Strawberry Swirled Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes

Here comes another birthday post! This time for my very best friend Az, whom was featured with the glorious chicken wings at Phnom Pehn. Strawberries and cheesecake are two of her favourite foods, so that's what I planned as her birthday cake. But with a twist!

Strawberry Swirled Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes

Unlike my Berry Swirl Cheesecake or Mocha Cheesecake Squares, there are two types of cheeses in this cake, cream cheese and ricotta. The addition of ricotta creates a texture that is much lighter and fluffier. On the cheesiness scale, I'd place these mini cheesecakes between a New York cheesecake and a Japanese cheesecake, but closer to the Japanese one. It's not as spongy as it's Japanese relative, just a bit cheesier.  Perhaps my cheesecakes like puns... (Okay, that was a really bad joke. Just for you, Peanut Crumpet =___=;;)

Fresh Summer Strawberries

The simple strawberry sauce can easily be substituted by almost any other flavours. Other fruits such as blackberries would work beautifully (check out my blackberry + ricotta recipe) or richer flavours like peanut butter or chocolate could be used too! To do so, reserve a bit of cheesecake batter to mix in a generous scoopful of peanut butter, cocoa powder, or whatever flavour your heart desires. To create the heart-shaped swirls, simply dot a few blobs of sauce over the raw batter and drag a toothpick through the centre depending on which direction you wish the hearts to go. A simple yet impressive design!

More fresh strawberries!

To amp up the aroma of these individual cheesecakes, I toasted some almonds to whiz in with the crust. Hiding it in the crust is a discrete way to add another element to the dessert; my mom suddenly asked me "what did you put in the crust?" She definitely knew it wasn't the basic graham cracker crust, but couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

Strawberry Swirled Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes

These muffin-sized miniature cheesecakes make it clean to pack to work or school for a snack or to share at a party. The paper liner doesn't stick at all once the cake has thoroughly been cooled. Clean and easy to eat, -thumbs up-

Ready to dig into my serving of Strawberry Ricotta Cheesecake

Serving these mini cheesecakes with a generous dollop of the swirling sauce is an easy way to not only use up the leftover sauce, but to strengthen the strawberry flavour. Because, realistically, seven drips of strawberry sauce doesn't stand out much when the cheese flavour is so prominent.

Click below for the recipe!

Krause Berry Farms

The joys of summer: continuous sunshine, no school (unless you go to summer school, then I pity you), sleeping in, eating icy treats, family vacations, trips to the beach, and berry season.

Every year, I look forward to my U-Pick adventure at Krause Berry Farms. No need to buy tiny boxes of berries at ridiculous prices, just pick the very best for yourself at only $1.75 a pound! I am so thankful that British Columbia is home to a variety of beautiful berries. I grew up vising berry farms for U-Pick; nearby home, in Penticton, but this farm in Langley has to be my favourite. 

Since my first visit to Krause Berry Farms years and years ago, they have expanded and upgraded in so many fantastic ways! New tables on 'The Porch' and in reused wagons can accommodate many more people during meal times, the bathrooms have more stalls, the market sells even more great finds, and they even have a cafe with fresh berry waffles and live music. Recently, they even opened their own winery! Krause Berry Farms has evolved into so much more than just a berry farm. Their market sells pre-picked berries if you would rather not get down and dirty in the fields, fresh vegetables, frozen pies and pizzas, preserves and jams, and other random knick-knacks. On this particular visit, I saw they have even started making their own fresh peanut butter! I got a taste tester and it was so. good. There is also a bakery that has so many delicious pies, shortcakes, cookies, fudge, and other sweets that are drool-worthy. Now that you have a glimpse of what the farm has to offer, let's see what the Crumpets specifically have to say.

Raspberries and Blueberries in mid-July

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Continuing on with the strawberry shortcake theme, I baked up a small batch of these cookies to give away as thank-you gifts. It is my second time making this recipe and both times have been very successful and taste heavenly. Just beware of the fruit juice burning in the oven as the strawberries bubble away. These strawberry shortcake cookies are great way to use up a excess strawberries, although really, when do does one ever have too much fruit? There are two fruit monsters living in my house so fruit is consumed at astonishing rates. 

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Summer is the time to incorporate as much seasonal produce as possible. Berries are such a summer flavour; these cookies are sure to disappear very quickly from the cookie jar. Maybe I'll attempt using other fresh fruit the next time I make these. Blackberry honey cookies....mmm~~

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Baby Strawberry Whole Wheat Shortcakes

Baby Strawberry Whole Wheat Shortcakes

These miniature sized shortcakes are too adorable! They are the perfect size for high tea; slightly smaller than the circumference of a regular cupcake. May I mention that besides the whipped cream, they are fat-free and vegan? Talk about the perfect summer dessert! These shortcakes look absolutely stunning when served on a platter. Anything baby-sized is cute.

I chose to use strawberries because they are currently in season and super cheap to buy. I also like how it is possible to slice the strawberries and use the tips to make a star shape. To make this dessert look even better, opt to use a pipping bag to add the whipped cream. I ran out and had just plopped it on with an icing spatula. I guess you can say it gives it a more 'homemade/backyard barbeque' look, hahaha! Stabilizing whipped cream will allow the whipped cream to hold it's shape and to sit out on a plate for a long time without deflating and melting all over the place. Very important when you plan to eat for 4 hours on a summer's day.

Baby Strawberry Whole Wheat Shortcakes

Shortcake recipe from Better Homes & Gardens magazine

Yield: 9

Ingredients

Shortcakes

• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• ½ cup + 3 tbsp whipping cream

Stabilized Whipped Cream (not vegan; Peanut Crumpet's vegan whipped cream can be found here)

• ½ cup whipping cream
• ½ tsp powdered gelatin
• ½ tbsp cold water
• Honey, to taste

Topping

• Sliced strawberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
2. In a large bowl combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add whipping cream; stir with a fork just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.  
4. Using a cookie scoop, drop dough mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between mounds.  
5. Bake about 18 minutes or just until the tops begin to brown. Once the shortcakes are finished baking, allow them to cool completely before assembling.
6. To make stabilized whipped cream, whip whipping cream with an electric beater until soft peaks form.
7. Dissolve powdered gelatin in cold water and add it immediately to whipped cream.
8. Continue beating until incorporated. Sweeten with honey to taste and continue beating until stiff peaks. Store in fridge until ready to use.
9. To assemble, slice the shortcakes into half horizontally using a sharp knife and a gentle hand. Smear a dollop of whipped cream on the bottom side and arrange strawberry slices (or bits) on top. Smear a bit more whipped cream on the top half of the shortcake as 'glue' and sandwich on top. For more decoration, add a bit of whipped cream on the very top of the whole shortcake and top with half a strawberry. (Wow, how many times did I use the word 'top' in this step?)
10. Best eaten immediately, or can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡ 

DIY Summer High Tea

DIY Summer High Tea

Tuesday June twenty-fifth, the day every single one of us has finally been released from the grasp of year end exams. And what better way to celebrate together than a five hour catch-up gossip session over high tea? Paying to experience high tea at a fancy cafe Downtown is not within our poor student budget, and making food ourselves allows us to have a wider variety of food. Our specialty is eating, and eating a lot. This is just the beginning of an awesome summer vacation, with many more get-togethers involving food to come. 

Here is the menu for the Summer High Tea. Please see the recipe posts for more photos!

Clockwise from top left corner: Fruit Jello Parfait, Earl Grey Cupcake, Salad (sans dressing), Green Tea Macaron, savoury bottom tier, Lemon bars

Fresh Salad with Orange Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

Open-faced Cucumber Sandwich with Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese

Open-faced Avocado Sandwich

Classic Club Sandwich

Black Tea-Infused Garlic Miso Chicken Salad Cone

Bell Pepper, Green Onion, and Gouda Fluffy Mini Quiche 

Mini Beef and Cheese Sandwich Roll

Apricot Gouda Scone

Baby Strawberry Whole Wheat Shortcake

Earl Grey Cupcake

Matcha Macaron with Chocolate Ganache

Lemon Bar

Fruit Jello Parfait

Love from Papaya and Coconut Crumpet and Co.

DIY High Tea for Mother's Day

DIY Mother's Day High Tea by Coconut Crumpet

To celebrate Mother's Day, as well as my mama's birthday, I prepared a high tea lunch for her and a group of close friends to enjoy. It took three or four days to prepare as one would never have enough time to cook, bake, and assemble everything in one day. With some helping hands and baking elves, this ambitious project of mine was successfully presented. Even if it was with [not purposely] mismatched dishes and a plastic tablecloth...

Sharing high tea with a group of friends is truly an experience every foodie should have, whether it be at a restaurant or hosting one yourself. It's a rare chance to dress up and act like a bunch of rich old grannies sitting at a beautifully adorned table having quality gossip time. That is the Crumpets' dream life as retirees.   

My love for high tea has grown significantly after this party. I just picked up 3 sets of tiered trays from Costco in preparation for any other opportunities for me to host another high tea. They only have 2 tiers, but hey, it was $6!

Below is the menu for that day's high tea. Recipes for select goods will be accessible through the links. The ones with no links are because there isn't really a recipe, the words you read are all the ingredients used. There just ain't much to it.
 

Open-faced Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwich

Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Sandwich

Tuna Salad Sandwich

Bell Pepper, Mushroom, and Cheese Quiche

Shrimp and Avocado Crostini

French Onion Crab Round

Mini Bacon and Cheese Scone

Lemon Cranberry Scone

Devonshire Cream

Mocha Cheesecake Square

Coconut Muffin

Green Tea Cream Puff

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries with Toasted Almonds

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

A quick post today to share one of my favourite salad dressings. I have used this dressing on so many salads as it is a crowd pleaser and can be made in such a short period of time. 

For mother's day brunch earlier today, I made a simple mixed greens side salad involving this Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. To add some colour, I threw in some sliced strawberries and chopped sweet yellow bell pepper. I actually let the strawberries and peppers sit in the dressing while I attended church and poured it over the greens when it was time to plate. That way, the greens don't get soggy by the time you serve the salad.

Since this is a thin and runny dressing, a little bit goes a long way. Just remember the ratio of balsamic vinegar to honey to olive oil of 2:2:1 so you can use any utensil laying around to measure.

A common combination for this sweet balsamic dressing is with spinach, strawberries, and goat cheese. Maybe throw in a few toasted nuts and dried fruit for more texture. Yum!

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Yield: Enough for 8 handfuls of greens

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. In a small bowl, add all ingredients and whisk until well combined.
2. If the honey is too solid, microwave for a few seconds to melt and whisk again.
3. Can be stored in the fridge until ready to add to veggies.

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡ 

Cake-Ya Bakery

Japanese Cheesecake from Cake-Ya Bakery

Port Moody is small. Very small. Nevertheless, there are gems hidden in the most random spots of the tri-cities. This Japanese bakery being one of them. Finding Japanese-owned establishments isn't very common in Vancouver. I want to say the most saturated area of these Japanese businesses are located in the heart of Downtown. Cake-Ya is part of an old building on a quiet backstreet parallel to St. John's Street in Port Moody.

This post reviews several items I've tasted from various visits. I have had a good experience with the majority of their food. There are still many more goods I have yet to try. 

Strawberry Chocolate Icebox!

You drooling yet? ;) Just look at that natural pink colour! No chemically formulated colours here, folks!

My intention was to post an Easter recipe, but somehow this turned into another delicious frozen dessert. Well, who's complaining? ;) It's probably because of this beautiful weather I'm experiencing this past few days here in Vancouver.

Warning, your eyes may experience some extreme widening and you
may will feel the urge to get into your kitchen and make this chocolatey strawberryness ;)

If you like strawberries dipped in chocolate, you're definitely at the right place. And don't get intimidated by its gorgeousness; this is one of the recipes that requires little hands-on time, but a longer waiting time (which is definitely the hardest part!) :D

In fact, you make lose some of the love for chocolate-dipped strawberries, as now you can have something that tastes better, and is wayyyy healthier for you than the 50 grams of sugar you get from the chocolate fountain. Oh, and did I mention it's vegan also so no animals are suffering on your behalf? ;)

Strawberry Chocolate Icebox - makes one 11× 5.5 × 3 inch loaf pan