It turned summer in Vancouver. Being 9 months pregnant in the summer is something I tried to avoid. I’m love love loving the sunshine. But it’s definitely robbed me of any residual trace of glamour.

I was feeling really fit and mobile until a week ago – walking 6 km/day, yoga twice a week, swimming regularly… But suddenly, in the last 10 days before my due date, I can’t move without tremendous effort. And grunting. Oh, boy is there grunting.

In what I consider a heroic feat, I just went for an hour-long walk waddle on the seawall, bracing myself against tree/lamppost/sturdy-looking-jogger-who-unwittingly-stopped-to-tie-his-shoe every few minutes as either 1. sweet baby nuzzled his head into my poor unsuspecting bladder, or 2. one of those braxton hicks thingies happened.

Now I sit, very much stuck to a leather chair, red-faced and glowing sweaty, with a bowl of frozen grapes balanced on my gigananto belly and an ice pack on my neck trying to cool the heck down.

And it’s only 24 degrees Canadian here. (That’s 75 degrees American.) How do ladies in southern states, or *gulp*, equatorial parts of the world handle the heat?! Geez, Louise.

I’m glad I was in a baking/freezing frenzy before the sun gained its strength. Because now I have delicious zucchini bread for now, and one for the future, and I didn’t have to turn on my oven in the heat.

I loaded these quick-breads with toasted walnuts, chewy dates, and a handful of chocolate chips to keep hubby happy. The zucchini keeps the loaves super moist, and is otherwise imperceptible except for the attractive little green flecks.

If you’re feeling more muffin-y than loaf-y, or are just impatient, you can bake the batter in two 12-cup muffin tins at 375 degrees for 22-25 minutes instead of loaf pans.

Date & Walnut Zucchini Loaf

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

Toasting the walnuts really enhances their flavour. I toss mine on a baking sheet while the oven is preheating – check them and shake the pan every few minutes, removing them when toasty and aromatic.

Author: Jennifer Hill

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 3 cups (lightly packed) grated zucchini
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3½ cups flour
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (preferably toasted, see note above)
• 1 cup chopped dates
• ⅓ cup chocolate chips, optional (use ⅓ cup for a few token morsels, or up to 1 cup if you want a stronger chocolate presence…)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Prepare two 1.5 quart (1.5 L) loaf pans by lining with parchment paper or greasing well.
2. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, eggs, oil and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to zucchini mixture and stir until just incorporated – don’t overmix or the loaves will be tough. Gently fold in walnuts, dates and chocolate chips.
4. Divide batter between two loaf pans. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until top is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed in the centre (a toothpick tester will come out with just a few moist crumbs attached).

3.2.1596

These cookies. Oh, these cookies.

I worked at a coffee shop during university, and they had cookies brought in by an outside bakery – they called them Kitsilano cookies. The coffee shop is in the Kitsilano neighbourhood in Vancouver, which is basically the Haight-Ashbury of the North, as Canada’s hippie central. Kits folks wear Lululemon head-to-toe, Monday-to-Friday; divide their saturdays between sunrise yoga on the beach, the farmers market, and their community garden; and crunch hardcore on (organic, vegan, gmo-free) granola.

So the name befits the biscuits – these cookies are loaded with oats, rolled barley, whole millet, flax, sunflower seeds and dried fruit. I won’t go tossing about the word “healthy”, because let’s face it – the’ve still got their feet firmly planted in delicious butter-and-sugar territory. But they’ve definitely got a leg up, for all their whole grains and seeds.

I’ve dreamed of them lots since those coffee-grinding college days, when – at the start of a bleary-eyed 6 am shift – I’d scarf one down chased by a shot of espresso and call it breakfast.

This recipe is my riff on the bakery’s version. They’re crunchy-chewy, with lots of interesting texture (I especially love the popping of millet), and morsels of chocolate to take things over the top.

The recipe makes a big batch, so feel free to freeze unbaked dough-balls for another time, or freeze the baked cookies – either works beautifully.

Kitsilano Cookies

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

27 mins

 

Author: Jennifer Hill

Serves: 48

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1⅔ cups flour
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 1½ cup old fashioned oats (or ¾ cup rolled oats, ¾ cup rolled barley
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup flaxseeds
• ⅓ cup millet
• ½ cup dried currants (or raisins)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a standing mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, then vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. With mixer speed on low, gradually incorporate into creamed butter mixture. Beat in oats, sunflower seeds, millet, currants and chocolate chips. (Depending on the strength of your mixer, you may need to stir by hand).
4. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets (no need to grease them, but I like to use parchment paper for easy removal and cleanup). Bake cookies 12 minutes, or until lightly golden but still slightly underdone.

3.2.1596

I have been craving pumpkin. Strange, in May, when most people are dreaming of the first fresh strawberries and succulent stems of asparagus. Maybe my body needs vitamin A.

I’m not one to argue with a craving, and I had a bit of pumpkin puree left in the freezer from my recent Pumpkin Pineapple Muffins. Plus, I’ve been in a bit of a breakfast rut (toast with almond butter anyone?), so I decided to make a big batch of pumpkin granola.

There are lots of pumpkin granola recipes out there, but most of them are really just pumpkin “spiced”, or studded with pumpkin seeds, without a trace of the actual gourd.

I think I found out why…

When you add pumpkin to oats and bake them, the extra moisture makes the granola soften as it cooks – so it turns out more chewy than crunchy. Which was fine by me, but the texture might be a bit different from what you expect.

This makes quite a large batch – I made enough to share with my neighbour. Feel free to cut the recipe in half. Also, you could substitute shelled pumpkin seeds for the almonds if you’d like.

It keeps for about a week at room temperature, but I recommend freezing it – you can eat it right from the freezer without thawing, and it stays fresh for a couple of months. And I really love the crunchy, cold almonds. And the milk stays ice cold… yum.

The granola isn’t too sweet – if you prefer more sweetness, taste a teeny bite before you spread it on the baking sheets – if you’d like, go ahead and add another splash of maple syrup.

Pumpkin Granola

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Author: Jennifer Hill

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (if using canned, make sure it’s 100% pure pumpkin and not pie filling)
• 1½ tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 cups old fashioned large flake oats
• 2 cups natural almonds
• ¼ cup flaxseeds
• 2 cups dried, sweetened cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir in the oats, almonds and flaxseeds.
3. Divide mixture between two large baking sheets and bake 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking frequently, until the almonds are golden and toasty and the granola is dry.
4. Let cool completely on baking sheets if larger clumps are preferred. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in cranberries. Transfer to airtight containers.

3.2.1596

I have been so excited to watch your entries come in, with beautiful photos of the things you’ve cooked and baked for the Delicious-in-Focus contest.

Throughout the entry period I’ve been snapping my own shots along with you, familiarizing myself with the lovely HTC One (which one of you will be receiving shortly – contest winner announced at end of post!).

These are Hippie Cookies – so named because they’re packed with crunchy-granola type ingredients, like flax, oats, rolled barley, millet, sunflower seeds, raisins… and more. Recipe coming shortly!

I did most of my shooting with the macro camera effect I briefly told you about.

You just put what you want inside the focus circle (which you can make bigger or smaller depending on how close you are to your subject, or how much you want in focus) and everything outside it is seamlessly blurred out. Very natural looking, and delivers gorgeous food photos.

The photo below might look familiar…

I was playing with the HTC One while shooting the Weeknight Pulled Pork, and loved the images it produced – so I thought I’d share one. I edited it using the in-camera editing function – you can perform enhancements, straighten a crooked photo, and crop it however you like.

I cropped in tight on this shot and used the “auto enhance” effect.

I made scrumptious Sour Cream Lemon-Blueberry muffins with the intention of freezing half for when baby arrives (only 3.5 weeks left! EEK!). But none actually made it to the freezer.

They were really, reeeeally good. Recipe coming soon.

I have been going from 0 (“comfortable”) to “FAMISHED!!!!” in a span of 5 minutes lately. No warning. Just sudden onset ravenousness, accompanied by lightheadedness, fury, and a baby pounding hungrily on my ribs from the inside.

I made this “Moussaka Penne” in a moment of starved panic, from whatever I happened to have on hand. I love happy accidents like this!

It’s cinnamon-scented ground lamb in marinara sauce with penne, layered with broiled eggplant and zucchini, and topped with bechamel sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. It was incredible, and I didn’t write any measurements down… I failed you.

I wanted to play with the camera a bit in bright outdoor light, too, so I brought my iced mint tea out onto the patio with my reclining lawn chair, sunhat, a cookie and the latest issue Bon Appetit… rough day, I know.

I edited this one with the “cooker” effect (basically a warming filter).

One cool thing I discovered is the ability to adjust white balance. Yes seriously. On a phone camera!

White balance corrects for the temperature of the light, so that the whites in the photo actually appear white – you may have noticed that indoor lighting can cast an unnatural yellowy tint, and natural light can make whites blue-y.

I set the white balance to “daylight” for this granola photo as well as the samosa pie (both recipes to come!) beneath it – you can see it breathed a lovely warmth into the photos. I shoot in natural light, with grey-taupe walls that bounce more cool light onto my scene; adjusting the white balance to “daylight” on the camera made the photos pop right away (I usually have to adjust for the blue cast in photoshop).

A feature I loved but didn’t play with here is a super cool little 3 second video called a “Zoe”. After you shoot one, you can go back through the video and save the frames as individual photos. It would be perfect for capturing the elusive perfect shot of ice cubes splashing into a glass, parsley showering down onto a plate of hot fettuccine, or hot fudge being drizzled over a scoop of ice cream. Can’t wait to try it out. I love when situations necessitate hot fudge sauce.

OK, so now on to the important business at hand – the contest winner! It was a tough decision, with so many gorgeous entries to drool over – like Rhubarb Dutch Pancakes, Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos, Olive Oil & Fennel Seed Cupcakes, Spicy Lakhsa and more. But the winner is… drumroll please!

Nireesha Prakash, with her lovely NY-Style Mini Cheesecakes, in Wild Berry & Peanut Butter (what a yummy spin on PB & J!) and Chocolate Pecan.

Judging was based 30% on photographic skill (lighting, composition – angle, subject placement, focus, etc.) and 70 % on food styling & preparation (the scene, props, colours, garnishes, etc.).

I love her choice of overhead perspective, soft lighting, the symmetry of the scene, her beautiful job garnishing those cheesecakes, and the red-pink colour theme that weaves its way through the berry sauce, the adorable plate, and those sweet flowers peeping in.

Congratulations, Nireesha – check your email!

Brought to you by the new all-metal HTC One™. It’s everything your phone isn’t.

**Also, if you haven’t entered this contest yet, it’s only open until Sunday (April 21st)! Snap a pic of whatever you’re cooking this weekend and get your entry in!

I’m nesting. Not in the typical bootie-knitting, floor-scrubbing, nursery painting way – but in the food way.

Pretty much every time I cook, I make enough to feed 18 people, and squirrel meals away in the freezer for future Jenn to appreciate. There’s enough gas potential in the amount of beans I’ve frozen in burrito-format to launch a spacecraft.

Everything else is fairly pasta-centric – lasagna, casseroles, and this macaroni and cheese.

Everyone – mostly people I don’t know – seems to think a baby bump is an invitation for one particular piece of unsolicited advice, which is, “Get lots of sleep now! ‘Cause you won’t get any for a long, long time!”.

Why, every stranger in the coffee shop, do you feel the need to impart that useless piece of counsel on an achy, nauseous, hormonal pregnant chick?

You can’t actually stock up on sleep. It’s not very useful advice. There’s a 92% chance I go totally bananas on the next person to tell me this.

I’ve resolved to only say warm, positive, encouraging things to moms-to-be. Join me?

In any case, as nutritional insurance against this zombie state that has been predicted for my future by so many helpful strangers, I’m doing my best to load everything up with vegetables, in case I’m less inclined to toss a side salad when - *cue dramatic movie trailer voice – sleep comes to an end (dun dun dun).

Butternut squash totally disappears into creamy mac and cheese. I think I could have even doubled the amount I used. It adds a nice orange colour, too – nice, since homemade mac and cheese can often look a bit anemic.

I used strong aged cheddar, and it was delicious. I am sure gruyere mixed in there would be incredible.

I jazzed up the topping a bit with lemon zest and fresh parsley, and it really made the dish sing. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you feel like filling your freezer!

Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Note: to cook butternut squash, you can either peel, chop and steam it until tender OR cut it in half (skin left on) and microwave on high power for 10-15 minutes, until tender, and then scoop out flesh. Puree in a blender or food processor.

Author: Jennifer Hill

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• ¾ lb (340 g) penne or elbow macaroni
• 4 tbsp butter
• ½ medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2½ cups milk
• 10 ounces (2½ cups) shredded cheddar cheese, or a combination of cheddar and gruyere
• 1 cup cooked, pureed butternut squash (see cooking note above), from ½ medium squash
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp pepper
• salt, to taste

For topping

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko
• 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tsp lemon zest, optional
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• ½ cup (2 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente (for elbow macaroni, that’s about 7 minutes, for penne, more like 10). Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, a bit at a time.
4. Bring sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
5. Add shredded cheese, whisking until smooth. Whisk in butternut squash puree, nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste. Add pasta to the sauce and stir to evenly coat. Transfer pasta to a buttered 2 quart (2 litre) baking dish.
6. In a medium bowl, combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over pasta. Transfer dish to oven and bake until topping is golden and sauce is bubbling at edges, about 20 minutes.

3.2.1596

Your fingers are destined to be sticky.

You need to come to terms with the fact that there will be frosting on your nose.

There’s an 87.5% chance you will have moist, chocolatey crumbs on your cheeks.

And probably down your shirt.

A dribble of caramel on your chin? I’m sorry – it’s totally unavoidable.

But, hoo boy, will it be worth it.

Dark chocolate cake. Creamy caramel filling. And gooey, billowing marshmallow frosting.

In short, I captured happiness and embodied it in a cupcake.

I call them “caramallow” cupcakes.

The magic starts with scrumptious cocoa-buttermilk cupcakes – the ones your ears are tired of hearing me wax poetic about.

They’re so easy – no creaming butter and sugar, just dry ingredients beaten together with wet ingredients. Practically fail-proof, and so, SO impossibly good.

The batter is very runny – I find the easiest method to portion it out is to transfer it from the mixing bowl into a large measuring cup with a spout.

Don’t fill them more than 2/3 or they will overflow in the oven.

While the cupcakes are cooling, you make a caramel.

Simply stir a cup of sugar in a saucepan on medium heat and watch the magic happen: the crystals melt into liquid, which bubble and darken until transformed into a deeply flavourful amber syrup.

In go some cream and butter, et voila! Thick, sticky caramel. And there’s enough leftover to re-warm for ice cream sundaes another day…

Unless your Irish Setter finds the bowl and eats it all, the consequences of which I do not care to discuss.

Of course if making caramel frightens you (and it’s fair to be intimidated by spattering, molten sugar), you can always use store-bought dulce de leche.

The (literal) icing on the cake is a 7-minute frosting – which is soft meringue whipped in a double boiler into marshmallow-y submission.

It’s like eating a cloud. I just want to stick my face in that bowl and motorboat.

To “fill” the cupcakes, you first pipe frosting around the perimeter (I use an extra large closed star frosting tip). You then flood the centre with a scant teaspoon of caramel, and then finish piping the frosting on top.

I find this much easier than filling a cupcake by scooping out a well with a paring knife. And just as good!

In addition to discovering my cupcake happy place, I also discovered the brand new HTC One phone. I was chomping at the bit to try out its reputedly excellent camera, and it did not disappoint. This baby blows my iPhone camera right out of the water.

But I really don’t have to tell you – it speaks for itself: all the photos in this post were taken with just the camera on the HTC One.

Scroll back up and see how impressive that is!

I loved playing with the camera effects – there are several of them that you can use “live” while you’re shooting (plus more instagram-esque filters you can apply after the photo is taken). I used my two favourite live effects in this post.

The first is a vintage-y filter that gives photos a warm, hazy, retro feel.

The second is the macro effect – which lets you achieve the shallow depth of field (read: blurry background) that food photographers covet.

I was bowled over by the beautiful results – it mimics a 50 mm lens for close shots in a way I never thought a phone could. And it’s so easy to get exactly what you want in focus.

You could seriously create a beautiful food blog using just the HTC One camera.

The best part? I’ve got one for you, too!

Recipe following contest rules.

Brought to you by the new HTC One™. It’s everything your phone isn’t.

Caramallow Cupcakes

 

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Prep time

1 hour 30 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

1 hour 55 mins

 

Marshmallow frosting recipe from Meringue cookbook.

Author: Jennifer Hill

Serves: 24

Ingredients

For Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1¾ cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk (or substitute by putting 1 tbsp white vinegar in a cup then filling the rest up with milk; let stand 5 minutes until thickened)
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot coffee (or 2 tsp instant coffee in 1 cup boiling water)

For Caramel Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
• ⅓ cup (6 tbsp) softened butter
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

For Marshmallow Frosting

• 5 large egg whites, room temperature (not pasteurized, they aren’t stable enough)
• 1¾ cups sugar
• ⅓ cup water
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.
2. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract and beat until smooth (about 3 minutes). Remove bowl from mixer and stir in hot coffee with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very runny.
3. Remove bowl from mixer, and pour batter into a large liquid measuring cup with a spout. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each no more than two-thirds full (or else batter will rise over and make a big mess – not bigger cupcakes). Bake 20-24 minutes, or until cupcakes feel slightly springy when you gently press their centres. Transfer cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Place sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk often as the sugar starts to stick to the bottom, clump up, and then eventually melt. Continue only until the syrup comes to a boil, then stop. You can swirl the pan every now and then, but no more whisk.
5. Watch very closely as the syrup will go from clear to golden brown very quickly. As soon as it turns amber, remove saucepan from the heat. Working quickly and averting your face, whisk in the cream – holding whisk at arm’s length as the caramel will bubble up aggressively. Whisk in butter, salt and vanilla. Set aside to cool. The whole process from sugar to caramel takes only about 5 minutes on my stove.
6. Combine egg whites, sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set overtop of a saucepan of simmering water. Using an electric mixer, beat on high for about 7 minutes – until it is shiny, voluminous and will hold nice peaks.
7. Remove from heat and beat in vanilla extract. Cool at least 5 minutes before using.
8. Transfer frosting to pastry bag fitted with a large tip (I used an open star tip). Pipe frosting around the outer circumference of each cupcake.
9. Use two small spoons (one spoon to scoop, one to scrape off other spoon) to transfer a scant teaspoon of caramel into the centres.
10. Finish piping frosting onto cupcakes, first retracing your first circle, and moving inwards and up, creating a swirl effect.

3.2.1596

Guess what? Foodess was selected as a finalist in Saveur Magazine’s Best Food Blog Awards.

“After receiving tens of thousands of nominations, we’ve whittled the submissions down to a small but powerful group: you’re part of a collection of six finalists in your category”.

My heart. Is seriously. ABOUT TO BURST.

I’m totally overwhelmed by the incredible talent and beautiful blogs that I am in company with – many of which I read voraciously and have inspired me for years.

My special little space here would not exist without you – have I told you I love you? Reading your comments and messages over my morning coffee? The highlight of my day. Now I need your votes!!!

“Best Original Recipes” category – super quick sign up in order to cast your vote (I know, I’m sorry that you have to sign up first, but I swear it only takes a nanosecond), then just one box to check.

Did I mention I love you?! :) Go VOTE!

There are few things I enjoy making as much as meringue.  It’s total magic to me – whipping viscous egg whites with sugar until they transform into beautiful, glossy, swirly peaks.

And of course devouring it is pretty magical too – soft and marshmallowy, it’s like eating a cloud.

I was recently given a copy of a cookbook called Meringue, by Linda Jackson and Jennifer Evans Gardner, and fell in love.  It covers all the bases, from beautiful, inspired pavlovas to classic baked alaska, violet macarons, Swiss meringue buttercream frosting, and Blood Orange Curd Meringue Tart with Dark Chocolate (um… YES PLEASE!!!).

Although I think the cover photo alone could sell the book, don’t you think?

I made this pavlova for Easter dinner at a friend’s house.  I love the pairing of kiwi with fresh mint and lime. Because my friend can’t have dairy (or gluten, for that matter – this is also celiac friendly) I made it with whipped coconut cream in lieu of regular whipped cream.

All you have to do is refrigerate two cans of regular (not lite) coconut milk in the fridge overnight.  Open them up the next day and scoop out all the hardened coconut cream – it will be sitting on top of the thinner milk below.  Whip the coconut cream with sugar in an electric stand mixer as you would dairy cream, and it makes a beautiful, billowing whipped topping.

As you can see in the first photo, it could fool anyone.  I find the coconut flavour quite assertive, though, and it seems a bit richer – not necessarily bad things, but  I do prefer regular whipped cream, so I left the recipe as the authors intended.

I can’t make a pavlova without sending some love to my Aussie “sister” Hannah.  While making it, I felt like we were back in the kitchen together – her showing me how to incorporate the sugar ever-so-slowly, coaching me on the importance of cooling it inside the oven, and describing all the luscious tropical fruits growing in her parent’s backyard that would top her pavlovas growing up.  Miss you, Hannah banana!

Recipe from Meringue, by Linda Jackson and Jennifer Evans Gardner

Kiwi-Lime Pavlova

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

Author: Jennifer Hill

Ingredients

Pavlova shell

• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• pinch of salt
• ¾ cup sugar (authors recommend superfine, I used regular – it was fine)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of 2 limes (about 1 tbsp)
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Whipped cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp sugar

Kiwi topping

• 6 fresh kiwis, peeled and sliced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 to 2 tbsp sugar (authors recommend superfine, I used regular – it was fine)
• 1 heaping tbsp chopped fresh mint
• drizzle of rum, optional (I skipped it)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy. Add vinegar and salt and beat on medium-high to soft peaks. Slowly add sugar, about a tablespoon at a time, beating on high until whites are stiff and shiny. Add vanilla and lime zest then sprinkle cornstarch over whites and beat until incorporated.
3. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe or spoon meringue into a 10-inch circle, making sides higher than the center. Place in oven and turn heat dow immediately to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes and then turn oven off, leaving meringue in for an additional 40 minutes. Take out of the oven and cool. When completely cool, remove meringue by gently peeling it off the parchment or by sliding an offset spatula/knife underneath the shell.
4. With an electric mixer, whip cream and sugar into stiff peaks. Chill until ready to use.
5. Place sliced kiwis in a medium bowl. Add lime juice, sugar, mint and rum (if using) and gently toss. Let macerate for 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
6. Fill pavlova shell with whipped cream and toss with macerated kiwis.

3.2.1596

Tender pulled pork in spicy-tangy-sweet barbecue sauce.

It has to be one of the most pleasurable foods known to man (in the realm of foods that do not contain hot fudge and/or whipped cream). It definitely ranks high on my list of favourites.

Usually, for me, making this beloved meal involves slow roasting a huge pork shoulder in a low oven for 6 hours – for most of which I am hanging on to the oven door handle like it’s a roller coaster ride, face so close to the viewing window it gets sunburnt, with a puddle of drool slowly accumulating at my feet…

And although I do enjoy that process, the anticipation, (and torturing myself, my husband AND my dog with the incredible smell), I just unlocked the secret to succulent pulled pork on a Tuesday. It’s a life changer. Half an hour, boom – done. And the best part? It is every. Bit. As. Good.

So what’s the secret? Huh? Huh?

Pork tenderloins. They’re super tender, flavourful, and very quick cooking.

You whip up an easy, richly flavoured sauce with the usual barbecue suspects – onion, garlic, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, plus chipotle for heat (use the lesser amount if you don’t like things too spicy) – and cook the tenderloins right in it. After a 30 minute simmer, they’re cooked through, perfectly tender and willing to shred with the slightest encouragement of a fork.

I like that the tenderloins are also very lean – you don’t feel weighed down in that pork-y way that can occur after a barbecue feast.

I served mine the first night with a creamy-tangy coleslaw on soft squishy warmed buns, and with quick pickled red onions (recipe included) on charred corn tortillas the second night.

So good.

Weeknight Pulled Pork

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

I used my immersion blender to make a smooth sauce before adding the pork, but if you don’t have one, it’s not worth dirtying a regular blender – just chop your onion, garlic and chipotle chilis very finely and they’ll almost disappear in the sauce.

Author: Jennifer Hill

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

For quick pickled red onions

• 2 tbsp sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¼ cup vinegar
• ½ red onion, very thinly sliced

For pulled pork

• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion, chopped (finely if not if not using immersion blender, otherwise coarse is fine)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce (minced, if not using immersion blender)
• 1 cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup water
• 2 pork tenderloins (about 1¾ lbs total), cut in thirds
• Buns or warmed corn/flour tortillas for serving
• Sour cream, cilantro, sliced avocado for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. In a microwave safe bowl, combine sugar, salt and vinegar. Microwave at full power for 45 seconds, then stir unti sugar and salt are dissolved. (You can of course do this in a saucepan on the stove if you prefer). Add thinly sliced onion and let stand while you prepare pork. Drain just before serving.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add chipotle, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and blend using an immersion blender, or proceed without.
3. Add pork tenderloin pieces to the sauce and bring to a rapid simmer. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through (71°C/160°F on a meat thermometer, or remove one piece and cut through centre to ensure it’s no longer pink inside); about 30 minutes.
4. Transfer pork to a cutting board. Bring the sauce back up to a low boil and allow it to reduce and thicken slightly.
5. Using a fork in each hand, pull the pork apart into bite-sized shreds, working with the grain of the meat. Return shredded meat to the sauce, stir to coat, and serve in soft buns or tortillas, topped with pickled onions, sour cream, avocado, cilantro (and/or other desired toppings!)

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It has been beautiful in Vancouver for the past couple of weeks – gorgeous sunshine, warm spring temperatures, fresh sea breeze. Lovely. Makes us think that summer is just around the corner, which has influenced my tastebuds in such a way that colourful raw veggies are all I’ve been craving.

This raw kale salad with hearty quinoa, sweet currants and creamy tahini dressing hits every spot. The dressing is so tasty I could eat it with a spoon. In fact, next time I will make a double batch and use it for drizzling over grilled chicken, for slathering pita bread before loading it with shredded veggies, and for dipping carrots and snap peas. It’s a perfect blend of creamy, nutty, tangy, sweet and salty.

To prepare the kale leaves, lie each one flat and cut a V shape around the stem and discard it. Kale stems are very tough and stringy – definitely not salad appropriate. Then stack the leaves on top of one another and slice them thinly crosswise.

Quinoa is covered in a protective coating called saponin, which is bitter and awful. The taste of this grain (which is actually a seed!) is dramatically improved with a vigourous rinse under cool running water. Don’t skip this step.

I love salads that are filling enough to be a meal, and this one definitely fits the bill. You could add chickpeas and make it even more stick-to-the-ribs. It would also be great as a side dish to accompany chicken or fish, and perfect for a summer picnic or potluck.

Shredded Kale + Quinoa Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Serves 4 as a side dish. Recipe may be doubled to serve 4 as a meal.

Author: Jennifer Hill

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ¾ cup quinoa, rinsed well
• 1½ cups water
• ½ bunch kale (about 5 large leaves), stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
• ¼ cup dried currants
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• ¼ cup tahini
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Combine rinsed quinoa and water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low; cook 15-10 minutes, until water is absorbed. Let stand 5 minutes, then place in a fine-meshed sieve and cool under cold running water. Let drain in sieve set on top of saucepan (off of heat) while you prepare the salad.
2. Whisk together tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, zest, garlic, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add shredded kale and cooled quinoa to bowl, and toss with the dressing until well coated. Add currants and sesame seeds and toss.

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