UrbnSpice

"A Taste Of Heart & Home"

Archives for November 2019

Poached Pears with Cream Cheese Pecan Filling

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Poached pears happens to be one of the first desserts that I made after I got married.  It is a simple but impressive dessert that is easy to make and has outstanding flavour and appearance.  Over the years and many moves later, the recipe for Poached Pears with Cream Cheese Pecan Filling has changed very little with only the variety of pears or locally available wine as adjustments.  I prefer the elegant look of Bosch pears for this dessert, but any variety of pear will work well.  

Poached Pear plated with raspberries
Poached Pear dessert garnished with fresh berries, whipped cream, raspberry coulis and mint

This dessert is an excellent gluten-free option.  For a dairy-free option, use non-dairy cream cheese in the filling.  For a nut-free version, omit the pecans in the filling.  If you choose not to use wine in the poaching liquid, substitute apple juice or pear juice.  

The poaching liquid is reduced to a syrup and used when plating the poached pears.

Pears on a platter
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Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti

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Going into an Italian store is always an adventure for me.  One of the many things that I am always fascinated by is the huge glass container filled with tall biscotti sitting upright in the jar.  They are typically large enough to feed a family!  As much as I like these huge cookies, they are just too big! I wanted a smaller biscotti that would be more suitable for a coffee gathering.  I adapted a recipe that uses a filling in the biscotti dough to make them more distinctive.   Biscotti are always a hit during the holiday season given their ease of storage and long shelf life, not to mention wonderful in texture and flavour.  

A Stack of Biscotti with pinwheel filling | urbnspice.com
Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti | urbnspice.com

I had a little leftover cranberry sauce from my Dairy-Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Coulis, so it was a great opportunity to utilise it as a filling in the biscotti.  These Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti are a tender, not hard biscotti and they are much smaller in size than traditional biscotti – you’re going to love them!  They also make excellent edible gifts.

Edible Gifts by Urbnspice
Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti make excellent edible gifts
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Petite Home Baked Kingston Biscuits

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Gluten Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free

If you love cookies that offer both chewiness and crunchiness in texture, you are going to love this recipe!  These Australian favourites are irresistible chocolate cream filled sandwich cookies.   They have not lost their popularity since their 1926 creation by the Arnott Biscuit Company.  The cookies are similar to another popular Australian cookie called Anzac Cookies, which have similar ingredients and preparation methods to the Kingston biscuits. These Home Baked Kingston Biscuits adapt very well to gluten-free and dairy-free substitutions.  Kingston Biscuits have always been egg-free and nut-free.  For the purpose of this post, I am providing the gluten-free and dairy-free version of this recipe.

Kingston Biscuits stacked on a plate | urbnspice.com
Petite-sized Home Baked Kingston Biscuits
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Dairy-Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Coulis

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The holiday season would not be complete without eggnog.  It is typically made with ingredients such as heavy cream, egg yolks, whipped egg whites, spices and, of course, generous amounts of alcohol.  I have a love-hate relationship with this holiday drink. Personally, I have always found the off-the-shelf varieties too rich, too sweet, and with too much nutmeg for my taste. The fact that many members of our family are lactose-intolerant also makes this seasonal drink inaccessible. Therefore, my objective for this post is to introduce to you an eggnog that checks all the boxes:  dairy-free, nutmeg-free and reduced in sweetness and with a little “something-something” that sets it apart from the rest – namely, Dairy-Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Coulis.  

Closeup of White Chocolate Eggnog in a Glass | urbnspice.com
Dairy-Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Coulis

The addition of white chocolate is not only festive, but it gives a creamy flavour without the cream. I decided to up the game by adding Cranberry Coulis.  The thick coulis is drizzled onto the side of the glass and provides a unique look to the drink.   Cranberries have a lot of natural pectin so the sauce holds its own on the side of the glass without disappearing or bleeding when you add the eggnog to the glass (see photos). As a bonus, cranberry pairs extremely well with white chocolate.  This is a game changer.   

Dairy-Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Coulis in Bodem Cups | urbnspice.com
Bodum Cups make the perfect vessel for Dairy Free White Chocolate Eggnog

Give this special dairy-free eggnog cocktail a try during the holiday season – you will love it! A sprinkle of nutmeg on top is entirely optional. 🙂

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