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How much fun is this sandwich cookie cake?? It would be perfect as a dessert for any occasion from a spring or Mother’s Day tea to a birthday party or backyard barbecue.
Sandwich Cookie Cake (image from Williams-Sonoma's web site)
I picked up the pans to make this fun dessert this evening, racing into the Williams-Sonoma at Sherway Gardens at 8:58 p.m. (the store closes at 9 p.m.). Just in time!
Sandwich Cookie Cake pan (image from Williams-Sonoma's web site)
The 9″ cast aluminum cake pans are exclusive to Williams-Sonoma and sell for $29.95 (US) for the pair. Bake your favourite brownie or chocolate cake recipe or mix in them, then sandwich the layers together with flavoured whipped cream, ice cream or buttercream icing.
Visit Williams-Sonoma’s website for more information and to read reviews about the pans. According to the online reviews, it’s really important to grease the pan well with cooking spray to remove the cakes easily.
I’ll have to hold off testing out the pans until next week as I’m off to New York City this weekend to take a Four-Star Breakfast cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education and visit with my sister Loreen who lives on Long Island. We’ve got afternoon tea reservations in NYC at Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon on Friday.
I’ve been eating a lot of crepes lately.
Last night we dined with friends at the Village Creperie on Belmont Avenue in Kitchener. I’d eaten at this lovely, intimate restaurant awhile ago and really should have been back sooner.
On the menu are a variety of appetizers, salads, and galettes (savoury crepes made with buckwheat). The restaurant uses only organic flours, fish, meat, vegetables, fruits and dairy.
I chose the galette special of the day – a fajita crepe with seasoned chicken, sauteed peppers, guacamole and sour cream. It was a winner as were the galettes enjoyed by my fellow diners (Very veggie – spinach, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion, portabello mushroom, goat cheese and pesto; Saumon et salsa – marinated salmon and salsa; and Le Complete – sunny side up or flat egg, aged white Cheddar, mozarella, green onion and ham).
Although everything on the dessert menu (including flambed crepes) sounded very tempting, we opted to share the dessert special of the day – a waffle crowned with strawberries, blueberries, syrup and creme fraiche.
I look forward to returning to the Village Creperie again soon, perhaps on a Saturday morning for a brunch crepe.
For a good assessment of the restaurant, read the review written by Andrew Coppolino, Restaurant Critic for the Waterloo Region Record.
A few weeks ago, work took me to the Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket where I happened upon Crepe Delicious, a kiosk-style restaurant that sells crepes and paninis. I enjoyed a Popeye crepe with its filling of spinach, cheese and tomato. I expected the crepe to be served to me either filled and folded or rolled over like an omelette. Instead, the large crepe was folded in half, filled, rolled into a cone shape, and tucked into a pointed cone cup. The whole thing was then wrapped in foil. The result? A crepe that could be eaten out of hand, on the go, with any juices falling into the cup instead of dripping through your fingers. Genius!
Crepe Delicious has locations throughout Toronto and according to its website, is looking for individuals interested in franchise opportunities.
Back to the crepe marathon…. One night last week we enjoyed crepes with maple syrup and sauteed bananas for dinner. Yes, probably more a dessert than dinner entree, but oh well! They were very good.
The picture above is of the crepes we made when I visited my sister Loreen on Long Island last summer. These crepes were made from a Bisquick recipe. (Stir together or process in a blender 1 cup Bisquick mix, 3/4 cup milk and 2 eggs. Use about 2 tablespoons batter per crepe.) We let the mixture stand for about 30 minutes so the dry ingedients had a chance to absorb the liquid ingredients. This makes the batter less lumpy.
Here’s the recipe for the crepes I made last week.
Basic Crepes
(Makes 16 crepes)
1-1/3 cups (325 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) milk
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, melted
Additional butter for crepe pan
In a bowl, stir together flour and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter; pour over dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flour expand.
Heat an 8-inch (20 cm) crepe pan or skillet over medium heat; brush lightly with butter. For each crepe, pour about 1/4 cup (60 mL) batter into the centre of the pan; immediately swirl pan to coat bottom with batter. Cook until top is no longer shiny and bottom is lightly browned, about 45 seconds to a minute. Flip crepe over and cook briefly on the other side, 25 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan with butter between crepes as needed.
Variations:
* Buckwheat Crepes: Replace half of the flour with light buckwheat flour.
* Herbed Crepes: Just before cooking crepes, stir in 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh herbs (e.g. any combination of parsley, chives and tarragon)
* Chocolate Crepes: Replace 1/3 cup (75 mL) of the flour with 1/4 cup (60 mL) cocoa powder, sifted. Stir in 3 tbsp (45 mL) granulated sugar.
Tips:
* Crepe batter can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
* Batter should be the thickness of whipping cream. If it is too thick, thin with a little milk.
* Crepes can be made ahead. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before using.
Love brownies? Looking for brownie recipes and baking tips?
Judging by the number of views of the brownie-related posts on my blog, it seems there are lots of brownie lovers out there!
If you’re one of them, you’ve come to the right place. Or rather – you’re really close to the right place!
I’ve recently started writing Brownie Lover’s Diary, a blog about brownies. It’s wall to wall brownie info including recipes, baking techniques, tips and bakeware, brownie cookbooks, links to mail-order brownie websites, and more.
I just wrote about this fun pan for baking brownies. It’s made by Nordic Ware and sold at Williams-Sonoma. With it, you can bake brownies in the shape of a chocolate bar with 12 thick rectangular pieces and the word “chocolate” debossed on each piece. You can use it with your favourite brownie recipe or mix.
Brownie Lover’s Diary – www.brownieloversdiary.com. You’re invited to drop by!
I picked up these gems at a DSW shoe store in Pittsburgh on a trip to the U.S. this past weekend.
I’m hoping it rains a lot this spring. My feet will be very happy!
Chocolate Boots by Dirty Laundry ($39.95)
The Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies from Harrowsmith magazine (Feb. '09 issue)
Last week our neighbour Jim brought over some chocolate chip cookies his wife Karen had baked. She had tried a recipe from the current issue of Harrowsmith magazine.
These cookies are chock full of yummy ingredients including oats, nuts, coconut, and three kinds of chocolate (milk, semisweet and white).
As for the “best ever” moniker, the cookies were very good (a little chewy, which is how I like them) and every bite had great flavour. But I wouldn’t give them a “hands down, can’t be topped, to die for” rating.
That shouldn’t stop you from trying this recipe. The cookies are really good, especially if served warm with a glass of milk!
The Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Makes 28 large cookies)
2 cups large-flake rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 oz milk chocolate, grated (113 g)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, lightly tosated
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly oil two baking sheets, or line with baking parchment.
Place oats in the bowl of a food processor and whirl until very fine.
In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in coconut. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in brown sugar, white sugar and corn syrup until well mixed and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture and grated chocolate. Add chocolate chips and pecans; stir until well combined.
Roll dough into 28 balls; place each on a baking sheet, then flatten to 1 inch thick, leaving lots of space between each cookie.
Bake until just golden brown around on the edges, 9 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on racks.
Recipe Source: Harrowsmith magazine, February 2009
Flowers…..ah, carnations!
Flowers from my sweetie
A bouquet of flowers sweetly arranged in a vase was waiting for me when I arrived home from work on Thursday night.
My sweetheart wasn’t going to be able to spend Valentine’s Day at home with me as duty called and he needed to hang out in a few hockey arenas for the day and evening, scouting for players for the rebuilding Kitchener Rangers.
Being the thoughtful guy he is, he picked up flowers (including carnations, my favourite flower – I just love the look and smell of them!) and a mushy card ahead of time.
What a good guy! I think I’ll hold on to him. He’s a sweetheart the other 364 days of the year too!
Cards that included a sweet reminder of the joy of cupcakes…..
1 puppy + 1 cupcake = 1 sweet Valentine's Day card
A few valentines arrived in the mail including this cute card from my brother’s family (full credit to my sister-in-law who no doubt picked out the card!).
Inside the card (made by Carlton Cards) it reads – “It’s my Valentine smile – I’m supposed to have little frosting smudges around the edges. Hope your day is sweet!”
Aaaahhhh……a puppy and a cupcake! How cute!
Cupcakes are so popular these days. These mini desserts can be baked in many flavours and the decorating possibilities are endless. If you’re a cupcake fan, here are a few blogs you’ll want to visit:
Chocolate…..both sweet and salty
Murray and I don’t usually make too much fuss about Valentine’s Day. I did pick up some chocolate to share with him when he gets home tonight.
Lindt Fleur De Sel chocolate
Lindt Milk Chocolate pieces
I saw a couple new (or at least new to me) chocolates at the grocery store this week. First I found a bar of Lindt Excellence Fleur de Sel – dark chocolate with a touch of hand-harvested fleur de sel, or sea salt. (Chocolate and a hint of salt go very well together.)
I also found Lindt Lindor milk chocolate in a chocolate bar form, or so I thought.
Had I examined the picture on the box a little more closely, I may have clued in that the box contained chocolate pieces, not a solid bar.
Nonetheless, if you like Lindt’s Lindor chocolates (those foil wrapped round balls of chocolate with smooth and creamy centres), you’ll love this box of Lindor pieces.
I’ll confess I’ve sampled both chocolates already, and pronounced them good. Let’s hope there’s still some left by the time Murray gets home.
Lindt chocolates - Fleur de Sel bar (left) and Lindor milk chocolate pieces (right).
The heady aroma of cinnamon greeted me a couple days ago when I entered the building where I work. It smelled as deliciously enticing as the aisle where the Cinnabon store is located in my local shopping mall.
Unfortunately I was not greeted with an oversized cinnamon bun oozing with a buttery cinnamon-sugar filling and dripping with icing. No, a co-worker had simply made cinnamon toast to start her day, permeating the office with the sweet smell of the familiar spice.
It was a fragrant reminder that sometimes the simple things are truly the best.
Savour the aroma and taste of Cinnamon Toast!
To make Cinnamon Toast, you can either toast or broil the bread. Either way, it’s is a deliciously simple treat!
Cinnamon Toast
(Makes 4 slices)
2 tablespoons (30 mL) granulated or brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) ground cinnamon
4 slices bread
Butter or margarine, at room temperature
Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Method 1: Toast bread. Spread with butter. Sprinkle sugar-cinnamon mixture over top.
Method 2: Place slices of bread on a baking sheet. Spread each slice with butter. Sprinkle sugar-cinnamon mixture over top. Broil bread 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) from grill until cinnamon-sugar topping is bubbly, about a minute or two. Watch closely so bread doesn’t burn.
Tips:
* Use the bread of your choice (whole wheat, white, Challah, French, etc.) or English muffins or bagels.
* Vary the proportion of sugar and cinnamon as you like.
* Make up extra topping mixture and fill a small spice bottle, container or sugar shaker so you can readily make cinnamon toast whenever the craving hits.
* If you’re a chocolate lover, add a little cocoa powder or some finely grated chocolate to the sugar-cinnamon mixture.
Chocolate Banana Crunch Bread - photo from www.thekneadforbread.com
I enjoy The Knead for Bread blog for its great bread recipes and scrumptious-looking photography.
A couple recipes on the site caught my attention when I visited the blog today. Yes, both recipes contain chocolate. I’ve been rather focused on chocolate in my last few posts. I’ll try to diversify my taste preferences very soon!
* Chocolate Banana Crunch Bread – There’s no doubt that chocolate and banana pair well. Adding toffee bits makes this bread a sure winner!
* Triple Chocolate Scones – If one kind of chocolate is good, three kinds will be very, very, very good!
Hmmmm….I think I know what my weekend baking projects will be!
Interested in traveling a road made from chocolate? Get on the right path by attending Follow the Chocolate Road at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener on Monday, February 9.
Folia, a baroque chamber music group, invites you to to attend an evening of music that will follow chocolate from the New World through its conquest of Baroque Europe. Interspersed throughout the evening will be chocolate trivia. And, appropriately, there will be chocolate tasting courtesy of Silver Spoon Fine Chocolates of Waterloo! How sweet is that!
The evening starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adult, $15 for seniors and students, and $5 for children 18 and under.
Tickets are available at the Centre in the Square Box Office (101 Queen St. N., Kitchener; Ph: (519) 578-1570).
The Registry Theatre is located at 122 Frederick St. in Kitchener.
Chocolate lovers are invited to join me for a chocolate cooking class at Household China & Gifts cooking school in Waterloo on Thursday, Feb. 5th.
I’ll be demonstrating sweet and savoury recipes with the help of cooking school co-ordinator Donna-Marie Pye. There will be lots of chocolatey samples as well as tips on working with chocolate. We’ll be doing some chocolate tasting and, if we can fit it in, an easy hands-on chocolate “craft”, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The class runs from 6:30 until 9 p.m. and costs $70.00.
Sign up for Chocoholics Rejoice by calling 519-884-2792 or visiting Household China at 300 King Street North in Waterloo.
Be sure to check out the other cooking classes in Household China’s Winter Cooking class schedule.
Take my chocolate poll below to vote for your chocolate preference – milk, dark or white. (Yes, white chocolate is technically not chocolate because it doesn’t contain cocao solids but I’m including it anyway since many people consider it chocolate.)
