Warming the Inside

Now that September is almost over with (say it ain't so!) it seems that the weather that has been oh-so-cooperatively seasonal over the months of June, July and August feels right at home. It's settled itself in and all too soon we will find ourselves wearing ankle high snow boots, but standing knee-deep in a snowdrift. I know I'm already layering sweaters on, and the flannel bedsheets and socks have once again made their appearance in an attempt to keep my feet from turning a rather odd shade of grey by two in the morning!

But no amount of external blankets and wool fuzzies can truly warm your core. The human furnace has to be stoked from within, with rich hearty stews, steaming cups of apple cider, and bowls of oatmeal. One of the favourite tricks of mine to warm up in a hurry is to have a bite or two of raw fresh ginger - all on it's own. The flame from the tiny morsel is enough to kick-start the rest of my sluggish system, and when the annual flu strikes me down (as it always does!) a good dose of it chopped into a cup of green tea helps chase away the edge of nausea.

This cake is one of those snacks that is the perfect cold-weather type of food. Rich with ginger, stuffed full of comforting, hearty oatmeal and even with a bittersweet edge of dark molasses, a simple batter transforms in the oven to something that nestles comfortably next to that mid-afternoon cuppa you enjoy in your fuzzies.


I actually decided to make this dessert - known as Parkin Cake - back in the summer when I was planning a visit to my old elementary school stomping grounds. I know of my favourite teacher there's love for ginger, and it simply wouldn't do for me to show up there after some 8 months incommunicado without some sort of nosh! When I was a student there (eons ago!! Haha) my family (in particular, my mom) were known for being the ones that always showed up to bake sale Friday and field trip fundraisers with something home made. No Snack Packs of Timbits or pre-wrapped Rice Krispie treats for us! Usually when it was our group's turn to bring something in it was a batch of my mom's trademark chocolate chippers, or if it was still within our apple-glut season her my mom's famously delicious apple squares, that made it onto the table. Even if it was just brownies from a mix (a very rare occurrence, in fact I only remember once or twice) it was mixed and baked in our kitchen, and there never seemed to be any leftover freebies for the staff to hoard after class. I do try to continue the tradition of bringing a piece of our home to my second home when I can, and with a recipe this simple to execute and comforting to eat I couldn't pass it up. Even if you can't eat the whole pan yourself (or simply want to save a few squares for later) this keeps rediculously well - either wrap it in plastic and keep (at room temperature) for up to a week, or wrap it once more in foil and freeze it for at least 3 months. I reccommend cutting it and wrapping individual squares before freezing them in a heavy-duty Ziploc for easy emergency snackage!

Nouveau Parkin Cake
Serves 8
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup barley flour
1/2 cup large-flake rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup low fat plain yogurt
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup golden syrup
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses

1. Preheat oven to 350F, grease a 9" square pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. In another larger bowl, beat together yogurt, ginger, sugar, butter, syrup, and molasses.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix well, but do not beat.
5. Bake 40 minutes.
6. Cool 1 hour in the pan, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 229.2
Total Fat: 6.7 g
Cholesterol: 17.1 mg
Sodium: 133.1 mg
Total Carbs: 39.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 4.3 g

Envy

My mom was in a conference for work a while back, which involved three days of non stop group pow-wows, ranting sessions and international who's whoing with barely a bathroom pause and definitely no chance to sneak out for a lunch break. Given that everyone had chosen to convene in Toronto, it wasn't too much of an issue for my mom as she brings her lunch regularly anyways and eats at her desk, but for the visiting professionals, meals were formulated based on what the office cafeteria decided to schlep up in a cart. Now, I don't mean to put that particular cafeteria's food down in any way, but really - it is a cafeteria, outsourced to the max and serving cling-wrapped, stickered and soggy sandwiches. In my entire memory I can recall eating there once, a pre-packaged lemon poppyseed muffin the size of my head, and to me it was the best thing in the world. But not lunch.

If you've read any of my bread-baking adventures, you know that I am unabashedly the source of the majority of my mom's carbo-loading during the week. I try to keep things interesting at the very least, at least mostly healthy (even the Nutella bread had whole grains and flaxeed!) and of course free of the additives and preservatives every pre-packaged sponge on the shelf is laced with. Luckily my imagination hasn't hindered the stream of loaves, bagels and rolls emerging from the oven, and since there are so many ardent bread-bakers out there to inspire me I doubt I'll struggle soon!

So, my mom was toting slices of this fragrant, sweet and packed-full-of-stuff loaf with her the week of her marathon meetings, and apparently it caused quite a stir with the visiting staff from Brazil, Moncton and Fairfax! In fact, the recipe was requested almost immediately when my mom relinquished a slice for them to taste and one of the gentlemen asked my mom if I shipped my goodies internationally. Well, I don't (namely because I can't afford to, and partially because I doubt that most things hold up well to shipping) but I did spend the afternoon after my mom's call to tell me what he said making up another loaf just for him! I didn't want to brew envious thoughts towards anyone nearby, and really... bread doesn't get much more comforting than this one.

My mom adorned her slices with honey and occasionally a thin smear of peanut butter, though I think the loaf would make a fantastic peanut butter and jelly sandwich too! I wonder if anyone looking at YeastSpotting on WildYeast this Friday will attempt this, and top it with something else??

Hit The Trail [Mix] Bread
Makes 16 "sandwich" slices
5 oz bread flour
4.5 oz whole wheat flour
2 oz spelt bran or oat bran
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg instant yeast
3/4 cup warm, unsweetened almond milk
1/3 - 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 fl. oz honey
1 tbsp canola oil
3 cups cranberry-based trail mix, large pieces chopped (mine had cranberries, golden raisins, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, bran, flaxseeds, salt and yeast. Set aside.
2. In a smaller bowl, combine almond milk, water, honey and canola oil.
3. Pour liquids into the flour and yeast mixture, mixing well.
4. Add the trail mix and continue mixing until the dough forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl (a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment makes this easier).
5. Knead (by hand or mixer) for 12 minutes, until very smooth and supple.
6. Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rest 30 minutes.
7. Press the rested dough into a rough rectangle and roll up into a log, pinching the seams to seal.
8. Place in a large greased loaf pan, cover and allow to rise 1 hour, until dough rises 1" above the rim of the pan.
9. Preheat oven to 350F.
10. Brush the top of the loaf lightly with water, then place on the centre rack and bake for 35-40 minutes.
11. Turn bread out of pan immediately and cool on a wire rack completely before slicing.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 259.4
Total Fat: 11.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 31.3 mg
Total Carbs: 31.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.5 g
Protein: 8.0 g

I Call it "Rustic"

It used to be a Fall tradition with my family that as soon as there were apples to be picked at our faourite orchard, we would be there. Bundled up in sweaters and coats as kids, my sister and I would waste the afternoon running between saplings and tasting every new kind of fruit we came across. In late October, when the gigantic, rock hard Northern Spies finally made their appearance, we'd be back - and sure enough the first thing to come out when we came home would be our Fall baking bible - a tattered, splattered copy of Apples, Peaches and Pears by Elizabeth Baird. We still have that book, complete with a few torn pages, a binding that no longer is really doing it's job and about 20 years' worth of cinnamon, butter and sugar crusting the well-loved pages. I've even gotten mom to leave it to me in her will.

In the past couple years, mom and I haven't done much in the way of making apple recipes together. While I gladly put together apple pies, crisps and squares any chance I get, my mom is so busy between work at "work", work at "home" and conforming herself to everyone's vastly different and incompatible schedules that what used to be the highlight of our season is now up to me to keep alive.

I knew the perfect way to breathe the life back into those tattered pages when I spotted the first "new crop" Ontario apples at the market, alongside the huge local peaches and even a few early pears. I would re-create that book, as a pie, and take my own first step into tradition. Unfortunately, as fate (or Murphy's Law) would have it, I caught the first "wave" of the seasonal flu bug and all of a sudden the double-crust, super flaky dessert of my imagination felt more like running a marathon than a simple kitchen task. But darn it, I wanted to make that pie. And I sure was NOT going to waste the fruit by letting it waste away on the kitchen counter or in the fridge! So I did the next best thing: galette. Same dough, same filling, different assembly. I didn't have to mess around with centering pie dough in a pan, fluting edges or remembering to dock the top crust. Nope, just rolling out the whole wheat pastry dough, shoving the fruit in the middle, a little bit of folding and voila - dessert.

So while it may not be traditional, or heck... even pretty, it is exactly what it sets out to be. A humble, rustic reminder of what once was, blended with the promise of new tradition. Not to mention, it's pretty darn tasty too!

Apple, Peach And Pear Galette
Serves 8
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup cold butter
4 tbsp cold water
1 large apple, peeled and diced
1 large pear, peeled and diced
1 large peach, peeled and diced
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp tapioca flour (not the granules)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. In a bowl, whisk together flours, salt and sugar.
2. Cut the butter in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. 1 tbsp at a time, gradually add water until a dough forms (you may not need it all).
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead 1-2 times to bring the mixture together, then wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour.
5. Meanwhile, combine the fruits in a medium bowl.
6. In a small dish, mix sugar, tapioca flour and cinnamon.
7. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the fruit and toss well, let stand 10 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 400F, line a large cookie sheet with parchment or silicone.
9. Roll out the dough into a rough circle, move to cookie sheet.
10. Place the fruit mixture in the centre of the dough and smooth into an even layer, leaving at least 2" of plain pastry around the edges.
11. Fold the edges up and over the sides of the filling, leaving the space in the middle open.
12. Bake for 35 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
13. Cool completely before slicing.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 163.3
Total Fat: 7.3 g
Cholesterol: 18.3 mg
Sodium: 49.8 mg
Total Carbs: 24.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 2.2 g

The Dinners of Summer

Some days, dinner is devised by the wills and wiles of the stomach, the wristwatch (and sometimes the wallet!). Those days are full of adventure to be sure: they bring about the 4-alarm curries, the occasional cold cereal and ice cream dinners, the ramen noodles and the cheesiest, greasiest pizza from the joint that's still open and delivering at 11PM. Good times, to be sure, and the world of gastronomy today would be without heiarchy if not for the powerful decisions made by our gullets!

But it is the dinners determined by the height and even the waning breaths of Summer that I look forward to every year. It's the time when the garden is full of new and constantly changing possibilities every time you step outside, where the farmer's markets are essentially throwing their produce at you and even though the kids are once again ensconced in schoolrooms nobody is quite ready for the warm, golden nights to end. Nights like these lend themselves to simple grilled chicken or fish on the barbie, the first hot soups garnished with giant leaves of basil and of tomato salads varying between the simplest Caprese appetizer to a full-meal vegetarian affair with lentils and chickpeas. It is nights like these, like tonight, where it's okay to pause for a while, and just absorb the atmosphere - and even if that atmosphere has changed to a drizzly grey blanket outside, there is still warmth in your meal. In ratatouille.

Straight from my mother's and my hearts in ingredient components, my garden in provision, and a mixture of both Flickr feeds and a certain Disney film in style, this is a baked ratatouille that is perfect just in the last days of summer - especially if you have access to your own garden's vegetables. Everything but the onion and garlic we used came straight from our garden that morning, and was still warm when I sliced and layered them into the casserole dish. The frozen, leftover dregs from last year's passata formed the perfect base for caramelized onion, white wine and herbs to transform into a rich sauce, and after a long, slow bake in the oven it's finished with a smattering of crumbled chevre and popped under the broiler to brown. Perfect the day it's made (the family ate it over couscous and broiled salmon), my mom also swears by leftovers the next day stirred into a spoonful of chickpeas and stuffed into a pita.

Vive le Jardin Ratatouille
Serves 6 as a side, 4 as a light main
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup white wine
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 cup crushed tomatoes
3 baby eggplants, thinly sliced into rounds
3 large beefsteak tomatoes, thinly sliced into rounds
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds
1 red bell pepper, carefully cored and thinly sliced into rounds
2 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed
3 1/2 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Cut a piece of parchment paper the size of a 12" long oval casserole dish and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook slowly, stirring, until golden brown - about 10 minutes.
3. Add crushed garlic and cook until just fragrant, then add wine, herbes de Provence and tomatoes, stirring well. Remove from heat and pour into the bottom of the casserole.
4. Arrange alternating slices of the thinly sliced vegetables in overlapping rings from the outside to the inside of the baking dish.
5. Sprinkle the thyme leaves over the vegetables and cover with the piece of parchment.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove parchment and bake a further 15 minutes, topping with goat cheese for last 5 minutes of baking.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 151.5
Total Fat: 6.4 g
Cholesterol: 14.6 mg
Sodium: 237.6 mg
Total Carbs: 18.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.0 g
Protein: 6.0 g

Not "A Nutter" One!

You guys are getting off light this year... if you remember any of my garden harvesting or use-up posts from last year you know that our garden can become a bit of a monster when the season starts winding down. And the story should have been the same this year, really! Rows of carrots, beets, pumpkins, peppers, beans, corn, cukes and both summer and winter squash were planted faithfully in their newly mulched and turned beds, accompanied of course by a host of tomatoes, and for the first half of the summer, everything was moving along all hunky-dory and it looked I'd be enjoying beet and carrot salads and making pickles for months!
Then we had the first of two major blows to our gardening pride. A massive storm cell smashed right into the GTA, bringing at the very least gales of wind with torrents of rain and hail and at the worst end tornadoes that brought destruction to the region. Our neighbourhood was more or less smack-dab in the middle of the mess, so while we didn't get the funnel clouds we sure did get a healthy dose of the wet and windy! When we went out to assess the damage the news was not good... while our gazebo survived the fray (unlike last year!) most of the young shoots were not so fortunate. All the corn, along with most of the cucumber, half the winter squash and a good portion of the pepper plants looked like they had never been planted in the first place, and the only trace of some sort of "bed" for them was smushed up against the fencing around the vineyard. But, we still had the tomatoes, and the root vegetables, and the rest of the vegetables were slightly sheltered by the house and weren't hit too hard.
Then along came the second plight to befall the garden... at the hands of none other but famous garden thief Peter Rabbit. In just under three days, every last beet had been unearthed and eaten by the fat brown bunnies from the backyard's forest. Ironically, almost all the carrots were spared, and I hastily thinned out the seedlings so that the remaining Purple Hazes could grow to full size. None of the baby roots went to waste, however! In addition to eating them at every meal and pawning bags of them off on some fellow foodie friends I still wound up with a large Ziploc in my crisper stuffed with slowly wilting carrots! Knowing that there were only more to come, I put sails to the wind and made... yes... another carrot cake.
Want to know the kicker of this long-winded story? The next time I went out to check on the garden (after the cake was done) the rest of the carrots had been carted off. No beets, no carrots, no cucumbers... tomato salad anyone?

So, you get off light. Only one carrot-fuled recipe for you this year, but it's actually more of a fruit and vegetable melange as I sought out to not only conquer the rest of the carrots, but to finish the last bits of slowly decaying fruit and ends of the home made nut mix that was going nowhere fast. And all the components - backyard carrots, strawberries from a local farm (Whittamores), and the last of the maple syrup from a sugar bush in the Purple Woods Conservation Area - came together at the perfect moment to celebrate Sugar High Friday (Locavore Treats!) hosted this round by Mmm... Tasty!