British tagged posts

‘Tis the morning after Christmas and all through the house,
Not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse.
The wrappings were strewn all about with great flair,
Now Dad snores loudly in his favourite chair.

The dog is nestled all snug in his bed,
While visions of squirrels dance in his head.
And my son in his PJs, cuddled in my lap,
Has just settled his brain for a long winter’s nap.

When in my mind, there arises such a clatter,
I spring from the couch to try to fix the matter…
After turkey and tinsel, we are all tuckered out,
But now there’s New Year’s dinner to fret about!

Keep calm and carry on, Olive has got you covered:

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Drizzle and Thyme Roasted Potatoes

I served this menu one year for my cherished bro and his dear family when we gathered around his cottage dinner table a couple of days before Christmas. The meal was easy, flavourful, and festive. My son thrilled to be surrounded by his cousins; my brother cracking all of us up with his incredible sense of humour; me, happy to be at his side…the evening forever sings in my heart. Consider splurging a little and serving this festive feast to your loved ones to celebrate the New Year. Wishing you a healthy and happy 2014.

A festively-coloured trio of vegetables made this menu extra special. Laura Calder’s Thyme Cream Tomatoes (from her Buckwheat Crêpes with Thyme Cream Tomatoes recipe) are simple yet sublime. I learned from Ricardo how to sauté frozen peas (straight from the freezer) in a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil, and then season with salt (sorry, can’t find his recipe anywhere on his site but that’s all there is to it). And of course, I served my brother’s favourite Sweet-Sour Purple Cabbage with Apples (which I made ahead and froze).

We started out with a recipe for the beef tenderloin but felt it needed tweaking, so Jane winged it from there; it turned out beautifully but of course, we didn’t write it down. Since then, I’ve tested a few recipes, selected what I liked from them, and combined them into this recipe.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Drizzle and Thyme Roasted Potatoes

Serves 4 to 6

This meltingly tender yet flavourful beef tenderloin drizzled with a red wine and beef stock reduction is wonderful served with some crumbled blue cheese on the side and Thyme Roasted Mini Potatoes.

Get the potatoes in the oven first and then prepare the beef; remove the potatoes from the oven when done and let them rest at room temperature. When the beef has finished cooking, return the potatoes to a 250°F oven to warm up while the beef has a good long rest.

Thyme Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 lbs. mini Yukon Gold potatoes
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
3 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, divided

Directions:

1. Place both oven racks in middle of oven, leaving enough room between to fit a tray of potatoes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cut potatoes in half; divide evenly between two parchment-lined, rimmed baking trays.  Divide oil, salt, and thyme evenly between both trays; toss on potatoes, turning with your hands to coat evenly. Arrange potatoes cut side down and evenly spaced out on trays.
3. Place one tray on each oven rack; bake until tender and cut side is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes, rotating trays between both racks after 15 minutes.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Drizzle

Butcher Bob at Burton Meats (Dundas St. location) sold me a superb beef tenderloin. He recommended that I sear the tenderloin first, and then cook it at a lower temperature of 375°F (contrary to many recipes that instruct the beef to be cooked at 450°F). He was right; it was so tender that I actually could cut it with a fork. Be sure to buy the No Salt Added beef broth (even low sodium will be too salty).

Ingredients:

1 whole beef tenderloin 3-lbs
Coarse salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Rub:
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Drizzle:
1 ⅓ cup good red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
⅔ cup Campbell’s No Salt Added Beef Stock or homemade beef stock
1 tablespoon butter

Accompaniment:
Crumbled mild, creamy blue cheese and/or horseradish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Season beef lightly with coarse salt and generously with freshly ground black pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat; when oil is hot, sear beef on all sides until evenly browned, about 1½ minutes to 2 minutes per side. Place meat on a rack in a roasting pan that can also be used on stove top.
3. In a small bowl, combine Rub ingredients; spread evenly over meat. Insert an oven-proof thermometer in middle of tenderloin; roast until thermometer reads 130°F, about 25 minutes (it will continue to cook as it rests) – the end result will be medium-rare, slightly on the rare side.
4. When beef is cooked as desired, carefully remove roasting rack and beef to a rimmed baking sheet while protecting your hands and any surfaces that come in contact with the hot rack (you want the meat to rest on the rack and not a flat surface); tent loosely with foil to keep warm; let rest for at least 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, drain fat and any clumps from roasting pan. Place roasting pan on stove over medium heat. Add wine to pan; deglaze pan with wine, scraping any brown bits on bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to incorporate into sauce. Simmer rapidly over medium heat, stirring constantly so garlic doesn’t burn until reduced, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste to pan; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add beef stock; simmer rapidly, stirring frequently until reduced by half and thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat; whisk in butter, stirring until fully incorporated.
6. Slice beef thickly and serve immediately with sauce and accompaniments.

I love to have our extended family gathered around us, joined together by food at a family feast. That’s how I imagine heaven, all of us together again, around the table. We’d wear silly paper hats. We’d crack up over my brother’s humour and marvel over my father-in-law’s poetic recitals. Roast turkey and my Mom’s Sage & Onion Bread Stuffing would scent the air. My Grandma’s Stained Glass Window Cake and my Nana’s Carrot Christmas Pudding would make a grand entrance. I’d peer through the elbows on the tables, at the smiles of all my loved ones.

I have wonderful memories of my Mom and I cooking our family feast in her kitchen. While my Dad sang Silver Bells in the background (happy to be the errand boy), Mom and I would talk for hours as we wrestled with the bird and happily cooked our way through our family-favourite casseroles and all the fixings of a holiday feast. I loved it when my Mom asked me to taste-test her stuffing: “is there enough butter, onion, broth, sage?” It was just a simple Sage and Onion Bread Stuffing recipe from her Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, but my mom knew how to season it just right.

My Mom was very modest about her cooking abilities – yet to this day, I have never tasted a better Chicken Divan, potato-egg salad, turkey stuffing, or apple crisp. We all have our favourite recipes made by our mothers that we grew to love so much.

My sisters and I have taken over the cooking for my side of our ever-expanding clan. We make the traditional, family-favourite recipes that Mom used to serve: my aunt’s Swedish Potatoes, Mom’s Sage & Onion Bread Stuffing, and Vegetables Supreme (from the first Fare for Friends cookbook). I only recently perfected my Grandma’s Stained Glass Window Cake recipe, which I cooked from a recipe scribbled down too hastily on a scrap of paper – it took me a couple of tries to get it right. I have my Nana’s Carrot Christmas Pudding recipe that I may try to make this Christmas. It’s so important to accurately record these heritage recipes to pass down to future generations.

On that note, I have a really great idea I want to share with you. Why not create your own cookbook of treasured family recipes, photos and stories, and then give copies to family members as Christmas gifts? It’s far easier than it sounds. I have come across a fabulous website – HeritageCookbook – that allows you to easily create your own cookbook on-line, with a minimum order of only four cookbooks. Become a free trial-member for 30 days and invite as many people as you want to submit recipes and photos from their own computer, by logging on to your registration. You’ll have access to HeritageCookbook’s templates, photo library, and support. Most people complete their cookbooks within the free-trial month but if you don’t, the monthly fee is minimal. When you are finished, the cookbooks are printed on quality, coated paper with laminated covers.

Though their customer base is largely American (the pricing on the website is in American funds), the company is Canadian-owned and the books are printed in Toronto. HeritageCookbook has printed over 200,000 quality cookbooks and has been recommended by Oprah, Rachel Ray, and one of my friends. The wheels are turning in my head. Which project shall I start with: a family treasury, a church fundraiser, or perhaps my own Olive to Eat cookbook? I can’t wait to get started.

To both sides of our family – near and far, from the other side of the continent to the other side of the Atlantic, and to those we hold close in our hearts – I’m so grateful for the memories, old and new. Happy Thanksgiving.

Mom’s Sage & Onion Bread Stuffing

This recipe is from my Mom’s Better Homes & Gardens cookbook that she received as a wedding gift back in 1954. She made it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. The key to this simple, classic stuffing is to season it to your taste – but make sure you use lots of butter and sage. We always add more of each ingredient than the recipe calls for but never measure – so start out with the recipe, then slowly add more, tasting as you go along, until it tastes just right.

Since the recipe only serves 4 to 6 people, you will likely need to multiply the recipe for a larger feast. If you are stuffing your turkey, calculate 1 cup of stuffing for 1 pound of uncooked turkey; don’t stuff your turkey until you are ready to put it in the oven; promptly remove any leftover stuffing from the cooked carcass and store separately in the refrigerator. I have heard a lot of talk lately about cooking your turkey unstuffed and cooking the stuffing in a separate baking dish. By the time you get the stuffing in the turkey’s cavity heated to a safe internal temperature of 165°F, you dry out the poor bird. Makes sense to me, so my recipe instructs you to cook it in a separate casserole while the turkey rests.

Ingredients:

4 cups dry bread cubes – “stuffing croutons” that grocery stores bring in for the holidays

3 tablespoons (or more) finely chopped yellow onion

1 teaspoon (or more) salt

¼ teaspoon (or more) freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon (or more) poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon (or more) ground sage

1/3 cup (or more) melted butter

Hot chicken broth or water, just enough to moisten the bread

Directions:

1. Combine bread, onion, and seasonings in a large bowl; add butter and toss. Slowly add hot broth, bit by bit, until bread is just moistened. Taste and if necessary, add more onion, broth, butter, or seasonings, until seasoned to your taste. Toss gently to mix thoroughly.
2. Place stuffing mixture in an ovenproof casserole; cover and chill until ready to bake.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring stuffing casserole to room temperature before placing in preheated oven. Bake, covered, until hot throughout and flavours have melded together – about 30 to 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Mom’s Apple Crisp

Makes one 9”-square baking dish.

I have my Mom’s handwritten copy of this recipe. She called it Apple Crisp – Dad’s Favourite and included a little story about the recipe’s origin – it was submitted to St. Andrews United Church in Chatham, by the mother of my aunt’s boyfriend in grade 4 in 1942.

This is an easy – and I think more delicious – way to enjoy warm apple pie without the fuss of the crust. It is packed with tart apples and brown sugar and has a crumbly, cinnamon-scented streusel topping. The butter, spices, apple juices, and brown sugar meld together in a delicious mélange that caramelizes around the edges. It smells so wonderful cooking. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream – or perhaps Belly Ice Cream’s Caramel and Sea Salt.

A note on cinnamon: thanks to some helpful advice from Chef Michael Smith, I have fallen in love with Vietnamese cinnamon. I couldn’t get my hands on the brand that Chef Michael uses but found McCormick Gourmet Organic Ground Saigon Cinnamon at my local grocery store – Longo’s Glen Erin. I compared the taste between Saigon Cinnamon, regular cinnamon, and a third gourmet organic cinnamon I picked up at another grocery store, all very recently. To me, the Saigon Cinnamon is the most aromatic, flavourful, and spiciest of the three cinnamons. Olive it! Thank you Chef Michael Smith!

Ingredients:

Filling:

5 cups cored, peeled, and very thinly sliced apples (about 6 to 8 apples, ask your farmer which available apples are best for apple crisp)

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

Dash of grated nutmeg

Topping:

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¾ cup all-purpose flour (measured by spooning in, then leveling off with a knife)

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (preferably Vietnamese cinnamon)

Pinch of salt

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Directions:

1. Place oven rack in middle of oven; preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, toss the apples with ¾ cup brown sugar and dash of nutmeg until evenly coated. Pour filling into a 9” square baking dish and level gently with a spatula.
3. Add all topping ingredients (except butter) to a medium bowl; stir to combine evenly. Add butter to bowl; blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender to break down the butter into the flour until the mixture becomes crumbly, resembling coarse breadcrumbs without any large chunks of butter. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over apples.
4. Bake until apples are tender and topping is browned, about 35 minutes. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
5. Spoon into pretty cups and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cold with whipped cream.

Read More

I shared a spot of tea with my friend Christine recently, whose amiable British charm instantly wins over everyone. With the birth of several royal babies in my extended family (and oh yes, in the Royal Family too), we had a lot to talk about. Like a couple of birds, we perched ourselves in her enchanting backyard garden cottage.

Her garden cottage is so pretty and so tiny, it’s the perfect spot for a cup of tea or a midsummer night’s dream.

Her cottage is as dreamy as her delightful shop, Three Wishes, which Christine fills to the brim with the prettiest one-of-a-kind finds for home and garden.

I love Christine’s collection of shabby chic and antique furniture and accessories, all white and whimsical.

Look at this door that Christine turned into a chalkboard. The petticoat chandelier on the left would be darling in a little girl’s room.

In celebration of the royal babies, Christine and I enjoyed Ginger Tea Punch. My best friend’s mom, Mary, first served it to me at the baby shower she and her daughter hosted to celebrate the birth of my son. Olive it so much, it is now the only punch recipe I keep in my recipe files. It is light and refreshing and not too sweet, unlike most punches. Mary and her daughter are both talented cooks and lifelong friends. Mary and my mom shared a room in the hospital where Mary’s daughter and I were born, three days apart. We’ve been best friends ever since.

Mary’s Ginger Tea Punch

Makes about 12 cups

A light and refreshing punch. This recipe makes enough for a party. You can easily cut the recipe in half  but I am unable to find 1L ginger ale bottles. Be sure to make the lemonade ice cubes or ice ring (if you are serving it in a punch bowl). When the ice melts, it adds to the flavour of the punch.  The ice ring will stay frozen longer than the cubes.

Ingredients:

4 cups water

6 tablespoons white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

8 tea bags

1 2L bottle ginger ale, well-chilled

Lemonade to make lemonade ice cubes or ice ring

Directions:

1. The day before serving, pour lemonade into desired shaped mold (ice cube tray or Bundt pan) and freeze overnight, until ready to serve punch.
2. Several hours before serving, bring the water, sugar, and ground ginger to a rolling boil. Stir with a whisk. Add the teabags (do not stir), remove from heat, and steep for eight minutes. Gently remove teabags (without squeezing them) and refrigerate brewed tea until well chilled.
3. Just before serving, place brewed tea and ginger ale in a large container such as a punch bowl. Stir. Add lemonade ice. Serve immediately.

Here are my three wishes for you:

1) A few free moments to yourself to enjoy these beautiful, fleeting summer days.

2) A dreamy, enchanted space to steal away to (drop by Christine’s shop for some inspiration and a lovely chat).

3) Good friends, old and new, to treasure for a lifetime.

‘The best of British to you’ (good luck)!

Love,

Olive

Three Wishes

View Larger Map

After pulling out copious quantities of weeds from my garden the other day, my body was crying out for greens. I decided to let my British shine, pull a Mrs. Patmore (TV series Downton Abbey’s quick-witted head cook), and cook up a pot of Chilled Watercress Soup.

Watercress doesn’t seem as popular today as it was when I was a child. When I saw a farmer rave about watercress on a recent Jamie Oliver episode, I decided it was high time that I got better acquainted with this healthy green.

Here is my version of Chilled Watercress Soup, refreshing and satisfying. It’s a fast and easy recipe. Olive to make up a batch, store it in the fridge, then pull it out for a quick lunch or serve it in small bowls as an elegant starter to a summer dinner.

Now, where’s that Daisy to help me with the dishes?

Olive’s Chilled Watercress Soup

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until onions are tender,  stirring frequently so that potatoes don’t stick.

Stir in the water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the watercress and simmer just until the watercress is wilted but still bright green, only about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat immediately. Stir in the butter.

Let cool, then carefully purée in a blender or food processor until smooth. Adjust salt to bring out the flavour, if necessary. Chill in the fridge. Serve cold, straight from the fridge. Garnish with a tablespoon of light ricotta cheese, a crumble of soft chèvre, or a sprinkling of snipped chives.