'Tis the Season for Shortbread

Here's a shortbread recipe with a twist...It's simply a Swiss version of shortbread.

Raspberry jam is my favourite filling but hey, the sky's the limit! ...Dust them with a little icing sugar and enjoy!

Wee Shortbread..."Spitzbuben"

Makes approx. 50 cookies

250 g Butter

Beat until soft peaks form.

125g Icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

Add to butter and stir until mixture turns a light colour.

1 Egg white, lightly whipped

Add to mixture.

350g Flour

Add to create the dough. Cover with a towel and refrigerate for 1 hr.

Take dough out of fridge and let sit for 30 minutes. With a rolling pin, work dough between two sheets of saran wrap (until approx 2mm thick). Use cookie cutters with a 4-5cm diameter. For half of the batch, use smaller cookie cutters, such as a small heart, to cut out a wee hole. This will be the top “lid” of the cookies. Put on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C and bake cookies for 6-8 minutes.

Filling:

250 ml Jam or Jelly of your choice

Warm in a pan and whisk until smooth. Spread on flat side of cookies and use a second cookie for the top.

Recipe by Café Mélange

Ps: Come by the Kootenay Coop to try some traditional Swiss Christmas Cookies! We're serving Brunsli and Zimtsterne and starting next week, we'll also have some Kirsch truffes!

Tiramisu

So it was my fiancé's bday (his "Jesus year", H&M informed me. I won't go into detail.) last weekend and among all the goodies was a wee fave dessert of ours- Tiramisu. I make mine with Frangelico, as it is one of my absolute favourite flavoured liqueurs one could have ever made. Thank you Italy. Oh, ha, and thank-you for inventing something so fabulous like Tiramisu, too, while I'm at it!

Tiramisu Recipe CM-style

2dl espresso (or strong coffee)

Brew and let cool

5 Tbsp Frangelico

(3 Tbsp Amaretto and 2Tbsp Cointreau is the original recipe)

Add to coffee

2 egg yolks

50g sugar

Mix until very light yellow colour

Zest of 1/2 Lemon

300 g Mascarpone

Add to egg yolk mixture, mix gently

In a separate bowl, combine the following:

2 egg whites

1 pinch of salt

Beat until very stiff (hold-bowl-upside-down-kinda-stiff)

1 Tbsp sugar

Add to egg whites, keep on mixing for a bit, then gently add mascarpone mixture

1pkg lady fingers (roughly 150g)

Layer the dessert starting with the ladyfingers quickly dipped in the coffee mixture, layer, topped with mascarpone mix, ladyfingers dipped in coffee, mascarpone mix... refrigerate and decorate with sifted cacao powder shortly before enjoying.

Happy birthday Coco! You're the sugar to my pie, baby!

Schoggimakkroenli

A new 're-created' creation... oh so delicious!

This was my most favourite treat when I was a child. We used to go to bakeries where we'd get them fresh along with a cup of hot chocolate.

Yet another taste of lovely Europe for dear North America! :-)

Hazelnut crust topped with a smooth chocolate butter cream, glazed with rich callebaut chocolate.

The combination of hazelnut and dark chocolate is absolutely mouth watering!

A good cake for a good friend

I wasn't sure what type of cake to make for my friend's bday. Not that I was out of ideas, there are just so many!

The solution to my "problem" (wouldn't call it that, but that's what I thought it was at the time)all started with a thought I had one morning laying in bed. ....Ridiculous to think about marzipan first thing in the morning, but that's just what foodies do... For ages now I've been wanting to try out some new marzipan shapes and especially colourings with natural additives. I thought I'd love to make little carrots out of marzipan. So a carrot cake it was!

I used a European carrot cake recipe, which made an amazingly flavourful and very dense cake and topped it with a whipped vanilla-cream cheese icing. And... Il carroties!

I used turmeric powder to colour the root and the greens I coloured with just that. Greens. I had some of the Enerex greens powder left in my cupboard and it worked perfectly fine!

And some manly candles..Et voila!

Pizza Margherita

Ola!

Times at Cafe Melange have been busy. Amongst the usual deliveries, there is lots of creative brain storming happening...

It is now time for the Pizza Bleu to go to summer-hibernation as it seems to be more of a fall/winter Pizza.

We welcome the lovely Pizza Margherita to our Menu for the summer months! Beautiful and so tasty in its simplicity!

Homemade tomato sauce, real Mozzarella (Bocconcini) topped with finely minced fresh Bazil. Mmh. Delizioso!!!

Demo

Cafe Melange will be demoing mini Linzer Tartlets and mini Pizzas at the Kootenay Coop on Thursday, May 19!

Come by to try some samples between noon and 4!

See you threre...

Photo: Julia Cedar

Article in the Kootenay Coop Newsletter

Voici l'article sur page 7.

http://kootenay.coop/newsletters/MayJuneNewsletter2011.pdf

Enjoy (and make sure you get a chance to drop by the Coop to try some goodies in person!) =:)

Photo: Julia Cedar

Ouvert

Ola!

Even though I went through the biggest roller coaster of emotions, the grand opening of Cafe Melange was a hit!

I had no idea one can have so many emotions all at once! How come no one tells me those things?!

Nonetheless, the whole show was grand and the most important thing is that people love my food.

Cafe Melange will be featured in the Kootenay Coop Newsletter in May, so please get a copy or sign up for their monthly E-mails. (I will post the article on here as well)

Thank-you for all of your support, cheers, excitement, hugs and smiles, I am so happy to be doing what I'm doing.

A bientot!

Mimi

Tomorrow

Shall I announce......?!

.....April 13th is just around the corner, ehm, like, yah, tomorrow!

...And CAFE MELANGE is opening its wide doors tomorrow!

Enjoy!

On the Menu

Cafe Melange will offer a variety of European goodies...

Here are some items on the menu:

...Silserli Sandwiches

An irresistible fresh and fluffy pretzel bun sandwich with a choice of Brie or Organic Turkey breast combined with spring-like crunch and European flavours.

...Pizza Roquefort & Greek

The combination of roquefort and walnuts, ah, delicieux! Greek.Simply Greek. A medley of greek flavours such as artichokes and fetta combined with fresh tomatoes and kalamata olives.

...Mousse au Chocolat

A heavenly mousse au choco served in a completely edible bowl... Gourmet and Enviro can work together!

...Linzer Tartletts

Named after the city Linz in Austria, this tartlett combines the fine nutty flavour with a mild sweetness of organic raspberry jam. Wonderful dessert for two!

Excited for you to taste a piece of Europe!

Ouvrir une nouvelle Porte

...J'ai ouvert une nouvelle porte...

Welcome Cafe Melange on April 13, 2011!

Cafe Melange- Distributing European patisserie et plus throughout the heart of the Kootenays.


A dessert filled with flavours that will make you want to travel.
A sandwich you thought you could only find in the finest corners of Europe.
Quality ingredients carefully selected to offer the most memorable experience.


Fair Trade and Organic.



Merci beaucoup pour tout votre soutien, Cafe Melange could not exist without all of your help!