Ingredient: baking powder

Apple Maple Boursin Muffins w/ Sweet Potato

Boursin’s story began in 1957, in a small Normandy village, located in France, when cheese maker François Boursin set up a factory producing soft cheese. At that time, he had no idea his name would become internationally famous.

Boursin Garlic & Herbs was launched in 1963 and quickly became a household name across France. Sixty years later, the original recipe remains unchanged and food lovers in more than 35 countries have spread their passion for Boursin all around the world. Perfect on bread, as appetizers or in a creamy sauce for main or side dishes. Since 2011, Boursin has been made in Canada in St. Hyacinthe, Québec, by Agropur, the Canadian dairy co-operative, for Bel Cheese Canada, the Canadian arm of Bel Group, the France-based multinational. 

There are seven flavors of Boursin Cheese sold in Canada: Garlic & Fine Herbs, Shallot & Chive, Bouquet of Basil & Chive, Cranberry & Pepper, Cracked Black Pepper, Fig & Balsamic, Apple & Maple.

Boursin is sometimes dubbed a Gournay cheese, Gournay being the name of the region in Normandy where Boursin was first made. The cheesemaker used the name when he was first asked to classify the cheese for customs purposes.

Today, I am doing a bit of recipe development with Apple Maple Boursin. The apple flavor and the silkiness of maple syrup perfectly complement Boursin’s incomparable texture along with some sweet potato, dates and dried cranberries. The whole combination creates an exceptional sweet and savory cheese muffin. Brion & I really enjoyed my new muffin creation.

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 Apple Maple Boursin Muffins w/ Sweet Potato
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apple maple Boursin muffins w/ sweet potato
Servings
Ingredients
Batter
Topping
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apple maple Boursin muffins w/ sweet potato
Servings
Ingredients
Batter
Topping
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Topping
  1. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients. Spread out on a large plate & place in freezer until; ready to use.
Muffin Batter
  1. Cook, peel & mash sweet potato. Chop dates. Slice, core & grate apple. Grate orange (zest). Chop pecans. Crumble Boursin.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with baking cups.
  3. In a large bowl, combine first 12 ingredients using a fork. Make a well in center.
  4. Beat egg until frothy. Whisk in sugar, oil, sweet potato & sour cream. Crumble in 75 gm of the Boursin cheese.
  5. Pour into well & stir only to moisten. Divide between the 12 muffin cups. Remove topping from freezer & place some on top of each muffin.
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes then remove from pan. BEST SERVED WARM!

Spice Balls w/ Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Frosting

The weather is cooling, and fall baking fills the air with the warm aromas of cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Spice cake recipes from turn-of-the-century cookbooks call for early forms of baking soda, which require an acid and the presence of heat to create a reaction that generates carbon dioxide bubbles. Tomato soup being acidic, provides the acid to make that reaction occur, the same way applesauce does. These spice cake balls are using both applesauce and tomato soup, making them super moist and full of flavor.

Who knew that a can of tomato soup could be turned into a cake? Condensed tomato soup appeared in stores in the late 1890s, and recipes for tomato soup cake began appearing in cookbooks in the late 1920s, early 1930s. This cake gained popularity likely in response to the depression, since the original recipe didn’t contain eggs or milk, which were in short supply during that time. Canned goods were an important staple during the depression, and like mayonnaise, the soup serves to bring moisture and bind the cake together. While it does not leave a tomato flavor in the cake, it does give the cake a lovely reddish color.

The Campbell Soup Company didn’t actually produce a recipe until 1940 and by 1960 it was featured on a Campbell’s soup label, making it the first recipe ever to appear on a soup can.

Tomato soup cake has moved beyond its humble origins. It is truly a recipe for all ages and for all seasons, a recipe that has been revised and modified to suit changing needs and tastes, a recipe that has stood and triumphed over the test of time. Around 1966, a cream cheese–frosted version surfaced, which remains the most popular version to this day.

The pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting is truly the ‘icing on the cake‘.

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 Spice Cupcakes w/ Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword spice balls w/ pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting
Servings
OR 12 CUPCAKES
Ingredients
Spice Cake
Cream Cheese Frosting, Divided
Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Frosting
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword spice balls w/ pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting
Servings
OR 12 CUPCAKES
Ingredients
Spice Cake
Cream Cheese Frosting, Divided
Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Frosting
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Rating: 5
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Instructions
Spice Cake Balls
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. If you are using cake pop pans it is not necessary to grease them. If you are using muffin cups, line with paper cups.
  2. In a large bowl, cream sugar & butter. Mix in applesauce & tomato soup.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking powder & baking soda.
  4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients along with walnuts or pepitas. Fold together, mixing lightly. Do not overmix batter.
  5. Bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. Place cream cheese in a bowl & beat with mixer until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar, vanilla & salt. Combine well.
  2. For Pumpkin Spice Frosting: Divide cream cheese mixture (from recipe above) in half. To one half of the mixture add the pumpkin pie spice.
  3. In a piping bag, fitted with a star piping tip, place the white cream cheese frosting on one side & the pumpkin spice frosting on the other side of the bag, Pipe a swirl over each 'spice cake pop'. Decorate with some whole pepitas if desired.

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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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
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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.

Late Summer Plum Tart

As peach season wanes and the late summer sun shines brightest, plums arrive in their multicolored splendor. They come in vibrant red, yellow, orange, green, and pink-purple colors.

Plums belong to the same family as peaches, nectarines and apricots. Over 2,000 varieties of plums exist, each with a diverse set of shapes and colors, and they are divided into the following six categories – Japanese, American, Ornamental, Damson, Wild, and European.

One of the best things about plums is how versatile they are. Both sweet and spicy recipes work well with them. Brown sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon are plums’ best friends.

Plums aren’t the summer darling of fruits and are underutilized. But that means you can easily use them to add an unexpected twist to traditional recipes.

Gently spiced, this plum tart celebrates the summer-into-fall season. Quartered and nestled into the batter, the plums soften into mulberry-colored pockets as they bake.

While a slice of this seasonal fruit tart needs no embellishment, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream doesn’t hurt.

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 Late Summer Plum Tart
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword late summer plum tart
Servings
Ingredients
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword late summer plum tart
Servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & cardamom.
  3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter & 1 cup sugar until pale & fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg & vanilla; beat on low speed until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture alternating with the milk. Beat on low speed until smooth & thick.
  4. Transfer the batter to prepared baking pan & smooth the top with a spoon or offset spatula. Arrange plums on top, skin side up, in circular patterns. Sprinkle the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar over plums.
  5. Bake for 60 minutes or until golden on top & set in the center.
  6. Remove from oven then remove sides from springform pan leaving the base in place. Cool completely on a wire rack. Slice & serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

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
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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
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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.

German Kiwifruit Obsttorte

An Obsttorte or Obstboden is basically a German cake made with a pre-baked cake base that has a ‘lip’ to hold fresh fruits, very similar to a fruit tart, or a fruit pizza.

Obsttorte, (translates to ‘fruit cake’), is baked in a special pan called a German ‘boden’ (meaning base) or flan pan. A flan pan is round and shallow with fluted sides to give the cake a decorative outside edge. The pan has a raised bottom to give the cake a raised edge when turned out of the pan. Not only does it look pretty, but it also helps to keep the filling contained.

This simple sponge cake is often spread with a thin layer of melted chocolate or vanilla pudding (used as a moisture barrier to prevent soggy cake) and topped with a variety of fruit, such as fresh berries, kiwi, peaches, etc. The fruit is then brushed with a fruit glaze to give it a shiny finish and extra flavor.

A fresh fruit tart, like the classic French fruit tart, has a sweet pastry crust as its base. It is baked in a round tart pan with fluted sides and a flat (removable) bottom.

The tart shell is filled with a rich pastry cream made with whole milk, heavy cream, egg yolks, cold butter, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. The vanilla pastry cream is then topped with seasonal fruit and a glaze made from either apple jelly or apricot preserves.

With a fruit pizza, the base is made from a sugar cookie dough that is pressed in a large pizza pan, spread with a cream cheese frosting and topped with different kinds of fruit. Unlike the fruit flan and fruit tart, it does not have a showy, fluted edge.

The one thing that ties them all together is the beautiful abundance of fresh fruit spread out in concentric circles or other pretty patterns.

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 Kiwifruit Obsttorte
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Course dessert
Cuisine German
Keyword German kiwifruit obsttorte
Servings
Ingredients
Torte Cake
Fruit
Kiwi/Pineapple Jam / Glaze
Course dessert
Cuisine German
Keyword German kiwifruit obsttorte
Servings
Ingredients
Torte Cake
Fruit
Kiwi/Pineapple Jam / Glaze
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 11-inch flan/torte pan with baking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, place flour, sugar, baking powder & eggs. Beat with an electric mixer until light & fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Gently pour batter in prepared torte pan.
  3. Bake 18 -20 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack & allow to cool completely before filling.
Fruit
  1. Peel & slice/wedge kiwis.
Jam
  1. If jam is not smooth, press through a sieve. Whip cream & place in refrigerator until ready to decorate torte.
Assembly
  1. Lightly spread inside bottom of torte shell with kiwi/pineapple jam. Arrange overlapping in a concentric circle over jam. Fill the center with the remaining kiwi wedges. Spoon remaining jam over fruit. Refrigerate until ready to serve then pipe whipped cream around outside edge of fruit.

Parsnip Muffins w/ Lemon & Poppy Seed

A roast isn’t complete without roasted parsnips – and they add a whole new dimension to casseroles and soups too. So, why wouldn’t they be just as good in baked goods?

Eating vegetables is something which comes easy for me. I grew up on a farm where my mother always had a huge garden. I enjoyed the taste and had no issues with pretty much any vegetable. Even as I grew older, it was second nature to incorporate them into every meal.

One area in which we tend to overlook or rarely consider is dessert or sweet recipes. It’s often assumed that vegetables are only correlated to savory dishes but in actual fact, they can be a wonderful edition to baked goods. Vegetables like squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini and even beets are the perfect additions to many baked goods, lending an incredibly moist and/or dense texture.

Carrot cakes have been a stalwart of afternoon teas, coffee shop counters and supermarket cake aisles for decades. No one bats an eye at the prospect of a grated root vegetable in their cakes in this sense, as they hold a piece of history, using the natural sweetness of fruit and veg to make what was likely a wartime born cake more palatable.

These unusual muffins are everything a carrot muffin wants to be. They are sweet, moist, lightly spiced and probably the best way to eat a vegetable or two!

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 Parsnip Muffins w/ Lemon & Poppy Seed
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword parsnip muffins w/ lemon & poppy seed
Servings
Ingredients
Muffins
Lemon Drizzle
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword parsnip muffins w/ lemon & poppy seed
Servings
Ingredients
Muffins
Lemon Drizzle
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Muffins
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Peel & finely grate parsnip. Set aside.
  3. With an electric mixer, beat butter & sugar together in a large bowl until light & fluffy.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating each in well. Beat in zest, lemon juice & vanilla. Blend well then add the sour cream; combine.
  5. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt; stir in the poppy seeds & parsnip. Combine it all thoroughly, but don't overmix. Spoon mixture into 10 paper lined muffin cups.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cook for a few minutes in the muffin tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Drizzle
  1. Stir 5 tsp lemon juice with powdered sugar to a runny consistency. Drizzle over the completely cooled muffins.

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.

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 Green Onion Cake BLT
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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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Rate this recipe!
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.