coconut oatmeal cookies

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

1/4c butter

1/2c brown sugar

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla

1tbsp baking powder

1c shredded coconut

1c oats

1c flour

In a large bowl blend until light the softened butter and brown sugar. Add each egg and the vanilla. Blend until smooth.

Add the coconut, baking powder and oatmeal. Slowly add the flour until well mixed. The mixture should be fairly thick. Chill for 10 minutes in the fridge and bake at 350F (150C) for 8 minutes. Pull out when only slightly golden brown along the top not to overcook them.

blackberry cake

Blackberry Cake

Serves 8
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 1 hour

140g butter softened (I put 85g)
140g sugar (I put 85g)
140g ground almonds
140g self-raising flour (I used normal flour + baking soda)
1 egg
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I left this out cause I'm not sure the Frenchies would like it, they always say its too strong)
2 tsp vanilla extract
225g blackberries (I put in 300g cause I luuuuurve blackberries)

Heat oven to 180C. Grease & line the base of a 23cm springform tin. Put the butter, sugar, almonds, flour, egg, cinnamon and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat well. Spread half the mixture into the prepared tin.
Sprinkle the blackberries and dot over the remaining cake mixture so it covers the fruit.
Bake for about an hour until golden and springy. Leave to cool in the tin. To serve sprinkle some cinnamon and powdered sugar over the top. Serve with coffee and/or marscapone.

I think this recipie is from this book: La Dolce Vita. My colleague brought in this cake and I loved it so much I got her to photocopy the recipe for me.

Peach Pie

Peach Pie
Taken from The New Best Recipe

2 pie crusts
6-7 medium sized peaches (about 7 cups sliced)
1 tbsp juice from 1 lemon
1 cup sugar (I put 1/2 cup)
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
3-5 tbsp potato starch (depending on how juicy the peaches are)

Place the bottom crust in the pie pan and refrigerate until ready to bake. Cut the second pie crust into strips and prepare the lattice on a flat surface. Freeze for 15 minutes or refrigerate until ready.
Preheat the oven to about 250C - which is how high my mini-oven goes - or 500F
In a bowl combine the sliced peaches (pealed of course) with the other ingredients. Pour into chilled pie crust and lay the lattice work on top. Pinch to close off the edges of the pie. Reduce oven temperature a bit (to 450F) and bake for 25-30min until crust is golden brown. Rotate in the oven and reduce the temperature again to 375F or about 200C and bake until dark brown and the juices bubble through the lattice, about 25-30min. Take out and cool at least 2 hours on a wire rack.
Serve a la mode ;-) with vanilla ice cream.

chocolate & sweet potato cake

Chocolate & Sweet Potato Cake

(on the left is the original recipe from Bushveld Banquets, on the right is my heavily modified recipe)


180g butter at room temperature (100g)
360g brown sugar (50g)
4 eggs
450g cake flour (120g rice flour, 30g corn starch)
100g cocoa powder (50g)
15ml baking powder
180g dark chocolate
400g sweet potato, cooked, peeled and grated/mashed
400ml buttermilk (25ml normal milk)

Ganache (I didn't make)
20ml instant coffee powder
400ml cream
300g dark chocolate
120g butter

Cream butter & brown sugar together in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the eggs one by one. Sift together the flour, cocoa & baking powder and fold into the creamed mixture. Fold in the melted chocolate, sweet potato and then buttermilk and mix well. Pour batter into a greased tin (or 2 if you're making a layer cake) and bake at 180C for 30 min until tester comes out clean (mine was a loaf pan and much thicker, I baked it for about an hour with aluminum foil on the top to keep it from getting too dark). Cool on a wire rack.

Ganache
Combine coffee powder, cream, chocolate and butter in the top half of a double broiler. Heat over simmering water until the ingredients have melted to a smooth mixture, stirring occasionally. Cool and then cover the sides and top of the cake.

pecan pie

Maple Syrup Pecan Pie

1 prepared unbaked pastry shell, 9-inch (try a gluten free crust)
3 eggs
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups pecan pieces or halves

Preheat oven to 350° and place rack at lowest position. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Blend well and stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and the filling is set.

(there is no Karo (corn) syrup in France but this recipe is just as yummy!!)

apple pie take 2

Gluten Free Apple Pie

3/4 c brown rice flour
3/4 c ground almonds
25g butter chilled
1 egg beaten
2 medium apples
1/4 c applesauce

For the crust:

mix the brown rice flour and ground almonds together. Add the egg and butter and mix together. The dough remains very sticky!
(I spread it into the piepan with the back of a spoon dipped in water to smooth it out. I guess you could add more flour but I was so happy with the end result I wouldn't change anything!)
Put pie weights or dried beans/rice and prebake the crust for 10 minutes at 180C.
While baking peel and thinly slice the apples.

Finishing the pie:

When the crust is done spread the applesauce over the bottom and arrange the apple slices on top - bake for another 15-20 minutes until the apples are cooked and just starting to turn brown. the crust was very yummy, had just a slightly nutty taste and was almost like a "pate brisee" like a big cookie :-) yum!

Tapioca Pudding

Tapioca Pudding

2 3/4c milk
1 egg (well beaten)
1/3c sugar
3 tbsp tapioca pearls
1 tsp vanilla (or 1 sachet sucre vanille)

In a medium saucepan mix the first 4 ingredients and let sit for 5 minutes.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as it comes to a full boil remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Let the pudding sit for at least 20 minutes (it will thicken as it cools). Serve warm or chilled and for an extra treat add some fresh fruit or jam.

scones

Scones

(I stole this picture from the internet... forgot my camera at home, and I just have to say mine turned out prettier!)


INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
1/4 cup white sugar (50g
5 teaspoons baking powder (2 sachets)
1/2 teaspoon salt (1/2 c. a soupe)
3/4 cup cold butter (150g)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk (24 cl)
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut (100g or a bit less)

DIRECTIONS:1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter. Mix the egg and milk in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture until moistened.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

You can anything you like in them, I love banana & nuts with a dash of cinnamon, or blueberry, white chocolate with cranberries, or split it in half and add fresh strawberries and cream for a strawberry shortcake etc... The possiblities are endless! Yum!!

apple pie

Apple Pie

- 1 pie crust (yes, I cheat and buy the pre-made ones but they're good!)

- 3/4 cup apple sauce

- 3 or 4 medium size apples thinly sized

- 2 tbsp apricot jam mixed with 2 tbsp water

Applesauce:

Peel and quarter as many apples as you can, throw 'em in a big pot and add a little bit of water just so they don't stick to the bottom (they'll make their own juice as soon as they start cooking). Turn down the heat and slowly let them cook until most of them break up and the rest are soft. Remove from heat and blend until smooth using an electric mixer. Add brown sugar to taste.

Pie:

Spread applesauce on the pie crust and then layer the apples in a spiral shape across the top. Finish with a light glaze of the apricot jam and bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until the apples are golden brown.

fondants au chocolat

Fondants au Chocolat

Prep time: 10 min

Baking time: 12 min

120g dark chocolate + 4 squares (10g each)

3 eggs

80g sugar

35g butter

1 tbsp. flour (can be optional and therefore gluten free)

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler until smooth and creamy.

In a large bowl mix the eggs, sugar and flour. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth.

Fill each ramequin 1/2 way full, then add 1 square of chocolate and cover it with the rest of the batter.

Bake at 350F for only 12 min, no more! Let them sit for a few minutes but make sure they are served room temperature so the inside is nice and gooey. YUM! This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe ever, I'm sure you'll love it!

cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

Crust:
2 cups (190 grams) of graham wafer crumbs or finely crushed vanilla wafers or gingersnaps
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
32 ounces (1 kg) (4 - 8 ounces packages) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) white sugar
3 tablespoons (40 grams) all purpose flour
5 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons (30 grams) white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Grease a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan. Place the springform pan on a larger baking pan to catch any leakage while the cheesecake is baking. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with rack in center of oven.
For Crust:
In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and about 1 inch (2.54 cm) up the sides of the springform pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
For Filling:
In bowl of your electric mixer place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a larger baking pan and place in the oven.
Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and continue to bake for about another 1 1/2 hours or until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread the topping over the warm cheesecake and return to oven to bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools).
Let cool before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. This cheesecake tastes best after being refrigerated for at least a day.
Serve with fresh fruit or fruit sauces.
Makes one - 9 inch (23 cm) cheesecake.

Tips: Sometimes the surface of the cheesecake cracks. To help prevent this from happening do not overbeat the batter, especially when creaming the cheese and sugar.
Another reason for cracking is overbaking the cheesecake. Your cheesecake is done when it is firm but the middle may still look a little wet.

Wish I could take credit for this recipe but I found it on the Joy of Baking website :-)

apple crumble/crisp/cobbler

Apple Crumble

4 or 5 apples (just over 1 apple per person)

1 cup brown sugar (sucre vergoise)

1 cup oats (apparently oats in themselves are gluten free but can easily be contaminated by other grains)

80 g butter

Slice and peel the apples and lay them in a large baking dish. In a medium bowl mix the sugar and oats together then roughly slice the butter and mix it all together. I like to use my hands to get the butter really mixed in. It should resemble wet sand in consistancy when all mixed.*

Crumble the topping over the apples and bake at 350F (180C) for about 30 minutes. It will be done when the top is golden brown and you can see the apples bubbling underneath.

*You can also sprinkle in some cinnamon!

In the summer I like to vary it with peaches and blueberries :-)

pumpkin pie

Pumpkin Pie

(makes 8)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin - or bake a whole pumpkin or potimarron

1 can (12 fl oz./ 340 ml) evaporated milk

1 unbaked pie shell

Mix:

Sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and evaporated milk with sugar/spice mixture.

Pour:

In unbaked pie shell.

Bake: Preheated oven 425F for 15 minutes, reduce to 350F; bake 30-40 minutes. Cool 2 hours.

fondant chocolat noix de coco

Fondant Chocolat Noix de Coco

150 grams (2 cups) unsweetened dried grated coconut
170 grams (6 ounces) bittersweet chocolate (the best quality you can afford), chopped
125 milliliters (1/2 cup) light whipping cream (crème fleurette légère)
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
125 grams (1 1/4 cups) sugar

Serves 8 to 10.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 24-centimeter (9-inch) round cake pan with parchment paper or use a springform or silicon pan. (Alternatively, you can bake the cake in a loaf pan, in muffin tins, or in ramekins.)

Spread the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 7 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden and fragrant. Remove from the oven (leave the heat on) and let cool.

Heat the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring from time to time, until melted and smooth. Transfer to a large mixing-bowl and let cool for three minutes.

Crack the eggs one by one, separating the egg whites from the yolks: set the egg whites aside in a medium mixing-bowl or in the bowl of a food processor with a whisk attachment, and add the yolks to the chocolate mixture, stirring well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Add the coconut to the chocolate mixture, and stir to combine. The batter will be thick.

Using a handheld electric whisk, a manual whisk and strong forearms, or the whisk attachment of your trusty food processor, start beating the egg whites with the salt -- slowly at first, then at medium speed. When the egg whites get frothy, up the speed, add the sugar little by little, and keep whisking until the mixture is shiny and smooth. Lift the whisk from the bowl: if the eggs form an elegant swan-neck shape that doesn't collapse, you're all done.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in three additions, working gently with a soft spatula to lift the chocolate mixture up and over the egg whites in a circular motion.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes, until the top is dry and the blade of a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes if you're using a loaf pan, and for 10 to 15 minutes less if you're using muffin tins or ramekins. Either way, keep a close eye on the baking and use the blade test to be sure.)

Transfer to a rack to cool completely and unmold carefully -- the cake will be quite fragile.

I can't take credit for this recipe which I found on Chocolate & Zucchini and made it yesterday. It turned out very well if I do say so myself! There were a few things that I did differently... First of all I don't have a mixer and so I was beating the egg whites by hand... As you can imagine my arm was very tired so I didn't get them to the stage that the recipe called for, but more of a a soft peak. I also hadn't noticed that it was at that point that the sugar should be added so I added the sugar with the coconut before the chocolate mixture was added. It turned out pretty well even with the changes. A lot more dense then it should have been but I love a rich chocolate cake! Plus it was really different to try and make a cake sans flour :-)

madeleines

Madeleines

100 g beurre (butter)
2 oeufs (eggs)
1/2 cuillere de levure chimique ( teaspoon baking powder)
80 g sucre (sugar)
115 g farine (flour)

Battre 2 oeufs entiers avec le sucre jusqu'a ce que le melange blanchisse.
Beat 2 whole eggs and sugar until the mix whitens.

Continuer a battre et incorporer la farine avec la levure. Ajouter le beurre fondu et melanger avec soin.
While mixing blend in the flour and baking powder. Gently fold in the melted butter.

La pate ainsi faite doit remplir a moitie les moules a madeleines.
Put a teaspoon of batter into the madeleine pan, it should fill each spot about half full.

Mettre au four 210C pendant 10 a 15 min.
Bake at about 375F for about 10 to 15 min.

Too bad with my first two batches I forgot that they were in the oven and they are a bit... well... "cajun style madeleines..."

sweet potato pie

Sweet Potato Pie

1 lb sweet potatoes (des patates douces)
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 unbaked pie crust

Boil sweet potatoes until soft, peel off the skin*

Mash the potatoes in a large bowl and add butter, mix well. Add sugar, milk, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Beat until mixture is smooth. Pour into pie crust.

Bake at 350F (175C) for 55 to 60 minutes.

*I found a great tip for peeling any sort of potatoes if using them after boiling... After you clean the potatoes (with the skin on) slice a ring around the middle of the potato before placing it in boiling water. After it is cooked and cool to the touch rince with cool water and simply slide the skin off! It is a great way not to spend hours peeling potatoes...!

banana bread

Banana Bread

I make this alllll the time! It is a wonderful way to use up bananas that have gone a bit brown, in fact its better with old bananas! If you have some but don't have time to make the bread peel the bananas and freeze them in a zip lock for future use!

The frenchies I've made this for have gone, well, bananas! Although I would suggest translating it as a "gateau aux bananes" otherwise they get confused thinking its a savory bread...

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups bananas (ripe & mashed)

Preheat oven to 350F (175C).

In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl cream butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and banana.

Add the banana mix to the flour**, do not over mix. Pour batter into a greased pan.

Bake for 60-65 minutes, let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.

**For a fun treat you can add 1 or more of the following: fresh or frozen blueberries (my favorite!!!), chocolate chips or nuts.

tarte tatin

Tarte Tatin

1kg de pommes
50g de beurre
100g de sucre
50g de cassonade
1 rouleau de pâte feuilletée
le jus d'un citron
1 cuil à café de cannelle en poudre

Rincez, pelez et épépinez les pommes. Coupez-les en gros quartiers. Arrosez-les avec le jus du citron.

Faire fondre le beurre dans une poêle à fond épais puis déposez-y les quartiers de pommes bien serrés les uns contres les autres. Saupoudrez le tout de cassonade et de cannelle. Faites-les cuire sur feu doux en couvrant à moitié pendant 15 minutes.

Préchauffez votre four à th 6 (180°C). Mettez le sucre semoule dans une casserole, ajoutez 2 cuil à soupe d'eau et faites chauffer à feu doux. Ne remuez pas. Dès qu'il colore, versez-le sur le fond d'un moule à tarte préablement beurré.

Répartissez les pommes sur le caramel. Couvrez avec la pâte en rentrant bien les bords sur les côtés. Enfournez 25 min, jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit bien dorée.

Servez tiède avec une boule de glace à la vanille ou une cuillère de crème fraîche!

a new blog is born!

Following other bloggers I decided to share some of my favorite tried and true recipes with you as well as my experimentations with new ideas! As I'm an American living in France my recipes are now a real mix of metric and American mesurements. I'll post them as I have them written down, if you need conversions just ask!

To start off the blog I'll share my absolute favorite cookie recipe:

Chocolate-chocolate-craisin cookies

-Melt 8oz (1 1/4 cups) chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double broiler

While melting combine:
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-3/4 cup butter

Blend in:
-2 eggs
-1 tsp. vanilla

Combine and add the melted chocolate.
Then mix in:
-1 3/4 cups flour
-1/4 tsp. baking powder

Add:
10 oz chocolate chips
-1 1/4 cups dried cranberries (have found them at the Comptoir Irlandais, Monoprix and Carrefour in France)

Bake at 350F for 8 minutes. Better undercooked and fudgy in the middle ;-)