Recipes Inspired by Musicals - Annie

When I was a kid, my dad attended annual insurance meetings in Toronto. Once in a while, those meetings coincided with March Break, and my mom, my sister and I got to tag along.

Visiting Toronto was always exciting. I remember driving into the city, breathlessly seeing Lake Ontario to the south and the huge bank buildings to the north. Shopping in Toronto was fun, and we loved visiting the Science Centre and Royal Ontario Museum. We always stayed in the downtown Sheraton, from whose room window we could watch skaters on the outdoor rink at Nathan Phillips Square.

But by far the most memorable thing we ever did was see the musical Annie.

Annie had opened on Broadway in 1977. The story of a young orphan who was adopted by Daddy Warbucks during the Great Depression was enormously popular. The first touring production had just begun. And in March of 1978, when my parents were checking what was on that night in Toronto, they noticed that Annie had just opened at the O’Keefe Centre.

“We’ll never get tickets,” my mom said.

“They’re probably sold out for the run,” my dad said.

But they called anyhow, and thank goodness they did. Although Annie was indeed nearly sold out for its Toronto run, it was still in previews, and seats were available.

Thus it was, that very evening, the four of us headed down to watch this energetic show.  The musical highlights were “It’s A Hard-Knock Life”, “Tomorrow”, and the wonderful “Easy Street”, but it was the enthusiasm of the young actors that turned it into a thoroughly charming evening.

You might think it’s tough to find a recipe inspired by a musical set in the Depression, but don’t underestimate me. The song “We’d Like to Thank You,” acknowledges Herbert Hoover’s promise to put a chicken in every pot. Substitute a roasting pan for a pot, and you have this delicious chicken recipe. With just a handful of ingredients, it takes longer to heat the oven than it does to prepare the meal. Easy Street never came any easier.

Perfect Roast Chicken

(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)

1 six-pound roasting chicken

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 medium onions, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2” thick

1 lemon

3 large garlic cloves, peeled

4 – 6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove giblets if necessary, and rinse chicken inside and out. Dry thoroughly with paper towels.

In the centre of a roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Pierce the entire surface of the lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices.

Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp, and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove chicken from oven and let stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Remove and discard onions, garlic, thyme and lemon. Carve and serve.

Recipes inspired by Musicals: Cinderella

I was enchanted by Cinderella when I watched it as a little girl. I can't remember if I first saw it in the theatre or on TV, but I do remember daydreaming about acting in it ... as the Fairy Godmother. I don't know why I didn't aspire to be Cinderella, but I spent the next few months waving an imaginary wand and singing "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo".

Maybe it was the magic. I couldn't resist the allure of transforming mice into horses, and a pumpkin into a coach.  And now that I'm an adult? Transforming pumpkin into this perfect fall loaf is all the magic I need.

Pumpkin Apple Bread

(adapted from October 1993 issue of Gourmet magazine)

For the topping

1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

For the bread:

3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground allspice

8 ounces solid-pack pumpkin

3/8 cup vegetable oil, such as canola oil

1 1/8 cups sugar

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped small (about 1 cup)

Make the topping: In a bowl, blend the flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9” x 5” loaf pan.  Into a medium bowl, sift together both flours, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.  In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, canola oil, sugar and eggs.  Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, stirring until the mixture is combined well.  Fold in the apple pieces and pour into the pan.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the loaf and bake in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Let the loaf cool in the pan on a rack for 45 minutes, remove from the pan and let it cool completely.  Wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil, bread keeps well chilled for 1 week and frozen for 1 month.

Thursday's Child: Forks of the Credit Provincial Park

Last week I enthused about the coast redwoods in Muir Woods just outside of San Francisco. They were truly spectacular, but sometimes it's easy to forget about the subtle beauty closer to home.

A week and a half ago, we took advantage of a rare Monday holiday to go for a hike just north of Toronto. Along with my mother, we visited Forks of the Credit Provincial Park for our traditional Thanksgiving hike. Between the fresh air, the blue skies and the trees in their autumnal glory, it was a perfect day out.

And of course, our post-Thanksgiving walk wouldn't be complete without an all-day breakfast at John's.

Thursday's Child: Muir Woods National Monument

My final post on the San Francisco area covers our day trip to Muir Woods National Monument. Located half an hour outside the city, the area was slated to be flooded as part of a dam project. It was saved in 1908 when congressman William Kent, who owned the land, donated it to the American government. The park was named after naturalist John Muir, who founded the Sierra Club and helped establish the National Park system. 

Today, thanks to Kent's generosity, the beautiful Coast Redwoods in Muir Woods grow to 250 feet tall, and many range between 400 and 800 years old. The oldest is believed to be 1200 years old.

This monument is a place of peace and beauty, and I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Three generations visit Muir Woods

Recipes inspired by musicals - Moulin Rouge!

I’m a big fan of the director Baz Luhrmann. His first movie was the charming Strictly Ballroom, which overcame unbelievable odds just to be filmed, let alone to become a cult classic. I loved The Great Gatsby, and his version of La Boheme on Broadway was stunning.  Add Romeo and Juliet to the mix, and you might say he has an aptitude for doomed love stories.

Moulin Rouge! fits that description perfectly.  It tells the story of Sabine, the courtesan, and Christian, the penniless writer. Of course a wealthy duke tries to keep them apart; of course Sabine is terminally ill. The fact that (spoiler alert) we know they can never end up together doesn't detract from the beauty of the story. 

Moulin Rouge! is a tragicomedy, lavishly produced and over-the-top romantic. Yes, you'll need to suspend disbelief when you watch it, but if you let the brilliant visuals and gorgeous music take over, it is stunning to watch. The film editing and choice of music were both very modern; the story was incredibly old-fashioned. The combination is sensational, and it's hard to watch this movie without your heart breaking just a little. 

“Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. And then, one not-so-very special day, I went to my typewriter, I sat down, and I wrote our story. A story about a time, a story about a place, a story about the people. But above all things, a story about love. A love that will live forever, The End.”

 - from Moulin Rouge!

A recipe inspired by Moulin Rouge! had to be as French as they come, and that’s why I chose this wonderful French Onion Soup.  The soup is simple enough that Christian might have warmed himself by eating it on a wintry French evening; the Gruyere-coated crouton is rich enough that the wealthy Duke would have lingered over it. 

Although it takes a while to prepare, it’s delicious and perfectly filling for a cool day.  This version won such enormous acclaim from my family that I won’t wait long before making it again.

French Onion Soup

(from Around My French Table)

4 – 5 large Spanish onions (about 4 pounds)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine

8 cups chicken broth

6 slices country bread

1 1/2 cups coarsely grate Gruyere or Emmenthal cheese (6 ounces)

Using a long chef’s knife, cut 1 onion in half from top to bottom.  Lay it cut side down on the cutting board, cut it lengthwise in half again, leaving it intact at the root end, and then thinly slice crosswise.  (Discard the root end.) Repeat with remaining onions.

Put the olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot and put the pot over low heat.  When the butter is melted, add onions and garlic, season with salt, and stir with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they are a deep caramel colour.  Be patient: depending on the heat and the onions, this may take an hour or more. (Note: it took me about an hour and a quarter.) Don’t be tempted to speed things up, because if you burn the onions, your soup will taste bitter.  On the other hand, if you don’t get the onions really brown, your soup will be pale in taste and looks.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for a minute or so to cook away the flour’s raw taste. Pour in 1/3 cup wine and stir to pick up any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pot. Let the wine cook away, which will take a minute or two. Pour in the chicken broth and the remaining 2/3 cup wine, season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid just simmers, partially cover the pot, and cook for 30 minutes.  (You can set the soup aside for up to 2 hours, or refrigerate it for up to 3 days.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes before continuing.)

Preheat the broiler.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place 6 rounds of bread on it.  Sprinkle the cheese over the bread and broil until the cheese is bubbly.

Ladle the soup into bowls and cover each bowl with a round of bread.  Serve immediately.