Bacon Maple Popcorn

One of the easiest, creative and simplest appetizer is popcorn. However you can really change the perceptions of plain popcorn by this recipe.

In a pan, place

2 tablespoons smoked bacon fat

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Bring to a boil. Whisk. Cool for 5 minutes. Pour over 4, 6 or 8 cups popped corn. Toss well.  Sprinkle with Himalayan salt. The fewer cups of popped corn used,  the greater  intensity of flavor. I used 8 cups of popcorn. The flavor was subtle, slightly sweet but not cloying because the bacon fat cut the sweet of the syrup. The bacon flavor in turn was muted. Overall the flavor was nicely balanced and very different from the usual buttered and salted popcorn. Great for entertaining.

Eggs Poached in Tomatoe and Fennel Sauce or Eggs in Purgatory

Brunch can be a very creative meal and not just dominated with the usual menu of pancakes or waffles. This recipe was in the September 2015 Canadian Living magazine.  It is one of those dishes that just catches your eyes as you flip through a magazine.    I have made it with more than 4 eggs, sprinkled it with cheese and will explore trying to make it with a base of celery root rather than fennel.  I do like the fennel because it adds another interesting flavour.

2 tsp oil

2 green onions, sliced. Separate green and white parts

1 bulb of fennel, finely chopped

1/2 cup water

2 cups of Blue Menu vegetarian tomatoe sauce

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

4 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat, add fennel and water. Cook till soft and water has evaporated. Note - you could just use water and skip the oil. Add white parts of the onion and cook till fragrant, about one minute.

Stir tomatoe sauce, vinegar and sugar together  and pour over the fennel. Make four indents and place an egg in each indent. Partially cover and simmer until the eggs are cooked. Sprinkle with green onion tops.  Grind pepper and salt on top. Place the entire pan on the table so the guests can see the contrasts of red, white and green. Serve with toast.

Chili Canned Carrots

It was one of those restaurants in the center of the city that was more bar than meals. So we each had a glass of wine and appetizers. One of the most unusual appetizers were the pickled chili carrots. It was a wonderful combination - tart pickle with the right bit of kick. The red wine and pickles were holding hands in our mouths.

 The only draw back to most pickles is the high salt content. I recall reading about a person with heart disease who was admitted to Emergency because he had eaten a dill pickle. There is a great deal of salt in just one pickle.

I wanted low salt pickles and did even better. I found a recipe with no salt and  modified it - the final product was delicious and a rival to the pickled carrots we had in the restaurant.

Pickled Carrots

Peel one pound of carrots. Cut into three inch sticks to fit into a small glass jar. The sticks should be uniform and about one third of an inch wide. Boil the  sticks for 10 minutes.  Drain.The carrots should be firm but not mushy.

Make the brine by bringing to a boil: 3/4 cup vinegar, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes.

Pack the carrots into hot sterilized jars. Pour the brine on top. Seal. Process for 15 minutes. Cool. Tighten the lids once more. Label. Share.
These are ideal Christmas presents.

Polish Dill Pickel Soup

One of my colleagues at work shared this recipe with me because she had heard I liked to cook. Thank goodness she did! This soup is a winner. I had three people over for lunch. Since I did not know what their reaction would be, I served them small portions and then placed the soup bowl in the middle of the table for them to help themselves to more soup if they liked it. And like it they did. Garnish each bowl with a large dollop of plain yogurt and fresh finely snipped dill. One of the guests said it tasted just like dill potato chips.

6 cups  chicken stock  I used Better than Bouillon but home made would be best

4 large dill pickles to equal one cup, shredded

1/2 cup dill pickle juice

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes

2 tablespoons  flour

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons soft butter

Garnish: chopped fresh dill, yogurt, salt and pepper


In a large saucepan  combine stock, pickles, pickle liquid  and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered, over low heat until potatoes start to get soft. Combine flour and milk, add to broth, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Combine egg and butter and stir into broth. Return pot to the stove and heat through without boiling. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with yogurt and fresh snipped dill.

The original recipe said that it serves 10 but for my luncheon, it was more like 6.

Muffins

I have this amazing apple tree in my back yard. It yields large juicy eating apples and of course I also use them for pies, apple sauce and muffins. This year, 2012, the production is over the top. When a recipe calls for apples, I always add more than than the amount recorded. Here is a very healthy muffin recipe that I created.

 1/4 cup oil,
1/2 cup apple sauce,
 1/2 cup liquid honey,
 3 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla,
 2 cups whole wheat flour,
1 teaspoon baking powder,
 1 teaspoon baking soda,
 4 cups diced apples (not peeled).

 Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk. Sift together the dry ingredients. Mix the wet and dry. Stir in the apples. Drop into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. The muffins will mound nicely. After they were baked, I glazed them with a bit of honey and a few chopped walnuts.

I love large muffins and these are large, moist and apple y!

Pancotta

Driving from Saskatoon to Edmonton on a hot dry summer day, I stopped at my friend's home for lunch. She served a lime pancotta that was divine - cool, refreshing, a little tart and just right. We were sitting on her dark turquoise painted deck and a mountain ash tree is part of the deck. Aside from giving us shade it is the best deck decoration I have ever seen. The lime pancotta recipe she used came from Whitewater Cooks and of course I scribbled it down and all the tweaks she had made. Eventually I gave up not being able to read my scratches on the tiny sticki note I found at the bottom of my knap sack, knowing that I would be able to google the dessert. For the rest of the summer I experimented with this desert. I added lime and other times orange or lemon, some times orange and lime (I liked the green and orange contrast). I tried substituting half and half for the whipping cream and when people would ask for the recipe, I had a hard time remembering which version I used. So here is a version that is basic, conservative and the ultimate in texture and taste. The night before measure 2 cups of plain yogurt into a cheese cloth lined strainer. In the morning warm 1/4 cup whipping cream, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 2/3 cup white sugar. Sprinkle 2 tsp of gelatin over this mixture and allow to dissolve. Whisk in 2 1/4 cups of whipping cream and the 2 cups of drained yogurt. Pour into a clear glass bowl and allow to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, sprinkle with grated lemon peel. Watch the faces of those eating the dessert. They will slow down and will try to extend the pleasure of the experience.