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Preena Chauhan

The event was a Canadian cookie exchange - with the flavours of India. All thanks to Arvinda Chauhan, pioneer promoter of South Asian flavours in the Toronto area, and her daughter Preena who led the class of 24 aspiring bakers. The location was Nella Cucina, cookware store and culinary school located on the Bloor Subway Line at Bathurst Street. Chef Joanne Lusted, a veritable bundle of creative energy, runs the school that brings in top chefs from around the country.

Chef Joanne Lusted does some of the finishing work - slicing the biscotti logs for the second baking.

The welcome to Merry Masala was platters of naan bread, popadams, Indian huumus, bowls of red lentil and pumpkin soup topped with yogurt and coriander, cups of fragrant chai and crunchy samosas to nibble on as we arrived from work and got ready to learn and bake.

Preena Chauhan led the class, with help from the school's staff. The program was ambitious - in groups, we were to make 5 different Indian-accented cookies with the reward of a box of cookies to take home. Aromatic cookie loot boxes!

Packing up the cookie loot boxes.

And as in any cookie-making event, plenty of cookies to nibble as we worked. A selection of the spices Preena Chauhan and her brother Paresh produces using her mother Arvinda's blends were used in the recipes -they are available on line at www.hgic.ca, click on Shop. But if you don't have these blends, get the highest quality replacement you can find in your community.

Here's what Merry Masala cookies were in production: Mango Curry Snow Crescents (recipe below), Holiday Chai Coconut Ladoos (Snowballs), (recipe below),  Festive Garam Masala Gingerbread Squares, Crunchy Pistachio Cranberry Chocolate Chai Biscotti and Citrus Chai Spice Sugar Cookies. For all, the starting point was a familiar recipe with lovely and inviting twists via spice blends and as this is Christmas week, I've chosen the easiest two recipes to make. The Ladoos don't need baking, and while the Crescents do take some time, they are such a winning cookie that I think you will want to make them - any time of the year. They are particularly delicious with fruit sorbets and ice creams.

Holiday Chai Coconut Ladoos (Snowballs)

In her introduction to these no-bake treats, Preena Chauhan describes a ladoo as a popular Indian sweet rolled into balls and served at Indian festivals. Preena's version uses mixed peel, coconut, raisins and the sweet spices of masala chai (the spice mix for the delicious milk-rich tea).

1/4 cup (50 mL) golden raisins

2 tbsp (30 mL) sherry or rum

3/4 cup (175 mL) crunchy natural peanut butter, organic recommended

3/4 cup (175 mL) unsweetened desiccated coconut

1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries

1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped blanched almonds

1/4 cup (50 mL) candied mixed peel or red candied cherries, diced

1/4 cup (50 mL) icing sugar

1/4 cup (50 mL) liquid honey

2 tbsp (30 mL) ground ginger (halve for less spicy ladoo)

2 tsp (10 mL) Arvinda's Chai Masala or chai spices

Snowball Coating:

1/2 cup (125 mL) unsweetened desiccated coconut, approximate

. Line a tray with waxed paper; set aside.

. In a small bowl, toss the raisins with the sherry; set aside while measuring out remaining ingredients.

. In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, coconut, cranberries, almonds and candied peel. Add the icing sugar, honey, ginger, Chai Masala and the raisins with sherry; stir to combine the ingredients evenly.

. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

. Scoop up a round teaspoon for each ball; roll in your palms and set on prepared tray. 

. Snowball Coating: Place the coconut in a shallow bowl. One at a time, roll the balls in the coconut, pressing to make the coconut stick to the ball. Refrigerate until firm. 

. Layer the balls with waxed paper in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

. Makes about 48 balls. 

Tip: Chai masala can include spices such as ground cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and black pepper.

Mango Curry Snow Crescents

Preena's recipe calls for 1 tsp (5 mL) curry powder, but 1/4 tsp (1 ml) was sufficient when I made the crescents in my kitchen. The curry flavour was pronounced enough, but didn't dominate the other two appealing ingredients, almond and dried mango.

To dice the mango, start by cutting the supple slices lengthwise as thinly as possible. Stack them up and cut crosswise into a fine dice.

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar

1/4 tsp. (1 mL) Arvinda's Curry Powder (or premium quality curry powder)

1 tsp (5 mL) almond extract

1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (125 mL) ground almonds

1/3 cup (75 mL) very finely diced dried mango

Garnish:

2/3 cup (150 mL) icing sugar, approximate

. Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat; set aside.

. In a large bowl, beat butter with icing sugar until light. Beat in the curry powder and almond extract. Stir in the flour, then the ground almonds and mango. The mixture should be ragged.

. With your hands, firmly press the dough together. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

. To form the crescents so they are all the same size, scoop out 2 tsp (10 mL) of the dough. You will need to do this 1 tsp (5 mL) at a time.

. Squeeze the dough together, then press into a smooth log about 2-inches (5 mL) long. Bend the ends in to form a crescent shape.

. Arrange the crescents about 1-inch (2.5 cm) apart on prepared baking sheet. Cover and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

. Bake in the centre of preheated 325°F (160°C) oven until light golden on the bottom and firm to the touch on top, about 15 minutes. 

. Let firm up on the baking sheet for 3 or 4 minutes.

. Garnish: In the meantime, sift half of the icing sugar into a small pie plate or plate. Arrange as many crescents as will hold in the icing sugar; press gently. Sift some of the remaining icing sugar over the cookies; transfer to rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining cookies and icing sugar, increasing the sugar as needed to cover the cookies with a delicious "snow job". You can also roll the crescents one at a time in the icing sugar. For the icing sugar to stick, the crescents need to be very warm. 

. To store the crescents, layer with waxed paper in an airtight container and tuck them into a cool dry spot for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer storage, up to 3 weeks.

Tip: Dried mango is available in sealed bags in my local supermarket under the 7D label. The texture of these slices of mango from the Philippines is softer and the flavour fresher than in brightly dyed sugary dried mango available in clear plastic boxes.

When it comes to Carrot Pudding, I break from tradition. That's probably because I grew up with plum pudding - more fruit and luscious dark seeded raisins and carrot pudding was an acquired taste, rather later in life. What you see at the top of the post is a favourite carrot pudding, adapted from a recipe from the BBC Good Food of a decade or so ago. It does have carrots, but also canned not candied pineapple, slivered apricots, golden raisins and I like to add some dried sour cherries or cranberries. 

To get the glossy top, there's a drizzle of corn syrup at the bottom of the pudding bowl, followed by some of the pineapple, apricots and slivered almonds that are part of the pudding batter itself.

You can serve this pudding with lightly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and save making a sauce.

2 tbsp (30 mL) corn syrup

1 can (14 oz/398 mL) pineapple slices preserved in juice not syrup

1 cup (250 mL) slivered dried apricots

1/2 cup (125 mL) slivered almonds

1 cup (250 mL) coarsely grated peeled carrots

1/2 cup (125 mL) dried sour cherries or cranberries or extra apricots

1/2 cup (125 mL) golden raisins

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder

1 tsp (5 mL) freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) fresh bread crumbs

3/4 cup (175 mL) butter, softened

1-1/4 cup (300 mL) packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated orange rind

. Butter an 8-cup (2 L) heatproof pudding bowl or mould. Spoon the corn syrup into the bottom of the bowl. 

. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice for another use such as in a punch or as a spritzer with soda water for the cook. Cut the pineapple slices into chunks a slim half-inch (1.25 cm) wide. Spoon enough of the chunks to cover the bottom of the bowl. Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) each of the apricots and almonds; set aside.

. In a bowl, combine the remaining pineapple, apricots, almonds, cherries and raisins. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt; mix in the bread crumbs. Set these dry ingredients aside.

Freshly grated nutmeg adds a big bonus of flavour.

. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Be sure to stop the beaters and scrape down the side of the bow from time to time.

. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then the orange rind. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the carrot mixture, making 2 additions of the dry and 1 of the carrot mixture. Fold in the remaining almonds.

. Scrape into the prepared pudding bowl. Press down firmly on the batter; smooth the top. Cover the batter with a disc of parchment paper or waxed paper cut to fit.

. Make a 1-inch (2.5 m) pleat down the centre of a piece of foil cut large enough to cover the top of the bowl and extend 3-inches (8 cm) down the side all round the bowl. Press the foil down the side of the bowl; Tie string tightly around the bowl about 1-inch (2.5 cm) below the rim.

. Fold the  foil up to the rim and trim off any extending above the rim.

. Place the pudding bowl on a rack in a deep  stock pot or Dutch oven. Pour boiling water into the pot, avoiding the pudding bowl, to come halfway up the side of the bowl.

. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, adding boiling water if necessary to maintain the level, for 3 hours. Remove from the pot.

. You really don't need to test the pudding, but if you do, uncover the pudding and test that a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Recover and set the pudding on a rack to settle if serving immediately, or to cool completely if making ahead. (Make-ahead: Let cool completely. Refrigerate for up to 1 week. Resteam until hot, about 1 hour. Or, unwrap, run a flexible blade down the inside of the pudding bowl and turn pudding over onto a microwaveable plate. If the pudding is in a metal mould, lift it off and cover the pudding loosely with a large microwaveable bowl or plastic wrap. Microwave at medium until steaming hot, about 5 minutes.)

. Makes 8 to 10 servings. 

Tip: If you don't have an 8-cup (2 L) pudding bowl or mould, you can use 2 smaller bowls as long as they are heatproof. Steam the puddings until they pass the doneness test above, about 2 hours. 

Liz Driver's Carrot Pudding

Culinary Historian Liz Driver claims that Carrot Pudding is one of the rare only-in-Canada dishes. Other cuisines make puddings - think English Trifle or Portuguese  Arroz Doce  (rice pudding) , other culinary traditions include carrots in desserts -  South Asian Cajar ka halva (carrots cooked with spices and milk until thick, creamy and sweet) comes to mind. Only in Canada have carrots been so beautifully integrated into the tradition of a steamed pudding

The ingredients in the pudding her mother made when she was a child, and which she continues making every Christmas, are simple, and economical. Carrots, potatoes - both grated raw, mixed with spices, some candied fruit and raisins and steamed and enriched with either suet (the traditional fat) or butter which works just as well and satisfies her vegetarian son. (See below for the butter variation.) The pudding ages well, but Liz Driver has been known to steam the pudding fresh on Christmas Day - not a practice she recommends, but then, these are busy times.) Liz flames her pudding, adding drama to the festive meal, and serves plenty of sauce, in fact she quadruples her mother's recipe. "You can't have pudding without sauce. It's like gravy: you can never have enough."

Here is the recipe from her mother's manuscript cookbook, that Liz Driver passionately defended at the ROM's Canadian Sweet Treats: Food Experts Debate the Classics. She even brought the ingredients, partly for fun, but also to show a piece of suet for audience members who have never used this traditional ingredient.

 Steamed Carrot Pudding

Liz Driver believes that one of the reasons this pudding is so popular in Canada is the simplicity of the measurements. Most of them are 1 cup (250 mL).

 1 cup (250 mL) each grated raw peeled carrot, grated raw peeled potato, packed brown sugar, grated suet, raisins and currants 

 1 large egg, beaten

1/2 cup (125 mL) candied lemon peel

1/2 cup (125 mL) candied citron peel

1-3/4 cups (425 mL) all-purpose flour

 1 tsp (5 mL) each salt and baking soda

 3/4 tsp (4 mL) ground cinnamon

 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg

 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves

. Grease an 8-cup (2 L) pudding bowl or mould, or a deep heatproof dish; if desired, line the bottom of the bowl with parchment paper cut to fit. Set aside.

. In a large bowl, mix together the carrot, potato, sugar, suet, raisins, currants, egg, lemon and citron peel. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Pour over the wet carrot mixture and stir just long enough to combine the ingredients evenly. 

. Spoon into prepared bowl; pack down and smooth the top. Cover the batter with a disc of waxed or parchment paper cut to fit. Drape a sheet of foil over the rim of the bowl; make a 1-inch pleat in the centre. Press the foil down the side of the bowl. Tie string around the bowl about 1-inch  (2.5 cm) from the rim. Press the foil up over the string and trim the foil to the top edge of the bowl.

. Place the pudding basin on a trivet or rack (or the ring from a preserving jar lid) in a large deep saucepan so that the basin does not rest directly on the bottom of the saucepan. Add boiling water to about half way up the side of the pudding basin.

. Cook the pudding at a low boil for 3 hours, topping up the water level with boiling water as needed. Note that there is no need to check the pudding for doneness - it will be done at the 3 hour mark. Remove from the pot; let cool on a rack.

. Make-ahead: Wrap in heavy-duty foil or enclose in an airtight container; refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 6 month. Thaw before continuing.

. To serve, either resteam the pudding as directed above for 1 hour. Run the flexible blade of a knife between the outside of the pudding and the bowl. Turn out onto a rimmed plate or tray. Or, to microwave,  remove the foil and parchment paper; loosen the sides with the blade of a flexible knife and turn over onto a heatproof plate. Microwave on medium until steaming hot, about 5 minutes. Lift off the bowl.

. Serve with Pudding Sauce, below. Makes 8 good helpings, 12 if guests have had seconds of stuffing. 

Variation: To substitute butter for the suet, the best way to make the pudding is to beat 1 cup (250 mL) softened butter with the brown sugar and to beat in the eggs. Measure all the grated carrots, potato, raisins, currants, lemon and citron peel into 1 bowl, and the dry ingredients into a second bowl. Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, then all the carrot mixture and finally the remaining dry ingredients. Proceed with packing and steaming as above.

 Pudding Sauce

 Liz Driver's family love this old-fashioned sauce and she usually makes four times this amount. 

 1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar

 1 tbsp (15 mL)  flour

 Pinch salt

 1 cup (250 mL) water

 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter

 2 tsp (10 mL) white vinegar

 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg

 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cinnamon

 Pinch ground cloves

 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

 In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt. Add the water. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking or stirring constantly, until the floury taste is gone,  about 10 minutes.  Stir in the butter, vinegar, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Bring back to simmer; stir in the vanilla.  

. Serve in a warmed sauce boat or pitcher so family and guests can pour it over individual servings 

 Flaming the pudding (optional but worthy of the occasion)

 Liz Driver recommends choose a silver serving plate or tray with slightly raised edges that will contain the alcohol. Warm the serving plate by filling it with hot water from the kitchen tap. Tip out the water and invert the hot pudding onto the plate. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, warm about 1/2 cup (125 mL) brandy or Cointreau, to just before the boiling point (don’t allow it to boil and don’t leave it on the stove too long, or the alcohol will evaporate away, thereby losing its flaming properties). Pour the heated brandy or Cointreau onto the serving plate, around the sides of the pudding. Immediately, set it alight with a long match and carry the flaming pudding to the table. Caution: Flaming a pudding is dangerous and should only be done with the utmost care. Wear heatproof oven mitts when carrying the pudding and be sure there's a safe place on the table to set the hot serving tray. 

This is the third of 6 posts about the December 13 Canadian Sweet Treats: Food Experts Debate the Classics. Presenting the case for lemon squares Toronto Cookbook Store manager and all round food guru Alison Fryer. While lemon squares don't have the Canadian culinary history of butter tarts or carrot pudding, Canadians have embraced the concept of bars and squares. They carry well to parties and potlucks. For a busy baker, squares are less fussy than even the simplest drop cookies, and are usually plenty sweet, satisfying out collective love of sugar. Lemon squares are about the most popular kind of square. 

From about 1900, lemons became available in Canada - the burgeoning citrus industry in the States plus refrigerated rail cars brought the sunshine fruit into Canadian kitchens. I had always associated Lemon meringue pie with 30s and 40s diners, small town restaurants and special family occasions,  and was frankly  astonished how rooted lemon meringue pie was in turn of the 20th century cookbooks. From pies to squares took about 50 years, and we have never looked back. 

So, how did the lemon squares do when moderator Fiona Lucas polled the crowd: Lemon Squares won. Hands down, or rather, hands up.

Alison Fryer's favourite lemon squares come from San Francisco, to be precise, Jeremiah Towers's Stars Restaurant, alas no longer in existence. This is the recipe Indira Ramnarine, Pastry Chef at Food Studio @ the ROM used to make the winning-est lemon squares for the tasting part of the event. Lemon zest is called for in many lemon square recipes  - but not in this recipe, so no bitty bits in your mouth. It's pure freshly squeezed  lemon juice, eggs, sugar and some flour to help firm up the filling. If you can get eggs with bright yellow yolks you will be rewarded with sunny yellow lemon squares. Alison recommended organic eggs, and the squares I baked in my kitchen for this post were sensational with organic eggs. Good to look at, we do eat with our eyes first, and raves for their flavour.

Trim the ends and sides for neater squares, and to afford the baker a taste preview. You wouldn't want to serve these squares before first verifying their tangy deliciousness.

The Winning Lemon Squares

What's exceptional about these squares is the depth and tanginess of the filling. There is just more of it than in many other recipes,  providing just the right balance of tartness and buttery shortbread base.

Base:

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar

3/4 cup (375 mL) unsalted cold butter

Filling:

6 large eggs

3 cups (750 mL) granulated sugar

1 cup (250 mL) plus 2 tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour

3 tbsp (45 mL) icing sugar

. Line a 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan with parchment paper or grease; set aside.

. Base: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and icing sugar. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) cubes. With a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly with some pea-sized pieces. 

. Press the base evenly into the prepared pan. Bake in the centre of a 325°F (160 °C) oven until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C).

. Filling: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Beat in the sugar, then the lemon juice and finally the flour to make a smooth mixture. Pour over the base.

. Bake  until no longer giggly and slightly more golden around the edges, about 40 to 45 minutes.

You won't notice any imperfections once you've dusted the squares with icing sugar.

. Let cool on a rack; refrigerate until cold and set, at least 1 hour or preferably up to 1 day before cutting. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)

. Using the parchment paper, lift the squares out of the pan and onto a cutting board.

. Add the icing sugar to a small sieve, being careful to prevent the sugar from falling out before you have a chance to tap it evenly over the lemon squares.

. With a long sharp knife, trim off the outer edges to neaten the edges. Cut into squares or bars, using a damp clean cloth to wipe the knife between cuts. 

. Makes 48 squares.

Tip: Cut the Lemon Squares bite-size and serve them in bonbon cups with a selection of truffles and coin-size shortbread.

Tip: HIDE THESE SQUARES UNLESS YOU WANT THEM EATEN UP BEFORE YOU PLAN TO SERVE THEM.

. 

It was Rose Murray's job on December 13th at the Canadian Sweet Treats:Food Experts Debate the Classics event at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) to shed light on the delights of fruitcakes. If anyone in Canada knows fruitcake, it's Rose. In her first of ten best selling cookbook, The Christmas Cookbook she paid homage to this rich mix of fruit, nuts, booze, butter and sugar with nine, yes nine recipes for fruitcake. Among Rose's ongoing repertoire is a lovely light white fruitcake, more cake than fruit and one that appeals to people even if they think they don't like fruitcake.

As for these people who distain fruitcake, there's a distinct possibility they've never tasted a good homemade fruitcake with fresh quality ingredients. I liken them to people who say  they don't like beef when all they've tasted is tripe. (sorry all tripe lovers out there).Or people who've heard all the fruitcake jokes and think it's easier to say no than to try something new.

Plus, there are fruitcakes, and fruitcakes.

Having a lovely moist fruitcake handy to cut when there's company is makes entertaining much easier over the holidays. Here's Rose's recipe, the one served midway through the debate on Sunday, and the pieces of cake disappeared in a trice - even before the lemon squares. Skeptics were convinced - fruitcake has a place in the panoply of Canadian baking icons.

Begone fruitcake prejudices!

See below for two recipes, Rose's Light Orange Almond Fruitcake, and Tropical White Fruitcake (with step-by-step photos) from Canadian Living Magazine.

Light Orange Almond Fruitcake

3 cups (750 mL) mixed candied fruit

2 cups (500 mL) golden raisins

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) halved candied cherries

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) coarsely chopped candied pineapple

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) finely chopped blanched almonds

1 cup (250 mL) candied citron peel

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 tbsp (15 mL) coarsely grated orange rind

1 tsp (5 mL) almond extract

1/2 cup (125 mL) orange liqueur or orange juice

. Grease two 9- x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pans; line bases and sides with double thickness of parchment paper. Grease paper. Set aside.

. In a large bowl, combine mixed candied fruit, raisins, cherries, pineapple, almonds and citron peel; toss with 1/2 cup (125 mL)  of the flour and set aside.

. Stir together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time, orange rind and almond extract, beating well. Add flour mixture alternately with liqueur, making three additions of dry and two of liqueur and mixing just until flour is incorporated. Fold in fruit mixture. Scrape into prepared pans, smoothing tops. Tap pans gently on counter.

. Set a shallow baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven; fill halfway with boiling water. Bake cakes on the centre rack in a 250°F (120°C) oven for 2-1/2 hours or until cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean, covering loosely with foil if cakes begin to crack.

. Let cakes cool completely in their pans on racks. (Cakes can be wrapped in cheesecloth moistened with brandy or another spirit, then waxed paper, then foil and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.) Makes 2 cakes, about 90 small pieces.

Tip: It's easy to slice fruitcake if you refrigerate it a few hours ahead. Always slice with a very sharp knife and wipe the blade with  a damp cloth between slices. If you have an electric knife, it works well. 

Tropical White Fruitcake

To get myself in the mood for the debate on Sunday, I set myself the goal of making a fruitcake, carrot pudding, a pan of lemon squares, and of course, butter tarts. I looked to one of Canadian Living Magazine's most beautiful light fruit cakes - coincidentally echoing the choice of a light cake, like  Rose's. However the mix of fruit and nubblies in the batter are different, as is liqueur, and the shape of the cake. Many years ago Rose and I worked out a way of baking a fruit cake in a 13- x 9- inch ((3.5 L) metal cake pan that offers the baker the opportunity to cut the cake crosswise into 6  bars. The bars are a snap to slice crosswise into a neat little slice that won't overwhelm anybody. And a whole bar, wrapped nicely, is a perfect gift to a friend or family member who might not have had time to make a cake but still yearns for a taste of homemade. 

2 cups (500 mL) shredded coconut

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) chopped dried papayas or apricots

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) chopped dried mango

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) chopped candied pineapple

1 cups (250 mL) golden raisins

1 cup (250 mL) halved candied red cherries 

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) white rum or coconut rum

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups (500 mL) slivered blanched almonds

1 tbsp (15 mL) corn syrup

8 oz (250 g) marzipan

Icing:

1/4 cup (50 mL) butter

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) icing sugar

2 tbsp (30 mL) whipping cream

1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla

. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, papaya, mango, pineapple, raisins, cherries and 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the rum. Cover and let stand for 1 day, stirring occasionally when convenient.

. Line 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan with 2 layers of parchment paper; set aside.

. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In separate large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in half of the flour mixture, 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the rum and remaining flour mixture. Spoon fruit mixture and almonds over the batter; stir just enough to combine.

. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth the top and tap the pan lightly on the counter to eliminate air bubbles.

. Set a shallow baking pan on the bottom rack of oven; pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up side. Bake the cake in the centre of a 250°F (120°C) oven until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Check the cake at the 1-1/2 and 2 hour mark and cover the surface of the cake lightly with foil if there is any sign of cracking or darkening beyond pale gold.

. Let the cake cook in the pan on a rack. Place a cutting board larger than the cake over the top of the pan. Turn the cake over; peel off the paper. Soak a double thickness (or 2 thicknesses) of 28-inch (70 cm) x 12-inch (30 cm) cheesecloth in remaining rum. Place a length of foil sufficient to generously enclose the cake, then an equal length of plastic wrap and finally the cheesecloth on the work surface.

. Supporting the cake , place it on the cheesecloth. Wrap with cheesecloth, plastic wrap, then foil.

. Place on a supportive cutting board or tray. Refrigerate for at least a week, or for up to 3 months.( To speed up the ripening process, unwrap the cake after a few days and sprinkle generously with additional rum. Rewrap and repeat as desired.) Freeze for longer storage. 

. Icing: In a bowl, beat the butter until light. Beat in the icing sugar, cream and vanilla.

. Unwrap the cake and, supporting its length, transfer to a board or rimmed baking sheet as close to the size of the cake as possible. Brush the top with corn syrup. On a board, roll out the marzipan to fit the top of the cake.

Marzipan is quite easy to roll, not sticky at all, and to transfer it to the cake, simply roll it around the rolling pin. Position one end over one end of the cake and unroll over the cake.unroll over the cake.

Place over the cake and press gently to stick the marzipan to the surface.

. Trim the edges if desired, and patch the edge if needs be.

If you wait to trim the edges before slicing and serving, you can do two things at once. Check that the cake is as delicious as you anticipated while rewarding yourself with a few of the slim trimmings.

. Spread with icing. Cover cakes lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate in airtight container until cold and firm, about 1 day. Cut crosswise into 6 bars, each about 2-inches (5 cm) wide. Wrap separately if desired. Cut bars crosswise to serve. Makes about 72 to 90 slices, depending on thickness.

Tip: The riper, the colder, the easier it is to cut a fruitcake. Have a clean damp cloth handy to wipe the knife between cuts.

Sunday the 13th of December will be remembered as the day 6 baking women took to the stage of the Royal Ontario Museum and debated which sweet treat deserved to be the icon of Canadian baking. While the event was not Christmas oriented, the timing of the debate did affect the choice of subjects. And they were: Butter Tarts: Carrot Pudding: Fruitcake: Lemon Squares: Cocoa Oat Bars with Barley Flakes: Red Fife Apple Tart with Maple Sugar. The participants in order of sweet treats: Elizabeth Baird: Elizabeth Driver: Rose Murray: Alison Fryer: Nettie Cronish: Dawn Woodward. 

Consider the butter tart. Only in Canada. Back in 1975, after the publication of my first cookbook, Classic Canadian Cooking, I wrote an opinion piece for the Globe and Mail in which I had the audacity to claim there was such a thing as Canadian cooking. With the speed of Canada Post's fastest, a reader responded. "Why", I was chastened, "could there be such a thing as Canadian cuisine when there was only one authentic Canadian dish, the butter tart."

And I was momentarily taken aback, but in the intervening 34 years, such a thing as cooking a la canadienne has flourished to the point that sceptics can no longer deny its authenticity or deliciousness. Meanwhile, the butter tart has taken on star status, a veritable  icon of our northern bounty.

There's a lot to say about butter tarts, and if you input "butter tarts", Google will reward you with page after page of references. A dessert cookbook without a recipe for butter tarts is somehow lacking. Canadians, it seems, care about butter tarts, and in much the same way as hockey, winter driving and curling, we identify with butter tarts. They're ours. So how did it come to pass that the simple little pastry, flaky and golden, cupping a sweet filling, more sugar than butter,  become so important to Canadians? My theory about the significance of butter tarts has to do with its lack of definition. Or, said a different way, the perfect butter tart depends on your idea of the perfect butter tart, and let me tell you, there are differences in perfection. 

Let's start with the filling. Runny or set? Well that depends. One of the earliest written recipes for butter tarts appeared in Selected Recipes published by the Ladies of Young Street Methodist Church in 1909. The recipe was called Currant Tarts and its simple list of ingredients laid the foundation for one camp in the butter tart debate. The filling of 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, butter the size of an egg, 1 cup currants and lemon to flavour, sets like a custard. It wasn't until the 1930s when corn syrup became a popular baking ingredient and an addition to the filling  that butter tarts took on what some aficionados consider the finest characteristic of this delicacy - a runny filling. According to Caitlin Coleman who has presented an academic paper on the history of butter tarts at a conference in honour of Elizabeth Driver, it was corn syrup that raised the profile of butter tarts.  And raised the possibility of having a butter tart break in mid bite and run down your chin, and if you don't lick fast enough, tie and shirt. 

In spite of a growing preference for drippy fillings, there are dissenters. One comment found on the Chowhound site in an ongoing discussion about where to buy the perfect butter tart I discovered this piece of pure culinary poetry, "I am of the non-runny camp, preferring the chewy caramel that results where the sugary filling meets the pastry edges, especially as it boils over and escapes down the side of the pastry before it stiffens into sticky candy caramel bliss". 

Then there's what's in the filling. Currants, as in that 1909 recipe, were first off the mark. But how about raisins? Dates? All affordable ingredients a century ago. Walnuts? pecans? (the latter a travesty according to culinary historian Mary Williamson), coconut? Your favourite may have more to do with what your granny or mom put in the tarts of your childhood than the actual addition. When Emily Richards and I were presenting holiday recipes at the 2009 Christmas in November at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, we did a totally unscientific poll among guests attending our cooking sessions. And what did the largely Alberta crowd put into the butter tarts. Almost to the woman it was raisins. But raisins can be controversial. I know from experience of growing up with mixed raisin parents - my mother hated raisins, my father loved them passionately. Good job they loved each other. Going back to the Chowhound site, a writer who is trying to convince the reader that Hannah's Kitchen's tarts in the Yonge/Eglinton area of Toronto beat anything else in town writes, "Still not sold? Two words might help convince you. NO RAISINS". (emphasis is mine).

Then there's the matter of the chocolatification of the butter tart. It started innocently enough with a few slivers of dark chocolate slipped into the filling. There is no doubt that bittersweet chocolate contrasts beautifully with the carmel-like filling. But then, the chocolate in the filling spread to drizzles over the filling, even butter tarts dipped in dark chocolate.  In fact, the Canadian Living Butter Tart Cooking Lesson transgresses in the matter of chocolate drizzles. But, I say in defense, the chocolate version was not the main recipe, simply a variation. This chocolatification raised the ire of another commentator on the Chowhound site. "The Canadian butter tart is a specifically defined creation and would never come with anything drizzled on top including pecans or high grade chocolate. What you had (in reference to a previous positive comment about chocolate drizzled on butter tarts) was a mutation on the original old-fashioned sweet." And now for the zinger. "Drizzles of any sort are post modern butter tarts - like earrings on an elephant."

There's no denying the passion we feel for butter tarts. And there's no denying that butter tarts have moved beyond being simply dessert. They are now a tourist attraction. Remember when you needed a Niagara Falls, the Olympics or a Stampede to get people to come for a visit. Well, when the residents of the Township of Wellington North came together to figure out how to attract visitors to the gently rolling lush farmland north of Guelph, Ontario, one thing the community agreed upon was the number of great bakeries in the area, and that the bakeries sold terrific butter tarts. From this hatched the Butter Tart Trail, now trademarked. According to a December 2008 Toronto Star article, this is a"serious, not flaky tour", and a destination year round where antique stores, greenhouses, nature walks, for example, supplement the half dozen or so bakeries with over a dozen different varieties of butter tarts. These include goat butter tarts, referring to goat butter, and, if can be a cheeky, not an alternative to raisins. Google "Butter Tart Trail" for a downloadable map of this gastronomically Canadian destination and plan a drive to do a thorough sample of the tarts. Call it citizenship research.

The pastry? Another point of dissention, but not one that tears families and communities apart the way runny or set, or adding raisins to the filling does. Should the pastry be thick and homey? Thin and crisp? Buttery - well the original butter tart was probably made with a lard pastry, a crisp and flaky foundation. The butter of the title was not referring to the pastry. Nowadays you can find butter tarts made with an all butter pastry, a blend as in the recipe below, or in the case of my friend Rose Murray in her Taste of Canada, phyllo pastry, a real boon for the pastry challenged. And very pretty. So far no evidence I've seen of wonton skins as butter tart pastry.

I hope I've persuaded you that one of the reasons butter tarts are so important to our identity is that we weigh in with our opinions. Butter tarts are a subject of ongoing debate. We spend time looking for the perfect recipe, the shop with the finest example of the sweet treat. Of course, butter tarts are pretty delicious with all that sugar and butter, and have their own claim to fame.  But, significant also to firming up the tart's reputation is the way it invites variations. Bakers and food writers have all taken a stab at tweaking, updating, dressing up the butter tart. That's where the chocolate came into action, and that whole range of additions to the filling, going so far as maple sugar, maple syrup, macadamia nuts, candied peel, hazelnuts and dried cherries. Size matters too. Butter tarts got big and morphed into butter tarts squares, and shrank into mini tarts, one-bite size amuse bouche as are served at C5, the excellent restaurant at the ROM. It wasn't long before creative types chopped up some butter tarts, mixed  the mess into ice cream and called their concoction, butter tart ice cream. Even the base of a butter tart sundae,warmed and  topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The butter tarts ability to adjust to new ingredients like corn syrup, developed out of technology, or ingredients like chocolate added for trendiness  and glamour, has kept, and I suspect will keep butter tarts on the lips and hips of Canadians for decades to come.

In an era when healthy eating is a priority, butter tarts are an anomaly. They're high in fat, over the moon in calories, don't provide fibre or anything like the vitamins and minerals we need to flourish. In other words, should not be allowed on Canadian soil. But before we dismiss butter tarts from our diets, keep in mind that once a year, and only once a year on Canada Day, our culinary icon the butter tart is calorie- and fat-free. (just joking)

Butter Tarts

This particular recipe came to me from Jessie Murphy, when I published the recipe in the Toronto Star in the mid 1980s, a resident of Midland Ontario. What makes these butter tarts so delectable is their candy-like filling created by cooking the sugar and corn syrup together before mixing with the butter and eggs. In the early days of butter tarts, the flavouring was usually a little splash of lemon juice or vinegar , but as befits a more recent recipe, vanilla is the baker's choice. Decide for yourself what you like to add to the filling - raisins and walnuts are Jessie Murphy's preference.

Filling:

1 cup (250 mL) packed light brown sugar

1 cup (250 mL) corn syrup

1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, cubed

2 large eggs at room temperature

3/4 cup (175 mL) chopped walnut halves

1/2 cup (250 mL) raisins

1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

Pastry:

3 cups (750 mL) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. (2 mL) salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) cold butter, cubed

1/2 cup (125 mL) cold lard, cubed (or replace with additional butter)

1 large egg

2 tsp (10 mL) vinegar

Ice water

. Pastry: In a large bowl, whisk flour with salt. With a pastry blender, cut in butter and lard until mixture looks crumbly sprinkled with some larger pieces. 

. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the egg with the vinegar. Add enough ice water to make 2/3 cup (150 mL).

. Gradually sprinkle egg mixture over the flour mixture, all the while stirring briskly with a fork until the pastry clumps and holds together. If there are floury bits lurking in the bottom of the bowl, add a splash more ice water to incorporate them into the ragged dough. With a floured hand, firmly press the dough together; divide in half. Press each half into a disc about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick. Wrap each half and chill for 1 hour or up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature until easy to roll out.

. Filling: Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring the sugar and syrup to  a gentle simmer, stirring just to blend. Simmer for 3 minutes; let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the butter; let cool to room temperature.

. In a medium bowl beat the eggs with the vanilla and salt; pour the butter mixture slowly over the egg mixture, stirring continuously. Set aside for the moment.

. On a floured pastry cloth or surface, roll out one half of the dough at a time to 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness. Using a 4-inch (10 cm) round cookie cutter (or bottom of empty 28 oz/796 mL) can), cut out about 20 rounds. (Save any leftover dough for another purpose.)

. Fit rounds of pastry into regular muffin cups. Divide the walnuts and raisins among the pastry shells. Spoon the filling in until shells are about three-quarters full. 

. Bake in the bottom third of 400°F (200°C) oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C)  and bake until pastry is golden and filling bubbling, about 10 minutes. 

. Let firm up for 3 minutes in the muffin pans. With a rounded blade of a table knife or small off-set spatula, run around each tart to loosen. Lift out onto a rack to cool. If tarts feel too fragile to move, let them set in the cups a few minutes longer. But, be careful of tarts with any filling bubbled out over the edges. Loosen them before the filling hardens. 

. Makes about 20 tarts.

Where did Butter Tarts Come From?

Good Question. There are a number of tarts and pies that play on a similar sweet filling. Think Quebec's sugar pie, lassie tarts from Newfoundland, the pecan pie of the US south, the treacle tart of England. Mary Williamson, a serious collector of historic cookbooks and an expert on butter tarts has revealed a link that sounds plausible. The tarts in question are called Border Tarts and come from the border area of Scotland, source of many Canadian immigrants in the 19th century. The Border Tart filling often contains dried fruit, sugar, eggs and butter - all ingredients our largely rural population would have handy, often from their own farms. Mary Williamson has sourced the first written reference to what are now butter tarts. It is in a cookbook compiled, like so many cookbooks have been by women in churches, synagogues, clubs and community groups, by The Women's Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie in 1900. Like a baby just being born, its name "butter tarts" was yet to come. The recipe was labeled simply, "A filling for tarts". By the teens, butter tarts went by their own name and the recipes abounded. In the 1915 edition of the Five Roses Cook Book the recipe for butter tarts reads: 1 egg, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup currants, Butter size of a walnut, Flavor to taste. Beat all until full of bubbles. Drop from teaspoon into lined patty tin, and bake in quick oven. One cup of dates may be added if desired." 650,000 copies of that cookbook were sold to Canadians, putting 1 copy in every second home. No wonder Canadians are such good bakers. We've had our hands in flour for a long time.

This is an homage to oats. Fair warning if you think oats, oatmeal and rolled oats are old-fashioned. And don't belong in your cold weather kitchen. You may miss out on some fine dishes. 

Let's start out with what I didn't know about Avena sativa, the grain that favours a northern growing conditions. We ate oatmeal as kids, or porridge. Generous amounts of brown sugar and milk. But when it came to washing the pot, a geography test - any kind of test, Latin declensions, irregular French verbs - would get me out of cleaning the pot, porridge stuck bottom and sides.

It was on my honeymoon in Kingston Jamaica that I learned about nutmeg in porridge. What a revelation. Freshly grated nutmeg is still my favourite flavour, but cinnamon will do in a time pinch. Into the mixture of 1/3 cup rolled oats and 1 cup water goes a little handful of raisins or dried cranberries or dried cherries or slivered apricots. Plus nutmeg and a very few grains of salt.  Four minutes in the microwave and there's breakfast.

Then too it's fine to add honey, flax seeds, chopped nuts, maple syrup.Even blueberries, diced apple, pear or banana and I know people who dollop applesauce over their oatmeal or use apple juice instead of water to cook the oats. With these additions you don't need sugar, although milk is still a must. 

And we ate oatmeal cookies, long before adding chocolate was on the horizon - but big fat black raisins or chopped dates were. All the while we called the hot cereal "oatmeal". But what went into the pot was really rolled oats. We seemed oblivious to the simply crushed or chopped oat kernels (groats) called steel cut, Irish or Scotch oats.

From left to right, steel cut (Irish/Scotch) oats, large flake (old-fashioned) rolled oats, quick-cooking rolled oats

In 1877 in the United States, the Quaker Oat Company created rolled oats by steaming oat kernels, then flattening them into flakes. While there is a loss of flavour, the flakes cooked more quickly for breakfast, became the accepted version of oats, and opened up a whole new world of baking. Think date squares, oatmeal cookies (now with coconut, pecans, dried cherries, chocolate, white and dark), granola, muesli, Queen Elizabeth Cake, apple crumble, muffins, breads and more.

Over the last few years, real oatmeal or Irish/Scotch/steel-cut oats have had a revival. And while for your morning cereal, the longer time the chunky bits take to cook might encourage an oat lover to make a whole batch ahead and reheat as needed. Bulk stores, health food outlets and farmers' markets are where you can get this kind of oats. In my opinion, it's for breakfast that they shine, leaving baking to the realm of rolled oats.

"Rice of the Prairies", aka as oats. Cook some with your favourite long grain rice and serve with warming stews, chilis and curries. Or add a small handful when simmering a homemade vegetable soup.

As for rolled oats, there are two recipes that are ideal for preholiday baking, and frankly, for keeping in your repertoire for the year round. One's for savoury occasions, the second, in the shortbread tradition, perfect for a cookie exchange and the de rigueur cookie plate at holiday time. 

Nova Scotia Oatcakes

Like oatmeal cookies, but not nearly as sweet, oakcakes are just about the best crunchy cracker base for a variety of cheese, especially blue cheese or well aged Cheddar. In Nova Scotia where this recipe originated, oatcakes are such a popular regional specialty they are often tucked into a bread baskets, frequently beside slices of moist oatmeal brown bread. In the province, Tim Horton's sells oatcakes along with the usual scones and doughnuts. In case you don't fancy the cheeses mentioned above, oatcakes, butter and jam are a wicked breakfast/snack combo. Any jam, although with a name like Baird, marmalade is recommended.

3 cups (750 mL) large flake rolled oats
1-1/2 cups (375 mlL) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
1 cup (250 mL) cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup (125 mL) ice water

. Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper or grease; set aside.
. In a large bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, flour, salt and baking soda; work in the brown sugar, using your fingers if necessary to combine dry ingredients.
. Sprinkle with butter. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until the ingredients are crumbly. (Because of the flakes, this will take longer than cutting butter into flour alone.) Sprinkle ice water over the oats mixture, tossing them with a fork to moisten the dry ingredients evenly.
. With your hands, press the dough together.  The dough will be a little sticky; dust your fingers with flour to solve this problem.
. On a floured surface or floured pastry cloth, press into a rectangle; divide in half.
. On a floured pastry cloth or between two sheets of floured waxed paper and using a rolling pin, roll out half of the dough at a time into 12 x-9-inch (30 x 23 cm) rectangle, 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick. With a pizza cutter or blade ofa long chefs knife, trim the edges; cut dough into 3-inch (8 cm) squares. Cut each square diagonally in half. Reroll and shape the scraps for a baker's oatcake.
. Transfer to prepared baking sheets, separating oat cakes slightly. Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until golden brown on bottom and top is darkened slightly, about 15 minutes. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes. 
. Transfer to racks to cool. (Make-ahead: Layer with waxed paper in airtight containers and store at room temperature for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.)
. Makes about 48 oatcakes.

Oats and Chocolate Shortbread

In a sweet cookie like this brown sugar shortbread, a bittersweet chocolate is the best foil. While you can use chocolate chips - the small ones deliver chocolate in every bite, I like to buy a quality chocolate bar and chop it to about the same size as chocolate chips, especially for this cookie. This recipe is based on one found in the December 2009 issue of Canadian Living Magazine. 

1 cup (250 mL) butter

1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

1/4 cup (50 mL) cornstarch

3/4 cup (175 mL) quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)

1-1/4 cups (300 mL)  all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (175 mL) chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips

. Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat; set aside.

. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light. Beat in the salt and vanilla.

. With a wooden spoon, stir in the cornstarch, then the rolled oats and finally the flour. Sprinkle the chocolate over the surface of the dough and stir in just long enough to combine.

. Divide the dough in half; place each on a 12-inch (30 cm) length of waxed paper. Shape the dough into a rough log. Using the paper, shape and roll the log into a smooth 9-inch (23 cm) length. Wrap in the paper, twist the ends to seal and chill until semi-firm, about 30 minutes. 

. Remove the rolls from the fridge. Reroll in the paper to make sure the log is round and hasn't developed a flat side. Return to the fridge to chill until firm, about 30 minutes. 

. Using a serrated or good chefs knife, cut rolls, one at a time, into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) slices; place about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) apart on prepared baking sheets. (Make-ahead: cover baking sheets with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

. Bake one sheet at a time in the centre of a 275°F (140°C) oven until bottoms are lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Let cool on the pan set on a rack for 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack to finish cooling. (Make-ahead: Store layered between waxed paper in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for up to a month.)

. Makes about 36 cookies. 

Real Oatmeal Porridge

In Scotland and Ireland, the whole oat kernel or groat is ground or crushed into oatmeal of various coarseness. In bulk stores, look for steel cut oats. A pot of this real oatmeal takes about 40 minutes to simmer on top of the stove. It's chewiness is one of the pleasures of real oatmeal porridge.

For 4 servings, bring 4 cups (1 L) water to the boil. Stir in 1 cup (250 mL) steel cut oats; stir while the mixture comes back to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the porridge thickens, about 30 minutes. Add a sprinkle of salt if desired.

The hospitality is generous at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge's Christmas in November.

Twenty-one years ago the Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper Alberta joined forces with the Edmonton Journal to create a fabulous program called Christmas in November. I've lost track- a little - of how many years of these 21 I have flown to Edmonton, then journeyed across the plains into the foothills and finally Jasper Park - surely one of the most beautiful places in Canada.I will never take mountains for granted - they are just too spectacular and imposing.

Martinis are a tradition at Christmas in November

 The reward at the end is a week, sometimes only a weekend of sharing some of Canadian Living Magazine's festive recipes with guests. 

One of the smartest things I ever did was to invite a member of the Test Kitchen to accompany and help me - first it was fireball Jennifer MacKenzie, and ever since we worked together on Canadian Living Cooks, I've partnered with Emily Richards. 

Well, it's Christmas in November time again, and I'm packing up the odd pieces of equipment and my supply of aprons. Emily and I are presenting entertaining appetizers and little desserts - perfect for holiday open house celebrations - friends over for a glass of wine - get togethers where the three Fs reign: friends, family and good food. 

Brutti ma Buoni

This is a recipe from Emily's family who emigrated from Calabria to Sault Ste. Marie where Emily's grandmother still lives. The meringues base is particularly lustrous, and into it are folded goodies such as toasted nuts - h slivered almonds are particularly tasty, or chopped  dark chocolate, or both, or in a version that's more Canada than Calabria, chopped nougat milk chocolate bars - Toblerone is a popular brand.  Brutti ma Buoni means ugly but good - reflecting the irregular shapes of the cookies and the way they split to reveal the goodies folded into the meringue.

4 egg whites, from large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

3 tbsp (45 mL) all-purpose flour

2 cups (500 mL) coarsely chopped nougat milk chocolate bar or chopped dark chocolate or a combination of chopped dark chocolate and slivered almonds (as in the photo)

2 tbsp (30 mL) icing sugar

. Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

. In a large heatproof bowl whisk together the egg whites and granulated sugar. Set over a slightly smaller saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking occasionally, until opaque, about 10 minutes.

. Remove from the heat; beat at high speed until cooled, thickened and glossy, about 7 minutes. 

. Fold in the vanilla and flour; fold in the chocolate.

. Drop the meringue batter by heaping tablespoonfuls (15 mL), or smaller if desired, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart onto the prepared pans.

. Bake 1 sheet at a time, in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown.

. Let cool on racks. (Make-ahead: store at cool room temperature, layered with waxed paper in airtight containers for up to 3 days.)

. Using a fine sieve, dust the Brutti ma Buoni with icing sugar.

. Makes 24 large, about 36 smaller cookies.

Shortbread - simply flour, sugar and butter. Possibly the world's most streamlined cookie. That is, until culinarily imaginative types are unleashed with the goal of designing a brand new shortbread recipe.

Here was the contest criteria: This perfect shortbread couldn't be too hard to make, but certainly it needs pizzazz, naturally has to have good looks, be creative and...YES, have a buttery taste. Not just because butter is the raison d'etre of shortbread, but also because the sponsors of the contest, open to student chefs was Gay Lea, a 400-strong farmers' cooperative who makes fine butter, both salted and unsalted.

We assembled, the four chefs in training, an audience of fellow students, friends and family,  the two other judges Dana McCauley, trend meister and cookbook author and Stephanie Pick, owner of The Queen of Tarts where she sells the acme of brown butter shortbread with either coarse salt or sugar gracing the top. (Go for the salt.) The bake-off location was the chic new Market Kitchen in the second floor of the St. Lawrence Market, once part of Toronto's original city hall, now a cooking school and party venue. Lots of afternoon light streaming through the original 20 foot windows, exposed brick and views of the historic and modern city outside.

The students had already made a batch of their shortbread for display and tasting, and were working through their recipes so the judges could see them in action and ask questions. There were some interesting (as in unusual) flavours going into the dough the students in whites were mixing up. Bacon and maple syrup, for example,or shortbread cookies sandwiched together with lemon curd from Alejandra Gonzales of Humber College, or lemon and lavender, cut into moons and stars by a second Humber College student Stephanie Lackie, even peanut butter and jam. This was certainly going to be a taste experience. While the judges nibbled, then withdrew to confer in private, the audience was munching to pass judgment for the Peoples' Choice.

As did Caesar, we judges came, we tasted and we chose the winner. Robert Maxwell from Liaison College and his Peanut Butter  and Jelly Shortbread. The People chose  Andrea Schmidt's Maple Glazed Bacon and Chive Shortbread. There's no denying bacon's appeal.

Robert Maxwell's shortbread met all the criteria for a buttery creative shortbread that's straightforward to make. While an egg yolk is not usual in shortbread, Maxwell used one in the dough in order to keep the peanut butter and jelly layer from bleeding into the dough. His shortbread has an interesting twist - he shapes  the dough into 2 equal logs and freezes them until time to bake. Then, he shreds half of the dough, pats it into the pan for the base, spreads peanut butter and a jam mixture over that, and shreds the remaining dough over the filling. The bars have an enticing pebbly surface that cuts neatly. Recipe and photos of Robert Maxwell and finished bars arranged at the top of the copy are courtesy of Gay Lea Foods.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Shortbread Bars

Shortbread Base and Topping:

1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

1 egg yolk (large egg)

1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

Filling:

1/2 cup (125 mL) smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar

2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup jam (blueberry, strawberry or raspberry ) or grape jelly

. Line a 13 -x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan with parchment paper; set aside.

. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and egg yolk with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir half at a time into the butter mixture to make a smooth dough.

. Divide the dough in half; shape each half into a thick log. Wrap and freeze dough until firm, about 1 to 4 hours.

The dough has to be frozen and firm enough to shred on the large hole-side of a box grater, and to stay frozen/firm enough to spread in the parchment paper-lined pan seen behind the grater and cutting board.

. Remove half of the dough from the freezer. Shred the dough on the coarse side of a square grater. Arrange the dough in an even layer in the prepared pan. Lightly pat down the dough.

. Bake in the centre of a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven until light golden around the edges, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes.

. Filling:  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, blend together the peanut butter, icing sugar and butter. Spread evenly over the shortbread base.

.

. Drop spoonfuls of the jam over the peanut butter and without disturbing the peanut butter layer, spread in an even layer. An offset spatula makes getting the jam into the corners much easier.

. Remove the remaining dough from the freezer. Shred the dough and spread evenly over the jam. Bake until the top is lightly golden brown and set, 20 to 25 minutes.

. Transfer to rack to cool completely. Cut into bars. Or cut into squares and cut again diagonally into triangles or bars.

Depending on the occasion you can cut squares, triangles or bars. For a neat finish for all pieces, take a sharp long knife and cutting down evenly along the ends and sides of the making of bars, trim off the edges. Enjoy the scraps with a glass of milk before packing the shortbread into an airtight cookie tin.

. Makes 24 pieces.

Wine-Braised Brisket: photo Jodi Pudge

"I'm going home to dust off my slow cooker", commented one guest at a cooking demonstration I did recently at First Canadian Place in downtown Toronto. Just one more enthusiast of the slow cooker in a growing number of born-again slow cooker lovers. 

Sure, the casing, insert and lid combo have been around since the early 70s, and was mighty popular until the microwave nudged it off the culinary scene in the 80s and 90s. Speed seemed to be the answer to all our culinary needs.

 But Canadians, and especially Canadians, have rediscovered the usefulness of the slow cooker. Young and not-so-young like getting ingredients ready for the cooker, switching the on-button and going on with their business, be it out of house, or activities at home. It's a blissful easy way to cook, one that fits our practical nature. For inexperienced cooks, the appliance offers a simple way to put a meal on the table. Not just any meal, but a good meal.

There's another reason why we Canadians have embraced the slow cooker. Braised, slow cooked comfort food- the kind of food the slow cooker excells at - speaks to us, creatures of the north. Winter and the other two cold weather seasons - spring and fall,  are with us longer than we care to admit. A steaming soup, a one-pot stew, a chili or curry - now that says welcome home when we come in from blustery weather.

Canadian Living has published over 30 cookbooks in the last 35 years - barbecue, baking, one-pot, country-style, desserts, make-it-tonight quick suppers - but it has to be admitted, the magazine has been slow about publishing a slow cooker cookbook.

But we've caught up with the just published Canadian Living, The Slow Cooker Collection (Transcontinental Books, $22.95). It's been worth the wait - even if I have to say so. The Canadian Living Test Kitchen staff, especially Heather Howe and Rheanna Kish with food director Gabrielle Bright, have been creating slow cooker recipes for the magazine for many years and the collection in the cookbook represent our best, plus a goodly addition of new recipes (desserts and appetizers, for example) to pique the culinary interest of our faithful reader/cooks.

From the Slow Cooker Collection I have chose two recipes to encourage you to dust off your cooker, or to add to your list of must-do-again recipes. First the Wine Braised Brisket, a lovely pot roast that feeds a crowd, and is even better the next day.

Wine Braised Brisket

For this pot roast (see above), choose either a double beef brisket (which includes part of the flat and the point) or a more common cut, just the flat. You may need to cut the brisket in half to fit into the slow cooker insert. If so and you are near the slow cooker,  rotate the halves mid-way through the cooking.

No brisket? Try a pot roast cut such as a boneless beef cross rib or blade. 

1-1/4 tsp (6 mL) salt

3/4 tsp (4 mL) freshly ground pepper

3/4 tsp (4 mL)  rosemary leaves, chopped

1/4 tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper

4 lb (2 kg) double beef brisket pot roast

2 large onions, sliced vertically

4 large cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup (175 mL) dry red wine

1/2 cup (125 mL) sodium-reduced beef broth

1/2 cup (125 mL) thawed cranberry cocktail concentrate

1/4 cup (50 mL) soy sauce, sodium reduced if desired

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

. Use a medium slow cooker, 5 to 6 quarts (5 to 6 L).

. In a large bowl, combine the salt, pepper, rosemary and cayenne pepper; remove half and  rub over the brisket. To the bowl, add the onions and garlic; toss with the remaining spice mixture. Arrange the brisket, fat side up, over the onions and garlic mixture.

. In a large measuring cup or separate bowl, stir together the wine, broth, cranberry cocktail and soy sauce. Pour over the brisket. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours or up to 1 day.  

. Transfer the onions, garlic and liquid to the slow cooker; top with the brisket. Cover and cook on low until the meat is fall-apart tender, about 5 to 6 hours.

. Transfer the brisket to cutting board; cover and keep warm for 20 minutes.

. Meanwhile, skim fat from liquid in slow cooker. In small bowl, whisk flour with 1/3 cup (75 mL) water; whisk into liquid.

. Cover and cook on high until thickened, about 20 minutes. (Make-ahead; Let brisket and sauce cool separately for 30 minutes. Combine brisket and sauce in uncovered airtight container; refrigerate until cold and refrigerate for 2 days.)

. Slice brisket across the grain and serve with the sauce. 

. Makes 10 servings. 

Tip: A brisket is much easier to slice cold than hot. This tip is encouragement to make the brisket one day, slice and reheat the next. 

Roasted Garlic

Heads of roasted garlic are like money in the culinary piggy bank. You can take a head and make a delicious vinaigrette dressing, work some into mashed white or sweet potatoes, add to pizza toppings or pasta sauces. Or, smear it on crusty baguette like butter. Anywhere you want a boost of sweet toasty mellow garlic. The photo below is by Jodi Pudge, and the food styling in both photos is by Claire Stubbs.

6 plump heads garlic

1 tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme or sage or oregano

. Use a medium slow cooker, 4 to 6 quart (4 to 6 L).

. Rub loose papery skin off garlic; cut off tops to just expose the tips of the cloves.

. Arrange the garlic, tips up, in a single layer on a sheet of foil large enough to enclose the garlic with room to spare. Drizzle the heads with the oil and sprinkle with the thyme.

. Pull the foil up and around the garlic loosely; fold in edges to seal. Fit ina  single layer in the slow cooker.

. Cover and cook on low until fragrant and garlic cloves are tender and golden, about 2 to 3 hours. (Make-ahead: Let cool. Refrigerate in foil packet for up to 3 days. Or freeze packet in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.)

Photos by Edward Pond

On November 6th, Cuisine Canada and the University of Guelph celebrate Canadian cookbooks and food writing with their annual Canadian Culinary Book Awards. Among the shortlisted cookbooks is The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book published in 2008 by Transcontinental Books and one dandy baking book suited to Canadian home kitchens and ingredients, not forgetting our home bakers.

I have a theory that I write about in the book, and that is that Canadians are hard-wired to bake. Be it the climate, the influence of easy-to-use cookstoves early in settling the country, immigrants who brought baking traditions with them, the availability of butter, eggs and fruit, for example, in the largely agricultural population, inexpensive sugar and flour ... whatever, Canadians love to bake. And they do it often. When others turn to bake-shops for their celebration cakes, their Sunday dinner tarts or special treats, Canadians head to the kitchen to check the fridge for eggs, fruit and milk, their cupboard for chocolate and raisins, and bake a cake. Or a pan of squares, a batch of cookies or a flaky fruit pie. 

Our baking skills come in handy in so many ways. What a benefit they have been to our communities. Take the bake sale. How many rinks have their roofs, teams their jerseys, religious institutions programs and new carpets thanks to the prowess of members' baking skills? Think of all the cookie exchanges every holiday season - what a great excuse to get together with neighbours, work colleagues and good old friends - incentive and price of being part of the group? 6 dozen really fine cookies. Think of the clincher in many a relationship when a lemon meringue pie is produced, or thick fudgy brownies. How many hearts have been won over. It's not a coincidence that cake is served at weddings. And sweet foods of consolation at times of grief.

So, The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book reflects this love of baking at the same time as it encourages it. For inexperienced bakers, the book is rich in step-by-step photos that get the baker right into the nitty gritty of cutting in butter or whipping egg whites to stiff peaks. For readers whose measuring cups have had a good workout, the cookbook  provides them with a reliable reference, inspiration to try something new, and a selection of darn good recipes. 

It would be wonderful to win gold, but if The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book doesn't, there's still the satisfaction of knowing that the book has introduced many Canadians to the art and skill of baking and provided sweet and savoury dishes for the pleasure to all the recipients of bakers' care. Bake on, Canadians. 

 This moist cake came to the test kitchen via Adell Shneer, one of Canadian Living's talented bakers. And the recipe came to her via her husband Michael's aunt, Malcah Sufrin who serves the cake with the orange syrup in the recipe. We added another option for finishing the cake - an orange glaze. Both versions will make your cake-baking reputation whether the cake makes its appearance with tea in the afternoon, with a citrus fruit salad to finish dinner, or as the sweetie at brunch and coffee time.

1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) granulated sugar

4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated  orange rind

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) each baking powder and baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) sour cream

Syrup:

1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice

1/3 cup (75 mL) orange liqueur such as Triple Sec, Grand Marnier or Cointreau

. Using a bristle pastry brush and soft butter, thoroughly coat the inside of a 9-inch (2.5 L) fancy of classic Bundt or tube pan, making sure to grease the crevices. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoonfuls of all-purpose flour into the pan; rotate and tilt the pan, tapping the pan to coat its inside thoroughly. Turn the pan over and tap out excess flour. Set the pan aside. 

. In a large bowl, beat the butter with 1 cup (250 mL) of the sugar until light coloured and fluffy. Reserving the egg whites in a large clean bowl, beat the egg yolks into the butter mixture, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the orange rind and vanilla.

. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of sour cream.

. With clean beaters, beat the egg whites until frothy.  Beat in the remaining sugar 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten the batter; fold in the remainder. 

. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top and tap the pan several times on the work surface to ensure that batter reaches all the pan's crevices.

. Bake in the centre of a 325°F (160°C) oven until a cake tester inserted in the mid point of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.

. Let cake rest in pan on a rack for 20 minutes for the structure to firm.

. Gently loosen cake around the edge and centre. Place a rack over the cake. Wear oven mitts or use pot holders to grasp the bottom of the pan and, holding the rack firmly on top, turn the cake over. Lift the pan up and off. If, horrors of horrors, the pan sticks, Turn the cake and rack back over and with a thin, flexible plastic blade, loosen the cake further down the side. Repeat the turning action

. Syrup: Meanwhile, on a small saucepan, bring sugar, orange juice and liqueur to a boil over medium heat; reduce the heat to low and simmer until the syrup is reduced to 3/4 cup (175 mL), about 7 minutes.

. Let syrup cool for 5 minutes. Brush half over the warm cake. Let cool. (Make-ahead: Wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 day or overwrap with heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.) Serve with remaining syrup.

Orange Glaze: Let the cake cool completely. In a bowl, mix 1-3/4 cup (425 mL) icing sugar with 4 tsp (20 mL) orange juice, adding a little more juice if necessary to make the mixture pourable. Slowly pour or spoon over the cake. Let stand until dry, about 1 hour. 

Thanks to: I had the pleasure of working with the test kitchen, in particular Heather Howe and Adell Shneer in preparing the recipes, choosing the best ones from years of excellent examples. Tina Anson Mine had the important role as project editor, and Michael Erb as designer. The fact that the book looks so good, is so well edited and contains such reliable, tested-til-perfect recipes is a testament to these people, and to the whole magazine team from editorial assistants, senior editors, copy editors, the editor-in-chief to test kitchen staff.