Category: Cooking Chronicles

The Cooking Chronicles: Desserts are for Sharing

Though I enjoy baking, it’s not something I do very often. My baking accoutrements are limited to a cookie sheet and a muffin pan, and I don’t even own an electric mixer. Moreover, knowing that the two of us will be on the hook to finish the entire dessert ourselves is often a deterrent enough. So more often than not, I end up saving dessert recipes for special occasions or instances where I know others will be able to help us enjoy the sweets.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Yogurt Loaf Cake

I remember seeing pictures of Rhianna’s extra virgin olive oil and yogurt loaf cake on her blog, and thinking what a brilliantly vibrant cake it was. I wanted to make something for Mack’s Grandma to help celebrate her birthday, and being a tea drinker, I thought the loaf would be a perfect afternoon accompaniment.

I’ve never made a cake using olive oil before, but I’ve read about the fruity flavour it can lend baked goods. However, I wasn’t able to discern a distinct flavour in my final product that I could attribute to the olive oil – nor was it wasn’t as bright as Rhianna’s cake. I also probably would have added some actual lime juice to the batter – the zest just didn’t lend enough citrus taste to the cake.

 Extra virgin olive oil and yogurt loaf cake

Still, much like other yogurt loaves, I found that it helped keep the cake fairly moist. Most importantly though – Mack’s Grandma liked it!

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

I didn’t grow up eating rhubarb. It just wasn’t a part of my Mom’s repertoire, so my first encounter with rhubarb was fairly recent, incorporated into a dessert of some kind. I liked it well enough, but didn’t think much about it until our weekly visits to the City Market opened my eyes to how ubiquitous rhubarb is here. Several of the produce vendors offer it (Sundog Organics, Edgar Farms, and Riverbend Gardens, among others), and I knew I couldn’t just keep passing it by.

We picked up several of the pink-green stalks from Sundog Organics a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t yet have a recipe in hand, but I knew my family would be willing to sample whatever I made. Searching online, the vast majority of recipes I stumbled across featured rhubarb paired with strawberries, but I really wanted to find something that would allow the rhubarb to sing on its own. This rhubarb upside-down cake was it.

It was super-easy to make (as I am sure most upside-down cakes are), and though the recipe author claims it isn’t the most attractive dessert, I thought otherwise, between the pink hues and the flecks of orange scattered throughout (I will say that the photo below is terrible though…most things that I photograph in my parents’ yellow kitchen appear jaundiced).

Rhubarb upside-down cake

Although the rhubarb was a bit tart, the edge was taken off by a scoop of cold, sweet ice cream. Amanda also suggested that cinnamon would be a worthy addition to the cake batter. I do think I will make this again though – it’s hard to resist using seasonal ingredients when they’re so readily available!

The Cooking Chronicles: Poached Eggs on Asparagus and Bacon with Yogurt Hollandaise

While both Mack and I love the idea of having breakfast for dinner, it usually manifests itself as frittatas, quiches, and the like. But because of our love of brunch, I thought Mack’s pre-trip dinner on Saturday (he’s in New Orleans for a conference this week) should be a more blatantly breakfast-type meal. A recipe for poached eggs on asparagus with yogurt hollandaise, in Rose Murray’s A Taste of Canada, sounded perfect.

Though this recipe wasn’t difficult, it involved nearly every pot and pan we had in the house, making cleanup a not-so-envious task. Still, the results were fantastic, so we couldn’t complain.

This was my first time poaching eggs (I am partial to the ease of frying eggs). As I slipped the eggs into the water, peering into the bubbling water, I felt a little like Julie Powell, willing the whites to stay together (not to mention that they were quality eggs from Sunshine Organic; I hate wasting food, let alone good food). While some of the whites did inevitably drift apart, I was happy with the results.

While I watched over the eggs (and waited for the Edgar Farms asparagus to finish roasting and the ciabatta buns to toast), Mack fried up some back bacon from Irvings Farm, and took care of whisking together the yogurt-based hollandaise on a double boiler. Nothing says teamwork like cooking together!

We served the finished product with some mixed heritage greens from Greens, Eggs and Ham, tossed with some lemon vinaigrette.

Poached eggs on asparagus with yogurt hollandaise

Ciabatta buns were the wrong choice as the bread base (they was a little too hard to cut through), but everything else worked well. The addition of bacon made it that much tastier, and though Mack found the mustard-flavoured hollandaise a bit disconcerting to start with, he did enjoy it in the end.

Dining al fresco!

For dessert, we topped some creamy Breyers double churn (we love how easy it is to scoop the ice cream straight out of the freezer) with crumbled cookies from Confetti Sweets (a new vendor this year at the City Market).

Dessert

We may end up having this meal again for breakfast one day. Yum.

The Cooking Chronicles: Wilted Pea Tendril Salad

Unlike a conventional CSA with a produce farmer, where I think the sheer quantity and new-to-me vegetables would be overwhelming for a novice cook like me, I much prefer the route of trying and experimenting with different varieties at my own pace. If you can believe it, I tried parsnips and kale for the first time in the past year.

Having challenged myself to visit the City Market every week this year, I’m finding it even easier to do this, as I am now even more aware of the burgeoning seasonal inventory that changes every week. And though I may not pick up that produce item the first time around, being able to identify it, and realizing that we can grow it in Alberta is the first step for me.

Last Saturday, I couldn’t resist buying a beautiful bouquet of pea tendrils from Sundog Organics (their lovely displays of rustic baskets alone could get me to relinquish my wallet, I think). Though I had originally intended to throw them into an odds and ends stir-fry (made up of whatever was nearing the end of its life in the crisper), I thought better of it, and began searching for a recipe that would more appropriately showcase the tendrils.

A simple, warm pea tendril salad with mushrooms and shallots ended up fitting the bill, mostly because I had all of the ingredients required, and because I wouldn’t have the opportunity to accidentally overcook the delicate greens.

Eaten raw, the pea tendrils were crisp and sweet, and would make a lovely garnish or an addition to a mixed green salad. In this warm salad, they retained their fresh bite, contrasting nicely with the softened, buttery mushrooms. It would make a great starter dish for a dinner party, or a light accompaniment with fish.

Wilted pea tendril salad with mushrooms

Have you tried any new items from the City Market lately?

The Cooking Chronicles: It’s Asparagus Season!

I love reading the weekly updates from Edgar Farms, and in particular, seeing the first snapshots of the season capturing those darling, plucky stalks of asparagus bursting upwards from the soil. Sure, there are many ways to tell that spring is upon us, but I think it’s great that we are lucky enough to have a timely, seasonal vegetable that can act as our harbinger of spring.

Asparagus from Edgar Farms

At $6 a bunch, they’re not an inexpensive purchase at the City Market, but for the product’s freshness and ability to easily last a week in the fridge, they’re worth the cost.

Roasted Asparagus

What’s better than a side of simple, roasted asparagus? Tossed with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and placed in a 450 degree oven for 8 minutes or so, the crisp-tender stalks are bright and tasty.

Roasted asparagus

Asparagus Pesto

I’ve written in the past about my love of the versatile dip/spread as my office potluck staple dish – it allows me to escape the pre-lunch crush at the stove/microwave as my fellow colleagues rush to heat up their contribution. And, really, it’s allowed me to try out new recipes without having to commit to eating an entire sampling myself.

This time, an asparagus pesto recipe in the NYT caught my eye, and its radiant green hue seemed perfect for a spring potluck. I threw the blanched asparagus pieces with some of the cooking liquid, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan, black pepper and a dash of lemon juice into the food processor and blended everything until the mixture was creamy.

The result was a smooth, hearty dip with a deep, earthy flavour, and one that I am happy to say solicited many requests for the recipe.

Asparagus pesto

It’s a versatile pesto, and one that I look forward to trying with pasta as well, as suggested in the recipe.

What’s your favourite way to enjoy asparagus?

The Cooking Chronicles: Mother’s Day Duck Confit

Between Media Camp and volunteering for Homeless Connect over Mother’s Day weekend, Mack and I didn’t have the time or energy to prepare a special meal for my Mum. So instead, we promised her supper the following Sunday – great timing not only because my parents were fresh from a short holiday to Vancouver, but also because it allowed us to finish up our ingredient shopping at the City Market.

Though I didn’t set out to cook a meal made up almost entirely of local ingredients, it ended up that way – being more conscious about where your food comes from tends to do that. On the menu: braised lentils with confit of duck (from Grainworks and Greens, Eggs and Ham); roasted root vegetables (from Kuhlmann’s, Sundog Organics, Greens, Eggs and Ham); and mixed heritage greens (from Greens, Eggs and Ham).

Knowing that the confit of duck would take the longest (the recipe indicated 45 minutes), we started with that. Of course, with Murphy’s Law, the entire dinner took about two hours to complete – I always seem to overestimate my adeptness in the kitchen.

The recipe is printed in The Food Lover’s Grail Guide to Alberta, by Mary Bailey & Judy Schultz, and is courtesy of Chef Kelly Strutt, who worked at the Deer Lodge at the time of the book’s printing. The instructions directed us to cover the duck legs with fresh thyme, rosemary and salt and refrigerate for 48 hours. To cook the duck legs, we rinsed off the salt and herbs, then simmered them in duck fat (also from Greens, Eggs and Ham) for thirty minutes. It was my first time cooking confit-style, and for whatever reason, I thought the fat would retain its solid consistency, but instead, it melted into a thin yellow oil.

In the meantime, we had prepped the carrots, parsnips and baby potatoes, tossed with some dried herbs, salt, pepper, honey and Mighty Trio Organics canola oil, and had put them into the oven. I also started on the braised red and green lentils, cooked with sautéed shallots and chicken stock.

To toss with the mixed heritage greens (our first bag of the year!), I whisked up my favourite vinaigrette – lemon juice, olive oil, grainy mustard (from The Bison in Banff), honey, salt and pepper.

The last task was the most difficult – to “flake” the duck meat from the bone. The recipe made it sound easier than it actually was – Mack and I fought tooth and nail to separate the meat from both skin and bone. I actually resorted to tearing with my fingers instead of using a knife and fork. In the end though, we were able to wrench a fair amount of meat from the pair of duck legs, and definitely enough to feed the six of us, with accompaniments.

Braised lentils and duck confit

I am happy to report that my mom enjoyed the meal. The duck meat was tender and flavourful, and though the lentils probably could have used another ten minutes on the stove, I didn’t mind that they still had a little bite to them.

Plated with roasted vegetables and mixed heritage greens

For dessert, we purchased the show stopping Duchess from the eponymous bakery. I’d been looking for an excuse to try it, and a meal for my Mum seemed like the perfect occasion.

The Duchess

Chiffon cake layered with pastry cream and raspberry, then topped with a dome of vanilla bean whipped cream and encased in a marzipan shell, it is no doubt a dessert made with skill and care. My favourite part was the light and airy chiffon and the delicate raspberry filling.

Inside the Duchess

Family and good food – what more could you ask for?

The Cooking Chronicles: Blueberry Dreams

Like Isabelle, I’ve been dreaming of the fruits of summer – luscious raspberries, lip-staining strawberries, fragrant peaches. I’ve been making do with apples, bananas and (a lot of) grapefruit, but I just can’t wait for the warm-weather treasures.

So instead of our usual breakfast sandwich (a variation of this) on the last few weekends, I’ve been involving the ever-versatile blueberry. Last year, I ran out of my supply of frozen BC blueberries in a few weeks time – this year, I have good intentions to freeze a great deal more. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to enjoy fruit reminiscent of breezy summer days in the middle of winter, especially in a recipe that breathes life back into them.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I’m not sure why it took me so long to try buttermilk pancakes, but there’s no going back now. Fluffy, light, and a recipe that requires no more effort than any other from-scratch batter, I think we’ve found our go-to pancakes! (I should say, unless someone can hack the Clinton St. Baking recipe – best pancakes I’ve ever had.)

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Blueberry Corn Muffins

I usually save muffin making for evening downtimes, but a recipe for blueberry corn muffins suggested that I serve them warm for breakfast. The cornmeal seemed like an unusual but intriguing ingredient, and ended up adding a distinct sweetness and crunchy texture to the muffins. Oh, and the muffins were great at room temperature also.

 Blueberry Corn Muffins

Bring on the fresh blueberries!

The Cooking Chronicles: Dinners by Giada

I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a Food Network baby. Not in the sense that I was raised in front of the channel, but coddled and comforted by their flashy, entertaining programming until I was ready to cook myself.

I also admit that I’m not one of those people has been experimenting in the kitchen since I was three. Save for occasional adventures in baking, my time in the kitchen up until a few years ago was spent eating my mother’s food. So for me, the easy but tasty recipes put forth by Food Network chefs provided an uncomplicated gateway to cooking.

Giada de Laurentiis was one of the first food personalities I latched on to. On Everyday Italian, her food looked beautiful, her techniques were straightforward, and her flavours were approachable (her panna cotta recipe is still my go-to dessert for potlucks). It took me a while to actually buy one of her books, as many of her recipes are online, but I eventually added Everyday Italian and Everyday Pasta to my collection.

Now, though I find her show a bit grating sometimes (the Giada drinking game would involve “peppery” arugula, and the phrase, “just like that”), I still uncover inspiration in her cookbooks. And while some of her recipes involve things that I wouldn’t normally have on hand, two recent meals were pantry approved.

Creamy Orzo

Simple and flavourful (it helps when there is a lot of cream involved), this creamy orzo recipe, featuring diced tomatoes and peas is appealing to the eye, and as comforting as macaroni and cheese. I served it with some sliced prosciutto to make it even more rich.

Creamy orzo

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

While the weather still had that pre-spring chill in the air, Giada’s Tuscan white bean and garlic soup was the perfect warming cure. Silky from the pureed white beans and some cream, a bowl made a great light meal paired with a green salad.

Tuscan white bean and garlic soup

Who’s your favourite Food Network personality?

The Cooking Chronicles: Chicken for Lunch

With pan-frying and roasting being our go-to methods of cooking chicken, I really never considered poaching an option before. From reading tips on various websites, it seemed the trick to moist, flavourful meat was to throw in some flavouring agents (bay leaves, peppercorns, onions, garlic, salt, etc.), and not to overcook it.

Needing some cooked chicken for a We Eat Together recipe for curried chicken and apple soup, I decided to poach a chicken breast in the chicken stock and coconut milk that would become the base of the soup anyway. Good idea, in theory, except that coconut milk has a tendency to boil over…very quickly. Besides having to clean the stove though, the method worked reasonably well. The apples were an interesting textural addition to the soup – they became almost translucent in appearance, and lost most of their sweetness to the broth. I probably wouldn’t have known they were apples if I didn’t add them myself. It’s hard not to love a soup that contains coconut milk though!

Curried Chicken and Apple Soup (photographed in the very drab lunch room at my office – between the fluorescent lighting and the grey tables, I admit defeat)

A second meal involving poached chicken (this time just in water, with a few aromatics thrown in), was a variation on Donna Hay’s chicken pot pies, from No Time To Cook. Her version involved combining cooked chicken with sour cream, shredded cheddar to be baked in ramekins and a puff pastry crust. I decided to throw in some peas and steamed potatoes and carrots for good measure.

Chicken Ramekin Pies

The final product was perfectly sized for lunch the next day (and the puff pastry wasn’t too worse for wear heated separately in a toaster oven).

Mmm…puff pastry

It’s always handy to have more cooking methods at my disposal, especially ones that don’t involve a lot of work on my part!

The Cooking Chronicles: I Heart Donna Hay

I was lucky enough to receive two Donna Hay cookbooks for Christmas this year – Instant Entertaining and her newest, No Time To Cook. When I first started browsing cookbook shelves a few years ago, her volumes immediately caught my eye – the full-colour photographs were unlike any I had encountered before. Simple, elegant and beautiful, Hay’s food stylist could make anything look good.

I was particularly drawn to No Time To Cook, which focuses on quick meals – whether assembled, thrown together in one pot or baked in a single dish. I’m still working my way through the book (many a recipe are bookmarked), but I’ve had a chance to try two thus far.

Hay’s crunchy parmesan-crumbed chicken recipe was, in Mack’s words, “like Shake and Bake”. Chicken breasts were topped with a mixture of melted butter, dried herbs, parmesan and breadcrumbs, then baked at 390F. We made the mistake of not first filleting the breast in half to reduce the baking time (and further prevent the chicken from drying out), but we know now!

Crunchy Parmesan-Crumbed Chicken, with Rice and Vegetables

Hay’s recipe for baked risotto was chosen as much for convenience as it was to use up the leeks I had in the fridge. As I ran back and forth between the kitchen and the living room (the Canadian Men’s quarter final hockey game was on), once the prep was done, the dish finished itself in the oven. Of course, somewhere in between, I forgot to add the butter, but it didn’t seem to affect the final product too much, after I stirred it in at the end. While there is a definite textural difference between the baked rice and lovingly-stirred, creamy stovetop risotto, with the addition of two crunchy leeks, the rice was decent (and even better served with salty prosciutto, Hay’s suggestion).

Baked Risotto with Roasted Vegetables and Prosciutto

I’ve earmarked several more recipes to try – no doubt this cookbook won’t sit idle on my shelf for long!

The Cooking Chronicles: Pigs Without a Blanket

No, the actual name of the recipe we made is Toad in the Hole, but I couldn’t resist (especially when there doesn’t seem to be a satisfying explanation of why a dish made with sausages has such a name to begin with).

After our successful meal of red wine-braised sausages, we decided to give another Irvings Farm Fresh recipe a try (I think the “very easy to make” part sold it for me). While I browned the sausages, I whipped up what was essentially Yorkshire pudding batter, and eventually poured it into a baking dish containing hot oil. I placed the sausages on top, and the dish went back into the oven for about half an hour.

The result wasn’t visually appealing, but was darn tasty. The edges that had baked up crispy and golden were the best, and though it was mostly doughy and not at all like Yorkshire pudding, given the amount of work it took, I was pleased with the outcome. We had both sundried tomato basil and rosemary leek sausages on hand, but we decided we would stick with the latter – the tomato flavour was just a bit too strong for our taste.

Toad in the Hole

I served the dish with a simple apple celery slaw, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil (more because that was all we had in the crisper). The refreshing salad turned out to be a good accompaniment to the heavy main course.

Pigs Without a Blanket and Apple Celery Slaw

I encourage you to give this a try one day if you’re looking to have something different for dinner!