The best part about this torte should have been the pear- using canned pear was my mistake, but everything else about this torte was utterly fantastic. I’ll redo it next time by lightly poaching some pear halves and it’ll be lovely. I highly suggest you make it as it’s a) incredibly simple, and b) incredibly delicious. The crunch of the crust pairs (hah… pears) so nicely with the creaminess of the creamcheese mixture and the texture of the pears.

Pear Cheesecake Torte

Adapted from Cafecherie

Ingredients:

• 1 stick room-temperature organic butter
• two half-cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 brick cream cheese (full-fat for best results, organic)
• 1 egg (organic, cage-free, brown)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 sliced peeled pears

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Beat the butter and 1 of the half-cups of sugar until light and fluffy. Once fluffy, add in the flour and mix until well combined. Take your dough (oh, that’s what you were doing!) and spread it firmly on the bottom and about an inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform (you’ll be glad you can remove the bottom)
3. Beat together the cream cheese and the remaining sugar in the same bowl from earlier (no need to wash!) until well blended. Once well combined, add in the egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Spread your cheesecake-y mixture evenly over crust the crust. 
4. Sprinkle the pears (peeled and cored) with some sugar, the cinnamon, and place in 1-2 tblspn of butter into a pan to lightly cook/soften them. Once soft, arrange them over the cream cheese mixture. At this point, feel free to sprinkle on almonds – the sister’s not a fan, so I decided to forego them.
5. Bake the torte in the middle of the oven for  10 min at the original temperature, then reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue baking for an additional 25 min.
6. Cool on a wire rack until cool enough to put in the fridge; then have it hang out there for 2-3 hours so it can settle into its cheesecakeyness happily before you get to munching upon it.

The wait time once cooked does test you, but it’s worth it – you’ve got cheesecake, tart, and soft baked fruit all in one dessert…. for added deliciousness, take some pear nectar and reduce it with vanilla, a little cinnamon, and a tiny bit of brown sugar to make a syrup drizzle to go on top!

For the New Year, the boyfriend and I were invited to his parents’ house for a potluck party. As is often the case, I was expected to bring a cake :). I was looking for something simple, fruit-based, light, and not very sweet. I decided to do something traditional and went with a light, almond spongey cake topped with whipped cream and a ton of fruits. It’s a very simple cake, and a great way to showcase delicious fresh fruit that’s in season, so it’s also easily editable for different times of year. Best of all, it appeals to a large audience as it’s something that really plays on the simplicity of clean flavours.

Fruit & Almond Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs (brown, cage-free, organic)
• 1/2 cup organic skim milk (no rBST!)
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• scant 1 cup cake flour
• 2 tblspn soy butter, softened to room temp
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• LOTS of fresh, seasonal fruit
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup apricot jelly (organic, without too much added sugar)

Process:

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. In your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time (be sure to really do them one at a time. trust me on this.)
3. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and milk and beat on low until just combined. Then add the flour and barely mix enough- as soon as the flour is incorporated, stop beating.
4. Pour the mixture into your cake pan (and place it on a baking sheet), baking for about 25 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is spongey). Remove from cake pan and place on a wire rack to cool.
5. Once cooled thoroughly, cut the cake in half to make two layers, and beat the cream into a whipped cream (adding 2-3 tsp of sugar halfway through to make it a bit sweet).
6. Place a layer of whipped cream and some fruit on the first layer of the cake, then add on layer 2 and spread the remaining whipped cream over the entire two layers of the cake (and sides).
7. Arrange fresh fruit on top as desired and brush the apricot jelly (warmed in the microwave) over everything to make a nice shiny glaze.

Yum, right? It’s simple, it’s not too guilt-inducing, and it’ll please the whole family. Make one for your next spring or summer potluck and take advantage of ripe stone fruit, fresh berries, melons, citrus…. so many options! I plan to make one again soon with different fruits and maybe a thin layer of marzipan halfway up the cake for added almond flavour :). Sprinkle on toasted almond slivers for a final touch or powder on some confectioner’s sugar in a pretty shape.

Oh, yes. I’m not saying 12 for exaggeration’s sake- this monstrosity of a dessert is twelve moist, crunchy, and amazing layers of beauty. Baklava is traditionally relatively thin- 4-6 layers as a max- and fairly bite-sized. These ones are diamond-esque shaped (hey, I tried) and can happily feed two people as an entire dessert in and of itself. They may be a caloric nightmare, but they’re a tasty dream, so why not treat yourself to one as a special occasion? :)

12-Layer Baklava

Recipe Adapted from Baklava by LolFoodie

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 package (1 lb) organic filo dough
• 2 cups walnuts, whole
• 1.5 heaping cup pistachios, shelled (be liberal on the pistachios, they’re meant to be the star here)
• 1 cup almonds, whole, dry roasted
• 2 sticks of soy butter (sadly you really can’t cut this out, but at least it’s for a whole pan of baklava)
• 2 tsp cinnamon (I put in 3)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• pinch of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger

Syrup Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup clover honey (or wildflower, if you’ve got it)
• 2/4 cup room-temperature filtered water
• 1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice (if you’re Italian, that means 2-3 tbl instead)
• 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander
• a tiny pinch of lemon zest (again, if you’re Italian, go over on that amount (which you would do, anyway))

Process:

1. Syrup first – and it’s going to boggle you as it did I, but it’s okay, trust that this works. Take a medium saucepot and place all the syrup ingredients in it on low heat. Cook this down for 15-20 minutes- the longer you reduce it, the stickier and thicker your syrup will be. I left mine on for a good 20 minutes. Let this sit at room temperature to cool while you prepare the filling – it’ll coagulate and thicken and become glorious.
2. Place walnuts, pistachios, almonds, filling spices and salt in a food processor until appropriately broken down (I liked mine to be on the chunkier side, but yours can be as powder-y as you like) and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and thoroughly butter all sides (up to the very top) of a baking dish (I used a 9 x 9 pyrex to get the super thickness going- if you’d rather thinner, use a larger rectangular dish)
4. You’re going to have to work quickly here- first, place the remaining butter minus what you used to coat the dish into a microwaveable bowl and mirowave until liquid. Prepare a pastry brush.
5. Take one layer of filo and place it into the bottom of the dish. It’s going to be too big, and that’s all right – just fold the sides. Brush it with butter, and repeat with two more sheets, buttering each time.
6. Spoon on about 3-4 tbl of the nut mixture evenly onto the filo. Then take 3 more filo sheets and add them one at a time, brushing with butter and folding over to fit- or you can cut and trim and just treat them as two sheets each, it’s up to you. Keep repeating this process of filo layering, buttering, and placing the nut mixture, until you place your last 2-3 sheets of filo right on top. Butter the top generously (of course).
7. Place in the oven for 35-45 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven) or until the top is golden brown (see below picture). You can cut them prior to baking if you like, but my father (whom I made these for) suggested cutting after so that they’d be more moist inside. That’s your choice!
8. Remove from oven once golden brown and let sit 5 minutes. Then, using a sharp knife, patience, and gritted teeth, cut them (roughly) into large diamonds. Get your now-thick syrup out and douse the whole thing with all the syrup, making sure to get into all the cracks.
9. Let sit another 15-20 minutes until the syrup is well absorbed. It’ll actually be better the next day once it’s been fully saturated with honeyed goodness, but if you must serve it now, wait a half hour after syruping to ensure moistness all over.

Baklava is my father’s favourite dessert, and I owed him some since months ago :) so this was for him. I think next time I’ll try thinner ones with all pistachio or almost all, at any rate…. but these were delicious and so gargantuan that they made for a fun picture. As a note- the syrup for me was very watery for a long time- hence my cooking it down lengthily- but the second I took it off the heat, it began to thicken- so don’t be alarmed if it takes its time becoming a syrup! Just trust in it.

If you’re looking for a pretty bit of pastry to make a new friend, look no further than raspberries, strawberries, and almonds- this tarte is something that will enchant you and your guests. A flaky layer of pastry follows an oozing layer of fruit puree, topped with a mousse-y, creamy, thick almond layer. What’s not to like? This sophisticated dessert will impress your friends, is relatively simple, and chock-full of vitamin C (did you know strawberries are superhigh in their vitamin C content? excellent excuse)

Raspberry-Strawberry & Almond Tarte

Adapted from The Complete Step-by-Step Family Cookbook’s Raspberry & Almond Tart

Ingredients:

The pastry:

• 1.5 cups organic AP flour
• 1/2 cup organic ground almond meal
• 1 tblspn crushed slivered almonds
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1 stick organic soy butter, very cold, cut into cubes
• 1/4 heaping cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk (organic, brown, cage-free)
• 2 tsp Mexican vanilla extract

The filling:

• 4 tblspn organic soy butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup crushed slivered almonds (toasted lightly)
• 3 eggs (organic, brown, cage-free)
• 1.5 cups frozen strawberries, in chunks
• 1 heaping cup fresh raspberries

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Blend together the dry pastry ingredients (flour, sugar, almond meal, salt) in a food processor for a few short pulses. Then add the butter cubes and pulse repeatedly until the mixture becomes crumbly.
3. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water and pour it through the feed tube of the processor while continually pulsing. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, continually adding more flour in small batches until the dough is no longer super-sticky to handle. Wrap in clingwrap and chill in fridge for 20-30 minutes.
4. While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling: blend together the raspberries and strawberries; set aside in a container and chill in the fridge. Then blend together the butter, sugar, ground almonds, and eggs until it becomes a smooth, mousse-y mixture, and place in the fridge as well.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out (on a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin) onto a 9-inch tart pan (fluted edges preferable). Roll your pin around the sides to remove the excess and dock the dough firmly on the sides. I used the extra to line the bottom a second time- you can make a second, smaller tart (or galette, which I also did this time) if you wish!
6. Poke holes along the bottom and sides, and bake the tart empty for 12 minutes. Then, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Once cooled, pour the fruit puree evenly onto the tart dough. Then spoon on the almond mixture, until it evenly coats the top of the fruit puree.
7. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the tart crust looks golden brown and the almond mousse/mixture is golden brown as well. Allow to cool for a few minutes and enjoy warm with ice cream, or cool overnight and have cool the next day with hot tea.

It’s seriously delicious, and rather versatile- you could switch out the fruits and nuts and make this a totally new tart! I like tha layered filling idea, and am tempted to try a variety of combinations here. I liked it hot, but far prefered it cool and chilled the next day as a tea cake. You may like it either way- try it and find out! :)

I apologize for the long wait here in posts! We’ve been moving- the sister’s been moving on up (sorry, couldn’t resist) to a different apartment and the boyfriend’s been moving in and it’s been a period of flux- meaning that time to post has been fairly limited! That said, I’m now catching up on the backlog :). Here’s the first!:

The first batch of cinnamon roll cupcakes were a great success. As B was joining me for dinner the day after, this led me to wonder- can I make these rolls gluten-free? Being nothing short of a gluten-free expert, I knew it to be possible…. and by that I mean I lack any expertise in gluten-free baking and was doing everything incorrectly. Did I check to see if I was making the right substitutes? No, of course not! And did I think of xantham gum? Nope! At least, not until they were baked and done…. ah. So, if you follow this recipe to a T, you’ll find the dough VERY crumbly and difficult to work with- and you may be a bit frustrated. That said, if you can make some minor adjustments, it’s a nice treat for your gluten-intolerant friends.

The taste was very enjoyable, although I was told that the nutless ones were generally better. Still, I’d make them again! They’re conveniently small, and have a satisfying crunch.

Nutty Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Adapted from Fastest Cinnamon Rolls at Don’t Forget Delicious (from FineCooking.com)

Ingredients:

Bun Dough:

• 3/4 heaping cup low-fat (part skim) ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tblspn soy butter
• 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups organic rice flour
• 1 + 1/3 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 + 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Filling:

• 1 tablespoons soy butter
• 3/4 heaping cup packed light brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon saigon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/3 cup salted cashews, crushed
• 2 tblspn slivered almonds, crushed
• 1.5 tblspn candied pecans, crushed

Icing:

• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 heaping cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons organic vanilla soy milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line large or small (or combination) cupcake pan(s) with paper liners.
2. Place ricotta cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted soy butter, and vanilla in food processor and process for a few seconds until the mixture is smooth.
3. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and mix together. Add to mixture in the food processor and and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (be sure not to overprocess- this will toughen the dough).
4. Emtpy the dough onto a flour countertop and knead gently into a ball (kneading process should only take about 20-30 seconds) – be careful, the dough will be VERY crumbly and will fall apart easily. Expect holes and tears if you do not add xantham gum
5. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 1/2 cm thick). Take about 1/3 of the melted soy butter from the filling section and brush onto the rectangle, leaving about an inch on all sides untouched.
6. In a small bowl (you can re-use that same one from earlier), and mix together the brown sugar, nuts, spices, and the remaining melted soy butter. Spread the sugar/spice mixture over the dough as evenly as possible.
7. Roll the dough up into a long log, like a jelly roll, and get your pastry cutter ready. There will be holes and tears- do not be alarmed, if it doesn’t have a perfect shape, your icing will hide everything :).
8. Pinch the edges and the side closed, and push the two ends inward to create sharper angles (straight edges).
9. Sharply cut the log into slices that are slightly under 2 inches thick. Place each slice into one of the cupcake liners, swirled side up (as opposed to on the side). Bake for 15 minutes (my oven is hot)- possibly a few minutes more if your oven is cooler.
10. Remove from oven and place on wire racks to cool. The tops should be just golden brown and with a very slight crisp. The sugar mixture should have oozed out over the edges.
11. Prepare the icing: place the mascarpone, vanilla, soy milk, and confectioner’s sugar in the food processor and process for 3-4 seconds, just until smooth and homogenous. Place a baking sheet under the wire rack, take a spoon, and drizzle (if you’re me, quite liberally) the icing over the cupcakes. Feel free to do a second drizzling later when the rolls have cooled a bit.

Mine were definitely on the crumbly side, but delicious nonetheless! I suggest baking these at varied temperatures- I tried starting at 395, then down to 385… but honestly the baking time is up to you, based on how large you make them, how many you make, how hot your oven is, etc etc.

For those of us who ended up not being a brain surgeon, rocket scientist, or astronaut, there’s always a bit of wonder about what could have been- and a tinge of regret. My lovely friend B was very amused at the idea of injecting cupcakes- and apparently somewhat regrets not having become a doctor- and requested a ‘sugery date’ during which we would inject some cupcakes together. Of course, that alone isn’t enough of a challenge, so we had to add a little something to the mix: B is gluten-intolerant. To add to the fun, she has trouble with lactose, particularly with cow’s milk. So basically we needed to make a cupcake that was gluten-free, with something to inject that is low(er) on the milk. Yikes! Challenge! What to make?

I decided to peruse my I Heart Sugar cookbook (it’s a delicious one to look through) and found a Raspberry Almond Cupcake recipe that seemed good. I was wary of the raspberries and had a large influx of strawberries my mother had kindly delivered the weekend before, and thus opted for strawberries in stead (after a brief consultation with B get approval).

The cake is a bit moist where the berries settled in- despite drying them for a few hours beforehand and parching their thirst upon paper towels. Despite this, they’re really yummy (note: you must be fairly crazy about almonds to agree with that statement). They’re low-fat, almost vegan friendly (darn you, eggs, I wasn’t of a mind to substitute you with pumpkin), and use all-natural ingredients. They’ve got chewiness and crunch. And with a little strawberry chunk and powdered sugar on top, what’s not to like?

Gluten-Free Strawberry Almond Cupcakes

Adapted from Raspberry Almond Cupcakes from I Love Sugar

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup organic rice flour
• 2/3 cup organic almond meal (I used Arrowhead Mills)
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 vegan buttery stick (earth balance) (aka 1/2 cup butter)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp organic almond extract
• 2 eggs, brown, organic, cage-free
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 pound fresh strawberries
• 1/2 package neufchatel reduced fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup whole dry-roasted sugar-coated almonds
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Process:

1. Cut all but 5 of the strawberries into 1/2-inch chunks and place on a plate covered with a paper towel. Place another paper towel on top, press firmly, and leave otuside to dry for as long as you can (preferably a few hours at the least)
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line 14 large cupcake cups or some combination of large and little cups (amount of batter may differ for you slightly)
3. Place the butter (softened), sugar, and almond extract in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in to the mix one at a time, then sift in the flour and baking powder. Stir the mixture with a large wooden spoon, then fold in the almond meal. Lastly, fold in the dried strawberry chunks.
4. Spoon the mixture about 1/2-full into the cups. Sprinkle slivered almond pieces on top and bake for 20 minutes.
5. While the cupcakes are baking, place the cream cheese, two of the strawberries (chopped coarsely), and the almonds in a food processor (if your almonds are whole and crunchy, you can process these first into tiny pieces). Process until you have a thick, creamy batter.
6. Remove the cupcakes from the oven (tops should be just turning golden-brown and cracking towards the center) and place to cool on a wire rack.
7. Fill a piping bag or tube with the crea, cheese mixture and inject the cupcakes, taking a long injecting tip (thin, long, tubular) and placing it halfway through the cupcake from the top. Press the batter in, and stop when the cupcake ‘pops’- you’ll see it suddenly pop upward and puff up slightly. This means it’s taken its fill of cream cheese :)
8. Once all the cupcakes are filled, dust with powdered sugar, and place a strawberry slice on top. Enjoy!

B holds that the best part of these is the injected cream cheese batter, but I like them better as-is, and would want to make them strawberry-less. The almond taste is so whole and good, and you get it from so many sides (almond extract, almond meal, crushed almonds, slivered almonds) that it’s like an almond attack! Watch out! They may come for your taste buds!

I say Greek-inspired… that’s a loose term. Slightly crazed is what I was, when I had the sudden and inexplicable urge for a scoop of vanilla’d goodness, and confusion as to how to make it have a bit more ‘oomf’. My mother had gifted me with some incredibly delicious fruit that would not last the weekend I planned to spend at the house with my family, and thus I needed to finish it prior to leaving the apartment. The solution? This yummy and delicious concoction that I’m, at least for the purposes of this blog entry, going to assume has some vague Greek roots to justify its title.

Greek-Inspired Ice Cream Snack

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized scoops of low-fat vanilla ice cream (or Greek yogurt, to make it more apt)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup Tuscan melon balls
• 1/4 cup fresh raspberries
• 1.5 tablespoons toasted almond slivers
• 1 tablespoon clover honey (or the honey of your choice)
• large sprinkle of large-grain sea salt

Assemble in the order of the ingredients: ice cream or yogurt on bottom, then fruit, then almonds, honey, and salt. It’s this explosion of taste of tart and sweet that’s just delicious and unique. I really enjoyed the contrasting textures and degrees of sweetness, and the stickiness of the honey. You could switch out different fruits, or perhaps even switch the almonds for pistachios to get a more baklava-inspired dish… maybe add some crushed rose petals… very open to experimentation!

H and I were not going to settle for just salad on our cooking date two weeks ago, and thus we also opted for these delicious cookies. Both of us love pine nuts, and fruit, and this cookie recipe of Giada’s looked far too yummy to pass up. We kept things almost to the letter of the recipe, with the minor adjustments of adding some extra apricots and using almond extract in stead of amaretto for the icing.

I read comments on the recipe page about these not turning out as described, but for us they were perfect- very thick, great texture, excellent tea cookies. One is more than enough as a snack, as these are large and with tons of great flavour. Giada suggests making a double batch and freezing the remaining dough for unforseen guests, and I can’t help but agree- having these warm out of the oven with the icing just barely settled on top is a vision that will bring a smile to anyone’s face.

Dried Apricot, Pine Nut, and Almond Cookies with Almond Icing

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis’ Apricot and Nut Cookies with Amaretto Icing

Ingredients:

• 1 stick Smart Balance Omega-3 butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg (cage-free, brown)
• 1 & 1/4 cups AP flour
• 2/3 cup tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 heaping cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 heaping cup slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon 2x extra strength vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Saigon is best!)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 2-3 tablespoons water, as needed (see below for icing information)

Process:

1. Whisk together the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until light and fluffy, then add in the egg. Slowly stir in the flour until just blended- be careful not to overstir! Mix in the apricots, almonds, and pine nuts.
2. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap in a thick log-style shape and place in freezer for 25 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with a Silpat silicone mat.
4. Cut the dough log into thick slices and place the cookies on the baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden around the sides. Place on a wire rack (see picture below) to cool.
5. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Add in the almond extract and 2 tablespoons of water and whisk slowly. If you are unable to mix (too thick), add in another tablespoon of water. Keep adding water sparingly until you have a thick, creamy consistency. Let sit 2-3 minutes to thicken, then drizzle over the cookies (place a baking or cookie sheet under the wire rack to catch the falling icing). Eat warm with the icing being gooey, or let sit 15 minutes, then eat!

They’re so good. Seriously. I’m very tempted to make a few logs to have around for when someone may unexpectedly come to visit or hang out… they’re easy, quick, unique, and just great! It’s like a shortbread… except not. And an Italian cookie with lemon? This is clearly a special- and rare- opportunity.