Tart of the Month - Mini Bumbleberry Tarts

Bumbleberry isn't a real berry. I thought everyone knew that but when I was searching for bumbleberry tart recipes, one of the search autofill results was "bumbleberry tree". So I guess some people think it's a magical berry!

Bumbleberry is a mix of several different berries, and it makes a wonderful combination in pie, tarts and other desserts.  

For these tarts, I used raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries. 

Here's what you need for these tasty tarts:

Tart of the Month - Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes

I think I finally discovered the key to loving rhubarb. It seems so obvious, but mixing it with strawberries makes all the difference! Strawberry and rhubarb go so wonderfully together. The tartness of the rhubarb is a great compliment to the sweet berries. 

These galettes are very easy. A galette is a free-form tart, and making these with frozen puff pastry mean you can whip them up in minutes.

Here's what you need for these yummy spring treats:

Tart of the Month - Butternut Squash with Sage, Honey & Chilis

You really can't go wrong with these puff pastry tarts.  They come together in minutes and bake quickly.  They work great as an appetizer, side dish or as a quick lunch.  I keep all-butter puff pastry in the freezer at all times now, and I can whip up a tart at a moment's notice.  

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit.  It's a has a few steps, but it's super easy to do.  Here's what you need:

Tart of the Month - Plum with Honey & Black Pepper

I know I've been taking the easy route with these tarts of the month, but this is the easiest one of all!  Just a few ingredients make a sweet and sour tart an a sprinkling of Maldon salt and black pepper add a savoury twist.

This recipe is from Bon Appetit and makes six tarts.  They look and taste fancy enough for company but they only take a few minutes to throw together and bake.

Here's what you need:

Cauliflower with Easy Cheese Sauce

I'm still trying to cook locally and seasonally, even as it becomes slightly more difficult as the weather gets cold.  We still have lots of local cauliflower in the market though.  I love to roast it, but this simple cheese sauce really makes steamed cauliflower special.

Normally, I make a cheese sauce starting with a roux (flour cooked in butter), then heat milk and remove from heat and add the cheese.  But this sauce uses corn starch and evaporated milk.  I used 7 year old cheddar (!) and fat free evaporated milk, but you can use the cheese and milk-fat level of your choice.

Lobster Corn Chowder

Is there anything as pretty as a seafood chowder?  Chunks of lobster, potatoes and vegetables, fresh corn and bacon.  So tasty!

How about a close-up?

I was lucky enough to find some frozen lobster claws at the supermarket right when the last corn of the season was available.  So I snatched it up and chowder was an easy decision.  

Peach Salsa with Grilled Pork Chops

Peaches are still very much in season around here.  Last week we ate two full baskets between the two of us!  This tasty, easy peach salsa used up four of them.  It's great with pork and would be nice with chicken too.

Here's what you need:

4 ripe peaches
1 small red onion
2 jalapeño peppers
juice of one lime
cilantro or parsley

Horseradish

Making your own horseradish is easy and pretty neat.  You need to take a few precautions with the spicy root, but the end result is great and you can control the heat to make it mild or super spicy.

All you need is horseradish root, vinegar, ice water and salt.  For equipment you'll need gloves, a peeler, a sharp knife and a food processor or blender.  

I brought my food processor outside for this project.  The fumes of the fresh horseradish are really strong.  You might even consider protective eyewear (like large sunglasses or even goggles) if you have sensitive eyes.  Mine were watering outside.  

Chicken with Roasted Apricots

This is a quick and easy combination of crispy chicken and sweet, spiced fruit that tastes wonderful together.  The recipe comes from the New York Times.  Here's what you need: 

6-8 apricots
4 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons grapeseed or other vegetable oil

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger

Canadian Thanksgiving is upon us and 'tis the season for butternut squash soup!  For me, soup is usually a meal (sometimes with a sandwich).  I don't serve it as a first course at home but if you do, this is a great one for Thanksgiving dinner or any time!

There are hundreds of variations on butternut squash soup.  Some have cream, some don't.    Some are just a simple squash purée and others have a multitude of ingredients.  It's easy to experement and use your favourite ingredients.  I've tried a few recipes and I don't really have a favourite, but this one is really delish! 

This soup has no cream, just vegetables and chicken stock, making it nice and healthy.  You'll need a large butternut squash, one large or 2 medium onions, 4 cloves of garlic, a 2-inch piece of ginger, chilis (optional), 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots and 2 small apples, plus about 4 cups of chicken stock.

Want a great tip for choosing a butternut squash?  Choose the one with the longest neck you can find!  Peeling and chopping a winter squash is no picnic, but the long neck part has no seeds so it's pure squash.  You'll end up with more squash and fewer seeds, and the straight neck is so much easier to peel than the bulbous part.  The seedy part of this squash was so small it was barely worth peeling and seeding.

I peel the squash with a sharp knife, setting the flat end on the board and slicing down.

Once peeled, chop into even-sized cubes.

Then chop your celery...

carrots...

onions...

and garlic and chilis.

You can grate your ginger but I find that a bit of a pain so I just quartered it and threw it in with the peel still on, then removed it before puréeing the soup.  It turned out very gingery so I think it was a success.

Lastly, peel and chop your apples so they don't turn too brown.

Warm a teaspoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Then add your onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 5 minutes until starting to soften.

Next add the ginger, chilis, garlic, apples and squash and cook, stirring for another 5 minutes.  

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss in a bay leaf if you like.

Then add 4 cups chicken stock (or enough to cover the vegetables).

Bring to a boil and then simmer about 20 minutes until the squash is tender.

Once the veggies are soft it's time to purée the soup.  

But first remove the ginger and bay leaf.

I love using an immersion blender for this.  They're cheap and very handy for soup.  But if you don't have one you can pour the soup in batches into a regular blender.  Just be careful not to let steam build up inside.  Remove the centre of the lid and cover with a towel.

Once the soup is all smooth it is ready to serve.  

Ladle into bowls and serve with a sandwich, crusty bread, a nice salad, or just on its own.

This is also a great potluck dish.  I put it into a crockpot and warmed it up for my co-workers for lunch.  Just don't put the full crockpot on the floor of your car because if someone unexpectedly slams on the breaks in front of you, it's quite the seasonal mess to clean up.

Spicy Roasted Corn Chowder

Fresh corn is in season and I love eating boiled corn on the cob, but here's another way to use fresh corn in a delicious, spicy chowder that'll make your house smell amazing!

I was inspired by this recipe but made a few changes.
Here's what you need:

6 cobs of corn, still in their husks
2.5 cartons chicken stock
A mixture of poblano, jalapeño and Hungarian or bell peppers
6 slices bacon
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
2 ribs celery
1 lb potatoes
3 Tbsp tequila
1 cup half and half (or milk or cream)
1 lime
crumbled feta or cotija cheese 

First, roast the corn.  Place the cobs on a baking sheet and stick them in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Roasting them in the husks gives them great flavour.

While the corn is roasting, roast some peppers.  I used these peppers from my garden. The yellow ones are mild Hungarian peppers.  The long green ones - I'm not sure what they are.  Maybe Anaheim? They're pretty spicy though.  I also used two jalapeños.  This turned out a little spicy for me so you might want to substitute some bell peppers for the hot ones if you don't like it too spicy. 

I'd also recommend putting some foil down on the pan under the peppers because they tend to leak as they roast.

Once the corn is roasted, carefully shuck it.  It'll be hot so let it sit for a few minutes or run it under cold water first.

Use the tip we talked about the other day to remove the corn from the cobs, but don't discard the cobs!

Put the cobs and half the corn in a pot.

Cover with chicken stock.  Bring it to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile take your roasted peppers and place them in a bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap.  This'll generate steam to help the charred pepper skins peel off.

Peel and chop the peppers, removing the seeds.  I used gloves.

While the corn stock is simmering, you can also chop your onion, celery, garlic and potatoes.

And dice the bacon.

In another large pot, brown the bacon.

Once browned, remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Remove all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon grease from the pot and add in the onions and potatoes.

Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add celery, peppers and garlic and sauté 3 more minutes...

...until softened.  Add the tequila to the veggies.  

Once the corn stock has simmered for 40 minutes, remove the cobs and purée the stock until smooth.  

And add it to the vegetables in the other pot.  Simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened, then add a cup of cream and the remaining corn kernels.  Bring back to a simmer and get ready to serve!

Fill your bowl with chowder and top with the crumbled bacon and cheese.

Serve with fresh bread.

This turned out pretty spicy. I would use fewer or different peppers next time, but it was extremely tasty.  And I love the corn cooking technique. I'll use it next time we have corn on the cob for dinner.