Comfort Food

Three days ago I got the call that I had been waiting for. My sister, Lori, was having the beginning signs of labour and it was time for me to head down to Niagara for the blessed event. As she was opting for a homebirth, my big role was taking care of the food and drinks and basically accommodating her every whim. I packed my bag with a few clothes and some of the special necessities that I would need - sparkling wine, maple syrup, clotted cream, Raincoast crisps, cherries, chocolate-covered buttercrunch, etc...
Thursday night she opted for nachos. What is so gourmet about nachos, you are probably thinking. There was no mystery to them, but I did use pasture-fed beef from my local organic store (from the owner's own cows), old Balderson cheddar, field tomatoes from Essex county, green onions, and lettuce. She had the small bite-sized nacho chips which I spread on a baking sheet, covering this with a layer of each ingredient. Into the oven it went for about 10 minutes or so and then it was served with sour cream (full fat!). According to Lori, they were the "best nachos I have ever had". If the avocados would have been ripe, I would have made guacamole too, but no such luck.
The next morning, I was up early making coffee and currant scones. My mom cut up a big bowl of fresh Harrow peaches and I fried up some delicious breakfast sausages from the butcher shop down the street. Add clotted cream and my mom's fresh raspberry jelly to the scones and we had a breakfast that was fit for royalty. Lori's labour was mild enough that she could sit and eat and she would just stop every now and then while a contraction was happening.
For lunch I made a big pot of the Barefoot Contessa's Cheddar Corn Chowder. The pot was big enough that that there was still a litre left by Saturday night. People were able to just help themselves whenever they were ready to eat. I also made the Salmon dip and made sandwiches on toasted Ace Focaccia.
In the afternoon, I made two pans of the Eggplant Parmigiana. The sauce that Lori had in the fridge was homemade from her mother-in-law and it had meatballs and chunks of sausage in it. I spooned the sauce over the eggplant and also cut the meatballs and sausage thinly and spread that over the eggplant as well. Lori also had some fresh Parmesan so I grated that and spread that on each layer. Delicious!
By Saturday morning, I was beginning to wonder what else I should make so I checked with Lori and she requested banana muffins. They don't have their internet hooked up yet and I didn't have the Caribbean Desserts cookbook handy so I didn't make my favourite banana muffins. Instead, I made the Barefoot Contessa's banana muffins from her first book. It was the second time I have made them and both times I have not really been impressed. However, Lori was happy and that is all the matters. At lunch time things were starting to really heat up so it was pretty much every man for himself. I did have the foresight to marinate some chicken legs and thighs in the homemade BBQ sauce that I brought from home (Barefoot Contessa's recipe from first book).
At 1:20 pm, Hugh Ryland Elstone arrived and it was an incredible experience watching him be born. Both Lori & Hugh are doing well! But back to the food...
I had a bottle of sparkling Bellini on ice and I took some flutes upstairs and popped the cork. The Bellini was something I saw in the Food & Drink magazine from the LCBO. It was really good and in fact would have been lovely with our scone breakfast on Friday morning. I'll have to remember that for next time. Next thing I knew, my Dad was whipping up some fresh peach daiquiris for everyone. I think it is fair to say that we needed a drink!
Lori had requested BBQ chicken for her post-natal dinner. I got the coals going on the BBQ and started the mashed potatoes. Jake cooked the chicken, luckily, as I don't have the patience NOT to put the chicken right over the coals and burn the skin. Add fresh green beans and it was a wonderful dinner.
At this point, I packed up my two cookbooks that I brought - The Barefoot Contessa (original) and The Open-House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase - and headed home to my family, who, I would hazard a guess, hadn't eaten nearly so well while I was gone!

Stuffed Mushrooms for a Poker Party

I learned to play poker last year on the "girl's weekend" in Tofino, BC. I'll never forget learning how to play in the afternoon, thanks to Allison and then sitting down to our first real game after dinner. There were nine of us and most of us hadn't a clue about poker before that day. Shai came into the room wearing dark glasses and a head scarf, looking like a mysterious Indian princess at a casino in Monte Carlo. We took up playing and that first hand of Shai's was a true Royal Flush (the best hand possible in Poker)! Pictures of the cards were taken and phone calls made to husbands. I had no idea at the time that it was almost impossible to get that hand. We weren't sure if that was the biggest miracle of the weekend or if having three spring days in Tofino without rain was our real miracle!
I spoke to Shai last week and she mentioned that she was having the girls over for Poker on Saturday night and did I have any ideas for nibblies? As the girls bravely take up cards with her again, they deserve to be fed well, and I hope I am able to help!
The recipe for these stuffed mushrooms was taught to me in early high school by my friend Kristin's mom, Evie. I was at their home in Lake Orion, Michigan, visiting in the winter (their family cottage is three doors over from my parent' house and has been since we were three and two years of age) and her mom prepared these mushrooms for a little party they were having. The recipe was so good and so easy that I have made these mushrooms many, many times over the years. I remember making them for Mrs. Wurfel, who lived in our town at the time, when she asked me to help her out with some dinner parties. Every time I made the stuffed mushrooms they would be a hit. I guess those were my first catering jobs!

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese (light cream cheese is fine too) at room temperature
1/3 c. green onions, chopped (or shallots are great too)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. butter
salt & pepper
About 20 mushrooms or so, more if they are smaller
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush mushrooms off with paper towel and remove stems. Chop meaty part of stems very fine ( I usually use the half of the stem that came from inside the mushroom). Place mushroom caps in a baking dish or on a baking sheet.
2. Melt butter in saute pan and add the chopped mushroom bits, green onions and garlic. Saute until soft and then add the cream cheese. Mash the mixture together and add salt & pepper. Taste for seasoning. Remove from the heat and place teaspoonfuls of the mixture in each cap. Don't taste too often or you will have too many mushrooms and not enough filling (voice of experience!). Sprinkle with parmesan if you like and then pop into the oven for 20 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes if you can wait. Move to clean serving plate and Voila!

*I don't think Evie used the parmesan but I sometimes add it just for an extra kick. If there are leftovers, heat them up the next day for lunch and they are every bit as good.
*These are great for making up ahead of time and popping into the oven at the last minute.

Salmon Dip

This recipe originally came from "The New Cook Book" by Better Homes Gardens; the cover was a red and white check pattern. The recipe was actually called "Salmon Log" and you were instructed to shape the dip into a log and roll it in nuts or parsley or something like that. My Grandma McDonald used to make this often and I remember having many lunches at her house that were sandwiches made with this dip. I LOVED those sandwiches and to this day, if there is a special family occasion, Lori, my Mom, or I will whip this up.

This morning I was wondering what to make for lunch and I decided to make Salmon Dip. The kids helped me and they got to throw in their two cents on all of the different ingredients. The horseradish had them stumped because Gavin's first reaction (which inevitably was Ellen's first reaction!) was to wrinkle his nose but then I asked him if it made his mouth water and he said that he had to swallow because there was extra "water" in his mouth. The horseradish really did smell mouthwatering! After the dip was put together, I cut up carrots, cucumbers and put out a bowl of sesame bread sticks. We had a great lunch and the kids ate even more dip than I did.

We all know how good salmon is for us. I think of wild salmon being better than farmed salmon and canned salmon is actually wild salmon because the farmed salmon is too mushy to can. I always use the red salmon rather than the pink but that is just a personal preference because I like the darker colour and that is what my Grandma used.

Salmon Dip

1 can red salmon, with the bones and skin removed
1 8oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c. - 1/2 c. green onion, chives or regular onion, chopped
1 t. horseradish
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper

Mix all ingredients together and taste for seasoning. Serve with crackers (Triscuits were a family standard with this dip), crostinis, fresh baguette, veggies, etc. Tastes even better after it sits overnight.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Although the weather has been very hot & muggy here, I made eggplant parmigiana on Sunday for dinner and it was wonderful. It is meatless but still satisfying and it really feels like comfort food. Serve this with a green salad or some summer veggies. Tonight we had the leftovers and I boiled some fresh peaches & cream corn-on-the-cob and had a simple salad with olive oil & lemon juice.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Makes a 13x9 pan

Olive oil for frying
2 or 3 eggs
1/3 c. milk
1 c. flour
2 c. or so bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmigiana reggianno
2 regular eggplants
3 c. tomato sauce (fresh or large can of spaghetti sauce works fine)
1 ball of mozzarella (I think it is almost a pound)

1. Mix the flour with salt & pepper and place in a bowl that will be big enough to dip the eggplant slices. Mix the eggs and milk together in a similar sized bowl. Then mix the bread crumbs and parm together.
2. Wash and peel the egg plant, if you desire. I usually peel some skin and leave the rest (creating a striped eggplant). Slice lengthwise in 1 cm slices.
3. Heat some olive oil in large frying pan. While oil is heating up, start breading the eggplant. Dip eggplant piece in flour, then egg mixture, and then the bread crumbs. Make sure the olive oil is hot enough so that it doesn't soak into the eggplant as soon as you place it in the pan. Fry until crispy on each side and place on paper towel to drain any excess oil off.
4. Spread some tomato sauce on the bottom of the 13x9 pan. Place eggplant pieces on top of sauce. Spread some sauce on each slice of eggplant and then top with a thin slice of mozzarella. Continue this until all the eggplant is used up. Sprinkle the top with parm and bake uncovered for a 1/2 hour or so in 350 degree oven.

*This is my own rendition of this recipe so I am just estimating at the amounts. If you don't want left overs, I would suggest using only 1 large eggplant.
*I make my own breadcrumbs from my favourite everyday bread, Ace Bakery Foccacia. We eat the bread until it starts to get stale and then I run it through the food processor and pop the crumbs into the freezer. You wouldn't believe how handy those fresh bread crumbs are!
*I have made this recipe with zucchini instead of eggplant. It was really good too. The zucchini were more delicate and it is a great way to use up some of the extra ones from your garden. I don't have a garden yet, but when I do, look out!

Banana Muffins

I found this cookbook while on vacation with Shai on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Even back then I was addicted to buying cookbooks! I first tried these muffins soon after we returned from our holiday and I haven't found one that I like as well since. The cookbook is called "Caribbean Desserts" and was written by John DeMers. I have tried some of the other recipes in the book including Easter Buns, Pumpkin Pancakes and St. Kitts Coconut Pie, but nothing else has really stood out like these muffins. This can easily be turned into a cake; butter a 9x13 cake pan and proceed as normal. You will have to increase the baking time but maybe just an extra 10 minutes or so. There is nothing fancy about these muffins. They are just really good and everyone always likes them. I'm sure you will too!

Banana Muffins

2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. plus 1 T. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 ripe bananas (or 1 1/2 c. mashed)
1/4 c. milk
1/2 t. cinnamon (optional and I never put it in)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin pan (12 muffin spots). I use the large/jumbo muffin cups to avoid messy cleanup.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer set at medium speed, cream the butter with the 1 c. sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla.
3. In a small bowl combine the bananas with the milk. With the electric mixer on low speed, stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the banana mixture. Stir just until combined. Spoon into the buttered muffin cups. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar (and cinnamon mixed in if you are using it).
4. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes; serve warm. Makes 12 extra-large muffins.

*Joanne: Good luck with this recipe. You might want to bake the cake at 350 degrees if it is a bigger sized pan. I know you will love working with the Moussellline Buttercream from "The Cake Bible". The buttercream from the "On The Twenty Cookbook" is very similar and it makes a larger batch so you may want to use that for the big cake. I would make the batches well ahead and freeze them (well, I am too much of a procrastinator to do that, but you could!!!) and then you have that step out of the way. Don't forget to try a little banana liqueur. It will put the whole thing right over the top! Read all the tips and tricks from "The Cake Bible" for the buttercream. It will help you to clue in on something if it curdles or goes awry.

*I like to sprinkle coarse brown sugar (demerara sugar I think) on the tops of my muffins and scones. It adds a nice crunch to the tops.

Maple-Oatmeal Scones

The first time I made these scones, I was in a panic about not having enough baked goods to take to the market for my first Saturday. At the last minute, I threw together a batch of maple-oatmeal and cheddar-dill scones. I was shocked when they were the first things to sell out! Since then, I have made countless batches of scones and I really do blame them for my not wearing a bikini again this year. It's a sacrifice I am willing to make though!

Now let me tell you about my maple syrup man. "The Donald" as we affectionately call him lives in Toronto but is from St-Agathe-De-Lotbiniere, Quebec. His family has a sugar bush and The Donald brings back lots of it every time he visits. After trying these scones for the first time, he generously became my "sugar-daddy", sending cans of maple syrup my way every so often. The idea is that he keeps me in the syrup and I make him scones. Every so often, Alan will remind me that it has been a while and that if I don't make some scones, The Donald will cut me off! You wouldn't do that, would you Donald?

Maple-Oatmeal Scones

3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 T. baking powder
2 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1 lb. cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 c. cold buttermilk
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
4 extra large eggs, or enough eggs to make 1 cup, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with milk or water, for egg wash
Glaze:
1 1/4 c. icing sugar
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
1 t. pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. Blend the butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs and add quickly to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough might be sticky but that is a good thing.
4. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. You still should see little chunks of butter in the dough. Roll out the dough in a square that is about 1 inch thick. Cut the square into four quarters, then each quarter in half. Then cut each piece in half diagonally, ending up with 16 triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. To make the glaze, combine the icing sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes and drizzle each scone with about 1 T. of glaze. At this point you can sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top of each scone (but I usually forget about that part in my haste to test them!). The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.

*Scones can be cut out ahead of time and then stored in the refrigerator for a few days, and baked just before serving.
* I think the glaze keeps these scones from drying out too quickly and you can enjoy day-olds no problem. Just don't microwave them. On Saturday morning, we had day-olds and I was enjoying a rare morning of being brought tea and a scone in bed. As I was waiting for the scone to be delivered, I heard the microwave go off. I yelled downstairs, "You didn't put my scone in the microwave, did you?" A feeble "no" from Alan and he was stuck with his good intention of a warm scone! No wonder Alan feels that he can do no right in the kitchen...