Chef Michael Salmon - Join me in my Kitchen
Desserts
The Dordogne valley produces more walnuts than any other region in France. Walnut trees are everywhere and it is quite disheartening to drive down the road in the autumn and hear the sound of the fallen nuts as they are crushed by your tires. Such a waste. Commercially, they grow 4 varieties of walnuts in the Dordogne region and we always look forward to loading up with a few bags of shelled nuts and a few tins of walnut oil on each trip.
A pub meal in England is not complete without a rich date pudding to finish off the meal. Sticky Toffee Pudding is, hands down, one of my all time favorite desserts. The pudding and Caramel-rum sauce can be made well in advance and re-heated just before serving. Top it with a premium vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream and you are in heaven.
Lemon curd is so easy to make. I remember the first time I made it and how amazed I was when this broken cool mixture turned into a smooth thick paste. Any citrus fruit can be used for a curd, I often make mine with a combination of lemon, lime and orange.
Semifreddo, in Italian, translates to “partially frozen.” It has a lighter texture, and is more like a frozen mousse than ice cream due to the incorporation of lots of air in its preparation. I make several versions of this classical Italian dessert by adding different ingredients for various flavor and texture combinations. Some of my favorite include: Pistachio, Limoncello, Raspberry, Chocolate-Hazelnut and of course this one made with Ricotta and Almond praline.
As rich and gooey as a pecan pie, this tartlet features Macadamia nuts and Guava jelly. Guava is a tropical fruit native to the Caribbean that has a very unique and distinctive flavor and aroma. I can buy guava jelly at my local supermarket in the gourmet aisle. If you can’t find it in your area, try to find other tropical fruit jellies, but any flavor will work.
Traditionally a French Clafoutis is made with pitted fresh cherries. In this dish, I used ripe Bartlett pears and pistachios to put a twist on this favorite custard-cake. It is also great as a breakfast dish.
Every month we have a birthday party at the farm (for the horses) and give pony rides on our Icelandic horses. My challenge is to create a new themed cupcake each month for the riders.
I have made many different pound cakes over the years, but the flavor, color and texture that the pistachios lend to this cake are incredible. Pound cake is terrific served with afternoon tea also. If you don’t eat nuts, the pistachios may be omitted from the recipe. Experiment with other nuts or other flavors like citrus, blueberries or chopped dried fruits.
At the Inn, we used to serve this rice pudding as a first course at breakfast. I find it to be a lot more interesting than porridge or oatmeal. The short-grain Arborio rice gives this dish a more unique texture than a standard rice pudding and I like it a little al dente. Play around with different dried fruits (figs, dates, papaya, etc..) and you can also diced fresh fruit. The combination of spices in the Apple Pie Spice Mix gives the pudding a nicely balanced spicy background.
Candied citrus peel makes a great addition to any citrus dessert. It is so simple to make, utilizes the skin of the fruit that often gets discarded and stores for a long time in your pantry. I use candied orange peel to garnish the top of my Grand Marnier Soufflé.
Join me in my kitchen as I prepare recipes from my two cookbooks, European foodie trips and explore new inspirations.
