Butterscotch Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie has always been the claim to fame at Union Street Cafe.  "They'll get you high with their Coconut Cream Pie" go the words of Eve Goldberg, Canadian folk singer-songwriter.  Rich coconut custard, yellow with egg yolks and butter, piled into a flaky, almost salty crust, topped with piles of whipped cream and even more toasted coconut. My sister, my aunt, myself and now my mother have baked and perfected  it over the last ten years.  We were faithful to that pie, never veering towards any variation thereof. No chocolate, banana, or butterscotch cream pie for us!  Until now.

It all started with a simple and delicious butterscotch sauce recipe that we had been making to top our sticky toffee cakes.  Inspired by the comment that eating the sauce by the spoonful was better than sex, I wanted to make a pie with the same rich caramel flavours.  I used our tried-and-true coconut custard recipe as a base and came up with this lovely treat.  It beats the pants off boxed butterscotch pudding!   So to speak.

This time last year:  Energy Balls


Butterscotch Cream Pie

1 baked 9" deep dish pie crust (Canadian Living has a great recipe)
1 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Butter
3/4 C. Whipping Cream
2 C. Milk
2/3 C. Flour
1/4 C. Cornstarch
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Milk
4 Egg Yolks
1 t. Vanilla

Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the bottom of a large heavy saucepan, and place over medium low heat.  The sugar will begin to melt after a minute or so.  Stir it carefully so it doesn't burn.  When it has all melted, carefully add the butter and whipping cream and stir until the hard bits of caramel have dissolved.  Raise the heat to medium high and add the two cups of milk.  Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornstarch and brown sugar together in a bowl.  Add the 1/2 cup milk and whisk until smooth.  When the mixture in the pot boils, whisk in the flour mixture and keep stirring as the filling thickens and bubbles.  Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla, then remove from the heat.  Scrape into the pie shell and let cool, then refrigerate with plastic wrap on the top for an hour or so before serving with piles of whipped cream.  This pie will keep for at least two days if refrigerated.

Simple Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

Lately all I've been wanting to eat is cake.  I daydream about cupcakes piled high with frosting, layers of chocolate and cream, caramel sauce, raspberries. lemon curd.  I've been firing up my oven at bedtime to make a quick batch of brownies and almost bought a box of crunch donuts from the grocery store last week.  I am pregnant.

Since I've been rather absent here for the last few weeks, it should come as no surprise that I really haven't been doing much cooking.  Nothing I really want to share with you, or even admit to.  But now I'm feeling better and more energetic every day, and I've even started stocking my fridge with vegetables again! 

Pregnant or not, most of us could stand to eat a little healthier.  I'm not saying that the following recipe is actually good for you, but it certainly is better for you than some of the alternatives.  The pumpkin makes the cake very moist and rich-tasting, despite the fact that there is less fat and sugar in there than in other cakes.  The glaze adds a sugary, buttery flavour without being piled half an inch thick.  The recipe makes enough batter for 1 cake and a dozen muffins to freeze and dole out in lunchbags.

If you're energetic, try roasting your own pumpkin or buttercup squash, it will make the very best cake.  You will note that this recipe uses a whole large can of pure pumpkin, rather than leaving you with leftovers. 

This time last year: Roasted Moroccan Carrot Salad

Simple Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Glaze
makes 1 cake and 12 muffins

2 C. Sugar (I use Just Us!)
1 C. Canola Oil
6 Eggs
1 T. Vanilla
3 C. cooked and mashed Pumpkin  (or 1 large can)
4 C. Flour (try 2 C. white and 2 C. whole wheat)

4 t. Baking Soda
2 t. Baking Powder
2 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Ginger
1/4 t. Cloves
1/2 t. Salt

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Butter a bundt or other large cake pan, and a 12 cup muffin tin (or use paper liners).  In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla.  Add the pumpkin and whisk to combine well.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, and whisk just until combined.  Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full, then scrape the remaining batter into the cake pan.  Bake the muffins for 15-18 minutes and the cake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes clean.  Let cool on a rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan.  Make the glaze, then drizzle it over the cake and muffins.

for the Brown Butter Glaze

2 T. Butter
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Milk
1 1/2 C. Icing Sugar

Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat.  Watch as it melts, bubbles, and begins to brown.  Whisk in the brown sugar, cook another 30 seconds, than remove from the heat and beat in the milk and icing sugar.

Cherry Raspberry Crisp

Sixteen years ago, I sat overlooking the Dartmouth harbour and asked myself "What should I do?  Which way to go?"  I had just spent the year before attending college and working on the weekends, and now seven friends of mine were gearing up to head out West.  I really wanted to go.  I totally could not afford it.  I headed back to Pleasant Street, pushing Daniel, my charge, in his wheelchair.  When I arrived at his house, Daniel's mother was waiting.  She wanted to discuss leaving me in charge of both her children for an entire week while she went on vacation.  Since I would be responsible for them 24 hours a day, I would be paid for 24 hours a day.  In a week, I would have more than enough to join my friends.

We left in May, eight kids in two unlikely cars: a 1962 Plymouth Valiant named Hal, and a 1980s Oldsmobile Toronado.  We made our way across the country, stopping whenever we wanted, sleeping in our cars or pitching a tent.  When Jody picked up his guitar somewhere around Port Parry and Rachael sang the opening line of "Pocahontas", the Northern lights spread up through the sky as if by magic.  We  experienced all the seasons as we drove: late spring in Ontario, deep summer heat in Manitoba, winter in Kananaskis.

We made it to Vancouver sometime in early June.  We arrived late at night, with the loose plan of staying with Mari's brother.  He wasn't home.  You don't really want to sleep in your car in Vancouver!  We thought of heading out of the city, but we were so tired.  It was too late to call home to get the phone number of the one person I knew there, so we began walking aimlessly, hoping Mari's brother would get home sooner than later.  As we walked, I saw two people sitting at a bus stop that looked familiar.  It was my friend Amy.  In a city of two million people, I found her.  We offered her and her friend a drive home and she let us stay at her house.

Amy lives in Sweden now, with her lovely husband and a darling baby girl.  Luckily for us, her parents still make their home in Nova Scotia, so we get to see her once a year.  When Amy came over for supper last week, it was a great excuse to do some baking.  I made this Cherry Raspberry Crisp.  You might be aware of my passion for raspberry, but I admit they're a little seedy.  So it's really nice to combine them with other fruits.  I used sour cherries here, which I adore, but you could also use sweet cherries, or blueberries.

Cherry Raspberry Crisp

1 pint Raspberries
1 pint Sour Cherries
2-4 T. White Sugar, depending on how sweet you already are
1 T. Cornstarch
1 C. Rolled Oats
1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 t. Baking Powder
1/8 t. Salt
1/4 C. Butter, softened
1/4 C. Milk
1/2 t. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°.  Combine the berries, white
 sugar and cornstarch in a deep pie dish.  In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Rub the butter in with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.  Mix the milk and vanilla together and drizzle over the mixture.  Sir until well combined, then drop clumps over the fruit in the pie dish.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until juices are bubbling thickly and crisp topping is browned and beautiful. ♥

"only pick the ones that pull easily from the stem!" Grandfather Osburn

Strawberry Summer: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

 This time last year: Steamed Lobster: A How-To Guide

My nephew Kieran and I have just returned from picking strawberries.  In fact, this year, I have picked strawberries three times, a chore I would not usually look forward to!  That's because I've finally discovered a lovely U-Pick just down the road.  I might have gone there sooner, but it's not set up like your typical berry farm.  First, you can't see the strawberry plants from the road.  Second, there's a sign outside the farmhouse, but until you work up the nerve to knock on the door, there's no one in sight.

Gatehill Farm is on a quiet dirt road on the North Mountain.  It's an old shingled farmhouse with a collection of outbuildings and it truly feels like you've stepped back in time when you pull into the driveway. Smoke curls out of the chimney, even in July.

 Gatehill Farm doesn't use chemical sprays, yet their berries are magnificent.  Some of the strawberries were the size of apples, and still they were amazingly sweet and delicious!  Another bonus of this U-Pick is that it's always cooler on the Mountain, so picking is a lot more pleasant than in the Valley.

Some of my haul this week went to the Cafe, where we decided that since everyone is just about sick of Strawberry Shortcake, we would do something a little different.  And so we made:

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake serves 12

These scones are adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray (hey, a good recipe is a good recipe).

2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Cocoa Powder (we use Just Us!)
1/3 C. Sugar
2 t. Baking Powder
3/4 t. Baking Soda
1/8 t. Salt
1 C. Butter, cut into pieces
1 C. Chocolate Chips
3/4 C. Milk
1 T. Vinegar
1 Egg
6T. Sugar, divided
2 Quarts Local Strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 C. Whipping Cream
1/2 t. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 400° and butter a baking sheet.  In a food processor, combine flour, cocoa, 1/3 C. sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the butter pieces and pulse until coarse crumbs form.  Place mixture in a large bowl and add the chocolate chips.  Mix the egg, milk and vinegar in a small bowl, then add to the flour mix and stir just until the dough comes together.  Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a 6 inch round, and place on the baking sheet.  Using a sharp knife dipped in water, cut each into 6 equal wedges, leaving them in place.  Sprinkle with two tablespoons sugar, then bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm in the centre.  Let cool, then break apart into wedges.
Combine the strawberries with two tablespoons sugar.  Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then add the remaining two tablespoons sugar and vanilla.  Split the scones in half and layer with the strawberries and cream.  The proper order is scone-berries-cream-scone-cream-berries in case you're unsure!

Ravishing Rhubarb and Raspberry Pudding Cake

Where oh Where Are You??

I whined last time about the lack of strawberries around these parts.  Truth is, I have had this year's first strawberry shortcake and even made a batch of Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps to pair with strawberries and Dragon's Breath Blue Cheese for a special wedding last weekend (oh my god).  However, today was my day off, and I really wanted to bake up a strawberry-rhubarb something (I thought about it all through my morning yoga class) and there was NOT A LOCAL STRAWBERRY TO BE FOUND.  Granted, it was rainy, miserable berry-harvesting weather.  And I certainly wasn't going to go and do anything drastic like pick my own or anything.  So I hauled out a bag of frozen raspberries, sliced up some lovely pink rhubarb, and tweaked a recipe I found in a Canadian Living cookbook (which, good news,  I won this week having stuffed Molly's Brownie fundraiser ballot box with tickets I was forced to purchase because let's face it I suck at fundraising and it's June and I've given up my thin veneer of being a perfectly organized mother and am even sending my kids to school with *gasp* pre-packaged snacks this week and they're lucky they have clean socks to wear even if they don't match).

Although this was not what I had in mind as I down-dogged and tree-posed, I was more than happy with how it turned out.  Raspberries and rhubarb are a wonderful pair (am I the last to find out?),  so much so that I am now planning to freeze some rhubarb for raspberry season!

I don't know about you, but to me there is no sweeter word pairing than "pudding" and "cake".  Unless it's "summer" and "vacation".  Or "strawberry" and "rhubarb".  But that will have to wait.

Raspberry Rhubarb Pudding Cake
(adapted from Canadian Living Everyday Favourites)

Let's talk about flour for a moment, because this originally called for all-purpose and you know me, I can't help but try to sneak in at least some whole wheat.  But whole wheat flours vary widely in texture and this can have some serious repercussions on the lightness of baked goods.  So I recommend a whole wheat flour that has had some of the bran removed, like Speerville Whole White or President's Choice Organic Whole Wheat Flour.

4 C. Frozen Raspberries, thawed (a 600g package will do nicely)
2 C. Thinly Sliced Rhubarb
1/3 C. Sugar plus 1/4 C. Sugar


Cake Part:
1/2 C. Butter, softened
3/4 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 t. Vanilla
3/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 C. All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 t. Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
1/2 C. Milk

Preheat the oven to 350.  Drain raspberries, reserving juice.  In a buttered 8" square baking pan, combine the drained raspberries, rhubarb and 1/3 C. sugar.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy.  Beat in the eggs.  Combine the flours, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and add to butter mixture alternately with the milk starting and ending with the flour mixture.  Scrape evenly over the raspberry-rhubarb mixture.  Bring the reserved juice to a boil with the remaining 1/4 C. sugar and pour this over the batter.  Bake until the cake is firm to the touch, about 50 minutes.  Serve warm, making sure to top each serving with the raspberry rhubarb sauce underneath.

This 1950s KitchenAid Mixer was my grandmother's

Have faith, this looks weird but it's right!

Almond, Oat and Flax Thumbprint Cookies

I live in Nova Scotia, a place where practically summery hot days can occur just after a snowstorm.  Spring is more of a concept here than a reality, a very short season bridging winter and summer.  This spring has been s-l-o-w to get going, with really not a lot of dependable lovely sunshine.  Anyway, I'm not complaining, in two weeks the Union Street kitchen will be 40 degrees and sweltering.  
You can well imagine my excitement when my friend Stephanie told me on Saturday that fresh local strawberries had been spotted!   One of the Union Street girls just had a beautiful baby boy and I wanted to bring her strawberry something, but it was not to be: my favourite roadside stand just had a big "sold out" sign on it.  Oh well.  I made up these really good thumbprint cookies instead.  They are nutty with ground almonds and oats and whole wheat flour (sub in light spelt if you like).  I filled the pits of them with blueberry jam that I made last summer and some cinnamon-y apple butter that my good friend Melissa gave me.  You know when you're baking/cooking/creating something and it turns out exactly as good as you'd hoped?  Maybe better, even?  Then you keep looking/admiring/eating it, thinking, wow, that's really good. I can't believe that I made that.  So here you go, and welcome to the world, sweet little Joseph.

Almond, Oat and Flax Thumbprint Cookies
1 C. Roasted Almonds
1 C. Oatmeal
1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C. Flax Meal (or grind flax seeds in a coffee grinder)
2 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt

1/4 C. Butter
1/4 C. Canola Oil
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 t. Vanilla
Jam, Jelly, Apple Butter (it's fun and pretty to make different kinds)


Preheat oven to 350° and butter a large baking sheet or two.  In a food processor, grind the almonds until very finely chopped.  Tip into a bowl, then grind the oatmeal until it is a fine powder.  Add the oat flour to the bowl along with the whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, cream the butter, canola oil and brown sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla, beat until smooth, then add the flour mixture.  Stir (or mix with your hands) until combined.  Roll mixture into 1" balls and place about 3" apart on the cookie sheet.  Using your thumb, make a well in the middle of the cookie and fill it with jam.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until puffed and firm.  Cool and enjoy.  These are great in your lunchbox (or so the kids told me!)

Daisy, how'd you get in there?

Last Chance for May

Last day of May.  A spring that was slow to start but has exploded with a big ka-bang!  Every year I vow to do something with the wild elderflowers that grow all around my house.  I've heard you can make them into fritters, but I chose to make this elderflower cordial.  It is lovely in a glass of club soda or champagne, or you can use it as a syrup on pancakes or to sweeten berries.  It's simple to make.  You pick ten bunches of elderflowers, and combine them with 3 cups of sugar, 3 sliced lemons and 2 litres of boiling water.  Then it sits for two days at room temperature.  After that, strain through a fine mesh strainer and pour into jars.  Store in the fridge, or for longer storage, the freezer. 

Elderflower Cordial

This time of year, things get a little crazy as I race from one early summer activity to the next.  Flying from the kids' school to work to the grocery store to fitness class to the garden, I sometimes catch myself unaware of what I'm doing right now, too often thinking about what's next and how to cope with it.

Grow Spinach, Grow!!!

 I was in the Cafe kitchen, hurriedly prepping lettuce before a busy dinner service last Saturday.  I had too much to do and not enough time to do it.  An old familiar feeling crept over me, a kind of stressed out resentment.  And then, just as it came, it vanished with this thought: I am doing what I've always dreamed of doing.  And I am alive to do it. 

a Wine Tasting at the Cafe inspired this purchase

Our asparagus is bursting through the ground like mad, despite the fact that weedier asparagus beds never existed.  We moved a few huge asparagus crowns to our main garden, where I hope to take better care of them. 

I mulched this Asparagus right after I took this picture, honest!

 The raspberry canes I planted last year have all multiplied...

And the garlic is already over a foot high.

Last week Rowan and I planted twenty different tomato varieties from Glad Gardens and he sowed a row of broad beans from a free packet he picked up at the local school's Edible Garden Grand Opening.  We still have a long way to go before our garden's finished, but our spinach, kale and Swiss chard are up!

Bonus when you purchase Mushroom Compost at Valley Mushroom

 About a week or more ago I made a pot of tea for a friend from mint in my backyard, and gave her some eggs for a new broody hen of hers to sit on.

In exchange she brought me a jar of Vanilla Bean Rhubarb Jam.  It sat for about a minute on my counter before I had to toast some bread and try it out.  Pink with flecks of vanilla seeds, it looked amazing and tasted even better....

It inspired me to make this dessert.  I had wanted to try out a Panna Cotta recipe based on the recipe in Michael Smith's Chef at Home cookbook and knew it would be lovely with a sauce inspired by the jam.  I made this in two stages:  the Panna Cotta, a sweet custard-like dessert set with gelatin was made one day, and I made the Vanilla Bean Rhubarb Sauce the next.



Panna Cotta with Vanilla Bean Rhubarb Sauce

for the Panna Cotta:

4 C. Milk (whole Milk is lovely, but 1% will do)
2 Packages of Gelatin
3/4 C. Sugar
1 Bay Leaf
2 t. Vanilla (I used a vanilla bean, hence the little black flecks)

 Choose 6 ramekins or teacups to mold your panna cottas in and lightly oil them.
Pour 1/2 cup of the milk into a medium bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over to soften it.   Heat the remaining milk with the sugar, bay leaf and vanilla over medium heat until just beginning to steam.  Pour the hot milk mixture over the gelatin-milk mixture and whisk gently to combine.  Pour into your molds and put in the refrigerator to set for at least two hours, or overnight.

for the Vanilla Bean Rhubarb Sauce:

5 C. chopped Rhubarb (the pinkest you can find)
1/2 C. Sugar
pinch of Salt
1 Vanilla Bean

Place the rhubarb, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan.  Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, then scrape all the seeds out with your knife and add them to the pot.  Drop the pod in, too.  Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer (you shouldn't need additional liquid).  After about five minutes, shut off the heat and let the rhubarb cool, then remove the vanilla pod.

To serve,  unmold the panna cotta by dipping the mold into hot water, then run a knife around the edge.  Place a serving plate on top, then flip over.  Add a big spoonful of the rhubarb sauce and maybe some whipped cream.

The Sweetest Parsnips

Parsnips may be a winter food, but it is in the spring that they are at their most sublime.  Allowed to rest in the ground through the coldest season, starches in the parsnip convert into sugar.  The same thing happens when commercial farmers harvest in the autumn and then store the parsnips at around 0° for at least two weeks.  My dad just harvested his parsnips, a fine crop of huge but tender white roots that smelled sweet, earthy, and mysterious.  As a kid, I thought parsnips tasted like unlit cigars.  I still find something exotic about their taste, especially when roasted, a taste like incense, and well, tobacco.  Maybe my taste buds are weird because I could not find them described this way anywhere.


Anyway, I've been hearing whispers of putting parsnips in desserts for years and decided that I had to try it.  I used Union Street Cafe's Morning Glory Muffin recipe, tweaked the spices and grated in rich, earthy parsnips in place of the carrots.  All went well.  They baked beautifully, and when they cooled, Molly and I slathered them with Cream Cheese Frosting.  They are subtly parsnip-y, a taste that fits very well, as it turns out, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.


Parsnip Cupcakes
I waited until the kids were halfway through eating their cupcake before I revealed the secret ingredient.  They still ate them and asked for more.

2 C. Grated Parsnip
2 C. Flour
1 C. Sugar
2 t. Baking Soda
2 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Ground Ginger
1/4 t. Nutmeg (freshly grated is awesome, but pre-ground works, too)
1 t. Salt
3 Eggs
1 C. Vegetable Oil
2 t. Vanilla
Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners or grease well.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Combine the parsnips, flour, sugar, baking soda,
cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.  In another bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla.  Pour the egg mixture over the parsnip mixture and mix gently until thoroughly combined.  Spoon batter into cups and bake for 20-25 minutes, until springy and firm.  Let cool on a rack while you make the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

12 oz. Cream Cheese
½ C. Softened Butter
1 T. Vanilla
3 ½ C. Icing Sugar

Pulse in food processor just until smooth and creamy.Top each cupcake with a generous swirl of frosting and maybe grate a little nutmeg on top.

Roasted Parsnips
Perhaps the best way to prepare most root vegetables, roasting capitalizes on every bit of parsnip's natural sweetness and is super-easy to boot!

1 lb. Parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 T. (or more) Olive Oil
1/2 t. Salt

 Preheat oven to 400.  Toss parsnips, oil, and salt in a bowl, then spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet with sides.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until parsnips are tender and caramelized. 


 

Easiest Hot Cross Buns Ever!

Well, it's Easter: another food holiday!  I thought I would share this amazingly simple recipe for Hot Cross Buns.  There's no kneading or shaping, and they taste heavenly.  These are best the first day, but can be successfully frozen: if you haven't iced them already, you can refresh them in a 350°oven for about 15 minutes.

Hot Cross Buns

2 C. Warm Water
1 T. Yeast
1/3 C. Sugar
1 t. Salt
Zest and juice of 1 Lemon
3/4 C. Raisins
4 C. Flour
1 t. Cinnamon

Frosting

1/4 C. Softened Butter
2 C. Icing Sugar
1/2 t. Vanilla
Enough Milk to make a smooth frosting


Combine the water and yeast in a large bowl.  Let sit a minute, then stir in the sugar, salt, zest, juice, raisins and flour to make a sticky dough. I use a large wooden spoon to start and then switch to my hands to make sure all the flour is evenly incorporated.  Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top and give another quick stir (it looks pretty just swirled in there).  Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about an hour, until it has doubled in size.  Butter a 9x13 pan and scoop in the dough.  Using buttered hands, gently push the dough to evenly cover the pan using your fingertips.  If it resists, let it rest for five minutes and try again.  Next, cut the dough so that it will pull apart into buns after baking: using a sharp knife, carefully cut the dough as if you were cutting brownies in a pan.  You can cut them to any size you like, I suggest 4 down and 6 across to make 24 buns.   Preheat the oven to 350° and let the dough rise again until it has doubled in height.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned.  Place the pan on a rack and let cool.  Combine the butter, icing sugar, and vanilla.  Add milk by teaspoonfuls until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.  Use a piping bag or sandwich bag with the corner snipped off to pipe a cross on each bun.

Making Natural Food Dyes for Easter Eggs

Having a Snack while we Make our Eggs!

The Gorgeous Results

Funky Little Sugar Shack

Nova Scotian Sugar Maple

Ahhhhh, maple syrup.  So sweet, so delicious, so luxurious!  Having a jar of it in my fridge makes me feel rich.  I dole it out in little spoonfuls on the kid's pancakes, stir it into my coffee, and add a good slurp to my salad dressings.  Maple syrup is incredibly expensive as far as sugar goes, which is a good thing.  Just imagining how much work goes into its production heightens my enjoyment of it immensely.

Inside the Sugar Shack

Every year, my dad taps the sugar maples in front of my parent's house.  He collects the sap in buckets, then transfers those to a large barrel, which he pools with sap from our neighbours.  It all ends up at Eric and Noreen Clem's sugar shack, where long but pleasant hours are spent boiling the sap in open pans over an ancient wood stove. It's mostly the men sitting into the wee hours of the morning waiting for the syrup to hit just the right consistency before pulling it off the fire and divvying it up.  You've probably heard that it takes 40 litres of sap to make just 1 litre of syrup, but that's not an exact science.  Making maple syrup is an art, a passion, and a commitment.

Sap at a Rolling Boil!

What if all the food we ate was like maple syrup?  What if the price we paid truly reflected the effort of its production?  Would we enjoy more and consume less if just feeding ourselves cost 55% of our income, like it does for the average East Indian household?  North Americans on average spend less than 10% of our salaries on food, leaving us with more money for bigger houses, leisure activities, and stuff.  We also have the highest rates of mental illness and obesity.  I don't think it is much of a leap to believe that if we were more connected to the food on our plate, we would feel more whole and satisfied.  A little time spent with our neighbours wouldn't hurt, either. 

If you don't have a shack of your own, you can still have great Nova Scotian maple syrup.  Nova Scotian maple producers made 128,000 litres of pure maple syrup last year, and it can be found at farmer's markets, specialty shops and sometimes, your local grocery store.  Buy a big jug, it's cheaper and lasts a long time if you refrigerate it.  And you're gonna need it if you like the following recipe as much as I do!


Maple Syrup Dumplings

I did not invent this recipe.  It is straight from March's issue of Saveur, and when I saw the picture, I had to make it, even though it uses a ridiculous amount of maple syrup.  We had ours with vanilla ice cream, and I suggest you do the same.

SERVES 6


1 3/4 cups Maple Syrup
1 1/2 cups Flour
4 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
4 tbsp. unsalted Butter, frozen
3/4 cup Milk

Bring syrup and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Grate butter on large holes of a box grater into flour and toss to coat; add milk and stir with a fork until dough forms. When syrup mixture reaches a boil, use a spoon to drop large clumps of dough into syrup. Cover pot; simmer until dumplings are cooked through, 10–15 minutes. Spoon dumplings and sauce into 6 bowls and serve.



Maple Balsamic Dressing 
This dressing, made in quantity, lasts a long time in your fridge.  I guarantee it will increase your salad consumption.  It can be as simple as buying bagged greens from the market, and tossing them with enough dressing to coat.  You might find that the olive oil solidifies in your fridge.  Either remember to take it out half an hour before you use it, or warm it for about 30 seconds in a microwave.

1/4 C. Maple Syrup
1/4 C. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or substitute vegetable oil)
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 t. Salt

Combine all the ingredients in a jar and shake.  Taste, you might find it a bit sharp (I like vinegary dressings).  If it is too puckery, add a little more olive oil.

Shack and Sugar Maple photos courtesy of Mom and Dad (thanks!)

Merry Christmas Cookie!!!

On Sunday, my friend Stephanie hosted a cookie exchange. We've talked about it for years, but she took the bull by the horns last Christmas and now I hope it's here to stay. The idea is simple: everyone bakes 6 dozen cookies, then we get together for a potluck brunch and lay all the goodies out on the table to be admired. On their way out the door, each of us loads up a box with a variety of beautiful handmade cookies. There were chocolate orange stars and trees, iced snowflakes, sugar cookies with sprinkles, and Santa shortbreads. There were gingery molasses thins, pecan cakes dipped in powdered sugar and nut bars with dark and white chocolate (I brought those). There were buttery cookies with M&Ms! There are two kinds I can't name 'cause I haven't tasted them yet, but that's really only a matter of time. Minutes, actually. 

Women used to spend the better part of December baking. I remember my grandmother, Peg Osburn, mailing carefully packed handmade cookies from Pennsylvania at Christmas. The box contained at least a dozen varieties, one of which was the time consuming but much appreciated springerle, an anise-flavoured cookie that was imprinted with a special mold. No wonder I have a hard time with keeping things simple: in my family, the more complicated the effort, the more love is being demonstrated. Unless the sheer enormity of all those cookies to roll, cut, and bake, and the pile of dishes and the mess that results turns you into a complete bitch. 

Therefore, let's get real: find a few friends with good family recipes, make a simple cookie (bar cookies are the easiest) and get swapping!

Caramel Nut Bars with Cranberries and Chocolate

This recipe came out of tinkering with a Gourmet magazine pecan pie bar recipe.

 

3/4 C. Butter

2 C. Flour

1/2 C. Brown Sugar

1/2 t.  Salt

2 C. Mixed Salted Nuts

 1 C. Dried Cranberries

1/2 C. Butter

1 C. Brown Sugar

1/3 cup Honey

 2 T. Cream

1 oz. Dark Chocolate

1 oz. White Chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Cut 3/4 C. butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into a 9x13 pan and press evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread until golden, about 20 minutes.

In a heavy saucepan melt 1/2 C. butter and stir in brown sugar, honey, and cream. Simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, 1 minute and stir in nuts and cranberries. Pour nut mixture over hot shortbread and spread evenly. Bake in middle of oven until bubbling, about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Melt the chocolates separately and use a spoon to drizzle each over the bars. Cool completely in pan and cut into 32 bars.

Merry Christmas!

Down at the Cranberry Bog

Cranberry Acres (and Acres!)

Folded into lemony muffins, baked into stuffing, stirred into freshly toasted granola and garnishing a spinach salad: we have come up with many uses for the tasty little cranberry. It's all for good reason. Cranberries are beautiful, nutritious and, around here, plentiful. In fact, cranberries grow wild around Nova Scotian brooks and streams and have become an important crop in the Annapolis Valley since at least the 1940s, when the first commercial harvest was made near Aylesford. Cranberries have been produced commercially in Nova Scotia since the late 1800s!

I had a chance to visit my friend Louise's Cranberry Acres last Tuesday. I was amazed at the complex machinery, their acres of irrigated fields, and a complex system of irrigation ponds and ditches designed to flood the cranberry fields on demand (most cranberries are harvested underwater: they float to the surface and are collected). Theirs is one of the largest of several cranberry farms in Nova Scotia, with more than 30 fields under cultivation and five different varieties being grown including Stevens and Pilgrim. On the day I visited, frozen cranberries were being packed in forty pound boxes destined for Russia! Our cranberries are exported all over the world and are renowned for their gorgeous colour: Louise told me that Nova Scotian cranberries are by far the reddest. 

The Red, Red Nova Scotia Cranberry

We've been buying fresh and frozen SunValley cranberries for years. For a time, they also supplied us with dried cranberries, but have since discontinued that line. However, we were thrilled to discover an almost-local source of dried cranberries and cranberry juice at Terra Beata Farms in Lunenburg. They also dry and juice Nova Scotia cherries and blueberries!

The cranberry harvest will be over soon, but cranberries last for weeks in your refrigerator and longer when frozen. There's no need for fancy preparation, just throw the whole bag into your freezer and they will be separate and intact when you're ready to use them. Don't bother to defrost them either, just be prepared to add a few extra minutes' cooking time to your recipe.

Cranberry Chutney

This is our spicier, thicker version of cranberry sauce. At the Union Street Cafe, we serve this chutney alongside our North Mountain Free Rangin' Hot Chicken Sandwich and our version of Duck Confit. It's also great mixed with an equal part of mayo and slathered on a turkey sandwich. This chutney keeps at least a week in the refrigerator.

1 medium Onion, diced

1 ½ C. Sugar

1 C. Water

4 C. Cranberries, fresh or frozen

1 t. Chinese 5-Spice or Garam Masala

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring from time to time. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until berries have broken down somewhat.  Let cool, then refrigerate.

Roasted Cranberry Vinaigrette

Serve this beautiful dressing on emerald Spinach leaves or mixed greens with Roasted Pears, Dragon's Breath Blue Cheese and Toasted Pecans as a celebration of the colder months of the year!

The Cranberry in its Natural Habitat!

2 C. Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

1/3 C. Sugar

½ t. Salt

2/3 C. Olive Oil
1 T. Balsamic Vinegar

1 t. Dry Mustard

Freshly Ground Pepper

Red Wine Vinegar, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°. Toss the cranberries, sugar and salt together on a baking sheet and roast for about 15-20 minutes, until the cranberries begin to shrivel. Let cool, then scrape into a medium bowl and whisk in the olive oil, dry mustard and a few grinds of pepper. Taste and add a splash of balsamic vinegar if you like and thin with a spoonful of water if it's too thick. If you prefer, puree it in a blender for a smooth result.  This is very pretty spooned over greens.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

This is a tweak on Michael Smith's Chef at Home Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!

3 C. Flour

2 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Salt

1 C. Butter

2 C. Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 t. Vanilla

1 C. Dried Cranberries

1 C. White Chocolate, chopped (I use 1 Just Us! white chocolate bar)

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a large baking sheet or line with parchment.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Cream butter with brown sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, then beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour mixture, cranberries and white chocolate and stir until just combined.  Using a 1/4 C. measure, scoop dough onto baking sheet, spacing them out (cookies will spread).  Bake for about 15 minutes, until browning around the edges.

 A little piece of Cranberry field

I read this morning that at the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever", John Lennon repeats the words "cranberry sauce".  
According to the Pacific Coast Cranberry website, "he stated it was a kind of icing on the cake of the weirdness of song, where anything he might have imagined saying would have been appropriate." 

Pears

Pears are not my favourite fruit. I'm embarassed to tell you that the first time I enjoyed a pear, it was canned. In syrup. However, I have really come to appreciate pears, sliced raw alongside good crackers and cheese (That Dutchman's Dragon's Breath is my favourite right now), baked with apples in a crumble pie, poached in red wine with raspberries, and even roasted on a pizza with duck confit and bleu cheese. I've even gone so far as to come up with my own version of a Pear Upside Down Cake, baked in a cast iron skillet.

Pear trees abound in the Valley, and their early blossoms brighten up what can be a slow start to spring. In the cool of autumn, pears baked into warm desserts are homey and comforting. I'm waiting for a really nice cold day to try out an Apple and Pear Crostada. I'll ask Sean to build a fire and when the kids get off the bus, a warm treat will be waiting for them.

Beautiful local pears are available in stores and farmers markets right now. Noggins Corner grows 13 varieties including Bosc, Sheldon, Conferens, Bartlett and Flemish Beauty. Pears will ripen quickly if stored at room temperature, so store most of your purchase in the fridge and remove a few at a time for fresh eating. For baking, pears are fine straight from the fridge.

Roasted Pears

Serve these sliced with cheese and crackers, or with a drizzle of honey and a spoonful of vanilla yogurt.

They are also delicious with pancakes or hot cereal (and a weird but excellent pizza topping with bleu cheese).

4 firm-ripe Pears, any variety

Canola Oil

Preheat oven to 350°. Peel the pears and cut in half. Using a melon baller or small spoon, remove the core neatly. Place the pears in a small baking dish and rub all over with a little oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown around the edges. Let cool and serve right away, or refrigerate tightly covered until needed.

Pear and Ricotta Upside Down Cake

Ok, I only partly made it up. The cake part is really a recipe for “Vanilla Ricotta Muffins” from Sunshine Cafe, an excellent breakfast cookbook from Mollie Katzen. Therefore, eating this cake for breakfast is fully justified.

1 T. Butter

3 Pears, peeled, cored and sliced thickly

¼ C. Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar

1 ½ C. Flour

½ C. Dry Milk Powder

½ t. Salt

1 ½ t. Baking Powder

½ C. Sugar

¼ t. Cinnamon

1 C. Ricotta or Cottage Cheese

½ C. Milk

2 Eggs

1 T. Vanilla

¼ C. Melted Butter

Whipped Cream or Vanilla Yogurt for serving

Preheat oven to 350°. Heat a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat and throw in the butter. When it melts, add the pears. Cook the pears, stirring gently and often, for 8-10 minutes, until slightly softened. Drizzle in the syrup or sprinkle in the brown sugar and cook another minute. Remove the pan from the heat. In a large bowl, combine the flour, milk powder, salt, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon. In a second bowl, whisk together the cheese, milk, eggs, vanilla and butter. Add the ricotta mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until just combined. Arrange the pears in the pan so they are in an even layer and pour the batter over them. Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until firm and browned. Cut into wedges and invert each onto a serving plate, topping with whipped cream (flavoured with a grating of fresh nutmeg if you like).

Pumpkins and Squash

Last week I stopped at Forsyths's Farm Market just outside of Berwick to buy some pumpkins and gourds for decorating and was happy to see that Brice had grown some gorgeous Warted Hubbard squashes. Hubbards are huge and have a surprisingly delicious dark orange flesh. For $3.99, one could have all the squash a family could eat for months!

Large squash like these are a trick to break into, but a large knife and some care and patience will help. Once you've cut the squash into large pieces, discard the seeds and stringy pulp and cut away the peel with your knife. Pile the pieces into a roasting pan, cover with foil and bake at 350° until falling-apart tender. Pass the pieces through a food mill or process until smooth. Use some right away, and freeze the rest in 2 to 4 cup portions in freezer bags. I like to flatten the bags so they stack neatly in my freezer. Use your squash in “pumpkin” pies, in soups, cakes, or any recipe calling for squash or pumpkin puree.

Brice (King of Squash) Forsyth also had Sweet Mama, Ambercup, Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup and Sweet Dumpling squashes on display in bins, along with Pie Pumpkins. Many of these winter squashes store very well in a cool place for a few months, but they can also be frozen for longer storage. Simply cut in half, scoop away seeds and place face down on a baking sheet. Bake until very tender, then cool a little and scoop the flesh away from the peel. Process as above.

Sausage Stuffed Squash serves 4

My mom perfected this when I was a teenager. I loved it! I remember storing a squash in my dorm room closet and making this for my friend Mari. We were vegetarian at the time, so we left the sausage out and it is really good that way, too. You may want to add a little cooked bulgur or soy crumbles.

2 small or 1 large Buttercup Squash, cut in half and seeds removed

Pretty Little Pie Pumpkin from Waxwing Farm

1 lb. Sausage or ground pork

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

3 stalks Celery, diced

1 T. Flour

1 can Tomatoes

1 t. Dried Thyme or ½ t. Sage

Salt and Pepper

¼ C. Toasted Walnuts or Sunflower Seeds

½ C. Grated Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the squash on a baking sheet cut side down. Bake for about an hour, until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife. Meanwhile, make the filling. If the sausage is in casings, remove them. Place the sausage in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the onion, garlic and celery. Cook and stir until sausage has browned and onions and celery have softened. Sprinkle in the flour, then add the tomatoes and their juice, squishing the tomatoes in your hands as you add them to break them up. Stir and cook another five minutes, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat. Taste and add a little salt if necessary, and season with black pepper. Turn the squash over and press down on them gently to flatten the bottoms so they are stable. Spoon the filling into the shells (there may be some leftover) and sprinkle with the walnuts or sunflower seeds. Top with the cheddar and return to the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is beginning to brown.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

I love baking with pumpkin, and this recipe is the result of years of experimentation! It's a delicious combination of gingerbread with a pumpkin pie filling. Why not? Gingerbread makes a great “crust” for pumpkin pie, and the swirling mosaic of pumpkin and cake is as beautiful as it is delicious.

Well, maybe not beautiful, but beautifully delicious!

Spice Mix

2 t. Cinnamon

1 T. Ground Ginger

1 t. Freshly grated Nutmeg

½ t. Cloves

1 t. Salt

Gingerbread:

1/3 C. Melted Butter

1 C. Molasses

1 Egg, lightly beaten

1 C. Orange Juice

2 ½ C. Whole Wheat Flour

1 t. Baking Soda

4 t. Spice Mix

Pumpkin part:

2 C. Pumpkin, cooked and mashed (or canned)

1 ½ C. Milk or Blend

½ C. Sugar

2 Eggs

4 t. Spice Mix

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9x13 pan. Combine all the spices in a small bowl and set aside. For the gingerbread, combine the butter, molasses,eggs, orange juice, flour, baking soda and 4 teaspoons of the spice mix in a large bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined and pour into the pan. In the same bowl, combine the pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs and remaining 4 teaspoons spice mix. Pour the pumpkin mixture evenly over the gingerbread. Bake for 40-55 minutes, until the gingerbread is firm and springy and the pumpkin custard is set.