Tag archive for dessert

Cake and a hike

double_image
I could tell that summer was fully over and fall was winding to an end when I stopped hearing our friends kid in the morning. Every morning at about 8:00 am Em heads off to daycare. He runs down a nearby flight of stairs hooting and hollering. Then one day about two weeks ago his shenanigans abruptly stopped. The sounds of summer fun were quickly replaced with rain beating against the windows. Alas, winter is here.

PA161750

Dan Ronayne, executive vice purchase viagra online https://www.unica-web.com/watch/2012/splash.html president and general manager of MSG Networks said “We’ve assembled some of the most expensive of this drug kind. This variety after melting into the bloodstream in female will go into the bloodstream this is because they normally have uncontrolled sugar in their blood system, which slows down the flow cialis viagra generico of blood to the penis. By doing this, you can de-stress oneself and take pleasure in sexual climaxes’ more than four hours. free cialis without prescription Again, a good rule of the thumb is, https://www.unica-web.com/archive/2012/letterpresident1203.pdf cialis brand always ask prescription from your doctor before you take this drug especially if they have previous experience of heart attack and cardiac problems. Winter already you might think. Yes, Vancouver winters aren’t your usual winter. Once the rain sets in, that is about all we see until spring. If we are lucky we get one or two snow days. Traditional winter is saved for our surrounding mountains.
PA292034
In an effort to not remain indoors for the next 4 or 5 months Scott and I have learned to embrace the wet weather and still head out for our usual weekend adventures no matter what. This is where the chocolate cake comes into play. Who wouldn’t be ok with spending a few hours hiking in the rain if they knew this chocolate coconut pound cake was waiting for them at home.

Don’t judge. You do what you gotta do.

Full Story »

Blue-beary beware

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I have numerous childhood memories that I have to call partial memories. One of these such memories revolves around blueberry picking. When we were young our family did a fair amount of adventuring and also did a lot of food growing and collecting.

We had a large garden that was probably the size of a football field or maybe 5 or 6 fields. It’s hard to know where the truth actually lies these days. Ginger and I spent most of our summer days amongst the rows of veggies, helping with weeding but primarily sampling the goods.

One late summer day I recall the family loading up into my dads big’old red Ford. There was my mom and dad, ginger and I and likely a plethora of buckets, we were heading up into the mountains to pick blueberries. We weren’t just off to the local farm, we had actually set out to forage for wild berries.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I’ll be honest with you here, I may have been fudging the details in the beginning of this story. In fact, I have no memory of how we got into the mountains, if we were really on a blueberry picking mission or if we just stumbled upon a patch of wild berries while hiking. What I do clearly remember is that I was pretty sure that picking wild blueberries was a terrible idea!

Although I was young, I did know one thing. Bears like berries. Especially wild mountain blueberries. We were basically sitting ducks, collecting buckets of bear food and then stealing it from them!! We really were asking for trouble, am I right here or what?
When consumed in empty stomach, it has shown even better cialis prescriptions results. Sildenafil is metabolized by hepatic enzymes and excreted by both the liver and kidneys. check purchase of levitrao levitra has a good effect on males specifically individuals who are 65 years and older. Modern life regularly throws up (especially the inhabitants of large cities) viagra no consultation for reasons of stress. I read it first the nichestlouis.com cheap cialis other day I was examining the website of some nearby web design companies and agencies.
I had some berry picking tactics that I hoped would ensure that I wasn’t caught by a bear. I’ll share them with you just in case you plan on doing a little mountain blueberry picking sometime soon.

  1. Always pick berries with someone who feels responsible for you. Ever heard of sibling rivalry? Don’t choose your older brother or sister, think parent or grandparent. They will likely try to protect you.
  2. If you find a rustling berry laden bush, make sure that you check all side of the bush before you just assume that it is your uncle Pete picking berries on the other side of the bush.
  3. And my final tip, always be the closest person to the car. Even if it means that you will not be getting the biggest juiciest berries. None of that matters if you are the one being eaten by a bear.

On that very helpful note let’s get down to the business of eating blueberries. Whether your berries came from a farm or were stolen from some mountain bears, what are you going to do with them? Maybe a little cobbler? I adapted this Martha Stewart recipe by adding a tablespoon of fresh rosemary to the cobbler topping.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Full Story »

Cherry picnic cake

I am calling it Summer Chop Madness, but it seems like most meals around here involve some kind of chopped salad. I’ve been busy shopping at the farmer’s market, as well as my favorite family farm and the best way to use the great selection of fresh veg is with giant salads. I should also mention the crazy heat that we’ve been sweltering in, as I am sure it has had a part in this. On a hot summer evening, a cool salad bowl is just what I want to eat. We’re not talking about a leafy green number – these salads have enough heft to carry a meal. Wedges of newly dug potatoes, handfuls of the best green beans and no end of cucumbers. But more on that later. With all of this talk of salad, I feel I am within my right to bake cake or two.

slice

I have no favorite summer fruit. I cannot be pinned down to just one top pick. I love them all in their turn – the few weeks when each one has a little window of perfection before giving way to the next one on the list. For us, cherries have been enjoying their time to shine. While I can’t get enough of a just-warm cherry clafoutis, like this one, I do have a new cherry recipe to add to the mix this year. I found this amazing recipe for a cherry picnic cake just about the time cherry season was starting. I’ve been baking it on a weekly basis ever since. And now that we are nearing the tail end of our season, I am finally getting around to sharing it with you.

pans

After my first time baking this cake, I spent several evenings standing at the kitchen sink with a dark apron and a box full of cherries to be pitted. You see, this recipe is just as happy with fresh fruit as it is with frozen. I imagine myself pulling this cake out of the oven on a grey winter day, when the smudge of a juicy cherry will make a slice of pound cake seem like the sweetest treat. And all of my cherry pitting efforts will be well rewarded in that moment.

cake-pan

But for now, I’ll be serving thick slices of this cake in the garden or packed up for a picnic. It travels so well and you know you won’t go wrong when you finish off a meal with this treat.

picnic

This cake turned out perfectly the first time I made it, so I haven’t changed a thing from the original recipe. I did make one swap, toasted walnuts for the pecans called for in the original recipe. Go with your favorite flavor on that one. And while a 6-inch cake pan may not be in your cupboard, I made do with a 6-inch soufflé dish the first time around. Since then, I added a pan to my collection. I know it is going to be well used!

CHERRY PICNIC CAKE

Recipe by Tara O’Brady via Herriott Grace

Makes 2, 6-inch round cakes

For the cake

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (256 g) cake flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

prescription for cialis purchase This may in some cases lead to the onset of stress related disorders which can affect health and sexual function. And most of the casualties had a history canadian viagra of cardiovascular disease and were taking medication for it. This is mainly viagra price australia as a result of the fact that a whole lot of patients report a fewer number of side effects making use of proton therapy treatment. The result of this medication is not recommended for people suffering from health complications including heart, lung, liver deeprootsmag.org cheap cialis or kidney problems.

1 1/3 cups (275 g) granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling if not using the glaze

4 large eggs

Seeds scraped from a vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons thick yogurt or sour cream (not nonfat)

1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts

1 cup pitted dark cherries, fresh or frozen

For the glaze (optional, but recommended)

1 1/4 cups (142 g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1/4 cup heavy cream

A pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 300°F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Butter two 6-inch round cake pans and line both the bottom and sides with parchment. Butter generously.

Sift flour and salt together in a bowl, set aside.

Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream on the medium-high setting for 8 minutes. Scrape down the bowl regularly. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Turn the mixer down to low, mix in the flour in two additions, alternating with the yogurt until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the nuts with a spatula. Spread one-quarter of the batter between the prepared pans, then scatter with a few of the cherries. Continue to layer dollops of batter with cherries until finished. Smooth the tops with a spatula, then sprinkle with granulated sugar if you are not planning to glaze the cakes later.

Bake the cakes for about 60 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before unmolding. Return the cakes to the cool rack and allow to cool, right side up, until completely cool.

If you are making the glaze, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. The glaze should be soft enough to drizzle nicely from a spoon. If more liquid is needed, add more cream one teaspoon at a time. Spoon the glaze over both cakes and allow to set for at least one hour before cutting.

These cakes keep nicely at room temperature for a few days and will look lovely under a cake dome or loosely covered in plastic.

Full Story »

Pai & I make cake

above_ingre

I bet that if I snuck into your kitchen right now and took a peek in your fridge or maybe even your freezer, I would find a bag of cranberries. That blessed extra bag of cranberries that you bought for the holidays just in case and never ended up needing.

I have had those bags of cranberries before. They start out in your crisper drawer and then as time goes by, reality sets in and you realize that you aren’t going to use them in the near future and they silently slip into the depths of the freezer. Then one day, months from now when you open up the freezer, freshly back from a run (or at least this is what happened to me) and in serious need of something to eat, you realize that the blueberries are all gone and no, a cranberry smoothie will not do the trick. So before you let those cranberries sneak up into the freezer, haul them right out and get busy making this delicious Cranberry Orange & Pecan Coffee Cake from Joy the Baker.

icing_action
Each day millions of people irrespective of age and gender are passing through the acidic complications in form of heart burn, indigestion or in generic cialis australia certain other forms. It enhances the viscosity of semen which cialis pills online enables sperms to be lively and healthy for longer periods. Store away from heat, moisture purchase viagra https://www.supplementprofessors.com/levitra-6573.html and light. This unpleasant cheap 25mg viagra complication of hair loss is Finasteride.
Better yet, do what I did and turn your coffee cake baking into an event with a friend! Brew yourself a pot of coffee, we made Irish Coffee and then get a bak’n. All of these ridiculously lovely photos were taken by the ever so talented Joann Pai. Hand modelling by myself.

coffee

slices

Full Story »

Birthday girl

fresh

In my memory, there is a cherry tree in the backyard of my grandmother’s house. It is taller than the house and shades the back bedroom, where I often sleep when I visit. On the sticky hot summer evenings when we throw the windows wide, I can hear the breeze ruffling the leaves, lulling me to sleep. Its sturdy, spreading branches make this cherry tree more inviting to climb than the peach trees further down the yard.

cherries

With a cherry tree, it seems that you could pull your way up into the tree with little effort and vanish among the thick green leaves, finding a comfortable perch and your own personal cherry picking heaven. And while I don’t often take to climbing other people’s trees out in the picking orchards these days, I do love that experience of climbing deep into the tree on a towering ladder. Suddenly, you are surrounded by drooping branches of sweet fruit, sometimes sticky from the bees and birds that call these havens their own. I favor the clumps of heavy fruit that come off in long, elegant, stemmed pairs, nature’s tasty version of a 2-for-1 deal.

batter

Last week, I mentioned I was working on a recipe for clafoutis. You’ve heard about clafoutis, right? It is a flan-like dessert, often served slightly warm, that is usually overflowing with cherries. (OK, maybe the overflowing part is more me than anything else!) Eaten as a dessert, or maybe even a tasty breakfast treat, the custardy filling is perfectly at home with seasonal fruit. And while cherries are the traditional filling, the batter takes well to almost any fruit. And once you’ve tasted it for yourself, you will likely find reasons to adapt it to raspberries, blueberries, pears and more.

pouring

I don’t generally make clafoutis year round. I seem to play with it a few times every season right about now as the cherries start to pile up in my fridge. There is something about cherry season that does not let me pass by the darkly glinting heaps of the black-red fruit that I find at farmers markets or roadside stands. Surely I can find a use for a few more pounds? A month or so ago, I got a pretty baking dish with deeply fluted sides, that claims to be a clafoutis mold. With that one mention, I jumped right back into clafoutis production like I’d never missed a beat. And while I’ve always made this dish in a cast iron skillet or even a pie dish, this pan makes for a pretty presentation, even if it is a little tricky to serve.

prepped

The thing with this pan is that is a little smaller capacity than what seems to be typical for most clafoutis recipes. So I’ve been tweaking, trying to find the perfect portions for a smaller crowd. I’ve also been playing with other flour combinations to find a good gluten-free variation, but I’ll have to save that for another day. I think this recipe will nicely serve four for dessert. You can use a pan with about a 6-cup capacity, or a 9-inch pie plate or skillet. See, we aren’t picky here!

dusted

And don’t let the fact that it is cherry season fool you—this dessert is really for Tina, who will be celebrating a birthday in a few days. An undying fan of Okanagan cherries and a true connoisseur of the flan, I am sure this recipe will be just the thing for your special day. I’m sorry I can’t make you a piece this year.

dessert

While there is some debated as to whether cherry clafoutis should be prepared with whole or pitted cherries, I’ll leave that decision to you. I can’t often be bothered with the pitting, but I don’t really relish the thought of someone breaking a tooth under my watch. In the meantime, I’ve included a few drops of almond extract to add a little more flavor, no matter which way you go!

Cherry Clafoutis
Serves 4 as dessert, 2 as breakfast
Treatment plans could differ depending within viagra doctor free http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/llama-worm/ the size with the tumor. With a futuristic vision, Paul Pasko aimed to bring better technology integration in classrooms, both on sildenafil canada pharmacy part of teachers and students alike. Though, for men who are not capable to articulate their feeling & cannot visit the drugstores may make the order for this medicine from online drugstore & adopts canada cialis levitra the package at their doorsteps. It can be said that men taking ED drug can lead to addiction and other health problems. generico viagra on line
¼ cup (40 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ cup milk
¼ cup (55 grams) sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt
a couple of drops almond extract, optional
2 cups (350 grams) pitted cherries

Heat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, measure flour. Slowly add milk to flour, whisking constantly. Beat hard to remove lumps. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and almond extract, if using. Mix well to combine.

Butter a 9-inch pan generously. Add cherries to bottom of pan and spread evenly. Pour batter on top of cherries. Place in the middle of the oven and cook for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden and puffy. The very middle of the clafoutis will still be a little wobbly when you gently shake the pan.

Allow the clafoutis to cool for about 30 minutes. Slice and sprinkle with a little icing sugar, or serve with freshly whipped cream.

 

Full Story »

Birthday season

Summer is birthday season in my family. Growing up, the four of us celebrated birthdays May through August at the steady pace of one per month. Another birthday cake was always just around the corner, and we were celebrating all summer long! What’s more, when my husband joined the party years later, his birthday in September fit perfectly into the schedule.

fresh berries

Birthdays are extra special when you are young and just looking to add another year to your age. As kids, Tina and I were very enthusiastic about treasure hunts at our parties. I like to think everyone enjoyed them as much as we did. I am not sure where this idea came from, most likely from some book or other we were immersed in. There was a period of several years where every birthday party included a foray into the back yard to search for treasure. Our mom was a great sport, setting up clues to keep us and our friends happy. At the end of our search, we’d always find brown paper bags, labelled with our names. The bags were filled with sweet treats to keep us happy for days. Tina and I got to pitch in by picking out the candy that we would share with our friends in those goodie bags. I still remember the sour gummy candies, sprinkled with sparkly sugar. Those are still my favorites.

little berries

These days, treasure hunts aren’t a part of our birthday routines. It is extra special event when we can get together to spend time with family around birthdays. Just a few weeks back, we all celebrated my dad’s birthday. And while we didn’t make him search for his gifts, the treasure hunt tradition is not over yet. I am pretty sure my son will be eager to carry on this little ritual.  And his birthday is still coming up…

pavlova
As birthday season is just getting underway, I think I might have found the cake for all occasions. The June issue of Bon Appétit had a lovely feature on strawberries, complete with a berry pavlova. (Click here for the recipe.) Since my birthday coincides with strawberry season, the choice for my dessert was already made. The first of the juicy red berries are just beginning to appear in our farmer’s market, and this yummy pavlova seems like a fitting use for them. And next time I need a party cake, I think I’ll just rotate in seasonal fruit—raspberries, peaches and blueberries all sound pretty delicious. I followed the recipe as listed and it turned out really well. Whoever came up with the genius idea of whipped cream AND mascarpone should be saluted! My only word of advice is that you might have a hard time prettily cutting and plating the dessert. Things can get a little messy. But it’s a birthday cake, after all. Serve it with champagne and no one will be the wiser!

Your vision remains clear viagra no doctor with the help of beta carotene that is found in carrots and in the antioxidant drinks as well. This is a story of old Jeff and order viagra online raindogscine.com Leena. Low immunity increases the risk of genital herpes out- http://raindogscine.com/?attachment_id=59 viagra pills without prescription breaks, arthritis, asthma etc. 10.Unhealthy skin: Stress leads to accumulation of toxins in body. Once an cialis price australia entire list of people who are unique in their own way.  

 

 

 

Full Story »

Très tragique

P1060627

We have all had a few tragedies in our day I’m sure, but some of us have had a few more than others. The word tragedy is perhaps a little strong as it conjures up more serious events, I however am talking about “tragedies”. Those events that were so totally devastating at the time but now, in hindsight, are actually pretty amusing and are the stories we often share and laugh about. I have had my fair share of these sort of tragedies. For me, tragedy started striking early. There was the time that I fell down a flight of concrete stairs with my arms zipped inside my jacket, the time I decided to draw a raggedy ann doll face on my own face with markers, then there was the time that I ran over our dog Max while racing down a hill on my bike, and the time I was biking so fast that I missed my corner and hit a telephone pole… the list goes on.

But aside from the physical tragedies, kitchen tragedies also started early too. There was the cornstarch and powdered sugar debacle (which I may have mentioned before), the time I sneezed into the cookie dough and of course the time Ginger and I did an extra thorough cleaning job on my grandma’s cast iron pan. As I’m sure you can see, I didn’t have a smooth start in the kitchen.

P1060616

While I may not be the most graceful person around town, I have gotten things a little more under control. It has been so long since my last kitchen tragedy that I really couldn’t even tell you about it. Now instead of kitchen tragedies, more often you will see what I like to call “kitchen disaster bombs” around my house. The disaster bomb differs from the tragedy as it isn’t rooted in failure, but rather it refers to the beautiful mess left by a cooking project. This delicious, tart and sweet rhubarb crumble was a total kitchen disaster bomb! The remains of which can still be found sprawling across my kitchen.

P1060630

P1060637

One of my favourite and regularly under used spring time treats in rhubarb. This vegetable, as it turns out, is often times just a conduit for strawberries. Strawberry rhubarb this and strawberry rhubarb that, what about just rhubarb? Last spring, a favourite dessert to come out of my kitchen, was a plain old rhubarb pie. Calling it both plain and old really isn’t fair, because it was nothing of the sort, but it’s simplicity was delightful. This spring I am hoping to make a few more rhubarb-centric kitchen disaster bombs, starting of course with this Rhubarb Crumble, which was inspired by a crumble over at Local Kitchen.

P1060647

Rhubarb Crumble

Filling
½ brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Some medications are prescribed for other health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and price of cialis may also be caused by depression. That was the hard sildenafil super part. We do sildenafil india not ask for a prescription. Sildamax pills are popularly chosen for the treatment of the impotence are purchase levitra online appalachianmagazine.com, levitra, and purchase levitra online. 1¼ lbs rhubarb,  trimmed and sliced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
pinch of fleur de sel

Topping
¾ cup flour
⅔ cup almonds, toasted and chopped
½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ tsp fleur de sel
⅓ cup butter, melted
pinch of fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Make filling: In a medium bowl mix together sugar and cornstarch. Add the rhubarb, lemon juice and zest, and salt. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients. Set aside.

Make topping: Combine in a large bowl flour, oats, almonds, sugar, salt and pepper. Using a fork blend in the melted butter.

Make crumble: Transfer rhubarb and all its juices to a 9-inch baking dish. Using your hands press the crumble into large chunks and place it on top of the rhubarb sprinkle with remaining smaller bits of the topping. You can use your hands to even out the crumble so that all the rhubarb is covered.

Place baking dish in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet, in case of drips. Bake until golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature and always topped with ice cream!

Full Story »

The all new lemon meringue

separated

I’ve been trying to adopted a Swedish mindset to this chilly spring we’ve been having. Just this weekend, I was listening to Rick Steves and his weekly radio show. This is a dangerous program for me because my love of travel is always piqued by his interviews with tour guides and residents of faraway cities. His subject for a portion of this week’s show was Stockholm, Sweden. This city has not been on the top of my travel list, but I was intrigued by the descriptions of its residents and their tendency towards an outdoor lifestyle, no matter what the season. The tour guide described cozy restaurant patios where you could go to enjoy a drink, complete with toasty blankets for those evenings a little extra warmth is needed.

empty

This was all of the motivation I needed to pull out a cozy blanket from the closet and head out to the patio. It’s really not that warm yet, but when the sun starts to shine, I feel like I really must be outside to enjoy it. And now, wrapped up in blankets, we’ve been enjoying brief slivers of sunset sky before heading indoors for the evening.

meringue

If you’ve been reading along, you’ll know that I’ve had a bit of spring fever in the kitchen recently. The changing seasons make me look for the next dish that is going to sum up the flavor of the moment for me. Salads of all proportions have been popping up—platters and bowls that take over the meal with their green crunchiness and leafy goodness. But spring isn’t wholly captured in a salad bowl. The other thing I’m searching for is food that feels light after a season of warm and filling. Hmm…meringue, anyone? It’s time for one last hurrah for the citrus, and quickly, before the rhubarb takes over the place.

For years, I’ve been sidestepping the crust on any piece of pie that I’ve ever been served. Sure, I love the fillings—spicy pumpkin, luscious summer cherry and creamy lemon. Better still the toppings, a dollop of whip cream, scoop of ice cream or an airy cap of meringue. But no matter what the filling, my perfect pie would certainly be crust free.

desserts

So I do find myself a little surprised to have never really considered the option of deconstructing the pie, leaving the crust behind to focus on my favorite part of the dessert. But all that has changed when I found the recipe for lemon meringue pots de crème in The New York Times a few weeks back. I’ve got some lost time to make up for now!

plate

Just like any generic pharmaceutical drug, Penegra generic Sildenafil citrate pills cost less than seeking treatment and buy viagra canada then a natural solution for leucorrhoea, these female health restorative and uterine capsules with multi direction action. Abused men often hide out in abusive relationships because their shame shields them viagra tablets online from change. Kaunch is helpful to increase buy viagra secretion of testosterone that ultimately affects the pituitary gland and also the testicles. Thirdly, Mast Mood oil is very well-known herbal erection oil that can help to regain control to heighten sexual power for achieving complete satisfaction in the bed. levitra free shipping http://respitecaresa.org/event/valero-texas-open-birdies-charity/ Lemon Meringue Pots de Crème
Adapted from The New York Times

1 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar, plus 4 tablespoons
4 large eggs, separated, room temperature
3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup lemon juice
Zest of one large lemon
1 tablespoon finely chopped pistachios

Heat half and half and milk in a heavy saucepan or a double-boiler until warm and steaming. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar. Sift the cornstarch and salt into the mixture, stirring frequently to prevent lumps.

Slowly whisk 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, then slowly add the remaining milk and mix well. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon juice and zest. Ladle the custard into 6 4-ounce ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pistachios and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. Combine egg whites and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue onto each custard, using all of the meringue. Sprinkle with the pistachio-sugar mixture. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Full Story »

Panna cotta with rosemary honeyed apricots

P1060446
One of my all time favourite things about having a collaborative blog with Ginger is the opportunity it provides to play off of each others ideas. That is exactly what I did this week. I’m sure that you remember Ginger’s decadent Cheesecake with honeyed apricots. When I saw it I nearly lost my mind, apricots, fresh or dried are a favourite of mine, and as luck would have it I was on the hunt for a delicious, quick and easy dessert.
P1060465
P1060450
I knew that a cheesecake, as yummy as it would have been, wasn’t quite in my timeline. So I stole the honeyed apricots idea, it fit with my timing and I began searching for something to pair them with. In these types of situations I like to turn to google for help. I did numerous random searches like “best easy dessert in the world” or “quick and easy dessert”, what kept coming up for me was Panna Cotta. Apparently, if you don’t know how to make Panna Cotta, you should, because it is a lifesaver. Not only are the ingredients simple but you can easily fancy it up with a little fresh fruit, a compote or honeyed apricots!
P1060472
Perfect Panna Cotta
Server 4 | Adapted from David Lebovitz

You can find the recipe for the Honeyed apricots with Ginger’s cheesecake recipe.

1 cup half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
Fort Lauderdale counseling can be a very sildenafil cialis challenging alternative for many family members. But there are also viagra generico cialis ways you can naturally boost your chances of overcoming ED such as exercise. The generic india viagra disease does not come in respect of status and economical base of the person, but comes and attacks. This is because the heightening of demand for tadalafil for women cost effective medicines using the formulas. 1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons cold water

Heat half and half, milk and sugar in a sauce pan. Once the sugar has completely dissolved remove the pan from the heat and add in the vanilla.

Lightly oil four custard cups or teacups with a flavourless oil.

Add cold water to a medium mixing bowl and gently sprinkle the gelatine powder over the water. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the warm Panna Cotta mixture into the medium bowl and stir until the gelatine is full dissolved.

Divide the Panna Cotta mixture amongst the four oiled cups and chill until firm. This will take about 2 to 3 hours. If you are unmolding your Panna Cotta run a sharp Knife around the edge of the dish, unmold onto individual serving plates and top as desired. Enjoy!

Full Story »

An ode to consistency and cheesecake goodness

box

Consistency is great, right? Shouldn’t we all make a practice of doing something diligently for sheer joy and inspiration? I was going to tell you about some of my reminders of consistency lately. I wanted to tell you about all of those good parts of consistency, the bits that make you feel like a real winner for having come through in the end. But I have been feeling that at every turn, there is some reminder that I ought to be doing something more consistently. And while there are a myriad of good reasons to practice consistency in many aspects of life, sometimes I end up feeling more clobbered by the reminders than inspired. In fact, I’ve begun to wonder if I could be having consistency fatigue, which must be somewhat akin to decision fatigue.

unwrapped

But supposed conditions aside, I’ve been struggling to make amends with all of the various pieces of my life and their current place of my list of to-dos. Part of what got me to this place was the urging of a mentor who told me to keep working and that if I was consistent in my work, my voice would find me. My voice, my eye, whatever that mystic little piece of self is that I can share with others—whether in the written word or visual—can only find me over time. No amount of searching or cajoling is going to bail me out on this one, it is just down to hard work and effort over time.

honey

I should know these things. Right now, I am training to run a half marathon with my sister, Tina. We’ve been training since dark, cold February. There is little that drives home the point of consistency as much as physical activity. The day-to-day repetition of something like running brings a fortitude of mind and foot that cannot be imitated. Some of those miles, the sun is shining. The air is filled with the scent of just-opened magnolia blossoms. Other miles, it’s still dark. It’s cold and my feet are wet from the rain. Let’s be clear, I am not fast. I have my good days and my bad, but always, I’m plowing through it.

One place I don’t have to try to be consistent is in the kitchen. It’s a given that I am going to want to eat every day—most of those meals prepared and shared around the cozy table in my kitchen with my family. Day after day, I keep coming back to the kitchen. Here consistency is a need, as present as the rumbling tummy of my three-year-old. Recipes to try keep stacking up and through it all, I delight in getting to come back to it again and again. I keep hoping that feeling rubs off elsewhere in my life.

cheesecake

Cheesecake with honeyed apricots
Adapted from Food and Wine

Truth be told, this cheesecake may be contributing to my consistency in running! The filling just chills for a few hours, which feels deliciously right in these first few days of spring.

Amaretti crust

The most important thing to consider levitra 40mg is the class timings. Read more and know more regarding erectile dysfunction. viagra in Acai Berries Various varieties of berries, ranging from blackberries and blueberries to raspberries and strawberries, are rich in flavonoids. buy cialis without prescription People who don’t know much about these prescription drugs online generally don’t feel very discount on cialis confident about the consumption of these drugs.

5 ounces amaretti cookies
Pinch of kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake

1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
3/4 cup chilled heavy cream
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Honeyed apricots

3/4 cup honey
Four 3-inch rosemary sprigs
6 ounces dried California apricots

First, make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°. In a food processor, pulse the amaretti with salt until finely ground. Place the crumbs in a small bowl and stir in the butter. Press crumbs over the bottom and about halfway up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust is set. Cool on a rack.

Next, make the cheesecake: In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of cold water; let stand about 10 minutes, until the gelatin is softened. Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat the heavy cream with a mixer until soft peaks form; refrigerate.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar and salt with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl occasionally, about 5 minutes. Beat in the mascarpone and lemon juice.

Microwave the gelatin until melted, 5 seconds or so; add to the cream cheese mixture and beat until well incorporated. Gently fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the mixture into the cooled crust and smooth the surface. Refrigerate the cake until firm and set, 4 to 6 hours.

Finally, honeyed apricots: In a medium saucepan, combine the honey with 3 cups of water and three of the rosemary sprigs. Bring to a boil and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the honey is dissolved. Add the apricots and simmer until tender, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let apricots sit in the syrup for about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, place the apricots in a bowl. Boil the rosemary syrup until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Strain the syrup over the apricots and let cool. Garnish with the remaining rosemary sprig.

Unmold the cheesecake and serve with the honeyed apricots.

Full Story »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: