tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14459825893002791112024-03-05T08:11:14.944-05:00MulticulturiosityMissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.comBlogger275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-5043819240312477542011-01-19T11:55:00.000-05:002011-01-19T11:55:23.494-05:00MOVED! Check out www.multiculturiosity.comMy blog has now moved to: <a href="http://www.multiculturiosity.com/">http://www.multiculturiosity.com</a> so if you're looking for new recipes or what I've been cooking and writing about lately, you're going to have to mosy on over there. No more ridiculous grilled shrimp pictures on the front page, thank goodness!MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-47488693705240055632011-01-14T11:01:00.000-05:002011-01-14T11:01:40.648-05:00Melomakorona: Greek Honey-Soaked Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixEbR4VEcG1H0fJnUaJaMcoPj8txbymO_nxw7prU74uIJnmsFtjtzodP1c0G3ZNzCsGswkjOnQwlkn7BF6BrxVdVUSZxnbTbHHv3Wg7GBQMZVr_VNxDV8mPi3Js0GMT-OEi9DCmtbgv1G/s1600/melomakarona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixEbR4VEcG1H0fJnUaJaMcoPj8txbymO_nxw7prU74uIJnmsFtjtzodP1c0G3ZNzCsGswkjOnQwlkn7BF6BrxVdVUSZxnbTbHHv3Wg7GBQMZVr_VNxDV8mPi3Js0GMT-OEi9DCmtbgv1G/s320/melomakarona.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I thought these were going to be easy...<br />
<br />
...and it's not that Melomakarona are 'hard' to make, so much as they're time-consuming. You need to shape each one by hand and then place them in batches in hot honey syrup. I figured they'd be like baklava where you pour the syrup over after they're baked, but no, this one involved carefully picking them up one by one and essentially reverse deep-frying (instead of deep-frying in oil, the olive oil cookies are deep-fried in honey syrup...), then removing them with a slotted spoon and sprinkling with walnuts. They are heavenly, but anything with this much oil that falls apart so easily in your honey-drenched mouth (I initially mistyped "honey-frenched" and I think it may also be appropriate) should be epiphanal. <br />
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A Greek friend of mine asked his mom to make me a bunch of these as a Christmas present. Best. Present. Ever. Except I'm one person and there was a big Christmas-y container of them that weighed about 10 pounds.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34HwGY1Uc3zvjw61KjWusXUnuhn0nsjKkzojahcOA8hubqQ2MmgoTD81z_xMXyFvFCdSKVpGAEQzYkXgoKTSfmyDeoYk2DbEmdmmqw6K1ZGYsCKoRTQ8jpvIsGIxT_qB6i2QpCC2pZX3r/s1600/greek-honey-cookies-christmas-sesame-mela.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34HwGY1Uc3zvjw61KjWusXUnuhn0nsjKkzojahcOA8hubqQ2MmgoTD81z_xMXyFvFCdSKVpGAEQzYkXgoKTSfmyDeoYk2DbEmdmmqw6K1ZGYsCKoRTQ8jpvIsGIxT_qB6i2QpCC2pZX3r/s320/greek-honey-cookies-christmas-sesame-mela.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
"They last a few weeks", says my friend, but mine sure didn't. Dinner of melamakorona? I'm not going to say I didn't...I may have rounded it out with a salad or something.<br />
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So I had to make them for myself and I had to make a few different kinds as all the refined sugar and regular flour in this recipe would make them off-limits for my mom. So I did a gluten-free, sugar-free version that ended up a little more crumbly (which was fine since they didn't have to be moved once I put them in a container post honey-soak) and one regular batch. The cookies are naturally crumbly and a little gritty from the semolina called for in most recipes, so I figured it would work perfectly with a mix of rice flours, starches, and sorghum flour. <br />
<br />
<b>Melomakorona</b><br />
3/4 cup of fresh orange juice<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
3/4 cup olive oil<br />
3/4 cup sunflower oil (or other flavourless oil. All olive oil makes the cookies bitter apparently)<br />
1/4 cup of brandy (I think I used whiskey and it worked fine)<br />
<br />
1 cup of sugar<br />
3 cups of all-purpose flour (or <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/06/gluten-free-bread-take-2.html">gluten-free flour blend</a>)<br />
1 cup of fine-ground semolina (or medium-ground, but not corn flour)<br />
grated peel of 1 orange<br />
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon of grated cloves (or ground cloves)<br />
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<b>For the Syrup and Topping:</b><br />
2 cups of water<br />
2 cups of sugar (or sugar substitute)<br />
2 cups of honey (or agave, but use only about 1 - 1 1/2 cups since agave is much sweeter)<br />
1 stick of cinnamon (two doesn't hurt...)<br />
3-4 whole cloves<br />
1 cup finely chopped walnuts<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180C. <br />
<br />
Stir the baking soda into the orange juice.<br />
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Put all the dry ingredients (flour, semolina, sugar, spices, orange peel) in a bowl and mix until blended with a whisk. In the middle, create a well and add the liquid ingredients (oil, brandy, and orange juice).<br />
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Knead the dough until it sticks to your hands. It should be wonderfully gooey.<br />
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To shape the cookies take a fistful of dough and make it into a log. Press the dough gently with your fingers on one side to flatten slightly. The shape of the cookies can be rounded, oval, or a small log shape. The ones my friend had given me that his Greek mother had made were rounded, so I aimed for that.<br />
<br />
<center></center><center><img alt="melomakarona" src="http://www.greek-islands.us/greek-recipes/melomakarona/melomakarona.jpg" /></center><i>Photos from </i><a href="http://www.greek-islands.us/greek-recipes/melomakarona/"><i>Melomakarona Greek Honey Cookies</i></a><br />
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Place the cookies well spaced in a cookie sheet (no need to grease the sheet since the cookies have so much oil in them that leeches out anyway), place on the middle rack in the oven and bake until browned (about 15-20 minutes}. A little extra is not the end of the world since they get soaked in syrup and there's no way they'll be tough, but you'll taste a slightly over-cooked flavour. If they're undercooked they may be too crumbly to soak properly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking racks (or plates. Who has a ton of baking racks?).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHU_Wx63-xksu7A-bGyH_xSGgAGXpSptGkq6APMZwbBuqPOlQ0wuXQkKBwlGagdDrgE_JhtEIgXcMoyF5d0LihGkMQ7JoaNpceU8e7OSbP6wwYoNY90NiqIFDiSEJc5PzEUkYVI2FFdwUu/s1600/melomakaona2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHU_Wx63-xksu7A-bGyH_xSGgAGXpSptGkq6APMZwbBuqPOlQ0wuXQkKBwlGagdDrgE_JhtEIgXcMoyF5d0LihGkMQ7JoaNpceU8e7OSbP6wwYoNY90NiqIFDiSEJc5PzEUkYVI2FFdwUu/s320/melomakaona2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The cookies need to cool completely before being dipped in the syrup or they'll fall apart, so don't start the syrup until the cookies have cooled.<br />
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Put the water, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a wide pot (like a deep frying pan. The wider it is the fewer batches you'll need to do. It can save a lot of time) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat down to low. As soon as it starts to boil, a foam rises to the top. Scoop this off and throw it out. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves, or save them to add to the cookie tin after as garnish. Don't eat them.<br />
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Put the cookies (as many as will fit on the bottom at a time) into the hot syrup and use a spatula to hold them down completely immersed in the syrup for about a minute, depending on how syrupy you want them to be. Then remove them with a slotted spoon, letting some of the syrup drip, place on a large serving plate in layers (or immediately into a container with a top so you don't have to move them again), sprinkling each layer liberally with the finely chopped walnuts before adding another layer on top.<br />
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Melomakarona are not refrigerated. Cover them well with plastic wrap or in tins so they don't dry out, and they'll last for at least a week. The brilliance of not using oil or eggs! You also end up with a ton of leftover soaking syrup...this is the best part. Pour it (only a little at a time) on ice cream or yogurt, or frozen yogurt, or use it in smoothies as a sweetener, or even dip fruit or toast into it. Mmm...cinnamon-infused honey syrup...you could also just make some <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/05/high-on-life-and-baklava.html">baklava</a> and use it all up in one go.<br />
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So was I meant to be Greek? Well some Greek friends (and friends of friends) came to the <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/volkwatson-christmas-extravaganza-2010.html">3rd Annual Volk/Watson Christmas Extravaganza</a> and actually said, "They're better than my mother's," and I nearly died. His mother would cry if he told her that. I know what that means in a Greek family. High praise indeed.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-46523753651450511282011-01-13T14:50:00.000-05:002011-01-13T14:50:42.176-05:00Zabaione? Zabaglione? Either Way, Prosecco, Sugar, Egg Yolks, and Learning ItalianThough this is more commonly made with Marsala wine, and may actually have originally been <a href="http://books.google.ca/books?id=i4xuO9TsHf8C&pg=PA179&lpg=PA179&dq=sabai+illyrian&source=bl&ots=l-EO5Isu0R&sig=fFNpssCthKYygn20RWj0fwSaTGU&hl=en&ei=_08vTYejO8H38AaTwPTzCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false">made with beer</a>, the light, bubbly sweetness of prosecco is absolutely perfect with the sweet egg yolk, frothed dessert. It's the cousin of the French sabayon a sweet or savoury sauce, but in this case, the Italians did it first and better. I also chose the prosecco because the first time I had this dish it was with champagne and the Chef who served it to me and my mother (two lactose-intolerant women overjoyed to be eating dessert at a <a href="http://interculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/04/atlantica.html">gorgeous restaurant</a>) told me he had learned it without a recipe from a Chef who said, "You do this, you add this now, then you do this..." etc. and that seemed like such a natural way to cook that I was inspired to recreate the dessert.<br />
<br />
The recipe is actually very adaptable; sugar content can vary, alcohol can vary, and cooking time is really just as long as it needs. There are people who hate recipes like that, but there's something very endearing and very Italian about them.<br />
<br />
Speaking of Italian, the one thing that stumped me was why when I look up Italian recipes for the dessert the name is "zabaione" and when I look up English recipes it's "zabaglione"? If anyone can let me know, I'd appreciate it.<a href="http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Zabaione.html"> The recipe I used</a> said it could have come from one of several military generals of royalty with names that all sort of sound like "ee'-oh'-neh'" but then it admits that the recipe is probably a lot older than any of those war stories. The Italians were probably eating sweetened, alcoholic egg yolks long before Captain Baglioni or Giovanni de Baylon had anything to do with it. What did men know about Italian desserts in the 16th Century anyway?<br />
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I had 12 egg yolks leftover from the angel food cake, but you can do a smaller version of this recipe if you wish by just dividing all the ingredients appropriately. The long mixing is boring, but I had a willing friend who took the whisking reigns. It was a bonus that we could speak Italian together while he waited patiently for the custard to thicken. His Italian is much better than mine, and having just returned from Rome, the whole process was quaintly beautiful.<br />
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<b>Zabaione al Prosecco</b><br />
12 egg yolks<br />
1/2 cup Prosecco (it doesn't have to be a great Prosecco. Anything will do. Any other sparkling wine will also do. If it's very sweet, just add less sugar below)<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
<br />
Seriously, three ingredients. You can do this.<br />
<br />
1. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and reserve the whites for another purpose*<br />
2. Bring a pot of water to almost a simmer. It should never actually boil, but always be in the verge. Use a pot that a heatproof bowl can sit on top of safely (you're making a double-boiler).<br />
3. Put the yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl and beat it with an electric whisk or beater until the eggs are thick, creamy, and almost white.<br />
4. Add the Prosecco a teaspoon at a time, beating constantly and once all the Prosecco is added, put the bowl on top of the pot and whisk or blend for 15-20 minutes, until the cream is expanded, luscious and thick.<br />
5. Serve immediately, or remove the bowl from the heat and keep beating until the custard cools completely. If you stop beating too early, the alcohol will separate. With the Prosecco in it it's better to eat it right away and make the most of the bubbles! <br />
<br />
<br />
*Ideally you use them first if you need to whip them, as they're not going to get any fluffier by leaving them in your fridge. You can leave for up to two days in there if you, say, want to make an egg-white omelet with them. you can also <a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/582726">freeze them</a>, and the same goes for <a href="http://www.ochef.com/479.htm">leftover egg yolks</a> in other recipes. Once you try this recipe, though, you won't have any trouble using up leftover yolks. Take that, mayonnaise.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-70705296298237140572011-01-12T10:49:00.000-05:002011-01-12T10:49:11.365-05:00Finally! Angel Food Cake with Maple-Honey Dessert Wine Apricots and Honey Ice Wine Figs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9lkgDX2HOZaqmCKZNqNSN-UHHyU_twYQ3ORglucxRuB3U8LBf08Y5BvzzMQetE4nWwgzOyX0nbIzyKgqhebomHTMIOI6E9SLj93DEPwunRgp5heA8JKkFwyqTfQ1cOxlOhM1XD7BQld9/s1600/angel-food-cake-with-cinnamon-apricots-and-figs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9lkgDX2HOZaqmCKZNqNSN-UHHyU_twYQ3ORglucxRuB3U8LBf08Y5BvzzMQetE4nWwgzOyX0nbIzyKgqhebomHTMIOI6E9SLj93DEPwunRgp5heA8JKkFwyqTfQ1cOxlOhM1XD7BQld9/s320/angel-food-cake-with-cinnamon-apricots-and-figs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Basically the whole concept of the 3rd Annual Volk/Watson Christmas Extravaganza started because I wanted to make Angel's Food Cake. To me, that's more than reason enough to have a party. The fact that it was Christmas came second.<br />
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I've <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/search/label/Almond%20Angel%20Food%20Cake%20with%20Amaretto%20Cinnamon%20Figs%20and%20Honey%20Amaretto%20Cream">made this recipe before</a>, and it's stunning. This time the cake didn't rise as much, but only I had had the original, and knew what it could have been like. I also did a few variations, decorated the top with a mixture of apricots and figs in the various dessert wines, and garnished with my home-made <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/search/label/gingembre%20confit">ginger confit</a>.<br />
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As long as you bring the egg whites to room temperature before you beat them and make sure you don't get a speck of egg yolk in the whites, you're golden. There's no butter, which usually means there will be no flavour, but the toasted almonds give a warmth to the cake, and somehow the texture is dense enough to not feel like you're eating air. The real miracle (pardon the pun) takes place when you add the incredibly sweetened fruit sauces that turn the cake itself from soft and a little chewy to almond the intense texture of a pound cake. Who needs Hell when you have Heaven?<br />
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Follow the <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/search/label/Almond%20Angel%20Food%20Cake%20with%20Amaretto%20Cinnamon%20Figs%20and%20Honey%20Amaretto%20Cream">recipe I already posted</a> but use your dessert wine of choice. I did two sauce options: one with a maple honey dessert wine that tastes like you're drinking alcohol-laden maple syrup (aka heaven - this also tied into the theme) combined with dried apricots, and one relatively lighter version with a simple honey ice wine and three kinds of dried figs. Yes there are three kinds of dried figs.<br />
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Notes on the dried fruit:<br />
1. You can find unsulphured apricots and regular apricots (sulphured). The unsulphured kind are darker and generally moister and more flavourful. They're also a touch more expensive but well worth it.<br />
2. For the figs I used a mix of Turkish, Black Mission, and Calimyrna (so called because they come from "Cali'fornia). They were also my favourite fresh fig of the season, having tried these light green ones, the dark California mission figs, and the Turkish). The figs are probably sulphured, however...If you can find organic ones, by all means buy them, but they will not be cheap.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9CmbmMQ8PUEW8PuGkXOF_NTWU7eHpTVbuqvHltMWnCIUsmnIw8deqQEN9XnwyfaTRA5biEU41Lo6hDwT1uGgUEQtNwUQRK3CQxzhHyONEQVfufK8by_f5AS7jXk5EpB0j0GQCM6xx61H/s1600/20100922_Almond+Angel+Food+Cake+with+Amaretto+Cinnamon+Figs+and+Amaretto+Cream.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9CmbmMQ8PUEW8PuGkXOF_NTWU7eHpTVbuqvHltMWnCIUsmnIw8deqQEN9XnwyfaTRA5biEU41Lo6hDwT1uGgUEQtNwUQRK3CQxzhHyONEQVfufK8by_f5AS7jXk5EpB0j0GQCM6xx61H/s320/20100922_Almond+Angel+Food+Cake+with+Amaretto+Cinnamon+Figs+and+Amaretto+Cream.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I skipped the amaretto drizzle on the cake since I actually think it takes away from the aesthetics on the cake (you can compare above). I also wanted to keep dairy out of the party as much as possible (even though the yogurt probably wouldn't have bothered anyone) and I wanted to make the dish as kid-friendly as possible by reducing the amount of uncooked booze...I, of course, served extra of the dried fruit liquor sauces on the side, and those who were not put off by what looked like slime-y goop could take heaps and heaps of intensely sugar-y nectar...<br />
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If you do make the drizzle, just use whichever liquor (amaretto, dessert wine, etc.) that you used in the dried fruit sauce. Die of happiness...and go to heaven, of course, where you'll be given more of this angelic dessert.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-16415613502722346372011-01-10T13:21:00.000-05:002011-01-10T13:21:07.557-05:00Buying Natural Wines and Champagnes in Newfoundland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFruZvhQz_9yeaQfADgPGOB-CnddNF8_bQHM3XEdSEhGc5sr7doKqDuGV8nYyLrzl23TwkTlytvkNqrAwjBbt0RU5zDg3jtfZDtBS85Jqk0E-xE10fsUy1o8mZJw-eLSmXrig3nXu_VpTv/s1600/JosephDrouin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFruZvhQz_9yeaQfADgPGOB-CnddNF8_bQHM3XEdSEhGc5sr7doKqDuGV8nYyLrzl23TwkTlytvkNqrAwjBbt0RU5zDg3jtfZDtBS85Jqk0E-xE10fsUy1o8mZJw-eLSmXrig3nXu_VpTv/s320/JosephDrouin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It IS possible to find a decent selection of natural wines in Newfoundland!<br />
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The second time I went to the liquor store (<a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2011/01/buying-rum-in-newfoundland.html">time # 2 of 2</a>) this Christmas, it was to buy the wine for the <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/volkwatson-christmas-extravaganza-2010.html">3rd Annual Volk/Watson Christmas Extravaganza</a>. It was so much fun! I wasn't sure if I was going to buy a few of the same wines or buy a bunch of different ones, but I wanted them to all be natural (organic and then some, to put it simply, but <a href="http://interculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/just-in-time-for-new-years-xavier.html">listen to this</a> to find out more). I knew no one at the liquor store was going to know what a natural wine was, and the best-case scenario would be that I'd just be pointed to the organic ones (that often aren't natural, and the natural ones are often not labeled organic, which they also are. Complicated, I know). So I looked at every wine-making region and read the back of bottles, and recognized some names. Here's what I came up with:<br />
<br />
Joseph Drouhin's Morgon, Pinot Noir, and Saint-Véran, and a Bouchard Père et Fils' Pinot Noir. <br />
I had also planned to serve two Quebec white table wines since they're supposed to be used for musical parties ("La Musicale" from Quebec honey farm and honeywine-makers <a href="http://www.3acres.ca/en">Les Trois Acres</a>) but they were left in the fridge by accident and are awaiting a new musical party at which to be opened.<br />
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On a piece of cardboard next to the bar at the party, I wrote:<br />
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About the wines:<br />
<blockquote>The whites and reds are natural wines; they are produced organically, hand-harvested, and have no extra yeasts, enzymes, sulfites or other chemicals added. Many come from the same producer but are made with different varieties of grapes. By not adding any of these extras ingredients, natural wines are supposed to allow you to taste the "terroir" - the land and true flavour of the wine - since nothing is chemically-masking it.<br />
<br />
The Honey Maple Dessert Wine and the Honey Ice Wine from <a href="http://www.mielnature.com/">Miel Nature</a> are examples of what Quebec does best. They're a little sip of heaven. I also used them in the cinnamon apricots and figs for the angel food cake, so the cake and wine should go well together. </blockquote>I couldn't tell anything about the champagnes at the liquor store, so I just bought an affordable prosecco for the zabaione and stuck with wines I trusted for the party. The prosecco was perfect for the Italian custard-like dessert.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-12927957536236418942011-01-09T10:44:00.000-05:002011-01-09T10:44:14.971-05:00Buying Rum in Newfoundland<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fzyP4-icPu5MljcUH75-ykq2YQ7TMhzTs9-ulnGsXHEpq_dkM-aPIf2p6WlzTfU_GVZQ1sNFc5LGFI84ZCrh8onjRU577kzwLLNuytchjXlIToWeTpme880Z5SQOdyrr2pIwjxuDyv_z/s1600/Screech.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fzyP4-icPu5MljcUH75-ykq2YQ7TMhzTs9-ulnGsXHEpq_dkM-aPIf2p6WlzTfU_GVZQ1sNFc5LGFI84ZCrh8onjRU577kzwLLNuytchjXlIToWeTpme880Z5SQOdyrr2pIwjxuDyv_z/s1600/Screech.jpg" /></a><br />
I got carded buying rum for fruitcake...<br />
<br />
For the <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/volkwatson-christmas-extravaganza-2010.html">3rd Annual Volk/Watson Christmas Extravaganza</a> I got really excited about going to the liquor store. I get excited about going to the liquor store anyway, since I'm more of an occasional drinker who splurges a little on nicer things than a regular "pick up a bottle of plonker"-er, so a liquor store trip is a special occasion and generally leads to something delicious. Kind of like how some women feel about shoe shopping...<br />
<br />
Anyway, I've only bought alcohol twice over the course of my entire time back on the rock, and both times were pretty unforgettable. The first time I was sent by my mother to buy rum for my dad for his Christmas pudding. Newfoundland has a lot of rum! All that rum-running from the Caribbean really came in handy for making rum popular here, and it stuck post-prohibition. There were all the standards including Bacardi and Appleton's but apparently the most popular rum in Newfoundland is Lamb's despite the fact that it's from Ontario (though the Black Sheep Spiced Rum comes from Quebec for some reason) and there are a lot of local options. Or at least more traditional ones from the Caribbean. Probably Lamb's white is specifically the most poopular, but I needed dark rum for the pudding, so I had a hard decision to make.<br />
<br />
So while my mom was buying groceries I wandered into the rum section of the attached liquor store to check out the offerings from home and abroad:<br />
<br />
<b>Central America: </b><br />
Mount Gay (Barbados)<br />
El Dorado (Guyana)<br />
Havana Club (Cuba),<br />
English Harbour (Antigua)<br />
Goslings Black Seal (Bermuda)<br />
Sangster's (Jamaica)<br />
Ray and Nephew (Jamaica),<br />
Ron Zacapa 23 (Guatemala)<br />
<br />
<b>UK: </b><br />
Mac Na Mara (Scotland - blended scotch)<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>US: </b><br />
Cruzan (US)<br />
Ron Matusalem (US)<br />
Sailor Jerry (US)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Canada:</b><br />
<br />
Governor General Light (Quebec)<br />
Ron Carioca (Quebec)<br />
Captain Morgon (Moslty Quebec, some US)<br />
<br />
Malibu (Ontario) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Smuggler's Cove (Newfoundland)<br />
Cabot Tower (NL) <br />
Lemon Hart (NL)<br />
Iceberg (NL)<br />
Newfoundlander's White (NL)<br />
Old Sam (NL)<br />
Ragged Rock (NL), and of course,<br />
Screech rum (Newfoundland)<br />
<br />
That makes for a lot of options for fruit cake...I didn't want something particularly good since it wasn't going to be drank anyway, but I didn't want junk, and I didn't want anything from the rest of Canada or the US, since if I was going to buy North American it was going to be from Newfoundland. In the end I chose a bottle of Cabot Tower (mostly because it was local and you could get the smaller bottles) and took it to the cash.<br />
<br />
I haven't been ID-ed in a good while. In Quebec if you're taller than the counter in a bar you're legal. Even in a liquor store you rarely get carded once you hit my age. I didn't even have my ID on me. I'd even said to my mom when she sent me off in search of rum (like a good little Newfoundland girl) that I might get carded, but her look of "Yeah, right..."-skepticism kind of embarrassed me into trying anyway.<br />
<br />
The woman at the cash gave me one look and asked for ID. I sighed. It was pretty embarrassing to have to say that my mother would be right there to buy it in a minute. You're not allowed to buy alcohol for minors either, but clearly this was fine with the woman who was having a bit of an internal laugh. You could kind of see it on the sides of her mouth. Ah, positions of power. They're supposed to card if you look under 25. My mom just laughed at me when I told her. So I spent 20 minutes choosing the right rum not to drink and I still get carded the one time I don't have my ID. It figured. Murphy's law. There are an awful lot of Murphys in Newfoundland, it's true.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-38812443399215357522011-01-08T13:26:00.001-05:002011-01-12T10:28:25.744-05:00"Real" Sundried Tomato and Artichoke Dip (aka "St. John's Ran Out of Canned Artichokes and Philadelphia Cream Cheese")<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug4J3v8T7E6Zpmuv0ZYGSYB17q293yNzXN1bV89daSFbTLdjj_BqO5tPuuqTpHQ61N7Tb9iJqXhQGdEQwy5P0v7RfjryAd2oKy3QX-ajaYKGNROFcE_geMC19TUY_fPkth1_kEPvv8Jgy/s1600/sundied-tomato-cream-cheese-dip-plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug4J3v8T7E6Zpmuv0ZYGSYB17q293yNzXN1bV89daSFbTLdjj_BqO5tPuuqTpHQ61N7Tb9iJqXhQGdEQwy5P0v7RfjryAd2oKy3QX-ajaYKGNROFcE_geMC19TUY_fPkth1_kEPvv8Jgy/s320/sundied-tomato-cream-cheese-dip-plate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This was the non-vegan, non-"raw" version of my preferred <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2011/01/raw-sundried-tomato-spread.html">sundried tomato spread</a>. It has lots of cream cheese, and is actually slow-cooked to a slightly molten state, unifying the flavours better than a stove or simple arm strength, I think. Maybe just my arm strength, though.<br />
<br />
I tricked everyone. Normally I'm tricking people with making dishes "raw" that seem creamy and dairy-filled, but this case was a little different. It's not actually an artichoke dip...St. John's ran out of canned artichokes. Absolutely ridiculous, I know, but there you have it. I went to possibly the biggest grocery store in the city and there were none. So I bought bamboo shoots instead. They're bland, they're not too salty, and I figured the texture would work fine. Besides, I don't know a single Newfoundlander who would be able to call me on it being a bamboo shoot. The best they could do is call it "not an artichoke". So when people said "great artichoke dip!" to my dip labeled "sundried tomato cream cheese spread" I just said "thanks". Not that Newfoundlanders can't tell the difference, just that most wouldn't know what bamboo shoots are or taste like. So I got away with it. <br />
<br />
I made a double recipe. It makes a ton. It's also a very labour-intensive slow-cooker recipe because you actually need to stir it. Thanks, ma.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
2 cans bamboo shoots, chopped<br />
2 packages cream cheese (the whole point of the dish was to use cream cheese because of the Philadelphia cream cheese commercials that have that angel woman eating the stuff (because the party was called <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/volkwatson-christmas-extravaganza-2010.html">"Heavenly Hosts"</a> it had to be Phili). Except St. John's ran out of Phili too. So I used no name brand...again, no one called me on it)<br />
1 cup sour cream<br />
3/4 cup mayo (I had the best intentions to use a home-made mayo but I hadn't made the angel food cake yet so I didn't have any yolks sitting around and I was not about to leave any whites sitting around getting potentially less able to expand, thus causing a sunken cake. So I used bottled. Again, no one complained)<br />
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (didn't use the real stuff here either. I'm a horrible cook. You should use the real stuff. Anyone could make this dip better than I did)<br />
1/2 cup chopped, drained oil-packed sundried tomatoes. Finally! Something I did right!<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1/2 tsp pepper<br />
1/4 cup chopped green onions (for garnish)<br />
<br />
All you do is add everything except the green onions to the slow-cooker and stir.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCH15CkWfY-e2WTtjxA2KstxmgKRenCPAievc6lEFK4dv22Yt9O7qs6hm20-W-eLknVg9zGEYWAwpNbahYGd050RZRwZik4NPt57O_aOjHMTj8MI7Cob2s6B554-nJqXnbXuwN8rZNm_YV/s1600/sundried+tomato-creamcheese-dip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCH15CkWfY-e2WTtjxA2KstxmgKRenCPAievc6lEFK4dv22Yt9O7qs6hm20-W-eLknVg9zGEYWAwpNbahYGd050RZRwZik4NPt57O_aOjHMTj8MI7Cob2s6B554-nJqXnbXuwN8rZNm_YV/s320/sundried+tomato-creamcheese-dip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Turn the slow-cooker to low and cook for just 2 hours. Stir twice during the cooking time and when it's done sprinkle with the green onions. It's kind of cool to serve this out of the slow-cooker, but it's also kind of cool to turn it into a snake. It's supposed to be served warm, kind of like a cream cheese fondue, but come on! A snake! How cool is that?MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-4890014235123882182011-01-07T08:09:00.000-05:002011-01-07T08:09:19.585-05:00"Raw" Sundried Tomato Spread<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEuP0KOtc5rFrDHTwiiXeu4esHRMeK7iMFib-hVL5y94SywBwYt5GuZKziP2uXmqs21cudIatVmsDpao7EloUccC1FVIKP43fLapbzD1Irwe38ytZiD6hQiNeMOZdSHPFC7-5OckFHP4K/s1600/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread-platter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEuP0KOtc5rFrDHTwiiXeu4esHRMeK7iMFib-hVL5y94SywBwYt5GuZKziP2uXmqs21cudIatVmsDpao7EloUccC1FVIKP43fLapbzD1Irwe38ytZiD6hQiNeMOZdSHPFC7-5OckFHP4K/s320/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread-platter.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I've <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/10/paupers-raw-sun-dried-tomato-pesto-and.html">kind of made this sundried tomato spread recipe before</a>, but it's so simple that it easily got changed around a little for the <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/volkwatson-christmas-extravaganza-2010.html">3rd Annual Volk/Watson Christmas Extravaganza</a> (in the photo, it's the dip on the right):<br />
<br />
1 cup macadamia nuts (soaked for 30 minutes to 1 hour and drained - not just because of "raw" food dogma - mostly because you need them to soften up and be creamy)<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"></span>Juice of half a lemon (or to taste. I like it kind of sharp)<br />
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar (it was unpasteurized, so I'm not sure if it was raw, but you could just use twice as much lemon juice if you want and be a little sadder)<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
1/2 cup "raw" sundried tomatoes (So this is a bit fishy, I know. Sundried tomatoes are often a chemical process involving sulfites for preservation and things that aren't the sun for drying, but you could just <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/10/oven-dried-tomatoes.html">dehydrate your own tomatoes</a> in an oven on the lowest possible temperature with the door slightly ajar. This is probably not what happened to the tomatoes I had stored in oil...so this particular version of the recipe wasn't exactly raw)<br />
<br />
I love raw food recipes for this reason:<br />
Directions: Blend.<br />
<br />
That's all. You only need to roughly chop ingredients, if at all, and then all you do is stick them in a good blender or food processor. Add a little of the sundried tomato oil or olive oil or water if it's too thick. You can optionally add a pinch of garlic powder or an entire raw clove for immune benefits (and taste, though bad breath comes along with it), or half a shallot (again, breath). You can also use cashews instead of expensive macadamia nuts if your mother is not currently in a digestive fight with them.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-81077012038588922862011-01-06T08:33:00.000-05:002011-01-06T08:33:23.489-05:00"Raw" Basil Walnut Spread<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzt0AqL0S9He4GeYPZzPvxXrn3dMDOPX3UpDylffqw-P7uzYgy5EESc3kmjOfrsACI2YwrW1xslhSXAEDV52Drl6MhQBrWv9f68QzQ0cDeEzPJWzNfysrqpCyxU0quoCqAeJ9UP72TqcJC/s1600/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzt0AqL0S9He4GeYPZzPvxXrn3dMDOPX3UpDylffqw-P7uzYgy5EESc3kmjOfrsACI2YwrW1xslhSXAEDV52Drl6MhQBrWv9f68QzQ0cDeEzPJWzNfysrqpCyxU0quoCqAeJ9UP72TqcJC/s320/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The recipe for this basil-walnut spread (pictured in the middle of the three dips above) kind of came from <a href="http://www.rawmazing.com/recipes/basil-and-raw-food/">here</a>, but mostly it came from the inspiration of my mother's kitchen, which is happily filled with special vinegars from the <a href="http://www.theorganicfarm.net/about_us.html">"O" Farm</a>, the organic farm in Newfoundland where she gets her summer vegetable and herb baskets. There was conveniently a basil garlic vinegar in the cupboard, so I'm not sure if it is actually raw (though it may be because it's unpasteurized) but I figured no one would mind. I won't be bringing it to a raw food potluck in Montreal on Saturday just in case. Well, that and other transportation reasons that include the handle of my suitcase breaking in the middle of the one intersection that separates my Montreal apartment from the bus stop that takes me directly to the airport. One intersection! And of course that's where my suitcase decides to curl up and die. Needless to say I hauled it up on top of my other one whose handle was a brute and kept walking...<br />
<br />
Anyway, what I actually ended up doing (though you could use this recipe of the other, or something in between...or something completely different and it would still be good) was:<br />
<br />
2 cups walnuts (soaked for 4 hours and drained. The original recipe calls for cashews but my mom doesn't do cashews. If you do, however, use cashews you'll end up with a much creamier texture, but lose a lot of the bitter, endearing flavour of the walnuts)<br />
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (soaked for 3 hours, drained)<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 tbsp basil-garlic vinegar (the website above has a way of making basil oil that works just fine. The dip will be more lemon-y this way and less complex than with vinegar, but still good. You can add a clove of garlic to the blender if your oil or vinegar isn't flavoured with it already. Be caaaareful with fresh garlic, though. It's strong. Same for if you decided to, say, add half a shallot on a whim)<br />
1 teaspoon lemon juice (only if you didn't use vinegar)<br />
pinch salt<br />
pinch ground pepper<br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
Blend in a workhorse of a blender or food processor. The water should be enough to help it along but you may need to scrape down the sides. I haven't lost a spatula to a blender in awhile. I figure my technique is better. ALWAYS turn off the blender before scraping down the sides. Don't do like I do. I won't have any spoons much longer if I'm not careful...or eyes when spoon shards escape the blender).MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-18226254357306701192011-01-05T08:44:00.000-05:002011-01-05T08:44:57.630-05:00Raw Macadamia Nut Ricotta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieC48mr4kHs_cieRHrHPWeHZEyrUsbwyoMgte5HAselNpFDJs-eadmhGJGBpgG-1uK5IW9GWARe4WJNycrFuctNH2bKiiDBuO8NXLr-iDjIe_9HXUv1JFeXxsfYFO8oSP8lhBSUfy_xtC8/s1600/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieC48mr4kHs_cieRHrHPWeHZEyrUsbwyoMgte5HAselNpFDJs-eadmhGJGBpgG-1uK5IW9GWARe4WJNycrFuctNH2bKiiDBuO8NXLr-iDjIe_9HXUv1JFeXxsfYFO8oSP8lhBSUfy_xtC8/s320/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>You take some macadamia nuts, and you take some lemon juice...<br />
<br />
The macadamia nut dip is the one on the left. I garnished them all with green onions and did a little design with a spoon to make it look a bit fancy, but the recipe -- very, very simple.<br />
<br />
Lemon and macadamia nuts are a really nice combo, and whether you follow the <a href="http://www.raw-food-living.com/soaking-nuts.html">"raw" food doctrine</a> of soaking your nuts to reduce the or not, a good 30 minute minimum soak for these nuts before blending them up with some freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you a creamier texture. Salt is kind of important, and the lemon zest helps too, but the oil is really only there to make this creamy. The pepper is very much optional<br />
<br />
The downside of this recipe is that the ricotta (albeit the least smooth ricotta you'll probably ever have) doesn't last more than a few days, so don't blend up more than you can chew, so to speak. A half cup of nut ricotta is a fair bit, so starting with more than a cup of nuts might be a bad idea.<br />
<br />
With that in mind:<br />
<br />
1 cup macadamia nuts<br />
4-7 tbsp fresh lemon juice<br />
sprinkle of salt (up to 3/4 tsp)<br />
zest of one lemon<br />
freshly ground pepper (optional)<br />
2 tbsp olive oil (optional) or 2 tbsp water (or more to make it blend)<br />
<br />
Soak the nuts in cold water for a minimum of 30 minutes, max an hour. These are not long-soaking nuts to remove enzyme-inhibitors, apparently. Drain the nuts and stick them in a strong blender or food processor along with the lemon juice, zest and some salt. Purée to creamy goodness, cursing if your blender dies, complaining if you have to add some water to get the darn thing to blend, and imagining how to apologize to your mother for breaking her blender (it later came back to life, miraculously. The wonders of "raw" food?).MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-16984761740691034332011-01-04T13:27:00.000-05:002011-01-04T13:27:56.176-05:00What Else Do You Put On Dosa?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKq7IfAhZe_Nmx_t40WZY7ms5aSTE-lleMSPE3mWNOIu1bG8v7K5m5AHj3I_iEgfdEaXGLRvazJwIiuSYNydFecENdsnKam_s0qgZOMIlfe_RLlmzHC2mriRCnWzqvUt6mWy79k0KWBPl/s1600/caramelized+onion-fig-jam-smoked-herring.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKq7IfAhZe_Nmx_t40WZY7ms5aSTE-lleMSPE3mWNOIu1bG8v7K5m5AHj3I_iEgfdEaXGLRvazJwIiuSYNydFecENdsnKam_s0qgZOMIlfe_RLlmzHC2mriRCnWzqvUt6mWy79k0KWBPl/s320/caramelized+onion-fig-jam-smoked-herring.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Better question: What DON'T you put on <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2011/01/3rd-annual-christmas-extravaganza-south.html">dosa</a>?<br />
<br />
Well, if you followed last year's Christmas party, you know I enjoy layers. So in a twisted kind of canapé style I'm a big fan of dosa + gloopy thing + cheese-like thing + meat-like thing + sauce-like thing. That doesn't sounds delicious at all, does it? I'll try to be more explicit with my descriptions:<br />
<br />
1. Dosa + caramelized onion + Quebec Oka Cheese + smoked herring + fig jam (encircling the caramelized onions above, inside the circle of smoked herring)<br />
<br />
Or<br />
<br />
2. Dosa + saag + "raw" (vegan) macademia nut ricotta + crab meat (NOT imitation pollock...) + raspberry/blueberry compote<br />
<br />
You could also do these combinations on other carb-y things such as baguette or even the dry gluten-free bread I put out for my mother's sake (though I will admit the tapioca bread is growing on me, but only when warm).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbVHfBGpu4rkJQWKWrQ3-zdJ9C7Z26lODC6Y44fsDWc5dlS1jELiz1R9HWLt9ZBK0PGrsPuw6McLQSG2ZOSx1yhOeh0xfLtwskLUMsdRrPZp55qBB5wzBjl0yLmCirRDeS-lcTgGAAYJ6/s1600/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread-platter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbVHfBGpu4rkJQWKWrQ3-zdJ9C7Z26lODC6Y44fsDWc5dlS1jELiz1R9HWLt9ZBK0PGrsPuw6McLQSG2ZOSx1yhOeh0xfLtwskLUMsdRrPZp55qBB5wzBjl0yLmCirRDeS-lcTgGAAYJ6/s320/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread-platter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> So lets start with caramelized onions:<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
Tons of onions (4 is what the original recipe calls for, but I feel like I was chopping onions forever since I did a triple recipe. The other measurements below are for 4 onions)<br />
a little balsamic vinegar (about a tbsp, but I like 2 since the balsamic I used was pretty subdued)<br />
the same amount of sugar (again, a tbsp, but I like 2)<br />
oil to slow-cook the onions (about 2 tsp. Extra is fine but unnecessary)<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)<br />
a little salt<br />
a little fresh parley or basil, finely chopped (optional)<br />
<br />
What you do:<br />
Slice the onions into very thin strips then add them to a pan of heated olive oil (medium-high heat). Reduce the heat immediately to medium and let them cook, unstirred, for about 4 minutes, or until they brown a little on the bottom. Now you're allowed to stir and keep cooking for another 5 minutes, spreading the light caramel colour throughout the onions and letting them wilt.<br />
<br />
Now sprinkle the onions with the balsamic and the sugar and stir and cook for 10 more minutes. They should be very brown and very tender. You don't want to crunch caramelized onions, so test them now. If they're soft enough, sweet enough, and acidic enough, add a little sprinkle of salt and stir in the parsley. Test again. With so few ingredients you can't hide in this recipe and if it needs more salt, it needs more salt. If it's undercooked, cook it longer.<br />
<br />
That's all. <br />
<br />
For the herring, I didn't trust how salty they were so I soaked them a little, basically depriving the already bland fish of any taste whatsoever. I should have gone with the pickled stuff, or pickled some herring myself, but, well, this way was easier and nobody was going to care. I cared. The soaked and dried stuff was junk, and the texture was nothing. In the future I will accept the salt or make fresh herring instead of wimping out.<br />
<br />
Next post: Macadamia Nut Ricotta<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKq7IfAhZe_Nmx_t40WZY7ms5aSTE-lleMSPE3mWNOIu1bG8v7K5m5AHj3I_iEgfdEaXGLRvazJwIiuSYNydFecENdsnKam_s0qgZOMIlfe_RLlmzHC2mriRCnWzqvUt6mWy79k0KWBPl/s1600/caramelized+onion-fig-jam-smoked-herring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-40690588864310647372011-01-03T10:54:00.001-05:002011-01-03T10:57:29.386-05:003rd Annual Christmas Extravaganza: South Indian Dosa to Scoop Up Your Pork Vindaloo or Saag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTWmSp1jPzZvA57MOd9aj7ar31PWoLDD_N8ufYlmYPIoTGW5Gp0BaJm9mKAjLkzO1x2xLHyhGA3lOO-OgzTl8S6q50wv8ReFt3k2U5YWWBTLbXTNrauXUOFvEEDP9zrfwITeFyhlIj9yw/s1600/dosa-with-saag-and-herring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTWmSp1jPzZvA57MOd9aj7ar31PWoLDD_N8ufYlmYPIoTGW5Gp0BaJm9mKAjLkzO1x2xLHyhGA3lOO-OgzTl8S6q50wv8ReFt3k2U5YWWBTLbXTNrauXUOFvEEDP9zrfwITeFyhlIj9yw/s320/dosa-with-saag-and-herring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Dosa is the easiest wrap to make ever. I don't know why more people don't eat it. It's a little coarse from the ground lentils, a little tangy, and deliciously sponge-like. Lots of people buy tortillas at the grocery store that come with so many preservatives and things you wouldn't really want to put in yourself if you looked at the ingredients list. Then other people buy things like tortilla presses, or even crepe pans and combine either hard to find ingredients or just lots of ingredients. Most people with wheat sensitivities just stick to sad, sad rice cakes.Traditionally dosa are eaten in Southern India with breakfast and lunch, but I keep having it for dinner. Kind of like having cereal for dinner, but less refined sugar and a lot more protein. It's just lentils and rice after all.<br />
<br />
Dosa has 3 essential ingredients. Sure, it won't be as sweet as a crepe (though you could add sugar, I suppose), but it's about the most natural gluten-free wrap you'll ever make. Now "raw" food dehydrating, no kneading, no pressing, and it's as easy and fun as making pancakes. You can make the big elaborate cone-shapes one like you get in restaurants but actually making them pancake-sized helps them cooperate and be less brittle and fussy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89dYuklXU55Ae-_BJefLtuL592_C1Ni3FRcoiqe-BWBJUHQ-_aluVgnARuqNuMvd9d8NBaMHKYeCLS5nXnK-8s_41xhPVHpP6Lw7Hka7WoakBmh2Kg71yH1zkOCBcYyRB7iEidXlcL0Ji/s1600/20100531_Masala+Dosa+Masoor+Hot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89dYuklXU55Ae-_BJefLtuL592_C1Ni3FRcoiqe-BWBJUHQ-_aluVgnARuqNuMvd9d8NBaMHKYeCLS5nXnK-8s_41xhPVHpP6Lw7Hka7WoakBmh2Kg71yH1zkOCBcYyRB7iEidXlcL0Ji/s320/20100531_Masala+Dosa+Masoor+Hot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Ingredients:</b><br />
3 cups basmati rice<br />
1 cup urad dal ("black gram", but the black skin is removed, leaving you with something that looks like a very small split pea. It's easily confused with other kinds of dal such as moong dal, so make sure you ask)<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp fenugreek (optional)<br />
<br />
<b>Instructions:</b><br />
Soak the rice and dal in separate bowls for at least 6 hours on the counter. Add 1/2 tsp fenugreek (optional) to each bowl. The rice and dal should be covered by at least 1 inch of water. <br />
<br />
Drain the water, rinse the rice and dal thoroughly, and place them in a blender or food processor along with 1/2 cup water. Add more water if you need to so you end up with a thin batter somewhere around a thin pancake batter or thick crepe better. I think too thick is worse than too thin, but there'll be lots of opportunity to add more water later, so for now err on the side of too thick. If the batter won't blend because it's too thick, don't be scared to add more water.<br />
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Pour the batter into a bowl and add the tsp of salt. Now cover the batter and leave it to ferment at room temperature for 12 hours. After that you can put it in the fridge if you don't use it right away. I haven't noticed any problem with keeping it a few extra days in the fridge. It doesn't go bad that quickly. I also figure that in India it would go bad more quickly, but this seems like the kind of batter you just leave lying around fermenting and it's okay for a good while.<br />
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Heat a skillet or electric frying pan like you would for pancakes and add a tiny bit of oil to the pan. In <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/10/south-indian-dosa.html">my last dosa recipe</a> I used a much more complicated system of wiping down the pan with water and all but I don't think it's necessary. Instead, just pour out the batter a tablespoon at a time and then use the back of a spoon or ladle to swirl the batter outward in a circular motion rom the middle of the circle of batter to the edges. If holes appear that's fine. You can try to fill them in with drops of batter but the fine, embroidered look of the hole-y crepes is beautiful.<br />
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Cook for about 5 minutes or until you can get a spatula under the dosa to flip it. The edges should be slightly browned. The bottom should be a light brown. Cook a few more minutes. Done. You can do a few dosa at a time if you make them small enough and your frying pan is big enough. Normally you'd do big dosas for each person but the small one is more like giving soft-shelled tacos to your diners instead of a big burrito shell. that way you can also put different fillings in each one. Especially for the <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/volkwatson-christmas-extravaganza-2010.html">Christmas Extravaganza</a>, it made sense to do smaller ones, so no one took a whole meal's worth of <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2011/01/slow-cooked-pork-vindaloo-more-than-my.html">pork vindaloo</a> or <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2011/01/saag-again.html">saag</a>. I think I probably took a <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2011/01/saag-again.html">meal's worth of saag</a>...but it is my heaven, after all.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-35071828000598474222011-01-02T09:46:00.000-05:002011-01-02T09:46:21.062-05:00Saag Again<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeVuzQSNFInHCguIr7P5us-pbaUGnM19h7hTKOTncsYGWl3P-foL_5UJTdkKRZyksrYynTpTo73YfL2qaT7mOG93n6qHXoQQCEMP7mScxWX0utFqDB5bnDEpymSttXn0FP7G9lubG1GHN/s1600/saag.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeVuzQSNFInHCguIr7P5us-pbaUGnM19h7hTKOTncsYGWl3P-foL_5UJTdkKRZyksrYynTpTo73YfL2qaT7mOG93n6qHXoQQCEMP7mScxWX0utFqDB5bnDEpymSttXn0FP7G9lubG1GHN/s320/saag.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/01/saag-it-to-mewhat-recipe-would-be.html">I make a lot of saag</a>, and so it's not really necessary for me to re-post the recipe I don't think. I'll just explain that this time I quadrupled the recipe, added some grated asoefetida for digestion, mustard seeds to make it more South Indian than North, (and also digestion), skipped the green chili, and this is a photo (above) of how much spinach was involved.<br />
<br />
Normally I use frozen spinach because you don't need to slice it up and wash it well (the annoying parts of spinach prep), but Newfoundland ran out of frozen spinach in the lead-up to Christmas. I doubt it was because Newfoundlanders went out and bought it up. Somehow I think that it's just not that popular a frozen food. I mean, you don't boil it up with Jiggs Dinner of peas pudding, so what are you supposed to do with it?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtH6l7MUilSRgXATEmwB8kgDWY-8aTchV_JnASEuczRmQBxgme7H70WgK6BXMBQm8AbN-FG0c8tQyD3xCqJ4SUSmwGic45xwtau2p43jU9jXJDu5UrxUuR_1LxtnW1pOY-50QWu1yDe_aK/s1600/saag2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtH6l7MUilSRgXATEmwB8kgDWY-8aTchV_JnASEuczRmQBxgme7H70WgK6BXMBQm8AbN-FG0c8tQyD3xCqJ4SUSmwGic45xwtau2p43jU9jXJDu5UrxUuR_1LxtnW1pOY-50QWu1yDe_aK/s320/saag2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
This. This is what you're supposed to do with it. Mustard seedy, asafoetida-laced gloop. I love it.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-29143808827874857842011-01-01T13:04:00.000-05:002011-01-01T13:04:21.945-05:00Slow-Cooked Pork Vindaloo: More Than My Dad's Heaven<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCHj1gxuZN3J_X90ALom28brb241pwK-4SIt71GxW0g0wY1CijevFb_swZEX3cE2KJ4YWQqgw6WyKCyUfzP4HygIIN3GeVUXKY1fYURVgWcVyOI4s07HNZPLomhCQYrCsxHmc3ZiChlFL/s1600/pork-vindaloo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCHj1gxuZN3J_X90ALom28brb241pwK-4SIt71GxW0g0wY1CijevFb_swZEX3cE2KJ4YWQqgw6WyKCyUfzP4HygIIN3GeVUXKY1fYURVgWcVyOI4s07HNZPLomhCQYrCsxHmc3ZiChlFL/s320/pork-vindaloo.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Of course pork vindaloo was going to be a popular dish at the <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/volkwatson-christmas-extravaganza-2010.html">3rd Annual Christmas Extravaganza</a>. You take a bunch of pork and slow-cook it until it basically turns into the Indian version of pulled pork. Anything "pork" and "slow-cooked" will be amazing. You don't even need to put a sauce on it and it will be amazing. You can also do this recipe all on the stove by letting it cook in the pot instead of transferring it to a slow-cooker, but your chances of over-cooking the pork are increased. Any idiot can slow-cook. In my mother's encouraging words: "Stupider people than you have done it". She didn't say that directly to me.<br />
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This recipe will leave your house smelling amazing for days. So make sure there are leftovers so that on day two you don't feel depressed because you can smell the vindaloo but you can't eat it.<br />
<br />
I made this with turkey about a week ago. Nobody said it wasn't good, but this time I had the proper vinegar and the fenugreek the recipe calls for and I'm told it was much better. I should know that when you actually follow Madhur Jaffrey's instructions, all will be well. I did not, however "serve with fluffy rice on the side". I instead served it with South Indian crepe-like dosa. Again, no one complained. It's a ton of ingredients, but it's also mostly spices. Really it's just pork and onions, so get all your spices measured and ready to go, and your vegetables and meat chopped, and the rest takes care of itself. <br />
<br />
I made this for 18 people, but here's the recipe for 12. It will give you LOTS of leftovers, and it freezes very well. since it's maybe a little labour-intensive you might be happy to have home-made frozen dinners of Indian comfort food.<br />
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<b>Ingredients: </b><br />
4 tsp cumin seed (whole seed - with Indian if you can use whole you use whole since all the flavour comes from the freshness of the spices. If all you have is ground that's okay - but not great - in this recipe since nothing gets toasted before being ground)<br />
4-6 dried hot chilis (these are supposed to be the small red ones but I brought home mulatos from Montreal and I just used one big dried mulato torn into a few pieces to get the seeds out. You don't need to seed the smaller ones. It's a big richer, chocolatier, and smokier than Indian chilies. Think Indian <a href="http://www.tasteoftx.com/recipes/chiles/mulato.html">mole</a>...)<br />
2 tsp black peppercorns<br />
2 tsp cardamom seeds (you have to break open the pods and take the seeds out. In this case it's kind of nice to use pre-ground cardamom...but I don't need to beat a dead horse here)<br />
2 three-inch cinnamon sticks (can use 1 1/2 tbsp ground if you're desperate)<br />
1 tbsp black mustard seeds (not yellow, but you can use them in a pinch)<br />
2 tsp fenugreek (find it, but leave it out if that's impossible)<br />
10 tbsp white wine vinegar (a bit sweeter and less sharp than distilled vinegar)<br />
1 tbsp salt<br />
2 tsp light brown sugar<br />
10 tbsp vegetable oil (yes, 10 tbsp, and I'm cutting that in half. The recipe actually calls for 20, which I only think you should if you make this dish, leave it overnight, and then skim off the fat which is very hard since there are so many spices that it doesn't really separate well. This is the problem with Indian buffets)<br />
4 medium onions, very thinly sliced into rings (fried onions are a treat in Indian cooking. Kind of like un-breaded onion rings that are used for garnish for elaborate dishes for special events)<br />
10 tbsp plus 2 cups water (with slow-cookers you're in theory supposed to use less liquid but I wanted this to be sauce-y)<br />
4 lbs (1.8kg) boneless pork (from the shoulder, says Jaffrey), cut into 1 inch cubes. I just used pork stewing cubes. The pieces were very unevenly cut, but with slow-cooking that doesn't matter as much as if you do it on the stove.<br />
1 two-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped into just a few pieces (no need to dice or even chop finely since it gets blended)<br />
2 small (or 1 large) head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled but not chopped<br />
2 tbsp ground coriander (if you can, toast whole coriander over medium heat for about 5 or 6 minutes in a dry frying pan and then grind in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Do this in advance. Coriander is very pungent and the freshly-ground version is amazing)<br />
1 tsp turmeric (don't skip this. It's the key to colour and digestion)<br />
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<b>Instructions:</b><br />
Grind the cumin seed, red chilies, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black mustard seeds, and fenugreek (in St. John's you can find it at food for thought or bulk barn. Maybe also Auntie Crae's) in a coffee grinder, mortar and pestle or a blender. Put them in a bowl and add the vinegar, salt, and sugar. Stir and set aside. Good job! You've basically completed half the recipe. Not so hard.<br />
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Put the ridiculous amount of oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and stir and fry until they're crispy and brown. Err on the side of overly-browned. In Indian cooking you want these to almost look burned since that's when they give the most flavour. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel and press very gently to remove excess oil (leave the pot with the leftover oil off the heat but don't drain it. You'll need it later and now you have a very flavourful oil). Then transfer the onions to a blender. Add 5 tbsp of water to the blender and purée the onions. Now add the purée to the ground spices you set aside in the bowl. Voila vindaloo paste. SO much better than store-bought. You can freeze this paste now to use later, or make it in advance, keep it in the fridge, and complete the rest of the recipe later. Think about it, 2 weeks from now you're craving vindaloo and you just defrost the paste. Maybe a good idea to make a double recipe of the paste...<br />
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Wash the meat cubes and dry with paper towels. If you can't find them pre-cubed ask your butcher to cube them. It will save you a ton of time. You can remove the excess fat if you wish. <br />
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Put the ginger and garlic into the blender (no need to wash it out after purée-ing the onions). Add 5 tbsp water and blend to a paste. Purée-d garlic, ginger and onion are pretty classic Indian techniques for thickening (no cornstarch, flour, or cream).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDT5FwP4e6ZXZZGKmkQfkh49o6f_ASqf6B16gi5Fo-8wXb34L4PdTfNgNrN8DRccwxbo_9584C7eyAiWx5ACmJbKAX5DvXNCQvj9IJF61W9yGh5jBAs6FPj1qvNFj0rAmDQ-9khN6_-oI/s1600/pork+vindaloo+paste.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDT5FwP4e6ZXZZGKmkQfkh49o6f_ASqf6B16gi5Fo-8wXb34L4PdTfNgNrN8DRccwxbo_9584C7eyAiWx5ACmJbKAX5DvXNCQvj9IJF61W9yGh5jBAs6FPj1qvNFj0rAmDQ-9khN6_-oI/s320/pork+vindaloo+paste.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Now the fun part. Everything's ready to go, so put the put full of leftover oil back on medium-high heat. When hot add the pork cubes in batches (be careful! The oil splatters) and brown very lightly on all sides. Honestly just about 5-10 seconds per side to get rid of the pink. This is how you over-cook the pork by over-browning, especially if you're not going transfer to a slow-cooker. <br />
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Remove each batch of cubes with a slotted spoon or tongs as they're browned to a plate lined with paper towel. If you're not going to slow-cook you may want to not use a paper towel, since the collected juices will keep the meat moister. Once all the batches of pork are browned add the ginger-garlic paste to the pot. Immediately turn the heat down to medium. Stir for just a few seconds to coat the paste in oil and then add the ground coriander and turmeric. Stir for just another few seconds and then add the meat cubes, the vindaloo paste, and 2 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil and then either transfer the contents to a slow-cooker and set it to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, OR cover the pot, reduce the heat to low or medium-low to keep it at a gentle simmer, and stir occasionally for about 1 hour, or until the pork is tender. If you like a little more sauce, you can thin the liquid in the pot with water. No chicken, pork or vegetable stock allowed here. The flavour comes from the spices.<br />
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I am told this dishes like this taste best:<br />
a) warm, not hot. So let the pork cool a little before eating it.<br />
b) the day after. The sauce continues to tenderize the meat and the spices continue to infuse the meat. So even if you over-cook it, by leaving it overnight in the fridge, it could still be brilliantly tender and even more flavourful the next day.<br />
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Serve with rice and die of happiness. If you don't eat pork, make this with lamb, or beef, or really anything, but game or fatty meat tastes the best. Cheaper cuts of meat work well for that reason.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-89492349094823322572010-12-30T11:52:00.000-05:002010-12-30T11:52:14.723-05:00Volk/Watson Christmas Extravaganza 2010: Heavenly Hosts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHHn9_7n0ScJk_zBRZ1e2u2rA3ZmrPgboQJRwM7o2eAM3-K1QTxLloYBpGu9-ooT0R18xgnZm2R6YASZ77OYuujh0V-T8SoqLgCSx1S8plPjjI4YQVcpOuQGwC-fK3Qr1kbse6fo-qT5O/s1600/the-cake-and-all-christmas-extravaganza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHHn9_7n0ScJk_zBRZ1e2u2rA3ZmrPgboQJRwM7o2eAM3-K1QTxLloYBpGu9-ooT0R18xgnZm2R6YASZ77OYuujh0V-T8SoqLgCSx1S8plPjjI4YQVcpOuQGwC-fK3Qr1kbse6fo-qT5O/s320/the-cake-and-all-christmas-extravaganza.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Spread</i></div><br />
<b>"Heavenly Hosts"</b>, aka the <b>3rd Annual Volk/Watson Christmas Extravaganza</b> can be described as follows:<br />
<blockquote>A selection of dishes with divinity in mind. From the angel food cake to Philadelphia cream cheese sundried tomato spread, each recipe has heavenly associations (ex: the Philadelphia cream cheese commercials) and is fit for angels. Of course, not all angels can digest dairy, so there are always alternatives, even healthier alternatives for all those eco-friendly angels. The "raw" dips are not heated above a certain temperature, are vegan, and are made with nuts soaked in water to remove digestive enzyme inhibitors, for any inhibited angels. Then there are the "Land of Milk and Honey" dishes (ironically, naturally dairy-free) - the Prosecco zabaione (Italian custard) and melomakarona (Greek semolina cookies soaked in honey syrup).</blockquote><blockquote>The other dishes are the personal heavens of the Volk/Watson family.<br />
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My dad's heaven: pork vindaloo<br />
My mom's heaven: dairy-free, gluten-free dark chocolate hazelnut torte<br />
My brother's heaven: Well my brother likes most things, and I refuse to make sushi with farmed antibiotic-laden Atlantic salmon (unsustainable, at that) so I've created a heaven for him of baguette (the manna of heaven) with Quebec Oka cheese, caramelized onions, smoked herring, crab, and fig jam. That way he can mix and match.<br />
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My heaven? Saag. Indian spinach. It's sweet and slippery and delicious. The onions, mustard seeds and asafoetida are amazing, and wrap it up in a fermented rice and lentil dosa and I'm a happy, happy person. </blockquote>Here are the pictures. The rest of the food included daifuku (Japanese red bean desserts that I broiled), chicken mochi with a sweet soy-sesame dipping sauce (soy and szechuan peppercorn studded meatballs wrapped in savoury rice pastry), frozen grapes (what's heaven without branches of grapes?), home-made caramel (life - and death - are not worth living without caramel), and bottles of natural wines (again, grapes). I think that was everything? Here's most of it in pictures:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnRW7dySKt9w9swHSf1Nyjy6eHg25e7qG9zd-7xlrZnwVwXrY_pV775UZRc4Cnvlq744j0WRj50djk7evKjaHhNt008Y3AgR5KNsI4AGGldLJ4qJpl2AVBx4IIKAhFq3gmOBj5wAsmj-h/s1600/IMG_2493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnRW7dySKt9w9swHSf1Nyjy6eHg25e7qG9zd-7xlrZnwVwXrY_pV775UZRc4Cnvlq744j0WRj50djk7evKjaHhNt008Y3AgR5KNsI4AGGldLJ4qJpl2AVBx4IIKAhFq3gmOBj5wAsmj-h/s320/IMG_2493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Sundried Tomato Cream Cheese Spread, Quebec Oka Cheese, grapes and pistachios</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidm0YmFapPE0tMK2pWFKl1o0Mdx30hJ27smauGQ_efvqllYBPiusfbWASqEZnQbHjG6eh5L2UalmabA31WlKA780uWsFBE6MCUdieXExyLxP4afGmli18a7ZaWI1MLCu6SyhXn_0hgZ_jR/s1600/IMG_2498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidm0YmFapPE0tMK2pWFKl1o0Mdx30hJ27smauGQ_efvqllYBPiusfbWASqEZnQbHjG6eh5L2UalmabA31WlKA780uWsFBE6MCUdieXExyLxP4afGmli18a7ZaWI1MLCu6SyhXn_0hgZ_jR/s320/IMG_2498.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>3 "Raw" Dips: Macademia Nut Ricotta, Basil Walnut Dip, Sundried Tomato Macademia & Pecan Dip with a selection of Gluten-Free Breads</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb1hB-qSkilzqlGhP-iEbrKt4CmP3CCb-l3krEmt184J_RupdCPp8aOxTQaNWovJbGiKvmzL1kHRPXDerlvVichmQ3VWqtvbJSX5M1_Fty9hn0NL4etoR8Vh_X4riGtzY4pxxvxWRg2G3/s1600/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb1hB-qSkilzqlGhP-iEbrKt4CmP3CCb-l3krEmt184J_RupdCPp8aOxTQaNWovJbGiKvmzL1kHRPXDerlvVichmQ3VWqtvbJSX5M1_Fty9hn0NL4etoR8Vh_X4riGtzY4pxxvxWRg2G3/s320/raw-dips-and-gluten-free-bread.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDb693fn42bwgVOTSgcwJZbvKquyTiD1czZmUs1dPE5Bv5afhYMhuZuPs1OjbAipyy3urRZVfBGwAiGh2s6cUqgw1GG4uwgpNH7Zq0N3lBMQ8zAnke-N4cI7rFvIiQNxAkafxOIzbbOC6T/s1600/caramelized+onion-fig-jam-smoked-herring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDb693fn42bwgVOTSgcwJZbvKquyTiD1czZmUs1dPE5Bv5afhYMhuZuPs1OjbAipyy3urRZVfBGwAiGh2s6cUqgw1GG4uwgpNH7Zq0N3lBMQ8zAnke-N4cI7rFvIiQNxAkafxOIzbbOC6T/s320/caramelized+onion-fig-jam-smoked-herring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Caramelized Onion, Encircled by Home-made Fig Jam, and Smoked Herring</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMj5DEFud-n1jBDIvEgqDXUHY1ooVZfYRow6la9JP81J5VoVFS82q_VGMwWShagcoN0aYLmg0AFNp6pw7zI_Tk2tSELplCyn7_2M8MztrvB-zRURCbNxB1W3gkrDj6UUfZP3jd0bRmeBo/s1600/dosa-with-saag-and-herring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMj5DEFud-n1jBDIvEgqDXUHY1ooVZfYRow6la9JP81J5VoVFS82q_VGMwWShagcoN0aYLmg0AFNp6pw7zI_Tk2tSELplCyn7_2M8MztrvB-zRURCbNxB1W3gkrDj6UUfZP3jd0bRmeBo/s320/dosa-with-saag-and-herring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Lentil and Rice Dosa with My Heavenly Dish of Choice: Saag</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY19MIfDxkDzr8_aXRtakF3D8_Ut9WFZE8tZs9vBfMSaB5wYH7NxIe5y6DsP4BLTj73VA8WJ8McPpzx_ccM489P2McILgiaiwWPh7hrHcPwLmCHpNyuxH6nSW9rr_Mja8ZMhFcs55KRQYJ/s1600/melomakarona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY19MIfDxkDzr8_aXRtakF3D8_Ut9WFZE8tZs9vBfMSaB5wYH7NxIe5y6DsP4BLTj73VA8WJ8McPpzx_ccM489P2McILgiaiwWPh7hrHcPwLmCHpNyuxH6nSW9rr_Mja8ZMhFcs55KRQYJ/s320/melomakarona.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> The Land of Milk and Honey: Melomakarona Greek Honey Cookies with Walnuts</i></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-fACMSn7uaTDcbEBLV70qUuQ03PgULdlgxrKmOMFq4LltAgPhYjtYaNm5z_nKTbHEoylztnf3lPGJ0rjHqvNxguh3hC5eWarWdX4DkQMKlMR-1b2wHwXcG5x4i9QgsCwoBgCqfTR0ec-/s1600/pork-vindaloo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-fACMSn7uaTDcbEBLV70qUuQ03PgULdlgxrKmOMFq4LltAgPhYjtYaNm5z_nKTbHEoylztnf3lPGJ0rjHqvNxguh3hC5eWarWdX4DkQMKlMR-1b2wHwXcG5x4i9QgsCwoBgCqfTR0ec-/s320/pork-vindaloo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>My Dad's Heaven: Slow-Cooked Pork Vindaloo </i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofd-BPwLJhqjsIVCxbI76aakPWgF9SzWEbLozx9b_ZaIZuNzLbKyeRMWmxW-avqk_-wH3ux9p5_zJQCNEOfX3bWNYiLG1w0Wg5KKvNdOp1qb-Zp8x6RDPmkyB_il6BnvELR5wgAg5fZw1/s1600/raspberry-blueberry-compote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofd-BPwLJhqjsIVCxbI76aakPWgF9SzWEbLozx9b_ZaIZuNzLbKyeRMWmxW-avqk_-wH3ux9p5_zJQCNEOfX3bWNYiLG1w0Wg5KKvNdOp1qb-Zp8x6RDPmkyB_il6BnvELR5wgAg5fZw1/s320/raspberry-blueberry-compote.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Raspberry-Blueberry Compote </i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fcZQ0PwtarDY0bGWMeIdbIyNcjg8gRvQcfHrLXcqdIvge_F1R1-LFH3hy5CAfzQ0MZxsYCsu6ocTzUHaYsBmSQOICnC8WYjmGWMBmGzINM5Q2J5xjdXRkSby96M2C1ZOYpoMihCmCfLA/s1600/angel-food-cake-with-cinnamon-apricots-and-figs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fcZQ0PwtarDY0bGWMeIdbIyNcjg8gRvQcfHrLXcqdIvge_F1R1-LFH3hy5CAfzQ0MZxsYCsu6ocTzUHaYsBmSQOICnC8WYjmGWMBmGzINM5Q2J5xjdXRkSby96M2C1ZOYpoMihCmCfLA/s320/angel-food-cake-with-cinnamon-apricots-and-figs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Almond Angel Food Cake with Honey Icewine-Soaked Figs, Maple Honeywine-Soaked Apricots, and Home-made Ginger Confit</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The Zabaione was incredible...mmm...prosecco foam. The intense sugar of the dried fruit sauces and honey sauces, and caramel...and the mild sweetness of the saag with the chew of the dosa...the crunch of the dips, the sweetness of the fig jam with the caramelized onions and macademia nut ricotta, the basil walnut...the Szechuan peppercorns. Oh I love Szechuan peppercorns.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuxgMJQxMpUhTaMCrU7_xdliauCdwrUs1S3zfg9dicf5fBSD33j4DJWJLV6mlmqThFWnTadTnOdC5Rk9_LmWP0l4tffi9JdXH1goEWr5RUMQ_qdjoFRW69OkLB38pPEyH_mWzvxJNwLSl/s1600/step-1-of-christmas-extravaganza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuxgMJQxMpUhTaMCrU7_xdliauCdwrUs1S3zfg9dicf5fBSD33j4DJWJLV6mlmqThFWnTadTnOdC5Rk9_LmWP0l4tffi9JdXH1goEWr5RUMQ_qdjoFRW69OkLB38pPEyH_mWzvxJNwLSl/s320/step-1-of-christmas-extravaganza.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Setting up </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Couldn't have done it all without some great help. Thanks to everyone involved, and thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed the party. Merry Christmas. Recipes to come.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-34489143199584646362010-12-29T09:38:00.000-05:002010-12-29T09:38:45.694-05:00Sourdough Disaster and Killing Little Bettie Sue Rice Culture Watson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxTzO2spyNpgcdg1SJ4Y5ZfTUXcVrVQsfgaY4pwKqjzreNAAVLlvO5KfO1iAcmc1la4hCPxGcgFVIUtQxb0QCH1Yp33wwQVgTTKTFqOIM1SSyUtiWk9KdavelBmvW9YbZRtdnKePdzsaW/s1600/sourdough-culture4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxTzO2spyNpgcdg1SJ4Y5ZfTUXcVrVQsfgaY4pwKqjzreNAAVLlvO5KfO1iAcmc1la4hCPxGcgFVIUtQxb0QCH1Yp33wwQVgTTKTFqOIM1SSyUtiWk9KdavelBmvW9YbZRtdnKePdzsaW/s320/sourdough-culture4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Well, I tried. I gave it my all. I even used two different recipes: One for a <a href="http://www.sourdo.com/no-knead_sourdough.html">no-knead sourdough</a> (Figured I couldn't mess that one up...right...), and one for a <a href="http://www.io.com/%7Esjohn/sour.htm">traditional kneaded sourdough</a>. Despite the fact that this is loaf-ish thing is obviously burned (why do I <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/caramel-apple-tarte-tatin-and-not.html">keep burning things</a>? I swear I follow directions well more often than not) the bread was just not great. For the kneaded bread I even pre-heated my eternally frigid hands in hot, hot water and immediately dove in to the dough before they time to cool off (after proofing the sourdough starter and all, as per the instructions). I kneaded and kneaded and kneaded and it sort of seemed like it got to the right doughy consistency...and then I left it to rise.<br />
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The no-knead one I touched as little as possible and left to rise.<br />
<br />
...Except neither dough rose. I covered them in tea towels and left them undisturbed in the same place I'd had the sourdough cultures growing in the first place, so I figured if the temperature was good for the cultures it'd be good for the bread, but alas, no. I waited, and waited and waited. They just never doubled in bulk. In fact they got a dry crust on top and when I finally took the dough out of the bowls and put them in pans to re-rise ("Re-" being a joke, and punching them down being ineffectual) the underside was soft and happily doughy, but I had to tear off half the hardened top. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYnYyiG60uNAvYPtDkkcg7jj7ixjFDWQnKSZDDkC-3arXDX_2Z1bsmAcyAKI-VImv2ps4j5kubhDrOtNU0WcTdAJ0LqpDvy1TebrOdGtixJ-kdGem7a7tWZBxMMIirMTnVZjIIKcjHu2a/s1600/sourdough-bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYnYyiG60uNAvYPtDkkcg7jj7ixjFDWQnKSZDDkC-3arXDX_2Z1bsmAcyAKI-VImv2ps4j5kubhDrOtNU0WcTdAJ0LqpDvy1TebrOdGtixJ-kdGem7a7tWZBxMMIirMTnVZjIIKcjHu2a/s320/sourdough-bread.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is probably why my bread burned. I effectively ended up baking only half a loaf since I'd thrown out so much hardened crust. So the baking time should have been less. Anyway, I'd ended up leaving the bread to rise for much, much longer than it was supposed to, hoping in vain that they would rise, and if you leave them that long the tangy, lemony flavour of the sourdough becomes very strong. So when the loaves baked up they had a VERY strong sourdough flavour, which I liked at least, but eating a knob was like eating half a loaf, and it just sat in my stomach, despite sourdough's wonderful digestive properties and bacteria. I'm also not sure if there's a point where it's not safe to let the bread sit and kind of ferment anymore...Help?<br />
<br />
I tried maybe 3 or 4 more times over the course of the next few days, and my last loaf was almost passable. Dense, but much better than the first few, mostly because I started feeding my gluten-free sourdough culture red fife wheat flour in the hopes that it would help the proofed starter rise better. Nope, didn't work...Lets just say I'm on the verge of murdering my babies, or just letting them starve which I suppose equates to the same thing. Thank goodness I didn't name them. It'd be harder to kill little Bettie Sue Rice Culture Watson.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeiU-nF7wwrMJcjQ4AeLBrPbVfnIBWW0qucn5RX8gkDbv8NXhxaeLUf2Ir8vO01pExvMmIdzkUC9PVbo0Px-a4jWB6C5XvV4SJOq6c1Hm6rqFysVgr-CGglI9mfAegcwMOnuz6LOLArZy/s1600/The-Great-Christmas-Extravaganza-2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeiU-nF7wwrMJcjQ4AeLBrPbVfnIBWW0qucn5RX8gkDbv8NXhxaeLUf2Ir8vO01pExvMmIdzkUC9PVbo0Px-a4jWB6C5XvV4SJOq6c1Hm6rqFysVgr-CGglI9mfAegcwMOnuz6LOLArZy/s400/The-Great-Christmas-Extravaganza-2010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>God I miss my baker, <a href="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/food/2010/11/boulangerie_guillaume/">Guillaume</a>. There's something nice about being a <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/grow-rice-babies-grow-part-2.html">mom to sourdough babies</a>, but there's something to be said for expertise. Who am I to think I can do this bread thing better than a seasoned professional? I'll stick to things like angel food cakes with cinnamon figs and ginger confit, logs of sundried tomato cream cheese slow-cooked logs, zabaione al prosecco, pork vindaloo, saag, dosa, caramelized onions, blueberry compote, basil-walnut spread, macademia nut ricotta, daifuku, Szechuan peppercorn-studded chicken meatballs and melamakorona Greek honey cookies...Yeah, that's what I'll do (more pictures to come...).MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-78329751376285323412010-12-27T08:18:00.001-05:002010-12-29T09:15:55.816-05:00Grow, Rice Babies! Grow! (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTE6tMCz71YyGfLO9tGZFNC4YHyNJRF58NuV7qeP7fpyLiyatbZ44TPpmwef1-hrFIH1DwFAIWmD11R3qs5oHHKp7C4cKUezSpTfEvTj2F3X3pZV52ksIOprVmVxmC-ZLhyphenhyphen6mYEuaHd5N/s1600/sourdough-culture3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTE6tMCz71YyGfLO9tGZFNC4YHyNJRF58NuV7qeP7fpyLiyatbZ44TPpmwef1-hrFIH1DwFAIWmD11R3qs5oHHKp7C4cKUezSpTfEvTj2F3X3pZV52ksIOprVmVxmC-ZLhyphenhyphen6mYEuaHd5N/s320/sourdough-culture3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I know what it feels like to be a mother. I watch them grow up a little each day. I feed them regularly. One is currently in the fridge and is only being fed once a week (adolescence, says my mother. Step 2. It has matured past infancy and is making itself useful.) Tomorrow it will be baked.<br />
<br />
7 sourdough cultures. How ridiculous is that? My 3 gluten-free flour blend cultures are doing wonderfully! They overflow nightly (a good sign I think), but my all-sweet rice flour cultures are struggling. Fortunately survival of the fittest is not in play. My rice babies can keep on trying, well, until Newfoundland runs out of rice flour, that is. One of these nights they'll froth, I'm sure. One is even starting to froth in the picture above. In fact I'm pretty sure that between the 5 bags of the stuff my mom bought after waiting for the Asian convenience store (yes, there is only one) to get an order in and the three I brought home from Montreal we own the most sweet rice flour of anyone in the province. I dare you to prove otherwise.<br />
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So grow, my rice babies! Grow!MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-15809025991189478822010-12-24T06:25:00.001-05:002010-12-29T09:14:24.640-05:00Grow, Rice Babies! Grow! (Part 1): Adventures in Gluten-Free Sourdough<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZH2AvKlNyUx7RKesI2dzdDYWAcmS5S-TTyOlYS4vQh5uCsI6WCyd99BG7hvzPUYPKKs_6tBA9rTNHiRaT09S-uIAKJN23W9dHirzQwkWaQJ_PQ7-LgLMsgbLt9C84DZpHGdqCQq7BLs6O/s1600/sourdough-culture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZH2AvKlNyUx7RKesI2dzdDYWAcmS5S-TTyOlYS4vQh5uCsI6WCyd99BG7hvzPUYPKKs_6tBA9rTNHiRaT09S-uIAKJN23W9dHirzQwkWaQJ_PQ7-LgLMsgbLt9C84DZpHGdqCQq7BLs6O/s400/sourdough-culture1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I currently have 7 sourdough cultures started in my kitchen. Yes, 7 (you just can't see the 7th in the picture...). The basic recipe for sourdough culture is 1 cup of warm water and 1 cup of flour left for 24 hours uncovered in a warm place in a jar. Every 24 hours you throw out half of the culture and add another half cup of flour and half cup of water. So you end up with the same quantity. It's basically like cutting off the lower half of your body every day and letting it grow back healthier.<br />
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But instead of throwing out the first half of the culture I've been keeping them and multiplying my sourdough babies. I hope that's okay. I've been cutting off the legs and letting them grow into a new sourdough culture. 1 becomes 2. But then the next night, 2 became 4 when I did the same thing with both new sourdoughs. Fortunately my jars were big and at my next feeding time I managed to only end up with 7 by combining 1. I never was great at math like my brother. I mean, I wasn't bad, but it's all relative. Again, I hope that the combining is okay and I don't kill anyone. <br />
<br />
There's a method to my madness, though. I started the culture with rice flour so that my mom could eat it, and because generally in my family's digestive tracts wheat is the enemy. Picture little rice soldiers on horseback wreaking havoc on my family's intestines. Us Eastern Europeans...So I was going to make it a completely rice flour-based culture, but then I figured since I was going to split it in half I should hedge my bets, so the first time I split the culture in half I added rice flour and water to one jar and a gluten-free flour blend of white rice flour, brown rice flour, sorghum gum, xanthum gum and tapioca starch and water to the other.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJ46UBW-S8ZIhPRsU2tVS-ox2XGCP4w4C3SkicNn7bR5Z56o5NCEp7lIwO9lDnt2Zl6yvOtWYgntn6UEvRipsFVO_8bIGBZMh2Kimos6SBNqBLUzqXmhtzfX-JFr4lxxQ9h_gtjhC3_v4/s1600/sourdough-culture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJ46UBW-S8ZIhPRsU2tVS-ox2XGCP4w4C3SkicNn7bR5Z56o5NCEp7lIwO9lDnt2Zl6yvOtWYgntn6UEvRipsFVO_8bIGBZMh2Kimos6SBNqBLUzqXmhtzfX-JFr4lxxQ9h_gtjhC3_v4/s320/sourdough-culture2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The next day the rice flour seemed just as stagnant but the gluten-free blend actually overflowed!!! It was supposed to take days and days to froth if it ever did at all. It happened so fast I didn't really believe it was ready, so I split it again and fed it again. Now I had four rice flour babies and three gluten-free blend babies. Apparently I'm a bit of a sourdough slut...<br />
<br />
Tomorrow, bread!MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-1443352829224564232010-12-23T08:14:00.000-05:002010-12-23T08:14:43.563-05:00Coming Home"There's about a 50/50 chance we'll be able to land in St. John's due to fog," announced the pilot. So when the runway lights appeared out of nowhere and we felt the impact of the landing, was I happy to be home or just to not be spending the rest of the night on the plane wondering when we could take-off again from Goose Bay?<br />
<br />
GOOSE BAY! That's in Labrador. At least an hour away.<br />
<br />
There are many reasons that flights I've been on have been unable to land in Newfoundland, including:<br />
<br />
1. Fog<br />
2. Snow<br />
3: Ice<br />
4. Some combination of #2 and #3 (sleet, hail)<br />
5. Moose<br />
<br />
Yes, moose. I've been redirected to Gander because of moose. Then had to take a 4 hour bus ride home to St. John's. It's my personal belief that if you live in Gander you kind of deserve that 4 hour bus ride from St. John's to Gander to think about why you live in such a hole. Sorry to anyone from Gander. There are worse places to live in this province, I suppose.<br />
<br />
The point is that I was watching "Eat, Pray, Love" on the flight and didn't make it to the end because we actually landed. It was a bit of a relief since the part on gelato (highly glossed-over anyway) was already over, and it was all downhill from there...<br />
<br />
My other point is that when the captain made the announcement, most people sighed and moaned a little. All you can do at that point is pray, which is why I'm glad I was watching the movie. I remembered how lovely the book was. There's a very sweet line where the main character is in an ashram in India talking to another resident. He says:<br />
<blockquote>"Think of what you could do if you took all that effort and space in your head you use to think about him for something else. Think about him fondly, wish him well, then take a big breath and let God rush in to the space. Let his spirit fill you up, feed you with cold, brilliant air."</blockquote>So as a prayer to land in Newfoundland, I took a deep breath and pushed out Montreal, and in came this big swell of home. The lights from the airport appeared outside the window, and as the plane wheels set down the world seemed to sparkle.MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-29517394522949439652010-12-22T07:35:00.000-05:002010-12-22T07:35:54.772-05:00Slow-Cooker Chicken Barley Risotto with Thyme<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzSbwtnJR3GLA_5PSmVOFaQxrS5Vr5PUqdUnS2li0Y1BVjDiAhZN5Vd0j_f8jwOxiaP8saAQABW2LZAeRQBI2HZbmCXWJsmQ1Or5E5M8qITqz71e4ORJ1KtT1lIvND6K2q3AP9fs2-S6v/s1600/barley-risotto-slow-cooker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzSbwtnJR3GLA_5PSmVOFaQxrS5Vr5PUqdUnS2li0Y1BVjDiAhZN5Vd0j_f8jwOxiaP8saAQABW2LZAeRQBI2HZbmCXWJsmQ1Or5E5M8qITqz71e4ORJ1KtT1lIvND6K2q3AP9fs2-S6v/s320/barley-risotto-slow-cooker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Another lunch date with my aunt pushed me to make some soul food. That means something creamy that fills you up from the inside out. Basically that means risotto. Risotto is one of those things I rarely have because I don't usually order it at restaurants and I rarely make it at home. At restaurants it's either started with butter or pre-finished with cheese, and if I'm at a place where neither of these is the case that usually means the restaurant is good enough that there's something else interesting on the menu to try AND I'm getting ripped off since risotto's generally dirt cheap to make since usually the only thing in it that costs anything at all is the cheese, which I'm not eating. Sometimes there's truffle oil or lobster involved, but not enough to make the dish worthwhile. I mean, I've had good risotto before. The other problem is that it rarely fills me up. I can eat way too much of it, so I'm rarely satisfied. At home, it usually requires a ton of stirring and I prefer to use a home-made broth (the other problem with sub-par restaurant risottos), so there's a fair bit of effort that goes into my not ending up full.<br />
<br />
But I made it. Mostly because I have a slow-cooker and barley risotto works great in a slow-cooker, so take the effort out and it's almost worthwhile. With risotto the trick is to keep the rice grains al dente - chewy without being mushy and over-cooked. The slow-cooker is an al dente genius. There's a 1 1/2 hour window of time where those barley grains are lovely. <br />
<br />
All you do is sauté a bunch of onions or leeks (and garlic if you wish, and I do) in some olive oil (or butter if you wish, and I don't; butter is more Northern Italian, olive oil more southern, and lactose-intolerance doesn't care about my love of Milan). Make sure the onions soften thoroughly, because if they don't you'll end up chewing them, which makes the risotto very un-appetizing. Now you can add firmer vegetables such as carrots if you wish. Sauté 5 more minutes. Then add 2 cups of rinsed pearl barley, a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper (though I would use Sezchuan peppercorns for special occasions, just for fun). Stir for one minute on medium heat then add 3 cups of broth, a few sprigs of fresh thyme or a bunch of dried (but fresh is a million times better for infusing the broth) and one 28 oz can of tomatoes with its juice (I used my home-canned organic farmer's market tomatoes and their juice...the dish tasted like summer...mmm...). Coarsely chop the tomatoes beforehand if they're not already diced. You can also break them up in the skillet if you don't care about it being all perfectly chopped and beautiful. <br />
<br />
Put the whole thing in a slowcooker for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high and voila! Heaven.<br />
<br />
About 10 minutes before serving add some kind of protein if you wish. I had leftover roasted chicken which was perfect. Nordic shrimp or maybe crab or lobster (though they make this much more labour-intensive) would also work. Red meat you could get away with, but in that case they should be served separately: Risotto alone should be a first course (primo, in Italian) and the meat should be the second (secondo). Tradition and all.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJSeeAh36SrHFM9nh-5a4XFzRa_9tqCQ1cHOpxLfFMh3wzE1KM1SeFxkUJQlIppLai5BpwbADxa4We1rrkXEsD03x5OVCj8-lSwJDB4WKGSJeEUflUaXjxeO9Afx3YH76yaDgYtqHElUS/s1600/slow-cooker-barley-risotto-with-pickled-peppers-and-thyme.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJSeeAh36SrHFM9nh-5a4XFzRa_9tqCQ1cHOpxLfFMh3wzE1KM1SeFxkUJQlIppLai5BpwbADxa4We1rrkXEsD03x5OVCj8-lSwJDB4WKGSJeEUflUaXjxeO9Afx3YH76yaDgYtqHElUS/s320/slow-cooker-barley-risotto-with-pickled-peppers-and-thyme.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Speaking of (massacring) tradition, the great thing about this recipe is you're not stirring it for 25 minutes and adding more and more broth slowly, a half cup at a time. You also don't end up with an over-salted risotto from adding more and more stock that boils off but leaves behind its sodium content. And if it burns it's the fault of your slow-cooker for not having a proper "keep warm" setting. If you get to it 30 minutes later than planned everything should be just fine. Coming home to cooking risotto also makes you feel like the smartest person alive. Give yourself a pat on the back before digging in. <br />
<br />
If this is too bland for you, boil some balsamic vinegar down in a small saucepan until it reduces by half. Mmm...balsamic reduction. Why would I ever buy this at a restaurant when it's so easy?MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-31777068427591973622010-12-22T07:04:00.000-05:002010-12-22T07:04:25.411-05:00Caramel Apple Tarte Tatin and Not Burning Things<div class="content"> <img alt="Home-made Tarte Tatin" class="mt-image-none" height="454" src="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/upload/2010/12/20101220-homemade-tarte-tatin.jpg" width="590" /><br />
Tarte Tatin is a butter-heavy, caramel-coated, sugar-drenched delicacy. Basically I thought my dad would love it and it would challenge me to make better pastry. I'd seen recipes that called for a simple pie crust for the dough and how could that possibly end up layered and flaky? <br />
<img alt="tarte tatin" height="442" src="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/upload/2010/12/20101220-tarte-tatin.jpg" width="590" /><br />
So, yeah, it burned a little because I suck at multitasking. The recipe also called for too few apples and they kind of fell apart in the sauce, and I used some agave nectar, which I think burned faster.All in all, though, great success because I made the pastry using a mx of gluten-free flour and spelt (yes, I know spelt is not gluten-free, but I needed more flour and my options were wheat and less wheat - aka spelt).<br />
<br />
The tart is traditionally cooked in an oven-safe skillet (cast-iron or stainless-steel) so that the caramel cooks on the stove and coats the apples before being covered in puff pastry and baked to a golden brown in the oven. You can also transfer the contents of the skillet to a 9-inch round baking dish for the final step, and you can use frozen puff pastry if you prefer not to make your own, but the home-made, slightly time-consuming pastry will be so much better. <br />
<br />
<strong>Tarte Tatin</strong><br />
Oh, and even though I over-cooked my caramel a little, it was still delicious...<br />
<br />
Crust <br />
3/4 cup cold butter, divided (or Earth Balance. Add a pinch of salt if you use unsalted butter) <br />
1 tablespoon sugar <br />
1 1/2 cup cake and pastry flour, or all-purpose (you can also use a <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/search/label/gluten-free%20flour%20blend" target="_blank">gluten-free flour blend</a>, but it won't be as light and flaky as the cake flour or even the all-purpose. It will still be delicious, and I haven't found gluten-free puff pastry yet)<br />
5-6 tablespoons ice water<br />
<br />
Filling<br />
5 medium apples (Gala, Golden Delicious, or other firm baking apples) <br />
½ cup butter (or earth balance)<br />
1 cup sugar (you can also use agave nectar, or a mix of agave and sugar, but it will cook faster and burn more easily)<br />
<img alt="Tarte Tatin" class="mt-image-none" height="442" src="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/upload/2010/12/20101220-homemade-tarte-tatin-2.jpg" width="590" /><br />
<strong>Crust:</strong><br />
The trick to puff pastry is to keep everything ice-cold says <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/irma-rombauers-instructions-for-orange.html">Irma</a>: your hands, the bowl, and the rolling pin. If using frozen puff pastry, thaw a piece and roll it out to a circle larger than the diameter of your oven-proof skillet or baking dish. Place the dough on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until needed.<br />
<br />
1. Sift the flour. Wash the cold butter under cold running water (skip this is you use earth balance. It should become soft but stay ice cold. Massage it in your hand until it's creamy and waxy. Knead it briefly with cold hands until no water flies off it. Place a quarter of the butter in a cold bowl and shape the rest into a flat square and place in the refrigerator (with earth balance just measure the butter and add 2 1/2 tablespoons to the bowl and put the rest in the fridge).<br />
2. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the butter in the bowl. Cut in using two knives or your fingers until the pastry looks like small peas. Add 5 tbsp of the ice water and combine. Add the remaining 1 tbsp water if the pastry is dry or a pinch of flour if it sticks to the bowl. <br />
3. Refrigerate 15 minutes and start chopping the apples (see below). Roll the pastry out to a square shape on a clean, floured counter, rolling out from the centre only, not back and forth. Put the refrigerated butter in the centre of the dough and fold the four corners to the centre to cover. Refrigerate 10 minutes and start making the caramel (see below). <br />
4. Roll out the dough again into a square and fold the corners to the centre as before. Chill again. You can repeat this process up to 4 times if you have the time, but if not, work quickly and fold 3 more times immediately. Roll the pastry out to a circle slightly larger than the diameter of your oven-proof skillet or baking dish. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until needed. <br />
5. Remind yourself that home-made pastry is better than frozen and this will all be worthwhile.<br />
<img alt="" class="mt-image-none" height="442" src="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/upload/2010/12/20101220-homemade-tarte-tatin-apples.jpg" width="590" /><br />
<strong>Caramel Apple Filling:</strong><br />
6. Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Cut the tips off the apples so that they will fit more snuggly against the side of the skillet. The apples will discolour a little but it doesn't matter. You can sprinkle them with lemon juice if you really want to. <br />
<img alt="Tarte Tatin butter and sugar" class="mt-image-none" height="442" src="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/upload/2010/12/20101220-homemade-tarte-tatin-butter-sugar.jpg" width="590" />7. Melt the butter over low heat in a large skillet. Remove from heat, add the sugar, and stir until blended. Arrange the apples on their sides in the pan so that the front of each piece touches the back of the next. Continue the fan pattern, starting from the outside of the skillet and working your way in. Fill in the gaps with the removed apple tips. If you are transferring the apples later to a baking dish, it's not necessary to do this beautifully. <br />
<img alt="Tarte Tatin" class="mt-image-none" height="442" src="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/upload/2010/12/20101220-homemade-tarte-tatin-caramel-apples.jpg" width="590" />8. Return your pan to the stovetop on high heat. Boil 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pan juices are lightly golden but not dark or burnt. <br />
9. Preheat oven to 375° F.<br />
10. Remove the skillet from heat. Being careful not to burn yourself, turn the apple slices over with the tip of a sharp knife, keeping them in their original places. <br />
11. Cook 5 more minutes, then remove from heat. If not baking directly in the skillet, transfer the apple slices to the buttered baking dish. (Now you may want to be artistic with the fan shape of the slices.) <br />
<img alt="Tarte Tatin" class="mt-image-none" height="484" src="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/upload/2010/12/20101220-homemade-tarte-tatin-puff-pustry.jpg" width="590" />12. Place the pastry on top of the apples and brush off excess flour. Fold the edges toward the centre of the skillet or baking dish. The folds don't have to be pretty. Bake in oven until the top of the crust is golden-brown in color, about 25-35 minutes. Remove and let cool 25 minutes.<br />
<img alt="Tarte Tatin" class="mt-image-none" height="442" src="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/upload/2010/12/20101220-homemade-tarte-tatin-pastry.jpg" width="590" /><br />
13. Place a plate or other serving dish on top of the pan and quickly flip tart over onto the plate. Check to make sure the apples aren't sticking to the bottom of the dish before removing it completely. Slice and serve with ice cream, and pat yourself on the back. <img alt="Tarte Tatin" class="mt-image-none" height="423" src="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/upload/2010/12/20101220-homemade-tarte-tatin-3.jpg" width="590" /><br />
</div>MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-35040775186803450262010-12-19T07:40:00.003-05:002010-12-19T09:26:00.772-05:00Canned and Pickled Everything<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PVpTOp-kcln-G7qj-Uep1C43pqxW2b9rLpm2tsCw1_0-y1QtyU-8bzXrjD0pHAa3zyYvpLVbTB3_eTfIzUlBPeaVGAUw32n59zThm_TeziPNXnY4ZrRerT9yYs0jdgXjYo9yzLsjAwTO/s1600/20101203_A-meal-of-pickles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PVpTOp-kcln-G7qj-Uep1C43pqxW2b9rLpm2tsCw1_0-y1QtyU-8bzXrjD0pHAa3zyYvpLVbTB3_eTfIzUlBPeaVGAUw32n59zThm_TeziPNXnY4ZrRerT9yYs0jdgXjYo9yzLsjAwTO/s400/20101203_A-meal-of-pickles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The person who gave me the copy I have of the 1948 Joy of Cooking and a cast-iron skillet came to my house for lunch. It had to be one heck of a thank-you lunch. The 1948 freaking Joy of Cooking, for goodness sake! (I edited that sentence...) <br />
So we had soup, yes, one of my <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/soup-that-started-it-all-spicy-sweet.html">favourite soups made with favourite Indian pickle</a>, but as this person is a pickler too, I got out everything I'd canned all summer (everything that was left) for him to try. This included (from left to to right):<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/11/persimmons-and-pears-with-cinnamon-and.html">Pears and persimmons</a> in syrup with cloves and cinnamon.<br />
2. <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-first-jam-figs.html">Fig jam</a><br />
3. <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/11/pickled-jalapeno-peppers.html">Pickled jalapenos</a> with coriander and black pepper seeds<br />
4. <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/11/pickled-carrots.html">Pickled Carrots</a> in the same<br />
5. <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/11/indian-jalapeno-chili-pepper-pickle-and.html">Indian jalapeno pickle</a> with a million spices<br />
6. <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/search/label/Srirachi%20Chili%20Sauce">Fermented sriracha sauce</a><br />
7. <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/11/patience-and-ginger-confit.html">Ginger Confit</a><br />
<br />
and I topped the soup with <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html">pickled peppers</a>. <br />
<br />
The other jars, containers, and bags in the photo are 2 local honeys (one creamy and one liquid), natto (fermented soy beans), and matcha daifuku (green tea-flavoured rice flour pastries filled with sweet red bean paste). It was overkill, but I kind of love people with tastebuds trying a million different interesting flavours in my kitchen.<br />
<br />
Mostly I just wanted to post this picture because it's ridiculous. For a newbie, I've canned a lot of stuff, and not died. Hurray?MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-11457995987232393492010-12-18T11:57:00.000-05:002010-12-18T11:57:50.753-05:00The Soup That Started It All: Spicy Sweet Potato<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFK-gHY_qDwP3O3UN2w1GwCn3fqPqXlrHqBs1QMLRJSxnv970v8Iusxe9KhrZmkUmfz9GkaPFUTOk-yKN1wnBAErugqtChsTk1Pk_i8kxJzEuxlzWc3CZXjRLwzzOzHT3gY31RM_EG9S5/s1600/20101121ChiliOilforSpicySweetPotatoSoup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFK-gHY_qDwP3O3UN2w1GwCn3fqPqXlrHqBs1QMLRJSxnv970v8Iusxe9KhrZmkUmfz9GkaPFUTOk-yKN1wnBAErugqtChsTk1Pk_i8kxJzEuxlzWc3CZXjRLwzzOzHT3gY31RM_EG9S5/s320/20101121ChiliOilforSpicySweetPotatoSoup.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeJgV9nT5X09YxG8Qhszqq42NO30rKtYcPE-T3r2tmatDm8CKYi-dg_awvGdAe-ZI7Up4rnI7cePj_TvNa1x1xUSP22_Wz3ki0Gfj35crsR3zrubBJfy_RYyvd670gR7mC9m7RNceFQri/s1600/20101121SpicySweetPotatoSoupwithSunflowerSeeds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a> <br />
It's almost my one-year <a href="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/food/2010/02/spicy_sweet_potato_soup_recipe/">Midnight Poutine</a> anniversary. I just remembered this the other day when I made this <a href="http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/food/2010/02/spicy_sweet_potato_soup_recipe/">spicy sweet potato soup recipe</a>. It was the first recipe I posted on the site and it's even been linked to from a site called <a href="http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2010/12/06/100-ways-to-cook-a-sweet-potato/">Endless Simmer</a> about the <a href="http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2010/12/06/100-ways-to-cook-a-sweet-potato/">top 100 sweet potato recipes online</a>. It's a pretty great recipe. Anyway, the person who gave me this beautiful cast-iron skillet was coming for lunch, and this is a great soup. Put two and two together.<br />
<br />
The only change I made to the recipe was skipping the dried chilies part (the only time consuming, somewhat annoying part) and using my Indian pickle as the oil to sauté the onions, then adding the sliced jalapenos from the pickle later in the recipe. The heat would be more than enough. I didn't even have to add any more salt. So basically I could save 2 steps and and 45 minutes worth of soaking and chopping effort, a very important change when you got up at <a href="https://secure.ckut.ca//64/20101217.07.00-08.00.mp3">5:45am that morning for radio</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeJgV9nT5X09YxG8Qhszqq42NO30rKtYcPE-T3r2tmatDm8CKYi-dg_awvGdAe-ZI7Up4rnI7cePj_TvNa1x1xUSP22_Wz3ki0Gfj35crsR3zrubBJfy_RYyvd670gR7mC9m7RNceFQri/s1600/20101121SpicySweetPotatoSoupwithSunflowerSeeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>It worked perfectly. I just drained a little oil from the pickle and went right on with the recipe. Then when I added the broth I also added the drained jalapenos - about 6 or so. You can add more a garnish to individual servings, but 6 ends up being a fair bit of heat. Hurray! The only other difference with this recipe is that I garnished with pumpkin seeds. Normally I'd toast them, but these were pre-soaked and dehydrated ("raw" food style), so toasting kinds of kills all those wonderful nutrients I was trying to save through my "raw" nut-soaking. So garnish as you wish.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeJgV9nT5X09YxG8Qhszqq42NO30rKtYcPE-T3r2tmatDm8CKYi-dg_awvGdAe-ZI7Up4rnI7cePj_TvNa1x1xUSP22_Wz3ki0Gfj35crsR3zrubBJfy_RYyvd670gR7mC9m7RNceFQri/s1600/20101121SpicySweetPotatoSoupwithSunflowerSeeds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeJgV9nT5X09YxG8Qhszqq42NO30rKtYcPE-T3r2tmatDm8CKYi-dg_awvGdAe-ZI7Up4rnI7cePj_TvNa1x1xUSP22_Wz3ki0Gfj35crsR3zrubBJfy_RYyvd670gR7mC9m7RNceFQri/s320/20101121SpicySweetPotatoSoupwithSunflowerSeeds.jpg" width="320" /></a>MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-20724430696859842002010-12-17T09:14:00.000-05:002010-12-17T09:14:31.322-05:00Home-Made Caramel Frosting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1t-elxKDgPwuUyFU9Yfa8EZVRHpdPf10JfelnSRF44Ni-xF9eruwlPYxO8v2dRowSvWiaicOTuhasuLzyUD993SZ17E7Uxn0M0t6Br5_zrOts6v2yYzBQ7D0v40IKmcWQ9RjHw2oecpU-/s1600/joy-of-cooking-caramel-sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1t-elxKDgPwuUyFU9Yfa8EZVRHpdPf10JfelnSRF44Ni-xF9eruwlPYxO8v2dRowSvWiaicOTuhasuLzyUD993SZ17E7Uxn0M0t6Br5_zrOts6v2yYzBQ7D0v40IKmcWQ9RjHw2oecpU-/s320/joy-of-cooking-caramel-sauce.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I gave you the <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/yes-by-mudder-cake-with-home-made.html">cake</a>, now you get the icing. Kind of how at a Christmas party yesterday there was this 17 month old girl who was given half a raspberry square by her mother. The mother placed the child's half on a napkin in front of her and placed the other half on another napkin in front of her other, 3-ish year old daughter. What does the younger girl do? She reaches out and takes a bite from the raspberry square in front of her.<br />
<br />
...Then she puts it down.<br />
<br />
Okay, so she doesn't want it? Nope, that's not it. She turns to her left and picks up her sisters' square, and takes a bite.<br />
<br />
...Then she puts it down. Apparently it wasn't any better than her own square. <br />
<br />
So she goes back to her own square and tries another bite. And she puts it down again. She can't seem to make up her mind. So then she picks up a coaster and offers it to my mother. My mother, polite woman that she is, exclaims, "THANK you!". So she gets given another coaster...and another...This child...<br />
<br />
So the child wanted both cookies, but she shouldn't really be having both. that's not fair. But YOU! You can have the <a href="http://multiculturiosity.blogspot.com/2010/12/yes-by-mudder-cake-with-home-made.html">yellow cake</a> and now you can have the caramel icing too! I would say you can have your cake and eat it too, but that's just not true. Even the kid wouldn't have had any more raspberry squares if she'd eaten both of them. But she's really a kind soul, giving coasters, so her greed isn't going to be her defining personality trait. There's hope.<br />
<br />
So, caramel...<br />
<br />
I've always been scared of the elusive "soft-ball stage". It's up there with "stiff peaks" in my nightmares of sketchy baking techniques. But it all worked out perfectly. Seriously, perfectly, and I even cheated as follows:<br />
<br />
<b>Original recipe:</b><br />
1 cup brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup milk or cream<br />
1 1/2 tsp butter<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla<br />
<br />
<b>My Recipe:</b><br />
1/2 cup xylitol (sugar replacer. NOT aspartame, but no crazy blood sugar spikes)<br />
1/2 cup dark agave nectar (it was raw, but I killed it with the cooking)<br />
1/2 cup almond milk<br />
1 1/2 tsp butter<br />
1/2 tsp almond extract (I ran out of vanilla, and I'd already put almond in the cake. You can use 1/4 tsp of both if you like)<br />
<br />
Same recipe for both. It worked just fine. You do need a candy thermometre that works, though. "Works" being the key. Ideally one that's either instant read or can latch on to the side of the saucepan.<br />
<br />
<b>Instructions:</b><br />
1. In a saucepan dissolve the sugar and milk<br />
2. Bring the pan to a boil and boil without sitrring until the elusive soft-ball stage. What this means is get it to EXACTLY 238 degrees Fahrenheit on your candy thermometre. It'll take about 15 minutes with agave nectar, I think? I don't quite remember, but it took awhile. It would probably take less with sugar since there's less liquid involved. You probably also need to be careful the pan doesn't boil over, but don't stir it, just lift it from the burner to lower the boiling level.<br />
3. Quickly add the butter and remove the icing from the heat.<br />
4. Stick a hand-mixer right into the icing and beat it until it's thick (about 5 minutes or more!) Patience is a virtue, I hear. Come on, you just whisked an egg white for an age, so this is relatively easy. Maybe grab a book or turn on the radio or something. You know, learn something.<br />
5. If the icing gets TOO thick you can add a little more milk or cream or almond milk to thin it, but that probably won't happen if you used agave nectar. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AXfsPb32nabx_9QKJ1XDy9TCEWLa0D-bsOXGqS2mOgXIf53oHvAPUxkXphSmuA-XOoJLkJ5jgtiXg8NtgeLQ3WzJe2AcwgioA8000uRK9USf5zbMgnl90clcg4YgZ3kWQkJvG5z0JY2d/s1600/joy-of-cooking-caramel-sauce-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AXfsPb32nabx_9QKJ1XDy9TCEWLa0D-bsOXGqS2mOgXIf53oHvAPUxkXphSmuA-XOoJLkJ5jgtiXg8NtgeLQ3WzJe2AcwgioA8000uRK9USf5zbMgnl90clcg4YgZ3kWQkJvG5z0JY2d/s320/joy-of-cooking-caramel-sauce-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Spread the icing on the cake right away. The icing should be cool, so it shouldn't drip, and if you actually got it 238 degrees it'll be thick enough. If you didn't get it to that temperature it needs to go back on the heat and all your beating wasn't worth it. If it's not cool yet, though, it may just not have thickened enough, so keep beating it until it's actually cool.<br />
<br />
Oh, I suppose you could drizzle like I did, because this icing is pretty intensely sweet. You really don't need a lot to pack a punch. You can also just eat this with a spoon...a quarter teaspoon. Dairy-free caramel.<br />
<br />
Thank you, Irma. You're the best. <br />
<b> </b>MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1445982589300279111.post-8883314939524170882010-12-16T09:39:00.002-05:002010-12-17T09:14:54.513-05:00"Yes B'y, Mudder Cake" With Home-Made Caramel Frosting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjSlbqXR4s0ZUFAPlLcNreXpebSXhtMPfUcnaGR-qgHml6gqcxQTFADxe4y50qcBCgtcZ7RTTgdOhQi1evNWFbLaKAGU5ubOUgm_Pk_fxE05DuIh265b47pVZzjAQ2swCg53XO1AfNWAd/s1600/joy-of-cooking-cake-with-caramel-sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjSlbqXR4s0ZUFAPlLcNreXpebSXhtMPfUcnaGR-qgHml6gqcxQTFADxe4y50qcBCgtcZ7RTTgdOhQi1evNWFbLaKAGU5ubOUgm_Pk_fxE05DuIh265b47pVZzjAQ2swCg53XO1AfNWAd/s320/joy-of-cooking-cake-with-caramel-sauce.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I'm very much home. The words running through my head have turned to Newfanese. <br />
<br />
I'll be honest, I made this cake in Montreal about a week before leaving, but I can't write about it now like a Montrealer. I'm half a country away and so I'm going to write about it in the words that are running through my head. I don't remember why I thought the words "Yes b'y, mudder," yesterday, but it seems that my mom did something shockin, and as my vowels got smaller in the front and rounder in the back and my skin got sticky from the island's damp air, those are the words I thought. <br />
<br />
I made the cake on a whim one night after a decent dinner of leftovers and a disappointing red wine. A bit depressed at the thought of starting my evening in front of my computer, I procrastinated by making cake. If Irma Rombauer had been a Newfoundlander...well, much of her cookbook would be the same, except she'd be a little less self-confident, there would be a lot more recipes for salt fish and beef, more whipped cream pudding cakes with tinned pineapple (there are already a lot, including pineapple snow - a moulded cake with heavy cream, not whipped cream, thank god), and a whole lot fewer recipes for un-Newfoundlander-esque things like oysters, persimmons, peaches (except the tinned kind), and such foreign sounding things as tamale pie and antipasto. Honest to god I laughed a right sad laugh when I saw the persimmons at the grocery store here yesterday. they were hardly orange, more old and brown and sick-looking. If they were a dog, I would have put it down. Who would buy those poor persimmons, I haven't the foggiest. <br />
<br />
All I have to say, though, is Jesus, Irma, your caramel sauce is some good.<br />
<br />
Narn bit of corn syrup involved. And the cake was about the best cake I'd eaten in ages. I couldn't stop. There were no spices in it, and besides using a gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose, using half sugar and half agave nectar (which I thought would dry it out but it didn't) I didn't change a darn thing in the recipe.<br />
<br />
All her sifting! I sifted until I was all sifted out: 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup agave nectar<br />
<br />
Cream: 2 tbsp butter (that's it! Just 2. You could almost eat the whole cake it's so light...until you get to the next 2 ingredients) then add the sugar/agave mixture and mix for ages (about 2 minutes. You can't even drink caffeine in Newfoundland that quickly. The city doesn't believe in espresso). Beat in 1 egg yolk (at room temperature, of course).<br />
<br />
Sift!!! Tree times (not a typo) 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp bread flour (my gluten-free blend) or 2 cups cake flour. Don't add it to the egg mixture.<br />
<br />
Sift!!! Just once more with1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. That's a ton of salt. Not to a Newfoundlander who may have grown up on saltfish and saltbeef and saltpork, and Jesus, anything else you can salt, but in this cake it's a lot of salt. A delicious, perfect lot of salt. Do it.<br />
<br />
Measure out 1/2 plus 2 tbsp milk. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat, then add 1/3 of the milk, beat, then half the remaining flour, beat, then half the milk, beat, then the remaining flour, beat, then the last of the milk. Only beat a fe seconds after each addition, says Irma. I agree, of course.<br />
<br />
Then beat in 1/2 tsp almond extract or amaretto. The amaretto is my idea because a lot of people don't have almond extract (It's not as if there's tons of amaretto kicking around the average kitchen either, though, especially in Newfoundland, but there is a LOT of rum, and that's fine too. At the liquor store yesterday there were more rums than Canadian wines. A Newfoundlander wouldn't know a Canadian wine if it came out and sang the National Anthem. I had to laugh when I saw a shelf called "Local Wine" and there was Newfoundland blueberry wine sitting next to Pinnacle iced wine. "Local"...). <br />
<br />
Now the fun part. I was NOT about to wash my beaters to whip up one little egg white. You've got to make sure you dry the beaters really well, because water and inhibit the riding of the white. So I decided to whisk it. People had been doing it forever, surely I could too. So I started and it was slow going. I switched hands and ways of holding the whisk about 10 times in the 5 or so minutes it actually took me to whisk the white. That's ridiculous. I tried to go quickly but I apparently am as bad at whisking as at kneading, but I can't blame my cold hands on this one.<br />
<br />
I decided that the directions to whip until "stiff but not dry" were going to have to deal with me being exhausted of whipping. So I quit and hoped it was enough. It stayed in place when I removed the whisk, so that was a good sign, I figured. the nice thing about not using a handheld beater was the air stayed in the white better. It didn't collapse. My energy had made it stronger than electricity, I told myself. Maybe Irma's hubris is rubbing off on me? Nope, I'm still a right useless whisker.<br />
<br />
Fold the white gently into the rest of the batter. This is where hand-whisking is great because I wasn't so worried about wrecking my cake through collapsing egg whites. <br />
<br />
I greased the 8" cake pan liked I'd never greased before (I had to use aluminum because the bottom of my cake pan is trashed). I think I used a good 1 1/2 tbsp of butter because the rest of the cake had so little. Poured in the batter. 350 Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Done. Beautiful. Some good, wha?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIC15UKThepy8oSHP3M_mT1tqsP5EqaGoRoDnv94sCuFKjxhmqwkA-RS_oKACbQYonkFhVjj-gn8u1hE3PLI5_rRBeONdPCBzoPd9uhqvdpKoq9FpmKkJZquRVjOTVsBUW0XqaKKav-8xp/s1600/joy-of-cooking-cake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIC15UKThepy8oSHP3M_mT1tqsP5EqaGoRoDnv94sCuFKjxhmqwkA-RS_oKACbQYonkFhVjj-gn8u1hE3PLI5_rRBeONdPCBzoPd9uhqvdpKoq9FpmKkJZquRVjOTVsBUW0XqaKKav-8xp/s1600/joy-of-cooking-cake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIC15UKThepy8oSHP3M_mT1tqsP5EqaGoRoDnv94sCuFKjxhmqwkA-RS_oKACbQYonkFhVjj-gn8u1hE3PLI5_rRBeONdPCBzoPd9uhqvdpKoq9FpmKkJZquRVjOTVsBUW0XqaKKav-8xp/s320/joy-of-cooking-cake.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Caramel while that was going on...MissWatsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13606112521028784099noreply@blogger.com0