[ tart frozen yogurt ]
[ blueberries and nectarines ]
You will need:
– 750 g plain yogurt
– 1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar (to taste)
– a few drops of pure vanilla extract (optional, to taste)
This recipe makes 4 (generous) portions.
Combine the ingredients in the bowl of an ice cream maker. Churn for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the yogurt reaches the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Serve immediately with fresh fruit.
Enjoy!
[ a tasty rhubarb upside down cake using this recipe from Foodland Ontario ]
[ blue cornmeal tortillas – recipe here]
I’ve never made tortillas or used blue cornmeal before, so this was a fun experiment. I would recommend using a lot of flour to form and roll out the tortillas as the dough is extremely sticky! I also found it easiest to form each tortilla right before it was cooked. The blue cornmeal is from Bob’s Red Mill – they feature a few recipes on their site that include it and also suggest that it can be used as a substitute for the yellow variety. The colour is pretty cool – I can’t wait to cook with it again.
[ fillings: shrimp and guacamole – recipe here ]
[ dark ‘n’ stormy – recipe here ]
OK – so this is somewhere between a light and dark ‘n’ stormy on account of the rum I had on hand. It was delicious with the tacos nonetheless!
Scones are the perfect for when you want something sweet, fast. Better still, you probably have everything you need to make them in your kitchen already! Today, I decided to make a teatime classic – currant scones served with whipped cream and strawberry jam. I used this recipe for Savoy Scones from Martha Stewart.
Modifications and tips:
– I prefer to use buttermilk in scones for flavour.
– Be sure to soak the currants in freshly boiled water before adding them to the dough. This will plump them up nicely – I promise this extra step is worth it.
– Use a pastry cutter to combine the dry ingredients and the butter so that it doesn’t get warm from contact with your hands. Mix the buttermilk and currants in with a spoon and then use your hands knead the dough and form it. Don’t push down on it too hard as you flatten the dough out with a rolling pin either – basically, the less direct contact you have with this dough, the better!
– Right before you put them in the oven sprinkle the scones with a touch of granulated sugar.
Serve:
– Traditionally, scones are served with clotted or Devonshire cream – definitely not staples in my fridge. Instead, I prepared some soft whipped cream with a bit of sugar and vanilla extract to taste.
– As far as I’m concerned, tea is the only way to go with currant scones – Earl Grey, specifically.
To make these doughnuts, I adapted this recipe from Sur La Table by adding the following to the batter:
– 1 teaspoon lemon zest
– 1 teaspoon chopped culinary lavender
Hint: fill a zipper bag with the batter and then cut off one of the corners – this makes it much easier to fill the doughnut pans!
Then I made a simple glaze using:
– 3/4 cup icing sugar
– the juice of one lemon, strained (give or take a bit – add this to the sugar gradually so that the glaze is thick and opaque)
Dip the doughnuts in the glaze and sprinkle with lemon zest and culinary lavender… Enjoy!
[ Cuban sandwiches served with coleslaw and kettle cooked potato chips ]
Hot and humid summer weekends are all about late, leisurely dinners outside. Inspired by repeated requests for mojitos, Cuban sandwiches seemed like the perfect choice. For a cool treat to end the night, I prepared a Watermelon Lemonade Sorbet from Jeni Britton Bauer’s book, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream at Home.
The beauty of sandwiches for dinner is that it doesn’t require more effort than a trip to your local deli. Although I didn’t have a Cuban sandwich in Havana, I made sure to pick up some kettle cooked potato chips as a nod to those sold by street vendors throughout the city.
Gather:
– roast pork, thinly sliced
– ham, thinly sliced
– swiss cheese
– dill pickles
– buns
– mustard
[ a mojito, recipe from here ]
[ watermelon lemonade sorbet, served with a sprig of mint ]
This traditional Catalan dish is perfect for lunch on a hot day. Since it is best served as soon as it has been prepared, I like to lay out the ingredients at the centre of the table so that everyone can assemble their own. To complete this meal, serve with mixed greens with a light vinaigrette, olives, thinly sliced jamón serrano, cheese and fresh fruit.
Gather:
– the best baguette you can get
– ripe tomatoes
– garlic
– olive oil
– sea salt and black pepper
Serve:
– Cut the baguette and toast lightly under the broiler
– Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub it on the toasted baguette, do the same with the tomato.
– Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
– Drizzle with olive oil
…finish your meal with local fresh fruit (here it’s strawberry season). Enjoy!
