Pistachio and Berry Gratins

This baked fruit dessert is a combination of berries, lemon zest and sugar with nut cream.  Previously in Tuesdays with Dorie we've seen almond cream in tarts.  In this berry gratin there is no tart shell, only the berries and the cream.  Pistachios are used instead of almonds, with wonderful results.

It won't be berry season where I live for a couple of months, so I used frozen blueberries.  The dessert would have tasted better with fresh berries.  Lemon, blueberry, and pistachio are three flavours that I love, the the combination was delightful.

Goat Cheese and Chive Cookies

Dorie Greenspan's latest cookbook, Dorie's Cookies, includes 25 savory recipes in a section entitled Cocktail Cookies.  All the recipes are intriguing and I've been looking forward to trying them.  This week for Tuesdays with Dorie I baked Goat Cheese and Chive Cookies.

I have chives growing outside.  It was satisfying to add the freshly cut chives to the dough.



I used a plain black pepper.  The only thing I would change would be using a different, more interesting kind of pepper next time.



As one of my tasters commented, anything with lots of butter and cheese is going to taste good.  We all loved the richness of these cookies.

Plain and Simple Almond Cake

I baked this plain and simple almond cake for a potluck on the weekend.

Made with eggs, sugar, and almond flour with vanilla and a pinch of salt, it is a modest, tan cake.

It is gluten-free.

I dusted the top with confectioners' sugar and served it with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce, another recipe from Baking Chez Moi.

Everyone at the dinner liked this cake.  So much so that I was left with an empty plate.  No photo today.

Chocolate-Cornflake Haystacks

Haystacks are usually not baked.  Dorie Greenspan's recipe adds eggs and some time in the oven at a low heat.  The result is a sweet, chewy treat.

The recipe is very easy to mix up, no mixer required.  I used all the ingredients listed:  eggs, agave nectar, salt, coconut, pecans, raisins, cornflakes, and milk chocolate.  I wondered about substituting honey or corn syrup for the agave nectar, but after some research decided to make the effort to acquire the agave nectar.

To use up the rest of the agave nectar I will plan to make these again soon.  Next time I will use a different, richer milk chocolate.   This is an appealing recipe.