Maple Pie

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour 5 mins

Total time

1 hour 35 mins

 

Maple Pie - a close cousin to butter tarts, sugar pie and even a southern pecan pie. This rich maple flavoured filling in a flakey butter cry pastry is perfect for Canada Day or even for Thanksgiving or at the Holidays.

Author: Barry C. Parsons

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

For the butter pastry

• 2 1\2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup very cold butter cut in small cubes
• ⅓ cup ice cold water
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

For the filling

• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• pinch salt
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• ⅔ cup whipping cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 eggs

Instructions

To prepare the pastry

1. Using a food processor or a pastry blender cut cold butter into the flour and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pea sized pieces of butter should still be visible.
2. Pour vinegar into the cold water then pour over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form. Use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible, form the dough into a ball.
3. Divide dough into 2 balls, flatten into 2, 6 inch rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes.You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out. (This pastry recipe makes sufficient for two pie crusts, so wrap one of the pastry rounds tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it for later.)
4. Roll the dough into a 12 - 14 inch round and place in the bottom of a 9½ inch pie plate.
5. Push the dough into the corners and ensure that it is not stretched at all or it will shrink from the edge.
6. Trim dough to a half inch past the edge of plate.
7. Fold the ends under and finch with fingers or fork to shape the edges into whatever design you like best.
8. Place in freezer for 10 -15 minutes to chill before adding the filling.

To prepare the filling

1. In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar butter and salt. Bring to a boil over medium low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the whipping cream and vanilla extract. Allow to cool to room temperature for about an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
4. When the boiled mixture is cool, whisk in the eggs into the filling until smooth and pour into the chilled pie shell.
5. Bake on a low rack at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. The middle may still wobble a little at this point but should appear set.
6. Cool to room temperature before refrigerating until serving.
7. Great served with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.

The best Italian-Style Meatball Recipe

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef, 4% fat at most
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup egg whites or fat-free liquid egg substitute
• 2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

Topping

• 1 cup seeded and chopped tomato
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup finely hashed sweet onion
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

Directions

Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 35

1 . Set oven to 350 degrees and preheat. Choose 8″ X 8″ baking pan and spray with nonstick spray.
2 . Combine all topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix softly until homogenous. Then refrigerate covered.
3 . Combine in a large bowl the following ingredients: ground beef, egg whites or substitute, breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Make 12 equal sized meatballs.
4 . Place meatballs in the baking pan, and evenly garnish with marinara sauce.
5 . Use foil to cover pan before baking for 20 minutes.
6 . Remove foil, bake again about 10 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.
7 . Scatter mozzarella and Parm, bake for 5 minutes until mozzarella melts.
8 . Garnish with topping.

Nutritional information

Servings: 4 | Serving Size: 1/4th of recipe, about 3 garnished and saucy meatballs 

• Calories: 255
• Fat: 8.5g
• Sodium: 681mg
• Carbs: 11g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugars: 4.5g
• Protein: 31.5g

PointsPlus: 6 | SmartPoints: 5

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Ingredients

• 2lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium Onion, diced
• 2 packet Ranch Dressing Mix (I used Mrs Dash no salt seasoning Ranch packets)
• 2 packet Taco Seasoning (I used Mrs Dash no salt seasoning Ranch packets)
• 1 32 oz. box (low sodium) Swanson Chicken Broth
• 14.5 oz. can Tomato Sauce (low sodium)
• 2 – 14.5 oz cans Diced Tomatoes with Chiles
• 14.5 oz can Black Beans (low sodium)
• 1 can Corn (low sodium)

Instructions

1. Saute onions for 2 minutes.
2. Add ground beef and brown the meat.
3. Drain browned ground beef to remove excess fat.
4. Add ground beef mixture and all other ingredients (do not drain corn or black beans) to slow cooker.
5. Cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 6 hours.
6. Garnish with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Notes

SmartPoints: 5 (about 1½ cups per serving)
Points Plus: 5 (same serving size)

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 12 Calories: 196 Saturated fat: 3.14 Carbohydrates: 11.8 Sugar: 1.17 Fiber: 3.7 Protein: 18.93

Olive Garden Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli Recipe

5 Smart Points

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef, browned and drained
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 can (14 to 15 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can (14 to 15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14 to 15 ounces) white beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) tomato-basil marinara or pasta sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
• ¾ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1-1/4 cups dry pasta (I used fusilli, but shells or ditalini would work well), cooked separately according to the package directions.
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, optional for serving
• Grated Parmesan, optional for serving

Instructions

1. Stir together the cooked and drained ground beef, onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, beans, broth, pasta sauce, oregano, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a 6 to 7-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours, or until the vegetables are as tender as you like them.
3. When ready to serve, stir the cooked pasta into the soup. Taste the soup and adjust the salt and herbs to suit your tastes.
4. Serve with grated parmesan and a sprinkling of fresh parsley if desired.

Cook’s Notes

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1-1/4 cups): 238 calories, 3 g fat, 32 g carbs, 9 g fiber, 19 g protein and *5 PointsPlus

Leeks & apples soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 leek, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 big apple, peeled, cored and cubed
• 1 l of water
• 2 cubes of vegetable stock
• salt, pepper
• pinch of nutmeg
• spring onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon of sliced almonds

How to make Leeks & apples soup

1. Melt butter in a pot, fry onion and leek, till translucent.
2. Add carrot, potato, apple, pour in water, add stock cubes, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
3. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes.
4. Mix soup with blender.
5. Serve sprinkled with mint leaves, spring onion and almonds.

chocolate cranberry cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients

3 tbsp dried cranberries2 tbsp brandy2 tbsp milk1 tsp vanilla essence
90g (80%) dark chocolate90g salted butter
6 tbsp plain flour1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs4 tbsp brown sugar
45g (62%) dark chocolate15g salted butter1 tbsp whipping creamsugar hearts

How to make petite chocolate cranberry cupcakes

1. soak cranberries in brandy, milk and vanilla essence for 4 hours.
2. break chocolate into pieces and place it in a bowl together with the butter. melt over a bain marie, stirring from time to time.
3. sift together the flour and baking powder.
4. break eggs into a mixing bowl and add sugar. whisk until the sugar is melted.
5. whisk in the flour, 2 tbsp at a time, until the flour and eggs are combined.
6. stir in cranberries and the soaking liquid, as well as the melted chocolate and butter.
7. spoon mixtures into tiny lined cupcake moulds until 3/4 full.
8. bake in preheated oven at 180C for 12 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
9. remove cupcakes from the oven and leave to cool for about 20 minutes.
10. to decorate, melt chocolate, butter and cream over a bain marie. dip the top of the cupcakes into the melted chocolate and top each with a sugar heart.

XO Beef Recipe

Ingredients

• 350 grams flank steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon potato starch
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons XO sauce
• 1 onion, cut in wedges
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• 1 teaspoon drown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 2 tablespoons potato starch

How to make XO Beef

1. Mix meat with soy sauce and potato starch. Let it marinate for 1 hour.
2. Heat oil and fry garlic and XO sauce for one minute, then add onions and yellow pepper and stir-fry 2-3 minutes.
3. Add meat and stir fry just until it loses its pink color, then add sugar, salt, and rice wine and stir another minute, then mix 2 tablespoons of potato starch with 2 tablespoons of water and pour into wok. Stir until it thickens, then serve.

Cassava cooked and seasoned with olive oil, garlic Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 kg peeled and cooked cassava
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced 
• 1/3 cup olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 2 teaspoons oregano  
• Salt and black pepper pepper to taste

How to make Cassava cooked and seasoned with olive oil, garlic

Saute garlic in oil until golden brown but not (I prefer the golden garlic!).Mix the other ingredients and spread the sauce on top of cassava.Let stand for several minutes and serve.

Brioche with peach and cottage cheese Recipe

Ingredients

Dough:

• 6 grams of yeast
• 250 grams of wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 100 grams of butter
• 1/2 cup of water

Stuffing:

• 250 grams of cottage cheese
• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 big peaches, peeled and cubed

How to make Brioche with peach and cottage cheese

1. Use 1/2 cup of warm water, dissolve yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour.
2. Wait till yeast mixture doubles.
3. In big bowl, sift flour, pour in yeast, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, salt and eggs. Knead well till ingredients are well combined and dough is smooth and uniformed.
4. Add soft butter, bit by bit, mix well.
5. Let dough to rest for 1,5 hour. Cover bowl with cloth to prevent drying. Dough should raise.
6. Knead dough again, wrap with foil and refrigerate about 6 hours (could be overnight, but no longer than 12 hours).
7. Prepare stuffing, mix cottage cheese with sugar and egg.
8. Roll out dough into rectangular on baking paper.
9. Spread cheese mixture, sprinkle with fruits.
10. Fold shorter sides of rectangular, so that ends meet in the middle. Cut in half (where end of dough meet), then in 6 stripes.
11. Transfer dough on baking paper into baking tray. Smear with whisked egg. Let it rest for 1,5 hour.
12. Bake in preheated oven, in 190 C degrees about 25 minutes.

Bento for busy people

Ingredients

for the hot and blistered brussels:brussels sproutscrushed red chili pepper flakesgarlic and shallotbutterolive oil
for the chinese celery with garlic hoisin sauce
any green leafy vegetablegarlichoisin sauce - I use the Soy Vay brand. I know it's cheating but I couldn't make a better one so there
for the ginger miso tofu:extra firm tofuwhite miso pastehoneyrice vinegarfreshly grated ginger (must use)freshly grated carrotjapanese furikake seaweed seasoning

How to make Bento for busy people

Hi! Thanks for looking - here are three quick recipes for your lunch box. First I should say I firmly believe that the heart and soul of anything sauteed and savory is garlic and shallot so I always prep these first and have them ready to go before cooking. Secondly, outside the world of pastry, I don't really follow recipes and don't measure things either so take these as ideas, not prescriptions. Have fun, eat well, be good to your colon:
Blistered brussels

1. No need to pre-boil. Chop off the base, bisect and heat a moderate amount of oil in a good sautee pan that is large enough to accommodate the brussels with the cut side down.  
2. When the oil is shimmering but not smoking, throw in brussels and arrange so that the cut surface is down. You should stay on medium-high heat to achieve blistering. 
3. When you get the blackening that you want, toss, turn the heat down so it's not crazy hot anymore, make a well in the middle, into which goes the butter which should sizzle but not evaporate immediately (1-3 tbsp depending on your taste) . The idea is to create a pool of butter into which you place your diced shallot and garlic. Cooking these together after the blistering step prevents burnt garlic. Once the shallot and garlic smell incredible, toss all together, season, add chili pepper and cover on low heat. At this point it's done, ready for the backburner and you can start the leafy vegetable. By the time you're done with that the brussels should be tender all the way through.

** Instead of the oil in the first step, use chunks of thick-cut bacon over low-medium heat for 15 minutes to liquify the fat, then proceed with step 1. The bacon will crisp up with the brussels.

Leafy vegetable. The idea here is to get everything going with an initial blazing sautee step, then a quick steaming phase and a final saucing, all in one pan. 

1. On high heat: oil in pan, garlic, shallot, add vegetable (no need to pre-cook), toss, add a splash of water, cover until steam starts coming out everywhere, uncover, add sauce to taste. Takes about 3 - 5 minutes depending on how delicate your greens. 

Tofu salad This one requires a bit of prep but it is a sweet, solid texture that satisfies alongside eating a pile of vegetables. 

1. Essentially in a large mixing bowl, whisk like a heaping teaspoon of white miso paste with some honey and thin it out - I use the tofu water, why not? Add a splash of rice vinegar to taste. 
2. A microplane zester is best for this. Otherwise find the finest grater you can. Zest fresh ginger and carrot, enough to mix into your dressing so that it's the consistency of like, orange juice with extra pulp. Taste along with adding ginger, you don't need much. I use like 3:1 carrot to ginger.
3. Add cubed tofu. Use the back of the spoon to push the tofu up the sides of the bowl to mix without busting up the corners. Refrigerate.

Polish Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 mediuam boiled/peeled potatoes
• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 2 boiled carrots
• 1 celery stalk (optional)
• 1 apple (optional)
• 2 sour dill pickles (optional)
• 2 cups of green peas (fresh or canned)
• 3 tablespoons of Polish mustard (available in Polish store)
• 0.5 - 1 cup of mayonnaise (depending on taste)
• Salt and pepper

How to make Russian / Polish Salad

1. Dice up all the veggies/fruit into small cubes
2. Add mustard, mayo, salt and pepper and mix together. There is no right amount for these ingredients and it all depends on taste. Some people like a lot of mayo, some like less. Also, pickles, celery and apple are optional and again, depend on taste. My mom sometimes adds ham to this recipe, although I personally like it better vegetarian.

This salad is very versatile and tastes good with just about anything - meats, potatoes, pastas, perogies, even curries!

Okra Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups of Okras
• 2 cups of Tofu
• 1 tbsp of chopped Cilantro
• 2-3 tbsp of soy paste
• some sriracha chili sauce
• 2-3 tbsp of katsuobushi (dry fish flakes)

How to make Okra Salad

1. Clean and cut okras in half.
2. Boil okras in water for 5 minutes.
3. Rinse okras in cold water.
4. Cut tofu into bit size.
5. Place okra and tofu in plate.
6. Top with cilantro and katsuobushi.
7. Drizzle soy pasta and sriracha on top.

John Dory with Fennel and Coriander & Lime Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 2 John Dory fillets
• 6 tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
• juice of half a lime
• good handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1 small fennel, sliced
• well-seasoned plain flour, for dusting
• olive oil and butter for frying
• salt & pepper
• a generous pinch of caster sugar

How to make John Dory with Fennel and Coriander & Lime Salsa

Here I've served this gorgeous fish dish with well-buttered crushed new potatoes, but you could also serve it with rice, or just some good crusty brown bread.

For the salsa:

• Combine lime, tomatoes, coriander, sugar, shallot and season to taste. Mix well.
• Ideally make at least 2 hours before serving and allow to sit covered in the fridge.

For the fennel:

• Heat some olive oil in a saucepan to a medium heat and add the fennel, seasoning well.
• Cook the fennel slowly for about 10 minutes until soft and tender.

For the fish (Guideline only, this very much depends on the size of your fillets. For smaller fish, you may not need to transfer to the oven. For larger ones it will be easier to cook through this way):

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
• Coat the fish in the seasoned flour
• Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan (preferably one that can also go in the oven) on a medium-high heat
• Fry skin-side down until crispy and golden brown - 4 minutes or so
• Turn fish and fry for a further 2 minutes on the non-skin side.
• Transfer to the oven and cook through for 5 minutes.
• Serve immediately!

Braised Beef Shanks Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 kilo beef shanks

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1/2 cup white onions, chopped

4 pieces star anise

2 sticks cinnamon

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

1/4 cup dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

6 fresh or rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms, sliced in hald

salt, to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1 bundle bok choy, leaves separted and blanched until tender

COOKING PROCEDURE

Heat oil in a large frying pan until almost smoking. Sear beef pieces in batches until surface is brown. Set aside.

Place seared beef and remaining ingredients except for mushrooms, cornstarch, and bok choy in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add enough water to cover meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cover partially and simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until meat is fork-tender. Add mushrooms 30 minutes before stew is done.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Discard star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Add dissolved cornstarch and mix to thicken sauce. Add bok choy. Serve hot.