Cardamom Buns

 

A platter full of these fragrant and delicious buns has become the accompaniment to gift opening on Christmas morning. They come together quickly - I start them in the morning around 7:30 and they are ready by 10 or 10:30 when the children and grandchildren arrive. Forming the buns is an art form which I don't quite have. For instructions on how to twist and shape the dough, look at this video. There are a number of ways to shape the buns, and mine are a rough approximation of Cecilia's. This recipe is also based on hers. 

Dough: 

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 envelope active dry yeast (7 grams)

1/3 cup (67 grams) brown sugar

3 1/4 cups (400 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (75 grams) butter at room temperature, cubed

Stir together milk and white sugar. Sprinkle yeast over and let activate for 10 minutes.

Mix the brown sugar, flour, cardamom, and salt. Add the milk and the yeast. Mix until the dough comes together. Then add the butter, mixing well with a stand mixer, or by hand, until fully incorporated. Knead for 5 minutes or so. I knead the mixture in my Kitchen Aid, as the dough is quite loose. You don't want to add too much flour. 

Place in greased bowl and let rise for 40 minutes in a warm spot. 

Filling:

4 1/2 Tablespoons (63 grams) butter, softened

1/3 cup (67 grams) brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

Mix the filling ingredients together. Set aside.

Roll dough to 13 x 21 inches. Spread the filling over. Fold in half, making a 13 x 10 1/2 inch piece of dough. Flatten slightly with rolling pin. Cut 3/4 inch (2 cm) strips and wrap as desired. 

Let rise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 7-10 minutes, watching carefully so they don't burn. 

Brush buns with the following mixture immediately after removing them from the oven.

Topping:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat just to dissolve sugar. 

After brushing the buns with the sugar/water mixture, sprinkle them with a bit of granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom.

Note: You can grind your own cardamom for the freshest taste, but I find the seeds quite hard to crush in a mortar and pestle and usually use about half pre-ground cardamom from the store and half coarsely ground cardamom that I've prepared in my mortar and pestle. 

Raspberry Cream Meringue

 

Raspberries are a favourite summer fruit. We have a short row of canes and they produce small, but flavourful berries. It's been a bumper crop this year. I took this dessert to a dinner party with friends, and made it again later the same week to serve to guests here. 

The recipe is a mashup of ideas taken from here and there. Although there are several steps, it's easy to make and can be done ahead. In fact, it's best if the meringue and filling are put together several hours before serving to allow for the meringue to soften slightly. It's good the next day, too, if there is any leftover. 

The filling is white chocolate with a bit of yogurt, mixed with whipped cream. It's creamy with a bit of tang, and is good by itself with some fresh fruit.

Meringue:

4 egg whites, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

dash of salt

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla

Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Trace an 8 or 9 inch circle on each sheet, flipping the paper after tracing so that the pencil lead doesn't come into contact with the meringue. 

Beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in a grease-free bowl until foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, a little bit at a time until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla. 

Evenly divide meringue and pile onto the parchment paper circles. Smooth until flat. The circles can have a bit of an edge built up, but don't pile it high in the centre. 

Bake for 2 hours or until crisp. Turn off oven and allow meringues to cool completely in the oven, about 2 more hours. 

Filling: 

6 ounces white chocolate, chopped

3 Tablespoons water

1/4 cup plain yogurt

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup chilled whipping cream

Melt the chocolate with the water. Cool slightly and add the yogurt and lemon juice. 

Whip the cream to soft peaks. 

Combine the chocolate mixture with the whipped cream. I beat them together for a smooth mixture. 

To assemble:

Meringues

Filling

Raspberries

Mint Leaves

Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on a flat plate to act as glue for the meringue. Top with one meringue. Spread 1/2 of the filling over and cover with fresh raspberries. Dot a bit more topping on the raspberries, then top with the second meringue. Spread over the remaining filling. Add more raspberries and decorate with mint leaves. 

Cover and chill for 2-4 hours before serving. 

Raspberries are delicious, but this would be equally good with fresh strawberries or any other summer fruit. 

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.