Dessert By Candy

Belated Grain Salad

Cooking out of season seems like such an antiquated notion now that we’re bombarded everyday with local! seasonal! eating! When the market is full to the bream with fresh strawberries picked just yesterday, does it even make sense to fill my basket with the last of winter storage apples? As someone who bookmarks more recipes than I can cook, I get frustrated that often it takes a whole year before interesting recipes on screen turn into intriguing dishes on my dinner table. Obviously there are plenty of dishes that are seasonally-neutral. However, the turnaround time can be just as long (if not more) because there are always more urgent things to make before ingredients go out of season.

I bookmarked Amanda Hesser’s Radish Pecan Grain Salad at food52 five months ago in the dead of winter. The ground was blanketed with snow and it seemed summer would never arrive. The minute I laid eyes on that lively mix of assorted grains, paper-thin radishes, toasty pecans, fresh herbs, and sweet dried fruit in a sherry walnut vinaigrette, I wanted to rush to the kitchen. I could almost taste the pop of the grains in my mouth. Somehow, that 10 yard dash to the kitchen never happened as I got distracted by cute things, pretty things, kitschy things, traditional things, and of course ridiculously delicious things. Before I knew it, the grain salad was relegated to the very back of my mind with no clear estimate date of completion.

The ingredients for this salad are thankfully neutral to seasonal changes with most being pantry staples. In a recent round up of 4th Of July Festivities, the photo that captured my attention five months ago reappeared in front of me. The salad looked just as enticing as before and I decided it’s time for action. Of course, it also helped that every ingredient happened to be available in my house at 3am. This insomniac would have her grain salad at last.

Danish Influence

I enjoyed many delicious Danish food during my recent vacation so it’s only natural that I want to recreate some of those travel taste memories at home. One of the most accessible dishes is smørrebrød, a visually appealing open-face sandwich on buttered rye bread. I love cocktail sandwiches because of the variety. A different flavour for every bite is pretty hard to resist for anyone with a short attention span. Making smørrebrød in bite-size servings seem like the perfect way to bring a little piece of Denmark right here at home.

I made a platter of smørrebrød in four different flavours as a post-workout meal for two. Thinly sliced pumpernickel bread was cut into quarters and buttered. Although all these miniature bites look labour intensive, they were in fact a breeze to make with readily available ingredients from a well-stocked fridge. Garnish may not seem important but it definitely elevates the food from best-enjoy-over-a-sink-when-you’re-alone to handsome-enough-to-impress-company. Many of the tips and tricks I learned from years of reading Martha Stewart magazine came into play. The key is to create visual interest with contrasting colour and shapes while keeping the taste simple with complementing or contrasting components.

Late To The Party: Rumtopf 2011

To point out the obvious, food trends come and go. Traditional food that have been around for decades, or even centuries, can come to the forefront of attention given enough traction in the media. Last year, I learned of rumtopf first from canning/preserving bloggers, then from food writers in mainstream publications. The idea of preserving fruit in sugar and rum over the course of growing season was nothing more than a curiosity the first time I read it. However, as I followed regular updates of other bloggers’ rumtopf and reading about it in New York Times, my desire to tackle this project grew.

Unfortunately, rumtopf does require a bit of planning and commitment. I missed out on the opportunity last year. By the time my interest swelled to such a level that I was ready to buy the requisite large preserving jars, the growing season was more than halfway over. I already missed out on most of the berries and stone fruit! I filed the recipes away in the back of my mind and my attention turned to jams, jellies, and marmalades.

Reinterpret A Classic

If my interpretation of Dorie Greenspan’s Mozzarella, Tomato and Strawberry Salad is an audition for American Idol, the judges would probably say I did not make it my own. Greenspan’s pairing of tomato and strawberry is quite original yet her nod to the classic insalata caprese keeps this elegant appetizer close to familiar territory. Now that is someone who stamps her signature on dishes. As for me? I just followed her recipe with very minor adjustment and plated it a little differently for a more restaurant-style presentation. Judges, I have to agree. As much as I hit all the right notes, I did not make it my own.

Slices of buffalo mozzarella are topped with fresh grape tomatoes and local Ontario strawberries. I dressed them with a drizzle of the finest olive oil I have and a few delicate slivers of mint. They are served with a tiny salad of microgreens dressed in balsamic vinaigrette. This salad is all about attention to detail. Its simplicity means the quality of ingredient is paramount. Every component on the dish was chosen with utmost care and cut to perfection, down to the artfully arranged lettuce leaves.

Moroccan Bean & Lentil Salad

Summer is bean salad season at my house. I love to have a selection of ready-to-eat salads in the fridge for snack or quick meal and bean salad holds up nicely for a couple of days. When the weather gets hot, any shortcuts to avoid heating up the kitchen is a plus in my books! Rancho Gordo beans are staple in my pantry. With their wonderful selection of heirloom beans, it’s hard to pick a favourite. However, as far as versatility goes, cannellini beans make their way to my order every time. They are the ones I automatically reach for when I want soup, salad, or stew.

I ran out of dinner ideas a couple of days ago. This doesn’t happen often but I was in between my weekly vegetable share from my CSA and running low on fresh ingredients. I soaked half a pound of cannellini beans before I went to bed and figured I would make something with these substantial beans. The next day, a recipe from 101 Cookbooks captured my attention. The Curried Bean Salad mixes together beans with black beluga lentils in an assertive vinaigrette made with curry powder, garlic, and ginger. I could almost taste the bright flavours in my mouth. Alas, I did not have any good curry powder blend at the house. What I do have, though, is a tin of ras al hanout from Crousset that I absolutely adore. From there on, I started to think Moroccan. I rummaged through the kitchen for other signature ingredients of the region and came up with pomegranate molasses, a sweet lime, and some dried apricots. These ingredients would provide layers of sweet and tart flavour. The stalks of green onion begged to be useful so in they went along with slivers of red onion and diced celery. The salad was a bold combination of savoury, sweet, and tart. I could have continue on with toasted pistachio and chopped mint for garnish but I think it would be too busy.

This salad would be a great addition to potlucks or barbeque cookouts since it is vegan and do not wilt. In fact, I recommend that you make this ahead of time for the flavour to meld. On Labour Day weekend, I’ll be racing 24h Roller Montreal, a relay race in teams of 10 for 24 hours. Fuelling for such an intense race is no easy matter since we’ll all be busy skating as fast as we could or paying close attention to the competition when we’re resting. This salad would be a good option with its mix of complex carbohydrates and proteins.

It’s All About Canning Jars

Aside from food on a stick, food in a jar is one serving idea that always make me smile. Okay, make that a very big grin. I mean, it’s individual portion! It’s adorable! It’s portable! The cute factor means even ordinary food becomes special because it’s served in a jar. Not that there’s anything ordinary about these Rhubarb Big Crumb Coffee Cake I baked in wide-mouth Mason jars. The combination of tender sour cream butter cake and puckery ginger rhubarb filling all topped with boulder-size streusel is classic. This crowd pleaser is a nice twist on New York-style crumb cake.

Since my previous success with using Mason jars as baking vessel, I now look at recipes in a new light. “Can I serve it in a jar?” is a question I often wonder. Of course there are the predictable choices such as crème caramel, rice pudding, trifle, and parfait that lend themselves easily for a Mason jar interpretation. But what about things that are more typically served family-style? Messy dessert such as cobblers and crumbles can be made-over for a streamlined appearance. Besides, it’s a pity not to show off the vibrant colour of the fruit filling through the glass container. However, things get interesting when it comes to dessert that is unconventional to make in individual servings or does not fit well in a jar.

Better Bran Muffin, Better Indeed

Back-of-a-box recipe never really piques my curiosity. That can explain why I have never heard of making bran muffin from bran cereal until recently. Such a recipe appeared on The Best Of America’s Test Kitchen 2008 (available online to subscribers). As usual, the head note detailed how the author seek out superior result to the classic tried-and-true version. The whole concept of using processed food as a key ingredient of baking recipe fascinates and scares me at the same time. I learned to bake by making things from scratch. To me, “from scratch” is the reason d'être for home baking. What is the difference between run-of-the-mill commercial baked goods and homemade if all that I do is reheating premade ingredient A together with premade ingredient B? I embrace the metamorphosis of natural ingredients to something emerging from the oven with sweet aroma and even sweeter taste.

Of course there are exceptions. I have a weakness for Rice Krispy squares made with Rice Krispy and melted marshmallows. I’m also game for anything involving frozen phyllo or puff pastry. I am not above some kitchen convenience in the name of principle. Besides, the meticulous analysis from America’s Test Kitchen caught my attention. They tested the recipe using different types of bran cereal and concluded the best result is achieved using All Bran twigs, half grinded to powder, half left whole for texture. How can I not be fascinated knowing that the Test Kitchen eliminated other choices because some are lacking in flavour while others fail in texture?

Season Of Pink

I always have mental image of opalescent pink when I think of rhubarb. Only when I started hoarding buying rhubarb in earnest did I realize they come in ombre from pale green to deep magenta. What a beautiful plant. At the height of freshness, every stalk stands tall and proud. It’s nothing like the wilted sad specimen I often spot in grocery stores. Just another reason why I love getting produce from my CSA or local farmers’ market.

Rhubarb is not something I grew up with. In fact, I did not taste my first rhubarb until last year. Sure I read about them in cookbooks often and I know its tartness pairs well with strawberries. Beyond that, I knew that my godfather hated it from his student years in the UK (mushy! sour! fruit! from the school cafeteria!). Well, mushy cooked fruit just means compote and tartness in the right context can be really refreshing. I experimented with cobblers, chutneys, compote, and pudding cake last year and was delightfully surprised every time. This season, I’m ready to branch out to something a little less rustic and a little more refined. Aside from strawberries, what partners well with rhubarb? And what can we do about the mushy texture?

Fresh And Earthy

I’ve been craving legumes for well over two weeks. Since I shifted my diet to be less reliant on meat, beans and lentils make regular appearances at my dinner table. As much as I enjoy the food at Gerlev and Copenhagen, they were just a little too heavy on carbohydrates and animal protein. The choice of food certainly fit well with the increased training load on my body but I miss my vegetarian dishes.

On the first night I returned home, I quickly made myself a large bowl of French lentil salad. Every bite of the mineral and earthy taste of lentil dressed in walnut sherry vinaigrette reminded me how much I love these unassuming little pellets. A key trick of making lentils flavourful is to season them while they are still warm. While the French lentils were simmering, I made a simple vinaigrette using walnut oil, sherry vinegar, and maple mustard. As I returned the jars back to the fridge, I noticed a little container of rendered duck fat. Score! The duck fat added just enough meaty savoury taste to the lentils without being overwhelming. If you want to keep the dish vegetarian, it is entirely optional.

I would be happy to finish my warm lentil salad right then and there but it was a little one-dimensional. I let it cool to room temperature and put it away for the night with many ideas in my head. The next morning, I went to the grocery store and bought some ingredients to complete this salad. Green onions and tender spring radishes add crunch and freshness to the lentils. Also, some toasted hazelnuts echo the richness of walnut oil in the vinaigrette. The result is a very satisfying main course salad perfect for spring.

Slowly but surely, I’m adjusting back to the normal flow of everyday life. Vacation is fun and all but there is something to be said about the peaceful rhythm at home surrounded by all my creature comfort, including food that make me smile with every bite.

Like A Kid At A Candy Store

A highlight of my whirlwind tour of Copenhagen is a visit to Sømods Blocher, an old-fashioned candy workshop that makes hand-pulled hard candies in a rainbow of colours and flavours. I would not know where to find the place had I not been shown around town by the Brynaa family. Sømods Blocher has a retail store located on a major street but it is the workshop that you really ought to visit. It is here that visitors can watch as the confectioners made all the artisanal candies by hand.

The workshop is located at the end of a little alley off the main road. Upon entering the door, I felt like I was transported in time to a bygone decade. Behind the quaint glass counter, a couple of girls were busy weighing and filling glass jars with candies in shades of pale green and pink using a traditional scale with brass counter-weights. The atmosphere was filled with sweet aroma of sugar. There were two little wooden cabinets hung on the wall with glass front. Inside, you would find the whole array of flavours on the Sømods Blocher catalogue. Being Danish, liquorice obviously took a place of honour with over half dozen variations. Berries and citrus were also major players. But I was attracted by the more unusual flavours with their eye-catching colours. Pears? Rhubarb? Apricot? Pineapple? Cocoa? Honey? Oh my!

Behind the counter, visitors can stand at the gallery and watch the confectioners at work just beyond. We arrived in time to see them finished off pulling and stretching the warm sugar over a big hook on the wall. The bundle of sugar must be quite heavy. Combined with the heat, this is a task that ought to take years to master. It warmed my heart to see confectioners old and young working side by side. The art is being passed from one generation to the next.