Archives for June 2012

A Sneak Peek at Volume Four – Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts

Here is a little more information about Volume Four in the UrbnSpice Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series called, Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious – Volume 4 – Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts! This is a book chock full of gluten-free chocolate recipes.

Quadruple Chocolate Brownie – Gluten Free

This book was awesome to create a final addition to my cookbook series. I actually had not planned on writing a fourth book. This book was created because of the many requests that I received from readers who wondered if I could also write a gluten-free dessert book. I am so glad that I did! This is definitely a book all about Gluten-Free Desserts.

I have taken the most popular recipes from the first three volumes and recreated the recipes into gluten-free chocolate desserts. Here are just a few of the items that you can expect to see in this book:

There are:

Fourteen recipes for Chocolate Gluten Free Cookies, including the famous Ultimate Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie;

Chocolate Pecan Cookies and Gluten Free Chocolate Pecan Cookies from the cookbook series

Five recipes for Chocolate Gluten Free Brownies & Squares, including UrbnSpice’s Quadruple Chocolate Gluten Free Brownies;

From the Cookbook Series: Gluten and Gluten-Free Quadruple Chocolate Brownies

Twelve Recipes for Chocolate Gluten Free Cakes, including Milk Chocolate Torte with Almond Praline Layer; your search for gluten-free chocolate cakes is answered.
Milk Chocolate Almond Torte with Praline Layer Crust from Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts
Eleven Recipes for Chocolate Gluten Free Tarts & Tartlets, including White Chocolate and Lemon Curd Tart;
White Chocolate Lemon Curd Tart from Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts Cookbook | urbnspice.com
Fourteen Recipes for Bases and Crusts Recipes section that you will need to make my recipes. These include rolled crusts, pressed-in crusts for those of you who have the ‘fear of crusts’ dilemma, and crumb crusts – all gluten-free! Many readers have asked me for gluten-free pie crusts and tart crusts – I have got you covered. There are even recipes for Graham Wafer Gluten Free Crust and Vanilla Gluten Free Wafer Cookies. This was a gluten-free item that I knew was difficult to find in the grocery store so I created a recipe for you! They are delicious on their own as a cookie and ideal as a crust for the recipes in the book.
Graham Wafer Gluten Free Cookies

Vanilla Gluten Free Wafers

I have also provided an entire section on Fillings, Toppings & Sauces, to complete your chocolate desserts. These include How to Make a Raspberry Coulis, White and Dark Chocolate Sauces, Cookie and Cake Fillings, and even a custom Spice Blend.

Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts

Here are a few additional photos from UrbnSpice’s Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts Cookbook:

From the Cookbook Series: Gluten and Gluten-Free Quadruple Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate Macaroon Medley | urbnspice.com

Chocolate Macaroon Medley – gluten free

Gluten Free Chocolate Caramel Molten Cake

Gluten Free Chocolate Souffle

There are so many more photographs to show you in the book and just a little bit of space.

I am very excited to share the following recipes with you. If you have tried any of the recipes on my site, please let me know. The Urbnspice Chef wants to hear from you! Here are a few of the Gluten Free Chocolate Dessert recipes for you to try:

White Chocolate and Lemon Curd Tart – an elegant dessert

Milk Chocolate Torte with Almond Praline Crust

If you have a copy of my Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts book, please leave me a comment or a review on Amazon.

Summer Salads

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Confident Kitchen series

Do you have a favourite ‘go-to’ summer salad? An old stand-by that the neighbourhood pot-luck or picnic would not be the same without? Our family has several favourite Summer Salads.

Broccoli Cheddar Bacon Salad

Part of the attraction of making summer salads (besides using fresh seasonal ingredients) is that many of these salads are great make-ahead dishes. The components can be prepared ahead of time and tossed with the dressing and garnishes just before serving, such as Caesar Salad, Cobb Salad, or Broccoli Cheddar Bacon Salad.

…

BBB – Beautiful Baby Brioche!

By Denise Pare-Watson

Brioche – have you ever tried making your own brioche? This recipe for Beautiful Baby Brioche is an easy way to introduce yourself to the world of yeast-risen baked products.

Brioche is happiest when it has had a chance to chill for awhile, making it an excellent make-ahead option for your menu planning. Besides, making brioche is loads of fun and easy to do.

“BBB’s” – Beautiful Baby Brioche Buns

I was inspired to make this for a TGIF appetizer event. If you think outside of the box a little, making tiny brioche bun-bites instead of brioche bread or brioche rolls is a wonderful way to highlight this rich bread. Because of its richness and the micro size, keep the filling to a minimum. Just make sure that the ingredients you do use are of excellent quality.

Brioche Sandwich Filling Suggestions:

Manchego Cheese and mango chutney
Applewood Smoked Cheddar and UrbnSpice Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Confiture
Ricotta Cheese or plain goat cheese and UrbnSpice’s Roasted Strawberry Confiture with Fine Italian Balsamic

BRIOCHE

CHEF TALK: This brioche recipe is adapted into appetizer-sized brioche buns (sometimes called briochettes) from Food Network Star, Laura Calder. It is one of my favourite doughs to work with. It is a beautiful recipe and I know that you will enjoy trying it!

Yield: 2 Loaves, or many tiny appetizer size brioches (approximately 4 dozen)

INGREDIENTS:

2 envelopes dry active yeast (about 16 g)
6 tablespoons warm milk or dairy-free alternative
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free alternative
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk
Milk for wash

METHOD:

Stir the yeast into the warm milk, with the salt and sugar. Set aside for five minutes to dissolve.
Using a stand mixer, (or large bowl) place the flour into a mixer bowl with a dough hook attachment.
Add the eggs and the yeast mixture into the mixer bowl. Mix on slow until a soft, sticky dough forms.
Add the butter, a piece at a time.
Butter or oil a large bowl and dump the brioche dough into the bowl.
Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Now the fun part – punch down the risen dough.
Put it back in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight to double.
Shape the bread; let it rise 1 1/2 hours in the pan (about one hour for the baby brioche).
When you are ready to bake the buns, combine the yolk and milk to make a wash.
Bake the loaves at 425ºF/220°C for 40 to 45 minutes. For the baby brioche, bake for 15 minutes.

For the tiny brioche buns: In step 3, instead of shaping the dough into loaves, I cut the dough in half, then half again. From each portion, I make 12 small balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise until doubled. (this may take a while, depending on how cold the dough is and how warm your kitchen is). Brush the rolls gently with the egg wash and bake until golden. Watch them carefully – these buns are tiny.

NOTES: Brioche is one bread that you have to be careful that it is not excessively warm in the area that you choose for your proofing area of the kitchen (letting the bread dough rise) – you do not want all the lovely butter to melt in your buns.

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Proofing – Yeast
Blooming
Oven Temperature Accuracy
__________

You Might Also Like:

UrbnSpice Discusses Baking Tips

UrbnSpice Makes Veggie Burgers

Challenging the Art of Sourdough

The Art of Doing Without – including a vintage recipe for Salt-Risen Bread

Cinnamon Buns with Vanilla

If you try my recipe for Beautiful Baby Brioche, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Yogurt Pancakes – Revisited once again

By Denise Pare-Watson

I am revisiting a very familiar and much-loved family recipe for Yogurt Pancakes. One of my readers asked a question regarding baking powder vs baking soda. She was on a quest to make her daughter light fluffy pancakes. The tricky part was making a fluffy pancake without eggs due to an egg allergy.

Once again, another reader, being a celiac, wanted so much to try these pancakes. I adapted this recipe again to accommodate her dietary concerns and issues. Since she was able to tolerate dairy products, I was able to use milk. There are, of course, other options for dairy milk, such as substituting rice milk, coconut milk or almond milk or even fruit juice.

Yogurt Pancakes ready to eat

This is a perfect recipe to try. It has all the qualities of a fluffy pancake and the egg substitute as posted below will ensure that your daughter can enjoy her fluffy pancakes soon! Good luck!

Yogurt Pancakes on the griddle

Yogurt Pancakes

YOGURT PANCAKES:

CHEF TALK: No other pancake will do in the Urbnspice household. These are very easy to make. They are light, very fluffy, and so delicious! If you can find real maple syrup for the Hot Maple Butter, it’s the best!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup plain dairy yogurt or non-dairy coconut yogurt
3/4 cup milk or milk substitutes such as coconut milk, almond milk, or lactose-free milk beverage
2 eggs, beaten (or 1/2 cup egg substitute from the recipe below)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, melted

METHOD:

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Combine the yogurt, milk, eggs (or egg substitute) and butter.
Add all at once to the dry ingredients.
Stir just until combined.
Serve with Hot Maple Butter

Hot Maple Butter:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter

METHOD:

Combine and stir until butter melts and sauce is heated through.

Fluffy Yogurt Pancakes on the griddle

For Egg Allergies: Substitute ½ cup egg substitute (below) for the 2 eggs

EGG SUBSTITUTE

INGREDIENTS

Combine these :

3 cups of water
1/3 cups flax seeds

METHOD:

Bring this mixture to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain, Refrigerate. It will become very thick.
For every egg required in a recipe, substitute 1/4 cup of the flax seed liquid.

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Gluten-Free Flour Blends
__________

You Might Also Enjoy:

Gluten-Free Tips and Techniques

Cranberry-Coconut and Carrot Muffins

Best Ever Banana Muffins

Roasted Tomato Compote with Poached Eggs

If you try my recipe for Yogurt Pancakes, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Rainy days and Sunshine (and chocolate covered strawberries)

By Denise Pare-Watson

Rainy days and Sunshine

(and chocolate covered strawberries)

Rainy days and Sunshine

I live on Vancouver Island – it is a beautiful place.

We have had exquisite weather the past few days with many ‘pinch me’ moments.

It rains sometimes, but not today.

My daughters live in neighbouring provinces and they are both growing weary of experiencing more than their share of rainy weather lately.

Recently, “Kid of a Chef” sent me a text stating:

“I am eating chocolate covered strawberries for lunch.

I am quite certain that is the reason why the sun just broke through the clouds and the birds are singing.

For the sake of the city and reducing flood water damage, I might have to eat the whole package!”

Now – that’s positive thinking!

Don’t let the rain stop you from creating a great day.

Gorgeous Vancouver Island | urbnspice.com

A beautiful place on Vancouver Island

Rainy days and Sunshine Activities:

Baking with Kids: Bannock

Vanilla Bean Poppers

You Might Also Enjoy These UrbnSpice Posts:

Chocolate Quotes

Dee’s Old Fashioned Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Cherry Rhubarb Compote

Paying it Forward

Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series

Thanks for visiting.

If you try a recipe on my blog, please feel free to leave me a comment below with your feedback. If you share on Social Media, be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media:

Urbnspice Facebook Page

Urbnspice is on Twitter

You will find lots of fun boards on Pinterest

I am also on Instagram

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