Canning Exchange

Once again, I stole someone else's great idea. While perusing Confessions of a Cardamom Addict one day, I came across this post. I loved the idea! Since I am a planner and like to entertain, I jumped right on it and contacted the Cooking Clubs and a few other friends to see if they would be interested in a canning exchange.

There were 6 of us that ended up participating and I am totally looking forward to enjoying every jar.

We were all treated to :

Medium Salsa - Meighen

Maple Honey Syrup with Nuts - Melanie

Bruschetta Topping - Suzanne

Spiced Blueberry Jam - Jillian

Lemon Pineapple Preserves - Julie

Peach Chutney - Me

While cooking, I found this article from CHOW to be an invaluable resource.

Cooking Club 2

Unfortunately, we lost another member of our club. Christine moved to Toronto - hopefully to start a new cooking club there. Julie is our new addition and so far has made some great contributions. This month's theme was "Salt". I love how each theme brings with it, many different interpretations.



The menu included:

Danielle - Salt Baked Potatoes with Goat Cheese

Basil was subbed in for the thyme, which gave it a much fresher flavour. These were VERY easy and would make a great party food.



Pink Cadillac Convertible

None for me, but the rest of the group seemed to enjoy it.



Amarjot - Veggie Salad with Chow Mein Noodles and Raita



Julie - Herbed Roasted Beef in a Salt Crust.

We were all quite smitten with the crust, as none of us had ever done this before. Worth trying for a dinner party - cook less than the recipe requires.



Suzanne - Beet Chips with Various Types of Salt

I love beets in any shape or form. Cutting them extremely thin is the key.



Jillian - Crispy Waffles with Salted Caramel Coulis

To die for! Seriously, some of the best waffles I have ever had and the sauce is ridiculously good. I made the waffles a few days later to eat with local strawberries and whipped cream.

Noteworthy Blog

A friend has begun blogging her food experiences. And in my opinion it is a very accessible and inspiring site. If you are looking for ideas for a dinner party or quick meal - the Menu Maniac is the place to go. Jordana is a former cooking club member (until she left us for higher education). We miss her but are more than happy to read about her endeavours on her new blog.

Cooking Club II - Winter Theme

The membership of our second cooking club has been revamped. Lisa and Jordana had to bail due to work and school. We were sad to see them go, but quite happy to welcome our new member Amarjot!

Jillian hosted our latest meeting and the theme was Winter. It could have been squash with the number of dishes we had that included this lovely veg. Yum.

Jillian - Skyy Winter Cocktail

ridiculously strong, would recommend adding more champs and less vodka

Gingerbread Martini

beautifully aromatic

Guacamole with Pear and Pomegranate Seeds

a nice twist on the original, would work well at parties

Suzanne - Butternut Squash Latkes

I love latkes in all their forms.

Amarjot - Indian Spiced Butternut Squash

Yum, this would make a great side dish at any meal

Christine - Zucchini Quiche

A light version that tastes decadent

Danielle - Blood Orange Fritters with Orange Pomegranate Molasses

Mine were a bit heavy because the oil wasn't hot enough. I will make again - molasses was fab!

Cooking Club II - Gourmet Junk Food

This month's meeting was a bit of a bust. Two people had to cancel, two were late and one had to leave early! We did get some cooking done in there.

Here is what the menu looked like:

Jillian - Twice Cooked Fries with Caramelised Onions and Blue Cheese

Suzanne - Cherry Coke Chicken

Danielle - Ultimate Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples

They are serious when they say only a small amount of water and make sure you wait until the caramel has cooled a bit. Mine were tasty but not so pretty.

Christine - Twinkie Tiramisu

Cooking Club II - Hawaiian Food

I have never really pondered Hawaiian food, so when Suzanne decided to use this as her August cooking club theme I was stumped. It seems to include many fruits and veg that are native to the island, obviously, while bringing in American and Asian influences - with a bit of Spam on the side. The menu turned out to be quite flavourful even though we only had four members attending that night.

Suzanne -

Mai Tai

Chi Chi

Macadamia Nut Crusted Coconut "Shrimp"

Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk

(see below)

Jordana - Hawaiian Chicken Wings

Danielle - Macadamia Nut Crusted Ahi Tuna with Kona Coffee Sauce

Lisa - Custard Cake with Caramelized Pineapple

MAI TAI

2 oz. light rum
1 oz. Triple sec orange liquor
1 tbsp. Orgest almond liquor or almond flavored syrup (I used Amaretto)
1 tbsp. Grenadine
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 dash 151prf. rum or dark rum (optional)
(and I added Guava juice)

Shake ingredients (except the dark rum) and strain into a large glass about 1/3 full with crushed ice. Decorate with a maraschino cherry speared to a wedge of fresh pineapple. Top with a dash of dark rum for that reddish color, or for sure inebriation 151 proof rum. Put an orchid in each drink for the full Hawaiian effect.

CHI-CHI

1 1/2 oz vodka (I used way more than this!)
4 oz pineapple juice
1 oz cream of coconut
1 slice pineapple
1 cherry

Blend vodka, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut with one cup of ice in an electric blender at a high speed. Pour into a wineglass, decorate with the slice of pineapple and the cherry, and serve.


MASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH COCONUT MILK


1. 3 medium sweet potatoes
2. 3/4 cup "lite" coconut milk
3. 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Microwave on High until tender all the way to the center, 10 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, place in a baking dish and bake at 425 degrees F until tender all the way to the center, about 1 hour.)
2. When cool enough to handle, peel off and discard skin. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a medium microwaveable bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher. Add coconut milk, ginger and salt; stir well. Reheat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Yield: 4 servings

MACADAMIA NUT CRUSTED COCONUT SHRIMP (I made Salmon strips instead of shrimp)


1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 pound cleaned and deveined shrimp
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup crushed macadamia nuts
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil. Place flour in a small bowl. Dredge shrimp in flour, then dip into coconut milk and roll in crushed macadamia nuts. Place in baking dish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through. Serve 3 shrimp on a bed of rice topped with orange lime sauce. Makes 4 servings

Cooking Club II - Spicy Food

This month's meeting was a bit disorganised, we met a little late, we had to cancel and reschedule and - dumbo me - I forgot what the theme was.

Here are our "spicy" recipes - except mine of course.

Christine - Soy Turkey Satay with Peanut Sauce

Who knew I'd enjoy all these soy products? One of the best peanut sauces I've tasted.

Lychee Cocktail

Sweet Ginger Margarita

Ginger Tea (Teh Halia)

* see recipes below

Danielle - Break Away Pear and Fennel Salad

Not on the theme whatsoever, not bad, should have grilled the fennel longer. Used arugula instead of watercress

Suzanne - Jambalaya

Enjoyed the boiled chicken, would be great as a soup as well.

Lisa - Chili Grilled Salmon with Cucumber and Mango Salsa

*see recipe below

Salsa was lovely and a good spice diffuser. Fish was less spicy than I expected.

Jordana - Spicy Potatoes

Holy moley spicy!

Jillian - Spicy Baked Pineapple with Vanilla Ice Cream

*see recipe below

Yummy! Best dish of the evening - in my opinion.

Lychee Cocktail



The lychee cocktail recipe was created based on my favorite drink at home, which does not contain SOHO lychee liquer (can be found at LCBO).

4 oz canned lychee syrup
2 oz simple syrup
1 oz SOHO lychee liquer
ice

Top with 2 oz of evaporated milk (more if you like it)
Garnish with canned lychees, a sprig of mint


Sweet Ginger Margarita

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 tablespoons simple syrup
- 2 oz white tequila
- 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
- splash of lemon juice
- Garnish: candied ginger (optional)

Heat the fresh ginger slices with the simple syrup in a pan over low heat for about 5 minutes. The syrup should thicken significantly. Combine the ginger syrup, tequila, Grand Marnier, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for a good 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with candied ginger, if desired.



Teh (tea) Halia (ginger)

This is a very popular drink in Malaysia and Indonesia when we eat spicy food, which aids indigestion problems i.e. stomach upsets.

6 cups water
1 cup brown sugar, packed (I prefer to use palm sugar for authenticity)
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, cracked

Combine the water, sugar, and ginger in a pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
Cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes.
Strain.



Chili Grilled Salmon with Mango Cucumber Salsa


Fish:

1 lb salmon , skinned
S&P
3 T vegetable oil
2T chili powder
2t oregano

Season fish with S & P and then rub all over with the oil. Mix chili and oregano and then rub all over fish to coat evenly. Let stand for up to 6 hours in the fridge. Cook the salmon over high heat in a skillet for 4-5 min on each side or until medium or medium-rare.

Salsa:

2 mangoes, finely diced
1/2 cucumber, finely diced
juice of one orange and lime
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 small bunch of mint leaves, finely chopped
S&P

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve salsa with the fish.

Roasted Spicy Pineapple
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups (or more) water
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
1/4 cup dark rum
1 large banana
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 dried chiles de árbol*
1 large (4 1/2-pound) pineapple, trimmed, peeled, sliced and cored

Mix sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla beans. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Increase heat; boil until syrup is deep amber color, swirling pan occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add 1 cup water (syrup will bubble vigorously), then rum. Stir over very low heat until caramel bits dissolve. Simmer 2 minutes. Cool syrup 15 minutes. Pour into blender. Add banana, ginger, and chiles de árbol; puree until sauce is smooth.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pineapple in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour sauce over; turn pineapple to coat. Roast until tender, basting often with sauce and adding more water by tablespoonfuls if sauce becomes thick, about 1 hour 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill until cold, then cover and keep chilled.)

Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream (from the Ice Cream Bible)

4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
2 cups milk
2 cups whipping cream

1. in a bowl whisk egg yolks with sugar until thickend and pale yellow

2. Slit vanilla bean lenghtwise and scraped seeds into medium saucepan. Add vanilla pod, mild and cream. Bring to simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes for vanilla to infuse

3. Discard pod. Bring mixture to a simmer over low heat. simmer for 5 min. Gradually whisk in egg mixture.

4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick enough to coat a wooden spoon. (don't let it boil). Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until cold.

5. Stir cream mixture. Transfer to ice cream maker and make according to manufacturer's instructions.

Cooking Club II - Italian Food

This post is long overdue. Cooking Club 2 had their last meeting about 3 weeks ago. Christine was absent, due to a trip to see her sister - as the rest of us fought for counter, and oven, space in Jordana's kitchen. Italian was the theme and it did not disappoint. I was able to try Italian fare that I had never experienced and it was all quite successful.

Danielle - Chickpea Panelle with Goat Cheese and Salsa Rustica

I couldn't conceptualize this at first, but it turned out better than I thought it would. The salsa was the best part I think.

Jillian - Tuscan White Bean Salad with Spinach, Olives and Sundried Tomatoes

Jillian added some Gorgonzola for an extra punch.

Jordana - Sogliola in Tre Modi (Roasted Sole Three Ways) from Jamie's Italy

She wasn't able to source Dover Sole so she used Atlantic Sole and it was fantastic; a nice contrast of texture, flavour and colour.

Lisa - Shredded Brussels Sprouts With Pecans and Prosciutto

I adore Brussels Sprouts, so this suited me fine. I have never thought to add pecans before and it complimented the nuttiness of the sprouts perfectly.

Suzanne - Cucidati

This wrapped pastries were delicious! They were amazingly sweet and the mix of figs, orange zest and chocolate was something I would not have thought would work so well together.

Cooking Club II - Spring

The weather in Windsor has been gorgeous for the last month - a well deserved treat after the awful Winter we were dealt. Jillian hosted our cooking club meeting for April and chose Spring as her theme. We had a smaller group of four that evening which made it a great time to get to know each other more and really get into some interesting food discussions.

The menu included:

Jillian- Budding Cocktail (recipe below)
The Maple Berry (recipe below)

Budding cocktail has a great appley tart flavour while the Maple Berry is a gorgeous burst of fruit!

Christine - Malaysian Spring Rolls

Looked like an amazing amount of work but were soft, crispy, crunchy, spicy and delicious.

Lisa - Pork Tenderloin with Plum Chutney

This reminded me that I need to start using plums in my cooking more often.

Jillian - Polenta with Spring Vegetable Ragout (see recipe below)

Great way to showcase Spring veggies.

Danielle - Pink Peppercorn Pavolva with Strawberries, Vanilla Cream, and Basil Syrup

Way easier to make than I expected. Could find the peppercorns but worked well anyway. I used a Silpat instead of parchment and I chopped up the blanched basil into the syrup and boiled on low heat for a short time. Will make this again!

Budding Cocktail (Michelle P. E. Hunt & Lisa Hunter)

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add 1½ oz Bacardi Big Apple rum. Top with limeade and garnish with an apple slice and a mint sprig.

The Maple Berry

To a cocktail shaker at 1/8 cup blueberries and 1/8 cup strawberries. Muddle or mash. Fill the shaker with ice and add 1 1/2 oz vodka, 1 oz white cranberry juice, 1/2 oz maple syrup and 1/2 oz lemon juice. Shake and strain into a martini glass and garnish with a skewer of fresh blueberries.

Polenta with Spring Vegetable Ragout

(from A Matter of Taste, L Waverman and J. Chatto)

Polenta

2T olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup cornmeal
4-6 cups boiling water
2t salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup parmesan cheese

Vegetable Ragout

2T olive oil
12 oz. mixed wild mushrooms (chopped)
8 oz asparagus, (chopped)
1/2 cup green peas
1 bunch wild leeks (green onions if you can't find them)
1 cup chicken stock (i used veggie)
2t Balsamic vinegar
2t chopped parsley
2t chopped chives
2T butter
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350

Heat oil in oven proof pot over medium high heat, saute onions until transparent. Add cornmeal and mix, pour in boiling water, stirring to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, stirring, add salt. Bake for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat in butter and parmasean.

While polenta is cooking heat oil at medium high heat. Saute mushrooms for 2 minutes, add asparagus, saute for 1 minute. Add peas, leeks, stock and vinegar. Saute for 3-4 minutes or until asparagus is crisp, tender and sauce is thickened slightly. Remove from heat, stir in remaining ingredients. Serve over Polenta.

Cooking Club

Yay! Our cooking club was recently on the front page of the Windsor Star Food Section! Fairly complimentary overall. I hope it inspires others to start their own club.

(picture courtesy of the Windsor Star)

Cooking Club II - LCBO Recipes

Without sounding like too much of a lush, I'd like to declare my love for the LCBO. I do understand some people's criticisms of the monopoly they have over alcohol in Ontario and that they do not carry many wines and spirits that real aficionados are looking for. But what they do have is great service from educated product consultants , a good recycling program, convenient stores with some excellent products and more.

In the past I have written about wine tasting and cooking classes I have taken there. I have also discussed the many wines I adore that are sold. Yet the item I favour from the LCBO is their Food & Drink Magazine. This month, Cooking Club II was hosted by Lisa and she chose to have recipes from Food & Drink as our theme.

**Watch for coverage of Cooking Club in the Windsor Star in the next few weeks**

Our recipes included:

Jordana - Garlic Herbed Cheese Spread

Lisa - Spinach Salad With Marinated Mushrooms and Ricotta Fritters (see below)

Suzanne - Cheese and Chilli Muffins

Jillian - Wild Mushroom Cannelloni

Danielle - Lamb Fillet with Candied Onions, Fennel and Whisky

Christine - Lemon Grass Panna Cotta with Orange Chili Caramel

* Lisa's recipe can be found in the Food & Drink Spring 2008 magazine

Cooking Club II - Canadian Food

The first official meeting of Cooking Club II (with actual cooking) occurred on Feb. 25 at my place. We now have 6 members and the kitchen was quite busy. In CC II, the members are so darn organised! Maybe it is because we were trying to impress each other.

I was able to try soy fish for the first time and it was wonderful! I left some leftovers for my husband and it was the soy fish that he liked best as well (though he did think that it was chicken). Overall the meeting was a great success, good food and fun were had by all.

Lisa - Brie, Apple & Walnut Phyllo Triangles

Suzanne - Pistachio Crusted Atlantic Salmon (recipe below)

Christine - Potato Crusted Soy Fish (see her blog for changes in the recipe)

Jillian - Pork Tenderloin with Scallops and Blueberry Beer Sauce (recipe below)

Danielle - Wild Rice Pilaf with Butternut Squash and Dried Cranberries

Jordana - Homestyle Tarte Tatin (recipe below)

Pistachio Crusted Atlantic Salmon

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
2 tsp hot horseradish
3/4 cup fresh whole-grain bread crumbs (to make: break 1 large piece of multigrain bread into chunks and place in a food processor or mini chopper. pulse on and off until soft crumbs are formed).
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh, skinless salmon fillets, about 6 oz (170 g) each and 1-inch thick

2 tsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a shallow baking pan with cooking spray and set aside (or just line a pan with tin foil, if you are cooking fish with skin on).

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, mustard and horseradish. Set aside. Using a food processor or mini chopper, grind pistachios until finely ground but not powdery. Transfer to a medium bowl and add fresh bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir gently using a fork. Add olive oil mixture and stir again, just until crumb mixture is moistened (like you're making a crust for a cheesecake).

Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle fish lightly with salt and pepper. Place in baking pan. Press 1/4 crumb mixture on top of each fish fillet. Drizzle tops with melted butter.

Bake on middle oven rack for about 15 mins, depending on thickness of fish. Be careful not to overcook the fish. Turn on the broiler and broil for 1 minute. Crumbs should be golden brown and fish should flake easily with a fork. Serve immediately.

Medallions of Pork with Nova Scotia Scallops and Blueberries

(from The Taste of Nova Scotia Cookbook, C. Lief and H. MacKenzie)

1 T shallots

1 tsp butter

1 cup blueberries, mashed

3 T sugar

1 cup Nova Scotia beer (Keiths)

1 cup vegetable stock, thickened with 1 Tbsp cornstarch

salt and pepper

1/3 cup whipping cream

2 Tbsp butter

2 lbs pork tenderloin

24 scallops

Saute shallots in butter, add mashed blueberries and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir in beer, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add stock and cook for several more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and gradually blend in cream.

Cut pork into medallions around 1 inch thick. Pound between sheets of wax paper until 1/2 thin. Saute pork medallions in butter for 5 minutes; add scallops and continue to saute an additional 5 minutes. Pour blueberry sauce, then top with scallops and pork.

Homestyle Tarte Tatin

From Bonnie Stern’s Essentials of Homecooking (page 183)
Recipe adapted by Jordana who is not a baker

Ingredients:
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup butter
10 apples peeled, cored and sliced (I used Granny Smith)
375 grams of puff pastry (about ¾ of a package of Tenderflake defrosted)
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Sprinkle ¾ cup sugar over bottom of a 10 or 12 inch nonstick ovenproof skillet. Cook on medium-high until sugar melts and turns golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not stir once sugar has dissolved. Add butter and melt.

2. Add apples and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 to 15 minuets, or until apples are tender and almost all liquid has evaporated. Do not stir very much or apples may break. Liquid in pan should be very syrupy. Cook to room temperature.

3. Roll pastry into an 11 or 13 inch circle. Place over apples. Cut out a few team slits and tuck edges of pastry inside pan.

4. Brush with egg and sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar. Bake in a preheated 400 F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until browned.

5. While pie is hot, run a knife inside edge of pastry and invert onto a large serving plate.

New Cooking Club!!!!

I love Cooking Club. I enjoy getting together with friends and chatting and drinking while we are able to focus on my favourite subject - food. I recently decided that a once a month meeting did not fix my cravings for Cooking Club, so I decided to start Cooking Club II. I emailed a few people that I have gotten to know through emails and blogs related to Maple Syrup & Poutine (one is Christine from Dinner Lately).

We met earlier this week and it looks like this will be a great group of women. This month's theme will be Canadian food and I am looking forward to learning from my fellow members!