Pear-cranberry crumble

Actually I believe it's a crisp, though who really knows what the true distinction is here. According to some sources of information, a crisp can include oats in the topping, but a crumble is more British, less sweet, and is a "streusel" of butter, flour, and sugar. I have seen a fair share of crumble recipes that include oats too though. I guess it is more appropriate to say I made a crumble (drum roll for the pun) as my hopes crumbled after I tasted this dish...

I had beautiful red organic pears from the farmers market, fresh cranberries and ginger - autumn colors, spice, delectable brown sugar oat topping - but something went awry. I blame the vanilla and the overly sweet combo of crisp topping and the filling ... Needless to say, I fed it to others who loved it regardless, thanks to those who so willingly eat what I make.

Yesterday, I tackled the recipe again, determined to correct for my earlier recipe foibles. I adapted the filling to lessen the sugar, completely remove the vanilla and add ginger/black pepper for spice. I also made up the crisp topping - which isn't quite 100% where I want it - if you have a crisp topping you love, feel free to substitute, but make sure to include some cinnamon and ginger in it!

Pear-Cranberry Crumble
Filling:

• 2 lbs (a bit less is fine too) of pears (before cutting), cored, sliced thinly
• 1 3/4 c. fresh cranberries
• 2 tsp minced ginger, fresh
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 - 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 c. granulated sugar
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Crisp topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash of salt
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces 
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• optional 1/4 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Stir the sugar and cornstarch together until well mixed. Stir together with the rest of the filling ingredients. If you want to save a dish, you can do this directly in the casserole dish to be used for baking.  Set aside.
3. In another bowl, Stir together all the crisp ingredients except for the butter (and the nuts if using). Then cut in the butter until crumbly. I find hands can work better for this than a pastry cutter with the oats. Stir in nuts.
4. Evenly distribute the topping over the filling in a casserole dish (oval 2.5 qt) and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Sweet and salty

My new favorite dessert - caramel corn with almonds and pretzels - served alongside a cup of dark roast decaf coffee.  Playful, fun, but almost classy - almost since you do end up with sticky caramel on your fingertips ...  Surprisingly, this turned up on Thanksgiving weekend and my mom was the one who became fixated on the idea of making this treat (unusual since I'm the one with the sweet tooth and she's not). While the first batch was an 80% success, the second batch I later tried turned out sooo much better and I saved one dish worth of washing - a huge improvement in my mind.

The nice part is you can make up a big batch ahead of time! I'm not 100% certain that the marshmallows are needed in the caramel sauce. I used them since I had old marshmallows that I couldn't come up with any other purpose for. This recipe came from everybody likes sandwiches' blog but I doubled the sauce to make sure I had enough.... the leftover sauce was great on apple slices!

Salted Caramel Almond Pretzel Popcorn

6-8 c. plain popped popcorn
~1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped salted pretzels (I bought regular pretzels, but pretzel rods would have been easier to work with) - you can use more or less as desired
3/4 - 1 c. toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 + 1/6 c. heavy cream
1 c. marshmallows (regular or mini. If regular, chop into quarters)
sea salt or coarse salt

1. Pop your popcorn and set aside in a LARGE bowl (if it's lightly greased, it might help, but it could also not be greased). You can stir the almonds through also. Leave the pretzels aside for now.
2. In a medium sized saucepan (high walls are good), combine the sugar, almost a 1/2 tsp of kosher (regular) salt and 3/4 c. water. Bring to a boil and let boil uncovered for 8-12 minutes. It should turn a deep golden caramel shade. (You want beyond a pale yellow!) Remove from the heat and pour in the heavy cream in thirds, possibly stirring while doing so. It will foam up and/or splatter (hence the medium sized saucepan and adding in portions). Once it settles down, stir in the marshmallows and let sit (stirring occasionally) until melted.
3. Pour caramel over the popcorn and almond mixture, stirring to combine. After a minute, stir the pretzels through. At this point you can taste and add some coarse seas salt to taste. Let sit until cool and then nosh away! (or store it in a plastic bag for later).

Hot Cocoa Cookies

It's not quite the fall weather that really begs for cups of steaming cocoa to stave off the grey, cold nights just yet. I feel so grateful that almost every weekend in September has been sunny and gorgeous - allowing us to squeeze in a trip to Ambleside Park on the north shore, play some frisbee golf, cycle to church, stroll to the farmers market, and enjoy walks around the nearby lake.

However, we did host a games night and as always, I rummaged through my pantry to figure out what needed using up. As it turns out, the most pressing thing to get rid of was marshmallows. Marshmallows... what do you do with them other than s'mores and rice krispies treats? (I already crossed option 2 off the list since it meant buying rice krispies and ending up with leftover cereal)  Rachael Ray had the perfect solution with her hot cocoa cookies. A warm chewy chocolate cookie with a perfectly browned marshmallow on top (assuming you don't burn it under the broiler) hiding a surprise square of melted chocolate underneath. Just delicious. They were a huge hit - if you want to go for a rocky road style, you could use chocolate with almonds for the 7.5 oz in the recipe (i think sea salt would be good too!) The one danger is overcooking the cookie while you're trying to get the marshmallows melted so I would suggest under-baking a bit more if you want to use the broiler method AND WATCH THEM LIKE A HAWK. 

Hot Cocoa Cookies (Source: EveryDay with Rachael Ray Magazine)

makes 36-42 cookies

• 1 stick salted butter (1/2 c.)
• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped  (or  8 oz bitter sweet: 4 oz semisweet)
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark cocoa powder)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 c. light brown sugar (not packed)
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 30 marshmallows, cut in half
• 7.5 oz dark chocolate bars (e.g. Lindt) cut into 1" squares

 1. Melt the butter and chopped chocolate over low heat in a thick saucepan, stirring frequently. Remove from stove and let cool for 15 min.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together.
3. Beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla with a mixer for 2 minutes on low speed. Then scrape in the melted chocolate and mix just until combined. Add half the flour mixture, mixing (or stirring) on low until just combined. Add the other half of the flour mixture, repeat. Cover the bowl and place in the refridgerator for 50-60 min.
4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and use parchment paper to line two baking sheets. Use a cookie dough scooper (or some other device) to form 1" diameter balls. Roll them to acheive a round shape. Place about 2" apart on each cookie sheet and press them with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly. Bake about 10-12 minutes.
5. While they bake, stick the squares of marshmallows onto the cut side of the marshmallows.
6. Take the cookies out and press the chocolate side of the marshmallow into the cookie. Option 1: bake ~4 minutes just until the marshmallows are softened. Option 2: switch the oven quickly to broil and broil about 30 sec - 1 min - you should see the marshmallows beginning to puff and turn golden.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to rack.

Birthdays and Cake

It's that time of year - the celebrating and remembering of a birthday, which always merits some reflection, some ridiculousness, and a good dash of hopeful planning for the future. As I took a day off from work to celebrate by myself, I was reminded how good it is to spend quality alone time with oneself, to recall exactly what it is one likes to do on one's own, reading a book, strolling through markets and galleries, enjoying the sights and sounds and smell of life (an in particular a fresh coconut donut and americano), and cycling in the summer sunshine by the ocean. All good things to be thankful for.

Turning 31 in many ways is so much better than turning 30; there's a lot of hype and hoopla around 30 to live up to, an expectation of extravagant celebration, whereas 31- there are no preconceived notions of what a celebration might look like. Celebrating alone is not out of the question (though who is truly alone these days with Facebook...)  I think 31 will be a very good year. And really, this is the year I take that sword fighting class I've been thinking about for so long.

Cake! What's a birthday without a dessert? To keep going with the changing it up theme for 31 I actually baked myself a birthday dessert WITHOUT chocolate. Shocking, I know. I had peaches on my mind though (could be my impending trip to Georgia)  - something not too heavy, sweet, delicate, and requiring fairly minimal effort (it was my birthday after all). Bill Granger's peach, almond, and yogurt cake was the perfect match (found on a defunct but excellent blog called Almost Bourdain) and I would happily bake it again. Maybe next time I will try to ensure there are more people around so I don't end up eating 60% of my own cake? Maybe... :)  Warning: this cake takes an hour and a half to bake once it's assembled and then you have to let it cool, so make sure you don't start baking it at 9pm unless you're a night owl!

Peach, Almond, Yogurt Cake

220 g (7 3/4 oz) salted butter, softened  (almost 2 sticks)
250 g (9 oz) sugar
1 tsp natural vanilla extract (I would try replacing this with almond extract or use 1/2 tsp almond & 1/2 tsp vanilla)
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
5 tsp baking powder
50 ml (1 3/4 fl oz) milk
1 cup yoghurt

450 g (1 lb) small peaches, chopped [USE FRESH OR FROZEN, NOT CANNED]
50 g (1 3/4 oz) flaked almonds
Alternate topping: handful of whole almonds (1/2 cup?) and citrus zest (1/2- 1 tsp) pulsed in the food processor to a fine crumb. Sprinkle over cake and bake. I loved this version, though it is messier.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9" spring form pan all over and then line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer on  high speed for ~5 minutes until light and fluffy. While the mixer is going, sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside. Add vanilla (or almond extract) and eggs one at a time to the butter-sugar mixture, beating well after each.
3. Add half of the flour, half of the yogurt, and all the milk to the batter. Mix at low speed 30 sec - 1 min, scraping the sides. Then add remaining flour and yogurt and mix at low speed until combined (30 sec - 1 min).
4. Gently fold through the chopped peaches and pour the batter into the the springform pan. Sprinkle with almonds (or almond crumb). Bake for 1.5 hours.
5. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before removing the ring of the springform pan.

*photo to come.

Quinoa Bites, Caramelized Salmon, & Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

For some reason, May and June were like a speedy blur this year. I blinked and May was gone and now I find myself halfway through June already with few posts to show for it. This is not all a sign that I have not been cooking - I just haven't been blogging about it. So a couple of recipes to share - though there are no photos to entice you, I promise the recipes are worth making. I am so proud of my salmon cooking - for once I made a tasty dish where the fish was perfectly cooked! I followed Judith's advice on pan-searing salmon.

Appetizer: Quinoa Bites (great to make in advance and freeze, also a healthy kid snack! vegan)

Main: Pan Seared Salmon with a Hoisin-Chili-Ginger Glaze
Sides: Steamed rice and sesame ginger bok choy

Dessert: Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (Extra VeganZa cookbook) - excellent vegan dessert with very little sugar in any form!


Quinoa Bites (makes ~20-21 bites using full sized muffin tins or 36 mini bites)

2 c. cooked quinoa (I cooked mine in leftover chickpea broth, could also use veggie stock - you will need 1 c. raw quinoa to prepare)
2 eggs
1 c. diced carrots
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 c. green onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbs flour
a dash or two of soy sauce, tamari or Worcestershire

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Saute the carrots, onions, garlic, and celery in a pan until golden brown - about 8-10 minutes. Add seasoning (sauce, salt and pepper to taste) and stir in green onions at the end.
4. Mix quinoa with flour, eggs, and veggie mixture in a large bowl. The mixture should seem to stick together.
5. Line mini muffin pans with little baking cups  (or regular sized) OR used silicone muffin tray coated with oil (I did this and it worked pretty well).
6. For mini muffin tins - fill cups almost to the top and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. For regular sized muffin tins - fill cups about 1/4-1/3 of the way full. Bake about 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool in pan for about 5-10 minutes and remove to tray to cool.
7. Excellent wrapped in lettuce leaves with sweet chili sauce. Likely also good with ketchup, salad dressing, or honey mustard for dipping! I reheated these by broiling for about 5 minutes to get a crispy underside.

Pan Seared Salmon 
24 oz of salmon fillet, with skin - cut into four pieces (note it may be useful to get your fish monger to cut the fillet into four pieces for you!)

1 1/2 Tbs honey
2-3 Tbs soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1 1/2  - 2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp garlic chili sauce (or 1-2 tsp chipotle chili sauce)

1. Stir all the sauce ingredients together. Taste the glaze to make sure you like it!
2. Heat a heavy skillet (cast iron) over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Brush the flesh side of the salmon with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Add a bit of oil to the pan and tilt to coat.
3. Add the salmon flesh side down to the pan and let sear for 3 minutes. You can watch the flesh of the fish becoming opaque.
4. Flip the fish over skin side down, lower the heat to medium-high, and brush or spoon glaze over the flesh side of the fish. Let cook for 4-7 minutes until fish is almost done. (You can gently poke the middle of the thickest part of the fillets.) It also helps to fold over the thin parts of the fillets so they don't overcook.
5. Apply the glaze 2-3 times during the cooking, this will form a nice caramelized skin on the bottom of the salmon.
6. Eat immediately!

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (adapated from Extra VeganZa!)

Filling:
3 c. chopped rhubarb, half inch pieces
1 1/2 c. chopped strawberries
1/3 c. soy milk (or almond milk)
2 Tbs cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon + some freshly grated nutmeg
1/2-1 tsp grated orange zest
1 Tbs canola oil or grapeseed oil
3 Tbs maple syrup


Cobbler Dough:  (I actually doubled my cobbler dough recipe because I love the topping and used an oval casserole dish)
1 c. whole wheat or spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 c. canola oil
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/4 c. soy milk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place all filling ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring for a few minutes. Make sure cornstarch is dissolved. Pour the filling into an 8 inch round baking (casserole) dish or an oval.
3. Stir the dry ingredients for the dough together. Make a well in the centre and add the wet ingredients. Mix gently until all ingredients are moistened. Spoon six even mounds of dough on top of the filling.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool ~10 minutes before serving.
5. For additional decadence serving this with coconut whipped cream would be awesome. Or coconut bliss ice cream.

Chocolate Matcha Loaf Cake

I was recently given a box of organic matcha tea. I've become known as the "food recycling bin" at work; if you're given a food gift that you'll never use or don't want, you can give it to Emily who will happily accept it and spend inordinate amounts of time figuring out how to use it up.

Last week, not only did one of my coworkers give me a bag full of tofu puddings (sweetened and almond flavor) that I've incorporated into raspberry-kale-banana smoothies (surprisingly good btw), but my boss also gave me the aforementioned box of matcha tea. Now I have long adored both matcha lattes and baked matcha goods but have never prepared either myself. I decided to start out with baked goods and go from there. I made this lovely pound cake recipe found on lifesafeast.

What I will say about it: the perfect pound cake texture, looks beautiful with the contrasting cocoa/matcha colors, and children adore the bright green color. However, it didn't taste enough of matcha for my liking. If I made this again, I would double the amount of matcha and leave out the competing vanilla extract that can too easily mask the subtle grassy flavor of the matcha.


MATCHA AND CHOCOLATE MARBLE LOAF CAKE

2 c. (280 g) allpurpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c. (175 g) salted butter, room temperature
3 Tbs (45 g) salted butter, melted
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 c (270 g) sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla (leave out?)
½ c (125 ml) whole milk
1 ½ tsp Matcha tea powder  (increase to 3 tsp)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8 x 4" loaf pan. Grease the pan with butter. Line the bottom of the pan (and up the narrow sides) with one long strip of parchment paper. 
2.Whisk together the flour and baking powder.
3. Whisk the 3Tbs melted butter into the cocoa powder in a small bowl until  smooth.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time, followed by the vanilla if using.
5. Add the flour/baking powder into the butter/sugar in 3 additions alternating with the milk, beating in each addition just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Remove 1 c. of the batter and add to the bowl containing the cocoa paste. Stir until well blended. Stir the Matcha powder into the remaining batter.
7. Spoon half of the Matcha batter into the bottom of the loaf pan, smoothing  evenly to the edges. Spoon tablespoons of chocolate batter down the center of the Matcha batter in the pan. Spoon the rest of the Matcha batter on top, gently smoothing the surface. Try not to blend the two batters too much.
8. Using a sharp knife with a narrow blade, make about 5 deep swirls through the batter for the marble effect.
9. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes until the cake is set. If the cake starts to brown too much, loosely cover with aluminum foil.

Chocolate Beer Cookies with Salted Caramel Frosting

These cookies destroyed my Lenten vows of no dessert/no chocolate. For 3 days in a row. I tried to forgive myself on Sunday since it's the mini-Easter reprieve from Lent, but Monday was willful and deliberate ignoring of my fast. I rationalized it at the time by telling myself I was saving my wife from having to eat them (she had been complaining about too much unhealthy food over the weekend and wanting to get back to normal come Monday). So it was an act of love/an act of sacrifice on my part?

 I only had lager on hand and being the cheapskate that I am, that's what I used in the cookie dough. I am 100% certain that a really nice chocolate,oatmeal or espresso stout would knock the cookie batter out of the park though. The other perk of this recipe is that it only uses half a beer, leaving me half a beer to drink (the perfect size for me). The cookies turned out moist and almost cake-like, studded with melted chocolate chips, and when topped with salted caramel frosting and crunchy salty pretzel bits, the combo was divine!!!!! Yep it was a pretty spiritual food experience.

The one lesson I learned: pretzels on frosting go STALE. So, if you make this recipe, only frost as many cookies as you anticipate eating at that seating. Then when you want more, reheat the frosting, dunk the cookies and apply fresh pretzels because you really do want the crunch factor.

Chocolate Stout Cookies with Salted Caramel Frosting (from cravingchronicles)

• 1 1/2 cups flour
•  1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tablespoon dark cocoa 
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•  1 teaspoon baking powder
•  1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
•  1/2 cup dark brown sugar
•  1/2 teaspoon vanilla
•  1 egg
•  6 ounces stout beer (such as Chocolate Stout or Oatmeal Stout, or whatever beer you have on hand)
•  1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or bittersweet chocolate chips)
• 1 batch Easy Salted Caramel Frosting (below)
•  1 bag of salted pretzels (I used multigrain pretzels)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
3. Beat butter with brown sugar using a mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat vanilla and egg in. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the beer. Beat just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.
4. Chill dough in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
5. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350°F for 15-17 minutes or until tops spring back lightly when touched. Cool on pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Easy Salted Caramel Frosting

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
•  pinch or two of salt
•  1 cup packed brown sugar
•  1/4 cup heavy cream
•  1 tsp vanilla extract
•  1 cup powdered sugar

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter, salt and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking frequently for 1-2 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in cream, followed by vanilla. Cool 5-10 minutes.
3. Whisk in ~1 cup powdered sugar until smooth. 

To Assemble
Spread frosting over cooled cookies.
Crush pretzels into small pieces (put them in a bag and roll over the bag with a rolling pin). Spread pretzel crumbs out in a plate. 
Dip each cookie frosting side down in the pretzel crumbs, pushing lightly to make sure they stick.

Vegan Coconut Raspberry Cake

It's funny how often I end up baking or making something vegan despite my own broad dietary horizons of all things plant, dairy, seafood, and the occasional ham - yet more and more of my friends have dietary restrictions - no dairy, no wheat, no sugar, etc. Instead of being intimidated, I always feel like this is a  personal challenge to discover something scrumptious that they can enjoy.  So here's a cake I ended up making for a friend with lactose intolerance that's FAST, moist, and pretty darn delicious.

Coconut Raspberry Cake
1 c. all purpose flour
2 Tbs + 1 tsp baking powder (yes, that much)
1 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
1 c. sugar (I would try reducing this to 3/4 c. or 2/3 c.)
1 c. almond milk, unsweetened
2 Tbs water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1 c. raspberries
3 Tbs coconut oil (liquid state)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Stir all the dry ingredients together.
3. Pour in almond milk, water, vanilla, and coconut extract. Stir to combine (don't overstir)
4. Add the oil and stir gently to combine. Fold in raspberries.
5. Line a DEEP 22 cm cake tin (or go up a size for a shallower pan) with parchment paper on the bottom. Grease the sides. Pour the batter in.
6. Bake for 35-45 min until done. Serve with fresh raspberries or a raspberry puree.

Decadent Mexican Hot Chocolate

After the Mexican hot chocolate mousse experience, I wanted another go at creating a rich chocolate dessert - but something less sweet and more spicy. I made up this recipe at the end of a dinner party and it turned out perfectly - now I can only hope that my estimated measurements allow for accurate replication! It's yields 6 tea cup size servings of hot dessert at the end of a meal that leave you wanting more but it's probably for the best that there aren't leftovers :)

Mexican Hot Chocolate
2 hexagons of Mexican chocolate (Ibarra brand, e.g.) or ~ 6oz, chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate (could increase to 3 oz if desired), chopped
a handful of bittersweet chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 - 1 Tbs instant coffee
1/3-1/2 c. half and half
1/4-1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne or chipotle powder (start small and work your way up)
1 1/2 - 2 c. 2% milk, warmed
creme de cacao
whipping cream, whipped
Optional garnishes: cacao nibs, candied ginger, candied orange peel, chocolate shavings

1. Over low heat, heat the Mexican chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chips, and instant coffee with the half and half in a heavy bottomed saute pan. Stir frequently until the chocolate is melted.
2. Once the chocolate is completely melted, add the spices in and begin warming the milk in a separate pan on the stove. Once the milk is completely warmed (almost to a simmer), whisk in the chocolate mixture. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
3. Pour half or full shot of creme de cacao in the bottom of each teacup. Pour in the hot chocolate. Top with whipping cream and optional garnishes as desired.

Burnt Rum Mexican Chocolate Mousse

It's been an interesting three days so far. I have made green tomato marmalade and canned green tomato jam. I baked a loaf of no-knead kefir bread. I attempted a tres leches cake (from a cake mix - shhh don't tell) substituting coconut milk and evaporated milk for the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk - disastrous. Until I chanced about the idea to scoop the overly soggy cake into balls and roll it in shredded coconut, baking it for an additional 20 minutes. This led to a cake-like coconut donut hole that was not overly sweet and four different people asked for the recipe when I brought it to church! Go figure.

Anyways back to the recipe at hand. Yesterday was Valentine's Day, so there needed to be something special for dessert (= something chocolate). I found a burnt rum mexican chocolate mousse recipe on epicurious and thought it sounded novel and delicious! It does not require raw eggs (which usually I expect in an excellent mousse recipe) but it does involve fire and alcohol! I amazingly did not incinerate my kitchen or myself. Props to me. (I did make the wife stand next to me with a fire extinguisher just in case...) Note this recipe tastes SWEET, so the cacao nibs provide a nice bitter contrast. Sea salt would also be good! In the future, I would consider subbing in some dark or bittersweet chocolate in place of some Mexican chocolate and/or adding more instant coffee..

Rum ablaze in melted chocolate

Burnt Rum Mexican Chocolate Mousse (adapted from Epicurious) - makes 6 small sherry glasses and 2 ramekins full

• 3 whole hexagons of Ibarra Mexican chocolate,* chopped (~9.6 oz)
• 1/2 cup whole milk (I used 1/4 c. 1% milk + 1/4 c. half and half)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4- 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
• 2-4 dashes cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup white rum
• 2 cups chilled whipping cream, divided into 1 1/2 c. portion and 1/2 c. portion
• 1-2Tbs cacao nibs

1. Heat milk and chocolate over low heat until the chocolate is fully dissolved. 

2. Add the salt, cinnamon, cayenne and nutmeg in, tasting for spice level (remember that this is a 'concentrate' that will be diluted by whipping cream) and stirring to ensure that the salt is dissolved. 

3. Pour the rum in a single spot in the chocolate mixture (the centre?). Light it with a match (but not yourself) and gently swirl the rum in with a heat proof silicone spatula.  Once the rum has burnt out, set aside the mixture to cool to room temperature. 

4. Once the chocolate mixture is cool, whip the 1 1/2 c. whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Pour in half the chocolate mixture and gently fold it into the whipped cream. Pour in the remaining chocolate mixture and fold it into the whipped cream. Portion into serving dishes. Place in fridge if serving later. If serving immediately, whip the remaining 1/2 c. whipping cream until soft peaks form and place small dollops on top of mousse. Sprinkle with cacao nibs or cinnamon.

Almond-Orange Blossom Water Cakes

I found this recipe to finish off a Spanish-themed meal. I wanted something that would require a few simple ingredients and not much effort, but still have a sophisticated flair. I love the unusual flavor and scent that orange blossom water imparts so finding this recipe was perfect! The texture from the basic ingredients of almond meal, eggs, and a bit of sugar in the cake is chewier than many desserts but not tough, if that makes sense. Consider adding a bit of extra lemon juice or orange juice in place of the orange blossom water if you don't have it or are afraid of the taste. This is a great gluten free dessert should you be in need of one.

Almond-Orange Blossom Water Cakes

• 4 eggs
• 9 oz blanched peeled almonds (or sliced almonds)
• 4 oz sugar (~1/2 c. sugar)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp orange blossom water
• 1/4 cup flaked almonds
• Butter and flour to grease the pans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pulse the almonds in a food processor with a little sugar until coarsely ground (the more coarsely ground they are, the chewier your tarts will be).
3. Beat the eggs with the rest of the sugar using an electric mixture until light and fluffy (approximately 3-4 minutes).
4. Add the cinnamon, lemon zest, and orange blossom water to the egg mixture and beat in.  Then gently fold in the ground almonds.
5. Grease and flour 6-8 individual tart pans - place them on a baking tray; pour the mixture in, smooth if need be, and sprinkle with almond flakes. 
6.Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. The tops of the tart should look dry and bubbled. The tart should be firm when shaken.
7. Remove from the outer tart rings while still warm and leave to cool. Note it the almond tart will be sticky to scrape off, so either serve directly from the tart pan bottom or, get a nice long frosting spatula to separate the cake from the tart pan.

Vegan Cookie Dough "Blizzard"

I stumbled across this post by OhSheGlows (probably through my new pinterest addiction umm enthusiasm) for a vegan cookie dough blizzard that looked super intriguing since I don't like regular cookie dough. I also loved the idea of using pureed frozen bananas and almond milk to form the frozen yogurt base - a healthy twist on dessert, perfect for the new year. Even wife, who loves regular cookie dough, was sold on these vegan cookie dough balls. You just make up a batch, freeze them, and tuck them away for an occasional late night sweet craving, though you'll also get protein and some omega-3's!  (at least with my modifications :P)
I also refer you to OhSheGlows' food shots, which are just gorgeous. Mine of course did not look nearly so pretty. (and aren't ready to post yet either)

Vegan Cookie Dough Balls Yield: 1 cup packed cookie dough

Adapted from OhSheGlows

• 1/2 cup unsalted walnuts
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbs rolled oats
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (other flours may work)
• 1 Tbs carob powder (or cocoa) *optional
• 1 Tbs almond butter (or peanut butter, but the peanut flavor will be far more noticeable)
• 1 Tbs chia seeds (optional, could also use sesame seeds) *optional
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt (to start)
• 1.5 tbsp sugar (could use cane sugar - I would leave this out entirely if using chocolate chips as opposed to cacao nibs, or some combo of choc chips + ground coffee beans)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3-4 tbsp pure maple syrup (or a bit more if dough is too dry)
• ~1/8 cup cacao nibs (or 1/8- 1/4 c. dark chocolate chips or add in some crushed decaf coffee beans or ground coffee)

1. Run the walnuts and oats in a food processor until finely crumbled.
2. Add in the flour, almond butter, carob, chia seeds, salt and sugar and pulse a couple of times to combine.
3. Add in the maple syrup and vanilla and pulse until combined. Then add in cacao nibs and stir by hand or process. Form into balls about 2 tsp worth of dough? (I got about 16 out). Store in freezer.

To make the "blizzard", you need 3 frozen bananas (for 2 servings), some almond milk (or regular milk), your food processor (since it's already dirty) or a blender, and 2-3 cookie dough balls. Puree the bananas first, adding just as much milk as needed to puree. Then add in the cookie dough balls and puree until chunky. serve immediately. SOOOO good.

Two Cakes

The great thing about a new years resolution is all the ways you can creatively break it :)  Like justifying baking two cakes in a weekend because you are going to two different friend's houses for dinner! And you can't arrive empty handed or offer up a partly consumed cake...

Honey Spiced Cake

I ended up trying out a recipe for a Honey Spiced Cake from the  Land'o Lakes Dessert cookbook (surprisingly good recipes), and a Lemon Polenta Cake from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking.

For the Honey Spiced Cake, I substituted yogurt for the sour cream in the cake and also strained yogurt to thicken it for use in the topping. The cake was simple to prepare, and the delicate honey flavor pairs perfectly with the spices, orange, and the tangy bite of yogurt. Be careful about baking too long and drying out the cake though!

Honey Spiced Cake
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened  (I used margarine)
1/3 c. yogurt
1/3 c. orange juice
1/4 c. honey
2 egg whites
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt

Orange Cream:
2/3 c. thickened yogurt (Greek yogurt)
1 tsp grated orange peel (or more)
1 Tbs orange juice
1-2 Tbs powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Mix all dry ingredients (except sugar) together in one bowl and set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat brown sugar and butter together at low speed until combined. Beat in sour cream, honey and egg whites, then orange juice. Add in dry ingredients and beat until well mixed.
4. Pour into greased 9 inch round cake pan (line the bottom with parchment paper to make removal easier).  5. Bake for 35-40 minutes until cake tester in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack.
6. In a small bowl, stir together ingredients for orange cream, let sit in fridge until ready to serve alongside slices of cake.

The polenta cake is definitely a classier dessert when paired with any kind of fruit/fruit coulis, liquer, and /or whipped cream. I opted to pair it with sauteed peaches and a splash of amaretto. I didn't have the almond extract the recipe called for so substituted 2 Tbs of amaretto instead. I'm glad I did - the almond flavor was barely there, and I enjoyed the predominant lemon flavor of the cake instead. I think you could also slice the cake and briefly fry it in a little bit of butter on both sides as another option of serving.

Lemon Polenta Cake (makes 1 loaf) 
1/4 lb butter, unsalted (you can use salted if that's all you have)
1 c. sugar (not sure how this would change the loaf, but 3/4 c. might be nicer for less sweet)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (a big lemon = more zest = better)
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs amaretto (or 1/2 tsp almond extract or2 Tbs lemon juice)
1/2 c. yogurt
1/2 c. + 2 Tbs cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 4x10" or 5x8" loaf pan.
2. Cream the butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy (beating on high for 3-5 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla, almond extract (whatever), and yogurt.
3. Stir all the dry ingredients together. Add to wet ingredients and stir in.
4. Spoon in the batter into the pan, smoothing the top, and rap the pan once on the counter top to remove any hidden air bubbles. Bake in the oven until the top is golden brown and cake tester comes out clean - 50-60 minutes.
5. Let cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack. Serve with warmed sliced peaches (fresh or frozen), berries, amaretto, etc. A bit of whipping cream for luxury :)

Peach Cobbler

The peach cobbler recipe that never fails: Thank you Allrecipes.com! Truly, this cobbler is a joy to my little transplanted Southern heart, not only because it involves peaches (my very favorite fruit), but particularly because of the crust. In this recipe, the batter rises up through the peaches and a ridiculous amount of melted butter to produce an amazingly sweet crunchy edge where it browns and a moist chewy layer of dough underneath. Fantastic when served hot with whipped cream or ice cream and equally delicious when eating by the large spoonful from the pan the next morning for breakfast :)

Peach Cobbler
1/2 c. butter, in a 9 x 13 pan, melted
1 29 oz can sliced peaches (don't use the liquid) (or an equivalent amount of fresh sliced peaches/thawed frozen peaches)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbs flour
1 c. white sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 small pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c. milk 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. You can put the 9x13 pan with the 1/2 c. butter in the oven to melt as the oven heats.
2. Combine the peaches, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1 Tbs flour in a large bowl. Stir and set aside.
3. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and pinch of salt. Whisk milk into dry ingredients until smooth.
4. Pour batter over melted butter in the 9x13 pan. Spoon peach mixture evenly over batter.
5. Bake for ~ 1 hour, edges should be nicely browned, and the centre should be mostly firm to the touch. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Gratuitous Liquid Nitrogen Photos of Making Buttermilk
Ice Cream (sorry no recipe - M. made it up on the spot)

Exciting, no?

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I feel absolutely ridiculous writing the phrase "whoopie pies". Who came up with the term? Despite its ignoble name, the photos of these soft cookie/frosting filled sandwiches looked so deliciously whimsical and fun, not to mention being perfectly fall-themed with pumpkin/maple syrup flavors, that I couldn't resist trying them out.  They turned out pretty darn cute looking, but I have to say, the taste? It's good, but I don't know that it merits all the effort to create the sandwich cookie. I'm almost certain it would just as good (and easier) as a mini cupcake with frosting.

I cut browneyedbaker's recipe [except for the spices] in half (my quantities shown below) and produced 14 large whoopie pies (I actually used my cookie scooper for these). I would suggest that a 2" ball of dough is just too big.

Pumpkin Cookie Base:
1.5 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbs + 1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c.dark brown sugar (I only gently packed mine)
1/2 c. canola oil
1.5 c. cups chilled pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting:
1.5 - 2 c. powdered sugar
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature (half of a regular sized block)
14 c. butter, room temperature
4-5 tablespoons maple syrup (if you have maple extract, add some of that in)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (I was actually able to reuse the parchment paper from this recipe for another baking item - almost no cookie residue on it!)
2. Whisk together all the ingredients from flour through salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugars and oil together. Add in the pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla, whisking to combine completely.
4.Add half the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until mostly combined, then add the other half of the flour mixture, stirring to combine completely.
5. Drop dough by the heaping tablespoon-full onto the baking sheets, leaving 1" or so between the dough mounds (yes they should be rounded and look dome shaped).
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies should be firm to the touch and pass the toothpick done-ness test. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.
7. To make the filling, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar, combine, then beat the maple syrup and vanilla in. Continue to beat in the rest of the powdered sugar. Taste for flavor. If good, place in the fridge to firm up.
8. Once the frosting is firmer (right before you want to serve them), you can spread it on a cookie and place another cookie on top. Voila!

Coffee-Spice Shortbread

Nothing is more gratifying than taking a dish to a potluck and having people rave about it. Or having people confess they don't like certain spices or flavors only to be told those spices/flavors are in the consumed good! It's nice to surprise people and broaden their culinary horizons. The interesting thing about this recipe is the fascinatingly delicious combination of coffee plus cardamom, ginger and cinnamon flavors. I love that ginger appears in 3 different parts of the dessert and that the shortbread itself, perhaps due to the coffee taste, does not have the overwhelmingly buttery taste of plain shortbread. The spice of the crystallized ginger is a nice balance to the sweetness of the white chocolate frosting. I made up my own frosting (and am guessing at the quantities used so I apologize if it's not quite accurate), but the base is from Bon Appetit's Dec 2010 issue.

 

Coffee-Spice Shortbread with Crystallized Ginger
2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed
2 Tbs plus 2 tsp ground coffee beans (decaf)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. chilled unsalted butter (or if you use salted butter, use only half the amount of salt at most)

Frosting:
white chocolate chunks
whipping cream
canola oil
icing sugar
ground cardamom
ground ginger

Topping:
Diced candied ginger

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. Mix all dry ingredients except butter in a food process for 5 seconds.
3. Add cubed butter to food processor and use on/off turns until moist clumps begin to form.
4. Gather dough into a ball and split in half. Press each half into a 9" tart pan with removeable bottom.
5. Bake shortbread 25 minutes. Rotate pans and bake another 20 minutes.
6. Cool shortbread in pans 5 minutes, then remove from pans and cut into 12 wedges each.
 7. To make frosting, place whipping cream (~1/8 of a cup?) and white chocolate chunks (~3/4 - 1 c.) in a saucepan (or double boiler) and warm gently, whisking to combine melted chocolate.
8. When all the chocolate is almost melted, beat in the canola oil (~3-4 Tbs) , icing sugar (~1/4 c. icing sugar), cardamom (1/2 tsp) and ginger (1/2 tsp). Let cool slightly to thicken, then spread on cooled shortbread.
9. Top with candied ginger.

Rugelach Time

Well once again I was forced to bake something (haha) that was horribly rich and fattening, just to use up some old goat cheese. Life is tough sometimes. So if you find yourself with very fragrant goat cheese, or cream cheese, I recommend incorporating it into a rugelach dough. The nice thing about the dough is you can make it and leave it in your fridge for 2-3 days before finishing off the process of filling and baking them. Traditional fillings include a poppy seed sugar mixture, raisins/walnuts/cinnamon/sugar, jams, etc. The flavors of fillings I used for my rugelach were amazing, but I still have to learn how to create a filling that doesn't ooze everywhere when baking. For my first batch, I used apricot jam and chopped walnuts (note it is very important to press any kind of nut filling into the dough with your rolling pin before attempting to roll the rugelach up!) These were wife's favorites. Only before she banned me from any more baking because she wasn't able to resist eating platefuls of rugelach and feeling slightly ill afterwards :) For my second batch, I attempted to follow a recipe for poppy seed filling but completely botched the instructions so just ended up making my own version. Heated up poppy seeds, water, honey, and a bit of sugar-- simmering until thickened and then stirred in some chopped semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa powder (to get the right sweetness levels) until melted. Worked for me!
 
  

Apricot-walnut filling pressed into dough, before rolling

Chocolate-poppy seed rugelach before baking

Baked apricot walnut rugelach!

Vegan Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

The most delicious chocolate mint cupcakes I've had in several years just happened to be a vegan recipe from one of my dear friends. One of my favorite parts about friendship is sharing a love of good food -- recommending recipes to friends and having them come back and say that they loved it too, or lamenting over the difficulty of a particularly involved recipe. These cupcakes would be a hit at any adult's or child's birthday party! Likely you could also unvegify them and just use regular milk, margarine, and chocolate chips without compromising the recipe. The only struggles I had with this recipe were with the frosting, which although delicious tasting kept "melting" more and more and falling right off the cupcake. In the end, I had to beat in much more powdered sugar and vegan margarine than the recipe called for to keep the frosting stiff. My recommendation is actually look for vegan shortening as opposed to vegan margarine, and don't add the soymilk to the frosting.

Vegan Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
1 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. soymilk
1-2 tsp cider vinegar
1/3 c. canola oil
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp mint extract 

Frosting:
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. vegan shortening
1 1/2 tsp mint extract

Chocolate glaze:
1/3 c. vegan chocolate chips
3 Tbs soy milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the cupcake batter, combine soy milk and cider vinegar in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in sugar, canola oil, mint and vanilla extract, beating until foaming.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients togehter in a  separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry, using whisk to beat until all the large lumps are gone.
4. Pour the batter into paper lined cupcake tins and fill about 2/3 full. (If using liners, you will probably be able to make 12 cupcakes. Without liners, I only got 10 cupcakes.)
5. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a bit, then remove from pan and transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
6. For mint frosting: Cream the shortening, powdered sugar, and extract together until icing is smooth and creamy. If it doesn't hold, try adding a bit more sugar or shortening. Only frost the cupcakes when they are VERY VERY COOL. (like right before serving).
7. For the chocolate oopmh on top: heat the 3 Tbs soymilk until just about to simmer and then add the chocolate chips. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Let chocolate mixture cool for about 10 minutes until it can be safely drizzled on top of the mint frosting without melting it.

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Chocolate Espresso Goodness

This cake was my hopeful attempt to recreate the cake I made 3 years ago for wife's birthday. I had baked her the most decadent flourless chocolate cake, dusted with powdered sugar, and served with raspberry coulis. Everyone raved about it. I have looked and looked and looked and to my despair, can't seem to find the recipe I used to make the cake. So I finally settled for Epicurious' Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake.

The cake was incredibly dense and rich, and I loved the espresso taste, but it wasn't quite the same. I did finally figure out that the instructions to serve the cake cold made it seem much heavier and not as tasty as when a piece is microwaved for about 35 seconds! Even better is drizzling a bit of a strawberry puree made of frozen strawberries, lemon zest, and a little bit of cointreau.

Cheesecake pops

So this party that I was talking about - should I give the full run-down of foods made? Starting on the Saturday before hand, I baked two types of crackers, and then during the week proceeded to tackle all of the following: mango salsa, vegan cashew cheese, eggplant dip, kefir dipping sauce for a fruit platter, vegan meat balls with vegan BBQ sauce, artichoke cheese dip, flourless chocolate espresso cake, vegan mint chocolate cupcakes, and cheesecake pops. Of course I didn't manage to get a picture of either table full of food :(  Bad planning once again on my part. But I did get some super nice shots of the cheesecake pop process - probably because it went on for SOOO long.

Dipping the frozen cheesecake pops

The wow/cuteness factor (not to mention the tiny popsicle sticks!) definitely made the effort worth it. My only comment about the cheesecake produced by this recipe, is that it seemed a little dry - whether from over baking, or because it needs to be a bit more solid to cling to the popsicle stick well, I don't know. Also for the dipping chocolate, I did not find the amount of vegetable shortening added realistic at all. I added the shortening and then kept stirring in small quantities of canola oil until the chocolate was a dippable consistency. I used a chopstick to drizzle lines of chocolate of the opposite color over the dipped cheesecake pops.

The finished product - so arty!