Salted maple seems to be the craze….in chocolates, ice cream, baked apples, pots de creme and martinis…oh yeah! Get this ready up to a week before serving.
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup maple sugar
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- pinch of coarse kosher salt
- 5-7 drops of imitation maple extract
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the sugar. Whisk until the sugar completely melts and the liquid becomes thick and boiling, which should take 2-3 minutes.
CAREFULLY, add the whipping cream, whisking as you do so.
Boil this until it becomes thick enough to coat a spoon and has reduced down to 1 cup, whisking often.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt and flavouring. Cool down. Cover and refrigerate. Will keep for a week. If you taste it first, it won’t last an hour….
Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
There is nothing better, I swear, than a bowl of PERFECTLY mashed potatoes on the plate with gravy, steak or poultry. YUM!
- 4 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes (best for mashed potatoes), peeled,
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 cup or more of whipping cream
- 1 1/4 cups of grated parmesan cheese
- Italian parsley – optional
Cut the potatoes in cubes and cook for about 20 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Drain well and put in potato ricer, then put potatoes in bowl of electric mixer, add the cream and cheese and mix well.
Add a pinch of salt and mix in. Taste…..okay, that’s enough! Leave some for the table.
If dining ‘family style’ add a few sprigs of italian parsley.
If plating in the kitchen, use your imagination and make it look really good. After all, we eat with our eyes first, then the stomach.
Individual Cinnamon Rolls in Paper
I’m rushing the season just a little..I have had enough of winter. You too? When the weather is warm enough to have breakfast or brunch on the deck, try this one out. Save it for a romantic breakfast for two or when you have guests staying the weekend.
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- pinch each of cloves, nutmeg and allspice
- 1 3/4 cups sifted flour
- 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder, sifted
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional) or
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp. melted butter, for brushing
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first three items and set aside. Put the sifted flour, baking powder together and add the raisins or nuts (or not) and make a well in the center. Slowly add the milk/cream, stirring until a soft dough forms.
On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and knead until it becomes smooth and elastic. Roll this out to approximately 12″ x 14″.
Brush with butter and sprinkle evenly the sugar mixture, reserving a generous tbsp. for later. Roll the dough up, starting on the long side and then cut into 8 pieces.
In a large muffin tin, cut parchment paper to fit and hang up over the top of the pan edge and place a slice in each one. Brush the tops with butter and sprinkle the remaining sugar on top. Bake for about 25-28 minutes until golden in colour.
Serve in individual large “cups”, add a fresh flour on the saucer and present with a piping hot cup of coffee. Ummmm!
Oh, and don’t forget to have fresh butter on the side, just in case. Just sayin’…….
Pecan Sauce
When you have a kitchen crammed with family, excitement building for the upcoming festivities, this is a nice way to top those homemade pancakes or waffles.
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (naturally!!)
- 1 tb sp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 + cup of chopped pecans
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
Melt the butter in a double boiler or heavy bottom pot. Blend the sugar into the butter. Whisk in the cream until well blended. Stir in the lemon juice.
Cook for about 45 minutes over simmering water, stirring occasionally.
Serve hot. This makes about 2 cups. Increase ingredients as needed for your crowd. You’re gonna love this one.
Brussel Sprouts With A Special Butter
Now, let’s face it. Brussel Sprouts – you either LOVE them or you HATE them. Before you get carried away and dismiss this recipe….give it a trial run and I bet you use it at your Festive Table.
- 2 lbs. fresh Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and washed
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 6 oz. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, coarsely diced and toasted
In a large saucepan with water, bring the brussel sprouts to the boil and cook until tender. Drain, cut in half and put 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan and put all the sprouts on a medium heat to lightly brown.
In your blender add the butter, olive oil and hazelnuts and grind until smooth. Add the butter to the brussel sprouts and serve.
I bet you love them now. Really!
Macadamia Nut Cookies
This is a super cookie and the addition of white rum makes it a melt-in-your mouth favourite. Yes, it does!
- 1 cup unsalted Macadamia nuts
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
- 6 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. white rum
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- sanding sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for about 7 minutes until a light brown and fragrant. Transfer to a food processor and chop to a fine powder.
In your electric mixer, cream the butter until very light and fluffy. Beat in the salt, rum, sugar and vanilla. Stir in the flour and nuts until the dough holds together. Form dough into two disks, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for an hour.
On a well floured surface, roll one disk into a 10 inch circle and 1/16 inch thick. The dough will be really fragile but is easily patched or re-rolled. Carefully cut into shapes with 2 inch cookie cutters.
With a thin spatula, transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet and chill. Repeat this procedure with the second disk. Use as much of the dough as you possibley can.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to cooling racks and sprinkle with sanding sugar when cool.
Blue Cheese Cookies with Pistachios
This cookie would be great at your Wine and Cheese Party this season. The Blue Cheese gives it the tangy bite needed to pair with wine.
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese, chilled
- 1/2 cup butter
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios, toasted
- 20 dried cranberries, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cheese, butter and pepper in a bowl and beat until well combined, but still showing large bits of blue cheese.
With a wooden spoon gently combine the flour into the cheese mixture and add the toasted pistachios and cranberries.
Roll into 1 inch balls and place 1 inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. With your hand, gently flatten until 1/4 inch thick.
Bake about 20-25 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom and edges. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight tin in the refrigerator.
Really quite yummy.
Gnocchi With Browned Butter
I have to admit it took me awhile to like gnocchi. We were in Maui at one of the Hotels for a dinner out and they had pumpkin gnocchi. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was out of this world.
This recipe, although not pumpkin, is just as good, provided you cook them until they are browned.
- 1 1/2 lbs. gnocchi (simple, buy ready made)
- 1/4 cup butter or more (do not use margarine)
- 7 fresh sage leaves
- 1 whole lemon, juiced
In a larage saucepot, boil water. Add the gnocchi and cook for about 4 minutes – until they float to the top. Strain.
In a fry pan, melt the butter (add more as you wish) and add the gnocchi and toss. Add the sage leaves. Cook, turning often until lightly browned and the sage leaves are crispy.
When the butter is nicely browned (not burned), add the lemon juice.
OMG this is good. If you wish, serve with a chilled Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio.
My mouth is watering…..supper is hours away.
Colourful Holiday Shortbread
This will make a terrific addition to your holiday baking. Honest it will. When you go through all the recipes for holiday baking, this is another of the devil’s hands to add more to the hips….if you eat equal amounts of each, it will sit there equally….I’m joking, of course. These are truly yummy.
- 1/2 lb. or 2 sticks of butter, never margarine
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 cups sifted flour
- 2/3 cup glace cherries- buy already chopped to save time
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- sanding sugar (buy in colours-red ,green, yellow etc.)
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the yolk and flour. Stir in the fruit and pecans.
Divide the dough into two and roll into logs about 2″ thick. Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator over night.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and roll in the sanding sugar to coat the outside.
Cut in thin slices and bake for about 10 minutes. The edges will have slightly brown edges. When removing from the cookie sheet, twist them off. This will give a slightly ‘bent’ look. (Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t work. Mine didn’t this time but they are still super tasty.)
Yummy good …..try it….. have to go to a bake sale now with all my baked goodies and jams.
Orange Pound Cake
Pound cake is a wonderful “just in case” cake to have in the freezer. Bake two…one for now and one for “just in case my mother-in-law should appear”.
- 8 ounces butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3 large Blood Oranges, zested
- 1 tsp. orange extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- pinch of salt
Allow the ingredients above to be at room temperature for better results.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans and set aside.
In your mixer combine the butter and sugar and beat until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs and yolks, 1 at a time and beatinmg until well combined. Add the zest and extract with the flour and salt, 1/2 cup at a time until batter is eally smooth.
Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake until the tops dome and are slightly golden. 40-50 minutes. Cool slightly and unmold on wire racks.
Glaze
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh Blood orange juice
With your mixer combine the sugar and juice together then whisk on high until really smooth. After removing cakes from pans, drizzle over each cake. You can add toasted pecans, chopped fine as a garnish on top.
Enjoy, this is a real winner! Just add fresh coffee/tea……hmmmm
Add the orange zest
Christmas Baking List 2012
Here we go again….time to start thinking about what to bake for this year. Some of my favourites are always on the list and a couple of new ones. One thing for sure, it WILL change from time to time as we go through the day(s) around November 11th and something new will crop up.
Here we go…..
- Italian cookies
- Chocolate Flowers
- Raspberry Meringues
- Victoria cookies
- Cheese Shortbread (for company coming)
- Whipped Shortbread
- Lemon Shortbread
- Pecan Shortbread
- Christmas Gumdrop Cake
- Lemon Bars
- Custard Tarts
- Maple Pecan Tarts
- Cranberry/Pistachio bark
- Spiced Nuts
- Candied Nuts
- Nuts and Bolts
- Truffles
What can I say? Bring it on. This is the time we have sooooo much fun. Don makes his Tortiere the same time. We go like stink in the kitchen all day and then drop in the easy chair with a huge sigh!
Gingered Crab in Potato Nests
A few weeks back, we had the landscaping crew over for a ‘thank you dinner’ for the wonderful work and great fun we had last summer (and still tweeking) in our yard.
After dinner was over, they commented this was one of the highlights of the evening. Imagine! So before I lose the recipe, here it is and we will be using it again in a couple of weeks for our next dinner with company.
- 1 large baking potato -about 8 oz., peeled and grated
- 1 lightly beaten large egg
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley (not cilantro)
- sea salt
- crushed red peppercorns
- syrup from jar of ginger (it is thick) to taste
- 3 tbsp. melted, unsalted butter
- 1/2 granny smith apple, cored and diced
- 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup cooked fresh crabmeat, chopped
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- creme fraiche
- finely chopped dried cranberries
- fleur de sel
Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Oil a mini muffin tin or two with cooking spray and set aside.
In a bowl, beat the grated potato with the egg and nutmeg. Add the parsley and season with the sea salt (a bit) and crushed red peppercorns (a bit). Take a small amount of the grated potatoes in your hands and squeeze out the excess liquid. Press the potato in the bottom of the muffin cup to form a nest, and repeat for the remaining potatoes. Add 1/2 tsp. melted butter in each nest. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove from oven and carefully remove from the pan. Let cool on a rack.
In a bowl, gently toss the apple with the lime juice, crab, ginger syrup and oil. Season with the sea salt and pepper. Using a teaspoon, drop a small amount of filling inside eash nest. Top with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of fleur de el and the chopped cranberries.
Your company will rave and again, you go back to the kitchen, give yourself a high five and proclaim….damn I can do this!