Dear Readers,
I was fascinated as a young girl watching my grandmother float through the kitchen, moving quickly and with precision as she turned out dish after dish to serve to family and friends. Her care and commitment as she created each course, brought out at just the perfect moment for its unveiling, would suck me in with the power of the statement it made. There would be days midweek that my grandmother would appear on her bicycle in the driveway, a basket of fresh doughnuts hanging from the handlebars just because. It was then that I truly appreciated the beauty that lives in the process of giving and gifting food to others and the ability it has to connect us all.
I never lost my passion for creating meals to be raved over or desserts that made a statement just by placing them on the table. For me, the kitchen has always been about me giving a part of myself to others. It is what keeps me there every day, to share it with my four children and to demonstrate the importance of a home-cooked meal.
Desserts in Jars is a small piece of me that I am giving, a bit of sweet to be savored at the end of a long day. From the more refined Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Pots de Crème and Peach Granita Bellinis to the kid-friendly Frozen Banana Splits, I hope that it will inspire you to give bits of yourself to those you love and cherish as well whatever the occasion.
--Shaina OlmansonSample Recipes from Desserts in Jars
Peach-Raspberry Verrines with Lemon-Thyme Cream
(Click photo for recipe)Cardamom Pear Crisps
(Click photo for recipe)