Winter 2013-14

So post christmas, with all the action and festivities behind us, with new year resolutions already broken and Toronto in a deep freeze for a while now, I am turning to one resolution to update this blog at least once a month with a favourite recipe and a little bit about what's going on in our lives so that I can look back and reflect and savour the past. We had an ice storm in December that cut off electricity to 300,000 families in Ontario. We headed to June's house for a sleepover and boy, were they glad that we did not have electricity and came over to spend some much overdue time with them. We sat up late that night talking, laughing and playing games with some of Gavin's and Karen's freinds..it was so much fun that we were almost heartbroken when we had to leave the house of the folks with big hearts. But Christmas was in 2 days and we still had not bought gifts for all all the folks on our list, so we left. I made meatloaf (recipe below ) the very versatile, easy-peasy dish when I got home so that we could better use our time getting ready for Christmas. The beauty of the frozen landscape was mind-blowing. Here are some pictures.

Meatloaf Recipe  

(Adapted from Janet Caldwell's recipe posted on Allrecipes.com) 

No-fail meatloaf calls for ground beef, onions, egg, milk, and bread. It is topped with a mix of brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup before baking."

 Ingredients: 
1 1/2 pounds ground beef 
1 egg (I used 2 eggs)  
1 onion, chopped (sauteed onions and 3 cloves of garlic in one tbsp of butter)  
1 cup milk
1 cup dried bread crumbs (I put Italian herbed breadcrumbs)
salt and pepper to taste   

2 tablespoons brown sugar 
2 tablespoons prepared mustard (I added 3 tbsps mustard)  
1/3 cup ketchup (I used 3/4 cup ketchup)  

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

2. In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, sauteed onion and garlic, milk and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 5x9 inch loaf pan, I had some left overs which i pressed into mini muffin tin. Perfect for packing school lunches. 

3. In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Mix well and pour over the meatloaf. What I changed here was I put 1-2 tablespoons of sauce on the bottom of the pan, topped it with half of meat mixture, put some more sauce approx. 1-2 tbsps and put another layer of meat with sauce on top. 

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 mins (covered for 1/2 hr and then removed the cover and baked for another 15 minutes) 

**My changes are in red.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies  (adapted from LDS Living magazine)
Makes 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Notes: I made these on April 29th. they were everything I hoped for. chewy, soft  and moist. I would tweak presentation wise as they did not have the crinkly effect that was posted in the LDS magazine. One tip I got from the web and will try the next time is to first roll the dough balls in granulated sugar and then in icing sugar)- the other thing to remember is not to overbake..they might look pale and you might be tempted to let it bake it longer but need to remove them when they have puffed up and the top is no longer shiny 9-10 mins max.) The cookies will continue to  cook after they have been removed out from the oven)

Mini Cheesecake with Blueberry sauce

  Mini Cheesecakes with blueberry sauce

(adapted from the Joy of Baking)

http://www.joyofbaking.com/Cheesecakes%28Individual%29.html

  

I used aluminum foil baking cups for the cheesecakes. I found that they peel off easily and stand up really well during the baking process.

Crust:

1 cup (100 grams) graham wafer crumbs or crushed digestive biscuits

1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated white sugar

4 - 5 tablespoons (55-65 grams) butter, melted

Filling:

2 - 8 ounce (454 grams) packages of full fat cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream, room temperature

Cheesecakes: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. (Can also use silicone baking cups.)

For Crust: In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press a heaping tablespoon of crumbs onto the bottoms of the 12 muffin cups. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For Filling: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and salt and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sour cream and beat until incorporated. Remove the crusts from the refrigerator and evenly divide the filling among the 12 muffin cups. 

Bake for about 18 - 22 minutes or until firm but the centers of the cheesecakes still wobble a little. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (a few hours or even overnight).

To serve, gently peel off the paper liners and place on your serving plate. Serve with strawberry or raspberry sauce, fresh berries, or drizzle with melted chocolate. These cheesecakes can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Makes 12 individual cheesecakes.

Rasberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcake

Summer Fun

Sponge Cake with Pastry Cream and Berries Recipe

Sponge Cake with Pastry Cream and Berries Recipe

• Basic Jelly Roll Sponge Cake (recipe follows)
• Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
• Sliced Berries
• 1 cup 35% whipping cream
• 1 cup toasted sliced almonds

Basic Jelly Roll Sponge Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sifted all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt

How to Make the Jelly Roll Sponge Cake:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 15 x 10 x 1-inch with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
2. Beat eggs in a small bowl with electric mixer until very thick and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes at high speed. Add sugar gradually and beat very well after each addition. Turn mixer speed to low and beat in water and vanilla.
3. Sift the flour before measuring, then spoon it lightly into a dry measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Sift measured flour, baking powder and add to egg mixture. Beat on low speed until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
4. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly with a rubber scraper.Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in the centre. Loosen cake around the edges.
5. Place a clean tea towel over a large cake rack and invert the rack and towel on top of the cake. Turn the cake, towel and rack back over and carefully lift the pan off the cake. Strip the paper off the cake. Let cool.
6. Position cake horizontally and cut into three equal parts.

Pastry Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk, divided
• 2 strips lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

How to Make the Pastry Cream.

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 3/4 cups of the milk and the lemon zest to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup milk and the cornstarch, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the yolks and the sugar. When the milk mixture has come to a boil, pour it through a strainer onto the beaten yolks-sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Return this mixture to the saucepan and whisk in the milk-cornstarch mixture. Over medium heat, bring to a boil again, whisking all the while, and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens. Add the vanilla, remove from the heat, and scrape into a bowl.
4. Cover the surface of the cream with plastic wrap to prevent it from forming a skin.
5. (The cream keeps for up to 3 days, tightly and refrigerated.) Chill before serving.

How to Assemble the Sponge Cake with Pastry Cream and Berries Cake:

1. Whip the 35% with whipping attachment of electric mixture until soft peaks form.
2. Place one third of the jelly roll cake on plate..
3. Spread with pastry cream.
4. Top with berries.
5. Place the second layer of jelly roll cake on top.
6. Spread with pastry cream.
7. Top with berries.
8. Place third layer of jelly roll on top of berries.
9. Spread whipping cream on top layer.
10. Add sliced berries and sprinkle with toasted almonds.
11. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

http://liliana-tommasini.suite101.com/berry-sponge-cake-with-pastry-cream-recipe-a66453

Salted Caramel Brownies

Fudge Brownies with Salted Caramel topping
yield: 24 brownies



1 cup (2 sticks) Butter
2 cups Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
1 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 cups AP Flour
2 cups Dark Chocolate Chips (I used Hersheys Special Dark)

preheat oven to 350 degrees, prepare 9×13 pan

1. Melt butter in a sauce pot. Add sugar and stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until sugar has melted slightly and liquid is silky.
2. Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Use a spatula to scrape all butter into bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time, stirring between each one. Add cocoa powder and stir until fully combined.
4. Add baking powder, salt and flour. Stir until just combined, though make sure there are no lumps or ‘pockets’ full of flour in the batter. Add the chocolate chips.
5. Pour into a prepared 9×13 pan and use the back of a spoon to spread out evenly. Bake for 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool at least one hour before cutting.

Salted Caramel Topping
yield: 1 cup topping

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Whole Milk
2 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
Salt, for topping

Salted Caramel Brownies

Fudge Brownies with Salted Caramel topping
yield: 24 brownies
http://www.natalieskillercuisine.com/2010/08/fudge-brownies-with-salted-caramel-topping.html

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter
2 cups Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
1 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 cups AP Flour
2 cups Dark Chocolate Chips (I used Hersheys Special Dark)

preheat oven to 350 degrees, prepare 9×13 pan

1. Melt butter in a sauce pot. Add sugar and stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until sugar has melted slightly and liquid is silky.
2. Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Use a spatula to scrape all butter into bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time, stirring between each one. Add cocoa powder and stir until fully combined.
4. Add baking powder, salt and flour. Stir until just combined, though make sure there are no lumps or ‘pockets’ full of flour in the batter. Add the chocolate chips.
5. Pour into a prepared 9×13 pan and use the back of a spoon to spread out evenly. Bake for 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool at least one hour before cutting.

Salted Caramel Topping
yield: 1 cup topping

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Whole Milk
2 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
Salt, for topping
From Cooking Light (also Light and Local)

Salted Caramel Brownies
Source: Cooking Light
Yield: 16 small brownies, 12 larger ones (CL says the yield is 20, but frankly, that's too small of a brownie for me.)

I actually doubled this recipe for a 9x13 baking pan and it worked out perfectly. They were a little thicker, but honestly, I like it better that way. Be careful, these things are addicting.

Ingredients:

Brownies:

3.38 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon backing powder
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cooking spray
Topping:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons evaporated fat-free milk, divided
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Start preparing your brownies. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, brown sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until well mixed.
Combine your 6 tablespoons of melted butter, eggs, and the vanilla extract.
Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Pour batter into a 9x9 square metal baking pan lightly coated in cooking spray.
Bake brownies for 19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out from the center cleanly.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Once brownies are cooled, begin making your topping. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the evaporated milk. Cook the mixture for at least two minutes.
Take the mixture off the heat, add you vanilla, powdered sugar, and stir with a whisk until everything comes together and becomes smooth.
You're now going to pour the mixture over the brownies, and then use an offset spatula or just a regular one to make sure the brownies are well covered.
Allow to set for 20 minutes to set. (I found putting it in the fridge really helped with this step.
Finally, take a microwave-safe bowl, combine your chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the evaporated milk. Microwave for 45 seconds or until melted... make sure you stir it halfway through the cooking time.
Drizzle over the caramel topping on the brownies, sprinkle with your 1/8th of a teaspoon of sea salt.
Allow the chocolate to set, then cut into squares.

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake

By Julie Albert & Lisa Gnat (author: Bite me):Serves 12

Gonna make this for Keith's bday..He said he wasn't a big fan of cheesecake but then he's only had the store bought ones..this one aims to change his mind..
Ingredients for Crust

1½ cups Oreo baking crumbs
½ cup melted butter
¼ cup whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate

Filling
4 (8oz/250g) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1½ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chopped toffee bits (Heath or Skor bar)
¼ cup purchased caramel sauce
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil.

2) For the crust, in a medium bowl, combine Oreo baking crumbs and melted butter. Press the mixture evenly and firmly over the bottom and halfway up the sides of the springform pan. In a small saucepan, bring the whipping cream to a simmer over low heat. Add semi-sweet chocolate and stir until melted. Remove from heat and pour evenly over the crust.

3) Chill crust in refrigerator to firm slightly while preparing the filling.

4) For the filling, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, scraping the bowl several times. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat the mixture. One at a time, beat in the eggs, scraping the bowl as needed. Using a spatula fold in vanilla extract and toffee bits. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Finish by spooning caramel sauce over the top. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake 65-70 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.

CREAM PUFFS

from Canadian Living Cooks Step by Step

Pastry Cream

3 cups (750 ml) milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup (175 ml) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 ml) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. (15 ml) cornstarch
2 tbsp. butter (25 ml)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla (7 ml)
2 cups (500 ml) whipping cream
In heavy saucepan, heat milk until steaming. Meanwhile, in bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour and cornstarch; gradually pour in milk in thin stream, whisking constantly. Return to clean pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking, for 5 minutes or just until boiling; cook, whisking, for 2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.
Pour into bowl; place waxed paper directly on surface to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool, at least 4 hours. Whip cream, gently fold into pastry cream with spatula just until combined.
Note: Pastry cream can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Choux Pastry

2 cups (500 ml) water
1 cup (250 ml) butter, cubed
1/4 tsp. (1 ml) salt
2 1/2 cups (625 ml) all-purpose flour
8 eggs
Glaze

1 egg
Line two 17- x 11-inch (45 x 29 cm) baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease and dust with flour. In heavy saucepan, bring half of each of the water, butter and salt to boil over high heat; immediately remove from heat. Add half of the flour all at once; stir vigorously with wooden spoon until mixture comes away from side of pan in smooth ball. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes or until film forms on bottom of pan. Transfer to bowl; stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Make well in centre.
Using electric mixer, beat in 4 of the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until shiny and pastry holds its shape when lifted. Using pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch (5 mm) plain tip or with spoon, pipe pastry into 1 1/4-inch (3 cm) round by 3/4-inch (2 cm) high mounds on pans. Glaze: Beat egg with 1 tbsp (15 ml) water; brush half over pastry, flattening tips and making sure glaze doesn’t drip onto pan.
Bake in 425 degree F (220 degree C) oven for 20 minutes; rotate trays. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C); bake for 10 minutes or until golden. With knife, make small hole in bottom of each; bake for 5 minutes. Turn off oven; let stand in oven for 10 minutes to dry. Transfer to rack; let cool. With wooden spoon handle, enlarge hole in each puff. Repeat with remaining choux pastry ingredients and glaze to make 85 puffs in total.
Spoon pastry cream into pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch (5 mm) plain tip. Pipe into hole in each puff, squeezing bag gently until puff is filled with cream. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. (Puffs can be lightly covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 hour.)
I always like to dust them with icing sugar and pile them high on a lovely serving dish. Warning: they go very quickly!