Sweet Mascarpone and Berries with Lemon Ganache

If you're looking for a fast and easy yet elegant dessert recipe, this one is for you. I usually make this dessert to please my little 9-year-old sister-in-law who is allergic to eggs.

The rich cinnamon-flavored mascarpone mixture with the refreshing combination of blackberries and blueberries makes a very festive sweet treat for little kids and big kids as well.

To give more body to the dessert, I sprinkle a layer of coarsely-crumbled Italian puff pastry and top with a layer of lemon ganache. The result is to die for!

Blackberry Polenta Tart with a Kaffir Lime Ginger Glaze

I was very frustrated yesterday after the memory card of my camera crashed and I wasn't able to show off my beautiful crostata with pecan and blueberry pie filling. All I could rescue was only one photo of the crostata before it went into the oven. So to redeem myself, I'm offering you un cadeau de consolation, a consolation prize with a blackberry polenta tart.

The sweet dough is made with polenta which gives a very crumbly texture. I filled the tart with blackberry preserves, topped them with fresh blackberries and finished them with a kaffir lime ginger glaze. Everything was gone, it was delicious. Mission accomplished!

Apricot Tart with Almond Cream and Kaffir Lime Ginger Glaze

I was in the mood to bake today. I thought about making apple tartes amandines but everyone said they were bored with this flavor. So to please the whole house, I paired the almond cream with fresh ripe apricots. In France, you would order "une tarte amandine aux abricots, s'il vous plait!" in a patisserie (bakery). You probably won't learn this phrase in any French for tourists books, but I'm telling you, it's essential for your survival .

For the glaze, I had Laura's apricot pie jelly, a few kaffir lime leaves left that I did not used for my sweet and sour pineapple soup and some fresh ginger. It gave a nice kick to the apricot.

I know what you're going to say about my family. How spoiled are they?

Chestnut Mousse (Mousse aux Marrons)

Chestnut mousse, or mousse aux marrons in French, is to die for. In France, I would rarely make it as it is easier to buy the Marronsuis Nestle brand. It's as good as the homemade version. Unfortunately, it is not available in California. I found that my local store carries French chestnut puree, so I bought some and came home and made the delicious goodness right away.

Coffee Tiramisu Parfait with Chocolate Raspberry Sauce

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts. The combination of the mascarpone cheese filling with the strong flavor of the coffee syrup is to die for. Traditional tiramisu calls for ladyfinger cookies, but I used amaretti cookies because they are small and fit in the parfait glasses without having to break them.  I think amaretti cookies are delicious on their own or when paired with an espresso cappucino, but they take on a whole new life when used in this velvety Italian dessert. 

I prefer making tiramisu parfaits rather than the regular "family style" tray of tiramisu. The parfaits are easy to serve if you have a lot of mouths to feed, and they look very elegant whenever served at a formal dinner at home. The small portions will make your guests feel less guilty.