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Mushrooms, Field Rhubarb, & Field Asparagus at Sherway Farmers’ Market

Sherway Farmers’ Market opened May 3, 2013. Farmers’ markets in Peel region open in June but there are quite a few in Halton opening in May. I am working on a local farmers’ market, farm market, and farm 2013 directory that I will post on my website soon. I’ll let you know when it’s up.

As the season progresses, Sherway Farmers’ Market will continue to grow. Here is a glimpse of some of the wonderful treasures I unearthed while visiting Sherway Farmers’ Market last Friday. There is a delicious recipe for rhubarb at the end of this post.

Sean and Shannon Declerc’s Fresh and Tasty Mushrooms, from Shelbourne, ON

Husband and wife team, Sean and Shannon Declerc, offer an impressive bounty of foraged, wild mushrooms (when in season) and specialty cultivated mushrooms including Portabella, Shitake, Enoki, Crimini, Beech, Oyster, and these beauties, Cinnamon Caps, that are named for their cinnamon colour. Shannon described the Cinnamon Caps as their earthiest mushroom with a beautiful, rich, woodsy flavour. They are delectable in omelets, risottos, or in roasted meat gravies.

Cinnamon Caps - Declerc

Lion’s Mane is Shannon’s favourite. It has a milder, very fresh flavour, and a different texture than regular mushrooms, which Shannon says is appealing even to those who don’t like mushrooms. It’s very versatile and is great grilled, on pizza, or in soups.

Lions Mane - Declerc

Mushrooms are porous and absorb liquid quickly. The Declercs grow all of their cultivated mushrooms on wood chips, so they don’t require washing. If you really feel you must, please just wipe them with a damp paper towel so you don’t disturb their delicate disposition.

Ralph & Emmy Lise’s Farm Fresh Produce, from Holland Marsh, ON

Ralph Lise’s stand was brimming with fresh produce on Friday, including field asparagus,

Field Asparagus - Lise

colourful Ontario greenhouse peppers, and Ontario greenhouse tomatoes. Ralph’s tomatoes are grown in soil and picked at a riper stage, making them more flavourful than most grocery store tomatoes (which are picked under-ripe to make them less fragile during transportation). Having been raised by a mother who grew up on superb Kent County tomatoes, I always search out the finest tomatoes I can sink my teeth into. I did a side-by-side taste comparison between some vine-ripened tomatoes I bought at a grocery store (and left sitting on my counter for a couple of days to ripen) and the Lise Farm tomatoes I bought on Friday. Compared to Ralph’s tomatoes, the grocery store vine-ripened tomatoes were still under-ripe and had a mealy texture. Ralph’s tomatoes were juicier and more flavourful, even though I ate them as soon as I got them home. It was a refreshing snack – a plate of Ralph’s tomatoes (adorned with nothing but a light sprinkle of sea salt) and a little bit of protein just to keep me ticking.

I could not resist this sign, Freshly Dug Small White Potatoes. Doesn’t that sound fresh? These deserve to be boiled in their skin, smashed a touch with a potato masher, then tossed with my favourite extra virgin olive and some fresh mint that has been chopped in a dash of kosher salt to bash it all up and coax out the flavour.

Potatoes - Lise

Abraham and Judith Piets’ Quality Bakery, from Norwich, ON 

Abraham and Judith’s tables were laden with lots of delectable looking freshly baked goods including bread, sausage rolls, pies, squares, tarts, strudels, and these Dutch cookies that I have been searching for since my friend first got me hooked on them. They are called “Stroopwafels” (Syrup Waffles), a toothsome cookie consisting of sweet, chewy syrup sandwiched between two delicate waffle wafers. Lovely when placed over a hot cup of tea to soften the syrup.

  Syrup Waffles - Piets

Bert Nieuwenhuis, Lamb & Wool Producer, from Orangeville, ON

Bring your cooler to the market because Bert offers a great selection of his locally raised and processed, government inspected lamb products. According to a great article on Bert (The Amiable Shepherd: Bert Nieuwenhuis by Nicole Ross, June 19, 2012 http://www.inthehills.ca/2012/06/departments/the-amiable-shepherd-bert-nieuwenhuis/), Bert’s products are popular with chefs and locals in the Headwaters region, so we are really lucky that he brings them down to Sherway Farmers’ Market. He sells lamb shanks, racks, legs, chops, burgers, roasts, organs, and even lamb heads. His lamb liver pâté sounds enticing. Next time I run into Bert, (perhaps at the Orangeville, Inglewood or Caledon Farmers’ Markets) I will be sure to have my cooler with me because olive Ontario lamb.

Andrews’ Scenic Acres, from Milton, ON

I was so happy to see local field rhubarb at the Andrews’ Scenic Acres stand. I can’t wait to visit Andrews’ Scenic Acres farm to pick my own asparagus, on the first sunny day that is available to me. I will tell you all about it on an upcoming post. As we move further into the growing season, the Andrews’ Scenic Acres stand at Sherway Farmers’ Market will be brimming with all sorts of fresh produce. I can’t wait for the berries.

Field Rhubarb - ASA

This little gem of a recipe is a delightful way to enjoy rhubarb. The recipe comes from The United Churches in Canada Let’s Break Bread Together cookbook, a compilation of tried and true, treasured recipes submitted from United Churches across Canada.  The cookbook was compiled and published by the United Church in Meadowood, Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1988. It is still available for purchase from Derksen Printers. Please see the full details and the link at the end of this post. It is well worth purchasing and would make a great addition to a novice cook’s library.

The Rhubarb Torte recipe was submitted by Brooks United Church in Brooks, Alberta. It’s an easy recipe that will make a confident baker out of an apprehensive one and a rhubarb lover out of anyone. Olive it!  Thanks very much to the United Church in Meadowood for permitting me to share this recipe with my readers.

Rhubarb Torte

Rhubarb Torte

The tartness of the rhubarb is tamed by the creamy custard filling, which sits atop a rich, buttery shortbread crust and is topped with a soft and billowy meringue. The recipe calls for a 9″ x 9″ pan but if you only have an 8″ x 8″ pan, it will still work out beautifully. In that case, you will have to cook only the filling a little longer than directed.

Crust:

1 cup flour (measured by spooning flour into cup and leveling off with a knife)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut in small cubes

Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix, by rubbing between your finger tips, until mixture turns crumbly. Press into a 9″ x 9″ pan. Bake for 20 minutes on the middle rack.

Meanwhile, prepare filling.

Filling:

3 egg yolks, beaten (separate the whites and reserve for the meringue)

1 1/4 cups white sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/3 cup cream

2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into bite-size pieces

Mix the first four ingredients well. Stir in the rhubarb. Spread evenly over crust. Bake 40 minutes, or longer, until filling is set.

Increase oven temperature to 350°F. Meanwhile, prepare meringue.

Meringue:

3 egg whites

6 tablespoons white sugar

Beat the egg whites, slowly adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time, just until soft peaks form and whites look glossy. Spread gently over filling. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F until meringue is golden brown. Chill until ready to serve.

Recipe may be doubled for a 9″ x 13″ pan.

Rhubarb Torte, page 169: The United Churches in Canada Let’s Break Bread Together (Compiled and published in 1988 by the United Church in Meadowood, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Printed by Derksen Printers Ltd., Steinbach, MB). Available for order on-line at http://www.derksenprinters.com/store/cookbook_catalogue.shtml

Sherway Farmers’ Market
25 The West Mall
Toronto, ON
M9C 1B8
(located in the far northeast parking lot at Sherway Gardens Shopping Centre)
 
Opening Hours:
Every Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., May 3rd to October 25, 2013.

www.sherwaymarket.com


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Herridge’s Farm Fresh Market: Spring In Full Bloom

Spring is in full bloom at Herridge’s Farm Fresh Market. After a long winter, I thought I’d treat you to a little eye candy. Look at the beautiful rainbow of colours on these cut tulips,

Cut Tulips at Herridge's

and the gorgeous orange and pink on these potted tulips. I love orange and pink together. It somehow seems very French.

Herridge's Orange and Pink Tulips

I love tulips the most when they are closed up like this, in graceful modesty.

herridge2

Friendly, furry pussy willows always bring back fond childhood memories of my mother cutting a few branches for me to bring to my favourite teacher, Miss Russell. Miss Russell still sends me birthday and Christmas cards. She’s the best.

Pussy Willow's at Herridge's

What olive about Herridge’s is that it is so easy to breeze right in, through the sea of beautiful flowers (like these happy pansies),

Pansies at Herridge's

into a quaint little market filled with local, farm fresh produce, fresh bread, and friendly faces.

Herride's Strawberries

These brussel sprouts are absolutely perfect – firm with tight, bright green, shiny, unblemished leaves. I brought home a basket to roast in the oven. It makes them taste so delicious. I’ll teach you how to do that sometime.

Brussel Sprouts at Herridge's

The first treasures of spring: rhubarb and asparagus. Ontario field asparagus arrived this week at Herridge’s! It’s a little early yet for local field rhubarb but this is Ontario greenhouse rhubarb. Field rhubarb will be coming very soon. I have a wonderful recipe for rhubarb that I am going to post in a couple of days.

Rhubarb and Asparagus at Herridge's

If you have a green thumb, you can grow your own asparagus. Herridge’s sells asparagus rocks and potato seeds. They also sell hanging baskets, potted flowers, annuals, herbs, and vegetable plants.  Look at these adorable babes of spring – baby lettuces, so tender and sweet,

Baby Lettuce at Herridge's

waiting for a loving gardener to tuck them into a bed of soil.

Red Leaf Lettuce at Herridge's

At its present location since 1972, Herridge’s Farm Fresh Market and surrounding farm is family owned and operated since 1950. Availability changes everyday, according to Mother Nature and the season. Be sure to visit often to enjoy Herridge’s own harvest and other locally grown treasures.

Olive Herridge’s Farm Fresh Market. It’s a little farm market that’s big on fresh and friendly.

Herridge's Farm Fresh Market

Herridge’s Farm Fresh Market
780 Southdown Road
Mississauga, ON
L5J 2Y4
Tel: 905-822-0981
 
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Open 7 days a week from April to December 24th.


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The Danish Pastry House: Delightful!

A tip from a reader has helped me unearth a real gem in Port Credit – The Danish Pastry House, home of a wide variety of beautifully handcrafted, authentic Danish pastries and desserts.

danish_pastry_1

Throw out your disappointing grocery store danish. It isn’t worth the calories. Head on over to The Danish Pastry House and experience quality that is far superior.

I am so hungry right now that I can smell the cinnamon wafting up from this photo of a Snegl (Danish for “snail” but what we think of as “danish”).

danish_pastry_3

The Danish Pastry House honours traditional recipes and uses fresh, pure ingredients like imported Danish marzipan and almond paste. Preservative and additive free, pastries are baked fresh daily and never sold as day-olds.

Though I visited The Danish Pastry House a few weeks ago, I am still pining over the pastry I ate. The Chocolate Snegl is my absolute favourite. The chocolate, cinnamon, and remonce (butter and sugar mixture) caramelizes in spots at the edges into chewy decadence. The pastry is flaky and flavoursome and the centre is a soft and luxurious pool of chocolate glaze – waiting for you to dive right in. Olive it!

danish_pastry_2

Just look at the light and flaky layers of pastry, baked from fresh Danish dough with no less than 27 layers. Behold the Apricot Spandauer, filled with almond paste and apricot spread. I love the combination of almonds and apricots.

danish_pastry_5

Unfortunately, one or two of the pastries I bought didn’t make it home for the photo shoot – blame me and my son. Ohhh, they were so good! My photos just don’t do them justice and the pastries got hungry-boy-handled a bit on the way home. Please visit their comprehensive website for great photos of an extensive product line at www.danishpastryhouse.ca  (not to be confused with the Danish Pastry House in Medford, Massachusetts on the .com site).

I had the pleasure of meeting the sunny-souled and highly accomplished 2013 Head Pastry Chef, Thea Reinholdt Hansen, who trained in Denmark and graduated with a distinguished Pastry Chef certification. Ms. Reinholdt Hansen has joined The Danish Pastry House for one year, while Owner/President Anita Lauritsen prepares to open their first retail bakery in 2013. What great news for Mississauga!

If I can have only one decadent treat a week, let an exquisite artisanal pastry from The Danish Pastry House be it. Well worth a week of hard training, I’d drive from anywhere in our region to get one. Opening hours are limited so check first before you go.

Update: The Danish Pastry House has moved to Oakville. Check my Grocery/Gourmet Store/Bakeries Directory for location details.

www.danishpastryhouse.ca

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Grilled Trout with Tahina Sauce and Grilled Lemons

Olive Middle Eastern food. Healthy and flavourful, it always makes me feel good after I eat it. I fell in love with Middle Eastern food almost at the same moment that I fell in love with my Egyptian husband. First the husband, then his family, then the food.

My husband’s family are talented cooks who love to host gastronomical extravaganzas.  Every generation of the family gathers around one long table, lavishly laden with delicious food. There is lots of love, laughter, good wine and even the odd heated debate just to keep things lively. They take food seriously and whether cooking Middle Eastern, French, Spanish, Italian, British, or Quebecois, they always search out the finest ingredients and prepare them carefully. Soon we will be welcoming Southeast Asian cooking into our wonderful, multicultural clan.

My mother-in-law, Mado, is a fabulous cook (and a lovely mother-in-law). Years of practice have perfected her cooking and engrained her recipes in her memory. There is nary a cookbook in sight. When I visit, I try hard to watch, translate, and learn so I can pass her recipes down to generations to come.

My mouth still waters when I recall a simple barbeque she held at her home one summer evening, when I was first getting to know the family. She char-grilled whole red snappers and served them with a delicious, creamy sauce made of ground sesame paste (tahina), lemon, and garlic. It was as yummy as it was unusual. That was my introduction to tahina sauce which quickly grew in to a love affair. Olive it the most on grilled or roasted fish. It’s especially delectable with meaty salmon or trout.

tahini-trout

Olive it drizzled on grilled beef or chicken shish kebabs.

adonis-beef1

Olive to let it trickle down into my rice.  It heightens the flavour of Lebanese wrapped pita sandwiches, such as shawarma and falafel. It is essential in a good hummus and a good baba ghanoush. It is healthy and it’s so easy to make. Let me teach you how.

First, let’s talk about the ingredients. Here are all of the ingredients that you will need, plus cold water.

tahina

Make sure your lemons are large and roll them under your hand for a spell, to make them easier to juice. Choose four big, fresh cloves of garlic – go bold or go home (okay, do three if you feel a bit wimpy). If you can, buy your ground cumin from an Arabic store, where it has a high turnover and will be nice and fresh. Hmmm, I could smell the earthy fragrance of this cumin as I was taking this photo. This is my favourite brand of tahina paste, available at Adonis or Loblaws.

Store your jar of tahina paste upside down, set in a small bowl, in your cupboard. This will allow the oil on top to rise up through the paste, making it much easier to stir. It will keep in your cupboard for far longer than it will take for you to use it up. Because the paste is so thick, it is very important to stir tahina paste thoroughly before measuring it, to break up any clumps and to mix the oil in completely.

Now, a bit about the method. Tahina sauce needs to be blended properly with cold water. Mado always mixes it by hand, adding the water bit by bit and stirring while it breaks apart, then continuing to stir until it comes back together into a creamy blend. I get the same results in a food processor.

I like to make a batch of tahina sauce at the beginning of the week to serve with grilled fish. And then I use some to make baba ghanoush or hummus later on in the week. If there is any left over at the end of the week, we like to drizzle it over store-bought rotisserie chicken.

tahini

Sauce Tahina Mado

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 cup of tahina paste (stir well in jar before measuring)

Juice of 3 large lemons

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

4 garlic cloves, crushed and minced to a purée (in the above salt)

1 teaspoon of ground cumin plus a sprinkle for garnish

About 1 ¼ cup of cold water (depending on thickness of tahina paste – see instructions)

Mado’s Method By Hand:

  1. Before measuring the tahina paste, stir it very well to break up any hard chunks and blend thoroughly. Place the tahina in a medium bowl. Add the cold water, bit by bit, stirring each time. The tahina will separate and stiffen. Continue slowly adding the water (about 1 cup to 1 1/4 cups of water in total) and stirring until the tahina and water come back together into a creamy, pale sauce.
  2. Add the lemon, salt, garlic, and cumin. Stir well. Adjust the salt to taste, to bring out a punch of lemon and garlic. Add more lemon, if necessary. Garnish with a light sprinkle of cumin. Store in the refrigerator.

Food Processor Method:

  1. Before measuring the tahina paste, stir it very well to break up any hard chunks and blend thoroughly. Place all of the ingredients, except for the water, in a food processor.
  2. Add the water slowly, using just enough to end up with a pale, smooth, creamy sauce (about 1 cup to 1 1/4 cups of water in total). The tahina will separate and stiffen at first and then become smooth. Adjust the salt to taste, to bring out a punch of lemon and garlic. Add more lemon, if necessary. Garnish with a light sprinkle of cumin. Store in the refrigerator.

Simple Grilled Fish (wonderful with Tahina Sauce)

Trout, salmon or red snapper fillets

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Dried Marjoram

  1. Place fillets on a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Turn up the edges of the foil to make a rim (so that the oil doesn’t leak out on to your grill).
  2. Dress the fillets with a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of kosher salt, a grinding of black pepper, and a dusting of dried marjoram.
  3. Grill the fish on the foil, at 425 degrees, until white proteins start to come to the surface and the fish is done to your liking. It will continue to cook a bit as it rests off of the grill. Alternatively, place on a baking sheet and roast in a 425 degree oven. Serve with a drizzle of tahina sauce and garnish with grilled lemons or fresh lemon halves.

Grilled Lemons

Lemons

Extra-virgin olive oil

  1. Cut some lemons in half. Toss in some olive oil.
  2. Place, cut side down, on a grill and grill for as long as the fish cooks, until slightly charred. Serve as a garnish for fish. Use caution when squeezing to avoid being burned by the hot juice.

One last thing. After every fish dinner, Mado recites “Après le poisson, il faut le dessert” (after fish, you must have dessert). And so I am leaving you with a little treat.

adonis-mangue

Adonis Rodin Mangue mango mousse – 250 decadent grams of sheer heaven. Made of luscious mango pulp, sugar, gelatin, and crème frâiche. Enough to share. The perfect treat after fish! Olive it!

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Adonis Mississauga Opened Today!

Adonis Mississauga opened today and it is every bit as fabulous as the Adonis grocery stores in Montreal. My heart is just a flutterin’! Adonis has pulled out all of the stops for their first Ontario store.  I can’t possibly fit all that olive about Adonis in one post.  And the store was jam packed today so it was difficult to take good photos. Tonight, I will leave you with this.

On your first visit to Adonis, make sure that you buy some Adonis Pita Bread. Adonis Mississauga has an in-store bakery where they bake their own pita bread. Look at it, all puffed up and freshly baked, in the photo below. It is the softest, freshest store-bought pita bread that I have ever tasted. And it’s thin too, so you don’t end up with too much bread in your sandwich. Make sure you look for the Adonis brand because there are several other brands available also.

adonis-pita

Next treat yourself to the BBQ Beef Plate. You quite possibly have never tasted Beef Shish Kebab this good. Adonis marinades beef tenderloin and grills it in the store. It is incredibly tender and flavourful. Adonis sells raw, marinated, cubed beef tenderloin (the same beef they use for their BBQ Beef Plate) that you can take home and grill yourself. They also sell raw, wine marinated beef tenderloin. Ooh la la. We will have to try that one.

adonis-beef1

Sit down in the little bistro seating area and enjoy your dinner. Succulent beef drizzled with tahina sauce, sitting on a bed of rice with vermicelli (Roz bil Shaghria). It comes with delicious sautéed potatoes, which are flecked with fresh coriander, and a choice of salad. I chose a crunchy salad of romaine, fresh peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and fried pita that was dressed with oil, lemon, garlic, parsley, mint, and ground sumac (Fattoush). The plate includes a side of hummus and garlic mayonnaise.

While the focus is on Mediterranean cuisine, Adonis Mississauga also carries products from other cultures. Stay tuned to my blog as I unearth treasure after treasure at Adonis. Mississauga, we are very lucky to have Adonis in our midst.

Adonis Market – Mississauga
1240 Eglinton Avenue West,
Mississauga, Ontario L5V 1N3
Telephone: 905 363 0707
 
www.adonisproducts.com
 
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