Creative Dissidence

As an early birthday excursion, my girlfriends took me to the Art Gallery of Ontario to see the Ai Weiwei exhibition. I've mentioned this wonderful artist before and, seeing the show, I was moved by his powerful art. His most meaningful pieces were those created in response to the Sichuan earthquake of 2008.  He was outraged at how the Chinese government tried to cover up the number of deaths and failed to investigate the corruption that accounted for so many buildings being destroyed. His most powerful pieces commemorate the 5200 students whose lives were lost in the disaster.

But his sense of mischief is evident in many of the other pieces, including photos depicting him deliberately breaking a 2000-year old vase, or giving the finger to famous world landmarks. All of these works have a purpose behind them, and that purpose is usually to challenge authority and to give a voice to the underrepresented.

Having seen and enjoyed the wonderful exhibition, we then went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. For dessert, we split a sticky toffee pudding, after which one of my friends challenged me to make my own variation at home. Challenge accepted, Karen!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Makes four puddings, although they’re quite rich and could be shared

(adapted from Annie's Eats)

For the pudding:

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

6 Tbsp warm water

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp pitted dates, minced

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

6 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the sauce:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 – 2 tsp rum

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 4 4-ounce ramekins. Line the bottom of each with a round of parchment paper. Place the ramekins in a baking dish large enough to hold them all comfortably.

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the water, baking soda and half of the dates, pressing the dates down so they’re submerged. Set aside and let soak five minutes. Drain, reserving the excess liquid.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the remaining dates and the brown sugar. Mix to combine.  Add the reserved soaking liquid, the egg and vanilla. Mix until smooth. With the beaters on low, pour the melted butter into the mixture in a steady stream.

Add the dry ingredients and the drained dates to the wet ingredient mixture. Fold together until all ingredients are well mixed, being careful not to overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared ramekins. Use hot water to fill the baking dish halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the entire pan tightly with foil and bake until the cakes are slightly puffed, about 40 minutes. Immediately remove from the water bath (being careful to avoid steam when removing the foil) and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

While the cakes cool slightly, make the toffee sauce by combining the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the sugar into the butter. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture puffs up a bit. Slowly pour in the cream and rum, whisking just until combined. Reduce heat to medium-low and maintain heat until warmed through, about 2 – 3 minutes.

To serve, invert the cakes onto serving plates. Remove the parchment paper. Drizzle the toffee sauce over the tops of the still-warm cakes.

Thursday's Child: Prague Castle

When you take your children to Europe, this is the kind of behaviour you hope for:

And this is the kind of behaviour you sometimes get:

Sometimes, even this:

The truth is, even the best-behaved children get tired of hearing their mother read about castles from a guide book. And, when asked for good behaviour, those children may even respond with synchronized devils' horns.

Thus it was that when we visited Prague Castle in 2006, I had to dig deep into my bag of tricks.  I knew it wouldn't suffice to tell them that the castle, founded in the late ninth century, was one of the biggest in the world.

It wasn't enough to show them the stunning St. Vitus Cathedral, or to see the wonderful city views from its main tower.

No, to keep their attention, I had to tell them about the defenestrations.

A defenestration, for the uninitiated, is the act of throwing someone - usually a political enemy - out the window. In 1618, one such incident in Prague Castle incited the Thirty Years' War. More recently, I have fond memories of my grade 12 history class, in which one of my classmates defenestrated himself. (We were on the ground floor.)

What better way to bring history home for your family, and make sure they never forget Prague Castle, than by staging your own defenestration:

And that is how the Pollocks travel in Europe.

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