you scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream

In most kitchens, there is a graveyard. A dusty cupboard of appliances, items with grand promises of health and ease, convenience and culinary assistance. What are they really? A waste of space. A panini press? You can do it with two frying pans and a brick. A waffle maker? Just make pancakes. A slap chop? Learn how to use a knife.

However, I'll admit it. A trivial, luxurious, non-essential appliance has won my heart. It's frosty and cold, and it's a workhorse. It churns out the best gelato, frozen yogurt, sherbet and ice cream I can dream of, flavoured with dark chocolate, just-picked berries, or coconut milk. I bought an ice cream maker, and I just can't stop using it. I'm an addict.

This blog post should really be labelled 'how to make friends with ice cream.' Here's the first few weeks of ice cream adventures:

#1: Inaugural use, full of excitement. Picked a frozen yogurt recipe from Green Kitchen Stories: Strawberry Rhubarb Fro-Yo. Result? Amazing healthy dessert, made with all-local ingredients (full fat yogurt, honey, organic strawberries and home-picked rhubarb).

#2: Decided to be less health conscious, so I turned to an expert for a Chocolate Sorbet. David Lebovitz has a cookbook entitled The Perfect Scoop, which has every ice cream recipe you could possibly imagine. I melted two dark chocolate bars and waited eagerly. I was not disappointed.

#3 Cashew Ice Cream with Roasted Strawberries. A vegan creation with a cashew base. Interesting, but needs some work. Those roasted strawberries though - unbelievable.

#4: Roasted Banana and Coconut Ice Cream. Becoming more confident, and I decide to make my own recipe. One can of coconut milk, two oven-roasted bananas, three spoonfuls of sugar. Genius!

#5: Out in the country, picking wild berries, so Wild Black Raspberry Sherbet was a no-brainer. My friend Katy's property is covered with wild berries right now. Countless mosquito bites and thorn scratches are a small price to pay for a bucket of berries. This recipe is based on a David Lebovitz recipe for raspberry sherbet, but go crazy with any berry!

Wild Black Raspberry Sherbet
You can find black raspberries at the market right now, but if you can't get them (or you don't have a property covered in wild raspberry bushes), substitute raspberries, strawberries or cherries!

1 lb black raspberries
1 cup sugar
juice from 1 lemon
2 cups soy milk, almond milk or cow's milk

Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Push through a fine mesh sieve, and discard seeds (or skins or pips, depending on which berry you're using). Finish in your ice cream maker.

The final word? This appliance was worth every penny. You're welcome, Kitchen Aid. I may have just sold a few more ice cream makers for you.

baked oatmeal with raspberries and toasted almonds

As I've said before, breakfast is hands down, my favourite meal of the day. That's all well and good on the days when I work evenings - I can turn on the radio, laze around in my pyjamas and take my time: break out the waffle iron, turn on the oven, make some coffee. What about those mornings I have to leave the house before it's light out? I'm not a morning person, and I don't function well in the early morning: breaking things, pouring juice on my granola instead of milk, salt instead of sugar in my coffee. 

Early mornings are the reason I cook batches - I make a triple amount of waffles or pancakes, wrap them up, and throw them in the freezer. I toast up a giant batch of granola on the weekend, leave it in a jar on the counter. Or I make this fabulous oatmeal, from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day. 

But here's my latest version of the recipe. I like to change it every time I make it - it's just asking to be modified. Right now, I'm really missing summer berries, so I dug a bag of frozen raspberries out of the freezer. You can change up the fresh/frozen fruit, add dried fruits, use honey, maple syrup or different sugars, vary the type of nuts you use, or throw in other spices (nutmeg, citrus zest, ginger). Also, this recipe is almost vegan - you can replace the butter for oil (as I do anyway when I'm too lazy to melt butter) and replace the egg with 1/2 a mashed banana or a flax egg.

baked oatmeal with raspberries and toasted almonds

Adapted from Super Natural Every Day. Serves 6. 

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup almonds, chopped and toasted

1/3 cup demerara sugar, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups milk

1 egg

3 tbsp melted butter

2 tsp vanilla 

1 cup frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a baking dish (9x13) or 5 or 6 small ramekins. I used an assortment of sizes - and canning jars are great here too. 

In a bowl, mix together oats, almonds (save a few tbsp for topping later), sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. 

Put the 3/4 of raspberries in the bottom of the baking dish (or ramekins). Top with the oat mixture, then pour the milk mixture on top. You might have to give the dish a few whacks on the counter, to help the milk move down through the oats. Top with the rest of the berries, the rest of the nuts, and a sprinkle of sugar. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the oats have set and the top is golden. 

This oatmeal keeps great in the fridge for a week. Just reheat it, perhaps with a bit of milk and maple syrup to help revive it. 

more raspberries. MORE!

I just can't get enough. Here's one more raspberry recipe, which would work equally well with any berries you might have stashed away in your freezer. I can also imagine them sans berries, with some citrus zest, or a small piece of chocolate in the centre. These tiny cakes are gluten-free, and full of delicious, nutty brown butter. They would be perfect for a fancy tea party, or a afternoon coffee break.

The original recipe, on La Tartine Gourmande (one of the most beautiful food blogs around), uses ground pistachos instead of almonds, as well as a mixture of berries. She also uses muffin tins for a larger cake, but I was taking the cakes to a potluck, so I tried mini-muffin tins.

Also, I've started using a scale in my kitchen. So many European cookbooks, blogs and magazines use weight measurements - it was about time! A scale really is essential for bread and pastry making, and now I can finally be able to stop guessing what 3 lbs. of potatoes really looks like! Mine is a tiny Starfrit scale- one of the most useful presents I've received in a long time from a lovely baking friend.

brown butter raspberry cakes

5 1/2 tbsp (80 g) unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped out
2/3 cup (70 g) almond meal (grind whole almonds in a food processor into a fine meal)
2 tbsp gluten free flour mix (if you're not concerned about gluten, just use all-purpose)
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup (50 g) white sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 pint of raspberries (around 1 cup)

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pot. Continue cooking over low heat until butter turns brown and nutty flavoured, around 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla seeds. Let sit for 15 minutes to steep. After butter has steeped, strain through a fine mesh to remove any solids.

Preheat the oven to 400. Grease muffin tins. Stir together almond meal, flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together egg and sugar. Add the dry ingredients to egg and sugar, and beat to combine. Stir in melted butter, then buttermilk.


Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter, then press berries into each cake. Bake for 10-12 minutes for mini-muffin tins, and 20-25 minutes for large muffin tins. Let cool before removing from tins. I dusted mine with demerera sugar before serving (the large, crunchy brown sugar).

Makes 18 small cakes or 6 large cakes

the end.

The end of what? Well, a lot of things. The end of shorts, the end of swimming in lakes and dancing with sparklers. The end of sunglasses and sundresses. The end of excuses for vacations. The end of wandering to the market and picking out a pint of berries, peaches and plums. I'm going to give one of my favourite summer fruits a grand send off. Go find the last of the summer fruit and bake something worthy of a last supper (summer?), then bid them a fond adieu until next year.

But wait! Fall is a lovely season. The chunky sweaters and rosy cheeks, the crunching leaves and thanksgiving feasts, warm soups and warm spices. I'll try and remember these while I mourn the end of the raspberries.

baked vanilla custard with raspberries
I adapted these from an old Food and Drink magazine. The original recipe used whipping cream, but I substituted 18% cream for a slightly lighter dessert. I've also included instructions for homemade raspberry jam, but you could use any thick jam you have in your fridge. These little guys remind me of fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt from my childhood, but a whole lot better. Did you know you can bake things in mason jars? As long as they are the kind you would use for canning (tempered glass), they are safe for the oven, and make a great substitute for ramekins.

1 pint raspberries
1/4 cup honey

2 cups 18% cream
1/2 vanilla pod
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

extra raspberries and mint leaves for garnish

Combine raspberries and honey in a heavy bottomed pot. Heat over medium heat, stirring to mash berries. Turn heat to low, and cook until thick and jam-like, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 300. Meanwhile, bring cream to a simmer over medium heat. Split vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape seeds into cream, and add pod as well. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Beat together egg yolks and sugar. Add a small splash of warm cream, and beat to combine. Add the rest of the cream, and whisk together. Divide raspberry mixture between 6 small ramekins (or mason jars). Gently pour the cream on top. Put ramekins in a ovenproof baking dish, and add hot water to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 1 hour. Remove, and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours. Serve with raspberries and mint leaves for a garnish.

Makes 6 1/2-cup ramekins or mason jars

apple rhubarb crumble with raspberry frozen yogurt

Meet my favourite dessert of all time - the simple crumble. Can you tell? There's already two recipes on here: a strawberry rhubarb, and a raspberry pear. If I had to pick my last meal on earth, it would be a huge bowl of apple crumble with a big scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream and a large mug of hot chocolate. So, why the crumble?

1. It takes less than 10 minutes of prep time.
2. Baking fruit makes the house smell lovely.
3. You can make it with or without butter - both versions are delicious.
4. Any kind of fruit works, whatever's in season or in the fridge.
5. The topping is forgiving and versatile.
6. It's impossible to make screw up.
7. It's DELICIOUS - nutty, sweet, warm!

Have I convinced you yet? Make this tasty version with winter storage apples and greenhouse rhubarb, and serve with vanilla ice cream for a treat. Or, feeling virtuous? Try a lighter accompaniment - a fast raspberry frozen yogurt.



apple rhubarb crumble
(adapted from Moosewood Kitchen's Cooking for Health. Makes 6 servings.)


2 cups chopped rhubarb
4 apples, cored and chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 375. Put all ingredients in a shallow baking dish, and toss to combine. Bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, assemble the crumble:

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup grape seed oil
pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to combine, until nuts are chopped into a coarse grind. When fruit is done, remove from oven and spread crumble evenly over top. Return to oven for another 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

raspberry frozen yogurt
(adapted from Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes. Makes two servings - double or triple recipe for more.)

1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup yogurt
1 tbsp liquid honey


Combine ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the berries are pureed, and the mixture is a smooth consistency. Serve immediately.

pear raspberry crumble

Crumble is my go-to dessert, because the ingredients are always in my house. Fruit? Check. Oats, flour and sugar? Check. Butter? Definitely check. This is a recipe for last minute dinners, unexpected house guests, and middle of the night cravings.


Pear and raspberry crumble

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter (or grape seed oil for a vegan version)
1/4 cup walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 cups raspberries
4 or 5 pears, chopped in 1 to 2 in chunks
(don't worry about peeling them)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, oats, sugar, butter, walnuts, cinnamon and salt in a food processor. Pulse until combined. In a greased baking dish, combine raspberries, pears, sugar and cinnamon. Toss to combine. Spread topping mixture over top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until top is crispy, and fruit is cooked through.

raspberry flax pancakes

This recipe is from Moosewood Kitchen's latest cookbook, Cooking for Health. I modified them a bit, only because the recipe called for 2 eggs, and I only had one. I substituted half a mashed banana, and I really like the slight banana flavour. Feel free to add a different fruit other that raspberries, or some spices like cinnamon. If you like sweeter pancakes, you might want to add a few teaspoons of sugar to the batter.

This makes about 15 small pancakes, so if you feel that's too many, just freeze some - cook all the pancakes, and once they're cooled, freeze them in zip locks, separated by parchment paper. Put the frozen pancakes directly into the oven or toaster oven to heat them up before eating.

Also, try using whole wheat pastry flour, also called soft whole wheat flour. It's a great flour to use in cookies and sweet baked things, and really makes a difference in the texture of the pancakes.


raspberry flax pancakes


1/4 cup whole flax seeds
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 egg
1/2 mashed banana
1 cup full fat yogurt
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

zest from one orange
1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries


Grind oatmeal and flax seeds in a food processor, until it's the texture of cornmeal. Combine all dry ingredient in a bowl, and whisk together. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, banana, yogurt, oil, water, vanilla and zest. Pour wet ingredients into dry, and stir until just combined. Finally, stir in raspberries.

Cook on a griddle, about 2 minutes on each side. Serve with butter, fruit and maple syrup.

berries galore

Nothing like an evening with Fleetwood Mac and a new (!) fridge full of berries. I went berry picking yesterday with my Mum at Andrew's Scenic Acres, out by Milton, and returned home with tons and tons of blueberries. Also in the spoils were a handful of raspberries, black currant juice, raspberry honey and six gorgeous gladiolas.

Now what to do with all this fruit? Well, it's a good thing I'm a prolific bookmarker; when you read as many food blogs as I do, it's hard to keep up with your recipe to-make list. I must have over 300 bookmarks in the 'food and recipe' folder. Sigh, one day.

Anyway, amongst the bookmarks, I stumbled upon this post from Tea and Cookies for raspberry curd. Now, I've made lemon curd and rhubarb curd, but never raspberry! The colour alone was enough to convince me. There seems to be 100 and 1 ways to make curd: eggs first, eggs last, butter cold, butter one tablespoon at a time, throw everything together in a faux curd (from my favourite Martha recipe for Lemon Squares - seriously, make this recipe! It will get you rave reviews at any pot luck). Tea and Cookies raspberry curd is a pretty simple affair, and it turned out delicious!

With the bucketfuls of blueberries, I started with a straight-up recipe from Canada Living: Blueberry Oatmeal Squares. The jury's still out on those, since they're still in the oven, and I had to make a few substitutions.

Recipes and photos to follow - you all know how food hates to be photographed at night. Gotta wait for that natural sunlight.

raspberry pancakes

Lemon zest + raspberries = some top notch pancakes. Who knew?

There's no photos, because the pancakes were hideously misshapen, however, they were delicious. I used a vegan pancake recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook... not my favourite, because they refused to separate from the pan. But the lemon brings out an amazing flavour in the berries. I'm sure a little lemon zest might be equally delicious with blueberries or strawberries. It'll take your pancakes from normal to a-MAY-zing. (And if you are looking for a delicious, non-vegan pancake recipe, there's one in that old classic, the dog-eared Joy of Cooking - it involves cornmeal and honey, and it's quite spectacular.)