Before the cupcakes, we ate bread for dinner tonight and last. Aviv’s organic, handmade bread, thankfully. I had no plan in mind and was running out the door when the heavens parted and an angel in bike shorts stepped out of a modest hatchback bearing a multigrain loaf, wrapped in a paper bag with a small jar of cherry bourbon butter. We ate most of it, some with the butter and some with sausage, lentil & barley soup I had in a thawed yogurt container in the fridge.
For those of you who haven’t heard about Aviv, every Monday he bakes dozens of organic artisan loaves (on Fridays he sends out a mass email letting everyone know what kind it’s going to be, and you can say yes or no) and then gets on his bike (or when he’s really overloaded, in his car) and delivers them around the core, selling them for $6 apiece (including delivery) and the proceeds go to support a school in Malawi. He has already met his goal of $2500 raised, but everyone loves his bread so much he’s still going. You can join Aviv’s email list here. OR you can find him now at the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays from 3:30-7:30!
And then it was time to make cupcakes for the big Canada Day bash tomorrow. (Not at our house - thankfully we don’t have to clean. Yet.) But what kind would be appropriate for such a holiday? A maple cake with maple icing came immediately to mind. And also? Maple anything is Mike’s favourite.
I pulled my Canadian Living Baking Book off the shelf, thinking they must have a recipe for maple cake, and they did - a Maple Crunch Layer Cake which modified itself nicely into a couple dozen cupcakes. I have a hard time using a cup of butter in a recipe though, so I cut the fat in half, and used half butter and half canola oil. They were lovely and perfect, with a tender, buttery crumb.
I still have a hard time making maple baking taste sufficiently mapley though; except for that Maple Pouding “Chomeur”, which was like a delicious ticking time bomb of sugar, butter and cream. Maybe next time I’ll use brown sugar instead of white to give them a boost.
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
I imagine this would make a pretty delicious vanilla-honey cake too; just substitute good vanilla extract for the maple, and honey for the maple syrup, reducing it a bit as honey is more intensely sweet than maple. Roger’s Golden Syrup would be delicious too. For a regular sized cake, bake the batter in two 9″ round pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray for about half an hour, until springy to the touch.
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. maple extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt, thinned with milk
3/4 cup maple syrup
Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for a few minutes, until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition; beat in the maple extract.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another, stir together the buttermilk and maple syrup. Add the flour in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two, beating on low speed just until blended after each addition.
Divide the batter among about 24 paper-lined muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes, until springy to the touch.
Maple Frosting
I tried this ratio and it worked, but you could cut the butter by half if you’re trying to reduce your fat intake. You may need to add a little extra maple syrup or even a couple teaspoons of vanilla. Essentially you adjust the proportions of each ingredient until you have a soft, spreadable frosting.
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
In a medium bowl, beat the butter with half the icing sugar until creamy. Add the remaining icing sugar and maple syrup and beat until well blended and smooth, adding a little extra sugar or syrup as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency. Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes.
One Year Ago: We went to Swiss Chalet.
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June 30 2009 | cake | 22 Comments »
I don’t ever use the abbreviated expletive OMG, but for the past hour my brain seems to be stuck on it. Really, nothing else applies.
OMG: it’s John Cusack’s birthday. And apparently he’s just right out there in Vancouver, scouting out locations for something or other, which makes me doubly regret our move back to Calgary. Although the distance is probably keeping me from becoming a stalker, or doing something stupid like bake him a cake and then scour the city in an attempt to deliver it, ultimately giving up and eating it myself on some street corner or beach before walking home, dejected.
That doesn’t sound too bad, actually. I’d love to be in Vancouver right now, eating cake.
Regarding dinner, there really wasn’t one tonight. We were fed very well this afternoon at K & J’s place (sangria, cheese platter, beggar’s purses filled with goat cheese and caviar, steak on the barbecue, roasted veg, Caesar salad, and fruit-marshmallow kabobs with FIVE KINDS of Ben & Jerry’s for dessert - was it perhaps my birthday?), and in an attempt to be a conscientious lunch guest I did not bring along my camera and document everything they prepared. But I did take a few snaps of our quickie breakfast this morning - stale bread dipped in egg, milk and vanilla and then cooked in the waffle iron; French toast and waffles all in one, without having to beat egg whites to make waffle batter. As usual I tossed a handful of blueberries into the maple syrup as it warmed in a small pot on the stove, so that the berries popped and turned the syrup a deep indigo. Who wants to pour cold syrup, straight from the fridge, onto warm pancakes, waffles or French toast anyway?
And if I had woken up beside John this morning, he would have had waffled French toast for breakfast. And Mike would have totally understood.
One Year Ago: Danish Braid with Berries, then one with Goat Cheese and Spiced Fig Caramel
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June 28 2009 | breakfast | 24 Comments »
Considering the events of the week I was going to skip this month’s Daring Bakers Challenge, but when I woke bolt straight up this morning far too early - too early to work on the assignments I have due on Monday or to go to the hospital - I decided to hell with it, we had a barbecue to go to this afternoon and would need something to bring along anyway. So ahead I went, prompted by the opportunity to use some strawberry-rhubarb preserves I had in the fridge in something a little bit different. It was actually easier than trying to come up with another idea; and I couldn’t bring myself to show up with a 20-pack of Timbits, even with an excuse. My only other option at 6:30 am was cleaning the bathroom.
The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England. It reminds me of those raspberry coconut squares that have raspberry jam topped with a sweet, eggy layer of coconut; only this is made in a pastry shell and topped with a frangipane - a spongy almond filling made with ground almonds and almond extract, for which I substituted Mexican vanilla. (I’m not a huge fan of the almond extract.)
And yes, this particular version is actually called “tart..er..pudding” - as in, the British refer to dessert as “pudding”, and this was inspired by great UK eaters like Allan Davidson, Tamasin Day Lewis, Anton Edelmann, Jane Grigson, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver. But if you look into it you’ll find that Bakewell Tart and Bakewell Pudding are in fact two different things, and this more closely resembles a Bakewell Tart. I have taken the liberty of calling a tart a tart.
The notes said I could use anywhere between 1/4 and 1 cup of jam; I used a cup and still didn’t find it enough - perhaps because it was a less sweet, more tart rhubarb compote than sticky, sugary, intensely sweet jam. The fun thing about this tart is it can be made different each time depending on the preserves you use - lemon curd, spiced pear, marmalade, sour cherry… each would produce an entirely different tart. I did make the shortcrust pastry, but cheaped out at the egg part (I was running low) and so left the yolks out and upped the water a bit.
Bakewell Tart
One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour (don’t you love UK slang? this means the extra flour you’ll need for rolling out the dough)
1 cup jam or curd, warmed for spreadability if necessary
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful sliced almonds
Assembling the tart: Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it’s overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 1/4” thickness by rolling in one direction only (start from the middle and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to a tart pan (mine was about 10″), fit it into the bottom and up the sides without stretching it, and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400F. Remove shell from freezer, spread an even layer of jam onto the crust. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.
The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard if you wish.
When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
1-2 Tbsp. cold water
Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the extract and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Frangipane
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup icing sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
1 cup ground almonds
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.
One Year Ago: Just Sandwiches
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June 27 2009 | dessert | 16 Comments »
This morning, something came along completely out of the blue that crept up and whacked us behind the knees, shaking us all down to our foundations. It was one of those things you can’t imagine could just show up without warning while you’re sitting blithely at the dentist and everyone is going about their morning routines. But it does, and it totally trumps everything you had previously scheduled, even what was considered the important stuff.
And I can’t really share it here because it’s not my news to share with the world, and even though it affects us terribly I can’t really comment on much regarding our day, particularly the dinner situation, without giving it away. So I’ll just say that although everyone is (relatively) OK, we spent most of the day at the hospital and didn’t get home until close to 10.
Because hospital food is questionable at best, I ran home mid-afternoon and made a batch of brown and wild rice salad with dried fruit, parsley and pecans to bring back, along with some leftover roasted chicken. The two will likely be picked at over the weekend, here and there between home and hospital. We have a few barbecues to attend as well, so luckily we’ll be fed.
And when W and I got home (Mike is at Sled Island, not in hospital) I needed some form of warm carbohydrates, and so put a pot of water on to boil and rummaged through the freezer for a baggie of the peroghies Cheryl and I assembled awhile ago to boil up, then brown quickly in butter and eat by myself in bed with a book. (Or more likely, in front of my computer.) I didn’t look at the label because I didn’t much care which kind I got, but ended up with some stuffed with pear and ricotta - a combo I had forgotten she was inspired to make after I left. And yum. It’s a good thing I didn’t bother with the bacon. (Although come to think of it, bacon, pear and ricotta would be rather delicious.)
It was a welcome distraction from the events of the day, and made me ponder other sweet peroghy possibilities; strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry-maple-ricotta, roasted peach. Any would be fantastic crisped and browned in a buttery skillet and immediately laid over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or topped with crème fraîche. (If I had to guess, I’d say these pears were finely chopped and sauteed in butter with a bit of sugar and cinnamon, then stirred into ricotta and used as a filling.)
Mostly what made me think of peroghies in the first place was the prize I found for Free Stuff Fridays. I picked up - yes I did - an original Peroghy Pogy, still in the package and with the old Woodward’s price tag. QUIK-N-EZEE! CERTAIN & SIMPLE! Even YOU can make dozens of peroghies from scratch for pennies apiece. Preferably at a long, floury countertop with people you love and a bottle of wine. Enjoy - life is too short to not savour every moment.
Speaking of unique ways with summer fruit, what are your favourite things to do with berries, rhubarb, stone fruits… anything sweet and juicy that says summer?
One Year Ago: Croque Monsieur (aka Mr. Crunch)
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June 26 2009 | dessert and freezable | 42 Comments »
So here’s the thing. I love strawberry-rhubarb pie; but I’m fairly lazy. It’s not that I don’t love making pies and pastry, but most often I figure I can get the gist of a strawberry-rhubarb pie in a less finicky format, like a crisp, cobbler or cake. Because really, half the reason for making strawberry-rhubarb pie is so that you can put vanilla ice cream on top of it, and this is as adequate a vehicle as any.
Today we decided to step headstrong into the realm of grown-ups and get our roof redone. Spending $5000+ on something you can’t see or touch and that doesn’t really affect your life at all (it’s not like rainwater was dribbling through on our heads) was a hard sell for me, but I was ultimately convinced it was a good idea. This the same week I’m spending much of my time in the dentist’s office, and today, one of the hottest so far this summer, the AC in the car died. And then there was that phone call this morning to let me know I’m being audited. Welcome, adulthood. I’ve been expecting you.
I even baked you a cake. Initially it was to have a little something to feed the roofers when they came down from their work, but in the end it was for me, to be applied liberally to my face as needed as a sort of strawberry-rhubarb salve. I sat with a bowl of it on my cross-legged lap beside W and we watched Scooby-Doo and the Boo Brothers. (Until the scary part, anyway.)
Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler Cake
Of course a cobbler is more of a biscuit-topped fruit dessert, but this isn’t far off… as it bakes, the fruit sinks down into the cake batter like a soft, overstuffed pillow. You can use any kind of fruit you like (peaches, plums and ripe pears spiked with cinnamon are next on my list), and omit the sugar scattered over top if the fruit you choose is sweet enough. (Rhubarb tends to need a little help.)
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
2 cups halved or quartered strawberries (depending on their size)
2-3 cups chopped rhubarb (about 2-3 stalks)
1/3-1/2 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well combined and starting to get fluffly. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each, then beat in the vanilla.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir by hand or beat on low speed just until combined; the batter will be thick. Spread into a 9″x13″ pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, and scatter the fruit over top. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the cake is golden and the cakey parts springy to the touch.
Makes 1 big cake - feeds lots.
One Year Ago: Daal Curry, Tomato Curried Potatoes, Roasted Cauliflower and Naan
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June 24 2009 | cake and dessert | 16 Comments »
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