November 18, 2009

Cupcake Camp Montreal Fundraiser Event






On November 22nd, 2009, Cupcake Camp Montreal will host its first fundraiser and have chosen the Jeunesse J’écoute /Kids Help Phone
to contribute the proceeds. A donation of $10 includes 3 delicious cupcakes and a cup of coffee.


There is still time for to contribute cupcake donations or become a sponser!  Just fill out the forms on the Cupcake Camp Montreal web site.


Bakers of all baking skill levels have until November 20th to submit their cupcake creations to compete for the Montreal's Best Cupcake title. The best cupcake will be chosen by a special panel of judges.
It promises to be quite the cupcake extravaganza!  Join the festivities and support a good cause!


Camp Cupcake Montreal Fundraiser Event for the Jeunesse J’écoute /Kids Help Phone

Date: Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 2-5 PM
Place:  Bitoque Restaurant
            3706, Notre-Dame West, Montréal
            (Québec) H4C1P7
            Closest Metro Lionel-Groulx




Carrot Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe



( Recipe and photo courtesy of Clever Cupcakes and Cupcake Camp Montreal)

 
 

Ingredients:



Yield:  24 cupcakes

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsps cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup 100% vegetable oil
  • 3 cups grated carrots
  • Orange Juice (enough to cover carrots)
  • Orange zest from 1 small orange

 Method:

  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Soak grated carrots overnight in orange juice
  3. Combine dry ingredients.
  4. Mix together eggs, oil, and vanilla
  5. Add dry ingredients and orange zest to wet ingredients.
  6. Drain carrots well. Toss carrots in a bit of flour then fold into batter.
  7. Scoop batter into muffin pans.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcake comes out clean.
  9. Remove muffin pans from oven and let cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients:

  •  2 cups icing sugar
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)

 Method:


  1. Combine cream cheese and butter until well mixed
  2. Add powered sugar
  3. Mix until fully incorporated
  4. Ice the cupcakes







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November 13, 2009

Apple Sauce Spice Cake Recipe




















I had this wonderfully delicious cake moistened with applesauce and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg at Auberge des Gallant, located in Ste. Marthe, Quebec.

Gerry and Linda Gallant, the owners and innkeepers of the Auberge, were more than happy to share this recipe with me.  The recipe has also been included in the Recipes Section of the Auberge des Gallant Web site.

The cake can be served with a sprinkling of icing sugar or iced with a sweet Maple Icing. It's the perfect autunm dessert to serve along with a cup of hot tea.

Enjoy!

Apple Sauce Spice Cake Recipe  

Recipe is reprinted with the permission of Linda Gallant.                      

Ingredients:

  •  1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar 
  • 2 eggs 
  • 2 cups unsweetened apple sauce 
  • 4 cups flour 
  • 2 tsp baking soda 
  • 1 tsp salt 
  • 1 tsp cinnamon 
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg 
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) 
  • 1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

 Method:
  1. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  
  2. Add eggs and applesauce and mix well. 
  3. Combine the dry ingredients and stir into the applesauce mixture. 
  4. Add optional ingredients if desired. 
  5. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10 inch bundt pan.  
  6. Bake at 325°F for one hour or until the cake separates from the sides of the pan.  
  7. Cool in pan for 30 minutes, turn onto cake rack.  
  8. Frost cake with plain icing sugar or  Maple Syrup Icing (recipe follows).


Maple Syrup Icing:

Ingredients:
  •  4 cups icing sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened 
  • 1/8 cup maple syrup  
  • 1 tsp of vanilla
 Method:
  1.  Cream butter and gradually add icing sugar.
  2. Add maple syrup and vanilla and mix until icing reaches spreading consistency.
  3. Ice the top and sides of the cake. 






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November 7, 2009

Cardamom Bundt Cake Recipe - the Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook

This past summer I received The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook, a delightful collection of recipes and anecdotes by Nadia Natali with whimsical illustrations by Marcia Natali Thompson.



The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook Review

The recipes are easy to prepare, simple and delicious. If you like cardamom, you will love the Aunt Ev's Cardamom Bundt cake recipe listed blow.

Aunt Ev’s Cardamom Bundt Cake Recipe

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Ingredients:


  • 8 tbsp butter, melted (1 stick)

  • 1 cup raw sugar

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • 2 cups white flour

  • 1 tbsp cardamom, ground

  • ¼ tsp cinnamon, ground

  • ¼ tsp nutmeg, ground

  • 1 tbsp orange rind, grated

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • 1 cup sour cream or yogurt


Method



  1. In a large bowl mix together the first 4 ingredients.

  2. Add the next 7 ingredients to wet ingredients.

  3. Add the 1 cup sour cream or yogurt and mix all together.

  4. Butter and dust with flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Pour mixture into the pan.

  5. Bake at 325°F for 45-50 minutes or until a thin knife inserted into cake comes out clean.


Permission to print the recipe and book cover photo granted by Nadia Natali.

December will be Cookbook Give-Away month at My Cookbook Addiction! Details to follow.

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October 28, 2009

enRoute Canada's Best New Restaurants 2009 Winners




enRoute magazine has chosen Cibo Trattoria located in Vancouver as Canada's #1 best new restaurant for 2009.



The announcement was made on Canada AM this morning where Chef Neil Taylor made Risotto of Vin Santo, Prosciutto di San Danielle and truffles.


This year, the Quebec restaurants that made the list are:


Cabane à sucre Au Pied de Cochon
11382, rang de La Fresnière, Saint-Benoît de Mirabel, Québec
450-258-1732 (Open mid-March to May)

La Salle à manger
1302, av. du Mont-Royal E., Montréal, Quebec
514-522-0777

A complete list and reviews of Canada's Best New Restaurants 2009, is available on the
EnRoute Web site and the enRoute Food Issue.


October 26, 2009

EnRoute Canada's Best New Restaurants 2009


This year, once again, Air Canada's enRoute Food Issue reveals its list of Canada's Best New Restaurants chosen by a panel of coast-to-coast dedicated foodies.

The enRoute magazine is distributed on Air Canada flights and can be found in the flap located in the back of the seats.

On October 28th, the Air Canada enRoute Food Issue will make an official announcement of the restaurants that made the cut for the 2009 Canada`s Best New Restaurants on Canada AM at 9:00 a.m.

Visit the EnRoute Web site on October 28th, for the complete list of 2009 Canada's Best New Restaurants.

The following are the Montreal restaurants that made the cut in the 2008 Canada's Best New Restaurants list:

Le Local
740, rue William
Montréal, 514-397-7737

The Liverpool House
2501, rue Notre-Dame O.
Montréal, 514-313-6049



The following Montreal restaurants were chosen for the 2007 Canada`s Best New Restaurants:

Bistro Bienville
4650, rue de Mentana, Montréal
514-509-1269

Le Moin Échanson
585, rue Saint-Jean, Québec,
418-524-7832

October 9, 2009

Pumpkin Fall Dessert

Autumn is my favourite season. I love to see the changing colours of the leaves and feeling of the crisp, cool air. Then there is the baking. I look at apples and pumpkins and see spicy, warm, fall desserts.



This easy to make moist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake is scented with nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom. Chocolate chips were added for the chocolate lovers in my family. The weather has been cold and rainy lately, so a slice of this cake with a hot cup of coffee or tea (or glass of milk) was comforting. For added sweetness, dust with icing sugar or drizzle with Maple Syrup Icing.

I guess we needed lots of comforting, because there was not one crumb left before I wrote this post.

October 5, 2009

The Provençal Cookbook - Shop, cook and eat like a local

This year I joined BloggerAid -Changing the Face of Famine, a remarkable group of food bloggers whose mission is to alleviate world hunger. The members each contributed a personal recipe to produce "The BloggerAid Cookbook" which will be used as part of a fundraiser campaign. As a result, the profits from the sale of the book will be donated to the Friends of WFP.

BloggerAid is also hosting the View and Review event where members have the opportunity to review products or cookbooks donated by food purveyors and publishers. I was thrilled when I received 'The Provençal Cookbook' from DK Publishing.

I absolutely love The Provençal Cookbook by Gui Gedda and Marie-Pierre Moine; a wonderful collection of 100 Mediterranean authentic tantalizing recipes. The book cover alone conjures up images of fresh produce and outdoor markets. Inside the book, the beautiful photography captures the freshness and flavours of Provence's regional cuisine.

Kitchen Essentials and Techniques

The first two chapters at the beginning of the book, the Essentials of the Provençal Kitchen and The Techniques of the Provençal Chef detail the basic essential ingredients such as olive oil, dried goods, tomatoes, honey and preserves, flavorings and aromatics, charcuterie, apéritifs, rosé wine and also demonstrate basic cooking methods from making a bouquet garni to preparing artichokes in step-by-step photos.

The Recipes

Appetizers

There are seven chapters are dedicated to the Provençal cuisine beginning with appetizers such as Garlic and Anchovy toasts, Ratatouille, and Zucchini Fritters.

Fish and Seafood

After a quick lesson how to select the best and freshest fish, we're off to the market for to select fish to make Bouillabaisse, Provençal mussels in white wine or a Fish Soup made with assorted fish and seafood.

Since mussels are one of my family's favourite seafood, I made the Provençal mussels in white wine. I chose this particular mussel recipe because I wanted to make the wine and cream sauce which also includes mussel stock. Well, I made 5 kilos of mussels (11 lbs.) for 5 people and there was not one mussel left. This recipe is absolutely divine with the wine cream sauce, fennel and shallots. We ate the mussels with crusty bread which we dipped in the sauce.

Provençal Mussels in Wine and Cream Sauce


Meat and Poultry

Some of the delectable recipes for meat and poultry are lamb stew with honey and rosé wine (you can almost smell the wonderful aroma as the stew is slowing cooking), veal chops with pine nuts, savory-stuffed chicken legs, Hunter's rabbit and Beef daube (slow cooked beef) and Provençal stuffed duck with fig and anchovy filling.

Accompaniments, sauces and condiments

There are a variety of recipes for accompaniments such as Couscous with raisins, Pilaf rice and Bagna cauda, an anchovy and garlic dip served with raw vegetables, sauces such as Tapenade (Provence's famous caper sauce) and condiments such a Ketchup à la Provençal.

Wonderful Desserts


The stalls at the fruit markets of Provence display an abundance of fresh, seasonal fruits which are used to make a variety of wonderful fruit desserts.

The Apple gratin recipe alone with its creamy filling would entice me to buy this book, but then so would the Orange tarts, the Pear tatin and Peach gâteau with honey caramel mousseline sauce recipes.

Apple Tartin


I just had to make the Apple gratin. The recipe which is quick to assemble and takes about 50 minutes to bake. The apples are not peeled, which add colour to this dish. I served it warm, drizzled with icing sugar and pure maple syrup. It doesn't get better than that.

Cheeseboards

In the Cheese chapter, there is information on how to select cheese for a cheeseboard and how cheese is produced in Provence.

Baking

And now we bake. But not before a behind- the -scenes look at the Provence's bakeries (boulangeries). So many sweet and scrumptious recipes to choose from: fougasse, tarts, and cookies. It was not easy task to choose a recipe to bake in this chapter, but finally I chose the Madeleines with Lavender Honey. I had to do some searching for the lavender honey but I finally found it in a gourmet shop at the market.

This recipe was slightly different that the one I usually make - it does not call for baking powder and the batter does not have to be refrigerated before baking. This process results in a rather flat Madeleine (no hump). At first bite, I could taste the sweet lavender honey. It was certainly worth the search!



Lavender Honey Madeleines Recipe

Makes 24 madeleines

Preparation 20 minutes.
Baking 7-8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 7 ½ tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra soft butter for greasing
• ¾ cup flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 medium eggs
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp lavender honey
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• sifted powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375°.

1. Generously grease the madeleine tins with soft butter.

2. Sift the flour and salt together. Melt the stick of the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

3. Break the eggs into a bowl. Add the granulated sugar and honey. Whisk with an electric mixer for at least 5 minutes until pale and creamy.

4. Gently fold in the flour and lemon zest followed by the melted butter, taking care not to deflate the mixture.

5. Spoon a scant tablespoon of the mixture into each of the buttered madeleine tins.

6. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

7. Remove from oven and immediately unmold onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.


A Cookbook with Meditteranean Flavour

The Provençal Cookbook is definitely worthy of any cookbook collection. From the first chapter, I felt I was invited into a Provençal kitchen to cook and bake the savory and sweet recipes with the locals.

The recipes are well organized and easy to follow along with quality photography. I certainly would recommend this book to all cooks and bakers.

Thank you BloggerAid and DK Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this gem of a cookbook.

Visit the BloggerAid - Changing the Face of Famine Web site for information on how to become a member.



Lavender Honey Madeleines Recipe courtesy of:
Title: The Provençal Cookbook
Authors: Gui Gedda and Marie-Pierre Moine
Publisher: DK Publishing
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