Category: vegetarian

My Mennonite Mom’s Authentic English Trifle

trifle- trust in kim

Everyone who tries my mom’s trifle says it’s the best, so naturally when I was looking for a trifle recipe for Christmas Eve dinner, I asked her to share her recipe with me.  She gave me a photocopy of a recipe that looks like it came from a magazine.  It says it is from The Best of Mme Jehane Benoit, who is apparently Canada’s Julia Child.

Rather than using fruit, which my mom says makes the cake layer too soggy, this recipe uses jam.  Of course there’s the sherry, custard, and whipping cream – so good and so bad all at the same time! It’s not very difficult to make, but you do need to make it ahead of the time so the sherry, jam and pudding can soak into the cake. It’s nice to serve this in a glass bowl so you can see the layers.  You could also make it in individual dishes, but I like the way it is beautifully layered andthen becomes a beautiful mess of creamy, jammy goodness when it is served.

Hmmm, I think there’s some leftovers in the fridge…

What you need for the cake: (or just buy a sponge cake)

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 cups sifted flour

1 & 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold water

1 teaspoon almond extract

What you need for the other layers:

4 eggs yolks

2 cups half and half cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup raspberry jam

1/2 cup sherry

toasted almonds to garnish (optional)

What you do:

1. To make the cake, beat the eggs with the sugar for about 5 minutes, until it is very light in colour.

2. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt, and lightly beat it into the egg mixture.

3. Briefly mix in the water and almond extract.  Pour into a greased 9 by 11 inch pan and bake for 30 minutes.  Allow the cake to cool completely.

4. To make the custard, beat the egg yolks until they are  pale yellow. Heat the half and half cream with the 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla.  Add the egg yolks to the hot cream, beating very hard.  Cook without boiling, stirring continuously, until the custard has thickened a little. It won’t be a thick custard, but this is good because it will soak into the cake easily.  Allow the custard to cool.

5. Whip the cream with the icing sugar.

6. I like to remove the seeds from the jam because I don’t like to bite them or get them stuck in my teeth, but you don’t need to do this step if you don’t mind the seeds.  I just press the jam through a sieve with a spatula.

7. Spread the jam over the cake, then cut it into finger-sized pieces.  Dip each piece in the sherry (or just place it in the sherry bowl and sprinkle sherry over the top.)

8. Make a layer of the jammy sherried cake fingers in the bottom of the bowl, with the jam side facing up. Spread half of the custard over the cake layer, then spread half of the whipping cream over the custard.  Repeat with another layer of cake, custard and cream.

9. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.  Top with toasted almonds, if you wish, and then indulge in creamy goodness!

Maple Butternut Squash Soup

butternut squash soup -trust in kim

Butternut squash soup is perfect for cold winter days, and the maple syrup and sherry make this recipe especially tasty.  I like to bake my squash because I think it tastes sweeter that way, but if you prefer you can boil it, and use the cooking liquid to thin the soup at the end if you need to.

What you need:

butternut squash, about 2 lbs

olive oil

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 ground cloves

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

about 1/4 cup maple syrup

about 1/4 cup dry sherry

salt, to taste

What you do:

1. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Place the cut side down on a baking tray and bake at 350F for 25 minutes, or until it is soft.

2. While the squash is baking, heat a little olive oil in a large pot and add the chopped onions and peppers.  Cook on low heat until the vegetables are softened.

3.  When the squash is soft, scoop it out of the shells and add it to the pot. Then add the herbs and broth and bring to a boil.  Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, then remove from the heat and puree until it is smooth.  Add some water if you need to thin it out a bit.

4. Add the syrup, sherry and salt to taste.

This one tastes even better the next day!

 

Triple Ginger Cookies

triple ginger cookies

If you love ginger, these are for you!  Even with three kinds of ginger, they aren’t overwhelming, and are a favourite of several of my friends.  They aren’t difficult to make, although you do need to plan ahead because you need to put them in the fridge for a few hours, or over night.

What you need:

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg

2 & 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 & 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger (I keep mine in the freezer)

1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

1/4 cup white sugar for dipping the cookies

What you do:

1. Cream the butter and sugar.

2. Beat in the molasses and egg,

3. Sift, then stir the flour, ground ginger, baking soda and salt into the batter.

4. Stir in the grated and crystallized ginger.

5. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or overnight. If you have it in the fridge over night, take it out about 20 minutes before you want to roll them.

6. Form into balls with your hands, about 1 tablespoon each, and slightly flatten the ball.  Dip the tops of each cookie in the white sugar, then place it on a parchment-lined baking tray.

7. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350F.

Let them cool on a rack when they are done.  Store in an airtight container and put any in the freezer that you won’t be eating in the next few days, if you wish.

Cranberry Caramel Upside-Down Cake

cranberry caramel upside-down cake - trust in kim

With the holiday season comes a lot of parties and dinners, and a good excuse to try out some new recipes.  Searching for cranberry dessert recipes, I saw this one on Lotti + Doof and thought I’d give it try – and I’m so happy I did.  It is moist, and the sweetness of the caramel, and tartness of the cranberries work really well together.  I made it in a cast-iron frying pan, but you could make it in a cake pan.  It took about twice as long to bake as the recipe said, but since I’m just learning about how my new oven works, I’ve listed the original baking time.

What you need:

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter (1/2 and 1/4 for separate parts of the recipe)

2 & 3/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 eggs, separated, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole or homogenized milk, room temperature

1 & 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon

vanilla

What you do: 

1. Melt the butter with 1/4 cup brown sugar in a 9 inch cast-iron frying pan, stirring, until it begins bubbling. Let this cool. (If you don’t have a frying pan this size, just make the caramel in another pot, then pour it into your cake pan.)

2. Cook the cranberries and orange juice in a small pot until the cranberries begin to pop.  Pour the cranberries over the cooled caramel.

3. Beat 1/2 cup butter and the granulated sugar until it is fluffy.  Beat in the egg yolks one at a time.  Stir in the vanilla.

4.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add 1/3 of it to the batter, then 1/2 the milk, 1/3 more flour, the rest of the milk, then the rest of the flour.  Mix only until the flour is combined.

5. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form.  Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites, then fold in the rest.

6. Pour the batter on top of the cranberries and smooth the top of it down a little.

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F.  The cake should be a little browned and pull away from the sides of the pan.  I also tested mine with a toothpick, which told me I needed to bake for a lot longer.

8. When the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Then run a sharp knife around the edge and invert it onto the serving plate.

Yum! Enjoy!

upside down cake

Mushroom Ravioli and Grilled Zucchini Appetizer

 

Here’s a super easy appetizer; you just need to be able to find some great mushroom pasta for this.

What you need:

mushroom ravioli

one small zucchini

olive oil

finely grated parmesan

salt and pepper

large toothpicks or small skewere

What you do:

1. Boil water for the pasta and grate the cheese.  Slice the zucchini thinly.

2. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan.  Fry the zucchini until both sides are slightly browned; alternatively, you can grill them on the barbecue after brushing with olive oil.

3. Cook the pasta, then skewer each ravioli along with one slice of cooked zucchini.

4.  Arrange the skewered pasta and zucchini on a platter and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and salt and pepper.

Another Beautiful Veggie Platter

 

I’ve posted once before about making a veggie platter, but I thought I’d do another, since this one features an idea from my friend I-Wen, her pepper bowls.  You just cut the tops off of some bell peppers and use them for bowls for the dip and other veggies.  This one also has some edible flowers on it; they look pretty, but I tasted them just to see what they were like, and I can’t say I thought they tasted very good.  But they are safe to put on your platter, in case anyone does want to try them.

What you need:

several large bell peppers, in a variety of colours, preferably with flatter bottoms so they can stand)

assorted veggies, such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and more peppers (I never buy the pre-cut mini carrots because I find they don’t taste like much, and I’ve heard that they rinse them in bleach to keep them from turning white)

radishes with greens still on

edible flowers, such as chrysanthemum, violet, snapdragon, or marigold (I found a package at a produce store)

your favourite dip

a large platter

What you do:

1. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds.  If you need to, cut a little off the bottom of the peppers so they are level and can stand up.

2. Cut the other veggies and put some of them into the pepper bowls; I found carrot and pepper sticks work best for this.

3. Fill one of the peppers with your favourite dip, and put a small spoon in it for serving.

4. Arrange the veggies around the platter, and put a few flowers on top.  Keep some veggies on hand to refill the platter as parts of it get eaten up.

So pretty you almost don’t want to eat it!

Cranberry Coffee Cake with Walnut Crumble

This is one of my all-time favourite cakes.  It is easy to make, and people love it.  The tartness of the cranberries balances out the sweetness of the walnut topping.  I sometimes make it in a big 9×11 pan, but often in two round or square pans so I can freeze one or give it to someone.  I also make this as a rhubarb cake, but only in the summer when I’ve got rhubarb coming up in my garden.  I often make this to bring to someone’s house when I don’t know what else to bring, because so far everyone who has tried it has loved it.  You can’t go wrong!

What you need:

1/2 cup butter

1 & 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain yogurt (not no-fat)

1 & 1/2 cups cranberries, frozen or fresh

For the topping:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

What you do:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.

2.  Cream butter and brown sugar, then blend in egg.

3.  Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

4.  Mix one-third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon.

5.  Add half the yogurt and mix until just incorporated.

6.  Mix in one-third more of the flour, then the rest of the yogurt, then the rest of the flour.  Mix until just combined or it will make a tough cake!

7.  Add cranberries, then pour into a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan (or two round or square 9-inch pans), smoothing the top a little.

8.  To make the topping, melt the butter, then stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Spread if over top of the batter.

9.  Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Chocolate Rum Cake

I was invited to a birthday party for a one-year-old, and I wanted to make something for the adults to enjoy.  Loving the combination of chocolate and rum, I found this recipe for a moist cake, and so full of chocolate and rum.  There’s 1 & 3/4 cups of rum in the recipe, and 1/2 cup of it is not baked or boiled, so it ends up having a nice boozy punch to it.

I found the recipe on Food in my Beard.

What you need:

6oz semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1 cup dark rum

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the glaze:

1/4 cup rum

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup more rum!

What you do:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler with the rum and butter. Whisk in the sugars, then the eggs, one by one.

2. Sift the dry ingredients, then mix half of it to the liquids, and then the other half.

3. Pour the batter into a buttered and floured loaf pan that is 5 & 1/2 by 10 inches.  Bake at 350F for about an hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

4.  Just before the baking is complete, combine the butter, sugar and rum for the glaze in a pot, reserving the 1/2 cup of rum.  Bring to a boil, then boil, stirring for a few minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the remaining rum.

5.  When the loaf is baked, remove it from the oven and poke holes in the top.  Pour the glaze over top; it should soak right into the cake.

6. Put another loaf pan on top of the cake, and put a weight on top, like a bottle of rum, so the cake is squished. This will make the cake into a rectangular shape.

7. When the cake is fully cooled, invert it onto a cutting board and slice it thinly.

I served mine with whipping cream, but next time I would find some sour cherries to make a sweet cherry topping, maybe with a little bit of rum in it.

You can also make this into two loaves, and freeze one of them.  Just adjust the baking time accordingly.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Onions with Tahini Sauce

Roasted butternut squash, cauliflower and red onions with tahini sauce, za’atar and pine nuts: otherwise known as my new favourite meal.  And it’s vegan and gluten-free, and it’ll make you feel good on a rainy fall evening – at least it did for me!  And I’m really looking forward to my leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  I got the idea for the recipe from a  Yotam Ottolenghi recipe.  I added the cauliflower because I think it is perfect with tahini sauce, and I changed the cooking method a bit, cooking the squash before cutting it, because it’s easier to cut when it’s soft.  I also used my tahini recipe instead of his.

I served mine on quinoa to make it a filling meal, but it would be great on a bed of greens too.  Feel free to leave out the za’atar and pine nuts if you want, and garnish with some fresh pomegranate or parsley.

What you need:

1 butternut squash

1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets

2 red onions, cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

For the tahini sauce:

1/4 cup tahini

1/2 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of hot sauce

1/4 cup of warm water, or as needed

For the za’atar: (there are so many ways to make this, so make it up as you go along)

1 tablespoon ground sumac

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground anise or fennel seeds

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.  To roast the veggies, first cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Place the two pieces face down on a baking sheet and roast for about half an hour or until you can pierce it easily with a knife.

2. Put the onions and cauliflower pieces on another baking sheet, and toss them with the olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Put them in the oven with the squash for about 25 minutes.  About half way through the roasting, give them a stir.  The cauliflower should be a little browned when it is done.

3. Combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt and hot sauce.  Add the warm water gradually, adding enough until the sauce is a consistency you like.  I like mine pretty liquidy, so I can drizzle it.  You can also adjust the lemon and hot sauce to your liking.  I usually add a little more lemon.

4. To make the za’atar just combine all the spices.  If you have them whole and want to grind them, it’s going to be even tastier.

5.  To serve, cut the squash into chunks and serve it on a bed of quinoa or greens, then top with some onion and cauliflower.  Drizzle with the tahini, pretty liberally, then sprinkle on some pine nuts and za’atar.

Enjoy!

 

 

Tomato Pesto

I haven’t made this in ages, but now that I’ve reminded my taste buds, I’ll be making it again soon.  This is a twist on traditional pesto, with a base of tomato.  It’s so easy to make, and works well on pasta, spaghetti squash, or steamed julienned zucchini, which is pictured.

What you need:

1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted and chopped (use pumpkin seeds if you don’t like pine nuts)

1  small can of tomato paste

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped basil

1/2 cup grated parmesan

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Mix all the ingredients together.  If you have time, let it sit for about an hour.  If not, serve it on top of your favourite pasta or one of the other suggestions above.