Welcome back!  Today, we have a fun seasonal variation on the Basque Cheesecake , featuring pumpkin! It's similar to the original, with the burnt-looking top and the rugged edges all there, but it has its own differences that make it really unique.  Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake Makes a 7 inch cheesecake Ingredients: 1 box (8 ounces) cream cheese 200 grams pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and steamed (we used kabocha pumpkins) 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tablespoon flour 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Spices (you can substitute for 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice): 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon allspice Directions: After peeling, seeding, and steaming, mash the pumpkin with a fork. If you want an even smoother texture, you can pass the pumpkin mash through a sieve to press out the large chunks. Add the cream cheese and pumpkin into the food processor and pulse a few times to mix the two ingredi...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a delicious and novel dish: an upside down cake, featuring apples! The concept of creating a cake that's flipped around really is quite strange, but it allows the caramel and apple topping to fit nice and evenly on the top of the cake once you're done. In the end, you get this wonderful combination of the soft cake, the rich caramel, and the flavorful apples! Apple Upside-Down Cake Makes a 9" cake Ingredients: Batter: 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk, room temperature 1 1/2 cup flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Apples: 3-4 apples, peeled and sliced into 6-8 slices, depending on the size (preferably crisp and tart, like Granny Smith) Caramel: 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons bourbon Directions: Prepare the batter: In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Make sure the butter is softened! S...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a recipe for a unique Italian dish: Lasagna! When you really think about it, lasagna is a really interesting dish; it's a just bunch of layers of pasta! In reality, it's like a different way to enjoy the Italian flavors that you know and love. That being said, we based this recipe largely off of the Stuffed Shells recipe that we made, which also included a bolognese and ricotta sauces with the pasta, with the difference being in the assembly. Lasagna Ingredients: Several lasagna sheets (depending on the size of your dish, we used about 12) 12 ounces mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese Bolognese Sauce: 1 pound ground beef (you can also do 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound Italian sausage) 1/2 medium onion 2 cloves garlic 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste 1 can tomato sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon herbs (italian seasoning, parsley, basil, whatever) Salt and pepper to taste  Ricotta Sauce: 16 ounces ricot...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a recipe for fruitcake! Yes, it's a fruitcake, but it's not the classic American kind with the strangely colored fruits; this is actually what a fruitcake should be like - completely natural-looking, full of fruit, and delicious. If you're one of those fruitcake-haters (which is reasonable considering how weird they are), this recipe is certain to change your mind about the dessert! French Fruitcake Ingredients: 1 stick butter 1/4 cup sugar 10 grams honey 2 eggs 120 grams cake flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 200 grams mixed dried fruit (raisins, prunes, black currants, peach, apricot, cherry, etc.) 1/4 cup rum (or brandy/Grand Marnier) Directions: The day before, prepare your dried fruits by cutting the bigger pieces into even chunks and then soaking them in rum. In a bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until it is fluffy and pale. Add in the honey and mix it in. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix evenly. Sift the cake flour and baking...

 Welcome back!  Today, we have another classic French dessert: the Madeleine! These are instantly recognizable by their distinct shell shape, and they are very popular! The texture is like that of a sponge cake, though it seems to be a little denser, like the Financier, which is actually a similar dish, though the procedure varies quite a bit. What's most interesting is all the legends surrounding the origin of the dish; it has a long history and there's a lot of mystery behind it... Madeleines Ingredients: 3 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon honey 150 grams cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 150 grams butter, melted and cooled to room temperature Flavoring ingredients (pick one) 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Zest from 1 lemon Zest from 1 orange Directions: In a bowl, crack in the eggs and whisk using an electric mixer, slowly adding in the sugar, until the mixture is pale and thick. This will take about 4 minutes. Add the honey and mix. Sift in the cake ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another risotto recipe: but with a different flavor this time! The lemon and basil flavors works very well with the creaminess of the risotto, and when combined with the shrimp, it's like a shrimp scampi dish. It's another great variation on the popular Italian dish! Lemon Basil Shrimp Risotto Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 12 ounces shrimp 1/2 onion, diced 2 garlics, minced 1 cup arborio rice 1/2 cup white wine 3 1/2 - 4 cups hot broth Zest and juice (about 4 teaspoons) from half a lemon 2 tablespoons cream Basil leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste Directions: In a pan, put in the butter and sear the shrimp just until they are opaque, and then remove the shrimp. You don't want to cook them all the way. Put in the onion and garlic and saute them. Add in the arborio rice and mix. Add in the white wine and stir it in until the rice has mostly absorbed the liquid. One cup at a time, add in the broth. Ma...

Welcome back!  Today, we have... another chiffon cake! We've made many great variations on this type of cake that we love; this time, it's with some matcha for that wonderful flavor and color! Once again, this is a light and fluffy dessert that, when served just like this, isn't even very unhealthy. It's also not super difficult to make, and everyone will enjoy it! Matcha Chiffon Cake Makes a 9" cake Ingredients: 7 egg whites 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice 7 egg yolks 2 tablespoons sugar 80 grams oil 80 grams milk 130 grams cake flour 10 grams matcha powder 3/4 teaspoon baking powder (optional) Directions: In a bowl, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until stiff peaks form. While mixing, add in the sugar (1/2 cup), about a third at a time. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Once mixed, add the oil and mix thoroughly. Add in the milk and mix thoroughly. Sift the cake flour, matcha powder, and baking powder into the mixt...