Sesame Honey Lace Smackdown

With apologies to the Beatles, All you Need is Sil-Pat.

Those puppies lifted right up, no resistance thanks to the silicone pan liner my husband Don bought a little while back. Parchment paper, still nowhere to be found, not even at the overpriced little market in Manchester. Next time I swing through Shaw's I'll pick some up.

Best of all, the finished product was wonderfully pliable when it came out of the oven and was still hot. It reminded me of a dessert that Alec Maxon used to make at Yanks--we would drape a larger, sesame-less version of these over upside-down ramekins to create an edible ice cream bowl. Alec loved making homemade ice cream and there were always at least six flavors in the freezers. We also had an oval ice cream scoop, and so when the order came for an ice cream trio, the plated dessert looked like pastel eggs in a golden bird's nest. For somebody with a degree in sculpture (me) it was the most satisfying dessert in the world to put together.

I've been thinking a lot about what to make for my mother's birthday brunch this weekend. As you can imagine, this has put me in a state of bliss because I get to cook out of a section of the cookbook I don't dip into much--the breakfast and brunch section. So here's what's on the docket:

Baked Eggs and Mushrooms in Ham Crisps
Creme Brulee French Toast
Grits and Cheddar Casserole

I'm also not sure if I can get away with making a cake--I've been eying the Warm Chocolate Raspberry Pudding Cake (as an alternative to the family favorite, White Trash Cake--more on that later).

The nice thing about two of the above is that the prep can be done the day before--in fact, with the French Toast, you really have to make it the night before and let it soak. I love things that you can just throw in the oven.