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!

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.

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.

I love cinnamon rolls. There, I said it, they’re a weakness of mine. And, you know what? I seem to share that fact with the general populace. I made a batch of these last night and brought them in the work, and even those who usually resist the baked goods I bring in due to watching calories went for them. That’s right. They looked that good. What’s not to like about a cinnamon roll in a cupcake?!

These things are warm. They’re gooey. They’re sticky, and you have no choice but to lick your fingers so as to not waste the icing you’ve accidentally just removed from the bun’s surface. After all, sustainability is ‘in’ right now- if you don’t save that icing, who knows what your coworkers, friends, and family will think of you?

If you have an apology gift, I-need-you-to-like-me gift, a woo-ing gift, or a make-that-someone-smile gift, these are it. A box of these wrapped up nicely with a ribbon is enough to make any heart melt. Guaranteed.

Gooey 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
• 2 tblspn soy butter
• 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups organic AP flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Filling:

• 2 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

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)
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, 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. Pinch the edges and the side closed, and push the two ends inward to create sharper angles (straight edges).
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.

These are utterly delicious. There’s really not much else to say about them because I’ve since baked a second batch and all this talking about them is reducing my willpower in staying away from the countertop where batch #2 is resting. Must.. resist… mmmmmmh. The best part is that they’re low-fat! Low-fat buttermilk, low-fat ricotta, no eggs… yes, there’s sugar, and yes, there’s mascarpone, but I can tell you with complete confidence that this is far healthier than anything you’ll find at the store. :)

I have a confession to make: I have a thing for chicken curry (so long as it’s mild enough for me to eat it). There’s something delicious and delectable about curry that’s really quite irresistable. My mother knows this, and so, for my birthday (back in May), she gifted me with a wonderful book (Curry Cuisine, containing curry recipes from over the world) and several large bags of spices from Indonesia. Fantastic!

A lovely friend of the boyfriend’s neighbors (say that three times fast) came over for a dinner date recently and, being more of an expert in Indian cuisine than I, I much appreciated the help! A.M. (my guest) and I made the most delicious curry that has thus far been made in this apartment: murgh makhani. It was SO good- honestly- so delicious!! I’m already pining to make it again.

One note: the chili powder… ohmygoodness. This had A.M. and I in coughing and sneezing fits. We used a Balinese chili powder my mother gave me, and it looked deceptively kind… but this stuff was STRONG. We were sneezing like mad, several minutes after having been away from it. Beware of your chili powders, that’s all I’m saying.

Murgh Makhani (Old Delhi-style Chicken Curry)

Adapted from Mugh Makhani in Curry Cuisine

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 2 large chicken breasts, cleaned, skinned, de-boned, cut into large cubes
• 3/4 cup low-fat vanilla european-style yogurt (O Organics!)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp each of salt and pepper
• 1 tsp Balinese chili powder (aaaah)

Sauce:

• 1 can 12 oz Italian-style diced tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1/2 cup water, room-temperature
• 1.5 tsp powdered ginger
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cloves (powdered)
• 1 tsp Saigon cinnamon
• 1/2 stick soy butter, softened
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar

Process:

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl, add the chicken, coat thoroughly on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 25-30 minutes.
2. Preheat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-to-low heat.
3. We at first put the chicken on skewers to grill, but found that because of the angle, the chicken wasn’t cooking properly, and decided to take the chicken off the skewers and cook as cubes. Take your pick! If you use wooden skewers, be sure to keep the skewers in a shallow dish filled with awter for 5-10 minutes prior to grilling so that they will not burn. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken has a coloured crust on all sides.
4. To prepare the sauce, place the tomatoes and juice in a saucier pan (make sure it’s deep enough) with the water, ginger, carlic, cloves, and cinnamon. Cook until the tomatoes become very soft and shredded. Once the sauce is thickening, take the half stick of butter and melt it into the sauce, mixing in thoroughly.
5. Take the cooked chicken cubes and add to the sauce, and continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the salt and sugar, and serve the curry with rice or naan (see naanscuits recipe for ideas).

It’s hot, it’s just just just the right degree of spice, and all of that can most certainly be attributed to my fortune in having had A.M. join me for a cooking date. She knows the spices inside and out and truly understands the relationship between their flavours. Thanks for a delicious and wonderful date, A.M., and I hope your travels in India right now are going safely and wonderfully! :)

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.