Made with sharp wild cranberries and local raw honey, this moist, flavourful cake is perfect with tea/coffee or as a light dessert. I ended up baking a double batch, making one large and two smaller cakes. It was a perfect day for paying visits to neighbours, and baked goods are one of those foods that’s really meant to be shared. For smaller cakes, make sure to adjust the cooking so they don’t dry out.
Enjoy!

Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves

Cranberry Honey Cake

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup raw honey, melted
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 small orange, juice and zest
• pinch of sea salt

Pre-heat the oven to 325°F.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a stand mixer or by hand, beat together the sugar and eggs for a few minutes, until creamy. Add the honey, oil, orange juice and zest.
Gradually stir in the flour, then the cranberries, and mix until combined.
Pour into a buttered loaf pan and bake for 40-60 minutes, depending on the size, until a toothpick or knife comes out clean.
Leave to cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes, and frost with lavender frosting.

Lavender Frosting

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 tablespoon lavender

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the lavender and simmer on low heat for 30 seconds.
Remove from heat, let infuse for at least 5 minutes, strain and discard the lavender.
In a bowl, whisk together the butter, water and sugar until smooth. Add a bit more of water if too thick.

I was in Dartmouth last weekend as one of the chefs preparing this year’s Slow Food Spring Supper. It’s always a thrill for me to meet other people who value local quality food and drink.

Before heading back to Cape Breton, I swung by the Farmers’ Market to try one of Evan’s famous fish burgers and stock up on some spring produce. I also picked up some cellar carrots from Noggins Corner, which are featured in this salad. Many friends who claim to dislike carrots will quite happily devour bowls of this crisp salad. Such is the power of the very thin slice and of flavours like ginger, sesame, and maple.

This salad is delicious on its own, but feel free to throw in a handful of bay shrimps. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lbs carrots, peeled into strips (I used mixed colors)
• 1/4 cup unhulled sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon rice or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
• pinch sea salt
• pinch dried pepper flakes
• sprouts for topping (optional)

With a peeler, peel the carrots so you have long, thin strips.
In a bowl, mix the shaved carrots with the rest of the ingredients.
Let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Top with sprouts and toasted sesame seeds.

I love working with pickled foods. They assume the flavors of whatever you’ve preserved them in. The beats used in this soup were pickled in a mixture of apple cider vinegar, onions, and dill.

Inspired by the gutsy-colored flowers starting to pop up everywhere, I decided to make this vibrant soup. It has a powerful sweetness and earthiness — just the kind of flavors to excite you for a new growing season. If you don’t have the time to bake cornbread, you can top the soup with a dollop of cream or yogurt.

Enjoy!

Cheddar and Rosemary Cornbread Recipe

Today’s yard harvest included cat’s ear, dandelion, and chive shoots.

Ingredients

• 4 cups pickled beets, drained
• 3 cups water
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• small handful of fresh greens
• a few handfuls of torn cornbread, toasted in the oven until golden brown

In a medium pot, melt the butter and cook the onions and garlic for about 10 minutes.
Add the beets and maple syrup, stir, and cook for a few more minutes.
Add the water and bay leaf. Simmer 30 minutes.
Remove bay leaf and blend with a blender or hand mixer.
Add the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with greens and cornbread croutons.

This dish is very satisfying. The mild goat cheese and slightly sour crumbs are worthy complements to the complex, briny taste of mussels.

I get my goat parmesan from Ran-Cher Acres is perfect for this recipe. It’s not as sharp as regular parmesan and therefore doesn’t overpower the taste of the mussels. If this is not available in your area, you can go for parmesan, but reduce the quantity a bit. It’s also important to save the cooking liquid so you can pour some over the mussels right before serving. The crumbs will soak up the briny juice and make your mouth very happy.

Feel free to prep in advance. Enjoy!


Yields 24-30 mussels

Ingredients

• 2 lbs mussels
• 1/4 cup white wine or ale beer
• 1/2 cup grated goat parmesan
• 1/2 cup sourdough crumbs (about 2 slices, toasted until dry, then blended)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• few slices pickled red onion (optional)

In a large stockpot, bring the wine or beer to a boil and add the mussels. Cover and let cook until the mussels are opened, for about 5 minutes, shaking the pot a few times.
Remove from heat and get the mussels out of their shell (throw out any that have remained closed). Reserve the cooking liquid.
Put the mussels on half a shell each, top them with parsley, then crumbs, then cheese.
Put under a very hot broiler for a few minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Just before serving, pour a tablespoon of the reserved liquid over each mussel.
If desired, you can top each with a tiny slice of pickled red onion.

Arctic Char is an ocean fish with a taste similar to trout. This week I made a few different things with a single char. One of the fillets I crusted in seeds and ate for lunch, the other I cured for a few days with whiskey and maple syrup, and the tail-end and scrapings from the spine, I chopped into tartare.

If you’re a fan of fish tacos, you can swap the char with white fish, follow this recipe and serve the fillets in corn tortillas with you favorite slaw. I am including a very easy recipe for a sweet mayo which is also amazing with fried fish. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Marinade

• 1 or 2 Arctic Char fillets, cut into desired serving size.
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon apple cider or wine vinegar
• a pinch sea salt

In a bowl, mix all of the marinade ingredients, then add the fish.
Let sit, covered, in the fridge, for about an hour.

Seed Crust

• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sunflower or grapeseed oil

In a food processor or blender, grind the seeds for about a minutes. Don’t overdo it, you still want some whole seeds in there. Set aside.

Dust the char in the flour, dip it in the eggs, and roll in the seed mixture.

In a heavy bottom skillet, heat the oil until it sizzles and is very hot. Carefully add the fish to the pan, without overcrowding it, and turn the heat down to medium-high. Cook for 2 minutes on each side and transfer to a wire rack or paper towels. Repeat with the remaining fish. Season with salt and eat.

Sweet Mayo

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes, or until the sugar has disolved.

Mustard is easy to make at home and you may find a majority of the ingredients already in your cupboard. Fresh mustard seeds are important, so if you already have some, check them to make sure they aren’t past their prime. Homemade mustard is tangier and stronger in flavor than most store-bought kinds. Just a little bit goes a long way. That said, we go through a lot of the stuff!

Enjoy your mustard with crackers and cheese, in a vinaigrette, or brushed over roasted meats.

You can also try it in these recipes:
Baked Trout with Chervil and Creamy Mustard Sauce
Roast Beef Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Old-Fashioned Mustard and Asparagus Flatbread
Slow-Braised Cajun Spiced Leg of Lamb
Cheesy Mushroom Pinwheel Loaf

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup apple cider or white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorn
• 1/2 cup yellow and/or brown mustard seeds

In a small saucepan, bring to boil the vinegar, wine, oil, maple syrup, garlic, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain and discard the solids.
Put the mustard seeds in a food processor (or a blender) and process for about 1 minute, until most of the grains are powdered.
Pour in the liquid and mix until the mustard thickens.
Will keep for up to a month in the fridge.