Pan de elote is one of the very few things my mom would bake for us every summer when sweet white corn was in season. The best way I can describe this is as a fusion between a pound cake and corn bread. It’s sweet, dense, and creamy, and perfect on its own or with a dab of butter or with a drizzle of honey.
This recipe from Nick Leighton and Leah Bonnema–hosts of the hilarious etiquette podcast Were You Raised by Wolves–pretty much sums up everything we look for on our podcast The One Recipe.
It’s a recipe with provenance. It comes from Cathy Burgett, a cooking instructor at the legendary Tante Marie Cooking School in San Francisco where, while he was still in High School, Nick took evening and weekend classes. It’s a simple, and adaptable recipe, as Leah learned, when she swapped in blueberries for the cranberries. And it yields a sneakily fancy result because, according to Nick, everything feels more fancy when it’s upside down.
If the flavors of autumn could be rolled into one, this meringue roulade would be the result: warming cinnamon, burnt honey, sweet apples, and tangy orange come together to make a dessert fit for the festive season. Make sure all your individual components have completely cooled before assembling—you don’t want to create any excess moisture in the roulade. Get ahead by preparing the apples and cream the day before, keeping them refrigerated until needed.
I don’t know if crostatas are any simpler to make than pies or tarts, but the relaxed, unfussed feel of the pastry makes them my preferred summertime dessert. I don’t peel the peaches for this; if you prefer to, I recommend you add a little extra cornstarch to the filling so it doesn’t wind up too juicy. I cool all crostatas on a wire rack to prevent the crusts from steaming and softening. Note: This recipe calls for only 3/4 cup of the crumble, but I make the whole batch and freeze the rest for later.
I’ve eaten many, many apple cakes in my life. German strudel... love it! English apple pie... simply divine! But this fat-free recipe from my Aunt Rose is something totally different. Simple, healthy and so quick you will be able to make it in under an hour.
Do you love cream cheese icing? Do you consider it the best part of carrot cake and red velvet cupcakes? If so, then you need to try this recipe. It's old-fashioned, and it takes a little more time, but oh, it's worth it. This is so creamy, so rich — and it tastes of cream cheese all the way.
Crème brûlée is simply one of the sexiest recipes going. You know that tap-tap moment, when the caramelized crust shatters, and you dip into the creamy custard below? Heaven. The rustic burnt topping makes each bite different and more delicious than the last. I confess, though, that I find classic crème brûlée a little fussy. I do make it and love it (see our basic crème brûlée recipe here), but when I was working on my forthcoming book about pudding, Bakeless Sweets, I wondered whether there was an easier way. Could I make crème brûlée without the oven and water bath?
Ingredients
Who knew banana pudding was such an elemental recipe? And who are we to argue. Grab a spoon and go!