avatar by on April 22, 2009   •   26 Comments food & drink recipes

Celebrate Spring with two seasonal tarts


All photos are by Aimee.

Ah, spring… After a long winter of eating potatoes, squash and carrots, she welcomes us with a tantalizing array of fresh new produce: bright green asparagus, cheery red radishes and seductive, oh-so-sweet strawberries.

Why does this bounty taste so good right about now? Because this is exactly when God intended it to be eaten! It is in season, meaning this is the time of the year it is meant to be enjoyed. It has naturally ripened on the vine or in the earth, it is fresh and, best of all, it’s affordable.

These days, with every fruit and vegetable known to man available year-round at our supermarkets, awareness of our planet’s natural food seasons is rapidly diminishing.

Curious as to why you should eat seasonal produce, as opposed to whatever is featured on the front of your weekly flier? Here are a few reasons:

Eating in season…

  • Tastes better! It is ripened naturally (as opposed to picked prematurely for shipping purposes), harvested when perfect, and its sheer freshness provides us with a boost of extra nutrition. Surprise! Your fruit is actually is full of juice and flavour when it is enjoyed in its appropriate growing season.
  • Saves on energy used to transport food. Way too many veggies are jet-lagged from those long trips from South America to your neighborhood grocery store – and more seriously, too much fossil fuel is being consumed to get them there.
  • Supports local growers. Buttercup loved Farm Boy in The Princess Bride, and we love him too. Wouldn’t you rather support your community and the home team? While you may not see your purchases making an impact on a global scale, your requests for local, farm-grown food might change a Farm Boy’s future.
  • Saves money. Costs are way, way down for produce in season. What’s not to like about that? You may not realize, but we pay a premium for food that has traveled a long way. Skip the berries selling for $4.99 a pint in January (they’re unripe and tasteless anyway), and wait until May when they are practically giving them away for $.99 a pint, and they taste like strawberries should.
  • Teaches our children about nature’s cycles and the passing of the seasons. Most kids can tell you that pumpkins turn up in the fall, but how many can pinpoint the asparagus season?

To better inform yourself of what is available and when, a great site to start with is Eat the Seasons. Updated every week, it lists what food is currently in season (including things like oysters and wild mushrooms, because they, too, have seasons) and is full of tips and recipe ideas.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of disappointing off-season produce. This past winter I had enough rock-hard  peaches, completely tasteless cantaloupe, and woody pineapples to drive this point home to me. Why I practically threw that money away, I’m not entirely sure, but it probably boils down to consumerism at it’s finest: I want what I want, when I want it.

From now on, I am going to try to celebrate each season as it comes and take my menu-planning cues from nature.

Here are two recipes to get started. Granted, fresh strawberries need no other embellishment than a dollop of whipped cream, and asparagus can be simply steamed and served with a slathering of butter; however, should you want to dress either of these noble spring ingredients up, here are two simple recipes for an appetizer and a dessert.

Both recipes are adapted from Martha Stewart.

asparagus tart

Asparagus Gruyère Tart

  • Flour, for the work surface
  • 500 grams puff pastry
  • 1 1/2 cups Gruyère cheese, shredded
  • 1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16×10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pastry shell from the oven, and sprinkle with Gruyère. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyère, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve warm.

strawberry galette

Strawberry Galette

  • 1 pound strawberries, hulled
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 250 grams puff pastry

On a floured surface, roll pastry to 1/4 inch thick round. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut strawberries lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Toss with sugar and cornstarch, and immediately arrange in concentric circles on the dough – start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly. Fold the edge of dough over the berries. Whisk together yolk and water. Brush the dough with egg wash, and dot berries with butter.

Bake until pastry is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool. Slice like a pizza and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Do you have a favorite month at your local farmer’s market? What is a seasonal dish you love?

avatar by on March 30, 2009   •   81 Comments food & drink recipes

A monthly menu plan for the Spring

woman at the market
Photo by Alyson Hurt

It’s been several months since I wrote about menu planning; mostly, because I haven’t menu planned in awhile. With all our traveling in the States, it’s only been this past week that we’ve had some semblance of a normal life since mid-October.

But we’re all itching for some well-planned meals around here, so with the start of a new month and the start of a new season, I thought it a great time to plan for the entire month.

Our current book club selection, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle has me jazzed about eating locally and seasonally, and there have been some great recipe site suggestions on the forums.  And I love food blogs, so I thought I’d pay some of my favorites homage and try out some of their recipes.

With this in mind, I’ve tried to make our month’s menu as seasonal as possible, with every intention to get most of the ingredients from our twice-weekly neighborhood farmer’s market.

I can’t vouch for the seasonality of every recipe here, especially since every locale is different. But for the most part, these recipes work well for us in the spring, and if they do for you, then please use and enjoy.

Here are some other articles I’ve written about menu planning:

You might also remember that I like to have a theme for each day of the week, which helps me narrow down recipe decisions. For the spring, our weekly rotation looks somewhat like this:

M0ndays - pasta
Tuesdays - soup, salad, and/or sandwiches
Wednesdays - stir fry
Thursdays - crock pot
Fridays - pizza
Saturdays - something new
Sundays - something easy

So here it is – our family’s menu.

April Menu Plan

Week One

beef empanadas
Photo from Smitten Kitchen

Week Two


Photo from Under the High Chair

Week Three


Photo from Cooking Light

Week Four


Photo from Joy the Baker

Week Five


Photo from Tomato Casual

What are you eating this week?

avatar by on March 18, 2009   •   61 Comments food & drink recipes

6 ways to thrive in the kitchen with the kids

kid cooking with a mixing bowl
All photos are by Aimee.

I‘m sure I’m not the first mother to discover that children aren’t always happy playing on their own while mama does the cooking; usually they want to be right where the action is. Yep, right under your feet.

The good news is that by welcoming the little ones into the kitchen to cook and bake with you (instead of banishing them to the basement or TV room), you will be contributing immensely to their development.

Cooking with your children may not always be a piece of cake, but the benefits far outweigh the challenges. They can learn practical skills, such as counting and measuring, along with social skills like following instructions and patience – all while fostering creativity.

I don’t have to tell you the advantages of this one-on-on nurturing time together – just think back to cooking with your mom or grandmother, and how special that felt.

I’m predicting that my son is going to make his future wife superbly happy, because he’ll know his way expertly around the kitchen. Noah and I have been cooking together ever since he was old enough to stand on a chair, and I’m proud to say he is well on his way to becoming a little chef.

So what are you waiting for?  Here are six steps to help you get started.

1. Start teaching at the grocery store.

Most of us shop with the little ones in tow, so why not make it a fun and educational experience?

• Name fruit and vegetables together. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your preschoolers will pick up the names of those exotic fruits. Occasionally encourage their curiosity by letting your children pick out one new fruit to bring home.

• Include children in some decision making. For example, ask them, “Should we cook spaghetti or fusilli with our sauce tonight?” Don’t let children make demands about your purchases, but do help them feel like you’re taking their tastes into consideration.

• Show older children how to clip coupons, and teach them about cost comparisons and simple money management.

2. Set kitchen guidelines early, and never waver.

My son will inform people that “Only Mama touches knives” because I’ve drilled that into him ever since he could stand and eat raisins at the counter. These boundaries are key for your children’s safety. As soon as your babies are crawling, you are teaching them that the stove is “hot”; the same goes for any items in the kitchen that are unsuitable for little hands. Make these rules clear before any cooking or baking goes on.

And don’t forget rules for hygiene! Teach your children about basic food-safe actions we can take, such as hand washing, and covering our mouths for sneezing and coughing.

3. Set yourself up properly.

• Provide your children with an apron – trust me, your laundry lady with thank you (oh wait, that’s probably you). Wearing an apron is also useful for signaling the beginning and end of “cooking time.”

• Make sure cookbooks, your phone, and everything you will need are in place, so you never have to leave the room to fetch something – thus leaving your children unattended.

• Provide duplicates of a few of your kitchen utensils for your child. Most children won’t be appeased with toy versions, but want to use exactly what mom is using. Items like spatulas, whisks, and measuring cups are affordable and safe for little hands, and provide a great source of entertainment to boot!

• Keep quick clean-up solutions close by, such as paper towels, dry dish towels, and a warm cloth for spills or overly sticky fingers – including yours.

4. Talk, taste, and sing a little.

• Talk: Children are sponges for information. In simple terms, always explain what you are making. Talk about each ingredient, where it comes from and what makes it special. Guide them through the task at hand in a way they can easily understand.

• Taste: Let your children taste anything they want. This is a safe, controlled environment where they can explore ingredients and educate their senses. Explain about sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy parts of the tongue and taste buds. Don’t worry, they won’t be dipping into the baking soda anytime soon behind your back.

• Sing: We love to make up songs as we work, or we enjoy old favourites such as “Biscuits in the oven” or “I like to eat (eat, eat) apples and bananas.” It brings a lighthearted and fun atmosphere into the kitchen.

5. Give small tasks to your children.

Children want to help and be involved. Sometimes all I hear myself saying is “Don’t touch that. Leave that alone. BE careful!”, and it’s usually because I have not given my son a specific task with boundaries. Once he is occupied with something, I can proceed with what I need to do.

Here are just a few things that keep my three-year-old busy:
•  Tearing, washing, and drying lettuce
•  Peeling vegetables, snapping beans, shucking corn
•  De-stemming grapes, strawberries,
•  Rolling meatballs
•  Sifting flour
•  Cracking and beating eggs
•  Transporting items to and from the fridge
•  Grating cheese
•  Rolling dough
•  Making fruit salad
•  Assembling sandwiches
•  Greasing pans

6. End with clean-up.

Don’t let your children slip away to play as soon as dinner is popped into the oven. Now is the perfect time to teach them to see a task through from beginning to en,d and that clean-up can be a fun part of cooking too! Have them rinse the dishes or unload the dishwasher.

If all the clean-up is for an adult (washing a blender or sharp knives, for example), then enlist their help to set the table.

My wish is that you discover the valuable blessings of including your children in your kitchen time. The lessons learned and the laughs shared will last you a lifetime.

And don’t forget: Praise is invaluable, as is plenty of patience on your part.

To end, here is one of our favourite cookie recipes to whip up (not to mention my most requested recipe from friends!). We work together to assemble the ingredients, and then we speed through the shaping, thanks to Noah.  He helps me roll them in sugar and place them on the pan.

Spice Snaps

(adapted from Joy of Cooking)
Makes 4 dozen

Preheat the oven to 325F. Have all ingredients at room temperature.

Cream together until light:

  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 2 cups sugar

Stir in:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Sift together and add to butter mixture:

  • 3-3/4 cups flour
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (or 3 teaspoons ground)
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated Tonka bean (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix well and roll into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in white sugar to coat, and place two inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until tops have cracked and edges start to brown. Cool a few minutes on the pan, then loosen with a spatula and transfer to a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container. These cookies freeze very well.
For a softer, chewier cookie, remove from the oven while centers are still slightly undercooked.

Do your kids participate with you in the kitchen?  Do tell!

avatar by on February 11, 2009   •   22 Comments food & drink recipes

How to cook up a winning Oscar party

academy awards oscars
Photo by Nick Plowman.

The Oscars are a great excuse to bring your movie buff friends together, enjoy some simple food, and beat those February blahs.  Perhaps you’re toying with the idea of hosting a party to watch the Academy Awards. You’ve got the TV in place, you’re a huge Kate Winslet fan, and the only thing stopping you is planning the menu.

I can help!  Sure, I haven’t seen many of the nominated films.  Okay, a pathetic one. I’ve seen ONE FILM.  But I can still give you some tips to ensure that your food will collect an award of its own, while remaining hassle-free.

Since this red carpet event is centered around the television, it isn’t the occasion to serve a multi-course meal in the dining room.  But you can still do more than open a jar of salsa and sling a bag of Tostitos onto the coffee table.  It’s going to be a looong night, and you’re going to need some sustenance.

Here are some strategies to help you further.

1. Go Antipasto.

If a wine-and-cheese is the easiest party to host, (and who can argue?  One – open wine.  Two – slice bread.  Three – serve cheese.) then an antipasto party is a close second and is heaps more fun.  If you can open a jar and use a knife, you can easily assemble this finger food feast.  Similar to the Spanish tapas concept of many small dishes coming together to create one meal, antipasto is a culinary medley of simple appetizers featuring gorgeous Italian ingredients. Variations are limited only by the imagination, and perhaps the availability of ingredients.

Italians view their antipasto as a “short film” preview to dinner, but you can turn it into a “feature length” winner that’s a meal in itself:

• Cured Italian meats and crusty breads take the lead role, with bowls of fat, juicy olives, succulent marinated vegetables and mounds of fresh fruit playing supporting roles.

• An assortment of Italian biscotti (cookies) for dessert rounds out the meal; these can be either purchased or homemade, depending on how ambitious you are.

•    For beverages, Italian red wine is choice. To accommodate your pregnant friends and designated drivers, you can also serve Italian drinks such as Brio, San Pellegrino, and Limonata.  Salute.

red wine, glass, and cork
Photo by Michael Johnson

2. Plan your menu.

Know ahead of time what you want to serve and how many guests to plan for.  Be sure to factor in how much time you have to prepare, along with your skill set.  If you’ve never made bread before, now may not be the best time to try breadsticks from scratch.

Keep in mind where you’ll be shopping for ingredients as you put your menu together. If you’ve got a reliable Italian grocer, then there are almost no limits to what you can do.  If not, then be prepared to make some substitutes, such as ham for prosciutto.

For simplicity (and to optimize flavours), everything should be served at room temperature – which also means no pots and pans and no last minute scramble over a hot stove.  Bravo.

Here are some menu ideas:

The Bread Department

Essential to an antipasto spread, these variations on a bread theme serve as platforms for all those gorgeous Italian meats and condiments.  They come in many shapes and sizes.

•  Grissini: A favorite snack around my home, these thin, crunchy breadsticks are way more fun than any cracker.  Stock up – they disappear fast.

•  Bruschetta: These thick slices of Italian-style bread are either grilled or toasted, then brushed with olive oil.  Classically, they are topped with a mixture of fresh tomato, garlic and herbs.

•  Crostini: Meaning ‘little toasts’, these small rounds of sliced bread are sliced thinner than bruschetta and dried out in the oven until crisp.  A tip: ask your baker to pass the baguettes through the industrial bread slicer before giving them to you. This will save you a lot of time at home and also ensure nice, even rounds of crostini.  For my favorite topping, see the recipe at the bottom.

•  Focaccia: Ever since I found a simple recipe for this flatbread that delivers fantastic results, I have always made my own. Your friends will swoon when you serve warm wedges of focaccia with olive oil and balsamic for dipping—just like fine dining restaurants in the 80’s.

•  Pizza: Do I really need to elaborate?

Vegetables

•  Marinated: Artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, red peppers, and mushrooms.

•  Fresh: Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and endive.

Condiments & Sauces

Try pesto, black olive tapenade, sun-dried tomato pesto, anchovy paste, gherkins, roasted garlic, and mustard. Don’t leave out balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for dipping the focaccia.

• Olives:  Head for the bulk olives section of your deli for an assortment of black and green, spiced and marinated, which is just as easy as getting canned olives but twice as tasty and loads more fun.

• Italian cured, sliced meats: Mortadella, salami, sopressata – a little goes a long way for these rich and flavorful cold cuts.  Include a few pepperoni sticks for the real carnivores.

• Cheese: Cheese plays a supporting role to the cured meats, but my favorites are buffalo mozzarella, bocconcini, or provolene.  Below is my recipe for marinated bocconcini.

• Asparagus: Steam and serve with a garlic mayo dip, or wrap in prosciutto.  A tip: Stand asparagus spears in a tall glass for an attractive presentation.

• Fresh fruit: Grapes, figs, melons, and strawberries….  Slice the cantaloupe in two-bite wedges and wrap them in prosciutto. Serve some plain melon for the vegetarians (I like mine with a sprinkling of sea salt).

• Italian cookies: Amaretti, biscotti, anisette – whether homemade or purchased, these finish off the meal on a sweet note, and are ideally paired with an inky espresso. Your guests will appreciate the caffeine-sugar jolt combo before they have to drive home.

3. Share the load by delegating help.

I’ll never forget an experience my sister had when she hosted a wine tasting.  She was providing the wine and had asked guests to bring finger food, not specifying anything in particular. Imagine her dismay when seven out of eight couples brought hummus and pita.

To avoid having a fridge full of leftover hummus at the end of the night, assign something specific for each person to contribute. I find people often prefer to be told specifically what to bring, thus eliminating them having to come up with something themselves. It’s beneficial for the host, because you get exactly what you need and nothing is left to chance.

A tip: Inviting a few college guys?  Have them bring the wine, and entrust the bruschetta to someone who knows their way around the kitchen.

4. Source before you shop.

Save yourself time, and make a quick call to verify with your butcher or grocer if they have what you need.  How annoying is it to go through the effort of getting the kids dressed (we’re talking multiple winter layers here), and spending time and gas to run errands, only to discover your grocer doesn’t carry marinated artichokes, or that the melons at the market are hard as moon rock. Start your shopping before you head out the door by having a detailed list, a solid game plan, and completed homework.

5. Prepare in advance as much as you can.

Since most of the food is served room temperature, an antipasto spread lends itself well for advanced preparation, and gives you a chance to freshen up, pour yourself a glass of wine, and stake out a spot on the sofa before guests arrive.

Do Ahead Tips Up to 12 Hours in Advance:

•  Bake crostini, and store it in an airtight container to maintain their crispiness.
•  Slice melon, and store in an airtight container in fridge.
•  Arrange platters of sliced meats and cheeses, wrap well with cling film, and refrigerate until an hour before serving.
•  Prepare small serving bowls with vegetables, olives, and condiments. Cover and refrigerate.
•  Steam asparagus, cool, and wrap in a damp paper towel.  Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
•  Arrange the cookies on a pretty tray, and wrap them well in cling film to keep them fresh.

6. Party!

To me, this is the ideal way to watch the Academy Awards – plenty of great food, surrounded by friends, all in the comfort of your own home.  If the crowd favorite doesn’t win Best Picture, or if the speeches are boring and the outfits forgettable, people will still be talking about the party next year, thanks to your efforts in the kitchen.  Since you’ll need something to keep you awake once the food settles, I give you this Oscar Party Pool Sheet to print up for each guest. Have fun betting on the winners.

Recipes

Wilted Spinach and Garlic Crostini with Parmesan

  • Half French baguette, sliced in ½ inch rounds
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 2 – 10 oz bags fresh baby spinach
  • 2 teaspoons butter
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 anchovies, minced
  • ½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
  • Parmesan, whole, for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425°F.  Brush the baguette slices with some of the olive oil, and place them on a baking sheet. Toast until golden brown, and sprinkle with salt and let cool.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the spinach (you may have to do it in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet).  Stir often, until the spinach is wilted and begins to release a lot of its juices. Drain off the liquid and turn the spinach onto a paper towel. Blot the spinach dry.

Heat the remaining oil in a skillet. Cook garlic, anchovies and hot pepper flakes for about two minutes or until golden.  Add spinach, and toss it to coat with oil and garlic sauce. Cook gently until it’s well-coated and warm.  Season to taste with salt.

Divide the spinach among toasted baguette crostini, and top it off with a shaving of parmesan.  Serve warm.

__
jars of marinated tomatoes and
Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Bocconcini

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed
  • 1 500ml tub of mini bocconcini
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 8 or so whole black peppercorns
  • 6 sprigs fresh herbs such as rosemary, oregano, or thyme
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar (balsamic can be substituted)
  • 2 cups extra virgin olive oil

In a clean pint jar, combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, 4 peppercorns, and a few springs of fresh herbs.  Repeat this in another jar, replacing the tomatoes with bocconcini.

Combine vinegar and olive oil in a small sauce pan and heat gently. Remove from heat, and pour over the tomatoes and bocconcini, dividing the mixture evenly between the two jars.  Cool to room temperature. Cover jars with lids, and swirl mixture gently to combine. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Return to room temperature before serving, and serve with plenty of sliced crusty bread and sea salt.

Does the thought of throwing a party leave your knees weak? What are some strategies that you find helpful?

avatar by on December 19, 2008   •   23 Comments food & drink recipes

Celebrate simply from your kitchen

gingerbread men
Photo by Endless Beauty

T’is the season to spend most of your time in the kitchen, right?  Perhaps if you’re hosting a grand holiday fête, or maybe you have three times as many house guests as family members.  But more than likely, no one is truly expecting you to pull off a magazine cover-worthy spread on the table.  Your family just wants to be with you.

To me, that’s what holiday cooking should be about.  Cooking and baking together, enjoying our little creations to celebrate the season.  My daughter loves to cook, and I bet some of you have kids who enjoy being your kitchen helpers as well.

If you’ve gotta cook for the holidays, I encourage you to make it easy on your family.  I’m sticking with some of these simple recipes from around the blogosphere to celebrate the Christmas season…


Photo from Smitten Kitchen

Simple Dinners


Photo from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Festive, Easy Desserts


Photo from David Lebovitz

Kid-Friendly Creations

cranberry coffee cake
Photo from Joy the Baker

Christmas Day Deliciousness

Now it’s your turn – what recipes in the blogosphere are making your mouth water?  What’s on your menu for the holidays?