festivities

it has been a full few weeks of gatherings and celebrations and festivities. i was lucky enough to be asked to make dessert for two parties. for my mom's birthday, i made the smitten kitchen gingerbread apple upside-down cake. (photo above, which i am now comparing to deb's photo and realize i probably didn't bake my cake long enough!) it was delicious with a caramel top and chewy apples and rich molasses cake. and on christmas day, we made a winter fruit pie from the rustic fruit desserts cookbook. (recipe here).

i'd say, these are both keepers when i need a great go-to winter dessert. i love baking seasonally, highlighting the flavors and fruits available at particular times of the year. neither of these desserts were too rich, but they did serve a lot of people. the winter fruit tart had apples and cranberries and pears and figs in it, the perfect combination of hearty and comforting fruits.

i'm looking forward to the new year, but before it, i'd like to do a post or two looking back on this past year.
until then...