Kick off summer with a Canada Day celebration featuring Olive’s finger lickin’ Kansas City-style Barbeque Chicken. We used to steer away from barbeque sauce and chicken – a combo that left the poor bird burnt on the outside and flavourless on the inside. But over the years I have researched, tested tips, tweaked my method, and ended up with a recipe that we love (scroll to the bottom).  Hope you will too.

Finish off your barbeque with the quintessential Canadian dessert: the all-Canadian butter tart. I overheard some American tourists wondering why we Canadians love these gooey, runny tarts so much (they don’t have them in the US). I suggested they head straight to Kate’s Town Talk Bakery for the answer. Small batch, baked from scratch, using a tried and true recipe passed down from Kate’s Grandma Doris. A tasty crust that doesn’t collapse and spill filling all over you. Filling that isn’t all drippy nor cloyingly sweet, but caramelizes around the edges into chewy, toffee bliss. Now that’s my idea of a great butter tart! Available plain or with raisins or pecans; mini or regular sized.

Olive’s Kansas City-style Barbeque Chicken

Serves 4 (2 small pieces of chicken each – recipe easily doubled)

Part of my method comes from a recipe clipping that I think appeared in one of my favourite cooking magazines, Cuisine At Home, a few years ago (Root Beer Barbeque Chicken). The chicken is fully roasted in the oven first and then dipped in the barbeque sauce to absorb the flavours, and then grilled immediately.

I pour my Kansas City-style Barbeque Sauce recipe over the hot roasted chicken, put it in the fridge for several hours to marinate and chill the meat, then grill it cold out of the fridge, dipping it back into the sauce each time I turn it on the grill, building up a caramelized crust while I warm the meat. Most of the work is done ahead; it just takes a few minutes on the grill. The end result is flavourful meat with a lovely caramelized crust. The perfect barbeque party chicken.

If you want to serve my Kansas City-style Barbeque Chicken with my Kansas City-style Barbeque Ribs, make my Big Batch Kansas City-style Barbeque Sauce and prepare the ribs in the oven the day before. The next morning roast the chicken and chill it in the sauce. Just before serving, take the ribs and chicken out of the fridge and put them straight on the grill for a few moments, as directed.

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken drumsticks (bone-in, skin-on)
4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Olive’s Big Batch Kansas City-style Barbeque Sauce (see August 2013 post)

Directions:
Two to six hours before grilling:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange chicken pieces on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Brush oil on chicken to coat evenly. Season well with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast chicken at 375°F until juices run clear and skin is golden brown, about 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over low heat, heat the barbeque sauce gently, stirring occasionally.
3. As soon as chicken is cooked, put the hot chicken in a heat-proof casserole dish; immediately pour warm barbeque sauce over hot chicken to coat evenly (use all of the sauce). Cover. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours but preferably up to 6 hours.

Just before serving:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high. When ready to grill, place chicken in sauce next to grill. Remove each piece with tongs, let excess sauce drip off, and place directly on a clean, well-oiled grill (keep tray of sauce beside grill to dip again). Grill for a few minutes.
2. Remove each piece from grill and dip in sauce again. Return chicken to grill, turn over, and grill for a few minutes. Grill just until sauce has caramelized, skin is slightly charred, and chicken is hot throughout, about 5 to 10 minutes (dip chicken back into sauce each time you turn it on grill). Serve immediately.

This summer, Olive is living life through rose-coloured glasses, thanks to a gorgeous Wild Rose Petal Syrup from Forbes Wild Foods. This exquisite syrup is made from pure organic sugar, water, lemon juice, and the fragrant petals of the five-petal wild rose that grows across Canada. Delicate rose petals suspended in a beautiful pink-tinted syrup; a luxurious mouthfeel with soft notes of rose, just the right amount of sweetness, and a hint of lemon that keeps it from tasting cloying. I swoon every time I taste it.

Forbes Wild Foods (based in Toronto) supplies high-end, sustainably-harvested wild foods from the Canadian wilderness to restaurants, hotels, gourmet stores, Toronto farmers’ markets, and on-line customers.  Founder Jonathan Forbes was recently celebrated as one of the top twenty picks from twenty years of Food & Drink (20 Things We Love, Food & Drink 20th Anniversary issue, Autumn 2013, page 134). To learn more about the high quality and sustainable practices used by Forbes Wild Foods click here.

Wild Rose Petal Syrup is sumptuous simply poured over your favourite vanilla ice cream (I like Kawartha’s Vanilla or Belly’s 16 Vanilla Bean). What an easy but elegant summer dessert to dazzle your summer dinner party guests.  Look at the pretty wild rose petal; be sure to spoon a few out as garnish, they taste delicious.

It is absolutely dreamy in my Black Cherry Rose Water Sherbet. Replace the half teaspoon of straight rose water with 3 tablespoons of Wild Rose Petal Syrup (maybe a touch more) and cut the white sugar back to half a cup.

In my Ispahan Parfait, replace the homemade rose syrup with an equal amount of Wild Rose Petal Syrup.  You could also replace the yogurt with whipped cream and serve this chic fruit salad on meringue; or with ice cream in a crêpe. Hmm, I wonder what an Ispahan Martini would taste like…raspberries, lychee, rose syrup, and almonds? Ooh là là!

Like the flirty skirts of the cancan dancers, rose-scented stewed rhubarb is saucy and pretty; its tartness tamed by a sweet hint of je ne sais quoi.  Serve cold, layered with plain yogurt and garnished with pistachio dust for a delicious breakfast parfait; or warm with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche for dessert.  I made this batch with Ontario greenhouse rhubarb and it turned out such a pretty colour of pink.

Rose-Scented Stewed Rhubarb

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped (3/4” pieces) fresh rhubarb, root ends and toxic leaves discarded (from about 1 pound of fresh rhubarb stalks)
1/3 cup sugar (preferably Demerara sugar)
3 tablespoons Wild Rose Petal Syrup

Directions:

1. Place chopped rhubarb in a medium glass bowl. Sprinkle with sugar; stir. Let rest on the counter for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice more, until rhubarb begins to release its juices and sugar dissolves.
2. Place the rhubarb in a medium saucepan. Gently simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 25 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add rose syrup.  Serve warm or cold.

Strawberry Rose Angel Food Cake

I had fun dreaming up a Strawberry Rose Angel Food Cake. It was the first time I made it and we liked it but next time I may make a few changes as noted below. I thought it was worth sharing the recipe with you now, as inspiration? I used a store-bought angel food cake but you could easily use a mix; add a little rose syrup to the mix before baking for an added touch of rose.

The only thing a bit complicated about making this ultra-feminine cake is getting your hands on the Wild Rose Petal Syrup (okay, that’s easy just order on-line from Forbes Wild Foods) and the candied rose petals (hey, you can order those on-line too from Golda’s Kitchen). The rest is a breeze using ready-made, store-bought ingredients.

In fact, because I was in a rush to capture the natural light for my photo-shoot, I bought white buttercream icing from Bulk Barn for the first time ever – don’t laugh, it was fine and saved my morning. Bulk Barn is in the same ‘hood as Golda’s Kitchen.  I beat a cup of whipping cream into the buttercream to tone down the sweetness. I was happy with the stability of the icing but it was still pretty sweet and I had about 1 ½ cups of extra icing left over. Next time, I am may try using a ratio of 3 cups buttercream to 1 cup of whipping cream (instead of 4:1) or probably will just use 4 cups of whipped cream and no buttercream. The recipe below uses my original measurements.

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into bite-sized pieces (save one whole for garnish)
3 tablespoons Wild Rose Petal Syrup
1 package (.5 oz/14 g) candied rose petals (optional)
1 already-made angel food cake
4 cups prepared white buttercream icing (see suggested amendment above)
5 tablespoons juice from mashed, rose-infused strawberries
1 cup whipping cream (see suggested amendment above)

Directions:

Place strawberries and rose syrup in a medium-size bowl. Roughly mash with a potato masher or fork to release the juice from the strawberries.  Let sit at room temperature while proceeding with next steps.

Finely chop candied rose petals (the ones in my photo of the finished cake at the bottom of the post are a bit too big and too crunchy). Set aside.

Cut off the top third of the cake, slicing evenly with a serrated knife. Set aside and reserve top. Using a knife, cut a circle about 1” or so from the outside of the cake and another concentric circle about 1” or so from the inside of the cake, cutting only halfway down through the bottom two-thirds of the cake. When the top is placed back on the cake, the trench will sit in the middle third of the cake.  Use a fork to help you remove the cake in the trench and discard those pieces.

Strain strawberries in a fine sieve, reserving both the juice and berries separately.

(See amendments noted above) In a large bowl, place 4 cups white buttercream icing and 5 tablespoons of reserved juice from mashed strawberries. While beating with an electric mixer at high speed, slowly pour in one cup of whipping cream. Beat until frosting holds soft peaks.

Measure out 1 cup of frosting and set the remaining frosting aside. Fold 1 cup of frosting into reserved strawberries, folding gently until combined. It may separate a bit but it’s fine. Spoon into trench.

Cover with top section of angel food cake. Spoon remaining mixture into centre hole of cake to fill. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. Garnish with fanned whole strawberry and sprinkle with finely chopped rose petals. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Serve.

Forbes Wild Foods

Unearthed at Streetsville Farmers’ Market: local strawberries (oops I got so excited I forgot to take the photo), asparagus and garlic scapes,

and – drumroll please – fruit strudel from local legend The Strudel Lady!! My friend has been raving about these strudels for ages.

What makes The Strudel Lady’s strudels so special? Fran’s Mom’s recipe, a special oven, and lots of homemade fruit filling using wild blueberries from Muskoka, or apples and cherries from Niagara.

Thanks to help from Fran’s siblings and their children, The Strudel Lady strudels can be found at Aberfoyle, Georgetown, Milton, Mississauga Central, and Streetsville Farmers’ Markets (check my Farmers’ Market Directory for locations). If you don’t see Fran’s face at the market, just ask for The Strudel Lady.

Once the farmers’ market season is over, The Strudel Lady sells at a few local craft shows, like Iroquois Ridge High School Annual Holiday Marketplace (Saturday November 1st, 2014). Loyal customers arrive in droves to pick up strudel to freeze for Christmas or winter enjoyment. Fran says it is a beautiful, juried craft show.

The Strudel Lady strudels are dairy-free, dye-free, and preservative-free. They will last about two days (including market day) on the counter or four to five days in the fridge. If well wrapped, they should last up to six months in the freezer. When ready to eat, warm the strudel for a few moments in a preheated 325ºF oven if you have stored them in the fridge or 4 to 5 minutes if they are frozen; it will crisp up the pastry nicely.

Streetsville Lions Friends’ and Farmers’ Market has moved to Centre Plaza (downtown Streetsville across from Shoppers Drug Mart). Thanks to the work of Christine Simundson, the market offers a good selection of seasonal fruit and vegetables, farm fresh eggs, baked goods, antibiotic/hormone-free meats, sausages (including bbq lunch), as well as dried seasonings, gluten-free goodies, jams, vintage treasures, handcrafted lip balm (olive the almond flavour), and the nicest Avon lady you’ll ever meet. And more, including weekly special guests.

Here is a sweet idea for a Mother’s Day gift: a cookbook written by a Canadian interior designer who had dreamed of owning her own bakery since she was six years old and finally took the leap. In 2007, Rosie Daykin opened up a nostalgic neighborhood bakery, Butter Baked Goods, in Vancouver.

Next thing Rosie knew, her gourmet marshmallows became famous. Now they are sold throughout North America and Japan. I found the cookbook and the marshmallows at Indigo.

The artwork in the cookbook is inspired by the bakery – pistachio and pink and so very pretty.

The recipes awaken childhood memories of sweeter times when favourite recipes were time-tested and baked from scratch. Rhubarb Almond Muffins, Graham Crackers, Butterscotch Walnut Bar, and Butter’s Classic White Cake with Butter’s Famous Butter Cream Frosting (tinted a pretty shade of pink) are on the top of my to-try list.

There are plenty of beautiful photos and step-by-step instructions, including the recipe and photo instructions for Butter’s Famous Marshmallows in flavours such as mint, raspberry, coffee, and cinnamon.

Butter Baked Goods is as delicious to look at as it will be to bake from. Maybe it will inspire Mom to follow her own dreams and do what she really loves; or at least bake up something really yummy. Happy Mother’s Day.

Butter Baked Goods by Rosie Daykin. Published by Appetite by Random House, 2013.

UPDATE: Crawford’s Village Bakery is closing November 30, 2014.

Happy Easter! This week, I’ve got notes on my ham and tips on potatoes and homemade desserts for your Easter feast, including a treasured heirloom recipe I served at our family Easter last weekend. Please scroll to the bottom for the recipe.

But first, here are some ways to put a little spring in your step this Easter. Easter is in full bloom at Terra Greenhouses – just look at the sea of gorgeous pink or blue hydrangea blooms.

And of course, there’s no place like Springridge Farm for Easter fun. Click here for what you need to know before heading out to Springridge Farm’s Easter Festival, held on Good Friday April 18, Saturday April 19 and Sunday April 20, 2014: www.springridgefarm.com/easter-egg-hunt.htm (be sure to check out the video link). Say hello to the baby chicks.

Every Easter, Starsky Fine Foods sells these adorable baked lambs that make a sweet table decoration.  And look at the colourful Easter palms.

You can find pussy willows at Herridge’s Farm Fresh Market, which opened yesterday.

By the way, the quiches we ordered last week from Crawford’s Village Bakery were as delectable as their pies: Crawford’s famous pie crust filled to the brim with a generous, flavourful custard that wasn’t too rich.

The Country Ham that I ordered from Heatherlea Farm Market was easy to prepare and I was pleased with the results. Basically, I just removed the skin, trimmed the fat and scored it, then placed the ham cut-side down in the slow cooker, added a bit of water, and let it slow cook until the fat rendered and the meat reached a safe temperature. After I let it rest, I glazed it according to the recipe (see Easter Feast: Part One), let the glaze rest, and then carved it. I have never smelled a more aromatic ham. It was so succulent and tasty straight out of the slow cooker. If you are planning on making this recipe, be aware that the six pound ham just fit in my oval seven quart slow cooker and served sixteen people with leftovers.

What goes better with ham than scalloped potatoes? If you are craving a casserole of thickly sliced potatoes in a rich and creamy sauce with lots of sharp cheddar cheese, I really like Chef Michael Smith’s recipe: Potato Cheddar Casserole.

Herridge’s Farm Fresh Market has Ontario greenhouse rhubarb, a harbinger of spring. Click here for an easy Rhubarb Torte recipe that will make a confident baker out of an apprehensive one and a rhubarb lover out of anyone: www.olivetoeat.com.

On her blog Cook Me Quick, my friend Carol posted the original recipe for the heavenly carrot cake that the Cheeseboard Café used to serve. Oh, I’ve got lots of good memories of waitressing with friends at the Cheeseboard during my school years; the food was so good that it sparked an interest in cooking in me. The Cheeseboard Cafe’s Carrot Cake recipe can be found here: http://cookmequick.com/2013/10/02/cheeseboard-cafe-carrot-cake/

Here is what I made for our feast:

Grandma Brown’s Broken Window Glass Cake

Makes one 9” x 13” pan, serving 16 +

I treasure my grandmother’s handwritten recipe for this family favourite we used to serve every holiday. It’s a ridiculously retro dessert but it’s light, refreshing, and appealing to all ages. The colourful cubes of Jell-O look like a church stained glass window. I am reviving this cheery cake to our annual Easter feast with a tip of my Easter bonnet to Grandma Brown.

Grandma Brown preferred strawberry, cherry, and lime Jell-O for the cubes; I like to replace one red coloured Jell-O with grape if I can find it (Walmart) or orange. Make the Jell-O cubes early in the morning on the day before you plan to serve the dessert; they need to chill until firm before you fold them into the filling. Defrost the Cool Whip in the fridge while preparing the Jell-O. Later that day, finish the dessert and let it chill overnight.

Special Equipment:
3 (8”) square pans
1 (9” x 13”) rectangular pan

Ingredients:

Jell-O Cubes:
1 pkg. 3 oz. (85 g) grape or orange Jell-O
1 pkg. 3 oz. (85 g) cherry or strawberry or raspberry Jell-O
1 pkg. 3 oz. (85 g) lime Jell-O

Filling:
1 cup canned pineapple juice
½ cup white sugar
1 pkg. 3 oz. (85 g) lemon Jell-O
1 container (1 litre) frozen Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed or 2 cups whipped cream

Crust:
2 ½ cups Graham cracker crumbs
¾ cup (scant) brown sugar
½ cup melted butter
Butter for greasing pan

Directions:

1. Place the frozen Cool Whip in the fridge to thaw for 4 to 5 hours while the Jell-O sets.
2. Jell-O Cubes: Prepare the grape, cherry, and lime Jell-O separately; empty each flavour into three separate 8-inch square pans. Add 1 cup of boiling water to each pan; stir well to scrape gelatin granules from bottom of pan and dissolve thoroughly. Add ½ cup of cold water; stir thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap; chill in fridge until firm, at least 3 hours. When firm, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (but leave in pan) and proceed with next steps.
3. Filling: Empty 1 package of lemon Jell-O in a large bowl; set aside. Place 1 cup pineapple juice with ½ cup sugar in a small pot and bring it just to the boil, stirring frequently; watch carefully and remove it from the heat as soon as the first bubble appears. Pour hot pineapple mixture over Jell-O and stir thoroughly until dissolved completely.  Add ½ cup cold water. Mix well. Chill in fridge to partially set (set your timer for every 15 minutes to stir and check for readiness); it should be partially thickened and cool but still in liquid state.
4. Crust: Meanwhile, mix crumbs with butter, and sugar; stir well. Set aside about 1 cup for garnish. Pat remaining crumb mixture firmly and evenly over the bottom of greased 9×13-inch cake pan to make a crust; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
5. Fold Cool Whip into partially set lemon Jell-O. Gently fold in Jell-O cubes. Pour into graham cracker crust. Sprinkle reserved 1 cup of crumb topping over top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve chilled the next day.