Remembrance of Things Past

British War Time Poster

"There are very few men and women, I suspect, who cooked and marketed their way through the past war without losing  forever some of the nonchalant extravagence of the Twenties.  They will feel, until their final days on earth, a kind of culinary caution: butter, no matter how unlimited, is a precious substance not lightly to be wasted; meats, too, and eggs, and all the far-brought spices of the world, take on a new significance, having once been so rare.  And that is good, for there can be no more shameful carelessness than with the food we eat for life itself.  When we exist without thought or thanksgiving we are not men, but beasts" 
 --M.F.K. Fisher  How to Cook a Wolf - 1942

When I read MFK Fisher's book How to Cook a Wolf nearly twenty years ago, it was the seed for my belief that "food and fuel" and it's abundance, cannot be taken for granted.  Her book described strategies for feeding the soul through a very tough time in history.  She described, with humour, how to stretch limited and rationed ingredients and still make good food. Also, how to conserve energy while you were cooking, because you didn't know if the power would be cut off, or a blackout would ensue, or your supply of cooking fuel would end before the next ration book would come.  My mother, knew these things intrinsically, because she lived through that war. For me, it has been a learned behaviour to respect food and fuel, because they are a finite resource and shortages still exist today for may people across our globe.

Today is our Day of Remembrance in Canada.  In honour of wars past, and to respect that in war torn countries today, food is a sacred resource, I am preparing a recipe from Fisher's book from the Chapter How to Pray for Peace.  Here is the recipe, as it is written:

Quick Potato Soup

1/4 pound good butter 

4 large potatoes

4 large onions

2 quarts whole milk

salt, pepper, minced parsley (if agreeable)

Melt the butter in a large kettle, or in fireproof casserole in which the soup can be served.  Grate the clean potatoes into it. (I like to leave them unpeeled, but the soup is not so pretty unless chopped fresh herbs, added at the last, change its natural whiteness enough to hide the bits of brown skin....)  Grate the peeled onions into it....or slice them very thin.  Heat the mixture to the bubbling point, stirring well.  Then reduce the heat, and cover closely for about ten minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not mushy, shaking the pan now and then to prevent sticking.  Add more butter (or chicken fat) if it seems wise.  Heat the milk to the boiling pot but not beyond, add slowly to the pot, season and serve.

On the stove

I have edited this recipe for modern times and a smaller batch below:

2 oz of butter

3 large potatoes peeled (the size of a baked potato) or 1 1/2 lbs

1 onion (size of a baseball) about 1/2 lb

1 litre of 1% milk

Use a very heavy bottomed pot with a lid, to prevent burning.  If you have a good non stick pot with a lid, use that.  The grated potatoes thicken the soup so you don't have to use flour.

I suggest that you dice the onions small instead of grating, and then saute first in the butter in the pot until soft. (over medium heat, about 10 minutes.  Turn down the heat if the onions start to brown)  Then, I added the grated potatoes, and stirred,  then covered and cooked, until the potatoes were done.  Because I have reduced the butter, I added  4 oz of water to the potatoes and onions, to ensure they didn't stick to the bottom of the pot while they were cooking. Lower the heat so that they do not burn on the bottom. Taste your potato and onion mixture to make sure the potatoes are cooked and not starchy tasting.  I microwaved the milk until very hot before adding to the cooked mixture. You can heat through the finished soup on your stove top, but do not turn on high and do not walk away.  It cannot boil.  I added about 1 tsp of salt and a few grinds of pepper.  If you like, you can add a powdered chicken or vegetable base to the soup instead of salt.  (1 tbsp)

Recipe Cost  $2.75 for 6 large bowls.  46 cents each. 

Keep the wolf from your door

Eggless in Edmonton

Simple Morning Pleasures.

I have spent the last 20 years grumbling that my various and sundry offspring were philistines when it came to food.  When they were smallish, they would sooner have pasta with no sauce, and hotdogs, than anything that we could whip up in the kitchen. The oldest child, to his credit, was a more adventurous eater, and claimed at a very early age that clam chowder soup was his favourite.  The middle child, was a master at clamping his jaws shut and not eating anything that didn't pass his smell test. We were so jaded when the third boy came along, that we were convinced that there was a conspiracy afoot to make sure we didn't eat anything interesting again.  When the 2 youngest reached the fine old age of 17 and 19, they magically started eating.......well....things.  "Would you like to try pasta with spinach and chicken?"  They reply, "I think I will try that!" We had been released from the gulag!

That brings me to the subject of eggs.  I always have eggs in my fridge, because I am a last minute baker.  On weekend mornings, I usually wake up fairly early, and may....or may not decide to make muffins. This morning,  I mixed up my dry ingredients, went to the fridge for the eggs and milk....and found the egg spot empty. Expletives bounced around the kitchen like ping pong balls! 

I  used to have my egg inventory in control.  I was never caught eggless.  Recently, the middle child has discovered scrambled eggs.  All the years of making eggs on weekends, and he would never eat them.  But, when a friend shows him how to make scrambled eggs, he is suddenly a convert.  He is now making scrambled eggs....... EVERY MORNING!  Even son # 3 has jumped on the band wagon and is scrambling away before going to school. Now that the great egg misconception of the 80's, with all of it's evil cholestrol has been put to bed, I don't admonish them about eating so many eggs, as it is better than sugary cereal, but I have been caught without eggs more times than is acceptable.  No more baking on a whim.  No more devil may care muffins or quickbreads.  I have been robbed!

This morning, my ever gracious husband drove to Sobey's at 7:50 a.m. just to make my complaining stop. He brought back 2 dozen.  Later we went for groceries and bought 3 dozen more.  That makes 5 dozen! You would think we were farming a section of land with a family of 12. 

I made my muffins.  Vanilla Pear with a Streusel topping. They were sublime.

I Double Dog Dare You

Lamentations about early snowfall, cold weather and a crappy week at work were still echoing throughout the house. Looking out from our kitchen window, the trees were still green, and snowflakes were gently falling.  The leaves had not had time to turn their cheery shade of yellow, and now were too frozen to fall.  We even made the National News, the broadcaster saying it has been the coldest Thanksgiving in the west in fifteen years. Fanfriggin'tastic!  

We were planning our Thanksgiving Feast, unsure of how many people would eventually be at the table. It is usually in the neighbourhood of 8 to 12.  We will prepare the usual suspects......turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and mix it up with different vegetables. This year it's spaghetti squash from the brother-in-law's garden, sweet potatoes and farmer's market cauliflower.  Desserts are an opportunity for creativity, as long as we follow the code of having something that is "not creamy" for one of the regular guests. That is always easy, because we usually make two desserts.

Two of the remaining dishes from our OKFWW throwdown are: 

Pecan Crusted Chocolate Pate

from Cellar Door Bistro

Photo from Jennifer CK

Pear and Almond Galette 

from the Naramata Inn

Photo from Jennifer CK

We will do a "Twofer" on the same plate. 

We have been making chocolate pate for over twenty years, as it was on our restaurant menu "back in the day".  We will garnish it with a black currant coulis from our very local (backyard) currant crop.

The Pear and Almond Galette would have to be re-imagined, as we had only our memories to go on. 

We used small forelle pears, and packed the cored cavity with homemade almond paste. These were placed on a square of puff dough and then baked in a very hot oven.

We think we did OK.  There were plenty of mmmmmmm's around the table. 

Thanksgiving Dinner has changed from when we started preparing them for the extended family.  Our little boys are now men, and the sippy cups have turned into beer bottles. The conversations around the dining room table have changed, but the conviviality has not.  When we were cleaning up the mountain of dishes the next day, we looked at each other and  said "still worth it?"  Yeah......we have a few more years left in us!

We Were Taking A Break

My husband and I had decided to take a break.  Not a Ross and Rachel kind of break, but a break from our OKFWW throwdown of duplicating all the dishes we ate in Penticton.  We had just done 3 dishes on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday was our day of rest.  We would rest on our laurels until next weekend.  Then, we looked at the weather forecast on Sunday afternoon.  FROST!  Here in Edmonton, our frost free days, the measure of what can grow in our region, are zealously watched.  We will cover up plants in the spring and the fall, just to keep stuff in the ground for as long as we can.  We had a big frost in the first part of June this year, so our garden was behind before it even started.  We have a delightful assortment of old bedsheets, that we press into action during these nights, and passers' by who may not be gardeners probably shake their heads and say....."those people are deluded.  They should just go to the store to get their veggies"

So, here we were on Sunday afternoon, with a dilemma.  Cover or pick?  We looked at the calendar, and then the long range forecast, and said   "There is a time when you have to throw in the bedsheet.  It's here".

So, we picked.  Four peach boxes full of tomatoes in varying states of ripeness, our peppers, 1 beautiful eggplant and 4 squash blossoms!  Three kinds of beets and the shallots........ 

I brought the basket of vegetables inside and there they were...... the squash blossoms.  We knew it would be next August before we saw another squash blossom, and one of our target dishes, from our dinner at the Naramata Inn  was

Garden Beets

Goat Cheese foam, squash tempura,

mustard vinaigrette

Naramata Inn Version

We hauled our sorry asses into the kitchen and started cooking.

We had 3 kinds of baby beets, golden, regular and chiogga.  They went into a pot to cook

We sent son number 3 to the store to get radish sprouts

We made a vinaigrette with Vinegar Works Apricot Vinegar, canola oil and grainy mustard

We made a goat cheese foam by stick blending chevre and whipping cream together
We made a light tempura batter
We bickered as we put it together

This is our creation.   It's a keeper (again)

Another Day Another 2 Imposter Dishes

 

"People.....get a life!"  No wonder my kitchen floor is so dirty and I don't seem to get my closets organized.  We go through manic periods of WAYYYYY TOO MUCH COOKING.........  Today is one of those days. 

We started this morning by getting ready for my mothers' chile sauce made from my garden tomatoes. Her recipe is from a 1950's Purity Cook Book. For some reason I have not made it before, but I remember  smelling it in the kitchen, as a child. When I started preserving foods myself, I made more chi chi recipes like chutney and salsa.  This is the first time for the chile sauce.  I can't wait to eat it with Vince's home made sausages.

And speaking of sausages.........while we were driving back from picking up our whole lamb order at Buffalo Valley Meats, we stopped at Princess Auto and bought a cylinder style sausage stuffer.  Vince is chomping at the bit to try that new gadget. 

So we came home, and then had to get going on our batch of bagels and mini baguettes, that we had started dough for last night.  Yes.....even Friday night we cooked way too much!  Then we had to plan for the lamb dish that we are making tonight as part of our Okanagan Food and Wine Writers Workshop throwdown.    The dish we were trying to replicate was described on the menu:

Roasted  Peace River Lamb Loin

New Potatoe Terrine Wrapped with Tyroler Bacon

Local Seasonal Vegetables

Cassis Jus

Well, we just got our fresh Alberta Lamb today
We have new potatoes and yellow zucchini from the City Centre Farmers Market in Edmonton

We have Hog Wild Wild Boar Bacon in the freezer

We have these marvellous mini peppers and cippolini onions that we scored at the Penticton Farmers Market last week
We have home made Cassis from our black currant bushes in our yard.
We made a reduced lamb stock from the bones from the lamb loin.

Our Version:  Potato Terrine is circular and we have more sauce!           

Cellar Door Bistro Version

Little Pears with Blue Cheese and Candied Pecans

Oh yeah...while we were hanging around doing nothing, we whipped together some delightful little bites that Joy Road Catering prepared for us at Township 7.  Bradley Cooper served a nice Viognier with the treats.  Difference on our variation is we used California Seckel Pears, Gorgonzola Cheese and Pecans candied in local honey instead of their all Okanagan ingredients.  (we need to move somewhere that has better stuff!)  If you want to see the "before" picture, go to the Dinner with Julie blog post.

No wonder we are tired.
Tomorrow we are picking all of the tomatoes from the garden, because summer is over.  Frost is coming. Sigh!

No recipes today........ If you would like me to create the recipe just ask.

Sumac Ridge Cellar Door Bistro Seared Atlantic Scallops

 

We were driving to work this morning, and I said to Vince,"We should do the first dish tonight. Let's make the Cellar Door Bistro Seared Atlantic Scallops with Risotto"  He said, "OK.  Can you remember what was in it?"

When I offered, on this blog,  to duplicate all the dishes that we ate last weekend at the Okanagan Food & Wine Writers Workshop, the organizer, Jennifer, asked  if I wanted some of the recipes, because she was going to contact the chefs and ask if they would share them.   My husband Vince said "Recipes......we don't need no stinkin' recipes!"  That sounds like a "throwdown" of sorts (forgive us Bobby Flay)

On the way home, we were making our list.  We would stop at the Italian Centre Shop to pick up chanterelles and a few other things we needed, and then on to Sobey's for Atlantic Scallops.  Kim, from Vinegar Works told us that she uses their Verjus in risotto instead of white wine, and we just happened to have a few bottles of that from our trip.

At the winery, the dish was served with  a 2007 BlackSage Vineyard Chardonnay.  This wine somehow ended up in our car!  How did that happen? 

At the restaurant, the chef came out and talked to us about his creation. I overheard a conversation about the sauce in the dish.  I think I heard him say that it was carrots cooked in stock, pureed, strained and finished with cream. If any of you out there were at that dinner, and were part of that conversation, you can correct us now!

So on we went!  It was fairly simple to put together.  I have created a recipe, which I will share. 

Sauce

2 carrots (we used local red carrots from the City Centre Farmers Market)
3/4 cup stock (we used homemade chicken, you could use vegetable if you like)
2 oz of full fat cream (whipping)

Peel and cut carrots into small dice.  Cook in the stock until the carrots are completely cooked.  Puree with a hand blender.  Add the cream, and cook more until reduced slightly. Season if you wish.  We added a splash of Verjus.  A squeeze of lemon would be acceptable as well.   Strain sauce through a seive and keep warm. We did not add any salt at all!

Risotto

1 small onion finely diced

3/4 cup chanterelles cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3 - 4 cups hot chicken stock (or vegetable)
2 - 4 oz Verjus (or white wine)
1 oz  canola oil
Fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a saucepan, saute the onion in the oil until translucent.  Add the rice and saute for a few minutes.  Add the stock, about 1/2 cup at a time and stir into the rice.  Keep the pot on low to medium so that it bubbles slightly.  Do not cover the pot.  When the stock is absorbed, add more stock.  After about 3 additions of stock, add the Verjus and the chanterelles. Continue to add the stock until the rice is cooked, but still a little firm in the centre of the grain.  It should still be a creamy texture.  Add more verjus if you wish and then the optional parmesan.  Salt the dish after the Parmesan addition.  Keep warm.

Scallops

2 large scallops per person (10/20 count)
1 good non stick pan
a smidge of canola oil

Heat the pan.  Dry the scallops with a paper towel.  Season with a little salt.  Place the scallops in the hot pan and cook for approximately 6-9 minutes on one side.  Flip over and cook for a few more minutes.  The scallops should still be slightly underdone in the middle. 

Plating

Place some sauce on the plate.  Add the rice, and then top with the scallops.  We added a few leaves of Italian Parsley from our garden, the restaurant had some micro greens, I think. 

Voila!  We were happy. The wine was excellent again.

Vince and Colleen

Cellar Door Bistro

Penticton.........The New Sin City?

Joy Road Catering's Exquisite Veggies

I asked my husband if he remembered the list of Venial Sins that good Catholic children learned at school. I’m sure that we had just committed a few of them this past weekend in Penticton and Naramata B.C. I looked up Venial Sin and came across this description "obsessive anticipation of meals, and the constant eating of delicacies and excessively costly foods" and a further description by Thomas Aquinas:


Praepropere - eating too soon.

Laute - eating too expensively

Nimis - eating too much.

Ardenter - eating too eagerly

Studiose - eating too daintily

Forente - eating wildly

Forgive me father..............

We have just returned from a 3 day bacchanalian weekend in the Okanagan. I was a participant at the Okanagan Food and Wine Writers Workshop. Jennifer Cockrall King, the event organizer, artfully planned workshops for budding and experienced food and wine writers, expertly presented by writers, editors and TV personalities Michele Sponagle, Julie Van Rosendaal, Taryn Boyd, and Craille Maguire Gillis. Top Cat Tours ushered us around the City of Penticton, the up and coming Naramata Bench, and Summerland. We had an amazing dinner at Township 7 Vineyard, with food prepared by Joy Road Catering, wines from Township 7 and a great new wine called Black Cloud. We watched the movie Tableland under the stars among the wine barrels. Another dinner at the historic Naramata Inn , prepared by Thomas Render and his talented team, was served outside on the balcony. We had a great vineyard tour and lunch at Lake Breeze Winery, and a foraged lunch at Valentine Farm, the makers of the Vinegar Works Wine Vinegar. We spent some time at the renowned Elephant Island Orchard Wines, and were sure to take home some of their bubbly Pink Elephant, and Framboise to share with friends.  Mission Hill Winery Chef Matthew Batey led us on a tour of the incredible Penticton Farmers Market.  Rhys Pender of Wine Plus+ primed our wine tasting chops, which we  practised behind the scenes at Laughingstock Winery in a wine blending workshop with David Enns. We were given 3 wines to blend and compare to their cult wine Portfolio. At Sumac Ridge Winery’s Cellar Door Bistro, some bottles of bubbly lost their heads in a wine sabering demonstration and we tasted their Tribute Olympic Commemorative sparkling wine. Some of that jumped into our car as well. The dinner was remarkable, prepared by Chef Roger Planiden, and was a fitting end to our weekend.

And now, I will do my penance.

My husband and I are going to re-create every meal that we ate, share the pictures of the real and pretend dishes, and write about them here. Stay tuned. (It might take a few weeks!)

Link to these great blogs for posts on the Township 7 Dinner and the Penticton Market

The Endless Feast in Edmonton

We had the pleasure of attending a beautiful dinner at Peas on Earth Organic farm the other day. It was held in their vegetable garden. The weather was perfect, the setting jaw droppingly beautiful, and the food exquisite. The dinner was filmed for a tv show called The Endless Feast, produced by Film Garden Entertainment from California, which airs on American Public Television Stations. Previous episodes have been in vineyards, orchards and farms all across the US and Canada, with the focus on bringing together artisan food producers, chefs and food lovers to prepare and share food in the setting where the food is grown. The table had 90 seats, with a backdrop of drying garlic bouquets, and fields of vegetables. Even the bugs behaved......as August is usually "crazy wasp month" in these parts, and a meal outside can look like an arm waving competition.

The food was created by Blair Lebsack from Madison's Grill, and Gail Hall of Seasoned Solutions, along with a team of volunteers. They wove their magic through the courses of local food, which included Irvings Farm Fresh Pork, Spring Creek Ranch Beef, Pilatus Farm Bison, Dirt Willy Pheasant, Hog Wild Boar Bacon, and vegetables from Peas on Earth, Doef's Greenhouse and Gull Valley Greenhouse. The cheese board was a delightful 1 X 4 fence plank, with 7 kinds of cheese from Sylvan Star Cheese and Fairwinds Farms with some great artisan crackers from Praire Mill Bread. Libations were supplied by Ensante Winery, which produces fruit wine, and beer from Edmonton's local gem Alley Kat Brewery.

Here is the menu created by Gail and Blair

Photo by Thea Moss

Passed Hors D'oeuvres:

"Lakeland"Demi Wild Rice Medallions Capped with Cardamom and Apple Butter

Glazed "Irvings Farm Fresh"Pork Tenderloin

"Pilatus Farms" Mini Bison Sliders topped with "Sylvan Star" Smoked Gruyere and Market Beet and Corn Relish

"Peas on Earth" Three Onion and Leek Ricotta Tart

Course 1

Slow Roasted "Gull Valley" Vine Ripened Tomato Salad

Course 2

Braised "Dirt Willy"Pheasant & "Franco's"Ricotta Crepe with "Irvings Farm Fresh" Pork Belly and Apple Compote

Photo by Thea Moss

Course 3

Braised "Spring Creek"Beef Short Ribs, "Pilatus Farms" Wood Grilled Bison Strip Loin, Carmelized Onion Mashed Potato, Beet Pave, Baby Corn Succotash with "Hog Wild" Boar Bacon

Course 4

Alberta Farm House Cheese Board featuring "Sylvan Star" goudas and gruyere and "Fairwinds Farm" Goat Cheese with Pea Pesto,"Prairie Mill" Buttermilk Crackers , "Doef's" Red Pepper Chutney and "Gull Valley" Tomato Jam

Course 5

Strawberry & Rhubarb Galette with "Fantasia" Gelato and "Doef's" Spiced Wild Berry Coulis.

Enjoy a few pictures from the evening. We enjoyed the food so much that we forgot to take a picture of each course! Most of all......a salute to all of Edmonton's local producers....may they live long and prosper!

"Boof" Bourguignon Cooked Outside

Served with B.C. Elephant Island Wine

For a food geek like me, seeing the new movie Julie Julia was a raucous good time. For some, that would be a bit of a stretch, but I knew every nuance of what was going to happen before it happened. I had been a follower of Julie's blog in 2003 and had bought Julia Child's book "My Life in France" before I knew it was in the movie! Meryl Streep was delightful and Amy Adams did a good job, even though she kept saying "Boof" Bourguignon. I thought that had to be intentional. No one really says "boof" for "boeuf"!

Well, this past weekend, in 30 degree heat, we decided to make the "Boof" dish. We had the benefit of cooking it in our outdoor oven, and on our barbecue burner, so that we would not heat up our house too much. I looked at the recipe and made a few minor changes. We substituted Bison for the "Boof" and used Wild Boar Bacon for the bacon. Other than that, we followed the recipe to the letter. (almost)

The Outdoor "Kitchen"

When we were cooks, we learned the "classique" method of making the dish. That recipe might look something like this.

Braise beef cubes in a Sauce Espagnole with the addition of red wine. Garnish with bacon, pearl onions and mushrooms.

Pretty simple recipe! It assumes you know all the techniques that go with the description.

Julia's recipe is 2 and 1/2 pages! Here is the recipe in all of it's glory. But truth be told......if you know how to make a good beef stew, it is quite a simple dish to make, because it is just a beef stew made with red wine, and garnished with mushrooms, pearl onions and bacon!

For 6 people

A 6 ounce chunk of bacon

Remove rind, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch sticks and 1 1/2 inches long) Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quart water. Drain an dry. (ok we didn't do this..... we just cut up the bacon and sauteed it in the casserole)

Saute the bacon in 1 tbsp olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.

3 lbs of lean stewing beef cut into 2 inch cubes

Dry the beef in paper towels. It will not brown if it is damp. Saute it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

1 sliced carrot

1 sliced onion

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat.

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

2 TB flour

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to the oven for 4 minutes. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust ) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

3 cups of a full-bodied young red wine such as a Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy.

2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon

1 TBSP tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 tsp thyme ( I used fresh thyme sprigs from my garden)

A crumbled Bay leaf

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and the bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in the lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when fork pierces it easily.

18 to 24 small white onions (remove skins by blanching)

1 lb fresh mushrooms. (she says to saute, I say don't bother)

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. (This makes the sauce smooth. For a more rustic presentation, do not bother) Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat. Skim fat off the sauce. (courtesy of the bacon rind) Simmer the sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoon of extra stock or bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Serve with potatoes, noodles or rice. I served it with a few slices of a baguette we had made in our oven.

Wood Fired Bagels

When you have a wood fired oven there aren't many excuses for not trying to make bagels. (Other than it is a 2 day process, and quite a lot of work.) Vince has now tried twice. We think that they are good. You see, we have never eaten a Montreal Wood Fired Bagel, or a New York Wood Fired Bagel, so we have no frame of reference. Ours are chewy and full of holes. They do not taste "like a bun with a hole" like most bagels do around here. I guess we need to enlist the help of a bagel aficionado to determine if they are close to the real thing.


The dough is fairly easy to make. It must be quite stiff and the shaped bagels need to be "retarded" overnight in the fridge. We discovered that the bagels need to go directly from the fridge to the boiling water, or else the dough becomes too soft and they look really freaky when they are baked! We have learned that we place them further from the fire to start, and then move them closer at the end.

We set ourselves up in front of the oven with a burner and large pot of boiling water. We have an outdoor counter for our prep area.

The baking is the fun part! Vince has got it down to the dance of the bagels in the oven. New ones go in....the others are moved closer to the fire......then out they come.

The man and his bagels. Give us a call if you want to be the aficionado to give them their stamp of approval!

Market Day in Paris

We're standing in the Fresh Food Market at Bastille and can't believe what we are seeing. Rows and rows of amazing edibles. The fruits,greens, herbs, fresh meat,vegetables and fresh fish are unbelievable. The Parisians are quite relaxed about it, as this is usual for them. We have markets in Edmonton, with good food, but this abundance is unbelievable! I was caught touching a bunch of radishes, and the stall owner told me "ne touche pas". I forgot that they pick and bag your items for you. He did smile though, and was not uncivil about it. We walked through the market once and then went back and made our purchases. A magnificent pork roast, fresh herbs, cherie potatoes, a marvellous french melon, green beans.......we will have a feast tonight!

Snow Day

Why on earth would anyone make granola bars? I have made some pretty silly things in my day from individual yogurts, creme fraiche, sausages........but granola bars? My son asked for granola bars for lunches this week. I said sure, I'll run out to the store and get you some. I looked out the window, and I was taken back to when I was home with my kids when they were babies, and quite housebound. If a blizzard was blowin' we weren't goin' ! I said to my husband that I was not going outside. Granola bars musn't be too difficult to make. I checked the pantry.

Rolled oats

Flaked Coconut

Natural Bran

3 kinds of nuts

Dried Blueberries

Honey

I found a recipe on a site called Mother Earth News. Doesn't that sound granola? I changed the recipe a bit to match my pantry ingredients. I made sure to press them firmly into the pan and then cut them warm. I thought they wouldn't stay together, but they did. They turned out great. My 2 very large boys said they were "awesome". The snow day turned out some great results. Granola Bars, Fruit Yeast Bread, Hazlenut and Apricot Tea Loaf, Beef Stock, Chicken Stock.....and then supper. Recipe Follows:

2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 1/4 cup nuts any variety, chopped
1/2 cup bran
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
1 cup dried cranberries, currants or raisins
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Preheat oven to 300
2 Mix together the oats, coconut, chopped nuts and bran. Spread out on a bakesheet and toast in the oven until golden (about 20 minutes)
3 Mix together the honey, butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan. Heat on the stove until just bubbling. Add the vanilla extract at the end.
4 Mix together the toasted ingredients with the honey mixture.
5 Add in the dried fruits.
6 Press into a greased 9 X 13 cake pan. Press down very firmly.
7 Place back into the oven for another 20 minutes.
8 Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then cut into granola bar shapes. Let cool completely in the pan. Wrap separately and store

Servings: 15

Yield: 1 X 3 inch bars

Oven Temperature: 300°F

A Snowy Blustery Day!