Dates & Quinces

Jam Oat Bars

2012-02-11T17:14:00.000-05:00

When I was, oh, I don't know, maybe 12 or 13, my mother had (and I believe she still does have) a Company's Coming Bars and Squares cookbook. There was one recipe in there that I love so much, that it was the first thing I knew how to make by heart - chocolate chip squares. They were so easy, I could throw them together on a week night for our lunches throughout the week.

This post isn't really about the chocolate chip squares. It IS about throwing together some bars for lunches mid-week, AFTER you've made dinner, you're exhausted and pregnant.

Expedient. That's the name of the game.

I'd like to think I've upped the health ante somewhat on your typical jam bar by using spelt flour (you could just as easily use all purpose or whole wheat) and gluten free oats. And, since all I have on my shelves is homemade jam, I used up what was left of a jar of my mother's Ginger, Pear & Crème de Cacao jam AND finally cracked into one of my jars of elderberry jam.

In the interest of honesty, let me admit that the elderberry jam scared me. When I made it, I was totally turned off by the smell. But, as it turns out, if you let the jam sit for the better part of 6 months, you're in for a decadent treat. This is up there with blackcurrant jelly in terms of rich berry flavours.

Which is a big relief, given how much effort I put into making the stuff.

Jam Oat Bars

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour (spelt, whole wheat, all purpose, or a mixture)
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
3/4 cups chilled unsalted butter (use earth balance if you want to make this vegan), cut into chunks
½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups GF oats
1½ cups jam

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 9"x13" baking ban with parchment paper, ensuring that paper extends over the sides of pan. This will make it easy to remove the bars.

2. In a food processor, pulse together, flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add in chilled butter and vanilla, pulsing until small granules are formed. Add in oats and pulse twice. You want some of the oats to be in small pieces and others left whole.

3. Put 3/4 of the flour-oat mixture into the baking pan, patting down to firm. Spread jam over base. If you're using two flavours of jam, spread half on one side and half on the other. Sprinkle with remaining flour-oat mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until jam is bubbly.

4. Remove from oven and let cool completely in pan on a rack. Makes about 28 pieces, but you decide how much jammy goodness you need in a serving!

Peeking out from under my rock

2012-02-07T17:25:00.001-05:00

Alright, it's been a while.

I know.

It's just that, by the time mid-November rolled around, I found myself steadfastly avoiding the kitchen. I couldn't look at a carrot without wanting to hurl.

The smell of cooking onions? Shoot me now.

Apparently that's what happens when you get pregnant - you lose your ability to do the thing you love the most.

Now that I'm happily into the second trimester and the constant nausea is a thing of the past, I can kind of look back on that stretch of food rejection with some humour.

I mean, there was a week there when I pretty much lived off of cheese slices and jujubes.

Let me repeat that.

Cheese slices.

Jujubes.

Those aren't even real foods. And the worst part of that week? When I went to the grocery store (and almost threw up in the dairy aisle), I walked out with 4 different processed cheese products. I haven't bought that nonsense in years. YEARS.

Babies make you crazy, I tell you.

Three weeks ago, I entered into what I'll call the "hot sauce phase". For the record, I've never liked spicy food. All of a sudden, I was licking buffalo wing sauce from the spoon.

And the pommelo Kat brought over for Chinese New Year? Totally made me gag.

So, it's a new day for my taste buds. I really don't know where they're going to bring me next.

I am back cooking now, so I hope to update here regularly again. To tide you over, here's a little something my husband wrote as our weekly menu:

Anyone know what foie gratitiude might be?

The Strawberry Oops interested me though... so I threw these together that night:

The frosting did, in fact, turn out wrong! It was supposed to be a strawberry buttercream, but I made some awkward substitutions and was headed down the path to disaster (Oops!) when I remember the whipped cream in the fridge, so it all worked out in the end.

Chocolate PB & J Pillow Cookies

2011-11-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

A few months back, I received a shipment of jams and jellies from Uncanny Preserves and I promised Lindsay that I would make something using them.

But... you know... then they were too delicious and I just kept eating the jams directly out of the jars. The chutneys disappeared in a flurry of cracker crumbs and tidbits of cheese.

In spite of myself, I managed to restrain myself from opening the last remaining jar of sweet goodness until a few weeks ago. The blackcurrant jelly sat in my cupboard while I waited for divine inspiration to strike.

And then, voila: in my google reader feed over the weekend I spotted Angela's, from Oh She Glows, peanut butter chocolate cookies (she adapted them from Post Punk Kitchen - another great vegan resource) and I thought to myself, sure you could have chocolate and peanut butter, but what if you took it up a notch and threw in some sweet, tangy blackcurrant jelly.

Oh.

My.

God.

The jelly addition was a revelation. It took a recipe that was good and elevated it to a whole new level by balancing out the sweetness found in the two doughs.

Next time, I'm totally trying this with hazelnut butter and orange marmalade. Can you imagine?

Chocolate PB & J Pillow Cookies

(adapted from Post Punk Kitchen)
makes 24

Ingredients

Chocolate Dough

1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup finely ground oats
1/3 cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
scant ½ cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tbsp non-dairy milk (I like almond)
1 oz dark chocolate (72%), melted
½ tsp vanilla

Peanut Butter Filling

½ cup natural peanut butter
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
½ tsp vanilla
2 tbsp non-dairy milk

6 tsp blackcurrant jelly

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour and oats. Sift in cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together oil, granulated sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk, chocolate and vanilla. Stir dry ingredients into wet. Mixture should form a smooth ball. If not, add additional flour, 1 tbsp at a time. Set chocolate dough aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix together peanut butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and non-dairy milk. Mixture should be smooth and malleable.

3. Preheat oven to 350º. Line a large baking tray with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

4. Divide doughs into 24 balls each, rolling to making a sphere.

5. Take a chocolate ball and flatten it out to form a circle.

Place ¼ tsp jelly on the centre of the dough and then top with a peanut butter sphere. Pull the chocolate dough up over the filling and pinch to close.

You make want to roll (gently!) the ball in your palms to smooth everything out. Repeat with remaining dough and jelly. Bake, 8 cookies at at time (they spread a lot - leave 2" clearance around each) for approximately 10 minutes.

Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Pork, Pumpkin & Tomato Laksa

2011-11-05T09:21:00.001-04:00

Holy moly - it's been ages since my last recipe post! November has always been my least favourite month for many reasons: Remembrance Day rehearsals (actually, I don't mind that, it's just that they take up a ton of time), report cards, and that weird in-between stretch of blahness that stretches from Thanksgiving (Canadian) through Christmas. There's just nothing to celebrate about November. The leaves have fallen, the sky is dark in the morning when you leave for work AND when you get home, and there's no snow to lighten the whole place up.

Which is what makes warming, vibrant recipes like this one so important. It's easy to subsist on soothing comforting food throughout November - wrapped in a blanket of polenta, smothered with tomato sauce. But, it's important, in my oh-so-humble opinion to mix together the comfort with something zingy and exciting.

Laksa (that's a spicy, coconut based curry soup) is where it's at.

This was one of those meals that started off one way and then ended up very differently. I'd intended to make pork burgers. And then I'd changed that to pork lettuce wraps. But I really, really wanted some noodles (there are rice noodles buried under that soup) and so this recipe ended up being the winner.

It's a variation of a Nigel Slater recipe I've been thinking about making for a couple of years now, but never got around to. Thanks to a pie pumpkin I've had sitting in the corner of my kitchen (bought with grand intentions that have long been forgotten), it was finally possible!

Pork, Pumpkin and Tomato Laksa

(adapted from Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries)

Ingredients

½ lb peeled and seeded pumpkin (squash would be equally at home here)
1 lb lean ground pork
4 cloves garlic
3 hot peppers, seeded if you want a milder laksa
1" thumb of ginger, grated
1 bunch cilantro, both leaves and stems washed
5 lime leaves
zest of one lemon
1 tbsp canola oil (approx)
4 tomatoes, cored and cut into hunks (I got 16 from each tomato)
1 14oz can light coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 oz (125 grams) rice vermicelli
small palmful mint leaves, chopped
¼ cup cashews, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Over a pot of boiling water, steam pumpkin for about 12 minutes, or until flesh is almost tender. Set aside

2. While the pumpkin is steaming, place garlic, ginger and peppers into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, scraping down sides as necessary. Add in half of the cilantro, both leaves and stems, lime leaves and lemon zest. Pulse again, adding a little canola oil to bring mixture together into a paste. Set aside.

3. In a large wok over high heat, cook pork until almost browned, stir in spice paste and stir fry for 1 minute. Add in tomatoes, pumpkin, coconut milk and chicken stock and cook for 7 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to fall apart.

4. While laksa is in the last few minutes of cooking, cook rice vermicelli according to package directions.

5. Add lemon juice and fish sauce to laksa and let cook 2-3 minutes further.

6. To serve, divide rice noodles between bowls. Ladle laksa broth over noodles and top with extra cilantro leaves, mint leaves and chopped cashews. Eat with chopsticks and a spoon!

You know what else depresses me about November? The disappearance of natural light. Bah humbug.

Sakashita Photo Week: Kawa Ue

2011-10-30T18:20:00.004-04:00

This is Dragon Falls, just north of Sakashita in Kawa Ue.

Yes, the weird foreigners jumped off it on a regular basis until the locals put up fencing around it to keep everyone in.

Let me tell you, that water is cold.

See the guy on the bottom left? That's where I jumped off from. It's about a 6 foot drop down, and that was more than enough for me. And, let me tell you, I thought I was pretty badass even doing that...

... at least until I slipped on the rocks, fell to my knees and almost bashed my head. Then, I felt distinctly less badass and much more scared for my life. I should have taken my clumsiness into account!

That was the first and only time I got into the waterfall, but I loved watching people jump into it. Such a magical, prehistoric looking place.

Miso Ramen with Poached Egg and Spinach

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

Unlike many students who were forced - out of poverty - to subsist on a diet of dehydrated ramen noodles throughout their university years, I was lucky enough to live at home and, you know, eat healthily. That's not to say that I didn't have the occasional msg and sodium laden convenience product. My brother and I would regularly split a package when we watched WWE Raw that we would stir fry with veggies instead of turning it into soup.

Yes, I said WWE. I love Shakespeare, Jane Austen and the WWE. I also play video games. It weirds my students out to no end, but I like to say that my interests don't fit into nice, neat boxes.

The first time I went out and ate ramen noodles outside of my house was in my husband's town in Japan. There was a great shop in Toki-shi along Route 19 that served the most gloriously gigantic bowls of noodles. The first time we ate there, it was a painfully chilly, rainy Sunday night in November. The rain was pounding umbrellas with icy fury and we were both exhausted. We'd come back from Nagoya and with a long line at our regular Sunday night sushi joint, we decided to brave the vicious weather and try somewhere new.

Let me tell you, ramen is the perfect antidote to combat the bone chilling rain of an autumn storm. When your monster sized bowl arrives, you're immediately bathed in steam from the broth. On first bite, the noodles are so hot you almost burn your tongue, but you slurp them down anyway. And then, as you begin spooning the salty broth into your mouth, a warmth uncurls itself in your belly and begins to radiate throughout your limbs.

Frankenstein's monster could have been brought to life with ramen. If he had been, he probably would have been in a much better mood.

That first night, I had miso-butter ramen with corn, an egg, and bamboo shoots. And though I tried many other different varieties in my time there, I always returned to the comfort of miso ramen to warm myself.

I don't make ramen much for myself these days - only a handful of times for those chilly days in autumn and winter. The dehydrated stuff just doesn't do it for me. Luckily, there's a company in the GTA (Marufumi Foods) that makes fantastic fresh ramen and freezes it. Their stock base is a miso based paste, not a powder. If you can get hold of fresh or frozen ramen, you're working in a whole new ballpark of awesome.

Miso Ramen with Poached Egg and Spinach

(serves 1)

Ingredients

1 package ramen with seasoning mix (preferably miso)
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 egg
1 handful baby spinach leaves
shichimi, or chili-garlic paste to taste

Directions

1. Cook ramen according to package directions. Meanwhile, bring a pot with 1" water in it to a boil. Add vinegar and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Crack egg into a small dish and slide into simmering water. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until your desired doneness.

2. Add spinach leaves to ramen and broth. Cook for 30 seconds, just until wilted. Ladle into a large bowl. Remove egg from poaching water with a slotted spoon and place on top of noodles. Sprinkle with shichimi to taste.

Seven Years Ago Today (A Haiku)

2011-10-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Autumn city, my

imagination captured

in breathless embrace

The Golden Pavillion

The boat house of the Golden Pavillion

Temple in Nara

My husband and I seven years ago. I wish I was still that skinny!

Last week, during Saturday's drama class, we were focused on the topic of home. We talked, and talked about where we'd been and how many places we've called home (my count: 14).

But, we really got to sharing stories of what it was like to move away from home. And, although I moved out of my parents' house a year before I left for Japan, I feel like I really didn't leave home until I left the country.

I only have a few pictures of those first few months in Japan - for some reason, at that time, I didn't realize that you needed a large memory card to take pictures, so I could only take 12 at a time. The ones I've posted today were of my first trip (of many!) to Kyoto back on October 22nd, 2004. We went with friends and explored the city and, I remembered thinking to myself that this was what my life was supposed to be like. Adventure and exploration and beauty.

Also on this trip, in the lobby of our guest house (yes, I still remember where we stayed!), we met a mid-30s American man who'd arrived in Kyoto the previous day and hooked up with a prostitute in a love hotel ("I didn't think either would cost so much!"). He'd run out of money and had only brought his debit card (bad idea, as the bank machines are on incompatible networks).

I'll be honest, I didn't feel particularly sorry for him.

I believe he decided to cut his trip short and head home early.

So, now we've circled back around to home. Tell me, can you remember all the places you've lived? Were some of them more home than others? What place was the first place you remember being your own home?

Dorie's Provençal Olive Fougasse

2011-10-21T10:19:00.001-04:00

It's been one of those weeks where I start to consider bringing a paper bag everywhere I go, just, you know, so I can deal with all of my hyperventilating. We're gearing up for both Hallowe'en and Remembrance Day at school (although, we've been banned from using the word Hallowe'en) - both of which were things I didn't involve myself in before, but as one of teachers attached to the student council, I'm involved in all of their activities this year, And, since my drama class was doing the bulk of the work for Remembrance Day, I decided that it was easier and less stressful for me to manage the whole thing.

We'll see if that thought holds true.

We also got news that we'd have a news crew at our school for the Remembrance Day assembly, so the pressure is on!

I used to find the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas to be the longest and most painful to teach, but being so busy this year is making the time fly by too quickly. I never thought I'd hear myself beg for more weeks of school, but I could definitely do with some extra days.

Alas, my own schooling is taking up a ton of my time. We had both Saturday and Wednesday classes this week, so I'm thoroughly looking forward to a weekend that's longer than one day. I will say that, if I have to be in school on top of working, there's no place I'd rather be than taking drama. Yesterday I realized how sad I'll be to have this drama class be my last at the university/teacher's college level. It's nice to meet new people, learn lots and bond in a short period of time!

Knowing how little time I'd have to myself this week, I made some bread on Sunday with the intention of munching on it throughout the week. I returned Mario Batali's Molto Italiano to the library and took out Dorie's Around My French Table, and was immediately taken with her recipe for Provençal Olive Fougasse.

You've probably noticed my love of dough by this point (bread is so easy to make, and everyone is terribly impressed when you do it because they think it's hard) and my love of olives means that I spend way too much on Whole Foods' olive bar... I wish I could quit it, I really do. They're just so bloody tasty.

Turning bread into shapes (other than little round buns) isn't something I'd tried before. Fougasse typically has slashes through it to make it resemble a leaf. Again, easily done, and it makes the bread dead easy to pull apart.

You can find the recipe and directions here. I made absolutely no adjustment to the recipe, though next time, I'll go for the orange rind instead of the lemon, I think. And, I'd love to try this out with green olives too.

Pumpkin Biscotti with White Chocolate and Ginger

2011-10-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

As the leaves fall, this autumn is becoming busier and busier for me. Not only is my infinite pile of marking getting larger by the minute, but my Wednesday & Saturday drama classes have begun (I'm taking my specialist in drama right now), leaving me with less and less time for baking and cooking and, by extension, blogging. So, fair warning, the prolific 5-6 posts a week is definitely going down to 2-3.

It's exhausting. We also had our school's curriculum night last week, so I feel like I've barely seen our apartment since returning from the cottage last Monday.

Our apartment.

We've been living here for just over 4 years now. It was built back in the 1800's as one of the original landowners mansions in Toronto, served as a convent for a while and was transformed again into a 5 apartment unit back in the '70s. When my husband (then-boyfriend) and I did a scouting trip to Toronto back in '07, we spent the first day of our trip looking at soulless concrete highrises off of Yonge.

I was going to be a student at University of Toronto, while my husband had yet to find employment. And although we had the money saved up for rent, no one in any of those soulless, cramped spaces would rent to us.

It was easily one of the most depressing, spirit-destroying days I have ever spent in this city.

But, like most things in life, what originally seemed like disaster turned into a great blessing (also see: moving to Japan, getting into teacher's college, having my first LTO finish early, getting bumped from my high school to my current school), we were SO lucky that no one in those buildings wanted us.

On day two, we stepped back out into the smoggy world of Toronto, and had an early morning appointment for a place in the Annex. For the first time in more than 24 hours, we were walking down tree-lined streets. I felt as though I could breathe again. And then, we were at a huge house. It was set back off the street on a green grassy lawn, with bright, wide windows. And when we stepped inside, we loved it instantly. It felt like home. Those same windows, viewed from the inside, reminded me of the windows in my grandparents' house in Victoria. We signed for it on the spot. Our landlady liked and trusted us enough to rent to us.

We've been really, really happy here. But, as we've grown busier and older (read: have more stuff), we've outgrown our space. At some point in the nearish future, we'd like to have an addition to our family. So, we've known for a while that we'll have to give up this space.

I've been scouring the MLS site for more than a year now. All I can say is that the Toronto real estate market depresses me. The reality is we cannot afford to buy a place that allows us to have the lifestyle we want to live (pedestrian friendly). More to the point, we're not interested in raising a family here. I desperately want to get back to Ottawa within the next 5 years.

So buying can't be an option right now. And the reality of having to move into a lesser quality apartment was looming in front of us.

Then: magic once again. Our next door neighbours on our floor decided that they would be moving out, meaning their 2 bedroom + solarium + wood burning fireplace 1500 sq ft space was up for grabs.

We grabbed it. I'm excited to say we'll be moving the shortest move in the history of moves (approximately 5 feet from our door to theirs) to a flat that is simply spectacular. I couldn't be happier! I intend to get a Christmas tree this year as we'll suddenly have space for it!

This brings us all the way (via the long, windy route) to today's recipe! It's here I made because we're hoping that tonight will be the last showing of our apartment. I hope to entice some awesome new neighbours into the space, who will love it as much as we have (and as much as the tenant before us, who was here 7 years)! And nothing says love me quite as much as the scent of cinnamon, chocolate and pumpkin, right?

I hope you're all warm and cozy in your home tonight!

Pumpkin Biscotti with White Chocolate and Ginger

(adapted from Chatelaine)

Ingredients

2½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup minced crystalized ginger
2 eggs
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300º. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.

2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and crystallized ginger. In a separate bowl, stir together eggs, pumpkin puree, melted butter and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until almost combined.

3. Stir in white chocolate chips, until evenly distributed. Divide dough in half. Gently form each half into a log shape, about 15" long and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

4. Remove tray from oven. Reduce temperature to 275º. Let logs of dough sit for 5 minutes. Carefully remove one log from the pan, and, using a serrated knife, slice diagonally into ½" slices. Place, with cut side down back on baking sheet. Repeat with the second log of dough.

5. Return biscotti to oven to bake for an additional 35 minutes, or until dried and crispy. Let cool on rack.

You could glaze these with the spice glaze from the pumpkin scones, if desired.

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Salted Cinnamon Caramel

2011-10-12T08:01:00.000-04:00

One of the challenges of cooking at the cottage is we don't have access to clean running water. Each weekend, we lug up three gigantic blue jugs and use that water to wash our dishes, fruits and vegetables.

And that has a huge impact on what we make up there. There's a limited amount of dishes we want to get dirty, because we can only do a limited number of dishes.

I don't know what Thanksgiving looks like at your house, but at ours, it's mess-tastic.

So, when we're at the cottage, it's often easier to turn to recipes that involve pre-packaged ingredients. It's not something I usually do at home; but up there, it's the sensible thing to do.

Thankfully, there are amazing recipes out there that turn packaged mixes into home-cooked delights.

This recipe comes from Grin and Bake It, and was a total hit. Angel food cakes and my family go way back. When I was a teen, I'd always ask for my birthday cake to be an angel food cake covered with whipped cream that had been mixed with crushed up Crispy Crunch Bars.

Be still my beating heart.

So, there was a big cheer when we brought angel food cake back into the fold this Thanksgiving. As I cut it at the table, it was universally declared to "wobble seductively".

Who doesn't love a good seductive wobble?

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Salted Cinnamon Caramel

(source)

Ingredients

1 package angel food cake mix
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
¾ cup canned pure pumpkin
1 cup cold water

¼ cup butter, salted
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup whipping cream
¼ tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Place all cake ingredients (food cake mix through water) in a bowl and beat with a hand held mixer for one minute. Pour into an angel food cake tin and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until cake is browned and bounces back when lightly poked. Remove from oven and place upside down on the neck of a glass bottle. You'll do this because you don't want the cake to fall at all. Let cool for at least 2 hours.

2. To make the glaze, heat butter with sugars in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then stir in cream. Bring back to a boil and let cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in cinnamon and sea salt. Let cool to room temperature before pouring over top of cake.

Might I recommend some whipped cream on the side?

Thanksgiving Weekend at the Cottage

2011-10-11T15:19:00.002-04:00

I'm back, complete with a bruised thumb bone from a hand-to-wheelbarrow collision - so this post will contain as few words as I can possibly get away with.

I love this place.

Baked Crème Brulée French Toast Casserole

2011-10-05T07:47:00.000-04:00

For reasons only known to them, my parents decided to get up at the ungodly hour of 3 am to drive the 5 or so hours to get to Toronto to drop off several boxes of books that I still have at their house. All they requested of me in return for these treasures was breakfast.

And they'd be there around nine, thank you very much.

Have I mentioned that I don't do mornings very well? And, when we do have breakfast on weekends, it's a long, leisurely affair that usually wraps up around noon.

Since my parents wanted to get back on the road for their adventure through Prince Edward County, something easy and make-ahead was in order.

After googling different recipes for about an hour, I settled on a baked french toast casserole. Throw in the flavours of crème brulée, and you're in for a luxurious tasting and incredibly easy meal.

It was such a success that we've decided this will be our Christmas morning breakfast this year.

Crème Brulée French Toast Casserole

(adapted from here)

serves 4

Ingredients

2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp corn syrup
½ loaf french bread, cut into 2" slices on the diagonal
4 eggs
1¼ cups milk
2 tsp grand marnier
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat brown sugar with butter and corn syrup. Bring to a simmer, then remove and pour into an 8" baking pan.

2. Place slices of french bread over caramel mixture.

3. Whisk together eggs, milk, grand marnier, vanilla and salt. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate over night.

4. In the morning, preheat oven to 325º. Bake casserole for 45-55 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy, with caramel bubbling around the edges.

You can invert and serve at the table or just scoop out the french toast, which will have absorbed most of the caramel goodness.

Mario Batali's Polpettine di Tacchino

2011-10-04T07:32:00.000-04:00

Oh, Mario Batali. Having just cooked from one of your cookbooks for the first time, I can understand why you weigh what you weigh. Your recipes are outstanding.

And seriously, 2 lbs of meat to serve 4 people? Holy moly man, that serves way more in our household.

I don't know what possessed me to pick up Batali's cookbook Molto Italiano from the library a couple of days ago. Italian food just doesn't excite me. I would choose just about any other kind of restaurant before I would choose an Italian one. But, I'm beginning to think there are two reasons for that:

1) I haven't had a lot of great Italian food. President's Choice Lasagnes clearly don't give an accurate representation of the possibility for deliciousness.

2) Pasta makes me go "meh".

But, one of my friends was raving about his Batali iPad app, and so I picked up the book to see what the fuss was all about.

The best meatballs ever. That's what this cookbook is about. It's going on my Christmas list for this recipe alone.

I won't lie, I made a ton of adjustments to his recipe (2 tablespoons of salt?!? No one needs that much salt in a dish), mostly to the sauce. Given Gwyneth Paltrow's friendship with Batali, I figured he wouldn't mind if I replaced his tomato sauce recipe with hers (it was much simpler and I was out of carrots). Use your own recipe, use Paltrow's (found here) or use some store bought stuff. Just make sure it's low sodium, because these meatballs pack a punch.

And don't be turned off by the long ingredient list. Everything comes together relatively quickly!

Polpettine di Tacchino

(aka Turkey Meatballs)

from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano

serves 6-8

Ingredients

meatballs

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 lb lean ground pork
1½ cups panko
½ cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp hot pepper flakes
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

sauce

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, cut in half vertically and thinly sliced horizontally to form half moons
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbsp hot pepper flakes
½ cup water
½ cup red wine or dry sherry
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsp parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475º.In a large bowl, mix together all meatball ingredients. Use a light hand to do so. Form into 24-30 golf ball sized balls. Place on a large, sturdy, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350º.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large dutch oven. Add onion and garlic and sauté until golden brown, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, then water, wine and rosemary. Scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan, and let liquid reduce to approximately half. Stir in tomato sauce and let mixture simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add meatballs to sauce, tossing well to coat and bake in oven for 45-55 minutes, or until sauce is thick (and really, almost gone).

Serve in shallow bowls with a sprinkle of parsley.

Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze

2011-10-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Last Monday, I was running early for a doctor's appointment, so I decided to hop off the subway and stop off for a coffee at Starbucks. Of course, as soon as I got in the line, the rumbling in my stomach reminded me that I had eaten my lunch (quiche) for breakfast at 9:45 that morning as I'd forgotten to pack breakfast.

It was 2 pm, and I was really hungry. In honour of the fact that it had recently become autumn, I bought myself a pumpkin scone, settled into a cushy seat with a new magazine and sipped my chai tea latte.

I regretted the scone immediately. The icing was far too sweet, and it was painfully dry. It felt like it was absorbing all the moisture from my mouth as I was eating it.

Frustrated (and still hungry), post appointment, my husband and I went grocery shopping and I bought several tins of pumpkin. By God, I was going to prove that I could make a better pumpkin scone than Starbucks.

And this is it. I brought the first batch in to work to share with my coworkers (positive reviews all around), much to my husband's chagrin. So, I whipped up another batch this past weekend.

With the use of a food processor, this recipe comes together in minutes.

Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze

(lightly adapted from The Shoebox Kitchen)

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
pinch salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into ½" cubes
½ cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp milk
1 large egg

glazes

1 cup icing sugar, divided
2 tbsp milk, divided
1/8 tsp cinnamon
pinch each ginger, cloves, nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Add butter, pulsing until you have small, pea sized clumps.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk and egg. With motor running, pour pumpkin mixture through tube, pulsing just until mixture comes together and forms a ball.

3. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a rectangle, about 1" thick. Divide vertically into 4 rectangles, then divide those rectangles in half horizontally to form 8 squares. Cut each square diagonally to create 16 triangles.

4. Place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until lightly golden on the bottom. Let cool on a rack.

5. Whisk together ½ cup icing sugar with 1 tbsp milk. Brush over tops of cooled scones. Let dry for 15 minutes. In a small plastic bag, massage together remaining icing sugar with 1 tbsp milk and the spices. Cut the corner of the bag off to create a piping bag, and pipe the spiced glaze over top of the regular glaze. Let harden for 1 hour before transferring to an air tight container.

Cooking Light's Spinach & Chickpea Soup

2011-09-30T07:25:00.000-04:00

All the credit for this recipe has to go to my husband, who whipped this up the other day while I was running late from work (workshop on IEP writing, if you must know). It's a really beautiful, easy dinner that I think will go into rotation as my comfort food on dreary, rainy days.

The lemon juice and zest keep the soup light and fresh, while the spinach adds colour and the pasta brings substance.

Plus, you've got to love anything that's ready in about 20 minutes!

Cooking Light's Spinach & Chickpea Soup

(source) serves 4

Ingredients

2 tsp canola oil
2 green onions, sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups water
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup pasta of your choice
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
5 oz baby spinach
½ tsp ground black pepper
shaved Parmesan

Directions

1. Heat canola oil in a large saucepan. Sauté onions and oregano for two minutes. Add in stock and water and bring to a boil. Add in zest, chickpeas and pasta, cover and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Test pasta for doneness. Stir in lemon juice, spinach and black pepper. Serve with Parmesan shaved on top.

Note to Self

2011-09-29T20:41:00.000-04:00

It's a waste of energy and emotion to let toxic people and their pettiness get to you.

Save your energy for the people who matter.

Sausage Minestrone Bake

2011-09-28T07:47:00.000-04:00

Autumn rain showers leave me feeling slightly melancholic - but in the best possible way, if that makes any sense. There's something so lovely about watching the rain hit the windowpanes, while you're wrapped up in a cozy cardigan.

A cup of tea close at hand is mandatory on afternoons like this.

Of course, more often than not, autumn rain showers tend to hit while I'm walking home wearing super absorbent fabric shoes. This has happened to me twice in the past week.

Adding insult to injury, the rain stopped within minutes of my arriving home... so there was no need for cardigan. Or tea. Or to stare out the window.

And I had very wet feet.

In the end, it was the wet feet that made me long for comfort food. Inspired by two recipes from Martha Stewart Magazine, I put together a Sausage Minestrone Pot Pie.

Sausage Minestrone Pot Pie

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

½ lb turkey sausage, casings removed and meat broken up

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried rosemary

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into ½" cubes

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, undrained

1 15 oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups chicken stock

1 bunch swiss chard, rinsed, chopped

2 potatoes, scrubbed

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º.

2. In a dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage meat and onion to pan and sauté until meat is browned and cooked through. Stir in garlic and herbs and cook for a further minute. Stir in potatoes, carrots, tomatoes with their juices, beans and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until thick.

3. Meanwhile, slice potatoes into 1/8" slices, using a mandoline. Set aside.

4. Add swiss chard to pot and cook until just tender, an additional 3-5 minutes. Pour mixture into a 9" x 13" baking pan. Layer potatoes on top of minestrone mixture, brushing with remaining olive oil as you layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until potatoes are golden and crisp and mixture is bubbly and thick.

White Pizza topped with Spinach Salad and Prosciutto

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Things that keep me up at night:

1. Lesson planning for math class
2. University students who are living in apartments - on their own for the first time - drunkenly singing songs from the Lion King
3. The realization that we eat pizza in some form multiple times a week.

Okay, maybe the last one doesn't keep me awake at night, but I was struck by that realization of just how much pizza we eat each week. It's not usually a cheese and meat laden extravaganza - in fact, I think variations of the vegan Thrive Diet pizza are probably the kinds that we eat most frequently.

But, there is something about having pizza that makes the weekend feel like the weekend. And, if you make an extra large batch of dough one day and store the remainder of the dough in the freezer, it feels like you've barely put any work into a homemade pizza dinner.

And personally, I like that feeling.

I tried something I haven't done before with pizza the other night - forgo the sauce and the cooked toppings.

Instead, the base was baked with a brush of truffle oil and a mixture of mozzarella and blue cheeses. Once pulled from the oven, I topped it with a dressed spinach salad with prosciutto.

So, it's more salad than pizza... right?

White Pizza with Spinach and Prosciutto

(serves 4)

Ingredients

pizza dough (I used the half I'd set aside from this recipe)
1 tbsp truffle oil (you could use any flavoured oil in its place - garlic oil would be particularly delicious)
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
4 cups baby spinach greens
2 oz thick cut prosciutto, chopped
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place pizza stone in a cold oven. Turn oven on to its highest setting (500º-550º) and preheat stone for an hour. Half an hour into the preheating process, turn pizza dough out onto a floured surface (a pizza peel would be perfect here. Otherwise, use a piece of parchment paper. This will allow you to transfer the dough to the hot stone with minimal fuss. Please note that using the paper will prevent the same kind of crisp browning you would usually get) and shape into the size you want it to be. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 20-30 minutes.

2. Brush dough with truffle oil and sprinkle cheese over surface. Bake in oven for 12 - 17 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and golden. Remove from oven.

3. While crust is baking, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper. I like to throw dressing ingredients into a small mason jar and shake them up. I find it emulsifies much better that way. Place spinach and prosciutto into a bowl and toss with dressing. Place spinach salad on top of pizza and serve immediately.

The spinach closest to the crust will start to wilt slightly in the heat. Can you say yum?

Ricotta Peach Dutch Baby Pancakes

2011-09-24T10:30:00.004-04:00

Once school gets back in session, Saturday morning becomes our morning for slowing down and enjoying the day. We put away the industrial strength jolt-you-awake coffee that we both desperately need throughout the week, and bring out the good coffee.

It's the equivalent of bringing out the good china on a Sunday night, if you ask me.

Just significantly less breakable.

Right now, weekend coffee consists of something from our Hawaiian stash, but once that goes, we tend towards beans from Balzac.

I've expressed my deep and abiding love for the hands-off features of the dutch baby pancake, and threw together this today in order to use up two overly ripe peaches from the farmer's market.

The most frustrating part of the pancake is flipping it out - I had a little bit that didn't feel like leaving the warm comfort of the pan, but thems the breaks, huh? Perfection is for people who have too much time on their hands and aren't hungry.

If you have some lemons handy, I suspect some lemon zest would not go amiss here.

Ricotta Peach Dutch Baby Pancakes

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
2 peaches, pitted and sliced
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
3 large eggs
3/4 cup flour (I used spelt this time with great results, but usually use all purpose)
½ cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Heat a large cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Once warm, add butter, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan as it melts. Throw in peach slices and cook for about 2 minutes, or until peaches release their juices. Add in brown sugar and stir until it dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. While pan is heating, whisk together remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour over peaches and put the pan in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until pancake is puffed and golden.

3. Remove from oven, run a knife around the edge of the pancake and invert onto a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar if particularly ugly looking. (Ha! We've all been there!)

Cheesecake-in-a-Jar with Blueberry Curd

2011-09-22T14:34:00.000-04:00

In celebration of my brother's birthday the other week, we opted to make cheesecakes in jam jars and topped them with a really gorgeous blueberry curd.

I won't even pretend that this was even vaguley a creation of mine - I simply halved the recipe and replaced the blackberries with blueberries... so head on over to Use Real Butter for the real deal.

Spiced Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup

2011-09-19T07:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, I might have been exaggerating slightly when I said that chocolate cures all illness. There's definitely a place in my cold-fighting repertoire for vitamin C rich food.

And soup. And the combination of vitamin C therewith.

Can you tell that I haven't quite been healed yet? Can you hear my sniffling through the computer screen?

This makes a ton, so you'll have lots on hand in the freezer for emergency cold-fighting power (you know, should you be out of your first line of defence). If you want to keep things vegan, omit the yogurt and use olive or canola oil in place of the butter.

Spiced Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cups chopped, peeled carrots
3½ cups vegetable or chicken broth
3 cups water
1/3 cup plain yogurt, plus more for serving (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp parsley, minced

For added flavour, add one of the following: 1 tbsp orange zest and ½ cup orange juice (remove ½ cup water), ½ tsp curry powder, 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a large dutch oven. Add onions and sauté until translucent and soft, about 4 minutes. Push onions to side of pan. Add remaining 1 tbsp butter to the center of the pan and let milk solids brown. Once browned, stir in cinnamon and nutmeg and stir just until fragrant.

2. Stir in potatoes and carrots, tossing to get butter over all the vegetables. Then pour in broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. Purée in batches in a blender or with an immersion blender. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in yogurt, if using, and serve in deep bowls with an additional dollop and a sprinkling of parsley.

Spelt and Oat Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2011-09-17T16:59:00.001-04:00

Most people combat the onset of a cold with vitamin C, chicken noodle soup or a rigorous routine of Cold FX. But, I'm heading into week 3 of the school year (only 185 days left to go), and that means that I'm looking for some real comfort food.

And that means chocolate chip cookies. Or, because I like going big, chocolate chunk cookies.

As someone who worked in a Belgian chocolate shop for 4 years, I firmly believe that chocolate has the ability to heal all illness.

Or at least make you forget that you're sick for the 30 seconds it takes to eat one of these cookies.

NOM.

See? You're feeling better just by looking at these cookies.

Spelt and Oat Chocolate Chunk Cookies

(adapted from So Good and Tasty)

makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp baking soda
1¼ cups spelt flour
½ tsp kosher salt
½ cup (heaping) coarsely chopped good quality chocolate (about 80 grams or 3 oz)
½ cup oats (not instant)

optional ad-ins: 1 tbsp grated orange zest, 2 tbsp minced crystallized ginger, ¼ cup chopped nuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300º. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silpat mat.

2. Cream together butter with sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, mix together baking soda, spelt flour and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet. Stir in chocolate chunks, oats and any optional ingredients.

3. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet, at least 1" apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove baking sheet from oven and let cookies cool on sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Thin, chewy and oh-so-delicious. Plus, the spelt flour adds a nice nutty undertone.

Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpea & Wheat Berry Toss

2011-09-14T07:30:00.000-04:00

There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. It feels like the instant my head hits the pillow, I'm already asleep. And when I wake up in the morning, I'm bleary eyedly stumbling towards my coffee.

So I'm all about getting as much shut-eye as possible. And that's where easy lunches come into play.
I refuse to give up sleep to prepare food, so I always put my lunch together the night before. Leftovers play a big part in what I eat for lunch, so I'm always looking for meals that are brown bag approved. To me, that means if I have to use cutlery to eat it, I'm only required to use a spoon OR a fork. And, preferably, it can be eaten at room temperature without causing too much of a mess.

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know that I have a deep and abiding love affair with legumes - and the mixture of legumes and grains always strike me as a perfect combination of ingredients for a packed lunch.

This recipe was adapted from the fabulous blog No Recipes. I tarted mine up with more ingredients and reduced the oil but, I must say the dressing is just killer! I hesitate to say it, but it was even better day two.

Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpea and Wheat Berry Toss

(lightly adapted from No Recipes)

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked wheat berries
1 head of cauliflower, stalks discarded and florets cut into bite sized pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
1 15 oz can chickpeas
1 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp parsley, chopped

dressing

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp truffle oil (if you have it, if not, use some more olive oil)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tsp sesame oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook wheat berries according to manufacturer's directions. When finished cooking, place in a large bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 400º. Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil and place on a large baking tray. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring once or twice. Add to wheat berries. Stir in peppers, chickpeas, capers and parsley.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Pour over wheat berry mixture and toss to coat.

Clean Eating's Eggplant & Sausage Pasta - Less Clean for Your Porky Goodness

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

Big, gloriously coloured eggplant have arrived in our local market. I'm always a bit leery of Italian eggplant (as opposed to the Japanese eggplant I usually buy). Too often, I seem to end up with a vegetable that has a thick, bitter skin. I'm not usually a huge fan.

But, when the vegetable is fresh from the farm, I can't pass up the opportunity to try out a new recipe. I got this one from Clean Eating magazine.

I cannot rave about this dish enough. It has all sorts of delicious balances - sweet (raisins), salty (sausage), savoury (tomatoes and eggplant) and sour (vinegar).

Eggplant and Sausage Pasta

(adapted slightly from Clean Eating Magazine)

Ingredients

1½ tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large eggplant, cut into ½" cubes
freshly ground black pepper
8 oz pasta (I used Kamut & Spelt pasta)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large, fresh sausage (I used a herb and garlic pork sausage), casing removed and meat crumbled
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups chopped tomatoes
¼ cup raisins
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup chopped parsley
kosher salt, to taste
½ cup low fat ricotta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Spread ½ tbsp olive oil on a large baking sheet. Toss eggplant with ½ tbsp olive oil and spread over baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown and tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to manufacturer's directions. Drain and set aside.

3. Heat remaining ½ tbsp oil in a dutch oven. Sauté onion and sausage until onion is browned and sausage in cooked through. Stir in oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic. Sauté for an additional minute. Add in tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Stir in eggplant, raisins, capers and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and 3 tbsp parsley. Add pasta into pot, tossing to coat.

4. Serve with a dollop of ricotta cheese and a sprinkle of parsley.

Grilled Peach Tiramisu with White Chocolate

2011-09-10T10:29:00.003-04:00

I feel like I'm peaking my head out from under the large rock I've been hiding behind for the past two weeks. In retrospect, I should have known that the first week back at school would be a total gong show. All the sun, sea and surf must have fried my brain, because I remained blissfully in a fog about how little sleep I would get and how much stress I would be under.

Have I mentioned that I have to teach grade seven math this year?

I haven't been in a math classroom since my OAC finite class back in 97/98.

Sigh.

Those poor children.

So, I'm still dreaming of the summer, the cottage and kayaking. With the temperatures still hovering at a blissfully warm 23º during the day, a day out on the water would be just what this stressed out teacher could use right now.

Or, perhaps, one of these:

I'm not usually a huge tiramisu fan. I find the flavours and texture a little too soft for my liking sometimes. But this one has the smokiness from the grill combined with the sweetness of the peaches and the softness of the mascarpone. The whole thing is lightened up with yogurt in place of whipped cream and made adult by a generous inclusion of amaretto.

Grilled Peach Tiramisu

(serves 6)

Ingredients

4 large, peeled peaches, cut in half (it's best to use slightly under ripe ones here)
½ tbsp canola oil
1 cup mascarpone cheese
2 cups full fat yogurt, drained in a cheesecloth lined strainer for at least 1 hour
1½ tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
12 lady finger cookies, cut in half horizontally
1/3 cup amaretto liqueur
3 oz white chocolate, shaved

Directions

1. Heat a grill over medium high heat. Grease bars well. Brush peaches with canola oil and place on grill. Grill for approximately 2 minutes per side, or until peaches are tender and have grill marks in places. Remove from heat and thinly slice. Set aside.

2. Beat together mascarpone, yogurt, vanilla and 3 tbsp sugar. Set aside.

3. Whisk together amaretto and remaining 2 tbsp sugar until sugar is dissolved.

4. To assemble each tiramisu: Place a little of the mascarpone mixture in the bottom of a 1 cup mason jars. Top with a few peaches slices. Sprinkle with a bit of white chocolate. Dunk 2 lady finger halves in amaretto and place on top of white chocolate. Repeat layers once more. Top the whole thing with a final layer of mascarpone and white chocolate shavings. Repeat with remaining 5 mason jars. Let sit in the fridge, covered, for at least 2 hours, and up to 6.

Last hurrah!

2011-08-30T14:29:00.001-04:00

As the last days of August draw to a close, I escaped the city to head up to the cottage where service is spotty at best... so I probably won't be around much this week.

Thanks for all the advice I received both as messages here, in emails and on Facebook about allergen free products! I really appreciate all the input!

Frustrations (a non-cooking post)

2011-08-27T13:49:00.002-04:00

I had a bit of a setback this week that I'm pretty bummed out about. For the past 15 years or so, I've had a variety of allergic reactions (contact - on my skin) to different things, and until this point, I've pretty much been guessing at what I'm allergic to. So, last November, I bit the bullet and asked to see an allergist.

Two months later, I got to see him, but he couldn't run the patch tests because he only worked at my doctor's office once a week (you need to see a doctor 3 times in 5 days). So he referred me to the Occupational Health Clinic at St. Mike's. Of course, this meant that I had to wait another 4 months for my appointment... which, I discovered, was only a consultation appointment. Well. Crap.

If you've never heard of the allergen patch test, it's pretty simple. They tape 5 patches each covered 10 common allergens (making a total of 50) to your back, forbid you to shower for 5 days and peel off the patches your skin's allergic reactions (or not) to specific stimuli.

Really, it's a pretty basic experiment.

Anyway, I've got two big allergies and a couple of small ones, but it's the big ones that are giving me a headache.

I've known for years (like 15 or so) that I'm allergic to nickel. Jean buttons bother me, I can't wear cheap jewellery (meh - it means I have expensive tastes), watch strap closures cause me to react... that's stuff I've been able to handle. What I didn't know is that people who have nickel allergies (and ones that manifest particularly badly) can have problems with foods that have nickel in them... and there's a big long list including kale, leeks, soy, spinach, oatmeal, shellfish, rhubarb, pineapple, plums, raspberries, tea, nuts, dark chocolate (God, just kill me now)...

Apparently you are allowed to eat Brussels sprouts, dill, parsnips and macaroni. Whee.

Basically a ton of stuff that's otherwise good for you goes off the table.

Now, I'm not at the point yet where I even vaguely feel like I need to go on an elimination diet, but as my allergies have gotten worse over the years, an elimination diet may not be far off.

My bigger concern is the second allergy: fragrance mix. Go take a look at a bottle of shampoo, or your deodorant, or your sunscreen, or your laundry detergent, and when you look at the ingredient list, you'll probably see fragrance or parfum listed. This is a compound of up to 8 different compounds and is the number one producer of allergic reactions to cosmetics. It has far reaching effects that go beyond cosmetics though - paints, insecticides, toothpaste, pads, cola, bubble gum, periodontal dressings... The list just goes on and on.

Now, I'm not allergic to all 8 compounds. I react to some sunscreen but not others. But because companies don't list their fragrance compounds individually, I'll never know if I'm allergic to something unless I try it out.

That pretty much means I have a lifetime of allergic reactions ahead of me.

I'm left feeling even more confused than before I had these tests done. I'm glad that I know that I'm allergic to these things, but I'm frustrated that I'm going to continue to be exposed to a lot of the ingredients that I'm allergic to.

Anyone have any great leads as to products that are fragrance free? Specifically eye creams?

Preserve Week: Claussen-Style Refrigerator Pickles (Round Two)

2011-08-25T11:36:00.000-04:00

Last year, I made a big to-do about the Claussen-Style pickles that I'd made.

Turns out, while the sliced ones were good, they really didn't taste like Claussen's version. The ones I left whole were flaccid.

And I think it's safe to say that flaccid pickles have no place in my house.

So, with kirby cukes at the markets, I'm back at it this year, and once again, my hopes are high.

There are a few important changes I've made to my efforts this year: no heating up the brine and a different spice mix.

Already, I can tell a difference in the colour compared to last year. That alone has me jumping for joy.

Claussen-Style Refrigerator Pickles

(adapted from a website that no longer exists)
makes 3 pints

Ingredients

1¼ cups distilled water (this can be replaced with water you've boiled and then chilled)
1¼ cups white vinegar

12 - 16 kirby cucumbers, scrubbed and cut into spears

place into each pint jar:

½ tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp dill seeds
1/8 tsp celery seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 small bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

1. Sterilize 3 pint jars in boiling water.

2. Stir together water and vinegar in a measuring cup. Set aside. Add spices to jars. Tightly pack in cucumber spears on top of the spices. Pour vinegar mixture over top. Cover, seal and shake to dissolve salt.

3. Place in the fridge. Shake jars for 10 seconds every day for a week. Try to restrain yourself from sampling the wares at this time. Hold out. You can do it! Cucumbers should have undergone the transformation to Cinderella Pickles after 7 days. They'll keep in the fridge for 1 month.

Preserve Week: Nigel Slater's Elderberry Jelly-Jam

2011-08-24T05:58:00.000-04:00

I mentioned last week that my husband, at my request for interesting fruit, brought home some elderberries.

The first thought that popped into my head was:

My second thought was: what the heck am I going to do with elderberries?

So I googled just that. There were recipes for syrups and a couple for pies, but I knew I wasn't particularly interested in making either of those.

Elderberries aren't exactly the most popular fruit out there.

I removed myself to the kitchen and pulled Nigel Slater's Tender II off my shelf. He had two options for me: a sauce for venison or a jelly-jam that could later be put into a Jam Roly-Poly.

Now, I've never had a roly-poly, but I like the sound of a jam filled rolled cake (like a swiss roll), which seems to pretty much describe what a roly-poly is. The cake was traditionally steamed in a shirt sleeve (we're talking back in the 19th century here), which earned it the title Dead Man's Arm.

That's certainly a less appealing name.

So, if making the jelly-jam meant I could have cake at a later date, I knew I was in.

I should clarify one thing: Nigel calls this a jelly-jam because, after straining the berries over night as one does to make jelly, you have the option of incorporating some of the berries back into the jelly. So, it's like this beautiful combination of the two.

Oh! And before I forget: a warning.

Elderberries don't smell the prettiest. I think they smell rather of wet hay. Monty Python was definitely on to something!

Elderberry Jelly-Jam

(from Nigel Slater's Tender II)
makes 3 cups

Ingredients

750 grams elderberries (weight should be berries already removed from stems)
600 ml water
400 grams tart apples (I used Granny Smith, but if you have access to crab apples, even better), halved and left uncored and unpeeled
750 grams granulated sugar

Directions

1. Place elderberries, apples and water in a large dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until apples are tender. Remove from heat and then place mixture in a jelly bag to drip over night. Don't squeeze the bag or its contents, as you'll end up with a cloudy jelly.

draining through a jelly bag

2. The next day, pour the collected juices into a dutch oven along with the sugar. If you would like fruit in your jelly, add in some of the berries from the jelly bag. Discard the rest. Bring mixture back to a boil and boil hard for 10-15 minutes, or until jelly reaches its setting point.

3. Pour into sterilized jars and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Preserve Week: Shiro Plum Jam

2011-08-23T04:30:00.000-04:00

I cannot express to you how ridiculously excited I am about this recipe. After I'd finished making it, I was sending an email to my Mum while licking the spoon I had used to stir the jam. It's tangy and vibrant, and the vanilla bean seeds just make the whole thing so insanely delicious.

You can tell a jam recipe tastes delicious when you lick the plate rest your spoon was sitting on.

Not that I did that.

Cough. Cough. Ahem.

I'm sorry. Something was stuck in my throat there.

This recipe was very lightly adapted what looks like an abandoned blog: Toast. It's a shame really, because the jam turned out beautifully. Check out that amazing orange colour!

Shiro Plum Jam

makes 3 cups jam

Ingredients

2 lbs shiro plums, stoned, but not peeled
2 cups sugar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ large, plump vanilla bean

Directions

1. Toss plums in a large, non-reactive container with sugar and lemon juice. Let sit for one hour. After, place contents in a dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Boil for one minute then return plum mixture to the container. Place a piece of parchment paper directly on the surface of the plum mixture and place in the fridge overnight.

2. Process canning jars accordingly.

3. Place plum mixture in a large dutch oven. Scrape vanilla bean seeds from pod and stir into mixture. Throw the pods in as well, because a little extra hit of vanilla can never go amiss! Bring mixture to a boil and continue boiling, stirring constantly and skimming off any foam, until jam hits its setting point.

Have we talked about the setting point yet? The setting point is the point at which the jam promises, once cooled, to set to a firmer consistency.

I'm old school and do it the way my mother and I have done it for the better part of 25 years. I like to place a plate in the freezer to chill it. When I think the jam might be ready, I pull the plate out, and put a little dollop of jam on, and put it back in the freezer for 1 minute. You know the jam is ready when it wrinkles when you drag your finger through it.

If you're new school though, pull out your candy thermometer - it'll hit 220ºF.

If the jam is done, proceed to the next step. If not, keep boiling away. I think my jam took a good 20 minutes of boiling... however, I am working on the worst stove known to man (totally inefficient burners), so use your own judgment.

4. Place jam in sterilized jars and process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove, let cool and store.

Can I just say, this jam would be killer in thumbprint cookies. Or in cheesecake.

Preserve Week: Riesling Poached Spiced Pears

2011-08-22T05:00:00.000-04:00

August's bounty thrills me to no end. The markets and grocery stores are bursting with Ontario produce and the weather is just cool enough for me to be enthusiastic about standing over a pot of boiling water processing batches of preserves, pickles and canning fresh fruit.

The fact that, amid all the enthusiasm for urban homesteading, canning is having a huge comeback has been nothing but beneficial. It means that all those jars and lids that my mother and I used to have to scour the stores for are now ubiquitous to each of my local grocery and hardware stores.

It also means that, although I've made jam and preserves since I was a child, I'm by no means an expert and now, there's a ton of great information out there on the internet. Sites like Well Preserved and Food in Jars are great places to start. Some of my favourite recipes come from Yvonne Tremblay's book Prizewinning Preserves (also released as The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jams, Jellies and Preserves in the US - guess which name I like better?), in which she gives recipes that have won awards at the Royal Agricultural Fair. If you pick it up, try the pear, ginger and crème de cacoa jam. It's amazing.

I'm lucky that I grew up in a household where my mother canned fruit for winter every year (though she doesn't anymore, much to both my brother's and my chagrin). Going down to the basement and pulling out a mason jar of Ontario peaches on a wintry Sunday in the middle of February was always such a cause for excitement. They would make their way into some kind of dessert - crisp was always a favourite at our house - and for a few brief moments, we'd relive the flavours of summer.

So, to kick off preserves week, I'm going to share a recipe for preserved pears. They're poached and then canned in a gorgeous Riesling and spice syrup. I used small sugar pears, but feel free to use larger ones as you see fit. Just don't make them too big, otherwise you might not get enough of them in your cans!

I can't wait to break into them one stormy January night.

For complete canning instructions and safety, please check out the USDA site or, for more basic instructions, check out Canadian Living's 101 guide.

Riesling Poached Spiced Pears

(from Canadian Living)

makes enough to fill 3 pint jars

Ingredients

4 lbs sugar pears
½ cup fresh lemon juice, divided
9 cups water, divided
3 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups Riesling (keep it in the family and pick up an Ontario wine!)
2 1" x 2" strips lemon rind
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
3 whole cloves
3 whole pods cardamon

Directions

1. Prep 3 pint sized mason jars according to canning technique listed above.

1. In a very large, non-reactive bowl, stir together ¼ cup lemon juice with 6 cups water. You'll use this bowl to put your peeled, cored pears into to prevent discoloration.

2. Peel and core pears, placing them in the lemon water. Try not to let the pears sit for more than 20 minutes in the water.

3. Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, stir together remaining 3 cups water and ¼ cup lemon juice with sugar and Riesling. Once sugar is dissolved, throw in lemon rind, cinnamon, cloves and cardamon. Bring to a boil, and set boil for 5 minutes. Drain pear halves and add to dutch oven. Return to boil and let cook for 5-15 minutes, cooking just until pears are tender. You don't want mushy ones, so keep an eye out.

4. Using a slotted spoon, remove pairs from pot and divide between the 3 prepped mason jars. Remove the lemon rind from the syrup and discard. Divide the cinnamon, cloves and cardamon evenly between the jars.

5. Return syrup to a boil, and boil hard for 10-15 minutes until syrup is reduced to 3 cups. Pour syrup over pears, leaving ½" of headspace between the liquid and the rim of the jar. Use a wet paper towel to remove and syrup on the rim. Failure to do so could result in an improper seal.

6. Seal and process in canner for 10 minutes. Remove, let cool and check that seals have popped. If any don't, place those jars in the fridge and use within a week.

The rest will keep a room temperature (though preferably in a coolish dark space) for a year.

Plum-a-palooza: A Small Plum Cake for Four

2011-08-19T07:55:00.000-04:00

At the farmer's market this week, my husband picked up a few pounds of shiro plums. The shiro plum is a Japanese variety and isn't white, as the name might lead you to believe, but yellow.

Shiro plums are sweet and bright, but also happen to be clingstone, which may deter you if segmenting clingstone fruits annoys you.

Truth be told, although I had asked him to pick up some interesting fruit, I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with 4lbs of these plums. In the end, I opted to make a small plum cake and to use the rest of the fruit in a jam (which I've started and is currently sitting in my fridge waiting for a flavour infusion tomorrow - vanilla? star anise? cardamon? I definitely want the vanilla... but I can't decide what, if anything, else to put in).

Plum Cake

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

¼ cup + 2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup spelt flour (you can use all purpose instead)
¼ tsp baking soda
generous pinch kosher salt
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
½ tsp vanilla extract
zest of one lemon
1/3 cup plain yogurt
4 plums, halved, pitted and cut into 6-8 slices

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Generously butter and flour a small, 6" springform pan. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, sift together flours, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of a mixer (or, using a hand mixer), cream together butter. Gradually add in sugars. Once mixture is light and fluffy, add in whole egg then the egg white. Once this is incorporated, add in vanilla, lemon zest and yogurt.

4. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in 2 batches, making sure each batch is incorporated before adding the next one. Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth.

5. Arrange plum slices over the top of the batter. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove, loosely tent with foil and return to oven for an additional 35 minutes. Cake is done when a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.

Let cool on rack on counter. Cake is best eaten the day it was made! Might I recommend some ice cream, whipped cream or a sifting of icing sugar?

You may have noticed in the picture that I've cut the cake into more than four slices... we weren't particularly hungry, so smaller was the way to go!

Happy Anniversary!

2011-08-18T10:24:00.000-04:00

Two years ago today, my husband and I were married at the Olowalu Plantation House on Maui. It was a DIY destination wedding, with only 30 guests, some croquet, drinks, dancing and lots of laughing.

To top it all off, I married a man who I genuinely love more today than I did when we got married - something I didn't know was possible. He brings out the best in me and tempers the worst.

Plus: he makes me laugh.

Everyday.

Without fail.

Our relationship looks pretty much as it did that day two years ago:

I love you, babe!

Tex-Mex Thrive Diet Inspired Pizza

2011-08-17T08:45:00.001-04:00

Before we left for Hawaii, Kat introduced me to the Thrive Diet with a few recipes one Vegan/Bachelorette Monday. One of the things she whipped up in my kitchen was pizza.

Or... at least what the book called pizza.

And immediately after calling it pizza, the author wrote "I hesitate to call this pizza", which both cracked me up and filled me with dread before trying the recipe. I worry when vegan recipes pretend to be something they're not, you know

So... it's not really pizza. It does have some similarities though.

It's got a crust (made with quinoa, chickpea flour and beans).
It's got pizza sauce or pesto on it (your choice, we've done a ramp vegan pesto).
It's got toppings (corn, red pepper, onions).
It's got cheese (well... as much as you can call Daiya Vegan Pepperjack Cheese cheese... and for the record, that's our addition).

Uhm... it's baked.

I'm not convincing you at all here, am I?

Ah, but ultimately, what's in a name? What if I just swear to you that it's delicious?

Honestly, after all the meat we ate on vacation, both my husband and I are really craving vegetarian and vegan food. This recipe hit the spot in so many ways, and I'm glad it's in our repertoire now.

If you're not vegan, add real cheese. I promise, it's an interesting recipe with a lot going for it. It's high in fibre and flavour and you can customize your toppings anyway you like.

Tex-Mex Thrive Diet Pizza

(adapted from The Thrive Diet)

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
½ cup chickpea flour
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ tsp ancho chili powder
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes

½-3/4 cup vegan pesto or pizza sauce
1 red pepper, sliced into rings
¼ sweet onion, chopped
kernels from 1 ear corn
Daiya Pepperjack cheese (about 2/3 package)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with olive oil.

2. In a food processor, mix together quinoa, beans, flour, garlic, salt, oil, ancho chili powder and red pepper flakes until mixture forms a sticky ball. Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet and pat into a large rectangle, about ¼" thick. It will help to moisten your hands with water before patting the crust into shape. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

3. Remove crust from oven. Top with pesto, then pepper slices and onion, then cheese and finally corn. Return to oven for an additional 45 minutes, until vegetables are cooked and crust is crunchy on the outside.

Corn Sauté with Sweet Onion and Zucchini

2011-08-16T16:28:00.002-04:00

This is resoundingly one of my go-to August dishes. It's safe to say that it's my mother's too, because she called me asking for the recipe just as I was whipping this up.

It's best with fresh corn on the cob, so make it up while the corn is fresh!

It serves 4 as a side dish, but my husband and I have been known to just chow down on it alone for dinner.

Corn Sauté with Sweet Onion and Zucchini

(lightly adapted from Fine Cooking)

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter, divided
½ tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
1 medium zucchini, finely diced
2 heaping cups fresh corn kernels, cut from about 4 ears
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp ground corianger
½ tsp ground cumin
juice of ¼ lemon
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a dutch oven or very large skillet, melt ½ tbsp butter with ½ tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in onion and ½ tsp salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent. Remove heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 3 minutes, until onion is beginning to brown. Add in zucchini, and continue cooking until zucchini begins to shrink and lose some of its moisture, about 3 minutes more.

2. Add in remaining ½ tbsp butter, corn kernels, garlic and remaining ½ tsp of salt. Cook, stirring frequently until corn becomes bright, tender and caramelizes slightly, about 5 minutes. Add in coriander and cumin and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Remove pan from heat. Stir in lemon juice and 1 tbsp mint. Let sit for 2 minutes, then add in black pepper and additional salt to taste. Serve with additional mint sprinkled on top.

Coming home is hard

2011-08-15T15:50:00.000-04:00

especially when you're used to seeing this for two weeks...

I've just managed to hit up the grocery store and begin thinking about getting back into the swing of cooking and blogging.

Until then, let me just share this photo of the most amazing sashimi napoleon I ate at the Hali'imale General Store:

Spicy ahi (tuna) poke, smoked salmon, ahi rosette, Upcountry greens, chive vinaigrette, tobiko and picked ginger with fried wontons and a wasabi dressing.

And deconstructed:

One of the most delicious things I ate on the islands!

Talking Big

2011-08-12T14:48:00.002-04:00

For some reason, I swore to my husband I would get through five full pineapples on this trip. I knew that I'd aimed high, but I figured if I used it in cooking (hence the last recipe posted below) it would work out. And if I was really struggling, I'd just pick up some baby pineapples.

It's the spirit of the bet, right?

There have been no baby pineapples. No baby pineapples! No shortcuts, just me and gigantic Maui Gold pineapples.

Sigh.

Hence, this:

You know that episode of the Simpsons where Homer eats the 64 slices of American cheese? I now have pineapple blindness. And I only got through a quarter pineapple in that sitting.

I think I have a full 3 pineapples left to go.

And we're leaving tomorrow.

This is not going to turn out well.

Pineapple Cucumber Salsa

2011-08-09T00:21:00.001-04:00

I've got a bottle of Wailua Wheat Beer sitting by me as I write this from the lanai of our condo at the Kahana Village on Maui. Isn't that how all days on the islands should end?

When we left Kauai today, both Phil and I were feeling kind of bummed. We've passed the halfway mark of our time here and *only* have 5 nights left before the long haul back to Toronto.

Wah. Wah. Wah.

I feel like a huge baby for admitting that. What I should be saying (and am saying now) is: we have five nights on Maui, and we're going to enjoy every minute of it. Driving along the highways here made me feel like we were home. We drove past Olowalu, where we got married almost 2 years ago (I waved at the site), picked up some frappuccinos from Bad Ass coffee and grabbed some groceries from Costco (GIGANTIC containers of mac nuts for everyone). I'm so happy right now, I could explode.

For dinner, I wanted something light and fresh. We picked up some opah from Costco. For those of you not in the know, opah is also known as moonfish, sunfish or kingfish.

And it's freaking huge.

We're grilling it up with some pineapple cucumber salsa I just whipped up.

Have I mentioned how happy I am right now?

Pineapple Cucumber Salsa for Fish

Ingredients

1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped finely
1/2 English cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (seeds and ribs removed if you're not into heat)
juice of 1/2 lime
1 green onion, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow flavours to meld.

A post about swimming pools

2011-08-08T00:43:00.002-04:00

When I was a kid, I would rate hotels by their swimming pools. They were easily my favourite part of the stay. I'd give out basic point for your standard rectangular shape, more if the pool had varying degrees of depth (over the head = good) and the system went up from there.

I still rate hotels by their pools, which pretty much means that Grand Hyatt Kauai is the happiest place on earth for me.

We swam from the adult pool down a kiddie slide, through the lazy river with its waterfall grottoes, under two bridges before reaching the big water slide down to the activity pool (volleyball and basketball anyone?), with its jacuzzi plopped into a centre island.

And then we hopped into the salt water lagoon, which took a good 30 minutes to swim 'round. There are three islands in it. And another waterfall.

It was heaven, I tell you.

And because we were honeymooning, we got a cabana for free one day (after my husband exposed himself to a maid - story here), and sat out watching all the goings on of the salt water lagoon. Fun. Fun. Fun.

I'm not a hotel/resort kinda gal, but once and a while, it's a lot of fun to go that way!

The real question is: how does one go back to regularly sized condo pools from here?

the husband and me

view from our lanai of the adult pool (right) and the beginning of the lazy river (left)

reading around the corner from the waterslide

Love when mai tais are brought to you!

lazy river with waterfall grotto

private, lagoon front cabana

View from the cabana. Note the proximity of my feet to the water!

enjoying a small waterfall (over my shoulder)


Phil diving down in the lagoon.

It was utter bliss with my husband for 3 glorious nights!

We're off to Maui on Monday (which is tomorrow for me, but probably today for you), back to the Kahana Village. I'm so excited to get some hiking and snorkelling in!

A few pictures from Kauai

2011-08-04T03:32:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to post as often as possible, to keep up a virtual travel journal, but wouldn't you know it? We're just too damned busy to post everyday. Anyway, today, we did a tour with Kauai Photo Tours - a hiking/walking/photography tour of the east and north shores of Kauai. It was fabulous. I got to play around with a DSLR for the first time and use a polarizer.

Anyway, here are some shots from the day:

Moloa'a Beach

Lighthouse and bird sanctuary

And we can't talk this blog without mentioning some ono grindz (that's pidgin for delicious noms) from a roadside stand.

Hello plate lunch! As usual, I wanted to try everything, so I got way too much. I made it through maybe 1/3 of the whole meal.

Two scoops rice, macaroni & taro salad (oishii!), lomi lomi salmon, kalua pork (best I've had yet), mochi taro cake, ti leaf wrapped chicken...

And let's not forget about the taro fields...

... and the joy of being able to stop to chow down on some strawberry guavas from the side of the road!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love being on these islands?

Next up: tomorrow we're hitting the Hyatt and Josselin's Tapas Bar (a meal I've been waiting for more than a year for).

A Quick Post from YYJ

2011-08-01T14:25:00.002-04:00

It's taken me a long time to get to this, but there's something to be said for B&Bs. While on Salt Spring Island, we stayed at the Wisteria Guest House in Ganges. It's a lovely little place on the outskirts of town - perfect for larger families travelling together!

And their breakfasts were superior. Each was two courses served with freshly pressed juices. One of my favourites was a plum cobbler that had a hint of tea and mint in it. It was accompanied by a yogurt cream (whipped cream mixed with yogurt). Totally delicious. It was followed by scrambled eggs, roasted asparagus and cherry tomatoes, thick cut bacon and sweet potato fries.

Plus, I have to say Beverly and Len were just amazing hosts. The beds were comfortable, the location serene... and you've already heard me talk about the food! I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a place to stay on Salt Spring.

The next day we had house made sausages basted in hot mustard (after enjoying a big bowl of alpine muesli) served with baked french toast with apricot compote. It was breakfast heaven.

I should mention that the wedding was lovely! We spent Friday decorating the hall and making the lemonade and iced tea.

And I only looked slightly ridiculous with my hair flying all over the place. The view from the site was incredible, as it looked out over the ocean. My cousin Jenn (on the left of me) almost got myself and I thrown off the cliff when the doves they released got a little too close for comfort... but other than that, the bride and groom looked incredible (alas, the pictures don't do them justice, so I won't include them here).

And now, we're off to Vancouver to await out plane to Honolulu!

Passion Fruit Sorbet

2011-07-28T08:19:00.000-04:00

Hello, hello, good morning all! We're flying off for Victoria tonight, so here's my last pre-Hawaii recipe post for my absolute all time favourite sorbet: passion fruit.

I just cannot get enough of this stuff! It's bright, tangy and sweet. It has a mere 3 ingredients and it's also the perfect foil for the rich and creamy coconut jelly I posted about yesterday.

Passion Fruit Sorbet

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1½ cup passion fruit puree (often available frozen from Latin American grocery stores)

Directions

1. Heat water and sugar in a saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in passion fruit puree, remove from heat and let chill in the fridge.

2. When cool, place in ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions.

Ta Dah! How's that for an easy, hands off dessert?

I'll probably be off for a few days, but can't wait to post about my experiences as a kitchen monkey at this weekend's wedding and all the deliciousness on Kauai and Maui!

Rich and Creamy Coconut Jelly Squares

2011-07-27T07:08:00.000-04:00

Oh, I can taste the tropics just on the horizon. In a week from today, I'll be enjoying the lush green forests and dramatic coasts of Kauai.

And hopefully, I'll be enjoying some coconut based deliciousness along the way! This recipe is made using agar agar, meaning it's suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

It also uses creamed coconut - which you should not confuse with coconut cream! Creamed coconut is the unsweetened, dried flesh of the coconut ground into a paste and then formed into solid blocks (coconut cream, on the other hand, is a liquid.) It adds an intense coconut flavour to dishes and means you don't have to use any coconut extract to amp up that delicious flavour.

Coconut Jelly Squares

Ingredients

1½ cups full fat coconut milk
3/4 cups water, divided
¼ cup creamed coconut (not to be confused with coconut cream)
3/4 cup sugar
4 heaping tsp agar agar powder

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, ½ cup water, creamed coconut, sugar and heat until just simmering.

2. In a separate, small saucepan, bring remaining ¼ cup water to a boil. Sprinkle with agar agar powder and let boil for 3-4 minutes, until agar agar is dissolved. Pour mixture into coconut mixture, stir well to combine and simmer for 3-4 more minutes.

3. Rinse a 5"x9" loaf pan with water. Pour coconut mixture into loaf pan and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until set. Cut into 1" squares and serve with toasted coconut or your favourite tropical sorbet.

The Last to Catch On

2011-07-26T07:38:00.000-04:00

Do you ever feel like you're the last person to catch on to a trend? I've been reading about people combining watermelon and feta to make a salad for years now, and only did it myself last night for the first time.

The contrast between the salty feta and the sweet watermelon is dynamite. I through in some chopped parsley, Hawaiian Haleakala sea salt (it's an earthy red), freshly ground black pepper and some olive oil. And voila! Done!

I can see using some mint in there as a great addition too.

Nectarine White Iced Tea

2011-07-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

We're heading off to Salt Spring Island for my cousin's DIY island wedding on Thursday night, and I've finally, FINALLY, settled on the two recipes we'll be using for the iced tea and the lemonade. In one gigantic container, we'll be having some nectarine white iced tea, and in the other, some raspberry lemonade.

As I was making up the ingredient list, I realized we'd need 104 lemons.

That means 104 lemons need rolling, juicing and measuring to hopefully make 13 cups of fresh lemon juice. Yikes! Luckily, I should have some help in the kitchen... which is great, because although the recipes are kept to no more than 4 ingredients each (sugar, fruit, water, tea/lemons), there's steeping, straining, pureeing, etc.

Anyway, here's the recipe for Nectarine White Iced Tea. It's a Canadian Living recipe. They use peeled peaches, but I'm lazy and used unpeeled (but washed!) nectarines.

Minted Quinoa and Cannellini Bean Salad with Watermelon, Peas & Feta

2011-07-22T08:02:00.001-04:00

This recipe was inspired by a Cooking Light recipe that called for farro, watermelon and peas. I was intrigued by the combination, but wanted to make the salad a more substantial meal and balance it out with more salty and tangy flavours.

Quinoa and Cannellini Bean Salad with Watermelon, Peas & Feta

(inspired by Cooking Light)

serves 6

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1½ cups water
1 cup freshly shelled peas
1½ cups diced seedless watermelon
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup minced parsley
¼ cup shredded mint
1/3 cup crumbled feta
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, rubbing grains between fingers to remove any residue. Place in a large pot with the water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the peas in the last two minutes of cooking time, and replace lid. If peas are not bright green and tender after two minutes, let cook for a minute longer. Remove from heat, drain any excess water off and rinse under cold water.

2. Place quinoa mixture in a large bowl. Toss with watermelon, cannellini beans, parsley, mint and feta.

3. Whisk together dressing ingredients (lemon juice through pepper) in a separate bowl. Pour over quinoa, toss again and serve.

Some things don't need recipes

2011-07-21T07:35:00.008-04:00

Last night, Phil came home with two punnets of the most amazing jewels from the farmer's market.

They glowed in the early evening light.

Black and golden raspberries, warmed by the afternoon haze.

I was entranced by the way the yellows and apricots of the golden raspberries seemed to capture and hold the sunlight.

And the way the black raspberries' deep purple melted into shades of eggplant, mulberry and burgundy.

We could have eaten them with softly whipped cream as part of a fool or tossed them with sugar.

Instead, we devoured each berry naked, savouring each explosive burst of sweet flavour, until there was nothing left of them but their memory on our stained fingers and lips.

Perfection.

Counting pennies

2011-07-20T10:46:00.000-04:00

My mother's birthday present from my father has always been a change jar. Throughout the year, he'd dump all of his spare change in a hidden canister, and we'd all count it up on her birthday. The four of us would make bets as to how much was in the jar based on the weight, not on sight.

A year before our wedding, Phil and I decided to start a minimoon jar. While we have other saving goals in mind, this jar is dedicated to fun and play. We couldn't afford to go on a full-out honeymoon, so we figured we'd amass enough money for a dinner out. We pulled in 300$, which I thought was great, as I rarely use cash. So, we had that killer dinner at Alan Wong's that I talked about here.

Obviously it was amazing, because I'm still talking about it.

So, we've been back into savings mode for the last two years. And the jar was FULL.

Add caption

Quick! Off the top of your head, how much change does a large can of coffee hold?

Why, it's this much!

I guessed that we had 680$, and Phil guessed that we had 760$.

Look at those nice, neat little piles! We calculated our total starting with the pennies and progressing upward in denomination. What started with 4.65$ in pennies exploded when we hit 300$ worth of toonies.

So, in the end, we were both wrong. Including the leftover money and some Christmas money from Phil's parents, we clocked in at more than 1000$! Holy moly, do I ever love those loonies and toonies!

Now the question is: how many amazing restaurants on Maui and Kauai can I eat at with this? Or do we spend it on some gorgeous koa wood? Or do we save it and put it towards our next big vacation?

Decisions, decisions. Any suggestions?

Sweet Cherry & Brown Sugar Panna Cotta

2011-07-19T08:19:00.015-04:00

My desire for all things smooth and creamy is a reaction to the unbearable heat we're having right now. Today it feels like 42ºC with the humidex. And, while I'm enthuiastically looking forward to the heat and humidity of Hawaii, that's a far more gentle humidity than the smog filled reek of Toronto.

Thanks to Phil's heroic efforts last year to get us an air conditioner (He seriously got the last one available in the downtown core), our top floor apartment is relatively cool at 26º. And while this spells good news for our ability to sleep at night, it does mean that our electricity bill is skyrocketing as I write this.

So, as I turn up the thermostat on the a/c one more degree (how high can we go before it's no longer bearable in the bedroom?), I find myself craving the cool and the creamy.

This panna cotta is so smooth, you'll never believe there's no cream in it. Just look at those gorgeous white tops:

This is a very gently set panna cotta - and the cherry gelatin is very gently set.

Wobbly, I believe is the word to describe it.

You can, of course, attempt to unmold it from its glass or ramekin, but I quite like serving it as it is, inside a glass vessel. You're forced to dig down to the bottom for the cherry layer, and I'm a sucker for treasure hunting.

Sweet Cherry & Brown Sugar Panna Cotta

(inspired by this recipe from epicurious)

serves 4 as a small dessert or 2 very generously

Ingredients

for cherry layer

½ tsp gelatin
½ cup cherry juice
½ tbsp lemon juice
½ cup pitted, quartered sweet cherries
½ tbsp amaretto (optional)

for yogurt layer

1 tsp gelatin
½ cup 1-2% milk
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup thickened yogurt (see step 1)
½ tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

Directions

1. Place ¼ cup cherry juice in a small saucepan. Sprinkle with ½ tsp gelatin. Allow gelatin to soften for 5 minutes. Heat juice/gelatin mixture and stir, until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in remaining cherry layer ingredients. Divide mixture evenly between ramekins/glasses/whatever you're serving these in. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to set up.

2. Clean small saucepan. There's no sense in getting another one dirty! Pour in ¼ cup milk and sprinkle with 1 tsp gelatin.Allow to sit for 5 minutes so gelatin can soften. Heat over medium heat, stirring gently, until gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in remaining yogurt layer ingredients. Remove glasses from freezer. Gently pour some of the yogurt mixture over top of the cherry mixture. It's important to do this gently, as the cherries will not totally have set yet. Repeat with remaining glasses. Place in the fridge to set, at least 4 hours before serving.

And guess what, made with 4% yogurt, this recipe still clocks in at a lowly 220 calories per serving, based on 2 servings per recipe. That makes this beach goer very, very happy!

An Inauthentic Flammekueche

2011-07-18T09:11:00.001-04:00

Lately, I've been really trying hard to steer clear of cheese. As much as I love it, it just doesn't seem to love me. And when cheese goes... well... I've tried to love pizza without the cheese, but I just haven't been successful.

Enter the Alsatian dish: Flammekueche.

Flammekueche (or Flammekuchen in German) roughly translates into baked in fire... which means you're required to get that oven piping hot. It's a thin crust, topped with fromage blanc (or, in my inauthentic case, full fat sour cream), onions and cooked bacon.

I like mine with a beer crust.

Beer. Bacon. Shallots. It's a winner based on those ingredients alone.

Flammekueche

(adapted from bonjourlafrance.com)

serves 4-6

Ingredients

2¼ cups all purpose flour, divided
¼ cup warm water (100º-110ºF)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup dark beer
6 tbsp milk

1 cup sour cream
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 pinches ground nutmeg (crucial to the dish)
3 slices bacon, chopped into ¼"-½" wide strips
4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together ¼ cup flour with water, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Stir in remaining flour, 1 tsp kosher salt, beer and milk. Turn ingredients onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a smooth, elastic ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning dough all over to coat. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a draft free location, and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch down and let rise again for 1 more hour.

2. Meanwhile, with a rack in the middle, preheat oven to 475º and line your largest square baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. In a bowl, stir together sour cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside

4. Heat a skillet over medium heat and fry bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and drain off all but ½ tbsp fat. Fry shallots in fat until golden and brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

5. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until as thin as you can manage to transfer. Transfer to baking sheet, cover with tea towel and let rest for 5 - 10 minutes.

6. Spread sour cream mixture over surface of dough, leaving a ½" border on all sides. Sprinkle with shallots and bacon. Fold up sides of dough.

7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until bottom is golden. Let cool on rack for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Best enjoyed with beer, in my opinion.

Dark Chocolate Parfaits with Mango & Passion Fruit

2011-07-17T09:40:00.002-04:00

With our vacation to Kauai and Maui less than two weeks away, my husband and I have been talking nonstop about what we're going to do... and, in my case, where we're going to eat!

You've gotta have priorities.

I've already picked out Josselin's Tapas Bar as one of the places I'd like to hit up, along with Merriman's (the Maui one, I think) and the Haili'imale General Store (who catered our wedding). I'm determined to hit up as many of restaurants belonging to the twelve original pioneers of Hawaiian regional cuisine as possible. On previous trips, we've gone to Roy's and Alan Wong's (whose five course tasting menu left me breathless and incredibly stuffed - but how could I NOT finish the butter poached lobster?) and I've been blown away each time.

Can you tell I'm dreaming tropical right now? I'm also dreaming luxury, as we'll be spending some time at the Hyatt. And when I think luxury, I think chocolate.

But I'm prepping for a whole lot of time in my swim suit, so it can't be too luxurious.

Out goes the cream, in comes the yogurt!

For dinner on Saturday night, I pulled together some dark chocolate parfaits with mango and passion fruit. It took me very little hands on time - really, most of it was waiting for the yogurt to drain. You could use just about any fruit with this. Those raspberries that are in season right now would be killer! And if you're into white or milk chocolate, I say go ahead and switch it up!

Chocolate, Mango and Passion Fruit Parfaits

(serves 2)

Ingredients

1 cup 3-4% plain yogurt (don't use one that has all sorts of thickeners in it - go organic/natural - I use Saugeen)
2 tbsp milk
1½ oz good quality dark chocolate, chopped
1 mango, finely diced
2½ tsp passion fruit purée, divided (optional)

Directions

1. Line a fine mesh strainer with several layers (I used 3) of paper towel and pour yogurt on top. Set on top of a bowl and place in the fridge to drain for several hours, or until yogurt is the consistency of cream cheese. You can speed the process along by twisting the paper towel up to form a pouch and gently squeezing the excess liquid out. Discard liquid and place thickened yogurt into a bowl.

2. Place milk in a microwave safe container. Heat until hot. Add in chocolate and stir until melted. Set aside until cooled, then mix into yogurt. Add in 1½ tsp passion fruit purée. Set in fridge for at least 15 minutes, or up to 6 hours.

3. Toss mango with remaining passion fruit puree. In two glasses, layer mango with yogurt mixture. You should have enough for 2 layers of each.

You'll never notice the absence of whipping cream!

Vanilla Rice Pudding with Raspberry Coulis

2011-07-16T11:33:00.001-04:00

My little brother went through a period where he was obsessed with rice pudding. There was constantly a container of Kozy Shack in the fridge.

And when I say container, I mean Costco sized vat.

Basically, the entire fridge consisted of Kozy Shack. The rest of us were forced to live off the land and forage for food. It was a hard existence, but we learned to fend for ourselves in the wilderness of Andrew Haydon Park.

Okay. That might be an ~~total~~ slight exaggeration.

For the record, I think Kozy Shack is gross, but I do love a creamy, well made rice pudding, which this, another French Women Don't Get Fat inspired recipe is.

Use your best risotto rice for this, stir frequently and you'll get something amazing.

Vanilla Rice Pudding with Raspberry Coulis

(adapted from French Women Don't Get Fat)
serves 2

Ingredients

1½ cup raspberries, divided
1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup short grain rice (2¼ oz)
2 cups 1% or 2% milk (don't use skim)
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions

1. In a bowl, toss together 1 cup raspberries with 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside in the fridge to macerate.

2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain and set aside.

3. Bring milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Stir in rice, remaining sugar and vanilla. Reduce heat and cook gently for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste the rice to see if it's finished. If it is to your liking, remove pot from heat and stir in egg yolk. This will turn your pudding into a vanilla masterpiece. Add the butter and stir until melted. Set aside to cool.

4. Take berries out of the fridge and stir in a ½ tablespoon water. Toss, then press berries through a fine mesh sieve to create a coulis. You could replace the water with cassis for added oomph!

5. Layer coulis and rice pudding in clear glasses or serving dishes. Top with reserved berries.

Italian Chicken en Papillote (a non-recipe post)

2011-07-15T08:36:00.005-04:00

One of the great things about having my mornings in class is I'm forced to get up at the same time as I do when I teach. Now, I know some of you are putting your hands up to say, what the heck? There's method in my madness, I promise.

When I have time off, I stay up late. And then I sleep in. And my sleep cycle gets pushed further and further out of whack.

I don't like it when my sleep schedule gets pushed out of whack.

Believe it or not, I like productive mornings. It's so nice to get everything out of the way right at the beginning!

Plus, it means I don't have to feel guilty for my daily afternoon naps.

It's all about having guilt free naps.

Yesterday, after a drama class filled with some interpretive dance on war/peace to Zoe Keating, I walked to the library for my annual summer library reading binge. I wasn't carrying any bags on me, so I only picked up a few books, one of which was the French Women Don't Get Fat cookbook.

This recipe (if you can call it that) isn't from the book, but was inspired by her several recipes using the en papillote technique. For those of you not familiar with en papillote, it means you take meat or fish and place it, along with other flavourful ingredients, in parchment paper packages which are then baked in the oven. This steams the meat inside, but also infuses it with whatever ingredients you've thrown in along with it.

I opted for chicken with lemons, parsley (although, if you have fresh rosemary, all the better), olives, sundried tomatoes and capers.

The brilliance of this recipe, is that there really isn't one. Use what you've got on hand; just keep it to no more than 2 tbsp of toppings, plus something beneath the chicken to infuse from below. Sautéed shallots or spinach would make a great base. A few cloves of garlic in there with some lemon and lots of black pepper? Delish!

And the bonus? No added oils!

The packages are made by creating a circle out of parchment and layering all the ingredients on one half of the circle.

You then fold the other side of the paper over to create a half moon shape. Fold the sides up along the edge of the circle so it looks like this:

Bake in the oven on a baking tray at 400º for about 30 minutes.

If you're into theatrics, give everyone at the table a pair of scissors and allow them to cut a cross into the top of the package and then tear it open. The big reveal is half the fun.

Do be careful of the steam though. There's a lot of it trapped in there!

Tsukune (つくね): an izakaya favourite

2011-07-14T06:49:00.033-04:00

Whenever Phil and I went to Daikichi's in his town Tokishi, there were a few standard dishes that we often ordered. And, because it was an izakaya (Japanese pub), it meant that there was lots of delicious food on sticks.

I really, really miss Daikichi's. In fact, about a year ago (almost to the day!), I said about the same thing.

It was a hole in the wall, the guys who ran the place smoked over the food as they grilled it, its tiny booths and stools were often packed with drunk salarymen and attractive young women (who were probably not their wives) and we enjoyed copious amounts of sake, beer and meat on sticks.

We occasionally got eggplant and onion too... but mostly we ordered meat on sticks.

Until recently, I haven't tried to recreate Daikichi's. Anything I do won't live up to the memory in my mind.

Anyway, we always got the chicken-cheese (grilled chicken thighs with a cheese slice on top and special mildly spicy sauce) and the aspara-bacon (grilled bacon wrapped asparagus), and usually got another dish, tsukune.

I attempted those this week, and they're about as authentic as they're going to get given that:

a) I'm not chain smoking over the skewers and
b) I don't have a grill

Tsukune (つくね) are essentially very smooth chicken meatballs seasoned with ginger, sesame and green onion, dipped repeatedly in tare (垂れ) and grilled until dry in between dips. Tare is basically the awesome older brother of the insipid teriyaki sauce we have here.

When I moved to Japan and asked about buying teriyaki sauce in the grocery store, I was met by a round of blank stares. Ask for tare.

Better yet, don't buy it from the grocery store. It's dead easy to make.

Now, I like my tsukune well browned with the tare. Those found at Daikichi's tend to be less assertive. Also, I have yet to perfect the art of perfectly spherical meatballs.

Daikichi's tsukune

Anyway, you can see where the inspiration was and where I ended up, and frankly, I'm really happy with this recipe!

Here are a few pictures of our favourite joint:

A friend outside Daikichi

Inside our Daikichi's

My very young, red faced, and hairier husband fans the grilled goods.

I heard that, after we left Japan, the Daikichi's in Phil's neighbourhood closed down. Clearly our consumption of sake and food on sticks kept the place afloat!

Tsukune: Grilled Chicken Meatballs

(from Hiroko Shimbo's Japanese Kitchen)

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken or turkey
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp finely ground black pepper
2 green onions, both green and white parts, minced
1½ tsp freshly grated ginger
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp canola oil
sansho pepper (optional)
tare sauce (recipe below)

Directions

1. Begin by soaking 8 bamboo skewers in water for 15 minutes. Set aside.

2. Using a food processor, pulse ground chicken until it forms a coarse paste. Add in salt and black pepper, and pulse again. Alternatively, you can use your hands to squeeze the mixture over and over again (we're talking a good 5 minutes or so) and it'll achieve similar results. Remove mixture from food processor, stir in ginger and green onions. Once they are evenly distributed, mix in the egg white and sesame oil. Divide the mixture into 16 evenly sized balls.

3. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Working in batches, cook tsukune for 1 minute or so on each side or just until they're white and firm. You don't actually want to finish cooking them at this stage; you'll finish them off either on the grill or beneath the broiler.

4. Heat the grill on medium high heat or turn on your oven's broiler, making sure the rack is placed about 3-4" below the element. While you're waiting for it to heat up, remove bamboo skewers from water, and thread 2 tsukune onto each. Once your cooking medium is hot, grill or broil the tsukune, for 1 minute. Flip over and repeat on the other side.

5. Once tsukune have been cooked on each side, flip again, and brush with tare. Place back on grill or under broiler and cook until dry, about 1 minute. Remove, flip and brush again with tare. Repeat this procedure once more on each side of the tsukune, ensuring the balls are dry before applying the next coating of tare.

Serve piping hot with a sprinkle of sansho pepper.

Tare: Basting sauce for Yaki-tori

Ingredients

¼ cup sake
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp soy sauce

optional: add in one dried shiitake mushroom

Directions

1. In a small pot, bring sake and mirin to a boil. Add in the sugar. Cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add the soy sauce (and the mushroom if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Sauce will be thick and glossy. Remove mushroom (feel free to eat it, it's super tasty) and use right away or keep in the fridge for up to a month.

Grilled Hanger Steak with My Favourite Marinade

2011-07-12T08:04:00.001-04:00

One of the many, many things that I both love and hate about my local (independent) grocery store is its selection of food. Sometimes, you'll be overwhelmed with options, and sometimes, you'll go in for a flank steak and be met with skirt and hanger steaks and nothing else.

This was the first time I've seen a hanger steak carried in our store, and I couldn't believe how inexpensive it was. If my reading of Bon Appetit is anything to go by, hanger steak has become really popular with chefs over the last few years for its depth of flavour. Its texture makes it a great steak to grill up for fajitas too.

I opted to marinate the steak before grilling it using my all time favourite marinade: a Pam Collacott recipe from way back in the day. This is both my mother's and my favourite recipe. Best of all, if you let the meat marinate overnight, you're practically guaranteed tenderness, regardless of the cut.

Pam Collacott's Budget Steak for a Bunch

(adapted from Canadian Living)

Ingredients

3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp canola oil
1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp minced onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
¼ tsp dried thyme

1 lb steak (your choice of cut)

Directions

1. Whisk all ingredients except steak together in the bowl/bag you plan on marinating the meat in. Place meat into marinade, turning to coat. Let marinade in fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

2. Grill steak for 6 minutes, turning once for rare, about 8-9 minutes for medium and 12 for well done. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into thin slices.

In case you haven't seen hanger steak before, here's what the whole marinated and grilled looks like:

Deliciousness!

Three Bean Salad with Corn and Red Peppers

2011-07-11T08:12:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I think my mother and I are the only people on the planet who love bean salads. There's something so delightfully passé about them. I always associate them with the '80s... Does anyone else?

When I was in elementary school, we had several Canadian Living seasonal cooking magazines, and inevitably the summer ones had bean salads in them. Whenever the teachers had lunch & learn sessions at school, the library would be set up with tons of food with a mandatory gigantic bowl of bean salad. As a kid, I just assumed that they were making bean salads out of the Canadian Living magazines, because that was the logical assumption to make.

I'm all about the logic.

I'd lobby to bring back the bean salad into vogue. It's healthy, filling, fibre rich, and, when done right, colourful. Plus, it makes a quick and easy lunch to bring.

So, now, my go to bean salad recipe is based off a Canadian Living recipe: Red Barn Bean and Corn Salad. It serves 12 and keeps a decent amount of time in the fridge which especially important if you're, like me, not serving 12 people at once.

If you're alone in liking bean salads in your house, be prepared to be eating this for the better part of a week. It makes about 9 cups worth!

But, it's way better than those drenched salads from the supermarket, and you know you love it. So go ahead, grab a gigantic spoon and dig in.

Three Bean Salad with Corn and Red Peppers

(adapted from Canadian Living)

Ingredients

1 14oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
½ cup celery, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp dried basil (you can use ¼ cup fresh, if you anticipate no leftovers)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

½ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Mix together first 9 ingredients, chickpeas through parsley in a large bowl. Toss well. In a measuring up, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over bean mixture, toss well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let flavours meld together.

How easy was that?

Grilled Potato Salad with Bacon, Shallot and Brown Sugar

2011-07-09T09:40:00.001-04:00

The first time I made this recipe was back in the late '90s, when my aunt, uncle and cousins were visiting Ottawa from Yarmouth, N.S. Wanting to veer away from the traditional mayonnaise based salad, we decided to try a recipe from Martha Stewart's Great Parties book. It's one of Martha's earlier books, but I still use it regularly. The recipe for Grilled Peach Chicken is a staple in our cottage cooking, just as this potato salad is.

Fifteen years after first making it, I've made several tweaks (the original recipe serves 14!) to the amount of oil and vinegar, and I always up the amount of bacon required.

In fairness, just because I cook more bacon, doesn't mean the bacon makes it into the salad. Sometimes quality control needs to ensure the freshness and... uhm... deliciousness of the bacon.

This potato salad is, compared to both the mayonnaise types and the German types, quite dry. And, that's the point. It's not meant to be swimming in dressing! It's a refreshing change from tradition and a great accompaniment to ribs and baked beans.

I've given amounts to serve 2-3 people. Adapt up as you see fit!

Grilled Potato Salad with Bacon, Shallots and Brown Sugar

(adapted from Martha Stewart's Great Parties)

Ingredients

1 lb red potatoes (new are especially nice), scrubbed
2 slices really good bacon
1 large shallot, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced into half moons
1 tbsp + 1 tsp packed brown sugar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are almost fork tender, amount 15 minutes (for large potatoes). You want to get them out just before, as you'll be finishing these off on the grill.

2. While potatoes are cooking, cook bacon in a skillet over medium-low heat until crispy. Remove bacon, and drain on a paper towel. Crumble and set aside. Pour off all but ½ tbsp of bacon fat from pan. Add shallot to pan and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, cider vinegar and 1 tsp olive oil. Stir just until brown sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside while you finish off the potatoes.

3. Remove potatoes from heat and cut into halves, if potatoes are small, or thick slices if potatoes are large. Try to leave the skin intact wherever possible! Brush with remaining 1 tbsp of oil and place on a greased grill to get brown and crispy, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat. If you're using the thick slices, you may want to cut them again into bite sized quarters. Toss with reserved dressing and season with salt and pepper.

Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps

2011-07-07T07:15:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine posted this recipe on the now abandoned August Cooks blog, and I've really loved it for ages, though haven't made it since last summer.

Lime, sriracha, jalapeno, shallots, brown sugar, fish sauce... This recipe hits all the right notes, sweet, spicy, salty, sour. Amped up with some pickled carrots (leftover from a batch based on Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe) and cucumber, these wraps are pretty much heaven on a plate for me.

What I love most about it is how messy they are! Be prepared for dripping juices.

Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps

(adapted from August Cooks)

Ingredients

½ tbsp canola oil
1 lb ground pork
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
juice of one lime
1½ tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sriracha

pickled carrots
sliced cucumber
washed, separated leaves boston or bibb lettuce (about 12-16)
handfuls of chopped fresh mint, cilantro and basil

Directions

1. Heat canola oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add pork, garlic, shallot and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pork is browned and fat is rendered. Drain fat from pan. Return to heat, reducing temperature to low while preparing the lime mixture.

2. Mix together lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and sriracha. Pour over pork. Return heat to medium and stir until liquid has mostly been absorbed. Remove skillet from element.

3. Using lettuce as a cup, place some carrots and cucumbers inside, then top with a couple tablespoons pork mixture. Sprinkle herbs over top, and repeat with remaining lettuce leaves and pork.

Serves 3-4.

Ramp Pesto & Two Tomato Bruschetta

2011-07-06T06:57:00.002-04:00

My friend Kat does a lot of work in a communal garden here in Toronto, and one of the things I love most about our Monday night cook-a-thon is she often brings over produce from the garden. Earlier this week, she brought over a jar of ramp pesto! Paired with a quick two tomato bruschetta!

Now, ramps' season is spring, but in the spirit of root to tip and waste-not/want-not cooking, Kat decided to use what was left of the plant.

I'll let her explain it.

The portions of the ramps we used were the buds/heads; the ramps had gone to seed so it was sort of like using the flowery tops of chives instead of the oniony bottom if you know what I mean. Ramp season is fiddlehead season - around April. So these are what's left of the plant at this stage of the year.

Kat's Ramp Pesto

Ingredients

1 bunch of basil, just the leaves, washed
3-4 ramp heads
¼ cup of dry roasted almonds
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-1.5 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
dash of water

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients together in a mini chopper or food processor. If you're not vegan, feel free to replace the nutritional yeast with Parmesan cheese.

My Two Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients

12 thin slices baguette
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, halved
½ pint cherry tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ cup chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes
¼ cup thinly sliced basil
½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cracked pepper

Directions

1. Preheat broiler of oven. Brush one side of the baguette slices with ½ tbsp olive oil. Broil until lightly browned. Flip over, brush with ½ tbsp oil and toast again until lightly browned. Remove from pan and rub one side of each slice with garlic. Discard garlic

2. In a bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Let sit for 10 minutes. Check seasoning.

3. If using pesto, spread 1 tbsp on each baguette slice. Top with bruschetta.

Bonus points for using yellow and red cherry tomatoes.

A Cool Salad of Herbs and Yogurt with Honey Sriracha Tempeh

2011-07-04T07:45:00.000-04:00

I love, love, LOVE it when leftovers from dinner provide the perfect next-day lunch. Last night, we chowed down on Bon Appetit's Yogurt Marinated Chicken and Cucumber-Mint Raita from Epicurious. Both were amazing, and highly recommended. I set aside one of the two chicken breasts that I'd grilled last night for today's lunch.

Originally intending to make a sandwich with the chicken and raita, I found myself wilting in the heat and instead cravings something fresher. So, a salad it was!

I marinated a package of tempeh in sriracha, lime, honey and shallot to play off the balance of cool herbs in the raita. Grilled and served opposite the cold chicken, the salad totally hit the spot.

Hello summer! Aren't you looking colourful? Heirloom Ontario tomatoes, carrots, snow peas, lettuce, cucumber, romaine and butter lettuce, plus fresh mint to garnish. Man, oh man, was this some seriously tasty stuff. I'm planning on making a massive batch of raita up to dip veggies in this week.

Honey Sriracha Tempeh

Ingredients

1 block tempeh, cut into 16 slices
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sriracha
2 tbsp lime juice
1 shallot, minced
¼ tsp kosher salt

Directions

1. Whisk together honey, sriracha, lime juice and shallot. Place in a ziploc bag with tempeh. Marinate in fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

2. Remove tempeh from marinade. Sprinkle with salt and grill over medium heat for 2 minutes on each side, just until grill marks form. Cut into chunks and sprinkle over salad.

Is there anything more beautiful than summer's produce? I think not.

How I See This Summer Playing Out

2011-07-03T14:38:00.003-04:00

This is going to be one crazy month.

Starting tomorrow, I'm going back to school (as a student, not a teacher) to do my Drama Part 2 class. (For those of you not familiar with the teaching system in Ontario, you have to complete 3 university courses in a subject in order to be considered an authority [they call it a specialist] in the field). I'm intending on becoming a drama specialist by the end of the winter session so that I can stay on as the head of the arts department at my school.

One of the huge bonuses to being a head is the position means you can't be surplussed. I think that would be very, very nice.

Anyway, it means there's not going to be much of a break for me this month! The class will be a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to learning more about designing drama curricula, and not being bored.

Not being bored is good. Very good.

Oh, and we're going to see Carrie Fischer in Wishful Drinking next week.

On top of the schooling, I'm still working my butt off in these four weeks to get at least vaguely bathing suit ready for Hawaii.

I'd settle for vaguely. Fat ass and all.

On my last day of classes, we're flying out to Victoria for a destination wedding on Salt Spring Island. I get to be in the wedding and I'm ridiculously excited about it. Like. SERIOUSLY. I've got a super cute bridesmaid dress that I'm very excited to re-wear in Hawaii.

Then, from BC, my parents, husband and I are all flying down to Hawaii for 12 nights. We're mostly going to be on Kauai and Maui (we have a layover on Oahu), and I cannot wait for everything. I'm planning on trying out Stand Up Paddling, and Phil and I are escaping for 3 nights to the Kauai Hyatt.

Once we get back from Hawaii in mid-August, I have three weeks left before school starts again. I've got a week going in to the hospital for allergy tests (patch tests, joy oh joy), hopefully a week in Ottawa to hit up the cottage and then one more week to do all of my years' planning for all the new classes.

Did I mention that one class includes 5 different classes? ESL A-D as well as grade 9 applied English. I have NO idea how I'm going to do it. I'm terrified out of my mind of that class!

But, I'm not going to dwell on it right now. Right now, I'm going to dwell on the amazing bowl of Ontario strawberries tossed with orange segments and a whiff of orange blossom water that I have sitting in front of me.

It's all about living in the moment.

Vanilla Honey & Yogurt Pound Cake

2011-07-01T09:32:00.005-04:00

Is there anything more lovely than strawberries for Canada Day? The two were clearly, clearly meant for each other.

And the fact that they're local strawberries picked up at yesterday's farmer's market? Yes please! Better than this would be strawberries we'd picked ourselves at a local farm, but that's hard to come by in downtown Toronto.

Did you pick strawberries with your family when you were young? I remember it was always a highlight of early summer. We'd be freshly off school and my mum would take my brother and I to the fields. I can remember the intense heat of the sun and the squish of the occasional fallen berry beneath my sandals.

And the taste of a freshly picked strawberry eaten in the field? There is so better tasting strawberry.

I know my brother would agree. When he was little, he'd eat himself practically to sickness on the berries. Let's just say more seemed to make it into his mouth than into his basket.

Strawberry thievery. The most delicious of all illicit fruit theft.

Let's go back to the cake, which I posted a picture of, but haven't talked about at all. Tthis isn't a true pound cake - there's no pound of sugar/flour/butter going on. But, for lack of a better word, to describe it, I'm going to go with pound cake. You bake it in a loaf pan and it looks like a pound cake.

And, I'm just not one of those people who gets wrapped up in semantics.

Anyway, it's got a great crumb and a lovely, subtle vanilla and honey flavour. Perfect for showing off strawberries or whatever toppings you might have on hand.

Vanilla Honey & Yogurt Pound Cake

Ingredients

1½ cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup whole milk yogurt
3 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tbsp wildflower honey, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil (or any other neutral flavoured oil)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, eggs, sugar, 3 tbsp honey, vanilla and oil. Once combined, pour into dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake in over for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester (I use a chopstick) comes out clean.

4. Drizzle remaining tablespoon of honey on the still warm cake. This will create a totally delicious crust.

Serve with fresh local strawberries!

EDIT: I take it back. Don't serve it with local strawberries. I mean, they're delicious, but even better? Uncanny Preserves's Cherries in Almond Syrup.

Holy sweet Jesus.

It's amazing.

It's a thing of beauty. Look at the way that syrup is soaking the cake. DROOOOOOOOOOOOOL.

No... uhm... I wasn't licking the syrup off my fingers. Nor did I stick them back in the jar.

Pshaw.

How dare you insinuate as much.

Okay. Maybe. Maybe it happened.

Anyway, hop on over to Uncanny and try to get yourself a jar of these bad boys. They're outstanding. PERFECT with the cake.

Rhubarb Oat Bars

2011-06-29T09:03:00.000-04:00

The most successful of my rhubarb extravaganza this year! Just don't try to freeze them. They don't thaw well! So, share 'em out the next day with people at work!

Rhubarb Oat Bars

Ingredients

2/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup spelt flour
1 cup oats
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
½ cup melted coconut oil

1 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
4 cups rhubarb, cut into ½" slices
1 tbsp minced candied ginger
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Mix together flours, oats and brown sugar in bowl. Drizzle with coconut oil, and mix until crumbly. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the base of the pan.

3. In another bowl, mix together sugar, cornstarch, rhubarb and ginger. Place rhubarb on top of base. Sprinkle with vanilla. Top with remaining oat mixture.

5. Bake for 45 minutes. Cut into 24 small slices and serve with tea.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Farmer's Market Ingredient of the Week: Pattypan Squash

2011-06-28T06:13:00.000-04:00

Phil picked up a few of these beauties at our weekly farmer's market, and I knew it was time to crack open a cookbook that I hadn't had the opportunity to cook from in a while.

As you've probably noticed, Nigel Slater is pretty much my go-to guy for simple recipes for seasonal cooking. I got this one from Tender 1, and it served the two of us along with some small sausages and some sautéed heirloom tomatoes for an easy supper.

Is there anything Nigel can't do?

Pattypan Squash with Mint and Lemon

(adapted slightly from Tender 1)

Ingredients

1 lb pattypan squash, sliced into ¼" slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large handful whole mint leaves
1 small handful parsley leaves
juice of ½ a lemon
½ tsp kosher salt

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Gently add pattypan slices, and let colour and soften. Once browned, stir in mint, parsley, lemon juice and salt. Raise heat and let bubble for about a minute. Remove from heat, plate and serve.

Finding Victory in Disaster

2011-06-27T07:55:00.000-04:00

I'm beginning to think rhubarb hates me. Every single recipe I've tried with it this year has not turned out the way I'd anticipated.

First there was the rhubarb & custard ice cream which just tasted weird (I never did get around to fixing that recipe).

Then I had the rhubarb-strawberry mochi.

And today? Oh man. I learned a valuable lesson in baking: custard fillings do not belong in galette shapes.

Why? Because the egg custard will puff up, knocking down the sides of your beautiful pastry and run all over the baking sheets. And you'll end up with galettes that look like flat pancakes with the tiniest little bit of custard still stuck to them and rhubarb that hasn't broken down into anything.

Like this:

*Sob*

It's such an obvious mistake. I just want to hit my head on the wall for even thinking that I could pull this off. This was a recipe that clearly needed to be baked in a tart mold... the egg custard just expands so much!

When I pulled these out of the oven, I almost cried. Nothing. Just... nothing has been going right for me there lately! But, because I hate wasting things, I decided to finish baking them and to NOT toss them immediately into the garbage.

And, therein lies the victory. When I stood in the kitchen, surveying the results of the recipe, my husband and I decided to split a tart. As I bit into it, it felt as though a shining halo of light from God himself was glowing 'round the tart.

The pastry is the finest I have ever made. It was delicious - crisp and flaky. And the filling (that didn't leak onto the pan) was actually really, really good. My husband and I stared at each other for a moment.

"These," he pronounced slowly, making sure no crumb escaped him, "are really, really delicious."

So, there you have it. Perhaps I should call them Ugly Duckling Rhubarb Custard Tarts.

Now, I know that a good blogger wouldn't post a less than perfect picture, but I'm out of rhubarb and I'm not a believer in wasting food (and time) just so I can post a picture of tarts in the correct shape.

This attitude is precisely why I'll never be a professional chef. I'm okay with that.

So, if you try this, just make sure you use tart pans.

The pastry makes double what you need, so wrap up half the chilled dough and put it in the freezer for another day.

Rhubarb Custard Tarts

(adapted from the Harrow Fair Cookbook)

Makes 6 tarts

Ingredients

For Pastry

2¼ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup chilled butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg
2 tsp white vinegar
ice cold water

For filling

½ cup granulated sugar
1½ tbsp all purpose flour
scant ¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
pinch sea salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1½ cups sliced rhubarb (½" pieces)

Directions

1. For pastry: Place flour and salt together in food processor. Add in butter and pulse just until crumbs are about the size of peas. Beat the egg and the vinegar together in a measuring up. Add enough of the ice water to equal ½ cup of liquid. Pour liquid over dough and pulse just until the dough comes together. Turn dough onto counter. Divide in half and place each on a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape into a flat disk and wrap up with plastic. Chill for at least an hour in the fridge before rolling out. (Place the other half of the dough in the freezer.)

2. Preheat the oven to 375º.

3. Combine together the sugar, flour, nutmeg and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add in the egg and mix well. Stir in the rhubarb and set aside.

4. Roll out the pastry to fit 6 fluted 3-4" tart moulds. Spoon filling on top of pastry.

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325º and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes, or until custard is set and the crust is golden brown.

6. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Any leftover tarts should be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Quick Tabbouleh

2011-06-26T05:36:00.000-04:00

Tomatoes - specifically raw ones - are one of those things I'm trying to incorporate into my diet more. They've never been something I've really liked to eat, though they're one of my favourite things to try and grow in the garden.

So, when Phil came home with some heirloom cherry tomatoes earlier this week, I knew I wanted to use them in a recipe that would showcase lots of bright, fresh flavours.

Earthy cracked wheat, fresh green onions, parsley, mint and tomatoes form the base of this recipe. Any leftovers the next day can be turned into a lunch time salad when mixed with tuna, chopped kalamata olives and capers.

Quick Tabbouleh

(slightly modified from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

2½ cups boiling water, or vegetable stock brought to a boil
1½ cups uncooked bulgur wheat
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup quartered heirloom cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

1. Place bulgur in a large bowl. Pour boiling water or stock over top. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour.

2. Once the hour has passed and liquid has been absorbed, fluff bulgur with a fork. To it add parsley through lemon zest.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over bulgur mixture. Toss gently and let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow flavours to combine. Mixture will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

Spicy Tuna Salad Rolls

2011-06-25T09:47:00.002-04:00

I love sushi. LOVE it. Seriously, words cannot express the joy I feel when I sit down, pick up a pair of chopsticks and chow down on some maki.

Months ago, I mentioned that Phil and I had gone to the best sushi place in the world (as voted by National Geographic) while we were visiting Tokyo one weekend, and although I'll probably be forever chasing that high, we've had some decent enough sushi since then to satisfy our cravings.

Many of us at home sushi chefs shy away from using raw fish in the house. And, instead of giving you the "know your fishmonger, they'll never steer you astray" speech, I'm going to drop this pearl of wisdom instead:

You only need to get food poisoning from bad sushi once to NEVER EVER push your luck ever again.

See, I knew a guy who ate old sushi - it was a day old - the after effects were so monumentally violent that he was convinced he was going to die. Like, lying on the cold floor of a public washroom sobbing kind of convinced.

Except, he wasn't being permitted to die because he was the guest judge of honour at a speech competition.

Worst. Day. EVER.

And so, I don't use raw fish in our rolls. I'm just as happy to leave the raw fish to the professionals, you know?

But, that doesn't mean you can't replicate the flavours of some of your favourite maki at home!

So, here's a recipe for that ubiquitous North American flavour - spicy tuna, except mixed with my favourite onigiri filling: tuna salad. It makes a great filler for maki rolls.

Spicy Tuna Salad Rolls

Ingredients

2 cups hot cooked sushi rice
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar (you can make your own by heating 1/3 cup rice vinegar with 1 tbsp white sugar and 1 tsp salt)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 can tuna, packed in water
2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise (use whatever you have on hand if you can't get the Japanese stuff)
½ green onion, minced
¼ tsp shichimi (Japanese 7 spice powder)
¼ - ½ tsp sriracha
¼ tsp sesame oil
2 sheets toasted nori

Directions

1. Place sushi rice in a wide bowl. Using a wooden spoon or paddle to cut the rice, slowly add in the seasoned vinegar, tossing as you go. If you have a kitchen monkey to help you out, get them to fan the rice with a tea towel (or fan!). This will help the rice cool down and develop a glossy exterior. Mix in the sesame seeds and set aside.

2. To make filling, drain tuna and place in a bowl. Stir in mayonnaise, green onion, shichimi, sriracha and sesame oil. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside

2. Place one sheet of nori, shiny side down, on top of a plastic wrap lined bamboo sushi mat. Place about 1 cup sushi rice on top. Run your hands under some cold water and then spread the rice gently across the nori. Leave about a ½" border on the the edge closest to you and the two side edges. Leave a larger border on the far edge (about 1½").

For your pleasure, I've included a terrible photoshop image.

3. Spread filling 1/3 of the way across rice. Using the bamboo mat, tightly roll up the roll. For those of you who are bakers, think of it like rolling up a jelly roll. Remember to pause, and make sure you're not rolling up the plastic wrap!

4. Cut into 8 pieces using a sharp knife dunked in water.

Serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi!

My happy news for the week.

2011-06-24T08:38:00.000-04:00

I got the promotion! I've been offered the role of grade 9 department head and arts head at my school.

Thanks to all of you who wished me well, and put up with my endless worrying over the past 3 months!

I think it's time to bring on some of this:

I won't lie, I'm a little nervous about the job. I'll be teaching new subjects next year (including grade 7 math), have my own homeroom and have the added responsibilities of managing a grade and department. But, it's a huge career move and I'm really excited about it.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Mochi

2011-06-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, I made a pretty awful rhubarb and custard ice cream.

Last night, Phil and I made a recipe that I've been waiting 4 months to make.

4 months.

Strawberry Rhubarb Mochi.

I couldn't wait.

They ended up looking like this:

So not pretty. Clearly, this is a recipe that needs some work, so I'm going to wait on posting it.

Tasted mostly okay though.

I feel definitely that something about the mochi itself (rather than the filling) was lacking. It had a quite bitter after taste - which I don't remember about the mochi I ate in Japan. Phil tells me it tastes exactly like he remembers it though, so I don't know if it's just my palate or what.

Like I said: a work in progress.

One of those dead easy side dishes

2011-06-21T07:25:00.000-04:00

I love it when a plan comes together.

It happens so rarely for me.

Sometimes you just need the simplest of ingredients to pull off an all star dish. Heck, this is so easy, I don't even know if I can call it a recipe.

Either way, we ate it with Oprah's Lentil and Rice Burgers, and it was delicious.

Sautéd Green Beans with Crispy Garlic

(adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

1 lb green beans, topped and tailed
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ tbsp unsalted butter
½ tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in green beans and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat when tender crisp, drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

2. Melt butter and oil in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add in garlic cloves and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until just the right side of golden brown. Garlic burns very quickly, so if you feel at all concerned, sauté just until starting to colour. Remove garlic from pan and set aside.

3. Drain beans again and add to the garlic butter in the saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper then mix in the garlic again. Plate and serve hot.

Cucumber and Radish Salad with Lemon Dressing

2011-06-20T08:36:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad the most recent issue of Cooking Light arrived before the postal strike began! It has some great recipes in it.

After all the heavy food (read: fast and deep fried) I ate on the Ottawa-Montreal trip, I've been in serious need of lightening things up. I'm paying off the sins I indulged in at Frites Alors!

It's T-6 weeks until Hawaii, and I'd love love LOVE to drop those 10 pounds that I've struggling with the past 2 months. Plus, one of my students (who we're pretty sure has Aspergers) announced very loudly that I have a "fat ass".

And when even the Aspergers kid notices, you know you've got to take action.

So here I am. Taking some action. Even though I'm not a huge fan of either cucumbers OR radishes, something about this salad spoke to me.

I'm pretty sure it was saying: I'm what your body needs right now. Crunchy. Cold. Vibrant.

I really enjoyed this salad - some fresh dill in place of the parsley would be totally delicious and highly recommended. Plus, although I'm unabashedly trying to lose weight, this salad doesn't feel like deprivation. It feels like the antidote to a scorching summer day.

If you have a mandolin, be sure to whip it out for the radishes and cucumbers. That will make your life SO much easier.

Cucumber and Radish Salad with Lemon Dressing

(from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

½ cup thinly sliced radishes
2 cups thinly sliced cucumber
¼ orange pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Gently toss radishes, cucumber, pepper and parsley together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over cucumber mixture and gently toss again. Let flavours meld in fridge for an hour.

Also, it's a tasty accompaniment for grilled steak, or as a side on some kind of Middle Eastern plate (baba ghanoush, hummus, pita, tabbouleh).

Coconut Cream Tart with Chocolate Macadamia Nut Crust

2011-06-19T08:34:00.003-04:00

Oh my lord. When I was poking over Sweet and Crumbly earlier last week, we got to talking about restaurants on Kauai. Geni had just come back, and I'll be heading out in 5 weeks time.

She posted a picture of some seriously delicious looking Haupia Pie, and I got to wondering about doing some kind of riff off the chocolate-coconut-macadamia nut pie, except making it vegan.

It was a challenge I was SUPER excited about tackling.

I whipped up a simple coconut custard and poured it into a macadamia-coconut version of the hazelnut crust I did a few weeks ago. My intention was to make this a frozen tart, but after tt set up in the freezer for a couple of hours, the night was coming to an end. So, it was whipped out early and was quickly inhaled by three of us during the end of Bachelorette.

YUM.

Coconut Cream Tart with Chocolate Macadamia Nut Crust

Ingredients

for filling

1 cup almond or soy milk
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp coconut extract
1 ripe banana
1 oz grated chocolate
¼ cup flaked coconut

for crust

½ cup macadamia nuts
¼ cup flaked unsweetened coconut
¼ cup oats
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. For filling: In a measuring cup, whisk together almond and coconut milks. Set aside. In a saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add in coconut milk mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Stir in vanilla and coconut extracts. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Press the plastic directly onto the custard, so it does not form a skin. Set in fridge to chill. Mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.

2. For crust: Heat oven to 350º. Spread macadamia nuts, coconut and oats on a baking sheet. Toast for 5 or so minutes, or until just beginning to colour. Place nuts, coconut and oats in a food processor and pulse 2-3 times, just to break up the mixture. Add in the remaining crust ingredients and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Pat into a greased, parchment lined 6" springform pan. Be sure to form a rim up the wall of the pan to keep the custard in. Set aside in freezer to chill for 30 minutes.

3. To assemble: Remove crust from freezer. Slice banana thinly and place directly on top of crust. Pour custard over bananas. Sprinkle with grated chocolate and flaked coconut. Place back in freezer for 1-2 hours, until just beginning to freeze. Serve with additional grated chocolate if desired.

Sorry for the Hiatus!

2011-06-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

The past long, sleepless 4 days, I've been out chaperoning a group of 51 students from my school on their trip to Ottawa and Montreal.

Was the trip long? Yes. Occasionally annoying? Absolutely.

Ultimately fun? Definitely. It was a great way to spend 4 work days!

Plus, I got to eat my way through this:

Poutine from Frites Alors! And yes, we've gone beyond cheese curd territory here. Sautéd onions, mushrooms and red pepper were thrown on top with some bacon. The above bowl is a small, and I could only finish half.

Sooooo good.

Two of the highlights for me of the trip (and that I can so you pictures of) were St. Joseph's Oratory and Notre Dame Basilica.

We had this great moment watching the sun set from the terrace of St. Joseph's and it was just magical. Children who had been bouncing off the walls suddenly stopped, sat and watched in awe.

View from the base of the oratory

Excuse the blurry pictures of inside the dome! I debated not posting it, but wanted to show you the height of the area. It's overwhelmingly huge.

Also, I got to see my first relic ever (the heart [!] of Brother André Bessette who was canonized last October), which was totally thrilling (and a little gross) for the medieval mystery novel reader in me.

Notre Dame is a totally different architectural experience.

Add caption

I just love touring churches. They're so beautiful.

Kofta Meshweya

2011-06-13T08:28:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to finally be able to say that I've cooked my first recipe out of the Penguin Great Food series!

More importantly, it was easy and tasty to boot. And it's meat on a stick! You can't go wrong with food on sticks.

Unfortunately I was so focused on eating that I didn't bother to get a very good picture of the dish.

My apologies.

The pea green stuff is a batch of fava bean hummus I attempted. I don't think that particular recipe is ready for publishing yet, so let's return to meat on a stick.

This recipe comes from A Middle Eastern Feast. Author Claudia Roden says of this recipe:

"Each country and each area in the Middle East has its favourite flavourings for kofta. Here is a basic recipe, giving a few simple alternative seasonings. Use fat meat to keep it moist and juicy. If you find it difficult to put the meat on skewers, make it into burgers."

Kofta Meshweya

(from A Middle Eastern Feast)

Ingredients

1 lb beef, lamb or a mixture of the two
1 small onion, grated
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Place meat in a large bowl. Squeeze onion to remove excess liquid and add to bowl along with seasonings. Knead meat until it becomes paste like. Divide into 4 even balls. Shape balls into oblong shapes and run a skewer through the center.

2. Oil a grill or grill pan well. Place skewers on pan and cook, about 5 minutes each side until cooked and browned on all sides. Serve with pita to catch the juices.

Jasmine Green Tea Lemonade

2011-06-12T07:48:00.003-04:00

The always fabulous Lindsay, over at 100 Mile Locavores came up with this great little recipe as an inexpensive riff off of Starbucks Tazo Iced Tea Lemonade.

As soon as I read it, I had to try it. See, my cousin is getting married this summer, and I'm in charge of developing non-alcoholic drink recipes for the reception. Lindsay's recipe totally inspired me!

I love this recipe! It's so easy, and a great little number to keep in the fridge.

Jasmine Green Tea Lemonade

Ingredients

½ cup sugar (use demerara for an added depth of flavour if you have it lying around the house)
1 ½ cups water, divided
1 cup ice cubes
½ cup lemon juice (or lemon juice concentrate)
1 large pot jasmine green tea, brewed full strength

Directions

1. Make a simple syrup by mixing sugar and ½ cup water in a saucepan and heating just until sugar is melted. While sugar is dissolving, put remaining water, ice cubes and lemon juice into a pitcher. Pour in simple syrup.

2. Add in brewed tea until pitcher is full. Refrigerate until well chilled.

Now, you can also mix the green tea lemonade with some sparkling water for some fizz... or... you can do what I'm doing tonight and enjoying a mixture of 2/3 lemonade to 1/3 chilled fruity white wine. I'm using a muscat, and it's surprisingly delicious for an experiment that I threw together at the last minute!

Speaking of wine... have I introduced you to one of our favourite kitchen tools? No?

Lemme introduce you to Lola!

Yes, a wine stopper. She was a present from my mother-in-law, and is clearly so fabulous as to deserve a name.

I think the chips in the paint on her boob add a certain je ne sais quoi.

Anyone else have treasured kitsch in the kitchen?

Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad

2011-06-11T11:13:00.030-04:00

The other night, we had one of my good friends for Ottawa over for dinner. Poor guy is stuck in Cambridge during the week living in a hotel.

I may have forced an experimental ice cream on him.

He only made a few faces.

That's one of the risks of eating chez nous. I tend to want to try things out.

One of the experiments that did work, however, was this wheat berry and chickpea salad.

Like most of my recipes, proportions are guidelines at best. You could add in zucchini, tons of additional herbs, some tomatoes, garlic... the list just goes on and on. And isn't that the best part about recipes anyway? The adaptability?

Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

1 cup wheat berries
1 19 oz can chickpeas
1 cup chopped parsley
½ cup finely minced onion (red would be pretty if you have it)
½ cup chopped parsley
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1½ tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped
2 oz crumbled feta (remove for a vegan option)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring 4 cups water and wheatberries to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 70 minutes, or until wheatberries are tender. Drain and rinse to stop cooking and place in a large bowl. Toss in remaining ingredients and let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow flavours to come together.

If you're not a fan of raw onion, soak the minced onion in some cold water for 10-15 minutes. This will draw out some of the sharpness and mellow them nicely.

Cooking with Leftover Ingredients

2011-06-10T19:28:00.044-04:00

First off, let me say thank you to all who commented here, on my facebook account or on my message boards wishing me good luck with the interview. My name was put forward as the candidate they want, but we're still waiting on approval from the school board. So right now, we're in a holding pattern.

I can deal with a holding pattern for a little while.

A little while.

Now, this recipe relates to impatience.

You know those days when you buy an ingredient but the recipe only calls for some of it, so you end up with some left over that has to be used RIGHT NOW or else it'll go bad.

I had that experience earlier this week with half an avocado. I don't even remember what I used my first half for. But the second half? Oh, yum.

Now, I won't blame you if you run screaming in the other direction right now, but before you do, let me assure you that this is delicious dessert. It has four ounces of the finest dark chocolate, and crushed hazelnuts and hazelnut butter.

With me so far?

It also has... uhm... half an avocado.

What? You couldn't read that? That's okay, just drool over this picture and never you mind what it said.

Frosty, nutty, and deeply, deeply chocolatey. It's an all round winner.

And frankly, if the avocado (yes, avocado) weirds you out too much, replace it with two small bananas.

Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

(inspired by Oh She Glows)

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mousse

½ large avocado, pitted and flesh scooped out or 2 small bananas, peeled
3 tbsp soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp hazelnut butter
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp cocoa powder
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped and melted

Directions

1. Line the base of a small 5-6" springform pan with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts together with cocoa powder, until crumbly. Add in oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Pour into springform pan and pat in place to create a crust.

2. To make mousse, add all ingredients except melted chocolate to a cleaned food processor bowl. Process until totally smooth and creamy. Add in melted chocolate and process again. Pour mousse onto crust, smoothing the top.

3. Freeze for at least 2 hours to set up. Allow to sit on the counter for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 6 small but totally decadent pieces.

Wish me luck!

2011-06-08T07:49:00.004-04:00

I have a big job interview today at 12:30 pm (EST). If I get it, it'll mean that I get to stay in my current school AND get a big step up career wise. I'm trying not to hyperventilate tons, but we'll see what happens. I was hoping no one else would apply for the position, and that it would be a gimme, but that hasn't happened.

I don't think I've been this nervous for something for a really long time!

Basil Avocado Pesto

2011-06-07T08:36:00.000-04:00

As a newbie in the world of vegan cooking and eating, I find myself relying pretty heavily on the blogosphere for recipes that look appetizing and straight forward. One of the websites I find myself cooking a lot from is Oh She Glows.

Tonight, I threw together Angela's recipe for kamut rotini in creamy basil sauce. It's delicious. Sauté an assortment of veggies, cook up your favourite pasta, make the sauce and you're good to go!

I made some substitutions to the her sauce... I like my pesto filled pumped with basil and not spicy.

Basil Avocado Pesto

(adapted from Oh She Glows)

Ingredients

2 cups packed basil
½ large avocado
2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until desired consistency.

How easy was that?

Turkey Burgers with Ricotta and Sage

2011-06-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Too often, I think, we relegate flavours to a certain season. Turkey and sage, for example are classic combination for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. But, to keep those flavours together just during the cooler months seems like such a shame.

Fresh sage and parsley add depth to turkey burgers, while ricotta both lightens and moistens it. I've been making this recipe since last summer when I spotted it in a Martha Stewart magazine.

I won't lie. I haven't changed a darned thing except scaled the recipe down to make 4 burgers instead of 8.

Martha Stewart's Vermont Burgers

(from Martha Stewart )

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
¼ cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh sage
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Divide into four patties and place, on individual parchment squares, in the fridge for at least an hour. This will help the burgers firm up.

2. Heat a grill (or grill pan) on medium heat. Brush turkey burgers on one side with oil. Pick up parchment and place burgers gently on grill. Peel off parchment paper. Brush next side with oil. Grill on each side for about 5 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 165º.

Serve with all your regular toppings or whip up a batch of Martha's Extra Special Sauce.

A Smoky Chopped Salad for a Hot Day

2011-06-04T14:31:00.000-04:00

Last week, the temperature in Toronto hit a brutal 40º C with the humidex.

Let me be clear on one thing: I am not one of those Canadians who sits around dreaming of the scorching summer sun. I like the heat; I hate the humidity.

Perhaps it's the fact that we have no outdoor space in our apartment (which means all cooking gets done inside), perhaps it's the lack of central air to cool ourselves off at night, perhaps it's the memory of the smell of the summer when the garbage collectors went on strike. Whatever the reason, I really, really dislike Toronto when the heat and humidity hits.

This is one of those recipes designed to embrace the flavour of the heat and humidity, but to avoid heating too much up in the kitchen.

The whole thing comes together really quickly, and you can keep any extra salad dressing in the fridge for 3 days.

Chicken & Chickpea Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing

Ingredients

Dressing

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 smashed clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ancho chili powder

Salad

2 romaine hearts, washed, dried and chopped
2 cup mixed sprouts (pea, sunflower, radish, etc)
½ lb grilled boneless, skinless chicken thighs
½ 19 oz can chickpeas, rinsed
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 oz blue cheese, crumbled
½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
½ avocado, chopped
5-6 cremini mushrooms, sliced

optional: pickled jalapenos or green beans (I love Toorshi Hot and Savoury Green Beans)

Directions

1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Set aside and let sit for an hour so the garlic can infuse the dressing.

2. Toss together salad ingredients. Discard garlic clove and dress the salad. Serve on chilled plates.

That was dead easy, wasn't it?

Happy Friday with Inari Zushi

2011-06-03T17:30:00.001-04:00

Phew, this week couldn't end any sooner! What a crazy time.

I took some students to Peace Tree Day (I was approached by the Harmony Movement to take this on) on Wednesday - they were Peace Tree Spirit presenters, which means they were responsible for teaching 700 kids (ranging from grade 3-8) a multi-cultural fusion dance that they choreographed. They were awesome; we had great weather and only one child put their face into Mel Lastman Square's reflecting pool.

I consider that a success.

Some media coverage of the event can be found here.

Today, I went to the hospital for my allergy tests. My doctor didn't bother to show up, and on top of that, I'd been told I'd be getting tested that day. Instead it was just a consult. Fantastic.

On the plus side, I sat in the waiting room reading one of my new books from the Penguin Great Foods Collection: A Little Dinner Before the Play, and I think I've found the first recipe I'm going to try for my Penguin Great Foods Challenge: Brioches. Now these appear to be little, sweet breads that ought to be served with marmalade.

I'm excited to try that out this evening!

See why I'm glad the week is over? I did have one big success with a new recipe this week. With all these beautiful days, I've started to really crave Japanese food. There's just something about the arrival of summer that makes me dream of kara age, zaru soba and gigantic purple grapes.

For the past two nights, I've been dying for some inari zushi. We ordered out for some sushi one night, but they didn't have any! So, last night I made it my mission to attempt to make them for the first time in my kitchen.

They certainly didn't look as pretty as I would have liked, but that's in part because I cut them the wrong way. But, they tasted pretty damn good! If I'd had more time, I would have let the tofu sit in the dashi marinade in the fridge overnight before stuffing them. But I was hungry, so perfection was going to have to wait.

Inari zushi is essentially deep fried tofu pockets that you simmer in a soy-sake broth to infuse them with flavour.

Then, you stuff them full of sushi rice (rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar and salt). I like to mix my sushi rice with little pieces of chopped pickled ginger and sesame seeds.

Alas, I was out of sesame seeds.

Inari Zushi

(adapted from Washoku)

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

2 cups freshly cooked white Japanese rice
1/3 cup rice vinear
1 tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp salt

8 slices pink pickled ginger, minced

½ tbsp toasted sesame seeds

For Tofu

4 fried tofu slices (I usually buy abura age)
2/3 cup dashi
3 tbsp soy sauce
1½ tbsp sake
2 tbsp sugar

Directions

1. For rice: Place the freshly cooked rice in a large, wide bowl (you, like me, probably don't have the wooden dish traditionally required for sushi rice). In a measuring cup, stir salt and sugar into vinegar to dissolve. Pour about a tablespoon of the vinegar onto the rice and, using a wooden spoon or paddle, gently cut and fold the vinegar into the rice. Continue adding vinegar in a slowly, until it tastes appropriate and liquid is all absorbed. You may only use 2/3 of the vinegar called for, or you may use it all.

Stir in ginger and sesame seeds.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use.

2. For tofu: Boil some water in a kettle. Place tofu slices in a strainer and pour boiling water over them. This will help remove some of the oil still clinging to the tofu. Squeeze out excess liquid. Cut tofu in half horizontally, and gently form a pull open the pocket. Mix together dashi, soy sauce, sugar and sake. Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat, an sear each side of the tofu (about 1 minute on each side). Pour dashi mixture over tofu and simmer for 3 minutes, turning once halfway through. Remove pan from heat. Place a slightly smaller lid (or a drop lid if you have one) directly on the tofu and let cool to room temperature.

3. Remove tofu from dashi. Gently squeeze out extra liquid. Stuff rice into tofu pockets and serve.

Why I Hate the Concept of Meat Substitutes

2011-06-01T05:43:00.000-04:00

Tofu and I are old friends. We met over one Lent more than a decade ago over La Soyarie Herb Burgers and the long held mutual dislike for each other magically evaporated. Before I moved to Japan on the JET Programme, we had a cooking class that involved pan frying cornstarch dredged tofu in a little sesame oil and deglazing the pan with some soy sauce and mirin.

I swear to you, in that first hot month in Sakashita, when the grocery store was a total mystery to my illiterate eyes, pan fried tofu was a staple of my diet. Tofu was easily recognizable and I could pretty much guarantee that I wasn't going to ingest a surprise fish product or mayonnaise based treat when I opened up the package.

In my second year in Japan, my yearly teachers' trip took us to a tofu restaurant in Kyoto where I swear to you I had the best kaiseki of my life.

We get along just fine, tofu and I. We have an understanding.

Tempeh and I... well... that's another story. If you don't know what tempeh is, allow me to give you the gist. Like tofu, it's made from soybeans, though tempeh is an Indonesian product formed in blocks made of fermented soy beans often times mixed with other ingredients (like rice or barley). It's got a nutty and slightly sour flavour, which sounds way less appetizing, doesn't it?

I actually have pictures of what my first meal with tempeh looked like. I never blogged about it because... well... I really didn't like it. As part of one of our first Vegan Mondays, Kat made a recipe she called Vegan Crab Cakes that were made, not with crab (obviously) but with tempeh.

They looked delicious. My husband and Kat scarfed them down.

But for me, there was just something SO awful about them. They didn't taste like crab. Clearly, they were just pretenders.

And that's where a lot of people (read: omnivores), I think, get hung up in their dislike with soy products. Too often are soy products billed as meat replacements.

In my less than humble opinion, tofu is never going to taste like chicken. Or beef. If you think it does, you haven't been eating very good chicken or steak. Where are your taste buds, I ask you, where?

Don't even get me started on soy luncheon meats. Sweet Jesus people, the processed meats are terrible in the first place, what in God's name are you thinking trying to replace a processed product with another processed product?

Before you start accusing me of hating on soy, let me assure you that I'm not. I just think it's a shame to try and force to be something it's not. It's not meat. Let's not pretend it is.

That realization was a huge turning point for me. I needed to stop thinking about tempeh as a meat replacement and to start thinking of it as just another food. Once I'd done that, I discovered I didn't hate the stuff anymore. On the contrary, I learned to appreciate its flavour for being unique to it and it alone.

I'll be posting a recipe with tempeh in it later this week. It's marinated in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic and honey and it's totally delicious.

But please don't, for a second, think of it as a meat replacement.

A Caramelized Chicken Stir-Fry

2011-05-31T08:11:00.000-04:00

On the one hand, I feel like I should be apologizing for all these Gwyneth Paltrow based dishes. On the other, they've all turned out really well.

Stir-fries aren't a popular dish in our house on account of my husband not really being into them. But, I really like them, and I'm the cook, so sometimes he just has to put up with what I put on the table.

He went back for seconds, so that should tell you a little something about this recipe!

Now, Gwyneth brands this as "the best chicken stir-fry" and I don't know that I agree that it's the best, but it is very good. I'll give her that. I'll also give her that this recipe comes together about as quickly as your local Chinese take-out joint would take to deliver to your house.

You might as well just make it, if you ask me!

Chicken Stir Fry

(mildly adapted from My Father's Daughter)

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3/4" cubes
2 tbsp potato starch (you can use cornstarch instead)
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp canola oil
6 large cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup minced ginger
4 green onions, minced
¼ tsp hot pepper flakes
½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Toss chicken cubes with potato starch and a healthy pinch of salt and a generous seasoning of pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick wok. Add the garlic, ginger, green onions and chile flakes and cook for about 1 minute. Add the chicken cubes and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add in the vinegar and sugar and additional black pepper. Allow to boil for about 3 minutes, or until the sugar has really caramelized and the whole sauce is thick and sticky. Stir in the soy sauce, cook for an additional minute and then remove from heat. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.

Makes enough for 3-4, depending on their appetites.

We ate it with sticky rice with tossed with cooked kale and soy sauce.

My Favourite Chickpea Salad Sandwich

2011-05-30T06:38:00.000-04:00

Most of us, at some point in have had an egg salad sandwich or a tuna salad sandwich or chicken salad. Now, I love a good tuna salad as much as the next person, but sometimes, you just want something with a little more oomph, and a little less slathered in mayo.

Enter Fresh's Chickpea Salad. Smashed chickpeas, carrots, celery, green onions and dill pickle... it's got all the right stuff going on. Pumped up with dijon mustard and honey and a mere tablespoon of mayonnaise (I've recently swapped this out for vegenaise because the latter just tastes SO much better), this is a friendly riff off of a classic comfort food.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Avocado and Pea Sprouts

Chickpea Salad

(from Fresh at Home)

Ingredients

1 19 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large carrot, shredded
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 green onion, minced
1 large dill pickle, minced
1½ tbsp dijon mustard
½ tbsp honey (or agave)
1 tbsp vegenaise/mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Break up chickpeas in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Alternatively, you can mash them with a potato masher.

2. In a large bowl, mix together chickpeas with remaining ingredients. Mixture will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

Makes enough for 6 sandwiches. I like topping mine with avocado, roasted red peppers and some alfalfa sprouts.

My Newest Pile of Cooking Related Reading Material

2011-05-29T10:41:00.000-04:00

I've talked about my deep and abiding love of Coralie Bickford Smith's Penguin Classics Covers before. Last week, I got my first big shipment of one of her latest projects, Penguin's Great Food series.

The collection consists of different books about food. The only one I have read is Samuel Pepys' Joys of Excess, but the rest are all brand new to me.

Over the past couple of nights, I've tucked in to the The Elegant Economist (1845) by Eliza Acton and The Campaign for Domestic Happiness (1861) by Isabella Beeton, which not only includes recipes, but also tables detailing how much you should be paying your servants (Scullery Maid - £4-8 a year). She also writes on appropriate dress and behaviour of the for mistress of the house.

My favourite section detailed the social rules for paying visits of courtesy and friendship:

"These visits [those of courtesy] should be short, a stay of fifteen to twenty minutes being quite sufficient. A lady paying a visit may remove her boa or neckerchief; but neither her shawl nor bonnet.... In paying visits of friendship, it will not be so necessary to be guided by etiquette as in paying visits of ceremony; and if a lady be pressed by her friend to remove her shawl and bonnet, it can be done if it will not interfere with her subsequent arrangements"

"It is not advisable, at any time, to take favourite dogs into another lady's drawing-room, for many persons have an absolute dislike to such animals; and besides this, there is always a chance of a breakage of some article occurring, through their leaping and bounding here and there, sometimes very much to the fear and annoyance of the hostess. Her children, also... should not accompany a lady in making morning calls... The children can be taken in the vehicle and remain in it until the visit is over."

Personally, I find is especially hilarious that the bit about dogs is placed before the bit about children.

And that they are compared to the animal, and not vice versa.

They books are just lovely little snippets of different time-periods! I highly recommend picking the series up. I'm thinking of attempting to cook one recipe from each book (not all contain recipes) where possible...