EpiCurious Generations

With Christmas just one week away, it's time to start preparing. The recipe for these  wonderful, buttery whipped shortbread cookies has been in storage for the past 5 years while we were away.  When I made them last week, I remembered why these are always a hit.  The texture is perfect for shortbread and the use of salted butter creates a wonderful balance.

Inspiration:  Halloween and Pinterest! These are fun and easy to make.  All you need is a really good shortbread cookie recipe  (it's also repeated below), some melted dark chocolate,  Aero bubbles and some candy eyes. 

Inspiration:  It's apple season!   After spotting these beautiful little pies on Pinterest a few years ago, I have been wanting to try my hand at making them for quite a while.   Turns out, this was a fun project that I imagine kids would love.  The effect is really quite stunning. The pies are not too sweet and I decided to add a little cinnamon caramel to flavour them.   I used green apples because it is what I had on hand.   You can also use a red apple for colour but just make sure your apples are very hard.  They will need to stand up to being cooked twice as they initially need to be softened to a bendable state to roll and then baked in the oven. Shower them with some powdered sugar and serve with some rich vanilla ice cream and extra caramel sauce.  Guaranteed oohs and aahs.  Enjoy.

Inspiration :  Fresh figs given to me by some of my Italian friends Don't really have a story for this recipe but I really do love fresh figs.  I thought combining them with a ricotta filling would create a really wonderful, Italian inspired desert.  This combination turned out to be really good and the pie was beautiful.  I will definitely make this again and think it would make a great desert served alongside a beautiful cheese platter. 

Inspiration:   Throwback to Saturday mornings when I was a kid. I recently saw a post on Pinterest for pop tarts and boy did that bring me back to my childhood.  When I was young - I'm gonna say around 8 years old - we were allowed to have chocolate pop tarts on Saturday morning while we watched cartoons.   This was such a treat and I remember vividly the taste and texture of those breakfast delicacies that we waited all week for.   

Inspiration :  Fresh Market Corn

Inspiration:  Tasty, creative summer project for kids It took me three tries to get the sweet sushi rice for this recipe to the perfect consistency.   The result is a delicious and not too sweet summer desert that is a fun project for kids during the summer months.  Let your imagination go wild with different fruit combinations.  Add a little puffed rice (Rice Krispies) to mimic tempura flakes, or maybe a drizzle of nutella, chocolate or salted butter caramel sauce (try the ones from Williams Sonoma - they're delicious).  

Inspiration:  My mom ordering crème brulée every time we go out for dinner and then sharing it with everyone. I used to make this recipe a long time ago.  I am always surprised at how easy it is to make but how truly decadent and delicious it is.  For me, it is a no fail desert recipe. 

Inspiration:  One of my grandmother's best and most loved recipes (Pouding au chocolat à la vapeur) This should be served rustic style: - heated, crumbled and topped with ice cream and sauce.  You will not believe how good this is!

Inspiration:  Hot Fudge Sundaes Served here with Steamed Chocolate Cake and Brown Butter Vanilla Sauce

Inspiration :  Favorite after school treat as a child When these come out of the oven, they are crispy on the outside and fluffy and tender on the inside.  Delicious!  Make a big batch and freeze them.   Not overly sweet, they make an easy, ready-to-go snack or breakfast. 

Inspiration:  Brownies from Aux Vivres -  a wonderful Montreal vegan restaurant.

Add crushed dentelle crepes or cookies for crunch and texture We just returned from a three week trip to France and, although the weather was not great, the food, as usual, was terrific. Our first stop upon arriving in Paris is our favourite little (very little) local restaurant,  Le Hide .  It just seems to get more popular every time we have the chance to go.  We became friends with the chef, Koba, when we lived in this wonderful neighborhood and it is always a joy to see his business doing so well.

These are Cortland apples -very crunchy and not too sweet A few weeks ago, I had the chance to teach a cooking class to two wonderful little girls.  They wanted to learn the technique for making one of their favourite deserts - apple pie.  

These shortbread textured oat cookies are made with coconut oil and coconut sugar which makes them not only delicious but healthy too.  I love coconut sugar these days because of its low glycemic index (35)  and butter caramel taste.  It seems that everywhere I look I also notice articles on the benefits of coconut oil (apparently great for weight control - who knew!).  We are not big desert or cookie eaters, but these work great in the morning when we are pressed for time or need a quick snack on the run that tides us over for a while.  You can add raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips and nuts for additional texture and flavour.  You'll be shocked by the rich taste of butter and caramel (but there is no butter). A little treat for my beautiful vegan family and friends!

This tastes like the sun in a bowl!  This has to be the easiest thing to make but it ALWAYS gets rave reviews - especially from my dad! (Keep in mind it's easy but the prep takes a little time).  

Sprinkle with a little cayenne or espelette pepper for the adults ;) We play a game in our family called ''My favourite''.  A category is given and you have to state your favourite item within the category.  For example: favourite desert, favourite junk food, favourite TV show, etc.  We make it up as we go.  This often helps pass the time when we are waiting in a long line up or to board a plane.  It is  fun, insightful and the answers change  as our tastes develop and refine  throughout the years.

Shortbread crust, almond cream with summer peaches, blueberries and pomegranate! I have very fond memories of summer vacation travel with my family.  We were campers and it was a wonderful way to discover North America.  We travelled throughout the United States and Canada and we came across some wonderful places.  A lot of time was spent on the road and although it seemed long at times, my parents made sure we stopped regularly to discover small towns and local treasures.  One of the highlights of travelling at this time of year was coming upon a farmer who had set up a road side stand to sell his fresh fruits and vegetables.  The fresh peaches were always a hit and did not last long.  Whenever I see baskets of peaches at the market, it brings back these wonderful memories.

I have been working on a lot of vegan recipes lately and I think I will take a little break after this one.  It has been a learning experience for me and I believe that, as a cook, it is important to always keep learning and keep an open mind.  I have enjoyed cooking this way and making my beautiful vegans happy, but I find myself inspired lately by all the wonderful seasonal products available at the market and most of my ideas seem to include cream, eggs, cheese, etc.   I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to prepare good vegan meals that please everyone, even the meat lovers.  Like any good dish, the key is flavour, texture and balance.

Cayenne, Anise, Lavender and Praline Flavoured Chocolate Shots This idea was inspired by hot chocolates served in France  - the rich, thick, melted chocolate kind - and something we tried at a wonderful Chocolatier in the distillery district in Toronto not too long ago called  Soma .