There is always room for dessert!

Dear Chase:

I can't even begin to tell you how many times a day I think about having something sweet and most of the time, it is right before I am about to have my next meal. I usually always have something sweet with my morning coffee but when it comes to lunch and dinner, I actually plan the sweet part before I even think about the savory part. I don't really know where I got my sweet tooth from...but I have a feeling it is from your grandfather. He is such a sweets lover and I must say.... like father...like daughter. I am hoping with all this baking I do weekly, you will appreciate the art of baking as much as I do. Desserts are my sweet endings to every meal and if the ending isn't good.....well, it would just feel like something was missing. So, in the effort of not letting such a thing happen..."I always save some room for dessert". My latest baking challenge was to prepare my dear mother in law a dessert she could present to her friends for a dinner she was hosting. I decided to make her cream puffs and fill them with a sweet pastry creme, drizzle them with caramel and chocolate sauce and then topped them off with roasted almonds. Such an easy but elegant dessert to make for any occasion.

Sweet Condiments

Dear Chase:

When I think back at my time in Las Vegas and working along side some of the worlds greatest pastry chefs, I think about all the tips and techniques that I have picked upthrough the years and how I can best use them in my baking today. One of the pastry chefs at the Bellagio once told me, the easiest way to make a dessert go from good to amazing, is to pair it with the perfect condiment. When we think of savory foods and the condiments that go with them, I think of ketchup with fries, mustard with corn dogs, salsa with chips and so on. Condiments simply makes good foods taste better! So, in this blog I wanted to show you how I make my desserts go from good to great. The best sweet condiments and quite honestly my baking staples are homemade caramel sauce, flavored chocolate sauce, fresh whipped cream and lastly, fresh fruit sauces. (My Personal favorite is a blueberry sauce over lemon pound cake, hmmmm)

Today, I am going to show you how to make caramel sauce that can be used over ice cream, cakes, cookies or whatever your little heart desires.


To start, you will need a bottom heavy pan that heats evenly, a wooden spoon, and a heat proof container to store the warm caramel.

Ingredients:

1 C. White Sugar
1Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, room temperture
1/2 c. Heavy Cream

Next, turn the heat to medium and spread the sugar evenly onto the pan. Do not stir. Let the sugar melt and start the crystallization process, it will take 5-7 minutes. Once the sugar melts, it will turn into a dark amber color at which point you can remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a bit. Once the sugar cools, add the butter until melted.
Transfer caramel into heat proof container and store. Caramel stays fresh for up to 3 weeks but I'm sure it won't last that long:)