Food Mamma

Food | Travel | Family | Life

baked goods

cookies for the holidays!

By 3 Comments

It’s December! That means it’s time to get baking for all those cookie exchanges, holiday parties and homemade gifts for family and friends. Here’s a round up of some cookies perfect for the occasion!

Cherry Jam Palmiers
One of the easiest cookies to make, these palmiers are fast with only a handful of ingredients.

 

Peppercorn Shorbread
An odd combination, but these buttery peppery cookies are delicious!

Hazelnut Nutella Cookies
Soft and chunky, these are the perfect cookies to leave for the big man!

Lavender Shortbread
A little bit of lavender goes a long way in these buttery morsels.

Mint Chocolate Cookies
Mint and chocolate are a match made in heaven. These cookies are soft and rich and pair perfectly with a glass of cold milk.

Chocolate and Almond Whipped Shortbread
These are one of my favourites and always a fun one for the kids to decorate. They are whipped for ten minutes and are buttery and delicious!

Heart Sugar Cookies
Made with love, the glaze on these babies is so delicious!

Chocolate Dipped Walnut Shortbread
The humble shortbread is elevated by the addition of walnuts and dipped in chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Everyone is happy for a classic at a cookie exchange. These chocolate chip cookies are decadent and delicious.

guest blogger: bernice’s blueberry lattice pie with lemon zest and spruce buds

By 1 Comment

Life has been busy and my blog has been a little neglected lately. I’m so happy to have Bernice from Dish ‘N’ The Kitchen guest blog today. Her blueberry pie sounds scrumptious! Thanks Bernice!

~ 

Sometimes life has a way of grabbing on and taking time away from blogging. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep up with blog post when situations arise…but not all these life situations are bad! My friend and fellow blogger, Fareen at Food Mamma has just become a new mother and she may be just a bit distracted over the coming months. She needs a bit of extra time to settle in with her new family dynamic and to get to know her new little one. I’m excited and honoured to be a guest post on her blog…my first guest post!  Fareen and fellow readers; grab a cuppa and please enjoy this pie post from my kitchen to yours.

Blueberry Pie. Mmmmm. I just couldn’t get it out of my head following Monday’s Masterchef US episode.  Monday’s blueberry pie episode was inspirational; so many lovely pie variations and so many different methods of making pastry as well.  I’ve actually been making a lot more pies than I used to…using different methods and ingredients so that I can find ‘the pastry recipe’ that works for me. I’ve had great success using my KitchenAid mixer but now that I have a food processor it’s almost scary how fast I can whip up a batch of pastry. Sometimes it’s just too convenient!

The pastry method I used for this pie was described by Inspired Taste. Essentially you just add a portion of the flour, salt, and sugar then add all the butter one bit at a time pulsing in between. then you add the remainder of the butter. The butter ends up coating the flour and protecting it from the cold water you add later. In the end less gluten is formed, making the pie crust tender and flaky. I also usually have such a difficult time rolling out pastry dough…but not with this recipe! I was pretty impressed with this pastry method and so was the family. I think it may be a ‘keeper’.

Phew! Now that I have that evil pie essential that is pastry out of the way we can talk filling. Obviously blueberry. What I saw on the show was a plethora of mixes but I wanted to do something completely different. I wanted my filling to be unique and I was inspired by my childhood and a friendly reminder of it during a dessert I had at Q Haute. It was called Blueberry & Pine. These two flavours really work together though really that is no surprise considering how close they are in nature. As a kid I spent many days picking wild blueberries with my grandma in remote bush areas. She would get word on where the picking was good and off we would go, ice cream pails attached to our belts. We wouldn’t go home until they were full. As we picked we breathed in the scent of pine while we stole the odd mouthful of berries. I wanted my pie to contain that memory.

 

I’ve been waiting patiently for the spruce tree in my front yard to bud. I think it happened a bit later this year but last week I was able to pick a container full of the buds. I had enough to pickle a couple of jars for later use with a just enough left over to add to the pie filling. I also added some lemon zest because I think it is an essential ingredient in blueberry pie. Other than that, a large pinch of freshly ground allspice, some sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Pretty simple.

Pie Pastry (from Inspired Taste)

2 1/2 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
1 cup (227 grams) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 sticks)
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Add 1 1/2 cups flour, salt and sugar to a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times until combined.
Scatter butter cubes over flour and process until a dough or paste begins to form, about 15 seconds. It will look nice and ‘sandy’.
Scrape bowl, redistribute the flour-butter mixture then add remaining 1 cup of flour. Pulse 4 to 5 times until flour is evenly distributed. (Dough should look broken up and a little crumbly).
Transfer to a medium bowl then sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over mixture. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough falls apart, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra water and continue to press until dough comes together.
Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Work the dough just enough to form a ball (do not overwork). Cut ball in half then form each half into discs. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months (just thaw it overnight in the fridge before using).
Before rolling, take pastry out and let sit for five minutes. Flour your work surface and roll one disk of dough out to 1/8 inch thickness using your pie plate as a size guide.
Fill pie shell with blueberry filling.

Blueberry Filling

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
good pinch freshly ground allspice
1 tbsp lemon zest
pinch salt
1/2 cup finely cut fresh spruce buds
1 tbsp cold butter cut in tiny cubes
1 egg yolk
1 tsp cream
coarse sugar

Mix all together in a bowl. Place in pie crust.
Pre heat oven to 400 F.
Take the second disk of pastry, roll it out and cut into strips as wide as you like. I ended up with five strips covering the diameter of the pie, then another five in the other direction.
Weave the strips over the filling as you place them and make sure the ends over hang the edges of the bottom pastry.
Tuck the ends under and pinch the crust edge all the way around the pie.
Dot exposed filling in between strips with tiny cubes of butter. Refrigerate pie for another 30 minutes.
Mix egg yolk and cream in a bowl and brush pastry before baking. Sprinkle pastry with coarse sugar.

Place pie on a cookie sheet in bottom 1/3 of oven and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for another 35-45 minutes. The crust should be nice and golden and the filling will be bubbly.

WARNING! this is the hard part….let cool for 3 hours so that the filling sets.

apple pie triangles

By Leave a Comment

You know that commercial where a guy is just handed food day to day by his mother not really seeing how it’s made and then eventually, when he goes off to university, he looks at a pan and just chucks it, not knowing what to do with it? That scares me.

Any chance we get, my four year old is in the kitchen with me. It’s important for me that he sees how food is being prepared and that he’s involved in the process. I definitely don’t want him to end up like the guy in the commercial.

Q can be a picky eater. He’s moody with food and there’s always negotiations. I know that this is just payback for all the times I gave my parents a hard time. I have noticed a huge difference when my little guy helps in the kitchen though. He feels a sense of ownership over the food and he is so proud of what he has made that he truly wants to eat it and he enjoys it so much more. He helped make curry a few weeks ago, measuring everything out on his own and stirring the pot. There was a huge sense of accomplishment and he ate way more than usual that day. I loved it.

Last week, when I had some time to spend in the kitchen, he decided he wanted to make apple pie. Since I was busy making other stuff, this became his project.

I peeled the apple and he went about cutting it with his little knife into bite sized pieces.

He measured out the cinnamon and brown sugar, folded the pastry into a triangle and happily brushed the tops with a beaten egg.

He was so proud of himself and thought the apple pie that he made all by himself was the best thing ever.  He couldn’t wait to eat it, asking every few minutes, “is it done yet”? This excitement of something that he has created for his family to enjoy is truly amazing. This is a simple recipe that is perfect for getting the kids involved. Super yummy too!

Apple Pie Triangles

1 sheet puff pastry
1 apple, peeled and chopped
2 TB brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 TB flour
1 egg, beaten

In a bowl, combine the apple with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and flour. Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into twelve squares. Place filling in the middle of each square and fold over, making a triangle. Crimp the edges with a fork. Brush the top of each pastry with the egg and cut a couple of slits to allow steam to escape. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

avocado chocolate chip cookies

By 1 Comment

We love avocados around here. We put them in everything, from eggs to sandwiches, and guacamole is a regular in this house.  When I saw pictures of avocado chocolate chip cookies pop up on Instagram, I quickly went searching for the recipe.  This recipe comes from Gaby Dalkin‘s new book “Absolutely Avocados” and I was happy for the find over at Eat Live Run.

I wasn’t sure what to expect so the first time I made these, I just made half a batch. We took them to soccer and the cookies were gone in a flash. The cookies were hearty and chocolatey and were a hit among both the kids and the parents.

The second time I made these cookies, some of the avocado didn’t get mixed in as well and you could see flecks of green among the oats and chocolate. I was happy to find that the bright green didn’t turn colour like raw avocados do.  I also added a handful of nuts for some crunch.  I’ll definitely be making these again. Surely, if a cookie has some greens, its good for you, right?

Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Absolutely Avocados via Eat Live Run

1 avocado
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Add the butter and brown sugar. Cream together until fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Mix well until well combined.

Add the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Mix slowly then add the chocolate chips and oats. Be careful not to overmix here. Place the dough in the fridge to chill for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. After the dough has chilled, scoop out spoonfuls of dough on the baking sheet and press down gently with your hand to flatten. Bake for 18 minutes, until golden brown. Repeat with remaining dough.

playing with spices: pink peppercorn

By 1 Comment

This month, we are playing with pink peppercorns.

Unlike how the name suggests, these are not related to actual peppercorns. They are the dried berries of Baies rose plant. They taste peppery but are not spicy in flavour.  The pink peppercorns are sweet and mild.

These delicate little spices are rosy in colour and are brittle compared to the black peppercorn.  They are soft with papery skins and can easily be ground by hand.  I love how the colour accents the dishes that they are added to. They are very eye-catching and I’m so happy I stocked up the last time I was in France.

Although great with chicken and fish, I was hoping to find a sweet way to showcase these pink berries. I was intrigued when I found Martha Stewart’s Peppercorn Shortbread. Instead of using a variety of peppercorns, I stuck with the ones I wanted to showcase.

The combination of the buttery shortbread with the peppery berries sounds strange but it really works!

Peppercorn Shortbread
Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp pink peppercorns, coarsely ground
3/4 cup icing sugar

Topping:
3/4 tsp pink peppercorns, coarsely ground
2 TB granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with rack in center. Lightly butter a 10-inch springform pan, and set aside.

Stir together flour, salt, and peppercorns; set aside. Put butter and icing sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until combined.

Using a small offset spatula, spread dough evenly into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake until shortbread is golden brown, about 1 hour 20 minutes.

Transfer pan to a wire rack. Immediately sprinkle with granulated sugar and remaining peppercorns. Remove springform; let shortbread cool completely. Cut into wedges.

chocolate mousse cake

By Leave a Comment

It’s been a lovely month of birthdays and we’ve had a great time celebrating with family, and lots of cake! This past Friday was my dad’s birthday and I wanted to make something awesome for this special man. Chocolate and mousse came to mind.

I made a chocolate cake but baked it in a sheet pan to make a thin layer. I cut this one layer into three to make a nice tall cake, kind of like the tuxedo cake at Costco.  I made a simple mousse by combining melted chocolate and whipping cream and spread it between the chocolatey layers.  It was also the crown of the cake topped with shaved chocolate.  It was kind of a mess of a cake but everyone loved it.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Your favourite chocolate cake recipe, like this one
1 cup chocolate chips, melted
1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Beat the whipping cream until peaks are formed.  Fold slowly into the melted chocolate until both are incorporated. Let chill for half an hour.  Cut the cake into layers and spread the mousse between the layers.

salted caramel chocolate pie for pi day

By Leave a Comment

Today is Pi Day (3.14 = 3/14 = March 14). What better excuse than to celebrate with a pie! I’ve been wanting to try out a salted caramel chocolate pie for some time, just needed an occasion to do so.

Just use your favourite crust recipe, fill with caramel and top with chocolate ganache. This recipe is incredibly rich but so delicious. Hubby, who is not much into the sweet stuff, loved this pie. I even saw him go back for seconds! I couldn’t trust myself around this pie. To ensure that the two of us didn’t inhale it ourselves, I gave most of it away.

Q wanted to get in on the pie making action too.  He really wanted an apple pie and made up these little pies.  He rolled the dough, mixed the apples and even cut the stars for the top.  He was very proud of his creation.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie
From Sprinkle Bakes

Caramel:
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream at room temperature
¼ tsp. sea salt

Melt the sugar over medium-high heat in a large pot. Whisk the sugar as it melts, and cook until it becomes a deep amber color.

Add the butter and stir it in until melted.

Pour in the heavy cream (the mixture will foam) and whisk until the mixture becomes a smooth sauce. Note: If lumps form, keep stirring over gentle heat until they have melted.

Remove from heat, stir in salt and let cool slightly.

Pour the caramel into the tart shell.  Tilt to cover the bottom evenly.  Let cool in the refrigerator until caramel is firm.

Chocolate Ganache
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cups heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium-high heat until just boiling.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and gently whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Allow to cool slightly before using.

Very gently pour the ganache over the caramel layer.  The caramel may want to move around a little, so pour a little at a time.  Place in refrigerator until firm.

Sprinkle with coarse sea salt before serving. 

sour cream cake

By 5 Comments

My father-in-law celebrated his birthday on the weekend, and we definitely needed a cake to cut and enjoy. My FIL has two favourites – the tres leches and just plain cake. Since we had the tres leches last month for my MIL’s birthday, I opted for the plain cake.

Sour Cream Cake

This plain and simple cake is one of my favourites as well. It is moist and buttery and is so comforting dipped in a cup of tea. Since we were celebrating a birthday, I added some icing to make it more festive.  With or without icing, it’s always well received.

Sour Cream Cake
Save RecipeSave Recipe
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Instructions

  1. Combine the butter and sugar and beat for a couple of minutes.
  2. Add the vanilla and eggs until incorporated. 
  3. Add the sour cream.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add to the butter and sugar mixture. 
  5. Put batter in a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
7.8.1.2
92
https://foodmamma.com/2013/03/sour-cream-cake/

coconut tres leches

By 1 Comment

I can’t believe it’s already March! Despite the crazy storm we had yesterday and the foot of snow we have outside, March is one of my favourite months.  It’s full of birthdays! Mine, my dad’s, my father-in-law’s, nephews, nieces, many friends…meaning lots of cake!

Last month, we had a delicious cake to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday. She requested Tres Leches but I decided to change it up a bit and make Coconut Tres Leches. The addition of the coconut just upped the flavour factor and made for an even tastier cake. Topped with toasted coconut, it was definitely a winner!

Coconut Tres Leches
From Chow

1 cup flour
6 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 can condensed milk
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 TB icing sugar

Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Reserve the whites in a separate, very clean, medium bowl. Add the sugar to the yolks and, using the paddle attachment, beat on high speed until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl; set aside. Thoroughly clean and dry the stand mixer bowl. Place the egg whites in the clean bowl and, using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until medium peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, stir about a third of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining whites. Sprinkle the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold it in, just until there are no more white flour streaks. (Do not overmix.)

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake until the cake is puffed and golden and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the three milks in a large bowl and whisk until combined; set aside.

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Using a toothpick or wooden skewer, poke holes all over the cake and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake and continue cooling, about 45 minutes more. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

When the cake is ready to serve, spread the coconut in an even layer in a large frying pan. Toast over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Place the whipping cream and icing sugar in large bowl and whisk until medium peaks form. Top the cake with the whipping cream and toasted coconut.

blueberry muffins

By Leave a Comment

You know those nights you just can’t sleep. That was me a couple of weeks ago. I decided to put my time to good use and instead of lying in bed, I got up at 5 am, determined to bake. Q needed a preschool snack anyways and with a pint of blueberries in the fridge, I knew it had to be fruity.

I was happy to have found this recipe from Paula Deen which allowed me to make up a batch of mini muffins without turning on my mixer and waking everyone up. I took a bit of batter out for Q’s muffins for school and added some almonds in the rest.  I also skipped the extra sugar on top.

These were perfect for breakfast and my little guy was happy to have them for school. The little size were perfect for his little hands.

Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from Paula Deen, Food Network

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 small egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a mini muffin tin.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and sugar. In another bowl, combine butter, egg, and milk and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and with a spatula, stir until just combined. Do not beat or over mix; it’s okay if there are lumps in the batter. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tray, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before turning the muffins out. Makes 24.