La Belle Aurore, from mothers to daughters, a collection of family recipes

La Belle Aurore

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La Belle Aurore

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La Belle Aurore Printed and Published by Lulu Press www.lulu.com Š2007, Suzanne PÊpin The recipes and the pictures in this book are original creations. Their end products (food) may be created by individuals for personal pleasure or profit; reproduction of the recipes in any manner is prohibited.

Every effort has been made to ensure that all the information in this book is accurate. However, due to differing conditions, tools, and individual skills, no responsibility can be taken by the author or printer for any injuries, losses, or other damages that may result from the use of the information in this book.

Written in Mexico Printed in the United States of America ISBN 978-1-4357-0306-3 All rights reserved

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La Belle Aurore With Thanks My thanks go to my family and friends, for their support and creative input in this crazy project and for sharing their family secrets on papers to enhance this book.

A special thank you goes to my two daughters, Suzanne Marie-Eve and Anne Anastassia, for without their believing in me; La Belle Aurore would have never seen the Beautiful Dawn of the day!

Finally, I must express my thanks to my husband and my best friend, Claude for always been there for me, and picking me up with your ‘trait de genie’… Love you baby

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La Belle Aurore

For my mother, Aurore Jutras, who passed away from this life on April 10, 2006

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La Belle Aurore INTRODUCTION

On a Saturday morning, in the spring of 2007, I was standing, with my sister and our children, in the family kitchen of our late parents, all talking and enjoying the good company while planning the food for a gathering of 17 people the same night.

But we had a problem; we didn’t have any cookbooks handy and we didn’t have the internet connection in the country house to search for the ingredients to a specific recipe.

‘Molasses cookies, ok, lets make them by memory. Grand-Père in maple syrup; should be easy, we need maple syrup to start with and… Ok, Mashed Potatoes with bacon, cream and cheese, now we don’t need a recipe for this one, but we don’t know how to make those Potatoes Cookies that our grand-mother and aunt used to make…’. So right there, by pure passion for family gathering and cooking together with mothers and daughters in the kitchen, I decided to write a cookbook, regrouping our family recipes, the ones we do together, when we find ourselves under the same roof.

I have cooked most of my life, without much of a recipe, just like my mother had showed me. A little bit of this, taste it and adjust the ingredients so it will be eatable. Now, you are asking yourself: ‘Then why a cookbook?’

A cookbook is a trustable instrument to have on hand, when we start cooking. At the beginning, we all need a guide to put confidence in ourselves and in our meals. Once the confidence in our ability gets deeper inside of us with each successful recipe, we extend our horizon of trial and errors, finally ending by using our instinct and our taste bud for each new recipe. We become passionate about food, herbs and spices and before we know it, we have developed this passion for food that we get from our mothers, right from the beginning.

With a little bit of this and a little bit more of that, walk with me in my kitchen with La

Aurore and let’s keep on passing to our Daughters our love for food.

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Belle

La Belle Aurore Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 6 Drinks ...................................................................................................................... 10 WPB ....................................................................................................................... 11 SANGRIA .................................................................................................................. 12 SANGRITA ................................................................................................................ 13 Salad ........................................................................................................................ 14 TORTILLAS SALAD .................................................................................................... 15 WINTER KETCHUP SALAD (CHOW CHOW) ................................................................. 16 SMOKED SALMON TARTAR ......................................................................................... 17 WALNUT AND PEARS SALAD ...................................................................................... 18 Main Courses .......................................................................................................... 20 CHICKEN WITH HONEY ............................................................................................. 21 TOURTIERE DE MA MERE .......................................................................................... 22 TOURTIÈRE DU LAC ST-JEAN .................................................................................... 23 TRADITIONAL MANDARIN FRIED RICE ...................................................................... 25 ANASTASSIA’S HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE .............................................................. 26 ENCHILLIDAS CON POLLO......................................................................................... 27 MARIE-EVE’S DEVIL EGGS ...................................................................................... 28 COLA CHICKEN ....................................................................................................... 29 QUICHE .................................................................................................................. 30 RIBS, THE OLD FASHION WAY ..................................................................................... 32 PINEAPPLE COCONUT BEEF ..................................................................................... 33 RED SALSA ............................................................................................................... 34 ZUCCHINI RELISH FROM MY MOTHER........................................................................ 35 AFRICAN BEEF ......................................................................................................... 36

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La Belle Aurore PAIN GUMBO (SALAD BREAD STUFFED) ..................................................................... 37 BRUCHETTA ............................................................................................................. 38 BACON-CHEESE MASHED POTATOES ........................................................................ 39 MY ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE ................................................................................. 40 CRETON .................................................................................................................. 42 SPINACH DIP IN ITS BREAD’S BED .............................................................................. 43 Desserts .................................................................................................................... 44 RICE PUDDING ........................................................................................................ 45 ZUCCHINI CAKE ....................................................................................................... 46 CARROT CAKE ......................................................................................................... 47 APPLE JELLY ........................................................................................................... 48 FUDGE COOKIES ..................................................................................................... 49 PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES........................................................... 50 BONBONS AU PATATES (POTATOES CANDIES) .............................................................. 51 QUEEN ELIZABETH CAKE ......................................................................................... 52 SUCRE À LA CRÈME .................................................................................................. 54 CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES ........................................................................... 55 BROWN PAPER DONUTS ............................................................................................ 57 COCONUT BALLS ...................................................................................................... 58 PUMPKIN PIE FROM MOTHER.................................................................................... 59 APPLE PIE ............................................................................................................... 60 PEANUT BUTTER BANANA MUFFIN ............................................................................. 62 GRAND-PÈRE (MMM… YUMMY!!) ............................................................................. 63 SIMPLE CAKE ........................................................................................................... 64 GALETTES A LA MELASSE & RASBERRY MOLASSE COOKIES........................................ 65 CARROT AND CRANBERRY MUFFINS.......................................................................... 66 WONDERFUL CUPCAKES .......................................................................................... 67 LEMON MERINGUE ICE CREAM PIE WITHOUT THE CRUST… ...................................... 68 8

La Belle Aurore RUM STRUDEL ......................................................................................................... 69 SKORR BAR.............................................................................................................. 71 SWEET PUMPKIN ..................................................................................................... 72 RASPBERRY JAM....................................................................................................... 73 CREAM CHEESE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS ...................................................................... 74 PANCAKES, THE REAL ONES....................................................................................... 76 PIE CRUST ............................................................................................................... 77 COCONUT POUND CAKE ........................................................................................... 78 DUMP CAKE ............................................................................................................ 80 CARAMEL TOPPING .................................................................................................. 81 Breads (my specialty) .............................................................................................. 82 PAIN BLANC, BASIC RECIPE FOR ANY KIND OF BREAD MAKING ..................................... 83 CHOCOLATE MANGO BREAD..................................................................................... 85 WHOLE WHEAT BREAD ............................................................................................. 86 HONEY & PEACHES BREAD ...................................................................................... 87 SUNDRIED TOMATO BREAD ....................................................................................... 89 VICTORIAN MILK BREAD .......................................................................................... 91 Homemade foods for dogs ...................................................................................... 92 PEANUT BUTTER DOG COOKIES ............................................................................... 93 OATMEAL DOG COOKIES ......................................................................................... 94 About the author ..................................................................................................... 97

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La Belle Aurore Drinks

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La Belle Aurore WPB WPB stands for West Palm Beach drink. A drink Claude and I created under the Florida sun.

Mix in a nice Picher full of ice, an equal part of: Cranberry vodka Grapefruit juice White cranberry juice Serve in the shade, looking away at the sea.

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La Belle Aurore Sangria Refreshing drink during the summer months, so easy to do, so easy to drink it all‌ 2 bottles chilled dry red wine, Beaujolais 1 cup brandy 1 cup orange juice 1/4 cup superfine granulated sugar 2 oranges, cut into thin rounds 1 lemon, cut into thin rounds 1 lime, cut into thin rounds 2 apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks 2 pears, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks 2 cups cold lemon-lime flavoured or club soda Ice In a large pot or bowl, combine the wine, brandy, orange juice, and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Add the orange, lemon, and lime slices, the apples, and pears, and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

Remove from the refrigerator and add the soda. Serve in glasses over ice

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La Belle Aurore Sangrita There are as many Sangrita’s recipes as there are Mexicans in Mexico.

A very well kept family secret, Sangrita is a spicy tomato juice that is taken while drinking Tequila 1 liter of tomato juice 1 cup of orange juice 5 limes for its juice 1/2 onion, cup up 1 chile chipotle (canned) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 1 teaspoon Worstershire sauce (English sauce) Mix all together, let stand overnight. Drain to retain only the spicy juice and serve.

How to serve tequila: Bite into a lime piece, take a drink of tequila and close the burning sensation by ending with a sip of the Sangrita. Enjoy with good friends!

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La Belle Aurore Salad

Tortillas Salad

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La Belle Aurore Tortillas Salad Tortillas salad: very good salad, so simple to put it all together!

Tortillas Sour cream Green olives Cappers Chicken Little pieces of fresh pineapple Spicy chips Walnuts Salad On a plate, put one tortilla and spread it with sour cream Add the salad, the chicken, the olives and the pineapple.

Drop more sour cream on top, with the chips and finish with the walnuts

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La Belle Aurore Winter ketchup salad (Chow Chow) With the garden always over flowing with cucumbers and onions, this winter salad was always made during the turning of the red leaves. Use Mason jars and ladle this wonderful yellow-green winter ketchup in the jars. Be sure to keep your pieces small because they will be put inside the jars and eaten like condiments to a meal.

Peel and slice 7 cucumbers and 5 onions together. Cover them with ¼ cup of salt and let stand for 2 hours.

Meanwhile mix together: 2 ½ cups of sugar ¾ cup of flour 3 tablespoons of powder mustard ¾ teaspoon of turmeric 1 teaspoon of ginger 3 cups of vinegar 1 cup of water Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Drain the cucumber mixture and add it to the vinegar mixture, and let it boil for an additional 10 minutes.

Ladle into jars. Keep for 6 months or more on a dark shelf.

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La Belle Aurore Smoked salmon tartar 1 cup of fresh salmon 他 cup of smoked salmon 1 tablespoon of green onion 1 tablespoon of basil 1 tablespoon of olive oil Juice of one lemon 1 tablespoon of cream Pepper to taste Cut the salmon in small cubes and place in a nice bowl Add the others ingredients, mix well and let it sit in the fridge for one hour before serving as a garnish on veggies or crackers.

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La Belle Aurore Walnut and Pears salad Marvellous salad, a bit of work to put together, but the taste will have you coming back for more and more 2 hard dessert pears 1½ oz (40 g) walnut pieces 5 oz (150 g) Roquefort cheese 1 tablespoon walnut oil ½ oz (10 g) butter 2 rounded tablespoons fresh cream 1 large egg yolk 2 x 2½ oz (60 g) bags herb salad or equivalent For the croutons: 2 oz (50 g) bread, cut into small cubes 1 dessertspoon olive oil Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. You will also need a solid baking sheet and a large frying pan.

Begin by making the croutons: first of all, place ½ oz (10 g) of the Roquefort in a bowl and, using a fork, blend it with the olive oil. Now add the cubes of bread and toss them around thoroughly to get an even coating. Then spread them out on the baking sheet and pop them into the oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are evenly brown.

Cut the pears into quarters, remove the cores but leave the skins on, then cut each quarter into 4 slices. Next, heat the walnut oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and lightly sauté the walnuts, tossing them around for about 1 minute. Now transfer them with a draining spoon to a plate. Add the butter to the pan at the same heat, then add the pears and sauté them for about 2-3 minutes on each side until they are nicely brown. Put aside.

To make the sauce: place the fresh cream in a small saucepan with the rest of the Roquefort,

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La Belle Aurore crumbling it as you add it. Now whisk the two together over a gentle heat until the cheese begins to melt and form a sauce. Then drop in the egg yolk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens.

Next, remove the pan from the heat and leave it on one side while you divide the salad leaves between 4 serving plates. Arrange the pears around the leaves, scatter with the walnuts, and then pour the sauce over each salad. Finish off with a sprinkling of croutons and serve.

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La Belle Aurore Main Courses

Quiche

Ribs, the old fashion way,

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La Belle Aurore Chicken with honey I could make this recipe by heart. One of my favorite dishes 1 chicken, medium size, cut up ½ cup of honey ¼ cup of mustard 1 tablespoon of curry powder ¼ cup of butter 1 teaspoon of salt Melt the butter and add the honey, mustard, salt and curry. Add the chicken and bake at 350F for one hour.

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La Belle Aurore Tourtière de ma mère A tourtière is a meat pie originating from Quebec, usually made with ground pork and/or veal, or beef. It is a traditional Christmas and New Year's Eve dish in Quebec. This recipe is from my mother’ side. It is the best, as far I’m concerned.

1 ½ pounds of ground beef 1 ½ pounds of ground pork One onion, chopped finely Salt and pepper ½ cup of water 1 or 2 potatoes Pie crust Mix the meats, onion, salt and pepper, water together. Cook on medium, taking extra care to mix often. When all the water has evaporated, lower the heat and let simmer for about one hour. Cut the potatoes in pieces and add them at that moment to the meats. They will cook slowly and absorb the extra fat in the meat.

Taste the mix and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Fill a pie plate with the mix and cover with another pie crust. Make little openings to let the steam come out during the baking. Bake at 400F for about 35 minutes or until the top crust is a nice golden color.

Serve with a cranberry sauce

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La Belle Aurore Tourtière du Lac St-Jean The tourtières of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean area are slow-cooked deep-dish meat pies made with potatoes and various meats (often including game), which are cut into small cubes.

Each family has its own and unique recipe of Tourtière. This recipe comes from my husband’ mother and he loves to make this every year, for family gathering and sometimes, just for us two. When the later is the case, we end up with many little containers in the freezer for the days to come. It freezes very well.

You will need a pie shell dough large enough to cover the inside of a big pan and to cover the top as well 10 pounds of potatoes (21 cups of cubed potatoes) 2 onions chopped ¾ cup of beef liquid, not diluted in water (Bovril) 4 teaspoons of salt 2 ½ teaspoons of pepper 1 pinch of cinnamon Cold water 2 pounds of pork in cubes 2 pounds of beef in cubes 2 pounds of veal in cubes Mix the meat together with salt, pepper, cinnamon, beef liquid and onions. Put aside for a couple of hours. Roll the dough and cover the bottom and sides of the pan with it, been careful not to leave any little holes in the process. Mix the potatoes with the meat.

Deposit the meat mixture inside the pan, being extra careful not to damage the dough. Cover the top with more dough and attach it to the side dough by folding the top dough over the side one.

Make a little opening on the top and pour water delicately inside the pan until you see the water 23

La Belle Aurore barely to the surface. Bake (with the lid on) at 350F for one hour, lower the heat to 250F and bake for an additional 7 hours. Uncover the pan for the last hour to give it a nice golden color.

Serve with warm beets.

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La Belle Aurore

Traditional Mandarin Fried Rice Canola oil 3 eggs 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons minced ginger 1 bunch chopped scallions, green and white separated 1 lapchang, diced (Chinese sausage), can substitute with 4 strips of cooked bacon 8 cups cooked, day old long grain rice 3 tablespoons thin soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon white pepper Salt to taste It is recommended to use day old rice so that the drier rice can soak up the flavours. In a wok, add 2 tablespoons of oil and quickly soft-scramble the eggs. Remove the eggs. In the same wok, coat with oil and stir-fry garlic and ginger. Add white scallions and lapchang. Add rice and mix thoroughly. Add soy sauce, white pepper and scrambled eggs. Check for seasoning. Serve immediately

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La Belle Aurore Anastassia’s Homemade Tomato Sauce Tomatoes have always been an important part of my daughter meal. She is just in love with tomatoes. Here is her tomato sauce recipe that she makes without much of a recipe but just by tasting it as she builds it to her perfection.

1 can of round tomatoes (28 ounces) 1 can of tomatoes paste (6 ounces) Olive oil Salt and pepper Basil, oregano, garlic and a pinch of sugar Mix the tomatoes together in a pan. Add the others ingredients and simmer for about one hour.

Mash the tomatoes as they cook, to make a smooth sauce.

You could use this sauce as a base for soup, noodles, or just served plain over pasta.

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La Belle Aurore Enchillidas con pollo Tortillas Home made tomatoes sauce Chicken Cheese Sour cream In a big pan, put one cup of tomato sauce. Drop 2 tbsp of chicken mixed with veggies and sour cream on an open tortilla. Roll up to make a cigar and align inside the pan. Proceed with the rest of tortillas. Cover with more tomato sauce and finish with a good layer of shredded cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, at 350F. Serve hot!

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La Belle Aurore Marie-Eve’s Devil Eggs Marie-Eve’s Devil Eggs are easy to do, as long as you know the magic ingredient...

Hard boiled eggs, shelves removed Mayonnaise Seasonal salt Pepper Cut in half the eggs and remove the yolk.

Mash yolk with mayonnaise, season salt and pepper to taste.

Put back in the white part, the filling. Sprinkle with season salt. Very good and simple

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La Belle Aurore Cola Chicken Ah, great recipe!

One bottle of 600ml of diet cola (less sugar, same taste) One chicken, cut up in pieces Deposit the chicken in a well oiled pan, pour the diet cola over the chicken. Salt and Pepper.

Cover Bake at 375F for 1.5 hrs and uncover for an extra 20 minutes.

The chicken will have a marvelous sweet taste and will be very tender to your palette

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La Belle Aurore Quiche Simple little Quiches without the crust I know, I know but for me the joy of cooking is cooking without a recipe... I just love to get up in the morning, look outside, open the fridge and decide what I feel like cooking today. When I go grocery shopping, I buy only fresh products and decide once home, what I will do with them. So here is my Quiche recipe that I made this morning. As expected, simple!

I don't use any crust at the bottom of my little pans, I just pour the egg liquid directly in well greased ones.

To make about 6 little quiches 8 eggs beaten ½ cup of cream Salt and pepper Mix the ingredients together, pour into the pans.

Cut out some ham, cheese, onions and some kind of green veggies (spinach or broccoli).

Spray it over the top of each quiche to be. Push down with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle paprika on top, to add some color.

Bake at 375F, 40 minutes.

I usually put my little quiches to be baked on a cookie pan, to prevent them from dripping all over my oven.

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La Belle Aurore

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La Belle Aurore Ribs, the old fashion way Let me share with you my very old ribs recipe I got about 27 years ago, from a dear friend of mine that knew my passion for a rack of those babies! The trick in the softness of the meat is 'overnight' preparation. Enjoy.

1 cup of brown sugar 1/2 cup of apple purees (the secret ingredient...)

1/4 cup of ketchup 1 tbsp of lemon juice Salt, pepper, garlic powder and a pinch of cinnamon Mix the ingredients together and pour over 2 pounds of ribs. Marinate overnight, turning once in a while.

Bake at 250F, for half hour, in its own sauce. Turn the ribs over, bake another half hour.

Increase the oven temperature to 350F and bake for an extra half hour, basting the meat with its own sauce. Serve as it is or on a bed of Spanish rice.

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La Belle Aurore Pineapple Coconut Beef The smell of cooked pineapple in balsamic vinegar is so nice. Enjoy this good dish 2 cups of cooked cubed beef 2 cups of cubed fresh pineapple 1 tablespoon of butter 1tablespoon of brown sugar 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar Shredded coconut, dry raisins for garnish Melt the butter in a pan; add all the ingredients ending with the beef. Cook until the pineapple start to produce syrup. Garnish with coconut and dry raisins. Very good

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La Belle Aurore Red salsa Served with blue and yellow corn tortillas, this salsa has character to say the least.

Keep beside you, a nice glass of milk or a small container of cream while eating it.

The salsa can be very spicy made or very mild made. The sky is the limit and it always depends on the cook to scale the hot on this!

1 clove of garlic 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 pinch of black pepper 1 pinch of cumin 1 to 4 chilies Serrano or jalapenos roasted 1/4 small onion 2 tomatoes Âź cup of beer 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar While wearing gloves, remove the seeds and the white veins from the chilies. Roast in hot oil for 1 minute.

Roast the garlic, tomatoes, onion together in oil. Add the salt and pepper.

Crush the ingredients one by one in the molcajete, starting with all the spices and the garlic. Add the rest and finish by the beer and cider. Marvelous recipe, one to be sure to impress others

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La Belle Aurore Zucchini Relish from my mother Yellow and green in color, this recipe is almost like a winter ketchup. The sweet and sour taste of the relish could be eaten by the tablespoon...

10 cups of cubed Zucchini 5 tablespoons of big salt Mix zucchini and salt together, deposit in a terracotta pan and let it sit overnight.

2 teaspoons of celery seeds 1 tablespoon of turmeric 1 green sweet pepper and 1 red sweet pepper 3 cups of sugar 2 ½ cups of white vinegar 4 cups of sliced onions Black pepper 1 tablespoon of corn starch Drain the zucchini mixture and add the others ingredients. Mix well and cook for 1.5 hours (the smell in the kitchen will be unbelievable!).

Ladle into jars : Mason jars : wash the jars in lukewarm water, don't dry them and deposit them upside down in a pre-heated oven (125F). Keep them warm.

Take the inside lid of the Mason jar (the rubber part only). Deposit the part in hot boiling water and let it boil for 3 minutes. Put the pan aside with the lids without draining.

Fill the jars, one at a time, and cover the jar with the rubber lid and the outside lid.

Let cool down the jars on the counter top overnight. The lids should have popped down by then.

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La Belle Aurore African beef You would not believe how many times I made this recipe in my younger years of marriage. It would bring me back to my home town, away from home. This is a sweet and sour beef stew and it tastes even better the day after. The beef gets very tender.

3 pounds of cubed beef 2 onions chopped 1 can of tomatoes (19 ounces) 2 celery stacks 1 teaspoon of salt ¼ teaspoon of pepper ¼ teaspoon of thyme 1 green pepper ¼ cup of brown sugar ¼ cup of white vinegar 1 tablespoon of English sauce 1 garlic piece Cook the beef in little bit of oil, add the others ingredients. Cover and bake in the oven at 300F for 3 hours. Serve over rice.

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La Belle Aurore Pain Gumbo (salad bread stuffed) Now this one is a tradition for my family, during the Christmas season. Little salad breads are very small oval bread that you split in half to fill up with a mixture of meat and spices. I, myself, make them in advance, wrap them in foil paper and freeze. On Christmas Eve, I pop them in a warmed oven, right from the freezer.

The defrosting process done in the oven gives the bread that juicy taste of pure heaven!

1 onion, chopped 1 pound of ground beef 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (English sauce) 1 can of Chicken Gumbo soup, from Campbell Ÿ to ½ cup of Chili sauce.

Cook the onion, add the meat. Add the others ingredients and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Split the breads in half, lengthwise. With a spoon, fill them up with the meat mixture. To serve, warm them up in a pre-heated oven.

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La Belle Aurore Bruchetta This is our food, Claude and I. Little pieces of bread cover with a mix of black olive, feta cheese and tomatoes.

Sliced Italian bread Italian tomatoes, cut in cubes Black olives, sliced Basil, fresh Parsley, fresh Olive oil Feta cheese, crumbled Place the sliced breads on a cookie sheet and place it in a warm oven to brown.

Combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Brush olive oil on each of the slices, spry the mixture evenly and return to the warm oven to melt the cheese. Serve!

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La Belle Aurore Bacon-Cheese Mashed Potatoes This is Claude’ recipe, he loves to make those for special occasions. The creamy texture is unbelievable. And so white!

4 potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces 1 ¾ teaspoons salt ½ cup cream 4 tablespoons of butter ¼ teaspoon pepper 8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled ½ pound sharp cheddar, grated ¼ cup sour cream ¼ cup of green onions Cook potatoes with salt in water until done. Drain the potatoes, return over low heat and mash with a potato masher to incorporate all the ingredients in the order given.

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La Belle Aurore My Italian Spaghetti Sauce Michel gave me this recipe, in 1981. It was his mother’ and she would make this sauce in mason jars, for him to keep on his cupboard shelves, ready to be served when ever he would have company over. I tasted it for the first time during lunch time, in a historical house located in the old part of Trois-Rivières, and I knew right there, that I would need this recipe for myself. I have kept this recipe since then and no matter how many different kinds of Italian sauce I have tried over the years, my Italian spaghetti sauce is mine, always come back to this one. ¼ cup of butter 2 tablespoons of garlic 1 cup of onion 1 can of mushroom 1 tablespoon of Persil 2 pounds of ground beef 2 cans of tomatoes (19 ounces each) 1 can of tomatoes paste (6 ounces) 4 tablespoons of ketchup 4 tablespoons of chili sauce 2 tablespoons of HP Fruit sauce 2 tablespoons of #57 sauce 1 tablespoon of English sauce 1 tablespoon of soy sauce Few drops of Tabasco Salt and Pepper ¼ teaspoon of thyme 3 Laurier leaves ¼ teaspoon Marjolaine ¼ teaspoon Tarragon Pinch of cayenne pepper

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La Belle Aurore Cook the meat with the oil, add all the ingredients to the pot. Simmer for 5 to 6 hours. Ladle into jars. Better the day after.

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La Belle Aurore Creton Creton : made out of pork and milk, like a pâté. Delicious as is or on a freshly baked bread. This is the kind of recipe that has no limit in spices. Use your taste to test this one, a little bit of this and a little bit more of that and … voilà my recipe!

1 pound of ground pork 1 cup of bread crumbs 1 onion, diced 1 cup of milk Cinnamon, Cloves, salt and pepper Mix everything in a pot and heat slowly for one hour. Remove from heat. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Take a hand mixer; mix directly in the pot, the mix to make it more spreadable. Put in little containers and up in the fridge. Serve 24 hours after. *You can add more milk if the mix is too dry.

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La Belle Aurore Spinach dip in its bread’s bed Once the dip is all gone, you are left with a wonderful loaf of bread, to eat as is or to serve the day after with a warm homemade soup!

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed (do not use fresh) 1 1/2 cup. sour cream 1 c. mayonnaise (I use Hellmann's) 1 (4 oz.) pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix 1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, finely chopped 3 green onions, finely chopped 1 loft of a round bread (pumpernickel is the best) Squeeze spinach until dry. In medium bowl, stir together spinach, sour cream and soup mix. Add finely chopped water chestnuts and green onions. Make an opening in the top of the bread, remove the inside leaving big pieces to use as dipping pieces. Put the mix inside the bread.

Replace the top cover of the bread and wrap it in foil paper. Bake for 30 minutes, at 350F and served hot with cubes of breads and veggies.

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La Belle Aurore Desserts

Apple Pie Coconut Pound Cake

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La Belle Aurore Rice pudding Melting sweet rice in your mouth, no explaining here, just enjoy! I cook this recipe just for me, to have it for breakfast the next morning.

2 cups of cooked rice 3 eggs, mixed 2 cups of milk 1 cup of dry raisins (I put a bit more) ½ cup of sugar Pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon Beat the eggs with the milk, sugar, raisins and spices. Add to the rice. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Serve warm or cold

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La Belle Aurore Zucchini cake My mother would make that cake each time there was a big zucchini in the garden.

The zucchini makes the cake very moist and full of little green stars…

1 ½ cup of vegetable oil 4 eggs 3 cups of sugar 3 cups of flour 3 cups of grated-not peeled-zucchini ½ cup of cocoa powder 2 teaspoons of baking powder ½ teaspoon of vanilla 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1 cup of walnuts (optional) Mix oil, eggs and sugar together, add the vanilla. Mix in another bowl, the remaining ingredients and add to the first mix.

Bake at 350F for 1 ½ hours.

Icing : ¼ cup of butter ½ cup of brown sugar 2 tablespoons of milk 1 ½ cup of icing sugar Mix the ingredients in a pan and bring to a full broil for 1 minute. Spread on the warm cake. Let it cool and serve.

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La Belle Aurore Carrot Cake I had to include a carrot cake in this book. A cake we find in coffee shops, on winter days. An icing to die for. What a combination for a veggie served underneath a sweet white snow! ¾ cup sugar 3 eggs 2/3 cup vegetable oil 1 1/3 cup of flour 1 1/3 teaspoon of baking soda 1 1/3 teaspoon of cinnamon 2 teaspoons of baking powder ½ teaspoon of salt 1 cup of walnuts, broken in small pieces 2 cups of grated carrots Icing: 4 ounces cream cheese 1 cup of icing sugar ½ teaspoon of melt butter ½ teaspoon of vanilla Beat the eggs together with the sugar and oil. Mix all the others ingredients in a separate bowl.

Add the wet mix. Pour in a well greased pan and bake for 35 minutes, at 350F. Cover with the icing

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La Belle Aurore Apple Jelly Apples are a big part of our family; my father had many apple trees; white apples, red apples and ordinary apples. Those apples were kept in wooded boxes during the long months of winter. My mother had an unlimited supply of ideas for using apples in almost everything, even putting a slice of apple in the brown sugar jar, to keep it from going hard on us.

32 ounces of apple juice 4 tablespoons of splenda (sugar replacement) 1 tablespoons of lemon juice Âź cup of gelatin Dissolve the gelatin in water and add to the others ingredients. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Let it cool and pour in small containers. Keep in the fridge.

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La Belle Aurore Fudge Cookies One evening, while Lisa was working on her night shift, she stopped by my house, in Bonnyville, Alberta, to drop me off these cookies. Attached to the paper plate was the recipe. Her mom made them for her all the time and it was a special moment for Lisa, to share them with me. Now, let me share them with you!

2 cups of sugar ½ cup of butter ½ cup of milk 6 tablespoons of cocoa Pinch of salt (important as it takes away the bitter after taste of a too sweet cookie…)

Bring the above to a good boil in saucepan. Remove from heat and add: 3 cups of rolled oats 1 cup of coconut 1 teaspoon of vanilla Drop the mix into waxed paper and let it cool

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La Belle Aurore Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Lisa could smell peanut butter from miles away… She would make this recipe, from her mom, every single Sunday afternoon for the week to come. Talking about a comfort food, there is no denying with this one.

1 cup smooth peanut butter 1 cup of soft butter 2/3 cup of white sugar ½ cup of brown sugar 1 cup of chocolate chips 2 eggs 2 ½ cups of flour 1 teaspoon of baking powder Beat peanut butter and butter until soft and creamy. Add sugars gradually and beat until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Sift flour and baking powder over mixture and stir until well blended. Add chocolate chips.

Roll dough into balls. Press with the back of a fork onto lightly buttered cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F.

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La Belle Aurore Bonbons au patates (Potatoes candies) From the outside looking inside, this is a very strange recipe for candies. You either love them or hate them. Peanut butter, sugar and potatoes? Ok, lets give it a try, pass me the plate‌ 1 very small baked potatoes, mashed 3 ž cups of icing sugar 3 tablespoons of peanut butter Mix the sugar slowly with the potatoes to make very sticky dough. Using your finger, roll the dough on a plate or a cutting board. Spray the peanut butter evenly on top. Starting with the smaller side, roll-up the dough, like a log cake, using more sugar to prevent the sticking part.

Cut out piece of log into little pinwheels. Enjoy.

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La Belle Aurore Queen Elizabeth Cake Now, THIS IS MY CAKE! A scrumptious date nut cake that is truly fit for a queen.

It is crowned with a broiled coconut topping. Make it for me and I will sit down in front of it, with a spoon in my hand, ready to eat it. I made this cake many times over the years, for my own birthday.

1 cup boiling water 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped ¼ cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 ½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup chopped walnuts (I put ¾ cup) 1 cup flaked coconut 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 6 tablespoons butter ¼ cup cream Pour boiling water over dates in a small bowl, and let stand until cool.

Measure flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and nuts into a small bowl. Stir to mix.

Cream 1/4 cup butter or margarine and white sugar together in a mixing bowl; beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture in three parts alternately with date mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with dry mixture. Spread batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 350F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean.

To Make Topping:

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La Belle Aurore Mix coconut, brown sugar, 6 tablespoons butter and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil for three minutes.

Take a toothpick or a knitting needle, and make little holes all over the cake, pushing down all the way, without damaging the cake. Spread the topping over the warm cake, and brown under broiler.

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La Belle Aurore Sucre à la crème Little squares of pure cream sugar. Try this one. Typically a Québec recipe… during Christmas time.

4 cups of sugar 1 can of Eagle Brand (sweet condensed milk) ¼ cup of butter 1 cup of Corn syrup or Maple syrup 1 cup of milk Mix all the ingredient and let it boil for about 20 minutes, until a teaspoon dipped in it comes back with a creamy cover of sugar. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Mix by hand then, until it thickens. Poor in a well greased pan. You can add walnuts if you like.

Let it cool and cut into squares.

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La Belle Aurore Chocolate Cranberry cookies No explanation here, cookies will always be cookies to me, a comfort food without any boundary. So for me, taking the time to eat one and only one, I choose the best one on this planet. Chocolate Cranberry cookies are the top ones for me, no questions asked, just bake them and get back to me with the rest of the batch, if any left‌ 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup dried cranberries Preheat oven to 350F Sift together flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda, and set aside.

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined before next addition. Add the vanilla.

Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until combined.

Stir semi-sweet chocolate chips, and dried cranberries.

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La Belle Aurore Form little balls, roll them in sugar and place them onto baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart, flatten the balls by pressing gently with a fork on top of each one. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until firm.

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La Belle Aurore Brown paper Donuts Brown paper because once the donut are cooked, we drop them on brown papers (old grocery bag cut open) that have been previously sprinkled with powder sugar.

Just writing this recipe brings me back 24 years ago, at Christmas time.

6 cups of flour 6 teaspoons of baking powder 1 teaspoon of nutmeg ½ teaspoon of salt 6 separated eggs ½ cup of butter 1 ½ cups of milk 1 ½ cup of sugar Beat egg whites to a stiff and put in the fridge. Beat butter, sugar and egg yolk in a separated bowl. Incorporate the egg whites. Mix the dry ingredients together in another bowl and mix with the eggs. Roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Cut in a donut shape by using upside down glass and a smaller one for the middle hole. Fry in very hot oil, turning each donut just once. Drain on brown papers. Serve, dusted with powder sugar.

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La Belle Aurore Coconut balls For my brother François, this is for you. Mother loved those, freshly made just like you did and still do. Sweet but oh so full of memories ½ cup of butter ½ cup of milk 2 cups of sugar 3 ½ cups of rolled oats 1 ½ cups of fine coconut 6 tablespoons of cocoa 1 teaspoon of vanilla Mix first 3 ingredients and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Pour over oats, coconut, cocoa and vanilla. Mix well and shape into ball. Roll in coconut. Let it cool before serving.

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La Belle Aurore Pumpkin pie from mother This recipe is for my brother Noël. Here is the famous pumpkin pie. The difference with this recipe compared to many others is: my mother would use the spices measured separately instead of using the pumpkin spice one that we see now a days in the grocery store. By measuring each spice individually, she could control just the right amount and in a pumpkin pie, a bit too much could make a big difference in a contest, judged by family members.

1 9inch pie shell 2 cups of pumpkin puree 3 eggs separated 1 teaspoon of cinnamon ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg 1 cup of milk 1 cup of brown sugar ¼ teaspoon of cloves ¼ teaspoon of ginger Optional: 1 cup of whipped cream for garnish Mix pumpkin, milk, egg yolks, sugar and spices. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the pumpkin mix. Pour in pie shell and bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Cool two hours before serving.

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La Belle Aurore Apple pie There are as many Apple pie recipes as there are grandmas out there. This Apple Pie will win your heart!

A pinch of nutmeg, a teaspoon of cinnamon, butter softened and apples. Ah, the sweet smell of an apple pie baking brings me back to my childhood, in the fall season. Labour Day weekend would always bring us an apple pie on the table for the family gathering. The apple picking would take place during the three days of holiday, with the young children running around the farm tractor and eating shinny red apples.

Too bad I cannot write the smell of this delicious one baking as I’m writing the recipe for you!

Filling: 8 apples (hard ones), peeled, cored and sliced ¾ cup of white sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of each ground nutmeg and salt Prepare the apples in a big bowl. In a small bowl, mix the rest and incorporate to the apples. Put aside.

Double-crust Sour cream pastry 2 ½ cups of flour ½ teaspoon of salt ½ cup of butter and ½ cup of lard, cubed

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La Belle Aurore Âź cup of iced water 3 tablespoons of sour cream Mix flour and salt together. Add the butter and lard. Mix only until reaching a crumbing texture. Add the water to the sour cream, mix well and incorporate to the flour. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 min.

Split the crust in half, roll out one part and spray evenly in a pie plate. Add the apple mixture and drop about 2 tablespoons of butter around the top.

Roll out the other crust. Cover the pie with it and brush the top with one egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp of sugar. Cut little vents on the top crust.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450F, lower the temperature to 350F and keep baking for 65 minutes more.

Amazing recipe, amazing Apple pie!

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La Belle Aurore Peanut butter banana muffin I love these muffins even if I despise peanut butter by eaten by itself. My mother would serve us once in a blue moon, tartinade cover with molasses and peanut butter… don’t ask 1 cup of flour ¾ cup of oatmeal ½ cup of packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon of. Baking powder 1 cup milk ½ cup of peanut butter ½ cup of. Mashed, ripe banana 1 egg, beaten 2 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 teaspoon of vanilla Topping ¼ cup of oatmeal ¼ cup of. Flour 2 tablespoons of butter, melted 2 tablespoons of firmly packed brown sugar Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and baking powder. Set aside.

Whisk together milk, peanut butter, banana, egg, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Fill greased muffin pans. Combine Topping ingredients; sprinkle evenly over each muffin cup batter. Bake at 375F for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.

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La Belle Aurore

Grand-Père (mmm… yummy!!)

Grand-Père is a dessert, oh so sweet and so Québecois… maple syrup at its best use. Almost no recipe but some of this and some of that mix together and be sure not to lift the lid… enjoy with your eyes close…

Sauce: 2 cans of maple syrup plus one can and half of water Dough: 1 cup of flour 3 teaspoons of baking powder 2 tablespoons of sugar ¼ cup of butter ½ teaspoon of salt Enough milk to obtain dropping dough Mix the syrup and water together in a heavy sauce pan. Boil for 5 minutes. Mix the rest of ingredients in a separate bowl. Drop spoonfuls of the dough in the hot syrup, covering the entire surface of the pan. Put the lid on and lower the heat, enough to cook but not too high to have the syrup boil over. If the syrup boils over, lift the pan from the heat and not the lid from the pan. It is very important not to lift the lid until the dough is ready. Cook for about 15 minutes, serve hot.

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La Belle Aurore Simple cake This little recipe could be the base for a strawberry cake, apple cake, blueberries cake, etc… My mother was using this basic cake and dropping in the mix any left over fruits from the day before. She would then, bake it in a rectangular pan and cut it into squares to serve with ice cream. Wow, I just love those simple recipes.

1/3 cup of butter 1/3 cup of vegetable oil ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 cup of sugar 1 ¾ cup of flour ¼ teaspoon of salt 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder 1 cup of milk 2 eggs Mix eggs and butter together with the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients. Pour in well greased pan and bake at 375F, 35 minutes or until golden in color.

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La Belle Aurore Galettes à la Mélasse & Rasberry Molasse Cookies Lizette, do you remember that long glass jar with a lid, full of molasses cookies inside, freshly baked and golden in color? No need to say more, just close your eyes… ½ cup of shortening ½ cup of sugar ½ cup of molasses 1 egg 2 cups of flour 2 tablespoons of baking powder ½ teaspoon of salt ½ cup of milk

Mix all together. Roll on a floured surface and cut out with cookie cutters. Deposit on a well buttered cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, at 350F. *For the Raspberry cookies, drop a dollop of jam in the middle of one cookie, put a top one over and press gently. Bake 15 minutes.

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La Belle Aurore Carrot and Cranberry Muffins Discover Orange and Red colors inside each piece. A real treat!

2 cups flour 2 teaspoons cinnamon A pinch of nutmeg 2 teaspoons of baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ cup sugar (I use brown sugar) ½ cup grated carrot ½ raisins 3 large eggs 1 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla ¾ cup of dry cranberries (flavour to orange or others) Teaspoons of jam for the topping Mix together all the ingredients except the jam. Drop one teaspoon on each of the muffins, before baking. Bake 350F, about 15 to 20 minutes.

So good!

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La Belle Aurore Wonderful Cupcakes 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened.

2 cups sugar 4 large eggs, at room temperature 1 ½ cup self-rising flour 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Icing 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 8 cups confectionary sugar ½ cup milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Bake at 350F. Use a few drops food coloring for pastel colored frosting

.

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La Belle Aurore Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie without the crust‌ Lemon curd 2 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 6 tablespoons butter 1 cup splenda or sugar 6 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel Pinch of salt Put melted butter, sugar, lemon juice, peel and salt in a pan and whisk to a medium heat, gradually adding the eggs. Keep whisking until the mixture covers with some thickness the back of a spoon. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4hrs.

I do the curd the day before and let it sit overnight. This curd is very good over muffins, cupcakes or just over the counter with a big spoon‌ Scoop out about 1cup and half of soft ice cream in the bottom of a glass pie plate. Spray the curd over and put it in the freezer for 2 hours. Scoop the remaining of 1cup and half of ice cream over the curd, return to the freezer for another 2 hours (I use the plain vanilla ice cream, nothing fancy here).

Do the meringue 4 large egg whites 6 tablespoons splenda or sugar Mix eggs together with the splenda or sugar until stiff mount have formed Spray the meringue over the pie and place the pie in the oven at 500F, for about 3 minutes, just to have the meringue change color Cut into wedges and serve immediately

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La Belle Aurore Rum Strudel You have to try this one, so easy for a strudel recipe and you will end up hiding it from everybody, to be sure you will have enough left for your breakfast the day after‌ 225 gr. of butter 1 cup of cream (I use the whipping cream) but you can also use sour cream 2 cups of white flour Mix all together by hand and be careful to mix in all the butter. The more you mix by hand, the flakier your pastry will be.

Form 4 balls, put in plastic bags for 1 hour in the fridge For the filling: 1 cup of any jam you have handy 1 cup of currants (dry raisins) 1 cup of walnuts broken in piece 1oz of rum (yes, the real one!)

Mix the ingredients for the filling together.

Remove one bag of pastry from the fridge.

Roll out in a nice rectangle, scoop on it 1/4 of the filling, spraying it to the corners. Roll the dough, like a log cake, deposit on an un-greased cookie sheet. Proceed with the others. Bake at 350F, 45 minutes.

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La Belle Aurore Cut diagonally, and sprinkle with powder sugar, marvelous!

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La Belle Aurore Skorr Bar Did you know that you can cut a sweet tooth attack by biting into a sour dill pickle?

But for me, if you give me the choice, I would bake those little Insanity bars, and hide under the stairs, crunching away my temptation...

Put 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar in a pan, bring to a hard boil and keep it for 3 min.

Line a very well greased square pan with crackers (bran, no salted top).

Pour the hot mix over and bake for 5 minutes at 375F. Remove from the oven, spray chocolate chip pieces, coconut and walnut over the top and put it back in the oven until the chocolate is melted (you can put more stuff on top, just use your imagination).

Let it cool a bit; remove from the pan by using a sharp knife. Deposit on a cutting board and cut into pieces.

Keep in an airtight container or in your pocket!

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La Belle Aurore Sweet Pumpkin I don't like pumpkin that much but I could eat this dish alone, directly from the stove. The garnish of little apples, or cherries or guava is optional. Very sweet, very Mexican!

2 pounds of pumpkin or any squash, cut up 2 cups of little apples (optional but nice) 4 cups of brown sugar 4 cinnamon sticks 1/4 cup of water Place the squash in a big pot, add the others ingredients and cover with a lid. Cook on the stove, on medium heat, for about 1 hour, stirring so the squash won't stick to the bottom.

Check the squash with a fork to see if cooked. Remove the lid and let it cook until the liquid becomes syrupy. Let it cool and keep in the fridge. Can be served with a little milk poured on top.

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La Belle Aurore Raspberry Jam Nothing is more easy than this Raspberry Jam. Everybody can do it, within 10 minutes.

2 cups of fresh raspberries 1 package of light jelly (any flavour will do, I use the pineapple one) Cook the raspberries in about 1tbsp of water on medium heat, for about 5 minutes.

Mix in the light jelly, just the powder. Let it cook for 2 minutes.

Pour in small containers and keep in the fridge. The jam will be sweet but not too much, perfect for an everyday breakfast, served over toasts or fresh cut-up fruits!

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La Belle Aurore Cream cheese chocolate muffins Comfort Food, this is how I would call them. A mix breed between the big family of muffins and cakes. But these little ones cannot be described without a warm cup of coffee and a second helping.

8 ounces of cream cheese 6 tablespoons of white sugar Mix the cream cheese and sugar together and set aside.

2 cups of flour 1 cup of sugar 6 tablespoons of cocoa 4 teaspoons of baking powder 1/2 teaspoon of salt 2 beaten eggs 1 1/2 cups of milk 2/3 cup of oil Powder sugar for garnish if desired Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt together. Add the liquids.

Drop about 2tbsp of the muffin mix in a muffin pan, top with 1 tbsp of the cream cheese mixture, and cover with more muffin batter.

Bake 20 min, oven at 350F.

Sprinkle powder sugar on top if desired. Those muffins are marvellous eaten warmed.

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La Belle Aurore

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La Belle Aurore Pancakes, the real ones Pancakes are a breakfast food to our family, served with maple syrup and butter.

Simple 1 cup flour 2 eggs 1 cup or water mixed with 7-UP 1 teaspoon of baking powder 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1 tablespoon of sugar Mix all together and drop on a very hot skillet. Turn on each side while cooking.

Serve with maple syrup, fruits, cream cheese or butter.

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La Belle Aurore Pie crust Now, there is a blockage in me, every time I try to make pie crust. I have tried more than my share and I came with the conclusion that my hands are too warm when manipulating the dough and it stays sticky forever. Me, a woman that can make any kind of bread your imagination can dream of. Go figure this one‌ 1 cup of vegetable grease (Crisco) 2 cups of flour 1 cup of iced cold water 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon of sugar A bit of white vinegar In a bowl, mix flour with Crisco, until the flour forms little pieces between your finger.

Add the egg yolk, sugar and vinegar to the water.

Add the water slowly to the flour, mixing well, until it forms a soft ball, away from the side of the bowl. Divide into 2 balls. Put in the fridge, covered for 30 minutes.

Roll up the dough on a well floured surface.

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La Belle Aurore Coconut pound cake This cake could also be called: a butter pound cake or a multitude of cupcakes garnished with coconut. The butter flavour is marvellous, and almost a secret to the ingredients. You could use exactly the same recipe to make cupcakes. Usually, I would make my cakes and freeze them separately before putting the final touch of icing. An un-iced cake can stay in a freezer for up to 12 months. Now we are talking...!

For the cake : 1 cup of butter, room temperature 2 cups of sugar 4 eggs, room temperature 2 3/4 of all-purpose flour 1teaspoon baking powder 1teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Oven at 350F, Mix the butter until soft, add the sugar and mix again with the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder, salt alternatively with the milk and vanilla. Drop in a round greased and floured pan. Bake for 25 min.

Coconut filling: In a pan, mix 1/4 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of sugar and 2tablespoons of flour. Bring to a boil and put aside to cool. Add 1 cup of sweetened, shredded coconut and 1tsp of vanilla extract.

Frosting: In a pan, mix together 1/2 cup of water with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Bring to boil and add it to the

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La Belle Aurore mixture of 3 egg whites and 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extra.

Drop the sugary liquid over the egg whites and mix together until the mix starts to thicken and look like an icing cream (about 5 minutes). Cool it in a fridge.

Cut the cake in half; spray the coconut mixture between the layers. Replace the layer on top of the cake and ice the cake completely. Let it cool in the fridge and serve. Marvelous cake!

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La Belle Aurore Dump cake Well, basically, you just dump stuff in a 9x11 glass pan and bake it to 325F, for 45 min....

So the stuff are : One 16 ounces can of cherries pie filling One 20 ounces can of broken pineapple pieces not drained One half of a package of a white cake mix One half a cup of butter, sliced One cup of broken pecans...

Following the order given, dump one on top of the other one and finish with the broken pecans on top.

This cake is amazing, tastes like a cake pudding and very surprising!

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La Belle Aurore Caramel topping I would serve myself a bowl full of caramel topping with just a small dollop of ice cream on top of it but I guess most of you would prefer it the other way around... enjoy this wonderful topping...

3 cups of white sugar 1 cup of water Bring to a slow broil until all the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a hard boil and let it turn a nice brownish color without mixing it.

Take away from the heat and add 2 cups of cream. Mix well and be careful, it is hot...

Return the pot on the heat and let it melt completely (2 minutes).

Let it cool and keep in the fridge for about one month

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La Belle Aurore Breads (my specialty) Whole Wheat Bread

Sundried Tomato Bread

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La Belle Aurore Pain blanc, basic recipe for any kind of bread making With good yeast, I could make you any kind of bread your heart desires to eat.

Some people find it intimidating to make bread. I just love it. Starting from a simple bowl of warm water and yeast, and ending with a breathtaking piece of art.

Just love it.

Step 1: To test your yeast Mix 3 tablespoons of sugar in two cups of warm water (warm enough not to burn the skin) Sprinkle on the surface of the water about 2 tablespoons of yeast (verify the expiration date on the package, very important). Let it raise and become bubbly. If it doesn’t bubble, discard the yeast and use another one.

Step 2: In a larger bowl, mix 2 teaspoons of salt 3 tablespoons of butter 1 egg Mix these ingredients and add the yeast mixture Add haft of 5 cups of flour. Mix well and finish with the flour.

Drop the dough on a floured surface, working with your hands and feeling the dough becoming stiff and less sticky.

Work the dough for about 10 minutes. Put aside. Clean the bowl with warm water. Dry it with a clean cloth. Butter the inside of the bowl and place the dough inside, covered with the damp cloth. Turn the oven light (but not the oven heat) on, place the bowl inside and let it rise until double in size. Push it down with your fist, work it on a flour surface, just enough to get into a ball again.

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La Belle Aurore Divide the dough into 2 equals parts, shape them in round or rectangular and place them in a well buttered bread pans.

Put in back in the oven, covered with this time, a dry cloth. Let it rise for about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven; brush the top with melted butter. Bake for 35 minutes at 375F. * The picture below shows a white bread with pesto and black olives added to the batter.

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La Belle Aurore Chocolate Mango bread Follow the step 1 for pain blanc 1 cup milk, whole or skim 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped mango 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup semolina flour 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa 1 tablespoon instant espresso 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

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La Belle Aurore Whole wheat bread For whole wheat bread, use the recipe for basic pain blanc., and replace the white flour by the whole wheat one.

Pay particular attention to the amount used as with whole wheat flour, you will need to add just a bit more.

Take the time to feel the bread dough in your hand, learn to recognize the right moment to stop working the bread to be, and to let it rise by its own. Myself, I recognize it by the way the dough gets a shinny and oily feel.

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La Belle Aurore Honey & Peaches bread 4 small peaches cut up 1/2 cup of honey 1 tsp of curry powder 1 tsp of caraway seed 2 cups of warm water 3 tbsp of white sugar 2 tablespoons. of yeast 1 egg 1/4 cup of olive oil 1 cup of milk 1/2 cup of white sugar 1 tsp of salt 5 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour (brown flour), or you could use white flour Cook the four ingredients together on medium heat, for 20 minutes. Puree in blender and set aside.

In a small bowl, put the two cups of warm water mixed with the 3 tbsp of sugar. Sprinkle on top the yeast and set aside until bubbly.

In a large bowl, mix with a fork the egg, milk, oil, salt, sugar and the yeast mixture. Blend well.

Add gradually the flour and knead on a clean surface. When the ball of dough has started to be shinny and no longer sticky, take the same large bowl, clean it and spread about 1/4 tsp of oil at the bottom of it. Drop the dough and turn it well to coat all sides with oil. Cover with a clean and wet dishtowel. Let it rise until double in size (1hr).

Punch down and divide into four balls. Roll out one ball, spray on it about 2 tbsp of the peach mix (you can add walnuts for taste). Roll the dough into a log and set on a well greased cookie sheet.

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La Belle Aurore Using your finger, oil the top of the log with a mixture of 1/4 tsp of caraway seed ant 1 tsp of olive oil. Repeat with the others balls.

Cover the logs and let it rise for about 30 min. Bake at 375F, for 45 minutes.

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La Belle Aurore Sundried tomato bread Extraordinary bread, very crispy from the outside, and full of flavour inside. The color of the inside is a rich red and the smell of baking this one in the oven should be shared only with a very special person in your life, right now with a good Shiraz!

1 cup boiling water 2 cups sundried tomatoes packed in oil 1 packet dry yeast 3 tablespoons of sugar 3 ½ cups bread flour 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg, beaten cooking spray 1 teaspoon dried basil Combine water and tomatoes in a bowl, cover and let stand for 30 minutes Strain tomatoes, reserving liquid and finely chop. Heat reserved liquid to 110F, transfer to a large bowl and add yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Add 3 cups of flour, chopped tomatoes, oil, salt and egg to yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding the remaining flour.

Take a glass bowl, wash it in lukewarm water, dry it with a clean dishtowel and spray the bowl with oil. Place dough in it the bowl, turning to coat top. Cover the bowl with the wet dishtowel and let rise until double in size. I, sometimes, place the covered bowl in my oven with the light on, creating a warm nest... for the to-be bread!

Punch down the dough. Roll the dough into a 14"x7" rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Roll

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La Belle Aurore up the rectangle, starting with the short edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets. Pinch seam and ends to seal, then place in a loaf Lightly spray the dough with cooking spray, sprinkle dried basil, then cover with the same dishtowel and let rise for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Uncover dough and bake for 40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

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La Belle Aurore Victorian Milk Bread Follow the step1 for pain Blanc Victorian milk bread is a very white and soft bread, which could be used as a base recipe for adding other ingredients. The picture shows Victorian bread with walnuts, cheeses and bacon added to the batter.

1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 3 1/2 cups bread flour egg glaze, made with 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk

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La Belle Aurore Homemade foods for dogs

Misty, my French

Poodle

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La Belle Aurore Peanut Butter Dog Cookies I prefer to make my own Dog cookies for my French poodle, Misty. She just loves them and they are a great inexpensive treat for any occasion. There is something about peanut butter and dogs‌ 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 tbsp baking powder 1 cup natural SF peanut butter 1 cup skim milk Preheat oven to 375F Mix flour + baking powder together in one bowl Mix milk + PB together in another bowl Add wet mixture to dry mixture and mix well Turn out dough on floured surface, knead well Roll out to 1/4" or thinner, cut out shapes Bake on greased pan until lightly brown (I do 5 minutes, then flip the cookies and give them another 5 minutes) Store in airtight container (and they freeze really well)

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La Belle Aurore Oatmeal Dog Cookies Follow the steps for peanut butter dog cookies 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 cups uncooked oatmeal 1/4 cup peanut butter 1 cup skim milk 1 tbsp baking powder Same cooking directions as the other recipe

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La Belle Aurore Index A

G

African beef, 36 Anastassia’s Homemade Tomato Sauce, 26 Apple Jelly, 48 Apple pie, 60

Galettes à la Mélasse & Rasberry Molasse Cookies, 65 Grand-Père, 63

H

B

Honey & Peaches bread, 87

Bacon-Cheese Mashed Potatoes, 39 Bonbons au patates (Potatoes candies), 51 Brown paper Donuts, 57 Bruchetta, 38

L Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie without the crust, 68

M

C

Marie-Eve’s Devil Eggs, 28 My Italian Spaghetti Sauce, 40

Caramel topping, 81 Carrot and Cranberry Muffins, 66 Carrot Cake, 47 Chicken with honey, 21 Chocolate Cranberry cookies, 55 Chocolate Mango bread, 85 Coconut balls, 58 Coconut pound cake, 78 Cola Chicken, 29 Cream cheese chocolate muffins, 74 Creton, 42

O Oatmeal Dog Cookies, 94

P Pain blanc, basic recipe for any kind of bread making, 83 Pain Gumbo (salad bread stuffed), 37 Pancakes, the real ones, 76 Peanut butter banana muffin, 62 Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, 50 Peanut Butter Dog Cookies, 93 Pie crust, 77 Pineapple Coconut Beef, 33 Pumpkin pie from mother, 59

D Dump cake, 80

E Enchillidas con pollo, 27

Q

F

Queen Elizabeth Cake, 52 Quiche, 30

Fudge Cookies, 49

95

La Belle Aurore Tourtière de ma mère, 22 Tourtière du Lac St-Jean, 23 Traditional Mandarin Fried Rice, 25

R Raspberry Jam, 73 Red salsa, 34 Ribs, the old fashion way, 32 Rice pudding, 45 Rum Strudel, 69

V Victorian Milk Bread, 91

S

W

Sangria, 12 Sangrita, 13 Simple cake, 64 Skorr Bar, 71 Smoked salmon tartar, 17 Spinach dip in its bread’ bed, 43 Sucre à la crème, 54 Sundried tomato bread, 89 Sweet Pumpkin, 72

Walnut and Pears salad, 18 Whole wheat bread, 86 Winter ketchup salad (Chow Chow), 16 Wonderful Cupcakes, 67 WPB, 11

Z Zucchini cake, 46 Zucchini Relish from my mother, 35

T Tortillas Salad, 15

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La Belle Aurore About the author

Suzanne Pépin was born in Saint-Pierre-Les-Becquets, a small rural town, located in the province of Québec, Canada. Her ancestors established themselves along the Saint-LawrenceRiver, in 1707. She has been collecting families’ recipes for the last 37 years, starting with the natives of the west part of the country to this part of the world.

Mrs Pépin lives in Juriquilla, Mexico with her husband and her French poodle.

La Belle Aurore is her first book

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La Belle Aurore ‘It is the recipe you create yourself that is the best…’

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98

La Belle Aurore ‘It is the recipe you create yourself that is the best…’

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99

La Belle Aurore

100

La Belle Aurore ‘It is the recipe you create yourself that is the best…’

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101

La Belle Aurore ‘It is the recipe you create yourself that is the best…’

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102

La Belle Aurore ‘It is the recipe you create yourself that is the best…’

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103

La Belle Aurore

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