Ingredient: water

Apple Hand Pies

We are now entering the last month of the autumn season here in Canada.  Fall air is light and crisp—and it carries a signature scent …. a mix of rain, earth, tree bark, and leaves. It’s a scent that always makes you want to take deeper, longer breaths, and just fill your lungs with all the smells of nature. Fall is nature’s most prolific and imaginative painter who loves to splash stunning shades of red, orange, and yellow splash across this canvas we call planet earth.

If fall recipes are known for two things, those things are pumpkin and apples. The smell of the spices in our fall desserts, things like pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon, bring back memories of family Thanksgivings. Not only are these flavors generally found in hot drinks and foods, which are comforting in themselves, their smells are what actually makes them so coveted. 

With the abundance of apples available to us this time of year, it’s no surprise our kitchens are often full of the aromas of wonderful baked apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and the plethora of smells that often accompany apple dishes. There are just so many ways to incorporate apples into our dishes, both savory and sweet.

Over the years, I have posted many different hand pies, both sweet and savory. So, just as a salute to ‘apple season’, I’m making some apple hand pies topped with a fall motif.

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 Apple Hand Pies
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Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apple hand pies
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Apple Filling
Egg Wash
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apple hand pies
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Apple Filling
Egg Wash
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pastry
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt. Cut in white & yellow shortening until it resembles small peas. In a one cup measure, place egg & vinegar; combine. Add enough cold water to make 3/4 cup. Pour all at once over flour mixture, mixing quickly, until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. This should only take a couple of minutes; DO NOT OVERMIX PASTRY. Cover with plastic wrap & place in refrigerator until filling is ready.
Apple Filling
  1. Peel & dice apples, toss with lemon juice, brown sugar, spice of choice & salt in a mixing bowl.
  2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, add apple mixture & cook until sugar dissolves completely & the apple pieces are starting to soften.
  3. Mix cornstarch with cold water & add this slurry to the saucepan. Stir until filling thickens, about 1 minute. Take off the heat & set aside to cool completely.
Assembly
  1. Prepare egg wash. Remove pastry from fridge & roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4-inch cookie cutter, cut into 16 rounds. If you wish cut out some fall designs such as acorns or maple leaves for the top of the hand pies. On each round place a scoop of apple filling (I weighed my filling & divided it between the 16 pastry rounds). Fold in half & seal with a fork or alternately use a perogy cutter to cut, fold & seal.
  2. Place the mini turnovers on a parchment lined baking sheet & keep in the fridge or freezer while you continue to make the rest of the pastries.
Baking
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Brush egg wash all over the pastry crusts. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of coarse sugar. Bake for about 14 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
  3. Remove from oven & place pastries on a wire rack to cool.

Apricot Couscous Cupcakes

Want an unusual dessert? Try swapping out some of the flour for couscous in a cupcake batter. You’ll be amazed at the result.

A major complaint about couscous sometimes is the lack of flavor but this is where having it as dessert comes in handy. Incorporating apricot puree and spices into the couscous batter gives the cupcakes an amazing flavor and texture.

Couscous, the justly celebrated masterpiece of Moroccan cooking, is actually a pasta, though it`s often mistaken for a grain.

Couscous (pronounced ‘koos-koos‘) is now widely available in packaged form in most supermarkets. Couscous are the yellow granules of semolina made from durum wheat. Durum is the hardest variety of the six classes of wheat and has the highest protein content of all wheat. Because of this, it’s ideal for making high quality pasta and is used by both American and Italian manufacturers. It’s also used to make couscous in America and Latin America. If these pastas were made of the softer white wheat flour that egg noodles use, they would lose their shape.

There are three types of couscous:

  • Moroccan couscous -Fine, used for savory as well as dessert couscous.
  • Israeli couscous – Medium, used for savory dishes also called pearl couscous.
  • Lebanese couscous – Coarse, more difficult to work with, used for savory dishes.

Adding some cream cheese frosting topped with apricot puree and sprinkled with couscous rolled in cinnamon takes this dessert to the next level!

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 Apricot Couscous Cupcakes
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword apricot couscous cupcakes
Servings
Ingredients
Couscous
Apricot Puree
Cupcakes
Frosting
Topping
Course dessert
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword apricot couscous cupcakes
Servings
Ingredients
Couscous
Apricot Puree
Cupcakes
Frosting
Topping
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Couscous
  1. In a saucepan, bring 1 cup water & 1/2 tsp salt to boiling. Add couscous, cover & remove from heat. Allow to sit 5 minutes then fluff with a fork & set aside to cool.
Apricot Puree
  1. Place water, sugar & apricots in a saucepan. Bring to a boil & simmer until soft. Place in a food processor & pulse to make a puree.
Cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. In a small bowl, combine 2 cups cooled couscous (reserve a small amount for topping), flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices & salt; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream butter & sugar. Add 1 cup apricot puree & whip until light & fluffy. Add vanilla & egg yolks; whip well.
  4. Gradually add couscous mixture then buttermilk & combine only until blended. Whip egg whites until frothy, adding a pinch of salt. Using a spatula, blend egg whites into the batter.
  5. Bake 12-15 minutes or until testing with a toothpick & it comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
  1. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese & butter until completely smooth, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down sides to ensure that the mixture is mixed evenly.
  2. On low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar. Once combined, scrape down sides of bowl & increase the speed to medium, beating just until well combined & creamy.
Decorating
  1. Place cream cheese topping in a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake. With another smaller piping bag, using a round tip, drizzle apricot puree then sprinkle with cinnamon coated (cooked) couscous.

Rhubarb Curd Shortbread Cookies

Rhubarb is an easy-care plant that lasts for decades in the same spot. Hardy rhubarb thrives in our cool northern climate and is the base for many truly delicious desserts. It’s the plant you’ll see still thriving amidst the tall grasses beside long-deserted old prairie homesteads, along with a lilac bush and a peony plant.

Curds are in a category all to themselves when it comes to the world of preserving fruits. Yes you can make jams, jellies, and butters ~ but when you really want to treat yourself to something special, make curd. Fruit curds are a centuries old treat that goes back to traditional tea time in Britain. Usually made with lemon or other citrus fruits, curds can be made with any almost any fruit, even rhubarb!

Rhubarb varies a lot in color, from beautiful garnet to stalks some that are more yellowy-green than red. When the eggs are blended with the fruit the color sometimes goes a bit beige due to basic color mixing principles. A drop or two of food coloring brightens it back up. You can use regular or gel food coloring, or if you want to go more natural, use some dehydrated strawberry or raspberry powder.

Tart rhubarb makes a great substitute for citrus in curd but rhubarb also has a beautiful fruity and floral taste to complement its tartness. Use curd to dress up toast and shortbread swirl it into ice cream, fill crêpes and layer cakes, or just eat it by the spoonful.

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 Rhubarb Curd Shortbread Cookies
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword rhubarb curd shortbread cookies
Servings
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookies
Candied Rhubarb for topping
Rhubarb Curd
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword rhubarb curd shortbread cookies
Servings
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookies
Candied Rhubarb for topping
Rhubarb Curd
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Shortbread Cookies
  1. Sift cornstarch, powdered sugar & flour together. Blend in butter with a fork, mixing until a soft dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap & chill for at least an hour. When ready to bake, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 80 circles. In 40 of them, cut out a small circle in the center.
  2. Preheat oven to 300 F. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack until ready to fill with curd.
Candied Rhubarb
  1. Prepare rhubarb & place in a small saucepan along with sugar & water. Bring to a simmer & cook until rhubarb is soft but still holds its shape. Strain rhubarb & reserve for topping on cookies.
Rhubarb Curd
  1. Prepare rhubarb & place in saucepan with the 'syrup' that was stained from the candied rhubarb. Cook until rhubarb falls apart & there are no whole pieces left. If rhubarb starts to stick to bottom before it is finished cooking, add a Tbsp or 2 of water. Once cooked, use an immersion blender to puree the mixture.
  2. Using a double boiler pot, add some water to the bottom & set over medium heat. In the top pot, add egg yolks, butter, sugar, lemon zest & lemon juice & whisk to combine. When sugar has dissolved completely, add the rhubarb puree by the spoonful, to temper the eggs. When all rhubarb has been added, set pot over bottom pot, the water should be simmering. Continue stirring the rhubarb mixture; after about 5 minutes the mixture will be warm & slightly thickened. Remove from heat & blend with blender to achieve a pudding-like texture. Set aside to completely cool until ready to use.
Assembly
  1. Fill a piping bag with cold rhubarb curd. Lay out 40 of the 'solid' cookies. Top each with a dollop of rhubarb curd. Top each cookie with the remaining cookies. Divide candied rhubarb between the filled cookies giving them a nice garnished look. The idea of making the holes in the top cookie helps to give the candied rhubarb something to stick to with that bit of curd pushing out.

Crunchy Streusel Rhubarb Cupcakes

One thing that really makes muffins and coffee cakes of all types extra special good is a sweet and crunchy streusel topping. These fluffy vanilla rhubarb cupcakes are topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting, drizzled with poached rhubarb and then sprinkled with some crunchy, spicy, baked streusel.

The simple addition of Chinese 5-spice powder makes for a delicious aromatic streusel. Five spice powder combines Chinese cinnamon with anise, cloves, ginger and fennel in a delicious balance that complements rhubarb, coaxing out more of its natural aroma. Adding pepita seeds and baking the crumble separately, creates a special crunchier topping.

The basic streusel is very versatile in that it can be customized to your personal preferences or what you have on hand. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Use 2 cups flour OR 1 cup rolled oats * 3/4 cup whole-grain flour * 3/4 cup cookie or cracker crumbs
  • Use 3/4 cup sugar OR 3/4 cup brown sugar * 1/2 cup raw sugar * 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • Use 1 cup butter OR 1 cup brown butter * 1/2 cup nut/seed butter * 1/4 cup coconut oil * 1/4 cup oil or sesame oil
  • Add-Ins .. 1 cup coconut flakes or nuts * spices & zests * 1/2 cup toasted seeds * 1/2 cup cocoa powder or wheat germ

I realize, this is a lot of steps for just a cupcake, but I think you’ll love them.

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 Crunchy Streusel Rhubarb Cupcakes
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword seeded rhubarb cupcakes
Servings
Ingredients
Sour Cream Rhubarb Cupcakes
Poached Rhubarb
Pepita 5-Spice Streusel
Ginger Cream Frosting
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword seeded rhubarb cupcakes
Servings
Ingredients
Sour Cream Rhubarb Cupcakes
Poached Rhubarb
Pepita 5-Spice Streusel
Ginger Cream Frosting
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line 9 muffin cups with large paper cups.
  2. Wash rhubarb & trim ends. Cut rhubarb into a 1/4-inch dice. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt & cinnamon. Set aside.
  4. In another bowl, whisk together sugars, eggs, sour cream, melted butter, vanilla & orange zest. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir until the flour is fully incorporated. Do not over-mix. Fold in rhubarb. The batter will be thick. Scoop the batter into 9 muffin cups, evenly distributing batter.
  5. Bake for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, decrease the oven temperature to 350 F. & bake for another 12 - 15 minutes or until cupcakes test done. Remove from oven & cool completely on a wire rack.
Poached Rhubarb
  1. Place rhubarb, water, sugar, food coloring (if using) & cardamom in a saucepan. Simmer very gently for about 3-5 minutes or until rhubarb is soft but NOT mushy! Put a strainer on top of a bowl. Pour mixture into strainer & put the rhubarb pieces in another dish to cool. Pour the liquid back into the saucepan & let simmer until slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Pour into a bowl to let cool. Gently combine rhubarb & syrup.
Pepita 5-Spice Streusel
  1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir until incorporated. Using your fingers, form fine crumbs. Spread the crumbs on a small cookie sheet and bake on a rack in the middle of the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely to room temperature. Crumble with fingers.
Frosting
  1. Beat butter until pale. Add powdered sugar & beat until smooth & pale, about 1 minute. Add softened cream cheese & ginger; beat until smooth.
Assembly
  1. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle with frosting. Top each cupcake with a dollop of frosting then using a spoon, create a well in each dollop. Spoon a bit of poached rhubarb inside of each well. Sprinkle with pepita streusel.

Summer Fruit Tart

PRECIOUS MEMORIES OF LORETTA

Over the years I have shared many experiences on the blog that I had enjoyed with my sister Loretta. She was an avid follower of the blog and always encouraged me to keep writing. In February, Loretta’s time on this earth ended. Her passing has left such an empty place in my heart. There is something very special about having an older sibling. For me, I just wanted to be with her and do everything and anything she could think of. For her, it was probably not quite as much fun having this ‘brat’ tagging along all the time asking questions.

Something Loretta and I always had in common was being adventurous. Whenever we got the chance to explore something mysterious that was right up our alley. One such occasion arose one day when we decided to investigate an old empty farmhouse. This house was 3-4 kilometers from our farm. The land itself was being farmed by a neighboring farmer and was posted ‘No Trespassing’. Nevertheless, this intriguing old  ‘haunted house’  was like a magnet for us. If I remember correctly, it took a little bit of doing to get in, but we managed it. For being such an old house, I recall the inside being quite unique in its design. It had one of those staircases that you see in the movies. We went upstairs and snooped around. Of course, to add to the intrigue, one room was locked. When we listened, we could hear a distinct buzzing or humming sound. After figuring out how to get in, to our surprise wasps had made it their home. The floor was covered with a huge pile of dead wasps but there were still lots of live ones buzzing around. At this point we decided we had best call it a day and leave. Just when we were about to go the farmer came and was working in the fields close to the buildings. Not to be caught ‘trespassing’ we hid by a granary, then high-tailed it out of there as soon as the coast was clear.

Another such memory was that of the ‘clam race’ we invented. About 6 kilometers or so from our farm, the Willow Creek ran through the farmlands. Starting up at the Chain Lakes in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, it snaked its way through southern Alberta eventually emptying into the Old Man River. On occasion, during summer vacation, Loretta and I would either walk or ride our bike down to the creek. This was fun because we could roll up our pant legs and walk in the water when it was so hot. We came to realize that there were some ‘clam beds’ as we explored different areas of the creek. Just for fun one day we decided to line up some of the clams across the width of the creek. On our next trip we would check to see how far they had gone. There are endless memories that replay over and over in my mind. Life in the fifties had a such a gentle rhythm to it …. what a pleasure it was to be a kid at that time and be a part of it all.

Later in our adult years, Loretta and I had the opportunity to spend a vacation travelling the California coast. It was an amazing experience with memories to last a lifetime. Although our lives took us in many different directions, we always seemed to gravitate back to our sibling bond.

In 2001, Loretta had joined my husband, Brion and I on a French vacation. After we had left Paris, we drove 613 km (380 miles) south to the sleepy village of St. Thibery. This little medieval village, population of 2481, can be traced back more than 4000 years of known history. For this segment of the trip, we had rented an apartment in St Thibery to use as ‘home base’ during our time there. Many of these houses are from the 14th, 15th and 17th century. The apartment was quaint but adequate, even having a roof top patio. We spent about a week in St Thibery and it was there that the three of us made some special memories enjoying our leisure French brunches.

Loretta lived in many places during her life, including California and Vancouver Island, but was particularly drawn to the Peace Country in Northern Alberta. She worked as an LPN for 25 years north of Grand Prairie for Central Peace Hospital in Spirit River and Fairview General Hospital.

Loretta had a love for music, gardening, crafting, and reading. She cared for all animals big and small which included one little precious Dachshund dog named Amigo.

Loretta & Amigo spent a lot of time after she retired with Brion & I. For many years they would come and look after our home while we were away on vacation. Of course, that always included some time after we came home so we could enjoy their company. The three of us loved Amigo so it was great being together.

Today, July 25, would have been Loretta’s 80th birthday. I wanted to make something special on the blog to honor her memory. This fruit tart was what developed.

Loretta was a very kind, gentle soul. She was a sister, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, friend and professional health care worker as well as many other things she did with such love and compassion.

Wishing you where here today, for even just a while so I could say happy birthday and see your loving smile.

The only gifts today will be the sweet memories you left behind of laughter, joy and happiness that echo in my mind.

I’ll gaze upon your pictures, I’ll think of you with love and hope you’re doing fine in heaven up above.

May our friends and family in heaven hold you closely and sing you a song. I’ll be sending a million hugs and kisses to today and all year long.

As we remember Loretta today, we hold on to those precious memories she left with us that will never fade from our minds.

Print Recipe
 Summer Fruit Tart
Apple cream cheese filling with a wonderful blend of 'Dutch' spices, baked in a shortbread cookie crust and topped with fresh fruit!
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword summer fruit tart
Servings
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
Filling
Glaze
Fresh Fruit
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword summer fruit tart
Servings
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
Filling
Glaze
Fresh Fruit
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. In a food processor, combine flour, powdered sugar & cornstarch. Cover & process until combined; add butter. Pulse with on/off turns until mixture forms fine crumbs. Press mixture onto the bottom & 1 1/2" up the sides of a 9" spring form pan.
Filling
  1. Beat cream cheese & 1/4 cup sugar with mixer until well blended. Add egg & vanilla; mix well. Spread onto bottom of crust. Mix remaining sugar, 2 Tbsp flour & spice blend. Add to apples in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spoon over cream cheese layer.
  2. Bake, cover with foil for about 20 minutes. Uncover & continue to bake for another 30 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove from ove & cool completely on a wire rack.
Glaze/Fruit
  1. Place sugar, cornstarch & water into a saucepan and bring a boil while constantly stirring with a hand whisk or a spoon.
  2. Once boiled, remove the glaze from the heat and let it cool a bit. Stir every 3-5 minutes to prevent a film from forming on the surface of the glaze.
  3. Prepare fruit for topping. Place in 12 'wedges' on top of cooled tart. With a silicone brush, gently apply the glaze on top of the fruit to keep the made pattern. Refrigerate the pastry for at least 1 hour before serving.
Recipe Notes
  • SPICE BLEND MIX
  • 4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cloves
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp anise seed
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp mace
  • Grind the spices together in a coffee grinder or blender; place in a screw-top jar in the refrigerator.
  • Any extra spice mix can be used in recipes calling for 'apple or pumpkin pie spice'.

Rhubarb Rugelach

Rugelach is an irresistible baked treat which is both delicious and versatile. So, is it a pastry or a cookie? Rugelach’s unique buttery, tender dough wrapped around any variety of tasty fillings seems to straddle the line.

Rugelach was invented around the same time as the croissant, in 1683 and has Jewish (Polish) origins. The word rugelach means ‘little twists’.

Traditionally, rugelach was made with yeast dough, but the pastry has evolved and is now made with cream cheese which is both quicker and easier to make. The cream cheese dough was first used by North American bakers in the 1940’s, and now forms the staple of the modern rugelach we know today.

Many folks don’t associate the crescent-shaped cookies with Christmas but rather consider rugelach a year-round treat. That being said, I see no reason not to make some summer rhubarb rugelach.

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 Rhubarb Rugelach
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine Jewish
Keyword rhubarb rugelach
Servings
Ingredients
Rhubarb Filling
Rugelach
Nut Filling
Course dessert
Cuisine Jewish
Keyword rhubarb rugelach
Servings
Ingredients
Rhubarb Filling
Rugelach
Nut Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Rhubarb Compote
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine rhubarb, sugar, cinnamon & orange juice. Bring just to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered stirring occasionally about 10 minutes or until rhubarb is broken down; set aside to cool.
Rugelach
  1. In a cup combine water, sugar & yeast. Allow to sit until frothy.
  2. In a large bowl, combine butter & flour until resembles small peas. Add eggs & the yeast mixture to the bowl. Knead the dough until smooth & soft then divide into thirds.
  3. In a small bowl, combine nut filling ingredients. Spread 1/4 cup of the nut filling on a work surface & place 1/3 of the dough on top of it. Roll dough into a circle the size of a small pizza. Spread 1/4-1/2 cup of the rhubarb compote on top of the dough.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  5. Cut the dough into 12 pieces like you would cut a pizza & roll each piece from the outside in. Place each rugelach on a parchment lined baking sheet with the point face down. Repeat with remaining dough.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until slightly browned.
Recipe Notes
  • Due to a nut allergy problem, I had to omit the nut filling for our rugelach.

Individual Strawberry Royale

Strawberry Royale puts an interesting spin on an old classic by using some little ‘Swiss Rolls’ to make seasonal individual desserts.

Despite the name, the cake does not stem from any type of Swiss tradition or cuisine. The origin of Swiss Roll is not Switzerland, but its beginning is still a mystery. Some think it is an old English recipe, some think it is possibly inspired from the Austrians. Historians believe it was invented around the 19th century. 

The earliest published reference for a rolled cake spread with jelly was in the Northern Farmer, a journal published in Utica, New York, in December 1852.

During the 1960s, manufacturing Swiss Roll as snacks became fairly popular. Big brands such as Little Debbie and Lyons Company began their Swiss Roll businesses around that time.

Different countries have their own version of Swiss Roll. Depending on the country’s taste, they develop their own flavors of cakes and choices of fillings.

In France, Bûche de Noël or Yule Log, is a traditional French dessert during Christmas. It is basically a Swiss Roll decorated with chocolate frosting to resemble a tree branch.

In Sweden, they called it Rulltarta, and some of their Swiss Rolls are made with potato flour instead of wheat flour.

There are many varieties of Swiss Rolls that can be found in most bakeries in Asia. Hong Kong styled Swiss Rolls are typically lighter than western style, because they usually only use standard whipping cream filling.

Indian Swiss Rolls are called Jam Rolls, using filling such as a pineapple jelly.

In Japan, it is common to use Matcha (green tea powder) to flavor the sponge cake, and red bean flavored whipped cream is sometimes used as fillings.

In Malaysia, fruity flavored Swiss Rolls like coconut, strawberry, and blueberry are quite popular. 

Along with great eye appeal this is such a nice, easy summer dessert.

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 Individual Strawberry Royale
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword individual strawberry royale
Servings
Ingredients
Cake/Filling
Strawberry Sauce
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword individual strawberry royale
Servings
Ingredients
Cake/Filling
Strawberry Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cake/Filling
  1. Line 6 ramekins with plastic wrap. In a large bowl whip cream until stiff peaks form; set aside in refrigerator. In another large bowl, beat pudding mix & milk until smooth.
  2. In a small dish, sprinkle gelatin over boiling water & stir until dissolved. Mix gelatin into pudding mixture & fold in whipped cream. Add sliced strawberries, mix gently.
  3. Cut Swiss rolls into 1/4-inch slices & arrange in ramekin dishes to cover bottom & sides. Pour pudding mixture over cake. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate until set.
Sauce
  1. In a small saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar & salt. Add water & strawberries; cook until 'clear' & bubbling.
  2. Remove from heat & add butter, lemon juice & zest (if using). Allow to cool then place in a blender. Blender until sauce is smooth or omit the blending process & use as is with chunks of strawberries. Cool sauce completely.
  3. Invert desserts onto serving plates. Drizzle with strawberry sauce & serve.

Green Onion Cake B(L)T

If you’re not familiar with them, green onion cakes are savory, pan fried flatbreads with a crispy exterior and a chewy interior filled with scallions, much like you’d spread cinnamon-sugar over dough for cinnamon buns, then rolling, twisting and squishing.

The scallion pancake has been around for so long, that like many other foods, its origins have passed into myth, folklore, and guesswork. It’s hard to tell where it was first created, but many of these tales point to Shanghai in northeastern China; at least, this is the most commonly accepted theory behind its creation. Shanghai has a large and diverse population, mainly of people who aren’t Chinese, such as the Indians. The scallion pancake greatly resembles an Indian flatbread known as paratha.

The Edmonton-style green onion cake, a variant of the Chinese scallion pancake, was popularized by chef Siu To, seen as the forefather in our city, of this specialty. When Siu To opened a restaurant in 1979, he had only one ambition. The former construction worker, who immigrated to Edmonton from northern China four years earlier, simply wanted to cook and serve the homestyle Mandarin cuisine he so greatly missed. But Siu To had no idea that they would become the local specialty of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The cakes were initially not seen outside his restaurant because of the labor-intensive process behind them; they must be slowly pan fried to crisp the outside and maintain the chewy interior. Eventually, Siu To found himself being increasingly asked to prepare the cakes at festivals and the popularity skyrocketed. Two variations exist: one with a typical pancake shape, and the other with a hole in the middle.

Today, green onion cakes are synonymous with Edmonton. They’re requisite festival fare and are in dozens of local eateries. The cakes were showcased in a Royal Alberta Museum exhibit on prairie Chinese restaurants in 2013. Bloggers as far away as Halifax acknowledge the green onion cake’s status in Edmonton’s culinary culture. 

It’s peculiar as to how a simple pan-fried dish made from little more than dough and green onions ever received this much attention in the first place.

Today, Brion & I are kicking it up a notch and having our city of Edmonton’s iconic green onion cakes in a ‘BT’ open face sandwich form. Lettuce is not really our favorite veg, so we opted to leave it off.

Print Recipe
 Green Onion Cake BLT
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword green onion cake BLT
Servings
Ingredients
Green Onion Cakes
Aioli
Toppings
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword green onion cake BLT
Servings
Ingredients
Green Onion Cakes
Aioli
Toppings
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Aioli
  1. In a bowl, whisk mayo, chili paste, sesame oil, 5-spice, sriracha, soy sauce & white pepper. Continue whisking until all blended & uniform. Set aside.
Toppings
  1. In a skillet, fry bacon until desired crispness. Remove from skillet & blot on paper towel. Slice tomatoes & Havarti cheese. Wash & prepare lettuce (if using). Set toppings aside until ready to be used.
Green Onion Cakes
  1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Make a well in mixture & add water. Mix until it forms a smooth dough. Knead for 2-3 minutes until dough is very elastic. Coat the dough lightly with a bit of oil & return to bowl. Allow to sit while you prepare onions.
  2. Slice green onions, place in a small bowl & combine well with sesame oil.
  3. Roll out dough into a very thin large circle. Spread green onion/oil mixture over entire surface. At bottom edge start rolling (cinnamon roll style), stretching & rolling until you reach the other side. Cut the cylinder into 8 even pieces. Pinch the ends of each piece together. One at a time, stand each roll on end & flatten into 'cakes'.
  4. Heat a Tbsp of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. (I found that my cakes seemed to be oily enough without adding any oil to the skillet.) When oil shimmers, place onion cakes in skillet. It should sizzle but not burn. Cook for 2 minutes on one side or until golden brown. Flip & cook another 2 minutes or until onion cake is cooked through.
Assembly
  1. Spread about a Tbsp of the aioli on each of the green onion cakes. Divide your toppings between 4 of the green onion cakes. Place remaining cakes on top. Cut each green onion BLT in half & serve or do as we did & have them 'open face'.
Recipe Notes
  • If the aioli sounds too spicy you can always change it out for Ranch dressing.

Stuffed Raspberry Cream Pancakes

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Here in Canada, we set aside the second Sunday in May to honor our mother’s with expressions of love and gratitude.

As I grow older, I realize how many ways I unconsciously emulate my mother. I loved everything about her and as a kid I could never imagine life without her. But in the natural sequence of events, that’s not how it works. I guess along with many other things, I’m grateful for the fact that she was there through my childhood. She passed away at the age of sixty and although she is no longer on this earth, her wonderful memory will live on in our hearts forever.

We are fortunate to still have Brion’s mother, Dolores. In January this year, we were able to spend four days visiting with her. It was so wonderful to be able to do that once again.  

This blog is especially to honor: the special memories of my mother for her endless giving of selfless love – my mother-in-law, Dolores, for her kind ways and raising that ‘special’ man I love sharing my life with – to my sisters, who have given so much of themselves to be such great moms.

Pancakes are one of mankind’s oldest prepared foods, which is why you’ll find some iteration of them in virtually every cuisine around the world.

For most North Americans, the word ‘pancake’ conjures a stack of fluffy, hot-off-the-griddle ‘flapjacks’, a pat of butter slowly melting beneath some maple syrup. But pancakes take many forms around the world, from delicate French crepes sprinkled with sugar to spongy, sour Ethiopian injera to chewy-crisp Japanese okonomiyaki, studded with seafood and drizzled with sticky brown sauce and mayo.

Both pancakes and flatbreads embody the idea that the most common and basic ingredients can combine into a whole far greater than the sum of its parts. They’re quick-cooking and don’t require anything more than a pan (or a rock) and a heat source, but they’re also the basis for more involved cooking methods, canvases for countless ingredient combinations. They’re staple foods to be peppered with seafood, poultry, aromatics, or fruit; topped with whipped cream or cheeses, syrups, caviar, chutneys, or jam.

Have you ever made stuffed pancakes? If not, you’re going to love this recipe! Stuffed pancakes do take a bit more time to prepare than regular pancakes, but they are really worth it.

Print Recipe
 Stuffed Raspberry Cream Pancakes
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Cuisine American
Keyword raspberry sour cream stuffed pancakes
Servings
Ingredients
Raspberry Sauce
Cream Cheese Filling
Sour Cream Pancakes
Cuisine American
Keyword raspberry sour cream stuffed pancakes
Servings
Ingredients
Raspberry Sauce
Cream Cheese Filling
Sour Cream Pancakes
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Raspberry Sauce
  1. In a small saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar & salt. Add water & raspberries; cook until 'clear' & bubbling. Remove from heat & add butter, lemon juice. If you wish , press sauce through a sieve to eliminate the seeds. Set aside.
Cream Cheese Filling
  1. In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining filling ingredients beating until smooth. Set aside.
Pancakes
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, milk, sour cream, butter & vanilla.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
  3. Add flour mixture to the liquid mixture & whisk together until no large lumps remain but don't overmix. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes. You can even refrigerate it overnight & cook the next morning.
  4. Heat a nonstick griddle on medium-low heat. To ensure your pancakes cook all the way through, you'll want the heat a little lower than for other pancakes.
  5. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup & scoop the batter to fill it up & pour an evenly round circle of batter on the griddle. I find using the bottom of the measuring cup helps to create the circle.
  6. Let it cook until little bubbles form, then pop, & the indentations stay on the batter. Pipe a small amount of the filling on half of the pancake, making sure not to get too close to the edges & not to overfill it.
  7. Fold the uncooked pancake over the filling. The edge of raw batter on the top half should touch the raw edge on the bottom when folded. It will continue to cook & seal itself on the griddle.
  8. Put a 'lid' over the pancakes to help them to cook through. Flip as needed to keep the browning even. Allow them to cook until all the batter looks cooked through.
  9. Serve with fresh raspberries & sauce.

Flapper Tarts

Flapper pie is a traditional dish from the prairies of western Canada. The name seems to stem from the fact that the pie originated in the era of the ‘flapper girl’. Flappers were modern, young girls in the 1920s, often with a slightly immoral behavior. Precursors of the 1920s flapper were both, the late Victorian ‘new woman’ and the Edwardian ‘Gibson girl’.

Unlike their Victorian grandmothers, 1920s flappers cut off their long hair and wore a bob instead. They also wore makeup, smoked and drank alcohol in public. And like all 1920’s women, flappers wore short (knee-length) dresses. However, unlike more conservative women, flappers wore only the bare necessities under their dresses, often just a slip and rolled stockings.

Flapper pie was served in every café that graced small, Canadian prairie towns. Some foods are so regionally specific that people outside of a certain geographic area have never even heard of them, let alone tasted the dishes. Such is the case with flapper pie.

Flapper pie is a decadent combination of three components: a cinnamon-y, graham cracker crust, a creamy vanilla custard filling and a meringue topping. Instead of a pie I decided to make individual tarts.

Print Recipe
 Flapper Tarts
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword flapper tarts
Servings
Ingredients
Crumb Crust
Filling
Meringue
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword flapper tarts
Servings
Ingredients
Crumb Crust
Filling
Meringue
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
  2. Combine crust ingredients; reserving 1/3 cup for topping. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Place 2 Tbsp of crumbs in each one, gently pushing up the sides & over the bottom. Try not to press to firmly to avoid them becoming to hard after baking.
  3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or just until crumbs stick together & brown slightly.
Meringue Stabilizer
  1. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water & 1 Tbsp cornstarch (listed in meringue ingredients); bring to a boil & thicken. Set aside to cool.
Filling
  1. In a heavy saucepan, heat 2 cups milk until it boils. In a small bowl, combine sugar & cornstarch, then add salt, egg yolks, 1/4 cup milk & vanilla. Whisk into boiling milk; continuing to whisk until mixture returns to a boil & thickens. Pour into baked tart shells.
Meringue
  1. Adjust oven temperature to 350 F. Beat egg whites & salt until frothy then gradually add sugar, beating until stiff. Add vanilla & MERINGUE STABALIZER, beating until stiff peaks form.
  2. Pipe the meringue over the custard in tart shells making sure it touches crust to seal & prevent it from shrinking after browning. Top with reserved crumbs.
  3. Bake tarts until golden, about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely set away from drafts.
Recipe Notes
  • The meringue stabilizer is used to ensure there is no 'weeping' as the meringue cools & sets.
  • If you prefer to make pie instead, this amount of ingredients will make a 9-inch pie nicely.