You can moan. Drink. Hide inside a duvet until spring and hope those sick days don’t add up.

You could also bake this. There are few things as suitable for Snowmageddon. It is also allowed any other time of year: I made four batches of these for Xmas dinner for 30. 

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Making sweet things is a deliberate act in a time of sour headlines. Because most of us hail from somewhere else, I’m sharing this Mexican cookie recipe for all who require distraction. Adapted from Mary Ann Dwyer’s delicious collection, these chocolate sandwiches with a hint of spice are filled with dulce de leche.

What you need:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ½ cup unsweetened good quality cocoa powder: I use Ghiradelli

• ½ tsp. kosher salt

• ½ tsp. baking soda

• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

• ⅛ tsp. cayenne powder: don’t skip this, it’s crucial

• ½ cup one stick unsalted butter at room temperature

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar plus additional for sprinkling

• 2 extra large eggs at room temperature

• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

• 1 300ml can dulce de Leche*

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cayenne. Set aside.

3. In mixer, cream together softened butter and sugar on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and mix until well blended.

4. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture.

5. Using a small ice cream scoop (1 1/2 inch) drop dough 2 inches apart onto prepared sheet. Sprinkle tops with additional granulated sugar.

6. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cookies should be on the soft side. Don’t overcook. Repeat with each sheet. This recipe makes enough for 14 sandwiches.

7. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

8. To assemble cookies: Spread a heaping tablespoon of dulce de leche filling on the bottom of one cookie and top with another cookie, sandwiching together.

* You can find this in baking section of most supermarkets, but it’s easy enough to make your own with one can of sweetened condensed milk. Set the can on its side in a large pot (I used my Dutch oven) and cover with water. Bring the water to simmer and let it simmer for 2 hours. Keep an eye on it as you don’t want the water to boil as the can may explode. After two hours, remove the can with tongs and let it cool down on a wire rack. The fun part comes next: pour out the delicious dulce de leche into a bowl and spread a generous tablespoon or so on one half of the cookies and then smush them together.

More cookies:

from three years ago:
Looks good but does it schmeck?

from four years ago:

The Sweetest kiss

Cranberry Caramel Shortbread

from five years ago:

Prep the Elves!

Need more? Look for more yummy cookie recipes in my food memoir, with love and sugar, available here for a limited time only. 

Readers asked and I like to deliver. Here is one of two desserts* I made for our family Easter (the first of two family feasts: I will be celebrating again next weekend with my Greek in-laws as the Orthodox calendar delivered Easter a week later this year).

CHOCOLATE PAVLOVA

What you need:

• 6 large egg whites

• 1½ cups granulated sugar

• Pinch of sea salt

• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

• 2 ounces (55 grams) good quality dark chocolate, chopped

• 1 ½ cups whipping cream

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 4 cups mixed fresh berries

• 1 ounce dark chocolate, optional-for garnish

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350ⓕ.Draw a 9-inch circle on piece of parchment paper with pencil. Flip paper over and lay on large baking sheet.

2. Beat egg whites in mixer until soft peaks form. Begin to add the sugar a little at a time, and continue beating until stiff and shiny.3. Carefully fold in, with a spatula, the cocoa, sea salt, vinegar, and chopped chocolate.

   4.  Spoon the meringue mixture onto the parchment circle and use a knife to help smooth it into soft waves. Here you can design it however you wish. Pavlova’s aren’t meant to be perfect forms here unless you are doing individual nests, as I do for other desserts like my rhubarb kisses.

   5.  Place meringue in oven and immediately turn temperature down to 300ⓕ.  Bake for one hour then turn the temperature off and open the door slightly (I use a wooden spoon to keep my door open). Leave meringue there with temperature off until it is dry for approximately another hour.

   6.  Leave the assembly until right before you serve as it takes only minutes to put together. Remove parchment from bottom of cooled meringue and place on a large serving plate. Whip cream with the vanilla and sugar until soft peaks form. Dollop it over the centre of circle and spread it out. Dump all the berries in the middle and dust with the remaining chopped chocolate (if desired-I forgot to bring mine when I carted this pavlova to my sister’s house. It doesn’t really need it but don’t tell that to the chocolate lovers in the family).

   7. Cut in wedges. This can be a sloppy serve, but nobody cares. It should serve ten easily. Leftovers (IF you have any) can be stored for a day or two in the fridge.

   *The second dessert, equally beloved by family, is a rhubarb buckle I like to call the S0-Malicious Cake, so named as one of young taste testers couldn’t pronounce delicious and left a voicemail “Auntie Anne, that cake was so malishush.” Yes, indeed. So devishly delicious it will kill any resolve you may have had to do away with treats this Easter. Malicious indeed. For the recipe, see my food memoir 

By the time March arrives, the Canadian landscape out my writing window offers little inspiration. Bleak skies begone! Behold a bevy of bougainvillea!

Wrap me in it and set me alight on a frisky wave. A strawberry daiquiri to go? Surely you jest? I like your style, and yes, I’ll have another.

Sun, sand, salt: how I love thee! Friendly winds whipping up waves for those unfazed by losing a bathing suit in the fray…this is the stuff of winter daydreams. An invitation to join my sister on vacation in Captiva, Florida, was an easy yes for this writer.

While in this charming corner of the planet, I had occasion to taste two delicious desserts. You know already what the next part is, don’t you? Read More

When there’s a cinnamon bun cyclone heading your way, govern yourself accordingly: make your own tasty warm version; easy enough to whip up for friends dropping in with New Year’s wishes. They won’t want to leave if you give them one of these delicious easy-peasy buns. Leave the treats to cool while you corral these hungry pals to help you shovel. Seems like a good bargain to me. Our twenty-year old door butler agrees.

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Ontario peaches and other stone fruits have found their way into grocery aisles. For any of you muttering meh, you can stop reading right now and go have another Twinky. The rest of you can join the happy dance at Peachy Headquarters.

Peach & Burrata Salad

What you need:

• 2 large ripe peaches, thinly sliced

• ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• salt, pepper to taste

• 4 cups mixed bitter greens

• ¾ cup fresh mint leaves

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 8 ounces burrata

What you do:

1. Toss peach slices, onion, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Allow to rest for ten minutes.

2. Strain mixture, reserving liquid. Add greens and mint leaves and toss gently together. Drizzle in oil and 2 tablespoons of reserved pickling liquid.

3. To serve: spoon salad onto plates and top each serving with pieces of burrata. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little more oil if desired.

This is filling enough for lunch, or as a tasty appetizer for your patio dinners. I like it with buttermilk eggplant(recipe coming next week, along with a book that caused me to ignore my family for 24 hours. Yes, it was that good. More next week).

More from peachy headquarters here:

The last of the peaches

Picnic imperatives always involves a peach

Nature’s perfect couple

Not a fan of peaches? Dropped on your head as a baby, I see.  Here’s some other juice for your weekend reading:

• Reasons Your Creative Type Has Broken Up with You  (dedicated to my writing peers, especially new friends from a creative jolt kind of day I experienced recently. Last weekend I attended a “writing in the garden worship” with nine writers and an instructor (Thanks Beth Kaplan) who fed us lunch and wine at the end of the day, after feeding us writing prompts, then sending us off to write in her leafy oasis. We would then convene to read our words aloud if we chose. We did, and oh what words tumbled forth! This kind of activity may not suit a beginner but it does suit this wonky writer: I found the company and the exercises equally brilliant.

• Wish I wrote these snappy lyrics: “Some say she’s from Mars / Or one of the seven stars / That shine after three-thirty in the morning / Well, she isn’t!” from “Planet Claire”.  A big star for you if you guess which talented musicians wrote them. Or just find it here in this awesome list with some of my all time faves (curated by NPR): The 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women

• 50 Things It is Finally Time to Get Rid Of  (This list made me twitchy. Have they been sneaking around my house or what?)

• The Toronto Islands will reopen to visitors this Monday. This is welcome news for this picnic fan. What of the residents? How did they fare? Read on about The Year of the Flood.

• Saturday night movies at home are suddenly hip again, thanks to a terrific new Canadian series hosted by arts journalist Johanna Schneller.

• Celebrity pseudo-science has a new Canadian enemy and she’s ready to fight.

HAVE A PEACHY WEEKEND. Got some tasty peach recipes to share? Have your say below!!!

Daisy Tea Cake

This is a winner for everyone who favours their cakes with a hint of lemon and a heap of fluffy. It’s my favourite warm weather special occasion cake, served up with some seasonal berries and a dollop of Chantilly cream. I usually make it in a rectangular pan with daisy imprints on the bottom, one given to me as a gift that I love, but I’ve also made it in a regular 9 by 13 pan and cut out flower-shaped pieces for special occasions.

 serves 8

What you need:

For cake:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• finelygrated lemon zest from 2 lemons
• 4 eggs plus 2 extra yolks
• 1 cup buttermilk

For glaze:

• ¼ cup water
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon rum
• finely grated lemon zest of ½ lemon

What you do:
1. Position a rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 325 Ⓕ.
2. Grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in bowl.
4. Beat butter in mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and continue to beat.
6. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
8. Fold in flour mixture in 3 stages, alternating with buttermilk. Begin and end with flour.
9. Spoon batter into prepared cake pan. Bake approximately 50 minutes until toothpick in centre comes out clean.
10. Transfer to rack and let cook in pan for 10 min then invert onto serving plate.

12. Prepare glaze. In bowl, stir together water, lemon zest, sugar and rum until the sugar dissolves. Brush the warm cake with glaze and let it cool completely before serving.

WANT MORE CAKE?

from two years ago: Rhubarb Buckle with Ginger Crumb or  Maple Oatmeal Coffee Cake

from three years ago: Strawberry Shortcake

Or pick up a copy of my food memoir where cake is in very good company.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Slippers and my grandmother’s afghan saved me this week while I recuperated from an unfriendly spring chest cold. Hacking doesn’t work for a spring jam, but the birds were tolerant enough. Great reading material works well too. I’ll tell you who kept my company this week in this space tomorrow.

Sooner or later, you’re better enough.  Your kid makes dinner and there’s a spirit about, calling for action.

Two words: ice cream…with three ingredients. Read More