The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of The Food Network.

I wrote a post a little while ago about how things just seemed to be a bit off for me in the kitchen. Unhappily, that trend has continued.

I don’t really know what’s wrong, but it’s really bothering me. It seems as though lately, when I bake or cook something, it’s just off. Recipes don’t turn out the way I expect or even worse, I make mistakes while preparing something.

For example, just a few days ago, I made a silly mistake that cost me one-and-a-half pounds of butter, six eggs and a whole lot of almond flour.

That one hurt. Maybe I’ll work up the will to tell you about it soon. Maybe not.

I’ve spent a lot of time wondering what’s wrong and I’ve came to the realization that when your heart’s not in it, it just doesn’t work.

And my heart just hasn’t been in it lately. I’m tired. I feel like I’ve spread myself a bit thin in certain areas and it’s all manifest in the fact that I haven’t felt much like baking or cooking.

You can’t force desire. If you do, you end up with mediocrity.

So I’ve just let myself be. I’ve simplifed things. I’m not going to force myself to test eight different recipes in one weekend when all I really want to do is sit outside with these books.

When it’s DB challenge time, I almost always try the recipes on the weekend and I’ll cram in tonnes of other baking at the same time.

I’ll push out four or five different products and bring them all to work on a Monday.

Not this time.

This time, I just focussed on one small thing. I made the Milan Cookies and the Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies that were the challenge put forth by this month’s host: Nicole of Sweet Tooth.

I mixed and stirred and piped and baked and snapped some photos. And wouldn’t you know, they turned out really well.

I still don’t feel like I’m my usual self in the kitchen, but these cookies turned out nicely.

I was happy. I even started thinking about what to bake next and I haven’t felt like that in quite a few weeks now.

No matter what, you have to keep the faith.

Ciao!

The original recipes for the Milan Cookies and the Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies are Gale Gand via The Food Network.

Vegetarians, look away.

In several Magazine Mondays posts I’ve mentioned what a wonderful article that appeared in the March 2009 Food & Wine issue called “How to Cook Like you Own an Italian Villa“.

I’ve tried pretty much all the recipes from that article and loved them all. I would have to say that by far, the family favourite, is the Balsamic and Rosemary-Marinated Florentine Steak. One of Tuscany’s most famous “dishes” is the Bistecca alla Fiorentina.

In North America, steak is a way of life in some parts but I know that when I’ve been in Italy, there doesn’t seem to be the same focus on barbecuing meat (at least not among my family). However, I have had many people in Italy tell me that if I’m ever in Tuscany, I should take the time to try the authentic Bistecca alla Fiorentina. My understanding is that what makes this particular steak so special is the meat, which comes from the Chianina breed of cattle.

The first time that I tried the recipe I was a bit intimidated because I’ve never cooked a steak this large (three pounds). But I gamely made the trek to my butcher and lugged my three-pound porterhouse home. After marinating it overnight, we grilled it up and finished it in the oven.

Needless to say we were in carnivore heaven! I cannot recommend this recipe highly enough!

It being another edition of Magazine Mondays, I’m happy to be joined by the following people who tackled a recipe in their magazine pile:

Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy made Watermelon Lemonade, Carrot Cheesecake with Cream Cheese Frosting and New Potatoes with Peas and Romaine Lettuce.

Margaret of Tea and Scones made Apple Blueberry Cake Cups for Two from Taste of Home.

Wandering Coyote of ReTorte made Sour Cream Ice Cream from Gourmet.

Elizabeth of Musings of The Waspy Redhead made Bulgur Salad from Cooking Light.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

Okay.

That’s not a true story. For starters I don’t have a dog and secondly, there was no skate to be eaten.

And by skate I’m referring to the fish and not the footwear.

Don’t be afraid. I have not gone crazy.

I speak of the July 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge that you may have noticed is missing from this blog.

For the first time in “Daring” history, I’ve missed a challenge. My apologies to Sketchy, our host for the month, but this just wasn’t meant to be. I was intrigued by his challenge, which would have had me dipping my kitchen utensils into the untried waters of molecular gastronomy (untried in our household).

There were, however, some brave souls who did give it a try and you can check them out here.

I feel really badly about this. So badly that I felt I had to give you something so instead, I give you this Fresh Fruit Tart that is also dedicated to my good friend Nazca.

Many of you will remember Nazca (Mr. Nazca as I like to call him) from his blog.

Funny guy.

But he stopped blogging and this has made women everywhere very disappointed.

Silly guy.

But Mr. Nazca did something very sweet about a month ago and I promised to thank him very publically.

After an offhand remark about cheesecake crusts and cookies (like who doesn’t talk about that all the time?), Mr. Nazca mentioned HobNob cookies to me and I immediately asked, “What’s that?”

Well as fast as you could say “call me British” a package arrived on my doorstep filled with crumpled bits of English newspaper and four (count ‘em four) supersized packs of HobNob cookies.

My first reaction was to fly to England and thank Mr. Nazca in person but then I thought that such precipitice action could a) result in stalking charges and b) be slightly too expensive.

My second reaction was to squeal and clap my hands and rip the packages open and start eating.

My third reaction was to take a picture. Strangely, the urge to eat the cookies beat out that third reaction and by the time I convinced myself to take the pictures, the cookies were all gone.

All gone, Mr. Nazca!

I am nothing if not selfish when it comes to cookies. Whle I did spare a few for Mamma Cream Puff, the vast majority were savoured by me.

So last weekend I was in the kitchen, glorying in the abundance of fresh berries and looking for a dessert to bake when I remembered this beautiful tart that I used to bake all the time. For some reason I haven’t really made it the last few summers, but it popped into my mind and I had the overwhelming urge to try it again.

This is a very basic fruit tart. It has three components: a butter crust, a vanilla custard, a berry topping. You can make the tart and custard in advance and then assemble the tart quickly before serving.

I have yet to meet anyone that doesn’t like it.

Mr. Nazca, I wish I could have sent it to you, but I don’t think it would have survived the flight. I took it to a friend’s house (she’s a new mommy) where we each enjoyed a generous serving.

But rest assured, Mr. Nazca, that I was thinking of HobNobs while I was eating it!

Ciao!

My Fresh Fruit Tart is based on the Classic Fresh Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream from the Cook’s Illustrated site. It was featured in the … issue of the magazine. It is one of my most treasured recipes. Unfortunately, as I have never adapted the recipe in any way, I don’t feel comfortable reproducing it here since I don’t have permission. You can find the recipe on the Cook’s Illustrated site but you have to pay for it.

Fresh Fruit Tart from Food & Wine.
Tarte aux Fruits from Pretty Tasty Cakes.
Fruit Tart from Joy of Baking.com.

I once wrote an ode to coconut on my blog because what’s not to love about coconut.

Unbelievably, for every person that I know who loves coconut, I know one more that hates it.

I don’t get it. How can you not love coconut?

I have a theory that much of the coconut-dislike relates to the dried or dessicated forms of coconut that you find in the baking section in most supermarkets. Sweetened shredded for sweetened flaked coconut can be a bit much, especially if it’s of poor quality.

I, however, have no such issues. I will eat coconut in pretty much any form in both sweet and savoury dishes.

When I saw the recipe for Vanilla-Bean Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting in the April 2009 issue of Bon Appétit, I was particularly intrigued because the recipe calls for reduced coconut milk, which is coconut milk that is cooked down until it’s thickened.

First of all, reduced coconut milk is now my new favourite thing. Secondly, the reduced coconut milk gives these cupcakes both a moistness and an extra boost of coconut flavour. I cannot recommend them highly enough!

As you know, this is my Magazine Mondays post. I don’t always go into the details but basically if you’ve posted a recipe on your blog from a magazine, send the link to me and I’ll include it in my next Magazine Mondays post.

This week I’m joined by Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy who made Pineapple Cider Brine Pork Chops with Root Beer Pineapple Barbecue Sauce, Broccoli Green Almond Sauté and Strawblackberry Shortcake Topping.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

A few months ago, I shared with you the fact that when I want to order a special a cake (and don’t feel like baking it myself), I turn to Rahier Pâtisserie, Toronto’s premiere pastry shop (in my opinion).

Well I had to share another example of the shop’s brilliance with the Gâteau St. Honoré you see pictured above. You have to special order the gâteau (call at least 48 hours in advance) and if ordering it in the summer, the trip home can be a bit dicey depending on how hot it is in your car (you may notice a bit of melted caramel off to the side), but despite all of that I cannot stress enough how worth it this dessert is.

We always have a Canada Day barbecue for the family at our house. It’s been a particularly busy time for me and because of the late arrival of summer in these parts, we’re still not seeing an abundance of local fresh fruit. On a whim, I decided to order a cake and because of a conversation with a good friend of mine, I had Gâteau St. Honoré on my mind.

If you’re ever in Toronto I urge you stop by Rahier for a coffee and a pastry (the pâtisserie is in a cute neighbourhood with lots of nice shops) and if you are a Toronto resident, I urge you to visit the shop and try their goods.

You will not be disappointed.

Cream Puff’s honour!

Ciao!

In May 2007, the Daring Bakers made Gâteau St. Honoré. Ah, the good ol’ days!

Oh, people!

Get thee to Food & Wine and print thee a copy of this recipe now! (Don’t forget the Vanilla-Caramel Sauce and the Mocha Fudge Sauce).

This is a winner by every standard that I use to judge recipes. Delicious. Beautiful to look at. Easy.

The only warning I give you is that you should prepare yourselves for arguments and possibly violence, as people will fight over this incredible dessert.

If you can make your own dulce de leche ice cream, great. If not, just buy the best quality ice cream you can find (you can also make this with lots of other ice cream flavours like vanilla or coffee).

While the original recipe yields one pie, I made four individual tartlets, which limited the arguments (to a degree) since we all had our own tartlet. The only problem as that we then founds ourselves coveting our neighbours tartlets.

Ah, the glory of sin!

Here’s a look at who joined me for this week’s edition of Magazine Mondays:

Janie of Panini Girl made Grilled Turkey Burgers with Cheddar and Smoky Aioli from Bon Appétit and “Le Cake” Aux Olives et au Reblochon from Gourmet.

Tamy of The Krazy Kitchen made Chocolate Upside Down Cake.

Wandering Coyote of ReTorte made Herbed Focaccia from Canadian Living.

Margaret of Tea and Scones made Chicken Parmigiana from Taste of Home.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Ciao!

My submission for this week’s Magazine Mondays is from the July 2005 edition of Food & Wine: Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Pie.

Television, in the general sense, is disappointing to me.

As a child, it seemed that there was an endless lineup of programs to entertain me. Of course I wasn’t allowed to watch most of them.

But as an adult, with all the freedom in the world to watch whatever I want, I expect quality when I hunker down on the couch and turn on the telly.

Sadly, there is less and less of that. If it weren’t for my beloved hockey games from October to June (really … time to end the Stanley Cup playoffs a tad sooner) and the occasional CBC program that is not-to-be-missed (Hello there, Miss Marple!), I doubt I’d watch any television at all.

Even the Food Network is disappointing these days.

This must explain why I have grappled on to True Blood the way a lost ship yearns for the lighthouse.

Forgive the melodrama. It’s Bill’s fault. Or maybe Eric’s … hmmm …

I’m not afraid to admit it. I like the bloodsuckers and all the raunchy, raucous and hilarious background noise they bring with them in this program.

After baking a batch of red velvet cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, I suddenly thought of the show and was inspired to add a bloody accoutrement.

Fresh strawberry sauce.

This isn’t about the cupcakes or the frosting, really.

This is about the glorious red sauce that had me thinking of Sunday nights and HBO.

True Blood. True telly love.

Ciao!

Cream Puff’s Favourite Strawberry Sauce
My own creation.

1 cup fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and cut into quarters or halves (depending on how big they are)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon sugar (I don’t like sweet strawberry sauce, but you can always add more sugar if you like)
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients in a large skillet or shallow pot.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low.

Let simmer until the strawberries are cooked through and begin to fall apart when pressed with a spoon or fork (about 10 minutes). A lot of the liquid will evaporate but the sauce will still be fairly liquid (don’t let it get too dry or you’ll end up with a gummy strawberry paste - add more water if necessary).

Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Use immediately or refrigerate and use cold. The sauce should keep for several days in the refrigerator.

Note: Feel free to flavour the sauce with vanilla sugar or something stronger … wink wink … nudge nudge.