In response to a quick visit from an old friend coming for tea, I naturally made for the kitchen. I'd set aside my quest for a recipe to use up the copious amounts of extra coconut I had from the Perfect Party Cake and thought that the ...
Clawing from the depths of a seemingly endless winter, spring has finally arrived. Of course with about a foot of snow still remaining outside of my urban home and the prediction of 6 more weeks of crappy weather, it's a little hard to believe. Thankfully with ...
Some readers might remember my super wonderful Xmas gift which freed me from the confines of a toaster oven. Well, since then I've not only been making muffins by more than the 1/2 dozen, I've finally done what I've been meaning to do ...
Heading out with the intention to create a citrusy tart flecked with the essence of rosemary or cardamom, I started out with a super red grapefruit curd for the filling. Anyone who reads here regularly, might have noticed I'm a bit of a red grapefruit junky. I'll slip it into dishes where ever it fits. Heck, I even bathe in the stuff. Being amongst the world's best doughnut eaters, not that I would necessarily know, of course but what can I say? I'm Canadian. Those little slurps here and a spoonfully nibble there of the grapefruit curd, reminded me of a fresher, livelier version of the sweet lemony filling squeezed out as the best part of a filled doughnut. Petite tarts of fanciness were sent to the back burner as I set out to create a canuck worthy doughnut. Updating that simple, lemony filling to this, little more grown up, less of a drive-thru flavour was supurb with a little dusting of sugar and a hot morning cup of coffee. It was so sinfully wonderful to have to admit that vegan food isn't always healthy but certainly scrumptious. As the January resolutions met their match, I realised I'm not the only one who's given up a diet for some February grease. Helen from Tartlette and Peabody have teamed up for a donut fry fest; this, my friends should be good.
Who doesn't like pizza? I am yet to meet a single soul who would turn down a slice.... Except when it was going to be me with the notion of no cheese. I was always of the mindset that pizza had but one basic construction - a crust (perfect blend of thin and chewy ), sauce (very important) and cheese. - Everything on top of that is really up to an individuals discretion and craving. That was until I had a bite of my first "real European" pizza experience. Being 15 and at the height of my pizza connesseur training, I was in the south of France on exchange. My host mother would pack my lunches complete with a little Mom note, a chocolate and something often mysterious to try; there was infrequent PB&J in Provence. While out in the countryside, our group was left to remark on the construction of Romanesque Aqueducts. Removed from any civilization able to spare me of my brown bag filled with cold and cheeseless pizza with peppers and black olives (with pits!) Starving and only armed with my Orangina, I dug in and discovered a new, old, delicious world of pizza. From that moment, my eyes were opened, my pallet was cleansed and my nose had been lifted to new a pizza snob height never known before; and I was yet to arrive in Italy! Flashing forward 15 some odd years, when trying to capture the best vegan version, I knew that one of those important and very expected elements - cheese, would be missing. Making up for the lack of gooey dairy was actually easy and created a more flavourful pizza than I'd usually eat. The secret of a good crust is always important and the hint for vegan pizza is just to pre-bake the crust a little longer to insure the crispness and then you're free to go to town on virtually any topping you could imagine. Pizza for breakfast? Check out 80 Breakfasts, who is hosting HHDH. I'm sure it will be quite the round-up.
It's a crazy thing that I'm about to admit to. For Christmas, I got a new stove. No, it wasn't a Garland or one of those hot little Bertazzoni numbers, just four burners and a functional oven. Finally. It's embarrassingly amazing how used to baking in a toaster sized convection oven I'd become. In fact many of these photographed recipes were made from that bitty thing. The last stove worked, however the oven did not and the burners needed a little Laura Ingles styled lovin' with a match and some rapid waving. It's taken me a few days to stop reaching for a match and just turn a knob to light it. This technology continues to amaze me. It's pretty natural for me to be quite in love with such a new toy. Any good kitchen gal loves a new oven, right? I'd been yearning for large loaves of fresh bread and batches of cookies baked more than six at a time. ...And the thought of waking up in the morning with the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls all puffed and ready, just waiting to be baked in a real sized oven? Heaven. Ahhhh. My house has never smelled better. Needless to say, you might have to look forward to more baked items from me this winter.
Stuffing is easily the highlight of most Holiday dinners. It's what turns Sunday dinner in to a Holiday feast and there are about the same amount of people who eat it that there are ways of making it. Here, I've combined a few of my favourites with a little seasonal flare, creating something scrumptious, festive and memorable. What would be lovely on it's own, shuffled up beside stewed cranberries, I originally thought I would stuff red onions. Upon a quick search, I found that the beautiful site, Smitten Kitchen had already done just that but with much different stuffing. Having a surplus of onions and one lonely pumpkin still left from Halloween, I decided to march forward and give you all one more pumpkin dish. Naturally the stuffing can be baked up on it's own, or in any other found cavity, but I really liked the moisture and the sweetness of this little pie pumpkin. It really complemented the dried persimmons and roasted chestnuts headlining the dressing. ...And I still had a little left over for a few onions after all. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement. Enjoy the day, your friends, family and your dinner.
Had enough of this pumpkin business yet? Thought not, so, just you wait.
One of the best things about living in Canada in the fall, other than the fabulous hauls from the farmers market, is that other reason why we appreciate the almighty maple tree. The nectar of nature, maple syrup is truly a spring gift, however delicious, a simple autumn walk can be just as spectacular. The colourful displays the scarlet and rusted orange maple leaves screaming their last vibrant shrieks before plunging to their deaths is always enough to get my heart racing back to life. When I recently took part in a detox diet, I realized my longing of food. No, I didn't crave fatty snack food or sugar, per se, it was the bread. Neglected of fruit, sugars and wheat among (many) other things, it was the bread I craved. Always a creative person, by mid-diet, I was determined to solve my dilemma. Only restricted by wheat, gluten and yeast, I set out to find any alternative. Scanning the aisles of the health food store, I found various root and bean flours which met my specific diet requirements. Knowing that some of these new flours would lend an undesired new flavour twist to my creation, I found the most mild; brown rice, cranberry bean, arrowroot and soy flours then set off to work. Inspired by a dense, sticky snack bread sent to me from my Blogging By Mail partner, Arden. Her Kruidkoek was spiced, but not too sweet, perfect for something like, say, pumpkin. Next having to go sugar-free, I knew I wouldn't get the sticky, sweetness of that super Dutch snack, but it didn't matter. I wasn't looking for cake, I wanted my bread back. Something to clean my plates and dip in my soup. Something just to finally eat and feel satisfied again. The maple syrup was perfect in this regard. Not the same sweetness as sugar and just a hint of smokiness - perfect. What I ended up with made me feel like I was cheating, isn't that terrible? Great on it's own and with the Roasted Vegetable Soup, I finally I felt like this diet was really working for me. I had my bread, I felt whole again.
So when you find yourself asking what it is you are going to do with the baseball bat sized zucchini that your father in law grew and gave to you, without duplicating a recipe or making yet another cake, pasta, salad, pesto, side dish... Boil a pot of tea and eat a warm Scottish styled scone while you think about it. So much more delicate and unexpected than bread, these scones are quick to make, quick to bake and quick to eat. Try them, if you still have any zucchini left...
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