Damn Fine Gluten-Free Crisps

I came by this recipe on David Lebovitz' blog Living the Sweet Life in Paris. David has written a few highly acclaimed sweets cookbooks, hence the title of his blog. This is a recipe he pocketed from a baker friend in San Francisco who also wrote a book entitled Josey Baker Bread. And his surname actually is Baker.

I followed the recipe to a T. It was okay straight from the oven. Then I froze it slightly to enable getting nice thin slices. Second day it was too wet. I decided to take all these too-wet thin slices of bread and slow bake them at 325 F until they began to turn brown on the edges. That took about 20 minutes or so.

The result is a crispy flavourful crisp ideal to serve with a soft unripened cheese. I love them but one has to be careful. They are packed with seeds and nuts and ... calories. Hop on over to David's blog for the recipe. I used hazelnuts rather than almonds because that is what I had on hand. Dee-lish-us!

Slow Cooker Cross Rib Roast and my first time making Yorkshire pudding

I rarely use my slow cooker but this organically raised beef cross rib roast neededr longer cooking with moist heat. By the way, I won this slow cooker from cookbook author, foodista and blogger Julie at Dinner with Julie in Calgary. That was shortly after moving into my house five years ago. Sorry Julie, I have hardly used it. However, I do love it to make stock.

Celery is finally taking its place on the dinner plate. Why not? It's tasty, nutritious and cheap!

This is my first attempt at Yorkshire pudding. The batter is easy enough to make but I believe the technique is in the preheating of the muffin pan. And possibly in having just the right consistency of the batter. I used rendered fat. My freezer container wasn't labelled so not sure if it was chicken or beef or ? Whatever it was it was flavourful.

Mine were fine but I would have liked to see them rise higher. Perhaps the oven should have been hotter. Or perhaps I used a bit too much flour. Still, I enjoyed them smothered in pan gravy with my beef roast.

Garlic Herbed Cross Rib Roast

Cross rib is a less tender cut and lean. It requires a long moist cooking method to tenderize it. After rubbing the meat with oil and herb mixture, sear it in a hot cast iron pan before cooking fully in the slow cooker.

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon each of dried rosemary, oregano, sage,  thyme and coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
camelina oil
2 - 3 pound cross rib roast
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock

potatoes
celery
1 tablespoon flour

Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Mix herbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Blot meat with paper towel and then rub with oil before pressing the herb mixture onto it.

Add a tablespoon of oil to the preheated pan and sear the meat on all sides.

Place meat in slow cooker. Add wine and water to the cast iron pan and scrape up all the tasty bits. Add this to the slow cooker and cover with lid. Cook on high for 4 hours.

Add the potatoes, cut into 2-inch cubes or use baby potatoes. Wash celery and peel the stringy side. Cut into 4-inch pieces. 30 minutes before the meat is done add potatoes and celery. Also add flour to a quarter cup of cold water and add at the same time.

Yorkshire Pudding

1 heaping cup of all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
6 teaspoons of lard, butter, rendered fat or oil

Add all ingredients to blender and process until smooth. Leave at room temperature for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place muffin pan in the oven to preheat it, as well. After about 10 minutes add a teaspoon to each of six muffin molds. Continue to preheat for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour batter into each muffin mold equally and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.
Serve immediately.

NOLAs Beignets and Cherry Rolls with a side of Apple Fritters

It's a trifecta of coffee time treats today and the winner is beignets. I have been longing for beignets and finally I gathered my courage to make them. As with so many times in life, it wasn't that difficult. They worked first time. If I can make them, so can you. 

Perhaps it is the fear of a vat of oil. No, I'm not afraid of hot oil, only oil. I don't like the picture inside my head of me consuming all that oil.  Add in the pillowy softness of the beignet and sweet powdered sugar and all those negative images disappear. These are so darned good! They must be eaten right away and cut immediately before deep frying.

Walnut apple fritters are equally yummy and also are best if consumed right away. Get everything ready to go before guests arrive and then do the baking and frying. Why not have a treat once in awhile?

Beignets

Beignet pronounced ben-yay is a staple in New Orleans made popular by the Café du Monde. These are to be eaten hot and heavily dusted with powdered sugar. 

Beignet dough can do double duty as cherry rolls. One recipe, two presentations. I make one recipe of dough and split it in half. This will make 18 cherry rolls and about 30 beignets.

1 envelope active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water 125 mL

1 tsp. sugar 5 mL

1 c. evaporated milk 250 mL

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp. salt 5 mL

1/2 c. sugar 125 mL

1 c. water 250 mL

1/4 c. shortening 60 mL

7 c. flour 1.65 L

Combine yeast, water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand 5 minutes. Add evaporated milk, eggs, salt and sugar.

Heat one cup (250 mL) water until hot, about 115 F (46 C). Stir in shortening until melted. Add to yeast mixture. Beat at low speed using the paddle attachment, gradually adding four cups of flour, until smooth. Gradually add up to three cups (700 mL) more flour, beating until a sticky dough forms. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl; roll dough to grease top. Cover and chill four hours or keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to one week. 

Turn dough out onto a floured surface; roll to 1⁄4-inch (6 mm) thickness. Cut into 2 1⁄2 inch (6.5 cm) squares.

Pour oil to depth of two to three inches (5 to 7.5 cm) into a Dutch oven; heat to 360 F (182 C). Fry dough, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack. Dust immediately with lots of powdered sugar. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 F (93 C) oven up to 30 minutes. 

Cherry Rolls

1 recipe beignet dough

1 can cherry pie filling

1 c. icing sugar 250 mL

1 tsp. vanilla 5 mL

1 tbsp. milk 15 mL

Gently roll dough between your hands to make a 12 inch (30 cm) rope. On parchment lined baking sheet, loosely coil each rope. Leave two inches (5 cm) between coiled ropes. Cover with a cloth and set in a warm place. Let rise one to two hours or until doubled in size. 

Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C). Press the center of each roll with your fingers until you touch baking sheet. Make indentations about an inch (2.5 cm) wide. Spoon cherry pie filling into each indentation. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth. Drizzle buns with glaze. Serve immediately.

 

Walnut Apple Fritters 

I love the doughnut shape of a slice of apple in this fritter. You could also coarsely chop and stir apples into the batter and drop by spoonfuls into hot oil.

1 c. walnuts 250 mL

3/4 c. sugar 175 mL

1 3/4 c. flour 425 mL

1/2 tsp. salt 3 mL

a pinch of ground cloves

3/4 – 1 c. buttermilk 175-250 mL

1 large egg

oil for deep-frying

6 medium sized firm apples

powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 F (160 C). Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for five minutes until lightly roasted but not too dark. Remove from oven and cool completely.

To prepare the batter, place the cooled toasted walnuts and sugar in a food processor and process until the nuts are ground to a fine powder. Add flour, salt and cloves and pulse a few times to mix.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk the buttermilk and egg together. With the motor running, slowly add the egg mixture to the nut mixture in the food processor, blending until just incorporated. The batter should be thick but pourable. Transfer batter to a clean bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in an electric deep fat fryer or in a deep frying pan to a temperature of 325 F (160 C). While the oil is heating, prepare apples. Leave the skin on the apples and remove the cores using a corer, leaving the apples whole. Cut each apple into four or five slices and carefully dry.

When the oil is hot, dip each apple slice in the batter until completely covered, then place in batches into the hot oil and deep fry for three to four minutes, turning regularly, until cooked, crisp and golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove and drain the cooked fritters on a cooling rack placed in a baking sheet. Continue until all apple rings are cooked. Dust with powdered sugar.  Serve immediately.

Spelt and Haskap Quick Bread

This should be called Everything Healthy snacking bread. I was gifted a few cups of freshly milled spelt flour. The note on the bag documented the exact milling time and with the warning 'best used within 72 hours'.

I was not in the mood for making bread and not wanting to offend the person who generously gave me the flour, I began thinking about other healthy options. And also with the provision that I do not have to go out to the grocery store for more ingredients. Thus, this everything healthy snacking bread was created.

Haskaps are a nutrient and antioxidant rich berry that has been adapted from its original home in Russia to suit our soils and climate. It is a registered trademark of the University of Saskatchewan. This link will take you to their web page describing the work that is being done.

There are only a few orchards growing this commercially. Mine came from Northern Lights Orchard in Birch Hills, SK.

Haskaps are very tart and usually they require a lot of sugar and cooking to be palatable. This has been the drawback for me. I don't want to consume all that added sugar. In this loaf they are like raisins. They add a pop of flavour and colour without tons of sugar. The haskaps are very juicy when they are thawed. If added while still frozen they stay in tact in the bread without colouring the dough purple.

I used whey because I had just made ricotta. A by-product is whey. It works well in baking like this.

This is not a sweet bread. If you want it to be sweet then I would add more honey. This morning I piled on my homemade ricotta slightly sweetened with honey and Meyer lemon zest for a guilt-free breakfast.

Spelt and Haskap Quick Bread

1 1/2 c. whole spelt flour
3/4 c. old fashioned oatmeal, plus more
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c. whey
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. whole frozen haskaps

Grease and flour a standard size loaf pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Measure and whisk dry ingredients into a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer add honey, butter and eggs. Beat until frothy. Add bananas, vanilla and whey and beat again.

With a spatula mix in the dry ingredients just until the flour is moistened. Add haskaps, frozen, and mix to incorporate.

Pour into a prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with more oatmeal, if desired, and bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes. Test doneness by lightly touching the top of the loaf. It should spring back. You can also use a skewer to poke into the loaf. If it comes out dry, the loaf is baked.

Sea Buckthorn Crisps

It is the post holiday season and healthy eating is at the top of my mind, if not yours. I really want to have a healthy diet this winter and possibly drop a few pounds. Cravings are my nemesis. Mostly I have salty cravings but I also have crispy cravings. Crispy can trump salty so I opt to make something healthy and crispy.

These are a Raincoast Crisp knock-off with a twist. Sea Buckthorn are about the most nutritious plant on the planet. High in antioxidants and about 23 other significant nutrients make them something I try to add to my menu plan as often as I can.

They are a very small and tart berry with a disproportionately large pit. Eating without sweetening is not pleasant. I have usually made desserts or salad dressings or added them to barbecue sauces but I want a more simple application. Pair crispy with healthy and I came up with this crisp.

These are delicious with a brie or chevre cheese. For more information on the berries click here.

Sea Buckthorn Crisps

2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. nuts of choice (I used pecans, whole)
1/2 c. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk (I used a combination of sour milk and kefir)
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/4 c. pumpkin seeds
1 c. sea buckthorn

Mix dry ingredients and nuts and seeds in bowl of stand mixer. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl. Gradually add liquid to dry while mixer is on low speed.

Pour batter into two loaf pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until done in a 350F oven.

Cool on rack. Place in freezer for an hour and then slice thinly. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 275F for about 30 minutes or until crispy. Cool and store in air tight container.

Makes about 80 crisps and approximately 35 calories each.

Exciting Times ... Supplies Arriving for Market Season

Our farmers' market opens in 7 weeks, 1 day, 22 hours and 17 minutes....not that I'm counting! Yes, I am counting. This weekend I will fire up my bread oven to be sure it is in fine working order and to get my bread making touch back.

These are some of the supplies I ordered and have arrived. You can see some are from the San Francisco Baking Institute. On the bottom is a proofing board. It is amazingly light compared to my homemade boards last year. I'll give it a test drive on Saturday and probably order a few more.

I will be adding baguette to my menu this summer. You can see the bags I purchased and the board with SFBI logo is the board I need to nicely lay it on the stone floor of the oven. Blue wrapped blades for scoring the tops, linen couche for proofing them and a nice big pair of oven mitts. No burns on my lower arms this year! And last but not least is hardware so I can make a broom to sweep out my oven.

And I almost forgot. I have new bags with a flat handle. They are a little larger than my usual so I can better fit all that bread into it.

Now it is 7 weeks, 1 day, 22 hours and 10 minutes.

Einkorn Bread recipe

Making a good loaf of einkorn bread has eluded me until now. This is my third attempt to make a loaf with acceptable texture and tenderness and without adding white flour.

I read several web pages in search of a good recipe. What I didn't realize until now is that all einkorn flour is not the same. Many of the recipes I found were actually using 'white' einkorn flour. That simply means that the bran and germ of the kernel were not used. It is not 'whole grain'.

Remember that little tip for other grain flours like spelt and red fife. Another variable in the flours is the milling. Each mill has their own specifications. A coarser milled flour will not act the same a fine milled flour even with the same grain.

Another tip with einkorn is that as it is exposed to sunlight the batter darkens. It is best to cover your dough to limit exposure to light.

Find more information about einkorn on a previous post where I made a Steelhead Trout Tart.

Attempt #2 was visually appealing but so heavy and hard.

This was loaf #2. It looks great but it was heavy and hard with a very dense crumb. This is when I realized there were recipes for different types of flours. I mistakenly used a recipe for 'white' einkorn and the results were not good.

I do not have a picture of my first attempt. Let's just say it held promise as it came out of the oven but soon became a hard brick.





Whole Einkorn Bread

3 c. whole grain einkorn flour
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. fine salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. liquid honey

Mix flour, salt and yeast. Mix liquid ingredients in a large measuring cup before adding to the flour mixture. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix to incorporate all the flour. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or use a lidded bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and ferment for 12 - 13 hours.

When ready to bake preheat a lidded cast iron pot in a 450F oven for 30 minutes. Bake in the preheated pot with the lid on for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue to bake for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven and from the pan. Cool for 1 hour before cutting.

Lentil Chili and Biscuits

Never go out without your makeup, that's what I say. You don't get a second chance at a first impression. I know, I know. But sometimes I am lazy. That doesn't mean I am less beautiful or engaging. Well, extrapolate to taking pictures of my food. Sometimes I am just in a hurry. That is what happened with my lentil chili. I was not expecting big things. The avocados are not nicely slice or placed. I just snapped a quick one so I could get on with the day. If this picture was more scintillating you would be all over this recipe. It is so good.

The story behind the chili...

I have a sack of organic green lentils from a farm about an hour down the road. I planned to sprout them and add them to my bread, however, they don't sprout very well. Now I have 20 kg of organic green lentils sitting in my cold room.

I am catering a little luncheon and thought I should use some of these lentils. It's winter and chili is warm. Everyone loves biscuits. So that is what brought me to seek out a recipe for lentil chili. My recipe is a combination of many that I read. This recipe is vegetarian and vegan.

This recipe will make enough for 20 servings. It freezes well. If you don't have a crowd to feed just freeze individual servings for quick lunches. Green lentils worked very well. They become tender but not mushy and hold their shape nicely.

This is my entry for a main dish recipe in the Canadian Lentil contest that runs until April 7.  Follow them on Facebook by clicking on this link. Don't forget to like me on their Facebook page to help me win. You can also leave a comment here, on my blog.

Lentil Chili
2 tbsp. sunflower oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

Saute until translucent. Then add

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. green lentils
1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin, ground
1 1/2 tsp. sugar

Stir well. Add

2 c. diced fresh tomatoes
1 - 19 fl. oz. can diced tomatoes
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
6 c. water

Simmer until done, about 2 hours. Add more water if necessary. Add salt to taste. When the lentils are tender, add

3 c. cooked black beans

Serve with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped green onions.

Buttermilk Biscuits
1/2 c. butter, small dice
4 c. flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1  1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a bowl. Stir to mix. Add butter and cut in until texture of coarse oatmeal. Whisk eggs with buttermilk and add to flour mixture. Lightly mix to incorporate all ingredients.  Turn out onto counter top and knead 2 or 3 times. Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut biscuits. Reroll the scraps and cut more biscuits.

Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes and rotate pan and bake another 8 - 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Chana Dal with Curried Chicken

I don't remember which came first, the chana dal or the curried chicken. I believe it was the chicken. I am on a mission to use what is in my freezer and I found a bag of chicken legs. I also had a jar of Chatty's Curry Paste. Chatty's Indian Spices has been producing their yummy mixtures in Saskatchewan since 1996. This was the opportunity to try it out. Good pairing, I thought. No recipe here. Just remove the skin from the legs, put in a slow cooker, add jar of curry paste and a cup of water. Cook for 3 hours on low.

My cold room offered up chana dal peas and the menu was set. Chana is a split chickpea. The dal doesn't become as creamy thick as other lentil dals. This recipe is stellar. I like to spoon dal over my rice or scoop it up with a chapati.

An Indian meal is not complete without chapatis. I thought they would be beyond my ability but I tried this recipe. It provides a step by step tutorial and a recipe. I highly recommend it. I remember when I visited my sister while she lived in India. The women in the house laughed at her square chapatis. Well, they might be perfectly round in the tutorial but that is not easily accomplished. However, they still taste good.

I used my hard white spring wheat flour. It made a chapati that was more substantial than using white flour but without the stronger flavour of whole wheat flour made from hard red spring wheat.

Chana Dal

    ¾ cup chana dal

    2 1/2 or 3 cups water

    ¼ tsp turmeric

    2 medium sized tomatoes

    ½ cup chopped onion

    1 inch ginger, finely chopped

    4-5 garlic, finely chopped

    1 green chili, chopped

    ¾ tsp cumin seeds

    ½ tsp red chili powder

    ¼ tsp turmeric powder

    1 tsp coriander powder

    1 or 1.5 tsp kasoori methi  or dried thyme

    2 tbsp butter or ghee

    salt as required

    a few coriander/cilantro leaves for garnishing

    Pick and rinse the dal well.

    Soak the dal for an hour.

    Drain and pressure cook the dal with water and turmeric powder till they are soft and well cooked, about 10 minutes.

    Meanwhile, heat butter or ghee. Add the cumin first and fry for a few seconds. Add the garlic and fry till they become light brown. Now add the onions and fry till they get golden. Add the tomatoes, ginger and green chili.

    Stir and add all the dry spice powders.

    Saute till the tomatoes get cooked and the oil starts to leave the side of the mixture.

    Add the kasoori methi and fry for some seconds.

    Pour this mixture on the dal. Stir and simmer for 5-7 minutes till you get medium consistency of the dal. The dal is neither thick nor thin.

    Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve the hot with basmati rice or rotis or bread.

 

Saffron Basmati Rice
         by Sunny Anderson

2 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 to 4 threads saffron
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 to 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup almond slivers, toasted
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the rice in a colander under cold water until it runs clear, picking out any little pieces of grit or debris. Shake off the excess water. Heat a pot over medium heat, and then add the rice, oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper. Stir and toast the rice until the cayenne and saffron are fragrant, about 4 minutes. Shake the pot to level out the rice, and then add the chicken stock to fill about 1/2-inch over the rice. Bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer and cover to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice stand another 5 minutes, covered. Fluff with a fork. Stir in the almond slivers and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and serve.

2013 in Review

In January I found this amazing recipe for a faux sourdough rye bread. It is delicious.

'Tis the season for looking back and looking forward. Bloggers, cookbook authors, chefs and columnists are publishing their 'bests' of 2013 and 'hopes' for 2014.

These lists humble me. After all I didn't travel in 2013, at least not internationally. I don't have innovative and exciting restaurants at home.

Rather than wallow in self pity for too long I decided to take a looked back through my pictures of the year. Surprising to me my year was interesting and eventful with thanks to the many people who contributed to my culinary journey. I am amazed at how many people I met personally or virtually via food this year. All of you have added to my food adventures.

Thank you to Val at More Than Burnt Toast and the Virtual Supper Club crew, Justin at Justcooking in NYC, lovely Hutterite lady at McMahon Colony, Elisabeth at Prairie Infusions foraged foods, Val from A Canadian Foodie and all the other Slow Food delegates from across Canada, Jennifer CK who runs the Okanagan Food & Wine Writers' Workshop, writer Rosalyn, Calgary Food Tours Karen Anderson, wine writer and guru Shelley Boettcher, cookbook author supreme Jennifer Schell and all the writers I met there, Monika the baker from Kelowna, Chef Jenni, Chef Simon, Angie Quaale of Well Seasoned and all the other barbecue fanatics including Rob Reinhardt of Prairie Smoke and Spice, pit boss supreme winning at the Jack Daniels Invitational, Barbara the Cake Witch and all the other new vendors at the Swift Current Farmers' Market, Penny McKinley and all the Saskatoon Slow Food community. The problem with thanking is that I may have forgotten someone. Please forgive me and leave a message so I can acknowledge you, too.

I have chosen one picture per month to take you on my 2013 culinary tour. Many months it was difficult to choose the top picture. This post is riddled with links and unfortunately sometimes I cannot make them come out in another colour. Just pass your curser over and you will find all the recipes and sources.

January
 I made this recipe for a faux sourdough rye bread. The picture is above. It is amazing and I make it as often as I can. In January I was also cooking with veal shanks à la Dorie Greenspan and making festive layer cakes for my Western Producer article (see p. 24).

I was looking for more structure to my blogging and came up with a couple of ideas. I began my Cooking Class Monday's on my blog. I kept it up for 2 or 3 months. By far How to Clean Your Pasta Machine was the most visited. And I started Casual Friday's. Ditto, I only did it for about 3 months. My favourite recipe was Cold Sesame Noodles from the blog and new cookbook Appetite for China.  I have been much more successful with another initiative and that is joining the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. I don't think I have missed a month yet.

Pancetta with local pork belly.

February
I made my first ever charcuterie. I cured a pork belly and made an impressive pancetta. I even won the cookbook Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing by Michael Ruhlman, one of my favourite chefs. This was a Daring Cooks challenge.

I won a nice basket containing among other things a vintage bottle of Dom Perignon at our Lyric Theatre Valentine's Day brunch. And I won another wonderful cookbook, Tacos, Tortas and Tamales. This was thanks to Justin at Justcook NYC.

I was cooking with Saskatchewan wild boar, lake caught pickerel in tacos from the aforementioned cookbook and local Black Welsh lamb.

Cow's milk feta.

March
I searched the town over and finally found rennet. Acquiring raw milk in a farming community is not too difficult. I made this tasty feta with raw cow's milk. I had a lovely chat with a woman from the Colony who also makes cheese. I hope to meet her and chat more about her cheese making.

I experimented with sea buckthorn, Saskatchewan wild foraged fiddleheads, dried wild mushrooms, wild rice and farmed steelhead trout.

A bevy of amazing chefs.

April
I drove to Osoyoos for the National Slow Food Conference. You can catch it this year in Nova Scotia. It was a 'to die for' food experience featuring the bounty of local foods and wines. It was 3 days of the best and all thanks to the local producers, makers and chefs.

The highlight of the conference was learning about the return of the sockeye salmon to the Okanagan Lake. You can read Jennifer Cockrall-King's article in Canadian Geographic for all the details. I met and visited the gardens and vineyards of the Harkers' from Keremeos, who were name top young farmers of the year in 2012 and finally meeting a few of the Canadian bloggers I follow.

En route to Osoyoos I passed through some of Alberta's best agricultural areas producing sugar beets, bison and much more.

Bread and croissant baking class with Monika from the Okanagan Grocery in Kelowna.

Immediately following Slow Food in Osoyoos I arrived in Kelowna for the Food and Wine Writers' Workshop. Click on the link to find the information for 2014. Oh shucks, another 3 days of the best in local products, wines and chefs. Tasting caviar, fresh oysters, Summerhill Pyramid wines (and several others) and learning about the formation of the lakes, valleys and benches during the ice age. Driving home through the Rockies I stopped in Field, BC for lunch at one of my favourites The Truffle Pig.

Low and slow cooked half of lamb.

June was a busy month. Activities included my annual barbecue with the kids at the Hutterite Colony school where I am a substitute teacher, 3 women cycling across Canada stopped for a couple of nights and made a dinner including a beautiful asparagus soup, the farmers' market opening, and another wonderful bread recipe.

The highlight was attending my university friend's 40th wedding anniversary. Their daughter ordered a half of a local lamb and did an amazing job on the barbecue with it.

Kids' Cooking Camp.

July
I had 6 delightful young ladies spend 2 full days in my kitchen making real food from real ingredients. The bundt cake in the planning stages above turned out perfectly. They were so proud!

Interesting day trips were made to Schmidt Organic Mills, Cypress Hills Vineyard, Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site with outdoor brick bread oven and the Avonlea Badlands.

Chef Jenni from Saskatoon telling us about her sea buckthorn focused meal.

August
I attended a workshop at the Indian Head Agricultural Research Centre to learn more about sea buckthorn. And I became an official barbecue judge. Farmers' market is in full swing.

Shaggy Parasols in my neighbour's front lawn.

September
Farmers' market continues. Picked my first foraged mushrooms and I didn't even have to leave home. I wonder how these traveled to this location? They made an awesome soup and an even awesomer risotto.

We had the first ever block party on my street. That is amazing because all the homes were built in the 1960's. I made Black Welsh lamb burgers stuffed with brie on my homemade foccacia. Yummy.

Sour cherry jam made with SK Evan's cherries.

October
Making my exotics for the Christmas market - sour cherry jam, haskap jam and sea buckthorn jelly.

I finally found buffalo berries. They are a local favourite and look a lot like sea buckthorn. I cooked with fresh wild pheasant (saltimboca) and grocery store quince (membrillo).

Flank steak with black bean sauce.

November
I finally acquired some wonderful flank steak. It is difficult to find it locally. We placed a group order  from Pine View Farms all natural meat.

My friend, Hannah, brought back artisan black bean sauce from the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. I enjoyed it with the flank steak above and a pork tenderloin, also from Pine View Meats.

My three closest university friends and I celebrated our birthdays with a few days in Saskatoon and took a cooking class with Simon's Fine Foods. We were hoping that Ayden Kitchen & Bar would be open but we were just a couple weeks too early. Next time.

I made decorated sugar cookies with my children at the Hutterite Colony and in November I bought a pair of skates.

The Bar Humbug Ranch take off of A Christmas Carol

December
And I am ready for a new year! There are no big culinary adventures this month. I had a few Christmas markets. I didn't cook for Christmas. I just enjoyed myself!

My most memorable taste experience was the Plum Pudding at the annual Dicken's Festival in my hometown of Carlyle, SK. They put on a good show and family event. It is definitely worth a visit.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  MAY 2014 FIND YOU IN GOOD HEALTH, HAPPY TIMES AND THE BEST IN LOCALLY GROWN AND PRODUCED FOOD.

Picking up my organic flour from Schmidt Mills

Maple Creek is only an hour away and the Schmidt Farm is another 30 minutes. They specialize in organic flours and grains. These farms are quite a drive from town and after having lived in a big city for so long I can't imagine living in such an isolated way.

This has been an organic farm for quite some time. They sell their products to One Degree Organics. You can see their story here.

Product ready for delivery. These are the one ton sacks of flour or grain.

This is my second visit to the mill and I am learning more each time. Perry tells me that even though organic flours are becoming more popular there are fewer mills for cleaning organic grains.

In addition to growing and milling, they have a fabrication facility and manufactures milling equipment. It is always a pleasant day when I pick up my flour.

The Canadian Food Experience Project - My Earliest Memory of Canadian Food

Have you met Val at A Canadian Foodie? She is a woman of boundless energy and creativity. This is her newest food challenge. She is passionate about good, clean, fair and local food. After attending the Canadian Food Blogger's Conference in Toronto this spring she is searching for our Canadian food identity.

This will be a year of challenges and I hope you join us on this journey of exploration. Every challenge is designed to make us dig deep into our Canadian psyche to record our interpretation of our culture as described through food.

Our first challenge is to share our first authentic Canadian food experience. I am a baby boomer born and raised on a small farm in southeastern Saskatchewan. My family homesteaded this land seven generations ago. We still own a part of that farm although we no longer work it ourselves.

Suffice to say that my first remembered food experience is authentic Canadian. My mental journey back to almost birth has been fascinating and enlightening. My mother was not well most of my life and as a result she did not do a lot of cooking. Our food was very basic but her one passion was baking. I don't even know if she ever used a recipe but we did have one thin book, the Five Roses Flour Cookbook.

We enjoyed home made doughnuts on special occasions. Almost weekly we would have raisin or lemon meringue pie. The cakes were simple but a family favourite was Matrimonial Cake.

When I was very young, as young as three years old, my mother would be in the hospital for extended periods and our neighbours, the Brock's, would look after me and my sister. This is my first memory of food. They cooked with a wood stove. Even we had a propane stove and oven but they still used wood.  We were grain farmers with chickens, ducks and pigs but they had a farm that completely fulfilled their needs. They had a dairy herd, berry bushes and a large garden as well as poultry. I remember them milking the cows by hand and separating the cream. They made butter! That was a treat even way back then when it really was not so unusual. But what I remember most vividly is the homemade bread that would come out of that wood oven almost every day. I remember the yeasty dough fermenting, the darkened bread pans and that oh so heady aroma. Smell is the strongest sense to bring back memories.

I have not made old fashioned white bread in many years. Today we are trendy with sourdough and rustic artisan loaves. This is my contribution to this month's challenge. I am making that wonderful pillowy soft white bread that I remember as a young child.

The Best White Bread     from Annie's Eats

Yield: 2 9-inch loaves

4½ tsp. instant yeast
¾ cup plus 2 2/3 cup warm water, divided (105-115˚ F)
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. salt
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
9-10 cups all-purpose flour
3-4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)

• To make the dough, dissolve the yeast in ¾ cup of warm water in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in the sugar, salt, remaining 2 2/3 cups water, butter, and 5 cups of the flour.  Mix until a dough begins to come together.  Gradually add in the remaining 4-5 cups of flour about ½-1 cup at a time at first, more gradually with the last cup, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.  Continue to knead about 6-8 minutes, until a smooth ball of dough has formed.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with a clean kitchen towel.  Let rise in a warm place until the dough has nearly doubled in bulk, about 60-90 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently punch down to deflate the dough.  Divide into two equal portions.  Press one portion of dough into a rectangle, about 9 x 15 inches.  Starting on a short end, roll the dough up tightly into a log and pinch the seam shut.  Roll the ends under the loaf.  Transfer to a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and press down gently to reach the sides of the pan.  Repeat with the second portion of dough.  Cover the pans loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise once more until nearly doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
• Place an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Just before baking, lightly brush the tops of the loaves with some of the melted butter.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Rotate the pans 180˚ and continue baking until an instant read thermometer reads 190˚ F in the center of the loaf, about 15-18 minutes more.  If the tops of the loaves reach your desired golden brown before the baking time is complete, cover the tops loosely with foil to prevent over-browning.  Transfer the pans to wire racks to cool.  Let cool briefly, then turn the loaves out onto the racks.  If desired, brush lightly with additional melted butter.  Let cool completely.

Virtual Supper Club - Cooking with Rice and Grains

The Virtual Supper Club's theme this month is cooking with rice and grains. I am always looking for new bread recipes so this really caught my eye. I loved the sound of sour rye bread. It takes a shortcut by using yogurt rather than a sourdough starter. This is much easier.

This recipe was a complete success. The flavours are sublime. Neither the caraway nor the onion dominate but it is well balanced with the flavour of the flour. I followed the recipe exactly and the bread rose beautifully. I have never brushed the bread with egg yolk before. I have used an egg white wash or a milk wash but this egg yolk wash produced a rich and shiny crust.

The only think I did differently was that I baked it in my steam oven. I baked it at 400F for 25 minutes with steam being injected throughout the early part of the cycle. The crust is amazing. I love the saltiness of the kosher salt. What can I say? I love this recipe. I think I will add it to my Farmers' Market menu this summer.

This month's menu is like a potluck and mostly main dishes. There should be lots of ideas here for you.

Check out the rest of the menu by clicking on the links below:

Sandi -Whistestop Café Cooking    Smoked Gouda Risotto with Spinach and Mushrooms
Jerry - Jerrys Thoughts, Musings and Rants Spelt Salad with White Beans and Artichoke 
Val- More Than Burnt Toast      Turkey Jasmine Rice Meatballs with Baby Bok Choy
Susan Linquist –The Spice Garden    Barley Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Pine Nuts and Raisins
Roz - La Bella Vita    Risotto Milanese

Hearty Sour Rye Bread

2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 c. chopped yellow onion
3 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. warm water
1 1/4 c. low fat yogurt
1 tbsp. caraway seeds
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. white pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/4 c. bread flour, divided
1 1/4 c. stoneground rye flour
cooking spray
1 tbsp. water
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
kosher salt

Heat olive oil in pan and add chopped onions. Saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. When done, cool completely.

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add yogurt, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Add egg. Stir well with a whisk.

Add 2 c. bread flour and rye flour to this mixture, 1 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Stir in sauteed onion. Turn onto a countertop and knead until smooth and elastic. Add bread flour 1 tablespoon at a time to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and the countertop.

Place dough in large bowl that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spray dough, also, and cover to rise in a warm, draft free place for about 45 minutes or until doubled. Punch down and let rest for 5 minutes.

Knead 5 times on the countertop and shape into a 7 inch round loaf. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350F. Brush bread with egg yolk and water. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Make 3 slashes on the top of the loaf. Bake for about 30 minutes or until it sounds hollow when rapped.

Let cool for about an hour before slicing.

Cooking Class Monday - Breadsticks

If you have never worked with yeast, then breadsticks are an easy way to get your feet wet. I use this recipe for breadsticks, also. They work best if teased out rather than being rolled. If the dough does not want to pull, then let it rest for 5 minutes and try again.

I use spray oil on my counter top when working with breadsticks. Then I roll them in coarse salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion salt and garlic powder in any combination you like.

If you bake these at 350F you will achieve a crispy breadstick. If you bake them at 400F they will brown more quickly so the cooking time is shorter. The inside will become soft as they cool. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes, then rotate in the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. At 400F, you will bake for a total of 15 minutes and rotating half way through the baking time.

Yeast basics

 *  yeast is a living plant with certain requirements. It thrives at 90F, requires moisture and food. The food is sugar in some form.

*  Regular yeast must be hydrated before adding to the dough. Instant yeast can be added to the dry ingredients.

* Proofing (or proving as it is called in England) is the time required for the yeast to grow and reproduce. Usually there are two proofing periods. This is because the air bubbles in the dough will become too large if they are not knocked down. Large air bubbles risk the bread falling as it bakes.

Kneading

* required to work the gluten in the flour so it is strong and will hold the air bubbles.

* helps to disperse the ingredients throughout the dough

* helps to warm the dough to the proper temperature so the yeast will grow

Herbed Flatbread                   adapted from Martha Stewart Living

1 cup warm water (about 110F)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
sea salt, for sprinkling
1/4 cup fresh rosemary or thyme

Place the water in a medium sized bowl or your stand mixer bowl and sprinkle the yeast.  Let stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.  Stir in olive oil, salt and the sugar.  Add flour and stir until a dough forms. Or if using your stand mixer, using mixer attachment on speed level 1 mix until all flour is incorporated.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Or if using your stand mixer, change to dough hook and knead for about 2 minutes. Use as much flour as necessary so it is not a sticky dough.  Place in a lightly oiled bowl and roll the dough around in the bowl so that it is also lightly oiled on the surface.  Cover with saran wrap.  Let stand in a warm place until it doubles in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Divide dough into 16 equal portions and cover with plastic wrap.  Roll out each piece to approximately 4"x10" on a lightly floured surface.  Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle with sea salt and herbs.

Bake, rotating sheet halfway through baking, until crisp and golden, 18-22 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Trying Some New Bread Recipes Today

I had a day off work and felt like playing in the kitchen. I wanted to work with what I had on hand and tried a few new kinds of bread. I made Fougasse with Herbes de Provence. It looks like a leaf shape and tastes like a baguette. I made Cheddar and Jalapeno Bread. It smells great. And finally I made rye bread with a starter. The rye bread recipe was by braille. The others are recipes from Epicurious.

Pain aux Raisins

My initial goal for my food at the Farmers' Market was to make healthy food.  And although this is my primary focus and indeed noble, I really do miss some of those amazingly delicious and not necessarily healthy but not necessarily bad things I could purchase when I lived in the big city.

Pain aux raisins comes to mind immediately.  I would drive, not walk, two blocks to enjoy this for my breakfast on those days I felt that I needed a treat.  This bakery has since now closed and I have since moved to a little city in the middle of nowhere.  Pain aux raisins are not on the menu out here!

The wonderful opportunity with being a Farmers' Market vendor is that I can make a little or I can make a lot.  If I want to test drive a recipe, then I just make a little.  This recipe caught my eye.  Well, why not?  This is a Peter Reinhart recipe and it is amazing.  I had no clue what was in this delicious treat but knew it was not necessarily without its naughty little inclusions that should only be on my food plan occasionally.

You can find this recipe at Fresh Loaf.

Peter Reinhart's Italian Bread

Today I made Italian Bread from Peter Reinhart's book "The Bread Baker's Apprentice".  I baked it on my pizza stone and it worked wonderfully.

This bread is made with a biga.  A biga is like a sourdough starter.  You make a yeast dough and let it ferment up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer and add this to the dough.  This extra fermentation adds a nice depth of flavour.

Spring officially came a few days ago and the robins are here!  You cannot possibly see them in this tree, but they were singing their little hearts out this morning.  I am sure they were lamenting the snowfall!

And Miss Sugar loves my fur coat.  Can you tell which side is up?  And she has had her hair cut already!