Tag Archive: desserts

Laura Calder Chocolate Mousse

May 20, 2015

I have written about Laura Calder before so you know I love her recipes. They are often simple enough to prepare yet are sophisticated with clean and layered flavours. Just like food should be. This little chocolate mousse is a quick dessert from her latest book Paris Express and I wanted to share it with you. You can serve it simply with whipped cream and fresh berries or elaborate with spun sugar. To be honest, I need... View Article

Ricotta and berry cake

May 10, 2015

This is a cross between a cheese cake and a butter cake, combining the best of both. It’s a very moist and light cake dotted with fresh berries and scented with lemon zest. I saw the recipe in Bon Appetite and marked it to make when the need arise, and it has. I like the look and aroma of a freshly baked cake on the kitchen counter inviting you to slice a piece and enjoy... View Article

Sandwich cookies with raspberry jam and lemon curd

April 27, 2015

Here is what I do late at night when I get the urge to get into the kitchen: bake cookies. Actually, not completely true. Here is “a day in the life” of yours truly. I made the dough in the morning but couldn’t bake it right away because we went to see an incredible ballet performance of Swan Lake by the Royal Ballet from London, broadcasted to over 1000 theatres worldwide. The phenomenal performance of... View Article

Meringue with lemon whipped cream and berries

April 17, 2015

Every now and then I get the urge to make meringue. Sometime it’s successful, other times not so much. Maybe it’s the weather (meringue does not like humidity), the oven temperature (it likes low heat) or how i beat in the sugar (wait until soft peaks, then add sugar 1 spoonful at a time). Yesterday I had egg whites in the fridge let over from a dessert I made on the weekend, so I thought... View Article

Lemon Rosemary Bundt Cake

March 19, 2015

In anticipation of summer herbs I bought a few rosemary plants and planted them in pots to place in a row on my kitchen counter. I also wanted to have something sweet on hand and thought I’d make a simple bundt cake with the newly acquired rosemary and the small pile of lemons sitting on the counter next to them.  These are really Meyer lemons, ripe and ready for juicing, but regular lemons would work... View Article

Chocolate and caramelized nuts cookies

February 25, 2015

If you are wavering between the crispy and chewy cookie camps then these cookies are for you. Crispy, chewy, delicious and very quick to make, these would please both sides. This dough can serve as a base for whatever embellishments you may wish to try. You make the dough and then fold in the extras by hand. I have made these cookies with candied ginger, white chocolate, chopped dates, dried cherries and dried cranberries to... View Article

Plum Kuchen

September 30, 2014

Here is something to do with the abundance of prune plums at the markets. Plum kuchen is a simple, one bowl cake topped with plums and I think it may be the original coffee cake. There are many versions for this recipe. Some are made with yeast, others are similar to tarts and still others look like a crumble. I think originally plum kuchen was made with yeast dough and it is a worthwhile undertaking,... View Article

Roasted late summer fruits, and Vegan crisp topping

September 24, 2014

Here is a way to use the last of the stone fruits at the end of summer and early fall. Roasting the fruits doesn’t dry them, rather it concentrates their flavour and softens them to a nice texture. I toss the fruits with sugar, drizzle pure vanilla extract over and roast at 400℉. You can make it in advance or put it in the oven just before you begin dinner and by the time you... View Article

Plum tarts

September 9, 2014

Something to do with late summer stone fruits. Buttery crust envelopes a creamy custard and sweet and tangy ripe plums. What can be wrong about it? For interest sake I balanced the sweetness of the plums with a few herbs from the garden. Their presence is very subtle and add an interest to the layers of flavours. Enjoy.           Ingredients:   Tart Pastry: 1 3/4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt... View Article

Grilled peaches with honey yogurt and basil

August 31, 2014

We have had some magnificent peaches here in the Okanagan Valley this year. Peach orchards are interspersed among the more than 200 vineyards and cherry orchards and we even have a community called Peachland nearby. Although I didn’t get to pick my own fruits off the trees (must put that on my list for next summer), I was able to purchase them throughout the season directly from the growers, usually picked that morning, still warm... View Article

Lavender Cake

August 4, 2014

The Okanagan is prime location for growing many things, lavender included. There is lavender everywhere you look and it grows beautifully on our rooftop patio as well. It is a pretty, fragrant herb and I love getting a whiff of its scent as I reach over it to work in my garden. Lavender fields are a sight to behold. If you have ever seen them in France you know what I mean. I love the... View Article

Pistachio Roulade with Raspberries

July 7, 2014

Oh so delicious and easy roulade to make and serve with seasonal berries. There were only four of us for dinner but I made two roulades because I knew where this was going. I had some leftover to share with our lovely neighbours and for my husband ( “is there some more of that cake left?”) for whom one piece is never enough. The recipe is adapted from Laura Calder’s Hazelnut Roll in her book... View Article