Ingredient: eggs

Hot Turkey Sandwich Loaf

Apart from the true meaning of Thanksgiving & Christmas Day, the holidays in general are all about indulging in good food and drink with family and friends. Many households spend time researching recipes, prepping and cooking, making dishes ahead of the big day and deciding which pie really is the best holiday dessert. Turkey, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce are all undeniably delicious, but often, the real food-induced excitement comes the following day.

Holiday leftovers are a celebration in their own right. Often in the busy time leading up to festivities, the actual meal goes by in a bit of a blur and the whole day generally ends in a peaceful and satisfied cozy nest of overindulgence. But with the arrival of the next day comes a new chance to enjoy the tasty morsels that were so carefully prepared for the day before.

This brings us to the leftover turkey sandwich! It truly is one of the joys of the holidays! Although the traditional version is great, it can be made in many different forms such as this hot turkey sandwich loaf.

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 Hot Turkey Sandwich Loaf
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword hot turkey sandwich pie
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword hot turkey sandwich pie
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Very lightly grease a skillet with olive oil, put in the bacon & sauté until browned. Add the chopped shallot; sauté until softened, then add the leek. Stir together & remove from heat - you want the leeks to keep their color so don't overcook.
  2. In a bowl, whisk sour cream, eggs, mustard & spices together. Don't overmix, keep the mixture a little 'lumpy'.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  4. Slice the bread, but not all the way through. You need to cut deep enough into the bread to open out the loaf & fill between the slices, while leaving the loaf connected at the base. Place the bread on a sheet of parchment paper.
  5. Into each slot in the bread, place a slice of turkey followed by some of the bacon, shallot & leeks.
  6. Place a large sheet of foil paper on a baking tray. Use the parchment paper to lift the bread & lay on top of the foil. Spoon some of the sour cream/egg mixture into each slot, so that the bread absorbs as much as possible.
  7. Finally, insert the slices of cheese. Enclose the loaf fully in the baking paper & then wrap it in the foil to make a tight parcel.
  8. Place the wrapped bread into preheated oven for about 55 minutes, then OPEN out the foil & parchment paper. Place bread back in the oven until the top of the bread & its filling is golden brown. Remove from oven & serve hot.

Vertical Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts w/ Cranberry Gelee

There’s something about the presentation of food—it always seems to taste better when it looks great. Plated desserts aren’t quite my passion, but it was still an experience worth learning.

Our eyes are the gateway to our stomachs. When a dessert looks good, it’s like a promise that it’s going to taste amazing. But it’s not just about the looks; there’s actual science behind it! Psychologists believe that visually appealing food also seems tastier. The brain, being the mischievous little thing it is, associates’ beauty with flavor.

Plated desserts are essentially desserts that have multiple textures, flavors, colors and components that are paired together and presented beautifully on a plate, almost looking like a piece of art.

Dessert plating has been around since the Renaissance. The nobility used to have their chefs present their sweets in the most elaborate ways. So basically, when you’re plating, you’re partaking in a historical tradition.

Embracing the seasonality of ingredients not only adds fresh flavors to your desserts but also creates a visual impact on your plate.

These little elegant tarts are made using rings of crisp, sweet shortcrust pastry, a light pumpkin cheesecake and a layer of fresh cranberry orange gelee. Standing upright on a bed of gingersnap crumble, they are decorated with white chocolate fall leaves and candy spheres.

A plated dessert can be simple to strikingly complex and everything in between so you are only limited by your imagination. 

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 Vertical Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts w/ Cranberry Gelee
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword vertical pumpkin cheesecake tarts w/ cranberry gelee
Servings
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Cranberry Gelee
Pastry
Crumb Base
Course dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword vertical pumpkin cheesecake tarts w/ cranberry gelee
Servings
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Cranberry Gelee
Pastry
Crumb Base
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pumpkin Cheesecake (make a day ahead)
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 9 X 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, brown sugar, ground spices, nutmeg and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat at medium speed until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin puree until smooth. Beat in the cream, maple syrup, vanilla and eggs at low speed until blended.
  3. Pour the batter into a prepared baking pan. Spread evenly in the pan. When baked & cooled the cheesecake should be the height of the width of your tart rings. (Mine are about ¾-inch).
  4. Bake 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cover & refrigerate covered overnight.
Gelee (make a day ahead)
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries with 1/4 cup of water and cook over moderate heat until they begin to pop, about 5 minutes. Let cool. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine sieve. Rinse out the saucepan.
  2. Add the sugar & 2 Tbsp of water to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring, until dissolved. Let cool. Stir in the orange juice and cranberry puree.
  3. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1 Tbsp of water and let stand until softened, 5 minutes. Microwave for 10 seconds, or until completely melted. Whisk the gelatin into the cranberry mixture. Line a 6 X 9-inch dish with plastic wrap. Pour the gelée into a prepared pan; shake it gently to even it out. Refrigerate the gelee overnight.
Pastry
  1. Combine the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, salt, & vanilla in a large bowl. Add the butter and mix with your hands until the butter is broken down into pieces the size of peas and the ingredients are well combined. Add the egg and mix with a fork until the dough is smooth and the egg is fully incorporated. Don’t overmix.
  2. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and gently shape it into a ball. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and flatten it into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight, until cold but still pliable.
  3. When the dough has chilled, unwrap the dough and place it on a silicone baking mat on your work surface. Roll it out into a rectangle about 1⁄8 inch thick, using a second silicone sheet on top.
  4. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into strips about 1- inch thick. These strips will make the tart rings. Place cut pastry in freezer until cool. This will make handling the strips much easier.
  5. When chilled, transfer each strip of dough to one of the tart rings and lightly press it to the sides. (I am using 2 sizes of tart rings – 2 ¾-inch & 2 ½-inch diameter and ¾-inch width). Use a small knife to neaten the top edge of the rim on the rings.
  6. Transfer the baking sheet containing the tart rings to the freezer & freeze for at least 20 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  8. Bake tart rings for 15-20 minutes or until light golden in color. Cool on wire racks.
Crumb Base
  1. Place gingersnap cookies in a sealed plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, crush to coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Assembly/Decoration
  1. CHEESECAKE: Using a ring cookie cutter the diameter of the inside of the BAKED pastry rings. Cut out circles. Cut each cheesecake circle in half, so that you have semicircles. Place one semicircle inside each pastry ring so that the curved edge sits flush inside the pastry ring.
  2. GELEE: Cut strips of gelee & place one along each cut side of the cheesecake, so that when you stand the rings of pastry up, it is sitting on top of the cheesecake.
  3. CRUMB BASE: Arrange small piles of gingersnap crumbs on a serving plate & place each tart on top of the crumbs, so they are standing vertically.
  4. DECORATION: Decorate your vertical tarts with whatever you wish. My choice was some tiny white chocolate fall leaves in keeping with an autumn dessert.
Recipe Notes
  • Traditionally the pastry for the rings is made containing almond meal. Since I have a nut allergy, mine is made without but still has a nice crispy texture. 
  • Very often this kind of dessert is made with a chocolate filling but I wanted to do something in the way of a fall dessert. 
  • Using a pumpkin cheesecake filling has two benefits. It definitely says fall & is easy to make it conform to the circular shape.
  • These plated desserts add such an elegant finishing touch to a holiday meal.

1770 House Meatloaf w/ Garlic Sauce

The other day I came across a recipe for meatloaf that certainly seemed like something ‘special’. Years ago, every family had a meatloaf recipe that was so dearly loved, it achieved iconic status. Today, I’m not so sure that is the case anymore. Nevertheless, this recipe was called ‘1770 House Meatloaf’ which made me curious as to what the history was behind it. Most every review raved about it being pure comfort food and much more than just meatloaf.

From my research on this meatloaf I found that the 1770 House is an East Hampton Inn and Restaurant famous for this dish. East Hampton Village on Long Island, New York is a beautiful village. It’s been that way for years with a glorious pond right as you come into town where swans swim in summer and skaters take to the ice in winter.

The 1770 House has welcomed guests with hospitality and comfort, a tradition that continues to attract guests from around the world to the intimate Inn, steps from the heart of East Hampton Village. The venerable home, today a boutique hotel and restaurant, seamlessly integrates historic elegance with luxurious, modern amenities and first-class dining.

This glorious colonial house has two restaurants—a more formal fine dining room on the ground level and, down a flight of stairs, a cozy ‘tavern’ with its roaring fireplace and comfort food menu.  And always, on this seasonally changing menu, there is Chef Kevin Penner’s remarkable meatloaf with its even more remarkable garlic sauce.  

This familiar dish is simple enough that it can be prepared as a weekday meal, but that has been elevated by adding a few key ingredients. The celery and thyme infuse the mix with intense flavor, and the garlic sauce works perfectly. The outcome is a delicious dish with moist texture: not your average meatloaf.

So there you have it …. meatloaf with first-class dining status!

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 1770 House Meatloaf w/ Garlic Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Keyword 1770 House meatloaf w/ garlic sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Meatloaf
Garlic Sauce
Course Main Dish
Keyword 1770 House meatloaf w/ garlic sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Meatloaf
Garlic Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Meatloaf
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion & celery and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not browned. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Place the beef, veal, pork, parsley, thyme, chives, eggs, milk, salt & pepper in a large mixing bowl. Put the panko in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the panko is finely ground.
  4. Add the onion mixture & the panko to the meat mixture. With clean hands, gently toss the mixture together, making sure it's combined but not compacted.
  5. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Pat the meat into a flat rectangle and then press the sides in until it forms a cylinder down the middle of the pan (this will ensure no air pockets). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 155 F. to 160 F. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot with the Garlic Sauce.
Garlic Sauce
  1. Combine the oil & garlic in a small saucepan & bring to a boil. Lower the heat & simmer for 10 -15 minutes, until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter. Remove the garlic from the oil and set aside.
  2. Combine the chicken stock, butter & cooked garlic in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat & cook at a full boil for 35 - 40 minutes, until slightly thickened. Mash the garlic with a fork, whisk in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper & taste for seasonings. Spoon the warm sauce over the meatloaf.
Recipe Notes
  • Since there are just two of us, I made the full recipe then divided the mixture into 3 portions. I baked all 3 & used one for our supper meal today,  froze the second one for a future meal & with the third, I sliced it for 'meatloaf' sandwiches. Doesn't get better than that!

Ube Bread Pudding w/ Ube Cream Cheese Drizzle

Ube (pronounced OO-bay), is a purple yam native to the Philippines and other areas of Southeast Asia. Ube is a very versatile ingredient. It is not a purple sweet potato or taro, it is a purple yam. Its special taste reminds one of vanilla, pistachios or chestnuts. The vibrant purple color inside and out is uniquely photogenic.

Ube has been used for decades in Filipino cuisine and has now caught on in North America, especially in the form of desserts.

When I first tried using it sometime back, it was in some sweet rolls that were filled with ube ‘halaya’ or jam and topped with Edam cheese. We absolutely loved them. My next adventure was some ube cheesecake for Easter (2019). Both of these recipes have been published here on the blog.

Now, I’m taking it another step further and making an Ube Bread Pudding. This dessert is best made over two days due to that fact that you are making the ube bread from scratch. Should be interesting!

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 Ube Bread Pudding w/ Ube Cream Cheese Drizzle
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine Filipino
Keyword ube bread pudding w/ ube cream cheese drizzle
Servings
Ingredients
Ube Halaya (jam) Filling for Bread
Ube Bread
Ube Bread Pudding
Ube Cream Cheese Drizzle
Course dessert
Cuisine Filipino
Keyword ube bread pudding w/ ube cream cheese drizzle
Servings
Ingredients
Ube Halaya (jam) Filling for Bread
Ube Bread
Ube Bread Pudding
Ube Cream Cheese Drizzle
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Ube Halaya
  1. In a medium, heavy saucepan, melt butter. Add coconut & condensed milks; stir until heated. Add thawed, grated ube & stir everything together. This process takes about 40-50 minutes until the ube is cooked. The mixture will be thick & sticky. It is important to stir the mixture often during cooking to prevent it from forming a crust. Transfer the ube halaya to a container & set aside.
Ube Bread
  1. In a small dish, heat milk to lukewarm. Add yeast & 1 tsp sugar; let sit for 5 minutes to allow yeast to activate. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup sugar, melted butter, sour cream & egg. Add yeast mixture & stir to combine.
  2. In another bowl, whisk flour & salt. Add flour mixture to yeast mixture 1 cup at a time, combining after each addition. Once all the flour has been added, knead on a lightly floured surface for about 2 minutes.
  3. Lightly grease the large bowl, place dough in it & cover with plastic wrap & a tea towel. Allow to rest for at least one hour, in a draft-free place until dough has doubled in volume. Grate cheese & set aside in refrigerator until needed.
  4. Grease 2 loaf pans. Punch dough down & divide in half. Roll each piece out to about 7x7-inch (18x18 cm) square. Spread ube halaya over each one leaving about 1/2-inch border all the way around. Sprinkle each square with Edam cheese then roll up in jelly-roll style. Pinch to seal seams & place seam side down in loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap & a tea towel. Allow to rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake bread for about 50 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool for just a few minutes then pat with butter. Sprinkle with more grated cheese.
Ube Bread Pudding (ON THE FOLLOWING DAY)
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Cut thick slices of ube bread into 1-inch cubes & spread out in baking dish. In a saucepan, melt butter into milk on medium-high; do not let it boil. Remove from heat when butter is melted.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk eggs & coconut extract together. Slowly pour egg mixture into butter/milk mixture & begin whisking immediately to avoid scrambling the egg mixture. Pour custard over the ube bread pieces; use a spoon to work liquid between the pieces.
  3. Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until the top is springy. While the bread pudding is baking, make the ube drizzle.
Ube Drizzle
  1. In a bowl, using a mixer, beat butter for 2 minutes then add cream cheese & beat for another minute. Add powdered sugar slowly then beat thoroughly; add vanilla. Mix in ube halaya until well combined. Add enough milk to make a drizzle consistency. Either drizzle bread pudding before or after cutting into serving pieces.
Recipe Notes
  • You will have extra Ube Bread & Ube Halaya but it will no doubt be eaten before you have a chance to freeze it. Other than just enjoying it by the slice, it makes great French toast as well.

Citron Anise Pudding Cookies

Although pudding cookies have been around forever, it’s always interesting to take a basic recipe and personalize with flavors that appeal to you especially. I have always had loved the flavor of both citron and anise, so I decided to incorporate them in this cookie. I have very vivid memories of my mothers’ huge, wonderful garden, on our farm in southern Alberta. Citron was one of the melons that she grew and made it into a nice, preserved fruit for the winter months. I just loved it, but it seems this melon has become extinct these days. The reason can be deduced from historical seed catalogues. Throughout the period of about 1910 to 1950, whenever imported winter fruit and reliable refrigeration arrived in a region, the local seed companies tended to drop citron melon seeds from their catalogues.

The real value of citron melons was that they kept for nearly a year with no special storage, which means a rural family could depend on them for winter food (with some boiling and sugar), and they could be processed into sweet desserts at any time of year when there was less outdoor work to do. Combined with the fact that the plants require very little care, and can yield a decent crop in poor soil, citron melons were a very practical source of useful fruit for farm families and rural communities.

Citrons were a preserving melon, not meant for fresh eating that were widely grown by farm families and gardeners in the 1800s and early 1900s, all across Canada.

Since the flesh of the citron has no color or flavor of its own, it could be combined with other fruit to ‘extend’ them, making more jam, pies, and preserves. I recall my mother putting raisins with hers.

Anise can be a bit of a polarizing spice. It has the flavor that most people associate with licorice and tends to be something you either like or you don’t. I have always enjoyed the taste, so combining with citron makes a match made in heaven.

The tradition of using anise seeds to flavor meals and desserts dates to the time of the ancient Romans. It is said that the Romans would serve large cakes flavored with anise at the end of their feasts in order to enhance their digestion. 

Now this brings us to the question ‘why use pudding mix in cookies’? Added to cookie dough, pudding mix yields unbelievable texture and depth. They come out of the oven nice and crunchy on the outside, but they maintain that delicious soft, chewy texture on the inside. Cornstarch is a key main ingredient in instant pudding, so it probably makes sense that it helps make pudding cookies super soft and chewy. And when it comes to the recipe, you’ll want to choose your pudding mix carefully. An instant pudding mix is required.

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 Citron Anise Pudding Cookies
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Cuisine American
Keyword citron anise pudding cookies
Servings
DOZEN
Ingredients
Cuisine American
Keyword citron anise pudding cookies
Servings
DOZEN
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together flour & baking soda; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add pudding & beat until well blended. Add eggs & vanilla, mix well.
  4. Add flour mixture slowly until well incorporated. Add anise seed & citron peel; beat just until incorporated.
  5. Roll into 60 - 1-inch balls & place on baking sheet. They don't spread much but still need a bit of room .
  6. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until set in the center. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to completely cool.

Seafood Bread

French bread doesn’t get enough recognition for its worth. Fresh, soft crusty bread can be so much more than a simple side to a big family meal. You can base an entire meal around a loaf of French Bread!

Stuffed with salmon, scallops, shrimp, and mushrooms, this seafood bread can be served as an appetizer or sliced into larger pieces as an entree with a salad. The recipe itself is quite versatile. This stuffed French bread reminds me of the edible bread bowls of the past, but all stuffed inside a wonderful loaf of French bread. 

Edible bread bowls were a huge hit in the 80’s and 90’s, but the idea fizzled at the start of the 21st century. Bread has always been a main stay of any meal, from toast at breakfast to sandwiches at lunch and rolls for supper. Many restaurants used the bread bowl idea as a way to justify charging more for soup. They are an extremely versatile way to hold thick, creamy soups, spicy chili or stews as well as dips and warm melted cheese.

Bread bowls will always hold a special memory for Brion and I. Over the years we have made many trips to the California coast. We always stayed in the Carmel/Monterey area and walked the coastline with our destination being Fisherman’s Wharf. It was a special treat having clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at a wharf restaurant.

This seafood bread combines many ingredients that enhance its delicious and creamy flavor, perfect for a late summer meal.

It has a soft and velvety textured inside with the French bread giving texture to the combination with its crustiness. Lots of seafood, cheesy, and super savory, this stuffed French bread is your fast track to home-cooked comfort. So good!!

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 Seafood Bread
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword seafood bread
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword seafood bread
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. In a skillet, sauté mushrooms & 2 green onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add shrimp, scallops & salmon with a bit of the seasonings & sauté for another 5 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid & set aside.
  2. In a bowl, whisk mushroom soup, eggs, mustard & remaining seasoning together. Don’t overmix, keep the mixture a little lumpy.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  4. Slice into the bread, but not all the way through. You need to cut deep enough into the bread to open out the loaf and fill between the “slices, while leaving the loaf connected at the base. You can either cut bread into thick slices or slice from both directions. Place the bread on a sheet of parchment paper.
  5. Into each slot in the bread, place a slice of potato, followed by some of the seafood/mushroom mixture.
  6. Spoon some of the soup/egg mixture into each slot, so that the bread absorbs as much as possible.
  7. Finally insert the slices of cheese. Enclose the loaf fully in the baking paper and then wrap it in foil to make a tight parcel.
  8. Put the wrapped bread into the preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes, then remove the tray and open the foil and parchment paper. Return to the oven for about 30 minutes, until the top of the bread and its filling is golden brown. Remove, garnish with green onion, & serve!
Recipe Notes
  • Any combination of seafood you prefer will work.

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.

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
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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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!

Print Recipe
 Parsnip Muffins w/ Lemon & Poppy Seed
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
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
You:
Rate this recipe!
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.

Cinnamon Beet Rolls

I always think of beets as a love-them-or-hate-them food.  You’re either all in or all out! People have been using vegetables in baking for quite some time. Think about some of the classics: carrot cake, pumpkin pie, banana bread, and zucchini loaf. Beets add moisture to baked goods along with a natural sweetness. 

In yeast breads, roasted beet puree makes for an incredibly tender crumb and moist interior thanks to the added hydration of the purée (similar to potato bread!) and a delicate crust, since the natural sugar in the beets creates more caramelization. Ultimately, the beets add a pleasantly earthy, subtly sweet flavor that enhances the rolls without overpowering them. 

The best-known baked treat made with beets is probably the Red Velvet Cake, but beets can add their deliciousness to cookies, muffins, pies and other baked goods like cinnamon rolls.

The idea of using beets to bulk up bread dough is said to have originated in Paris or Vienna or Germany.

Today the nutrition-packed beet is considered a ‘super food’, credited with everything from lowering blood pressure and increasing energy to fighting inflammation and detoxifying the body.

With that in mind, it seems like a good reason to make some cinnamon beet rolls.

Print Recipe
 Cinnamon Beet Rolls
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon beet rolls
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon beet rolls
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Dough
  1. In a small bowl, add yeast, lukewarm water & 1 tsp sugar. Allow to sit about 10 minutes until frothy.
  2. In a large bowl, combine yeast mixture, 1/3 cup sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, eggs & beet puree. Mix well. Add flour, one cup at a time, until well combined. Knead dough for about 8-10 minutes or until smooth & soft. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel & allow to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Filling
  1. In a small dish, combine filling ingredients, set aside.
Assembly/Baking
  1. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle about 13” x 20”. Spread softened butter on rectangle & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture, leaving a 1/2 -inch border around the edges.
  2. Roll up dough lengthwise into a tight roll, pinch seams shut & place roll seam side down. Cut into 12 pieces, rotating cuts on the diagonal. Press the handle of a wooden spoon firmly on the top & center of each roll to shape.
  3. Place rolls at least 2-inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Lightly cover the rolls with buttered plastic wrap & a tea towel. Set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes to rise.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  5. Brush with egg wash & sprinkle with coarse sugar.
  6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
  • To Roast Beets: wrap individually in foil & place directly on the rack of a preheated 400 F. oven. Bake until they're fork tender but not mushy; the total time will vary depending on the size of the beets. Allow beets to cool in foil, then rub off all the skin & any rough exterior pieces. Puree beets in a food processor or with an immersion blender.
  • Alternately, you can just boil, peel & puree if you are short on time.