Breastfeeding my son has meant a lot of things to me. It has meant a special bond that couldn't be duplicated with bottles, it has meant giving him the best start I possibly can, it has even helped me through a grieving period as I lost my long-time furry companion Banshee, just two days after he was born.

Unfortunately, it has also meant giving up dairy. Whenver I ate dairy foods, his little tummy would bloat up and he would be irritable and fussy. So it was with a heavy heart that I made the choice to abstain from my second most-favourite food group (the first most-favourite being chocolate... yes it IS a food group in my world).

So here I was in the dead of summer with no yogurt, no cheese and no ice cream. I needed a solution that would make me feel a little less deprived and one day Hubby came home with some raspberry sorbet. It was tasty, and fruity, and I thought, 'hey, I could get used to this.'

Since it's peach season and I can't go to the store without coming back with a basket of our home-grown goodness that is an Ontario peach, I decided on a peach sorbet.

I paired it with ginger and for a little extra richness demerara sugar. While a good idea in theory, the demerara was a little much, so I cut it to a third in the recipe and used white sugar instead. Ginger is a natural match for peach, so I simmered some slices of fresh ginger in the syrup before adding it to the peaches. This is a refreshing dessert for summer's day and a great way for this hard core ice cream lover to feel a little less deprived.

Here's how you do it:

Peach-ginger sorbet

400 grams of peeled and pitted peaches

1/3 cup demerara sugar

2/3 cup white sugar

1 cup water

1 knob of ginger (about 1 inch), peeled and cut into slices

juice of half lemon

Put both sugars and water into a pot on the stove, and heat until sugar starts to melt. Add ginger slices and continue to cook until sugar is completely melted. Let cool. Process the peaches in a food processor until smooth. Strain syrup into peach mixture, add lemon juice and process in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Put into freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

Loaded with corn, a traditional succotash generally has red peppers and Lima beans. Since Lima beans are also in season, you could easily get some to use in this recipe.

However, I had Edamame beans in the freezer, ready to use, and I thought they would make this dish not only tasty, but a super energy-filled meatless meal.

Quinoa is considered an ancient grain and is a complete protein. That means, unlike other plant forms of protein this little gem does not need to be combined with other types of food for your body to recognize it as protein.

This is an easy dish, that you can make richer with the addition of some salty meat (tiny bits of bacon or sausage work well) or you can leave out that extra meat and have a lean wholesome treat.

Chef Tricks: If you have some extra time, you can also cook the Quinoa in a risotto style by first toasting it in a pan to boost the flavour, and using vegetable or chicken stock to cook it in. Roasting the red pepper before adding it to this dish will intensify the flavour, and make this a company-worthy side or main.

Here's what you need:

175 grams Quinoa

1 red bell pepper

2 ears of fresh corn

1/2 cup frozen edamame beans

1/2 jalapeno pepper

1/2 cooking onion

juice of half lemon

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and boil quinoa until cooked through. While quinoa is cooking, dice red pepper, and onion into small pieces, and cut kernels from corn. Mince the jalapeno pepper. Once quinoa is cooked drain thoroughly. Sauté quinoa in a little olive oil with onions, red pepper, corn and edamame. Once the edamame is cooked, the dish is ready. Season with salt and pepper and add a fresh splash of lemon juice before serving.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll notice I have an obesssion with affinity for upside-down cakes, from apple to pineapple to rhubarb and blueberry, I think they’re a great way to showcase a fruit (although I’m not sure that rhubarb can be considered a fruit). They let the flavour of the fruit shine through and offer up a moist crumby companion to soak up the juices.

This recipe was adapted from the wonderful Earth to Table recipe book. I tried it at first with just blueberries, but then was struck with inspiration when our local peaches starting hitting the markets. Bettina Schormann the pastry chef half behind this tasty tome serves up the cake with some crème fraiche. I whisked a little maple syrup into some yogurt for a lighter accompaniment.

I also added in a little lemon zest into the recipe which is decadently buttery. Blueberries and lemon go exceptionally well together, so I figured why not. The little bit of tartness helps cut through the richness of the cake, so well.

This cake can be made in a 10 inch cast-iron skillet, or any other 10 inch cake pan that is at 2 ½ inches deep.  If you make it in the skillet, you cut down on dishes, as you can melt the butter and sugar together directly in the skillet before adding the fruit.

The beauty of using the peaches and blueberries is you can use as little or as much of each fruit as you like. If you only have 3 or 4 peaches, you can add more blueberries, they just fill in the spots where there are no peaches.

After trying it this way, I would likely do more peaches and less blueberries next time for a more visually striking cake, since the berries bleed quite a bit, and stain the peaches. To skin your peaches, make a shallow X with a knife at the opposite end of the stem, blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes or until skin loosens slightly. Immediately submerge in ice cold water, and the skins will slide right off.

Also, the key to this kind of cake is to have your ingredients at room temperature. Butter and eggs should be room temp before attempting this cake, or it will not rise properly. The butter and sugar must cream together well and create a light airy mixture before adding in eggs.  

A big thanks to my little brother who picked me a couple of baskets of wild blueberries  to make this possible!

Blueberry Peach Upside-Down Cake

Topping:

¼ cup of unsalted butter

½ cup packed brown sugar (I use dark demerara sugar)

4 peaches, skinned and cut into eighths

2 cups fresh wild blueberries (frozen works too)

Cake

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

¾ cup yellow cornmeal.

Zest of one lemon and about 1 tbsp of juice

2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 cup butter  (told ya it was buttery!)

¾ cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

½ tsp salt

¾ cup yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

For topping

Melt butter and brown sugar together until sugar melts  (do not overcook, or butter will burn, I tell you this from experience!).

Arrange sliced peaches in a decorative fashion, and fill in spaces with blueberries. Set aside.

Cake:

Whip butter with the paddle of an electric mixer until light and airy, add in sugar and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Add in eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.  Add salt, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal and baking powder, making sure to eliminate any clumps. (Sift if necessary)

Next, add dry ingredients into egg, butter and sugar mixture. Fold in well, Stir in yogurt.

Scoop cake evenly over fruit topping, and spread out to cover pan completely.

Bake for 50 minutes or until topping achieves a deep golden brown look and a toothpick inserted in centre of cake comes out clean.

Run a knife around the edge of pan and invert onto a plate while still warm to ensure fruit loosens from pan.

OK, and since you made it this far, I'll give you another reason to keep coming back... pictures of my beautiful little boy! He's a handful, but when he makes faces like this, well, it's all worth it!



Our son is a bit of a cranky baby. He wants to be held constantly, which makes cooking rather difficult.

But I’m finding that I can manage certain things with him in a Snugli, so long as he isn’t fussing and flailing his little arms about. The oven is off limits, but I can cook on the stove (we have a glass cooktop so no open flame), and I usually cover his legs with an apron to avoid any spatter. It’s a learning curve, but we’ll get it figured out, because he’s so worth it!

So when I did get a chance to do some cooking, I opted for something a little out of the ordinary.  I’m finding it handy to make meals that my husband and I can tag team on. For instance this tandoori spiced chicken. I can do all the prep work and the marinating, then when he comes home, he can do the grilling.

Also this raita-inspired salad can sit in the fridge for hours (it’s actually better that way!).  So by the time my husband fires up the barbecue for the chicken, I can set the table and get the salad out of the fridge and we’re eating like normal people again.

This salad is fresh and cool, a perfect accompaniment to a hot and spicy barbecue!

Raita-inspired salad

3 small carrots

½  English cucumber

2 green onions

1 clove garlic

½  lemon (juice and zest)

2/3 cup yogurt

½ tsp ground mustard seed

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

Salt (to taste)

Chopped fresh cilantro

Cut the carrots and cucumber into batonnets (thick julienne). Slice the onion thinly on a bias. Mince the garlic. Place cucumber, carrots and onion in a large bowl. Combine yogurt, lemon juice and zest, garlic, mustard and ginger together. Season with some salt to taste. Pour over vegetables and mix in. Let sit for several hours. Before serving mix in some chopped fresh cilantro.

Tandoori-spiced chicken

Traditional tandoori uses food colouring for the vibrant red colour commonly associated with tandoori. I prefer a more “natural” look. This marinade can sit overnight for best results. You can use whole chicken quartered or for an easier and economical option buy chicken thighs and drums. Garam Masala is a spice blend that is fragrant and includes many warm spices like cinnamon. Each blend is a little different, so find one that you like.

2 ½ lbs of skinless chicken

1 cup full fat yogurt

Juice of one lime

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 garlic clove minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp salt

½ tbsp garam masala

A few strands of saffron and a tablespoon of boiling water.

Soak saffron in boiling water, and let sit for a couple of minutes

Blend the yogurt, rice wine vinegar, garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt and  garam masala. Mix in saffron and water.

Make several score marks on pieces of chicken. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken and marinate for several hours, or overnight.

Grill chicken on a barbecue until cooked through (about 30 minutes for bone-in pieces). Serve hot with cool raita-inspired salad.

This year, a lot of the rhubarb I was able to scrounge up ended up in muffins. The rest topped a ricotta tart and and strawberry-rhubarb tart with a pine nut crust.

When it comes to the muffins, there are two types. The kind that are “breakfast muffins” and the kind that are “cakey muffins.”

Cakey muffins are just like cupcakes, minus the frosting and sometimes have the redeeming quality of having fruit in them (if we’re lucky—triple chocolate muffin anyone?).  Breakfast muffins have a little more nutritional value. These muffins will have whole grains, and maybe a little less fat. I find the first type to be a little misleading since most of us tend to think of muffins as breakfast, and not dessert.

While the first batch of muffins I made was strictly white flour, just to test out a recipe, I conceded that I’m really not the type for cakey muffins.

This recipe has two whole cups of rhubarb, which leaves less room for other non-nutritious things. Did you know that rhubarb is rich in vitamin K? Vitamin K helps keep your blood healthy and assists with bone density. So this is a good way to get it, unless you’re like my sister and you just like to eat the rhubarb raw. Personally if I eat that way, I prefer it with a bowl of sugar for dipping.

This recipe makes exactly 12 regular sized muffins. It’s uncanny how it’s just the perfect amount.

Rhubarb Buttermilk Oat Muffins

1 cup rolled oats

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup  ground flax seeds

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground ginger

1 ½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup canola oil (or other mild tasting vegetable oil)

2 cups chopped rhubarb

Preheat oven at 350F

Combine rolled oats, flour, flax seeds, salt, baking soda and baking powder and ginger. Set aside. Whisk together egg, and oil, add in buttermilk and combine well. Pour into dry ingredients and incorporate into a smooth paste (don’t overmix). Stir in rhubarb.

Scoop into muffin tin and bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes.

 On a side note, I recently gave birth to our son. Born June 13, he is a healthy happy baby boy, who is demanding much of my time. However, I hope to be blogging more regularly soon. Stay tuned for more on this, and maybe a baby picture or two!

A couple of years ago for Mother's Day, I tried my hand at fresh thyme and lemon scones, (which incidentally also had buttermilk in them) and they were fabulous.

This Mother's Day, I scaled things back a bit, making only 6 dishes instead of my usual 8 to 10, after all, I am eight months pregnant, and the energy required to grow another human being inside of you is quite high. Needless to say, I'm feeling drained.

So with Mom and Mom-in-law here, we celebrated over a tarragon scented crab and asiago strata, some homemade granola, fruit salad, a tossed green salad and a ricotta and rhubarb tart.

What's that you say? That's only five dishes! Yes, I was forgetful, and left my big experiment, the lemon-thyme buttermilk ice cream in the freezer. Lack of sleep apparently impairs brain function too.

So, instead of serving up the ice cream with the tart as intended, everyone got a little after the meal, and it was a surprisingly light and refreshing palate cleanser.

I can't take complete credit for this recipe. After reading another blog about buttermilk lemonade, an interesting cocktail that I'm not sure I could sell to my mom, I decided it was time to resurrect the lemon-thyme flavour profile with ice cream. Buttermilk has a nice tang that complemented the lemon well, and the thyme is subtle hint in the background.

This is a fabulous pairing with fresh strawberries, which are just about in season here in Toronto. I think I'll be making this again before spring is up!

Lemon-Thyme Buttermilk Ice Cream

6 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup lemon juice

zest of one lemon

1/2 cup light cream

1 tbsp chopped thyme

First start off making a lemon curd-like mixture.

Mix together the egg yolks, light cream, lemon juice, zest and half of the sugar. Stir over a double boiler until mixture thickens slightly. You should be able to draw a line through the back of a wooden spoon coated with the mixture. Add in thyme, and let mixture cool at room temperature for half an hour before refrigerating overnight.

Add buttermilk and remaining sugar to a pot and heat gently just enough to dissolve the sugar. Mixture does not have to be hot, but just coming up to room temperature. Whisk into lemon curd, slowly.

Strain entire mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Put through ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Refrigerate for several hours before serving. This is more like an ice milk and is very scoopable right out of the freezer!

To this day, I can't imagine anyone prefering table syrup over maple syrup. The only real benefit is that table syrup is usually thicker and has a more satisfying mouth feel than that maple syrup. However, the flavours don't compare.

One of my dad's tricks for using up leftover ham was to fry it up in a cast iron pan with some of the "real" stuff until the syrup caramelized and the ham  was left with this sticky coating. The only problem was that sometimes the syrup turned dark before the flavour had a chance to permeate the ham, which left some delicious pieces of ham and others not so good as the syrup didn't coat them equally.

In this simple recipe, I've taken that concept and improved on it. With a little patience, this maple candied ham is a treat to top salads or maybe even cupcakes, given the current bacon craze in the world of sweets.

I tossed it in with some mesclun mix, gorgonzola cheese, pears and a homemade maple-balsamic and mustard dressing. Wow, was that whole lot of deliciousness!

Here's what you do do.

Maple candied hamMaple Candied Ham

Take

1/2 pound of ham (the stuff off the bone, don't try this with cold cuts for the love of God!)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup water

Dash of tabasco sauce (optional)

Cut up the ham into batonnets (about 1/4 inch wide by 1 inch long). Heat a non-stick pan to medium, add ham, maple syrup, water and tabasco, stir to combine well.

As the water evaporates, continue to stir. You'll notice that the pan will start to get sticky. Be patient. Continue to stir until maple syrup darkens to a dark caramel colour, and completely coats the ham.

When it is sticky and dark, remove from pan quickly as it can burn in mere second. Let cool before eating! Enjoy.

I’ve always considered myself more of a cook than a baker. I like improvisation, and cooking gives me the freedom to do that. I sometimes make mistakes, but in general, I can fix them.

But in baking—well, improvisation generally requires throwing out the first attempt and doing it again a second time, hoping (but not knowing) that you will get a better result.

I wanted to do cupcakes for St. Patrick’s Day this year. The idea of stout (namely Guinness) and chocolate cake intrigued me and I wanted to tackle it. And what are cupcakes without frosting? That was my big stumbling block. Many recipes I found suggested a Bailey’s Irish Cream icing. Cute, but would it stand up to the Guinness? Not to mention, if everyone else was doing it, well, I just had to be different.

This was a tough one. I pondered, and researched and pondered some more.

I opened a bottle of my husband’s whiskey, and was surprised by the cherry notes in it. It was settled, I wanted a whiskey icing. But how? Wouldn’t the whiskey alone overpower the frosting? Would it be too harsh? This baking stuff was hard.

In the end, I opted to make a burnt sugar/whiskey frosting. Frosting, not being one of my strong points, I had to find a recipe that I thought I could adapt to include this burnt sugar and whiskey syrup I had concocted. In the end, I used a Martha Stewart recipe, but changed it drastically.

As for the cupcakes, I went with one from Dave Lieberman, but also adapted it. I wanted real chocolate, not cocoa powder, so I substituted. They needed to bake a little longer, but they were moist and delicious.

The best part? The guys in my catering class loved these (including the chef). They actually gushed about them. I guess there is something to this “mancake” trend that might just catch on after all.  These tasty morsels are not as sweet as most cupcakes, but they are sooo good. Maybe this cook can be a baker after all. It just requires a lot more thinking, and a little less impulsiveness.

Stout Cupcakes with Whiskey and Burnt Sugar Frosting

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

340 ml of stout beer (Guinness)

200 grams dark chocolate

3 large eggs

½ cup melted butter

¾ cup sour cream

1 tbsp vanilla

Preheat oven at 350F

Sift together flour, sugar and baking soda, set aside. Over a double boiler, melt chocolate.  While chocolate is melting, pour beer into a large mixing bowl, whisk in eggs one at a time, followed by butter, sour cream and vanilla.

Incorporate flour mixture into stout mixture, being careful not to overmix. Stir in melted chocolate.

Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and spray lightly with cooking oil.

Fill muffin tins most of the way, leaving ¼ inch at the top.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Whiskey Burnt Sugar Frosting

1/3 cup of Whiskey Burnt Sugar Syrup*

6 egg whites

1 cup brown sugar

¼ tsp cream of tartar

1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

1 ½ cups butter

Beat egg whites and brown sugar together in the bowl for a stand mixer. Set bowl over a pot with about 1-2 inches of simmering water and continue beating, making sure the mixture does not touch the  water.  Beat rapidly until volume increases (two to three minutes with a hand-held mixer).

Remove from heat, and put bowl into stand mixer. Add cream of tartar and one cup of confectioner’s sugar and start to beat at a medium-high heat. Slowly pour in the whiskey and burnt sugar syrup. Beat for another 10 minutes or so until stiff peaks are achieved. At this point, continue to beat over a slower speed, but add room temperature butter, 1-2 tbsp at a time. Do not despair if the volume of the frosting decreases, or it when it separates. Add the remaining half cup of confectioner’s sugar. Continue to beat for several minutes and it will regain its smooth texture. Be patient. It will appear all is lost until it recomposes itself.

Pipe with a #6 star shaped tip over cooled cupcakes.

Tasting note: This frosting was made with salted butter and was a big hit. If making with unsalted butter, I would recommend adding salt. Also important to serve the cupcakes at room temperature. Otherwise, the frosting gets a “cold butter” consistency that is waxy.

Whiskey Burnt Sugar Syrup

Take 1 ½ cups sugar and place on a stove over medium heat, cook until sugar melts completely and caramelizes. Do this with a fan on, it will start to smoke. Once the sugar has melted completely and reached a dark amber colour, remove from heat. Carefully add ½ cup of water, slowly. Stir as you add, use a long-handled utensil as the syrup will sputter and the melted sugar is extremely hot.

Once the water is all incorporated, add in ¼ cup whiskey. Set over a medium heat and simmer until it reduces to a total of one cup (2 to 3 minutes).

This syrup is the base flavouring for your frosting.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Noteworthy: Etobicoke-based Black Oak Brewery makes a Chocolate Stout which I think would be an excellent substitution for the Guinness. There wasn't any at the LCBO when I visited, but some do carry it.

When we discovered that the baby we are expecting in June is a boy, the man who has three sons already, seemed, well, crest-fallen. Isn't it the dream of all men to produce a brood of strong, strapping boys to carry on the family name? I guess three was enough of a legacy, because Hubs was ready for a girl.

I, on the other hand, was equally surprised with my own reaction. As much as I had thought that a girl would help balance the levels of testosterone in our home, I found myself overwhelmed with joy when they said those three little words "It's a boy."

As I dreamed about decorating the nursery in a "Petit Prince" motif, (I am a French girl, after all), the food world started buzzing with news of a new Prince in town-- the Red Prince Apple. And while it's still a few months until I get to meet my own little prince, this one was eagerly waiting to make my acquaintance.

I accepted hastily, as royalty waits for no one, and was glad I did. Waiting for me was an Ontario-grown apple that is grown exclusively by an apple orchard in Thornbury. Its firm red skin caught my eye, but it was so much more than just a polished exterior. The sweet lightly golden flesh was full of flavour, and distinct from other apples, especially at this time of year when offerings can be watery and tasteless. At its peak in the winter months, the Red Prince is a delicious eating apple first and foremost. But it also has more to offer. The Red Prince stays firm during cooking making it ideal for tarts and pies, as I found out when I tried it in this olive oil crust.

Although I still have to work out the proportion of the filling, since my first attempt yielded a tasty, but rather thin, sparse tart (Hubby called it 'apple pizza'), it's clear to me that a few extra apples and this would be a magnificent dessert.

The crust is not flaky, but rather crisp and offers a great foil against the apples. I'm sure it would stand up to your wettest fillings (think blueberry, or rhubarb, it is almost that time of year).

Sometimes it happens quite by accident, and before they realize what has happened, the individual is knee deep in requests for the product that was once their hobby.

That is the story I heard when I went to the Cheese Boutique on Monday, and listened to founder of Upper Canada Cheese Company, Wayne Philbrick,  talk about how he had started his business. Making cheese was something he did for friends, and the “wine club” that this foodie belonged to, wouldn’t let him show up to their monthly tastings without a sample of his home-made cheeses.Lauren Arsenault, original Guernsey Girl

Now, I’ve had a soft spot for Upper Canada Cheese Company before I heard this story, since I drove by it many a time as I planned my wedding just down the street from their storefront at Inn on the Twenty last May.

In fact, seeing the local cheese store inspired me to add Artisanal cheese stations to our cocktail hour which was a huge hit with our guests, and I do believe their Niagara Gold was featured in the lineup.

So as this burgeoning cheese company grew, it needed to expand. Enter Lauren Arsenault—cheesemaker extraordinaire. She’s the lady or the “girl” (it’s OK, she told me she doesn’t mind being called so) behind Guernsey girl Cheese. A Scandinavian-style cheese, Guernsey stays firm on the outside and even crisps with heat, and the inside gets soft and gooey.

Lauren, who is part Norwegian said she was excited to bring this "bread-style cheese" to the masses. The cheese is versatile enough to grill on the barbecue, so she's hoping that the current excitement about Guernsey Girl is just the beginning as the weather warms up.

Now there was more to the event than just talk. There was a live cook-off happening, featuring Guernsey Girl and let me tell you that I gladly sampled all the offerings.

Lora Kirk wooed me with her Slow Braised Ribs and Guernsey Girl Poutine, Andrea Damon Gibson The winning entry(founder of Fred’s Bread) made me pause with her interpretation titled Guernsey Girl Goes Mediterranean—an olive and chipotle bread smothered in melty cheese, but it was Jason Bangerter (Auberge du Pommier) who I fell hard for with his Artichoke and Guernsey Girl Terrine. The terrine featured all Niagara ingredients (including the prosciutto). It was baked, but just before serving fried up in a pan and drizzled with a Muscat vinegar reduction, a garlic infused oil and some micro greens. 

Bangerter confessed that he didn’t dream up the recipe for the cook off, but rather re-interpreted an old favourite he had created while working in Switzerland where he used cave-aged Gruyere, instead of the Halloumi style cheese. However, this reincarnation has won him over. “I think it’s better than the Gruyere,” he said. “The cheese has a buttery finish that blends well with the other ingredients. You have to cook it to get it's full flavour."

It seems I'm not the only one who thought so, since when the votes were finally tallied, Chef Bangerter's dish emerged victorious.