Sweet Sadie's Baking

Beignets...Café du Monde

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:31:00 +0000

My many years working in the travel industry has allowed me the luxury of tasting many different foods and wonderful desserts.
One visit was to New Orleans, Louisiana, a fabulous place to visit if you like food, music and lots of fun! And one of my favorite stops is Café du Monde in the French Market. The French Market is comprised of seven buildings, anchored at the Jackson Square end by the Café du Monde and on the other end by the Farmers and Flea Market sheds. You must visit this area when you go to New Orleans!

The Café du Monde is famous for its beignets (pronounced BEN yays). The beignet is a square piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar. It's kind of like a donut without the hole...but much better! On one of my visits, I picked up the mix to make these delicious little fritters at home. Elliot (my son), has been my official taster over the years. It was just the two of us, but now he has a tasting apprentice, Dan, my wonderful husband. When the two of them get together and critique my baking, it is quite amusing.

Elliot loved these beignets and then the unthinkable happened... ohhhh yesss.... I ran out of the mix!!!! He was young and really didn't understand how I was relying on a box of powdered beignets. He looked at me in that son-ly way and asked if I could make them anyhow. "But this is special powdered beignets...from New Orleans...I don't know how to make them". Off I went, searching through recipe books until I found a beignet recipe. You can order the mix online now. but... these are better than the mix....even Elliot thinks so.
The recipe is from a wonderful little cookbook called James McNair's Breakfast.

Here's the recipe:

· ¾ cup warm water

· ½ package quick-rising active dry yeast
· ¼ cup granulated sugar
· ½ teaspoon salt
· ½ cup canned evaporated milk
· 1 egg, lightly beaten
· 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
· 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
· Vegetable oil for deep frying
· Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Let it stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, salt, evaporated milk, egg and shortening.

3. Stir in the yeast and mix well.

4. Gradually add the flour, about 1 ½ cups at a time, mixing until blended. (You can use a mixer with a dough hook or just use your hands once it gets too difficult to mix with your spoon). Note: if you plan on mixing a lot of dough in the future, you may want to get one of King Arthur Flour’s dough whisks. I love mine.

5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Either refrigerate it several hours or overnight.

Note: I recommend you making it until this point the night before, so you can easily complete it in the morning for breakfast/brunch.

6. Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy pot until approx. 360 degrees. (3 inches depth)

7. Pat or roll out the dough until ¼ inch...not too thin! Cut the dough into 2 x 3 inch rectangles with a sharp knife - or use square biscuit cutters...it really doesn’t matter! Keep them relatively the same size though, so they will take about the same time to fry.

8. Drop them 3 at a time into the hot oil , turning a few times with tongs or a slotted spoon until golden brown on all sides. DO NOT LEAVE THE STOVE!!! THEY NEED TO BE WATCHED!!!

9. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Note: if they don't puff up they are either: too big, too thin or the temperature of the oil has decreased too much.

10. Sprinkle very generously with powdered sugar .

11. Now put on some Zydeco music and serve these amazing beignets while they are hot /warm with coffee or tea..and imagine you are sitting in the french quarter in the fabulous city of New Orleans.

Bet you can't eat one!

Until we bake again!

Penny

Better Butter Butter Tarts..We are Canadian!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 04:54:00 +0000

Brent Loves Butter Tarts

We are Canadian!

Did you know that butter tarts are Canadian? They consist of pastry shells that are filled with a sweet mixture of butter, brown sugar and eggs. The perfect butter tart...well, that is a matter of opinion. First the crust - it is usually firmer and not the typical flaky crust. It is a Pate Brisee, which is a short crust pastry. Then the filling...do you like it firm or runny? Sometimes there are nuts and sometimes raisins...or plain.

Our friends Brent and Elaine came to visit us this past weekend in Lunenburg (July 2025) and we had a great time. As a surprise, I baked Butter Tarts. I think he liked them...so did Elaine...and Dan ...and me too!

Dan and I were talking about Canadian Awesome moments and came up with a few...what are your Canadian awesome moments?

Holding hands with mittens

Making angels in the snow
Watching big snowflakes falling - so beautiful in Lunenburg with all the different coloured houses.
And of course - coming into a warm house...then eating a warm butter tart fresh from the oven...

Here is the recipe
It will yield enough for about 15 butter tarts.

Crust
1 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup water

In a food processor combine butter , flour, sugar and salt and process or combine with a pastry cutter.

Add water and combine just until dough holds together.

Press the dough to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20 mins

Roll out (1/4 inch) and cut into 4 inch rounds to fit into standard muffin tins (about 55 gms each)

Fit the pastry into the tins and refrigerate for 10 -15 mins

Filling

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer or whisk, combine eggs , sugar, corn syrup, vinegar, vanilla extract and salt.

Beat until well combined, but not frothy.

Stir in the melted butter.

Place a pecan half in each prepared pastry-lined muffin cup

Carefully pour the mixture into each muffin cup, being careful not to fill them more than three-quarters of the way to the top (if you fill them more than that they may overflow).

Put the muffin tin on a baking tray just in case there are spills.

Bake the tarts in the centre of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes - the crust should be golden so you may need a little more time, but keep an eye on them!

Remove from the oven and let cool completely, well not completely-you want them a little warm....now this is an awesome Canadian moment.

Enjoy!
Until we bake again!
Penny

Sadie's Simple Chocolate Cake...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 18:25:00 +0000

This is my very first post so I thought it would be appropriate to feature one of my mom's recipes. She made this chocolate cake all the time for the family...it was quick and easy!
She rarely frosted it. Well, it was gone before she had a chance. I found the recipe which, as my son Elliot says, is just a guideline for my memory. It lists the ingredients, says mix it all but add the hot water last, and bake until done! Her abbreviations for Baking powder were BP and BS for baking soda. I made it and it turned out just like I remembered...but I did frost it! It's a great cake to serve to the family and friends.
I used the Fudgy Chocolate Frosting from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book. Thanks to Ivonne's recommendation at Cream Puffs in Venice, I love this cookbook!

Here is Sadie's recipe, although I have added a few instructions which worked for me.
Enjoy!

3/4 cup cocoa
1 - 3/4 cups all purpose flour (preferably unbleached)
2 cups sugar
1 - 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (BP)
1 - 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (BS)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a rectangular pan (12 Inches x 9 Inches)
Sift the dry ingredients together.
Mix the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl (low speed)
Add oil, eggs (one at a time until incorporated), vanilla and milk (medium speed)
When batter is smooth, add boiling water ( start on low and be careful that it doesn't splash!)
Pour into prepared pan and bake approx. 35- 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool the cake completely before frosting.

Options: Simply sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake or make this delicious frosting.
You can find the original frosting recipe in The Cake Book.

Fudgy Chocolate Frosting

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate (coarsely chopped)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (coarsely chopped) - I used Lindt dark chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Melt chocolates together in stainless steel bowl over simmering water. When chocolate is melted completely, set aside and cool completely. (you can cheat and put the chocolate in the microwave for 2 minutes...but keep your eye on it!)
In the bowl of an electric mixer (paddle attachment) beat the butter until creamy - 30 seconds.
Gradually add the confectioners sugar and beat on high until light and creamy - 2 -1/2 minutes.
Beat in the vanilla extract.
Add the cooled chocolate and mix on low until blended. Increase the speed to high and beat about one minute more.

Frost this chocolate cake and enjoy!

Looking back at the Cookie Swaps

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 20:03:00 +0000

I was thinking about the cookie exchanges and how it would have been 12 years of hosting it last Christmas. I thought about us gathering together in the kitchen and sharing our recipes and stories like we have in the past. We skipped the last 2 years as we were under lock down and had a quieter than usual Christmas with a lot less cookies.

In the meantime, it is fun to look back at some of the past ones!

My cameraman (AKA Dan) creates a fun picture based on a Christmas movie for the invitation. The one above is from 2019.

I usually have the swap on the weekend of the 15th or 16th and Dan would meet up with some of the guys and go to brunch at Murphy's Law around the corner. (they have a Caesar buffet)

I have been serving basically the same thing year after year. Cool spring rolls from Mimi's that Leslie often picks up for me, although Jim has picked them up too. Thank you Jim!!!!! Samosas from the Sultan of Samosas, veggie tray, cheeses and bevies.

The last year we had it, Chris brought everyone a jar of her cranberry chutney which my family and friends devoured at Christmas.
I have invited the same friends year after year and try to keep it small (about 12-13 people) The reason I keep it small is so we don't have to bake more than seven dozen (of the same cookie = 84 cookies divided by 13 friends give us each about 6-7 cookies of each type) and we each leave with 7 dozen of a variety of cookies. If there are more bakers and baked the same 7 dozen we would leave with seven dozen but less of the same cookie and I think 6-7 of the same cookie is about what we want.

I try to get everyone to tell me their recipe, but that hasn't worked out very well ...busy lives etc.
We try not to have store bought cookies but with some of our busy schedules that hasn't always worked out either. We do say that if you are going to buy them, they must be from a local bakery and look like a home made cookie. There is no question, that we really would prefer everyone to make their cookies, no matter what they look like, because we know they were baked ...from the heart.

It is quite exciting when everyone comes in with their containers and starts laying out their cookies...they look so beautiful.
We go around the room and everyone gets to talk about their cookies and usually some disasters surface. I remember the day we found out that Brenda's ginger snap cookies were not ginger snap cookies at all.

We all talked about how we wait each year for Brenda's ginger snap cookies. How I remember Savannah, Lori's daughter and Liam, Lisa's son barely tall enough to see over the table and staring wide eyed at the ginger snap cookies that Brenda baked. We wouldn't let them touch the cookies until the swap began!, Then she finally had to break it to us that it was a molasses cookie...we were all shocked and laughed.
And then there was the year that Brenda was busy and in walked her husband Pat (Macdonald) with the cookies....our special guest! Those who know him can imagine the laughs we had that year.

And then there was Brent, who made the cookies that year for Elaine because she was away until the last minute. He actually made a video demonstrating himself making the cookies - like the star on a cookie channel ...hilarious!

Meredith's mom, Myfanwy who always parks so many blocks away because she doesn't love driving around here, has been coming each year. Surprise surprise - she parked close to the house the last time! She comes in laden with cookies and also decorations for her platter!. Myfanwy and Meredith have been coming since the beginning and we love to always hear the stories of the boys with their cookies and of course the year Meredith's oven didn't work and she had to come up with a non- bake cookie.

Lisa sometimes flies in just in time to get the cookies on the table but she missed it the last time... Travelling....wow that is a strange word! There is Mary Lou who hasn't missed until the last year (because she was sick) and who I can depend on to help me tidy things up and remind me to take things out of the oven!
And then there is Leslie who usually wants to bake something different and more complicated. She baked the most beautiful Florentines one year and then there are her chocolate covered cherries.

There was the year that Chris showed up at the door, with her wooden Sleigh platter, (she always displays her cookies on the sleigh so they look so pretty) and she forgot what time the cookie swap started and we had already finished and everyone was leaving! Chris makes some great cookies but really stresses out about her baking for this exchange. Her cookies are always great!

Karen always has very pretty cookies that everyone appreciates, usually decorated in beautiful colors.

Caley, has also been coming for the last few years. She showed up last time with half the amount of cookies needed. I can bug her at work about forgetting the amount of cookies LOL...How many cookies???? I have to thank her and Brenda for keeping Wally under control:)

Our 2 new guests this year were Dianne and Lynda who both made fantastic cookies...Sadly Lynda lost her fight to cancer this past year. She left us with her family shortbread recipe which we will make in our future cookie swaps in her memory.

Sometimes I want to try different cookies but I am drawn back to my usual ones. How could I not make my Mayan chocolate sparklers. When Ben, Chris' son was visiting, he asked if I would be having the cookie exchange this year. He told me how he loved when his mom came home with all the different cookies and would I be making my Chocolate Mayan cookies because he loved them.
I have watched this little guy grow up and so thrilled by the handsome wonderful guy he has become!

The last year I changed my cookies ( Linzer) and actually felt bad that I did...I wanted to try something else but I like tradition and next year I am back to the Mayan sparklers and cranberry pistachio shortbread!

So at the end of the day, it really isn't all about the cookies but more about the tradition and getting together with some friends, sharing stories, laughing together and connecting at least one time a year for a few hours. I really look forward to it every year and hope it continues for many years to come.This year showed me how much I missed the cookie exchange...the cookies...but mostly my friends...looking forward to the day when we can be together in the kitchen again, sharing stories and laughing and maybe even hugging... I miss you guys...

Until we bake again
Penny
xxx

Wally"s Cheesy Biscuits

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 02:51:00 +0000

Our dog Wally (2 years old)

I know he will eat anything- yes- any - thing. He loves napkins, particularly paper napkins to eat and cloth ones to steal off your lap....but the best are oven mitts...all full of flavours...so yummy!

If Wally hears a slight gesture toward his biscuit jar, he rises from a deep sleep and runs as fast as he can to get his cookie. This cheese biscuit is one of his favourites!

These are also great to give as gifts to dog owners!!!! Package them in a little cellophane bag with a ribbon:)

Dig n cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons softened margarine

One and a half cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream together cheese and margarine.
Add milk and flour.
Combine mixture into a ball
Roll to a quarter inch thickness.
Cut dough with cookie cutter and place on un-greased cookie sheet.
bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until edges start to brown. Makes one and a half dozen.

From the treat book the doggy bone by Michele Bledsoe

Check out the video for the demo!

Until we bake again
Penny ....and Wally my sous chef!
xxx

MOTHER ANDREW'S SCONE/TEA BISCUITS

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Sat, 18 Apr 2020 12:31:00 +0000


Biscuit Bitch is a great little spot in Seattle. See the note at the bottom of the page to hear more about it.

And the baking continues....

Memories of baked goods from our friends and family give us comfort and these days any extra comfort we can get is good. After my last post I received this recipe from Sandra, who is one of the travel agents I work with at The Travel Agent Next Door. This is her grandmother's recipe for scones or some call them tea biscuits.

Sandra's grandmother Flora with her Grandfather David

"We called her “Mother”. All the family, grandkids and friends & neighbours did. She was born, raised and lived in Newfoundland so a true Newfie." Now both of Sandra's parents live with them (mom(81) & dad (93)).

Here is Sandra's mom with her grandmother

I love when we can pass these recipes on. I made these blueberry scones/biscuits today and they really are deeeeelicious- especially warm!

Sandra doubles the recipe and then freezes them.

3 Cups Flour

6 Tsp Baking Powder

½ Cup Sugar

Rind of one Lemon

1 Cup Butter (cut in pieces and put in the freezer for about 10-15 mins )

1 Egg

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Pint Blueberries (fresh) (a little over 1 cup)

1 Cup Milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash your hands!!!!

Mix Flour, Baking Powder and Sugar together. Whisk to mix.

Add finely grated rind of one lemon.

Cut in the butter to the dry mix. You can either use a pastry tool like this one but I often just use my finger tips. This is a very important step so do not incorporate the butter too much! It should be little pieces.

Add Blueberries and mix.

Mix in a smaller bowl the Egg, Vanilla and 1 cup of milk.

Add wet mixture to the dry mixture a little at a time. Don’t overmix.

Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Drop large spoonfuls on a cookie sheet .

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.They should be golden.
Cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes before lifting off.

This should make about 1.5 dozen, but it depends on the sizes of the scones:)

Notes:

Substitute with raisins if you want. If you do then the batter will be much drier and you can use a cookie cutter to cut out the scones. The recipe with the fresh blueberries was really good.

Hope you enjoy them! Dan gobbled them up!
Thank you Sandra!!!

Until we bake again

Stay healthy and keep at a distance!

Penny

The Biscuit Bitch in Seattle

From their site...

A place where you can get a kick-ass local espresso and order a comforting meal while getting to say the word “bitch” over and over… and over. Don’t worry if your face turns red, we might tease you a bit, but we’ll laugh with you! Our music will be upbeat and usually oldies, motown or southern rock because we’re a little bit trailer trash too. But even if there’s a long line you can watch our staff dance to the beat in our tiny kitchen all the while flipping your eggs and calling out the orders. The ambiance is kitschy- the energy palpable. This is a place to put a smile on your face, because even if it’s not, it feels like it could easily be home.

Carl's Mom's Banana Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 21:54:00 +0000

I love to bake. In these times of Covid-19 and staying inside and isolated, I have been baking quite a bit! It is therapeutic to create something you and others can enjoy plus the smell of fresh baked bread, cookies cakes etc is usually so wonderful- you feel happier!

One of the best things about baking are the memories that we have of our mom's or dad's baking or our grandmothers, aunts etc. Granted some of them weren't the best but they sure are memorable! And yes my dad did bake. He baked bread, after my mom (Sadie) passed away to have at our Friday night dinners to keep the tradition alive. So in these times of isolation, there is something very comforting in going back to some of those recipes that remind us of their presence and happier times.

When I was talking to my friend Carl (Carlos to me!) the other day, he said he was going to bake his mom's banana bread. He didn't have a pan though, so was going to get one...eventually. I am not sure his bananas will survive. I happened to have some bananas and decided to make Carl's mom's recipe.

I am sure her banana bread was better...but I still think she would be happy that I made one for Carl and of course Eric too!

Dan and I took a drive over to their place and left it on their doorknob (yes we are keeping our distance) ...
Hope you enjoyed it Carl and Eric and it gave you some memories of your mom, your Mother Hen.

Here's the recipe that Carl gave me:

1 Cup butter
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 Tsp Baking soda
1/3 Cup Sour milk
2 1/4 cups white sugar (I think)
1 1/2 cups Mashed bananas
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Vanilla

Note: you can use Buttermilk instead of sour milk. If you want to make your own sour milk

Here is how....
To make 1 cup of sour milk put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill it up with milk until you get to the 1 cup mark. Give it a stir. I recommend using whole milk or 2% milk.
Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so it can become soured and it’s ready to use. This recipe only uses 1/3 cup.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, then add the remaining ingredients. Divide the batter into the 2 loaf pans and bake for 1 hour.

Thought you would also get a chuckle at the following video of Carl's mom baking a christmas giant cookie!

Until we bake again
Stay healthy and wash your hands!
Penny

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 04:25:00 +0000

I love apples. I love baking apple desserts. So when I saw this recipe from Bobette and Belle, I knew it would be good. Their shop is on Queen St East not far from where I live in Toronto, and their pastries are great. I have tried a few from the book and each has turned out well. Their cookbook which is called Bobbette and Belle - Classic recipes from the celebrated pastry shop by Allyson Bobbitt and Sarah Bell.

We started off peeling, slicing and coring 14 apples. I have my handy dandy peel away peeler which makes this sooooo easy!

I greased a 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray then I made the Apple filling.

In a large bowl, I tossed the apple slices with a tablespoon of lemon juice - actually I probably used a little more.

Then in another bowl I whisked together
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

I then added this to the apples and tossed it all together so that the apples were evenly coated. The apples looked so good I could’ have just eaten them like that!

Next in a large saute pan, I melted half cup butter over medium heat and then added the apple mixture. I cooked the apples for about 10 minutes.

To make the crumble topping, I combined in a large bowl ,

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 cups pecans roughly chopped
2 cups large flake rolled oats
1 cup +2 tablespoons loosely packed brown sugar
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups cold unsalted butter cut into 1 inch cubes

Mix everything together and then add the butter and work it in with your fingers until the mixture begins to stick together.

I added about 1/4 cups of salted caramel chips (not in the original recipe)

Place one layer of all the apple mixture on the bottom of your pan and then sprinkle the crumble evenly over the apples. It’s quite thick and I actually didn’t even use all of it.

Bake it for 30 to 40 minutes until it starts to bubble on the top and turns golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through. You can keep it covered and stored in the fridge for up to four days.

I hope you like it !
Until we bake again...

Penny

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 02:33:00 +0000

Sláinte!!!

St. Patrick's Day is coming up and these Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes are a definite winner! Why are they called Irish Car Bombs? Because of the popular bar shot with 3 Irish ingredients - Irish Whiskey, Irish Cream and Guinness Stout. In cupcake talk, it is Guinness chocolate cake, Irish whiskey ganache filling and Baileys buttercream frosting. We need a few more ingredients to make these cupcakes but they are sooooo delicious...in fact spectacular!!!!!! But you judge for yourself.

Caley and I have made these before and they have become a tradition at the office of The Travel Agent Next Door.

Caley and the cupcakes

Here is the recipe...Makes 24

There are many versions around so this has been adapted from a few of them

What's in the cupcakes?

1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
⅔ cup sour cream

What's in the Whiskey Ganache Filling?

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
⅔ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

What's in the Bailey's Frosting:

2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
7 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

HOW DO WE MAKE THEM???

First the cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 standard tins (12 cupcakes in each) with liners.
Heat the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined.
Add the slightly cooled Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine.
Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat just until it starts to come together, about 30 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined.
Divide the batter among the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean ( about 17 minutes)
Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Second - The Whiskey Ganache Filling

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Immediately pour it over the chocolate, then let it sit for two minutes.
Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the mixture from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped, about 30 minutes. (If it becomes too stiff, whisk it until it gets softer)

Third - Inserting the Ganache into the Cupcakes

You can either use a paring knife, apple corer, or large pastry tip to cut out the centers of the cooled cupcakes- going about halfway down. I then used a teaspoon and filled the centers with the ganache.

Fourth - Top it with the Baileys Frosting

Using the whisk attachment of the electric mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually - (actually very slowly so you are not enveloped in a white cloud) add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated.
Add the Baileys and increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. (Be careful because it tends to splash)
Using your favourite decorating tip, an offset spatula or a simple knife, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

Voila! A cupcake winner!!!!

Until we bake again...

Penny

xxx

Sourdough Bread - The Queen of the Table

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Sun, 08 May 2016 14:57:00 +0000

I love talking about bread. When I took my classes with the great baker, Richard Bertinet in Bath, England, he had the term Bread Bore....yup - we can be boring to many people when talking about bread.... but if you are interested, it is incredibly fascinating!!!!

I love baking it! I love eating it! Reading about it...etc. etc. I first started this journey when my brother in law, Colin, was telling me about his Sunday bread baking. They didn't and maybe still don't have a bread bakery in Florenceville, NB, so he baked the bread for the week. It was beautiful! In Toronto, we have so many wonderful bakeries and markets, but I thought it would be a great idea to spend Sunday mornings baking bread. It would be a way for me to slow down...no plans...just make my bread. It lasted for quite a while but then life got in the way and I stopped doing it as regularly. I still have my starters bubbling away. I have been privileged to be a tester for one of Peter Reinhart's bread books, taken classes in Paris and Bath and have studied bread a lot. I still have sooooo much much to learn. I would like to take classes in San Francisco and I daydream about working in the kitchen of many bakeries....one of them is Tartine Bakery.

When I saw a Mother's Day workshop in Toronto at Nella Cucina for Sourdough bread, I jumped at it. Patti, who was giving the class, had the opportunity to bake at Tartine's so I was interested....The only thing missing was my mom....but I know she was with me.... We would have had so much fun...

Because this bread could take 2 or more days to make, some stages were prepared in advance.

We started off with flour, water, salt and a culture I have called "Nella" of course!

We then mixed the dough....

Ate lunch on some freshly baked bread

let it rise....scored it....

and baked it!.....and voila!

Happy Mother's Day to all those fabulous women or men who are moms!

Moms to your own children...to other's children....to pets... to godchildren....etc. etc.

Have a great day!

Until we bake again

Penny

xxx

Here is the recipe from the class....

How To Start Your Own Bread Starter:

· Have a blend of organic whole grain flour and organic unbleached hard white flour.

· Mix 150g grams of flour to 150g of filtered water. Let it rest in a cool area for a couple of days.

· After a couple of days you should see/smell activity; you should be able to see the Co2 bubbles and it will have doubled in size, if not, wait another day.

· Once there is life, discard 80% and feed equal parts flour and water. (75g each)

· Let it rest over night and repeat this process for a few days to get a good starter. Keep your feedings regular, and make sure to smell and get a feel for the ideal ripeness.

· Once your starter is strong enough you can either continue feeding with the whole grain and white flour blend, or just strictly use white flour.

· If you are not using your starter on a regular basis, you can place it in the fridge for a few months. When you are ready to make bread again, make sure to discard the liquid that forms on the top, and begin replenishing it. It will require a few feedings, equal parts flour and water, to bring it back

Basic Sourdough Recipe:

350g organic hard white wheat flour

7g salt

262g filtered water

70g leaven

· Mix flour, water and leaven, rest for 10- 20 minutes

· After rest period (autolyse) add salt. Knead dough for 7 minutes, or until dough has a smooth surface.

Bulk Fermentation:

· Make sure to turn dough every half hour in the first 2 hours, to help strengthen the glutens and redistribute the temperature of the dough.

· The following 2 hours, fold each hour.

Shaping:

· Lightly pre-shape dough into a boule or two smaller boules.

· Set aside and cover for 10 – 20 minutes or until the dough feels relaxed. Use a banneton or line a bowl with a cloth and lightly dust with flour (ideally rice flour, which is less sticky).

· Shape pre-shaped dough into tight boules. Try not to tear the surface of the dough but also try to get the most tension without over working the dough.

· Place dough into the bowl and banneton for a final proof, and refrigerate.

Baking:

· Preheat oven at 500 F. Place dutch oven or la cloche in oven.

· A good test to see if the dough is ready to bake is to lightly press your finger into the dough, if a print stays up to 7 seconds it's ready to bake

· Once he dough ready turn the boule from the banneton or bowl onto the pre-heated Cloche or dutch oven.

· Score the dough with fresh, sharp razor (a serrated knife will also work), cover and let bake for 20 minutes.

· Remove lid and finish baking for 20 min

· Once the bread comes out of the oven, let it cool completely first before slicing into it.

The Waterford Blaa- Happy St. Paddy's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 04:32:00 +0000

A Waterford blaa is a doughy, white bread bun speciality particularly associated with Waterford, Ireland. It is currently made in Waterford and County Kilkenny and was historically made in Wexford. (Wikipedia). It actually has protected status by the EU...Kind of like Champagne I guess?

And so, I decided to try out this recipe from a great blog I follow - Karen's Kitchen Stories

These buns were easy to make. They are good the same day- tender and fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside - but go stale pretty quickly.

WATERFORD BLAA RECIPE
This recipe makes 24
I made them for Leslie's St Paddy's Day Pardy!

Ingredients

900 grams (285 to 300 ml) lukewarm (100 degrees F) water
30 grams (about 1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon) instant yeast
30 grams (about 2 1/4 tsp) sugar
1500 grams bread flour (just less than 12 cups) plus more for coating the rolls
20 grams (about 1 3/4 tsp) fine sea salt
30 grams (about 3/4 tablespoon) room temperature unsalted butter

Instructions

Place the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the yeast and the sugar.
Mix gentlyAdd the flour, salt, and butter. Stir with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk until just combined.
Place the bowl on the mixer and mix with the dough hook for 10 minutes, adding more water early on as needed to achieve a smooth dough. I didn't need to add more....

Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Ooops left it tooooo long!!! STOP!!!!

Line 3 x 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan with parchment, and dust it liberally with flour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and deflate it. I first divided it in half then quarters and finally had 24 equal pieces
Form each piece into a ball, and then press each ball with the palm of your hand to flatten it into a disk. As you can see, mine didn't flatten so much so don't worry. Place each disk side by side into the pan (2 disks x 4 disks). Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise, about 45 to 50 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

When the Blaas are ready, liberally dust them with flour, but don't overdo it or you will be eating flour!!. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
Lift the parchment out of the pan and place the Blaas on a wire rack. Using a pastry brush, distribute the flour that is already on the rolls evenly over the tops and brush excess from the bottoms too.
The rolls can be served warm or cooled. Cool completely before storing. You can wrap them in plastic if you are going to store them for the next day.

Remember check out Karen's Kitchen Stories! This recipe was inspired by Comfort and Spice by Niamh Shields

Until we bake again....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Penny

Hostess Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Some of you may know that I am a recipe tester with the fabulous blog Leite's Culinaria. All of the recipes are tested by a variety of people - from home cooks like me to professional chefs. I love being part of this select group of testers as I have learned a lot from them and they are all so passionate about preparing great food...like me!

One of the recipes I recently tested was Hostess cupcakes- these are the cream filled cakes that were first sold in 1919! By 2011 Hostess sold over 600 milllion of these a year! (according to Wikipedia)

You can still have a homemade Hostess Cupcake. Here is the recipe. ..Homemade Hostess Cupcakes. Once you arrive on this link you can see some my comments under Testers Choice. They are actually fun to make.

Make the cupcakes then

Poke holes in them

See all the holes!

Inject the cream filling

Dip them in icing

and make the curly cues on top.

I made a bunch for a dinner at our friends Dave and Alexia. I changed the design to a spiral! A major design change! hahaha.

They said they loved them...

They were devoured!

Until we bake again...
Penny
xxx

The Neiman Marcus Scandal - The Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie and it's Urban Myth

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 16:24:00 +0000

This is the recipe, except halved, for Neiman Marcus cookies, which was passed around via email for years. The company disputed the story about how a woman paid 250.00 for the recipe she thought was 2.50. She was so angry she emailed it out for everyone to have. They later went on to make a similar cookie to cash in on the popularity of it!

Here is the link to the story....

http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/cookie.asp

This one is nut free and makes about 55-60 cookies. If you have a lot of cookie monsters at home double it, as they fly out of the cookie jar!

Ingredients:

2.5 cups rolled oats (measure first then blitz with the blender)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate, grated or finely chopped
optional- sprinkling of maldon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Measure the oats first, then blend them in a food processor or blender to a fine powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together the blended oats with all the dry ingredients - the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and grated chocolate.

4. Roll the dough into 2-oz balls and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time until the edges are set but the centre still looks undone, about 10 minutes. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets.

5. A sprinkling of maldon salt is loved by my family!

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days (they can also be frozen for up to 2 months).

Until we bake again...

Penny
xxx

I would love to hear your comments, so please feel free to leave one below!

Sinful Cinnamon Buns

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Tue, 12 May 2015 03:04:00 +0000

Somethings just bring back memories...Cinnamon buns remind me of the time we went to Atlantic City. My mom, dad and me. I remember Mr Peanut Man on the boardwalk and how I looked forward to shaking his hand every day. And then there were the cinnamon buns. Maybe it was my first experience with buying freshly baked cinnamon buns and also the fact that I was allowed to run to the corner on my own to pick them up. Probably kids 6 or 7 years old wouldn't be allowed these days... I remember the door man at the hotel calling my name in a very southern drawl Penna soooooo (yes my name is really Penny-Sue) And always bringing him back a cinnamon bun. He probably didn't realize it was the highlight of my day - and a lasting memory.

Here is a recipe for sinful cinnamon buns...very yummy! It is from one of my favourite bread baking books The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart.

Six and half tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 1/2 tablespoons shortening or unsalted butter - room temperature

One large egg slightly beaten

1 teaspoon lemon extract or 1 teaspoon grated zest of one lemon

3 1/2 cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/4 cups whole milk or butter milk at room temperature

1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

Cinnamon sugar is 6 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar +1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

White Fondant glaze for cinnamon buns

4 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of lemon or orange extract

6 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of warm milk

1- Cream together the sugar salt and shortening at medium high speed in the mixer with the paddle

2- Whip in the egg and the lemon extract until smooth.

3- Then add the flour, yeast and milk.

4- Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball.

5- Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture.

6- The dough should be about 78° or between 77 and 81°F

7- Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl rolling it around to coat it with oil.

8- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to ferment at room temperature for approximately two hours or until the double doubles in size.

9- Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter.

10- Line one or more pans with baking parchment.

10- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top of the dough with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick -14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Don't roll the dough too thin or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump.

11- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar shaped log creating a cinnamon sugar spiral as you roll.

12-With the seam side down cut the dough into 8 to 12 even pieces- about one and three-quarter inches thick for larger buns, or 12 to 16 pinch pieces - each one and a quarter inch thick for smaller buns.

Place the buns approximately 1/2 inch apart so they are not touching but are close to one another and leave to rise at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes (covered) or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size.

You can put them in the refrigerator for up to two days pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to prove.

Preheat the oven to 350 with the oven rack on the middle shelf and bake cinnamon buns 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool the buns in the pan about 10 minutes.

Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange extract and 6 tablespoons two 1/2 cup of warm milk, briskly whisking until all the sugar is dissolved.

Add the milk slowly and only as much as is needed to make a thick smooth paste.

When the buns have cooled but are still warm, streak the glaze over them by dipping the tines of a fork or a whisk into the glaze and waving over the tops. Then streak white fondant glaze across the tops, while the buns are warm but not too hot.

Remove the buns from the pans and place on a cooling rack.

Wait at least 20 minutes before serving

Don't wait too long.....serve warm. mmmmmmm sinfully good...

Until we bake again
Penny

Mardi Gras - King Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 05:07:00 +0000

Thinking about all the King Cakes I have made...it has been a while.. you can read about them here - back in 2009. I think I baked about 10 of them that year...Camera Guy actually helped me with the sparkles and I think we saw sparkles in the house for months after!

So pretty....
Until we bake again
Penny

The Ultimate Lemon Meringue Pie...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 19:12:00 +0000

Lemon Meringue Pie with Mike.

Randy, a very good friend of mine said his friend Mike wanted to bake a Lemon Meringue Pie with me. I personally think this is the most difficult pie to make!

I sort of felt like the warden in a pie prison! I know I am very particular when it comes to baking...all ingredients measured and set out (mise en place) and exact measurements...yes EXACT!!!! This is not cooking where you can throw in what you want. Your baking might come out if you substitute helter skelter, but if you want to make sure it does consistently, then you need to suck it up and pay close attention! And even then you may fail because of humidity, temperature of the air, temperature of your ingredients, temperature of your oven and even temperature of your hands! This is why I like it...it is a challenge:) We take basic ingredients and transform them. It is like magic!

Lemons into Lemon curd; egg whites into a billowy meringue - And then there is the pie crust - a challenge in itself....Mike did great...although I am not sure he will ever bake a pie again..

First is the crust which is something that I'm pretty good at. I am only saying this because I am very proud that I won for best crust at the Chudleigh Apple Pie contest one year…my claim to fame:) We are making this crust a little different by rolling it out on graham cracker crumbs, which I have never done before.

Second is the lemon filling which we are making from scratch...this is THE BEST!!!! But it can be a little tricky.

And then there is the meringue… oh boy…sometimes I think I have got it down and then it fails on me. Just a little grease in your bowl that you can’t even see, can get it upset and suddenly you have bubbly foam or just liquid!

So let’s give it a go Mike…and turn these lemons into an absolute incredible Lemon Meringue Pie!

Makes one 9-inch pie

INGREDIENTS

The Graham Cracker-Coated Pie Shell

1 1/4 cups unbleached AP Flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
3–4 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
Lemon Filling

3/4 cup granulated sugar at first
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2cups cold water
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup lemon juice from 2 to 3 lemons
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Meringue Topping

1tablespoon cornstarch
1/4teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2cup granulated sugar
4large egg whites
1/2teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Starting with the crust.

Mix flour, salt and sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. about 4 x 1-second pulses
As you see we use a mixture of shortening (not margarine) and butter. Butter adds to the flavour, and shortening, (Crisco) helps keep it together.
Start with shortening and toss it in the flour ten 1- second pulses. It should look like a coarse sand or cornmeal.
Scatter very very cold butter pieces on flour next then cut in with five 1 second pulses. Butter should still be in small pieces…try not to blend it all in. Small pea size butter pieces are what you are trying to get.

The idea is that when the pie is baking these small pieces will release some steam and this is what adds to the flakiness.
Turn mixture into medium bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cold water.

Using a rubber spatula, fold water into mixture; press down on dough mixture with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together. If dough will not come together, add up to 1 tablespoon more cold water.

Shape dough into ball, then flatten into 4-inch-wide disk. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling. Take it out of the fridge and wait about 10-15 mins to sit so it can be rolled.

America’s Test Kitchen is one of my favourite recipe sites and they rolled out the dough sprinkling graham cracker crumbs on the board…so we will try that!

Generously sprinkle work area with 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs. Place dough on work area. Scatter a few more crumbs over dough. Roll dough from center to edges, turning it into a 9-inch disk, rotating a quarter turn after each stroke and sprinkling additional crumbs underneath and on top as necessary to coat heavily. Continue to roll to form a 13-inch disk slightly less than 1/8-inch thick.
*****Note- This was the first time I have done this and it was a challenge. The crust kep tearing. At first I said I wouldn't do that again but everyone seemed to really like the flavour...
Place dough in 9-inch Pyrex pie pan, letting excess dough drape over pan lip. To fit dough to pan, lift edge of dough with one hand and press dougn in pan bottom with other hand; repeat process around circumferences of pan to ensure dough fits properly and is not stretched. Trim all around…you can use a scissors, 1/2-inch past edge of pan. Tuck 1/2 inch of overhanging dough under so folded edge is flush with lip of pan; press to seal.
Crimping your piecrust - I think that for this type of pie a simple fluted edge is nice as the Meringue really is the show stopper!
For some interesting fluting techniques, click here.

Refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes, then move to the freezer for 20 minutes.
Press a doubled 12-inch square of aluminum foil into pie shell and add the baking weights.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, heat oven to 400 degrees until crust is firmly set, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until crust is crisp and rich brown in color, about 15-20 minutes longer.
Next up…the Filling
Mix 3/4 cup of the sugar that is listed in the ingredients, pinch of salt, 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup (2-3 lemons) lemon juice in a large, nonreactive saucepan. Bring mixture to simmer over medium heat.
While that is heating up and coming to a simmer,
Whisk together your 6 egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the rest of the sugar and 1/4 cup of cornstarch. Add the 1 tbsp of lemon zest.
Temper the egg mixture by adding a little of the hot water liquid at a time to the egg mixture (so the eggs don’t become an omelette!!) This slowly brings the eggs to a good temperature to be able to add them to the water mixture in the pan. Then over medium heat whisk the egg mixture into the pan.
It will start to come together …now SMELL IT….YUMMY LEMON!
Now add the 2 tbsp butter

Now don’t let it cool too much because we want it warm when we add the meringue on top! This keeps it from weeping. Cover with plastic wrap right on the surface in the same pan to keep it hot and prevent skin from forming.. Set aside.

Now Don’t be nervous, it is time for the Meringue!

Mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1/3 cup water in small saucepan; bring to simmer, whisking occasionally at beginning and more frequently as mixture thickens. This mixture will help prevent the meringue from weeping on the bottom and beading on top.

When mixture starts to simmer and turn translucent, remove from heat. It will look like vaseline…ughhh!

Let cool while beating egg whites. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and 1/2 cup of sugar together.

Using whisk, beat 4 egg whites and vanilla together then add this to a VERY clean bowl. Mix until frothy then start adding sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time (let each dissolve a little) ; until sugar is incorporated and mixture forms soft peaks.

Then add cornstarch (vaseline) mixture, continue to beat meringue to stiff peaks. (stands up on your finger and has structure)

****Remove plastic from filling and return to very low heat stirring with spatula during last minute or so of beating meringue (to ensure filling is hot).

Fill cooled pie shell.

Now add the meringue by first dolloping around the edge…I don’t know if that is a word, but it is what I mean hahaha.

You want the meringue to attach to the crust on the inside edge. I have had pies where the meringue just wants to slide right off and escape!!!!

Keep dolloping all over the top.

Use a spoon to create peaks all over meringue.

Bake in preheated 325 degree oven until meringue is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature about 30-45 minutes.....

and the result!

I am a little disappointed in the edge of the crust, so have to practice this new technique with rolling the dough in the graham cracker crumbs...oh well.

I think they liked it...a lot!

Some comments.... " AMAZING pie ...AMAZING meringue and we like the addition of the graham cracker in the crust"

Hope I didn't scare you off baking Mike!

Until we bake again

Penny

There's a Nougat in Town - The Daring Baker's Challenge March 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 02:23:00 +0000

I am not going to lie, it is sticky and gooey to make....and a little sweet...ok more than a little, but really the nuts cut the sweetness! Really! Just eat a little bit at a time...
I think I actually love it. And my friends do too. And my colleagues...I saw you sneaking it, Flemming, Nancy and Robert. And I heard you were sneaking it too Rick when I wasn't home. Camera Guy told me.
So I was with my friends on our evening out to see Sandra Shamus, and went for dinner at Pi-Tom Thai Restaurant, next door to the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. When I walked in, Pat commented that Leslie had let her have a piece of the nougat I had given her and she loved it. In fact one day Leslie called me from the car, and told me she had to toss the little bag of nougat pieces to the back of the car because she couldn't stop having a piece or 2.... Well I had a bunch in my purse, and after dinner, pulled out my little baggie of these snow white treasures... and even though it probably wasn't exactly the proper thing to do in a restaurant, I did pull it out - hey it's just candies - I never said I was a proper girl! I was able to grab a quick photo before it vanished before my eyes...one for Patrice, one for Jane, one for Leslie, one for Pat and one for Ramona...oh yes, then one for me....then another round....ok and just one more....

The March 2014 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Rebecca of BakeNQuilt. She challenged us to learn to make classic nougat and to make it our own with our choice of flavors and add-ins.

A little about Nougat
Nougat is an aerated candy made from sugar, honey, egg whites and nuts. This type of nougat has
been around since the 16th century (according to Larousse Gastronomique). The most well known
nougats are the French Montélimar nougat and the Italian Torrone nougat. Montélimar nougat
contains at least 30% nuts and includes pistachios as well as almonds. Italian Torrone and Spanish
Turrón are similar, typically containing almonds and sometimes other nuts. The cooking temperature and the quantity of sugar determines the texture of the finished product. Nougat can be chewy, soft and tender to hard and brittle

Here is the recipe:
I need to emphasize 2 important items - a good candy thermometer and edible paper (wafer paper)
I found the edible paper at the bulk barn in a corner...hidden...and it is important because parchment would stick too much.

Ingredients
4 sheets edible wafer paper, 8x11 inches (20x28 cm) It is optional but I think VERY necessary

For the Meringue:

2 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) (50 gm) (1¾ oz) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (3 gm) cream of tartar

For the Syrup:
1½ cups (360 ml) (500 gm) (18 oz) honey (preferably light in color and flavor)
3 cups (720 ml) ( 600 gm) (21 oz) granulated sugar
½ cup (120 ml) (170 gm) (6 oz) light corn syrup
½ cup (120 ml) water
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
(Thank you Carl for the vanilla you brought me from Tahiti!)

Add -ins:
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (25 gm) (1 oz) cocoa butter, melted (see Recipe Notes)
5 cups (1.2 litre) (680 gm) (24 oz) mixture of toasted whole unblanched almonds and pistachio nuts (don't toast the pistachio nuts)

Recipe Notes:
Edible wafer paper is nice to have if you’re giving nougat as gifts as it helps with the stickiness issue.
However, it’s not essential. If you can’t find it, grease the pan and then line it with parchment paper.
Grease the parchment as well.

Fat (cocoa butter in this case) is added to nougat to give it a shorter texture and cleaner bite. The recipe will still be good without it- just chewier. Any fat added to nougat should be one that is solid at room temperature.

Directions

Place the toasted almonds and pistachios in a heat safe bowl and put in an oven at 250°F until needed.

Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) pan with wafer paper, cutting it to fit. You can put

plastic wrap or parchment under the wafer paper just for extra insurance to get the nougat out of the pan. You won't be putting this pan in the oven...

Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar for the meringue in a 4.5 or 5 quart

(about 5 litre) mixer bowl fitted with a whip attachment but do not begin whipping.

Heat the honey in a small saucepan or in the microwave until nearly boiling

Combine the remaining ingredients for the syrup (sugar, corn syrup, water and vanilla bean)

in a 2 quart (2 litre) saucepan.

Bring the sugar mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and boil for 3 minutes, covered.

Remove the lid and attach the candy thermometer. Continue to cook uncovered on high heat without stirring until the syrup reaches 290°F

When the sugar mixture reaches 290°F , start whipping the egg whites on high speed and move the sugar mixture off the heat.

Slowly pour the heated honey into the sugar mixture. The mixture will foam up initially.

Put the pan back on the heat and continue cooking until the mixture again reaches 290°F

Remove from the heat and use tongs to take out the vanilla bean pods.

Slowly pour the hot syrup into the whipping whites by letting it run down the inside of the

mixer bowl. Don’t pour it directly on the whites or they may collapse.

Add the cocoa butter and whip JUST until the mixture is smooth again. Do not over mix. If

you have a 4.5 quart (4.5 litre) mixer like I do, you may need to initially lower the speed of the mixer while pouring in the cocoa butter as it will try to slop out.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and dump in the hot nuts from the oven. Mix quickly with a

heat- safe spatula until the almonds are evenly distributed

Immediately pour the hot nougat into the prepared pan, on top of the wafer paper.

Cover the top of the nougat with more wafer paper and press to smooth and even out the nougat.

Let the nougat cool at room temperature until just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes. Don’t let it go too long or it will be very difficult to get out of the pan and difficult to cut. You

want it to still be a little flexible when you remove it but not so soft that it loses its shape.

Pry the nougat out of the pan with a spatula and dump it out onto a cutting board. Trim the

edges and cut the nougat with an oiled knife into the size pieces you want.

Wrap the nougat individually or store at room temperature in an airtight container. The

texture of the nougat will soften a bit after a few days, especially if you have added dried fruits in with the nuts.

There is one person who may not have loved it...but that's ok....Camera Guy...

xxx

Until we bake again

Penny

Happy National Pie/Pi Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:05:00 +0000

Since today is officially National Pie /Pi Day, I thought I would highlight some of the best pies on my blog.
When I was at my son's house recently I asked what the password was for the wireless and they told me it was Pi. ...ok I remembered part of it, but not a lot 3.141..oh well...he is in physics - not me:)
Happy Pi day Elliot and all the math fans out there on your special day. I prefer the food version...let's dig in!

My pride and joy and winner of the Chudleigh Farm's Pie contest is my apple pie! I won for best crust, which for me was one of the highlights of my baking life...I was soooo excited. Camera Guy thought I won the lottery!

My pumpkin pie is really good and has quite a funny story associated with it.

And I can't forget the Cherry Pie. It was sensational, especially when the cherries are in season....beautiful and so flavourful.

When is this winter going to end and the beautiful berries are colouring the market tables????

Hopefully soon! So to celebrate this special day, either try baking one of mine or just go buy yourself a slice and dream of summer!

Happy Pie day!

Until we bake again...

Penny

xxx

Empire Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 01:40:00 +0000

I live in the Beach (or Beaches) area in Toronto - People who live in the beach call it the beach and those who don't usually call it the Beaches...it doesn't matter to me...I love it. I often go to Meat on the Beach, a local grocery store/butcher. They have a great variety of delicious things and they always have a tray of Empire Cookies that look so pretty. So I decided to make them!
I think mine look pretty too. They are a bit sweet and I think next time I would make them a little smaller because of that. What is an Empire biscuit you ask? It is a sweet biscuit popular in the United Kingdom, particularly Scotland, and other Commonwealth countries and is typically considered a traditional Scottish snack (according to Wikipedia).

Here is the recipe for those who would like to give it a go from Anna Olson.

Tender Tart Dough

½ cup + 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup + 2 Tbsp icing sugar, sifted

1 hard-boiled large egg yolk

1 large egg yolk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¾ cups cake and pastry flour, sifted

¼ teaspoon salt

Icing and Assembly

⅓ cup raspberry jam

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

1-2 Tbsp warm water

¼ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

6-8 glacée (candied) cherries, each chopped into 6 bits

Tender Heart Dough Instructions

1. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth.

2. Push the hard-boiled egg yolk through a sieve and stir the raw egg yolk and vanilla into it. Add this to the butter mixture and stir until blended.

3. Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture and stir until blended. Shape the dough into a disc (it will be very soft), wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Icing and Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. On a lightly floured work surface, gently knead the dough just to soften it slightly. Roll out the dough to about ¼-inch thick and cut out cookies using a 2-inch fluted cookie cutter, placing the cookies on the baking trays, leaving ½-inch between them.

3. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until just lightly browned around the edges. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking trays before assembling.

4. Stir the raspberry jam to soften and spread a little on a cookie bottom and sandwich a second cookie on top, pressing gently to secure. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

5. For the icing, whisk the icing sugar with 1 Tbsp of water and the almond or vanilla extract and add the remaining water if needed, until it is a thin icing consistency.

6. Spread a thin layer of icing on top of each cookie. Top with a piece of glacée cherry and set on a rack to dry. Let the cookies dry for about 3 hours before storing in an airtight container.

7. The cookies will keep, stored in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

Until we bake again...

Penny

Leslie's Delicate Florentines - perfect for Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 06:44:00 +0000

I intended to post this at Christmas ....then Valentine's day...oh well...aren't Florentines perfect for Easter?
This is my friend Leslie and she really wanted to make Florentines for the cookie exchange at Christmas and asked me to help her. I have wanted to make them for a while so I was thrilled at the idea and they turned out amazing!

Florentines are very delicate wafer thin cookies and are not that easy to make. Leslie told me to emphasize how you need to be very very precise in the measurements. I think she was surprised at the importance I placed on measuring carefully.

Makes 24 Cookies - this recipe is from America's test kitchen...

We started with the ingredients:

INGREDIENTS

2 cups slivered almonds

3/4 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar

1/4 cup orange marmalade

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Use the flattest baking sheets you have and make sure that your parchment paper lies flat. Process almonds in food processor until they resemble coarse sand, about 30 seconds.

2. Bring cream, butter, and sugar to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to thicken, 5 to 6 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to brown at edges and is thick enough to leave trail that doesn’t immediately fill in when spatula is scraped along pan bottom, 1 to 2 minutes longer (it’s OK if some darker speckles appear in mixture). Undercooking will result in a dough that is too runny to portion. Remove pan from heat and stir in almonds, marmalade, flour, vanilla, orange zest, and salt until combined.

3. Drop 6 level tablespoons dough at least 3½ inches apart on each prepared sheet. When cool enough to handle, use damp fingers to press each portion into 2 1/2-inch circle.

Transfer cookies, still on parchment, to wire racks and let cool. Let baking sheets cool for 10 minutes, line with fresh parchment, and repeat portioning and baking remaining dough.

4. Bake until deep brown from edge to edge, 15 to 17 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Check them after 10 minutes then every couple of minutes. They can burn quickly

5. Microwave 3 ounces chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring frequently, until about two-thirds melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave, add remaining 1 ounce chocolate, and stir until melted, returning to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time to complete melting if necessary. When melting the chocolate, pause the microwave and stir the chocolate often to ensure that it doesn’t get much warmer than body temperature. Transfer chocolate to small zipper-lock bag and snip off corner, making hole no larger than 1/16 inch.

6. Transfer cooled cookies directly to wire racks.

Pipe zigzag of chocolate over each cookie, distributing chocolate evenly among all cookies.

Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes, before serving.

They really were spectacular Leslie! Let's do it again sometime:) and remember you need to teach me how to make your delicious perogies!

Until we bake again...
Penny

Aunt Katherine's Calico Fruit Refrigerator Cookies...a good old one!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 20:13:00 +0000

I know it is February and Christmas was a while ago, but these cookies are great anytime!

This past Christmas I was looking for some traditional family recipes, so I sent a message to Dan's Aunt Katherine who I knew was an avid baker!

I received this back: "As you can imagine, I have hundreds of recipes. In the olden days, I tried two or three new recipes a week plus baking all Harold's favourites." She has cut down now because of Harold's health, but she consulted with her sister in MB who suggested this good old one that makes a lot of cookies.
When she wrote me, she was baking fruitcakes and enjoying the smell through the house...

Calico Fruit Refrigerator Cookies

1cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice
1T. grated lemon rind
1/2 t. vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour
3 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 cup chopped candied cherries
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts.

1 - Cream shortening and sugar.

2 - Beat in eggs, lemon juice, grated lemon rind and vanilla.

3 - In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt

4 - Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture
5 - Add cherries, raisins and walnuts

6 - Cover with saran and chill thoroughly

7- Form into 1 1/2" cylinders. Wrap and store.

Cut into 1/2" slices; place on greased baking sheets; 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

I had to leave out the raisins in mine as Dan is not fond of them but they were sooo good!
Thanks Aunt Katherine!

Until we bake again
Penny
xxx

Making Time for Friends, Family and Me...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 15:15:00 +0000

This year was a bit of a blur. So much went on...walking, running, baking...working. I travelled a lot....to some amazing places, like my vacation in southern France with Camera Guy (my baking classes in Paris), time in Prague with Sheila and Judy (I haven't blogged about it yet) and a Danube River Cruise. I also travelled within Canada - coast to coast. I visited Calgary where I spent some time with my son, Elliot and his girlfriend Leah. To Vegas for meetings, Buffalo shopping with Leslie and the list goes on. I did not get to Montreal enough, to see my family...and I miss them. One of my sisters, Arlene came for Christmas and so did my dad, my son Elliot and Dan's son Zac, which was so much fun. Well, my sister Lorna felt a little left out, so I have included the pic of the three of us...

I also had my 5th Annual christmas cookie exchange! It was great getting together with the gang and sharing stories and swapping cookies. I appreciate the time everyone takes, not only to come to the cookie exchange but to bake seven dozen cookies!
Here is a pic! I will post some of the Christmas cookie recipes shortly. They were so pretty and of course delicious!

The pitter patter of feet in our house is now gone. It is quiet again. My resolution this year is to have a better work life balance...more time for my family, friends and me. These are the important things in life.

My friend Ivonne, over at Cream Puffs in Venice, started me on this blogging journey back when we were in baking classes together at George Brown. She mentioned in her blog today that this is the year she blogged the least, and that is the same for me. Somehow, for me there just wasn't enough time and energy for baking. And it is something that I truly love to do. I suggest you head over to her blog and try making her pasta. I feel the same about bread...flour, salt, water and maybe some eggs. Simple...yet very special. Bread may take a little longer but spend some time on a weekend afternoon and try this one...an egg bread (challah). It is very relaxing and rewarding.

I have lots to look forward to this year. On January 6th I start my new exciting job with an exceptional team. I will have a little more time with Camera Guy, friends and family.

To all my friends, family, readers and bloggers, I wish you a year full of love, laughter and all sweet things.
Until we bake again...
Penny
xxx

My baking Classes in Paris...Baguettes and Pain au Chocolat!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 05:02:00 +0000

While on vacation I try to take one or two baking classes.
Camera Guy does his thing and I do mine. Usually I am right behind him admiring the view...no not what you think! Yes he is the love of my life, but I meant the scenery!

This summer, in Paris, I enrolled in a Croissant and Baguette class at La Cuisine Paris. The school is located in the Marais, just across from Notre Dame and the classes are actually taught in English.

I was like a schoolgirl...again... and so nervous about being on time and finding the right place, I had Camera Guy escort me the day before to check it out.
There were seven students in my class and we made Baguettes Parisiennes (miniature versions of the Baguette) and Fougasses - artisanal breads filled with a variety of ingredients such as cheeses, spices, bacon (or lardons as they call it in France).
We went through the entire process- From pétrissage à la main (kneading and working your bread by hand) to scarification du pain (scarification of bread).

The second class was Croissants, as well as two other famous morning pastries: Pain au Chocolat and Le Croissant aux Amandes (croissant filled with almond cream). Pain au Chocolat is one of my favourites! We had a little Boulangerie going! And of course waiting for the delivery of the goods was my taster...Camera Guy!

He ate a lot of them...so did I!
A la prochain....
Penny
If you would like to see the posts of our trip to France, check out our Travel blog
www.sweetsadiesontheroad.com

An Apple Pie for Ben...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 15:16:00 +0000

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in Canada and Camera Guy and I were very happy to be invited over to Chris, Ruben and Benjamin's house to celebrate. We live in Toronto - Elliot my son, is doing his PHD in Physics in Calgary, Mac, Dan's son, is very involved in drama in his high school in Hampton, NB, Zac, Dan's other son, is attending university in New Brunswick and very involved in the basketball team there, and Meredith, Dan's daughter, is in Fredericton preparing for her next university challenge in social work. It means we don't have our children with us this Thanksgiving, so when Ben requested an apple pie, I was thrilled...I hope it turns out!

I went back into my blog and pulled out the recipe I developed for the Chudleigh's Pie contest in 2011 where I won best crust and best overall pie. Dan, a friend who is no longer with us, from The Haggis and the Herring, encouraged me to enter that contest. He was so confident I would win:) This pie will always be special to me because of that.

Here is the recipe and another post from one of the judges, Agatha Podgorski.

Hope you like it Ben! This one is for you!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
Until we bake again...

Penny

Irish Soda Bread...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:33:00 +0000

Camera guy filmed this video of me making Irish Soda Bread. This is a quick bread so it is completely different than many of the breads I've been making lately. Spread it with some butter (salted) and some nice jam or marmalade...and enjoy! It is quick, easy and inexpensive!

Ingredients
3cups all-purpose flour
1cup cake flour
1 1/2teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and adjust a rack to the center position. Place the flours, soda, cream of tartar, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingers until it is incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Work the liquid into the flour mixture using a wooden spoon or dough whisk until the dough comes together in large clumps. Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead briefly until the loose flour is just moistened. The dough will still be rough and uneven.

2. Form the dough into a dome shape about 6 to 7 inches in diameter and place in a cast iron skillet. Score a 1 inch deep cross on top of the loaf and place in the heated oven. Bake until nicely browned and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with a tablespoon of melted butter. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Until we bake again...
Penny