une Gamine dans la Cuisine

Lemon Coconut Macaroons

2012-05-16T15:22:00.001-04:00

I'm so bad.

I make things with coconut too often.

I make things with coconut, knowing that no one else will get as ridiculously excited about it as I do.

I make things with coconut for purely selfish reasons.

I make them for me, myself, and I.

And we're always so fantastically happy about it!
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Strawberry-Lime Sandwiches

2012-05-12T11:47:00.001-04:00

Notice anything different?

Why yes, my blog is wearing something new! And I'd like to thank Steph Anne, of Yellow & Savvy, for designing the fabulous fresh, spring look. Up until now, I've always used premade templates (and I loved each and every one!), but I wanted something that was unique and crisp, and "mine." :-)

Seriously, If you're looking for an affordable blog makeover, I highly...highly, recommend Steph. She somehow managed to piece together a design from my scattered, indecisive mind. Sheer magic!

Thank you Steph! XO

To all the moms out there, Happy early Mother's Day!

Chocolate, olives, strawberries, basil, pears, and warm cups of milk and honey, always make me think of my mom.

And tomorrow, instead of my vintage lopsided chocolate cake, I'm going to make a batch of strawberry-filled, buttery, crumbly, basil-lime shortbread cookies.

(Not much has changed. Even as a baby, I was already worried about something...will that beet stain ever come off my favourite bib?)

I'll admit, these cookies were a bit of a hassle. The original recipe left the dough far too soft to be able to roll out, and I spent a good part of the afternoon scraping bits and pieces of it off the well-floured counter top.

After a few tweaks, the recipe finally came together, and I think these cookies may be right up at the top of my list of favourites. The cornstarch gives the cookie a softer, lighter, texture, while the lime and basil keep the flavour assertive and perky. [Next time, I would add a pinch more basil.] The filling is simple and flexible. If you would rather use raspberry, blueberry, or peach preserves, go for it! Lime is cordial, it gets along well with others.

Have a gorgeous, mom-lovin' weekend, everyone! ♥

Strawberry-Lime Sandwiches
yields about 18-20 sandwich cookies

for the cookies
1/2 cup almond flour
2/3 cup all-purposed flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Zest of 2 limes (3 if they're small)
1/2 cup (that's 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon basil (if using fresh, chop until fine)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

for the filling
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup strawberry preserves (feel free to use your favourite kind!)

method
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and salt; Set aside.
In stand-mixer bowl (or any large mixing bowl, if you're using a hand-held mixer), combine the sugar and lime zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until it becomes fragrant and moist. Add the butter, basil and confectioners' sugar. Beat on medium speed until fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). On low speed, slowly begin adding the dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Form the dough into a disc and cover well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and two sheets of parchment paper, roll the cold dough out until it's about 1/8-inches thick. Don't worry if it's a circle or a square, or a wonky rectangle. :)
[Note: My dough was too soft to actually "roll," so divided it into 4 parts and gently "patted" each part out with floured hands until it was the right thickness.] Once all the dough has been rolled (or patted) out, use the parchment paper to transfer it onto a cookie sheet and freeze for about 15 minutes. Freezing the dough before baking will help the cookies maintain their shape as they bake.
Remove the dough from the freezer. Use fluted, or plain round cookie cutters (about 1 1/2-inches in diameter) to cut out the cookies. Place the cookies on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until pale golden. Remove the sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completely before adding the filling.
Prepare the filling: In a small bowl, combine the lime juice and preserves. Mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Place a small dollop of preserves onto half of the cooled cookies, and cover with the remaining "nude" halves. Place the cookie sandwiches into a covered container, and refrigerate until the filling has set. [If you serve them right away, the top cookie layer may slide around the slippery filling.]

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Orzo and Spinach Salad

2012-05-08T15:55:00.001-04:00

Summer is never subtle about it's arrival. It always jumps out of a forgotten corner, on some deceivingly mild Tuesday morning, and throws shorts, skirts, and dresses at my pale legs.

I don't like things that jump out at me. (Still can't be in the same room as a jack-in-the-box, or a bottle of champagne that's about to be uncorked.)
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Mint Julep Bundt Cakes

2012-05-06T21:08:00.001-04:00

With the Kentucky Derby coming up this weekend, I had a valid excuse to create a recipe inspired by one of my favourite cocktails. I never watch the actual race because too many things can go wrong, and I tend to form bonds with the horses just by looking at them...especially if they have a clever name.

But I'm not afraid to watch all the hats.

I'm hat person.

I collect hats the way some people collect shoes.

Aside from newsboy hats, and my favourite fedora, which I plan on wearing far too frequently this summer, I also love fancy hats...as long as they're feather-free and don't involve anything that obscures my already questionable sense of direction. (Unless it's a big, floppy sunhat, which makes me feel mysteriously nonchalant...until I run into an errant lamp post.)

I also love knee-socks. ~~Unfortunately~~ Thankfully, both can't be worn at the same time.

Hats are always fashionable, and capable of making you feel better about yourself on those "please, don't look at me," days.

Mint juleps have the very same effect.
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Mojito Cupcakes

2012-05-04T12:04:00.002-04:00

May has arrived! Granted it knocked on the door and let itself in though an open window when I didn't answer, but I'm glad it's here. I love this time of year. I love it so much, that I want to treasure it like a piece of delicate porcelain. Part of me, the sometimes grouchy realist, is already lamenting the fact that Spring is almost over. (Sometimes I wish I could muzzle that part, or toss her into attic and throw away the key.)
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Mini Lemon Layer Cake with Strawberry Buttercream

2012-04-27T13:23:00.002-04:00

Dear Friday,

First of all, just let me tell you how beautiful you look in lilac and soft daffodil-yellow. (You should wear them longer, and more often.)

Since we have always been close, I thought I could come to you with a tiny request. 

I managed to make a perfectly, symmetrical, layer cake. This is very rare, very rare, and I'm concerned about a hidden price. 

Also, aside from the shifty-looking "freckle" on my arm, and a shady "unknown" number that keeps ringing my cell phone at 2am, it's been kind of smooth sailing lately. *knock on wood* 

Because I tend to get a bit antsy when I don't have something huge to pick apart anxiously, I'm really hoping that this isn't a "calm before the storm" scenario.(If that were the case, I'd like to believe that we're tight, and you would give me some sort of a heads-up, yes?)  

So I'm just going to ask that you please allow today to be amazing. No pre-weekend bombshells, please.

Thanks, Friday. ♥ 

~Valerie

P.S. If it's not too much to ask, could you please pass this along to your bff, Saturday? xo

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Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-04-24T00:46:00.002-04:00

Chocolate chip cookies are going through some sort of an identity crisis. I am not complaining.

The classic cookies have an ongoing affair with several different ingredients. They're often caught in the company of various eye candies, ranging from snarky, salty, bacon, to simple sweet butterscotch...or both! (Oh, butterscotch, what's become of you?)

Lucky for us though, it doesn't really matter who the cookies mingle with, as long as we're allowed to indulge in the results of their delicious, free-loving lifestyle.
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Alice Medrich's Lemon Bars

2012-04-19T21:50:00.003-04:00

Aside from making a killer Key lime pie, speaking with just about any accent, and completing the NY Times crossword puzzles with a pen, I have another random talent; Baaing like a sheep. Not a lazy, childish, meh-baa, I'm talking a spot-on, where-the-heck-did-that-come-from?, Baaaa. Please, try not to be too jealous.

I'm not sure how, (or why,) I ever made my first "baa," but when you're a natural at something, it's only a matter of time before it finds you. (Sadly, my understanding of proper comma usage remains aloof, and out of reach.)

Much to the amusement of friends, and the embarrassment of family members, I can turn heads and procure confused, uncertain glances from complete strangers in grocery stores, malls, and restaurants. Most of the time, they can't quite locate the source of the noise and look around in vain for the elusive, petting zoo escapee. Good times...good times. ;-)[...Continue reading...]

Cosmic Brownies

2012-04-15T16:00:00.006-04:00

My ability to write is still meandering around somewhere in an empty, massive void. (When it returns, it had better bring back socks, lots of socks.)

My writing has always had the attention span of a gold fish, and the twitchiness of a cat with scotch tape stuck to it's paws.

Hopefully it'll hop it's way back to me, soon. Until it does, please bear with me, and try not to mind the extra seasoning of chaotic randomness.

Brownies, anyone? [...Continue reading...]

Anna Olson's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-04-10T11:00:00.007-04:00

Sometimes I can write, and write...and write, until I'm completely off topic and adrift in sea of topics ranging from food to the philosophy of love.

Other times, I can't write one. Single. thing. When I hit that wall, it's unbearably frustrating. The food photos and recipes are just sitting on the page, waiting for me to breathe life into them, and all I can think about is how I need to stop brushing my teeth so hard because I seem to destroy a brand new toothbrush in a matter of weeks, or, I'll ponder the reasoning behind half-filled bags of just-opened sea salt and vinegar kettle chips. [...Continue reading...]

Easter Dessert Roundup

2012-04-06T23:22:00.012-04:00

Wishing Everyone a wonderful Holiday weekend! Here are just a few last-minute dessert ideas that encompass happiness, spring, and excuses needed to postpone that summer diet plan.

In order from left to right and top to bottom:

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Strawberry Boy Bait *
Chocolate Macaroon Bars
Chocolate Mocha Cake with Raspberry Cream Filling
Lime Chiffon Cake
Coconut Lime Cupcakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting *
Apricot-Rosemary Squares
Lemon Cupcakes with Cherry Buttercream Frosting
Brown Butter Cranberry Shortbread

* You can use frozen berries in both the recipes. Just be sure to thaw out the blueberries before adding them to the rest of the frosting ingredients.

Dark Chocolate Brownies

2012-04-05T11:53:00.008-04:00

If humans could purr, we'd surely do so after eating chocolate.

When Niles was a kitten, he used to sleep on my chest at night. (Unlike me, he didn't seem to mind the lack of substantial cushioning.) I always loved the way it felt when he began to purr. The repetitive humming buzz was comforting. Niles is still my aloof shadow when I'm rocking things out in kitchen, but now that he's all grown up, he doesn't sleep in my bed anymore. However, as soon as I pull out The brush, he turns back into a playful, needy, purring kitten. I love that loud, intrusive, purr. [...Continue reading...]

Aries Chocolate Constellation Sablés

2012-03-31T15:30:00.008-04:00

This little food blog is 3 years old! I know that it's technically called a Blogoversary, but I think "birthday" sounds much more festive, and I rarely go with the technical terms of anything.

My blog is a confident Aries. I'm a detail oriented Virgo (as proof, I painstakingly picked out only the perfect, unbroken stars to make these cookies.) We have an excellent rapport, Aries and I.

In true Aries fashion, this blog has gently rammed me out of my warm, cozy, happy, comfort zone and opened up a whole new chapter in my life. But I make sure to keep things focused and down to Earth. (I'm not quite ready to tackle someone's wedding cake.) It's a perfect mix of determined, headstrong drive, tempered with my own disaster-fearing, worst case scenario-imagining, restraint. :-)[...Continue reading...]

Oatmeal Whoopie Cream Pies

2012-03-26T21:35:00.015-04:00

I know where the Whoopie comes from, it's the latter part that confuses me. Why are these glorified sandwich cookies called "pies?" And does it really matter?

No, no it doesn't.

I pondered the question for about 5 seconds, but after taking a bite, I really didn't care about the logistics. These could have been called something unbearably intriguing, such as Apollo's Answer, and I would not have questioned the meaning...at least not until curiosity made it's inevitable move (which, when put on hold, always happens around 2am). [...Continue reading...]

Lemon Margarita Cookies

2012-03-22T11:40:00.001-04:00

Don't you adore the poetic fact that a sliced lemon looks like the sun itself?

Don't you just hate it when you can't come up with anything to write about?

Sometimes my desire to be more open with my readers is at odds with my reticent nature. Other times, I simply can't think of anything clever to say. All I can come up with is; "This is good. You really need *insert food here* in your life." My brain likes to take occasional mini-vacations from the over-thinking, over analyzing, and over worrying I put it through. I can't say that I blame it her.

I take comfort in knowing that when all else fails, cookies can save the day, and the embarrassing moments spent staring into space. If people had a plateful of cookies on hand at all times, I think the world would be a much happier, less stressed out, place. [...Continue reading...]

Chocolate Stout Cake with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

2012-03-18T21:40:00.011-04:00

Since Thursday I've been house-sitting (yay!) for someone who happens to have a Mac. (double yay, with a hint of jealousy lapping at the edges.) Whenever I see my food photos on a Mac, I immediately understand why some of my snaps are rejected on foodie sites.

Macs show every. single. detail, including lack of decent lighting, and errant hard water-stains on cutlery. I kind of feel like an American Idol contestant who is convinced that they can sing like Sarah McLachlan, when in reality they sound more like my cat when I'm trying to get him to take his sickeningly sweet-smelling antibiotics. There were several "ah ha" moments these last few days. After almost two years, my latest point and shoot camera are still getting acquainted.[...Continue reading...]

Pecan Joy Cookies

2012-03-15T15:15:00.004-04:00

"When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions." Hamlet (act 4, scene 5)

So true. Although in this case, it's less sorrow, more stress. Last week I chipped a tooth on a rogue popcorn kernel (luckily the chip was located on one of the shy, out-of-sight back teeth). Once that was taken care of, my car started making odd noises which I can only describe as that hissing, angry sound coffee pots make when you cram 16 Tablespoons of grounds into an undersized "gold" filter. Adding salt to the chip and hissing, Niles, my cat, may need to have a tooth extracted. Who knew cats could have dental problems?

This month may be a little bit slim, as far as posting is concerned, but I promise to get back on top of baking and picture taking as soon as things return to my neurotically structured version of normal.

I do, however, have these spectacular cookies to share with everyone! [...Continue reading...]

Guinness-Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

2012-03-10T20:10:00.007-05:00

Guinness and chocolate. Who knew that these two star-crossed ingredients would make such a deliciously handsome couple?

(I had an inking...barely more than a hunch, really.)

Because I speak to the food that I bake and cook with, it's usually cordial enough to carry on a candid conversation. For a while now, I had the sense that chocolate was sad. Indeed, chocolate confessed that it sometimes feels wistful. Despite all the decorative pink bows and sweet fillings, chocolate often felt hollow, and wondered if there was life beyond coconut and marshmallow. Please don't tell chocolate I said this, but "she" has always had a secret crush on beer, stout beer in particular.[...Continue reading...]

Salty Turtle Brownies

2012-03-06T20:40:00.014-05:00

The other morning as I was running and singing quietly to myself (so as not to strike terror into the ears of nearby woodland creatures), it finally dawned on me that I do indeed Love running. I used to do an invisible eye roll whenever someone would tout how much they need their daily run. Turns out they were onto something.

Of course my eclectic "Fierce Running Mix," which includes Eminem, Katy Perry (yes, "Firework" is a great song...don't judge), Gorillaz, and Van Morrison, helps me to stay focused and uncharacteristically perky. Also quite motivating, the need to run far, very far, in order to keep these brownies away from destroying my on-it's-last-shaky leg plan to cut back on sugar this year. (It wasn't a resolution. It's more of a; I'm 34 now...this is all going to catch up with me sooner or later, fear.) [...Continue reading...]

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

2012-03-02T15:30:00.010-05:00

Welcome to March! Believe me, I'm extremely happy that Spring is on it's way, but because of the mild winter, it almost feels as though the warm weather hasn't been properly earned.

Usually winter and I spar with each other, and by March, it feels as though the monotonous grey, cold, snow-filled days are bleeding into one another and will never end. (Don't tell winter, but I secretly kind of enjoy the torment.) This year the warmer weather will arrive, but it'll feel more like I'm seeing someone that I have been speaking with every weekend, instead of someone who has been gone for several months.

The moody poet/artist in me likes to suffer before allowing herself to feel happy. Luckily this abnormality doesn't taint my world of baking (at least not very often). Case and point; These yeast-free, baked, doughnut muffins. Yes, instant gratification can sometimes be good, very, very good. [...Continue reading...]

Almond Poppy Seed Quick Bread (Daring Bakers' Challenge)

2012-02-27T09:40:00.002-05:00

For several years I worked at an amazing little coffee house, and despite the fact that I had to be up at 4:30am a few times a week, I didn't really mind the lack of sleep. It meant that I had first dibs on the still-warm-from-the-oven, bakery items! My absolute favourite treat was the almond poppy seed bread. If I was lucky, there would be a pool of frosting, poppy seeds, and crumbs that had collected at the bottom of the delivery box. As soon as the loaf had been removed and sliced, I had a few minutes to enjoy the boxed remnants with a spoon, a fresh cup of "sludge" (my coma-inducing mix of espresso, hot cocoa, and coffee), and an untouched crossword puzzle. [...Continue reading...]

Peanut Butter and Nutella Swirl Cookies

2012-02-25T12:10:00.008-05:00

Since it's Oscar weekend, I was going to make an elaborate, glamorous dessert. Instead, I made cookies. Cookies which didn't even last long enough to see the bright spotlight of the weekend.

Now I'll have to come up with something else for tomorrow night, or just make another batch of cookies. (I'm leaning towards the latter.) At least I gave them their own little red carpet. [...Continue reading...]

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

2012-02-22T16:50:00.016-05:00

Do you have an unfounded fear of making Swiss meringue buttercream frosting? Please put that frobia to rest, because with a little stand-mixer stamina, it actually comes together quite beautifully.

When I say that the frosting is beautiful, I mean, obviously, that it looks beautiful. However, I was slightly disappointed in the taste. As far as frostings are concerned, Swiss meringue buttercream is supposedly the best of the best. Personally, I thought that the flavour was almost too buttery (yes that phenomenon is possible), and slightly greasy.

Luckily, everyone else Loved it. (I felt like Elaine, when she said that she didn't like The English Patient.)[...Continue reading...]

Pine Nut and Chocolate Caramel Squares

2012-02-18T12:30:00.005-05:00

I love recipes that bridge the gap between the sweet and savory worlds. For the past few years, bacon has been the ambassador of the savories, and chocolate has carried the torch for sweets. I'll never forget my first experience with a dark chocolate and bacon bar...it was cosmic! [...Continue reading...]

Butterscotch Oatmeal Bars

2012-02-14T12:20:00.007-05:00

When you were little, did you ever wish that you could "doctor" up your morning oatmeal? You know, toss in spoonful after spoonful of brown sugar, extra maple syrup, and some form of chocolate?

Bananas and strawberries are great, but even they can't mask the goopy, pasty, stick-in-your-throat consistency of oatmeal. Plus, everything is naturally better with brown sugar. [...Continue reading...]