Pies

Grand Marnier Strawberry Dulce De Leche Pie

July 26, 2019 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

This Post was sponsored by Paderno. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was tempted to name this pie “Strawboffee.” Doesn’t seem to roll off the tongue as well as Banoffee does it. But in all fairness, I wanted to pay homage to the infamous British pie the Banoffee: a portmanteau of its two main ingredients. Bananas and toffee.

So instead I called it a Strawberry Dulce de Leche Pie which doesn’t do the tart justice. But I couldn’t name it “Crushed digestive cookie crust, layered with a rich dulce de leche, with red strawberries macerated in Grand Marnier, topped up with a massive fluffy cloud of Chantilly cream and shaved chocolate Pie,” now could I?

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In this recipe, I made the dulce de leche by cooking the milk slowly in a Bain-Marie. Feel free to make your own homemade dulce de leche or boiling down the can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot. Frankly, I have never tried doing the method of boiling the entire can for an hour. I’ve read a few horror stories of it exploding mid boll! If you do boil the can please make sure the can of condensed milk is constantly and fully submerged in the boiling pot of water the entire time it is boiling. About 1 hour to boil is what I read online. The trick I’ve used below is cooking the condensed milk in the oven for an hour and a half in a Bain-Marie, a hot water bath. To slowly and evenly cook the condensed milk into a thick caramel toffee. …

SweeTango Apple, Chèvre and Cardamom Tart (refined sugar free)

October 2, 2018 By stemsandforks 1 Comment

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with SweeTango. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Apples are the most cultivated and universally recognized fruit and perhaps one of the oldest that has existed on earth. It’s also arguably the most written about fruit in fables, religion and myths. It has been symbolized as both good and evil.

In the western world, we know the story of Adam and Eve in the Old Testament, where the serpent tempts man to eat the forbidden fruit thereby starting the fall of man and the Christian definition of sin. Irish folklore has it that if a woman peels the skin of the apple in one continuous ribbon and tosses it over her shoulder then the initials of her future husband will appear. And the Trojan War? Well, the idea of Troy tossing the golden apple to the chosen goddess soon evolved to an ancient Greek tradition of throwing an apple to the one you love.

SweeTango apples available early October to mid November. See SweeTango.com for a retailer near you

It’s no wonder this beloved fruit has been developed and bred into such amazing varieties. One favourite variety of mine is SweeTango. Grown in Canada exclusively for the Canadian market, SweetTango is a premium apple variety famed for its crisp, sweet, tangy and juicy bite. SweeTango also holds the Guinness World Record for “Loudest Crunch of an Apple” (March 2016) The bite registered at an impressive 79.1 decibels. To put things in perspective, a normal conversation clocks in at 60 decibels and a vacuum or kitchen blender 70-80 decibels (according to American Speech-Language Hearing Association)

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Pear and Rhubarb Galette with a Chai Tea Caramel Sauce

May 2, 2017 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

I honestly thought this would be an odds and sods kinda dessert. Two pears, a couple stalks of rhubarb, a bag of tea…nothing special. So I thought. I was in for a surprise. The flakey crust, the sweet (pear and caramel) and the tart (rhubarb) with the soft perfume and spice from the chai was exquisite. And of course, sprinkled with a few chopped walnuts and its a party.

The only suggestion I have is roll the rhubarb if you have time. It took time to roll these slippery babies up and tie together. My pinky fingers are still a bit stiff. The idea originated from my days as a florist and rolling leaves up, tying with grass and accenting floral arrangements. Not as easy when somethings so small and wet. But the result I have to admits was gorgeous.

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Apple Raspberry Pie With Pistachio Crust

February 6, 2017 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

Learning how to bake for me was not always so idyllic. You’ll quickly catch on to this if you read my first blog. I learned the hard way – by myself, through trial and error.

The first time I made a pie, it was like a mammoth pimple with an ungodly slime (which was the sorry excuse for the filling), that oozed out from every crevice of the crust. It was impossible to cut through with a fork and too leathery to chew. Epic failure. The second time it looked better but the scalloped crust had shrunk and the filling ended up all over the bottom of the oven. There was also an inch-high pool of juice in my pie pan after I cut a slice. Consecutive attempts continued to render fails. At times, the pie would look like a fruit geyser, or the dough would fall apart in my hands while crimping the edge. But without fail, the crust was always tough and leathery when chewing. I didn’t get it. I could bake so many other things with such ease and success. Why was pie so hard to make?

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Berry Galette Picnic

January 20, 2017 By stemsandforks 1 Comment

It’s been tried, tested and its definitely true. Kids will be more willing to eat unfamiliar foods if they have a hand in helping to make it. I won’t get into all the tedious facts and stats about the nutritional value of berries, as we all know by now, they’re super healthy and chock-full of vitamins. So I found it fitting to make berry galettes with the kids last weekend. It was incredible. My 2 year old son Georges who doesn’t take instruction very well was so eager to follow his older sister’s lead on how to roll the dough, then toss the berries in. Some of the galettes may have had a bit too much sugar or one too many berries. But they all turned out super great and delicious once baked.

Some tips to ensure this activity is fun and clean-up is minimal:

-To lay your biggest table cloth on the floor and have the kids assemble on top.

-Make the dough the night before.

-Have your kids roll them out on cutting boards or cheeseboards

-Spread everything out on the floor

-Have the starch and sugar premixed in a bowl with a laddle or wooden spoon( I separated the starch and sugar…oops!)

-have the fruits in separate bowls and spread them out

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