Finding style in meals, cities, and a lens

Chocolate Fudge Cake

cocoa fudge cake

I would have preferred to make this chocolate fudge cake in the winter. To me, it’s a comfort food and perfect for making cozy nights feel, well, cozy. But I couldn’t resist trying this recipe to pair it with vanilla ice cream. Let me tell you, fudge and ice cream will always be a perfect combo.Read More

Make your own Blueberry Spread

make your own blueberry spread

Making your own blueberry jam is a great alternative to buying. It may not be the cheapest, depending on the fruit, but it’s good to know what you’re putting in your jam. And you can get more creative too.

Origins:

The recipe below is based off of old fashioned ingredients and methods. One of the main ingredients is honey. After all, honey has been used as a preservative and sweetener since 6000 B.C.E. That’s around 8000 years.  So why not keep using it?

Ancient Greece took part in canning and preservation by mixing honey with fruits and then storing in jars. This form of preservation improved as other countries added more steps such as cooking the mixture together.

Today there are a variety of modernized recipes with new ingredients such as pectin and gelatin. But for now, we’ll keep it simple and old fashioned.

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Homemade Blueberry Spread

Homemade Blueberry Spread

Ingredients

  • 1 pint of blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons of honey

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan over low heat, pour the blueberries and start crushing with a masher.
  2. Crush until blueberries become mostly liquid with a few clumps of blueberries. The number of clumps left is a matter of preference.
  3. Add the lemon juice and honey and stir until mixture becomes thick. Remember to taste and test so the jam can be to your liking.
  4. Once the mixture has been stirred, allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Stir once again. If the mixture hasn't thickened, leave to simmer again.
  6. Take mixture off of stove and pour in jar. Refrigerate to solidify the spread.
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Swedish Cinnamon Rolls (Kanelbullar)

swedish cinnamon rollsNothing sounds better than having cinnamon rolls in January. And for the Swedes, nothing goes better than cinnamon rolls, or kanelbullar, at fika time. Why, you may ask? Well, smelling the spicy pastry baking in the oven while it’s snowing outside always makes for a great winter’s day.

Below is a recipe for traditional mini cinnamon rolls. Take note that these cinnamon buns are not as sweet as the regular North American cinnamon rolls. That’s how Sweden likes it.

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Swedish Cinnamon Rolls (Kanelbullar)

Swedish Cinnamon Rolls (Kanelbullar)

Ingredients

    Dough:
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1 tsp. of ground cardamom
  • 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp. of yeast
  • 1/3 cup of melted butter
  • 1 large egg
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
    Filling and Frosting:
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tbsp. of butter
  • 1 tsp. of vanilla
  • 1 tbsp. of milk
  • 1 tsp. of cinnamon

Instructions

    Making the dough:
  1. In a saucepan, heat milk to a lukewarm temperature. Add butter immediately so it can become soft. If butter is not soft enough, heat in a saucepan.
  2. Add sugar, yeast, and cardamom to milk and butter mixture. Mix until all ingredients have dissolved and combined.
  3. Add eggs and salt. Continue mixing.
  4. Gradually add the flour. Mix after each addition of flour. As you continue adding flour and mixing, the mixture will become thicker. When it becomes very thick, you will have to keep adding the flour by hand. Don't be afraid to add more flour than required since this makes the dough less sticky and easier to knead. Start kneading the dough for a six minutes.
  5. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with towel, plastic, or aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 250°F and turn off once it's hot. Leave the dough to rise in the heat for 1 1/2 hours.
    Making the glaze:
  1. While the dough is rising, take the time to make the glaze. The glaze will be used for inside of the rolls as well as outside. Now, in a saucepan, melt the butter.
  2. Pour butter in a bowl along with confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix until the mixture becomes thick.
  3. Add the milk gradually. You will notice that the mixture turns from a bright yellow to a pearly yellow color.
    Making the rolls:
  1. Remove the risen dough from the oven. Roll out the dough to make a rectangle. It can measure up to 6x12 inches. Once dough is rolled out to it's maximum, sprinkle cinnamon on dough.
  2. Add glaze sparingly until most of the rectangle is covered.
  3. Now you can roll the dough making a 12-inch roll. Cut the roll into smaller rolls. The size of the rolls is based on preference. If you want larger rolls, leave more space in between.
  4. Pre-heat oven to 250°F. Turn off oven after it turns hot. Place rolls on parchment paper in a baking pan. Cover with plastic or aluminum paper and place in warm oven for 1 hour. This is to allow the rolls to expand just like we did with the dough earlier.
  5. Before the hour is over, turn the oven on to 375°F. Bake for 25 more minutes or until they turn golden brown.
  6. Take out of oven and serve when they are warm. Enjoy!
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French Madeleines Recipe

MadeleinesI have been waiting to bake Madeleines ever since I bought the molds last week. These scalloped spongy cakes go great with tea or coffee. I also love them cause they are so versatile that both adults and kids alike can enjoy them.

The French tea cakes originated in the town of Commercy which is located in eastern France. Rumor has it that the name came from a maid called Madeleine Paulmier who worked for the Duke of Lorraine in the late 18th century. When Louis XV got a hold of the recipe, it became popular in Versailles. The tea cake rose in popularity again in the mid-20th century through Marcel Proust’s novel, “À la recherche du temps perdu”. Now they are known and sold globally.

However, the recipe varies depending on where the cakes are being made. Some choose to dip them in chocolate, add honey, or lemon zest. In France, they refrain from using zest or vanilla extract. Instead the ingredients are much simpler. A little sugar, flour, and yeast go a long way for the French.

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French Madeleines Recipe

French Madeleines Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/3 cup of white sugar
  • 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 1/3 cup of confectioner's sugar

Instructions

  1. Butter and flour Madeleine molds if mold isn't non-stick. Or use a non-stick pan spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the two eggs, vanilla extract and salt.
  3. While still beating the mixture, gradually add sugar. Keep mixing for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Pour flour into the mixture little by little.
  5. Add lemon zest to mixture.
  6. Melt butter and let cool for a few minutes.
  7. Pour butter around the batter then mix.
  8. Fill the molds with the batter.
  9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. But keep an eye on them constantly as they can sneak up on you. Take out the Madeleines when the edges are golden.
  10. Sprinkle confectioner's sugar on the warm Madeleines and serve.
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Madeleine recipeMadeleine recipe

Kneading Dough

how to knead doughMaking bread for the first time was a long process. It took approximately 5 hours to make two loaves of bread. A big and important part of the process is kneading the dough. If you can’t knead the dough, you will never make the bread.

This was my second time kneading dough and thankfully it was quick and easy. The first time I kneaded dough, I was following a video of Julia Child. However, the instructional video didn’t work out for me. I took longer than I was supposed to in kneading the dough and just gave up making anything. It just kept sticking to my hands and the surface.

So I decided to make a video addressing these concerns. It’s a short and simple video with three tips. These three tips can make or break your dough. Let me know in the comments if these tips helped you out.

Oui by Yoplait

Oui by YoplaitWhen I went to France back in March, I quickly noticed that foods were really different, starting with the packaging and ending with the taste. I had already known that the French take their food very seriously and care about where it comes from. But I had no idea that this also applied to how the food is packaged.  Read More

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