FavoritesRebecca Shetler Fast

Dessert Round-Up

FavoritesRebecca Shetler Fast
Dessert Round-Up

Thanks for following along with our new adventures! We recently moved from Pittsburgh to Haiti where we are starting a 5 year volunteer assignment with a non-profit relief and development organization. We will be in transition for the next few months as we complete our in-country orientation, language study, spend time living with host families in both the countryside and capital... and lest we forget, have our first baby somewhere in there as well! Please bear with us as we will not have ready access to internet or a kitchen throughout this time. We will continue to share new recipes that we've prepared in advance, and updates on our new life in Haiti as often as we are able.

In anticipation of the dessert making and eating season, we've put together a collection of both Paul and Rebecca approved desserts. You will find some very quick and easy slam-dunks among the group, and a few of Paul's more complicated creations, that are honestly worth the time investment.

  1. Black Fudge Pudding Cakes

  2. Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

  3. Maple Walnut Baklava

  4. Blackstrap Molasses Cookies

  5. Mocha Mascarpone Mousse

  6. Blackstrap Molasses & Fresh Ginger Cake with Salted Maple Buttercream

  7. Mexican Chocolate Custard Cake

  8. Red Wine Poached Pears

  9. Salted Caramel & Pear Bread Pudding

  10. Almond Meringues with Crème Anglaise & Berry Sauce

  11. Three Layer Parsnip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

  12. Meyer Lemon Posset

DIY, Desserts, Favorites, Gluten FreePaul Shetler Fastmaple syrup, butterComment

Salted Maple Buttercream

In the countdown before our departure, we have been cooking and eating our favorite things... with maple syrup topping the list! We are both mad for maple; we like it in baklava, with smoked salmon, in granola, mixed into french toast, even baby back ribs, and we stockpile it compulsively. Last month we set out to make a fall/winter dessert that would showcase this extraordinary elixir at it's finest, and a dark almost bittersweet Blackstrap Molasses and Fresh Ginger Cake with Salted Maple Buttercream was the delicious result. This dessert was a team effort, while I whipped up a spicy molasses cake, Paul boiled down dark amber maple syrup, whipped eggs yolks and butter to a creamy consistency for a transcendent, incredible salted maple buttercream. Paul made Salted Maple Buttercream no less than 4 times in the past month, and while we try to avoid superlatives, I'm pretty sure this is the best flavor of buttercream I have ever tasted. Paul's comment, as he made batch after batch; "remember this one, I want a big bowl of salted maple buttercream for my last meal." 

DIY, Desserts, Favorites, Gluten FreePaul Shetler Fastmaple syrup, butterComment
Salted Maple Buttercream
Breakfast, Desserts, Fall, Fruit, Winter, Whole GrainsRebecca Shetler Fastapple, sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, clove, allspice, gingerComment

Apple Walnut Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze

Thanks for following along with our new adventures! We recently moved from Pittsburgh to Haiti where we are starting a 5 year volunteer assignment with a non-profit relief and development organization. We will be in transition for the next few months as we complete our in-country orientation, language study, spend time living with host families in both the countryside and capital... and lest we forget, have our first baby somewhere in there as well! Please bear with us as we will not have ready access to internet or a kitchen throughout this time. We will continue to share new recipes that we've prepared in advance, and updates on our new life in Haiti as often as we are able.

As much as we love the tropical fruits and Caribbean flavors of our new home in Haiti, we are nostalgic for the apple and spice combination, so classic to this time of year in North America. We love this old-fashioned Apple Walnut Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze, pungent with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger, glazed with a salty caramel.

Breakfast, Desserts, Fall, Fruit, Winter, Whole GrainsRebecca Shetler Fastapple, sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, clove, allspice, gingerComment
Apple Walnut Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze
FavoritesRebecca Shetler FastComment

Thanksgiving Round-Up

The season of feasting will soon be upon us! As we get ready for holiday entertaining, we wanted to share some of our favorite seasonal recipes with you.

  1.  MOROCCAN ROASTED SWEET POTATO SALAD

  2. BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON

  3. ROASTED GARLIC AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

  4. GARLIC LEMON ROASTED CHICKEN

  5. GINGER SESAME GREEN BEANS

  6. CARROT RICOTTA TART WITH HERBS

  7. THREE LAYER PARSNIP CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

  8. BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES & FRESH GINGER CAKE WITH SALTED MAPLE BUTTERCREAM

  9. ROASTED VEGETABLE FATTOUSH SALAD

  10. CRISP FENNEL & APPLE SALAD WITH TANGERINE VINAIGRETTE

  11. BARLEY RISOTTO WITH ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

  12. BUTTERMILK CELERY ROOT MASHED POTATOES

FavoritesRebecca Shetler FastComment
Thanksgiving Round-Up
DessertsPaul Shetler Fastmolasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloveComment

Blackstrap Molasses & Fresh Ginger Cake

Blackstrap Molasses and Fresh Ginger Cake is a dark, moody, and moist dessert masterpiece. Warm spices are on prominent display with fresh ginger, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and the rich and smoky tones of blackstrap molasses. This cake is a great foil to a rich frosting (stay tune for Paul's salted maple buttercream next week), but has the verve to stand alone as simple seasonal dessert. Blackstrap Molasses and Fresh Ginger Cake is crowd favorite whenever we make it and is a stunning high holiday treat. We've adapted this recipe from one of our favorite dessert authors, David Lebovitz. Check out our review of his cookbook at our Bookshelf.

DessertsPaul Shetler Fastmolasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloveComment
Blackstrap Molasses & Fresh Ginger Cake
FavoritesRebecca Shetler FastComment

Best of 2015

Looking back, 2015 has been a pivotal year for us, we've changed jobs, careers, houses, countries, and in just a few weeks, our two will become three. Throughout all these transitions, food has played an important role, from eagerly trying our hand at Haitian recipes in anticipation of our move, to the sometimes bizarre pendulum swing of my pregnancy cravings, to meals shared with family and friends, celebrating holidays and saying goodbye. We have loved watching our readership grow, and receiving your many emails, recipe pictures, comments and support through these many life changes, thank you. 

To start off the New Year, we wanted to share our readers' favorite recipes from 2015 (click directly on the images above or recipe titles below):

  1. Berbere Spiced Chicken, Doro Wat

  2. Smokey Ancho Cheddar Burgers

  3. Yucatan Citrus Roasted Pork, Cochinita Pibil

  4. Flemish Beer Braised Beef and Onions

  5. Gascon Vegetable Soup

  6. Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Milkshakes

  7. Barley Risotto

  8. Yucatan Quick Pickled Mexican Red Onions

  9. West African Kale & Peanut Stew

  10. Grilled Greek Greek Salad

  11. Garlic Ancho Chile Paste

  12. Whiskey Glazed Chicken Thighs

  13. Black Fudge Pudding Cake

  14. Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

  15. Blackstrap Molasses & Fresh Ginger Cake & Salted Maple Buttercream

  16. Wild Rice & Quinoa Salad with Mushrooms & Asparagus

FavoritesRebecca Shetler FastComment
Best of 2015