Author: cbaronaitis

ginger cookies

  • 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar (or 7/8 cup brown sugar with 1/8 cup fancy molasses)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup fancy molasses
  • 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
  • coarse sugar for topping
  1. Sift flour and baking soda, add dry spices and salt and mix.
  2. Beat butter with sugar and fresh ginger. Once smooth, add egg and molasses.
  3. Combine butter mixture with flour mixture.
  4. Roll into 2 tbsp balls, then roll in crystallized ginger and coarse sugar. Flatten on baking sheet with 2″ spacing.
  5. Bake at 350º for approximately 13-14 minutes, until lightly brown.

Peppermint Snowcaps

  • 225 grams semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract
  • 1 1/4 cup ground almonds
  1. Melt chocolate and butter in double-boiler until smooth, then remove from heat and add salt and almonds.
  2. Beat together eggs and sugar for 3 minutes, until thickened, then add peppermint extract.
  3. Stir chocolate mixture with egg mixture, then refrigerate for 4 hours.
  4. Once chilled, roll into balls, then roll in powdered sugar.
  5. Bake at 350º until edges crack, approximately 11-13 minutes.

Banana Bread

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large or 3 medium bananas
  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, but recommended)
  1. Combined sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  2. Add mashed bananas, butter, and eggs. Mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips if desired.
  3. Pour batter into a loaf pan.
  4. Bake at 350º for approximately 1 hour.

Nut cookies

  • 1/4 cup ground almonds (or 1/3 cup whole)
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 1/2 cup whole walnuts
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 oz rum
  • 1 oz amaretto
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  1. Put walnuts (and almonds if whole) in blender and blend with alcohol and extracts until a paste is formed
  2. Mix white sugar with oils and liquid from the paste and egg until creamy
  3. Combine nut paste with flour, coconut, and egg/sugar
  4. Roll into 1 1/4” balls, bake at 350° for 21 minutes
The texture (adjust with amaretto or flour to achieve a semi sticky but still workable texture)
Use parchment to avoid sticking
Cookies should crack as they bake and have a chewy, crisp outside and a moist, chewy inside.

Apple Pie

Pastry:

  • 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 lb lard
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 large egg

Filling:

  • 6 cups of peeled, tart apples (sliced very thin)
  • 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Topping:

  • 2 tbsp butter (melted)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp whipping cream

Directions (Pastry):

  1. Combine salt and flour
  2. Cut in lard
  3. Combine vinegar and egg in measuring cup and top up to 1 cup with water
  4. Gradually add liquid to lard and flour until mixture becomes sticky
  5. Divide and chill until use

Directions (Filling)

  1. Peel, core, and slice apples
  2. Mix apples with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning
  3. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt
  4. Mix with spices with apples

Directions (Topping):

  1. Melt butter
  2. Add brown sugar and whipping cream

Direction (Baking)

  1. Roll out two 9″ pie crusts
  2. Put first crust into pie dish, add filling, smooth filling, and top with remaining butter
  3. Cover pie with second crust
  4. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes
  5. Lay foil over the pie, and bake for another 20 minutes
  6. Remove from the oven when crust is browned
  7. Pour topping over pie and let sit

sourdough bread (vermont)

  • 1 lb 8 oz bread flour (or all purpose)
  • 3.5 oz whole wheat flour
  • 20.5 oz water
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 14 oz sourdough starter
  • Everything Bagel seasoning (optional)
  1. Combine all ingredients except salt and knead into a dough. Add water or flour to achieve desired consistency (sticky, but not wet).
  2. Let dough proof for 12-18 hours (until doubled in size).
  3. Add salt and knead again. Let stand until doubled in size.
  4. Move to final baking instrument, knead, and let rise a final time.
  5. Bake at 450F for 35 minutes, covered. Remove cover and bake until top is desired colour.

napoleon torte

A note about this cake. I’ve searched high and low for this recipe, just to see if anyone else has it. No other exists like it. While my brother Nicholas was alive, we had spoken about how amazing this cake is, and how, given that the specifics of it were modified, it was likely that only a few dozen people have ever tried it. I would be delighted to hear your feedback, as it is certainly one of the best cakes I have ever had. Note that the recipe directions are not complete with baking instructions. This is a pastry dough, and the specifics of the temperature and time for baking are not given on the original recipe card. I have included modified temperatures and times based on other recipes, but it is advised to carefully monitor the dough while it bakes.

Cake

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 lb butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tbsp salt

Frosting

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp rum
  • 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
  1. In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, flour and salt together
  2. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth
  3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until very thick and bubbly
  4. Boil for one minute
  5. Remove from heat, cover and chill until completely cold
  6. Cream butter with flavourings
  7. Add 3/4 cup icing sugar and beat until fluffy
  8. Alternate between adding cold custard mixture and remaining icing sugar, beating until very light

Process

  1. Cut butter into flour until fine crumbs form
  2. Add sour cream and egg yolks
  3. Mix well and divide the dough into six parts, chill well
  4. Roll out dough very thin, and using a circular cake pan, cut the dough into a circle and bake (it is best to roll and bake on oiled paper) at 400ºF for approximately 7-8 minutes (until lightly golden and puffed)
  5. Alternate cooked frosting on one layer, and apricot jam filling on the next, with the cream frosting on the top layer

Refrigerate the cake until serving.

cevaps

In May 2016, I went to Serbia. While there, exploring Belgrade and the various markets, a friend and I came across a butcher. For about $2.50, we had our fill of various skewers and kebabs. This recipe is inspired by that experience.

Ingredients:

  • 3 kg ground beef (lean or regular)
  • 4 kg ground pork
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder
  • 1 head of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup onion powder
  • 2 tbsp ancho chili powder
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 1/4 cup parsley, fresh, or 1/3 cup dried
  1. Combine all ingredients in a very large mixing bowl, adding the lemon juice and parsley last.
  2. Portion the meat out in meat balls using a scale, approximately 80 grams per meatball.
  3. Form the meat balls onto the skewer, making them into kebabs.
  4. Cook over sugar maple hardwood lump charcoal.
Cooking these cevaps over charcoal is the only way.

fruit pebbles edibles

Ingredients

  • 1 box Fruity Pebbles cereal*
  • 100 grams cannabis infused organic butter
  • 2 tbsp vanilla powder
  • 500 grams marshmallows (not organic)
  1. Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Once melted, slowly add marshmallows, stirring frequently.
  2. Once marshmallows are fully melted, stir in vanilla powder, which masks the cannabis scent and taste.
  3. Stir in Fruity Pebbles cereal, and transfer mixture to a buttered pan.
  4. Let cool before portioning (if you followed the decarboxylation process, you should have approximately 60 servings).
  5. Store excess edibles in the fridge to avoid hardening.

*A note about the cereal: I have tried many different cereals for edibles in order to find something visually appealing and tasty. I settled on Fruity Pebbles as my number one choice for a number of reasons: the cereal is comparable in size to Rice Krispies. Larger cereals are more prone to breaking, and when you’re making a cereal bar, you don’t want cereal dust in the mix, you want whole pieces for aesthetics reasons. Further, the flavour of Fruity Pebbles – sugar – is ideal for this application as it works to mask the cannabis flavour, which is not a desirable flavour. While you can substitute any cereal for Fruity Pebbles, it is certainly my preference, with an honourable mention going to Froot Loops.

strawberry fritters

Ingredients

Batter:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups small-chopped strawberries, dried on paper towel
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla powder
  • 1 tbsp half & half (plus more to achieve desired consistency)

Instructions

  1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
  2. Whisk together eggs and milk, then add vanilla and melted butter.
  3. Combine wet and dry, mixing just until combined
  4. Fold in strawberries.
  5. Heat 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 375 degrees.
  6. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop the batter, pouring into the oil using a broad shaking motion.
  7. Fry fritters until the bottom side becomes golden, flipping once until completely golden.
  8. Whisk together glaze ingredients in a bowl and drizzle over fritters once they have cooled for about 1 minute.