BIG.FAT.RAT.
My 4 Kitchens - Around the World
in Beautiful Canada
Canada
ALL ABOUT DESSERTS ...
Sweet & savoury - a world without boundaries!
Poached Spiced Pear with Vanilla Rum Whipped Cream
I love Saturdays, when all the office work is behind me - and there is no boss in sight for a good 48 hours! Time enough and to spare for preparing a nice sweet treat following a leisurely lunch.
This week, I'm making poached pears inspired by Nigel Slater, a fellow journalist and one of my favorite chefs. I've added cinnamon to the poaching liquid (because I like cinnamon - a lot!) and ever true to form, I've added rum (my top choice of cooking/baking alcohol) to my whipping cream.
I suppose it would be rather mean-spirited of me to lament the dearth of farmer's markets in winter, but I do so miss fresh fruit! Anyway, it is near impossible for me to live without dessert for 4 months (winter in Canada does tend to drag..) so I drove out to the next best place for decently fresh ingredients - Highland Farm.
And look what I got - pears!
RECIPE
Ontario grown pears x 2
Lemon juice & water
Fine white sugar
Cinnamon powder/stick (optional: clove and nutmeg if you like)
Vanilla pod
Whipping cream
Rum (1-2 tablespoons)
crushed graham crackers
81% chocolate (bar) melted
For a start, peel and core the pears, then slice them in halves. Bring the syrup (water, lemon juice and sugar) to a boil, toss in the vanilla pod (without the beans) and add your cinnamon.
Give it a stir and let it boil for a good minute before adding your pears. It will take about 15 minutes, by which time you should be able to insert a knife easily into the bottom end of the pear. At this stage, turn off the heat, put a lid on and let the pears steep for half an hour. Then in they go to the fridge for about 30-45 mins until nicely chilled.
Part 2 involves some elbow grease, combining whipping cream, rum, vanilla beans, until fluffy. Melt the dark bitter chocolate over a water bath and assemble for a mouth-watering treat!
Did I mention I love Saturdays?
~ Mel Heng ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coconut Cookies
Watch out for it!
Blog post to come ......
Spinach & Feta Filo Cups
Watch out for it!
Blog post to come ......
Maple & Palm Sugar rolls (a variation of the classic cinnamon roll)
This is one of those "things" that will cause your nose to run a mile and a half ahead of all your other faculties: The cinnamon roll.
Truly, there is NOTHING that will get me faster down the stairs on a Sunday morning than a tray of these deeply aromatic buns just bubbling over with sugary goodness.
This recipe is an adaptation of Anna Olsen's classic rolls. I've swapped out the sugars, choosing dark palm sugar instead of fine whites and light browns, because I feel palm adds greater depth of flavor. I've also used salted butter instead of unsalted, because I think salt and caramelized sugar go exceedingly well together.
RECIPE
Dough:
1.25 cups milk @ 105 F
1 packet instant dry yeast
20g sugar
20g butter
1 egg at room temp.
3.5 cups all purpose flour
0.5 teaspoon salt
Syrup:
1 cup sugar
0.5 cup butter
0.5 cup maple syrup
Filling:
0.75 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
melted butter
The most important thing to note about this recipe is the milk's temperature. 105 is the magic number here. Hot milk (above 110 F) will kill the yeast. Cold milk (under 100 F) will not activate it. At 105 F, the yeast will feed and you will be rewarded with the perfect rise.
Fix a dough hook to your stand mixer and blend all the ingredients until you see the dough "climb the hook". That's your indication that the dough is well mixed. Knead the dough briefly, then transfer to rest in an oiled glass bowl. The first rising will take about 2 hours, if well covered with cling wrap.
When the dough doubles in size, it's time to roll. It is a stretchy dough and is relatively easy to work with if you flour your hands. Brush with melted butter, then spread the filling mix. Roll it up, bottom to top, then cut into 8 rolls.
Next comes the syrup. Melt the sugar, butter and maple syrup over medium heat and stir continuously to prevent burning the sugar. When it bubbles, pour it into a greased tray and let sit to cool for 2 minutes. Then gentle lay in the rolls and cover for a second proofing.
Once the rolls double in size, you can stick the tray into the fridge (covered) for breakfast baking the next day, or put it straight into a 350 F oven for all of 40 mins.
Either way, be prepared for some serious sniffing when the rolls start to perfume your house with smells of sugar and spice!
