When frozen yogurt shops began to proliferate in the latter part of the 20th century, their product tasted like, well, yogurt. Frozen. And that’s not a complaint or criticism. What often passes for frozen yogurt these days tastes a lot like soft serve ice cream. Even that’s not a complaint. Most people like soft ice cream, as evidenced by the long lines that snake around those mom and pop shops by the seashore, the ones that sell frozen custard.
Some fruits are tasty when frozen, canned or dried. Not so the perfect peach, which has a rather short season and benefits from the least invasive treatments to showcase its allure.
Old Church Creamery, a thriving dairy farm one half hour north of Richmond in Manquin, Virginia, sprouted, then roared to life, in 2008. Through trial and error, and hard work from owners Catherine and Keith Long, the operation is a premier supplier of naturally produced cow’s milk and dairy products for the Richmond area and beyond.
One of the first edible harbingers of spring is rhubarb. And what a show! This perennial, a vegetable given the royal fruit treatment, rocks a shrub-like explosion of frilly lime green leaves and shiny stalks in various shades of red and green.
Chocolate and Valentine’s Day are inextricably linked, forever. Pair chocolate with raspberries and marvel as some primordial part of your brain registers approval. Add cheese, in this case creamy mascarpone lightly flavored with cocoa and barely sweetened , and you have a complete meal. At least that’s how I justify breakfast consumption of these chocolate raspberry tartlets.
Days are pleasantly warm, and evenings bracing and chilly. Good sleeping weather, I say. Torn between a longing for ice cream and a hankering for a steaming mug of tea, I am combining the two in a dessert sure to please weather aficionados of all stripes.
The heady perfume of Virginia apples at my local roadside stand draws me in, and I load up my box with way more than I can use in a week. What’s a cook to do? Well, cook ’em up, of course.
Blueberry rhubarb crisp – enemy of all white clothing and tablecloths, but oh-so-very-worth it when you take one taste of the ultimate early summer dessert.
strawberry balsamic gelato with local chocolate balsamic vinegar and chocolate mint from the garden
Spring means strawberries are in season, and strawberries are the crown jewel of the dessert family. I’ve got a serious hankering for a creamy, frozen dessert and I want to invite strawberries to my ice cream party.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. You can be a sweetheart and purchase gorgeous artisanal chocolate from Virginia’s own Gearharts Chocolates, made with Shenandoah valley cream and butter and finished by hand. Or, you can get ambitious and impress your beloved with homemade fruit and nut chocolate bars with today’s easy to follow directions. Or, you can do both, doubly endearing you to your chosen recipients. Continue reading