you scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream

In most kitchens, there is a graveyard. A dusty cupboard of appliances, items with grand promises of health and ease, convenience and culinary assistance. What are they really? A waste of space. A panini press? You can do it with two frying pans and a brick. A waffle maker? Just make pancakes. A slap chop? Learn how to use a knife.

However, I'll admit it. A trivial, luxurious, non-essential appliance has won my heart. It's frosty and cold, and it's a workhorse. It churns out the best gelato, frozen yogurt, sherbet and ice cream I can dream of, flavoured with dark chocolate, just-picked berries, or coconut milk. I bought an ice cream maker, and I just can't stop using it. I'm an addict.

This blog post should really be labelled 'how to make friends with ice cream.' Here's the first few weeks of ice cream adventures:

#1: Inaugural use, full of excitement. Picked a frozen yogurt recipe from Green Kitchen Stories: Strawberry Rhubarb Fro-Yo. Result? Amazing healthy dessert, made with all-local ingredients (full fat yogurt, honey, organic strawberries and home-picked rhubarb).

#2: Decided to be less health conscious, so I turned to an expert for a Chocolate Sorbet. David Lebovitz has a cookbook entitled The Perfect Scoop, which has every ice cream recipe you could possibly imagine. I melted two dark chocolate bars and waited eagerly. I was not disappointed.

#3 Cashew Ice Cream with Roasted Strawberries. A vegan creation with a cashew base. Interesting, but needs some work. Those roasted strawberries though - unbelievable.

#4: Roasted Banana and Coconut Ice Cream. Becoming more confident, and I decide to make my own recipe. One can of coconut milk, two oven-roasted bananas, three spoonfuls of sugar. Genius!

#5: Out in the country, picking wild berries, so Wild Black Raspberry Sherbet was a no-brainer. My friend Katy's property is covered with wild berries right now. Countless mosquito bites and thorn scratches are a small price to pay for a bucket of berries. This recipe is based on a David Lebovitz recipe for raspberry sherbet, but go crazy with any berry!

Wild Black Raspberry Sherbet
You can find black raspberries at the market right now, but if you can't get them (or you don't have a property covered in wild raspberry bushes), substitute raspberries, strawberries or cherries!

1 lb black raspberries
1 cup sugar
juice from 1 lemon
2 cups soy milk, almond milk or cow's milk

Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Push through a fine mesh sieve, and discard seeds (or skins or pips, depending on which berry you're using). Finish in your ice cream maker.

The final word? This appliance was worth every penny. You're welcome, Kitchen Aid. I may have just sold a few more ice cream makers for you.

strawberry fields forever: summer strawberry cake

Strawberries. Rhubarb. Something dessert-like.

How to decide? I turned to the internet for some spring dessert inspiration, looking for a simple recipe for a pint of strawberries and bunch of rhubarb, waiting patiently in the fridge. I searched through some reliable blogs, and instead of turning up one recipe, I'm faced with a difficult choice: there are 20 tabs open on my browser, each one a promising and tantalizing dessert. Impossible!

In the end, I chose a strawberry summer cake, from smitten kitchen - a recipe I ment to make last year, but stumbled across after strawberries were long gone. What better way to celebrate the beginning of strawberry season? I made a few minor changes to her recipe: I added rhubarb and substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose. It's a delicious, simple cake. The strawberries melt into pockets of jam, the cake is fluffy and light, despite the whole wheat flour. Next time, I might add in some citrus zest or a vanilla bean.

As noted in her recipe, use a deep 9-inch pie plate, or a 10-inch pie plate. It seems like the batter would fit in a smaller dish, but it rises a lot. Like, overflowing batter in the bottom of my oven. Which smells delicious when it first happens, then turns into a awful burning smell next time you use the oven. So don't use a 8x11 pan, like I did.


summer strawberry cake
adapted very slightly from this recipe on smitten kitchen.

6 tbsp (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature + extra for greasing pie plate
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 lb strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 lb rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 10-inch or 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy. Add in egg, milk and vanilla, and stir until just combined. Mix in flour mixture, stirring until smooth.

Pour into prepared pie plate. Cover batter with strawberries, cut side down, in a single layer. Scatter rhubarb pieces around strawberries. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp sugar.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350, then reduce temperature to 325 and bake another 50-60 minutes, until centre of the cake is set, and a tester comes out clean.

Done! Delicious with whip cream, yogurt, or vanilla ice cream.

Here's my shortlist of recipes that didn't make the cut for tonight. I''ll report back, since I still plan on working my way through them.

Strawberries and Cream Biscuits - Smitten Kitchen
(like a strawberry shortcake with the strawberries baked right into the dough.)

Rustic Rhubarb Tarts - Smitten Kitchen
(little rhubarb galettes with a cornmeal + corn flour crust.)

Rhubarb Cordial - Food 52
(a pretty pink colour, a tart taste, the only drawback is the month-long wait.)

Rhubarb Chutney - Food in Jars via Food 52
(small batch, easy as pie, delicious on grilled cheese or tossed with garlicy greens.)

Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries - Food 52
(inspired by 101 Cookbooks, roasted strawberries are out of this world.)

Strawberry Brown Butter Betties - Smitten Kitchen
(a crust made out of bread, brown butter, jammy strawberries, what could be bad?)

Rhubarb with Earl Grey, Cardamom and Orange - Food 52
(what a grown-up, intriguing combo of flavours, can't wait to try!)

Strawberry Cupcakes with a Brown Sugar Buttercream Icing - Not Without Salt
(a cupcake batter with pureed strawberries? sounds amazing.)

Rhubarb Snacking Cake - Smitten Kitchen
(is it a buckle, a streusel or a bar? it can't decide, but it's filled with rhubarb.)

Strawberry Shortcakes - Food 52
(a classic recipe from a classic man - James Beard - with a bonus secret ingredient.)

boozy concoctions part II: strawberry-rhubarb gin

The summer drink extravaganza continues! If you start it right now, it'll be ready in time for the next long weekend. What are you waiting for?

strawberry-rhubarb gin

If you want to be fancy, call this a cordial, since it does have added sugar. But if you're going to call if a cordial, you must drink it in an old fashioned crystal glass, while sitting in the shade with a fan. 

2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced rhubarb
1 750ml. bottle gin
1 cup sugar


Combine everything in a clean quart jar (you might not need all the gin - congrats, make a cocktail to celebrate). Leave in a cool, dark place for a month or two, shaking every week or two to help dissolve the sugar. Strain out and discard solids, and store in a clean jar at room temperature. Use as you would gin, in any kind of cocktail or martini, but remember there's added sugar, so cut back on other sweet ingredients. 

coconut tapioca (again) with strawberry preserves

It seems wrong, but so right. Opening a jar of strawberries in the middle of windy November, the best taste of summer, perfectly preserved. In July, I bought a flat of strawberries, and made four kinds of strawberries preserves, all from Canning for a New Generation: Strawberry butter, Strawberry-Mint Syrup, Low Sugar (all fruit) Strawberry Jam and (the best of the bunch) Whole Strawberries in Syrup.

I've been trying to save them until the middle of February, when I will drown my winter blues with jars of summer fruit. However, I found myself with (yet another) batch of tapioca pudding, and I knew the only topping better than caramelized bananas (see this post), would be those dreamy, unbelievable strawberries.

Now I've made you jealous, because you don't have these perfect strawberries in your fridge. Sorry. Use a scoop of your favourite jam instead, or if you have some frozen berries, cook them down with some honey.

This tapioca recipe is from the back of the Bob's Red Mill package - a traditional English-style tapioca pudding. If you're looking for a more Asian style pudding, or a vegan version, try one of these posts.

Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Strawberry Preserves

1/3 cup small pearl tapioca
3/4 cup water
2 1/4 cup coconut milk (you can use one whole can and top it up with another type of milk)
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Strawberry preserves, or other cooked fruit or jam.

Soak tapioca in water for 30 minutes. Add milk, salt, and egg yolks and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn down to low heat. Simmer, stirring often for 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form. Fold a few spoonfuls of hot tapioca into the egg whites, then fold the whole mixture back into the tapioca. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring often. Let cool for 15 minutes, then add in vanilla. Serve warm or cold, with fruit on top.

(I've been sorting through my cupboards, making sure all my jars are labeled, and trying to use up old ones from last year. So many delicious preserves - vanilla peaches, rhubarb orange jam, caramelized onions, plums in honey syrup, dilly beans and so much more!)

strawberry basil popsicles

Here's a recipe I made for The Stop's Market Cafe this morning. Strawberries and basil? Don't be skeptical, it's a great combination, just like watermelon & mint or apples & rosemary. Throw them in a blender, and into the freezer they go, with a little help from some brown sugar simple syrup. When you freeze things, the sweetness mellows out, which is why frozen desserts usually have a bit more sugar than you might think they need.

Gourmet popsicles are all the rage right now. Join the fad! Get yourself a popsicle mold set at a dollar store, and get creative! Use some of these recipes for ideas, or just pour in some fruit juice or leftover smoothie. Also, here's an awesome article about paletas, Mexican popsicles, from epicurious.

strawberry basil popsicles
2 pints of strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine the strawberries and basil in a blender, and puree. In a small pot, bring water and sugar to a boil, turn off the heat, and stir until the sugar has disolved. Let your simple syrup cool for a few minutes, then add to strawberry puree and blend well. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4 hours. To remove popsicles, run the mold under hot water for 30 seconds.

You can also use paper cups for popsicle molds - fill cups and freeze. Take them out of the freezer after an hour, and poke in some popsicle sticks. Return to freezer until completely frozen.

(Get up early tomorrow morning, and head to Wychwood Barns - look at what delights await you!)

Local eating, figs for spring

         I'm a local eater in a big way. Two weeks ago I bought my first strawberries since last summer, and truly, absense does make the heart grow fonder. And the fruits of waiting are very sweet.

            Once in awhile, I just have to eat something from far away. I've spent the last few years sorting out my own personal food choices - and food choices are just that -incredible personal (and political). There's a few things I'm not willing to give up, for example, bananas and chocolate. But for foods like these, it's possible to be fair and environmental. Fair trade, organic bananas are available at quite a few places in Toronto. It's a step up from organic, where farmers are free from harmful pesticides, but are still only paid around a dollar per box. Fair trade means the farmers are getting fair market prices: around 8 dollars a box. The difference to us? Actually the same price as organic bananas, around $1.29 a pound. That's where the personal choice comes in. Am I in a position to spend 40 cents more than commercial bananas to ensure what I'm eating is not harming farmers, and that those farmers are getting enough money to reasonably make a living? Chocolate? Same deal. Cocoa Camino is my favorite organic fair trade brand, but there's a bunch out there.

           So here's something I eat a few times a year. Figs have a unique taste. And, along with bananas, they were one of the first plants to be cutivated for human consumption, around 11,000 years ago. Here's a fig salad, surrounded by some local ingredients.

Strawberry Fig Salad
makes 2 servings

8 figs, sliced crosswise across the top (see picture)
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup goat cheese

1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces
2 tbsp grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
salt and pepper

         Combine strawberries and figs in a bowl. Crumble goat cheese and walnuts over top. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad.

          This is what I ate with the salad. I had all the fixings for an awesome pizza, but I have yet to tackle gluten-free pizza dough. Instead, I made a big giant rosti (recipe here) and then broiled it for a few minutes, covered in sliced tomatoes, basil leaves, kamalata olives and raw milk feta. It was delicious.

Rhubarb four ways

I have a confession: I have never bought, cooked, grown or eaten rhubarb (I'm not counting bad, store-bought strawberry rhubarb pie). But I'm trying something new. Inspired by all these posts about rhubarb (at Seasonal Ontario Food and Tea and Cookies), I spent the week cooking these four recipes:

Rhubarb Compote

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 lb rhubarb (about 10 to 12 thin, long stalks)

1 tbsp butter (or coconut oil)

Cut rhubarb into small cubes. Toss with sugar. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low. Add rhubarb. Let cook for 2 minutes without stirring, then cook for 10-12 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Possible experiments: today I stuck with plain old white sugar, but I'm going to try going all local with honey or maple syrup next time... not sure how the maple would taste with the rhubarb, but it can't be bad! I'm sure the rhubarb would overpower. I'm also going to try a vegan version using coconut oil instead of butter. And finally, I'm going to try using less sweetener. This one was delicious, but I would love it to taste even more tart.

Enjoyed on: vanilla ice cream, custard, yogurt, pancakes, potato rosti, toast and on spoon, straight from the jar.

Variation - Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
 

Exactly the same as above, just add some halved strawberries after the rhubarb has cooked for 5 minutes. You might want to add less sugar - the strawberries get mighty sweet when cooked. This compote is a lot runnier than the straight rhubarb - great for waffles, pancakes or ice cream!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

*Note - This is a new crumble recipe for me - it's gluten free! I'm a big fan of crumbles with oats in the topping, but the almonds in this recipe make an awesome, crunchy crisp. This makes a rather tart crumble (according to my mom and boyfriend- I thought it was just right). Increase the sugar if you want a sweeter taste. Serve with delicious real, local, organic whipped cream!

1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 blanched almond flour (usually in the fridge in health food stores - like the big carrot)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cold butter (coconut oil or vegan margarine for a vegan version)
dash of salt
2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
4 cups rhubarb, diced
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice

Spread sliced almonds on a baking sheet (I used whole almonds and chopped them roughly). Toast in oven at 350 for 8 minutes. Throw almonds, almond flour, brown sugar and salt in food processor and grind into a fine meal. Transfer to a bowl, and cut in cold butter, making a chunky, cornmeal-like mixture. Set aside. Leave oven on at 350 for later.

Combine strawberries and rhubarb in a bowl. Toss with sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle lemon juice over fruit.

Grease a 9 by 9 in. baking dish. Spread fruit in bottom, then sprinkle crumble topping evenly over fruit. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until fruit is thoroughly cooked and topping is browned.

Rhubarb Applesauce

*Note- use 2 or 3 types of apples if you can. This makes any applesauce taste better. Also, if you're using organic apples, leave them unpeeled (if you don't mind a few bits of skin - and if you're using some sort of red apple, it will turn the sauce a pretty red colour).

5 or 6 apples, cored and chopped
5 or 6 stalks of rhubarb, diced
2-3 tbsp maple syrup

Combine apples and rhubarb in a pot with a few splashed of water. Cook on medium/low heat, stirring and smushing occasionally, until everything is soft and mushy to your liking (anywhere from 20-40 minutes). Stir in maple syrup to taste.

Along with the rhubarb, here's my finds from the market this week: cabbage, cornbread, bok choy, a cucumber. apples and delicious kalamata olives. Mmmmm. 

In 4 months, this vine will be bursting with New England Pie pumpkins... I'm already thinking of the delicious things I'm going to bake.