Lemon Curd Cakes!

We've surprisingly received some snow here last night--just when we thought spring was here. Why not brighten your day with these gooey, sweet + tart treats? The cake was simple to make, but don't let that fool you: the silky lemon curd and butter gives it a satisfying dense richness. I love the bits where the lemon curd caramelized on the crust.

Roast Chicken Diavolo

This recipe calls for an insane amount of black pepper--an entire tablespoon of it--but it was surprisingly not overwhelming at all. It gave the chicken a nice kick, and the roasted pepper and onions balanced out the heat with their sweetness.

This is the third roast chicken recipe that I've tried from Mindy Fox's excellent cookbook, and it's as delicious as the other two. I finally couldn't stand the monotony of roasting chicken the same two ways I've been doing since I've started roasting the damn birds, and I had the good fortune to run across the book one weekend. Not only are there interesting recipes for roast chicken, there are the various side dishes and recipes for soups, salads, sandwiches and pasta that you can add your chicken to. This book is fast becoming a favorite--everything looks relatively simple and delicious!

Maple Crème Caramel

If you have a serious sweet tooth, you'll love this recipe. I'm not gonna lie, this was deliciously smooth and I enjoyed every bite, but seriously, it could have used a lot less sugar. I'd recommend lowering the amount of maple syrup for the custard and eliminating the sugar altogether; however, I'm not sure if this will affect the texture of the custard. It could have done without the caramel as well.