Author: chefalice
The tradition of handing out candy canes during Christmas services began in Germany, and it was a German immigrant from Wooster, Ohio, who first decorated a Christmas tree with candy canes. By the turn of the last century, candy canes were decorated with red and white stripes and flavored with peppermint. Comfort, meet joy. Bobbing for marshmallows in the lush liquid provides a playful encounter. Bring both to the holiday table after decorating the tree, save a few candy canes to sweeten cups of hot cocoa.
A century ago, it was fashionable to wear a nightcap at bedtime. Those comfy hats locked in warmth and aided sleep. Nowadays, the concept and practice of a nightcap means something to sip while you shrug off the weight of the day, a small alcoholic potion before bed. This whiskey-spiked hot cocoa has a certain soothing, warming, and relaxing quality that can help to induce healthful, restful sleep. Think of it as an adult bedtime story.
The mellow nuttiness of the miso and richness of the butter tame kimchi’s tang while adding rich umami flavor. Serve the salmon over rice or your favorite grain.
Look for red curry paste a blend of red chiles, lemongrass, garlic, and galangal or ginger near other Asian ingredients in most supermarkets. Depending on the brand, heat level will vary from relatively mild to has-quite-a-kick. Be sure to rub the paste under the skin to keep it from sticking or burning.
With their cookie-crumb crust, creamy filling, and fruity topping, individual cheesecakes are a delightful spin on the full-size dessert. Glossy apricot jam gives the desserts a golden glow, while store-bought chocolate wafers provide a crisp, quick-to-assemble base.
These cupcakes are made with a triple dose of pistachio: Some nuts are ground to a paste and mixed into the batter; others are chopped and folded in at the end for added texture. Even more nuts are sprinkled on top as a colorful garnish. Slivered pistachios are available at specialty markets and baking-supply stores; if you can’t find them, use chopped pistachios instead.
The batter for these candy-bar-like cupcakes is laden with ground sweetened coconut and pecans; to further enhance their appeal, the cupcakes are dipped in a bittersweet chocolate glaze, then sprinkled with toasted coconut flakes. Creamed coconut, usually sold in jars at natural-food stores or online, differs from “cream of coconut,” which has added sugar and is typically used in cocktails. If you can’t locate creamed coconut, you can use another quarter cup of butter in its place.
All the features of a traditional coffee cake tender cake base, crumbly streusel top, and simple milk-and-sugar glaze are packed into portable, single-size portions. Try serving them for brunch, or as an after-school snack.
It was only a matter of time before somebody in Brittany discovered that combining the region’s staples of butter and cream with sugar and a pinch of salt, and then cooking it, could make something so utterly delicious. That hit of salt in Breton caramel turns a quite plain caramel into something very special. And the caramel is taken a shade darker than usual to create a slightly bitter note, which balances out the sugary sweetness.