Ingredient: milk

Chai Spiced Sweet Rolls

Its the fall season, so bring on the chai flavored recipes! Fall can encompass many different flavors including apple, pumpkin, maple, cranberry and ginger just to name a few. To me, baked goods and chai spices are a no-brainer. Traditionally, chai is made into a tea which consists of milk, spices, sweetener and black tea. Chai spices can be used for so much more than just tea. Once you make your basic chai spice recipe, there are so many different ways to utilize it.

Chai can include a number of different spices. Cardamom is the most common ingredient, followed by some mixture of cinnamon, ginger, star anise and cloves. Pepper and coriander, nutmeg and fennel are also used but they are slightly less common.

In the winter of 2011, Brion & I traveled to Turkey for a month. That trip we were meeting up with a Trafalgar tour group in Istanbul. Arriving a day early gave us time to ‘snoop’ around a bit. Next to our hotel was a Starbucks, so we went in. When Brion ordered my coffee, they gave me a ‘Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte’ by mistake. The flavor was so incredible, I have been addicted to it ever since.

A stay in Istanbul would not be complete without a traditional and unforgettable boat excursion up the Bosphorus, that winding strait that separates Europe and Asia. Its shores are a mixture of past and present, grand splendor and simple beauty. Modern hotels stand next to shore-front wooden villas, marble palaces in contrast to rustic stone fortresses and elegant compounds neighbor small fishing villages. Since Turkey actually straddles two separate continents, its culture features strong elements and traditions from both east and west. At that point in time we found Turkey a relaxed country to travel in which made our time there very enjoyable.

This bread is literally like the food version of your favorite chai drink.

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 Chai Spiced Sweet Rolls
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword chai spiced sweet buns
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Glaze
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword chai spiced sweet buns
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Glaze
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Dough
  1. In a small dish, combine yeast with lukewarm milk (or water) & 1 tsp of the sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes until frothy.
  2. In a large bowl, slightly melt butter; cool a couple of minutes then whisk in egg. In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt & remaining sugar. Combine yeast mixture with butter mixture; then add flour mixture. Combine then turn onto a floured work surface & knead for about 5 minutes. Dough will be very soft but not sticky.
  3. Lightly grease bowl, place dough ball in it & cover with a tea towel. Place in a draft-free place to rise for about 20 minutes.
  4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine brown sugar & chai spices to make filling.
  5. When dough has risen, place on a lightly floured work surface & roll out into a rectangle about 12 x 16 inches in size. Spread with softened butter & sprinkle with brown sugar/spice mix.
  6. Beginning with one of the long edges, roll the dough up, pulling it first up & over the filling & working it carefully until you've created a tight log. Press/pinch along the seam to seal.
  7. Using a sharp knife, cut roll in a zig-zag fashion about 2-inches apart. Place wedges on prepared baking sheet, spacing to allow room for the buns to spread a bit. With a wooden skewer, press each wedge down across the center to form their unique shape. Cover & allow to rise until oven is ready. If you wish , make a bit of egg wash & gently brush over buns before baking.
  8. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake rolls for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool.
Glaze
  1. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk & vanilla. Stir to create a smooth glaze. Once the rolls have cooled for about 10 minutes, drizzle with glaze.

Leeks Cordon Bleu

As my love affair with leeks continues, I just can’t imagine what took me so long to try them. It’s amazing how many ways there are to use these giant ‘onions’.

The ‘cordon bleu’ idea has been around forever and generally it features a specific cut of meat stuffed with ham and cheese. In this recipe, the leeks are wrapped in Swiss cheese & Canadian bacon, then baked in a béchamel sauce and served over steamed rice.

Though ham and Canadian bacon look and taste remarkably similar, they’re not the same thing. Ham comes from the back legs, specifically the thighs and rear end, while Canadian bacon comes from the center of the pig’s back otherwise known as the eye of the pork loin.

There are a few names for Canadian bacon which include back bacon and pea meal bacon. During the early part of the last century, yellow peas were ground up and used to coat and cure pork loin. This became known as pea meal bacon. Once cornmeal became more readily available, it was swapped out for the pea meal.

Probably the bacon most people are familiar with is American bacon, which comes from the belly of the pig and tends to be much fattier …. hence the name ‘streaky bacon’.

I have to be honest, I’ve never been a bacon lover (which probably stems back to my Dad’s home cured version !!) but I did find this meal light and tasty.

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 Leeks Cordon Bleu
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword leeks cordon bleu
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword leeks cordon bleu
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Remove roots, outer leaves & tops from leeks; leave 6-inches of each leek. Cut each in half crosswise. Steam, covered 8 minutes or until tender. Wrap each leek half in 1 piece of cheese & top with 4 pieces of Canadian bacon. Place leeks in an 8-inch square baking dish.
  2. Preheat oven to 450 F.
  3. Place flour in a small saucepan; add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 6 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat & season with salt & pepper. Pour sauce over leeks & sprinkle with panko crumbs.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Serve over steamed rice.

Prune Plum ‘Rose’ Buns

I wanted to highlight the prune plum in another blog before this deliciously sweet fruit closes the summer season.

Prune plums, also known as Empress or Italian prune plums are available in Canada in late summer to early fall. When I was growing up and my mother used these ‘little gems’ in her canning and baking, I thought it was because they were available at the time. I had no idea that they played such a special part in German baking until I was an adult.

Italian plums are native to the Mediterranean coastal regions of Italy, and though they are named after their country of origin, they are not a favorite there. Instead, because of the German affinity for plums, they feature in many German desserts.

When ripe, plums are wonderfully sweet with a rich complex flavor. The flesh has a greenish-amber color that turns a deep shade of fuchsia when cooked. The single pit at the center separates easily and almost fall out on their own.

Because prune plums hold their shape in baked goods and will not make the dough or batter ‘mooshy’, they work out well in these buns.

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 Prune Plum 'Rose' Buns
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Course dessert
Cuisine European
Keyword prune plum 'rose' buns
Servings
BUNS
Ingredients
Course dessert
Cuisine European
Keyword prune plum 'rose' buns
Servings
BUNS
Ingredients
Votes: 1
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Instructions
  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add milk & heat until warm, but not hot. Stir in yeast. Allow yeast mixture to proof for about 10 minutes.
  2. Mix flour, sugar & salt together on low in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add both eggs & increase the mixer speed slightly. Add the yeast mixture & continue to mix until the dough forms a ball on the dough hook. There should be no dough stuck to the sides of the bowl.
  3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface & knead well until dough is smooth (about 10 minutes). Form dough into a ball. Grease a mixing bowl with butter & place dough in it. Cover & allow to rise until its doubled in size, about an hour.
  4. Wash plums then using a sharp knife, make a slit in the side of each plum wide enough to pop the pit out. Once pitted, toss plums in about 1/4 cup of sugar making sure to fill each plum with sugar as well.
  5. When dough has risen, remove to a floured work surface & punch down. Divide dough into 12 equal portions & form into a balls. Cover dough balls with a tea towel & let rest for 10 minutes.
  6. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a circle, about 5 1/2 - 6-inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut 4 diagonal slits, leaving the center intact. Place 1 plum into the center & continue shaping the rose by working your way around the circle & wrapping each of the 'petals' up & around each other, pinching as necessary to hold them together.
  7. Place into greased muffin or custard cups. Repeat with remaining dough. When all buns have been shaped, cover with greased plastic wrap & allow to rise until puffy, about 25 minutes.
  8. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  9. When buns are ready to bake, whisk together egg wash & brush over buns. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. Remove from oven & allow to cool in cups on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes, then remove from cups to continue cooling. Before serving, dust with powdered sugar if you wish.

Salmon Picnic Empanadas

No matter what the stuffing or style is, love for the empanada is not a difficult one to understand. They are cheap, easy to eat, transportable, and versatile.

Empanadas look as good as they taste; perfect food for a picnic. Eating outdoors, spaced apart is probably one of the safest ways to gather during the ongoing pandemic crisis. The great thing about picnicking is that you can do it practically anywhere you can throw a blanket down. If you can’t make it to a park or field, your yard, porch or any flat surface with a little grass (or sand), some sun (& shade) will do.

Empanadas can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They can be served as appetizers or snacks (hot or cold), but they can easily make a full and satisfying main course.

The very basics for an empanada are a combination of three things; dough, filling and a cooking method. The dough can be made from wheat flour, cornmeal, mashed plantains, potatoes, yuca, sweet potatoes etc. and the fillings can consist of meat, fish or vegetables. The cooking method is usually to be baked or fried although some can be cooked on a griddle or grill.

According to food historians, empanadas with seafood filling first appeared in a 1520 cookbook, published during the Moorish invasions.

I was real interested to see what I could do to make some salmon empanadas taste special. We found they were good as a hot meal served with the remaining ‘sauce’ or eaten COLD for a picnic lunch.

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 Salmon Picnic Empanadas
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword salmon picnic empanadas
Servings
6 inch EMPANADAS
Ingredients
Cornmeal Pastry
Filling
Soy Sauce
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword salmon picnic empanadas
Servings
6 inch EMPANADAS
Ingredients
Cornmeal Pastry
Filling
Soy Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cornmeal Pastry
  1. In a small bowl, combine sour cream & ice water; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal, sugar & salt. Using a pastry blender or finger tips, cut in butter until mixture resembles both coarse crumbs & small peas. Sprinkle the cold sour cream mixture over dough, tossing with a fork to evenly distribute it. Do NOT overwork dough.
  2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least an hour.
Soy Sauce
  1. In a skillet, melt butter & sprinkle with flour. Allow to cook for a few minutes. In a bowl, whisk together broth, milk & soy sauce. Slowly add to flour/butter mixture, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from skillet & set aside.
Filling
  1. In the skillet, sauté salmon filet in 1 Tbsp oil until JUST cooked. Remove to a dish. With a fork, 'shred' salmon; set aside.
  2. In the skillet, sauté vegetables in remaining Tbsp of oil for a couple of minutes. Add seasonings, shredded salmon, 1/3 cup prepared soy sauce & grated cheddar. Toss to combine; set aside to cool.
Assembly & Baking
  1. Divide chilled pastry into 10 balls. Roll each one in cornmeal. Place a ball between 2 sheets of plastic wrap & roll into a 6-inch circle.
  2. Divide filling into 10 portions. Place a portion on one side of the pastry circle, leaving about a 1/2-inch border (on filled side). With your fingertips, moisten edge of pastry with a bit of milk or water. Flip opposite side over filling & press edges together to enclose it well. Use a fork to make the classic look.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  4. Repeat with remaining pastry & filling. Lay empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 20 minutes or until pastry is baked & slightly browned.

Austrian Apricot Dumplings

Although there are many variations of this dish, Austria’s apricot growing tradition has made apricot dumplings (marillenknodel) an emblematic dish of Austrian cuisine. Each spring, some 100,000 apricot trees transform Wachau Valley into a fragrant pink-white sea of blossoms.

There are two types of dough that can be used to make apricot dumplings …. potato dough (made with cooked & mashed potatoes) and cheese dough. Topfen is the Austrian cheese traditionally used as its ‘sour’ taste gives the dough a nice ‘tang’. Other alternatives would be either Quark or cream cheese.

To prepare the apricots you need to slice them in half and remove the pit, then place a cube of sugar in the cavity. A few other alternatives for the centers of the apricots would be chocolate or a nougat cube.

Once the dough has been chilled, it is divided into balls and stuffed with the filled apricots. These dumplings are then boiled in salted water and while they are still hot, coated in cinnamon-flavored, buttered breadcrumbs.

Apricot dumplings are most often served just sprinkled with powdered sugar. Soft apricots provide enough liquid so they don’t taste too dry. If you wish, you could serve them with: vanilla ice cream, apricot coulis, whipped cream, vanilla or chocolate sauce.

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 Austrian Apricot Dumplings
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert, Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword Austrian apricot dumplings
Servings
DUMPLINGS
Ingredients
Cheese Dough
Apricots
Breadcrumb Topping
Vanilla Sauce (optional)
Course dessert, Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword Austrian apricot dumplings
Servings
DUMPLINGS
Ingredients
Cheese Dough
Apricots
Breadcrumb Topping
Vanilla Sauce (optional)
Votes: 1
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Instructions
Cheese Dough
  1. In a bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, vanilla & salt; add the egg & cheese & whisk until combined. Add flour; stir until combined. Don't overmix, the dough should be slightly sticky but not dry. Form into a disk & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Apricots
  1. Slice each apricot in half & remove the pit. Place a sugar cube in the cavity & press the two apricot halves together until the apricot closes. Set aside.
Breadcrumb Topping
  1. In a saucepan, heat the butter until bubbling; add breadcrumbs. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring very frequently, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove from heat & stir in sugar & cinnamon. Set aside.
Vanilla Sauce
  1. In a small saucepan, combine milk, sugar, salt, cornstarch & vanilla; stir well until combined. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly. Lower heat & continue to cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens & coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat; cover with plastic wrap & chill. When sauce is cool, whisk it until it becomes smooth.
Cook & Coat Dumplings
  1. Cook dumplings in a large amount of salted water, half of them at a time. Cook for about 12 minutes from the moment you've put them in the water. Reduce the heat to medium-low as the water should only simmer. Do not allow the dumplings to stick to the bottom. Take cooked dumplings out of the water with a slotted spoon, drain well.
  2. Place the hot dumplings in the breadcrumb topping. Roll the dumplings around to coat completely, the place on a platter.
  3. At serving time you can place them atop some vanilla sauce or just simply sprinkle with powdered sugar (or any of the other suggestions listed in the main article).
Recipe Notes
  • Other fruit alternatives for the dumplings would be: plums, cherries or strawberries.

Italian Rice Pudding Tarts (Budini di Riso)

This week we celebrate my husband, Brion’s birthday. In previous years I would be able to post a ‘birthday pic‘ with a wonderful holiday background …. you know the kind with tropical plants, ocean, and such. Due to the covid pandemic keeping us close to home for the last year or so, my birthday picture of Brion is in our back yard but notice we have a tropical Canna close by!! During the interlude away from being able to travel, Brion has had to wear another ‘hat’, and has been there for me through numerous surgeries. I am incredibly grateful for that and the speedy recovery that comes through such love & care.

I had read about this little treat sometime back but had put it on hold for a special occasion and today’s the day!

Named after the principal ingredient used in the filling, budini di riso is a typical pastry coming from Siena, a medieval city in the region of Tuscany, located in the north of Italy.

Every summer, from May to July, until the 1960’s (and even 1970’s in some places), thousands of female seasonal workers would make their way to the Po Valley in northern Italy. Here, in the rice fields, they went to work as ‘mondine’. Their task was to remove weeds that could stunt the growth of the rice plants.

The compensation of these women consisted not only in money but also 1 kg of rice for each day of work. Hence the wide spread use of rice throughout the region in both savory and sweet preparations.

This rice custard tart is a combination of a creamy, vanilla scented rice pudding with a caramelized top, all baked in a crisp shortbread pastry crust. There are many variations for this Italian classic. Some like to make it with a crust, others prefer it without. Other recipes may also add fresh squeezed lemon juice for a citrus flavor.

Today, rice is the world’s most widely consumed cereal grain, which means that virtually every culture has a rice pudding they call their own.

Part pie … part rice pudding, these little tarts can be eaten for breakfast, as an afternoon snack or for dessert, they are just plain good anytime.

BIRTHDAY WISHES TO MY LOVE, YOU’RE THE BEST!

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 Italian Rice Pudding Tarts (Budini di Riso)
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, Italian
Keyword Italian rice pudding tarts
Servings
Ingredients
Short Crust Pastry Shells
Rice Pudding
Raspberry Topping
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, Italian
Keyword Italian rice pudding tarts
Servings
Ingredients
Short Crust Pastry Shells
Rice Pudding
Raspberry Topping
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Tart Shells
  1. In a bowl, sift together flour, rice flour, powdered sugar, salt & baking powder. Add butter & rub together with fingertips to make soft crumbles.
  2. In a small bowl, beat egg; add to flour mixture & work into a smooth ball of dough. DO NOT OVERMIX. Flatten dough ball & wrap in plastic wrap; chill in refrigerator.
Rice Pudding (Filling)
  1. Place rice in a saucepot. Cover with water & bring to a boil. Rinse rise; return blanched rice back in saucepot & cover with milk. Add cinnamon stick & lemon zest. Cook over low heat, stirring often until rice has absorbed most of the milk & rice mixture becomes soupy.
  2. Remove rice-milk mixture from heat & add butter; stir well. Place rice mixture in a bowl to cool. Stir & cool for about 20 minutes. In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar & vanilla; add to cooled rice mixture.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  4. Roll out the chilled pastry to a 1/8-inch thickness. Traditionally these little rice tarts have straight sides. The fastest way to do this is to cut out pastry disks with a glass or lid as big as the bottom of the muffin tin & press them gently in. Next cut with a knife some pastry strips to line the sides of the muffin tins. Press the pastry lightly with your fingers to seal the bottom with the side strips.
  5. Spoon the rice pudding into the pastry shells & bake about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Prepare raspberry topping.
Raspberry Topping
  1. In a saucepan, place frozen raspberries & heat until thawed. Stir in the sugar & bring to a slow simmer. In a cup, dissolve the cornstarch in water & stir into raspberry puree. Bring to a boil & simmer for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. The mixture will thicken a bit more as it cools.
Serving
  1. Serve rice tarts warm or cold with raspberry topping & yogurt, whipped cream or ice cream. If you would prefer, just a dusting of icing sugar or as is works just as well.

Salmon, Leek & Potato Gratin

Special birthday wishes are going out to my sister Loretta today on July 25th. Loretta you are a treasure that our family holds dear. We appreciate you as a person, sister, friend, mother and any other function that you hold in your life! You don’t have a bad bone in your body and you never do anything to compromise your kind heart and tender soul, you are one special lady.

Even if Brion & I can’t have a ‘birthday supper’ together with Loretta, I still like to post a meal I think she would enjoy to have on her day.

This is a gourmet take on a classic potato dish. Its creamy, cheesy and comforting but instead of making this gratin with cream, I am using a béchamel sauce made with milk and two cheeses. Gruyere and Parmesan together with parsley, thyme & Dijon mustard give it a lovely flavor which highlight the taste of the leek & salmon.

WE CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH LOVE, LORETTA!

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 Salmon, Leek & Potato Gratin
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, European
Keyword salmon, leek & potato gratin
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, European
Keyword salmon, leek & potato gratin
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté garlic, lemon zest & thyme for 2 minutes. Add flour & cook 1 minute, stirring to combine. Remove from heat & gradually add the milk, stirring constantly, then return to the heat & cook, stirring until thickened.
  2. Add salt, pepper, Dijon mustard & 3/4 cup of the combined parmesan & Gruyere cheese (reserving 1/4 cup) & stir until the cheese melts. Remove from the heat & stir in the parsley & lemon juice.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish lightly with olive oil.
  4. Wash & pare potatoes (leave the skin on if you prefer). Slice very thinly; place one sliced potato in a layer on the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping slightly.
  5. Arrange one third of the sliced leek & salmon evenly on top, then spoon one quarter of the cheese sauce over all. Repeat the layers with the remaining potatoes, leek & salmon, finishing with the final layer of potato & topping with the last quarter of the cheese sauce.
  6. Sprinkle with reserved 1/4 cup grated cheese. Cover with foil & bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil & bake for a further 30 minutes. Allow the gratin to stand 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
  • If your making this for a 'special' occasion, you may want to make them in individual servings as I did in the picture. I used 5-inch round pans with removeable bottoms & lined them with parchment paper so they couldn't leak.

Lemon Saskatoon Berry Pudding Cake

Pudding cake is kind of a magical concept that lies precisely at the intersection of cake and pudding. When you mix it, it looks like a very light cake batter. But, as it bakes, it separates into two layers. The top is the lightest cake ever and the bottom (in this case) is an intense lemon pudding with some fresh ‘seasonal’ saskatoons.

Of course, overtime, there have been many versions of this classic dessert developed, all of which are no doubt delicious. You have to love a dessert that practically garnishes itself, right?! Sometimes, old recipes really are the best.

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 Lemon Saskatoon Berry Pudding Cake
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword lemon saskatoon berry pudding cake
Servings
Ingredients
Saskatoon Berry Compote
Pudding Cake
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword lemon saskatoon berry pudding cake
Servings
Ingredients
Saskatoon Berry Compote
Pudding Cake
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Saskatoon Berry Compote
  1. In a small saucepan, combine berries, sugar & 1 tsp lemon juice; heat until bubbling. In a separate dish, combine cornstarch & water; pour into berry mixture. Stir until thickened & remove from heat.
Pudding Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 6 ramekins (or a 10-inch glass dish). Divide the saskatoon compote between the ramekins; set aside.
  2. Grate 1 Tbsp of lemon zest. Squeeze 1/3 cup lemon juice. Set aside.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt & 2/3 cup sugar. In another bowl, whisk together YOLKS, milk, lemon zest & juice. Add to the flour mixture; whisk until completely blended.
  4. In a bowl, beat WHITES until soft peaks form; add the 1/4 cup sugar slowly & beat until medium peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of the whites into flour mixture; our this mixture over the remaining whites. Whisk together using a folding technique to keep from deflating egg whites.
  5. Pour the batter into ramekins & place them into another larger pan. Fill the bottom pan with water as high as it can go without floating the ramekin dishes.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on the size of ramekin dishes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
  • I flipped my little puddings over so all those pretty saskatoon berries could sit on top.

Shrimp Dutch Baby Pancake

A Dutch baby pancake is a cross between a fluffy style pancake and a soufflé. Its less work than standard pancakes and less complicated than a soufflé.

If you follow our blog, you probably have seen other versions, both sweet & savory featured on it. Dutch baby’s are such an easy meal to make, they are a regular in our meal rotation, not to mention how delicious they are.

Dutch baby recipes work best in cast iron pans because they retain heat and cook evenly. If you don’t have cast iron cook-ware, I find pyrex bowls will work as a substitute.

Because of the delicate nature of the batter, you can only add your toppings once the batter has baked. For some toppings, this will require cooking these ingredients on the stove top while the eggy batter bakes.

Be careful with recipes that instruct you to mix chopped veggies and meat directly into the batter. The combination of weight and moisture will prevent the batter from cooking and puffing up as it should. One exception to this would be finely grated Parmesan cheese. To help create height, bring the eggs to room temperature before mixing into the batter.

Being seafood lovers, this meal really works for us.

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 Shrimp Dutch Baby Pancake
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Rating: 5
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Cuisine American, European
Keyword shrimp Dutch baby pancakes
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Gouda Sauce
Shrimp Filling
Cuisine American, European
Keyword shrimp Dutch baby pancakes
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Gouda Sauce
Shrimp Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Dutch Baby Pancakes
  1. In a bowl, whisk together eggs & milk. Add flour & whisk until incorporated then whisk in parmesan cheese, scallions, parsley, thyme, salt & pepper. Set aside in refrigerator until sauce & filling are made.
Gouda Sauce
  1. In a small saucepan, melt butter; sprinkle with flour & seasonings. Mix well; add milk & broth, stirring until sauce becomes thickened. Blend in cheese; set aside
Shrimp Filling / Baking
  1. Peel & devein shrimp (you can chop into pieces if you prefer). Prepare filling veggies for cooking.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  3. Place 2 Tbsp butter in each of TWO 7-inch pyrex baking bowls (alternately you can use one 10-inch cast iron skillet). Place bowls in hot oven to melt butter (and heat the bowls for baking pancakes in). Once the butter is melted & the bowls are hot, divide the batter between them. Bake for 25 minutes.
  4. The Dutch Baby will puff up during cooking, but once its removed from the oven & starts to cool it will deflate slightly. At this point its nice to do the final sautéing of your filling so that when the pancakes come out of the oven you are ready to fill & serve.
  5. In a large skillet, sauté zucchini, onion, mushrooms & garlic in oil until tender-crisp. Combine soy sauce with water in a cup; add to vegetable mixture along with shrimp. Gently stir fry ONLY until shrimp is cooked, then fold in Gouda sauce.
  6. When Dutch Baby pancakes are finished baking, remove from oven & transfer to 2 serving dishes. Divide filling between the 2 pancakes & serve hot.

Spring Butterfly Cookies

Although these cookies may look a bit difficult to make, the secret is really just patience. These ‘butterflies’ are just another variation of the classic pinwheel cookie popularized in the late 1920’s.

I remember my mother making the original version of chocolate/vanilla. Many families have a go-to recipe on hand that’s been passed down for generations. The basic recipe is very adaptable in that you can make them fruity or full of chocolate and nuts. You can also change them up just by switching the flavoring extract you use. For spring, lemon gives a citrusy flavor or use peppermint for holidays and maybe some maple for fall. Of course, almond or vanilla works for almost any occasion.

Another way to vary them is by different colors. Red and white for Canada Day, red and green for Christmas, Black and orange for Halloween or green and white for St Patrick’s Day. I wanted to create a spring inspired treat, so what better way than making some colorful butterfly cookies.

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 Spring Butterfly Cookies
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword butterfly shortbread cookies
Servings
Ingredients
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword butterfly shortbread cookies
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. In a bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch & salt. Beat butter & sugar in another bowl until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add milk & lemon extract & continue to beat for another minute. Sift in half of the flour mixture, then fold in with a spatula until just combined. Repeat with remaining flour mixture. Divide dough into 2 balls; set one ball aside.
  2. Divide the other ball into 6 pieces. Color each piece in one of the six food colors listed above.
  3. Sandwich the beige (uncolored) dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment paper & roll out into a 10x12-inch rectangle.
  4. Roll each colored ball of dough into a sausage shape & line them up on another sheet of lightly floured parchment paper. Make sure to line them up so that the long edges only have one color of dough & the short edges show all 6.
  5. Gently press together & place another sheet of parchment paper on top. Roll out into a 10x12-inch rectangle. Stack the sheets on a baking sheet & place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper from both sheets of dough & flip the rainbow dough on top. Trim the edges.
  7. Position the dough with the long edge facing you & roll the dough away into a spiral. Cut the roll in half horizontally; forming 2 rolls. Place the rolls opposite each other, slice in 1/4-inch sections then, using your fingers, squeeze dough together at bottom third to form butterflies. Lay 'butterflies' on a parchment lined baking sheet & place in freezer for about 30 minutes.
  8. Preheat oven to 325 F.
  9. Remove cookies from freezer & bake for about 12-14 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
  10. Dust with powdered sugar when cool if you wish.