the verdigris

announcement: the verdigris is moving

2014-04-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

I would like to apologize for the sparseness of posts over the past month or so. I have moved into a new apartment, I have gone on a holiday and I have been neglectful of the blog. Another factor leading to my neglect is that I have been working on redesigning my site; I am very pleased to announce that the blog is moving! It's moving right over here. I would like to thank my friend Colleen for creating my beautiful new logo; she is fantastically talented and charming. I'm working away on the redesign, so please excuse me while I tidy a few things up.

If you are following my blog in your RSS feed, you can relink with the URL http://www.theverdigris.ca/ to keep getting updates.

winter-spring things

2014-03-13T11:49:00.001-07:00

It is almost the end of winter! In Victoria, the last few days' beautiful sunny crisp weather have made me feel like it is spring already. I wanted to share a few things I have been eating, reading, buying, and anticipating lately:

I love Ranunculus; they are so delicate and fluttery. They are also only available for a short while and it starts and the end of winter. They remind me that spring is on the way! These orange and white ones are from Rook & Rose, my favorite little flower shop in town.

Just two cookies. Photo from Melissa at No. 2 Pencil

This recipe for making just two cookies. It makes two huge, chewy cookies. I have been using this a lot lately; I sometimes really need a warm soft cookie with melty chocolate and don't necessarily want a whole batch of them around. These are easy enough to make after dinner for a somewhat portion controlled nighttime snack.

This article about the dark and sometimes criminal truffle trade. I'm always interested in food production systems, but truffles have a particularly wild history. This Atlantic article reveals the deception, theft and murder within the truffle markets.

Caramelized white chocolate. Photo from James Ransom at Food 52

I keep seeing caramelized white chocolate everywhere. I saw it here and here and I made and used it here. If you find white chocolate a little too sweet sometimes, try caramelizing it. The flavour is deep and complex and toasty.

I am so excited for The Grand Budapest Hotel. From what I have seen in the previews it looks so on point for Wes Anderson: funny, dark and very pretty. It hasn't started playing in Victoria so I'm counting down the days.

Photo from terrain

I want to string up these pretty lights in every room in my house and bask in glowy, soft, christmas-tree-light type lighting all year.

Photo credit (flowers): Tyrel Hiebert

blood orange palomas

2014-02-25T12:55:00.001-08:00

I was really excited to see blood oranges appear at the market in the last couple weeks. They reminded me that winter is on the turn, despite the snow and rain and wind and grey that have permeated Victoria lately. I bought up a whole bunch of them and started scheming exciting ways to use them.

They are just so pretty, with mottled orange and deep red skins or with deceptively plain orange exteriors that bely their jewel toned flesh. I wanted to use them in a recipe that would show off their colour.

I am planning a little vacation in Mexico in a few weeks and I have had tequila cocktails a little bit on my mind, so I decided to make palomas. Palomas are tequila based cocktails with grapefruit soda and lime. Perhaps when you think of tequila you think of margaritas and shots; while I am thoroughly in favour of both of these tequila options, I urge you to consider the paloma. Tart and refreshing palomas are not as ubiquitous as margaritas but they are just as tasty.

I tested every grapefruit soda that I could find at the market and I determined that the San Pellegrino grapefruit flavour was the best. It was less sweet, with a stronger, tarter grapefruit flavour that all the others I tried. Any grapefruit soda you like can be used though; I like these very tart so I would increase the lime if you use sweeter soda. Or just make them however sweet you want them.

blood orange paloma:
4 ounces/shots tequila
two limes, juiced
four medium blood oranges, juiced
grapefruit bitters (optional)
ice
grapefruit soda
lime slices for garnish, if you wish

In a cocktail shaker, or a reasonable facsimile such as a mason jar, combine tequila, lime juice, blood orange juice, grapefruit bitters and ice. Shake vigourously. Divide between four tumblers and add grapefruit soda to fill glasses. Garnish glasses with lime slices. Share palomas with friends and remember that spring is coming.

Photo credit: Tyrel Hiebert

a little announcement!

2014-02-16T13:59:00.002-08:00

There he is in my mixing bowl

If you have been reading my blog for any stretch of time (thanks for that by the way!) you may have noticed a bit of a difference in the general fantastic-ness of the pictures around here the past few months. I am really excited to announce that the source of these much-lovelier photos: my friend and collaborator Tyrel Hiebert.

You can check his work out on his website, flickr, instagram and facebook. If you would like to order a print of anything here or work with Tyrel on another project, contact him here.

caramelized white chocolate and raspberry financiers

2014-02-05T13:24:00.001-08:00

I made some caramelized white chocolate a while ago because I kept reading about it everywhere for a month or two. I loved it; caramelizing really helps to blunt the cloying sweetness of white chocolate and adds complex, toffee-y flavours. Have you ever noticed white chocolate on the surface of a baked good that is golden brown and crispy and tasty? That's caramelized white chocolate: naturally occurring caramelized white chocolate in its natural habitat. I always knew that I liked that stuff, but I hadn't realized that you can make it on purpose. Plus, it's really easy.

I used my chocolate in a couple recipes when I first made it and then I stuck it in a jar and forgot about it until I cleaned my pantry the other day. I had been thinking about making some financiers, little French almond tea cakes, for a while and I was inspired to make this version when I made my white chocolate discovery.

raspberry and caramelized white chocolate financiers:
adapted from canelle et vanille

120 grams egg whites
125 grams sugar
55 grams white rice flour (or all purpose flour for a gluten-full version)
55 grams almond meal
1/2 tsp vanilla powder or the innards of 1/2 of a vanilla bean
150 grams butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup caramelized white chocolate, roughly chopped (recipe below)
fresh or frozen raspberries

Combine sugar, flour almond meal and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add egg whites and stir to combine. Stir in butter, cover bowl with plastic wrap and age in the fridge overnight.

Mix chocolate into batter. Generously grease financier tins or muffin tins. Fill with batter; only about 1/2 inch high if you are using muffin tins, up to the brim if you are using financier tins. Push one or two raspberries a little ways into the batter-try not to let it sink all the way to the bottom of the tin. This can make it harder to remove the financiers in one piece.

Bake at 375 for about ten minutes, until the centres are set and the edges are browned. For some reason, the ones I made in rectangular tins came out best when I cooled them and the round ones from muffin tins came out best when they were still hot, but ripped apart if I let them cool first. This might involve some trial and error for you. Just eat the ones you ruin and no one will ever know.

caramelized white chocolate:

1 or 2 bars good white chocolate (I used this one), roughly chopped

Heat oven to 250. Cover a baking sheet with tinfoil. Put chocolate on the baking sheet and and place it in the oven. Every 5 minutes check on the chocolate and smear/mix it around the sheet with a heatproof spatula. It will slowly turn a light golden colour. Watch it carefully to ensure it doesn't get too dark and remember that the chocolate can burn if it's stuck in one spot.

It may appear seized or crumbly but don't panic. Keep stirring occasionally; it should relax again and get smooth. Even if it's slightly grainy when it's done, that's fine. It will still be great when you add it to your baking.

Photo credit: Tyrel Hiebert

quick little trick: buttering pans

2014-01-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

I am really lazy about buttering pans and lining things with parchment and generally prepping for baking. Sometimes I just don't bother; I bake cakes in springform pans and I just cut them free rather than actually buttering the sides and cutting out parchment circles for the bottoms.

The other day I was baking some financiers in little tins that definitely need to be buttered properly or the cakes will get stuck and you will end up ripping them apart trying to pry them free. I was going to melt the butter to coat the pans and brush it on, but that just seemed like a bunch of extra steps and dishes to wash (lazy). So I tried just brushing softened butter onto the pans with a fairly stiff pastry brush. It was quick and easy and it got into little nooks and corners. I was really impressed with myself for thinking of this. A quick look online showed me that lots other people discovered this before I did. I am perhaps not quite the avant-garde tin-buttering innovator I briefly imagined myself to be. I am still excited about how easy and effective is was and I think it will lead me to butter pans properly more often. You should try it! If you want to.

Photo credit: Tyrel Hiebert

leek and goat cheese tortilla

2014-01-12T11:38:00.002-08:00

Tortilla de patatas, is not like a corn or flour tortilla; it is a Spanish potato omelette. It is a common tapas dish and it is really versatile. Sometimes I eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I'm feeling especially lazy. It is an fairly neutral canvass for any sauce you might desire and it'a perfect with a little green salad.

Most recipes for tortilla have a cup or more of olive oil. This seemed a little extreme for a regular, weeknight, ordinary meal. Traditional tortillas only have potatoes and onions and all that oil. I wanted to reduce the oil and add some extra vegetables so I wasn't just eating deep fried potatoes in eggs. I roasted the potatoes in a little oil and added leeks to bump up the vegetable content. It's a little more light and fresh, but it retains the potato-heartiness that I love about the classic tortilla.

leek and goat cheese tortilla:
6 eggs
6-8 new potatoes or 1-2 medium size potatoes, scrubbed
2 medium leeks, finely sliced
5 cloves garlic, smashed
3 medium shallots, finely sliced
1/2 package goat cheese (the kind rolled in cracked pepper is really good)
2 tbs coconut oil

Slice potatoes. Melt one tablespoon coconut oil and drizzle over potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 450 until golden brown.

While potatoes are roasting, melt remaining oil in a medium frying pan. Add garlic, shallots and leeks and fry over medium heat until browned.

When potatoes are browned, add them to the pan. Beat eggs together in a bowl and pour overtop of potato and leek mixture. Crumble goat cheese and sprinkle it onto the eggs. Cook on medium until the eggs are nearly set in the centre. Run a flexible spatula around the edge of the pan to ensure that the eggs aren't sticking to the sides. When the eggs are mostly set, place the pan in the oven under the broiler to finish cooking brown the top.

Photo credit: Tyrel Hiebert

galette des rois + mini palmiers

2014-01-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

First of all, a slightly belated happy new years to you all! I hope you had wonderful, safe, happy winter holidays. I spent the last few weeks mostly eating; I am pretty close to my upper limit for sweets but I managed to make room for one extra pastry post-Christmas. If you aren't totally burnt out from eating holiday treats, you might want to try a galette des rois, or a king cake.

I have been wanting to make this ever since I lived in Paris a few years ago. Each Janurary the Catholic holiday Epiphany is celebrated with either a fruit filled brioche, a gateau des rois, in Province, or a frangipane and puff pastry galette des rois in the north. When I first tried this tart I was worried that the filling was a slab of marzipan and I wasn't sure I would like it. But it's filled with frangipane, a softer, less sweet, fragrant almond paste. I was totally addicted, which was good since people serve galettes des rois in Paris pretty much all through January. I felt like there was a galette at every event I went to all month. The galette has a small bean or ceramic figurine inside and whoever gets it in their slice is the king or queen. Traditionally the king or queen is supposed to buy the next galette for everyone, so the celebration lasts well past Epiphany.

galette des rois:

one recipe puff pastry-I used one from foodbeam. It's easy to follow and Fanny explains the science of puff pastry beautifully, if you want to have a little food nerd moment over the majesty of domestic science.
or
one package of the best quality frozen puff pastry you can find.

Roll out puff pastry on a well floured surface and cut out two circles (about 10-11 inches) using a dinner plate as a guide. Wrap up your dough circles in plastic wrap and chill until you are ready to assemble.

frangipane:
adapted from here

100g butter
100g granulated sugar
100g almond flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract or one vanilla bean's innards
1 tsp high quality almond extract

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale, and then add all remaining ingredients, mixing at a lower speed until just combined.

I like to sandwich the frangipane between two sheets of plastic wrap and form a circle roughly 2 inches smaller than the pastry circles. I refrigerate it until it is pretty firm and then peel the plastic wrap off and place in on the dough. I think this is the easiest way to assemble the tart, but you can also pipe the frangipane onto the dough with a very large piping tip if you prefer.

assembly:
Lay out one layer of puff pastry and pipe or place your frangipane on top. Hide a large dried bean in the frangipane, if you wish. Brush water around the exposed pastry to help seal the layers together. Lay the second dough circle on top. Score the top of the tart with a sharp knife (don't puncture all the way through the tart) in a spiral or chevron pattern. Brush the tart with a slightly beaten egg. Bake at 375C for about 30 minutes, or until deeply golden.

Using your scraps:

Puff pastry scraps are very handy to have around. Gather them in a pile and gently roll them out again. Roll shredded cheese into them and cut into thin strips to make tasty crackers, or add cinnamon and sugar and shape them into little twists. Or roll out the dough into a rectangle using sugar rather than flour to dust, fold both outer edges toward the center twice and slice into one centimeter thin slices. Dip each side in sugar again and bake at 450 for about 10 minutes or until the are deeply golden.

Photo credit: Tyrel Hiebert

cauliflower (not) pizza

2013-12-16T13:10:00.001-08:00

I really like putting vegetables, fruit and other healthy stuff into foods that might otherwise be a little less nutritious. Zucchini bread, carrot muffins, black bean brownies, chickpea muffins, any sort of fruit or vegetable purée into unexpected places. I love how sneaky and tricky it makes me feel.

So I made a cauliflower...thing. It's not pizza, despite what lot of people on paleo/gluten free type blogs are calling these things. It's a little like a flatbread, but really it's a sort of thin, dry omelette. Most importantly, it's a vehicle for cheese, sauce, pesto, pancetta and any other lovely toppings you might desire. The cauliflower crust makes me feel like I'm eating something healthy, but that something is still hot and cheesy and lovely.

Just to be really clear though: it is definitely not pizza. The cauliflower crust will not behave like pizza crust, it will not taste like pizza crust, it will not look like pizza crust. I don't want to create any false expectations. It's not pizza, but it's still really tasty, especially when it's hot and covered in cheese.

I like to make a bunch of these, stack them with parchment paper rounds in between, and freeze them in a zip top bag. They are handy to have, and if you have a few odds and ends in the fridge to serve as toppings, you have a really healthy, fast dinner almost instantly.

cauliflower thing:
makes one 6-8 inch pizza shell

shredded cauliflower, one cup packed
one egg

Preheat the oven to 400f. If you have a pizza stone place it in the oven to heat up.

Place the shredded cauliflower in a metal mesh strainer. Boil a kettle and pour the boiling water over the cauliflower to blanch.

Using a spatula, press as much of the water out of the cauliflower as possible. Set aside to cool

Lightly beat one egg and combine with blanched cauliflower once cooled. Spread onto parchment paper in an even circle 6-8 inches across.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown. Remove from oven and turn oven heat up as high as your oven will go. Place cauliflower crust on a flat surface (thin cutting board or cookie sheet without sides) dusted with cornmeal.

Top as you like. Return the pizzas to oven, onto pizza stone if you have it, and bake until cheese is melted and golden.

Enjoy your healthy, tasty, pseudo pizza.

Photo credit: Tyrel Hiebert

apple cinnamon baked oatmeal

2013-12-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

My life is significantly better if I have prepared enough breakfast for a few days. I'm not so great at the morning portion of life and I tend to be running perpetually late. It is a great comfort during these moments to know that there is a tasty, healthy, portable breakfast waiting for me. It doesn't stop me from my usual morning flailing search for my keys and the other shoe to go with the one on my foot.

But it does slightly balm my nerves to have something to eat once I find everything.

I like baked oatmeal because it is highly adaptable. I tend to throw in lots of nuts and seeds, whatever spices I feel like and lots of fruit, odds and ends of different bags of frozen berries-whatever is in the cupboard and fridge. Adapt as you see fit.

apple cinnamon baked oatmeal:

1/4 cup honey
2 tbs coconut oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup milk
2 cups rolled oats
2 tbs hemp seeds
2 tbs chia seeds
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
3 apples, thinly sliced
2 tbs dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup walnuts roughly chopped

In a small saucepan, melt honey and coconut together over low heat. Remove from heat and add milk, yogurt and eggs.
Combine oats, hemp seeds, chia seeds 1/2 tsp cinnamon and baking powder. Mix with the liquid ingredients.
Pour 2/3 of the mixture into a rectangular baking dish. Layer half of sliced apples onto the mixture and top with the remaining oat mixture.
Top with the remaining apple slices. Combine two tablespoons of brown sugar with remaining cinnamon and sprinkle over oatmeal. Top with chopped walnuts.
Bake at 350f for 35 minutes, or until the oatmeal is set and golden brown on top. Slice oatmeal into squares. Serve warm, with milk, or a dollop of yogurt if you like.

Photo credits: Tyrel Hiebert

a cake for fall: brown butter and toasted pecan

2013-11-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

Always watch the sugar.

That voice that tells you, when you put sugar in a dry pan on high heat, "Just go into the other room for just a moment, just turn away for a minute, you won't forget about the sugar, just leave it for a second, it'll be fine." That voice is a liar. Maybe you don't hear that voice, maybe you are better at recognizing that the voice is wrong, maybe you stay with your sugar. I listened. And of course I didn't come right back, of course I forgot there was sugar in a pan over an open flame cranked up to eleven. I started grabbing recipes, assembling supplies, puttering. By the time I remembered the sugar, my apartment was full of smoke. Can't-see-across-the-room kind of smoke. And the sugar wasn't just burnt, it was on fire. Flame actually leaping out of the pan: a blackened, charred, disgusting sugar inferno.

And then all the fire alarms went off. In the whole building. On a Saturday morning. No one in the building could turn the fire alarms off, so the firepeople had to come, in a great big firetruck just to turn off the alarm. I'm pretty sure everyone who lives in my building hates me now.

So watch the sugar.

I recovered from my sugar crisis, and the cake was alright despite its rocky start. This combination is one of my favorites. Brown butter has a cosy, warm, autumnal flavour. It goes really well with other cold weather flavours: nuts, pumpkin, sage, smoke, cinnamon, apples, caramel. You can actually taste brown butter in lots of pastries; when croissants, puff pastry, cookies or pie crusts bake, the butter in them browns. When you add brown butter to pastries before you bake them, that flavour is even deeper.

This cake layers brown butter: it's in the cake and in the frosting, with pecans and not-too-sweet caramel syrup. It feels like fall to me.

brown butter:
1 pound salted butter

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until you see the solids at the bottom of the pan turn golden and then brown. Remove from heat once the milk solids are deeply brown; the butter can burn very quickly.

Set aside to cool and solidify. This step can be done well in advance; the butter stores well in the fridge in an airtight container.

vanilla brown butter cake:
recipe adapted from baked

2 1/2 cups cake flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown butter

1/2 cup lard

1 3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla or 1 tsp vanilla powder

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups ice water

3 egg whites

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Cream together the browned butter and the lard. Add the sugar and the vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add the egg and just combine. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture and water in turns. Scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is mixed properly.

In a clean bowl, beat the eggs until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the batter until well combined.

Divide batter between two 6 inch pans and bake at 325 degrees F for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely and cut each cake into two layers, trimming off the tops if necessary to make even layers. Chill or, preferably, freeze cake layers, wrapped well in cling wrap.

This step can be done well in advance; the cake can last in the freezer if triple wrapped in saran wrap. Frozen cake is easier to frost and assemble than a cake at room temperature.

caramel syrup:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water
a pinch of vanilla powder or a teaspoon of vanilla extract

Melt the sugar in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Swirl the sugar in the pan frequently but do not stir. Watch the sugar carefully, it can burn very quickly once it melts (see introductory fiasco) Once the melted sugar is a deep caramel colour, remove from heat and add water. The sugar will bubble violently and seize up hard. Return pan to low heat until sugar melts again and dissolves into the water. Stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool.

This can be done well in advance; the syrup stores very well in the fridge.

brown butter toasted pecan swiss buttercream:
recipe adapted from smitten kitchen

1 cup egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups browned butter
1/3 cup toasted pecans, finely ground
1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 tsp vanilla powder

In a very clean, dry stainless steel bowl, whisk together the egg whites and the sugar. Set the bowl over a medium saucepan filled with simmering water. Whisk constantly, scraping the bottom of the bowl all over. The eggs can cook if you allow them to sit still. The mixture is ready when the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar is dissolved when you rub mixture between your fingers. Dry the bottom of the bowl containing the egg whites thoroughly and transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip up the egg whites until they are white and have doubled in size.

Slowly add the butter, a quarter cup at a time, mixing constantly and then add the brown butter in the same way. The icing may split, seize, and look grainy, runny or otherwise gross. Keep mixing until in comes back together. Once the frosting is smooth, add pecans and vanilla.

This should be done right before you frost the cake.

assembly:
Lay out the frozen cake layers on a large piece of parchment paper. Brush the layers generously with caramel syrup.

Using an offset spatula, spread frosting in an even layer over one cake layer, place another cake layer on top and continue to frost and layer the remaining cake layers. If you have one, place your assembled cake on a turntable or a cake stand.

Crumb coat

Quickly and roughly frost the entire cake with your offset spatula. Don't worry about making this pretty; just cover the whole cake with frosting so no cake shows through. This will seal the crumbs in so your final coating of frosting won't be full of crumbs. Put the cake in the fridge for an hour or so to set the crumb coat.

Smoothing with a bench scraper

Take the cake out of the fridge; the frosting should be set firm, if you touch it gently it should be slightly hard. This is the final coat and now you are trying to make it as smooth as possible. I use an offset spatula and a bench scraper to do this. Spread more soft, warm frosting onto the chilled cake with the offset spatula. Holding the bench scraper against the side of the cake (like in the picture above) and rotate the cake to even out the frosting. If you want to make a very smooth surface, take a long time with this part. I keep adding icing to areas that aren't smooth or even and smooth them with the bench scraper. When the cake is getting smooth and even, I like to finish it by running the scraper under very hot water, drying it well and smoothing the cake with it. The warmth smooths the frosting a little more because it very slightly melts the frosting.

If you like, top the cake with some pecan halves or some roughly chopped pecan toffee.

photo credit: Tyrel Hiebert

toffee with pecans and smoked salt

2013-11-10T18:21:00.001-08:00

I'm working on few recipes for food gifts that I can make and package for Christmas presents. This pecan toffee is definitely on the list. They are pretty quick and easy to make and very tasty. They store well, so you can make them a little in advance if you wish. Store them in the fridge or somewhere cool.

pecan smoked salt toffee:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbs water
1 cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped if you wish
1/2 tsp vanilla
a big pinch or two high quality smoked salt

Melt together water, butter and sugar over medium high heat. Stir constantly until mixture begins to turn golden. Watch the mixture closely; it can burn very quickly. Add pecans and vanilla and stir to combine.

If you want to make a sheet of toffee with pecans in it, pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet. If you want pecan praline style clusters like the above photo, empty the pan out onto a cooling rack with a parchment lined sheet underneath in. Separate the pecans into little clusters with a spatula. Either way, sprinkle the toffee with a big pinch of smoked salt before it cools.

Smash the toffee into bits, divide between small, airtight containers. Try not to eat it all before you give it away. Unless you want to.

Finely chop up the toffee to swirl through ice cream or sprinkle onto a cake

Photo credit: Tyrel Hiebert

keep on hand: preserved lemons

2013-11-06T12:37:00.002-08:00

Preserved lemons are great to have around. They are very easy and inexpensive to make, but quite expensive to buy. Whenever I see them for sale a teeny jar costs $10-15. You will feel very smug when you have homemade preserved lemons and you see those fancy expensive ones in shops. They also make an excellent last minute host gift if you keep an extra jar or two in the fridge.

Preserved lemons add this wonderful salty, bright boost to all sorts of dishes. I like to puree them into salad dressing and hummus, mince them and rub onto fish or stick a whole preserved lemon inside a chicken I'm roasting. They are traditionally used in North African cooking, but they are very versatile and I find they work well with all sorts of different flavours, especially feta, halloumi, mint, garlic and chilies.

I always use organic lemons when I am making preserved lemons; since you will be eating the rind of the lemons, I try to avoid waxed and sprayed lemons.

preserved lemons:
lots of organic, unsprayed lemons
a lot of non-iodized salt
lemon juice, either freshly squeezed or the highest quality bottled juice you can find

Thoroughly wash the lemons. Slice a lemon open lengthways. Stuff a generous amount of salt inside the lemon and place the lemon in a mason jar. Repeat with all lemons. When a jar is full, fill it up with salt and additional lemon juice. The amounts are not exact, but you want to use a lot of salt and make sure that the lemons are covered. You may have a lot of undissolved salt in the jar; that is fine. You can turn the jars upside down occasionally to mix the salt around. Put the jar in the fridge for 4-6 weeks. You will know the lemons are ready when they are soft and squishy and slightly translucent. Rinse them before you use them to reduce salt somewhat.

photo credits: Tyrel Hiebert

healthier bran muffins

2013-10-04T10:08:00.001-07:00

Despite the reputation muffins have for being healthy-ish, many bakery and supermarket muffins are nutritionally on par with a slice of birthday cake sprinkled with bran. White flour, shortening, lots of sugar...

I have been working on this bran muffin recipe to make it a little bit healthier, but still keep the muffins light and tasting like traditional muffins. There are lots of healthier baked goods recipes around based on beans, almond flour, coconut flour etc. but I find they are often very dense and don't resemble their original versions very much.

I wanted to meet in the middle by using some flour, and converting it to whole wheat, and adding in chickpeas for a bit more protein. I also used whey protein powder to bump up the protein a little more, which isn't necessary if you don't generally use protein powders, but it's a nice extra if you have trouble getting enough protein as I do. I used molasses in place of part of the sugar to increase the nutritional profile. The combination of flour, bran and chickpeas as the base of the muffins tastes like traditional, flour based muffins, while making them a little more nutritious.

Neatly, evenly filled muffin cups.

I really love my cookie scoop for filling muffin tins. I am a bit neurotic about filling them evenly and making sure they are exactly the same size and using the cookie scoop makes them perfect. It also makes less mess. You can use an ice cream scoop that has a little spring release function. I use a large sized cookie scoop, which I find to be too big for cookies, but perfect for muffins.

Bran Muffins:

1 cup chickpeas
2 tbs coconut oil
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbs dark molasses
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
5 scoops unflavoured protein powder (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, soft
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, blend chickpeas and coconut oil until smooth. Add yogurt and molasses and mix until well combined. In a medium bowl, combine flour, bran, protein powder if using, salt, baking soda, vanilla and cinnamon.
In a stand mixer cream butter until light and fluffy and add sugar, mixing until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mix until just combined and scrape down the bowl after. Add the chickpea mixture, mixing until just combined.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and the raisins. Mix until combined, scrape the bowl down.
Line muffin tins with paper liners and fill 3/2 full of batter. My scoop is 3 tbs, which is the perfect size for me and yields 16 muffins from this recipe. Bake 15-20 minutes, until the tops are deeply golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

roasted yam and goat cheese wraps

2013-05-29T14:12:00.003-07:00

I didn't get absolutely everything I wanted in my new house, but I did get my gas range.
I love it.

First of all, I'm sorry for not posting anything in ages; I am in a bit of life chaos right now that is eating up all of my time and energy. I moved into a much smaller apartment and I am currently unpacking/panicking about having way way too much stuff and not knowing quite what to do with it.

In my moving and stress haze, I have been trying to eat things that are easy to make and at least sort of healthy, since my tendency during times like this is to eat as much pasta and bread as humanly possible and then I feel gross. I have been eating different versions of these wraps with yams and greens and cheese mostly everyday, sometimes more than once. They have lots of vegetables, so I feel a bit healthy, but creamy cheese and enough carbs to feel a little indulgent.

Also, I needed something I could eat with my hands because I couldn't find my forks.

Wraps are one of the foods that often seem fake-healthy to me; things like fast food muffins and smoothies that are sold as healthier options but are really just as bad as any other fast food if you look closely. I try to find wraps that are whole grain and free of preservatives and other dicey additives. Usually they are in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. I bought some sprouted wheat ones, which were great, but corn and other gluten free grain choices are tasty too.

Note: there are no amounts, this recipe is flexible enough to use however much you like of everything.

Roasted yam, goat cheese, kale and chickpea wraps:

Roast halved sweet potatoes, cut side up, brushed with a little olive oil, in a 400 degree oven until the surface is brown and the potato is soft when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool.

Finely chop kale and shred a carrot or two. Toss in chickpeas.

Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard and toss with greens and carrots, adding just enough dressing to coat the greens.

Slice yams and place slices down the center of the wrap, topping with salad and add a few slices of goat cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Fold up the bottom and then sides of your wrap.

keep on hand: garlic confit

2013-04-08T19:11:00.003-07:00

I try to always have garlic confit in my fridge. Garlic confit is similar in flavour to roasted garlic, but it prevents the overcooked or burnt bits you sometimes get on the outside of roasted garlic. It is so useful to have garlic prepped and ready to go. I use my garlic confit everyday, in almost every savory recipe. I make the oil into vinaigrette, use the garlic in pasta, mash it into a spread, put whole cloves on pizza, pop them into sandwiches, mash them into hummus....you will use it up faster than you think so make extra. This is a good way to preserve a lot of garlic; garlic confit lasts a long time in the fridge. If you have a bumper crop of garlic, confit it!

Saftey note: Garlic in oil should always be stored in the fridge. Garlic can carry botulism from the soil and if it's stored in oil, at room temperature, it creates the perfect conditions for botulism to thrive. Even though the garlic gets boiled in this recipe, it's best to keep it in the fridge to be safe.

Garlic Confit
a lot of garlic, twenty bulbs or more, peeled
enough olive oil to cover the garlic

Put the garlic in a medium saucepan, cover with oil and place on medium high heat. As son as the oil boils, reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking on low heat until the garlic is very soft, stirring frequently to avoid browning the garlic. Once the garlic is soft, pour into a mason jar and store in the fridge once cool.

Prepare to repel vampires and maybe some other creatures.

make some butter

2013-03-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

I really love making butter. It seems magical to me. The process of transformation from cream to butter is always exciting; alchemical. If you find yourself with a glut of cream that you don't know what to with, this is the project for you. I advise you to recruit a friend or two to help you shake the cream; your arms will be very tired if you do this on your own.

Put heavy cream (whipping cream) in a mason jar or any container that you can easily shake that has a good seal. Anything that might pop open and spray cream everywhere is a bad idea.

After a couple minutes of shaking, the cream will take on the texture of a heavy, dense whipped cream. Keep shaking.

In a couple more minutes the cream will clump together into one big lump. Keep shaking.

In a couple more minutes, milk will begin to pour out of that solid lump. Your jar now will contain some solid lumps that look a little like scrambled eggs sitting in milk. You made butter! Keep shaking a bit more, you need to smash as much milk out of your butter as possible. Then strain off the milk. You can use that for whatever you like, it's just milk. Even though it is buttermilk (milk leftover in the butter making process) it is not buttermilk like you would buy in the store, which contains special cultures, so you can't substitute it for that kind of buttermilk.

Run very cold water and massage your butter in the running water. You want to get all the remaining out as milk will spoil the butter faster. Once the water runs clear, remove the butter from the stream of water and squeeze it a bit more to get as much water out as possible. I wrap my butter in parchment or waxed paper and freeze it at this point, but you can store it in a glass container in the fridge as well. Salting it will make it last longer; you can work a pinch of salt into the butter with a spatula in a small bowl or massage it in with your fingers.

Ta da! It's butter.

salmon, arugula and kamut bowl

2013-02-12T15:52:00.001-08:00

I have been eating different versions of this meal a lot lately. I swap out a different grain, green or protein to keep it interesting. There is a similar idea over here, to give you more ideas. I like to keep all the components on hand for a couple days' lunches: some cooked grain, some washed and chopped greens and some cooked salmon, to throw it together fast. I sometimes eat it hot and wilt the greens a little, sometimes cold like a salad. Infinitely variable.

Cooking note: I didn't include the amounts in the recipe; it is very flexible. I use about 1/2 of a salmon fillet per serving, about 1/2 cup of grain and a big handful of arugula. Use as much of each as you like!

salmon, arugula and kamut bowl:

salmon fillets
large handful parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/4 of one preserved lemon

kamut, cooked until tender, but still
arugula
olive oil and lemon juice
crumbled goat cheese

Puré parsley, garlic and lemon in a food processor into a paste. Place salmon fillets on a large piece of parchment paper, smear salmon with parsley paste and wrap parchment around salmon into a bundle, fasten with twine if you like. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until salmon is flaky in the thickest part.

In a large bowl, place kamut, a large handful of arugula and a half a fillet of salmon. Drizzle with oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle goat cheese on top. Season with a little salt and pepper if you like.

I want this green house room

2013-02-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

I am apartment hunting right now and I have an increasing list of unreasonable demands. A gas stove, a yard I can garden in, pet friendly, a dishwasher, washing machine...oh yes and very cheap, reasonable rent. I realise that I can't necessarily get all, or even any, of my wishlist but I do really want to get a greenroom/solarium.

Pictures from apartment therapy

I love the idea for this one I saw on apartment therapy. If I possibly can, I want to find a lovely sunroom like this one, paint it light green (a slightly less yellow, more minty shade maybe) fill it with loads of plants and eat my breakfast in it every day. If possible a little daybed for a reading, catnaps and tea drinking area. I love how the green walls and the green plants combine to filter the light in a way that feels like being under a leafy canopy.

Amaretti and raspberry ombre cake

2013-01-21T11:02:00.001-08:00

Amaretti and raspberry cake

When I was deciding what cake to make for my friend's birthday last week I wanted something a little lighter, a little less intense. I'm still feeling aftershocks from Christmas overindulgence. I wouldn't describe this cake as light exactly, but the fruit does help offset the richness a little.

I was try to replicate the flavour of amaretti cookies, which have a strong, slightly bitter almond flavour. Use a really good quality almond extract, some of the cheaper (artificial) almond extracts are too wimpy and bland.

Almond and vanilla cake
adapted from Baked

2 1/2 cups cake flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbs baking powder

1tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups ice water

3 egg whites

Mix flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Cream together the butter and the shortening. Add the sugar and the vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add the egg and just combine. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture and water in turns. Scrape the bowl to ensure everything is mixed properly.

In a clean bowl, beat the eggs until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the batter until just combined.

Divide batter between two 6 inch cake pans lined with parchment (I make a few cupcakes with any leftover batter) and bake at 325 degrees F for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake come to room temperature then cut into very thin layers. Freeze cake layers, wrapped well in cling wrap.

Amarretti frosting
adapted from smitten kitchen

1 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg whites
2 1/3 cups butter
1/2 vanilla bean innards
1 tsp almond extract
.
In a very clean, dry, heat proof bowl, whisk together egg whites and sugar. Set bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water, whisking constantly. When the sugar granules dissolve, remove the pan from the heat and wipe the water from the bottom of the bowl. Pour egg mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer whip the eggs until they about double in size. Add the butter, a little at a time. The mixture will very likely break and start to look like a scrambled leaky mess. Keep whipping, it should come back together.

Raspberry filling

1 cup raspberry jam
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
juice of one lemon
a little water

Put everything into a saucepan and cook on medium heat. Mash the raspberries a little so they are still a little chunky. Let cool.

Test pattern: I like to practice new frosting designs
on a piece of parchment before I try it on a cake.

Assembly

Spread a layer of raspberry filling onto a cake layer, top with another cake layer spread with frosting. Alternate cake layers with either filling until you run out of cake layers. Chill cake for 30 minutes.

Frost the cake with a thin quick layer of frosting to seal in the crumbs. Don't worry about making this layer too pretty. Chill again for 30 minutes.

Put about 1/3 cup frosting in a small bowl, add 1-2 drops red food colouring mix well. Repeat with more frosting, adding a little more colouring each time. You want to end up with three different shades of pink to red. Pipe a line of the darkest colour frosting around the bottom of the cake, smooth with an offset spatula. Work your way up the cake, adding lighter shades of frosting as you move up. Blend the edges between the different colours to give a softer fade. Use remaining white frosting to touch up the top of the cake.

Sunblock in the Winter: protection from no sun at all

2013-01-08T13:45:00.002-08:00

Ok, it's not super timely, but I want to tell you guys about the sunblock I'm using right now. I try to wear sunscreen every day, despite the constant clouds and rain around here. Right now I am using the simplest, easiest sunscreen. It is just zinc oxide powder in water. I put in in a little spray bottle. I put a couple teaspoons of zinc oxide powder per bottle and then fill it with water. You can mess around with this formula, add essential oils for scent or use rosewater as the base instead of water. Too much oil makes it clumpy though, so be careful. I rub a little drop of almond oil or rosehip oil into my skin after the sunscreen.

Zinc

This sunscreen is white and it sort of beads up on your face. If you let it dry without blending it a little, you will have strange white sunblock spots. Rub it in well, put your moisturiser over top to help it blend. It isn't the same as commercial sunscreen that goes on totally invisible. I think this is a worthwhile tradeoff for a totally safe sunblock without any toxic or irritating ingredients. It's also incredibly cheap, especially compared to the really well made, nontoxic, natural sunblocks. They are expensive. If the whiteness of the sunscreen really bothers you, you can add a little bit of a crumbled up mineral bronzer powder to take the edge off the white tone so you aren't so washed out by the sunblock.

Note: compounding pharmacies will usually sell you zinc oxide powder cheaply. If they give you a hard time, tell them you have an allergy to commercial sunblocks. It always works.

Sucré salé: salted caramel macarons

2012-12-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

Caramel is a tricky filling for macarons; it's a little too gushy on its own. Caramel flavoured frostings are often a little anemic and flavourless. I tried to make these strongly flavoured, deeply caramely and pointedly salty. You can reduce the salt if your sucré-salé tastes lean a little more to sucré. I like to taste the salt.


The guide sheet under the parchment paper is the trick to getting evenly spaced and evenly sized macarons.

Cooking notes:

When making macarons, it is important to use absolutely clean and dry bowls, whisks, spatulas. If a drop of water or grease gets into the egg whites, they will not whip up properly.

If you are using whole eggs, separate them in advance, preferably a day in advance, and store them in the fridge an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before using. I use boxed egg whites, which don't need to be aged and avoid wasting lots of yolks.

I recommend that you make a template to work from on a sheet of white paper. Place it under the parchment to follow for size and spacing.

The resting phase after piping the batter helps the macarons form feet properly by drying them out slightly.

Folding the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites is called macaronage. It is important not to under or over mix the batter. Under mixing will result in macarons which are not smooth and have a texture too much like a traditional meringue. Over mixing will result in a too loose, runny batter.

Macaron shells:

adapted from canelle et vanille, various recipes

100 grams egg white

50 grams granulated sugar

110 grams almond flour

190 grams powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla powder, or innards of 1/2 vanilla bean

vanilla fleur de sel (fleur de sel mixed with a generous pinch of vanilla powder)

Mix together almond flour, vanilla powder and powdered sugar and sift or whisk thouroughly to avoid clumps. Set aside.

In a stand mixer bowl whisk egg whites on high speed. Add sugar a little at a time. Mix until the eggs form stiff peaks.

Fold almond mixture into meringue gently. Keep an eye on the texture of the batter. You are aiming for flowing not runny. It is correct when a spoonful of batter slowly smooths itself when dropped on a plate. If it doesn't smooth into a glossy dome it needs more folding; if it smooths out very quickly, it is probably over mixed.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip with 1/2 of the batter. Pipe onto parchment paper, following a template. Pipe the batter slightly smaller than the template; they will spread slightly. Sprinkle vanilla salt over piped cookies. Leave them for about an hour to dry.

Bake for 10 minutes in a 300 degree oven, turning once to brown evenly. If the shells stick to the parchment paper, cook for a couple more minutes.


Baked

Salted Caramel
adapted from Chubby Hubby

200 grams sugar
200 grams cream
150 grams butter
generous pinch of fleur de sel, or two or three
pinch of vanilla powder

Melt sugar in a medium pot over medium high heat, stirring constantly. When the sugar has melted and reached a nut brown colour, remove from heat and slowly add cream. The caramel will bubble vigorously and maybe seize a little. Lower heat and stir pot until sugar melts again. Add the butter, salt and vanilla and stir until butter melts. Chill caramel in the fridge before adding to frosting.

Buttercream:

1/3 cup butter

3 cups icing sugar

1-2 tbs milk

Slowly cream together sugar and butter, adding milk a tablespoon at a time, to make a stiff buttercream. When combined, turn mixer up to high speed and cream for a couple more minutes until fluffy. Add salted caramel a little at a time. The aim is to add as much caramel as possible without making the buttercream too runny. It's a balance; add a little caramel at a time, whip and then add a little more.

Pipe frosting onto macaron shells and sandwich together. They are best after a day resting in the fridge. Let the macarons come to room temperature before serving.

Masa harina pancakes for cosy Sundays

2012-11-19T10:16:00.001-08:00

I love masa harina for tortillas and tamales and lots of other things. It's a great substitute for breadcrumbs, like for coating fish to fry it up (best fish tacos!) or to thicken up chili or stew. It can be a little hard to locate, depending where you live. In Victoria, I get it at this great little Mexican grocery, which is an awesome resource for spices and ingredients that are tricky to find. Lots of regular grocery stores stock this flour now too, and if you live somewhere where they don't, it's available lots of places online. It's worth hunting around for, homemade tortillas are so good, in a whole other tortilla realm from store bought.

These pancakes are really fluffy and light and mildly tortilla-y and a little crunchy from the cornmeal.

Masa harina pancakes:
adapted from Bon Appetit

3/4 cup masa harina flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbs butter melted, plus a little for the pan

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add egg and buttermilk and slowly add melted butter while stirring; mix until just combined with no big lumps. Drop half cups of batter into a buttered skillet over medium high heat. Cook until golden brown, 1-2 minutes per side. Serve immediately with butter and syrup. And probably some bacon. And hot milky coffee.

Lentil soup shepherd's pie

2012-11-05T13:46:00.001-08:00

My sister made me this dish a couple weeks ago when I had dinner with her and I was surprised how much I loved it. Not that I should ever be surprised by how much I like stuff she feeds me; she is a fantastic cook and she constantly makes dishes I would never think to make and then I love them. Just like this one. I have made it a couple times since then. It has that perfect comfort food, wintery casserole heartiness but it is still really healthy and packed with vegetables. Perfect fall hibernation food.

Lentil soup shepherd's pie
large yellow onion, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
1-2 shallots, sliced
5 slicks of celery, sliced
2 large sweet potatoes, cubed
1 butternut squash, small pumpkin, acorn squash or any winter squash, cubed
2 large tomatoes, diced
6 large carrots, sliced
1 cup peas
2 cups dried lentils, soaked or 2 tins lentils
2 cups chickpeas, cooked or 2 tins chickpeas
1 cube of vegetable bouillon
1-2 big bunches kale, chopped

3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
a little olive oil or butter
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 package seitan, or a cup of homemade seitan, diced

Sauté onion, shallot, celery and garlic with a little olive oil in a large soup pot. When they begin to sweat and colour, add diced sweet potato, carrots and squash. Once the vegetables are a little browned and soft, add water to cover all the vegetables and bouillon. Add diced tomatoes, lentils and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Add the chopped kale once the soup has thickened quite a bit.

Put potatoes in a medium pan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer until potatoes are soft and slightly crumbly when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and mash them with olive oil and 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

Brown the seitan in a skillet with a little oil.

Fill a casserole dish 3/4 full of lentil soup. Top with browned seitan. Spread mashed potatoes over top. Sprinkle remaining cheese, salt and pepper on top. Bake at 400 until potatoes are golden brown on top.

Eat steaming hot.

Nutritional yeast and truffle popcorn

2012-10-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I sort of unthinkingly threw together a few things I had never combined on popcorn before and I was totally hooked. I have been eating it more than is probably reasonable. Very nearly every day. Oh well, popcorn is practically a vegetable, isn't it?

I put a little melted butter, a generous sprinkle of nutritional yeast, garlic powder, smoked sea salt and a teeny bit of truffle oil on my popcorn. Sometimes I saute a little minced garlic in the butter instead of the garlic powder. Either way, I can't stop eating it. If you become similarly addicted, I recommend adding some crushed kale chips-that's practically a meal.