Even though it's no secret I have a sweet tooth, I'm not really in the habit of making homemade desserts, unless it's for a special occasion. Either they're too fussy or we just don't care to have too many sweets in the house for obvious reasons. However, when I noticed this interesting Peach Pie Bar recipe on Immaeatthat Blog, I just had to try it.
While I meant to create this dish a while ago, I had to hold off, as peaches weren't exactly in season. After a few weeks, I noticed that our local supermarket had some frozen peaches that I snatched up. The entire recipe was quick and easy and took me about 15-20 minutes to prepare and another 20 minutes to cook up. Holding up well for the entire week, Dan and I polished off these bars gradually and warmed them up for a few minutes in the microwave before devouring. I hope you get to try them too and have the opportunity to use fresh fruit, if available.
Peach Pie Bars recipe, courtesy of Immaeatthat Blog
With Valentine’s Day just days away, you may be still be pondering about what to do in Astoria. Well…there’s plenty, and this round-up is just a little taste of it. Find a bevy of other options on my giant post of love on We Heart Astoria.
Astor Bake Shop – Chef George and his team always whip up something lovely and delicious, such as these fun, cheeky love cookies. 12-23 Astoria Blvd, Astoria. 718.646.8439
Sweets First – I loved seeing this bevy of colorful cupcakes they’ve whipped up for V-day. Mix and match them with some cake pops for your special someone. 35-04 35th Avenue, Astoria. 347.741.4488
Tufino – There’s a major swoonfest going on around this lovely V-Day pasta, including special heart ravioli with housemade pesto, truffle cream, or vodka sauce filling. You can get them from this Thursday to Sunday. 36-08 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. 718.278.4800
Woodbines – Moving over to LIC now, I was excited to learn about Woobines' V-day menu full of classic favorites such as steak au poivre, stuffed filet of sole, chocolate lava cake and more. See full Valentine’s Day menu here. 47-10 Vernon Blvd, LIC. 718.361.8488
Homemade sweets – I always enjoy making a special something for Dan and suggest putting a little love into your sweet treats. My personal favorites include: A Lemon Rosemary Tarte, Apple Croustade (pictured above), Bacon Chocolate chip Cookies, Old Fashioned Homemade Chocolate Cake
Having my brother Peter over the other night while Dan made his signature pizza, I decided to whip up an easy and healthy dessert, totally improvising the whole thing. I had fresh, organic apples on hand as well as my favorite Bare Naked Chocolate Chunk Granola, so I decided to pair the two, along with some lemons, cinnamon, fresh sage and maple syrup for a quick impromptu dessert.
I was happy to see that the dessert was well received, as there were compliments flying around and I was only too happy to receive them. If you’d like to try this at home, and change it up with the fruit of your choice, here’s my rough recipe:
Baked Apple Dessert with Chocolate Granola
Ingredients (serves 3)
2 golden delicious or granny smith apples (I prefer organic), sliced into ¼ inch slivers. You don’t have to peel the apples.
½ cup of chocolate chunk granola (I prefer Bare Naked brand, but you can use whatever kind you like)
Juice of half a lemon
Dash of ground cinnamon
2 tbs of pure maple syrup
Fresh sage leaves (you can omit this, but I think it adds a hint of intrigue and originality)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the apples, maple syrup, lemon juice and the cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Mix until well incorporated and the maple syrup is no longer thick.
Place into soufflé ramekins or something similar and top with chocolate granola and a sage leaf.
Bake for about 20 or 25 minutes, until the apples get soft and when a delicious cinnamoney smell emanates from your kitchen.
