3 August 2018 Chocolate French Silk Pie

Chocolate French Silk Pie

August 3, 2018 By

Growing up, I’d always ask for chocolate silk pie for my birthday. I much preferred it over cakes and my love for pie started around that time. My grandma made the best super tall chocolate silk pie and I wish I could have a slice of it just one more time.

I have my old standard Mile High Chocolate Cream Pie recipe (https://www.foodandwinechickie.com/2012/01/16/mile-high-chocolate-cream-pie) that produces this light and velvety pie but I thought I’d go a different route to see if I could get a better result and tried the below. It was really creamy and light with big chocolate flavors boosted by the espresso powder.

If you want to go with a store-bought pie crust, that’s perfectly fine. The recipe below yields two 9” pie crusts that freeze well, so I typically use one and freeze one.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Filling

  • 1 cup butter, soften
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp. instant espresso/coffee powder
  • 2 Tbsp. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups heavy cream, whipped
  • Chocolate shavings or curls (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Place a pie crust in a 9” pie plate, embellish the edges and dock the dough by piercing with a fork several times around the bottom and sides to prevent the crust from bubbling or puffing up while baking. Add a piece of parchment paper over the crust and fill with dried beans/pie weights (I use beans that I cool after baking and store in a zip top baggies for the next pie). Bake in the bottom third of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment/dried beans and return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack before adding the filling – don’t be tempted to add the filling until the crust is cooled, it’ll be a mess and won’t work or set correctly.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula a couple of times to ensure all is well-incorporated.
  4. With the mixer running at low speed, pour the cooled melted chocolate into the butter mixture. Add the vanilla, the espresso powder and the cocoa powder. Scrape down the bowl again to fully combine.
  5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 3 minutes after each addition (12 minutes total) at a high speed. Mixing for 12 minutes is crucial to getting a light and silky texture.
  6. Add the filling to the cooled crust and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days prior to serving.
  7. Top the pie with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or curls (if using).

RECIPE NOTES:

Consuming raw or undercooked eggs may increase your risk of food borne illness, especially if you have a medical condition.

Serves 8.

Inspired by this recipe.

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , , , ,
7 July 2018 New Jersey Blueberry Dumplings

New Jersey Blueberry Dumplings

July 7, 2018 By

It’s blueberry season in New Jersey where I live and, while I love them fresh with Greek yogurt, I also like them in baked goods.

I was going to a potluck where I offered to bring dessert and thought….why not do something different than my usual Very Berry Cobbler and steam some of my Great-Aunt Eva Rose’s dumpling batter over bubbly, jammy blueberries? I made the dumpling batter the morning of the party and kept it refrigerated then I made the “jam” and cooled it then brought both items with me to the party and just steamed the dumplings when we were ready to eat dessert. Easy peasy!

I list the vanilla ice cream as optional, but come on, it’s sort of required on a hot berry dessert. You can skip it, but I don’t recommend it.

Dumpling ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp. melted butter, cooled
  • ¼ cup whole milk

Blueberry “jam” ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries (or you can use thawed frozen)
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Zest of ½ lemon
  • Vanilla ice cream, optional

Dumpling directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
  2. Add egg, butter and milk to the flour mixture and mix to incorporate. Do not overmix. Dumpling batter will be lumpy.
  3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Blueberry “jam” directions:

  1. In a large saucepan with a lid, add all the ‘jam’ ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the “jam” is thick, stirring and mashing the berries a little as the mixture cooks. This can be done a couple hours before ready to make the dumplings.
  2. When ready to cook the dumplings, heat the berries over medium heat. Lower heat to medium-low and drop cold batter by the spoonful over the berry “jam” so that there’s batter over most of the surface of the “jam”. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
  3. Serve with ice cream.

Makes 6 servings.

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , , , ,
21 June 2018 Maple Bread Pudding Mugs for Two

Maple Bread Pudding Mugs for Two

June 21, 2018 By

I love bread pudding. The custardy bottom and the slightly crispy top make for a perfect dessert that can be changed up based on the season and most importantly, what’s in the house. I had leftover sourdough bread from last weekend’s party, so I used two thick slices of that for these two mugs.

Maple Bread Pudding
Maple Bread Pudding

At my home, I’m the only one who likes bread pudding….my guy calls it peasant food and he means that in a negative way! I love the comforting dish and recreated it in mugs, just enough for two people (or for one person, in a double serving).

This bread pudding variation pays homage to my Quebec roots and is made with and then topped with Quebec maple syrup. Oh yeah, and topped with maple-scented gelato also…..why not!?

Ingredients:

  • 2 thick slices of day-old bread (or 3 slices of standard cut bread)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup light cream (whole milk would also work)
  • 4 Tbsp. pure maple syrup DIVIDED
  • ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • Maple-scented or vanilla gelato/ice cream, optional but not really

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spray the inside of two 8-ounce oven-proof mugs with cooking spray (could use ramekins also).
  • Cut the bread into 1” pieces.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and vanilla.
  • Add the bread to the bowl with the egg mixture and stir until fully combined. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes so the bread soaks up as much of the egg mixture as possible
  • Divide the bread/egg mixture between the mugs. Place the mugs on a small baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, until the tops of the bread puddings are lightly golden and the custard is set.
  • Serve each mug while warm with the remaining 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and a scoop of gelato/ice cream.

Makes 2 servings.

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Desserts, Eggs, Maple Syrup Tagged With: , , , , ,
15 June 2018 Strawberry Maple Butter

Strawberry Maple Butter

June 15, 2018 By

Every late spring, I make it my mission to go strawberry picking at Donaldson Farms, and amazing local farm. My love for picking berries started a long time ago when my grandma would take me to pick wild/wood strawberries in Quebec as a toddler. She’s sit me in the field with a pail and tell me to pick berries around me. Of course, that ended up with me eating the strawberries around me, but it’s a very fond memory nonetheless.

Cultivated strawberries are so easy to pick as farmers have rows and rows of plants with an abundant amount of berries on them. Within a few minutes, I have more strawberries that I know what to do with!

One way I like to use up my fresh berries is by making a very simple butter using maple syrup from back home in Quebec. This butter can be used on toasts, waffles, pancakes/crepes and in a multitude of ways. It keeps a couple of weeks in the fridge and it’s delicious!

Hope you make it out to a u-pick-it berry farm near you, it’s a fun and tasty activity for the whole family.

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups of fresh, chopped strawberries
  • 2/3 cups maple syrup
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the chopped berries, the maple syrup and the butter. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Turn the heat off, add the vanilla and salt and stir to combine.
  3. Puree the berry mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth, 30 seconds or so. You may need to puree in batches if your food processor/blender is on the small side.
  4. Pour the strawberry maple butter in small glass jars and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 6 small canning jars.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Breakfast, Canadian, Desserts, Fruits, Sides
17 February 2018 Easy Pears Foster

Easy Pears Foster

February 17, 2018 By

Pears FosterBananas Foster is a dessert originally-created at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans back in the 1950s. The popular dish consists of ripe bananas cooked in a butter, dark rum, banana liquor and brown sugar sauce then topped with vanilla ice cream. It’s decadent, old school and a most perfect dish.

When I was growing up in Canada, my mom recreated this dish with canned pears instead of bananas as canned goods were a necessity during long winter months. I don’t know if it’s because this was a childhood favorite, but I actually like the pear version even better than the original banana version. I don’t even care that we still make it using canned pears versus using fresh one – it’s fabulous.

Ingredients:

  • ½ stick (1/4 cup) butter
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon (optional. I leave it out as I don’t like cinnamon)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup banana liqueur
  • 29-ounce can of pear halves, drained of their liquid (rinsed if in syrup)
  • ¼ cup dark rum
  • 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Pears Foster Flambe

Pears Foster Flambe

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the butter, cinnamon (if using) and the brown sugar. Cook gently until sugar is dissolved, stirring continuously.
  2. Add the banana liqueur and pears to the skillet and cook until the pears begin to brown, turning them a few times for even color.
  3. Take the pan off the heat and carefully add the rum (SEE VIDEO OF THE FLAMBEED PEARS). Place the skillet back on the burner – be careful as the alcohol will ignite (we call this flambé). Allow the rum to cook off for a minute (flame will dissipate).
  4. Divide the pears among four serving dishes, top with the pan sauce and then ice cream. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Easy Pears Foster
Serves 4
Bananas Foster is a dessert originally-created at Brenna’s Restaurant in New Orleans back in the 1950s. The popular dish consists of ripe bananas cooked in a butter, dark rum, banana liquor and brown sugar sauce then topped with vanilla ice cream. It’s decadent, old school and a most perfect dish.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. • ½ stick (1/4 cup) butter
  2. • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon (optional. I leave it out as I don’t like cinnamon)
  3. • 1 cup brown sugar
  4. • ¼ cup banana liqueur
  5. • 29-ounce can of pear halves, drained of their liquid (rinsed if in syrup)
  6. • ¼ cup dark rum
  7. • 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Instructions
  1. 1. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the butter, cinnamon (if using) and the brown sugar. Cook gently until sugar is dissolved, stirring continuously.
  2. 2. Add the banana liqueur and pears to the skillet and cook until the pears begin to brown, turning them a few times for even color.
  3. 3. Take the pan off the heat and carefully add the rum. Place the skillet back on the burner – be careful as the alcohol will ignite (we call this flambé). Allow the rum to cook off for a minute (flame will dissipate).
  4. 4. Divide the pears among four serving dishes, top with the pan sauce and then ice cream. Serve immediately.
Food & Wine Chickie Insider https://www.foodandwinechickie.com/

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , , ,
13 February 2018 Top Dishes for Mardi Gras Celebrations

Top Dishes for Mardi Gras Celebrations

February 13, 2018 By

According to Wikipedia, Mardi Gras, also called Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday”, reflecting the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.

I’ve always liked Mardi Gras. When I was a young child in Canada, my grandma used to dress my sister and me up in costumes and take us trick or treating on her street. Back then, kids dressed up just like for Halloween and collected treats.

Now that I’m an adult, the holiday is still centered on treats, in the form of actual food and I don’t miss a chance to celebrate with New Orleans-worthy dishes. Here are some of my top dishes for Mardi Gras celebrations.

Crawfish Bisque

Easy Mardi Gras Beignets

Easy Crawfish Etouffee

New Orleans Jambalaya

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Veronique

 

Filed Under: American, Chicken, Desserts, Entrees, Seafood, Soups, Vegetables
4 December 2017 National Cookie Day

National Cookie Day

December 4, 2017 By

Koulourakia

Koulourakia

Today’s National Cookie Day and I thought I’d share my blog’s top five cookie recipes with an international flair to help celebrate this sweet “holiday”.

Koulourakia – Greek Cookies

Dutch Butter Cookies

Pepparkake – Spiced Cookies

Pepernoten – Bite-Size Dutch Spiced Cookies

Berliner Kranser Cookies

What are your favorite international cookie recipes?

Happy baking!

Filed Under: Danish, Desserts, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian Tagged With: , , , , , ,
20 October 2017 Blueberry Panna Cotta

Blueberry Panna Cotta

October 20, 2017 By

Panna cotta, which means “cooked cream” in Italian, is a popular dessert of sweetened cream that’s thickened with gelatin. Since I love custards of all kinds, I’m a fan of panna cotta.

I’ve been in a blueberry mood since the start of the season. I put blueberry on my cereal to start the day and end the day with blueberries on my Greek yogurt – just yum!

This is a simple recipe that’s easy enough to make for a week night but impressive enough to make for a special occasion.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 4 ounce cream cheese
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 10 Tbsp. blueberry jam
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 packet (7 grams or 2 ½ tsp.) flavorless gelatin (I use Knox)
  • 6 ½ Tbsp. water
  • ½ cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

  1. In a heavy saucepan over low heat, cook the milk, cream cheese, honey, 4 tablespoons of jam and the vanilla for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside for later use.
  2. In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in 1/5 cup of cold water. Add the rest of the water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the hot water to the dissolved gelatin and whisk to fully incorporate. Add the gelatin mixture to the milk/cheese mixture and whisk to incorporate.
  3. Using a hand mixer, blend the mixture until mostly smooth, about 2 minutes, then push through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. Add to small glass cups (yields enough for 6) and refrigerate at least 6 hours. Garnish with the remaining jam and fresh blueberries.

Yields 6 panna cottas.

Filed Under: Desserts, Fruits, Italian
16 September 2017 Easy Apple Crumble

Easy Apple Crumble

September 16, 2017 By

Last week, I visited family in Quebec where it’s apple season. While I love a crisp apple picked right off the tree in our orchard, I’m not typically a fan of apple desserts. It’s really not the apple part I don’t like in those desserts, it’s the cinnamon that seems to always be prominent. I do NOT like cinnamon! I know, I’m weird. Come to find out my sister is also weird and doesn’t like cinnamon either, so when she made an apple crumble for dessert one night, she just left out the cinnamon – delish dessert!!

This easy dessert is best served with vanilla ice cream and warm.

Ingredients:

  • 8 medium apples, peeled and thinly-sliced (used Cortlands)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup quick cooking oats

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Butter (or coat with cooking spray) a 3-cup baking dish or an 8” pie plate.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice and the water. Place in the baking dish.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter for a minute. Add the brown sugar and beat for another minute. Add the flour and oats and beat until just combined. Cover the apples with the flour/oats mixture. Bake for 45 minutes, until top of the crumble is browned and slightly caramelized around the edge.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Yields 6 servings.

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , ,
31 July 2017 Easy 3 Ingredient Cheesecake Berry Salad

Easy 3 Ingredient Cheesecake Berry Salad

July 31, 2017 By

My mom shared this super easy-yet-delicious recipe with me last week and, I agree, it’s a winner. It uses three ingredients, takes mere moments to make and is a great way to use fresh berries when in season. Alternatively, I’ve also tried making this recipe with thawed frozen whole berries and it was great. If using thawed, frozen berries, just be sure to rinse them and dry them using paper towels.

Ingredients:

8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened

½ cup vanilla coffee creamer, I opted for Califia Farms Almond Milk Vanilla Creamer

2 cups berries, any combination works

Directions:

  1. Add the softened cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the creamer and beat for another minute until fully incorporated.
  3. Using a rubber spatula, gently incorporate the berries to the cream cheese mixture. Place in glass serving cups. I like to use small mason jars.

Makes six servings.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , , ,
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