A cream pie, of any kind, is actually a variation of an old-fashioned custard pie. But to me, a banana cream pie is a culinary work of art.  It is a magical combination of creamy vanilla custard, bananas, and whipped cream all layered together. This dreamy filling is set in an irresistible coconut graham cracker […]

Chocolate cream pie with graham cracker crust be still my heart. Pies and tarts with edible pastry became popular during the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Americans’ taste for pies, both sweet and savory kinds, arrived in the New World along with colonists. Sweet pies entered our baking repertoire once the domestic sugar industry took […]

Coconut cream pie falls in the “retro dessert” category. By retro, I mean an old-fashioned/vintage dessert that evokes a feeling of nostalgia whenever I have it. This old-school dessert may have fallen in and out of popularity over the years, but it should not be forgotten. From custards and puddings to jiggly mid-century confections, many […]

Strawberry cheesecake is the ultimate indulgence and something I find cathartic to make. Cheesecake travels the globe and can be traced back 4,000 years to the fifth century BC, to ancient Greece and the island of Samos. At this time, the cheesecake was made with patties of fresh cheese, flour, and honey. These cakes were […]

A no-bake, chocolate matzo icebox cake, layered with whipped cream and chocolate is the Passover-friendly, no-bake dessert I should have thought up years ago. I am mean seriously, with all the many things I have made with matzo over the years, how the heck did I not think of this sooner? This matzo icebox cake […]

You can’t advert your eyes and you know it. It’s a Biscoff mascarpone icebox cake and it is killer. This beauty is the easy, prep-ahead holiday dessert you’ve been looking for. Building an ice  box cake is not difficult, the trick is chilling the cake untouched. Overnight, magic happens. The cream will soften the cookie […]

This stunning Pavlova with mixed berries is my new favorite summer dessert. And, if you are in the states, and feeling patriotic, it happens to be a fantastic dessert for the fourth of July. To be honest, many people don’t actually know what a Pavlova as it’s often found in all sorts of different shapes […]

Poached pears, or Poire à la Beaujolais, as they are known in French, are a classic dessert of the wine-growing region of Beaujolais. A simple and somewhat understated dish by today’s standards, but one I have loved for a long time. If you’re looking for a simple but eye-catching dessert during the winter and spring seasons, look […]

Despite my boys being back in school, technically, it’s still summer. This has always been strange thing for me to accept. In New York, school started after Labor Day.  Even after so many years living on the West Coast, that still seems “normal“. With August winding to close, Northern California is still seeing beautiful sunny […]

Summer really is a wonderful thing. We wait all year for it and thankfully it sticks around for a bit. Even living in California I appreciate Summer. After 11 years I have fully acclimated to warmer temperatures. Everyone said it would happen, but I never believed them. Now I do. I’m totally cold when it’s […]