Category: Desserts

Cherries and Belgian Chocolate Chips: recipes at my table

Cherry Dessert With Belgian Chocolate Thins

Cherry dessert with Belgian Chocolate Thins

My Cherry Dessert With Belgian Chocolate Thins makes Valentine’s Day extra special. I love cherries and chocolate and these Belgian Chocolate Thins are easy to use. The dessert is fluffy and made with the goodness of yogurt.  It only takes minutes to make this guilty pleasure and your whole family will feel special.

Why Cherries

I love everything about cherries.  Growing up in Sault Ste Marie, we attended the annual Cherry Festival in Traverse City.  We went and picked cherries and brought them home where we made jams, preserved them with liqueurs and ate them by the handfuls.  It was a wonderful adventure; my nonna and mom made a special picnic to take a long and there would always be a stop for ice cream once we were there.  They were such special times.

For more information on the Cherry Festival in Michigan, USA: https://www.cherryfestival.org/default.aspx

Somehow cherries always made their way to the table on Valentine’s Day and still today. Perhaps it is the red colour of cherries that draws them to the table today???  Cherries have many health benefits :  https://www.care2.com/greenliving/11-health-benefits-of-the-beautiful-cherry.html

Cherries and Belgian Chocolate Chips: recipes at my table
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Cherry Dessert with Belgian Chocolate Thins

A light dessert made with the goodness of yogurt. 

Course Dessert
Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

  • 1 cup frozen cherries can also use raspberries or blueberries
  • 3 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 cup each of whipping cream and yogurt
  • Belgian Chocolate Thins
  • Thin Biscotti

Instructions

  1. Put the cherries and powdered sugar in a blender and pulse until it looks like peas.

    Whip the cream.

    Gently fold the yogurt into the cream.

    Now fold in the cherries.

    Spoon into pretty glasses.

    Refrigerate for a couple of hours.  

    Garnish with Belgian Chocolate chips and/ or thin biscotti.  

Recipe Notes

You could also garnish the tops with crushed biscotti and some fresh fruit.  

You can also add 3 tbsp of white sugar when beating the whipping cream for a sweeter taste.  You control the sugar.  

 

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cupcakes: recipes at my table

Love in A Cupcake

Love in A cupcake

Love in a cupcake needs no explanation.  These cupcakes make you feel like you have eaten the whole cake.  I like cupcakes because they save time in the kitchen and there is no need to cut a cake.  This recipe was hiding in my red binder cookbook and it looks like I changed the ingredients over the years. With Love in a cupcake you are ready for Valentine’s Day.

Remembering

When I baked with nonna, we made buchinotti.  She made sponge cake and the extra batter she would use for her cupcakes and fill them with jam. Most of our desserts, cakes and cookies were very simple.  She often used jam and nuts as a sweetener.   I found a recipe close to hers at : http://blog.giallozafferano.it/labottegaincucina/bocconotti-calabresi-con-marmellata-ricetta-tipica/

Every time I write for this blog, I get flashbacks of nonna Emilia, and even though this isn’t her recipe, she is always with me.  My cupcakes have banana and pineapple to keep them moist and the topping consists of cream cheese, sugar and whipping cream.  They are light, fluffy and delicious.

The Assembly

The wet and the dry ingredients in separate bowls

cupcakes with love: recipes at my table

The dry ingredients aren’t so pretty, but they do their job.

the dry ingredients: recipes at my table

 The batter is ready for the oven.

love; recipes at my table

The sugar bubbles away and hugs the walnuts.

nuts in syrup: recipes at my table

cupcakes: recipes at my table
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Love in a Cupcake

These cupcakes are light, fluffy and delicious.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The cupcake

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup each of granulated sugar and brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 mashed banana
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 can crushed pineapple 7 oz
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

The icing

  • 6 Wedges The laughing cow light. You can also 4 oz cream cheese.
  • 4 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 6 tbsp whipping cream

The Candied Walnuts

  • 12 pieces whole walnuts
  • 1 tbsp each of butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.

Instructions

The cupcakes

  1. Combine flour, granulated and brown sugar, cinnamon and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

    In another bowl, add banana, pineapple, eggs, oil and vanilla extract.

    Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently until combined.

    Add in the finely chopped walnut pieces.

    Pour batter into muffin tins with cupcake liners.

    Bake for 25 minutes at 350 F. 


The Icing

  1. Whip together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and whipping cream and refrigerate. 


The Candied Walnuts

  1. Put the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a pan.

    Bring to a boil.

    Add the walnuts and cook for one minute.

    Pour onto parchment paper and cool. 

The Assembly

  1. When the cupcakes are cooled ice and decorate with a candied walnut.

    Some coloured sugars would be nice.  

All frosted and ready for Valentine’s Day.

cupcake heaven: recipes at my table

That first bite.

that first bite: recipes at my table

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A good bottle of wine with this treat. recipes at my table

Schiacciata with Figs

Schiacciata with Figs

Schiacciata with Figs is the perfect dish to compliment my Amarone della Valpolicella wine tonight. If we eat in on a Friday night, then we have a really good bottle of wine: the wine’s flavours of brown sugar, figs and molasses go well with the flavours of this bread.  I want a sweet dish that I can eat as an appetizer or a main.  In Sicily the schiacciata is any sheet of bread dough that encompasses a variety of food be it sweet or savoury.  It is street food; it is a peasant dish that surrounds the flavours of the land.

More information on Amarone wine: http://winefolly.com/review/amarone-wine-turns-raisins-into-gold/

Beyond the Sicilian Recipe

The best known schiacciata comes from Tuscany and I eat it there when visiting.  Today I want to fuse the flavours of Sicily and Tuscany. I am using figs with onions and grapes to flavour this flat bread. I think it will make a wonderful Friday night dish to sit around with a bold glass of wine and watch a movie.

For the bread dough I use my mom’s no-fail dough that doesn’t require the extensive rising process.  Mom uses it for a variety of things and it is actually her Italian bread stick dough.  Don’t tell her, but I even use it to make my Tempting Italian Pizza buns : http://esatmytable.com/buns-stuffed-with-rapini-sausage-and-onions/

It’s a beautiful thing to see the figs, grapes and onions up close.  figs, grapes and onions up close

Just out of the oven, this sweet and savoury bread.

Just out of the oven, this sweet and savoury bread

It was a lovely Friday night:I served the schiacciata with a light green salad.  The salad had mixed greens, Bosc pears, avocado, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

A good bottle of wine with this treat. recipes at my table
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Schiacciata with Figs and Grapes

A savoury and sweet dish for any table. 

Course Appetizer, Dessert, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Dough

  • https://recipesatmytable.com/buns-stuffed-with-rapini-sausage-and-onions/

The Gathering for the Schiacciata

  • 100 gr of soft dried figs I used an organic brand
  • 200 gr black seedless grapes leave half whole, cut others lenghtwise
  • 3 small red onion
  • 1/2 tbsp dried fennel
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

The Assembly

  1. Prepare the dough as per recipe and cover with a towel.  Let it sit for 15 minutes. 

    Heat oven to 400 F.

    Put the onions in a bowl and toss with olive oil and Italian seasoning. Salt and pepper.

    Divide your bread dough in half.

    Stretch out to form a rectangle.

    Place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  

    Add the sliced grapes, half the figs and half the onions.

    Sprinkle with half the coconut sugar, half the fennel seeds and add freshly ground black pepper.

    Stretch out the second piece of dough and place over the first.

    Place the whole grapes, figs and remainder of the onions.

    Sprinkle with the remaining coconut sugar and fennel seeds.  Add freshly ground place pepper.

    Drizzle with some more olive oil.

    Cook for 30 minutes.

    Slice into squares and enjoy.




Recipe Notes

For added texture you can grind the pepper coarsely. 

Coconut sugar is easily found in grocery stores, but if you don't have it brown sugar will do; I like different depths of flavour.  

Your schiacciata can be sweet, savoury or both. Experiment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mozzarella, Almonds, Pears and Honey

Fried Mozzarella with Almonds, Pears and Honey

Fried Mozzarella with Almonds, Pears and Honey

We start our meals with cheese, sprinkle it on during the meal and then end with cheese, and that is what being Italian is all about.  My Fried Mozzarella with Almonds, Pears and Honey serves as an appetizer or a dessert. This dish is easy to make and will become a favourite with family and friends.

Fried Cheese

You can go to any restaurant be it Italian, Greek or American and find some version of fried cheese because it is probably the ultimate comfort food.  In most restaurants you will find fried cheese sticks that you dip in a sauce.  Fried cheese goes back to Medieval France. In Italy we eat cheese at the end of the meal with fruit and it completes our meal.  It is sometimes offered with honey and that is how I designed this dish in my kitchen.  From my table to yours, I present fried mozzarella with almonds, pears and honey.

Mozzarella

Don’t use the hard type of mozzarella that you grate for this recipe.  Go to the store and buy a fresh mozzarella.  I bought “Fior di Latte”, which is a large ball of fresh milk mozzarella stored in brine.  You can buy these at any grocery store.

The fried mozzarella may be served on a platter with the pears and honey.  

Fried Mozzarella on platter with pears and honey

Mozzarella, Almonds, Pears and Honey
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Fried Mozzarella with Almonds, Pears and Honey

They will want more of this dish!!

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 3
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Fried Mozzarella

  • 1 fior di latte mozzarella
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp ground almonds
  • 3 tbsp canola oil

Other essentials

  • 1 Bosc Pear
  • 3 tbsp pure honey
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

Frying the Mozzarella

  1. Cut the mozzarella into 6 slices.

    Mix the bread crumbs with ground almonds.

    Beat the egg.

    Dip each slice of Mozzarella into the egg and then generously coat with bread and almonds.

    Fry quickly in oil.

    Remove onto a plate and let sit for 5 minutes.

Assembly

  1. Thinly slice the pear. 

    Pour your honey into some appetizer spoons or teaspoons.

    Put one piece of mozzarella on a plate and top it with two slices of pears. 

    Follow with another piece of mozzarella and one pice of pear.

    Salt and pepper lightly.

    Lay the spoon of honey next to the mounds of mozzarella.  Each person can drizzle the honey at the table. 

    Enjoy!!

 

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