I had some pastry leftover in the freezer from baking my Tourtiere last weekend for my father's birthday. I decided that I wanted to bake a pie for this weekend.
I didn't want to bake just any pie however I wanted to bake something which is typically Canadian and from my French Canadian Heritage.
My father is French Canadian. We travelled through Quebec off and on through the years and spent summer holidays at my Grandmaman's.
I can remember on one occasion my Aunts and Uncles buying puff pastry and eating it in bowls with rich caramel and loads of sweet cream. The Québécois love anything with caramel. Or at least my Québécois family do.
I also had experienced sugar pie bought at a rest stop in Quebec during the years I was married and raising a family. We drove through Quebec many times. Taste memories are the best kinds.
I went looking for a recipe to make a sugar pie, but then I spied this recipe for a Québécois Sugar Cream Pie in a baking book of mine. The Redpath Canadian Bake Book.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Everything I have baked from it has been exemplary. If you are looking for a good baking book, you can't go wrong!
My photographs for this pie are not near as nice as the one is in the book. It pictures a lovely pie with a golden crust decorated with a Fleur de Lis, which is the flower of Quebec. Very pretty.
I just cut heart shapes out of my top crust to vent it.
One thing which really appealed to me with this pie was its ease of preparation. As you all know I can be a tad bit lazy when it comes to cooking sometimes, and if something promised to be easy AND delicious, I am all for it!
WHAT YOU NEED TO BAKE QUÉBECOIS SUGAR CREAM PIE
Ordinary kitchen staple ingredients. Nothing outrageous here! I like that.
For the pastry:
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter (76g)
1/3 cup lard (or white vegetable shortening) (74g)
5 to 6 tablespoons of ice water
This is the best pastry. I use this butter lard pastry for all my pies, sweet and savory, if I can.
For the Filling:
- 2 cups (480ml) whipping cream (35%)
- 1 cup (180g) lightly packed soft light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup (47g) plain all purpose flour
HOW TO MAKE THE PASTRY
You may want to make the pastry the day before, which will speed up the process even more.
- To make the pastry, mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard, until you have pieces of fat in the flour about the size of peas. (Use a pastry blender or two round bladed knives.)
- Add ice water, one TBS at a time, tossing it in with a fork until pastry comes together. Shape into a ball and cut in two pieces. Form each piece into a round flat disc. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Or overnight.)
If you chill the pie crust overnight, take it out of the refrigerator about 1 hour prior to baking.
HOW TO MAKE THE FILLING
- Make the filling while the pastry is chilling. Whisk the brown sugar and flour together in a saucepan. Whisk in the cream and add the butter.
- Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside, stirring every five minutes, until needed.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE PIE
You will need to blind bake the bottom crust for 10 to 15 minutes. This is not hard to do.
- Preheat oven to 375*F/ gas mark 5/ 190*C.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the pastry discs into a 12 inch circle. Use this to line a 9 inch pie plate. Trim and flute.
- Line with baking paper or foil and some baking beans. Blind bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350*C/gas mark 4/ 180*C.
- While the crust is blind baking, roll the remaining pastry out 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut a 9-inch circle out. Cut some holes out in the center for venting the pie.
- Remove the baking beans from the pie. Pour in the filling. Top with the 9 inch pastry circle. Don't worry you just lay it gently on top. There is no need to seal the pie crust edges.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
- Leave to cool to room temperature before cutting into thin slices to serve. Delicious!
Trust me when I say that the most difficult part of this pie is waiting for it to cool down enough so that you can cut it into slices. This is one of the tastiest pies you could ever want to bake and eat.
Your family will think you have slaved over a hot stove all day to make it. You needn't tell them just how easy it was. That can be out tasty little secret!
If you only bake one dessert this weekend, let it be this pie! 😋😋😋
Québécois Sugar Cream Pie
Yield: 8 - 10 servings
Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 1 H & 35 M
This is an authentic French Canadian recipe which features a deliciously creamy brown sugar custard filling.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 2 cups all purpose flour (280g)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup butter (76g)
- 1/3 cup lard (or white vegetable shortening) (74g)
- 5 to 6 tablespoons of ice water
For the filling:
- 2 cups (480ml) whipping cream (35%)
- 1 cup (180g) lightly packed soft light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/3 cup (47g) plain all purpose flour
Instructions
- To make the pastry, mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard, until you have pieces of fat in the flour about the size of peas. (Use a pastry blender or two round bladed knives.)
- Add ice water, one TBS at a time, tossing it in with a fork until pastry comes together. Shape into a ball and cut in two pieces. Form each piece into a round flat disc. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Make the filling while the pastry is chilling. Whisk the brown sugar and flour together in a saucepan. Whisk in the cream and add the butter. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside, stirring every five minutes, until needed.
- Preheat oven to 375*F/ gas mark 5/ 190*C.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the pastry discs into a 12 inch circle. Use this to line a 9 inch pie plate. Trim and flute.
- Line with baking paper or foil and some baking beans. Blind bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350*C/gas mark 4/ 180*C.
- While the crust is blind baking, roll the remaining pastry out 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut a 9-inch circle out. Cut some holes out in the center for venting the pie.
- Remove the baking beans from the pie. Pour in the filling. Top with the 9 inch pastry circle. Don't worry you just lay it gently on top. There is no need to seal the pie crust edges.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
- Leave to cool to room temperature before cutting into thin slices to serve. Delicious!
- Reduce the oven
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Best Ways To Decorate Kitchen in Budget
Do you want to decorate your kitchen with your favorite theme? But you are worried because your budget is not much. Do not worry! You do not have to sacrifice your style due to budget. You can easily bring freshness and positive vibes without hurting your pocket.
A good looking kitchen and better interior design keep you in a good mood. So before you start your renovation, take a look at these ingenious tricks for decorating the kitchen on a budget.
Fresh up Your Space With Paint
Do not skip your wall! A fresh coat of paint is a budget-friendly way to update your area. Always opt for bright shades which look attractive and eye-catching. You can choose yellow, green, and orange tones, which have a positive impact.
You can paint your wall by yourself. Plus, fresh hues make your area look new, no matter how old it may be. You can also use the paint for your old furniture, so you will not have to spend much money. This will make your furniture look new.
Dress Your Wall With Wall Art
Wall art is very trendy nowadays, and it also livens up your space. Canvas wall art is available at a very low price, and it is also easy to hang. You can buy a metallic, floral print and also take it according to your style. Canvas prints look good on any wall in your home and can give your kitchen a trendy look on a budget.
Decorate Cooling Area With Greenery
Do you want to decorate your kitchen without spending more money? Go for Greenery! It is the best option to fill the empty corners of your area. You can buy a variety of plants from the market as per your choice.
Try to choose a ZZ plant, spider or snake plant, cactus, aloe vera, aglaonema, anthurium, etc. Take an unused mug, bottles and paint them with acrylic colors. You can make a pattern or plain cute and lovely pots and vases. It adds positivity in your area, reduces mental stress, also eliminates negative vibes, and so on.
Consider Affordable Lighting
Obviously, lighting can alter the entire look and feel of your space. It is a crucial element you can introduce in your room for an inviting and relaxing atmosphere. You can buy colorful sheets and bulbs which have yellow and white light.
Of course, you can make a circle, rectangular, square, and any other shape with the help of colorful paper. Attach your bulb inside of pendant hangings, it adds charm and brightness to your bedroom. You can put it on your wall or hang it on the ceiling.
Update the Color of Cabinets
One of the best ways to decorate the kitchen is to update the color of your cabinets. For this, you do not need to change the entire cabinet. You can simply paste colored sheets on already existing cabinets to give them a new refreshing look. It is a budget-friendly way to decorate the cooking area in 2022 and beyond.
Repaint Your Old Shelves
Yes, obviously, you can paint your old shelves with your favorite hue. You do not need to repurchase a new piece. It is an effective way of storing books and other personal items. It is also a great idea to display your picture frames, vases, candles, and small plants.
Let's Wrap it
Everyone wants to make their kitchen beautiful. But they do not think about this thing because they can not hurt their budget. But do not bring this thinking in your mind that you can never update your room. You are lucky! These tips make your kitchen feel refreshed in no time. The importance of decoration is to improve the look and feel of your space.
Its a cold and snowy day out there today. I am sitting in my warm little house all tucked up and cozy. My kittens are sitting in their basket in front of the window watching the world go by, and I am just feeling blessed, blessed, blessed.
When I think about where I was sitting in my life just a year ago, and where I am sitting now, there is just no other way to feel than blessed. I have a nice little home. I'm supporting myself. I just had a book published. I am loved and healthy and happy. What more could I ask for! Not a lot really!
There is something about losing everything and then having to fight your way back a normal life that really puts things into their true perspective. I will never take anything for granted ever again.
Not my home. Not my health. Not my relationships. Oh, I don't think I ever really did take all that I had for granted, but I don't think I treasured my life quite as much as I should have.
Its difficult to put it into words really.
But this morning I am feeling terribly blessed, and I had to drag out my Susan Branch mug to celebrate my blessedness. Of course if I am going to enjoy a hot drink, I might as well enjoy a a fresh baked muffin right along side of it.
These Coffee Cream Muffins are a real favorite muffin recipe. The original recipe comes from a cookbook by Diana Bonaparte, entitled Mad About Muffins. The original recipe makes a dozen muffins. I downsized it to make only six, because there is only me, and I only have so much willpower.
It is a book that I had in my collection in the UK for many, many years. I couldn't afford to replace the hard copy here and so I bought it on my kindle. I am not totally thrilled with the kindle edition, but one does what one has to do.
It was a book that I had referred to fairly often when baking muffins. And by that I mean real muffins, not cupcakes as a lot of muffins seem to be these days.
I like my muffins to be not too sweet. I don't want cupcakes disguised as muffins. I want a quick bread that is enjoyable with a hot cuppa. Not too big. Not too small.
These are just right. With a lovely coffee flavor and a beautiful texture. There is an added crunch of demerara sugar on top, which goes just perfectly.
I may not drink coffee, but I am not at all opposed to eating it. I love the flavor in baked goods and candies.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE COFFEE CREAM MUFFINS
I am betting you have it all in your kitchen right now.
- 1 cup plus 1 TBS (150g) plain all purpose flour
- 7 TBS sugar (85g) (I used granulated. In the UK use castor)
- 1/2 TBS baking powder
- 1 TBS instant coffee granules, pressed through a sieve
- pinch salt
- 3 TBS milk (I used whole milk)
- 3.25 fluid ounces (92ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil (I used canola)
- 1 large free range egg
- demerara sugar to sprinkle (raw turbinado) (Maple sugar would also be nice)
I love LOVE my ceramic muffin pan. I bought it last winter when I was living at my sisters from The Bay here in Canada. It was on sale.
At that time I had determined to only invite things into my home that I fell in love with or that brought me joy. I fell in love with this muffin baker. And it has brought me joy. Oodles and oodles of joy.
HOW TO MAKE COFFEE CREAM MUFFINS
Making muffins is probably one of the easiest things to do. It is a matter of basically folding together dry and wet ingredients just to combine.
Preheat your oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a six cup muffin tin really well, or line with paper cups. I use a good baking spray.
Whisk the flour, coffee, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. (Press the coffee granules though a fine sieve with the back of a spoon.)
Whisk together the cream, milk, oil and egg, without thickening the cream. (In other words, don't whip it!)
Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix together just to combine. Divide evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of each with a bit of demerara sugar.
Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until well risen and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Tip out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool slightly before eating. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. (You can also freeze these.)
There are actually two ways of making muffins. The simplest method combines the liquid and the dry ingredients separately, and then quickly whisks them together before baking.
The second method uses the same technique as for making a butter cake, creaming the butter and sugar together and then adding the remaining ingredients.
This recipe uses the first method, but no matter which method you use, it is important not to overmix the batter once the liquid and the dry ingredients have been combined. Overmixing encourages the development of gluten and produces dense, tough muffins.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR PERFECT MUFFINS
1. Mix muffin batter lightly to avoid dense, tough results. Don't worry about small lumps in the batter. They will disappear during baking.
2. For faster cleanup use paper muffin cup liners set into ungreased pans.
3. Use an ice-cream scoop with a wire release to scoop batter into the pans. Your muffins will be uniform in size and have nicely shaped tops.
4. Always fill your muffin tins 2/3 full.
5. Not using all of the cups in your pan. Fill the empty ones with water before placing into the oven. This helps your muffins to bake more evenly.
6. To retain freshness, tore muffins in an airtight container. Alternately wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze. When thawing leave the plastic wrap on and bring muffins to room temperature.
There is nothing quite as enjoyable as a warm muffin in he morning or as a welcome afternoon break with a hot drink. These tasty tidbits, which, like quick breads, use baking powder, soda or eggs rather than yeast to give them their life and are among the quickest and easiest baked goods to make.
I really hope that you will be inspired to want to bake these delicious Coffee Cream Muffins. They are lovely and moist and delicious. One of my favorites to date!
Coffee Cream Muffins
Yield: 6
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 35 Min
Not too sweet, nice coffee flavor and a beautiful texture, with a bit of a crunch on top from demerara sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 1 TBS (150g) plain all purpose flour
- 7 TBS sugar (85g)
- 1/2 TBS baking powder
- 1 TBS instant coffee granules, pressed through a sieve
- pinch salt
- 3 TBS milk
- 3.25 fluid ounces (92ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 1 large free range egg
- demerara sugar to sprinkle (raw turbinado)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a six cup muffin tin really well, or line with paper cups.
- Whisk the flour, coffee, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. (Press the coffee granules though a fine sieve with the back of a spoon.)
- Whisk together the cream, milk, oil and egg, without thickening the cream.
- Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix together just to combine.
- Divide evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops f each with a bit of demerara sugar.
- Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until well risen and the tops spring back when lightly touched.
- Tip out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool slightly before eating. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. (You can also freeze these.)
I am really enjoying my Winter food at the moment. I love comfort types of meals, a bit heavier and stodgier than summer meals might be.
I really enjoy casseroles, be they side dishes or mains and I especially enjoy this fabulous winter vegetable gratin recipe I am sharing with you here today!
This is a dish that is just as happy playing side fiddle to a delicious piece of meat, poultry or fish as it is playing a main course to a vegetarian. It also makes excellent use of the winter root vegetables that are in abundance at the moment.
You can choose any group of these in any combination you wish, but today I have used Celeriac, Swede (rutabaga), carrots, parsnips and potatoes.
But as I said you can use any root vegetables. Sweet potatoes are nice, as is Kohlrabi or even turnips. You can also use some of the winter squashes. Butternut, acorn, etc.
The only vegetable I don't recommend is beetroot and that is not because it doesn't taste good, but rather that the red color bleeds rather unattractively into the sauce. If that is not a problem for you, by all means use it.
I love it myself and love to use it in soups, stews and gratins such as this one. It may be rather ugly to look at, but don't let the way it looks scary you away. It has a texture which is close to that of a turnip or a potato and the flavor really is mild.
Swede or rutabaga as it is properly called is another vegetable I love to use in the winter months. Like celeriac it excels in soups and stews. When I was a child we just called it turnip because that is what our mother called it.
They used to come coated in wax. I have not seen them coated in wax for a very long time.
My mother would mash it together with potatoes and we would enjoy it that way. It is a vegetable that I truly love. A stew or pot of soup would not be the same without it in my opinion.
Another vegetable I like to use in this is the humble parsnip. You might look at them and think that looks like a rather anemic carrot!
Whilst they come from the same family, they are not the same vegetable and this is not a carrot. They have a very distinct sweet flavor and are a member of the parsley family.
They do go very well with carrots however and I also enjoy these in vegetable soups and in stews. I also love them fried in butter. You can find my recipe for butter fried parsnips here.
Yes, I DO love root vegetables!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A WINTER VEGETABLE GRATIN
I have made suggestions of which kinds of vegetables to use here, but you can use any combination of winter vegetables in the same quantity.
For the vegetables and sauce:
- 3 1/2 ounces (100g) celeriac, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (celery root)
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into coins
- 1 small parsnip, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cut into half moons
- 1/2 small swede (Rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) cream
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- salt and black pepper to taste
Dry mustard powder is an ingredient I always have in the house. It excels in sauces, especially cream and cheese sauces.
For the crumb topping:
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 3 TBS fine cracker crumbs
- 2 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or marjoram leaves
- salt and black pepper to taste
HOW TO MAKE WINTER VEGETABLE GRATIN
This is a really easy gratin to make. There is no faffing about with sauces or the like. The hardest part is probably cutting the vegetables up, and that is not hard at all.
Just try to make sure that they are as uniform in size as possible. Of course you are not going to get your carrots and parsnips in the same size as the other vegetables, These are find sliced into coins and half moons.
You begin by bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add all of your vegetables and cook them for 10 minutes. You are only parboiling them, so don't be worried that they are not all the way cooked through.
They will finish cooking in the oven.
While they are parboiling you want to heat together the cream, garlic and mustard powder. This is your sauce. Simple. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
You can also mix together all of the ingredients for your topping until they are well combined.
After ten minutes, drain your vegetables really well and spread them out into a 6 by 9 inch gratin dish, which has been buttered.
Pour the cream mixture over top of the vegetables. They will not be drowning in it, but they are not supposed to. As it is the vegetables will absorb most of the cream while they are cooking in the oven.\
Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over top and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes at which time the vegetables should be the right consistency/texture. The casserole will be golden brown in color and the cream should be bubbling around the edges.
And that's it! Done! Such a simple dish but oh so tasty. You can enjoy this with any variety of meat or protein on the side. Poultry, fish, red meats, etc. Delicious.
It also makes a fabulous main course for vegetarians. You might be scrambling to know what to feed them. Double up on this and use it as a side for your omnivores and a side for your vegetarians. Everybody's happy!
Winter Vegetable Gratin
Yield: 2 as a main, 3 as a side
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min
This is a great way to use almost any combination of root vegetables. I don't recommend using beetroot as the color bleeds, but any other vegetable in the same quantities works well, and it is delicious.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 ounces (100g) celeriac, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (celery root)
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into coins
- 1 small parsnip, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cut into half moons
- 1/2 small swede (Rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup (120ml) cream
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 3 TBS fine cracker crumbs
- 2 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp thyme or marjoram leaves
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 6 by 8 inch gratin dish. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the vegetables and cook for 10 minutes. Drain well. Spread out in the buttered gratin dish.
- Warm the cream together with the garlic and mustard powder. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour evenly over the vegetables in the dish.
- Whisk together the butter, cracker crumbs, cheese, marjoram or thyme leaves, and season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper. Sprinkle this evenly over top of the casserole.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. The vegetables should be tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
- Serve warm as a vegetarian main or as a side dish.
All of the content you see here on this page, both photography and written, are the sole property of The English Kitchen, Marie Rayner. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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