There are desserts I like to bake for the sake of baking, rather than eat, and treats I enjoy eating that I don’t bake (like croissants). Then, we have this strawberry pavlova which falls into both categories. I love making meringue. It’s so dramatic when the egg whites change to glossy white. As for eating pavlova, it’s texturally fantastic. You get the the crunch and crumble of the meringue, creaminess from the whipped cream and then juicy, sweet-tart fruit.
Whenever I’m at a Thai restaurant and see mango sticky rice on the menu, I will absolutely order it. I doesn’t matter how full I am from eating Khao Soi or Phat See Ew, I will make room. It’s one of my favorite restaurant desserts. The first time I had the dish homemade, my Thai friend from pastry school showed me how.
Come summer, when basil in abundance at the farmers’ market, I immediately grab a fragrant bunch to for this easy pesto recipe. Blanching the basil leaves is the secret to keeping the pesto’s vibrant color. I tossed the pesto with corzetti pasta. The stamp molds are linked below.
These turnovers were inspired by Lara Jean’s baking scene in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, the second movie in the trilogy. Baking is featured in every movie but the turnovers are my favorite pensive bake. LJ used canned cherry pie filling but I opted for frozen sweet cherries so I can control the amount of sugar. I added cream cheese, a tangy creamy balance to the bright flavor of the fruit. Feel free to substitute for other frozen fruit of your choice. If using strawberries, I’d add another teaspoon of cornstarch, since they’re really juicy.
