Raspberry Coconut Banana Loaf

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

Here we are, in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, I’m working from home, and my stress management is to bake. Lots. I planned on making a banana blueberry loaf, but where are the blueberries I was so sure were in my freezer? Who knows? Only realized that of course when I was in the midst of the batter, so here we are, and sometimes the best recipes come from necessity! This is one of those happy circumstances.

Just look at that crunchy top!

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (if you can, trust me, this makes a difference)
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut

1/2 cup melted butter (but not hot)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup mashed banana
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen – if frozen DO NOT THAW)

Raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter and flour a standard loaf pan (9″ x 5″)

Whisk dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl.

In separate bowl beat together the sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla and banana.

When ready to combine, and only then, toss the raspberries with the flour mixture. This will prevent them from sticking together. Stir in the liquid mixture, and only stir just until it all comes together. Do not overmix.

Turn batter into prepared pan and sprinkle the top with raw sugar – you won’t believe how crunchy that top will get – pure delight.

Bake at 350 for at least 60 minutes, use a tester to make sure it is cooked in the middle. Remove from oven to a cooling rack and allow to sit for 15 minutes before removing from loaf pan.

As per my original plans you could just as easily use fresh or frozen blueberries!

Fruit Tart with Lemon Cookie Crust

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Chatty Kathy

Summer fruit is here, and we have the best of it right out our door. Fresh cherries, peaches and blueberries all ready at the same time inspired this dessert for Sunday dinner …… Don’t you just love Sunday Family Dinners?? We sure do.

The best of the seasonal cherries, peaches and blueberries retain their fresh bright flavour in this dessert – no cooked fruit here!

COOKIE CRUST

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For crust, in a medium bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon peel, the baking powder, vanilla, and salt; beat until combined. Add egg; beat until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour (or knead gently until combined).

lemon cookie tart

Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch round tart pan with removable bottom.

If you don’t have a tart pan with removable base, use your springform pan. It worked just fine …. at least until I get myself some tart pans with removable bottoms!

Line crust with a double thickness of foil. Bake crust for 6 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 6 to 7 minutes more or until crust is lightly browned. Cool crust on a wire rack.

CREAMY VANILLA CUSTARD

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
2 cups milk

Whisk all ingredients together in sauce pan, and stir over medium heat until mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in:

1 tsp vanilla

Cover surface of the custard with a layer of plastic wrap and allow to cool completely.

GLAZE

1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup juice (something that works well with whatever fruit you are using)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a small saucepan, stir together cornstarch and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring often to prevent clumps. Allow to boil long enough for the liquid to lose the cloudy look of cornstarch. Set aside to cool slightly.

ASSEMBLY

Leave cookie crust in tart pan, and spread the custard in an even layer. Make sure the custard is cool at this point, you don’t want your fruit to get cooked! The beauty of this dessert is that it really showcases the mouthwatering flavour of fruit that is in season, and you don’t want to lose that.

Arrange fruit over custard layer.

Brush glaze over fruit, just enough to set the fruit and keep the vibrant colours.

Cool completely before serving.

Wild Rice Salad with Kale, Pecans & Blueberries

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

This salad is so beautiful to look at, and packed with deliciousness in every bite. The contrasting textures work so well together – a meal in a bowl but also an amazing side to pretty much any barbecue. Take it to a potluck and watch it disappear!

We were delighted when Tory produced this deliciously colorful salad.

1 1/2 cups wild rice
1 cup raw pecans
6 large kale leaves
3 T walnut, pecan or vegetable oil
1T brown rice vinegar
2t brown sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup fresh blueberries

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the wild rice and cook until tender to the bite, about 45 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat the over to 350F. Lay the pecans in the single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 10 mins. Watch carefully or set your timer – they go from golden brown to burnt in the blink of an eye! Let the pecans cool, then roughly chop them, set aside.

Trim and discard the thick stems form the kale, then chop the leaves. Use your hands to massage and squish handfuls of the leaves until they soften and turn a darker shade of green, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Add the cooked rice and toss to coat. Add the kale, bell pepper and green onions and toss again.

At this point the salad can be kept, covered and chilled for up to 2 days.

Add the blueberries, and pecans just before serving.

Raspberry Peach Pecan Galette

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

This recipe works really well with any berry or fruit – the pecans give the pie crust a rich, nutty, crunchy texture and flavour. Really – what is a galette? An easy way to make a pie!

Ready for the oven, this raspberry peach galette looks delicious already.

DOUGH
1/2 cup pecans (toasted)
1 cup plus 2 TBSP flour
2 tsp raw sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter (in small pieces)

FILLING
2 cups raspberries
1 peach
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar, plus a bit more to sprinkle on crust
2 tbsp milk or heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375

Once your pecans have been toasted, and cooled – pulse in food processor until they are a coarse crumble. Add flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Pulse just until combined. Add butter pieces and pulse just until mixture looks like a coarse crumble – a few pea sized bits are great. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and drizzle in 4 tbsp ice water and mix. If necessary add another tablespoon of water just until it comes together. Gently pat the dough into a circle, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in fridge for at least 1 hour. (it will keep in the fridge for 2 days or you can freeze it for a month)

Toss raspberries, cornstarch, lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar in bowl.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12″ round. Carefully put on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Mound fruit mixture into centre of dough, leaving about 2″ around the edge. Fold edges over, overlapping slightly.

Brush dough with milk or cream and sprinkle raw sugar over.

Peel, and slice peach – in the center opening, arrange peach slices.

Bake until crust is dark golden brown and filling is bubbling – at least 45 minutes.

Fruit bubbling and oozing, crust golden brown ….. difficult to wait for it to cool before slicing!

Allow to cool before slicing.

Peaches and raspberries were ripe and ready at the same time this year, so I served this with a yummy peach bursting sorbet …..

Blueberries and Cream French Toast

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

First – no photo yet of the french toast dish!! We dove into this too quickly – but I promise a photo the next time I make this, and it was such a hit that I am sure it will happen again.

I wasn’t fast enough to get a photo of the french toast, but I think you can tell how delicious the blueberry orange sauce is – Stella’s spoon wasn’t fast enough for her so she had to tip it up!!

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter, softened
zest of 1 orange
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 loaf french bread – cut into 1″ slices
1-2 cups blueberries

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, butter and orange rind. Add eggs, one at a time until well blended – slowly stir in milk.

Place bread slices in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, overlapping the bread slightly. Let stand 15-20 minutes, or cover and put in the fridge overnight.

Before baking, uncover and sprinkle with blueberries. Bake at 325 for 45-60 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with a dusting of icing sugar, and serve with warm blueberry orange sauce.

BLUEBERRY ORANGE SAUCE

1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water

In medium sauce pan, stir the sugar, cornstarch and water – heat until gently boiling and add:
1 cup blueberries
1 orange – minced fine, and the zest
Cook until the juices are clear and the sauce has thickened.

Orange Cranberry Muffins

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

These muffins are delicious, light, fresh and so so simple!

Combine:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Set aside – and in either a blender (or bullet) mix together;
1 orange, cut into segments (remove the zest first and set aside)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Blend well, and then stir gently into dry ingredients with:

1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
zest of 1 orange

Stir only until combined – then put into muffin tins.

Makes about 14-16 depending on size.

Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. Check them at 12 …

You could easily substitute the cranberries for dried blueberries or raisins – go ahead and experiment.

Banana Blueberry Bread Pudding

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

It is not often that we EVER have banana bread left over, but surprisingly enough, we did and I was wondering how to use it up. Also have never made bread pudding … and always wanted to.

Cube up leftover banana bread, and toast it until slightly crunchy and dried out.

About 4 cups of bread cubes work with:

3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup sugar

Whisk all ingredients together.

In greased baking dish place the banana bread cubes, top with blueberries (or whatever fruit you have on hand – fresh or frozen) and pour the egg/milk mixture over. It should just cover the bread cubes and fruit.

Bake at 350 degrees for between 45-60 minutes. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.

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