Monthly Miettes : Tomboy Cake

Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the cutest, most beautiful things I had ever seen. A puppy? No. A child? Heck No.

A book? Yes.

Miette is a beautiful and charming book written by Meg Ray. It is full of 'recipes from San Francisco's most charming pastry shop'. The pages are scalloped and feature large, glossy pictures of cakes, tarts, and pastries.

                               


Aimee, the mastermind behind Food, je t'Aimee , fell in love with this book. She wrote to Meg Ray asking to do a blogging challenge called Monthly Miettes. Every month one recipe will be chosen and those who decide to take on the challenge will have a few weeks to bake, create, and blog about each recipe.

Enter, the Tomboy Cake.

The cake (shown above) looks delicate, soft, and classy with it's dark chocolate layers and baby pink buttercream frosting. I thought I'd mix it up a bit and throw my own spin on this cake!

The recipe was straight forward and easy to follow. Whats even better is that it tasted delicious and stayed extremely moist! Instead of making two 6 inch cakes, I used all the cake batter and made one 10 inch cake. I also made a simple butter cream and pumped it up a bit with pink coloring to make it more vibrant and fun! Next time I make this cake, I'll definitely use a different piping tip for the frosting. I'm not a fan of the star tip look.

On the top of the cake I used an offset palette knife to make a large spiral and finished it with some chocolate shavings.

This chocolate cake recipe will definitely be going in my book to use as a favorite and I'm excited to try next months Miette challenge!

Resolutions? Oh ... Right.

Rumour has it that January is almost over.

Seeing as my ass still won't fit into the jeans hanging in my closet and I just ate a rack of ribs for dinner, I'd say it's safe to assume that my resolutions have been kicked to the curb. I did jog/walk/awkwardly move to the bus today so that might count for something ... I'm not going to count on it though.

Instead of committing to working out 4 days a week ( that's not likely to EVER happen), cutting out certain food groups ( as a cook I eat/taste things all day), or stop baking ( come on. ) I've decided to make a commitment to do other things for myself.

Such as; learning how to ski, taking a cake decorating class, joining the Halifax Roller Derby team, making time to blog, and learning how to take some kick ass food photos!

In February I'll start making time for some of those things to happen .. hopefully!

I've already starting skiing and turns out it's a lot of fun :)

Hopefully everyone else's resolutions are going better then mine!

Cranberry Walnut Tea Scones

What are Tea Scones you ask?

Well, they're delicious. That's all you really need to know.

I'm learning (quickly) that my grandma's recipes rock. They never fail, and keeping with tradition these Tea Scones baked up beautifully and had the most wonderful light fluffy texture.

Now back to the question, What are Tea Scones? Well, if you really must have an answer, my only description would be that they are a mix between a tea biscuit and a scone, and are fast and delicious.

Cranberry Walnut Tea Scones

2 cups unsifted flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup crushed walnut pieces
1/4 dried cranberries

• Combine all ingredients and blend well.
• Turn out onto parchment paper and spread to about 1/2 inch thick and cut into triangles.
• Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Finish with a sprinkle of icing sugar

Well it's official. Summer's over.

Between the horrible weather and working 60 hours a week at one of the busiest Italian restaurants in Halifax, mine flew by. I did make sure to take some time and enjoy myself though; I spent a wonderful couple of days on Prince Edward Island with the Mr. and his family, took many walks along the waterfront and visited the farmers market more times than I can count!

While I love the summer, Fall is by far my favorite season. The weather, the smells, the amazing baked goods, soups, stews, and so much more! I'm excited to have time to get out and enjoy some of it! I've missed my little blog and with things slowing down at the restaurant I'll have more time to focus.

I hope everyone had a great summer!
I'm leaving you with a few of my favorite pictures from this summer :)

Peanut Butter Surprises

I don't know about everyone else around here, but I'm ready for all this cold rain to take a hike! Is it really too much to ask for a little summer?!

I tried to brighten up my day by making these delicious little treats (it worked!).

Peanut Butter Surprises (from http://backtothecuttingboard.com)

Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar, plus more for dipping
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Filling:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, blend together the powdered sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Chill while making the dough.
• In another medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda.
• In a larger bowl, beat together both sugars, butter, and 1/2 cup peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture until combined.
• Line up dough, then peanut butter filling, then sheet pan (similar to an assembly line). Fill a shallow dish with sugar and grease the bottom of a glass large enough to flatten cookies.
• Take about one tablespoon of dough and using your palms, roll it into a ball and then flatten. Take about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of the peanut butter filling and place in the middle of the flattened dough. Fold the chocolate dough around the peanut butter and roll back into a ball.
• Place on cookie sheet. Dip bottom of glass into sugar and then flatten each cookie.
• Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. When done, they should be set and slightly cracked around the edges.

Sweet Honey Cornbread

On Sunday I was having one of those days where I really wanted a little something sweet but had nothing in the cupboards and didn't really feel like baking anything too exciting ...

So what was a girl to do?

Well, I opened my notebook and started flipping through to find the easiest and fastest recipe I could find! I decided on Sweet Honey Cornbread; it was perfectly baked, served warm with a little butter and a drizzle of molasses.

Sweet Honey Cornbread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs, lightly beaten

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, lightly grease a 9x9inch pan
• In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients; Add cream, oil, honey, and eggs, stir to combine. Pour batter into pan.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes

It's so easy and delicious ... There's no reason why you can't make it!

Torta alle Pere

I've always had a love for Italian food, everything from delicious pastas to decedent desserts, but it wasn't until I started working at a delicious Italian restaurant in downtown Halifax that I started to truly appreciate it.
Learning how to work with beautiful good quality ingredients; You can add a little love, a dash of this, and a pinch of that and the result are flavors that marry together and create mouthwatering plates.

On Monday, I decided to take a break from staring out the window wishing for sun and bake! I might cook all day at work (and love every minute of it) but when I'm at home I turn to the flour and parchment paper before the onions and chicken stock!
To satisfy my baking needs, I pulled out one of my favorite Italian cook books 'Passione' written by Gennaro Contaldo. There were two recipes that caught my eye, the first a Torta al Cioccolato e Vino Rosso (chocolate and red wine cake) and the second being the Torta alle Pere. The chocolate cake seemed like a good choice, however in my house chocolate doesn't last long and wine? Well that goes even faster! And so I starting whipping up the Torta alle Pere.

Torta alle Pere

2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/3 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small chunks
1 tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp full-fat milk
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 pears
4 tbsp apricot jam (for glaze)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 inch round shallow cake tin with butter and line the base with a circle piece of parchment paper.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, butter, and honey together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the milk, beating well. Then sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the top and fold in with a metal spoon, adding vanilla extract too. Core and dice 3 of the pears and mix them in.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Core and thinly slice the 2 remaining pears and arrange them on the top. Bake for 45 minutes, until the cake has risen and is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
• If you want to glaze the cake, make up the apricot glaze by diluting the apricot jam with a little water and then heating it gently, stir until smooth. Sieve the warm glaze and brush it immediately over the top of the cake.

                        

This cake turned out wonderfully, it was so moist and delicious, I highly recommend that you try it!

Grandma's Apple Pie

Warm, mouth watering apples cooked to perfection in a combination of sugar and nutmeg.

Beautifully browned, flakey crust.

This was grandma's apple pie.

Now, I know everyone's Grandma makes the BEST (insert your favorite food or dessert here), but I swear it's my Grandma that makes the best apple pie!

Her recipe is perfect. It doesn't need an extra dash of this or an extra pinch of that, it's perfect just the way it is. It's near to my heart so I won't be able to give you the recipe (what can I say, it's Grandma's!), but I can give you the recipe to the best and easiest pie crust I've ever made!

I've always had trouble with pie crust and other pastrys, but this crust was so easy to make and it turned out great! It was light, flakey, golden brown, and everything I could ever want my pie crust to be!

Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) chilled, unsalted butter, cup into pieces

• Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Cut two sticks of butter in pieces. With pastry blender, cut in butter, working until mixture resembles course meal.
• Add 4 tablespoons ice water, work with hands until dough comes together. If still crumbly, add more water by the tablespoon.
• Divide dough in half, flatten into disks, and refrigerate wrapped in clingwrap for atleast 1 hour.
• When ready, roll out dough on lightly floured surface.

For the love of ..... cupcakes?!

I love cupcakes.

There, I said it.

 I think they are perfect little ending to any meal, the perfect treat in the middle of the day, and they're just enough to make you feel as though it's something special made just for you.

A few months ago, I purchased one of the best (in my opinion) additions to my cook book collection. Only it's not a book, it's a magazine. I'm quickly becoming a fan of cooking magazines (if you can even call them magazines). Filled with more recipes, tips, and different tid-bits, I find myself walking towards the magazine section before the cook book section!
The magazine that I'm raving about is simply titled 'Cupcakes'. All the recipes were discovered, tested, and published by the Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications .... and I'll be keeping my eyes open for their next publication, whatever it may be!

Now, you may ask 'With an entire book of cupcakes, how did you decide which one to make first?'.
I ask you 'How do you flip past something so delicious as peanut butter-chocolate twist?'.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Twist Cupcakes.
Yes, they taste as good as they sound.
With an easy to read recipe and an even easier to make batter, anyone can make these cupcakes!
I was so impressed with this recipe and so pleased with how the cupcakes turned out! These recipes have a way of enabling you to become the best baker you can be, by using good ingredients and adding a little love, they'll be perfect!

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Twist Cupcakes
  
1/2 cup butter
3 whole eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
4 oz. milk chocolate, melted

• Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl beat butter, add peanut butter and beat until combined. Gradually add brown sugar and granulated sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating after each addition until combined.
• Place half of the batter into a separate mixing bowl; add melted chocolate. Beat until combined.
• Fill muffin cups by alternating spoonfuls of peanut butter batter and chocolate batter, filling each cup about 2/3 full.Use a butter knife or skewer to swirl batter in each cup.
• Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.

These cupcakes received nothing but rave reviews from both friends and co-workers!


I find it's comforting knowing that if you combine butter, sugar, flour, and eggs, then you have a wonderful base for something delicious.
Good luck, happy baking and I hope everyone enjoys these cupcakes as much as I did!

Processed foods ..... No Thanks!

Maybe it's because beach season is just around the corner or maybe it's because I'm looking for a change but recently I've been thinking a lot about the food I'm putting in my body.

 Last Wednesday Oprah's show was about being vegan. She challenged 350 members of her staff (all meat eaters like myself) to become vegan for seven days, and they all pulled through! Some said it was easy to make the transition while others said that they had showed signs of withdrawal. In the end, they all agreed that they had never felt better, and in seven days 350 people lost a total of 444 pounds (wow!).
So while sitting on the couch watching, I thought 'Sure! I can do that!'

Then I snapped back into reality.

After considering my options, I've decided to do my best to eliminate processed foods from my diet. After tearing apart my kitchen, this is what I discarded:

Good-bye fruit Loops, Mr.Noodles, Hot Chocolate, Crispy Minis, and Kraft Dinner (along with a few others).
So far, I don't miss any of it. Will I? ... I'm sure after a long night at the busy downtown restaurant where I work, I'll come home and wish I had some fast cooks-in-9 minutes KD but until then I look forward to filling my body with healthier options and shopping for fresh fruits and veggies at the market every weekend!