Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

This month's Improv challenge ingredients were cinnamon and sugar. With such a classic combination there are always a ton of recipes that come to mind, but this month I wanted to try something new. Last year I was lucky enough to try the delicious ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco, and when I got back home Mimi Jr. surprised me with a copy of their cookbook, Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones. Since his first flip through the book, their recipe for Snickerdoodle Ice Cream has been at the top of Mr. Mimi's request list, so I knew this was the time to try it.  I made a few changes to the recipe, seeping cinnamon sticks in the cream,adding a little gelatin to help keep it from turning to liquid too fast and replacing some of the sugar corn syrup to help keep it more scoopable.

All I can say is, I should have made this sooner. It was a thick, rich ice cream with the perfect amount of cinnamon- enough to know it was definitely cinnamon, but not so much that it was overwhelming. To up the snickerdoodle factor, I added some cinnamon chip snickerdoodles and topped the whole thing with a buttery cinnamon sauce. I have never thought of snickerdoodles as a personal favorite cookie, but this ice cream may have just changed my mind. I'll probably have to make it again, just to be sure.

 Snickerdoodle Ice Cream
adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones
 5 egg yolks
 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar
 1 cinnamon stick
 1 cup milk
 2 cups heavy cream
 1 teaspoon gelatin
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 1 teaspoon cinnamon
 2 tablespoons corn syrup
 cinnamon chip snickerdoodles* the amount you use is up to you

 In a small bowl soften gelatin in a tablespoon of water.
 In a medium sauce pan combine milk, cream and cinnamon stick bring to a simmer. Let cinnamon infuse for 30 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and add corn syrup and 2 tablespoons sugar, bring to a simmer.
Add 1/4 cup hot milk mixture to softened gelatin, stir to dissolve gelatin. Add gelatin to the milk pan and stir to incorporate
 Whisk egg yolk and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl until thick and sugar has dissolved.  Temper the egg yolk by whisking in about 3/4 cup hot milk.. Add egg yolk mixture to the milk, stirring with a wooden spoon, you do not want to make this frothy by using a whisk. Cook over medium heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 170 degrees f. Remove from heat and strain into a clean bowl, allow to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours or overnight.
Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.
Break snickerdoodles into bite size pieces.When ice cream has finished churning but is still soft, fold in (as much as you like) snickerdoodles pieces, then place in a freezer safe container, cover and freeze until firm.While ice cream is firming up, make the cinnamon syrup.
printable recipe

Cinnamon Syrup

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon Light corn syrup (Karo)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

In a deep pot combine the butter, sugar, buttermilk, salt, cinnamon and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the baking soda and vanilla and stir until combined. *The baking soda will cause the mixture to foam to twice its volume, so be sure to use a big enough pot* The color of the syrup will turn to a golden brown. Remove from the heat and continue to stir until the syrup thickens. Let it cool and serve immediately, or store in the fridge in an air tight container. It will thicken as it cools, but you can warm it up in the microwave to thin it out.
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Foodie Friday

Pumpkin Pie Bars

 

Oatmeal and raisins were the mandatory ingredients for the October Improv Challenge. I usually have a couple of ideas in my mind, and I think them over for a few weeks before tackling my recipe of choice. Even though it is October, it is still so hot in my neck of the woods that I started out making oatmeal cookie ice cream. Every time I make ice cream I think it will be the last time for the year, but if it doesn't cool down soon I'll be making ice cream for Thanksgiving! Despite oatmeal and raisins bringing to mind warm, homey fall flavors in cookies and crisps, I forged ahead with my cool treat and successfully got the ice cream to taste like oatmeal cookie dough.  However, I wasn't quite able to master an oatmeal and raisin add-in that we liked, and kept mulling over ideas that could possibly make it work.

For a few days, about a week ago, we had some rain and clouds and real October weather, so I took advantage of that and decided to scrap the ice cream and go with a fall dessert. Boy Mimi loves anything pumpkin, so I decided to combine a family favorite with the challenge ingredients and came up with these pumpkin bars. They have a chewy cake-like base with a creamy pumpkin pie filling, and it is all topped with a crispy oatmeal-raisin streusel topping. It was a winning combination of cake, pumpkin pie, and oatmeal raisin cookies. Boy Mimi definitely approved and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the oatmeal raisin addition to these bars. Unfortunately we are now back to 90 degrees outside so I may have to revisit that ice cream recipe, but I know we will definitely be back to this recipe, oatmeal raisin crumb and all, in the coming cooler months. 

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Prepare a 9x13 pan by spraying with cooking spray or grease and flour.
Pre-heat oven to 350F

Ingredients:
 2-1/2 cups sifted flour
 1 Tsp. salt
 1-1/2 cups sugar
 2 Tsp. double acting baking powder
 1/4 cup cold butter

Preparation: In a food processor combine flour, salt, suga,r and baking powder and mix well to blend. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the food processor bowl. Cover and process until mixture is very fine. Make sure that the butter is completely  and evenly distributed in the flour mixture. Remove 1 1/2 cups and reserve for topping. To remaining mix add:

 1/3 cup soft butter
 1 egg

 Pulse a few times until combined, but still crumbly. Press into prepared pan.

Filling:

1 large can pumpkin or 28 ounces of fresh cooked and drained pumpkin
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
2/3 cups milk.

To the now empty food processor add all ingredients and process until  homogeneous, and pour over the crust.

Topping
To reserved crust mixture add:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 soft butter
1/3 cup raisins

In a medium bowl mix all ingredients together to form a large crumb and sprinkle evenly over the filling mixture. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Cut and serve. 
printable recipe

Links: Foodie Friday

Flag Cake

Happy 4th of July! This is one of our family's favorite holidays. We can almost always count on great outdoor weather and a lovely party with Mrs. A and her family. Mrs. A volunteers her home and pool, and lots of her famous foods, from homemade pickles to bbq chicken, and everyone else brings something to go along with her amazing spread. With both Mimi Jr. and Mini Me home to help, and we decided to create a festive cake that would look pretty inside and out.

  It is a fun holiday project that can be as easy as your favorite cake mix, or you can try the one below, which is our current favorite. All you need are your cake layers, vanilla frosting, and red, white, and blue jimmies. I had some snowflakes that we used for stars but any white candy, or a few white jimmies would be fine. We also had some marshmallow fondant, so we colored some red and blue and cut out stars for the sides of the cake, but you could use jimmies on the sides or leave them plain.

You need three layers total, so you can either make 1 1/2 the recipe below for three full layers, or simply divide the batter from one recipe evenly into three thin layers. *If you only make one recipe, your layers will be thinner so you may need to reduce your cooking time.* Once your batter is made, add red food coloring to 1/3, add blue food coloring to 1/3, and leave 1/3 white. Bake and cool your cake layers. Assemble and frost your cake with the red layer on the bottom, the white layer in the middle, and the blue layer on top.

To decorate the top of the cake we used a ruler to mark off 1 inch intervals for the stripes and a 3 inch area in the upper left hand corner for the blue/stars. Using rulers as guides (one on each side of the stripe) we covered the cake in jimmies alternating between red and white. 

Vanilla Cake

adapted from Ina Garten

This recipe makes 2  2-inch layers

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar

5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

American Butter Cream Frosting

1 cup softened butter
4 cups of sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup milk
pinch of salt

1. Cream the butter and slowly add powdered sugar and beat until fairly well incorporated, mixture will be crumbly.
2. Add salt, milk, and vanilla. Beat at medium-low speed until combined and then increase your speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.
printable recipe

If you prefer you can use cream cheese frosting

Links: Foodie Friday

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pudding

There will be lots of cookies dough recipes hitting the web this week as Quirk books publishes Lindsay Landis's new cookbook, The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook. 

 We loved this easy to read, spiral bound book that lays flat when open. It is full of photos and quick tips for making the recipes a success. She starts with a simple basic recipe for each treat, but then gives you several ideas to take it up a notch. We really loved the recipes where she suggested adding peanut butter because around here, we believe peanut butter goes with anything, especially cookie dough. This book covers everything from Candy, Cookies, and Brownies, to Cakes, Custards and Pie. There is also a section for Indulgent Breakfast- who could resist  cookie dough in their breakfast? There really is something for everyone in here. 

 Our first recipe was the eggless chocolate chip cookie dough which is the base for many of the recipes, including the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough truffles (above). While these truffles had great texture, they were a little light on flavor, so on the next attempt we used dark brown sugar and this really boosted the cookie dough flavor. This was delicious stirred into vanilla ice cream.

 Next we made the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough pudding. It was silky, creamy and cool, full of brown sugar flavor and mini chips sprinkled throughout for a nice bite of chocolate. Cookie dough has long been a favorite in our kitchen ever since the kids were old enough to sneak a bite, and we can't wait to try some of the other recipes in this book over the summer. 

 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pudding
 Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook.

 3/4 cup light brown sugar divided*
 1/8 teaspoon salt
 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
2 cups whole milk
 1/2 cup heavy cream 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
 * I used dark brown sugar 

In a saucepan, whisk together 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, salt and cornstarch until no lumps remain. Add milk and heavy cream and whisk over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken and starts to bubble, about 5 to 7 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low and continue to whisk until thick, about 5 minutes more. 
Remove from heat and stir in the remaining brown sugar, vanilla and butter until smooth.
Pour pudding into a large serving bowl or individual dishes. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic onto the surface of the pudding and chill until set, 1 to 2 hours. Before serving, remove plastic wrap and sprinkle pudding with 
chocolate chips. 

 This fun little book will be released June 5 and is available for pre-order at Amazon.com

link:  Foodie Friday

Chocolate Potato Cake with Espresso Mascarpone Buttercream

Time again for the Improv Challenge, hosted by Kristen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker. For March the 2 mandatory ingredients were potatoes and cheese.  I knew right away that I wanted to make a potato cake. This is not your traditional potato pancake, but a dessert cake with soft creamy mascarpone butter cream.  I knew my old Victory Garden cookbook had a Potato Cake recipe so that is where I started.

The cake itself was moist and velvety with a mild chocolate flavor. The frosting was light and delicate with a hit of espresso that didn't over power the mascarpone. All around, it was a good dessert. My biggest issues with most chocolate cakes are that they are overbaked and dry, and don't really taste like chocolate. This cake was soft and moist, but the chocolate was a little lacking. Next time I make this cake I will definitely increase the amount of chocolate in the cake itself for a moist and chocolatey cake. 

Chocolate Potato Cake

adapted from The Victory Garden by Marian Morash

4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 cup buttermilk.


Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour baking pan(s). You can use a 9x13, (2) 9" cake pans, or make cupcakes.
Melt the chocolate; cool slightly. Dissolve the instant espresso powder in the vanilla and add to the chocolate. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the chocolate and mashed potatoes.  Beat in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake. 
9x13 pan  40 minutes
2 -9 inch round pans  25-30 minutes
cupcakes  15-18 minutes

Espresso Mascarpone Butter Cream

6 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
6 oz macarpone cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar 
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
pinch salt
Milk/cream if needed
Dissolve the instant espresso powder in the vanilla. Cream together the butter and mascarpone. Add the vanilla/espresso mix to incorporate. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, beat at low speed until light and fluffy.  If mixture is to stiff add a few drops of milk or cream until frosting is light and spreadable.
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Link: Foodie Friday



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TWD:Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes

It seems like TWD is all about chocolate these days .   Kristin of, I'm Right About Everything , picked Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes.   These cute little cakes had  perfect milk chocolate flavor, were moist, and had an almost melt in your mouth softness. The deep chocolate glaze on top added just the right finishing touch.

Dorie's recipe called for a cinnamon nut swirl in the midst of these little cakes, but I opted to use cherry preserves instead. They provided just a hint of sweet tart flavor buried in the soft chocolate cake.



This is a recipe that I would definitely make again. If you want to make these delicious mini cakes visit Kristin at I'm right About Everything or buy the book Baking: From My Home to Yours.  To see what the other TWD bakers did this week visit our blog roll.

Trifle with Roasted Apples, Pears and Caramel Sauce

      What Tiramisu is to the Italians, Trifle is to the English. Layers of soft sherry soaked cake alternate with silky, cinnamon flavored pastry cream and intensely flavored roasted apples and pears. Finished with a rich caramel sauce and sweetened whipped cream, whats not to like? Trifles are great for entertaining since they can be mostly assembled a day ahead of time, with minimal finishing touches. 

     I usually make trifle with pound cake, but ladyfingers looked like they would be a nice change, and a time saver since at this time of year you can usually get decent ones at Trader Joe's. However, my Trader Joe's didn't have them, so no time saved, and I had to make my own, which was ok because I have made them many times and they are pretty easy. The results are so worth the little bit of effort- soft, creamy and delicious. I will save that recipe for another time (maybe closer to Christmas, when we always make our traditional Christmas Eve Tiramisu). With ladyfingers or poundcake, this trifle has a great flavor and was a beautiful, tasty addition to our Thanksgiving table.

Trifle with Roasted Apples, Pears and Caramel Sauce
adapted from BonAppetit  November 2003- I made several changes to the original recipe and my version appears below.

3 ½ doz. Soft Ladyfingers
Cinnamon Pastry Cream
Caramel Sauce
Roasted Fruit
1/3 cup dry sherry
2 cup chilled whipping cream
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Pastry Cream
6 egg yolks
2 cups milk
¾ cup sugar
1/2 cup cake flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Whisk egg yolks and ½ cup milk in large bowl. Add sugar, flour vanilla and cinnamon. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Bring remaining 1 ½ cups of milk to simmer in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk milk into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Cook until custard thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add butter, stir until melted. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, press directly onto surface of custard. Chill until cold.

Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup cream
2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

Blend the sugar and water in a 1 ½ qt sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and swirl the pan by the handle to make sure all of the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is perfectly clear. Return pan to moderately high heat; cover and boil for several minutes. After a minute or so peek at syrup, when the bubbles are thick uncover the pan.
Continue boiling, swirling the pan by the handle until the syrup begins to color. When it is a light caramel color remove from the heat and continue swirling and the color will darken more. To stop cooking place bottom of the pan in cool water.
Slowly add the cream, which will congeal the caramel. Return pan to low heat and simmer, stirring until the caramel dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and salt. Use warm or cool. Refrigerated in a covered jar, the sauce will keep for weeks.


Roasted fruit
3 large Fuji Apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½ inch cubes (about 4 cups)
3 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, cut into ½ inch cubes, (about 3 cups)
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In bowl toss fruit, lemon juice and butter. Spread on a rimmed cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in the oven, roast until fruit is soft and golden, turning with metal spatula every 15 minutes, for about 1 hour. Cool fruit sheet.

 

Assembly: Pour sherry in a small bowl. Dip top side of lady finger in sherry. Line the bottom of a 2-3 quart glass trifle dish with a single layer of lady fingers, sherry side up. Line the edge with one row of ladyfingers, sherry side in. Spoon half of pastry cream over ladyfingers, smooth top. Cover with half of the fruit. Drizzle ½ cup of caramel sauce over fruit. Line edge of dish with a second row of ladyfingers, sherry side in. Cover fruit with a single layer of ladyfingers. Spoon remaining pastry cream over ladyfingers followed by remaining fruit drizzled with ½ cup of caramel sauce. Line the side of the dish with a third layer of ladyfingers, sherry side in. Cover and chill at least 6 hours or over night.

In a bowl, whip cream, sugar and vanilla until it hold cream holds a peak. Spoon or pipe cream over trifle, drizzle with caramel sauce. Serve with remaining caramel sauce.

printable recipe

Cran-Apple Crisps

TWD: Cran-Apple Crisps

 Em of The Repressed Pastry chef selected Cran-Apple Crisps for one of the November recipes. This was the perfect autumn dessert- sweet juicy apples paired with tart and tangy cranberries, covered in a crispy brown sugar oatmeal topping. You can add black berries, pears, dates, or invent your own yummy combination. Use your imagination with this one since apples lend themselves to pairing well with so many different things. As an added bonus, your house will smell terrific as this is baking, making it even harder to resist digging in!

Cran-Apple Crisps

Baking From My Home To Yours – Dorie Greenspan

For the topping

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
½ cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces

For the filling
4 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch chunks
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, don’t thaw)
½ cup moist, plump dried cranberries or raisins (dark or golden)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter eight ovenproof cups or bowls, each with a capacity of about one cup. Pu the cups on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

To make the topping:
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms big curds, about 1 minute. (You can make the topping up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight bag.)

To make the filling:
Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Divide the fruit evenly among the cups then spoon an equal amount of topping over each portion of fruit. Bake the crisps for 40-45 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling up around it. Transfer the cups to a rack and let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

This would be a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving table, or for any time you want a fast and delicious dessert. Thanks Em for picking this easy and great tasting crisp.

Pear Pepper Pie

Yesterday was Mimi Jr.'s birthday. For her birthday dessert she picked pear pepper pie. Now, pears and pepper may seem an odd combination, but let me tell you, it is sublime. The subtle spice from the pepper heightens the sweetness of the pears, and the pears in turn temper the pepper's heat. As a result, you get spicy-sweet, perfectly cooked pears in every bite. I have been baking this pie for over twenty years and everyone asks for the recipe, but no one has ever correctly guessed the mystery ingredient.

Pear Pepper Pie
From the Best of Sunset

Pastry crust for double pie (recipe follows)
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup quick-cooking tapioca
¼ teaspoon white pepper
about 8 firm ripe pears such as Bosc, d’Anjou or Comice
1 egg lightly beaten
¼ cup whipping cream

In a bowl mix sugar, tapioca and pepper. In to another large bowl, peel, core, and thinly slice pears to make 8 cups. Combine with sugar mixture, set aside.

Roll half pastry 1/8 inch thick and fit into a 9 inch pie pan; trim excess from edges. Pour in pear mixture. Roll remaining pastry into 1/8 inch thick round; place over pears. Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Flute edges. Slash top in a few places to allow steam to escape; brush with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degree oven until bubbly, about 1 hour.

When done remove pie from oven. Cut a 3 inch hole in center of top crust; lift out the pastry and slowly pour in cream, lifting pears slightly with a knife so cream seeps in. Replace pastry and let pie cool in pan on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
printable recipe

Pastry:
adapted from Julia Child- Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol.1

Makes enough for one 9-inch double-crust pie

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces)  all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
5 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening, cut into small bits
1/2 cup cold water +/-

1. Process flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined. Add butter and shortening, and pulse until pieces of butter are about the size of peas, 3 to 5 quick pulses. Redsitribute mixture evenly in processor.

2. Sprinkle water over flour and butter mixture. Pulse mixture a couple of times until mixture starts to from a ball.  Dump contents of food process on a lightly flour board and press the dough firmly into a ball. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Uncooked pastry dough will keep for 3 to 4 days under refrigeration, or it may be frozen for several weeks.
  printable recipe

TWD: Cherry-Fudge Brownie Torte

This week's recipe was selected by April of Short + Rose who decided on Cherry-Fudge Brownie Torte.

The pictures are not the best, but in my defense, it was dark when we finished the torte and I need natural light to take pictures. There was no way my family was going to wait until the next day to eat this just so I could take decent pictures. Sometimes you have to take what you can get when it's one photographer against four hungry taste-testers!
This ultra rich torte features a fudge brownie base, laced with dried cherries, cherry preserves, black pepper and chocolate chunks. The brownie is then topped with mascarpone mousse. Rich!

  Although this was the perfect combination of a dense and fudgy brownie with light and creamy mousse there are two things I would do differently next time. First, I think the flavor of the cherry preserves got lost in the brownie batter. Next time I will use them as a separate layer between the brownies and the mousse. Secondly, this torte improved with age, so I would definitely make it the day before serving.

If you want the recipe for this wonderful dessert visit April at Short + Rose.