Masala Chai Eggnog Recipe

This weekend, in the spirit of the holidays, we wanted to make some eggnog. We’ve made eggnog and "soynog" so many times before that it seemed like time to mix it up a little. If you're a regular reader, you might know how much I love masala chai. I'm a weakling when it comes to caffeine but once in a while, especially when we have large family gatherings, we make loads of the fragrant chai and I just can't resist sipping a few cups. So why not combine the two?

Eggnog already has nutmeg, so adding the spices used in masala chai just enhances the flavor. The cardamom in particular really shines through. If you're adventurous (and not making this for kids), you could also spike it with a little rum or cognac. 

Pumpkin Creme Caramel Recipe

If you saw last week's dessert recipe, you know I made a French-style pumpkin flan for my husband Lulu. He had asked me to make a flan, which in his mind meant crème caramel, but instead I made a flan pâtissier (French pie crust with pumpkin custard). I always try to keep my promises, so here's the pumpkin crème caramel, which Lulu loved.

His favorite part is the caramel at the bottom of the cup. You could serve it as is, or flip the dessert onto a plate so the caramel drips all over the "flan". I photographed it in both serving styles so you can decide which you prefer.

Three days to Thanksgiving (or four days to Black Friday, depending on your priorities )!

Gluten Free Cardamom and Chocolate Napoleon Pastry Recipe

Our friend Carol came to visit the other day to see how much our daughter Aria has changed. I always make sure that I serve her special dishes because of her celiac diet. Since sweets are Carol's guilty pleasure. I made gluten free chocolate wafers and layered them with cardamom-flavored cream. Chocolate and cardamom are two of my favorite flavors, and I love using them together. 

If you're thinking that gluten free means sacrificing flavor or texture, you have to try this recipe. It tastes just as good as it looks.

Peach Napoleon Pastry Recipe

When I last posted a savory Napoleon recipe, I realized I had never posted a traditional napoleon dessert recipe. It's called "mille-feuille" (literally "thousand leaves") in French. Unfortunately, I burned the puff pastry, so I improvised with some Pillsbury crescent rolls! I was surprised at how well it turned out. I flavored the napoleon with peach preserves, peach flavored cream filling along and fresh peaches from our garden along with those we received from Full Circle.

It's an elegant dessert that isn't as difficult to assemble as it seems. A little bit of piping skill for the filling and a toothpick to make the intricate topping decoration are enough to please anyone you know who has a sweet tooth!

My 1000th Recipe!

Today is a very special day for PhamFatale.com! It seems like just yesterday that I launched the website and I can hardly believe that we’ve already made it to the 1000^th recipe. Well technically, this is the 1001^st recipe but I couldn't resist baking a cake to belatedly celebrate the occasion. It's a fairly simple cake, made of layers of mascarpone custard, chopped strawberries and vanilla frosting. 

As I've said in the past, food is an ephemeral art form and it's easy to forget what you've made and what you've eaten. PhamFatale.com has become a living record of the meals I've prepared for, and with, my friends and family, and I've had such a blast sharing my daily culinary adventures with all of you. So many good memories are preserved in these web pages and this year has been chock full of them. It has truly been a pleasure to learn from, share tips with and otherwise interact with food lovers from all around the world. Although I owe my success to all of my faithful foodies, there is one food lover in particular who is especially near and dear to my heart. I'd like to give a special thank you to my friend Carole, whom I met after she sent me an email when I was featured in the San Jose Mercury News several years ago. Ever since, she has helped edit all the recipes that I've posted as well as my upcoming cookbook, Haute Potato, which comes out this December. Carole has a great eye for detail and a wonderful culinary sensibility to boot. I never would have dreamed that meeting over coffee and talking about our passion for food would turn into such a special friendship, and for that I am so grateful. 

Again, thank you all for your support. I've been pretty overwhelmed with messages on Facebook, Twitter and your private messages, but I promise I'll make it my top priority to respond to all your lovely comments. Please be assured that I enjoy reading every single one of them, and they always fill me with so much joy. In fact, my morning rituals couldn't be complete without your wonderful messages, my workout routine and of course a special kiss to my baby daughter!