December 2022
cocktails & RECIPES
IF you want to be extra cute, take some time to dehydrate any of the citrus in the recipes below and include it in your “cocktail gift”.
BLOOD ORANGE & GINGER BOSTON SOUR - APPROX $85.00
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
• 1 Blood orange (>$2.00) - half for juice, half for slices
• Bottle of Bourbon (as low as $30.00)
• 1 lemon (>$2.00)
• Bottle of Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur (~$50.00)
• 1 Egg White (lol $4.00/dozen so ~$0.32)
COCKTAIL : Combine in shaker: 2oz blood orange juice, 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz lemon juice, 1/2 ginger liqueur, 1 egg white. SHAKE. Pour on ice, and garnish with slice.
THE MØNT MOCKTAIL - APPROX $25.00
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
• Granulated sugar (~$3.00)
• Water (Free?)
• Small Package of fresh cranberries (>$5.00)
• fresh mint (>$3.00)
• 1 Lime (~$0.68)
• Pomegranate Juice - I like POM, nice bottle (>$12.00)
• Gingerale (~$3.00)
• Turbinado sugar - go to bulk barn (>$3.00)
COCKTAIL: Combine sugar, water and cranberries in a saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Rim your glasses with lime wedge and coat with Turbinado sugar. Add mint and lime juice, muddle. Add cranberry sauce, gingerale and pom juice. Add garnish, cranberries and slices of lime.
TIP: Prepare the cranberry sauce ahead of time and gift it in a small jar.
SWEET APPLE SPRITZ - APPROX $40.00
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
• Apple Cider (~$8.00)
• Bottle of Prosecco (~$20.00)
• Maple Syrup (~8.00)
• 1 Apple (>$3.00)
COCKTAIL: Cut your apple slices traversely, so that you cut right through the seeds to create a star shape once you’ve removed the seeds in each slice. In a tall glass add 1/4 apple cider, a dash of maple syrup and top with prosecco*. Add apple slices as garnish!
I love Freixenet Prosecco for their beautiful bottle!
pistachio-CrusteD Rainbow Trout
INGREDIENTS
• 1lb of rainbow trout
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 CUP butter, melted
• 1 TABLESPOON dried dill (or 3 TBSP fresh)
• 1 TABLESPOON dried parsley (or TBSP fresh)
• 2 TABLESPOONS honey mustard
• 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS maple syrup
• Salt & pep to your liking
• few sprigs of fresh basil & oregano
• 1 lemon - thickly sliced
• 1/2 CUP of pistachios, chopped
METHOD
Preheat oven to 400F
1. Clean and pat dry your trout. Add foil to a baking sheet and fold up the sides to form a shallow bowl. Place in trout.
2. Melt butter. Mince garlic and add to butter. Add dill, parsley, honey mustard and maple syrup. Whisk together.
3. Brush mixture onto trout, making sure you get every nook and cranny. Try to use all the “paste”. Top with salt and pepper. Surround your trout with basil, oregano and lemon slices.
4. Sprinkle on chopped pistachios until you have a good coating on the trout, feel free to use more pistachios, depending on the size of your fish.
5. Baked for about 15-20 minutes or until your piece is flaky and cooked through.
6. ENJOY!
gingerbread Greenhouse
PREPARING THE GINGERBREAD DOUGH - Keep in mind that 2 ingredients need to be brought to room temp so be sure to put them out the night before you want to make your gingerbread
INGREDIENTS
Gingerbread House
• 1 1/2 CUPS shortening - leave it out the night before you start
• 1 1/4 CUPS granulated sugar
• 2/3 CUPS fancy molasses (not blackstrap)
• 3 big boy eggs - left out the night before you start
• 7 CUPS flour (AP)
• 1 TABLESPOON cinnamon
• 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS ground ginger
• 1 1/2 TEASPOONS baking soda
• 1/2 TEASPOON salt
• Rules, tape measures, you’ll need precise measurements!
• Gelatin sheets - I found mine at Ayres Baking Supplies in Waterloo, but they can be found in specialty baking stores or amazon
Royal Icing
• 2 TABLESPOONS egg white - usually from one large egg
• 3 CUPS icing sugar - but separate into 1 1/2 cups
METHOD:
1. In a large bowl, either in your mixer or with a handheld mixer, cream your shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Usually around 3-4 minutes.
2. With your mixing on a lower speed, add your molasses, use a baking spatula to get as much as you can, scraping the bowl down as you mix together. Mix for another 1-3 minutes.
3. Add an egg, mix well, scrape down sides. Repeat with 2nd egg. And then repeat with 3rd egg.
4. And then scrape again! Divide the dough into 3-4 pieces and form a disc shape. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and place in the back of your fridge for 2-3 hours.
PREPARING YOUR PIECES
5. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grab one of your dough discs and place between two large sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out to be about 1/3 inches thick. Next grab your ruler and begin measuring out your first piece. The schematic will show you the precise measurements. Once you have a piece measured and cut, transfer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Once you have your piece on a baking sheet with a butter knife score out your windows. (You’ll have to eyeball it, sorry! Didn’t take down my measurements). DO NOT REMOVE THEM. This is essential to have clean edges on your windows. Then place your sheet into the freezer for at least 10 minutes - this will help your outer edges stay clean and not puff out. While it’s in the freezer, roll out your next piece.
7. Once chilled, bake for 7-9 minutes. As your pieces are different sizes, you’ll have to watch for nicely browned edges. Remove from oven and let cool for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, cut out your windows from where you scored them. Gently remove them. After 20 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.
8. Continue until all your pieces are cut and baked.
CONSTRUCTION
PREPARE YOUR ROYAL ICING
9. In a medium bowl, add your egg white and 1.5 cups of your icing sugar. Using a mixer on a medium low speed, mix until a paste forms. Add the remaining 1.5 cups of powdered sugar.
10. Place a piping bag (or a ziploc bag works), into a tall cup. Transfer your icing into the bag, the cup helps hold it up. Cut your bag, err on the smaller side to start!
CONSTRUCTING YOUR HOUSE
10. Before you begin, if any of your edges are wonky, take a zester or a small grater and very gently shave down an edge so that it’s straight and smooth.
11. Begin with your windows. Trim your gelatin sheets so that they are about 1.5 cm wider and taller than your windows. Using royal icing attach them to the inside of your pieces. Once attached, place a heavy cutting board on top to ensure they stay on and are flat, wait about 3-4 minutes, this icing dries quickly.
12. Once windows are ready, begin to assemble. Have something heavy, like cans of beans/soup so that once you’ve attached a piece you can keep it in place. Try NOT TO MOVE the house once you begin assembly. Add additional icing anywhere you see a seam. Let dry and harden overnight before moving it. Decorate and voila!
Holiday Baked Goods
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
INGREDIENTS
• 1 CUP unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 CUPS granulated sugar
• 1/2 CUP canola oil (or veg)
• 4 eggs
• 2 TEASPOONS vanilla extract
• 2 CUPS flour (AP)
• 2 TEASPOONS baking powder
• 1 TEASPOON salt
• 1/2 to 1 CUP icing sugar
METHOD
1. In a bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, combine cocoa, sugar and canola oil. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth and shiny.
2. In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder and add salt. Add about 1/3 at a time into the cocoa bowl. Careful not to overmix but ensuring that it’s well combined.
3. Cover the bowl with a bowl cover or plastic wrap and CHILL. Around 4 hours, the longer the better (even overnight).
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll out 2 inch balls and lay them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Once you have all your balls rolled, add icing sugar to a shallow bowl. Generously and evenly, coat your balls in icing sugar. Then place back on to the baking sheet.
5. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Let cool for about 7 minutes and then transfer to a cookie sheet for further cooling.
Nutty White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints
INGREDIENTS
BASE
• 3/4 CUP butter, room temp - leave it out for the night
before you start
• 1/2 CUP packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs (separated)
• 1 1/4 CUPS flour (AP)
• 1/4 CUP cocoa
• 1 CUP finely chopped pecans*
• 1/4 CUP finely chopped walnuts*
* Use 1 CUP of graham crackers, finely chopped to make
it nut-free
FILLING
• 1/2 CUP of white baking chocolate - I get white chocolate
squares from bulk barn, chopped
• 2 TABLESPOONS butter
• 1/4 CUP raspberry jam (seedless!!!!!!!)
METHOD
1.In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks. In a separate bowl, combine flour and cocoa. Add into creamed butter, slowly. Refrigerate for about an hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Combine your pecans with your walnuts (or graham crackers) in another shallow bowl. Roll your dough into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Dip each ball into the egg whites and then roll in your nut mixture, generously and evenly. Place them back onto your baking sheet.
4. Using the butt of a wooden spoon, indent the centers to create a little bowl in each. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
5. While the thumbprints are cooling, set a heatproof glass bowl into a sauce pan with a few inches of water. Be sure that the water isn’t touching the glass. Add your white chocolate into the bowl and boil the water. Mix constantly as you melt your white chocolate. Once melted remove from heat, add 1 TBSP of butter, mix until combined, and add the second. The texture WILL change, from a creamy melted chocolate to almost a mousse consistency. This is what is supposed to happen. (If you didn’t add the butter, you’d have hard chocolate once cooled on the top of the cookies).
6. Spoon 1/2 TSP of white chocolate into each thumbprint, then top with 1/4 TSP of raspberry jam.
