Hamburger Cupcakes and Shortbread Fries

How cool are these cupcakes? A few weeks back we hosted a birthday party for our friend Stu. We were advised to expect 10-12 people at the most. Which is why we were quite surprised when we had about 16 guests show up! I think there was a point in the evening where we all formed a standing circle around our modest basement suite.

It turned out to be the perfect backyard pot luck with quite an array of summer foods ranging from ample trays of fresh veggies and fruits (including watermelon), pasta salad, cornbread, chips and dip, meatballs and sausage rolls among many other dishes. Last but not least were the hamburger cupcakes and shortbread fries that Stu's loving wife Rachel laboriously created.

A game of bocce ball followed by the near destruction of a neighborhood tree (there may or may not have been a few monkeys trying to free a lost Frisbee) it went off without a hitch. This was certainly one party where one could say "more the merrier" was in fact the most truthful way to sum up the evening. 

Gluten-free Brownies

I have a perfectly good excuse for not posting my Valentines dessert on Valentine’s Day! Instead of a romantic dinner with our boyfriends my friend and I treated each other to the “Death by Chocolate” buffet at the Bengal Lounge. Which was absolutely out of this world amazing! I believe I fell into a sugar comma last night and am happy to report that I somehow managed to wake up this morning. Imagine the most decadent, gourmet chocolate desserts with the highest quality ingredients from around the world and you will be where I was last night!

Speaking of decadent chocolate desserts....these brownies are to die for! These are pretty much the best brownies I have ever had. They have a fudgy melt in your mouth consistency that is sure to please your friends especially those with gluten allergies. If you were serving these as an after dinner dessert you could dress them up with a drizzle of berry compote and a scoop of vanilla gelato. You would be crazy not to make these!

Lime Pistachio Cookies

All my gifts are wrapped. My holiday baking is complete. Cards have been delivered and I've decided to let go of any hope of completing my remaining Christmas crafts until next year. My only remaining task is to pack everything into our vehicle so we can share the holiday with my family up island.

I decided to throw in a few non-traditional cookies into my cookie boxes this year. This particular recipe was one of them that went over very well. I have made many a different citrus cookies but this one with the pistachio's is by far my favorite.

The nice thing about making refrigerator cookies is that you can whip up the dough and chill for up to 3 days before baking. Since I stuck to making mostly refrigerator cookies this year I was able to make quite a variety by having 4 different base doughs in my fridge. This concept was outlined in the 2010 December issue of Martha Stewart Living. Once you make up the doughs (vanilla, chocolate, citrus and spice) you divide up the doughs and add ingredients like cherries and pistachios to make "Chocolate Cherry Pistachio" cookies or "Vanilla Chocolate Marble with Crushed Peppermint". There are so many different flavor combination's that I advise you stick to just a few otherwise you will become overwhelmed and find yourself in over your head, which is what you are trying to avoid!

A Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday's to you all! Remember, calories don't count in December!

French Macaroons

I have been working towards turning a new leaf in my life these past few weeks. I will be starting a new job this coming Monday and have been experiencing many different emotions surrounding this move. I am excited about my new job and looking forward to the challenge of learning and getting to know new people. But, I will also greatly miss the people I have worked with for the past 2 1/2 years.

To show my appreciation, I decided I was going to make my work friends something special. I came up with this romantic idea to make French Macaroons. I have always admired how beautiful and delicate they look in pictures and have seen them featured many times as a confectionery delicacy. Since I had a pretty good understanding of just how finicky macaroons can be, I decided that I needed to dig up as much helpful information as I could before I actually set to work. I watched a few "how to" videos and read through the instructions from start to finish. I was ready...well at least I thought I was! There is one thing you need to know about pastry chefs... they have amazing arm strength! I on the other hand do not have good arm strength. It doesn't sound that hard to make 60 cookies. But what I overlooked was the fact that 60 cookies is actually 120 cookies sandwiched together with butter cream pipped in between. So really I needed the arm strength to pipe 120 cookies and then pipe butter cream onto 60 of those cookies. This my friends is not an easy task.

One more thing I overlooked was just how long this task would take! I am not kidding when I say I spent a minimum of 4 hours making these cookies. So much for a relaxing Sunday! Anyways, I don't believe I will be making these again. But I am quite proud of my endeavors, and like the fact that I can now say that not only have a made French Macaroons but I can do so again if I so please!

Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was telling you folks how sick I am of squash! Well now that we are back into squash season I am loving every bit of it! However, I guarantee you my love for squash will dwindle once again, and by Spring I will be happy not to see another winter squash again until Fall!

On a side note to you peps living in Victoria, BC - I hear there is a man driving around personally delivering local squash to the doors of keen squash recipients. What a grand idea! I mean if you are going to stock up on squash for the month of October and Pumpkins for Halloween you ought to be buying them from local farmers and what a better way to ensure the freshest squash then having it hand picked and personally delivered to your doorstep. Assuming that cutting out the middle man might result in a better deal for us consumers. If anyone has any more details on this, please do tell!

So without further delay, I present to you my latest triumph! I hope that you aren't going to make fun of me for making a bundt like Mike has for the past three days. Where did the stigma on bundts come from anyways? I think they look impressive!

A few tips on this recipe - I substituted unsweetened apple sauce for the 3/4 cup vegetable oil and cut down on the sugar by a half cup. I used spiced rum instead of just plain dark rum and found that I was not able to fit all of my batter into my bundt form. Assuming you will need a deep budt pan for this recipe or use caution when filling your pan. One more tip, you will not need to use all of the glaze, only enough to glaze the entire surface of the cake.

I have noticed that the latest health trend is to replace ice cream and whip cream with yogurt krema which is apparently a healthier alternative for dressing up your favorite dessert. I can't actually comment on this because I haven't tried it out yet but I do intend to do so. This time around I served my cake slices with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Enjoy!

Lemon White Chocolate Mousse

There is a magnet on my fridge that reads "Life is short. Eat dessert first." Although I don't usually eat dessert first, I like to live by a similar motto. Balance in my opinion is the key to good health.

I know a lot of people that put themselves through extreme diets only to end up caving in and over indulging in all the forbidden foods. It's no secret that sugar should not be consumed in copious amounts. And it's a good idea to find healthy, natural alternatives for your daily sugar cravings. But I don't see the harm in eating delectable desserts every now and than. In fact, I think it's a joy in life to do so.

So without further ado I present to you yet another heavenly dessert. This one is tricky because it presents itself as light and airy. But is actually very rich and very high in fat. So serve in small dishes!

The pairing of white chocolate and lemon mousse is simply genius. I have made lemon mousse in the past and found it to be too sweet. So this is a perfect way of incorporating the tangy sweetness of lemon with the smooth and soft flavor of white chocolate.

Berry Layer Cake

Here is a great summer dessert that will put your local berries to good use. The original recipe makes a gigantic 4 layer cake with cream and berries in between. I opted to half the recipe and make individual size cakes as I didn't have a big enough crowd to share this with and we all know that fresh whip cream doesn't last long. You can use a 3" muffin pan which will yield 6 mini cakes.

We enjoyed these mini cakes with my oldest and best friend Kylee on her birthday. Ky and I first met at the tender age of two. Awww! Yes, well Mom say's we were making mud pies together back then and continue to share a love of food to this day. Ky is going to hate this because she is very modest but she just so happens to be the best home cook I know. I think it's because she doesn't follow a recipe and is really good at creating amazing flavor combination's on a whim. She is the only person I know that would prefer to cook on her birthday and that she did!

PS - did I mention she is an electrial engineer? Who say's girls can't be amazing cooks and break down the barriers in a male dominant career? Sorry for boasting Ky, but I'm just so proud of you!

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 large whole eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tbsp confectioners sugar
• fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease muffin tin (make sure to grease well as sponge cake has a tendency to stick). Sift together flour and corn starch and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the whole eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, salt and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until thick and pale (should be able to hold a ribbon-like trail on the surface), about 5 minutes. Add oil in a steady stream, mixing until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and fold mixture several times.
3. Add flour mixture to egg mixture. With mixer on low speed, beat until just combined. 
4. Evenly pour batter into muffin pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, about 17-20 mins.
5. Immediately invert cakes onto wire rack. Then reinvert cakes, and let them cool completely, top side up.
6. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine cream, confectioners' sugar, and remaining vanilla extract. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high, whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 mins.
7. Using a serrated knife, cut cakes in half. Place one of the bottom layers on a plate. Spread a few dollops of cream on top and cover with berries. Cover with the top half of the cake and repeat cream and berries. Serve immediately!

Raspberry Sorbet

Summer....has finally arrived! Today was not exactly the model summer solstice day as it was a bit gray and not so summer like. However, I am looking forward to the smattering of summer days coming our way in the next few months. I got so excited about the prospect of summer that I took it upon myself to open up all the windows in our suite to air out the winter/spring congestion. I'm afraid by doing so I may have negatively contributed to Mike's hay fever. Sorry honey!

Speaking of summer, have you seen all the beautiful local berries that are beginning to appear at the farmers markets? I’m afraid my list of fruit dishes and desserts to try is becoming a bit ambitious! I find inspiration for cooking everywhere but there is something overwhelming about summer produce. It’s just too hard to pass up!

This particular dessert is very easy and light compared to traditional desserts. You could easily make it with whatever berries or soft fruit you have on hand. Peaches and blackberries come to mind when I think of a nice variation.

Recipe featured in the July 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. Recipes yields 4 servings.

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 cups fresh or 300g frozen raspberries

1. Stir together water and 1/4 cup sugar until sugar dissolves.
2. Pulse raspberries in a food processor until coarsley chopped. With machine running, pour in sugar-water; pulse until mixture is smooth. Transfer to an airtight container, and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Raspberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake

I must confess that I really look forward to celebrating birthday's other than my own. It gives me a really good excuse to work on my dessert skills and to try out new recipes. It's flattering to be asked to make a birthday cake because I know there are many beautiful skilled bakery's in this city and many different ways that a rookie like me can slip up on the special someones birthday cake. There is a moment when excepting the offer that I temporarily reflect on the extreme pressure of presenting a cake to a room full of people, not knowing whether or not it turned out okay. Once I get over that I simply feel excitement, because the thrill of having a cake turn out and exceeding your own expectations is always worth it in the end!

The trick to a perfect birthday cake is not so much in the skill but in pin pointing the right cake for your recipient. Everyone has a favorite dessert but this can be tricky because it's likely they have tried that particular dessert many times and are partial to it's perfection. I like to step back from that as I don't want to disappoint by trying to perfect something that I have simply never done before. Instead, I go with my gut and stay true to favorite flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, berries, coconut, hazelnut, lemon etc. Sometimes I simply don't know and base my decision on memory and with the help of those closest to them.

This was the first recipe I recovered when searching for the perfect cake for Rachel's Birthday and it turned out to be a really great recipe too! I had been asked in advance to make this cake but didn't actually get the message until the day of. I have to admit that I was in a bit of a panic and was a bit limited in what I could throw together in such a short time frame.

There is a trick to making cheesecake and that is the method in which you cool the cake down. If you simply remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool the cake will go into shock and begin to crack. To avoid this you need to bake the cake at a higher temp for a set time then reduce to a much lower temp and cook for a longer period of time. Sometimes you can even turn off the oven and leave the cake in for an hour letting it slowly cool down before removing and setting on a cooling rack for yet another hour or two before refrigerating for a minimum of four hours. Always look for cheesecake recipes that outline this cooking method.

My favorite part of this cake is the raspberry coulis. If you take on the task of making this cake, keep in mind that straining the juices from the raspberries is very tedious but every bit worth it in the end. Make sure to serve the cheesecake with the coulis drizzled over top!

Note: You can alter this recipe by using different fruits such as peaches, strawberries, blackberries or blueberries.

Coconut Lime Cupcakes

You guessed it...another birthday at the office! This time around I decided to make cupcakes instead of cake. I was very pleased with this recipe, making changes only to the icing as I was horrified by the amount of sugar it called for...4 cups!! I have no issues giving up picture perfect icing if it means reducing the amount of sugar and finding a way around sticky, slightly runny icing (this can be avoided by storing them in the refrigerator and serving them chilled). With that said I have summarized the changes I made to the icing below.

I was unable to find coconut cream so I used heavy cream with 1 tsp coconut extract.

Reduced Sugar Coconut Cream Icing

• 1/4 cup soft unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups icing sugar
• 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp coconut extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Cream together all ingredients adding more sugar and cream as necessary.

PS - my apologies for the delayed post, I was out of town caring for my Mom who just had knee surgery. Might I also add that no blog worthy cooking took place during this time!

Rebar Chocolate Cake

Happy Valentines bloggers! I hope you are all enjoying some decadent chocolate treats washed down with some wonderful chilled wine. I know I will be digging into some chocolate covered strawberries and rose wine shortly... Let's not forget that you don't need a significant other or Valentines as an excuse to indulge in chocolate!

Speaking of chocolate I had the pleasure of making yet another birthday cake for a colleague who absolutely loves chocolate. I had planned to make her a raw vegan cheesecake but for whatever reason the Rebar cookbook was beckoning me to flip open to the dessert section and discover their signature chocolate cake. I made a few alterations to this recipe by cutting the butter in half and substituting with more cream cheese (I used a full brick) for the cake filling. My cake looks staggered because I didn't realize my cake pans were slightly different sizes. The coffee in this recipe makes for a super moist cake and I really liked how the filling turned out too, sort of like chocolate cheesecake sandwiched between chocolate cake. I will be making this recipe again for sure.

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse

If you like mousse and love hazelnuts then you absolutely have to try this recipe. It's very easy to whip up and so beautifully presentable! I tried this dessert out on some dinner guests and I think you should too!

Apple Pie Bars

This recipe was my last attempt to finish up our box of homegrown Okanagan apples, and I must say that once you finish peeling and slicing about 12-15 apples you won't care to see another apple for awhile! These are however worth the effort and if you don't have a large crowd to share these with, I am happy to report that they also freeze well.

White Chocolate Key Lime Fudge

I whipped up a batch of "Key Lime Fudge" for a Hawaiian potluck at work, and couldn't believe just how easy this recipe was. Best part was they tasted great too and appeared to be a hit at the potluck as they were gone before I had a chance to finish my lunch! Many thanks to Julia for another amazing recipe!

Note: No need to seek out Persian or key limes for this recipe, a regular lime will do the trick just fine.

Christmas Stollen

Stollen is a traditional German cake also known as Christstollen which is similar to the well known fruitcake found in grocery stores during the Christmas season. This particular recipe was featured in last month’s Martha Stewart magazine and was passed down from her mother Martha Kostyra. I encourage you to watch the video as it is really quite cute and gives you a good idea of how to work in the fruit. I used apricot brandy to soak the currants in as I didn't have any cognac. The picture above shows the texture of the two breads prior to icing.

Mint Chocolate Truffle Cake

If you like mint chocolate then I guarantee you will love this cake!

This cake was made especially for a colleagues birthday and I can't think of a better reason than that. Special thanks to everyone at work for being my guinea pigs and for the opportunity to practice my baking skills and experiment with yet another fantastic recipe.

As there is only a 6 hour life span for the icing from the original recipe I opted to revise the recipe so I could make this the night before.  I know this cake would be been exceptionally good with the original cream icing!

Mint Icing (revised)

• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 3 cups thawed Cool Whip
• 1 tsp peppermint extract

1. To make icing simply mix together sour cream, icing sugar, Cool Whip and peppermint extract in a medium bowl.

Link to Mint Chocolate Truffle Cake

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies

These brownies were well received by friends and colleagues. The ratio of chocolate to peanut butter was perfect and the added crunch of the peanuts keeps you coming back for more!

Chocolate Zucchini Cookies

I took a box of these cookies to work and was amazed by how fast they disappeared!  I'm happy to report that they were a hit and according to my co-workers these cookies are extremely moist and delicious!

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups finely grated zucchini
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°, and grease two cookie sheets. 
2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat sugar and butter in bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Beat in zucchini until well combined. Stir in flour mixture.
4. Drop cookie dough into 2-inch balls roughly 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until tops of cookies look dry.

Chocolate Nut Cookies

You can pretty much add anything you like to this cookie base.  My favorite combination is walnuts and chocolate chips!

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp toasted walnut oil (or any preferred nut oil)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Cream butter, oil, sugar, egg, vanilla and salt.
3. Stir in flour, nuts and chocolate chips.
4. Drop dough by the tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  
5. Bake until lightly browned on top about 10-12 minutes.
   

Tip:  You can experiment with these cookies by using different nut oils and substituting the walnuts for almonds or pecans.

Witch Fingers

Happy Halloween! Check out these classic spooky witch finger cookies.

• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 medium size egg
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 15-20 blanched almonds
• 1 tube red decorator gel

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Cream butter, icing sugar, egg and extract.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
5. Roll dough into finger shaped cookies, press almond firmly into one end to make a nail.  Use  a fork to press into the middle of the cookie to make knuckle creases.  Squeeze red decorator gel around the crease of the almond.
6. Place cookies on slightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Yields 15-20 cookies.