Absolutely over the top scrumptious! Fresh pineapple marinated in rum, dipped in brown sugar then grilled and topped with a luscious sauce! Must make this one friends!
Ingredients:
Serves 6
- 1 fresh, ripe pineapple
- 1 cup of rum
- 3/4 cup of brown sugar
Rum Sauce
- 1/2 cup of rum (reserved from the pineapple marinade)
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup of pineapple juice
- 1 Tbs of cornstarch
- 1 Tbs of crystallized (candied) ginger, minced – optional
Directions:
Cut the bottom and top off of the pineapple, cut off the tough outer skin and cut into 6-7 slices about 1/2 ” thick.Place the slices in a baking dish and pour in the rum. Let marinate at least an hour at room temperature, turning occasionally.To make the sauce, use 1/2 cup of the rum from the pineapple marinade, pour it in a small saucepan and stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Heat over low heat til combined. Stir together the pineapple juice and the cornstarch and add it to the saucepan, cook over very low heat for 5 minutes or so until the sauce starts to thicken, then add in the ginger if using.Place 3/4 cup of brown sugar in a shallow pie plate and coat the pineapple on both sides. Shake off the excess sugar.Next, prepare your grill and place the pineapple slices over direct heat, grill for about 5 minutes on each side til til light golden brown. Keep a close eye on them, they can burn easily because of the brown sugar. Move them off of the direct heat if they start to get too brown.To serve, plate a pineapple slice, spoon on a little sauce and top with a dollop of whipped cream, serve with extra sauce on the side. DELISH!
Simply put, the best banana bread in the world! Filled with brandy-soaked raisins, toasted walnuts, and almond paste, topped with a streusel topping and drizzled with glaze!
Ingredients:
Banana bread
• 1 – 2/3 cup of flour + more for coating the loaf pan
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 cup of sour cream
• 4 overripe bananas
• 2 oz of almond paste, crumbled
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of light or dark brown sugar
• 1 stick of butter, room temperature +more for greasing the loaf pan
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts
• 1/2 cup of raisins, soaked in brandy, drained and mixed with a little flour
Streusel topping:
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 2 Tbs of cold butter, cut into small pieces
*Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, rub with your fingers til the butter is pea-sized
Glaze:
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla
• 2 tsp of milk or enough for the desired consistency
*Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 4-5 minutes.Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with butter, coat with flour, shake out the excess.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.In a medium bowl, using a masher, combine the sour cream, bananas, almond paste, and the vanilla. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the brown sugar and butter until fluffy, then add in the eggs and beat until well combined. Add in the banana mixture and beat until well mixed. Now add the flour mixture a little at a time and beat until just combined. Scrape down the sides during mixing. Next, add the nuts and beat until combined.Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the raisins.Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan.Sprinkle with the streusel topping and bake for 55 -60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes, loosen the edges with a knife and turn upside down to loosen.
When cooled, drizzle with the glaze.
Note to cooks:
If you don’t have overripe bananas, here’s a handy trick, just put them on a foil-lined baking sheet (they may leak a little) and bake them in a 300-degree oven for about 15 – 20 minutes, they will turn totally black and you will have very soft bananas.
Fruit & Nut Chocolate Bark
Author: Ruth Guerri
Recipe type: Dessert
- 16 oz of good quality chocolate ( I used 12 oz of semi-sweet & 4 oz of bittersweet)
- 1 cup of nuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds or a combination - toasted
- ½ cup of dried fruit, cherries, apricots, mango, raisins, cranberries, or a combination
- sea salt to taste
If you'd like to toast your nuts, just add them to a dry skillet over medium heat and cook until fragrant, about 5 - 6 minutes, stir frequently.
You can use your microwave to melt the chocolate. Using a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate, heat for 1 minute to start, remove from the microwave, stir and heat in 15 - 20 second intervals until completely melted and smooth.
3.5.3226
This is a spectacular dessert! Sweet luscious berries are laced with Chambord, layered with soft ladyfingers and topped with a Mascarpone cream! Pure unadulterated bliss! You must plan a little ahead, this dessert is chilled overnight, even better!
Ingredients
Serves – 10
- 2 cups of mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
- 10 cups of frozen mixed berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/4 cup of orange liqueur (Chambord)
- 2 ( 3oz) packages of soft ladyfingers, found in the bakery section of the grocery store
- fresh berries for garnish
Directions:
Start by making the topping: In a small bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese and the heavy cream, stir until the mixture is smooth and thick. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar, if the mixture is too thick, add in a little more cream, it should be thick, but still spreadable. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving timeThen stir together the berries and the sugar in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 8 – 10 minutes.Remove from the heat, pour into a colander and drain, place the berries back in the saucepan, stir in the orange liqueur.
Line a 2 qt souffle dish with plastic wrap and spoon in 1 cup of the berries, spread to the edges.Place some of the ladyfingers in a single layer over the berries, trim to fit snuggly and repeat the layers twice. Cover with plastic wrap and place a plate on top and weight it down with a heavy object to place pressure on the berries, chill overnight.When ready to serve, place a serving plate over the top of the souffle dish and invert. It comes out easily because of the plastic wrap.Now just spoon on the Mascarpone mixture, spread it around and garnish with fresh berries of your choice, slice and serve!
Note to cooks: The topping can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. The Chambord can be replaced with either a blackberry or raspberry liqueur.
There’s nothing in the world like a homemade apple pie baking in the oven! Here’e my recipe that came from my grandmother. I think it’s absolutely perfect, the crust is super flaky and light and the filling is a perfect combination of sweet and spicy!
Ingredients:
Makes 1 delicious pie:
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups of flour
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 cup of very cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 6 – 8 Tbs of ice water
Filling
- 6 or 7 large apples, cored, peeled and sliced (use a tart pie variety, like Granny Smith)
- 1/2 cup of white sugar
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 3 Tbs of flour
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp of allspice
- 1 Tbs of lemon zest
- 2 Tbs of butter, cut into bits
• egg wash, for the crust ( 1 beaten egg, stirred together with 1 Tbs of water)
• turbinado sugar for sprinkling on the top (course, raw sugar)
Directions:
Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse, then add half the butter and pulse, add the remaining butter and pulse until pea sized. Sprinkle with ice water and pulse again..add enough water until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two balls, sprinkle with flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Make sure to bring the dough to room temperature before rolling. To make the filling, just add all filling ingredients into a large bowl and stir well to combine. Preheat the oven to 375°.Next, on a floured surface, roll out one of the rounds to about 10 inches in diameter and place it into a 9 inch pie plate, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang and then spoon in the fillingRoll out the remaining dough into a round and drape it over the filling, trimming to a 1/2 inch overhang. I always trim the edges evenly with scissors and then seal the seems and crimp with your thumb and forefingers. Cut three leaf shaped vents or 3 slashes in the dough to let the steam escape.Brush the crust with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs water).Then, just sprinkle with turbinado sugar, place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour or until crust is golden. If the crust starts to get too brown, place a piece of foil over the top for the last 15 minutes of baking time. You know what to do now! Slice, plate and top with vanilla ice cream or yogurt! Enjoy!