A Life, Lived

Raspberry Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a baked custard like cake that originated in the countryside of central France. It is a rustic dish that is simple to make and tastes so good that people will believe you slaved in the kitchen for hours.

Traditionally it is made with cherries but after I had made cherry jam last week there wasn't enough cherries left for eating out of hand AND the clafoutis. Happily I had plenty of raspberries so I sapped them in instead.

Clafoutis is normally made with whole cherries - pits and all - with the pits providing an almond flavouring but also make eating the dessert a tad challenging. Most cooks opt to use pitted cherries and add a bit of almond flavoring instead. As I was using raspberries I decided to forgo the almond flavouring all together.

I used my regular recipe which was created by Elise at Simply Recipes with a few adaptations.

Raspberry Clafoutis

2 cups of fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons of blanched slivered almonds
3 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of milk (2% or whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and lightly flour a 9X9 or 10X7 baking dish. Scatter the raspberries and slivered almonds over the bottom of the dish.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the salt and flour until smooth.

Add the milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour into the baking dish over the raspberries and slivered almonds.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until lightly browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Check about halfway through the baking and if the top is getting well browned tent it loosely with aluminum foil.

When you pull it put of the oven it will wiggle a bit which is normal. Place on a wire rack to cool. The clafoutis will have puffed up quite a bit and will deflate while cooling. When cool dust the clafoutis with powdered sugar. Serve.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

This goes on the list of the best thing I have made in awhile.

Yes Joanne, I made it before we went to California - no desserts for me now. :-(

Dessert bans aside - if you can get your hands on some lovely, local, ripe strawberries make this. Of course, I suspect any fruit would work just fine - strawberry season over - try some peaches or plums. You get the picture.

One of the many great things about this recipe is how quickly it goes from a pile of ingredients on the counter to an amazing dessert which will 'wow' folks. Or if you're not intent on wowing folks it will added a delicious hit of yummy goodness at the end of your meal. . . or for breakfast the next day because it is just that yummy.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

For the topping:
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons sugar in the raw
Zest of one lemon
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped (1-inch pieces)
1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Heat oven to 375°F.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugars and lemon zest and add the melted butter. Mix until small and large clumps form. Refrigerate until needed.

Toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.

Remove topping from refrigerator. If it has settled into one giant mound, rough it up a bit with your hands to create the crumbles again. Cover fruit thickly and evenly with crumble (and don’t forget to get the edges good).

Place pie plate on a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake until crumble topping is golden brown in places and fruit is bubbling beneath, about 40 to 50 minutes.  If your crumble starts to get too brown, but the fruit isn’t quite bubbling yet, cover it with aluminum foil and continue baking until it does.

Grilled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries

Angel food cake is a low-fat, airy dessert that is the perfect finish to a summer meal. If you're using the grill for dinner, grill the angel food cake after you finish your meal - but make sure the grilling rack is scraped clean first!

Because angel food cake is mostly sugar the hot grill caramelizes the sugars creating a crisp and delicious crust.

I always use a store-bought angel food cake which ensures very little time in the kitchen yet still results in a very impressive dessert.

Grilled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries

1.50 lb. strawberries
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1  store-bought angel food cake
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
mint leaves to garnish

In medium bowl, toss strawberries with balsamic vinegar and sugar. Let stand at room temperature until sugar dissolves, at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling on medium. Cut angel food cake into 6 wedges.

Place cake on hot grill rack and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly toasted on both sides, turning over once. Spoon strawberries with their juice onto 6 dessert plates. Place grilled cake on plates with strawberries; serve with whipped cream if you like.

Cranberry Pecan Tart

We were having friends over for dessert last night after a day of art gallery touring and dinner out. Because it was our annual Christmas get together I decided to put more effort into dessert than I might normally (i.e. I actually baked something rather than popped into a bakery to buy something interesting).

I saw this recipe on the LCBO Food and Drink website. I liked the idea of mixing cranberries in with the pecan tart to cut some of that sweetness that can be overpowering at times.

The recipe calls for a lattice top. Instead of that I decided to cut christmas tree shapes from pastry and overlap them on top of the tart for a more festive look. Before baking I brushed the pastry with cream and sprinkled it with sugar.

The end result was amazing! Just the sort of thing that you crave during the season of eating to excess with friends and family.

Cranberry Pecan Tart

1 cup (250 mL) pecans
2 pie crusts, 9 inches (23 cm) each
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (250 mL) dark corn syrup
⅔ cup (150 mL) granulated sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter, melted
1 tbsp (15 mL) Grand Marnier or brandy
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1½ cups (375 mL) fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Spread pecans on a baking sheet; bake 8 to 10 minutes or until fragrant and toasted. Cool.

Line a glass or ceramic pie dish with pastry. Cut remaining pastry round into strips about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. On a sheet of waxed paper, weave crosswise into a lattice top about 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter. For instructions on how to weave a traditional lattice top, see below.

Beat eggs with syrup, sugar, butter, Grand Marnier and vanilla. Toss pecans with cranberries; turn into pie shell. Pour over egg mixture. Flip lattice on top of pie; flute edges.

Bake in centre of oven for 50 minutes or until pastry is golden and fi lling is just set.

Cool on a rack before serving.

Lemon-Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce

This month's Cooking Light Supper Club had a great theme: Yes You May (Our Favourite Indulgence) courtesy of Sandi.

I was assigned a dessert to bring to the party.

Unfortunately my dessert was a bit of a disaster. Panna Cotta is normally a high fat treat which we often enjoy in Italy. Essentially it translates as 'cooked cream'.Usually some gelatin is added in order to create a delicious pudding made from whipping cream, sugar, and flavouring. Usually it is served with chocolate sauce or fruit.

This recipe was for a decidedly low-fat version. Unfortunately I forgot the cardinal rule when cooking with low-fat dairy products - do NOT overheat it. I should have realized this since we had a kitchen disaster a few weeks ago when Paul used low-fat cream as a substitute for whipping cream in a sauce he was making - the result being a curdled mess.The recipe even warned about this. SIGH

I'm not going to fault the recipe here - it was the cook.

It didn't taste awful but it sure could have been a lot better! :-)

Lemon-Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce

Panna cotta:
Cooking spray
1 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Sauce:
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups blueberries
Mint sprigs (optional)

To prepare panna cotta, coat 8 (6-ounce) custard cups with cooking spray. Sprinkle gelatin over whole milk in a small saucepan; let stand 10 minutes. Cook milk mixture over medium-low heat 10 minutes or until gelatin dissolves, stirring constantly with a whisk. Increase heat to medium; add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add buttermilk and rind, stirring well. Divide mixture evenly among prepared custard cups. Cover and chill at least 5 hours or up to overnight.

To prepare sauce, combine the apple juice, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; stir until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; stir in blueberries. Cook 8 minutes or until blueberries are warm and begin to pop. Cool sauce to room temperature.

Place a dessert plate, upside down, on top of each custard cup; invert panna cotta onto plates. Serve with sauce. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Mixed Nut Tart

I don't make many desserts - I'd rather buy something interesting from a local bakery than fuss in the kitchen. From time-to-time I get the inspiration and go nuts though - sometimes with happy results.

I was going through my baking supplies and realized that I had all sorts of different nuts left over from my Christmas baking. I wanted to use them up before they went rancid so I decided to make a mixed nut tart. This one was from the folks at Canadian Living.

It sure was a worthy selection- hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans grace the top of this decadent indulgence. We served with some bourbon-spiked whipped cream.

Yum - I'm craving some now!

Mixed Nut Tart

1/3 cup (75 mL) hazelnuts
3 eggs
1 cup (250 mL) packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) corn syrup
1 tbsp (15 mL) cider vinegar
1 tbsp (15 mL) bourbon, or 1/2 tsp/2 mL vanilla
Pinch salt
1/3 cup (75 mL) walnut halves
1/3 cup (75 mL) pecan halves
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar
Pinch salt
1/3 cup (75 mL) cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
4 tsp (18 mL) whipping cream
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla

On baking sheet, toast hazelnuts in 350°F (180°C) oven until golden and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to towel and rub to remove most of the skins. Set aside.

Sweet Pastry: In food processor, pulse together flour, sugar and salt. Pulse in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir together egg yolks, cream and vanilla; pulse into flour mixture, adding up to 2 tsp (10 mL) more cream if necessary to make dough stick together when pressed. Remove from bowl. Shape into ball; flatten into disc. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

Between floured waxed paper, roll out pastry to 11-inch (28 cm) circle; place in 9-inch (23 cm) round tart pan with removable bottom, pressing to edge of pan. Using rolling pin, roll across rim to trim off excess pastry.

With fork, prick bottom all over; refrigerate for 20 minutes. Line with foil; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in bottom third of 400°F (200°C) oven for 10 minutes. Remove weights and foil; bake for 3 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet.

In bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, vinegar, bourbon and salt; pour into baked crust. Arrange hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans over top. Bake in centre of 375°F (190°C) oven until centre jiggles slightly and edge is browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on rack.

Apple Crumble Slab Pie

Some days just call for pie.

Last week I noticed that the apples we had picked last month were going soft and needed to be used up. It seemed as if pie was on order.

Then I saw a blog post on the Smitten Kitchen blog for something called a slab pie. She RAVED about slab pies. I did a quick google search and discovered legion of slab pie fans out there. Somehow I had never heard of them.

Clearly I was under a rock.

I decided to go with a simpler version - one with a pecan crumble topping rather than a second layer of pastry.

This pie is a little different from the norm for several reasons. It’s baked on a sheet pan instead of in a pie plate, it’s got a delicious crumble topping, featuring pecans, and it feeds a crowd without the work of making several pies at once. It’s like an apple pie, tart and crisp all in one.

If you’re not feeding a crowd you can always freeze the extras between parchment paper and just take out as many as you need at a time, to thaw. Ididn't bother with this - instead I brought the leftovers to work where they were snapped up in 5 minutes!

High praise, that.

Apple Slab Pie with Crumb Topping

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
8 – 10 tablespoons cold water
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 1/2 pounds tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (or 10 cups sliced)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Toss in the butter cubes and, using your fingers, quickly break up the clumps, rubbing together with flour, until the butter is in pea sized amounts and mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or cut in with a pastry blender). Sprinkle water over flour mixture 1 tablespoons at a time; gently toss with a fork, until all of the flour mixture is moistened. Gently knead the dough just until a ball forms.

Roll out the dough to approximately a 17×12 inch rectangle, on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Transfer to a 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Patch any corners that don’t reach the edges of the pan, with any overhanging dough. Roll edges under and press down onto the rim of the baking sheet. Trim off excess parchment paper. Refrigerate while you make filling.

Toss together all ingredient, in a large bowl, until apples are evenly coated. Pour into dough-lined pan, spreading evenly. Refrigerate while you make the crumb topping.

Stir together oats, brown sugar, and flour until well combined. Using your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped pecans. Sprinkle evenly over apple filling.

Bake at 375ºF for 45-60 minutes, until filling is bubbly near the centre and crust is browned. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Once completely cool, cover and keep at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerate for up to 3 days (bring up to room temperature to serve). Freeze for longer storage.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Cake

On Monday I featured a drink made with strawberry-rhubarb syrup and talked about how this is one of the quintessential flavour combinations of late June/July here in Ontario. In fact, not long after local asparagus arrives in the market strawberries and rhubarb show up to start the avalanche of fresh fruits and veggies.

For our Canada Day dessert I could have served the leftover cake from Paul's birthday:

It fit to a 'T'. But leftovers? I'd never live it down!

In the end I made a cobbler cake.

What is a cobbler cake?

Those dessert lovers out there know that a cobbler is a biscuit-topped fruit dessert. This isn’t far off… as it bakes, the fruit sinks down into the cake batter like your head into a soft, overstuffed pillow. Of course, since I used the wrong sized pan our fruit didn't sink down as much as it should have because the cake layer was just too darn thick.

This is my favorite kind of cake recipe – the sort that can be made with any type of fruit that happens to be at its peak; this would be fabulous with peaches, nectarines, plums, or all kinds of berries, fresh or frozen… it brings out the best in any of them. Flavour the cake itself with grated orange or lemon zest, if you like, or add a shake of cinnamon. Omit the sugar scattered over top if the fruit you choose is sweet enough – rhubarb tends to need a little help.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler Cake

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

Champagne and Strawberry Gelatin

A few years ago we learned how to make this during a coking glass at the LCBO (Ontario's booze monopoly). During the class the chef actually made a terrine which was sliced and plated. Because I like 'easy' when it comes to dessert I served it in wine glasses - my only suggestion here is to serve it in something clear because it is quite pretty to look at.

As far as desserts go this one is near perfect - you quickly pull it together in the morning, hide it in the back of the fridge, and then pull it out for appreciative guests after dinner. I generally serve it with assorted cookies to round things out.

While the recipe calls for strawberries any fruit would work - for dinner last week I used a combination of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

Even though most of the alcohol is burned off during the cooking process some residual alcohol would remain so if you're serving this to children or those who do not drink you'd want to sub in sparkling non-alcoholic wine or even white grape or cranberry juice.

Champagne and Strawberry Gelatin

1 750  ml bottle of sparkling wine
1 cup white sugar
1 small bunch mint, leaves removed from stems
2 tablespoons of powdered gelatin
2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced (NOTE - substitute other seasonal fruit as desired)

Pour 1/4 cup ice water into a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over the water. Let sit until the gelatin turns rubbery/spongy - do not stir.

Boil the sparkling wine and sugar together until the sugar dissolves.

Add gelatin to the hot liquid.

Divide the fruit and mint leaves amongst 6 - 8 125 ml wine glasses or other clear bowls.

Ladle the wine jelly over the fruit (I found that a funnel and ladle assisted with this step!)

Chill until set.

Mixed Berry Gazpacho

When we were planning dessert for the dinner last Saturday we were torn - we wanted something made using fresh ingredients from local farmers, we wanted something simple, and we wanted something relatively low-calorie. A challenging combination.

 In the end we went with this easy recipe from Bon Appetit. With this recipe you use an unusual technique where a little sugar and the gentle heat of a double boiler to draw out the berries'  juices without cooking them, yielding a vibrant sweet soup. The soup is made even more interesting by the presence of basil while it is being made. We used Thai basil and it provided that wonderful subtle flavour in every bite.

Another nice thing about this dessert is that fact that you make it in advance - all that I had to do on Saturday was pull it out of the refrigerator, plate it, and drizzle a bit of olive oil on top. All that was needed then was a scoop of ice cream (I used 2 mini scoops of lavender and a roasted peach sorbet) and then off to the table it went.

We thought it was a wonderful use for the amazing berries that we have had pouring into the farmers' market this year. A word of warning - do NOT try and make this with fruit that isn't at its peak or you'll be sadly disappointed; this is certainly a recipe where fresh and local carries the day!

Enjoy!

Mixed Berry Gazpacho

3 cups mixed berries (about 1 lb.); if using  strawberries, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh orange  juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon  zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh lime  juice
1 sprig basil, torn into pieces, plus small leaves for  garnish
Extra-virgin olive oil (for  drizzling)
Freshly ground black  pepper
Vanilla ice  cream

Combine first 6 ingredients and basil sprig in a medium  heatproof bowl; toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Place over a large  saucepan of simmering water; cook for 10 minutes.

Let cool for 15 minutes. Chill until cold, about 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Berry gazpacho can be made 1 day ahead. Keep  chilled.

Divide fruit and juices among bowls; drizzle with oil, garnish  with basil leaves and pepper, and top with a scoop of ice  cream.