Well the warm days of summer are now just a fond memory, but that doesn’t mean that the food scene is slowing down at all. The shorter days are bringing in the winter harvest with fresh salads giving way to slow foods: roasting and braising, drying and canning – these are happy days for those of us that love time in the kitchen! To start off the Slow Food season I am sharing one of my favourite, go-to crowd pleasers. This is the easiest recipe ever – just pop the ingredients in the oven mid-afternoon and come supper time you have a sumptuous feast. Serve alongside our Chèvre Mashed Potatoes or some soft parmesan polenta for the ultimate comfort food!
Serves 8
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) extra virgin olive oil
- 8, 12 oz domestic hind bone in lamb shanks
- 3 tsp (15 mL) kosher salt
- 2 1/2 tsp (12.5 mL) black pepper
- 2 anchovy filet, minced
- 4 tbsp (60 mL) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 16 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 Spanish onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seeds
- 1 tsp (5 mL) red pepper flakes, crushed
- 4 tsp (20 mL) ground cumin
- 1 1/3 cup (312 mL) dry red wine
- 2 cups (500 mL) balsamic vinegar, reduced to one cup
- 6 tomatoes
- 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 16 cups (4 L) water, dark stock, or chicken broth
Place a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy ovenproof skillet or a Dutch oven over medium high heat and when hot, add 4 tablespoons of the oil. Sprinkle the lamb shanks with 2 teaspoons of the salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper and add them to the pan. Cook until they are browned on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Set the shanks aside and discard the oil.
Wipe the skillet clean and reheat it. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil. Add the anchovy filets, ginger and garlic, stirring well after each addition and cook until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Add the fennel, onion, fennel seeds, pepper flakes, cumin and the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, the wine and vinegar, stirring well after each addition. Cook until the sauce has reduced somewhat, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and return the shanks to the pan. Add the rosemary and water, bring to a simmer and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake uncovered until the meat is falling off the bone, about 3 hours. Transfer to 8 plates or a large serving platter. Remove shanks and reduce liquids, add roux to thicken if desired.
 
This recipe comes to us from one our team members, Maggie, who is renowned for her delicious baked delights. I’ve always considered pears to be the jewels of the Fall harvest and this cake serves pairs them perfectly with the flavours of citrus and candied ginger. The cake keeps well so make it mid-week and enjoy a slice for dessert or as an afternoon pick-me-up. Guaranteed to become a family favourite!
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Topping
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 6 large pears
- 3 Tbsp. orange juice
- 3 Tbsp. crystalized ginger
Melt together the butter and brown sugar. Toss pears in melted mixture and then arrange in the bottom of a 12″ iron skillet or springform pan.
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Sprinkle with orange juice and ginger.
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Cake
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- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 3/5 cup sourcream
- 1 Tbsp. orange juice
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp. ground almonds
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add in eggs, sour cream and orange juice. Continue to mix until fully blended.
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Combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine with wet ingredients until just mixed.
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Pour cake mix over top of pear s and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let set for at least 30 minutes or until completely cool.
Well it’s official, the holiday season has descended upon us! From this weekend on it will be a fast slide into Christmas with family, friends and festivities abounding. And, as dessert is sure to star right alongside the turkey this Thanksgiving, I thought I would offer a twist on traditional fare. This crème brûlée is a sophisticated alternative to last year’s pumpkin pie but just as easy to whip together. The recipe is small enough for more intimate dining and also doubles well if you’re feeding a crowd. Give it a try this holiday weekend – I promise you’ll love it! Happy Thanksgiving to all our fellow Canadians, and to all those in the USA and across the world, enjoy whatever you’re celebrating this weekend and stay tuned here for more holiday goodness over the next few months.
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Makes 4 individual crème brûlées
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- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 6 Tbs. pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup plus 4 tsp. sugar
- 1 Tbs. firmly packed brown sugar
Preheat an oven to 300°F. Have a pot of boiling water ready.
Pour the cream into a small saucepan and whisk in the spices. Set over medium-low heat and warm the cream mixture until bubbles form around the edges of the pan and steam begins to rise from the surface, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
Whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, salt, pumpkin puree, the 1/3 cup sugar and the brown sugar until smooth and blended. Slowly pour in the cream mixture, stirring until blended.
Divide the mixture among four 8-fl.-oz. ramekins and place in a large baking pan. Add boiling water to fill the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the custards are just set around the edges, about 30 minutes.
Remove custards from oven and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
Just before serving, sprinkle 1 tsp. sugar over the surface of each custard. Using a kitchen torch according to the manufacturer’s instructions, move the flame continuously in small circles over the surface until the sugar melts and lightly browns. Serve immediately.
Thanksgiving is just a few days away and around our house that means a surplus of sweet potatoes. I am a huge fan of these delicious tubers for their versatility and ability to add moistness as well as a natural sugar source to these wholesome muffins. Completely in keeping with the holiday, these treats are perfect for brunch with out of town guests this weekend, or use up your leftovers after the feast and send kids off to school with some home-baked goodness. They’ll never guess at the hidden veg – I promise!
- 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) mashed sweet potatoes/yams (canned or steamed or leftover roasted)
- 2 3/4 cups ( 687 mL) whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp. (10 mL) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. (5 mL) ground ginger
- 1 tsp. (5 mL) baking powder
- 1 tsp. (5 mL) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt
- 3/4 cups (188 mL) sugar
- 1 cup (250 mL) vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (500 mL) frozen blueberries
Preheat to 375°F. Line 12 muffin tray with paper liners.
Sift flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl.
Measure enough mashed sweet potatoes to equal 2 1/2 cups . Transfer to large bowl. Add sugar and oil to sweet potatoes. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add eggs 2 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended. Add vanilla. Add blueberries and mix lightly until just folded in.
Pour batter into prepared muffin pans. Bake until tester inserted near centre comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely. Enjoy!
When pumpkins start appearing in the shops and market stalls, I finally concede that autumn has arrived. Few things conger up holiday spirit like the smell of spiced pumpkin treats baking in the oven! When we had the shop open, Tuesdays were always cream cheese muffin days and we ALWAYS sold out. So in honour of the upcoming thanksgiving feast and as a tribute to CC Tuesday we’re sharing one of our most coveted recipes. These scrumptiously moist and oh so rich muffins were meant for sharing over coffee with friends and family – the perfect start to our Turkey Day countdown!
Makes 18 large sized muffins
- 4 cups (1 L) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (250 mL) regular sugar
- 1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) ginger
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1.2 tsp. (2.5 mL) cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) cloves
- 1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) allspice
- 2 tsp. (10 mL) baking powder
- 1 tsp. (5 mL) salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cans (375 mL) pumpkin puree
- 1 cup (250 mL) canola oil
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream
- 9 oz (250 g) package of baking style philadelphia cream cheese
Sift dry ingredients together. Cube cream cheese with fingers into the dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients together until well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
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