bread full of gluten

Quinoa Bread

makes 1 lbs loaf

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup quinoa flour

1 tsp gluten

1 cup white bread flour (or alternate with 1/2 cup wholemeal bread flour and 1/2 cup white bread flour)

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp milk powder

1 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp butter

METHOD:

1. Add all ingredients in the above order into your bread machine.

2. Turn on the regular bread setting according to your machine's instructions

bananas and toffee

Banoffee Pie

makes one 9 inch pie

INGREDIENTS

For the toffee filling:

1 14oz (397g) can of condensed milk

For the crust:

2 cups ground digestives/ginger snaps/graham crackers (1 1/2 packages)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup or 56g) unsalted butter, melted

For the topping:

4-6 bananas

4 cups whipping cream
grated dark chocolate curls or cocoa powder (optional)

METHOD:

1. Make the toffee filling by placing the can of unopened condensed milk in a small pot. Fill the pot with enough water to reach 1/4 way up the side of the can. Bring the pot of water to a boil and then lower to a simmer for 45-60 mins. Once done, carefully remove the hot can from the pot and let cool. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile make the crust. Preheat your oven to 350F (177C). Grease a 9 inch pie plate.

3. In a small bowl, add ground biscuits and melted butter. Mix well with a fork and dump mixture into pie plate. Use the bottom of a glass to gently press the crust evenly. Apply light pressure or else your crust will be tough and crunchy.

3. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.

4. Carefully open the cooled can of condensed milk. The condensed milk should be thickened and the colour of toffee. Spread the toffee filling gently onto the cooled crust. Chill for 1 hour (up to 8 hours) before adding the topping.

5. Make the topping by first slicing bananas on a bias into 1/2 inch pieces. Layer banana slices over the chilled pie filling.

6. In a large bowl, beat whipping cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over bananas. Top with grated chocolate or dust with cocoa (optional).

tray baked

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless chicken breasts

6-8 slices of prosciutto (can substitute with pancetta or bacon)

1/2 head of garlic, smashed and sliced

3-4 sprigs of thyme (optional)

1 tbsp olive oil

coarse salt and pepper

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (177C).

2. Season chicken breasts and wrap each one with prosciutto. Place in a square casserole dish or baking pan.

3.  Cover with garlic, thyme and olive oil.

4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing on a bias. Serve with pasta peas and a side green salad.

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Garlic Rosemary Lamb Rack

serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1 rack of lamb

1 head of garlic, smashed and finely chopped

2-3 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp coarse pepper

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (177C).

2. In a small bowl, combine garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

3. Trim and season lamb rack. Place on a baking tray.

4. Spread garlic rosemary mixture on top of lamb.

5. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve lamb with mint jelly or cranberry relish, rustic mashed potatoes and some crisp greens.

ginza

A quick weekend trip to Tokyo and we stumbled upon this little izakaya next to our hotel in Ginza. The chef fires up our meat.

And then continues to charcoal grill the rest of our dinner - chicken, beef, inards and mushrooms.

The most embellished bowl of miso soup we've ever seen.

Across the street at the Mitsukoshi food hall are these perfect red and white strawberries.

And farm fresh greens, sprouts and radishes.

 That we hand carried back to HK to prepare.

Japanese Radish Salad

makes about 1 cup as a side dish or as a topping for salad greens

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup chopped Japanese radishes

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

1/2 tsp sesame seed oil

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp coarse salt

1 tsp chopped mint leaves (optional)

METHOD:

1. Place chopped radishes in a glass or other non-reactive bowl.

2. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well.

3. Pour over radishes and gently fold in.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

salad dressings from scratch

Garlicky Dressing
makes 1 1/ 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 anchovies, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

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Tahini Dressing

makes 1 cup

INGREDIENTS:

juice from 1 lemon

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 - 1/2 water (more if the consistency is too thick)

salt and pepper

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Buttermilk Caesar Dressing
makes 1/2 cup

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup buttermilk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
2 anchovies, minced
1/8 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

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Soya Sauce Vinaigrette
makes 3/4 cup

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

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Orange Balsamic Dressing
makes 1 cup

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper

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Cilantro Jalapeno Dressing

makes 1 cup

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup cilantro stems

1 jalapeño, deseeded

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup grape seed oil

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

salt

METHOD:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Or you can finely chop and whisk everything together.

2. Toss with your favourite greens and serve immediately. Leftover dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

pourable chocolate

Chocolate ganache is an easy and elegant way to top your desserts. The Kitchn gives an excellent cooking tutorial on this.

Chocolate Glazed Cheesecake

makes one 9 inch cake

INGREDIENTS:

Homemade Cheesecake

15oz bittersweet chocolate

3/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature

Store bought truffles and macarons

METHOD:

1. Follow the recipe and make a cheesecake.

2. In a glass bowl over a bain marie, melt the chocolate. Gradually add the cream and stir until the chocolate is a pourable consistency. The chocolate glaze should have an even shiny sheen to it.

3. Pour the glaze into a liquid measuring cup and let cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

4. Remove cheesecake from the fridge. Give the glaze a stir and slowly pour it over the centre of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.

5. Decorate as desired while the chocolate glaze is still malleable.

6. Chill until ready to serve.

pancakes from scratch

When we do a lot of caking, we often have buttermilk left over. This is an easy and delicious way to use it up.

Buttermilk Pancakes

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 24 six inch pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups buttermilk

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

METHOD:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and whisk together.

2. Add eggs, buttermilk, and butter and gently whisk to combine. Do not overmix, batter should be lumpy and bubbly. Let the batter stand for 5-10 minutes before using.

3. Over medium heat, grease a large non-stick pan or griddle with cooking spray or a light coating of your preferred cooking oil.

4. When your pan is hot (a drop of water should sizzle), use a small ladle (1/8-1/4 cup) to pour batter in separate pools.

5. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

6. Repeat with remaining batter and serve immediately with pure maple syrup or your favourite toppings.

Tips:

- Dry ingredients can be measured out the night before.

- Do not over mix the batter or else your pancakes will be tough.

- Make blueberry, banana or chocolate chip pancakes by adding to each pool of batter in Step #4.

holiday cookies

This is the time of year you're likely to be baking an inordinate amount of cookies in a small window of time. Here are some general tips and reminders to help get through the holiday rush:

- make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature

- aerate your flour before measuring it out by dipping a large wooden spoon in the bag/container

- use a whisk to "sift" your dry ingredients together

- use a mini ice cream scoop for making uniform and even balls of cookie dough

- cookie dough can be made ahead and frozen until ready to use (in fact this is preferable for drop cookies as they may spread too thin while baking)

- baked cookies will keep up to 1 week in an airtight container or freeze them and use within a month

- baked cookies that are frozen don't need to be defrosted before serving or gifting
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Cranberry Coconut Citrus

makes about 3 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1.5 sticks (1/2 + 1/4 cup or  169g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tbsp grated orange peel (about 1 small orange)

1/2 tbsp grated lemon peel (about 1 lemon)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup sweetened moist flaked coconut (not dessicated coconut)

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (177C). Grease or line baking sheets.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, citrus peels and vanilla until fluffy (about 5 minutes).

4. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until dough comes together. Dough should be smooth, not too crumbly.

5. Mix in cranberries and coconut by hand.

6. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies are just set and the edges begin to brown. Lift cookies carefully (they will be very soft at this moment) with a thin metal spatula on to a wire rack and cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Bonus: these cookies are vegan-friendly.

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White Chocolate Chip Pecan

recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking's Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie
makes about 3 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick (1/2 cup or 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar
1 egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (can substitute in white or dark chocolate chips)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F (188C). Grease or line cookie sheets.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.

4. On low speed stir in the dry ingredients until well-blended and smooth.

5. Add chocolate chips and nuts (if using) and mix by hand.

6. If dough is too sticky to shape into balls, freeze for 5-10 minutes first.

7. Shape chilled dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are just slightly colored on top and the edges are brown. Let cookies rest for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

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Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

recipe adapted from Betty Crocker's Gingerbread Cookies

makes about 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks (1 cup or 226g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses 

2 tbsp ground ginger

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground allspice

Cookie Icing

Sprinkles

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (177C). Grease or line baking sheets.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, molasses and spices until well combined.

4. On low speed stir in the dry ingredients until well-blended and smooth.

5. If dough is too sticky to shape into balls, freeze for 5-10 minutes first.

6. Shape chilled dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or just until cookies are set and soft in the centre. Let cookies rest for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. 

7. Make the cookie icing. Frost and decorate cooled cookies as desired.

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Oatmeal Cookies

recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking's Classic Oatmeal Cookies

makes about 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 sticks (1 cup or 226g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

3 tsp vanilla

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup cranberries or chocolate chips (optional)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F (188C). Grease or line cookie sheets.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until well blended.

4. On low speed stir in the dry ingredients until combined.

5. Stir in oats and cranberries or chocolate chips (if using).

6. If dough is too sticky to shape into balls, freeze for 5-10 minutes first.

7. Shape chilled dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes until the cookies are lightly brown all over. Let cookies rest for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. 

the season of pumpkin spice

From lattes to cookies to air fresheners, it seems that pumpkin spice is everywhere once the holiday season rolls around.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

makes one 9 inch cake

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

1 cup ground ginger snaps

1 cup ground graham crackers or digestives

1/2 stick (1/4 cup or 56g) unsalted butter, melted

For the cake:

1 lbs (2 x 8 oz bricks or 1.8 x 250g bricks) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground all spice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 3/4 cups (15oz can) pumpkin puree

1/2 cup evaporated milk

For the topping:

2 cups full fat sour cream, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F (177C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.

2. Make the crust by combining the ground biscuits and melted butter together. Dump mixture into springform pan and gently shake to spread the crumbs. Gently use the bottom of a glass to press the crust evenly into the bottom of the pan. Apply very light pressure or else your crust will be tough and crunchy.

3. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges brown. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack.

4. Make the cake by mixing the cream cheese, sugars, cornstarch, spices and salt on medium-low speed until the mixture is creamy and no lumps of cream cheese remain.

5. Mix in the eggs one at a time and beat each one until completely blended.

6. Gently stir in the pumpkin and evaporated milk. Scrape down the beater and sides of the bowl with a spatula. Make sure everything is incorporated. The finished batter should be thick, creamy, and silky.

7. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the centre is set, but slightly wobbly. While the cheesecake is baking, make the topping by combining the sour cream, sugar and vanilla.

8. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and gently spread the sour cream topping evenly over top. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.

9. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in there to cool with the door cracked open with a wooden spoon for 1 hour.

10. After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and cool completely in the pan for another hour.

11. Chill the cheesecake in the pan uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

12. When you're ready to serve, top the cheesecake with chocolate or whipped cream (optional). Serve the cake right from the bottom of the springform pan.

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Pumpkin Spiced Cupcakes

makes 30 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 cup olive oil

3 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp all spice

1/2 tsp cloves

1 3/4 cups (15oz can) pumpkin puree

1 coarsely mashed ripe banana (optional)

1 cup buttermilk

Cream Cheese Frosting

METHOD:

1. Place oven rack in the middle. Preheat oven to 325F (165C). Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and whisk out any lumps. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat together sugars, oil, eggs, vanilla and spices.

4. Stir in pumpkin. Do not over mix. Fold in bananas.

5. Fold in dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk until everything is just incorporated. Do not over mix.

6. Fill prepared muffin cups 1/2 full with batter. Bake until a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

7. Prepare cream cheese frosting and decorate cupcakes as desired.

Tip: Cupcakes can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in a wine fridge (not as cold as a regular refrigerator).

green food

A great green pint in the morning is the perfect hangover cure. Just throw an orange, fresh ginger, and some kale into a high powered blender and you'll feel good as new. Tip: freeze your washed kale in airtight plastic bags so that you can have it handy in the morning.

We visited Social Place recently and loved their modern take on traditional Chinese cuisine. The knife work on this Chinese Kale (gai lan) is beautiful.

Amazing how they made these mushroom stuffed buns actually look like mushrooms.

And at Isoya, their specialty is Japanese vegetarian cuisine. Very creative how they made sushi out of bell peppers, asparagus, mushrooms and sweet potato. 

Making your own salsas and guacamole doesn't get any greener and fresher than this.

Pico de gallo

makes about 3 cups

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups diced cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

2-3 jalapeno peppers, coarsely chopped (mild = no seeds, med = 1/2 seeds, spicy = all seeds)

3/4 cups cilantro, finely chopped

juice of 2 limes (Thai or Mexican)

salt and pepper

METHOD:

1. Combine all the vegetables together in a non-reactive bowl (set aside 1/4 cup for guacamole if making).

2. Mix in lime juice and season as desired. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours before serving

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Salsa Verde

makes about 1 cup

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 tomatillos (fresh or canned)

1/2 white onion

1-2 jalapeno peppers

1 cup cilantro

juice of 1 lime (Thai or Mexican)

salt and pepper

METHOD: 

1. Pulse everything together in a hand blender or food processor.

2. Pour into a non-reactive bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Season as desired. Refrigerate for 1-4 hours before serving.

Guacamole
makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 ripe avocados (Hass variety preferred)
1/4 cup pico de gallo (vegetables only)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
juice of 2-3 limes (Thai or Mexican)
salt and pepper

METHOD:
1. Scoop out avocados and combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. 

2. Use a fork and knife in a crisscross cutting motion to coarsely mix together until combined. 

3. Season as desired. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure there are no air pockets. This will ensure your guac doesn't go brown. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Serve your salsas and guac with tortilla chips or as condiments to your favourite Mexican dishes.

a barrel of fun

Chocolate Candy Torte

makes one 6 inch round layer cake plus 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

Celebration Cake

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

9 Kit Kat bars

2 cups M&M's

12 mini macarons

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (177C). Prepare a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Grease and line two round 6 inch cake pans.

2. Follow the Celebration Cake recipe and fill cupcake liners and cake pans with batter. 

3. Bake cupcakes for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Bake cakes for 30-40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

5. Prepare chocolate buttercream and frost cupcakes as desired. Decorate with macarons.

6. Split the Kit Kat bars in half so that you have 18 pieces.

7. Use remaining buttercream to frost the cake layers together. Spread buttercream up the sides and on top of the cake. Vertically press the Kit Kat bars along the side of cake. You may have extra bars leftover depending on how much buttercream there is on the cake. Fill the top of the cake with M&M's. Chill the cake for 1 hour to allow decorations to set.

8. Once the cake is set, tie a ribbon around the cake for presentation (optional). Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

brown velvet cake

For those who love the chocolaty airiness of a Red Velvet cake, but find the "red" in it a little disconcerting, here's a satisfying substitute without that unpleasant carmine/cochineal aftertaste.

Brown Velvet Cake

recipe adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

makes one 6 inch round double layer cake and 9 cupcakes

(also makes one 9 inch round double layer cake or 30 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS

Make the cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 stick (1/2 cup or 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

5 tbsp water

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp distilled white vinegar

Decorate the cake:

4 cups Whipped Cream Frosting or Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup chopped strawberries

1 cup sliced strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 325F (163 C). Grease and line cake pans and muffin tins if using.

2. In a small bowl, sift or whisk together flour and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs one by one and beat until well combined.

4. In a small bowl, combine cocoa, vanilla and water to make a thick paste. Add to the batter and mix well until combined.

5. Mix in dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with buttermilk. Beat on high until smooth. Combine baking soda and vinegar in a separate dish and then mix in.

6. Pour batter evenly into the cake pans or fill prepared cupcake liners half full. Bake cakes for 30 minutes or 12-15 minutes for cupcakes (until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean). Rotate pans halfway through baking. Let cakes cool in pans for 20 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting (about 1 hour).

7. Make the frosting. For cupcakes, frost as desired.

8. For a cake, mix half of the frosting with the chopped strawberries. This will be your cake filling. The rest of the frosting will be your cake topping. Once the cakes are cool enough, trim them with a serrated knife so that the tops are flat. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread the strawberry filling evenly all the way to the edges of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top and spread the rest of the plain frosting on it. Decorate with the remaining berries. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

new york to munich

New York City and dinner at Alder before they closed in August. What looks like breakfast is actually Wylie's take on okonomiyaki, it was savoury rather than sweet. Looks can be deceiving.

The "soup Nazi" is still around after all these years.

Munich and a fresh market full of vegetables, mushrooms and meats.

Wreaths made of hops ready for Oktoberfest.