Tasty Tangents

Food, life and other morsels

February 22, 2016
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Asian gone country

The Poplar Hill sushi roll at The Country Spot.

The Poplar Hill Sushi Roll at The Country Spot.

It’s hard to express the joy of having delicious Asian food around the corner.

You have to understand. I live in a little hamlet of a little more than 100 homes. There’s a park and a restaurant The Country Sport, that’s it.

No,w the closest sushi is only a 20 minute drive away, but in the middle of a Canadian winter, It might as well be at the North Pole.

So while there was a bit of wariness when word spread the restaurant in town was changing hands, it’s turned out to be a wonderful thing.

I’m both happy for the family that used to run it, who were looking to do something new, and for the new family in town.

The new folks have been smart about it too. They know people are resistant to change. So the menu – standard breakfast, burgers and other solid diner fare – is almost entirely the same, except for the magical page of Asian goodness.

Bibimbap, bento boxes, sushi and bulgogi – it’s a wonderful blend of Korean and Japanese dishes – not many, just the essentials, and so far all delicious!

The Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box at The Country Spot.

The chicken teriyaki bento box at The Country Spot.

January 31, 2016
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OMG Creme Brulee

Breaking through the top of the creme brulee.

Breaking through the top of the creme brulee.

So my little sister turning 30 (her champagne birthday, 30 on the 30th, no less) came with a request for creme brulee.

From the only person in my family who doesn’t actually have a sweet tooth, that’s a pretty unique request.

My original plan was to make a large tart (since I had to serve 14), but my crust cracked at the last minute and I found some reasonably-priced six ounce custard cups so I was off to the races.

There are recipes all over the Internet for creme brulee, and this one’s pretty similar to the one I followed, though I didn’t use any salt.

I used one from Desserts by the Yard and I was amazed at how few ingredients were involved – heavy/whipping cream, granulated sugar, vanilla beans, egg yolks – that’s it.

The scariest step of making creme brulee, mixing the hot milk, sugar and vanilla combo with the lightly whisked egg yolks. Go slow!

The scariest step of making creme brulee, mixing the hot milk, sugar and vanilla combo with the lightly whisked egg yolks. Go slow!

But make no mistake, this recipe requires a lot of time, focus and steady hands to move liquid-filled trays. A bigger oven than mine would also be helpful.

After trying it my tips are these – take your time and add the hot cream to the egg yolks VERY slowly. Also, be generous when adding sugar to the tops before hitting them with the torch or broiler otherwise you won’t get the crunchy top you want.

The creme brulee before the tops are sugared and torched.

The creme brulee before the tops are sugared and torched.

One other thing – it’s SO good. Like, lick your lips, scrape the bottom of the bowl good. I had forgotten how amazing the contrast between the creamy custard and crisp top was. Totally worth the time.

January 24, 2016
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Comments Off on Antipasto, charcuterie or something else?

Antipasto, charcuterie or something else?

One of our favourite (but only sometimes) dinner alternatives - an antipasto platter.

One of our favourite (but only sometimes) dinner alternatives – an antipasto platter.

At breakfast with friends on Saturday at the marvelous Clock Tower Bistro in Strathroy, Ont. an interesting question came up.

What, exactly, is charcuterie?

One of the breakfast options, (which I had on a previous visit) is a yummy charcuterie platter that includes The Whole Pig cured meats, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, fruit and toast.

I’ve always called that kind of thing an antipasto platter, but the question left me wondering about the real definition of charcuterie.

It turns out charcuterie – literally cold, cooked meats (mainly pork) – is only a tiny portion of that particular entree, but all the recommendations I found for charcuterie platters include cheeses, breads, pickled vegetables and honey or jams as well.

And while we’re on the subject, there’s another good term to know that’s close to my heart – salumi – Italian-style cured meats like prosciutto, mortadella, salami and soppressata, which my folks still make annually.

So now that we’ve learned some new terms, what’s next? I don’t know, but it’s all delicious.

January 22, 2016
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Berries on a branch

A handful of berries haven't been stolen away by the birds at the Coldstream Conservation Area.

A handful of berries haven’t been stolen away by the birds at the Coldstream Conservation Area.

The dead of winter has me pining for summer fruit, available for a good price at the local farmer’s market or better still picked fresh off the bush and eaten immediately.

I know there are great frozen options available at this time of year, so this is partly also a yearning for warmer weather, but the truth is nothing compares to summer fruits and vegetables in my books.

The flavour of that greenhouse tomato can’t hold a candle to the ones from my garden in August, and those giant California strawberries just make my mouth water for some tiny Ontario berries.

So what’s a girl to do? Look on the bright side, I suppose. The fact that we have access to any fresh fruits and vegetables is a blessing, and one that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Whenever there’s concerns or recalls in the grocery aisles, it really makes me appreciate the magnitude of the infrastructure that helps those California strawberries land on a shelf at my local store.

My plan then, is to enjoy the apples in my fridge, and start planning for the next crop of rhubarb.

December 24, 2015
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Christmas cookies

Christmas cookies, including Maple Walnut Cookies, Triple Ginger Cookies and Espresso Cinnamon Cookies.

Christmas cookies, including Maple Walnut Cookies, Triple Ginger Cookies and Espresso Cinnamon Cookies.

I own a lot of cookbooks. I’m not going to count them, but I will say that they have their own bookshelf.

So how do you define a cookbook’s usefulness? There are many ways I suppose, from whether it contains your absolute favourite recipe to one that inspires you to try a new ingredient, technique or cuisine.

But I think another important way is how many times you go back to the same book for a new recipe or just for inspiration.

One of those books for me is the Betty Crocker Cookie Book.

Every holiday season, and sometimes just when my sweet tooth will not settle down, I’ll pull the book off the shelf and leaf through the pages until I find something that suits my mood.

The recipes for cookies and bars vary in their difficulty, time required, etc. so I invariably find something that suits both the time available and the ingredients languishing in my pantry.

This year I went back for two old standbys, Maple Walnut Cookies and Triple Ginger Cookies, and a new recipe, Espresso Cinnamon Cookies (to use all that instant espresso sitting in the pantry).

As usual they were all hits, (something I can’t say for all the online recipes I’ve tried), and I’ll be going back the next time I get an urge to make something sweet.