The Twisted Chef

time for a change!

2010-06-13T08:05:00.001-04:00

Hiya everyone...

So -- you noticed that I asked how you felt about my template change. Well... I've actually decided on an even bigger one.

I'm leaving blogspot.com

That's right... after a chat with a friend who, in another life, was a web designer, I've decided to go over to wordpress.com

All this means is that you should change your favourites (if this is indeed one of your favourites) to the following address:

http://thetwistedchef.wordpress.com

or click here:

The Twisted Chef (version 2.0)

Check it out... I'm really excited about all the blogging to come... and I really think this new site will allow me to develop my blogging abilities.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

I really hope that you follow me over... become a "follower" ... ;0) and you'll get my updates automatically to your email address. See... I'm doing most of the work for you!

See you over at wordpress.com!!!

And thank you for helping me start this adventure; I'm really enjoying this ride!

See you soon (and to tempt you... I've already posted something on the new site).

chocolate, raspberry and fudge... how a-maz-ing is that?!

2010-06-12T08:26:00.000-04:00

Oh how I heart to bake. Especially cakes. Especially when they turn out and are beautiful and taste delicious... those are great days. Thursday was a great day.

I baked for The Whalesbone's 5 year anniversary party. I was given carte blanche... however was informed that Josh hearts all things chocolate. The more chocolate -- the better.

Done. I knew exactly which cake I was going to make. I've baked this specific cake recipe twice already; once with a peanut butter butter cream and covered in chocolate ganache (yes... you should moan). The second time with a cherry whipped cream filling and then covered in a chocolate fudge frosting (again... sighs or moans are acceptable).

I decided to hit it up with a fresh raspberry butter cream filling and then cover it in the chocolate fudge frosting. Double the chocolate impact, with the bright, tartness of the fresh raspberries to liven it up. S-U-C-C-E-S-S!

I played around with the original recipe (from smitten kitchen) since I was making 3 x 9-inch rounds and not 8-inch rounds. I love love love how this cake turns out... it is so moist (it puts a Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines cakes to shame) and rich... one thing, watch out, it's a little delicate. But don't let that put you off. It's awesome. I promise.

super moist chocolate cake
ingredients:
3 c. all-purpose flour
3 3/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (the richer the better)
3 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. neutral vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil)
1 1/2 c. sour cream
2 c. water
3 tbsp distilled white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray the base and sides of 3 x 9-inch round pans with some non-stick spray. Set aside.

Sift (yes, I've started sifting...) together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of your stand-mixer. Use your paddle attachment to combine well.

Add the oil and sour cream and continue to blend. Gradually beat in the water (I added it half a cup at a time) and then add the vinegar and vanilla. Grab your eggs and whisk them in a small bowl. Once whisked, add to the batter. Make sure that your batter is well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Divide the batter evenly between the 3 pans. Bake for between 35 - 45 minutes... a wooden toothpick should come out almost clean: remember, this is a moist cake. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans on a wire rack (I let them sit for about 30 minutes). At that point, take them out of the pans and allow them to cool completely.

Simple eh? Yep. Now... you can either decide to wrap each layer really well in plastic wrap and stick them in the freezer to firm up OR you can work with them as they are. Your choice. If you freeze them, then take them out as you start on your butter cream -- that will give them a chance to thaw a little before icing them. Do whatever you are comfortable with.

I played around with my raspberry butter cream frosting, using fresh raspberries since I could pick them up in the market ;0)

I like to stack my cake layers before making the fudge frosting. It gives them a chance to sit a little... but that's just my preference.

Now for the chocolate fudge frosting. Probably the easiest thing ever. You only need two ingredients... sour cream and chocolate. That's it.

chocolate fudge frosting
ingredients:
13 oz bitter and semi-sweet chocolate combo, finely chopped
500 ml (one large container) of full-fat sour cream

Melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, stir until smooth. Once melted, allow it to cool until it is just warm to the touch.

Grab a large spatula and fold in the sour cream -- only until no white streaks remain... otherwise the frosting becomes too thick. You know it's ready because it'll look really silky. Best to use it right away... but I've heard it's pretty awesome for dipping cookies in ;0)

At this point your cake should be filled with butter cream and staked. Grab your spatula and spread your frosting evenly over the entire thing - start at the top and spread out, the frosting will naturally slip to the sides for easy coverage.

I then "dressed" it up a bit by grabbing a small spoon, dipping it in water and making swirls all over it... super easy and everyone will be really impressed.

A perfect cake to celebrate some awesome people. oh... and the decorative strawberries are thanks to Kshonze :0)

Sweetness.

to change the template or not?

2010-06-11T11:41:00.001-04:00

I need your help.

see... the blog has changed a little... I picked a different template.

Do you like it?

Should I keep it?

Should I go back to the original?

You have until Sunday, the 13th @ midnight to weigh-in.

Let me know... I heart comments and opinions!

congratulations! you're 5 years old!

2010-06-11T08:20:00.000-04:00

Let me tell you how to throw a surprise party ;0)

1. Gather a solid group of people... say, friends and family... Check
2. Buy some bubbly, grab some awesome catering and get some cake... triple check
3. Convince the people being surprised to show up... check!
4. Get the crowd to pay attention when said people arrive... we kinda dropped the ball on that one.

You might want a bit more context. The Whalesbone turned 5 on June 9th. Pretty awesome eh? I thought so. I was also super stoked to be invited to attend the celebratory lunch AND to bake the celebratory cake. Yep. That's right... I got to bake a cake (sweetness!)... recipe to follow ;0)

Friends and family gathered to celebrate Josh and Sherri's 5 years of success. The crowd was gathered, the balloons were hung, the bubbly was chilling... and in walked Josh (and Liam, aka Batman). We didn't jump out or yell surprise... we all kind of stared at each other, turned to Josh and stared some more... until Jen yelled "SURPRISE!" We got it right when Sherri walked in (it only took us a couple tries).

The lunch was catered by The Whalesbone catering - Kate (the caterer) supplied roasted vegetable sandwiches on focaccia, chicken and rhubarb on a cranberry nut bread, assortments of cheese, crostini, smoked salmon, scallops and olives... yeah. It was pretty rad.

And I baked a cake. Yep. A three-layered chocolate cake, filled with raspberry butter cream and covered in a chocolate fudge frosting. Yeah. That was pretty rad too.

I'm super stoked that I got to celebrate with the gang... I mean, even Barry, the first ever client was there. It was the bestest lunch break ever. And bubbly in the middle of the day is never a bad thing ;0)

Congrats guys! I look forward to making you another celebratory cake :0)

two reasons to celebrate...

2010-06-08T08:01:00.001-04:00

The baking duo were at it again!

Remember how Emily and I baked and decorated that engagement party cake? Well, one of my other colleagues saw the cake and asked me if we could make her a baby shower cake. Her son and his girlfriend are expecting twins... sex of the babies are unknown, but she was hosting a party on Sunday and needed a cake for 50 people.

Done.

We sat down and sorted out the details.

We decided on a square, two tiered, marble cake - extra chocolate in the batter (the parents to be are chocoholics).

I then sent her some ideas to view and she picked the peas in a pod... well two little peas in a pod (they are expecting twins after all). Em did an amazing job covering the cakes in the fondant, shaping the little peas and pods, making the teeny feet...

I said there were two reasons to celebrate right? Well... I didn't mean two because of the twins :0)

4 days before the shower cake was due, my colleague asked for a second cake. Her younger son and his girlfriend were both celebrating their graduation this past weekend also, and she wanted a cake for that occasion too!

Done.

This one, a simple 3 layered lemon cake (a round), covered in thick butter cream. Emily was given carte blanche for decorating, and I think she did an amazing job with the fondant graduation caps and the blue and yellow piping... simple and classic. And all on short notice!

what the heck does manicuring a shallot mean?!

2010-06-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

Friday night... I was nervous. Why? Check out my "to-do list":

1. whip and pipe brown butter
2. make a mignonette sauce... a lot of it

You're probably wondering why either of those things would make me a tad nervous... well, let me explain.

I am highly intimidated by piping bags and tips. When Emily and I decorated those wedding cupcakes, I had her re-pipe everything I had done... hers looked fluffier, taller, and just plain ol' prettier. Mine looked sad and flat. Not something you want at a wedding ;0)

I digress... On Friday night, Charlotte asked me to whip brown butter and then pipe it out. Although I heart the whipping part - it meant I got to use the industrial-sized stand mixer (super cool)... I really didn't heart the thought of having to pull out a piping bag... that is, until I got to use the large star tip. Seriously! That tip has alleviated all my fears associated with piping... check out the pictures...rows of brown butter, piped, ready to be chilled and then served.

I think I might say I enjoyed doing that as much as I enjoy making sundaes.

Now onto my second task... making a mignonette sauce. Charlotte showed me the recipe - and told me that I would be making it times 12! Yep. That's right. 12.

First thing to tackle - manicuring shallots. Well... I attempted to manicure the shallots, but didn't quite succeed. Manicuring means cutting the shallots into teeny, tiny pieces in 3 cuts of the knife. I diced. You know, when you chop it as finely as you can and then run your knife all over it again, making it even smaller? The difference... manicuring keeps the oils inside the shallot, dicing activates the oils. Basically, the flavours are different.

Back to the shallots. How many hours do you think it would take you to finely dice a large Ziploc bag full of shallots? It took me 3 hours (with some interruptions for sundae making)... 3 hours of slicing the shallots into 1/8 sized pieces. My goal is to be able to do this again by Christmas in half the time. Seriously. This time I finely diced. Next time I manicure.

You'll notice by the pictures that I showed you my step process:

-remove shallots from bag and place on cutting board
-cut in half
-slice horizontally and vertically
-create a pretty pile

Once my large (aren't they beautiful?) pile of shallots was prepared, I set about gathering my other ingredients: red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, red wine, Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce. Another lesson... when you're making 16 quarts of mignonette sauce you need to use an entire bottle of Worcestershire sauce. I thought I'd throw that out there...cuz you never know when you'll need 16 quarts ;0)

Isn't it pretty? Charlotte gave me a thumbs up :0) Tasks completed... PLUS I got to invent my new favourite sundae...

vanilla ice cream / passionfruit coulis / brownie bits / sliced bananas / drizzle of chocolate ganache

Perfect ending to the evening... well... actually sitting around with a glass of wine upstairs with the crew was the prefect end, but that sundae sure did hit the spot!

wedding cake UPDATE

2010-06-03T10:50:00.003-04:00

Remember those cupcakes I baked along with that mini cake? I wanted to show you how pretty they looked at the actual wedding! The bride told me the "cakeys" were awesome, and that her mother really enjoyed eating the cutting cake while the bride and groom were on their honeymoon.

That brought a smile to my face... so I'm passing that smile along.

:0)

fancy popcorn

2010-06-02T12:20:00.000-04:00

I had a reunion of sorts... you see, some friends and I met up on Monday afternoon. I know I enjoyed their company... I laughed a whole lot, and loved the fun stories they shared with me. Are you kind of curious as to who I met up with? Well the ladies... you know... Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte. Yep. those ladies. Not really my friends, but I sure did enjoy the two and a half hours I spent with them...

There are two things I have been looking forward to in the last month; seeing Sex and the City 2 and trying out this popcorn recipe. You see... I saw it (the recipe) in the happy baker and just knew that it (the popcorn) and I would be the bestest of friends. The crunch of popcorn, drizzled in a melted chocolate and corn syrup mixture with toffee pieces tossed in. I mean really! How could I not love this popcorn?!

It looks more complicated and time consuming than it really is. It does require about three different steps - but simple simple. I promise. I even made it recovering from running my first marathon.

I enjoyed half the batch while catching up with the ladies, and don't worry if you can't eat it all in one shot... store it in an air tight container for a couple of days. You're golden. I actually think it gets betters the longer it sits.

Step 1: The art of popping corn on your stove top.

You'll need some canola oil and about 1/2 c. kernels.

In a large pot (you need to have a lid), heat a thin layer of canola oil over medium heat - you want to just cover the entire bottom of the pot. You'll know that the oil is ready when you flick a little water into the pot - it'll sizzle (careful! don't flick too much, otherwise the oil will spray everywhere).
Take the pot off the heat, toss your kernels into a single layer all over the base and cover with the lid. Return to the burner, increase the heat to medium-high and gently shake the pot, side to side, over the heat. You'll hear the popcorn start popping... don't remove the lid otherwise it'll fly everywhere! Once the steady stream of popping ends, remove the pot from heat and there you have it! Popcorn!

Fancy Popcorn (aka toffee chocolate popcorn)
ingredients:
8 c. popped popcorn (about that 1/2 c. kernels you just popped)
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. dark corn syrup
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. toffee pieces

Preheat your oven to 300 F.

Place your popped popcorn in a large rectangular baking dish... I used two half trays instead, which cut down on the baking time, but either will work.

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring the chocolate chips, corn syrup and butter to a boil; whisking often.

Pour the syrup over the popcorn and stir until evenly coated. I used my hands - I thought it was simplest... remember, it is a little hot at this point :0)

Toss in the toffee pieces, stir it around again.

This is when you place your pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Since I used two pans I baked it for 30 minutes and stirred every 10 minutes.

Let cool. And then enjoy.

I heart this popcorn so much I think I should host a movie night... only, not at my place since I don't have a tv. Who wants to host? I'll bring the popcorn! And I bet it's even better with some red wine... any takers?

chloé, everything was delish ;0)

2010-06-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

On the last Monday of every month, 3 of my friends and I have started meeting at Oz Café. Oz hosts a chef in residence evening... every month a different chef. I look forward to this meal because I never know what I'm going to get... it's always a surprise - the Chef pre-determins a 4 course meal, enjoyed with friends and some bubbly. Always a good time.

Last night was no exception. Actually, last night was exceptional.

Chloé (from Delish) was the resident chef. She totally rocked it. Seriously, I wish my pictures could do this food justice, but I'm just not a good enough photographer.

The first course was a combo of spring rolls; a fresh and light veggie roll, filled with vermicelli noodles. This was offset by a crispy fried boar spring roll. Yes boar. It was divine. Both were accompanied by a soy lime dipping sauce. I will never look at a spring roll the same way again. It was that good.

Then came the main. I was so excited about this course. You see... last January Chloé made something similar for another dinner I attended. It was mouth watering delicious then, so I was so stoked to be able to get to eat it again. Sigh. It was even better this time round. A chicken mango curry; light, and fresh with a kick of hot pepper, some sweet peppers and sweet potato to round it off. Accompanied by a second curry (my favourite in the entire world); bison massaman curry... sigh. How can I describe the tenderness of the bison? Or the perfect balance of the curry with sweet potatoes? Every mouthful was perfect. Both curries had such bold, rich flavours that played so well off of each other that it was hard to decide which one you preferred.

The third course was a play on slaw's; light, crispy, fresh, flavourful. A combo of three: fennel orange slaw, daikon mint slaw and a napa apple slaw. Each salad stood out on its own merits: the crispiness of the fennel, the boldness of the mint and crunch of the daikon, and the apple - juicy and with a real bite. Seriously, I can't tell you which one I preferred because I would be satisfied with any one of them individually, but am thankful I got to enjoy all of them.

Finally the dessert. Chloé did not disappoint. A mariposa bar atop a piece of pineapple, accompanied by a spoonful of rhubarb and passionfruit fool. Seriously? Seriously. The mariposa bar is a cross between shortbread, pecan pie and heaven in a bite. It added crunch to the dessert. And the fool... to die for. It was light (fluffy actually), tart and sweet. A perfect way to end the meal.

The entire evening was... perfection. Seeing old friends, having dinner with new ones, enjoying two of my favourite chefs (Charlotte was Chloé's sous chef last night) working together in the kitchen and being completely spoiled. I mean... Chloé even sent me home with some curry, fool and a piece of the mariposa bar for my lunch today. How lucky am I?!

Now... one last thing... Chloé, can I get your recipe for the fool? I heart it as much as I heart you. :0)

i heart balsamic vinegar

2010-05-29T17:50:00.000-04:00

Charlotte: "I'd like you to make 4 different vinaigrette's using balsamic vinegar. Use whatever flavours you want, different textures and consistencies, different oils... but I need 4 to taste test tonight."
Me: "Sure!"
Charlotte: "Whichever one I prefer will go on the new menu (starting Tuesday, June 1st)."
Me: "Seriously?! AWESOME!"

3 reasons why this request got me so excited:
1. I heart balsamic vinegar... like, I could drink it straight up and be perfectly happy.
2. I heart challenges... especially culinary challenges.
3. How cool that something I create could end up on the new menu? I think pretty darn cool.

I took some time to think about what I wanted to make... after all, I was asked make 4 different options! So I started off my evening working on some other things:

Cleaning out the fridge and then reorganizing it. Check out all those supplies lined up on the counter. Pretty awesome eh?! I heart getting to the Whalesbone on Friday nights' and getting to set-up the dessert station. Pulling out the sauces and toppings and organizing them so that I can quickly assemble the sundaes as the orders come through - LOVE IT!

Making mini donuts, dipping peppermint fillings in melted chocolate, doctoring up the flambeed bananas, cleaning the fresh berries for that nights fresh fruit option (raspberries, strawberries, pineapple) - don't those strawberries look so juicy and delicious? They were.

I then cleaned some more greens :0) It went waaaayyyyy better this time round - especially dealing with the dill. They seemed to cooperate with me better this time round.

I made some sundaes. I liked Davine's choice: 2 scoops ice cream / strawberry coulis / chocolate ganache / espresso syrup / fresh fruit... lots of it all chopped up. Pretty eh? I though so. Especially that line of ganache. Sigh.

Then I started on the vinaigrette's. Upstairs to the fridge for an egg, lemon, grapefruit, chives, garlic, Dijon mustard, creme fraiche. Back downstairs to pull out the balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, burnt honey, sugar, a selection of spices, and salt.

I started on the first option. I decided to call it India - since i used some garam masala and mustard seed. I thickened it up with some creme fraiche (rather than plain yogurt) and sweetened it with some brown sugar. It needed some lemon juice once I had added the balsamic vinegar and then the canola oil. This was a flavour profile that I would totally enjoy at home.

Number two was called Canadian - maple syrup was the star... along with the star anise that I ground up. Some garlic added a little flavour to it too... but other than salt, this was all about the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. Again I used canola oil so that the oil wouldn't overpower the flavour of the other ingredients.

Third option was thick and creamy - a Dijon and garlic base, coupled with lemon juice and lemon zest, honey, balsamic vinegar and an egg yolk. I then slowly incorporated the extra virgin olive oil... a slow emulsion. Nice and thick. It still needed something... salt was added.. but I still (even today) think that it needed an extra kick of flavour. But it was nice and thick, super creamy and really consistent.

Finally, the fourth one, and my favourite to make, my citrus vinaigrette. Diced grapefruit, grapefruit juice, finely chopped chives, salt, honey and the extra virgin olive oil to balance the grapefruit with the balsamic vinegar.

I was super happy with what I had made and was excited to have the ladies blind taste test... BUT I did learn a couple lessons making these... although I heart the burnt honey on ice cream... it is completely wrong for the vinaigrette's. Just plain ol' honey would be much better. Secondly, I should have gone upstairs and taken some goodies from Charlotte and Jenna's work station - some green onions, other herbs... I would have created a more chunky dressing along with the others.

But... in the end, the ladies sampled them with some beautiful tomatoes and liked the ideas I came up with. They're going to work off one or two (perhaps creating a new combo?) of the vinaigrette's that I had them taste test and round it out... make it a little less bitter or not too sweet.

I still think it's AWESOME that one of my ideas is going to end up on the menu June 6th. Even a tweak idea is UBER COOL!

For those of you interested in finding out which vinaigrette is going to be on the menu - hit up the WBOH as of Tuesday.

Oh! And if you could have made one... what would you have made? Leave me a comment and let me know! I heart hearing from everyone!!!!

ode to Jenna & Kshonze

2010-05-27T08:30:00.000-04:00

So... another week, another blog entry about the Whalesbone. I know... you must wonder if I ever go home? I'll admit... I do spend lots of time there... but you see, it's just so much fun. And I don't just mean the working part, I mean the people. I heart the crew.

You've already met Charlotte. She's the head Chef. And she's super cool. But there are lots of other super cool, awesome people that work there too. I want to introduce you to two of them: Jenna and Kshonze (or Kshonz-ay as Charlotte calls him).

Saturday night. Tasting menu. Jenna and Kshonze behind the saucier and me sitting directly in front of them. I think it's the best spot in the house - I get to chat with the Chefs and see what they're doing while eating some pretty amazing food. Yeah... incredible evening. Exceptional food.

You'll notice the blurry pictures of the two Chefs... it's because they move so fast! HA! Actually, just my playing with my camera. But I think the effect is pretty cool.

Notice how Jenna wears pearls while she works? She was also wearing "moderately" short-shorts... it gets really hot back there after all... you can't blame a girl for wanting to be comfortable while working. She also makes the best desserts. Like her peanut butter chocolate cheesecake. DECADENCE in a bite. I took a picture of my piece. Jenna's also the one who walked me through making chocolate ganache last Friday night. I heart her for that (and all her amazing talent).

Then there is Kshonze. The first time I worked at the Whalebone he and I hung out together in the prep kitchen. He taught me how to cut carrots. Seriously. He also let me make cake. I heart him just for that. And the fact that he is cool as a cucumber. Pretty cool eh?

My evening started off with some local bread, brown butter (a million sighs) and an assortment of oysters. East Coast and West Coast representation... B.C. oysters being my favourite of the evening. Kshonze got me some balsamic vinegar and we were good to go...

Jenna and Kshonze then created my tasting menu:

pickled beets and beans / seared albacore tuna / scallop ceviche / blue cheese ... OK the blue cheese just played off the beets and the seafood perfectly. And honestly, the fish was melt in your mouth tender. And doesn't the plate look pretty?

greens and radish / diced potatoes / spotted prawns / lobster tail ... two salads on the plate. Well, the block. You can see the trio getting plated... and then you can see my clean plate. Except for the prawn shells. So light and fresh. I heart lobster (thanks for listening to my request guys).

a shot of Sailor Jerry's spiced rum... it's gross. Seriously. The one thing I don't recommend at the WBOH. But... it'd be rude to refuse right? So down it went. Maybe it was meant to clean my palate for the next course.

fiddle heads / asparagus / beans / seared pacific salmon / white wine butter sauce ... the salmon was... in a word... perfection. The skin was crisp, the centre was tender and flaked apart. The sauce wasn't heavy, it was light and just drizzled the plate. The bed of greens still had a bite and tasted so fresh. I heart this course.

Pascale's vanilla ice cream / chocolate ganache / fresh fruit / salted peanuts ... I don't have a picture of the sundae. You keep seeing them and honestly, the picture just didn't turn out. I personally would have added more ganache... but that's just me ;0)

finally... I know, I know! I'm still eating!!!!

peanut butter chocolate cheesecake ... Jenna's decadent cake. It's dense and creamy with a kick of cinnamon in the filling. Jenna also made an oreo cookie crumb crust. Seriously!

This my friends, is why I keep going back to the WBOH. Clean flavours. Major taste. But really... it's the crew. They rock. I heart them. This is my ode to two of them.

Oh! I also added a picture of the Paella Valenciana... so that you can see what my paella portions look like when cooked ;0)

wanna toffee break?

2010-05-26T13:36:00.002-04:00

I heart it when I find a recipe and just can't wait to try it. I mean, seriously, isn't it great when you flip through a recipe book (or are surfing the inter-webz) and you find that one recipe that gets your taste buds going and your hands itching to pull out all those ingredients?!!

That's how I felt about this recipe. That's how I like to pick my recipes... sigh.

I'm back to the happy baker's recipe book (well, she's just so darn happy... and so am I, so why not right?)... Erin baked an (i'm not boy crazy) toffee maple shortbread... just the thought of maple and toffee together made my mouth water. There was only one thing... I didn't have any maple extract. And I really try to stay away from imitation extract when possible... so I swapped out the maple for some vanilla. Am I ever happy that I did!!!

The shortbread ended up being nice and crunchy, with the surprise of the toffee bits (which luckily didn't overwhelm the buttery base), and the vanilla was just a nice subtle compliment. I think I have a winner. AND I am totally inspired for my holiday baking (I know... it's only May and I'm already thinking Christmas baking... sad, but true): cherry-chocolate shortbread. Yep. That's right. I bet you can't wait for me to share those with you eh? Well... knowing me, I'll be making them sooner rather than later... I do need to test them out right?

If you're in the mood for a delicious cookie (which I might add would go GREAT with ice cream and freezes well), turn on your oven and whip these together. Totally worth it. I promise.

Toffee Vanilla Shortbread
ingredients:
3/4 c. butter, room temperature
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. toffee baking bits

Preheat your oven to 300 F. Spray your 8-inch square baking pan with some non-stick spray and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer (using the paddle attachment), beat together the butter and powdered sugar; increasing the speed to medium, you want it to get like and fluffy.

Add the vanilla extract and the salt. Continue to beat together.

Lower the speed of the stand-mixer and stir in the flour and toffee pieces. Erin's recipe says not to over mix... I took that to mean that the batter should come together and be as smooth as possible (given toffee bits).

Once the batter has come together, put it in your square pan and gently pat the dough out (get it nice and even); I used my fingers... just wet them a little and the batter will spread nicely.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Place your pan on a wire rack and allow to cool before cutting them into squares.

note: you'll notice that I use my zester as my guideline for cutting my squares... I was able to get over 2 dozen shortbread's out of this recipe... and they were evenly cut and sized! Gotta love that trick :0)

lobster, ganache and a whole lotta sundaes

2010-05-25T08:15:00.002-04:00

Let me tell you about my Friday night... which means, let's talk the Whalesbone.

I arrived early and was able to enjoy the family meal (fried chicken, burgers, salad... delish!). Then Char and Jenna handed me my list of tasks.

1. Portion seafood for paella. No problem. See all that lobster tail? Yeah, I thought it was pretty darn awesome. Cut in half, grab a claw, some clams, some spotted prawns and mussels. Add all of that to the deliciousness of sausage, peas, rice... that's something I think everyone should check out when they stop by the restaurant.

2. Cut up dark purple beets. On it! I HEART beets!!!! And Char is all about it being organic and artisan... so not having to cut everything in small, precise pieces was fine by me :0)

3. Clean greens... a task I thought would be the simplest and it turned out to be a right pain... the miniature greens all over the place... and they took forever to dry (in order to be put away). I didn't heart that task.

4. Asparagus. Prep it by removing the woody ends and store it in water in 1 L containers. Easy as pie.

5. And finally... make ganache. Sigh. You'd think that would be the task I'd be most enthusiastic about... but you see, last week Jenna asked me to make ganache and I figured "no problem, I make ganache at home, I can make a batch for Jenna." Nope. I messed it up. I actually labeled my 1 L container the "fucked up chocolate ganache"... it was that bad. Jenna apparently went on to save it after I left. You could understand why I was tentative to make another batch. ESPECIALLY because it was going to cover a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake for Adrienne's birthday (she works at the WBOY). The pressure was on.

Jenna walked me through it. "Don't mix the peanut butter with the cream, add it to the chocolate, pour the boiling cream over top and melt them that way." "It'll be OK Lynne... I promise. Your other ganache wasn't that bad... I was able to fix it."

Well my friends. I absolutely HEART this ganache recipe. Easiest one EVER. I'm going to make some... not tonight, but soon :0) And seriously, it combines chocolate, peanut butter, cream and... honey. Yep. Killer combo.

So I did that, re-organized the fridge (let me tell you... it gets cold in there when all you're wearing is a pair of shorts and a tank top), and make SUNDAES! I know... I blogged about it last week, but really... people come up with pretty fabulous ideas when topping their vanilla ice cream.

Take Gordon. I like Gordon. He picked chocolate ganache. fresh fruit (apple, banana, pineapple, maraschino cherry) and... RHUBARB!!! Good choice Gordon. You are one of my picks for "best of" the evening.

Then there was the duo... two scoops of vanilla. One with the coconut dulche de leche, the other with strawberry coulis; both with the peanut butter cups and the cookie dough. She labeled his card as "The Copycat". I like that. Plus, they look really pretty side-by-side. They also win a place in my top sundaes of the evening list.

Nadine. You rock! You decided to top your two scoops with flambeed bananas, brownie bites and salted peanuts. I'd totally pick something like that... well done! You too are on the list.

And finally, the winner. I was being TOTALLY biased when I picked this one. I'm OK with that. I hope you are too. Sara stopped by and surprised me at the end of my shift. She came down and was chatting with me and sampled some of the cookie dough I'd made the week before that I had just taken out of the freezer. She thought it rocked. And since I think she rocks, I made her a sundae. So my pick of the evening is:

1 scoop vanilla ice cream. chocolate ganache. rhubarb. cookie dough. maraschino cherries (from the batch I made). marshmallow fluff.

A solid sundae for an even more solid friend.

So that my friends, was my evening at the Whalesbone. Can't wait for next time... and watch out... maybe YOUR sundae will be selected as one of my favourites. And then I'll be blogging about you too :0)

flour, butter and lemon

2010-05-21T10:08:00.001-04:00

I baked 11 dozen cupcakes. All in one go. With my mini little oven only allowing me to bake a dozen at a time; I became a cupcake making machine. And loved every second of it.

You might be wondering how I found myself in this situation... Well, a few months back I was sharing a drink (or two) with some friends when the subject of wedding cakes came up. Here's a snippet of our (slightly intoxicated) conversation:

Me: "Steph, who's making your cake"
Steph: "No one yet. But I want cupcakes"
Me: "I can make cupcakes"
Steph: "What's your price?`
after some negotiation...
Steph: "Done. Your hired!"

The next conversation...
Me: "So Emily... we have a cupcake order for May"
Emily: "Awesome!"
Me: "That means you'll have to decorate 125 cupcakes!"
Emily: "Yep. No problem!"

And that my friends is how Emily and I ended up with an order for 125 cupcakes PLUS a cutting cake. The bride isn't a lover of all things chocolate... but she sure does love all things lemon... and we know that I heart baking anything with lemons. 11 dozen lemon cupcakes later, my entire apartment smelled of lemons, sugar, and butter; tart and sweet - a perfect description of the bride ;0)

I'm most proud of the cutting cake... it's so pretty! I'd recently given in and bought some 5-inch, 6-inch and 7-inch spring form pans and haven't regretted it one iota! A mini tiered cake with a 6-inch round sitting atop a 7-inch round. Too cute. Seriously.

I brought Emily the cake rounds ahead of time, so that she could cover them in a lemony butter cream and white fondant. She then came over to my place to begin the task of frosting lemon butter cream atop each and every cupcake (I tried to help, but really, I'm not a decorator and she's just so good...why mess with a good thing?!). She is the queen of the swirl... her left hand perfectly poised with icing bag in hand, she is able to elevate the simple cupcake into wedding cake elegance.

Oh yeah... and since there were a few "overstock" cupcakes we decided to sample one... the cake was moist, slightly tart, which balanced by the sweet butter cream. I'd call that a success!

Next week we aim for 6-inch, 9-inch and 12-inch rounds... another week, another cake! I am so stoked!!!

yep. i'm awesome. and so is my baking

2010-05-20T08:30:00.004-04:00

I recently fell on my face. No, no, not literally :0) Just emotionally. You know the kind of fall right? The "you jump into something with someone and it doesn't always work out" kinda fall on your face? My postive spin on the situation is that I am baking. A lot.

Joy the Baker blogged about falling on her face (that's where I got the expression) ... she decided to bake a tres leches cake. I decided to bake something else.

You see... and this really did put a smile on my face... I was recently given a book. A beautiful recipe book. One that I already own. It happens. If you check out my kitchen and my living room, the common denominator would be books... I have lots; especially cookbooks.

But back to my gift...I decided to go and swap it out for something new. That's how I ended up with the happy baker chick - a guide to emotional baking ;0) It was PERFECT! Filled with gorgeous pictures, humourous stories and mouth watering recipes... my type of book (and the author Erin is pretty darn awesome too).

So these are my Holy Heck! I'm Awesome Bars!

I worked off of Erin's (the author) recipe (her's are known as yum yum squares), but I added a few of my favourite things to her base and came up with these. They are AMAZING. Great with wine (yes... been there, done that), a real sugar boost for breakfast (again, been there, done that) and easy to make.

Holy Heck! I'm Awesome (bars)
ingredients:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1 c. flaked coconut
1/2 c. walnut pieces
1/2 c. pecan pieces
1/2 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grab your 8-inch square pan and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (use your paddle attachment and a medium speed). Lower the speed and stir in the flour. You should end up with a cookie dough like texture. Gather it up and press it into your sqaure pan (nice and even). Set aside (don't pre-bake the crust).

Grab your stand-mixer bowl and paddle attachment (again) and combine the eggs, salt, vanilla and sugar together. Toss in the nuts, chocolate chips and coconut; stir to combine. Spread this mixture over the top of the crust.

Bake for about 20 minutes (or until the top is golden brown). Allow to cool on a wire rack and cut into squares when you're ready to serve... I got about 32 squares out of this recipe... they are sweet so a little goes a long way. And they freeze well too... in case you were wondering ;0)

This should be your go to recipe when you need to remember how awesome you are! I'd like to thank Erin... your book made me giggle. I really needed a good giggle.

chocolate and root beer... Manu's favourite combination

2010-05-19T08:25:00.000-04:00

You remember Manu right? Of baking sausage and cheese bread fame? I thought I would share with all of you his favourite dessert combination. You see, Manu loves, loves... LOVES root beer. It's the only type of soda he drinks, given the chance to have a soda; and he especially enjoys the one I'm about to share with you... an extra thick, super creamy brand... I use it as my "secret" recipe in the following cake.

You might be wondering why I'm making Manu the theme for this blog entry? Well you see, Manu is turning 10 in a few days... TEN!!!! You know what that means? He is leaving the world of single digits behind and joining all of us in the exciting land of the double digits!!!! I can clearly remember my tenth birthday; my parents wanted me to have an "extra special" cake: so they asked a family friend to make me a "professional" cake - in the shape of a sheep, with fondant icing... it certainly was memorable, but more because none of us (imagine a gaggle of ten-year old girls) enjoyed the thick butter cream frosting, nor the fondant... and felt horrible cutting into a little sheep!

So I figured I would share this cake recipe with Manu's mamie, fabulous aunt,and papa - all of whom I know would love nothing better than to make this little hobbit happy and bake him a cake he'll remember (and love to eat)!!!
Expect an intensely rich, moist, dense, chocolaty cake... with a hint of root beer. I've made this several times and have discovered the secret. You need to use 2 cans of root beer - the best, most organic quality you can find. Then you need to use it in the cake batter and in the frosting... and finally, you need to serve it with some whipped cream. Fresh vanilla whipped cream; it cuts the sweetness and actually reinforces the idea that this is a root beer float cake!
note: the flavour really comes out as this cake sits... so making it a day in advance is not only a good thing... it's strongly recommended ;0)

Root Beer Cake
ingredients:
2 c. root beer
1 c. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. butter
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs

Preheat your oven to 325 F. You can either bake this recipe in: a bundt pan, mini bundt pans (they look like big donuts that way - and you end up with 12) or a round pan... I was able to make one 6-inch round and two 5-inch rounds with this recipe. Obviously, anything goes - just spray with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the root beer, cocoa powder and butter until the butter has melted. Add the sugars and whisk until they've dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and the salt. Set aside.

Once your root beer mixture has cooled a little, beat the eggs and temper them with about 1/2 c. of the batter (you don't want them to curdle). Add the tempered eggs to the saucepan and whisk until well combined. Gently fold in the flour mixture (I used my whisk, I just was gentle). Don't worry if the batter is lumpy. Lumps are good and the batter is very loose.

Pour the batter into whatever baking pan you've picked and cook for 35 - 45 minutes. Once baked (your knife tip should come out clean when inserted in the centre), allow to cool on a wire rack.

Now for the frosting... I'd like to say that the measurements are completely accurate... however, as is the case with me making butter cream, I tend to add more of this and that as I go along... until it looks as thick as I want it to look, and tastes as sweet as I want it to taste.

Root Beer Frosting
ingredients:
1/4 to 1/2 c. butter at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/3 c. root beer
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 - 3 c. powdered sugar

In the bowl of your stand mixer beat the butter (use your paddle attachment). Add the cocoa powder, continue to beat. Toss in the salt, about 2 cups of the powdered sugar and 1/4 c. of the root beer. Keep beating until smooth... this is when I added more root beer for flavour and powdered sugar to thicken it up.

Once done, spread on top of your cake... whip up some whipped cream or scoop out some ice cream... and there you have it... A cake fit for a newly turned 10 year old, as well as all children at heart...

A root beer toast to you Manu, on your special day! And yes, I know it's not until the 25th of May - but this way I've given everyone who loves you a chance to make you your favourite cake! :0)

i heart foodies... and sundaes

2010-05-17T09:15:00.002-04:00

Six degrees of separation is an interesting thing, don't ya think? Here is a snippet of a conversation between my father and I last week:

Papa: "I'd like to send you a review written in La Presse (Montréal newspaper) about restaurants in Ottawa. It was written by your cousin Ève."
me: "Neat... by the way, I'm working at The Whalesbone every Friday night."
Papa: "That's the restaurant that was highlighted..."

Awesome that my cousin has such great taste eh? ;0)

Jump ahead to Friday night. Charlotte pounds on the floor (my cue to run upstairs and get a dessert order), and hands me a page cut out of a newspaper, and asks me to translate it. There it is, the article my father had been talking to me about, the one I had randomly mentioned to Charlotte and Jenna when I walked in for my shift. Small world eh? But the best part... seriously, the best part, is how the article came to be in Charlotte's hand.

These two older gentlemen decided to drive all the way up from Montréal to have supper at the Whalebone - informing us that it was all thanks to Ève's review in La Presse. I love people who take their food seriously, I especially love it when they go 2 hours out of their way to try something new... all that to say... i heart foodies. Oh, and I especially heart Ève because not only did the Whalesbone make her list but so did some of my other favs; Chez Eric(Wakefield), Soup'Herbe (Chelsea), Oz Cafe (Ottawa), Delish (Hull... Chloé's resto) and the Wellington Gastropub(Ottawa)... well done Ève! Claps for you and your taste buds!!!

Now onto my adventures in the prep kitchen! ;0)

It was an evening full of desserts. Which at the Whalesbone (as of May 1st) means SUNDAES!!!!! Oh, how I heart Jenna's sundae list... all the homemade goodies she makes to accompany that scoop of Pascale's vanilla bean ice cream (or two scoops... or for the truly decant, even three!). Mini cheesecake bites, brownie bites, cookie dough, pecan chocolate skor bar (sigh, my favourite), granola, caramel corn, flambé bananas, strawberry sauce, passion fruit coulis, chocolate ganache, espresso sauce, butterscotch sauce, candied apples... you see, and I haven't even mentioned them all. Sigh.

The biggest problem with the sundae bar (as a client that is) is what to choose! Seriously, you read the list above. When that little sundae menu card is placed in front of you, it takes time to come up with the perfect combo... how much chocolate today? or do I want it to be fresh and light? Half and half? WHAT TO DO!!!!?

That's where I came in on Friday. You see... people were enjoying Charlotte's tasting menu... which meant that they got to enjoy my "tasting" sundae. I decided to take the opportunity to make whatever combo that caught my fancy. Picture this, Charlotte gives me an order for 4 tasting sundaes. I run downstairs, grab the order card and just look at my sauces/topping options. Then I start grabbing the ingredients, I pull out the glass bowls, scoop out ice cream and start my creations.

Here are some of the sundaes I came up with...
vanilla bean ice cream, butterscotch sauce, peanut butter skor bar, brownie bites
vanilla bean ice cream, passion fruit coulis, fresh fruit (banana, pineapple, maraschino cherries), granola
vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate ganache, salted peanuts, peanut butter cups
vanilla bean ice cream, coconut dulce de leche, chocolate chip-cherry cookie dough, sponge toffee
vanilla bean ice cream, strawberry coulis, fresh fruit, brownie bites
vanilla bean ice cream, flambé bananas, brownie bites (yeah, i think these are some of the best brownies ever), candied apples

and then my favourite... the one I ended up making myself at the end of the night... my pat on the back for a good night of scooping ice cream, generously piling on the sauces and toppings and then running up and down the stairs as quickly as possible. My personal favourite, and please, feel free to ask for it the next time you wander into the Whalesbone and sit down for the "make your own sundae"...

vanilla bean ice cream. chocolate ganache. rhubarb compote. granola.

Seriously. A slight tart sweet sundae. And you'll notice... I didn't leave anything in my bowl.

note... I'm writing the following because I hope it'll force Jenna into adding this to the menu (write it and it shall be. Right?)... Jenna mentioned that she'd love to make shortbread cookies... break those up, toss in fresh strawberries and whipped cream... the strawberry shortcake sundae. I think that is a FABULOUS idea.

And the best way for all of you to find out if she takes the hint is to show up and enjoy your very own sundae. I'll be more than happy to serve it up for you!

Cheers!

this time I had company

2010-05-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

It's official!!!! Friday nights at the Whalesbone! Charlotte has taken me on in the prep kitchen... I'm seriously excited.

I'd like to take this opportunity to officially introduce you to Charlotte and Jenna; Charlotte is wearing the hat, Jenna is laughing hysterically. Say hello :0)

Now I'd like to introduce you to the other amazing chef I got to work with at the Whalesbone. Chloé (the pretty lady with the stinging nettle).

Remember how I got to bread 60 lbs of haddock on my own last time? Well this time I was greeted with a list of tasks... along with a friendly face and another set of hands.

I'm lucky enough to hang out with some pretty awesome people... Chloé is one of those people. We both love food (we met on an excursion to China Town and have been kindred spirits ever since), eating it, working with it... being surrounded by it. So I was stoked that she was going to join me in the prep kitchen.

Thank goodness!!!! Charlotte and Jenna provided us both with lists; prep for the savoury meals and prep for the sundae bar (best dessert idea EVER)... which grew when the local farmer stopped by and provided Charlotte with all sorts of beautiful greens.

I left the cleaning of the morels and the butchering of the sable fish to Chloé (who seemed perfectly happy with those tasks), and I helped out with making a batch of maraschino cherries (bright red and juicy...sigh), packing away all the incredible sundae toppings (freshly baked brownie, sponge toffee), chopping up fresh fruit and cleaning some stinging nettle for future use (I think Charlotte ended up with about 10 lbs of the nettle... imagine how light that is, and how much you need to make up that amount).

We both pitched in and started the base for a pesto - Chloé diced while I blended. Team effort...and check out how impressively green it looks!

Obviously I was there for the sundaes :0) Plating sundaes is AWESOME. But I'll blog about that next time. Today is all about thanking Chloé for an amazing evening in the kitchen... and Charlotte and Jenna for being such outstanding chefs...and simply great people.

If you're ever on Bank and Gladstone you should pop in... their food is worth it. I promise.

semi-failed cake...

2010-05-10T12:30:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face. Why? Well because I finally started baking again...

I can honestly say... it has been far too long since I pulled out my KitchenAid, filled it with flour, butter, sugar and eggs; preheated my oven, greased a cake pan and baked a sweet treat. Far too long.

The month of April was a complete whirlwind for me... it started with my trip to France; then some serious apartment hunting, followed by lots of packing, moving and then... settling. This move was a little traumatic for me... my 11th move in 12 years (yes... I'm a nomad with very patient parents who help me out with just about every move); I didn't expect to be as thrown as I was... but I was. I dealt with it the only way I know how... by baking!

Last night I gathered all my ingredients and introduced myself to my new oven (which should be replaced shortly), my work space and a new recipe. Chocolate and peanut butter cake... all the flavours combined in the batter rather than a cake/buttercream combo.

I would like to introduce you all to my semi-failed cake :0) It's not pretty (seriously, look at the pictures!) but the flavour was there... and all my co-workers seemed to enjoy it too. I left a note saying it was a "failed attempt at a new recipe" and they folded over the "failed attempt" so that all you could read was "a new recipe"... sweet eh? ;0)

Tweaks will follow: I don't like the crumble on top, or the chocolate chips on top of the batter rather than in the batter... but for now, here's the original...

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake aka Lynne's semi-failed cake
ingredients:
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 c. peanut butter (smooth)
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat you oven to 350 F. Grease either 2 round cake pans, or a large rectangular pan with some non-stick spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer, using your paddle attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, peanut butter and butter together. You want to beat these ingredients on a low speed until they are crumbly (like dry sand). Reserve 1 cup of the mixture and set that aside.

Now, add your baking powder and soda, salt, the milk, vanilla and eggs to the stand-mixer bowl (with the majority of the crumb mixture) and beat until moistened (at low). Increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan, sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture evenly on top of the batter, followed by the chocolate chips.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (until your toothpick comes out clean) and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack. I found them easiest to cut while still in the pan... but that really is just me. I was able to get 2 dozen good sized pieces out of my rectangular pan... which made a whole lot of people pretty happy to be at work on a Monday morning ;0)

a Whalesbone of a time!

2010-04-25T12:45:00.001-04:00

I found myself at the Whalesbone restaurant last Friday night. Here's what happened:

Chef Charlotte "so tonight I'd like you to bread 60 lbs of haddock, individually wrap them and then freeze them."
Me "ok..."
Charlotte "plus you'll be responsible for plating all the desserts. Half the staff is sick... so tonight is the perfect night for you to come in."
Me "is someone going to show me how to plate them?"

You might be wondering why we were having this conversation... You see, Charlotte is the head chef at the Whalesbone restaurant here in Ottawa. She rocks it. Charlotte and I have been friends now for 8 years... and we both love food. So when Charlotte invited me to learn the business and help with prep and service, I jumped at the chance to work with her. This was my second attempt and this time I was completely on my own.

Are you wondering how long it takes to bread 60 lbs of haddock? Well it took me almost 4 hours... In my defense I did plate desserts while I was breading ... so maybe that accounts for the length of time?

But I really didn't mind, you know why? Because I got to plate some heavenly desserts... a combination of Jenna's (Whalesbone pastry chef) genius and Pascale's (another friend, another chef goddess) world's best ice cream (seriously).

Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake... dollops of mint anglaise and chocolate sauce, the mint chocolate chip cheesecake is then topped with some mini peppermint patties, which are then topped with a cookies and cream ice cream (sigh... you should have seen the chunks of cookies in this one. amazing)

WBOH Snickers... A layer of perfectly dense moist brownie, filled with a dulce and peanut mixture, and then topped with chocolate ganache. Some sponge toffee for extra crunch and a scoop of salted caramel ice cream. A sprinkle of coarse salt on top of the brownie and bam! Party in your mouth.

Whiskey Sour... lemon curd spread on the plate, topped with light and fluffy lemon cake, which is then topped by frozen citrus mousses, whiskey ice cream (ice cream with a real punch), caramel sauce drizzled all over the ice cream and then a beautiful deep red Maraschino cherry to top the entire thing.

I had an awesome time... I've learned the following too; when you get an order of 6 desserts for the same table, plate everything EXCEPT the ice cream until you are just about ready to serve... otherwise, you'll be re-plating.

And although I'm excited to eat some breaded haddock... I don't think I'm be serving it that way in my kitchen for quite some time ;0)

inspired by... ME

2010-04-23T14:32:00.000-04:00

I'd like to let you in on a secret... well, I guess it isn't a secret if you: (1) live with me, (2) work with me, (3) talk to me regularly. But for everyone else, here goes. I'm obsessed. Yep, obsessed with these tofu sundaes, created at my local organic market (just around the corner and along my route home from work).

A great little shop for all my baking needs, I've discovered that it is also home to these tofu sundaes; peanut butter supernova (not for the faint of heart, or anyone with a peanut allergy), chocolate peanut butter bliss, even flavours that involve almonds and cherries, blueberries and even strawberries.

They sit on the shelve, just waiting for someone to grab them and bring them home. Served in a clear (biodegradable) container, the silken tofu (blended with whatever flavour used) is layered with crushed pecans and chocolate... so that they look just like an ice cream sundae. You know you have a good product when you're offered a spoon by the cashier... they pretty much expect that you'll eat it as you walk home :0) (my kind of service!)

Are you wondering how I became the inspiration for one of these? Well... while buying a chocolate peanut butter bliss sundae I met the girl who makes them, and I thought she should know how awesome I think her tofu desserts are. We chatted a little and I mentioned that in my humble opinion a great flavour combo would involve; pecans, maple syrup, the tofu and chocolate chips. The next time I went in... volià! Minus the chocolate (which I added on my own at home), she'd created the Maple Parallel Pecan Universe. And all because I stopped and chatted with her!

I think that is pretty cool. We've discussed changing it a little, including more pecans and a bit more maple syrup... but here you go. A first look at something I helped inspire :0)

It totally made my day!

**note: I completely understand that silken tofu isn't everyone's idea of a great dessert, so no worries if this entry doesn't rock your boat. But I do hope that my enthusiasm made you smile. Just a little :0)

au revoir...

2010-04-14T07:55:00.005-04:00

This is it... in a couple of hours I'll be on the plane, headed for Montréal and then on to Ottawa. We spent my final night in Bordeaux; the plan was to go out to dinner and then go dancing. That was the plan until my body decided to revolt. It seems that 8 days of excess desserts, dairy, wine and uber rich food finally got to me. You see, I felt that since I had gotten through all my other indulgences, a final dinner of pizza wouldn't hurt. Was I ever wrong!

Pizza is to France what curries are to England; you find a pizzeria everywhere you look (yes, even Eymet has one): therefore, into the pizzeria we went. Sigh - a vegetarian pizza with goat cheese only. DELISH! Thin crust, perfectly cooked, lovely, melted, gooey cheese... sigh (I will admit that it was much better than the pizza I had in Italy the summer before). And then... well, my evening was over. I made it out to a super cool bar but ended up grabbing the tram back to my room at the Quality Inn (gotta love trams).

So I wake up feeling a million times better than when I went to bed; all packed and ready to do a final exploration before heading to the airport. First on the agenda - my final pain au chocolat. I can't leave Bordeaux without indulging in one more pastry... we wander the streets and end up in the BEST PÂTISSERIE ever. Seriously. I have the flakiest, buttery, fluffy pain au chocolat; Julie opts for an apricot croissant. Both pastries are worthy of a double sigh. They serve a pretty terrific café au lait too. Overall... a great way to start the day.

That leaves me with a final 40 minutes before I have to get into the car... so off we go and end up in another French Market!!!! It is beautiful. If you've ever been to the Atwater market in Montréal, think that... only bigger and better. Fish, sausages, vegetables, herbs, dried fruit... and obviously cheese everywhere we turn. I wish I could share pictures with you... but I've already packed my camera (I know. Lesson learned. Promise) so you'll just have to take my word for it. It is wonderful.

I'm off to the airport with a box of macarons - this I do have a picture of. They are from Ladurée Paris: raspberry-chocolate, chocolate, caramel with fleur de sel, and pistachio. Aren't they lovely? They taste as good as they look too :0) The cookies are baked perfectly; crispy on top but airy in the centre. And the fillings?! Oh my!!! They just ooze out of the cookies, forcing you to catch the excess with your finger and then lick it up. The best part... I get to use my new straw panier as my sac à main on the plane... how great is that!

Au revoir France and thank you for a lovely stay... oh, and Julie, thanks for being the hostess with the mostess!

À la prochaine!

an afternoon in Saint-Émilion

2010-04-13T07:55:00.003-04:00

This is it... my final full day in France. The day was planned: depart Eymet, head for Saint- Émilion, hopefully not get lost, depart Saint-Émilion for Bordeaux, again, hopefully not get lost. You see, much of my week was spent in the car, attempting to read a map (I still can't) and direct Julie in the right direction. Thanks to properly marked roundabouts (my new favourite thing) we found our way quite easily most of time... but venturing out on an adventure knowing you are likely to get lost adds a little bit of stress to the upcoming ride. But back to my final adventure; Saint-Émilion.

Saint-Émilion is absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. A world heritage site, we park the car at the bottom of the hill and climb up the steep and narrow streets until we reach the top and look into the horizon; the views of the countryside and vineyards surrounding Saint-Émilion was well worth the exertion. That, and the prospect of tasting some good, local wine.

I think Julie and I expected our wine tasting experience in Saint-Émilion to be similar to the evening before (as hosted by Mitch); experimental and fun. That was not the case... it seems that the wine merchants actually expect you to (1) enjoy whatever wine you sample, and (2) buy the bottle... no matter what the price point is. Have you sensed that our expectations and the merchants expectations didn't quite a-line? Needless to say, other than entering a couple of wine shops and sampling a few wines; Julie and I spent the majority of the day giggling over a horrible lunch (2 patrons required 4 servers... I kid you not), walking around the town and ... discovering the greatest little delicatessen shop ever!!!

We were greeted at the door by the merchant; a welcoming smile on her face followed by a pleasant conversation. While we chatted, I looked around the shop and was drawn to the shelf that contained cookies. You see, they resembled my gâteau basques! Quelle chance! I asked if they were anything alike and was informed that these palets normands were actually better: sounds like a challenge to me! I bought a bag of 5 cookies, another bag of mini cookies that resembled madeleines and then grabbed a couple pounds of fresh Normandy butter (one for Charlotte and one for me).

We'd made it halfway back to the car before I sampled my first palet normand... at which point I asked Julie if we could go back so that I could purchase some more... they taste like a really moist shortbread. Seriously, the French know how to bake. Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside... perfect for a cookie.

Although I still believe that my gâteau basques are the better of the two, I am certainly ok with the fact that I now have a box of 30 palets normands... I'll be passing them around in the office and sharing the love :0)

Bacchanalia around the world in 80 minutes...

2010-04-12T06:32:00.000-04:00

I would like you all to know that I did in fact do things other than just eat desserts while in France... I will confess that most of my activities lead me to sampling pastries, but each day began with a purpose other than only indulging in culinary delights. And that is how I ended up at a wine tasting.

Julie has become fast friends with Mitch; patron of the Cave d'Eymet - lovely person with a vast amount of knowledge that she loves to share with others (and after having visited other wine cellars, I've realized that not everyone is as inviting or lovely as Mitch is). Mitch coordinates a monthly wine-tasting; selecting the grape varieties when they are at their best, which is how we ended up sampling white wines. The theme of the evening was "interesting and 'generally' unknown white grape variations from around the world". Mitch arranged it so that one quiet evening in Eymet I made my way to Argentina, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Chilli, Tenerife and Spain - all thanks to the white grape!

I've never, ever done anything like this before. And at first I thought it would be pretty intimidating; I mean, what do I really know about wine other than I like some and I don't particularly like others? But there I was, surrounded by 23 other people, eager to pour from an unlabeled bottle (it was a blind tasting too boot!), look at the wine, smell the wine and finally taste the wine. What fun!

The first thing I learnt... I am not very good at figuring out the colour... you see, of the 8 wines sampled, I would admit that they all looked "water white", or "pale yellow with a hint of green", or simply "pale yellow". I than remarked on whether or not the wine clung to the sides of the glass when swirled around (this has something to do with tears???)... All in all, this part of sampling is not my strong suit.

Onto the nose or smell of a wine. I really enjoyed the challenge that each and every wine presented... because when you stick your nose in a glass your greeted by either very pleasant, or at times, highly unpleasant scents. For example, I described one wine as "cat piss"... yep. Cat piss. A truly unappealing smelling wine. Another one smelt of a bonfire, smokey, heavy. Far more appealing to cat piss don't you think? Another one brought back memories of Asia - a predominantly lychee aroma rising to greet my nose. But my favourite wine smelt of berries of the forest and honey. What a combo!

Finally onto the third, and in my opinion, most important aspect of a wine tasting; the actual tasting. The greatest lesson I learnt was that wines do get better after a second sip and swirl. Or not. And, just because I found the nose of the wine to be appealing did not mean that my pallet would be equally pleased. It was also neat to determine whether what I smelt with my nose was registered on the tongue - did I actually taste those berries or apples or apricots? Did that wine taste like cat piss (not that I know what that tastes like firsthand)?

Since I was standing across from Julie who was enjoying the wine samples as much as I was, I didn't realize that people were actually spitting out what they were "tasting"... it seems that only Julie and I drank all 8 glasses of wine... in my defense, I drank a LARGE glass of water between each round, and I did ensure that I grabbed several of the offered baguette slices. No drinking on an empty stomach for me!

It was a truly memorable and enjoyable evening; I got to spend time with really interesting people: specially Mitch - who encouraged any of our ideas about the wines, and never made me feel silly for blurting out the first thing that came to mind when smelling or tasting. It was a grand evening!

In case you're wondering... my least favourite wine was the one I described as cat piss... the taste did not improve (and yet, still I didn't spit); it was from Tenerife, the Vita Norte. And my favourite (which was tricky, because I could have taken half of those bottles home and been very happy) was from Spain! Imagine that!!! After my experience in San Sebastian with the horrible wine, I ended up picking a Spanish wine as my top choice! The Bodega Castro Martin an Albarinho grape variety (I'd never even heard of that grape before) was delicious. Sigh. I bought my bottle and am looking forward to serving it as an aperitif... with the right amount of bite and a slight bubble sensation at the end; it has the perfect acidic balance in my estimation... and it smelt great too!

Cheers to a super evening! Oh... and in the spirit of full disclosure... I did end up having a divine dessert afterward... a raspberry tiramisu...the perfect way to end this evening :0)

un marché Français

2010-04-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Day 7 of my trip... I'm awakened to the sounds of a market being set-up. You see, I don't think I've mentioned that the studio apartment is situated (almost) directly above the market square. When I peak out the large windows I can look down and see people enjoying a coffee at Kismat Café (run by a lovely, kind English women and her husband)... I can also hop downstairs to the pâtisserie next door, or even make my way to le cave d'Eymet (more about that later).

But back to the market. Stepping into the square brought a smile to my face; not only was it a brilliantly sunny day, but visiting markets is my favourite part of traveling... markets are places where an outsider gets a real feel for the people, the place, the country that they are visiting... which is why we travel right!?

This was a real French market; full of vibrant colours, the vendors as colourful as their products, and people getting the freshest and the best products around. As soon as I wandered into the organized chaos my eye was drawn to the cheese vendors, large hunks of cheese - each and every assortment; standing in front of the stand, your nose was assaulted by bold and sharp scents. From there I was drawn to the bright red tomatoes; perfectly ripe, ready to be sliced and diced. A little further down the lane was the wide assortment of sausages (actually my favourite vendor was selling gorgeous cheese and sausage), duck products, fois gras, fresh herbs, spices, fresh olives (sigh), and dried fruit. Then we hit the fish stands. The fish mongers were a riot - showing off their assortment of fish, bright pink shrimp, smooth coquille St. Jacques... everything looked absolutely fresh and ready to be flash fried in a butter sauce or drizzled with fresh lemon (double sigh).

So in keeping with the idea of a market, we actually picked up some goodies for our lunch... a warm, juicy roasted chicken, some avocado and tomato to toss in a salad, and the most gorgeous cheese I've ever tried (yes, I was actually quite ill at the end of that meal... but so worth it). Obviously I couldn't skip out on dessert... so two wonderful little pastries were purchased - a doughy pastry filled with a chocolate cream and a rum cream... both, divine; light and perfectly sweet. And Julie grabbed a handful of the sweetest, moistest, softest dried apricots I have ever tasted. I can understand why she goes back for those week after week.

But my absolute favourite purchase... was my new straw panier! I bought a new basket to bring back home with; it'll be my market basket in Ottawa... that way I'll always have a little bit of France with me when I hit a marché!

meat and potatoes... à la Français!

2010-04-10T07:58:00.001-04:00

The Chef invited us upstairs again. Day six of my French escape and my mouth is watering in anticipation. What does he have on the menu for us today? Packed with a bottle of Spanish wine (a much better version than my San Sebastian experience) and another bottle of French champagne, we trek up the stairs directly to The Chef's kitchen.

Charlotte... I have found you your new French pen-pal. The Chef shares the same food motto as you do - fresh ingredients, simple preparation, allow the flavours to shine. It is for those reasons that I think the two of you would get along like two peas in a pod... that, and I think he loves fois gras as much as you do! (I know, hard to believe).

The Chef prepared a mouth watering entrée - un napoleon de fois gras et pomme; seasoned with a pinch of cardommom, and accompanied by a red wine reduction. Both the apple and the fois gras melted in my mouth; a thing of true beauty. Charlotte you would have died. Seriously.

He then returned to the kitchen and continued the preparation for the main course... first he walked to the freezer and pulled out the new star of the meal - a truffle. And not just a little piece of truffle, no no no, The Chef had a good knob of it (two actually, although we only used one)! I'd call it liquid gold, only it's not liquid... but is it ever golden! The Chef had already prepared a potato purée, and so he finely grated the truffle into the purée; flecks of black peppering the potatoes. He then turned his attention to completing the canard sauvage; a wild duck that was perfectly crisp on the outside, nice and red in the centre, cooked with beautiful french mushrooms and in a jus that just brought all the flavours together.

Don't you just want to take a bite? Doesn't it all sound amazing?! And to think, The Chef was working off a two ring stove top; no oven, no gas, nothing other than to little rounds and a frying pan. It was an absolute culinary experience.

A traditional French meal, offered up by a very French chef... and enjoyed by a very happy Canadian girl :0)

the dessert that had us coming back for more

2010-04-09T12:38:00.001-04:00

Julie loves me to death but she's still wondering... when am I leaving? Julie has lived in France now for 4 months, and although she enjoys the odd (well, not so odd) glass of wine, nibble of cheese, baguette, pain au chocolat and croissant; she doesn't actually gravitate towards desserts. That is, she didn't gravitate towards them... until I arrived.

Julie understands my dedication to this blog; how I feel that I owe it to all of you to come here and truly experience France - which means that yes, I have been enjoying my pain au chocolat along with my café au lait; that I have sipped my vin rouge while I nibbled on baguette, but I also believe that French pastries are meant to be sampled. No buts about it even if you butt expands because of this belief!

This afternoon is case and point. As previously blogged, we stopped in Lalinde while enjoying a drive through the picturesque countryside. As we strolled down the cobblestone streets, I automatically wandered into the local boulangerie-pâtisserie. Oh what a sight! We know that I loved loved loved my pâtisserie in Biarritz, and this one really isn't comparable... except that, the pastry that we bought is actually the best thing I have eaten in France.

It was sitting right next to the cash register and simply titled "our specialty" - so we took that as a sign, paid the 2.10 euro for it and went on our way (to that cream filled, cheesy delight of a pasta meal described in my lactose intolerant entry). Near the end of our afternoon drive through several medieval villages (with pit stops along the way to climb up to churches and soak in the scenery) we decided to sample this specialty... it had a walnut placed on top of it, so we figured that it was some sort of walnut pastry, otherwise we had no clue.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

Both of us (YES, Julie the "I don't eat desserts" girl) could not stop gushing over it as we savoured each bite, licked everyone of our fingers, and appreciated the incredibleness of this treat. A pastry dessert that we could only compare to a sugar pie - but it's not. The centre is filled with a thick syrup (I'm sure cream was involved in that process) and ground walnuts. The pastry crust was then brushed with a glaze of syrup...as beautiful to look at as it was to eat.

And that's when we realized... no pictures! The blog wouldn't be written. People would miss out on my sharing this experience with them! We couldn't do that to everyone; and so we decided, that for you dear blog reader, we would sacrifice our waistlines and stop in Lalinde on our way home and pick up another one of this desserts.

Let me tell you... we returned to the pâtisserie and there were only 2 left in the entire store!!!! What luck to have been able to purchase another one. Sitting right next to it in the display case was another "specialty" - this one titled "tourtiere"... strange since at home tourtiere is a savoury meat pie; but here in Lalinde it's a tart that is covered in powdered sugar, filled with coarsely chopped nuts and brown sugar.

I am positive that the speciality aspect of both of this desserts is the pastry that holds them together. Full of butter, this pastry dough melts in your mouth (I swear, upon impact it simply dissolves), but is baked to that crispy perfection, firmly holding the centre filling until you are ready to bite into it. In a word... bliss.

Julie has ended up in bed with an upset stomach... it seems she reacts to too many desserts the way I react to cheese and dairy products... it's not pretty. What a girl doesn't do for a blog and a whole lot of laughs!

lactose intolerant... pas en France

2010-04-09T06:53:00.004-04:00

I have to confess something to you. I have always loved cheese. So much so that I actually gave it up for lent. Imagine, 40 days, 40 nights abstaining from the one thing that makes "everything taste just a little bit better". I did that... and so have lived with the consequences of that decision for several years. You see, on that 41st day I decided to make myself a grilled cheese sandwich... I took a bite, sweet heaven; followed by many other bites until the entire sandwich was consumed. I was so proud of myself for lasting the entire duration of lent that it took me a moment to understand what was happening. My stomach started to cramp, I couldn't stand up straight... but I knew that cheese and my stomach were no longer friends: we had become "frenemies". Sigh.

Skip ahead to the present: 2010 and a trip to France. Who comes to France and doesn't indulge in some cheese? or cream? café au lait? Not I. I decided that if it looked tempting enough to try, then my stomach would just have to suck it up... because I was going to eat it.

Skip to day five of my trip. The quaint village of Lalinde, close to Bergerac. It was a sunny day and we decided to park the car, grab un sandwich and a bottle of water, sit by the river basking in the mid-day heat. After grabbing our meal at the local (and divine) pâtisserie, we then passed the cutest little café (actually it is also a boutique; if you like the decor you can buy it as you dine).

The menu taunted us... salad, fresh pasta in a cream sauce and a simple dessert all for 12.50 euro: we looked in the window and there two diners were already indulging in their lunch. It looked too good to resist. The sandwiches went into our bags, dinner would already be waiting for us at the end of our daily jaunt. We were going to sit down and truly enjoy our lunch.

You can tell from the pictures that this was a feast, not only for the eyes but also for the stomach. A bright beetroot salad to start - capers, fresh croutons, little nuggets of beets all tossed in some fresh olive oil. A light beginning to our meal. Then the main dish... the star to be exact. Fresh pasta; lightly coated in a cream sauce to accent fresh tomatoes and mushrooms. The warmth of the pasta melting the large chunks of mozzarella cheese. It tasted even better than it looked, I promise. And not heavy at all! The main was then followed by orange slices marinated in a simple syrup with some anise seed to add some flavour; we were offered some thick, heavy cream to dollop on top (I declined that offer, since at that point my stomach had already begun rejecting my lunch).

No matter, it was well worth the pain it caused (sorry Julie for dragging you into that one), and it did remind me of the wonderfulness of cream, cheese, all things dairy. I followed up my lunch with a salad drenched in goat cheese - seriously, I pretty much grabbed the log of cheese and added it to my salad.

I knew I was right... cheese really does make everything taste that much better!

the chef upstairs... and the artist below

2010-04-08T07:56:00.003-04:00

Six degrees of separation is a truly amazing thing. You see, I'm staying in the town of Eymet, France in a studio apartment... rented out by someone who has known my father for 30 years. It's not like this trip was planned with that in mind, heck, we'd never even met until I landed in town and we spent an afternoon together. Just another funny coincidence.

I'd like to introduce you all to The Chef and The Artist. They live in the studio above the one I am temporarily staying in; they purchased the entire building and renovated it from the inside out; the result is a quaint, beautiful, inviting home. But it's their warmth that is even more endearing; I arrived and they invited me to spend the afternoon sightseeing, visiting their new renovation project and then The Chef invited us up for dinner. Oh, how I do heart chefs :0)

On the menu; a light shrimp salad - fresh shrimp in a marinade that included mustard, shallots, garlic, oil; everything perfectly seasoned. Accompanied by blanched asparagus (my favourite of all vegetables), all laid on top of creamy buttery lettuce. Sigh. The perfect start to a meal - well, actually, the bottle of Veuve that we opened and toasted too was the absolute perfect way to start a meal, but this was the perfect entrée.

The Chef then quickly prepared duck breast for us... simply made, perfectly made; accompanied by simple potatoes - simple only in the fact that they were potatoes. Again, perfectly seasoned, cooked to perfection (with a bite but not undercooked). A French meal to be shared among new friends.

While I enjoyed the culinary delights the Chef offered, I was also able to admire the work of The Artist. Hung above their bed is a painting that just enthralls me... the geisha. The largest of a series of geisha's - this one just smiles as we sit and chat and get to know one another.

I fell in love with this painting on first sight, just as I had already fallen in love with another one of her paintings. A large tableau hung in the main entrance - three friends, arms wrapped around each other. If I stand outside on the street and look in the large window, I look into The Artist's studio; filled with images that you admire, not only for their beauty but also for the talent that created them.

What a team eh? Culinary artist in the kitchen and a talented painter... kind, generous and lovely to boot. I sure lucked out with this visit.

Merci à vous pour votre générosité :0)

a quick trip across the boarder

2010-04-07T12:03:00.000-04:00

The beauty of travelling with your best friend, who also owns a car is that you can change your travel plans on a whim. As in,

me: "is that sign pointing to San Sebastian, as in Spain?"
Julie: "yes, we are only 50 km away"
me: "can we go? Wouldn't tapas in Spain be better than tapas in Biarritz?"
Julie "great idea! Let's go!"

And that my friends is how I ended up spending Easter Sunday (afternoon) in San Sebastian... from the surfing mecca of France to the surfing mecca of Spain.

We left Biarritz in a rain storm that left us convinced that the sun would never break through the clouds and that we would end up holed up in a small Spanish bar enjoying tapas and drinking red wine. Low and behold, we parked the car as the rain stopped; another beautiful day in a seaside town. San Sebastian is everything I could have imagined, the beach for miles, the ocean absolutely clear and the town just as charming as I had hoped.

We wandered around and found a small bar to enjoy a glass of wine... asking for wine when I don't speak the language was certainly interesting... honestly, I thought I could get by better than I did -but holding up two fingers, pointing at glasses and then wine is universal; with the exception that I couldn't specify that I wanted good wine. We ended up being served probably some of the worst wine I have ever tasted. I'm so happy that I can laugh at myself, chalk it up to being a tourist and saunter out to try something else.

The next mission was tapas... when in Spain right? Oh my... I've never seen tapas like the ones that we enjoyed (they seemed larger than expected); but the fish was fresh, as were the veggies, and the bread they rested upon was light; making it the perfect base. Plus, our drink options were easy - either a beer or sangria. A big smile, a "sangria por favor" and a plate full of tapas later, Julie and I were very happy to have crossed the boarder (sans map) and enjoy an afternoon in the sun, wandering around without a care in the world... that is until it got late and we wanted to find a place to stay overnight.

It would seem that every pension we spotted was full due to the holiday weekend - perhaps we weren't the only ones who decided that a seaside escape was the perfect way to spend Easter? With no place to stay and our bellies full; we decided to take the hint, grab the car and hit the road... 4 hours later we'd finally arrived in Eymet, Julie's quaint little French village (I will say it could be a bilingual village since I am meeting as many English folks as French).

Three days of adventure, two countries, loads of pastries, seafood, wine, and mostly laughter has brought me to Eymet - I wonder what I'll find here?

my favourite dessert... to date

2010-04-07T06:00:00.003-04:00

Day three... Sunday. As in Easter Sunday. Who can forgo some sort of little treat on Easter Sunday?! Surly not me! By this point I've landed in Biarritz - surfing Mecca of France - white sandy beaches, a beautiful white-washed town with old French charm. After enjoying probably my favourite meal to date; fresh pasta tossed in a seafood medley, and dancing the night away (well, not quite the entire night, but a good portion of it), it was time to meet the day, walk around the town and find some sort of Easter delight.

I found my own personal Mecca. La Pâtisserie Miremont ; it didn't matter which way I turned, I was surrounded! First those dainty little cakes; chocolate, caramel, butter, sugar... all that is decadent in this world! Then I discovered the gâteau macarons... imagine, a cake decorated in macarons... I heart the cookies, but could I heart an entire cake? And finally, the treat that truly tempted me... a little tartelette known simply as le gâteau basques. It honestly looked like the simplest of all the options, but something about it just made me want to grab one, wander down to the beach and bite right into it.

A buttery tart filled with a light cream and then baked to perfection, coarse sugar sprinkled on top, it was the perfect blend of crispy outside, moist, flaky filling and an explosion in your mouth. My goal is to find this recipe... un gâteau basques is now my new favourite dessert.

La Pâtisserie Miremont is my new standard on pastries... it has beat out the Sacher Hotel in Vienna (and I ADORE the sacher torte). Taking a bite of this little tartlette really did brighten my day. Sitting on the beach didn't hurt any either :0)

I hope the next time I blog about this gâteau I'll have made it in my kitchen and can share a recipe with all of you! À la prochaine mes amies!

oysters... oh what a treat!

2010-04-06T04:08:00.006-04:00

Day two of my French adventure... we depart Bordeaux and hit the road for the coast (South-West): destination, Les Dunes de Pyla, in the Arcachon Bay. The dunes boasted views of the inlet bay, the ocean, a pine forest... and sand for miles. In a word (well two), absolutely spectacular. Since you know me quite well at this point though, you know that I had an important stop to make prior to hiking the dunes... lunch was calling.

Arcachon is known for its fresh oysters - so when in Rome... order oysters right? A plate full of oysters, followed by des moules et frites, and a cold beer set us up very nicely for the hike up the sandy dunes (made easier when we kicked off our shoes, rolled up our jeans and just charged up!).

Unlike Canadian oysters that have such an intense taste of the ocean (Atlantic or Pacific), these oysters were far more subtle - all they needed was a squeeze of lemon to encourage their natural flavours. The mussels were steamed in beer and scallions... with enough juice at the bottom of the pot to soak the french fries in. A perfect lunch for sitting on the coast, watching the ocean and enjoying the sunshine that was breaking through the clouds.

Les Dunes de Pyla are not to be missed if you're in the area - I would actually encourage a trip just to see them... they are as breathtakingly beautiful as the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland; they leave you breathless (and not just from the climb up) and in awe. Plus, when you are ready to race down the hill you can sit in a little café and enjoy a warm crepe... you can't get more French than that!

A perfect second day of vacation me thinks...

oh how life is sweet... at least in France

2010-04-05T06:51:00.005-04:00

I've been to France many times over the years... the first time was when I was 12 years old; my parents decided to bring my entire family to Paris for a Christmas vacation... imagine the city of lights and love invaded by the Frappier clan?! I've been fortunate enough to return several time since, either with school, personal travel or even for work. I wanted this trip to be different though... so although I connect via Paris, I opted to not visit the city of lights and continue on to Bordeaux... this trip is all about the countryside, vineyards, the ocean and... French desserts!

Day one and I discovered my very first French macarons... mon dieu do the French know how to make these little sweets! (I've made them, daring bakers challenge, but my version cannot compete with these originals at all) Visions of these sweet little cookies are still dancing in my head and making my taste buds water. I make a spectacle of myself as I spend several minutes in front of each incredible exhibit and take photo after photo, trying to capture for you how absolutely wonderful everything looks... and then I spend just as much time trying to decide what I want to sample. Day one of my vacation is all about the macarons.

Again, no recipe in this entry (nor will there be in the upcoming ones)... but welcome to my version of France... as seen through the food that I sample (and photograph). And just imagine the stunned looks on the faces of the shop attendants as I try and photograph their food rather than place an order... :0)

All I can say is... everything tastes so much better than it looks (I swear!)

Bienvenue en France mes amies ;0)

and she decreed... "let there be cake"

2010-03-31T20:23:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was Gigi's birthday. Yes, that's right, the BIG 3-0. We celebrated with sushi, wine, beer and lots of laughter. And then as Marie Antoinette decreed, we had cake!

I decided to stay away from a dark or milk chocolate cake and baked a two layered white chocolate cake, filled with a raspberry buttercream (shockingly pink yes, but oh so delicious), covered with a cream cheese buttercream and then decorated with fresh raspberries and shaved white chocolate. Yes it tasted even better than it sounds...

The cake is dense enough to hold all that buttercream, and the tangyness of the cream cheese frosting balanced the sweetness from the raspberries. So much butter. So much sugar. So perfect! A little side note - it's best to bake the cake a day ahead - so that it has the chance to completely cool before being frosted.

Happy Birthday Gigi :0)

Essential White Chocolate Cake
to make two 9 x 2-inch round cake layers
ingredients:
2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
3 1/2 cup cake flour
1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. whole milk, at room temperature
1 c. butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray your two 9 inch rounds with nonstick spray and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Toss in the chopped white chocolate. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg whites and milk; set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until soft and creamy (approx. 4 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until very light and fluffy - increase the speed from "stir" to about a 4. Scrape down the bowl a couple of times (beat for about 5 minutes). Add the vanilla.

Add the flour in 4 additions, alternating between the flour and milk/egg mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. You want to beat until smooth on the stir speed after each addition.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans and smooth the tops (I tap my pans against the counter to get all the air bubbles out and it also levels out the batter). Bake for 35 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 10 - 15 minutes. Then remove them and allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature if assembling within 24 hours.

Raspberry Buttercream
*everything here is estimations... since I really was playing it by ear
ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
3 - 4 c. powdered sugar
1 - 2 tbsp raspberry syrup
1 1/2 c. raspberries, fresh or frozen

In the bowl of your stand-mixer you'll cream the butter and half the powdered sugar together - as it blends you should increase the speed. Then slowly add the syrup - I really did just estimate - no measurements when adding this ingredient. Add more powdered sugar to increase the volume of your frosting. Keep beating - this could mean that your stand-mixer is going to run for about 10 minutes... but that way you end up with that really fluffy, creamy texture and that's when you'll want to toss in your raspberries. Keep beating - especially if you are using frozen berries, so that the frosting loosens up and is easily spreadable.

The result is a bright pink buttercream with flecks of raspberry pieces tossed within.

Keep it at room temperature so that it is easy to spread (unless making ahead, then store in an airtight container in the fridge, and re-beat prior to using it to loosen it up again).

Grab your cakes, level them out (use a serrated knife) and spread a thick layer of the buttercream over the bottom layer - seriously, go to town with this - the more the happier your taste buds ;0) Then top with your second layer of cake.

Step number 3 (almost done... promise)

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
ingredients:
1 package cream cheese (block), at room temperature
1/4 c. butter, room temperature
4 - 6 c. powdered sugar
1 - 2 tbsp whole milk
2 tsp vanilla

Grab that stand-mixer again! Using the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and the butter (do this for about 3 minutes). Add half of the powdered sugar and increase the speed as everything combines, adding the vanilla and a bit of the milk - you want to reach that creamy, fluffy and smooth texture - so just the mixer going, adding more powdered sugar as you need it. I strongly encourage the taste-test method... taste the frosting as you make it; you don't want an overly sweet buttercream, you really want the tangy taste of the cream cheese to shine - it balances the overly sweetness of the raspberry buttercream.

I let the mixer go for about 10 minutes before I thought that the frosting had reached the proper consistency and flavour combination. Then I grabbed my big knife and spatula and covered the entire cake with a thin layer - this was a very thin layer that just got all the crumbs. Once that was done, I took the remainder of the frosting and completely covered the rest of the cake... a nice thick layer of frosting. Top with your fresh raspberries (a pint should do) and some shaved white chocolate (I used my vegetable peeler to shave some white chocolate onto the top of the cake).

I think even Marie Antoinette would have approved. A seriously awesome cake. I promise.

tapas galore!

2010-03-16T16:55:00.001-04:00

This is another entry that really doesn't include a single recipe... only pictures of absolute goodness. I had the opportunity to finally try out an amazing Ottawa restaurant, Allium (on Holland Drive)... well, I think the few pictures I took speak volumes.

Highly recommended... I taste tested a roasted beet salad with pecans and an herbed goat cheese, absolutely decadent mac & cheese... seriously, just look at the picture! Tuna tartare with a crunchy won ton noodle and fish cakes topped with mango and avocado... sigh. Everything was just perfect. Top that off with some good wine and even better company... I would call that a perfect dinner.

I highly recommend Allium and their Monday night tapas menu... anyone have plans next week? ;0)

cake anyone?

2010-03-12T14:54:00.001-05:00

Emily and I have been friends for... 12 years now. I met Emily on my first day in Ottawa; 10th floor Thompson Residence. We got along right away and stayed friends long after we checked out of residence and became the people we are today.

A few years back Em and I decided to run a 30 km race together... I would see her every week, sometimes twice in the same day: we would encourage each other by talking about... food. Sweet potato fries to be exact. We successfully completed the race and Em vowed never to do it again; so we came up with another way to spend time together... baking. Baking cakes to be exact.

This is our first collaboration. My colleague at work, Sylvie, asked if we could bake her daughter's engagement cake. She gave us the details - beach theme, date of the proposal and was specific about wanting a starfish or two. We rolled up our sleeves and decided to get baking.

I baked the cake (5 batters to be exact) and made the syrup. Em did the hard stuff. I bow down to my friend for being able to decorate this massive 14x14 cake.

I am so excited to share the results with you. As you can see, a marbled cake with vanilla buttercream icing was taken to the "beach" to celebrate a happy couples engagement. I think that Emily was able to capture exactly what Sylvie was asking for...starfish and all ;0)

I love that not only do I get to bake cakes, but I get to spend time with Em. This is even better than those runs... since not only do we get to talk about food, but we get to sample it too!

just a bite

2010-03-08T12:41:00.000-05:00

Sometimes all you want, all you need, is one bite. One bite of something sweet... one bite of home baked goodness. These mini muffins are those little bites (well, more like 3 bites, unless you're in a hurry).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, oatmeal chocolate chip muffins remind me of my mom; of being a kid and the excitement of coming home from school to a freshly baked treat. I decided to take the classic recipe and make mini muffins... they baked up perfectly, with slightly golden puffed tops...super cute and absolutely delicious. Who doesn't love a muffin? Especially one that brings you right back home, sitting in the kitchen with your mom. :0)

*Special note for Abigail... these could be perfect for your "coffee, cake, 1000 words per day" goal... only substitute the muffins for the cake ;0)

Traditional Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins (mini sized)
ingredients:
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. oatmeal (not instant)
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. mini dark chocolate chips (I used mini since the muffins were going to be mini)

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Line your mini muffin tin with paper liners - I was able to get 24 muffins out of the batch.

In a large bowl, mix together the buttermilk and the oatmeal; then allow them to sit for about 10 minutes or so.

While you're waiting, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Go back to the soaked oats and use a large spatula to stir in the egg, the brown sugar and the oil. Add the flour mixture to it and stir to just combine (you'll see, all it takes is a few strokes). Toss in your chocolate chips, incorporate those and, voilà! Your muffin batter is done.

Grab your mini-ice cream scooper and scoop out the batter evenly into each muffin liner - you want the batter to hit the top (so that you get a nice puffed up effect once baked).

Bake for about 12 minutes (I checked at 10 minutes and then added a couple more minutes for good measure). Remove from the oven, allow to sit in the muffin tin for another 10 minutes and then allow to cool completely on a wire rack... but really, why wait?

an addition to the kitchenaid family

2010-03-02T14:05:00.001-05:00

According to a source very close to me... recipes are for chumps! I found that slightly ironic since this blog is dedicated to sharing recipes with other people... however, being a "go with the flow" type of gal, I decided to ignore the urge to write down (or use) a recipe and simply take pictures of our Saturday night cooking adventure.

I finally got my pasta attachments for my kitchenaid - ever since trying my hand at making pasta I've been obsessed with making more (to be honest, I'm normally the person who is pretty underwhelmed at the thought of a pasta dinner)... and so was thrilled when I got to bring home my new toy!

Tastes of summer on a cold February evening... the freshness of lemon and parsley just exploded in my mouth as I eagerly devoured my bowl of linguine. Have I mentioned that it's delicious? And super simple. And I think everyone should try it... even if you don't have a pasta maker - just come on over to my place... I guess I just extended an open invite! I'd be more than happy to roll out the pasta for you... I'll just need to find a recipe ;0)

a heck of a scone!

2010-02-24T08:41:00.000-05:00

I think by now you all know that I really really like scones. There is something about a scone that brings a smile to my face... the smell of the batter as I knead the dough, the satisfaction of making those cute little triangles and then the absolute delight when they puff up and expand as they bake - pretty little packages that are meant to be consumed warm and fresh from the oven.

I've been eyeing the following scone recipe for quite some time... another tempting little diddy from the cheeseboard collective works. Every single one of their scone recipes has proven to be a success... so I honestly don't know why I hadn't grabbed the necessary ingredients and made a batch of their Apple Walnut Scones; but I hadn't. I promise to rectify this and bake them again. And again. The intense smell of the raisins and apples had my mouth watering and my stomach rumbling as I was making these.

I did opt to use fresh chopped apples rather than using the 1 c. of dried apples that the original recipe called for. I think it's really up to you - I had some apples on hand and really do enjoy the moistness they offer to baked goods. I substituted the white sugar for brown sugar as well (same amounts). Feel free to use the original recipe rather than my little "twist" on things :0)

I also ended up making them into smaller scones - but as usual with the cheeseboard's scones - I assume that I would get 12 to 13 really decent sized scones. Or you can do like me and get a couple dozen out of the batter.

Apple Walnut Scones
ingredients:
3 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. salted butter, cold and grated, then frozen
1 c. (2 medium) apples, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 c. chopped walnut pieces
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. buttermilk

egg wash, brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon to top

Don't preheat your oven, just line a baking pan with some parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Use your paddle attachment and stir on the lowest speed for about 30 seconds (everything is just combined).

Grab your grated butter out of the freezer and toss it into the bowl. Stir everything to combine - you're dough will start to come together and resemble damp sand.

Take the apples, walnuts and raisins, and dump them into the middle of the batter and mix (always at low speed).

Make a well in the centre and pour the cream and buttermilk into the centre. You want to stir until everything comes together around the paddle attachment. Now with your hand, knead together the batter on a generously floured surface.

Roll the dough out into a rectangular shape, divide the dough in half lengthwise and then cut each piece into triangles.

Now... I know that you probably want to bake these babies right away... they smell great, look great and your stomach is rumbling right? But wait. Place them on the prepared cookie sheet and then put them in your freezer. 20 minutes in the freezer makes a world of difference... honestly, those 20 minutes could mean the difference between a fluffy scone and a flat one.

This is when you should preheat your oven to 375 F.

Don't forget to egg wash the top of the uncooked scones and then sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon on top of each triangle. Now they're ready to be baked: 15 - 20 minutes for the small scones or 25 - 30 minutes for regular sized scones.

Remove from the oven, allow to sit on the cookie sheet for another minute or two, them remove and cool completely on wire racks. Or do like me... and just eat one. You've waited long enough.

:0)

lemon and things

2010-02-23T10:23:00.000-05:00

Winter feels like it is dragging on. Cold weather followed by snow... followed by some more snow. Sigh. Normally I would be embracing winter and would be skiing... but really, I just want to take my bike out and go for a good solid bike ride. Looking outside my window today my hopes are dashing... yes, it is snowing (again).

I decided to combat these winter blues by baking a loaf; and although banana loaves have been a comfort during the deep cold, I decided that I needed to spruce things up a bit. I needed new flavours that would fill my kitchen with fresh smells and remind me that spring really is just around the corner. And so I grabbed ingredients that brought the following to mind: exotic, hot weather and vacation :0)

The following quick bread filled the bill! My fingertips smelled like lemons after squeezing and zesting a couple of them. That bright, fresh, tart smell was exactly what I needed to bring a smile to my face and alleviate those winter blues. Add a whole lot of coconut and I felt as though I was in Thailand - sitting on the beach and eating fresh fruit while basking in the sun. Who would have thought baking a quick bread could do that?!

Lemon Coconut Quick Bread
ingredients:
2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. white sugar
1 3/4 c. finely shredded unsweetened coconut (don't use sweetened, it'll overpower the loaf)
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. butter, melted

Heat your oven to 350 F. Grease your 9x5 loaf pan. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer (using your paddle attachment), mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar and the coconut.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla.

Make a well in the centre of your dry ingredients, then pour in the egg mixture. Stir on your lowest speed until all the ingredients are just combined.

Add the melted butter and stir everything until smooth. This shouldn't take more than 15-20 seconds.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 - 70 minutes. At 50 minutes cover the loaf with some tin foil so that it doesn't dry out.

Let the bread cool on a wire rack for 10 - 15 minutes - then remove it from the pan and allow it to cool - or slice into it. Lasts for almost a week in an airtight container... so you can keep those winter blues at bay for quite some time! ;0)

valentine's treats

2010-02-12T13:03:00.000-05:00

Remember rice krispy treats?

I can remember how much I loved pouring a bowl of the cereal, topping it with honey and then pouring cold milk on top... the honey hardens, your spoon needs to break through it in order to get a spoonful of the sugary goodness. Sigh. Or remember how excited you would get when your mom would whip up a batch of rice kripsy treats; the gooey stickiness of melted marshmallows and butter, slightly soft and still warm? Double sigh.

My inter-web surfing has made me realize that valentine's day really is kind of a big deal in the foodie world... at least for bakers :0) And although I do love chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, I wanted to do something less on the romantic side and more on the... yummy side of things.

Hence these treats. Totally unoriginal (Joy the Baker is the real inspiration); but still totally cute and fun; these uncomplicated goodies will bring a smile to your face; and if you're like me, bring you back to those happy childhood memories when a bowl of rice krispy's were the perfect start to the day - or when rice kripsy treats made you ridiculously happy.

FYI... any cookie cutter will do - so if hearts aren't your thing (or you're anti valentine's day) you can still make these... any shape and size is welcome!

Chocolaty Rice Krispy Treats
ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1 bag (405g) mini marshmallows
7 c. rice kripsy cereal
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to overlap the sides (or grease VERY well with butter). Set aside.

In a medium bowl, measure out the 7 cups of rice kripsy cereal.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the bag of mini marshmallows and stir (with a wooden spoon or ready stiff spatula) until they have completely melted.

Dump in the rice kripsies and stir until all the cereal is coated in the melted marshmallow goodness (I kept my sauce pan over the lower heat). While still hot, pour everything onto your pan. Press the cereal into an even layer - I used my fingers, moistening my fingertips with clean water to make the process a little easier and less messy.

Place your pan in the fridge and allow to cool - but you don't want it to completely harden. I left mine for about 20 minutes.

Once cooled, remove the entire slab of rice krispies from the pan. I found that using the parchment paper made the removal of the slab very easy.

Grab your cookie cutter (mine ended up being a heart shaped one), and cut out as many shapes as you can get. Place the shaped krispies on another piece of parchment paper.

Once your treats are cut and prepped, melt your chocolate chips. Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a small amount (1/4 inch) of simmering water. Stir with a whisk to melt completely.

Now for the fun part... grab your shapes, dip the tops of them into the melted chocolate and then place (chocolate side up) back on the parchment paper. Once every shape has been dipped, return them to the fridge to allow to harden.

Sigh. Another delicious memory associated with rice krispies. Thank you Kellogg's and Joy (the baker) :0)

baking for Haiti

2010-02-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm really excited about this entry... no, it's not a recipe. It's even better.

27 bloggers got together and created a BlogAid cookbook... I was doing my weekly blog surf on Tartelette's blog and came across this... and thought, heck - we all know I heart baking and I heart baking blogs, and we all know that Haiti holds a very near and dear place in my heart - so let's put all of that together and offer some support!

The proceeds from the book sales will go straight to Haitian relief via the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders. PLUS... West Canadian AND Blurb are matching the dollar amount of the proceeds raised, to TRIPLE those dollars going to Haiti. And until February 12th, the Canadian government will match that amount. I'd say that is pretty awesome.

It's a POD (print-on-demand) system, meaning the books are printed and shipped as they're ordered and arrive at your doorstep in about 8 days. You can purchase yours for a good cause by going here

I know that everyone has been really very generous - but if you want to keep helping and are recipe book obsessed like me - this seems like a no brainer to me :0) I'll be sure to reference the book once it lands on my doorstep.

:0)

same recipe different cookies

2010-02-09T09:47:00.000-05:00

These cookies are the same as yesterday... only instead of being mini peanut butter chocolate chip cookies they became regular peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. I tossed several handfuls of chocolate chips into the peanut butter batter... next time, I'll add more. Too much chocolate? No such thing :0)

Use your mini ice cream scooper to make a good sized ball of dough. Flatten it down either with your palm or with the teeth of a fork. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes - the bottom of the cookie will be golden - but the rest of the cookie won't be over-baked and then dry out.

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies are always such a nice thing to have on hand don't you think.

one bite cookie

2010-02-09T08:53:00.002-05:00

Aren't these cute? Doesn't the thought of peanut butter and chocolate - salty and sweet just make your mouth water?! These pretty little treats were brought to my attention when I was cyber surfing and discovered (thanks to a hint from Joy the Baker) 17 and Baking... an absolutely beautiful, fun and fresh blog. Elissa (the blogger) is super enthusiastic about baking... which makes me super enthusiastic about trying out her recipes.

Tiny Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Buttons - the name alone (and accompanying pictures) made me want to roll up my sleeves, pull out my stand mixer and get baking. I did change it up a little bit from Elissa's recommendation... I didn't make 15 dozen 1/4 tsp sized cookies... I made 9 dozen 1 tsp sized cookies. You get more peanut butter to chocolate ratio - but I'm ok with that. As my friend Audrey said - it's almost like eating chips - you can sit with a little bowl of them in front of you and just pop them in your mouth... without even realizing that the bowl is almost empty!

Next time I have helpers in the kitchen though, I'll get right on baking 15 dozen cookies :0) I'll leave it up to you whether you decide to make them tiny buttons or only mini cookies... salty/sweet goodness either way!

Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
ingredients:
3/4 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. salted butter, room temperature
1/3 c. white sugar
1/3 c. light brown sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I used vanilla salt)
White sugar for rolling
Chocolate chips (any type)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the peanut butter and butter together. Add the two sugars and continue to beat until it lightens up (about 1 minute). Add the egg, milk, and the vanilla and beat until fluffy.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt together. Beat the dry ingredients in 3 additions to the peanut butter mixture.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to chill for at least 10 minutes in the fridge - it makes it easier to work with.

Now, at this point it was recommended that I use a 1/4 tsp and roll the dough into 1/2 inch balls. I choose to change things up a bit... so I grabbed my 1 tsp and rolled the dough into slightly bigger than 1 inch balls.

Roll each ball in the white sugar (rolling sugar) and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. They don't spread while baking, but try not to bake too many at once (2 dozen max) since you need to work fast to top each baked cookie with a chocolate chip.

Bake for 8 minutes (if making the tiny buttons bake for 5 minutes).

Remove from the oven,IMMEDIATELY press a chocolate chip into the centre of each cookie. Leave the cookies for a minute, then remove from the sheet and cool completely on a wire rack.

Elissa says that the cookies will last several days in an airtight container at room temperature... I don't know if that is true or not. They are all gone. Two batches of them. I think that is a sign of a good cookie. Don't you?!

banana bread for gluten free people

2010-02-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

My roomie Allison is gluten intolerant: as is my friend Mary. I also know other people who feel better with a little less wheat in their diets, so I've been testing some gluten-free recipes in order to satisfy their sweet tooth (after all, just because you can't eat wheat doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy a treat or two).

I'd previously stumbled upon the Gluten Free Girl blog and tested out her brownies. I've blogged about them a few times already. They are AWE-SOME. The best brownies ever. I decided to take my commitment to gluten-free baking options to the next step... a recipe book. So I ordered Shauna's gluten-free girl from amazon and dove right in... to her chocolate banana bread recipe.

A lesson I have learnt baking this bread - gluten free breads need time to bake... I left it in the oven for 65 minutes and it probably could have used another 10 - 12 minutes. I've been enjoying the half-raw pieces (only the centre, the outer slices of the bread came out perfectly fine) all week... moist banana bread... sigh. Delish!

Next time I'm going to add some chopped pecans and drizzle the top of it with a maple syrup sauce... how delicious does that sound?! I'm pretty excited... excited enough to go home and give it a go! (I'll let you know how it all turns out).

Chocolate Banana Bread
ingredients:
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. teff flour
1/2 c. sweet white rice flour
1/2 c. brown rice flour (or sorghum)
1/2 c. tapioca flour
1/2 c. finely ground almonds (or ground hazelnuts)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp brown sugar - to top

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease your loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars; use your paddle attachment starting at a low speed and increasing the speed in order to get that creamy texture. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream to the batter. Then mix in the mashed bananas.

In another bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients (the flours, salt, xanthan gum, baking powder and soda, and the cocoa powder).

Take the bowl off your stand mixer, and grab a rubber spatula. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet batter, 1/4 cup at a time, until everything is just mixed together.

Scrape the dough into the pan, top with the brown sugar (covering the surface of the dough). Place the pan in your oven and bake for between 65 - 80 minutes (depending on your oven) - check if it's done by using the toothpick test (inserted in the centre, the bread is ready if the toothpick comes out clean).

When done, remove from the oven and allow to sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it over onto a wire rack and allow it to cool completely... or serve warm.

note: Shauna baked hers in a 9-inch cake pan so her baking time was about 40 minutes.

i heart david... and his cookie recipe

2010-02-05T08:55:00.001-05:00

I've been busy in my kitchen all week - first I attempted Joy the Baker's Root beer float cake (delish... will post my attempt soon), then I baked Elissa's (from 17 and baking - awesome blog btw) tiny peanut butter chocolate chip buttons, some of my kidney bean cookies (which, although Zabi said "sound just awful" they aren't... they are fantastic!!), many many banana loafs and finally these cookies.

These cookies are simply perfect. A thin and crispy cookie that still maintains a chewy centre - nothing dry, hard or dense about these babies. These cookies rocked my world this week.

I'd been asked by my cousin Olivier to make bake cookies. He wanted plain ol' chocolate chip cookies... he claimed (correctly) that I don't have a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe on my blog... it's true. I seem to either hit up triple chocolate cookies or I favour cookies with oatmeal, raisins, nuts... nothing that is perfect for dunking in a tall glass of milk after a hard day at school :0)

This recipe is for Olivier - as are the dozen cookies I got out of it (well, minus 1 cookie - you can't blame a girl for taste testing can you?). Super simple - you should try making these too!

Oh, and a HUGE thank you to David Lebovitz (whom I don't know personally, but feel like I do whenever I surf his blog) - these really are the greatest "plain ol'" cookies. EVER.

David Lebovitz's Great Chocolate Chip Cookie
ingredients:
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cube pieces
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt (if using salted butter, you can omit this)
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 300F (you want your racks to be in the top 1/3rd of the oven). Line (or spray) baking sheets with parchment paper (I used 4 cookie sheets).

In the bowl of your stand mixer, and using your paddle attachment, beat the sugars and the butter together until smooth (a couple of minutes). Mix in the egg, vanilla and baking soda.

In a smaller bowl, mix together your flour and salt (if adding). Mix them into the sugar/butter batter. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips (always at the stir speed of your mixer).

You might think that you are using way too many chocolate chips for the butter/sugar/flour ratio. YOU AREN'T! Chocolate chips are good - so dump them in!

I used my mini ice-cream scoop (great investment) and scooped out the dough, placed each ball on the cookie sheets (9 per sheet), spaced quite a bit apart (these spread). Flatten each of them a little with your hand.

Bake for 18 minutes (or golden brown). You don't want to over bake though... so once the edges are golden and firm, take the cookies out of the oven, allow to rest on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. I'd like to say that they last much longer... but these are cookies. They aren't meant to last forever... grab your glass, pour some milk and enjoy.

I was able to get 23 cookies out of this recipe.

sweetness at the bottom of the birthday pie...

2010-01-28T08:30:00.003-05:00

I have been fortunate enough to maintain many of my childhood friendships... and Monica is one of these friends. Her birthday is TODAY (Happy BIRTHDAY Mon) but we celebrated last weekend. I wanted to bake her a really good dessert. I wanted to bake her something that would really show her how much her friendship means to me. I decided to bake her a key lime pie.

Yep. Monica is a fan of the key lime pie. It's sweet but with that edge...kinda like Monica :0) Since I'd never made this kind of pie before I figured I needed to use a source that I could count on: a recipe that would be fail-safe. I opened up the hummingbird bakery cookbook. Remember... I used it for my lemon poppy seed cake? Everything that I've tried from it has so far been successful... so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this recipe. I was right. Not only was this pie simple to make, but the burst of lime brightened up a cool January evening.

Note: This pie is made in 3 steps; with necessary cooling time between each step: the crust, the filling and finally the meringue topping. I made the crust and filling the day before and then topped the pie about 2 hours before I presented it to Monica. So plan ahead!

Monica loved it. And really at the end of the day, that's all that really matters. So thank you again hummingbird bakery - another successful recipe from your cookbook of goodies.

Key Lime Pie
ingredients:
3 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 1/3 c. butter, melted
8 eggs, separated
2 x 300 ml cans of condensed milk
freshly squeezed juice and grated zest of 5 limes (I actually only had 3, so I added 2 tbsp of lime juice)
1 1/4 c. white sugar

Grab your 9-inch pie dish. The recipe book says to grease it... I forgot to :0)

Preheat your oven to 325 F.

For the crust: In a large bowl (or in your food processor) combine the melted butter with your graham cracker crumbs. You want to really incorporate the two together. Press the graham cracker crumbs into the base and sides of the pie dish (use the ball of your hand to flatten and compress the crust).

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes - the crust will be golden and firm. Place on a wire rack to allow to cool completely.

When the base has cooled you'll be ready to start the filling (about 40 minutes... or you can place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to rush up the process).

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Put the egg yolks (keep the egg whites, covered, refrigerated until ready to use), condensed milk, lime juice and zest in the bowl of your stand mixer. Using your whisk attachment and beat everything together . You want this to be very well incorporated.

Once your filling has been well whisked, pour it into the cold crust and bake for about 20 - 30 minutes... the filling should be firm to the touch but still slightly soft (not wobbly) in the centre (mine took 30 minutes to bake, but I checked at the 20 minute mark).

Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. When ready, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.

When you're ready to top the pie...

The Meringue: Preheat your oven to 300 F.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until frothy (a medium to low speed). Slowly incorporate the sugar (1 1/4 c.), increasing the speed of your stand mixer until you reach top speed. You want to get to the stiff peak stage.

Spoon the meringue on top of the lime filling, making sure that the entire pie is covered (meringue and crust should touch). Create peaks and swirls in the top of the meringue with a tablespoon.

Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the pie and bake for another 8 minutes - you want the meringue to be evenly golden on top... you'll know when it's ready. Just keep a close eye on it.

Allow to cool completely at room temperature before serving. Garnish with some more lime zest if you have it... the pie is beautiful either way :0)

the white nut... the coconut!

2010-01-26T09:45:00.001-05:00

The cupcake. A perfect treat for any occasion. Especially a birthday celebration! I made this mini little treats as an extra dessert for Céline's Thai themed party (the birthday cake was the mango-ginger cheese cake).

It was the first time I had tried any recipe from my new cupcake cookbook... some people liked the result (I being one of them), some people weren't too keen... so I guess I'll leave it up to you to decide.

I turned to cupcakes; a fine selection of sweet treats for my baking inspiration that cold January day... the pictures are absolutely beautiful, the flavour combinations make my mouth water... and since I had just bought the book, I figured I should give it a chance. I'm glad I did. The trick with cupcakes is not over baking them... I think I left these in a little too long... I'll remember that the next time I attempt to bake them.

Fluffy Coconut Cupcakes
ingredients:
2 c. self-rising flour
1/2 c. flaked coconut
1 c. white sugar
1 c. buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp coconut extract
4 1/2 oz butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line 36 mini muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, coconut extract and melted butter together.

In the bowl of your free standing mixer with your paddle attachment, combine the flour, coconut and sugar. Make a well in the centre and pour in the wet ingredients.

The batter will become quite thick and fluffy - resembling almost a pancake batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the paper liners - about 2 tablespoons per mini cupcake liner.

Bake for 12 minutes (this is where I over baked a bit... no more than 15 minutes!) , remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting each cupcake.

Coconut Frosting
ingredients:
2 1/4 c. icing sugar
1 1/2 c. flaked coconut
2 1/2 oz butter, softened
1/2 tsp coconut extract
2 tbsp - 1/4 c. hot water

In the bowl of your stand mixer (use your paddle attachment again), combine the icing sugar and coconut. Add the butter, coconut extract and enough hot water to make a spreadable icing, adding it by the tablespoon.

Once the frosting is ready, place it in a piping bag (about 1/4 c. at a time), grab a tip that is quite large so that the icing can be piped easily. Pipe the icing and then (optional) sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes to decorate.

I think these cupcakes were adorable... one-bite treats for everyone to enjoy.

poppy seeds... oh what a wonderful cake they make!

2010-01-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

I spent yesterday afternoon with some of my favourite people. I know... I seem to have a long list of favourite people, and it's true! I've surrounded myself with pretty awesome folks- but these aren't just people - they're my Ottawa family :0)

Marie-Jo, Phil and Olivier took me in many years ago when I needed a place to stay... they supported my decision to move to Scotland, come back to Ottawa, allowed me to crash on their couch (again) and continue to lure me in with the promise of wonderful meals and even better company. The least I can do is bring a cake (or a pie) whenever I stop by (or when they host a family gathering of sorts).

Yesterday I brought them this lemon poppy seed cake. Sigh. It's from the hummingbird bakery cookbook... I made it twice last week, and want to make it again. A dense cake with the tartness of lemons and the crunch of poppy seeds. I increased the amount of lemon zest since I believe that there is no such thing as too much lemon. I think it's the perfect cake to bring when visiting people you really like...especially lemon crazy people like my family.

Described in the book as a "moist, tangy cake that is perfect with your afternoon cup of tea"... I can attest that it's excellent with brunch and shared with your favourite company!

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake
ingredients:
6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 c. + 1 tbsp white sugar
grated zest of 2 lemons
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2/3 c. milk
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg whites

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Grease a bundt cake pan (butter or cooking spray) - or you can use mini bundt pans and make many (6) mini loaves (I did both - hence making this recipe twice in a week).

Put your butter, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds in the bowl of your freestanding mixer and beat everything together (using your paddle attachment). You want to make sure that the batter becomes quite fluffy - really cream the butter.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet batter in 3 separate additions. Beat thoroughly until all the ingredients are well incorporated and fluffy.

Time to beat your egg whites. You want to beat them in a separate bowl (glass is preferred) until stiff peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the whisked egg whites into the cake batter - you don't want to over mix and loose the volume the egg whites bring to the batter; so just incorporate everything.

Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan and bake for about 30 minutes (the cake should bounce back when touched, don't do the toothpick test).

This cake called for the addition of a lemon syrup (and pouring it over the warm cake)... however I ended up burning the syrup. I wasn't paying attention and it boiled a tad too long :0)

I allowed the cake to cool a bit (10 minutes), then removed it from the pan and had it cool completely on a wire rack.

I decided to make another syrup just prior to serving the cake. Bring the juice of a lemon, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1/2 c. water at a boil and allow it to reduce a bit. Pour the warmed syrup over the cake so that it can drip over the top and add a pretty sheen to your presentation. It was lovely.

an extra special birthday cake

2010-01-18T10:28:00.000-05:00

We pulled out the bubbly on Saturday night... a momentous birthday celebration in honour of my friend Céline. Her daughter, the wonderful and talented chef, prepared a spicy green curry and a flavourful beef curry. Her son dressed up the rice by cooking it with coconut milk and kaffir leaves... and I brought along a treat or two.

I wanted two things: to stick with Thai flavours and keep the dessert as light as possible. I lucked out when I found the following cheesecake recipe... all thanks to my Party Cakes cookbook. I haven't pulled it out in a while (actually not since August when I baked a different birthday cake), but I really do have to remember to use this book more often... Mich Turner created some beautiful recipes that seem to just hit the right note (or taste buds).

One thing I did change when putting this together: I increased the graham cracker base (butter and graham cracker crumbs are doubled in the recipe that follows), and made 2 cakes rather than the 1 that the recipe calls for. I ended up with a cream cheese topping that wasn't as thick as a regular cheesecake... but I prefered the cream cheese to graham base ratio - more 50/50 rather than the 75/25 you would normally get.

Another bonus about this cake... no baking required. You just need to plan ahead (this isn't a last minute dessert) since this cake needs to set overnight. Other than that, this is easy as pie... or I should say... easy as cheesecake!

Mango & Ginger Cheesecake
ingredients:
2/3 c. butter
4 c. crushed graham crackers
12 oz. cream cheese (1.5 packages), at room temperature
2/3 c. white sugar
2 drops vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
7 oz fresh mango (1 large mango, peeled and pitted)
1/4 c. preserved ginger (in syrup), chopped

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the crushed graham crackers, mixing well. Divide the mixture in half between two 8 inch round pans (springform or tin) press well into the base and refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.

Using your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy; start at a lower speed, increasing the speed as the mixture beats so that it becomes fluffier.

Add the cream to the mixture and beat everything until stiff and smooth (about 3 minutes) - you don't want to over beat, otherwise the mixture will separate.

Meanwhile, peel and pit your mango; then process the pieces in your blender until you get a thick purée (add a little water if you need to help the blender along).

I honestly grabbed a handful of conserved ginger... so my estimation of 1/4 c. is really just that, an estimate. So grab some ginger and finely chop it.

Stir the mango puree (half or all, depending on how much mango flavour you like) and the chopped ginger into the cream cheese and cream mixture.

Pour the batter on top of the graham cracker bases, spread the top evenly and refrigerate overnight.

When you're ready to serve, remove from the springform pan (or cut them out of the tin pans) and place on a pretty plate.

A perfectly light cheesecake that isn't too sweet or rich... It hits the spot and made all of us around the table very happy.

Bonne fête Céline! mouah!

the best cupcakes ever...according to my fan

2010-01-06T08:30:00.003-05:00

I had a really awesome New Year's Eve... I spent the day playing in the snow with some of my favourite people... giggles and big smiles were the order of the day!

So when we all came in for our celebration dinner I wanted to quickly whip up a little treat for the little hobbits... cupcakes seemed like the perfect dessert. Not only did they turn out (and I was able to use some left over frosting from a cake I'd made the day before) but I was informed that I make the "best cupcakes ever"... :0)

I won't lie - I'll take the compliment and share the recipe with all of you... after all, don't we all like to think we make the very best cupcakes? Try this one and you should be hearing the same rave reviews.

Lemon Cupcakes
ingredients:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 c. butter at room temperature
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. whole milk

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line your muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners (large sized). Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a larger bowl and with your electric mixer (I wasn't at home and didn't use my stand mixer... but obviously you could use yours with the paddle attachment), beat together the butter and sugar (medium speed) until smooth and light in colour (2 minutes).

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each into the batter. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla extract to the mixture and continue to beat for another minute or so.

At a low speed, and in 3 additions (3 flour, 2 milk), add the flour and milk alternately to the batter (beginning and ending with the flour). You want to combine everything but not over mix... so as soon as it's smooth you're good to go!

Fill each paper liner with the batter (about 3 tablespoons worth). Bake for 20 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack (I actually cooled mine on the counter-top... no wire racks, but they still turned out A-OK).

Once they have fully cooled you're ready to frost them!

Beware... I actually halved the recipe below (I'm giving you the complete recipe) and ended up with enough frosting to fill a 9 inch layered cake (the filling between the layers) AND half of these cupcakes... plus I still have some frosting in my fridge. It seems to go a long way... or maybe I just don't put enough frosting on my cupcakes!? But at least we know that it'll keep in a air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Classic Chocolate Frosting
ingredients:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. butter at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. heavy cream, at room temperature (briefly heated over low heat)

Put the unsweetened chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (1 inch deep). Stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of your stand mixer (you'll use your paddle attachment for this recipe) combine the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and butter - beat at a lower speed for a couple of minutes - you want a smooth texture. Beat in the melted chocolate, adding the vanilla and cream. Beat until everything is super smooth; about 3 minutes. The result should be a nice thick consistency, easy to smooth onto your cupcakes with a butter knife or to pipe on with a piping bag.

Top with sprinkles and your cupcakes are good to go!

Note:
If your cream wasn't at room temperature, you could have quickly warmed it on low heat in a saucepan...

I thought I'd used low heat... but apparently now low enough and I ended up with the following dilemma.... the hot cream melted the butter in the frosting! I was able to solve that problem by chilling the frosting in my fridge for 30 minutes...
the butter solidified and the frosting was ready to be used!

I also used my Lemon Meringue butter cream frosting (July blog)... I had topped and iced a cake with it and had some left over from that too. Cupcakes seem to be the best way to use up my left-overs and make very happy hobbits ;0)

a real holiday cake

2010-01-05T12:38:00.001-05:00

A HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!!!!!! 2010 is looking to be a wonderful year - big plans and lots of baking on the horizon for me! You? Did you make any resolutions? How about trying this recipe? :0)

I have loved this cake since I was in high school and my friend Robin's mother would bake it. It became my "go-to" recipe when I wanted to impress people with a cake that is full of flavour, has a punch of chocolate, but is moist and light. It's the kind of cake that you make and can either serve with afternoon tea, for dessert or even as breakfast (perfect for that chocolate fix).

I made this for Christmas with my family - and we ate away at it over the course of the visit... I also brought some of it along to another Christmas (and birthday) celebration... and my wonderful hostess Céline absolutely adored it too! I could eat this anytime, anywhere, any place. I heart this cake. Thank you Robin and Barb for sharing it with me. And as promised Céline, here is the recipe :0) Bonne année à tous!

Apple Chocolate-Chip Spice Cake
ingredients:
1 c. butter, room temperature
2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 c. water
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
2 c. finely chopped and peeled apples (about 4 medium sized apples)
1 6 oz. pkg of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Grab your bundt cake pan and spray it with non-stick spray or grease it with some butter... make sure you grease the middle well so that the inside of the cake doesn't stick when you try and remove it from the pan.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. You want to really get the light and fluffy texture - so let it cream for several minutes, increasing the speed as the mixture loosens up. Beat in the eggs (one at a time), the water and the vanilla. Continue to mix everything until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and spices.

Beat the dry ingredients into the wet mixture at a low speed (stir on the kitchenaid). You just want to incorporate the flour. Toss in the apples and chocolate chips and again stir only enough so that they are evenly distributed within the batter.

Pour the batter into your greased pan and bake for 75 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack in the pan for about 30 minutes, then remove the cake and completely cool it on the wire rack.

You can dust it with powdered sugar if you like (Barb used to do that), or leave it as is... either way, this cake is well worth the effort. I promise.

merry christmas y'all... better late than never!

2009-12-29T14:29:00.000-05:00

I know... I'm late. I'm wishing you a Merry Christmas as we all get ready to pull out the bubbly and celebrate the New Year! I meant to upload some recipes over the course of the month... as inspiration for your own holiday baking... obviously, I didn't really succeed. I baked. A lot. So I'd like you to accept my apology and imagine me slaving behind my kitchenaid and oven preparing my goodies in order to gift them to my loved ones.

My papa called me early on in the month and we confirmed that I would be responsible for our Christmas desserts. I was also informed me that my step-mother, Marielle, wouldn't be baking sweets; that I would be the sole provider of goodies for several days of holiday celebrations. Talk about pressure! (btw, Marielle did bake - and made probably the best tortière I've ever tasted - everything was wonderful)

So amongst the mayhem of my kitchen I pulled out my camera, tried some new recipes and am ready to upload them and share them with all of you. They aren't all necessarily simply Christmas baking ... these cupcakes I'd call winter cupcakes - a beautiful white cupcake iced with a white chocolate cream cheese butter cream... sounds just about perfect for a cold January day :0)

Winter White Cupcakes
ingredients:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, scraped and seeds removed
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
3/4 c. butter, room temperature
1 c. white sugar
3 large egg whites, room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Depending on how big you want your cupcakes, you can line muffins tins with cupcake liners for either 12 or 24 cupcakes (I was able to make 24 regular sized cupcakes... not too big, just the perfect size to enjoy after indulging in copious amounts of food).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla seeds together in a medium sized bowl. In a smaller bowl, combing the buttermilk, vanilla and almond extracts together. Set both bowls aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar - start at a lower speed, increasing the speed to get that fluffy texture and lightness in colour (about 3 minutes).

On low speed (Stir) and in 3 additions, add the flour and milk mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (3 flour, 2 milk). Mix until the flour is just incorporated and the batter looks smooth. Set aside.

In a large glass bowl and with clean beaters (I used my electric hand-mixer for this part), beat the egg whites until foamy (medium speed). Increase the speed to high and continue beating until the egg whites look shiny and smooth; the egg whites will cling to your beaters when you lift them.

Stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter. Once incorporated (do this quickly so that the egg whites don't loose volume), grab your rubber spatula and fold the remaining egg whites into the batter. Just blended.

I used my mini ice-cream scooper to fill my paper liners - about 2 scoops per liner (that will make 24 cupcakes - 1/3 c. of batter would fill 12 liners).

Bake for about 20 minutes (the toothpick will come out clean when tested in the centre of the cupcake), remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from the wire rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
ingredients:
3 ounces of white chocolate, chopped
1/4 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
4 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 vanilla bean, scraped and seeds removed (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 - 2 tbsp milk, half & half or cream... whatever you have on hand.

In a double boiler melt the white chocolate to smooth (heatproof glass bowl over a pot of 1 inch simmering water). Use your wire whisk to stir the chocolate smooth. Transfer to the bowl of your stand mixer.

Add the butter, cream cheese and vanilla (either the seeds or the extract) and, using your paddle attachment, beat to smooth (1 minute or so). Add the powdered sugar, mixing until the frosting is smooth. This is when I add the half & half (or milk or cream)... it loosens up the frosting just a bit; incorporate a tsp at a time.

Use a small spatula or a butter knife to spread about a tbsp or so of frosting on every cupcake. If you want to make these really decadent, top with white chocolate curls.

A prefect blend of butter cream and cream cheese frosting... not too heavy, and the white chocolate surprises people too. This frosting went really well with my white chocolate almond mini bundt cakes (January 2009 entry) too... you have to love multi-purpose baking recipes!

the sweet smell of gingerbread... continues!

2009-12-12T18:35:00.001-05:00

Oh ginger... what a wonderful spice! I love it in my cooking - pickled, minced, sliced, diced... anyway you prepare it, I heart ginger. Which is why I'm very drawn to ginger sweets (actually, candied ginger is one of my favourite candies... seriously. almost addictive)... so I decided to keep baking with it this past week. On the menu, gingerbread people. My ginger people weren't decorated in my kitchen, since I gave them to my friend Tonya, so that she and her daughter could decorate them this weekend.

With the remaining dough I decided to use a circle cookie cutter and make little round disks that I then sprinkled with sugar prior to baking.

This recipe is thanks to Heidi @ 101 Cookbooks - I used some fresh ginger as well as the dried ground ginger, which I felt gave the cookies a real punch. A good, simple, dependable recipe that holds well to the rolling pin and cookie cutters. Highly recommended. :0)

Gingerbread Cookies
ingredients:
4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp ground ginger
knob of fresh ginger, finely minced
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 c. dark brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
2/3 cup molasses
large grain sugar for decoration

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.

Using your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Incorporate the brown sugar and beat until creamy. Blend in the eggs one at a time and then the molasses. Add the flour mixture, add half the flour, incorporate and then add the rest of the flour... keep your mixer on low speed. Once that's done, divide the dough in half and wrap both halves in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour - I allowed mine to sit in the fridge for 24 hours.

When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 F and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

If you've allowed the dough to set for quite some time in the fridge, take it out just a little before you'll want to roll it out - so that it warms up just a bit (take it out about 5 minutes before you would start rolling it).

Lightly flour your working surface and then gently roll out the dough; I use the same technique as I do with my pastry dough, rolling in one direction and turning the dough in a clockwise motion until I end up with about 1/8-inch thick dough.

Then grab your ginger people - or any cookie cutter of your choice, and start cutting the figures out of the dough. I made a dozen people - 6 boys and 6 girls (for the decorating party) and with the remaining dough I cut out rounds and sprinkled those with the large grain sugar prior to baking them.

The key to gingerbread is not over baking the cookies; make sure that the sides are a little firm but that there is still a little give when you press down on the top of the cookie. Between 8 - 11 minutes... depending on the size of the cookie (the people 11 minutes, the rounds 9 minutes).

Decorate as you wish... I look forward to seeing what was created with my cookie base ;0)

sausage bread... a new classic!

2009-12-06T20:42:00.001-05:00

*This entry is written by Manu aka, Man United! Manu is trying out this blog writing thing, and we figured he should try on mine... enjoy!

Me, my dad, and Lynne like to make bread so we decided to make sausage bread. this will be good trust us! we added cheese and Italian spices. We recommend this because we like to eat all of these ingredients, so we thought, let's put it in the bread! Aren't we smart?

We started off with my dad cooking the local, organic lamb merguez sausages... the kitchen smelled good!!!

Then we had to mix 2 teaspoons of active yeast (we only used active because we were out of live yeast) with 2 cups of warm milk and 1/2 a cup of warm water to get the bread started along with 2 tablespoons of sugar to feed the yeast, and a pinch of salt.

Then you need to cut the cooked sausages, my dad let me do that myself.

Then you need to mix the cheese (which was cut in cubes), the Italian spices and the sausages together.

We used our kitchenaid stand mixer to mix everything together with the flour... I had to be patient to slowly add the flour (I was very tempted to pour it all in at once).

Once it became the dough itself, we put it in a greased bowl, and wet a dish towel over the bowl and we put it in the microwave for 60 minutes. Do not turn on the microwave (you won't get any bread, you'll get a house on fire)! You just need a warm place to put it in so that the dough can rise.

After I patiently waited an hour for the dough to rise I took it out of the microwave and punched it down! I did it 5 times. Don't do it more than that - otherwise it will get as hard a rock.

Then we floured a surfaced and made little balls out of the big dough.

Then you mix egg and a little bit of milk together using a fork. You will use this to paint the bread with an eggwash. Then you take sesame seeds and coarse sea salt and garlic salt and you sprinkle all of that on top of the buns.

Now to preheat the oven at 420 F and let the buns rise again on cookie sheets for a good 20 to 30 minutes - they will re-rise.

My dad then cut crosses on the tops of the buns before he put them in the oven.

We let the buns bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown and when you lift the buns and tap the bottom they sound hallow.

My dad thinks you should listen to the song "Golden Brown" by the Stranglers for inspiration.

I just took a bite of it and I think I'm going to marry it.... Seriously, this is the best bread EVER!!!!!!

this one takes the cake!

2009-12-06T17:59:00.000-05:00

This cake is AWESOME. My uncle Phil's birthday is today (Happy Birthday Phil!) and I was asked to bake a cake. An upside-down cake to be exact. Can I let you in on a secret? I have eaten and (thoroughly) enjoyed many pineapple upside-down cakes (all thanks to my wonderful grandmother) in my lifetime, but have never, ever baked one.

I was really eager to find a really good recipe - something that would knock every one's socks off...and that didn't seem too complicated for my first attempt. Rather than delve into my recipe books; I decided to cyber-surf my favourite blogs and ended up @ Smitten Kitchen riveted by her gingerbread apple upside-down cake recipe.

First off, the pictures looked so appealing - a rumble in my tummy sort of appealing. And then the recipe looked simple and uncomplicated; hitting all the right notes of a warm and wintry cake that also met the requirement of being upside-down. All in all, it looked perfect... once I tweaked it a bit.

Smitten Kitchen's recipe included honey - I swapped in additional molasses and then added some allspice to the recipe so that it wasn't overly cinnamoney (Phil finds that cinnamon can often overpower a recipe, so I did my best to balance that out for him). I was super thrilled with the result. I even baked a second cake... I can smell it baking in my oven as I type...

Because of the gingerbread based cake I think it's perfectly suited for this time of year. I hope these pictures and this recipe inspire you as much as I was inspired by Smitten Kitchen's blog... ;0)

Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake

Apple Upside-Down Topping
ingredients:
4 tbsp butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
pinch of salt
4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Grease your cake pan with some butter. Set aside.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once it's completely melted, add the brown sugar. Whisk the two together (nonstop) for about 4 minutes... this will create that caramel-base for the apples to rest on. Take the caramel off the heat and swirl in pinch of salt.

Pour the mixture into your greased pan, and use a spatula to spread it evenly all over the surface of the pan. Make circles of overlapping apple slices on top of the caramel. Chop any of the remaining slices and place them in any gaps you might have.

Set aside and start on the cake.

Gingerbread Cake
ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
2/3 c. molasses
1 c. buttermilk
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice

In your mixer, cream together the sugar and butter on a medium-low speed, increasing the speed as it blends to create that light and fluffy result.

While that is being mixed together, whisk together the egg, molasses and buttermilk together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine the flour, baking soda and spices together in a separate bowl.

Once the butter has become fluffy, lower the speed and add the remaining ingredients. You want to alternate between mixing in the flour and the molasses mixtures (start with the flour); I added each mixture in 3rds, waiting for the previous one to be incorporated before adding the next one.

Pour the batter into the pan over the caramel and apples. Use your spatula to spread it evenly around the pan.

Bake for between 55 - 65 minutes (depending on your oven, I actually increase the temperature to 350 for the final 15 minutes of baking) - you'll know it's ready once a wooden tester comes out clean when inserted in the centre of the cake.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen it and turn the cake out onto a platter that is larger than the cake itself (when you cut it some of the caramel will run down).

Et voilà - a gorgeous gingerbread cake that is topped with an apple caramel. Beautiful and delicious. Baking perfection!

butter and scotch... well kinda, sorta....

2009-12-05T15:10:00.001-05:00

Last week was all about getting myself into the holiday spirit. What better way than by baking cookies? Cookies are the ultimate in holiday goodies. There's nothing better than making the perfect cookie and sharing it with friends and loved ones.

Deciding on cookies was the easy part. Then I starting thinking about what flavour combination I wanted to play around with. Butterscotch reminds me of the holidays. So I decided to tweak a tried and true recipe (Chocolate Damnation Cookies) and swap out the pecans and dried cranberries in that recipe with butterscotch chips for this one.

With the recipe sorted out I then had to remember another key component of baking cookies; it's all about that perfect bite.

With these cookies it really is all about under cooking them just a wee bit... a gooey centre to bite your teeth into is always a good thing! These are already being handed out to friends and loved ones... my friend Jeff is a real fan (so is his office).

The one thing about these cookies... the batter needs to chill at least 60 minutes (or up to 3 days) in the fridge before you can shape the dough and bake them. Just factor in that extra "prep" time... and you're good to go! Oh, and by using the salted butter you don't need to add any additional salt to this recipe ;0)

Chocolate Butterscotch-Chip Cookies
ingredients:
10 squares of semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 c. salted butter, room temperature
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 c. dark chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. butterscotch-chips

Melt the chocolate in a saucepan (small pot) over medium-low heat, stirring continuously (so that the chocolate doesn't burn). Once completely melted, set the pot aside and start on the rest of the batter.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

With your mixer, cream together the butter and sugars together (paddle attachment) - start at a lower speed (2) and then increase to a medium speed (4 or 6) to create that pale, fluffy look. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs (one at a time) and then the vanilla until everything is very blended. Beat in the melted chocolate.

Stop your mixer and add the flour mixture to the batter. Turn your mixer to the stir speed and slowly incorporate all the flour into the chocolate. Toss in the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips and turn on the mixer so that they distribute evenly into the batter (about 30 seconds). Cover the bowl and allow to chill for at least 60 minutes in your fridge (it will firm up). Easy eh?

When you're just about ready to bake these babies... preheat your oven to 350 F. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Shape the dough into golf sized-balls - it's easiest to form them with your hands; pull up your sleeves and get your hands a little dirty, it's fun! Place them about 2 inches apart - I got about 8 cookies per cookie sheet; and bake for 13 minutes - you want them to just set; soft cookies are good. Leave them on the cookie sheet for an extra two minutes (once out of the oven) and they will firm up a bit without getting too hard. Cool completely on a wire rack.

I got 25 cookies. If you decided to make small cookies (using a mini ice-cream scooper) you'll get 4 dozen cookies and you should bake them for about 7-8 minutes.

Whichever size you decide on, you'll end up with lots to share and even more people with huge smiles on their faces (oh, and a great smelling kitchen)!

Enjoy... and happy beginning of the season! :0)

a little tartness is a good thing...

2009-12-04T10:42:00.000-05:00

I baked more scones. Yes, I know. More scones. Please don't be bored. Because these are really really delightful and perfect for the holiday season. A combination of tart dried cherries and mini dark chocolate chips... pop one of these mini scones into your mouth and you will be reaching for the next one.

I was a little apprehensive about trying this because it meant using a new recipe. You see, I really heart my other recipe - which is basically my base for scone making, but... you have to live a little and try new things - so this is me living on the edge ;0) I set my apprehension aside and pulled out my excitement... after all, new flavour combo! Whoot Whoot!!!

Since I'm blogging about this I guess you've gathered that I liked this result. Not only did I like it, but I'm committing myself to adding these to my holiday gift basket (aka Christmas brunch with the family repertoire).

Be forewarned, you need to actually really enjoy eating dried cherries... if you don't, check out some of my other scone recipes. There is something there for everyone :0)

Mini Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones
ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. cold butter, grated and chilled in the freezer for at least 5 minutes
1 egg
2/3 c. heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 c. dried cherries, coarsely chopped
3/4 c. mini dark chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

note: wax paper will burn... I learnt that at 3 am... parchment paper will not burn... there is a difference...

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use your paddle attachment to mix everything together.

Add in the cold grated butter and mix for about 90 seconds at the STIR speed. You want the flour to start clumping up just a little bit.

Turn off the mixer. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, heavy cream, vanilla and almond extracts.

Make a small well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the heavy cream into it. Mix everything (again, at the STIR speed) until the dough looks a little moistened. Add in the chopped cherries and mini chocolate chips. Turn on the mixer a final time and incorporate them into the batter.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently. Shape the dough into a log, grab a sharp knife and cut into 10 pieces - then cut those again in half. This creates the "mini scones" - if you leave them be, you'll get regular sized scones (I actually made two batches, one of each and both bake really well).

Line your cookie sheets with the scones (either 10 regular or 20 mini scones) and return to the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Once the dough has chilled, brush the tops with an egg wash (lightly beaten egg) and then sprinkle sugar on top.

Bake in the oven - 15 minutes for the minis, 25 minutes for the regular ones.

Once golden on top, remove them from the heat and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes... or just grab one and enjoy... ;0)

OMG!!!!

2009-11-28T16:27:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness... Chocolate. Peanut butter. Pretzels. Imagine all of these ingredients together along with lots of butter and sugar? Heaven in your mouth right? Right! I'm ready to run every single day if it means I can eat these squares whenever I want.

Recently, I've been enjoying an evening snack of pretzels dipped in peanut butter and sprinkled with mini dark chocolate chips. Which got me thinking, there must be some sort of baked good that can incorporate those flavours together? I not only found one, but hit the jackpot!

This isn't a difficult recipe, there are just 3 steps to follow - the first step being the most time-consuming - and the only part that requires use of your oven. Oh - and you do have to chill the squares for at least an hour before you can cut them - so these should be made a little ahead of time... especially since once you cut them up, you probably won't stop eating them (and then fall into a diabetic coma...)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Squares

Pretzel shortbread crust
ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c) cold butter, cut into cubes
2 c. salted pretzel crumbs, very coarse (remember to measure once you crumble the pretzels)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray a square baking pan with some non-stick spray. Set aside.

In your food processor, pulse everything together - the pretzels shouldn't get too fine - you want to be able to tell that they are in the crust - and your butter needs to be incorporated so that the mixture forms pea sized lumps.

Pour the mixture into your baking pan and press the shortbread firmly into the base (make sure it's level). Bake for 20 minutes (golden brown). Remove from your oven and place on a cooling rack. The base needs to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Filling
ingredients:
18 oz jar of creamy natural peanut butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c.) butter, melted, allow to cool just a little
1 3/4 c. salted pretzel crumbs, very fine (again, measure once you crumble the pretzels)

Start the filling by processing the salted pretzels into a very fine texture (use your food processor).

Now in the bowl of your kitchenaid mixer, combine all the ingredients using your paddle attachment. You can do this by hand too, but the mixer makes it easier considering how thick the peanut butter can get.

Place the filling on top of the pretzel crust - I dumped the peanut butter filling and then lightly moistened my hands to spread it evenly and smoothly on top of the base. Be careful, the shortbread is delicate, try not to break it while you are spreading the filling on top.

Once your two bottoms layers are in place, start on the chocolate topping.

Chocolate
ingredients:
11.5 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. heavy cream

Place your chocolate chips in a mixing bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat up the cream. Stir it so that it doesn't burn the base of the pot, and take it off the heat just before it begins to simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and whisk away... you want the chocolate to melt and the mixture to get shiny and smooth.

Top the peanut butter filling with the chocolate. Use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly over the base. Chill in your fridge for at least an hour (the chocolate needs to set before you can cut into it).

I got 20 generous squares out of this batch... very generous. And very delish. I promise, everyone who can eat peanuts will be loving them and you for making them!

don't judge a scone by its colour...

2009-11-26T16:36:00.001-05:00

I'm back to baking scones... well to be honest, I haven't stopped making them, but I did try a new recipe last night. I switched up my original lemon scone recipe and added beautiful blueberries to the batter.

Sigh. The result was well...blue. But fresh, tangy and light - a perfect way to start off your day. Oh, and these smell soooooooooooo good while they're baking. Double sigh. I can't wait to make another batch. Or 6. They are that good.

Blueberry Lemon Scones
ingreidents:
grated zest of 1 large lemon
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. (2 sticks) cold butter, grated
1 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 egg, beaten for an egg wash
large sugar, to sprinkle on top of each scone

Grate the butter and return it to your freezer to allow it to get really cold.

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

In your stand mixer bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Add the sugar and lemon zest to the bowl and mix with your paddle attachment at a low speed (STIR)until just combined.

Add the cold butter to the dry mix and combine on your low speed for a few minutes(you're looking for pea sized clumps). At this point you can toss in your blueberries and just incorporate.

Stop mixing and make a well in the centre of your batter. Add the cream and buttermilk. Mix together (low speed) very briefly; you want everything to come together and gather on your paddle attachment.

Turn the dough out a well floured surface. You'll want to use your rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle. Cut your scones into triangular shapes. I get 2 rows and 3 columns out of the batter, which I then cut into triangles.

Place your scones onto the prepared pans and then move the pans to the freezer. Allow the dough to chill for 30 minutes (this allows the butter to get really cold again in order to really puff while baking).

Remove from the freezer, add an egg wash to the scones and then sprinkle them with the large sugar. Bake in the middle rack for 30 minutes (until golden brown). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely... although the smell might dry you crazy with anticipation!

bliss in a bite

2009-11-24T16:22:00.000-05:00

If you know me, you know that I like to chat with people and talk things over, share ideas, get really enthusiastic, and completely commit to an idea... I think you've noticed that I tend to be on the obsessive side of things (scones, almond butter, lemons...and just about everything else in my life too)!

Now that I've started on this Starbucks kick, well... I've become game for trying any Starbucks baked good people seem to like. So Tonya challenged me with this one... chocolate dipped coconut macaroons. I didn't make them exactly as she remembered; since Starbucks used to make a flat cookie: with one half a beautiful white and the other half a dark chocolaty brown.

My little pyramid shaped cookies turned out pretty awesome, and Tonya said that I totally kicked their butt! Whoot Whoot!

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
ingredients:
2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 c. sweetened flaked coconut
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate squares, chopped (or whole chocolate chips)

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl (no need for any electric mixers for this recipe), stir together the condensed milk, egg white, vanilla and salt until just combined. Stir in the coconut until well blended.

Once everything is blended, grab your mini scooper and drop the dough onto your prepared cookie sheets - if you want to make more cookies, spoon out about 1 tablespoonful of dough per cookie.

Moisten your fingers as needed in order to shape your macaroons into little pyramids.

Bake one cookie sheet at a time (place the other cookie sheet into the fridge to remain cool) for about 15 to 20 minutes (the tops will be golden brown).

Allow the cookies to set on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes, then cool the macaroons completely on a wire rack (at least 30 minutes).

Once your Macaroons have cooled grab your chocolate and melt it (either in a double boiler or over low heat in a saucepan). This should take a few minutes, whisking every once and a while to ensure that the bottom doesn't burn and that the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Hold a macaroon by its pointed top and dip the bottom into the chocolate - allow excess chocolate to drip back into the pot. Place the macaroon back onto your cookie sheet (lined with the parchment paper). Repeat with the remaining macaroons.

Refrigerate the macaroons until the chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.

You should get about 22 little pyramids in total... each one absolutely delicious. I promise.

bang on fantastic bars!

2009-11-23T14:57:00.000-05:00

I'm about to share THE recipe with you... and I promise it's the kind of recipe that will have you planning to bake your next batch as you finish eating the squares in front of you!

Chocolate and toffee. Together in one bar. Seriously! There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. These are the types of bars that are not just fantastic - they are gobsmacking, tummy pleasing, lip licking wonderful bars. And if you don't believe me... give them a try. I swear you'll be itching to make another batch. They're that good. (as a side note... I made two batches of these babies...in a 5 hour time frame)

Black and White Toffee Bars
ingredients:
1 c. + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla salt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 c. dark chocolate chips
1 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. toffee candy pieces (quite small)

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Grease your 9-inch square pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

You'll need to combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer and with your paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using an electric mixer), beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together - about 3 minutes at a level 4/ medium speed. You want the result to be creamy and fluffy. Once you get to that stage you'll beat in the egg.

You'll then gradually beat in the flour - lower your speed for this part to the Stir level - you want everything to just combine.

Now, you'll dump in the remaining ingredients: chocolate and white chocolate chips and toffee pieces. Grab your handy wooden spoon and stir - everything will be thick. Don't worry, this isn't a loose batter, it should feel like molasses...

Once you have distributed all the bits of goodness, spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes. These should be golden on top, it's hard to do the clean stick test... since the entire thing is made up of melted chocolate ;0) (your stick should not come out clean)

Allow the bars to cool in the pan on a wire rack. Before cutting into your desired bar shape, refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes, this will allow the chocolate to set, making it easier to cut.

I ended up with 24 bars per batch - 12 squares that I then cut into triangles.

These babies were inspired by Starbucks, but conquered by me :0)

Starbucks part deux

2009-11-19T08:26:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in my last blog, my Starbucks themed week included their Banana Walnut Bread... only, I didn't make a bread. I decided that these would be much better as mini bundt cakes; and added handfuls of chocolate chips to the mix (you can never go wrong with chocolate) ;0)

Feel free to make these in a loaf pan or in a large bundt pan if you don't have the mini ones. Just increase the baking time if you do use the larger pans.

Banana-walnut chocolate chip mini bundt cakes
ingredients:
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp vanilla salt
1 egg
1/2 c. + 2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Spray your mini- bundt pans (8) with non-stick spray (or grease with butter).

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt together into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In your larger bowl, mix together the egg, sugars and vegetable oil until combined (I used my electric mixer at this point). Add the flour mixture - again, using your electric mixer, adding the buttermilk, vanilla and mashed bananas until everything is incorporated.

Grab a wooden spoon and fold in the 1/2 c. chopped walnuts and chocolate chips (I added in an extra handful of chips too). I used my mini ice-cream scooper to scoop the batter into the mini bundt pans (4 scoops per pan). Top the batters with the 1/3 c. chopped walnuts.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (45 to 50 minutes if using a loaf or large pan) - you'll want the skewer to come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the pans.

Aren't they so adorable? So easy to make. And again, I kicked Starbucks butt! :0)

I decided to bring Starbucks home with me...

2009-11-18T08:34:00.001-05:00

I have to admit... when it comes to lattes, I'm a sucker for Starbucks. Every time I stand in line waiting for my grande soy latte I look at the baked goods on display and think... "I can totally do better than that!"... and so began last week's baking challenge. I decided to bake up a batch (or three) of Starbucks' classic Cranberry Bliss Bars and their Banana Walnut Bread.

I think in the end I did really well... the bars ended up with a bit of a thicker brownie crust than I would have liked - but I now know what I'll do next time... and believe me, there will be a next time. I can understand why these are such a hit in the coffee shops around the holidays - they look so festive when assembled - and taste as good as they look!

You have to be a little proactive with this recipe... the frosting calls for softened cream cheese - so be sure to take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature (ditto for some of the butter). And... you have to be patient... things need to cool before you can continue to assemble, but it really is worth the time and effort. I promise... after all, if I can be patient enough to do this, you can too!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

The Base
ingredients:
1 c. butter, melted
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp orange extract
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 c. dried cranberries
3/4 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Prepare a 9x13 rectangular pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Allow the melted butter to cool slightly. In a large glass bowl and with your electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and sugars for 3 - 5 minutes until light. Gently blend in the eggs (1 at a time) and orange extract with the mixer at low speed. Add the flour, baking powder and ginger, just incorporating. Add the cranberries and chips - folding in with a wooden spoon.

Spread the batter into the pan (it'll be thick, that's ok). Bake until the skewer test comes out clean - my oven took about 45 minutes - but I started checking @ 29 minutes... since I didn't want to over bake and dry out the brownies.

Allow the brownies to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

While they are cooling start on your frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
ingredients:
3.3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp orange extract
3 tbsp half & half (or milk - whatever you have on hand)

Add your paddle attachment to your kitchenaid and blend the cream cheese and the butter until fluffy (about 3 minutes @ speed 4).

Add the orange extract and the powdered sugar and beat until you get that fluffy and spreadable frosting - adding the half & half a tbsp at a time; use your judgement in adding the liquid... it'll give you that looseness you need to create a spreadable frosting.

Spread the frosting over the cooled brownie bass.

Now for the fun... garnish these babies :0)

The Festive Garnish
ingredients:
1/2 c. dried cranberries, roughly chopped
zest of 1 orange
1/3 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vegetable oil

Zest your orange and roughly chop your cranberries. Sprinkle them both over the frosted base.

Mix the white chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a glass bowl over a simmering pot of water. Allow the chocolate to melt - stir as needed.

Using either a whisk or a fork, drizzle the melted chocolate over the bars. Allow the white chocolate to set for one hour before you cut them. I wanted the "traditional Starbucks triangles", so I cut the base in 3 columns and then 4 rows and then cut each of those squares in half diagonally to create the triangles.

Simply beautiful and really impressive.

Next time: I'll be using a 10x15 rectangular pan for a thinner brownie base... and I'm also going to exchange the orange extract for vanilla and swap out the orange rind for crystallized ginger... just to twist it up a little more.

Here's to the beginning of the holiday season... cheers!

the birthday weekend...

2009-11-17T09:28:00.000-05:00

I'd been looking forward to last weekend for quite some time... you see, Gigi and René bought their first house and Saturday evening was not only their house warming par-tay, but it was also René's birthday.

I wanted to bring them some lovin' from the oven - and it had to be something that I knew would bring huge smiles to their faces. That meant that it could only be one thing...lemon meringue pie.

This time round I made mini lemon meringue tarts for them. Although it's not a new recipe (I've already posted it), I thought you'd enjoy at least looking at some pictures - some blind baking of the crusts, filling them with lemon curd and then baking the meringue... oh, and obviously of course pictures of the new home-owners (and birthday boy).

Bonne fête René! And congratulations guys... I heart your home (and the two of you).

have i mentioned i'm lovin' scones?

2009-11-10T11:13:00.009-05:00

I wish I could update this blog with a recipe that has nothing to do with scones... and yet, I can't. You see - the obsession hasn't diminished. If anything, it's gotten worse.

I'm also still obsessed with lemons. So why not make a combo - a light, fluffy, wonderfully tart batch of lemon scones. Easy to make, so few ingredients and so wonderful to eat; the tartness of the lemon with the sweetness of some sugar sprinkled on top of the batter - an absolute winner in my books.

Lemon scones
adapted from: the cheese board collective works
ingredients:
grated zest of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 c. + 1/4 c. white sugar
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into cubes
3/4 c. half & half
3/4 c. buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Zest the lemon over the 3/4 c. of sugar and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into your stand-mixer bowl. Add the sugar/lemon mixture to the bowl and mix with your paddle attachment at a low speed (STIR)until just combined. Add the butter and cut it into the flour on low speed for about 4 minutes (you're looking for pea sized clumps).

Stop mixing and make a well in the centre of your mixture. Add the cream, buttermilk and lemon juice. Mix together (low speed) very briefly; you want everything to come together and gather a little on your paddle attachment.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. You'll want to use your rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle. Cut your scones into triangular shapes. Place your scones onto the prepared pans and then move the pans to the freezer. Allow the dough to chill for 30 minutes (allowing the butter to get really cold in order to really puff while baking).
Remove from the freezer and sprinkle the scones with the remaining 1/4 c. of sugar. Bake in the middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes (golden brown). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely - or grab one and eat it (that's exactly what I did... and boy, was it good).

You should make these just so that you're kitchen is filled with the smell of lemons and warm dough... and then you can fill your tummy with them as well!

the sweet smell of vanilla

2009-11-05T15:03:00.010-05:00

Guess what?! I have orders!!!! In the last week I've baked dozens of scones; jalapeño-extra old cheddar, double cheddar-parmesan, cranberry-corn, lemon, white chocolate and raspberry, and finally vanilla bean.

As one request would come in (thank you Zarah for getting the ball rolling) other flavour inspirations would come up... until finally I was baking late into the night (and very early morning).

As part of my brainstorming for flavour ideas, I mentioned vanilla bean scones to Tonya and her face positively lit up; she placed her order immediately. I googled several recipes in an attempt to find the perfect one... with that much excitement I didn't want to disappoint my friend.

From these recipes, I ended up tweaking a couple and merging them together. I was so excited to try this recipe: I couldn't wait to cut into that vanilla pod and scrape out all those seeds. Add to that some pure vanilla extract and I ended up with a sweet smelling treat in my kitchen.

I've learnt the real secret to baking scones. Place the shaped, uncooked batter in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking them. This allows the butter to get really cold and then the scone puffs up as it bakes. It made all the difference, taking my scones to a whole new level.

Vanilla Bean Scones
ingredients:
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. white sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 vanilla pod, cut length-wise and seeds scraped out
1/2 c. (1 stick) COLD butter, cut into small cubes
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 egg with 1 tsp water, beaten
extra sugar, to sprinkle on top of unbaked scones

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer combine the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and vanilla seeds together. Mix to combine with your paddle attachment.

Add the cold butter and start working the butter into the flour at the STIR speed on your mixer (low speed). You just want it to incorporate - so this should take about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the 2 eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Whisk everything up (so that the eggs are beaten).

Stop the mixer and make a well in the middle of the batter. Pour the wet mixture into the hole and combine (low speed) until everything just comes together... there will be a bit of flour on the bottom of the bowl, that's ok.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Carefully knead it until it comes together (see photo above of the dough before I cut and shaped it). You want to roll out the dough into a large square (don't roll it too thin). From there you can cut out triangles. I was able to get 12 scones out of my batter - but next time I make them I'm going to make mini-ones. So I imagine I would be able to get at least 24 - if not more...I'll let you know how those turn out.

Place on your cookie sheets and set in your freezer for 30 minutes. Trust me - this makes a difference (see how flat my pre-baked scones are compared to the final product in the pictures above).

Remove from the freezer, brush with the egg wash and then sprinkle some sugar on top of these babies.

Bake for 20 minutes - increasing the time if you need to (mine took 20 minutes, but my oven is totally unpredictable).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. These will store in an airtight container well... but they are too good to keep too long!

This recipe was a winner... and if anyone says "plain vanilla" you can offer them one of these... there is nothing plain about these babies!

just some pictures...

2009-11-05T12:18:00.004-05:00

Oh Cannon G10, how I love thee (insert sigh). I love that you can make even my pictures look good. I love that you were made to take pictures of the baked goods I so enjoy making. And I love that I got you on sale.

Here are some pictures from the latest batch of jalapeño-extra old cheddar scones I made (3 dozen in the last week... all sold too!).

Perhaps these pictures will make you want to get out your ingredients and start baking. If not, give me a call. I deliver :0)

bread that really schmecks!

2009-11-02T08:48:00.002-05:00

Deb lent me Food that Really Schmecks by Edna Staebler last February. She promised that not only did it have the best bread recipe (in her own words "no fail each and every time") but it would read like a novel; or I'd feel like I was chatting with Edna while enjoying one of the delightful goodies she writes about.

Deb isn't a liar. She was right; the bread recipe hasn't failed me. The book reads like I'm visiting my grandmother and we're sharing a pot of tea and devouring cookies, pies, cakes or warm loaves of bread (or all of the above).

Why schmecks? Well, Edna compiled recipes from the Kitchener/Waterloo (Ontario) Mennonite community. Everything that's in it is tried, tested and no fail; after all, (as I learnt reading this) Mennonites love their food and don't have time to waste. I have re-read it several times; bookmarking pages along the way.

I like to think that this blog is really an Edna entry - since it's thanks to her book that I am able to pass it along :0) (thank you Deb for introducing me to her and her recipes)

This batch makes 3 loaves: I turned one into a raisin bread with a cinnamon, allspice, and brown sugar topping. The second one into a plain white loaf (my father and step-mother have been enjoying that one with me) and the last one into a cornmeal crusted loaf.

I hope you enjoy eating this as much as I enjoyed baking it and eating it... after all, it's bread that really schmecks!

Neil's Harbour White Bread
ingredients:
1 c. lukewarm water
1 tsp white sugar
2 tbsp yeast granules (or 2 packets)
2 c. lukewarm water
1/2 c. white sugar (I used brown sugar instead)
1 heaping tbsp salt
1/2 c. vegetable oil (I only used 7 tbsp)
about 9 c. of all-purpose flour (I only needed 8 1/2 c.)

Warm up your stand-mixer bowl (warm water in it, then dump out the warm water) and pour the 1 c. lukewarm water, the tsp of sugar and sprinkle the yeast in order for it to dissolve.

Let stand for 10 minutes. I cleaned out my fridge while I waited :0)

Once your yeast has risen to the surface of the water, stir it all until it's well blended (and ensuring that the yeast is all dissolved).

Into the mixture you will stir in:(use your dough hook attachment and the STIR speed) the remaining water, the brown sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups of flour.

Increase the speed to level 2 and add more flour, by the 1/2 cup. The dough will start to gather on the hook and you'll know it's ready when it gets that elastic texture - super glossy as well (the flour will pull away from the sides and all gather together).

I got to about 8 1/2 cups of flour and got the texture that I needed. Turn the dough over onto a floured surface and knead it with your hands for a minute. Put about 1 tbsp of vegetable oil into a glass bowl, greasing the bottom and sides and then placing the ball of dough into the bowl. Make sure that you coat the dough with the oil (move it around). Cover with a damp dish towel and set in a draft-free place for at least an hour (I always put mine in the oven) so that it can double in size.

Once it's doubled in size, punch out the air, take it out of the bowl and divide it into 3 equal sizes. This is when I added about a cup of raisins to my raisin loaf - kneading the raisins into the dough before shaping it.

Shape your bread into your shape of choice - loaf or round, or like me - keep them pretty rustic looking.

Place on a cookie sheet (2 loaves on 1 pan and 1 on the other) and cover with a damp cloth again. Allow to rest another 40 minutes in a warm spot - or cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest overnight in the fridge.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400 F. Take out the dough, remove the dish towels and make an egg wash; beaten egg with a bit of water. I made my brown sugar mix - 2 tbsp of brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1.5 tsp allspice mixed together.

Brush the egg wash on all 3 loaves. Cover the raisin loaf with the sugar/spice mixture. I covered another loaf with finely ground yellow cornmeal and left the 3rd loaf plain.

With a sharp knife, cut some "steam vents" into the tops of the bread.

Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes. You'll know that they are ready when the tops are golden brown and if the bread sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom.

Allow to cool. Or be like me, and cut right into it. I heart this bread. I heart food that really schmecks.

don't call me cheesey...but you sure can call my scones that!

2009-11-01T08:28:00.006-05:00

I have become obsessed (yet again, and with yet another thing). This time, the object of my obsession is scones. Last week alone I made 4 dozen scones - and sold almost all of them! It all started with a simple request from Zarah. She wanted to know if I could make her some jalapeño-cheddar scones... I had never made them, but figured I could try. As you can tell from the picture, the end result was pretty awesome... they smelt great and tasted even better. I think I've found my calling - I'm going to become a scone queen :0)

I used my stand-mixer since I have one, but obviously scones can be made even if you don't have one. The secret to them is not to over work the batter (just like your pastry dough) and to use COLD butter. And cream. If you want a flakey, moist and delicious scone - pull out the heavy cream and just enjoy!

Oh, and be careful when handling those jalapeño - don't de-seed them, so don't touch anything you don't want burning ;0)

jalapeño-extra old cheddar scones
ingredients:
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp finely ground yellow cornmeal
3 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) COLD butter, cut into cubes
1/2 lb (300 g) of COLD extra-old cheddar (I prefer using white), cut into cubes
1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg beaten (with 1 tsp of water)
extra cornmeal

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Dust your cookie sheets with some of the cornmeal (spread it all around) and set aside.

In a small pan over medium-high heat, melt the 1 tbsp of room temperature butter and sauté the chopped jalapeño peppers. You want them to soften, so cook them for about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer, sift the flour, b. soda and powder, salt and cornmeal together. Use your paddle attachment to stir the ingredients together (level STIR on your machine). Once combined, slowly cut in the cubes of butter (low speed); until they resemble the size of small peas, about 4 minutes. With the mixer still running add the cheddar cheese and the jalapeño peppers and mix them in.

Make a well in the centre of the dry batter and add the cream and buttermilk. Slowly mix until everything just comes together (I would say less than a minute at the STIR speed). You want everything to have pretty much gathered on the paddle but still have a bit of flour sitting at the bottom of the bowl. Your cheese will still be in chunks and your batter will be pretty wet.

Turn your dough out onto a floured counter top. Gently work the dough - I personally worked it into a log and cut out my scones from that shape. Place the scones onto the cookie sheets (on top of the cornmeal)- about 2 inches apart (allow room for them to spread) and lightly brush both the top and bottom with the egg wash.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to your wire racks to cool. Store in a well-sealed Tupperware in order to keep them as fresh as possible - if they even last that long. I promise you, just the smell of these scones will have you counting down to when you can devour them!

You should get at least a dozen scones... perhaps even 13.

*If you only need half the recipe; just freeze half the batter - follow all the steps until you get to the point were you will brush them with egg wash. Place them (already cut) on a clean cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer and allow the batter to completely freeze. Then remove from the freezer, put all the frozen scones into either a Ziploc bag or a Tupperware and return to the freezer. Bake as desired (thaw the batter and then put cornmeal on the cookie sheet and brush the scones with egg wash).

Enjoy!

another daring challenege... mais en français!

2009-10-27T13:05:00.012-04:00

I have something to confess... whenever I used to hear the word macaroons I always thought of those stiff meringue nests that people seem to really enjoy eating (I'm not one of those people). So when I saw that I was being asked to bake several dozen macaroons for the October DB Challenge my heart sorta sank... and then I realized how erroneous I had been.

These cookies aren't hard and ridiculously sweet... they resemble more of a cookie sandwich - two light cookies bound together with a buttery filling. The best part of this challenge was that we were all encouraged to use whatever flavour profile we wanted.

I was divided... lemon cookies with a lemon cream cheese filling OR chocolate with a peanut butter filling. Oh what to do! Such a dilemma...

Since I had baked my 3 layered lemon cake over the weekend I decided to opt for the peanut butter. I don't regret that choice at all. I ended up with some beautiful cookies and the creamest, buttery filling. Delish!

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macaroons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Chocolate Macaroons
ingredients:
2 1/4 c. icing sugar
2 c. almond flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp white sugar
5 egg whites, they must be at room temperature

Preheat your oven to 200 F. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you don't have any, do not grease your pan... the cookies need to be quite dry.

In a large bowl, combine the icing sugar, cocoa powder and the almond flour. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer start whisking the egg whites (with the whisk attachment). Start at a lower speed, increasing until about speed 8. At that point your egg whites should have formed soft peaks. Add the 2 tbsp of sugar and increase the speed to level 10. Continue whisking until you get to the stiff peak stage.

Take the mixer bowl off the stand-mixer and gently fold in 1/3 of the almond-icing sugar combo. Sift in the remaining almond flour in 2 batches. Be gentle and don't overfold - just fully incorporate the ingrendients.

Place the batter into an icing bag (or ziplock bag). Use either a large tip or cut off the corner of the bag in order to pipe the batter onto the cookie sheet. You want to pipe them into one-inch mounds so that they form little circles.

Bake the macaroons for 5 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and raise the temperature to 375 F.

Once the oven has reached that temperature, return the pans to the oven and continue to bake for another 7 minutes. Cool the cookies on a wire rack before filling them with the icing.

*I was able to get about 3 dozen cookies out of this batch - but I also didn't have a proper piping bag (or ziplock bag) - so I ended up with some bigger macaroons that I would have otherwise.

A Sweet & Salty Peanut Butter Filling
ingredients:
125 g natural peanut butter
70 g icing sugar
25 g softened butter
25 g milk
5 g vanilla extract
3 g fine sea salt

In your mixing bowl (use a paddle attachment for the kitchenaid) cream together the butter and peanut putter at a medium speed. Add the icing sugar and salt and incorporate into the batter. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla; finishing with the milk being incorporated, about a tbsp at a time.

Pipe the peanut butter onto the base of one of the macaroons and top with another. Store in an airtight container... if they even last that long!