A Life, Lived

Raspberry Ricotta Cake with Almonds

Apparently raspberries respond well to 'surface of the sun' heat and 'Sahara desert' rainfall. They have been coming in tastier than I remember them. Raspberries are one of the few fruit that I can think of that taste better baked than when raw. The other being plums.

Bake them I did.

Raspberry Ricotta Cake with Almonds is moist, fluffy and super easy to make! It’s perfect for dessert in the evening or with coffee in the morning.

NOTE: the recipe calls for frozen berries. I used fresh and it turned out well. If the berries are overripe it could be problematic and them might break apart in the thick batter. It would still taste good but it might look unsightly.

Enjoy!

Raspberry Ricotta Cake with Almonds

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter - melted and cooled (½ cup)
1 heaping cup frozen raspberries - divided
>¼ cup sliced almonds

Place a rack in the lower ⅓ of the oven (NOT right in the center). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch diameter cake pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk together eggs, ricotta and vanilla until smooth in another bowl then stir into dry ingredients.

Fold in the melted butter followed by ¾ cup of the frozen raspberries, being careful to not crush the berries.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Scatter remaining berries over the top followed by the almonds.

Bake 50 minutes or until light golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Hot weather . . .

I feel this today . . .

Travel Tuesday - Lockport

We decided to cross the border on the weekend and explore the Erie Canal where it goes through Lockport, NY. Its name derives from a set of five Erie Canal locks within the city that were built to allow canal barges to traverse the 60-foot natural drop of the Niagara Escarpment. The Erie Canal was built in the early 1800s to transport goods from Atlantic Ocean ports to the Great Lakes.

After wandering the canal area we headed south of the city to the New York Beer Project for lunch. Great beer and good food!

Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream

When I was a wee Jerry I spent a lot of time over the summer holidays at my grandparents. Mom was a teacher and often was taking courses. Dad worked. Having grandparents nearby ensured a spot for us to stay so mom and dad didn't need childcare.

Both grandparents had extensive gardens and fruit trees. Both grandmothers were busy in the summer months with canning, jamming, and freezing to ensure food throughout the colder Canadian months. I suspect it was helping them out in these activities that got them in my blood.

This was in the days before air conditioning. An oscillating fan in the living room was about as much cooling as there was. 

Needless to say that when it came to cooking in the hot summer they kept things pretty simple.

My one grandmother always had a cucumber or tomato salad. When the cucumbers started to come on in the garden I decided to make a cucumber salad. This recipe, with dill and a creamy dressing reminded me of dinners at Grandma DeQuetteville's so i decided to try it out.

It is a quick and simple recipe that tastes GREAT! Memories of those early days came flooding back (well, as much memories as my errant youth and approaching old age allow me to have, LOL)

Enjoy.

Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream

1/2 cup sour cream
teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dill weed (I suspect this means dry dill, I was using fresh so I increased the amount)
4 medium cucumbers, sliced (note, I peeled the cucumbers)

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, vinegar, salt and dill. Add cucumbers; toss to coat. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Grilled Cesar Salad

If you're a fan of the classic Caesar salad, you will fall in love with this version that's easy enough to make on a busy weeknight and elevated enough to wow guests at a dinner party table.

To make it, grill halved lemons and a head of romaine alongside thick-cut pieces of baguette. The dressing, made with a Dijon mustard base, zippy olive oil and fresh garlic, is creamy. The romaine and lemons get a deeper flavor on the grill.

This salad is a great dish to serve with a grilled steak - which is what we did on Saturday.

Now, before you look at the pics and say 'he didn't follow the recipe with all of that bread . . .' settle down. I was also grilling some bread to use in bruschetta.

Grilled Cesar Salad

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
lemons, halved, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 hearts romaine lettuce, cut in half lengthwise
Three 3/4-inch slices rustic bread, such as levain or baguette
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, Worcestershire, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar and garlic and whisk until combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add the Parmesan and continue to whisk. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

Drizzle olive oil on the romaine hearts and season with salt and pepper. Place the romaine cut-side down on the grill and cook until nicely marked, 2 to 3 minutes. Brush the bread slices with olive oil and place on the grill. Cook until grill marks appear on both sides and the bread is crispy, about 5 minutes.

Spread the sugar out on a small plate. Dip the cut sides of the lemons into the sugar. Place the lemon halves on the grill and cook until slightly charred and grill marked, 2 to 3 minutes.

Cut the bread into bite-sized pieces. Place the romaine hearts, croutons and lemons on a wooden board and serve with the Caesar dressing.

Travel Tuesdays - Bangkok

In the summer of 2019 I had the opportunity to travel to Thailand to join 5000 teacher unionists from around the planet at the Education International World Congress.  It was a brilliant experience.

When you travel that far for a big meeting you build in some vacation time.

Here are some shots from tours I took.

Cats Following Commands

Anyone who has ever tried to get a cat to do something it didn't want to do already will understand this dynamic.

The Market

While most communities have a Farmers market once a week Burlington is an overachiever and hosts a market THREE times a week. Of course, not all days are equal. I have discovered that the Friday market is the best.

When I was working it was rare for me to make the market during the week. I'd have to content myself with the Saturday market which has about 2/3 of the vendors and does NOT have the amazing German bread baker.

We are lucky being so close to major growing areas of Niagara and Norfolk - this market has lots of real farmers which I like. They can tell you about the produce, when it was picked, what is coming in next. . .

Someone complained online that the market was more expensive than buying hard fruit imported from the US at WalMart and that is just about all that is wrong with the world in one sentence. Farmers have a horribly hard job. So many parts of their life are out of their control (like the drought we are currently having). I don't care if the cherries are $5 more a basket at the market (they aren't  BTW) but I will buy from a local farmer. Full stop.

When the market started up in May it was a bit sparse (which you'd expect from a local Farmers market as there isn't a lot of produce at that time . . . I mean, Canada and all).

This was the market today:

This was my haul:

Note the buns and the loaf of bread from the German bread baker. Also note the Ranier cherries which rarely come to the market. YEAH Happy Jerry dance.

Lots of good eats in the week ahead.

Travel Tuesdays - Norfolk County

Two weeks ago Paul's sister and family were visiting from Manitoba. Paul took a week off of work to spend time with them. While we were out for Paul's birthday dinner she casually said that they were going to be staying with their aunt in north Toronto for a good part of their vacation. This left Paul with time off of work and no one to spend it with other than me. Lucky me.

On one day we decided to visit some places in Norfolk county.

Our first stop was the Backus historical site. Located in a conservation area on the site of a historic mill and other buildings have been moved there to create a sort of pioneer village of local heritage buildings. Then we went to Long Point and hang out on the beach. Our next stop was Langton where we had lunch at a Southern BBQ and Blues joint that everyone has been talking about sine it opened mid pandemic. We took the long way home so we could stop at Hewitt's Dairy where they have been serving up delicious ice cream longer than I have been alive.

It was a wonderful day.

Even if Paul was forced to spend it with me rather than his sister.

Huli Huli Chicken

In 1955, Ernest Morgado, a Honolulu businessman, served a group of farmers grilled chicken that had been marinated in his mother’s teriyaki-style sauce. It was such a hit that he decided to market it with the name “huli huli.” Huli means “turn” in Hawaiian and refers to how it’s prepared: grilled between two racks and turned halfway through cooking.

This simplified version calls for chicken pieces and a standard grill.

The original recipe is a trade secret, but you can find many slightly different variations on the internet, typically including ginger, garlic, soy sauce, something sweet (honey, brown sugar or maple syrup) and something acidic (vinegar, white wine, lime juice or pineapple juice). This recipe is adapted from “Aloha Kitchen: Recipes from Hawai‘i” by Alana Kysar (Ten Speed, March 2019).

It also works beautifully with boneless chicken thighs, but adjust your cooking time accordingly.

Enjoy!

Huli Huli Chicken

½ cup ketchup
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
¼ cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
3 ½ to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
Grapeseed or canola oil, for brushing the grill grate

In a large bowl or a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, combine the ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic, and stir or shake until combined. Reserve and refrigerate 1/2 cup of the mixture for basting the chicken later. Add the chicken to the remaining mixture, and stir or shake until evenly coated. If using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours, turning the chicken at least once.

When you’re ready to cook, oil your grill grates well. Heat the grill to medium (for charcoal, the grill is ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds). Add the chicken to the grill, cover, and cook 25 to 35 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to keep the chicken from burning, and basting it with the reserved marinade after you turn it, until cooked through. (Cook times will vary depending on sizes and cuts of chicken pieces, so be sure to check for doneness: Meat should not be pink and the juices should run clear.) Serve immediately.