earl grey caramel s'mores

 

it is time for round two of epic s'mores with ghirardelli's chocolate squares! for this s'more i wanted to go a little less traditional & introduce an ingredient you have probably never come across in a s'more: earl grey tea. i am sure you have already figured out that i LOVE earl grey tea. what i love even more is incorporating the strong & distinctive flavour of earl grey into my desserts. the flavour of the bergamot comes through so well when incorporated with other ingredients. while i have done waffles, cakes & other baked goods before i thought it was time to expand the flavour of earl grey even more. earl grey caramel AND earl grey marshmallow topped with ghirardelli's dark chocolate sea salt caramel sqaure yes please! i paired it with ghirardelli's milk chocolate caramel square for the kids or kids at heart like myself. it was so fun serving these s'mores to see if people could distinguish the unique & bold flavour they were tasting. these marshmallows make for a great dessert on their own & you can drizzle the caramel sauce on just about anything you can think of... anything :)

p.s. last time i made homemade graham crackers for my s'mores! because they were so good compared to the boxed version, i made them again for this round of s'mores! you can get the recipes for those here.

ingredients

for the earl grey marshmallows

  • 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup strong brewed earl grey, room temperature
  • 3/4 ounces gelatin
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 2/3 cup white corn syrup
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

for the earl grey caramel

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup strong earl grey tea, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

for the earl grey caramel s'mores

directions

  • for the earl grey marshmallows: line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper & grease with oil. add 1/2 cup earl grey tea & gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer. let stand until the gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. add remaining earl grey tea into a sauce pan over medium heat. add sugar, corn syrup & salt. stir until sugar dissolves. increase heat to high & boil (do not stir) until temperature reaches 230-250 degrees, about 6-8 minutes. using the whisk attachment, turn on mixer to low speed & slowly pour in boiling hot syrup. once syrup is mixed evenly with the gelatin, add vanilla & increase speed to high. beat until mixture is thick & fluffy, about 15 minutes. pour into baking dish immediately & let stand at room temperature until firm, about 2-3 hours. sift corn starch & powdered sugar over mixture before slicing. toss each slice in the powdered mixture as well.

  • for the earl grey caramel: in a saucepot add the sugar and earl grey tea over medium high heat. do NOT stir while bringing mixture to a boil. continue to boil until the sugar turns a deep amber colour (approximately 5 minutes). be sure not to burn the caramel, it will go from a deep amber to burnt VERY quickly. remove from heat and immediately whisk in the heavy cream, butter, vanilla & sea salt. cool to room temperature before serving. store in the fridge covered for up to two weeks.

  • for the earl grey caramel s'mores: layer graham cracker with earl grey marshmallow and broil or roasted over a fire until toasted. drizzle with earl grey caramel sauce & top with a ghirardelli chocolate square.

this post was created in partnership with ghirardelli chocolate! thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog. xo

pinot noir chimichurri steak

 

one of my favourite things about summer is having an abundence of herbs at my finger tips. it is so much better to pick your own fresh herbs then buy the prepackaged ones at the grocery store. however, when the herbs begin to look a little wild it is time to make two things: pesto or chimichurri. instead of keeping things classic and using red wine vinegar i incorported a mix of cambria wine's pinot noir & balsamic vinegar. i much prefer the sophisticated flavour of these two ingredients in comparison to red wine vinegar. while i used it as a dressing on the freshly grilled steak, chimichurri works as an amazing marinade for steaks and chicken! i am marinating chicken thighs in the fridge as i type this. so don't let all those fresh herbs go to waste this summer! whip up some fresh chimichurri & keep a jar at your finger tips in the fridge all summer long.

ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh oregano, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons cambria wine's pinot noir
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 sirloin or rib eye steaks

directions

  • in a food processor add the clinatro, oregano, parsley, garlic, shallot and red pepper flakes. pulse 3-4 times.
  • add the olive oil, pinot noir, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper. blend until desired consistency is reached. set aside while you prepare the steaks.
  • season steaks with salt and pepper. grill to rare/medium rare & let rest for 5 minutes.
  • thinly slice each steak and generously pour over the chimichurri sauce.
  • enjoy along side a glass of cambria wine's pinot noir!

like what you see? get it here. plate, bowls & ramekins by the-commons. 

orange raspberry lime popsicles

 

i hope you aren't sick of popsicles yet!!! kidding, i don't think it is possible when it's this hot outside. popsicles take no time to make & involve no heat elements (cause some days i don't even want to think of turning on that gas flame). simply prep these before bed & you will wake up to a batch of delicious (healthy) popsicles. up until now i have mostly done yogurt based popsicles, but i thought it was time for a dairy free version. bonus points: these contain no refined sugars & a whole lot of fresh fruit! one layer is made from freshly squeezed oranges while the other layer is made from freshly pureed raspberries. both include zevia's mandarin orange sparkling water which is lightly sweetened with stevia & has the perfect amount of orange flavour to lend to the popsicles. happy almost friday friends! get these in the freezer tonight for the perfect friday treat:)

ingredients

for the orange layer

for the raspberry layer

directions

  • for the orange layer: stir together the orange juice, mandarin orange sparkling water, honey & lime zest. pour into popsicle molds filling them half way. pop in to the freezer while you prepare the raspberry layer!

  • for the raspberry layer: in a blender puree the raspberries, mandarin orange sparkling water, raw honey and lime zest. run mixture through a strainer to remove any raspberry seeds. pour into popsicle molds filling them to the top. freeze overnight & enjoy!

this post was created in partnership with zevia! thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog xo