It’s hard to believe, but 2007 is knocking on the door! It’s time to say goodbye to the year that was. For me, it was a year of discovery as this little thing we call blog took me on an incredible ride. I tried so many new things and met so many new people. I have not regretted one moment!

To be sure there were many incredible events this year including La Festa al Fresco and Meeta’s Postcard event, but one of the more recent impromptu events that intrigued me was the recipe exchange that I’m sure everyone was involved in at some point or other. Not only did I meet many new people, I received a number of recipes to add to my "must-try" list.

As it happened, the inspirational and lovely Anita of Dessert First sent me a recipe for Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies from Emily Luchetti’s A Passion for Desserts. Coincidentally, I had bookmarked that very recipe when it was posted on Leite’s Culinaria.

Clearly it was a sign that I needed to make these cookies!

Do you like chocolate? Do you like hazelnut? Do you like buttery goodness?

Yes?

Then you will love these cookies!

They are two buttery halves of hazelnut heaven glued together with the greatest spread of them all (in my opinion) … Nutella!

In Italian, we have a saying on New Year’s Eve. We say to all the people that we love:  Buona fine e buon principio. It means have a good ending and a good beginning.

So with these little hazelnut gems, I wish all of you the happiest of endings and the very sweetest of beginnings.

See you in 2007!

Ciao!

Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

This recipe comes from Emily Luchetti’s A Passion for Desserts. The recipe is posted on Leite’s Culinaria. You can click here for the recipe. I followed it exactly with one change. After sandwiching the hazelnut cookies together, I rolled them in finely ground hazelnuts and then dusted them with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Technorati tags:  happy new year, nutella, hazelnuts

I’m back! I have bid adieu to the jet lag and recovered (somewhat) from 48 hours of constant eating. As I look ahead to 2007, and all the plans I have for my blog, I cannot move forward without sharing some of the wonderful experiences that I enjoyed on my 11-day trip through Berlin, Prague and Vienna.

When I left Toronto on a cold yet sunny Friday afternoon, I was filled with nervous anticipation. Having never flown by myself, I was anxious to arrive in Berlin. But more than that, I was eager to begin this trip that I’d been dreaming of for so long.

I landed in Frankfurt on Saturday morning with a little more than an hour to go before my connecting flight to Berlin. After disembarking, I literally wanted to kiss the ground as my flight across the Atlantic had been less than comfortable. For almost three hours we were confined to our seats as a result of the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. It didn’t help matters when the pilot ordered the crew to be seated for a significant amount of time due to the shaking plane.

That can’t be good.

Turbulence aside, I made it to Frankfurt with enough time to make it through all the security checks, get lost twice and window shop before my flight to Berlin. But before I knew it, I’d landed in Germany’s capital!

My initial impression of the city, or at least as much as could be impressed upon me during the cab ride to the hotel at which we travelled at warp speed, was that it looked a lot like some of the Italian cities I’d seen. Lots of low-rise apartment building with balconies, wide streets with boulevards down the middle and Smart cars.

Comfortably settled into the hotel, I began the process of meeting my fellow tour buddies. In all, our group numbered 49, most of whom were Australian. Can I just say Australians are FUN people!!! Greetings aside, we were now ready to begin this journey into the heart of Berlin.

But how to describe it?

I saw so many incredible things. The Berlin Wall served as one of the first stops on our tour and perhaps one of the most profound for me personally in that I am old enough to remember some of the brutal history that lies at the foundations of what was once an ugly barrier between so many. In 1989, when the Wall fell, I was 16 years old. I can remember very well the scenes broadcast around the world. Too young then to realize what it’s like to witness history, standing at the Wall brought a renewed sense of that moment.

People really did bring that Wall down! That horrible place where so many had lost their lives trying to escape to a better one was really taken apart, piece by piece. Today, parts of the Wall still stand as a reminder of what must never happen again. These remaining stretches of the Wall are covered in graffiti, some of truly beautiful.

Moving from the Wall, such a visible reminder of how Berlin and Germany were once divided, it was surprising to find myself walking through a city that in many ways is so elegant. I’ve often heard Berlin described as gritty and a bit faded, and it’s true there were sections of the city that looked a bit worn. But I found that appealing. It speaks to history and character, something that’s difficult to find in some of our more modern, cookie-cutter cities.

One of my favourite spots was the square right in front of the library of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Made infamous for the book burnings that took place there after Hitler came to power, I found it inspiring that the very same spot is regularly filled with students. Called the Bebelplatz, this spot is the site of a memorial called The Empty Library. There is a glass door in the middle of the square that looks down into an empty room. At night, the room is lit from within to reveal a small room lined with empty bookshelves.

If you are ever in Berlin, I urge you to visit this spot!

Beyond the numerous and worthy memorials around Berlin, there are so many layers to this city that you can uncover. Museum-hopping, the view from the glass dome at the Reichstag, walking through the Brandenburg Tor, all of these activities reveal a city of art, music and literature.

As I explored the city, I was impressed by the amount of green space. It seemed there were small parks everywhere filled with joggers and people walking their dogs. Germans like their sport and of course I could not pass up the opportunity to photograph the Olympic stadium, site of a certain country’s World Cup victory this past summer.

Perhaps the most eye-opening and sombre part of my time in Berlin was our visit to the site of what was once the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, located just outside the city limits. We were given the option of going to Sachsenhausen and at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. After some thought, I decided to act on the words of our tour guide who put it in very real terms when she said that as difficult as some of these sites may be, they are a part of the history of the place we were in.

It was a very emotional place, filled with heart-breaking stories of innocent people who lost their lives. But at the same time, I was glad that I went to honour those very people. Many people have asked me if I think it’s a good idea to visit such a place and my answer is simply this:  it’s a personal decision. For me, it was the right decision to go.

Back in the city core, we turned our attention to Berlin’s Museum Island and other important sites like Checkpoint Charlie. And of course, to my favourite part of Berlin, the Unter den Linden. The Unter den Linden is one of Berlin’s most beautiful streets. The Unter den Linden starts right by the Berliner Dome and ends at the Brandenburg Tor. At night, the trees lining the boulevard down the centre of the street were lit in honour of the holidays. It was such a beautiful sight to behold!   

A number of people asked me what my impression was of Germans after having visited the city. I found almost everyone to be friendly and outgoing. Almost everyone I met spoke English (although I did try my hand at some of the more basic German phrases). I had no difficulties whatsoever communicating with people whether it be in stores, on the subway or just walking about.

I found Berliners to be stylish and very social. Nowhere was this more evident than at the Christmas markets set up throughout the city. Beginning in the early afternoon, the markets began to fill with people who all seemed to stop by for a beer, something fried and rolled in sugar and to greet a friend. I found it heartwarming to watch as Berliners all seemed to enjoy the simple activity of raising a glass and spending a few hours walking about. Unlike a packed shopping mall, I could sense a genuine feeling of Christmas in the air.

As I walked through the markets, it was hard to focus on any particular thing for a long time. Your attention is demanded by beautiful ornaments, the smell of Glühwein (mulled wine) and fried food begging to be rolled in sugar and the sounds of Christmas are everywhere from people laughing to music playing. I passed children playing on a make shift ice rink and buildings lit up so beautifully.

Even though I was not a Berliner, I somehow felt so linked to that place at that time. It felt good and right to walk through the markets. I helped myself to lots of good German beer and yes … a pretzel or two (maybe … possibly even three).

One of the sights that intrigued me, but that I could never quite get close enough to see, were stalls overflowing with beautifully decorated and packaged cookies. Upon returning home, I did some research and found out that they are in fact called Zimtsterne or Cinnamon Stars. I also found out that there was a recent scare about the effects of the cinnamon in the cookies. Scare aside, I decided to try my hand at recreating the cookies as a tribute to Berlin, and the special time that I had there.

I found a wonderful web site called Germany Info which listed a recipe for Zimtsterne. It didn’t sound all that arduous so I decided to give it a try. The original recipe posed some problems for me, namely that the cookie dough was much too sticky to be able to cut out cookies. I adapted the recipe to make a firmer dough and I did so by adding flour. It made the dough much easier to work with.

These are pretty cookies, but they do require some patience and effort. After cutting out the star shapes, some of the meringue (set aside when first making the cookies) has to be spread on the unbaked cookies. Once that step is complete, the cookies need time to dry out at room temperature. And even after baking them, it’s best to leave them for a few days to harden a bit.

In a number of the recipes that I came across for Zimtsterne I noticed that the cookies were topped with a rum glaze. I decided to add a glaze to my cookies as well even though the original recipe does not require it. The glaze adds a nice visual touch as well as flavour element to these lovely little cookies.

As I glazed them, I couldn’t help but think of the Christmas market in Berlin and all the lovely things I’d seen.

Berlin … you were beautiful!

Ciao!

Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Star Cookies)

Adapted from the original recipe at Germany Info.

• 2 cups blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (you may need more)
• 5 egg whites
• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. Kirschwasser
• 7 oz. (200 g.) icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp. dark rum
• 2 tbsp. hot water

1. In a food processor, finely grind the almonds. They should resemble fine bread crumbs.
2. Place the ground almonds in a bowl with the flour and combine.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed (with a stand mixer or hand mixer) until stiff (3 to 4 minutes).
4. Gently fold in the sifted icing sugar.
5. Remove 1 cup of the egg white/sugar mixture and set aside.
6. Gently fold the almond/flour mixture, the cinnamon and the Kirschwasser into the remaining egg white mixture.
7. Once combined, you will have a very sticky dough. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.
8. Generously flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto the surface. With your hands, pat the dough into a circle that’s roughly half an inch thick. If the dough sticks to your hands, sprinkle generously with flour.
9. Using a 2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter, dip the cutter in a bowl of flour and then begin cutting out star shapes.
10. Transfer the stars to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather up the scraps, sprinkle with more flour and pat into a circle again. Cut out more stars. Continue these steps until you’ve used all the dough.
11. Once you’ve cut out all the stars, take the reserved cup of egg whites and icing sugar and carefully spread the mixture over each cookie. Leave the cookie sheets out overnight so that the cookies can dry out. There’s no need to cover the cookies.
12. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 5 minutes.
13. Let the cookies cool for about 30 minutes before removing them from the cookies sheet.
14. While the cookies are cooling, prepare the rum glaze by combining the icing sugar, the rum and the hot water in a bowl. If the glaze is too thick, add a bit more hot water.
15. Once the cookies have cooled for 30 minutes, drizzle the glaze over the cookies and let sit for another 30 minutes so that the glaze can set.
16. After the glaze has set, place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely. If you can, leave the cookies on the wire rack for several hours to give them a chance to dry out even further.
17. While these cookies will harden on the outside, they will remain soft in the centre. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
18. Enjoy!

Note:  Depending on the size of your cookie cutter, you should get anywhere from 20 to 30 cookies from this recipe.

Technorati tags: berlin, zimtsterne

I am slowly emerging from the food-induced coma I’ve been in, brought about by consuming way too much good food. What is it about the holidays that causes us to throw caution (and good sense) to the wind when it comes to eating?

Anyway, as I still do not have all of my wits and faculties about me, I thought I’d tease you with a brief glimpse of what my trip was like. Hopefully by tomorrow my motor skills will be back to normal and I will be able to fully recount the tales of my holiday in Berlin, Prague and Vienna.

Until then, enjoy this little glimpse through part of what remains of the Berlin Wall.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Technorati tags:  berlin, berlin wall

Cream Puff and her family would like to wish all of you a wonderful and happy Christmas!

Buon Natale a tutti … Merry Christmas to all!

Ciao!

Now that I’ve had a few days to recover from the jet lag, I’m ready to turn my attention to the impending Christmas festivities. Berlin, Prague and Vienna are still floating around in my mind, but I’m also beginning to anticipate the eating fest that will begin very shortly.

When I first posted about my trip, one of the concerns I had was how I would react to missing out on much of the preparations for Christmas, especially the baking. In my absence, the decorations went up and my mother, the little baking tank that she is, singlehandedly prepared almost all of the traditional sweets that we enjoy at this time of year.

To my surprise, I didn’t mind missing out on this experience at all. I’m not saying I would do it every year, but somehow not being around for much of the pre-Christmas stress has made me focus that much more on what the holiday really means. It doesn’t really matter if I don’t bake 30 different kinds of cookies. The point is that I’ll be with my family and we’ll be enjoying some good food and drink, and hopefully many laughs.

And that’s good enough for me.

With so little time left before Christmas, I decided that I would choose one cookie to bake. Only one. It didn’t take very long for me to choose which one either:  White Chocolate Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies with Lemon. Originally from Tish Boyle’s The Good Cookie, these little gems have entered into the family repertoire of Christmas cookies. They are easy and delicious and look divine on a cookie tray. Plus you get to squish your thumb into them before baking them, which brings me to my next point.

I have a serious thing for thumbprint cookies. I don’t know what it is, but something about pushing my thumb into dough and then filling the indentation just makes me tingle! One of my favourite Ina Garten recipes is for Jam Thumbprint Cookies and I can’t get enough of those either. These particular thumbprint cookies are filled with luscious white chocolate. I’ve adapted them to include lots of lemon zest and occasionally, even some coconut extract. How could you possibly resist?

So stick out those thumbs, massage them, exercise them, get them ready. For the mighty thumb is the key to one of the best Christmas cookies you’ll ever try!

Ciao!

White Chocolate Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies with Lemon

Adapted from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle.

• 1-1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, shelled
• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. coconut extract (optional)
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest, finely grated or chopped
• 8 or 9 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Process the pistachios in a food processor until very finely ground, but not oily or pasty. This should take about 30 seconds or so.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Add 1/4 cup of the ground pistachios and mix on medium speed for another 2 minutes.
5. Add the egg yolks, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
6. Add the vanilla extract, coconut extract (if using) and the lemon zest. Beat for another minute until combined.
7. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated.
8. In a large, shallow bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy.
9. Take a piece of dough, roughly 1 inch in size and roll into a ball. Dip the ball in the egg whites and then roll the ball of dough in the remaining ground pistachios. Place on a cookie sheet (about an inch apart) and with your thumb, make an indentation in the dough (being careful not to go all the way to the bottom of the dough).
10. Repeat with the remaining dough. You should get anywhere from 60 to 70 cookies depending on the size of the balls of dough.
11. Bake the cookies in the centre of the oven (one sheet at a time) for 11 to 13 minutes. They’re done when the cookies have spread a bit, the nuts are lightly golden and the bottoms are also golden. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.
12. Once the cookies are cool, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. As soon as the chocolate has melted, stir it and add the vegetable oil and stir again until smooth.
13. With a teaspoon, fill each cookie with some chocolate. If you have any chocolate left, drizzle it over the cookies. Let the chocolate set for at least an hour.
14. These cookies should be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
15. Enjoy!

Technorati tags: thumbprint cookies, pistachios, white chocolate, Christmas

My friends, I have returned! My trip to Berlin, Prague and Vienna was unbelievable and surpassed all my expectations. Time and time again, I was amazed by the history, sights, food and people of these three great cities. Berlin opened my eyes. Prague gave me goose bumps. And Vienna …

Vienna melted my Cream Puff heart!

Perhaps the best part was my unforgettable meeting with Angelika of The Flying Apple. My tour ended on Sunday but I very wisely added a few days to my trip. For this reason I was able to meet with Angelika for a lovely dinner. However sweet and dear she may seem through her blog, she is a thousand times more sweet and dear in person. And best of all, she told me the exciting news about the realization of a life-long dream of hers!

The only bad thing I can say about my trip is that jet lag sucks. It’s after 5:00 a.m. in Toronto as I write this (11:00 a.m. in Vienna). I’ve been wide awake since 2:30 a.m. and my body is wondering why I’m not sitting in a cafe sucking back cup after cup of glorious Viennese coffee and stuffing my face with pastries?

On second thought, why aren’t we all doing that???

Sigh.

Ah, well. I shall regale you with some of the stories and pictures of my trip during the lull (if you can call it that) between Christmas and New Year. In the meantime, I shall combat my jet lag by taking care of some serious business in the form of crowning a champion in the "Name That Cupcake" contest.

You have been very good little boys and girls while I was away. I’m impressed at how well you completed your homework assignment. In fact, I think you all deserve an A+!

Choosing was a very difficult task, however, I had to do it. In the end, I chose the very first name I received: Penguin Cakes. The name was submitted by Connie of Life Love Chocolate. I couldn’t resist Penguin Cakes because I really do think the cupcakes look like penguins and also because I have a soft spot for those adorable little creatures. I’ve seen March of the Penguins about ten times and generally find myself crying through it. Penguin Cakes, it is!

Congratulations to Connie! You will be receiving a brand new copy of Tish Boyle’s The Good Cookie. I’d like to thank everyone that submitted a name for making the first food-naming contest on my blog a huge success. There will be more to come!

Ciao!

Little Penguin Cakes

Adapted from www.epicurious.com and The Cake Book by Tish Boyle.

For the cake:

I’ve been making this chocolate cake for awhile. The original recipe is from www.epicurious.com and can be found here. Feel free to try the original recipe as printed the first time to get a feel for the cake. It’s very versatile and can be baked in different sized pans including mini-cupcake pans (that’s usually how I bake this cake). The main adaptation that I’ve made is that I use very dark chocolate instead of the semisweet chocolate. It’s the cake I turn to when I want my dark chocolate fix.

• 3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces (I will use a 75% or 80% dark chocolate)
• 1 cup brewed hot coffee (should be strong coffee)
• 3 cups sugar (sounds like a lot but the dark chocolate balances the sweetness)
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1-3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and line 2 mini muffin trays with paper liners. (If you’re not using mini muffin or regular muffin trays, butter and flour whatever sized pan you’re using.) Place two racks in the oven, one in the centre and one close to the bottom of the oven. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a cup or a bowl, combine the chocolate pieces and the hot coffee. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the chocolate should be melted. Stir until the mixture is smooth and set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed until they are light in colour (3 to 4 minutes).
5. Add the vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix on low speed for a minute or so until combined.
6. Add the chocolate/coffee mixture and mix on low speed for a minute or two until combined.
7. Add the dry ingredients and continue mixing on low speed until everything is just combined, but don’t over mix.
8. Spoon the batter into your paper-lined mini muffin tray. I am usually able to fill 2 24-cup capacity mini muffin trays with this recipe.
9. Place the trays in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, rotate the trays (bottom tray to centre and centre to bottom tray) and bake for another 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes are up, check the cupcakes for doneness by inserting a toothpick or cake tester into the centre of a few of the cupcakes. When the toothpick or cake tester comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. If the cupcakes are not done, continue baking, checking every 5 minutes for doneness. (In my oven, these little guys took about 35 minutes.)
10. Once done, remove the cupcakes and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, you can sprinkle them with icing sugar and serve or you can frost them.

For the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

Because these mini cupcakes save me when I need a chocolate fix, I tend to eat them with just a bit of icing sugar sprinkled on. For the Name That Cupcake contest I decided to test a frosting recipe from Tish Boyle’s The Cake Book. This frosting couldn’t be easier!

• 1 pound (2 8-ounce packages) cream cheese
• 3 ounces white chocolate
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• approximately 2 cups icing sugar

1. In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate, being careful not to let it burn. Once melted, stir the chocolate and set aside for a minute or two to cool.
2. While the chocolate is cooling, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Combine on high speed.
3. When the chocolate has cooled a bit, add to the cream cheese and butter and mix on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix for another minute.
4. Add the cream and vanilla extract and mix for a few more second.
5. With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding the icing sugar a half cup at a time. Once the frosting reaches the desired thickness, stop adding icing sugar and use the frosting immediately. The original recipe calls for 1-2/3 cups of icing sugar and I found that I used about the same amount for this frosting.
6. Either dollop the frosting onto the cupcakes or scoop it into a piping bag and pipe it on.
7. Frosted cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (if not eaten right away).
8. Enjoy!

Technorati tags:  chocolate, cupcakes

Well, my bags are packed, I’ve got my travel guides in hand, and I am ready to go! By this time tomorrow I will be in Berlin practicing my very poor German. Once again I want to thank all of you for your advice and encouragement. I promise to come back from Berlin, Prague and Vienna with as many pictures and stories as I can.

But before I go, I want to make something very clear. Don’t think that just because I’m gone you’re going to laze around eating chocolates and Christmas cookies! I expect all of you to keep up a steady pace of blogging so that when I return I will have hours and hours and hours worth of blog posts to catch up on.

Furthermore, I expect all of you to continue what you’ve been doing all year, which is inspiring me with your talents and abilities in the kitchen. Anyone caught slacking will have to come after school for detention, Cream Puff style!

To provide you with a bit of incentive, I’m handing out an assignment. Your homework is to come up with a name for the cupcakes pictured above. I will give you a few hints to help you. They’re made with dark chocolate. The frosting is made of white chocolate and cream cheese. The flower is not real, nor is it edible.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting is not an acceptable name.

I want originality! I want creativity! I want you to do your homework!

So send me your responses and when I get back from my trip I will post the recipe for these cupcakes along with the name that I’ve chosen (from your submissions). The student who submits the best name (as chosen by me) will win a brand new copy of Tish Boyle’s The Good Cookie, which happens to be the Flavour of the Month for December 2006.

I’m off, my friends! I’ll be back in two weeks. In the meantime, stay happy and healthy and don’t forget to do your homework.

Class dismissed.

Ciao!

At this time of year, when many of us are busy buying presents and preparing for parties and celebrations, it’s important to remember our responsibility to help those in need. The Menu For Hope is an opportunity for all of us to help those less fortunate. Menu For Hope I raised funds for the victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia, while Menu For Hope II raised money for victims of the earthquake in the Kashmir region of Pakistan and India.

This year’s Menu For Hope is all about helping the United Nations World Food Programme. The event will take place from December 11 to 22. During that time, you will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for some truly exciting gifts. Every bit counts so I ask that you look deep into your hearts and dig deep into you wallets for a most worthy cause.

Because I will be on holiday on December 11th, I’m posting the information about my donated prize a few days early. However, on December 11th, please visit Chez Pim’s campaign page to browse the global prize list. On December 10th, you can also visit the Canadian campaign page for Menu For Hope III on Jasmine’s blog, Confessions of a Cardamom Addict. Jasmine is coordinating Canadian entries for this event so on behalf of all Canadian bloggers, I’d like to extend a most heartfelt thanks to her for taking this on! From December 11th onward, for information about the administration of Menu For Hope tickets and donations, visit the site that’s handling it all:  First Giving.

For my own donation to this event, I am offering two new cookbooks that would make a wonderful addition to any cookbook library! The first book is Celebrations 101 by Rick Rodgers, author of the classic Kaffeehaus. Celebrations 101 is an all-purpose entertaining cookbook that will guide you through any type of party imaginable, including A New Year’s Day Open House, a Spring Shower, A Father’s Day Cookout and an Intimate Thanksgiving. The book is full of amazing recipes, lovely photographs and even includes shopping lists!

The second book will help you deal with all the calories you intake after working your way through Celebrations 101. The book is Juice! by Pippa Cuthbert and Lindsay Cameron Wilson. Juice! is a colourful guide to the world of creating your own juices at home. From healthy to decadent, there are some incredible recipes in this book for beverages that are wholesome and delicious.

If you’re interested in this prize, then visit the donation page between December 11 and December 22 and donate. Each $10 US that you donate will buy you one raffle ticket towards the prize of your choice. You must specify which prize you’re interested in by quoting the prize code in the "personal message" section.

The prize code for my gift is CA16.

Here are the detailed instructions for the event:

1. Go to the donation page at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhopeIII to make a contribution.
2. Each US $10 donation will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize or prizes you’d like by entering the prize code in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your contribution. E.G. A US $50 donation may be two tickets for UW99 and three tickets for CA20.*
3. Some companies will match personal charitable donations made by staff. If  your company has such a program, please remember to mark the appropriate box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
4. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address. We need this so we can contact you in case you win a prize. If you do not do this, we will be unable to contact you. Please be assured that we will not share your email address with anyone.
5. Raffle results will be announced on 15 January on Chez Pim. Draws will be conducted electronically, thanks to Derrick at Obsession with Food for creating the computer application used to magically select names.

*N.B.:  Canadian tax laws prohibit charitable donation receipts to be issued by registered Canadian charities for raffle or lottery tickets. The UNWFP is a U.S.-based charity; should any donation receipts be issued, you will need to seek professional advice regarding applying them to your Canadian income tax return.

Please be generous and support the Menu For Hope III!

And remember, if you’re interested in the prize I’m donating (Celebrations 101 and Juice!) the prize code is CA16!

In other news …

I wanted to thank everyone for all the wonderful tips you sent me regarding my trip to Berlin, Prague and Vienna. I’ll do my best to visit all the incredible places you mentioned!

And finally, I wanted to direct your attention to a special article that I was thrilled to be a part of. I was contacted by Gabrielle Lichterman, Editor-in-Chief of Four Weeks Magazine (www.fourweeksmag.com) with a request for a hot cocoa recipe that would be included in a feature on hot cocoa. If you have a few moments, read the article which includes contributions from Jenjen of Bake or Break, Rachel of Coconut & Lime and Food Maven and Deb of Smitten Kitchen. The recipes all sound wonderful! I’d like to thank Gabrielle for this opportunity and look forward to spending lots of time reading this great site.

Ciao!

Hello my friends!

I cannot believe it but I am only two days away from my trip to Berlin, Prague and Vienna! It’s incredible that this experience, which at one time was barely a possibility, is now actually going to happen.

I realize this is short notice, but I need your help! While I’ve spent some time studying which pastry shops I should visit in these cities, I’d love to hear your recommendations, if you have any. I’m especially interested in hearing any tips about cookbook stores, bookstores and kitchenware stores that I can visit. I have a particular interest in antique kitchenware.

All suggestions are welcome!

Ciao!

When Lisa of La Mia Cucina and I get to talking, you just know there will be some baking happening.

Ah, yes. It’s good to have blog friends!

After the fun we had with our pretzel cross-posts, we decided to try another cross-post for the holidays. We wanted to bake something that was traditionally Italian and well-suited for enjoying with friends. After a few late-night e-mails, we decided on biscotti.

As many of you know, biscotti are a typically dry Italian cookie. The name of the cookie literally means "cooked twice" due to the fact that biscotti are usually baked twice. Homemade biscotti are a pure treat. They’re easy to make and they last a long time so you can enjoy them with your milk and coffee throughout the week.

I absolutely do not buy biscotti in coffee shops. For starters, they are almost always overpriced. Even if you use nuts, making biscotti at home is always more economical and you’ll find the results to be much better. Which brings me to my next point about most coffee shop biscotti … they’re usually not very good. If you try making biscotti at home, you’ll see that yours are much better!

After deciding to make biscotti, Lisa suggested that we invite a few other bloggers along for the cross-post. After the pretzel experiment, Peabody, Brilynn and Helene all expressed interest in a cross-post. We decided to try a recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s recently released Baking:  From My Home to Yours.

We chose Dorie’s Chocolate Biscotti recipe as the starting point. The only rule was that there were no rules. We were all free to adapt the recipe however we saw fit.

For my biscotti, I decided to reduce the amount of almonds and add toffee bits. Also, instead of using chopped bittersweet chocolate, I used semisweet chocolate chips. And to finish off my biscotti, I bathed them in lots of melted white chocolate. (I’m not sure there’s anything more fun than drizzling chocolate over stuff!)

The biscotti were delicious! Not too hard and not too soft, they hit just the right note of sweetness between the chocolate and the toffee bits.

And now that you’ve read about my biscotti, please go and visit Lisa, Helene, Peabody and Brilynn to see the adaptations they came up with. They had me drooling!

Ciao!

Chocolate Toffee Biscotti

Adapted from Baking:  From My  Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 stick (6 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup toffee bits
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 ounces white chocolate (for garnish)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, baking soda and baking powder.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
4. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix for another 2 minutes.
5. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients.
6. As soon as the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the batter, remove the bowl from the machine and add the almonds, toffee bits and chocolate chips. You can use a wooden spin to stir them into the dough, but I prefer to use my hands.
7. Once you’ve incorporated all the ingredients, divide the dough in half and roll each half into a log about 12 inches long.
8. Carefully transfer the logs to the parchment-lined baking sheet. With your hand, flatten each log so that it’s roughly an inch high and about 2 inches wide.
9. Bake the logs for 25 minutes. The logs will spread a bit and may even crack a bit, but don’t worry.
10. After 25 minutes, remove the logs from the oven and let them cool for 30 minutes.
11. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice the logs into biscotti. Each biscotto should be about three-quarters of an inch wide. Transfer the biscotti back to the baking sheet and stand them upright.
12. Once you’ve sliced the logs into biscotti, return the biscotti to the oven for 10 minutes.
13. Once the biscotti are done, place them on a wire rack to cool.
14. When the biscotti are completely cooled, melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. Using a whisk or a fork, drizzle the melted chocolate all over the tops of the biscotti. Let the chocolate set before serving the biscotti.
15. Enjoy!

Note:  You should get anywhere from 20 to 24 biscotti (depending on how wide the slices are). Store the biscotti in an airtight container for up to a week.

Technorati tags:  biscotti, chocolate, almonds, toffee bits, dorie greenspan

December has arrived with a vengeance here in Toronto. The relatively warm weather we’d been experiencing is gone and in its place we have the beginnings of winter. I don’t mind. I love the snow and the cold and how it makes us all want to run into the kitchen and bake.

December 1st, for me, usually signals the beginning of weeks of preparation for Christmas. I will wholeheartedly admit that I am a Christmas person. I love it all. The carols, the baking, too much family, the food, the shopping … I welcome it with open arms.

This year, however, things will be different. My impending trip means that I will miss much of the preparations for Christmas. I won’t be putting up the tree. I won’t be hanging the lights. And while I will be doing some baking, it won’t be nearly as much as I usually do.

And strangely enough, I’m okay with that.

Up until recently, the idea of relinquishing some of the control I like to exercise over these sorts of events would have seemed unimaginable to me. But lately I’ve been feeling that controlling the events isn’t nearly as much fun as experiencing them. So I’m letting go. And it feels really good.

And since I’m letting go, I’m going to share a very special cookie with you, in the hopes that since I won’t have chance to bake this cookie that often this month, you will. And it’s all part of my entry for the Festive Food Fair hosted by Anna of Morsels and Musings.

The original recipe comes from the 1995 issue of the Canadian Living Holiday Baking Magazine. Canadian Living is a food and lifestyle magazine that is uniquely Canadian. While I can’t say I read the publication on a regular basis, I do look forward to the holiday issue. In the 1995 issue, I came across a recipe for Apricot Crescents, or as they are often referred to, Rugalahs or Rugelach. The dough for these pastries is made with cream cheese, butter, sugar and flour. The pastries are typically filled with jam, nuts and sometimes raisins. I like to use apricot jam and a mixture of finely ground walnuts, cinnamon and sugar. Once baked, these pastries are incredibly flaky and the filling of jam and nuts is delicious.

This is one of my most treasured recipes. I hope it brings you much goodness this holiday season.

Ciao!

Apricot Walnut Crescents

Adapted from the 1995 issue of Canadian Living Holiday Baking.

• 1 pckg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2-1/2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• coarse sugar (for garnish)

1. In an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter, on medium speed, until smooth.
2. Add the sugar and flour and mix until a dough forms.
3. Scoop the dough onto a floured surface and work briefly with your hands until it forms a ball of dough.
4. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Refrigerate for an hour.

For the filling:

• 1 cup walnuts, finely ground
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup apricot jam (or any other jam of your choice)
• 1 to 2 tbsp. hot water

1. In a bowl, combine the walnuts, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine the jam and the hot water and stir to loosen the jam.

To assemble the crescents:

1. Remove a ball of dough from the refrigerator.
2. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a 10 to 12-inch circle. Don’t roll it too thin.
3. Spread 1/4 of the jam over the circle of dough. Sprinkle 1/4 of the walnut/sugar mixture over the jam.
4. With a sharp knife, divide the circle into 12 wedges.
5. Starting from the outside edge, roll each wedge up towards the centre, forming a crescent.
6. Place each crescent on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Repeat with the other 3 balls of dough. In total you should have 48 crescents.
8. Refrigerate the crescents for 20 minutes. While they’re in the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
9. After 20 minutes, brush the crescents with the egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
10. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crescents are golden. Don’t worry if some of the filling oozes out.
11. Enjoy!

Note:  These cookies are also my entry for Anna of Morsel and Musings‘ event:  Festive Food Fair. Anna very kindly invited me to participate by blogging about festive food that we like to serve during the holiday season. These rugalahs would definitely qualify. Thank you, Anna, for the invitation!

Technorati tags:  apricot, rugalahs, festive food fair