Pastries

White Chocolate Key Lime Pie

By in Creamy, Easter, Pastries, Sweets 26 Comments Tags: , , ,

white chocolate key lime pie

Is anyone else as giddy as me that today’s the first day of spring? I’m absolutely ecstatic! That means all this gorgeous weather we’ve been having here in New York isn’t just a cruel prank. It’s actually the start of something awesome!

Me and the kids have been going to the rooftop, kicking up our heels and drinking in the sunlight. We’ve been going to the playground in our t-shirts, having barbecues, eating ice cream and making no-bake desserts that slap you in the face with how springlike they are.

Yay spring! As my son is so fond of saying, “goooo-job” spring, “goooo-job”. I’m happy to see your smiling face.

White Chocolate Key Lime Pie. Mmmm. The first words out of my mouth when I tried this were, “oh goodness, that’s good.” I may have said it out loud, while I was by myself. I may even have skyped my hubby to tell him how good it was and that he’d better hurry home so we could have it with lunch. And while we’re at it , it might have taken every ounce of my strength to resist another bite until after I’d finished my lunch. This is a highly probable situation.

This is so easy to make and so refreshing that I just know it’ll become a staple around here in the spring and summer. This is prime potluck and barbecue material (or even Easter, for that matter). It actually makes quite a few servings even though it’s a regular sized pie. It’s very rich – like a big citrus truffle. I think lime and white chocolate are a perfect pairing because, even though this is a rich dessert, the lime makes sure that the white chocolate isn’t too sweet and the white chocolate makes sure the lime isn’t too tart. It’s a match made in heaven, I say.

White Chocolate Key Lime Pie

You can use key limes or regular limes for this pie.

Graham Cracker Crust
  • 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted

Mix ingredients together in a 9-inch pie plate until evenly combined. Press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before filling.

Pie Filling
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 11 oz. white chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1/3 cup lime juice
  • Garnish: lime slices and chopped white chocolate

Melt together cream and chocolate chips in a small saucepan set over low heat. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream, lime zest and juice. Pour into prepared pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.

Garnish with limes slices and chopped chocolate if desired.

Serves: 12

Crust adapted from allrecipes. Filling adapted from my recipes.

Puff Pastry Pudding Hearts

By in Kids, Pastries, Sweets, Valentine's 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Puff Pastry Pudding Hearts

I couldn”t resist throwing in one last Valentine”s Day treat. This is a great last-minute dessert if you haven”t nailed anything down for tonight yet. Or, it would even be a fun after school project with the kids.

Reminiscent of éclairs, these puff pastry pillows are filled with homemade vanilla pudding and drizzled with chocolate. Don”t let the thought of homemade vanilla pudding scare you. It”s so simple to make. With this type of dessert I like to serve the pudding warm but if you want to make it ahead and serve it cold that”s possible too.

These puff pastry hearts are super simple to make, whether you have a heart-shaped cutter or not. I currently don”t have one so I just used a paring knife to cut out the shapes – this way you can get a little variances in the designs, which I think is kind of fun too.

Happy Valentine”s Day! I hope you have a fabulous day celebrating with the ones you love. xox

Puff Pastry Pudding Hearts

  • 1 sheet puff pastry (from a 17.3 oz. box), thawed

  • 1 recipe vanilla pudding (below)

  • 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Unfold pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut out hearts using a heart shaped cookie cutter or a paring knife*. Remove excess dough (you can bake the scraps on a separate baking sheet if you like). If you feel that the pastry has warmed up too much place back in the fridge for a couple of minutes. Bake at 400ºF for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove to wire wracks to cool.

Once ready to serve, split puff pastry hearts in half, top bottom half with a couple spoonfuls of pudding, replace top and drizzle with chocolate. Serve immediately.

*If using a paring knife try to avoid dragging the knife through the dough as this can cause the layers to seal closed and you won”t get as much puff.

Makes approximately 9 hearts (depending on size).

Vanilla Pudding

  • 1 1/4 cups milk, divided

  • 2 tablespoons flour

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • pinch salt

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring 1 cup milk to a boil in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, stirring often.

Meanwhile mix together flour, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup milk, making sure there are no lumps. Whisk in egg yolk.

Slowly whisk flour mixture into hot milk. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow to cool slightly, serve warm.

To serve cold: place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding, to avoid a skin from forming, and refrigerate.

Apple Crisp

By in Fruit, Pastries, Sweets 12 Comments Tags: , , ,

Apple Crisp

I came to a sad realization the other day. I”m a mom. Not that I AM a mom but that I act like a mom. I”ve even become a little bit boring (gasp!).

Not to my 3 year old son, mind you. He thinks I”m hilarious. And, I only need to walk into the room to get a big toothless grin from my girly. They”re my biggest fans.

But, put me in a room with a bunch of adults and I suddenly don”t know what to do with myself. All of the things that spring to my mind would be pretty embarrassing if done in public.

I don”t think anyone would appreciate me talking to them in a terrible texan/irish/made-up accent whenever the conversation goes dull. I don”t know what to say, should I just do a little bum wiggle now to relieve the tension?

I don”t know how to act in public anymore! Or have an adult conversation! I just stand there stiff as a board, appearing to be the most boring person in the world.

I don”t really mind that things are this way right now because I”ll have plenty of time to chat with proper adults when my kids leave the house and I”m looking for something to fill their void. And, the years will come when they”ll have more fun doing dorky things with their friends and just hoping that their mom won”t do dorky things in front of their friends.

I”ll re-learn how to have an adult conversation. I might even get my adult sense of humour back. But, for now I”ll revel in the dorky/wacky/giggly phase of my life that I have to try and hide from the rest of the world.

Because who doesn”t want to be themselves all the time? You know… the way we really want to act but hide so people will actually talk to us? I get to act that way pretty much all day, every day. And, that”s pretty awesome.

Apple crisp is one of those classic recipes that every mom needs to have in her repertoire. One that her kids will look back on with fond memories. Where just the smell of it conjures up images of times past. I think we all have foods in our lives that do that. And, I”m here to arm you with a recipe that has the potential to do just that.

This apple crisp is no frills, no fuss and absolutely delicious. The perfect combination for any classic homespun dish. It”s just waiting for the memories to accompany it. I think this is one dessert I could make every week and not get sick of.

Keep your eyes peeled because I”ll be sharing a recipe later this week that just happens to be perfect dolloped on top of this crisp.

Apple Crisp

If you”re family doesn”t like nuts you can omit them from the crisp topping.

  • 4-5 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (6 cups sliced)

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons flour

Crisp Topping

  • 1/2 cup flour

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • pinch salt

  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

  • 5 tablespoons butter, softened

In a large bowl toss together apples, brown sugar and flour. Place into a 9 inch round pan or an 8×8 inch square pan.

Mix together the first 6 topping ingredients. Mix in butter until evenly blended. Sprinkle over apples in pan.

Bake at 350ºF for 50-60 minutes, or until apples are cooked through, filling is bubbly and topping is golden.

Makes: 4-6 servings

Maple Roasted Peach Crisps

By in Breakfast, Fruit, Pastries 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Maple Roasted Peach Crisps

Max started barnehage (preschool) this week. I have to admit it”s been rather rough on me. This is the first time he”s been away from home consistently and the house feels so empty. I”ll admit that more than a few tears have been shed, on my part not his. He”s absolutely loving it and not missing me one bit. How”d he grow up so fast? Sniff.

The weather has cooled off a bit, the leaves have lost a bit of their vibrancy, my little boy is gone during the day. It feels like fall.

But it”s not fall. And I”m not ready for it to be fall. I can”t seem to help my mind from heading in that direction though so I”m trying to bridge the gap a bit and hold on to summer for a little longer.

These Maple Roasted Peach Crisps seemed like the perfect way to switch gears a bit while still enjoying summer fruit. They”re warm and comforting, soft and crisp, tangy and sweet. A good reminder of why I”ll be ready for fall when it really comes around.

I”ve always been a big fan of individual desserts. They are so much prettier to plate and everyone gets the same serving sizes so there”s no fighting over the biggest piece. ;)

These are actually a lot less work then a regular crisp because you don”t have to chop the fruit and toss it with other ingredients. Not that, that is hard to do but less work is less work. :) It feels and tastes healthier too, which is the way I like to enjoy my desserts in the summer.

Note: If you don”t want to make the whole batch at once you can make the crumble topping and store it in the fridge. When you want a couple fresh crisps: make as directed below and put the remaining crisp topping back in the fridge.

Maple Roasted Peach Crisps

For an indulgent breakfast serve this on its own or with a spoonful of yogurt. For dessert: a dollop of whipped cream or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Peaches

  • 4 peaches, halved and pitted

  • maple syrup

Crisp Topping

  • 1/4 cup flour

  • 1/4 cup rolled oats

  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • pinch salt

  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds

  • 2.5 tablespoon butter, melted

Place peaches in a rimmed pan, brush with maple syrup.

Combine crisp ingredients until evenly moistened with butter. Carefully place 2 tablespoon topping onto each peach halve.

Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until peaches are tender and topping is browned. Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup.

Makes: 8 servings

Bisquick Apple Fritters

By in Kids, Pastries, Sweets 5 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Bisquick Apple Fritters

I have a confession to make. My son bakes with me a lot but he hardly ever actually tastes the results of his efforts. I”ll say “let”s go bake Daddy a pie.” He”ll say “Yay! Daddy! Pie!” But after it”s all said and done he forgets all about it and never asks for a piece. We figure until he starts noticing what he”s missing why give it to him?

Of course there”s lot”s of taste testing along the way and when he asks I don”t deny it to him. But, if he happens to forget, which is more often then not, then I don”t offer it to him (insert evil grin here). In the case of these Apple Fritters he was my hand model so he didn”t have a chance to forget. :)

Evidence of my little helper drinking milk from the measuring cup and eating the apple scraps.

A couple of months ago I was honored to be included in Babble”s Top 100 Food Bloggers and even more honored to be rated #8 for Best Recipes. (Thank you everyone who voted for me!) Now they”ve gathered exclusive recipes from over 50 of those bloggers and are sharing them on their site. They seriously have me drooling. (You can check out all of the recipes here.)

I decided to share these Apple Fritters because I feel like they sum up what I”m about. Simple food. From scratch. That”s what I aim for anyways. So head on over to Babble for the recipe for these quick and easy Bisquick Apple Fritters.

*Just for clarification this recipe uses my Homemade Bisquick mix.*

P.S. Have you checked out the new recipe page?

Rhubarb Crisp

By in Fruit, Mothers Day, Pastries, Sweets 31 Comments Tags: , ,

rhubarb crumble

Now that spring is around the corner the fruits will be plentiful and begging to be used in our favourite desserts. I love making crisps because they’re so easy to throw together and the flavour of the fruit always shines through. I came across a crisp recipe a year or so ago that has been my go to for all my crisp toppings. In fact I like to make dry batches and keep them on hand so that if I have some fruit that needs using up or we’re just in the mood for a crisp, I can whip one up with even less hassle. It stays true to it’s name and stays nice and crisp for days after. With the crunch of walnuts and warmth of cinnamon I could seriously eat the topping all on it’s own.

The weather has been so glorious this week. It actually feels like spring! These warmer days and melting snow can’t help but lift your spirits. Max has been enjoying splashing in the puddles and streams that are flowing down the hills. And, I’m enjoying getting out of the house. Can you say cabin fever!

I’m also enjoying being in the kitchen more. I strap Alli in her baby carrier, put some music on for Max to dance to and get to work. The rocking motion and occasional hip wiggle seems to lull her to sleep. This week the weather inspired me to get in the kitchen and make my favourite Rhubarb Crisp.

Rhubarb will be starting to make it’s appearance soon in most of the world. Here we don’t get it until the beginning of the summer so I used up the last of the stuff that I froze in August. It definitely got me in the mood for Spring. And, now I can’t wait to see the fresh stalks at the grocers again.

What is your favourite springtime dessert?

One Year Ago: Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls

Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb Filling
  • 4 cups chopped fresh or frozen (thawed) rhubarb
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Place rhubarb in an 8×8 pan or divide between 6 ramekins.
  2. Mix together sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan, stir in water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over rhubarb.
Crisp Topping

adapted from Fresh with Anna Olson

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
  1. Mix together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and walnuts. Stir in melted butter until even distributed. Crumble over filling.
  2. Bake at 350ºF for 45 min or until rhubarb is cooked through and filling is bubbly.

Makes enough for an 8×8 inch square (9 inch round) baking pan or 6 ramekins.

To Make Crisp Topping Ahead
  1. Mix together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and nuts.
  2. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag. (If you’re worried about the nuts going rancid before use, you can store the mixture in the freezer)
  3. To use: Mix in melted butter and crumble over top of fruit.

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