Easter Sugar Cookies with Blueberry Icing

The title says it all. The sugar cookie recipe is Martha's and the icing is mine. I used up the last of my vanilla sugar in the cookies and although the recipe already requires vanilla extract the extra vanilla only made them better. The icing was colored with blueberries. I heated a handful in the microwave and then passed them through a fine mesh sieve. I blended together icing sugar (250 ml / 1 cup), and cream (15 ml / 1 tablespoon) to get a stiff paste, and then added the blueberry juice a teaspoon at a time to obtain the color I wanted while taking care not to make the icing too loose. If the icing is still too stiff add a few drops more of the blueberry juice or cream (depending on what hue you want).

We applied the blueberry icing with toothpicks. It got a little crazy with the decorative elements, but I just let the kids go and then vacuumed. We used some crushed up all natural candy cane to decorate several so that my son could have a few. I keep meaning to order some all natural sprinkles! At this point I have until Christmas.

A little bit of spring...



My kids in the playground on Simon River &
some lovely crocuses peeping through

Gingerbread Cookie Dough

Here is a gingerbread cookie dough recipe that I make unfailingly every holiday season.  It is a very flavorful recipe with a dough that is easy to handle.  It's a great cookie dough recipe to make, and decorate with children. I make mine a little thinner than the traditional cookie as I like them quite crunchy, but if you vary the cooking time you can have a softer cookie if desired. The yield varies depending on the size of your cookie cutters, but you should be able to get about 45 medium sized gingerbread men. Gingerbread cookies are a great Christmas Bazaar Bake Sale staple as well.

Gingerbread Cookie Dough
(45 medium gingerbread men or women) 

• 680 ml (2 3/4 cups) all purpose flour
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground ginger
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
• 2,5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) ground cloves
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) baking powder
• 3,5 ml (3/4 teaspoon) baking soda
• 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) salt
• 1/4 cup (60 g) vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup (60 g) unsalted butter
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) molasses
• 1 large egg

• Whisk together all dry ingredients. Cream vegetable shortening, butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add molasses and beat well. Do the same with egg. Fold in dry ingredients until well blended. Wrap and chill dough for at least 4 hours or overnight. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes, and bake in a pre-heated 170 C (350 F) oven for approximately 9 minutes. Vary the cooking time according to your preference: Longer for a hard cookie or shorter for a softer cookie. Let cool completely, and decorate as desired.

Royal Icing

(Adapted from Joy of Baking)

• 2 large egg whites
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups (330 grams) icing sugar, sifted

Method:

• Beat the eggs and lemon juice until well combined.  Beat in the icing sugar in small batches to avoid a mess until well combined.  Use immediately as icing dries quickly.  If the icing is too hard add a little water or if it is too loose add a little more icing sugar.

(above photos taken Christmas 2008)

Halloween Witch Finger Cookies

I just made these, and will hide them away until Saturday. At that time I will dip the stump ends in strained raspberry jam. Some use red food coloring to great effect, but we avoid artificial food coloring around here because of my son's apparent allergic reaction (hives). Use peeled almonds as nails. Shape the cookie dough into fingers that are a  little thinner than you want them to be as they puff slightly during cooking. Press the almonds into the end of fingers. Bake them in the center of the oven. I would put the timer on for 8 minutes, and check then every minute after that until they are slightly golden at bottom. The recipe for the sugar cookie dough is taken from Allrecipes.

I also made a glaze for some cut-out cookies using a reduction of carrot juice mixed with icing sugar. It gives a vibrant orange, but tastes distinctly carroty so beware vegetable haters! Just reduce 250 ml (1 cup) of carrot juice to 45 ml (3 tablespoons). Add icing sugar until the desired consistency is reached.

Carrot glaze on cat with artificial color free Smarties

Lunch Ideas : Pumpkin Cookies

Some of the food styling I have done recently was for a film with much of the action set in the 1970's. For this project I had to crack open the cookbooks from my early childhood to get some visuals. What I learned is that lemons and parsley were virtually the only garnish, and that maraschino cherries adorned the top of many a dessert. Cookies are cookies though, and a good cookie recipe is eternal.

It's pumpkin time again, and I love any dessert containing them. I know that pumpkin is a love it or hate ingredient, and that about half the people at any holiday gathering will not touch that pumpkin pie, while the other more evolved half will devour the pie, making up for those bizarre pumpkin haters.

Here is a great pumpkin cookie recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Cookies Cook Book, published in 1975. They are soft and cakey like molasses drops and full of spice and pumpkiny goodness.

Pumpkin Cookies

• 500 ml (2 cups) unsalted butter
• 500 ml (2 cups) granulated white sugar
• 500 ml (16 ounces) pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) vanilla
• 1 l (4 cups) all purpose flour
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) baking powder
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) baking soda
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
• 2,5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) ground all spice
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt
• 500 ml (2 cups) raisin
• 250 ml (1 cup) chopped nuts

• Pre-heat oven to 175C (350F).

• Cream butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla; beat well. In a large bowl whisk together  flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, all spice and salt. Add to batter: mix well. Stir in raisins and nuts. Drop rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake cookies on middle rack of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on rack. If desired, frost with vanilla frosting. Makes 7 dozen.

• I made my cookies larger (2 teaspoons of cookie dough each), and I used a small scoop for easy portioning. I also forgo the nuts because I am sending them in my sons' lunch box and nuts are not allowed (as is usually the case). This recipe turns out a lot of cookies so care packages may be in order.

Photo from Cookies Cook Book

Good times and big hair for mom....should she be near an oven with all that hairpsray?

Squash on the net:

Please check out the photo for this recipe. What an easy photogenic creation:

Gourmet's Parmesan Custard Tart With Butternut Squash

Try this soup...

Pumpkin soup (sorry not pics!)

Easter Brunch Menu

My family will be attending a brunch on Sunday at Grandmaman's (my husband's mom),  followed by an Easter dinner at Nana's (my mom). Both will serve ham...god help us! Yes we will remember to drink lots of water! I have been asked to bring nothing for the brunch, and so like a true Quebecer I will bring wine, which will be white, and Easter candy for nieces. For the dinner I will be bringing a Lime Charlotte Mousse and a bottle of white as well.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we are hosting a little brunch ourselves for a few friends who will be nowhere near family for this holiday weekend.

Easter Brunch Menu

• Crepes with maple syrup, raspberry coulis and or chocolate sauce
• Croissant with raspberry jam
• Individual eggs baked in oven in a muffin tin with a pancetta layer, a red pepper layer an egg layer and then finally cheese. I'll write that one out when I've made it and post it for next time.
• Creton (with no MSG or preservatives)
• Sausage (caseless and preservative free)
• Homemade bakes beans (not from my home but from a bakery)
• Melon slices
• Juices, coffee and tea

A friend will be bringing fruit.

Crêpe recipe

• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

• In a bowl mix all ingredients well with a whisk and let batter rest at room temperature (about an hour). In a well seasoned crêpe pan or cast iron pan cook crepes 1 at a time. Makes 8 large crêpes.

Click here and watch how to make a crêpe!

I want to add my homemade scones to the menu but I just do not think I will have time to get it all ready by 11am with the kids and all. Update: I did have the time and they turned out well! The recipe I used is Classic Currant Scones from Joy of cooking. The recipe link brings you to Classic scones which is the same recipe minus currants. Add a 1/2 cup of currants or raisins before you add wet ingredients.

And classic to any holiday celebration where photos will be taken : my daughter fell face first into a table Thursday (she is fine), but she has one of the worst bruises I have ever seen. We have been calling her Rocky.

Miss Bruisy McGee and brother... Happy Easter!

Carrot Pickle & Fried Baby Eggplant with a Quick Spicy Salsa

Last Saturday morning I was rushing about Jean-Talon Market (in Montreal, Quebec), looking for decorative food for a food styling job I had that day, when I felt suddenly compelled to stop and take in the loveliness of a fall harvest: piles of carrots of various color, different types of radishes and parsnips, all stacked up roots facing out. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so I had to bring some of the lovely specimens home. I also bought a small bag of photogenic baby eggplant

Multi-Colored Carrot Pickle

• 7 or 8 medium sized carrots of various colors, washed peeled (if necessary) and julienned
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) apple cider vinegar
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) maple syrup
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• To taste salt and pepper
  

• Toss the lot in a bowl a couple of hours before eating and leave the pickle at room temperature. Serve as a salad or as a replacement for coleslaw.

As for the baby eggplant I decided to deep fry them because its' just a great way to prepare eggplant...as well as most anything else you can think of. I rarely use deep frying as a cooking technique, but when I do I try to take my time and do it properly: regulating the temperature of the oil etc. When using an egg and flour mixture all I can say is do not use your hands if possible, (I use a fork). If you must: designate one hand for dry and one hand for wet or you will end up with a mess.

Quick Spicy Salsa

(serves 4) 

• 3 medium sized tomatoes, blanched and peeled, seeded and cut into small chunks
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine
• 1 clove garlic, chopped fine
• To taste salt and pepper

• Take the first 5 ingredients and mix together. Let stand at room temperature until ready to serve with eggplant. Season to taste.

Deep Fried Eggplant

(serves 4 as an appetizer)

• 8 baby eggplant, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
• Sufficient quantity salt
• Sufficient quantity canola or peanut oil
• 1 egg
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) whole milk
• Sufficient quantity all purpose flour
  
• Sufficient quantity salt and freshly cracked pepper

• Toss the sliced eggplant in a generous amount of salt and place in a colander over a bowl or sink. Let the eggplant sit for half an hour to allow the salt to remove some of the moisture. Rinse the slices of salt and pat dry. Heat the oil on medium high in a small sauce pan. If you have a candy thermometer take care to not let the oil go above 350F. If eyeballing it do not let the oil smoke and turn it down to medium when it seems hot enough or test by dipping in a slice of eggplant. In a shallow dish whisk the egg and milk together. Pour the flour in another shallow dish, add salt and freshly cracked pepper. Flour the slices, then dip them in the egg mixture and then flour them again. Prepare them as needed putting no more than 3-4 slices at a time in the oil if using a small sauce pan (too many will bring the oil's temperature down too much and the result will be soggy oily eggplant). When the eggplant slices turn slightly golden (approximately 5 minutes), remove them with a fork and drain the cooked eggplant of a paper towel. Continue until all slices are cooked and serve immediately with the salsa or hot sauce.