In my recent blog post “The Phenomenal Cranberry,” I wrote about the tremendous health properties of cranberries and their traditional appearance during celebrated American holidays, but especially Thanksgiving. In this, my latest holiday contribution, I want to focus on ginger for the Christmas or Hanukah table. Many of you have probably graced your tables with […]
Tag Archives: healthy desserts
27
May
May
Here’s a novel idea: a sumptuous dessert from your already depleted pantry. And it’s easier than you ever imagined. Did your mom ever make fruit cobblers? Or perhaps a baked apple with cinnamon and raisins in the middle? Nothing is easier than a baked apple, and in my opinion, nothing appeals to the senses quite […]
What’s Cooking at SRP?
Chocolate-Orange Truffle Tart with Toasted Pine Nuts:
Decadent Desserts for Special Occasions
18
Dec
Dec
I’m certainly not a dessert-after-every-meal person. In fact, I tend to avoid sugary treats most of the time. But there’s something to be said for special occasions—which, in my opinion, are one of the few times I feel it’s practically imperative to serve a little something in conclusion of a special meal. It could be […]
06
Dec
Dec
Everyone loves chocolate cake. (Well, nearly everyone.) I created this recipe one evening after dinner, when my husband said that he’d love a piece of chocolate cake. I told him to give me about an hour, and he’d have one! We’ve been eating GAPS-style at my house for years now. And for a few years […]
What’s Cooking at SRP?
Deep Dish Blue Hubbard Pie with Date-Pecan Salted Caramel Cream:
Traditional Thanksgiving Treats with a Twist
20
Nov
Nov
In keeping with the theme of holiday fare, this week we’re delving into one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving: The Pie. It’s not often I’ll say no to pie. In fact, I love pie so much that I’ve been known to do “birthday pie” instead of cake for my annual celebration. Fruit pies, chocolatey […]
16
Oct
Oct
Halloween was always one of my favorite holidays growing up. From an early age, my mum, a trained artist, would make us unique and creative costumes, and this tradition stayed with me over the years. In my teens and twenties, I created my own distinctive outfits for Halloween, and these days I love channeling my […]
11
Oct
Oct
Ask Chef Phyllis No sooner had I finished my post on gluten-free pastry cream than I received a phone call about gluten-free dough…for cream puffs and eclairs. As you know, you can make both with the same dough (called pate a choux, or choux pastry). And since it has no sugar, you can make a […]
04
Oct
Oct
Ask Chef Phyllis I need a recipe for a good, no-fail pastry cream for the Napoleons and creampuffs that, after many attempts, I’ve finally mastered with rice flour substituted for the wheat flour. But the pastry cream also has to be gluten free and fool proof. Is this too big an order? I have a […]
03
Oct
Oct
If you’re anything like me and wait till the last minute to give meaningful, but not so very expensive, holiday gifts, this blog post is for you! Looking back at my Christmas shopping last year, I was in a real dilemma when it came to finding special but relatively inexpensive gifts for the people I […]
What’s Cooking at SRP?
Amaretto Peach-Pear Upside Down Cake:
Welcoming Autumn with a Grain-Free Treat
11
Sep
Sep
The transformative period between summer and fall are some of my favorite weeks of the year. It’s a time of reestablished routines, warm sunny days, and crisp evenings. The fragrant scent of heavy dew and fallen apples. The feel of dry grass and leaves at the tail end of their vigor. And all that produce […]
07
Aug
Aug
I remember the first time I had clafoutis (KLA-foo-tee). I must have been around thirteen, and the bakery where I worked had just received a shipment of plump, deep, burgundy cherries from the Okanagan, in British Columbia. My mentor Pascal immediately exclaimed that I simply had to try clafoutis, so he got to work whipping […]
03
Jul
Jul
Even though the bright beauty and flavor of citrus brightens up the bleakest months of winter, when citrus is at its peak, I’ve always felt that these lively, juicy fruits are much better-suited as a welcome respite from the heat of the summer months. Lemons are a constant in our house, with their neutral flavor […]
22
May
May
I’ve written many times about my years as a pastry chef, my first dip into the professional culinary world, and how those years molded the chef I am today. This was an incredibly formative time, provoking in me a profound love of food in general, and allowing me an ideal outlet to feed both my […]
What’s Cooking at SRP?
Lemon Egg Yolk Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Drizzle:
A Sweet Treat to Celebrate Spring
20
Mar
Mar
It’s my birthday today; and it’s a big one. Or at least that’s what everyone seems to be telling me…. Me? I’m kind of feeling somewhat neutral about it all. Not that I’m uninterested in celebrating the occasion, but I don’t really feel an urge to commemorate this one in any sort of over-the-top and […]
08
Feb
Feb
Ask Chef Phyllis: It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and although this is supposed to be a holiday for sweethearts, I always celebrate it with the children and some lady friends too. I send little heart candies and homemade chocolates or treats with a cute little Valentine’s card. I know when I get something like this, I […]
30
Jan
Jan
Even though I’ve never been a staunch Valentine’s Day enthusiast—believing instead in exhibiting my adoration for those I care for every day of the year—I have still always relished sharing the love with others by preparing the most heavenly little desserts for two, going all the way back to my days as a pastry chef. […]
19
Dec
Dec
An original take on a traditional Italian cheesecake. I’ve always been a fan of cheesecake—at least, the more familiar American-style, made with cream cheese and a graham cracker crust. The richness, the dense texture, the combination of tart and sweet… I’m really not sure what took me so long to get with the program, but […]
07
Nov
Nov
I’ve been writing this blog for years now, and it recently dawned on me that I’ve never shared my recipe for one of the most quintessential dishes of Thanksgiving: pumpkin pie. Maybe I wanted to be unique and opt for more exotic desserts (Chocolate, Pumpkin, and Peanut Butter Cheesecake, I’m looking at you). Or maybe […]
24
Oct
Oct
Rice pudding will always hold a special place in my heart. I loved to prepare it as a child. I’d always ask my mum to make extra basmati rice for dinner just so I could make dessert with the leftovers. The creamy, custard-like texture, the aroma of the spices and vanilla, and the chew of […]
19
Sep
Sep
Over the summer, I spent some time up in Canada visiting my family, an annual tradition of relaxing beach days, big, boisterous family affairs, and long hikes through the forests and along the coastlines. This year, we also had the fortune to visit just in time for my stepfather’s sixty-first birthday—an occasion that, obviously, needs a cake of some sort, and that I, of course, volunteered/was ordained to oversee. My […]
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