So we decided to make them for Father’s Day—and also for July 4th with white chocolate and red and blue sprinkles.
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE COVERED
MARSHMALLOWS ON A STICK

Ingredients

 
_______________
*You can vary the color and type of decorations by holiday: little Valentine hearts, stars for July 4th, etc.

1. MELT chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds; stir and continue to microwave and stir at 30-second intervals. Take care not to scorch the chocolate. If there’s just a slight amount of undissolved chocolate, for example, whisk it to melt it instead of overheating the chocolate.

2. DIP the marshmallows into the chocolate with a fork or other utensil. Place on waxed paper or aluminum foil. Sprinkle with decorations. Allow to set (you can do this in the fridge).

3. INSERT sticks.
 
 
PRESENTATION

Marshmallow pops lying on a tray is one option, but you can get more creative in your presentation.

 
Other ideas? Let us know!

The bride and groom are cream puffs. Photo
courtesy Dominique Ansel Bakery.

A religieuse is a pastry made from two cream puffs, one larger, one smaller, joined and decorated. It was originally designed to emulate a nun in her habit, and filled with vanilla pastry cream.

Pastry chef Ansel has used is creativity to turn religieuses into brides and grooms. In his charming alternative to wedding cake, the bride is filled with blueberry pastry cream, the groom with chocolate pastry cream.

In the photo below, Chef Ansel shows his flair with a salted pistachio religieuse.

If you find yourself in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City, stop into Dominique Ansel Bakery to see what flavors and décor await you.

The traditional French wedding cake is an unusual creation called a croque-em-bouche (CROAK-om-boosh), a tall stack of cream puffs in the shape of a large cone.

The puffs are held together by caramelized sugar and finished with a garnish of caramel and optional decorations that range from candied almonds or a chocolate glaze to flowers and ribbons. Here’s a photo of a chocolate-covered croque-em-bouche.

Croque-em-bouche means “cracks in the mouth,” which describes the caramelized sugar.

 
 
SEE MORE SPECIAL TYPES OF PASTRY IN OUR DELICIOUS PASTRY GLOSSARY.

Salted pistachio religieuse, lovely for any special occasion. Photo courtesy Dominique Ansel Bakery.

We adapted this idea from Peach Valley Cafe, which has a variety of tasty waffles on the menu.

Prepare a waffles bar for brunch, game day or party fare.

Make your favorite waffles (we go for whole grain) and decide on your toppings, sweet or savory:
 
 
SAVORY WAFFLE TOPPINGS

 
Of course, you need to make a selection from all of these options. But if you have more to add to the list, let us know!
 
 

[2] Peach iced tea can be made with black, green or white tea. Here’s a green peach tea recipe (photo © Nourished Simply).

[3] You can wait for juicy summer peaches, or buy frozen slice peaches (photo © Good Eggs).

So in acknowledgement of National Iced Tea Month (June) and saving money by making it yourself, here’s a recipe courtesy The Republic Of Tea. There’s also National Iced Tea Day on June 10th.

The recipe uses low-glycemic agave nectar, but you can substitute sugar or other sweetener—or skip the sweetener entirely.

As you can see from the photos, this recipe does not make crystal-clear iced tea.

When you buy a bottle of peach-flavored iced tea, it is typically flavored with a clear extract.

Blending in the peaches delivers more peach flavor and a juice-like opacity.

If you want a conventional, clear peach iced tea, instructions are included below.
 
 
RECIPE: PEACH ICED TEA

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BOIL water and pour over tea bags in a heat-resistant pitcher. Infuse for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and place pitcher in refrigerator to chill.

2. COMBINE chilled tea, fruit, agave nectar and ice in a blender. Blend and serve with optional peach garnish. Makes three eight-ounce glasses.
 
 
VARIATIONS

Ginger-Peach [Tea: For a sizzle of ginger, add 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger to the blender, or infuse a few slices of fresh ginger with the tea bags.

For Clear Iced Tea: Dice the fruit and infuse with tea bags in the boiled water. Do not blend. Serve over ice.
 
 
PEACH ICED TEA BAGS & MIXES

You can brew peach iced tea from pre-flavored tea bags and mixes. But as you can see from this review, you might not get the natural peach flavor you expect.

These cuties were created by pastry chef Dominique Ansel, proprietor of the Dominique Ansel Bakery in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City.

The chef fills éclairs with a bourbon-chocolate creme, tops them with caramel glaze and decorates with a mini chocolate moustache and bow tie.

You can melt chocolate and hand-pipe moustaches and bow ties onto wax paper; then use your chocolate art to decorate store-bought eclairs.

Make extra chocolate decorations so you can decorate Father’s Day cupcakes, too.

The éclair is a finger-shaped pastry made of pâte à choux, filled with custard or whipped cream and topped with a glacé icing. It is known to have originated in France around the turn of the 19th century. Many food historians speculate that éclairs were first made by the great Marie-Antoine Carême (1874-1833), the first “celebrity chef,” considered the founder and architect of French haute cuisine. He is credited with the inventions of croquantes, hot soufflés and numerous other creations.

“Éclair” is the French word for lightning. It is suggested that the pastry received its name because it glistens when coated with confectioner’s glaze. (We would suggest that it is because they are so popular, they disappear as quickly as lightning.)

The Oxford English Dictionary traces the term “éclair” in the English language to 1861. The first known printed recipe for éclairs appears in the 1884 edition of the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book edited by Mrs. D.A. Lincoln.