Nanaimo bars are supersweet triple-layer squares. The bottom layer is a graham cracker crumb base, flavoured with cocoa and coconut and studded with chopped nuts. The creamy middle layer is like vanilla-flavoured frosting. And the topping is melted chocolate. I only realized that these were a Canadian treat after moving back to Canada about 10 […]
dessert
Spiced Riesling Poached Pears
Poached pears have never really appealed to me. I think I imagined the dish to be mushy and bland, which is crazy because I love both pears and wine. When I recently found some extra homemade Riesling in the basement, the light bulb turned on: why not try my favourite sweet white wine along with some Boscs (my favourite […]
Moist Banana Walnut Muffins
I had a few leftover bananas lying around my kitchen, so I decided to whip up some tasty banana walnut muffins this weekend. They are exceptionally moist and the walnuts add a great toothsome crunch. This recipe can have myriad variations: try using different types of nuts and seeds, or add some chocolate chips or […]
Blueberry Lemon Birthday Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Normally our dad prefers that I make a cheesecake for his birthday cake. This year, however, he said he wanted something a bit different – and blueberry-flavoured. So this is what I came up with! It’s a white cake made nice and tangy with the juice and zest of three lemons, into which I folded some […]
Ryan’s Matcha Blondies with Chocolate Chips and Pecans
In Japan, matcha is used to flavour so many foods, from soft-serve ice cream, Kit Kat bars, and Pocky to Swiss roll cakes and mochi. However, I’ve never had a matcha-flavoured blondie until Ryan whipped some up! Ryan’s baking specialty is blondies, and recently he surprised us with one of our favourite flavours – matcha. Matcha is […]