Sweets of Seasons Past v2.0

Here are some more homemade sweets that I've made in the past  :)





Lemon Panna Cotta with Lemon Marmalade

Lemon Panna Cotta with Lemon Marmalade:  My first attempt at making panna cotta and my first time working with gelatin.  Flavor-wise this was a great combination with the panna cotta being creamy and sweet, while the marmalade was bright and slightly tart.  The components can be eaten together as a dessert(my preference), or they can be eaten separately.   Surprisingly, this was much easier to make and it took much less time to prep than I anticipated.  The one thing that was disappointing to me was the firmness of the panna cotta.  I think it should have been slightly firmer so that it could sit properly when plated, but I think this can be easily corrected by adding a bit more gelatin.



Peach Cheesecake with Gingersnap crust and Peach Preserves glaze

Peach Cheesecake with Gingersnap crust and Peach Preserve glaze:  First off, I have to say that I'm not a fan of cheesecake.  There's something about the way cream cheese reacting with heat that makes it taste sour to me.  Anyway, all of my friends love cheesecake.  So, for a potluck that we had, I made this and a couple of other desserts.  Sadly, I think this was a complete failure :(  The crust was over baked and hard.  The cream cheese filling was too moist.  And the peaches turned out to be under ripe.  Luckily, I had my other desserts to fall back on and those were a great hit with everyone.  The one plus out of this experience is that I was able to bake a cheesecake without any cracks on the top, a common problem for cheesecakes. 





Meyer Lemon Semifreddo with Toasted Almonds and Summer Berries

Meyer Lemon Semifreddo with Toasted Almonds and Summer Berries:  This dessert is quite the crowd-pleaser!  Sweet and slightly tart, the semifreddo is topped with toasted almonds and ripe summer berries to round out the flavors.  I tend to receive the most encouraging compliments for this dish, which are very much appreciated!  It has been said to be "better than anything I've ever tasted in a restaurant" and to be of "restaurant quality."  These comments were very surprising, especially since one of the people who made one of these comments is someone that has traveled to many countries and has dined in some of the finest restaurants.  I take each comment with high regard, too.  They are humbling and warm my heart, reminding me of why I love to cook:  I cook with love; and when I share food that I've cooked, I'm sharing my love.  So, when I receive such positive feedback, it gives me tremendous amounts of encouragement to further pursue pastries and baking. 





Prosecco-Raspberry Gelée

Prosecco-Raspberry Gelée:  A delicious treat, especially during the warmer months of late spring through summer.  This follows a simple recipe that only requires 5 ingredients (most of which I had on hand) with an optional 6th ingredient, orange-flower water.  I made mine without the orange-flower water since I did not have it on hand and I did not want to make a trip out to a specialty store or finer grocery store, like Whole Foods.  The only ingredient I had to buy was raspberries, which were bountiful at my local farmers' market.  For the next time, I would try to select less ripe/firmer berries.  The raspberries are macerated, so overripe or too soft berries will break up and become mush very easily.  This has no effect on the flavor, but it does leave your gelée with a very red appearance.  Plus, whole berries look better than broken up bits of red fruit, right? 




Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Frosting



Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Frosting:  Mashed potatoes are incorporated into the dough of these rolls to give a moist, pillowy-soft texture.  Surprisingly, these stay soft for at least several days and the taste of the rolls is not compromised, considering the amount of potatoes that are added.  I made these while I had a couple of friends from out of town staying with us.  So, I took advantage of having some extra palates around to help me taste test the two different fillings that I made for the rolls.  One filling was fairly traditional: brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and flour.  The second, consisted of the same ingredients, but with less butter and the addition of nutmeg.  Both fillings were good and paired well with the vanilla frosting.  Overall, the winner was the more traditional filling.  Everyone seemed to agree that the addition of nutmeg reminded them of the holidays and would be better suited as a seasonal filling during the colder months of late fall and winter.