Lilac Sugar

Lilacs are in bloom for such a short period of time and I simply adore them. I have cut them to bring into the house. But did you know they are an edible flower? I could make lilac jelly or simple syrup to make a lilac lemonade. But my kitchen time is limited at the moment and I have chosen to simply make lilac sugar. The bouquet of the lilacs will be absorbed by the sugar and this can be used with sugar cookies or other desserts.

Pull the blossoms from all the green parts and discard green parts. Wash and dry. I used my lettuce spin dryer and then laid them out on a pan for a couple of hours. Toss with sugar and put in a jar with a tight lid. I will let this sit for about a month.

UPDATE: I didn't have the patience to wait until the washed blossoms were completely dry so now I have very crystalline sugar. I am going to keep it (why not?) and whiz it in the blender. Now I have unwashed lilac blossoms pulled from the green parts in a jar of sugar. Only one bug so far!

Then let your imagination run wild. Floral scented sugar has so many interesting applications. Think about tea!

Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms

Rather than making pasta your meal why not return to the pasta course. I love polenta but rarely indulge. It is better as a side dish or separate course rather than the meal, in my opinion. This is an adaptation of a Bonnie Stern recipe. Tarragon is fresh in the garden and there is no better time than now to start adding it to my meals. You could easily add green vegetables such as asparagus or peas to this dish. Don't be shy with the salt when you are seasoning the polenta. It does need a bit.

Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms     serves 2

Polenta:
1 c. milk
1 c. water
1 tsp. kosher salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. whipping cream
1/2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tbsp. white truffle oil
1 oz parmesan cheese, grated

Bring water, salt and pepper to a boil. Whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook gently, sitrring occassionally, covered, on low heat abut 20 minutes or until polenta is tender and comes away fromt he sides of the pot. Add cream, butter, parmesan and truffle oil.

Mushrooms:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 lb cremini, sliced
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 T butter
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon

Heat oil and add shallots, then mushrooms. Cook on medium high until liquid evaporates and the mushrooms tart to brown. Add salt, pepper, butter and tarragon.

To serve:
Place polenta in a shallow bowl and top with mushrooms. Grate parmesan cheese over all and garnish with fresh tarragon.

Avocado and Romaine Salad with Soy Sauce Vinaigrette

I think I mentioned on a previous post that my fancy dancy oven up and died. It has been completely disconnected from gas and electricity so making food for myself has changed. I know salads, fresh vegetables and fruit and cheese and bread are healthy but I did not realize I would have a craving for hot food. Too bad, so sad.

I saw this idea of avocado with soy sauce on Pinterest. Tonight I decided to add it to my romaine salad. It was so delicious. I would never have thought to pair soy sauce with avocado.

Avocado and Romaine Salad with Soy Sauce Vinaigrette 

1 avocado
2 green onions
1/2 tomato, diced
1 T soy sauce or tamari
1 T. lemon juice
2T olive oil
sea salt
freshly cracked pepper
romaine lettuce

Place romaine lettuce on individual plates or in a large bowl. Top with chopped green onion and tomatoes.

Cut avocado in half and place cut side down on plate. Slice 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. Drizzle with lemon juice, soy sauce and olive oil. Place sliced avocado on romaine salad. Drizzle all the soy sauce and olive oil vinaigrette over the lettuce. Garnish with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Serve.

An Agricultural Journey was my vacation this year

A few weeks ago I motored from my home in southwestern Saskatchewan to the Okanagan Valley to attend the Slow Food Canada conference. The journey took me through some new and some familiar countrysides. This is a pictoral documentation of my agricultural journey. There were so many more points of interest. I was going to call my Alberta segment 'bison, boar and beans' but I have no pictures. Stopping every half hour becomes inconvenient. In Alberta I only have sugar beets and the wind farm. Each picture has a caption to describe.

Above is a field dedicated to sugar beets. These huge machines harvest the beets.

An irrigation canal south of Medicine Hat close to Taber

Irrigation apparatus near Taber, Alberta.

A wind farm in southern Alberta near Pincher Creek.

Nectarine blossoms near Osoyoos, BC

Nectarine trees near Osoyoos, BC

Mr. Harker of Harker Organics explaining the king flower concept of producing the best fruit.

The Harker Family with the 100 year old apple tree planted by the first Harkers.

Farmers' Market vendor. I bought his chipotle peppers. They smell sooo goood.

Vineyard at Summerhill Wines in Kelowna, BC

Green house made from old irrigation pipes, bent and covered with plastic at Covert Farms, Oliver, BC

Beautiful vineyard outside Oliver, BC overlooking Okanagan Lake at Covert Farms.

In the valley north of Cache Creek is this ginseng farm. They are a major world producer.

Truffle Pigs Cafe in Field, BC

Truffle Pigs Cafe was established in 1997 and I can remember the time. It was a go-to spot when driving through the Rockies on the Trans Canada Highway. We would even drive more than an hour from Calgary to enjoy the food. I ate there soon after it opened and it was wonderful. Last week I was once again making that journey and I delayed lunch until I could once  again dine at Truffle Pigs.

The ownership changed about 5 years ago but that does not seem to have affected the quality of the food. Apparently the new owner previously owned the little food spot across the street. Somehow it is a relief when someone who really knows the clientele and locale buys a restaurant. There is no 'break in' time required. They can step right into place.

This is taken from their website and describes the joie de vivre of this place. "Take a Toronto ex-pat and a northern Ontario gal, one a former anthropologist and the other a gourmet coffee pioneer. Mix with uncanny palate-pleasing propensity, hand-made pastries, and a knack for presentation. Crack a beer or pop a bottle. Add two drops of passion and a dash of dedicated staff. Surround with a quirky small-town cast at a Rocky Mountain lodge in Yoho National Park. Shake vigorously. Take a swing at the gong."

As they say on television, "You Gotta Eat Here".

I love all the flying pigs!

I must remember this lodge as I make my journey through the mountains.

There is a lovely patio.

This salad was absolutely delicious but so much larger than I was expecting. It was a meal!

Wild Mushroom Cream Soup with Rustic Bread

Tourist and Information Centre

Can you imagine living here? I can. And I would love it.

Just another scenic location in a village with only scenic locations.

Buffalo Mozzarella, true genius

I know that this salad is old hat to most of you but I still feel my shoulders drop, the outside world disappear and life stand still with my first bite. Buffalo mozzarella is quintessential Italy and Italy is slow and delicious and delicious leads me right back to buffalo mozzarella. The surprise is that this cheese was made in Canada. It is so delicious and fresh.

My fancy dancy kitchen oven has been gracing me with 50 loaves of bread every week all summer long that I sell at the Farmers' Market. Well, poor thing, just got up and died. Of course Kitchenaid cannot make anything simple for the repairman that has seen everything, except a Kitchenaid steam assist oven. Days, weeks and, I can hardly breathe when I say it, but months are passing as we try to get this machine back to work.

At the moment the entire back side is ripped apart, gas disconnected, electricity disconnected yet it has been graciously pushed back into place awaiting the correct oven element. Yes, I did say correct. Kitchenaid apparently has a difficult time reading its own manuals and sent me one that is far too large! So I sit without a pot to cook in. Perhaps it is destiny. I am ready to start my spring diet of salads and smoothies but somehow when it is forced upon me it isn't quite so exciting.

Caprese Salad

buffalo mozzarella
tomatoes
fresh basil
sea salt
balsamic reduction

Thickly slice tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. Chiffonade the basil. Arrange tomatoes on a plate and season with sea salt. Top with slices of buffalo mozzarella and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Serve.