Desserts

Here it is, the infamous Calvados and Apple Flan from Normandy! On a recent trip to Normandy, we ate at La Ferme St Michel, and I had the most amazing Calvados and Apple Flan for dessert. It was tender, fruity and intensely fragrant, thanks to the Calvados Apple Brandy. So of course, as soon as I was back in in my kitchen in Canada two weeks later, I couldn’t resist making one (and it certainly won’t be the last one I will be making this fall/winter)! Being from Brittany, I …

The classic French Apple Cake gets a twist with the use of spelt flour; adding nutty notes to its signature buttery crumb filled with big apple clusters. Like in many countries through Fall and Winter, the apple cake is a classic in households. Of all, the French version is probably one the most unpretentious and bare. With no use of cinnamon like in America, nor crumble top, nuts or glaze. A cake reminiscent of the German Versunkener Apfelken or the Russian Sharlotka, both made in similar ways, with more fruit …

Known in French as “Teurgoule”, this slow-baked rice pudding with cinnamon is a family-style specialty from Lower Normandy. It is baked in an earthenware dish for several hours to create a thick caramelized crust on top and a soft, creamy pudding underneath. Fun fact, the name “teurgoule” means twisted mouth in Norman (the regional language from Normandy). It is a reference to the faces supposedly pulled by Normandy people tasting this dessert – not out of disgust, but astonishment, as cinnamon was once a very foreign taste.

This Mirabelle Plum Tart from the Lorraine Region is a typical late-summer treat from the area. If you can’t get your hands on mirabelles, try it with ripe golden plums.  With 10,000 hectares of orchards, the Lorraine region fruitages  nearly 40 thousand tons of Mirabelle plums each year  – representing 70% of the worldwide production. No surprise then that this sweet delicious fruit is the official symbol of the region. Two main varieties exist: the mirabelle from Metz (smaller, golden with red spots) and the mirabelle from Nancy (plumper with …

The love of the French for “tatins” no longer needs to be proven.  These classic French upside-down cakes or pies are traditionally made with apples, but you can embrace the season by using other fruits: peach, blueberry or pineapple, or vegetables: endives, carrots or tomatoes. This simple Rhubarb Tatin Cake embraces the late-spring/early summer season and offers a great way to showcase this perennial vegetable (yes, rhubarb is a vegetable!). The cake is simple and light, with small hints of vanilla and lemon, subtle enough to let the rhubarb shine …

The entire week, I was craving a slice of delicious strawberry galette. Not a pie, not a tart, just a rustic galette. A simple buttery crust, filled with the first strawberries of the season. Simple, honest and oh so delicious. As a lover of all rustic dishes and of yesteryear, I have always loved galettes. I love that they don’t need to be fancy, they don’t really need to look pretty… and they let the fruits shine in all their glory. They are also very easy, and to me, always …

Just a simple, honest, rustic Peach Galette recipe, with fresh yellow peaches and a buttery crust. A perfect home-style summer dessert.  each season is in full swing here in Niagara. All the roadside farmers’ stands are overflowing with sweet and juicy tree-ripened peaches – a real feast for the eyes, and our stomachs!  And I just can’t wait for the Niagara Peach Festival Celebrations happening in two weeks. The whole town will gather to celebrate the Peach Harvest and the local growers – the kind of event right up my alley.  The …