Traced Elements

Tag: summer

  • Peaches, from Peachland no less!

    Peaches, from Peachland no less!

    Recently we went on a bit of road trip, starting out by heading to the Canmore / Cochrane area and then heading down to Fernie and Nelson. Our last stop, while covering some 3,000 kms, before heading home was to Peachland. We found a lovely little AirBNB right slap bang in the middle of wine country! (Don’t worry we both sampled wine and brought some back with us! 😉 )

    However, it was our host that offered us the peaches, and right from her very own garden.

    (Did you know? Peaches have been cultivated in the Okanagan since the 1890s and are available July through September.)

    Anyway, who was I to say no? Of course, having received said peaches I had to find the right recipe with which to showcase them.

    Okanagan Peaches
    Okanagan Peaches

    I wanted to make some kind of pie and have been searching for the ultimate pastry recipe for ever. Well I think I finally found it with this recipe for a Rustic Peach Galette with Orange [and Ginger – which I didn’t add as it’s not my very favourite!].

    The pastry in this galette is melt in the mouth soft, explodes with the flavour of the oranges (even more so as I used the orange juice to bind it all together) and has a lovely crumbly texture. In fact, it was to die for – no exaggeration!

    The peaches were soft and not too sweet and really showcased the very best of the Okanagan.

    For all the above reasons, this recipe is a keeper and I would encourage you all to try making it before peach season is over. It is can be especially enjoyed warm from the oven with a nice helping of decent vanilla ice cream.

    Peach Galette
    Peach Galette

    Ingredients

    Pastry

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp granulated sugar
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
    • 1/4 cup ice water

    Filling

    • 4 peaches, sliced 1/2 thick
    • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
    • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
    • 1 tbsp orange juice
    • 2 tsp grated ginger
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp butter

    Additional Ingredients

    • 1 egg
    • 2 tbsp milk
    • 2 tbsp coarse sugar
    • 1 small sprig basil
    • 1/2 cup ice cream

    Directions

    1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together 1 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the butter, and using a fork crush and mix the butter into the flour until it is coated and becomes the size of small peas. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until it forms into a dough. Shape into a 1 inch disc, wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

    2. Preheat oven to 425°.

    3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour, orange juice, grated ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, until smooth. Add the peach slices and toss gently to coat.

    4. Remove the dough and place on a large, lightly floured, piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough out to a 14-15 inch circle. Starting from about 1 inch from the edge, layer the peach slices on their sides clockwise, one at a time, ensuring they lay on top of each slightly. Continue, working your way to the centre of the galette until the galette is filled. The peaches will be higher in the centre than the edges. Fold the edges of the dough up in 2-3 inch sections, over top the outer layer of peaches covering them by about half. Dot the peaches with 1/2 teaspoon chunks of butter.

    5. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk to make egg wash. Brush a light layer of egg wash on the crust then sprinkle with coarse sugar.

    6. Place the galette on a baking sheet or pizza stone and bake for 20 minutes, until the peaches are bubbling and the crust is gold brown. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

    7. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a few small basil leaves.

    Peach Galette
    Warm Peach Galette with vanilla ice cream

     

  • Zucchini – again!

    Zucchini – again!

    It seems to be that time of year again! So many people I know are offering up their excess zucchini’s as they have too many and don’t know what to do with them!

    So when my neighbour put out a post saying she had some up for grabs I volunteered to take one of her hands. And it was a monster! So much so that I made to make up half as much again of the recipe I found. This meant that I could make four mini-loaves and one standard size loaf. Good job I’m a fan of zucchini bread.

    Besides, I gifted back two of the mini-loaves for her, and her family, to enjoy! 🙂

    The Mini Zucchini Loaf recipe I found included walnuts which I didn’t have on hand, but the pecans worked just as well!

    So, if you have any spare zucchini’s I won’t say no. 😉

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups grated zucchini (about 2-3 zucchini)
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 cup vegetable oil
    • 3 large eggs
    • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two [or three] 5 1/2 by 3-inch loaf pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and then spray paper.
    2. To reduce the moisture, press the grated zucchini between sheets of paper towel. When most of the moisture has been absorbed, you can fluff with your hands or a fork and then set aside.
    3. In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
    4. In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, almond extract and eggs and mix until well combined. Stir in the zucchini.
    5. Add dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in nuts. Divide batter between the two mini loaf pans. If you have extra batter, you can drop liners into a muffin pan and make a few zucchini muffins.
    6. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Use a toothpick to test – if it comes out clean, it’s ready to take out. Let cool for about 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from the pan to cool completely.

  • Summer is for Hummus

    Summer is for Hummus

    Hummus is a fantastic summer staple as you can take it camping or somewhere with limited refrigeration and it won’t go off. It is full of vitamins and protein, and vegan to boot. It tastes great accompanied by Pemberton-grown carrots, and the secret ingredient is Pemberton-grown cilantro. You can also make your own tahini by grinding raw sesame seeds with a little olive oil in a high-powered blender.

    Cumin and Cilantro Hummus:

    Ingredients:

    2 cups cooked chick peas

    3 peeled Pemberton garlic cloves

    1/3 cup tahini

    Juice of 2 lemons (must be fresh)

    2 tbs water

    4 dashes tabasco sauce

    1 tsp cumin

    ¼ cup cilantro leaves

    1 tsp pepper

    1.5 tsp salt

    Method:

    Mix chick peas and garlic in food processor.

    Add tahini and all remaining ingredients until very smooth. Adjust water amount to desired consistency.

    Garnish with a few cilantro leaves. Enjoy!

  • Zucchini – two ways

    Zucchini – two ways

    I recently bumped into a friend who has a veggie patch and she asked if I had any recipes for zucchinis as she had lots growing. She also wanted to know what it was with Pemberton that zucchinis grew so well!

    I wasn’t quite sure what she meant until another friend gifted me the mother of all zucchinis! I mean, this one was about as large as the marrows my grandad used to grow! (Egg for scale.)

    Being curious I did a Google search on zucchinis, which are a summer squash and are a cultivar of the marrow I remember from my childhood. It appears that they can actually reach almost 1 metre (100 cm; 39 in) in length, but are usually harvested when still immature at about 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in). They are also very productive plants and just one or two plants will produce enough for a small family. You can also harvest the large yellow squash blossoms and eat them raw or cooked. Only female blossoms produce fruit, so you can harvest most of the male flowers without slowing down the plant’s productivity. Who knew?

    With a zucchini this large I didn’t know what I was going to do with it. I could make a quiche, galettes or even gnocchi. But no, with temperatures much cooler, and with my propensity towards baking, I decided to try both a savoury and a sweet bread.

    The trick to cooking or baking with the grated zucchini is to squeeze some of the moisture out before adding to your recipe. Just use a clean tea towel, place the zucchini in the centre, twist and watch the excess water drip out.

    Whether you prefer savoury or sweet I hope one of the following recipes helps you out with your glut of zucchinis, but if you still have too many then I have a couple more bread recipes that I’d like to try!

    First up is a Zucchini Cheddar Quick Bread made with buttermilk (or a home-made version as in the recipe) and which smelled as delicious cooking in the oven as it tasted not long out of it. Cheesy mouthwatering goodness!

    Ingredients

      • 1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated
      • 2 cups all purpose white flour
      • 2 teaspoons baking powder
      • 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
      • 1/2 teaspoon salt
      • 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar, white or apple cider to make home-made buttermilk or use 1 cup buttermilk
      • 1 egg
      • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
      • 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
      • 2 green onions, chopped

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 5 bread pan with non stick spray. (I would also add a layer of parchment paper to the bottom of the pan to ensure that the bread does not stick.)
    2. Wrap grated zucchini in a paper towel, or clean tea towel, and squeeze until some of the liquid releases. (You don’t need to completely dry it out.)
    3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
    4. If making home-made buttermilk, combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl. (The milk will curdle a bit). If not making then use 1 cup traditional buttermilk. Mix in melted butter and egg.
    5. Add milk mixture to dry mixture being careful not to over mix to avoid the bread turning out flat.
    6. Add grated zucchini, cheese and onions, mixing lightly until just combined.
    7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
    8. If toothpick inserted comes out clean, bread is done!  Cool for 10 minutes in the pan.  Remove carefully and cool on wire rack.

    After your savoury zucchini bread what do you need? Orange Zucchini Bread with Orange Glaze of course! The orange provided a nice zing and the glaze was a touch of sweetness against the bread itself. My orange was very juicy and I could have done with a bit more icing sugar to thicken it up. I’ll know for next time. 😉

    Ingredients

    For the bread:

    • 3 large eggs
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • zest and juice of 1 large orange
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp cardamom (optional)
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda
    • 2 cups grated zucchini

    For the glaze:

    • zest and juice of 1 large orange
    • 3 tbsp. butter melted
    • 1 tsp. vanilla
    • 3 cups powdered sugar

    Directions

    For the bread:

    1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, and orange zest and juice.
    2. In another large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cardamom (if using), and baking soda.
    3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the zucchini, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
    4. If you’d like to add any nuts, fold in about 1 cup chopped nuts.
    5. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with foil or parchment paper, letting the edges hang over the pan. This is a MUST as the bread will to stick to the pan. Coat with non-stick spray.
    6. Spread batter into prepared pan.
    7. Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes, or until top and edges are golden and a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean.
    8. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
    9. Run a knife along any edges that may have seeped and stuck to the pan.
    10. Remove bread from the pan completely using the foil or parchment paper edges. Cool completely.
    11. Meanwhile, prepare glaze.

    For glaze:

    1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the glaze ingredients until smooth.
    2. Depending on how juicy your orange was, you may need to add a little water or more powdered sugar! You should be able to drizzle or pour it, but it shouldn’t easily run off the bread.
    3. Drizzle glaze over cooled bread. Cut and serve.
  • Sunny Sunny Days

    Sunny Sunny Days

    We are all ruled in someway or another by the big burning circle in the sky; we crave it after days go by with out it and we curse it away when it’s too hot. Sweltering days call for cool delicious foods high in water content – as beer and bubbles only keep us mildly hydrated no matter what we tell ourselves.

     

    Enter watermelon poke.

     

    If you eat at anyone of our amazing local sushi joints you will probably recognize the “poke” part as a dish commonly made with ahi tuna marinated in a sesame-soy dressing. (Personally, it’s one of my go to’s and I can easily crush an entire bowl to myself.) So when on a blistering hot day one of my favourite blog sites posted a recipe replicating this traditional Hawaiian dish using watermelon I was beyond excited. I immediately biked to the grocery store, bought a watermelon, got extremely sweaty in the process and ate the crap out of the final product… and so has everyone else I’ve fed it too.

     

    Here’s my take on 101 Cookbooks recipe: the link will take you to the actual recipe if you don’t like free balling like me. I also prefer to make it a day or few hours before consumption to allow the watermelon to marinade and soak up all the sauce.

     

    Step Uno: Deal with your watermelon.

     

    • Slice a bunch into small cubes ½“ – 1” cubes, I like a good variety of sizes. Use a small to medium sized melon depending on how many folks your feeding.

     

    Step Two: Make your sauce.

     

    • Combine the zest & juice of one lemon (or lime whatever is on hand), some ponzu, rice wine vinegar and sriracha (to taste) then whisk in some sesame oil and avocado oil.

     

    Step 3: Combine everything together and let sit in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat!

     IMG_5090

    Step Quatro: Dress it up.

     

    • Serve topped with green onions, sesame seeds and long ribbons of cucumber or daikon radish.

    IMG_5096

    Don’t forget to save some slices of watermelon for the kids and the hound!

  • Save Your Fork

    Save Your Fork

    My need to forage continues. This week’s victim: Saskatoon berries. Just try walking past the currently loaded bushes of perfectly plump, deep purple berries – I dare you. Even Shadow comes to a complete skid stop to forage on the lower quarters of these native shrubs. Our mission over the last week was to beat the bears to the berries around our place and hit up a few other spots I’d been scoping. We were more than successful; stained fingers, a full bucket and swelled bellies. I figured the best way to capture these jewels was by channeling my inner Julia Child and baking a pie. So, here we go!

     

     

     

     

    Step Uno: make your crust. Use your favourite double crust recipe or try mine.

    2½ cups flour – tsp salt – 1 cup unsalted butter (frozen) – 6 to 8 tbsp ice cold water

    • Combine the flour and salt in a medium sized bowl. Then grate the butter into the flour. I cut the butter into two halves and grate one at a time, leaving the second in the freezer until I’m done the first. Once both blocks are done use your hands to combine the flour with the butter by gently rubbing it through your hands. It doesn’t need to be fully incorporated but what your looking for is a bunch of little “butter peas” coated in flour. I’m ghetto and don’t own a pastry cutter but if you have one then small cubed blocks of butter cut in will give you the same effect. I have found that grating the butter gives great distribution in the pastry with a very flaky end result – BINGO! Now add most of the water and blend until just combined. Turn the mixture out onto your working surface and bring together the dough by kneading it into a ball, using more water if needed. Separate the ball into two with one just a bit bigger then other and shape them both into flat-ish discs. Cover separately with plastic wrap and retire them to the fridge to rest for at least an hour.

     

    Step Two: the filling. (Plus turn on your oven to 425°F now to preheat it)

    5 cups Saskatoon berries – 3 tbsp flour – ⅓ cup sugar – zest of a lemon (optional)

    • Combine everything together, easy-peasy.

     

    Step 3: build your pie.

    • Take the smaller disc out of the fridge and place it on a floured surface. Grab your rolling pin and push the disc out to about a ¼“ thick and place into your pie plate. Pour those prepped Saskatoons in next! Scatter a few slivers of butter over the top of the berries. Grab the last disc and flatten it out to the same thickness as the bottom, re-flouring the surface if needed. The reason for the last dough disc being a bit bigger is that the filling of your pie usually makes a mini mountain and you want to ensure you’ve got plenty of dough to blanket the whole hill, and then some. Before layering on the dough topper, wet the edge of the bottom dough with water – this helps them stick together. Crimp, roll or pinch the dough layers together. Brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and slice a few air holes into the top.

     

     

     

     

    Step Quatro: Bake and wait.

    • Place your pie on a baking sheet and into your preheated oven. Bake at the preheated 425°F for 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 350°F for an addition 45-60min or until the crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

     

    Step Five: eat now or freeze for later.

    • I chose to freeze my pie and savor it later this fall with friends when we’re craving a taste of summer. Luckily, I saved a bit of the filling and had just enough left over dough to make 4 mini tarts. They were consumed quite quickly.

     

     

     

     

    There is a CBC story that recalls a visit by the Duke of Edinburgh to a small town in the Yukon many moons ago. He stops for a meal at a local diner and as the waitress reaches to remove his dinner plate she warmly says to him, “Save your fork Duke, there’s pie”.

     

    Wives’ tale or not the phrase has stuck with us for generations… and this pie for sure warrants saving your fork.