Chocolate Mousse Frozen Cheesecake

 

In the summertime, having a frozen dessert in the freezer is like money in the bank. Easy to pull out for company or a treat on a hot night, somewhat lighter than ice cream, and delicious besides. Favourite frozen desserts of mine are Fudgesicles (great for the younger crowd), Lemon Mousse Loaf, Strawberry Squares, and this Frozen Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake. It goes together quickly and can be served with fresh berries, a fruit sauce, or as in the photo above, with a spoonful of cherry pie filling. 

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Crust:

1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Combine the melted butter and wafer crumbs. Press into bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese

2 beaten egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup chocolate chips, melted

2 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups whipping cream

Blend cream cheese, egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted chocolate chips. 

Beat egg whites until foamy, then add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Fold into the cream cheese mixture by hand.

Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold cream into the cream cheese mixture. Pour into prepared pan. 

Cover with aluminum foil and freeze. Remove from freezer 1.5 - 2 hours before serving. 

Options:

- Save some of the whipped cream to spread on top of the chocolate cheesecake before freezing.

- Use more of the chocolate wafers and stand them on edge around the pan before baking the crust. 

Broccoli Soup

 

A lovely, healthy soup with the goodness of lots of vegetables. I can eat soup every day and never tire of it. This one comes together quickly and with some bread, and/or a salad, is a full meal. I use frozen broccoli when fresh is expensive, and find no difference in the soup. The carrots mellow and sweeten the broccoli a little.

Broccoli Soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 medium carrots, diced

500 grams (1 pound) of broccoli, fresh or frozen

4-6 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

crumbled blue cheese for serving, if desired

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, gentle saute the onion and garlic until tender. Add the carrots, broccoli, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until all the vegetables are tender, 20-30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture, then season to taste. 

Doris' Sugar Cookies

 

Sugar cookies were a twice-a-year tradition in my family. My mother made them for Christmas. We had a variety of cookie cutter shapes - bells, stars, trees, hearts, and oddly camels. Were there wreaths? I don't remember. We iced them with buttercream in green, yellow, and pink, and sprinkled them with tiny confetti. Then, Valentine's Day meant more sugar cookies, all heart-shaped, and iced with pink buttercream. Even when I was away at college she sent them, carefully nestled in tissue or waxed paper, for me to enjoy a taste of home.

This year, I covered my star-shaped cookies with royal icing and painted on them with food coloring mixed with vodka for a different look. But underneath are the same crisp buttery sweet cookies my mother always makes. 

Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter (my mother's recipe calls for 1/4 cup butter plus 1/2 cup shortening, but I use all butter)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

dash of salt

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Combine the dry ingredients and add them to the mixture, mixing until just combined. 

Divide the dough in half and place each on a piece of waxed paper, flatten, and chill for 30 minutes. The dough can stay in the fridge for several days, but bring it almost to room temperature before rolling.

Generously flour a counter top and roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. It is a little hard to handle at first, and don't be afraid to dust with flour as needed. Dust the rolling pin, as well. Cut into desired shapes. 

Place on baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. The cookies should be a pale golden brown. The colour changes quickly, so keep an eye on them. 

 

Cream and Apple Pie

 

On a rainy evening, this pie was a welcome bit of indulgence. Made with apples picked from our trees several weeks ago, it is a comforting, not-too-sweet dessert that evokes comfort and autumn goodness. 

I adapted it from a recipe by Patricia Wells in her cookbook Bistro Cooking. Her Tarte aux Pommes à la Crème is thinner and I wanted a heartier pie, so I came up with this version. 

For a crust, I used Anna Olson's recipe.

Cream and Apple Pie

1 pastry shell, 9-10 inch, partially baked (I lined my pastry shell with crumpled parchment paper and pie weights - dried beans in this case) and baked it at 375 for 20 minutes, removed the weights and paper, and baked it for another 5 or 10 minutes, just until set, but not browned on the bottom

4 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream 

6 Tablespoons sugar, divided

1 teaspoon good vanilla

6-7 cooking apples (I used Liberty apples)

Whisk together the egg yolks, cream, vanilla, and 4 tablespoons of the sugar. Set aside while you prepare the apples. 

Peel and core the apples, quarter them and cut them into thick slices. Arrange in the par-baked pastry shell. 

Pour the cream mixture over top. It will not cover all of the apples. 

Sprinkle the remaining two tablespoons of sugar over top. 

Bake at 375 degrees until the apples are tender. I baked it for at least 1 1/2 hours, covering the pie with aluminum foil for part of the time so as not to burn the crust. Keep checking for apples all bake at different times. 

Serve warm with a drizzle of caramel sauce. 

Dinner Rolls

 

I made these for Thanksgiving this year, and when I posted a photo on FB, someone asked me for the recipe. So here it is. One roll is missing because of course someone needed to taste test and make sure that they were acceptable. 

Dinner Rolls

1/2 cup water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

Combine above and heat to lukewarm. The butter doesn't need to melt, but it should be soft. 

Add

1 Tablespoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 egg

1 1/2 cups (roughly) spelt flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Stir well to combine. Add all-purpose flour to make a soft dough and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary.

Form dough into a ball and let rise in a greased bowl until doubled. 

Form into individual rolls. I used three pie plates and made the buns fairly small, but they could be any size preferred.

Cover and let rise again. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Before baking, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter, then sprinkle with coarse salt, sesame seed, or poppy seed. 

Bake for 20 minutes. 

Note: Any combination of whole wheat, all-purpose, or spelt flour could be used, I think. I just added what I did without measuring. 

Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup

 

The delicious flavour of Thai dishes is due to a great balance of sweet, sour, creamy, and salty. Spicy heat often adds another layer of flavour. This soup is hearty enough for a full meal, and comes together quickly. It's easy to adapt the vegetables and meat to whatever you have, but the sweet (brown sugar), sour (lime juice), creamy (coconut milk), and salty (fish sauce) are critical. Plus the Thai red curry paste for a bit of heat. 

This particular recipe is light on the meat, and serves 2-3 people. It's easy to double, and leftovers heat well. 

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks

salt and black pepper to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, diced

1 Tablespoon red curry paste

1 teaspoon freshly minced or grated ginger

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 of 380 ml can of coconut milk (stir before dividing)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 of 250 g package of rice noodles

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

For serving

2 green onions, thinly sliced

fresh parsley

lime juice (about 1 teaspoon per bowl)

Heat oil in large soup pot. Season chicken and add to pot, stirring until golden and just cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add minced garlic and onion, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes, or until onion is tender. 

Stir in grated ginger and red curry paste. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir in chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes to slightly reduce the soup and concentrate the flavours. 

Add the red pepper and simmer another 5 minutes. Stir in the rice noodles, fish sauce, and brown sugar, and cook 3-5 minutes until the noodles are tender. 

Ladle into bowls and top with sliced green onion, fresh parsley, and lime juice to taste. 

Dad's Cookies

 

Purchased cookies were a rarity in our home when I was growing up. My mother would buy a package when we were on vacation - usually a camping trip, and it was often a yellow and red box of Dad's Cookies, a Canadian brand, I believe. 

My dad does like these cookies, basically oatmeal with coconut, and they are easy to make. This is a recipe from my very old Mennonite Treasury of Recipes book, with lots of stains on the pages signifying recipes made many times. I've adapted this recipe somewhat by reducing the sugar. 

Dad's Cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup unsweetened coconut - I use the medium or fine cut

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

Cream the butter with the sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add the coconut and oats. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir into the other ingredients. 

Form 1-inch balls. Place on baking sheet, then press them with the tines of a fork that has been dipped into flour to prevent sticking. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a rack.