Ingredients

• Caramel

  • 2 cups (500 mL) sugar
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) water
  • 2 rosemary twigs
  • 1 orange, zest only, in large pieces
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) orange juice
  • 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) honey
  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter

• Ice Cream

  • 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) whipping cream
  • 3/4 cup (175 mL) white sugar
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (250 mL) Burnt Orange Caramel Sauce

Directions

Caramel:
Combine the sugar, water, rosemary and orange zest in a heavy-bottomed pan of about 8-cup (2 L) capacity. Stir only until the sugar is dissolved, then set down the spoon and stop stirring. Bring to a boil, brushing down any crystals collecting along the inside surface of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Cook the syrup to dark amber over high heat without stirring. Cautiously add the juice, whipping cream and honey-it will splatter! Stir thoroughly and carefully, and cook until thickened to sauce consistency. Strain through a mesh sieve to remove the rosemary and orange zest. Add the butter. Transfer to a heatproof bowl to halt the cooking process. Cool but do not refrigerate.

Ice Cream:
Simmer the milk, cream, and half the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot until the mixture is warm. Stir several times. Let stand for 20 minutes to steep.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining sugar. Temper the egg yolks by slowly adding half of the cream mixture, whisking thoroughly. Add the mixture to the remaining liquid in the pot. Place the pot over medium heat and cook gently, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Do not boil. Cook until a thermometer registers 180 to 185 F (90 C).

Remove from heat, strain through a fine mesh sieve, and cool the custard over a bowlful of ice water to stop the cooking process. Cool, stir in the vanilla extract, then cover and chill thoroughly. Make ice cream as per the ice cream maker’s instructions. When the ice cream is thick, remove it from the ice cream maker, then quickly stir in the caramel by hand, using a rubber spatula or long spoon, until just swirled in, cover and freeze. Serve the ice cream topped with the remaining Burnt Orange Caramel Sauce.

Serves 4 Cups

Credit: dee Hobsbawn-Smith

Ingredients

• Dough

  • 1 cup (250 mL) flour
  • 1/3 cup (75 mL) + 1 tsp (5 mL) butter
  • 1/2 package of fast-rising yeast
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
  • 3/4 cup (175 mL) water

• Toppings

  • 2 lbs (1 kg) onions
  • 7 oz (210 g) bacon
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) + 1/3 cup (75 mL) heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) + 1/3 cup (75 mL) sour cream
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) flour
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) salt
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) chopped garlic
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) caraway seed
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter for dabbing

Directions

Dough:
Mix all ingredients together and knead for 10 minutes. Roll out and place in the bottom of a lightly greased 10″ (25 cm) round baking pan.

Toppings:
Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). Slice onions and scatter over the dough. Chop bacon into squares and sprinkle over the onions. Beat together eggs, heavy cream, sour cream, flour and spices and pour over onions and bacon. Dot cake with butter and bake in oven for 55 minutes. Serve cake warm, with young wine.

Serves 8 slices

Credit: Borga Kaltenbach

Ingredients

• 1 package of frozen store-bought unsweetened tart shells (about 30 in a pack)
• 1 cup (250 mL) chopped pecans (or a mixture of your favourite nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts)

• Caramel Filling (can substitute a jar of store bought caramel dessert topping):

  • 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) brown sugar
  • 7 tbsp (105 mL) butter
  • 6 tbsp (90 mL) corn syrup
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream

• Chocolate Drizzle

  • 3 oz (90 g) dark Belgian chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Place tarts on a baking sheet and bake in oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to rack and let cool completely. PreHeat oven to 400 F (200 C). Spread nuts evenly on a baking sheet and bake in oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until browned and very aromatic. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool to the touch chop nuts into small pieces. Fill each tart shell with about 1 1/2 tsp (10 mL) chopped nuts.

Caramel Filling:

In a saucepot set over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt; stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add whipping cream carefully, stirringr until smooth. Pour over pecans when cooled slightly.
If using store-bought caramel, spoon caramel over pecans in crusts, filling crusts almost to top. Refrigerate until caramel begins to firm up slightly.

Chocolate Drizzle:

Place chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Drizzle melted chocolate over top of tartlets. Chill tarts in the fridge until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Serve tarts either chilled or at room temperature.

Serves 30

Credit: Brandon Boone

Ingredients

• Panna Cotta:

  • 1 cup (250 mL) passion fruit in syrup (can substitute canned peaches or mangoes)
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) superfine or berry sugar
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) gelatin
  • 1 1/2 cup (375 mL) whipping cream, divided

• Wine Syrup:

  • 1/3 cup (75 mL) Sauternes-style dessert wine
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) water
  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) orange juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) honey

• Macadamia Wafers:

  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) superfine or berry sugar
  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) flour
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup (75 mL) macadamia nuts, toasted, finely chopped

Directions

Panna Cotta:
Grease 4, 1/2 cup (125 mL) metal moulds. Strain passion fruit over small bowl; reserve syrup, discard seeds. Combine passion fruit syrup and sugar in small saucepan, sprinkle with gelatin. Stir over low heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; simmer, uncovered without stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer to medium bowl and stir in half of whipping cream. Cover and allow to cool. Beat remaining cream in small bowl until soft peaks form; fold into passion fruit mixture. Divide among prepared moulds; refrigerate, covered, about 3 hours or until set. Panna Cotta can be made ahead and kept, covered, overnight in the refrigerator.

Wine Syrup:
Combine wine, water, juice and honey in small saucepan. Bring to a boil; simmer, uncovered, without stirring, about 15 minutes or until wine syrup reduces by one-third; cool.

Macadamia Wafers:
Preheat oven to 350 F (170 C). Beat egg white in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved. Fold in flour and butter. Drop rounded teaspoons of mixture on greased cookie sheets. Shape into triangles, if desired, and sprinkle with nuts. Bake approximately 5 minutes or until wafers are browned lightly; cool on trays.

To Assemble:
Turn Panna Cotta onto serving plates; drizzle with Wine Syrup and garnish with Macadamia Wafers.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Chai Milk:

  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) loose Chai tea
  • 4 cups (1 L) hot milk

• Muffins:

  • 4 cups (1 L) oats
  • 4 cups (1 L) Chai Milk (recipe above)
  • 1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar
  • 1 cup (250 mL) white sugar
  • 2 cups (500 mL) canola oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 cups (1 L) flour
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) salt
  • 2 tsp (10 mL). baking soda
  • 4 tsp (20 mL) baking powder
  • 1 cup (250 mL) dried cherries
  • 1 cup (250 mL) toasted slivered almonds

Directions

Chai Milk:
Steep tea in hot milk for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve milk.

Muffins:
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Combine oats and milk in a bowl and let soak for 10 minutes. Add sugars, oil and eggs, mixing well. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder, whisking to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add the cherries and almonds. Mix until just combined (don’t over mix). Spoon batter into greased jumbo or regular muffin cups. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes, or until the top springs back
when pressed.

Serves 16 JUMBO OR 24 REGULAR MUFFINS

Credit: Kirby Criddle

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) water
• 1 cup (250 mL) milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) old-fashioned rolled oats or Scottish steel cut oats
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped dates
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) pecans, toasted and chopped
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
• Vanilla ice cream

Directions

In a large saucepot set over medium-high heat, bring water, milk and salt to a boil; slowly whisk in oats. Let it return to a boil, then simmer until oatmeal is thick and oats are soft.

Combine dates, pecans, chocolate chips, sugar, cinnamon and butter to make a streusel-like topping. Divide oatmeal equally into bowls. Sprinkle liberally with streusel topping and a healthy scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream.

Credit: Alex Svenne

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
• 2 cups (500 mL) shredded coconut, preferably unsweetened
• 1 cup (250 mL) heavy cream
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) orange marmalade
• 12 ounces (340 g) of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) Grand Marnier (or other orange-scented liqueur)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Mix the egg whites, sugar and coconut together until they are thoroughly combined. Lightly oil an 8-cup muffin tin. Using the back of a spoon, press coconut mixture evenly into each mould forming a crust on the bottom and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, then carefully remove and let cool further. Meanwhile, bring cream and marmalade to a simmer and then turn off heat. Add chocolate and liqueur, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Use a large spoon to taste – but don’t double dip! Pour into each crust and cool until set.

For an extra-special garnish, peel an orange with a vegetable peeler, dividing the zest into 8 thin pieces. Simmer zest in 1 cup (250 mL) of water with 1 cup (250 mL) of sugar for 20 minutes. Let zest cool in the syrup and drain before adding a zest twist to the top of each tart. A little whipped cream wouldn’t hurt either!

Serves 8

Credit: Chef Michael Smith

Ingredients

• 4 medium-sized baking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) dark rum
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) raisins
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
• Vanilla ice cream

Directions

Bring rum and raisins to a boil in a saucepot set over high heat. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss apples in brown sugar mixture. Using the slices from 1 apple, lay them in a circle, overlapping each other until the entire apple is used. Repeat with remaining apples.
Open a prepared parchment cooking bag (one bag for each apple), and carefully transfer the apple slices using a spatula or flat utensil into the bag. Top each with equal amounts of rum-raisin mixture and 1 tbsp
(15 mL) of butter. Seal the bag and place onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Open bag carefully and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Serves 4

Credit: Brie Delacruz