Author: Mari Vasseur

Spinach Bacon Soufflés

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

If you’ve ever gotten up early enough to grab one of those delicious breakfast soufflés at that popular bakery cafe, then you might just love this recipe. There are plenty of copycat versions online, mostly using refrigerated crescent rolls. I love crescent rolls and you can make a pretty close copy of the originals with them, but why not take them up a notch? In my humble opinion, using puff pastry makes them so much better! These pretty little soufflés will puff up and get golden brown and crispy. You can also personalize each one. Try swapping out the spinach and bacon for your favorite omelet ingredients, such as chopped ham, chives, jalapeños or whatever you like.

 

Spinach Bacon Soufflés

by Mari Vasseur
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 4 soufflés

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced onions
  • 1 tablespoon minced red peppers
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • ½ cup (118ml) whole milk
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup (57g) shredded Colby Jack cheese
  • ¼ cup (28g) shredded parmesan cheese, divided
  • â…“ cup (14g) diced fresh spinach
  • 2 slices cooked bacon, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Grease four 8-ounce (227g) mini pie dishes* or ramekins.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry sheet to a 10-inch (24.4cm) square. Cut into four 5-inch (12.7cm) squares. Place one square in each prepared dish. Dock the bottom of each one by poking holes with a fork.
  • In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onions and red peppers and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the flour and cook 1-2 minutes more.
  • Slowly stir in the milk. Use a whisk if the sauce seems lumpy. Cook until the edges start to bubble and the sauce thickens. Stir in the salt. Remove from heat.
  • In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs. Set aside 1 tablespoon (15ml) of beaten eggs in a small bowl for the tops of the soufflés. Add about a third of the sauce mixture into the medium bowl of eggs and whisk until combined. Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan and whisk until smooth. Stir in the Colby-Jack cheese, half of the parmesan cheese and spinach.
  • Ladle the egg mixture evenly into the prepared dishes. Top with the bacon and the remaining parmesan cheese. Fold the pointed ends toward the center. Brush the folded pastry edges gently with the reserved beaten egg. Bake until golden brown and puffy, about 25-30 minutes.
  • You can serve the soufflés warm in the pie dishes or remove them from the dishes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

To find the mini pie dishes I used click here.

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Herb Crust

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Pot pies belong to everyone. They date back to ancient times and many cultures worldwide have various versions of savory pies. It’s a very popular comfort food dish here in the U.S. and many people already have a favorite recipe. The recipe I’m sharing here isn’t the only way to make a pot pie, but it’s one way to do it that happens to be delicious! I usually bake pot pies in a casserole dish, and you can certainly bake this one in a casserole dish if you want to. But I thought it would be nice to save a step and try baking one in a skillet. I love baking other things, such as cornbread, in a skillet so I had a feeling it would be good. I used an 8-inch cast iron skillet. Click here to find the skillet I used.

I had a ton of fresh herbs on hand, so they ended up in my pie crust on a whim. I was very pleased with the results. Feel free to switch up the herbs and use your favorites. Typically when you bake or roast something with fresh herbs, they tend to turn black and crispy. But don’t worry, they’ll be safely nestled inside the crust. And speaking of the crust, this one is tender and flaky due to my grandmother’s method of working the fat into the dough with your fingertips. You want to end up with flat dime size pieces throughout. A little vegetable shortening helps to add structure and flakiness and the butter makes it taste good. A touch of vinegar helps to inhibit gluten formation, so you’ll have a tender, flaky crust rather than a chewy one. And if you’re one of those people who tends to over work your dough, the vinegar can help with that. But please do yourself a favor and don’t over work your dough!!

Now I’m going to give you the best piece of cooking advice my grandmother ever gave me: Taste as you go! Taste everything as you are preparing it, not just when it’s done. So when you’re making your filling for this pot pie, add the herbs, salt, pepper and sage a little bit at a time until it tastes good to you.

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Herb Crust

Skillet chicken pot pie with fresh herbs baked into the crust
Print Recipe
Course Main Dish
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

Herb Crust

  • 1 â…“ cups (6 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
  • 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • ¼ cup ice water
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Filling

  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup (1 ounce) diced onions
  • â…“ cup (1 1/2 ounces) chopped celery
  • ½ cup (2 1/4 ounces) sliced carrots
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • â…“ cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground sage
  • 2 ¾ cups (11 ounces) shredded cooked chicken
  • â…“ cup (2 ounces) frozen peas
  • egg wash 1 egg beaten with one tablespoon water

Instructions
 

Herb Crust

  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Work shortening into the flour mixture with your fingertips until evenly dispersed throughout.
  • Work butter and herbs into the flour mixture with your fingertips, creating flat dime size pieces.
  • Mix ice water and vinegar together. Sprinkle over flour mixture a little at a time, stirring until dough comes together. You may not need all of the water depending on your climate.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough briefly by folding dough over onto itself a few times. Do not over work dough! Form dough into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or up to overnight.

Filling

  • In an 8-inch cast iron skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Sauté onions, celery and carrots until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with flour and cook one to two more minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Stir in chicken broth slowly. If your sauce seems lumpy, use a whisk and vigorously whisk until smooth. Simmer on low until thickened. Stir in heavy cream. Add herbs and seasonings to taste. Add a splash of chicken broth if your sauce seems too thick.
  • Mix in chicken and peas. Remove form heat. Set aside until skillet is cool enough to handle.

Assembly

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 10-inch round. Place dough over filling, tucking ends under and crimping with your fingers or with a fork. Brush pie with egg wash. Cut a 1-inch X in the center of pie to allow steam to escape.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cover edges of crust with strips of foil if they start to brown too fast.
Keyword chicken pot pie, pastry

Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins

My mom had a cupboard in the kitchen containing a few old cookbooks that she rarely used. As a child, I used to enjoy perusing them and looking at the baked treats. Some of the cookbooks were so old, they had black and white photos or even just drawings of the food. The ones with drawings interested me because they often depicted smiling children enjoying the treats.

When I started learning to bake, I found a recipe for French Breakfast Puffs in one of those old books. The title sounded so fancy, but they were really just simple muffins dunked in butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar. I have no idea what the name of the cookbook was or what happened to it, but the delicious muffin recipe stuck around for a while. I’ve tweaked the recipe so many times over the years, and most recently, I added pumpkin to it. These Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins are one of the best versions I’ve created. The inside texture of the muffins is soft and moist and it contrasts nicely with the slight crunch you get from the cinnamon sugar on the outside. They look so cute too, like little pumpkins, and they definitely make children smile!

To watch the Instagram video of these mini muffins being made, click here.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins

Soft, tender pumpkin mini muffins rolled in cinnamon sugar
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 22 mini muffins

Ingredients
  

Muffins

  • 1 ½ cups (190g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • â…“ cup (80ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup (113g) canned pure pumpkin purée Not pie filling

Topping

  • â…” cup (132g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) melted butter

Instructions
 

Muffins

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 24-serving mini muffin pan.* Do not use muffin liners. (The muffins need to form an outer crust. This prevents them from absorbing too much melted butter later in the recipe.)
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until well combined.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg and pumpkin purée until smooth and well combined. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. The batter will be thick.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, filling the muffin cups about 2/3 full. (I ended up with 22 muffins.)
  • Bake until toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean, about 10-13 minutes. Do not over bake! Be diligent, since over baking can happen very quickly with mini muffins. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out and place on a cooling rack.

Topping

  • Whisk the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl until well combined.
  • Briefly dunk the warm muffins in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar.

Notes

To find the mini muffin pan I used, click here.
Keyword muffins, pumpkin, pumpkin spice

Blueberry Nectarine Cobbler

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Many families have an old favorite recipe for cobbler. I’m sharing my dad’s recipe with you and it’s definitely comfort food. It took awhile to get the ingredient amounts right because he never measured them. He used whichever fruit was available and plopped the dough on top haphazardly with a big spoon. But it was always delicious and came from the heart and that’s what mattered.

This recipe is so easy and versatile. Feel free to use peaches instead or use the berries of your choice. Make sure to enjoy it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

Blueberry Nectarine Cobbler

Vintage fruit cobbler with blueberries & nectarines or peaches
Print Recipe
Course Brunch, Dessert
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 6 medium ripe nectarines or peaches, peeled and thickly sliced about 2 1/4 lbs (1 kg)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • â…“ cup (67g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (8g) corn starch
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ cups (227g) blueberries
  • 1 cup (113g) all purpose flour
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 5 tablespoons (70g) cold butter, cubed
  • â…“ cup (75g) cold sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) cold milk
  • 1 tablespoon (13g) coarse sugar for sprinkling

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Grease a 2 quart baking dish.
  • In a large bowl, toss the nectarines with the lemon juice. Add the vanilla, brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Stir gently to combine. Fold in the blueberries.
  • Transfer the fruit mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt until well blended. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size pieces from. Stir in the sour cream and milk just until a shaggy dough forms.
  • Remove the baking dish from the oven. Top the fruit with 2-tablespoon-sized portions of dough. Sprinkle the dough with coarse sugar.
  • Return the baking dish to the oven and continue baking until the topping is deep golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving, to allow the sauce to thicken.
Keyword blueberry nectarine, cobbler

Chocolate Turtle Drop Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

A chocolate turtle is a confection made with caramel and pecans. The shape resembles a turtle, which is how it got the name. This is my version of a turtle cookie, loaded with plenty of delicious add-ins.

Chocolate Turtle Drop Cookies

Chocolate cookies loaded with chopped chocolate, caramel chips, and toffee bits, topped with pecans.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 20 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups (9 oz or 255g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (1 1/2 oz or 43g) unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (4 oz or 113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup 5 1/4 oz or 150g) packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (6 oz or 170g) coarsely chopped dark or semi-sweet chocolate (not chips)
  • 1 cup (6 oz or (170g) caramel chips (not bits)
  • 1 cup (6 oz or 170g) toffee bits or chopped candied pecans
  • 20 pecan halves

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  • In a separate large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in the eggs and vanilla in three separate additions, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Set aside 20 chunks of the chopped chocolate. Fold the remaining chopped chocolate, the caramel chips and the toffee bits into the dough.
  • Place twenty 2-inch size portions of dough about 2-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. (I used a #24 portion scoop*)
  • Top each cookie with a chunk of the reserved chocolate and a pecan half. Bake until the surface of the cookies is set, about 10-11 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

To find the portion scoop I used, click here.
Keyword chocolate, cookies

Peaches and Cream Loaf Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Every peach season, I get excited by the abundance of peaches at my local farmers market and I end up buying way too many. So if you’re like me and you have ripe peaches sitting on your counter, turn them into peach purée. I love adding peach purée to my iced tea or adding it to desserts like this moist, tender cake. This is one of my most popular cake recipes on social media, and for good reason. It does not disappoint! To watch the TikTok video, click here.

Peaches and Cream Loaf Cake

Moist, tender peach cake with peach cream cheese icing
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • 1 ¼ cups (5 1/2 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • â…› teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
  • 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
  • â…” cup vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup peach purée, divided (About 1 1/3 cups peeled, sliced peaches puréed in a food processor or blender)
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • â…› teaspoon pure almond extract

Icing

  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons reserved peach puree
  • 2 tablespoons diced peaches

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Set aside 2 tablespoons peach purée for icing.
  • In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs, remaining peach purée and extracts until smooth.
  • Add flour mixture and beat just until combined.
  • Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 38-45 minutes.
  • Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Spread icing on cooled cake.

Icing

  • In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
  • Add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of peach purée. Beat until smooth. Add additional peach purée, if needed, until desired consistency is reached. Fold in diced peaches.
Keyword cake, peach

Pineapple Scones with Cream Cheese Icing

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Pineapple Scones with Cream Cheese Icing

I had pineapple smoothies two days in a row. There’s something so vibrant and refreshing about pineapple. It feels sunny and tropical. Should scones ever feel sunny and tropical? I’m going to say yes, why not? Scones deserve a vacation too. They can take a break from tea parties and coffee shops and enjoy a little sunny picnic with iced tea or a beachfront breakfast or brunch with mimosas.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you experience your first bite of a scone with a burst of pineapple flavor. I immediately thought, “Why isn’t this a thing?” There are probably other pineapple scones out there in the universe, but they’re definitely not well known, like the very popular blueberry scone for example. I’m going to go so far as to say, pineapple scones are better than blueberry scones. And this is coming from a person who loves blueberries!

 

Pineapple Scones with Cream Cheese Icing

by Mari Vasseur
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 8 scones

Ingredients
  

Pineapple Scones

  • 1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 7 tablespoons (99g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup (118ml) cold heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) pineapple juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (170g) chopped pineapple, fresh or canned in juice Chop into 1/2-inch pieces. If using canned pineapple, drain well and reserve the juice
  • Egg wash 1 egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon water

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 2 tablespoons (28g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) pineapple juice

Instructions
 

Pineapple Scones

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF. (190ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size pieces form.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, pineapple juice and vanilla. Stir the heavy cream mixture into the flour and butter mixture until a shaggy dough is formed. Gently stir in the pineapple.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a few times. Do not overwork the dough. Pat or roll the dough into a 7-inch round. Cut the dough into 8 wedges.
  • Place the scones about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the scones with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 18-22 minutes. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Icing

  • In a medium-sized bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Add the butter and beat until smooth and well combined. Whisk in the powdered sugar and pineapple juice until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cooled scones.
Keyword pineapple, scones

Cherry Cutie Pies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Cherry Cutie Pies

Cherry season is highly anticipated at my house. We love enjoying a bowl of fresh cherries during the summer. We also love fresh cherry desserts. These cute little hand pies are a family favorite. They have the most delicious fresh cherry filling, surrounded with buttery, flaky crust and topped with vanilla icing. The small size makes them perfect for sharing or taking them along in a picnic lunch. I like to make the crust and the filling the day before, which makes them come together quicker on baking day. I decorated mine with bright red maraschino cherries for the photo, but my favorite cherries to top them with are Italian-style maraschino cherries.

 

Cherry Cutie Pies

by Mari Vasseur
3-inch cherry hand pies with flaky crust, topped with vanilla icing
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20 hand pies

Ingredients
  

Pie Crust

  • 2 â…” cups (340g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (48g) vegetable shortening
  • ¾ cup (170g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup (118ml) cold ice water
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar

Cherry Filling

  • 12 ounces (340g) fresh cherries, pitted, halved and stems removed (about 1 3/4 cups after prep)
  • â…“ cup (66g) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (10g) cornstarch
  • â…› teaspoon almond extract
  • Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water

Icing

  • 1 ¼ cups (150g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon meringue powder (optional)
  • 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) whole milk
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 dash fine sea salt
  • Pitted cherries for garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

Pie Crust

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the shortening into the flour with your fingertips until it's evenly dispersed throughout. Work the butter into the flour mixture, creating flat dime size pieces.
  • In a glass measuring cup, mix the ice water and vinegar together. Sprinkle the liquid over the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring until the dough comes together. You may not need all of the liquid depending on your climate.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Do not overwork the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and form into disks. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Cherry Filling

  • In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar and cornstarch. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cherries start to soften and the juices are thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cherries to a bowl. Stir in the almond extract. Set aside to cool completely.

Icing

  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, meringue powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons (22ml) of milk, the salt and the vanilla extract. Add additional milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency. (If you decide to omit the meringue powder, you'll need less milk.)

Assembly

  • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to about 1/8-inch (.3cm) thickness. Cut out 20-22 3-inch (7.6cm) rounds. Transfer half of the rounds to a baking sheet, placing them about 2 inches (5cm) apart. Using a slotted spoon, place the filling onto rounds to within 1/2-inch (1.3cm) of the edges. Using a small pastry brush or your finger, apply egg wash to the edges. Top with the remaining rounds. Press the edges to seal & crimp with a fork. Brush the pies with egg wash. Cut a small x in the top of each pie.
  • Bake until golden, about 18-24 min. Transfer the pies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Brush icing on the cooled pies with a pastry brush. When the icing is almost set, top the pies with pitted cherries if desired.
Keyword cherry, pastry, pie

Little Strawberry Charlotte

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Little Strawberry Charlotte

Meet Little Strawberry Charlotte. She brings romance with her wherever she goes. Whether it’s a tea party, a birthday celebration or a romantic dinner, you’ll gaze at her beauty and sigh. This lovely Charlotte has luscious strawberry mascarpone cream filling layered with lady fingers and topped with fresh strawberries. I used store bought lady fingers to make life easier but you can certainly bake your own if you wish. I typically make this in spring or summer when the weather is warm and strawberries are plentiful. But since my local stores start carrying an abundance of strawberries around Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be a perfect time to make this pretty little Charlotte.

Little Strawberry Charlotte

A pretty no-bake dessert layered with strawberry mascarpone cream filling and lady fingers and topped with fresh strawberries.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Simple Syrup

  • â…“ cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • â…“ cup (78ml) water
  • ½ teaspoon strawberry or vanilla extract

Strawberry Charlottte

  • 12 ounces (340g) strawberries, hulled and sliced about 2 cups after slicing
  • ¾ cup (150g)) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (59ml) cold water
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened gelatin powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure strawberry extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cups (397g) mascarpone cheese, softened
  • â…” cup (156ml) cold heavy whipping cream
  • 28 ladyfingers
  • 10-12 fresh strawberries for garnish
  • Clean pesticide free rose for garnish optional
  • Clean ribbon for garnish

Instructions
 

Simple Syrup

  • Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Do not boil.
  • Remove from heat and transfer to a small shallow bowl or dish wide enough to dip the ladyfingers. Stir in the extract.

Strawberry Charlotte

  • In a blender or food processor, purée the strawberries. Pass through a mesh sieve to strain out the seeds.
  • In a medium-size saucepan, combine the strawberry puree and sugar. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside two tablespoons of the strawberry purée mixture then cover it and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin powder. Whisk together and let sit until dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture to the warm strawberry purée mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool.
  • In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth. Add the strawberry purée mixture and the extracts. Beat just until well combined.
  • In a separate large bowl, whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, being careful not to over whip. Fold the whipped cream into mascarpone mixture.
  • Slice one round end off of 16 ladyfingers. Dunk them briefly in the simple syrup then line them up along the inner sides of a 7-inch by 3 inch deep springform pan.* Typically you would line them smooth side in facing the filling, but I placed mine smooth side out which gives a smooth look on the outside and it makes removal from the pan easier. (You can also line the bottom of the pan with a cake board** if you don't want to serve the dessert from the base.)
  • Line the bottom snuggly with ladyfingers, cutting to fit where necessary. Top with half of the filling, about 2 cups. Then top with a layer of ladyfingers, cutting to fit. Top with the remaining filling. Smooth the top with a small offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 4 hours.
  • Carefully remove the springform pan ring from the base. Separate the base from the cake board, if using. Garnish with fresh strawberries. Brush the strawberries with reserved strawberry purée mixture. Tie the ribbon around the finished Charlotte.

Notes

*To find a 7-inch springform pan, click here.
**To find a 7-inch cake board, click here.
Keyword cake, strawberry

Lemon Scones

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Lemon Scones

Yellow is the color of happiness and sunshine. These adorable Lemon Scones will bring you a burst of lemony brightness even on the grayest day. The pretty, vibrant yellow sparkling sugar adds a pleasant crunch to the tops. It’s a nice contrast to the soft, tender interior of the scones. These little gems would shine on any breakfast or brunch table. I served them with blueberry jam and green tea, which was so delightful, I’m still smiling.

 

Lemon Scones

by Mari Vasseur
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 12 scones

Ingredients
  

Lemon Scones

  • 1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (50g) sugar
  • 7 tablespoons (99g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • Zest of 2 medium lemons
  • â…” cup (156ml) cold heavy cream plus more for tops
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
  • Yellow sparkling sugar*

Icing

  • â…“ cup (40g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon heavy cream
  • 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions
 

Lemon Scones

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until well blended
  • Work the butter and lemon zest into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size chunks form.
  • Stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice until a shaggy dough is formed. If your dough seems too dry, you can add 1-2 more teaspoons of heavy cream.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Do not overwork the dough.
  • Pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch round, about 3/4-inch thick. Cut out rounds using a 2" or 2 1/4" inch round cutter.**
  • Place the scones about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the scones with heavy cream. Sprinkle generously with sparkling sugar.
  • Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 16-19 minutes.
  • Cool completely on a wire rack. Decorate with icing.

Icing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream and enough lemon juice to form a stiff icing.
  • Transfer the icing to a piping bag or a plastic zip bag. Snip off the tip of the bag. Pipe lines in a spoke pattern onto the scones.

Notes

*To find the sparkling sugar I used, click here.
**To find the cutter I used, click here.
Keyword lemon, scones

French Toast Cubes

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

French toast in all forms is welcome here! Everything from classic French toast to stuffed, sticks, bricks, casseroles and even cubes. I came up with this recipe for French Toast Cubes after I had a French toast brick at a restaurant. I like the idea of tall, thick pieces of French toast, but the cubes are a bit more manageable. This is a fun to make, well-loved recipe. I love to serve the cubes with warm maple syrup and fresh whipped cream.

French Toast Cubes

Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 8 cubes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 loaf unsliced bread such as French bread or Japanese milk bread
  • 4 large eggs
  • ¾ cup whole milk or half and half
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF. With a serrated knife, cut the bread into eight 2-inch cubes.
  • In an 11 x 7-inch baking dish, whisk tougher the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt.
  • Coat all sides of the the bread cubes with the egg mixture. Let the cubes soak up all of the liquid.
  • Fry the cubes on a hot buttered griddle until all sides are golden brown.
  • Transfer the cubes to a baking sheet with a wire rack. Bake until the cubes are puffy, about 20 minutes.

Lavender Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Honey Buttercream

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Lavender Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Honey Buttercream

Lavender and honey go so well together. Bees know it, fairies know it, princesses know it. The flavor combination is so delightful in these cookies, that I decided to share them with you. In addition to delicious, compatible flavors, these cookies have a divine texture combination. The shortbread cookies have a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Together with the silky, smooth honey buttercream, they’ll make you feel fancy and regal. You’ll hold your head up higher, ring for your tea and declare that you do indeed deserve fine things!

Some people are nervous about baking with lavender because they don’t want their baked goods to taste like soap or perfume. That can be a concern if the lavender flavor is too pronounced. However, if you don’t use enough you won’t be able to taste it at all. There’s a fine balance. If you use the right amount, it will taste pleasant and have sweet undertones. I used two teaspoons of culinary lavender in these cookies, but you can adjust the amount to your tastes. You can start out with one teaspoon, bake a small sample of dough and taste it, to customize the flavor.

Speaking of tasting, my grandmother always said, “taste as you go.” This is also helpful when making the honey buttercream. Typically, when making other flavors of buttercream, you add more powdered sugar if your buttercream is too thin. In this case, adding more powdered sugar can make the buttercream too sweet. Once you have added the amount of honey that tastes good to you, you can add a little cornstarch if you need to stiffen it up a bit.

Lavender Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Honey Buttercream

Tender lavender scented cookies with silky honey buttercream filling
Print Recipe
Servings 18

Ingredients
  

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

  • 2 cups (9 oz or 255g) all purpose flour
  • ½ cup (2 1/4 oz or 64g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (8 oz or 227g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons culinary lavender

Honey Buttercream

  • ¾ cup (6 oz or 170g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (2 1/4 or 64g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2-3 tablespoons honey
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional

Instructions
 

Lavender Shortbread Cookie

  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt.
  • In a separate large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the lavender. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed, just until combined.
  • Divide the dough into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but not more than 8 hours.
  • Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch circles. Place two inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Refrigerate cut cookies for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Bake cookies until the bottom edges are light golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.
  • Transfer cookies to a cooking rack to cool completely.
  • Pipe or spread about 1/2 tablespoon of buttercream on the bottom of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies.

Honey Buttercream

  • In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Add honey, one tablespoon at a time until desired sweetness and consistency is reached.
  • Mix in a pinch of salt to taste.
  • Mix in cornstarch, if necessary, to firm up buttercream. *See notes below.

Notes

*The addition of cornstarch helps to firm up buttercream without adding additional sweetness.
To find culinary lavender, click here.
Keyword cookies