A Life, Lived

Travel Tuesdays - LaSalle Park

One of the things that COVID has forced upon me is related to travel. Paul and I haven't done much international (heck or national) travel at all. Instead we have been exploring our own area more. Recently I did some exploring along the Burlington waterfront in Hamilton harbour. This used to be one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world. over the past 40 years significant efforts have been made to clean up the waters and provide an environment to reintroduce natural species.

This pics show the success of these efforts.

Mixed Berry Galette

This mixed berry galette is loaded with fresh juicy fruit like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries! Paired with the most delicious crust, this is the perfect easy and delicious dessert!

We are smack dab in the middle of summer right now and while other stone fruits are coming into play (hey peaches, nectarines and plums) the berries are still going strong.

think of a Galette as a de-constructed, less high maintenance pie. It uses pie crust as the foundation, you add berries (thickened with cornstarch) in the middle and then you fold the pie crust around the berries. It’s much easier than a normal pie and it feels like you’ve made something fancy when in reality you saved time. Win win.

Enjoy

Mixed Berry Galette

2 cups fresh strawberries, diced into thirds
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 pre-made pie crust
3 tbsp turbinado sugar, divided
1 tbsp cornstarch
egg wash

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Dice your strawberries into thirds and add them into a bowl with the blackberries and blueberries. To the bowl, add 1 tbsp turbinado sugar and 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Mix very gently until combined!

Slightly roll out your refrigerated pie dough onto a baking sheet. Place the the berries (make sure not to add any berry juice) in the middle of the pie crust, leaving about 1.5-2 inches of pie dough to fold over the fruit. 

Take the pie dough and gently fold it over the fruit, pinching the seams each time you fold to make sure the berries are held inside. Gently beat an egg to make an egg wash. Brush the outside crust gently with egg wash and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of turbinado sugar. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely (about 20-30 minutes). Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Sauteed Green Beans with Mushrooms

I had a real glut of beans this year and when the garden was in overdrive I searched for interesting ways to use those beans up. This was a delicious and healthy side dish. It is both vegan and gluten free if you care about such things. While it made a great weeknight side dish it would also be a good choice for a holiday meal.

Enjoy.

Sauteed Green Beans with Mushrooms

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced <br.<8 ounces mushrooms, white button or cremini, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare an ice bath by placing cold water and ice cubes in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large skillet, bring 1-2 inches of water to a boil. Add the whole trimmed green beans to the pot. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes until they are bright green. Do not overcook the beans. Immediately transfer the beans to the bowl of ice water, then drain when cool.

Pat the green beans dry with a kitchen towel. Slice the green beans into bite size pieces.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. (You can dry and use the same skillet you used to cook the green beans.) Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Next add the mushrooms to the pan and saute until soft.

Add the sliced green beans to the pan and toss to heat through.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.

Marinated Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad

Versions of this salad have been in regular rotation this summer. Quick to make and packing a ton of flavour salads like this are best when there is a ready supply of fresh from the garden produce. They are flexible and you can play around with the herbs added. Although this recipe calls for dried herbs you can just as easily use fresh although you'd want to triple the amount.

Enjoy

Marinated Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad

3 medium cucumbers peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick (sliced about 4 cups)
1 medium white onion sliced and separated into thicker rings
3 medium tomatoes largely chopped
½ cup vinegar of your choice
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons< salt
½ teaspoon Black Coarse Pepper or to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried parsley

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Serve with the liquid (I usually drain most of the liquid off) or without, either way, it’ll taste delicious as all the veggies are marinated thoroughly.

Travel Tuesdays - Dotty Lake

A year ago we enjoyed a week at a cottage we rented on Dotty Lake in Muskoka. We spent most of our time hanging out by the lake . . . . any wonder why?

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.