Lemon Tart

Strawberry Fields {not} Forever : Classic Strawberry Tarts

 

I love going to the source for my food. Heading out to the farm to buy produce you know has been harvested within hours of buying it, seeing the very plants that have produced it, and even being able to pick it yourself, are all ways of buying food that gives me some control over its quality. This whole "eat local" mantra that has amazingly seeped into mainstream culture, is based on this very idea. Living in a big city means I can't feasibly do this with each fruit crop, but strawberries grow well on Canada's West Coast and they are abundant down here. I feel passionate about supporting these farmers and in my own small way ensuring that I will be able to enjoy such fruits as strawberries. But let's not forgot the real reason for my trek to the farm : They taste amazing! And with a trunk full of berries I get to make these beautiful classic strawberry tarts until I almost get sick of them, although unfortunately the season is too short for any danger of that happening.

A simple strawberry tart is certainly my most anticipated seasonal dessert. Its the first real fruit experience of the growing season, and after eating apple, oranges, and frozen fruit for so long, these juicy, sun drenched red fruits are those of dreams. A simple strawberry tart is one of life's truly greatest desserts and few combinations properly celebrate this darling berry. The crust is a crisp, buttery, tart dough which is basically a butter cookie. Its crunch adding the necessary contrasting texture to the soft fruit and the vanilla flecked custard base it cradles. The stars of the party, needing not a drop of extra sugar, balance on top. You can eat a lot of these if you let yourself, I assure. And you can just as easily make these topped with  raspberries and then blueberries as they come into season, although I confess they will not be quite as beautiful. By then we'll be used to summer fruits abounding the produce stands and markets, so our early summer excitement will have become jaded. Its my theory that a fruit like a strawberry has so much affection for it not only because of its amazing taste, but because we know we can't have berries like these for very long. Strawberry fields are really NOT forever.
 
I neglected to take a photo of the historic bridge to Westham Island. This stunning photo of the 100 year old landmark is courtesy of Jerk with a Camera.

When mid June hits, you'll find me driving out to the small agricultural community of Westham Island, about a 30 minute drive from my home in Vancouver. This island is home to many family owned berry farms, a winery, and has a notable bird sanctuary.  As you head out to the island you'll see a large community of permanent houseboats on the water, which is one of the largest in Canada. The Island is connected by this charming wooden bridge that turns 100 years this year.

Upon entrance onto the island, just in case you were worried about who would protect you from, well, something, a large sign reminds you that it is protected by the local gun club. Good to know...I'll get my strawberries and be on my way, thanks!

Crab Bisque and My Crab Adventure

 

On the heals of another surprise Crab-load, I made a huge batch of crab bisque recently, when DG's brother sent down a bag of crabs caught just the day before. What better way to deal with a sac full of beautiful Dungeness Crab than a bubbly pot of creamy, seafood goodness! I was pleased to have this kind of problem, as I always am when its free! Considering I pay about $25 for a crab, that's "A" crab, I felt almost dirty opening up my industrial mayonnaise bucket turned ice chest, only to lose count of the number of crabs inside due to the sheer number of them! That dirty feeling was replaced by ravenous hunger and a need to crack them all open with a bucket of lemon butter and bottle of wine.

After combing the internet for a decent crab bisque recipe, I came across just one worthy recipe, which I've followed before with great success. The rest were far too complicated. I'm hoping this recipe will help a few of you with your problem of too many crabs. This makes a beautiful soup full of crab flavour that is just the right foil for fresh chunks of fresh picked crab meat, without loads of heavy cream. It's an impressive first course and can stand on its own for a weeknight meal. Best of all, despite its grandeur, this is one simple soup to make and really you just need to get your hands on just a couple crabs, not a sack-ful. Scroll down for the recipe!

 While I tackled the heap of crabs in my sink in preparation for this soup, my hands numbing to the repetitive cracking and childlike messiness that endured, my thoughts easily wandered to catching our own last summer.  I always meant to chronicle it here, but was unimpressed by the photos I'd taken, and well you know how summer just sort of gets away from you with the combination of carefree laziness and cram-it-all-in-ness. We had this planned for about a year and it turns out that looking forward to the big Crab Fest meant that when it was finally here, all I cared about was getting them out of the water and into my stomach rather than obsessively photographing each moment! This is something I'm constantly struggling with as a blogger, the needs of my own before the needs of my reader. Or shall I say, the needs of my stomach. As I plucked through those crab shells though I couldn't help but remember that day and thought you might like to see a little of what its like to take to the ocean and grab dinner for yourself. I won't have the chance to revisit this experience again this summer but I'm already planning Crab Fest 2011! But until then...
    

The great adventure all began in Prince Rupert BC, on Northern BC's (that's Canada, BTW) coast. This is a big time fishing town and of course seafood is all around. Prince Rupert is a lovely town full of history and quaint beauty. I spent 4 years of my childhood there and remember crab sandwiches as more common than peanut butter and jelly. But the story of this small town is for another time. This day was only about one little thing - crab!

When undertaking a day trip such as this one, the right "spot" it essential. This is to be our home base for a few hours, a waiting room if you will, complete with fire pit, plenty of tiny crabs, sea snails and other marine life to entertain the younger members of the party, as well as me. I do love a good beach-comb!

In order to guarantee lunch, we had to give these little critters their "Death Row Meal", if you will. We got quickly to work setting up traps. Some tasty fish heads and other nasty bits are pretty tempting don't you think?

 Traps? Check! Nasty bits? Check! All set to go! 

Trofie al Pesto: Remembering The Cinque Terre

     

When I travel, one of my favourite souvenirs is food. Beyond the usual food products that I bring back, what I'm talking about today is food inspiration. Whether it be in the form of food products, recipes, flavour combinations or cooking styles, I love to come home with at least one new dish that takes me back to  places I've been. The dish above is one of those souvenirs.

Trofie al pesto is a dish of Liguria, the long narrow region along the topmost coast of Italy, stretching from the French border until the leg of the boot heads down. The capital is the bustling port city of Genova and the picturesque, quaint villages of the Cinque Terre are found here. I was lucky to have spent some time here in October and the moment we walked to the beachfront of Levanto I knew we had a problem. "Oh, no, 2 days, is so not going to be enough time here", I said to DG, full of wonder of the surroundings and a little bit of disappointment already setting in due to our limited time. But we made do, and somehow our limited time seemed enough.

This place messes up any travelers' momentum. After the bustling crowded art filled cities of Florence and Venice, this place was a dream, with little to do but hike, wander and lounge. Which we did to our hearts content, tickled at our luck upon arriving at the beginning of low season. A tiny area that two weeks earlier would have been bursting with tourists, was happily active with no crowds. With 30 degree weather, full sun, blue waters and so much sky around us...life was indeed beautiful!

Daring Bakers: French Macaroons

Lemon Raspberry Macarons

It's good to be back. Back at home. Back in my kitchen. Back with The Daring Bakers. I've been absent for awhile now, so when I was ready to get back to baking and blogging I was delighted to find out this months challenge was something that pulls at my heart simply due to what it makes me think of - Paris.

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

French Macarons you see are a far cry from the Canadian version - those ubiquitous, sugary, coconut laden mountains that show up in coffee shops, church bazaars and cookie trays everywhere. Yet I have yet to meet anyone you actually enjoys them, although I think that is because so many of them out there are so bad. A future post perhaps - Macaroons rediscovered?

French Macaroons, or Macarons, are a different macaroon altogether. A meringue based cookie (sans coconut), light as air, is sandwiched between a filling of chocolate ganache, or buttercream, with endless variations from nutella to preserves. This creates a cookie that at first shatters on your teeth on contact, seemingly delicate and crackly, only to yield to a chewy interior layer followed by a creamy, flavour packed filling. 3 different textures, a single flavour or a mixture of contrasting flavours, makes these cookies a winner in my books. Not too sweet, delicate, but not too much, and oh so pretty make these a favourite tea cookie of mine. Of course they allow for so much creativity that it invites crazy combinations like green olive and olive oil, ketchup, matcha tea and everything in between.

Composed of a short ingredient list of egg whites, almond flour and sugar, they are a lot trickier than you would imagine. But then again a baguette is made up of the same number of ingredients and finding a good one is a lot more difficult than you would think should be. A challenge for those of us who like to bake, but also a gamble. Even if you've made dozens of these without thinking, most of them turning out near perfect, this is a cookie that eludes and sometimes just decides not to work out. So if you decide to tackle them, don't despair, it happens. Aging egg whites, grinding your own almond flour, sifting the almonds, letting the cookies air dry before baking. They come with a number of tricks and requirements. The good news is that once you get the hang of them, they are quick to make and even quicker to eat!

I began making these at home 4 years ago upon returning home from my first trip to Paris where they are as as common as the chocolate chip cookie or Nanaimo bar here. Back then a recipe for macarons was difficult to find, but I managed to find a couple and began baking (and selling) these little bits of Paris. These were cookies that inspired such smiles from people, especially fellow travelers and Francophiles. Reminders of beautiful times in the city of light. I was happy to bring that back for people and share something new for people who'd never heard of such a thing.

Now macarons have hit North American shores and I'm not sure if its for the better. I've seen them overpriced and stale at upscale gourmet grocers and just shake my head. Who would be so stupid to spend money on these? But apparently people do and I think I understand why. Food can often be as much about memory of time and place than the actual food itself. To me they have to taste good too, but to some people the purchase itself brings them back to happier times.  Recreating my little bit of a city I love is exciting and challenging.

They are also a huge trend internationally and you've likely come across them somewhere near or far from home. What started as a darling little cookie seen only in Paris or France, some people say, are the next trend threatening to derail the cupcake. I don't know about that, but when McDo's  (McDonalds) starts selling them, that's gotta mean its outgrown its humble roots. Although to be fare I can bet the Macarons at Mcdonalds in Paris are for certain going to be better than the sad ones at my local grocer.

Bonjour mes amis!

I left you last on my way to Italy, and come to you now directly from France, hence the language change. We have returned from 4 lovely weeks of a mixed bag of experiences and sites. Some small disappointments, some surprises, some familiar places, but all great. We are happy to be home with our Emma-dog, North American plumbing and inexpensive readily available Asian food, but will miss long lunches, beautiful romantic languages, Cote du Provence Rose, lack of sales tax and tipping culture and narrow, ancient European lanes. My report to come soon. 

Arrivederci!

As this is being posted, we are flyin' outta here, Italy bound. First stop, Venezia (Venice). This is our first trip to Italy and of course with anywhere that conjures up such romantic notions of place, I have high expectations for it as well as extreme curiosity for how its going to play out. As you know I have a rather undying love affair with La Belle France and it is hard to turn your back on your first love, but it feels right, Italy has been calling this year and I'm ready for Italian food, wine, art, history and people. I've been taking Italian classes this year and am hoping that some of that pays off in many ways.

Of course this means you won't be hearing from me in awhile. Since internet access for me will be spotty at best and I don't like to spend my escapist vacations running around from internet cafe to internet cafe, I'll be saving all the best for my arrival home.  I promise a more than adequate report. 

We'll be spending time in Venezia, Firenze, Toscana, Umbira and the Cinque Terre

What I excited about the most:

Getting lost in Venezia

Driving through windy Tuscan hills with roads flanked by Cypress trees

Eating fresh seafood in the Cinque Terre

The Markets, ah...the markets...everywhere!

Art in Firenze.

Eating late into the night.

Drinking beautiful wine

Long leisurely lunches.

After Italy, we'll be spending our last leg in a familiar spot, Antibes and the Cote d'Azur of France. It will be lovely to spend some time there again as it is familiar and lovely with so much to see, do and well, most importantly, eat! We have a very special lunch reservation and lots of exploring - old town Antibes, hill towns, Nice...

I look forward to sharing some of our experiences with you. Until then, enjoy harvest season and the beautiful days of September wherever you are.

Ci vediamo!

Ratatouille- August in a pan

 

Nothing says August to me like Ratatouille. A jumble of vegetables all at their peak in one dish. It's like Canada - a colourful melange of flavours, each ingredient still retaining their own personalities. Not sure if the French would agree, but that's how I like to think of it.

Ratatouille is a traditional vegetable dish of southern France. Using so many colourful vegetables, olive oil, bright tender herbs and garlic, this is a dish that easily conjures up the markets and landscape of that part of the world. My mind about this often dish was opened wide a couple of years ago when I was served it by gentile, Ann-Marie of Chateau Juvenal in Provence . The restored 19th century chateau setting, cicadas chirping in the night and of course the company all helped that Ratatouille taste better. After all a dish should taste better in the land it was born. But I knew there was more to it than that. After that glorious dish I came home with a new appreciation of this often mediocre side dish and a desire to recreate it at home.

At this time of year tables are bursting at the farmers markets with more fruits and vegetables than I can keep up with- everything in season at once. I  load up on these late summer beauties making double batches as often as I can, freezing some for dull November days.

Ratatouille is the ultimate make ahead dish. Its flavour and texture becomes infinitely better after a night's rest in the fridge. I'm fairly opinionated about that fact. And the versatility of Ratatouille is what makes it a great leftover dish. Straight up it's a wonderful side dish completing almost any meal from a roast chicken or grilled salmon, to a bowl of white beans. It can be mixed into pasta with a little olive oil, piled into a pastry case and topped with cheese for an impressive tart or used as an edible dish in which to bake eggs, my personal favourite. There are so many ways to use it, although that's if you have enough leftovers. I sneak spoonfuls straight from the fridge  a couple days later. It's better cold or at room temperature.

I've had my share of Ratatouille made from recipes that call for cooking all vegetables in succession, with a finally simmering. This produces a watery, overcooked, pale comparison of what it should and can be. If you loath Ratatouille, this is probably the version you've been exposed to. The secret to a great ratatouille, other than the obvious one of using great vegetables, is by cooking each vegetable separately and cooking just until tender. No final simmering is necessary, in fact its detrimental. A glaze made from the vegetable juices and a rest in the fridge will do all the marrying of flavours you need.

Edible Seattle: Part 2

Part 1 of Edible Seattle.

Immediately upon arrival in Seattle, we head straight to Ballard to La Carta de Oaxaca for a late lunch. The cuisine here is that of Oaxaca, the city and state often referred to as the culinary capital of Mexico. If I ever go to Mexico, this is the version of it I'll be interested in. Enjoy your beach resorts, this is my idea of the ultimate Mexican vacation.

This family restaurant feels confident. You won't find any pinatas and sombreros in this Mexican eatery. You enter into a fresh, monochromatic room with an artistic yet still rustic feel. Every inch of wall space is covered with a  collection of black and white photography of Oaxaca. White washed wainscoting and simple clapboard tables make the perfect complement to the red brick walls. The decor is so relaxed it seems unintentional. This place does what it does well, so it doesn't need to convince you that you are in a Mexican restaurant with the usual decor. Upon entering the first thing you notice is the women at a griddle and the incredible smell of just cooked corn tortillas and spices in the air. There are a handful of  young male servers- extremely efficient and friendly.  Everything here is made from scratch, including the thin, incredibly corn-y tortillas, such a revelation to most of us who will rarely have the opportunity to try a fresh masa corn tortilla. Beside the bar a line of rustic bowls filled with a variety of fresh made salsas, thin, authentic and brimming with flavours, filled often.

We start with a house made Agua fresca- a cold drink made from fruit or herbs, lightly sweetened- this one made of hibiscus flowers and is a gorgeous deep crimson. Just the right sweetness and acidity to go alongside a basket of warm, crispy, handmade tortillas chips and a bowl of unadulterated guacamole- simple avocado a hint of cilantro, chile and lime. Simple perfection! Did I mention the fresh made tortilla chips?

When the chicken tamales come to the table they demand attention. A large, leathery, brown envelope of banana leaves looks unassuming. With anticipation, we carefully unwrap it. Steam escapes, carrying all these complex aromas. Our mouths water. Forget the camera! Gotta eat! Inside is a dumpling of sorts. A moist mixture of masa, steamed chicken and their famous mole (a destination dish alone) make this dish unforgettable.  While I'll admit this is the first tamale I've ever eaten, so I am no expert, but I'm fairly confident that this is as good as it gets. Perfectly cooked black beans are the perfect accompaniment. This as a must try here.

Many of us grew up thinking tacos were a much different dish than the photo below and what a shame. A bigger shame is the number of people that will live their lives not knowing what a real taco is. Well, let me tell you. This is IT! Thin, subtle, fresh white corn tortillas warmed, topped with chunks of moist barbecued spiced pork and restrained sprinkling of fresh chopped cilantro and onions. Topped off with a  couple of their glorious salsas and I am so very happy....

Pacing ourselves just a bit we head downtown for an evening of very different experiences. Our first stop is Belltown tapas bar, Txori. Basque tapas to be exact. This is part of the team that owns extremely popular Harvest Vine another great Seattle restaurant. This snug hoppin' little tapas bar serves traditional tapas which means each order is really only 2 bites. Their menu is diverse and there is something for everyone. We enjoyed a Spanish Kir cocktail with a few little bites as a great pre dinner snack. The menu has simple plates of olives or more interesting chorizo and chocolate combinations along with assorted cheeses and a number of hot dishes such as beautiful crunchy spiced chickpeas and little meatballs. This is the perfect place to grab one of their inventive cocktails or Spanish wine and a few bites at any time of day, but especially late at night.

Next stop, Serious Pie! We first visited Serious Pie 2 weeks after it opened in 2006 and we've been talking about it ever since.  Owned by Seattle restaurant guru, Tom Douglas, the name of this place says it all.  It's a small room with communal bar height tables which contribute to the lively neighborly feel and an open view of the wood fire oven.  The menu consists of a small selection of perfectly crafted pies from my favourite Wild Mushroom with Truffle Cheese to the classic Margeurita that includes buffalo milk mozzarella and San Marzana tomatoes (the best of the best) as well as offerings with arugula and egg and even clams. To make decisions difficult there is always a special or two to choose from. Luckily this is perfect sharing food so go with a group.  A varied and affordable Italian wine list rounds out a few well done salads, but I usually leave room for the main event. These pies usually do not feature a tomato sauce base, usually only have about 3 ingredients which are all of utmost quality and is NOT loaded with cheese. In fact some have none at all. The crust is thin, chewy and crunchy all at the same time, perfectly charred by the wood oven and so much flavour from a long cold fermentation process. Each pie comes fresh from the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of course salt. If this doesn't sound like pizza to you, come to be enlightened. And don't expect to say much to your date when the food comes. Its hard to concentrate on anything but the amazing taste of this pizza once its steaming in front of you.

Edible Seattle: Part 1

Well, now that I've made you wait a whole week to hear about our weekend... Sorry about that delay. I was busy on the treadmill.

I love Seattle. On a good day you can be in a different country and another major city in less than 3 hours from Vancouver. We always seem to have bad luck with favourable currency exchange, so with the Canadian Dollar at a recent low, we wasted no time crossing the border. In recent years, we've spent a couple weekends a year in Seattle , which has made each visit better than the last as we become more familiar with  the city, its restaurants, shopping and people. I certainly have enough restaurants to keep me occupied here at home, but of course its always nice to get away and experience a different cities food culture!

Seattle feels a bit like a place I could live- it feels a little like Vancouver. I suppose city planning wise its doesn't actually have a lot in common-waterfront views, high real estate (well, not so much now) and lots of new condos. But for some reason the whole "Pacific Northwest" thing, being on the Ocean, living in lush beautiful surroundings, living in rain for so much of the year, feeling a bit separate from the rest of our respective counties.... well, all those things have something to do with the citizens of Vancouver and Seattle having similar constitutions.  That being said, the sign in the trendy Belltown wine bar we were in on Friday night, "No Minors, No Firearms",  let us know loud and clear that we weren't in Canada anymore.

My favourite place to visit when traveling is the grocery store or farmers market. You learn a sense of the place and its culture by visiting the places where locals buy their food like no other public arena. These days its harder to find uniquely American food stuffs in major supermarkets with the whole global marketplace thing. Canadian grocery stores now have all the same familiar brands and logos. But there are still some treasures, and I'm pretty good at sourcing them. This photo shows the variety of souvenirs I came home with. Highlights include a turquoise Fiestaware pitcher, chocolate bars from a new American chocolate maker, Askinoskie and a limited edition Theo ghost chile bar,  cultured butter from Vermont Butter and Cheese company and the infamous Mo's Bacon Bar.

Gettin' outta here!

DG and I are skipping town, looking forward to being mentally abused by puffed up border guards, and cruising down the I5 to Seattle, for a weekend of...you guessed it...FOOD. We've been getting intimate with Seattle little by little over the years and now feel sorta mooshy about it. All that beautiful water, rainy Vancouver-like weather, friendly people and so many unique and interesting eateries.  Let's see how many meals, snacks and drinks we can pack into 48+ hours . Bon appetit! Report next week!