STEMS & FORKS

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

December 26, 2016 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

The amount of chocolate, cookies and sweets we receive each Christmas is just out of this world. So much so that even I, the biggest sweet tooth just cannot handle all this saccharin. I awoke yesterday, Christmas morning with the biggest sugar hangover. I couldn’t even look at my coveted Neuhaus chocolates my mother in law Monique sent all the way from Belgium. Despite my hangover, I still craved something baked. Nothing too sweet but something slightly crumbly and moist that would go well with my strong coffee. Cinnamon streusel coffee cake is all of the above.

After preparing the batter and popping it into the oven, I took Roxie our yellow lab for a walk, made a fresh pot of coffee from beans I smuggled in from Knokke, Belgium and set the table for breakfast. Timing was perfect. The cinnamon aroma wafted throughout the house and woke the whole family up. It’s hard to ignore the smell of cinnamon. I remember a realtor once telling me to bake something with cinnamon before an open house as it’ll increase the value and sale of our home. Needless to say I baked cinnamon streusel coffee cake and staged it on a beautiful vintage cake tray. Our home sold that very same day.

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Ricotta Cheesecake with White Chocolate and Pine Nuts

December 20, 2016 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

My dear children Moineau and Georges have both been home sick for days up till yesterday with fevers, chills coughs… As any mother, I’ve had sleepless nights. Between checking their temperature, giving meds and hearing their poor coughing and cries, its been hard to have a good nights sleep for the whole family. It’s Tuesday December 20th now and I’m two blogs behind, Christmas shopping still not done, and now sick as a dog.

Yet I don’t feel stressed. At least not compared to when I had my flower shop. This time of year was hell for me in the past. It was non-stop starting November 1st until Christmas eve. It felt like the phone never stopped ringing, my inbox was always full and my fingers were permanently black from all the various evergreen saps. There was never enough hours in the day. I remember arranging client outdoor planters before the crack of dawn, using my truck head lights as makeshift lighting since the sun had not yet risen.

This year will be my third Christmas without the business. Being behind on a bit of shopping doesn’t concern me. But I have to admit, skipping a couple blogs does. So last night when the kids were sleeping, I began to bake. I decided ricotta cheesecake with white chocolate and pine nuts because its a cake that needs to be refrigerated for a few hours and still tastes great a few days later. Perfect for later when we’re all feeling better.

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Rolled Sugar Cookies with Lemon Glaze Icing

December 14, 2016 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

I have been accused many times of being a cookie monster. Without any exaggeration, I can quite easily consume a dozen or so cookies in one sitting. I can see my family and friends nodding their heads right now. Honestly, cookies are so deceiving. They’re presented as cute little entities that are about 3 bite sizes or less. After eating 6 or so, I tell myself, “It’s fine Betty. Cookies are small.” And so I continue eating until someone stops me. Usually it’s my 10 year old daughter demanding I save some for her.

With the holiday season approaching, I don’t hold myself back at all. This is the time to indulge, enjoy and share. Normally I bake about 4 different types of cookies right about now and bake 3 dozen of each. I have rotating baking trays out on my front porch cooling with Roxie my trusty yellow Labrador on the lookout for any pesky and hungry squirrels or birds. She barks as soon as something comes remotely close. Even a blowing leaf.

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Korean Pear Galette

December 12, 2016 By stemsandforks 2 Comments

With in-laws living in Waterloo, Belgium we usually spend a couple weeks in the summer to visit so my husband Pierre can get his fix of Belgian cuisine whilst the in-laws enjoy their grandkids. Pierre has now been living in Toronto for 12 years and gets home-sick every now and then. Well, its mainly the food he misses. As do I. Once there, he easily eats the tomate aux crevettes grises (small, grey, flavour-packed shrimps prepared in a hollowed tomato), or Américain préparé (Belgian version of steak tartare) daily for lunch. Then of course there’s Belgian street food – frites with so many different sauces (Samurai and Américaine sauce are our faves), Mitraillette (a baguette with meat or sausage, topped with, grated carrots, lettuce and French fries smothered with Andalouse sauce) and my daughter’s favourite, Belgian waffles.

For those of you who haven’t been to Belgium, its one of those countries where the majority of the restaurants and street foods are consistently excellent. There are way more hits than misses. After personally experiencing the food and culture, its easy to understand why a Belgian expat would become home sick. I often find myself craving certain restaurants or dishes from Belgium. Not to mention even basic groceries such as their high fat butter and fresh eggs with sunset hued yolks.

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Double Chocolate Torte With Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing

December 9, 2016 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

I have this recurring nightmare that’s been haunting me for decades. I’m in a bakery surrounded by delectable and mouthwatering mounds of pastries. Croissants, tarts, brioche and muffins piled high in baskets and platters in varying hues of browns and beiges. I can see steam wafting from the butter croissants and fresh icing still runny, dripping off the danishes. It’s one of the most beautiful and delicious sights ever. I’m overwhelmed by the wondrous selection and I can’t decide which to eat first. Chocolate torte first? Then I won’t have space for the tarts. I’m so torn. This indecisiveness goes on and on and feels as if the entire night of dreaming is spent trying to decide which pastry to taste first. Then the dream becomes a nightmare. I awake without having made a choice. My indecisiveness leaves me empty handed. As I’d slowly awake to reality, I’d be filled with regret for not having sunk my teeth into one of those heavenly pastries.

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