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Wordless Wednesday: Asters in Stunning Fall Colours

asters and pumpkins showing off amazing autumn colour

November 12 2009 | Photography | No Comments »

Blackberry Spelt Scones Recipe

• 2 cups whole grain spelt flour (or whole wheat)
• 1 cups unbleached flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold butter
•  2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup half and half
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup FROZEN blackberries      (or other berries that are frozen fresh and can be separated frozen)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking pan with parchment and sprinkle it with flour. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the butter and with fingertips, gently cut the butter in until it is well combined and resembles course crumbs, some lumps are fine.  In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, cream, and vanilla.  Add to the dry mixture and gently combine.  The very last thing you’ll add is the frozen blackberries.  The more frozen the better and make sure you work the shaping step (listed next) quickly as to not have them begin to melt into the dough.  

Shape the dough into 2 equal balls and flatten to 3/4″ thick on the floured parchment or pan.  Using a knife slice each circle into 6 wedges and  carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them to 1/2″ space around the outer edges.  Optional: brush each scone with milk and sprinkle with  sugar for a sweet and crunchy top.   Bake until golden about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean when inserted in the middle. 

Makes 12 medium-sized scones    

November 11 2009 | Baking and Photography and Recipes | 7 Comments »

A Perfect Pearing for Breakfast

The time has finally come to open up my Vanilla Spice Pears from the summer’s canning adventures.  What a perfect “pearing” with these beautiful sourdough waffles.

November 09 2009 | Canning and Photography | No Comments »

Westcoast Salmon Chowder

Ingredients

• 3 cups nugget potatoes chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 3 additional medium-sized light skin nugget potatoes sliced in half
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 large leeks finely chopped
• 4 stalks celery chopped
• 4 pieces of bacon
• 6  to 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup each diced carrot and corn
• 1/2 cup chanterelle mushrooms
• 1 large fillet of cooked salmon
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 large bay leaf
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• paprika to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large stock pot, saute bacon and onions until soft and bacon fat is cooked down.  Add celery and leeks and saute further, until soft.  Add in a bit of chicken stock to the pot if the mixture gets dry and begins to brown too much.   Add in 6 cups of chicken stock and potatoes and bring to a boil.  Add carrots, corn, mushrooms, salmon, and spices then turn down heat and simmer.  Top with more chicken stock if veggies are not fully covered.

When potatoes are tender, remove the 6 large potato halves and transfer to a smaller pot.  Add butter and cream to the pot and blend with an immersion blender.  The mixture will become thick and gluey quite quickly.  When smooth, ladle mixture into chowder and stir until completely mixed in.  Continue to add ladles of the potato mixture until you get the consistency of chowder you want.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with warm crusty bread.  Mmmm.

November 07 2009 | Recipes | No Comments »

Red Cabbage for Dinner

Tonight after many, many months of this beautiful decorative cabbage growing in my front flower beds it was time to up root it, wash off the bloom, and dig in. 

Half was chopped and sauteed with red onion, olive oil and a bay leaf to accompany tonight’s pork.  Tomorrow, the other half will be thinly sliced for a cold cabbage and apple salad. 

 Now I just need a decorative kale to fill up the hole in the flower bed. 

November 05 2009 | Growing Food and Harvest and Photography | No Comments »