Roasting strawberries is the perfect way to boost their flavour and sweetness; tossing them in a splash of maple syrup boosts that flavour and sweetness even more! On their own, these roasted strawberries make the perfect snack or topping for vanilla ice cream. Here, they turn a regular muffin into the ultimate breakfast treat....
Blueberries do not need much to make them shine. Here it’s just a subtle bump from orange zest and cardamom to highlight their summertime best, wrapped up in layers of sugared puff pastry and nestled in creamy frangipane. Hazelnuts take the place of the almonds classically used in frangipane, granting an earthiness that underscores the musky sweetness of the berries. (The same weight of almonds can be used for any traditionalists.) The frangipane recipe makes double what is needed; the second ...
Blueberries are the true star here – cooked down into a compote to top a lusciously creamy no-bake cheesecake that’s made with a gluten-free crust. Apart from the way it tastes, the best thing about this cheesecake is that it is easy to prepare all components in advance so you can literally top, slice and serve just before you want to eat it....
A classic Italian dessert to pair with an afternoon espresso is a light & fluffy lemon ricotta cake. Inspired by the classic, this recipe includes the addition of fresh Ontario raspberries making it the perfect summer coffee cake to enjoy all season long!...
When I have flavourful freshly picked berries I like to present them simply—mounded in a dish to enjoy with cream and sugar or to eat out-of-hand perhaps with some sour cream or crème fraiche and a bit of brown sugar for dipping. The following recipe is one of my favourites. It’s very simple, celebrating the rich flavour of ripe fruit. Yet there’s a touch of elegance that lends itself well to the finale of a dinner party....
ELIZABETH: My grandmother, Elizabeth Maud Davis, was still young in body and spirit when my grandfather left her a widow. In those days before pensions, she needed to work, and so she became a housekeeper. Always a storyteller, her letters were full of news about the people she worked for – a retired general, a Great Lakes sea captain and Dr. and Mrs. Lindsay, back in Canada from lifetime careers in the service of the United Church in China. In each of the households, she added to her reperto...
For many springs, we drove to Stratford to attend classes with Neil Baxter at Rundles Restaurant. Making good use of his expertise and the restaurant’s professional facilities, these weekend events were an excellent way to bridge the closing of the chefs’ school in March until the opening of the Shakespeare festival season in May. Along with usually ten other eager students, we would gather in time to prepare Friday night’s supper and leave, happily sated, after an exquisite Sunday lunch....
ROSE: Every year in late summer, Steve Boothby and his wife, Bonnie Rollo, host an annual pickling day, complete with lunch, which once featured the best blueberry pie I had ever tasted – a masterpiece from Steve who grew up in Muskoka, the source of the pie’s wild blueberries. Steve says, “This recipe comes from my mom, Marion Boothby of Bracebridge. At eighty-eight, she can still produce at least one of these pies a year.” Wild blueberries (or low-bush blueberries) grow in eastern, c...
This recipe is inspired by a delicious bread pudding we once had at Pictou Lodge Resort, when we were in search of Nova Scotia’s finest fare for a Canadian Living magazine story. The Whiskey Sauce brings back memories of Cape Breton’s Glenora Inn and Distillery in the Mabou Highlands. It was Canada’s first single-malt whiskey distillery, where Donnie Campbell, the inn’s whiskey ambassador, coached us on the fine technique of nosing whiskey....
Retro jello is the secret to this vintage strawberry pie. The recipe is easy for a weeknight and yet impressive enough for company fare. It’s also adaptable to raspberries with raspberry-flavoured gelatin. ...
