Dulce de Leche Tiramisù

All over both Brazil and Argentina, dulce de leche was all the rage. Pastry chefs filled croissants, cream puffs, and crepes with the delicious caramel. Creameries flavored gelato with it. Hotels served it with bread at breakfast time. And it was everywhere; they sold it in grocery stores, wine stores and cheese shops. Of course I hauled some back to Philly, along with plenty of Argentinian wine, and lucky for you, this Dulce de Leche Tiramisù is the result. Why Tiramisù you might ask? Because of all the different ways we had it in Brazil and Argentina, in Tiramisù was not one of them. Well, believe it or not, Argentina has a strong Italian presence and the cuisine is very influenced by the Italian immigrants. So believe it or not, it makes a lot of sense, despite the fact that we didn’t see it anywhere. And the combination of a South American ingredient like dulce de leche utilized to enhance a traditional Italian dessert fits a lot of what we saw while dining in South America. But mostly, I love a good Tiramisù and it was the first thing that came to mind as something I thought would be fun … Continue reading

Cranberry Caramel Tarts

I absolutely adore these Cranberry Caramel Tarts. This was one of those desserts that I knew would be a favorite of mine, even before I tried it. And I was oh, so right, even with my ridiculously high expectations. The thing is, I REALLY love caramel. And cranberries. And almonds. These Cranberry Caramel Tarts may as well be named, Barrett’s Favorite Things Tarts. The tart cranberries balances out the sweet, rich caramel. Speaking of caramel, it’s one of those things that cooks can really fear, and to be fair it can be tricky for a variety of reasons, but the caramel in these Cranberry Caramel Tarts is a good beginner caramel recipe. After the caramel is made, it is baked in the tart, so the caramel filling will heat up, smooth out, and tends to come out well in the end even if it’s not perfectly smooth going into the oven. As if the wonderful filling weren’t enough to make this dessert stand out, a crust made with almond flour adds richness, tenderness and crunch. Finally, using slivered almonds, well, that’s my modus operandi; it ensures plenty of texture and almond taste. I serve these Cranberry Caramel Tarts with a little … Continue reading