Gold Leaf

Serve over ice
Pairs well with apple crisp, Cinnamon cheesecake, vanilla crème brulee.

Cinnamon Pumpkin Cheesecake

Sweet Pie Crust
Prepare sweet pie crust. Roll out dough; fit into 9-inch pie plate, fluting edge of crust or decorating as desired. Place in freezer 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Filling:
2 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
18 oz. container fresh ricotta cheese
1 (16 oz.) can solid pack plain pumpkin
2 large eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
In food processor or blender, process cream cheese and ricotta until well blended and smooth.
Add pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons grated orange peel, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; process until thoroughly blended.
Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie 35 minutes longer until filling is firm in center and knife inserted comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack.
Topping:
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon orange flavored liqueur, optional
2 naval oranges, cut into thin wedges
fresh mint leaves, optional
Spread marmalade over surface of cooled pie. In small bowl of electric mixer at high speed, beat cream and confectioners sugar until stiff peaks form. Stir in 1 tablespoon grated orange peel and orange-flavored liqueur (if desired). Swirl cream over center of pie. Arrange orange wedges around outside edge. Decorate with mint leaves, if desired.

Cassis

Mix with Seyval Blanc or dry champagne to make a Kirr Royale
Pair with flourless dark chocolate tort, dark chocolate and nuts

Flourless Chocolate Torte

Unsweetened cocoa
2 (8-ounce) packages semisweet chocolate squares, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup butter
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar

Grease a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with unsweetened cocoa; set aside. Melt chopped chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Whisk together egg yolks and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually stir in chocolate mixture; whisk until well blended. Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form. Fold one-third beaten egg white mixture into chocolate mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes. (Do not overbake.) Let stand in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes before removing sides of pan.

Vermont Ice

At best by itself, served ice cold
Fruit tort, homemade sorbet, and raspberry créme brulee

Raspberry Créme Brulee

1 basket fresh raspberries, divided
6 eggs yolks, chilled
6 tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, chilled
4 tablespoons sugar, for topping
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Adjust oven rack to center position. Butter six (6-ounce) custard cups and set them into a glass-baking dish. If cooking custards in a metal pan, cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of newspaper to ensure an even temperature on the bottom.
Place 8 raspberries in each of the custard cups. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Add sugar and mix until dissolved. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Whisk in cream, then pour mixture into prepared custard cups.
Bring the water for the water bath to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come half-way cup the sides of the custard cups. NOTE: The most common mistake people make in baking custard is not putting enough water in the hot-water bath. The water should come up to the level of the custard inside the cups. You must protect your custard from the heat.
Bake approximately 45 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. The cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cup you are using, but begin checking at a half-hour and check back regularly. When the center of the custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken, that's when you can remove it from the oven.
Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled to room temperature. Remove cups from water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle approximately 2 teaspoons of remaining sugar over each créme brulee. For best results, use a small hand-held torch. Hold the torch 4 to 5 inches from the sugar, maintaining a slow and even motion. Stop torching just before the desired degree of doneness is reached, as the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after flame has been removed. If you don't have a torch, place créme brulees 6 inches below the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes or until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. Refrigerate créme brulees at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve within 1 hour, as topping will deteriorate. Garnish with remaining raspberries before serving.
Makes 6 servings (depending on size of custard cups).

Vermont Ice Red

At best by itself, served room temperature
Tiramisu, brandied fruits, and dark chocolate mousse

Berry Tiramisu Cake

INGREDIENTS
4 cups Assorted fresh berries
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
SPONGE CAKE:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
CREAM FILLING:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups whipping cream, whipped

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine berries, sugar and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Gently press berries; drain, reserving juice. Set berries aside. In a large saucepan, combine cornstarch and reserved juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Cool completely. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, 1-cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk egg yolks, water and oil; add to dry ingredients, beating until smooth. In another mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating on high until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Spread into an ungreased 9-in. springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-38 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Split cake into three layers; place one layer on a serving plate. Spread with a third of the filling; top with a third of the berries and drizzle with 1/4-cup berry syrup. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Frozen Tiramisu

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup strong coffee
3 tablespoons rum (dark or light)
2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfingers
1/2 gallon coffee ice cream, softened on microwave's defrost setting for 1 minute
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely grated
1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup half-and-half

DIRECTIONS
Mix coffee and rum. Line a 2-quart metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang. Use a pastry brush to paint the spiked coffee onto the ladyfingers. Then line the bottom and sides of the pan with ladyfingers, rounded side out. Reserving 1/2 cup of chocolate for garnish, stir rest of chocolate into ice cream. Turn ice cream into loaf pan, using a rubber spatula to press ice cream evenly into pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. When ready to serve, mix cheese, liqueur and sugar until smooth; whisk in half-and-half to form a thick but pourable sauce. Unmold dessert, using ends of plastic wrap to remove it from pan; peel away wrap. Slice loaf, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with chocolate.