by on December 29, 2018   •   1 Comment Bakeshop

Espresso Chocolate Cheesecake

Happy holidays to all of you lovely readers.

This week has included a heap of festivities with friends and family as well as plenty of downtime to relax. Our new home is proving to be very cozy and every day we’re feeling more settled.

We’re currently snowed in, and since the fridge is still full of leftovers, there’s really no need to do anything else but hibernate – until  New Year’s Eve that is. We’ve been invited to friends for a party on the 31st, so I’m brainstorming what I could contribute.

Since we’re in the middle of the dark days of winter, my mind turned to chocolate…and coffee….and then I remembered this cheesecake.

[Read more…]

by on November 9, 2018   •   6 Comments Bakeshop

Eton Mess-Topped Cranberry Curd Tart with Candied Kumquats

A colourful little tart I created last month for our Thanksgiving feast turned out to be quite the showstopper.

Even though we’re up to our ears in boxes and the movers come next week, I had to share this recipe with you. I’m usually all about the classic desserts for the fall and winter holidays, but this time it was really fun to change things up with this unique Eton Mess-Topped Cranberry Curd Tart with Candied Kumquats. Yes, that’s a mouthful, and I promise you, it tastes even better than it sounds.

Here’s a dessert that’s absolutely perfect for the holiday season, featuring sweet clementines, fresh cranberries and tiny little kumquats, not to mention mounds of cream and crispy, crumbled meringues. Read on for a handful of photos and the recipe for this decadent tart.

[Read more…]

by on June 26, 2018   •   3 Comments Bakeshop

The Best Canada Day Desserts from Coast to Coast

Exploring Canada has long been one of my passions and traveling to the far corners of our beautiful country has allowed me to enjoy a myriad of culinary experiences from coast to coast.

No matter where you land on the map of Canada, you’re sure to find a local dessert, as Canadians have a notorious sweet tooth. Here in Québec, I make my butter tarts with maple syrup and on the Prairies, they bake Flapper Pie from their grandmother’s recipe.

[Read more…]

by on March 8, 2018   •   54 Comments Bakeshop

Mini Citrus Pavlovas

A quick check of the weather before I sat down to write this post informed me that another snowstorm was on the way.

We may be all dreaming of spring, with its rhubarb galettes and strawberry pie, but the reality is that we’ll be embracing citrus fruits for a while still here in Montreal. That’s fine with me, because a friend’s new book, Simply Citrus, is inspiring me to stock up on grapefruit and tangerines, limes and lemons.

Around here, blustery winds and fresh snowdrifts are totally normal for March, and today’s mini pavlovas match the elements.  Crisp white meringues are reminiscent of the frosty snowbanks that blanket our homestead from end to end, while soft peaks of whipped cream cover them like the freshly fallen snow.

I think winter desserts are every bit as elegant as summer, and pavlovas are at the absolute top of the list. Read on for the mini citrus pavlova recipe, plus a giveaway of Simply Citrus.

[Read more…]

by on June 5, 2017   •   18 Comments Bakeshop

Rhubarb & Orange Frangipane Galette

I hope you still have some rhubarb on hand, because we’re baking with it today.

I wasn’t originally going to share this galette with you as it is more of a hodge-podge of recipes than an original creation of my own, but it was so delicious, I knew I had to at least point you in the direction of my inspiration and hope that you are similarly compelled to bake.

As is the custom, it started with an over abundance of rhubarb in my garden and a not much time to fuss over a dessert. Rhubarb cornmeal muffins are delicious, as is my upside down cake, but I was contributing the sweet finish to a family dinner and wanted to contribute something light and pretty. Something that said “Spring!”.

[Read more…]