Category Archives: dessert

Almost-Candy Apples

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Finally, it’s that time of year again. For spooky and silly spider, bat, and black cat decorations. For expensive, itchy, and hot but oh so cute costumes. For BAM’s (Brooklyn Academy of Music) fun street party before trick-or-treating. And, time for candy, candy and more candy! 

Due to Character Day at school and spoiling my son, he gets two costumes. One that is a storybook character. (Last year he chose Sherlock Holmes because I was addicted to and binge watched the rather quite good TV show, Elementary.) And one for Halloween night, usually a vampire or Spiderman. 

Dracula and I, usually the queen of vampires, go trick—or-treating in our area. Of course, there won’t be any of that this year but there will be candy apples, as soon as I get that candy thermometer.

I knew before attempting this recipe that I should probably invest in one, but I couldn’t find one at our supermarket (only meat thermometers) so I thought that I could wing it and “see what happens.” 

Well, no hard candy happened. Only the almost-candy apples that were extremely sweet and dripping with gooey, ultra-thick and slides right off syrup. C’est la vie. 

It happens to the best of us. We make mistakes and we learn.

I still decided to post my mistake, because not only was it the sweetest one I’ve made yet, the apples didn’t come out half bad. 

My son enjoyed licking the candy off the apples the most, which I suspect, was his plan all along. It was a challenge keeping him away from the leftover “candy” in the pot.

My goal this weekend will be to rectify our candy-apple sich, by cleaning the wax off the apples with a mixture of a little vinegar and water so the candy sticks better, by using a candy thermometer to ensure that the syrup heats up to over 300 degrees, and by convincing my son to eat the apple, not just lick the candy. 

I’ll console myself that at least he’s eating something nutritious in addition to pure sugar.

Candy Apples 

Ingredients 
3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
Many drops of red food coloring 
2 tbsp maraschino cherry juice 
12 small red apples

Instructions
1. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, then line with wax paper, then apply another coat of cooking spray.
2. Insert popsicle sticks (or whatever you have lollipop sticks, chopsticks, etc) into each apple and push about two-thirds through—be sure that you can safely pick up each apple, but sticks shouldn’t reach beyond the bottom.
3. In a medium heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, mix sugar, water, corn syrup and food coloring. Bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to ensure the syrup’s heat rises to above 300 degrees, which should take 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Add cherry juice to the mixture quickly.
5. Quickly and carefully dip apples into bubbly, very hot, liquid candy, and put them on prepped baking sheet. 
6. Allow perfect, shiny, and sweet apples to cool and harden. Share with your favorite superheroes and/or villains.

The Rise of Chocolate Lava

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There once lived a brilliant French chef in New York City. He created what he referred to as “simple cuisine,” but what was really spectacular classical French cooking that people all over the world applauded. He won accolades from top food critics, celebrities and the Michelin Star decision makers. One of his signature creations, originally a mistake, was the most decadent, sinful chocolate dessert that I’ve ever had: chocolate lava cake. 

Usually topped with a hefty sprinkling of powdery sugar, lava cakes aka molten cakes are often baked in 6 oz ramekins. These individual cakes come out of the oven extra cute. When you dig into the center…

The puffy, souflee-ish little cloud of chocolate loses its innocence and all of its secrets come oozing out. The rich, phenomenal flavor is unique. The texture is luscious. I’ve had it from the master chef himself Jean Georges in NYC during a birthday dinner—and at other restaurants a countless number of times—and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I made the following chocolate lava cake recipe for my son and the rest of my chocoholic family. Although it was too “dark chocolate” for my LO, he ate most of it without provocation. Next time I’ll add a bit of almond milk or cream substitute to the chocolate. My sister, who’s been in love with chocolate since she was a toddler, loved it. Mom, who used to pay for and keep our fundraiser chocolate for herself, said the chocolate lava cake was a bit too rich for her but ate all of it as well.

I loved it too… the soft, spongey outer cake. The rich frosting-like center. The taste of really pure chocolate. I love the bitter undertones of real dark chocolate. Not many additives. I made it twice. The first batch was a little over and not as runny as I like them to be, but the second try was just right and all it took was to watch the baking time and take them out at 6 minutes exactly. The baking time depends on the size of the ramekins. 

Without further ado here’s an easy recipe for one of the best French desserts ever! Hope you enjoy it.

Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe 

Ingredients
½ cup butter, unsalted 
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs 
2 egg yolks 
¼ cup sugar 
1 tsp angostura bitters (optional)
1 pinch salt 
2 tbs flour

Instructions 
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter and flour ramekins.
2. Melt butter with chocolate over a double broiler or in a microwave. Whisk until smooth and lump-free.
3. Preferably with an electric mixer, blend eggs, egg yolks, sugar, angostura bitters, and salt until thick and lemon-yellow pale.
4. Add melted chocolate and butter combo to egg mixture. Pour the batter into four ramekins and bake for about eight minutes. The baking time is dependent on the oven and the size of the ramekins. Tip: If the ramekins are smaller than 6 ounces, then a shorter baking time might work better.
5. Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for a minute before covering each with a dessert plate. Turn each one over, let stand for 10 seconds and then unmold. Top them off with powdered sugar and the most perfect chocolate cake is ready to enjoy.

The World Needs (Vegan) Crème Brûlée

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A crème brûlée experience is like no other. You’re in New York. Eating at a lovely (and expensive), New American restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan or an authentic (and not so expensive) French café in a converted brownstone in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

The appetizers and entrées were well done or barely cooked, whatever you prefer. Your friends and/or business associates are engaged in a deep conversation about politics. You’re interested and contributing to the conversation here and there, but you can’t help but wonder, ‘What’s on that dessert menu?’

Finally, you order the crème brûlée and it comes out beautiful, shiny, and appealing. You’ve never seen anything like it, have you? With hesitation to mess up its perfect, golden brown beauty, you break its candy crust, and soft Mozart violins start to play.

Tasting the burnt sugar candy is enough to make you grin like a child. But the sweet, silky vanilla cream is simply addictive. It’s a dessert of opposites. Hard and soft. Burnt and barely cooked. Deep and mild flavor. When you’re finished you ask yourself, who originated this loveliest of lovely desserts? And how am I the last one in the world to know about it?

According to my research, crème brûlée is derived from the Spanish Catalan cream, but the French has made it their own.

And, in turn, made me a fan of their cuisine for life! Crème brûlée one of the biggest reasons why I love French food. I may not be able to remember exactly the first time I had crème brûlée, but I’m sure that it was just like the amazing experience I described above, so much so that I had to have it if it was even an option.

Now I find myself missing fine dining and making crème brûlée at home. I made two versions: traditional and vegan.

My son craves a classic NY Times version—I’ve posted it on Frealthy. It’s a traditional recipe that is pretty much the same everywhere online: eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and burnt sugar finish. 

Most of my family loves this vegan version—also posted on Frealthy—originally by namelymarly.com, which defies the need for eggs and heavy cream. It was easy to make but took a while to finish because the “cream” must set over night in the fridge to thicken. 

The vegan crème brûlée never really sets like the traditional recipe, at least mine did not—perhaps I should’ve used more cashews or arrowroot powder to make the “cream” a thicker and richer texture. But, nonetheless, it turned out fantastic in flavor and creaminess.