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Denise Marchessault

@denisem.ca

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Weekly Recipes/Tips👩‍🍳
Cookbook author, teacher, pie champion
Cordon Bleu Alum💙
📘The Artful Pie Project🥈Taste Canada
📘BC From Scratch
Victoria, BC 🇨🇦

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Give it a try the next time you bake a pie 🥧👩‍🍳 taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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84

3 years ago

A slice of Compound Butter infuses warm foods with a burst of flavour. Try it slathered on freshly baked bread, too.

Recipes and food images from British Columbia From Scratch: Recipes for Every Season

Sun-dried Tomato Butter
2 Tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Cilantro & Jalapeño Butter
1 ½ cups cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed, chopped
½ tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Olive and Caper Butter
½ cup deli-style whole olives, black and green varieties
3 anchovies fillets, mashed with a fork
2 Tbsp rinsed capers
1 ½ tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp hot sauce
½ tsp granulated sugar
pinch kosher salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup of unsalted butter

Lemon & Herb Butter
1/2 cup fresh herbs
1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter

Horseradish Butter
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp creamed horseradish
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter
Enjoy👩‍🍳 taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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27

3 years ago

Crimping makes your pie even more special.

The key is symmetry: strive to keep your pastry’s edges as uniform as possible.

Experiment with different trims or cut-outs and if your pastry becomes too soft to manage, simply chill the dough and try again.

Remember, there are no rules when it comes to crimping – just enjoy the process! taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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73

3 years ago

🍎🍏 Classic Apple Turnovers
Makes about 12

4 cups diced Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in ½” cubes, about 3-4 apples
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 pound puff pastry
1 Tbsp whipping cream (or 1 egg, beaten)
1 Tbsp coarse sugar, for the topping

Preheat oven to 375°F

In a medium bowl, toss the apples in the lemon juice.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the apples and brown sugar, stirring to coat. Cook until tender and golden, about 15 minutes.

Cool completely.

On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to about ⅛-inch. Using a round cookie cutter, cut 12 rounds, about 3 ½ diameter.

Add a generous spoonful of the cooled apples to each pastry round. Brush the edges with a bit of beaten cream (or egg) and fold to create a half circle. Seal the edges, then crimp with the tines of a fork. Repeat with the remaining pastry.
Chill at least 30 minutes.
Brush with cream (or egg) and sprinkle with sugar.

Score pastry to create air vents. (If you’re a stickler, like me, trim with scissors.)

Bake on a lined baking sheet for 15 -20 minutes, turning the pan once during baking, until the pastry is golden.

Enjoy 👩‍🍳 taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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5

13 hours ago

Crimping makes your pie even more special.

The key is symmetry: strive to keep your pastry’s edges as uniform as possible.

Experiment with different trims or cut-outs and if your pastry becomes too soft to manage, simply chill the dough and try again.

Remember, there are no rules when it comes to crimping – just enjoy the process! taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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2

15 hours ago

If you’re looking for a comforting side dish this fall, these creamy potato and cheese gratins are always a hit. 👩‍🍳

Individual Potato Gratins

Serves four

1 pound waxy potatoes, peeled and washed - about 4 medium potatoes
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

You’ll need about 4 four ounce ramekins or oven proof containers

Preheat oven to 350 F°

Slice the potatoes as thin and uniform as possible (ideally using a mandolin or vegetable slicer).

Toss the potatoes with the melted butter, cream and salt using a spatula or tongs, to coat them evenly.

Stack the potato slices into the ramekins, trimming as necessary for a snug fit, sprinkling every third or fourth layer with about 1/2 teaspoon of grated Parmesan, finishing with cheese.

Bake about 30 - 40 minutes until the potatoes are tender when tested with the tip of a knife. Cover with foil to prevent over browning.

Serve directly in their containers or run a knife around the ramekin’s edge and invert the gratins onto a warm plate. Enjoy! 👩‍🍳 taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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6 days ago

Your next go-to apple pie🍏🍎

Recipe featured in The Artful Pie Project

The buttermilk shortcrust pastry comes together quickly in a food processor.

And the apples are precooked so no need to worry about them shrinking during baking.

I enjoy baking this pie in a cake tin, lined with parchment, so I can remove it whole. (The parchment helps to remove the pie.) Of course, you can make it in a pie plate, too. 😊

You’ll find the complete recipe in the bio, complete with a step-by-step pictorial. 👩‍🍳✨

Or visit https://www.denisem.ca/recipes/pure-simple-apple-pie

Enjoy! taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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6 days ago

🍄Mushroom Lover’s Tart
Patience is key to unlocking the deep flavors of this cheesy mushroom tart. Frozen puff pastry makes a simple tart shell but to unlock the rich flavours of mushrooms, you need to cook them in batches until they’re golden brown. Rushing the process and crowding the pan steams the mushrooms and robs you of their rich, concentrated flavors.

You’ll find the complete recipe in the link above 🔝, and on my website, too.

Facebook users visit: https://www.denisem.ca/recipes/mushroom-lovers-tart

Until next time! 🧑‍🍳 taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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12 days ago

Makes one double-crust pie

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp table salt
1/2 pound lard, vegetable shortening or unsalted butter cut into 1” pieces
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp white vinegar
Ice cold water
Parchment or waxed paper
Plastic wrap

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the lard, shortening or butter and cut into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is crumbly with some larger, bean-size pieces along with the (mostly) finer particles.

Combine the egg, vinegar and enough ice cold water to equal 1 cup. Gradually pour about half the liquid into the flour and mix with a fork, adding only enough liquid to make the dough cling together. You’ll know you’ve added enough when you can grab a portion of dough with your hands and it sticks together, with few crumbs left in your bowl.

Transfer the dough, to a sheet of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and shape into a disk about 1-inch thick.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least an hour.

Roll the dough according to
your recipe’s instructions.

Enjoy👩‍🍳 taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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12 days ago

🪷For more information, visit @rancholapuerta

✨Voted #1 International Wellness Destination in Travel + Leisure’s 2026 Readers Award
Tecate, Mexico 🇲🇽 taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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13 days ago

🫐Juicy blueberries, a swipe of jam, and a layer of almond paste turn these turnovers into something extra special. Use homemade pastry or a good-quality frozen puff—whatever you have on hand.

Makes 6 Turnovers

✨Pastry
1 recipe double-crust pastry dough or 2 packages frozen puff pastry (about 397 g or ¾ lb each), thawed
Roll the dough to ⅛-inch thick and cut into 12 rectangles about 4-x 6-inches. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the Almond Paste filling.
✨Almond Paste
In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp room temperature butter with 2 Tbsp powdered (icing) sugar, ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp ground almonds and 1 egg yolk. Mix well to combine.
✨Berries
Combine about 2 cups of fresh blueberries with 3½ Tbsp granulated sugar and 1½ Tbsp cornstarch.
✨Pastry ‘Lids’
Place six of the chilled rectangles of dough on a piece of parchment. Fold the pastry in half lengthwise and use a sharp knife to cut four diagonal vents, being careful to leave a border, as indicated in the video.

✨Putting it all together
Place the remaining chilled rectangles of dough on another sheet of parchment. Leaving a ½-inch border spread each rectangle with a generous tablespoon of Almond Paste and a generous tablespoon of blueberry jam. Top with about ⅓ cup of the sugared berry mixture, being mindful to leave a border.

Brush the borders with whipping cream or a beaten egg, cover with the vented pastry, and crimp with a fork. Trim the edges if desired. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes until the pastry is firm.

Brush with additional whipping cream or beaten egg. Place on a baking tray (with the parchment beneath) and bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 20-30 minutes, turning the baking tray once, until golden and bubbling.

Enjoy! taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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2 months ago

☀️Fresh ideas for your next picnic or hostess gift.🧺

Scroll down to earlier posts to find my favourite recipes and tutorials for:

✨hummus

✨picked mushrooms

✨tapenade

✨homemade pita

Stay tuned for red pepper salsa, spiced cauliflower and garlic confit.

Enjoy! 🧑‍🍳 taken in Victoria, British Columbia by @denisem.ca

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2 months ago