Two types of crème brûlée, and pears poached in port

Sometimes, rather unexpectedly, you find yourself living in a largely Francophone city, working at a vegetarian restaurant, and learning fun new names for common foods. Pomme de terre, petis pois, pamplemousse.

Even more unexpectedly, one day your chef might catch wind of your excitement for baking, and set you challenges, recipes scrawled on pieces of paper, and a promise that if you can succeed in these then "you are a chef!"

Anyhow. I don't like to do things by halves, so when I told my friend Jesse about said recipes we stocked up on wine, poured ourselves some calvados, and embarked on a 48 hour dessert marathon. Here are the results.

There was also an apple rosemary sorbet, stirred and tended to every half hour until it set, though suffice to say we'd drank a bit too much of the calvados by that stage, so the frosty pink end product never got photographed.

 x CB

Psssst, guys.

Jesse and I are in the kitchen making extravagant French desserts.

More to come...

xCB

 

From tree to crumble, and other adventures.

Montreal autumns are driving me nuts.

I don't know whether it's the smell of falling leaves, the chillier weather making me crave comforts, or simply having a kitchen and people to cook for again, but I am churning out baked goods like a mad woman.

This morning we went apple picking about an hour out of the city near Laval. Sadly the season was close to over so we didn't officially get to pick a full bag (though a fair few limbs were climbed to rescue the last remaining few on the trees), but it was a spectacular day none the less. I tried a maple cider that blew my mind completely, and ate probably the best doughnut I've ever tasted.

Upon returning home, 5lbs of apples in hand, I thought it fit to put the pie dish my housemate gifted me - possible ulterior motive, there? - to good use and make the ultimate spiced crumble, complete with candied apple peel garnish.

Other recent baking adventures after the jump.

Tarte à la citrouille

The past 3 weeks I have been living on the couch of some of the nicest, most genuine people I've ever met.

Arriving in a city where you know no-one can be a challenge at the best of times. Throw in an elaborate Craigslist housing scam, a language you don't speak being prerequisite to most employment opportunities, and just enough adventures and new friends to make you addicted to the place, and it can be damn near impossible.

It's been a tough month. But I'm pleased to inform not only do I now have a house and a job, but a circle of friends I know I'll keep even when oceans get in the way again.

This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada. A concept as foreign as I am, and an excuse to bake as many Fall related items as humanly possible. The first? Pumpkin pie with candied walnuts and maple whipped cream.

For Jade, Jenn, Hailey, Matt, and all the people - both here and across continents - who are making Montreal a home away from others.

xCB

The summer camp edition.

So I had a bad day back in December and decided that the perfect fix would be to apply for a job in Vancouver, BC. Then I actually got it.

Fast forward 8 months and I have just finished up the most intense 9 weeks of my life. It turns out that working at a residential camp for kids with special needs is more draining than pulling all-nighters at University ever could be, but also a lot more quotable and for the most part very fun.

There are two treats I have tried this summer which have probably blown my mind. The first, Nanaimo bars.  Thought to have originated in the town of Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, in the early 50s, these little no bake cookies have 3 layers of delicious; chocolate biscuit base, vanilla custard center, dark chocolate topping. Worth sneaking into the kitchen after curfew for.

The second of the Treats I Stole From Canada is apparently a campfire classic - Bannock. The origin of this one is controversial; some swear it is an indigenous quick bread while others claim it is of Scottish origin, but whatever the case it takes no time to make, has four ingredients, and is especially tasty when you add chocolate chips to it. I assume the oven baked version would be equally as nice, but there is something particularly satisfying about mixing ingredients up in a bag, wrapping it around a stick, then accidentally setting it alight over a campfire.

This time in 2 weeks I will have moved East and be wandering the streets of Montreal eating pastries and attempting to learn French at ILSC. In my Quebec fantasies I work at a patisserie, spend my days baking croissants and pain au chocolat, and my evenings drinking homemade chai and going on adventures with my housemates - who will obviously be dreamy bilinguals with exceptional taste in music, clothing, books, and crockery. In reality? Watch this space. At the very least it will be nice to have my own room with a bed, and access to a kitchen again.

Until next time.

xCB

My new favourite celebrity baker

As it turns out, Jamie Oliver is a baking god. My two most recent baking adventures - which, I'll admit, have been few and far between of late - have used recipes from his website.

In January, the most incredible chocolate brownies which I made for the first - and disappointingly only - installment of my summer 'dessertation' project (work in progress, that one)


And, just this week, toffee apple tart to take to a friend's place for dessert.




Although the latter took upwards of 6 hours to make in total it was pretty tasty, and making everything from the pastry right through to the dulce du leche satisfied my inner homemaker.



Conveniently I had enough pastry left to make a few tartlets as well. Hello, afternoon tea.

Recipes here and here.

x CB