Category Archives: Desserts

Maple Apple Tarte Tatin

 

I’m a huge fan of the tarte tatin – that upside down pie started on the stovetop and baked in a skillet, then inverted onto a platter with caramel dripping from the apples down the sides. It’s a delicious mess, and a perfect dessert to make when you don’t have a lot of time but want something rustic, comforting, and totally fantastic. It’s good with pears too – they’re a bit juicier, so anticipate more drips.Continue reading→

Chocolate Cheesecake

chocolate-cheesecake-1

Cheesecake used to be a staple at birthdays and special occasions like Valentine’s Day – and this rich chocolate cheesecake was one of the most popular ones I made.

If memory serves (and it doesn’t always) it originally came from Gourmet or Bon Appétit, tweaked over the years… I hadn’t made it in practically decades, and I forgot how good it was. It’s not tricky to make, and can be done in advance – it needs time to chill in the fridge anyway. To make it extra special, top with strawberries or raspberries.Continue reading→

Butter Tart Slice

Butter tart slice

Butter tarts are our all-time favourites, but we don’t always have time to make the pastry, roll, cut and fill individual tarts. Butter tarts in bar form is the perfect solution; this past weekend, having to bake for a gathering, they were quick to mix up and bake. And here’s a secret: when you’re making squares that have a sticky filling, like butter tart squares or lemon bars, if you freeze the whole thing in the pan before you slice them, they’ll cut much more cleanly. Let them sit on the countertop for 20 minutes to thaw – or if you’re bringing them with you, they’ll thaw en route.

Butter tarts are traditionally made with currants, but these call for coconut, raisins and/or pecans – a delicious combination on a buttery shortbread crust.Continue reading→

Chocolate Peppermint Crackle Cookies

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Earlier this month, Mary, Julie and Elizabeth gathered at the Cookbook Company Cooks with a few dozen Best of Bridge fans for an epic baking party to raise money for the Calgary Food Bank. (Huge thanks to Gail for letting us use her space, and to Calgary Co-op for donating all the ingredients we needed!) We put a pot of mulled wine on the stove and had a blast of an afternoon baking together. Among old classics and new favourites, this was a new discovery we came up with that’s sure to stay in our holiday baking repertoire.

Chocolate Peppermint Crackle Cookies

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. peppermint extract (or substitute vanilla)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

extra sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, shortening and sugar for a few minutes, until light. Beat in the egg and peppermint extract.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir until the dough comes together.

Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and roll in a shallow dish of sugar to coat. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes, until cracked and set around the edges, but still soft in the middle – they’ll firm up as they cool.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Light Coconut Christmas Cake

 

‘Tis the season for holiday baking – and fruitcake is generally the first thing on our list. Sue and Julie have been baking fruitcake together every Christmas since they were teenagers – and although our traditional recipe is a dark fruitcake from the Joy of Cooking (it’s in the 1997 version – some earlier versions have a completely different recipe, which isn’t quite the same) – but this year we thought we’d give light fruitcake a chance.

We ordered some nice organic dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots), candied ginger and coconut in our Spud Box, and turned it into two loaf cakes – one for our annual Christmas party, the other to unwrap on Christmas day. We used to use a myriad of fancy pans for our fruitcakes, but sometimes they didn’t survive re-entry – loaf pans make it easy. (If they do crumble, turn the pieces of broken cake into a base for a rich, festive trifle, topped with custard and cream. No one will notice!)

fruitcake

Light Coconut Christmas CakeContinue reading→

APPLE BLONDIES WITH BROWN SUGAR FROSTING

Both the frosting and the blondie are scrumptious. You’ll have a tough time deciding which you like best.

Apple Blondies with Brown Sugar Frosting
Apple Blondies with Brown Sugar Frosting
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Ingredients
  1. Blondie
  2. 2⁄3 cup butter, softened 150 ml
  3. 2 cups packed brown sugar 500 ml
  4. 2 large eggs 2
  5. 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 ml
  6. 2 cups all-purpose flour 500 ml
  7. 2 tsp baking powder 10 ml
  8. 1⁄4 tsp salt 1 ml
  9. 1 cup chopped peeled apples 250 ml
  10. 3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts 175 ml
  11. Brown Sugar Frosting
  12. 1⁄2 cup butter 125 ml
  13. 1 cup packed brown sugar 250 ml
  14. 1⁄4 cup milk or cream 60 ml
  15. 2 cups confectioners’ (icing) sugar, 500 ml sifted
Instructions
  1. Blondie: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 13- by 9-inch (33 by 23 cm) baking pan. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture on low speed, mixing until blended. Stir in apples and nuts, mixing well. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake until set and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
  2. Brown Sugar Frosting: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring mixture just to a boil then remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Stir in confectioners’ sugar, mixing until smooth. Spread evenly over bar. Let stand until frosting is firm enough to cut. Cut into bars or squares.
  3. MAKES 20 TO 54 BARS OR SQUARES.
Notes
  1. Tip: This frosting is very soft when first mixed, which makes it very nice to spread. It firms up on cooling.
  2. Tip: Choose apples that are crisp, tart and not too moist. Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Spartans are good choices for this recipe.
  3. Variation: Omit the frosting if you prefer a plain apple walnut blondie.
  4. Variation: If you’re not a fan of nuts, omit the walnuts.
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CRANBERRY SCONES

Cranberry Scones
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Ingredients
  1. 3⁄4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt 175 mL
  2. 1 large egg 1
  3. 23⁄4 cups all-purpose flour 675 mL
  4. 4 tsp baking powder 20 mL
  5. 1⁄2 tsp baking soda 2 mL
  6. 1⁄2 tsp salt 2 mL
  7. 1⁄2 cup margarine 125 mL
  8. 1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries 250 mL
  9. (fresh or frozen)
  10. 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar 125 mL
  11. Grated zest of 1 orange
  12. 1 tbsp butter, melted 15 mL
  13. 1⁄4 cup confectioners’ (icing) sugar 60 mL
  14. .
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Beat buttermilk and egg in small bowl and set aside. In large bowl, Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles small peas. Mix in cranberries, sugar and orange zest. Add buttermilk mixture and stir until soft dough forms. Using your hands, form dough into a large ball and place on floured surface. Pat out to 1-inch (2.5 cm) thickness. Cut in 4-inch (20 cm) rounds. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake scones for 15 to 20 minutes. While still warm, brush with butter and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
  2. Makes 8 large scones.
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Gourmet: A French word meaning 400% markup.

CHOCOLATE VOLCANOES WITH RASPBERRY COULIS

A Guaranteed Hit – Easy And Absolutely Delicious! Prepare And Freeze These Serving-Sized Desserts Ahead Of Time, Then Cook Them While You Enjoy Your Dinner.

Chocolate Volcanoes with Raspberry Coulis
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 Tbsp. instant espresso granules (or instant coffee granules)
  2. 1 Tbsp. boiling water
  3. 1/2 cup flour
  4. 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  5. 3/4 tsp. baking powder
  6. 6 – 1 oz. squares semisweet chocolate
  7. 2/3 cup butter, softened
  8. 1/2 cup sugar
  9. 3 large eggs
Raspberry Coulis
  1. 10 1/2 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries, thawed
  2. 1/3 cup sugar
  3. 1 – 2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier liqueur (orange juice is a good substitute)
Instructions
  1. To Make Volcanoes: Dissolve coffee granules in boiling water. Set aside to cool. Grease 6 – 4 oz. ramekins. Using a whisk, combine flour, cocoa and baking powder in a small bowl. Reserve. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Add butter and sugar and stir until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Using as electric mixer, beat in eggs 1 at a time on medium speed. Add dissolved coffee and flour mixture and continue beating until fully mixed. Raise mixer speed to high and beat for 6 more minutes (there must be something good on TV!). Pour batter into ramekins and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight or up to 2 weeks..
  2. To make raspberry coulis: Combine raspberries and sugar in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a sieve (or a clean j-cloth) to remove seeds. Add liqueur and store in refrigerator.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 F. Take ramekins out of freezer and remove plastic wrap. Bake volcanoes for 18 minutes – no longer! Cool on rack for 5 minutes. The outsides will be crusty and the centers will be gooey – sort of like your average volcano. To serve, drizzle individual plates with raspberry coulis. Invert each ramekin onto a plate and add a small scoop of ice cream.
Notes
  1. Book Reference – The Rest of the Best – Vol. 2 (Page: 312)
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Midlife crisis: when the only thing you retain is water.