Strawberry Shortcake

PRINT Strawberry Shortcake Yield: 6 to 9 shortcakes # of Servings: 6 to 9 Method: Biscuit Difficulty: Easy Ingredients Shortcake Biscuits:2 cup (9.3 oz / 263 g) pastry, or all-purpose flour1 tbl (.5 oz / 14 g) baking powder¾ tsp salt3 tbl (1.35 oz / 38 g) sugar 8 tbl (4 oz / 113 g)…

Read More

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcake is one of the first desserts that comes to mind when thinking about how to end a meal with this wonderful berry. It’s a timeless classic—simple, yet elegant—and a celebration of early summer when strawberries are at their most fragrant and flavorful. Strawberry shortcake dates back to at least the mid-1800s in America,…

Read More

Strawberry Lemon Napoleons

PRINT Strawberry Lemon Napoleons Yield: 12 # of Servings: 12 Difficulty:  Advanced Ingredients 18 oz Puff Pastry  or 1 box store bought frozen puff pastry 1 recipe Lemon Curd, or good quality store bought 1 ¼ cup (10 fl oz) heavy cream3 ea (.25 oz / 7 g) sheets gold leaf gelatin1 Cold water, as…

Read More

Strawberry Lemon Napoleons

Strawberry Lemon Napoleons are a bright, elegant twist on the classic French Napoleon (Mille-feuille). Crisp layers of puff pastry are filled with tangy lemon cream and sweet, juicy strawberries—ideally fresh from a local farm. The lemon cream gets its luscious texture from gently whipped cream folded into lemon curd, stabilized with just a touch of…

Read More

Bullseye Cheesecake

PRINT Bullseye Cheesecake Yield: 1 9” cake roll # of Servings: 8 Method: Creaming Difficulty: Easy Ingredients 2 lb cream cheese (907g) (Philadelphia brand preferred), soft room temperature1¼ cup sour cream¼ tsp salt4 large eggs, lightly beaten1 tsp vanilla extract¼ tsp almond extract ⅔ cup (4.7 oz / 133 g) granulated sugar⅔ cup (4.7 oz…

Read More

Bullseye Cheesecake

I finally worked up the courage to try the Bullseye Cheesecake, from Maida Heatter’s Great American Desserts, and I’m so glad I did. How she figured out that pouring two different batters in succession into the center of a cheesecake pan would naturally spread out to form perfect concentric rings is a mystery. But thank…

Read More

Pecan Ginger Cake Roulade

PRINT Pecan Ginger Cake Roulade Yield: 1 9” cake roll # of Servings: 8 Method: Separated Egg Sponge Difficulty: Moderate Ingredients Cake:6 large egg yolks4 ½ tsp (.7 oz / 20 g) sugar ½ cup + 4 tsp (2.3 oz / 65 g) pecan flour 6 large egg whites¼ tsp salt3 tbl (1.5 oz /…

Read More

Pecan Ginger Roulade

The cake roll, or roulade, has European roots dating back to the 19th century. It’s most closely associated with Central European baking traditions—particularly in Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland—where sponge cakes filled with jam or cream were popular in home kitchens and coffeehouses. One of the most famous roulades is the Bûche de Noël, or Yule…

Read More

Commissary Carrot Cake

A cake with carrots on top of it.

PRINT Commissary Carrot Cake Yield: One 10“cake # of servings: 16 – 18 Difficulty:  Moderate Ingredients: Pecan Cream Filling:  1 ½ cup (10.5 oz / 298 g) granulated sugar ¼ cup (1/15 oz / 33 g) all-purpose flour ½ tsp salt 1 ½ cup (12 fl oz) heavy cream 12 tbl (6 oz) unsalted butter,…

Read More

Commissary Carrot Cake

A cake with carrots on top of it.

The Commissary was one of the gems of the vibrant Center City Philadelphia restaurant scene in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. Located on Sansom Street, it was a place to meet friends for a casual dinner or sit by yourself in the back and peruse the cook books. For a quick breakfast, there was brioche…

Read More