As a child, I hated peanut butter and simply ate jelly sandwiches.  But now, as an adult, my tastes have changed and I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!  However, on my most recent visit to the Doughnut Plant (my favorite NYC doughnuts), I ate a giant peanut butter doughnut filled with homemade plum jelly and am now wondering if a regular old PB&J will still satisfy.  Maybe if I deep-fry it?!

What a cool idea! Although perfectly scary for Halloween, I doubt these skeleton-decorated gingerbread cookies will keep anyone from eating them! Joe emailed this photo to me but could not find a link to the source. If anyone knows who baked these frightful cookies, I’d love to find out!

I’ve walked passed the Papa Bubble storefront on Manhattan’s Lower East Side several times, each time being after hours. So, when I walked past yesterday afternoon to find the shop open I was really excited. And even more so, when I realized they were also making candy that afternoon!

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I grew up in an area of Chicago that neighbored a predominantly Korean-occupied commercial district.  As I child, I remember browsing its grocery stores and marveling at all of its wonders.  It was in these stores that I was introduced to many snack foods that I grew to love—snack foods that most American kids would never dream of eating, like dried cuttle fish and lychee jelly candies.

Last week, while wandering the streets of NYC’s Chinatown neighborhood, I found myself thinking about those treats and realized that when I have a hankering for some of those things, they may be but a 15-minute subway ride away.  Or better yet, maybe I can try some new Chinese snacks foods (shrimp chips being number one on my list so far) to replace my older stand-bys…

These cupcake wrappers are too cool and would make any Halloween festivities that much scarier!  Simply wrap the band of decorated paper around each cupcake, after it has been baked and frosted, and you have a to-die-for dessert…

Mulled beverages are usually served warm and made from wines, beers or ciders that have been sweetened and spiced.  This afternoon I picked up a gallon of fresh apple cider from my local farmer’s market and decided to mull my own using a variety of dried spices and rum.  I chose to cook all of the alcohol out of the rum to make the cider more flavorful, while keeping it kid-friendly.  But, if you plan on serving your mulled cider to a group of adults, consider adding the rum after you’ve simmered the cider—it makes a great cocktail that is sure to warm you up on a chilly fall evening.

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Since fall has nearly arrived, I have begun my plan for consuming as much pumpkin as possible, which includes this recipe for Quick Pumpkin Pie that I just created!  When you don’t have the time to bake a pumpkin pie, try this recipe at home instead.   Served with a few broken graham cracker pieces and a dollop of crème fraiche, I find it does a fine job of substituting my favorite all-American pie.

Quick Pumpkin Mousse
Yield: 3 cups

1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1.5 cups Roasted Pumpkin Puree
Ground Cinnamon
Nutmeg—Freshly Grated
Dark Brown Sugar
Pinch Salt

• Whip the heavy cream to medium peaks.  Set aside.
• Place Roasted Pumpkin Puree in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
• Whisk in ground spices and dark brown sugar to taste—start with a small amount because you can always add more.
• Once the pumpkin puree is flavored to your liking, gently fold in the whipped cream.

As I was riding the subway home from work this evening I got to thinking about quick desserts to make at home.  (One would think that a professional pastry chef would not be considering more baking at home.  I, on the other hand, have a terrible sweet tooth which means dessert follows every meal.)  So here’s my idea, which would be an awesome treat for kids, by the way:

Individual S’mores Bombe

Vanilla Meringue ~

3 oz. Egg Whites
2 tbl. Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 lb. Sugar
1/2 cup Water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whip attachment, combine the egg whites and two tablespoons sugar.  Mix on medium speed until just frothy then reduce to low speed.

While the egg whites are mixing, combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan.  Give the ingredients a quick stir then cook over low heat until the mixture reaches 238 degrees.

Once the sugar solution is up to temperature, remove the pot from the heat.  Increase the speed of the stand mixer to med-low and slowly pour the hot sugar into the egg whites.  This step is crucial—you must work quickly, but you must make sure to pour the sugar into the egg whites in a slow, thin, steady stream.

Once the entire hot sugar mixture is poured into the mixer, turn the stand mixer speed to high.  Let whip until the sides of the bowl feel about room temperature.

At this point, you can pipe the meringue onto your s’mores, or you can store it in the freezer until you are ready to use.  It will keep for at least a few days in the freezer, if stored in an airtight container.

S’mores Bombe Assembly ~

Place a generous scoop of store-bought chocolate ice cream on top of a store-bought graham cracker.  Place in the freezer to let the ice cream set-up a bit—maybe 5 minutes or so.  Then remove from freezer, set in serving dish and pipe or spread vanilla meringue over ice cream, taking care to ensure the entire scoop of ice cream is covered.  Then burn the meringue with a small kitchen torch until as golden as you would a marshmallow over a campfire.  Mmmmm….

I never would have imagined that this “Fudgie the Whale” ice cream cake I received on my birthday was well known enough to have its very own wikipedia entry.  I guess it goes to show that, although I am a pastry chef who knows lots about obscure desserts, I certainly have not seen it all!

And if you have children, please be sure to celebrate at least one birthday with this frozen treat.  After eating mine this year, I realized I missed out on 28 other opportunities to have eaten a Fudgie the Whale…

While browsing a few of the many beachfront souvenir shops on the Isle of Palms, I came upon a bag of “shrimp poop.” Of course, I had to buy it. But not too worry; it was just a bag of chocolate-panned peanuts labeled “certified fresh from the producer…”