This gallery contains 1 photo.
One could be forgiven for keeping one of the key ingredients of this cake a secret. Those who grow zucchini know that overnight a zucchini can morph to a monstrous size. At least that is what it seems. … Continue reading
This is a sublime riff on a fruit crumble. An almond flavoured rich cookie base. Juicy, dark Bing cherries. Then a strusel topping whispering the same cookie taste. A cake that is not a cake but a crumble. A decadent dessert that sings of summer.
Once you’ve pitted the cherries the cake goes together in just ten minutes. If you don’t have a cherry- pitter it is easy to remove pits with a chop-stick or the pointed end of a decorating pastry tip. Hold the cherry between two fingers and position it on a cutting board. Push the chop stick or pastry tip through the center of the stem.
The crumble is a combination of ground almonds, flour and butter. A quick whirl in your food processor. Press half the mixture into a cake base with a removable base. Sprinkle with cherries. Then top with the remaining streusel and pop in the oven. This is the perfect summer cake for a picnic. Just transport the cake in its tin.
| CHERRY STREUSEL . . . Juicy Bing cherries nestle between layers of meltingly rich short crumble. | Print |
Those lovers of exotic flavours. The intrepid, adventurous cook. You who love the fabled stories of The silk Road and camel caravans loaded with precious spices. All of this is here. In your kitchen. You toss red chili peppers, coriander, cumin, and black mustard seeds and black peppercorns in a heated pan. It becomes pure alchemy. This fragrant aromas of spices you have created becomes your personal curry powder. Your Poudre de Curry Maison.
This recipe for curry powder is a blueprint. You add a little more fenugreek seeds. A whisper of ginger. A little more turmeric. Your whole concept of curry power seasoning changes when you make your own.
The inspiration for homemade curry powder comes from the pages of Patricia Wells cookbooks. She is one of my favourite sources for French recipes . I use my homemade curry powder in salad dressings, soups, curries and frequently add just a touch of curry powder at the end of many dishes.
| HOMEMADE CURRY POWDER | Print |
When someone lists their favourite cookies this cookie is almost always on their list. It is a classic and I collect classics. I call it a polite peanut butter cookie. It is at once crisp and chewy. There’s a whisper of a crunch and then a murmuring of sweet, closely followed by an exclamation of salt. This polite cookie does not have an aggressive peanut butter flavour. Your know the kind of cookie. The peanut butter cookie that clings to and overpowers your taste buds. This peanut butter cookie can be kept simple. Or, you can adorn it with chocolate. A little cocoa powder and a sprinkle of finely chopped of your-very-best chocolate and you have a winner. Then you sign your cookie creations with the traditional classic crisscrosses.
When you’re whipping up this cookie creation refrain from using all-natural peanut butter. As with most peanut butter recipes you won’t get the texture you want with this type of peanut butter. Save this for sandwiches and midnight munchies.
This is a generous recipe. If you allow a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie the recipe will give you four to five dozen cookies. Wrapped well or in a cookie jar(graciously separating the layers with parchment paper) they will keep for about five days at room temperature. You can freeze these cookies. They’re good for about two months.
| THE POLITE CLASSIC CRISPY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE | Print |
This gallery contains 2 photos.
All through the long and glorious summer the garden rewarded us with fresh, fresh vegetables. I walk from the kitchen across the long stretch of grass and into the garden. It is another world of vegetables going quietly about … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
In another life we had a pizzeria in the city. We introduced artisan pizzas to Vancouver away back when. Our pizzas won awards, but they did more; they participated in romance (an engagement ring nestled in a bed of basil … Continue reading
BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE
This is one of my favorite blueberry recipes. It is a straightforward light, tender cake. It’s easy to serve for breakfast, dinner or a midnight snack. The dominant flavour is the berries, those wonderful deep full-flavoured blueberries. If you are using frozen blueberries don’t thaw them out. If they are little frosty rinse the berries off with cold water and dry them gently. Don’t be tempted to increase the amount of walnuts in the topping – scarcity makes them even more delightful. And keep the crumb mixture in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
This is an excellent recipe to have tucked in your apron pocket. It works well with most any berry (except strawberries-they’re too watery) in place of or with the blueberries. You can use slices or cubes of soft fruits such as peeled peaches or nectarine, apricots or plums.
This recipe is from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. It was published in 2006. If baking is your forte it is a valuable book to have in your collection.
| BESOTTED WITH BLUEBERRIES | Print |
Of all the soups I make this is my number one favourite. This recipe is wonderful to serve to friends and family when you want something impressive, completely different and absolutely delicious. The recipe is beautifully spicy but you can easily adjust this by the amount of red curry paste you use. The recipe is easily adapted for vegetarians. Simply replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
| Carrot-Coconut Soup | Print |
If there ever was a time we needed comfort food it is today. Something sweet to sooth the soul and have you smiling with delight. A jelly roll to the rescue. What a delightful idea. Bake a cake. Spread jam on it and roll it up. Easy, peasy. The ingredients are all there in your kitchen – eggs, sugar, flour, flavouring and jam.
| JELLY ROLL TO THE RESCUE | Print |
This gallery contains 6 photos.
RHUBARB UPSIDE-DOWN BROWN SUGAR CAKE This unprepossessing plant. This long awaited harbinger of spring type of plant. This new darling of avant-garde young chefs. This wonderful rhubarb is the upside-down topping on the most delicious of brown sugar cakes. It … Continue reading
© 2011-2025 Mrs. Butterfingers All Rights Reserved -- Copyright notice by Blog Copyright
