Dessert By Candy

A Bar, A Bar, and A Bar

 

I had three different run-ins with bars since Monday. Blessed with Asian’s infamously low tolerance of alcoholic beverages, I am not fond of drinks and never quite know what to do with myself at a bar. Needless to say, I haven’t been to too many bars nor do I have any recommendations for drinking establishments. On Monday, I uncharacteristically went to The Avro, a cozy neighbourhood bar in Toronto’s Leslieville. The reason for my visit was Well Preserved’s HomeEc get-together, of which we share homemade food fit for the monthly theme. Since its inception in January 2012, I’ve been meaning to attend. Unfortunately, I am usually occupied on Monday evenings. My previous attempt was October 2012’s Halloween treats. I was ready to share my box of Lizard’s Eyeballs but my plan was derailed by flood warnings of Hurricane Sandy.

Mad For Marmalade

I entered a baking contest for the first time last weekend and it was a recipe of my own creation. The Mad For Marmalade is an annual workshop and competition hosted by Culinary Historians of Canada with Fort York National Historic Site. I learned about this event from Sarah B Hood who led the Tips For Blue-Ribbon Marmalade session. You can read her review of the event at Eat Locally, Blog Globally. Although I make marmalade at home every year, my passion lies in baking. I decided to create an original recipe featuring homemade Seville Orange Marmalade and Candied Kumquats for the baking competition this year.

My Almond Chocolate Marmalade Bar is made of buttery shortbread, Seville orange marmalade, dark chocolate, cocoa orange scented frangipane, and candied kumquats. I love the timeless combination of chocolate and orange. Being able to enjoy it in a convenient cookie bar form appeals much to my practical nature. I cannot have enough dessert on-the-go options when I am out and about!

Delayed Yet Instant Gratification

I bake to work off pent-up frustration. When the going gets tough, the baking gets fancier. Frosted layer cake? Too fussy to bother with when I am feeling calm and collect. But by gosh that’s all I want to bake the last few days. Let’s just say self control was put to good use many times.

I’ve been leafing through a number of red velvet cake recipes since Monday but the thought of using food colour made me procrastinate. I woke up in the middle of the night last night and was greeted by the latest issue of Test Kitchen Notes, America’s Test Kitchen’s email newsletter. First recipe under the What To Cook This Week section was the mouth watering description of Easy Caramel Cake.

A Southern favourite, caramel cake boasts a rich, toffee-flavoured frosting spread over layers of yellow cake. But the best part—the caramel frosting that develops a thin, crystalline crust on its exterior—is notoriously troublesome to make. We came up with an easy, foolproof technique that put the icing, so to speak, on the cake.

I knew I found my ticket to serenity.

Updating A Retro Classic

Our Monthly Supper Club had the second gathering last weekend and the theme was Retro Potluck. It did not take long before I decided to make ambrosia since it has always been a guilty indulgence of mine. Where does the guilt come from? This “fruit” salad hailed from the days when processed food was all the rage. Most of us probably grew up eating some variations involving canned pineapple, canned mandarin segments, sweetened desiccated coconut, CoolWhip (aka vegetable oil whipped topping, ick), and marshmallows. Seriously, you can almost make ambrosia with supplies from a storm survival kit. As much as my teenage self loved the sugar overload back in the day, I just don’t feel right about serving or eating it anymore.

A dish with such an evocative name deserves equally enticing content. I decided to update this retro classic using only fresh ingredients. Take a trip to any grocery store this time of year and you’ll be reminded that citrus season is in full swing. Why not take advantage of nature’s abundance?

Let’s Get Sappy!

Today we all have the license to act sappy, cheesy, and lovey-dovey. Do you plan your day according to social expectation or are you one of those who rebel against the commercial pressure? I personally don’t recall ever spending much money on Valentine’s Day. Homemade valentines to close friends and family is the norm for years and I proudly continue my tradition even though I am no longer a little school girl. This year I dusted off my long-neglected skill in tempering chocolate and made some dark and white chocolate hearts.

Oh these are not just any chocolate hearts! Nestle Crunch Bar has been a favourite of mine for years but I do not particularly enjoy cheap milk chocolate. Dark chocolate and white chocolate set my heart aflutter. Plain old Rice Krispie cereal is fine but caramelized Rice Krispie is better! Throw in dried tart cherries and a pinch of fleur de sel and I have the chocolate treat of my dream.

Nutella Kuchen with Seville Orange Marmalade

It is my tradition to celebrate World Nutella Day by creating a dessert made with the popular hazelnut cocoa spread. This year is no exception. My inspiration comes from yeast leavened kuchens (cakes) I learned to make in the last year. I wanted to top the airy buttery cake with dollops of Nutella but it could use a supporting flavour. Then I remembered making marmalade Nutella tartine from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. The citrus marmalade added an unexpected layer of sweet, tart, and bitter note to the rich hazelnut taste. I loved the tartine so much it was on my breakfast table for over a month.

Why bother with toast if I can incorporate Nutella and marmalade to an yeasty, eggy, buttery base right from the start? Nutella Kuchen with Seville Orange Marmalade is my answer. I opened a jar of my own homemade marmalade with shreds of candied orange peel and Cognac. Just looking at the bright orange colour chases my winter blues away. The cake was sprinkled with toasted chopped hazelnuts for a bit of crunch. What a decadent breakfast treat!

I started baking my kuchen this morning before I took a shower. When I came downstairs, my house was filled with that delicious aroma you remember from good bakeries. It was a heady mix of yeast and butter laced with toasty hazelnuts. Who could possibly resist? I immediately sliced my kuchen for a piece.

Temptation Of Good Deals

I am sucker for a good deal especially when it comes to baking ingredients. An innocent trip to Costco made me proud owner of a 2kg bag of shredded coconut for the attractive price of $4.79. How could I say no? Of course the bag is ridiculously heavy and I have no reason to go through so much coconut. But I couldn’t help myself. This is why you’re greeted by yet another coconut dessert.

It wasn’t just coconut that I had in abundance. As luck would have it, I had spotty bananas and full fat buttermilk begging to be used too. It was inevitable that I made Coconut Banana Bundt Cake with Malibu Icing.

I always feel guilty when I bake banana cake and not share it with Little Brother. That is his favourite dessert after all. Right now, I am experiencing major guilt. I let the cake aged for a couple days so the flavour improved multi-fold. We were both home during the weekend and stared constantly at the cake. Miraculously, neither of us even laid a finger on it. My cake aged in peace to moist tender perfection, redolent with the sweet tropical taste of coconut and bananas. When the weekend was over, Little Brother left without asking me once about the cake that tempted us for over 48 hours.