Banana Saskatoon Berry Muffins

It's mid July and our Saskatoon berries are ripening.  We planted the "bush" about 5 years ago, knowing that it wouldn't produce enough fruit until now.  I say "bush" because, when mature, the Saskatoon berry is well over 7 feet tall.  It's not consider a tree because it doesn't have a central trunk off which branches grow.  So you have to be inventive when getting the upper berries.  Or you can leave them as a treat for the birds. When it does produce, look out!  I've picked about three cups of fresh berries already and there are already enough ripe for another three.

James was outside one morning and he spied a robin having breakfast, happily gobbling down the ripe berries from the top of the bush.  That was a sign for him that it was time to harvest.  Because the berries are delicate you need to hand pick them to avoid bruising.  It's a bit time consuming, but well worth it.  The ripe berries are plump, juicy, and mildly sweet.

So, what to make?  Because I have no patience, the quickest recipe I found was for muffins.  I had some ripe bananas ready to go and I know that bananas and blueberries go well together.  So I thought that Saskatoons would work.  They have a similar taste to blueberries.

This recipe make 18 large muffins, or 24 smaller muffins.

For this recipe you'll need:

5-6 ripe bananas (the darker the better)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup butter, melted
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups fresh saskatoon berries, rinsed and dried

Preheat oven to 375F (190C). In a electric mixer, on low setting, mash bananas until soft.  Add sugar and eggs.   Add melted butter. Mix well until blended.  In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda and powder, and salt together.  I mix everything with a wire whisk because it's easier.  Add to banana mix slowly until you can no longer see flour in batter.  Please do not add flour mixture all at once, unless you want you kitchen to look like a winter wonderland.  Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the berries.  This prevents the berries from bursting as you're mixing.  You can mix them with the electric mixer on low, but you'll get a bluish coloured batter because some berries will break.

Using an ice cream scoop to scoop batter into paper lined muffin tins.  I like the scoop with the ratcheting mechanism, add level scoop for each muffin.  Or you can do a heaping scoop for larger muffins.  Bake for 20 minutes.  To test for doneness, the muffins tops should spring back when slightly poked.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes and transfer to wire racks to completely cool.  Enjoy as is, or cut in half and spread with a nice creamy pat of butter.

Campfire treats

In the heat of the summer, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time in a hot kitchen. Here's a couple of recipes that will deliver maximum impact with a little work. Do this in the evening when it's cooler, especially the ice cream, as it takes overnight to get ready for churning.

I found this recipe from www.bakersroyale.com and changed it slightly to fit what I had in the cupboard.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons of butter

MELTED CHOCOLATE
2 tablespoon butter
6 oz bitter unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

RICE KRISPIE LAYER
2 tablespoon butter
1 bag (10 1/2 oz mini marshmallow)
6 cups Rice Krispie cereal
5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder

TOASTED MARSHMALLOW TOPPING
5 large egg whites
1 1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

PREPARATION

Line pan with foil and lightly cover with bake spray.

TO MAKE GRAHAM CRACKER LAYER
Place graham cracker crust and sugar in a bowl and toss to combine. Add in melted butter and mix to combine. Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.


TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE LAYER
Place butter and chocolate in a pan over low heat to melt. Stir melted ingredients until combined. Cool slightly. Spread over cooled graham crust thinly.

TO MAKE RICE KRISPIE TREAT
Place butter and marshmallows in a pan over low heat to melt. Stir melted ingredients until combined. Cool slightly.  Add in Rice Krispie and stir to combine.  Spread melted chocolate over crust. Then quickly press finished mixture into pan. Set pan aside to cool and set.

TO MAKE TOASTED MARSHMALLOW TOPPING:
Combine egg whites and sugar in a bowl placed over simmering water. Bring mixture to 160 degrees F while whisking constantly.  Transfer mixture to stand mixer bowl, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed (speed 8 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until mixture cools and doubles in volume and forms stiff peaks; about 10-12 minutes.  Place assembled pan with topping under broiler for 1-2 minutes or until top starts to turn golden. Keep door open to check for doneness - the topping goes from golden to burnt very quickly. Alternately, use a kitchen torch to toast.


A few notes:
You can bypass the homemade marshmallow frosting topping and just place 2 cups of mini marshmallows on top and then place the pan under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until top starts to turn golden. Make sure to keep the door open to check for doneness - the topping goes from golden to burnt very quickly. 

A chocolate layer on top of the graham cracker crust is needed for the rice krispie to stick to it, so don't skip that step.


This is a great treat on a hot summer's day. Goes great by the campfire as well.

FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hot chocolate mix
2 cups whole milk
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp creme de cacao


Directions:Combine whole milk, heavy whipping cream, hot chocolate mix, chopped chocolate and 1/2 cup sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved (5 minutes).


In a mixing bowl, whip egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar with the whisk attachment until thick and pale yellow (4 minutes).


Pour half of the heavy cream mixture and slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking continuously. Add the mixture back into the saucepan. Heat over medium low for 10 minutes, until mixture thickens.


Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Stir in creme de cacao or vanilla extract. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and chill overnight in the fridge. Freeze according to the ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions and place in an airtight container to further freeze until ready to serve.


Note: If you don't want to add the alcohol, just add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract to the mix.

Fiddlehead Pie

I recently received some fiddlehead ferns.  Those who are unaware, fiddlehead ferns are immature ostrich ferns and are harvested in the spring mainly from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. They are quite tasty, somewhat like asparagus in flavour.  

Fiddleheads can be sauteéd with a little butter, garlic, and onion.  But I found a recipe for fiddlehead pie.  You will need the following:

1 frozen (or homemade) piecrust
2 cups chopped Fiddleheads
1 small onion
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup shredded cheddar
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream 

1/2 cup milk
1 Tbs. coarse mustard
2 Tbs. flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Press pie crust into a prepared 9" tart pan.  After preparing the Fiddleheads for cooking, sauté onions and Fiddleheads in olive oil for 6-8 minutes then place in crust. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. Blend eggs, mustard, flour, cream, and pour over other ingredients.

Bake at 350° for about 50 minutes (full cooked fiddleheads). Pie is cooked when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. This dish may be served cold, warm, or hot and goes well with violin lessons! Serves 3-5

Sorry, the picture isn't that great.  I thought about the photo after I had some to eat.  I couldn't resist.

Beer Bread

Well, I've taken the dog for a walk and enjoyed the crisp winter air.  Being outside in the cold always makes me want carbs.  A bit of storing up for winter, I guess.  So I made some beer bread.  This is a fairly simple quick bread recipe.  It's a quick bread because you don't need to wait for the bread to rise though the use of yeast.  You use another chemical levener: baking soda.  While there is a little bit of yeast in the beer, the main reaction comes from the baking soda when it comes in contact with the water.

Here's the recipe:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
• 4 Tbsp. (half stick) butter, melted (**You can double this if you’d like**)

Method:
(Makes 1 loaf)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9″ x 5″ x 3″ inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed.  (I recommend popping your honey in the microwave for a few seconds beforehand to make it easier to stir in!)
Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan. Then spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter.  (Use a pastry brush to spread it around if you’d like.)
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately.

This first loaf I use Lion's Winter Ale from the Granville Island Brewery in Vancouver.  It's a light ale with a hint of vanilla.  I made another loaf this time with a few substitutions.  I cut back the flour by 1/2 cup and added 1/2 cup of oats, changed the sugar to brown sugar and used a local oatmeal stout.  This resulted in a darker batter, and making the loaf a bit chewier.

Easy no bake squares

This recipe requires a bit of prep work, but the overall effect is worth it.  You're going to need the following:

1 cup light corn syrup (the clear stuff)
1 cup sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
3 cups crisp rice cereal
3 cups corn flakes (I used bran flakes and you can't tell the difference)

3/4 cup butter or margarine
3 cups icing sugar
2 boxes vanilla pudding mix
1/4 cup milk

2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Line a cookie sheet (the one with a rim) with aluminum foil.  Spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.  In a saucepan dissolve sugar into the syrup under medium heat.  Just before coming to a boil add the peanut butter and reduce the heat to low.  Please be careful as you're working with hot sugar.  Don't plop all the peanut butter in at once.  You'll get splashing and maybe some nasty burns.  Stir the mixture until the peanut butter is incorporated into the sugar.  Quickly add cereals and evenly coat.  I transferred everything to a large bowl and made sure all was coated.  Spread this mixture onto the cookie sheet, working quickly.  I used a silicone spatula to move things around.

In another saucepan melt the 3/4 cup of butter.  When fully melted whisk in the icing sugar.  It start to thicken fairly quickly.  Add the milk and puddings until smooth.  Now spread quickly this mixture over the first layer on the cookie sheet.  You need to have a spatula to spread things fairly quickly because the mixture will cool and be hard to move around.

Lastly, add the remaining butter to a microwave safe dish to melt.  Then add the chips to the melted butter and let rest a minute or two.  You could do this on the stove in another pot if you like.  If the mixture is too thick, just add a little bit of milk to thin it out.  Maybe a tablespoon.  If you add too much the chocolate will seize and it won't look pretty.  It should be thin enough to spread on the top of the other two layers. 

Place the pan in the fridge to chill, about 30 minutes.  Remove from fridge and cut into squares. 

You could change it up a bit and use chocolate pudding mix, or peanut butter chips on top.  Something to think about.

Raisin Cinnamon Buns

So, a little boredom is a dangerous thing.  When I get bored I bake.  It's the one thing that I know how to do and do it fairly well, if I do say so myself.  Today I made two batches of cinnamon buns, and they turned out pretty well.  Instead of just using raisins like most, I've used a raisin paste.  It's basically the same thing, but you chop up the raisins until they resemble a paste.  This was spread on the dough with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.  The main different from the paste to using just the raisins is that you can get more of the raisin flavour throughout the bun, instead of just getting a hit of raisin every time you bite into one. 

Here they are:

I put them in a 13X9 pan, so they squished together as they proofed.  Now to just have only one to snack...

Maple Pecan Tart

I adapted this tart recipe from another pecan pie recipe that I found.  You'll need:

One pie shell, unbaked.  I used Pillsbury's roll out one just because I was given some.
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups whole pecans

Gently press pie shell into a 10 inch prepared tart pan.  I use a pan that you can take out the bottom, so it's easier to release the tart.  You may need to stretch the dough a bit to get it up the sides.  Combine all other ingredients except the pecans.  Mix well.  Pour into shell, leaving a couple of tablespoons of mix in the bowl.  Add pecans to the bowl and stir to coat. 

This part is a little time consuming, but worth it in the end.  Take each pecan and starting from the outer rim, place each pecan individually on top of the batter.  Each should float on the batter nicely.  Continue, making a nice pattern.  If you don't want to do this I suggest using crushed pecans and sprinkling them lightly on the batter, but the effect is not a nice.

Place in a preheated 350F oven and bake for one hour.  Cover the tart with foil after 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning.  Let cool on a wire rack completely before removing it from the pan.

Serves 12-15.