Memories, like the corners of my mind...

I was just thinking back to when I was a kid ... five, six years ago ... there was a groovy wicked dessert called No-Bake Cheesecake. Its texture was light and creamy, and so easy that just about anyone could make. Even a kid like me, whose parents -in those days- never allowed in the kitchen because it was strictly prohibited by our homeowner's insurance.

One. I blew up just one lousy microwave oven, and that was the last time I was allowed in their kitchen. Well, I ain't a kid no more. And while there may have been a catastrophe, or two, in my own kitchen since those carefree days, baking continues to be an ongoing passion for me.

Here's a recipe which my family has enjoyed, and it's one which I'll try again when the temperatures start to rise and the cravings for a simply delicious cheesecake arise.

Individual No-Bake Cheesecakes with Apricot Sauce

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

7 ounces graham crackers (about 13)

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature

6 ounces crème fraîche *

2/3 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

1 cup heavy cream

Apricot Purée, recipe follows

Line six cups of a jumbo muffin pan with plastic wrap. Set aside. Combine sugar and graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add melted butter and pulse just until combined. Press this mixture into muffin cups and place in the freezer while preparing filling.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, crème fraîche and confectioner's sugar until incorporated. In another bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form; fold into cream-cheese mixture. Fill individual crusts and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook.

*I make my own crème fraîche by combining 1 cup heavy cream (preferably not ultra-pasteurized) with two tablespoons cultured buttermilk. Whisk the two ingredients in a glass container, and loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap, allowing some air in. Let this mixture sit for at least 24 and up to 36 hours, until very thick. Stir the cream after it has thickened. Cover and keep refrigerated for 1 week.

I made the following purée using only 2 tablespoons sugar, and found it sweet enough for my taste. You may (or not) need to thin with additional water to make into a pourable sauce.

Apricot Purée

2 cups, packed dried California apricots

1½ cups water

1½ tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

½ cup superfine sugar, optional

In a small saucepan place the apricots and water and allow to stand, covered for 2 hours. Simmer 20 minutes on very low heat, covered, until the apricots are soft. Purée with the liquid in a food processor.

Press through a fine strainer. You should have 1½ to 1¾ cups. Stir in the lemon juice. To make lightly sweetened purée, add sugar to equal 1/3 the volume of the purée (i.e. if there's only 1 cup purée, add 1/3 cup of sugar instead of the ½ cup. Store in airtight container. Keep refrigerated for 5 days, or freeze for 1 year. Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible.

Oh, the weather outside is delightful ...

It's 51°F today in my corner of the world. And being a Michigander, I consider this a freakin' heatwave, and I welcome it with open arms - fully exposed arms even.
Unfortunately, tomorrow's temperatures will be back in the 30's. Wah-Wah.

You know what, I'm bored playing meteorologist. Instead, I'm going to pretend it's July, which is National Blueberry Month. We all know all about blueberries' health benefits, they say, blueberries are a good source of Vitamin C, and its antioxidants will keep you young and alert forever, maybe even longer.
They also say, "life is short." So, to hell with it. Let's bake Blueberry Muffins!

A bastion of good habits, I am not.

These are light. moist and full of flavor. And I hereby reiterate: Life is short, eat dess ... well, you know the rest.

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups AP flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried, or 2 cups slightly thawed frozen blueberries
2 large eggs
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Topping

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup finely chopped walnuts

Combine the sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts together in a bowl. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F. With the rack in the center position. Line a 12-cup muffin pan or a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan with paper liners. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla and lemon zest. With a wooden spoon, fold the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix just to combine. Don't worry about a few lumps in the batter. Scrape down the bowl well. Gently fold in the blueberries.

I use an ice cream scoop to drop the batter into the prepared pan, filling two-thirds of the way. Generously sprinkle the topping over the batter. Bake the regular-sized muffins for 18-20 minutes. And the jumbo muffins for 22-24 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks and cooling completely.

Caramelized Coconut Budino

Budino. Sounds far more appetizing than custard, doesn't it?

And this simple Italian dessert is not only decadent, it’s good for you too . . . ok, so it’s not healthy fare, it’s dessert for heaven’s sake. So, if you love coconut and caramel, then, what are you waiting for? Indulge a little.

Caramelized Coconut Budino

2½ cups very finely grated sweetened coconut
2 cups sugar
8 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons AP flour
1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Place the coconut on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until light golden, tossing ocassionally, 10-12 minutes. Reserve. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.

In a heavy, stainless steel frying pan, melt 1 cup of the sugar over medium heat. Do not stir, instead, swirl the pan to melt the sugar uniformly. Cook until it starts to turn golden brown. Immediately remove pan from the heat and pour mixture into an 8″ cake pan. Set it aside.
Whisk the eggs together in a bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar, the milk, coconut and flour, whisk until well blended.

Pour coconut mixture into the caramel-lined pan, and place in a larger pan. Pour boiling water into the larger pan to a depth of one inch. Bake in the oven until set, and a skewer in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit 10-15 minutes. Invert the Coconut Budino onto a serving plate, serve warm, or room temperature.Serves 8.
Adapted from Joanne Weir’s More Cooking in the Wine Country.