Monthly Archives

May 2015

Desserts, Sweet Snacks

“Midnight at Kezar Lake” Pie (Blueberry Blackberry Mint)

I am “up to Camp”, as one says in New England-ish, this weekend. So I am packing up Ludwig (yes, my car is named Ludwig van Volkswagon) and headed north from the steamy city. New England, after our brutal winter, skipped spring altogether and it’s been summertime hot for the good part of a week. No complaints, though I do have to put in my air conditioners soon, lest I have to stop baking in the heat. And never one to arrive empty handed, here is the pie I made.

This pie title and idea with the “stars” is based on a pie that I saw somewhere on the intertubes called Midnight in Paris Pie. Of course, they don’t really have pies in French desserts (tarts, yes … pies, not so much) and it was just someone using the cut out stars to decorate a “plain” blueberry pie. I went for the berry combo to make it a little “darker” and then added the mint. You don’t actually taste the mint too much but it does have a nice freshening effect.

I officially declare it summer then, eh? [grin]
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Breads, Breakfast/Brunch

Spiced Maple and Brown Sugar Pull Apart Bread

If you are a frequent visitor of my website, you will have noticed that lately I have been into making these “crazy breads” aka “pull-apart breads”. While really no different than any other sweet breads for breakfast, I think that they are visually pleasing and actually, I like the texture as there are some bits that are crunchy and some that are soft. This one went a little overboard on the “going crazy” part though and over-ran the pan. All’s well that ends well though and it was no worse for wear.
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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Maple Toffee Bit Florentine-Style Oatmeal Cookies, with White Chocolate Mini Chips

I really like Florentine-style chocolate chip cookies … the thin and crispy kind. The trick to this, I think, is to make the dough and then make the cookies straight away. Letting it cool in the refrigerator firms up the butter again and then you get more “puff” to the cookies themselves. These, while not really chocolate chip cookies as their primary flavor, definitely are florentine style. The toffee bits make them even crispier. Quite yummy, if I do say so myself.

As an aside, maple extract is my new favorite flavor. If you can’t find the extract, simply boil down some syrup until it is thicker and more concentrated. Just be careful when you are doing that, as you don’t want to cause a “burned pan” disaster.
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Dinner, Lunch

Baby Back Ribs with Roasted Peach and Smokey Bacon Barbeque Sauce

After last summer’s success of my Barbeque Sauces, I was itching to make some more and seeing it is the “unofficial start to summer” this weekend (Memorial Day), I made this Roasted Peach and Smokey Bacon BBQ Sauce. And these ribs, which are the real star of the show. They were so “fall off the bone” by the time that I was transferring them to the grill, I needed to gingerly use two sets of thongs. The trick with oven smoking them is definitely the Lapsang Souchong tea. It is naturally smokey so it just enhances the flavor like crazy. They take a long time (read the entire recipe before starting!) but boy, are they worth it!
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