20 June 2016 Watermelon Strawberry Sangria

Watermelon Strawberry Sangria

June 20, 2016 By

Watermelon DrinkI simply find cold watermelon to be one of the most refreshing things on hot summer days and love to incorporate it in drinks, both alcoholic and not.

In this version of traditional sangria, I use watermelon and some ripe, sweet summer strawberries.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds watermelon, ideally seedless, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 10 medium strawberries, stemmed and cored
  • 1 750-ml bottle of dry white wine, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc are good options
  • 1 cup Vodka
  • 4 ounces triple sec
  • 4 ounces simple syrup
  • Lime wedges, optional

Directions:

  1. In a blender, purée the watermelon and strawberries until smooth, about 1 minute. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and add to a pitcher. Add the white wine, the Vodka, the triple sec and the simple syrup. Stir then refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.
  2. When ready to serve, stir the mixture and pour into ice-filled glasses. Garnish with lime wedges, if using.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Cocktails, Fruits Tagged With: , , , , , ,
1 December 2015 Apple Pear Pie

Apple Pear Pie

December 1, 2015 By

Today begins my “12 Days of Baked Goods”.

Apple Pear PieLast week, my Facebook (and likely yours too) sort of blew up with all kinds of fantastic food photos from my friends and family. While many dishes looked incredible, one that especially caught my eye was my friend Marge Imms’ Apple Pear Pie. While I tend not to love apple pie, I like pears a lot, so I thought this combo would be perfect!

Many thanks to Marge for sharing this recipe she found in Southern Living from November 1998 and modified to her liking.

Ingredients for the apple/pear mixture:

  • 6-7 Granny Smith apples (Gala or Rome apples may be substituted for Granny Smith)
  • 6-7 Bartlett pears (Bosc or Anjou pears may be substituted for Bartlett)
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tsp.
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 egg with a little water, whisked to combine
  • Two 9” pie crusts, homemade or store-bought

Apple/pear mixture directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place the bottom crust into a 9” pie plate, place in the refrigerator.
  3. Peel and thinly slice the apples and pears
  4. Put butter and 1 cup of sugar in large skillet and melt over medium heat.
  5. Put in the apples/pears and cook about 5 minutes.
  6. Transfer the apples/pears with a slotted spoon over the crust in the chilled pie plate, leaving the sugar/butter mixture in the pan.
  7. Cover with top pie crust and brush pie top with egg wash and sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar.
  8. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pie is golden brown.

Caramel sauce directions:

  1. Continue cooking the butter/sugar mixture for about 10 minutes more.
  2. Serve pie slices with caramel sauce and whipped cream (optional)

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , , ,
12 March 2015 Meyer Lemon Madelaines

Meyer Lemon Madelaines

March 12, 2015 By

Meyer LemonsI just can’t help myself when I see Meyer lemons in the grocery store – I need to get them! Does it matter I had no plans to bake last weekend? No! I went ahead and bought a big bag of the bright yellow, juicy and sweet lemons.

While I would typically go for my standard Meyer Lemon Tart, I was in the mood for cookies, so when I saw this recipe by The Little Kitchen, I jumped at the chance to try my antique madeleine pan.

One tip, you might be tempted to overfill the madeleine pan with batter – don’t! You want a somewhat thin cookie that’ll be crisp on the outside (see photo below). Also, if you have two madeleine pans, you can bake all the cookies at once. I only have one pan, so I need to bake one batch, wait for the pan to cool then rebutter and flour for the second batch.

Right amount of batter

Right amount of batter

Madelaines Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ Tbsp. zest of two Meyer lemons
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 Tbsp. Meyer lemon juice
  • ½ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt

Meyer Lemon Glaze Ingredients:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. Meyer lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. milk
Glazed Meyer Lemon Madelaines

Glazed Meyer Lemon Madelaines

Madelaines Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a madeleine pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt). Set aside.
  3. In another medium bowl, add sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract and mix together with a rubber spatula. Using a whisk, add the eggs, one at a time, to the sugar mixture. Whisk in melted butter, lemon juice and the Greek yogurt. In two batches, fold in flour mixture being careful not to over combine. Chill the batter for 5 to 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
  4. Using a teaspoon as a measure, spoon batter into Madeleine pan cavities. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes.
  5. Cool for 1 minute then flip over onto a baking rack and allow to cool for two minutes. Once cool enough to handle, wash you pan, butter and flour it and bake the second dozen cookies.  

Meyer Lemon Glaze Directions (While the cookies cool, make the glaze):

  1. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk and whisk until a smooth glaze has formed, about 1 minute.
  2. Drip the glaze over the cookies with a spoon and serve immediately. If storing cookies, don’t add glaze until ready to serve. Cookies are best when served right after baking.

Makes 2 dozen madelaines.

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Eggs, French, Fruits Tagged With: , , ,
9 March 2015 Blackberry Overnight Oatmeal in a Jar

Blackberry Overnight Oatmeal in a Jar

March 9, 2015 By

Blackberry Oatmeal in a JarYes, I admit, I’m slightly addicted to overnight oatmeal…..any oatmeal actually. It’s just such a comforting little number to start one day’s with.

While I’ve shared the recipe for overnight cold oatmeal in a previous post, I wanted to show how it looks when you make it with blackberries – YUM!!

Please let me know via Facebook or Twitter if you try this simple and delish recipe!

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Breakfast, Fruits Tagged With: , ,
18 December 2014 Easy Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal

Easy Blueberry Overnight Oatmeal

December 18, 2014 By

Oats PreparationI’ve been enjoying HOT overnight oatmeal for a few years now and I’d been curious about all the cold versions I’d been seeing on Pinterest (are we connected there by the way?).

I finally made cold blueberry overnight oatmeal and it’s FANTASTIC!! Couldn’t be simpler, mix everything in a canning jar, shake and store in the fridge overnight. I had blueberries on hand so I used those, but you can use just about any fruit you have and enjoy.  

I ate the cold oatmeal right out of the jar one morning and spooned in a dish with a drizzle of Quebec maple syrup the next day – both were super!

Oatmeal in a Jar

Oatmeal in a Jar

Ingredients

  • ½ cup old fashioned oats (not quick or steel cut oats)
  • ½ cup milk (I used low fat, but you could use almond or soy if you prefer)
  • 4 ounces plain Greek yogurt (you could use a flavored version also)
  • 2 drops pure vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp. chia seeds (optional)
  • ¼ cup fresh blueberries (could be frozen and thawed too)
Oatmeal in a Dish with Maple Syrup

Oatmeal in a Dish with Maple Syrup

Instructions

  1. In an 8-ounce canning jar (or other container with a tight-fitting lid) add the oats, milk, yogurt, vanilla and chia seeds. Place the lid on the jar and shake well to combine all the ingredients.
  2. Top the mixture with the blueberries, cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

Makes one serving.

Filed Under: American, Breakfast, Fruits, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,
11 July 2014 Elegant Key Lime Tart

Elegant Key Lime Tart

July 11, 2014 By

Key Lime TartThis weekend, I was invited to brunch at a friend’s summer home. Since I’m the known baker in my group, I was asked to bring dessert when I inquired as to what I could bring.

To some, that might be an inconvenience, for me, having an excuse to bake is super.

Key Lime Tart 2Since it was a gorgeous warm day and my local grocer had key limes, I decided to make my Zesty Key Lime Tart which always gets good reviews. To switch things up a bit, I opted to use my new 14 x 5 tart pan with a removable bottom. It turned out so cute and I even did fancy meringue piping which looked darling.

Funny how switching up a pan can totally change the whole presentation of a dessert. By the way, I used the exact same measurements as for my round tart version.

For an easy and very summery dessert, give this tart a try.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Eggs, Fruits Tagged With: , , ,

5th Annual Food & Wine Chickie LobsterFest

July 8, 2014 By

LobsterThis past weekend, I hosted my annual Lobsterfest on one of the nicest evenings of the season. I must be living well as I got cloudless skies and 75 degree weather.

This year, I started our meal with one of my favorite summer shareable dishes, simply-grilled bread with a spread of sheep’s milk ricotta drizzled with good Greek olive oil, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and salt and pepper. It could also be made with farm-fresh cow’s milk ricotta. It’s light and flavorful – a winning combination.

Ricotta Spread

Ricotta Spread

My starter was a crisp, ice-cold wedge with blue cheese dressing then topped with yellow chopped tomatoes and crispy bacon. While not very original, my guests commented on how great the super cold salad was on a warm evening.

The main course, of course, was Maine lobsters. My guy sets up a giant pot over a propane-fueled burner and we cook the crustaceans outdoor preventing my home from smelling like a seafood market for days – I highly recommend this technique if you can swing it.

Wedge

Wedge

I’ve shared the perfect way to boil lobsters in the past (Lobster Boiling 101), it’s an oldie but a goodie. I served my 2 1/2 pound lobsters simply with Basmati rice right out of the steamer and my family’s prized Lemon Butter Sauce.

For dessert, and to continue with the Maine theme, I made a Crumb Top Blueberry Pie – what a gorgeous and delicious pie!!! I’ll be fixing this again over the summer as it was simply outstanding.

Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Pie

All in all, it was a great summer night spent with dear friends that reminded me a bit of summers spent in Maine during my youth. It’s making me look forward to going to the Maine shore in a couple weeks even more.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Desserts, Entrees, Fruits, Seafood, Sides, Starters Tagged With: , , , ,
7 July 2014 Crumb Top Blueberry Pie

Crumb Top Blueberry Pie

July 7, 2014 By
Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Pie

Every July I host a lobster party and since the crustaceans I serve are from Maine, I always find a way to make a dessert with blueberries as those just scream “MAINE” to me. Since I live in New Jersey, I have some of the best blueberries I could hope for (get it, garden state?).

This year, I knew I wanted to serve a blueberry pie but I also was drawn to a cobbler so I combined both and made a crumb top blueberry pie.

This is the very best blueberry pie I’ve had or made and I’d love to hear your feedback if you make it.

Crump Topping Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup light-brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 ½ sticks chilled butter, cut into pieces

Pie Ingredients

  • 3 pints (6 cups) cups blueberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • Fail-Proof Pie Crust
  • ½ recipe of crumb topping

Crumb Topping Directions

  1. In a bowl, mix, flour, light-brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and cinnamon.
  2. With your hands, work butter pieces in the flour mixture until large clumps form. Divide mixture in half and freeze half the mixture in a plastic storage bag.

Pie Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Combine the blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice and salt. Pour the blueberry mixture into the pie crust and sprinkle with half a recipe Crumb Topping.
  3. Place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet and place in the lower third of the oven. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees and bake until crust browns and blueberries are bubbling, 90 minutes. If the crumb topping or crust is browning too quickly, tent with foil.
  4. Let cool 6 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

Inspired by this recipe.

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , ,
22 April 2014 Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Top Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Top Pie

April 22, 2014 By

Rhubarb PieEver since my grandma cut stalks of rhubarb from her garden, peeled them, sprinkled some sugar on them and fed them to my sister and me as kids, I’ve had this love for the spring vegetable.

FruitsThis pie truly covers all bases, slight tartness from the rhubarb, sweetness from the strawberries, flaky crust and great texture from the crumb top. Don’t be intimidated to try this pie because of the pie crust, the following recipe calls for a crust made in the food processor that’s a breeze to make….or, just get a store-bought crust!

Sugared Fruit

Sugared Fruit

Crumb Top Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Pie Ingredients:

  • 9” Pie crust, unbaked
  • 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups rhubarb, cut into ¾” pieces
  • 2 cups strawberries, halved (or quartered if large)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • ¼ tsp. salt

Crumb Top Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt.
  2. Using your fingertips, incorporate the butter with the flour until large clumps form. Chill, covered, until ready to use.
Crumb Top

Crumb Top

Pie Directions:

  1. Place pie crust in a 9” pie plate and refrigerate for one hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  3. In a large bowl, toss the rhubarb and strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Let sit for 15 minutes then pour into pie crust. Sprinkle crumb top mixture over the berries/rhubarb.
  4. Place pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until topping is browned and crust is lightly browned, about 1 1/2 hours. (If topping or crust begins to brown too quickly, tent with foil.) Cool before serving.

8 servings.

Adapted from this recipe.

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Fruits, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , ,
24 March 2014 Maple Fondue

Maple Fondue

March 24, 2014 By

Maple FondueAnother simple yet tasty maple recipe to help celebrate sugaring season. This fondue is great with fruit and other products typically served with chocolate fondue.

Recipe is courtesy of my aunt, Francoise.

Ingredients :

  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. corn starch
  • 2 cups light cream
  • Fruits for dipping

Directions :

  1. In a heavy, medium pot over medium heat, simmer the maple syrup for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Set aside for later use.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the corn starch with 3 tablespoons of cold light cream.
  3. In another medium pot, bring the rest of the light cream to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  4. Add the hot cream to the maple syrup and whisk over medium heat until fully combined. Raise the heat to medium-high and once the maple/cream mixture comes to a simmer, add the corn starch mixture. Whisk until thickened, about 3 minutes.
  5. Place the maple mixture in a fondue pot over a heat source and serve with various fruits.

Serves 6 people.

Filed Under: Canadian, Desserts, Fruits, Maple Syrup Tagged With: , ,
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