pie crust 101
To begin, I want to make a note about the zillions of pie dough recipes out there: I barely buy it. Not the value of a recipe, mind you, but that new ones will ever come to pass. At their very base, they’re all just some type of solid fat (butter, shortening or lard) cut with powdery ingredients (flour, sometimes salt and sugar) bound with a liquid (usually water, but some folks get creative with milk, cream, buttermilk or vodka), and I’m amused that every year, so many cooking publications feel a need to pronounce that By Golly, They’ve Got It! That said, Cooks Illustrated is really onto something grand this year, so thank you to all who pointed me in this recipe’s direction. So let’s get started shall we? First, measure your flour. Now is the point where I suppose I should jump in on the Great Butter versus Shortening, but yawn, you can get that elsewhere. The first picture shows the dough after a few cuts with the blender, i.e. big chunks. Aren’t you proud of yourself? 1. 2.
Nutella-Mallow Pillow Pockets
When I tell you this, take me very seriously…..run, don’t walk to your nearest grocery store and make these today! I knew I wanted to make a Nutella treat the other day and when this simple idea came to mind I had no idea how crazy good it would be! The pastry with the gooey disappearing marshmallow and nutella make for a treat that you just must try for yourself! Enjoy! Can you handle this line up?! Um….this stuff should be illegal. Ok, easy easy. Take a little fork and crimp those edges, nice and firm. Next, you’ll brush with an egg white wash and sprinkle with sugar, mmmmm! Get a load of this! I sprinkled mine with a little powdered sugar Oooey, gooey and delish! Nutella-Mallow Pillow Pockets 1 package puff pastry, 2 pastry sheets thawed 1 Cup Nutella spread 1 Cup mini marshmallows Egg white wash: 1 egg white whisked with 1 Tablespoon water Powdered sugar for dusting 1. 8 pockets Have a great new week! Other recipes you may enjoy...
Red Velvet Crêpes
I rolled my eyes at the red velvet cake trend, but now I can’t get enough. I’ll make any excuse to have ‘cake’ for breakfast– here’s my take on a classic. Red Velvet Crepes (Makes about 24, 8″ crepes) Ingredients: – 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - 1 teaspoon baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon salt - 3 tablespoons sugar - 2 cups butter milk - 1 1/4 cup whole or lowfat milk - 1 large egg - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted - 1 tablespoon red food color gel - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted + 2 tablespoons cooking oil (for pan) *Update: Because the buttermilk lends to the acidity of this batter, do not substitute the baking soda for extra baking powder. Mascarpone Cream Filling- 500 mL heavy cream - 300 gr mascarpone cheese - 1/2 cup icing sugar - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - zest of 1 orange (optional, but adds nice tang) + 1/2 cup raspberry jam (optional, for filling crepes) Directions: For the Mascarpone Filling:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
The Cook Abides.
Sweet Things
Sweet Things is an e-book containing some of my very favourite recipes. These are the recipes that I turn to time and again. They are reliable and the results are very well received! Each recipe comes with measurements in grams and millilitres as well as ounces and cups. Here are the recipes featured: The price of this e-book is $5. To check whether you can view the book, you can click here to download a taster (2.5MB in size). Payments are handled through Paypal and during the checkout process you will automatically receive a link to download your e-book. Why is the price in US dollars?
Zucchini Noodles with Pesto |
This dish is a play on pesto spaghetti! I used a spirooli to make thin zucchini noodles and tossed it in a creamy pesto sauce. Pesto is usually made exclusively from pine nuts but holy cow they were really expensive at my local store! Preparation time: 20mins (plus standing time for noodles)Serves 2 You’ll need: A blender or food processor Spirooli/spiral slicer or you can just use a vegetable peeler to make thin strips Ingredients: 3 medium sized zucchinis (approx 3 cups)1 cup of loosely packed Sweet basil3/4 pine nuts (or cashews or mix) (reserve a few for garnish if you like!) Zucchini Noodles Use a spiral cutter or vegetable peeler to make thin strips of zucchini and place in a strainer over a bowl. Pesto Combine all other ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Toss the pesto with the noodles and serve immediately.
Strawberry & Chocolate Nachos
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: sometimes the best creations are the ones you don’t set out to create! This might be my new favorite thing. It’s the perfect easy, throw-together, family style dessert for summer. Then my boys walked in from the back yard with handfuls of strawberries from our garden and I started thinking about how chocolate covered strawberries sounded so good right then because my first thought when I see any sort of food product is how it would taste covered in chocolate. So I chopped up those berries and let them sit in a spoonful of sugar for a bit. Then I sprinkled them all over those crispy cinnamon-sugar coated chips. I grabbed some chocolate chips, and ate a few. Adding just a touch of vegetable oil or shortening to your chocolate makes it nice and smooth for drizzling. When it’s nice and melted, you can start drizzling. in an artistic-meets-haphazard sort of way chocolate + strawberries = good. The finishing touch is a few dallops of whipped cream.
Could macarons be the new cupcake? Part 3 French Macaron Tutorial
As you all know, we are in LOVE with macarons!! We hope you had a chance to read our previous posts about the history of the French Macaron!Could macarons be the new cupcake? Part 1Could macarons be the new cupcake? French Macarons1 cup confectioners sugar3/4 cup almond flour2 large egg whites (let eggs come to room temperature before you use them)pinch of cream of tartar1/4 cup superfine sugar Fillings can be seedless jam, buttercream or ganache Pre-heat your oven to 375 degreesLine your baking sheets with parchment paper Combine your almond flour and confectioners sugar then sift two times. This is what it should look like after the sugar and almond flour are combined correctly Whisk you egg whites with a mixer until foamy At this point you can add your cream of tartar and food coloring if you want to make them a certain color. Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold in until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Let macarons cool for 2-3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
