Hi everyone! I’m Rachel Danae from the blog Not Rachael Ray. I write about easy and delicious recipes.  I have a daughter and a slightly picky but extremely appreciative husband to feed every day. Oh, and I don’t really have anything against the superstar chef, in case you were wondering. I’m just not her. And …

Clafoutis are creamy, fluffy, custard-like cakes.  They’re easy to make, incredibly tasty, and traditionally made with cherries. We love this beautiful, delicious, and incredibly comforting wild huckleberry version. Drink Pairing: White Dessert Wine Ingredients:                                     Makes Six Servings 1 1/4 cup Huckleberries (fresh or thawed frozen) 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar …

This simple sorbet is refreshing and filled with the complex citrusy-floral flavor of yuzu fruit.  It’s strong enough to be served as a single scoop for a light dessert or palate cleanser…but not so strong that you won’t want more! Ingredients: (Makes 6 or more small servings) 1 cup + 1 tbsp Yuzu Juice 1 …

Why Candy Citrus Peel? Candied citrus zest (aka candied citrus peel, crystallized citrus peel) is very useful as a garnish or as an ingredient in both savory and sweet dishes.   You can use it as a garnish for cocktails and other drinks too.  It is sweeter and more tender than plain zest.  This method is often …

How to Candy Flowers Flowers add bright color to desserts, cakes, and other plates.  For dishes where a little extra sweetness would be welcome, a great trick to increase their visual appeal is to candy them (candied flowers are also known as sugar glazed flowers or sometimes “crystallized flowers”).  Candying flowers is extremely easy as …

Includes huckleberry, peppercorn, and liquor flavored simple syrup recipes. Simple syrup is so called because it’s…well…simple.  A base simple syrup is nothing more than 1 part water to 1 part sugar.  Use simple syrup to sweeten cold drinks like lemonade, cocktails or hibiscus tea without endless stirring.  Dab it onto cakes before you frost them to …

This recipe can be used with almost any fresh herbs to make a tasty and colorful dessert sauce or cocktail mixer.  Here we’ve used the most popular dessert herb, mint, but you could substitute any variety (completely trimming the stems if they’re woody) that works with the other flavors in your dish. Ingredients:                Makes approx. 20 …

Creme brulee is a legendary dessert renowned for its rich, swoon-inducing creaminess.  As long as you have ramekins and access to a torch, it’s suprisingly easy to make at home.  This version has just enough maple flavor to stand up to the slight bitterness of the bruleed sugar. Drink Pairing: Sauternes or Vin Santo Ingredients:      (Makes 6 …

This simple sorbet is packed with the delicious, layered and haunting flavor of elderflowers (floral, fruity, honeyed, & slightly tart).  Because it’s quite sweet, we recommend single scoop servings or pairing it with something tart or buttery (like shortbread or tuiles). Ingredients:   (Makes approx. 1 Quart) 2 ½ cups Water ½ cup + 4 tsp …

Creme anglaise is a stovetop custard dessert sauce with a rich, creamy vanilla flavor.  It’s delicious with chocolate or fruit (especially berries).  It’s also very similar to a vanilla ice cream base, so once you get this recipe down, making your own ice cream is a snap! Ingredients: 2 Eggs 2 cups Heavy Cream ½ …