Despite my passion for chocolate, I have never been a huge Valentine’s Day fan. I try to ignore it, not because I am cynical about love, but because I believe affection, gifts and surprises should be dictated by the heart, not the calendar. Or at least that’s my normal stance. But Rouxbe Online Cooking School is having a limited-time-only Valentine’s Day special and I think it’s worth promoting.

Why? Because:

a) Life’s too short to eat bad chocolate. Rouxbe has a fabulous section on chocolate, including how to read a label. Watch the trial video in the Rouxbe widget at the bottom of the post before you buy your sweetheart chocolate. I guarantee you and the recipient will be happy with the results.

b) Unlike my gym membership, I actually visit Rouxbe’s on a regular basis. I use it to refresh my memory, learn new skills and further my culinary education — which may be in part why I’m not at the gym as often as I should.

c) I want to plug some of my old content using the Valentine’s Day Chocolate theme as an excuse.

The fine print: I’m a Rouxbe affiliate. As such, I can offer you specials like the $100 off a Rouxbe Online Cooking School one-year membership or e-card. And hugs. Here’s how it works. You sign up for the membership. They give you unlimited access to their site for a year. I give you a hug.

The deal: Buy a Rouxbe e-card or a new membership before midnight PST on Feb. 14 and save $100 off the unlimited-access Annual Tuition Plan. Treat yourself or a loved one. Then surf Rouxbe content 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s kind of like the all-hours gym that way. Only without the sweat socks.

And for those who love chocolate, here are some links to recipes from my archives.

Triple-Chocolate Brownie Cookies. This one’s from Mairlyn Smith’s Healthy Starts Here! and is one of those recipes where health nuts and chocolate addicts can gather at the table in peace. The biggest worry with this recipe is that people will fight over who gets the last morsel. If in doubt, I do. It keeps things simple that way.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are nothing like Mairlyn’s healthy treats. Butter, and lots of it, form a base with white flour and chocolate chips. Nothing redeeming here. Other than taste. I made these for my cousin Donna who came all the way from Seattle for my sister’s wedding. Yes, they’re that kind of treat.

Double-Double Chocolate Cake: This Canadian classic is a ribbon winner from The Harrow Fair Cookbook by Moira Sanders and Lori Elstone. It calls for a Tim Horton’s double-double. If you can’t buy one, a strong brewed coffee with double cream and double sugar will do. While the coffee is usually reserved for adults, the cake pleases kids and grown ups alike.

Chocolate Wontons: When chocolate and caramel isn’t enough, add a chunk of banana and deep fry. This Bob Blumer special got me eating banana without complaint, which is quite the accomplishment. From his amusing and mind-bending book Glutton for Pleasure, this is for those who like to eat dessert first.

Chocolate Chipotle Brownies: Like a little heat with your chocolate?These sweet, smoky and slightly warm brownies are a wonderful mix of tastes. The backstory on these involves seduction — Cherly at 5 Second Rule‘s photos made me do it. The results? Brownies and a $112 ice cream maker. But that’s another story for another time.

Raspberry & Rhubarb Galette: This one doesn’t actually contain chocolate, although you could add some. I’m putting it here for those rare creatures who don’t like chocolate. Like my Dad. It’s one of his favourites, so I’m including it for the berry and fruit lovers in the crowd.

Got a favourite chocolate recipe? Leave a comment — with a link if you have it. Share the chocolate love. Hugs all round.

This is how much of a sugar addict I am. I drove an hour on a dark, cold, rainy January night just so I could sample smoked sugar.

What’s smoked sugar you ask? It’s sugar. That’s been smoked.*

As eager as I am to try new sweets, I am equally entrenched in my culinary dislikes. Without hesitating, I will tell you I don’t like custard, I don’t like caviar and I don’t like chives. And it’s not just things that start with the letter c, either. Foie gras, beets, parsnips, liver, and truffles (the fungus, not the chocolate) don’t make it into my kitchen. But I was so eager to taste smoked sugar —the final dish of a full-course meal — I was willing to throw myself into the unknown.

And so, I grabbed my camera, packed up my notepad and drove to the Old Prune in Stratford, Ontario (yes, that Stratford – home of Justin Bieber for those who find the name familiar). There, I sampled a meal prepared by Tuscany’s rebel chef, Paolo Lopriore, assisted and served by student chefs from the Stratford Chefs School. I expected to learn about smoked sugar. I ended up learning about myself.

The first dish was an amuse-bouche. It was a hollowed out egg filled with steamed egg custard, topped with tobiko roe (sushi caviar) and dotted with chives. Faced with three hated ingredients, I pondered washing it down with the sparkling wine they’d just served.

To my surprise — and relief — the amuse-bouche was lovely. The custard was velvety, not eggy. The chives were subtle, and the red roe wasn’t the least bit fishy or salty. I ignored the wine bubbling away at my elbow and, in as lady-like a manner as I could, scraped every last bit of custard out of that shell. Lesson learned: Custard, properly made, isn’t eggy. Roe doesn’t have to taste like pickled tapioca and chives, used sparingly, are actually a lovely highlight.

Next up was the Beef Carpaccio with Black Truffles.

As you can see, the beef was raw — something I actually don’t mind. It practically melted under my fork. And the truffles? Being almost as large as the beef slices, there would be no hiding one under a lettuce leaf if I found them too pungent. To my surprise, the herbs in the greens, not the truffles, stood out, jumping from nutty to bitter to spicy. Lesson learned: I no longer need to add the “chocolate” disclaimer when I say I like truffles.

In between the courses was bread…

Delicious, airy, chewy, homemade bread. I’m ashamed to say, the homemade bread tempted me as much as the beef. It was perfect. Just perfect. It’s the kind of bread that makes you wonder how store-brand sandwich loaves sell a single slice. I wanted to eat the entire platter, slathered with butter. But I didn’t. Instead, I took one little piece and nibbled, furiously taking notes to keep my hands busy.

Next up, Risotto with Pecorino, Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar.

The risottos was decadent. For the liquid, Lopriore used a special infusion made with rice wine vinegar, white wine, onions and beurre blanc that took a whopping four pounds of butter. All that fat stood up to the aged-balsamic reduction. And once again, I scraped the plate clean.  Lesson learned: Still a carb addict. Move on.

I knew I’d like the risottos, so for me, the big surprise was the wine — Unico Pecorino. It was crisp and light and had hints of candy apple. This wine paired so perfectly with the risotto, I nearly pulled out my iTouch to see if it was available and how much it would set me back. (Ontario residents, the LCBO had a nifty app, LCBO On the Go, which will let you search wines by keyword, barcode and/or location. I’m happy to report the LCBO nearest me has 12 bottles of Pecorino on hand. Price: $17.95/bottle.)  Lesson learned: Italian wine come in colours other than red.

And then came the bread sticks. Oh, the bread sticks.

 

The students made them. I am dead jealous and ate at least three. Maybe more. I wasn’t counting.

While I scattered crumbs across the table, I jotted down a one-word note: Otto.

I have been to exactly one celebrity restaurant in my life — Mario Batali’s famed OTTO in New York. They served bread sticks, too. Commercial ones in paper wrappers. That sat on the table. In a glass. For me, this reduced the famed restaurant to just another pizza joint.  Lesson learned: Small details leave big impressions.

The main was Rabbit Ragout, Artichokes and Potatoes.

While pleasant, rabbit lives up to the cliché. It tastes like chicken. In a nose-to-tail approach, the chef included the kidney and liver. The kidney was okay, but in keeping with its nature, a bit rubbery. As for the liver, having shifted my opinion on custard, caviar, truffles and chives, I was willing to be a liver convert. Am I?

No.

One bite was all I could manage. And there was no hiding the half-eaten liver on my otherwise clean plate. I eased my guilt with another break stick. Lesson learned: Even if Julia Child herself came back from the grave with the sole purpose to cook liver just for me, I wouldn’t eat it. Okay, I probably would — just to be polite — but I wouldn’t like it. It’s not the chef. It’s me. Or more accurately, it’s liver.

And then the dessert I had come for. Semifreddo with Smoked Sugar.

It a neat visual loop, the final dish mimicked the elliptical shape of  the amuse-bouche. It came sprinkled with fennel pollen and dark licorice, and was garnished with fennel leaves. The smoked sugar was in the semifreddo, not on it, as I’d imagined. The dessert was creamy and had the smokiness of bacon but without the salt edge. I found the fennel distracting at first, but by the time I had finished the dish, I realized I liked it quite a bit and  would happily have eaten more. Lesson learned: I do not have the patience to smoke sugar, but it’s a wonderful alternative to the bacon-flavoured sweets now out.

At the end of the meal, Chef Paolo came out to greet the guests. With limited English on his part and no Italian on mine, we had an awkward and brief conversation with lots of gestures. I think smoked sugar was his idea. I can’t say for sure. Regardless of where the idea came from, it’s a good idea. A very good idea. I predict it’s just a matter of time before some culinary entrepreneur bottles it. I also predict that entrepreneur won’t be me.

Email. Some days I love it. Some days I hate it.

And I was hating it something fierce  recently when my computer insisted it had to “rebuild” my inbox and in doing so resent random emails from March 2010. This elicited confused responses from the unintended victims recipients. I spent the weekend  cautiously checking email and wondering when the next “What’s going on?” email would arrive.

In an effort to keep the Universe in check, a stray email landed in my inbox the same week. A subscriber, intending to forward one of my posts to a friend, inadvertently sent it back to me. Even though she doesn’t eat wheat (or sugar or desserts), she still subscribes to my blog and was sharing a bread recipe with a friend who bakes — along with some very kind words.

To balance out all the carbs I post, here is a grain-free, low-carb, spicy, vegetable-packed, semi-protein-based soup. Indra, this one’s for you. It does have 1 tsp of sugar for balance, but if you omit it the recipe will hold its own.

To everyone else, if you got a random email from me. Ignore it. My computer went insane. If you didn’t, have some soup. My stove is working just fine.

Review in brief

Bored soup lovers will enjoy the innovative recipes and varied styles in this single-subject book. Recipes  range from a clear classic consommé to “meal in a bowl” soups with more than two dozen (easy to get) ingredients. Chock full of vegetables, game, seafood, fruit, nuts and cheese, there will be something for everyone.

Must try recipes

•  Mango, Cilantro and Pomegranate Soup: They had me at mango. This unusual chilled soup takes five minutes to make and is bursting with fresh flavours. Not exactly a winter-time treat, but come summer? Hand me a spoon.
• Seven-Grain Bread: Yes, bread. This book offers 10 bread recipes and this one — with bulgar, polenta, quiona and millet — is an intriguing change from the usual store-bought offerings.
• Creamy Pistachio Soup: With cardamom, coriander and pistachios, this pastel green soup is a delicate, fragrant change of pace from the standard Indian soup.

Biggest delight: The intro section that encourages you to experiment. It’s full of suggestions on how to thicken, enrich, puree garnish and even rescue soups. Sure, it’s got pantry suggestions and tips on how to use up leftovers, but the recipe planners made me wish I’d thought of that feature first. Looking for a vegetarian recipes? Not only does it list the 90+ recipes– with a few enticing photos– it gives the cooking time and page number.

Other planners in Soup focus on chilled, hearty, healthy, spicy, main meals and quick recipes. Once you make your selection, each recipe includes prep and cooking times as well as freezing notes. If you can’t find a soup to suit your mood, schedule and diet, then maybe, just maybe, it’s time to admit you just aren’t a soup person.

What’s happening to me? The minute I went to photograph this dessert I thought, “Rats! I should have made the cobbler in a cast iron frying pan. It would have looked so much more rustic.”

Great. It’s not enough that I’m criticized for being a food snob. Now I’m about to push myself into a whole new level of visual elitism.

Be warned. Not only can this thought process harm your wallet, it can lead to culinary disaster. Using the correct pan size is crucial in baking. Believe me, I’ve scraped enough batter off the bottom of my oven to know you can’t cram big cake batter into a small cake pan. My only solution was, “Don’t do it.” But with an 8-inch cake stand and loads of recipes for 9-inch cakes, I needed a proper fix.

Fortunately, I surround myself with smart people.

The solution: According to Anna Olson, you need to maintain the depth of the batter to avoid spillage. To do this you need to know:

• the surface area
• the percentage of batter the smaller pan holds

To double check my math, I turned to my cyber-friend Laura Laing, author of Math for Grownups: Relearn the Arithmetic You Forgot from School. (Adams Media © 2011). Ironically, the math I needed wasn’t found in her kitchen section. Instead, I found the required formula in two places. The first — surface area — was illustrated in the gardening section*. Technically, area = pi multiplied by the radius of the circle squared. But I can’t figure out how to type the squared symbol, so I’m going to settle on  A= π x r x r. For easy calculating, I’m rounding pi to 3.14.

First, I need to know the surface area of both pans:

• Surface area for 9-inch round pan = 3.14 x 4.5 x 4.5 = 63.58
• Surface area for 8-inch round pan = 3.14 x 4 x 4 =  50.24

Now I need to now the percentage of the smaller pan. For the ratio formula, I flipped to the section on crafts. Who knew knitting could be so handy? Here’s how much surface area the 8-inch round pan offers versus the 9-inch pan.

• 50.24 / 63.58 x 100 = 83%

That’s 80% in my world. In order for the recipe to work, the 8-inch pan should hold only 80% of the batter intended for the 9-inch pan. So, you pour 80% of your batter into the 8- inch pan. (Use a scale to do this.) This ensures the height of the batter is approximately the same as the original recipe intended, and your cake won’t spill over.

And just what do you do with the remaining 20%? Anna says to bake cupcakes. I’d likely just end up eating it by the spoonful.

But wait. There’s more!

This is where math ends and the alchemy begins. Anna says you have to reduce the baking time “slightly”. How much is that? It depends on too many factors to calculate accurately. Reduce the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes, check the cake, and estimate additional cooking time from there  — if needed.

So, will my 10-inch cast iron frying pan work for the cobbler? Let’s see.

• Area of 9-inch square pan = 9 x 9 = 81
• Area of 10-inch round pan = 3.14 x 5 x 5 = 78.5
• Percentage of batter the 10-inch pan will hold = 78.5 / 81 x 100 = 96.9 %

Close enough for me. Think I’ll go make another batch and test the theory in the real world.

Got a tricky kitchen calculation need solving? Ask away. With my calculator and a book of handy formulas, I’m unstoppable.

* For those who are curious about the book, the kitchen section in Math for Grownups help you can calculate how many tomatoes will fit in a jar, convert common measurements, estimate how long it takes to defrost a turkey (and then cook it!) and allow you to fiddle with measuring spoon fractions.

One of the items on my culinary bucket list was granary bread. I wanted to create my own version of a seed-loaded hearth bread I used to get from a local bakery. Their bread was dense without being heavy — something you could sink your molars into and chew with satisfaction. The seeds crunched while the crumb yielded. It’s was a stand alone snack or the perfect outer limit for a hearty sandwich. You could toast it up or devour it at room temperature. (Confession: I often ate a fresh slice while another slice toasted.) It delivered sweet honey and savoury cheese with equal ease. Able to perform its duties at both extremes, it was the perfect bread for a Gemini like me.

And then they changed the recipe.

Finding a homemade replacement proved challenging. I fiddled with no-knead versions, adding seeds and whole wheat flour. While the results looked right, something was off. My sister gnawed on a slice and kindly informed me it “tasted healthy.”

I was aiming for delicious. Or addictive. Or amazing. I’d have settled for yummy, or even not bad. But healthy? In my family that’s code for sawdust.

After scouring the web and local library, I found only one recipe with a similar ingredient list to the bakery’s. It wasn’t called granary or hearth bread, as I’d imagined. Instead it was descriptively dubbed Many-Seed Bread.

I’ve made three loaves. There’s half a loaf left.

This isn’t a quick-make bread, but it isn’t a labour of love either. In the Gemini tradition, it’s a balance. While it requires a bit of planning, you can refrigerate the dough for up to four days — so you are never more than a few, non-active hours away from a fresh loaf of healthy bread. And I mean that in the best possible way.

If you read my 2012 Culinary Bucket List, you’ll see I have a lot of baking to do. In case a from-scratch cake is on your list, I thought I’d start the new year off with some baking tips I learned from Camilla V. Saulsbury, author of Piece of Cake and 750 Best Muffin Recipes. Knowing she could provide me with enough information to fill my pantry, I asked her to narrow it down to 3 Dos and 3 Don’ts for perfect cakes. Camilla obliged.

So pull out the MixMaster and find a clean apron. We’ve got some baking to do.

3 Biggest Cake Baking Mistakes

1. Compacting flour: Scooping flour into a measuring cup directly from the bag can add so much extra flour through compaction that it actually changes the outcome of your recipe.

The fix: Aerate the flour by spooning it into a dry measure and then leveling it off with a knife. Weighing is the best method, but that’s another issue for another day.

2. Old leveners or spices. If your baking powder or baking soda is too old, your cake won’t rise properly, if at all. Past-their-prime spices won’t deliver the flavour.

The fix: If you don’t use these ingredients much, buy them in small quantities. When you do replace them, write the purchase date on the bottle/package. Toss spices after 6 to 12 months  and baking powder after 1 year. Some sources say baking soda will keep indefinitely, but if in doubt, stir a spoonful some into white vinegar. If it doesn’t bubble enthusiastically, toss it and buy new. Likewise, baking powder is still active if it foams when added to hot water.

3.  Cutting back on the sugar: Reducing the amount of sugar called for in a recipe won’t just cut calories. It will trim the taste and mess with the texture of the cake. Because sugar liquifies when heated, it keeps the cake tender and moist. This, in turn, affects the taste since the moisture carries flavour.

The fix: Don’t mess with the sugar. Camilla says, “Go for a smaller piece or for a walk.”

3 Best Practices

1. Buy an oven thermometer. Not all ovens read accurate. Most are out by as much as 50°F. Oven thermometers are available at hardware stores, grocery stores and specialty kitchen shops. You can get one for about $10. Not only will it will save your cake, it will save you the cost of calibrating your oven.

2. Use the correct pan size. Substituting pan sizes can change the surface area of your cake, depth of batter and, ultimately, the finished product. Trust me. If you pour batter intended for a 9-inch pan into an 8-inch one, gooey cake is only the start of your problems. You’ll end up with your head in the oven scraping cake off surfaces you never imagined batter would spill.

If you don’t have the pan called for, consider investing in the right size. If time or money are an issue, here are a couple of close-enough substitutes for common pan sizes that will save your cake and keep your oven clean.

• 8-inch round = 7-inch square pan
• 9-inch round pan = 8-inch square pan
• 10-inch round pan = 9-inch square pan

3. Use room temperature eggs and softened butter. Is this really necessary? Not entirely, but it does make a difference. Room temperature eggs will give you the best volume, while softened butter adds to the elasticity of the batter. If your butter is too soft the batter won’t get the same rise. If it’s too hard, it won’t mix in properly. But even Camilla admits she doesn’t set the butter and eggs out for the required half hour. Instead, she uses the following cheats:

For butter:

There are lost of fixes, from putting the butter between layers of plastic wrap and beating it with a rolling pin, to cutting it into cubes and nuking it on low in the microwave. But the easiest method, least likely to cause injury or melted butter is…

Give a grater a quick spritz with no-stick spray, then grate the cold butter onto waxed paper. In 3 minutes it will be softened perfectly. Clean up? Pour some boiling water on the grater and wipe it dry.

For eggs:

Put the eggs in warm, not hot, water, for 30 to 60 seconds. And you’re ready to bake.

Got any baking tricks you care to share or cake crimes to confess? If you plan to use these tips, what flavour cake will you test drive them on?

It’s January. Has been for a few days. I know I’m a bit late with this but, oh well, here goes anyway…

Every year I swear to myself I will post more often. I will get better at my photos. I’ll be a better blogger. These vague goals slip through my fingers like typos on a smartphone. Last year I promised, “I’m not going to let Life derail me again.” Hmmmm. That one’s still on the table.

Instead of chastising myself for the missteps, I’ve decided to look back at some of the things I’ve learned since starting this blog. The things that brought me a sense of accomplishment. The things I have carried forward into my culinary life on a regular basis. Baby step by baby step, I’ve reclaimed the kitchen. I now simmer my own chicken stock, whip up salad dressings from what’s hanging out in the fridge, churn unbelievably rich ice cream, and make a scratch version of rum cake that should be served with a breathalyzer. I’ve conquered my fear of pastry to the point where I am riffing on galettes like I knew what I was doing. Even better? I’m no longer ashamed to serve my chocolate truffles to guests in good lighting, and boast to anyone who will listen about the the red and white wine jellies in my pantry — made with my very own apple pectin. Hell, I’ve even served homemade eggnog at Christmas AND turned it into ice cream. Ho ho ho.

What’s on for 2012?  Besides a wing and a prayer, I’ve set my sights on a few items. As you can see, my list is not very long or all that exotic. No item here is based on a dare or uses one-upmanship as the key ingredient. There will be no roast suckling pig, no homemade sausage or artisanal cheese. I will not be dabbling in molecular gastronomy or flambéing anything — at least not intentionally. This is just a list of things I want to make in the next year. Some are here because I can’t find a decent ready-made version. I want to tackle a few to save money (says the woman who spent $112 so she could make cinnamon ice cream). And others are listed for the best reason of all — Just Because.

Charmian’s Bucket List

(In no particular order, to be completed by December 31, 2012. Author reserves the right to revise on a whim.)

• Palmiers
• Clotted cream
• Pasta
• Graham crackers
• Granary bread  Many-Seed Bread
• Sourdough bread
• Preserved lemons (and then do something Moroccan with them)
• Popovers
• Hot and Sour Soup
• Tacos shells
• Onion Bhaji
• Vegetable Pakoras
• Profiteroles (added Jan 4 thanks to Lisa MacColl)
• Turtle Ice Cream (added Jan 4 thanks to Robin)

I’m sure I’ll think of other things once I hit “post”, but for now this carb-heavy list should keep me out of mischief.

Got a food-based wish list of dishes you’d like to try? What’s on yours?

It’s almost noon on the day before Christmas Eve and I’m not finished my shopping. Not by a long shot. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess  I’m not the only one who needs the born-of-fear adrenaline to face the holiday crowds. Or maybe you’re too disorganized busy to get it done during calm, shopper-sparce early November — like some people I know and resent.

So, for those who need some last-minute gift ideas for the cooks in your life, here are my suggestions. You can purchase them from the tranquility of your home, glass of spiked eggnog in one hand and a computer mouse in the other.

   Rouxbe Online Cooking School

Yes, I’m an affiliate, but I’m also a client. Even after three years, I still use this resource often to brush up on my skills or find the answer to a question. Thanks to Rouxbe, I make my own stock, sharpen my own knives and carve poultry without embarrassing myself. The site is iPad and iPhone enabled so you can learn without being glued to your computer.

Until midnight December 25, 2011, they’re offering $100 off a membership or up to $20 off individual lessons. Here’s sample of previous Rouxbe lessons I’ve featured, or click here to see the Rouxbe holiday offer.

Eat Your Books

I am kicking myself, just kicking myself for not buying the lifetime membership when I had a chance. I now pay $2.50 a month to use this site and it’s worth every penny. What’s Eat Your Books? Only the best way to search your cookbooks. Sure, you have to invest a bit of time entering the titles in your collection, but once that easy task is done you won’t spend any more time flipping through dozens of cookbooks. Whenever you run out of meal ideas or don’t know what to do with the 10 pound bag of kumquats you were given, just head to the database and see what recipes on your shelf fit the bill.

iPhone, iPad, iThingy Apps

Handy, portable, open all hours. I love apps. Of course I’m biased, but I recommend two created by my highly knowledgeable writer friends.
iSpice
Price: $1.99

This comprehensive dictionary of herbs and spices from around the word was compiled by my friend Monica Bhide, author of Modern Spice. Each entry contains an informative description, colourful slideshow, links to recipes and YouTube instructional videos, as well as links on where you can buy the spice in question. To find a spice, scroll through the 100+ entries listed alphabetically or play roulette with the slideshow of stunning photos and see where you land. Even though I write about food for a living, I discovered a few new spices within minutes.

Be sure to check the app’s comment section periodically. Not only are people posting really good questions, I’ve learned that asafetida isn’t always gluten-free. This section is likely to grow as the app gains users.

Wifi needed? Not for the spice information or slideshows. Recipe links and YouTube videos require an internet connection.
Who will it appeal to? Adventuresome home cooks and recipe developers.
Worth buying for: The buying link for hard-to-find spices.

Asian Ingredients 101
Price: $0.99

This niffy little app examines nearly 100 common and not-so-common spices, sauces and essential ingredients used in Asian cuisine. The app’s creator, Pat Tanumihardja, is the author of The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook: Home Cooking from Asian American Kitchens and provides users with just the right mix of context, instruction and inspiration.

Like iSpice, the app is published by Sutro Media, so the two have similar layouts. There’s the familiar alphabetical listing of ingredients as well as a slide show, but given the wider range of the entries, you can also sort by category such as condiments, fruits, noodles, vegetables and grocery store sections. Regardless of how you select the ingredient, you’ll find out how it’s used as well as get buying and storing tips.

Wifi needed? No. Just download and use.
Who will it appeal to? Anyone who wants to cook more Asian or Asian-inspired meals.
Worth buying for: The scope of information.

Hopefully between these ideas you’ll find something in your price range that brings joy and good food to those you love. Got any other ideas? Leave them in the comments section. I’m now off to finish my non-foodie shopping.

As a food writer, I’ve dabbled in the gluten-free world. I’ve bought guar gum and xantham, various rice flours, teff, sorghum and nutmeals. They’re taking up a lot of room in my spiffy new pantry along with the gluten-loaded all-purpose, whole wheat, cake & pastry, bread and unbleached flours. Since everyone in my house can eat wheat, I find I rarely use the gluten-free variations. As a result, I am quickly coming to the conclusion that unless you regularly feed someone who is gluten-intolerant, gluten-free baking that requires a mix of flour alternatives might not be the best route.

So how do you feed guests who are unable to eat wheat without stocking up on specialty items?

Dinner is easy. Roasted meat and simple side dishes like baked potatoes and steamed vegetables or a salad topped with homemade dressing. You can even serve gravy if you thicken it with corn starch. Asian cuisine is another delicious and easy solution. A stir fry or curry will satisfy everyone. Steam up a pot of rice instead of hot naan bread and you’re golden.

But desserts? Oh desserts. This is where the gluten-hits the fan. While I want to make gluten-free cookies, cakes and pies for my guests, I’ve decided the most practical approach is similar to my dinner tactic. Serve dessert that is gluten-free by nature not design.

These macaroons fit the bill. They’re from Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free by Karen Morgan. Karen is the host of the cleverly named show Gluten Morgan which appears on Thrive, an online video series by Wholefoods. I made these snowbally cookies for a Christmas party and people were surprised to learn they were gluten- and dairy-free. I baked two variations — one religiously following Morgan’s original recipe and one replacing the dates with festive cherry-flavoured dried cranberries. Both versions had people coming back for seconds.

Ah, macaroons. Gluten-free. Always have been. Always will be.

Two blackbirds. One very edible stone.

Review in Brief

This book will appeal to people who must eat gluten-free but crave the muffins, tarts and pastries so readily available to their  wheat-eating counterparts. Many of the recipes call for glutinous rice flour but don’t panic. This inexpensive rice mix is available at Asian food stores and contains no gluten despite its name. Morgan claims this flour is the secret to light, moist baked goods.

Other flours Morgan uses are easily purchased at a health food store and include: almond, amaranth, chestnut, garbanzo bean (chickpea), millet, sorgham and tapioca. Most recipes call for only a couple of different flours, so you can build your gluten-free flour inventory as needed.

Must try recipes

• Cashew butter ice cream sandwiches: As if cashew butter cookies weren’t decadent enough, these goodies are filled with rum and raisin ice cream.
• Savory crepes: Wafer thin with a lacy edge, these crepes are described as a “springboard for creativity.” Apparently the vodka is essential to the success of this recipe. Okay, Karen. If you insist.
• Pear-Cardamom Cakes: “Simple, beautiful and delicious.” What more could you ask for in a dessert?

Biggest delight: The photographs. Light, bright and utterly captivating. Some are whimsical — like the blackbird with its tail feathers caught in a set of hungry false teeth. Others will make you want to grab your fork. It’s almost a shame to eat these gorgeous desserts. Almost.

Last year, due to circumstances beyond my control, I didn’t do any Christmas baking. Not so much as a single shortbread came out of my kitchen. But this year? I’m making up for the loss. The rumballs are rolled, the eggnog is chilling and now it’s time for some serious sugar. Luckily, Anna Olson recently released a new book devoted entirely to baking — Back to Baking: 200 Timeless Recipes to Bake, Share and Enjoy – so should I suffer from Bakers Block, I will have a muse to help me.

Earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with the muse Anna after one of her demonstrations. I promised to try to stump her with your toughest baking questions but Anna’s been studying. I’m not sure if I was more impressed with the accuracy of her answers or her her ability to zero in on possible solutions without a lot of background information. I’d have been demanding to know about the humidity, altitude and the position of Mercury.

Here are the questions you asked and Anna’s answers. Immediately following, we’ll have a cookie break.  I’m sharing a recipe to one of Anna’s amazing cookies — one she let me sample even though they were just for display. They’ve got orange, toffee and salt all in an icebox cookie. Life is complete.

Amy B: How do you melt white chocolate without it seizing? I’ve never been able to do this successfully.

Anna: White chocolate melts at 88°F (6°F lower than dark), so it takes a very gentle heat. Melt white chocolate in a metal bowl placed over barely simmering water. To do this, bring the water in the pot to a boil and turn off the heat. Then put the bowl with the white chocolate over the pot of hot water. The residual heat will melt the chocolate. Also, no excessive stirring! Be very gentle and the white chocolate should melt nicely.

Kira V: When I make butter pastry for a lemon tart, it shrinks when I bake it and pulls away from the side of the tart pan. How can I fix that?

Anna: It could be two things. One: A shrinking crust is a sign the dough hasn’t rested enough. The glutens in the flour need to relax, so let the dough to sit in the fridge longer before rolling. Two: The recipe could need sugar. If there is no sugar in your dough, add 1 Tbsp. If there is, add 1 Tbsp more. Sugar breaks the gluten string and helps the dough stay in place. Don’t worry. That small amount of sugar will not affect the taste of the pastry.

Teresa F: In a pie crust recipe, they say to add 2-3 Tbsp cold water, but it always takes more to get it to come together. What am I doing wrong??????????

Anna: There are a few possible reasons. If you are substituting fats, it can change the amount of water in the dough. It could also be a difference in the brands of flour. And the final reason could be that you don’t bake enough so your flour has settled and compacted. This can make quite a difference to a recipe like pastry. Be sure to stir the flour before measuring it.

That’s right, Teresa. Maybe you’re not baking enough. Straight from Anna’s mouth to my finger tips.

See. Cookies are the answer to all problems.

Salted Orange Toffee Slices

Excerpt printed with permission from Back to Baking: 200 Timeless Recipes to Bake, Share and Enjoy  by Anna Olson. Published by Whitecap Books, © 2011

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

• 3/4 cup (185 mL) unsalted, butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp (10 mL) finely grated orange zest
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 cups (250 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) crunchy toffee bits, such as SKOR bits
• fine sea salt, for sprinkling

Beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and orange zest together until smooth. Add the egg and beat until combined.

Sift in the flour and baking soda, and stir until blended, then stir in the toffee bits.

Shape the dough into two logs about 9 inches (23 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) across, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Once wrapped, gently flatten the dough on all four sides to create a square shape. Chill the dough for at least 2 hour before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 3 baking trays with parchment paper.

Slice the logs into cookies that are 1/4 inch (6 cm) wide and place them onto the prepared trays, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) between each cookie (these do spread as they bake). Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a little bit of sea salt.

Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes, until they have browned just lightly on the bottom. Cool the cookies on the tray and then store them in an airtight container. The cookies will keep for up to a week.

Review in brief

This book will appeal to: Anyone with a sweet tooth who wants to learn how to bake or loves to bake already and wants to get better. There are even sections on gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and low sugar. Anna went back to school to learn about baking and the proof is in the pudding — either the Creamy Mocha version on page 316 or the Warm Chocolate Cherry version on page 282.

Must try recipes: Really? I have to pick? I’d say ALL of them but here are my picks:

• Earl Grey Chiffon Cake with Maple Meringue Frosting: No explanation needed. You either get it or you don’t.
• Dobos Torte: This is the 9-layer Hungarian tore with stacks of wafer-thin cake held together with a chocolate hazelnut buttercream.Cheaper and less trouble than going to Europe, I say.
• Raspberry Pecan Tart: I love raspberries. I love pecans. I love coconut. My only issue with the recipe is that I didn’t think of this combination first.

Biggest delight: Anna’s tips. She answers the most commonly asked baking questions, gives great advice that often goes contrary to standard practices, and shares her hard-earned knowledges. For instance, did you know cold butter isn’t always the best temperature for pastry? Or that in most cases you are better off freezing the cookie dough, not the baked cookies themselves, because the sugar in them melts when frozen, making them soft? (And do you know why shortbreads are the exception to this don’t-freeze-the-cookies rule?) Thanks to Anna, I’m now willing to let pie dough rest before rolling, know why my pie crust never forms the perfect circle I want, and have the confidence to make that 9-layer Hungarian torte.