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Fietstochtje

17 Jul

The other day we all piled into the car and headed north to visit family in Belgium for a few weeks.  We started our day in 37 degree heat and air conditioning and ended our 12 hour voyage in 14 degrees and heating.

We are now in the land of chocolate, waffles, beer, french fries, mussels and so much more.  The kids are over the moon to be with their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.

After a few days of visiting various family members we headed to the sea.  We arrived in the pouring rain to a beautiful seaside apartment (thanks dear Julie!).  This morning we woke up to cloudy skies but dry weather and decided to do a long cycle ride to Holland and back.  The goal for the kids to get through the 50 km bike ride was the promise of the best pancakes in Belgium at the end.  We all got through it and they were indeed delicious.

During our cycle trip we came across an entire town in Holland that was transformed into an outdoor rommelmarkt (flea market).  We stopped and browsed through it and ended up buying these vintage umbrellas.  The kids were excited until hearing from the enthusiastic seller that he found them in an old box from the 50’s in a dead woman’s house.  They are in great shape and were a bargain at 5euro for all three.

I also came across this old book about making old scary looking dolls!  For 1 euro I was tempted to buy it.

Pensive cyclist dreaming of pancakes.

 

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Mirabelle Plums

9 Jul

School is finally out for summer and we’re all so ready for some good lazy summer vacation days around here.  We’re extremely happy to to have a break from those painfully early morning wake ups, the long bus rides to and from school, the homework and the studying.  I’m looking forward to focusing on spoken English in our household and I have dreams of my kids finally grasping the difference between “much” and “many”.  Hopefully by the end of the summer my kids won’t ask me questions such as “Mama, how many flour does the recipe call for?” or “Mama, how much cars are there on the road?”.  Wish us all luck.

This past week-end the girls and I spent some time picking all the ripe Mirabelle plums from the tree in our garden.  The last few years we didn’t get any fruit on the tree but surprisingly enough this year we had a tree full of miniscule sweet yellow prugne.

After picking the plums we decided to make a plum raspberry crumb cake to take to a friend.  It turned out to be such a tasty cake and knowing that it was made with plums from our tree, raspberries that we had picked and eggs from our chickens made us all extremely proud.  It is a really rich cake made with a crumb top and bottom and with a fruit and custard filling.  It’s delicious served warm with a little bit of vanilla ice cream.  If there is one recipe that you must try it is definitely this one.  You can substitute lots of different kinds of fruit for the plum and raspberries in this cake.

Plum Raspberry Crumb Cake

3/4 cup chilled butter (cut into small pieces)
1/3 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 cups Mirabelle plums (halfed and pits removed)
1 cup fresh (or frozen) raspberries
1 large egg (beaten)
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk

1.  Preheat oven to 350 (180) degrees. In mixer place ground almonds, 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and small pinch of salt and mix until combined.  Add butter and mix until combined, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Press 3 cups of the crumb mixture into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the side of a greased 9 inch springform pan. Bake until set, about 18- 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

3. Scatter halved and pitted plums and raspberries on cooled crust.

4. In a medium bowl whisk together 1 Tbsp of flour with 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar.  Whisk in egg, egg yolk, heavy cream, milk, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and small pinch of salt.

5.  Pour custard over fruit (on cake base) and then sprinkle remaining crumble mixture on top.  Bake until custard is set and golden brown, about 45-50 minutes.  Let cool for at least 25 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Raspberry-Plum Crumb Tart recipe.

And because I have bowls and bowls full of these little plums I, of course, made a quick batch of jam.  I made some Plum Rhubarb Jam with Brown Sugar.  It’s got a dark caramel colour and a perfect balance between sweet and sour.  The rhubarb came from a plant in our garden that is growing completely out of control.  I’m in desperate need of new rhubarb recipes.  Please send them along.

So here’s how to make it.  In a large cast-iron pot put about 500 grams of pitted Mirabelle plums, 200 grams of chopped rhubarb, 75ml of water and the juice of half a lime (or lemon).  Let this simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes.  Add 125 grams of brown sugar and 225 grams of white sugar and let simmer for a further 30 minutes ( or until preferred consistency).  Pour into sterilized jars (makes approx. 2 jars).  Enjoy!

So that’s it.  Now I’m all plummed out for another year.

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Oatmeal Cookies with Marzipan, Coconut and Dried Figs

4 Jul

After a week-end of broiling hot weather we finally have a day of rest from the heat.  The sky is full of glorious grey clouds and the streets are glistening from the recent splattering of light rain.  The windows are all open and a cool breeze is dancing through the house and chasing out that heavy humidity that has been lurking in here for the last few weeks.  We can all breathe again.  Thank you.

So now that the house is full of renewed and re-cooled energy I can actually turn my oven on to do a bit of baking (oh how I’ve missed it!).

I opened my baking drawer and grabbed the first things that I saw: oatmeal, coconut, marzipan and dried figs.  I was in the mood for a heavy duty cookie (that didn’t involve chocolate – unbelievable but true).  In my younger days cookies involving these ingredients would have been considered a waste of calories.  Dried fruit in a cookie was for people who substituted carob for chocolate.  But I’ve grown up and matured and I’m ready to accept the fact that these ingredients actually enrichen a cookie (in moderation of course).

I also made these today as a special treat for my daughters who just got braces and have sensitive painful mouths at the moment.  I thought a good batch of cookies might lift their spirits a little.

As usual I made a double batch and froze half for another time.  Making a double batch isn’t any more work and it’s handy having ready-to-use cookie dough on hand for last minute guests, parties or late-night cravings.

Here’s the recipe:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (230g) butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cubed marzipan
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped dried figs (or apricots etc)

1.  Combine flour, oatmeal and baking soda.  Set aside.

2.  In mixer cream butter with sugars.  Turn speed down and add vanilla, eggs and salt.  Mix until combined.

3.  Slowly add flour mixture and mix until combined.

4.  Stir in marzipan, coconut and dried figs.

5.  Spoon onto sheet lined with baking paper.  Bake for about 14-16 minutes (the cookies should become golden brown).

6.  Let cool on wire rack.  Enjoy!

My kids love these cookies.  They also have no idea what is in them.  I might have accidently told them there was white chocolate in them.  And I might of left out the fact that there are dried figs.  But all this is not important.  What’s important is that they are happily sitting in the garden munching away and happy as clams.

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Blueberry Anise Jam (with bling)

29 Jun


Last week, on a scorchingly hot day, a friend of mine and I took our children to the local organic blueberry farm to pick some delicious high-bush blueberries.  We picked over 3 kilos of beautifully plump sweet berries.  I put about half in the freezer for next winter and have been busy using up the other half since then.  I was of course contemplating what sort of jam or jelly I could make with them as well.

After talking with my mom she convinced me that star anise and blueberry are flavours that work really well together.  She told me that the anise gives it a warm spiced undertone without being too overbearing.  I wanted to add fresh ginger but she suggested to keep it simple and see how it turns out.  And you know…I’m glad I listened to her.  The jam turned out perfectly and there is indeed a deep blueberry flavour with the slightest hint of anise (which is a good thing because you don’t want to go overboard on such a pungent flavour). 

This is a very simple and quick recipe.  I cooked 6 cups of mashed blueberries with 3 1/4 cups of sugar, the juice of half a lemon and 2 whole star anise until it became thick and syrupy ( I ended up letting it simmer for about 20/25 minutes due to having to chase escaped chickens back into coop).  Since I didn’t have any pectin to add it isn’t really thick but works just fine as a jam or a sauce to pour over ice cream.

Since we  had picked so many blueberries I was busy the whole week making not only blueberry jam but also blueberry gelato, blueberry crumble and even blueberry financier cakes.

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Apricot Rosemary Jam

20 Jun


I’ve officially become a jammer (oh geez).  I spend my days planning my next jam-making session and scour the local fresh fruit and vegetable stands for the best in-season fruits.

I’ve slowly acquired all sorts of different sized jam jars and bottles and I’m slowly becoming more comfortable with the whole sterilizing process that goes into canning and preserving jams.  I’m still terrified of poisoning my family or friends with botulism but my fear is waning slightly.

Last week I bought some delicious looking apricots from the local produce truck and decided to make Apricot Jam with Rosemary (found on my all-time favorite preserving site Food in Jars).

Seeing as I almost didn’t survive after making the Cherry Rhubarb  Lavender Jam a few weeks ago  I had to enlist the help of my husband to do the initial cleaning, pitting and chopping of the fresh apricots.  But once they were safely in the Le Creuset and I was gloved, I was ready to start the whole process ( I was even tempted to don some swimming goggles but was terrified of some of the locals catching a glimpse of the crazy Canadian making jam WITH GOGGLES!).

This is a quick jam recipe and I have to say it has such  a unique end result with the addition of rosemary.  It’s sweet with a distinctive savoury background that really makes for a new experience for your taste buds.  It might even initially  confuse them.  But that’s a good thing.

For lunch today I made this sandwich above.  Rustic raisin bread with thinly sliced Gruyere cheese,  salame di Parma and a good layer of the Apricot Rosemary Jam.  It was more than delicious (although I’m pretty sure the kids would bolt from the table if I tried to serve them this).   This past week-end I marinated magret de canard (duck breast) with this jam and some garlic and barbecued it and it turned out to be an absolutely delicious combination.  

Please pop over to Food in Jars for the recipe!

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Chocolate Chunk Cookie Cupcakes

12 Jun

These are a mean cupcake. Mean as in you can scoff down 5 or 6 because they’re just so good. And then you realise that they are extremely rich and you have to lay on the couch for a few hours to recuperate. But not to worry. It’s all worth it. And I’d say they’re maybe more of a muffin than a cupcake which opens the whole discussion of the difference between a muffin and a cupcake. Please let me know your views.

I’ve been making these for years and it’s truely one of my kid’s favorite recipes. The other day my son was home “sick” and he was desperate to read stacks of books from when he was little and bake something together. In the end we decided on this recipe because it’s tasty, quick and loved by all.

Here’s the recipe:

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (226g) softened butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup whole milk
1-1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks or chips

1. In small bowl mix together dry ingredients.

2. In mixture cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs one at a time then vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in two batches alternating with milk. Stir in chocolate chunks/chips with spatula.

3. Spoon into cupcake papers placed in muffin tin and bake at 375 (180) for approx. 20 minutes.

4. Remove from oven, transfer cakes to a wire rack and let cool.

Recipe found here on the Martha Stewart site.

Enjoy!

Makes a lovely little gift as well (I like to tuck them into friend’s mailboxes or hang them on their gate as a little surprise treats)

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Cherry Rhubarb Lavender Jam (the jam that almost killed me)

7 Jun

Yesterday I picked up some ripe, beautiful cherries at the supermarket and decided I needed to continue my successful jam-making run that started a few months back (Blood Orange Marmalade, Strawberry Lime Vanilla Jam).

Many years ago I loved to sit down with a paper bag filled to the brim with fresh cherries and polish off the whole thing.  Unfortunately things have changed since then.  Since my last pregnancy I’ve acquired a fruit allergy and am unable to eat  most fruits raw.  It was a hard adjustment for this fruit-lover but the little boy I got in return was well worth it.

So now I have to enjoy apples, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries and cherries (to name a few) cooked.  Usually the thought of cooked fruit brings images of old people in hospital beds but I’ve found some great ways to enjoy my favorite fruits over the years.

So how did this jam almost kill me?  Well, I pitted all the cherries, washed my hands with hot water and soap 5 times and an hour later touched my eyes.  And this my friends turned me into a swollen-faced mess.  My face puffed up to double it’s normal size, my eyes were swollen shut and welts appeared.  My kids ran away screaming in terror.  I actually heard my son ask my husband in a traumatised voice “will mama ever go back to normal?”.  Luckily I had some antihistimines close by.  The jam ended up turning out so delicious that it was almost worth it.  Almost.


I browsed through the internet for a good cherry rhubarb recipe and came across this one on the apt 2b site (amazing recipes on this blog).  In the end I couldn’t really manage all the steps that the recipe calls for (due to suddenly being blind!) so I literally dumped approximately 300g of chopped rhubarb with 200g sugar into a large pot and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.  I then added about 600g chopped pitted cherries, another 2500g  sugar, a few tablespoons of lemon juice and a few apple quarters.  I let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes before adding some fresh lavender tied in cheesecloth (the recipe didn’t call for it but I thought it would be a nice addition) and a few tablespoons of powdered pectin.  I let it simmer a further 5-10 minutes and then removed the apple pieces and lavender bundle.

Then I went and soaked my head in cold water for half an hour to try and get the swelling down while the jam cooled.  The jam cooled but the swelling didn’t go down.

I think I lucked out because the jam turned out perfectly.  It’s sweet with a slight tart and perfumey aftertaste.  My family loves it and after breakfast one jar was almost finished.  I take that as a compliment.

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Madeleines

31 May

The other day I decided to make some of the husband’s favorite sweets, the famous Madeleine Cakes from France.  I know he is capable of sitting down with a platter of over 20 of these and devouring every single one within minutes.  It’s definitely his weakness.  That and orange flavoured Pimms.  And since I’m pretty sure I’d lose my mind trying to make those Pimms cookies I try and make these every so often for a guy that is seriously a saint.  He’s just so happy all the time and seems to make those around him happy as well.

The love of Madeleines has definitely been passed on to the next generation!

Recipe:

French Madeleine Cakes

1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Melt butter in microwave and set aside to cool.

2. In a bowl sift together all the dry ingredients.

3. With the electric mixer beat eggs and sugar together on medium speed until mixture has tripled in volume (about 5 minutes).  Then add vanilla and beat to combine.

4. Gently fold flour mixture into sugar/egg mixture with a spatula.  Be sure not to overmix!

5.  Mix a small amount of egg mixture into melted butter to lighten it.  Then fold into the sugar/egg batter in 3 additions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

6.  Spoon one tablespoon of mixture into buttered and floured madeleine pans (or even mini muffin pans).

7.  Bake in 375 F (190 C) degree oven for 11-13 minutes (or until edges begin to brown).

8.  Remove from pan and let cool.  Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar.  Enjoy!

(Recipe found here on the Joy of Baking site)


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Chocolate Shortbread with Minty Ganache Filling

17 May



Today I baked some delicious Chocolate Shortbread with Minty Ganache Filling and they turned out really really tasty.  At least for those who are fans of the mint/chocolate combination.  Which I seriously am.  It’s really one of my favorite flavour unions.

It all started when I had my first After Eight as a small child.  And the fact they come individually wrapped in those tiny black glassine envelopes makes them that much more appealing to me (lover of any sort of packaging!).

These are really rich cookies so one is definitely enough (ok maybe tw0).  The addition of the mint makes them slightly lighter than a shortbread with straight-up chocolate ganache.

Continue reading for recipe… Continue reading →

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Strawberry-lime vanilla jam

19 Apr

We’re heading into strawberry season here in Italy.  You can find big, ripe strawberries in all the supermarkets, outdoor markets and from produce trucks on the side of the roads.  Yesterday I bought a big boxful from the local Sicilian produce truck and was excited to get home and try them out.  They smelled so sweet and delicious.

There’s only one slight little problem.  I’m allergic to fresh strawberries.  But somehow every year when strawberry season comes around I convince myself that it’s a possibility that my strawberry allergy has miraculously been cured.  And every year I pop one lovlingly in my mouth, taste that divine sweet berry flavour then proceed to swell up.  My eyes get red and swollen, my lips puff up (think Angelina Jolie here) and my throat starts to itch so terribily I’ve been known to contemplate shoving a fork down to scratch it .  In other words I look frightening.  Scare-the-neighbourhood-kids sort of frightening.  But let me tell you…those 10 seconds of tasting fresh strawberries is almost worth the discomfort I feel from the allergic reaction.

So in order to use up some of the strawberries that I purchased I decided to give jam making a try again (I’m not allergic to cooked strawberries).  Last time it was actually a success (Blood Orange Marmalade).   And I’m proud to tell you this time was as well.

Today we gave this new batch of jam a try with fresh out of the oven homemade biscuits.  Delicious.  The sweetness of the berries with the addition of the tart lime juice and rind is really perfection.  And to round off all the flavours the vanilla gives it such a deep sweet richness.

Unfortunately only one of my three children likes jam (the other two run away in horror at the mere mention of spreading it on their bread).  So a nice thing about this recipe is the fact it makes quite a small batch.  I managed to get 3 normal sized jars of jam out of this recipe.

Recipe: Strawberry Lime Vanilla Jam

4 cups chopped strawberries
2 cups of sugar (divided in two)
1-2 vanilla bean (split and pulp scraped from the inside)
1 lime (zest and juice)

1. Place chopped strawberries in large bowl with 1 cup of the sugar and the vanilla bean and let marinate (some prefer the term macerate…not me) for 2-3 hours.

2.  Add marinated strawberries into large pot with the remaining cup of sugar and bring to a boil and simmer until it reaches 220 degrees (I use a candy thermometre).

3.  Add the lime juice and zest and boil for additional 5-8 minutes or until the jam is at the correct consistency.

4.  Remove vanilla bean and pour jam into prepared and sterilized jars.

Enjoy! (I found this recipe here)

This jam brings back warm and fuzzy memories of one of my favourite childhood books “Bread and Jam for Frances” by Russel Hoban.  I so related to Francis and her love of bread and jam.  Still do.

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