A Life, Lived

Mildred's Temple Kitchen Buttermilk Biscuits

One of the interesting things that has come from the pandemic is that iconic local restaurants are sharing some of their recipes so that people can enjoy some of their favourites at home. Some, as you can imagine, are incredibly complex . . . like the recipe for French Onion soup that takes three days to prepare. I love you Maison Selby but that is just not happening! Others are more simple and can be easily accomplished at home.

This recipe from Mildred's Temple Kitchen falls somewhere in the middle. Now before you 'at' me for saying biscuits are a complicated them to make . . . this recipe involves yeast. Yeast is as challenging to find as the Holy Grail during the pandemic. If you do manage to find some, whip up a batch on a Sunday morning a d prepare to enjoy a wonderful brunch.

Mildred's writes:

Enjoy this recipe of our Buttermilk Biscuits that we serve fresh and hot during our famous Brunch (and B’lunch!). What you would normally enjoy before your buttermilk pancakes, Veda’s Choice, Huevos Monty or whatever your fave is, you can now enjoy in comfort of your own home. There’s nothing complicated about making these simple luxuries. Try these biscuits with some of your favourite jelly or jam!

Let’s wash those hands and let’s get to it!

Mildred's Temple Kitchen Buttermilk Biscuits

• • 1 T of fresh yeast
  • 1 T of warm water
  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp of baking powder
  • ½ tsp of baking soda
  • 2 tsp of white sugar
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 cup of unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 cup of buttermilk
  • 2 T of unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the over to 400ºF (200ºC)

Wake up your yeast by dissolving it in the warm water. Once it’s foamy, in about 5 minutes, it’s ready to use.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt into a separate bowl. Using a coarse cheese grater, grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients and combine with your fingertips until the texture is crumbly.

Add the buttermilk and the yeast mixture, and mix all the ingredients together until the dough forms a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth, about 2 minutes. Roll the dough out to a 1″ (2.5cm) thickness. Dust a sharp knife with some flour and cut the biscuits into 2″ (5cm) squares.

To bake, place the biscuits 2″ (5cm) apart on a parchment paper-lined baking skeet. Brush the tops with melted butter. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes until puffed and lightly golden.

Tip: Is it just little ol’ you for brunch and you can’t eat all 12 biscuits? Place the unbaked biscuits on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and pop into the freezer. When they’re frozen through, transfer them to a freezer bag or tightly sealed container. As the craving strikes, take some out of the freezer, place on a tray and defrost completely in the refrigerator before baking.

Travel Tuesdays - COVID19 Edition

One of the popular social media activities right now is for people to post pics of places that have made them happy. You know the pics, the ones you look at and you get that feeling of calm and happiness inside. I've decided to do that for this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays.

This is the fifth edition from my self isolation.

Butter Tarts

A few weeks ago cookbook author and CBC personality Julie Van Rosendaal posted this message on social media:

'Amid all the grief and frustration and sadness, we’re baking butter tarts today all across Canada-together while apart.'

Out of this came the great Canadian Butter Tart Bake Off.

This uniquely Canadian dessert is the subject of considerable debate. Should the filling be running or solid? Should they have raisins or not?  Chocolate chips? Pecans? Coconut? Lots of debating points. What we can all agree on is that butter tarts are one of the tastiest things to come out of the True North. Nothing beats the flaky pastry filled with a perfectly sticky-sweet centre.

I have a recipe from an old Mennonite cookbook that I have been making for years. For the #buttertartbakeoff I decided to go with the recipe that Julie posted (it was her grandmothers). However, it gave a runny centre and since I don't like the filling to drip down the front of me I added an extra egg and decreased the syrup a bit. The end result was perfect!

Grandma Woodall’s Butter Tarts (Makes 1 dozen)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Roger’s Golden or corn syrup
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
Handful of raisins, currants or chopped pecans (optional)
NOTE - you can use 12 pre-lined tart shells or your favourite pastry recipe to make the tarts. I always have pastry in the freezer that I buy from a group of Mennonite women in St. Jacobs.

Preheat oven to 400F. If you are not using pre-lined pastry shells . . . . on a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out circles using a 4-inch cookie cutter or the rim of a glass or can, and press into ungreased muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, syrup, butter, beaten egg and vanilla. Stir in the fruit or nuts if using.

Fill the tart shells about 2/3rds full and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Coax them out of the pan using a thin knife while they’re still warm, otherwise any goo that has bubbled over will stick to the pan as it cools. If it does, pop them back in the oven for a minute to soften again. Once out of the pan, cool tarts on a wire rack.

Split Pea Soup with Ham

Split Pea Soup with Ham is a hearty and comforting soup that’s perfect for making with leftover ham (and a ham bone) from a holiday dinner. In fact, for us it is a post Easter tradition.

Split peas are field peas that are dried, peeled, and split in half for cooking. They come in both yellow and green varieties. Yellow split peas tend to be the mildest in flavor, and green split peas, sweeter. You’ll often see the yellow peas used in curries.

Split peas have great nutritional benefits. They’re low in fat, packed with fiber and protein, and are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, including Vitamins A, B, and magnesium.

Split peas don’t need to be soaked prior to cooking. They should be rinsed and sorted to remove any stones that might have gotten mixed into the bag.

Simmered with plenty of stock in a soup, they’ll cook down and thicken into a textured puree (without having to use an immersion blender).

Since split peas are mild in flavor, soup made with them can be a little muted. The ham does a lot to rectify that, but a base of aromatics, fresh herbs, and well-flavored stock are equally essential.

Normally split peas soup takes a few hours to make, however this version for the Instant Pot takes about an hour and yields an amazing result.

We did errands on Saturday morning. I started making the soup at 12:00 and we were eating lunch just after 1:00 PM. not bad at all.

Enjoy.

Split Pea Soup with Ham

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion diced

2 ribs celery diced

2 carrots diced

1 ham bone a smoked ham hock or 6 oz. diced deli ham can also be used

1 lb. dry split peas sorted through and rinsed

6 cups chicken stock/broth or veggie stock, water, or a mixture

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried savory

kosher salt and black pepper

chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional

Turn pressure cooker to the "sauté" setting. Melt butter  and sauté onion, celery, and carrots, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste, for about 5 minutes, until softened.

Add the split peas, chicken stock , ham bone, the 2 bay leaves, thyme, savoy.

Cover pressure cooker and set to manual, high pressure for 15 minutes.

Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10-15 minutes. Then, quick release the pressure valve.

If you used a ham bone or hock: remove the it from the soup and remove the ham meat that's still attached to it. Add the ham meat back into the soup.

Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately, or store in your refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

 

Travel Tuesdays - COVID19 Edition

One of the popular social media activities right now is for people to post pics of places that have made them happy. You know the pics, the ones you look at and you get that feeling of calm and happiness inside. I've decided to do that for this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays.

This is the fourth edition from my self isolation.

 

Epic Fail - COVID19 Style

Wait for it . . .

Shrimp Stew with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes, and Cilantro

Lots of community groups have been created on facebook to help people cope with the pandemic and sheltering at home. One of the COVID19 coping groups in Burlington is all about restaurants that provide take out (curbside pick ups) or delivery.It seems lots of people want a break from cooking from time to time and are happy to support small, local businesses if they can. Paulo and I have a new routine of ordering curbside every Saturday from a restaurant we have not been to before.

I digress.

Nothing out of the ordinary for me however.

Back to the group. Before Good Friday last week everyone was wondering where to get fish and chips for Good Friday dinner. I couldn't figure it out. Finally it donned on me that man folks eat fish on Good Friday. We've never done that ourselves but decided we could join the trend. We didn't order fish and chips though. Instead we made this amazing shrimp stew.

This is a recipe that I had been wanting to make for some time but never gotten around to for some reason. I am sure I am not the only person out there with a thick pile of recipes that I have printed off that I never seem to get around to. This recipe was in that pile.

I regret not having made it sooner.

This dish is the perfect weeknight comfort food - it is that easy and quick to make. That being said, it is impressive enough that you could make it for a dinner party and wow your guests.

Enjoy.

Shrimp Stew with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes, and Cilantro

3 pounds jumbo shrimp (21to25 per lb.)
kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large red bell pepper,sliced in very thin 11/2" long strips
4 scallions,thinly sliced(white and green parts kept separate.
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 large garlic cloves,finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
14.5 ounce can petite-diced tomatoes,drained
13.5 or 14 ounce can coconut milk
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice

In a large bowl,sprinkle the shrimp with 1tsp. salt;toss to coat and set aside.

Heat the oil in a 5to6qt. dutch oven over med-high heat. Add the bell pepper and cook,stirring,until almost tender,about 4 mins. Add the scallion whites,1/4c of the cilantro,the garlic and the pepper flakes. Continue to cook,stirring,until fragrant,30 to 60 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer to blend the flavors and thicken the sauce slightly,about 5 mins.

Add the shrimp and continue to cook,partially covered and stirring frequently,until the shrimp are just cook through,about 5 mins. more.Add the lime juice and season to taste with salt. Serve,sprinkled with the scallion greens and remaining 1/4c cilantro.

Travel Tuesdays - COVID19 Edition

One of the popular social media activities right now is for people to post pics of places that have made them happy. You know the pics, the ones you look at and you get that feeling of calm and happiness inside. I've decided to do that for this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays.

This is the third edition from my self isolation.

Hope

I was out for a walk today and someone had gone a bit wild with their knitting. The tree in front of their house was decorated colourfully with symbols of hope.

Happy Easter

In the midst of the chaos created by COVID19 I hope that you are able to find some of the happiness and joy associated with Easter.

It will be a different Easter this year.

No family and friends.

Dinner for two.

A different menu than normal because of shopping restrictions and shortages.

Different cards and treats then normal because of store closures.

A very different feeling . . .after three weeks of self isolating we're all getting a bit stir crazy!

Whatever.

We will get through it and there will be plenty of celebrations at the other end of this.