Morning shake

School starts next week and that will mean hectic mornings for a lot of folks. My mornings aren't particularly frenzied, but I never seem to have enough time to do all the things I need to do before I head out the door.

This breakfast shake requires some preparation the night before, but it's quick to come together in the morning, and you can drink it en route if you take it with you in a coffee mug or thermos. What I like best about it is how filling it is, and it really holds you through those first hours of the day. Plus, it's basically a chocolate shake without the fat, and there's nothing in it that's terribly bad for you. Convinced yet? You should be!

Okay, as I said, you have to start this preparation the night before. So, grab two bananas, peel 'em and wrap them in a bit of plastic. Chuck them in the freezer and leave them there 'til morning. Done!

Next, in the morning, while you make your coffee, assemble everything else into the blender you also got ready the night before.

Pour 1/2 cup of oats into the blender. They'll look like this.

Blend them 'til they're a fine powder. It will take about 20 seconds or so.

Dump in the frozen bananas next. They'll still be soft enough to break into pieces. Add a heaping spoonful of dark cocoa powder and another of peanut butter. Finally, squeeze in a teaspoon or so of honey if you like. Top everything off with a cup or so of milk. The amount will vary depending on the size of your bananas.

Blend until smooth. Again, this will take a while for everything to come together.

Pour into a glass (or travel coffee mug mentioned above) and enjoy. When else can you break out your Guinness glass at 7:30 a.m.?

Fresh peach cake

In the great Finger Lakes re-cap of 2011, I forgot to mention the yummy peach salad I had at the Stonecat cafe. It featured local greens, goat cheese and tempura battered local peach slices. The fruit was encased in this light, crisp batter, but remained soft on the inside. It was a really interesting way of serving and tasting peaches -- one of my favourite summer fruits.

Which brings me to the recipe below for Ina Garten's fresh peach cake. I saw her make this on her program, and she make a big deal of sourcing the fruit from a local farm shop in the Hamptons, run by two college-aged girls with trust funds almost as big as their chests. I'm glad Ina's supporting her local economy, but a basket of peaches grown generally in Ontario is good enough for me.

A whole basket of peaches is a lot for one person, but I seem to go through them pretty quickly. I have them sliced on oatmeal in the morning, or mixed with yogurt. And then I freeze some too, to add to smoothies once summer's over. Practially the only thing I don't like about peaches are the inevitable fruit flies that accompany them. I think I've trapped and killed hundreds in my kitchen over the past few weeks (here's my secret method: put bits of fruit, or peelings or whatever, in a small dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Then poke several holes in the plastic and leave on your counter. The flies are able to get in the dish, but aren't smart enough to get out. Once you've got a flock going, nuke 'em in the microwave before they breed).

Ina's cake is a nice way to use of peaches. But like all cakes make with fresh fruit, it doesn't have a long shelf life. So you'll have to eat it quickly, or share with co-workers as I did. The texture's a bit like coffee cake, and the nuts are a nice addition to the sugary top. So go buy some peaches (from a stand in the Hamptons, or your local grocery store) and whip up this cake while summer's still around. And don't forget to peel your peaches before you put them in the cake, or else it'll be like eating a mouse! (or so says my mother)



Fresh peach cake
From the Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla, and mix until the batter is smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Spread half of the batter evenly in the pan. Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and the pecans.

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Gooseberry compote

I bought a box of gooseberries for the first time from the farmers market a couple of weeks ago. I've always been curious about these berries, but had never tasted one until a few weeks ago. They're kind of like a tiny, slightly tart grape, though they weren't as sour as I'd expected them to be. And they look quite pretty here, don't they?

Once I got them home, I had to decide what to do with them. I scoured my British cookbooks, since the fruit seems to be a favourite of cooks there. But since I didn't have enough for a pie or jam, I compromised and decided to make a compote, loosely adapted from the River Cottage Every Day cookbook that I borrowed from the library (highly recommended, by the way!).

The recipe itself is fairly simple: add the fruit, water and sugar to a pan and cook for about 10 minutes. Before I got to that stage though, I had to top and tail the berries. Holy hell was that an annoying task! It took me close to half an hour to take off the tiny stems and the little bits of brown at the bottom. I'm quite sure I would go nuts if I had to prepare an entire pie.

Anyway, after it was all cooked and cooled, I ended up with this -- basically a thick, jam-like concoction. I'd say I started with about a cup of fruit (or just over 280g, because I weighed them), and I added maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons of water, and maybe the same amount of sugar. The compote wasn't terribly sweet, but I liked it that way.

And yes, I realize it looks like a bowl of slightly seedy snot, but I turned it into a fool, by folding it in to whipped cream and crumbled up meringue. It only looked vaguely nasaly after that. :)

Fabulous Finger Lakes

I took a late July roadtrip to New York state's Finger Lakes region. I've been reading a lot lately about how that wine region is a real up and coming tourist destination. Considering it's only about a five-hour drive from Ottawa, it seemed like a doable trip to see for myself.

There are lots of wineries lining each side of Seneca lake (and others). After having lived in the Okanagan Valley for a few years, this area reminded me a lot of it, except not quite as desert-y (or as bible thumpy!).

I sampled a few wines during the trip, some distilled gin, and some locally-made "Champagne" in a cute single serve bottle (see above). Don't worry, I promptly alerted the French authorities about this misuse of this term as soon as I returned to Canada.

I stayed at a really nice hotel at the bottom of Seneca Lake in a small town called Watkins Glen. This was the sunset view from the harbour.

And the harbour, sans sunset.

And a view of the hotel itself. The room had a nice balcony that overlooked the water.

Lots of state parks in the area, and several waterfalls. This one has a name I'm sure, but I didn't bother writing it down.

The trip also included a jaunt to Ithaca, to see the Cornell University, and to Corning to see the glass museum, where they had a paperweight for sale for a measly $43,000 (I bought two). Foodwise, I enjoyed some very nice meals here and here. Maybe my next trip will be in the fall to see the leaves!

Salt & Vinegar Potato Salad

I'm not a fan of mayo-based potato salad, so when I saw this recipe on line, it spoke to me. So much so, that I bookmarked it and thought about it for over a year, keeping it to make for a summer day. It's a great dish to make to accompany a barbecue, or any other warm weather main.

Let's get started...

Start by marinating the onions in vinegar. I didn't have cider, so used red wine instead.

You can mix up the dressing while the potatoes cook. The secret ingredient here is Old Bay seasoning, which is commonly used in seafood dishes. It's salty blend of spices, and works well in this salad. I'm not sure if you can buy it in Canada. I managed to pick up a tin on my last trip to the U.S.

Put those asbestos fingers to use and peel the taters once they're boiled. Cooking them with the skin on helps keep the shape, and you probably could stip this step altogether if you really wanted.

Mix the still-warm potatoes in the dressing and add in the onions. The result is a spicy salad, with the creamy texture of the Yukon golds. Serve at room temperature, but keeps very well in the fridge for a few days.

Salt & Vinegar Potato Salad
Found on Shutterbean (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

1 large red onion, cut lengthwise into 1/3 wide wedges and layers separated
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
4 lb. medium yellow fleshed potatoes such as Yukon Gold
2 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Toss the onion & 2 tablespoons vinegar with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Marinate at room temperature, tossing occasionally until slightly softened and pink. This should take about 45 minutes.

Cover the potatoes with salted cold water in a large pot, simmer, uncovered until just tender. Takes about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together 2 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and remained 1/2 cup vinegar in a bowl.

Drain potatoes in a colander, and peel off skins when they are cool enough to handle. Cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Toss the warm potatoes with the vinegar mixture in a larger bowl. Add the onion mixture & oil. Toss to combine. Add more Old Bay seasoning, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ricotta cheese

What's the traditional way to celebrate Canada Day weekend, and the arrival of Will and Kate in Ottawa? Make homemade ricotta, of course!

Er, maybe not, but perhaps I invented a new tradition that will sweep the nation by this time next year. Yep, while the crowds were on the Hill, sweating and crammed in like sardines to see the royals, I boiled up some milk and got down to cheese making. Hard to say who had a more glamorous time -- me or Kate -- but I did don a fascinator for the occasion.

Anyway, the recipe's from the new Jamie Oliver magazine, and I thought it looked both interesting and relatively easy, so opted to give it a try. Funnily enough, it starts out by stating that ricotta's a good way to use up leftover milk. But who has two litres of milk just left over? And left over from what is a better question.

Start by bringing the milk to a boil in a large pot. Two litres is a lot of milk, let me tell you, and you'll be shocked at how little cheese it makes.

Once you add in the vinegar and let the mixture sit for a while, you spoon out the curds into a strainer. I didn't have any cheesecloth to line mine, so I used a (clean) linen tea towel.

This is what the cheese looks like after 15 minutes of resting in the strainer.

And this is what it looks like after it's all bundled up and the remaining whey is squeezed out. There's a lot of whey! (And a lot of blue veins on my wrist. I ought to have that checked out.)

And here's the finished product. The recipe says it produced 300g of cheese, and while I didn't weigh it, I'd estimate it at just over a cup or so. Honestly, I found the texture of this a little disappointing. I was hoping for something creamy and salty, but it was pretty dry and a little bland. I'd chalk this recipe up to more of a fun science experiment than a roaring success.

It tasted better on toast though, with some roasted asparagus and drizzled with some olive oil. Makes a great lunch!

Cheat's Ricotta
From Jamie Magazine, June 2011 edition

2 litres full-fat milk, cow or goat
1 tsp sea salt flakes
100 ml rice vinegar or white vinegar
A large piece of muslin or cheesecloth

1. Pour the milk into a large, deep saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the salt and stir to dissolve.

2. As the milk comes to a boil, you'll see small bubbles forming. Remove spoon and add in vinegar all at once. You'll see small lumps form and rise to the surface as the milk curdles.

3. Once the mixture starts to boil, turn off the heat. Cover pan and leave for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, line a sieve or colander with the cheescloth and place over a large bowl.

5. Remove lid from pan and gently lift the separated curds into the sieve. Or, slowly pour mixture from pan into sieve. Allow curds to sit in strainer for 15 minutes.

5. Wrap the fabric around the cheese and squeeze gently to remove more liquid, until you reach desired consistency. Unwrap the ricotta to serve, or cool commpletely then store in fridge for two days.

Summer salads

Summer's officially here, and since I'm still without a/c, I need to find meal options that don't involve turning on the oven.

Salads are a natural choice, and I decided to take advantage of the strawberries in season for this first one.

There's no recipe per se, but first I washed and dried a handful of spinach leaves and piled them on a plate. Next I cut up a cucumber and some strawberries, while I quickly toasted some pecans on the stove. I crumbed some goat cheese over, and drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the whole thing. Tasty!

This quinoa recipe was adapted from an LCBO flyer I got in the paper a couple of weeks ago. I adapted it slightly from the original version, throwing in some asparagus and leftover tomoatoes (I didn't have a full pint), and didn't bother to toast the sunflower seeds -- but they're a great, crunchy addition anyway. I at this as is, without the spinach leaves. It makes a great lunch seved cold.

Quintissential Quinoa Salad

Prepare quinoa first

1 1/2 c uncooked quinoa (I had only one cup)
2 1/2 c salted boiling water

Bring water to boil, then add in quinoa. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all water is absorbed. Set aside to cool.

Salad ingredients

1, 398ml can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 oz Feta cheese, crumbled
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 orange pepper diced
6 cups baby spinach leaves
1 c toasted sunflower seeds

Dressing (I halved the amount)

2 big cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 c extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt
crackled black pepper

Combine all ingredients, except oil, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously, then add oil in two batches, shaking between each addition.

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, and drizzle with dressing to taste.