This is my version of a lightened up baked brie. I guess that’s a bit of an oxymoron, because, how could baked brie ever be called a “light” dish. But it’s all a matter of relativity. When I worked in catering, one of our most popular dishes was a wheel of brie, covered in brown sugar and toasted pecans. Then it was wrapped up in a buttery white wine pastry. It was delicious but it just seems excessive to me now.
Local strawberries are abundant now. I wanted them to shine and be the star of this dish. I mixed them with honey and balsamic and let everything macerate for an hour. The berries exuded some of their juices but the flavours of the berry liquid, honey and balsamic never seemed to meld. I decided to try roasting them for a mere 8 minutes and the berries slumped ever so slightly and became one with the honey and balsamic. The magic of the brief trip to the oven really brought all the flavours together. If you like it hot, try Mike’s Hot Honey.
While the berries are cooling, pop the wheel of brie into the oven for about 8 minutes, just until it is slightly softened and warm. Top with cooled berries, basil and toasted nuts. Serve with crackers or some really good toasted ciabatta or baguette.
I am filled with gratitude that I was born in Canada. While I love to travel, I feel blessed to call Canada home. July 1 is Canada day. We’ll be 152 years old on Monday. Our family’s Canada Day celebration is low-key, without a lot of hoopla, much like Canada herself. But I can’t let the day go unmarked without baking something to celebrate. Plus, it gave me a perfect excuse to use my new Maple Leaf cookie cutter, that I found at Kitchenalia.
For those not familiar with the term, “slab pie” (my husband puzzled over the name), it is essentially a pie baked in a sheet pan. A quarter sheetpan, measuring 9×13 inches will feed at least 12 people, very generously.
As usual, it took me more than one attempt to get this slab pie perfect. While the first pie was still delicious, it just wasn’t camera ready. No one here complained too much about having to eat a second pie.
I srtarted with my favourite browned butter pie crust. In my first attempt, I rolled out the top crust and cut maple leaves out it. It was very pretty and clearly identifiable as a Canadian Maple leaf before it went into the oven.
However, during the baking process, the pastry puffed up, the strawberry juices bubbled over and the finished pie was not as I had envisioned. I quickly realized why we see so many unbaked pies on Instagram. The heat of the oven makes many of those intricate pretty details are a little less defined.
For round two, I decided to use the reverse process. Instead of rolling out a top crust, I just topped the berries with the cut outs.
Much better! While the maple leaves still got a bit distorted, you could certainly tell what they were.
While I’m not a frequent pie baker, I did learn a few tips from this baking venture, which I’m happy to share with you.
Strawberries need a bit of acid to make them really shine. A bit of lemon zest and juice help wake up the flavours. If you’re using local berries, you won’t need very much sugar. For 3 pounds of berries I only added 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar.
To thicken the juices, I prefer to use Tapioca Starch (aka tapioca flour) rather than flour or cornstarch, which can make the juices a bit cloudy. Mix the berries with the tapioca flour, sugar and lemon zest and juice and let sit for at least 45 minutes.
Place an empty baking sheet in the oven while it is preheating. When you put your slab pie on the preheated baking sheet, it gives the pie an extra blast of heat and you won’t suffer from a soggy bottom.
Whether your family eats the pie right out of the baking sheet like some people I know, or you get all fancy and serve it on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice ceream, this Strawberry Slab pie is sure to be a hit at your Canada Day celebration.
In the 549 posts I have written for this blog, only one, thus far, has contained kale. This will be the second. This scarcity of kale recipes is not by accident. I just didn’t think I liked kale. it was tough and bitter and swallowing it scratched the back of my throat.
Apparently, I was doing it all wrong. I was buying curly kale, and using it raw, in salads. Curly kale is best for blending into smoothies or sauteeing, stews and soups, where the heat can mellow it’s bitter bite.
For eating raw, Tuscan Kale (aka Lacinato Kale or Dinosaur Kale or Cavalo Nero/Black Kale) is a better choice. It is a bit more tender than the curly variety and the flavour, while still quite earthy, has an almost nutty sweetness. You need to remove the stems, slice it quite thin and let it sit in the dressing for about half an hour before serving. That will help to tenderize it.
Kamut is an ancient wheat grain, likely originating in Iran. It is reminiscent of farro, but a bit larger in size. It has a firm and chewy texture and a rich buttery flavour. it is nutritional powerhouse. High in fiber, protein, zinc and magnesium, kamut is a fantasic addition to soups and salads. I love the Bob’s Redmill brand, which is available in most healthfood stores , or online.
This salad was inspired by and adapted from the “Berkeley Brussels Salad” from pbs.org. You can customize the salad to include what ever is in season and looks good at the market that day. I added some spring onions and radishes, thinly sliced raw Brussels sprouts and some julienned radicchio. If you’re making it as a main course salad, cheese is always a welcome addition. I used manchego, a Spanish sheeps milk cheese. Don’t forget the crunch. I added toasted pumpkin seeds.
The creamy avocado based dressing makes more than you will need, but it keeps well in the fridge for about a week. It’s delicious as a sauce for frilled fish, chicken or vegetables.
When the adorable Molly wrote about Rugelach filled with rhubarb jam, she kind of blew my mind. First of all, I adore rhubarb. What a brilliant idea to stuff it into buttery flaky rugelach dough. Secondly, you can make jam out of rhubarb? How did I not know that?
As I read through Molly’s recipe, I was surprised by her addition of 2 eggs to the dough. Traditional rugelach dough does not contain eggs. I was curious to see what the addition of eggs would do to the dough.
Battle rugelach was on. I made two batches. The first used Molly’s dough, with eggs, and the second was my favourite rugelach dough from Mindy Segal, without eggs. I had a statistically significant sample group of 5 taste testers, (my family), and the decision was unanimous. While eggs play a vital role in many baking projects, they have no business cracking their way into rugelach dough. We all found that the texture of the dough with the eggs was far too tender and puffy. Plus, the eggy taste overwhelmed the tanginess of the cream cheese in the dough.
The second change I made was to add a few tablespoons of raspberry jam to the rhubarb jam. I liked the colour and taste of the combined filling better. I thought that rhubarb jam would be hard to find but several stores here in Ottawa carried the Bonne Maman brand.
I have used the slice and roll method for forming my rugelach. The delicate crescent shape is very pretty. Although the crescent shape is a bit more work, I prefer it to the roll and slice method, where the dough is rolled up jellyroll style and cut.
Check out my video to see how it all comes together.
https://youtu.be/qVg1pGBPEro
Rich and nutty pistachios provide a great contrast to the tart raspberry-rhubarb filling. It’s a great flavour combo. These little cookies pack a big flavour punch.
Finished with a flurry of icing sugar, these rugelach are sure to become a favourite at your house.
I have never understood the appeal of raw zucchini. Watery and flavourless are not attributes I look for in my food. But, put zucchini on the grill, and it transforms into something very special. The heat of the BBQ evaporates the moisture, and, as the zucchini becomes charred, the natural sugar in the zucchini caramelizes and becomes intensely flavourful. Bland becomes bright.
You’ll need to slice the zucchini very thin for these skewers, about 1/8 of an inch thick. If you have stellar knife skills, go ahead and do it by hand, but if you have a mandoline, now is the time to bust it out. It slices the zucchini quickly and very evenly.
Now, for the star of these skewers, halloumi cheese. It’s a semi-firm brined cheese, traditionally made from sheep’s and goat’s milk. Originally made in Greece, Turkey and Cypress, it’s now also made in North America, often from cow’s milk. What makes halloumi unique is the way it’s made. The curds are cooked at a very high temperature for at least an hour. This creates a cheese with a rubbery, semi-firm texture. When you bite into halloumi, it “squeaks” between your teeth. So much fun to eat!
Halloumi has a high melting point, making it ideal for frying or grilling. The exterior develops a golden crust, and the inside becomes soft, but never melts completely.
Before they hit the grill, give them a light brushing with some good olive oil, and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper. I served them with a parsley-lemon dressing which adds a welcome hit of bright freshness and mild jolt of acid.
I’m excited for you to try making these. They’re bound to become a summer favourite.
My love of rhubarb is no secret around here. There are almost 10 rhubarb recipes on this site. I eat rhubarb all year long. I must resort to frozen for 11 months, but then, in late May, fresh local rhubarb arrives in Ottawa and I can be found squealing with joy at the market. When rhubarb is this pretty, it deserves to be tied up with a bow.
Rhubarb is one of those polarizing ingredients. Most people either love it ot hate it. I think the haters object to the sourness and stringy texture. The key is to add just enough sugar so that edge is taken off, and you avoid that mouth puckering astringency. I find that baking the rhubarb in the oven helps to melt the rhubarb down into a silky smooth texture.
Pairing the rhubarb with other ingredients and flavours can also help to convert those haters. Strawberries and rhubarb are a classic pairing. I added some ginger for a bit of zing. It’s a surprisingly delicious flavour combo.
The pastry for these hand pies is most unusual. Created by cookbook author Abby Dodge, it uses browned butter and eggs. The browned butter adds a gorgeous nutty flavour. The eggs make the texture of the dough more like a cookie than a pie crust.
A sprinkling of coarse turbinado sugar adds sweetness and crunch.
Last week I had a craving for Chicken Marbella. If you are of a certain vintage, you will know exactly the dish I am talking about. Created, in 1982, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, of The Silver Palate fame, Chicken Marbella appeared at every dinner party I ever attended in the 80’s. Chockful of prunes, olives and capers, it was considered very “gourmet” and a bit exotic for the times.
I pulled out my well-worn cookbook, and read through the recipe, to make sure I had all the ingredients. I was shocked to disover that it called for adding a 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the marinade! Clearly my tastebuds (as well as my skin) have matured since the 80’s. I would never consider adding that much sugar to a chicken marinade today. This dish clearly needed a reboot.
I ditched the brown sugar for a modest amount of honey, just 2 Tablespoons. Instead of dried prunes, I opted for dried apricots for their vibrant colour and dried cherries, for their tart flavour. I kept the olives and capers, and, while I was searching for the capers, I saw a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, another blast from my past, lurking in the back of my fridge. Sun-dried tomatoes were ubiquitous in the 80’s and 90’s. We overused them and they became shunned by chefs everywhere. But, in defense of sun-dried tomatoes, when used sparingly, they can add a certain savory sweetness that is welcome in many braised dishes.
To boost the flavour profile further, I added anchovy paste (an umami bomb) and a generous pinch of Aleppo pepper for some heat.
This reboot did not disappoint. Packed with flavour and not too sweet, it satisfied my craving. Sometimes you can go back again!
This month my blog turns 10 years old!I fell into blogging purely by accident. Check out my very first post, if you’re curious about how it all got started.
Blogging consistently, once a week, for 10 years, takes a certain level of committment and discipline. I have always been a fairly disciplined person, so consistency came fairly easily to me. But I think that the reason I have stayed with this for so long, is that this creative process continued to excite and challenge me. I found myself curious to learn and become more skilled in all the disciplines that food blogging involves. Plus, I love having an excuse to buy lots of beautiful dishes and other props.
One of the nicest, but unexpected, things that happened was the loyal following that I developed. I am so grateful for you guys! I love hearing from you, telling me what worked and what didn’t. You keep me honest and let me know when I screw up or make typos in the recipe. It’s like having an editor for free! I get so excited when you tell me that you had guests for dinner and everything you made was from saltandserenity! It’s like virtually attending your dinner parties. (And if you know me, I always prefer to be a virtual guest!)
If you think about it, food bloggers are essentially doing the job of 4 different professionals – cook/baker, food stylist, photographer, and recipe writer. I have always been a very slow and methodical learner and have made many blunders along the way. But, as my sister Jody is fond of saying, “mistakes are how we learn.” It was almost a year before I figured out that taking photos in my kitchen, with the overhead lights on, was causing a horrible yellow cast on all my images. Some of us learn more quickly than others!
To celebrate 10 years of blogging, I wanted to bake a beautiful statuesque cake. I started with the classic white layer cake from “The Perfect Cake” cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen. This book is a wonderful resource, whether you’re a novice or have been baking for years. This cake is the perfect backdrop for so many different flavours. It has a soft fine crumb and bakes up tall and light. I was envisioning an ombre cake, with shades of pink and purple. My first attempt looked like a bad bridesmaid’s dress. I used gel food colouring and the shades looked so artificial.
I decided to go the natural route and use blackberries to tint my buttercream. I mashed up some blackberries and cooked them with a bit of sugar and lemon juice. Then I strained the seeds and used the purée to colour my buttercream. But you need to be careful adding liquid to buttercream. Too much and the buttercream becomes too soft. I wasn’t able to get that vibrant blackberry colour or flavour I had in mind.
Macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) have a reputation for being difficult to make. Essentially, a macaron is made from ground almonds, powdered sugar and egg whites. Seems simple enough but so much can go wrong. They are a tricky little cookie. If you overmix, or undermix, fail to measure correctly, overbake or underbake you won’t get the pretty frilly “feet” or smooth surface. You need to pay attention to every step of the process. The best way to become proficient at macaron making is to make them often. Since I only make macarons once a year, at Passover, I have not become proficient.
Some years they turn out perfectly, other years, they are cracked and hollow. They always taste delicious, no one complains and they all get eaten, but it bothered me that I couldn’t get consistent results. I am in charge of desserts at our family Passover Seders. That’s dessert for 45 people on the first night at my sister-in-law’s house (my husband’s side of the family) and 36 guests at my mom’s house on the second night.
As I was planning what to bake and going through my cookbooks for inspiration, I noticed a little book on my shelf titled, “Secrets of Macarons”. I think it was a gift, but I had never read it. I was curious to see what French chef, Jose Marechal, had to say about this little diva of a cookie.
I made a startling discovery. Apparently there are two methods by which macarons can be created, the French meringue method and the Italian meringue method. In the Italian method, the sugar is boiled into a syrup, and once it reaches 240°F, it is carefully incorporated into the egg whites. In the French method, the raw sugar is added into the egg whites. I had only ever tried the French method. While on the surface it would seem that the French method is simpler, no dealing with candy thermometers and boiling hot syrup, you need to consider the benefits of that extra step of boiling the sugar. Cooking the sugar into a syrup creates a more stable macaron batter.
Marechal explains the science behind the Italian method. “Since the sugar is incorporated in the form of a syrup, it disperses into the beaten egg whites well, puffing them up while evaporating some moisture. Since the Italian meringue has a denser consistency, it is easier to incorporate into the almond paste. It has a less brittle structure and the macaronage (working the batter) is more manageable.”
I was curious to see if the Italian meringue method would give me more consistent results. I made 6 batches of macarons over 2 days. (Two batches each of these Robin’s Egg, two batches of salted caramel macarons and two batches of PB&J macarons). Every batch came out almost perfectly. No hollow shells, no cracked tops and lovely frilly feet.
Although the Italian method involves the additional step of cooking the sugar, the consistent results are worth it. If you’re a macaron newbie, take the extra step and boil your sugar. You’ll thank me!
As I was scrolling through Instagram on Sunday I was mesmerized by an @thefeedfeed video for blackberry coconut macaroons. They did a collaboration with Driscoll’s Berries. I thought I was already done with my Passover baking, but apparently not! I had to make these macaroons. I deciced to make mine with raspberries instead of blackberries. The macaroon batter is simple to make and you don’t even need to bust out the stand mixer. I used my hand held mixer, but a whisk and some muscle will also work.
I have started writing my recipes using weights rather than measurements. I think that will give you more accurate results. If you don’t already have a kitchen scale (and if you have ever been to Weight Watchers, you must still have one lurking in a dark cupboard somewhere!), do yourself a favour and get one.
The addition of tart raspberries is a welcome addition to macaroons, as traditionally they can be cloyingly sweet. Plus, that pink colour is pretty fabulous. A dip and drizzle of some bittersweet chocolate makes for a very pretty cookie.
