Bites from other Blogs

With Valentine’s Day this week, I wasn’t sure whether I should opt for Valentine’s Day-only Bites or if I should just stick to the usual non-holiday-specific assortment. Both options seemed tempting, so as I do when I’m presented with two good looking desserts at the same time, I decided to go with a little of both.

• The quiche I made the other week really hit the spot – so much so that I made it again almost right away. The Chard and Feta tart at Culinary in the Country is similar, and similarly appealing. It has a more traditional tart crust that should make the dish a bit heartier. I might try chard instead of spinach next time in the quich if I don’t get around to the tart for a while!
• Habeas Brulee took on the task of working with an underutilized fruit, the kumquat, and made a luscious looking Kumquat Cake. The citrus-y cake is rich and moist to the point where it almost verges on custard. This is primarily because it is flourless and heavy on the eggs – not that that is a bad thing: the cake is sweet and very tasty, especially when paired with sour cream or yogurt.
• Cheesecake fans will love the Strawberry Double Cheesecake at Scent of Green Bananas because it is two cheesecakes in one. The top and bottom layers are made of a light, Japanese-style baked cheesecake, which is more fluffy than dense like a NY-style one, and the middle layer is an unbaked, gelatin-set cheesecake. Great contrast in textures and a very impressive looking cake!
• Apple & Spice put together a wonderful Valentine’s Day treat. Her Double Heart Chocolate Cakes have a heard-shaped chocolate cake base that is topped with a layer of chocolate ganache and finished with a white chocolate heart. Very sweet and chocolaty.
• I think that fondue is a wonderful dessert to share with someone because it requires little cooking and is really fun to eat. Plain chocolate would be my fondue of choice ordinarily, but Feeding My Enthusiasm‘s Turtle Fondue – thick with chocolate, pecans and caramel, all melted together until ridiculously delicious – is more than enough to convert me.
• The final V-day recipe is an older one from Brownie Points, but since she resurrected it this week, I figure that it’s fair game for inclusion here. Her Ginger Shortbread Hearts with Lemon Curd are a lovely non-chocolate option for Valentine’s Day. The shortbread has a generous amount of crystallised ginger in a vanilla cookie and looks great in heart shapes. For the lemon curd, use any recipe you like: meyer lemon curd, classic lemon curd or (my favorite) a lighter lemon curd.