Throughout the holiday season, I am known to change tablesettings several times depending on number of guests and type of dining (e.g., brunch, lunch, dinner, etc.). That, however, doesn’t mean that I don’t rejig and re-use some of the same elements in more than one tablesetting.
I recently shared my tablesetting for an intimate dinner for four where I clustered three poinsettias in the center of the small round table and set a miniature poinsettia at each place setting. To view this tablesetting, click here.
Today, I have turned my table back into its oval shape, bought more miniature poinsettias for guest favours but have used the same three small poinsettias for the table centerpiece. This is a very economical way to achieve a centerpiece for more than one dinner party (and less work!). Instead of clustering the 3 poinsettias into a centerpiece, I have placed them at equal distance apart down the center line of the table.
I have decided that, this year, I want my tablesettings to show the maple wood in my table as opposed to covering it up with a full tablecloth. I bought the placemats and matching napkins on a trip to San Juan and it’s a wonderful memory of a great vacation each time I dress my table with them.
Letting the wood of the table show lends a slightly more casual look to the table than does a tablecloth.
I purchased several of the miniature poinsettias at the beginning of the season and have used them on bed trays, tea tables and, of course, at placesettings on the dinner table.
The miniature poinsettias came in little plastic terracotta pots so I simply wrapped them in gold sparkly netting and tied them with gold cord for a festive look. They make great take-away guest favours.
For those who regularly follow my tablescape segment on my food blog, you will recall that I have previously said that, if you aren’t knacky with, or don’t have time to do, fancy napkin folds, then a simple and effective way is to simply use a napkin ring and roll or fluff the napkin through the ring.
However, if you don’t have napkin rings, all you really need is a spool of pretty ribbon to tie around the napkin as I have done here with a sheer organza wire-edged ribbon that bears the words “Merry Christmas” in gold glittery print, again tying in the gold color and the red of the poinsettias.
The photo below shows the individual placesetting. You don’t need expensive formal China to set a pretty table. This one is set with basic everyday ironstone dinnerware. Again, I am using my basic gold chargers to tie in with the poinsettia gold pots.
The photo below shows an overhead view of my colorful Christmas table.
To view other Christmas and New Year’s Tablesettings, click on the links below:
Poinsettias are one of the most commonly seen plants over the Christmas season. They come in a variety of colors and shades and in various sizes. Each season I have several placed around my home — in front of fireplaces, in the entryway, and anywhere else that I think needs a pop of color and a festive touch.
Today, I am using both small and miniature poinsettias in a seasonal tablescape.
Poinsettia Tablescape
I have clustered three small poinsettias in the center of the small round dining table.
Three Poinsettias Cluster to Form a Table Centerpiece
These plants are just supermarket stock so I removed the commercial plastic wrappers from them and transplanted them into small glittery gold pots that I found at my local dollar store. I added some fresh pine and green fir along with a few twigs, scattered some Christmas balls around the trio and, voilà, I have the look of a custom-made centerpiece at a fraction of the price. By keeping each plant in its own pot, it allows me to use them as a grouping or elsewhere individually. I chose two variegated plants in red shades and one in the soft green for contrast.
Poinsettia Tablescape
I also found these little tiny miniature poinsettias at the supermarket and thought they would be ideal decorations for each place setting and would be nice take-away favours for guests to take home with them as a remembrance of the dinner.
Miniature Poinsettia
I simply covered the little terracotta pots with some gold netting and tied it with gold elastic cord.
Miniature Poinsettia
I used a floor-length round gold tablecloth for the table and opted to use my gold charger plates as the backdrop for white dinnerware which, of course, makes the red poinsettias pop in color. By keeping the gold theme going in the charger plates, it keeps the tablesetting in the same color scheme without introducing another color. This is particularly important when the table is small as is the case with this tablesetting. Keeping the same color of charger plates as the tablecloth gives the illusion that this table is bigger than it actually is. Had I used other colored charger plates (e.g., red or green), the difference would have been very noticeable.
Pretty Poinsettia Tablescape
The small table creates a setting for very intimate dining. However, it does not leave a lot of room for extras on the table, such as napkins. For this reason, I opted to place the matching gold napkins in the wineglasses in a simple cascade napkin fold for economy of space.
Easy Napkin Fold
The photo below shows the top down view of the tablesetting.
Pretty Poinsettia Tablescape
I usually put a tree in my dining room and decorate it in shades of green, gold, and ivory. I then carry these shades into my mantle decorations this season. The gold tablecloth blends in with the color scheme and, of course, the red poinsettias give a pop of color.
Poinsettia Tablesetting
I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into my seasonal poinsettia tablesetting.
To see another tablesetting where I have used the same elements as in this one for a totally different look, click here.
To view other Christmas and New Year’s Tablesettings, click on the links below:
Title: Best of Bridge Holiday Classics Author: Various Publication Date: 2014 Publisher: Robert Rose Inc. Cover: Hardcover Price: $29.95 Pages: 303
Robert Rose Inc. has offered me the opportunity to conduct a review of Best of Bridge Holiday Classics. This is the latest in the “Best of Bridge” series of cookbooks.
While this cookbook is aimed at holiday entertaining, I would suggest there are recipes that would be suitable year-round for both everyday and special event use. The book has an attractive, sturdy hardcover and the pages are spiral bound making it easy for the book and pages to stay open for the recipe being made.
The book features a collection of 225 recipes spread throughout eight chapters: Holiday Brunches, Cocktail Parties Plus, Buffets and Potlucks, Sit-down Dinners, Leftovers, Holiday Cookies and Squares, Desserts and Other Sweet Treats, and Food Gifts. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a separate table of contents outlining the recipes (and their page numbers) found in that section of the book. There is also a handy alphabetical index at the back of the book.
In addition, there are a couple of pages at the front of the book giving sample menus for holiday brunch, a buffet party, a traditional holiday meal, a snowy Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve Banquet, and a Vegetarian Celebration. Recipes suitable for each event are listed along with their page numbers for ease of retrieval. This is useful, particularly for those who have no idea which recipe pairs well with another or what to serve with what.
When I am conducting a cookbook review, I try to approach it from the stance of how user-friendly it would be for someone with little culinary experience unless, of course, the book is highly specialized and advanced and is targeted for experienced cooks. So, I review recipes from the point of whether someone with little cooking and/or baking experience could take the recipes and easily follow and understand the instructions sufficiently to achieve success.
To begin, I found the font in the book a bit large and folksy. Everything (ingredients and method of preparation) is printed in capital letters which I find makes the pages cluttery and difficult to read. Generally, the instructions for making the recipes are all lumped together in one long paragraph. This makes it difficult to follow the method. I find cookbooks that lay out the instructions in separate, step-by-step, paragraphs are easier to follow, particularly for less experienced cooks. Breaking down the steps of a recipe into separate short paragraphs makes them less formidable and daunting and it is easier and quicker to find your place and progress in the instructions as you go about making the recipe.
I found the ingredients are used in the instructions in the order in which they are listed. The recipes in the book call for, what I would consider to be, ordinary ingredients which makes it easy to prepare the dishes. Most, if not all, ingredients would be found in standard grocery stores. The exact quantity of ingredients called for, though, is sometimes vague or lacking in the recipe. For example, on page 71, the recipe for Guacamole Cherry Tomato Halves calls for “1 small basket cherry tomatoes”. Cherry tomatoes come in various sizes of baskets and home gardeners would obviously harvest their own so it would have been clearer to have specified a certain quantity of tomatoes, in pound or kilogram measure, for example.
I also found that the instructions for several recipes were somewhat vague as well. For example, on p. 169, the recipe for Rhubarb Relish was very vague with the method starting out by “Simmer, uncovered, approximately 4 hours” but it didn’t say what to simmer or what kind or size of pot to use– i.e., in my view, it should have started out by saying “Combine all ingredients in the order listed in a certain size of pot (i.e., small, medium, or large pot). Simmer, uncovered, approximately 4 hours.” I also found several recipes would neglect to state early on in the instructions to preheat the oven and the oven temperature would only be given as the last instruction, at the stage when the dish was going into the oven. Now, experienced cooks would automatically know to preheat the oven whether it was stated as the first step in the recipe or not. However, a novice cook would be unlikely to know of this requirement, hence the importance of stating this step at the beginning of the method/instructions. It’s very important to pre-read each recipe carefully all the way through before starting to make it to ensure that the amount of ingredients required and the method of preparation are clearly understood.
In addition, I also found that, while most recipes did give a yield indication, some do not indicate a clear yield to be expected. For example, on page 231, the recipe for Nanny’s Real Scottish Shortbread gives the yield as “makes a tinful” which is not helpful as there is no indication what size of tin or how many shortbread the recipe makes and, as we all know, tins come in all sizes and some would hold four cookies and others 44, depending on the size of tin and cookies. This recipe does not indicate what size each shortbread cookie should be cut into. Regardless if that is how someone shared their recipe, the recipe should have, in my opinion, been tested to determine its exact yield before publishing it in the book. If someone is making a recipe and has a need for a specific number of shortbread, or servings, they need to know how many the recipe is expected to generate.
There are a few color photos in the book and they are of good quality but there is certainly not a photo for every recipe. Including photos is so important in a cookbook as, not only do photos of mouth-watering food inspire people to try the recipes but the color photos also give a frame of reference of what the finished dish should look like.
Test-driving Recipes
I tested two recipes out of the cookbook, choosing two in categories that I have significant personal experience. Robert Rose Inc has given me permission to share the recipes and their photos for Cranberry Scones and Crazy Crunch to accompany my review of this cookbook. The recipes follow at the end of this review. Cranberry Scones
These combine a tasty combination of cranberries and orange; however, I found they did not have the light and airy texture I associate with scones and find I get from other recipes. I also did not find that they rose as scones usually do for me and they had a prevalent flour taste.
Crazy Crunch
I have a lot of experience making similar recipes and know that the caramel syrup has to reach the hard crack stage (300°F) before it is done. This recipe, however, gave a wide time span of “10-15 minutes” and a vague description of the mixture having a “light caramel color” for instructions to determine when the syrup is done. As any experienced candy maker knows, a five-minute span differential is a lifetime in candy-making and is the difference between success and failure. Also, there is no definition of “light caramel color” – what is a light color to some may be dark to another and, with no photo as a frame of reference, I did not find this particularly helpful.
The recipe also does not indicate at what temperature the mixture should be boiled – i.e., over high, medium, or low heat, a rolling or gentle boil, and whether or not the syrup should be stirred as it cooks. In my view, it would have been more useful had the recipe given directions for the use of a candy thermometer and a certain temperature which is a more accurate determination of doneness.
I used a thermometer and cooked the mixture over medium heat and found it took more than 15 minutes to reach the hard crack state of doneness. The recipe turned out for me and is tasty but I am not sure I would have had success had I removed it from the heat at any point between 10 and 15 minutes as the recipe suggested. Someone, inexperienced in candy-making, would not likely know how to adjust the recipe for success.
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, I found the book contains a good selection and number of appealing recipes that call for tasty ingredients and I will certainly make more recipes from it. However, in my opinion and given the foregoing, some quality control and assurance over ingredient listing, instruction writing (and ensuring the instructions for each recipe are consistently written across the book) and, in some cases, precise recipe yields are missing. For a cookbook priced at $29.95, I want to know the recipes have been tested for success and have exact amounts of ingredients listed and clear, fulsome, accurate instructions along with the expected yield from each recipe. For this reason, I would suggest the book would be best suited for individuals who have experience cooking and baking as some recipes in the book could prove challenging for novice cooks.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Best of Bridge Holiday Classics from Robert Rose Inc., for the purposes of conducting a review of the cookbook. I received no compensation for this review and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are purely my own.
Cranberry Scones from “The Best of Bridge Holiday Classics”. Photo courtesy Robert Rose Inc., publisher.
Cranberry Scones, page 46
3⁄4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt (175 mL) 1 large egg (1) 2 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour (675 mL) 4 tsp baking powder (20 mL) 1⁄2 tsp baking soda (2 mL) 1⁄2 tsp salt (2 mL) 1⁄2 cup margarine (125 mL) 1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries (250 mL) (fresh or frozen) 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar (125 mL) Grated zest of 1 orange 1 tbsp butter, melted (15 mL) 1⁄4 cup confectioners’ (icing) sugar (60 mL) Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Beat buttermilk and egg in small bowl and set aside. In large bowl, Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles small peas. Mix in cranberries, sugar and orange zest. Add buttermilk mixture and stir until soft dough forms. Using your hands, form dough into a large ball and place on floured surface. Pat out to 1-inch (2.5 cm) thickness. Cut in 4-inch (20 cm) rounds. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake scones for 15 to 20 minutes. While still warm, brush with butter and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Makes 8 large scones.
Crazy Crunch, page 280
Crazy Crunch from “Best of Bridge Holiday Classics”. Photo courtesy Robert Rose Inc., publisher.
Put this in fancy jars and give it as a little extra at Christmas time. 2 quarts popped popcorn (2 L) 1 1⁄3 cups pecans (325 mL) 2⁄3 cup almonds 150 mL 1 1⁄3 cups granulated sugar (325 mL) 1 tsp vanilla (5 mL) 1 cup margarine (250 mL) 1⁄2 cup corn syrup (125 mL) Mix popcorn, pecans and almonds on a cookie sheet. Combine sugar, vanilla, margarine and syrup in a pan. Boil 10 to 15 minutes or to a light caramel color. Pour over corn, pecans and almonds. Mix well. Spread to dry. Makes about 10 cups (2.5 L).
I suspect some of you may be giving bottles of wine, balsamic vinegars, or olive oils as gifts, or host/hostess gifts, over the holidays. So, I thought I would share some of my favorite ways to decorate long-necked bottles for gift giving.
To start, here’s how NOT to present a gift:
The easiest and most traditional way is to use a decorated gift bag. These are quite economical and can be found just about anywhere, including dollar stores. Be sure to fluff some tissue paper on top for a polished look.
I like the boxes below which are made especially for wine. Most come with lovely ribbon attached that can simply be tied around the box. Some even have a sheet of tissue paper in them so they are a quick and elegant option. These are readily available in different stores; these came from Winners.
The wonderful hard-sided box below is almost a gift in itself and no further decoration is required. Simply slip the bottle inside and off you go. The box in the photo was a purchase from my local Winners store.
If you are into wrapping gifts, any box that the bottle will fit into will do. Choose elegant wrapping paper and pretty ribbon and/or cord to decorate the box.
Wine bottles don’t always have to be fully wrapped and concealed. In the photo below, I used a Santa hat hairclip from the local dollar store to adorn the top of the bottle and added a tiny wreath of red berries and a pretty stripped ribbon to make this bottle a conversation piece.
For the bottle below, I used the Santa hat hair clip and cut a piece of boxwood from the tree beside my walkway and used it to make a tiny fresh wreath for the neck of the bottle.
I found the Santa hat and matching scarf below at my local Dollarama store. It’s a fun and funky way to present a gift of wine.
If you are feeling particularly generous and are giving two bottles of wine, the option below is a hard-sided box that accommodates two bottles. It’s another Winners find.
For the bottle below, I used distressed brown paper.
Simply take a 30″ square of brown wrapping paper and crumple it up and massage it until it is soft and supple. This is a good thing to do to relieve stress (or to keep the kids busy)! Place the bottle in the centre of the distressed paper and draw all sides up and secure around the bottle top with an elastic band, then decorate with pretty rustic ribbon and a sprig of holly.
I hope these suggestions will inspire you to decorate your bottles of wine, olive oils, and vinegars for gift-giving presentation.
Have a wonderful holiday!
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One of my absolute favorite ways to celebrate the holidays is with a festive afternoon tea. It’s a relaxed way to entertain whether it’s one guest or several. The best part of entertaining with afternoon tea is that much of the preparation can be done in advance before guests arrive.
Today, my afternoon tea setting is for two in front of the warm and cozy fireplace and beside the Christmas tree. It’s a reason to stop, pause, and relax during the busy Christmas preparations.
I have been fortunate in finding some pieces of Christmas China over the years that just beg for an afternoon tea experience. The teapot and teacups are made by Sadler.
The tea is being served on a tea trolley. I like the versatility of trolleys as they can be used solely as a serving unit beside a larger table or even, depending on their size, as a miniature self-serve buffet. Or, either one or both of the trolley extensions can be lifted, turning the unit into a tea table as I have done today. This tea trolley is the larger of the two I own.
A few years ago, I found the delightful Christmas table square in the photo above. With its poinsettias and candles, it became the canvas and theme for today’s tea.
I like the miniature poinsettias like the one in the photo above. I use them on tea tables, in placesettings, and on bed trays because they are just the perfect size and add a touch of Christmas wherever they are used.
I have been searching for some time now for a small set of sugar tongs. I found the antique tongs in a local second-hand shop recently. The tea plates in the photo below are Royal Adderly “Poinsettia” pattern.
I love tiered servers and, while there are many pretty floral ones available, my preference is for the plain white because the food really stands out against the white background. I can mix and match my teapots and cups and saucers much easier with a white server than with a floral.
I have followed the traditional order of placement on a three-tier server: sandwiches on the bottom plate, scones on the middle, and sweets on the top tier.
The green spinach tortillas with the dots of dried cranberries add color to the sandwich plate and the fresh raspberries add a splash of red against the white bread.
Toothsome cranberry scones in the photo above were enjoyed for the scones course.
An easy way to get a taste of cherry cheesecake when you only want a couple of servings is to make them individually in tiny glasses.
Of course, a traditional tea tray would include fruitcake. This is my own recipe which I developed and shared earlier and you can find it by clicking here.
Here is the menu for the tea.
~ Eggnog with a sprinkle of Nutmeg ~
~ Selection of Tea Sandwiches ~
Egg Salad
Sliced Turkey with Cranberry Mayonnaise
Cucumber with Herbed Cream Cheese
Pinwheel Spinach Wraps with Cream Cheese, Fig Goat Cheese, Sliced Turkey, Green Onions and Dried Cranberries
~ Scones ~
– Cranberry Scones served with Butter and Homemade Strawberry Jam ~
~ Sweets ~
My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Dark Fruitcake
Melting Moments
Miniature Cherry Cheesecake
Brown Sugar Fudge
~ Tea Selection ~
Kenyan Tinderet (David’s Tea)
I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into my Christmas afternoon tea.
My best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful Christmas season.
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I love Christmas China but I don’t own it. When a friend discovered my fondness for Christmas China, she graciously offered her wonderful setting for 12 of Lenox’s “Holiday” pattern for a photoshoot for my Tablescapes section here on my food blog. Needless to say, I was thrilled to set her dining room table with six placesettings of this lovely China pattern.
I started with a solid red tablecloth to make the dinnerware pop. It adds a cheerful, vibrant, yet warm look to the table, perfect for a traditional Christmas dinner.
The China pattern is mostly soft white with a pattern of green holly leaves and red berries. Here’s a close-up of the pattern which is trimmed in 24-karat gold:
Lenox “Holiday” Pattern
And, for those who would like a closer view of the pattern, here it is:
The owner has the completer set to complement the dishes and has many other pieces as well, too many to use in one photoshoot!
When I discovered she had the lovely vase and matching candlesticks in the “Holiday” pattern, I knew they had to be the centerpiece for the table.
Take a look at the beautiful cutwork in the design of the vase.
I chose red and white carnations with some fresh pine and red tapers to match the colors in the China pattern. To draw the eye to either end of the table, I simply trailed some fresh pine down the center of the table and added some pine cones and red, green, and gold balls to tie the look together.
I used the owner’s green and red plaid napkins. Plaid always gives such a nice warm feeling. Matching green napkin rings complete the look.
Plaid Christmas crackers add a fun and festive flair to the setting.
The little salt and pepper shakers also bear the “Holiday” pattern and add a touch of whimsy to the tablescape.
I hope you have enjoyed viewing the tablesetting featuring the beautiful Lenox “Holiday” pattern. My thanks to the owner for giving me the privilege of setting a holiday table with this beautiful China.
If you live on Prince Edward Island, where I live, and have beautiful China – Christmas or otherwise, vintage or formal – and would like to share and have it featured in a tablesetting here on my food blog, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me to see what we could arrange. Unfortunately, I can’t commit to off-Island photoshoots of tablesettings due to travel logistics.
To view other Christmas and New Year’s Tablesettings, click on the links below:
I love miniature potatoes. They’re fun to work with. They make wonderful hors d’oeuvres, are the perfect size for roasting, and are the ideal size to drop into soups just the way they are without cutting them up.
Through the Food Bloggers of Canada association of which I am a member, an opportunity arose this fall to take little creamer potatoes produced by the Little Potato™ Company of Alberta and create an original recipe using the potatoes. Coming into the Christmas party season, I immediately saw them as potential hors d’oeuvres.
Stuffed Baked Fingerlings
The Little Potato™ Company grew their first acre of tiny potatoes in 1996. A father and daughter team, Jacob Van der Schaaf and Angela Santiago, planted, weeded, and harvested the first crop by hand. It was a success and soon Angela began marketing the potatoes at Farmers Markets and to restaurants.
The tiny potatoes grew in such popularity that production expanded and, today, the Little Potato™ Company grows six varieties of the little gems which are available at grocery stores across North America. To learn more about The Little Potato™ Company and their various varieties of miniature potatoes, visit their website. You can also find them on Facebook.
The Little Potato Company varieties of potatoes available at the Co-op Food Market on Walker Avenue in Charlottetown, PEI
Two bags each of Little Potato™ Company yellow fingerlings and Something Blue® mini potatoes arrived via UPS at my door one evening. I was thrilled that the oblong fingerlings were sent since they are the perfect shape and size to use when making miniature stuffed baked potato hors d’oeuvres. The recipe I have created especially for these little creamer potatoes can also be used to stuff mini round potatoes as well but the shape of the fingerlings really lends them to being stuffed attractively.
Any flavour of sausage can be used in this recipe. My choice is sweet Italian but, if you like hot flavours, then chipotle would be a good option. The sausage needs to be removed from its casing and it is important to break up the sausage meat really well as it is being scramble-fried because it is going to be piped through a pastry bag. Also, its purpose is to add flavour to the filling and a large chunk of sausage is not desirable in a tiny hors d’oeuvre.
It’s also necessary to extract as much fat as possible from the cooked sausage as the fat can drip through the potato skin and make a messy hors d’oeuvre. To remove the fat, let the cooked sausage drain in a colander for about 15 minutes then wrap the meat in paper towel, repeating the process a couple of times, if necessary, to remove the excess fat.
The little fingerlings take about 15 minutes to cook. Once they are removed from the boiling water, just barely let them cool enough that they can be handled. Slice each fingerling in half, horizontally. Then, using a melon baller, remove the potato pulp, leaving about a 1/16th inch thick wall of potato in each half to give the potato shape. Transfer the potato pulp to a potato ricer.
Press the potato through the ricer into a small bowl. The potatoes can be mashed instead of ricing but the potato ricer gives a smoother, finer texture that is completely lump-free.
Add the remainder of the ingredients to the riced potato and mix well.
The filling can be transferred to the potatoes with a spoon but a piping bag and Wilton tip 8B makes the job quicker, easier, and will give a neater presentation.
Add a sprinkle of paprika, and pop these little hors d’oeuvres into a 375ºF oven for about 12 minutes. Use either a parchment-lined baking sheet to bake the stuffed potatoes or, if you have a baguette pan, it works really well, too.
Garnish, if desired, with a sliver of green onion or chopped chives, then serve to the delight of guests at your next party.
Baked Stuffed Fingerling Hors d’oeuvres made with potatoes from The Little Potato Company
12 Little PotatoCompany fingerling creamer potatoes ½ tsp liquid chicken bouillon ½ tsp minced garlic 1 green onion, finely chopped 1½ tsp truffle aioli 2 tbsp sour cream 3 tbsp Gouda cheese, finely grated 1½ tsp tomato sauce ⅛ tsp basil Salt and pepper, to taste Paprika Slivers of green onion tops or chopped chives for garnish
Method:
Heat olive oil in small frypan. Remove sausage from casing and crumble. Add to hot oil. With the end of a flat, heat-resistant lifter or spatula, continue to break up the sausage as it cooks. Scramble fry until sausage is brown, approximately 7-10 minutes. Transfer sausage to a colander and let fat drip out for about 10-15 minutes. Then, roll the cooked sausage in paper towel to remove any remaining fat. Set aside.
Cook fingerling potatoes in boiling water for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
As soon as the potatoes are just cool enough to handle, cut each in half, horizontally. Using a melon baller, remove the potato pulp from the skin, leaving about a 1/16th inch thick wall of potato in each half to give the potato shape. Transfer potato pulp to a potato ricer. Press pulp through ricer into small bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with Wilton tip 8B. Pipe filling into each fingerling half. Sprinkle with paprika. Place mini stuffed potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in the cradle of a baguette pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 12 minutes. Remove and garnish with a sliver of green onion or chopped chives. Serve hot.
Yield:24 hors d’oeuvres
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Disclosure: The potatoes used in this recipe were provided to me, free of charge, from The Little Potato™ Company for the purposes of sampling them and creating a recipe with them. The recipe for Baked Stuffed Fingerlings in this posting is an original recipe developed by me in my home kitchen.
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It’s the time of the year when people are busy with holiday preparations which often brings a host of events and a shortage of time to prepare for them. I recently met with a couple of Island chefs to chat about canapés and to find out what’s trendy these days in finger foods.
Canapé of potato base, topped with sour cream and tender beef
Jennifer & Mike Levy, from Rusticoville, PEI, operate Green Island Catering Company. Yes, there is help for your holiday events! The couple, both originally from Ontario, took a rather roundabout way to find their way to the Island. Both have university degrees and worked in the corporate world in Calgary before heading off to the sunny Caribbean to spend three years living and working in Grand Cayman. While soaking up the southern sun, they found themselves working in the food industry and becoming more interested in cooking. They came across some Prince Edward Islanders living in Grand Cayman who kept telling them about the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown, PEI, suggesting they check it out. But, first, they returned to their native Ontario where they spent a few months during which time Mike took a hobby cooking course at George Brown College which really sealed his interest in pursuing a career in culinary arts. Soon, they were on their way to PEI to study at the Culinary Institute from which both graduated from the two-year program in 2012.
While they have worked in various restaurants since graduating from culinary school, they have started a successful catering business and will cater any event of any size. In fact, they have catered the PEI Legislature’s “Speaker’s Tartan Tea” for the past three years.
I began by asking the chefs how many canapés should be prepared per person for an event. As a general rule, they suggest 3-5 per person if the time of the event is not a regular meal time or if it is at a time that guests most likely would have already eaten. However, if the event is between the hours of 11am – 1 pm or 5pm – 7pm, then 5-7 canapés should be prepared per guest.
We then discussed what’s trendy in canapés these days. Canapés generally consist of three parts: a base, some kind of sauce, and a garnish. The base can consist of a variety of items – for example, small biscuits, phyllo pastry, spring roll wrappers, or wonton cups.
Braised beef and pulled pork tend to be popular in canapés, just as they are in main meal menu items.
Braised beef atop a stack of cheesy potato slices
Foods that are easy to prepare and canapés that include comfort foods are also popular. For example, tiny tea biscuits topped with braised beef or turkey/chicken are quite popular. Cookie dough shot glasses are also quite a trendy novelty item – they consist of cookie dough formed into a container shape, baked, and filled with a favourite liqueur or, for the younger crowd, milk.
Making Cookie Shot Glasses
Cookie Shot Glass
Or, make the cookie shot containers even larger and line them with melted chocolate (yum!)
Lining a larger cookie shot glass with melted chocolate
During my visit, the chefs demonstrated how to make a base from thinly sliced potatoes, seasoned with a mixture of herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, and oregano), grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese, and a bit of cream (yes, the real stuff!). Layered into greased muffin tins and baked for 20 minutes at 400°F, these make a tasty canapé base with a dob of sour cream or herbed cream cheese added and topped with braised beef or pulled pork.
Making Potato Base for CanapésMaking Potato Base for CanapésBaked Potato Base for Canapés
These canapés are tasty with, or without, the addition of sour cream.
Potato Base Canapé topped with Sour Cream and Braised Beef
Jennifer also demonstrated how to make a sweet treat that consists of grapes, caramel popcorn, chopped nut clusters, and Cambozolo cheese, all held together with a caramel sauce made with corn syrup, sugar, and water.
Grape and Caramel ClustersGrape and Caramel ClustersGrape and Caramel ClustersMike gets ready to remove the Grape Cluster Canapés from the panGrape and Caramel Clusters
So, if you are short on time this holiday season and want to take the stress out of preparing for a cocktail party or other holiday event, you may want to consider having the event catered. Jennifer and Mike run a full service catering company and can be reached by phone at 902-963-2176, by email at greenislcatering@gmail.com, or through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Island-Catering-Company/
Fruitcakes. People either love them or loathe them and there seems to be no middle ground. I personally favour them and they have long been a part of my annual Christmas traditions. Continue reading Dark Fruitcake→
Ulysses Press has offered me the opportunity to conduct a review of Dorothy Kern’s cookbook, Dessert Mash-Ups. Kern is the blogger behind “Crazy for Crust” food blog and Dessert Mash-Ups is her first cookbook.
I found this a delightful cookbook, all about desserts (what’s not to love about that speciality!). But, it’s more than that. It’s actually a teaching book that is sure to be a good reference tool for bakers, particularly those less experienced in the realm of baking. For example, there is a great section at the front of the book that provides a list of common pans any kitchen should have along with a list of useful gadgets and appliances. Additionally, the author also gives useful ingredient tips and suggestions along with storage and freezing tips. While candy making can be daunting for some, Kern takes away the trepidation by providing handy tips on candy dipping that both the novice and a more experienced candy maker would find useful. Including this type of information in the cookbook would be motivating I believe for those, perhaps less confident in candy making, to try the candy recipes in Kern’s book.
The book features over 50 recipes that are well laid out. Each recipe is introduced by a short paragraph that either comments about the recipe’s ingredients or gives the author’s personal story about, or connection to, the recipe. Step-by-step clear directions call for the ingredients in the order in which they appear on the ingredients list found on the right-hand side of each page and each recipe provides the yield along with the preparation and baking times. Where there is more than one component to a recipe (e.g., a cake, streusel, and icing), each set of ingredients is listed separately along with individual sets of directions which makes preparation easier. The directions are easy to understand, even for those less experienced with baking.
One of the things I most appreciated about the book is that, while it sometimes combines different ingredients in a recipe or “mashes” them up into something entirely different than you might think of (ever hear of lemon meringue pie fudge!), the recipes do not call for unusual ingredients that would be difficult to find.
The other bonus with this book is that each recipe is accompanied by a full-page color photograph of the finished product so you know the goal you are aiming for when making a recipe. The photographs are stunning and of high quality, making each recipe enticing to make. Of note, all food photographs in the book are the work of the author, herself.
I found the structure, content, and layout of this book well thought out with the reader in mind. The book is well organized and categorized into eight chapters: Breakfast but Better; Candy Concoctions; Cookies, Brownies, and Bars Together at Last; Pie Surprise; Cake & Cupcake Creations; New Takes on Cheesecake; Double Dips; and Holiday Mash-ups. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a page that lists all the recipes in that category along with their page numbers. There is also a useful alphabetized index at the back of the book.
Test-driving recipes
So, while a book might be lovely to look at and to leaf through, the real test comes when you make some recipes out of the book. I selected two: Payday Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats (pp 134-135), and Rocky Road Cookie Fudge Bars (pp. 58-59). Both recipes turned out well for me with no issues and both were tasty and are ones I would repeat.
Payday Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats
The twist on these perennial favorites is the addition of just a small amount of peanut butter, some peanuts, and the candy corn. I made them for Halloween treats and they were a hit. I also tested freezing them and found they freeze well, too. I would make them again, with or without the candy corn.
Payday Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats from “Dessert Mash-Ups Cookbook by Dorothy Kern
Ulysses Press has given me permission to share the recipe and the book’s photograph for Rocky Road Cookie Fudge Bars along with my review of this cookbook. I made these bars and thoroughly enjoyed them.
Rocky Road Cookie Fudge Bars
Yield 36 bars Prep Time 20 minutes Bake Time 18 minutes Chill Time At least 4 hours
I’ll never forget eating rocky road ice cream when I was young. It was one of my mom’s favorite flavors, so it was always in the freezer. I’d pick out the almonds and marshmallows to save for last, because they were the best part. My love of the ice cream inspired these bars: a rich chocolate cookie bar topped with a rocky road candy that tastes like fudge. I hope it brings back memories of all your rocky road days like it does for me!
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 (11.5-ounce) bag semisweet or milk chocolate chips 1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds 1 1⁄2 cups mini marshmallows
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray or line with foil and spray with cooking spray for easy cleanup.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the vanilla and egg, and mix until smooth. Mix in the cocoa and baking soda, then add the salt and flour, and beat until well blended. Press into the prepared pan. (The batter will be sticky; it helps to spray your hands with cooking spray to keep it from sticking to you.)
3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the top just loses its sheen.
4. As soon as the bars come out of the oven (or a few minutes before), melt the chocolate chips in a large microwave- safe bowl on high for 1 1⁄2 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate melts and is smooth. Let it sit for about 2 minutes, then stir in the chopped nuts and mini marshmallows. Stir to coat completely.
5. Pour the marshmallow mixture on top of the hot cookie bars and spread carefully. Let set at room temperature before slicing. You can refrigerate the bars to speed hardening, but be sure to allow them to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing to avoid cracking in the chocolate. Store in an airtight container at room temperature; bars are best within 4 days.
Concluding Thoughts
The book contains a good variety of dessert recipes that would be suitable for families, potluck get-togethers, special occasions, and gift giving.
This book is a manageable size, has good flow, and is easy to read. In my view, this book would be most suitable for individuals who love to bake, have a sweet tooth, and/or those who don’t count calories!
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Dessert Mash-Ups from Ulysees Press for the purposes of conducting a review of the cookbook. I received no compensation for this review and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are purely my own.
Move over pumpkin! Your cousin, squash, makes better pies!
Growing up, it was more common in our household to have squash rather than pumpkin pie. My ancestors always claimed squash makes a better, more tasty pie and I have to agree. Squash gives a richer pie with a depth of flavour that I don’t find characteristic of pumpkin.
Squash Pies
There are several different kinds of squash that can be used for pie making but my preference is the tall vase-or bell-shaped butternut squash. Butternut squash is considered a variety of winter squash. Though harvested in autumn, butternut squash is generally available in supermarkets through the winter months because of the squash’s long “keeping” quality. I’m guessing it is their availability through the winter months that has earned them the term “winter” squash since they certainly wouldn’t be harvested in the winter in our cold and frosty northeastern climate! With its mildly nutty flavour, butternut squash has a natural sweetness to it. The pulp of the butternut squash is bright orange in color and, while it loses that color when made in to a pie, it turns to a lovely caramel color.
Squash Pie
My grandmother always cooked her squash in a pot with some water on the stovetop. However, squash already has a high moisture content and adding more water to the mix can make it difficult to get the cooked squash sufficiently drained that you don’t end up with a soupy texture pie. My preference is to, instead, roast the squash as it reduces the moisture level and I find it also gives the squash an even deeper, richer flavour.
For my squash pie recipe (found at the end of this posting), 2 cups of puréed squash is needed. I used a butternut squash weighing 3 pounds which yielded 4 cups of purée, enough for 2 – 10″ pies. So, if all you want is one pie, try to find a squash that weighs 1½ to 1¾ pounds.
Butternut Squash
To roast the squash, I simply began by cutting the squash in half, starting at the top narrow end, slicing all the way through to the bottom.
With a spoon, remove the seeds.
With a soft brush, apply a thin layer of olive oil to both the flesh and skin sides of the squash.
Place squash, flesh side down, on a greased, foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated 425°F oven for about a half hour. Remove the squash from the oven and, with a large lifter, carefully flip the pieces over, applying another light brushing of olive oil to the flesh side. Return the squash to the oven for about another half hour or so, until the flesh of the squash is very soft. Remove from oven.
As soon as the squash has just cooled enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skin of the squash and put it in the bowl of a food processor.
Process until the squash is puréed smooth.
Then, transfer the purée to a cheesecloth-lined colander fitted over a large bowl or pot and leave it to drip for about an hour or so. The goal is to remove as much remaining liquid as possible. I find it helps to stir the mixture two to three times and to press down the mixture with the back of a large spoon to extract the liquid.
To make one pie, transfer 2 cups of the purée to a medium-sized bowl.
Add the slightly-beaten eggs.
Next, add the sugars, salt, spices, and evaporated milk.
Mix the ingredients well – I use a hand mixer.
Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Although not necessary, I sometimes (but not always) pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes to set it. If you do this, be sure to use pie weights to ensure the crust does not bubble up, creating air pockets underneath.
I find it useful to place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet for easy transport into the oven. The filling is very liquid at this point and it is very easy to spill it or slosh it up over the sides of the crust edges. In fact, sometimes, I only partially fill the pie, then set it on the oven rack and finish filling it there.
It helps to start baking the pie at 375°F for the first 15 minutes to give it a quick set then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 1¼ hours longer or until a knife, or a toothpick, inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean.
The pie should be thoroughly cooled and allowed to set before cutting.
Squash Pie
For tips and hints on making pie pastry and a recipe for pastry, clickhere.
Squash Pie
1½ – 1¾ lb butternut squash Pastry for deep 10-inch single crust pie
For the pie filling: 2 cups squash purée 2 extra large eggs, slightly beaten ⅔ cup brown sugar, lightly packed ⅓ cup white sugar ¼ tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ginger ¼ tsp cloves ¼ tsp mace ⅛ tsp nutmeg 1⅔ cup evaporated milk
To roast the squash:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line large rimmed baking sheet with tin foil. Spray with cooking oil.
Cut the squash in half from top to bottom. Remove and discard seeds. Lightly brush olive oil on both sides of squash. Place squash, flesh side down, on baking sheet. Roast for about 30 minutes then remove from oven and carefully flip the squash halves over. Apply a light brushing of olive oil on the flesh side of the squash. Return squash to oven and continue roasting for another 20-30 minutes or until squash is very soft.
To prepare the squash purée:
Line a large colander with cheesecloth. Set aside.
Remove squash from oven. As soon as the squash has just cooled enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the squash and place it in the bowl of a food processor. Purée the squash until it is very smooth.
Transfer the purée to the cheesecloth-lined colander. Let sit for about an hour to allow any excess water to drain from the purée. From time to time, stir the purée and, with a large spoon, press out the moisture from the purée.
To make the pie filling:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Transfer purée to a medium-sized bowl and add the eggs, sugars, salt, spices, and milk. With a mixer (either a hand or stand mixer), mix ingredients thoroughly. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell. Place on rimmed baking sheet.
Bake pie in lower third of oven at 375°F for 15 minutes then lower temperature to 350°F and continue baking pie for about 1¼ hours longer or until knife or toothpick inserted in center of pie comes out clean.
Let pie cool completely before cutting.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Yield:8-10 servings
Squash Pie
If you have made this recipe and enjoyed it and/or wish to share it with your friends and family, please do so on social media but be sure to share the direct link to this posting from my website.
Similar in taste to Pumpkin Pie, this Squash Pie is made with butternut squash and has a lovely deep flavour with spices similar to those used in pumpkin pie.
Course Dessert
Keyword pie, squash pie
Servings8
My Island Bistro KitchenBarbara - My Island Bistro Kitchen
Ingredients
1½ - 2lbbutternut squash
Pastry for deep 10-inch single crust pie
For the pie filling:
2cupssquash purée
2extra-large eggs, slightly beaten
⅔cupbrown sugar, lightly packed
⅓cupwhite sugar
¼tspsalt
1tspcinnamon
½tspginger
¼tspcloves
¼tspmace
⅛tspnutmeg
1⅔cupevaporated milk
Instructions
To roast the squash:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line large rimmed baking sheet with tin foil. Spray with cooking oil.
Cut the squash in half vertically. Remove and discard seeds. Lightly brush olive oil on both sides of squash. Place squash, flesh side down on baking sheet. Roast for about 30 minutes then remove from oven and carefully flip the squash halves over. Return squash to oven and continue roasting for another 20-30 minutes or until squash is very soft.
To prepare the squash purée:
Line a large colander with damp cheesecloth.
Remove squash from oven. As soon as the squash has cooled enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the squash and place it in the bowl of a food processor. Purée the squash until it is very smooth.
Transfer the purée to the cheesecloth-lined colander. Let sit for about an hour to allow any excess water to drain from the purée. From time to time, stir the purée and, with a large spoon, press out the moisture from the purée.
To make the pie filling:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Transfer purée to a medium-sized bowl and add the eggs, sugars, salt, spices, and milk. With a mixer (either a hand or stand mixer), mix ingredients thoroughly. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell. Place on rimmed baking sheet.
Bake pie in lower third of oven at 375°F for 15 minutes then lower temperature to 350°F and continue baking pie for about 1¼ hours longer or until knife inserted in center of pie comes out clean.
Let pie cool completely before cutting.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
One of my all-time favorites is the traditional old-fashioned Apple Crisp dessert — the sweet apple flavour filling topped with a crisp, crunchy streusel. And, oh, the heavenly scent in the house when the apple crisp is baking! Continue reading Old-fashioned Apple Crisp→
On this Halloween weekend, I am sharing my seasonal tablescape that has a distinctly pumpkin theme. I have chosen to use some good quality artificial decorations mixed in with some traditional ones that nature has provided.
Halloween Tablescape
In keeping with the mood of the season, I have kept the lighting low and moody to give a golden glow to the dining room.
I have a little collection of fall and Halloween decorations and, wherever possible, I try to work with I have as opposed to going out and buying more. I have had the terracotta pumpkin below for years. It’s so much easier to get a Jack-o-Lantern this way than the mess of carving a real one!!!
A glitzy pumpkin gets gussied up with a witch’s hat from the local dollar store. The headband/hat was a previous costume accessory.
I found the little 3-tier server below at a local thrift store and it forms a nice tower for three mini pumpkins. It will also serve other purposes throughout the year.
When I am creating a tablescape like this, I try to vary the heights of the components as it adds interest and appeal to the eye.
The color theme for the tablescape is orange, gold, ivory, and black. A piece of sheer orange curtain fabric over an ivory tablecloth makes an economical table covering without overtly screaming Halloween or competing with the focal point of the tablescape. A piece of black net fabric forms the base for the centerpiece display. The gold charger plates frame the white tableware, a good backdrop for the black napkins which are simply rolled and tied with glittery orange ribbon and accessorized with some colorful leaves.
Little orange votives tucked in through the tablescape add some extra drama to the scene. A number of years ago, I was able to get some good quality garlands of orange and black berries so they have been casually threaded in through the components of the centerpiece. The garlands are wired, making them easy to mold into areas needing some filler.
My fireplace mantle is decorated to compliment the table.
Framed behind garlands of orange berries and colored leaves, a white pumpkin dons a fancy witch’s hat.
The white pumpkin below is simply wrapped and tied in black organza, giving it a dramatic look by the simple folds in the fabric.
And, the orange pumpkin below is dressed in black spider web lace!
And, here is what the tablescape looked like in daylight…
Not nearly so dramatic but still colorful, nonetheless.
I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into my Halloween festivities.
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Do you have an abundance of green tomatoes you’re wondering what to do with? Today, I am sharing my recipe for Green Tomato Chow (printable recipe follows at end of posting), a tasty condiment that makes good use of green tomatoes.
Green Tomato Chow is a great condiment to serve with cold meats, baked beans, stews, casseroles, chicken and meat pies, hot chicken/beef/turkey dinners and, of course, if you are a Maritimer, with fish cakes. Continue reading Green Tomato Chow→
There are three wineries in Prince Edward Island and the oldest of them is Rossignol Winery. To find out more about Rossignol wines and products, I visited the winery and vineyards in Little Sands where I met owner and vintner, John Rossignol.
John Rossignol, owner, Rossignol Winery, Little Sands, PEI
In the early 1990s, John was looking for a new career and one which he could pursue while living in a rural environment. He had developed an interest in wine making and in a special place called Prince Edward Island (PEI) where there were no established wineries. Hence, he saw a potential niche market. However, his dream was not without some challenges, chief amongst them being that there were no existing laws in PEI governing and regulating commercial wine making. Working with the provincial government for over two years, John pursued his dream and, in 1995, the Liquor Control Act and Regulations were enacted which allowed for commercial wine production in PEI.
Grapevines at Rossingol Winery
In the meantime, while the process to develop and enact legislation was underway, John was optimistic so he planted grapevines to get a vineyard established so he’d have grapes available should the Province give permission for commercial wine making. The winery was built in 1994 and the first wine produced in 1995, upon enactment of the enabling legislation.
Rossignol Winery, Little Sands, PEI
Currently, there are about ten acres of grapevines grown onsite at the winery. The remainder of the grapes needed for production are sourced from other Island vineyards.
John grows four varieties of grapes. Two of the most common are Marechal Foch, a French hybrid grape that is successfully proven to grow well in the Maritime climates and l’acadie blanc that was developed in Nova Scotia.
John Rossignol checks the status of the grapes on the grapevines in his vineyard at the winery in Little Sands, PEI
The grapes below were photographed in mid-August. They will be ready for harvesting in October.
The winery also has an onsite apple orchard to produce apples for its iced apple cider, “Liberty Blossom”.
Apple Orchard at Rossignol Winery, Little Sands, PEI
The wonderful sand sculptures at the winery are the artistic work of sand sculpter, Abe Waterman.
Sand Sculpture by Abe Waterman – at the Rossignol Winery, Little Sands, PEI
The detail in these works of art at the edge of the vineyard at the winery is incredible.
Since its beginnings, the winery has made a number of fruit wines (e.g., strawberry, wild blueberry, rhubarb). In the winery’s early years, John says this was a necessity as there weren’t enough grapes available to make the traditional wines as we think of them. Supportive of local products, John sources raw products such as Island strawberries, raspberries, and black currants from local farmers.
Fruit Wines Produced by Rossignol Winery, Little Sands, PEI
The fruit wines are especially popular in summer and are generally consumed as an aperitif. John likes the Strawberry Wine paired with cheese and says the blueberry wine can also be a table wine. This medium-sweet red wine is especially good paired with spicy, curried food. In total, the winery now produces 16 varieties of products under the Rossignol label.
When asked what the winery’s most popular wines are, John says the Little Sands White and the High Bank Red top the list. The winery also produces some specialty liqueurs, including their iced apple cider, maple liqueur, and cassis which they bottle in special Italian bottles. The cassis is a relatively new product for the winery which began the process four years ago to get this product ready for market. The cassis has been on the market for two years now and is particularly popular with chefs.
The winery also makes a wild rose liqueur from the hips of locally grown roses. These products are suitable as after-dinner drinks.
John indicates he experiences no great challenge to running a winery in rural PEI. He says PEI has good growing conditions for quality fruit which, in turn, means good quality wine.
“PEI has good growing conditions for quality fruit which, in turn, means good quality wine.” – John Rossignol
I asked John what his greatest satisfaction is from producing wine. He says, when he started in the business, it was always intended to be a lifestyle business which it remains today. He tells me he enjoys getting to work from his nearby home without going through city rush hour traffic. He also derives satisfaction from looking for new markets that keep the business interesting and different. But, perhaps most of all, John says he enjoys a business that actually allows him to be involved in all stages of the production of the finished product. That means he farms the grapes, makes the wine, and bottles, markets, and sells it so he gets to see the entire process of production from start to finish.
After our chat about the Rossignol products, John toured me through the winery.
The wine is sterilized by filtration and passes through three large tanks.
Tanks Containing Wine in Progress
Some products, such as the maple liqueur, are aged in traditional oak barrels.
Traditional Oak Barrels for Aging Wine
The barrels in the photo below contain red wine which has been aging for two years.
Oak Barrels of Red Wine Aging for Two Years
During my visit, the winery staff was busy bottling wine.
Bottling WineCorking and Labeling the Bottles
Freshly Bottled WineBoxes of Wine Ready for Shipment
Rossignol wines are presented in uniquely-labelled bottles. Labels feature the work of local painters, including John’s wife Dagny, as well as some of John’s own artwork.
Wine Bottle Label Designed by Dagny Rossignol
Wine Bottle Label Designed by John Rossignol
One of the earliest artists involved with producing artwork for Rossignol bottles is Nancy Perkins who happened to drop by the winery during my visit.
Nancy Perkins, One of the Designers of Wine Bottle Labels at Rossignol Winery
Rossignol wines and liqueurs are available at the winery located at 11147 Shore Road, in Little Sands, PEI, as well as at Island liquor stores. The winery has at times shipped their products to Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Alberta Liquor Commissions. Recently, the winery has sent four shipments of wines to China which has shown a special interest in PEI wines.
The winery regularly sends samples of their wines to wine competitions and, as you can see from the photo below, they have garnered many medals attesting to the fine quality of wine being produced at Rossignol Winery.
Rossignol was recently awarded the gold medal for the best fruit wine in Canada at the All Canadian Wine Championships in Ontario. That’s great recognition and validation for a winery that was the pioneer in wine making in PEI and is still going strong, producing on average about 40,000 bottles of wine annually.
For more information on Rossignol Winery, visit their website at http://www.rossignolwinery.com/Rossignol-Winery.html
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As I write this post, it’s apple season in Prince Edward Island and orchards are filled with trees bearing wonderful apples of so many varieties. There’s nothing like heading to a u-pick orchard to pick your own apples. I typically pick several pecks each fall — in fact, sometimes it’s easy to get carried away and pick too many! However, they do get processed into pies, crisps, sauces, and jellies like this Crabapple Jelly. Continue reading Crabapple Jelly→
If you are a regular patron of the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market and happen to be a tea drinker, chances are you are familiar with Katherine Burnett and the Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley brand of teas and tea bar at the market.
Katherine Burnett, owner of Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley Tea Bar at the Charlottetown Farmers Market
I recently sat down with Katherine for brunch at the farmers’market to learn more about her tea business.
Katherine Burnett, Owner, Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley
Katherine grew up on PEI but lived off Island for many years before returning in 2006. In 2001, while living in Charlotte, NC, Katherine began hosting tea parties as a ministry for the elderly. She named her afternoon tea party business “Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley” as a tribute to the memory of a friend, Irene Baker, who enjoyed the finer things in life, like afternoon tea. Interest in the tea parties grew to the point where Katherine was soon hosting afternoon teas for corporations, churches, and even the opera.
As her tea party business grew so, too, did her interest and knowledge in all things tea-related. She pursued online courses in tea blending and attended specialty tea conferences and is now at level 3 (of 4) of the process to be designated a tea sommelier. Katherine is also a member of the Tea Association of Canada.
In the fall of 2007, with just 16 varieties of tea and 2 tea-making machines, Katherine set up a tea bar at the popular Charlottetown Farmers’ Market. The teas come from the major tea-producing countries of India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Taiwan. The imported teas follow strict guidelines, are low in pesticides, and most come from members of the Ethical Tea Partnerships.
Katherine blends some of the teas herself and now sells some 60 varieties of loose tea.
She tells me her most popular blend, which incidentally is her personal favourite, is a black tea she calls the Lady’s Slipper Blend, aptly named after PEI’s official provincial flower. Her pumpkin spice blend enjoys popularity as well with her patrons who favour it for lattes. At the Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley bar at the market, look for specialty tea blends like Abegweit Lullaby to aid sleep and Pink Lady Grey which is an eye-appealing blend featuring Earl Grey tea and pink rose petals. Who knew where a small, modest personal collection of 13 china cups and saucers would lead Katherine!
Since there are several options to brewing tea (e.g., tea bags, loose leaf with infuser or loose tea directly in the tea pot), I asked Katherine for her preference. She says she prefers to brew loose leaf tea in an infuser in the tea pot. Katherine also recommends that the water for the tea first be filtered and then brought to a boil. If brewing green tea, let the water sit until it drops to the proper temperature (85°) before adding and brewing the tea leaves.
I asked Katherine if she sees any trends emerging in tea drinking. She says she is noticing a renewed popularity in tea drinking with specialty tea shops opening and with the wide variety of tea-brewing equipment and stylish infuser mugs readily available. As well, she notices an increased interest in green teas with information and research on its health benefits becoming more widely known. Additionally, there seems to be a new market for teas – those of high school and college age. In fact, this year Katherine prepared special tea packages to be included in the UPEI student welcome kits. With the university being located just across the street from the farmers’ market, it’s likely some of the students will visit the Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley bar on Saturday mornings. Katherine also sees more tea being used in ways other than as a beverage. For example, Chai and Matcha are now often used in baked goods such as muffins and energy bars. In fact, Katherine sells yummy homemade tea energy bars at her booth. Tea lattes are also becoming very popular — ⅔ cup of a strong tea topped up with ⅓ cup of foamed milk. Iced teas remain popular in the hot summer months when many find the drink hydrating and refreshing. Fruit blends of green teas, such as Katherine’s Island Strawberry blend, have become very popular iced teas.
Tea, like coffee, is an enduring popular drink. It’s a beverage that is moving with the times. With its various varieties and blends along with new ways of drinking tea and using it in baking, it’s proof of tradition blending successfully with modern trends.
In addition to being available at the farmers’ market, Lady Baker’s teas are available across PEI at specialty shops and are also found served in many of the Island’s finest restaurants and at select bed and breakfasts. The teas may also be ordered online via the Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley website at http://www.ladybakersteatrolley.com/
Now, it’s time for tea!
I decided to try the Lady’s Slipper tea blend for a late summer afternoon tea. This is a lovely, mellow tea blend with hints of vanilla. I have some pieces of Lady’s Slipper china so it seemed only fitting to feature them with this blend of tea.
The quintessential tea time sandwiches of egg salad and cucumber were served on my Lady Slipper plate.
I used two different styles of Lady’s Slipper china cups and saucers.
The great thing about afternoon tea is that several different pieces of china can be blended and used with success. Not everything has to match perfectly on the table. It just needs to blend.
These dainty little pink glasses blend well with the china and are the perfect size for an afternoon tea table.
The little pottery Lady’s Slipper vase in the photo below was a gift from an elementary school teacher. We had gone on an end of year school outing to a local theme park which had a small gift shop in a flying saucer (readers on PEI will likely guess which theme park I’m referring to). The teacher told us each to pick out something we wanted and it was her gift to us. Even as a small child, I liked pretty things and opted for a vase instead of a toy! I won’t tell you how many years ago that was but let’s just say it wasn’t yesterday! The lovely flowers in the vase are from Island Meadow Farms in York, PEI.
Fresh blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert!
I always say the sign of a true homemade pie is when some of the filling bubbles out 🙂 (Well, that’s my story anyway and I’m sticking to it!)
The blueberries for the pie came from Murray’s U-pick in North Tryon. They grow wonderful high bush blueberries.
I hope you have enjoyed meeting the lady behind Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley and dropping by for a spot of her Lady’s Slipper tea blend.
Please Note: Due to low lighting conditions at this event venue, it was very difficult to capture quality photos for this posting.
Several of the “signature” events of PEI’s Fall Flavours Festival focus on certain foods. The recent “Beef and Blues” event in Summerside was all about Island beef.
Food Network’s Corbin Tomaszeski was the celebrity guest chef who hosted the evening. You may recognize him from Food Network’s shows “Dinner Party Wars“, “Restaurant Makeover” and “Restaurant Takeover“. On this night, however, Chef Corbin was found “working the crowd” in the lobby of Credit Union Place before the event venue was open.
Chef Corbin Tomaszeski
The ice surface of Credit Union Place was transformed into a blues-themed venue for the sold-out event.
The evening began with Joe MacMillan providing blues music to set the tone for the evening.
Joe MacMillan
“Beef and Blues” was structured differently from other signature events of the Fall Flavours Festival that I have attended which, typically, have chefs from the Culinary Institute of Canada or a particular restaurant preparing the food. In the case of “Beef and Blues”, 12 Island restaurants each had stations at which they featured a dish prepared with Island Beef. Island restaurants participating were: Island Stone Pub, Gentleman Jim’s, Sims Corner Steakhouse & Oyster Bar, Rodd Mill River Resort, The Landing, The Catch, Anson’s Restaurant & Bar, Brother’s 2, Five Eleven West, The Big Orange Lunchbox, the Lobster House Restaurant & Oyster Bar, and Pendergast’s PEI Food. In addition, three restaurants or local food producers provided desserts: Sweet Things, Samuel’s Coffee House, and Five Eleven West.
Here’s a small sampling of some of the featured dishes.
The Brother’s 2 Restaurant in Summerside featured the hushpuppy and meatball skewer.
“Hushpuppy & Meatball Skewer” from the Brother’s 2 Restaurant in Summerside
This buttermilk chicken fried steak with tomato and corn salsa came from Anson’s Restaurant & Bar in Summerside.
“Buttermilk Chicken Fried Steak with Tomato & Corn Salsa” from Anson’s Restaurant & Bar
Guests were free to circulate, in any order they wished, amongst the stations to sample their offerings. At each placesetting at the tables, was a “Passport to Taste”.
“Passport to Taste”
Guests carried their “passport” as they visited the stations and checked off each sample they tried. At the end of the evening, guests could drop their “passports” into a ballot box for a draw for a three-course dinner prepared by PEI’s Chef Illona Daniel.
The Big Orange Lunchbox from Charlottetown featured dry roast beef ribs with waffle chips and marshmallow dip (yes, marshmallow dip!)
“Dry Roast Beef Ribs with Waffle Chips and Marshmallow Dip from the Big Orange Lunchbox
Events such as these put consumers in direct touch with local chefs whom they would probably not see at a restaurant.
No event would be complete without something for the sweet tooth! Christine Gallant from Sweet Treats in Summerside offered these delectable peach cobbler tartlets.
Peach Cobbler Tartlets from Sweet Treats
The table from Samuel’s Coffee House in Summerside was also a busy spot as the whoppie pies proved to be a popular item.
Whoppie Pies from Samuel’s Coffee House
This event offered the opportunity for local chefs to be extra creative with Island beef and gave patrons a good sampling of the many delicious ways in which Island beef can be prepared.
This being national organic week in Canada, I thought it was timely to pay a visit to a farmer who grows vegetables the natural way without chemicals. So, our visit today takes us to Just A Little Farm on the Green Road, near Bonshaw, PEI, where we meet farmer Jessica Vos.
Jessica Vos of Just A Little Farm, Green Road, PEI
When asked why she chose life as a farmer, Jessica explains that she grew up on a farm, worked in community gardens while in university, owned a landscaping business in Western Canada, is genuinely interested in food, and is happiest when outside working in the soil. Jessica has a degree in Human Ecology with a minor in nutrition and she is currently studying holistic nutrition.
View of part of the gardens at Just A Little Farm
It’s amazing how many varieties of vegetables and herbs Jessica grows. It would be a shorter list if you ask her what she doesn’t grow than what she does! In particular, Jessica grows a lot of lettuce and, by a lot, I mean a small field!
The Lettuce Field at Just A Little Farm
All the lettuce plants are started in Jessica’s small greenhouse and then transplanted.
New Lettuce Plants
Throughout the growing season, she has an ongoing planting cycle of seedling plants one week and transplanting the next.
Lettuce Plants Ready for Transplanting Outside
Jessica grows 5-6 varieties that have proven successful in PEI’s climate and she has fresh lettuce available until November. How I wish we had access to this on PEI all winter!!!
Because she does not use any chemicals, I asked Jessica how she controls for weeds. She says she uses the old-fashioned method of weeding by hand and hoe. The other method she has found success with is planting the vegetables close to each other to suffocate the weeds.
There are challenges to any kind of farming, especially in the control of pests that also find the produce tasty. In particular, the cucumber beetle, cabbage moth, and slugs pose problems. Jessica has had success using netting to cover vegetables most often attacked by the pests.
Netting to control for pests
This year, she is also using crushed up crab shell meal as a way to control for slugs.
Crushed Crab Shells
Placed in proximity to the plants slugs like to attack (such as basil, for example), the rough shells are a deterrent for slugs which don’t find them very comfortable to crawl over.
Crushed Crab Shells to Control Slugs
Despite the challenges which Jessica jovially refers to as “part of the fun”, there are also sources of satisfaction she finds in her farming. As she says, when her produce grows well and her customers are happy, Jessica is happy knowing she has produced and supplied them with chemical-free, healthy and nutritious produce.
Look at these gorgeous, healthy basil plants! I can attest they made some mighty fine basil pesto!
Love the dragon tongue beans on the right in the photo below!
A dragon tongue bean, anyone?
Jessica with her dragon tongue beans
All of Jessica’s produce is hand-washed before leaving the farm. Her new cooler storage unit is to the right in the photo below.
Jessica’s Washing Station and Cooler Unit
Throughout the growing season, you can find Jessica’s produce in nearby local stores like Gasses General Store in New Haven and Harvey’s in Crapaud.
Every Saturday morning in July and August, Jessica can be found direct-marketing her produce at the small farmers’ market in the seaside village of Victoria-by-the-Sea. She also supplies several local restaurants with fresh produce as well.
Jessica Vos at the Victoria-by-the-Sea Farmers’ MarketAt the Victoria-by-the-Sea Farmers’ Market
Like many organic farmers, Jessica also sells her produce through Community Shared Agriculture Boxes (CSA Boxes). This is where individuals (known as CSA members and sometimes referred to as shareholders) buy shares in her farm – i.e., at the beginning of the season, they sign a contract with Jessica and pay a certain sum of money upfront. In return, Jessica commits to do the best job she can to provide them with high-quality vegetables. Then, once harvest season begins, CSA members get a regular share of the vegetables from the farm as they are available. Currently, Jessica has about 15 CSA members who either receive a share of veggies weekly or bi-weekly. Jessica first tested the CSA method in the fall of 2013 and found a demand for it so this year, once a week, she fills her share boxes with whatever produce and herbs are currently available and heads to Victoria-by-the-Sea where her CSA members meet her to pick up their supply of fresh farm produce.
To contact Jessica and find out more about her chemical-free produce, visit Just A Little Farm’swebsite at http://www.justalittlefarm.com/
Earlier, I shared a recipe for Basil Pesto using fresh basil from Just A Little Farm. Today, I am featuring my recipe using pattypan squash from Jessica’s farm. This is a tasty side dish that combines pork sausage, mushrooms, basil pesto, and cheese with the pattypan squash.
Pattypan Squash and Sausage Casserole
Pattypan Squash and Sausage Casserole
Ingredients:
1 large sausage (e.g., Italian Sweet, Chorizo, Sun-dried Tomato) 2 tsp olive oil ½ cup chopped mushrooms
Apx. ¾ lb of small pattypan squash 2 tsp olive oil 2 – 3 tbsp basil pesto (homemade or store-bought) 2 – 3 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese ¾ cup fine bread crumbs 1½ tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 1½ – 2 tbsp melted butter
Method:
Heat oil in frying pan. Remove sausage from casing and discard casing. Crumble sausage into frying pan and scramble fry over medium low heat for about 5 minutes. Add chopped mushrooms. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Slice pattypans about ⅛” thick . Toss in a bowl with apx. 2 tsp olive oil.
In greased 8½“ x 6½“ pan, lay a layer of pattypan slices, overlapping slightly to cover bottom of pan.
Loosely dob about 2 tbsp basil pesto over the squash.
Spread the sausage and mushroom mixture over the squash.
Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of squash, again, overlapping the slices to cover casserole.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter. Stir with a fork to mix. Sprinkle over squash.
Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, until squash is fork-tender when tested.
Yield: 4 servings
Pattypan Squash and Sausage CasserolePattypan Squash and Sausage Casserole
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The third weekend in September signals the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival. Seafood lovers from all over the world converge on Charlottetown for a weekend full of everything related to seafood, lots of great PEI food and entertainment. Now in its 19th year, this Festival continues to grow in popularity each year.
This Festival was the idea of local restaurateur, Liam Dolan, who saw it as a way to extend the PEI tourism season into the late summer.
Liam Dolan
The weekend kicked off on Thursday evening with a grand feast and frolic dinner hosted by celebrity chef, Michael Smith. This dinner was held in a gigantic tent on the Charlottetown Event Grounds and this annual event always sells out early. Some 500 people attended this year’s dinner which was beach themed.
Chef Michael Smith, host of the Feast and Frolic Dinner at the PEI International Shellfish Festival, Charlottetown, PEI
The four-hour evening began with a meet and greet with Chef Smith — lots of autographs and photo opps.
Meet and Greet Chef Michael Smith
The competition for the best oyster grower on the Island was also underway during the reception hour where there were lots of opportunities to watch oyster shucking and taste all the different PEI oysters.
Oyster Shucking at the PEI International Shellfish Festival
These disappeared fast!
Some of the oyster competitors for the Oyster Grower of the Year Award.
Competitors in the Oyster Grower of the Year Competition
The oysters were formally being judged by a panel but guests also had the opportunity to vote for the peoples’ choice. This year, both honours went to Colville Bay Oysters of Souris, PEI.
Oyster Grower Award & Peoples’ Choice Award – Colville Bay Oysters
Lots of hors d’oeuvres were served by waiters who continuously circulated amongst the crowd with trays of tasty appetizers.
These Island Blue Mussel Spring Rolls were divine!
Island Blue Mussel Spring Rolls
Now, when you walk into a large tent and see beautifully set tables with a black and white theme, you’d probably think you’re going to a formal sit down dinner with a plated meal. Well you are, well…sort of…..but you may be doing the plating and serving! You see, this event is an interactive dinner and every guest participates in some event at some point during the evening.
A Maitre’D was selected from each table and was presented with a package of information, including roles to be assigned to table guests. Yes, each table had a bartender, a member of the paparazzi, beefiest cook, best cook, fastest cook, a beachcomber, and a rock star. Guests really embraced the concept and soon every one was fully engaged in the fun.
First, Chef Michael took the bartenders from each table aside to explain how to make Caesars.
Each bartender collected a kit of supplies and returned to their tables to make the Caesars tableside and then serve them to their tablemates.
Our table’s bartender mixing some CaesarsServing up the Caesars
Biscuits were on the table to accompany the chowder course but….no butter! That’s because, the fastest cook at each table had to actually make the butter. Lots and lots of shaking of a Mason jar full of milk and, voilà, freshly-made butter for the biscuits! Yup, you really did need to work for your dinner at this event!
Next came three versions of chowder – one cold and two hot, served in glass jars and presented in these cool wooden trays.
Mussel Chowders
Chef Michael then took all the “beachcombers” off to an onsite man-made beach to go combing for hidden beer caps. Once they found beer caps, they were each presented with a bucket of beer to bring back to their tables.
Then, we sent our table’s “Beefiest Cook” off with Chef Michael and back our cook came with a tray of slow roast striploin which he carved tableside and served to each guest at the table.
Carving and Serving the Slow Roast Striploin
Wait staff delivered large bowls of PEI lobster to each table along with bowls of garden-fresh vegetables and brown butter mashed PEI potatoes.
PEI Lobster!
Our “Best Cook” assignee joined Chef Michael at the back of the tent to learn how to plate food. He returned to the table with the makings for a summer berry shortcake – cowberry ice cream, fruit compotes, and biscuits.
Making Summer Berry Shortcake
Then our “Best Cook” wowed us with his plating skills!
Meanwhile, our “Rock Star” assignee was responsible for coaching us on our singing skills so we could sing the theme song, “A Day on a PEI Beach” at the end of the evening. Yours truly was the “Paparazzi” for our table.
While each table actually provided their own entertainment with all their assigned tasks, lively musical entertainment throughout the evening was provided by Mark Haines and Brad Fremlin.
Brad Fremlin (l) and Mark Haines (r) provided musical entertainment throughout the eveningChef Michael Smith with musicians Mark Haines and Brad Fremlin
This was a very unique way to serve dinner and it sure got people involved and interacting with others at their table. It kept the evening lively and moving along. Executing this kind of adventure for some 500 guests at a location where the only kitchen is a mobile one and where literally everything had to be brought in — food, equipment, tables, chairs, linens, dishes, etc. — is no small task. The sheer planning for this event would have been a monumental undertaking. Kudos go to Chef Michael Smith and the large team of chefs, waiters, hospitality and support staff from the Culinary Institute of Canada, and others for a phenomenal event.
Parade of large culinary team from the Culinary Institute of Canada who prepared the meal
If you ever have the opportunity to go to this annual dinner, I highly recommend it — but, fair warning, it will be full of hijinks and hilarity and come prepared to be an active participant, not just a spectator!
Throughout the holiday season, I am known to change tablesettings several times depending on number of guests and type of dining (e.g., brunch, lunch, dinner, etc.). That, however, doesn’t mean that I don’t rejig and re-use some of the same elements in more than one tablesetting.
The miniature poinsettias came in little plastic terracotta pots so I simply wrapped them in gold sparkly netting and tied them with gold cord for a festive look. They make great take-away guest favours.
The photo below shows the individual placesetting. You don’t need expensive formal China to set a pretty table. This one is set with basic everyday ironstone dinnerware. Again, I am using my basic gold chargers to tie in with the poinsettia gold pots.
