PEACH & GINGER BEER A-BREWING

My two brands of sweet fern beer and raspberry beer are disappearing. So last night I started a peach and ginger beer. I froze the peaches last summer, so I know they are full of Niagara's sun-ripened goodness.
The brew is very promising with a divine aroma. In five days from now I'll decant the magic into the carboy. Two weeks from then, into the bottles. And two weeks after that down our throats. That should take us to around March 17. Rest assured, I won't add green to my beer like the Patty's do. Come for a taste and catch a ski or snowshoe!

FISHING OSPREY & SOUNDS OF SUMMER

My friend Lorne sent me this osprey fishing video clip and I knew it would be good. In Temagami, I've seen osprey flying, and osprey nests high up in the pine tree tops. But never have I seen fishing like this!  I especially get 'soft' when I hear the audio --beautiful sounds of summer.  A nice fantasy while watching the snow fall outside my office window. Time for a ski!

SMOOTHWATER'S NEWEST HOLIDAY RECIPE

Poppy Seed Strudel or Mohnzopf  Yum!  I am so thrilled to have finally figured out how to get the poppy seeds to stick together in a sweet mass. For years I have been trying to get it, but the poppy seeds just keep falling out, all over the plate, dress, floor....  My craving goes way back to the Jewish pastries of my childhood (German inspired, now I know), to a danish at a cafe in Yorkville (remember Cake Master?), to a frum bakery in Paris's Marais district. Finally, thanks to my 2010 trip to Vienna, and subsequent purchase of a cookbook, I learned the centuries old secret of traditional Germanic households. The recipe follows.

Poppy Seed Filling:

Cook this first so it has time to cool before you add it to the pastry.

1 1/4 cup milk

7/8 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla    

Zest of 1/2 lemon                                               

Scant 1/3 cup semolina or cornmeal

1 1/2 cup poppy seeds

1 tbsp. almond extract 

Hot apricot jam for glaze

Heat the milk with sugar and spices. Add cereal, stirring constantly.  Then add the poppyseeds.  Cool completely.  Add a little rum if it is too thick.

Brioche dough:

2 eggs                                                            

1/3 cup powdered sugar                                

1 package yeast                                              

1 tsp. vanilla                                                  

2 3/4 cups flour

1/3 tsp. salt

1/2 generous cup soft butter            

Prepare yeast in warm water with sugar.  Mix eggs and sugar and add to finished yeast.  Stir in flour and at the end, salt and butter.  Knead into a smooth dough and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Procedure:

Roll out dough into 16 x 8" rectangle. Spread filling all over the lower half of the dough. Fold the remaining dough over the filling. Make diagonal cuts at regular intervals on two sides, and cross these strips into a braid.

Lift strudel and place in a buttered loaf pan. Put in a warm place and let it rise by 1/3. Preheat your oven to 350 and bake for about 45-55 minutes. Finish with a glaze of hot apricot jam and sprinkle with a few more poppy seeds.

Enjoy for brunch, afternoon tea, or all day!  Who cares if the poppy seeds get into your teeth.  We're all family and friends!

CROWNING TORONTO'S BEST CHOLENT

Crowning Toronto's best cholent | The Canadian Jewish News

In my humble opinion, cholent is not unlike Cassoulet, except of course for the pork!

Wikipedia 'says': Cassoulet (from Occitan caçolet [kasuˈlet], French: [kasuˈlɛ]) is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat (typically pork sausages, pork, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white haricot beans.

Goes to show ya, if the Jews invented fois gras, cassoulet via cholent is not such a far cry.

CRAZY FOR CRAB APPLES NOSH WITH NASH

Last Friday's NOSH WITH NASH dinner and concert was a recipe for community success. Arts generate business! There were about 15 who came for dinner, and about 40 for the concert. The concert itself was wonderful with Jory singing so intimately for everyone and telling such kooky stories. For those of you who couldn't be there, I'm going to share my braised cabbage and crab apple recipe.
CRAZY FOR CRAB APPLE BRAISED CABBAGE
This is really easy but don't expect the braising to take place quickly. By definition, braising is a long, slow, cooking process-- one that fills your house with lovely aromas. Give yourself two hours, gracefully watching the stove while you get on cooking other delights.
Ingredients for about 15 folks
1 red cabbage, sliced
3 onions, ringed
Bit of celery if you have it, or celeriac
1/4 green cabbage
Stout beer ( 1/2 bottle or more)
(Or a little apple cider vinegar)
About 6 springs of fresh sage or other fresh herb
Jar of spiced crab apples (I can my own from Gwen's farm)

Method
Sautee the onions, celery, celeriac. Add the cabbage, sage, beer and enough water to make it the mixture a little bit soupy. Then you cook the whole thing down, stirring often. About midway, add the jar of spiced crab apples, liquid and all.  Adjust to taste so the dish is sweet and sourish. You can make this the day before to allow the flavours a better marriage.

CUTTING DOWN TREES FOR FRIENDS OF TEMAGAMI

On October 28th Friends of Temagami was poised to start its annual general meeting at Smoothwater. Ironically, that was the very afternoon that old-time logger Viateur Couture arrived to assess three trees ready to fall on our lodge, or someone's car.  Now, when an expert like Viateur shows up and says he can work right then and there, you don't say no. So in less that three hours he took down a spruce, birch and white pine. It was a display of virtuosity. Now I have more firewood and pine to mill for future renovations. Indeed, it was a day to honour the merging of Friends of Temagami and an old-time logger, Viateur Couture. And it can never be said that Smoothwater doesn't provide ultimate and appropriate entertainment for her guests!

Hors d'Oeuvre, Appetizer, Amuse Bouche, Canape? What's the difference?

What's the difference? And who cares? The Romans made a flaky pastry, sheet by sheet much like our filo dough. France in 1440 established a corporation of pastrycooks, depriving the common person from baking and selling pastries. Catherine de Medici employed a pastry cook and brought many a fine pastry to France, including the macaron. From the 16th century on, convents made biscuits (bis cuit 'twice cooked') to be sold in aid of good works. In other words, pastries have been forever loved and are here to stay. Could there be any new inventions? Probably not, except when for an individual's ability to learn, experiment, invent and make it their own. Check out my pastry cooking class at Smoothwater, Saturday November 19th! Come hungry.