Fresh Berry Custard Pie

 

Nick loves custard, not any kind of custard, but custard made with Bird's custard powder purchased in the UK.  Bird's custard powder in the UK is different from ones sold in Canada or the US.  In the UK, it's made with cornflour, while in North America, it's made with Cornstarch.  The result, they tastes completely different...the UK version is much MUCH better.  Whenever anyone goes to the UK this is usually the item we get them bring back, and at 57p a can, it's super cheap, it just takes up luggage space.  If you can get your hands on Bird's custard powder from the UK, do so....it's definitely worth it.

If you follow the recipe on your Bird's custard can (UK or the North American version)...please take note:  On the can of custard, the instruction's calls for 2 tablespoons of custard powder to 1 pint of milk...this makes a soupy version which is a good topping for bread pudding, cakes or eaten as pudding.  In order to get a thick custard consistency for a pie you will need to almost double the custard powder as we have done below.

Fresh Berry Custard Pie

Makes 1 pie

approx prep time: 30 min

approx cook time:15 min

approx set time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS: 

1 pie shell (I use Tenderflake Deep Dish pie shell)
3 tablespoons of sugar
3.5 tablespoons of Bird's Custard Powder
1 pint of milk (2 cups) (we prefer homo milk as it makes thicker custard)

2.5 cups of strawberries
1 cup of blackberries

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Bake the Tenderflake pie shell according to the instructions on the box and then let it cool completely.
- Put 3.5 tablespoons of custard powder and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl with 4 tablespoons of milk. Mix thoroughly until all the lumps goes away and it's a smooth paste.
- Heat the remainder of the milk on medium in a saucepan on the stove until it's just about to boil (not actually boiling), and pour the hot milk into the large bowl with the custard paste mix, stirring well.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to the boil over a gentle heat, stirring constantly and as soon as it starts to boil (take it off as soon as it bubbles or it will burn), take it off the heat.
- Pour custard into a bowl and let it cool completely.
- Wash blackberries and strawberries and dry with a towel or paper towels, slice strawberries into equal proportions.
- Pour cooled custard into the baked pie shell, top with berries, and let it set in the fridge.

I'm linking up with:

Burger with Mushroom and Onions

I've been eating burgers that Nick creates for more then 2 years now.  I can say with extreme confidence....that they are freaking awesome!  We like our burgers and are sad to say that most the gourmet burger joints that have popped up in Toronto in the past year or so have been very disappointing.  The only place that continue to have decent burgers is Webers (I will post review later), and that's nowhere near Toronto, and nor is it gourmet in any sense of the word.  

Nick always gets requests to make these for friends and family.  They are so popular that he get's slightly annoyed when everyone always seems to request burgers and baked potato wedges (recipe here)....but I guess that's just proof of how great his burgers are.  The addition of sauteed sweet white onions and meaty portabello just takes it over the top!  :-)

Burger with Mushroom and Onions

Serves: Makes 4 Large burgers

approx prep time: 20min

approx cook time: 15min

INGREDIENTS (Makes 4 burgers): 

- 2 1/4 lb Lean ground beef

- 6 slices of Thick Sliced Bacon (I prefer PC Old Fashioned Thick Sliced bacon), or 12 slices of the regular thin bacon.

- 1/3 of a large sweet white onion, finely diced

- 2/3 of a large sweet white onion, sliced.

-  1 large portobello mushroom, sliced

- 1/4 cup of diced sweet pickles or gherkins 

- 2 tbsp Montreal Steak Spice

-1.5 cups of shredded Cheddar Cheese (I prefer extra old)

- Toppings of choice (Pickles, Tomato, etc..)

- 4 large kaiser rolls

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Heat up a non stick frying pan with a little dab of olive oil.

-  Add sliced onions and after a minute, add the sliced portobello mushrooms and sautee till brown, and set aside.

- Fry bacon in a cast iron pan on medium heat till crispy, set on a paper towel to drain and set aside.
- Mix ground beef, diced onion, diced pickles and steak spice thoroughly
- Shape beef mixture into 4 patties, roughly 1" thick.
- Cook patties to desired doneness in a frying pan, on an indoor grill or BBQ.
- Serve patty with bacon, shredded cheese, and topped with sauteed onion and mushrooms on a freshly sliced Kaiser of choice.

Creamy Mushroom Mini Pies

It's been a year since the acquisition of our Breville Mini Pie Maker and we still love it.  We've had many savory pies made of leftover meals such as Beef Stew Mini Pies (recipe here), and Mini Turkey Pot Pies (recipe here), so this time, we decided to stop using leftovers and make mushroom mini pies.  

My brother and I grew up remembering eating tasty mushroom cream filling in puff pastry.  They were sold in the freezer section of the supermarket, but over the years, somehow our supermarket stopped carrying them.  My brother loved them so much he's been experimenting lately and made this recipe up from scratch.  It tasted DELICIOUS, and super simple, especially in the Breville Mini Pie Maker.  :-D  Super crunchy thin crust and gooey mushroom filling is hearty and really hits the spot.

Creamy Mushroom Mini Pies

Makes 3 Mini Pies (machine has the ability to make 4 pies)

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 20min

INGREDIENTS: 

1 roll (1/2 a pack as PC puff pastry has 2 rolls per pack) of butter puff pastry, thawed.

1 medium onion, minced.

4 cloves of garlic minced or grated

2 lbs of fresh mushrooms (white button mushroom or mixed), diced.

1 lb of fresh white mushroom, diced

125g of cream cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil and butter

Breville Mini Pie Maker

HOW TO MAKE IT:

For the Creamy Mushroom Filling:

- Heat olive oil in a nonstick frying pan, brown onions and then add garlic.

- Add a pat of butter and all of the mushrooms.

- Brown mushrooms until the liquid evaporates

- Stir in block of cream cheese till melted and combined

To make Mini Pies:

- Preheat the Breville Mini Pie Maker (Red light means it's heating, Green light means it's ready)
- Roll out the puff pastry crust, make sure to flour both sides before starting to roll it out thinly or it will stick.

- Stamp out 2 tops and 2 bottoms.
- Recombine the remaining pie crust, roll it out thinly, and stamp the last bottom and pie crust (you should now have a total of 3 tops and 3 bottoms)
- Place bottom crust into the machine, use the black push wedge from the pie maker to set it into the pan, fill each pie up to the top with the creamy mushroom filling and a bit more, making a mound on the top.  (You need really over full filled pies in order for the top crust to brown and cook evenly, otherwise the crust can get undercooked because it doesn't fully touch the top heating element.)

- Top pies with the top crust.
- Lock machine, bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.   Time to bake really depends on your filling, if it's cold, it will take more time to cook, if you put in hot filling, it will take less time to bake.  Puff pastry takes less time to bake then standard pie crusts.
- Serve immediately

Aunt Geri's Magic Cookie Bar

 

I was fortunate enough to visit Nick's Aunt while we were traveling and even luckier to be invited to dinner!  She made delicious cornbread, homemade mac and cheese, and dessert was a plate of homemade shortbread and these Magic Cookie Bars (which I couldn't get enough of).  I enjoyed them so much that I ate 2 and happily said "yes!" to taking 3 more with me for breakfast (Note: NOT a healthy breakfast) the next day.

There are several things I can never resist and chocolate and condensed milk being two of them.    This recipe combines both in the best possible way....it adds a butter graham cracker crust, pecans and coconut into the mix to become the most addictive square that goes perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee.  Aunt Geri sent me the recipe soon afterwards and I was glad to find out they are surprisingly easy to make.  This is definitely dangerous for my waistline.  :-D

Aunt Geri's Magic Cookie Bar

Makes One 12 x 9 cookie sheet, about 24 bars.

approx prep time: 20 min

approx cook time: 20-25 min

INGREDIENTS: 

2 cups graham wafer crumbs (I used a food processor)
3/4 cups  (175 ml) melted butter
1 can (300 ml) regular or low fat Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of chopped pecans, semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I prefer PC decadent chocolate chip brand)
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of flaked coconut

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 Celsius ).
-Combine graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter.
- Press the mixture evenly over parchment lined 13 X 9 inch (3.5 L) baking pan
- Pour Eagle brand evenly over crumbs.
- Sprinkle with pecans, chocolate chips and coconut. press down firmly.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool thoroughly (and I'm seriously about this as I usually don't have the patience, it cuts and comes out of the pan a lot cleaner if you wait) and cut into approximate 24 bars or 2 inch squares for bite size..
- Store loosely covered at room temperature or put in fridge or the freezer for later.  It's best the 2nd day, but I like to eat them warm and gooey.  :-)

I'm linking up with:

Chocolate Honey Pecan Date Truffles

It's the holiday season, and what is better then making decadent chocolate treats (and have the excuse to eat them?)  They look and tastes great as gifts too.

Truffles, while not technically difficult, are really time consuming to make.  They are much easier to work with when the centers are chilled and firm.  So if it doesn't feel like they want to come together, stick the mixture back in the freezer and try again in 5 minutes.  They do present wonderfully and just look on so cute in small boxes.  :-)

Chocolate Honey Pecan Date Truffles

Makes approx 36 truffles

Approx prep time: 1h 30mins

Refrigeration time: 25mins

 INGREDIENTS:

- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 3/4 cups of chopped dates

- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

- 1/2 cup of chopped pecans

- 1 3/4 cups of Rice Krispies

- 250g of dark chocolate, chopped (I prefer Valhrona)

For Coating:

- 1 cup of unsweetened coconut (optional)

- 1/4 cup of cocoa powder (optional)

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Melt butter with honey in a medium saucepan set over medium. 

- Stir in dates and simmer for 3 min. 

- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, pecans and cereal. 

- Chill mixture in the freezer until completely cool, about 10-20 min. 

- Scoop with a tbsp measure and press firmly into 1 inch bite-sized balls.  The mixture has to be cold to the touch or else it won't hold together, also, if you have warm hands, cool them in cold water and dry your hands before working.
- Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on medium for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute to make sure the chocolate on the sides don't burn or overheat.  

 - Once 80% of the chocolate has melted, remove and stir until completely melted, the bowl should not be hot to the touch. 

- Pour coconut into a small bowl and Cocoa Powder in another small bowl.

- Using 2 forks to hold balls (I used chocolate dipping tools), coat with chocolate, then roll in coconut or cocoa powder, or nothing at all and place on a waxed paper lined plate or baking sheet.

- Chill in refrigerator on a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet until chocolate firms up, about 15 min. - Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Recipe referenced from: http://food.chatelaine.com/recipes/view/chocolate-date-truffles/32936

Cornbread Muffins

 

Nick's been asking me to make cornbread muffins for a month now, and I've been trying to find the perfect one.  It's odd that most of the cornbread recipes out there seem to have very little cornmeal and a lot of flour.  This recipe has half cornmeal and half flour and uses butter rather then vegetable oil.  It's now a staple in our home and made weekly, and best of all... it takes less then half an hour to make from start to finish! 

Corn Bread Muffins

Makes: 12 muffins

approx prep time: 10 min

approx cook time: 15 mins

 INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of cornmeal
- 2/3 cup of sugar

- 1 large egg

- 2.5 teaspoons of baking powder

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1 cup of milk

- 1/3 cup of melted butter

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Brush melted butter on the muffin pan

- In a large mixing bowl, mix milk and cornmeal together, set aside.

- In a medium size bowl, mix flour, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt (the dry ingredients).
- Add egg and melted butter to the cornmeal and milk mixture, then add in the dry ingredients.
- Mix until combined.
- Spoon batter evenly into the greased muffin pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until sides are golden brown, top is golden yellow, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.
- Serve with butter or a dollop of your favourite jam.  
- Store in room temperature for up to one week.

Jam Filled Butter Cookies made with Egg Yolks

 

The holiday season is among us, and what better to celebrate then to make lots of delicious and not diet friendly treats!  I've been doing a lot of holiday baking lately, and while making french macarons (recipe that I will post later), there's always the problem with leftover egg yolks.  What do I do with them?  I had the option of turning them into creme brulee but I wanted something where I could make lots of them and that everyone could enjoy without feeling too much guilt.  

What did I come up with?  

Jam filled butter cookies made with egg yolks.

They were bite size, easy to make, keeps well for up to one week, a great way to use up leftover jam in the fridge, and accomplished my main goal, which was not to let egg yolks go to waste.

Jam Filled Butter Cookies

Makes 88 bite-sized cookies

approx prep time: 30 min

approx cook time: 10 mins (per batch)

 INGREDIENTS:

- 1.5 cups of softened room temperature butter
- 1 cup of white sugar

- 4 large egg yolks

- 2.5 cups of flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 4 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 1 cup of fruit jam with the large pieces of fruit mashed into small bits.

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)

- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, and white sugar.

- Add in egg yolks, salt and vanilla extract and mix together. 

- Mix in flour a little bit at a time until a soft dough forms. 

- Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes until dough is firm enough to work with. 

- Roll dough into 1 inch balls.   

- Place balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. 

- Use your finger (I prefer the index finger knuckle) or an instrument of similar size to make a well in the center of each cookie. 

- Spoon fruit preserve into a ziplock bag (I prefer a medium sized ziplock freezer bag as it is thicker and easier to handle).  Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.

- Pipe or Fill the hole with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

- Store in room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.

Fluffy Wild Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

"It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!!! It's so fluffy!!!"  

 -  says the little girl, Agnes, from the animated film Despicable Me. 

And I repeated that when I took my first bite of these pancakes.  It's SOOO fluffy!!!  Wild blueberries were in season so we put a few handfuls of that into the batter, but with or without fruit....these are definitely a winner for me.  I will never need another pancake batter recipe.  It generously feeds 6 very hungry people.

Fluffy Wild Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Serves: 6 very hungry people

approx prep time: 15 min

approx cook time: 45 min

INGREDIENTS: 

- 4 cups of all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons of white sugar
- 4 teaspoons of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 4 cups (1 liter) of buttermilk
- 2/3 cups of milk
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 2 cups of wild blueberries, or normal blueberries, whatever you wish (optional)


HOW TO MAKE IT:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs, and melted butter.  Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
- Heat a non stick pan over medium high heat
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, add blueberries now, and stir until just blended together.  Do not over stir.
- Ladle batter onto the hot pan (to whatever size you prefer, we like small pancakes), once the batter has bubbled for a bit, flip the pancake onto the otherside and cook both sides to a golden brown.  
- Serve hot, with fruit, berries, syrup, whipped cream, eggs and bacon, whatever you desire!