Cookbook Review: Dessert Person

Claire Saffitz rose to fame in 2017 as the host of the hit Youtube series, Gourmet Makes, where the audience watched in awe as she took beloved junk foods like Oreos, Cheez-Its, and Twinkies and attempted to recreate them from scratch by the end of the video. Fans may have come for the weekly challenge (always more complicated than the last) but stayed for Saffitz’s thoughtful, creative energy and regular banter with fellow BA Test Kitchen personality, Brad Leone. Three years later, Saffitz is ready to cement her status as a household name in the food world, but this time, it’s with her debut book, Dessert Person, in stores now.

I’ve been following Claire Saffitz since 2013 when I first got a subscription to Bon Appetit Magazine. Her recipes were always sophisticated, unique, and, most importantly, approachable which made me, a new baker hungry for the next challenge, eager to take on any recipe that she developed. When I caught a glimpse on her personal Instagram feed a few months ago of the types of recipes to be expected in her upcoming book, I knew that this one, above all the other phenomenal books that have made their way into the world this season, would be one that I 100% wanted on my shelf.

What I’ve noticed about cookbooks written by recipe developers, especially those who work for magazines or other food media outlets, is that there is always more mindfulness when it comes to the abilities and resources of the average home chef. Time, budget, and experience are taken into account more, and no details, even the minor ones, are left unprinted. Saffitz’s Dessert Person is no exception to this observation. In fact, she makes it a point to ensure every aspect of the recipe is accounted for, from the way the final product should look and feel, to the time, special equipment, and skill level strongly suggested for each project. Dessert Person, with its in-depth, step-by-step visual guides, beautiful photography (shot by former BA staff photographer, Alex Lau), and breath-of-fresh-air approach to confectionery classics both new and old, is by far one of the best books of 2020.

The Good: In true Saffitz style, Dessert Person is a book full of recipes that will introduce you to, but not overwhelm you with, new ingredients and flavor combinations. All of the recipes feature ingredients and equipment lists that can be easily fulfilled locally and are fancy without breaking the bank. I also love that at the top of every recipe, in addition to the total time it will take, Saffitz has included a rating system from 1-5 indicating the recipe’s difficulty level, often with an explanation as to why a certain recipe was rated the way it was. That’s a helpful feature not often seen in cookbooks.

The Bad: So far, the only thing I don’t like about Dessert Person is the amount of page-flipping the reader has to do to make sure they have all the ingredients needed to even begin the recipe they want to try. For example, the Meyer Lemon Tart on page 104 calls for only four ingredients, but two out of the four ingredients, the Meyer Lemon Curd and Sweet Tart Dough, are located on different pages and have their own ingredient lists and directions. It makes sense to outline the recipes in the book this way since the Sweet Tart Dough is featured multiple times and needs to be centrally-located so that recipes aren’t long and repetitive, but it’s still a pain to have to flip all over the book just to get everything I need to make one pie.

Bottom Line: Longtime readers of Bon Appetit might be greeted with some familiar faces like Babkallah, but Saffitz has done an amazing job of crafting a book full of new and exciting recipes with attention-grabbing photographs to match. There is no doubt in my mind that this book will be an instant bestseller, and a sweet reference guide for bakers worldwide.

Recipes of note (so far):

• Kabocha Turmeric Tea Cake

• Spiced Persimmon Cake

• Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers

• Gateau Basque

• Cranberry-Pomegranate Mousse Pie

• Pistachio Pinwheels

Buy Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz HERE!

*I’ve received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

Hot Cross Buns

Hiiiiiiiiiiiii, how was your Easter??  Mine was epic and uplifting, and full of food. Simply the best.

Have you ever had hot cross buns? This was my first year. Before that, my only knowledge of them began and ended with the song of the same name that I was forced to learn on the recorder in 7th grade. That was it. (Fun fact: I haven't picked up the recorder since.) But when you're young, it's almost a necessity that you start your own traditions and/or jump on holiday-specific bandwagons, so here we are. And I have to tell you: I can't believe I've lived my life up until now without hot cross buns. I mean, it's crazy. I can honestly say, in the four years that I have been baking, hot cross buns are the best things to ever come out of my oven. BY. FAR. Easter Sunday's breakfast was just EXCELLENT, you guys.

Best served warm, these buns are yeasty, squishy, icing-topped perfection. Traditionally, hot cross buns are filled with dried fruit like raisins, currants, cherries, or dates, but my grocery store was serisouly lacking in the traditional dried mixed fruit bags. What I found instead was a mix of dried strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and cranberries, and I LOVED that combination when paired with the warmed apricot jam and blend of cardamom and cinnamon spices. And while I enjoyed the little bursts of strawberries I got, next time 'round, I'll try to make my own fruit mix because the cardamom-cinnamon was practically begging for raisins. Either way, fruit in yeast rolls just WORKS.

You may see these most often on Easter, but something tells me these would work extremely well around Christmas time...or just all-year-round in general.

It's never too late for Hot Cross Buns.

Find the recipe HERE from Bon Appetit! 

Merry Christmas + Happy Holiday Baking

HOW CUTE ARE THOSE SCHNAUZER GINGERBREAD MEN?? My best friend Emily got me that cookie cutter for my birthday three years ago, and I've FINALLY gotten the chance to use it! Oscar approves.

Almost every waking moment has been spent in the DD kitchen this week rolling , cookie-cutting, re-rolling, oven window watching, and tasting "just to make sure they taste good," then realizing at least three have disappeared.  The Christmas dinner dessert table shall overflow with goodies.

If you haven't gotten around to making any cookies, it's not too late to jump in on the fun! Here are some lovely links to some fab recipes:

-The Ultimate Sugar Cookies + Royal Icing

-Classic Gingerbread

-Bacon, Oatmeal, and Raisin Cookies  <---- My new FAVORITE COOKIES.

MERRY CHRISTMAS + HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

See ya in 2016.

Homemade Holidays: Buttery-Cayenne Pecans

Guys, I am DETERMINED, DETERMINED I SAY, to get all of my gifts sorted, made, and mailed BEFORE Christmas this year. No exceptions. So far, I'm definitely on track, but if you're like the me of last year, struggling to think of the perfect edible treat, then you'll really like these pecans.

Food is how I express my affection for my loved ones, so finding the perfect gift for each person can be very challenging.. It's hard enough finding the perfect balance of delicious, seemingly complicated (but attainable), and festive. Now try adding mail-friendly on top of that. See? Challenging. Fortunately, I've discovered Bon Appetit's Buttery-Cayenne Pecans, and have found myself taking a big sigh of relief.

Here's what these snack nuts have going for them:

1. Complex flavor: The heat of the cayenne pepper, mixed with the other spices and generous amount of butter makes these pecans so rich and decadent.
2. Supremely easy to make: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, add pecans, stir the pecans around to make sure they're evenly coated, put pecans in the oven. Simple.
3. Perfect for local and faraway friends alike: All you need is a beautiful and festive airtight container or bag to make sure these little guys remain at peak freshness.

Whether you're new to food-gifting, or you're a seasoned pro who's looking for a fresh take on your signature gift, these buttery-cayenne pecans are sooooo the way to go.

Find the recipe for Buttery-Cayenne Pecans  here!

Meyer Lemon-Blueberry Hand Pies

 

Finally, FINALLY our local grocer has stepped up their produce game and brought me something I've been wanting for months: Meyer lemons. And, while we're at it, the best blueberries I've seen all summer. Without hesitation, I plopped two of each into the cart with no immediate plan, but complete intent to make something spectacular with my purchases. I've learned my lesson too many times before; if you see it, get it, because you may never see it again. And that rings pretty true since I stopped by the store again, and those New Zealand Meyer lemons were nowhere to be seen. Maybe I didn't look around enough. Or maybe they just disappeared as quickly as they'd appeared.

At any rate, it occurred to be that the possibilities were pretty endless for my blueberry-lemon pairing, but if I really wanted to get good at making pies then I ought to make one. For once though, I just wasn't interested in a regular 9-inch pie. Instead, I wanted something with a lot more mobility, and something that could be picnic-ready if/when the occasion arose. So, I went with hand pies. I'm a gal on-the-go, and expect my pies to accommodate that!

If you're wondering how my pie skills are coming along, the quick answer is: slowly, but surely. As simple as it seems to make a pie, no matter the form, it takes a lot of practice. I still struggle with gathering dough to form the disks, which should be so simple, but it gives me so much trouble. And sometimes I handle the dough wayyyy too much, but I'm working on it. I sense a lot of practice pies in my future, and what on earth could be better than that?

Meyer Lemons are a special fruit indeed. To me they're sort of like, if a mandarin orange and the brightest lemon ever, had a baby. They're slightly sweeter than your average lemon, and bring a very unique type of citrus note to any dish you make. And since citrus and blueberries go hand-in-hand. they make these flaky, buttery hand pies a wonderful treat for any time of the day. And the most beautiful part of it all is that you can serve them warm, or pack them up in a basket and serve at room temperature.

It's always nice to have an any-time dessert literally in the palm of your hand.

You can find the recipe here at BonAppetit.com! <------ This recipe calls for a regular lemon, but a Meyer lemon works so beautifully!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT'S AUGUST ALREADY??

Blueberry-Pecan Galette

My new obsession? Pies. I am SO into pies right now.  It's not even that I love eating them (though that's obviously always a bonus); it's so much more than that. When making pie dough, you're able to set aside that pastry blender, and just dig in with your hands. It's direct contact with the thing you're creating, and it just doesn't get more personal and literally hand-made than that. A fresh, flaky, all-butter pie crust is a blank canvas, and the possibilities are truly endless. The idea of filling it with ANYTHING is just so exciting to me.

I might love pie, but that, doesn't  mean that I'm particularly good at it...yet. See, that's actually the funny thing about pie: it's not as easy to make as it looks. You've got a lot working against you; butter melting in the dough because you're handling it too much. Adding too much, or even too LITTLE, water to your pie crust. Overworking the dough. UNDERworking the dough. Filling spilling over the sides while it's baking. Honestly, the possibilities of pies to make are endless, and the possibilities of things going wrong when making said pie are also, yes, endless. But you must be brave, little baker. Be brave. Don't apologize. Make your pie with confidence. And, if you're still feeling a little iffy, take a step back, and make a galette.

The beauty of the galette is: the more rustic, the better. If you're just so-so at pie decoration, you've got nothing to worry about. All you need is your favorite fruit filling, a little heavy cream, some sugar to sprinkle, and some expert edge-folding abilities. That's it. You just roll out your crust, pop it on your baking sheet, add your filling, brush on your heavy cream to give it that deep, beautiful browned crust, sprinkle a little sugar, and pop it in the oven. It's the perfect anytime almost-pie.

Now, you could go with a classic all-butter crust, but why do that when you can make things a little more interesting with pecan? Toasting whole pecans in the oven for 15 minutes before crushing them brings an extra level of flavor, and gives the crust a little texture that pairs well with the softness of the blueberries when baked. Pair this galette with a scoop of your favorite vanilla bean ice cream, or some homemade whipped cream (I put mine in the freezer!) and totally go to town.

So, we've done sweet. What do you say we try a savory galette next time?

BLUEBERRY-PECAN GALETTE

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 12 ounces blueberries (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Find the recipe on Bon Appetit!

Brown Butter Raspberry-Ricotta Breakfast Cake

Listen, there comes a time in every young woman's (or man's) life where s/he just has to throw every single thing down, and have cake for breakfast. Okay? You just have to have cake for breakfast sometimes. Cereal is my breakfast meal of choice. There are occasions where I or a loved one will have the energy to whip up pretty impressive omelets, but those times are pretty rare on the weekdays. And as much as I do actually genuinely enjoy a crunchy spoonful of cornflakes, sometimes all I want need first thing is a beyond-moist, tender, fruity-flavor-packed slice of cake. And I want to eat it with my hands. Forks are great, but we don't need 'em!

The selection of fruit at the grocery store is very hit-or-miss, which can be very frustrating as all anyone ever talks about in the food world is "embracing seasonality." It's hard to do that when you're looking at crates full of fuzzy raspberries. The great news is, not only is frozen fruit totally welcome in this cake, it's actually a requirement. Thank goodness for the Frozen Foods section.

So, what makes this cake so moist? FULL FAT RICOTTA CHEESE. Don't you dare get that skim nonsense! We're having cake for breakfast, so let's not torture ourselves by trying to make it healthy, alright? And anyway, you want the cake to be as thick and rich as possible, so whole milk ricotta it is!

And let''s just talk about the brown butter for a second. Ohmygosh I love brown butter. It adds a certain depth to any and everything, and I don't even know what I did with my life before I knew how to do it.

It's just been a really good breakfast (and also dessert) week in this house.

And P.S. This is a GREAT choice for your 4th of July Weekend red-white-and-blue-food-eating festivities!! Fourth of July Breakfast Cake is a thing, right?

BROWN BUTTER RASPBERRY-RICOTTA CAKE 

What You'll Need:

• Nonstick cooking oil spray
• 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen raspberries, divided
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper, and lightly spray with nonstick cooking oil spray.

To brown the butter:

In a medium saucepan, melt your butter over medium-low heat. After a few minutes, your melted butter will start to crackle and bubble vigorously; those are the milk solids and water evaporating. After 2-3 minutes of the butter crackling, you should start to smell a nutty aroma coming from the pan, and your butter will start to darken in color. DO NOT leave while the butter is browning as it can go from brown to burnt fairly quickly.  The bubbling and crackling will eventually subside, and your darkened butter should have little brown bits floating around on the bottom. Take the butter off the heat, and let it cool slightly.

Let's make the cake:

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, ricotta, and vanilla extract until combined, then fold them into the dry ingredients until they are just combined.

Fold in the melted butter, then VERY GENTLY fold in 3/4 cup of the raspberries, being very careful not to crush any berries.

In a small bowl, gently toss the remaining 1/4 cup of raspberries with the lemon juice and sugar. If the raspberries seem a little too tart, you can sprinkle in a little more sugar to fit your tastes. 

Scrape your cake batter into your prepared pan and scatter the raspberries that you have just tossed with lemon and sugar, over the top. (Get creative with your design!)

Bake your cake until it is golden brown and a toothpick that has been inserted into the center, comes out clean; about 50-60 minutes. (Depending on your oven, your cake may need a little less time, so keep an eye on it when the time gets closer to 50 minutes.)

Let your cake cool for at least 20-30 minutes in the pan, on a wire rack, before unmolding and serving.

To Store:

Wrap the cake TIGHTLY in cling wrap and store at room temperature.

SOURCE: Adapted froBon Appetit 

Strawberry-Basil Shortcakes

Guys, we totally did it. We're officially in  summer-mode...sort of. It's a bit chilly around these parts, but it's JUNE for crying out loud, and if isn't  summer by now, it'll never be! So let's just call it what we all want it to be, and move on.

In celebration of our new season of warmth and green grass, and also in celebration of strawberries being $1/lb  this week at the market, let's spoil ourselves and have some strawberry-basil shortcake, shall we? It's the perfect weekend dessert because it's really at its finest within 2-3 days, and you can totally get up on Sunday morning, pop one of these babies on a plate, and call it breakfast. No one's going to judge you; it's the WEEKEND.

This was my first time making a compote, and now I want to compote everything. I've had tomato compote in the past that was tucked into the greatest BLT there ever was, and I'd wanted to replicate it at home, but time went by, other recipes demanded my attention, and I eventually forgot all about it. I'm so glad that my first time attempting the art of the compote was: 1. successful (let's be real.) and 2. the most important part of a seriously good dessert.

And for those of you out there feeling a little taken aback by the utilization of basil in a dessert let me tell you this: it'll blow all those other strawberry shortcakes you have had in the past RIGHT out of the water. Basil leaves often give strawberry desserts that extra UMPH that they need to journey to the next level. The flavor is subtle, but its role is vital in bringing the whole shortcake operation together. I'm telling you, you'll love it.

Go ahead, have some strawberry-basil shortcake this weekend.

STRAWBERRY-BASIL SHORTCAKES

What you'll need:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 6 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 1/2-2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled, then quartered (about 3 cups or so), then divided
• 5 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 2-4 sprigs basil
• 2 cups heavy cream (this one's for the whipped cream)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

To make the shortcakes:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Whisk the sugar, baking powder, salt, and two cups of flour in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter (or your fingers), mix in the butter until the mixture becomes coarse, and there are a few pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Add the cream and mix until the dough comes together (Be careful not to over-mix. And don't worry, it's supposed to be sticky).

Turn out the dough onto a lightly-floured surface (I always use a clean cutting board), and pat into a rectangle with about 3/4 inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out 2 1/2 inch rounds, re-rolling when you need to. You should have eight rounds by the end.

Whisk the egg with one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. That'll be your egg wash.

Transfer your rounds to a lined baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg wash.

Bake until the tops are golden brown, and the shortcakes are fully-cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to keep a close eye on them!

To make the strawberry-basil filling:

Roughly chop 2 cups strawberries and cook with two tablespoons sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes. Once the berries have softened, released their juices, and the mixture is thickened, your compote is done. Let it cool completely.

In a medium bowl, toss basil, one tablespoon of sugar, and one cup of strawberries, and let sit until the fruit begins to release its juices. This should take about 10-15 minutes, but I tend to let it sit for longer. The longer the better in my opinion. Once you're ready to assemble your shortcakes,, discard the basil.

To make the whipped cream topping:

Using an electric mixer (or whisk if you want a really good workout) whisk together the heavy cream, two tablespoons of sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.

Assembly:

Cut each shortcake in half so that there is a top and a bottom.

Place the bottom on a plate. Spoon on some of the compote mixture.

Spoon on some whipped cream.

Over the whipped cream, spoon on some of the basil-infused strawberries.

Add the top part of your shortcake.

Enjoy!

SOURCE: Adapted from Bon Appetit

Party Trick: Horseradish-Super Sharp Cheddar Cheese Ball

The weekend is here, and I'm sure you've got several happening shindigs to grace with your presence. If there is one thing I know for absolute certain, it's to never, EVER come to a party empty-handed. There's always something to bring. Your host or hostess will definitely appreciate it, and you'll totally win extra points. It shows that you appreciate both the invitation, and the people who've invited you into their home. And it doesn't always have to be food. Bring wine, bring flowers, bring napkins, BRING ICE. Bring something useful, and your host will never forget it. There has never been such thing as too many party supplies. Sooner or later, everything gets used. Boy do I love a good party. I don't go to nearly enough of them, and I hardly get invited to fancy dress get-togethers, so when I do, I try to go all out. But when thinking of the perfect arrival gift to my Nashvillian bestie Hailey's house, I had a few things that I needed to consider: One, I'd be in my grandparents' kitchen which meant a limited amount of kitchen tools and appliances, and two, a limited amount of refrigerator real estate. (My Grandmothers are seasoned veterans in the kitchen and there is always something to eat.) Then it hit me: a cheese ball. I'd recently been introduced to the, and best of all, it checked off three very important things on my dish to pass checklist: It took me about 45 minutes to make this cheese ball, and most of that time can be shaved down if you have a food processor. I didn't, so I had to use my trusty pastry blender (a well-deserved Christmas gift to myself. I've got happier wrists now). Your cheesy mix must rest for two hours snugly wrapped in cling wrap, having been delicately shaped into a sphere. Six to eight minutes of your resting time should be spent roasting your walnuts and pecans. The rest of the time it takes to make your cocktail party masterpiece can be used to...paint your nails, pick out a killer outfit, or, in my case, bug your grandmother incessantly to break out the family pictures so that you can pretend to reminisce about an era that you took no part in. And once the two hours are up (though I actually left it in the fridge for four hours or so), just give your walnuts and pecans a rough chop, carefully roll your cheese ball around, and wrap it back up in cling film if you plan on transporting it. Et voila! Your totally easy, yet utterly sophisticated party snack is ready for its closeup. And don't you dare forget the fancy crackers that go along with it! You're sure to amaze, and make some new friends in the process. Who knew a ball of cheese could be such a conversation starter? I ain't mad at it.   Horseradish-Sharp Cheddar Cheese Ball 

• 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• 8 oz grated super sharp cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons horseradish sauce
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pecans

Blend cream cheese, cheddar, and horseradish using a food processor or pastry blender until smooth, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place cheese mixture on a piece of cling wrap, then use cling wrap to shape mixture into a ball. Chill until firm for at least two hours.

While the newly formed ball is chilling,  preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and place your walnuts and pecans on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Bake for 6-8 minutes, tossing occasionally. Keep them in the oven until they've darkened a bit, and give off a fragrant aroma. Let cool, then give them a rough chop.

Thirty minutes before serving, roll your ball in the roughly chopped walnut and pecan mixture, and enjoy.

Source: Adapted slightly from Bon Appetit

Party on.

Chicken Parm!

I am, it must be said, a baker by nature. BUT I"M TRYING TO CHANGE! I'm trying to become more versatile, I'm trying to become...the ultimate home chef... And I need some practice yet, but I'm getting there you guys, I'm getting there.

This week has been all about cooking, and it's going well so far! The one thing I've always loved about break: more time to do the things you wish you could, but you choose sleep over instead.  This Monday, I made DELICIOUS (Not to toot my own horn but...) Chicken Parmesan with lemon on the side!

I hate meat. Don't get me wrong, it's not in the way that you think; I just really hate handling raw meat. One day, I'll be smart enough to remember to buy gloves so that handling raw food isn't an issue. But until that day comes, handling meat will be considered the worst.

It is absolutely INSANE how easy it is to make these tasty little cutlets! The recipe called for three small chicken breasts, but we couldn't find any. instead, we bought breast strips and I gotta tell ya: it worked so much better! It was easier to dip these in the individual ingredients, and  the cooking time was cut in half! Something interesting to note about this recipe: it called for Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), which added a little extra crunchiness.Cooking time including preparation was probably about an hour total, and it was SO GOOD.

These parmesan chicken cutlets were PERFECT for a quick dinner, and so easy to make. And if you're like me, you'll appreciate that these babies can be breaded up to 3 months in advance.

What You'll Need:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon mustard powder
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 4 small skinless, boneless chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
• 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 lemon, halved

Find the recipe here!

HAPPY COOKING!