Baked Goods – Page 4 – Goboroot.com

Belle de boskoop Mince Pies

Merry Christmas to all of my wonderful readers out there. I’d like to wish you a happy and healthy holiday season, and also share a great seasonal treat with you; mince pie. This recipe came to mind when I started cleaning the pantry and the refrigerator to get them organized for 2013. When I saw these sad looking Belle de boskoop apples that I had purchased at the UBC apple festival last October, I knew I could turn them into something magical that evoked the best elements of a white Christmas.

As goboroot literally goes back to its roots in the next few weeks during my trip abroad, I’m hoping to report foodie or may not so foodie scenes in the land of Japan. So stay tuned! xoxo

Belle de boskoop Mince Pies

Makes 8 x 2½ inch muffin tin

Filling (start a day before serving)

2 Belle de boskoop apples, cut into ¼ inch pieces

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup shredded coconut

2 tablespoons cane sugar

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon brandy based vanilla extract (or regular vanilla extract)

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Pie dough

150g butter, softened

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

¼ cup lightly packed, ground and blanched almonds

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, room temperature and lightly beaten

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

Extra butter for greasing the tin

Extra flour for dusting the tin and rolling the dough

1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water for brushing the tops of the pies

Extra confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Make the filling by combining all the ingredients well. Let stand overnight in the refrigerator.

Next day. Grease the pan with butter and dust lightly with flour. Keep in the refrigerator.

Make the dough. Place the butter in a food processor and beat until creamy. Add the sugar, almonds, salt, vanilla and egg, and continue to beat until well incorporated.

Scrape down the side of the wall as necessary. Add the flour in a few installments. Continue to beat until the dough comes together to form a ball.

Separate the dough in two portions. Flour the working surface and flatten the dough into disks. Wrap with a piece of Saran wrap separately, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Take out the filling from the refrigerator and stir well. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Flour the work surface well and roll one of the disks into 1/8 inch thickness with a rolling pin, keeping the other disk in the refrigerator.

Cut out 8 X 3 ½ inch circles. Fit the circles into the muffin tin.

Roll another disk into 1/8 inch thickness on the floured work surface. Cut out 8 X 2 ½ inch circles. Fill the muffin tin with the mince filling, press the circles and seal. Using water makes it easy to stick the bottom and top dough pieces together. Make slits on the top of the pies.

Combine egg yolk and water to make an egg wash. Brush plenty on top of the pies.

Bake until the sides of the pies become golden brown, for about 30 minutes.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Pie dough adapted from Desserts by Pierre Hermé

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce

Here in Vancouver, when the sun finally peeks through heavy clouds, I run outside, stand up straight with my arms outstretched, eyes closed, feeling the warmth of the sun. This experience is rare, and lasts only for a few minutes during winter, however, I’m always in awe of how this simple act can help recharge me. “Just Feel the Warmth of the Sun Act.” In my kitchen, I tend to recreate the bright sunshine when actual sunlight isn’t an option.

When it comes to baking, my twin sister is the go-to person. She bakes everything, from heavy, dense Scandinavian style bread with her own homemade yeast to traditional Japanese buns filled with red bean paste, to biscotti, bagels, gluten-free kids’ birthday cakes and so much more. Since she gladly shared this cheesecake recipe with me a long time ago, it has remained on my mind every time I roast Marina Di Chioggia winter squashes. As it turns out, the cake was absolutely loved by everyone at dinner parties even after a full season of feasts.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce

Makes 9 inch springform pan

Crust

30g whole wheat digestive cookies

40g chocolate cookies

30g butter, melted

Filling

250g cream cheese, room temperature

50ml whipping cream

100g sugar

2 eggs

10g cornstarch

200g pumpkin puree

30g sugar

1 egg yolk

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Caramel sauce

½ cup whipping cream

30g butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup brown sugar

Make crust by smashing cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin until fine texture is achieved. Combine well with butter, press into the bottom of the pan and keep refrigerated.

Preheat the oven to 390F. Set a kettle of water on the stove. You are going to use this later for steaming the cake in the oven. Not quite tea time yet!

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, and add the whipping cream, sugar, eggs and starch. Combine well.

In another bowl, thoroughly mix the pumpkin, sugar, egg yolk and cinnamon. Then, pour in ½ of cream cheese mixture and stir well.

Pour the rest of the cream cheese mixture into the prepared crust. Next, gently add the pumpkin mixture to the crust, and then swirl the top to create the marble effect.

Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with a piece of tin foil. Next, place the pan in a rimmed baking sheet on the centre rack in the oven. Pour the boiling water up to the rim of the baking sheet.

Lower the oven to 320F and bake for 1 hour. If the top becomes too dark after 40 minutes, cover the top with a piece of tin foil. Leave the cake in the oven to cool. When the cake is completely cooled, refrigerate at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.

Make the caramel sauce ahead of time before serving. Place the cream, butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and keep stirring until thickened, for about 8 minutes.

When serving the cake, run a knife around the edge inside the springform, then release and lift the pan gently. Serve with caramel sauce.

Caramel sauce recipe adapted from Donna Hay Magazine.

Beet & Chocolate Muffins

Whether or not you are a beet lover, if you are looking for the way to someone’s heart, try these red muffins. They are fun to make, and even better the naturally intense colour of these muffins makes them an attractive as well as nutritious treat!

The idea of perfecting this recipe came after I gently nagged a local chocolatier, my farmer’s market friend, demanding that he create beet flavoured chocolate to accompany their unique kale, tomato and other vegetable flavours. He explained that any additional flavouring added to chocolate making has to be strong and distinctive enough to overcome the taste of chocolate.

Since it didn’t seem like the chocolatier was inclined to try this experiment, I decided to create my own concoction. Since beet has an earthy, subtle taste, after a couple of trials with grape seed oil and/or brown sugar and/or whole wheat, I have settled on a mixture of butter, cane sugar and white flour that gingerly brings out the earthy flavour of the beet. A chocolate piece is then inserted inside the muffins, and the slightly roasted coconut flakes placed over top helps create the perfect match in your watering mouth. The dream team of my imagination finally came true!

Beet & Chocolate Muffins

Makes 8 muffins

1 cup cooked beets (about 3 large beets), cooled and finely shredded

100g butter, room temperature

140g cane sugar (fine texture)

2 eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten

200g unbleached white flour

¼ teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons milk, room temperature

8 pieces of dark chocolate

Shredded coconut flakes

Preheat the oven to 350F. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.

Cream the butter in a large bowl and add the sugar in a couple of instalments. Continue to stir until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs 1 at a time and continue to stir until combined. Add the beets and mix well.

Add half the amount of flour mixture and stir until mixed, then add the rest and gently fold with a spatula in a circular motion. Do not stir too much.

Divide the batter into prepared muffin cups in a tin. Insert one piece of chocolate inside each muffin. Sprinkle with coconut flakes on top. Bake until done, about 25 minutes.

Transfer the muffins to a rack and let cool.