Desserts

Ingredients
2 cups Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Cold Butter + 1 Tbsp. Melted
2 Tbsp. Cold Shortening
1 cup Buttermilk
1 Tbsp. Sugar
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
Strawberries:
3 cups Chopped Strawberries
¼ cup Sugar
1 tsp. Orange Zest
Whipped Cream:
1 cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Bean Paste

❃❃Serves 12 – 16❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Wash and dry strawberries.  Remove stems and chop both ways with an egg or mushroom slicer into small pieces.  Add ¼ cup sugar and orange zest and set aside in refrigerator to macerate.
Mix 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.  Melt 1 Tbsp. butter.
Put a bowl in the freezer.

Make Biscuits
Combine flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.  Whisk together to combine dry ingredients.  Add very cold butter and shortening and cut in with two knives or a pastry cutter.  When the butter is mixed and looks like small peas, add buttermilk until the dough just comes into a ball shape.
 Pour dough out onto lightly floured surface.  Press lightly into a disk shape and either roll to ½ inch thick with rolling pin or press the dough out to ½ inch disk.  Using 2” cutter cut 48 biscuits out and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment.  Getting 48 biscuits will require you to do initial cut and gather remaining dough together lightly 2 – 3 times.
Brush melted butter over top of biscuits.  Top biscuits with pinch of the sugar and cinnamon mixture and put into oven to cook for 10 minutes.

 Whip Cream
Remove chilled bowl from freezer and add cream, powdered sugar and vanilla paste.  Beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Set aside in refrigerator until assembly.

 Assembly
Let biscuits cool.  Cut in half with a serrated knife.  Place one large spoonful of whip cream on biscuit.  Place one large spoon full of strawberry mixture on whip cream.  Top with the biscuit top and then top the biscuit top with another spoonful of whip cream and strawberry mixture.

Ingredients
2 pints’ Strawberries
1/4 cup Sugar
1/8 cup Water
1/4 + 1/8 cups Powdered Sugar
1 cup Heavy Cream
12 oz. Mascarpone
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Crepes: (Makes 12 crepes, this recipe uses four)
2 cups Flour
4 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Milk
1 cup Water
1/2 tsp Salt
4 Tbsp. melted Butter + 4 Tbsp. Butter

❃❃Serves 4❃❃

Preparation
Slice 2 pints of strawberries.  1 pint for jam and 1 pint for crepes.

Make Jam
In a saucepan add 1 pint of sliced strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/8 cup water.  Cook on medium high to high heat for 10 – 15 minutes.  Remove from heat after the mixture resembles a strawberry sauce and cool.

Make Filling & Whipped Cream
Add mascarpone, 3/4 of the remaining strawberries, 1/3 of the jam and 1/4 cup powdered sugar and mix together.  Place mixture in crepes in even layer down the middle and roll crepes.
Place heavy cream, 1/8 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla in a bowl and whip on high until stiff peaks form.

 Crepes
Mix together 2 cups flour, 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 cup water, ½ tsp salt and 4 Tbsp. melted butter for the crepes.
In a crepe pan or a 10-inch non-stick skillet heat over medium heat and add 1 tsp. of butter swirling it around the pan as it melts (you may need more butter).  Add 1/4 cup of batter to pan and swirl pan gently until mixture is spread into an even layer.  Once the crepe appears to be slightly brown on edges flip over.  This will only take 1-2 minutes.
Remove crepes and place between layers of parchment paper to cool until all the crepes are complete.  This should give you 12 crepes.

Assembly
Place stuffed crepe on a serving plate, top with strawberry sauce, whipped cream and some fresh strawberries.

Ingredients
1 cup Sugar
2 tsp. Flavor Free Gelatin
1 3/4 cups Heavy Cream
3 cups chopped Rhubarb
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. Water
1 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Edible Flowers
Fresh Mint

❃❃Serves 4❃❃

Preparation
Chop rhubarb.

Cook Panna Cotta
Add 2 cups rhubarb, ½ cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. water to a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for around 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender.
Once rhubarb is soft transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour back in saucepan and immediately add gelatin.  Stir gelatin in and allow it to bloom.
Slowly heat 1 ¼ cups heavy cream and ¼ cup sugar in another saucepan.  Once hot but not boiling add to the rhubarb mixture.  Stir until totally combined and smooth.
Pour mixture into 4 ramekins and cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the mixture and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Cook Rhubarb Topping
Add 1 cup rhubarb, 1/4 cup sugar and ½ cup water to a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for around 10-15 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender and has turned into a thick sauce.
Once cooked remove from heat and place in the refrigerator to cool.

Make Whip Topping
Add ½ cup heavy cream, 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar and vanilla to a bowl and mix on high until stiff peaks form.

Assemble
Once panna cotta is set dip ramekins into hot water, run a knife around the edge and turn out onto a serving plate.  Top with some of the rhubarb sauce and whip cream.

Optional:  Add mint and edible flowers to serve.

Ingredients
9 oz. Vegetable Oil
1 ½ cup Flour
1 ½ cup Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 ¼ tsp Cinnamon
3 Eggs
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 – 40 oz. jars Carrot Baby Food
Frosting Ingredients
6 oz. softened Cream Cheese
¼ cup softened Margarine
2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
Marzipan Carrots – optional
.8 oz. Almond Paste
4 drops Green Food Coloring
3 drops Red Food Coloring
6 drops Yellow Food Coloring

❃❃Serves 8❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8”x8” cake pan and line with parchment paper.  Spray parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray as well.

Make Cake
Mix oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs together.  Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baby food.  Mix until smooth and pour into baking pan.
Bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool.

Make Frosting
Beat cream cheese and butter together with electric mixer or in a stand mixer.  Slowly add powdered sugar until combined and add vanilla.
Once cake is fully cooled frost cake and top with marzipan carrots if desired.

Make Marzipan Carrots
Use plastic gloves and divide mixture in half and color one half with red and yellow and the other half with green.
Roll orange into small cylinders and shape into a cone shape.  Make small lines across top side with a toothpick to look like lines on the carrot.
Take a small disc of the green and push down into a flat circle and start to form top to look like leaves with a smaller portion on the bottom where it will attach to the orange to look like a carrot.
Attach leaves to the bottom side of the orange to complete carrot.  Make as many as desired and place evenly on cake.

Ingredients
Crust:
1/3 box Nilla Wafers
1/4 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp. Butter
Cheesecake:
1 cup Ricotta (full fat)
1/2 cup Crème Fraiche
1/2 cup Sugar
3 Eggs
6 oz. Blackberries
Zest of one Lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cassis
Topping:
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar
1 Tbsp. Blackberry Preserves

❃❃Serves 6❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350.
Put a piece of foil in the bottom of a roasting pan or cake pan with 2”-3” sides that the spring form pan will fit in.

Crust
In a food processor add the cookies, 2 Tbsp. melted butter and ¼ cup sugar.  Pulse until all cookies are thoroughly broken down to look like a graham cracker crust.
Add to the bottom of a 6” spring form pan.  Blind bake for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool. Once cooled put on top of foil sheet and fold foil up around the outside of the spring form pan.  This is intended to keep any water out of the spring form pan when cooking in the water bath.

Cheesecake
In a bowl whisk together the ricotta cheese, crème fraiche and sugar.  Once combined mix in eggs one at a time making sure each is incorporated.  Fold in lemon zest, cassis and blackberries.  Pour into spring form pan.
Put roasting pan or baking pan, with spring form foiled covered pan in it, on the baking rack and add enough hot water to fill until it is half the way up the spring form pan.  Bake on 325 for 70 – 80 minutes.  Once toothpick comes out of the middle almost clean turn oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven as it cools.  Once the oven is completely cooled remove cheesecake, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Topping
In a bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat cream and powdered sugar on high until the whip cream is stiff.  Add the preserves and beat in until there are stiff peaks.  Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.  Gently squeeze and release the bag to create small stars covering the top and the out ring on the bottom of the cheesecake.