The Scottish Hogmanay Black Bun is a satiating sweet treat of dried fruit mixed with an abundance of spices, a bit of flour, and sweetened with brown sugar and molasses. It’s enveloped in a lightly sweetened buttery, flaky pastry resembling a present. It truly is an edible gift of joy and hope. The traditional ScottishContinue reading “Scottish Black Bun: Hogmanay New Year’s Cake Wrapped in Pastry”
Tag Archives: food
Holiday Vegetarian Tamales: Gluten-Free, Vegan & Meat Friendly
Tamales are like the perfect Christmas dish. They can be wrapped like a present and tied off with corn husks like a bow. You can fill masa dough with red and green ingredients like tomatoes, scallions, zucchini, and cilantro (or parsley). Serve them with red or green tomato or tomatillo salsa and green guacamole withContinue reading “Holiday Vegetarian Tamales: Gluten-Free, Vegan & Meat Friendly”
Holiday Rolled Baklava: Wonderful Spices, Pistachios, Pomegranate, & Orange
The smell, taste, and look of the holidays rolled into a sticky, crunchy, sweet confection does more than tickle your senses. My holiday rolled baklava recipe focuses on holiday flavors to include pistachios, pomegranate seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, and orange zest rolled in layers of buttered phyllo dough and coated in a honey-orangeContinue reading “Holiday Rolled Baklava: Wonderful Spices, Pistachios, Pomegranate, & Orange”
Canadian Tourtière: A Christmas Meat Pie Full of Holiday Spices & Herbs
The Canadian Tourtière is a hearty, savory mixed-meat pie full of traditional French herbs and warm holiday spices bound together with mashed potatoes and enveloped in a buttery, flaky double-crust pie crust. What could be more satisfying in both flavor and indulgence during the holidays? Canadian “Tourtière” Meaning The French word tourtière derives from theContinue reading “Canadian Tourtière: A Christmas Meat Pie Full of Holiday Spices & Herbs”
Silky Smooth Coconut Flan: Gluten & Dairy Free- Light & Sweet
A silky smooth, creamy egg custard coconut flan covered in a rich, sweet caramel sauce creates the perfect ending to any meal. This truly is an aesthetically gorgeous dessert. While seemingly complicated, a flan is anything but. The ingredients are few and the preparation and bake are quite simple. It’s gluten and dairy free withContinue reading “Silky Smooth Coconut Flan: Gluten & Dairy Free- Light & Sweet”
Spinach Tortillas: Great for Mexican Dishes, Sandwiches, and Dips
While simple flour tortillas are a great go-to for traditional Mexican dishes, wraps, and pinwheels, spinach tortillas take the color and flavor to a whole new level. My beautiful, dark green-laced spinach tortillas elevate the flavor of any flour tortilla-based dish. Can you imagine these pretty green tortillas in pinwheels as an appetizer for theContinue reading “Spinach Tortillas: Great for Mexican Dishes, Sandwiches, and Dips”
Simple Chinese Shaobing Flatbread: Sesame Roux Layered Pastry
Lunar New Year and the Beijing Winter Olympics are near. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with a bake to represent both. The basic Chinese Shaobing Flatbread (or pastry) truly is an international bread worthy of recognition. It’s the representation of bread bakes from the east to west and every countryContinue reading “Simple Chinese Shaobing Flatbread: Sesame Roux Layered Pastry”
How to Make TRUE Crispy Gingersnap Cookies
Depending on where you live, spice cookies are called ginger nuts, Arnott’s biscuits, brunkage, or speculaas. In many places they are known as pepper cookies in the appropriate Swedish, Finnish, Latvian, Estonian, or Norwegian languages. In the United States and Canada, however, we call them gingersnaps. My gingersnap cookies would make GREAT holiday gifts orContinue reading “How to Make TRUE Crispy Gingersnap Cookies”
Unique Italian Tiramisu with a Twist: Tempting Strawberries & Chocolate
Buongiorno! It’s near the end of the workday and you’re exhausted! If only you had a little pick-me-up to get you through. Well, grazie agli italiani, our droopy-eyed afternoons are over. Tiramisu just might be the pick-me-up you need! Consider this… strawberry soaked, light, and airy sweet cookies covered with a Mascarpone egg custard andContinue reading “Unique Italian Tiramisu with a Twist: Tempting Strawberries & Chocolate”
Australian & New Zealand Pavlova: The PERFECT Dessert
Aside from ice cream, I can’t imagine a more perfect summertime dessert than a Pavlova. It’s cool, fresh, light, and sweet…the Down Under version of a traditional American strawberry shortcake. The primary difference is in the cake. If looking for a new refreshing treat, you can’t go wrong with this Australian and New Zealand PavlovaContinue reading “Australian & New Zealand Pavlova: The PERFECT Dessert”