The dixie cup reigns queen of the picnic

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

There is just sort of something wonderfully nostalgic about a picnic. ”Picnic” embodies lazy afternoons where pretty girls in swooping hats sit on checked blankets in the sun drinking fresh squeezed lemonade delicately through striped paper straws giggling about the movie playing at the drive-in. At the edge of the blanket is a woven basket brimming with all sorts of delights: hand pies, watermelon slices, pasta salad and chilled fried chicken.

I am not sure where this idyllic garden party image of mine came from. The picnics of my people were a little more of the egg salad sammie and old dutch chips variety. They were fun and festive, but there were no girls in frocks perched on linen throws… there were cut offs sprawled on old blankets though. And if I am honest, while the pretty girls swept into croquet at their picnic, a caterpillar was probably crawling up someone’s pant leg at mine. There were also less baskets and more coolers. And it in the cooler that we win. One would be full of dixie cup ice cream. Those little paper cups with those little wooden non-spoons…  they were awesome. Especially the kind with a fake bit of strawberry running through that creamy cold goodness. Yep, pretty girls, that is right: dixie cups kick the ass of a mint julep or whatever you think is sinfully picnic divine.

So, in honor of the summer outdoor meal, we attempted to have a backyard picnic complete with dixie cups to celebrate a birthday. We were thwarted by mother nature who had no such delusions about a sunny evening fading away slowly into a warm dusk. Nope, she huffed and puffed and then she rained. So, our picnic ended up as an indoor affair but was lovely none the less.

An indoor picnic for Audrey. She loves wine so we corked some. She loves music so we listened to some. She loves blue cheese so we ate some. She loves her meat well cooked so we cut her off some.  She loves  catch-phrase so we lost two and won none. Basically, she loves a good party so we brought her one.

And while the birthday lady would probably rip that cardboard lid off a dixie cup with her Scottish glee, I did think I should step it up a bit for her birthday sweet. She deserves better than a splinter in her tongue at her own picnic party. So, I went with an almond brittle orange semifreddo IN a dixie cup. And rather than smearing sugared -up-jam into the semifreddo to mimic those veins of fruity goodness in the original dixie cup, I made an orange sauce and poured it on top. It basically came out like a creamsicle that you eat with a spoon, but with little crunchy almond bits, like a blizzard. I feel it is safe to say, it honored ‘the awesome’ of the dixie cup.

Happy Birthday Aud.

Orange Semifreddo with Salted Almond Brittle
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Brittle

  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter,  divided
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cups blanched whole almonds, toasted,  coarsely chopped (I used slivered)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp flaked sea salt (such as  Maldon)

Coat rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon butter. Combine sugar, corn  syrup, 1 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in heavy large saucepan. Stir over  medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Boil without stirring until  mixture turns amber and thermometer registers 330°F to 340°F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat; immediately stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then  almonds and baking soda (mixture will bubble). Working quickly, pour mixture out  onto prepared baking sheet. Using offset metal spatula, quickly spread mixture  into irregular 15×10-inch rectangle. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sea salt evenly over  brittle. Cool brittle completely at room temperature until firm (about 2 hours). Break into pieces. I chopped some of it in a food processor so they would be easy to layer into the mini semifreddos. Retain 14 larger pieces to place on top of each cup.

Semifreddo

  • 5 large eggs, separated
  • 1 cup sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 2 Tbsp finely grated orange peel
  • 2 cups chilled heavy cream
  • Fill large bowl with ice cubes and water. Whisk egg yolks, 1/2  cup sugar, tangerine juice, and tangerine peel in medium metal bowl. Set bowl  with yolk mixture over saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until  mixture thickens and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers  160°F, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over hot water and set over bowl with  ice water. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until thick and cool, about 3  minutes. Remove bowl from over ice water.
  • Beat cream in another large bowl until peaks form; set aside.  Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks  form. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff  but not dry. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into yolk mixture to lighten. Fold in  remaining whites in 2 additions. Fold in whipped cream in 2 additions until just  incorporated.
  • Pour a small amount into each cup – should be enough for 14. Sprinkle 3/4 cup chopped brittle evenly over each. Repeat layering with half of  remaining semifreddo mixture; sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup brittle over, then  spread remaining semifreddo mixture over. The cups will be full, just ensure there is a small space left for the sauce to sit on top. Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Sauce

  • 4 Tbsp honey
  • 2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice

Combine in a saucepan over medium low heat. Allow to simmer until it reduces to about half. Allow to cool in the fridge and then pour on top of each dixie cup.

Enjoy xo

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Winning the battle… one granola bar at a time

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

All of us gals, I am sure, from one time to another have stirred our way into the thick of an inner battle between “eat it and enjoy it” vs “eat it and pay for it.” The rotund little devil on the left whispering sweet nothing commands, like “the chocolate batter on the spatula will taste like heaven, it is only a little, less than a cookie’s worth, it won’t encourage you to lick the whole bowl clean and you know you’ll work out later which will burn it all off.” The lean little angel on the right barking out instructions: ”do not touch it, sure it will taste good, but you know you won’t be able to stop at just one little spoonful and you will feel bad about the sugar high ride you embarked on when you think about all that it could do to your hips.”

Since I am a good little soldier who marches her way into the kitchen frequently and since that pudgy little she-devil often wins out over the slim angel, who in my mind looks like Gwyneth Paltrow, I have had to come up with a new strategy. This new strategy is: healthy baking. There is no battle when what I am whipping up is low-cal and good for me. I can graze away without a peep from either side of the line.

I am kicking off this ceasefire with granola bars that come out just like the chewy kind from the box, but just so much tastier. And so open to interpretation, add whatever you would like: a little almond butter, or peanut butter, or marshmallows (that may be the devil getting her two cents worth) but still, they are adaptable. And at just 120 calories per bar (minus the marshmallows) you can dig in with delight.

Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars
Adapted from One Smart Cookie

1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1 cup of random cupboard love – I used almonds, raisins, chocolate chips, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds to make up my cup
1 1/2 cups rice krispies
1 cup quick oats
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

In a medium-large sauce pan, combine the butter, sugar, honey, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add ‘random cupboard love,’ krispies, oats and flaxseed. (If using chocolate chips stir everything else in first, allow to cool for 1-2 minutes and then add in so they don’t melt). Press into an ungreased 8×8 pan and place in the fridge to cool for about half an hour. Remove from fridge once cool and cut into 12. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.

Enjoy xo

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Cake ‘connecting’ with churros ‘connecting’ with spicy chocolate frosting ‘connecting’ with…

Posted on May 13, 2012 by

At the moment my fingers are sporting the most over the top neon pink nails. And, gasp, they are press-ons. While they are a new, hipper version of Sally H’s classic talons: shorter and funkier, they are still press on nails which just really is not my style. But I was inspired to try them (more about this later). Since they are neon, they are tough to miss (and a little difficult to type with) so, I was reflecting on the pink, and that made me think of the cake we baked in Vancouver last weekend which I had yet to blog about, which is why I am here at 6:30 in the morning. How a nail-thought brought me to a cake-thought is going to require a little trip down the rabbit hole of duffie’s brain and how it puts things together.

I like to call it connective thinking: I am a connective thinker.

Connective thinking works like this: you are having a perfectly put together thought about something, let’s say neon pink press on nails; and that thought makes your mind think of London Drugs (which is where you purchased said ornaments), leading you to think about the reason you were at London Drugs (Nicole, the girl sporting an orange set, who upon your exclamation of love for them recommended you go there to purchase said nails), tossing your mind back to Vancouver (where you met Nicole), to Gourmet Warehouse (where you love to go to drool over bakeware when in Vancouver), to Valrhona chocolate (found at the warehouse), to how this chocolate looks like liquid satin when it melts (because chocolate is not meant to sit all by itself in the cupboard), to stirring a whole pound of it into an over the top chocolate frosting (if you can’t follow that connection, I probably lost you in Cosmetics at London Drugs) to the confection we created with this frosting, some caramel, a cake and some churros. Thus pink nails make me think of this particular cake.

An easier connection may be that they both add a bit of spice.

Chocolate Caramel Cake with Spiced Frosting and Churros
Inspired by and baked with my friend Sara who wished for a Cinco de Mayo cake that, quite simply, ”has some frosting piped on to it”

Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup hot water (next time I would use hot coffee here)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
4 eggs plus 2 yolks, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut in 12 and softened

Preheat oven to 350F and set rack to middle spot. Grease two 9″ cake pans and line with parchment, grease flour this. (We used 8″ which made for two very full pans, even after Sara and I licked the beaters, spatula and not-so-scraped-down-bowl clean, but it still worked out). Combine chocolate, cocoa and water over a water bath in a medium heat-proof bowl. Stir with a spatula until melted and smooth. Add 1/2 cup sugar to the mixture and stir until thick and glossy, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside to cool.
Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl, set aside. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk (which our gorgeous kitchen in Vancouver did not have so we used a hand-held and with our team work it was just fine) whip eggs and yolks on medium-low until combined 10-20 seconds. Add remaining cup of sugar and increase speed to high and whip until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Replace whisk with paddle. Add cooled chocolate to egg and mix on medium until combined, about 45 seconds, scraping down the bowl as required. Add the butter, one piece at a time (this is where the handheld plus the team work was an important part of the cake production) mixing about 10 seconds after each addition. Add the flour in three additions, alternating with two additions of the buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each (about 15 seconds), scraping the bowl as needed). Mix on medium-low until the batter is completely combined. Remove from stand and give batter the final stir by hand.
Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and smooth top with spatula. Bake until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25-30 minutes. If using 8″, bake for longer: 32-35 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove from pans, peel away parchment and allow to cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

Chocolate Frosting
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate (we used mostly dark with a little semi-sweet tossed in)
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup heavy cream

Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a water bath. Once smooth remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Increase heat to medium and add sugar, syrup, vanilla and salt, stir with a heat-proof spatula until sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or again a little teamwork combined with a hand-held works just as well) combine chocolate, butter mixture and cream and stir until thoroughly combined. Set mixture in the fridge for 5 minutes, remove and stir with spatula, repeat one more time – frosting should be thick but not hard. Using the paddle attachment beat on medium-high until frosting is light and fluffy. Divide batter into two bowls, one with about 2/3 of the mixture for frosting and filling the cake, one with about 1/3 for decorating the cake and attaching the churros.

1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 – 1/2 tsp arbol
1/2 – 1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
To taste: add above spices to the smaller amount (the bowl containing 1/3) of frosting, add slowly until you like the level of spice. Place in a piping bag.

Mini Churros
4 white flour tortillas
vegetable oil
sugar and cinnamon

Use a 1 1/2″ cookie cutter to cut out a desired shape from the tortillas. Heat the oil over medium heat on the stove top. Set up a paper towel station to place the churros once fried. When the oil is hot, set 4-5 cut outs into the oil, turning after about 10-15 seconds, and after another 10 seconds or so remove with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all your tortillas are light brown on both sides. You have to be quick because they are so tiny. Once they are cool, toss in the sugar and cinnamon mixture to coat. These are like gold, they taste so good we had to focus on keeping enough to decorate the cake with or we would have devoured them.

Caramel Filling
check out this post for the recipe, you will only need about 1/4 of this amount for the cake… use the rest to dip apples in

To Assemble: Line edges of your serving plate or cake platter with 4 pieces of parchment to keep clean. Set one cake on the plate. Cover with the plain chocolate frosting. Set in the fridge to harden slightly. Cover with caramel. Top with the second cake. Spread a thin crumb coat with the chocolate frosting, place in the fridge to harden slightly. And then use the rest of the frosting to slather the cake. Using the spiced frosting, decorate the cake and pipe dots to hold the churros. And then go nuts with the rest… just like Sara did.

Enjoy xo

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Denying the Dollar Bills and Eating Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

It is likely that no one would describe me as thrifty.

I appreciate and am a bit envious of people who are, especially those who do it with style. You know the people I am talking about, the ones who put together a Goodwill outfit that look like Stella McCartney designed it herself. The ones who take the ‘As Is’ items from Ikea and with a little innovation turn them into accent pieces worthy of accolades from Henry Miller. The ones who buy end of the roll fabric and sew it into toddler dresses that would make Suri Cruise drool with envy.

I am not these people.

I am not a bargain-finding kind of gal. I don’t search through racks of clothes at Winner’s for that Burberry trench that is now 90% off and thus a steal of a deal. I don’t buy second-hand ugly book ends with grand ideas of painting, sanding and turning them into little gorgeous pieces of mantle art. I don’t buy canned goods when they are on sale because I am planning for a future pot of soup. I don’t clip coupons.

This said, I do do some things. I do mildly obsess over Air Miles and thus purchase quantities of things that earn my precious miles. This could be interpretted as saving, as I save us on flights. I do buy quality over quantity when it comes to clothes. I have less things in my closet, but I love them all. I do wait to place my J. Crew order until there is a promo code for some little deal. I do listen to my Dad’s advice and buy things that I need when they are on sale, just the other day I saved $50 on a vacuum. And I do not pay someone to clean up my back yard after my hound, yep I am scooping and saving big time there.

However, despite these spend-friendly activities my family and husband gleefully point out whenever I spend more than they would have on a particular item. Grocery shopping for example… the other day, my husband asked: Why do we buy these eggs? Because they are free-range, organic and super tasty. Why do we buy this cheese? Because  it is aged, rennet-free and super tasty. Why do we buy this turkey bacon? Because it is low-fat, extra lean and super tasty. While I saw a trend developing: good for you and super tasty, Ben also saw a trend: good for you and super pricey. By the end of our little grocery store sojourn he was cracking up… he pointed out that while I don’t buy it because it is the most expensive of them all, for other reasons I end up buying it all the same. He thinks I am unconsciously drawn to dollar signs; I think I am discerning.

Anyway, I am writing this today to draw attention to an evening that was not drawn to those dollar signs. Every couple of months four of us girls get together for dinner. We usually eat somewhere fabulous. We usually share, order some wine and always save room for dessert. These evenings out are wonderful and usually end up costing us each about fifty bucks. So, this time, in the name of saving, we decided to make it pot-luck and do it at my place. We feasted on cheese and bread, a spring salad, a mozzarella-tomato tart and washed it all down with the most darling champagne you can buy in a little pink can, Sofia. And for dessert, I wanted to make something worthy of our usual post dinner indulgence but not so heavy that we wouldn’t be able to get through it. So, I opted for a Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Ok, it wasn’t my idea to move the venue. It didn’t even cross my mind to bust out a pot-luck for girl’s night. But once it was suggested, I embraced it. Rather than spending about $50 on dinner, we each spent about $15 on ingredients…. that’s a difference of $35. I am pointing that out specifically, because I think it deserves to be noted by all those who mock me, that last Friday night I saved money. That’s right, it may even be said, by some, that I was a bit Friday night thrifty.

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Cake
7 oz dark chocolate, chopped fine
6 Tbsp, butter cut into pieces
3/4 tsp instant espresso powder
4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of cream of tartar
pinch of salt
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment and grease lightly.
Melt chocolate, butter and espresso together over a water bath, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Then whisk in the egg yolks and the vanilla.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium-low until foamy. Then add half the sugar and whip until combined (15 seconds), add the remaining sugar and increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form. This should take about 1 minute. Using a whisk fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture by hand to lighten. Using a spatula, fold the rest of the egg whites into the chocolate until no white streaks remain.
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until risen and firm – centre of cake should spring back when pressed, about 12-14 minutes.
Place cake (in the pan) on a wire rack and allow to cool for 1 hour.

Raspberry Mousse
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp water
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Over medium heat in a small saucepan combine the raspberries and the sugar. Cook at a simmer until the raspberries have broken down and released their juices. Remove from heat and strain into a medium bowl to remove seeds. Press down on the berries.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Heat at lowest setting just until the gelatin dissolves. If it gets to hot the gelatin will turn grainy.
Stir the gelatin into the raspberry juice. Allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold raspberry mixture into the cream in 3 additions.

White Chocolate Mousse
3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 Tbsp water
6 oz white chocolate, chopped finely
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the water to bloom and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
Place the white chocolate in a medium-sized heat proof bowl. Place a half cup of cream in a small sauce pan and heat to simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and add gelatin, stirring until dissolved. Pour still hot cream mixture over the chocolate, cover and allow to stand for 3 minutes. With a whisk stir the chocolate until smooth. Let the chocolate come to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Whip the remaining cream until soft peaks form. With a whisk fold 1/3 of the cream into the chocolate mixture by hand. Add the rest of the cream and fold with a spatula until combined.

Assembly
Line 6 3″ mousse rings with parchment or acetate. Cut out 3″ rounds of the cake and place at the bottom of the mousse ring on a pan lined with parchment. Divide the raspberry mousse among the rings. Place in the freezer while you prepare the white chocolate mousse, for at least 10 minutes. Divide the white chocolate mousse among the rings, smooth the top with a spatula. Return to freezer for at least two hours. Remove and press mousse cakes out of rings from the bottom up. Allow to stand at room temperature for 45 minutes before serving. If you would like to make one cake rather than 6 small ones, use a 9″ spring-form pan to bake the cake (bake for 13-18 minutes) and then build mousse on top of cake in that pan. And if you’d like, sprinkle a few chocolate shavings on top.

Enjoy xo

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“I see London, I see France, I see a chocolate chip meringue…”

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

“I do not wear shorts.” It is a simple, cut and dry rule. There are not a lot of sub-sections or appendices to get caught up in. I mean, shorts can easily be interpreted as skirts which end above the knee: acceptable, but only when chaperoned by a pair of opaque tights (or in a bind, two pairs of slightly sheer tights which together make an acceptable screen). But generally, the no-knees-seen-rule is easy to follow as there is either a knee to be seen or there is not, period.

This rule was not created to satisfy any sort of religious convention, it was not aimed to keep me modest, nor was it paying homage to the demure yet girly attire of housewives of days gone by. No, I am all for mini skirts on thin leggy girls and daisy dukes on girl’s with, well, Daisy D’s legs. I am pro-legs. I was just not pro my legs.

It was last year, in Uruguay, when riding to the beach that I considered just how ridiculous this rule had come to be. There I was, biking down the crumbling lane in a fishing village flashing the cows as the wind lifted my flowing knee-length skirt well above those not-to-be-seen-knees. I just knew those cows were lowing to the ditty that begins with “I see London” and ends with “underpants.” Heifer humiliation, all because the rule had been in effect for so long that I no longer owned one single pair of shorts. And let’s be honest here, even if I had it is not like I would have packed them or worn them if I had. In all reality, this really stemmed from the place that required the no-shorts-rule in the first place… the leg place.

Something had to change, specifically me legs had to change, the cows (of all creatures) demanded it. So I took action once I got home and promptly ordered up Tracy Anderson’s metamorphosis. She certainly demands a lot for a pint-sized blonde in tights… legs, arms, bum, abs, and on top of that a cardio dance session but it does get the job done. One year to the day, 227 of those work outs, what feels like 200 poached eggs, and a whole lots of bouncing comboed with ‘spirit fingers’ later I have lost over 20 pounds, whittled 3.5″ off those pesky hips,  gone down at least one bra-size and am now the proud owner of not one but two pairs of shorts. It actually did not take the full year to accomplish all that, but I am now reflecting on it. Sometimes accomplishments such as this are not really celebrated because they happen over time: one inch here, a pair of shorts worn in Kenya there… I am smaller, stronger, healthier and have now amended the rule to” I do not wear shorts with high heels”… baby steps people, I am working my way to a no-rule place with Tracy in tow.

So, today I celebrate with the lowest fat dessert I could think of, meringues. Well, meringue kisses with chocolate chips. I gave up chocolate chips for the 40 days of lent since no matter how much tiny toned Tracy smiles out at me from my tv screen while flexing her perfect abs in what my husband call her “tiny pants,” I can’t help myself, those little chipits call my name from inside their bag, inside the cupboard, they want me to eat them. So, for lent, I let them and all their chocolatey goodness go. Tracy may not be able to keep me in line, but Jesus, well, He did the job. But, now lent is over and my wee semi-sweets and have been reunited so I felt I could not bake a proper celebratory treat without inviting them to the party. So here they are:

Chocolate Chip Meringue Kisses

4 large egg whites
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 225F, place one rack in the upper middle and the other in the lower middle position. Line two baking pans with parchment paper.
In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and sugar, set aside. Put the egg whites, vanilla and salt in a large bowl, whip for about 30 seconds until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and slowly add the sugar mix to the whites in a steady stream over about 30 seconds. Once combined, stop the beaters and scrape down the bowl. Resume beating on high for about another 30 seconds until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold in the chocolate chips and place the batter in a piping bag with a plain tip (or a Ziploc with one end trimmed off). Pipe small mounds, about 1 1/2″ wide onto the parchment. You should end up with about 48 small cookies.
Bake for one hour, rotating the pans at the half-way point. At one hour, turn off the oven and allow them to cool in the oven for at least 1 hour. My oven really holds heat so for the first 15 minutes after I turned the oven off, I propped the oven door open slightly with the handle of a wooden spoon. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. You can store these in an air-tight container for 2 weeks.

Enjoy xo

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A Chocolate Cream Pie for those southern days that wangle their way up north

Posted on April 2, 2012 by

This is the text that I received a couple of weeks back, “Shameer wanted me to suggest that it seems like fried chicken weather lately.” After I stopped laughing, I thought about it and it is true, spring is encroaching… It has been weeks since I traded my Uggs for rain boots, my mittens for gloves, and my clean floors for paw-print-marked muddy ones. And Friday did mark a certain sense of summer with the switch from red wine to white wine spritzers to get the evening started. For some reason, sunshine and patio beers just go hand in hand with all things southern:  jalapeno cheddar cornbread, classic ’slaw and crispy golden fried chicken, which is exactly what that text cooked up.

I wanted to end the evening off with something sweet, something southern, something worthy of a statement like,  ”girl, you look so good I’m gonna take you home and sop you up with a biscuit.” So I set out to find something that was all those things however, finicky pralines are my nemesis, bananas foster has been known to knock a man out with one well placed butter-fueled punch, pecan pie reminds me of Thanksgiving and thus fall, and there are just no peaches this far north in March worthy of being scooped into a peach cobbler. So, on this dessert-quest I found myself in that southern place which boasts a bounty of cream pies… coconut cream pie, butterscotch cream pie, vanilla cream pie, banana cream pie, and while all are reputable contenders, it was the chocolate cream pie with its promises of milkshake-esque flavour mixed with a melted candy bar all stuffed into  crust that won the heart of this not so southern bell.

Pint-Sized Chocolate Cream Pie
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

The Crust
16 Oreo cookies (with the centres), broken into pieces
4 Tbsp melted and cooled unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350F with the rack in the middle position. Pulse cookies in a food processor until reduced to fine crumbs. Sprinkle the butter over the crumbs and pulse about 5 times to incorporate. Sprinkle mixture into 6 x 4″ tart pans or 1 9″ pie pan. Press crumbs into an even layer on the bottom and the sides (the bottom of a measuring cup can help this process along). Bake until crust is fragrant and set. For small pies about 8 minutes, for the pie-size about 10-12 minutes.

The Filling
(double this recipe if you are making one 9″pie)
1 1/4 cups half & half
3 Tbsp sugar
pinch salt
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Bring the half & half together with 2 Tbsp sugar and the salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once it begins to simmer, whisk the yolks, cornstarch, remaining Tbsp sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk half a cup of the simmering half & half mix into the yolk mixture to temper. Then whisk the tempered yolk mixture back into the half & half mixture, ensuring you reduce the heat to medium. Cook while whisking vigorously for about 30 seconds, until mixture thickens and a few bubbles appear on the surface. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, chocolates until completely smooth. Divide the warm filling among the cooled pre-baked crusts. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of each pint-sized pie and place them in the fridge to set filling, about 4 hours (I left mine overnight).

The Topping
(double this if you made a 9″ pie)
3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Once the chocolate is set, whip all three ingredients on medium-low speed until foamy and then increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form. Spread over each pie.

Enjoy xo

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Raspberry Chocolate Cake to celebrate spark and spunk

Posted on March 21, 2012 by

For some reason the raspberries are really good right now: flavor filled buttons of rouge. This should not be; there are still remnants of snow hanging about and nothing has sprouted from the frozen earth in 6 months. I am sure they were piled high in the back of a truck somewhere in sunny California days ago, bumped along highway stretches, made to wait at the border, then driven to Edmonton, unloaded in the back of my Safeway and set on the shelf. After such an arduous journey, they were fresh as spring. Let me tell you, had this been me on such a road trip, I would be looking a little less sprite-ley and a little more troll-ey. But these raspberries, well, they are troopers.

Thank goodness too. It was my brother-in-law’s birthday party. So, while most of my family and friends approach my queries for what they would like to sweeten their day with humble”anything would be lovely” responses, he takes more of a direct approach. “Duffie, we need more chocolate and more rhubarb and more raspberry around the table,” would be pretty close to a direct quote. And, I really tried, I scoured foodgawker, and searched other food blogs I love searching for something that would dazzle me, something that would join rhubarb and non-white chocolate together into something birthday worthy and not garbage worthy but chocolate and rhubarb just are not great friends. I did manage to come across one creme brulee brownie with rhubarb jam, but I am pretty sure I would need a few sessions at a French pastry school before even beginning to think about attempting those pages upon pages of instructions. So, he had to settle for ‘more chocolate’ and more raspberry sans more rhubarb.’

I wanted it to be really heavy on the chocolate while also really embracing those road warrior berries without diluting their flavor. So I opted for a three-tiered Devil’s Food Cake, filled with loads of those tangy raspberries, encased in a creamy chocolate frosting with a raspberry (or twenty) on top.

It was beautiful, graced with tall candles, swirls of icing crowned with raspberries and smooth chocolate… And then Duncan blew out the candles and promptly ate all of the raspberries off the top. It is his birthday and he can do what he wants to, so he did. I would just like to mention here, that he was not turning 10 or any other age that would generally lead you to assume he would dive into the top of his cake and come back up covered in chocolate, no, he turned 30. But, this is so Duncan… he loves life like a kid. He still yells cannonball before hurtling into a pool; he runs into waves with total abandon; he insists on having an official pizza ‘peel’ for pulling his gourmet pizzas from the oven; he runs a Mile in Her Shoes (high-heeled shoes) for charity; he parties until his body literally taps him out by falling asleep sitting up in a chair; and he claps (really loud) and sings (even louder) when we are in the car. This said, don’t get me wrong… he’s not some dead beat party animal who forgot to grow up, he did: he’s a successful salesman, married to a darling, a solid friend, a loyal brother all while being extremely well dressed, he just kept his kid spark and spunk along for the grown up ride.

Here’s to the spark. And here’s to the spunk. Happy Birthday Duncan.

Devil’s Food Cake with Raspberry Filling and Chocolate Frosting
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Devil’s Food Cake

1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa (I used regular)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups boiling water
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 tsp instant espresso powder
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Adjust the oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat to 350F. Grease 3 x 8″ round cake pans, line with parchment, grease parchment and dust with cocoa (I used flour which was fine too).
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl mix boiling water, chocolate, 1/2 cup cocoa and espresso powder until smooth.
Using a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed until fluffy. This takes about 4-5 minutes. Beat eggs in, one at a time until combined. Stop to scrape down bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and vanilla until incorporated.
Reduce speed to low and add flour in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the chocolate. Scrape down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand to ensure you do not over beat.
Divide the batter into the pans and smooth the tops, gently tap on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake cakes for 17-18 minutes, rotating twice to ensure each cake spends an equal amount of time in each position. They are done when a cake tester comes out with just a few crumbs attached.
Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack completely before filling and frosting.

Rich Chocolate Cream Frosting

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/3 cup corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate and add the corn syrup. Let it sit covered for 5 minutes then whisk gently until smooth. Refrigerate 1 – 1 1/2 hours, stirring with a spatula every 15 minutes until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

Raspberry Filling

1 cup raspberries (plus raspberries for decorating if you’d like)
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Use a small food processor to lightly mash berries (or use a fork). Mix jam in until just combined.

To assemble: Line edges of a cake platter with 4 strips of parchment to catch any mess. Place one cake on platter and cover with half the raspberry filling, spread evenly. Place second cake on top and cover with other half of the filling. Place the third cake on top. Use 1/3 of the frosting to cover the cake in a thin crumb coat. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow it to harden. Spread almost all of the remaining frosting over the cake. Keep a bit to pipe into decorations on top or around the edge if you would like. Remove the parchment. You can refrigerate the assembled cake for one day.

Enjoy xo

Posted in Cakes, Chocolate, Raspberry, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments