Mango Panna Cotta 香芒奶凍

If you like mango pudding, then you might like this dessert with panna cotta for an extra smoothness and richness. What a way to beat summer heat!

Almond Biscotti 意大利杏仁脆餅

Traditional Italian biscotti, cantuccini or biscotti di Prato, are very hard in texture and are meant to be dipped into coffee or some other accompanying drink to soften before eating.

The American version of biscotti is big, buttery and softer in texture, more like sugar cookies.

This recipe is a hybrid: a cookie with a texture that is not so hard but imbued with great flavors that can be enjoyed with or without dunking into coffee.

Lemon Mini Cupcake with homemade Limoncello 檸檬小蛋糕

With an abundance harvest of lemons, I have been searching for ways to make use of this citrus fruit: Lemon Bar 檸檬巴, Chicken pot with Preserved Lemon 惹味雞煲, Ginger and Lemon in Vinegar 八珍陳皮檸檬薑, Lemon Chiffon cake with Ginger Mousse 薑汁慕絲檸檬蛋糕, and Lemon Cream Tart 檸檬撻

This year with homemade lemon liquor, I made this refreshing treat.

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Panna Cotta 紅桑子朱古力奶凍

This is my take on the classic Italian dessert panna cotta. It means "cooked cream" in Italian and is very much like a Western version of a popular Chinese dessert, steamed eggs with milk. By adding two other flavors--raspberry and chocolate mousse--I have created a new combination that compliments each other and at the same time adds depth to the flavor. With the right amount of gelatin to firm up the liquid, the texture of the panna cotta becomes delicately smooth and silky. They are served in small glasses of the perfect serving size. Mmm....yummy!

Since there are three layers and they all need to be refrigerated and set before adding another one, a bit of patience is needed. It can be prepared one to two days before serving.

Tiramisu Cupcake 提拉米蘇杯子蛋糕

Believe or not, this is my first post on cupcakes. Although cupcakes have been popular for such a long time, for some reason I am not into this trend. My food critics at home have been bugging me to make cupcakes for a long time. I yielded to their requests when I saw this recipe on King Arthur's blog. It is a twist on the classic tiramisu, building on a cupcake.

I modified the recipe quite a bit and made it my own version with significantly less sugar. I call it an adult cupcake.

Walnut and Cranberry Biscotti with Cornmeal 義大利脆餅

After making a few "R" rated desserts (Ginger Ice Cream and Lemon Chiffon Cake with Ginger Mousse) for adult consumption, how about "R" rated cookies for grown ups--I mean biscotti. These twice baked cookies have a lot of variations and are good keepers, but they usually are gone in a short time at my home.

Pizza with Portabella Mushrooms, Onion and Sausage 意大利薄餅

What's the secret of making a good pizza? I think having good and fresh ingredients are more important than technique. If you have freshly made sauce and high quality cheese, the thickness of the crust, which can be your own personal preference, will not matter.

Focaccia with Cherry Tomatoes and Rosemary 意大利麵包

This Italian flatbread is similar to pizza, except it doesn't have any sauce on top. I've tried making it before a few times and it came out well. Recently Los Angeles Times published a recipe by Nancy Silverton, owner of La Brea Bakery. It calls for baking the bread in a cake pan instead of a baking sheet.

Tiramisu, soft version 提拉米蘇,軟身版

The Tiramisu that I made previously used gelatin to firm it up a bit so it could be sliced and served. This time I tried a slightly different version that can be served in a cup with no need for gelatin. Its texture is softer but its taste is just as good. I made more than 60 small cups this time for a very special and meaningful gathering.

Biscotti with walnuts and cranberries

Biscotti means "cooked twice" in Italian. A few weeks ago I made the lean version crisp chocolate biscotti, now it's time for the real thing :). For me, it's twice baked as well ! This time it has all the butter in it to make it all crispy and buttery.

Crisp Chocolate Biscotti

I rarely make cookies. They are last on my list of favorite baking items (except macarons :) ). If I make them, I always make sure that they have many goodies in them such as oats, flaxseed or raisins. Otherwise, they are just fat and sugar. (My son begged me not to put oatmeal and flaxseed in them when I make them next time! He said they are not "real" cookies.)

Tiramisu 提拉米蘇

It is time to count our blessings. This year I am very thankful to God for giving me the ability and determination to launch this blog. For those who know me, I'm not a computer person. I use it mainly to send emails, Google once in a while and check out what my friends are up to on Facebook. For me to be able to set up this blog is a real BIG STEP. It doesn't mean that I'm an expert now.

Meat Lasagna

I like to cook. Cooking is fun and it is especially fulfilling when others enjoy the food. But to decide what to cook is another story. If you are like me, the main chef of the house, you must know what I mean. I rarely repeat what I cook day after day. Variety is important to me and my family. No one likes to eat the same food day after day.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Flaxseed

A few years ago, before I start playing with yeast, I went to my son’s friend's birthday party. One of the party foods served was pizza, not ordered but homemade pizza. I remembered my first reaction was, "wow, you made pizza!!" The mom responded,"it is not that difficult to make." I did not believe her…until I made my own. And now I understand why there are so many pizza parlors/take outs. Easy to make and most people just save the hassle by picking up the phone to order it. But by making it on my own, I can put anything, I mean anything, on it. I’ve tried putting some leftover roast duck meat and BBQ pork on it. Kind of like fusion food, Chinese and Italian.