desserts

Danish Rhubarb Paste Dessert

Only on Facebook would we have a conversation about rhubarb! After the last post on rhubarb recipes was shared on Facebook a lovely momstown Hamilton member named Winnie told us about her Grandma's traditional Danish dessert and then translated the recipe to share with us! Thank-you Winnie!

danish rhubarb

I had to do a bit of a translation as all the recipes I could find were in danish, but here it is: traditional rhubarb "paste" dessert.


700 grams of rhubarb (approx)
4 cups of water
1 tbs of vanilla
175 grams of sugar (more or less depends on how sweet you want it)
4 tbs of corn starch


Rinse and cut rhubarb into small pieces. Boil them in 4 cups of water for 10-15 min (until very mushy).

Strain the rhubarb and save the juice.

Boil the juice and add vanilla and sugar.

Add cornstarch (premixed in cold water) and boil until somewhat thick (will thicken more when completely cold).

Refrigerate until cold. Serve with milk or cream or just eat plain.

Original recipe with images (but in danish):

Posted by momstown mama on 06/01/2011 - 01:00
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Caramel S'mores Cups

smores cups

Don't these look good? Our friends at momstown Edmonton South passed on this Betty Crocker recipe and think it's the perfect snack if you're missing your camping smores! This would be a great recipe to include your kids - just make sure they actually get those marshmallos into the recipe!

 

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® chocolate chip cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
36 round chewy caramels in milk chocolate, from 5 (1.91-oz) rolls, unwrapped
108 mini marshmallows (1 cup)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips


    Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 36 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.

Make cookie dough as directed on package, using butter and egg. Shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. Place 1 ball into each muffin cup.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven; firmly press 1 candy into center of each cookie until flush with cookie top.

Top each with 3 marshmallows. Bake 2 to 4 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffed. Cool 30 minutes. Loosen edges of cookie with small metal spatula and remove to cooling racks. Cool completely.

Place chocolate chips in small resealable freezer plastic bag. Microwave on High about 1 minute or until softened. Gently squeeze bag until chocolate is smooth; cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle chocolate over marshmallows. Let stand until hardened, about 10 minutes.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Another way to get the great taste of S'mores is in this S'mores Cups dessert!

Posted by momstown mama on 05/26/2011 - 10:50
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Tea Party recipes: scones and sweets

teapot competition

Who doesn’t love a good tea party or fancy tray of sweets?

 

Our momstown mama members got spoiled with super Tea parties for Mother’s Day, momstown Milton held a Princess Tea Party, momstown Burlington held an outdoor “garden party” for moms and kids and TeaFrog and Springridge Farm, and momstown Guelph partnered with David’s tea for a great mom and child tea party.

 

A typical High tea has a three layered tray: first scones with cream and jam, second tea sandwiches and top tier are dainty sweets. If you’re looking for cute and delicious tea sandwiches to fancy-up your next playgroup or shower, momstown pulled some our favourites together. Now, it’s time for the sweets and scones! Do  you know the main difference between a scone (sweet) and a tea biscuit?

 

Scones with clotted cream and jam are such a British standard for any tea party. While many moms bake muffins regularly, we haven’t tried scones .They’re pretty easy actually and can be done as quickly as you toss together a muffin recipe. Our momstown Burlington moms were inspired and headed to Tea at the Whitehouse to learn about scone making recipes (and eat a few!).

 

english scones

 

Basic English Scone recipe from Great Party Recipes

Typical English scones are light and flaky but not sweet. They are perfectly designed to accompany cream and jam.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk (approx.)
Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in the egg.
Gradually add the milk until a thick dough is formed.
Turn out the mixture onto a floured board and knead lightly. Roll out the dough to 3/4" thickness and cut into rounds with a 2" cookie cutter. You can reroll any of the scrap dough.

Place the rounds about 1" apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little beaten egg or milk. Bake in a preheated 450° oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm (ideally with clotted cream and jam, or enjoy with butter).

Other Scone Recipes

Cranberry Oatmeal Scones
Chocolate Chip Scones
Cream Scones
 

 

Sweets for the Sweet course of the Tea Party


Orange Chocolate Shortbread 
Coconut Balls
Forgotten Meringues
Butter Tart Squares

 

Now, go make a cup of tea and enjoy these delicious goodies!

Posted by momstown mama on 05/13/2011 - 21:58
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Rhubarb & Sticky Ginger Crumble

Jamie Oliver rhubarb crumbleRemember back when Jamie Oliver was just known as The Naked Chef? Yah, ever since then I’ve kinda been a fan because his recipes are so true to real life, focus on honest ingredients and simple enough for a busy mama to make.  Turns out I’m not alone with favouritism of Jamie, our momstown Facebook fans recommended Jamie’s cookbooks over any other!


This recipe is from my Jamie At Home cook book but you can also find it on Jamie’s website. A perfect spring recipe with fresh rhubarb livened up with ginger and orange juice.

Rhubarb and Sticky Ginger Crumble

1kg rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into large chunks
200g soft brown sugar
zest and juice of 1 orange
100g plain flour
100g cold butter
100g oats
2 pieces of stem ginger, chopped

Direct from Jamie -- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Put the rhubarb and half the sugar into a pan. Add the orange juice and zest, put a lid on top, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for around 5 more minutes, until the rhubarb has softened slightly. Spoon into an ovenproof baking dish or individual dishes and spread out evenly across the bottom.

To make your crumble topping, use your fingers to lightly rub together the flour and butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats, the rest of the sugar and the stem ginger. (If you like, you can make the crumble topping in a food processor. Just whack in the flour, butter, sugar and stem ginger and whiz up. Add the oats for the last 10 seconds.) Sprinkle the crumbs over the rhubarb and bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the rhubarb is bubbling up and the crumble is golden.

Posted by momstown mama on 05/11/2011 - 21:26
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Simple Angel food Spring Cake

A perfect recipe for a busy momstown mom to pull together quickly but it will taste and look like she slaved!

 

angel lush cake kraft

 

1 angel food cake
1 package of instant vanilla pudding
1 pint of whipping cream

1 can of crushed pineapple
Icing sugar to taste
Vanilla to taste

Mix pineapple with pudding mix until blended and starts to thicken. Then whip cream until soft peaks form. Add icing sugar and vanilla, continue beating until stiff. Fold the whipped cream into the pudding and pineapple mixture.

 

Cut cake in half horizontally. Put mixture in the middle and replace the top half. Then ice the entire cake. Refrigerate until time to use.

 

Enjoy! This recipe has been in my family for longer than my lifetime, so I have no idea where it may have come from.

 

Orginally this is a Kraft Canada recipe called "Angel Lush Cake". This recipe was submitted by a momstown member for our Spring recipe contest.

Posted by momstown mama on 04/15/2011 - 08:48
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Easter Pavlova

This is a perfect dessert for a special dinner and delightfully light and perfect for spring. There are several steps involved but it's worth the effort and will wow your guests. Our momstown taste testers loved this dessert!

 

easter pavlova

 

A friend at work made this dessert for a potluck lunch over 10 years ago and it remains one of THE best desserts that I have ever tasted . . . despite having NO chocolate in it ;) !!! She got the recipe from The Toronto Star food writer and recipe developer Jenny Koniuk.  She added her own "family recipe" for Lemon Curd.



Easter Pavlova with Lemon and Mixed Berries
4 large egg whites at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup good-quality lemon curd
1 cup whipping cream
3 cups mixed berries
Fresh mint for garnish

Preheat oven to 300F.

MERINGUE: Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Trace 8 inch circle on underside of parchment.

In clean bowl, beat egg white with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.  Do not overbeat.   With mixer running, add sugar one large spoonful at a time, beating until mixture is glossy and stiff.

Scrape onto prepared circle.  With back of a spoon, form into circle with hollow in middle.  Make swirls around edge.

Bake 1 hour.   Turn off oven and leave to cool overnight. 

 

LEMON CURD:
4 lemons
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
5 beaten eggs

Peel lemon thinly. Squeeze lemon juice into double boiler with peel and add other ingredients. Cook until it thickens. Pour through strainer to remove peel.

 

Carefully remove parchment and place on flat cake plate.  An hour before dinner, using bowl and beaters from freezer, whip cream until stiff peaks form.  Fold into lemon curd.   Spoon into centre of meringue.  Just before serving garnish with berries and mint.

 

This recipe was submitted by a momstown member for our Spring Recipe Contest.

 

 

Posted by momstown mama on 04/12/2011 - 22:45
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Raspberry, Peach and Blackberry Crisp

Any kind of fruit crisp reminds me of my Grandma - I'm a big fan of both eating and making crisps. SO much simpler than a pie recipe (no pastry!) and with an awesome oat, butter and brown sugar topping.... delish!

 

peach crisp

Crisp Topping Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter cut into ½-inch chunks
¾ cup brown sugar
packed 2/3 cup flour
½ cup rolled oats or chopped nuts
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Preheat the oven to 375F. Butter a 2-2.5 quart baking dish. Make the topping and set aside.

Using your fingers or the paddle attachment of a mixer, work the butter with the rest of the ingredients so that each piece is coated and you have a coarse, crumbly mixture. This will be used to cover a shallow gratin dish of sliced fruit.

2 pounds ripe peaches (since it’s only spring – you could use canned peaches)
1 cup blackberries
1 cup raspberries
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour

To peel the peaches, drop them into a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds, then remove them to a bowl of cold water. The skins should slip right off. Slice the peaches into a large bowl, in wedges ½ inch thick; discard the stones.

Add the berries, sugar, and flour and toss gently. Transfer the fruit to the baking dish and cover with the topping. Set it on a baking sheet to catch the juices and bake until the top is well browned and the peaches are tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.

Submitted by Heather C and for our spring recipe contest.  This recipe from “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison  

Posted by momstown mama on 04/12/2011 - 16:59
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Fresh Spring Raspberry Delight

This dessert was heavenly and easily served 4 in individual dishes. momstown was amazed how much liquid came out of the yogurt - so start early enough in the day for this to drain.

 

raspberry delight dessert

1 1/2 cups vanilla nonfat yogurt
1 (10 oz) package frozen raspberries,thawed
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream (chilled)
4 ladyfinger cookies


Drain yogurt in fridge for minimum 4 hours. (easiest method: put paper towel in a strainer). Discard the liquid and set the thickened yogurt aside.

 

Puree half the raspberries in a food processor until smooth. Strain into a large bowl, pressing the liquid out with spatula. Discard the seeds. Whisk in the sugar. Stir in remaining raspberries.

 

In a chilled small bowl whip the cream until stiff peaks are formed. Gently fold in the yogurt. Fold in the (strained) raspberry mixture. Spoon into cocktail glasses and chill, covered, for at least 1 hour. Serve with ladyfinger cookies. 

 

This recipe was submitted by a momstown member for our Spring recipe contest.

Posted by momstown mama on 04/12/2011 - 15:03
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Easter Bunny's Carrot Cake

Do you think CARROT is the Easter Bunny’s favourite cake??? This would be a delicious dessert to make over Easter. It's a very moist cake and yummy (we tested it in a round pan instead of a rectangle as suggested and increased the cooking time to compensate for the thickness).

 

carrot cake easter

 

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup drained, crushed pineapple
3 whole eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

3 cups grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pineapple, eggs, buttermilk, applesauce, oil, and vanilla. Stir in grated carrots. Add flour mixture to carrot mixture and stir until well blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Set pan on a wire rack and cool cake completely. When cake is cool, spread cream cheese icing evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

This recipe was submitted by a momstown member for our Spring recipe contest.

Posted by momstown mama on 04/12/2011 - 14:52
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Earth Day treats!

In the spirit of Earth Day it makes sense to learn more about where our food comes from, question the growing practise and seek out more organic produce and meat. But it's also fun to have some great earth/dirt themed snacks on hand too.

 

Our online friends have some utterly fantastic snacks to celebrate Earth Day - we're excited to try these out ourselves!

 

earth day cookies

 

These superbly decorated Oatmeal cookies are from friends FamilyCorner and you can find the how-to and recipe here.

 

worms in mud snack

 

Worms in Mud seem like an ideal Earth Day treat! momstown Edmonton South made this snack for a spring playgroup and the easy (and fun!) instructions are on their blog here.

 

earth day bars

 

Earth Day Bars are filled with nutritional fruit, grains and nuts and perfect for packing in a lunchbox snack - thanks to Disney for the recipe here.

 

Keep celebrating! Click here for Earth Day crafts or Recycled activities - visit the momstown art & craft blog!

Posted by momstown mama on 04/11/2011 - 16:53
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