The Black Peppercorn

Raspberry White Chocolate Squares

Steve Cylka — Sat, 30 May 2026 15:31:03 +0000

If you are a fan of Revel Bars, then these Raspberry White Chocolate Squares are sure to become a new favourite. They have the same shortbread base, but instead of a chocolate fudge middle layer, these have a thin layer of raspberry jam and then are topped with more shortbread crumble and white chocolate chips. If that was not enough, every bite will also have some toasted walnuts. These are the perfect treat for coffee breaks, holiday cookie trays, or any time you just want to treat yourself.

What Makes These Squares So Good?

Sweet and Tart – These squares have a nice balance of sweet and tart from the raspberry jam.
Buttery Goodness – I have a weakness for anything shortbread, so these are immediately in the ‘win column’ because of the buttery cookie base.
White Chocolate Chips – These are creamy and the chocolate chips add another flavour profile to each bite.
Walnuts – Adding the nuts might seem unnecessary, but they are actually one of the most important ingredients. The walnuts bring everything together and give the squares a nutty earthiness.

How To Make The Base

The first part to making these White Chocolate Raspberry Squares is to make the base. This is very much like a shortbread cookie dough. Normally I like to keep the butter chilled when making shortbread, but for this cookie base, I prefer the butter softened. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy.

Mix In The Flour And Salt

Next, dump in the flour and salt and continue beating the mixture for the cookie base.

This cookie base should not be too wet, since butter is the only wet ingredient. Therefore, the consistency should be somewhat crumbly and like little small peas.

Add The Walnuts

The cookie dough base for these squares is almost done. The last ingredient for this dough is the chopped walnuts. Stir them in evenly with the shortbread mixture. You can chop the walnuts yourself or purchase a bag of chopped walnuts at the supermarket. That is what I did.

Other Nuts? You can substitute the walnuts with different kind of nut if you wish. Some that I would suggest include pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts. Just make sure they are nicely chopped before adding to the mixture.

Spread Into A Baking Pan

Spread two thirds of the mixture across the base of a 13×9 rectangular baking pan, lined with parchment paper. Press the shortbread mixture into the baking dish so that it is an even layer across the bottom. Set aside the remaining one third of the cookie dough mixture aside for later.

Expert Tip! I like to cut my parchment paper extra long and then fold it to the exact length of the shorter side of the baking pan. That way, once the squares are finished baking and they cool, it is very easy to lift out of the baking dish.

Spread The Jam

Use a rubber spatula or the round side of a spoon to spread the jam across the cookie base. Try to keep it as even as you can. If you like extra raspberry flavour, feel free to add a little more than is called for in this recipe.

Other Fruit Jams? While I have not tried these squares with different types of jams, I am sure it would work fine. But, jams can have very different textures from each other based on the fruit, brand, sugar content, etc. So, the final results might vary. As I am typing this, I am thinking my next batch might be with apricot jam and chopped almonds. Mmmmm!

Don’t Forget The Topping!

Once the jam has been spread on the base, it is time to use that remaining third of the shortbread dough as well as the white chocolate chips. Gently stir them together in a bowl, and sprinkle this mixture across the jam. Try and keep the cookie dough crumbly as seen in the picture above.

How Long To Bake The Squares

The baking pan is now ready to go in the oven. Place them in a 350F oven for about 35 minutes. You should start seeing the cookie crumble and the white chocolate chips just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Cut Into Squares

Once cooled, remove from the baking pan and cut into squares. They are ready to serve and perfect alongside a cup of hot coffee, tea and even a glass of milk.

Storing Ideas – The best way to store these squares is in an airtight container, with some parchment paper between layers. These can even be frozen, and I typically make these as part of my holiday Christmas baking each year. I keep all the various things I bake in the freezer in individual containers per cookie, square, etc. Then, I can pull out what I need to make a cookie tray.

More Raspberry Desserts

I am a huge fan of raspberries, and love adding them to salads, dressings, and more. Here are a few of my favourite desserts that include these tart berries.

Raspberry Pie – This is such a classic way to use raspberries in a dessert and this pie is simple to make and so good! I encourage you to give it a try.
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookie – We make these almost every Christmas and it always reminds me of my childhood.
Raspberry Crumble Bars – You might think these are similar to the recipe on this page, but with fresh raspberries and oats in the crumble the flavour is quite different.
Raspberry Lemon Loaf – I love a lemon loaf and adding some fresh raspberries jumps it to the next level!

Raspberry White Chocolate Squares

These squares have a shortbread base with chopped walnuts. A middle layer of raspberry jam and then topped with shortbread crumble and white chocolate chips.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 192kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup butter , softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup walnuts , chopped
3/4 cup raspberry jam
2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

Make the shortbread crust by mixing the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Slowly beat in the flour and salt until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
Take two thirds of the shortbread dough and press it into a 13×9 pan lined with parchment paper.
Spread the raspberry jam evenly across the shortbread crust.
Take the remaining third of the shortbread dough and sprinkle it in various size crumbs, along with the white chocolate chips, across the raspberry jam.
Bake in a 350F oven for 35 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer

Shrimp Gumbo

Steve Cylka — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 16:00:21 +0000

I love gumbo and this is not my only recipe for gumbo on the website. Packed with so much flavour, this is a meal in itself. Some soups come before a meal – but not so with shrimp gumbo. There are so many times I go to my parents home and there is a pot of gumbo simmering on the stove. Two bowls later, I am a happy man!

What Makes Shrimp Gumbo So Good

Originated in Southern Louisiana, gumbo is a beloved stew that is hearty and packed with so many ingredients that every bite is unique.

The Roux – A properly browned roux provides the flavour base. Depending on how brown it is cooked, the roux can give the gumbo a rich and nutty taste.
The Trinity – The term trinity is referred to the inclusion of onions, celery and bell peppers. This adds more flavour along with the roux.
Seafood Flavours – the shrimp and the seafood stock makes this a true coastal soup.
Okra – I love okra, and for me, gumbo requires a lot of okra. It provides a nice earthy flavour to the soup.
Hearty – with all the ingredients as well as being topped with rice, gumbo is a full meal.

How To Make Roux

Roux is a classic skill and technique used for many different dishes like béchamel sauce, cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese, étouffée, gumbo and some curries. There are two ingredients used in a roux: flour and a fat (butter or oil). I use oil and will either use peanut or vegetable oil.

To make the roux add the flour and fat, at a ratio of 1:1, to a pot large enough for the gumbo. Heat at medium low and mix regularly, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Over time, you will see the roux starting to brown. continue to cook it, whisking regularly. You really want to make sure that you are scraping the bottom of the pot because it easily burn if you don’t.

Expert Tip: Halfway through, you can see the roux is like a peanut butter colour. This takes around 20-25 minutes. It is at this colour that I use the roux for étouffée, but I like it a deeper brown for gumbo. So keep cooking and stirring.

Continue cooking the root, stirring often, until it reaches a caramel or hazelnut colour as you can see in the photo above. This colour will provide a deep nutty flavour to the gumbo, that cannot be matched by any other method or ingredient.

Trinity Time!

Once the roux is ready, add the trinity to the pot. This is the chopped onion, bell pepper and celery. I also include some minced garlic as well. Stir the chopped vegetables in with the roux and cook it for a few minutes, stirring regularly.

Add the Okra

Stir in the okra and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes. As you cook, there will be some moisture/liquid drawn out of the okra. This is called mucilage and will help with thickening soups or dishes with a sauce. More mucilage will be drawn out the longer the gumbo cooks.

How To Make Seafood Stock

While the roux is simmering, I like to make some seafood stock in another pot. It is very easy to make and cheaper than buying a few cartons of broth.

To make seafood stock, fill a large pot with water. Add the shells of the shrimp, a few bay leaves, an onion, the stump of the celery (a great way to use this which many times just gets thrown in the garbage), and some cajun spice/creole seasoning.

Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer at a rolling boil for about an hour. Turn off and wait for later to add the amount of stock needed to the gumbo.

Add The Stock

Pour 12 cups of the seafood stock into the pot and stir in all the spices. Bring the gumbo to a boil and then reduce the heat to a medium low. You are looking for a low barely rolling boil. Let the gumbo simmer for about 2 hours. This will cause all the flavours to come together and the broth of the gumbo to slightly thicken.

If you find that the broth is reducing too much, you can add some extra seafood stock that you made until it gets to a consistency that you like. The broth of gumbo should not be thin like consommé or soups like minestrone. But, it should not be as thick as a stew.

Add The Shrimp

Shrimp takes only minutes to cook, so it should be added near the end of the simmering time of the gumbo. When you are near serving time, stir in the peeled shrimp. Cook for about 5-10 minutes. The shrimp will turn pick (an indicator that it is getting cooked) and float to the top.

How To Serve Gumbo

To serve gumbo, ladle a healthy amount of the soup to a bowl and then spoon some cooked rice on top of the gumbo. If desired, add a little bit of your favourite Louisiana hot sauce to desired heat level.

More Cajun/Creole Recipes

Louisiana Style Barbecue Shrimp – One of my favourite ways to cook shrimp, this dish is packed with flavour. Make sure to serve it with some crusty bread!
Shrimp Creole – Another great way to serve shrimp, this dish has a tomato based and perfect served with rice.
Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya – A classic New Orleans style dish! So good.
Creole Style Stewed Okra – A delicious and healthy side dish that has that amazing creole seasoning.

Shrimp Gumbo

Shrimp gumbo is a rich, flavourful Louisiana stew with shrimp as the hero ingredient, but also made with onions, bell peppers, celery, and okra. It is simmered with Cajun spices, and a roux based broth, and is served over rice for a comforting, hearty dish.

Course Soup

Cuisine Cajun

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 20

Servings

Calories 471kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

1 cup oil
1 cup flour
1 onion , diced
1 green pepper , diced
3 celery stalks , diced
3 garlic cloves , minced
3 cups okra , sliced
12 cups seafood stock , or other broth
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want is spicy)
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 pounds shrimp , peeled
5 cups cooked rice

Instructions

With the oil and flour, make a medium dark roux. Add the oil to a pot and heat it on medium/low heat. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until the roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to the desired color. It should be a hazelnut brown color
Add the onion, pepper and celery and cook at a medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Stir in the okra and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Add the spices and seafood stock. Bring to a boil.
Lower to a simmer so that it has a low rolling boil.
Cook for about 2 hours.
Add the shrimp about 5 minutes before serving. Stir often and once they are cooked through, the gumbo is ready to be served.
Serve with a couple spoonfuls of rice in each bowl.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer

Chocolate Nut Clusters

Steve Cylka — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 01:50:47 +0000

I make chocolate candy cups every Christmas. They are great for gifts, bringing to work and spreading on a cookie platter for friends and family gatherings. These chocolate nut clusters are one of my favourites as the creamy chocolate and crunchy mixed nuts go so well together.

What Makes These Candy Melts So Good?

Homemade nut clusters made with milk chocolate and a blend of mixed nuts are so good.

Creamy and Rich – Milk chocolate is smooth, creamy and the perfect complement for crunchy nuts.
Diverse Nut Combination: Using a variety of nuts adds complexity to the taste profile and each nut gives a different flavour.
Homemade Goodness: While you can buy nut clusters at many stores, there is something extra special about these homemade treats.
Easy To Make – With just a few ingredients, these candy cups are simple and quick to make.
Great To Share – I love making these along with some other varieties (recipe links below) and then package them to gift to family and friends.

Ingredient Notes

These candy melts do not take many ingredients and I pick up everything I need at the local bulk store.

Milk Chocolate Melts – I find that round candy melt wafers are best for this recipe. They melt easy and are not hard to bite into. If you prefer, you could use milk chocolate chips.
Nuts – I like to use a mix of different nuts. Typically, I have pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and peanuts.

Expert Tip: While you can purchase roasted nuts, if you buy raw or blanched nuts, it is good to roast them briefly in the oven to give the nuts a nice toasty flavour.

How To Melt Chocolate Melts

Fill a saucepan with 1-2 inches of water, You could also use the bottom of a double boiler.
Place a heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan (or the top of the double boiler), ensuring the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. I like to use a glass bowl.
Add the milk chocolate candy melts to the bowl or double boiler.
Heat the saucepan over medium heat. The steam from the simmering water will gently heat the bowl above.
Allow the candy melts to gradually melt and make sure to stir occasionally with a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon.

Add Nuts

Once the chocolate is melted and smooth you can add the roughly chopped nuts.

Different Mix-ins? Instead of nuts there are so many different ingredients that you could mix into the melted chocolate. You could add various other kinds of candy, gummies, dried fruit, nuts, pretzels and so much more!

Spoon Into Cups

Now it’s time to spoon the melted chocolate and nuts into mini cups. I use paper candy cup liners placed in a mini muffin tray. This will keep them steady and maintain their shape as I fill them with the melted chocolate.

Expert Tip: I use two spoons: one to scoop up the melted chocolate and mixed nuts, and the other to gently scrape the melted chocolate into the liners.

Fill each cup liner until they are about 3/4 full. Then let them cool to harden.

More Candy Cup Recipes

White Chocolate Gumdrop Cups – Dot gumdrop candies mixed in with white chocolate for a fun and festive treat!
Candy Cane White Chocolate Cups – White chocolate mixed with crushed shortbread and topped with some crushed candy canes. This is a perfect Christmas treat!
Chocolate With Almonds and Dried Blueberries – This is the perfect combination. Dark chocolate, dried fruit and nuts go so well together.
Chocolate Mint Oreo Cups – These candy cups have crushed Oreo cookies, along with melted chocolate and mint flavouring. So good!

Chocolate Nut Clusters

These homemade chocolate nut clusters combine creamy milk chocolate with a delicious mix of pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts for the perfect sweet-and-savory treat. Easy to make and endlessly satisfying, they’re a delightful snack or gift for any occasion!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Candy

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings candy cups

Calories 130kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups milk chocolate melts
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup peanuts
1/3 cup hazelnuts
1/3 cup walnuts
36 candy cup liners

Instructions

Lay the nuts on a baking sheet and toast in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool and chop roughly.
Place a glass bowl on a pot half filled with water. Place the chocolates in the glass bowl. Bring the water in the pot to a boil. With a spatula, stir the chocolates and scrape the bowl until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the bowl from the pot.
Dump the nuts in the melted chocolate and stir.
Place candy cup liners in a mini muffin tray. Using a spoon, pour some of the chocolate into candy cups liners.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer

Butter Chicken Naan Pizza

Steve Cylka — Sat, 18 May 2024 19:24:41 +0000

Any time we have pizza night, I enjoy making 2 or 3 different kinds of pizza. Butter chicken pizza is a new staple for us on pizza night. While we always love a traditional pepperoni pizza or a Hawaiian pizza with lots of ham and pineapple, this butter chicken pizza is both unique and incredibly delicious!

What Makes Butter Chicken Pizza So Good?

Cultural Fusion – This mash up of Indian and Italian flavours just works.
Butter Chicken Sauce – There is a reason that butter chicken is one of the most popular Indian dishes around the world. Creamy with a hint of sweetness and the perfect blend of spices.
So Much Flavour – The combination of butter chicken sauce, tandoori chicken, fresh cilantro, onions and cheese pack every bite with a taste explosion.
Colourful – The vibrant colours of the red tandoori, the green cilantro give it a nice visual presentation.
Adaptable – There are many ways that you can change up the ingredients by using different toppings to try something new.

Gotta Love A Good Pizza Crust

First, place the naan flat bread on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper will ensure cleanup is a breeze and keep any bits of cheese that falls off the pizzas from sticking to the baking sheet.

Naan As The Base? I love to use naan bread for making homemade pizza. It is light, tender and has a little bit of chewiness. Flipping the naan over to the underside can work well for pizza because it is flatter and does not have all the bubbles

What Kind Of Butter Chicken Sauce?

Next, spoon some sauce on each piece of naan bread and spread it evenly to all the edges of the flatbread. I use the same about of sauce as I would for pizza sauce. About 2-3 tablespoons per naan bread. Sprinkle some grated mozzarella on top.

What Kind Of Butter Chicken Sauce? When I make a dish of homemade butter chicken, I make the sauce myself. But for this butter chicken pizza, a store-bought jar of sauce works great and makes this recipe super easy to whip up. There are many different jars of butter chicken sauce. Find one that you like, but be aware that some come in mild and spicy varieties.

Next, top each flatbread with some sliced onions and a handful of tandoori seasoned cooked chicken breast. The first couple times I made this butter chicken pizza, I used plain cooked chicken breast, but once I started seasoning it with tandoori seasoning, I will never go back!

How To Prepare Tandoori Chicken – It is a very simple to process to make this tandoori spiced chicken. I purchase the packages of pre-cooked chicken breast, that is cut into chunks or thick slices. It is typically sold in the deli section or where the ham or other pre-cooked meats are sold at your local supermarket. I cut them into 1 inch chunks. After that I toss them in a tandoori spice blend. Make sure to be generous with the amount of tandoori spices. That’s it! A super simple way to add even more flavour to this pizza!

How Long To Bake Naan Pizza

Finally, top the pizza with a little bit more grated cheese. Now they are ready to go into the oven. Bake in a 425F oven for 7-10 minutes. The cheese should be melted and just starting to bubble.

Once the butter chicken naan pizza comes out of the oven. Garnish it with some fresh chopped cilantro. The herbs really adds a bright flavour burst in each bite! Cut each naan pizza into quarters and serve them while they are still hot.

More Pizza Recipe!

If you like this pizza recipe, then check out some of these other pizza ideas

Naan Pizza with Salami and Buffalo Mozzarella – Buffalo mozzarella is so nice on a pizza and is complimented by a nice hard salami
Santa Fe Pizza – There is so much going on with this unique pizza and it is all amazing!
Pulled Pork Pizza – This BBQ style pizza is just incredible and perfect baked right on the grill in the summer
Grilled Chicken, Eggplant and Zucchini Pizza – I love this pizza so much. It is just packed with fresh flavours.

Butter Chicken Naan Pizza

Personal size pizza with with a mashup of Indian and Italian flavours. Butter chicken sauce, tandoori spiced chicken, onions cheese and cilantro. It is so good!

Course Main

Cuisine Indian, Italian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings pizzas

Calories 734kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

5 naan bread
1 cup butter chicken sauce
2 cups mozzarella , grated
1 medium onion , peeled and sliced
1 pound cooked chicken breast , cut into chunks
3 tbsp tandoori spice blend
1/2 cup cilantro , chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F.
Spread butter chicken sauce on the naan bread. Sprinkle with some of the grated mozzarella. Place onion slices evenly on the flatbread.
Toss the chunks of cooked chicken in the tandoori spice blend until well coated. Place on the naan bread. Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese.
Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese in just starting to bubble and the edge of the naan bread is browned.
Remove from the oven. Garnish with the chopped fresh cilantro.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer

Lemon Bars

Steve Cylka — Tue, 14 May 2024 02:45:11 +0000

There are many different types of square that I have on this website. But, these lemon bars are easily one of my favourite and most popular anytime I bring them to an event or gathering. These squares are great for holiday baking like Christmas or Thanksgiving. They are also perfect with a cup of tea or coffee as a mid day treat!

What Makes Lemon Bars So Good?

Sweet and Tang – Lemon bars are sweet, but they are also nice and tangy from the lemon. This blend of sweet tang makes every bite and experience to remember.
Buttery Crust: The crust of lemon bars is made with a buttery shortbread base. While the lemon meringue type filling is the star of these squares, it is the classic shortbread type base that holds these bars together.
Lemony Goodness: The use of both lemon zest and lemon juice in the filling contributes to an intense citrus flavour. Every bite is packed with the sweet and tangy taste of the creamy lemon filling.
Texture Contrast: Lemon bars often have three distinct textures. The crust is buttery and crumbly, while the filling is creamy and almost gooey. Then on top there is the thin crystallised sugary layer.

How To Make Shortbread Base

The first step in making these lemon bars is to prepare the base. The bottom layer of this dessert is essentially a shortbread cookie base and uses flour, icing sugar, white sugar and butter. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the butter.

Cold and Cubed Butter! Keep the butter chilled in the fridge until you are ready to make the shortbread base. Also, I find cutting the cold butter into smaller cubes, makes working it into the dry ingredients much easier.

Cut In The Butter

It is now time to cut the butter into the flour. This is the same technique as if you are making scones, biscuits or shortbread cookies. Use a pastry cutter if you have one, or you could also use two knives. This method cuts tiny little bits of butter worked throughout the shortbread cookie base. Then when it bakes the butter melts creating tender layered cookie base.

Keep doing this until the butter is the size of tiny little beads. The flour mixture should have a crumbly consistency, and you should still be able to see little bits of butter all through the mixture.

Spread the crumbly mixture across the base of a 13×9 non stick rectangular baking pan. Press the shortbread mixture into the baking dish so that it is an even layer across the bottom.

Bake The Bottom Layer

The base of the lemon bars needs to be pre-baked before the lemon filling is poured on top. Once the shortbread crumb is pressed evenly into a baking dish it is ready to go in the oven. Bake in a 350F oven for 18-20 minutes.

How To Make The Lemon Filling

While the shortbread base is in the oven, you can make the lemon curd filling. Start by adding the white sugar and eggs into a medium sized mixing bowl.

Beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth. I like to use whisk attachments for the mixer as I find that it makes it smooth, creamy and airy.

How To Zest A Lemon

Now it is time to add the lemon flavouring. To do this, I add both lemon juice and lemon zest. This gives the curd filling a bright and bold lemon flavour. To zest the lemon, make sure to use an actual zester, like a microplane. Using a traditional grater will get too much of the rind and can be bitter. Rub the lemon across the zester and it easily creates the zest. The aroma is so fresh!

Expert Tip! In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together. This ensures that the baking powder is evenly mixed throughout the filling.

Whisk the lemon juice, zest, flour and baking powder into the egg mixture. Beat on high for about a minute, or until the filling is smooth and well mixed.

Once the shortbread crust has baked and is out of the oven, pour the lemon filling mixture over top of the cookie base.

Second Bake Time!

Now it is time to go back in the oven. Bake for another 22-25 minutes at an oven temperature of 350F. The lemon filling should puff up slightly and create a browned crust on top. Remove from the oven and let the dessert cool to room temperature. Once cool, dust with icing sugar and cut into bars.

How To Store Lemon Bars

Once cut into bars, they can be served the day they are made and wow do they taste amazing. But, if you want to bake these ahead, they taste so good days later. Store them in a flat air tight container to retain freshness. I like to separate with parchment paper between layers. If you want to store longer, these can go in the freezer and still taste fresh weeks later. If you choose to freeze them, I would recommend dusting them with some fresh icing sugar the day they are served.

I find lemon bars to be absolutely irresistable. The shortbread base is the perfect crust and the tangy yet sweet lemon filling is to-die-for.

More Lemon Baking Recipes!

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins – These muffins are moist and delicious. Perfect for a breakfast treat!
Lemon Cranberry Scones – I love scones and this is one of my favourites. Great with a cup of coffee or tea!
Raspberry Lemon Loaf – The combination of fresh raspberries and lemon are so good in this moist loaf.
Lemon Meltaway Cookies – These a an icebox style cookie that are coated with icing sugar. They will melt in your mouth!

Lemon Bars

The shortbread base is the perfect crust and the tangy yet sweet lemon filling is to-die-for. As it bakes a thin crispy layer if formed on top of the filling.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Baking

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings squares

Calories 199kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

Shortbread Base

2 cups flour
2 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cold butter

Lemon Filling

4 eggs
4 tsp lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp flour
Icing sugar for garnish

Instructions

Mix the 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup icing sugar and 1/4 cup sugar together in a bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it forms a shortbread consistency.
Press the crust in a 13×9 pan and bake in a 350F oven for 18-20 minutes.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the 2 cups sugar until smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest. Separately mix the 4 tbsp flour with the baking powder. Beat that into the filling mixture.
Pour the lemon filling over the crust and bake at 350F for 22-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Chill in the fridge for at least an hour so that the squares cut easily.
Dust with icing sugar and cut into squares.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer

Originally published in November 2011

White Chocolate Gumdrop Candy Cups

Steve Cylka — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 20:20:34 +0000

I love making candy cups. They are great during the holiday season of Christmas and New Years. They are also great over Valentines Day and birthdays. I usually make 2 or 3 different kinds of cups every time which gives a variety of flavours.

There are many different types of cups to make using white chocolate or other kinds. Mixing in candy, nuts, dried fruits and more provide endless possibilities.

What Makes These Candies So Good?

I love these candy cups, and the simple combination of white chocolate with gumdrop candies is like a match made in heaven.

Perfect For Holidays – If you do lots of baking and candy making for Christmas or other holidays, these white chocolate and gumdrop candy cups are perfect! Great for Easter as well.
Texture – White chocolate has a smooth and creamy texture, while gumdrop candies are often chewy or gummy. I love the contrast in textures.
Fruity Explosion – White chocolate has a mild taste compared to traditional dark or milk chocolate, and gumdrop candies often come in an assortment of fruity flavours. Every bite is different!
Nostalgia – Both the white chocolate and especially the gumdrop candies give feelings of nostalgia for me. Every one of these candy cups brings back childhood memories, special occasions and holidays.
Visually Appealing – The appearance of white chocolate and brightly coloured gumdrop candies look so fun and inviting. It reminds me of an old time candy store!

Ingredient Notes

So this is one of the simplest recipes on my website with only two ingredients.

White Chocolate Melts – I find that round candy melt wafers are best for this recipe. They melt easy and are not hard to bite into. If you prefer, you could use white chocolate chips.
Gumdrops – these gumdrops as basically like small mini jujubes. I bought them at my local bulk food store and they call them baking gumdrops. They look very similar to the candy called Dots.

How To Melt White Chocolate

Fill the bottom part of saucepan with an inch or two of water. You can also use a double boiler.
Place the heatproof bowl on top (or the top of the double boiler). Make sure that the water level is not high enough where it is touching the bottom of the bowl.
Place the white chocolate candy wafers in the heatproof bowl or the top part of the double boiler.
Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. The steam from the simmering water will gently heat the bowl above.
Allow the candy melts to gradually melt and make sure to stir occasionally with a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon.

Add Gumdrops

Once the white chocolate is melted and smooth you can add the mini candy gumdrops.

Different Mix-ins? Instead of gumdrops there are so many different ingredients that you could mix into the melted white chocolate. You could add various other kinds of candy, dried fruit, nuts and so much more!

Stir in the gumdrops so that they are well mixed in with the melted white chocolate.

Spoon Into Cups

Now it is time to spoon the melted chocolate and candy into mini cups. I take paper candy cup liners and place them into a mini muffin tray. This will hold them in place and hold their shape while you add the candy.

I like to use two spoons and with one spoon I scoop up some of the melted chocolate and gumdrops. Then with the other spoon, I scrape the melted candy off the spoon and into the liner.

I like to fill the liners so they are about three quarters full or just close to the top. Once the liners are all filled, you should leave them in the mini muffin tray until they harden.

How To Store White Chocolate Gumdrop Candies

Once the white chocolate has hardened, the candy cups can be removed from the muffin tray. They can be placed in a sealed plastic or glass container. Keep them in a cool place and they will stay fresh for a couple weeks….. if they last that long!

More Candy Cup Recipes

Chocolate With Almonds and Dried Blueberries – This is the perfect combination. Dark chocolate, dried fruit and nuts go so well together.
Chocolate Mint Oreo Cups – These candy cups have crushed Oreo cookies, along with melted chocolate and mint flavouring. So good!
Candy Cane White Chocolate Cups – White chocolate mixed with crushed shortbread and topped with some crushed candy canes. This is a perfect Christmas treat!

Candy Cane White Chocolate Candy Cups

A sweet mini candy cup made with melted white chocolate, crumbled shortbread, crushed candy canes and red candy melts. The perfect sweet treat for Christmas holidays.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Candy

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings candy cups

Calories 71kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

3 cups white chocolate candy melts
1 1/2 cups gumdrops

Instructions

Put the white chocolate candy melts in a glass bowl. Rest the bowl on top of a pot half filled with water. The glass bowl must be large enough that it rests on top of the pot and is not touching the water at all. Bring the water to a low boil. Stir the candy melts until melted and smooth.
Stir in the gumdrop candies, and spoon into the candy cup liners so that they are about 3/4 filled.
They will harden as they cool.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer

Pork Lumpia

Steve Cylka — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 22:43:42 +0000

These pork lumpia are small, tightly rolled Filipino spring rolls, that are filled with a seasoned mixture of ground pork, minced cabbage and carrots. Deep-fried until crispy and served with a plum sauce or other dipping sauce.

What Makes Lumpia So Good?!

Diverse Ingredients: Lumpia can be filled with a many different ingredients. While this recipe uses pork, cabbage and carrots, you can also use beef, shrimp, onion and many more.
Crispy: People love the texture of these deep fried spring rolls. The wrapper is nice and crispy when they come out of the hot oil!
Cultural Significance: For many Filipinos, lumpia is not just a tasty dish but also holds cultural significance. It is often associated with celebrations, family gatherings, and special occasions, contributing to the positive feelings associated with enjoying this dish.
Perfect For Dipping: whether you like the sweet plum sauce, a spicy sauce with sriracha or a tangy salty sauce, these lumpia are tasty and made better with a nice dipping sauce!
Bite Sized: Pork lumpia are ideal for parties, birthdays, holidays, church pot lucks and so much more!

Ingredients You Need

Making Filipino pork lumpia is surprisingly easy. More than anything, it just takes some time to do the actual rolling. But, it is not a complicated or challenging appetiser to make. Here are the ingredients you need.

Spring roll wrappers – I buy frozen square wrappers that are 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches or 12 cm x 12 cm.
Ground pork – get lean pork because you are going to drain it of any grease.
Cabbage – you can get a head of cabbage or a bag of cole slaw mix.
Carrot – one large carrot.
Garlic – 6 cloves of garlic or you can use some pre-minced garlic that you can buy in a jar.
Soy sauce
Dry onion soup mix – there are many different brands of dry soup mix. Any kind should work – we like to use the Knorr brand.
Salt – for seasoning.
Corn starch – for the paste to seal the lumpia.
Oil – for deep frying. I like to use either vegetable or canola oil for deep frying. Peanut oil is amazing for frying, but it is definitely pricier.

Cook The Ground Pork

The first step to making the filling, is to cook the meat. Get a large skillet, and brown the ground pork over medium to medium high heat. Make sure to use a wooden spoon or metal spatula to break up the ground pork into small bits.

Drain The Meat

Once the pork has been fully cooked, turn off the heat and let it cool slightly. Then, drain it of all the grease. It is important to get as much of the liquid out of the meat as possible. Using a mesh strainer, press any liquid that you can out of the pork.

Pulse The Vegetables

The next step in making the filling is to prepare the vegetables. Chop up the cabbage and carrot and place them in a food processor.

Using A Bag Of Cole Slaw – instead of getting a head of cabbage, we find that using a bag of cole slaw mix works just as good. Obviously, this should not include any of the salad dressing, but just the pre-cut cabbage (green or red) and maybe even a little bit of carrot.

Pulse the food processor until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Be careful to not let them blend into a paste. You still want there to be little bits of cabbage and carrots in the mixture.

Mix The Filling

It is time to combine everything for the lumpia filling. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked pork, pulsed vegetables, minced garlic, soy sauce, dry onion soup mix and salt.

Chill Filling Before Rolling

Cover the bowl of filling with a lid or plastic wrap and place the bowl in the fridge for about one hour. This allows the meat to cool down before rolling.

Get Everything Ready For Rolling!

Rolling lumpia takes some time so you will want a work station with everything within reach.

A bowl with the filling that has been in the fridge for at least an hour.
A stack of spring roll wrappers that have fully defrosted.
A bowl of corn starch paste.

How To Make Corn Starch Paste – this is used to seal the one corner of the wrapper when making the lumpia. In a small bowl mix 1 tbsp of corn starch with 1/4 cup of water until dissolved. Heat in a microwave for 25 seconds. Stir again until a paste is formed.

How To Roll Lumpia

Step 1: Place one spring roll wrapper on a clean work surface. Spoon about one rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the wrapper. Place the filling almost in the the middle of the wrapper but a little closer to you.

Rolling With Others Is More Fun! Preparing pork lumpia takes time and is often part of holidays or special events. Get some people to roll with you and it will go faster and be a fun time with family and friends.

Step 2: Take the corner of the wrapper closest to you, and lift it over the filling slightly tucking it under the filling.

Step 3: Start rolling the lumpia away from you. Try and keep it tight and shape the filling into a log in the wrapper.

Roll Tight But Gentle – you want the lumpia to be fairly tightly rolled, but at the same time, the tighter you roll it, the greater chance that the wrapper will tear or rip. So, be careful when rolling. After you have made a few lumpia, you will get an idea of how tight to roll.

Step 4: Take the two side corners of the spring roll wrapper and tuck them in as you continue to roll the lumpia.

Seal The Lumpia

Step 5: After you have rolled the lumpia, you need to seal that last corner of the wrapper. Dip your finger in the corn starch paste, and spread a thin layer of the paste on the inner part of that top corner. Continue to roll the lumpia over that final corner and it should stick because of the paste and be nicely sealed.

Yay! You have rolled your first lumpia! They are simple to roll, and it will not take you long to get comfortable rolling them. Place the rolled lumpia in a baking dish, plate or other container and move on to rolling the next one.

Continue rolling until all the filling is used up. Depending on how much filling is spooned into each lumpia, you will likely get a different quantity of finished lumpia each time. Expect to get approximately 75 lumpia.

Can You Make Lumpia Ahead? Yes! Since rolling Filipino pork lumpia is time consuming, it is a great idea to make them ahead and place them in the freezer. Simply roll all the lumpia and place them in a container. Put a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper between the layers so that they do not stick together. Seal the container with the lid and place in the freezer.

How To Deep Fry Lumpia

You can with use a deep fryer or a large pot with hot oil. If using a pot, the oil should be a couple inches deep and plenty of room between the oil and the top of the pot to ensure that the oil does not splatter out of the pot.

Preheat the oil to 375F. The lumpia should be cooked in batches. I find that cooking 6 to 8 lumpia at a time works well for my deep fryer.

How Long To Deep Fry Lumpia

The pork lumpia will not take long in the deep fryer. They are done once the spring roll wrapper is nice and golden brown. This should take between 3-4 minutes in the hot oil.

How To Cook Frozen Lumpia – if you have lumpia in the freezer, you want to cook them while still frozen. Follow the directions for frying, but just add a couple extra minutes to the frying time.

Once the lumpia has finished frying, take them out of the hot oil and place them in a dish lined with paper towels. The paper towels will allow any excess oil to drain.

Continue frying the batches of pork lumpia. Since each batch only takes 3-4 minutes, it will not take long to get a bunch of them fried. Do not be surprised if people start hovering around after some of them are cooked, looking to see if they can grab one.

How To Serve Pork Lumpia

It is ideal to serve the lumpia while they are still hot and they are best with a bowl of a dipping sauce. We love plum sauce or a sweet Thai chili sauce. This recipe makes about 75 pork lumpia, but they do not last long because they are so good!

Recipes To Serve With Lumpia

If you are looking for some ideas to serve with pork lumpia, then check out these recipes!

Sweet Thai Dipping Sauce – while you can buy this sauce in most supermarkets, this homemade version is so good!
Dumpling Dipping Sauce – looking for a nice sauce for lumpia, then check this one out!
Vegetable Chow Mein – these noodles are delicious are great alongside these spring rolls.
Singapore Chili Shrimp – spicy and sweet, this recipe is so good, that I look for any reason to make this shrimp dish!

Pork Lumpia

This deep fried Filipino style spring roll is made with ground pork, cabbage, carrots and other ingredients. These are perfect as an appetiser and great for family gathering, holiday meals and other special events.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine filipino

Servings

Calories 90kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground pork
4 cups shredded cabbage , or one (397g/14oz) bag of cole slaw
1 large carrot , peeled and chopped into chunks
6 cloves garlic , minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp dry onion soup mix
1 tsp salt
75 spring roll wrappers
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
oil , for deep fryer

Instructions

How To Make The Filling

Brown the ground pork in a skillet over medium heat until fully cooked through. Let cool slightly. Drain the grease and using a mesh strainer, press out any of the excess liquid. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Place the shredded cabbage and carrot in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, but not pulsed into a paste.
In a large bowl, add the ground pork, pulsed vegetables, garlic, soy sauce and salt. Stir until well combined.

How To Make A Lumpia

Make the corn starch paste. In a small bowl, stir the corn starch with the water until dissolved. Heat in the microwave for 25 seconds and then stir again.
Take one spring roll wrapper and place on a work surface. Place a small spoonful of the filling near the middle of the wrapper but a little closer to you.
Lift the corner of the wrapper by you over the filling and slightly tuck it under.
Start to roll the lumpia away from you, forming it into a small log top shape.
Fold the side corners into the lumpia and tuck them under as you continue to roll. Try to roll tightly but be careful not to let the wrapper tear.
At the point when the lumpia is mostly rolled with just the top corner of the wrapper showing, dip a finger into the corn starch paste. Rub that on the top corner of the wrapper which serves as an adhesive.
Continue to roll the lumpia over the final corner of the wrapper. Because of the corn starch mixture, the corner should stick easily and seal the lumpia.

How To Deep Fry Lumpia

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375F.
Fry the lumpia in batches, around 6-8 at a time.
Fry until the lumpia are a nice golden brown. This should take 3-4 minutes.
Remove from the deep fryer and place on a couple pieces of paper towel to absorb any of the excess oil.
Continue to fry the lumpia.
Serve the lumpia while still hot, with some plum sauce for dipping.

Notes

Make Ahead And Freeze?

You can also make a large batch of lumpia and freeze them before frying. This way, you can have lumpia on hand for quick and easy snacks or appetizers. To cook frozen lumpia, fry them directly from the freezer, adding a couple of extra minutes to the frying time.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer

Pecan Snowballs

Steve Cylka — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:45:15 +0000

Cookies are one of my favourite desserts. There are so many different types of cookies out there – some chewy, others crispy. Some with lots of chocolate, while other have lots of nuts or dried fruit. These pecan snowballs are a very popular cookie and with good reason. Buttery and packed with flavour of pecan and vanilla. They are coated with icing sugar and practically melt in your mouth!

What Is A Pecan Snowball?

These snowball cookies are also known by other names such as Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, or butterballs. These cookies are popular for holidays like Christmas and common in various cultures where they are often served at weddings.

Snowball cookies typically have a buttery and crumbly texture, and they are rolled in powdered sugar, giving them a snowy appearance. The main ingredients usually include butter, powdered sugar, flour, and finely chopped pecans. Variations of nuts, like walnuts are also common.

The cookies are shaped into small balls before baking, and after they are baked and while still warm, they are rolled in powdered sugar to coat them.

How To Prepare Pecans

This recipe calls for ground pecans. While, you can easily purchase the nuts that have already been ground I grind them myself since I always have whole pecans in the pantry. A food processor is the perfect way to grind the nuts. Add a bunch of pecans to the food processor and pulse until finely ground as you can see in the photo below.

The ground pecans should resemble a crumbly sand texture. This will be mixed throughout the cookie dough giving every bite the flavour of the nuts. Measure out 1 cup of the ground pecans. It should be close to 1 cup of whole pecans but it will not be exactly the same.

The first step to making these pecan snowballs is to cream together the softened butter, vanilla and icing sugar. Blend with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy.

Next, add in the ground pecans. and beat until well combined. Some of the pecans will be tiny chunks, while much of the ground pecans will be basically like dust or fine sand.

Finally, mix in the flour. Beat it together at a slow speed, and then slowly increase the speed until the cookie dough is well mixed.

How Long To Bake Pecan Snowballs

Making these cookies is very easy. It is a simple dough with just a few ingredients. Once the dough is made, roll the cookies into 1 1/4 inch balls. Bake these cookies in a 350F for 12-15 minutes. They will spread and flatten slightly.

Toss In Icing Sugar

Let these cookies cool slightly, but while they are still warm, toss them in a generous amount of icing sugar. The warmth of the cookies will actually help the icing sugar stick and coat the cookies. These are so good and they almost melt in your mouth!

How To Store The Cookies

Pecan snowballs are amazing the day they are baked, but they also stay fresh for about a week. You could also keep them in the freezer where they will stay fresh for weeks. Toss them in some more icing sugar right before serving.

Snickerdoodles – similar to a chewy sugar cookie that has been tossed in cinnamon sugar before baking.
Chewy Ginger Raisin Cookies – similar to a ginger snap but soft and chewy with plenty of raisins.
Peanut Butter Cookies – These cookies are just like the ones your grandma used to make. Lots of peanut butter and the cookie even has the fork mark on top.
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies – Chewy cookies with plenty of chocolate chips, these are a favourite in our house.

Pecan Snowball Cookies

Instructions for how to make pecan snowballs. Also called pecan sandies or Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes.

Course Cookie

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings cookies

Calories 113kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
1 cup ground pecans
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups icing sugar

Instructions

Add the butter, 3/4 cups icing sugar and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the pecans and beat until well combined.
Add the flour and beat at a slow speed. Increase the speed slowly as the flour gets incorporated into the cookie dough.
Roll the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls and place on a non stick baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a 350F oven for 12-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool just a little bit. While they are still warm, gently roll the cookies in the remaining 2 cups of icing sugar. Let cool on a wire rack.
Before serving toss one more time in some more icing sugar.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer

Meat Pie

Steve Cylka — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 17:43:44 +0000

I have been wanting to get this recipe posted on my website for ages, and am thrilled to be able to share this longtime family recipe with you. My mom has been making this meat pie every Christmas Eve for years. I never remember a Christmas Eve dinner without it. This tourtière meat pie is a recipe that she learned from my mémé, her mother. I remember being a little kid and just loving this pie on the evening of December 24th. Now, my kids love the pie when we all get together with family on Christmas Eve.

What is Tourtière Meat Pie

Tourtière is a traditional French-Canadian meat pie that originated in the province of Quebec. It is typically associated with holiday celebrations, especially Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The pie’s name is derived from the vessel in which it was originally cooked—a tourtière, which was a shallow, circular dish.

The filling of the meat pie is typically ground/minced pork and beef or veal. The seasoning in the filling is a blend of herbs and spices and every family usually has their own blend. Some have a little more herbs, while some have some spices like cinnamon and cloves.

Prepare the Pie Shell

I roll out the pie crust and place it in the dish before I make the filling in the skillet. Then, if desired, you can place the pie crust in the fridge to chill the fats in the dough which will help ensure a flaky crust. This recipe uses a 9 inch deep dish pie plate which allows for a nice hearty meat pie!

Storebought Crust? While this recipe uses a homemade crust, you can definitely purchase frozen pie shells at the supermarket. Make sure to buy deep dish shells and get enough so that you can add the upper crust to the pie.

Sauté The Onion

The first step in preparing the meat filling is to cook the diced onion in a skillet with the 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté the onion over medium heat until the onions are translucent and starting to brown around the edges. Remove them from the skillet and set the aside till later.

Brown The Meat

Next it is time to cook the meat. I use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork with a larger ratio of beef. Some supermarkets sell a package with a blend of ground beef and pork, which I have purchased and it works great. Add the meat to the skillet and cook over medium to medium high heat until browned and fully cooked through. Break the meat apart with a spatula or wooden spoon to ensure they are in small bits and chunks.

Drain The Grease? It really depends on how much grease you find comes out of the meat as it browns. I have purchased extra lean ground beef and there is barely any grease, so I don’t bother draining it. Other times with regular/medium ground beef there is a little pool of grease at the bottom of the skillet, so I drain the grease before moving on to the next step.

Add Spices And Onion

Once the meat is fully cooked, add the blend of spices and the previously sautéed onion. Stir them in with the meat and cook for a few more minutes.

Grate The Potato

While the meat is browning in the skillet, you can grate the potatoes. I use Yukon Gold potatoes and like to leave the skin on. But, feel free to use a different kind of potato, and to peel them, if you prefer. Use a large hole grater and measure one cup of grated potato.

Stir In Potato And Broth

Next, dump the grated potato as well as the beef broth to the mixture. Lower the heat to medium low and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid has been pretty much completely absorbed by the potato.

Fill The Pie Shell

Once the filling has been made, it is important to let it cool down and come to room temperature before adding it to the pie shell. Once cooled, spoon the meat filling into the pie shell.

Gently pack the meat filling down and ensure that it is evenly spread across the pie.

The Upper Crust

Roll out the pie crust for the upper crust and gently lift it over the pie so that it is completely covered. Cut the edges off with a knife. I like to pinch the sides with my fingers to create a scalloped edge. Also cut a few slits in the centre to allow air and steam to escape. Finally, brush the top of the pie with cream. You could also use an egg wash.

How Long To Bake Meat Pie

Preheat the oven to 350F and bake the pies for about 60 minutes. I check on them after they have been in the oven for 50 minutes or so. You are looking for the pie crust to be nicely baked and for to develop a nice golden brown. Once baked, let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

What To Serve With Meat Pie?

This pie is a Christmas Eve family tradition. I have had it for the meal on December 24th for as long as I can remember. Here are a few dishes that we often have with this meat pie.

Chili sauce – A family recipe going back generations, this is the perfect topping for the tourtière meat pie.
Fried Catfish – This is so good because I love the crispy corn meal coating on the outside of this flavourful fish!
Gumbo – We love this soup and it is perfect for Christmas Eve as some family arrive at different times.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes – This goes very well with the meat pie and chili sauce.
Candied Carrots – A classic holiday vegetable side dish.

Meat Pie

Traditional savoury meat pie made with ground beef, ground pork in a homemade pie crust. This classic French Canadian family recipe is also called a Quebec tourtière.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Baked

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 699kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

Pie Crust

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening , or shortening
1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
2-4 tbsp water

Filling

2 tbsp oil
1/2 onion , diced
1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 cup grated raw potatoes
1/3 cup beef broth

Extra Ingredients

2 tbsp cream

Instructions

Meat Filling Instructions

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft and starting to caramelise. Remove the onions from the skillet.
Add the beef and pork to the skillet and brown until fully cooked. Break the meat up into small bits as it cooks. If there is a lot of grease, you can drain it before moving to the next step.
Stir in the seasoning and the previously sautéed onion. Cook to a few more minutes.
Add grated potatoes and broth. Lower the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed in the potatoes. Turn off the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature.

Pie Crust Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with the salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the lard until it is a coarse meal consistency. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tbsp vinegar. Stir into the flour mixture. Add 2-4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, to the pie dough. The dough should come together but not be too wet. Gather into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and place in a fridge to chill for at least half an hour.
Roll out half of the pie pastry and lay out in pie plate. Make sure there is enough pastry to have it hang over the edge of the pie plate rim. Press down on all the edges and corners to make sure there are no air pockets. Use a knife to trim any off the pastry that is hanging over the rim of the plate.

Assembly and Baking Instructions

Spoon the filling into the pie shell making sure it is evenly spread throughout. Gently pack the filling down.
Roll out the top pie shell. Dip a finger in a little water and run it along the rim of the bottom pie shell. This helps the top crust stick and seal to the bottom.
Lay the top shell on top of the pie. Use a knife to trim any overhanging pastry.
Use two fingers to press on the rim pf the pie. Press down with the two fingers and push them together. this creates the scallop design on the rim of the pastry.
Use a pastry brush to brush cream on the top of the pie.
Cut 3 or 4 slits into the top of the pie.
Bake in a 350F oven for 55-65 minutes. The pie should develop a beautiful golden brown crust.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer

Perfect Pie Crust

Steve Cylka — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 17:00:58 +0000

Among the realm of baking there exists a quest for many people – the pie crust. Achieving the perfect pie crust is often viewed as an overwhelming challenge. But, it is far more attainable than most people think. Mixing, rolling and baking a pie crust is a balance of simplicity and finesse. With a handful of simple steps, and a touch of patience, making a pie crust can become an accessible and rewarding kitchen endeavour.

What Makes This Pie Crust Perfect?

A perfect pie crust is desired because it creates a delicious and visually appealing finished product. There are a few key factors that contribute to a perfect pie crust:

Flaky – A good pie crust should be light and flaky. This is achieved by using cold ingredients (such as butter or shortening), which creates small pockets of fat in the dough that melt during baking and create the desired flaky texture.
Tender – The crust should be tender and not tough or chewy. This can be achieved by not overworking the dough.
Golden Colour – A perfectly baked pie crust should not just be flaky, but it will have a golden brown colour. Along with baking the pie at the right temperature and time, I also find that brushing the top of the pie with an egg wash or milk/cream before baking, can give the pie that beautiful golden colour.
Flavour – A great pie crust should have a delicious but simple flavour. The pie crust should be a vehicle to showcase the flavours of the filling.

What Kind Of Fat To Use

A perfect pie crust requires the right combination of just a few key ingredients. One of those ingredients is the fat. People who make pie crusts a lot will have their favourites with some claiming butter is the best and other people raving over shortening, lard and tallow. While I do really like the buttery taste of a pie crust made with butter, I typically use shortening.

Some of the reasons I use shortening include:

Rolls Easy – I find that out of all the fats that can be used, shortening allows the crust to roll out the easiest without cracking or splitting.
Economical – butter is getting expensive lately and shortening is a fair bit cheaper option.
Flaky – Shortening results in a pie crust that is light, flaky and delicious!

How To Cut Shortening Into Flour

Cutting the shortening (or any fat like butter, lard or tallow) into flour is a common technique used in baking to create a flaky texture in pastries, biscuits, and pie crusts.

To cut shortening into flour, you can follow these steps:

Whisk together the flour with the salt in a mixing bowl.
Make sure the shortening (or other fat) is chilled. Take it out of the fridge right when you are ready. If desired, you can cut the shortening into small cubes or pieces for easier handling.
Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the shortening into the flour. Hold one knife in each hand and cross them over each other, slicing through the mixture repeatedly.
Continue cutting the shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand texture with small pea-sized bits of shortening evenly distributed throughout the flour.

Add In Wet Ingredients

Once the fat is cut into the flour, it is time to mix in the wet ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the vinegar.
Then, fill another small bowl with a few ice cubes. The ice cubes will keep the water very cold prior to be mixing into the pie dough.

Pour the mixed egg and vinegar into the bowl with the flour and shortening. Stir and fold the wet ingredients in with a rubber spatula or large spoon. Then mix in one tablespoon of ice water at a time. Continue mixing until the dough is just starting to bind together. I find that I only need to add in about 2 tablespoons of the water until the pie dough is ready.

Once the pie dough has been gently kneaded, shape it into a ball.

Chill Dough In Fridge

Wrap the ball of dough with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge so that it can chill. Keep it in the fridge for at least an hour. I typically let the dough chill in the fridge for about 2 hours.

How To Roll Pie Crust

Take the dough out of the fridge. This recipe provides enough dough for one complete pie (top and bottom crusts), or 2 pies that do not have a top crust. So, cut the ball of dough in half, so that you can roll each half individually.

Lightly dust the surface of the rolling area with some flour. I like to roll the pie crust on our quartz countertop. Place one half of the pie dough on the floured surface.

Use a pastry roller and gently roll it out into an even thickness of 1/8 inch.

I like to roll from the middle rolling to the outside edge.
Check every once in a while to make sure that the dough is not sticking to the countertop. You can lift up the edge and throw a little more flour underneath.
If the dough starts to crack or split, pinch it back together again with your fingers.

How To Place Crust On Pie Tray

Once the crust is rolled to the desired thickness and size, carefully roll it onto the rolling pin. Lift the rolling pin over the pie dish and then unroll the crust, making sure the crust is centred over the dish. Press the crust into the bottom and long the sides of the pie dish, making sure there are no air pockets. Use a knife to cut the excess dough hanging over the edges.

How To Blind Bake Pie Crust – There are some pies, like lemon meringue and chocolate pudding pies, that require the pie crust to be baking before the filling is added. To do this, after the crust has been placed into the dish, put the dish in the fridge to allow the crust to chill and the fats to solidify. Afterwards, prick the bottom of the pie crust a few times with a fork. If you have ceramic pie weights, you place a sheet of parchment paper on the crust and spread the pie weights across the of the crust. Then bake in a 375F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the pie crust is cooked through and turning golden brown around the edges.

Time For Filling – once the bottom pie crust is in the dish, it is ready for filling. This crust is great for sweet or savoury types of fillings. Some pies are single crust and once you add the filling the pie can be baked. Others are double crust and once the filling is added, you can place the upper crust over top.

How To Double Crust Pie

Adding the upper crust to the pie is the same as the bottom. Once rolled to size and thickness, roll it over the rolling pin and carefully lift it over the pie dish so that it covers all the filling. Use a knife to cut all the excess off the sides as you can see in the photo above. Then pinch the sides with your fingers to create a scalloped look. Cut a few slits into the centre to allow air and heat to escape during baking.

Ready To Bake

Once rolled and filling added, the pie is ready to go in the oven. Depending on the type of pie, the filling, and whether there is an upper crust or not, the time and temperature will vary. Follow instructions for the pie recipe to know how the temperature and for how long to bake the pie.

Remember that practice makes perfect when it comes to pie crust. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempts are not flawless. Enjoy the process and embrace the flavor of homemade pie crusts. Happy baking!

Pie Recipes!

If you are looking at this pie crust recipe, then you are likely interested in baking a pie. Here are some of my favourite pie recipes!

Blueberry Pie – This is my favourite pie on the planet and just packed with lots of blueberries!
Raspberry Pie – A classic pie, this is sweet and tart with a flaky crust.
Sweet Potato Pie – If you are looking for a new type of pie for Thanksgiving or any other time of year this pie is perfect. It is packed with the tastes of fall.

Perfect Pie Crust

Simple instructions for a no-fail pie crust that is flaky and delicious. Perfect for both sweet and savoury pies.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Baked

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings pies

Calories 1394kcal

Author Steve Cylka

Ingredients

Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening , or lard or butter
1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
2-4 tbsp water , cold

Instructions

How To Make Pie Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with the salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the lard until it is a coarse meal consistency.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg with vinegar. Stir into the flour mixture.
Add some of the cold water, a little at a time and gently knead the pie dough. The dough should come together but not be too wet.
Gather into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and place in a fridge to chill for at least an hour.

How To Roll Out Pie Dough

Unwrap the pie dough and cut in half. Each half is enough for one bottom or one top of a pie.
Flour a surface large enough for rolling pie dough. Roll out half of the pie pastry to 1/8 inch thickness. Make sure there is enough pastry to have it hang over the edge of the pie plate rim.
Carefully lift the rolled out pie pastry and lay over a pie plate. Press down on all the edges and corners to make sure there are no air pockets on the sides or bottom. Use a knife to trim any off the pastry that is hanging over the rim of the plate. The filling can now be added to the pie shell.
Roll out the top pie crust the same way as the bottom. Dip a finger in a little water and run it along the rim of the bottom pie shell. This helps the top crust stick and seal to the bottom.
Gently lay the rolled out pie crust overtop of the filled pie crust. Use a knife to trim any overhanging pastry.
Use two fingers to press on the rim pf the pie. Press down with the two fingers and push them together. this creates the scallop design on the rim of the pastry.
The pie is now ready to be baked. Different pies, have different temperatures and times for baking.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Nutrition Disclaimer