• Creamy strawberry mocktail
    Drinks

    Creamy Strawberry Mocktail (Dairy-Free)

    Made with healthier sweeteners and oat milk, this creamy strawberry mocktail has notes of caramel and plenty of berry flavor.  Consider it a healthy dessert option or just-sweet-enough drink that can be garnished with a touch of chocolate or a chocolate-dipped cookie for extra dessert vibes. While the drink recipe contains no dairy, check the ingredients on these as well before serving. Since oat milk already has a mild toasty flavor, it takes on a caramel-like quality when combined with pitted dates and a touch of honey.  Blend in a few frozen strawberries, and you have a dairy-free mocktail recipe that easily can satisfy the craving for ice cream or…

  • Chocolate tart with Biscoff crust
    Baking

    Chocolate Tart with Biscoff Crust

    Decadent chocolate ganache fills a press-in crust with deep caramel flavor, making this tart a delicious alternative to a box of chocolates for your loves, yourself, and everyone else you will be treating on Valentine’s Day. While this tart can be made any time of year, we find ourselves in midwinter, when citrus practically demands to be included in sweets.  The richness of the ganache pairs perfectly with candied blood orange and mandarin slices, plus a few pieces of pizzelles, though the choice of topping is completely up to you. The combination of chocolate, caramel notes, and citrus I find absolutely irresistible. Making ganache involves pouring hot cream over plenty…

  • Fruitcake blondies
    Baking

    Fruitcake Blondies

    Fruitcake blondies made with brown butter, nuts, and dried fruit soaked in brandy are inspired by the classic cake while having a flavor all their own.   Packed with festive ingredients, these bars have the toastiness of butter that has developed deep color and rich flavor similar to hazelnut, one of the nuts I recommend adding to your batter.  Once you begin making brown butter, you will find uses for it in plenty of sweet and savory dishes. This season I have been sharing cookie recipes during my holiday baking classes in which we make festive shortbreads, linzer cookies filled with jewel-like jams, and plenty of others.  Alongside these festive treats…

  • Plum custard tart
    Baking,  Food

    Plum Custard Tart

    Slice through the deep purple exterior of a black plum, and you find a center whose sweetness intensifies in the oven. Combine that sweetness with vanilla crème fraîche custard and a tender, cookie-like crust, and you have what could easily be my favorite fruit tart. This recipe made me fall in love with plums all over again, and it is a glorious way to enjoy late summer fruit. As with many of my dessert tarts, a slice rivals the best breakfast pastry. In the middle of the plum custard tart sits a half-round that becomes glazed with its own juice – no jam topping here. A generous sprinkle of raw…

  • Strawberry tomato salad
    Baking,  Food

    Strawberry Season Recipes

    As the days grow longer, dishes get brighter with red bursts of strawberry and brilliant yellow slices of heirloom tomato.  This is the time to linger over a meal and let the berries of the season carry you into eventual summer.  Since strawberries are a featured ingredient throughout Thirsty Radish, I gathered a few of my favorite strawberry recipes along with some new ones and tips.  They are the foundation for beautiful meals that are worthy of gathering over but also perfect for weeknights.  Grilled Strawberry and Heirloom Tomato Salad After a brief stay in the grill pan, strawberries become even juicier, which makes them the ideal salad addition.  This…