Late Summer

Labour Day weekend is often a time of melancholy.  A time when people lament, “Where did the summer go?” and “How can it be fall already?”  A time when people close their cottages, and line up at the mall for back-to-school clothes.

Here’s my big secret: I actually love this time of year.

Not because the girls are going back to school and our schedule is about to ramp up again.  I’ll miss the quiet days of summer when we just hang out.  But at this time of year, I’m grateful for every warm day, for every minute of sunshine, for every fruit or vegetable I’m still able to buy at the farmers’ market. 

When I picked up my blueberries on Friday, the vendor told me it was the last week they’d be available.  So there was no question that I’d be making individual peach and blueberry cobblers again.  I’ve already made them twice in the last two weeks and will make them again today to take to a friend’s house.  These cobblers are the best way I can think of to use the juicy peaches and tart berries that are still available in September.

I’m embarrassed that I didn’t take a photo of a partially-eaten cobbler so you could see how great the fruit looks inside.  What can I say?  The minute I started eating it, I apparently went into a trance from which I didn’t awaken until I was done.  Despite my best photographic intentions, the same thing happened every time I ate one (including one mortifying episode when I ate one for breakfast).  You’ll just have to make them yourself to find out.

Individual Peach and Blueberry Cobblers

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

4 ripe peaches, cut into eighths

1 cup blueberries

2 Tbsp sugar (first amount)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp cornstarch

1 large egg

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

pinch of kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar (second amount)

1 Tbsp sugar (third amount)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine peaches and blueberries in a bowl.  Whisk together 2 Tbsp sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch.  Add to fruit and toss to combine. Set aside. 

Combine egg, melted butter and cream in a bowl and whisk with a fork.  Set aside.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and 1 Tbsp sugar.  Make a well in centre of dry ingredients, and pour egg mixture into well.  Slowly draw dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and work dough until just mixed together.  (The dough will be quite sticky.)

Divide fruit mixture amount four 8-ounce ramekins.  Divide dough into four sections and gently spread each section over the fruit in a ramekin.  After placing, sprinkle dough with remaining 1 Tbsp of sugar.  Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake 15 to 17 minutes.  Serve warm.

Thursday's Child: What I've done on my Summer Vacation

With my sister Gwen, by our tent trailer.  I'm the one wearing the groovy pants.

Given the family I was born into, it was almost a foregone conclusion that I’d love to travel.

My mother journeyed to Europe with her sister and best friend in 1958.  In those days you didn’t fly to Paris for a week; you sailed there and back and spent two to three months seeing the continent.  Not only did she save for this trip on a secretary’s budget, she also drove out west with a friend in 1956, and later visited Jamaica with my aunt.

As a young man, my father drove to Florida with his soon-to-be best man.  Although that was the extent of his travel, he longed to see more of the world.  One of the things he loved about my mother was her spirit of adventure and interest in visiting new places.

Once my mom and dad got married, they realized that they wanted to make travelling a key part of their lives, and of their family’s life.  Early on, they bought a tent trailer, and most of our family trips were taken by trailer.  Every August we took two weeks' holiday and saw a new destination – generally in central and eastern Canada and the U.S.  What a dream childhood to have visited both the Anne of Green Gables house in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island and Louisa May Alcott’s home in Concord, Massachusetts!  (Really, how could I have become anything but a writer?)

And my dad was always the trip planner.  He spent hours in the basement, poring over maps and guidebooks that he picked up at the Automobile Association.  It was from him that I learned the importance of having something for everyone in the family to look forward to.  The year we visited Ohio, for example, he may not have enjoyed the doll museum, but he certainly loved the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

So now when I sit hunched over the computer, poring over reviews on tripadvisor.com, trying to find a holiday that everyone will like, I know that I’m following in very distinguished footprints.

Paul, Gwen, Beth and Joyce Baker

In Praise of Simple Recipes

Sometimes the best recipes are the ones that are so simple, they’re easy to overlook.

This recipe is a great example.  I’ve flipped through Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris many times, but I didn’t even remember seeing it.  For one thing, avocados and grapefruit aren’t an intuitive combination.  But I think it’s the simplicity of the salad that made my eyes glaze over it.  Avocados, grapefruit and a vinaigrette. A tiny photo at the side.  Most days I’ve just turned the page.

But this week I was having lunch by myself and felt like eating something that I could whip up in a few minutes.  Something that would let the natural ingredients of the flavours shine through.  Something that the rest of my family would never eat.

It’s true:  I wouldn't serve this salad to the rest of my family.  Andrew has shunned avocados since an unfortunate encounter with one in (appropriately) Paris, and the girls have taken their father’s side on this issue.

But for me?  I'll make this simple, and delicious, recipe again and again.

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

(from Barefoot in Paris)

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup good olive oil

3 ripe avocados

3 large red grapefruits

Place the mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified.

Before serving, cut the avocados in half, remove the seeds and carefully peel off the skin.  Dip each avocado half in the vinaigrette to prevent it from turning brown.  Use a large sharp knife to slice the peel off each grapefruit (be sure to remove all the white pith) then cut between the membranes to release the grapefruit segments.

Arrange the grapefruit segments on four small plates.  Cut the avocados in wedges and arrange them with the grapefruit.  Spoon a little vinaigrette on top and serve.

Thursday's Child: Destination Copenhagen

Destination: Copenhagen, Denmark

When we visited: August 2011

Why to go:

A beautiful city in its own right, we stayed here a night before and after a cruise of the Baltic region of Europe.

What to see:

The Little Mermaid is internationally known as the symbol of Copenhagen.  This statue represents the famous story written by Hans Christian Anderson, on which the Disney movie by the same name was based. 

Tivoli Gardens is almost as well-known as the Little Mermaid.  Founded in the mid-19^th century, this combination amusement park and garden is both photogenic and fun.  Helpful comments from the girls about the rides:  The Demon was the wildest, craziest ride.  The Star Flyer had a great city view.  And the Odin Express was “quaint” (their favourite adjective, used to describe slow roller coasters and their mother’s childhood).

The Star Flyer, from the ground up.

Nyhavn is a beautiful area with a canal running through it that’s lined with 18^th century homes.  Originally the sailors’ section of town, now it’s full of trendy restaurants that overlook the canal and the boats. 

And our first night in Copenhagen, we went to the Ice Bar.  Everything in the bar (tables, shelves, glasses) is made of ice.  They gave us parkas and mitts in the entry area.  Then we entered the bar to order drinks.  I had the Delicious Pink, Andrew had the Rough Diamond, and the girls each had a non-alcoholic fruit cocktail.  Management had thoughtfully provided blankets on the ice benches, which made sitting a little more comfortable.  It was a lot of fun, but even with those blankets, not necessarily a place you’d want to linger. Oh, and in case you’re curious, I had to ask the bartender why we could drink from glasses made of ice without our tongues getting stuck.  Apparently, at a constant temperature of minus 5 degrees Celsius, it isn’t cold enough or dry enough for that to happen.

Ice chandelier

Where to stay:

Copenhagen, like many Scandinavian cities, is very expensive.  I spent a lot of time searching in vain for an inexpensive, centrally-located hotel.  What I did find was the Clarion Hotel Twenty seven.   Although the rooms were tiny (smaller than those on the cruise ship!), the hotel was less expensive than most and situated in a fantastic location, just a block from City Hall and five minutes’ walk from Tivoli.  And to seal the deal, breakfast and an early dinner buffet were both included in the price.

Where to eat:

On the recommendation of our hotel clerk, the day we went to Tivoli we had lunch at Grøften.  It was our only chance to try Danish food, and my potato soup with bacon was filling and terrific.  This restaurant was also where we saw Roger Moore, who was at a table about fifteen feet away from us.  The thrill of seeing him left me shaken, not stirred.

The Andersen Bakery can be reached from either inside or outside of Tivoli.  Their gorgeous baked goods make a wonderful breakfast or mid-day snack. 

And our splurge meal was at Relae restaurant.  This is where we ate the pickled seaweed, which was served with baked celeriac and black olives.  And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautifully presented starter than the leeks, served in mustard breadcrumbs.

Home again

It's great to be blogging again!  After a two-week holiday with limited Internet acess, I'm back. Today's entry is a short one, as I'm jet-lagged beyond belief, but I promise to write about our trip at a later date.  To pique your interest, I'll tell you that we saw Roger Moore (yes! my favourite James Bond!), stumbled across the Copenhagen Pride parade, and ate pickled seaweed.  And that was all just yesterday!

Sunday is normally the day I share a recipe, so I'll pass along this one that I made earlier this summer.  I baked it once with frozen cherries and once with fresh blueberries.  They were both fantastic, although I might give a slight edge to the sour cherry version.  I freeze cherries in the summer so I can enjoy wonderful recipes like this all winter long.  Not that winter is coming any time soon, right?

Cherry Crumb Bars (or Blueberry Crumb Bars)

(adapted from smitten kitten)

1 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

zest of one orange (note: if using blueberries, substitute lemon rind)

1 cup (two sticks) butter, room temperature

1 egg

4 cups frozen cherries, thawed and drained (fresh or frozen blueberries can be used instead)

½ cup white sugar

4 tsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp juice freshly squeezed from an orange (if using blueberries, substitute fresh lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter, then add the egg and beat until well blended.  Stir in 1 cup sugar, both flours and baking powder.  Mix in salt and orange zest. Pat two-thirds of the dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together 1/2 cup white sugar, cornstarch and orange juice.  Gently mix in the cherries.  Sprinkle the cherry mixture evenly over the base.  Crumble remaining dough over the cherry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Everybody in my Family Likes this Salad

Everybody in my family likes this salad.

In most houses, this wouldn’t be worthy of a title.  In my house, it’s practically cause for a ticker-tape parade.

Let’s just say that we have diverse tastes, and some of us like fewer things than others.  We all like spaghetti and meatballs and, well, I’m pretty sure there’s something else I’m forgetting.

But everybody in my family liked this salad!

It’s such a simple recipe that I’ve flipped past the page many times.  It’s the perfect time of year to make it, as the corn couldn’t be any better.  I bought all the ingredients at the local farmer’s market, and the freshness of the vegetables made it a real standout.  As an accompaniment to barbecued chicken, served in the backyard, it was unbeatable.

Give it a try, and I’ll bet everybody in your family will like it too.

Fresh Corn Salad

(from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

5 ears corn, shucked

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

3 Tbsp cider vinegar

3 Tbsp good olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone.  Drain and immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the colour.  When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

In a small bowl, combine the cider vinegar and olive oil.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper.  Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil.  Taste for seasonings and serve at room temperature or cold.

Thursday's Child: Destination Marrakech

Destination: Marrakech, Morocco

When we visited: March, 2007

Why to go:

After visiting a number of European destinations both as a backpacker and with my family, I truly felt like we’d stepped into an exotic and breathtaking city when we entered Marrakech.  We were fortunate to have a guide, Youssef, to show us around and share its fascinating history with us.

What to see:

Marrakech is a cornucopia of sights, sounds and aromas. Among the moments I’ll never forget:  the scent of orange blossoms at the ruins of Palais el-Badi; the cacophony of merchants and onlookers at any of the city’s incredible souks, or markets; the hissing snakes (tended carefully by their owners) in the central square, Jemaa el Fna; and the fresh beauty of the pools, flowers and greenery at the gorgeous Jardin Majorelle.

Where to stay:

We stayed three nights at the lovely Dar Karma.  A “dar” is a house built around a courtyard.  Dar Karma was simply but beautifully appointed, from the painted ceilings to the orange trees and fountain in the lobby.  The final night we stayed in Marrakech, we enjoyed dinner at the dar.  Sitting in a candlelit room off the courtyard, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful final evening. 

Where to eat:

We had a lovely lunch at the Café des epices, overlooking the spice souk.  And we enjoyed refreshments in the Jemaa el Fna.  But our splurge meal was at the gorgeous Dar Moha.  Tables were arranged both inside and outside around a pool, and rose petals were scattered across our table. Small courtyards with trees, fountains and flowers enhanced some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten.