EASTER CHOCOLATE

     I spent the last month keeping my eyes peeled for the organic chocolate easter bunnies I buy every year for the boys. They were nowhere to be found. I searched online. I had scouts looking in Montreal. I had a tip that a health food store in the city was selling dark chocolate bunnies, but when I showed up hoping they had the milk chocolate versions too I discovered that even the (wax crayon-like) dark chocolate ones were sold out. So in addition to being unable to find organic chocolate easter eggs for our egg hunt (as usual), this year I even had no bunnies.
     It was time to take matters into my own hands. I picked up a stack of organic milk chocolate bars, a fancy new egg shaped candy mould, and some fancy foil wrappers for the eggs. I made my own.

     It's really ever so simple. You melt the chocolate in a double boiler, pour into lightly greased moulds, freeze for a few minutes, then pop them out. 

      Making the eggs was simple too - I just heated a saucepan on the stove, held the flat end of an egg on it until it melted a bit and then pressed another egg onto it really hard until it stuck. I have to say I was pretty darn proud of myself.

     Since I've been on an experimental no dairy, no gluten diet I decided I needed a chocolate treat to celebrate the Spring Equinox too. 

     This here is the one of the BEST desserts ever. I kid you not. 

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Makes a 9" pie or tart pan

Crust:

1/2 cup organic unsalted roasted peanuts

6 Tbsp hemp seeds

3/4 cup coconut 

1/8 tsp sea salt

8 soft dates

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)

Method: Soak the dates for the caramel layer in hot water while you make the crust. Grease your tart pan or pie plate with coconut oil. Process just the peanuts into a coarse meal in the food processor. Add the hemp seeds, dates, 1/4 cup coconut and the salt and pulse until the dates are incorporated. Add the rest of the coconut, as well as the vanilla, maple syrup, and process until doughy. Press the dough into the pan.

Caramel Layer:

1 cup soft dated (about 11 - soaked in hot water for 15 minutes)

2 Tbsp organic unsweetened peanut butter

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup almond or coconut milk

pinch of sea salt

Method: Drain the soaked dates. Puree them in a blender or food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Spread onto the crust. Place in freezer for 15 minutes before adding the mousse.

Chocolate Mousse Layer:

1/2 cup full fat coconut milk 

2/3 cup dark or semi sweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsp peanut butter

2 Tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp vanilla

1/8 cup maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)

Method: Heat coconut milk until it is almost boiling. Pour into a bowl and whisk in the chocolate chips. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Pour onto the chilled caramel. Freeze until set and serve frozen.

WILDCRAFTING: Blueberries

I paid a visit to my favorite wild blueberry picking spot on my way into the city the other day and was very happy to discover that the time for picking is now.  I had fantasies of a quiet morning in solitude foraging for blueberries, but my plan was foiled.  My son was desperate to come along to "Blueberry Land", and so he did.  

He was really cute with his little bucket in hand as I heard the little "dip, dip" of his harvest hitting their mark.  The novelty of actually doing any picking lasted about 30 minutes, and then her transformed into the blueberry monster who ate every berry he came across.  At two and half hours he was ready for home, but I was frantic.  I couldn't stop tipping my bucket of berries over!  Picking little tiny blueberries off the ground is very tedious and disheartening work.  Alas, a good portion of my harvest has now become compost on the forest floor, but I did manage to salvage enough to make one, delicious, and I mean delicious, pie.  Note to self:  always use a container that has a wide base that won't tip over when picking blueberries.  My husband also informed me that I could always do it like his dad does - use a little sour cream container for the active picking, and when it gets full, dump it into a larger, lidded container.  Good idea.

Please note:  berry picking is not for the "instant gratification" type of individual.  It takes a long time to pick berries (and sometimes your bucket tips over).  Then you have to bring them home and clean them and remove all the leaves, dirt, and debris (especially if you had to pick them up off the ground after spilling them) which is kind of hard.  But I do have a quick cleaning tip - place berries in a bowl of water, swirl and strain.  Then pick up small handfuls of berries, pick out any large chunks of debris and then dump the handful of berries in a bowl.  Little bits of dirt and leaves will remain stuck to your hand, simply wipe off on a towel and repeat.

WILD BLUEBERRY PIE

1 double crust recipe for pastry dough

4 cups wild blueberries

4 Tbsp organic cornstarch

1/4 cup local maple syrup

1 tsp organic lemon juice

Method:  Preheat oven to 400*.  Place the berries in a large bowl.  Using a potato masher, squish 1/4 of the berries to release some juice.  Stir in the cornstarch, maple syrup and lemon juice.  Let rest while you prepare pie crust in pie plate.  Pour in filling, cover with other crust and then bake at 400* for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350* and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until crust browns slightly.

RUSTIC RHUBARB TARTS with Lemon Cream Cheese

So the Real Women of Philadelphia contest is long over, but I don't think I posted my recipe entry for Rustic Rhubarb Tarts.  I still have lots of rhubarb growing in my garden and I am guessing I am probably not the only one.  I apologize for the dorky videos I made demonstrating me making all kinds of stuff with Philly.  I am not really into Philadelphia cream cheese at all.  I never buy the stuff, and in fact don't recommend you do either.  I just really wanted to win $10 000.  Considering Anna Olsen was the judge, I figured my best bet was to go all conservative too.  So, if you like the recipes I submitted to the contest, do me a favour and substitute some nice organic cream cheese, or, when appropriate, creamy goat cheese (chevre).  That is what I actually use in my kitchen.  I am really looking forward to filming some great footage of "things we do around my place" in the near future.  I learned alot filming these little suckers, and can't wait to refine my skills in the fine art of video blogging..

RUSTIC RHUBARB TARTS

1 pound organic rhubarb

1/3 cup local maple syrup, or more to taste

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour

1/2 cup organic unbleached white flour

1/2 cup organic rolled oats

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup organic unsalted butter, chilled

3 oz organic cream cheese, chilled

1 organic egg yolk

2 tsp organic lemon zest

2 Tbsp local maple syrup

5 oz organic cream cheese, room temperature

Make the pastry dough: Place the flours, oats, and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to combine.  Add 1 egg yolk, 3 oz cold Cream Cheese, 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, and process until the dough comes together, about 15 seconds.  

Pour the dough out onto your counter and form it into 6 equal balls.  Flatten each disc with the palm of your hand and place them in a covered container in the refrigerator and chill while you make the other components of the recipe.  

Make the rhubarb compote: Chop the rhubarb into small pieces.  Place them in a medium sized saucepan with the maple syrup and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture thickens to a thin jam like consistency.  Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

 Make the cream cheese filling: Place the 5 oz of room temperature cream cheese in the bowl of your mixer along with the maple syrup and lemon zest; mix until light and creamy.  

Roll out the dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and place a ball onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper.  With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a small circle that is 1/4" thick.  Leaving a 1" border, spread 1/6th of the cream cheese onto the dough.  Place a couple of spoonfulls of the rhubarb compote on top of the cream cheese.  Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, using your hands to shape and seal it gently.  Repeat this with the other 5 balls of dough.  Place the tarts onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375* oven for 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Giving Thanks

This was my fifth time roasting a turkey and I decided to try brining.  A couple of years ago my friend Paul did this with his turkey and itwas by far the tastiest, moistest turkey I ever ate.  I decided to try using maple syrup instead of white sugar for my brine, and used up the last of the fresh sage from the garden along with some garlic and thyme.  The result was an excellent tasting turkey, but I think I slightly overcooked it.  All the guests who like white meat claimed it was very moist and didn't thing it was overcooked at all!  It was also a very dark turkey which I think was due in part to the honey in the brine.  Aside from forgetting to turn the oven on for the first hour of cooking, the feast was a great success!  My favorite part, as always was the stuffing.  It is the same recipe my mom made every Christmas and Thanksgiving and I will never tire of it. The pumpkin pie made with the freshly roasted pumpkins from the garden was AMAZING and I am mad at myself for having made tofu pumpkin pies for so many years.  The real deal traditional pies are great!

MAPLE BRINED TURKEY with Whole Wheat Savoury Stuffing

1- 16 pound pasture raised turkey
1 1/4 cups coarse sea salt
1.25 litres boiling water
150 ml local maple syrup
8 litres cold water
5 tsp organic whole peppercorns
20 bay leaves
4 organic apples, sliced
2 organic onions, sliced

bunch of organic thyme

bunch of organic sage

6 cloves organic garlic, peeled

1 carrot

2 organic celery stalks

Stuffing:

5 cups organic whole wheat bread, cubed

3 Tbsp organic poultry seasoning

1 organic onion, chopped

2 organic celery stalks, chopped

2 cups organic mushrooms, sliced

1/2 pack of organic bacon, sliced

1/4 cup each minced organic parsely, thyme, sage and marjoram

sea salt and pepper

organic butter

Gravy: 1 cup organic chicken stock or white wine

2/3 cup organic unbleached white flour

6 cups water

Method for Stuffing:

Preheat oven to 350*. Place cubed bread in a pan and toast lightly in the oven for about 15 mins.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon, onion, celery and mushrooms to pan.  Saute until the onion is soft and the bacon begins to brown, then add the seasoning and some salt and pepper.  Fry for about 2 minutes, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Add the herbs and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.

Method for Turkey:

Rinse turkey in cool water.  Combine the boiling water, salt, and maple syrup in a large heat proof bowl.  Stir until salt is dissolved.  Add the cold water, garlic, peppercorns, vegetables, and herbs in a large stainless steel stock pot and immerse turkey in the brine for at least 12 hours (I did ours for 18).  Then remove the turkey and pat dry, placing it in a stainless steel roasting pan, on a little rack.  Tuck the wings under the bird so they don't burn while you roast the turkey.

   

Stuff the neck part first, careful not to pack it in too tightly.  Using large toothpicks pin the flap of skin to to the turkey to keep the stuffing in.  Turn it over and stuff the back end (make sure the gizzards and neck are removed!), leaving a nice pile of the stuffing sticking out for picking on as the bird roasts.  Tie the legs together with cooking twine.  Rub the turkey with salted butter and sprinkle with some black pepper.  Place it on the rack and add the carrot, celery and onion to the bottom of the pan along with the neck and 2 cups of chicken stock.

     Preheat oven to 350* with rack in lowest position.  Tent the bird with foil to prevent  browning too quickly.  Roast 1 hour then baste it every 30 minutes with pan liqiuds until a thermometer reads 125*, about 3 hours.  Remove foil and continue to roast until thigh reaches 175*, about 45 minutes.  Tent it again if it browns too quickly.  Transfer turkey to platter to rest while you make gravy.

Gravy: Place the pan on the stove across 2 burners.  Bring pan liquids to a boil over a high heat. Cook stirring until liquid has mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Keep cooking, stirring until the vegetables have browned, about 5  minutes.  Add the stock or wine, cook, stirring constantly until syrupy, 1-2 mins.  Add the flour, cook stirring until flour is incorporated and browned, about 2 minutes. Slowely add 6 cups of water; bring to a simmer, stirring, about 5 minutes.  Continue cooking until gravy reaches the consistency you like.  Pour gravy through a mesh sieve into a saucepan, discarding solids.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Keep warm. 

After turkey has rested about 20 minutes, remove the stuffing and carve.

MAPLE PUMPKIN PIE

1 whole wheat pastry crust, unbaked

1 1/3 cups cooked organic pumpkin puree

3/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup organic cream

1/2 cup organic whole milk

1 tsp organic cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh grated organic nutmeg

1/8 tsp organic grated ginger

3 organic eggs

1 Tbsp organic unbleached white flour

1 tsp sea salt

Method: Preheat oven to 350*.  Blend all ingredients together.  Pour into pie shell and bake for about 45-60 minutes.  Let cool before serving.

Pastry, Two Ways

Part of the challenge of living "in the country" is that we have limited access to food supplies. There is an Atlantic Superstore in Porter's Lake which is 10 minutes away, and they do offer some organic foods, but no organic meat.  So when we run out, we make do with what we have until I make my weekly trip into Halifax to restock.  That is why we place bulk orders with local organic farmers for beef, lamb and chicken.  We are in the process of organizing one of these orders at the moment, so until then, we buy in small quantities.  Today was one of those days where the only thing I could think of to make with what we had on hand was quiche. Which led to me making whole wheat pastry, tripling the recipe so I could make a pie too.

PASTRY DOUGH

1 3/4 cup organic unbleached pastry flour

1 cup organic whole wheat or spelt flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

90 g (6 Tbsp) chilled organic unsalted butter

120 g (8 Tbsp) organic palm oil

8 Tbsp (120 ml) ice water

     Combine the flours and salt in a bowl.  Cut in the butter and palm oil until it resembles coarse meal.  Sprinkle in the ice water and mix until the dough holds together.  Form into two balls and place in a covered dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

     Lightly flour your counter surface and then pat the dough out and flatten about 6".

     Roll out the dough to a size slightly larger than your pie plate.  Press the dough lightly into the plate.  Trim any excess dough, leaving just enough to slightly tuck under once we assemble the pie.  

    ** If you are using this pastry for a recipe that only requires a bottom crust, divide recipe in half and fold the overhanging pastry inwards, leaving a double crust along the side and a rounded edge on top.

QUICHE with Broccoli, Mushroom, Zucchini and Swiss 

1 cup chopped organic broccoli

1/2 cup organic mushroom, sliced

1/2 cup organic zucchini, sliced

1/2 cup organic onion, chopped

5 organic eggs

1/3 cup organic whole milk

1 cup organic Swiss cheese, grated

1 tbsp olive oil or organic butter

sea salt and pepper

1 pastry dough, uncooked in a pie plate

Preheat oven to 350*.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the oil.   Saute onion, broccoli, zucchini and mushroom for about 5 minutes or until soft.  In a medium size bowl, whisk the eggs well until adding the milk and salt and pepper.

Fill the bottom of the pastry dough with the cheese.  Add the sauteed vegetable on top of the cheese.  Then pour in the egg mixture.  Bake in oven for about 45 minutes or until the egg has set and the quiche is lightly browned.

Prep time: Crust takes 10 minutes to make, 30 minutes to chill.  Filling takes 15 minutes to make.  

        

AUTUMN PEAR PIE with Crystallized Ginger

8 medium sized organic pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

3 Tbsp arrowroot powder

1/4 cup organic brown rice syrup

6 pieces crystallized ginger, diced

grated zest and juice of 1 organic lemon

double crust pastry

Method: Make the pastry and preheat oven to 325*.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon filling into pie shell.  Gently place remaining dough circle on top of filling.  Roll edge of top crust gently under bottom crust and press edges to seal.  Pierce top crust decoratively in several place to allow steam to escape.  Bake 45-60 minutes or until filling is bubbling and crust is beginning to brown.

Prep time: Crust takes 10 minutes to make, 30 minutes to chill.  Filling takes 5 minutes, assembly takes 5 minutes.

We needed a little salad to go with the quiche so I decided to use up some leftover quinoa we had in the fridge.  Scott warned there may be frost tonight, so I went into the garden to harvest all the red tomatoes, green pepper, green onions and cucumbers so they wouldn't die in the cold.

QUINOA SALAD

3 cups organic quinoa

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1/2 cup minced endive

1 green onion, sliced

1/4 parsley, minced

olive oil

umeboshi vinegar 

red wine vinegar

sea salt and pepper

Combine the vegetables and quinoa in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, vinegars, salt and pepper.