Book Ninety-Four: A Passion for Desserts

by Emily Luchetti

What do you think of when you hear parfait? Me, I envision a layered dessert (trifle like) in tall clear glasses, not a loaf shape that is sliced and placed on a plate with nothing other than a sauce drizzled over the top. 

This past Tuesday was my sister's birthday and originally I was going to make a fruitcake, yes fruitcake. We loved my grandmother's fruitcake that she made every Christmas (wish I had her recipe) and we had just been talking about it and decided that is what we would have - until the day before as I was making my grocery list and reading the recipe I found online - best if made at least two weeks ahead! Well that wasn't going to work. 

A frantic search for a new dessert led me to this delicious treat. This is why I love Emily Luchetti's recipes - always easy, elegant, and with wonderful flavor. The parfait is lemony, smooth, pillowy soft and light, and the sauces oh so tasty. I had added my own touch to this dessert - chopped crystallized ginger and fresh raspberries. The ginger was a bit overpowering - next time I would decorate the top with additional raspberries and no ginger. (EDIT: Eating the leftovers a whole week later, this was still delicious - sauces and all. Even the chopped candied ginger tasted really good this time around.)

This dessert is perfect for a beautiful spring day, unlike our first day of spring her in California where it is raining. This being so light and refreshing, we can imagine it's not.

Success meter (1-3): 3

amazon

It's important for you to get the plastic wrap as smooth as possible before filling the loaf pan. The creases will show up in the final product. This was my second time lining the pan. The first was almost perfect, then I noticed a tear in the bottom and had to start over and did not have the patience to get it as smooth as I would have liked.

I can always say I was going for the draped look.

These sauces were so good. I can see using them drizzled over vanilla ice cream, pancakes, crêpes or even on toast.

Happy Birthday Laura!

WW: Stir-Fried Ginger Beef and Summer Pepper Corn

WokWednesdays wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young


                                           The ginger beef is amazing!


This was another fabulous recipe from Grace Young! If you have not purchased a wok and her book, I so encourage you to do so. Now! Run, do not wok walk, to your nearest bookstore and grab her book and then order your wok from The Wok Shop! I do not know of another cookbook on my shelf that I have had so much success with other than Emily Luchetti's books ~ but those are on the baking spectrum.

I am amazed by the flavor of the dishes I have prepared so far. Tasting fish sauce and oyster sauce on their own is enough to turn me off. But combined with other ingredients, the finished stir-fries have a wonderful flavor. And making them at home, the taste is superior to anything you'll find at a Chinese restaurant.

Success meter (1-3): 3

Flank steak.

I was confused with the instructions of needing

a 1/4 cup (1 oz. approx.) of sliced pickled ginger.

I purchased fresh pickled ginger from the sushi dept.

 at the grocers. It came in a one ounce container and

was filled with thin shavings of ginger. I sliced those

into thin strips and the longer strips I cut in half.

I had way more than I needed. In the end I felt a

1/4 cup (as apposed to 1 oz.) was the perfect amount.

So few ingredients ~ yet amazing flavor!

Pickled ginger and scallions.

Sizzling away.

Absolutely fabulous!

The one thing I will do next time, is too cook the beef

a bit less. I think I may have over cooked it a smidge.

Now onto the Summer Pepper Corn!

Fresh corn from our local farm.

Their corn is so popular, they put out a

sign to let you know corn is available.

You will not find the recipe here on my blog or within the Wok Wednesdays community. We encourage readers to go and purchase this book at their local independent bookstore or on-line.

Make sure to visit my co-wokkers to see their results on this stir-fry.

Look for the LYL link on the Wok Wednesdays page.