The Back of the Cupboard

Double Trouble Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-23T01:42:00.000-04:00

The trouble part comes from the fact, they can be ~~slightly~~ addictive.

I know its getting too hot here to be baking cookies, but sometimes a girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do. I was having a massive chocolate craving, and I was feeling that pang of guilt having not blogged anytime recently

This recipe is an extra chocolatey modification of a family recipe for chocolate chip cookies that my Grandma W. has been making as far back as I can remember. At every family gathering, there would be the big plastic rectangle container filled to the very top with these cookies. I perched on the edge of a kitchen chair helping Grandma make them more than a few times(she always set aside a bit of chocolate chips for me to munch on, it was my favourite part!).

The original recipe is from a yellowed old paper clipping, Grandma can’t recall exactly where it was taken from(as she has a huge stash of recipes clipped just like it). When I married and moved in with my husband (4 years ago Thursday!) I asked for the recipe and she simply jotted it down from memory. I love when I make them, as it brings me back to being perched on that chair sneaking chocolate chips while Grandma showed me how to measure ingredients.

My husband actually had a hand in this adaptation, adjusting some of the amounts of sugar to his liking, as this was the first thing I taught him to bake (sometimes I think he even makes them better than me, but shhh, don’t tell). There is just nothing sexier than a man who bakes (okay so that might just be my opinion) but I’m so glad that he quickly learned that recipes are fun to play around with.

This variation is thick, dangerously chocolately and nice and soft on the inside without falling apart in your hands.

Double Trouble Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes approx 3 dozen or so cookies

Ingredients

1 Cup Butter
¾ Cup White Sugar
¾ Cup Brown sugar
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla
2 Cup Flour
1 Tsp Baking soda
½ Tsp Salt
2/3 Cup Cocoa
2 Cup Chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, set aside.
Cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well again, scraping bowl occasionally.
Mix flour, baking soda and salt in bowl. Sift in cocoa powder. Gradually add dry ingredients to sugar mixture, mix just until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
Place by tablespoonfuls couple inches apart onto lined baking sheets. I like to leave mine heaped or rolled into a ball for a nice thick cookie.
Bake in oven for approximately 8 minutes or until edges and some of the middle is set…cookies will continue to bake as you take them out of the oven. Wait a couple of minutes before transferring to racks to cool.
Once cool store in an airtight container.

The dough freezes well, as do the cookies themselves. If it’s very warm in your kitchen or you find the dough very soft, you can also chill the dough before baking.

You can add ½ cup chopped nuts when adding the chocolate chips. Feel free to change the flavour of chocolate chips, white or peanut butter would taste fantastic!

The Most Delicious Orange Cake

2009-06-10T19:54:00.001-04:00

When I was gearing up for the baking competition this past weekend, I came across a recipe for orange cake on one of my favourite blogs, Eating Out Loud. I had the oranges all ready to make it, but just completely ran out of time. So the oranges sat, kind of forgotten about and sad for the rest of the weekend while I took a much needed break from the kitchen. Yesterday I was craving dessert, and seeing how I hate wasting food and the recipe looked simple, I decided to give it a go. My expectations couldn’t have prepared me for how absolutely DELICIOUS this cake was going to be. Its light and airy while still being so incredibly moist and flavourful. The glaze has just the right amount of citrusy sweetness.

You can find the recipe here on Allen’s website Eating Out Loud. I baked my cake in a 10 inch tube pan for approximately 50 minutes and it came out perfect. You will notice a lack of zest in my cake compared to Allen’s, this is because Mr. BotC isn’t a fan of citrus zest so I omitted it from the frosting and only put about a tsp in the cake. I would recommend using the full amount to get an extra punch of orange flavour, but its still fantastic cut back if you too have something not fond of zest.

Thank you Allen so much for this recipe, I will be making this again for sure!

(Second) Best Whole Wheat Bread

2009-06-06T20:38:00.001-04:00

Today’s weather was just gorgeous for a parade and a big festival! I’m back from the Bread and Honey Festival baking competition, and I didn’t do too shabby! I wrangled three 2nd place spots, winning with my pumpkin bread, butter tarts and whole wheat bread.

Unfortunately, I was so busy that I didn’t get pictures of a lot of the things I baked. My kitchen table is still caked with flour and covered with various Tupperware pieces. I did have an extra loaf of the whole wheat bread thankfully that I can actually show you (and extra shortbread cookies, the post will be coming soon!).

This bread has won me second place at the festival twice now. Its simple and straight forward to make, is hearty without being overly dense and has a lovely flavour. It is also 100% whole wheat, so on top of tasting great its healthy for you too! This tastes great with a big bowl of homemade soup (or hey, canned - I won’t tell!). If you don’t have a loaf pan, you can shape as if you are baking in a loaf pan and let rise and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet, as I have done on the loaf below. If you use shortening instead of butter, this bread is completely dairy-free.

(Second) Best Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe makes 2 loaves. For 4 loaves, simply double all of your ingredients.

1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water, warm
1 envelope (8 g) active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp/11 mL)
1 1/2 cups water, warm (110F)
1/3 cup molasses
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter or shortening
5 3/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour

Ingredients

DISSOLVE 1 teaspoon (5 mL) sugar in 1/2 cup (125 mL) warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast. Let stand 5 minutes or until puffy, then stir well.
ADD 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) warm water, molasses, salt, shortening and 2 cups (500 mL) Wheat Flour to dissolved yeast mixture. Beat with wooden spoon or electric mixer until smooth and elastic, 5 to 8 minutes.
STIR IN 3 3/4 cups (675 mL) of remaining flour gradually. If necessary, add more flour to make a soft dough which leaves sides of bowl. Turn out on floured board. Round up into ball.
KNEAD dough until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).
PLACE in lightly greased bowl. Turn dough to grease top. Cover with damp tea towel.
LET RISE in warm place (75°-85°F/24°-29°C) until doubled (45-60 minutes). Putting the dough in a cold oven (don’t turn the oven on!), with a pan of boiling water on the other side of the rack helps creates a lovely rise.
PUNCH DOWN. Turn out onto lightly floured board and divide into 2 equal portions. Round up each portion. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
SHAPE each portion into a loaf. Place seam side down in 2 greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 3/4" (1.5 L) loaf pans. Cover with a tea towel.
LET RISE in warm place until dough rises 1 1/2" (3 cm) above top of pan in centre, and corners are filled (45-60 minutes).
BAKE at 400°F (200°C) on lower oven rack for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake 20 to 30 minutes more. Remove from pans immediately. Brush top crust with butter if a soft crust is desired. Cool on wire racks.

* For a lighter flavour omit molasses; add 2 tablespoons (30 mL) sugar and use 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups (1125-1375 mL) flour.

Adapted from Robin Hood Bread (www.robinhood.ca)

Iron Cupcake: Savoury- Voting Now Open!

2009-05-31T08:17:00.001-04:00

You can now head over to No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner to vote for your favourite Iron Cupcake: Savoury Cupcake! Just browse the entries and then look to the right sidebar, pick up to 3 favourites, and then hit the vote button at the bottom! Every vote counts as a ballot which a winner will be randomly drawn. Voting is open through Friday, June 5 at 12 noon central. The winner will be posted the night of June 6, before 11:59 p.m.

My entry is the Nacho Sabroso Cupcake, just in case of course you would like to vote for me!

Sugar High Fridays – Sweet without the Wheat

2009-05-22T23:12:00.001-04:00

When I read that this month’s Sugar High Friday was to be desserts without any wheat, I knew I would be making something frozen using my much loved ice cream maker(I think I’ve become a little obsessed). I came to love tea with honey and lemon as a child when my Czech next-door neighbour, who I visited often, would freshly brew it using a coffee maker. I was curious how it would translate into a sorbet, and have been experimenting in balancing the sourness and tang of the lemon with just enough sweetness.

Sorbets have the added benefit for those with food allergies and sensitivities that not only are they gluten-free, they are also egg and dairy-free. It came at a good time too, as I came down with a nasty bout of laryngitis right at the beginning of the Canadian Victoria day weekend (of course!). Honey-lemon tea is known to soothe a raw and sore throat, and I discovered it works even better when frozen!

Honey-Lemon Tea Sorbet

A true “iced” tea

Ingredients

4 Tea bags (I used Orange Pekoe)
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Tbsp Honey
2 Cups Water
2 1/2 Cups Cold water
Juice from one lemon (approx. 1/4 cup)

Directions

Boil 2 cups of the water and sugar together until sugar dissolves. Take off heat.
Add tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes.
Remove tea bags and add honey, stirring to dissolve.
Mix in 2 cups cold water and lemon juice.
Put in fridge to chill until thoroughly cold, at least 2 hours.
Freeze in ice cream machine according to manufacture’s instructions.
Keep in airtight container in freezer. Will tend to freeze rock hard after a few hours, let thaw in fridge at least 10-15 minutes until softened. (If frozen in a microwaveable container, I have found putting it on 30 second bursts and checking works too, works well especially for the impatient like me).

May Dinner and a Movie: Shirley Valentine (Loukoumathes)

2009-05-20T01:48:00.001-04:00

This month’s Dinner and a Movie, hosted by Marc of No Recipes and Susan of Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy, is the 1989 film “Shirley Valentine”.

Before this month’s D&M I had never heard of the movie, and when reading the summary about it on Wiki, I admit I was sceptical. Its about a 40 something English woman who is treated like a door mat by most the people in her life, especially her brutish husband. She basically lives to serve everyone else, so lonely and beaten down she talks to the wall in her kitchen. When a friend wins two tickets to a resort in Greece, she makes a last minute decision to realize her dream of travelling, and takes off for new parts. After her friend promptly ditches her for a man she meets on the plane she has to discover the island on her own. She then begins to find out what she wants and what she actually needs.

Although I felt iffy about the ending, I was surprised how much the movie actually touched me. It actually gave me the push I needed to make a major change in my life that I had been avoiding for a very long time.

This is what brought me to my choice of recipe, Loukoumathes.

In Greek these are λουκουμάδες, pronounced loo-koo-MAH-thes. These little yeasted balls of dough are deep fried until puffed and golden and then drizzled with lots of honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. A New years eve tradition in parts of Greece, I thought they were perfect for a movie based on change and getting a new start. They are light and airy, and despite being covered in honey, they are not overwhelmingly sweet. Adjust the amount of cinnamon you sprinkle to your taste, Mr. BotC liked it very liberally covered. These must be serve immediately as they are fried, and will become soggy if left to sit.

Loukoumathes

Ingredients

1 pk -Active dry yeast or 30 grams compressed yeast
1 c Milk; lukewarm (110 F)
1 tb granulated white sugar
1 Egg; beaten
1/4 c Butter; melted
2 Cups All purpose flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Honey; warmed
Ground cinnamon
Oil (of your choice) for frying

Directions

In small bowl stir yeast into 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm milk. Let sit 2 to 5 minutes until yeast is mostly dissolved.
In large bowl mix together remaining milk, sugar, egg and lukewarm melted butter. Add dissolved yeast.
Sift flour and salt and gradually stir in mixed liquids. Beat until smooth and continue beating for 1 minute.
Cover bowl with warm damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 1-1/2 hours until batter doubles in bulk with bubbles on the surface. I like to put the bowl into a cold oven, and place a pan full of boiling water at the other end, and then shut the oven door. This gives me a beautiful rise every time.
Line large baking sheet with parchment paper, and then with a layer of paper towel
In small pot over very low (minimum) heat, set honey to warm while frying the dough, until nice and fluid.
Remove cloth from bowl of dough, stir dough well then drop teaspoonfuls into pot of deep, hot oil (375F) 4 to 5 at a time. Do not crowd puffs or they tend to stick together.
Turn puffs to brown evenly and remove with a slotted spoon to drain on lined baking sheet. Watch very closely as each puff only takes about a minute to cook.
When all are drained, arrange on serving plate. Drizzle each with the warmed honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve hot.

Adapted from The Greek Cookbook by Tess Mallos

Iron Cupcake: Earth - Battle Savoury!

2009-05-16T22:29:00.001-04:00

This will be my first Iron Cupcake: Earth challenge, and I’m so excited! Faced with the challenge of making a savoury cupcake; that is, something you would have for dinner instead of for dessert, I tried to break down favourite dishes that might translate in cupcake form. After lots of brainstorming, where I learned the internet is not teeming with ideas for savoury cupcakes, it came to me – Nachos.

Everyone has their own way of doing them; some like grated cheese, some the ooey-gooey processed cheese sauce. The garnish possibilities run the gamut, from sweet (tomatoes) to salty (olives) to a little bit of heat (jalapenos). This is my interpretation of nachos, in easy to eat cupcake form. A cheese cupcake in a crispy tortilla cup, spiced with taco seasoning, dotted with green onions and filled with a thick salsa and frosted with a swirl of sour cream. Frosting is garnished with a sprinkling of finely diced tomatoes and sliced green onions and finally topped with a homemade tortilla chip.

Nachos Sabroso Cupcakes

Tortilla cups

4 Large tomato tortillas
cooking spray or vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F (200C) for the cupcakes.
Lightly grease 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Set aside.
Using a 4 inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out 12 rounds from tortillas.
In large pan over medium-low heat, warm tortillas, one or two at a time, until pliable.
As you remove tortillas from heat, gently fit into muffin cups, pleating if necessary. Careful as the tortillas may be hot!
Set aside and proceed to making cupcake batter.

Cupcake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
1 1/2 cups shredded old cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

If you haven’t done so yet, preheat oven to 400F (200C).
In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda and taco seasoning; stir in cheddar cheese and green onions.
In small bowl, lightly beat eggs; stir in sour cream and butter. Add to dry ingredients, all at once, stirring just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among the 12 tortilla lined muffin cups.
Bake 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in cups on wire rack. Remove and let cool completely. If making tortilla chips, leave oven on.

Tortilla chips (for garnish)

1 flour torilla
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400F unless oven is still on from making the cupcakes.
Slice tortilla into 12 wedges and place on lined baking sheet.
Brush top side of tortilla wedges lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 5 minutes, rotate baking sheet and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until tortillas start to crisp but do not turn brown.

Topping and Assembly

1/2 cup thick salsa

1 500 ml container sour cream (2 cups)

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 green onion, sliced

12 tortilla chips (homemade or store-bought)

Using sharp knife, cut out small circles into the middle of the cupcake, careful to not go through to the bottom (picture above). Reserve caps. Fill each cupcake with a 2 tsp of salsa, and gently replace cap. If necessary, cut bottom of the cap to make room for the filling.
Using a spoon, swirl sour cream on each cupcake.
Garnish with finely chopped tomato, green onion slices and a tortilla chip and serve immediately.

This month’s winner will receive the following fabulous prizes:

The May ETSY PRIZE-PACK:

A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
something sweet and dangly from CHERRYCREEKCHARMS at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6686445.
a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget the corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com

I will let you know when the voting opens, and I encourage you to vote for your favourites, even if its not mine! (of course that would be awesome too!)

Oatmeal Cookies

2009-05-14T04:28:00.001-04:00

Have you ever made a recipe, for the sole reason of using a certain ingredient that you have in abundance in your kitchen? This was the case with raisins in my kitchen this week, especially for the fact that Mr. BotC does not like to eat them in anything (but on their own is fine…to each their own!).

Oatmeal cookies were never my favourite, I found them boring and more often than not, dry and rather tasteless. Having so many raisins on hand though, oatmeal raisin cookies kept coming to mind since I just plain couldn’t think of anything else creative to use them in except raisin bread, and I haven’t had the time to devote to yeast bread this week.

These cookies really surprised me, in a really good way. The aroma from the spices when they are baking wafts through the house, and they come out of the oven a lovely golden brown. I tried one while still (very) warm and I thought I was in heaven. I was so happy they were still just as delicious today. They raisin variety is soft and chewy, with a spice flavour that doesn’t take over the cookie.

Since Mr.BotC does not like raisins in anything, I made half raisin, and half chocolate chip. I found when adding chocolate chips instead of raisins to this recipe they were not as soft and chewy(without the added moisture of the raisins) but my husband and his co-workers weren’t complaining. I sent at least half the batch (both raisin and chocolate chip) with him to work, and they were devoured. I’m so glad his work loves home baking, or I would really be in trouble! (Since I’ll eat them all myself…The lack of will power when it comes to baked goods is almost embarrassing, I can’t be the only one right?).

I’ve included a note at the bottom of the recipe for the chocolate chip or if you too would like to do half of each.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Makes approximately 36 cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins (or chocolate chips*)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place raisins in bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside.
In a mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. In large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture.
Drain raisins. Stir the raisins and oats into the rest of the cookie dough. Mixture may be very thick. Resist the urge to add more liquid!
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased parchment-lined cookie sheets.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes until light and golden. Do not overbake. Let them cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

*If adding chocolate chips, you may wish to omit the spices. I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon just for a bit of flavour. This of course is up to you.

For half chocolate chip/half raisin: Follow recipe as directed until step 3, except do not add cinnamon and cloves to flour mixture. Mix in oats. Divide dough in half, adding 1/2 tsp ground cloves and 1/2 tsp cinnamon to one half, add raisins. In other half, add chocolate chips and 1/4 of cinnamon. As dough is very stiff, make sure to mix spices in very well, using a strong spoon or your clean hands. Bake as directed.

Recipe adapted from Beth's Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies submitted by Beth Sigworth to Allrecipes.com.

Love Muffin(s)

2009-05-11T00:49:00.001-04:00

My favourite kind of recipes are those that can be reinvented over and over, with just a quick change up of ingredients. This is what I have done with great results with my blueberry muffin recipe, prompted by a lack of fresh blueberries and an abundance of chocolate chips one day. Its so fast to whip up, using just one bowl –who doesn’t love less mess?! You don’t even need to turn on a mixer, just a spoon or spatula will do, as the less you work the dry ingredients, the less likely you will end up with tough, dense muffins. These are great for breakfast or for filling that late night hunger (I can’t be the only one that stays up so late they get too hungry to go to sleep right?). I especially love them a bit warm, with the chocolate still gooey, but were still good two days later stored in an airtight container. I think these would be great with mini chocolate chips too, but for some reason seem to be tricky to find in a grocery store lately.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Using an ice cream scoop is fast and gives you perfectly proportioned muffins with a nice rounded top

Makes 8 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Mix in vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips. Using ice cream scoop, place one full scoop in each cup or liner (if not using a scoop, just put large spoonfuls).
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean.

Adapted from "To Die for Blueberry Muffins" submitted by Colleen to Allrecipes.com.

Butter Tarts

2009-05-02T21:29:00.002-04:00

If you’ve ever been North of the border, you may have come across these little tarts, with their syrupy sweet filling, most likely with raisins, in tender pastry. Butter tarts are one of few foods that are uniquely Canadian, and beloved much like our Tim Hortons. Growing up my father used to buy them and you had better be sure you didn’t take your sweet time getting your share, or you were out of luck! I have had an incredible craving for one of these the last two weeks, and finally got around to making them. I think I realize why I haven’t made them more than once or twice before, because I’ve eaten half a batch myself in just two days…so I should warn they may be slightly addictive!

My first batch I sent along with my Mr. BotC to work, and he said he left them at the front desk for whoever wanted one. When he walked by the desk at 9:30am they had vanished (he got there at 8:30am).

It seems many of my American friends have never had the opportunity to try these, but they are actually rather simple to make, and oh so delicious.

The following recipe is reprinted and adapted with permission from Lennie Locken of Eat Write Create and Alphabet Soup Studio, who was kind enough to share the original recipe at RecipeZaar.

Award Winning Butter Tarts

Back in the 1970’s there was a national contest held in Canada to determine who had the best buttertarts, this recipe is the winner, originating from Wilkie’s Bakery in Orilla, Ontario.

pie pastry (enough to fill 16 muffin cups – I used a double recipe of this Pâte Brisée from Simply Recipes, which I highly recommend *)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup soft butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Prepare muffin pans by rolling out pie dough and cutting 4-inch (approx) circles, I used a fluted cutter for the scalloped edges; ease dough circles into ungreased muffin cups; set aside in fridge until ready to fill.
In a small bowl, place raisins and cover with hot tap water; let stand on the counter for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup; stir well until sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed.
Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Drain raisins.
Retrieve tart shells and divide raisins equally into all shells; then divide butter mixture into all tarts. Don’t fill tarts all the way to the very top, as the filling does bubble up quite a bit, and will get everywhere!
Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes; filling will be lightly browned but still bubbling.
I like mine runny, enough that it oozes out a bit when you bite into it, only firm enough so much that it runs down your chin and hands. If you prefer a firmer filling, baked for the full 20 minutes.
Let cooked butter tarts cool in pans for 10 minutes after removing from oven; then carefully remove and place on racks until completely cool.

*If making your own pastry, make sure to not overwork the dough. The pastry should be tender and light, just enough to contain the filling within. The second batch, shown here, I overworked in my haste to finish them so they were a bit tough, but still are every bit as tasty(and didn’t stop them from ending up in my mouth!.

Thank you again so much Lennie for allowing me to share this wonderful recipe!

Two-Bite Brownies

2009-04-30T03:37:00.001-04:00

This blog post proves there is (almost) always a silver lining, even when a recipe decides to go pear shaped.

Today I attempted to make vanilla cupcakes with a brownie centre, using my very favourite brownie recipe. Well, it didn’t pan out(pun intended).

The vanilla cupcakes, a new recipe, were just plain bad. Dense (more than a muffin), dry, and pretty much tasteless. The brownie section was dry in some parts, and completely uncooked in others. I was thoroughly disappointed, especially since I had just spent the afternoon mucking up the kitchen, and there was half a pound of butter down the drain.

I know, you’re wondering where does the silver lining come in.

Well I had a bunch of brownie batter leftover, but not enough for a full pan, so I had just quickly put the rest into greased mini muffin tins, and slipped them in the oven alongside the cupcake pan.

These turned out to be the little stars of the show.

These are my usual brownies, but this is the first time I’ve ever made them mini, thinking they would end up tough and hard. Instead they developed this wonderful chewiness (don’t take me wrong, its not like chewing chocolate bubblegum I promise!). The texture when baked in the pan is very fudgy, not cakelike, which might be why they didn’t end up drying out which I was afraid of. If you would rather bake these in a pan then as minis, I’ve included a note at the bottom with directions. These are very good even unfrosted, but I found as minis, they were almost elevated to miniature brownie cupcakes with a touch of frosting.

Two Bite Brownies

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 ounces chocolate, melted (two full chocolate baking squares)

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

Enough milk to make creamy consistency (approx. 2 to 4 tablespoons*)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two mini muffin pans and set aside.

In large bowl combine melted butter, sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Drop by teaspoonful into greased mini muffin pans.

Bake in preheated oven for approximately 10-15 minutes (check at the 10 minute mark). Do not overcook. Let set for 5 minutes in pans, then gently remove and cool on racks. Store in airtight container.

To Make Frosting: Combine melted chocolate and butter. Add icing sugar and mix. Mixture will be crumbly. Add just enough milk to make a smooth and creamy consistency.

*As icing sugars can differ in starch content, even depending on humidity, this amount can differ. If you accidentally add too much milk or the frosting is too runny, you can slowly add more sugar. Pipe or spread on cooled brownies.

Note: To make in an 8 inch square pan: spread brownies in the greased and parchment or foil lined 8 inch pan, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, checking at the 15 minute mark. Let cool in pan on a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from “Best Brownies” from Allrecipes.com

My 6 year old nephew loves the store-bought two bite brownies, that come in the brown folded bag. He hates cake with a passion so I dress them up for his birthdays. I would love to see if these(without frosting of course) would pass his discriminating taste buds.

I am still on the look out (and desperate) for a fantastic vanilla cupcake recipe. If you have one you could point me to or would like to share, please let me know!

Lactose-Reduced Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

2009-04-26T03:40:00.001-04:00

About a week or so ago, after many months of searching, my husband brought home a much welcome baby.

Its the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Yogurt, Sorbet and Ice cream maker. I’m in love. It just happened that the day it arrived home in my husband’s arms, was the day my copy of David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop arrived on my doorstep fresh from Amazon.

If you are a lover of frozen treats, I implore you to get your hands on an ice cream maker and this book. His witty style fills the pages, along with gorgeous photos. There is almost every icy treat you can think of…custard and non-custard based ice creams, sherbets, sorbets, frozen yogurts and even granitas. There is an entire section at the back for “sweet accompaniments” which include cones and bowls, marshmallows, sauces, truffles, peppermint patties, and chocolate chip cookie dough, all that are suitable for being swirled into ice cream. I know, what am I doing with an ice cream maker and a book about ice cream, being lactose intolerant, right? The section on sorbets has an impressive 33 different recipes, all dairy free. There are also sherbets and frozen yogurts, which I’m in the process of testing using lactose-free dairy.

This is where the Blueberry frozen yogurt comes in.

The one thing that Mr. BotC absolutely loves(besides me of course) is blueberries. He also loves yogurt. You wouldn’t know it though, because it is very rarely in the fridge…all because I really, really don’t, and he has to be prodded into buying things that only he will eat. I used to eat it as a small child, but the older I got, the more I was put off by the sourness, the tang that I think makes people love yogurt. I know that it is good for you, and all in the name of trying to push my boundaries a bit, I decided I would try out the Blueberry fro-yo in the sake of my husband (and because then it wouldn’t sit untouched in case I truly couldn’t stand it!).

I have read that regular yogurt is well tolerated by some lactose intolerants, but being that I haven’t eaten it since a child I didn’t feel like testing that theory. We set out to find some lactose-free yogurt, and among the dozens of varieties offered, there was only one that was lactose-reduced, by 90%. Unfortunately it only came in 1%, as every recipe in the book calls for full fat dairy products, to prevent iciness. I threw caution to the wind as this was the only option available.

As I don’t want to directly copy from David’s book, this is the recipe as I prepared it. After my husband devoured a few spoonfuls, he sighed, “you could sell this”. You just can’t hear that often enough.

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients

1 heaping cup *strained lactose free/reduced yogurt (3 cups normal yogurt-I used one 750g container of Astro BioBest 1% Lactose Reduced yogurt) –see note on making strained yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups wild blueberries, frozen (you can also substitute fresh)
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

In a blender or food processor, blend together the yogurt, sugar and blueberries. Press the mixture through a strainer to remove the seeds. Stir in the lemon juice. If you’re using frozen blueberries, you can proceed directly to the next step as the mixture will be very cold. If using fresh, chill for at least an hour.

Pour the chilled mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions. It can be served immediately if chilled enough to your liking or transferred to an airtight container and placed in the freezer.

*Straining yogurt makes it much thicker and richer. I found using the brand of yogurt I did, that I needed about 3 cups (750g container) of normal yogurt to make 1 heaping cup of strained yogurt. Simply put a colander or mesh strainer over a bowl (you don’t want it to sit directly in the bowl, as you need it to drain), line with cheesecloth or strong paper towel and then pour the yogurt on top, wrap the cloth/towel around the yogurt and place another bowl, or something moderately heavy on top for pressure. Leave 6 hours or overnight in the fridge to strain.

Being that Mr.BotC knows more about how yogurt and blueberries should be, I asked him if he found it icy. He shook his head emphatically “no”. Being as he is my tester for all the recipes posted here, he will eat said food, and then offer up what was good (or bad), or what could be done to improve it. This though…all that was left was a bowl that was swiped clean (and my husband isn’t really a bowl licking kind of guy!). He even said it was better than a popular ice cream shop near his parent’s cottage, and he loves their products. He couldn’t tell that the yogurt was almost lactose-free.

And what did I think? It wasn’t half as sour as many fruit fro-yos I’ve sampled, and had a nice smooth finish. The lemon juice really brightens it up, and it wasn’t overly sweet. I am looking forward to trying this out when the blueberries come into season in the summer. As a yogurt skeptic I still don’t think I’m at a place where I could eat big bowlfuls, but I actually did thoroughly enjoy a scoop or two, sans stomach ache.

I am now really looking forward to playing around with chocolate and vanilla flavours…the bowl is in the freezer just waiting for me;)

Dinner & a Movie: Wedding Crashers –Look at Them Melons… Sorbet

2009-04-20T14:09:00.001-04:00

Dinner and a Movie is co-hosted by Marc of No Recipes and Susan of Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy, where a new movie is picked each month to watch and inspire you to create a dish based on said movie. I’m excited as this is my first month participating, and this month’s movie, Wedding Crashers, proved to be quite a challenge!

I wanted to stay away from anything “wedding-y”, as I figured that would be too easy, but food isn’t a large feature of the film…unless you count Owen Wilson’s character sickening his love interest’s fiancé with Visine! (my Visine is staying safely in the medicine cabinet, thanks!).

One of the actresses in the movie is Jane Seymour, playing the part of Kathleen (“Kitty Kat”), the mother of the Crashers love interests. She is not so much the cooking-baking, knitting, book circle type of mom though. She likes the drink, and although married, takes a heated interest in Owen Wilson’s character, John.

In the scene that inspired my dish, Kathleen walks into the room where John is putting on his shoes and announces to John she’s had certain “aesthetic” work done. She refuses to let him leave amid his protests until he inspects the work for himself. Of course, with him being amazed how “realistic” the aesthetic work is, he doesn’t give the response she had hoped for, and with disgust calls him a pervert and storms out! Given that Jane Seymour was 54 when this scene was shot, where in Hollywood anyone past 25 seems to be deemed “over the hill”, I say kudos for her! So without further ado, and without need for further explanation, my recipe:

Honeydew Melon Sorbet

Ingredients

1 pound, 5 ounces diced honeydew melon, seeded and peeled (about 3/4 of a large melon)
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup white granulated sugar

Directions

Place the seeded and peeled melon in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice and sugar and process for another 30 seconds. Place the mixture into the refrigerator until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F; if you don’t have a thermometer, this will most likely take a couple of hours, you want the mixture thoroughly cold.

Pour the chilled mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions. It can be served immediately if thick enough or transferred to an airtight container and placed in the freezer.

(Adapted from Alton Brown, Good Eats, episode: Melondrama)

This sorbet has a gorgeous bright flavour, and a creamy texture that would have you believing it contained dairy of some kind. The sugar can be adjusted based on the sweetness of the melon you choose and your personal preferences. When choosing a honeydew, you want to get one that feels heavy for it’s size and is a creamy yellow colour…green most likely means it is not mature yet. You also want to avoid any with overly soft or brown parts. California honeydews are not in season right now (our melon was from Costa Rica) so I would care to bet this would taste even more delicious when they are.

This went perfect with the gorgeous warm weekend we just enjoyed, inspiring the coming days (and not soon enough!) of summer.

You can check out the April Dinner and a Movie Round up for all submissions over at Marc’s blog. Hope to see you at next month’s Dinner and a Movie! Happy Eating!

Super Easy Easter Nests

2009-04-13T16:40:00.001-04:00

I know that by this point, most of you are probably in a sugar filled haze and maybe ~~ready to swear off chocolate forever~~ regretting one(or 10) too many Easter eggs. But before I can lay this wonderful chocolate-filled holiday to rest, I wanted to share an extremely fast and easy candy of sorts that would be perfect for the kiddos(or just for those of us that need something cute, tasty and better yet – fast).

First I lined a cookie sheet with parchment so the nests wouldn’t stick. Then I simply broke some pretzel sticks into smaller pieces into a bowl and mixed with enough melted milk chocolate to cover evenly. The whole point being that you want the pretzels to stick together in a little bundle. I then dropped small circles of the mixture onto the parchment, using the spoon and clean fingers to press it together (as you will find some pretzels will try to make a run for it). Before the chocolate set, I nestled a couple of Cadbury Micro Mini Eggs onto the top. These would be really cute with some small jelly beans as well. Pop into the fridge to set, and once completely set you can store in the fridge in an airtight container. Ta-Da!

Mr. BotC had never tasted chocolate covered pretzels before and was most pleasantly surprised that he liked it. The saltiness of the pretzels really balances out the sweet of the chocolate. You could of course add extra goodies to the mix such as coconut, peanuts, dried cranberries or marshmallows.

Hope everyone has had an enjoyable Easter weekend!

Hoppy Easter and Cake Pops!

2009-04-12T21:33:00.002-04:00

Phew I’m exhausted! Lots of spring cleaning and baking this weekend, along with making a full roast chicken dinner with all the fixings today. Friday I made the bachelorette cake, and a certain specific area of the cake was refusing to cooperate as the kitchen and my hands were just too warm. Finally I got everything to stay put and It was picked up Saturday with no problems. I was told today it was the centre of the party! I would love to post pictures but unfortunately for obvious reasons I can’t ;) Which reminds me, I have leftover Twinkies if anyone is interested! Since this party was only for about 12 people I had leftover cake, and hating to waste food I knew the perfect way to use it.

I have been admiring the gorgeous cake pops over at Bakerella for some time, and have been just looking for an excuse to attempt the sweet gems. Easter and leftover cake gave me the perfect reason! Bakerella has generously included her instructions for cake pops and Cupcake Bites on her site, which was really useful, because it was trickier than it looked!

I started with the cupcake pops, using the method of chocolate peanut butter cup moulds. I made up the cake balls (crumble prepared cake, mix with frosting, and ta-da!) and popped them in the freezer. While they chilled I melted milk chocolate chips and poured in the mould for the base. I then took out the cake balls and pushed them into the chocolate mould and stuck them back in the freezer.

When the chocolate was set, I popped them out of their moulds (which you have to do very carefully I found out, or the cake balls will break off from the base very easy!) I stuck lollipop sticks right through the chocolate bottoms, and then put them in the fridge to firm up once again.

While they chilled I mixed white and red compound chocolate to make pink for the top. When they were chilled and firmed up I dipped them in the pink chocolate. This was the tricky part, as its hard to keep the chocolate from dripping down everywhere and coating the cake ball evenly. I found spooning the chocolate over the one side to be helpful for completely coating it. Then you patiently leave them to set, before digging in.

I also tried simple cake pops by shaping them into eggs (although I must admit they only bare a very vague similarity to eggs!)

I had a lot of fun with the Wilton sprinkles I found at Michaels…

Although decorating them made me appreciate how truly talented Bakerella is!

My sister brought my niece and nephew over today for an Easter egg hunt around our living room and a sugar-high filled afternoon with the Wii. My sister and niece loved the pops, though my 6 year old nephew didn’t partake because he hates cake (apparently that IS possible!). They are rather sweet depending on your cake/icing combination but very yummy…as my niece can attest to, as she had two while my sister was busy (Sorry sis!)

Hope you all had a Happy Easter!

My Husband is in Love

2009-04-03T02:48:00.003-04:00

Tonight my husband pointed out that I had showcased my favourite Easter treat, but that I had left his favourite in the lurch.

Its not that I don’t like it personally, its just that I’m not a huge peanut butter lover. I will get a craving every now and then, but its not in my top 5. Just as he would eat the marshmallow egg, but usually prefers his marshmallow thoroughly burnt - charred really- or better yet on fire (I have witnessed a sad marshmallow impaled on a fork and held over the burner until said charred-ness was accomplished). When it comes to chocolate, its the peanut butter-chocolate combination that 99.9% of the time catches his eye. He especially loves anything Reese with a passion(he still has more self control than me.)

The outside is a rich milk chocolate. Its not quite an egg shape, though its very close. I’m guessing not many people write to complain. If they do, they have too much time on their hands, and not enough chocolate.

The insides of the egg are filled with Reese’s peanut butter cup filling, or at least something that tastes very similar. Its very much like their cups, but somehow its different without all those chocolate ridges missing. I may be the only one to notice. My husband most likely will think I’m crazy. Its okay, he likes me this way;)

This is a love affair that I can approve of.

I’m in Love

2009-03-31T20:41:00.003-04:00

I know its not April yet, but I have to admit something.

I love Easter.

There are many reasons why, like the fact its finally spring and the risk of snow is (mostly) gone, the birds are chirping and the early plants are starting to come into bloom. That and I love brunch and Easter egg hunts. But, one of the big reasons, is the chocolate. Oh, the chocolate. Bunnies, chicks, the lastest cartoon characters, and maybe the best of them all, the eggs.

I know I know, there is chocolate with Valentines Day, and oh that is good too, but I find Valentine’s day comes with a lot of pressure and planning. And, it usually occurs when its grey and cold and just generally gross outside.

And, Valentine’s day doesn’t come with this:

Maybe its a tad embarrassing to look forward to a season because of candy, but its just OH-SO-GOOD.

When you peel off the wrapper, you are faced with the egg shaped chocolate.

It doesn’t look like much. Unremarkable. So innocent. And then, you break that chocolately egg apart…

And you meet the ooey, gooey marshmallow-ness.

The chocolate shell has a wonderful snap, around the chewy, gooey marshmallow. There is no way to eat it daintily, you just have to get in there and enjoy every tiny wayward morsel.

Its murder on my newly worked on teeth, but surprisingly easy on the waistline compared to other treats (well, if you only have one of course….yeah…). It has 80 calories and 2.5 g of fat.

Not that it really crosses my mind when I’m licking marshmallow off my fingers.

Ginger Cookies

2009-03-29T17:27:00.001-04:00

I have loved watching Ina Garten’s show The Barefoot Contessa on the food network, but its become very hard to catch reruns now as it seems to air randomly. One of my absolute favourite cookbooks is her Barefoot Contessa at Home. The following is my adaptation of her “Ultimate Ginger Cookie” recipe from the book. I found it was just too spicy for my husband and I, to the point our tongues were burning quite a bit after the cookie was gone. Among the changes, I cut the cloves down to a third, as I felt like it was overwhelming the other flavours. I doubled the amount of ginger, halved all the other spices, and cut the amount of flour. It also called for crystallized ginger, but its not something I usually have in the house, so I left it out.

One thing I love about these cookies is that the dough is really easy to work with and the ingredients are those you most likely have in your cupboard and spice cabinet. Kids would love rolling the dough in the sugar and pressing them with the fork. They also contain no dairy products which is great for those with lactose intolerance or milk allergies.

These cookies are thick and have a fabulous soft ‘chew’, with a delicious spicy flavour that is not overwhelming. The smell when they are baking fills your house with the wonderful warm aroma of ginger and spice.

Ginger Cookies

Makes approx. 24 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
granulated white sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixture to low speed, add the egg, and beat for one minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, and beat for one more minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for two minutes.

Scoop the dough with two spoons or a small ice cream/cookie scoop. With your hands, roll each cookie into a 1 3/4 – inch ball and then roll completely in sugar. Place cookies on sheet pans and then flatten them lightly with the tines of a fork.

Bake for approximately 8 minutes*. The cookies will be crackled on the top/sides and soft inside. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pans for a minute or two, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container to prevent cookies from hardening.

*The original recipe calls for the cookies to be baked for exactly 13 minutes, but I found they were perfect at 8. Times can vary according to your oven, watch for the crackling on the top, cookies will still be soft to the touch until cooled.

Fun with Your Food Photos

2009-03-28T15:55:00.001-04:00

I think I’ve found a new toy.

While I can almost safely guarantee my food photography will never grace the cover of a magazine, I’ve found a gadget that will let you make your own magazine cover. Big Huge Labs magazine creator lets you chose your colours, font, and if you want your words bolded or shadowed. You can then upload your gorgeous cover directly to Flickr, or copy it to your computer. I have found this toy perfect for procrastination, like washing those dirty dishes spread across the sink and counter in your kitchen. Plus, its just fun.

Bon Appetit eat your heart out!

Eggless, Milk-free Pancakes

2009-03-25T13:09:00.003-04:00

One of the many things I have had to reluctantly give up is pancakes, since every time I would eat them I would feel sick. There are milk ingredients in the boxed mix, the kind that you just add water to, which of course never dawned on me until about the third or fourth time feeling funky after a pancake breakfast. I feel the same way after Eggo waffles. Whether it was the milk, or the egg (I am assuming there would be powdered egg as well) or just the heaviness of the pancake itself, I’m not sure. I am sure there are lactose intolerants that can eat pancakes or waffles with no problems.

I have had this recipe from The Milk-Free Kitchen, sitting on my computer for a long time, but have been too afraid to try it, thinking there was just no way it could work.

I made a couple of changes but they were surprisingly good. They were fluffy and moist, and you can taste the cinnamon without it being overpowering. It has also not left me with a stomach ache. I think you could almost fool someone if you didn’t tell them there was no milk or egg in it.

That said, the way the recipe is written, its not dairy-free, as it calls for margarine. Some brands can contain some milk ingredients. I can handle butter and margarine, but for severe lactose intolerance, milk allergies or vegans, you can substitute the margarine in the batter for applesauce, and a very light oil for frying. This recipe will also work if you have a craving for pancakes and you just happened to have run out of milk and eggs!

Eggless, Milk-free Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup white flour (can substitute half or all for whole wheat)
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons margarine or butter (can be substituted with applesauce)
3/4 cup water
1 egg or 2 tablespoons water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (or other fruit), optional
pinch cinnamon
(If not using margarine or butter, small amount of light oil to grease pan)

Directions

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into medium mixing bowl.

Melt 2 1/2 Tbsp margarine in frying pan until melted. Be sure to tip the pan side to side to coat/grease all over.

Pour melted margarine in a small bowl, add water, vanilla and egg (if you are using), Mix well.

Mix blueberries or other fruit with dry ingredients, just before adding the liquids.

Stir liquid mixture into the dry ingredients until it is thoroughly moistened; It is OK if this batter is lumpy.

Cook the pancakes over medium-high heat on the stove-top (or 375F on electric frying pans). Cook pancakes until the tops are bubbly and the bottoms browned. Turn the pancakes over to cook other side (*Approximately four minutes per side).

Serve hot with margarine, honey, brown sugar or maple syrup.

*Actual cooking time will depend on the size of the pan you are using

Adapted from the Milk-Free Kitchen

I didn’t have any blueberries on hand so I left them out. These would be great when blueberries come into season in the summer, as I find frozen will turn the entire pancake purple, and you don’t get that lovely texture of fresh. I see no reason you could not use strawberries or raspberries tossed in there instead.

The original recipe didn’t call for cinnamon, but I found it really added something extra. I would love to try these with some apples chopped or thinly sliced in the batter…like an apple pie pancake.

Pass the syrup, and Enjoy!

Chocolate Swirl Bars

2009-03-24T01:05:00.001-04:00

It tastes as good as it looks.

Yesterday I was craving something sweet, but other than applesauce, we were plum out. I didn’t really have the patience for making cookies, so this was the perfect compromise. These are almost like a cross between a chocolate chip cookie bar and a blondie (a non-chocolate brownie). My dentist would not be impressed with me after all the work I am still recovering from, but hey Mr. Dentist, at least its easy to chew, right?

When getting the batter into the pan, I found it much simpler to just use my hands to pat it down. Although it says to “spread it” I was afraid I would be there forever as it just seemed to keep bouncing back from the knife.

This is one of those things that you’re eyeing it while its baking thinking, “this is not going to work” and then magically it comes together into something glorious.

Chocolate Swirl Bars

Preparation time: 15 mins
Baking time: 28 mins
Makes: 24 squares
Freezing: excellent

Ingredients

1 cup butter , softened 250 mL

1 cup brown sugar , packed 250 mL

1/2 cup granulated sugar 125 mL

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla 5 ml

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 550 mL

1 tsp baking soda 5 mL

1/2 tsp salt 2 mL

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 500 mL

PREHEAT oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Grease a 13" x 9" (33 cm x 23 cm) cake pan. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs together until creamy. Add flour, baking soda, salt and nuts. Mix well. Spread in prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top.
BAKE in centre of 375ºF (190ºC) oven for 2-3 minutes or until chips are soft and shiny. Run knife through batter to marble. Bake 20-25 minutes longer, or until set. Cool in pan on rack then cut into squares.
TIP: Replace half or all the flour with All Purpose Whole Wheat Flour.

Adapted from Robin Hood

Bread the Day After

2009-03-23T14:30:00.002-04:00

This morning I cut open the Honey wheat bread I made yesterday. Oh-My- Gosh. Just heavenly.

I had it toasted with strawberry jam for breakfast, and then had some with chicken noodle soup for lunch. I think I was more enamoured with the bread than the soup.

I mentioned last post about buying a bread bag, and hoping it would make a difference in preventing the bread from staling so fast. I, like everyone else I would imagine, hate spending the cash on gadgets when I haven’t heard actual reviews about if its actually going to work.

This morning I sliced up half of it and tucked it into a freezer bag and am keeping it frozen for when we go through the first half. From the time between breakfast and lunch, which was about 5 hours, the freshly cut bread sat in the bag. I was expecting to have to toss that first piece…but there was absolutely no difference in freshness in the cut end and the second slice. It was as if it was freshly cut, I couldn’t believe it! I am still not sure how it will extend the shelf life say over days instead of hours, but its a great sign.

I did notice a bit of loss of crispness of the crust but without sogginess. I feel like its a small sacrifice to avoid moulding or staleness (and I could crisp up the crust by popping it into a hot oven). The bag is also large enough to hold several large loaves. It does say on the instructions to either lay it flat or hang up, not to roll it up. It doesn’t say why, but I am guessing that it promotes better air circulation (if anyone DOES know why for sure, please feel free to comment!)

As of now I would recommend it if you plan to bake bread often or semi-often or if you buy fresh baked, especially if you don’t necessarily have the room for a bread box on your counter (like me, whose counter real estate is precious and few!)

I am hoping to make a dark whole wheat bread in the days to come when we’ve gotten through a bit of this bread, stay tuned;)

Honey Wheat Bread

2009-03-22T23:31:00.003-04:00

There is just nothing quite like homemade bread. As much as I love chocolate, I am a bread lover through and through.

We purchased a Bread Bag today that is supposed to help your homemade bread stay fresher longer(as otherwise fresh bread can stale in as little as a day or two), and I am hoping it makes a difference. I will most likely cut the loaf in half, and slice it then put it in a freezer bag and keep it in the freezer to be taken out when needed. Bread can be frozen for 2-3 months.

As there is only the two of us, its hard for us to eat a whole loaf of bread before it can stale, and the storage problem has been the only thing stopping me from baking it more often.

It may seem intimidating to make your own, but its actually surprisingly simple. The most time is spent waiting for the dough to rise (two separate one hour rises). When I first made my own yeasted bread two years ago it was for the Bread and Honey Festival baking contest. I won second places for my whole wheat bread and my apple cinnamon bread, although I had never made bread before (save for one or two “test loaves”). It was incredibly hot that summer, and the loaves still turned out.

The only problem I did have with baking bread in those test loaves, was the loaf appearing finished, but still being doughy in the middle. You can avoid this by rapping on the side, the loaf should sound hollow. If you have a thermometer, finished bread should read between 205F and 210F in the middle…this is a fool proof way to know your golden brown bread is not uncooked inside.

This recipe is my go-to white bread recipe, from Ina Garten’s cookbook Barefoot Contessa at Home. It has a delicate crumb, and a wonderful crust. With this batch I switched out 2 cups of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour to increase the nutrition, and it turned out wonderfully.

Honey White Bread

Makes 2 loaves

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 packages dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
2 extra-large egg yolks
5-6 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Place warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add yeast and sugar; stir and allow them to dissolve for 5 minutes.

Before dissolving

After dissolving, the mixture is thick and bubbly

Add the milk, butter, and honey. Mix on medium speed until blended. Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour and the salt. (I switched out 2 cups of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat.) Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to medium and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn’t stick to the bowl.

After adding 5.5 cups of flour. Though its still very slack, most the dough has lifted from the bowl, ready for kneading

Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

After 8 minutes of kneading. No or very little dough should be stuck to the bowl at this point.

Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over so the top is lightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in volume.

Before first rise

After first rise

Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans with butter. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into a loaf shape and place each in a prepared pan.

Roll dough out into a large rectangle, with the short side about as long as the side of your pan, in this case about 9” or 10”. Roll from the short side up like a jelly roll. Tuck ends under, and roll to close seams.

Place in pan seam side down.

Cover again with the damp towel and allow to rise again for an hour, until doubled in volume.

After second rise

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with egg white and bake for 40-45 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

The scent in the house while these were baking was absolutely AMAZING! Instead of making two loaves, I made the second half into dinner rolls.

Source: Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter, 2006

I popped the rolls into an airtight freezer bag and put in the freezer. When we want them for dinner we’ll wrap them up in foil and pop in the oven at 350F until warm and crispy.

My husband stole about three or four(that I counted) before I could usher them to the freezer, exclaiming it was the best bread I’ve ever made…definitely what you want to hear!

Happy Baking!

Spring…Finally!

2009-03-20T21:26:00.000-04:00

Happy First of Spring! I know, if you live where I do, its still cold. Definitely better than it was, no more –20C days, but we’re not outside in shorts yet (well I heard there were a few when it went to 12C but I’m not that brave!)

This rose is Morden Blush during its first summer last year. I became curious about roses two years ago, and last winter met a wonderful friend through a popular rose forum. He has helped me through the trials and tribulations of rose growing, and made me realize it doesn’t have to be snobby or serious! I gaze upon this picture and sigh, waiting for next month when I can dig my hands into the earth again. There is something so satisfying about getting down and dirty(in the garden of course), and soon having something so amazing to show for it. I only got a few blooms from it last year and it became leggy (a great attribute in us girls but not what you want in a rose!), a side effect of too little sun in my very shady backyard. So shady in fact that we can’t even grow grass back there. It will be moved to the more sunny front of our little townhouse to join my other roses like Out of the Blue, I think I’ve finally given up on plants needing sun in the backyard unless they can grow in a lot of shade.

Out of the Blue

Last year we grew a large pot of herbs on our front porch. I remember excitedly going through tables and tables of choices at the nursery, trying to decide what would smell best all together. I hate to admit, I never used even one leaf of our choices in our cooking.

From front centre going clockwise – chocolate mint, lemon grass, lemon thyme, rosemary, basil.

I would sit on the front steps, and crush a couple of leaves between my fingers and inhale the scent. All of them smelled so wonderful, and they were attractive all bushy and green together. I wish I had known how to utilize them then! I get afraid of spices as they can wreak havoc on my reflux, but I am finding small amounts may be tolerable. This year we plan on getting herbs again, but actually using them this time. The lemon grass would be lovely steeped in tea, or an iced tea…or used in a simple syrup for a sorbet. The rosemary for my husband’s favourite use of roast beef, Beef Dip or a pureed bean soup I have been curious about from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

What are you looking forward to most about spring? What is your favourite dishes for using fresh herbs?

Birthday Wishes

2009-03-19T09:44:00.002-04:00

Today is my best friend Jessica’s 27th birthday. Yesterday we finally got together for some long awaited girl talk. Finding out only a day or so beforehand that she would be able to come over, I decided at the last minute I had to whip her up a cake.

Not long ago, I attempted making cakes for living. Actually, this is how Jessica and I met – I made her wedding cake! My cousin told me he had a friend, whose cake person all of a sudden couldn’t do it…oh, and the wedding was in a week. Could I do it?

I’m so glad I did, because within days we were talking on the phone for an hour or more!

So back to her birthday cake. I went to the cupboard to see what ingredients I had available, and decided I had all the things to make my go-to chocolate cake recipe, Killer Chocolate Cake.

One thing I would mention when making this cake, is that although it calls for mixing the wet to the dry, you really want to add the wet ingredients in small additions. If you don’t you will find the batter does not completely incorporate and you will end up with a kind of crust on the top of the cake. I also try to do this slowly so that not as many air bubbles form, as it is a thinner batter. Silly me that this did not dawn on me until a week or so ago when I made my mother’s cake, and ta-da, no crust.

Its a nice dark chocolate cake, and although it has 3 cups of flour, 4 cups of sugar, and 4 eggs (amongst other things)…it does make a LOT of cake.

I whipped up a simple chocolate butter cream frosting, as I discovered I was dangerously low on icing sugar, which is why the frosting is spread rather thin - I had just enough! I wish I had gotten a better picture, but alas this was taken at 2:30am and a better picture was not taken before it ended up thoroughly carved into. I waited until my husband got home, and as they were talking slipped into the kitchen. I must say she was thoroughly surprised when I emerged holding the cake set ablaze with candles (Hey just wait until you're 30!)

I took this picture this morning…around 8:30am…and yes I ended up eating it. My jaw is still aching, I was hungry, it was the softest thing besides applesauce available…’nuff said (and it was goooood).

Happy Birthday Jess!

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

2009-03-17T21:10:00.005-04:00

In honour of St. Patrick’s Day, the Food network Canada website ran a poll for their March Cooking Club Challenge with three beer containing recipes. Ricardo Larivee’s Beer Batter Onion Rings won and I’m excited as this will be my first time joining the challenge.

I already have a favourite onion ring recipe though it contains milk and egg, so I am up for a change, and I knew my husband would be more than happy to be a co-taste tester!

Riccardo's Beer-Battered Onion Rings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Onion Rings

1 large Spanish onion, sliced into 1-cm (1/2-inch) rounds and separated into rings (if desired, set aside the small centre rings for another use)
1/4 cup cornstarch

Batter

1 cup pastry flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pale ale
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

Onion Rings

Preheat the deep fryer to 190°C (375°F). Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet or line a baking sheet with paper towels.
In a paper bag or large bowl, toss the onion rings in the cornstarch to coat well. Set aside.

Batter

In a bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the beer.
Using your fingertips or a wooden chopstick, dip the rings in the batter, 4 or 5 at a time. Shake off excess batter and deep-fry for about 3 minutes, turning half way through cooking. Drain on the baking sheet. Season lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

I used a light canola oil, a plus is that at high temperatures needed for frying such as this, it doesn’t smoke

I used a large heavy pan, and put about an inch of oil, enough that the rings would not touch the bottom when dropped in

I then sliced a large onion we had leftover from the turkey meatballs. It really is okay if some of the rings are broken as you see here, it still tastes great and no one minds that its not a perfect O!

Rings all coated in cornstarch and ready for dipping

Mix all dry ingredients together. I used some of the cornstarch leftover from coating the onions. I do not usually have pastry flour in the house so I used all purpose flour instead.

Although the recipe calls for a pale ale, I used one of my husband’s favourite beers. I would try the pale ale next time for sure, as the beer gives the batter its flavour I think it needs to be stronger than the honey can give.

1 cup of beer as you see was not enough. I ended up using almost the entire bottle save for a bit at the bottom. This may have something to do with the fact that I used all purpose flour instead of pastry flour.

Here is the batter at the right consistency, slightly thinner than a pancake batter (it should hold onto the onion without all sliding off)

Drop in the hot oil, it should bubble instantly

Here the ring to the front left has already been turned over, it turns a nice pale brown. The ring to the right has been coated in bread crumbs like my other recipe calls for, I was interested in if this would prove to be a big difference.

Crispy brown and ready for eating! The ones to the right are the ones that I coated in dried bread crumbs. My husband and I both prefered the texture and crunch they give, although even without they do have a nice crunch, and were not extremely greasy as I thought they might be.

I felt that I still prefered my original recipe, which I will have to post (soon!) but as I am not a beer drinker I could be biased. My husband (who loves beer) thoroughly enjoyed them, and he might have me adding beer to my other onion rings(maybe because he gets to drink the leftovers? For someone with allergies to milk and eggs, this is definitely a fantastic alternative to the normal battered variety.

Actually I must say here I detest beer, but you don’t end up feeling like you’re eating onions dunked in it, and I did steal a couple before handing the rest over. My husband agreed it would be improved with a stronger beer such as Guiness or as the original recipe calls for, a pale ale.

Happy St. Patrick’s day and happy frying!

A Confession

2009-03-16T18:14:00.001-04:00

I have long read food blogs marvelling over their brilliant photography and creative recipes, longing that I was able to eat the gorgeous food pictures on the pages. Truth be told, many times its things I plain do not care for such as beef, but the photo alone makes it very tempting. I feel rather sheepish starting a food blog when to be honest, the following has long been our go-to dinner staples:

I know, it is rather appalling. We eat chicken with instant mashed potatoes or minute rice most nights. Breakfast usually consists of toast with jam, or a low fat breakfast bar- at least until recently. I could not stand the lack of variety any longer. Enough is enough, and when you eat the same thing over and over, your appetite is really gone for dinner (not that you could tell from looking at me of course!).

When I describe what I eat to people, they are usually incredulous of how I could stand the monotony and just plain blandness. I have plenty of cookbooks full of recipes I will probably never be able to have without feeling rather horrible afterwards. I am lactose intolerant along with having GERD (acid reflux disease) that I take daily medication for. I can’t usually eat red meat, eggs, milk/milk products save for a few I can tolerate, citrus, lettuce, tomato-based foods, garlic and things that are spicy. There are exceptions, things I’ve learned I can eat a little of, or cooked a certain way, such as a leaf or two of romaine lettuce in a wrap, or small amounts of salsa. Many times when it comes to meals its not “what do I want to eat?” but “what can I eat"?” There are of course times I say to hell with it and eat something that I know I will regret later!

On top of food sensitivities, I have turned into a rather finicky eater. I will not eat mushrooms or anything with mushrooms in it and I have an intense aversion to anything seafood. The smell of fishy scallops at a favourite restaurant actually prompted me to have to leave, with my stomach feeling sick, simply because of the smell. My mother is a huge seafood lover so can’t understand my problem! (I have been told time and time again good seafood should have no fishy smell, but every single item of seafood I’ve ever been near has had that odour). My husband is pretty easy going when it comes to food, but he is resistant to certain vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower I know for sure!) and anything too “tomato-y” as he puts it. This does not follow logic then that he love salsa, marinara sauce and ketchup of course! I do have to give him credit that at his favourite restaurant, his favourite dish is escargot in mushroom caps in garlic butter. I am too squeamish to even watch him eat them knowing what they are, but secretly admire that he loves them.

Because of all of this I know I am not your usual candidate for a blog based on baking and cooking! (although I am sure pieces of my life other than food will appear in here as well).

With my teeth now all fixed and starting to heal I am trying to add variety to what we eat, and its so nice to finally look forward to dinner. I have learned that I can handle onions if they are thoroughly cooked before being added to a dish which seems to take a lot of their “bite” out of them, much to the joy of my husband, who loves everything onion.

I know I cannot be the only one out there who has limits on what they can or like to eat. Or who does not have the time, energy or motivation most nights to make fancy meals. I’m hoping writing here will give me an incentive to be more inventive and give recipes a shot that I usually would shy away from.

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for more recipes!

Turkey Meatballs

2009-03-15T23:30:00.005-04:00

I came across a recipe for turkey meatloaf in my Barefoot Contessa cookbook recently, and it inspired me to attempt some turkey meatballs, in the name of my variety-craving tastebuds. As my husband and I found out the hard way last week, ground turkey can be incredibly bland. We decided it needed a definite kick so don’t be afraid to be liberal with the spices. We tried just baking them in the oven last week, but they never got a nice brown crust, and although not dry, they weren’t exactly juicy either and were a sort of unappetizing colour. We decided to fry them this time, with cooking being finished in the oven. These were so good my husband exclaimed these might be the best thing we’ve ever made. I couldn’t stop mmmmmm-ing, and as someone who never cared for the texture of ground meat, these are simply amazingly tasty and moist.

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb ground lean turkey

Half of 1 medium onion, chopped finely

1 package stovetop stuffing for chicken

1/4 cup chicken broth (or other liquid such as tomato juice, or even water)

1/4 cup ketchup

1 egg

1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic minced fine)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

Preheat oven to 400 F. Heat oil in large heavy frying pan over medium heat, you want enough oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Its important you have the oil hot before adding the meatballs, so that they do not become soggy. You know its hot enough when the oil bubbles madly when a drop of water is dropped into the pan (careful if you do this as it may splash up!).

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, set aside. Combine ground turkey, finely chopped onion, contents of 1 package of stovetop stuffing, chicken broth, ketchup, egg and spices in large bowl. Roll mixture into uniform balls approximately the size of golf balls or slightly smaller between your hands. Try to keep them all roughly the same size so that they will cook evenly.

Add to the hot oil, in batches if necessary. You want enough room that you can turn them over. Brown the meatballs on both sides, this does not take too long if the oil is hot enough, a couple minutes or so per side. Scoop out meatballs with a slotted spoon to lined baking sheet as batches finish.

When all meatballs have been browned and are on the baking sheet, pop them in the 400F oven until thoroughly cooked through, to a temperature of 170F. My most loved kitchen gadget, a dual digital probe thermometer makes this easier as it can stay outside the oven while the probe is in the oven in fattest meatball. If you don’t have a thermometer, this took about 10 minutes, and a meatball split in half should be cooked thoroughly in the middle.

(It took several attempts to get a good picture, which explains why it climbed past 170 while I was trying!)

And there you have it! Very good served with sliced white mushrooms and sliced onions fried in some butter till browned according to my husband (I don’t do mushrooms).

They are also great the next day, just keep covered in the fridge, and put in a sandwich or simply reheated.

Enjoy!

Oh Comfort Food

2009-03-11T22:33:00.004-04:00

On Monday I had dental surgery that I am still recovering from, in a haze between pain pills, sips of iced tea and spoonfuls of applesauce. On Sunday, knowing full well I would be chowing down on mush this week, I decided to make something that always makes me feel warm and satisfied. The kind of food that is like a big fuzzy blanket wrapped around you.

Lately that big blanket has been a big generous hunk of Chicken Pot Pie.

There is just something about veggies and chicken smothered in a yummy sauce covered with pastry to put a big smile on your face. Usually chicken pot pie consists of veggies, chicken, and a cream sauce. Being lactose intolerant, I can’t do the milk or cream. I wish, because then I would have the perfect excuse right now for knocking back the pints of mint chip! For a long time I was missing this dish because I knew I couldn’t handle all the dairy crammed into it. This was before I moved out and started to make my own gravy. Then it clicked. This is just something we started throwing together, and have about where I want it now. The pastry is Crisco’s recipe except I have replaced the shortening with all butter. The amount of butter doesn’t bother me, but of course if you too are lactose intolerant and can’t handle butter, it can be replaced with shortening as per the original recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie

Pastry for two 9" (23 cm) pie shells or 1 double-crust pie (Adapted from Crisco)

There is two different ways to make the pastry, I’ve included both.

2 cups (5oo mL) All Purpose Flour

3/4 tsp (3 mL) Salt

1 cup (250 mL) Butter (or Shortening)

2 tbsp (30 mL) Water, cold

1 tbsp (15 mL) White vinegar

1 Egg

Food Processor Method:

Add dry ingredients into the bowl fitted with the dough blade, add cold butter in cubes, replace top and pulse until it forms crumbs the size of large peas. Then add the blended wet ingredients through the intake tube (is that what it’s called?) and pulse until it forms into a large clump. This has produced a tender pastry for me every single time, and saves SO much time!

Pastry blender or two knives Method:

Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut room temperature butter or shortening into flour with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Beat egg, water and vinegar together to blend. Pour all the liquid over flour mixture. Stir with fork until mixture is moistened.

For Either Method:
Divide dough in half and shape each into a ball. Flatten each into a circle and wrap and chill dough 15 minutes for easier rolling. If you are using a 9 inch pie plate/dish, you will only need one disc. The other can be well wrapped in foil or a freezer bag and frozen. If you are using a larger dish, such as a 9 x 13 pan, you may need both.

While the dough rests, turn on the oven 375F to preheat, and move onto the filling. The dough can also be done ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen and just thawed the day before you need it.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling:

Chicken Breasts

2 handfuls baby carrots

1 medium onion

2 stalks Celery

1 Can peas

Chicken stock or broth

flour or cornstarch

oil or fat for sauteing

salt and pepper

1 egg for pastry wash

I should say haven’t included exact measurements because this can easily be adjusted according to how many people are you feeding. There is only me and the husband at home, so you could add more according to your crowd. You could of course use any vegetables you liked as well. I like the baby carrots because they’re bite size and I don’t have to peel them, and I find them sweeter.

Cut the baby carrots into bite sized pieces and steam. I have found that they take at least 20 minutes if not longer to soften, so I like to start this early. Sometimes I will also do this earlier and leave them in the fridge so they’re ready for me. While they’re steaming, chop the onion and celery finely. If you like bigger pieces of onion and celery feel free to make them larger. On a separate cutting board or plate, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.

In a large deep frying pan or saucepan, heat a small amount of oil or butter, and throw in the celery and onion. I like to cook them until they are nice and translucent as I find this takes some of the “bite” out of the onion, which I find hard on my stomach, and can be a bit overpowering in the pie. If you prefer a stronger onion taste, you could even skip this step.

When the onions have sweated and are softened, spoon out onto a plate or bowl, set aside. Add chicken to the heated pan. Add a bit more fat or oil if the pan has become dried. Brown the chicken on all sides until cooked through. Spoon out onto plate with the onion and celery.

Pour chicken broth/stock into the hot pan, and using a spoon or spatula scrape all those wonderful brown chicken bits from the bottom of the pan. You want enough broth to make enough gravy to cover your vegetables and chicken. So the more vegetables and meat you are adding, the more broth you will want to use.

While whisking briskly, sprinkle flour lightly over the broth. Add only a light sprinkling at a time, as its easier to add more than take it out. Let the broth come to a simmering boil after each addition until its thickened. You can also mix flour or cornstarch with water in a measuring cup to make a sort of gruel, and while whisking add this in additions until thicken. Ideally the gravy will coat all the ingredients, but if its a bit runny its not going to ruin it I promise. If there are lumps or bits, you can strain with a fine mesh strainer. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Add salt and pepper to taste. Do not worry if it tastes a bit bland at this point, when the ingredients are added back it will flavour it as well.

Add all the ingredients back into the pot with the gravy. Using a wooden spoon, stir to coat everything. Add canned peas and fold gently (You could also use frozen, I just prefer canned). I usually let this simmer for 5 minutes or so, to let the flavours mingle. Take off heat. Pour mixture into a casserole dish or pie plate (as long as its oven safe and can hold the filling and be covered with pastry, it works!).

Remove one disc of pastry from the fridge. To minimize mess, I roll the pastry between a piece of parchment paper folded in half. Placing the disc between the papers, roll out into a shape large enough to cover your dish. Inverting the pastry still on the paper over your dish, lift the paper off. Using a sharp knife, cut so that pastry fits, fitting the edges against the dish (as there may be a bit of shrinkage while baking).

Beat egg with fork in small bowl, and brush over pastry. Using sharp knife, cut vent holes to allow steam to escape while baking. If you have leftover pastry, you can also cut out little shapes to put on top. I usually do, only because its extra pastry to eat;)

Bake until pastry is a nice golden colour, usually about 20 minutes or so, I usually start checking after 15 minutes.

And there you have it. It isn’t a 20 minute meal, but the end result is so well worth it. It also tastes amazing the next day (cold or reheated!)

I now have to go find me some applesauce.