Author: Mélanie

Desserts and cookies

Red currants & almond mini pies

By on July 18, 2018

Mason jar red currants and almond mini pies

Mini pies. Red currants & almond cream.
Two bites of sweetness and less guilt. Or take two or three pies and just own it already! I choose the last option.

Let me tell you that this perfect buttery crust filled with these little sour red currants and an almond filling is just the balance of taste you need in life.

Mini cutie tiny red currants & almond pies

Few reasons for a small batch.

  • So cute to state the obvious: it is just too adorable. It presents very well on a table of desserts or it’s an attractive addition to a potluck with friends.
  • Practical baking: I’ve used this technique before for my vegan chocolate tartelettes, I bake my pies in a mason jar lid. Just tuck some aluminium foil and place your crust and voilà. Quite easy to take of the mold too since the mason jar lids are in 2 parts.
  • Very convincing: not that you’ll need to shove it down someone throat but if you or the person you are offering it to is trying to watch their waist, this would be the bite to be weak on!

 

Stack of red currants and almonds mini pies

The pie crust

Most of my recipes on my blog are in grams. I strongly believe in using a scale while baking. Please please do consider it when making any dessert, it will be way more accurate and therefore way more chance for your recipe to turn out the way you wanted.

Because I do it so often, I can make one in 5 minutes. No joke!  Even if my butter isn’t soft.  I had made a short post here to encourage you to make you own pie crust.  Let me know if you do!

Inside the red currants and almond pies

Side note. Lack of inspiration? 

Where have I been? Keeping up with the blog is always – like all the time – all day, in the corner of my mind. I have so many ideas, so many recipes I want to try and improve. Make healthier version, share my daily hacks that work for me.

But seriously.

I am not Superwomen (although my son thinks so! * heart melts *) and being a mom of 2, having a full-time job, driving around to activities, keeping up with the house chores is taking all my energy. I will figure out a way to be more present here because I really enjoy it.

So not a lack of inspiration but rather lack of time. I am trying to keep a presence on Instagram so you guys know I’m still here! Come and follow me. I haven’t really jump in the Insta stories bandwagon, shall I?

 

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Red currants & almond mini pies

Prep Time: 10 hours

Yield: 12 mason jar lids or a 9-inch pie mold

Ingredients

    For the crust
  • - 100g of soft butter or 1/2 cup
  • - 200g of flour or 1 1/3 cup
  • - 60ml of milk
  • - Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup of red currants, washed
    • For the almond filling
  • - 3 medium-sized eggs
  • - 100g or 1 cup of almond meal
  • - 100g or 1/2 cup of sugar

Instructions

    For the crust:
  1. - Mix the butter, the flour and salt together until it is crumbly.
  2. - Add the milk at once and mix gently to form a bowl of dough.
  3. - Don’t over-work it, just enough so all the crumbs are all picked up.
  4. You are done! It is ready to be rolled!
    5. For the almond filling:
  5. -In a bowl, mix the eggs, sugar and almond powder.
    6. Assembling:
  6. - In the mason jar lids, where you have spread the crust, place a few red currants in each mini pie.
  7. - Pour some of the almond filling in each - probably the equivalent of 2 tablespoons - give or take.
  8. - I added a few red currants on top of the filling
  9. Bake at 300F for 15 minutes or until the crust and the top is golden.

Notes

I ALWAYS use my scale to bake - I have added the equivalence for your convenience but I can't recommend enough to bake with a scale for accuracy.

http://bonappeteat.ca/red-currants-almond-pies/

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Desserts and cookies

Flan de coco

By on April 27, 2018

flan de coco, coconut flan

Patio and terrace season!  Spring has been shy but I do believe that it’s slowly showing up and promising some nice days

Cinco de Mayo is also around the corner and a perfect excuse to organize a friend gathering, a nice potluck on a theme! How fun! (Why don’t we have emojis around here?!) #reallifeproblem

If you are in charge of dessert, Flan de coco will be it! I got you covered. It’s simple, most likely you have all ingredients in your pantry. Does not require too much of your time so you can relax and sip on a Margarita while it’s in the oven.

Easy as ”Un, dos, tres”

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Desserts and cookies

Irresistible vegan hemp dates bites

By on March 23, 2018

Hemp. Dates. Bites. BAM! Vegan, healthy, sweet, nutty, flavorful, quick, no bake. Can you resist? I don’t think you need more reasons to give it a try?

Also, hemp seeds are my new obsession! Eating a salad? Add some hemp. A yogurt? Let’s sprinkle some hemp. Snacking on a banana? Dip it in some hemp.  The nutty taste is the perfect addition to my meal or snack? Have you tried them yet? The idea of using the sweetness of the dates, the flavor of the coconut and the aroma of the prune materialize quickly into this yummy snacks. I wanted to prepare some small bites to satisfy my cravings, I had to keep in mind that my work is a nut-free environment. Naturally, hemp seeds came to my mind since you can get the nutty taste and respecting the rules.

Dattes hemp energy bites

Ready in a flash

That’s my main argument here for this hemp dates bite size. The preparation is easy, you toss it all in the food processor and shape the little balls. Just roll them in the hemp seeds and voilà!

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Desserts and cookies

Healthy vegan chocolate tartelettes

By on August 21, 2017

Do you have a sweet tooth and need your sugar fix after lunch? I got you covered! I have some sweetness and chocolate for you. Also, if you are vegetarian, vegan, it’s a keeper. Otherwise, it’s a keeper anyway! I know, I rock.
I’m talking tartelettes tasting like heaven and not staying on your hips!



It’s small, grab one!

In fact, this tartelettes will satisfy your craving and not give you bad conscience. Come on, admit it, don’t you feel bad after eating a bad chocolate bar just because? You can tell me, it’s me! Because, I do. After lunch, I generally look for that little something sweet that will mark the end of the meal. A nice expresso don’t always work, sometimes it calls for nice piece of chocolate to go with it.

Since we only live once and I own my curves, I indulge! However, I will try to make smart choices and Ta-da, now you have my healthy vegan chocolate tartelettes.

I used the lids of my mason jars as mold and it makes the perfect size for a treat! I got this idea from Dessert for 2, Christina is always so creative.

There is no sugar added and yet it is sweet. The figs and raisins are doing all the job. The combination of the nutty taste of the walnut and the chocolate will make ask for more!

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Desserts and cookies

French Chocolate Pot de crème

By on July 8, 2017

chocolate pot de creme

Chocolate Pot de crème. French dessert? French name? This sounds fancy! Don’t you feel that it will impress a crowd? If anything, it will please a crowd and that’s actually the most important. I truly think you can go wrong with chocolate, any season, any time of the day, any gender, any age, it’s a magic word!

Cho-co-lat.

Ouh lala! Also, a pot de crème is the cousin of the crème brûlée and the brother of la crème aux oeufs.

Not only it’s the decadent dessert you’ll want to do again soon as you bring the first spoon to your mouth but also because it’s so simple you’ll want to make a ‘pot de crème’ to your loved ones and use your sexy French accent.

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