Blog Post List

This blog post list contains the most recent blog posts from The Messy Baker in reverse chronological order. You can also browse by recipe category or use the search function.

Today I get to spread more joy. I think I could get used to this. It makes me feel a tiny bit like Oprah -- you win an iSpice, and YOU win an iSpice, and YOU win an iSpice!  The only difference? Everyone was expecting a mass giveaway. And the winners don't have to pay the taxes on their prize. Oh, and you can't drive away in your brand new iSpice. But you can drive with one in your pocket, so that's pretty neat (only don't scroll spices while driving!) Although, it took a few clicks of the button at Random.org,  we have our 10 winners. Are you ready? A big congratulations to:
Macaron with chocolate ganache Remember my resolution to espouse joy, accept my weakness for sugary treats and let the professionals worry about the camera work? Well, today I share with you one of the highlights of my food writing career and a few less than stellar pictures. Recently, I spent an afternoon at Bonnie Gordon College with Master Chocolatier Derrick Tu Tan Pho. Not only did I learn a lot about one of my favourite edible culinary inspirations, I got to make impossibly shiny macarons and near-nebulous mousse alongside some of my favourite human culinary inspirations. Forgive me if I name drop or two but wouldn't you get a little excited if you sat beside the iconic Elizabeth Baird for two glorious uninterrupted hours, watched the talented Emily Richards drizzle her name in chocolate, piped batter alongside the all-knowing Susan Sampson and talked muffins with prolific author/editor Jennifer Mackenzie? In between mouthfuls of macarons and potentially addictive chocolate pearls, I scribbled enough notes to fill a small binder.  So I'm breaking my afternoon of chocolate nirvana into a few of posts, which I'll share with you over the next little while. After all, too much chocolate in one seating will spoil your dinner. Plus, I get to relive the joy a few more times. Did I mention I sat beside Elizabeth Baird?

This is the time of year I look over last years' resolutions, publicly admit defeat and prove my optimistic tendencies by giving it yet another go. This year? For the first time ever, I actually met all my published goals. Admittedly, they weren't grandiose, like...

I know what you're thinking. "It's only 2 days to Christmas and you're posting this now?" Yup. I figure, since I'm going to be making a mad dash for gifts later today, you might be a last-minute shopper, too. So, in no particular order other than this is the way the books were piled on my office floor, here are some of the best food books I encountered in the past year. I've streamlined the review so you can narrow your search quickly and hit the road. I've even included a section about the photographs in case you're as easily swayed by pretty pictures as I am.

I have turned into one of those hand-held-gadget people I used to mock. Once blissfully free of anything more technically advanced than a pen and notepad, I now find myself tethered to a library of tunes, a six-tiered calendar, five email accounts and a nest...

I used to be a master multi-tasker. As a Gemini, it came naturally. I'll admit there were times I did it just to show off. When friends and family dropped in I'd be sure they'd catch me cooking a five-course meal, answering email and writing...

[caption id="attachment_4376" align="alignnone" width="500"] This is what happens when you bake cheesecakes without a hot water bath.[/caption] Growing up, cheesecake was a graham crust pressed into a 9 X 9  pan, slathered in a mixture of cream cheese and Dream Whip, and crowned with a can...

There is something subversively satisfying about finding a fried vegetable recipe in a healthy eating book. I was thumbing through Clean Start: Inspiring You to Eat Clean and Live Well with 100 New Clean Food Recipes by Terry Walters. Hidden somewhere between the longest title...

I'm a big advocate of knowing your limits. While I'm very good at producing stellar individual dishes (Cranberry & Apple Cake aside), I'm not as gifted when it comes to co-ordinating large, multi-course meals. Want chicken curry on rice with a veggie? No problem. Drop by anytime for a soup, salad and savory scone. And I'm always happy to whip up a batch of ginger cookies. But ask me to produce a stuffed bird, three sides, sauce and dessert? I channel my inner hypochondriac and start searching for the thermometer. Expect me to serve this to a dozen people while wearing heels? Well, let's just say I play the "Small House with an Eat-In Kitchen" card as often as I can. And thanks to my parents, with their large kitchen and even larger dining room, this excuse works every time. All I have to do is show up with a Pumpkin Pie and I'm golden. But I realize not everyone has this Get-Out-of-Cooking-Thanksgiving-Dinner-Free option. So, to help those who are flying solo with the holiday hosting, I'm acknowledging my limits and handing the reigns over to the pros. Knowing the challenges of organizing and executing a holiday dinner, the good people at Rouxbe Online Cooking School have created a Step-by-Step Holiday Guide to get you through Thanksgiving (or Christmas for that matter).
Listen to Ina. She is wise. When the Barefoot Contessa says use a 10-inch glass pie pate, use a glass pie plate. When she says use fresh cranberries, use fresh cranberries. But you know me. I never listen. Or more precisely, I don't always think ahead. I dive into recipes head first, often to find the culinary waters muddy, turbulent or shallow. With company arriving and frozen cranberries going begging, I made the best choices I could under less than perfect circumstances. So, when faced with using a 9-inch glass pie plate or a 10-inch ceramic pie plate, I pulled out the larger dish. When forced to choose between using frozen cranberries or producing no dessert at all,  I opted for frozen fruit. And while I stand by my decisions, I paid a price.