What is the base for Bingsu: Korean Shaved Ice?

Korean shaved ice is different from other types of shaved ice because the ice base that is being shaved is made of a milky base. Hawaiian shaved ice, on the other hand, uses water as a base for the ice, and then sweetened syrups are added to shaved ice for flavor. Most recipes for Korean shaved ice use some kind of milk as the base. I have seen some recipes where cereal milk is created by soaking cereal in milk until the flavors of the cereal leech into the milk. The mixture is then strained and frozen to become the base of the shaved ice. You can also use a plant-based milk to make it completely vegan, omitting the sweetened condensed milk. Just add about 1/4 -1/2 cup of sugar depending on your sweetness preference.

What are Toppings for Bingsu: Korean Shaved Ice?

• sweet red bean paste
• pieces of mochi, or sweet glutinous rice cakes
• condensed milk
• fresh fruit (strawberries, mangoes)
• canned fruits (lychees, longnan, peaches)
• the sky is the limit!

Print

Bingsu: Korean Shaved Ice

A refreshing cold treat for hot summer days

Course Dessert

Cuisine Korean

Keyword Bingsu, shaved ice, shaved snow

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Freeze Time 8 hours hours

Servings 6 people

Equipment

• 1 blender or food processor

Ingredients

• 1/8 cup condensed milk
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups oat milk

Fruit Puree

• 1 cup strawberries or mango cut
• 1 tbsp sugar

Toppings

• 2 tbsp Condensed milk
• 1 cup strawberries or mango coarsely diced

Instructions

• Whisk together mixture for shaved ice: condensed milk, milk, and oat milk. Make sure that condensed milk is well-incorporated. Then place into ice cube trays and freeze for at least 8 hours until completely frozen.
  
• Prepare fruit puree: add strawberries or mangoes and sugar into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Place in refrigerator until serving time.
• After shaved ice cubes are frozen solid, place them into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, like the consistency of a smoothie.
  
• Serve into individual portions, and top with fruit puree and fresh strawberries (or chopped mango) and condensed milk.

For other cool and refreshing summer recipes, check out my Mediterranean salad recipe.

This apple pie filling can be eaten with yogurt, pancakes, waffles, as the actual filling in a pie, or with ice cream. Kids and adults alike will love this.

Print

Easiest Apple Pie Filling

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apple pie filling

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Servings 1 person

Ingredients

• 1 large apple-Fuji, cosmic crisp, or honeycrisp peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water

Cornstarch slurry

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp corn starch

Instructions

• Place apple slices into a skillet. Add in brown sugar, cinnamon, and water. Place the lid on top and simmer on medium high for 20-25 minutes until the apples are just tender. Add extra water as needed.
• Meanwhile make cornstarch slurry by adding cornstarch to water. Mix well until there are no clumps. Then set aside.
• When apples are tender, add in cornstarch slurry. And cook on low for 1-2 minutes until the liquid has thickened. Serve warm with panckes or waffles.

How to make snow ear fungus dessert soup

• You need a pressure cooker. Snow ear fungus is very fibrous and takes a long time to become soft and tender.
• Pressure cook the snow ear fungus and water for about 30 minutes. Cook the other elements separately on the stove.
• While the snow ear fungus is pressure cooking, simmer the Asian yellow pear, dried goji berries, dried jujubes, and rock sugar.
• Cool down the pressure cooker by putting it under your kitchen sink and running it under cold water with your faucet. Once it is depressurized, open the lid and combine snow ear fungus with the Asian pear mix.
• Turn off all heat, then add honey to taste.

Print

Snow Ear Fungus Dessert Soup

A healing sweet dessert soup of snow ear fungus, Asian yellow pear, goji berries, jujubes, and honey.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword Asian dessert soup, snow ear fungus dessert soup

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

For the pressure cooker

• 2 quarts water
• 1 bunch snow ear fungus
• 1/4 cup rock sugar

For simmering on the stove

• 3 quarts water
• 2 Asian yellow pear peeled, cored, and quartered
• 1 handful goji berries drinsed
• 10 dried jujubes rinsed
• 1/2 cup honey

Instructions

For Snow Fungus

• Take 1 bunch/handful of dried snow ear fungus. Soak it in drinking water for 10 minutes, submerging it completely in the water.
• Once snow ear fungus is rehydrated, cut the stem off the bottom and discard. It is the darker orange base at the bottom of the bunch of snow ear fungus. Then add the remaining snow ear fungus into the pressure cooker and add 2 quarts of drinking water and rock sugar.
• Closed the lid of the pressure cooker following the instructions of your pressure cooker. Then boil on high heat until the pressure cooker begins to whistle, about 15 minutes. At that point, reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Allow the simmer in the pressure cooker for a total of 25 minutes.
• After 25 minutes, remove pressure cooker from stovetop, and rinse the top with cold water. When the pressure cooker depressurizes, you may remove the lid safely.

For Asian pear dessert soup

• Place a large stockpot on the stove to boil on high. Add in 3 quarts of water. Then add in Asian pear, rinsed jujubes, and rinsed goji berries.
• Bring the water to a boil, then simmer on medium low for about 30 minutes, until the Asian pear is fork tender.
• Turn off the heat for the Asian pear dessert soup.

Combining the two

• Combine the snow ear fungus mixture with the Asian pear mixture. Make sure that the heat is off. Then add in honey to taste. The dessert soup should be just slightly sweet and not overly sweet.

  Optional: add in agave

How to Make the Perfect Flan

• use a water bath
• use gentle heat to cook the flan
• cover with foil
• check for the jiggle and make sure it is still there when you take the flan out of the oven

Print

The Perfect Flan

A creamy and jiggly flan that melts in your mouth.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Mexican, Spanish

Keyword caramel flan, flan

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Caramel

• 1 cup sugar

Custard

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 quarts water for water bath

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Caramel

• Make caramel by heating sugar in a medium saucepan on medium high heat for 5-7 minutes. As you see the sugar browning, swirl the pan to allow the melted sugar to touch other sugar crystals. This will help with even caramelization. When sugar is completely liquid and golden brown, turn off heat. Immediately drizzle evenly into 6-8 ramekins. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Custard

• Make custard by beating together heavy cream, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until well incorporated.
• Boil 1 quart of water. Set aside.
• Then evenly distribute custard mixture into the ramekins. Place ramekins onto a baking sheet. Then cover the ramekins with foil. After placing the baking sheet into the oven, carefully pour the boiled water into the baking sheet so that the ramekins are sitting in hot boiled water.
• Bake flan at 325 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until eggs have a slight jiggle.
• Then remove from the oven, allow to cool completely. When it is cooled, remove the ramekins from the water bath and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold the next day.
• To release the flan from the ramekins, run a clean sharp knife around the edge of the inside of the ramekin to loosen the flan. Jiggle the flan around the ramekin to loosen it. Then flip the ramekin onto a plate in one swift motion. The flan should release with the caramel side on top.

What spices should I use for the easiest apple spice cake?

• clove
• cinnamon
• optional: nutmeg

If you can get these spices whole and then ground them yourself, the flavor will be even better. But buying ground should be just fine as well. Having just clove and cinnamon will be enough. It’s more about the quality of your spices and using enough of them. Luckily this recipe has plenty of cinnamon and clove to pack a punch!

For some of the best quality spices you can find, check out Penzey’s! They have changed my cooking with their super delicious and fragrant spices.

How do I keep my apples from falling to the bottom of the cake?

Cut your apples into small cubes and toss in all purpose flour to help them stick to the cake batter. This will prevent them from falling to the bottom of the cake.

Serve with my bourbon salted caramel sauce and a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Print

The Easiest Apple Spice Cake

A super easy apple spice cake using store-bought vanilla cake mix. Hello fall!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apple spice cake, easy cake

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 people

Equipment

• 1 9-inch cake pan
• 1 9-inch diameter circular piece of parchment paper

Ingredients

• 1 package vanilla cake mix
• 1 egg
• 1 stick butter melted
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp ground clove
• 2 apples cored, peeled, and diced
• 1 tsp canola oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
• Follow directions for cake mix: mix melted butter, egg, and cake mix into a batter.
• Toss diced apples into all purpose flour.
• Add apples, cinnamon, and clove into the cake batter. Fold in gently until just incorporated.
• Take out a roll of parchment paper. Trace the underside circle of your cake pan onto the parchment paper. Cut out the circular pattern. Lay the circular piece of parchment onto the bottom of the cake pan. Then, using a brush or paper towel, grease the entire inside of the cake pan with oil.
• Add cake batter into the cake pan.
• Bake cake according to package instructions, approximately 50-60 minutes. The cake is done when you stick a toothpick into the middle and it comes out clean.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

For other easy dessert recipes, check out my passion fruit panna cotta and fresh peach crisp.

This passion fruit mango tart is a celebration of summer, tropical flavors, and just true deliciousness. It involves multiple steps, so it is definitely a labor of love. But it is so worth it. Everyone who has ever had this tart has loved it. And I hope that your loved ones also appreciate the time and effort that went into your passion fruit mango tart. 

I have to acknowledge that I borrowed heavily from the talented Dominique Ansel for his vanilla sable recipe as my tart crust and tweaked it just a little.

You should probably make the different components of the tart the day before you intend to serve it. Creme patissiere and passion fruit curd need time to cool and to set for structural integrity.

How do I prevent my tropical passion fruit mango tart from becoming soggy?

Assemble the tart right before serving for best results. Otherwise, you can add a layer of white chocolate to the base of the tart crust and allow that to set before layering in your creme patissiere and passion fruit curd.

What kind of mango should I use?

Kent mangoes are one of the most delicious mangoes out there, with limited veins and tons of sweet fragrant flesh. If you cannot find those, then I would recommend using Champagne mangoes.

How do I make a smooth creme patissiere?

Make sure not to overcook your custard, because it will lead to curdling and lumps

Use butter to finish to ensure smoothness

Always always run your creme patissiere through a sieve after cooking. There are bound to be some lumps in the cooking process. Passing it through a sieve will get all those minor lumps out.

How long does creme patissiere need to set?

At least 4 hours, but for best results, overnight is best.

For other passion fruit recipes, check out my passion fruit panna cotta.

Print

Tropical Passion Fruit Mango Tart

Crispy tart with passion fruit curd, creme patissiere, and fresh mango

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword fruit tart, mango passion fruit tart

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 people

Equipment

• 1 food processor
• 1 whisk
• 1 tart pan

Ingredients

Vanilla Tart Shell

• 185 g all purpose flour
• 45 g confectioner's sugar
• 50 g corn starch
• 1 g salt
• 3 g vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 130 g unsalted butter
• 1 egg

Passion fruit curd

• 180 g strained passion fruit juice
• 1/8 c granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 tbsp corn starch

Creme Patissiere -Vanilla Pastry Cream

• 2 cups milk
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 vanilla bean seeds scraped
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter

Fruit Topping

• 1 Kent mango thinly sliced

Instructions

Vanilla Tart Shell

• Combine flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, salt, and butter into a large food processor. Pulse for about 30 seconds or until butter becomes pea sized clumps. Scrape the bowl as needed.
• Beat egg and combine with vanilla paste. Then add into the butter/flour mixture. Pulse until just combined and a dough ball begins to form.
• Scrape the edges of the bowl and turn mixture onto a clean surface. Mix residual flour into the dough. Then form into a flat disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before use.
• Before baking, thaw for at least 10-15 minutes to allow dough to be pliable enough to roll.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sprinkle a clean surface with flour. Roll dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Place onto your tart shell, pushing the dough onto the edges of the pan. Remove excess dough. Refrigerate dough for another 15 minutes to allow it to hold shape. Then line the top of the tart shell with parchment paper and fill with beans.
• Bake tart shell at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove parchment paper and beans from tart shell and check for doneness. The bottom of the tart shell should be golden brown and crisp. If it is still soft, turn oven to 300 degrees, and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and crisp.
• When tart shell is golden brown and crisp, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

Passion Fruit Curd

• Mix passion fruit juice, granulated sugar, egg yolks, salt, and corn starch with a whisk.
• Heat mixture in a large saucepan over medium heat, constantly whisking.
• When you see ribbons appear from whisking, turn off the heat.
• Whisk in butter. Then place mixture into a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, making sure that the wrap covers and makes contact with the surface of the passion fruit curd. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Creme Patissiere-Vanilla Pastry Cream

• Split vanilla bean in half length-wise and use a knife the scrape the seeds off. Place into a large saucepan. Add milk and vanilla bean paste to saucepan. Heat on medium heat until just about to boil.
• Mix together sugar, salt, corn starch, egg yolks, and egg. Whisk until well mixed.
• When milk is heated, slowly add milk into the egg mixture allowing it to slowly warm up/temper the egg mixture. Whisk constantly.
• Then add the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan and heat on medium heat. Whisk constantly while heating. Cook on medium heat until ribbons begin to appear in the pastry cream. Then turn off heat and whisk in butter.
• Strain pastry cream through a sieve. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap, allowing the plastic to touch the top of the pastry cream. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Cutting Mango

• Standing mango up, cut the mango length-wise on either side of the seed, removing the seed. Using a knife, peel the mango and thinly cut mango segments into thin slices. Slices should resemble half-moons. Separate mango slices by size.

Tart Assembly

• Place tart shell on serving platter.
• Add passion fruit curd onto the bottom of the tart shell, spreading into an even layer.
• Then fill the tart shell with pastry cream until it reaches the top of the tart shell. Spread evenly.
• Then top with mango. Starting with the outer perimeter of the tart shell, place the largest mango slices in circular pattern. Once that layer is set, move inward and start placing mango slices into another circle. Repeat until you have reached the middle.

Life is short. Eat dessert first, right?! I like to make bourbon salted caramel sauce to cook my apples in. That becomes a delicious base for apple pie and fruit crisp filling.

One of my favorite Food Network stars is Sandra Lee. She hosted a show called “Semi-Home Made.” I loved how she was a realistic cook in knowing that very few people have time and energy to cook everything from scratch. Sometimes you need help from the store, but there are ways to play things up and to put your own spin on prepared foods. I made this bourbon salted caramel sauce to go with brownies that were made from a Ghirardelli brownie mix. Sorry not sorry.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this recipe. Caramel is actually really easy to make at home if you have the know-how and a little bit of patience.

Cooking Equipment Needed for Bourbon Caramel Sauce

If possible, use a sauce pan that is lighter in color when you’re making caramel sauce or caramel. Dark pans make it more difficult to tell if the sugar has gotten to the perfect level of caramelization, which is crucial for making a successful caramel.

Do not use plastic cooking ware (e.g., plastic ladle) to stir the caramel. It will melt and ruin your caramel and cooking ware. Instead, use silicone or wooden spoons for the job.

Safety First

Caramel requires that you heat sugar until it melts and then browns. Be VERY careful when melting any sugar because you need to heat sugar to very high temperatures to melt it. NEVER dip your finger in to have a taste when you’re making this sauce or any candy because you will burn yourself.

Secrets to the Perfect Caramel: Don’t Look Away!

Caramelized sugar goes from perfectly golden brown to very dark/burnt in seconds. Watch your melted sugar very carefully and do not let it leave your sight once it starts turning brown! Fun fact: this is the same process that you will have to undergo to make the caramel sauce for flan.

How much salt do I put in salted caramel?

Just a pinch. Maybe two. Don’t overdo the salt. Always taste for flavor. Of course, wait until the caramel sauce cools a LOT before putting it in your mouth. Please, no burnt tongues please!

Price Comparison

A jar of Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce from Trader Joe’s will rack you up approximately $11 and has about 10-15 servings in it. In making this caramel sauce, the sugar costs about $.20, the heavy cream is $1, the butter is $.20 worth, and the Bourbon is about $.20 worth. I made this for about $1.60 and it was about 4 servings worth.

Store-Bought ($.73) vs. Home-made ($.40).

Even though price difference looks relatively small, the difference in flavor is definitely worth it to me! But let’s be honest. Life is really busy. Since the savings are not as stark in this one and the jarred sauce is perfectly tasty, feel free to buy your own caramel sauce if you don’t have the time. It’s important to budget your time for home-made food where it really matters in terms of flavor and your wallet.

Print

Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword caramel sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp or splash of Bourbon
• 1 tbsp butter
• pinch of salt to taste

Instructions

• Place the sugar in a saucepan and allow to heat on medium high heat. Allow the sugar to begin melting. If necessary, use a spoon to mix the remaining sugar crystals with the melted sugar for even melting.
• Once sugar is all melted, turn fire to medium or medium-low heat and allow the sugar to slowly brown, approximately 3-7 minutes depending on your pan and stove settings. Watch very carefully.
• Once sugar is light brown in color (the color of light brown sugar), immediately add in heavy cream. Slowly stir until the chunks of caramelized sugar have fully dissolved into the cream. Then add splash of Bourbon.
• Continue stirring and cooking on medium heat until sauce just coats the back of a spoon or until it reaches its desired thickness. At the end of cooking, add in butter and salt to taste.
• Allow to cool and then taste for seasoning. Add additional salt to taste. If it needs thickening, add additional brown sugar.

Can I use a substitute for gelatin in almond panna cotta?

Gelatin is made of animal collagen, and thus, is not a plant-based food. Some people may wish to substitute for agar-agar or other plant-based products. You will have to experiment to find the right proportions to achieve the right texture. This recipe was written for gelatin. Best of luck!

How long does almond panna cotta need to set?

At least 4 hours, but for best results, overnight is best. The more ingredients you add into your panna cotta (e.g., fruit pulp), the more time it needs to set. Since this almond panna cotta recipe has no extra fruit in it, you can get away with a 4 hour set time.

How do I achieve the perfect sweetness in desserts?

Have you noticed that many dessert or baking recipes you find have way too much sugar in them? I find that a good rule of thumb is to reduce the amount of sugar in any given recipe by at least 1/4 – 1/2. The only exception here is chewy American cookies, brownies, and meringue. These recipes need lots of sugar to achieve the proper texture, so there is no skimping there. However, for most dessert recipes, you can do your own spin and reduce the amount of sugar yourself. It will still taste delicious, and you will not be ingesting crazy amounts of sugar.

What kind of almond extract should I use in almond panna cotta?

Always use the best quality spices and flavorings that you can use in your cooking. For almond extract, look for a natural rather than artificial product. I highly recommend the pure almond extract from Penzey’s! It has a strong and pure natural flavor that is unparalleled.

For another delicious take on panna cotta, check out my passion fruit panna cotta recipe.

Print

Almond Panna Cotta

A silky and creamy almond panna cotta recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword almond panna cotta, easy panna cotta

Prep Time 8 minutes minutes

Set Time 4 hours hours

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp almond extract

Instructions

• Mix gelatin and water in a saucepan until gelatin is moist. Heat on low heat until mixture becomes liquid. Set aside.
• Heat heavy cream, milk, sugar, and almond extract in a large saucepan on medium heat. When you begin to see small bubbles just begin to form, turn off the heat.
• Add liquid gelatin mixture into milk mixture. Whisk thoroughly until well incorporated.
• Place mixture evenly into 8 ramekins. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator to set for 4 hours, or overnight.
• Optional: top with toasted almonds

The Secret to the Perfect Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

Have the best quality passion fruit juice you can find. Fresh is always best, but frozen is also good.

Use a high quality cream and milk. Organic dairy from grass-fed cows will give you a cleaner flavor.

Use enough passion fruit. Do not be stingy with your passion fruit. If you are serving a passion fruit panna cotta, then it should be packed with passion fruit flavor.

Keep whisking after mixing your milk mixture into your passion fruit juice. The acidity of the passion fruit will make your milk curdle. Just keep whisking continuously and you will end up with a smooth mixture and panna cotta.

Can I use a substitute for gelatin?

Gelatin is made of animal collagen, and thus, is not a plant-based food. Some people may wish to substitute for agar-agar or other plant-based products. You will have to experiment to find the right proportions to achieve the right texture. This recipe was written for gelatin. Best of luck!

How long does panna cotta need to set?

At least 4 hours, but for best results, overnight is best. The more ingredients you add into your panna cotta (e.g., fruit pulp), the more time it needs to set.

For other tropical dessert ideas, check out my strawberry coconut chia seed pudding.

Can I use a non-dairy substitute?

Absolutely! Coconut cream would be a great option instead of cream. And almond milk or oat milk would be a good substitute for cow’s milk. However, using coconut milk may change the overall flavor of this passion fruit panna cotta. Passion fruit goes well with coconut, so you’ll be making a very tropical tasting dessert.

Print

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword panna cotta, passion fruit panna cotta

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Setting Time 8 hours hours

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup passion fruit juice

Instructions

• Mix gelatin and water in a saucepan until gelatin is moist. Heat on low heat until mixture becomes liquid. Set aside.
• Heat heavy cream, milk, and sugar in a large saucepan on medium heat. When you begin to see small bubbles just begin to form, turn off the heat.
• Add liquid gelatin mixture into milk mixture. Whisk thoroughly until well incorporated.
• Then whisk in passion fruit juice into milk mixture. You will see the milk begin to curdle. Continue whisking vigorously until the mixture is smooth again.
• Place mixture evenly into 8 ramekins. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator to set for 8 hours, or overnight.