So maybe the title sounds a bit like a kid's story book ("My First Tooth"? I never read those...) but you could have given me a quarter and I couldn't have been any more excited than I already was. Figs are in season now! Not here, I know, but in California and in Greece. So … [Read more...] about My First Jam: Figs!
Archives for September 2010
This Is What I Apparently Can’t Get Myself To Save My Life…
We're going to play a little game... Do you know what these are? Most people reading this have probably never seen them before. I bought them for the first time in Vancouver at a market and as they were rock hard and inedible, I let them ripen for a few days. They started … [Read more...] about This Is What I Apparently Can’t Get Myself To Save My Life…
Another Ridiculous Cake: Almond Angel Food Cake With Amaretto Cinnamon Figs and Honey Amaretto Cream
It was my friend's birthday and she made a joke that someone should make her a cake. I never joke about cake. So I needed to find a recipe for a cake that was large, but traveled well. So layers were out, and icing would be tricky. I've always thought of angel food cake as … [Read more...] about Another Ridiculous Cake: Almond Angel Food Cake With Amaretto Cinnamon Figs and Honey Amaretto Cream
Herbes Salées and Roasted Potatoes
Salted herbs: take some herbs and add salt. Or buy a small container of minced herbs preserved in salt. I found a nice bottle at an organic place I like and decided to give it a test drive. Seems to wasteful, I know, but there had to be something special about it. See, there are … [Read more...] about Herbes Salées and Roasted Potatoes
I Pickled! Daikon Radish Threads and Easy Red Chilies
I feel like I'm one step closer to grandmother-hood. No, there is no man involved, or God forbid, children, but there is canning. I made my first canned things and if they don't get all mouldy in the next few weeks I'll feel an even great sense of accomplishment. So after an … [Read more...] about I Pickled! Daikon Radish Threads and Easy Red Chilies
How Do You Mess Up A Lemon-Butter Sauce?
There are really only two primary ingredients in a lemon-butter sauce. You'd think I could do it properly... Mais non, with me, the easy things become hard and the "any idiot can do it" things become disasters. I bought fish at St. Lawrence Market in Toronto at 4pm. That means … [Read more...] about How Do You Mess Up A Lemon-Butter Sauce?
Sticking Things In Cans (Well, jars, really…but it wasn’t such a “jarring” experience)
Today I learned to can. I'm a very strange girl in her 20's who obsesses about things such as canning. I've been trying to find someone to show me the wonders of this jar-art all summer. Well, I understand already how wonderful it is, so maybe more the intricacies of canning was … [Read more...] about Sticking Things In Cans (Well, jars, really…but it wasn’t such a “jarring” experience)
A Newfoundlanders’ Shot of Chartreuse Verte
I did not make this. In fact, this is probably a heavily-guarded secret recipe. Chartreuse Verte is delicious (whatever it's made of) if you like strong liquor. It’s mildly sweet, a little herbal, and very alcoholic. It’s also translucent green. To me, these are all very good … [Read more...] about A Newfoundlanders’ Shot of Chartreuse Verte
Wild Blueberry Sauce, Or Jam, Or Pie Filling
I bought “jam” blueberries from Jean-Talon market. They were the cheapest wild blueberries I’ve seen in the city - $7 for about as many cups. None of this crazy $35 a basket business. I come from Newfoundland where you go out and pick your own gosh-darn blueberries. You maybe buy … [Read more...] about Wild Blueberry Sauce, Or Jam, Or Pie Filling
The Other Way I Hurt My Back: Japanese Food!
After the Matsuri Japanese Festival in the Old Port of Montreal where I played big drums and made takoyaki squid balls with other like-minded people, all the volunteers were invited to the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre for an appreciation BBQ. There were hotdogs, yes, but … [Read more...] about The Other Way I Hurt My Back: Japanese Food!