Category: Fruit Desserts

Easy Rhubarb Crisp

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My friend Dot made this amazing rhubarb crisp for dinner a few nights ago and I was gobsmacked. How have I never had a Rhubarb Crisp before? It’s sweet, tangy and a perfect summer dessert.

Dot was kind enough to share the recipe with me, which was from Nora at Savorynothings.com and I used her recipe exactly, just adding a little vanilla. A few nights ago we were having friends over to play cards and I loved being able to pop out in the garden and gather fresh rhubarb for dessert!

At some point, I might try swapping out the cinnamon for a little fresh & candied ginger, since we love Rhubarb Ginger Jam, but this is honestly just about perfect as is.

Rhubarb Filling
2 lbs. fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2″ slices
¼ cup cornstarch
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Crumble Topping
1 cup oats
½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1 stick cold butter, in ½” cubes or grated (8 Tbsp)

Gently but thoroughly combine all rhubarb filling ingredients in a large bowl. Spread evenly in a 10 x 13″ baking dish.

Then thoroughly combine the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in the same bowl. You can cut in the cubed butter (that’s what Nora does) but I find it easier to just coarsely grate the stick of cold butter directly over the flour and oats mix, and then gently blend so there are no clumps of butter left. Scatter the crumb topping evenly over the rhubarb filling. Don’t worry about overflow, this dish doesn’t rise, so it fits fine.

Bake at 400°F for around 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sweet, tart and crunchy. So good.

*Nora mentions that if you use frozen rhubarb, to thaw it completely and let it drain without squeezing it. Freezing makes rhubarb a little more watery so you may need to add another Tbsp of cornstarch.

Yogurt, Raspberries and Granola

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This is the simplest breakfast, dessert or snack imaginable, but it’s really good, and it looks so pretty!

The tartness of the raspberries is perfect with the yogurt and the jam and granola give them just the right amount of sweetness. I honestly would rather have this than ice cream for dessert.

For 1 serving:

2/3 cup 2% Fage Plain Yogurt (5.3 oz )
couple small spoons Raspberry jam
6-7 fresh raspberries
couple spoons of Cinnamon Granola

Place yogurt into a pretty serving dish, pour jam over (may need to add a drop or two of water to thin.) Sprinkle fresh raspberries over and then granola. Yum!

Apple Cranberry Upside Down Cake

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I made Thanksgiving punch with apple cider, ginger ale and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice mix, served with a glass with sliced apples, sliced oranges and frozen cranberries, tossed with a little lemon juice. It was pretty good and several people enjoyed it, but of course I cut enough fruit for 30 extra glasses!


So I found this amazing recipe by Rachel Ballard on FeastandFarm.com, to use up the apples and cranberries. Rachel uses 12 full ounces of cranberries, but I just used about a 1/2 cup since that was all I had. It is fast, super easy and so delicious!

Ingredients
1/2 cup frozen cranberries
4 cups Fuji apples, cored and thinly sliced but not peeled
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice from the orange you zested
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 stick butter melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream or heavy whipping cream (I only had whipping cream)
1 cup all purpose flour
Good pinch Kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch pie plate.

In a medium bowl, mix the cranberries, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, orange juice and zest. Put in the bottom of the pie pan.

In the same bowl, beat the eggs until lighter and fluffier–about 2 minutes. Add the white sugar, butter, vanilla, salt and sour cream (or whipping cream) and mix well.

Gently mix in the flour just until no pockets of flour remain.

Spread the batter over the fruit as evenly as possible. It will be thick.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or so, until the cake is lightly browned. Check it with a toothpick–if it comes out clean it’s done.

Let cool for 10 minutes or so, and then gently loosen the edges with a butter knife and hold serving plate over it and flip. Serve warm or at room temperature. So good!

Yogurt with Berries and Granola

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When you want a really light, delicious breakfast, snack or dessert, nothing beats good yogurt, berries and granola. This is a dish that I make all the time, but never think of writing down.

We usually buy the best whole milk plain yogurt we can find (Brown Cow makes amazing yogurt!) and then add a little honey or jam. My favorite jam to add is Spicy Peach, paired with Cinnamon Granola. But you can really use almost any jam or fruit, even a frozen berry mix if you want to, and any granola you have on hand.

Ingredients

1 cup any berries – blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are good
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/2 Tbsp Spicy Peach Jam
handful of Cinnamon Granola

In a wide, flat bowl start with yogurt, and drop jam over in little plops. (Technical term.) Toss berries and then granola over. Stir gently and devour.

Fresh Cranberry Butter Cake

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Fresh, luscious Cranberries by Rasa Kasparaviciene on Unsplash.

Fresh Cranberry Cake, from Barefeet in the Kitchen, is easy and so delicious! The most important thing is to thoroughly beat the eggs and sugar until they are super light and fluffy. It forms a nice crust on top by itself and keeps very nicely for a few days. Had a piece with my dear friend Louisa yesterday and it’s perfect with afternoon tea!

Ingredients

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 orange
2 cups all-purpose flour
12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries (about 2 1/2 cups)
powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.

Add the butter, vanilla and orange zest; mix two more minutes. Gently stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout, and spread in a buttered 9×13 pan. The dough is quite thick, so you’ll need ot smooth it with a spatula.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool completely before cutting, and dust with powdered sugar.

Amazing!

Atlantic Beach Pie from Bill Smith

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I found Bill’s recipe for this lemony-limey cream pie with a crunchy cracker crust in Southern Living Magazine and decided to try it for our 4th of July supper.

What a wonderful pie! The crust is crunchy and slightly sweet and the perfect complement to a creamy filling and whipped cream topping.

I did make one change: Bill uses 4 egg yolks instead of the 2 eggs, but I have good luck using whole eggs, and hate having a million leftover egg whites, so I just added 2 whole eggs to the leftover egg yolk.

The lemon and lime zests look really pretty on the pie and add another little pop of flavor.

Ingredients

Crust:
1 ½ cups finely crushed saltine crackers (from 1 sleeve, about 37 crackers)
6 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp sugar
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Filling:
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs and 1 egg yolk (Or 4 egg yolks per the original recipe)
¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 2 large limes)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

Topping:
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
Zest of lemon and lime, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together crushed crackers, melted butter, sugar, and egg white in a medium bowl until combined. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch glass pie plate; firmly press on bottom and sides. Freeze 10 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven until crust is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together condensed milk, eggs and egg yolk until smooth. Whisk in lime juice and lemon juice until combined. Pour lime mixture into warm crust.

Bake at 350°F until center is just set, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Beat cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Spread whipped cream topping over chilled pie, and garnish with lemon and lime zests.

Maya’s Lemon Tiramisu

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Maya made this for Christmas Lunch and it was one of the most delicious desserts I’ve ever eaten. Light, lemony and not too sweet, and so pretty. I asked Maya for her recipe and here it is:

Ingredients

For lemon curd:

¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, cubed

For filling:

6 egg yolks
¾ cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 ounce mascarpone (at room temperature)
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

For Ladyfinger “Dip”

1 Tablespoon of Grand Marnier Liquor
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup water
Ladyfingers (2 packages)

Step 1: Take Mascarpone Cheese out of fridge (it should be room temperature by the time you mix it in)

Step 2: Make Lemon Curd. Add lemon curd ingredients to a sauce pan and bring just to a simmer on medium-low heat, whisking often until mixture thickens, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. (Maya put some in a ziploc bag and piped it on the top.)

Step 3: Make Tiramisu Filling

In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Once cooled (about 10 minutes) add 1 package of room temperature mascarpone cheese (4 ounces). Mix this until totally combined.

Next, whip up your whipping cream until soft peaks form, then add vanilla extract and salt. Gently fold this whipped cream with the mascarpone mixture; the consistency in the end should be kind of a light pudding.

Step 4: Make the ladyfinger dip. Combine Grand Marnier, lemon juice, and water in a shallow bowl that you can use to dip the ladyfingers in. Feel free to play with the ratios if you want your tiramisu more lemon-y. (If you can’t get ladyfingers, you can substitute sponge cake or pound cake cut into strips and baked for 10 minutes or so until they’re a little firmer.)

Step 5: Assembly

In a medium serving dish, you’ll start the layering. Dip some of your ladyfingers in the lemon dip, (they should be wet, but not soaked) and line the serving dish. Layer some of the mascarpone/whipped cream pudding on top of the ladyfingers (assuming three layers, use about a third of the mixture). Dot on some lemon curd, about 2 tablespoons. Repeat the dipping, placing, and layering until you’ve used up most of your ladyfingers and the mascarpone/whipped cream pudding; then drizzle with lemon curd. You probably will have lemon curd left over, if you make a whole batch of curd.

That’s it! Beautiful and lemon-ny, this adjusted tiramisu is a lot of work, but totally worth it!!

Baked Apple Oatmeal

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  • Baked Apple Oatmeal
  • Bueberry Oatmeal – ready for the oven.

Another MelsKitchenCafe recipe – and I like this because you can prep it ahead of time and it isn’t overly sweet. It makes a great breakfast on a cold morning, but you could even use this as a treat with afternoon tea. Or as a weeknight dessert, served with a dollop of sweetened, whipped cream.

Update: I recently made this with blueberries, mixing 2 cups fresh big berries with a cup of smaller frozen berries. It was absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned regular style oats
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground Nutmeg
1/4 – 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 T butter, melted, (omit for a vegan version)
2 large apples, cored and chopped (no need to peel) (I used Gala, but really you can mix it up.) or use 3 cups of blueberries.

Mix oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. If you like things a bit sweeter, use the larger amount of brown sugar.

Mix the milk, egg, vanilla and melted butter, and pour into the oats. Stir gently to combine

Place chopped apples or blueberries in the bottom of a 9×9 cake pan, (or a 9×12 pan as shown) and top with the oatmeal mixture. You can cover and hold this overnight, or you can bake it straight away at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Delish!

Mango Trifle

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Fresh mangoes by Desirae Hayes-Vitor on Unsplash

Inspired by the Great British Bake Off to try some new flavors – I made Mango Trifle for Samir’s birthday dinner last night. The recipe is very easy and so delicious.

Ingredients

2-3 cups of cake (angel food, lady fingers or yellow cake, unfrosted) cut into 1″ slices
14 oz (or more) frozen mango pulp, or fresh mango chunks
Cardamom Custard (recipe below)
2 Tbsp rum
fresh mango chunks
whipped cream

Cardamom Custard:
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 cups whole milk (Can also substitute fat-free 1/2 & 1/2 for some of the milk.)
4 eggs, well beaten in a medium sized bowl

Blend sugar, salt, cardamom, cornstarch and whole milk in a large saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil stirring constantly. Once the custard reaches the boil, remove from heat and add 1 cup to the eggs in the bowl, stirring vigorously so the eggs don’t cook. Add another cup of milk mix to the eggs, and continue stirring.

Return the whole thing to the saucepan and put back on medium/low heat. Heat for 1-2 minutes until the custard is just starting to bubble a little. Don’t leave it for a second at this point or it will curdle. Remove from heat and let cool. It will thicken as it cools.

Toss mango in a bowl with rum and a little powdered sugar if needed. (Frozen mangoes are kind of hit and miss in terms of sweetness.)

To assemble:

Place cake in a thin layer on the bottom and sides of a large bowl or clear trifle dish. (Be a bit neater if using a clear trifle dish.) Place mangoes and rum liquid over cake, placing some on the outside so they show. Pour cooled Rich Custard over fruit and cake, cover and refrigerate at least a couple of hours until lightly set.

Just before serving, top with whipped cream and fresh mango chunks and dust with ground cardamom.

Vanna’s Nam Van – Coconut Milk & Fruit Dessert

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Nam Van with Cantaloupe (Easter 2022)

Our dear friend Vanna is the most amazing cook.  Literally everything she makes is the best I’ve ever eaten – no matter what she’s cooking!

Last night she was in town and made supper for all of us, including one of my favorite desserts – Nam Van, and she shared the recipe with me.

Nam Van is a popular dessert in Southeast Asia, and it’s a fruity, coconut milky dessert that’s unlike anything you’ll ever try. More liquid than a pudding, it’s refreshing and not overly sweet. The green jelly make it a pretty light green color, too.

We are lucky to have a great Asian Market close by, so we were able to pick up all the components, but you can always order these items online as well.  All the fruit and coconut milk was Arroy-D, and the green jelly is Chin Chin brand.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup palm sugar (or 1/3 cup brown sugar)
1/2 cup water

1 can lychees in syrup  (save lychee syrup)
1 can longans in syrup
1 can rambutans in syrup
1 can toddy palm seeds
1 can jackfruit in syrup

3 cups of coconut milk (We used Arroy-D cartons.)
2 cups ice
2 cans Green Jelly (We got Chin Chin brand)

1 cup fresh cantaloupe chunks
1 cup fresh muskmelon chunks

Make a simple syrup with palm sugar and water, by heating them in a pan until it comes to the boil and the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

Open all the cans of fruit. Drain the syrup and rinse all the fruit.  Be sure to save the lychee syrup – you’ll add it back in later!

Palm seeds are oddly slick and sticky at the same time, but add a wonderful chewy texture. Don’t freak out – just put them in a colander and rinse them really well.

Place all rinsed, canned fruit into a large bowl.

Add the coconut milk, lychee syrup and about half the simple syrup. Stir the fruit gently until well mixed. Add ice and stir more until the mixture is a little chilled. Stir very gently and taste – adding more of the simple syrup as needed.

Shake the jelly out of the can, and cut it into 1/2″ cubes.  Cut melons into chunks and add both to the coconut fruit mixture, again stirring very, very gently.

Refrigerate at least a couple of hours.

To serve, add a little crushed ice to a bowl or cup and fill with fruit and coconut mixture. The ice helps keep it cool.

You could probably save time by refrigerating the cans and carton of coconut milk overnight so they’re cold to start with.  Still add ice to the mix and to the cup – this lightens the milk a bit.