For Valentine’s Day, I made a really nice lunch for Mamma Cream Puff and Brother Cream Puff and instead of ending with a chocolate dessert, I ended with a coconut one.

I’d had my eye on this pretty little thing for awhile and decided to finally try it: Coconut Rice Puddings with Crispy Coconut.

Needless to say it was so yummy! The rice was creamy with just the right touch of coconut flavour. The best part of the recipe, though, was the crispy coconut topping. Luckily I made extra, which I ended up eating out-of-hand because it was so good.

This is my Magazine Mondays entry for this week. For those of you that are new to MM, it’s a very informal event that I like to host every Monday where I invite people to send along links from magazine recipes that they’ve tried. It’s a good way to tackle that food magazine pile that we all have lurking somewhere in our house!

Here’s who joined me for this week’s edition of MM:

Simone of Junglefrog Cooking made a gorgeous White Bean Salad with Bacon and Rocket from Issue 37 of Donna Hay.

Dawn from Doable and Delicious made Shrimp with Israeli Couscous from Gourmet. She also made Asparagus Cheese Tartines from the September 2009 issue of Food & Wine.

Nicole of Sweet Tooth made Chocolate Mudslides from a 2005 holiday issue of Martha Stewart Living.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Ghirardelli Ultimate Double-Chocolate Cookies from Rebook Magazine.

Saveur of The Taste Space made Spiced Yogurt Muffins from the November 2008 issue of Food & Wine.

Remember, just send me a link to any magazine recipe you post and I’ll link to it in my next MM post! Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

The 2010 February Daring Cook’s challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

Well I’m a few days late posting my February 2010 DC challenge but it’s not my fault. Between posting about how proud I am to be a Canadian and how much I love all of you, it took me awhile to get to the DC challenge.

I have to say, though, it’s been a great couple of weeks for me because between the Olympic love, the Valentine’s Day love and the love of this challenge, my tummy has been very happy!

Michele challenged us to make mezze, which are a series of small dishes to be served with homemade pita (which was also part of the challenge). Michelle specified that we had to make hummus, but beyond that we could make any other mezze that we liked.

For starters, I cannot thank Michele enough for showing us how to make pita bread. Had I known it was this easy, I would have tried it long ago. And the pita was truly delicious! I made mine with a bit of wholewheat flour thrown in with the all-purpose so the pita had a bit of a darker colour and a slight nutty taste, which was very nice.

The hummus was also delicious. I’ve made hummus many times before and every time I make it I think, “Why don’t I make this more often?”

Beyond those two components, I didn’t really try a lot of recipes. I made an eggplant dip, which I blogged about last week (but kept the DC secret!!!). I would have liked to try a lot more recipes but as usual, time was in short supply. However, I look forward to making pita bread again soon and trying some more mezze.

I want to thank Michele so much for this challenge! Please take a moment to visit the DC blogroll to see what the other Daring Cooks accomplished. You can click here for the recipe.

Okay … back to the Olympics … Opa!

Ciao!

You know Cream Puff loves you!

Just to be sure, I’m saying it with sweet crepes covered in Nutella.

And a few candied hearts, too!

Happy Love Day!

Ciao!

Crepes with Nutella
Inspired by Valvona & Crolla: A Year at an Italian Table.

This is a very easy recipe. For the crepes, I use like to use a crepe recipe from Julia Child, which never fails. But really you can use any crepe recipe you like. Once your crepes are made, drizzle with Nutella and serve.

Last night, in Vancouver, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games had their ceremonial opening with the lighting of a torch inside B.C. Stadium and another outside, by Vancouver’s waterfront.

I am an Olympics fanatic, regardless of where they’re held, but put them in my country, Canada, and it just adds a whole new meaning for me.

While I am so proud of my Italian heritage, I am Canadian.

To honour the 2010 Vancouver Games, I wanted to bake something, but had some difficulty finding the appropriate treat to express my excitement. Not too long ago the Daring Baker’s made Nanaimo Bars, in honour of the Olympics, but I wanted to try something else.

Then, last week, I was in the grocery store and I spotted a box of a favourite childhood treat: Passion Flakies. The best way to describe these is by saying that they’re puff pastry sandwiches with a marshmellowy and jam filling.

I avoid these because I could easily eat a box by myself, which is a bad thing.

But I remembered how much I loved them and the fact that they are a Canadian confection so I immediately went home and tried to recreate them.

My version of Passion Flakies consist of puff pastry rounds (I used store-bought puff pastry) sandwiched together with marshmellow creme and cherry jam. I topped them off with a sprinkling of red sugar just in case I haven’t fully conveyed my Canadian pride yet.

So yes. I am a very proud Canadian. Enjoy the Olympics.

Go Canada Go!

Ciao!

Jam and Cream Puff Pastry Sandwiches
My take on Passion Flakies.

Note: The puff pastry that I buy comes in two small squares per box. However you buy your puff pastry, you’re going to want to roll it out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. If you can’t find marshmellow creme, use whipped cream. You can also use any flavour of jam you like. You will need a biscuit or cookie cutter (2-inches wide) and some sheets of parchment paper

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup marshmellow creme
1/2 cup cherry jam
1 egg for egg wash
coarse sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll the puff pastry out to a 1/4 inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Reroll your scraps and cut out more circles.

Place the circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick each circle with a fork. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle on coarse sugar. Cover the circles with another sheet of parchment paper and bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden and puffed.

Remove from the oven and let cool.

Once cool, sandwich circles together with a heaping spoonful of marshmellow creme and a spoonful of jam.

Enjoy!

And Magazine Mondays is back!

I missed last week’s edition and I have a lot of entries this week so I’m anxious to get at it!

But before I do, I want to share my own entry for MM: Eggplant Dip … or spread … depending on how you look at it!

We had the family over on Sunday to eat a huge meal and also watch the Superbowl. I know next-to-nothing about American football but I must admit I did get caught up in the excitement of the game towards the end. I love an underdog as much as the next person and was happy to see the New Orleans Saints win. Hope they’re enjoying lots of beignets on Bourbon Street today!

As the family made their way over, I prepared numerous appetizers to quell the hunger until the real meal began and one of them was this delicious eggplant dip. Although if you wanted to call it a spread you wouldn’t be wrong.

While the recipe didn’t come from a magazine, I’d had my eye on it and decided to finally try it. The verdict: TOUCHDOWN! It was delicious and lovely spread over some crusty bread. And it was easy to make. Hope you give it a try!

In the meantime, here’s who’s joining me in blitzing that magazine pile (did you pick up on the football reference there … didya’???!!!!):

Abby of Confabulation in the Kitchen made Apricot Chicken from Everyday Food.

Tia of Buttercream Barbie made Orange Sour Cream Cake from Canadian Living and Wholesome Fruit Muffins from a January 2006 issue of Cooking Light.

Janie of Panini Girl made Sweet Cheese Puffs from Bon Appétit.

Angela of Spinach Tiger made Savory Leek and Carrot Tart from La Cucina Italiana.

Tamy of Always Eat on the Good China made Creamy French Onion Artichoke Dip.

Poppyseed of Poppyseeds and Tiger Lilies made Creamy Mushroom Soup from Cook’s Illustrated.

Dawn from Doable and Delicious made Butternut Squash Galette from the February 2009 issue of Gourmet.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Sausage and Ravioli Lasagna from the January 2010 issue of Southern Living.

Wandering Coyote of ReTorte made Energy Balls from Save-on Foods.

Sarah of A Taste of Savoie made Red Pepper Pilaf from Country Living.

Patricia of Brownies for Dinner made Bourbon Glazed Wings from the February 2010 issue of Bon Appétit.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

Eggplant Dip
Based on this recipe.

Note: This recipe will yield about a cup to a cup-and-a-half of spread, depending on big your eggplant is. I like to make this the day before and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight to really let the flavours develop. Serve with crusty bread.

1 large eggplant
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons of wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

If you have a gas grill, preheat your grill, or preheat the broiler on your oven.

Prick the eggplant all over to allow for steam to escape.

Place the eggplant on the grill or under the broil and cook until the eggplant is scorched all over and soft inside (test by pricking with a fork or knife). This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the eggplant from the heat and let it cool down so that you can handle it.

Scoop the filling into a bowl and mash with a fork.

Add half the olive and the red wine vinegar and mix very well.

Add the remainder of the olive oil and the lemon juice and mix thoroughly.

Add the garlic, the oregano and the salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate utnil ready to serve.

Enjoy!

I consider myself a fairly generous person, especially when it comes to baking. I love to share.

Except for Nutella. Don’t touch my Nutella.

Seriously.

I will threaten anyone, even those I love dearly, with infinite pain if I catch them even eyeing my Nutella supply.

Generally, an early warning system kicks in whereby I will give the person-in-question/potential victim the chance to escape in one piece.

“Step away from the Nutella!”

Should that warning go unheeded, I am not to be held responsible for the outcome, regardless of how ugly.

This deep devotion to Nutella extends beyond my complete unwillingness to share it with anyone. My love also manifests itself in the desire to mark World Nutella Day.

As far as I’m concerned it ranks almost right up there with Christmas.

For those of you that don’t know, February 5th marks the day that Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy, Michelle from Bleeding Espresso and Shelley from At Home in Rome have annointed as the day to celebrate the most glorious of chocolate spreads.

I went Nutella-crazy this year because I’m already going through a fairly stressful period at work. And everyone knows the best cure for stress is lots of Nutella. I made a Nutella Ripple Cheesecake that I covered in ridiculous amounts of Nutella and crushed hazelnuts so as to add some nutritional value.

See. I’m as health conscious as the next person.

I used a past Daring Baker’s challenge as the base recipe for my cheesecake. With a few adjustments and lots of Nutella and frangelico, I think I did a valiant job in paying homage to one of the best days of the year.

Happy Nutella Day! Just remember, stay away from my Nutella!

Ciao!

For details on how to participate in World Nutella Day, click here.

Nutella Ripple Cheesecake
Based on Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake.

Note: You’ll need a 9-inch cheesecake pan for this recipe. You’ll also need some heavy duty aluminum foil to wrap the pan in. Because the cheesecake is baked in a water bath, you don’t want any of the water to seep into the bottom of your cheesecake. Wrapping the pan in foil prevents that. You will also need a larger pan that you can fit the cheesecake pan into for the water bath.

For the Crust:
2 cups chocolate crumbs (you can use Oreo crumbs or chocolate wafer crumbs)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. sugar

For the Filling:
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
3 tbsps. Frangelico
1/2 cup Nutella (the Nutella has to be fairly liquidy so I recommend warming it in a double boiler so you can drizzle it easily)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a kettle full of water to boil for the water bath.

2. Combine all the crust ingredients and pour into your cheesecake pan. Press the crumbs firmly so that they cover the entire bottom of the pan (no need to push crumbs up the side of the pan).

3. In a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. There should be no cream cheese lumps.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition.

5. Add the vanilla extract, the heavy cream and the Frangelico and mix until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

6. Pour half the cheesecake batter over the prepared crust. Drizzle the Nutella over the batter and then top with the remaining cheesecake batter. Fit the pan into a larger pan and pour in the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Be careful not to spill any water in your cheesecake.

7. Carefully transfer the cheesecake to the oven. Bake for at least 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be set around the edges but still fairly wobbly in the middle. If not, continue baking for another 5 minutes and check again.

8. When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake in there for an hour to set up.

9. After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and discard the foil. Place the cheesecake on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

10. Once the cheesecake is cool, place in the refrigerator until it is very cold (at least 6 hours). If you can leave it in overnight, that’s even better.

I am a four-season child.

By that I mean I have to live somewhere that has four distinct seasons. I can appreciate the allure of a place that is sunny and warm all year long, perhaps I might even visit said place for some rest or relaxation, but to live there permanently?

Don’t think so.

Spring is pretty. I love watching as nature wakes itself up from its long sleep, but after a few weeks I become impatient for the summer heat that means our garden’s bounty will soon be ready.

And while I love eating the fruits of that garden, in the midst of Toronto’s hazy, humid summer heat, I need to know that soon the trees will explode in colour and that I will wake up every morning to a crystal blanket of frost on our lawn.

And when the beauty of Autumn turns into the incessant rainy weather of November, I need to know that the bone-chilling cold, wake-you-up-no-matter-what, freeze-your-toes cold is around the corner. You may not like the winter but I would argue that there is very little as beautiful in life as stepping out your front door on a frigid winter morning with snow everywhere, a blue sky and brilliant sun. That’s a breathtaking sight.

The best part of that cold is the knowledge that you can seek warmth at any moment. You can run inside, kick off your boots, and curl up under your favourite blankie with a cup of hot chocolate.

Or, in my case, you can bake a cake.

In the middle of winter, I bake cakes.

Not just because I love to eat them, but also because I love to imagine crawling into them.

While it is shockingly cold outside, I can imagine myself crawling into a layer of the most beautiful, warm thing in the world made of butter and sugar and flour and spices.

And I would just nestle there, in my sweet, sweet bed, and be perfectly happy.

My companion in this lovely dream has been Lauren Chattman’s spectacular Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-To-The-Last-Crumb Treats. Proof that beautiful things do come in small packages, this precious little book is filled with recipes for cakes that make you ask yourself, “Why don’t I bake more often?”

Simple cakes. Pleasing cakes. Cakes for people who are bakers at heart. Cakes that come together in the blink of an eye. Cakes that make you happy. Cakes you can put in a cake keeper (if you have one).

You may already be familiar with this book as it was featured in the October 2009 Food & Wine issue which highlighted the Nutella-Swirl Pound Cake. (I blogged about it here.)

I feel so lucky to have been given the chance to have this book and to write about it. Take my word for it. You’ll love it.

Everyone else may dream of heading south this cold winter, but not me. I’m dreaming of being wrapped in warm, puffy, just-baked cake.

How delicious.

Ciao!

Note: Besides the fabulous Nutella-Swirl Pound Cake, I tried the World’s Quickest Yeasted Coffee Cake on p. 39 (pictured above). Heaven!

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

Okay. So I’m exaggerating just a bit. The Daring Bakers aren’t actually physically going to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver but we’re definitely going in spirit with the January 2010 Daring Baker’s challenge.

Lauren, who is one of the sweetest girls, decided to put her Canadian pride on display by choosing a very “Canadian” treat for the DB challenge. As a proud Canadian myself, I cannot wait until February 12th when the world’s focus will shift to Vancouver.

While I don’t know what will happen over the two weeks of competition, I have no doubt that the world will see what good, caring and friendly people Canadians are. And I also have no doubt that we will have our fill of drama, joy, thrills, tears, beautiful moments and reminders of why sport, amateur sport in particular, is such a worthy pursuit.

With all the compelling stories that the Olympics promise, I was so happy that this first challenge for 2010 was relatively straightforward.

The best part of the challenge was learning to make graham crackers. Nanaimo Bars use graham cracker crumbs in the recipe for the base of the bars. Lauren very creatively challenged us to make our own graham crackers, and not just regular graham crackers, but gluten-free graham crackers at that. She also generously provided some links to recipes for regular graham crackers for those who didn’t want to try the gluten-free version.

I was surprised at how easy it was to make graham crackers. Considering how much I love to eat them out of hand and how regularly I use graham crackers in baking, I can’t thank Lauren enough for thinking of this part of the challenge.

As for the Nanaimo Bars, if you’ve never seen one or tried one, you should definitely attempt them. They’re an easy bar cookie to make (if you use store-bought graham crumbs there’s actually no baking involved) and I have yet to meet anyone that doesn’t like them.

I made basic Nanaimo Bars (no variation) as I’d never tried them before so I wanted to make the original. When I served the bars, I cut them into very small squares because they are quite sweet.

I want to thank Lauren for her efforts in hosting the challenge and for making all Daring Kitchen members honourary Canadians just in time for Vancouver 2010!

Ciao!

For the challenge recipe, click here.

Click here to visit The Daring Bakers’ blogroll.

If you’re interested in following the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, visit the official site here.

For the first time in Magazine Mondays history, I got nothin’ for ya! The cupcakes pictured above are actually a variation on a recipe that I presented in an older MM post.

It’s been pretty busy since the new year and I haven’t had a lot of time to hit that magazine pile.

Happily, though, I’ve had so many entries for MM that I didn’t want to skip a week. All those people who’ve won a victory in the war against out-of-control magazine stacks deserve their moment in the sun. Here are all the MM champs:

Nova of Raining Potatoes made Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cheesecake Swirl Brownies from the January 2009 issue of Bon Appétit.

Tina from Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made French Chicken from Cook’s Illustrated.

Poppyseed of Poppyseeds and Tiger Lilies made Italian Pasta and Bean Soup from the Winter 2008 special issue of Cook’s Illustrated (Soups and Stews).

Nicole from Sweet Tooth made Cream Cheese Cookies from a 2005 holiday issue of Martha Stewart Living.

Sarah of A Taste of Savoie from Smoked Mackerel Rillettes from Homes and Gardens.

Dawn of Doable and Delicious made Peppered Beef Stroganoff from the January 2008 issue of Bon Appétit.

Have a fabulous week, everyone!

Ciao!

Ever since the announcement in October 2009 that Gourmet magazine would cease publication, I’ve read countless tributes to the magazine and to the people who contributed to making it a favourite for those who love food and wine.

I don’t know how many times I read the word impeccable in those tributes. Ruth Reichl … impeccable. The magazine … impeccable. The recipes … impeccable.

I couldn’t agree more.

And I can’t tell you how pleased I was that a copy of Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen became mine right around the time the announcement of Gourmet’s demise was made.

By the (impeccable) Ruth Reichl, this book represents all that I loved about Gourmet. Beautiful recipes spanning the exotic to the comforting, it’s detailed and polished without even a the slightest hint of being impractical.

Gourmet walked that fine line between beautiful, sometimes lofty dishes and recipes that you can actually make at home.

The cookbook follows the same formula.

Be forewarned. With over 1,000 recipes this baby will take up some precious space on your cookbook shelf. And there are no pictures. That has certainly never stopped me from loving a cookbook but I know that for many, that’s a determining factor in whether or not to buy a cookbook.

If you’re wavering, consider this: the book covers every single menu item imagineable. Like the ubiquitous little back dress, this book will take you everywhere. You can go from drinks and cocktails to a dessert party with complete ease.

I have very happily sacrificed some lesser cookbooks on my shelf to make room for this treasure.

In one word: impeccable.

Ciao!

Masala Chai (pictured above). Recipe at Gourmet.com.

Note: It took me a very long time to decide what recipes to try from this book. I tried a few including a delicious Buttermilk Coffee Cake (pp. 669-70), but the one I loved the most was the Masala Chai. I was introduced to this delightful milk drink many years ago by a friend. Making it at home for the first time was lovely, both for the end result and for the process. I loved the way the kitchen smelled when I ground all those lovely spices that form part of the recipe.