Desserts

Raggedy Robins
These are a childhood favorite of mine. We would make them after school for a snack. I added some bit of brown sugar for a more complex flavor. I love raisins and they work well here. If you have an aversion to them you can leave them out. If you only have quick-cooking oats they will work, the texture will be a little dry.
Makes about 36

Bûche de Noël
This is a family favorite for the Christmas holidays. It’s a classic French cake symbolizing the yule log which was burnt for good luck in the new year. I love decorating it with the colored marzipan and meringue mushrooms. Everyone can help make something to contribute to make this a beautiful cake. I found this recipe from Robert Reynolds and it’s now my go to recipe. He fills the cake with a delicious orange marmalade and ices it with a coffee butter cream. The orange marmalade instead of a buttercream filling makes the cake lighter.

Lemon Verbena Pots de Crème with Berries

This lemony dessert is a snap to make. The pots de crème have a complex lemon flavor thanks to the use of lemon and lemon verbena.
Serves 10-4 ounce servings

8 lemons
16 ounces (2 cups) granulated sugar
40 lemon verbena leaves
36 ounces (4 1/2 cups) heavy cream
4 ounces white chocolate, in small pieces (Valrona or Callebaut)

Garnish:
1 pint strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds or chopped pistachios

Bordstabler Cookies

When I look at Christmas’ past one of my happiest memories is of eating the beautiful and delicious Norwegian cookies my grandmother made. Most of her cookies were made of just sweet butter, flour, eggs, and almonds. The variety of cookies she made from these ingredients is pure Norwegian magic. I was mesmerized while sitting at her kitchen table as she rolled, shaped and baked hundreds of cookies.

She may have learned this recipe from her grandmother. There is no telling how far back this goes.