Ice Cream

I thought I was finished with strawberries, but it so happened that we went to Whittamore's Farm last week and picked some on our way out.  After putting them in the fridge, I forgot about them for a few days (not a good idea).  By the time I got around to remembering, they still tasted delicious, but didn't look too good.  Hmmm.  Anything garnish was out.  I really wanted to make something showstopping with them, but I couldn't bear using them in just a coulis.  Solution?  ICE CREAM!

I'm not going to lie.  Strawberry ice cream is probably my favourite, and this recipe is the best I've tasted so far.  I can't remember where I got it from, but I've changed the recipe several times, so I don't know if it matters anymore.  :o)   



Image from Anneke Schram



STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

(Makes about 1.5 L)

2 1/3 cups heavy cream (or 1 cup cream and 1 1/3 cups milk)

1/8 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups ripe strawberries, trimmed and quartered

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Combine cream and salt in heavy saucepan and bring just to boil.  Remove from heat.  Whisk eggs with 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking.  Pour mixture back into saucepan and heat over low, stirring constantly until slightly thickened (about 170 degrees F).  DO NOT LET BOIL.

Immediately pour custard through fine sieve into metal bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  Chill, covered, until cold, about 2 hours and up to 1 day.  While custard is chilling, place a rectangular metal cake pan in the freezer.  Mash strawberries with remaining 1/2 cup sugar and lemon juice using an immersion.  (If you don't want strawberryy chunks in your ice cream, puree in blender and strain through a sieve.)  Stir strawberry mixture into cooled custard. 

Pour mixture into the cake pan, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer.  Stir every 20-25 minutes until mixture has frozen into ice cream consistancy, about 4-5 hours.  Transfer to airtight container for storage.  Enjoy on a hot day!




Bread

I don't always have time to make bread.  It's a tricky business balancing life and breadmaking.  Call me unpractical and old fashioned but I love the smell and the taste of fresh baked bread warm from the oven.

And there's something very fulfilling about baking your own bread.  A sort of tribute to a time where every house was self-sufficient; a kingdom unto itself, if you will.  I may not be able to grow my own vegetable garden due to lack of a backyard, but by gosh, I can certainly make my own bread! 

Here is the recipe for a lovely bread - like a light french baguette.  Please forgive the lack of credit, but as this recipe was handed down to me from my mother, I do not know its actual origin.  :o(

CRUSTY WHITE BREAD

2 Tbsp yeast

2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup salad oil

6 - 6 1/2 cups white flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Stir in sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups flour.  Beat until smooth and add remaining flour.  Knead 8-10 minutes.  Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise 45 minutes.

Punch down.  Divide in half and roll into 18x9" rectanglee, or 4 longer rolls for baguettes.  Roll up short side and press to seal seam.  Place seam side down in greased loaf pan.  Brush top with salad oil, cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour). 

Bake for 35 minutes in oven at 400 degrees.  Loaves will sound hollow when tapped.  Remove and allow to cool until warm.  Remove bread from pan and cool completely on rack.  Enjoy warm with melted butter, homemade jam or melted cheese as desired. 

Garden Bounty



Image from Company's Coming



Today was cooking day.  It's hard to be cooking continuously everyday, especially when playdates and whole mornings outside take a huge time chunk out of the day.  So, some days are cooking days, and some days are leftover days.  Nothing terribly glamorous I'm afraid.  (Unlike my french counterparts, I do not have the luxury of preparing every daily meal from scratch.) 

I tried out a recipe from Company's Coming Slow Cooker cookbook.  I will say here that crockpots are amazing; surely a Godsend to any busy woman!  They have this recipe for a beef stew, which is out of this world fantastic!  I had to modify the recipe, which originally called for ground beef, but I was more than happy with the results.  (This is one of those times when  leftovers are really appealing.)

GARDEN BOUNTY BEEF

1/2 kg of beef (eye of round), cut into small chunks

2 zucchini, washed and chopped

2 medium tomatoes, washed and chopped

1 large onion, chopping

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup of frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1 can of condensed tomato soup

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

olive oil

1 tsp salt, to taste

1/2 tsp pepper

Heat olive oil in a skillet and fry beef until brown on outside.  Add all vegetables except peas, soup and beef to crockpot, or a large pot.  Add spices and salt and pepper.  Simmer on high for 3 hours, on low for 5 hours, or on the stove at low/medium heat for about 30-40 minutes.  (Beef will be very tender.)  Add peas, stir and cook for an additional 20 minutes in the crockpot on high, or 10 minutes on stove at medium heat.  Enjoy with noodles, rice or with a fresh baguette. 

Byzantine Iconography

Byzantine iconography is a little hobby of mine.  Ever since I studied it in high school art, I was hooked.  Don't get me wrong, I love to watercolour too, but this is definitely something deeper.  I lose myself when I paint, and nowhere more so than painting icons.  

This is the latest icon I've finished.  It's been done for a while, but I was cleaning up yesterday and I discovered it tucked away in a drawer.  It's a triptych (a 3 panel icon) of Christ flanked by Sts. Joachim and Anna.  It's really a perfect wedding gift since Joachim and Anna are viewed as the patrons or models of married couples.  While egg tempera is traditional for Byzantine icons, this was done in acrylic on wood.  The background is 23 ct gold and the boards are solid maple.

I recently found a fantastic Byzantine icon of Christ creating the world using a mathematical compass.  It's awesome!  I hope I can find some time soon to copy it.  (So exciting!)

Baby Food

J. started solids last month.  She doesn't particularly like any of the cereals as most of them end up on her bib.  Perhaps they're too bland for her "highly developed" palate?  She does however love mango, strawberries and sweet potatoes.  Go figure! 

These are a few "recipes" for baby food that both M. and J. found delicious enough to eat despite any picky phases they went through. 

SWEET POTATOES

2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces

1/4 tsp brown sugar

Place sweet potatoes in small saucepan.  Add enough water to cover.  Cook until potatoes are boiled and tender (about 7 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Place potatoes and liquid in a blender and add sugar.  Puree for several minutes until creamy and no lumps remain.  Add more cold water if needed to reach the right consistancy for your baby.  Freeze excess in ice cube trays.  Once frozen, place in airtight container in the freezer.  Remove as needed.  Stores well for at least 4 months. 

APPLESQUASH

2-3 Macintosh apples, peeled and diced

1 squash

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp brown sugar (optional)

Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and place on a pan with flesh side up.  Add about an inch of water to the pan.  Place diced apples on the squash where the seeds were.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar.  Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup of water over the apples and cover the pan with tinfoil.  Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes until flesh is soft.  Scoop squash flesh and apples out of the shell and puree until smooth, adding more water if necessary.  Freeze excess as described above.

SWEET PEAS

1 cup fresh or frozen sweet peas

1/4 cup chicken or beef broth (homemade is best or a no sodium broth)

Cook peas in broth instead of water.  Pour both into blender and puree until smooth.  If desired, strain through large sieve to remove any skins from the peas.  Freeze excess as described above.

We were lucky to have gone pea-picking at the farm last week, which means J. gets fresh sugar-snap peas for now.  She doesn't seem to mind this.  What I love most about peas is that they also have iron in them, so for babies who aren't too crazy about cereal, this recipe delivers a healthy dose of iron.  :o)

Summer Strawberries

If I was to find another word to replace "summer", it would be "strawberries".  Those small, succulent little candies of nature are so perfect for summer days.  They go well in salads, they go well in baked goodies.  Such a universal berry, and so sweet when picked fresh off the vine!



Image taken from Roger Doiron at Mother Earth News

While browsing around a few days ago, I came across this recipe, which has become one of my favourite treats to serve in the summer.  It is served at the Fairmount Chateau Laurier in Ottawa and there's a huge difference in flavour when fresh local strawberries are used.)  Think of it like a delectable strawberry shortcake with maple scones standing in for the shortcake.



Image taken from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts at Delish



STRAWBERRY EXPLOSION MAPLE SCONES

Maple Scones

2 1/2 cups flour

1/8 cup sugar

1/8 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 tablespoon(s) powder

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine the dry ingredients into a bowl. Cut in butter until butter is pea-sized. Add in maple syrup, egg and milk. Blend until it is emulsified.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is about 1 inch thick.  Using a round 4-inch cookie cutter, cut scones. Makes approximately 12 scones. Score and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow them to cool.  

Place one scone in the center of your plate.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the strawberry coulis on the scone.  Arrange some of the marinated strawberries on the scone and top that with a healthy dollop of Chantilly cream.  Place a second scone on the top, sprinkle lightly with confectioners sugar and garnish with a mint sprig.  Drizzle some additional strawberry coulis for color and flavor.

Marinated Strawberries & Cream Filling

16 in season strawberries, quartered

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons ice wine

1 cup cold whipping cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Mix strawberries, sugar, and ice wine together and allow to marinate for 10 minutes. Reserve.  In a large stainless steel bowl, add cream and begin to whip it with an electric mixer or using a balloon whisk. As soon as the cream starts to thicken, add vanilla and sugar. Continue to whip until it forms soft peaks similar to that of a soft-serve ice cream cone. Reserve.

Strawberry Coulis

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1 splash lemon juice

Mint sprigs, for garnish

Blend strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice together in a household blender and strain through a strainer. Reserve.