I know what some of you are thinking.
Do I have to serve dessert? And the answer is no, you absolutely do not. I mean, you probably vacuumed before inviting all these people over, which is already a lot. Yet I am an enthusiastic sucker for ritual, and there is no greater ritual than the sweet snack at the end of a meal, a lovely punctuation mark to signal the close of an evening—the proverbial (sometimes literal) cherry on top.
Similar to those in the snack chapter, the recipes here are designed with do-ability in mind, given all the other things you’ve got going on. They’re a combination of “you can bake this—yes, even you” recipes, kind-of-thrown-together recipes, and also simple ideas that aren’t really recipes at all. Regardless, I’d describe all the desserts here as crowd-pleasing—familiar riffs on classics that I updated for my taste, which skews salty, tart, and bitter. For the procrastinators (raises hand), most of these recipes can be made day of and served that evening. For those who want to get ahead, you can do that, too, with most of these recipes.
If actual honest-to-god desserts just aren’t your thing, there’s also a very strong argument for serving a classy amaro as dessert, because, well, it’s your party and you’ll drink if you want to. Truly something for everyone.
Crushed Blackberry and Cornmeal Cake
serves 8 to 10
I would call this a “snacking cake” rather than a true dessert cake, which to me implies that it’s a lightly sweetened situation, made for nibbling and coffee drinking, and maybe a long lingering conversation about gratitude or the merits of leaving it all behind to go live in a cabin in the woods. If you like cornbread but wish it were sweeter and less crumbly, maybe studded with lots of sweet-tart crushed berries, then you will absolutely love this cake. And hey, if not, you’ll probably still love this cake.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus softened butter for greasing the pan and for serving (optional)
2 pints fresh blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
½ cup buttermilk (see this page)
¼ cup canola oil
Good-quality honey (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan with softened butter or nonstick cooking spray.
2 Place the blackberries and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a medium bowl and, using your hands (or a fork), crush the berries just to break them up a bit and release their juices.
3 Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and remaining ⅓ cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl.
4 Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together in another medium bowl or measuring cup. Whisk into the dry ingredients until just barely combined, then add the melted butter and the oil, whisking until no obvious lumps or dry spots remain. Add half of the crushed berries and gently fold, encouraging the streaking of juices.
5 Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and scatter the top with the remaining berries and their juices. Bake until the edges of the cake start to pull away from the sides of the pan and are turning a nice deep golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating with some nice honey and softened butter, if you like.
DO AHEAD This cake is best eaten in the first 48 hours. Keep it wrapped tightly at room temperature.
Coconut Banana Cream Pudding
serves 8 to 12
Pudding is like a very soft and comfortable sweater that you like wearing around the house but wouldn’t necessarily wear to, say, a party. In other words, it’s not much to look at, but layer that pudding with limey bananas and whipped tangy yogurt, and top it with a festive maraschino cherry, and all of a sudden it’s like in the movies when the “nerdy girl” takes off her glasses, lets her hair down, and reveals that she was, indeed, “a total babe” this whole time.
The most annoying part of making this dessert is the fact that you’ve got to use a lot of bowls, which I admit is pretty annoying. So first and foremost, thanks for playing along; you may be spending the whole day washing bowls, but you won’t be sorry at the end of it all, because you’ll have a lot of delicious coconut banana cream pudding. Anyway, the great part about this whole thing is that from there, it’s an extremely casual assembly. No need to measure or ration, no tools required other than a spoon, plus you can truly use anything you like to house the pudding—a fun bowl, a trifle dish, a springform pan, a bucket. Whatever you have will work, and it’ll be great! Remember, this is fun, okay?
FOR THE PUDDING
8 large egg yolks
⅓ cup cornstarch
¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
2 cups heavy cream
2 (14-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of ground turmeric (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
¼ cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, softened
FOR THE ASSEMBLY
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
6 firm bananas, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 (11-ounce) box Nilla wafers or graham crackers
Maraschino cherries (optional)
Toasted coconut flakes or chocolate for shaving (optional)
1 Make the pudding. Whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch, and half of the granulated sugar in a medium bowl until pale and fluffy.
2 Heat the cream, coconut milk, remaining granulated sugar, salt, and the turmeric and vanilla, if using, in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir and heat until just simmering.
3 Slowly and gradually whisk about half of the cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture (this is to prevent the egg yolks from cooking). Then, stir the warmed egg yolk mixture into the pot with the cream and, whisking constantly, cook until it thickens and starts to bubble up and look like something that is so hot it could hurt you if it touched your skin (it can, so be careful!!!), 3 to 5 minutes.
4 Remove from the heat and whisk in the brown sugar and butter, whisking, whisking, whisking until the brown sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted.
5 Transfer the pudding to a baking dish (you can use a bowl if you don’t have one, but basically this pudding should cool as quickly as possible so you want to use something wider than it is deep). Place plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding (to prevent that inevitable weird pudding skin) and place in the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 1 hour (depending on your fridge).
6 Assemble the dessert. Using an electric mixer or a whisk and good ol’ fashioned elbow grease, whip the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until medium-stiff peaks form. Gently whisk in the yogurt.
7 Toss the bananas and lime juice together in a medium bowl. This will make them taste very good and prevent browning.
8 Take out whatever fun vessel you’ll be using for this assembly and spoon a bit of the coconut pudding on the bottom, followed by a layer of wafers, followed by a layer of bananas, followed by a layer of whipped cream mixture. Repeat this until you’ve filled the whole vessel, ending with the whipped cream. Do not worry about getting the layers totally even, that is not the point; just eyeball it to make sure you won’t run out of anything while building the layers (but if you did, not the end of the world).
9 Chill the assembled pudding at least 2 hours, until everything is set and kind of settled into each other. When you’re ready to serve, top with whatever you feel like—say, a maraschino cherry, toasted coconut flakes, or even some shaved chocolate. Serve with a large serving spoon and a few bowls, or just set out multiple spoons and eat directly out of the vessel. We’re all friends here!
DO AHEAD The filling can be made up to 3 days ahead, wrapped, and refrigerated. The banana pudding can be assembled a day ahead—any more than that and the wafers will become almost “too soft,” if there is such a thing.
Sour Cherry and Sesame Galette
serves 6 to 8
I typically do not condone the double-crust galette (because, then, isn’t it just a pie?), but the idea for this recipe came about after attempting to eat a galette with juicy cherries and having the cherries fall all over me, staining my clothes. “What if instead of a galette, it was a giant pop tart?” I thought. So I present to you something that is galette in spirit, pop tart in theory, and pepperoni pizza in appearance (which was an accident, but now that I’ve said it, you can’t un-see it).
Because it is still galette in spirit, it should have enough holes cut from the top so that the filling can bubble up and breathe, and the whole thing can maintain what makes a galette great, which is the correct ratio of filling to crust. If you don’t own tiny cookie cutters for cutting out small holes, things like a water bottle cap work surprisingly well. Alternatively, use a knife to make dramatically thick slits.
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 recipe (2 discs) The Only Pie Crust (this page)
3 pounds fresh sour cherries, pitted
¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
⅓ cup tahini
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
Flaky sea salt
1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2 Lightly flour a large work surface. Working with 1 disc of dough at a time, roll out 2 circles about 16 inches each in diameter, give or take an inch or two. Place one crust on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and have the other alongside on the work surface.
3 Working with the crust on the work surface, use a tiny circle/square/rectangle/triangle/heart/star cutter (about 1 inch) or the cap of a plastic water bottle, or whatever sharp-edged circle is close to 1 inch in diameter, to cut out many small shapes, taking care to leave about a 3-inch border of uncut dough. You can save these scraps and make snacks later or eat the raw dough, which is something I do (and which I can’t technically advise doing, but just letting you know it is delicious).
4 Toss the cherries, ¾ cup of the sugar, and the lemon zest and juice in a large bowl.
5 Spread the tahini on the crust that’s on the baking sheet, leaving a 3-inch border all around (like you’re saucing a pizza!). Place the cherries on top of the tahini, making sure they stay within that 3-inch border.
6 Brush the edges of the crust with the egg wash, then place the other crust with the holes on top of the fruit, pressing to make sure the plain edges stick together. Fold the edges up all around onto each other, pressing with each fold to create a seal (like if you were making a regular galette). Brush the entire top with the egg wash, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds, the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, and a bit of flaky salt.
7 Bake the galette, rotating if your oven has hot spots, until the top crust is beginning to turn a nice golden brown and the filling starts to bubble up slightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375°F and continue to bake until the crust is baked through and is the color of a deeply golden brown, well-baked croissant, another 20 to 25 minutes.
8 Let the galette cool slightly before slicing into wedges, which will look like pepperoni pizza slices. Do not apologize for this!
DO AHEAD Galette can be baked up to 2 days ahead, wrapped tightly, and stored at room temperature.
NOTE An excellent task to outsource, pitting cherries is quite literally the pits. Note that most fruit will work here, just cut into cherry-sized pieces before proceeding.
Upside-Down Apricot Tart
serves 6 to 8
Puff pastry is one of those store-bought ingredients that makes you look like a better baker than you are. There are varying degrees of quality among the brands to be found in grocery stores (I prefer Dufour), but honestly most do their job of puffing up to a tall, crispy pastry. While I do love the idea of making my own, I’m uh…never gonna do that. But what I will do is open a package, remove the dough, flatten it out on a counter, place it atop some caramelized fruit, and bake it until it gets all puffed, golden, and shatteringly crispy. Sure, you could use apples, but they never really achieve what an apricot can do, which is give you something that is perfectly jammy, joyfully acidic, and fantastically saucy, all at once. Plus, no pre-bake required.
For those paying attention, yes, you could call this a tarte tatin, but I’m calling it an upside-down apricot tart because to me, tarte tatin is a specific thing made with apples. Since this isn’t that, I rebranded out of respect. Anyway, this is the perfect dessert for those who can bake and those who can’t, since regardless of what goes on top, the combination of apricots + butter + sugar + flaky pastry in any preparation is not bad—in fact, it is very good. (Note: It can also be made with plums! That’s cool, right?)
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Flaky sea salt
1 pound fresh apricots or plums (about 6 apricots or 4 plums), halved lengthwise and pitted
1 (14-ounce) box puff pastry (1 sheet)
All-purpose flour, for dusting
¼ cup pistachios, very finely chopped (optional)
Ice cream or whipped cream (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2 Heat the honey, sugar, and water in a small pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture goes from a pale golden brown watery syrup to a dark amber caramel (you’re making a caramel, but because of the honey, it can be hard to tell when the color changes, so think the color of good-quality maple syrup).
3 Remove from heat and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, add the butter, vinegar, and a pinch of flaky salt, letting it bubble up, stirring and swirling to incorporate. Pour this now-opaque caramel into a 9- or 10-inch round cake pan, tart pan, or skillet (the possibilities are endless!), swirling to make sure it evenly coats the bottom of the pan.
4 Lay the apricots cut side down in the pan, letting them overlap slightly, if needed. If you seem to have too many apricots to fit in the pan you have, enjoy the rest as a snack.
5 Take the puff pastry out of the box and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Depending on the brand, it’ll likely be a rectangle or a square, so lightly roll the edges to a circle-ish shape and smooth any obvious creases so that the pastry bakes evenly. Using scissors or a knife, trim the pastry so that it’s about 1 inch larger than the circumference of the pan (it does not have to be a perfect circle). Place the pastry on top of the apricots, letting it slump up the sides but not hang over (the pastry will shrink as it bakes, so you need a bit of excess dough to compensate).
6 Bake until the pastry is puffed and starting to turn a light golden brown (think the color of shortbread), 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until the pastry looks more like a well-baked croissant and the fruit below is bubbling furiously and deliciously, another 25 to 30 minutes.
7 Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, just to cool the caramel a bit. To invert, place a plate that is at least as large as the pan you’re using (but better if it’s a little larger) on top of the pastry. With dish towels or oven mitts, flip the tart over so that the bottom is now the top. Pick up the pan, leaving the fruit and delicious crust and tangy sauce to drip all over everything.
8 Serve with pistachios and more flaky salt sprinkled over, or with ice cream or whipped cream on the side, or with literally nothing at all, because it is truly perfect as is.
DO AHEAD You can bake this tart a few hours ahead, but do not invert it until you’re ready to serve. If the caramel has set too firmly to release from the pan, pop it in a 375°F oven for 5 minutes or so to warm and loosen up.
Casual Apple Tart with Caramelized Buttermilk
serves 4 to 6
There are a lot of things you can do with apples, but none of them interests me as much as scattering them onto a flaky crust and baking them till they’re tender. I call this a casual tart rather than any number of other names that would be fitting, because I want you to feel free to slice the apples however you want, roll the dough into whatever shape pleases you, and carry on to make your own version of what is surely a casual (and delicious) apple tart.
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, cardamom, and/or ginger (optional)
½ recipe (1 disc) The Only Pie Crust (this page)
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 pounds firm tart apples (such as Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Winesap, or Gold Rush), unpeeled, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
⅓ cup buttermilk (see this page)
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2 Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until melted and starting to foam up and brown, 3 to 4 minutes (whisk the butter from time to time so that the solids don’t stick to the bottom). Remove from the heat, add the spices (if using), and set aside.
3 Gently roll out the dough (1 disc) onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to about ⅛-inch thickness in any shape you like (irregular circle, rectangle, square, whatever!).
4 Leaving a 2-inch border on all sides, arrange the apples on top, either preciously shingled or haphazardly scattered. Brush the apples with the browned butter and sprinkle with ¼ cup of the sugar.
5 Fold the edges of the dough up over the apples and brush the dough with the buttermilk followed by the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Sprinkle everything with flaky sea salt and black pepper. Transfer the tart on the parchment to a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the entire crust is deeply golden brown and the apples are tender and cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool before slicing and eating in any manner that feels casual and appropriate.
DO AHEAD Tart can be baked 2 days ahead, wrapped tightly, and kept at room temperature.
NOTE The secret upgrade here is the buttermilk, which is used instead of an egg wash (although that would work, of course). As the tart bakes, the sugars in the buttermilk caramelize, lending a crystallized texture and faintly tart but deeply milky flavor—perfect with lightly cinnamon-flavored and delightfully tender apples, which reminds me every time of eating a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The highest of compliments.
fruit on ice
Unless you’re Chez Panisse, the concept of serving simple fruit for dessert could be mistaken as a bit phoned in. Fruit on ice, however, like anything “on ice,” seems a bit more magical, a bit more spectacular. Plus, “on ice” is half décor (so sparkly!), half practical (sooo cold!). Doing this is obviously simple, since as the title would suggest, all you need is fruit and ice.
The fruit should be ripe and juicy, served raw and unadulterated. If the fruit is already bite-sized, like perfect sour cherries or lovely, tiny plums, then they can be served whole. If the fruit is large, like pineapple or watermelon, then it should be cut into individual single-serve wedges or long, dramatic spears. If the fruit has a tendency to turn brown as it sits (apples, pears), they would like a squeeze of lemon or lime to keep them looking nice. Fruit that is too small, like blueberries, should be avoided, as you’ll spend all your time digging around in very cold ice looking for a tiny berry, which would be about as fun as it sounds. Mushy fruit like bananas are not allowed here.
The ice itself should not be too small or it will melt too quickly (this is not a snow cone, this is Fruit on Ice), nor should it be too large, or the fruit won’t properly nestle in, chilling as intended (save the large cubes for cocktails). Aside from that, all you need is a (preferably wide, shallow) bowl large enough to hold all your Fruit on Ice dreams. As the ice melts, it’s nice to add more as needed and get rid of any excess water so the fruit doesn’t end up sitting in a swimming pool of water.
Crispy Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut and Sour Cream
serves 8 to 10
I first published this recipe in Bon Appétit circa 2013 (a.k.a. four thousand years ago), but since then I’ve made it even better. It’s got a crispy, crackly exterior with a magical, chocolatey interior that’s somehow simultaneously dense and light as hell. It’s also easy to make, with near-foolproof results.
Yes, the original version (inspired by Richard Sax’s “Cloud Cake”) was excellent, but this version is, dare I say, Much Better. First, there is Nutella in it; second, well, if you didn’t hear me the first time, I have put Nutella in it; third, I have also put Nutella in the whipped sour cream topping. In another world, that might be gilding the lily, but not in this world! Less sexily, there is also the addition of nut flour, which gives the whole thing a bit more body with a denser-in-a-good-way texture.
Yes, this cake is gluten-free, but not by design, which is to say I would never call this a gluten-free cake, lest the gluten lovers feel like they are missing out on something potentially better (there isn’t).
FOR THE CAKE
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for the pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, at least 67% cacao, finely chopped
½ cup Nutella, hazelnut spread, almond butter, or tahini (see Note)
6 large eggs
½ cup hazelnut or almond flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
FOR THE TOPPING/ACCOMPANIMENT
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup Nutella
Brandied, maraschino, or Luxardo cherries (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with softened butter or nonstick cooking spray. (You can use any 9-inch cake pan, but line it with parchment paper with some overhang so you can easily remove the finished cake.) Sprinkle the inside with sugar and rotate the pan to coat the bottom and sides evenly; tap out excess.
2 Make the cake. Combine the chocolate, Nutella, and butter in a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a small pot of simmering water and heat, stirring often, until the chocolate and butter have melted and you can stir everything together to a smooth, creamy mixture. Remove from the heat and set aside. (Alternatively, microwave in 30-second increments until evenly melted.)
3 Separate 4 of the eggs, placing the whites in a large mixing bowl (either a bowl fitted for a stand mixer or a bowl large enough to handle a hand mixer). Place the yolks in another large bowl and add the hazelnut flour, cocoa powder, salt, and the remaining 2 whole eggs and whisk to blend well. Using a spatula, gently and gradually mix the egg yolk mixture into the melted chocolate mixture (don’t use a whisk here; the batter is quite thick and will get stuck in the wires).
4 With the mixer on high, beat the egg whites. When they start to get light and foamy, gradually add ¾ cup sugar, a tablespoon or two at a time, and continue to beat until egg whites have tripled in volume and are light, fluffy, opaque, and hold stiff peaks. They should look like a very good meringue that you could frost a cake with (that’s not what you’ll be doing, but just saying).
5 Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just combined and no obvious white streaks remain (this will look cool—maybe take a picture!); avoid overmixing (that would deflate all that air you worked so hard to build into those egg whites).
6 Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top looks puffed and lightly cracked, like a soufflé (it should still have a little jiggle), 35 to 40 minutes.
7 Let cool completely (if you have a wire rack, use it). During this time, something seemingly tragic will happen—the center of the cake will collapse, causing further cracking around the edges. This is the intended effect, so don’t worry—it’s where those crispy edges come from, the reason we are all here.
8 Prepare the topping/accompaniment. Using an electric mixer (or a good old-fashioned whisk and elbow grease), whip the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until you’ve got medium-stiff peaks, then whisk in the sour cream. For a streaky effect, fold in the Nutella using a spatula or if, you know, who cares, just whisk it in. Use this mixture to top the cake, but I prefer to eat it on the side (so as to not ruin the cake’s crispy texture) with some delicious cherries for snacking on in between bites.
DO AHEAD You can bake this cake up to 2 days ahead, wrap it tightly, and store at room temperature.
NOTE Using an unsweetened spread like almond butter or tahini will give you a slightly less sweet version of this cake, which for my taste, is still perfectly sweet enough.
Sweet and Salty Cream Cheese Tart
serves 8 to 10
Ask me what my dream dessert is and I’ll tell you it’s cheese. Just cheese (my first love), or any dessert that heavily features the stuff, such as cheesecake. However, and stay with me here, I truly believe that a classic cheesecake is just: Too. Much. Cheesecake. My perfect specimen has a thicker crust (made with something buttery, salty, and sandy-crumbed like Ritz crackers or Nilla Wafers) and about half the filling as a traditional one, yielding a better crust-to-filling ratio. (You can eat a lot more slices that way.)
While cream cheese is the default here since it’s the most widely available, I will say that if you are able to make this tart with labne, you will be very glad you did. The tart will be a bit saltier, a touch smoother, and a whole lot tangier. Oh, and you absolutely do not need to bake this tart in a water bath, a technique that gets filed directly under “Yeah, I’m not gonna do that.”
FOR THE CRUST
5 ounces Ritz crackers or Nilla wafers (see Note)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of kosher salt
FOR THE FILLING
1 pound (2 8-ounce packages) full-fat cream cheese, preferably room temperature, or 2 cups labne
1 cup sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons fresh grapefruit, lemon, lime, or orange juice
Flaky sea salt
Fresh citrus, halved or sliced (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2 Make the crust. Pulse the crackers in a food processor until you’ve got a fine crumb (crumb, not powder!); you can also do this by hand by placing the crackers in a resealable bag and crushing or smashing with a skillet or rolling pin. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the brown sugar and butter, followed by the salt. Using your hands, mix until the crumbs are evenly coated and you have a wet sand texture.
4 Press the crust into an unlined 9-inch tart or springform pan, or cake pan lined with parchment. You can use a lined 8-inch square baking pan here, although expect a slightly thicker outcome (maybe that is your preference). Using the bottom of a measuring cup or small bowl, really press the crumb mixture in there—otherwise it can be challenging to cut later on.
5 Bake the crust until it’s lightly golden brown at the edges (it gets baked one more time, so best not to overdo it here), 10 to 15 minutes.
6 Make the filling. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until impossibly smooth and well blended, scraping down the sides as needed to incorporate any stubborn chunks of cream cheese. Add the eggs, grapefruit juice, and a pinch of salt, and keep processing until it’s even smoother and creamier than before (a miracle!).
7 Pour into the baked crust and bake until the whole thing is set and no longer jiggles when tapped, 25 to 35 minutes (it should not brown at all).
8 Turn the oven off and open the door a crack. Let the tart sit in there for about 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack on a counter to cool completely. Then place in the fridge to chill at least 1 hour (this gradual cooling is to prevent any unsightly cracks from appearing on the surface, which can happen when there is a sudden or drastic change in temperature).
9 To serve, sprinkle with a little flaky salt and serve with some fresh citrus of your choosing, if you like.
DO AHEAD Tart can be baked up to 3 days ahead, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated. Cream cheese tends to pick up what I affectionately call “fridge flavors” easily, so make sure it’s really wrapped well.
NOTE I am generally a fair and flexible person when it comes to ingredients. However, with the advent of private label “vanilla wafers” and “Ritz-esque” crackers, I have to mention that I tested this recipe with only name brands (Nabisco, in both cases), which I find to be reliable. I cannot attest to the success with any other brand, unfortunately, so proceed at your own risk.
Sheet Cake with Mascarpone and Coffee
serves 6 to 10
If this feels like a trick to get you to make tiramisu, then you are correct. Many people don’t like tiramisu, and that’s because often it is bad. Too dry or too soggy, too sweet or too boozy—there’s a lot that can go wrong. But if you think of it as a very good angel food cake delicately soaked with bitter espresso and layered with a barely sweetened, custardy, pillowy mascarpone, then you may be open to the possibility that you do, indeed, love tiramisu.
I first saw this “instead of individual cakes, make one big cake” technique employed by one of my favorite people and chefs, Brooks Headley, of Superiority Burger fame. Not only does it make more sense to soak one large thing rather than dip many small things, it makes for a better cake-to-cream ratio and, thus, more enjoyable to eat.
FOR THE CREAM
4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar, divided
½ cup heavy cream
Kosher salt
Vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (optional)
2 cups (16 ounces) mascarpone
FOR THE ASSEMBLY
1¾ cups good espresso or very strong coffee (see Note)
2 tablespoons rum, whiskey, or cognac
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
Almost Angel Food Cake (this page) or 1 (7-ounce) package of ladyfingers (about 24)
1 Make the cream. Using a stand mixer or an electric hand beater, in a medium bowl, whip the egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar until very pale yellow, tripled in volume, and holds a slight ribbon when the beaters are lifted. Transfer to a large bowl.
2 Whip the cream, a pinch of salt, the vanilla bean, if using, and the remaining ¼ cup sugar in the mixer bowl until you’ve got soft peaks. Add the mascarpone and continue to whip until you’ve got a soft, pillowy mixture with medium peaks.
3 Assemble. Combine the espresso and rum in a small bowl. Using a sifter or powdered sugar shaker, dust the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder.
4 Place half of the cake (or a layer of ladyfingers) in the bottom of the baking dish and, using a spoon or pastry brush, douse with half the espresso mixture. Evenly spread half the mascarpone mixture onto the cake, and repeat with the remaining cake, espresso, and mascarpone mixtures. Dust the top layer with the remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
DO AHEAD You can make this 1 to 2 days ahead.
NOTE I get this at a coffee shop since I never seem to brew my coffee strong enough.
Salted Honey Panna Cotta with Crushed Raspberries
serves 6 to 10
Panna cotta is the ultimate low-fuss, high-reward dessert. It's a bit like a slice of pizza: even when it’s mediocre, it’s still pretty good, but when it’s great, it’s transcendent. To qualify as such, it’s gotta be barely set and just sweet enough. It should go without saying that the quality of the dairy is important here, but as anyone who’s opened a fresh carton of heavy cream and licked the top knows, any heavy cream, without even trying, is spectacular.
While these can be made in any small bowl or glass you own, aim for short and wide as opposed to tall and thin for the fastest chilling and best eating experience.
1 (¼-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin powder
¼ cup water
3 cups heavy cream, divided
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey, plus more for garnish
1 cup buttermilk (see this page)
1 cup sour cream
½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (optional)
Pinch of kosher salt
6 ounces fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or fresh lime or lemon juice
1 Sprinkle the envelope of gelatin over the water and let sit 2 or 3 minutes to soften and hydrate (so that it doesn’t clump).
2 Add the squishy gelatin to a small pot along with ½ cup cream and ½ cup honey. Heat over low heat, swirling the pot until the gelatin is totally dissolved, making sure not to simmer.
3 Gently whisk the buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, if using, remaining 2½ cups cream, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
4 Slowly whisk the warm gelatin mixture into the buttermilk mixture, taking care not to whisk too hard or else it’ll trap air bubbles (you don’t want that). Divide the mixture among 6 to 10 glasses. Chill until the panna cotta is set, at least 1 hour.
5 Meanwhile, place the raspberries, vinegar, and remaining 2 tablespoons honey in a medium bowl. Using a fork, crush the fruit to release the juices. Serve the panna cotta topped with the crushed raspberry mixture, additional honey, or nothing at all.
DO AHEAD The panna cotta mixture can be made 5 days ahead; it keeps well in a plastic container and can be warmed to a liquid, poured into individual serving glasses, and chilled before serving.
NOTE Panna cotta translates directly to “cooked cream,” but the funny thing is that the cream in a panna cotta should never be cooked, as that would change the flavor of the cream. Isn’t that funny? I mean, not funny ha-ha, but, you know.
Torn Plum Browned-Butter Cake
serves 6 to 8
If you are a fan of summer desserts, you may be familiar with Marian Burros’s famous Plum Torte, first published in the New York Times in 1983. Her dessert and this cake both feature plums sunken into a batter and baked, but they are very different. For anyone keeping track, the batter here, featuring egg whites, browned butter, and almond flour, is more financier (chewy, dense, buttery, nutty) than a torte (which has a more straightforward pound cake texture). Both are excellent and should coexist in your summer baking repertoire.
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
¾ cup almond flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more for the top
5 large egg whites
¼ cup honey
1½ pounds plums, pitted and torn or cut into bite-sized pieces (see Note)
¼ cup demerara sugar
1 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish or an 8- or 9-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, if you like.
2 Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until melted and starting to foam and brown, 3 to 4 minutes (whisking occasionally so the solids don’t stick to the bottom of the pot). Let cool.
3 Whisk the flours, salt, and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg whites and honey, and whisk to blend until no lumps remain.
4 Using a spatula, gently fold in the browned butter.
5 Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter the plums over, making sure they’re evenly distributed (whether the torn sides are up or down doesn’t matter), and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
6 Bake, rotating the cake once, until the edges are deeply browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before cutting into whatever shapes your heart desires.
DO AHEAD Cake can be baked up to 3 days ahead, wrapped tightly, and stored at room temperature.
NOTE I have a fondness for plums because their color speaks to my soul, especially when baked and they get all jammy and tie-dyed looking. But you can feel good about using any excruciatingly ripe stone fruit, berries, or pears you can get your hands on.
Hibiscus-Roasted Peaches with Brown-Sugar Bread Crumbs
serves 4 to 8
For all this talk about how I don’t care for sweets, I have an alarming amount of cereal that could be described as “probably for children” in my pantry. Since that’s filed under “personal snack,” I made these salty, lightly sweetened, buttery bread crumbs to serve to and eat in front of others. They are perfect eaten a million different ways (including out of hand), but I find them best eaten as I would cereal: swimming in a pool of dairy.
The peaches are also a very “nothing fancy” mood, taking no time to prepare but looking and tasting extremely special. Served warm, room temperature, or chilled, they are roasted just long enough to get their juices flowing, creating a highly tangy, vibrantly fuchsia sauce—ideal for spooning over ice cream and sprinkling with those bread crumbs I can’t stop talking about.
FOR THE BREAD CRUMBS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (see this page) or panko
¼ cup light brown sugar
Flaky sea salt
FOR THE PEACHES AND ASSEMBLY
2 pounds ripe peaches or nectarines, halved and pitted
½ cup granulated sugar, plus more as needed (see Note)
¼ cup hibiscus (Jamaica) flowers (see Note)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
Vanilla or whatever flavor ice cream you fancy
1 Make the bread crumbs. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fresh bread crumbs and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread crumbs start to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the brown sugar and continue to cook until the brown sugar has begun to caramelize as the bread crumbs take on a deep golden brown color, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with flaky salt.
2 Preheat the oven to 400°F.
3 For the peaches and assembly. Place the peaches, cut side down, in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with the sugar and add the hibiscus, lemon juice, and water.
4 Roast the peaches, without turning, until the edges are bubbling and a good, syrupy sauce has formed in the baking dish, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve the peaches over ice cream and topped with bread crumbs.
DO AHEAD Bread crumbs can be made up to 4 days ahead, wrapped, and stored at room temperature. Peaches can be roasted up to 2 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated.
NOTE If the peaches you’re using are especially tart or hard and out of season, then you may want to add another tablespoon or two of sugar to compensate.
Dried hibiscus flowers (a.k.a. sorrel) are available in Latin and Caribbean grocery stores and in the tea aisle at most other grocery stores.
after-dinner drinks
More often than not, instead of cake, I will be offering you a classy, boozy beverage for dessert. Specifically a syrupy, botanical-laced amaro or punchy, smooth-not-smoky mezcal. But like cake, there is still a ritualistic element to this end-of-the-night beverage (and I love a ritual), plus some herbal liqueurs can most definitely work to aid digestion (it’s science!). That, and a woman cannot survive on natural wine alone. (I have tried, and it did not go well.) Having a few nice, unique bottles in your possession means that even if you didn’t make anything for dessert, you’ll always have a little sweet something to bring out at the end of a meal—plus the bottles, which last an eternity, will look great on your shelf.
Along with the bottles of amaro, mezcal, scotch, or whiskey, I’ll set out a few tiny glasses, a bowl of ice and, depending on how things went up until that point, perhaps a little plate of sliced oranges or lemon peels.
As long as you’re sipping (never slamming), there’s no wrong or right way to drink these drinks (straight up, on the rocks, with a twist, without). Each person can customize their experience based on preference. For those not indulging or who perhaps need a little end-of-night break, I like to offer non-alcoholic digestive bitters dashed into club soda over ice.
Since all of these spirits’ flavor profiles and bitterness levels can vary wildly, I recommend asking someone at a wine or spirits store you trust and tell them what kinds of vibe you’re into—spicy? citrusy? boozy? licorice-y?—to better guide you toward something you’ll love.
Tiny, Salty, Chocolatey Cookies
makes 24 cookies
I am not a chocolate person, but there are some occasions when I want a lightly sweet, definitely salty, chocolatey little something. In those moments, there is nothing better than this something, which I can best describe as the edges of a chewy brownie but in cookie form.
No special equipment, fancy techniques, or chilling time are needed, which means that even if you only bake cookies once a year, you can still make these. Perfect for the end of a meal, when you, too, have decided you’ve just got to have a chocolatey little something.
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (see Note)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 67% cacao), chopped
½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans, or walnuts (optional)
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon or Jacobsen
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2 Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat, swirling, until starting to foam and brown, 3 to 4 minutes (whisk the butter from time to time so that the solids don’t stick to the bottom of the pot). Let cool.
3 Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl, ridding it of as many lumps as possible (if you really want to, feel free to sift everything).
4 Using a spatula, mix in the egg whites, whole egg, and browned butter, stirring until you’ve got a good, smooth-ish mixture (any small lumps will take care of themselves), followed by the chocolate and any nuts you may want to add.
5 Using a spoon, drop quarter-sized blobs of dough (the texture is really somewhere between a dough and a batter), spacing about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet (they spread a lot). Sprinkle with flaky salt and bake until the cookies have flattened considerably and look baked through and a little wrinkled, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool before eating so they can firm up.
DO AHEAD Cookies can be baked up to 2 days ahead, wrapped tightly, and stored at room temperature.
NOTE This is the time to invest in some high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, since that’s mostly what you’ll be tasting here (that, and browned butter).
Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake
makes 1 loaf
I don’t want to oversell this cake, but I just want to say that it’s one of the more delicious things I’ve made in my lifetime. I refer to it as “house cake,” which is of course, cake to keep in your house at all times. I am not what I would call an earnest person, but in all earnestness just slicing into it makes a bad day better, the baked equivalent of burning sage or palo santo to clear the energy. It travels well, and can truly be brought anywhere for any occasion, but most of the time it never makes it out of my apartment.
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
¾ cup sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt, plus more for serving (optional)
2 large eggs
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
Whipped cream (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 by 4-inch loaf pan (see Note) with nonstick cooking spray or butter, and line it with parchment, leaving some overhang on both of the longer sides so you’re able to easily lift the cake out after baking.
2 Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and turmeric in a medium bowl.
3 In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar with the lemon zest and rub together with your fingertips until the sugar is tinted yellow and smells like you just rubbed a lemon in there. Whisk in the sour cream, eggs, and the lemon juice until well blended.
4 Using a spatula, add the wet mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just to blend. Fold in the melted butter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Scatter the top with the lemon slices and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
5 Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown, the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. (I love deeply caramelized lemon, but if they’re getting too dark, lay a piece of foil on top to prevent burning.) Let cool before slicing.
DO AHEAD Cake can be baked up to 5 days ahead, wrapped tightly, and stored at room temperature.
NOTE For some reason, finding a standard-size loaf pan is nearly impossible, so get as close to these dimensions as you can. While you could use either a metal or a glass pan, I prefer metal because it conducts heat more evenly.
Almost Angel Food Cake
serves 8 to 10
This cake, while inspired by angel food cake, is not really angel food cake. But with its fluffy, egg-white batter, spongey, soakable texture, it almost is. Heavy on the vanilla and butter, the batter gets baked in a thin, even layer (as opposed to in a traditional thick angel food pan), giving you a golden brown, nearly crackling crust. Inside, it's porous and excellent for soaking—ideal for the faux tiramisu on this page or served with whipped cream and crushed berries.
1½ cups cake (not self-rising) or all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 large egg whites
1½ cups sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 18 x 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2 In a large bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together until no lumps remain. If you’d like, you can sift this mixture, knowing that this will be one of very few times I would even suggest such a thing; set aside.
3 In a small bowl, combine the butter, oil, and vanilla; set aside.
4 Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the egg whites till light, foamy, and frothy, a minute or two. Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon or so at a time, letting the egg whites get more opaque and voluminous between additions, until sugar is incorporated. Add the salt and lemon juice and beat to blend.
5 Using a spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg whites. Be gentle here, remembering that the goal is to keep this batter (and then the cake) as light, fluffy, and full of air as possible. Once the flour is nearly all the way incorporated, gently (!) fold in the butter mixture.
6 Spread out onto the prepared baking sheet, smoothing the top, and bake, rotating once, until golden brown and the cake is pulling away slightly from the sides of the pan, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool entirely.
DO AHEAD Cake can be baked 2 days ahead, kept wrapped tightly at room temperature.
NOTE If building this cake into another dessert is a step too many for you, you can simply bake this cake and serve it sliced with lots and lots of ice cream.
The Only Pie Crust
makes 2 discs of dough
There is a lot to say about pie crusts in general, but know that the most important thing is: Too much water is the enemy of a good flaky crust. Most add more water than needed because they think the dough is too dry or hard to work with, but a dough that has just been mixed will never be easy to work with—that’s why we rest it: to give it a chance to hydrate and relax; becoming easier to roll. So while it’s occasionally necessary to add a tablespoon or two more of water to get the dough feeling good, don’t go overboard!
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups (2 sticks plus 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, chilled
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
¼ cup ice water, plus more as needed
1 Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands, smash the butter between your palms and fingertips into the flour, creating long, thin, flaky bits. When most of it is incorporated and there are no large chunks remaining, dump the flour mixture onto a work surface.
2 Combine the vinegar with the ice water and drizzle it over the flour. Using the tips of your fingers, run your hands through the flour mixture. Do this a few more times, until it all starts coming together.
3 Using the palms of your hand, start kneading the dough, gathering up any dry bits from the bottom and placing them on the top to be incorporated. You can add 1, maybe 2 tablespoons water during this process if you feel the dough really needs it, but it should remain on the drier side (it will hydrate and become more tender as it rests).
4 When you’ve got a shaggy mass of dough (it will not be smooth and it certainly will not be shiny), knead it one or two more times, then divide in half. Pat each half into a flat disc, about 1 inch thick. Wrap each disc individually and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
DO AHEAD This dough can be made up to 4 days ahead, tightly wrapped, and stored in the refrigerator; or made 1 month ahead, tightly wrapped in a resealable plastic bag, and frozen.
NOTE This recipe was published in my first book, Dining In, and since I really, truly believe it is The Only Pie Crust, here it is again.
cleaning up nice
Cleaning up is a complicated and annoying thing that nobody wants to talk about. Doing dishes! That is not a sexy or cool topic, but we all have to do it, and if you’re doing it right, it can be the most fun part of your evening. Take advantage of the fact that everyone is probably a little tipsy, put on some Janet Jackson, and start! washing! dishes! What was once a kitchen nightmare is now a full-blown dishwashing dance party, and the best part is that you don’t have to do it alone. This is a technique I employ repeatedly and never feel the least bit guilty for it because everyone is having such a good time. (I swear! Right, guys? You like it, right?)
Of course, if at the end of the night, you’d all just really and truly rather not (I have been there—in fact, I am often there), waiting until the next morning to do dishes is fine. I just like to make sure that the table is at least cleared, the plates are at a minimum rinsed of food and stacked (because I am a Virgo and if I’m going to wake up to dirty dishes, at least they should be neatly stacked), and any edible food gets put away (because who doesn’t love leftovers?).
