It's terrible but it's the truth. I almost didn't attempt to veganize this month's Daring Baker Challenge. Daunting to say the least when a cake has a dozen eggs in it to somehow replace. (...And that's not including the other two that were in the buttercream recipe.) After making ...
Clawing from the depths of a seemingly endless winter, spring has finally arrived. Of course with about a foot of snow still remaining outside of my urban home and the prediction of 6 more weeks of crappy weather, it's a little hard to believe. Thankfully with ...
Inspired by the urge to make hot cross buns, marmalade and reading Orangette. CANDIED ORANGE PEELS 5 Oranges, any kind 3 Cups Sugar 1 Cup Water Soak and scrub the oranges in warm soapy water and rinse well. Cup the tops and tails from the oranges, then peel. Cut as much of the ...
Mmmm. Hopefully this is the post worth waiting for. Since being whisked off for a quick French get away, I ate my way through all of Montréal's renown food samples. Squeaking a flight through a crazy snowstorm, even for Québec standards, ...
I am one of those people who like cilantro. Cilantro is a love it or hate it kind of thing. Thankfully the herby leaf it offers to 50% of the population who enjoy it, also comes with a seed. Coriander, which the seed more commonly goes ...
It was amazing I had a chance to fill these cookies. Fresh and plain, the almond biscuits coming straight from the oven proved pretty popular. I almost would have thought to leave them just for snacking although it is Christmas cookie season, so I figured a little extra sparkle was in order. Setting off with an original idea to use up the finally ripe hachiya persimmon sinking into my window sill, I was thinking of a swankier jelly thumb print. All I needed was the cookie to dab my thumb downward. Looking for a cookie base to stuff, ice or otherwise decorate wasn't too tough. I wanted versatility and these cookies have it. Delicately flavoured with almonds these cookies are also nice and crisp, able to hold up a sweet orangy center. This, I guess is where inspiration meets evolution; or laziness meets versatility - can't decide. No matter which, the cookie base is a great canvas and here are two works for it. Let me know what you come up with.
Not that I'm the authority but I think that it's safe to say that Holiday baking is may "officially" begin, now that it's actually December. Be it that we took our kids to the community Santa Claus parade or that was today was the first of December, Holidays get me to hum classic carols and remember highlights of Christmas Past. With my brain swirling of roasting chestnuts and the clementine I almost mistook as a lump of coal down in the depths of my stocking toe, I decided the first cookie of the year should be able to last as long as that heart wrenching childhood memory. Memory aside, it's always a thrill to bring home the first box of "Christmas Oranges", as my daughter refers to them. Cracking into them fills a room with a special kind of happiness only little orange packages can bring. With clementines and cookies on my mind, it wasn't too tough a decision to get that this biscotti would be the first cookie of the season. Biscotti is a double baked, super crunchy cookie, perfect for packing in just about any flavour combination and, of course, dipping into mulled wine, coffee or nog.
Thrusting from a vacation back into the continual chill known as November in my part of the world, rejolted my need for hibernation. Part of this ritual naturally consists of no longer wanting to venture outside for long walks along the beach or having bird like meals made up of crunchy vegetables. Rib sticking, hearty, soft and warm is what I crave, and so what if all I want to do is have a nap afterward? With my onslaught of deliciously sweet pumpkins awaiting my arrival, I've made my share of sweet treats. If anything, I've noticed from my humble, hearty gourds is that, as wonderful as pumpkin is with sugar and nutmeg, they go fantastically well with the acidic punch of a tomato. So in meeting my hibernation qualifications, I concocted this little twist on a traditional cheese stuffed manicotti. So, after a bit of an absence, I'm about to check in with Ruth and my other Presto Pasta lover's to see about the transition from salads to soups and sauces. I'm positive the round-up of dishes will be rib stickingly delicious, as usual.
With autumn here it's not to tough to find the cooler weather ingredients. As the farmer's markets begin the preparation of shutting down for the winter, the fall finds and harvest colours are still filling the tables. Since Jack-o-Lanterns aren't very good for eating, I used the Jarrahdale pumpkin left from my day at the patch. Although I didn't have to worry about the abundance of carving pumpkins flooding the market, I figure a butternut squash may also do in a pinch. With winds blustering and my grocery bag full, I was set for anything including a challenge. Upon making my dinner, I was quite excited to read of A Slice of Cherry Pie's call for my same three ingredients. It seems that shopping locally and celebrating of seasonal food isn't all that uncommon, so if you too found these great ingredients at your local market, you can check out her round up for this and other great recipes using these wonderful autumn finds.
On a recent trip to the country side, it was easy to absorb the surroundings and be thankful for what we have. The warm autumn days have brought with it a tremendous bounty. While on the road, we were fortunate to experience one of the more remarkable pumpkin patches of recent memory. Flooded by the sea of orange, we washed up by the barn only to be further delighted by the classy heirloom varieties our hosts, the Nauman's, had so knowledgeably grown over the past 100 days or so. Beautiful and rarely seen French and Italian heirloom pumpkins soon filled my cart once only destined to carry orange carvers. Pink, red, blue and green classics, fit for a princess's coach were on their way into my life to nobly, and tastily end theirs. During the purchase of my great pumpkins, I naturally dreamed of creamy, spiced pies but thoughts shift creatively with vegan visitors and Thanksgiving at your doorstep. Cracking into my vibrant Rouge Vif D'Etampe, I couldn't help but imagine it's outcome. This stunning, old French heirloom is also known as Cinderella's Carriage, as it was used as the artist's model in the Disney classic. It's lovely, dense, creamy orange interior yielded about 5 cups of puréed intention. Ideal for baking, the Rouge Vif is smooth and easy to relieve of any excess liquid. This pumpkin easily puts any Holiday can of pie to shame and is well worth the small, extra effort.
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