Archive for August, 2011
I’m attempting to squeeze every last bit of summer out of this last week before school starts. (Honestly, it’s conflicting with my desperate need to organize the basement and office – the one thing I was ABSOLUTELYPOSITIVELY going to get done in August. Of which there are only 8 days left of.)
And I hadn’t even managed to make popsicles! Which are of course all the rage this year. Forget all those years of buying ice pop molds at the dollar store, then cursing the dozen multicoloured plastic handles scattered all over the basement floor for me to a) pick up, and/or 2) step on. I’d throw them out, then get tempted by another set. Did I ever make popsicles? Not really.
But then Avery emailed me a link to the Kitchn, and these creamy lime pie pops, and it was like the mother ship calling me home. I’m a sucker for that lime juice-sweetened condensed milk combo; I love the science of it, the way the mixture thickens as you whisk acid into dairy. I love folding whipped cream into it, then intercepting most of it myself before it makes it into its pie shell.
But frozen into popsicles! Brilliant. And a perfect mixture for freezing in shot glasses – those tall ones, if you can find them. I procured mine for 69 cents at Value Village.
The best part? You douse them in graham crumbs to complete the pie effect. Genius, I know.
Paletas de Pay de Limón – Lime Pie Ice Pops
Adapted from Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Iced, & Aguas Frescas by Fany Gerson, by way of Avery and The Kitchn
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half & half
zest and juice of 2 large limes
Pinch salt
coarsely crushed graham crackers or Digestive cookies (or graham crumbs)
Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, half & half, lime juice, lime zest, and salt in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. It will thicken slightly – a reaction between the lime juice and milk – I love that.
If using ice pop molds, fill them almost to the top and pop in their sticks. If using shot glasses, fill them almost full, then cover with plastic wrap and stick popsicle sticks through the wrap (which will hold them in place) – the mixture is likely thick enough to hold a stick upright without the wrap, though. Freeze until solid.
Spread the crumbs on a large plate. Unmold the pops and dip into the graham crackers, coating as much as you like.
August 23 2011 | dessert and freezable | 11 Comments »
It’s a good weekend when I get to putter, and make jam, and pick up a loaf of crusty sourdough to toast and eat with sauteed chard and over easy eggs. And then toast some more to eat with jam.
We had been berry picking last week, and had a bagful in the fridge. The boys wanted to make jam. Straight-up Saskatoon berry jam can be a little hardcore – they’re a little hardier than blueberries – and so I picked up some strawberries and let them squish them directly into the pot with their hands. We made strawberry-Saskatoon jam, and as far as combos go, it’s just about perfect.
The berries get cooked down anyway – normally you chop or mash them first or in the pot – and they got a great kick out of demonstrating their respective superhuman strengths by squeezing the guts out of strawberries with their bare hands. Hopefully now they won’t grow up to be those guys who smash beer cans against their foreheads.
The mixture is thick at first, before the fruit has had a chance to release its juices. The boys pushed stools up to the stove and attempted to stir without flicking sugared fruit all over the kitchen.
You think at first that the fruit might singe, being so dry in the pot. But then once it gives up its juice, you think it’s far too liquidy. But it’s not.
Just keep cooking it. It will foam up all big and pink but not (quite) overflow if you’ve chosen your pot correctly. Eventually the foam will subside and the jam will thicken – keep in mind though that it will still be runnier than it will be cool. This is why you need to put a small spoonful on a small dish that you’ve stashed in the freezer at some point during the last few steps.
Once it cools, it should wrinkle when you push it with your finger.
Ladle it into hot jars, or the containers of your choice. If you’re nervous about canning, cool the jam completely and store it in heavy duty freezer bags or other containers in the freezer. That works too.
If you don’t have access to them where you are, blueberries are a perfect substitute for Saskatoons.
Strawberry-Saskatoon Jam
8 cups fruit (about half Saskatoon berries or blueberries, half chopped or crushed strawberries)
1 pouch liquid pectin
5-6 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
In a large pot (it will bubble up as it cooks) stir together the fruit, pectin, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a full boil and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes, or until a small spoonful set on a small dish you’ve stashed in the fridge or freezer gels enough that your finger leaves a trail when you run it through the puddle of jam.
Ladle into clean, hot jars, wipe rims and seal according to the jar manufacturer’s directions (I use the snap lid jars). Set aside to cool. Refrigerate any that don’t seal properly. Our batch made almost ten 250 mL jars.
August 20 2011 | preserves | 14 Comments »
I thought you should know about the Two Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake I dove into this week, on an afternoon when I should have been working. See what this internet does to me? The ultimate procrastination tool is what it is.
And then there was the Jalapeño Popper Panini – made with roasted jalapeño peppers (do them in the toaster oven – they don’t take up much room), cream cheese and cheddar – of course you don’t need to make panini, it could just be a grilled cheese sandwich. Same diff.
And the Two Bite Chocolate Cupcakes, made with pureed dates in place of the butter or oil. Don’t want you to miss out on those.
There was a round-up of rainbow recipes, including this stunning cake, which was made by a 17 year old! Who then got to appear on Martha Stewart! I know!!
There was a platter of chocolate Pupcakes, the ones my sister made for my nephew when he turned seven.
And we talked about Nanaimo Bars – where they came from (50s housewife Mabel Jenkins, as a to the annual Ladysmith and Cowichan Women’s Institute Cookbook) and where to get the absolute official recipe, as deemed by the city of Nanaimo, BC.
There were some tasty things going on over at the Family Kitchen – I didn’t want you to miss them.
August 19 2011 | Family Kitchen | 10 Comments »
In Edmonton last night and today to cook with watermelons on BT this morning. We made a day of it, poking around Edmonton a bit before heading back.
We found a cute little shop called the Whimsical Cake Studio, right beside Transcend Coffee, the High Level Diner and a poutinery.
I splurged and bought a dozen, thinking we could bring some back for the sweet teeth in Calgary.
They met a tragic end in the Winners parking lot.
Most of our drive looked like this – all big Alberta sky with Simpsons clouds. And plenty of very gutsy dragonflies on the front windshield. On the way home we took a detour over to Pearson’s Berry Farm.
They have a little take-out counter from which they sell pies, sauces, baking (Saskatoon butter tarts!) and ice cream – we got Saskatoon berry ice cream, of course, a (as yet uneaten) sour cherry pie and some berry picking. We set out into the fields with our ice cream buckets and picked Saskatoons. It’s been a bad year out there – big surprise – so the berries aren’t great. On the upside, because it’s not easy picking, they let you take the berries for free. Can’t beat that.
Or a $10 pie.
The boys are eager to make jam and a pie and muffins tomorrow. Not sure our haul will accommodate all of the above. We’ll give it a shot.
August 18 2011 | eating out | 12 Comments »
I’ve mentioned before how nice it is to have a chef living next door.
I was out pilfering the Nanking cherries that line our street – oddly some of the bushes have been stripped by birds, but others are heavy with ripe fruit. Wade comes out and casually mentions that he has some maple whisky and Nanking cherry barbecue sauce in his fridge. Of course he does.
There’s nothing wrong with Nanking cherry jelly, of course. Or cherry lemonade. But I had never considered Nanking cherries as a vehicle for barbecue sauce, in place of tomatoes. Brilliant.
My mom declared this the best rib sauce she’d ever had. It’s flavourful but not overly sweet, and it doesn’t have that harsh smokiness so many barbecue sauces come with.
Good news! Wade offered up his recipe. Which is probably smart, since he likely doesn’t have enough jars in his fridge to go around. Thanks Wade! If you can’t get your hands on some maple whisky, I’m sure regular whisky and a hit of pure maple syrup (say 1/4 cup?) would do the trick.
Maple Whisky & Nanking Cherry Barbecue Sauce
Recipe by Wade!
8 cups Nanking cherries, washed and stemmed
½ cup sugar
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mustard powder (or 1 Tbsp grainy mustard)
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups maple whiskey (from Highwood Distillers in Alberta)
In a large saucepan combine cherries and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until cherries have given up their juice. Remove from heat and push through a sieve to remove skins and pits. Return cherry juice to saucepan over medium heat, add all the dry ingredients, stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add 1 cup maple whiskey. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the final 1/2 cup whiskey. Cool and refrigerate in a sealed container.
August 16 2011 | on the grill and pork | 5 Comments »
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