Author Archives: Virginie Martocq

Raspberry Freeze

This is the first recipe I remember my mom making. It’s an easy no-bake dessert that impresses a crowd. I’m glad to report it gets two thumbs up from my 4 year old daughter Penny.
raspberry freeze
2 cups frozen unsweetened raspberries,thawed, with juice
1 cup sugar
2 egg whites
juice of half a lemon
dash of salt
1 cup whipping cream

Combine raspberries, sugar, egg white, lemon juice and salt.
Beat 15 minutes in a stand mixer, with the whisk attached (or with electric beaters), until stiff and fluffy.
While mixture is mixing, whip cream.
Fold whipped cream into raspberry mixture
Freeze in individual bowls for 4 hours, or in a large bowl, 6 hours.

Design A New Logo For Your Family Cookbook

About a year ago, my sister Laurence and I started taking a more active role in our mom’s business, and realized it was time for a major facelift. The program was almost eight years old, and in techie language, that’s like a century! The overall look of the site didn’t feel quite right either- we wanted something more feminine, a little softer.
This is where we started:
Screen shot 2013-08-07 at 12.33.17 PM
We needed to come up with something that hinted at family, cooking, and books. Not easy!
I went to an old friend of mine, Philina, whom I had worked with while I was in magazines, and who had branched out with her husband to start a web design company (studiob.ca).
This was their first attempt:
Screen shot 2013-08-07 at 12.38.42 PM
We liked it, but that brown color was really throwing us off. The pot in the middle was good, but a little heavy.
This came next:
Screen shot 2013-08-07 at 12.37.00 PM
Cute, but again, kind of old fashioned feeling.
We dropped the color thing for a while and worked on graphics:
Screen shot 2013-08-07 at 12.56.05 PM
Too modern.
That became this:
Screen shot 2013-08-07 at 12.37.13 PM
Now that we getting really close!!!
Then, while I was surfing the net, I came across this photo from a company called Indigo. I loved the palette, and so brought that to our designers.
Screen shot 2013-04-09 at 9.16.15 PM
That’s how we ended up with this:
Screen shot 2013-08-07 at 12.37.27 PM
And finally:
Screen shot 2013-08-07 at 1.05.00 PM
Yay!!!

Basic salad dressing

Mustard dressing
This is a photo of my niece Charlotte, learning how to make mustard vinaigrette.
We always make a big jar of it since it keeps so well in the fridge!

Ingredients

1 tbsp Dijon mustard, grainy or smooth
1/4 c red wine vinegar, or balsamic if you like a sweeter dressing
1/2 tsp sugar if using red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
3/4 c olive oil

Preparation

Mix mustard, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper into a thick paste.
Whisk continuously while pouring in the olive oil.
Yield: 1 cup