A Life, Lived

Apple Cider Granita with Ginger Cream

With the warm weather we`ve been experiencing here in Ontario I`ve been thinking about cool desserts again. When we had mom over for dinner a few weeks ago we had a large menu so I wanted something light and refreshing to finish up the meal. This recipe from Bon Appetit was perfect!

I really loved this recipe. It's very simple yet the final result has a complex, unexpected flavor, especially with the ginger whipped cream. I know that we`ll be making this one a lot over the next few months!

Apple Cider Granita

4 cups apple cider
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
20 whole allspice
10 whole cloves

Stir first 4 ingredients in saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cover and let steep 1 hour. Strain mixture into 8-inch square metal baking pan. Freeze until edges begin to set, about 1 hour. Whisk; freeze again until mixture is slushy, about 1 hour. Whisk again to blend well. Freeze without stirring until granita is frozen solid, at least 3 hours or overnight. Using fork, scrape granita until entire mixture is mass of crystals. Cover and freeze until ready to serve.

Scoop granita into 6 chilled glasses. Top with Ginger Whipped Cream.

Ginger Whipped Cream

1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger

Beat cream and sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold in ginger. Cover and chill up to 4 hours (before serving, whisk cream to thicken if deflated).

Travel Tuesday

This week for Travel Tueday I head back to San Francisco where I spent 4 days attending a conference a year ago . . .

Hello Spring . . .

Tomorrow is the first day of spring although to be honest it feels as if it's been here for awhile.

Everything is 4 - 6 weeks early this year.

There was no snow melt run off since there was no snow to melt.

Our tulips and daffodils are about 8 inches above the ground.

The birds that migrate south have returned. Actually they have been back for about two weeks.

The ice cream truck drove through the neighbourhood for the first time.

This will be a happy thing today and tomorrow as the temperatures are supposed to be as warm as in Cayo Coco, Cuba.

Kids were outside playing well into the evening.

There are insects flying about. we even saw a mosquito.

Today the lawn service showed up for the first treatment of the year.

You may think that this is all normal stuff but it isn't. If we don't get a 10 cm drop of snow in the next 10 days it will be the first time in history that we haven't had at least one 10 cm dump of snow in a winter and the first time we haven't had one after March 17th.

I confess to be conflicted by this. I don't care for winter - I'm happy that spring is here. At the same time I worry about what we have done to the planet to cause weather this mixed!

On Friday my neighbour and I were discussing it (he was out in shorts washing his car) - bill's theory is that the Mayan's were right - the word WILL end on December 21st. He believes that the gods are making these last few months on the planet sweet ones to compensate! Extreme, perhaps . . . but something is amiss.

A St. Patrick's Day Feast

Last night Paul and I hosted our annual St. Patrick's Day dinner. We generally plan a menu that is based upon colour/theme rather than traditional Irish fare. I remember a friend from Ireland being scandalized at the thought of serving corned beef for guests. In her mind it was the sort of thing equated with a poor meal at home rather than a celebration. I imagine that there isn't a darn thing traditional about green beer either! Funny how we take traditional holidays and make them all our own in North America!

We had the house cleaned, the table set, and all of the prep work done by 1:30. There was plenty of time for a nap and relaxation until people arrived at 6:00.

The table was set and decorated with a green and white theme.

Each place setting had a 'Pot o'Gold' and some St. Patrick's Day treats.

Mom's spot had this wonderful 'Irish Princess' tiara which she promptly put on as soon as she saw it and wore it all night!

like a princess, she arrived unfashionably late. She was supposed to be here at 6:00 and at 6:10 when I called her she was still at home. By the time she arrived things were a wee bit more cooked than one might normally desire. You'll see in the pictures that things are a wee bit more golden than usual. SIGH

It had been a cool and foggy day so we had been debating our plan to have drinks and appetizers out on the terrace. Fortunately the sun came out and things warmed up so out we went!

The cheese board was a mixed thing - some Irish cheddar, Spanish almonds, carrot jam we had bought in Italy, and other assorted cheeses that we had in the refrigerator.

The real hit was the drink - a Green Lantern. This may seem a titch strange - it's made with 1 cup of parsley - but it really was soooo good. I can see myself sipping this on a hot summer day . . . or trying it with other combinations of herbs.

In addition to the cheese platter I had made the Reuben Dip that we learned how to make in a cooking class a few years ago. This is one of those simple things that causes everyone to ohh and ahh and no one knows how little work you actually did! Hot, goeey, and with all of the flavour so the traditional Reuben sandwich, this is always a hit.

See what I mean about it being a tad more 'golden' than you might normally desire. SIGH

Anyway. I shall move on.

We served pieces of marble rye bread, pretzel crisps, and trarelli with the dip.

The other dish we enjoyed on the terrace was an amazing cheddar and stout fondue. Stout is a dark beer so the fondue takes on an odd colour that some might find unappetizing. I guarantee that as soon as they dip their first bit of veggie into the mixture they'll be past the colour and looking for a spoon to really dig away!

The fondue was served with par-cooked baby potatoes, brussels sprouts, cauliflower florets, and wedges of apples.

As soon as the sun went down it quickly got quite cool. We gathered everything up and raced inside. Paul promptly put on the fire.

We moved into the dining room for the rest of our meal.

Next up was a cheddar soup served with cheddar coins. This course was inspired by our visit to Prince Edward County last December. The inn we stayed at (the Waring House) is famous for their cheddar soup. I found the recipe online and made it with some 8 year old cheddar from the Black River Cheese Company. The cider we used was from the County Cider company. The cheddar coins were bought in the Waring House store - essentially they are cheddar shortbread cookies with a wonderful hit of Cayenne pepper. YUM

For the main course we switched things up a bit. I think we have made everything the same for the past 8 years! The only thing that was the same on the menu this year was the corned beef with a cider/mustard/horseradish glaze and mom's famous Irish soda bread. On the side we served colcannon (a wonderful mixture of mashed potatoes, cabbage, and onions), honey roasted carrots with pistachios, and maple roasted brussels sprouts with chopped hazelnuts.

When I asked Paul what he wanted for dessert he promptly said a key lime cheesecake . . . I'm not sure where that request came from since we're not big cheesecake eaters OR makers and I doubt he'd ever had a key lime version at a restaurant. Anyway, thanks to my good friend google I found this recipe on the epicurious site.

Even though there were a number of steps involvrf they were easy to follow and resulted in a delicious cheesecake that wasn't as heavy as some baked cheesecakes can be. The final result looks impressive with the four layers (graham cracker crust, lime curd, lime cheesecake, and sour cream topping). Happily it tasted great too!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada (Toronto held it's St. Patrick's Day parade LAST Saturday for some bizarre reason) and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore and Russia.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland ‘s St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions and fireworks shows.

There is an interesting tradition in Chicago where the Chicago River is dyed green for the day.

For some odd reason Savannah, Georgia (not a city I'd equate with the irish) has one of the largest celebrations in the world. Attracting roughly 400,000 Irish and honorary Irish visitors and local celebrators each year, Savannah's St. Patrick's Day traditions are likened by some observers and participants to a Mardi Gras celebration, the spirited St. Patrick's Day festivities in Savannah go on for several days.

It must be quite the party - when we were there shortly after St. Patrick's Day a few years ago we saw this painted on a building:

Paul and I are having our annual St. Patrick's Day get together tonight. Here's our menu:

The Green Lantern (a green cocktail made with a parsley infusion)
Rueben Dip
Cheese and Crackers
Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue

Cider and Cheddar Soup

Glazed Corned Beef
Horseradish Cream
Roasted Carrots
Golden Colcannon Pie
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Irish Soda Bread

Key Lime Cheesecake

Have a great day everyone!

Photo Hunt - Play

This week's Photo Hunt theme is 'play'. I'm posting this picture a day early - tomorrow is St.Patrick's Day and I'll be posting something 'St.Patricky' then.

I took these pictures last June. At work we arranged a giant block party where kids were invited to come to the park and play. Various organizations set up centers and the kids had a brilliant time playing. The idea was to help parents understand the importance of play in child development.

St Germain Cocktail

If you've been living under a rock or in Canada you might not have heard of St. Germain liqueur. St. Germain  is an all-natural elderflower liqueur produced in France. Prior to its 2007 release elderflower cordial or syrup made of frozen flowers was the only option for cocktails calling for the herb. This is because the flower is delicate and tends to lose its fragrance when processed. St. Germain bypasses that problem by processing the fresh, handpicked blossoms as soon as they are (reportedly) biked down from the Alps.

It has become the 'it' liqueur for cocktails. Last summer while in Denver we spied it on drink menus and jumped into the pool. With one sip we could see why it was so popular and everyone on chowhound, in magazines, and over the internet was braying about it. Sadly it is not to be found in Canada. Not to be denied, we searched until we found a store in Denver that carried it and we brought a bottle home. We don't use this precious stuff for just anyone or any reason, let me tell you!

On Sunday, in order to celebrate the return of warm weather and the opening of our terrace we made a classic St. Germain cocktail . . . with a twist. This cocktail is easy and freaking amazing - a perfect celebration in a glass!

La Rosette

1 oz St. Germain
1 bottle pink sparkling wine (we used a wonderful pink moscato)
strawberries

Pour the St. Germain into a chapmagne flute. Fill with sparkling pink wine (careful not to overflow!). Garnish with strawberries.

Pho Ga

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup typically made with beef. It can also be made with chicken (which is known as pho ga), or seafood. Last winter re tried a version  that was even made with leftover turkey. That recipe was inspired by the recipe Jaden posted on the Steamy Kitchen and I was determined to try her original recipe rather than one that someone had modified to suit their own preferences. I finally got around to it last weekend.

Pho had its humble beginnings nearly 100 years ago, and at that time was basically boiled beef, broth and noodles. It has since evolved into much more than that. During the war in Viet Nam, when beef became scarce, a pork version (pho lon) evolved.

The combination of both French and Chinese occupation has led to a diverse, unique cuisine that is admired by many. When the Vietnamese fled to the US in 1975, they brought to the United States their unique cuisine and heritage. It is how Pho was introduced to us in North America. Rest assured that it took a long time for Pho to make it across the border to Canada!

This is not a short, quick recipe; it has a long list of ingredients. It takes time. don't rush any of the steps as each contributes to building the final dish. We were amazed at how wonderful this dish was - layers and layers of flavour. Don't be afraid of the ingredients nor the steps - if you follow faithfully this will be one of the best soups you'll ever eat!

Pho Ga

1 whole organic chicken (4-5lbs)
1 whole onion, unpeeled and cut in half
3-inch chunk of ginger, unpeeled

(A) Broth spices
2 tbl whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 tbl sugar (or rock sugar)
2 tbl fish sauce
small bunch of cilantro stems only, tied in bunch with twine

(B) Accompaniments at table
1 lb dried rice noodles (about 1/4″ wide)
2 cups bean sprouts, washed & tails pinched off
cilantro tops – leaves and tender stems
1/2 cup shaved red onions
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha hot sauce
Hoisin sauce
sliced chili

Place ginger and onion on a small baking sheet. The top of the onion should be about 4″ from the oven’s heating element. Set to broil on high for 15 minutes. Turn the onion and ginger occasionally, to get an even char. The skin should get dark and the onion/ginger should get soft. After cooling, rub to get the charred skin off the onion and use a butter knife to scrape the skin off the ginger. Slice ginger into thick slices.

In a large stockpot, fill with water and boil. With a sharp cleaver, carve the chicken breast meat off and reserve. With the rest of chicken whacking hard through the bones to get sections about 3″ big. The more bone that is exposed, the more marrow that gets in the broth (translation: rich, flavorful). You can even whack several places along the bone just to expose more marrow. When the water boils, add chicken sections (not breast) and boil on high for 5 minutes. You’ll see lots of foam and “stuff’ come up to the surface. Drain, rinse your chicken of the scum and wash your pot thoroughly. Refill with about 4 quarts of clean, cold water.

Add chicken, chicken breast meat, onion, ginger and all of (A) in the pot and cover. Turn heat to high – let it come to boil, then immediately turn heat to low. Prop lid up so that steam can escape. After 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts, shred with your fingers when cooled and set aside (you’ll serve shredded chicken breast with the finished soup). With a large spoon, skim the surface of any impurities in the broth. Skimming every 20 minutes ensures a clear broth. Simmer a total of 1-1/2 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce and or sugar.

Strain the broth, discard solids. Prepare noodles as per directions on package. Ladle broth, add shredded chicken breast and soft noodles in each bowl. Have (B) ingredients set at table for each person to add to their bowl.

Grilled Figs with Gorgonzola and Prosciutto

First of all, let me apologize from the onset for the crappy photos of this dish - I had no intentions of blogging about it so I wasn't too concerned about the picture. Then Rome Roams commented yesterday and asked me to post the recipe.

This is one of my 'go to' appetizers . . . easy to make, ingredients one can readily get, quick to prepare, and everyone goes overboard with the ohhhsss and ahhhs. I posted a recipe for a similar dish back in 2008 but truth be told, this was much better!

So, with apologies for the crap photo . . . this one is for you Rome Roams . . .

Grilled Figs with Gorgonzola and Prosciutto

12 large fresh black Mission figs, trimmed, and cut in half
4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, cut into 24 slices
12 thin slices of prosciutto, cut in half length-wise (strips)
1 sprig of rosemary 
balsamic glaze (I bring this home from Italy but you can easily make your own)

Set the figs skin side down. Place 1 pieceof cheeseon the cut side of each fig; gently push it inside. Sprinkle 2 or 3 fresh rosemary leaves on top of the cheese. Wrap one piece of prosciutto around each fig so that the cheese is covered. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to help the prosciutto adhere to the figs.

Preheat grill.

Place figs on; grill 6 minutes or until prosciutto is crisp.

Drizzle each fig with balsamic syrup.

Hello Spring . . .

It seems crazy - the same weekend that tens of thousands head south to warmer temperatures for spring break we were graced with well above normal temperatures here in the Toronto area.  So warm that records weren't just broken . . . they were shattered. The 'cynic in me' is prepared for a late March or April snowfall - especially since we really haven't had a good dumping of snow all winter. The 'glass is half full dammit guy' felt the heat of the sun on his skin and smiled.

I moved the chairs outside and sat in the sun reading.

I listened to the birds.

I mentally made a note of what needed doing in the garden. 'Tis a loooooong list!

Mom came over for dinner so we went for  a nice walk in the forest. We fed the ducks.

I grilled some gorgonzola stuffed figs wrapped in prosciutto.

We sat on the terrace and enjoyed coctails and appetizers.

Ahhhh . . . spring. ;-)