It’s time to flaunt your fancy kitchen footwork by serving up a simple dessert with an exotic twist. Perfect for afternoon tea, our cute cupcakes are infused with a piquant blend of the beverage itself. You’ll raise not only a pinky, but all ten fingers to these cupcakes.   Dainty as this confection may be, we warn you that your hands will be dancing a waltz with a tangle of sweet, sticky condensed milk icing. 

Chai-Tea Mini Cupcakes (Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes)

Ingredients- makes a dozen

• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 bags chai tea
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 12 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature

Condensed Milk Icing

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup condensed milk
• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• You will have a lot left over so don’t worry about it

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with liners. Bring milk to simmer over medium heat in a small pot, Remove from heat, add tea bags, let steep, covered, 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and allow milk to cool completely.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating each in well until incorporated.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk. Don’t overmix! Your dough will get tough (funny the way english pronunciation works, isn’t it?) 

Fill batter among cups until about 3/4 full each. Bake about 17 minutes, rotating through halfway. 

To make the icing

Whisk milk and butter together until smooth. On high speed, add 1/4 confectioners sugar at a time until it’s done!

Let cupcakes cool completely before dipping them in icing. Let it dribble around the sides. Dust with a bit of confectioners sugar. 

It’s okay if there is a moat of icing left over. More to lick. 

The eggplant is an awkward vegetable. It’s purple, sports a strange and pointy green hat, and literally resembles a sore thumb. Poor thing. 

Give it a bit of an edge. Dice it up and toss it with balsamic vinegar and a few chopped cherry tomatoes. The awkward aubergine will become an enigmatic eggplant as a member of the prestigious bruschetta trio. 

Excellent finger food for parties or for dinner, give these bite-sized bites some confetti of their own by sprinkling them with a couple handfuls of shredded cheese before they make their complete retreat from the oven.

Eggplant-Tomato Bruschetta

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 eggplant, about the size of a canteen
• Splashes of balsamic vinegar (3-4 tbsps)
• Olive oil
• Bit of italian seasoning (basil, oregano, rosemary)
• Pinch of chili flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• 1 fresh baguette
• Shredded cheese (totally optional, if that floats your boat)

Heat oven to 350. Chop garlic and let it cook in a bit of olive oil just before turning golden. Add halved cherry tomatoes and a tiny bit of salt. Place a large lid over skillet and wait until tomatoes look kind of wrinkly.

Meanwhile, chop eggplant and add into mixture. Add couple splashes of balsamic vinegar and a coin of olive oil and cook until texture is spongy. Incorporate spices, salt, pepper.

Cut baguette into 1-2cm thick disks with a serrated knife (looks like it has shark teeth). Lay on a flat baking tray lined with either parchment or aluminum foil. Pat each with olive oil and a spoonful of bruschetta. Let cook in oven for about 7 minutes. 

Take out of oven and add cheese. Crank the heat up to broil if you want to brulée your cheese. Re-insert into the fiery furnace for a minute or two. Watching cheese melt is like watching the sun set. 

We love snacks. Like hobbits, we’re ready to graze on something at any given time during the day. We have made emergency provisions for a week filled with group meetings, essays, and midterms by (quite literally) stirring up a large batch of sweet potato hummus. Eat it with vegetables, crackers, or as a spread on your sandwich. Your taste buds will hum in delight at its velvety texture and notes of wholesome saccharine goodness.

Sweet Potato Hummus (Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon) 
Fills 1 large yogurt container

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 6 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Begin by peeling the sweet potatoes and boiling them to an oblivion, or until soft and can be readily pierced with a fork. 

Rinse and drain can of chickpeas and add sweet potatoes, garlic, tahini, and all spices. Blend together until smooth (we used our handy hand blender). 

Stir in salt and pepper, to taste. 

Yummy hummus! (Try saying that ten times fast)

Peter Piper’s pickled peppers are unappetizing. Allow your tongue to twist itself around this wonderful mosaic of colours and textures instead.  

Buried within the recesses of these sweet red peppers are a mixture of pearly ancient grains, purple legumes, and leafy greens. Surrounded by a moat of spice-plenty tomato sauce, this meal is an impressive monument of flavour and charm.

The dairy can be omitted if you are vegan, however we strongly encourage sealing these capsicum capsules with a stringy, gooey, generous heap of cheese. You’ll utter a guttural and embarrassingly audible groan of satisfaction when you eat this. It’s love at first bite. 

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 4 red bell peppers
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach
• 4 mushrooms, diced
• 1 can kidney beans
• mozzarella cheese, grated, to taste (optional)

Cumin-Spiked Tomato Sauce

• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp italian herbs
• Chili flakes, to taste
• a few dashes montreal steak spice
• salt, to taste

Combine 1 cup water with 1/2 cup quinoa and bring to boil. Crank heat down to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the grains are translucent. 

Meanwhile, take off the tops of the peppers and de-seed them. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the peppers for five minutes. Drain and let cool.

While the peppers are cooling, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the onions until translucent, then add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Add the kidney beans and spinach, and continue to sauté until the spinach has wilted. Add the cooked quinoa and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Simmer all ingredients until warmed through.

Place the peppers upright in a casserole dish. Stuff them to the brim with the quinoa and vegetable mixture, then coat them with ladles upon ladles of sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes has passed, sprinkle cheese on top and broil for an additional two to five minutes.

Spice up your life. 

This is one of the easiest pies you will ever make from scratch.  Best of all, its preparation is simpler with the help of two dessert-savvy friends! Key lime pie is best made with condensed milk, however if you plan on making the curd without it (like we did, oops!), stock up on a carton of eggs in advance. 
Perfect for pi day, this marshmallow-citrus tart has the key to our hearts. 

Marshmallow Key Lime Pie
Crust
1/2 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
Melted Margarine
Bit of grated ginger (optional)

Curd
Juice and zest of 2 limes
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs + 1 yolk
6 tbsp margarine or butter
 
Topping
1 jar of fluff
Bit of water
1 egg white

Prepare the crust by combining graham cracker crumbs with margarine and ginger until coated and moist. Press into a round pie dish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Should smell heavenly.

Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the curd in a small pot over medium heat. Do not boil, stir constantly until mixture becomes thick and the edges start to coagulate.

Let crust cool completely and strain lime mixture through a sieve. Allow it to cascade evenly into the crumb base. Bake for 8 mins.

Meanwhile, prepare topping by whisking together Fluff, water, egg white. Allow pie to cool again. Drape topping over the lime filling and bake at 375 for 2-4 minutes, until marshmallow begins to brown.  

If it were up to us, we would have more than 3.14159265 slices of this pie. 

Although beets look like brains, they will fuel yours with the nutrients it needs to outlast the last of your midterms.  Arm your hands with gloves lest you want your fingernails stained a bright fuchsia. These chips are easy to make and will be ready in ten minutes or less. You’ll never want to settle for an ordinary golden potato chip again when you can crunch and munch upon these vibrant half-moons of red delight.

Beet chips

• Beets
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Gloves

Line a long, flat pan with aluminum foil (if you have it) and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice beets thinly (width should be about 2 centimetres) and toss to coat with olive oil and salt. Lay on pan and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crunchy.

Beat that beet up and enjoy!!

Good churros are like good amigos. They’re sweet, you enjoy spending time with them, and they can only be found once in a blue moon.  Boast all you like about the mountain of free doughnuts you have amassed over this month’s Roll up the Rim. We guarantee you that churros are better.

These fun-sized nibbles of crunchy dough will leave a delicate dusting of cinnamon-sugar upon your tongue. While traditionally served with hot chocolate, we think they hold their own with or without that little hint of liquid cocoa. Besides, nobody likes a soggy churro. For the adventurous, we’ve included a recipe for chili-chocolate dipping sauce.

Fun-Sized Churros (From Nigella Lawson’s Kitchen)

Ingredients - Makes around 30-40 mini churros 

• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup freshly boiled water (you can do this in a kettle)
• Canola oil

In a shallow bowl, toss cinnamon with sugar until granules become tinted the slightest shade of brown. Set aside for coating.

Heat canola oil so that it runs at least 1/3 up the side of your pot. Meanwhile combine flour and baking powder. Beat in olive oil and water until a pliable, sticky dough forms. Let it rest for 10 minutes while the oil heats up.

To test if ready, drop a cube of bread into the pot. It should sizzle and condense into a crunchy brown cluster. Place dough into a piping bag or a large Ziploc (nip the corner so that it forms an opening). Squeeze about 2 inches of dough into oil and gently clip them off with chopsticks. Cook about 3-4 minutes until their exterior is golden and slightly hard. Fish them out with chopsticks and blot them with a paper towel to remove excess oil. This is only an exercise for the most dexterous, so be careful!

Toss to coat in cinnamon-sugar and get’em while they’re hot.

Chili Chocolate Dipping Sauce 

• A couple of squares dark chocolate or chocolate chips 
• 1 tbsp maple syrup 
• Pinch of chili flakes
• Pinch of cinnamon

2/3 cup double cream (can substitute with milk)Over a pot of boiling water, melt all ingredients in a separate pan until thick and combined. Let cool before serving.

Go loco

ashelf asked: you keep doing what you do best; could you do a post on choice grocers' ?

Thank you so much for your support! It means a lot to us :’) 
We actually have a grocery shopping post planned! Keep the requests coming. 

Anonymous asked: Please stop tagging your posts with "McGill". Yes, you are all McGill students, however, the content you post here are completely irrelevant to the school.

If you are looking for a reason to purchase a blowtorch, here is your chance. Not that you exactly need one for this anyway. Despite the potential fire hazards latent in the torch’s mechanical design, it’s still good to have for fancy brulées. If, with a heavy sigh of resignation, you are a student with a mere stove at your disposal, that will work just as well. 

These Baked Alaskas are a lethal combination of brownie, ice cream, and meringue.They are bad for you with a capital B. But so good. 

While athletes playfully get their faces smothered with shaving cream, this dessert is no joke. We’d happily wade through a cloud of meringue any day.

Beautiful Baked Alaskas (Adapted from All Recipes, but halved the portion)
Ingredients - Yields 6 brownies 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cups chocolate chips
• 3/4 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a regular-sized muffin tin.

Over low heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring constantly until 2 become 1.

Remove from heat and stir in sugar.
Allow to cool and beat in eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add dash of vanilla to give your chocolate brownies an ironic little twist.

Whisk flour and salt together and fold into liquid mixture.

Add batter to muffin tins and bake for about 30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean in the centre of the brownies.

While cooling, make the meringue.

Meringue  
Ingredients - Depends on how much meringue you want to make

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar 

Blend egg whites to an oblivion until peaks are ‘stiff’. Add sugar and blend some more. 

To Assemble the Baked Alaska

Add a dab of ice-cream onto each brownie bite. Pipe meringue around and on top of ice-cream to insulate it from the oven. Broil baked alaskas.

Yahoo! Baked Alaskas for you!