Category: food

The Cooking Chronicles: Lemon Muffins

I had spied an interesting recipe in the April/May edition of Taste of Home for Lemon Crumb Muffins, and thought they would make an ideal treat for my coworkers.

I started the recipe a little later than I originally intended, but with my Mum’s help, was able to get them in and out of the oven just after midnight. The crumb portion of the recipe didn’t work out (was I supposed to use brown and not granulated sugar?), so I ended up omitting the topping all together. The muffins came out a little paler than I was expecting, and not as lemony as I wanted however, so I’m not sure I’d make them again. My coworkers didn’t seem to mind the imperfections though!

Lemon Muffins

More Bakery than Cafe: Breadland Organic Whole Grain Bakery

After reading a backstory about the owners of Breadland Organic Bakery (11642 104 Avenue) in Vue Weekly last fall, I included it on my list of places to hit.

I convinced Cristy to come to Breadland with me for lunch on Wednesday. It took us a while to find the non-descript storefront in the maze of Oliver Square, but we eventually located the bakery next to Second Cup.

Breadland is known for their use of organic ingredients and spelt flour, a whole grain version that is apparently easier to digest. We entered the empty space, greeted by a quaint seating area decorated with care, and racks of fresh-baked loaves behind the counter. Two coolers held various desserts and lunch items. Breadland also sells organic chicken eggs and coffee from St. City Roasters.

I was hoping for more substantial lunch choices (as alluded to in the Vue Weekly article), but all Cristy and I had to choose from was a daily soup (vegetarian chili that day), a pizza, and a quiche. We agreed to split a slice of the sprouted spelt crust vegetarian pizza ($5) and a spelt spinach quiche ($4).

The servings were unfortunately small (or fortuitously small, allowing for consumption of dessert), and cold. We didn’t ask to have our portions heated, so perhaps it can be done, but I would assume that most of Breadland’s nearly year-old business comes from customers interested in takeaway only. In any case, the pizza, topped with an interesting mix of lentils and beans, was as good as a cold slice of pizza could have been. The quiche was the main attraction, however – with a base of buttery crust, the custardy filling was streaked with velvety cheese and spinach.

For dessert, we chose to share a chocolate croissant ($3), and a gluten free coconut cashew ball ($4). The coconut confection wasn’t my favorite, but the croissant was fresh – crisp and buttery, I would have actually preferred no filling, as the chocolate was a tad too sweet and concentrated for my liking.

More expensive than your conventional café and without too many options, Breadland isn’t an ideal place for lunch. That said, I wouldn’t mind stopping by to try out a loaf or two in the future.

Exterior

Interior

Fresh bread!

Dessert case

Lunch

Dessert

Food Notes

  • It looks like they are just putting the finishing touches on the Sobeys Urban Fresh (10404 Jasper Avenue), which opens this Thursday. I am excited to hear about the local products they will be offering (Greens, Eggs and Ham, among them), and the partnership they have with the City Centre Market.
  • A new Wok Box is under construction in the old bakery space on Jasper Avenue next to Who Cares?
  • Judy Schultz mentioned a new deli in Edmonton in her Bistro column last week – Careit Urban Deli (5236 199 Street) apparently specializing in healthy takeout meals.
  • Check out 630 CHED’s website for gift certificates priced at half their value every Wednesday at 10am. This week, they were offering $100 vouchers at Von’s Steakhouse for $50.
  • Kerstin’s Chocolates will be offering their first ever chocolate making course next week.
  • Mack sent me a link about a new service where dialing “#PIZZA” on your cell phone will not only connect you with viable delivery options, but also recommend new places to try, based on customer ratings and research and the cheapest eats.
  • The Olympus Stylus 1010 camera has a “cuisine” function! Too cool.
  • The FN Dish, a web show on the Food Network, focused on food blogging last week. Ed Levine, one of my favorite NY-based bloggers, is featured in the interview.
  • The New York Times sent nine writers to review chains in the suburbs, and the consensus was one of pleasant surprise. A few write-ups in particular are deliciously condescending, including one on The Cheesecake Factory: “On a recent Saturday night, there were at least 150 people in their best jeans and T-shirts, beepers in hand, happily waiting 30 or 40 minutes for tables.” Worth a read.

Quick as Atalanta: Opa Souvlaki

Looking for a quick pre-show dinner, Mack and I headed to Opa Souvlaki (8209 104 Street). May had good words to say about this chain, so I was excited to see if their food lived up to the expectations.

I’m not sure I’m totally sold on the design of the restaurant – the order counter is right by the door, potentially creating a logjam of patrons on busy days – but I can see how the friendly and engaging employee used it to his advantage, warmly greeting customers immediately as they entered Opa.

Mack and I surveyed the menu board above, and decided to order a Souvlaki Pita each ($4.99, 50cents extra for feta cheese). We had the choice of chicken, lamb pork, gyros, or fava, and we both opted for chicken. Mack also wanted to try their version of calamari ($4.99 for a side order).

Two pitas and two chicken skewers were placed on the grill, and once warmed through, we moved down the assembly line to have our wraps customized with tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, and jalepenos. The calamari was freshly fried, tossed with salt and pepper and garnished with diced red onions.

We sat down at one of the handful of tables to savour our supper. The calamari was nice – crispy, light batter adorning rather large pieces of squid, it beat out similar dishes offered at more supposedly “high end” restaurants (Mr. Mike’s comes to mind). Secondly, the pita was great – haunted by memories of too much lemon at parsley, I was pleasantly surprised to find the tzatziki only mildly herby. The sauce complemented the tender chicken well, and supplemented with bites of fresh vegetables, made for a comfortably filling dish.

Inexpensive, efficient, and tasty, Opa Souvlaki provides a solid option for fast food on Whyte.

Menu

Pita assembly station

Calamari

Souvlaki Pita with Chicken

Coffee Oasis: Marcello’s

Beckoning through the glass and beyond the courtyard of Telus Plaza was the mysterious Marcello’s (10025 Jasper Ave, Unit #63).

I’ve been meaning to go for months since seeing what looked like an independent coffee shop across the way from my morning Second Cup, and now, having been, I wonder why I didn’t make the trek over sooner.

Marcello’s, it turns out, bills itself as a “market & deli”, has locations in six cities in Canada, and offers much more than just coffee. With a self-serve hot breakfast station featuring scrambled eggs, sausages, and home fries, a plethora of freshly-baked muffins, and a convenience store selection of dried cereals and sweet treats, even picky eaters would not go hungry.

As for coffee – count me amazed – Marcello’s serves no less than two dozen varieties of coffee every day, with more than a handful of flavoured varieties (my personal favorite). At $1.50 for a medium, it is also slightly cheaper than a similar-sized jolt at Second Cup.

Look to Marcello’s when you’re short on change, want more coffee options than Second Cup has to offer, and desire to avoid jostling for space and seats in the nearby Starbucks.

Marcello’s in Telus Plaza

Hot breakfast options

Muffins galore

Coffee, coffee and more coffee!

The Cooking Chronicles: Apple Cranberry Crisp

Like picking the perfect restaurant for a special occasion, I agonized in a similar manner over what dish I should make for a dinner Mack’s Grandma was hosting.

Desserts to be served with berries (zabliogne, trifle) were out of the question due to the fruit being out of season, and heavier choices (chocolate cake) wouldn’t have paired well with the healthy salmon she was serving as a main course.

As a last resort, I browsed the Food Network Canada site (much more quick scan-friendly than the American version, in my opinion), and came across Anna Olson’s recipe for Apple Cranberry Crisp. It seemed the perfect spring dessert – warm, rustic, and light.

Using frozen cranberries and Granny Smith apples (Mack had fun with the apple corer), it was a cinch to pull together. We placed the fruit in a glass baking dish, topped it with the crumble, and snapped on a lid to transport it to Grandma Male’s house. We had to borrow her oven to heat it up, but the timing worked superbly; it finished baking in the time it took us to dine on the main dish.

We ended up serving the crisp with a scoop of Smarties ice cream (only $1 at Superstore’s “Dollar Days”!) instead of the vanilla we bought and absentmindedly left at my house, but the chocolate added some nice sweetness. The apples were lovely – warmed through and softened somewhat, accented with bursts of cranberry freshness and a citrus note reminiscent of summer days.

I highly recommend this dessert – it would be ideal served on an outdoor patio in the spring.

Crisp before baking

Crisp plated and partially eaten

Salmon with Dill Sauce, Stuffed Potatoes, and Salad (Mack’s favorite!)

Grandma Male, Bry, and Tom peruse old photos after dinner (absolutely lovely picture)

Big Box of Meals: IKEA

I spent an inordinate amount of time at IKEA (1311 102 Street) this weekend.

After an initial furniture-buying spree on Friday, Mack and I ended up returning to the big blue giant on both Saturday and Sunday to pick up odds and ends.

Though the environment wasn’t too happy with our errand-running, this did give us ample opportunity to try out the many food items IKEA has to offer. With cheap, fast, crowd-pleasing eats, the edible fare made the many trips there less of a drag.

Day 1: Supper

A discovery of the coolest little carts made my day. For those ordering multiple plates of food (or having to carry more than one tray back to the seating area), IKEA now ingeniously offers push carts that accommodate up to three trays!

Tray carts

I’ve written about their meatball plates in the past, so I won’t go into any more detail except to say that I am always satisfied with the consistent quality of their food.

Day 2: Breakfast

Trying to make the most of our day, we thought it would be best to start off early and shoot for the economical $1 breakfasts offered in the restaurant until 11am daily.

For one dollar, a small croissant, two sausages, home fries and a scoop of scrambled eggs can be had. Of course, most patrons opt to buy a drink or two as well, helping with the profit end of things. Even for a few extra dollars, there’s nothing like starting off a weekend in the bustling, bright airport-hangar of a cafeteria.

Who doesn’t love a good deal?
Day 3: Brunch

By the time we reached IKEA on Sunday, we had already missed the breakfast window, but I was actually keen on having something sweet anyway. The bistro on the main floor (next to the Swedish food mart) serves takeaway items like hot dogs (only 50cents!), soft drinks, and ice cream.

On that day, I decided upon the $2 cinnamon bun and coffee combo. While the bun could have been warmer, for that price, my complaints wouldn’t go very far.

Cinnamon bun

Probably encouraged by all of the children running around with similar confections, Mack decided to top off his carb treat with a non-fat frozen yogurt cone ($1).

Imitation ice cream makes Mack happy

So whatever you’re looking for – home furnishings or food – IKEA has it.

The Cooking Chronicles: Flourless Chocolate Cake

Though I typically try to bring either an appetizer or a main to potlucks, I thought if there was ever an occasion to break that rule, our lunch gathering at work on Wednesday was one such day.

Having experienced the sublime richness of a flourless chocolate torte at Culina last week, I was decidedly focused on recreating that cake with a Tyler Florence recipe. I had meant to pick up a jar of dulce de leche topping at Superstore, but ended up substituting whipped cream instead.

For anyone with high cholesterol, I would recommend staying far away from this cake – 9 separated eggs later, we were halfway to completion. Mack helped me whip the egg whites into stiff peaks while I melted the semi-sweet baking chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Unfortunately, a lack of instruction reading on my part meant that we ended up folding the chocolate mixture into the whites, instead of the other way around, though it didn’t result in a too-deflated cake at the end.

For whatever reason, the cake took more than double the recommended time in the oven, but seemed to turn out okay. Overall, it didn’t provide me with the Culina reminiscence I was looking for, but was a sweet treat that tasted like a cross between a chocolate cake and a brownie. The whipped cream provided some needed coolness, but I think this cake would work best chopped into pieces to top a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a sundae.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

The potluck spread (we look like a fairly healthy bunch, don’t we?)

Random Notes

Weekends really are for blogging!

  • A new tea shop is now open in Edmonton: Felicitea Tea Lounge (15047 Stony Plain Road) serves all kinds of tea, both hot and cold, including bubble tea.
  • The Globe thinks that Vancouver has replaced Toronto as the new culinary capital of Canada.
  • Teatro La Quindicina will be back on May 1st with their first show of the season, a double billing of What Gives? and the brand new Revenge of the South Sea Bubble.
  • Broadway Across Canada released their 2008-2009 season recently, which includes Spamalot, Hairspray, and Annie. After the sound debacle at The Producers last year, I am hesitant to risk being disappointed again.
  • House is finally back tomorrow in its new time slot!
  • World Malaria Day was on Friday, April 25. Take a look at a striking photo slide show on the Globe & Mail website of images captured by children and youth in Liberia and Rwanda. Image #13 is incredibly haunting.
  • After three days of blizzard-like conditions this week, I am happy that the weather is finally cooperating. Because of the snow, I was particularly amused by this sign:

Springtime in Edmonton

The Cooking Chronicles: Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Bisquick is a life-saver.

For the second time this weekend, Mack and I turned to the dry mix to simplify a meal, this time using the off-the-box recipe for pancakes, supplementing them with a handful of chocolate chips. Mack finished his off with some sliced bananas and syrup.

Not difficult or a cooking accomplishment, Bisquick pancakes are still a great way to start off a morning!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes (with bananas!)