Tropical Jackfruit–Ginger Ale Sorbet with Charred Pineapple
Chef Sam Fore of the pop up Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites in Lexington, Kentucky, created this summer fruit dessert recipe for an icy, quenching sorbet of jackfruit, pineapple, and ginger ale. The sorbet has become an ever-present treat at her summer pop-up dinners, combining pineapple and jackfruit, both popular in Sri Lanka, with the spicy flavors of Ale-8-One, a Kentucky ginger ale.
Mini Mangonada Floats
Mango float, or mango royale, is a beloved Filipino icebox cake that consists of layers of graham crackers, sweetened whipped cream and fresh mango. For a twist, Abi Balingit wanted to combine the spicy and tangy flavors of one of her favorite summertime desserts, Mexican mangonadas, with this Filipino classic. It's ideal to use Philippine or Carabao mangoes, but if you can't find them in season at your local grocery store, red and Tommy Atkins mangoes will work. This no-bake recipe is perfect for serving in individual portions at a party. Feel free to make it the night before, so the mini trifles are ready to go for your festivities.
Ube Basque Cakes
These tender and flaky mini cakes created by the dynamic duo of Timothy Flores and Genie Kwon at Kasama, a modern Filipino bakery and restaurant in Chicago, highlight the cultural phenomenon of ube, a purple tuber native to the Philippines. To make the cakes, Kwon uses a technique for shaping the batter into rounds rather than piping the batter into a baking vessel as sometimes done for traditional Gâteau Basque, making it easier to make lots of the mini Basque cakes. "[Making] flat discs is more efficient and ergonomic," she notes. "It might not make much of a difference when you are making a dozen, but when you're making hundreds, it is a game changer." The buttery cakes are filled with a creamy and mildly sweet ube pastry cream and tart huckleberries, and are finished with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. (At Kasama, the shape of the powdered sugar is in the shape of the sun design from the flag of the Philippines). If you can't source fresh ube, store-bought ube jam (ube halaya) can be used instead.
American Buttercream
If you're looking for a rich and creamy frosting that comes together in just minutes, pastry chef Paola Velez's American Buttercream is the way to go. Velez makes hers in a stand mixer, but you could also easily make this using a handheld mixer. On its own, the frosting tastes sweet and buttery—if you want more flavor, try adding a little vanilla extract or lemon zest.
Lemon-Olive Oil Cream Meringue Tart
With a shortbread-like tart crust, a rich lemon-olive oil cream filling, and an Italian meringue topping, this tart by acclaimed pastry chef Claudia Fleming feels like a luxurious take on lemon meringue pie. It's ideal for any occasion you want to cap off with an impressive dessert.
Lemon-Olive Oil Semifreddo with Blueberry Compote
Even with rich lemon cream as its base, this tart, sweet semifreddo from famed pastry chef Claudia Fleming retains its light texture and flavor after it is frozen. Semifreddos do not harden when they freeze, so there's no need to let this soften before serving it. You can make the semifreddo up to three days in advance of serving; the compote could be made one day in advance and kept in the fridge.
