Coconut and Kaffir Lime Custard Pie

Custards | Fruit | Pie

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If you've had Thai food, you've almost definitely tasted the flavour of kaffir lime leaves. It's often used in curries and broths and lends a tangy, slightly floral note. Coconut milk is also a very frequently used ingredient in Thai food. I figured that if they work so well in savoury dishes, they'd probably work equally well in a dessert together! And so, this custard pie was born.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Raspberry Swirl Brioche

Bread | Fruit

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Sometimes I have blog posts that I can’t wait to put up. They’re so good, so pretty, so delicious that I’m just too excited to wait. I’m like a kid that made a macaroni picture and ran to show their parents before the glue was even dry. This is one of those posts!

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Coconut and Cardamom Panna Cotta with a Mango and Cilantro Salsa

Fruit

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 I’m the kind of person that loves rich, decadent, and downright indulgent desserts. The ones that you say to yourself, “Oh, I shouldn’t, but I’ll treat myself. Just this one time.” Except it’s never just one time for me. 

But sometimes, especially in the summer, I want something lighter and fresher. Something that’s not filled with chocolate or covered in caramel sauce. Something like these panna cottas.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Lemon Raspberry Macarons

Cookies | Custards | Fruit | Macarons

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Ever since I arrived in Tofino, I have been asked by pretty much everybody, "Do you surf?". 

If you're not familiar with Tofino, it's a surfing town. Yep, a surfing town on the west coast of Vancouver Island, BC. 

People come to Tofino specifically to surf, especially in the summer. Tourists come for lots of reasons, but surfing is usually one of them. On any given day, rain or shine, 6 in the morning or 9 at night, you'll see dozens of surfers out on the water. 

So, I finally decided to give it a go.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Strawberry Hand Pies

Fruit | Pie

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Yesterday at work, I had one of the sweetest, juiciest, most flavourful strawberries that I have ever had in my life. Small little local beauties with the stem on, bright red all the way through, and just...unbelievable, really. 

I guess I'm so used to the strawberries at the grocery store - white on the inside, kind of bland, a bit sour. Strawberries can kind of be the boring berry when compared to more flavourful ones like raspberries. But if all strawberries were like the ones I had yesterday, no one would be thinking of them as a boring berry.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Meringue Nests with Rhubarb Chiboust and Poached Rhubarb

Fruit | Mousse

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It has been seven days since I came to Tofino and five days of new job as a pastry cook. As always, expectations differ from reality, in both good and bad ways. It's certainly quite different than I imagined, if I'm being honest. 

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Charred Lemon Mousse with Earl Grey Cream and Lemon Sablé

Cookies | Fruit | Mousse

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Only two more days until I leave Vancouver and arrive in Tofino for my new job as a pastry cook. I have to say, I'm getting nervous. The past few weeks, I've been excited and optimistic, which is good. But now I'm starting to worry about the nitty-gritty things, like what my roommates rules on fridge space and should I bring my bench-scraper and do I really need to bring all my piping tips. The important stuff.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Rhubarb Sorbet

Fruit | Ice Cream

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Do you guys remember Mat and I's little adventure at Rona? Where we were both totally clueless as to what type of nails I needed to build my own beautiful off-white backdrop for photos?

Well, there it is! I made that! All by myself (with a little help from the internet)! It's exactly what I wanted - off-white, distressed, rustic. I cannot believe that it actually turned out nicely. Whaaat.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Ginger White Chocolate Mousse with Honey Roasted Rhubarb

Chocolate | Fruit | Mousse

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Are any of you guys up to your ears in rhubarb? I don't even have a rhubarb plant and I'm drowning in rhubarb. I have made more rhubarb desserts in the past few weeks than I have in my entire life. 

And I still have so much rhubarb left.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Strawberry-Rhubarb Streusel Bars

Fruit

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Remember in the last post how I was talking about how boring my life is? Do you also remember the post before that where I was talking about how much I love Tofino? Well, first off, my life just got a little less boring. Secondly, I am going to be spending a lot more time in Tofino becaaaaaaause...

I'm (temporarily) moving to Tofino!

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Almond and Raspberry Croissants

Fruit | Pastry

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For those of you that follow me on instagram, you know that for the past few days, I was in Tofino, BC! Tofino is a little seaside town on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It has beautiful beaches, great surfing, incredible rainforests, and a bit of a hippy feel to it. In the colder months, it's a great place for a relaxing vacation. You can rent a cabin, like my boyfriend and I did two years ago, and go for long walks on the beach in bright yellow ponchos, then come inside and dry your socks in front of the old wood burning stove. In the summer, there are tons of adventurous things to do, like kayaking, whale watching, hiking, surfing, and fishing. 

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Lemon Lavender Tarts with Honey Meringue

Custards | Fruit | Tarts

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I know absolutely nothing about building things. 

You can tell me to pipe meringue on 350 individual tarts in a specific pattern, I'll do it. You can tell me to make 5 litres of lemon curd, I'll do it. But you tell me to find the right kind of nails to nail two wooden boards together, I can't do that. I don't know, normal nails? There's different kinds of nails? Big nails?

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Raspberry Marshmallow Eggs

Confections | Fruit

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To me, Easter is one of those holidays purely for kids. When I was a kid, I loved it. We would have Easter egg hunts in our back yard with little brightly painted baskets. Other kids that I don't think I even knew would come over and join the hunt. There are photos of me as a kid wearing a little polka dot dress and my face painted like a bunny, it was adorable.

But, seeing as my family is not religious, once my brother and I got older, we just stopped celebrating Easter. We would still get a little bit of chocolate on Easter, but that was it really. No more hunts. That's okay, I'm a 21 year old adult now who has bills to pay and things to do and people to see. But I still like getting a little craftsy around the fun kid holidays like Easter.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

Fruit | Pie

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Woah, hey, what's this now? Do these photos look a little...nicer? They do! 

Finally, I have upgraded my camera! Well, not officially because I am currently "borrowing" my boyfriend's camera, but I will eventually pay for him for it and be able to call it my own. Since my boyfriend upgraded his camera, I get his "old" camera, which is not at all old and is about 100 times better than the one I was using. Needless to say, I am stoked.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Pecan Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Bread | Chocolate | Fruit

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Remember last week when I was bummed about my new job and how I just felt like I was doing a bad job every day, no matter how hard I tried? 

Yesterday, I decided that I had had enough of the stress, anxiety, and confusion. I talked to the pastry chef and told him how I felt about the job and how overwhelming it was for someone with such little experience in the industry. And I told him it just wasn't working for me. I quit.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Spiced Tarte Tatin Tarts

Fruit | Pastry | Tarts

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Am I putting too many apple recipes on here? Too many 'chai spiced' things? Really, this is only the second chai spiced thing, but the last chai spiced thing was also apple with puff pastry, but it wasn't proper chai. But they're oh so different from each other, I promise. This is crisp and flaky and creamy and a bit crunchy and totally different from the spiced crab apple mini pies. 

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Dark Chocolate Orange Tarts with Orange Scented Sablé

Chocolate | Custards | Fruit | Tarts

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There are some recipes that you always keep around, no matter where you go or what you do. It's your go-to recipe, the one that works, is easy, and tastes amazing. You've made it so many times that you don't even need to look at the recipe anymore. You can change it up to fit the occasion or the dish and it's still just as stellar as ever.

This chocolate custard tart recipe is one of my ultimate go-to recipes.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Hot Buttered Rum Apple Pie

Fruit | Pie

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I know I already mentioned this in the last post, but Merry Christmas! I hope you had a sweet ol' time with your family and/or friends. I hope you over-ate and then did not feel a smidgen of guilt cause it's Christmas!! It's the one time you get to overeat (well, maybe Thanksgiving... and your birthday... and when you're sad). I hope your holidays were filled with pie and chocolate and ice cream and cookies. Cause really, deep down, that's what Christmas is all about.

Just kidding. I think.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Spiced Crab Apple Mini Pies

Fruit | Pie

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This is it, the first "official" fall recipe of the year. I feel like as soon as September hits, bloggers go crazy for fall. It's like suddenly, on September 1st, no matter where you are, it is now fall and you better be putting pumpkin into something. I'm a bit late to that party, I guess.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Roasted Peach Ice Cream

Fruit | Ice Cream

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As much as I love fall, I'm really going to miss the abundance and variety of fresh local fruit that we have in the summer. I love going down to the farmers market on Saturday, picking up whatever fresh fruit that was in season, and finding something to make with it. Fall has apples, pears, and, of course, pumpkins, which are all nice fruits, but they're not the same as fresh raspberries, strawberries, peaches, or blueberries. They just don't have that bright, summery taste. I guess that's what makes them so wonderful when they finally arrive at the markets - we've missed them for so long. 

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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