Dessert By Candy

Double Take, Triple Take

I’ve been running around like a headless chicken lately. Demanding workload and a hectic personal life do not leave me with much time to write. Luckily, I still manage to squeeze in time to bake. Baking is therapeutic to me. At times like this, I turn my attention to familiar territories. I rein in my adventurous side in the kitchen and reach for tried-and-true favourites.

Which recipes made the cut?

One At The Table

As much as I value efficiency, sometimes the satisfaction of using up last bits of ingredients outweighs everything else. My fridge looks mostly empty now save for a lot of condiments thanks partly to a single comforting bowl of French onion soup. Soup is often made-ahead and in large batches. No wonder. You’re doing the same amount of work, it takes the same amount of time, so why not make many bowls instead of just one?

I had my reasons. Three reasons, in fact.

1. A bowl of diluted beef broth I used previously to cook couscous
2. A half-emptied pastry bag filled with garlic and herb Boursin
3. An opened bottle of white wine

I don’t know how I came to the conclusion of French onion soup but it just seemed so obvious and inevitable. It was chilly and wet on Saturday. The kind of weather that made me want soup…with a cheesy carb-y lid. So I rolled up my sleeves, shushed my desire for efficiency, and started cooking.

From Fridge And Pantry To Dinner

With an upcoming trip to Sydney, Australia, I am on a quest to clear my house of perishables once more. That seems to be a recurring theme here, isn’t it? I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having well-stocked essentials. Spices, grains, and condiments helped me transform a bunch of odds and ends into nourishing dinner.

Even without the motivation of being away from my kitchen, I like the idea of clearing the fridge on a regular basis. The practice encourages me to waste less food and ensuring my fridge is clean. It bothers me to even think about having rotting produce lurking in some dark corners of the fridge. If you need any more convincing, the fridge runs more efficiently too if cold air can circulate freely.

Enough with the preaching! What did I find in the fridge last night?

Cranberry Sauce No More

My quest to clear the fridge of Thanksgiving leftover continued. Following the success of Turkey Cobbler, my confidence soared. As much as I love my cranberry sauce (“it’s just an excuse to eat jam for dinner!”), having two jars in the fridge annoyed my sensibility. Surely there are different ways to enjoy the condiment? Face it, with a standard recipe yield of over two cups, chances are good that you will have leftover after a turkey feast.

Even though I generously slathered cranberry sauce all over my plate of turkey, I had almost two cups of leftover. The sauce was a great mix of sweet and tart with notes of ruby port, orange, cinnamon, and cardamom. I could use it as topping for morning toast or even cheesecake. But I wanted to play so I tried to incorporate it into two dessert recipes.

Hint: one turned out much better than the other.

Turkey Cobbler with Parsley Sage Biscuits

There is satisfaction in repurposing leftover to something amazing. Not necessarily more amazing than its first incarnation, but amazing nonetheless. The celebration of abundance naturally comes with plenty of leftovers. Obviously the classic turkey stuffing gravy sandwich is hard to beat. When all else fails, there is always the dependable turkey tetrazzini too. But I wanted something different.

To me, leftover isn’t just the extra food we did not finish from the feast. There is also that odd cup of turkey stock, the few stalks of celery hanging around, the handful of baby carrots that could not fit onto the crudité platter, the last sips of white wine, and bunches of herbs with only a few leaves plucked for the meal. I made this Turkey Cobbler with Parsley Sage Biscuits for the very specific purpose of clearing my fridge.

Once the cobbler came out of the oven, I guarantee you would not even think about the word leftover. The smooth white sauce draped and hugged every chunky bite of turkey and vegetable. The buttery herb biscuits were delicious on their own but absolutely irresistible when soaked with the turkey filling. It was comfort food appropriate for the colder days.

Mistaken Identity

I bought a small container of late season yellow plums at the market the other day. The vendor called them Yellow Damsons and warned me that their tartness is best tamed by cooking with sugar. Plum is one of the easiest fruit to deal with in jam making with its abundance of pectin. I bought a bunch without even a second thought.

My quest for the elusive damson plums has been handsomely rewarded this year. Both batches of jam have the deep flavour reminiscent of prune and wine. Of course the hassle of extracting the stones from my food mill was not exactly enjoyable but then the hard work is all behind me now. When I looked at my fresh basket of round little yellow plums, I was not looking forward to the work.

Before I rolled up my sleeves, I examined my bounty a little more closely. Each plum looked like an oversize cherry. The skin was smooth and taunt. I cut one in half and was surprised by the semi-clingstone. True damsons are clingstones. The plum was tart as expected but the flavour was vibrant. Since my container was rather small, I decided to stone the plums by hand.

A Party For Thirty

I had the option to sit back and enjoy a party but I chose not to. When my skating club’s end of season party was announced, I toyed with the idea of catering the event. Before I even came up with a solid plan, I bounced my proposal to the club president and was enthusiastically accepted. “Proposal” is probably more formal than what I actually said. The conversation went something like this:

Candy: Hey are we serving dinner at the party?

Prez: Yeah.

Candy: Want me to cook? What’s your budget? How many people?

Prez: Sure! About 30 people. What number do you have in mind?

Candy: How does $10 per person sound?

Prez: Deal.

That was back in early September and I had been dragging my feet with planning of any sort since. It was only a week before the party when I finally got my act together and came up with a rough draft of the menu. Why so much procrastination?

In this day and age of hyper awareness about food allergies, intolerances, and preferences, a menu with something for everyone in such a diverse group is not trivial. Let’s start with main course. Vegetarian option is a must. Although budget friendly, pork is not a good choice for religious reasons. Same can be said for beef although this did not apply to my target. That left me with inoffensive poultry. Dark meat such as boneless chicken thigh is my first choice since it doesn’t dry out easily and can withstand the rigors of reheating. Next challenge is dishes with low or no gluten. I respect the dietary preferences for many of my friends. Although my kitchen cannot accommodate those with gluten allergies (risk of cross contamination), I don’t want those on low gluten diet to feel deprived of choices. It was a juggling act to balance my budget without resorting to too many carb-laden recipes. Oh and did I mention the large contingency of teenagers? That means the menu ought to be nothing too exotic.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving supper is one of those meals so loaded with traditions that introducing new recipes is highly risky. It greatly appeals to me that this North American holiday is embraced by people of different ethnicities and religions. The traditions are passed down and evolved from generations of family celebration. For better or for worse, my family has never been big on Thanksgiving since we *only* immigrated to Canada in the late 80’s. What it means is that I have free rein to create our own family tradition. In last decade, all the Thanksgiving dinners I hosted felt a bit like rehearsals. I was finding my way to define My Family Tradition.

This year, I was undecided about hosting a Thanksgiving dinner because of a previous catering engagement in the same weekend. The logistics of storing so much food in the fridge was enough to make my head spin. A marathon cooking long weekend did not seem particularly enticing especially when skating and hiking were also on the agenda. But the thought of continuing a fledging tradition convinced me otherwise. As I quickly planned my menu, I realized I too have a trove of much loved family recipes to draw from. A decade of trial and error does amount to something.

Thanksgiving Supper

Slow Cooker Braised Turkey Breast

Turkey Gravy

Spiced Port Cranberry Sauce

Herbs & Ginger Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts

Chestnut Mushroom Sausage Stuffing 

Ginger Not-Pumpkin Pie with Graham Crust

Rhythm or Lack Thereof

I am feeling a little frazzled lately. Between training, work, cooking, and blogging, my daily life typically follows a very predictable arc. Monday my legs are tired from weekend training or racing. Tuesday I bake. Wednesday is market day. Thursday means Whole Foods. Friday is date night. Saturday alternates between spa day and sleeping in. Sunday is good for long training sessions followed by brunch with skaters. I was not joking when I call myself a creature of habit.

Since returning home from New York City, I lack motivation to cook. Cooking a batch of fresh cranberry beans felt more like pulling teeth. I only made my favourite slow cooker beef stew because I could not resist a sale for chuck steak. I baked a pan of the fluffiest and softest rye dinner roll to accompany the stew after triple-checking the recipe’s promise of quick hands-on time. All the winter squashes are still sitting patiently in the cold room because I cannot rouse myself to roast any of them.

So what was I thinking when I committed to catering my skating club’s end of season party this Friday?! Dinner for 30 people at a location 45 minutes away from my house! On a weeknight! Preferences for low carb or gluten free dishes! And a range of different tastes! Some less adventurous than others! What did I get myself into???!!!

Eyes Bigger Than Stomach

Like many of my food loving/obsessed friends, I plan my travels with highly food-centric agendas. A long weekend spent in New York City was the equivalent of pastrami on rye, black and white cookie, and cheesecake for iconic classics. Threw  in a handful of favourite purveyors including BKLYN Larder, Chelsea Market, and Smorgasburg for souvenir shopping. Added a few key destinations like Eleven Madison Park, Sakagura, Shake Shack, and Dominique Ansel Bakery for proper sit-down meals. I was surprised M and I still managed to squeeze in a 100k race and sightseeing at The High Line, Times Square, DUMBO, Soho, Lower East Side, Bryant Park, and Staten Island Ferry.

Good thing we walked everywhere to burn off all those calories.