I was a little worried about going anywhere on Yom Haatzmaut because the whole country is out and in all the parks and recreation areas. I was warned by native Israelis to not try to go any more than 10 minutes from my house because otherwise the amount of traffic would just make the whole trip not worth it.  I was also warned that if I wanted to barbecue in a park (the official Independence Day pastime), then I should stake out a spot and picnic table the night before and have someone stay in the park the whole night. Soooo, that was out.

The barbecue process, everyone with their drink of choice.

The Little Rocker hamming it up for the camera. Look at that wind!

We had already planned to get together with E and A on Yom Haatzmaut and I was just looking for something to do during the day before the barbecue.  So I decided on strawberry picking before the season ended.

The meat.

On the morning of the big day, all we saw were grey clouds and I was a little apprehensive. It was also really windy. I had heard that the rain was supposed to be spotty so we set out anyway in the hopes that it would be nice and sunny when we got there.  As we drove to the field (and with a few wrong turns ) the sun came out and the weather turned lovely.  Bright and sunny, but a cool breeze too. We got to the field and picked the freshest strawberries I have had in this country. The Little Rocker did all the bending down for me which was awesome as I had Squeaker in a backpack on me. And we ended up with some really bright and sweet strawberries.

Taking advantage of the windy day and the open soccer field.

We got home and continued with our plans and had an amazing barbecue with great fresh fruit for dessert. But afterwards we still had all those strawberries.  I made a strawberry pie with some of them, and it was great.  But then I made these strawberry pavlovas and they were the bomb-dizzle.

Adding strawberry sauce.

I had a ton of egg whites saved up in the freezer from some time when I made lemon curd or something. I didn’t want to make more meringues, because they always took so long and then I always ate them because Rocker Dude doesn’t like them.  So here is something to do with all those extra egg whites.

The finished product.

I ended up making individual pavlovas as opposed to one big one, because if I have a choice, I prefer to make individual desserts as opposed to family style, and this is one chance to do that without shaping individual pie crusts.

I wanted to really have the strawberry flavor pop, so I also made a strawberry sauce to be drizzled over the cream. The Little Rocker was really excited to try these and though she usually does not like the desserts I make (no taste that one, I don’t know what to do with her) she loved this one.

Strawberry Pavlovas

We had a bunch of people for dinner and these came out wonderfully, though in the future I might make the pavlovas themselves a little smaller as some felt that there was too much sweet on the plate.

This is a wonderful dessert for warm spring or summer days as it is sweet and refreshing.

Recipe (serves 12):
Pavlovas (from the Pastry Studio):

6 egg whites at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp.  cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and line two baking sheets with baking paper.

In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium-low speed.  When they are foamy, add the cream of tartar. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating until egg whites are opaque.  Slowly dd the sugar a few tablespoons at a time until continue whipping until the egg whites are stiff and shiny.

Drop the meringue by spoonfuls onto the baking sheets, using about 1/3 cup per pavlova. Smooth the tops with the back of a spoon, leaving an indentation for the filling. Bake for about 1 1/2 -2 hours or until the meringues are dry and can be released easily from the baking paper.  Remember to rotate the baking sheets halfway and if you have them on two racks then to switch the pans as well. When they are done, turn off the oven and let the meringues dry out for another 30 minutes in the oven.  After 30 minutes, place the meringues on a wire rack to cool.

Vanilla Bean Cream:

250 ml whipping cream
2 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

In a clean mixing bowl, begin whipping the cream. As the cream thickens, add the sugar and the vanilla. Continue beating until stiff. Chill in the refrigerator until needed.

Strawberry Sauce:

15 strawberries, washed and hulled
2 tbsp.-1/4 cup sugar, depending on how sweet the strawberries are

In a food processor or blender, combine the strawberries with the sugar until you have a uniform sauce.

Washed, hulled and sliced strawberries for garnish.

Assembly:

On each plate, place a meringue.  Add a generous spoonful of cream on top, followed by some sliced strawberries.  Then drizzle some strawberry sauce over the whole thing. Serve immediately.

Summer is almost here: a time of laying at the pool, days long enough for long runs before work, a plethora of inexpensive fresh fruits & vegetables and of course don’t-want-to –heat-up-the-kitchen-cooking. It’s the perfect time of year for bright, bold but light salads. I love to experiment with salads because they are flexible and are so much more than the “diet food” of years ago. A trend for years in the restaurant industry, salads have gotten bigger and heartier. Often they have also increased in price as well! So, here are my tips for making great “restaurant quality” salads at home that are lighter and generally cheaper than the salads you would get when dining out.

1. Use what is in season. The same rule applies as my previous post about Fruit Salad. Fruits and vegetables that are in season taste better and are less expensive.

2. Start with a great “lettuce” base. Think Romaine, Spinach, or a Spring Mix/ Mesclun are my favorites. Make sure it’s fresh & crispy. No one likes wilty “yucky” lettuce.

3. Add 1-2 fruits or vegetables accompaniments. Think about adding diced broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, snap peas, celery, peppers, or even Zucchini or squash. Fruit is also amazing on salads and can give your salad another taste dimension: sweet! I love diced strawberries, blueberries, diced apple, grapes, mandarin oranges, diced pears or be bold with tropical fruits like mango or pineapple.

4. Maybe a dairy component is needed as well: any type of cheese is usually a great flavor addition to your salads. Low-Fat Cheeses like Light Feta, Light Cheddar or even full fat strongly flavored cheeses like Gorgonzola or Blue are worth their extra fat grams for all of the flavor that they contribute.

5. Now you need your crunch! Croutons are traditional but what other great light substitutes can you make? What about hand crushed crackers or Special K Crisps? Baked chips are an unexpected crunch as well, depending on the flavor profile of your salad. Maybe make your own light croutons with your going-stale Healthy Life Bread? For those who are less calories conscious, nuts are amazing in salads. Usually, a small amount of nuts go a long way in a salad. Peanuts, walnuts, pecans and cashews add healthy fats and help make the salad more filling. Candied nuts may not be the healthiest or cheapest additions but they make an awesome salad “splurge”.

6. Need or want protein? Really, I’ve seen pretty much every type of meat placed on a salad (ok, not hot dogs…yet). Personal favorites include turkey, chicken, hard boiled eggs, grilled steak, or even lamb. The protein helps to make the salad fill you up and feel more like a full meal.

7. The dressing! It’s so essential that most grocery stores have about 30 feet of options on their stores. Things to consider when selecting the perfect dressing: Is it light? Generally, I consider less than 60 calories and 3 grams of fat for 2 tbs. to be light but sometimes if the dressing is super strong and therefore, you can use less, this is a bit less important. What’s the flavor profile of your salad? Old world European with Spinach, light feta, grapes and diced tomatoes? Opt for a balsamic, light Greek, or even a fruit based dressing like my favorite Trader Joe’s Champagne Pear Vinaigrette. Maybe you are going all American- romaine, carrots, broccoli, cheddar and ham? Light Thousand Island or even skinny homemade ranch (coming soon) is perfect! Southwest or Mexican themed salads call for something a bit spicy but still creamy. I will be posting my Skinny Southwest dressing soon!

Salad making tips

1. Don’t dress too soon, otherwise your lettuce gets all gross.

2. Don’t overdress. Nothing is worse than getting a plate of dressing with a little bit of lettuce. You can always add more, but taking it off is impossible.

3. Experiment with mixing flavors but remember that generally sticking within the same cuisine genera is a good idea. Sometimes sweet and spicy together is great- sometimes it’s a flavor mess.

4. Really love a high calorie dressing? You can still eat it, just dip your fork into a side cup of the dressing. This allows you to get dressing on every bite and you will be amazed at how much less dressing you use this way.

5. Making a salad at home and it always ends up with all of your dressing on top and dry lettuce on the bottom? Shake it up. Place your ingredients into a bowl and place a larger plate over the top, hold firmly in your hands and shake shake shake! This is a restaurant trick for distributing the dressing throughout the salad.

My current favorite Summer Salad:

Sweet Summer Spinach Salad

(that’s more S’s than my Initials!)

6 cups packed fresh spinach (Aldi)

1 oz Light Feta Cheese (Trader Joe’s)

About 4 medium strawberries- diced (Aldi)

About 20 red grapes (Aldi)

Optional but delish: 2T Chopped Walnuts (Aldi)

3T Champagne Pear Vinaigrette Dressing (Trader Joe’s)

Add everything together in a bowl. Shake to distribute the dressing.

Cal 315; 16g Fat; 17g Carbs; 15g Protein; 9g Fiber; WWP+ 7

Make a sauce of 1/3 cup orange juice, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons corn starch. Stir until smooth, set aside.
Stir fry the chicken in two batches just until done. Set aside on a clean plate and cover.
Stir fry the vegetables, carrots first (for about a minute), add the onions and green peppers (about a minute more, then broccoli. I reduced the heat to medium at this point and covered my wok so all the vegetables could steam for about a minute. Increase heat and add the chicken back to the pan. Gently stir in the sauce mixture and lastly, the mandarin oranges. Allow to thicken, season to your preferred taste with more salt or sugar, and serve immediately over rice or low mein noodles.

Today my friend Tammy and I ran the Greenbelt 10km run. This was Tammys first ever 10km run, and she has only been running for our couple of weeks. I was very proud of her as she didn’t stop once, it was an awesome effort Well done Tam. I have been running on off for most of my adult life and after some time away from it recently I have just got back into it. If you can run it is such a great thing (well any exercise is I just really enjoy running) exercise is one of natures, natural anti-drepresents as it releases all those feel good endorphins and once you get your breath back and have washed off the sweat you feel amazing.

When running, like any exercise it is really important to fuel your body before and after. For me being an early morning start I have trouble eating so I get my energy levels up with a energy boosting banana smoothie. Bananas are a really good choice for pre and post exercise as they are high in potassium which is necessary for good muscle function as well as maintaining a healthy balance of fluids and can also help prevent muscle cramps after exercise. Bananas are also high in carbohydrates which are great for keeping your energy levels high. I use Almond milk for my smoothies as cows milk doesn’t agree with me, but you can use any milk you like; cows, soy, rice etc.

MY BANANA SMOOTHIE RECIPE:

• I large banana broken up into pieces
• 2 Tsp of natural low fat yoghurt
• 1Tsp honey
• 1 Tsp psyllium husk or oat bran
• 1 cup almond milk
• pinch nutmeg

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and process until smooth.

But we all know what can be boring and its nice to spice it up a little here and there. So what do you choose? Vitamin water? Gatorade? Water with a hint of flavoring in it? Which is the best and which ones do you avoid because if you read the labels .. they all claim to be ”good” for you…. which my lovelies, we know isn’t true!

Now I’m not saying replace your water intake with these, I’m saying its ok to add one of these every one in a while. Your body LOVES water and thrives on it at its purest form. It makes up around 60% of your body and every system depends on it. There is a reason they say 8 glasses of water a day, I tend to shoot for 9 because I like to be an over achiever like that…. =P   (standards are around 2.2 liters for woman and 3 liters for men)

OK .. On to the drinks!

The Good:

• Smart Water- 0 sugar, 0 fat, 0 calories + electrolytes .. how can this get any better? .. plus for some reason this water tastes sweeter to me. . . . IDK why…
•  Function: Light Weight – 11 Calories, 2g sugar, 0 fat. High in EGCG ( which is a potent antioxidant that’s known to have therapeutic treatment for disorders like cancer, endometriosis and other things.  Usually found in green tea. ).
• Hint Water:  - 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 sugar. “Drink water, not sugar” is its slogan and it means just that. No artificial sweeteners.
• So.. some Vitamin Waters are better than others. Original ones were loaded with fake sugars and society caught on to that little fact and the company decided to wise up. so which is good? Vitamin Water 10 Lemonade Multi-V : 25 calories. 0 fat. 7.5 g sugar. the new 10 line replaced the artificial crap with rebiana (from the stevia plant). the bad? Vitamin Water Focus : 125 calories. 32.5 g sugar. what a difference!
• Zico Pure Coconut Water: Amazing for electrolytes, no artificial sweeteners or add-ins. less sugar than Gatorade. 60 calories. 14 g sugar. (But its natural sugar)
• Gatorade Natural : Provides the same hydration without all the fake sugar and using natural ingredients like sea salt, natural sweeteners and fruit. High in electrolytes.
• Propel: Low in sugar, carries tons of vitamins, and has no artificial coloring. (I like the berry kind)
• Activate Water : Love these! Loads if vitamins, 0 sugar (sweetened by stevia plant). o calories.

The Bad :

• Fuze : Yeah it carries amazing amounts of vitamin A and E but … it had the same amount of calories as two Pepsis and WAAAYYY to much sugar  . 209 Calories. 58 g sugar
• SoBe Life Water : ummm it has like 20g  of sugar alone, enough said. Usually sweetened with fake sugars too.
• PowerAde : Full of fake sugars, usually around 200 calories unless you get the PowerAde Zero, which is worse because it has even MORE fake sugars (Sucralose= Splenda).
• Regular Gatorade : Sure it has electrolytes and low calories, but its also filled with high fructose corn syrup and artificial coloring and sweeteners… I’d skip it.

Hope this helps! =) … win and doubt, when your not craving a little sweetness, stick to pain ol’ water, …… its free lol.

Usually, when people say yogurt… they mean the kind with like 1000 grams of sugar (ok I may have exaggerated that … but seriously people) …and then you get the Fat Free kind or “no added sugar” blah blah blah …. it has sugar … common read the label!

OK, sorry enough if my rant…. Here is the “lowdown” on yogurt.

Lets get started ….

Yoplait…. (I used to eat this shit all the time and thought I was being “healthy” … ha! ) Sure they have about 20 different flavors that sound amazing and it says “fat free” or ”low calories” …yeah whatever…..usually that means it has fake sugar like Splenda in it. If you read the labels they usually have around 25-30 g of sugar alone in that one little cup. That’s like 1/2 a bag of skittles…. or 2 Reese’s cups. And I don’t know about you… but I’d rather have the candy hahaha. (NO)

Yoplait whips .. yeah if it tastes like desert… umm it probably is. You would probably be better off eating some ice cream. Just saying. (NO)

Dannon Activia … Most of these have a huge sugar content and little to no fiber content.. (NO)

Fruit at the Bottom kind of yogurts… did they mention that the fruit is usually minimal with a lot of high-fructose corn syrup and gobs of sugar.. didn’t think so! (like Dannon brand) (NO)

Fage Total 2% . YAY finally a good one! Its think and yummy and packed with protein. There is no preservatives or artificially thickeners in this. (YES)

So Delicious Cultured Soy, Coconut, or Almond yogurt.. Dairy free for those that have trouble digesting lactose. The soy is organic and sweetened with organic agave. …Since Almond milk is usually lower than soy or cows milk its pumped up with pea protein making it about 7g per container! YAY (YES)

Chobani Greek Yogurt – With its high protein content its my favorite! Plus is sooo good! .. Usually none or very low in fat and not too much sugar. (YES)

Oikos Greek.. I like the honey kinds because its like a natural sweetener so you don’t get a lot of the sugars . (YES)

OK OK, I know I bashed the shit out of Yoplait earlier but their Fiber One …..aren’t as bad… Has fewer than half tha calories as their regular kind plus double the fiber. (SURE… Ill say YES)

Stonyfield Plain… Drizzle a little bit of honey, maple syrup or add some fresh berries in Ta-Da ! 10 g Protein and usually around 100 calories perfect for smoothies, oatmeal or just a little snack. (YES)

You’ll Need :

1 Apple, peeled and sliced (what ever kind your little heart desires)

1/4 cup of Apple Juice

1-2 Teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1 Banana

1 Cup ice cubes

1/2 container of vanilla Greek yogurt

…whipped cream (optional )

1. Combine ice, apple, yogurt, apple juice, banana and cinnamon into blender. Blend till smooth. Pour into glass and serve. (you can add the whipped cream and add a little cinnamon on top if ya want)     YUMMMMM!

This recipe yielded one tray of fruit leather which equaled out to be 8 pieces at 4 inches in length.

Ingredients:

2 bananas

2 apples

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of lemon juice (to keep it from browning)

(add a little juice if it doesn’t get the blender going)

Directions:

Blend in a blender until smooth. Place into a pot and cook on medium or low for about 35 to 45 minutes until it is very thick. Stirring constantly the thicker it gets.

Transfer the mixture to the plastic ring in your dehydrator, after you have oiled it.

Set your dehydrator for 135 degrees and let it go for 6-12 hours. I let mine run all night and it was done in 11 hours.

Apple crumble holds a special place in my heart. Not only is it one of the first things my husband (then boyfriend) ever made for me, but the story behind it also left a lasting impression that we still joke about to this day.

He and I met within the first few days of being on campus our freshman year of college. At Bradley University, to be exact (as if you’ve actually heard of it). And within those few days — when your willingness to participate in anything and everything is high — we had both willingly enrolled in Club BU, a group of new students that host high school seniors overnight to give them a feel of what the university and campus life is like. He was the leader of my group, and aside from him calling me a few times with Club-related things, the extent of our interactions was limited.

Come December, I’d basically forgotten about him until I spotted him one night in the dorms around finals time. Rather, he spotted me. With my girlfriends — drinking tickets in hand — that we’d received from campus police a few minutes earlier for boozing in the dorms. Underage, of course. I don’t remember exactly what he said to me, but there he was — standing in the doorway of his room in his boxers — crassly poking fun at our unfortunate situation. I’m also unsure of what I said to him in return, but I’m sure it wasn’t anything particularly ladylike.

Despite those two encounters, we didn’t really meet until second semester of our freshman year when we were both enrolled in the same Western Civ class. Also enrolled in that class was a mutual friend — an acquaintance of mine and a fraternity brother of his. Somewhere along the way, we ended up being more formally introduced, and afterwards we started talking more and more. And that talking lead to occasional hang outs. However, college was still too fresh and new for the both of us at that time, and neither him or I were particularly interested in starting a relationship. So the night before summer break, we took our first picture together during a night out at the Lucky Lady, and then parted ways. No harm done.

The following fall, when we both returned as sophomores, we reconnected and casually started talking and hanging out again. This time it was a little more serious, but still not serious serious. This was basically the story of our second year together at Bradley.

Junior year is when things started to pick up, and when things were good, they were good. But as with most college relationships, ours wasn’t without its fair share of drama. There were breakups (a few of them). And there were tears. But for one reason or another, we always came back to each other.

During one of those not-so-great times, I decided, on a whim, to go to London for a few weeks. This was before cell phones and WiFi, which meant I was really off the grid — and that’s exactly what I wanted. And probably just what I needed. And him, too.

Upon my return, things changed. I’d missed him and he missed me. That time away from each other had done us some good — we grew up. Something clicked in both of us that made us realize that perhaps we really were right for each other after all.

And we’ve been together ever since.

Shortly afterwards, I graduated from Bradley and started my first real job. He stayed behind to finish his Master’s degree. We tried our best to see each other every other weekend — alternating who would do the traveling. On one of my weeks visiting him, he decided to make me dinner — tuna casserole and apple crumble. Pretty impressive for a college boy. And while I sat at the counter and watched him cook, he did the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen anyone do in a kitchen.

He held the apple in his left hand and hacked at it with a knife in his right hand. There was no cutting board. He was literally holding the apple in front of him and just whacking away at it — ninja style.

I nearly died.

Granted, I didn’t know much about cooking back then, but I knew enough to know that what he was doing was wrong, not to mention dangerous. I applauded his efforts and then instructed him on the proper (or at least more proper) way to cut an apple. We finished making the crumble together. Dinner was delicious.

Now, even all these years later, I still cut the apples any time we make apple crumble. I still make jokes about his knife skills (although he has gotten much better). And I still get a little weary when I see him sharpening my Santoku. But all that aside, these little moments remind me of that time. The time we finally clicked.

And while the story of our relationship may seem dysfunctional (especially to those who lived it with us), I think the important takeaway — looking back on it now — is that we did it together. We grew up together. We experienced some of life’s most defining moments together. And that prepared us to take on the rest of our lives together.

And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

The recipe below is the evolution of the apple crumble he made for me that day. A more grown up version, if you will.

Bourbon Fruit Crumble (serves 6 – 9, depending on portion size)

What you need:

For the filling:

• 1 1/2 pounds of apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds of pears, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/3 cup unsweetened dried cherries
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons bourbon

For the crumble:

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts (I used a mix of whole and pieces)
  
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Extras:

• Vanilla coconut milk ice cream (optional)

How you do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling, making sure everything is well coated. Transfer mixture to a large skillet and cook over medium heat for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fruit has softened slightly and a syrup begins to form. Transfer filling to an 8″ x 8″ glass baking dish.
3. For the crumble topping, mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 325 degrees, or until the topping is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Top with scoop of coconut milk ice cream (optional).

Sultry blueberries are baked atop this feisty pudding!

I really hope you enjoy this recipe for bread and butter pudding, because Husband and I love it! It’s not soggy, nor is it tasteless – it’s actually delicious! It’s important to use stale bread for this pudding. Fresh bread absorbs too much of the custard filling, and the dish becomes soggy. In my experience, even stale white bread is too absorbent for something like this, so I used challah (egg bread) because it is a bit sturdier than white bread. I let the challah go a little stale, and then I unleashed my bread and butter madness!

The pudding is baked in a water bath, which makes for a very creamy texture. I made a raspberry syrup (trust me, it’s super easy – the recipe for the raspberry syrup is included below), which I poured atop the layer of bread lining the bottom of the dish. (You can omit the raspberry syrup, if you wish, though I strongly recommend keeping it.) Then came a second layer of bread, onto which I poured the custard filling, letting the whole shebang sit for about 20 minutes to allow the custard to soak into the bread. I couldn’t resist topping the pudding with blueberries, which remained whole but baked to a plump softness. Many bread and butter pudding aficionados caution against adding fruit to the dish, but I found that the raspberries and blueberries brightened the pudding and added a bit of complexity to the flavours. I sprinkled each layer with a TBS of sugar, ensuring that there would be sweetness throughout the dish. The dish wound up being sweet enough for my liking, and not at all bland. If you wish, you can reduce the amount of sugar sprinkled atop each layer, or omit the sprinkled sugar completely. Oh, and definitely serve this with some cream to pour over! You’ll dig it.

I did have one issue with this dish. The recipe didn’t specify what kind of baking dish to use, so I baked this pudding in my trusty, rusty soufflé dish, which is 8″ across and about 4″ tall. My soufflé dish turned out to be insufficiently wide for the pudding to bake as it is meant to; my pudding still had a liquid centre, when it is supposed to be firm all the way through. (The texture is evident in the photograph below.) It was still fantastic – I would make this again, even with my soufflé dish – but I think a dish 10″ to 12″ across, about 2″ to 3″ tall, would be ideal for this bread and butter pudding. Think au gratin or wide, shallow casserole dish. I want to save you the frustration I experienced with this recipe, a frustration that could have been avoided if the recipe had specified the correct dish size. Omissions like that, which may seem trivial to the cook book author and editor but which really have a big impact on the finished dish, irk me. We’re not mind readers, we’re cook book readers! Strive for clarity! And, my dear readers, if you see something on my blog that could stand a bit of clarification, please tell me about it in the comments. I’m always striving to improve!

Not as firm as it should have been, but still damned tasty.

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English Bread and Butter Pudding

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
7 TBS sugar, divided
6 oz. raspberries
1 loaf stale challah, or bread of your choice (enough to yield 12 slices), crusts removed from slices
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
9 egg yolks
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup milk (OR just use 2 1/2 cups cream)
5 – 8 TBS sugar, for sprinkling over each layer of the pudding
fresh blueberries for topping

Method:

For the raspberry syrup:
Place 6 oz. raspberries into a heavy cup or bowl.

Put water and 6 TBS of the sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar is completely melted and the syrup is clear. Cook 2 – 3 minutes longer to thicken the syrup. Pour hot syrup over raspberries and sprinkle remaining TBS sugar over the top. Cover with cling film or aluminum foil and let sit overnight. Do not strain.

For the bread and butter pudding:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut 3 – 4 slices of bread into 1/2″ pieces, and spread bread evenly over the bottom of a shallow casserole dish (about 10″ to 12″ in diameter). Be sure to cover the bottom of the dish, leaving few gaps. Pour the now cooled and thickened raspberry syrup over the diced bread. Sprinkle 1 – 2 TBS sugar over the raspberry syrup.

Cut each of the remaining slices of bread in half diagonally, and then cut each half slice in half diagonally to create 4 even triangles per slice. Dip each triangle into the melted butter, and arrange on top of the raspberries, overlapping the triangles slightly. Pour the remaining butter over the triangles, and sprinkle 1 – 2 TBS sugar over the triangles.

To make the custard filling, whisk the yolks, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Bring the cream and milk to a boil in a small saucepan, and slowly pour the hot cream over the yolk mixture, whisking the yolk mixture constantly to prevent curdling. Pour the warm egg mixture over the bread, making sure all of the bread is coated. Let sit for 20 minutes to allow the custard to soak into the bread. Sprinkle 1 – 2 TBS sugar over the top. Place the blueberries atop the bread, and sprinkle the blueberries with an additional 2 TBS sugar.

Place the casserole dish in a roasting tray filled with hot water halfway up the sides of the casserole dish, and bake until golden brown on top with the filling just set, about 30 – 45 minutes. (Baking time will depend largely on the size of your casserole dish.)

Remove casserole dish from roasting tray (this can be tricky, so be careful – I nearly scalded myself!) and let cool slightly. Serve warm, with cream to pour over the pudding and with fresh berries, if you wish.

Source: Adapted from Eating Royally: Recipes & Remembrances from a Palace Kitchen by Darren McGrady, 2007

Zowie, I’m excited to be seeing some spring weather and its trusty sidekick, seasonal produce, making an appearance! May is a great month for celebration. Whether it be a bridal or baby shower, a graduation, or an old-fashioned May Day party, a gathering is always more festive around a punch bowl. I’ll be using mine this week to give a certain superhero-themed birthday party a little extra ‘Punch!’ punch.

The great thing about making up your own fruit punch base is that you can pack it full of fresh fruit and cut back on the artificial ingredients. A simple fresh fruit puree is also really versatile and will keep in the refrigerator for several days. You can sweeten the base to taste, depending on the ripeness of the fruit, and use it to mix up any number of concoctions by the glass: from a basic punch, to a sparkling wine cocktail, to a super-fast smoothie mixed with milk and yogurt. So if you happen to have a powerful thirst, an approaching party, or if any caped crusaders come by your kitchen, blend up this fruit base and you’ll be prepared with a punch that smacks of spring.

Homemade Fruit Punch

4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1 16-ounce bottle of pomegranate juice

3-4 liters ginger ale, sparkling juice, or sweet sparkling wine

strawberry or lemon sherbet, for garnish (optional)

Working in batches as necessary, puree the strawberries, pineapple and raspberries with the pomegranate juice in a blender or food processor. Place the fruit puree in a large punch bowl and add ginger ale to desired consistency. If you wish, you can float scoops of sherbet in the punch, or place a scoop in individual glasses when serving.

Your kids might welcome this unusual treat or use it as a garnish on your sweets.

Ingredients

1 apple
Mystery (or peanut) butter
1 banana

Directions

1. Slice apple width wise so it makes rounds.
2. Spread mystery (or peanut butter) overtop.
3. Lay banana overtop.

Enjoy!

Calories: 401

I have a confession to make: I cannot live without having at least one dessert each day. Best meals are when dessert is served after dessert (some restaurants do that) or when a platter of beautiful sugary items sit on on a buffet display. With N in charge of all the sweets at home, my taste buds are blessed with countless confections. (Bad luck to my diabetic genes. And tummy.)

For the past Novice Cook entries, the dishes have all been of a savoury nature. Cooking might be daunting, but stepping into dolce territory was nerve wrecking. I felt almost like Matsumoto Jun when he was tasked to prepare the desserts for kitchen service in Bambino – intrusive and foreign. Having no experience and even lesser interaction with rhubarb, it already sounds like a recipe for disaster.

After trimming and washing the rosy pink stems, I peeled them not knowing if that was necessary. (Anyone can tell me if this was needed?) They were then chopped into pieces and popped into a saucepan with sugar. Because rhubarb is filled with so much moisture, sometimes water is not needed. Their own juices absorb the melted sugar, creating a beautiful mass of the pinkest blush. I gushed ‘きれい’ as the stems slowly released the sticky liquid. Then I covered the saucepan. Probably a bad decision because two seconds later, the pieces disintegrated into stringy pulp. Still very pretty though.

Whipping up the yoghurt and cream into a mixture was probably the most labourious task in the whole recipe. I concluded that N must have superbly toned arms after all the baking, because my arms could barely hold the mixer for barely a minute. The mixture was whipped till soft peaks were formed, or I thought they looked like peaks. Had my fair share of watching cooking shows to identify what they are. The rhubarb was added in later and topped with crunchy ginger biscuits, which gave the fool some bite.

Reflections on my first dessert? It’s definitely a lot more to do then it looked on paper, but as always, the end result always make all the work worthy. N thought the taste was good, but if the rhubarb had not broken down, the dessert would have more texture. Well, not bad then, for a noob like me.

Recipe can be found in Hugh’s Fearnley Whittingstall’s Three Good Things.

I personally love smoothies and my favorite from Smoothie Love would have to be the Smoothie Pops. The recipe is quick, the directions are easy to follow, plus they are creative and sound delicious! So check out Smoothie Love for yourself and possibly find your new favorite smoothie.

I love this time of year. The weather is getting warmer and the variety of fruits and veggies is expanding by the minute. What’s not to love about that?? This means fruit salads, more smoothies, fruit inspired dressings and maybe some sangria when this 60 day challenge is over. Say hello to almost summer! Strawberry season is here. With the month of May approaching two days away, so is the presence of strawberries at the farmers market. I can’t wait to create some recipes for you to try. I often hear some “diets” that call for no fruit but unlimited amounts of meat?? What the heck? If you are working out on the regular and burning this natural sugar off then it should’t cause your blood sugar to spike. Eat real foods, in moderation. Bottom line. And most importantly EAT ORGANIC!

Some of the health benefits include:

1. One cup of sliced strawberries provides 163% of your daily dose of vitamin C (more than an orange) and 12% of your daily amount fiber.

2. Antioxidant rich.

3. Anti-Inflammatory. Strawberries fight against many inflammatory disorders, such as osteoarthritis and asthma.

4. Anti-Cancer. The combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents found in strawberries is well known to fight against the onset of many different typed of cancer. Vitamin C, folate create a defense against any potential cancerous cells.

5. Manganese. One cup of strawberries contains 21% of manganese (an essential nutrient that acts as a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent). Manganese is also great for your bones both with helping bone building and maintaining bone structure.

So, now you know. Get to your local farmers markets where farmers practice sustainable farming practices. Also, If you have any favorite recipes that include strawberries send my way!!

Instead of hiding the beauty of the rosy vegetable inside a crumble (equally delicious though), we decided to keep the pinky surprise under the wibbly-wobbly custardy crème brûlée. Nothing beats having your guests ooh-ing away after they dig into the creamy goodness to find the treasure within. The essence of lavender is another unexpected addition, all thanks to N.

I’ve never been a big fan of the lilac bulbs since their reputation have been tarnished by cheap hand soap. So personally, I’m sitting on the fence on this dish although I was intrigued on how both flavours will come through. But do not let my silly taste buds deny you of this fruity and floral medley (I hate mint because it’s like eating toothpaste). If you love lavender and the idea of it being paired up with rhubarb, give this a shot. Everyone else loved it. It really is just something wrong with me.

Our only trouble with this wonderful French dessert was the blowtorch. It refused to light up until we realised that we bought the wrong butane gas filler. We wasted the whole morning filling the air with flammable gas and being awfully frustrated with naked crème brûlées sitting in the fridge. That was luckily fixed and now we are slightly smarter on the area of blowtorches.

Rhubarb and Lavender Crème Brûlée
Adapted from Gordon Ramsay, Ramsay’s Best Menus

Serves 4

15g butter
150g rhubarb, trimmed and chopped
3 tbsp honey
½ vanilla pod, split
250ml double cream
100ml whole milk
4 large free-range egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon lavender, optional
50g caster sugar, plus extra to finish
Few drops of vanilla extract

Directions

Heat the oven to 140°C. Stand four ramekins or similar ovenproof dishes (200ml capacity) in a baking tin.

Melt the butter in a wide frying pan. Add the rhubarb, honey and seeds from the vanilla pod.

Cook over a high heat, tossing occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and the juices and honey have caramelised. Spoon into the ramekins.

Slowly heat the cream, milk and lavender together in a saucepan to just below the boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract together in a bowl until evenly blended. Trickle the hot, creamy milk onto the egg mixture, stirring constantly, until well combined. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug. Skim off any froth from the surface, then pour into the ramekins.

Pour warm water into the baking tin to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 40–45 minutes until the custards are lightly set. To test, gently shake a ramekin – the custard should still be a little wobbly in the centre. Remove the ramekins from the tin and allow to cool completely, then chill until ready to serve.

For the topping, sprinkle 1–2 tsp sugar evenly on top of each custard, then wave a cook’s blowtorch over the surface to caramelise. Serve at once.

TIP

Using a whisk when trickling the hot creamy milk onto the egg mixture creates bubbles which I want to avoid when making creme brulees.

Not tarts again?! Well, why not a tart? There is always something welcoming and cosy about tarts and pies. At the back of my mind from my childhood, there is an image of a young Edwardian lady who baked a tart and left it by the windowsill to cool. She came back only to find half the pastry was gone and the story ends with her finding out which child steal the tart with some wit and charm. It stayed with me till now because it brought romance and beauty from a lost time. If I could time travel, I would love to go back into the past and see how people lived then. (WHERE ARE YOU, DOCTOR?)

Anyway, I digress. The tart is a simple way to let rhubarb shine and do its natural job of pushing its flavours through. By pairing the tart-y rhubarb beside the citrus sourness of lemon, it already did not sound like a dessert without squeezing one’s face in distaste. But really, both ingredients melded very well together and instead of having a gastronomic battle in the mouth, one is treated to a surprisingly slightly sharp nectar-like tang. Maybe it was because N reduced the amount of sugar than specified as there are parents who don’t partake to sugar overdoses very well.

Can we just make it official that rhubarb is the prettiest vegetable to cook? The moment the stems are heated up with sugar, a deep vivacious fuchsia blossoms and bubbles. The rhubarb pieces dazzle like precious jewels from inside the lemon custard. Just seeing the colours just bring a smile to one’s face. If this doesn’t scream the herald of spring with so much ecstasy, I don’t know what else can do the same. With this being our first experience with rhubarb, there will be plenty of fond memories and more to come in the future.

Tarte à la Rhubarbe et Citron (Rhubarb and Lemon Tart)
Adapted from Raymond Blanc, Cooking For Friends; and Richard Bertinet, Pastry

Serves 8

For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
350g plain flour
pinch of sea salt
125g unsalted butter, cold and flattened out in between two sheets of greaseproof paper to 1cm thick 125g caster sugar
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
1 egg yolk, beaten for egg wash
455g rhubarb, peeled and chopped into 3/4 inch pieces 113g sugar
207ml water

For the Lemon cream filling
2 egg yolks
57g sugar
89ml double cream
Finely grated zest of a quarter lemon

Directions

For the sweet shortcrust pastry, preheat the oven to 190C.

Lightly grease and flour 28.5cm x 20.5cm rectangular loose bottomed tins.

Stir the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the flattened butter, cold straight from the fridge into the flour and rub in the mixture, until mixture looks like crumbs.

Add the sugar and toss well in the mixture. Then add the eggs and egg yolk to the mixture and gently mix with a dough scraper, until the dough comes together in a ball.

Lightly flour a work surface, tip the pastry ball out onto it and knead until you have a smooth soft dough. Shape the pastry into a square, to make it easier to roll out later on.

Place the dough in the fridge to chill for an hour minimum, preferably overnight, to rest.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick with a rolling pin and line the tin. Use the rolling pin to roll on top of the tin to cut off the excess pastry dough. Place some baking paper over the top and fill with baking beans. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Put a baking to heat in the preheated oven. Lay the tart on the baking sheet (this provides immediate heat and an even temperature) and blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes. Remove beans and the paper then brush with beaten egg yolk and place back in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool.

Bring water and sugar to boil in a saucepan, add the chopped rhubarb, and simmer for one minute. Drain and reserve the rhubarb. You can also reserve the sugar liquid to dress the tart later on.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl for 10 minutes until the volume has tripled. Mix the double cream and lemon zest in.

Arrange the rhubarb on the bottom of the tart, then cover with the lemon cream filling. With the oven still heating on 190C, bake the tart for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to rest in tin for 5 to 10 minutes, before removing tart from tin carefully. Leave to cool for an hour before serving.

TIPS

Please watch Richard Bertinetʼs thorough videos of how to make sweet shortcrust pastry and how to line them in a tin. His pastry recipes have never failed and the videos impart so much more than a recipe instruction can.

Do not boil the rhubarb more than 1 minute or it will turn into mash after baking the tart. You will want the rhubarb to retain its shape.

Was there ever a time when you watched a Masterchef episode and thought to yourself: ‘that looked really pretty, I wished I could do that’. Some desserts are plated with such detail that it almost looks like a painted portrait. Every single item is delicately placed to create a piece of art; it becomes an all-sensory immersion of sight, smell, taste and texture.

In one single plate, there lies multiple desserts that combine to become the masterpiece. There would probably be a sponge cake sitting on a shortbread or a puff pastry, topped with a sorbet, poached fruits, jelly cubes, sauces, flowers, tiny tuile bits and maybe puree. Basically, it looks and is very complicated, and everything is, in all possibilities, hand made from scratch. Then it hits you why it costs so much just to eat sweets in a fine-dining restaurant. Even the bloody sorbet is lovingly concocted in the kitchen.

We could be a little too ambitious to try our hand on such artistic masterpieces. It gave N plenty of tasks to accomplish in a short frame of time, especially since when we weren’t making any shortcuts by purchasing some of the items over-the-shelf. Yes, you read that right, whatever was on the that plate were painstakingly laid out by N, right down to the very chopped pistachio nuts.

The star of the dish was obviously the rhubarb semifreddo, a mousse-y ice-cream-like cake, that captured the tartiness of the vegetable perfectly. The quenelle of homemade pistachio cream (that is made with pistachio paste from our kitchen) might be as aesthetically pleasing as we would want it to be, but the minty green of the cream matches so well with the pastel pinks of the semifreddo. The honey madeleines gave the dessert bite, with its warm sponge and subtle sweetness. Poached rhubarb ties the dish together and brings vibrancy into the plate. A pity we accidentally dumped the juice away, that would have made for a lovely touch and perhaps bring it to completion.

Another challenge was assembling the different components on the plate. Some chefs draw out their creations on paper, while some simply have the talent. Well, we really just did what fools do – we just do it with no actual thought process. The final portrait was probably not of a Blumenthal quality, but as a start, it wasn’t really that bad.s Plus it was fun to exclaim sabayon in Raymond Blanc’s french accent at every opportunity.

Rhubarb Semifreddo and Pistachio Cream with Honey Madeleines
Adapted from Frances Atkins
Serves 6-8

For the Rhubarb Semifreddo
500g of rhubarb
220g of caster sugar
2 egg yolks
30g of honey
250ml of whipping cream

For the Pistachio Cream
2 gelatine leaves
125ml of single cream
90g of pistachio paste
225g of crème fraîche

For the Honey Madeleines
30g of caster sugar
1 tsp of Demerara sugar
1 egg
45g of butter, melted plus extra for greasing
1 tsp of honey
1/2 vanilla pod
45g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 tsp of baking powder

Directions

Chop the rhubarb, put in a pan along with 200g of the sugar, cover and simmer until reduced by half. Be careful not to leave your eyes off this pot now. Blend into a thick purée.

Line a 225g loaf tin with 3 or 4 layers of cling film in both directions to ensure a watertight seal

To make the sabayon, whisk the egg yolks, honey and 20g of the sugar together in a bowl over hot water until light and fluffy. It should triple in volume and thicken.

Semi-whip the cream into soft peaks.

Fold the rhubarb purée into the sabayon, followed by the semi-whipped cream. Place in the lined terrine tin, cover with more cling film and freeze for 2 hours.

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes to soften. Gently warm the cream and the pistachio paste together in a pan, add the 2 leaves of gelatine and stir until dissolved. Pour into a bowl to cool, then fold in the crème fraîche. Place in a covered container in the fridge for 1½ hours to set before use.

To make the madeleines, cream together the two sugars with the egg until fluffy and smooth. Pour in the melted butter and honey and continue to mix. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod. Mix in the flour, baking powder and vanilla seeds. Leave to rest in the fridge for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas mark 6. Butter and flour a madeleine tray, then pipe or spoon the madeleines into the prepared tray. Cook for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden. Turn the tin upside down and bang the madeleines out. Allow to cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving. Assemble all components of the dish on a plate to serve.

TIP

Never ever take off your eyes while the rhubarb is simmering over the heat with the lid on. It disintegrates really fast and the covered lid stores the heat in the pot, which may result in rhubarb exploding all over your kitchen counter. Yes, this is spoken with experience, so heed well.