Dinner tonight was inspired by Linda’s comment. (I do read all of your comments, although I’m a bit behind – quel surprise – on replying to some.) She reminded me of the jar of rhubarb chutney I had in the fridge – I too heard a mention of rhubarb chutney recently, and it seemed to me a Very Good Idea. So I made some. Tonight we ate the last of it for dinner with a grilled pork tenderloin (excellent pairing), pickled beets (all eaten straight from the jar, with a fork, without making it onto dinner plates) and some grilled asparagus. To grill asparagus, roll it around in a bit of oil and throw it straight on the grill, running the stalks crosswise against the grills so that they don’t fall through. Thicker asparagus – which is not lesser asparagus, nor necessarily woodier – is easier to handle with tongs.
If you’re looking to turn some rhubarb into jam, I made some last year that was pretty tasty on toast.
Rhubarb Chutney
This stuff is pretty fab on a leftover roast chicken sandwich.
canola or olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4-5 stalks rhubarb
1 small apple, chopped (optional)
a handful of raisins
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
3/4 cup sugar, white or brown
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium saucepan and cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and starting to turn golden. Add everything else, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook for about half an hour, until everything is nice and soft and it looks like chutney. Ladle into clean jars and seal, or refrigerate. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
One Year Ago: Spaghetti Carbonara with Caramelized Onions
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June 16 2009 | preserves | 16 Comments »
I had a bit of a scare this morning. I woke up, or rather got pushed out of bed by two three-year-old feet and licked awake by the dog, and went to get an espresso and check my blog (as always Saturday mornings are a bit like Christmas on account of the surge of comments I get for FSF), and it was GONE. This blog. Nothing there. No connection, through the www. or WordPress. For hours. P.A.N.I.C. I called tech support and they said the system was being upgraded but I didn’t quite buy it, and fretted through a three hour long panic attack which included a lot of reprimanding myself for not backing this thing up, only because I never got around to figuring out how.
I have now. Phew. The thing popped back online at around noon. There is a moral to this story: BACK STUFF UP. Just in case.
I’m sorry that some of these recipes come along a little too late, after the occasion that might call for them, as is the case with this cranberry ketchup. Maybe you’ll hang on to the recipe for next year. Or maybe, like me, you like cranberry condiments at other times of the year too. This is like regular cranberry sauce but a little more savoury – made with onions and vinegar as well as sugar and spices – and pureed to a ketchupy consistency. My mom hates it, but I love it. Some rooting around the freezer unearthed a container, so I got to have my turkey sandwich after all. (The turkey seemed a little on the dry side, so I mayoed it up a bit and added some chopped green onion and celery.)
Cranberry Ketchup
1 medium red onion, chopped
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 cup water or apple or orange juice
1 bag fresh or frozen cranberries
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 cinnamon sticks, or 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
A good grinding of black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a largish pot set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture boils, the onions become soft and the cranberries pop; about 20-25 minutes.
Let it cool a bit and then transfer to a food processor or run through a food mill until smooth. If it seems too thick, add a little extra water or juice. If you like, press it through a sieve (this is a good idea if you want to keep it in a squeeze bottle) to get rid of all the solids.
Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal according to the package directions, or let it cool and transfer to plastic containers to store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to 4 months. Makes 2 1/2-3 cups.
Also, I decided that for all my raving about real hot chocolate this season I have yet to offer up a recipe. (Although pouring warm milk over chopped chocolate will do the trick, provided you can whiz it smooth, which can be a little tricky and is made infinitely easier with one of those little hand-held milk frother things. But please, if you have kids around, don’t let them play with them, particularly in close vicinity to long hair.)
I have heard drinking chocolate called all sorts of things, but I think “bisque” captures its essence best.
Hot Chocolate Bisque
3 cups 2% or whole milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Lindt 70% cocoa or Bernard Callebaut – you can get nibs or flakes from Bernard Callebaut that work great)
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water and sugar over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Let it sit for a few seconds, then blend it with a hand-held immersion blender. Or for individual cups, divide the chocolate among the cups and pour the warm milk overtop. Whiz with one of those little frothers to make it very smooth and foamy.
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December 27 2008 | beverages and leftovers and preserves | 4 Comments »
Day 358! I may just have a heart attack.
I did CBC early this morning and was on traffic duty again on the Homestretch this afternoon, so leaving at 6 and stopping for one last gift en route, then getting stuck in hockey game traffic got me home at almost 7. I didn’t plan dinner (you’d think that after 357 days I’d learn something) but did pull a baggie of frozen chicken strips in buttermilk out of the freezer, and called to tell Mike to get sweet potato fries started. (Very unromantic of me, considering it’s our anniversary, but really we have the whole season to celebrate.) By the time I got home W had fallen asleep (he was up again at 8:30) and the chicken and fries were fairly cold and soggy… I nibbled on a few but was mostly interested in bread and jam while we made our last few batches of caramel corn with mixed nuts and fleur de sel caramels to give out tomorrow.
If I was really pressed to name my favourite food of all time, like if my life depended on choosing, I might say toast and jam. Dull, maybe. But I’d choose toast (or fresh, warm biscuits) with butter and jam over chips or chocolate anytime.
Dark, runny jams are my favourite; cherry, plum and black currant, although I go through semi-annual marmalade phases and would not turn down apricot or peach or a nice spiced apple jelly. I could happily go through life with an entire wardrobe of jams; a whole shelf dedicated to them. I do adore jam.
Years ago I made a couple of holiday-inspired jams that I decided to ressurect this year (considering my vow to not set foot in a mall for the few weeks before Christmas – I made and am still making a bunch of stuff, and I am a little bit hooked on etsy) and recently stumbled upon a new one. Besides the baking and caramels, I like having little pots and jars (I get old glass ones throughout the year at Value Village, church sales and the dollar store) filled with preserves to bring everywhere I go on the days leading up to Christmas.
This mandarin jam is my new favourite. It’s nothing like marmalade, as it contains no peel. It made perfect use out of the second half of a case of mandarin oranges we had lost interest in.
Mandarin Jam
from The Travellers’ Lunchbox
1 kilo (generous 2 lbs) mandarins, any variety: clementines, tangerines, satsumas, etc., preferably organic
about 500-600 grams (2 1/2-3 cups) sugar
juice of 2-3 lemons
Wash 2-3 of your mandarins and zest them, carefully avoiding the white pith underneath. You should have about a tablespoon. Peel all of your fruit, removing as much of the pith and filaments as possible. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, cut each mandarin in half around its equator, and pick out any seeds. Place the halves along with any juice they’ve expelled in a food processor and process for about a minute, until you have a more or less smooth puree.
Combine the mandarin puree, tablespoon of zest, sugar and lemon juice in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat slightly. Allow the mixture to boil, stirring occasionally, until it sets, about 30 minutes. To test the set, place a small saucer in the freezer for a couple of minutes, then drizzle a teaspoon of hot jam on it. Allow to cool, then run your finger through it. If it holds the trough, it’s set. Also taste for sweetness at this point – if you think it could use more, add a bit more sugar and cook another minute or two; do the same with lemon juice if the acidity needs some perking up.
Pour into hot, sterilized jars, seal tightly and turn upside down until cool. Or use your tried-and-true canning method. Or simply keep in a closed container in the fridge for up a month.
Slow Cooker Apricot Jam
This is virtually effortless – the slow cooker does all the work! It’s perfect to make while you’re doing other things around the house.
1 lb. dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 cups water
a knob of fresh ginger, grated (about a tablespoon)
2 cinnamon sticks or a shake of ground cinnamon
Combine everything in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 – 3 hours, stirring a couple times if possible. Uncover and cook on high, stirring occasionally, for another 2 hours or until it’s thick and jam-like.
Ladle into clean, hot jars and seal according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 to 15 minutes or refrigerate up to a month.
Makes about 4 1/2 cups.
Christmas Preserves
This I came up with with a friend when we were, like, 20, and felt so grown up making our own jam in her own kitchen. If I made it again today I might attempt it without pectin; use it though if you’re nervous about your preserves (kind of like a marmalade) setting.
3-4 medium oranges
2 small lemons
3/4 cup water
1/8 tsp. baking soda
6 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each ground allspice and cloves
1 – 85 mL pkg. liquid pectin
Coarsely grate the zest off the oranges and lemons. Peel off the white pith and membranes (throw them away) and chop the fruit. Place the zest in a saucepan with the water and soda and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, then add the fruit and cook for another 10. Add everything else but the pectin and boil hard for a minute. Remove from heat and stir in the pectin, let sit for 7 minutes, skimming off foam if you need to, then ladle into hot jars and seal.
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December 23 2008 | preserves | 8 Comments »
OK, it technically wasn’t us who ate tourtière for dinner, but I made it. Does that count?
It was the topic of discussion on CBC this morning – inspired by you guys. I have always associated tourtière with Christmas, but only because our neighbour down the alley made it every year back in elementary school, and to be honest I haven’t eaten that much of it, so I’m really no expert. I think I’ve made it once in my lifetime – the Canadian Living recipe, of course. I keep meaning to make it every year, because I love the idea of it, and I love that it’s real Canadian cuisine.
When it was decided I would do tourtière I called my French-Canadian neighbour Pascal for advice, who called his mum in Quebec to get her recipe, which he then translated for me, so I made an extra for him and the family. So at around dinnertime I pulled a steaming pie from the oven and walked it across the street in my Pepto-pink polka-dot flannel PJs and giant Fargo parka I bought at a movie set sale in Vancouver (because when you’re working on the computer at home, why would you wear pants with buttons and bits to dig into your gut when there are PJ pants to be worn? Honestly everyone on my block has seen me more in PJ pants than any regular clothing), instead of setting it on the dinner table, which was really fine with me because a) they were so excited about it, and b) Mike has been barfy all day anyway.
So W and I ate some noodles with tomato sauce and Mike groaned and whined a lot and drank a Coke because he upchucked his coffee this morning and has had a headache ever since. W insisted he eat his in the tub, which eliminated clean-up afterward. His new favourite demand: “get out mine way!!” (Translation: get out of my way, like now.) I told him that’s impolite; he should say excuse me, please. His newest favourite demand: “excuse me please. GET OUT MINE WAY!!”)
The only thing I found odd about this recipe was the partially baked bottom shell for the pie – I haven’t seen any other recipes that require this, and it would make it near impossible to bind the raw top crust with the bottom. Then again, who am I to argue with Pascal’s mom?
So no, I didn’t partially bake the bottom crust, I just lined the pie plate, filled it, topped with and crimped the edges and cut a few slits for steam to escape.
Tourtiere
(from Pascal Desjardins’ Mom in Quebec)
Recipe for 1 pie:
1 1/2 pounds ground pork or beef
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
2 celery sticks
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Saute the onion and celery in a small amount of oil.
Add the meat and the rest of the ingredients, add a half cup of water and simmer for 1/2 hour.
Place in a partly cooked pie crust, brush top of crust with egg and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
And one more time in French…
Tourtiere
1 1/2 de porc ou boeuf haché maigre
1 petit oignon
2 gousse d’ail
1 ou 2 branche de celeri
1/4de c. a thé de muscade
1/4 c. a thé de canelle
1/4 de c. a thé de clou giroffle
persil
sel et poivre au gout
Faire revenir l’oignon l’ail le céleri ensemble avec un peu d’huile.
Incorporer la viande et faire cuire avec 1/2 tassel d’eau pendant 1/2 heure.
Placer dans l’assiette a tarte et faire cuire au four a 350 pendant 45 minute sur la grille du bas.
Bon Appetite.
Now, as I was calling every French Canadian I knew to solicit tourtière advice, I noticed one of the newest cookbooks on my desk, A Taste of Canada by Rose Murray. A taste of Canada would surely include tourtière. It did; little turnover tourtières that you make with frozen puff pastry and can even assemble in advance and bake just before your guests arrive. I served them with apple-plum chutney.
Tourtiere Turnovers
Excerpted from A Taste of Canada: A Culinary Journey by Rose Murray (Whitecap Books)
Makes 48 turnovers.
The French-Canadian meat pie, traditionally served with the main course, has the new role here of a festive appetizer or cocktail bite. Serve the turnovers hot with the usual green tomato relish or fruity chili sauce to temper the richness of the pastry.
1 potato, peeled and quartered
1 lb lean ground pork
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, with leaves, cut in 3
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried savory
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
2 pkg (14 oz/397 g each) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
In a medium saucepan, cook the potato in boiling salted water until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, mash and set aside.
Bring ½ cup (125 mL) of the potato water to a boil. Add the pork, onion, celery, garlic, savory, thyme, cinnamon and cloves, breaking the pork up with a spoon. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pork is no longer pink and the liquid has reduced by half, about 45 minutes.
Remove and discard the celery pieces. Stir in the potato, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and more of the other seasoning if desired. Let cool in the refrigerator.
Working with a quarter of the pastry (half of one package) at a time, roll out each quarter into a 12- × 9-inch (30 × 23 cm) rectangle. Cut each rectangle into 12 even squares. Brush each with egg. (Reserve any remaining egg in the refrigerator.) Place a heaping teaspoon (5 mL) of the pork mixture in the centre of each square, making sure none gets on the edges. (Mounding it into a bit of a ball with your fingers helps.) Fold the pastry over to enclose the filling and form a triangle. Seal the edges by pressing all around with the floured tines of a fork. (Turnovers can be prepared ahead to this point and refrigerated, covered, overnight. Or, freeze for up to 2 months sealed in freezer bags. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking.)
When ready to serve, arrange the turnovers on a baking sheet; brush with the reserved egg. Bake in the centre of a 400°F (200°C) oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Apple-Plum Chutney
2 large apples, peeled and coarsely chopped
4-6 plums, coarsely chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 14 oz. (398 mL) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. – 1 Tbsp. curry paste
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch cinnamon
Put everything into a pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally and mashing with a potato masher – you don’t want to smooth it completely, just rough it up a little.
Turn the heat down low and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until it has the consistency of jam. Transfer the hot mixture to warm, clean jars, and seal, or cool and refrigerate or freeze.
Makes about 4 cups.
And while we’re on the subject of traditional family recipes, I found the original recipe for the much-loved Chinese Chews my Grandma and great Aunts used to make. They are actually very low in fat, too. The tattered end instructs to cut into small bars and roll in icing sugar to coat while still warm. I think I’ll make a batch for my Dad.
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December 16 2008 | cookies & squares and freezable and pork and preserves | 20 Comments »
It was nice enough to start snowing late this afternoon, just as the last of the second group arrived for the final weekend package of Christmas in November. We walked around the lake and skipped rocks across the partially frozen parts, creating an eerie sort of space bird sound, had hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate shavings and then had hot baths and watched Wall-E while writing Christmas cards in our robes before Buffet #2, at which point the evening quickly deteriorated into a frenzy of chasing HellBoy as he ran through the crowd and attempted to disassemble Christmas trees, placating him with lamb chops and trying to maintain our composure as he screamed and spread-eagled himself on the ground in the middle of the high-traffic main doorway and refused to move.So when M took (or rather dragged) W back to the cabin (to answer the query – he has spent many nights in our room ordering room service, partly because he has a bum knee and W won’t stop, partly because three year olds don’t make ideal gala dinner guests, and partly to keep himself away from the free-flowing wine and martinis at the main lodge) I managed to sit and eat some dinner. I have a guest photographer tonight – while we ate Michael Olsen offered to photograph his plate, as well as the two tenderloins on the carving board at the head of our table. (My plate had a few token greens on it – his is far more accurate.)
The plum chutney played such a minor role in this buffet; it was there to accompany short, squat bison sausages wrapped in the merest belt of puff pastry, but it interested me most – it could have so many other applications. I asked Chef Turcot for the recipe and he obliged. (He didn’t have much else to do this week.) I love this formula… this is what restaurant kitchen recipes look like – they assume you know what the hell you’re doing if you’re there and using the recipe – and generally the amounts are in liters or pounds instead of cups and teaspoons. (There are some sausages with plum chutney in the last buffet photo – Monday’s dinner.)
Plum Chutney
1 liter plums, diced (that’s 4 cups)
7 garlic (I’ll assume that’s cloves, and I’d crush them)
336 g brown sugar (about 1 2/3 packed cups)
300 mL cider vinegar (a cup is 250 mL; you do the math)
3 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. cloves (let’s say ground)
1 tsp. nutmeg
In pan place ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and reduce by half. Cool and serve.
The Maple Pouding Chomeur though. There were a lot of desserts, but this was The One. It’s a sort of sticky maple goo covered with golden, crunchy-topped cake. A French Canadian pudding cake. I was a little disappointed to see the quantity of cream, butter and sugar, but it did make sense considering how good the finished product is. And it does serve 24. Michael says its original name is “Poverty Pudding” – I should be so impoverished.
Maple Pouding “Chomeur”
Cake:
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups milk
Maple Creamy Sauce:
1 ½ cups maple syrup
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1/3 cup butter
Cake: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased 13 x 9 inch oven glass dish. Sauce: In a large saucepan, bring to boil the syrup, brown sugar, heavy cream and butter while stirring. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 2 minutes or until the sauce has slightly reduced. Slowly pour the boiling sauce onto the batter.
Cook in a preheated oven of 325°F for about 35 minutes or until the top of the pudding is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 24.
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November 14 2008 | cake and dessert and preserves | 81 Comments »
