How you doin’? Here’s my real, honest-to-goodness holiday quality cake that is not only a gorgeous dessert, it is also grain-free and gluten-free, kosher and it’s dairy-free, as well—even the whipped cream—YES, even the Whipped Cream! But you’ll never be able to detect any of these qualities without a hint because it’s so light, moist, fluffy and sweet, with a tender crumb—it’s simply delish.
 
It's the orange and lemon zest that lends a citrusy brightness that contrasts with the richness of the almonds and the sweet, puffy clouds of coconut whipped cream. It’s the perfect any time dessert!
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Rest time: 15 minutes
Bake time:  38 to 42 minutes
Cool time:  75 minutes
Yield:  8 servings
 
Ingredients 
3/4 cups, plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for pan prep
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 large eggs
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 cups coconut whipped cream, for the filling (see ChefSecret)
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
 
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Lightly grease an 8-inch cake pan with oil, line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly grease the parchment.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and zests. Rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until well combined and the sugar is light orange.
4. Whisk in the oil, almond milk, orange juice and eggs until well combined.
5. In a separate small bowl, stir together the almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
6. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined.
7. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the slivered almonds evenly over the batter.
9. Bake for 38 to 42 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Transfer the cake pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
11. Remove the cake from the pan and discard the parchment.
12. Let cool on the wire rack until room temperature, about 1 hour.
13. To serve, cut the cake in half horizontally to create 2 layers. Spread the coconut whipped cream on the bottom layer of the cake and cover with the top layer.
14. Dust with powdered sugar, slice into pieces, and serve immediately.

​ChefSecret:  What is coconut whipped cream? Coconut whipped cream is a dairy-free alternative to classic whipped cream, which is made with heavy whipping cream! For a dairy-free, vegan-friendly version, simply swap a good quality full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream in its place and whip into soft peaks!

How is Coconut Whipped Cream Made?

1. Select a good quality brand of coconut milk or coconut cream.
2. Chill the can overnight in the refrigerator to harden (do not freeze).
3. Scoop hardened coconut cream into a mixing bowl, leaving any clear liquid behind.
4. Whip with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light peaks form.
5. Sweeten to taste with sifted powdered sugar.

Quip of the Day:  Gluten-free desserts are the perfect way to have your cake and wheat it too.
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Dessert #Baking #CoconutAlmondCake #GlutenFreeCake #AlmondCake #Kosher #DairyFreeDessert #AlmondMilk #WhippedCoconutCream  #2024Recipes #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
 
                                                        ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024

How you doin’? There are all levels in making chocolate confections—from fine molded truffles to beautiful slabs of creamy fudge. Not too many of us have the bandwidth or skill to make decorative truffles, but most of us can whip up a batch of chocolate fudge. Any occasion is made sweeter with large squares of delightful fudge.
 
Check out my easy fudge recipe made with unsweetened cocoa powder. Be the first in your family to show up at the end of summer Labor Day picnic or family get-together with homemade fudge in hand.  Everyone will be asking you how to make fudge from scratch!
 
Make up one pan for yourself and double the recipe for the rest of your family and friends. An easy fudge recipe should be a staple in every kitchen all year ‘round.
 
Check out the ChefSecret below to learn how to enhance an already great confection. If you’re feeling extra frivolous, add nuts, marshmallows and other sweets for a delicious spin on the fudgy classic.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes
Cool time:  1 hour, 30 minutes
Yield:  1-3/4 pounds
 
Ingredients 
3 cups granulated sugar
2/3  cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Guittard Dark Cocoa Powder)
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 
Directions

1. Line an 8-or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.
2. Butter the foil.
3. Mix the sugar, cocoa and salt in a heavy 4-quart saucepan; stir in milk.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil.
5.  Boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches 234°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water, forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from water. (Note: for an accurate temperature, the bulb of the candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of the saucepan).
6. Remove the mixture from heat.
7. Add butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool at room temperature to 110°F (lukewarm).
8. Beat the mixture with a handheld electric mixer until fudge thickens and just begins to lose some of its gloss (about 5 minutes).
9. Quickly spread the mixture in the prepared pan; cool completely for an hour and a half.
10. Cut into squares.
11. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature.

​ChefSecret: Follow the directions exactly. Beat too little and the fudge is too soft. Beat too long and it becomes hard and grainy.
 
Be creative for a nutty addition… beat cooked the fudge as directed. Immediately stir in 1 cup chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts and spread quickly into the prepared pan.
 
To cut a little of the sweetness, top the fudge with a few pinches of sea salt.
 
Quip of the Day:  Recently my aunt came to me and asked if I would like some fudge. I enthusiastically accepted.
Her: "Male Fudge or Female Fudge?"
Me: "What's the difference?"
Her: "Male Fudge has nuts!"
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Confection #Snack #ChocolateFudge #Fudge #EndofSummerFudge #Guittard #LaborDayTreats #2024Recipes #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
 
                                                                              ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024

How you doin’? One of my favorite things to do this time of year is go to state fairs and eat, eat and EAT! Let’s be honest, isn’t that why you go to the fair? State Fairs just wouldn’t be the same without “fair food” and fair food is great food.
 
The Wisconsin State Fair kicked off on  August 1st. This is Joan’s hometown fair and that explains a lot. This year the Wisconsin State Fair celebrated 173 years (Joan is considerably younger than that but has great fair memories nevertheless), and Joan's cousins' -- The Lepeskas -- were honored for 150 years of family owned and operated farm in Stitzer, Wisconsin.

Cream puffs are a recent addition, only being around for the last 100 years. This year is the 100th Birthday for the Original Cream Puff at the Wisconsin State Fair. This treat has been sold at the Wisconsin State Fair since 1924. It’s the most popular food item for fairgoers every year. With all of the “cafeteria ladies” pitching in to get them to all the hungry fair goers. 
 
How good are they? Here's a tasty fact—the  Wisconsin State Fair sells approximately 30,000 Original Cream Puffs each day during the fair—count ‘em—30,000 a day!
 
This year, the Wisconsin State Fair released brand new, limited-edition flavors throughout the fair including Root Beer Float Cream Puffs, Raspberry Cheesecake Cream Puffs, English Toffee Cream Puffs and Chocolate Birthday Cake Cream Puff. The Original Cream Puff was also available. You can find the original fair cream puff recipe further down in this blog.
 
But you can’t live on cream puffs alone. At the fair this year you could have found hundreds of locations offering over a thousand food and beverage menu choices, it’s little wonder that food is one of the top reasons people visit the State Fair.
 
A few of the newer items were Alligator Tacos--A taco shell filled with alligator meat that is smoked, chopped and seasoned with taco seasoning served with Cajun sour cream, cheese, salsa and jalapeños. Then there were the Asian Sweet & Sticky Tots slathered in a sauce that has hoisin, Asian chili, rice vinegar, sesame oil and ginger, and topped with scallions and sesame seeds.
 
And my favorite savory food from this fair was the Beer Cheese and Brat Spud Muffin. With a nod  to Wisconsin tradition, it combines beer, cheese and brats to create a fun take on a potato pancake—a spud muffin! The Beer Cheese and Brat Spud Muffin features a cheesy hashbrown mixture, infused with beer cheese and bratwurst, baked in muffin pans to form this delicious snack.

Then there was the Cool Ranch Doritos Pickle! This large dill pickle was spiral-cut on-a-stick, rolled into crushed up Cool Ranch Doritos, and you guessed it, deep-fried. Served up with ranch dressing for dipping.

Unfortunately, we missed this year's fair by a day (it ended yesterday), but be sure to mark your calendars for 2025... 7/31/25-8/10/25 West Allis, Wisconsin. 

                                      Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puffs
Here is the basic state fair cream puff recipe you can use as the base for your creative rendition.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  35 minutes
Cool time:  45 minutes
Fill time:  10 minutes
Yield:  12 cream puffs
 
Ingredients
For the puffs
1 cup water
4 tablespoons (1/2-stick) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sifted flour
4 large eggs
1 lightly beaten large egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups whipped cream filling
 
For the whipped cream
1 cup whipping cream (see ChefSecret)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners’ (or sweetened to taste)
 
Directions
To make the puffs

1. Put the water into heavy saucepan. Add the butter that has been cut into small pieces. Add the salt.
2. Heat over medium-low heat so butter melts before water boils. Bring water just to a boil.
3. Remove the pan from heat and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough forms into a ball at the bottom of pan. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
4. Preheat an oven to 375⁰ F.
5. Add the whole eggs to the dough, beating in one egg at a time. Dough should be stiff but smooth.
6. Immediately drop 1/4-cupfuls of dough 3 inches apart on parchment lined sheet pans.

Note: For a neater appearance, use a pastry bag with a 3/4-inch plain tip and pipe dough onto baking sheet.

1. In small bowl, combine the egg yolk and milk.
2. Brush each puff with the glazing mixture, taking care not to let liquid drop onto pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until puffed, golden brown and firm.
4. Cool puffs on wire racks, pricking each with a cake tester or toothpick to allow steam to escape; or leave them in turned-off oven with door dropped open for about an hour until firm.

Note: If baked pastry is filled before it is cool and firm, it will be soggy and may collapse. Baked puffs should have hollow, moist interiors and crisp outer shells that are lightly browned.

1. Cut off the tops and fill with whipped cream (use a pastry bag with star tip or scoop with a large spoon). Replace tops of puffs and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

To make the whipped cream filling

1. Chill a bowl and the beaters.
2. Add the whipping cream and beat on high.
3. When the cream begins to hold shape add the vanilla extract and sugar.  
4. Stop beating just before cream gets stiff.
5. Chill until ready to use.

ChefSecret:  I use the same puff recipe for making baked French-style eclairs and fried New Orleans beignets.

Quip of the Day:  Why did the pastry chef get angry at the dough? It was acting like a puff pastry.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.
 
#Dessert #WisconsinStateFair #CreamPuffs #StateFairCreamPuffs #WhippedCream #FairFood #2024Recipes #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                            ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024

How you doin? Just because Joan and I owned Choclatique, an award winning chocolate company, most people think we are chocolate snobs—we’re not! In my mind, there’s no such thing as bad chocolate—it’s kind of like sex—some is better than others.
 
I grew up on Hershey’s and See’s chocolate and I still have a warm spot in my heart for both. Hershey’s has the world of chocolate kisses covered. One summer I started rolling the foil from the kisses until I had a soft ball size ball and a spare tire around my stomach. Hershey’s kisses still have a great function for making desserts.
 
These Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Cups are a dessert dream come true—a golden Blondie cup topped with a scoop of velvety ice cream, a drizzle of sweet HERSHEY’S Strawberry Syrup, then topped with a sweet surprise–a HERSHEY’S KISSES Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Candy. It’s the perfect recipe that incorporates all of the delicious summer flavors in every bite.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  18 minutes
Yield:  12 blondie cone cups
Cool time:   2 hours, 15 minutes
 
Ingredients 
For the chewy blondie cups
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 small scoops of vanilla or strawberry ice cream
12 HERSHEY'S KISSES Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Candy https://tinyurl.com/bddkaj23
2 tablespoons pink chocolate sprinkles
4 tablespoons strawberry syrup
 
Directions
To make the chewy blondie cups

1. Heat an oven to 350° F.
2. Line 12 muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper or foil baking cups.
3. Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
4. Stir together the melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl.
5. Add the eggs and stir until well blended.
6. Stir in the flour mixture, blending well.
7. Fill each prepared muffin cup about 1/2 full of the batter.
8. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned and cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean.
9. Remove the muffin pan from oven.
10. Using the back of a spoon immediately press indentation into the top of the blondies to form shallow cups.
11. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

To assemble the Strawberry Ice Cream Cups

1. Remove paper liner from blondie cup, place on dessert plate.
2. Top with ice cream, strawberry syrup and sprinkles.
3. Garnish with HERSHEY'S KISSES Strawberry Ice Cream Cone Candy.
4. Serve immediately.

ChefSecret:  You can easily change this over to a milk chocolate dessert with a Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss and chocolate syrup.

Quip of the Day:  Why did the Hershey kiss go to space? To fulfill its Milky Way dreams!
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Dessert #StrawberryIceCreamConeCups #Blondies #IceCreamDessert #HersheyKisses #2024Recipes #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                              ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024

How you doin’? I like S'mores but don’t often find myself in the wild sitting by an open campfire and I don’t have a fire pit. So here is an easy indoors recipe made in a bowl with a microwave oven.
 
This recipe uses all the essential ingredients—milk chocolate, crumbled graham crackers and miniature marshmallows. It looks so good you'll want to grab a spoon and dig in as soon as you see how good a Bowl of  S’mores looks. This is an easy, beginner-friendly recipe that takes just three minutes to prepare and requires only three ingredients.
 
Aside from the three ingredients, you will need a microwave safe bowl and a microwave. You’ll have mini desserts in a bowl in no time for your next indoor bed spread picnic or a fun summer dessert. Everyone will be thrilled and surprised.
 
Prep time:  About 3 minutes
Yield:  1 serving
 
Ingredients 
1 full-size graham cracker sheet
1/2 milk chocolate bar (I prefer Hershey's Milk Chocolate)
15 miniature marshmallows (I prefer Kraft Puffed Minis)
 
Directions

1. Break the graham cracker sheet and milk chocolate bar into pieces in a microwave safe bowl.  
2. Place the bowl in the microwave; shake gently or stir to mix up pieces.
3. Microwave on high for 15 seconds.
4. Add marshmallows; microwave an additional 15 seconds on high.
5. Stir to marble the contents.
6. Serve immediately. You can use additional graham crackers to dip into the goo. You could also add a scoop of ice cream for a hot/cold treat.

ChefSecret:  Try doing it in a cone. Follow the mixing directions above and stuff the uncooked ingredients in a waffle cone. Microwave on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Wrap in a napkin and serve. No campfire required to make melty S'mores in a Cone.

Quip of the Day: I’m on a S’mores diet. Whenever I see S’mores, I eat them.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your favorite recipes, pictures or thoughts to [email protected]. Recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.
 
#Dessert #Snack #Smores #BowlOfSmores #Chocolate #GrahamCracker #MiniMarshmallows #4thOfJuly #2024Recipes #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
                                                                                                            ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024