I was inspired by a bottle of white port the first time I baked this pumpkin cheesecake. The lightly spiced cream filling along with the buttery, cookie crumb crust, was the perfect accompaniment for my dessert wine. Not too sweet, and slightly less guilty than a normal cheesecake, this is one recipe sure to please a crowd.
I’ve been holding on to this bottle of white Port since the Prager family shipped it to me some months ago. I wanted to make sure that I was prepared — both mentally and culinarily — before I cracked the seal. I also wanted to make sure that I opened the bottle at the right time and in the right place: I wanted to make sure I was surrounded by loved ones with which to share this wine adventure. A family product like Prager Port deserves such attention and occasion.
I got the idea for this little dessert from watching (way too much) Master Chef Australia. I finally had the guts to try it and, turns out, it was easier than I thought! All you need are a few eggs, sugar, and vanilla bean for the basic recipe. Once you have it down, it’s fun to add your own flavor twist as well.
PS See below the recipe for how I fancy this up a bit (complete with wine pairing!)…Bon Appétit!
It’s always fun when I’m watching a cooking show and I think, “I can do that.” Of course, how often do I really “do that?” Well, I did this time — “that” is this carrot cake.
This carrot cake was inspired by a recipe developed by Matt Sinclair on Master Chef Australia 2016. We have an anti-sweet-tooth in the family who’s not usually one to request desserts, but once he saw this beauty on the telli, it was an immediate birthday request. So, I did my research, figured out how to tweak a few ingredients, and made this “less-guilt” version of the decadent original.
The inspiration for this recipe simply came from some leftover pineapple. I had bought pre-packaged, pre-sliced pineapple and had about a cup of it left — just sitting there in its own juices. So I figured I may as well make something out it instead of letting it go bad.
I’m calling this “pineapple cake” because, although I did follow steps similar to that of a pineapple upside down cake, the cut of pineapple I used as well as the batter I created resulted in a light, fluffy, yet moist cake with the juicy fruit scattered throughout. (more…)