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!

Rau Cau Dua: Vietnamese Coconut Jello Recipe

Rau câu is Vietnamese jello made with agar agar, which is a seaweed by-product, similar to gelatin (except it's vegetal). Several months ago, family friends came for dinner and brought delicious rau câu made with nước dừa ("coconut juice" in Vietnamese). We usually serve the more traditional Vietnamese dessert made with sweetened condensed milk and flavor it with layers of chocolate, mocha, pandan and sometimes durian, but I really like the flavor of this variation. I was also pleasantly surprised at how easy this version was to make. All you need is a few cans of coconut juice with pulp and agar agar. How simple is that?

The coconut jello has another great advantage. It has the same texture as pana cotta, so you can serve it to children without being scared of any spilling or any accidents on your floor. I've adopted this cube version whenever I make it for kids. You can use the same recipe using your children's favorite drinks. It's mess-free and melts in your mouth. They’ll love it!

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake Recipe

The secret of this moist raspberry cake recipe is buttermilk. It creates a light, fluffy texture that goes beautifully with a hot cup of tea. You could add any berries you like. This time I paired fresh raspberries with crunchy pistachios.

I baked the cakes in 6 mini molds and topped each dessert with fresh raspberries and crushed pistachios as a reminder of the flavors used in the cake batter. Heavenly!

Papaya Smoothie Recipe (Sinh To Du Du)

Sinh tố đu đủ literally translates in Vietnamese to papaya (đu đủ) vitamin (sinh tố). I've made sinh tố bơ in the past with creamy avocado, but I got my hands on a beautiful papaya, so I made this version instead. You can also make many variations of the Vietnamese drink such as jackfruit, durian or mango depending on what you have on hand. The usual sweetener is sweetened condensed milk. You can blend the fruit with either yogurt, soy milk, regular cow's milk, coconut milk or coconut water.

I love wandering through ethnic markets. They're a great place to find interesting ingredients to develop new recipes. This weekend, my husband Lulu and I went to Mi Pueblo supermarket in East Palo Alto after a trip to the nearby Home Depot. Along with the beautifully ripe papaya, which reminded us of our last trip to Cancun, I found nopales (cactus), exotic banana varieties and the best horchata I’ve had in a long time. On top of that, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. I’m definitely going back for more great Mexican ingredients.

Mexican Chocolate Flan Recipe

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces in 1862. The celebrations here in the Bay Area are always fun and I wanted to get in on the festivities. I love chocolate desserts, so I made a spiced chocolate flan.

I flavored the custard with Mexican chocolate, cinnamon and a small amount of cayenne pepper for a pleasant warmth at the end. Enjoy!