Dessert Recipes | DanaSlatkin.com

Dulce de Leche Pudding

04/30/2013 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

I’ve always marveled at how some people are able to recount stories from their early childhood in great detail. I simply don’t remember much, save for a few snippets that have lingered with the help of old photos. Do you remember anything you did when you were two, or five, or eight? If so, I’d love to hear about it. But one memory that has remained lucid in my mind takes me back to when I was about five years old. It’s a warm evening and I’m listening to a boisterous mariachi band on Olvera Street, licking a cone-shaped lollipop flavored with the colors of the Mexican flag. My mother loved to bring my brother and me to ethnic neighborhoods for a taste of other cultures, and Olvera Street was one of her favorites. Dating back to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dessert Recipes

Nigella’s Cinnamon Almond Cake

03/22/2013 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

adapted from (Clarkson Potter 2013) Nigellissima, Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes Find Nigella’s original recipe here. Every so often I’ll stumble on a recipe that is just what I needed, exactly when I needed it. This is one of them. Around the time of my birthday last month, one of my friends knew how much I idolize Nigella Lawson, the eloquent and stunning television host of “The Taste” and deservedly successful cookbook author. When Nigella was signing her latest tome, Nigellissima, Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes, at a Williams-Sonoma in Orange County, my friend waited in line for four hours to have her autograph a birthday gift for me. That night, I read my new cookbook cover to cover. I marked dozens of pages with sticky … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dessert Recipes

Apple Custard Gratin

03/01/2013 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Announcing the winner of our February Cooking Contest! This last contest, in which I asked you to share a recipe for someone you adore, drew the Farmgirl's biggest response ever. There were cupcakes, bread puddings, tarts, chocolate French toast, a very memorable asparagus pesto, dumplings, and even a three-course dinner. I loved hearing your stories and getting to taste your delicious cooking. Thank you to every one of you who entered the contest. It was a very close call! In the end, I chose Hidemi Walsh’s Apple Custard Gratin because of its warm, comforting flavors; simplicity (it took me 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes in the oven); and originality. It didn't hurt that my kids gobbled up three batches in two days, including … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Comfort food, Cooking Contest, Dessert Recipes

Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond Clusters

10/30/2012 By Dana Slatkin 1 Comment

Here’s a treat to make for Halloween that won’t bust your healthy streak. As you know, dark chocolate and coconut is my favorite dessert combo. Sprinkling these chunky mounds with a little grey salt makes them extra addictive. And the recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make. Each one is two bites of heaven. Thanks to Courtney Sander for submitting her simple and delicious recipe. I’ll be putting these on my Thanksgiving and holiday menus, too! Disclaimer: This post may contain totally benign and well-intentioned affiliate links. All content is unsponsored, uncensored, and undeniably honest. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dessert Recipes

Healthy Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pudding with Gingersnap Crumble

10/23/2012 By Dana Slatkin 1 Comment

Once you become a mother, you never think of cooking the same way again. It becomes so much more than a personal endeavor. Cooking can be a loving act of nourishing, or a familial ritual of sharing. And, as I discovered recently, it can be the perfect side dish to sympathy. A few nights ago, our 13-year-old daughter — a beautiful, blossoming yet hormone-plagued gamine — had an epic meltdown. It began as a completely normal spasm of anxiety over a heavy homework load, but by 11 pm it had escalated into explosive convulsions of exasperation. The more I hopelessly tried to calm her down, the louder she sobbed, until finally I just stopped talking, stroking her hair like my mother used to do for me. Eventually, my stressed-out … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dairy-free, Dessert Recipes

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free version)

04/27/2012 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

How often do you hear about how fast this year has gone by? Among us middle-agers (I know, but I’m owning it), the light-speed pace of life seems to have replaced the weather and traffic as the new conversation starter. I, too, find myself marveling at how Memorial Day is just around the corner, and summer will be here in a few blinks. I once had the privilege of being in the presence of a great Rabbi. He was visiting with friends here in L.A. on his way back to Israel, and he agreed to meet with a group of “seculars” to offer some of his wisdom. So I asked him if it is possible to slow down life. And his answer has stuck with me ever since. He said, “Not possible. But if you savor each moment, time will … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dessert Recipes, Gluten-Free Recipes

Chocolate Sesame Panna Cotta

01/26/2012 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Once in a very rare while, there’s a pause in my day, when nobody needs me, there is nowhere I need to be, and all is quiet. A shot of bliss. It’s when you’ll usually find me doing one of two things: hiking or playing the piano. Last week, there was one such moment and, while playing a Bach fugue, this dessert came to me. I had been trying to come up with the grand finale for my Modern Mediterranean class, featuring the owner of Momed Beverly Hills. I was looking for the impossibly perfect dessert with a Mediterranean twist. It had to be decadent but light, simple to make but complex in flavor, minutes to prep but memorable. And in the middle of a particularly melodious contrapuntal passage, I thought of halvah, the Middle … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dessert Recipes

Pumpkin Pudding Gingersnap Pie

11/19/2011 By Dana Slatkin 2 Comments

It’s beginning to feel a lot like the holidays. Everywhere I go, someone’s crooning about the ultimate feast, the supreme table setting, the most festive attire, the perfect Martha Stewart life. It’s all so easy…so affordable…so darned attainable! Get me the earplugs. As much as I appreciate (and probably need) all the advice, I’m going into hibernation. Somewhere warm and cozy, where I don’t need to hear about the top 10,000 tastiest Thanksgiving recipes, or 50 ways to delight my holiday guests. If you want to find me from now until January 1st, just come to my kitchen. It’s my favorite place to be this time of year — far away from the din and closest to what’s meaningful … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dairy-free, Dessert Recipes, Gluten-Free Recipes