Almond and Pear Crisp

I got my Kraft 'What's Cooking' magazine last week.

Although I don't typically purchase pre-packaged foods from Kraft I really love their magazine for the recipe ideas. I am always excited to receive a new issue in the mail; especially the Fall magazine.

This Fall issue has a focus on pears this time around. My focus is also on pears right now too. So often, apples are at the forefront of Fall desserts but apples are available all winter so there's lots of time to enjoy them in the coming months once pears aren't available anymore. The first pear recipe this year is the Almond and Pear Crisp. I love making crisps and have tried it with many different types of fruit. This was the first time for pear.

Here is the link to the Kraft recipe for the crisp: http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/perfect-pear-crisp-119042.aspx

Here is my adaptation of it:

Cover the bottom of a 9x9 dish with peeled and cut into chunks. I used 5 medium-sized pears. Drizzle the juice of one lemon into the dish and stir pears around to cover the pears. Then, sprinkle 1/8 cup sugar, 2 tbsp flour, and some cinnamon over the pears and toss until pears are evenly coated.

In a medium-sized bowl (or in a mixer), mix 1 cup of oatmeal, 1/3 cup of flour 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1tsp cinnamon and 1/3 cup room temperature butter. Mix until combined. (BTW--this is the topping that I use for all of my crisp recipes). Mix in 1/2 cup sliced almonds. Put the crumb mixture over the pears and spread it out evenly.

Bake 30 minutes at 375F

**double the recipe if using a 9x13 dish.

This was a yummy dessert. I really loved the addition of the almonds in the crumble!

What I found really strange about the Kraft recipe is that there were no oats included in the crumb mixture (??) They just had sugar, butter, almonds, and flour.... Weird!

My next pear recipe that I'm going to try is a Pear Tarte Tatin. There's also a plum tart recipe that I've meaning to try too.... Geez...looks like there's going to be a lot of desserts in my house for the next little while. I think I enjoy baking in the Summer/Fall months and making more savoury dishes over the Winter/Spring months!

I've rubbed off on my Husband

My husband has been travelling in the California area for the last couple of weeks for work. I have been so jealous. California has always been of of our top 5 places to visit. It looks like he got there before I did though.

While he was there he was able to drive through the Yosemite National Park on his way out to Nevada and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and had lunch in Yosemite Village. More importantly though is that he called me everyday and always made sure to let me know what he ate and what farms he saw while driving to visit clients. It's California! It's where most of the U.S. produce comes from, isn't it? While on the road he even drove past several large truckloads of onions and tomatoes, to name a few.

Apparently, the smell of produce just fills the air there. Oh how I would have loved to have been there to smell those onions as they drove past. It reminds me of driving down the 401 going towards Barrie. At one point the smell of vegetables just permeates the highway. I'm not sure what the smell is but it may be celery, onions, or a mixture of other vegetables.

I think my passion for food is slowly rubbing off on my husband. To my surprise, he is now taking pictures of food too. Here's a picture of a snack that he picked up at a market near Fresno. I have no idea what these are called and I've googled them and was not able to find any information. They're a mix of plums and apples. He thought they were delicious. They look good to me!

This is a picture of the market where the mysterious fruits were purchases:

While travelling he also saw some vineyards, a large walnut farm and a peach orchard. No orange groves though. I think they're mostly located in the Southern parts of California. I did tell him that if he was able to get his hands on a fresh orange that he should eat it and then tell me all about it. If customs wasn't so picky about letting people bring produce over I would have told him to bring me back an orange. HAHA! No oranges I guess...but here's a pic of the peach trees that he saw:

Last but not least....here is a picture of his very California-ish type meal:

This isn't something that I would have eaten myself but he's willing to try anything once. At least he's taking full advantage of the local fare and the culture of that part of the country. The best part: he let me experience the trip through his stories and pictures. We'll make it there together one day. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.

Does the Stick of Butter actually exist?

You know how chefs on tv are always using sticks of butter and cookbook recipes measure butter in terms of 1/2 a stick or a whole stick of butter, etc..? Where in the world do people find these so-called sticks of butter? Thus far I have not ever seen a stick of butter at any market or grocery store in Ontario.

Because of its non-existence in Canada I've always just assumed that it must be an American thing (just like they package milk in jugs rather than cartons or bags). I'm questioning this theory now though. I was in Port Huron, Michigan yesterday and made a stop at Meijer out of curiosity. You know what....no sticks of butter there either.... I'm starting to wonder if they are just a myth.

What do you think? Does anyone know if sticks of butter are available in Ontario?
BTW -- a stick of butter is essentially 1/2 cup or 8 tbsp

The Color Purple...not Green..

I love my morning smoothie!

A little over a year ago I bought myself a Vitamix and I don't think a day goes by that it doesn't get used. It has definitely been worth the investment. I love that it'll blend just about anything and that I can even makes soups and ice creams in it.

Typically my daily smoothie consists of a banana, some fruit, plain yogurt, and a few ice cubes. The fruit depends on what is available or, in the winter, whatever I have available in my freezer.

Currently, my favorite berry to add to my drink is the blackberry. I'm not sure who grows blackberries in Ontario but I don't think there are many growers around. I only know of one person selling them right now at the market--and they're expensive ($4.50 a quart)! Despite the price though they are so worth it. Blackberries are really high in antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals which help prevent cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. And, they're just plain yummy!

I don't like eating them raw though because I hate having to pick the seeds out of my teeth afterwards (same goes for raspberries). Instead, I use them in my smoothies along with other seasonal fruits like peaches, nectarines, or strawberries. I love how no matter what fruit I put in with it the smoothie always ends up purple. It's such a beautiful color. It's actually exciting for me to watch the fruits start to blend and then suddenly turn purple. It makes me smile :-) (fyi--the smoothie in my picture looks pink rather than purple--boooo)

I'd love to be able to enjoy a 'green' smoothie but I'm just not there yet. I've tried adding celery or spinach to my drinks but...I don't know...it's just not the same. I also don't add any type of protein powder to them either. It just doesn't seem natural to me--it seems so processed. I'd rather add some protein with the addition of some yogurt, nuts, or oats.

Does anyone have tried and true recipes for a 'green' drink that doesn't taste terrible? Does anyone else have a smoothie addiction?

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

I've come to the conclusion that tomatoes are by far the easiest things to grow. I have more than enough of them. Every other day or so I go into the yard and pick at least a bowl full every time. My little tomatoes have done very well. I think I've definitely gotten over 200 tomatoes already from this one plant. I've picked my first Roma tomatoes this week too. My Beefsteaks however, seem to be taking a little longer to rippen. I have many, many green tomatoes but they haven't yet turned red. Someone told me that I should pick them and then let them ripen. Will this work?

With all these tomatoes I couldn't wait to make a cream of tomato soup. On the weekend I picked up some Roma tomatoes at the market (yes, still ended up buying tomatoes since mine weren't ripe yet). This soup turned out great; dare I say it was just as good as the Campbell's canned version (shhhh...).

Ingredients:

• 7 large Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 celery rib
• 4 cups chicken broth
• salt, pepper, Epicure roasted red pepper dip mix
• 2 tbsp cane sugar
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• basil

The recipe is very simple and my soup was ready in 20 minutes (not lying). Saute the onions, garlic, and celery. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salt, pepper and dip mix. Simmer for a few minutes and then puree the mixture in a blender (aka my Vitamix). Thicken the soup with 1tbsp corn starch and 1/4 cup of water. Add the cream and basil. Eat!

Don't forget,...tomato soup must be eaten with a grilled cheese sandwich!

Another idea I may try next time is roasting the tomatoes and garlic beforehand! Yum!

Parks Blueberries (Bothwell, ON)

The family and I took a trip out to Bothwell yesterday for some blueberry picking. Last year we had gone to Kusterman's (see: August 2009 archive) so this year we thought we'd try a different farm. I had heard some good things about Parks Blueberries and we were in the mood for a little road trip so off we went.

Parks Blueberries is in Bothwell (14815 Longwoods Rd.), which is about an hour west of London on the way to Chatham. You can't miss it -- they have a HUGE sign in the front and there seems to be a steady flow of customers coming in and out of the parking lot. It was busy! Some people were there to do some blueberry picking, others were there for lunch and even more were just browsing the store. Speaking of the store,...OMG....so many things to see.


The first section of the store that caught my eye were the aisles and aisles of kitchen supplies and gadgets. They have everything from cookie cutters to small appliances. I ended up buying some wooden spoons and a wooden citrus juicer. I'll have to remember to go back and make a few purchases for Christmas!


In another area of the store are their fridges and freezers. Customers can either buy cases of fresh blueberries or, if they prefer, frozen ones. According to the Parks website 1/3 of their yearly crop is set aside for their on-site bakery and to be stored in their freezers for customers looking for blueberries out of season. They also carry frozen cherries, currents, and raspberries.


In addition to the freezers and the shopping area the store also has a cafe and a large variety of baked goods for purchase. For lunch, the cafe offers fresh, made-from-scratch dishes, such as soups, sandwiches, and wraps. If customers don't want lunch there is surely a dessert available to please just about anyone. There were scones, muffins, bars, pies, cookies, crisps, etc...and all made with blueberries. I was planning on doing some baking for dinner so we opted for blueberry smoothie popsicles instead. Very yummy!


And that' still not all there was here....they also have jars of jam, chipotles, salad dressings, salsas, and a sugar-free line as well. There were blueberries EVERYWHERE!


Once we finally made it through the store it was time to check out the blueberries outside too. The original purpose of our trip was to go blueberry picking, wasn't it? I guess we got distracted!
The farm currently has 4 varieties of blueberries to choose from (Duke, Northland, Bluecrop, Reka). We chose the Northland. We were able to pick a bucket's-worth of blueberries off of a couple of bushes - later, when we got home I had measured them out to about 3 large ziploc bags. I put 2 bags in my freezer and kept the rest in my fridge for snacking on throughout the week.


Remember how I said that I would be doing some baking for dinner that night? Well, I attempted my first tart.... I even made the pastry myself! I LOVE my KitchenAid Stand Mixer!!! I know I've said it before but I really mean it. I can make anything now and it always turns out the way it's supposed to!


So anyways, I wanted to make a tart--a blueberry one. I made it and it was delicious!! Here is the recipe:


Pastry:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2-3 tbsp whipping cream

Beat the sugar and yolk with a mixer and then add in the flour/salt. Add 2 tbsp cream and beat until dough begins to come together. Form into a ball and refrigerate.

Place dough in centre of 9-in tart pan with a removable bottom. Press pastry evenly over bottom and up sides of pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake in centre of oven at 350F until pastry is golden (about 18 -23 minutes).

Pastry Cream:

• 1 cup milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla (I used contents of 1 vanilla bean)
• blueberries (or any other berry)

Bring milk to a boil in a saucepan. Meanwhile, place yolks in a bowl and whisk in sugar until it becomes thick and pale yellow. Whisk in cornstarch and then gradually add milk into the egg mixture . Make sure that you whisk quickly to avoid the eggs scrambling. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken (3-5 mins) and then continue whisking for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Pour it into a bowl and press a piece of saran wrap over the surface. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Once chilled, stir in 1/2 the berries, mashing them slightly. Evenly spread the cream over the cooled pastry. Garnish the tart with the remaining berries. Then, last, but not least, gently remove the side of the pan and slice/serve.

For more information about the farm/store see: www.parksblueberries.com.

Maple Syrup Flakes

So I'm going to blog about maple syrup today which is strange since maple syrup is most popular in the Spring and I'm talking about this in August... Oh well, c'est la vie!

Anyways, I am blogging about maple syrup right now because I decided to make some meringues tonight. I had used egg yolks to make ice cream earlier this week and was left with a small bowl of egg whites. I kept seeing these egg whites in the fridge every day this week and knew that they would eventually end up as meringues. Ever since I made my Jamie Oliver meringue dessert I've fallen in love with the marshmallowey goodness of them. I'm also experimenting with different flavors. Tonight I thought I'd try maple.

To do this I didn't use maple syrup, but rather, maple syrup flakes. Maple syrup flakes are essentially dehydrated pieces of pure maple syrup. Decacer is the Quebec manufacturer of the Equinox brand of maple flakes (http://www.decacer.com/). According to http://www.domorewithmaple.com/ the flakes received the most innovative product award at Sial Montreal 2007 and a 'Sial d'Or' at Sial Paris 2008. That's great for a Canadian company!

These flakes are great on oatmeal, cereal and ice cream and can be used in the same manner as other sweeteners. In the case of my meringues tonight I used the standard recipe of egg whites, cream of tartar and fine sugar, but instead of the sugar, I ground up the flakes in my coffee grinder to get them as fine as possible. I'm sure they'll taste great! I haven't even had a chance to try them yet! They're still in the oven.

I've been able to find maple flakes for sale at the London Sobeys (Adelaide and Fanshawe) and the Decacer website has them listed as available at Lyn-Dys Health Food Store (Oxford St. between Adelaide and Highbury). Has anyone seen them for sale elsewhere in the city?

1-Year Anniversary / 100th Post!

One year ago today I started my blog.

Today, this will be my 100th post. I currently have 19 followers, 39 Facebook followers, 66 Twitter followers and have had over 17,000 hits.

For the last couple of weeks I've tried to figure out what to post about on this special day. I finally decided that I would talk about 'Food Day', which coincidentally fell on July 31st (yesterday).

Food Day is 'a national celebration of restauranteurs, suppliers, growers, farmers, and citizens' (http://www.foodday.ca/). Apparently, Food Day was founded in 2003 as The World's Longest BBQ, which was in response to the beef export sanction and its effects on agriculture in Canada. It was a huge success and it has now evolved to a coast-to-coast celebration of our nation's food.

Here, in London, the Covent Garden Market hosted an ALL LOCAL barbecue. The menu included:

• home-made sausages from Chris' Country Cuts (honey garlic or sundried tomato)
• Ontario new potato salad
• Three bean salad
• Ontario corn and zucchini salad
• Blueberry dessert
• Rhubarb lemonade

The cost: $5!!!

What a great event! The food was fabulous and there was a celebratory atmosphere in the air.

I was also very pleased to see that the organizers served the food on plastic re-usable plates. There was also different bins to recycle the cups and forks too. And you know what, from what I saw when I was there everyone complied and I didn't see any plates left laying around. Good job London!

So anyways I think this was a great way to celebrate my 100th and 1-year post. What's better than celebrating food, and local food at that?

With my blog being a year old I've also wondered what you (the readers) favorite posts or topics of discussion have been? My favorite is the butter vs. margarine post that I did last winter (see: January 2010 archive). I also liked writing about the benefits of maple syrup and Elmira's Maple Syrup festival (March 2010 archive). Let me know which ones you have liked the best!

Here's to another year of adventures, discovering new farms and meeting new people!