French Onion Soup

November 16, 2011 Sonte Leave a comment

I am not sure which I love more? The Onion Soup or the Crisp Toasted Cheese Bread? Together they are just amazing! If you have a busy day ahead of you, make this in your slow cooker!

4 – 5 Onions, sliced

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon minced Garlic

1 Tablespoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Flour

6 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth

Thyme

Sage

Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 White Wine

4 – 6 slices Crusty Bread

4 – 6 slice Swiss Cheese

In large saucepan, saute onions and garlic for about 20 minutes, until onions are soften and golden brown, stirring almost constantly.

Stir in flour and stir for a minute.

Gradually add Vegetable Broth and water; bring to a boil.

Add wine, herbs and W-Sauce to taste.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

When getting ready to serve,preheat oven to 425F.

Gather soup, crusty bread and swiss cheese to complete French Onion Soup.

Toast crusty bread slices; top each piece of toasted crusty bread with a slice of swiss cheese.

Place cheese topped, toasted crusty bread slices on top of soup.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted.

Transfer French Onion Soup to heat proof placemat and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Method:

Put butter and sliced onions into Slow Cooker cover and cook for 30 minutes on High setting.

Stir in flour and salt.

Add vegetable broth, thyme, sage, W-Sauce and wine.

Put lid on, leave on High Setting, cook for 7 – 8 hours.

When ready to serve soup:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Slice a loaf of French Bread and place slices on a baking tray.

Top each bread slice with a piece of Swiss Cheese (Havarti or even Cheddar will do in a pinch)

Toast in preheated oven for about 5 – 7 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and bread is lightly toasted.

Remove from oven and place a slice of toasted cheese bread in each bowl of soup.

If you are using oven proof bowls:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Toast slices of french bread.

Top each slice of toasted french bread with swiss cheese (Havarti or even Cheddar will do in a pinch)

Put cheese topped bread on top of each serving of soup.

Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

About, Cupcakes

Black Forest Cupcakes

November 8, 2011 Sonte Leave a comment

Cupcakes are just so much easier to serve and every bit as good as the original Black Forest Cake

Black Forest Cupcakes — A wonderful combination of Dark Chocolate and Cherries

1 2-layer Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Devil’s Food Cake)

1 (540ml can) Cherry Pie Filling

1/3 cup Kirch (Cherry Brandy)

500 ml Whipping Cream
3 Tablespoons
1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/3 cup Chocolate Shavings ( I buy a 200gm Dark Chocolate bar and pare shavings with a clean vegetable peeler)

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.

Prepare Chocolate Cake mix as directed on package.
*I subbed in 2 Tablespoons Black Coffee for some of the water
Divide evenly into prepared muffin tins.
Bake for 18 – 23 minutes or until pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool in tins on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out and cooling completely.

Pour whipping cream into a very clean mixing bowl; beat on a lower speed for a few minutes until cream starts to thicken.
Increase speed to med-high, add icing sugar, a Tablespoon at a time followed by the vanilla.
Increase to high speed and beat until thick and peaks form when the beater is lifted.

Using a serrated knife, cut a cone of cake from the top of each cupcake; reserve the cupcake cone for later. (I cut the tip off each cone so I could it more filling in the cupcake)
Sprinkle a bit of kirsch into the cupcake hole.
Spoon in about a Tablespoon of cherry pie filling.
Place cupcake top back on top and press slightly to fit.
Spoon prepared Whipped Cream into a large, clean piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
Pipe a large rosette of whipped cream on each cupcake.
Top each cupcake with a cherry.
Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
Serve immediately.

These will store well in a FridgeSmart® Medium Long container (both vents closed)

About, Pies and Tarts

Pumpkin Pie

October 19, 2011 Sonte Leave a comment

The Pumpkin Pie Recipe I have been using to don our Thanksgiving Table with for the past 30 years.

Pumpkin Pie

Pastry for 9″ One Crust Pie

Pumpkin Pie Filling:
2 eggs
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin or 2 cups Cooked Pumpkin (following)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk (pretty much 1 can…I don’t even measure anymore)

Heat oven to 425Fdegrees
Prepare pastry.
Beat eggs slightly in med bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and whisk all together.
Place pastry lined pie plate on oven rack; pour in filling.
Bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temp to 350Fdegrees.
Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Cool
Serve with Whipped Cream.

Cooked Pumpkin:
Heat oven to 400Fdegrees
Cut one small pumpkin (4 lbs) into halves; remove seeds and fiber. Place pumpkin cut sides up in oblong baking dish; pour water (1/4″deep) into dish.
Cover and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Scoop pumpkin from shells; mash until no lumps remain.
Yield; About 4 cups mashed pumpkin

Notes:
I am probably a lil more generous with the spices and of course I add vanilla. A splash of Vanilla makes the world a better place, I rkn!
You can use two cups of mashed pumpkin this time round and freeze the rest so you don’t have to go through the whole making pumpkin mash next time around.

I frequently use this recipe to make Pumpkin Tarts…heaps easier to transport and distribute tarts at large family gatherings!
I used puff pastry to line muffin tins and reduce baking time to 20 – 25 minutes.
Or, if in Canada, just use those lovely tart shells you can get at Real Canadian Superstore or SOF.
Put whipped cream in container, then load a large piping bag at the event and add a lovely whipped cream rosette just before serving

Desserts

Strawberry Shortcake

October 9, 2011 Sonte Leave a comment

Strawberry Shortcake is synonymous Canada Day around our place. It marks the beginning of those long, lazy days of Summer!

Shortcake:

2 1/4 cup Flour

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 Tablespoon Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/3 cup Shortening, cold

1 Egg

2/3 cup Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Whipped Cream:

1 litre Whipping Cream

Vanilla

Icing Sugar

Strawberries:

5 cups Sliced Strawberries, divided

1/4 cup Honey

Lemon Juice

Amaretto

8 Whole Strawberries, washed, leave stems on

Strawberries:

Place 4 cups of Sliced Strawberries into a bowl, drizzle with 1/4 cup of Honey, a scant amount of Lemon Juice or Amaretto, stir.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavours blend; I recommend doing this the day before.

Whipped Cream:

Whip cream in cold bowl using cold beaters.

As cream starts to slightly thicken, add a generous splash of Vanilla and icing sugar, a tablespoon at a time, to taste. I usually use about 3 Tablespoons.

Remove 1 cup of whipping cream to make the filling, cover remainder of the whipping cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Filling:

1 1/2 cups Bavarian Creme <- I always get mine at SOF in the Bulk section

1 cup Fresh Strawberries, chopped

1 cup Fresh Whipped Cream

Combine bavarian creme, chopped strawberries and 1 cup of whipped cream.

Shortcake

Preheat oven to 425F (220C)

Prepare baking sheet by lightly spraying with vegetable oil spray and dusting ever so lightly with cornmeal.

In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

Using pastry blender, cut in cold shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Measure out milk, add egg and vanilla, using a fork, stir well to combine.

Add liquid ingredients all at once to dry ingredients and stir until the dough gathers and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface and gently knead 10 times.

Gently pat down into a 10″ (25cm) circle or ever so gently roll out and cut with the large scalloped side of the top right cutter, for individual shortcakes.

Place on prepared baking sheet, score the 10″ (25cm) (keeping in mind you will be splitting the shortcake so very light scoring) circle into 8 wedges and bake in hot oven for 15 – 20 minutes, rotating pan(s) at 8 minutes. Continue baking until lightly golden.

Remove from oven and transfer shortcake(s) to wire rack to cool completely.

Building your Shortcake

When cooled, split shortcake(s).

Place bottom half of shortcake on serving platter.

Spread filling to cover, leaving an inch on the outside border.

Load large CLEAN piping bag (if there is any grease residue from say, Buttercream Icing, it will compromise the Whipped Cream!) with fresh whipped cream and pipe a high border around the filling.

Gently spoon a cup of macerated berries over the filling.

Gently refresh score lines.

Gently place scored top layer over filled bottom layer.

Pipe a border around the top and bottom of the cake.

Spoon remaining macerated strawberries on top of the cake and spread to fill area inside piped border.

Decorate with remaining whole strawberries.

If making the individual shortcakes, follow same procedure on each shortcake.

Aysontespli's Kitchen

French Onion Soup

Black Forest Cupcakes

Pumpkin Pie

Strawberry Shortcake

Welcome to my Kitchen where the most important ingredient is Love.