Asparagus with Roasted Rhubarb Sauce
They say that when in doubt, cook foods together that grow together. As we trundled along on our tractor ride at the most recent Asparagus Festival I couldn't help but become obsessed with the idea of asparagus and rhubarb together. There they were, in neighbouring fields and sharing space in my Edgar Farms bag on the way home. They begged to be joined in holy cookery.
Browned Butter Sunday
Peel Me a Grape
There are times in the kitchen where experimentation fails in a colossal way (note to self: stay away from the curry) and other times where a little 'why not?' turns into 'why have I never?' With a pile of Coronation grapes being snubbed by The Monster I needed that why not.
In My Dreams
Blueberry Maple Ice Cream
Realizations
Introductions
Summer = Watermelon and Bathing Suits
The Letter S
Season by Season
Cross Country Preserving
It was supposed to be a vacation. Hubby and I travelled, sans kids, to Ontario this past weekend. We attended the wedding of a very special friend in a ridiculously gorgeous location. The weekend also afforded us the time to take leisurely drives, naps, and meals.
Maintaining the Idea of Spring
Biba Caggiano taught me how to make risotto when I was 19. It was summer break during university. In between multiple jobs to save for tuition I found the time to watch PBS on Saturday afternoon. "Biba's Italian Kitchen" was always on. So I would sit in my Dad's office, taking notes, and watching Biba on a 12 inch screen.
An Abundance of Limes
On a gorgeous weekend not too long ago, Hubby and I indulged in quite a few gin and tonics. We've discovered a new-to-us gin and are rather obsessed with it. The first time I saw it in our local wine store I asked the purveyor what it was good for, meaning martinis or G&T? His response, "Making Babies!"
Cardamom Ice Cream
Texas Sunshine
I once smuggled a 10 pound bag of grapefruits on a trip from Brownsville, Texas to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Actually, I'm not sure smuggled is the right word considering that there is no easy way to tuck in grapefruits around your body. I could have gone for the fake pregnancy, but that would have been one lumpy baby. In the end I got through customs without any trouble. The officer probably smelled the citrus on the university student (I also had key limes) and was just relieved it wasn't pot.
Taste Adventure - Cape Gooseberry
Uncles are Evil
- candy thermometer
- bamboo skewers, popsicle sticks, or chopsticks
- parchment paper or Silpat
- Chopped nuts
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Crushed pretzels
- Dried fruit
- Toffee bits
- Crumbled, cooked bacon
- Candy sprinkles
- Crushed Gingersnaps
Pears, Pears, and More Pears
Yes, that is the seatbelt getting good use on the Old Okanagan Highway. No carseats on this trip, but safety always comes first!
So my precious beauties arrived home safely. They were the perfect inspiration for the some lovely dishes. Hubby watched the girls last night and I baked, kneaded, and chopped to prep for this morning's BT appearance. I made Pear, Gorgonzola, and Carmelized Onion Pizza, Asian Pear Slaw, Upside Down Pear Gingerbread Cake, and Cardamon Hand Pies. The Monster helped me with the ultimate recipe, the Honey Pear Cheesecake. It was a good thing she helped me last night because apparently she had a fit this morning watching me on TV. "I want to bake a cake with Mama on TV!" Maybe next time, Sweetie.
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or crushed Nilla wafers, gingersnaps, or plain biscotti)
¼ cup butter, melted
2 tbsp sugar
3 (8 ounce) blocks of cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup honey
3 large eggs
1 vanilla bean
¾ cup pear puree or ½ cup pear nectar
½ cup flour
1 pear, peeled and finely diced
1 cup sour cream (optional)
¼ cup honey (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil a full kettle of water.
2. Mix together the cookie/cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until the consistency of wet sand. Press into a 9 inch springform pan, across the bottom and coming up the sides slightly. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool slightly and wrap the bottom of pan in two overlapping layers of aluminum foil.
3. Combine cream cheese and honey and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating after each addition. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and using the back of a small paring knife scrape the seeds from the bean. Add the seeds to the cream cheese mixture along with the pear puree or nectar and the flour. Mix until smooth. Finally, stir in the diced pear.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared crust and place in the springform pan in a larger pan. Transfer to the oven. Before closing the oven door pour water from the boiled kettle into the larger pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the cheesecake seems firm but still slightly wiggles in the center. Turn off the oven and close the oven door. Keep in the oven for another 60 minutes. Remove and cool completely in the fridge.
6. Optional topping: Before serving mix together the sour cream and ¼ cup honey. Pour over the cheesecake. (A nice touch or a way to disguise surface cracks.)
(Doesn't Dave Kelly look so enraptured by something? Probably not me or my pears - although I did manage to call them sexy on morning TV - but the segment went well.)
Don't Judge Me
In my house growing up we had the choice of two summer desserts - a raspberry milkshake and a watermelon milkshake. (Maybe a banana one if there happened to be a banana left behind in a house of three competitive swimmers.) Watermelon milkshakes were my personal favourite. Yet, whenever I mentioned it to friends they all got grossed out. Like seriously grossed out. I never understood that. What's wrong with creamy watermelon? And really, that's what a watermelon milkshake tastes like. And there is nothing, absolutely nothing wrong with that.