This bread makes excellent toast. That may sound obvious, but trust me, not all homemade bread makes good toast. It’s something about the texture and some are definitely better than others. It also slices beautifully. No crumbly or crushed slices with this bread.

There’s only 1/4 cup of maple syrup in this bread, so it’s maple flavour is subtle. Toasting brings the maple flavour out a bit more. It’s also nice to use a natural sugar in my homemade bread, when I can. If you’d like to add a little whole wheat flour, you can replace up to 1/2 of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat (note that this may make a smaller/denser loaf).

Makes one large loaf.

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Adapted from The Wednesday Chef

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This version is for actual maple butter (maple syrup combined with butter solids). There is another version of maple butter that is often made commercially that uses just maple syrup that is boiled and “creamed” through stirring. I’ve tried this version at home and can attest to the fact that it’s a tricky mixture to work with. It can easily be over-cooked and harden into a mass, or crystallize and involves a whole lot of stirring (arm-numbing, in fact). This version of maple butter is much, much easier and just as nice, in my opinion.

This recipe begins with just a cup of maple syrup. The syrup is boiled to the soft-ball stage (240° F.) and then butter is stirred into the hot syrup until melted. Once all the butter melts, the whole works goes into a bowl, where it is slowly mixed until it makes a creamy mixture. I used my stand mixer, but a bowl and an electric mixer would work just as well.

Maple butter is perfect for pancakes, muffins, toast and scones. Or try melting some on carrots or squash.

Wondering about the bread? It’s Maple White Sandwich Bread, a terrific toasting bread.

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I have made this dish a few times and, while it may look like a bit of a hot mess, I have found this the best way to cook it up. I love the crispy cheesy bits. I love that part of the asparagus is left naked. And I love that you can take as much or as little of the cheesy sauce as you like.

Of course, this isn’t an everyday indulgence, but as a once-in-a-while treat, it’s a tasty and different way to enjoy Spring asparagus. (It would also be great for entertaining or a brunch table. You can easily cook this up in a pretty, shallow oblong serving dish, to spruce it up a bit).

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I found this recipe at the Australian food blog Insanity Theory, and adapted it for North American kitchen measures and ingredients (if you’re looking for grams and/or have lots of self-rising flour to use up, head on over there for her original).

Now about this cake. Yes, it has good bit of sugar in it and on top of it. But believe it or not, the finished cake will not make your teeth ring. I’d call it just pleasantly sweet. I think it’s the combination with the tart rhubarb that stops it from going over the top. That said, you may not need to use all of the topping sugar, if you’d like to cut back a bit. I used about 3/4 of it. I saved the rest for cinnamon sugar toast topping.

This cake is wonderfully spiced with cinnamon, which goes really well with the rhubarb. I loved the bit of almond on top, but I think it would be nice without, as well. This is a great cake to use up frozen rhubarb or an excellent use for a fresh crop, if yours is ready now.

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Adapted from Insanity Theory

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I discovered this salad a few years ago in Bon Apetit magazine, and it has been a regular dinner salad ever since. It may look simple, a little “plain-jane” even, but trust me, the combination of flavours on this plate is simply delicious. And have I mentioned that this is a meal that is ready in about 10 minutes? Yes it is. This dinner takes just about as long as it takes to grill a steak. Delicious and lightning fast to the table. It really doesn’t get any better than that.

This salad starts with a bed of arugula. The steak is quickly BBQ’d (or you can use a grill pan, if you like), then left to rest with a dollop of Parmesan butter placed to melt on top. While the meat rests, the balsamic/shallot dressing heats quickly in a small saucepan. Then simply cut your steak, place over a bed of arugula, spoon over the balsamic dressing and sprinkle with shaved Parmesan. Serve with a slice of lemon, to squeeze over the salad. Dig in and fill your fork with a bit of everything on the plate and I’m sure you’ll become a fan of this dish, as well.

I think the original recipe suggested rib eye steak, but I have made this salad with a variety of steaks with great success. Any grilling steak will work here. Tonight, it was a couple of small strip loin steaks.

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Adapted from a Bon Apetit magazine, October 2008

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I have a great Spring pasta planned for dinner tonight (will post the recipe for that later this week) and these Garlic Parmesan Knots are going to round out the meal. Even made from scratch, they are a quick and easy alternative to standard garlic bread. And if you’re thinking that you don’t want to be bothered with that whole yeast thing, here’s the best part … you can make these anytime with frozen or store-bought pizza dough!

I have provided the recipe for the dough that I use though, if you want to make your dough from scratch. It’s quick – less than an hour from start to finish, so you don’t have to plan too far ahead to include these with your dinner.

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As well as the perfect side for pasta, these tasty buns also make perfect party food. Use the same recipe below, but make mini, bite-sized knots and serve warm with pizza or marinara sauce for a dip.

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Adapted from a Gourmet Magazine July 2006 recipe

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There is not a better place for a bit of Spring’s wondrous bounty than this traditional French-Canadian pudding cake known as Pouding Chomeur, which translates to “Poor Man’s Pudding”. Clearly they were getting their maple syrup a lot cheaper back when they gave it that name! (In fairness, I think they used to make it with brown sugar and cream sauce and only later on did maple syrup become the favoured alternative.)

You can make this pudding cake in a cast-iron skillet or in individual servings in ramekins. My skillet is 8-inches across the bottom (10-inches across the top) and was the perfect size. Just be sure that you place your skillet (or ramekins) on a baking sheet, to catch any small over flows. This cake cooks at a blistering 450° F., so it will rise and sputter as it cooks. Likewise, when you pour the maple/cream sauce over the batter, be sure not to fill the pan more that about 2/3 full (just over half). You may not be able to use absolutely all of the sauce.

I have to be honest, I’m not really sure why the cake batter/dough needs to be made ahead and refrigerated. I’m sure there’s a reason, I just have no idea what it is. I have always made it at least a bit ahead (not always 24 hours), mixing the batter in the morning and cooking at dinner. If you have the time, I’d suggest doing it. If you want to live dangerously, you can try a short trip to the fridge (it does firm up from refrigeration).

One last note about my cake and it’s slightly yellow cast. I accidentally used Omega 3 eggs in this one, which have the brightest yellow yolks and tend to lend a bit of a vibrant yellow cast to baked goods. It doesn’t make any difference beyond that, just pointing it out as your cake make not be a vibrant as mine, if using regular eggs.

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Adapted from the Au Pied de Cochon Cookbook via Lottie & Doof

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If you’re still looking for a little something special for your Easter brunch, I think this would be a great option. It’s simple to put together and made with simple ingredients, but looks and tastes like so much more. Beyond Easter, if you’re looking for a great way to use seasonal asparagus for a nice lunch or a light supper, This would be great paired with a salad or a small bowl of roasted tomato soup (of some roasted tomatoes).

As for some details on this lovely dish, I’ll start with the cheese. I think Fontina is pretty easy to find these days. I know it’s easily found in my small town now, so I figure that means it must be just about everywhere. If you can’t find it though, Swiss or Emmental would be a good substitution. Look for a great loaf of crusty bread. It can be round or oblong, but look for one that has great flavour and is about 7 or 8 inches wide, when cut.

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The sauce is not difficult to make, but because of the egg yolks, it does need a little care in heating and especially re-heating. If it is over-heated, it will break in a bad scrambled egg kind of way. It’s best served right away, but if you need to re-warm, do so gently with the same double-boiler set-up you used to cook it.

If you’re looking to make ahead, I would suggest that you could trim and wrap the asparagus ahead and make the sauce ahead (heeding the warning to re-warm it gently). To serve, just roast the asparagus and toast the bread while the sauce re-warms. Speaking of asparagus, I used 3 spears, but I think 5 would have worked nicely as well, especially if eating for a light supper instead of an appetizer.

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Thanks to my daughter for being the hand model for this shot. What? You thought that was my hand sporting the navy blue nail polish? I’m not nearly that cool ;)

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Adapted from Gourmet April 1995

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As I thought about what I’d like to make, my mind went to a festive cupcake. After mulling it about for a bit, this is what I created. I call it Joyous Almond because it’s a bit of a riff on that famous candy bar with almonds and coconut. And even though I’m usually all about the gluten (check out my bread archive if you need any proof of that ;), these festive chocolate treats ended up being totally gluten free! I’m not sure how that happened, but they are proof positive that you don’t need flour for a tasty chocolate treat.

I actually just ate them out of the cup, with a fork, but popped them out so I could slice them and show you the inside. Let me just say, that whipped milk chocolate ganache frosting was awesome! I decided to use the Green & Black Almond bar, since it is milk chocolate. The large pieces of almonds presented a slight obstacle, since my plan was to pipe the frosting, but I just ran the chocolate bar through my food processor, until the pieces of almond were small enough not to gum up my piping tip (I used quite a large piping tip – Ateco 855). In the end, it was all good – all very good! The almond-flecked milk chocolate was a perfect foil for the dark chocolate cake base and the coconut.

Thanks Green & Black for the chance to do a little Easter baking with your great chocolate!

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I was provided with the chocolate in order to make this dessert, as well as compensated for the creation of this recipe for Green & Black chocolate.

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But let me tell you … these Cannoli Cream Puffs make for a perfect alternative. The filling is true cannoli, so let’s just say, if you don’t like cannoli, you might just want to skip this one. For the cannoli lovers out there though, this is a quick and easy treat.

I’m partial to a plain-jane cannoli. My husband thinks just about anything can be made better with a bit of chocolate, so he thought a drizzle of chocolate on top would be nice. The nice thing with these treats is that you can make a variety of flavours, to please everyone. In true cannoli style, I think adding some chopped bittersweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips to the filling would be nice, too. A bit of lemon or orange zest would be perfect (and maybe a wee bit on top, too). Scrape in a some vanilla bean seeds or throw in some chopped pistachio. Add a dab of lemon curd or pastry cream in the centre, or flavour the ricotta with cocoa or for a chocolate version. The possibilities are endless.

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These are so pretty, they would be perfect for a special occasion, I think (like Easter maybe) or follow my lead and make them to celebrate … Tuesday :) They are best eaten shortly after being filled, but will keep, uncovered, in the fridge for the most of the day, if you want to make ahead (They actually stay reasonably fresh into the next day, but they may start to pick up fridge flavours if left too long). I cut these in half and piped in the filling, but you could also pipe the filling in through a hole in the side, so the filling is all nice and neat inside. And of course, if piping isn’t your thing, a spoon works just fine for both the shells and adding the filling.

Note: I know mascarpone is expensive. I got a great deal for both the ricotta and mascarpone at an Italian grocery when I was in Toronto this past weekend, but you can also make mascarpone easily at home, as a great alternative (and your own ricotta, for that matter).

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