Scientifically Sweet Cookbook!

Is it ok for me to totally lose my mind right now? I mean, really freak out and kind of want to throw up? No, that would be gross. Ok I won't throw up but I'm going to freak out. I'm really freaking out right now!!!

It's finally ready. It's my cookbook. It's Scientifically Sweet !!

Big things are happening over here on this fun little food blog.

I've been talking about this book for a while, and that's because I've been working on it for a whole year so that it is absolutely perfect for you. Because that is what you deserve. You are amazing and I want to hug all of you.

You've read my crazy stories, learnt new things about food, made my recipes and shared them with friends. In return, I've put together over 100 recipes in my own kitchen and tested them at least five times over so that you can 100% make them at home. They're fun, sweet, simple and totally drool-worthy. Things like Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake, Creme Brulee Cupcakes and Marbled Blueberry Lemon Curd Tart.

For a whole year I've been writing recipes, making notes, taking pictures, editing pictures and making lots of coffee! There were cookies, brownies, cakes and cupcakes; pies, tarts, chocolates and caramels. I ate a lot of it. I did it all for you.

Every chapter comes with science. Science like how to get that gorgeous, shiny, wrinkly top on your brownies every time! I provide you with lots of easy-to-follow food information and the answers to all of your aching baking questions. There's a whole chapter dedicated to candy, so that you can totally impress your friends by making Salted Honey Butter Caramels for their birthday parties and baby showers, give away Gingerbread Truffles at Christmas and send them Homemade all-Natural Strawberry Jam in the Spring. You'll be a hero.

To accompany the introduction of my book, I'm changing the title of my blog. Please don't be weirded out by this. Change is good. Change means new things are happening and that makes us wake up a bit.

Form V Artisan will now be Scientifically Sweet! But, but, BUT my domain will stay the same. So everything will still link back to www.christinamarsigliese.com.

Scientifically Sweet will be available through Amazon.com by the end of February. I can't wait for you to get your hands on it.


My heart and soul went into it.

Can we all high five right now?


xox
Christina.

Mocha Chocolate Truffles

Sometimes I can't focus on one thing at a time for the life of me.

I'm eating breakfast as I write this post.

I'll think about making dinner while editing recipes for my cookbook.

I type an e-mail while listening to Jon telling me funny stories about animals and potato chips. (I barely take in most of it. SHAME).

So I am going to take all the time in the world right now to tell you all about chocolate ganache.
Just chocolate ganache.

Purely chocolate and cream.

It's simple enough, but uses a few tricks to keep it as smooth as a silk blouse.

Chocolate Truffles are so special because normally they're something you'd buy. But, what if I told you that this irresistible recipe only requires 4 ingredients? You probably have more cell phones than that.

I bet you have some bittersweet chocolate in your pantry. If not,call me - I'll lend you some. Or, perhaps after Valentines' Day you'll have plenty.

Bittersweet chocolate has a minimum of 70% cocoa mass, which refers to the ground up cocoa nibs that grow from the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao). Cocoa mass is essentially unsweetened chocolate - that is, cocoa mass and cocoa butter. The difference (maximum 30%) is sugar.

All you need to make truffles is ganache, which is probably my favourite word in the culinary dictionary. Go on and say it. Ga-nache. Sounds like the name of some fancy LA designer. But, without the drama, 5-inch heels and 12-person entourage. It's way better than that.

Ganache is an oil-in-water emulsion of cream and chocolate. It can be made from anywhere between a 1:1 ratio of cream to chocolate to a 1:2 ratio. The latter ratio will produce a firmer texture, and the extent of firmness depends on the cocoa content of the chocolate you use.

The cream lowers the melting point of the chocolate so that it is downright luscious and smooth at room temperature. It's better than your Grandma's bread pudding, better than your Mama's holiday trifle, and so far beyond Dad's mac and cheese. This stuff is way legitimate. Use the best quality chocolate you can afford, or one that is your favourite. I like Lindt, but use what you like. Just make sure it's pure. Read the ingredient list - if you see butter fat/oil or hydrogenated anything oil, drop it. It's so so SO not worth it.

Truffles should be creamy and leave teeth marks when you bite into them - they should not crumble. If you've ever had ganache turn gritty, grainy or separate on you, then I feel your pain. Let me fix it.

Chocolate is finicky. It requires gentle heating and cooling. It's all because cocoa butter can arrange itself into six different crystal forms. SIX! It has multiple personalities and we only like one of them - that's number five. (like Johnny Five. Remember Short Circuit? More input!)

Finely chopping the chocolate allows for even melting.

Letting the mixture stand for 3-5 minutes allows the hot cream to slowly and gently melt the chocolate. It also allows the mixture to cool down before stirring. This helps to form a homogeneous, smooth ganache as it lets the chocolate and cream come to the same temperature so that it can emulsify more easily.

Over-mixing can cause a rapid decrease in temperature, which may result in a coarse texture. Gentle stirring is all it takes to reduce the fat to tiny droplets suspended within the water phase, helping the mixture come together and form a smooth emulsion. Too much agitation can introduce air bubbles and break the emulsion, leaving you with an oil film on the surface once it cools and hardens.

It's not so bad right? It's easy. It's fun. It's pretty. It's a bit scientific. Just like my book. And there are plenty of drool-worthy chocolate recipes included. Can we hug?

Mocha Chocolate Truffles
Makes about 4 dozen truffles

8 oz bittersweet chocolate
6 oz (3/4 cup) heavy 35% whipping cream
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl.
2. Combine cream and coffee in a small saucepan over medium-low heat just until it barely comes to a boil so that small bubbles begin to form around the edges and at the surface of the cream.
3. Remove from heat and immediately pour it over chopped chocolate.
4. Let mixture stand without stirring for about 5 minutes.
5. Gently stir mixture in a circular motion using a rubber spatula, starting from the center and working your way out to the sides, until it is smooth and glossy.
6. Pour mixture into a shallow glass baking dish and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
7. Refrigerate until firm.
8. Scoop teaspoons of ganache, roll them into a ball in your hands and then roll them around in cocoa powder. Store in the fridge but serve at room temperature.


Good luck eating just one!

Fig & Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti

I was at my husband's grandma's house this weekend.

First thing Jonathan notices when he walks in the door is that the kitchen table looked totally different.

Funny....because it was the same table that had been there for decades.

It's just that...well...he could ACTUALLY see it! Grandma, or "Mami" as we all call her, finally parted with the three layers of plastic and table mats covering the flawless wooden surface.

I asked her why after all these years she finally decided to do it. I mean, she's 83 now. Her response was that she figured she's going to die before the table dies, and if she dies, the table is going with her!

I thought it was hilarious. I guess this is her way of "living it up", and all the power to her because it's little things like this that make life more fun.

I used to be a big saver of things too. Jon still makes fun of me and says that I hoard stuff but that's not true! Certain things I try to save for special occasions, like a nice bottle of champagne or ice wine. Or, a new pair of socks. Ok...that's weird. Maybe I still need to work on it.

But for the most part, I try to use things soon after I receive them, whether it's a box of chocolates (gone in 60 seconds) or a new dress. Don't think of it as "waiting for that special occasion". Instead, make the day you open it a special occasion!

Go ahead. Do it today! Open your favourite bottle of bubbly, use your fancy silverware, drink water from a wine glass, open that new pack of socks, wear a dress to the mall, call your best friend and use all your daytime minutes chatting for hours, make notes all over your cookbooks with a pen, get some use out of that 5000 thread count pillow case and make (then eat) these Fig & Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti.

Brew a hot pot of coffee or a cup of espresso and take in the morning with the incredible aromas of figs, pistachios and cardamom. It's mostly Italian with a middle eastern spin.

Use your fancy espresso cups and serve it to yourself on a saucer with a little golden spoon.

Carpe diem. You're worth it.


Fig & Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti
Makes about 24 cookies

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest (zest of about 1 lemon)
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 oz coarsely chopped dried figs (about ¾ cup)
2.5 oz shelled roasted pistachios (about 2/3 cup)
1 large egg, well beaten, for brushing
1 oz pure white chocolate, finely chopped, for drizzling

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Stir in almonds; set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt butter with lemon zest to infuse it with the lemon flavour and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with lemon juice and vanilla extract to blend evenly. Whisk in melted butter mixture. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add egg mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until a stiff, slightly sticky dough forms. You may need to mix it with your hands a bit to bring it together, but don’t knead it. Fold in pistachios and fits.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface, divide it in half and roll each half into a 10-inch long log. Transfer logs to prepared baking sheet and flatten with your hands so they are about 2 ½ inches wide. Brush tops and sides with beaten egg and bake until golden brown and slightly cracked at the surface, about 25 minutes.

Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let biscotti logs cool on pan for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Transfer each log to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice it diagonally into ½ to ¾-inch-thick slices with a gentle sawing motion. Place cookies, sitting upright, back on the baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 15 minutes.

Cream Cheese-Filled Carrot Muffins

Do you bake?

Can you bake?

Do you like to bake?

A lot of people say "I can't bake".

I don't buy it.

That's nonsense. Everyone can bake. Sure there are more rules and there's not much room for "winging it" or "eyeballing", but that shouldn't be enough to scare you away.

But rules suck! I know. There's a child in all of us - one that wants to rebel and hates following instructions. Like...

"Put your toys away!"
"Wash your hands"
"Put your slippers on!"
"Turn off the lights when you leave the room"
"Don't fight with your sister"
"Finish dinner or you're eating spaghetti for snack tonight"

I get it. I really do. It also involves reading. You really do have to read a recipe all the way through and get an idea of the sequence of things before you get started. It's a lot to ask, but isn't it worth it?

It's totally worth it.

We all know how to read and we can all follow instructions. Right? Yes. Of course. It's 100% possible.

Let's take these Cream Cheese-Filled Carrot Muffins for example. Cream cheese-filled?? Come on. They're so off the wall - they're practically on the ceiling.

They're dense and moist, just as carrot cake should be. Use the finest side of a cheese grater to achieve delicate shreds of carrot that will cook into the batter so you're not left with stringy cuticle-like strands hanging between your teeth. That's not classy.

I enjoy making Carrot Cake with butter...because it makes it richer. I typically always prefer butter. But, oil is liquid at room temperature, so it has the ability to keep baked goods super moist despite its lack of flavour.

These fantastic muffins are the perfect candidate for vegetable oil because they already pack a ton of flavour. Oh, and they only use 1/3 cup of it. Yes. Only 1/3 cup. That's about 5 1/2 tbsp, 75 mL or 2.6 ounces.

Good luck finding a moist Carrot Cake recipe with less than even 1 cup of oil. It's not easy.
So, if your New Year's resolution is to lose weight...well then you're also in luck! Just don't go browsing my Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies. Those are a surefire diet-killer. Diets are stupid anyway.

I'm pretty confident that you can follow these simple instructions:

First you whisk together a bunch of dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

Then you mix together the carrots and sugar to help break them down a bit before blending in some wet ingredients such as structure-building eggs, luscious and tangy sour cream and canola oil.

I've also sneaked in a few extra touches like coconut and walnuts.

Spoon some batter into the muffin cups, leaving some room for the delicious filling.

Place a dollop of cream cheesiness into the center and cover with remaining batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Watch them grow through your oven window for the whole of that 20 minutes. You might drool. It's Ok. Let them cool for as long as you can stand it and then dig in.

Eat them for breakfast with coffee.
Eat them for lunch with an avocado turkey sandwich...but not at the same time.
Warm them slightly and eat them for dessert with a drizzle of honey.
Or eat them standing up over the sink right before bed.

I fall into the latter category. Don't judge.


Cream Cheese-Filled Carrot Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp each ground allspice and ground coriander
¼ tsp each ground nutmeg and ground ginger
¼ tsp salt
8 oz finely grated carrots (about 2 cups or 2 large carrots)
¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup full fat sour cream
1/3 cup pure canola oil
2 oz coarsely chopped walnuts (about ½ cup)

For the filling:
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp sugar

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Whisk ingredients together to blend evenly and set aside.

Make the filling now so that it is ready once your cake batter is done. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese using an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and beat until very smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds; set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together grated carrots, coconut and both sugars. Let stand no more than 3 minutes to allow the sugar to break down the carrots and release some liquid. This helps to soften the carrots slightly so that you don’t end up chewing on stringy, cuticle-like bits in your cupcakes. Using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat eggs into carrot mixture, one at a time, until well blended. Beat in sour cream and oil until well incorporated. Stir in walnuts. Add flour mixture to carrot mixture all at once and fold gently using a wide spatula with few strokes until mostly incorporated, but do not over mix.

Scoop of spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them half-way. Using the back of a small spoon, create an indent in the center of each portion of batter and place one teaspoon of filling into the indent. Divide remaining batter among muffin cups, being sure to spread it out and cover the top and all sides of the filling to prevent it from leaking out during baking. If you don’t need to use all of the batter, that’s ok. I’d rather you not overfill them. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the edges (someplace where there is no filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chewy Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

You really learn to appreciate the little things in life the minute they're taken away from you.

I'm not talking about a new iPod, tablet, LCD tv, diamond ring, or touch screen cell phone.

I'm talking about sleeping in on a rainy morning, hearing your favourite song at the perfect moment, a drink of ice cold water on a hot day, the sound of someone you love calling your name, a familiar smell, putting on a pair of pants straight from the dryer, or biting into a big juicy hamburger on a Summer's afternoon.

Yeah, I miss that - I miss biting into things. Sounds funny, but I'm not kidding one bit.

I'd love more for my Nonno Sam to look at me and say "Hi Beautiful!" one more time, but biting comes in at a close second. Remember Nonno Sam? He's the cutest man in heaven.

Hold on. Let me back things up for you.....I rang in the New Year a little differently this time around. I decided to be brave and show 2012 what I'm made of! I didn't fight a bull or tackle a black bear, but I decided to go forward with a dental procedure called a gum graft. It involves cutting, stitching, swollen gums and my two front bottom teeth. Apparently my braces from when I was younger moved my teeth to new places where there's not enough bone strength to support them, so this procedure serves to reinforce those teeth.

In a nut shell, I am summoned to mostly soft foods for the rest of the week and no biting with my front teeth for at least a month.

Oh, I miss biting! The sensation of sinking your teeth into an apple, a sandwich, a banana or a brownie - it's worth more than you'd think.

No solid food for a week? Talk about being brave! This is the hardest thing I've ever done. Pffft. Two Thousand and Twelve will be a breeze!

All I can think about is how much I want to chomp down on these oatmeal cookies studded with dark chocolate and dried cranberries, but instead I'm just staring at them with thoughts of chewiness running through my head. What was I thinking baking cookies the day before oral surgery? It's pure torture.

Because I can't bare to stare at them any longer, I'm leaving you with two photos. Two simple photos of a delicious batch of cookies. And, if I can't have them, at least you can.

When you take a bite into one of these gems, think of me and be grateful.

xox

Chewy Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 20 cookies

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup old-fashioned large flake rolled oats
½ cup quick-cooking oats
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup best quality semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup dried cranberries

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Stir in oats and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter with both sugars by hand using a wide rubber spatula until well blended and the mixture looks like wet sand. This will take 1 or 2 minutes. Stir in egg and vanilla extract until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture and stir it in gently until it is mostly incorporated but a few streaks of flour remain. Add chocolate chips and dried cranberries and fold them into the dough until evenly combined.

Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the dough in the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This step is important to let the oats hydrate and soften up a bit, and to promote even browning during baking.

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll 1.5-oz portions of dough into balls and then flatten them to form round disks. Place them on prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden around the edges but still slightly gooey in the center (they will set as they cool), 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet. Transfer cookies individually to a wire rack to cool completely.

Creamy Citrus Strawberry Tart

Hello Christmas.....you are just about here.

There are only 3 closed doors left on my chocolate calender. That means there are only 3 chocolates left to eat until you are right here. In my face. Big green trees, sparkling lights, shiny bulbs, jingle bells, big red suits and ho, ho, ho's.... It's all coming so soon and all I can think about is how I wish there were more chocolates on my calender.

I can't believe you showed up so fast. And you brought your friend "New Year" too. Some like to call him "2012", but we're not really on a digit-name basis yet. I need a few more weeks to warm up to him.

How did you do it? You must have been training hard through 2011 because you arrived in record timing. It's ok to take a break though....I mean, take a pitt stop and grab some lunch. I could suggest a poppy seed bagel with some dill cream cheese and fresh tomato. I bet you'd like that. Just don't be in such a rush. Sheesh.

...I think 2012 is going to be a great year and that's why it could hardly wait to get here. Even the numbers are perfectly aligned....after the first "2", you have 0, 1, 2. It just means that everything's going to work out. Maybe it means the year will start off with a bang....and then lag a little before it builds up again with a "SHABAM!".

Or...maybe it's just a number. Totally meaningless.

Whatever the year will bring, I know it will definitely involve dessert. So lets get talking about this tart. No not you....the one with strawberries in it.

Do something a little different this year. Surprise everyone with something a little lighter, fancy, fresh and super tangy. Although citrus may feel like a summer fruit, it's totally a winter baby. Lemons and oranges are great right now so squeeze the heck out of them and make some curd.

First you make and pre-bake some lemon-scented pastry. Then you make a sort of custard-curd filling by infusing hot cream with lemon and orange zests. Then you pour this hot cream into a mixture of eggs, lemon juice, orange juice and sugar to temper it. Tempering is way to gradually bring up the temperature of the eggs without curdling the proteins. Citrus, citrus, CITRUS is what we have going on here.

Pour the creamy citrusy filling into the pre-baked crust and bake it again in a gentle oven until it is mostly set but still giggles very slightly in the middle like Santa's big fat belly.

The fact that there's red and green all over these photos is totally a coincidence.

Christmas wouldn't be complete for me without great food. But, but, BUT, it also would not be complete unless I've listened to the song "Under My Tree" from N*Sync's first Christmas album at least 7 times. Have you heard that song? Hilarious. Sounds to me like there's definitely more than just presents under those guys' trees. Creepy, but funny. But way more creepy...


Creamy Citrus Strawberry Tart
Makes 10 servings

For the tart pastry:
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
6 tbsp very cold butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 large egg yolk
2 tbsp ice cold water

For the filling:
1/3 cup 35% whipping cream
½ tsp each finely grated lemon and orange zest
½ cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
6 hulled strawberries
2 oz white chocolate, melted

To make the pastry, whisk together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and citrus zests and toss to coat in flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or your clean fingers, cut or rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. The butter should be mostly dispersed with some larger, pea-sized pieces remaining. Whisk egg yolk well with water in a small bowl and drizzle into flour mixture while gently stirring with a fork. Continue to stir until dry ingredients are moistened and it holds together in clumps. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and it bring together in a ball with your hands, turning it frequently and pressing in loose bits until it is cohesive. Shape dough into a disk, wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to an 11 to 12-inch round with just over 1/8-inch thickness. Carefully fit dough to a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Refrigerate until firm.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prick pastry all over with a fork and bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Reduce temperature to 325°F.

To make the filling, combine cream and citrus zests in a small saucepot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove from heat. Cover pot and let steep about 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, salt and flour until blended. Add eggs and whisk until smooth. Whisk in lemon and orange juice just until blended, no more than 10 strokes. Pour cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve and into the egg mixture. Stir it in using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon.

Pour filling into slightly cooled tart shell and bake until the filling is set around the edges but still jiggles slightly in the middle, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut strawberries in half. Slice each one almost all the way through 2 or 3 times, leaving them connected at the top. Fan out the slices and lay them flat on the tart. Drizzle with white chocolate.

Spiced Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Sometimes I have a billion thoughts running through my mind at the same time.

I think about how much I love coffee but I don't drink it for fear of becoming an addict (you know who you are) and having yellow teeth.

How cold it is outside? I don't want to bust out my chunky, bigfoot, waterproof, fur boots yet...

People who moan in the gym scare me. Maybe that dumbbell is too heavy for you...just sayin'.

Nice lady who cleans my teeth at the dentist - please don't talk to me while your hands are in my mouth. I can't answer you unless you want to lose a finger.

How big is the biggest chocolate chip cookie ever made? I bet it's big. I want to bite it.

Who invented deviled eggs? And who said they're "coming back"? Gross.

What was the world like before the invention of deodorant or toothpaste? Did people just walk around all smelly and junk? Yuck.

Please don't ever give me an "A" for effort. Give me an "A" for amazing. Period.

I want ribs. Smoked ribs with hot sauce. Right now.

If your umbrella flips inside out on a windy rainy day, there's no way I'm not going to laugh.

Does Spiced Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake count as a post-workout recovery meal? I mean, there's fruit and protein and stuff. Right? No...? Who cares. I'm going to dust it with icing sugar and eat it anyway.

This is a cake you can have for breakfast, afternoon snack and dessert. If you choose to do that all in the same day then you're just like me, and just like that, we are friends. Bam!

Apples, finely diced, sauteed in a bit of butter, sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg.

They sit on top of a layer of cheesecake that sits on top of moist coffee cake. This recipe is all about putting different cakes really close to each other - 'tis the season for love after all.

Sauteeing the apples first will prevent their juices from leaking all into the cake, and of course allows them to soak up some butter and cinnamon and get golden brown.

The cake batter is thick so it can hold up the cheesecake batter instead of it sinking to the bottom. What you are left with is two rather distinct layers with a whole pile of fruit on top. Simple as saying "hello".

To top it all off, each layer is infused with spice, including cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg - a combination no one can resist. The smell of this cake baking away is enough to make a vegan crack. Nobody can live without cheese for very long, let's be honest with ourselves.

Get your cheesecake on. Get your coffee cake on. Get your fruit intake on and enjoy this delicious breakfast, snack and dessert!

Spiced Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Makes 8-10 servings

For the cake:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ cup evaporated milk

For the cheesecake:
1 package (250 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp each freshly grated nutmeg and ground clove
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp all-purpose flour

For the topping:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 whole cloves
1 ¼ lbs tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Northern Spy (about 4 apples), cored, peeled and chopped into 1/3-inch cubes
2 tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch round springform pan with butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

To make the topping, fold together apples, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Heat butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat until the foam subsides. Add whole cloves so they infuse the butter and then add the apple mixture. Toss until they just begin to soften, but not until they’re mushy, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer apples back to the bowl, discard cloves and set aside to cool completely while you prepare the rest of the cake.

To make the cheesecake batter, beat cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until smooth and the sugar is mostly dissolved, about 40 seconds. Beat in the cinnamon, nutmeg and clove until combined. Add egg yolk and flour and beat just until incorporated and batter is smooth. Set this aside while you make the cake batter.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. In another medium bowl, beat butter with both sugars until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla until combined. Add egg and beat until well incorporated and batter is fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add one-third of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until mostly combined. Beat in half of the evaporated milk until blended. Repeat this step by adding half the remaining flour mixture followed by the last of the milk, beating no more than 15 seconds between additions. After the last bit of milk has been added, beat on medium speed for 3-5 seconds to just make sure the batter is smooth. Fold in the last of the flour mixture by hand using a rubber spatula until evenly combined.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Spoon dollops of cream cheese mixture over the cake batter and use a butter knife or the back end of a spoon to lightly swirl it in to sort of fuse the two batters together. Gently spoon cooled apples over the batter in an even layer and bake until the cake wobbles ever so slightly in the middle, 45-50 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool completely.

A Baker's Pantry

A lot of people ask me what a beginner baker should have on hand to make tasty desserts.

If you have eggs, flour, butter, sugar and chocolate, then you can easily make the best brownies in the world. That's all it takes. But if you want to make more than just brownies, there are a few items you can keep handy to spice up your repertoire.

Here's a great list of mix-ins and ingredients that I always have in stock to make my recipes shine.

CHOCOLATE - I think a bear just crapped in the woods because this is the most obvious ingredient ever, but it's truly a must and you should have it on hand at all times. I'm being a bit bossy here. I mostly use bittersweet, but semi-sweet is also a good idea to have. Even white chocolate is fancy for drizzling.

Brown sugar - it gives a richer, more complex flavour to cookies, cakes and more....

Icing sugar - great for whipping up a quick buttercream, sugary glazes and for rolling things around in.

Coconut - the sweetened flaked stuff is soft and chewy and makes an oatmeal cookie feel like a rock star. Toast it gently in a dry frying pan and you've created an aroma that can win any war. Toasted coconut = warrior.

Almonds and other nuts, like pistachios, walnuts and hazelnuts - toast all of these too for a richer flavour in your cookies and candy. Roll chocolate truffles around in chopped nuts or mix them into your favourite biscotti recipe.

Lemons and oranges - what we want lies in the zest on the peel because that's where the essential oils live. You know how you dig your fingernails into an orange peel as you tuck into one and the oils squirt out at an unreasonable pace and land right in your eye? That burning sensation is the effect of delicious flavour compounds. Enjoy it. Mix this zest into cake batters, cookies and icings for a powerful flavour punch.

Granulated sugar - seriously? I'm not going to go on about it....

All-purpose flour - it's great for almost anything. It's all-purpose!

Butter - Butta!!! I prefer to use unsalted but salted will work just fine in most recipes

Cocoa powder - Dutch, not-dutched, black or brown. There's so many kinds! I use one that is mildly dutched (I know because potassium carbonate is on the ingredient list) but is not labeled as so because it is still light. It has a camel or tan colour, much like natural hershey's cocoa, but is processed just slightly. It's a common grocery store product.

Canola oil - it's a neutral tasting oil that makes cakes stay super moist. I like to use a blend of butter and oil when making layer cakes.

Spices galore: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and cardamom. It's hard for me not to make a cookie without spice - it just amps up the flavour hands down! Get into spices! It will change you.

Pure vanilla extract, NOT vanilla essence or "vanillin", which is the imitation stuff that's actually made from tree bark. Check for vanilla from Madagascar - that's my favourite. Vanilla beans are great to have on hand once you get more savvy. I personally L-O-V-E them. Use them to infuse cream or milk when making creme caramel, custards and panna cotta.

Corn syrup - essential for candy-making as it prevents recrystallization.

Honey - makes a superb glaze and is excellent in muffin batters to keep them moist and blissfully sweet.

Molasses - robust, rich and a totally grown up flavour. It makes cookies extra moist and comes in handy around Christmas time ;)

Dried fruit - cranberries, cherries, apricots and raisins. Again, great mix-ins for cookies, scones, brownies and more.

Oats - mostly for cookies, but also for bars and of coarse homemade granola! Mmmm.....

Peanut butter - this sticky stuff makes delicious no-bake granola bars. Mix it with butter and icing sugar for a quick and tasty frosting.

Heavy whipping cream 35% fat - so you should definitely store this in your fridge and not your pantry, but it's something I always have stocked. This is a must when it comes to making chocolate ganache for silky truffles, shiny glazes and fudgy frostings. Use it to brush the tops of scones and biscuits to create a glossy finish. Also use it to make creamy custards to fill tarts and other pastries.

Fresh fruits like apples, bananas and pears can be diced up and mixed into muffin batters. Berries like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries are lovely baked into tarts or used to pretty-up frosted cupcakes.

Is your pantry full yet? That's what I like to see. 

There's nothing worse than bare, sparse, anorexic shelves. Where's the inspiration in that? Total buzz killer.

I'll show you how it works: 

> open pantry

> scan goods

> do math

> oats + peanut butter + dried cherries + chocolate = oatmeal peanut butter cherry chocolate cookies!

Go in the kitchen, crank your oven, make a mess, lick the spoons and get someone else to clean it up. 

Done.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies & a Book in the making!

Have you ever given your heart and soul into something? I mean seriously poured your blood, sweat and tears into a piece of art, a poem, a warm apple pie or Sunday dinner?

It takes a lot out of you, but it's satisfying. And if it gets appreciated then it's even that much more rewarding. If it goes unappreciated....then it can really take a toll on you. That person sucks.

I've given my heart and soul into this cookbook I'm writing. I've tested the recipes more times than I can count. I eat cupcakes for breakfast more mornings than I care to disclose, and I probably cry sugar syrup by now.

Rest assured that there's no actual blood, sweat or tears in these recipes (because that would be gross) but there is more love and consideration than you can imagine. There's also plenty of butter, sugar, chocolate and vanilla.

I've been busy baking, candy-making, testing and re-testing. I've been photographing, writing, editing, freaking out and panicking. I've been proud and thrilled when things turn out exceptionally and then completely annoyed and frustrated when things don't come out right the first time around.

That's the story of my life as a writer and (crazy) Food Scientist.

I've included over 100 super fun and insanely delicious recipes for you!

Some pretty mouth-watering things to look forward to are festive Gingerbread Truffles....

....over-the-top Devil's Food Cake...

...decadent Chocolate Brownies that I believe can save the world...

and fresh fruity pastries that feel like a warm food hug!

I have learned that patience and mistakes are a gift. Making mistakes has helped me to give you all the tips and advice you need to master my recipes. I've already screwed up, so that you can avoid it. I'm really nice like that.

Here is something special for you...it's something a little different. Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies.

Cinnamon, cayenne pepper and cloves infused into dark chocolate brownie batter. Fudgey. Spicy. Delicious. This is something fun.

They're topped off with cocoa nibs. That's right - cocoa nibs. The pure essence of what chocolate is made of. Did you know I made a chocolate bar from these very cocoa nibs in my freshman year of University?

Yeah that's right. It was for my final project in my "Science & History of Chocolate Class". I ground up these nibs as finely as I could and mixed it with additional cocoa butter and vanilla extract. Then I spooned it into individual cups, filled them with caramel and an almond and called them "Jackpots". They were delicious.

PS - I aced that project.

PSS - My rockstar friend Ben made "Nudey Bars" in the shape of a women's top half. I believe they were flavoured with ginger. They were hilarious. They were tasty. He's on a PC (Loblaws) TV commercial. He's THAT cool.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped

6 tbsp butter

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper

pinch of ground cloves

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp raw cacao nibs for topping

Preheat oven to 350°F and position an oven rack in the center. Line an 8x8 inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each end.

Place chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pot with ½-inch of simmering water over medium-low heat. Whisk gently until completely melted, smooth and glossy. Turn off the heat but keep the bowl over the hot water and gently whisk in both sugars until evenly blended. Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool for 3 minutes.  Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing vigorously for about 10 seconds to incorporate each before adding the next. The batter should be smooth and shiny. Whisk in vanilla extract.

Add flour, spices and salt and use a rubber spatula to stir it in until blended and smooth.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly into the corners. Sprinkle cocoa nibs over top of the batter. Bake about 23-25 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center of the brownies should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it (do not overbake). Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Crème Caramel to slow down November

Are you ready for Christmas music yet?

I'm not. Not even close.

I went shopping this weekend, not really to shop, but mostly to watch all the crazy people going shopping. It's a  fun way to spend a Sunday. You see plenty of old men sitting on benches with their heads bent way back and their mouths wide open, jerking forward to try to hold their head up as they fall asleep. I'd bet 26 sticks of butter that they're waiting for their wives to finish trying on 7 pairs of boots only to walk out of the store empty handed. Priceless.

The stores were already playing Christmas music and the employees were already dressed like elves. Seriously? Nuts.

Usually by this time of year I'm with that crowd. Oh yeah. I'm the one singing Christmas carols the day after Halloween and I usually get flack for it. But not this year....

To tell you the truth....this scares the crap out of me! I woke up this morning and thought... "holy frig - I grew up!" I'm not ready to grow up yet. I thought I at least had a few years left so clearly I wasn't prepared for this. I'm hoping this is just a faze and surely it will pass.

Maybe I'm just learning to appreciate time more. I don't want to rush things. November has already gone by way too fast! Is it really the 15th today? Holy crap!

Sometimes it's good for us all to just settle down. Take in the moment and don't let it get away from you. Christmas will come, but for now can we just enjoy November?

Making Crème Caramel is a perfect way to slow down because when you eat it, time will stand still. Heaven.

It's really quite easy to prepare. You follow the same technique as making a custard: heat cream/milk in a pot and gradually add it to a mixture of eggs and sugar. This slow addition of hot milk to cool eggs is called “tempering” as it brings the egg temperature up slowly to prevent curdling the proteins when they hit the intense heat of the oven.

The layer of amber caramel that tops these guys off is totally luxurious and chic - whoever thought of this should win a prize. The caramel is poured into the bottom of your ramekins and will cook into the custard as it bakes so that when you turn out your precious custards onto a plate, the golden layer of caramel is presented up front and in your face.

The key is to let the caramel harden completely before pouring in the custard or else it will bleed through and create little pot holes at the surface. Most importantly, use a water bath to provide even heat and a moist environment so that these babies cook nice and gently, leaving you with the silkiest custard ever.

Custard + Caramel is a combination that could never disappoint. Makes this today, cuddle up in your snuggie and feel your Tuesday stretch as far as it can go.

Classic Crème Caramel

Makes 6 servings

For the caramel:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp water

¼ tsp distilled white vinegar

For the custard:

½ cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 2/3 cup 2% milk

3 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F.

To make the caramel, pour sugar in an even layer in the bottom of a small 1-quart saucepan and drizzle water and vinegar around the inner edges of the pan. Place pot over medium-high heat and cook until sugar is dissolved and mixture changes into clear syrup. Decrease heat to medium and continue to cook until mixture turns golden amber, swirling pan periodically for even colouring. Do not stir the mixture or the sugar will crystallize.

Immediately and carefully pour liquid caramel into the bottom of six 3-inch round (6 oz) ramekins, dividing it equally and swirling ramekins to coat the bottoms evenly; set aside until the caramel has cooled and hardened.

In a small saucepan, bring milk and cream to a boil over medium-low heat, watching it carefully.

To make the custard, in a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, yolk and sugar until well blended. Add ¼ cup of hot milk and whisk until smooth. Gradually add another ¼ cup while whisking constantly. Switch to a rubber spatula and add remaining milk while stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and into a large measuring cup or clean bowl and pour or ladle it into caramel-lined ramekins.

Transfer ramekins to a deep glass baking dish. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the edges are set and the center is just slightly wobbly, about 25 to 30 minutes. A knife should come out clean when inserted in the centers.

Transfer baking dish to a wire rack and let ramekins cool completely in the water. Once cooled, refrigerate until completely set, about 2 hours. To serve, run a sharp knife around the inside edges of the crème caramel. Place a plate serving-side-down over the ramekin and invert so that the bottom of the ramekin is facing up. Gently remove the ramekin, giggling it slightly if necessary to let the custard come loose. 

Raspberry Devil's Food Cake

I'm definitely THAT person.

I'm the one who scopes out the pizza before everyone arrives to the dinner table so I can snag the best piece. You know, the slice that has the perfect sauce-to-cheese ratio, the crispiest crust, the perfect amount of pepperoni and the most mushrooms.

Ya, that's me.

I do the same thing with cake, pies....even chips. It's kind of weird.

Let's take this Devil's Food Cake for example. I'd definitely call my piece on this one. I can tell if there's an unevenness in the frosting level and I'll chose the section that has the thickest frosting. That is, when the frosting is this dang good!

I'm gracious when I have guests though. If I really like you, I'll probably give you the better piece. Probably. But, I'd have to really, really like you. When it comes to food, I get a bit possessive, but I honestly do like to share.

Now, I love chocolate. Devil's Food Cake is obv. for the chocoholics of the world. Chocolate cake plus chocolate frosting means chocolate all over my face.

The name comes from the brick-red hue that the cake takes on due to a reaction between cocoa powder and baking soda. Have you ever noticed the difference between natural cocoa and Dutch-processed cocoa? The Dutch stuff is darker, redder in colour because "dutching" refers to a process where cocoa is washed with an alkalizing or basic agent (like potassium bicarbonate) to neutralize its acidity. This causes the phenolic colour pigments in cocoa to change.

Unlike what many bakers believe, you can actually get a red brick colour from Dutch-processed cocoa. Most  people think that you need natural cocoa because the acidity is intact, which produces the red colour. I sort of disagree. The redness comes from dutching, which is alkalization. So, even if you use a lightly Dutch-processed cocoa, such as Fry's, which has a tan colour, you can coax more redness out of it by including it in a slightly alkaline batter. Just avoid heavily dutched, dark or black cocoa.

I like the raspberries with the chocolate...I don't like raspberry-flavoured chocolate, but I like raspberries separately with chocolate. Separate but together. Like me and will power.

Dark chocolate has a way with tart flavours sometimes, and it just seems to work. The bittersweet stuff is what you need for this cake, and this is where it's time to splurge. Please don't use crappy leftover Halloween chocolate, or I might just have to come to your door and give you a trick.

When you make this cake, do your best to keep things even so that you don't have any weirdos like me trying to snatch the piece with the most raspberries and thickest frosting. Above all, bring some to your neighbour or your great Aunt Ethel. I'm sure they'd be delighted and you'd put a smile on their faces. Share the wealth and everyone will be happy!

PS - If you really do have a great Aunt Ethel, I would laugh my pants off.

PSS - You can share lots of things on my facebook page because I love when you leave sweet nothings on my wall.

Raspberry Devil's Food Cake
Makes one 2-layer 9-inch cake

For the cake:
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ cup boiling water
½ cup full fat sour cream
2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
2 cups 35% whipping cream
3 tbsp sugar

For the filling:
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup 35% whipping cream
1 pint fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans and dust lightly with flour, knocking out the excess. Line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk ingredients together to blend evenly; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. Let it cool for 1 to 2 minutes and then whisk in sour cream until well blended; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until creamy, about 10 seconds. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl half-way through mixing. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing until each one is well incorporated, about 10 seconds between each addition. The batter will change from looking curdled to smooth and homogenous.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts alternating with the cocoa mixture. Do not beat more than 10-15 seconds between additions. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then beat on medium-high speed for 3-5 seconds to create a smooth batter, but be sure not to over beat or the cake will be tough and dry. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold the batter a few times using a rubber spatula to ensure that everything is evenly blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans and smooth the surface. Rap the pans on your countertop to let any large air bubbles escape. Bake until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes. Transfer cakes to wire racks to cool for about 20 minutes. Run a butter knife around the outside edges of the cakes, invert the pans to release the cakes and remove the parchment paper. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, bring cream and sugar to a boil in a saucepan and immediately pour over chocolate in a bowl. Let stand 3 minutes and then stir until smooth and glossy. Stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool at room temperature, stirring every 10 minutes or so. This will take about 1 1/2 hours but you can put it in the fridge to speed it up. Just keep an eye on it so it doesn't harden.

To make the filling, whisk together cocoa, sugar and cream. Refrigerate until fully chilled. Once chilled, beat the cream with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Resist the temptation beat on high speed since this mixture can go from smooth to grainy very quickly.

To assemble the cake, first trim the tops of the cake layers if necessary using a serrated knife so that they have an even, flat (not domed) surface. Place one layer on a turn-table or a serving plate. Spread half of the whipped cream filling over the top, leaving about ½-inch border around the edges since it will spread slightly with the weight of the top layer. Place about two-thirds of the fresh raspberries over the filling in a single layer. Spread the remaining filling over the raspberries. Place the top cake layer precisely over the filling. Using a large off-set spatula, place about 1 cup of the frosting over the cake, spread it out to the edges and bring it down to cover the sides. Continue applying frosting to the cake until all sides are covered evenly.

Pumpkin Spice Soft Caramel Candies

I sort of, kind of have to tell you something....and I hope you don't hate me for this.

I don't really care for Halloween much.

Yeah...there was a time when I did. That time was 15 years ago when it was still about being scary and demanding free candy from the neighbours.

I used to come home, dump my entire pillow case out onto the floor and count how many Aero bars I got. Then I'd check to make sure I got more than my sister. Then I'd save them for last because they were my favourite, and months later they wouldn't taste as good.

Lesson learned: life's too short to save the best for last - eat the best first!

My Dad reaped the benefits of my dislike of nuts in chocolate as a kid. He happily acquired all of my Oh Henry bars and played it off like "just give me whatever you don't like, Christina". Secretly he loved Oh Henry Bars! My dad loves peanuts. He kept this up until I got smart enough to realize that they're actually pretty damn good. Then all he got stuck with were those stupid chocolate balls dressed in orange foil to disguise them as pumpkins. Any candy dressed up in Halloween fare is cheapo in my books.

Now that Halloween is about giving away candy and apparently dressing up like slutty versions of Disney characters, I'm not really into it.

Slutty Tinker Bell? No thanks.
Skanky Cruella DeVille? That's kinda creepy.
Slutty Little Mermaid? Well....she's already half-way there isn't she?

It's just not my bag.

This year I'm still contemplating buying a mask and going out trick-or-treating. I'm short enough. I can totally pull this off.

I'm just scared of angry old women who might slam the door in my face for being "too old". Pfffffft. I still feel like a child inside. Does that count for anything? I just ate 4 chocolate chip cookies before lunch. That is totally childish.

Would you slam the door in my face? Please don't.

This year I'm making candy from scratch. The kind that you will have to put in the kids' bags with a little note saying your name and address so the parents don't freak out.

I remember one year I got some homemade fudge. Since the nice lady tagged it with all of her personal info, my mom deemed it safe to eat. It was the best Halloween treat I ever got! Thanks lady - you're a real winner.

Making candy isn't as hard as it looks. Just do it on a dry (not humid) day and you'll be thankful.

It's very sensitive to moisture because the final texture depends on how much water is left in the hot bubbling, boiling sugar mixture. Less water = harder candy. More water = softer candy. Too much water and the candy will not set, and too little and your teeth will break. The latter isn't so bad, because you just made hard candy! No probs.

The temperature to which the sugar boils is directly proportional to the water content in the mixture. The less water there is, the more concentrated the sugar solution, and so the hotter it will boil. That's why you have to stop cooking at precisely 246 degrees F. In the recipe I write 244-246 degrees F because the mixture will continue to cook even after you take it off the heat, rising another degree or two, so a narrow range is acceptable.

Oh, and PS - there's some pumkin pie spice flavours in these little gems to put them over the top. Saaaa-weeeet!

Pumpkin Spice Caramels
Makes about 7 dozen caramels

1 cup 35% whipping cream
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp golden corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on opposite ends, and lightly butter the exposed sides.

Combine cream, corn syrup and sugar in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil and clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 244-246°F, about 15 minutes.

Remove pot from heat, and quickly stir in butter, vanilla extract, salt and spices until smooth. Immediately pour into prepared baking pan, without scraping the bottom of the pot. Let stand at room temperature without moving until completely cooled, about 3-4 hours.

Lightly grease a large cutting board (one that you haven’t cut onions, garlic or meat on) with butter. Pull up parchment to unmold caramel, and invert onto the cutting board. Remove parchment. Cut into ½-inch strips and then cut each strip into 1-inch pieces. Wrap each in cellophane or waxed paper.

Caramels can be stored in an airtight container, in a cool dry place for up to 1 month.

Cinnamon Crème Brûlée at home!

There are a lot of things you probably don't know about me. Let's be real for a minute while I just let it all out.

-I tell people I'm 5'3, but really I'm 5'2.5. Only children lie about their height. I'm still a child.

-I can eat 6 cupcakes before lunch and not feel bad about it.

-The book on my coffee table right now is called "The food of Indonesia".

-I love receiving grocery store flyers in the mail! I can't pass up a special on whipping cream, but I can totally glaze over a 50% off shoe sale. Twisted.

-I still haven't printed off all of my wedding photos and that was over a year ago...

-I don't really like bacon as much as the rest of the world seems to.

-How many M&M's can I fit into my mouth at one time? I need to figure this out.

-I used to love going to the dentist as a kid. I'm slowly starting to hate it now.

-I'm hungry. I want a fish taco, like....pronto!

-Do people still buy calenders anymore?

-I don't text and I don't own a smart phone. I'm 26. I should text and I should own a smart phone.

-Before writing this post I accidentally deleted a whole slew of lovely comments from you in an attempt to delete spam. Urgh!

-The last time I made Crème Brûlée was on my anniversary. Not my wedding anniversary, my dating anniversary. Ya....we still celebrate that.

Crème Brûlée is kind of cliché but it's freakin' delicious! This swanky dessert is not as hard as its reputation has made it out to be.

It might be scary when you think of making it at home because it's the type of dessert you order in a restaurant. But I promise, it's easy.

First, you need ramekins. You can buy them at the dollar store. No biggie.

The most important thing about making a custard is to maintain a steady, even cooking environment to prevent the delicate egg proteins from cooking too quickly and curdling. Since creme brulée custard has a very high concentration of egg protein, it is especially important to use a water bath. Basically you place your ramekins full of custard into a rimmed baking dish or sheet pan and fill the base with about 3/4 inch of hot water. This will prevent the custard from drying out and also keep the temperature around the ramekins even.

The fat provided from the cream will also help to protect the egg proteins and leave you with a silky smooth texture.

Only bake until the edges are set but the center still giggles a bit when you shake the dish.

Let the ramekins cool completely in the water bath before removing them. This allows the custard to cool slowly so that the dramatic temperature difference doesn't cause it to contract and crack.

I like to use a small blow torch to make my "brûlée" mainly because I'm a bit of a pyro but also because I have more control this way. But you can totally put them under the broiler - just make sure you keep an eye on them.

Only apply the sugar and brûlée immediately before serving or the moisture from the custard will slowly dissolve the hard sugar and leave you with a caramel sauce over top.

Go on and get your fancy on with this recipe!

Cinnamon Crème Brûlée
Makes 4 servings

2/3 cup 35% whipping cream
1/3 cup milk
1 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
3 large egg yolks
¼ cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
4 tbsp coarse sanding sugar (such as turbinado)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place four shallow, 1/3-cup oval fluted ramekin dishes in a shallow glass baking dish or rimmed hotel pan.

In a saucepot over medium-low heat, combine cream, milk and cinnamon stick. Heat slowly, covered, without boiling, for about 15 minutes. This will release the spice flavours.

Whisk egg yolks with sugar and salt just until blended and smooth. Do not beat to prevent air incorporation and the formation of air bubbles at the surface.

Pour the cream mixture through a sieve and into a 2-cup volumetric measuring cup with a pouring spout. Discard spent cinnamon stick. Slowly pour about ¼ of cream mixture into yolks while whisking until smooth. Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon and gradually add remaining cream mixture while stirring constantly until well blended. Pour mixture through a sieve and back into the measuring cup.

Divide custard among ramekin dishes and place the whole baking dish or tray in the center rack of your oven. Pour boiling water about halfway up the sides of the ramekins and bake until custard is set at the edges but still slightly wobbly in the center, about 25 minutes. Do not over-bake. Use tongs to transfer ramekins to a wire rack to cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of turbinado or other coarse sanding sugar over the custard and shake the dish to coat the surface evenly. Tap off excess sugar and use a blowtorch to caramelize the surface evenly. The sugar will bubble up as it cooks and turn golden to dark brown. Let cool about 2 minutes to let the sugar harden. Serve immediately.

Classic Butter Tarts and my Obsession Tales

Yesterday someone asked me if I thought I was the only one on the planet who obsesses this much over cookies and brownies.

It was a reasonable question considering I spent exactly 87.4% of my weekend baking chocolate chip cookies, and then trying to figure out how I can justify having three different chocolate chip cookie recipes in my cookbook.

Yes, three. They all kind of look the same because, well, I'm a purist at heart. Only dark chocolate goes into my chocolate chip cookies, and mostly in chunk form.

But, they have different textures. There's crispy, soft and chewy. Some taste more caramel-ly, while others brown up faster. It's science.

Would you be annoyed if you saw three different chocolate chip cookie recipes in a cookbook. Is it a waste of space? Am I crazy?

I know it is totally bold and daring of me, but people like people who take risks right? Or at least people like people who show them pictures of butter tarts.

So that's what I'm going to do.

Butter tarts are a true classic Canadian dessert. My mom always had to bring them with us when we visited cousins in the States because they loved them.

You know who loves these? Jonathan (my other half). Ya! Holy cow. Of all the things I make, including intricate cupcakes with secret fillings and four layer cakes, he went crazy over these. He had to eat them in peace practically closing his eyes to take in the true flavour experience.

I didnt' know this about him. He loves butter tarts. Easy. Done. Every birthday he will get butter tarts.

Wait...do you even know what they are? Excuse my ignorance. Think of a pecan pie filling in a flaky pastry. It's made with eggs, butter (duh) and brown sugar. Like I said...easy.

They can be runny and gooey or firm. These are on the firmer side with a hint of gooey.

A hint of gooey....that sounds weird.


Classic Butter Tarts
Makes 12 tarts

For the crust:
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
6 tbsp very cold butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
2 - 2½ tbsp cold milk

For the filling:
2/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup golden corn syrup
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

To make the pastry, whisk together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and rub it into flour mixture rapidly until it resembles coarse crumbs. The butter should be well dispersed with some larger pieces the size of oatmeal flakes, and there should be no dusty flour left in the bowl. Beat together egg yolk and milk in a small bowl and drizzle into cold flour/butter mixture while gently tossing with a fork. Continue to stir until dry ingredients are evenly moistened and it holds together in clumps. The dough will hold together when squeezed in your hand when ready. If the mixture is still rather dry, drizzle in another ½ tablespoon of milk. Turn the crumbly dough out onto a clean work surface and gather it together with your hands slightly cupped, turning it frequently and pressing in loose bits until it is cohesive and forms a mass. Press the dough firmly to form a roughly-shaped ball. Shape dough into a disk, wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes. Drain well and reserve.

To make filling, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla extract. Stir in salt.

Divide raisins evenly among unbaked pastry shells. Pour filling over raisins so that the tarts are about 3/4 full and bake about 15 minutes or until filling is bubbling and pastry is golden. Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool. Let tarts cool completely in pan before removing. 

Serve at room temperature or chilled. 

Quick Raspberry Custard Tart

You will want to make this.

I'm almost certain.

Most of all because it is fast and simple. Second to most of all it tastes great. No, it tastes fantastic.

Third to most of all, you probably have all of the ingredients already.

Butter. Who doesn't have butter? If you don't have butter in your fridge right now, call me. We need to chat.

Eggs are totally necessary. They're for breakfast and back-up dinners. If the only thing you have in your fridge is eggs, then you can still have dinner.

Whipping cream. Hmm...ok. So some people might not stock this. I recommend it though because you can easily jazz up a store-bought dessert with it to make people think you're fancy. Take ice cream for example....you can melt some chocolate with cream to make a killer fudge sauce and pour it on top. How about a fool? No not me. I'm talking about a strawberry fool. Crumble some crispy  meringue into whipped cream with some fresh strawberries and you're good as gold.

Raspberries could be totally nameless in this recipe because they could be anything. Cherries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, sliced peaches and plums could all work in this recipe. Do you dig this?

Yup. I think it's time to dig in to this.

Quick Raspberry Custard Tart
Makes 8-10 servings

For the pastry crust:
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup icing sugar
2 large egg yolks
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp milk
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

For the filling:
5 oz fresh raspberries (about 1 ¼ cups)
2 large eggs
½ cup 35% whipping cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

To make pastry, combine butter, icing sugar, egg yolks, salt and milk in a large bowl and mash it all together with the back of a fork or a whisk until well combined. Sift in the flour and fold it in gently using a rubber spatula until the dough is hydrated and incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and gather it together in a smooth ball with your hands. Shape into a disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough into a round with just over 1/8-inch thickness and fit it into a 9-inch round fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang dough over the edges and press firmly to create a thicker crust. Pull away excess dough that gets pushed up over the edge to keep it level with the sides of the pan, or roll your rolling pin over the pan to cut the excess dough right off. Refrigerate until dough is very firm, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Prick pastry all over with a fork and bake on center rack of oven until edges are golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and transfer tart to wire rack to cool.

Randomly place raspberries over cooled pastry crust. To make the filing, whisk together eggs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in cream and vanilla until well blended. Pour custard over raspberries. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake on center rack until filling is slightly puffed, another 20-25 minutes. The filling should be set around the edges and slightly wobbly in the center. Transfer the whole baking sheet with the tart to a wire rack and let cool completely. Dust with icing sugar immediately before serving.