Puffed Wheat Squares

This was always a favorite around our house during Christmas time or any time.
It was very very easy to make and the recipe was almost right on.

I think Mom must have made a double batch as this was thinner than I remember, I was thinner too :-)





Just follow the directions and 1/2 the pan size or double the recipe!

Put it in the fridge to set up and then cut.

BW

Red Navel Mimosa

The segue to this article is totally unintentional.

( Ukrainian Martini to Red Navy)

I have been thinking about the holidays and spring all at the same time !

Over the holidays a friend sends us a box of
mixed oranges as a treat. This gives us the opportunity to try oranges every way imaginable.
This years box contained red navel oranges that have more to do with their colour than the former Soviet Navy.

The taste is spectacular and when you mix them with your favorite champagne you have a bubbly breakfast drink that sets the day on edge, or a least slightly off kilter.

We have a variety of Christmas morning foods like bear-claw pastry and bacon and egg pies that this goes well with.






The recipe is very easy ...


Mimosa

In a champagne glass

3 oz orange juice

3 oz Champagne or sparkling white wine

Ukranian "Dirty" Martini

Rорілка з кріп часник

I was having a discussion with a close friend and commented that I had made a very dirty martini for a Russian stylist over the holidays.

What doesn't happen in Jersey stays in Jersey so thats not the story here.


One thing led to another and it turned into a dirty martini made with Ukranian garlic dill pickle and juice. If you have tasted these dill pickles you will know how delicious and garlicy they are.

I would recommend these in extreme moderation as they are extremely delicious and powerfull.

2 oz vodka
1 oz dill pickle juice with bits of garlic
chill in cocktail mixer with ice

" Shaken not Stirred"

Pour into a chilled cocktail glass



Garnish with 2 baby dills or a pickled garlic clove

BW

Smokey Maid of Honor Tarts

As I continue on my quest to be the self proclaimed "King of Tarts" I have stumbled upon a real gem.

I had asked the keeper of the sacred book for a raisin pie filling recipe to bang out a quick batch of raisin tarts and she responded by forwarding several jewels in the tart makers crown.

There was the raisin filling as requested and a pecan classic as well as a tart that had been a favorite of mine from way back. So far back that I had forgotten about it entirely. The thing is with food that your mind has a way of dredging up the sensations and forgotten memories as soon as you pop it into the oven.

I used the original recipe and it was strangely spot on. Typically I would have to do a few test batches to get it just right but this one was pretty good. The quantity is a bit off if you use a muffin bottom size tart, but if you use the half muffin size the whole thing comes together.
I don't know about the spoon sizes for the filling, I suspect it was a half dollop of raspberry jam and a full dolop of custard/coconut filling. The times and temps are subject to the verities of altitude and elctric vs gas ovens. I started with a hot 425'f oven for 5 mi. and then brought it down to 375'f ish to finish. Total time 20 min.

Now here is where it gets interesting. I substituted brown sugar for the white one for one.
Why? I like the molasses flavor of the brown sugar and after making 5 batches the regular way
I thought they were too sweet. I also found out that you need to get the high end Brtish or Irish
jam it makes a huge difference in the tartness. And to make them smokey I used 1/2 jam 1/2 raspberry chipotle barbecue sauce. Out to lunch? I won't go on for pages about how good it is.

I have been using easy to make crust recipe. As an alternative you can get a chilled box of pie crust from the dairy section of your supermarket.
Enjoy BW

Truck Food X

The last of the series of Food Truck Videos, Enjoy

Mincemeat Tarts

Mincemeat tarts trace their origins back to our colonial past. In the British Empire these sweet
tarts are traditionally eaten over the Christmas and new year period. Originally they did contain minced meats such as liver and other chopped meat and fat. Typical peasant treats they also contained dried fruits and berries. Even today you can find mince meat with beef fat in it.
Most of the English imported filling has no animal products in it, post BSE, so check the label closely.

Mince tarts probably should not have a top crust, or they will be pies, but a simple star seemed to put a festive light on these.

I was feeling particularly lazy so I purchased a jar of the good stuff and a box of ready made pastry and set to work.

Most tart recipes call for a 10m min 425' burst at the start of cooking. This allows the tart to
fry a bit and ensures a crispy bottom. Reduce the heat after to 400 and bake for a total of 30 min.

Allow to cool and they will be good to go. They do improve as they sit overnight.

Enjoy these treats in moderation if you can!

BW

PS: I am going through a tart phase in case you didn't notice...

Shiitake Mushroom

I have been growing Shiitake mushrooms for close to 20 years. I was introduced to them by a friend who had seen a presentation on non-timber forest products. There were a lot of ideas floating around back then like ginseng cultivation, band saw mills, mushroom cultivation, Christmas tree growing and the like. We tried most of them and some of them took off
and were quite successful. I tried ginseng cultivation but the deer seemed to like them better than me.

Shiitake cultivation is relatively simple, uses readily available material, ( oak logs)
and continue to produce long after you inocculate the logs.

The basic process involves a few steps, harvesting the logs, inoculating the logs, letting the logs lay, and eventualy harvesting the mushrooms!

The links above take you to a series of videos showing the process of growing and harvesting your own mushrooms.

It is the final step that takes the most patience and the least physical effort.
From harvesting the logs to first harvesting the mushrooms will take at least 18 months.
I keep them in a shady forested spot this is my " laying yard"



However once the logs have been inoculated they will continue to produce two crops, spring and fall, for up to 10 years.

I hve been purchasing my spawn ( the source of the mushrooms) from the same people for the entire time. The results have been good without fail.

Their web site is http://www.gourmetmushrooms.ca
and the kits can be found here .

I prefer to saute the mushrooms in butter with finely chopped spring onion, orif I have too many at once I will dry them in the oven with the light on and rehydrate them later.


They are also excellent in mushroom soup or chicken soup with mushrooms that I am making right now.

What you can expect is a fleshy mushroom with a subtle garlicy after taste. The flavour is subtle and delicious, don't over season less is more.





I was able to harvest 3 pounds this first time for these logs.

BW