I'm very much home. The words running through my head have turned to Newfanese. I'll be honest, I made this cake in Montreal about a week before leaving, but I can't write about it now like a Montrealer. I'm half a country away and so I'm going to write about it in the words … [Read more...] about “Yes B’y, Mudder Cake” With Home-Made Caramel Frosting
Desserts
Lemon Buttercream
I bought icing sugar in bulk about 4 months ago in expectation of my next cake. Maybe to you that's ridiculous, but to me that's prudent planning. I didn't know what the cake would be at the time, and there's no way I could have suspected it would be a 6 egg yolk cake from the … [Read more...] about Lemon Buttercream
Orange Custard from the 1948 Joy of Cooking (aka “6 Egg Yolks Later”)
Irma Rombauer's instructions for 'Orange Filling' (aka custard, but not really, since her actual orange custard recipe comes later and includes sectioning whole oranges) are as follows: Stir and cook in a double boiler until thick: 1/2 tsp grated orange rind 1 tbsp lemon juice 6 … [Read more...] about Orange Custard from the 1948 Joy of Cooking (aka “6 Egg Yolks Later”)
The 1948 Joy of Cooking and My 12-Egg Yolk Yellow Cake with Orange Custard Filling and Lemon Buttercream
This one takes the cake, so to speak... For my friend's birthday I made her an angel food cake. It took 12 egg whites. I was not about to throw out 12 egg yolks and there's no way I could eat enough mayonnaise, zabaglione, or bechamel to get through these things in the short … [Read more...] about The 1948 Joy of Cooking and My 12-Egg Yolk Yellow Cake with Orange Custard Filling and Lemon Buttercream
Cupcake Camp Montreal 2010 Round-Up: On the Hunt for Dairy-Free Baked Goods
My personal challenge for cupcake camp Montreal 2010 was to hunt down all the dairy-free, vegan, and/or refined-sugar-free cupcakes. The idea was that this would keep me away from all the butter and cream that would make me sick for days, but allow me to enjoy the festivities … [Read more...] about Cupcake Camp Montreal 2010 Round-Up: On the Hunt for Dairy-Free Baked Goods
Vanilla Bean Chestnut Purée
When I moved to Toronto from Newfoundland, one thing I couldn't take were all my mother's cookbooks from which I'd been cooking for a few years. It's part of moving out, I know, to start a collection of your own, but there's something beautiful about a book that you and your … [Read more...] about Vanilla Bean Chestnut Purée
Patience and Ginger Confit, Part 4
Finally, after 5 days the ginger is ready to be canned. Sterilize the jars, keep them pristine -- no fingers since you are a mold that will contaminate them -- and fill them with the ginger in its syrup which has been drained and brought to a boil one last time. No cold liquid … [Read more...] about Patience and Ginger Confit, Part 4
Patience and Ginger Confit, Part 3
It's two days later and now I drain the syrup again into a saucepan. I bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium for 8 minutes, then pour it back over the half-confit-ed ginger in the bowl. Cover it. Wait 2 more days. More sleeping. More praying my kitchen isn't too cold and … [Read more...] about Patience and Ginger Confit, Part 3
Patience and Ginger Confit, Part 2
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of sleep later, I drained the sugar/water from the ginger into a saucepan and brought it to a boil. Reduced the heat to medium to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. then I poured the syrup (it's almost syrup now) back on top of the ginger … [Read more...] about Patience and Ginger Confit, Part 2
Patience and Ginger Confit
Wines can take years to make and mature. Alcohol can take months to infuse. Pickles can take weeks to soften in brine... ...so 5 days for ginger confit should be nothing. It should be like getting to the end of one breath and instead of getting bored and moving on to your next … [Read more...] about Patience and Ginger Confit