For the Love of Liverwurst

After a busy morning at the farmers' market today, I sat down and had a snack of Boulangerie la Vendéenne bread and some liverwurst from Roselane Farm. It was so damn good that I had to immediately write a post about it.

My love of liverwurst started many moons ago on a trip to London, England, where I sat down in a pub and had a pint of cider and a liverwurst and onion sandwich. Odd combination? Hardly!

These days, my love of the 'wurst comes in the form of the smooth and unctuous liverwurst from Roselane Farm (aka Bavarian Meat Shop). This is by no means mind blowing information, but the product itself certainly is.

Like clockwork, every Friday morning I pack the kids into the car for our weekly lunch trip to the Seaport Farmers' Market. First stop - Roselane Farm where Zoe, my ever knowing 2 year old, dictates to the vendor that she must have, without a doubt, some liverwurst. We then make a stop at Boulangerie la Vendéenne for a loaf of bread, and the kids and I snag a corner seat to start feasting on our meat products. Torn bread slathered with the liverwurst is the perfect way to start my weekend.

Praise be to the liverwurst.

Green Thumbs - Big & Small

[/caption] Every year I make the promise to start a garden, and every year I do, but by mid-August, there is usually nothing left but a few burnt looking bushes and some sad looking herbs. It seems that I often bite off more than I can chew. This year I decided to start off slowly and only plant a few choices items: tomatoes, ground cherries, and a few herbs. I also decided to involve both of my lil' monkeys.

It was the first sunny day of the summer season and both of my kids were as happy as pigs in (well, you know), playing in my planters, digging up the dirt and squishing the worms. A few ants were eaten by Zoe, and Philippe was in a zen-like state putting his pudgy little hands in the warm earth.

This year, despite Zoe and I planting some "special" seeds from Annapolis Seeds in the winter, I ended up buying a few tomato and ground cherry plants from the Dartmouth Farmers' Market. We planted yellow and red grape tomatoes and a whole bunch of ground cherry plants. As for herbs, a quick trip to the Halifax Seaport Market to ransack Riverview Herbs, and we planted a large pot with rosemary, thyme, basil and Italian parsley to start off the season.

To keep things interesting, I have decided that I will plant a second series of herbs in July. I am looking forward to some chervil, cilantro, savory and sage. Though our yard still needs a lot of work before I can have the dream garden that I want, a few pots of vegetables and herbs are a great start for kids and non-green thumbers.

Luckily enough, I am taking part in a school garden program at Shubenacadie Elementary School this year as part of a Slow Food Nova Scotia initiative, so all my dream vegetables will be planted there for me to help take care for during the summer and help harvest with the kids in the fall.

Ding-a-ling, I Think it's Spring!

[/caption] When I see the crocuses in my backyard starting to flower, I know that there is a light at the end of this very cold and miserable tunnel. What is the bright light I see? Why, it's spring!

This past Saturday, I had an early morning wake up call before a much needed trip to the Halifax Seaport Market to gather goods for my impending dinner at Sugar Moon Farm later that night. It was just what I needed to awaken my inner beast from hibernation. As I perused the "old" market (also known as the Historic Brewery Market)  I was over the moon to find four bunches of ruby red radishes grown by Ted Hutten of Hutten Family Farm. I quickly grabbed all four bunches (to the dismay of the woman behind me) and made the decision right there and then that those beauties, one of the first true sign of spring, would be turned into an amuse-bouche for my dinner at Sugar Moon Farm.

How could I do these radishes justice? Well, for those of you who know me know my motto: I like to keep it simple. Keeping it simple is exactly what I did.

The thinly sliced radishes were placed ever so gently on a crostini that had been slathered in salted butter and sprinkled with a smidge of maple sugar. Perhaps it was just psychological, but these lil' treasures tasted like spring (at least what I think spring is supposed to taste like)! They were pretty to look at and equally delicious to eat. It is no surprise that this amuse was a big hit with the guests on Saturday night.

My quest for more tastes of spring continues. What will it be next? Fiddleheads, rhubarb or maybe some ramps? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm anxiously waiting to find out on my next trip to the market! What are your favourite tastes of spring?

Sexy Salsify

It was on a recent Saturday morning trip to the Halifax Brewery Market, that I was pleasantly surprised to see salsify amongst the vegetables being sold by Ted Hutten of Hutten Family Farm.

I had been introduced to salsify back in my Toronto days when Anthony Walsh, Executive Chef of Canoe, brought a box of it into the kitchen and asked me to cook with it. I had never seen or heard of these long black roots, nor did I expect them to have a beautiful white inner flesh. Anthony explained to me that they were salsify, also known as goatsbeard or oyster plant (they have an oyster-esque flavor), and that they were quite special. He peeled one for me, and the white flesh was amazing, but he proceeded to explain to me that the sticky sap that came out upon peeling was normal and that they had to immediately be put in acidulated water (water with lemon or a type of acid) so that they would not turn brown. So, speed peeler in hand I proceeded to peel with a vengeance and set them in the lemon water. "Now what?", I asked my chef. Well, he told me that I could roast them, or puree them, or even turn them into a fancy soup. But, he did caution me, these black roots were very expensive, so one mistake and the price of this case was coming out of my pay! Aargh! Ok, let's roast them I said. Cut into large pieces, I placed them in a hot pan and browned them with some butter and salt then covered them with a rich and unctuous veal demi-glace. Popped into the oven and roasted for ten minutes, these goatsbeards melted in my mouth!

I am sure that many of you don't keep veal demi in your fridges, nor do I, so with my Ted Hutten salsify, I ended up placing them in a rich lamb stew, with a few other market vegetables that I had bought on that Saturday. If you get a chance to purchase a few of the tubers, please do so and experience the salsify for yourself!

A Lil’ Taste of Nostalgia

Do you remember the days of MackIntosh Toffee Bars? I do! Those very sweet, creamy and utterly delicious bars that I coveted and craved. I still recall the day that I got my dreaded braces off and my "treat" for sporting those metallic mayhem creating contraptions was a MackIntosh bar! Oh, it was almost orgasmic (not that I would know what that was at the ripe ol' age of 13!), but so earth shattering. Feeling overwhelmingly nostalgic this Christmas, I decided to try and re-create those delicious treats.  I set off one afternoon as both of my lil' peeps were asleep, and athough my candy making skills are limited, I actually found it quite easy! My only problem was when both kids decided to simultaneously wake up, and my candy thermometer was ready to peak! Hmm, kids, candy, kids? Ok, don't think I am a horrible parent, but the candy won this battle (needless to say, both of my kids are just fine!).

I poured this golden liquid into my prepared pan, and set it in the mudroom to cool down. I constantly checked on it's progress, just going crazy with anticipation. Finally cooled down, I cut off an extra large piece and entered an out of body experience. Sweet, creamy and slightly salty. I had finally met my match and was down for the count.

If you are like me, and remember those toffee bars, then take the time and make a batch. Believe me, you will thank me for it! Hope you enjoy this recipe.

CREAMY  CARAMELS

• 2C 35% cream
• 1/2 C condensed milk
• 2C corn syrup
• 1/2C water
• 2C white sugar
• 1/2 C SALTED butter

In a saucepan,heat up the milk and condensed milk. Set aside.

In a heavy bottomed pot, mix the corn syrup with the water and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat until the thermometer reaches 250F. Remember, to have w wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pot if needed.

Once it has reached 250F, add the milk mixture and butter. Return to the stove and cook until it reaches 244F. Pour into a greased parchment paper lined pan (smaller pan for thicker candies, larger for thinner).

This makes what seems to be about a gazillion candies, but probably around 100 regular sized caramels. I wrapped mine in parchment and then put in jars....and because they are so addictive, they only lasted about 3 days!

Wanna Be A Chef?

Have you ever thought about entering the culinary field? Does watching the Food Network make you want to walk into your boss's office the next day and pull a Kevin Spacey a la "American Beauty"? Maybe you are a high school student who enjoys cooking but haven't a clue about what goes on behind those mysterious closed doors? Fear not, I am here to explain some very choice details about this grueling profession that most television chefs won't even begin to tell you.

My journey started 17 glorious years ago when I bombed out of my 2nd year of university only to have my folks explain to me that I better figure out what to do with my life. I always enjoyed cooking and had spent a memorable summer cooking in the murky depths of the basement of a golf course (burgers and such) and had a friend that had recently finished cooking school in Toronto. Well, with both of my parents giving me the stink eye and no time on my side, I quickly applied to George Brown College in Toronto and pursued my now chosen field.

Was this a wise decision on my part? Yes. Did I enjoy myself at cooking school? Yes. Was it at all what a "real" kitchen was like? NO! My first piece of advice to you if you are thinking about the cooking world is to check out a real, live working kitchen. Don't be afraid to contact the Chef (please, don't call between service hours though) and tell them what you are thinking of doing. Most chefs would happily have you tag along for service and this my friends will open your naive eyes to the dark and shady world that most cooks live in. We are a motley crew of people who live off of caffeine and bits of bread with butter and often minimal amounts of sleep. Once you spend some time in real kitchen, re-asses and then take the next step of applying to a cooking school.

Second piece of advice; don't go for the most expensive school you can find. I went to a community college that was amazing and we have NSCC here in Nova Scotia that is starting to have a very good reputation for churning out some great cooks. Just because there is a hefty price tag or a popular name attached to the school doesn't necessarily make it any better. I have worked with many cooks that have come out of some top schools and they didn't even know how to use a knife.

Third piece of advice; just because you recently graduated from school, this does not make you an instant "Chef". Years upon years are required before you can even think about stepping onto the hot line or being a Sous Chef. Be respectful. Mouth shut, eyes open was the motto my first Chef always said. For the first 3 years, I never spoke to my Chef unless he or she spoke to me. God forbid I would back talk to them, unless I wanted to get fired or even worse, smacked with a pair of kitchen tongs!

Last piece of advice; don't call in sick unless you are on your death bed. How many times has my phone rang at 6am only have a cook tell me that he's "broken his back, but will be at work first thing Monday morning!". Come on. And how many Grandparents do you have? I once had a cook that had over a dozen, and of course they all passed away before or after a very choice party. Be honest. Ask for a personal day and most Chefs will understand.

All I can say to sum this up is to take the time to  do some homework on this field before jumping in with both feet. It is by far the most un-glamorous, smelly, hard job a person could have but at the end of the day it's all worth it! If this is the path you want to pursue, enjoy every step.