Granola bars

The weather in this city is always changing. One day it's 16 below, the next day it's 9 above, and I find myself stripping off layers of scarf and sock, which I hadn't worn on the previous day (when my toes and fingers turned purple). How must one prepare for this weather? Wouldn't it be convenient to have some sort of invisible (dark oak) closet, that simply goes where you go, following you around, but so discretely that you don't even know it's there. Suddenly, you're boiling! Those stupid, useless scarves. This stuff! "Why do I have so much STUFF?" But then you remember the closet, that beautiful, elegant closet...

Perhaps you become extremely famished, conveniently you have an invisible closet, which also contains snacks, granola bars in fact.

Granola Bars

Adapted from Ina Garten & America's Test Kitchen

2 1/2 cups oats

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup honey

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup dried fruit (chocolate chips & nuts can also be added)

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Butter a baking dish (9x13) and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together in a bowl. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until browned lightly. Lower the temperature to 300F.

3. While the mixture is still warm, stir in the honey, vanilla and salt, then add the dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate. Pour into baking sheet and press down firmly, until the mixture is extremely compact.

4. Bake for 30 minutes, until light brown. Cool for 2-3 hours before cutting into squares.

Coffee, chocolate, and cream ... possibly the 3 best ingredients in the world?

It seems that I am now to pay for my sleepless holiday. My health has decided to have its say in the whole matter, first taking hold of the little energy that I have left, and sending me onward, "to bed," it demands, which is now a place I yearn for almost all the time. The hideous virus finds its way into my throat, clawing from the inside out. I can feel its progression, as it rests at the back of my tongue, and sneakily creeps its way down and down, and down, until... AHA! It's got me! I'm in its grasp! I am sick with the flu. A terrible, terrible thing. Apparently I become quite dramatic as I talk about the issue.


So moving on to happy and yummy things... that is, cream, coffee and chocolate. These 3 ingredients come together and form bliss, in cake form. Truly, I tell you, this cake is delicious. Smitten Kitchen dubs it "Tiramisu" cake, but when I think of tiramisu, I imagine store bought ladyfingers, cool whip and Folgers, not that there's anything wrong with such things, it's just, this recipe is slightly more complex and time consuming. But again, I tell you, it's delicious and well worth the time. Be sure to clear at least 4 1/2 hours of your day if you've decided this cake is the one. It also makes a great birthday cake!

Tiramisu cake
Smittenkitchen.com

For cake layers:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking power
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

For espresso extract:
2 tbsp ground espresso
2 tbsp boiling water

For espresso syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp brandy

For filling and frosting:
1 8 oz container mascarpone (or cream cheese)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp brandy
1 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 oz bittersweet/semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. First off, preheat the oven to 350F. Butter two 9x2 inch round cake pans, and dust the insides with flour to prevent from sticking. Line the bottom of both pans with parchment/wax paper and place on baking sheet.

2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, b. power, b. soda, and salt together. In a second bowl, beat the butter until creamy with a hand beater on medium speed. Add sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk.

3. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 28-30 minutes, rotating the pans at the halfway mark. Leave to cool.

4. For espresso extract: stir the ground espresso with boiling water until blended.

5. For espresso syrup: bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the syrup into a small bowl and add 1 tbsp of espresso extract and the brandy.

6. For filling/frosting: Whisk together the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and brandy in a large bowl until smooth.

7. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Stir about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Then fold in the rest of W.C with a gentle motion.

8. Place one layer of cake on wax paper. With a pastry brush, soak the top of layer with 1/3 of espresso syrup. Smooth approx. 1 1/4 cups of mascarpone over the layer. Gently press the chopped chocolate into the mascarpone.

9. Soak the second cake layer with half of the remaining espresso syrup. Soaked side down, position over the filling of the first cake layer. Soak the top of the cake with remaining syrup.

10. For the frosting: whisk 1 1/2 tbsp of the remaining espresso extract into mascarpone mixture. Add more if you desire. Smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top.

11. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

At last, I return with key lime pie!

Now that it's been nearly two years, with the encouragement of friends and my mother, I've come to a decision that it's now time to REVIVE my blog! An exciting and perhaps absurd endeavour. But I am committed! Perhaps I'll add the upkeep of my blog to my list of new year resolutions, that way I can be held accountable for such a task, considering it is now in (internet) print, for ALL of cyberspace to see.

Yes. That's right, I'm doing this.

Fortunately I love to bake, cook, AND eat! So I'm quick to think (but mostly hope), that this now written commitment won't be an overwhelming or stressful one. It really does help to say these things out loud you know, or rather write them down, so to eaaaaaase my own doubt, as if I'm asking you, whoever you are, to reassure me, because it really shouldn't be that bad. I mean, all I have to do is take a few pictures and write a couple of paragraphs............ Right? Don't you think? ...............Right?.......

I will do my best.

Here, I have a simple but tasty recipe for key lime pie. I found this recipe on the blog: thekitchensinkrecipes.com. I've made it countless times, and it's almost always a success, so definitely worth a try!

Key Lime Pie

crust:

11/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp b. sugar

5 Tbsp melted butter

pinch of salt

filling:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 large egg yolks

zest of 2 key limes (or 3 for more ZING)

1/2 cup & 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup whipping cream (optional)

To make crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Stir together crust ingredients with fork and press mixture into a 9inch glass pie plate. Be sure to surround half way up side of pie plate.

3. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool.

Make filling:

1.Whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks in a bowl. Add lemon juice and zest. Whisk until well combined and thickened.

2. Pour filling into crust and bake for 15 minutes. Cool and let chill for 8 hours.

3.Whisk the cream and spread over the cooled pie. Sprinkle with lime zest.

ENJOY!

Walnut Date Bread for Melissa

Ok. I must admit, I have never tasted this bread.

However, I do know that it smells delicious, and the ingredients are the most scrumptious, so therefore I presume it is edible.

I made this bread as a farewell for my dearest friend Melissa, who has fled to Toronto!
It was apparently enjoyed, with 3/4 of it devoured by Michael, or this is what I'd like to think.

There is something about a sweet bread that is so comforting. YUM! I could eat it day and night.


Walnut Date Bread with Brown Butter
Inspiration: More for Less

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup walnuts
2 cups dried, pitted dates
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Olive oil for toasting walnuts


1. Heat up a small cast iron pan on low medium heat and add the butter. When the butter melts, use a whisk to stir, it should start to foam, once the foam subsides you should notice the color reach a medium shade of amber. Immediately pour the butter into a small bowl, and put in the freezer until the butter solidifies, about 20 minutes.



2. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Spread around with your hands to evenly coat. Toast for 10 minutes. Once cooled, roughly chop.



3. Now, it is time to sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon and lemon zest. Set aside.



4. Remove the butter from the freezer and empty into a large mixing bowl. Using a mixer, cream together butter and sugars for nearly 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. (Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowls!). Add the vanilla and continue to mix.



5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl. (Do this in two or three batches). Mix until just incorporated. Using a spoon, slowly fold and stir in the yummy dates and walnuts.



6. Butter a 9x5 loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan. The batter should be thick, similar to cookie dough. Bake for 45-50 minutes on the middle rack. Let cool!

7. ENJOY (:

Sweet Potato Stew-like Soup! Yum!

Sweet potatoes are definitely a favorite of mine.
They intrigue me.
They're a vegetable (I think?), or quite possibly a fruit?
But they taste like dessert!

Sweet potatoes can be enjoyed in countless ways:
pies, fries, wedges, stews, chilies, baked, boiled... How wonderful for me!

One thing I can't quite understand is how my brother detests them! It's a shame, really. Since they are such a treat. If ever I see something with sweet potato on the menu, I have decided!
"I will have the sweet potato, please! "

The recipe I shall share today is a wonderful soup
and none other than sweet potato!

I love soup AND sweet potato. This recipe is simply excellent for all you sweet potato lovers out there.



Sweet Potato Soup
Inspiration: my dear friend, Jamie

3 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic (I used 4, yikes!)
1 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes (2-3)
a handful of fresh parsley
1 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (approx. 5 cups)
olive oil
1 heaped tsp curry powder
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 fresh red chile

1. First off, peel and roughly slice the onions, carrots, garlic, and sweet potato. Slice the celery and finely chop the parsley leaves and stalks.

2. Put a large pan on a high heat and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. First add the garlic, until the aromas resonate, then add the onions and the remaining vegetables.

3. Put the broth in a saucepan and heat until boiling.

4. Add the curry powder and mix with a wooden spoon. Cook for 10 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape.

5. Add the boiling broth to the vegetables. Bring to a boil, and give the soup a good stir. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

6. If you own an immersion blender or liquidizer, pulse the soup until smooth. For those of you who don't own an immersion blender (like myself), you can mash it with a potato masher! It ends up looking a little strange, but is just as tasty!

I bid thee, delightful.

Caramel Corn with Salted Cashews

Caramel corn.
What a brilliant creation.

Who knew that when you mix butter, sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of baking soda that it would, at 150 degrees, make caramel?
And who was the genius that decided this caramel concoction would taste delicious on popcorn?
Why don't we know about this genius? Are you nameless?
Why is it that we know Alexander Bell created the telephone, but we don't know who discovered caramel corn?
They too deserve recognition.

Well I thank you Genius.
I am, and always will be, eternally grateful for this thy invention.


This is a most delicious recipe, that you must try.
It involves popcorn (wow), sugar, butter, cashews (yummy) and a few other minor ingredients.

But really?

how can you resist?

Pas moi.



Caramel Corn & Cashews
Inspiration: Orangette

1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cashews, roughly chopped (you can use any kind of nut)

1. Preheat the oven to 250 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue to simmer, whisking often, until the mixture reads 250°F on a candy thermometer.

3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the baking soda and vanilla.

4. Quickly pour the hot caramel over the popcorn. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the caramel into the popcorn, taking care to distribute it as evenly as you can.

5. Stir in the cashews, and transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, stirring and turning the popcorn with a spatula every 20 minutes.



et voila!
wonderful, crunchy caramel corn.

A divine ficus carica!

Today, I will share with you a second recipe that I made on Christmas day. Typically, my family spends our Christmas dinner with two other families, but since this year all three families had all of their family home for Christmas.. dinner would have been impossible.
Even the sounds of that sentence makes me confused.

The point I was getting at, was that I needed to make two desserts for Christmas, since there were lots of hungry folks to feed!
Or shall I say, a stuffed bunch, who always have room for dessert.

The second dessert I made, was a lovely fig crostata!
Ingredients: Figs. A multiple of figs.
A favorite amongst the keeper of the house that we were headed Christmas night.

I found this recipe in the last-ever copy of gourmet magazine which I received from my ever so thoughtful aunt and uncle.
So I decided I must make use.

and to my prevail!


Fig Crostata
Inspiration: Gourmet

For pastry dough;
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cold water

For fig filling;
12 oz soft dried figs, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange zest
1 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped


1. First, we will begin with the pastry dough! Blend together flour, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse lumps.

2. Add yolks, vanilla and water and gently stir with a fork until dough begins to form large clumps.

3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into four portions. With palm of your hand, smear each portion once or twice to distribute butter. Gather all dough together, then divide dough in half and form each into a disk. Chill in plastic wrap , until firm (1 hour).

4 . Now to begin the fig filling! First, simmer figs, water, orange juice, and brown sugar in medium sauce pan, covered, stirring on occasion, until figs are soft and mixture has reduced (15-20 minutes). Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped (mixture should not be smooth). Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly. Stir in butter, eggs, vanilla, zest, and walnuts.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 F and butter 9-inch pan.

6. Roll out 1 portion of dough between two sheets of parchment paper into a 12-inch round. Peel off top sheet of parchment paper and carefully invert dough into pan. Press dough onto bottom and 1 inch up side of pan, then trim excess. Chill tart shell until ready to assemble crostata.

7. Roll out remaining dough between two sheets of parchment paper into a 12-inch round. Peel off top sheet , then cut into 10 (1-inch-wide) strips and slide onto a tray and chill for 10 minutes.

8. Finally, you may spread the fig filling in shell. Arrange 5 strips of dough 1 inch apart on filling. Arrange remaining 5 strips 1 inch apart across first strips to form a lattice. Trim edges of strips.

9. Bake until filling is slightly puffed and pastry is golden, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Alas, a divine ficus carica crostata!
how delightful.