Days of Sun & Strawberries

Summer has come late to Vancouver this year and so we've waited patiently for our strawberries. With the sun now firmly installed over Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, my Dad, sister and the fella headed out to Richmond this past weekend in search of berries. After one failed attempt at a seriously picked over field we landed at Birak Berry Farms at the corner of Cambie and No. 6 Road where the berries were plentiful.  A beautiful sunny day and lots of hard work brought an abundant harvest.  Tune in tomorrow to see what I made with these.

Signs of Portland

I've always been inspired by beautiful  and interesting signage and architectural details and when I visit somewhere new, inevitably my camera roll will be filled with many pictures of signs. My recent trip to Portland provided lots of interesting examples both retro and modern. I love the strong, masculine and  heritage typographic forms found in many of the classic signs in Portland,but there were lots of fun, modern examples as well. Here are some of my favourites.

What do you think? Do you have any favourites?

Fresh Bread

I'm literally running out the door but I couldn't help posting this little baby that just came out of the oven. How pretty!

I'm so impressed with the Sullivan Street Bakery recipe  I used. Yes, I know I'm just a little late discovering it - but that doesn't make it any less wonderful.

Can't wait to come back and crack this little beauty open.

2012-01-10_2120

Good things come to those who wait

This past week, as part of my role with Cookthatbook.com, I got the opportunity to sit down to chat with Mourad Lahlou, acclaimed chef of Aziza in San Francisco. Chef Mourad was in Vancouver to promote his new book, Mourad: The New Moroccan. Chef Mourad is both a nostalgic and innovative chef who speaks from the heart and is equally passionate telling stories about his grandmother making couscous, as he is talking about a Japanese technique he is employing his kitchen. I was inspired!

I won't reveal all of our chat just yet as the full interview will be running soon on Cookthatbook.com, but I thought that in the meantime, I'd share my efforts with you with preserving lemons, an essential ingredient in Moroccan cuisine. In 4 weeks time, I should have a beautiful ingredient to use in my cooking.

UPDATE:  My interview with Mourad Lahlou is now live right here. And my review of Mourad: New Moroccan can be found here. Enjoy!

Local Quince = Spanish Membrillo

Score! My good friend recently treated me to some quince from one of Vancouver's farmer's markets. This fruit is often overlooked because it can't be eaten raw. But it is very rich in pectin which makes it perfect for jams and jellies or in Dulce de Membrillo, one of my favourite treats. Ok I'll be honest here, the reason it's one of my favourites is that it gives me an excuse to eat cheese! Membrillo is the Spanish word for quince but the word is also used to refer to quince paste, the sweet, floral, gel-like confection, which pairs so nicely with Manchego cheese and which kids in Spain spread on their toast.

The fruit themselves are a bit strange looking, sort of a cross between an apple and a pear, and covered with an unusual fuzz which would seem to be unique to quince. It seems that removal of this fuzz, results in the quince turning brown, so keep it on.

When I'm making membrillo for immediate use, I usually buy 1 -3 pieces of the fruit and make a small batch which I can let set in a shallow cake pan. This makes it easy to slice up and use for pairing with cheese. On this occasion, as I had a number of fruit to work with, the yield was more than I could hope to eat in a few sittings so this gave me the opportunity to make use of some Weck canning jars which I've been eager to try, and make a larger batch which I could put by for future use.

The Weck jars feature  a glass lid which fits over a rubber ring. During the canning process, a pair of stainless steel clips are fitted to the lid to keep it in place. Once the vacuum seal has been enabled, through the use of a boiling water bath, the clips are removed and the vacuum seal keeps the lid in place. Simple technology. Love it!

Dulce de Membrillo (Quince Paste)

1 kg quince, cored, peeled and diced

600 g sugar

Place the quince in a pot and cover with sugar and allow to macerate overnight or for 8-10 hours. This will draw the pectin and liquid out of the fruit.

Cook the macerated fruit on a low heat stirring from time to time, and more frequently as it gets thicker.  (About 1 - 1.5 hours) Once the fruit is very thick and mostly broken down, you may, if you like, use a hand mixer to purée the quince. Be very careful with the heat and make sure you keep stirring the paste as it can burn easily at this stage. Pour into molds or a shallow cake pan lined with parchment or clear plastic and let cool. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Serve in slices or small cubes with equally sized pieces of cheese. Spanish Manchego is traditional but membrillo also tastes great with a strong, sharp cheddar.

If you want to modify the quantity, you can do so easily - just make sure you keep the same ratio of sugar to fruit.

This recipe comes to me from a friend in Galicia, Spain. (Patience not being one of my virtues, the addition of the hand-mixer is mine!)

Galician Queimada

Well it makes sense I guess. The season of Hallowe'en is upon us. So at a recent family dinner when my mother suggested we do a Queimada, who were we to argue? After all it is not every day your mother encourages you to set fire to some high grade alcohol and summon the spirits from on high. Is it?

A Queimada is a Galician tradition from Spain, which involves burning a Galician version of aguardiente called Orujo to ward off evil spirits and bring in the good spirits of those who have gone before to share in the ritual as friends. It was not necessarily done at Hallowe'en but as the Gallegos are Celts after all, I'm sure they would approve. In fact there is a saying which goes along the lines of 'any excuse is a good one for a Queimada'.

For best results, the alcohol is heated first before being poured into a a shallow clay bowl with oranges slices, coffee beans and cloves. A spoon with sugar is introduced into the bowl to gather some alcohol and then lit  on fire and introduced once more into the alcohol to set the mixture alight.

From then on, all present at the table take turns to stir the Queimada while the Conjuro or spell is read aloud. This is your typical bubble, bubble, toil and trouble stuff...beginning with:

Owls, barn owls, toads and witches.

Demons, goblins and devils,

spirits of the misty vales.

Near the end, we arrive at the main point:

And when this beverage

goes down our throats,

we will be freed of the evil

of our soul and of any bewitchment.

Powerful stuff! Evil of our soul? Bewitchment? Ok perhaps a bit dramatic. But I can't help but smile at the next part:

Forces of air, earth, sea and fire,

to you I make this call:

if it's true that you have more power

than people,

here and now, make the spirits

of the friends who are outside,

take part with us in this Queimada.

That sounds harmless enough! Enjoyable even.  Even if you are not inclined to believe in evil spirits, there is nothing to stop you from enjoying a Queimada. The resultant mixture, having burned off a great deal of the alcohol is sweet and smooth and delicious.  Happy Hallowe'en!

Style me hungry

This weekend, I was lucky enough to take part in Clare Barboza and Becky Selengut's food styling workshop in Seattle. Clare is a Seattle-based documentary food photographer whose style I have been attracted to for a while now. She has a way of capturing the story behind the food that I really admire.  Becky Selengut is a chef, cookbook author, and teacher with a very quick wit who makes delicious food. The combination was fantastic and made for a fun and inspiring day of styling and photography.

We talked about colour, texture of props, and how to style food for camera using natural techniques. Then there was lots of time to explore and plan and execute your own shots. Clare has a fantastic studio with tons of natural light which gives me serious studio envy. She also has a fantastic 'wall-o-props' (check it here) which makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. So many possibilities!

I  really wanted to create a farmhouse atmosphere and found some great rustic, antique props to work with. Here is one of the shots I made, of some seriously yummy, sweet and savoury, butternut squash beignets, prepared by Becky. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them again.

Bring on the Recipes!

I met the lovely and creative Jasmine Bradley back in February when we both attended a food photography workshop with the amazing Clare Barboza in Seattle. It was then that I found out about Jasmine's fantastic website Cook that Book, where she has turned her love of cookbooks into a useful resource for all of us by providing interesting and useful real world reviews of the cookbooks we all covet. So when the chance came up, I was very honoured to have the opportunity  to work with Jasmine and contribute to her great site.  My first review will be of Donna Hay's Seasons - a book I've spent a lot of time with in the last year - to the detriment of my waistline. Here are a few of the shots from my review.

.

Please check out the full review here.

We've got some exciting books coming up so please check back soon.  Also, if you have a favourite new cookbook, please share!

Fish are the ones that swim, right?

For anyone who watched Gilligan's Island, the words "three-hour tour", do not instill confidence. Yet on the day before my sister's wedding we found ourselves in North Lake Harbour, PEI  at McNeill’s Tuna Fishing, about to embark on just that. Despite the company name, we won’t be fishing tuna. Although Captain Jeff McNeill could tell you some stories. Like the recent tuna he caught -  677 lbs and 924 lbs. That's too much for these landlubbers so we’re after mackerel today.

Before we leave the delightful harbour, Captain Jeff gives a quick talk using the Bride-to-Be as his assistant to demonstrate the safety features of the vessel and the functioning of the life vest to the landlubbers.

With that, we are off and sailing with the wind.  OK not really – we’re motoring but we’re motoring near some windmills on PEI’s east coast, which are most impressive.

After this brief bit of sight seeing which also gives us the chance to see some sea lions, we arrive at thedesignated fishing spot where Captain Jeff turns off the motor and gives a quick demonstration of how to operate the fishing rod and reel and how to catch a fish.  To everyone’s amazement this actually ended with him catching several mackerel on his first reel in! Claps and cheers from the landlubbers and we’re off trying to outdo him.

We went fishing and camping as kids but let’s be clear – we’re not really outdoors people. Given the chance I choose glamping over camping. My European parents rightly thought that their children should not miss out on these Canadian experiences but this sometimes meant pitching a tent in the wooded area a few feet from our house. Not exactly adventure extreme conditions. But we found it to be quite the adventure all the same. I believe I did catch a fish as a child and there is definitely a  picture of my youngest sister with a fish she caught that appears to be twice her size.  So we are not without skills. I'm feeling confident.

The most interesting thing about this trip was what I learned about certain members of my family when caught in a primal hunter/gatherer moment. Screams from a few you might not expect and deftly exhibited skill from others came as a great surprise. Ya think you know people.

We do not cast our lines like we did when I was a kid fishing off a dock into rivers and lakes, but we simply drop them over the side and let it sink to the bottom before reeling it up while at the same time lifting the rod up and down smoothly to attract the fish. Within two minutes I am embroiled in a strange triangle with my youngest sister and her boyfriend, our lines are seemingly inextricably entangled. Captain Jeff to the rescue and we are free. So far I suck at this.

The others are catching fish left and right and our bucket of mackerel is growing. But I’m getting nothing.

And then this happens.  A cheeky seabird thought it was a great idea to wait until he saw the mackerel coming up on the line before diving down to get it. Brilliant! Or not so brilliant perhaps. Now I have a bird on the end of my line. Or do I? The line snaps and the bird is now floating a few yards from the boat but with its wings tied up on its back in a sort of reverse Namaste position (for the yogis among you).

At this point, I really have to commend the actions of the captain and crew who quickly gave the order of ‘Rods up’ and had us haul in our lines so they could get to the bird and rescue it. Catching it in a net they deftly untangled the bird and promptly set it free causing very little trauma to the animal who seemed rather un-phased by the experience shaking it off as the cost of doing business. I imagine that fishermen see this thing all the time but suffice it to say there were a few landlubbers on board who may have been scarred for life.

Beside this bird, and one mackerel which was deemed to small to keep, so far I have not caught anything. But near the end of the trip, I feel a great tug on my line and with a little effort swiftly reel in my catch. I’m told it’s the biggest of the day. Clearly I’m a quality, not quantity person.

So before we knew it, our 3 hours were up and we were back at North Lake Harbour. All in all, a brilliant day out and Captain Jeff and his crew made the day fun and relaxed while teaching us a thing or two as well.  The crew cleaned and filleted our mackerel right on board making it easy for us to take away.

But for me the highlight of the fishing trip came a day later when for appetizers at the wedding banquet, we were served small pieces of our mackerel, lightly breaded and pan fried.  There’s something pretty special about knowing where that fish came from and how it came to be where it was.

MacNeill's Tuna Fishing Charters

North Lake Harbour, PEI

Contact: Captain Jeff MacNeill

Tel: 902 - 357- 2858

http://www.peitunacharters.com/

Will there be lobster?

When we found out we were going to Prince Edward Island for my sister’s wedding all thoughts turned to the obvious. Lobster.  Yes, lobster and how to enjoy and take advantage (in every way we could), of something, that on the Pacific Coast is very much a luxury. Of course the ubiquitous lobster roll is available at almost every restaurant you may stop in (including Subway and McDonald’s - yes you guessed it  - McLobster). Less known perhaps are the lobster potato chips - strangely delicious - although perhaps not that lobstery? Not sure if lobstery is really a word but heck, it should be! Aside from these, we had three lobster dinner experiences in our travels through Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Bluenose II Restaurant, Halifax

Bluenose II is a chain of family restaurants that reminds me of my childhood. Salad with thousand island dressing anyone? Homey and comfortable, this is a very casual dining establishment and for the most part seemed to be filled with Haligonians. (Isn't that a great word? - so much more grand that Vancouverites or Londoners.)

The lobster supper ran at $23.95 (market price) for a 1.5 lb lobster and includes salad, with choice of dressing – if you grew up in the 80s you’ll remember the choices -  and choice of potato. An ample meal to say the least and on the surface would appear to be quite the deal.

Of course they supply you with bibs and the usual lobster paraphernalia, but beware. A man at the next table asked where we from.  “Vancouver,” we proudly replied. “I knew it!” he exclaimed. When I asked him, “How?”, he proclaimed frankly, “Easy -  you put the bibs on.”  Harsh!  OK, so first faux pas, apparently.  How were we to know?

As far as the lobster was concerned, I’m sad to say, I think it may have died in vain.  I found it to be more overcooked than I would like.  And no, I’m not just bitter about slights against my lobster fashion sense. Despite the texture, the flavour, was very good.  The accompaniments, especially the greek roasted potatoes, were very tasty - full of hearty flavour.  The staff was friendly and helpful in a very genuine way.

Dockside Lobster at Richard's Seafood

We didn’t go looking for this one but after a bike ride through the Prince Edward Island National Park,  near Stanhope, we found ourselves at Richard’s Seafood which consists of a dockside eatery where you can eat in, as well as a fishing shack where you can buy fish, oysters, clams and lobster to take out.

We started out with some oysters.

How could we refuse Malpeques at $1 each and $3 to shuck? The fellow helping us packed the oysters carefully in ice in a compostable take-away container and was quick with offers of tabasco.

With those going down quite nicely, we found it equally hard to pass on the $9.99 per lb lobster. An extra $0.75 if you want it cooked .  We got two cooked between four of us and plunked ourselves down right outside on a picnic table to eat it up.

In my opinion, this is the best way to eat lobster and of all our experiences, this was the best atmosphere. To be able to buy right from the fisherman and partake of the bounty right then and there was really something.  And you can skip all that anxiety of getting messy in a restaurant.

New Glasgow Lobster Suppers

One of the main planned events of the my sister's wedding weekend festivities was  a traditional PEI Lobster Supper on the day after the wedding.

After a glorious day on Cavendish Beach we made the short drive to New Glasgow.  There must have been 200 cars in the parking lot of the New Glasgow Lobster Suppers Restaurant. My first thought - "that’s a lot of lobster!"  True enough. Our waitress shared that they cook between 500-600 lobsters an evening. The restaurant's online video boasts that their tanks can accommodate 20,ooo lbs of lobster at any one time.

The process is fairly simple, harkening back to the church supper tradition of these meals. You buy a ticket at the door for the desired poundage. A 1lb lobster is $34.95 but for the larger appetites (and wallets) a 4lb’er goes for $65.95. (Prices are market dependent of course).

After taking our  seats, the server brought unlimited mussels and chowder as well as an appetizer salad.  Iceberg lettuce and pale tomato. Pass. The mussels were completely unadorned – just steamed and tasting of the sea. I mean that in a good way.

I chose the 1lb lobster, which was perhaps in hindsight, a bit small, but it was perfectly cooked. I definitely wanted more.

The ticket price includes dessert. Old-fashioned favourites like chocolate ice cream, lemon meringue and blueberry pie are the stars of the show.

New Glasgow Suppers are a true experience - one of those 'has to be done' things. It was perfect for a big group like ours and it provides a pretty safe atmosphere to try it out if there are any lobster virgins among you.

But my favourite experience was the dockside lobster at Richard's - That atmosphere would be hard to beat in a 5 star restaurant. I'll know for next time to head first to the docks, seek out the locals and skip the bib.

New Glasgow Lobster Suppers

#604 Route 258

New Glasgow, Prince Edward Island

http://www.peilobstersuppers.com

Richard's Seafood

9 Covehead Wharf,

Stanhope, Prince Edward Island

http://www.richardsfreshseafood.com

Bluenose II Restaurant

1825 Hollis Street

Halifax, Nova Scotia

http://www.bluenoseii.ca/

Madly in love in North Rustico

By my second day in Prince Edward Island I was pretty much in love. The rolling hills, the white-painted churches, the tidy barns, the fields of wildflowers; They had me at hello. But when I arrived in North Rustico, I was head over heels.

Fresh mussels overlooking the water. Oysters straight from Raspberry Point. The young couple beside us teaching their small children the finer points of how to eat a lobster. It was really too much. The sunset.  My nearest and dearest right there with me. Yep, I was a goner.

The Blue Mussel Café was a bit of a find. Let me tell you, travelling with 4 others, 3 of whom are blood relatives, does not an easy restaurant selection process make.  Allow an extra 30 -45 minutes to walk around eliminating those we do not care for. But everyone was happy when we found this place.

The setting is lovely. Casual and welcoming, the restaurant overlooks the water and the evening sun warms the patio. First rule broken. In my experience waterfront setting = bad food. OK perhaps that is somewhat harsh, but more than once, a beautiful location and a severe case of goldfish memory  has conned me into spending too much money on something quite mediocre.

The menu features lots of Atlantic staples: chowder, mussels, oysters, halibut, haddock. I chose the fish cakes, served with crackers and a sort of mustard pickle. Not fancy but deliciously comforting. And exactly what I was after.

Portions were ample but we did leave room for dessert and these were wonderful. We devoured them too quickly leaving this paparazzo no chance to capture them on film.

We shared two desserts between 5 of us (pre-wedding diet in effect). They were a chocolate pecan tart with a caramel filling which was to die for and a blueberry bread pudding with a custard sauce that was like something someone's grandma made. No seriously a real grandma, not just a made up marketing one.

But the highlight of the night was the sunset. More beautiful every minute. We sat there hoping to hang on to it.

The Blue Mussel Café

312 Harbourview Drive,

North Rustico Harbour, PEI

http://www.bluemusselcafe.com/index.htm

Got a tall ship that needs fixing?

As the first British Colonial settlement in Nova Scotia, outside Halifax, Lunenberg dates back to 1753. If like many Canadian children, you ate the odd fish finger or two, you may be interested to know that this is also where Captain Highliner hangs out.

The brightly painted buildings, many of which date back to 1700s and 1800s, and the beautiful natural setting make Lunenberg a picturesque town, whose original plan and architecture has changed little in 250 years.

Lunenberg has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on its natural and cultural significance. Apparently it's also a good place to get your tall ship fixed. More on that later.

We arrived in the late afternoon, we spent some time exploring before grabbing a bottle of wine and having a pre-dinner drink on our balcony overlooking the harbour. (Compared to Halifax, we found Lunenberg to be fairly sleepy).  That said, along the waterfront, there is so much colour and texture. Many working shipbuilders make their homes here.

The bright colours were perfect agains the grey sky which had descended for just a few hours.

The next day it was up early for breakie which was hard to find before 9am. My brother and I ended up in Fulton's General Store which is one of those fabulous places that all medium sized towns have where you can buy a pair of underwear, a wedding present or a cold remedy all under one roof.  They had delicious coffee and bacon cheddar muffins individually wrapped in cling film with hand written tags.  We later met my dad at the Dockside Restaurant and had some more coffee while he had a traditional fry up which looked, and by all reports was fantastic, and later would receive the best breakfast of the trip award.

Those who know me well and have travelled with me before know that I have been afflicted with what I like to call the  almighty curse of the scaffolding. Where I go, it goes. Yep, if there's something worth seeing, chances are it's under construction. London, New York, Madrid - I've had the pleasure of viewing Big Ben, The New York Public Library and the stunning Plaza de Correos, under scaffolding. And so it was in Lunenberg, UNESCO World Heritage site and home of the Bluenose II (aka the #1 thing to see here, racing ship, fishing vessel and Canadian icon) and yes, you guessed  - it's currently being rebuilt.  So after breakfast we donned our hard hats and visited it in a massive covered shed.

It was still fairly interesting to see and it seems a massive undertaking with the hull being completely rebuilt. I’m told she will be ready for sail again in spring of 2012 so one day I hope to see her in her full glory. Until then, anyone who wants to keep tabs on the restoration can do so via live webcam. Interesting they've got quite a bit done since I was there.

This was our last day in Nova Scotia so after our tour of Bluenose II we hit the road for beautiful, sunny PEI.