Homemade Mincemeat

When cooking is your thing and a crisis hits, what else is there to do but cook? That was how I saw things last week when my friend Shaila was admitted to the hospital with a seriously nasty case of meningitis. One of my first questions was, "What do you want me to make you?" Her answer was short and to the point - Mincemeat tarts.

I immediately remembered, with a pang of regret, that I had used up my last litre of mincemeat the week before in a very delicious apple-mincemeat crisp. Oh, it was good. The mincemeat was from St. Alban's church in Harrow where they make large quantities of it and sell it as a fund raiser. For the last couple of years, I have bought enough to get me through the winter. I thought I was safe to finish it off for the year. But circumstances change.

With no previous experience in making mincemeat, I felt I needed to consult with one of my favourite UK cookbook authors, Tamasin Day-Lewis. Her book, Good Tempered Food, is a book I turn to often for inspiration of a culinary nature.

Perhaps the hardest part about making mincemeat is gathering the wide variety of ingredients you need to have on hand. Once that is taken care of, it's simple. And it tastes and looks like real mincemeat! The interesting thing about making something like mincemeat in March is that it will only get better with age. By this Christmas (if it makes it that long), it will be in fine form and I will be one step ahead with my Christmas baking. You might even say that it makes sense to make mincemeat in March.

For my friend Shaila, I would willingly make mincemeat any month of the year. Now I know I can.

Homemade Mincemeat

2 cups each golden raisins, raisins, and currants
1 1/2 cups finely chopped blanched almonds
3 eating apples, cut into dolls'-sized dice
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/3 cups mixed peel, finely chopped
Grated zest and juice of 1 1/2 lemons, and the zest of an orange
1 tsp fresh nutmeg, finely grated
1/4 tsp ground cloves and cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground mace and ground ginger
6 ounces beef or vegetarian suet
4 Tbsp dark rum
1/2 cup Cognac or Apple Brandy

Simply mix all the ingredients together really well in a colossal bowl. Decant into sterilized jars, cover, and keep at room temperature. Turn the jars upside down every so often so the liquid permeates the mixture constantly.

A Good Book in the Bath

It was a cold, snowy Sunday afternoon, last Sunday in fact, and I found myself alone in the house with a good book. More than just a good book actually, it was the latest in the Isabel Dalhousie Series by Alexander McCall Smith. Real comfort food. As I wrote to a friend not long ago, reading that series is like wearing flannel in front of a blazing fire place, or something to that effect.

As I read, I came to a part where Isabel spends a day working in her niece's delicatessen (everything being set in Edinburgh, Scotland). She walks home, smelling of salamis and cheeses, tired but content. She heads straight upstairs and runs herself a hot bath.

This is where I took my cue. I jumped off the sofa with my book, heading for my own tub, and proceeded to run a hot, soapy bubble bath. I folded a fluffy white towel to use as a head rest and sank into the steamy tub, book in hand. This was bliss - true bliss. I barely missed a beat as I continued reading, the hot water still flowing out of the tap. Needs to be a bit hotter, I thought. I brought my foot out of the water to nudge the faucet to a higher temperature setting, not paying much attention to the task at hand. The heroine Isabel was enjoying an evening with her much younger, and incredibly handsome, fiance Jamie, when I misjudged my toe placement and kicked on the shower instead. I moved the library book out of the way JUST after the first cold drops hit my relaxed body.

***You will be happy to know that the book was none the worse for wear (and in fact has already been returned to the library).

Homemade Mayo for Sandwiches

My family was up early this morning, attempting to hit the local ski slopes before the crowds. I decided I was going to stay home, but it was my responsibility to pack them a delicious lunch.

One look in the fridge reminded me that we were completely out of mayo. No worries... I did have the ingredients that I needed to make the missing sandwich spread. It was quick, it was easy, and the sandwiches were delicious (just received a confirmation email)!

The sandwiches were very simple. Fresh light rye bread, generously spread with the homemade mayonnaise, a couple layers of thinly sliced mortadella and/or Black Forest ham, and crisp green leaf lettuce. Each sandwich was slightly different, depending on who it was for.

For the record, when I do use store-bought mayonnaise for sandwiches, I prefer the regular (full-fat) Hellman's. I'm all about the taste!

Homemade Mayo (from The Harrow Fair Cookbook)
Makes 1 cup.

1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix together the egg yolk, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Pour 1/4 cup of the oil in slow, steady drops with the mixer on medium.
Add the remaining oil, but at a slightly faster rate. Mix just until the oil is combined and the mayonnaise is the desired consistency.

Salted Caramels

If you are just now coming around to the idea that using salt in sweets is a good thing, don't beat yourself up about it. There is plenty of time for you to hop on this incredibly delicious band-wagon.

When I say "salt", I don't mean table salt. There is a whole world of salts out there that most of us have no idea about. But for this recipe, I am suggesting fleur de sel (the "flower of salt"), which is available at most good grocery stores these days, including Costco. Fleur de sel is a hand-harvested salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt off before the majority sinks to the bottom of the salt pans. I use fleur de sel in recipes where it won't be cooked (or at least not very long) and you will be able to enjoy it's taste - salads and salad dressings come to mind, as well as these caramels.

Candy-making is labour intensive and it can be quite finicky. Do you have a reliable candy thermometer? Do you have the time to sit by the stove and babysit the caramel for at least 30 minutes and maybe more? Great. Pull a stool up stove-side, make yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy the process.

Salted Caramels
Makes approximately 6 dozen.
(picture taken by Kristine Newman)

2 cups (500 mL) corn syrup
2 - 300 mL cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) milk
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter
4 cups (1 L) granulated sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp (15 mL) fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling

Line a 15- x -10- x 1-inch (38 x 25 x 2.5 cm) baking sheet with parchment paper (this size is known as a jelly-roll pan).
Combine the corn syrup, condensed milk, milk, whipping cream, butter, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Place the mixture over medium heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil.
Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 240 F (the soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and 1 Tbsp fleur de sel.
Pour the caramel into the prepared pan without scraping. Generously sprinkle with more of the fleur de sel.
Allow the caramel to stand at room temperature overnight. Cut into 1 - inch (2.5 cm) pieces and wrap the pieces in parchment paper squares or waxed paper squares.
Keeps at room temperature for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Sweet Potato Pie

After ending up with a sizable amount of sweet potatoes in our veggie share boxes (from Cooper's CSA), I decided to take matters in a different direction. I always think of sweet potato pie as a southern specialty, but there is no reason why the deep south should be the only ones enjoying this pie. For those of you that know my obsession with pumpkin pie, you won't be surprised that this is close to that recipe. Predictable, yes. But still delicious!

Sweet Potato Pie

2 or 3 large sweet potatoes

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs

1 cup whipping cream

1 - 9-inch deep dish pie crust - for one of my favourite crusts, go to http://moira-thegoodegg.blogspot.com/2008/06/rhubarb-custard-pie.html

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash and prick the sweet potatoes with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until they are soft. Let cool to room temperature (or burn the tips of your fingers like I did...) and scoop the flesh from the peel. Mash with a potato masher and use immediately or refrigerate until needed.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Mix the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg thoroughly. Whisk in the eggs. Add the mashed sweet potato, making sure that the mixture is well blended. Stir in the whipping cream. Pour into the prepared pastry shell.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F and continue baking 30 minutes longer, or until the filling is slightly firm and the crust is well browned. Cool completely and serve with freshly whipped cream.

Creme Brulee

Sunday afternoon was my "French Lesson 1" cooking class and this was dessert. There is a certain mystique about creme brulee that keeps people from making it themselves. It probably has something to do with the blow torch portion of the recipe, but don't let that stop you.

This creme brulee is very rich and very delicious. It is easily doubled, depending on your needs (or wants). For the blow torch, we happen to have a small butane model that is probably sold for home cooks. However, a regular handy-man's torch works even better and I would not recommend going out to get anything special.

Before I let you loose on this recipe, I also want to mention that a vanilla bean is sublime in this. I didn't include it in the recipe because I didn't want that to be another deterrent from making it. But use the best-quality pure vanilla extract that you can find, and if you are feeling particularly indulgent, scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean and add them to the cream.

Creme Brulee
Serves 6.

2 cups whipping cream
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar + more for the tops
Pinch fine sea salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line a 9x13 baking dish with a small dish towel. Place six - 4 oz. ramekins on the towel. Put a full kettle on to boil.

2. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Warm the cream over medium heat in a large saucepan. When the cream is starting to steam and bubbles are forming around the edges, slowly add a half cup of cream to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Add another half cup of cream and eventually add all of the warm cream.

3. Add the vanilla extract. Pour the custard mixture into the ramekins, filling each one evenly.

4. Place the baking dish on the rack of the oven and carefully add the boiled water until it comes up to at least halfway on the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove the ramekins from the hot water. Allow to cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least a few hours.

6. When ready to serve, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and using a blow torch, melt the sugar until it caramelizes to a nice golden brown. Allow to cool for a minute or two and enjoy!

It's Harrow Fair Time!

This Thursday marks the opening day of the Harrow Fair 2010. The gates open at 1pm and there is plenty to see and do throughout the weekend. However, if you are interested in trying your hand at entering something in one of the many competitions that are offered, you need to have your entries in to the Agricultural building on the fairgrounds Wednesday, September 1st, 10am-9pm.

For the first time ever, my sister Lori, and I will be calling the fair "home" throughout the weekend. The Harrow Fair Cookbook is making it's big debut on home turf and we are so excited! Not only will we have lots of books for sale, we will also be sharing samples of our recipe for Cheddar Loonies, providing gift wrapping in a variety of motifs, and having a great time, to boot!

And just in case you wanted to know but were too shy to ask.... we are selling The Harrow Fair Cookbook for an even $25 (retail price is $29.95), and we are able to accept all credit and debit cards (so you won't run out of cash for the rides and cotton candy!). Looking forward to seeing you there!