Maple Ice Cream with Sweet Pastry

What greater way to celebrate Canada Day than by indulging in two of Canada's most prized possessions - Maple Syrup and what some refer to as BeaverTails! I absolutely ADORE both of these sweet heavenly treats. I figure why not put the two together for a true "fireworks" dessert.

For trademark purposes, let me clarify:  the pastry recipe found here is based on one in the book: 250 Best Canadian Bread Machine: Baking Recipes and does NOT reflect the official trademarked recipe for BeaverTails.  To be safe, from this point forward I will refer to the used recipe here as one for "Sweet Pastry".

If memory serves me correctly, I had my first real BeaverTail in the mid 90s while skating along the canal in my home town of Ottawa, Canada. Actually I was born near Ottawa in the province of Quebec. As I cannot speak a word of French I figure labeling Ottawa as my hometown just simplifies things and saves me explaining yet again why I, a "Quebecer", cannot speak the language. But I can speak the language of love and what comes to my lips when I think of love is a golden, fried and sweet beaver tail topped generously with cinnamon sugar. Pair that with a hot chocolate in the middle of February and I am yours ! Pair it with maple ice cream in the summer and hey, I can be anything you want me to be, baby.

Anyway, back to BeaverTails. In case you are not aware, Ottawa is home to the worlds largest skating rink known as the Rideau Canal. For me, the best part of the winter season isn't exactly the canal itself but rather the little food kiosks they open up along its frozen edges. Once I don my skates, I immediately head for the BeaverTails Hut. In fact, that is the only reason I will ever drag my butt down to the canal in the freezing cold with my feet jammed into a pair of ice cube skates. Such is my love of the BeaverTail.

These indulgences shouldn't end when the snow melts. We shouldn't sit back and pine away for the cold tundra to arrive again before we can sink our teeth into our favorite pastry treat. Let's enjoy such sweet pastries all year long!

During a hot, sweltering summer day nothing beats the taste of a fresh sweet pastry topped with cool and creamy maple syrup ice cream. Close your eyes and try to imagine it. Bet you can't. You have to taste it! In this case your imagination simply isn't going to do it justice. To taste it means to make it so let's get started.

Ok but wait, before we dive in I need to moan about the ice cream too. OMG! It is sooooo creamy and rich. The maple syrup gives it an incredibly sweet , almost caramely (ok not a word but so suiting) flavor. Super on its own or even with added pecans but beautifully highlighted atop a beaver tail. I am not sure if I will ever be able to go back to eating ice cream from a cone ever again.

To get started, give yourself 2 days of time from start to finish. You will want to prepare the ice cream custard the day before and let it rest in the fridge overnight. Bright and early the next day spoon it into your ice cream maker and freeze accordingly to manufacturer's instructions. Later that day it is time to fire up the bread maker. We will use it to make your sweet pastry dough. Have a candy/oil thermometer handy too because you will need to keep your oil for deep frying hovering around 350F for perfectly golden fried dough. So are you ready? Great, let's go !





RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

ICE CREAM
*adjusted source recipe: Maple Pecan Ice Cream, Joy of Baking

3/4 cup pure maple syrup. I use President's Choice 100% Maple Syrup but any good grade one will do
2 cups half-and-half cream
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream (35-40% butterfat )

SWEET PASTRY
*adjust source recipe: 250 Best Canadian Bread Machine: Baking Recipes

1 cup of milk at room temperature
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter at room temperature
3 1/4 cups bread flour
3/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast

SWEET PASTRY TOPPING

1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon (Saigon variety is great for extra kick!)
Combine both in a bowl and have a spoon handy for sprinkling

MAKE IT

ICE CREAM

IN SMALL SAUCEPAN, over med/high heat, combine maple syrup and half-and-half
STIR continuously until near scalding (mixture will begin to foam)
REMOVE from heat
IN LARGE STEEL BOWL, with electric hand mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar 2 minutes high speed
SLOWLY pour hot syrup mixture into egg yolks adding only a little bit at a time and whisking after each addition
PLACE bowl over a large saucepan filled partially with simmering hot water. Do not let the bowl touch the water
WHISK custard continuously until thickened and coats the back of the spoon. This can take approx. 15 minutes or longer. Do not let it get so hot it starts to boil
REMOVE from heat, stir in heavy cream and cover with cling film.
LET STAND at room temperature for 1 hour
PLACE in fridge, still covered, and let sit overnight
NEXT DAY, scoop custard into ice cream maker and freezing accordingly to manufacturer's instructions.

SWEET PASTRY

ADD all ingredients in the order above to your bread maker's bread pan
SET to dough cycle, press START , sit back and relax
WHEN cycle ends, place dough onto lightly floured surface and cover with a bowl for 15 minutes
IN LARGE DUTCH OVEN, heat 2"-3" of canola oil to 350F
LINE two cookie sheets with paper towel and set aside
UNCOVER dough and separate into 10 pieces
WITH YOUR FINGERS, stretch the dough into 8"x 6" ovals
PLACE one oval into hot oil and submerse with steel tongs
FLIP after 45 seconds and hold down again for 30 seconds
REMOVE with tongs and place on paper towel lined baking sheets
IMMEDIATELY sprinkled generously with cinnamon sugar mixture
REPEAT until you have made 10 beaver tails

TOP THE SWEET PASTRIES
with scoops of maple ice cream, grab a napkin, a spoon and DIG IN !

Also seen here:

Baked Cake Donuts with Maple Glaze

Super-moist baked donuts topped with a sweet maple glaze and sprinkled with maple sugar. These donuts are cake-like in nature with a lovely crumb. The sour cream in the recipe works wonders for moisture and richness. Only a 1/4 cup of full fat sour cream goes a long way !

The source recipe comes from one of my new fave cookbooks: Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni.

The original recipe calls for yogurt but I used sour cream instead. I also reduced the nutmeg and added cinnamon.

The glaze recipe was also changed by adding some maple extract in addition to maple syrup. It made a world of difference in flavor.

As these are baked donuts, you can save the deep-frying for another day. I piped the batter into the donut molds and they baked up in perfect form. This recipe makes about 8 regular sized donuts or 6 large ones if you want to try and squeeze all the batter into your 6 donut mold pan in one shot.

You will also have leftover glaze with this recipe so either cut the recipe in half or save the excess, covered in the fridge for no longer than 24 hours, and simply give it a quick whisk before using to glaze your next batch!

I readily admit, I ate one still warm and freshly glazed. I didn't give them much time to cool. One one word: Perfection! But they are just as tasty several hours after baking. I do highly recommend eating them the same day they are baked.




LET'S GET STARTED!

RECIPE:
*altered source recipe for Baked Cake: Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni.

WHAT YOU NEED

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup superfine granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Saigon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature or vegetable shortening ( I used vegetable shortening)
1/4 cup whole milk, scalded
1/4 full fat sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten

GLAZE

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon maple extract
2 tablespoons milk
maple sugar

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE a 6 mold donut pan with cooking spray
IN LARGE BOWL, sift together flours and baking powder
WHISK in sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt
CUT in butter or shortening with a fork until broken up into pea size
GENTLY FOLD in milk, sour cream, vanilla extract, beaten egg only until combined
SPOON batter into a piping bag equipped with a large french tip (swirl or large circle tips are great too) and pipe into donut pan.
BAKE 6-10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Mine were perfect at exactly 8 minutes.
LET COOL in pan 5 minutes
TRANSFER DONUTS to cooling rack.

IN MEDIUM SHALLOW BOWL, whisk together all glaze ingredients except maple sugar
DIP TOPS OF DONUTS into glaze and set back onto rack
SPRINKLE tops with maple sugar
LET glaze to set (approx. 10 minutes)

For those on the hunt for a good donut pan, Amazon has the Wilton one for a super price. I love my Wilton pan! Here is the link: Wilton Donut Pan

In closing, I would like to announce
a new addition to our family.
Her name is Majestic.
She is a glorious butter yellow KitchenAid Artisan Mixer.
I am confident we will soon share an inseparable bond :)

Also seen here:

Maple Mousse in Tuile Bowls

Time for the April Daring Baker's Challenge!

The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!

For the container I decided to try my hand at Tuile cookies. They were a challenge all on their own. I ended up ruining one entire batch because I had yet to figure out the right timing to take them off the cookie sheet and fold them over my little glass bowls to form an "edible container". To early and they fell apart; too late and they did the same thing. The dog enjoyed the failures. Ok, I confess, I did too.

Once I was successful in the Tuile department I had to decide how to liven them up a bit. So I took my handy-dandy foodie paintbrush and brushed the edges with corn syrup. Then I sprinkled small white candy balls over the sticky edges. Worked like a charm!

As far a the mousse goes, that was lovely to make. I was initially worried the hot syrup would "scramble" my eggs but nope, the tempering step worked perfectly.

Overall the final product was delightful and I will definitely make this again because
as you well know, I am a maple sugar addict !

Let's Get Started

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

FOR THE TUILES:
makes approx. 7-8 cookies
source recipe: The Art and Soul of Baking

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sifted cake flour
2 large egg whites
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Corn syrup and sprinkles for decorating

FOR THE MAPLE MOUSSE:
1 cup (240 ml/ 8 fluid oz.) pure maple syrup (not maple-flavoured syrup)
4 large egg yolks
1 package (7g/1 tbsp.) unflavoured gelatine
1 1/2 cups (360 ml. g/12 fluid oz) whipping cream (35% fat content)

MAKE IT

TUILES:

IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together flour and sugar
ADD eggs and vanilla, whisk until combined
ADD melted butter; continue to whisk until batter is smooth
COVER bowl with cling wrap and let sit in fridge for 30 minutes
PREHEAT OVEN to 350F
LINE a cookie sheet with parchment paper

MAKE 3 COOKIES at a time
SCOOP 1 tablespoon of batter per cookie onto the parchment paper leaving at least 3 inches between cookies.
SPREAD into circle shape with icing spatula . My cookies were approx. 4"- 5" in diameter
HAVE 3 rounded small glass bowls handy which you can use to shape your baked cookies. Turn it over and spray it lightly with cooking spray
BAKE cookies 7-9 minutes until edges are golden brown
PLACE cookies on cooling rack and allow to cool 1 minute
WITH SPATULA, lift cookies off rack place each one for the upside down bowl.
PRESS cookies in slightly towards the bowl to form a bowl shape
ALLOW to cool 20 minutes
WHEN fully cooled, gently remove from glass bowls, turn right side up and coat edges with corn syrup. Use a food safe paint brush for this
SPRINKLE gooey edges with any sprinkles you like.



MAPLE MOUSSE:

BRING maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat.
IN A LARGE BOWL, whisk egg yolks and pour a little bit of the maple syrup in while whisking (this is to temper your egg yolks so they don’t curdle).
ADD warmed egg yolks to hot maple syrup until well mixed.
MEASURE 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a bowl and sprinkle it with the gelatine. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the bowl in a microwave for 45 seconds (microwave for 10 seconds at a time and check it in between) or place the bowl in a pan of barely simmering water, stir to ensure the gelatine has completely dissolved.
WHISK the gelatine/whipping cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside.
WHISK occasionally for approximately an hour or until the mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten raw egg white.
WHIP the remaining cream. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup mixture. Fold in the remaining cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.
REMOVE from the fridge and divide equally among your edible containers.
I piped my mousse into the cups and topped each one off with a sprinkling of maple sugar

WONDERFUL AS A FANCY DESSERT
TRY THESE AT YOUR NEXT DINNER PARTY!

Gluten-Free Maple Chocolate Cupcakes

I am a true maple syrup fanatic and right now, given the season, it is a perfect time to indulge. When I saw this gluten-free cupcake recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, I knew I had to make them. Chocolate and maple syrup is a wonderful combo and this cupcake is a great way to enjoy them both in one big bite!

The original recipe can be found in Cybele Pascal's book The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook.

As with the Snickerdoodle recipe also posted here on Lemon Drop, the original one in her book is both vegan and gluten-free. My focus was simply to retain its gluten-free qualities. Therefore, I used buttermilk and butter in this recipe instead of her alternative ingredients. I also made a vanilla buttercream frosting instead of the rice milk chocolate ganache in the book.

Basic Gluten-Free Baking Mix
used throughout the book:

• 4 cups superfine brown rice flour (preferably from Authentic Foods)
• 1 1/3 cups potato starch (NOT potato flour)
  
• 2/3 cup tapioca flour or tapioca starch

You will need 1 cup of this baking mix blend for this cupcake recipe.

Let's get started !!


RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

CUPCAKES

2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour mix (see above)
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

FROSTING

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (feel free to use maple extract here instead if you prefer )
1 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream
chocolate shavings


MAKE IT
PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 12 muffin tins with paper liners

IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, flour mix, and salt. Set aside
IN LARGE BOWL, cream butter 2 minutes HIGH speed with electric hand or stand mixer
ADD maple syrup and vanilla. Cream 2-3 minutes MED speed
ADD DRY AND WET INGREDIENTS IN STAGES AS FOLLOWS:
1/3 dry ingredients to butter mix. BLEND until combined
ADD 1/2 buttermilk, BLEND until combined
ADD 1/3 dry ingredients. BLEND UNTIL COMBINED
ADD remaining buttermilk, blend, and end with remaining dry mix. BEAT until smooth
FILL muffin cups 1/2 full as these do rise and peak somewhat during baking time
BAKE 18 minutes
ALLOW to cool 5 minutes in pan then remove cupcakes and let cool 1/2 hr on rack before frosting

FROSTING

COMBINE butter and icing sugar.
MIX high speed 3-4 MIN with electric hand or stand mixer
ADD VANILLA , blend thoroughly
ADD CREAM just until desired consistency is reached

PIPE frosting onto cooled cupcakes and top with chocolate shavings

Featured Here: Sweet Tooth Friday

Featured Here: FOODIE FRIDAY !

Cinnamon Buns with Maple Glaze

Flaky, buttery, and loaded with cinnamon and sugar! In honor of maple syrup season , these ones are topped with a maple glaze.

One bite and you will think immediately of the flavor associated with Cinnabon! Now you can make your faves at home and bypass the visit to the mall.

The best thing about these cinnamon buns? The dough is made in the bread maker!

A FEW PICS TO INSPIRE YOU!

These are ready for the 2nd rising process

Fresh out of the oven

Glazed and ready to be eaten!



I use a large serving fork to help get these guys out of their baking dish

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

A bread maker with a dough setting
9X13" baking dish

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

1 large egg at room temperature
1 1/4 cups warm water (80F or 27C)
3 1/2 teaspoons oil (plain vegetable oil works best. I used Becel)
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups white bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (I use the type marked for bread maker use)

THE FILLING

1/2 cup unsalted melted butter (+ 2 tablespoons, melted and set aside)
1/4 cup fine white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

THE GLAZE

4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup sifted icing sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple syrup extract
4 tablespoons heavy cream

MAKE IT

GREASE baking dish (I melt 2 tablespoons of butter for this and brush it all over the inside of the dish)

IN YOUR BREAD MAKER, ADD all dough ingredients in the exact order as listed above.
SELECT Dough course and press Start

ONCE the dough course is complete, liberally sprinkle a work surface with flour
PLACE dough on work surface and roll out to a large rectangle (12" x 16")

Filling Ingredients: BRUSH melted butter on dough leaving 1/2 " edge on all sides
COMBINE sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl, sprinkle all over buttered area
STARTING with longest side, ROLL up dough tightly to form a log
WITH SHARP KNIFE, cut rolls in 1 1/2" slices
PLACE rolls in baking dish
BRUSH the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the rolls
COVER with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm area for 30 minutes
PREHEAT oven to 350F
REMOVE towel and BAKE in oven for 25 minutes.

ALLOW buns to rest in baking dish at room temperature on cooling rack for 5 minutes
COMBINE all icing ingredients and blend until smooth
BRUSH glaze over tops of warm buns

ENJOY !!!!

Featured Here: FOODIE FRIDAY !

Ahhh, the smell of baking french toast.....

Who doesn't love a lazy Sunday morning? coffee brewing, the smell of vanilla permeating the house, the crackle of frying bacon. Sunday morning faves around here range from homemade cinnamon buns to french toast. Today I would like to share the ultimate french toast recipe with you and encourage you try it out soon (sooner if you can !!).

LET'S GET STARTED !

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

1 Italian or French bread (always go with a crusty crust loaf so it will stand up to soak time)

1 pkg (250 g) cream cheese, softened (easiest is to leave out at room temperature for 1/2 hr)

3 x-large eggs or 4 large eggs

1 cup milk (I have used full fat, buttermilk and 2 %... but my personal fave is 3/4 cup 2/% and 1/4 cup 10% cream)

1/4 cup maple syrup ( go with the real deal)

cinnamon 1 tsp

vanilla 1 tsp (PURE vanilla, no artificial vanilla PLEASE !)

MAKE IT

Cut bread into 15 thick slices ( or approx. 1" thick slices).

BEAT cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon.

DIP bread slices in mixture and place in large casserole dish. Pour remaining liquid over bread ensuring the liquid gets under bread as well as on top of the slices so all areas will get soaked as it rests. Cover with wrap and let stand 1 hour or overnight in refrigerator.

PREHEAT oven to 425°F and grease 2 baking sheets (greasing well is a MUST or they will stick!)

PLACE slices of soaked bread on the baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown. Serve immediately with maple syrup, fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream.

But above all else: ENJOY !!!!

Photo by MarkHryciw