Tag Archives: Bon Appetit

Blueberry Ginger Lime Mini Pies

I have waxed poetic about my love of wild blueberries before on this blog. (See here, here and here). Sweeter, smaller and less acidic than their big sister, the cultivated blueberry, they are, without question, my favourite summer fruit. Mostly I just enjoy them raw, in cereal or with yogurt and granola, but I also love to bake with them.

My daughter is pushing me to try flavour combinations I have never considered before. Blueberry and ginger? According to Bon Appetit it’s a dynamite combo. The ginger adds a subtle bit of heat in the back of your throat that is totally unexpected but very delicious. Tart lime adds the perfect hit of acid.

I decided to make mini pies, because I was dying to use my new tartlet pans from Nom Living in London. Their ceramics are beautifully hand crafted and just a joy to look at. I had some fun covering the pies with little flower cut outs.
Plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, these mini blueberry ginger pies are just adorable. But, full disclosure here, I found the crust to filling ratio was wrong. Way too much crust in these mini pies. A fruit pie needs to be singing with fruit and these tiny pies were just humming.

A 9 inch glass pie plate is the perfect vehicle to cram in all this blueberry happiness.

Click here to print recipe for Blueberry Ginger Lime Pie.

Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup with Coconut Bacon

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If the combination of butternut squash and tomato sounds a bit strange, you’re not alone. It seemed like an odd pairing to me as well, when I read about it on bonappetit.com. But when I considered the elements more carefully, it made perfect sense. Butternut squash on it’s own makes quite a sweet soup, which I always enjoy for the first few spoonfuls,. But then it becomes cloying and not terribly nuanced. It always reminds me of baby food. But give the squash a shot of acid, in the form of a tomato and we’re talking a whole different ballgame of flavour. Rich and complex, each spoonful offers a fresh perspective.

The most difficult part of making this soup is cutting the butternut squash in half. Even when I use my 12 inch chef’s blade, my knife always gets stuck halfway through the squash. Then I lift the whole thing in the air and fling it back down on the cutting board, praying that the force will split the squash and I will escape unbloodied. It usually works.

Once you get the squash cut in half, scoop out the seeds, give it a slick of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place each half facedown on a parchment lined baking sheet. Tuck a peeled clove of garlic under each half and roast in a hot oven for about 45 minutes, until soft.

Now comes the fun part. No need to scoop the flesh out of the shell. It just peels right off in one piece. It reminded me of when I was little and I’d watch my mom peel apples with a paring knife. She’d get all the peel off in one long coil. I thought she was magic! Once the squash is cooked, sauté some onions, jalapeño and ginger until soft. Add the squash, canned tomatoes and some liquid (water, chicken or vegetable broth) and let the whole lot simmer for about 20 minutes. An immersion blender makes quick work of pureeing.Ok, let’s get to the coconut bacon! Which is’t really bacon at all, just coconut flakes tarted up with some liquid smoke, tamari sauce, maple syrup and brown sugar. The whole lot gets baked until brown and crispy.Coconut bacon is the genius idea of Molly over at mynameisyeh. It is crunchy, a little bit smoky, salty and sweet. It is the perfect garnish for this soup and any leftover is fantastic in salad. I must admit , I’m a little bit addicted to it.

Click here to print recipe for Butternut-Squash-Tomato-Soup-with-Coconut-Bacon.

Winter Farro Salad

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Although I have posted about farro here, here, here, here and here, I am of the opinion that you can never have enough good farro recipes. I just adore this nutty versatile grain. I discovered this winter version in the November 2014 issue of Bon Appetit. Associate Food Editor Claire Saffitz had a similar version at the NYC restaurant Charlie Bird. They simmered the farro in apple cider to infuse it with a lovely tart-sweet essence.The cooled farro is tossed with crunchy julienned apples and celeriac.You have to believe that the first guy to come across one of these gnarly roots was in an extremely weakened and ravenous state. It would have taken quite a leap of faith for someone to come across this in the wild and decide that eating it was a sound idea.

This knobby root is Celeriac (also known as celery root). I have often come across them in the supermarket, but had no idea how and where to use it. However, in January, when fresh local stuffs is in short supply, you need to go outside your comfort zone and embrace the ugly! Celeriac has a mild delicate taste, rather like a cross between celery and parsley. Beneath that grody exterior lies a heart of snowy white goodness.

Taming this beast is not difficult. Slice off the top and bottom so it sits flat on the cutting board. Slice around the sides and hack off the brown outer skin. Julienne it for raw salads or cube it for simmering in soup. If you are using it raw in a salad, store it in water with a splash of lemon juice after cutting to prevent it from oxidizing and turning brown. Drain and mix into salad just before serving.

Salty black olives and shaved Pecorino Romano cheese are added as a welcome balance to the cider sweetened farro. Italian parsley leaves provide a verdant fresh punch. I added some pickled red onions because I love how pickling tames their bite. A final garnish of toasted pine nuts and this salad is ready for it’s closeup!

Salt and Serenity

Tales from my kitchen