Mulberry Dessert (Fruit Dessert Cup Recipe)

The summer weather in the San Francisco Bay Area has been pretty dreadful for the fruits and vegetables in our garden, with one major exception. We were able to pick a basketful of the ripest mulberries from the tree in our garden. We’re all happy to just graze from the tree every afternoon, but for fun today I made mulberry mousse. I piped it into edible cups made from lavash flat bread.

Just like beets, there's one downside to cooking with mulberries: this fruit stains. So make sure you wear dark-colored clothes and do not place them on a marble baking slab!

Gluten Free Cheesecake Parfait Recipe

It's National Cheesecake Day this weekend and, though I’ve made many cheesecakes in the past, my goal was to put a new twist on the special dessert. Since we were invited to our friend Carol's home (she’s gluten intolerant), I decided to make my cheesecake gluten-free.

I made the mousse egg-free and flavored it with both raspberries and strawberries. For a contrast in texture, I added a layer of crunchy, diced yellow nectarines. And to make it look more fun, I topped the dessert cups with pistachio-flavored whipped cream and crushed pistachios. I don’t think anyone missed the crust. For those who could eat gluten, I slipped a ladyfinger cookie into the verrine. How amazing does that sound?

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe (Egg Free Dessert)

If you're searching for a no bake cheesecake recipe, look no more. It looks fancy but it's ultra easy to assemble. As a bonus, it's an egg-free dessert. So what's not to love? Give this mascarpone cheese dessert a try.

I flavored the cheesecake filling with strawberries and added bananas for a thicker texture. Instead of placing the cheesecake in a spring-form pan, I decided this time to shape the dessert in a long triangular mold I usually use for making terrines (French jellied meatloaf). I first covered the molds with store-bought Italian-style lady finger puffs and completed it with the strawberry-and-banana-flavored cheesecake filling. The presentation turned out pretty spectacular. You know the saying: you eat with your eyes first! 

Blueberry Mousse: Easy Dessert Recipe

Blueberries are finally in season, so I went to the farmers’ market and grabbed a few containers of the sweet, flavorful fruit. It was difficult, but I managed to save enough of these tiny treats to make a dessert. With fruit this fresh and flavorful, the dessert should be a showcase rather than cover up the ingredients. I think I accomplished that goal with this blueberry pomegranate mousse, and on top of that, it's so easy a little kid could do it.

To start, I blended blueberries with cream cheese. I cut the sweetness with a little pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses and incorporated whipped cream for a light, fluffy mousse. Once the dessert cups rested long enough in the refrigerator, I garnished them with Italian pastry puffs and a few fresh blueberries. Voilà!

Clementine Chocolate Parfait Recipe

I made clementine mousse using fruits from our garden. The zest is amazingly fragrant. The exterior has such a deep orange color, I thought it would be perfect dressed as a parfait paired with French chocolate cookies we bought in Normandy.

My husband Lulu and I brought a lot of delicious French food back home from our recent trip to Europe. The cookies in the dish are called "La Mère Poulard" chocolatine cookies. They are specialty cookies from the Mont Saint Michel region of France. My parents took us there on New Year's Day. It's a rocky tidal island located in Normandy, topped with beautiful shops and a church. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While we were there, we had the region’s typical crêpes and of course brought back a few packs of cookies. If you’re in France and you have time, I recommend taking a visit.