Have a creepy (and fun) Halloween!

Ciao!

The recipe for these Meringue Ghosts comes from two sources. The recipe for the meringue comes from JoyofBaking.com, you can find the recipe here. I used mini chocolate chips for the eyes.

The idea for dipping the ghosts in chocolate and coconut comes from 101 Cookbooks. You can find the recipe here.

I believe birthday cake is most important.

I would go so far as to say that choosing a birthday cake is one of the most important decisions you can make. For me, the choice of a birthday cake is the establishment of a theme, a mood, a rhythm for your birthday.

I start auditioning cakes well in advance of my birthday. Sometimes I don’t go for cakes at all. Sometimes I bake the cake myself. Many times Mamma Cream Puff bakes it for me.

This year, I wanted something spicy and yet familiar. What I got was a warm cake filled with love. I got a cake that was part Canada and part Italy (thanks to the chestnut flour). It was a simple, beautiful, deeply touching cake. It’s exactly what I wanted.

When someone asks me to bake a cake for their birthday, I take this request very seriously because just as I want to set the tone for my birthday, I want to make sure that I bake the right cake for the right person.

Think what you want.

But I firmly believe that there’s a right moment in time very every cake. Or cookie. Or pie. And you should bake what’s right when it’s right.

Last week, I was asked by a coworker if I would bake a cake to the celebrate the 50th birthday of another coworker.

Of course I would!

And then I promptly went home and spent an entire evening looking at cakes. I covered the couch from end to end with baking books. I had stacks of cake books on the floor and I even brought one or two to bed with me.

Some cakes seemed sort of right. Some were completely wrong. But I knew that the right cake would reveal itself and it did: Tiramisu’ Cake from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne.

The woman celebrating her special day is someone I’ve gotten to know fairly well over the past few years. She told me once about how she grew up baking and cooking and how much she wished she had the time to pursue those activities as much as she did when she was younger. She also told me about how as a student, she’d spent time in Italy, which she looks back upon so fondly.

Knowing how much she loved her time in Italy and what an impression it left on her, when I saw the recipe for this cake, it just popped right out at me and said, “I’m it. Bake me.”

So I made three layers of genoise and I bathed them in espresso-rum syrup. I made a zabaglione cream that I had to literally force myself not to eat. I soaked cake layers, piled on cream, stacked other layers and piled on more cream. Then I showered it all in ground chocolate and built a beautiful crown of chocolate curls.

And because every cake you bake is an opportunity, I took this opportunity to learn how to wrap a cake in ribbon.

It was a lovely cake not just because it tasted good (sorry, no pics of the sliced cake) but mostly because it was right.

If there is a religion of baking, then I like to think that a birthday cake is like a blessing of sorts.

It’s a wish.

Make it count.

Ciao!

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavernas the challenge recipe.

Today, in case you haven’t noticed, is Daring Bakers’ reveal day.

This month’s challenge was to bake the ever-elusive and oh-so-popular macarons.

I would hazard a guess that next to the ubiquitous cupcake, the macarons is probably one of the most popular blog subjects among foodbloggers, especially those that specialize in baking. There’s something about these little treats that is so captivating. Made up of just a few ingredients, they are probably one of the most difficult cookies/pastries to master.

Our host for this month is the gracious LAmonkeygirl. She’s a non-blogger so you can read her challenge post here.

You’re probably wondering where the picture of my macarons is … well … there isn’t one. Not really, anyway.

I did make the macarons as part of the desserts that I prepared for a recent baptism I attended (more on that in another post). I made mini macarons and used blue food colouring to create a marbled effect on top (it was a baby boy being baptized). I filled the macarons with chocolate ganache, but I’ll be honest, while they tasted good, I was not impressed with the end result.

I found that the macarons turned out flat and didn’t have the smooth top that is key when it comes to successful macarons. I’m not completely sure what I did wrong. I’ve had similar problems with another macarons recipes and I’m beginning to suspect two things.

First of all, most macarons recipes ask you to sift the almond flour and icing but I always have difficulty with this step. My almond flour never makes it through the sieve. I’m not sure if I’m using too fine of a sieve or if my almond flour hasn’t been ground enough.

Secondly, when it comes time to fold the almond flour and icing sugar into the egg whites, I think I’m overfolding. I have a feeling that the mixture is too deflated and that might explain why the macarons tend to come out flat.

Of course this is all speculation on my part. To be honest, I think I give up when it comes to macarons. I know that there are many bloggers out there who are brilliant at these little pastries, many of them having turned macarons into a business. Maybe you have to make literally thousands of them before you get the hang of it. I’m not sure. All I know is that I don’t have the touch for them. And to be honest, I’d rather buy them from someone who really knows what they’re doing because nothing is as disappointing as a disappointing macaron.

I want to thank LAmonkeygirl, though. The whole point of The Daring Kitchen is challenge … go try something you normally wouldn’t. While my macarons weren’t the greatest, I’m very glad I tried them.

Ciao!

Today is the day that I count birthday candles. Although I must say counting the candles isn’t quite what it used to be…

I prefer to count my blessings. I have a beautiful family, some truly amazing friends, my blog and all of you!

While every year presents both its challenges and its opportunities, I’m always secure in the knowledge that there’s a lot of love and strength and laughter around me. Where would we be without the humour in life?!

And luckily, thankfully, blessedly, there’s always lots of baking.

Mamma Cream Puff made me an early birthday present this year with this lovely Chestnut Spice Cake with Mascarpone Cream from Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchenby Gina De Palma. She used chestnut flour that we bought while we were in Italy this past summer. And while the mascarpone cream is not pictured here, I can assure you I will be coated in it at some point later tonight.

I can’t have a piece yet because the cake is for after my birthday dinner (I’m having cannelloni!!!), but until then, thanks to everyone I love for making this a good year!

Ciao!

It has been a jam-packed couple of weeks for the Cream Puff. Work has been incredibly busy and there’s been lots going on with family and friends between the Thanksgiving holiday and other events.

This is going to be a quick Magazine Mondays post but I definitely wanted to take the time to share with you a pasta dish that I made quite some time ago. I’d actually forgotten about these little beauties until recently, when I read a beautiful book that I’m looking forward to talking about very soon on this blog. You’re just going to have to wait for the details.

In the meantime, the pasta triangles you see above are my attempt at making pansotti, also often spelled as pansoti. I didn’t know what pansotti were until I saw a recipe for them in Issue 1 of Taste Italia magazine. They’re basically large ravioli stuffed with a filling of cheese and often bread soaked in milk. As far as I can tell, they’re not filled with meat.

I was happy to try them but I can’t say I was blown away by the recipe. It seemed like a lot of work to make the filling and I wasn’t happy with the pasta as it ended up being a bit on the touch side. Still, though, I’m hoping to try them again soon.

As you know, Magazine Mondays is an opportunity for everyone to dig into that magazine pile and try some new recipes. Here’s who’s joined me for this week’s edition:

Tia of Buttercream Barbie (cute name!) made a Marbled Mocha Cake from Gourmet magazine.

Wandering Coyote of ReTorte made some gorgeous Lemon Ricotta Pancakes from Canadian Living magazine.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Chicken Club Stuffed Potatoes from Southern Living Magazine.

Erica from the charming Cooking for Seven made a New York Cheesecake from Martha Stewart Living.

Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies made Cranberry Nut Rolls from Bon Appétit.

Allison of LemonBasil brings us a beautiful triburte to Gourmet magazine.

Emily of Sandmuffin made a gorgeous Applesauce Cake.

Janie of Panini Girl made an Eggplant, Zucchini and Fennel Casserole from Taste of Italia.

Thanks to everyone that took part. Remember that Magazine Mondays is a very informal event. You can participate any time. All you have to do is send me the link to a post you’ve done about a magazine recipe.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

You can find the recipe for Pansoti with Walnut Sauce here.

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada and next to Christmas, it is my favourite holiday. Even though our background is Italian, we have embraced this North American holiday to the fullest!

Turkey. Stuffing. Squash. Cranberries. Gravy. Lots o’ gravy. Pecans. Brussel sprouts. Potatoes. Rolls. Pie.

You name it, it’s on the table.

This year, among other things, I took the ubiquitous Canadian butter tart and made Butter Tart Bars. Look at the oozy goodness!

I think what I love most about Thanksgiving is that it is stress-free in a way that Christmas and some other holidays are not. You don’t have to worry about gifts or anything like that. Just belly up to the table and enjoy.

I also love Thanksgiving because it occurs just as the Harvest comes to an end. To me it symbolizes truly being thankful for everything that the good Earth gives us. And of course, it is a time to be thankful for family and friends.

As always, I am thankful for so many things, especially for my family, my dear friends and my sweet little blog that gives me so much pleasure. And you … I am thankful for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ciao!

P.S. The recipe for Butter Tart Bars that I made is from Dish Entertains: Everyday Simple to Special Occasionsby Trish Magwood. But there are many recipes around for this type of dessert including this one for Butter Tart Squares. Enjoy!

P.S.S. Every year, just prior to Thanksgiving, I go on and on about my coworkers and what great cooks/bakers they are. Just as previous years, we had our annual Thanksgiving potluck at work but silly me forgot her camera, which means no pictures. Ah, well! Suffice it to say that everything was delicious and a fun time was had by all. I definitely work with some serious gourmands!

Yes, I thought that would get your attention.

I mean who wouldn’t want to go to The Big Apple?

All it’s going to take is some creativity and some mad cake-decorating skills … check it out!

Ciao!

I love Cath of A Blithe Palate for many, many reasons, not the least of which being that every now and then, unto my life, she will bring joy in the form of a cookbook.

That’s what I call a fabulous virtual friend. Were I ever to meet her in person, I just might smother her with hugs. (Be forewarned, Cath. Be forewarned.)

Late in July, she contacted me to let me know that she, Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness (I’ll say!) and the fabulous folks at Cook the Books would be hosting another edition of The Edible Word, an event that celebrates delicious cookbooks.

The selection for this edition is a book called Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman’s Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Bakerby Gesine Bullock-Prado.

Now if there something about that name that seems slightly familiar, it should. The Bullock part is Bullock as in Sandra Bullock. As it turns out, her younger sister Gesine, a lawyer and Hollywood executive, nursed a secret passion for baking until one day, tired of her L.A. life, she decides it’s time to downsize in the truest sense of the word. She downsizes all the way to Vermont where she opens her own bakery.

I know. You think you’ve heard it all before. Sounds like the script for a Hollywood movie starring some starlet who hasn’t eaten in 11 years much less baked.

People, trust the Cream Puff.

This is a good book. It’s a good book because Ms. Bullock-Prado is honest, often brutally so. She doesn’t sugarcoat (pardon the pun) her old life, or her new one for that matter. She offers full disclosure when it comes to the rigours of operating your own bakery, and believe me there are rigours.

Yes, there is the pleasure of being your own boss. Yes, there is the pleasure of spending ridiculous hours doing something you love.

But it’s still damn hard.

Ms. Bullock-Prado is honest, funny and real, as in sometimes, her cakes come out lopsided too.

And the recipes, tucked in between each chapter like chocolate tucked into a croissant, are delicous to read so imagine how they taste.

I don’t have to imagine because I made two of them: Espresso Cheesecake and Apple Pie (made with a puff pastry crust).

Verdict: Even more delicious than Alexander Skarsgard.

When Cath explained the goal of this event, she indicated that we should talk about how the book inspired us.

I will be very blunt: this book just makes you wonder. Can I do it, too? Can I give up the fear and the worry and “buts” and “what ifs” and just go out there and do what I really really want to do?

Yes, I can. Yes, we all can!

Ciao!

I’m a bit late posting my piece for this event. You can read the round-ups on Cath’s blog here, here and here.

You can also read a review of the book at The Daring Kitchen.

I usually don’t like to talk about current events on my blog because, from the beginning, I have decreed this to be a happy place about baking, cookbooks and food, in general.

But I feel compelled to break with tradition after hearing the news that Gourmet magazine will be no more as of the November 2009 issue.

Condé Nast Publications has made the decision to shut down production of the magazine, along with a number of others, for financial reasons.

When I first heard the news, I could hardly believe it. But after some reflection, taking into consideration the financial suffering that so many have endured recently, I suppose it’s not surprising.

Having said that, though, it certainly doesn’t make it any less surprising to know that one of my very favourite food magazines is no more.

A magazine that set the highest of standards, Gourmet has been a constant source of inspiration.

I will miss looking forward to a new issue each month. As a tribute, I’ve posted a picture of one of my favourite Magazine Mondays submissions and Gourmet magazine recipes, from the April 2008 issue: Oven Crespella with Nutella Sauce.

Ciao!

So I know that summer is over in many parts of the world but for those of us that are beginning the long trek through fall and winter, it’s never too early to start planning ahead!

My Magazine Mondays submission for this week is actually a dish that I prepared before I left for vacation in August. It’s a trio of ice creams from the January 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine: Almond, Chocolate, and Pistachio Spumoni.

Spumoni is not a happy word for me because it reminds me of a flavour of ice cream that we’d buy when I was a kid from the local gelateria. It was a mix of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream and had candied fruit thrown into it. It was horrid so when I first saw the word “spumoni”, I was a bit put off but then when I actually saw the flavours and also saw that there was on candied fruit in the recipe, I bookmarked it.

Perhaps one day I will tell you about my hate-on for candied fruit. One day. Just not today.

To get myself in the mood for my vacation to Italy, I whipped up the three flavours of custard, froze them and brought them to work. They were a hit with my personal favourite being the Almond flavour. The hardest part of the recipe was making sure that I started it early enough so that I could freeze all three batches in my ice cream machine (they have to frozen separately, obviously).

Remember, Magazine Mondays, is my weekly round-up of a magazine recipe that I’ve bookmarked but haven’t gotten to yet. You’re free to participate in what I like to call this non-event. Just send me the link to a magazine recipe you’ve posted. And remember, you don’t have to post it on a Monday. It can be any day of the week.

This week, I’m joined by the following MMers who got around to trying some magazine recipes:

Patricia of Brownies for Dinner made a gorgeous Brown Butter Pound Cake from the October 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine.

Our regular contributor Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy made Franks & Beans Cornbread Casserole.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Mushroom, Garlic and Gorgonzola Stuffed Bread from the Sept-Oct issue of Tallahassee magazine.

And our most loyal fan, Wandering Coyote of ReTorte, made Onion Bialys from Canadian Living.

Have a fabulous week, everyone!

Ciao!

The NHL season has already begun but tonight, for the hockey fans out there, is the unofficial beginning of the real hockey viewing season as it’s the first Saturday night transmission of Hockey Night in Canada.

Regular readers will know that I’m a huge hockey fan and that my heart belongs to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I’ll give you a moment to make the usual assortment of Leafs’ jokes.

[pause]

Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’m happy to announce that in honour of this season’s first HNIC broadcast, Peabody of Culinary Concoctions by Peabody and Mary of The Sour Dough have joined me in preparing a hockey fan’s meal to be enjoyed throughout the game.

Mary is in charge of Appetizers, I’m in charge of the Main and Peabody, of course, is in charge of Dessert.

This idea came about as a result of several different conversations between both Mary and Peabody and myself. Peabody, of course, is my soulmate in both baking and hockey. I never have to worry that she won’t understand when I gripe about why people don’t like to bake and she totally hears my pain when it comes to the Leafs.

Mary and I share an undying love for Steve Yzerman. Enough said.

So what am I bringing to the HNIC potluck? Good ol’ baked macaroni and cheese! On Saturday nights, when the hockey game is on, I do not want to be in the kitchen all night. I do not want to be cleaning up for hours. I do not want to be anywhere but in front of the television and baked macaroni and cheese is the perfect dish. You can make it earlier in the day and just heat it up when you’re ready to eat (first intermission, after Coach’s Corner).

Baked macaroni and cheese is a very easy dish. It essentially consists of a cheese sauce, macaroni and a breadcrumb topping. You can add anything you like to those basics from ham to mushrooms to tomatoes. I’m a bit of a mac and cheese purist so I don’t add anything to my dish but you are certainly welcome to experiment.

The recipe that I use originally comes from Fine Cooking. The only difference in my version is that I don’t use Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce, and I don’t use a sharp white cheddar, but rather a sharp yellow cheddar. I also bake the macaroni and cheese in smaller containers that I can freeze so that whenever I have the craving for mac and cheese I can just defrost and warm it in the oven.

So this is what we’re having as a Main tonight. I can’t wait to see what Mary and Peabody have in store for us!

Have a good game, everyone. Go Leafs Go!

Ciao!

Peabody made Hockey Puck Chocolate-Peanut Butter Peanut Brownies with Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche Sauce.

A trio of appetiziers from Mary of The Sour Dough.

For a great baked macaroni and cheese recipe, click here.