Green Tea Short Bread

My Mom made this short bread every Christmas. I remember she would fill our standing freezer with all kinds of terrific baked goods every year... and yes, the freezer was off limits to my brother and I. That didn't stop us from diving in after school when she was still out, digging under all the other frozen steaks and roasts right to the bottom where she hid the treasures. There was so many different types of squares and cookies and tarts, it was a child's dream. This was one of my favorite cookies that she made. I used to eat them until she chased me away from the plate. The only thing I did differently with the recipe was to add in the matcha powder to give it that yummy tea flavour. If you want to make it the traditional way, just skip the matcha.... You're gonna love these cookies!

Recipe

1/2 Lb Soft Butter
3oz Sugar
2oz Rice Flour
10oz Flour
1oz Ground Almonds
4Tbsp Matcha Powder
1 pinch Salt

*Cream butter and sugar, then add in all other ingredients.
*Mixture will look dry and crumbly
*Press into pan firmly then poke with a fork over the top
*Bake at 325 for 30-45 min
*Cut while still hot, cool then remove

Zucchini Spice Bread

Eugene and I picked up a few too many zucchinis at the farmers market on the weekend. In order to help us chew our way through them I was put to the task of making this bread today. I've taken the recipe straight out of Bon Appetite by Barbara Fairchild. As she says in her description of this loaf; it is lighter than traditional recipes. It is more like a spice cake. I can hardly wait for it to cool enough for me to start munching!

Recipe

2 1/2C Flour
1tsp Salt
1tsp Cinnamon
1tsp Baking Soda
1/4tsp Baking Powder
3 Eggs
2C Sugar
1C Vegetable Oil
1tsp Vanilla
2C Grated Zucchini
1C Chopped Toasted Walnuts


*Mix together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda,
and baking powder
*Beat eggs until foamy, gradually add in sugar
and beat until thick and pale
*Slowly beat in oil, then vanilla. Next add in flour.
*Fold in zucchini, then Walnuts
*Bake at 350 for 90min

Pumpkin-Coconut Cheesecake

I was looking through the glossy pages of magazines on a lazy afternoon in search of a new dessert for our family dinner and found this recipe. I could not resist trying it for Thanksgiving. I think what struck me was the fact that there was coconut in the crust. The thought of pumpkin and coconut together seemed perfect to me. What a great idea! I really can't wait to take a bite of it later tonight after turkey.
The one thing I might change in this recipe is to bake the cake in a water bath. This will avoid any cracking in the center as it cools, though it will take longer to bake.
I will probably serve this with either Vanilla, or Maple Walnut ice cream, and an Americano.

Recipe

Crust

2C Graham Cracker Crumbs
1C Toasted Dessicated Coconut
1/4C Sugar
1/2C Unsalted Butter Melted

Filling

4 Eggs
1C Pumpkin Puree (Unspiced)
1/2C Packed Brown Sugar
1tsp Cinnamon
1/2tsp each Nutmeg, Ginger, and Salt
2 Pkgs Cream Cheese
1/2C Sugar
1/2C Whipping Cream
1tsp Vanilla

Crust
*Combine Crumbs, Sugar, and Coconut. Pour Butter in and mix.
*Press into bottom and sides of a 10" spring form pan
*Bake @ 325 for 10 min or until edges are golden
*Cool

Filling
*Whisk eggs, add Pumpkin, Brown Sugar, and Seasonings
*Mix together Cream Cheese and Sugar. Add in Cream, Vanilla, and Pumpkin mixture
*Pour into warm crust.
*Bake @ 325 until almost set-60min.
*Cool and enjoy

Blackberries in Syrup

We picked up a friend and headed out to a park not too far from here to pick blackberries. As my pantry is stuffed with other jams and jellies I went for berries in a simple syrup. This is fast, easy, and great on pancakes or ice cream.
Firstly, when picking blackberries, wear pants and long sleeve shirts. Secondly, the best tool I've ever been introduced to is a 3foot dowel or stick with a screw or nail in one end. This will allow you to pull higher or deeper branches near, and stop them from jiggling and scratching you all over.
If you survive picking the berries try making this syrup.


Recipe

*fill sterilized jars with berries
*bring to a boil 6C sugar to 10C water
and ladle over berries until covered
*screw on sterilized lids
*place sealed jars in boiling water for 20min,
remove and let cool. They should seal as they cool.

Ginger Pear Preserves

We received a big bag of small organic pears from Eugene's family a few days ago. I let them sit to ripen a bit while I thought about what to turn them into. I came up with this recipe after playing with one from my canning book. Pear and Ginger seem to go so well together, also the juice and zest of the key lime and lemon really heightens the flavour. I tripled the original recipe, therefore it did take a bit longer to cook down into its final thick golden goodness. The smell in the house was heavenly while it cooked, and even the next day sweet and spicy pear aroma flits through the air.
I will probably use this preserve for many things. I would like to do some half moon cookies filled with it, perhaps some sorbet, and maybe even some tarts. Preserves are a great way to have summers splendor in your cooking all year long.

Recipe

5 1/2 C Finely chopped cored peeled pears
2 1/2 Lemons, Zest and juice
3 Key Limes, Zest and juice
2 1/2C Sugar
1Tbsp Grated Ginger


*Combine all ingredients in a deep pot. Bring to a boil, and cook down until
it thickens and turns golden
*Ladle into sterilized jars (soaked in boiling water) and place lid on (also boiled)
*Set aside to cool. The lids will "pop" down creating a vacuum. Any jars that
do not seal can be stored in the refrigerator. All sealed jars can be stored in
your pantry or cupboard.

Apple Cherry Pie

I found some local cherries today in the market . Figuring it would be nice to use up the last of the local apples I prepared last fall, I thawed them out, made a nice crust and added in some cherries... that's it. Of course there is some sugar in there too, but it's a simple recipe that will taste nice with some vanilla ice cream on the side.

Strawberry Jam

I have this habit of wandering around Chapters digging through the discount books. Well, not too long ago I hit the Canning Jackpot. I found a copy of "Bernardin Home Preserving". It has 400 different recipe's, this Strawberry Jam being one of them.
For this recipe I used local BC Strawberries that came from a farm in Richmond. They are small gems packed with flavor and I would recommend them over imported any day. They have more taste and I really like the idea of supporting my local farmer, even if it does cost me more to enjoy them.
After finishing up this recipe this morning I went through the recipe book and found another Strawberry Jam Recipe that uses Granny Smith Apples instead of fruit pectin! I may try it out if I get more berries, or it may have to wait until next season.




Recipe

7C Sugar
5C Crushed Strawberries
1 Lemon(Juiced)
1Pkg Pectin

*Put Berries, Lemon Juice, and Pectin in a deep sauce pan and bring to a boil.
*Add Sugar at once and return to a full boil. Boil hard for 1min stirring, then
remove from heat.
*Skim off foam, add to sterilized jars and seal them up.

Tip: You can add 1/4tsp of butter or margarine to the berries before cooking. This will diminish the amount of foaming.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

This recipe differs from last years version in one big way. It has more Strawberry's than Rhubarb, whereas last time it had more Rhubarb than Berry. I would say this is a true Strawberry Rhubarb jam and last year you could just switch those words around.
I made two batches just to see the difference between local BC berries and imported berries from California. The local variety tended to be much smaller than the imported and they were darker in colour with very dark flesh. The California berries were very large and hard with white flesh inside. There were more seeds on the imported berries and the local strawberries were juicier and tastier all around. I will do a taste test once both batches set and cool.

Recipe
2C Crushed Hulled Strawberries
2C Finely Chopped Rhubarb
1 Lemon(juiced)
1Pkg Pectin
5 1/2C Sugar

*Combine Rhubarb and crushed Berries, add in Lemon Juice
and Pectin. Bring to a full boil.
*Add Sugar and return to a full boil. Boil hard stirring for one min.
*Remove from heat and skim off foam
*Place in sterilized jars and seal.

tip: Put the chopped Rhubarb in the microwave for 2 to 3 min to soften before cooking. This will help them break down faster as they are very stringy.
You can add 1/4tsp of butter or margarine to the fruit before you cook to lessen the amount of foaming.
I like to use a pastry cutter in a bowl to crush the fruit, its very quick.

Carrot Cupcakes with Matcha Buttercream

To celebrate Easter and my Birthday being so close together this year, I made these scrumptious little bites. A moist carrot cake with mass appeal (no nuts or raisins), matcha butter cream icing topped with a mini chocolate egg. The matcha and spicy carrot cake are a good combo, but you could just as well use vanilla or other flavored icing if you like. You could also add in nuts and raisins to the cake recipe if that's to your liking.

Recipe

Carrot Cake

3C Flour
2tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Baking Soda
1tsp Salt
3/4tsp Cinnamon
2 1/2C Grated Carrots
3L Eggs
1/3C Buttermilk
1tsp Vanilla
2C Sugar
1 1/2C Veg. Oil
1Tbsp Grated Ginger


*whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon
*mix carrots, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, veg. oil, and ginger
*fold dry mix into wet mix

Bake @350 until tester comes out clean

Butter Cream

4 Egg Whites
1 1/4C Sugar
1 1/2C Butter
4tsp Matcha


*Mix egg whites and sugar in double boiler, stir to 160 deg.
*beat egg whites until stiff and let cool
*using paddle attachment, slowly add and beat in butter and matcha

Eggnog Cheesecake

I whipped this up for our annual Christmas dinner party. I took a recipe that I've had for many years and switched it up a bit by adding in some dark rum and fresh nutmeg. I'm sure it would taste a little more like eggnog if I were to use brandy and bourbon instead of rum, but rum is all I had in the kitchen :) This cake is light and fluffy, a perfect match for a heavy Christmas feast.
I think the base cake recipe is terrific. I will most likely try it with different flavor combinations so stay tuned.

Recipe

Crust

1C Graham Crumbs
1/2C Chopped Pecans
2Tbsp Sugar
1/4C Melted Butter

Filling

3pkgs Cream Cheese
3/4C Sugar
2Tbsp Flour
3 Eggs
3/4C Sour Cream
1/4C Rum(or mix Brandy & Bourbon)
1 Nutmeg

*Mix crust ingredients and press into a spring form pan
*Combine cream cheese, and sugar, then add nutmeg and flour. Next add eggs
one at a time. Blend in sour cream and rum.
*Pour filling over crust
*Bake at 450 for 10min. decrease temp to 25o and continue
baking for 30-45 min, until set

I melted some of my Pomegranate Jelly over the top of each slice before serving just to Christmas it up a bit more.

Pomegranate Jelly

I've made this Jelly twice now and I still get excited each time I taste it. This Jelly is pure magic on your tongue. It's really messy to make but so worth it. Each pomegranate yields about half a cup of juice. I find gently pressing the seeds in a sieve will get the most juice, and be careful not to crush the seeds as they are very bitter. Fresh juice is advised as juice sold in jars just doesn't have the same kick.

Recipe


6-8 Pomegranates(3 1/2 C juice)
5C Sugar
1Pouch Pectin

*boil juice and pectin
*add sugar and bring to a full boil
*skim off foam and floaty bits
*seal in jars

Rum Balls

I remember having the best rum ball of my life when I was a teen in Ontario. They were made by a Russian fellow at a flea market I used to frequent with some terrific friends. They were big as a fist, smelled like trouble and tasted like heaven. I would love to reproduce them sometime if I can, so I may end up trying many different recipes to find the right one. Although the flavor of those Russian Rum Balls may have been enhance by the company of good friend and the thrill of the the hunt for treasures. The variety presented here is just delicious. they have a good balance of rum flavor and dense chocolate texture. I like them served chilled :)

Recipe

3/4 C Butter
6oz Chocolate
3 Eggs
1/2C Brown Sugar Packed
1tsp Vanilla
1/2tsp Salt
3/4C Flour
1/4C Dark Rum(maybe a splash more if you like)
Sugar for sanding(choose fine or coarse, or use choc. sprinkles?)

*melt butter and chocolate in double boiler, set aside
*whisk eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. stir in
chocolate mixture. then fold in flour.
*pour into lightly greased 12X17 pan
*bake @350 10-12 min(until tester comes out cleanish) cool
*break up cake and mix in rum until it comes together
*form into small balls and roll in sugar
*eat,eat,eat, and share

Pickled Daikon

This is my first time making these, but not the first time to eat them. If you don't know what a
daikon is, have a look in the Asian supermarket. It looks like a giant white carrot but tastes like a radish. You can find these pickled like this(the sweet and sour version), or died yellow in Korean markets(not sweet). They are both wonderful.

Recipe

1 Large Daikon
3C Vinegar
1 1/2C Sugar
4 Jars


*Sterilize and fill your jars with cleaned and chopped daikon
*boil vinegar and sugar and pour over daikon
*seal and wait
*and wait
*then eat

Plum Jam

My good friend Regina (yes, it's Mama) gave me the plums from her back garden again. Her tree is actually a bit freakish. It's very old and grows these little dark plums, and on only one branch it grows bright red ones. So, I was impelled to make bunches of jars of jam from them. I tried making different batches of each variety to find out which tasted nicer. I think I've made crumble from these in posts past. The final feeling is that the darker plum makes a more tart and complex jam (if a jam can be complex), but I love them both.

Recipe

4lbs Pitted Plums
1 Package of Pectin
8C Sugar
1/2C Water

*Finely chop fruit and add in the pectin and water
*bring to a boil and simmer 5-1omin. you may want to
use a hand blender at this point to make it smooth
*add in the sugar and bring back to a boil
*skim off the top impurities and put into jars

Make sure you give all your friends a jar, cause everyone
loves free jam.

Salsa

This is an old family recipe that I've altered for my current palate. This is the first time I've ever made this in my adult life and once I was underway with everything on the stove bubbling away I was flooded with childhood memories. My Mom and Dad would make this every September when the tomatoes and onions were ready for picking. I remember coming home after school with a warm breeze blowing in the air, and me willing the summer to stay. What I've done here is present two different recipes. The first is a sweeter tomato relish that would be more suited as a condiment for meats etc. as my family did. The second is a truer salsa and has the addition of corn kernels so I can discern between the two in the pantry.

Recipe

24C Ripe Tomatoes
6C Chopped Celery
4C Chopped Onion
2 Peppers (green,orange,yellow, it's up to you)
2C Cider Vinegar
1/2C Sugar
1oz Mustard Seed
1Bunch Cilantro
2tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2C Pickling Salt

*Blanch and peel and chop tomatoes
*Mix chopped tomatoes, celery, and onions with salt and let stand
overnight covered
*Drain off all liquid, add in peppers, sugar, mustard seed, cilantro,
cayenne pepper, and vinegar.
*Cook until bubbling, stirring often.
*Spoon hot mixture into sterilized jars and enjoy

The recipe above is for the sweeter relish. If you want to make the salsa version, simply omit the sugar, add in 2C of corn, and more cilantro.

Ginger Cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich

I've been wanting to make these for such a long time, and I'm really happy with the final product. I made my usual simple Vanilla Ice Cream for the filling, and came up with a spicy Ginger Cookie for the Sandwich outside. These cookies by themselves would be terrific at Christmas for eating, or as the foundation for a Ginger Bread House. I will list the baking times that worked for a different firmness of the cookie.


Recipe

Ginger Cookie

1" Fresh Ginger
3 1/2C Flour
3/4tsp Baking Soda
1/2tsp Salt
1Tbsp Ground Ginger
2tsp Ground Cinnamon
2tsp Ground Allspice
1tsp Ground Pepper
1C Butter
1C Sugar
2/3C Molasses

* puree fresh ginger w/ 2Tbsp water, and strain off pulp(saving liquid)
*sift drys together
*cream butter and sugar. add molasses and ginger water
*gradually add dry mix into wet mix
*chill for an hour
*roll out to 1/4" thick and cut to desired shape

Bake at 350 for 10min for soft(ice cream sandwich)
15 slightly chewy
18-20 crunchy

*you may want to try running some off to find out what time is right for you


Ice Cream

9oz Sugar
8 Egg Yolks
3C Half and Half
1 Vanilla Bean
1c Heavy Cream

*scrape and add vanilla bean to cream and H&H, and scald on med heat
*whisk egg yolks and sugar until ribbons form
*temper two mixtures together
*return to heat until temp reaches 170
*chill over night
*churn and freeze

Rhubarb Strawberry Jam

I went by a farmers market out in Richmond yesterday and picked up some fresh rhubarb. I've been looking forward to making some rhubarb jam this year. I think the last time I had rhubarb was when I was a kid. My Mom would bring some home and my brother and I would take a stalk and dip it into the sugar bowl and chew on it. I think my mom would make some pie out of it. I always remember that lovely tart taste and how much I looked forward to it. This year I wanted to make some jam so I could share with friends and enjoy in the months to come.
I found several recipes for this jam, and decided on a combination of a couple of them. My version came out thick, but not solid. I like it a bit runny, so you can use a spoon to put it on bread or use it in a sauce. If you want a firmer jam just take away some of the rhubarb and make less, this should do the trick.

Recipe

10 Rhubarb stocks
1C Crushed Strawberries
51/2C Sugar
1/2 Lemon(juiced)
1 Package of Pectin

* wash and cut the rhubarb into small chunks. put a small amount of water(enough
to cover pot bottom) in pot and simmer until soft and mushy, remove from heat
* add in berries, lemon juice, and pectin and bring to a boil
* pour in sugar and bring to a boil again
* remove from heat and skim off bubbly bits
* pour into sterilized jars and seal them up
* dip extra strawberries in leftover jam and enjoy

Shaved Dark Chocolate and Mint Ice Cream

I was headed out to Richmond a couple weeks ago with Eugene and a couple friends. We were all going to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate the coming of spring, and the end of king crab season, with a king crab feast. Along the way Mark needed to run into Ikea for a new shower curtain, and we decided to toast his purchase with frozen yogurt cones. However, Ikea was fresh out of frozen yogurt.
Ok, nobody else at dinner that night had any idea we did this before dinner, and I realize it's not right to eat desert first but we're all adults here..... and we just wanted some ice cream!!
So... next stop was McDonalds (GASP!) to fulfill our need for cream. Mark and Ivan ordered vanilla cones and Eugene and I decided on sharing a small shamrock shake. MMMMM, I haven't had one of those for years!
It was so good that I thought that my next creation would be a minty ice cream.

For this recipe, I shaved a Lindt dark chocolate bunny I picked up post Easter on sale. Yummm.

Oh, right. Just for the record, Ivan also ordered cinnamon buns that the three of them ate.... minutes before eating a huge king crab dinner! (Not that I wouldn't do the same thing on the right day. hehehe)

Recipe

2C Half&Half
1C Heavy Cream
1 1/4C Sugar
2 Eggs
8-10 Mint leaves
1 Lindt Easter bunny

*Add chopped Mint leaves to Half&Half and Heavy Cream and
scald
*whisk Eggs and Sugar until ribbons form
*temper two mixtures together
*On med heat bring up to 170deg then chill overnight
*Shave the bunny
*Strain off the cream mixture and add in Chocolate
*Churn in Ice cream machine for 20-30 min.
*eat, eat, eat.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Truffles

I came up with an ingenious plan. I made up a terrific peanut butter truffle over Christmas... and thought I could make it better if it were filled with strawberry jam. I really wanted them to come out heart shaped... but they do look more triangular. The end result was terrific, all the ladies at work ate them up really fast. I think I will have to make these every Valentine's Day, even if they aren't totally heart shaped.

You will need a mold of some sort to actually get the jam in the center. I think round would be best, but whatever you can find will do nicely. I found the heart shaped molds at Ikea. They're meant to be used as ice cube trays, but the fact that they are rubber and heart shaped caught my attention.

Recipe

1/2 C Heavy Cream
4Tbsp Butter
2Tbsp Corn Syrup
1LB Chocolate Plus 12oz for dipping
1/2 C Natural Peanut Butter
2C Blanched Peanuts
Pinch Salt
1/4 C Strawberry Jam

*Bring Cream, Butter, and Corn Syrup to a full boil then
add in Peanut Butter until combined. Add in 1LB of
Chocolate and let sit for 5min, then mix
*Carefully pipe mixture into molds, filling only half way. then
chill for 20min
*Next pipe a small amount of jam into the center of each, careful
not to touch the edges of the mold! Then fill the molds with more
truffle mixture and chill again.
*While they are in the icebox, run the peanuts and salt through
your food processor and set aside.
*Now you can melt the dipping chocolate and dip each molded
center, then quickly dip in the peanut mixture.
*Let them firm up and gently brush away any loose nuts

I think these are best left in the cooler and served chilled, though you may like them at room temp for a creamier texture.

Citrus Creme Brule

After a couple of requests from friends, I chose to make some Creme Brule this weekend. I thought I'd do it with lemon this time just to try something different. I added vanilla to this recipe also, and I found the lemon and vanilla quite complimentary. This dessert is an easy way to impress dinner guests... when you light up the torch and have the smell of caramelizing sugar filling the air... it can be quite a show.

Recipe

1 Lemon
3C Heavy Cream
7Tbsp Sugar
6 Egg Yolks
1/2tsp Vanilla


*Grate 1Tbsp of lemon zest and add to the cream and sugar with
a pinch of salt. Heat on med-low until almost boiling
*Mix egg yolks together then slowly temper with the cream mixture.
*Strain off and add vanilla and 1stp of lemon juice
*Pour into dishes and place in water bath in the oven
*Bake @325 for approx. 30 min or until set. remove from oven
and let rest in bath 20min. then chill for at least 3-4 hours.
*Next you can caramelize the sugar on top

Peanut Butter Cookie

I have decided to revisit this recipe and improve upon the look of it. I rolled the dough out on parchment and used a 2" cutter. Half of the batch received chocolate chips and the other half I filled with my strawberry jam. If you like, you can add crushed peanuts to the dough, or crunchy peanut butter for more peanutty flavour. These are a snap to make and I love them. I used a natural peanut butter... one without sugar or preservatives, and a darker brown sugar to give them a nice flavor. If you are using nuts in the recipe, you may need to hand form each cookie. Use a small scoop for a uniform size. Try them, I'm sure it won't be the last time you make them!

Recipe

3C Natural Peanut Butter
2C Packed Brown Sugar
1C Butter
2 Eggs
3C Flour
2tsp Baking Powder
and a pinch of salt

*whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder
*mix peanut butter, sugar, and butter, then the eggs
*add flour mixture to the wet mixture
*pull off rounds and press a chocolate chip in the top,
or roll out dough and cut out rounds
*bake @ 350 for 15min let rest 3min then transfer to cooling rack
*for a crunchier cookie, bake 20min

Brownies

I think I've finally found that perfect brownie recipe. I've tried many and most, to me, were very much like a brick of fudge. I prefer to have a brownie that has some of the fudgy texture with a more dense cakier texture. I'm not saying those denser versions are not just as delicious, I just like it less so. I also don't enjoy those recipe's that call themselves brownies, but are simply chocolate cake. This recipe came out dense and chewy. I think you could put them in a smaller pan and have them come out a little gooier than this if you prefer. I've added pecans to this recipe and am considering adding some puffed rice for crunch next time, or even some dried fruit.

Recipe


1/2C Butter
4oz Unsweetened Chocolate
4L Eggs
1/4tsp Salt
1 3/4C Sugar
1/2tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Vanilla
1C Flour
1C Pecans

*Melt butter and chocolate together and cool
*whisk together flour and baking powder
*beat eggs and salt until light and foamy,
gradually add in sugar and vanilla until thick
*stir in cooled chocolate
*mix in flour just until combined
*add in nuts(if desired)
*place in lined and greased 9x13 pan
*bake at 350 for 35min

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse and Butter Cream

Saturday night Eugene and I, with our neighbor and friend downstairs, had a tag team housewarming evening. Things started out downstairs with drinks and appetizers at Ivan's apartment and moved upstairs for dinner, chocolate cake, and Wii later.
I made everyone their own personal size chocolate cake with butter cream icing, double chocolate mousse, and fresh raspberries on top for our decadent dessert. The end product was certainly just right. The cake itself was very moist, rich and tasty. The icing was light with a hint of chocolate. The mousse was cold and melted in your mouth, the flavor of both light and dark chocolate coming through, and all portions were just gently sweet, not overpowering at all.
I really enjoyed my piece, and I know one guest did also. I've gained a loyal fan in my friend Andrew, in the red and white striped polo pictured on the right. At one point during the evening, not long after this picture was taken, Andrew had managed to have his own cake and someone else's cake in front of him and a smile from ear to ear. I wasn't sure if the smile meant he was happy or a warning for anyone not to dare to try to touch his stash of cake... at any rate, Andrew, and everyone else, ate the cakes up and enjoyed their time with friends. Let's hope we can all get together and do this again soon.

Recipe

Chocolate Cake

1 3/4C Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 3/4C Boiling Water
4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
8 oz Sour Cream
1Tbsp+1tsp Vanilla
3C Flour
2 1/2tsp Baking Soda
1tsp Salt
1 3/4C Butter
1 3/4C Sugar
3/4C Brown Sugar
5 Eggs

*Whisk cocoa powder and and boiling water, stir in chocolate
and let sit 5min. stir until smooth, cool, then add in vanilla and
sour cream... set aside
*Sift together flour, baking soda and salt
*Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, then add eggs
one at a time beating well after each.
*Next add the flour and chocolate mixtures to the butter and eggs
alternating each beginning and ending with the flour mixture
*Pour into a large buttered and floured pan and bake at 350 for
35-45 min
*I cut the cake into small rounds when it cooled

Butter cream Icing

1 1/2C Sugar
6 Eggs
1Lb Butter
3Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1Tbsp Vanilla

*double boil eggs and sugar until combined and
temp reaches 140
*whip until soft peaks form
*add in butter, slowly until mixed well
*finish with cocoa and vanilla

Milk and Dark Chocolate Mousse

3 1/2C Heavy Cream
5oz Milk Chocolate
5oz Dark Chocolate

*beat 2 1/2C heavy cream until soft peaks form
*bring remaining cream to a boil and pour over
chocolate. whisk until smooth, allow to cool
*fold chocolate into whipped cream

I cut each cake round to form two layers and put a small amount of butter cream inside. Next I iced each cake and put a nice layer of the mousse on, topping with berries.

Pear Tart

What do you do with a bowl full of perfectly ripened pears? Why, bake a tart of course! And not just any tart, but a completely improvised work of sweet delight. I had this bowl full of lovely Pears... and now I have a tart filled with lovely pears... and here's how I did it.
Firstly, I peeled, cored, and chopped the pears. I added the juice of one fresh lime and mixed it up. Next, I grated about a quarter of a nutmeg seed, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, half a teaspoon of ginger powder, and a quarter cup of sugar and mixed them in to the pear and lime mixture.
A very simple pie crust, or pate brise, was made and filled the tart mold. I baked the shell before filling, for about 30 min, so that it would not become a soggy mess later. I then filled the shell with the pear mixture and baked until golden. The tart came out slightly tart, but just sweet enough to make me want more than just a taste. I sure hope another bowl of pears finds its way to my home again.

Blackberry Concentrate & Jam

We decided to go Blackberry picking this past weekend. I have a favorite spot out near Surrey that is always bursting with berries this time of year, and I was not disappointed this time. It is a public park with many trails that seem to be mainly used by dog walkers.... and berry pickers. I think we spent about an hour and a half picking and we left with two healthy buckets of berries. There were many on the bushes that will soon be ripening, so I think I may go again this weekend to stock up the freezer and make more concentrated juice.

The juice is very simple to make. Take a large clean bucket and with alternating layers, add washed berries then sugar, until the bucket it almost full. The idea is to have about an inch or two of berries then enough sugar on top of that layer to coat them, then you would add another layer of berries, then sugar, and so on... you don't want to mix it, just make layers. Next cover the bucket with a piece of cloth, like a tea towel, and secure it with an elastic (so nothing crawls inside). If you have a deck or patio that gets some sunlight, place the bucket there. If not, put it in a corner in your kitchen. Leave the bucket for several days until you notice mold beginning to form on a couple of the berries. Pick the molded berries out and strain off the juice. Don't squeeze the berries for more juice, you will only make the juice cloudy. Boil the liquid with some more sugar.... the amount of sugar depends on the amount of juice. As it boils, skim off any impurities that float to the top. After you are satisfied with the clarity, set in sterilized containers. This juice is concentrated.... so you can add a little to water, or use as a syrup on ice cream etc...

With the remaining berries you can make jam. First thing to do is to cook the berries until they break down. Next you want to strain out the seeds.... this is very time consuming and tiring.. but having a seed free jam is worth the labor! Now you add the pectin and bring to a boil. Add in the sugar and bring up to a boil again for a minute or so, then preserve in sterilized jars. I didn't actually follow a recipe for this, I just flew by the seat of my pants. I didn't measure anything either... I just added the amounts of ingredients that looks right! You may want to follow a recipe though, as an unset end product can be very disappointing. Mine came out a little runny at first, but after leaving it overnight it seems to have set up nicely. Next time I shall add more sugar to help it thicken... I tend to err on the side of caution with sugar, but in this case I could have done more.

Blueberry-Citrus Preserve

O.K. This is the final blueberry recipe for this season!!! I decided on a combination that I felt confident in using the last of my gifted blueberries in, and it tastes great.
This is a versatile preserve. It has some lemon and orange pieces with whole berries giving it a thick and chunky texture. You could use it on toast or with pork and even turkey. I'm sure it will be eaten up quickly in my house, as well as jumping into a few gift baskets for birthdays, housewarmings, and friendly gatherings.

Recipe

8C Sugar
4C Water
2 Lemons(thinly sliced and quartered)
1 Orange(thinly sliced and quartered)
1C Currants
8C Blueberries
2packets Fruit Pectin

*Boil Sugar and Water until dissolved
*Add Lemon, Orange, and Currants. gently boil 5min
*Add Blueberries and boil on high for 30 min
*Add in Fruit Pectin and boil 1min.
*Jar and Seal

Blueberry-Basil Icecream

Blueberries everywhere! I'm still using up all those blueberries in the freezer. I decided to remake this combo I tried last summer with my friend Sam. I really love it. I used a heavier cream in this instead of the Half and Half that the recipe calls for, and it came out extra creamy in texture. I'm sure if you stuck with the recipe as presented it would come out just as tasty... I just used what was available in the store... The Basil is an add on of mine, it just seemed like a natural pairing with these berries.

Recipe

2C Half and Half (I used coffee cream 18% fat)
1C Heavy Cream
1 1/4C Sugar
2 Eggs
3C Berries
5-8 Basil Leaves

*scald Heavy Cream and H&H
*whisk eggs and sugar gradually until ribbons form
*temper 2 mixtures together
*bring slowly up to 170 deg.
*chill overnight
*process in ice cream drum
*enjoy!

Blueberry Jam

I love the generosity of people! I had a client give me two big bags of organic blueberries on Saturday. The stipulation was that she wanted me to make her some jam, and I was more than happy to do that today.
I just followed a recipe inside a Certo fruit pectin box... they seem to be tested and reliable recipes. I did, however, add some berries a little later so that they would remain whole once the jam was canned. I like some berry chunks in my jam.... I don't really eat it very often... but it's a nice treat once in a while.
I found a terrific book today full of great canning ideas... so I'm really looking fore ward to all that the upcoming season has to offer as far as fruits, berries, and veggies are concerned. I can hardly wait to try to make something new and tasty!

Deconstructed Jam

O.K. so it's not really jam in the end but this was just an idea I had while I was massaging a client the other day. I thought it would be fun to put the ingredients of a jam in the jars separately to have a chunky version to use on cakes or pancakes etc.
I made a simple syrup, the same as the Lemon Poppy seed Loaf recipe, and poured it over the washed berries in sterilized jars. It couldn't be more simple, or tasty. Above shows Raspberry, Strawberry, and Cherry.

Lemon-Poppy seed Loaf

A terrific client of mine, Nancy, is participating in a charity event this weekend to raise money for the breast cancer foundation. She's selling her baked goods and giving all the proceeds to the foundation, she's great! Nancy asked if I'd like to make something for the sale... and I said of course! After tossing a few ideas around, I combined two of them to make these cakes. I made a simple syrup and put thin lemon slices in to make them soft and sugary, and put them on top of each loaf before baking.... I've also discovered that the syrup has taken on the lemon flavour and makes a great concentrate for making lemonade!

Recipe

Lemon slices in syrup

300g Sugar
125ml Water
2 Lemons(thinly sliced)

*Bring sugar and water to a boil and simmer
until sugar is dissolved
*turn off heat and add lemon slices
*let them rest 1.5 hours then refrigerate 3days


Lemon-Poppy seed Loaf

1C Butter
2 1/2C Flour
1Tbsp Baking Powder
1 1/2tsp Salt
3Tbsp Poppy seeds
1 1/2C Sugar
2Tbsp Lemon Zest
1/2tsp Lemon Extract
1/2C Sour Cream
5 Eggs
1/4C Vegetable Oil
2Tbsp Lemon Juice

*mix Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, and Poppy seeds
*beat Butter, Sugar, Lemon Zest, Lemon Extract, and Sour Cream
until light and fluffy
*add Eggs one at a time, beat in Oil and Lemon Juice, then add Flour mixture
*put batter into cake pans and set one Lemon slice on top

For the smaller cakes bake at 350 for 30 min
For Large size bake for 50-55 min

*I brushed a generous amount of the simple syrup, that the Lemons rested in, on each cake as they came out of the oven. They soaked it up really quick and gave them even more of a lemony taste.
*If you wanted, you could omit the sugared Lemon altogether and glaze each cake with a lemon and confectioners sugar glaze, and sprinkle with a few poppy seeds before it hardens.

The Neiman-Marcus Cookie

This is a good story. You may have received this in your email at some time, but I just got it the other day and thought I should try the recipe and share the story.

Here is the email I received:


"A little background: Neiman-Marcus, if you don't know already, is a Very expensive store; i.e., they sell your typical $8.00 T-shirt for $50.00. Let's let them have it! THIS IS A TRUE STORY! My daughter and I had just finished a salad at a Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas , and we decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus cookie." It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe, and the waitress said with a small frown, "I'm afraid not, but you can buy the recipe." Well, I asked how much, and she responded, "Only two fifty. It's a great deal!" I agreed to that, and told her to just add it to my tab. Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement, and the Neiman-Marcus charge was $285.00! I looked again, and I remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe-$250.00". That was outrageous! I called Neiman's Accounting Department and told them the waitress said it was "two fifty", which clearly does not mean "two hundred and fifty dollars" by any reasonable interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge. They would not refund my money because, according to them, "What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe. We absolutely will not refund your money at this point." I explained to the Accounting Department lady the criminal statutes which govern fraud in the state of Texas I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau and the Texas Attorney General's office for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want. Don't bother thinking of how you can get even, and don't bother trying to get any of your money back." I just said, Okay, you folks got my $250, and now I'm going to have $250 worth of fun." I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus..for free. She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this." I said, "Well, perhaps you should have thought of that before you ripped me off!" and slammed down the phone. So here it is! Please, please, please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid $250 for this, and I don't want Neiman-Marcus to EVER make another penny off of this recipe!"

I tried the recipe last night.... and it made a nice and very sweet crunchy cookie. I would alter the recipe by adding some big juicy raisins or some other chewy item to give a different texture. I would even omit the "Hershey Bar" as it really isn't needed.

Recipe

2C Butter
24oz Chocolate Chips
4C Flour
2C Brown Sugar
2C Sugar
2tsp Baking Soda
2tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Salt
1 8oz Hershey Bar Grated
5C Blended Oats
4 Eggs
2tsp Vanilla
3C Nuts(your choice)

*Blend Oatmeal in food processor until fine
*Cream Butter and Sugars, add Eggs and Vanilla
*Mix Flour, Oatmeal, Salt, Soda, Powder and add
to Butter mixture
*Add in the Chocolate, Hershey Bar, and Nuts
*Bake at 375 for 10 min

You will probably need to half this recipe to prepare
it in an average kitchen mixer.

Canned Tomatoes

Roma tomatoes where on sale at the Italian market the other day. We elbowed our way through all the Babas to get our share of these ripened gems. We we had so many in the kitchen to use up, we thought about making some basic tomato sauce to use for pasta and other meals. Wash them up well, cut into chunks and cook them down with a bit of oil to half the quantity... this was about two hours. I put some in the fridge to use up tomorrow and the rest I tossed into a sterilized jar to seal up and hide away until I need it!

Banana Bread

This is definitely the best Banana Bread I have ever tasted, and I can't take any credit for the recipe at all.


Eugene had some ripened bananas at work and brought them home with the intention of making a simple banana loaf. After some searching he found a nice recipe and began to put all the ingredients together..... a little bit of substituting and adjustments began when he ran out of some ingredients, and made up for it with others. The end product is pretty great.. the inside is dense and moist without being too wet like some become, and the exterior is chewy and crisp when it is first out of the oven. After its been wrapped up to gift to friends and coworkers it does become less chewy, but no less tasty. I've actually had several people urging me to post this recipe quickly so they could try it themselves. I really wanted to try the adjusted version again just to see if the end result was reproducible... and it was!

Recipe

3C Flour
1tsp Baking Soda
3/4tsp Salt
3 Eggs
2C Sugar
1C+4Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/4C Melted Butter
1Tbsp Vanilla
3 Bananas
1C Dessicated Coconut
1C Chopped Pecans
1/2C Milk


*Mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
*Beat eggs, sugar, melted butter, and oil.
*Add flour mixture
*Mix in vanilla, banana, coconut, nuts and milk
*Do not over mix
*Divide batter between two floured pans and
bake at 350 until tester comes out clean
(90 min in my oven)

Eugene prefers this recipe with 2Tbsp of Vanilla, and I like
it with just one..... you can arm wrestle yourself over
how much to put in!

Chocolate Almond Croissants

I found a few Croissant recipes and decided to go with this dough because it was fast and easy. The filling was changed to make it yummier and chocolaty. The result was O.K. The finished dough was a lot like the pre-made stuff you get in the grocery store... These are pretty pedestrian pastries.... I think I wouldn't make this again.... unless I had to make something really quick. However, you could put something savory in them, and I'm sure kids would love these.

Recipe

Dough

1/4 oz Yeast
1/4C Water 105 deg.
4C Flour
1/4C Sugar
1tsp Salt
1C Butter cold
1/4C Milk 110 deg.
3 Egg Yolks

Filling

1/2C Almond Paste
1 Egg White
1/4C Confectioners Sugar
2tsp Cocoa Powder


*dissolve yeast in warm water
*combine flour, sugar, and salt. cut in butter
*add milk and egg yolks to yeast mixture
*mix drys with egg/yeast mixture
*cover and refrigerate over night

*Beat filling ingredients until smooth
*divide dough in half and roll out into 2 rounds
*cut each round into 8 wedges
*put some filling in each and roll it up!
*let them rise for one hour

*brush with egg whites and sprinkle with almonds
*bake at 350 for 15-20 min

Cinnamon Buns

This is my first time making Cinnamon Buns. They take two days to make, but are well worth the wait! There's something about Cinnamon that makes me all warm and cozy inside.... these are definitely one of my favorite comfort foods. I would love to have these warm out of the oven for brunch some weekend soon! I think it would be nice to modify the recipe a bit more, like adding some dried fruit to the filling(raisins, cranberries, raspberries) maybe some nuts on top, and I might add some nutmeg to them.
*I tried this recipe again and added some currants and nutmeg, this gave them a lovely finish. When I made the dough the second time I added the yeast into the eggs and let it mix in well before adding the flour. This made the dough much easier to work with and gave it a nice texture.

Recipe

Dough

4 Egg Yolks room temp
1 Whole Egg
2oz Sugar
6oz Butter Milk room temp
20oz Flour
2 1/4tsp Yeast


Filling

8oz Brown Sugar
1tbsp Cinnamon
Pinch Salt
3/4oz Melted Butter


Icing

2 1/2oz Cream Cheese softened
3tbsp Milk
5 1/2oz Confectioners Sugar

Step One
*whisk Yolks, Egg, Sugar, Butter, and Buttermilk
*add 2C Flour, Yeast, and Salt. whisk till combined
*using dough hook, add all but 3/4C Flour, knead on low 5min
*add more Flour if sticky, knead on low 5 more min
*turn out on surface, knead 30sec
*let dough rise 2 1/2 hrs in lightly oiled bowl, it should double

Step Two
*combine Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, and Salt- set aside
*butter a 9x13 pan
*turn out dough and shape into 8x12 rectangle
*brush w/ 3/4oz melted butter, leaving 1/2" border on top
*press filling on buttered surface
*roll dough into a log, cut into 12 pieces
*place in buttered pan, cover and put in fridge overnight

Step Three
*place Rolls in unheated over
*put a pan of boiling water under rolls for 30 min
*remove from oven, preheat over to 350
*bake rolls till golden 30 min

Step Four
*whisk Cream Cheese till Creamy
*mix in milk, then Confectioners Sugar
*pour mixture over rolls
*eat every roll in the pan!