a penne for your thoughts
a penne for your thoughts

ALL Recipes:

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Dessert

Firecracker Ice pops:

This ice pop recipe is a perfect spring and summer time treat. It's a healthy satisfying snack that will leave you wanting more. We decided to use vanilla yogurt instead of plain yogurt, as it gave the recipe that extra sweetness and flavor it needed! Makes 4-6 ice pops

Ingredients:

  1. 1/2 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered (1 1/2 cups)

  2. 1/4 cup sugar

  3. 1/2 pound blueberries (1 1/2 cups)

  4. 1 1/4 cups low-fat plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt

Method:

  1. In a food processor, puree strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar. Transfer to a small bowl.

  2. In the processor, puree blueberries with 1 tablespoon sugar.

  3. In another small bowl, whisk together yogurt and 2 tablespoons sugar. 

  4. Pour the 3 mixtures, alternating, into ten 3-ounce ice-pop moulds, making 3 to 5 layers in each.

  5. With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, swirl mixtures together in an up-and-down motion. Insert ice-pop sticks and freeze until solid, 2 1/2 to 3 hours (or up to 1 week).

Homemade brookies recipe

Ingredients for brownie batter:

  1. 10 tablespoons butter, softened

  2. 2/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar (5 ounces)
  3. 2/3 cup granulated sugar (5 ounces)
  4. 1 large egg
  5. 1 large egg yolk
  6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  7. 1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour (7.25 ounces)
  8. 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (1.5 ounces)
  9. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  10. 1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for chocolate chip cookie batter:

  1. 10 tablespoons butter, softened
  2. 2/3 cup granulated sugar (5 ounces)
  3. 2/3 cup light brown sugar (5 ounces)
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla
  5. 1 large egg
  6. 1 large egg yolk
  7. 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (10.75 ounces)
  8. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  9. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  10. 1 1/4 cup chocolate chips (mini or regular both work)

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºc and prepare baking trays with parchment paper.
  2. To make the brownie batter beat the butter and both sugars together until they are creamy. (Tip, sieve the brown sugar so it is more easy to mix in) Then add the eggs and continue beating whilst pouring in the vanilla.
  3. In a separate bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and whisk together. Slowly add this mixture to the wet ingredients and store the dough in the fridge until the assembly of the cookies.
  4. To make the chocolate chip cookie batter beat the butter and both sugars together until creamy. Add the eggs and pour in the vanilla.
  5. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and slowly incorporate these into the wet ingredients.
  6. Then stir in the chocolate chips slowly until they are widely dispersed.
  7. Portion the dough into about 4 dozen pieces, for precise measurements weigh 18 grams of cookie dough and 13 grams of brownie batter.
  8. Take one piece of cookie dough and one piece of brownie batter and push together to form a flat ball.
  9. Add the cookies to the prepared baking trays and bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes. Make sure to not overbake the cookies because they will become dry and hard. For softer cookies, slightly under bake.
  10. Serve with a glass of cold milk!

Breakfast Foods

NECTARINE AND LAVENDER MUFFINS:

Adapted from http://herz-allerliebst.de/2011/06/22/lust-auf-etwas-ses/

Makes about nine muffins

Ingredients:

  1. 120 g butter (softened)

  2. 150 g caster sugar

  3. 1 vanilla bean

  4. 2 eggs

  5. 200 g flour

  6. 1.5 tsp baking powder

  7. 2 tablespoons cream

  8. 2 nectarines

  9. 3 tablespoons dried lavender

  10. *optional* Icing sugar

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 190ºc.

  2. Using a hand mixer, combine butter (softened), eggs, and vanilla bean in a large bowl.

  3. To infuse the cream with the lavender, pour it into a small saucepan over a low flame and begin adding lavender. Stir until the mixture starts to come to a boil.

  4. Drain the lavender cream mixture through a strainer before putting the now lavender infused cream into the large bowl with the other wet ingredients.

  5. Now add the flour and baking powder in small increments. Stir until mixture reaches the consistency of smooth dough.

  6. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of mixture into muffin tins before adding sliced nectarines on top of each muffin.

  7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the muffins turn golden brown.

  8. *optional* When presenting, sprinkle muffins with extra lavender and sifted icing sugar.

Brioche french toast with chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries

This perfect french toast recipe will satisfy everyone's sweet tooth. This recipe yields about 4-6 servings of french toast depending on size and thickness of bread used.

Ingredients for the french toast:

  1. 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

  2. 2 tablespoons sugar

  3. 4 tablespoons butter

  4. 4 large eggs

  5. 1/4 cup milk

  6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  7. 8 slices of brioche bread

  8. Maple syrup (as needed)

  9. Icing sugar (as needed)

 

Ingredients for the chocolate ganache:

  1. 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips

  2. 1-2 cups double cream for preferred thickness

  3. Washed and sliced strawberries

Method:

  1. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, and sugar, set aside briefly.

  2. In a 10-inch or 12-inch pan, melt butter over medium heat.

  3. Whisk together cinnamon mixture, eggs, milk, and vanilla and pour into shallow dish or baking pan.

  4. Dip the brioche into egg mixture and fry slices in butter until golden brown, flip to cook other side.

  5. Pour double cream into pot and heat until just boiling. Immediately pour over chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl.

  6. Gather two pieces of french toast and put cut strawberries in between. Drizzle chocolate ganache over the berries and place another slice of french toast on top.

  7. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Savoury Dishes

Homemade grilled cheese mini series:

As grilled cheese is one of our favorite foods, we decided to create a mini-series of three drastically different grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Part 1: Brie, lemon curd and blueberry compote on sourdough bread. Enough for two sandwiches. Adapted from: www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

Ingredients:

  1. 1 cup of fresh blueberries

  2. 2 teaspoons of water

  3. 1/2 teaspoon sugar

  4. 4 slices sourdough bread

  5. Softened butter, to spread on bread

  6. 85g Brie cheese, thinly sliced

  7. 3-4 tablespoons lemon curd

Method:

  1. In a small saucepan, add the blueberries and water. Stir in the sugar. Cook over medium heat until blueberries begin to pop. Set aside to cool slightly.

  2. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.  

  3. Spread lemon curd on the non buttered side of two slices of bread and layer the sliced cheese on top of those.  

  4. Lay out half of the blueberries on those two sides of bread and place the two other slices on top.

  5. Cook in a sandwich press or a saucepan until golden and crispy, about 3-5 minutes.

Part 2: Gruyere and caramelized onions on sourdough bread. Makes one sandwich

Ingredients:

  1. 1/2 of a red onion, sliced

  2. 1 tablespoon olive oil

  3. 60g gruyere

  4. 1 tablespoon of butter

  5. 2 slices of sourdough bread

Method:

1. Drizzle the olive oil into a pan and add the sliced onions on medium heat. Cook until the onions have softened, about 10 minutes. Remember to stir the onions every so often.

2. Thinly slice the gruyere cheese.

3. Butter one side of the bread and flip over and add the thinly sliced gruyere. Sandwich the two pieces together with the buttered sides on the outside.

4. Cook in a sandwich press or pan until golden and crispy, about 3-5 minutes.

Part 3: Mac and Cheese grilled cheese on sourdough bread

Adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com, the mac and cheese grilled cheese is more than enough to quell the homesickness we get for America sometimes. As far as savoury comfort foods go, this one comes pretty close to the best we've ever had. Enough for two sandwiches:

Ingredients:

  1. 8 ounces of elbow pasta or shell pasta

  2. 1/4 cup butter

  3. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  4. 1/2 teaspoon salt

  5. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

  6. 2 cups of milk or 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream

  7. Ground black pepper to taste

  8. Sourdough bread

  9. Extra butter for bread

Method:

  1. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water and stir occasionally until cooked through but still al dente (about 8 minutes). Drain.

  2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth (about five minutes).

  3. Slowly pour milk (or heavy cream) into butter-flour mixture while continuously stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbling (about five minutes).

  4. Add cheddar to milk mixture and stir until cheese is melted.

  5. Spoon about 1 cup of mac and cheese onto a slice of bread, and add another piece on top before either placing it in a panini press until golden brown.