Alice Eats: a New Take on Alice in Wonderland & a Teatime Recipe

What’s your favourite childhood book? Come on, don’t worry, you don’t have to be embarrassed, I promise I won’t tell a soul. I have too many to name, but a few of my most cherished titles are The Little Prince, The Velveteen Rabbit, and James and the Giant Peach.

Then, of course, there’s Alice in Wonderland. It’s the sort of book that everyone loves; regardless of age… it’s timeless. So when Calgary’s own Julie Van Rosendaal and Pierre A. Lamielle released their tasty take on the classic tale, Alice Eats, it’s no surprise that it was a hit.

The book, with recipes and photographs by Van Rosendaal, and illustrations by Lamielle, includes the full text of the original story, with Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland-inspired eats. It’s fun, it’s playful, and it’s entertaining – what else could you ask for?

The recipes, influenced by the bites described in the tale, are imaginative and simple, dreamy and accessible. Perfect for an afternoon tea party, a children’s birthday, or, simply, a creative day in the kitchen.

While all of the recipes are must-try’s {who could resist Alice’s Homemade Crumpets with Bittersweet Marmalade, The White Rabbit’s White Chocolate Pots de Crème, or Mock Turtle’s Mock Turtle Soup?}, I certainly have a couple of favourites already.

Since I’m greedy, I’ve snagged two of the recipes to share with you; first up: March Hare’s Carrot Scones with Cream-Cheese Schmear. They’re the perfect combination of rich, flakey scones {brunch!} and carrot cake {dinner! Yes, cake for dinner…}, and I’ve already been whipping them up like a crazy lady for teatime visits with my Babcia.

Next up, another afternoon treat… stay tuned!

March Hare’s Carrot Scones with Cream-Cheese Schmear Excerpted from Alice Eats (Whitecap Books) by Pierre A. Lamielle and Julie Van Rosendaal

Carrots will tease any hare into a tizzy. To smooth out and unfrazzle your hare, simply use liberal amounts of cream cheese.

Makes 8 large or 16 small scones

Carrot Scones 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour 2 Tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar 1 Tbsp (15 mL) baking powder 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, chilled and cut into bits 1 large carrot, coarsely grated (about 1 cup/250 mL) 3/4 cup (185 mL) milk, half and half or 18% cream 1 large egg 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped walnuts, pecans or raisins

Cream-Cheese Schmear 1 pkg (8 oz/250 g) cream cheese 2–4 Tbsp (30–40 mL) milk, half and half or 18% cream 1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey 1/4 tsp (1 mL) vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

To make the carrot scones: In a bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and blend with a fork or pastry blender (or pulse the mixture in the bowl of a food processor) until almost blended, with pieces of butter the size of a pea remaining. Add the grated carrots and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, stir together the milk and egg; add to the carrot mixture along with the chopped walnuts or raisins and stir just until the dough comes together.

On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pat the dough into a circle about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. (For smaller scones, divide the dough in half and pat into two circles.) Cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife, and pull the scones apart from each other, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) or so between them.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.

To make the cream-cheese schmear: In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk, honey and vanilla with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and spreadable.

Serve the scones with the schmear alongside.