The Belanger Brothers favoured us with some lamb leg steaks recently. They 
were a little big to just fire on the grill (if we wanted to keep in fighting trim). So we diced them into nice cubes and threaded them onto skewers. In between, we had mushrooms, baby tomatoes, yellow zucchini, and onion. When they were grilled, we served them on platters, with some creamy avocado, sprinkled with lemon. It’s not local – but it’s our kind of local. We bought it down the street at Kelly’s.
Cool and Crisp Salmon for a Warm Day
We had some leftover salmon from Hooked, 
because it’s hard to resist taking the whole fillet when it’s there, glistening in the case. Coming home for lunch, we looked to see what we could do with it.
The farmer’s market was featuring radishes, beans, and asparagus. We sliced the radish, and lightly tossed the green vegetables in some butter and lemon. We used the cooking liquor to mix with a little mustard, and tossed the whole thing together. Sitting on the deck, shaded by the trees, it was cool and soothing.
So Delicious, We Could Spit…
Himself went to Royal Beef one day recently, when the skies were blue and cloudless, and the barbecue was calling his name. What he found was this tremendous-looking pork roast. He dressed it with a little salt and pepper, some dry mustard, and put it on the spit.
Slow, steady cooking was what it needed, and then a rest. Although there were juices on the board, with a little tenting, most were retained, and it was moist and marvelous.
Birthday Pie!
For some time now, Number One Son has opted for birthday pie, instead of birthday cake. This year was no exception. But we try to mix it up and make a different sort of pie each year.
This year, that childhood classic, coconut cream, was the one. We had some wonderfully fresh eggs from Rowe Farms, and coconut from Better Bulk. Of course it all starts with the 
pastry, light and flaky – any basic recipe will do, because it’s all about the practice. The feel of when it’s right evolves with practice.
Then, a basic custard, with three eggs. About a cup of coconut. The egg whites worked nicely for a meringue, with just a hint of sugar. We sprinkled some coconut on top and baked it until it was golden and delicious. A happy celebration was had by all
Red Deliciousness
Recently we had some Copper River Salmon from Hooked. It looked sublime, even before it was cooked. We took the fillet and rubbed it down with a little olive oil, then chopped some herbs over it – green onion, tarragon, oregano, and garlic chives. We sprinkled some dry mustard over, and gave it a very light grind of salt.
We cooked it on the grill, on a sheet of foil,
since we didn’t have a plank. The smell was glorious. While it was cooking, we boiled up some baby red potatoes, and sliced up a radish or two. We mixed those in with the bean salad from the day before. It was an amazing feast.
There's a Reason to Freeze your Beans!
Remember back in the spring, when we were baking and freezing batches and batches of beans? This was one of them – white beans with rosemary. Fast-forward to a blisteringly hot day, and those frozen beans came in handy. We put them on the counter to thaw in the morning, and stuck them back in the fridge when they were slightly icy, around lunchtime.
About half an hour before dinner, we mixed up a couple of tablespoons of white wine vinegar, a tablespoon of creamy Dijon, and some olive oil. We blanched some green beans, peas, and asparagus, then chilled them quickly in an ice-water bath.
We chopped in a litte oregano from the garden, and a green onion. Then we diced a couple of farmer’s market tomatoes. We grated in some cheddar from Montforte. Then we tossed it all together in a big bowl with some salt-cured olives from Plank Road Market.
Pair it with a light, bright, summer wine, and the heat will suddenly seem more bearable.
Another Grain in your Bread? How's that Spelt?
A week or so ago we picked up some amazing spelt flour from
Monckton Organic Farms. It makes tremendous bread, and also pasta. We even made some pizza this week, using their amazing flour in the crust. Every bit turned out to be delicious.
If you don’t have the time or inclination to make the bread yourself, you can find the good folks from Monckton at the East Lynn Farmer’s Market. Stop by and say hi, and buy some flour or bread. You won’t regret it.
Canada Day Barbecue
What would you eat on Canada Day? At our place, it’s nearly always barbecue.
We usually have our friends and family here, but this year Brother Rob is the cook and the host. We don’t know his plan yet, but it’ll be something just as good as these veal-and-lamb burgers from the Belanger Brothers, dressed with some home-made chili sauce from last summer, and Kozlik’s mustard.
Put a fresh salad on the side, follow it up with some strawberry shortcake (made with biscuits, the maritime way).
Oh, Canada!
The Goddess is Green
If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember Green Goddess dressing. But the old-school version was very creamy and very caloric. It also was often made like mayonnaise, with a raw egg, which doesn’t hold up to everyone’s food safety standards these days.
This version’s a simple homage to the original: whisk together a white-wine style Dijon (about a tablespoon), and a similar amount of olive oil, and lime juice. Give it just a pinch of salt and some finely chopped herbs (we had some tarragon, greek oregano, and garlic chives). Gently stir in about a tablespoon of plain yogurt and 1/2 a cup of finely diced cucumber. Pour over whatever veg you’re serving, and others will be green with envy
I'm Feeling a Bit Crunchy!
Wow! It’s been ages since our last post. It’s because of work – too much of it all at
once. But who can turn down exciting challenges and opportunities? Now there’s time to relax, but first I’ll have to get the kinks out – and eat some proper food.
When we’re feeling a little crunchy and out-of-sorts, we like to have a nice batch of fresh vegetables. These radishes and cukes were from the East Lynn Farmers Market. We dressed them with a little cider vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, and some black sesame seeds.
Feeling better already!