Despite Vancouver’s reputation for being a rainy city, the weather gods have blessed us with sun - lots of it.  Which make’s today’s topic - “Harvest Soups” a little hard to swallow.  Resisting the temptation to feature more grilling recipes, I’ve turned my attention and tastes buds to rich, hearty broths.

This time of year yields a cornucopia of fall root vegetables, particularly if you’re into farmers’ markets.  With the early harvest apples starting to appear, it’s only fitting we whip up a batch of  “Winter Vegetable Soup,” which contains not only root vegetables, but apples and a dollop of maple syrup.  Does it get any more Canadian than this?

Don’t be deterred by the sweetness of this recipe.  The  cayenne pepper and the goat cheese topping more than balance the sweet flavours.  But don’t take my word for it, try this one out and let me know what you think.

Winter Vegetable Soup (source: www.epicurious.com)

ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion (I use a maui or sweet onion)
• 1 cup peeled coarsely chopped granny smith apples
• 1 cup peeled coarsely chopped turnip
• 1 cup peeled, chopped butternut squash (seeds discarded)
• 1 cup peeled, chopped carrots
• 1 cup peeled, chopped sweet potato
• 5 cups of chicken stock
• 1/8 cup of maple syrup
• Cayenne pepper
• 1 small whole-grain baguette
• 3 oz goat cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

directions
For soup, heat oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add apple, turnip, squash, carrot, and sweet potato; season with salt, then sauté 5 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add syrup, then cayenne pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Puree with a handheld mixer, food processor or blender. For toast toppers, cut 6 slices bread and toast them. Spread 1/2 oz goat cheese on top of each; sprinkle with chives. Pour soup into 6 large bowls; float toast on top.

If anyone has a good carrot and ginger soup recipe, please leave me a comment.

Cheers,

Julie

My husband loves tarts. Pies are a source of joy, but he likes nothing better than to sink his teeth into a fruit custard tart. The fruitier the better.

The summer provides a cornucopia of fresh fruit: fat little blueberries, raspberries, peaches and apricots just to name a few.

Today’s recipe is dedicated to all the tart lovers out there - Honey-Glazed Peach Tart. For the crust, I use John Bishop’s pastry recipe. It’s simple, easy to make and serves as a delicious platform for any fruit and custard topping.

Pastry

• 1 1/2 cups white flour sifted
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, not soft
• 1/3 cup of icing sugar

Combine flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor until it forms a ball. Trace the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan onto parchment paper. Cut out the circle and place it in the pan. This will make it easier to remote the tart onto a serving plate after it is baked. Use approximately 2/3 of the dough to line the bottom of the pan, and press the remainder up the sides. It works well to form it into a roll first, and then press it evenly up the sides (about 1 inch/2.5 cm). You can also just roll this into a regular glass pie plate if you don’t have a springform pan.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake crust until golden brown for about 25 minutes, pricking crust with a fork if bubbles form.

Filling
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
6 ripe medium peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
2 tablespoons peach preserves, melted

For filling:
Mix sugar, flour, and lemon peel in large bowl to blend. Add peaches and toss to coat. Pour into baked crust. Drizzle honey over peach mixture; dot with butter and sprinkle with almonds. Bake until peaches are tender and almonds are toasted, about 35 minutes. Brush fruit and almonds with peach preserves. Cool 15 minutes before serving. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Store tart at room temperature.)

Mascarpone Cream
1 cup chilled whipping cream
6 tablespoons mascarpone cheese*
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For mascarpone cream:
Using electric mixer, beat cream, mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until peaks form. Slice tart into 6 wedges and serve with dollops of mascarpone cream.

Cheers,

Julie

Tortillas are arguably one of the most versatile appetizers. From quesadillas to fajitas, many wonderful snacks can be created with this flexible flatbread.

Today’s recipe comes from the docks of Horne Lake. Andrea and Debbie have been urging me to include this appetizer - tortilla with fig jam, pancetta and asiago cheese on my blog. While I don’t have the exact amount for the ingredients, you can ball park it depending on how many tortillas you use.

Tortilla with fig jam, pancetta and asiago cheese

Ingredients

• 4 10 - 12″ white flour tortillas
• 1 small jar of fig jam
• 200 grams of sliced pancetta
• 1 cup of shredded asiago cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. Place tortillas on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes - you want the shells to be crunchy but not browned.

Spread on warm shells, fig jam, then layer with pancetta and top with shaved asiago cheese. Place back in the oven for an additional 5 - 7 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Slice tortillas into eights and serve immediately with a gin and tonic, mojito or cold Corona.

It’s no secret that lime has been one of my favourite flavours this summer - from fajitas to mojitos, this zesty citrus has ruled my grill. Last night I squeezed it on my fresh cherries - awesome combination.

I came across this recipe for Chili Lime Tortillas on epicurious.com and with a few modifications have listed it below:

Chili Lime Tortillas

• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 tsp lime
• 1/4 cup veg oil
• 4 10 - 12″ flour tortillas

Directions
Mix the first six ingredients together and brush mixture on flour tortillas. Place on cookie sheet (need two cookie sheets) and using a sharp knife cut into narrow wedges. Bake for 10 minutes and then rotate sheets (so the tortillas cook evenly) and then bake another seven to 10 minutes.

What’s your favourite tortilla recipe? Leave me a the details in the comment section below.

Cheers,

Julie

Cottaging on the west coast means has many benefits including access to fresh seafood. Lately around the campfire I’ve been hearing stories of cooked crab. The result has left me feeling crabby. Normally a fan of crab dipped in butter, I’m on a quest for the perfect crab cake.

My search will start at the French Creek Fisheries, located off the old Island highway between Parksville and Qualicum, it’s a great place to pick up fresh seafood including crabs. Hopefully they will clean the crabs for me so all I have to worry about is the meat.

Today’s crab cake recipe comes from Epicurious.com, with a few modifations.

Crab cakes
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced green onions
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons minced fresh dill
4 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
4 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound blue crabmeat or Dungeness crabmeat
2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs),* divided

2 tablespoons (or more) butter
2 tablespoons (or more) grapeseed oil

Directions:

Line baking sheet with waxed paper. Whisk first 9 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in crabmeat and 1 cup panko, breaking up crabmeat slightly. Let stand 10 minutes. Place remaining panko on rimmed baking sheet, spreading slightly. Form crab mixture into eight 4-inch-diameter patties, using about scant 2/4 cup for each. Press both sides of patties into panko. Transfer patties to waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in each of 2 heavy large skillets over medium-high heat. Add crab cakes to skillets and cook until golden on both sides, adding more butter and oil as needed, about 5 minutes total.
I like to serve my crab cakes with an Asian sweet chili sauce (the kind used for salad rolls and spring rolls)

Stay tuned for the results.

Cheers,

Julie

We seldom go out for dinner at the cabin. It’s a 25 minute drive to the nearest town and nothing tastes better than a steak on the barbecue, or maybe it’s the view from our deck that makes the food so good.

When we do venture out, like we did this past weekend, it was to one of my favourite restaurants - Atlas Cafe (#250 - 6th Street). I first stumbled onto it during a girl’s golf weekend. Five years later, it’s still one of my all time favourite. restaurants. It’s open for brunch, lunch and dinner. If you love goat cheese, be sure to try the goat cheese tart - delicious.

If you’re traveling north on Vancouver Island highway (19A) this summer, Courtenay, Comox and the road leading to these small towns, offers some excellent local cuisine. Salmon, halibut, crab and oysters are the mainstays on most menus in this part of the country. Here are some great restaurants, verified by the local, that you might want to try.

• Avenue in Comox is a sister restaurant to Atlas
• Tuscano’s in Courtenay
• Harbourview Bistro (located in Union Bay - they have limited seating so make a reservation)
• The Noodle House is another local favourite for the residents of Courtenay
• Greenwood Meat Pies sells frozen meat pies and can be found on the back streets of Courtenay
• Fanny Bay Inn - located north of Qualicum on the old Island highway this is a biker bar. While I can’t vouch for the food, but there are always a lot of bikes and cars in the drive-way.

If I have missed your favourite restaurant, please feel free to add it in comment section below.

Cheers,

Julie

Living off the grid toast is considered a luxury, simply because you have to start the generator before you can plug in the toaster. It’s easier just to eat cereal, or at least it was.

On a recent trip through Canadian Tire my husband discovered a camp stove toaster. Made by Coghlan’s, this little metal looking pie plate with metal frame makes great toast. We just place it on top of our propane stove burner, turn the gas on to heat it up and then put the toast in place. About a minute per side and it’s ready - warm crunchy toast.

The frame is wide enough to cook bagels too. For $5 we are enjoying some of the luxuries of home.

If you live off the grid and have any tips you’d like to share with me please leave me a comment.

Cheers,

Julie

Getting ready to head to the cabin, especially for a long weekend, requires planning and precision packing.

I was always impressed by my Aunt Helen who worked all week, come home Friday night and turned around and headed off to the lake. She not only brought home the bacon, she cooked and packed it too.

Due to the remoteness of our lake, food requires careful planning, otherwise we’ll end up eating hot dogs and potato chips all weekend. That actually would be Bill’s ideal food weekend, but I like a little more variety. If you’re scrambling for food ideas here’s what I’ve planned for our weekend:

Menu Ideas

Saturday

• Costco Kettle Ribs (pre-made just have to re-heat)
• steamed baby potatoes drizzled with fresh dill and butter
• corn-on-the-cob

Sunday

• Roast Beef marinated in oyster sauce cooked with baby potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips
• Wild Blueberry crisp (re-printed from Penny’s Blog www.cottagelife.com)
• Wild Blueberry CrispFilling:
  5 cups (750 g) wild blueberries (1.25 L)
  1/4 cup (50 g) sugar (60 ml)
  1/2 tsp grated lemon rind (2.5 ml)
  1 cup (2 medium) diced peeled apples (250 ml)Crisp:
  1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar (125 ml)
  2 tsp cinnamon (10 ml)
  1 tsp nutmeg (5 ml)
  1/2 cup (65 g) white flour (125 ml)
  1/2 cup (65 g) chopped pecans (optional) (125 ml)
  1/2 cup (50 g) rolled oats (125 ml)
  1/4 lb (115 g) butter (60 ml)Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C. In a small bowl, combine wild blueberries, sugar, lemon rind, and apples. Mix well and place in a well-buttered 8″ x 8″ x 2″ (20 x 20 x 5 cm) pan. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, pecans, and oats. Rub in the butter with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread evenly over the wild blueberry mixture. Bake 45 minutes or until the crust is brown.

Monday

• Pasta with grilled sausages - I use smokies, or Freybe’s Turkey and Sun Died Tomato, or something spicy
• ( dice and saute one sweet onion, salt, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 - 3 pounds of fresh diced tomatoes, dash of red pepper flakes heat all the ingredients for 5 to 8 minutes add cooked chopped sausages and serve on a bed of linguine topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese)
• Caesar salad

With the food out of the way I can now turn my attention to packing. Here’s my cottage check-list:

• Clean Linens (usually stored in a garbage bag)
• Dog food and leash
• XM Satellite Player
• DVD Player and DVD’s
• Laptop and camera
• Clothes, shoes, coats
• Food (perishables and non-perishables)
• Drinks - kids and adults
• Kid’s activity bag - pastels, colouring books, word puzzles, paints and brushes
• Good book to read (just finished Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden about to start Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali)

Just getting all this stuff together and into the Jeep takes about half a day. My hat goes off to my Aunt Helen who made it all look so easy.

Happy long weekend everyone!

Cheers,

Julie

Summertime and the grillin is easy. Fresh grilled halibut topped with mango salsa is a quick and easy meal - ideal for cottage guests.

With cottage season in full gear, it seems we have visitors booked from now until Labour Sunday. While it’s great to have friends come and visit, those extra mouths to feed can really wear a person out.

Here’s a quick and easy dinner that takes 35 minutes from start to finish - grilled halibut with mango salsa. The salsa can be prepped up to six hours in advance. You can also substitute halibut for salmon, walleye or lake trout.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of fish
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• sea salt or kosher salt

Prep fish 30 minutes before grilling by removing from fridge, pat dry and brush on sesame oil. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and return to fridge. Heat barbecue to medium-high. I use a fish basket on the barbecue, but if you don’t have one, clean the grill thoroughly and brush on olive oil. Lay fish skin side down and cook for 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. Turn over and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove from grill , top with mango salsa and serve immediately.

Salsa

• 2 cups of fresh chopped mangoes
• 1 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx 2 limes)
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper - finely chopped (make sure to remove any seeds)

Mix together, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until fish is served.

Cheers,

Julie

It’s Tuesday morning and our home looks like a bomb has gone off. Garbage bags full of dirty laundry are toppling over onto the floor. The grass, now tall enough to support a small herd of goats, desperately needs cutting. My pink geraniums, once vibrant and flush, are bent over- gasping for water.

Yes, it’s mid-summer and my life is in chaos. It happens every summer. It began when we purchased our cabin. From Tuesday until Friday I tear around the house trying to pick up here, throw-out there all in a vain attempt to maintain some semblance of order before skipping off to the cabin every weekend.

Food in another matter. I keep forgetting what we have and what we’re out of. I often get the two places mixed-up. The result? I now have 36 eggs and four quarts of milk in my fridge at home - none at the cabin - opps.

In an attempt to rid my life of some of the eggs I’ve started stockpiling in the fridge, I’m going to make Fairholme’s Eggs Benedict tonight for dinner. This recipe is fairly straightforward and surprisingly my family (including a very picky eater) love it.

Fairholme’s Eggs Benedict

Blender Hollandaise Sauce (this is soo easy to make and it turns out perfectly every time)

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• pinch cayenne
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 butter

Melt butter in microwave. Place egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne and salt in blender and turn on high for about 10 minutes.

With blender running, pour the melted butter into the egg mixture in a slow steady stream.

Allow the butter to fully incorporate and blend for 30 more seconds. The sauce should be light, creamy and smooth. Serve immediately.

• 8 large poached eggs
• 4 English muffins
• 8 slices Canadian bacon
• 8 slices tomato or cooked spinach
• 2 tbsp chives or parsley, finely chopped
• cayenne
• butter

Poached Eggs

Fill a skillet almost to the brim with cold water. Bring water to boil over high heat and reduce to medium or gentle simmer. Crack eggs one at a time into a small teacup. Pour each egg slowly into the gently simmering water. Allow the whites to start coagulating before dropping in the entire egg. Bring the water back up to temperature between each egg.

Allow eggs to lightly simmer in poaching water for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes or until whites are completely cooked. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and drain excess liquid.

Putting it all Together

Lightly toast and butter English muffins, keep warm in oven. Heat Canadian bacon in skillet with a little butter, do not brown. Place in oven with English muffins.

Place English muffins on plate. Top with Canadian bacon, tomato slice and poached egg. Pour 1-2 tablespoons Hollandaise Sauce over each egg. Garnish with chopped herbs and a pinch of cayenne.

I’m off to cut the grass and do some laundry.

Cheers,

Julie

Nothing says ‘I Love You’ like a homemade pie. It’s no secret that I tricked my husband into marrying me by passing off one of my mother’s homemade apple pies as my own. An often over-looked dessert, I’ve learned that pie is one way to a man’s heart.

Today’s recipe, Coconut Cream pie, is one of my favourite pies to make for friends. It’s rich, decedent and a joy to receive.

Creamy Coconut Custard Pie

You can use a pre-packaged Tenderflake pie crust or see How to Make Pie Pastry if you’re making it from scratch.

Filling

• 1 - small can of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
• 1 - 14 oz can Coconut Milk
• 3/4 cup of whole milk
• 1/4 tsp coconut extract
• 1 tsp tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 4 1/2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Preparation:

Whisk condensed milk, eggs and flour in a medium bowl. Bring milk and coconut milk to simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture , whisking constantly. Return to heat and cook until cream thickens and boils. Stir constantly for about four minutes. Remove from heat, mix vanilla and coconut extract. Pour into medium bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent skin from forming. Chill until cold, and then transfer filling to a cooked pie crust. Cover; chill overnight.

Topping

• 2 cups of fresh whipping cream
• 2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp coconut extract

Toast coconut in heavy skillet over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes. Cool completely.

Using electric mixer, beat cream, sugar and coconut extract in medium bowl until peaks form. Spread whipped cream over top of filling. Sprinkle evenly with toasted coconut. Serve cold.

Cheers,

Julie