Long distance cooking buddies share their food

[Kerry Beal]

The Ladies Who Lunch are separated for the next 5 weeks. I'm working up in Manitoulin Island as I do for a good chunk of the summer and Anna's left at home - no weekly lunch!

So we thought - since we are in the habit of sending each other pictures of what we are making on a regular basis - that we'd share those pictures with our fellow foodie types on eG.

I pretty much bake every day while I'm up here - and Anna is forever cooking up a storm at home.

I'm the fortunate recipient of some of her quick pickles - the rug rat and I have been enjoying them with our meals.

Last night the grocery store was closed by the time we were able to get out there - so this morning I had to make do with only what I had available for my am baking. I had all the ingredients for yellow cake - so I made a couple for the sitter to take home - and one for work that I topped with some coconut, brown sugar and cream and broiled. I've been without internet for 24 hours so it has been a bit of a crisis when I need to look something up.

So let's see what I've made so far that is photogenic enough to share -

We spent the night in Owen Sound on the way up - and hit the market first thing. Local strawberries were wonderful. Cut up a few to send along with the cakes for the sitter along with some chantilly cream.

Yellow cake with broiled topping.

Yellow cakes to go with the strawberries.

My welcome back gift - sitting on the counter in the condo when I arrived - was a bag of local stone ground red fife wheat, a big bag of dark rye flour and a bag of rolled oats. So I threw together some bread - unfortunately neglected to pay attention to the directions which said to turn down from 475 after 10 minutes. So a little browner that I like it!

[Anna N]

Yes, I am already dreading when Wednesday comes around and my escape is denied me! But it can’t be helped so I will have to make my own mental adjustment and escape into my favourite occupation – cooking.

Today I knew I would be grilling a steak that I had bought earlier in the week but the bank account and the fridge are both very empty so I had to struggle to come up with a side that would work with the steak. There were still a couple of onions in the bin and a bottle of beer in the fridge, so I decided that onion rings would go nicely with the steak. I also had 3 tiny tomatoes, a couple of bocconcini and my basil is growing like wild fire so I eeked out a very small caprese salsa as a starter.

The onion rings are very simple. Here’s the recipe.. I have tried dozens of recipes but always come back to this very simple one. The onions are so crispy and stay that way for a long time. And I can keep them hot in a 200F oven if my timing is off.

I swear I cook better when I am limited by ingredients!

[Kerry Beal]

Beth Wilson and her SO Peter showed up the day I arrived to drop off my annual herb garden. When I leave she takes it back and enjoys it for the rest of the season. This years basket - basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary and we added an extra little tarragon - it's hiding under the basil on the left.

I welcome suggestions on what to do with marjoram - as it's not an herb I use for anything right now.

Fudge cooling in the thermomix.

Fudge setting up (I hope!)

I had great intentions of making either some cheese biscuits or cheese muffins to take to work this am, but then discovered rounds started at 8:30 and I still had this batch of fudge in the TMX and it needed to cool down. So off I went to work, when I got home I reheated it to about 40C then beat it until it started to crystallize.

Beth's coming for dinner - the plan is red thai curry - but no curry paste in this house, and none in any market in town. Fortunately Beth has some and will bring it along.

[heidih]

I welcome suggestions on what to do with marjoram - as it's not an herb I use for anything right now.

At times my thought process dos not complete a full loop- when I moved into this cottage the existing tenant pointed out some "thyme" she planted. Didn't look like any thyme I had seen before but hey- what do I know? It was very happy and flourished. I reaped masses of it all winter- using it as a bed for roasted meat, poultry and fish. Last month my Cuban neighbor came over and exclaimed "Oh you have such lovely marjoram!"...... If you are grilling I think it would work well in marinades. I have just left the stems whole and massaged it into the meat or sometimes stripped the leaves. I used it in a shrimp boil the other day and it lent a nice note. Close your eyes, rub some and sniff- your culinary mind will probably give you an "ah hah" prompter on suitability. I think it is related to oregano but more "lemony".

[Kerry Beal]

Boiled up some shrimps with Old Bay seasoning for our predinner snack. Found horseradish in the fridge so was able to make some cocktail sauce to go with them. Might just be my bedtime snack too!

Thai not very red curry with lychee and pineapple. This is not the greatest red curry paste - going to have to get a special delivery since I forgot to bring the Mae Ploy with me.

[Beth Wilson]

The curry paste was kinda mild, it kinda sucks when the closest store to sell the stuff is 2 hours away. It is meals like this that make me miss the city conveniences but eating dinner listening to the bells on the boats softly swing in the wind reminds me why I live here too!

Sounds like marjoram might go nicely with turkey!

[Peter the eater]

I swear I cook better when I am limited by ingredients!

Anna, you are not alone

Kerry, I grew up hiking the Escarpment, sometimes on Manitoulin. Aside from the Owen Sound strawberries, what local ingredients do you seek out?

[Anna N]

One of the challenges I have set myself for the next 5 weeks is to stop treating lunch as an afterthought and to try to improve my food photography skills. I want lunch to be an opportunity to try some new things. Monday’s lunch was not especially mind-bending as I had to use up the leftover steak from Sunday’s dinner but I did manage two takes on the leftovers – a toasted open-face sandwich for hubby and the low-carb version for me. He also got a plate of fruit.

After lunch I decided to tackle another recipe from Quick Pickles. This time it was the Sechuan-style Garden Pickles. Here they are marinating in the brine of Sechuan peppercorns where they will stay at room temperature for 3 days before being transferred to jars and refrigerated.

Today, Tuesday, I will be gone all day attending appt’s in the big city (Toronto) so no cooking.

[Kerry Beal]

I swear I cook better when I am limited by ingredients!

Anna, you are not alone

Kerry, I grew up hiking the Escarpment, sometimes on Manitoulin. Aside from the Owen Sound strawberries, what local ingredients do you seek out?

Here on Manitoulin as the season progresses I hope to get wild blueberries before long (actually have to go off island towards Sudbury to get them). I have a friend with a patch of black currents that I'll raid and another with raspberries.

Today the local market is open - one of our nurses and her husband have a booth and he is usually there - and he gets growing some different things every year. Got great kale and fava beans from him last year. So can't wait to see what's new this year.

There is also the farm that produces the red fife wheat, rye and oats that I was given as a welcome present. I usually go out and visit them a couple of times and pick up what ever they are growing. They also provide CSA boxes so have some nice veggies.

There are garlic scapes now and by the time I leave my 10 lbs of garlic bulbs should be available to take home. Anna and I will go through that over the winter (I probably still have maybe half a dozen bulbs left from last years batch).

[Kerry Beal]

Oatmeal muffins for the clinic this am - they have raisins instead of blueberries. Apparently the blueberries are ripe - so next batch will have them.

Made a batch of Creme Brulee in the thermomix at lunchtime - really nice in that you don't need to bake them in a ban marie.

Hit them with the torch before dinner - sent 3 home with the sitter, fed one to the rug rat - and plan to enjoy one myself shortly.

Farmers market today - got some more garlic scapes, some kale and some chard. Figure some caldo verde, maybe a frittata with the chard and garlic scapes. Have some of the scapes in olive oil to make a nice fragrant oil for a project I want to try.

[nakji]

Today the local market is open - one of our nurses and her husband have a booth and he is usually there - and he gets growing some different things every year. Got great kale and fava beans from him last year. So can't wait to see what's new this year.

Is it a farmer's market or just a community market? What a luxury to have a market during the week!

[Kerry Beal]

Today the local market is open - one of our nurses and her husband have a booth and he is usually there - and he gets growing some different things every year. Got great kale and fava beans from him last year. So can't wait to see what's new this year.

Is it a farmer's market or just a community market? What a luxury to have a market during the week!

They call it the farmers market. There are several farmers on the island that attend various markets on different days in different towns. So technically it might be more community.

On Saturday there is a different market on the main drag down by the water (the Tuesday market is in the arena). Some different vendors attend that one. Someone usually brings corn from off island. Apparently this Thursday, which is the July 1st holiday, they are going to close off the main street and have a big market - not sure how much of that is food and how much other hawkers trying to sell their wares. I'm working that day - but I might get a chance to wander by and check it out - just depends how many injuries happen in town.

[Kim Shook]

Well, Anna, I don't know how the not treating lunch as an afterthought project is going, but your photos are GORGEOUS! Nice job.

[Darienne]

"treating lunch as an afterthought project"

I thought about Anna's remark and wished devoutly in some ways that I could treat lunch in that fashion. DH and I eat 'dinner' at lunch and it often drives me crazy. Morning is when I have to dash around physically and in my mind also to get the day sorted out. But then there is the lunch to be considered. Maybe I'll start a thread called 'Lunch as Dinner' and ask for help.

[Kerry Beal]

Did the obstetrical clinic this am at Wikimikwong - about half an hour down the island.

Made a Bakewell Tart (used raspberry jam - apologies to prawncrackers who says only strawberry will do). It was all gone within about 30 minutes of my arrival. Everyone says "so good to see you again" then heads down the hall to where they know I've dropped the food.

I've been playing with some soup recipes for the thermomix - Caldo Verde.

Cauliflower soup from Ad Hoc at Home.

[Anna N]

After a stressful day in the Big City on Tuesday a few hours of cooking at home offered the perfect antidote or so it seemed. My plans included making some spanakopita for my daughter’s freezer, bottling the sechuan garden pickles, making Danish cucumber pickles and prepping some chicken thighs for dinner. In addition I had ground pork in the fridge which would need to be used or frozen.

First up was breakfast for me.

I discovered frittatas only a few months ago and now breakfast for me often features a frittata of some sort. Today it was a mushroom and cheese version. As I prepped the frittata I also grabbed the ingredients for the spanakopita and set up my mise. But no sooner did I have my counter crowded with ingredients and my frittata barely eaten than a phone call requesting some emergency babysitting pulled me away for more than an hour.

By the time I got back home I found myself juggling the prep for the spanakopita filling and making lunch for my husband.

These local strawberries were already beginning to fade so I chose the best for his lunch plate and then quickly hulled and sliced the remainder and tossed them with some sugar and Cointreau. I would serve them over ice cream for dessert.

Somewhere in the midst of this I managed to bottle the Sichuan pickles. (This is the 3rd recipe I have attempted from the book “Quick Pickles” and I have to note that the brine in all of these falls short. One needs at least 50% more brine than is called for in order to fully immerse the vegetables.) I also managed to slice and salt the cucumber and weight it down.

I pulled the ground pork out and tossed up whether to use it or freeze it and decided I might as well make some pork balls and then freeze those so I would have a ready meal in the freezer. I riffed off a few Asian recipes and came up with a flavour combination I liked and quickly made and cooked a couple of dozen pork balls. While the pork balls were cooking I made the brine for the Danish cucumber pickles.

As so often happens when I engage in a cooking marathon, time got away from me. Suddenly it was almost dinner time and I had done nothing with the chicken thighs! My plan had been to make this recipe. As you can see it needs 8 hours of marination time. It would not be dinner this night. Instead I grabbed some soy sauce and some Ponzu sauce, combined the two in about equal quantities and tossed in the chicken thighs. I let them sit in the marinade for about 30 minutes and then threw them on the outdoor grill. These were some of the best chicken thighs we have ever eaten. Even my husband was impressed.

[Anna N]

Well, Anna, I don't know how the not treating lunch as an afterthought project is going, but your photos are GORGEOUS! Nice job.

Thank you, Kim. I have a long, long way to go. I am using an ancient Canon Powershot A530 but there is much more I need to learn about lighting and set up before I worry about a newer camera.

[Anna N]

"treating lunch as an afterthought project"

I thought about Anna's remark and wished devoutly in some ways that I could treat lunch in that fashion. DH and I eat 'dinner' at lunch and it often drives me crazy. Morning is when I have to dash around physically and in my mind also to get the day sorted out. But then there is the lunch to be considered. Maybe I'll start a thread called 'Lunch as Dinner' and ask for help.

I am not sure what you are asking, Darienne. I grew up with the main meal being served at lunch time and I still think that is the healthier option but it does require an approach to the day that is different than when the main meal is in the evening.

[Anna N]

....

Cauliflower soup from Ad Hoc at Home.

Kerry,

Are those croutons or tater tots? I think tater tots would be an awesome garnish.

[Darienne]

"treating lunch as an afterthought project"

I thought about Anna's remark and wished devoutly in some ways that I could treat lunch in that fashion. DH and I eat 'dinner' at lunch and it often drives me crazy. Morning is when I have to dash around physically and in my mind also to get the day sorted out. But then there is the lunch to be considered. Maybe I'll start a thread called 'Lunch as Dinner' and ask for help.

I am not sure what you are asking, Darienne. I grew up with the main meal being served at lunch time and I still think that is the healthier option but it does require an approach to the day that is different than when the main meal is in the evening.

Hi Anna, I guess that I'm not sure what I'm asking either. You are correct...serving the big meal at noon does require a different approach to the day and I just can't seem to do it with any ease.

It seems that I will have to step back and take a close look at why I am balking at making this change properly. I do have some ideas on the subject but don't want to hijack your thread. Thanks.

[Kerry Beal]

....

Cauliflower soup from Ad Hoc at Home.

Kerry,

Are those croutons or tater tots? I think tater tots would be an awesome garnish.

Croutons for sure (purchased ones) - you are right about the tater tots though.

[Kerry Beal]

On call again today for the holiday. Last night I decided to put together these butterscotch squares. Discovered that somehow I managed to make it up here without the 5 lbs or so of pecans I bought before I left. They must be sitting on the floor where I piled all the stuff to bring with me. So butterscotch squares sans pecans - kinda boring - but they snarfed them down anyway.

Before I left for work I put together a couple of molds - found some citron tea in the fridge - added some gin and made a nice ganache with it in dark chocolate. Have also made a couple more molds of shells, just have to decide what flavour of filling to make to go in them.

This afternoon the medical student working with me and I had a little break and came home for a couple of hours for some dinner - had enough time to try the bread again - much better colour this time - but I think it would have benefited from a longer rise.

[Kerry Beal]

One of the things I love about being up north is that I can pop around to one of the public health nurse's offices and mention I need eggs and the next thing you know there are 3 dozen of these beauties waiting for me at work the next day.

No two are the same size, some are green, some brown - wonderfully fresh, with really dark yellow yolks. I see lemon curd in my future.

[Kerry Beal]

Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery - and after Anna's great fritatta photo I decided that's what I needed for breakfast. Shallot, steamed asparagus and cheddar - quite delicious.

Then I headed off to Sudbury to get some supplies - I needed some nuts to replace the pecans I'd forgotten and hazelnuts for the dacquoises I'm experimenting with (what is the plural of dacquoise?).

I hit the restaurant supply first - grabbed a couple of bags of bags for the vacuum sealer and some aprons - they had seconds for $5 - didn't see anything seriously wrong with them - and they are just going to end up covered in chocolate anyway!

Next up - the thrift stores - I was looking for a cast iron frying pan because I brought a lobe of foie with me and I want to be able to cook it in a nice hot cast iron pan.

I found this little guy - needs a bit of seasoning - but is in perfect shape.

I am unable to walk by a vacuum coffee maker without buying it - this lovely little vintage Cory is in perfect shape and the rubber ring between the two chambers is totally damage free. Should fetch a few bucks on e-bay.

At the farmers market I was able to pick up a basket of wild blueberries.

I've been following the thread about tube cakes (actually about not having a tube pan) and decided I needed a tube pan to play with the Lemon Bliss cake. Homesense is a good place to pick up things like that at a reasonable price. Also picked up the square muffin pan - I want to play with some little dessert sized cakes and figured it would work well.

Realizing that I'd forgotten to bring even one of my dozen or so infrared thermometers from home - I stopped off at Canadian Tire and picked one up - fortunately they were on sale.

Oh yeah - and the restaurant supply carries the Big Green in - actually the big, the medium and the little green egg. The little one is very tempting - $400 - looks like it weighs about 75 lbs - but looks big enough to do a whole lot of interesting stuff in.

Edited July 4, 2010 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Darienne]

I am blown away by your energy, your dedication, your enthusiasm...and your finding a IR thermometer on sale at CTC in Sudbury. I'm getting out the flyer and taking another look. Right now!