All posts filed under: Dessert

Chai-Poached Quince

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If we want to talk about seasonal fruit, then the quince reigns supreme in the autumn months. At first glance, the quince may look like little, mis-grown pear, however, it is so much more than that and it has tons of amazing uses in the kitchen. One of this fruits great uses in the autumn is this recipe for Chai-Poached Quince. Before I give you a run-down on my recipe, let me tell you a bit more about the quince fruit. For the most part, this is an unknown fruit to most Canadians as it is difficult to find and is highly seasonal. I actually hadn’t tried quince ever (other than quince jam) until earlier this autumn…and boy, have I been missing out! Quince can actually be grown in B.C. and are in season from September to early November. Quince are a soft yellow in colour and are covered in a hefty layer of greyish-yellow fuzz when they grow. It’s similar to the idea of peach fuzz, but you can rub off the quince fuzz …

BC Blueberry Pie

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It’s the last day of #BCBlueberryWeek here on the blog! I’m sad to see it go but I have a TON of blueberries still left in the fridge…so maybe I will keep it going with a few more blueberry recipes in the near future. But I hope that you really enjoyed the recipes I showcased so far- from the summer go-to Blueberry and Grilled Chicken Salad, to the healthy Honeyed Greek Yogurt and Blueberry Jam, to the savoury Blueberry Stuffed Chicken– they were all delicious! However, I think that I have saved the best recipe for last…a good ol’ classic…BC Blueberry Pie. The best way to celebrate blueberry season is with a blueberry pie! If you ask me, this is the best way to celebrate blueberry season! It was actually the first blueberry recipe I made this summer when the blueberries arrived at the markets. I love this pie because you get mouthful after mouthful of sweet, heavenly blueberry filling with a little crunch and savoury flavour from the crust. This is what blueberry dreams …

BC Blueberry Week

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We are in the height of blueberry season right now in BC and I just can’t get enough of these delicious sweet berries.  I actually enjoy blueberries so much that I bought not one, but TWO five-pound boxes of these sweet little berries to indulge in before the season is over! I know…it’s a lot of blueberries… but they are just so delicious and are full of antioxidants!  I put them in everything these past few weeks and while doing so, I tested out a few recipes that I am going to be sharing with you this week on my blog! All of these recipes feature local and fresh BC Blueberries, so rightfully, I’m calling this week #BCBlueberryWeek! Read on down below to find out all you need to know about BC Blueberries! And stay tuned this week for tons of delicious blueberry recipes! Fresh blueberries at Arbor Blueberry Farm BC Blueberries, an Overview While blueberries are native to North America, I would have to say the British Columbia grows the best blueberries in the whole world. …

4 Easy French Recipes for Bastille Day

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Get out your berets everyone, it’s Bastille Day! This French holiday, also known as “Le 14 Juillet” or “La Fête National” celebrates the beginnings of The French Revolution many years ago. The French typically celebrate this holiday by travelling, being outside (picnic anyone?) and of course, having a fantastic meal. I mean hey, you can’t start a revolution on an empty stomach! So here are four fabulously French recipes that are prefect to celebrate the day! Tartines Tartines are a classic French open-faced sandwich that are typically eaten at breakfast or lunch. I personally love to eat tartines no matter what time of day since they are so versatile in terms of flavour combinations! If there is one tartine that most of us have already been exposed to, its likely been Avocado Toast. While it may not be 100% French, the concept of an open faced sandwich is. Now, I have nothing against avocados on toast (maybe also topped off with an egg), but I feel that a proper tartine needs to be French-ified. A …

Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake

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Strawberries have just come back into season and that can only mean one thing: summer is on the way! I am so excited to start making (and experimenting with) some new summer recipes for you all! As the days have been warming up, I have been preparing for the shift in seasons by checking out local markets and doing some online research to see what is or will be coming into season in the next month or so as we roll into summer. Fresh peas, spinach, turnips, and garlic are all early signs of summer, however, I always know that when you start to see local strawberries at market that times are changing. Now, there are about a million and a half ways to eat strawberries, but this Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake has to be one of the best. The combination of strawberry and rhubarb is a total classic as the sweet strawberries merry extraordinarily well with the tart and tangy rhubarb. When they are cooked together, they become juicy and jam like- and who wouldn’t want …

Lemon Roll Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

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While Easter may still be a few days away, it’s never too early to plan your Easter meal- especially the dessert! This year I have cooked up a show-stopping Easter dessert for you: a Lemon Roll Cake with Lemon Curd filling. Lemon is a quintessential spring flavour. It’s light, tart and very refreshing, which is nice change after the rich and hearty meals (and desserts) that we have been eating since autumn began. I use all the components of the lemon in this recipe: the juice, the zest and even the oil found in the lemon rind. I don’t press the oil myself (that would be insane), I use a fabulous, convenient food-grade oil from my friend Liisa at DoTERRA Essential Oils. When we met at a networking event, Liisa was kind to give me a sample of the Lemon Essential Oil after hearing that I had a food blog. I had never cooked with essential oils before (since I couldn’t find any food-grade oils…only extracts) and she thought it would be a great addition to …

Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse

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This year, I am celebrating Valentine’s Day with my favourite sweet treat: Nutella. Growing up in an Italian family, Nutella was definitely one of my most favourite treats as a kid. I would have it on about anything: on ice cream, straight out of the jar with a spoon (the best way), with cookies, but mainly spread across warm toast with some fresh sliced strawberries. Yum! I thought that this Valentine’s day would be a perfect way to bring my childhood favourite treat back into my life, but with an adult twist in my recipe for Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse. While making homemade mousse may seem daunting and complex, there are just a few ingredients involved in this recipe and it is relatively easy if you plan ahead (and maybe if you have an electric mixer). Plus, it turns out wonderfully if you use the freshest and best available ingredients that you can find—which is particularly important in this recipe. But once everything is combined and is light and fluffy, you will have a lush, decadent, chocolatey …

Citrus & Mint Salad

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So long are those days of summer where just about everything is in season. I have really been missing garden fresh zucchini, freshly picked berries (especially strawberries) and tomatoes straight from the vine lately. But up here in Canada, we can’t really do much about it but import our foods from the south during the winter. Of course with imports, the quality of the food can vary greatly and I find that most vegetables and fruits just don’t taste quite right. That is, except for citrus fruits! Citrus is my go to fruit during the winter months since it is in peak season and tastes so light andrefreshing; it is a great change of pace from eating those hearty winter comfort foods. Plus, all the vitamins keep you from getting a cold as well! The citrus can also really stand the long trip up into Canada too as the thick peels keep the fruit fresh in its own natural packaging. Now I have tried many variations on citrus salads before, but I’ve mainly stuck to using …

Gluten-Free Jam Thumbprint Cookies

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We can’t get through the holiday season without some sort of jam cookie. Jam cookies are so classic and so retro, and I think that everyone’s parents or grandparents have made them some similar style cookie before. This year, I have taken a different approach to making these jam cookies by making them gluten-free! While I am not gluten-free, I definitely appreciate these Gluten-Free Jam Thumbprint Cookies around the holidays since these cookies are a bit lighter and won’t make you too bloated after a meal…unless you eat the whole tray 😛 In this recipe I simply substitute all purpose flour for almond flour, which is simply made of finely ground almonds. The almond flour gives the cookies a slight almond flavour itself, but I amp up the flavour with a bit of almond extract. The almond flavour in combination with the raspberry and apricot jam are such great flavour combinations that everyone is sure to love! Of course, you can add whatever flavour jam you prefer…it’s all up to you and your taste! When …

Gluten-Free Chocolate-Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

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With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I would share some tasty Christmas cookie recipes with you all. For me, Christmas just isn’t Christmas without making tons of cookies. I love to make a variety of cookies, some traditional shortbread cookies, jam cookies, chocolate cookies and some fun cookies that I used to make as a kid with my mom. It really brings back such nice memories 🙂 For this Christmas, I thought I would do a spin on a traditional Chocolate Crinkle Cookie by adding one of my favourite winter flavours: peppermint! I can’t seem to get enough peppermint these days. I’ve run through three boxes of peppermint tea so far and I love adding a splash of peppermint extract to my hot chocolate. It’s so refreshing and really wakes up your senses! You can find peppermint extract at any grocery store these days, but try to find an organic one. I find the organic peppermint extracts are much more flavourful and have that less processed taste compared to regular peppermint extract. This …