Creamy almond cake with red currants and white chocolate

Ah, the red currants... best when grabbed straight from the bushes when spending Summers in the country... years ago.  Grandma doesn't have the garden anymore and I can't eat but a handful of them... too sour. Good news is, with the company of a little sugar and melted white chocolate, the red little fruit becomes a Summer bliss...

Almond chocolate cake with strawberries

My almond pulp desserts are getting better and ... cheesier.

Coffee semifreddo

Cold, creamy, thick cappuccino that you slice with a knife and serve on a plate...

Raspberry semifreddo

Julia made raspberry cream, Giada made samifreddo, I made raspberry semifreddo...

Semifreddo with caramelized nectarines and raspberries

Another one seen on Italian TV... and delizioso.

Baked apple puree

Tart apple mousse is the first thing on my menu when I feel below 50%. This one is especially good, smooth and vary tasty. No sugar added.

Chestnut-chocolate cream

I have been thinking about chestnuts ever since I had them in Rome...

Vanilla panna cotta with almond milk

The mystery of panna cotta (cooked cream) is solved! Even with a twist...

Duchess's cold cake

A week went by. One semifreddo dessert didn't set, the other one never intended to. I fed to the birds my strawberry muffins. My migraine came and went shaking up my diet like always. And then Summer came and shook it up even more. Cappuccino for breakfast and pizza on the balcony for dinner. With an ice cream cake in between.

Apples with amaretti filling

After a busy weekend, Monday came, like always. My supplies were down to two eggs, various cheeses, a couple of onions and three apples. My motivation was still in bed. I did manage to make a lentil/tomato soup, just to be a good mommy. But my appetite was calling for something else. I didn't know what but it had to be sweet. Mondays are hard enough, dessert is recommended. And I don't mean a piece of chocolate. That wouldn't do: too little too fast. I mean something to treat yourself without any afterthoughts involved. Pure pleasure. Pure like apples.

Chocolate-raspberry mascarpone dessert

Good I had girls over that evening. Otherwise, I would have eaten half of it while taking pictures. I'm not kidding. The cheesecake is delicious. Light and smooth with a subtle taste of mascarpone. More like a creamy dessert with a crust than a cake. Easy and fast, if you are not counting refrigeration time. But it's worth waiting, preferably overnight.

Raspberry cream with ladyfingers

I know, I know, it was supposed be a molded dessert, stand on its own, looking like a happy cake, with ladyfingers around it. And it probably would have been, if I had waited another 12 hours.

Cherry flan

It's not cherry season yet. But I've had enough of apple cakes and mousses. I wanted a bright color and a bit of Summer taste.

Custard filling

I went to the source for this recipe. There are so many around, who knows what real custard should be like. Well, I don't know either but I know, that Julia knows.

Chocolate mousse (fondant au chocolat)

I was looking for a mousse recipe that doesn't use sweet cream. I don't have far to go and get some. I don't have to get in the car, I don't have to drive to a nearest Wallmart and go through aisles and people and cash registers to get sweet cream. Still, when it's not in my fridge, I don't have it. I like my "I don't have it" challenges. I don't give up easily.

Avocado-chocolate mousse

I didn't feel like cake, muffins or cookies. Two squares of dark chocolate with my afternoon espresso - not again. I had two avocados getting just ripe. Mrs De Laurentiis gave me the idea to combine the two into a mousse. But the recipe came from me. I'm excited. Much to more fun to follow...me.

Chocolate tortino

Finally a chocolate dessert. A "tortino", it's kind of like a muffin but with a chocolate heart. Creamy, rich chocolate on the inside with a delicate crust on the outside. Nothing like I've ever made before. Very easy and fast but requires some attention to the timing. Otherwise, you'll just get a chocolate muffin all the way through.

Profiteroles

I always get up first in the morning. It's my time. It could only be 10 minutes sometimes, but I know I'm starting day fresh. I have my coffee, the cat is nice to me...all the other nice creatures in the house are still sleeping.

Ultimate cheesecake

American cheesecakes are the best. I have my favorite recipe that's always a hit...leaving us with no leftovers. But it takes 24 hours to make, so you have to plan way ahead. And wait...

Chocolate ganache cream

This is the best cream I've ever made. Nothing went to waste, all the tools and bowls are cleaned up, so good.