A Visit with Woodblock Chocolate in Portland, Oregon

As Dessert Week draws to a close (aren't you sorry to see it go? We are!) let's talk about chocolate for a moment. Chocolate inspires the most passionate responses — I know people who say, hyperbolically, that they could not live without chocolate, that their ultimate dessert is a wedge of the darkest chocolate cake imaginable. But chocolate doesn't really do it for me; I like it in small amounts or swirled with peanut butter. What about you? Is chocolate the best thing ever, or could you take it or leave it? 

Every now and again, I stumble across something online that makes me smile. Sometimes it's an incredibly well-written article; other times it's a preview of an album I've been wanting to hear. Then there are the times when all it takes to put me in a good mood is the thought of a single-serve soft chocolate chip cookie in a cup. 

I have a sweet tooth and love dessert more than most of my family members, and certainly more than my boyfriend. He is content with a slice of cheese after dinner whereas I tend to gravitate towards a wedge of chocolate. I think both are fine as long as they're in relative moderation, which can be a struggle. But when it comes to dessert portions, all it takes is a little pre-planning to portion like a pro!

There’s something exciting about dessert in our house — shocking, even. Dessert rarely appears at the table, even though we have no specific rules about sweets. Every now and then one of the children will make a request — usually cookies, a love they inherited from their dad — or I'll feel nostalgic for something like cobbler, vinegar pie, or homemade Magic Shell over ice cream. Dessert is not a required course and we definitely don’t need it to survive. However, because my husband and I come from different cultures (I am all South Carolina, while he is half Serbian and half French) he’s been known to claim his Gallic heritage as the reason he must have dessert. But he comes by his love of dessert honestly...

Madeleines.  That little French butter cake that most (non-French) people think of more as a cookie.  They have a classy, literary reputation, having served as Proust's muse in his famous Remembrance of Things Past.  Like most muses, however, madeleines appear to be simple but actually require a fair amount of patience and careful following of instructions.  In the end, though,  you are rewarded with a truly unique little cake, browned and crispy on the outside and spongy and soft on the inside.  A perfect accompaniment to your afternoon cup of tea.

It seems like only yesterday that the frozen yogurt craze swept the nation, cluing in the general public to what we've known for years: creamy, tart, refreshing yogurt makes a great dessert. From yogurt banana splits to yogurt-pomegranate pops, these ten recipes could give the local fro-yo joint a run for its money.

I spend a great deal of time in the kitchen writing and developing recipes and there are days when I don't have as many ideas swimming around in my head — days when I struggle to come up with original ideas for new work. On those days, I look to cookbooks and favorite online sites to mix things up a little, to hand over a slice of inspiration. Last week I found just that with this simple non-dairy Cereal Milk Ice Cream. More

Cooks who work on marble countertops already know that marble is great for working with pastry and chocolate. When chilled, a marble surface is ideal for keeping dough from sticking -- particularly when you're not keen on adding too much extra flour. If you're an avid baker, it's an essential tool to have in your kitchen. And you can get one for around $30!

Robin's eggs are such a lovely hue and a happy sign of spring. With a certain "egg-centric" holiday fast approaching, why not take a robin's egg dessert to family dinner? Or, just make one for something special to enjoy at home, in honor of Easter or in honor of Spring. Here are some desserts that take the robin's egg theme and run with it: