Breakfast Tea, Dark Chocolate Shortbread & Thoughts About Life

Another late post!  What would my mother say?

Well I baked twice this weekend, so there.

Do you ever start reading a book you thought was going to be great and halfway through it turns out to be not but you force yourself to finish it anyways?  Why do I do that?  That's what I was thinking last night.  So you know what?  I put it down.  Half finished!  Gasp!  But what was I wasting my time for? And then I started reading Harry Potter again.  For the fourth or fifth time.  Hmm.

The buzz of a new school year is building.  I can feel the excitement and anxiety gently nudging at my brain.  Somewhere in there I am conscious that my friends are gradually returning to school, unpacking, gearing up for another term.  Soon it will be my turn, but for now I remain detached, on another planet, somewhere called home.  When I am home I never really realize it's time to go until the last minute.

The last three years have felt like some sort of dream.  Some part of me wonders if I will wake up after graduation and go right back to high school, my mother's cooking, and the trivial, refreshingly unimportant worries of a seventeen-year-old.

But I know that this fancy is completely false, and that reality is closer than it ever has been.  Something is different about this, my last school year.  Instead of pure excitement for it to begin, I feel the weight of hesitancy for it to start.  I want this eight months of my life to drag on forever.  This year a new dimension of emotions has been added to my usual back-to-school fluster - I am scared.  Frightened, because for once in my life I have no plan for what lies ahead.

Now that I have bored you with yet another philosophical rant, let's talk about Breakfast Tea and chocolate covered biscuits!!

My piano teacher came by for tea this morning around eleven.  I made a very easy breakfast bread to go with it.  Only took 15 mins to prepare!  And fairly healthy, since there were only a few tablespoons of sugar and I used margarine instead of butter.  Super tasty with a bit of raspberry or blueberry jam and a cuppa!

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Whole Wheat Breakfast Soda Bread*

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp margarine
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven 375F.  Lightly grease baking sheet and set aside.  In large bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Cut in margarine until crumbly.  Add dried currents.  Stir in buttermilk with fork until just combined.

Knead dough ten times with floured hands on lightly floured surface.  Shape into ball and press onto baking tray.  Sprinkle with flour and cut 1/2-inch deep cross on top.  Bake for 35 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

*Adapted from Canadian Living: Mealtimes Made Easy, 2001.

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And earlier in the week, I fancied one of these, so I made these.  Minus the cranberries, plus the chocolate.

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Petit Écolier-Inspired Shortbread*

1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 oz dark chocolate, chopped

3 tbsp heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325F.  Lightly grease two baking sheets and set aside.  Mix first five ingredients until combined but not too creamy (you may use your hands for this part, but be careful not to over mix as the oils from your skin will affect the dough).  Roll out on floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into shapes with cookie cutter.  Add more flour as needed.  When arranging on tray there is no need to leave too much space as the biscuits will not spread.  Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.

Heat chocolate and cream in heat-proof bowl over saucepan of simmering water until melted, stirring often.  Let cool for a few minutes before spreading over shortbread.  Store at room temperature in airtight container.

*Adapted from Martha Stewart.

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Apparently this game will help you rediscover your youth.  I'm not convinced.  It did help me rediscover Paris though.

I have now spent an inordinate amount of time writing about baked goods so I think I will leave it here.

Many happy days to those returning to school for another year - enjoy the experience as much as you can!!

Cheers,

Nicola ♡

Chocolate Meringue Cake • Confessions of a Chocoholic

Here I am again, chopping chocolate.

I must be an expert by now, right?  I'm certainly running out of ideas on how to take a picture of it.

Surprisingly the learning curve with chocolate is never ending.  But I'm not complaining.

Apparently there's a scientific explanation behind the mysteries of chocolate.  I watched a video about it the other day.  Personally I still just think it has a mind of its own.  I like to pretend I believe in magic.

This week's cake was a success.  Finally!  I told you it would happen.  Sometimes wishful thinking works!!

Obviously while searching for baking inspiration I started on Pinterest.  And inevitably ended up in my chocolate section.  It is a delicious trap I can't get out of.  I actually landed on this recipe first, found three more, and then ended up back on this one.

I am so happy I tried it.  So is my mother apparently.  I'm home for the week and this afternoon she started chanting "we have a desserrrrt, I don't have to think of one".  I hate to think what goes on around here when I'm gone.  Après-dinner activities involving dancing and a broomstick, no doubt.

There's something oddly sobering about returning home after being away for a long time.  I find memories and feelings from my childhood come flooding back.  I realized that when you are away from your family for so long, you lose sight of yourself a little bit.  Perhaps if everyone lived with their families forever, many of our insecurities would go away, and the world might be a happier place.  But then living with your parents forever would bring about a whole other set of issues, wouldn't it?

Safe to say I think there's a reason it's natural to leave the nest.

Philosophical rambles aside, this week's baking involved a two layer cake.  Essentially a round brownie base, topped with chocolate meringue, and garnished with a heaping pile of fresh berries.  Umm, pass the fork, right?

I guess you could say I was persuaded by the photos on this blog.  They are absolutely stunning, with beautiful artistic proportions.  I aspire to capture the simplistic allure of food like that one day.  Until then I make do, and try not to pretend I am in any way as tasteful as Artful Desperado.  Whoever that is...

Ahem.  I don't think my head is screwed on right today.  First of all, I am late posting this (which I do apologize for!), and second, I keep drifting off on tangents.  Maybe it's the apathy associated with not having to cook or clean for yourself.  Can a person ever be too relaxed? Hmm.

I followed the recipe almost to a tee, but I will write it out for you anyways.

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Chocolate Meringue Cake with Fresh Berries*

Chocolate Cake:
8 oz dark chocolate, loosely chopped

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
2 large eggs
4 egg yolks (saving the whites for the meringue)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder, sifted
1/3 cup ground almonds

Chocolate Meringue:
4 egg whites

3/4 cup super fine sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
2 tsps cornstarch, sifted
1 tbsp cocoa
2 oz dark chocolate, melted

2 cups fresh fruit of your choice, for garnishing

icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan and set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over pot of simmering water over low heat and warm until melted, stirring occasionally.
In a large bowl whisk eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, and vanilla for about 5 minutes until the mixture is pale and frothy.  (Be careful not to let egg yolk mix with your whites!!! I had a near catastrophe with this!)  Gently fold in the melted chocolate, flour, baking powder, and almond meal.  Pour batter in the cake tin and bake for about 30 min until just set.  You do not want to overcook this as it will need to go back in the oven once the layered with the meringue (it is actually better if it is slightly under cooked in the centre).

Once the cake is removed from the oven you can start the meringue.  DO NOT start this earlier as it will deflate.

Increase temperature in the oven to 350F.
Place egg whites in a clean bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar.  Beat in the vinegar until meringue is nice and glossy.  Fold in cornstarch and cocoa.  Drizzle the melted chocolate into the meringue mixture, and spread over cake.  Do not overmix as you want the natural swirls!
Return the cake to the oven for 20 minutes or until the meringue hardens.  Let cool.

Serve warm or chilled topped with berries and a sprinkle of icing sugar!

*Very slightly adapted from Artful Desperado.

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Now, I have to say I felt that this cake - while still incredibly delicious - lacked a certain kick, which most definitely could be remedied by the addition of alcohol, such as rum or brandy.

So I am going to have to try making it again as an experiment.  Poor me.

Adieu, Adieu (auf wiedersehen goodbye!)

Nicola ♡

Not My Mother's Banana Bread

I learnt a very important lesson today.

When your mother makes it best, don't deviate from her recipe.

Maybe that seems obvious.  But me being me I thought maybe I could improve on my Mum's banana bread (not that there was anything wrong with it in the first place!!).  And surely the banana bread from my very professional-looking Science of Cooking book should be perfect, no??

Well, evidently I was disappointed with the result.

I gave it extra oven time and it still didn't cook properly; undercooked at the base and burnt around the edges.  I would have thrown this loaf out if I wasn't so strictly against wasting food.

I must say I am going through a rather rough baking patch lately!  Terrible news for my tastebuds, but at least I can still try to make it look pretty.

Maybe it's stress. I've always found that stress + baking = DISASTER.  Especially if I try to take my stress out ON baking.  Like, don't come near my kitchen if I'm stressed.  Seriously.  Flour everywhere.  And probably smoke.  Not to mention profanity.

But what am I stressed about??!  Its summer.  Geesh.

Clearly I do not feel it is necessary to include this recipe.  I hope you are OK with that.

I promise next week's baking will turn out better.  There.  Now it has to.  That's how it works right?

On the bright side, my stash of bananas is no longer taking up the majority of the freezer!  My housemates will be happy to hear there is actually room for their food now too.

Ohhhhhh where does time go!? (A voice in my head says: nowhere, you idiot, time is not a living thing - it can't go places.  Also, where did this thought come from?  It is completely random. -10 points for essay flow.)

In parting, I will leave you with a feel good song.  I don't know about you, but I could use a good pick-me-up.  If anything is going to cheer you up, this will for sure.  Just look at the getup on these dudes!  People in the seventies were definitely not afraid of a little sparkle.  Must have been a fun decade.

Is it reasonable to ask for a time-travelling machine for my birthday?

Cheers,

Nicola ♡

A late-night raspberry quickie

That title probably implies something way more interesting than what I'm about to show you.

Last week, I made raspberry jam squares.  I know, I know, why didn't I post on Sunday?!?  Well the truth is, this weekend I was a hippy with no shoes, internet, or cares in the world.

In other words, I was camping out at a music festival.

I made the squares ahead of time to bring as a snack, but as it turns out, thirst was a priority in the heat, so I still had a few left over for a photoshoot.

 

If you ever need a snack that has endurance, jam bars are the way to go.  These things made it all the way to an island and back in the bottom of a ludicrously heavy back pack.  AND they survived the greenhouse effect of the tent we were in.  Which melted the granola bars, I might add.

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Oatmeal Raspberry Jam Bars*

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tbsps brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup old fashioned oats
Scant 1 cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper, set aside.  In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir in oats.

Press just over half the mixture into a flat layer on the parchment paper.  Spread with raspberry jam.  Sprinkle remaining mixture on top.  Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden.

*Recipe adapted from Chelsea's Messy Apron.

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Camping out at a music festival made for a wildly wonderful & relaxing weekend.  I highly recommend experiencing it if you haven't yet.

If the weather's nice, make an excuse to get outside.  I guarantee you won't regret it.

That's all from me for now,

Ciao,

Nicola ♡

Chocolate-Cherry Pudding Pie!

Chocolate.  Again.  SOMEBODY STOP ME.

Might as well call my blog Chocolate, and Variations Thereof.  Or Baking with Chocolate: The Only Real Dessert.  Or simply The Chocolate Blog: Nicola's Quest to Satisfy Cravings and Drain Her Pocket Money on Weekends.

I know there are other desserts out there.  But I can't help it that chocolate is one of the few things that conveniently doesn't need an oven most of the time AND always tastes good.

Admittedly the quantity of chocolate I bought at the grocery store this week was borderline embarrassing.  There were only five things in my cart: chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, cocoa powder, and a pack of gum.  And an expensive five things they were.  The feeling of judgment emanating from the cashier was terribly uncomfortable.

At least I share my desserts.  Because if I were to eat today's pudding all by myself, you'd know there was something mentally wrong with me.  Although perhaps the fact that I'd rather spend my money on chocolate than clothes is already evidence enough...Hmm.

So, preamble aside, I spent several hours in a coffee shop yesterday afternoon trying to come up with something to bake.  There are SO MANY good things out there that I want to try.  They just all require oven time which is NOT happening in the heat with no AC.

Eventually, I decided on this recipe for a no-bake chocolate strawberry pie.  And then swapped cherries for strawberries because they're in season.  And I like them better.

There was also this weird (in my opinion) part of the crust recipe which required 30 wafer cookies.  Ummmmm what???  I will just use my leftover graham crumbs instead, thinks Nicola without going home first to check if she does indeed have the correct amount of crumbs to make an adequate substitution.

You will not be surprised then when I tell you that I was short on graham cracker crumbs this morning, and what was supposed to be a crust turned into a very dense base layer which I was barely able to spread thin enough to cover the 9" pan.  But I'm sure it will still taste fine.

The recipe also calls for a 1/2 tbsp of bourbon, and after purchasing all that chocolate I didn't think bourbon was in my budget, so I omitted that.  I also used dark chocolate instead of bittersweet for the pudding as I thought it would compliment the cherries better.

I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into when I decided to use cherries.  Pitting and slicing them was a nightmare.  It looked like there had been a massacre in my kitchen.

And MY NAILS.  They are still stained.  If this were a murder-mystery I would be the red-handed suspect.  Literally.

Several hours later, the verdict is in! The test kitchen says:

1.  DA-YUM.  That is great pudding.  It is so much better than a pudding mix.  If you can afford to lose six egg yolks I highly recommend giving it a go.  (I will be eating egg whites for a week).

2.  It is all pudding.  Where's the base?!?!?!?  I knew this would happen.  Oh well, the taste of the pudding overwhelmingly makes up for the lack of crust.

So who's still in Kingston and wants a slice?

Happy long weekend,

Nicola ♡

Previously Healthy Nutty Granola Bars

I once read that humans get addicted to foods with high fat content.

Like peanuts and chocolate?

I would say that explains why the smell in my kitchen has me swooning.  I haven't even started baking yet.

Today my practical side took over...or at least temporarily.

I set out to make an easy 5-ingredient granola bar because, well, I have an extremely stressful week ahead of me, with an exam at the end, and a granola bar makes a good grab-and-go snack.

But then I woke up this morning feeling as though granola bars were un-inspired.  My conscience was saying c'mon Nicola, where's the flare???  If you're going to be practical you better at least make it sort of exciting.

So in response, what did I do? Added a layer chocolate, obvs.  I just can't get away from it.

Which brought me to a new dilemma because OK, yes, I am going to get creative, BUT THE GROCERY STORE IS CLOSED.  This is the problem with having my baking day on Sunday.  Hard to be spontaneous.

I had run out of semi-sweet baker's chocolate (a moment of weakness turned it into liquid on my tongue...).  Luckily I still had some unsweetened chocolate (a lot less tempting to eat on its own).

Soooo instead of wasting my precious study time to bike all the way to Metro for one thing, I sweetened the chocolate with some maple syrup, and problem solved!!

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Nutty Granola Bars with Chocolate Base

For the first part of the recipe I followed Minimalist Baker's 5-ingredient healthy granola bars recipe.

Chocolate Base
4 oz unsweetened baker's chocolate (dark or semisweet chocolate would work just fine)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp granulated sugar (optional, to taste)

Heat the chocolate and cream in small bowl over saucepan of simmering water.  Add maple syrup and sugar, stirring constantly until smooth.  Spread over granola bars before removing from square pan.  Refrigerate 1 hour, or until solidified.
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Curiously, while I was melting the chocolate, a squirrel launched itself at my screen door and hung out there for a while.  Perhaps he has a sweet tooth.  But somehow I don't think he's the sort of neighbour I want to invite in for tea...

Nicola ♡

Comments after tasting:

1.  Possibly because of the honey, I find these a bit too sweet for my taste.  I think adding some salt to the mixture or sprinkling coarse sea salt on top would balance this out.

2.  Because I used maple syrup in the chocolate base, it took a long time to solidify, and melts very quickly when out of the fridge.  The taste is right, but the texture is not what I'd planned.  In future I would use a higher ratio of sugar to syrup, but ultimately I think I was going for something similar to the chocolate layer in my Mini Cream Pie recipe, which uses dark chocolate and no sugar at all.  For now I think it best to store them in the freezer.  Or just eat them all really quickly before the chocolate melts.

Oatmeal Chocolate Blueberry Cookies

Does it ever happen that you have exactly the right ingredients for a recipe you've chosen on the spot?

Doesn't happen for me either.

This week I thought it had, but it turns out using fresh instead of frozen blueberries is not always an upgrade.

I suppose after all my chocolate mousse adventures that a cookie might seem kind of dull.  But in lieu of my recent illness I found it hard to be organized enough to do something more complicated.

The important thing is they are still edible.  And different from my bog-standard chocolate chip cookie!  (I haven't blogged about these - but I will - I stand by my belief that they are and always will be the best and most addictive cookie in existence).

I know the batter would have come up much nicer if I'd followed the recipe 100%. *heavy sigh*

You may have noticed (or not) that there was no post from me last week.  My sincere apologies to anyone I may have disappointed!  I was bedridden with a nasty virus and besides the fact that I couldn't move, I didn't think anyone would want to eat my diseased baking anyway...But don't worry I am completely recovered and possibly even healthier than before I was sick! (Owed to an increased intake in multivitamins).  So I guarantee my blueberry cookies are germ-free.

You can find the full recipe here.

In closing I'd like to say Happy Birthday to Prince George, who turns one on Tuesday.  I intended to celebrate with a blue sponge cake...Maybe next week.

Although, at the rate I am adding bananas to my freezer I think it will have to be banana bread.

Cheerio,

Nicola ♡

Mini Banana Cream Cutie Pies

You can never have too many frozen bananas.

I can think of endless uses for the extra ones I bought today.  Namely: smoothies and banana bread.

If I could live off smoothies and banana bread I would.

I am starting to become a frozen banana hoarder.  Should I see someone about this??

It's been hot here.  I did NOT want to turn my oven on.  So I threw together all of the ingredients I was craving and this is the result.

A layer of graham cracker crust, followed by dark chocolate, fresh banana slices and then GUESS WHAT: whipped cream on top (duhhh).

Oh-my-NOMS they hit the spot.  And they look cute.

I am soooo diggin the layers lately.  Princess Lay-ah.  HA. I am so funny (.....um NOT...).

The only difficulty I encountered with these little treats is making them hold their shape.  The crust is a bit crumbly and the bananas like to slide off the chocolate...but who cares when the whole thing is going straight in my mouth anyways??

In any case I think it may have been a better idea to add the bananas before the chocolate was set so they wouldn't be so slippery.

I covered my baking tray in saran wrap before filling the cups with the crust, based off a blog I was reading the other day.  I was a bit skeptical at first but it actually worked surprisingly well.

The chocolate layer was inspired by a truffle recipe I tried about a week ago.

I also had a major craving for Retro Banana Cream Pie.  Et voila.

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Mini Banana Cream Pies*

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsps granulated sugar
4 tbsp margarine, melted

2 oz dark chocolate
2 tbsps whipping cream

1 ripe banana

1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp maple syrup

*This recipe only makes about 9 pies, but it should be fairly easy to double...or triple...or quadruple.

Line muffin tray with saran wrap, making sure there is enough excess to push the base down into the cups.

In small bowl combine crumbs, sugar, and margarine.  Press about 1 tbsp of the mixture into each cup of the muffin tray.  Chill for 10-15 minutes in the freezer.

Chop chocolate into very fine pieces.  Pour into small bowl and set aside.

Remove muffin tray from freezer.  Heat 2 tbsps cream on stove until just boiling.  Pour over chocolate and stir until smooth.

Spread chocolate evenly over each base.  Chill in fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Slice banana, set aside.  Whip 1/4 cup cream, adding maple syrup just before the cream is completely whipped.

Remove chocolate base from saran wrap.  Arrange 3-4 banana slices on each pie and top with a spoonful of whipped cream (I used a ziplock bag to pipette the cream for a more aesthetically appealing effect).
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See?  Pretty.

Until next week,

Nicola ♡

Fresh Fruit Tart with Custard Cream Filling • Happy Birthdays All Around

Help!

There is a giant plate of fruit cream tart in my fridge I don't know what to do with.

I realized today why I have been stuck on squares this summer.  With no one in the house but me to eat my baking, I need something easily transportable otherwise my diet would end up severely out of whack...

The product of my labor today is a fruit tart, made with a layer of sweet crumble crust, topped with vanilla custard cream, and finally a selection of fresh fruits from the local market (except the kiwis; they snuck in from some tropical place).

Is it just me or does that sound like a server's spiel??

It is a combination of three different recipes and some of my own creativity.  Which of course posed a similar problem to the cookies on Wednesday: it has the potential for complete disaster.  But somehow I was lucky again and the mish-mash of recipes worked out!

I will have to articulate the recipe here because it would be a feat to explain where all the bits and pieces came from.  Since my Mum is visiting me a week after her birthday, and good old Canada has her birthday in two days, it is very much a celebratory tart.

(In England 'tart' is also slang for a female prostitute.  I know I'm supposed to be a mature adult but I still have trouble typing 'celebratory tart' without giggling.)

It is also the result of me wanting to make pastry and it being too hot for cake.  Except it's not really pastry.  But I'll work up to that.  I know I need to perfect my pastry if I want to be one of those amazing pastry granny ladies eventually.

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Fresh Fruit Cream Tart

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract*
5 tbsps sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp margarine
1/2 cup whipping cream

2-3 cups fresh fruit (I used kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, but mangos or peaches would also be a nice addition)

*I used artificial (owed to student budget), but Martha Stewart suggests using a proper vanilla bean...maybe in another life

Crumble Crust
Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine flour, sugar, and butter in large bowl.  Beat with hand mixer until fine crumb forms.  Press into lightly greased 12 inch springform pan, making sure to push about an inch up the sides.  Bake for about 15 mins, or until golden brown.  Remove and let cool completely.

Custard Cream Filling
Cook milk, vanilla, and 4 tbsps vanilla in saucepan over high heat until just about to boil.

In small bowl beat egg yolks with remaining sugar.  Add cornstarch and flour and whisk until completely combined.  Slowly pour heated mixture over egg mixture, whisking constantly.  Return to stove on med-high heat and continue to whisk until thickened, about 2 mins.

Remove from heat and stir in butter until incorporated.  Let cool slightly, cover with saran wrap and then refrigerate until set, about 30 mins.  Make sure the plastic is pressed directly on custard to avoid condensation.

Once the custard is set, whip cream in small bowl with hand mixer.  Fold into custard.  Remove crust from springform pan.  Spread custard cream evenly over crust with a spatula.  Refrigerate about 10 mins.

Meanwhile, chop and wash fruit and set aside.  Remove the tart from fridge and arrange fruit as desired.

Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.  Mother suggests this is unreasonable because it will be gone in one.

Recipe adapted from the following websites: Martha Stewart, The Food Network, and Joy of Baking.
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I think turning my oven on in today's heat put me at risk of heat stroke.  IT'S SO HOT HERE.  How do people live in climates like this??!?

For this reason I'm glad I didn't make a full-on pie.  Would have passed out for sure.

Perhaps I should save my pastry-making till the winter, when our oven is the main source of heat. (Cue mental image of five girls wrapped in blankets huddled around the stove watching a pie bake).

As much as I wanted summer, I already miss the cold...at least when you're cold there's no end of blankets to smother yourself in.  In the heat there are only so many layers of clothes you can remove.

Aaaaaaand on that note,

Happy Canada Day!  Happy Birthday Mum! And FESTIVUS for the REST OF US!

Peace & Love

Nicola ♡