Pin Mining - Rhubarb Edition

Some could argue that Spring has been here since Autumn left us.  We really didn't have much of a Winter in Southern Ontario.  A scant dusting of snow a few times, and I think there was enough to shovel a couple of times.  The kids were both thrilled that the grass was finally covered enough to go sledding and bummed that it only happened once.

This past Easter weekend is the first I can recall where I saw dandelions, Magnolias, the last of the Forsythia blossoms (they've been out for weeks) and fruit trees in bloom.  We've gone looking for fruit blossoms on Mother's Day and been too early.  At this rate, there will be Lilacs by the first of May!

Our own garden is coming to life as well.  The peas and radishes the kids and I planted last month are doing nicely under some protective plastic.  My kitchen window is bursting with beans and cucumbers and melons.  The only thing missing is a patch of rhubarb. 

Ah rhubarb.  I fondly remember my cousin and I sitting on our grandmother's glider swing, under the big tree, reading first edition X-Men and Richie Rich comics and eating stalks of rhubarb, fresh from the garden, dipped in little dishes of white sugar.  How much of her patch did we go through each year?  And whatever happened to those bags of comics anyway?

My grandmother's meringue topped rhubarb custard was another treat I fondly remember.  Made in a deep dish pan, the fruit was tangy and stringy, tempered by the custard-y filling and topped with mounds of fluffy, golden meringue.  My mother has the recipe.  I must get it, even if I may be the only one to eat it.

So as my thoughts have turned to rhubarb, I thought I'd go digging through Pinterest for some Spring inspiration.  There are plenty of recipes for rhubarb/strawberry desserts, rhubarb/raspberry creations and even a few that look like my Nana's pie.  But here are three that are new to me and look like they're worth a try.

Rhubarb Baklava

Source: northdakotakitchen.net via Lori on Pinterest

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Source: tasteofhome.com via Stacy on Pinterest

Rhubarb Iced Tea

Source: thekitchn.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Food Bucket List

I've been thinking lately about things I'd love to make but for one reason or another have yet to attempt, or succeed at.  Fried chicken is one such creature.  I don't remember the last time I've made an actual attempt at proper fried chicken.  It's been.... many years.  To be fair, I don't really like to fry in the house, and often use the side burner on the barbecue for such things. However it's hard to control the temperature well when there's a stiff breeze (or it's snowing).  And temperature control kind of matters.

I have, however, watched Nigella Lawson boil her chicken in her buttermilk marinade before finishing it off in hot oil, seen Alton Brown's 147 step process for fried chicken perfection, heard arguments for and against both shallow frying and deep frying, read that the best fried chicken has a thin crust, a thick crust, a double dipped crust, a breading, a coating, a dredge, a batter....  I'm starting to understand why I have yet to achieve any success with this beast.

Another item I've been thinking of lately that I would like to make myself is pita bread.  I've made naan on the barbecue with wonderful results.  But I have yet to pull out (find) my pizza stone and attempt homemade pitas.

I made ricotta once.  It was for a cheesecake recipe.  I decided that I'd make the cheese instead of buying it.  But since I wasn't all that familiar with ricotta, I wasn't sure that my finished product was right (it was, apparently).  I ended up dumping it and making a dash to the store.  That was... disappointing.  But I learned.

Speaking of cheese, I'd like to make my own mozzarella, too.  I saw a recipe recently for it that looked relatively easy, if I can find rennet.  I'd like to make yogurt, too.  Yeah, yeah, I know it's supposed to be easy.  I've seen Alton Brown do it, but I think I'll try it anyway (I need to stop watching him turn simple recipes into enough steps to fill half hour long shows).


Some day I hope to smoke my own meat.  Making my own sausage is another aspiration.  I will own a smoker, eventually.  One that can do both hot and cold smoking.  I'll smoke cheese, and vegetables, and salt....  Yum!


And some day I'll make duck confit.  I know I can buy it, and I don't even do that, but for some reason it beckons me to attempt it.


Then there are the things I want to perfect.  Ribs, pulled pork, those thin burgers that are smashed down and cooked over insanely high heat on a griddle so that they develop a nice crust.... 

My poor, neglected blog

As I type this, I have an adorable 4 year old girl and a sweet 7 year old boy coughing on either side of me.  The Boy fell to the sick last Saturday.  By Sunday he was feverish.  Little Miss followed suit by Monday.  While the fevers are gone, a lingering cough has made both miserable and sleep elusive.  I'm not one to go to the doctor for a sniffle, but this was getting to be too much.  For all of us.  So last night we saw a doctor, got some puffers, and hopefully set the kids on the road to recovery.

In the meantime life has been all but paused.  The house is... messy.  The dishes, however (by the grace of my amazing husband) are mostly caught up (not that we're using a lot - the kids haven't eaten much and I haven't cooked a full meal in nearly a week).  Social commitments are on hold.  And my poor blog has been on the back burner for quite a while. 

I don't exactly have a recipe to share right now anyway.  Though with a bit more dedicated time I may put together a fantasy post of foods I'm itching to try.  I can offer a book review though.

I ordered a book late last week and was eagerly awaiting its arrival.  Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It: And Other Kitchen Projects, by Karen Solomon.  I have been getting into preserving more and more, and I'd heard some buzz about this book and it piqued my interest.

I probably should have paid more heed to the reviews.  While many are great, some seem to come from people like myself, looking for something more relevant to actual preserving.  I don't need recipes for pretzels, bagels and curry powder, nor are they what I was expecting.  It's a great book, but just not for me.  I think I want something more "hippie-ish" as my husband calls it.  Something with more actual preserving information, not just interesting recipes for making store bought items at home.

I'm taking recommendations.  And watch this space for a fantasy food post.  Coming.... whenever my spare time isn't occupied by trying to cram in sleep to make up for what I'm not getting through the night.

Loving Greek yogurt

My kids have always enjoyed yogurt, but I was never terribly keen on the junk in so much of what's out there.  I did my best to buy stuff without extra stabilizers and curious new breakthrough gimmicks ingredients designed to get people to spend more so they could look good while wearing green.  I longed for Greek yogurt to become more readily available.

So you can imagine how happy I am with all of the choices available in stores now.  My kids aren't eating as much yogurt as they used to, ironically.  Greek yogurt is spendy, but I'm fine paying for quality.  And I love using it in recipes where I'd otherwise use sour cream, or have to strain conventional yogurt overnight to achieve the right texture (Tzatziki comes to mind).

Speaking of recipes, I saw on Twitter this morning that Oikos is giving away free yogurt to people who blog about their product (yeah, I'm about as subtle as purple panties under white pants).  It's a good product and we like it.  So why not?  I can repost one of their recipes, tweak one or post one of my own, which is what I'll do.

My husband and I enjoy the quiet after the kids are in bed.  Some nights we skip supper so that we can relax later with a drink and this dip.  It's best served with tortilla chips, and the inspiration comes from the overpriced nacho dips in the cold section of the produce area at a local grocery chain.  I often have a homemade "taco spice" blend on hand, but when I don't I just use the spices listed below, tweaking the final flavour before spreading it all in a dish.  And sometimes I like a dash of smoked paprika in it, too.  I love that this can be played with to suit any taste.

Nacho Dip

1 8oz block light cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 C Oikos plain Greek yogurt
1t ground cumin
1-2 T chili powder
1 t garlic powder
Pinch of salt
2 T minced red onion

2 T chopped pickled jalapeno, or to taste
1/4 C salsa
1/2 C shredded cheese

In a large bowl or stand mixer, whip together the cream cheese, yogurt, spices and salt.  Fold in the onion and jalapeno.  Spread into a shallow, small baking dish and smooth the top.  Spread the salsa over it and cover with the shredded cheese.  Let sit in the fridge for a few hours for the flavours to mix.  Serve with tortillas.

Chinese New Year

  by  fab4chiky 

I have a near lifelong friend with whom I share my passion for food and food culture.  Before we had kids we spent a lot of time exploring Chinatown in Toronto, and the Pacific Mall in Markham.  We were told off by an old Chinese man for daring to ask what a Dragonfruit was.  We marveled at the array of amazing edibles in boxes along busy sidewalks, and old grandmothers sitting quietly with bunches of fresh garlic at their feet, waiting to sell to whomever needed garlic right there.  We stood, dazed by the choices for lunch in the food court of the largest indoor Chinese mall in North America.  We also discovered that if you're going to need a washroom and are afraid of creepy basement corridors with bare bulbs hanging between dusty pipes, go before heading to Chinatown along Spadina Avenue.

Over the years we've celebrated our love of Chinese food (and Asian food in general) in many ways, including a few Chinese New Year inspired feasts that we've both shared with friends and had the pleasure of catering for others.  Now that we have children, we're passing along our passion for these flavours to them.

Yesterday I spent a good part of the afternoon prepping a relatively simple meal of Char Siu (Chinese barbecue pork - in this case tenderloin), Chow Mein (stir fried noodles and veggies), and scallion pancakes.  Not authentic, but as Chef Michael Smith once said (paraphrase alert), "When playing culinary tourist, my goal isn't to be authentic.  My goal is to make dinner."  So while we didn't enjoy any whole steamed fish or lotus bean tarts, we enjoyed some new flavours and dishes.  Okay, so the pancakes weren't as good as I remember, and the kids didn't care for them either, but the pork was a hit, and the noodles were so good that hubby found our son eating leftovers off of Dad's plate after we'd all finished.

And that was the goal for me.  To find some new foods and flavours that we can incorporate into our menu.  Hoisin sauce isn't some weird, foreign flavour now.  Noodles can replace rice (without calls for pasta sauce on them).  "Chinese food" doesn't sound strange.

I think I'd like to continue this through the year, as more culinary festivities come up around the world.  This means I get to research food traditions and play culinary tourist, the kids get to learn about the world around them through food, I get to recreate global dishes using local ingredients whenever possible, and hubby... he gets to enjoy it all.  LOL  Though I think I may skip the Haggis for Robbie Burns day on Wednesday.  Perhaps a nice bowl of Cock-a-Leekie soup instead?

I love vinegar

I am a sour freak.  I love sour things.  Always have.  When I was pregnant with my kids, one of my cravings was for sour things.  Especially gummy candy doused in citric acid.  As a kid I loved those 5 cent sour soothers (or sour keys as we called them) and their penny candy cousins (they're probably all a quarter each at least now).  Don't give me "Sour Patch Kids."  They aren't sour enough.  When I want sour, I don't want to mess around with sweetness that takes over after a few moments.  I want face puckering, tongue twitching sourness that may even bring a tear to the eye.

So it's no surprise that I love vinegar.  And a few years ago I happened upon a lovely couple who would rock my world.  I was at a Thanksgiving craft show, perusing the gourmet food tent.  There were so many vendors with so many lovely things to try.  Spreads and jams and sauces and chocolate and cookies and... vinegar.  Not your average flavour enhanced vinegars that are everywhere (shouldn't raspberry vinegar actually be made from raspberries?).  This was the real deal.  Small batch, home made, properly fermented vinegar.  I was drawn to one called Ale and Rum, if I remember correctly.  It was apparently made with Smithwick's Ale, and it was like the punchiest malt vinegar you've ever tasted.  My taste buds exploded.  Wow, was it amazing!  I was hooked.  I forget what else was offered that day, as the varieties have changed and evolved over the years, but from that day nearly 10 years ago, I have been a loyal customer of Mr. Vinegar - aka Roger Lambert and his wonderful wife Joyce.

If you go to their website (mrvinegar.ca) you'll see Roger and Joyce's smiling faces first.  Then you'll read a bit about what makes their vinegar special.  Words like "small batches" and "static fermentation" share space with "premium" and "international awards."  But this isn't a huge corporation.  It's a cottage business, run by a couple with a passion for quality and innovation.  From their original offerings, they've played with ingredients and created some amazing varieties of vinegar.  Among my favourites are the "Rapture of Raspberry" and Peach Chardonnay.  The "Barley Wine," which is their malt vinegar is the best thing fish and chips ever met, and while pricey (you have to inquire about the price and availability), Roger's Maple Syrup Vinegar is a sweet/tart offering that is out of this world and worth every penny.  It is a showstopper on a salad of mixed greens, dried cherries or cranberries, toasted nuts and Feta cheese!

Why am I writing this?  Because I am passionate about food, and about local food.  And Mr. Vinegar is a local (Hamilton) producer of top quality vinegar.  It is a company that I am proud to support and promote. 

They used to be full....

Cookies and Cameras

Those of you who have read this blog for a while (or even just skimmed it and noticed the pictures) know that I have never claimed to be a photo blogger.  I don't imagine I will ever post recipes in photo by photo detail, with ingredients neatly displayed on my counter and dozens of images of each step along the way.  I don't even really enjoy reading posts like that, so it's doubtful that I'd ever adopt that style.  I'm more of a "give me the money shot and get to the recipe already" kind of person.

That said, I got thinking about my humble blog as the new year began.  I don't think I want to be a mega-blogger, with deadlines and sponsors and thousands of readers.  Not right now.  I like being a small time blogger in a big pool of talent.  It affords me the time to be inspired and learn from that inspiration.  So it is with photography.  I looked up the manual for my little Nikon 8mp camera the other day and discovered that I can do things with it.  Like use a setting called "macro" to take better close up shots.  And play with light levels so that not everything I take a picture of in natural light looks like it's glowing.

There is a lot to read, and I have much practice before I can claim that I'm doing well, but I played a bit today and I think I got an image or two hat I can say are better than they would have been before I was inspired to learn more.

And on the plus side, having cookies to photograph means that we have cookies to eat.  These were inspired by Chef Michael Smith's chocolate chip cookies.

Marbled Cocoa Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

In a large bowl (or stand mixer) cream the butter and sugars together until smooth.  Add the corn syrup, egg, vanilla and salt and beat until totally blended. Scrape down the bowl, sprinkle over the baking powder and add the flour, mixing just until combined (yeah, I don't follow standard cookie protocol). Stir in the cocoa and chocolate chips until just marbled.  Streaks of cocoa should still be visible (it may be best to do this by hand, as I overmixed it a bit in my stand mixer).

Working with a teaspoon, scoop up some dough and roll it between your hands and flatten it lightly on a greased or or lined cookie tray. Leave space for the cookies room to expand.

Bake for 12 minutes (15 if you like them crisper), and let cool on a wire rack.

I got 2 dozen from this.