::Becks and Posh::

More Delicious Beauty.
*Becks and Posh*

Easy Peasy Iced Tea

Make a 4-6 cup pot of regular Orange Pekoe tea using 2 tea bags, we like Red Rose Tea. Let it sit on the counter overnight with the teabags still in the pot. In the morning discard the tea bags, pour the cold tea into a 1 Gallon jug or jar and add 1 can of thawed frozen lemonade and 1/2 cup of sugar. You can add more sugar to taste, we don't like ours too sweet. Shake it up well and add cold water to fill the jug.

Refrigerate and enjoy!

**Originally posted by my Mom**

Maple Cookie Sandwiches with Lemon Butter Cream Filling

THESE ARE SOFT COOKIES THAT WOULD BE TASTY ALL ON THEIR OWN, BUT COMBINED WITH THE LEMON FILLING THEY TAKE ON A ZINGY FLAVOUR. GREAT WITH TEA.
{Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters}

Maple Cookies:
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
2 t maple extract (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients until smooth. Combine all.
3. Chill batter until easy to work with. Roll batter into small balls and place them onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper, allowing enough room on the cookie sheet for them to expand. Bake for 18 minutes.

{Makes 50 small cookies OR 25 cookie sandwiches}

Lemon Cream Filling
Ingredients:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/8 t salt
1/2 cup butter
3 t grated lemon zest
4 t lemon juice

Instructions:
1. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Add butter. Add zest and lemon juice until a cream forms.
2. Place 1 T of filling in between two cookies and enjoy.

NOTE: Fill the cookies just before serving and keep extra filling in the fridge.

Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies

THE THING THAT SEPARATES THESE FROM EVERY OTHER PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE IS THE CHUNKY FACTOR. WHOLE SALTED PEANUTS. BEING A BIG FAN OF A GOOD CRUNCH, THESE WERE A HIT WITH ME.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Cream butter, sugars and peanut butter. Add egg. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
3. Refrigerate dough if it needs to be firmed up. Roll into balls and bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes.

{24 BIG COOKIES or 42 SMALL ONES}
from Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters

::La Tartine Gourmande::

Another Food Stylist with a beautiful Food blog:
La Tartine Gourmande
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Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger-Pecan Crust

I AM ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR TWISTS ON THE CLASSICS. SO WHEN I SAW THIS FANCY VERSION OF A FAVOURITE THANKSGIVING SWEET. . .
From "The Cake Book"-Tish Boyle

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup (40g) chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 cup (54g) pecans
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold & cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp cold water

Filling
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 lbs (567g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 large eggs, at room temp.

Candied Pumpkin Seeds:
1/2 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
1 large egg white
pinch of salt
2 T sugar
1/8 t ground cinnamon

To make the crust:
Position oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x3 inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2-3 layers of aluminum foil.

Place the flour, sugar, salt, ginger, and pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the pecans are finely ground. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add the cold water slowly until the dough just comes together. Press the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust just starts to brown. Cool crust completely on a wire rack.

To make the filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325F. In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and beat on low speed until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin mixture, then add the cornstarch and mix until just blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and do a final mix by hand to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Pour the filling in the cooled crust. Set the still wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan. Carefully pour enough hot water into the large pan to come 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes until the center is set but still a bit wobbly.

Remove cheesecake from water bath to a cooling rack. Carefully remove the foil and run a thin knife tip around the edge of the cake. This will loosen the cake and help prevent the top from cracking. Cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate the cooled cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.

To make Candied Pumpkin Seeds:
Position oven rack in the center of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease baking sheet.

Place pumpkin seeds in a bowl. In another bowl whisk egg white just until frothy. Add enough the egg white to the seeds to coat, then toss with salt, sugar and cinnamon.

Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 15-20 minutes, or until they begin to dry and turn brown.

Once cooled, separate the seeds with your fingers.

SERVE EACH SLICE OF CAKE WITH A DOLLOP OF WHIPPING CREAM AND A SPRINKLE OF SEEDS.

Perth Garlic Festival

It's coming up on August 9th, and I want to be there. I know it stinks, but I love the stuff. I think the best plan is to make sure the entire family samples the good too, so we all stink together. And then we will quarantine ourselves for a couple of days. . .

Official Event Page
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