you why I was stuck in the DMV for 5 hours. However, as a result of the epic saga that was the Leon Valley DMV, I…
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes for Mother’s Day
This post is sponsored by my friends at Danish Creamery, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. This year, I’m receiving THE BEST gift, ever, for Mother’s Day!!!! We’re putting our home on the market and moseying on down to San Antonio, Texas!! I have always wanted to live in San Antonio, and now,…
Churros with Dessert Dipping Sauces
This post is sponsored by Danish Creamery, but all opinions are my own. Cinco de Mayo is a pretty festive time food-wise…at least for me. No, I’m not Mexican, but who doesn’t love Mexican food? And who says you have to be Mexican to appreciate the simplicity of churros? No one sane, that’s for sure….
Crème Anglaise (Warm Vanilla Bean Sauce)
Have you ever wanted to have your ice cream and drink it too? No? Just me? Okay, then. Well, if you ever decide to become a weirdo, like me, you need to get in the kitchen and get this Crème Anglaise recipe working. Crème Anglaise literally translates to “English Cream”. I’m pretty sure it was named…
Chocolate Stout-Pretzel Cupcake w/Bailey’s Buttercream & Caramel Sauce
Do you ever just look at images like the one above and tilt your head in adoration? I’m totally doing that right now. It’s as if the pretzel is saying, “Hey, Marta, you’re pretty fantastic for making us. How about you devour me like a little savage?” And I’m over here all, “Yes, little Chocolate…
Confetti White Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’m always on the lookout for new products to test in the kitchen. It’s this weird obsession I have with new flavors, techniques, and tools, I guess. My hard and fast rule is: whatever I bring into the kitchen cannot be single-use. If it’s in my place, it’s gotta give me a variety of things…
Soft Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
I’d never before tasted Lofthouse-Style cookies. That was, not until I tested the original version of this recipe for Simply Recipes. Cindy Rahe– pastry gal extraordinaire- developed it. Check out the original version here. I’ve passed by the commercial version of these soft sugar cookies plenty of times in the store, sure. The key words there…
Valentine’s (or Any) Day Cream Puffs
Major confesh: I’m not a huge fan of chocolate. Yes, there are certain times when a piece of chocolate is necessary, but on the whole, I could do without it. Instead, I like sweets that aren’t overly sweet. Some of the reasons why I enjoy eating cream puffs are because they’re light as air, easy…
