I have fallen in love with a cupcake.

No lies.  It’s true.

After cupcake crawls in New York City and San Francisco – I found my favourite right here, in Ottawa.

Seriously.

Thank you Little cakes cupcakes for making the best darn cupcake I’ve ever tasted.

And thank you the lemon kitchen for organizing one of the best food events I’ve ever attended.  I kid you not … it was an absolute BLAST (the Red & White fundraising event for Harmony House).

I have to admit Wednesday night was full of best food moments for me.  For example … Chef Lora Kirk from Ruby Watchco Toronto made the ABSOLUTE BEST POTATO SALAD I HAVE EVER HAD.

I loved the potato salad so much that when Lora offered to send me home with some … I shamelessly took her up on her offer.

This potato salad made me completely shameless.  Ask Chef Blackie … he laughed at me as I stood in front of him and Lora, fork in hand, ready to dig into the potato salad from the demo plate.

I have no shame.

And it didn’t stop with the potato salad.  Nope … these cupcakes had a very similar effect on me.

A couple of things you should know about eating a Little cakes cupcake.

Shakira and Colleen make them fresh for each and every event.  They don’t have a store front … you contact them and place your order.  Trust me … you can taste the difference … you can taste the freshness.

When eating said cupcakes – take a bite of the entire thing.  That’s right.  This isn’t one of those cupcakes where you want to lick off the frosting and forget about the cake.  The cake is good.  And when combined with the frosting … the combo rocks.

After trying the 4 cupcakes on hand (on site … and then (again) shamelessly asking to bring 4 home with me to sample for this blog post), I decided to rank them in order of preference.

Here they are, ranked in reverse order (I do need to build up the anticipation right?):

The pina colada cupcake.  It was my 4th favourite.  Pina colada’s aren’t my favourite drinks to begin with … and although I enjoyed this cupcake (if you are a pina colada fan – you’ll really love this) it was a little sweeter than what I normally like.

My 3rd favourite was the brownie “cupcake” … fudgy and chewey … and topped with a thick chocolate buttercream.  It made me very happy.  2nd favourite … and I honestly thought this was going to be my favourite one … was the maple french toast.  The cake itself was a nice light spice cake … and then the maple glaze on top of the frosting … it really and truly tasted like a bite of french toast.  This was no imitation of the real thing … the flavours were completely spot on.

Oh how I heart french toast …

And the number one BEST CUPCAKE EVER.

Well … my choice just might surprise you.

No chocolate.

No lemon.

No peanuts.

Nothing that normally tops my best of list …  nope.  None of those things.

This one was all about the banana rama.  The absolute perfect cupcake … it was so light.  It was so moist.  It tasted of fresh bananas.  No fake stuff here.  It was pure goodness. I swear I spent most of the evening telling everyone they should go over and try one.  It made me smile and a little green with envy … my banana cupcakes NEVER turn out this well … they usually are slightly heavier, more like a muffin than a cupcake.

Ab-so-lute wonderfulness.  Sigh.  How I heart this cupcake.

I wish every day was like last Wednesday … killer potato salad and banana rama cupcakes.

Loves.

He makes some pretty great truffles - especially his lemon thyme chocolate and his raspberry chocolate.

I know because I tried 18 different types.  In less than 30 minutes.

Actually 17 different types (we had double of the earl grey chocolate truffle to taste).

My Thomas Haas experience actually took place in a food court.  Can’t you just picture  Justin Rogers and I sitting in a food court, I have my camera and Justin has plates, napkins and a knife?  People must have thought we were nuts … my snapping away at each chocolate … Justin cutting each one in half, taking pictures on his iphone … and then we would both dig in.  Some we LOVED and some were so-so (I have to honestly say that Justin makes better cassis and passionfruit truffles). 

Needless to say … even though Justin and I didn’t make chocolate or bake together that afternoon … we still had a sweet time together … I mean … just look at them! 

ps.  Valentine’s day is almost around the corner … I think you should all start thinking about having a Justin Roger’s experience … well you can skip the food court taste test … but you can certainly get some of his equally beautiful and delicious truffles and share them with people you love  … just sayin’

It’s true! 

I made it for my Christmas cookie exchange at work,  and I even shared it on Rogers Daytime Ottawa on the 21st (Lori, Tom and I had a blast making these) … with the intention to post the recipe the next day.

Only … I got caught up in some of my holiday baking (scones, monkey bread, cranberry orange upside down cakes, sticky buns, squares, cheesecakes, and lots of lemon meringue tarts) … and blogging was the last thing on my mind.

Until today. 

I realized … better late than never with this recipe … it makes a really delightful little cookie … full of spice, a little sweet … a little crunchy yet still soft in the centre.

Mother of pearl I heart this cookie.

Plus … it’s really (and I mean REALLY) good as the base for a lemon cheesecake (the spices and the lemon are a great contrast).    

You see … I’ve re-functioned the cookie for post holidays … just don’t cover the cookies in the powdered sugar / cinnamon mixture.   

This is another Donna Hay recipe.  I know … my love of Ms. Hay continues (as does my love of her ipad app) … and these cookies certainly solidify her awesomeness. 

I think you’ll like them too.  

spiced brown sugar cookies

ingredients:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp baking soda

120 g butter, room temperature

1 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. corn syrup

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Place the icing sugar and ground cinnamon in a bowl and mix well to combine.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer (or with your handheld mixer) beat together the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup until pale and fluffy – about 3 minutes at medium speed (don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time).

Add the egg and vanilla to the batter – beating at medium speed to combine well.

Turn off the mixer: add the flour, baking soda and spices, mix in until incorporated.

Roll small amounts of the cookie dough into balls – about the size of a small chocolate truffle.  Place on a cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper), leaving room to spread. 

Bake for 8 minutes – rotating halfway through baking.  You’ll know they are ready when they are slightly cracked. 

Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.  You want the cookies to still be slightly warm when you coat them in the icing sugar mixture.If you’re making these cookies for a cheesecake base – this is where the recipe ends.  Simply allow to cool, pulse in the food processor to a fine crumb, add some melted butter and mix to combine.  Press into the base of your cheesecake pan.  You won’t be disappointed.  I promise.

However … feel free to make these cookies as they were originally intended … Put the cookies (a few at a time) in the powdered sugar / cinnamon mixture – gently tossing the cookies until they are coated in the sugar.

Place them on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Makes 84 truffle sized cookies.  Absolutely delightful cookies!

I’m glad these cookies are my first blog entry in 2012 … a recipe I truly love to share with all of you :0) 

Enjoy … et bonne année!

No matter what you call this … it’s AWESOME.  Actually … it’s FANTASTICALLY DELIGHTFUL!!!!

Yes … writing it all in uppercase letters will hopefully convince everyone to try this cake for the holidays.  It’ll be a great addition to your holiday spread … the tart cranberries and the sweet orange … with that brown sugar caramel glaze … mother of pearl.  This one is a keeper.

I first made it a couple of weeks ago … we were celebrating my uncle’s birthday and quite a few people came into town … my mother, her sister, her brother, my brother, my cousin (a grand total of 12 people around the table) … it was a Dumas family reunion of sorts … and one thing the Dumas Clan loves … is dessert.

My grandmother always baked up the perfect dessert … so I’ve taken it upon myself to keep her memory alive and come up with something I think she would like.

This is one of those recipes.

And the best part … it is quick and easy.  Simple really.

I promise.

After all … if you tuned into ctv ottawa morning live yesterday you would have seen me whip up the batter with Kurt Stoodley in about 5 minutes … ok … for reasons of accuracy … it does take longer than 5 minutes … but this is still a quick and easy one.

Even Kurt felt confident enough to whip this up at Christmas.  And to be honest … I hadn’t fully committed to making this recipe yesterday until about 60 minutes before I had to be in the studio … and I was able to make it, bake it, transport it, and serve it in just under 75 minutes.

Not bad.  And it makes for a pretty funny story.

I’ve made this as both a regular 9 – inch round cake and as a bundt cake (it resembles a holiday wreath) … both work really well.  The bundt is great because it doesn’t need as much baking time … and I needed to get that cake in and out of the oven as quickly as possible yesterday!

bakers note … if using a regular round pan … don’t use your  spring form pan … that’s not such a great idea … the caramel will likely leak out of the bottom and cause a mess in your oven.  We learned that lesson when I made that mistake for my uncle’s dinner.   :0)

higgledy-piggledy cranberry – orange cake

ingredients:

topping

1/4 c. butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 package cranberries, fresh or frozen (don’t thaw if using frozen ones)

batter

1/2 c. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
1 orange, zest and juice, use the entire orange.
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. buttermilk

Pre-heat your oven to 350 F.  Spray your pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

Make your topping.

In a pan over low heat, melt the butter.  Remove from heat and add the brown sugar.  Stir the brown sugar – butter until you get that wet sand texture.

Spread the brown sugar mixture along the base of the pan and then spread the cranberries on top of that.

In the bowl of your stand – mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the orange zest, eggs and orange juice and beat again until everything is incorporated.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the mix, beat until just incorporated.

Add all the buttermilk.

Once slightly incorporated, add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat everything together (always at a slow speed once you start adding flour to your batter).

That’s it.  Spoon the batter over the cranberries, take a spatula to smooth it out and then bake.

If it’s a bundt pan it should take between 40 – 45 minutes.  If it’s a regular round pan it should be closer to 60 minutes.  I always check a little before, just to make sure.  You want the batter to be firm but bounce when you touch it with your finger.

Allow to cool in the pan for 15 – 20 minutes on a wire rack.

Run a knife around the outside of the cake and then invert it on a serving plate.  I find that sometimes not all the cranberries come off – I just take them off the bottom of the pan and place them back on top of the cake.

Then dig in and enjoy.

I don’t think I’ve ever had so many requests for a recipe …  or for a cake.  I’ll be making this one again tomorrow and over the weekend.  It’s a real winner!

Only this time we worked on a collaboration.

I baked the cake.  Actually … two small cakes.  Chocolate & banana.  Top that with a Sailor Jerry’s rum syrup & rum chocolate ganache … you have yourself an afternoon in the kitchen with Justin Rogers.

Amazing???

Mother of pearl YES!

It turns out … everything I thought I knew about making chocolate ganache was wrong.

My goal is always pretty simple when making ganache … I just want something that is thick enough to cover an entire cake and not look dull or cracked.

1.  I thought that you bring cream up to a simmer.

Wrong.

According to Justin’s instruction – getting it that hot throws off the tempering processes … ensuring that your chocolate ganache will be dull and flat … not shiny and rich looking.  If you have an instant thermometer you should aim for about 65 degrees.

2.  I thought that you should have equal parts chocolate to cream.

Wrong …in some instances.

According to my lesson if you are making a white chocolate ganache you should actually double the amount of white chocolate to cream ratio … unless you want to make a whipped white chocolate ganache topping … then you would have slightly more white chocolate to cream (300g white chocolate to 250g heavy cream and 25g corn syrup).

3.  I thought you had to pour your hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before stirring.

Wrong.

If you leave it that long … it won’t be the right temperature to temper the chocolate (especially if you’ve heated your cream properly).  Allow to sit for about 60 seconds and then stir.  The 60 seconds allows the cream enough time to penetrate the chocolate pieces and get the melting process started.

I also learned that the following can be used in making a ganache.

Corn syrup.  Gelatin.  Sugar. 

I know!  And here we all thought it was a simple task of boiling cream and pouring it on top of chocolate pieces.

Well … that does work too.  But check out what I was able to do with Justin (ok … to be honest, Justin did it all – I asked questions and took pictures … but I put in my time baking the cakes that morning before heading over to his kitchen).

Pretty eh?

Yeah … we impressed the pants off everyone who saw it … plus it tasted pretty awesome.

The one thing that I realized when working with Justin is that every single step is really important … and goes into creating the final, professional looking finished product.

1.  Make a simple syrup.  Use it on the cake.  It works to moisten all those crumbs that have a way of ruining a frosting or ganache.

2.  Once you cover the cake (top and sides) with the syrup … stick it in the freezer for a little bit.  Not too long.  Just long enough so that the cake is firm and not moist to the touch.

3.  Cover the cake in a first layer of ganache.  Seriously.  It creates the smooth work surface that the second ganache layer clings too.

4.  And yes.  When I say first layer of ganache … I mean you have to make two different ganaches.

One with cream, water, dutch cocoa powder, chocolate disks and gelatin.

The second with cream, chocolate disks and corn syrup.  Oh … and rum.  Lots of good rum – added to it once the cream has been added.

5.  Once you’ve poured the warm cream over the chocolate disks … you can continue using heat.  Use a heat gun … or blow torch … or hair dryer (on highest heat) … moving it over and under your bowl will allow a little more heat … plus it’s a cool tool to use in the kitchen!

6.  Blend your ganache well … Once you’ve mixed it by hand and let it sit a little … blend it again!  If you’re making enough you can use your food processor … you want it to be really well combined.

7.  Strain your mixture before each use … once before pouring it over the cake (to remove air bubbles), and again if you are going to re-use the ganache that falls on the parchment paper underneath your cake.

And then …

Have fun decorating the cake!!!!

Justin stuck to very classic french … a little gold dust with some almond pieces along the sides.  I chose to decorate with chocolate chips … inverted so that the tips stuck in the cake and the flat end created a cool effect …

I love both!

*bakers note:  please read the recipe below carefully … I didn’t the first time and kinda messed it up … :0)

chocolate – banana cake

cake

ingredients:

1/2 c. + 1 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

1/4 c. + 2 tbsp boiling water

1 large banana, peeled

1/4 c. + 2 tbsp sour cream

2 eggs

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 + 1 tbsp flour, sifted

1 c. sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c. + 2 tbsp butter, room temperature

read carefully … this is where I went wrong the first time I made this cake…

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 30 minutes.

Now …

Preheat your oven to 375 F and spray a 9 inch round pan with non-stick spray (or bake two 6 – inch rounds).  Set aside.

Using your food processor … process the banana and sour cream until smooth.  Pulse in the cocoa mixture, vanilla and eggs.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand – mixer (this recipe does require a bit of clean-up), mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt on low speed for about 30 seconds.  Add the butter and half of the mixture from your food processor.

Mix on low speed until all the dry ingredients are moistened.  At that point, increase the speed to medium and beat for 90 seconds.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Return to a low speed, add the remaining banana-chocolate mixture from your food processor, in two parts, beating at medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition.

You’ll notice that the batter is pretty light and creamy.  It also tastes insanely good. :0)

Bake the cake for 35 – 45 minutes (again … this will depend on which size cake pan you use and your oven … my small cakes took 25 minutes … my larger one closer to 50).

Let the cake cool on a wire rack in the pan for about 10 minutes.  Then run a knife around the sides to loosen the cake and invert it the wire rack to allow it to cool completely.

simple syrup

3 tbsp water

1/2 c. sugar

In a saucepan, stir together the water and sugar until all the sugar is moistened.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Once cooled, add some rum if using … or vanilla extract for a non-alcoholic syrup.

Generously brush the syrup over the top and sides of your cake.  Allow to chill in the freezer for a few minutes.

chocolate ganache

ok … I’m going to be honest … I can’t re-create Justin’s ganache yet.  So … that will have to come.  I’ll be practicing over the holidays though … so recipe update to come. 

Until then … a classic ganache recipe would be:

225 g chocolate disks

225 g cream

25 g corn syrup

Heat cream and corn syrup to 65 degrees.  Mix well (the corn syrup will likely fall to the bottom of the bowl).  Pour over the chocolate disks.  Allow to sit for 60 seconds and then mix … stirring until smooth.

Pour through a strainer and allow to sit a bit to thicken.

Place your cake on top of a wire rack, which should be sitting on top of a piece of parchment paper.

Once your ganache is thick enough, pour it over your cake … start on the outside of the cake and work your way to the centre.  It’ll drizzle over the sides naturally.

Remove the cake from the wire rack (a metal spatula is great for this), place it on a clean plate and start decorating …

Ganache can be stored in your freezer for up to 3 months … so don’t throw away everything that ends up on the parchment paper.  Strain it and save it!

I heart that she makes things that I want to make, are easy to make, and that they actually turn out!  Plus … her food styling rocks my world.  Seriously … I’ve found myself thinking … how would Donna make this look?  It’s become a slight obsession.

And I’m totally cool with that.

Who wouldn’t want to make something that looks good?

And when you look at her recipes and realize … oh yeah – I can totally do that! 

Like this one.  It’s so simple … but so delicious.

I wouldn’t call this a banana loaf.  It’s more of a spice loaf with bananas on top … but it’s still delightful.  For realz.  This might become a new little gem in your recipe folder.  

Donna Hay’s original recipe was banana cinnamon breads.  I decided to change things up.  I flipped through my flavour bible and decided that pairing cardamom, chocolate chips and bananas would work well.

I was right (well … the flavour bible was right).

This is a real holiday recipe – spicy and sweet (the bananas and the chocolate chips) … plus it smells absolutely amazing while baking. 

And it’s good two days later … even when you’ve kept it in the fridge (I’m not a fan of keeping baked goods in the fridge … it sucks all the moisture out). 

Oh yeah … it’s super adorable – so again … another awesome hostess gift!  Or perfect for Christmas morning … or a couple of days after Christmas when you just want something good to eat without all the fuss.  This recipe will answer that need.

I decided to double the batch … I was seeing lots of friends and wanted to bring everyone a little lovin’ from my oven.  Doubling meant that I made 1 dozen mini loaves and 1 dozen extra large muffins.  Both turned out great – and their size meant that I was able to bake them in under 30 minutes.  AWESOME!

cardamom, chocolate chip & banana loaves / muffins

ingredients:

5 oz butter, room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. almond meal (ground almonds … or hazelnut meal would work too)

1/3 c. buttermilk

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (or cinnamon if following the original recipe)

1/2 c. chocolate chips

2 bananas, sliced

melted butter for brushing

brown sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Spray your mini loaf pans, or muffin pans with non stick spray.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy – about 5 minutes.  Add the egg  – beating well. 

Turn off the mixer.  Add the flour, baking powder, almond meal, buttermilk, and cardamom and fold in until smooth.  Toss in the chocolate chips and stir until they are evenly distributed.Grab your ice cream scooper and scoop the batter into your pans – I used 2 scoops in both the loaf pan and the muffin pan molds. 

Grab your bananas and slice them.  As you can tell – slice them however you want … I think thicker is better – since they will be caramelizing as the batter bakes … and you want them to keep their shape.

Gently brush the melted butter on top of the banana slices, and then generously sprinkle brown sugar on top of the melted butter.

Done!

Bake for 25 minutes – they will be golden and smell ridiculously delightful (you might want to bake them a little longer … resist the urge – you don’t want them to dry out … don’t forget – since there is no banana in the batter, it’s not overly moist to begin with).

Remove from the pan mold immediately.  You don’t want them to keep baking.  Allow to cool on a wire rack … these are great warm from the oven … but equally delicious at room temperature.

I think I’m going to make another batch of these this week … only perhaps I’ll make them into mini-muffins and bring them into the office … or just save them for myself :0)

The answer is … I SURE DO!

My goal for the month of December is to bake every night.  If you’d like to help me achieve that goal … send me a little ol’ email (or if we are friends and you have my personal cell number – send me a text).  I’d be more than happy to help bring you a little holiday cheer.

Below you’ll find a few lists of what’s on offer.  But if there is something else that caught your fancy while checking out my blog … let me know.  I’d be more than happy, and open, to discuss.  Just try and keep it pretty seasonal :0)

You can reach me at lynnefrappier@gmail.com

Easy eh?  And think of all the time you’ll save by having me do all your baking for you!  You can think of me as your little kitchen elf :0)

*Back by very popular demand … SCONES!  As always, I am more than happy to provide baked scones or unbaked ones (baking instructions provided); allowing you the option to bake “home-made” scones on Christmas morning :0)

There’s lots of dancing going on in my little apartment :0)

You might think it’s silly of me to be so excited about sticky buns.  But these aren’t just any sticky buns.  These are THE BEST sticky buns.

No lies.

Why you might ask???

1.  Super easy to make.  I have gotten the “prep” time down to 7 minutes.  Anyone can whip these up first thing in the morning or in a cinch when company unexpectedly arrive.  Or on Christmas morning …

2.  They smell ridiculously delicious while they are baking.  It starts with the smell of toasted coconut & almonds.  And then becomes a sugary sweet spicy doughy loveliness … wanna sell your house?  Bake these!

3.  They taste great.  Who doesn’t love coconut & almond?  Or chocolate & cherry?  Or cranberry & white chocolate?  Yeah … all of those are options … all you need is a little imagination and the perfect sticky bun can be all yours.

4.  You too can have a Martha moment!  I know … I usually shy away from a Martha reference … however in this case … I totally embraced the Martha in me … baking the sticky buns and then placing them in a slightly larger holiday tin.  Holy Martha! 

5.  Holiday hostess gift … check!  Who needs to gift a bottle of wine when you can gift a tin of sticky buns????  I think you want to join in the dancing, lovely smelling, martha madness that these sticky buns can bring to ones life. 

*bakers note: if you don’t have a food processor, this can be done with a handheld mixer or a whisk.  don’t worry about some of the cottage cheese curds – they bake out :0)

*the recipe below is for 1 pan for sticky buns … but I have actually divided the dough in half and made 2 different types at once … just use smaller pans.

coconut – almond sticky buns

ingredients:

1 c. shredded coconut

1/2 c. slivered almonds (or chopped almonds)

* other flavour options: dried cherries & dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries & white chocolate

dough:

3/4 c. cottage cheese (4% is great – but 2% works as well)

1/3 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. sugar

2 oz (4 tbsp) butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

2 c. flour, extra for rolling

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp b. soda

filling:

1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

2/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

* you can also swap the nutmeg for cardamon, or use chinese five-spice … just about any spice that catches your fancy

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Spread the coconut and almonds on cookie sheets, and bake until toasted – about 7 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Increase the temperature to your oven to 375 F or 400 F (depending on your oven).  Spray the sides and bottom of a 9 – 10 inch springform pan with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

 In the bowl of your food processor combine the cottage cheese, melted butter, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla.  Pulse until smooth – about 15 seconds.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and pulse until the dough starts to clump together.  It’s pretty sticky.

Done. Scrape the dough out and place it on a very well floured surface.  Knead the dough – about 5 times, you’ll notice how nicely it comes together (and super quickly) … Grab your rolling-pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle. 

Time to use your pastry brush and that second batch of melted butter.

Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border unbuttered around the edges. 

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg (or your choice spices): sprinkle the mixture evenly over the buttered surface.  Pat it gently, and then sprinkle the toasted coconut and almond on top.Once filled, roll up the dough.  Start at the long edge, and roll jelly-style.  With a sharp knife, cut the rolled dough into 12 equal pieces (I trim the slight excess dough at each end). Grab your springform pan and gently arrange each piece, cut side up.  Don’t worry if there are small gaps between each sticky bun – you want them to touch slightly. 

Ok … if you’re like me, you might think … both sides are cut sides!  Don’t worry, simply pinch one end and put the pinched end down.  You might notice that some of the almond/coconut mixture falls out … that’s ok, gather it up and then sprinkle the top of the sticky buns prior to baking. Bake until golden and firm to the touch, about 25 – 28 minutes (but there will still have that slightly raw middle … yum).

Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack – about 5 to 10 minutes.  Remove the springform ring, and then transfer the sticky buns – all in one piece - to either a serving plate … or pull a martha and set in a parchment paper lined tin.  

Make a glaze (powdered sugar, lemon juice and a little milk – whisked together) and drizzle it over the buns.  That’ll add that extra hit of sticky to this buns.

Sigh.  I can’t wait to get home and dance my way through another batch :0)

Charlotte is leaving Ottawa today.

It makes me sad :0(

Don’t get me wrong … I am so incredibly thrilled that she is going to a new place – new challenges, new adventures, lessons to be learned … all that great stuff that a move to a new city entails.

But it doesn’t mean I won’t miss walking into the whalesbone and seeing her.  Pestering her with all sorts of questions … having our monthly scheduled industry night dinner @ Oz Kafe … listening to her crazy stories … hearing her laugh … just enjoying her joie de vivre.

I’ve known Charlotte since she was 18 … she’d just moved to Ottawa and was ready to experience anything and everything.  She brought a sarcastic wit and wicked sense of humour to the house (6 roomies that summer in a house that really only had 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom … with a mushroom growing out of the bathtub).  I can remember her attempting to bring order to our little backyard garden (it didn’t happen).  I can also remember when she decided she wanted to be a bread baker … early mornings learning to make fresh bread.  You should ask Charlotte to make you bread … it’s pretty awesome.

I’ve followed her adventures over the years … culinary school in Prince Edward Island … working in Vancouver … working in Niagara on the Lake … coming back to Ottawa and taking the food scene by storm.  I feel like a uber proud big sister.

But I have to say it’s in the last few years that we’ve become closer.  It started because we genuinely enjoyed hanging out together … and then obviously a shared passion in food … and then Charlotte did the nicest sweetest thing ever.  She invited me to stage at the whalesbone.  She wanted to offer me the chance to see what working in a restaurant would be like.  And then she took the time to show me how to do the simplest of things … because although I can bake up a storm, cleaning mushrooms for 4 hours isn’t something I’d done before (and fyi … wild mushrooms can get pretty dirty).

But since friends tend to forget to tell each other how much they mean to one another … I’d like to take this opportunity to let Charlotte know what she’s taught me …

I learned that you should never attempt to plate ice cream on 6 desserts until all the components are already on each dish.  Otherwise … you have to start all over.

I’ve learned that manicuring shallots takes a really sharp knife … but that I can do it.

I’ve learned that I probably shouldn’t be hanging out on the line in the middle of a Saturday night rush … trying to get a perfect picture.  Lucky for me … Charlotte still let me do it :0)

I’ve learned that I can do anything.  As Charlotte told me every single week … I might never have done something, but it doesn’t mean I can’t do it.  It just means I have to try … and practice.  But that I can do it.

Charlotte taught me to trust my instinct when I bake.  To just go with what I think tastes good … and she applauded every single thing I have ever made.  Seriously … she was always the first person to offer me praise for anything I brought in for her to sample or told her about.

This past year has been a super difficult year for me … it’s still a struggle … but in the beginning it felt unsurpassable.  Charlotte always asked me how I was doing; we started a ranking system.  We applauded when I got to a 6/10 … and when I was having a 3/10 day … Charlotte let me stand in the prep kitchen and just cry.

And finally … Charlotte taught me to give 100% to everything I do.  That every person that comes into the whalesbone deserves to get the same experience – the same beautiful plate, the same standard of flavours … I shouldn’t just scoop ice cream on a plate and think it’s ok … it needs to be perfect.  People deserve that.  People deserve our best.

I think I echo lots of sentiments when I say it’ll be strange to walk into the whalesbone and not see our fiesty chef with the short-shorts and a kiss for everyone … But I think every single one of us are so proud of our little Charlotte … for everything she has done … and everything that is to come.

I don’t know if Toronto is ready for Charlotte.  But I know that she is totally ready for Toronto.

So without further ado … good luck Charlotte (the harlot).  Don’t think this is the last you’ve heard of me … I’m gonna come and stage with you in Toronto :0)

What would you think if I told you I spent Sunday afternoon taste-testing chocolate truffles?

Would you be just a tad envious?

What if I told you that all of those truffles can be yours.  It’s true.  Every single one of them can be yours (and I sampled close to 15 different types) … and it’s all thanks to this guy …

Justin Rogers.

I fell under Justin’s culinary charm when I tasted his fruits of passion / coconut macaroon indulging in a passion fruit 4 way .  The entire dish just blew my mind and my taste buds.  I was hooked pretty much from first bite.  After my blog post, Justin emailed me  … and … we became friends :0)

We’ve been meaning to get together for a chocolate truffle date for long time … but … well … my life totally got in the way of that.

So when Justin invited me over to his wonderland of truffles … I showed up and brought the lovely and talented Deb Ransom with me.  Justin had his own photographer on site too … the hilarious, wickedly talented Marc Brigden (MarcMyWorks photography) … and the four of us spent the afternoon snapping pictures, chatting away about the different flavours, giggling over some of my random flavour combinations and well … obviously … eating truffles.

Lots and lots of wonderful delicious truffles.

I’d like to claim that one is the VERY BEST TRUFFLE I’ve ever tasted … but well … I’d be lying.  Because they are all pretty awesome.  The flavour combos are insanely lovely … some subtle, others not so much … all rich and creamy … and so original.

My first favourite of the day was the sailor jerry’s & eggnog.  You can take the girl out of the whalesbone … but I guess you can’t take the whalesbone out of the girl :0)

My second new favourite was the bourbon pecan … or maybe it was the vanilla cognac … which Justin says reminds him of Switzerland … it looks like a beautiful snow ball … but it tastes oh so much better than snow ;0)

After a mini break I went back in and the amaretto toasted almond pretty much rocked my world … one bite … the toasted almond and the fudgy ganache filling … mother of pearl … an absolute delight to the senses.

Feel free to contact Justin if you’d like some of these truffles …  they make great Christmas treats for friends, loved ones , co-workers (your boss) … or for yourself.  Go ahead.  You deserve it.  They deserve it.  These truffles might just be one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.  For Realz.

clove chocolatiers

Justin Rogers

t. 613.668.3420

info@clovechocolatiers.com

www.clovechocolatiers.com