Celebrating CBC's Host Terry MacLeod, and Change

This morning, I'll be presenting the following recipes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  As this is Terry's final weekend with CBC Radio, we are celebrating him as well as changes throughout the 24 years that he has been with us in Manitoba.  The beef dish represents the changes in attitudes toward food in that we are so passionate about global flavours and yet are more conscientious than ever as to where our food comes from and how it its produced.  The beef comes from Wildfire Farms.  The chocolate dish is a dish for Terry that I made because I heard that he enjoys Grand Marnier.  I wanted to find something very easy to prepare with it and this is a great season to represent this treat.

I'm at D. A. Niels today giving a tajine cooking demonstration and the beef dish will be one of the tajines, based on a Paula Wolfert recipe.

Grand Marnier Balls (Kugel)

3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
7 semi-sweet chocolate baking squares, melted
3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
chocolate sprinkles
Put cream, butter and sugar into saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring often. Remove from heat.
Add Grand Marnier, chocolate and crumbs. Mix well. Shape into 42 balls. Roll in chocolate sprinkles. Chill or freeze.

Moroccan Beef Tajine(can use lamb)

1 lb beef roast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbs ras el hanout
1-2 tbs olive oil
1-2 tbs butter
good pinch saffron
2 large tomatoes, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 green peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 - 1 cup prunes (I used apricots today)
2-3 tbs honey
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup red wine
salt, to taste

Slowly saut� onions on medium-low heat with olive oil until they begin to caramelize. Stir in Ras el Hanout spice blend. Turn up heat to medium-high and add butter and saffron. Brown meat well on all sides and add tomatoes and other vegetables. Add broth, prunes and honey. Add red wine and salt and let simmer for 1-2 hours, depending on using the tajine and toughness of the meat. Meat should melt in your mouth when done.

Serve with flat breads, rice, couscous or bulgur.

 Today at D. A. Niels:
  

Marak (Tajine) of Eggplant, peppers and peas with preserved lemon
� cup olive oil

1 medium globe eggplant

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp sugar

2 ripe or canned tomatoes, chopped (I�m using 2 tbs good tomato paste with tomatoes)

1 tbs Ras el Hanout

1 tsp sea salt

� tsp turmeric

2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley

 � preserved lemon (see chef for details)

1. Heat oil in tajine over low heat.  Add vegetables and sugar and cover with lid or with parchment paper and the lid and cook gently for 10 minutes.  Raise heat slightly and add a splash of water. 

2. Add tomatoes and continue to cook, covered for a few minutes.

3. Add the parsley and lemon juice.  Garnish with the slivered lemon and olives (or cook in with tajine).  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fair Trade Gift and entertaining on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

 This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod, I presented some easy to prepare dishes that are also cruelty-free.  Now that the holidays are approaching, people love to serve shrimp.  If you buy certain wild caught shrimp from Argentina, Mexico, Texas, New Brunswick and Alaska, for example, you can be certain that slavery ships were not used to get the shrimp to your table.  The chocolate as well, is certified Fair Trade, which also means, for example, that child labour was not used to produce the chocolate.  Fair Trade Chocolate and other Fair Trade ingredients can be purchased at Ten Thousand Villages and through Fair Trade Manitoba.

Shrimp and other seafood are available at Gimli Fish.

Shrimp with dips (Korean)

1 bag wild caught peeled shrimp (now available at Gimli Fish) (or buy pre-cooked)

Blanch shrimp in boiling water until fully cooked and then cool immediately in an ice bath. Drain completely.

OR

Saut� shrimp in a drizzle of sesame oil until pink. Season with salt and white pepper. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with the following dipping sauces:

Korean dipping sauce
1 tablespoon kochu jiang (Korean hot pepper paste)
1 tbs white vinegar
drizzle sesame oil
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 scallion, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients until smooth. Enjoy with fried tofu, on salads, seafood, etc.

Wasabi Sour Cream Dipping Sauce
Sour cream
wasabi paste, to taste
pinch sugar

Mix all ingredients and increase wasabi for desired results. 
Fantastic with shrimp and other seafood but also wonderful with roast beef.

Ooey Gooey Brownies
1/2 cup butter
3 oz dark Fair trade Chocolate*
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unbleached white flour

*Callebaut Chocolate available at DeLuca's Grocery Store in Winnipeg or look for the Fair Trade label.  www.fairtrademanitoba.ca  Camino Chocolate can be found at Ten Thousand Villages.

Preheat oven to 350�F
Butter an 8-9 inch square baking pan or bread pan.
In a heavy large pot, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring occasionally. Prepare remaining ingredients separately. Beat eggs in a separate bowl. When the butter and chocolate have melted, remove from heat. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and stir until well incorporated. Add the beaten eggs and stir quickly to prevent the eggs from cooking. Stir in flour and mix until smooth.

Pour into pan and bake for up to 20 minutes. Enjoy hot or cold. Optional to add up to 1/4 cup of your favourite chopped nuts.

Lamb Stuffed Peppers and Easy Chocolate Mousse on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

 This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod, I'll be presenting the following recipes.  Wonderful freshly ground lamb is available to order at Millad's Supermarket on Notre Dame in Winnipeg.  Wonderful tomato paste is available there as well.  Just try the Tat tomato paste.  HUGE difference.

The peppers that I used were two varieties, sweet yellow and red peppers and hot green chilies.  These are available at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market on Saturday and at The Forks Farmer's Market on Sunday from Fertile Farms.  They also have huge fresh fava beans, eggplant, etc.

For the Chocolate Mousse, I used Fair Trade dark chocolate callets and, for a Proven�al taste, a floral local honey by Bee Projects, Neighbourhood Honey (Wolseley).  Very creamy honey, available at The Forks Farmer's Market and biweekly at the downtown Hydro Building Farmer's Market.

Lamb Stuffed Sweet and hot peppers

For the peppers and filling:
1 lb ground lamb (I used freshly ground Halal Lamb from Millad�s Supermarket on Notre Dame)
1 red onion, medium dice
2 - 3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs Turkish Baharat, or preferred seasonings
salt, to taste
olive oil
2 tbs pomegranate molasses (optional, or 1 tbs tamarind)
mixed peppers (I used yellow and red sweet and green hot peppers from Fertile Farms, available on Saturday at St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market and Sundays at The Forks Farmer�s Market)

Grill peppers with olive oil over the BBQ or under the broiler.  When the skins begin to darken and blister, remove from the grill and let cool.  This makes peeling the peppers easier.
In a saucepan, saut� chopped red onion until translucent.  Add the ground lamb and seasonings and cook on medium heat until the lamb is browned.  Remove from heat and stir in the pomegranate molasses.
Peel and seed the peppers.

Preheat oven to 350�F. In a saucepan, heat up for the sauce, 2-3 tbs good tomato paste (Tat, from Millad�s is excellent), 1 cup water, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp dried or fresh oregano, optional 1/2 cup good red wine.  Pour into baking dish.  Fill peppers with lamb mixture and place on top of the tomato sauce.  Cover baking dish and bake for 30 - 45 minutes.  Serve hot or warm.

Enjoy!

Easy Rich Chocolate Mousse

2 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons honey (I used the floral Neighbourhood Honey of Wolesley by Bee Projects, available on Sunday at The Forks Farmer�s Market)

Stir 3/4 cup cream, chocolate and honey in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally.
In large bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups cream until soft peaks form. Fold cream into chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Divide mousse among eight 3/4-cup ramekins. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
Whip remaining 1/2 cup cream to firm peaks. Spoon a dollop of cream in center of each mousse.

Enjoy!

No-bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

I�m not going to lie to you and tell you that these all-natural healthy-ish ice cream sandwiches replace the classic vanilla ice cream plus chocolate chip cookie combo. Because sometimes a gal just needs a scoop of full-fat, full-dairy ice cream between two buttery, sugary cookies. This gal dreams of that combo daily.


But alas, this gal is almost 30, and moderation has recently joined cookies and ice cream (not to mention nachos, pizza, pork, cats, friends, family, and sunshine) in my list of life�s most important things. It�s tough out there for a five-foot tall gal with a dessert addiction and hips that don't lie. Extra cookies just have no where to hide on this short frame. And that's why sometimes we need desserts with a little less butter and a little less sugar, because I seriously eat dessert every single day. Now, that's not to say these don't have fat and sugar. But it's the good kind! 

I've made Ashlae's no-bake cookies about 6 times since she posted the recipe. I just gotta have 'em in the freezer at all times. They're rich and creamy, and taste like a grown-up version of the classic no-bake cookie from elementary school. And they're made with just 5 ingredients (plus salt), which I always have in my house. Seriously obsessed. The other day, in a moment of weakness (shortly after dipping a tortilla chip in bacon grease�genius or terrifying, I�m not sure), I topped one of these cookies with a spoonful of ice cream, and it was magical. 

I wanted to keep the natural, minimal-ingredient thing going, and what goes better with chocolate and peanut butter than banana!? So, here we have thin, creamy layers of chocolate-peanut butter-oat no bake cookies, with 2-ingredient banana ice cream in the middle. It�s basically oatmeal and a banana, so I�ve been having it for breakfast. And it�s practically a protein shake, so I�ve definitely been chowing down on these before working out. Honestly, I can�t stop eating these, and I think I have a problem. Help? 

Help yourself to a batch of these no-bake chocolate peanut butter banana ice cream sandwiches, is more like it! 

No-bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches
Cookies from Oh Lady Cakes

Plan ahead, there a few separate freezing steps, but trust me, it�s simple and worth it! 

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other all natural nut butter)
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup rolled oats

3 bananas, peeled, chopped, and frozen solid
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

To make cookies: Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. Add coconut oil through sea salt to a small sauce pan, and heat over medium, whisking until everything is melted and combined. Remove from heat and stir in oats. Spread mixture evenly in bottom of parchment lined dish. Freeze up to two hours, until solid. 

To make ice cream: Add bananas to a food processor, and blend until creamy (at first, the mixture will look crumbly, but eventually it all comes together in a smooth, creamy soft-serve), then add vanilla and blend until just combined. 

To assemble: Using a sharp knife, cut frozen cookie layer in half (just lift the parchment out of the dish to a cutting board, then put half the cookie back in the dish). Top half the cookie evenly with ice cream, then gently place the other half on top and smooth the edges. Freeze at least over night, until totally solid. Cut using a sharp knife while fully frozen. They melt pretty quickly, so enjoy right out of the freezer! 

Valentine's Day on CBC's Weekend Morning Show - Fair Trade Chocolate Creams and Lobster with Almond Tarator

This morning, after the 8:30AM news, I presented the following dishes for Valentine's Day treats on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod. 

1. Nova Scotia Lobster Tails with Almond Tarator
4 small - medium Nova Scotia Lobster Tails
Prepare Almond Tarator in advance.  Recipe follows.
Cut defrosted Lobster tails down the middle and loosen meat.  Drizzle olive oil over tails.  Place over high heat of BBQ or under broiler and cook until the shell is red all over.  Open shell and spoon Almond Tarator over lobster meat.  Serve immediately.

Almond Tarator
9 oz Almonds
3 cloves garlic
sea salt
juice of one lemon
3 tbs champagne vinegar
1 tbs honey
4 egg yolks
2 1/4 cups good olive oil
3-5 oz lukewarm water
freshly ground black pepper

Pulse the almonds in a food processor.  Crush the garlic with salt and add to the almonds with lemon juice, vinegar, honey and egg yolk until smooth and creamy.  Drizzle in half of the oil, and alternate with the water.  Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil until a thick, creamy mayonnaise.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Use as a dip, mezze or cover a fish fillet and bake.

2. Chocolate Creams

6-7 oz dark Callebaut Chocolate
2 cups milk
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

Melt chocolate in a bain-marie (stainless steel bowl over pot of boiling water) with 1 tbs. Milk. Make the quantity of milk up to 2 cups and bring high heat. Beat 6 egg yolks with sugar until the mixture turns white. Slowly add the chocolate flavoured milk, beating it in quickly. Divide the mixture between at least 6 ramekins placed in a baking dish that will be filled with simmering water (another bain-marie). Bake at 375� F for about 25 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the bain-marie and leave to cool before putting them in the refrigerator to set.

Pavlova (optional to serve with creams)

4 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 180�F.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Draw a 9-inch circle on the
paper, using a 9-inch plate as a guide, then turn the paper over so the circle is on
the reverse side. (This way you won't get a pencil mark on the meringue.)
Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk
attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about 1 minute. With
the mixer still on high, slowly add the sugar and beat until it makes firm, shiny
peaks, about 2 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift the cornstarch onto the beaten egg whites,
add the vinegar and vanilla, and fold in lightly with a rubber spatula. Pile the
meringue into the middle of the circle on the parchment paper and smooth it
within the circle, making a rough disk. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven,
keep the door closed, and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven,
about 1 hour. It will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Invert the meringue disk onto a plate and spread the top completely with
sweetened whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cream Pie

I�m back� and with PIE!

A lot has happened around here in the last couple of months, and I struggled a little with how I wanted to come back, and what I wanted to say. In the wake of so much sadness (my dad passing) and so much joy (my wedding), I just couldn�t seem to put pen to paper (or�fingers to keyboard) about food.

Also�grief and stress can do weird things to you, appetite wise. For weeks I was sick to my stomach and couldn�t eat, then I had a few weeks of eating all the chocolate and donuts in the land, followed by a brief stint just before the wedding where I seriously forgot how to cook.

I didn�t know if I should talk to you about my dad, because sometimes he�s all I can think about�but ultimately, I decided that should wait�I�m not really ready for that here. And then, my wedding! And honeymoon! I have so much to share with you, but I�m waiting until we have all the photos back from our (amazing) wedding photographer. That will come soon enough. Here's a sneak peek. 

So, in the meantime, I knew I needed a conversation starter� but I just felt� lost. And then, I saw this pie. Now THAT is a conversation starter! I knew immediately that I wanted to adapt it for Thanksgiving, and for a few days, it was all I could think about. I seriously stared at pictures of this pie for a week. This pie reminded me why I love cooking and blogging. It inspired me to get in the kitchen and create something. To wipe the dust off my camera. Oh, and also� it�s really good.

The original pie is a peanut butter cream pie, but the moment I saw it, pumpkin cream pie was all I could think about. I�m not the biggest fan of standard pumpkin pie, but fluffy, creamy, cool, whipped pumpkin pie, with a cream cheese base!? Yeah, that I can get behind! And let�s not forget the chocolate crust (with chocolate shell layer!) and bourbon maple whipped cream topping! It�s not overly pumpkiny and texturally, it�s pretty fun. You have the contrast of the looser bourbon maple whip, the creamy, tangy pumpkin filling, and then the crunchy chocolate crust. I think your Thanksgiving dessert table could use one more addition, don�t you? 

PS. I missed you guys!

Pumpkin Cream Pie with Chocolate Crust and Bourbon-Maple Whipped Cream

Adapted from this recipe

Crust

1 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (I used half a sleeve of the Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer cookies, in crumb form)

1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cinnamon

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Just under 1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces (chunks, chips, etc)

Pie Filling

1.5 cups heavy cream

1 package cream cheese (8oz), at room temp

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling�the only ingredient should be pumpkin)

Bourbon-Maple Whipped Cream

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon bourbon

1.5 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350.

Make the crust: Combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add butter, and stir until combined. Pour into 9-inch pie dish, and press tightly into bottom and sides with your hands. Bake 13 to 15 minutes�it might be puffed up right when you take it out, but it will fall a little when it cools. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Melt chocolate pieces (in double boiler or microwave) and pour into cooled crust. gently spread evenly on bottom of crust. Let cool completely before filling (helps harden chocolate shell if you put in fridge to cool, but wait until pie dish is no longer warm to refrigerate).

Make the filling: With a stand mixer, hand mixer, or if you�re really buff, a whisk, beat the cream until it holds medium-hard peaks. If using a stand mixer, transfer to a separate medium-sized bowl.

In the same stand mixer bowl (with the paddle attachment) beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, spices, and mix well. Beat in the pumpkin puree until smooth. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the whipped cream, a quarter at a time, until mixture is well combined but still light and fluffy. 

Spoon the filling into the fully cooled, prepared crust, and smooth top. Loosely cover and chill up to 4 hours or overnight.

Bourbon-Maple Whipped Cream: Beat the cream, bourbon, and maple syrup until it holds soft peaks. 

Just before serving, top pie with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and serve each piece with a heavy dollop of bourbon-maple whipped cream. Let the pie sit at room temp for a minute, to make cutting through the chocolate shell a bit easier. 

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze

I love St. Patrick's day! But, to be fair, i don't really know much about actual St. Paddy's day in actual Ireland (even though last year I made this traditional Irish  snack plate!). The St. Patrick's day I know is all about wearing green (and pinching people who aren't wearing green), eating corned beef and cabbage, drinking green beer and Irish whiskey, and spiking everything you can with stout beer and Irish cream. 

Spike all the things! Baked chocolate Stout and Irish Cream donuts! Let's do this! 

Guys, this donut pan business is dangerous! They're so easy and fun and cute! I could make donuts for every holiday. Friday is a holiday, right? 

The baked cake portion of these is dense and chocolaty, with a little bit of stout flavor shining through. Use your favorite Irish stout, or find something fun. I used a salted caramel stout. What! Yep, it happened! It exists! The glaze is all boozy and Irish creamy. Ps. You can make your own Irish cream! 

St. Paddy's Day donut time. Here's what you do: whisk, stir, drink some stout, pour, stir, mix, drink some stout, bake, drink some stout, whisk glaze ingredients, cool donuts, drink some stout, glaze donuts, eat donuts. Drink some stout. 

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze

Adapted from this recipe

Makes 6-8 donuts

Donuts

1 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dark stout beer

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Glaze

1.5  cups powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons Irish Cream

Green food coloring

Preheat oven to 325. Coat donut pan with cooking spray. 

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together beer, sugar, egg, and butter until combined. Add wet ingredients to dry, and gently fold with a spatula until combined (making sure to get all the dry ingredients mixed in). 

Spoon batter into a ziplock baggie and cut the corner off one end, so you have a hole about the size of a nickel (or spoon into a pastry bag). Pipe a thick ring of batter into each donut circle. Bake for about 11-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, and when you gently touch the top of a donut, it springs back. 

Let donuts cool in pan for a minute or two, then gently turn out onto wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter if necessary (the original recipe said it made 6, it weirdly made 7 donuts). 

Let cool completely before glazing. 

To make glaze: Stir powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of Irish cream together until combined. If it's too thick, add more Irish cream (also, you can add a splash of your stout). Scoop about 1-2 tablespoons into a small dish, and to this small portion, add a drop or two of green food coloring, until desired color. Spoon into a ziplock bag. 

Gently dip donuts into un-colored glaze, being careful when you pull it out to not break donut. Let glaze cool until hard/dry, about 30 minutes, then cut a hole in the tip of the baggie, and drizzle green glaze over top. Let cool another 10-20 minutes. (You can also let first layer of glaze dry, then double or <gasp> triple dip for more glazey goodness!)

CBC's Weekend Morning Show - Oscar Party favours

This morning I had the pleasure of presenting the following dishes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with guest host Agatha Moir.  These dishes are good for any Oscar party.  Try some lovely Gimli Fish golden caviar, proscecco or champagne but in this weather, mulled wine.

Enjoy!

(chocolate mousse)

Cheese Fondue

1/2 pound imported Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 pound Cave-aged Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cherry brandy, such as kirsch*
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch nutmeg
Assorted dippers

In a small bowl, coat the cheeses with cornstarch and set aside. Rub the inside of the ceramic fondue pot with the garlic, then discard.
Over medium heat, add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Gradually stir the cheese into the simmering liquid. Melting the cheese gradually encourages a smooth fondue. Once smooth, stir in cherry brandy, mustard and nutmeg.
Try with breads (day-old can work the best as it isn't too soft and will stand up to the cheese), saut�ed whole mushrooms, apple slices, etc.

*I've used Desorrono or Frangelico when I didn't have Kirsch on hand.


Tapenade

This olive spread can be labour intensive if you are pitting the olives yourself but it goes a long way and the taste is a rich and unique flavour that is quite versatile.

1 cup Moroccan olives pitted
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 cloves garlic
1/4 � 1/3 cup good olive oil
1 tsp black pepper

Blend all ingredients together to a paste. You can enjoy this on crackers and baguettes. A little can be used in earthy tomato sauces to add richness to the flavours. Tapenade can be used to stuff chicken  breasts, to coat roasted chicken. As a dip or filling for lamb.


Chocolate Honey Mousse

Sweetening the mousse with honey adds a Proven�al touch to a classic French dessert.

2 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons honey
Stir 3/4 cup cream, chocolate and honey in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally.
In large bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups cream until soft peaks form. Fold cream into chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Divide mousse among eight 3/4-cup ramekins. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
Whip remaining 1/2 cup cream to firm peaks. Spoon a dollop of cream in center of each mousse.

Baked Chocolate Cake Donuts with Raspberry Glaze

DONUTS! I wonder how many times I'll write donuts in this post? 

I finally broke down and bought a donut pan. Guys� that pan set me back about 8 buckaroos. Seriously, why did it take me so long? I highly recommend everyone gets a donut pan. SO worth the $8.  

My favorite donut shop ever, Top Pot Doughnuts, has a chocolate cake donut with raspberry glaze that makes me weak in the knees. That was what I wanted to make first, but Evan insisted I make plain ol' plain donuts with powdered sugar and cinnamon. So I did that, just to test 'er out. And when I discovered how freaking easy it is to make baked cake donuts with this pan, I went to the gym� because, donuts. And then, I made chocolate donuts with raspberry glaze. YES. 

I think my counts is at 10� or 11, if you count the 1 use of the alternate spelling "doughnuts." 

I love the chocolate and raspberry combo here. The glaze is sweet but also tangy and fruity, and pairs so well with the super rich chocolatey donut, which is tender and cakey. And also, the glaze is so pretty and pink! I should have made these for Valentine's day, huh?

Well� what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a donut pan! GO! 

Baked Chocolate Cake Donuts with Raspberry Glaze

Batter recipe slightly adapted from Joy the Baker

Makes 10 donuts

Donuts

1 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup water

1 large egg

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (runny, but not hot)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze

1.5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup raspberries (about 8 berries, fresh or frozen, thawed)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Half a lemon

Preheat oven to 325, with rack in top 2/3 of the oven. Coat donut pan with cooking spray. 

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt and water, and stir in egg, butter, and vanilla, until combined. Add wet ingredients to dry, and gently fold with a spatula until combined (making sure to get all the dry ingredients mixed in). The batter will be a bit thick. 

Spoon batter into a ziplock baggie and cut the corner off one end, so you have a hole about the size of a nickel (or spoon into a pastry bag). I find this is the easiest way to fill the donut pan circles. Pipe a thick ring of batter into each donut circle. Bake for about 11-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, and when you gently touch the top of a donut, it springs back. 

Let donuts cool in pan for a minute or two, then gently turn out onto wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, depending on how many holes your donut pan has. 

Let cool completely before glazing. 

To make glaze: Add powdered sugar to a bowl, and mash berries through a fine mesh strainer, straining juice into powdered sugar. Add vanilla and a small squeeze of the lemon. Stir until combined. If it's too thick, add more lemon juice. If too thin, add more powdered sugar. 

Gently dip donuts into glaze, being careful when you pull it out to not break donut. Let glaze cool until hard/dry, about 30 minutes to an hour.  

Post Valentine's Sweets for CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning I had the pleasure of presenting the following easy, yet impressive recipe for the sweet people in your lives on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.

(Photo by Karen Peters)

Chocolate Mud Puddle Cookies

3 cups walnut halves, toasted, cooled and roughly chopped
4 cups powdered sugar (Icing, Confectioner's)
1/2 cup +3 tbs unsweetened Cocoa (See Camino or Callebaut for Fair Trade)
scant 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 tbs good quality vanilla extract
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to320�F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

Sift sugar, cocoa and sea salt.  Stir in the chopped walnuts, then add the egg whites and vanilla.  Stir until all combined.

Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets and leave plenty of room for the cookies to spread, about 6 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake until the cookies puff up.  The tops get glossy and then crack a bit, about 12-15 minutes.

Cool cookies on cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chocolate Pancakes

What are your thoughts on breakfast in bed? 

I think sounds nice, in theory� but really, I sort of hate it. Eating in bed grosses me out. Crumbs and food smells in the bed� no gracias. But, I am all for a quick chocolaty breakfast for Valentine's Day� just, served in the dining room. PS. Who am I kidding� we totally only eat on the couch in front of the tv. 

These pancakes are super simple to whip up, and happen to be gluten free, sugar free (unless you add chocolate chips and maple syrup like I do), and, minus the chocolate chips and syrup, and maybe a pinch of salt, contain only four simple ingredients. Almond butter, bananas, eggs, and cocoa powder. That's it, my friends. 

I know it seems weird to not add any flour, but it just works! And if these weren't already simple enough, I mix the batter up in the blender, which makes for easy, even pouring, and quick clean up. I'm pretty sure that Evan could even make these pancakes (hint, hint)! 

Gluten Free Chocolate Pancakes

Makes about 16 silver dollar pancakes

The riper your bananas, the more banana flavor you'll get. If you're into that, go super ripe. I prefer less ripe, to let the chocolate shine through more. You can also swap out the almond butter for peanut butter! The ratios here are really simple to remember, and make it easy to halve or double the recipe. The one drawback to these is that they're a little difficult to flip. The smaller the pancake and the less you cook at a time, the better.

2 bananas

2 eggs

2 heaping tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons cocoa powder 

Pinch salt

Chocolate chips

Cooking spray or butter

Maple syrup, for serving

Blend bananas, eggs, almond butter, cocoa powder, and salt until smooth (will just take a few seconds, depending on the power of your blender). Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat, and spray or butter. Pour a small amount of batter into the skillet (silver dollar size) and add 2-3 chocolate chips/ pancake. When the top starts to bubble (generally takes less than a minute), gently flip, and cook another 30-60 seconds. Repeat with remaining ingredients, spraying/buttering skillet between each batch. Serve warm with maple syrup! 

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2013: Peppermint Mocha Icebox Cookies

For the second year in a row, I participated in THE BEST COOKIE SWAP EVER: The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! Last year I made Maple Waffle Cookies for the swap. This year, I decided to go minty and chocolaty.

I�m pretty much obsessed with peppermint. When peppermint ice cream starts popping up in stores I go crazy. It�s so good! And I�ll even bend my no-sugar, no-flavorings-in-coffee rule for peppermint mochas. Chocolate, coffee, peppermint...seriously, put that in my stocking this year!

I had seen peppermint mocha cookies before, but usually in drop-cookie form, with pieces of crushed candy cane mixed in the dough. I wanted to make something new, so I decided to do slice and bake cookies (icebox cookies), and then dip them in chocolate and coat that in crushed candy canes.

Sidenote #1: crushed candy canes are the most beautiful thing ever. It�s like sparkly white and pink glitter snow.

Sidenote #2: crushing candy canes kind of sucks. I put them in a big freezer sized ziplock, then wrapped that in a hand towel, then beat it with a hammer. Then, because I�m crazy and wanted perfect tiny little speckles, I sifted out the big chunks. #imcrazy

I love icebox cookies because they�re so easy. You can make the dough, then roll it in logs (which, unfortunately, resemble a friendly little Christmas cartoon named Hanky), and then freeze. Then you can fully clean your kitchen, listen to some holiday tunes, watch Home Alone, drink some hot buttered rum, get a good night�s sleep, and wake up the next day, bright eyed and ready to slice and bake!

Sidenote #3: I love the word icebox. Oooh, how retro. How very Madmen of you, Amber!

Also, thanks to the espresso powder, these cookies are super chocolaty. Like, majorly so. Like tiny little cookie shaped brownies. You�ll die ten times. Then you�ll add that cool pepperminty crunch of the crushed candy canes, and you�ll die a few more times. Probably 15 times in all.

Guys. Seriously.

Peppermint Mocha Icebox Cookies

Very loosely adapted from this recipe 

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup quality unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup dark or semi sweet chocolate chips

8-10 candy canes, crushed

Whisk flour, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer, beat sugar, vanilla, and egg on high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Add butter and continue to beat on high speed until smooth, about 3 more minutes. Using your fingers, work flour mixture into butter mixture until dough is just combined. It will be sticky and a little difficult to work with, but it's all worth it!

Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 9" log. Wrap each log in parchment paper, twisting ends tightly to make a uniform longs. Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap dough and slice each log into rounds about 1/3 inch thick. Place rounds 1/2 inch apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake until cookies are slightly puffy, about 8-9 minutes. Let sit on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to a rack to cool. Be careful, they're really soft at first. 

Let cookies cool completely. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or over a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Dip each cookie half-way in the chocolate (I tried to dip only on the top), and then dip in crushed candy canes. Set on wax paper to harden. Let cool completely. 

Enjoy!

Wait, there's more!

Looking for more recipes from the cookie swap? Check out the blogs of my random matches: the bloggers I sent these bad boys to, as well as the bloggers who sent cookies to me!

Strudel and Streusel

Thirty Five Ninety Five
Pudgie Pies

A Family Feast

DESIGN + LIFE + KIDS

It's Good to be the Cook