Tamara's Block Party '09

Hmmm... what do you do, when you're bored at home and need to beat the summer, mid-week blues?? Head out to your local new-channel's block-party of course :P


On July 15th, my family attended the local news-station's bbq, picnic, block-party, shin-dig hosted by their weather woman. The party was held at Queen's Park and incidentally the weather was perfect, not too sunny and not too cool. Normally, I'm not one to stand in line for 1 1/2 hours to be one of the first 1,500 people to a party but this was a different story. You see, my family can never pass up the chance to get free food :P And if you were one of the first 1,500 people at the party you'd get a free dinner made by Mr. Mike's Steakhouse and Grill. Also, this party was the site of the release of the 3rd collectors pin for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics... and, having already collected pins 1 and 2, we couldn't just pass up the chance to get the next installment! That'd be crazy!

We had no idea how many people would actually be attending this bbq/picnic thing, but when we arrived (an hour and a half before the tents opened) the line up was already about 400people long. By the time the block-party opened it's doors, the line up had grown to triple it's size! The entire park was filled with a really squiggly, swervy line-up of probably more than 1,500 people! I sure hope that everyone who took time out of their day to line-up got at least a pin or a free-meal... I know I would be peeved if, after waiting 2+hours in the sun, I ended up getting nothing.

When I first stepped in-line, at around 3:00pm I wasn't hungry at all. But, by the time we actually got into the "free-food" line-up, it was 5:00pm and the smell of the freshly grilled burgers was tantalizing my taste buds and making my stomach grumble. I had never tried Mr. Mike's before, I often drive by their Langley location but have always brushed it off as being "just another steakhouse". Sadly, they did not serve up steak (I didn't think they would, because that'd mean grilling up 1,500 steaks for free... probably putting them in debt :P). But, they did serve up a mean burger with a side of caesar salad. The burger was "Mike's Classic", an angus steak burger placed on a bbq-toasted garlic frenchbread, topped with cheese, a pickle and an amazing burger sauce (I'd say even better than White Spot's Triple-O sauce! *gasp* I know!). The burger was huge, and I actually needed help finishing it off... the bread was so delicious, and has now made me a fan of serving burgers on garlic baguettes. Great idea Mr. Mikes!! Great idea :) When I move into my condo, I'll be closer to the local Mr. Mikes, so maybe I'll become a regular... I wonder if they'll serve just the french bread just by itself??

AAHHH!! This burger was AMAZING!

Anyways, the block-party itself was fantastic. The musical performers were called "Dr. Strangelove" and they played an amazing array of oldies, but with a contemporary twist. A couple MJ songs were played, some Aerosmith, some Janice Joplin and a couple folk-country-tunes. It was fun to see the little tykes running around the playground and the water-park section of Queen's Park. All-in-all, this was a fun outing for the family... sometimes it's tough to convince my sisters to get their butts out of their computer chairs and get some fresh air :P

Water Chestnut Cake

Yesterday was a very hot day, the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. In the sweltering heat, I decided to take a break from baking and wanted to make a more refreshingly cool dessert. I had this package of water-chestnut flour in my pantry and decided that this would be the perfect moment to experiment with making one of my mom's favorite chilled desserts... water chestnut cake. I had never used this chestnut flour before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect upon opening the box. The flour was a bit different than rice flour, potato flour and tapioca flour... instead of the powdery texture, this chestnut flour was a bit more clumpy and in little crystals.

I used the recipe on the back of the chestnut flour box, and the dessert came out very nicely. The recipe uses very few ingredients, and is almost no effort at all. It just takes time to have to steam the dessert, and then chill it in the fridge... so if you want to eat it for dessert, it's best that you make and steam it well ahead of time so that you have adequate time to get the cake to it's perfect chilled temperature before serving.

Water Chestnut Cake
Yields 1- 8inch round cake

Ingredients:
- 250g water chestnut flour (half of the box)
- 500ml water
- 1 can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped
- 750ml water
- 1 1/4 cup - 2 cups rock sugar/golden rock sugar (depending on how sweet you like your cake)

Method:
1. Combine the flour with the 500ml water, mixing thoroughly until all clumps are dissolved.
2. In a large sauce-pan, dissolve the sugar with 750ml of water over medium heat.
3. Once boiling, add in the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Add in the chopped water chestnuts, stirring until they are evenly distributed.
4. Pour the thicken cake "batter" into a greased 8-inch pan, and steam on high for 30minutes.
5. Once cooked, allow to cool to room temperature. Then place cake in the fridge until firmed and cold throughout. Slice and serve.

My mom was so excited that I had prepared this dish. She's a fan of the "not-so-sweet" chestnut cake, and so I didn't add too much sugar. With so few ingredients needed, this recipe is a breeze to make and yet has such a wonderful flavor to it. Water chestnut itself is quite refreshing, but in this cake form it was divine!

Iced Lemon Cookies

So, I had one small little lemon lingering about in the crisper drawer of my fridge and decided to make something out of it before it went soft and mushy. Yet, in scouring the gazillion recipes online that use lemon, most of them required 2 lemons for the recipe to be completed. I was not about to go out of my way, drive to the store, and buy one lemon in order to simply finish up the one lone lemon I had left over, so I kept on searching the internet. Finally, I came across this recipe for Lemon-Honey Drop Cookies on Myrecipes.com.

Just looking at the photo made my mouth water. And all I needed was one lemon! Score!! The recipe was very simple and quick; it only took about 5 minutes of prep work (to squeeze the lemon juice, and grate the rind) and then 5 minutes of mixing... pop it into the oven for 12 minutes and voila! deliciously fragrant and refreshing lemon cookies!

The cookies turned out more like mini scones, in that they were fairly moist and soft and the lemon glaze was nicely tart. The cookies puffed up nicely in the oven, and retained their height... If you're a fan of lemons and soft, tender scone-like cookies then this recipe is a must try!

June Daring Bakers Challenge: Bakewell Tart

Well, the move from my house into my new condo seems to be throwing me off just a little! Can't believe I just realized that it was July!! I was so busy June 30th.... working a 12hour shift at the hospital; and then on July 1st I was doing a 10k run, followed by hours of moving furniture into the new place, so I didn't even think twice about posting my challenge. I did complete the challenge however so here it is... my bakewell tart!

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Bakewell Tart ... er pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)

Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)

15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened

125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in color and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow color.

These tarts/pudding pies were absolutely fantastic! I loved the almond flavor and texture imparted upon the filling, and it was paired so well with the mixed berry jam. Since my younger sister is allergic to ground-nuts and tree-nuts I used my ever-favorite substitute for a half of the batter... ground up pine nuts! She enjoyed the dessert as much as the rest of my family and even had seconds :P

Well, it's time to organize and de-clutter more of my belongings in order to bring them over to the condo!! AAHHH, I never knew that I was such a pack-rat... it's kind of crazy! Oh, and FYI all of my baking utensils are definitely coming with me to the new place :) ... can't live without baking!

Chive Buds and Shrimp

Woah, it's been one crazy month. Not much time has been spent in the kitchen... other than attempting to pack up all of my baking utensils and staple baking ingredients for the big move on JUNE 30th!!! AAAHHH I still can't believe that I'm moving to my own place by the end of this month!! In a way I'm super excited, but in other ways I'm completely stressing about how I'm going to adjust to living on my stoney-lonesome :( I'm gonna miss the random noises that my silly sisters make, the crazy daily conversations with my mom and dad and especially the yappy barking of my little doggie.

It's not like I'm moving too far away, in fact my condo is only about 15 minutes from my parents house if you take the highway. I suppose that sooner or later moving out was an inevitability but who knew that it would be the former. Anyways, amongst the chaos of cleaning up my pantry and re-arranging the cupboards of their crazy clutter I managed to whip up a simple and tasty lunch for myself. I had bought some "reduced-to-clear" chive buds from the local asian supermarket the day before today, and decided that I'd better use up the buds before they go completely limp and lifeless. So I chopped and pan-fried the chive buds, tossed in some seared shrimp and allowed the entire mixture to heat through. Mmmm, delicious and healthy... just the way I like it.

Spicy Chive Buds with Shrimp
(Yields enough for 2 servings)

- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup frozen shrimp, thawed
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp spicy hot-pot paste
- 4 cups chive buds, chopped into 3-inch long sticks
- 1 tbsp soy sauce

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a deep-sided, non-stick frying pan and fry up the garlic until fragrant
2. When pan is sizzling on medium-high heat, add the shrimp and sear on one side for a full minute. When cooked on one side, flip shrimp over to alternate side
3. Add in the chicken stock to help deglaze the pan, and add in the spicy hot-pot paste.
4. Continue cooking mixture over medium heat and add the chive buds. Fry up the mixture until buds are heated through, but not limp. Add soy sauce to taste and serve.

This recipe was really simple to create. I simply used the random ingredients that were inside my fridge. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to turn out, but I actually quite enjoyed the spicy, garlicy flavor. This dish will definitely be made again, especially when I have little time to cook up anything too fancy.

Mushroom, Spinach and Gouda Pork Loin Roulade

The other day I decided to make dinner instead of bake! Don't ask me why I had that crazy idea, but to tell you the truth it was probably all those endless summer-nights watching the food network that got me going. Anyways, I was rummaging through the deep freezer and came across this interesting hunk of meat, and unsure of what it was I read the label... pork tenderloin! Hmm... just looking at the piece of pork I already knew that I wanted to try out a recipe that I'd been keeping my eye on. I'd always wanted to make a roulade out of some sort of meat... be it chicken, fish or pork. And now was my chance!

Mushroom, Wild-rice, Spinach and Gouda Pork Roulade
(Yields 1 Roulade, 6-8 servings)

1 large piece of pork tenderloin
1 cup fresh button mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup cooked wild rice+brown rice mix
8 slices of smoked gouda
Additional 2 tbsp canola oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
A mixture of root vegetables (yams, carrots, potatoes, zucchini) sliced

1. To prepare the filling, heat oil in frying pan and fry garlic and onions until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms, chopped spinach and continue to heat mixture until vegetables become tender. Remove mixture from heat, place in a medium-sized bowl and mix in the wild rice and parmesan cheese. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
2. Prepare the meat by butterflying the fillet and using a meat-tenderizer to flatten out the pork
3. Leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge of the pork, place the 8 slices of smoked gouda down (overlapping is okay).
4. On top of the gouda, spread on the mushroom, spinach, wild-rice mixture.
5. Roll the pork "jelly-roll" style and secure the meat with butcher's twine. Rub the outside of the roulade with oiled hands, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Heat the additional 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan (large enough to hold the roulade). Once hot, place the roulade, seam-side down into the pan. Sear the seam and then rotate the roulade to sear the entire outside of the pork roll.
7. Well-grease a large, tall-sided baking pan and place enough sliced root vegetables to cover the bottom of the pan. Reserve the remaining vegetables to add later. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper, and any herb you enjoy. Place the seared roulade on top of the vegetables and bake at 375degrees for 45 minutes. Once the roulade has only 30minutes more to cook, add in the remaining vegetables.8. Once cooked, remove roulade from oven and allow to cool for 10minutes minimum before slicing. Once cooled, slice the roulade and serve with the vegetables and enjoy!

My parents were very impressed with the presentation of the meal. Really, a roulade is so easy to make and provides an amazing wow-factor for any occasion. Try making one tonight and your family will be very impressed by both the look and the taste!

Daring Bakers May 2009: Apple Strudel

This month has been one crazy one, it's taken me up until the last minute to complete this challenge. I've been condo-shopping with my parents for the last 15days and we have finally settled on a place! It's sooo crazy!!! So, between talking with lawyers, notaries, mortgage brokers, real-estate agents and condo-owners I found it a bit difficult to complete this months challenge... but thankfully I did it! I modified the recipe to include strawberries, because I had tons of strawberries lying around the house (in my fridge to be exact). All I did was place 2 cups of sliced strawberries in a small sauce-pan and cooked them over medium heat with 3 tbsp of granulated sugar. I waited for the strawberries to excrete their juices, creating a beautiful, thick and syrupy strawberry compote. I simply mixed the strawberries with the apple-raisin-rum filling and voila! Strawberry-Apple Strudel

Apple Strudel

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Preparation time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

The beautifully flaky, pastry layers

Close-up of the layers within the score-marks

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Mmmm, the luscious filling of apples, strawberries, raisins and rum.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

The strudel is rolled-up, scored and placed on the baking tray

I had a lot of fun rolling and shaping the strudel dough. It was actually a lot of fun! The pasty was wonderfully light and tender, especially after letting the dough rest for quite some time. The filling was perfect! Not too sweet and not too tart... just right. My sisters are still at school right not, but when they come home I'm going to serve up a nice slice of strudel with a scoop of ice-cream on the side... mmmm, what a perfect summer-time snack.

Boy are my parents and siblings going to miss me when I move out. I mean, who's going to surprise them with tasty bakes on random occasions when I'm not around?? And who's going to eat all of my tasty bakes when I make them all on my lonesome?? Wait... I've got it! Thank you Daring Bakers... you'll give me an excuse to invite my family over at least once a month to enjoy a relaxing hang-out and treat-time with me in my new condo. Yay!