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Archives for February 2018

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Crunchy Topping

By Denise Pare-Watson

Everyone has a favourite recipe for banana bread. This Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Crunchy Topping is a variation that you will enjoy trying – it ticks all the boxes for moistness, flavour and texture. The crunchy sugar-cinnamon topping is a flavourful addition. Although walnuts are traditionally used in this loaf, pecans pair very well with banana. Don’t forget to toast the nuts first.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread | urbnspice.com…

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Baking Techniques, Dairy Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Muffins & Quick Breads, My Recipes Tagged With: Baking, Bananas, Quick Breads

How to Make Pâte Sucrée Pastry

By Denise Pare-Watson

Pâte Sucrée is a tender dough enriched with egg yolk. It is excellent for recipes such as Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie or The Ultimate Canadian Maple Butter Tarts.  The dough can be quickly made in a food processor or it can be easily made by hand. It can be used after one-hour of chilling or refrigerated for up to three days. For longer storage, wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and slip inside a plastic zipper bag, then label and freeze the dough. Use within one month. Pâte Brisée is another great option for pies and tarts. You can find the recipe for Pâte Brisée here.

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Pate Sucree can be used for pies | urbnspice.com

Pate Sucree can be used for pies and tarts

HOW TO MAKE PÂTE SUCRÉE PASTRY

YIELD: 20 – 3-inch tarts or 30 – 36 mini tarts

CHEF TIP: In order to extend the shelf life of the dough, I use a vacuum sealer to store and freeze the dough. Using this system eliminates air pockets and the possibility of freezer burn. This process will extend the life of the dough – use it within six months.  

NOTE: I often make a combination of different tart sizes to have available for different events. The following recipe for the pâte sucrée dough will make 8 – 3-inch tarts as well as 24 mini (2 inches) tartlets for bite-size treats.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup ice water, as necessary 

METHOD:

  1. In a food processor bowl, combine the flour and sugar – pulse once or twice to combine.
  2. Add the pieces of cold butter into the food processor and pulse 10 to 20 times until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  3. In a smaller bowl, combine the egg yolks and vanilla bean paste.
  4. With the food processor running, pour the egg yolk mixture in through the feed tube.
  5. Process until the dough comes together (about 10 – 20 seconds). Add a little ice water, one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together in a ball.
  6. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
  7. Refrigerate the dough for one hour before use.

CHEF TIP: Ice water is used when making pastry to keep the cold butter from melting. This keeps the pastry crust flaky.

Here is a visual step-by-step procedure “How to Make Pâte Sucrée Pastry”:

Pate Sucree ingredients | urbnspice.com

Pate Sucree ingredients

Pate Sucree dough | urbnspice.com

Pate Sucree dough

Pate Sucree Dough wrapped | urbnspice.com

Pate Sucree Dough wrapped and ready for chilling

Pate Sucree can be used for pies | urbnspice.com

Pate Sucree can be used for pies and tarts

Pate Sucree used for Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie | urbnspice.com

Pate Sucree used for Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie

Pate Sucree can be used for pies | urbnspice.com
Print

How to Make PÂTE SUCRÉE Pastry

Prep 10 mins

Inactive 1 hour

Total 1 hour, 10 mins

Author Denise - The Urb'n'Spice Chef

Yield 20 tarts

Pâte Sucrée is a tender dough enriched with egg yolk. The dough can be quickly made in a food processor or it can be easily made by hand. It is perfect for Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie or Ultimate Canadian Maple Butter Tarts.

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup ice water, as necessary 

Instructions

  1. In a food processor bowl, combine the flour and sugar – pulse once or twice to combine.
  2. Add the pieces of cold butter into the food processor and pulse 10 to 20 times until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  3. In a smaller bowl, combine the egg yolks and vanilla bean paste.
  4. With the food processor running, pour the egg yolk mixture in through the feed tube.
  5. Process until the dough comes together (about 10 – 20 seconds). Add a little ice water, one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together in a ball.
  6. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
  7. Refrigerate the dough for one hour before use.

Notes

CHEF TIP: Ice water is used when making pastry to keep the cold butter from melting. This keeps the pastry crust flaky.

For more details and step-by-step photographs, please refer to the original post:  https://urbnspice.com/my-recipes/make-pate-sucree-pastry/

Did you Make my Recipe? 

Tag me @urbnspice on Instagram and hashtag #urbnspice

Courses Dessert

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:

  • Butter
  • Oven Temperature Accuracy
  • Vanilla Extract
    __________

You Might Also Enjoy:

Learn How to Make Pate Brisee

My Mom’s French Canadian Tourtiere

The Ultimate Canadian Maple Butter Tarts

If you try my technique for How to Make Pâte Sucrée Pastry, 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 Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: My Recipes, Pastry, Pies and Tarts Tagged With: Pastry, Pies

PÂTE BRISÉE – Classic French Pie and Tart Pastry

By Denise Pare-Watson

Learn How to Make PÂTE BRISÉE: a classic French pie and tart pastry. Its flaky characteristics make it is perfect for Chicken Pot Pie, Australian Meat Pies and of course, My Mom’s French Canadian Tourtiere.  As well, it is very good when used in sweet pies and tarts; for example, it is outstanding in the Ultimate Canadian Maple Butter Tarts.

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Maple Butter Pecan Tarts | urbnspice.com

How to Make PÂTE BRISÉE

YIELD: 2 – 9” Pie crusts, or two 9.5 to 10” tart shells, Or one 9” covered pie crust)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • ¼ cup vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water

METHOD:

  1. Mix together the all-purpose flour, sugar and salt.
  2. Cut in 1/2 cup of cold unsalted butter with a pastry knife until you have pea-sized pieces.
  3. Then add 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
  4. Work in the butter and vegetable shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces.
  5. Add 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of ice water. Drizzle over the flour and fat mixture.
  6. The dough should look rough, not smooth (almost raggedy). CHEF TIP: Overworking pastry dough will make the dough tough and the flaky characteristic will be lost.
  7. Divide the dough in half, press each half into a round flat disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably for several hours, or for up to 2 days before rolling.
  8. The dough can also be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 6 months; thaw completely before rolling.
Aussie Hand Pies | urbnspice.com

Pate Brisee dough is a perfect pastry choice to make Australian Meat Pies

Here is a visual step-by-step procedure How To Make Pâte Brisée:

Pate Brisee Ingredients | urbnspice.com

Pate Brisee Ingredients

Cutting butter into the flour | urbnspice.com

Cutting the chunks of butter and lard into the flour until there are pea-sized pieces

Pate Brisee Dough | urbnspice.com

The ice water is added to the Pate Brisee Dough

Pate Brisee Dough Wrapped | urbnspice.com

Pate Brisee Dough Wrapped and ready for the refrigerator for at least one hour

Baked Tourtiere | urbnspice.com

Pate Brisee Pastry showing its characteristic flaky texture

Traditional Tourtiere | urbnspice.com
Print

PÂTE BRISÉE – Classic French Pie and Tart Pastry

Prep 10 mins

Inactive 1 hour

Total 1 hour, 10 mins

Author Denise - The Urb'n'Spice Chef

Yield 1 two crust pie

PÂTE BRISÉE is a classic French pie and tart pastry. Its flaky characteristics make it is perfect for Chicken Pot Pie, Australian Meat Pies and of course, My Mom’s French Canadian Tourtiere.  As well, it is very good when used in sweet pies and tarts; for example, it is outstanding in the Ultimate Canadian Maple Butter Tarts.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • ¼ cup vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water

Instructions

  1. Mix together the all-purpose flour, sugar and salt.
  2. Cut in 1/2 cup of cold unsalted butter with a pastry knife until you have pea-sized pieces.
  3. Then add 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
  4. Work in the butter and vegetable shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces.
  5. Add 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of ice water. Drizzle over the flour and fat mixture.
  6. The dough should look rough, not smooth (almost raggedy). CHEF TIP: Overworking pastry dough will make the dough tough and the flaky characteristic will be lost.
  7. Divide the dough in half, press each half into a round flat disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably for several hours, or for up to 2 days before rolling.
  8. The dough can also be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 6 months; thaw completely before rolling.

Notes

For further details and step-by-step instructions, please refer to the original post:  https://urbnspice.com/my-recipes/pate-brisee-classic-french-pie-and-tart-pastry/

 

Did you Make my Recipe? 

Tag me @urbnspice on Instagram and hashtag #urbnspice

Here are some Urb’n’Spice recipes using pâte brisée:

My Mom’s French Canadian Tourtière

Australian Meat Pies (Aussie Pies)

The Ultimate Canadian Maple Butter Tarts

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: My Recipes, Pastry, Pies and Tarts

How to Make a Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie

By Denise Pare-Watson

It is a beautiful thing to enjoy a slice of sour (tart) cherry pie. I live in the Okanagan, where I am fortunate to be able to find sour cherries at the local farmer’s markets. Sour cherries are not as easily available as the more popular sweet dark cherries. I buy as many sour cherries as I can while they are in season and freeze them in 1 ½ lb. bags. These packages are used in breakfast Danish, Black Forest Cake and Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie throughout the year.

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Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie | urbnspice.com

Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie

Professional bakers prefer sour (tart) cherries for pies, Danish, pastries, cakes or jams because sour cherries have a characteristic tartness and bright red colour.  They maintain their cherry flavour during baking or jam making processes.

Sweet cherries are more commonly available and are eaten fresh or they can be used in the making of cherry clafouti (a French baked custard dessert), cherry vanilla ice cream, or used in an unbaked summer fruit tart.   Sweet cherries do not hold up well to high heat cooking, and lose their colour and texture and quickly become mushy. It is important to understand the difference because the sugar requirements for each type of cherry are significantly different. Make sure the recipe you are using indicates whether you are to use sour (tart) or sweet cherries, otherwise the texture and sugar balance will not meet your expectations.Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie | urbnspice.com…

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Desserts and Sweets, My Recipes, Pastry, Pies and Tarts Tagged With: Cherries, Pies, Tarts

Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Blenditarian Challenge Series

I have taken the Blenditarian pledge and for some time now have been experimenting in the Urb’n’Spice kitchen on how to develop a money-saving recipe that incorporates a Blenditarian approach to everyday cooking. As a bonus, the blended base that I have developed is gluten free, preservative free, and dairy free. Just to clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.”  This approach stretches ground meat with finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. I have taken this meat blend process one step further by adding aromatic vegetables to the mushrooms and ground meat to create a nutrient dense Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend.  Blenditarian Logo | urbnspice.com

This blend (or base) can be used in a number of different recipes. In this post, you will learn how to prepare this base and how to utilize it. This Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable base can be used to make dishes such as: Spaghetti Sauce; Sloppy Joes; Chili; Taco Salad; Hamburger Soup; Beef, Cheese and Macaroni Casserole; or Australian Meat Pies, and much more. (Refer to “What Can I Do With This Recipe?” section below to learn more). I will be constantly adding to this Blenditarian Challenge Series. Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge for anyone to incorporate their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun themed dishes.  The theme in January was “Healthy Classics”.  This month’s Blenditarian Challenge is “Date Night Done Right!” For this post, I have chosen to make a Date Night Spaghetti Sauce using Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend. Look for more Urb’n’Spice recipes in this Blenditarian Challenge Series.

Skip to Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend

Skip to Date Night Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Date Night Spaghetti Sauce | urbnspice.com

Date Night Spaghetti Sauce ready to enjoy with a salad and a glass of red wine

…

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Blenditarian Challenge, Blenditarian Recipes, Main Dishes or Entree Options, Meat Dishes, My Recipes Tagged With: Blenditarian Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Main Dishes, Meat

Silky Strawberry Balsamic Soup with Yogurt Drizzle

By Denise Pare-Watson

One of my most popular culinary teaching classes has consistently been my “Soups, Simplified” course.  The students always indicated in their feedback that they were blown away by how much they learned in this class.  As well, they pledged that they would never, ever dispose of vegetable scraps or peelings again after completing the course.  The class always included several treats for the students.  For example, this Silky Strawberry Balsamic Soup with Yogurt Drizzle was a hit!  It was served at the beginning of the program as an amuse-bouche prior to starting the class discussion.  I thought I would share it this easy-to-make recipe with my readers since it is also very popular for Valentine’s Day,  as well as luncheons or bridal and baby showers.   This elegant gluten-free soup is served chilled and can be made in minutes with fresh or frozen strawberries.

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Silky Strawberry Balsamic Soup | urbnspice.com…

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Appetizers and Small Plates, Food Fun, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes, My Recipes, Nut Free Recipes, Preservative Free, Soups and Chowders Tagged With: Appetizers, Fast and Easy Dishes, Food Fun, Gluten Free Recipes, Small Plates, Soups

How to Make Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes

By Denise Pare-Watson

Have you ever noticed that most restaurants offer cheesecake on their dessert menu? It is definitely a favourite choice for many people and also for the restaurants as cheesecake stores and freezes well. I prefer making cheesecake in individualized portions, served simply with a raspberry coulis or a few fresh berries. In this post, I will share a recipe for Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes. This featured cheesecake recipe has a pink hue created by the raspberry puree which is combined with a delicious coconut crust infused with lime zest. For Valentine’s Day, I dress the cheesecakes up by creating a heart swirl decoration before it is baked. The decoration stays attractively suspended on top of the thick cheesecake batter.

Skip to Cheesecake Recipe

Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes | urbnspice.com

Raspberry Mini Cheesecake

…

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Baking Techniques, Cakes, Cheesecakes, Desserts and Sweets, Gluten Free Recipes, Individual Desserts, My Recipes Tagged With: Baking, Baking Tips, Cakes, Cheesecakes, Desserts, Gluten Free Desserts, Nut Free, Sweets

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Meet Denise – The Urbnspice Chef

Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.
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