Godiva ain’t got nothing over my truffles

 

The simplest things can often be the best.
And I’m glad my husband reminded me of this concept as it came time to select a dessert recipe for Easter dinner this weekend.

To be honest, I have a knack for overcomplicating things for myself in the kitchen. This tendency comes from a lethal combination of enthusiasm, the desire to please and a bit of culinary naiveté.

Case in point: On New Year’s Eve, we hosted our first big dinner party. The most I’ve ever cooked for previously was a grand total of four. Was my first instinct to select a basic menu that I had made before? Nope. Instead, I triumphantly decided to try my hand at a prime rib for all of our 14 guests.

Thankfully, my hubby reigned me in on that idea. Instead, we opted for something a little more manageable: his famous sausage and veggie pasta, and my breaded eggplant. Everyone seemed satisfied. And as an added bonus, I avoided the massacre of an expensive slab of meat.

With this in mind, I picked one of my tried, tested and true recipes for Easter: Super Simple Oreo Cheesecake Truffles. Don’t let the word “truffle” deceive you. These rich, chocolately morsels could not be easier with only THREE ingredients.

Oreo cookies. Cream cheese. Melted chocolate wafer. That’s it. Oh, and did I mention it’s no bake?

The raw ingredients

All you have to do is toss a box of Oreos into the food processor, and combine the crumbs with a block of cream cheese. Roll into bit-sized balls. Refrigerate, then dip into melted chocolate.

The truffles end up looking like something you could have picked up at Godiva. And they are absolutely delicious! Who doesn’t like Oreo cheesecake?

I think my new kitchen mantra will be: keep it simple. I’ll let you know how that goes. More blog posts to come!

Super Simple Oreo Cheesecake Truffles

(I saw this recipe a couple of years ago on the Chocolate Fool blog, but it originated from the great Bakerella)

Ingredients:
• 1 package Oreo cookies
• 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
• About 5 cups of white or dark chocolate melting wafers

Directions:
1. Break Oreo cookies in half and put them into your food processor. Pulse on high until they are ground into fine crumbs.
2. Place softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl. I cut the cream cheese brick into small chunks. Using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed, add in the Oreo crumbs until combined. Mixture doesn’t have to be smooth. Tiny flecks of cookie give the truffles texture.
3. Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. Start melting the chocolate over a double boiler. (I boil water in a sauce pan. Once boiling, I place a metal mixing bowl on top with about two cups of wafers. Turn heat down and stir until chocolate is completely smooth)
5. Dip each ball in chocolate, tap off the excess and place onto parchment paper to cool. I’ve tried a variety of different utensils for dipping. I like chopsticks the best. A plastic fork with the middle tines cut out also works. You have to work quickly because the chocolate hardens, and the cheesecake balls get mushy. Work with smaller batches of melted chocolate, it’s easier.
6. Drizzle some contrasting chocolate on top of truffles, if desired.
7. Refrigerate overnight. Enjoy!

 

Into the food processor

Pre-chocolate dipped truffles. They look so naked…

Now that’s better!

Place them on to the baking sheet, then straight to the fridge!

Voila! A truffle is born!

Yum!

Dolce Amore, how sweet it is

 

A pretty delicious way to start off the New Year!

Dolce Amore. In Italian, this literally means: sweet love. It also happens to be the name of my favourite dessert. And if you’ve ever tasted it, you’ll understand how perfectly titled it is. 

The coffee flavoured confection is very similar to Tiramisu, except for one key difference. Tiramisu is made with mascarpone, a sweet cream cheese. Dolce Amore, however, calls for a whipped cream made with egg yolks, vanilla and sugar. This gives it a lighter density and texture. 

A little Kahlua is the the perfect mate to the espresso

Other than that, both desserts are made with the same basic ingredients: espresso, Savoiardi cookies, vanilla, and liqueur, such as Kahlua. Depending on personal preference, Tiramisu and Dolce Amore can either have the consistency of a cake or a trifle. This is determined by how long you soak the Savoiardi cookies, an Italian version of ladyfingers, in espresso and liqueur. We like our Dolce Amore moist and well-soaked.    

My mother makes the best Dolce Amore that I’ve ever tasted. In recent years, she’s introduced this dessert into our Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve menus. So this year, I played the role of dutiful assistant, sneaking a few photos along the way.   

We make our espresso the old fashioned way, using a little stove top machine. Meanwhile, our fancy Gaggia espresso maker sadly collects dust in the corner.

The basic recipe, made in a 7 to 9 inch spring form pan, serves about 10 people. The recipe can easily be doubled, if you’re using a larger glass or ceramic baking dish. For Christmas, we used a glass baking dish, which served about 15 to 20 people.   

My mother wanted me to convey a piece of advice to all Dolce Amore bakers. Although the presentation is more aesthetically pleasing when you line either the spring form pan or baking dish with unsoaked Savoiardi cookies, this does not enhance the tastiness of the dessert. The dry cookies look good, but are bland. We usually end up casting them aside on our plates, and eating the tasty innards of the cake instead. As you’ll see from the pictures, our New Year’s Eve Dolce Amore was cookie lined, while our Christmas version was not. When serving from a ceramic or glass dish, it’s easiest to cut the cake in square-shaped slices.   

Savoiardi: the Italian ladyfinger

Another helpful hint from my mom, use the amount of espresso in the basic recipe as a starting point. If you find the cookies are too dry, add more espresso. Conversely, add less if you want a firmer, drier cake.   

Mom’s Dolce Amore (Make in 7 to 9 inch spring form pan. Serves about 10 people)   

• Six espresso-sized cups of espresso (Literally use espresso cups to measure). Allow espresso to cool.
• About 31 Savoiardi Cookies. (Available at Italian bakeries and most grocery stores) If you choose to line the perimeter with dry cookies, you’ll need about 22 more.
• One pint whipping cream
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 5 egg yolks
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons of coffee-flavoured liqueur, such as Kahlua. (This is optional. Add more or less to taste)
• Coco powder, for garnish

Directions

1. Make espresso, and allow it to cool completely.
2. Whip sugar, vanilla and egg yolks in an electric mixer until creamy.
3. In a shallow bowl, combine cooled espresso and liqueur.
4. Optional step: Line the perimeter of your spring form pan with dry Savoiardi cookies, standing vertically. This will form a visually pleasing supporting wall for the cake.
5. To make the first layer of the cake: dip each Savoiardi cookie in the espresso mixture, and then line the bottom of the spring form pan with the wet cookies. Once the bottom is covered, spread half of the whipped cream mixture over top of the wet cookies.
6. To make the second layer of the cake: dip each remaining cookie the espresso mixture, placing them over top of the whipped cream mixture. Spread the rest of the whipped cream mixture over top of the wet cookies. Use a spatula to smooth the top layer of the whipped cream mixture. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Dust with coco powder before serving.

First you dip....

 

...then you line...

 

...then enjoy!

My meringues, Nonna’s magic

 

On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus holds nothing over my Nonna. While he is wiggling his way down chimneys across the globe, she is making a little magic of her own – in the kitchen.

Crispy golden fritters, stuffed with sharp cheese and anchovies, lay waiting for us on the countertop. A true holiday comfort food, the warmth and simple flavours of this dish envelope your mouth and rekindle memories of Christmases past.

Next comes the baccala, or cod, which is cooked with a traditional medley of figs, raisins, walnuts and potatoes. The sweetness of the fruit is a perfect pairing to the saltiness of the cod. The walnuts bring the dish a rich flavour and unexpected texture.

And the pièce de résistance is my Nonna’s pasta di mare, a delicacy which only comes once a year. Her classic tomato sauce is enriched by the flavours of fresh shrimp, scallops, squid and crab. As she plates the dish, my Nonna generously ladles out the sugu, or sauce, until the spaghetti is fully bathed in red.

As is the case with most of my Nonna’s cooking, there are no written recipes for these Christmas dishes. She calculates according to taste and touch. This makes it incredibly challenging for us to try and nail down a recipe on paper. My mother was on a mission this year, and is fairly confident she captured all the essential ingredients. But I know, there will always be that extra something that only my Nonna can bring to the dish.

Light and delicious: coconut meringues!

While dinner on Christmas Eve and Day are my Nonna and mother’s domain (my mom does a juicy bacon draped turkey), I am on dessert duty. And this year, I decided to try coconut meringues. This came about for two main reasons: we had leftover egg whites, and the recipe was ultra simple. Added bonus: this is one cookie that doesn’t pack a high-calorie punch.

For the recipe, I turned to our trusty 1973 edition of The Joy of Cooking. There’s an innate credibility that seems to emanate from the yellowing, sauce-stained pages of TJC.   

A cookbook classic

The recipe couldn’t be easier. Five ingredients: sugar, egg whites, salt, vanilla and shredded coconut. I am happy to report that I successfully beat the egg whites into stiff glossy peaks. However, I decided not to sift the granulated sugar, as called for by the recipe. I didn’t think it would make a difference, and opted not to dirty another utensil.  Once the stiff peaks were achieved, I folded in vanilla and the shredded coconut.  That’s it.

The cookies tasted like macaroons, except they were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Next time, I might reduce the amount of sugar to ¾ of a cup, to make the cookies slightly less sweet. In one of the batches I added a teaspoon of coco powder, which gave a nice hint of chocolate flavour.

The ever elusive (at least for me) stiff, glossy peaks!

The only aspect of this recipe that I wasn’t thrilled with was the presentation. The meringues I made ended up flattening out like regular cookies. Perhaps I should have formed a Hersey Kiss shape by using an icing piper. I’ll give it a try next time.

 

 Also, be sure you let the meringues cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet. Otherwise, half the cookie gets stuck to the parchment paper, giving the meringue a slightly disembowelled look. Otherwise, this recipe is definitely a keeper. And I would go so far as to call it my most successful cookie to date!

  

 

 

Coconut Meringue Cookies (from The Joy of Cooking)

- 1 cup granulated sugar

- 3 egg whites

- 1/8 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 1 ¼ cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened)

- 1 teaspoon coco powder (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. With an electric mixer on high, beat egg whites and salt until stiff, glossy peaks form.
3. Add the sugar very slowly, beating constantly on high. If desired, add coco powder.
4. By hand, fold in vanilla and shredded coconut.
5. Drop the batter from a teaspoon onto a greased and well-floured tin. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Cookies should be firm to the touch, and slightly golden (not brown) in colour.

 

 

Crisp outside, chewy inside, with a hint of coco!

 

Look out June Cleaver

Every Halloween, I feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle. All I want is a clever couples costume. All my boyfriend wants is not to look stupid. Apparently, we can’t have it both ways. I thought I came up with some pretty good costume ideas this year, all of which required little effort. Among the top contenders were America’s most dysfunctional couple, Jon and Kate; and hosts of MTV’s The Aftershow, Jesse and Dan. Both my ideas were rejected, especially the latter. We settled on another dynamic duo: Canada’s own UFC champion Georges St. Pierre, and an octagon referee. I was going to go as GSP.

Unluckily (or luckily) for my boyfriend, he was sidelined with a cold, so I had to fly solo to my friend’s Halloween party. I ended up recycling my sister’s costume from last year, and went as Suzy Homemaker.

Since I was dressing up the pinnacle of Domestic Bliss, I felt the pressure was on to produce a particularly delicious – and spooky – Halloween dessert. After sifting through dozens of recipes, I decided to try my luck with Martha’s Coffin Brownies. However, I decided to ditch the coffin theme. It involved working with marzipan and measuring stencils, and I really wasn’t feeling it. Instead, I used marshmallows, chocolate chips and red icing to make Bloodshot Eyeball Brownies.

Eye spy a tasty, but tedious, treat!

I’ve tried making brownies once before, and it didn’t go too well. I’m not sure what happened, but I ended up with a tray of burnt pudding. This time, however, I fared much better! Martha’s brownies were pretty quick and easy. The recipe called for chopped chocolate covered almonds, which added a really rich, crunchy texture to the brownies.

The eyeballs were really cute, but incredibly tedious. The red veins had to be painted on the marshmallows by hand, using a tooth pick. Luckily, I enlisted the help of my artistically inclined sister. With her steady hand and keen eye for detail, she saved the day!

I also wanted to bake something to carry as an edible prop when I wore my costume to work on Friday. A colleague of my parents’ gave me her recipe for zucchini loaf, which was absolutely delicious. Over the past few days, I think I’ve made at least six loafs! The recipe is simple, healthy and really tasty. It calls for whole wheat flour, and plain yogurt to reduce the amount of oil. The cake is moist, and rich in cinnamon and clove flavour. I added chocolate chips, which was a hit – at least with everyone except my mom, who’s more of a zucchini purist.

Here's looking at you!

These are two must-try recipes, especially if you’re dressed-up like a brunette June Cleaver!

Bloodshot Eyeball Brownies

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for marbling
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 8 ounces dark-chocolate-covered almonds, chopped
• Bag of large marshmallows, for garnish
• ½ cup of chocolate chips, for garnish
• Red icing, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan, and line it with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Butter and flour parchment, tapping out excess.
2. Combine flour and salt in a small bowl. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sift cocoa powder on top of butter, and whisk to combine. Let cool 3 minutes. Gently whisk in vanilla and eggs, then stir in sugars and flour mixture until just combined. Fold in almonds, then spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
3. Bake until the top is firm and set, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove brownies from pan using parchment overhang, and let cool on wire rack. Once cooled, cut brownies into squares.
4. Cut marshmallows in half, to form two circular “eyes.” In the center of each marshmallow, insert a chocolate chip, pointy-side down. Use a tooth pick to draw veins in red icing along the side of each marshmallow. Once completed, place one eyeball on top each brownie square.

It's scary how well the zucchini and chocolate chips go together!

Best-Ever Chocolate Zucchini Loaf

*Makes 2 loaves

• 3 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 2/3 cups of granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ cup chocolate chips (if desired)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare loaf pans with butter and flour.
2. Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs. Add in remaining ingredients.
3. Pour into pans. Bake loaves for 45-55 minutes until done (insert knife into loaf, and if it comes out clean, loaf should be ready).

Apple of my pie

Jack-o-lantern in-waiting

Maybe it was the perfect backlight created by the afternoon sun. Or maybe it was the fact that I actually got to leave work on time. Whatever the reason, the trees in my neighbourhood last Monday seemed aflame with the most vivid autumn colours I’ve seen all season. My drive home from work was splashed with crimson reds, burnt oranges and citrusy yellows. This was a welcome surprise, considering that the fall palate is usually muted by late in October. Now, one week later, most of the trees have shed their fall coats. I think the fleeting beauty is one of the things I like best about the fall.

Over the past couple of weekends, I’ve had the opportunity to indulge in one of my favourite fall activities: visiting local family-run farms. Now, some people may have grown out of hayrides and pumpkin patches. But I do not happen to be one of those people. I can’t think of a better way to spend a crisp autumn day than bopping on a bail of hay behind a John Deere, and perusing quaint stands of farm fresh vegetables and baked goods.

This year, my boyfriend and I visited Round the Bend Farm in Kettleby, Ontario. I give this fine family establishment two very enthusiastic thumbs-up. Robust selection of pumpkins. Fresh and cheap produce, including broccoli, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. Tempting pies, loaf cakes and cupcakes for the kids. And most importantly, the best turkey sausages I’ve ever had the pleasure of devouring. These sausages are made from turkeys raised on the farm. Food that’s local and mouth-watering – what more can a girl want?

 

Me among the apples at Country Apple Orchard Farm

We also made a stop at Country Apple Orchard Farm, so I could pick up some Cortland and Northern Spy apples for a pie. Even though we were late in the season, there was no shortage of apples. After filling three bags, and picking up a freshly baked pumpkin pie, we headed home.

On the hunt for Cortlands

I opted for a classic apple pie recipe from Martha. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I did not make the crust from scratch. I figured that Pillsbury would do, since I picked, peeled, cored and spiced the apples myself. The recipe is pretty easy, at least once you’ve finished peeling what seemed like a million apples. I wanted to make four pies, but had to stop at two, only because I couldn’t bear to peel another pesky apple.

Freshly spiced, and flecked with butter bits!

I was pretty pleased with the finished pie. I’m a fan of tart apple pies, which is exactly what this recipe yields. If you want something sweeter, just reduce the amount of lemon, and increase the amount of sugar. But Martha’s proportions were just right for me!

Just out of the oven

Classic Apple Pie

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• Premade pie crust, such as Pillsbury
• 12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, beaten

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Follow pre-made crust instructions. Place in pie pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pastry circle. Cut several steam vents across top. Seal by crimping edges as desired. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.
3. Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Add ice cream and serve!

Holy Grail? No thanks. I’ll have pie

Ontario's natural autumn beauty

Throughout history, man has embarked upon great quests for discovery. Siddhartha Gautama searched for enlightenment. Crusaders were on a mission to capture the Holy Grail. Christopher Columbus journeyed to find a new world. Following in the footsteps of our predecessors, my mother and I have also pursued a noble search – for the perfect pumpkin pie.

Fall palate at Algonquin Provincial Park

We have searched far and wide, skowered bakeries, farmers markets and grocery stores. What we seek is the gold-standard of fall’s finest pie. That is the perfect blend of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves; a pumpkin filling that is moist, but not custardy; and a crust that is buttery flakiness personified.

My photography major sister is on a quest of her own - for the perfect fall photo!

We’ve tried pricey gourmet pies, which have almost always been a disappointment. We’ve also cracked open boxed pies from every major supermarket chain. And interesting to note, the closest we’ve come to pumpkin perfection was the Dominion house-brand pie. Sadly, when Metro took over the chain, the delicious and well-price pie nosedived, just like virtually everything else about the grocery store. (Fresh produce and shelves of packaged foodstuffs were cut in half to make room for aisles of frozen foods and a massive prepared food counter. And somehow, they always manage to run short on staple items like skim milk and white rice. Yes, that’s right, rice. But at least they have soggy, bland ready-to-serve perogies).

Over the past few years, we’ve bounced from pie to pie at Thanksgiving. Though, even the whipped cream we dollop on our slices can’t mask our feeling of emptiness, and longing for that perfect piece. This year, however, I decided to take a slightly different approach. Rather than leave the pumpkin pie quest up to fate, I was going to take matters into my own hands and bake my own pie.

Pumpkin puree: where it all begins!

I opted for a pumpkin cheesecake recipe from Martha. I’ve had good luck with my Oreo version, and figured it could only get better with some pumpkin puree and a little pumpkin pie spice. The recipe itself was pretty easy. The filling was just a combination of cream cheese, sugar, a bit of flour, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, salt and eggs. Didn’t take too long to blend everything together. The crust, which I changed slightly from the originally recipe, was equally simple. Dump cookies and sugar in the food processor, then mix with a bit of butter.

However, the biggest hassle associated with this recipe was the monolithic baking time. Each cheese cake had to be in the oven for an undisturbed three hours! Forty-five minutes of actually baking, then two hours sitting in the oven with the heat off. Supposedly, this is needed for the cheesecake to set. But I’m not sure that I buy it, since my Oreo recipe called for no such thing.

For the cookie crust

I certainly gave my oven a workout, since I made the recipe three times over the past several days, yielding a whopping total of six cheesecakes! No, we didn’t have an army over for Thanksgiving dinner. I made one for a bake sale, one for my boyfriend’s mom, one for my neighbour, one for our dinner, one for back-up and a set of mini-cheesecakes for fun.

Cookie crust, before entering the oven

The end result was pretty tasty. Everyone seemed to like the spicy pumpkin flavour, with an undertone of sweet creamy cheesecake. And, to satisfy our craving for the traditional, my aunt baked an absolutely delicious pumpkin pie. It was exactly the kind that has been so elusive to us in recent years. As such, I think I will be borrowing her recipe next year!

 

 

 

Two good looking, tasty pies: one by me and one by my aunt!

 

 

Pumpkin Cheesecakes

 *Recipe makes two cheesecakes

 Crust

• 2 cups of ginger snap cookie crumbs per cheesecake (original recipe calls for graham crackers)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 

• Filling
• 4 packages (8 ounces each) bar cream cheese, very soft
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin-pie spice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• Whipped cream, for garnish if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Assemble a 9-inch non-stick springform pan, with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.
2. Make the crust: Place cookies and sugar in food processor. Blend until cookie crumbs are fine. Remove from food processor and mix in butter until moistened. Press cookie mixture firmly into bottom of pan. Bake until golden around edges, 10 minutes.
3. Make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth; mix in flour (do not overmix). Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix just until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.
4. Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Transfer to oven; reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes. Turn off oven; let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening).

1. Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Unmold before serving.
2. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Superwoman doesn’t bake

Last Sunday, I unintentionally fell into a marathon session of cooking and baking. It all started very innocently. I wanted to whip up a quick dinner for my boyfriend, so I decided to make vegetarian lasagna and blueberry crumb cake. Now, anyone who has ever made lasagna properly, knows that it isn’t something you just “whip up.” I learned this the hard way. It actually takes a long time – just shy of two hours, at least for me. There’s thin sheets of pasta to individually boil and dry off. There’s vegetables to sauté, cheese to grate and saucy layers to arrange.

I didn’t even think it necessary to follow a recipe. I figured: who needs a recipe? After all, I am Italian. The dish will practically throw itself together. Wrong, wrong and wrong. Had it not been for my Nonna, who happened to drop by for a visit, my dish would have ended up as a cheesy disaster. In the end, it actually turned out pretty good. The sautéed layers of mushrooms, eggplant, red peppers, zucchini, spinach and ricotta were so good that we didn’t even miss the meat.

Buttery walnut crumble topping

As for the crumb cake, it was another two-hour effort. Lacking a “paddle attachment,” I was forced to use my ten-tonne mixer by hand. As usual, my butter was cold, so it took forever to cream it with the sugar. My mixing bowl was too small, so flour and sugar spattered everywhere. And the whole process was slowed down because I had to put the heavy mixer down every 40 seconds, to give my burning bicep a break.

Lemon zest infused sugar

I was tired, covered in flour, and finally ready to pour my mix in the baking pan. At that exact moment, my mother trudged past the kitchen, with a towering load of laundry. She took one look at me and my mess, and shook her head. “And you think women with a full-time job and a family can spend four hours on a Sunday afternoon doing this and still finish everything else they need to do?” Not even waiting for an answer, she shook her head again and made a B-line to the laundry room.

My Barney-purple batter

My multi-tasking mother did raise a fair point. I guess it is a luxury to while away an afternoon cooking and baking. It would be significantly harder to do if you’ve got children to chase after and an entire list of household chores to work through. So we can’t begrudge the modern Superwoman, if she buys a box of ready-made cookies or heads to the bakery to pick up a pie. As I told my mom, right now, I have a bit of time on my hands. So while she wears the cape, I’ll bake the cake!

And as it turned out, the crumb cake was delicious! Another great recipe from Let Her Bake Cake . My cake was purple in hue because I used frozen blueberries, which bleed into the batter. And I messed up the crumble because I mismeasured the butter. But nonetheless, it was the moistest and one of the tastiest cakes I’ve made so far!

Freshly out of the oven, and slightly less purple!

Blueberry Crumb Cake (From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

Topping:

5 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/3 cup all purpose (plain) flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Moist and blueberry-full!

Cake:

2 cups blueberries

2 cups plus 2 tsp all purpose (plain) flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

2/3 cup sugar

zest of 1/2 lemon

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

1. Preheat the oven to 350F / 175C. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. To make the crumb topping: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl and stir in the nuts. Set aside until needed, or cover and refrigerate for up to three days.
3. To make the cake: Using your fingers, toss the blueberries and 2 tsp of flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.
5. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. With your fingertips, break the crumb mixture into pieces and scatter over the top of the cake, pressing them down sightly.
6. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool.

Freshly Brewed Cake

I don’t condone road rage, but I certainly understand it. You’re tired. You’ve worked an eleven-hour shift – on a Friday, no less. You have a sinus cold that is causing the right side of your face to throb. You’ve run out of Kleenex. There’s construction – everywhere. There are lane reductions beyond every street corner, and no one will let you merge. The highway onramp is backed up for blocks, and when you do make your way on, traffic is blazing at a steady rate of 5 kilometres per hour. And then an airport limousine cuts you off. So yes, I can see how even the most mild-mannered person can get a little worked up during a rush hour commute.

To release all that pent up frustration, some people yell, others curse, and some favour the one-finger wave. I, however, dealt with my Friday afternoon frustrations in a different way: I baked them out. And man, did it feel good!

For the past week, I’ve been sidelined from the kitchen because of a cold. So, I was really baking with a vengeance. I guess that’s why I tackled two birthday cakes and a batch of mini cheesecakes in one night.

Everyone seemed to like the crown of Oreos

This weekend we held a tri-birthday celebration for my sister, grandmother and uncle. I volunteered to bake my uncle’s favourite oreo cheesecake, which I blogged about a few weeks ago. This time, I made both mini-cheesecakes and a full-sized cake. I used the exact same batter, this time pouring it into an oreo-lined spring form pan and baking for about 35 minutes.

Instant coffee adds intense flavour

I also tried my hand at a great recipe from The Pioneer Woman for a coffee cake. Now, this wasn’t your traditional crumbly confection. Instead, it was literally a coffee-flavoured layer cake. It was a pretty simple recipe, and the end result was just delicious! The cake was moist and rich in coffee flavour. The icing was flecked with granules of coffee, and it was fluffier and tastier than any other recipe I’ve tried thus far.

The makings of what would become my favourite icing

The Pioneer Woman beautifully illustrates each step of her recipe with photos. This way, you can easily follow along and tell if something is amiss with your version of the dessert. Luckily, I got through the whole recipe without a glitch.

In the end, both cakes were a hit. And after all the dishes were done and the candles blown out, my angry Friday afternoon commute was no more than a distant memory.

 

Sporting a fresh coat of frosting

 

Coffee Cake – Literally

For the Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) regular (salted) butter
3 tablespoons instant coffee (I used Folger’s Crystals)
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the Icing

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) regular (salted) butter
1 pound powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons instant coffee
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream (add as needed)

I can’t do the instructions justice if I retyped them without The Pioneer Woman’s photos. So check out her fully illustrated recipe here.

Coffee cake, freshly brewed!

Talk About Locally Grown

For the past week, I have been dying to try a coconut cake recipe from Let Her Bake Cake. I went out and bought desiccated coconut and almond extract as soon as I saw the recipe. And I had every intention giving the cake a whirl this weekend. However, I was thwarted by a bag of pears.

Beautiful, freshly picked pears

On Saturday, my boyfriend and I went to visit his grandparents, and their beautiful garden. Their front yard is home to perky pink and white asters, two-tone roses and the most delicately scented purple cyclamen. In the back, their vegetable garden is rich with staples like tomatoes and green beans. They also have a pear tree, heavy with its late summer yield. So, to unburden the tree’s branches, my bf and his grandfather picked a bag full of sweet pears – Bartlett, I think.

And being a sucker for all that is home-grown and in season, I had to incorporate those pears into a dessert. After doing a little bit of searching, I found an interesting recipe from chef Mario Batali for Torta di Pere , or Pear Tart. This very old world Italian recipe seemed like the perfect way to showcase my newly acquired pears.

The online recipe didn’t include a picture, which struck me as a little odd, especially since it was featured on the Food Network. The dessert seemed straight forward enough, pears, sugar, a bit of flour, a good helping of Grand Marnier, lemon, milk, butter, salt, baking soda and eggs. Initially, I was a bit surprised by the small proportions of sugar and butter. But the quality of a dessert should not be measured by its calorie count…at least not all the time.

Peeled, cored, cubed and ready to roll!

So, after what seemed like hours of peeling, coring and cubing the pears, I doused them in orangey Grand Marnier. For some reason, the recipe forgot to explain what I should do with the lemon zest. I went out on a limb and threw it in with the pears.

I found that the batter was the problem child of this recipe. Despite the fact that I carefully followed each step, my creamed butter and sugar seemed to curdle when I added “one whole egg and a yolk.” After sniffing the suspect looking mixture, I decided just to keep going. After all, Mario Batali is an Iron Chef, and wouldn’t steer me wrong. As it turned out, a little flour and milk seemed to bring the batter back to life.

Problem was: there was barely enough batter to thoroughly cover the bottom, let alone the top of my spring form pan. The recipe itself did not warn of this batter deficit. I scrolled through some reader feedback on the website. Paola from Rome suggested making double the amount of batter, and reducing the pears by half. But Rafael from Florida said the proportions worked just fine for his dish. I placed my trust in Rafael.

What's the matter with batter? In the end, nothing!

In the end, Rafael was right. The scant amount of batter formed a perfectly crisp biscuit-type crust, with lots of room for pears to break through. The dessert is three parts pear, and one part crust. Had the pears been riper, the filling would have been sweeter and more flavourful. My version was still ok, just a bit bland. Next time, I’m going to use really ripe fruit and add extra lemon zest to the batter and filling. All in all, not a bad way to use up two and a half pounds of freshly picked fall pears!

Grand Marnier infusion? Yes please!

Torta di Pere

• 2 1/2 pounds pears, cored and cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup orange flavored liqueur, like Grand Marnier
• 1 lemon, zested and grated
• 4 tablespoons butter, plus more, for greasing the pan
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup milk

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pears, half the sugar, 1 tablespoon of the flour, and the Grand Marnier and mix well. I added the lemon zest to the fruit in this step.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining sugar and butter, cream until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg and the yolk of the other egg and mix well. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the flour in halves to the sugar mixture, alternating with the milk. Set the second mixture aside to rest for 30 minutes, divided into 2 quantities, 1 being slightly larger than the other.
4. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and turn the larger quantity of batter into the cake pan. Put the pears into the pan, top with the remaining batter and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool and serve in wedges.  I ended up baking the cake for an extra 10 minutes.

Fresh out of the oven

 

Just add a little vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Tastes Like Fall

Ever since I pulled out my favourite scarf last week, I have embraced the fact that fall is upon us. And, I couldn’t be happier! I love everything that fall has to offer: crisp air, a beautiful palate of multi-coloured leaves, scarves, sweaters, pumpkin patches, haunted forests, and of course, Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday because it has no pretence. It’s not about gifts and gimmicks and carols. It’s just about bringing families and friends together, and taking a minute out of our busy lives to be thankful for what we have. Oh, and all this is done over a succulent meal of turkey and harvest vegetables. What more can anyone want?

If fall were a taste, it would definitely be a combination of pumpkin spice and molasses. Even for an enthusiastic such as myself, I think September is a bit too early to plough into pumpkin pies, tarts and muffins. However, now is the perfect time to indulge in ginger molasses cookies. And I found the perfect recipe for the chewy treats on Let Her Bake Cake, which is another must read blog for baking aficionados.  

Quintessential flavours of fall: ground clove, cinnamon and ginger

These cookies were easy, quick and delicious. Just melt, mix, dollop and bake for about 8 minutes. The ground cloves, cinnamon and ginger give the cookies a rich spicy flavour that is offset by the sugar and molasses. As for texture, the cookies were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. The only challenge I encountered was trying not to eat the whole plate of cookies in one sitting!

These cookies need their personal space - leave about 3 inches between each dollop

Here’s the recipe, which originally appeared in The Silver Palate Cookbook.

Molasses Cookies

• Makes 12 to 18 cookies depending on size
• 12 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar (I use 3/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup molasses or dark treacle
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

 

1. Preheat the oven to 175C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the sugar and molasses. Lightly beat the egg and add to the butter mixture, stirring well.
3. In a bowl whisk the dry ingredients together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined.
4. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto the cookie sheet. Leave about 3 inches between each one since the cookies will spread as they bake. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, just until the cookies darken and are beginning to set in the middle. The longer you bake the cookies, the crispier they will be.
5. Transfer to a cooling rack until cool and store in an airtight container (providing you haven’t already eaten them all!)

Dare you to eat just one!