THE LAST WONTON

 
"And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses."
~ Joni Mitchell

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WELCOME ~ E KOMO MAI

As we embark into the delicious opportunities of this shiny new lunar year, The Year of the Dragon, be prepared for the unexpected.  (Oooh la la!)  Chinese tradition tells us that this is an unpredictable year of optimistic energy and vitality, of power and daring. 

Step out of the usual, out of routine, and out of the familiarity of home. This is the year to get outside, push out of our comfort zones, open our minds and arms to mysterious, enigmatic and memorable moments.  Oh goody goody gumdrops! 

The Dragon – all powerful and gorgeously enthralling.  Once upon a time creatures of fairy tales and legends, Dragons represent daylight and darkness, invincibility and some serious magic. 

This Year of the Dragon signals a dynamic and constantly changing period of ultimate auspiciousness.  A year of invincible strength, and overwhelming appreciation, with a charming weakness, for beauty and good deeds.

What a stage set……of mythical proporations, for cooking and feasting!

All of us pleasure seeking foodies can tap into our inner Dragons, seize gutsy, take more and more brazen, luscious leaps and conjure to our heart’s content.  Ignite your palates!

I can't wait to throw on some great tunes (because cooking without music is like a dragon without magic) and play with some sumptuous new flavours and ingredients, not knowing where they might take us……Into the Mystic......perhaps....

But please keep in mind that I am still pretty much a rookie blogger.  Be patient with me, as I continue to learn the ropes.....as I figure out how to make my blog good lookin', with lots of what I like best and even more of what you like best.

Stay tuned, much more to come.  Goodies from here, recipes from there.  What I'm cookin' up these days in My Okanagan Kitchen, as I gaze upon the beautiful forests of Trepanier, up above the lakeside hamlet of Peachland in BC's beautiful Wine Country.  Family feasts, down home comfort and tasty little treats.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the
things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. 
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. 
Catch the trade winds in your sails. 
Explore.  Dream.  Discover."
~ Mark Twain

Summer view from my kitchen in the forest in the Okanagan Valley.
 
On the other hand, I'm going to sweep you away to far off tropical islands with my memoirs of what I conjured up in My Hawaiian Kitchen a few years back when I was lucky enough to call the amazing Big Island of Hawaii home for a few years.  And these days too, when I'm blissed out to be vacationing to my 'Home Sweet Island Home".  Bountiful island ingredients, local specialties with my own little twists and ono (delicious) new revelations on old stand-bys and of course Hapa tunes to fill my spirit and kitchen with luscious Aloha.

Sunset view from the lanai just off one of my favorite Hawaiian kitchens. 

So come on in!  I'm here waiting for you with a big warm invitation to pull up a stool along my kitchen counter, plunk down at my dinner table, or just hang out with me while I do what I love best.  Alo-ha!

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THE LAST WONTON RECIPE INDEX

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MY HAWAIIAN KITCHEN RECIPES, so far.......
(also included in Main Recipe Index, as linked above)

Pahoa Pesto Pork Pats Pasta ~ Kuawa Riblets ~ Broken Pork Nachos ~ Pad Hai ~
Chickie Flautas ~ Island Macaroni Salad ~ Huli Huli Chicken ~
Creamy Chicken 'Chiladas ~ Swallowing Clouds Soup ~
Chocolate Frosted Koko Java Cupcakes ~ Chicken Sate Potstickers ~ Avo Hummus
Michelle's Island Corn Salsa ~ Hula ula ula Salad ~ Cliff's Lemon Lime Chicken 
Tender-Baby-Tender Baby Back Ribs ~ Mom's Pineapple Chicken ~
Volcano Chicken ~ Lemony Orange Snack Cake ~ Kawaihae Pie aka Sex In A Pan

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It is my pleasure to recommend ONE WORLD SPOKANE Organic Community Kitchen for all you Spokane-ites and for anyone visiting the Spokane area.  One World Spokane is dedicated to making the world a better place, one meal at a time.  The One World concept is about Organic, Local Food, Sustainability, Partnerships, Building Community, Reducing waste and providing customers with delicious, vibrant cuisine & an exceptional dining experience where everyone "breaks bread" together.

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"My kitchen is a mystical place, a kind of temple for me. It is a place where
the surfaces seem to have significance, where the sounds and odors carry
meaning that transfers from the past and bridges to the future."
~ Pearl Bailey

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MINI CORN DOGS and Cheese-On-A-Stick

Crispy golden, feel-like-a-kid-again, deliciousness.  On a stick!

 Unmistakable aromas.  The promise of fun thick in the air.  That glorious place when all caution is thrown to the wind.  When childlike abandon happily and completely takes over.

You know what I'm talking about.  The Carnival.  The Annual Exhibition. The County Fair.  The State Fair.

Or in my case, The Calgary Stampede.  Growing up in Calgary, back in the 1960's meant there was not only one 'most wonderful time of the year', but two.  And not only did we count down the days 'til school was out and summer holidays were here, but we excitely, anxiously, counted down the days until it was Stampede time!

Those were the glory days of my childhood memories. Yip, yip, yip, yahoooooo. 

New jeans and sky blue western shirt laid out, big, pink peony cut from Dad's garden, waiting to be placed just so in the leather band on my coveted, snow-white stetson.  Tomorrow was the day of days.  Time to kick off The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

Giddy with excitement, parade day meant getting up before the sun, doning cowgirl garb that made me feel crazily happy, and heading downtown to find the perfect spot on the curb, near the corner of 3rd Street and 7th Avenue.  We had to get there before anybody else nabbed the spot we had come to believe was the best place to watch the passing of one of the world's most renowned parades.

After that it was time to hit the Stampede Grounds.  And the Midway.  Stampede Nirvana!  Crowds of laughing, smiling, anticipation-filled, c'boy hatted families.  Buzzingly delightful sensory overload of sounds, sights and smells.  Music everywhere, demanding voices of sideshow barkers, beckoning carnies promising that it's easy as pie to hit the target and walk away with that big orange teddy bear, nickel diggers with their cellophane wrapped prizes, the spinning whir of The Calypso ride, the clanging, banging, of the Wild Mouse double-dog-dare-you roller coaster and (maybe best of all) the unmistakable aromas. 

Aromas of the most fun foods to be had.  Anywhere.  Wafting everywhere.  Taunting, summoning. 

Sweet, salty, savory. Hot buttered popcorn; sugary mini donuts; soft pastel clouds of cotton candy; crunchy, sweet, valentine-red candy apples; creamy smooth pineapple whips and big, messy cheeseburgers jam-packed with fried onions and all the trimmings. But perhaps the super duperest fair food that we came craving each year, were the corn dogs. 

Crunchy, tender, happiness on a stick.  Crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside, hot from the fryer, corn dogs.  With squiggles of mustard and ketchup. 

That was then.  This is now.........

The other day, I brought all these fun food cravings (and memories) home.  To my kitchen.  Kids and grandkids gathered.  And fun it was.  Totally.  

I scooted about online to find the perfect batter, and came across Tes At Home food blog, who made mini corn dogs instead of the usual size.  Irresistably cute.  I'm in.

A little more food blog jumping and my batter recipe was starting to come together.  Then I had the thought to check one of my all time fave food blogs to make sure I wasn't missing anything that The Pioneer Woman had to offer about corn dogs.  Sure enough, Ree did it again.

 Not only was there a post on Corn Dogs, but in true Pioneer Woman style Ree took it a step further and did Cheese-On-A-Stick along with her corn dogs. 

The eagle has landed.  I was poised to make delicious fun.  And so I did.

**Big hearty thanks to 'Tes at Home' and once again, to Ree, our one and only Pioneer Woman, 'Thank-you ma'am, I'm much obliged'!**

MINI CORN DOGS and CHEESE-ON-A-STICK - Serves 10-12.

1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea, kosher or other salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 1/4 cups buttermilk

500 gram package Cocktail Smokies or mini wieners or frankfurters (I used President's Choice Cocktail Smokies)
Cheddar, Havarti, Mozzarella or other cheese cut into 1/2-inch x 3-inch sticks
Wooden skewers
Canola or peanut oil, for frying
Assorted mustards and ketchup for dipping

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add eggs, melted butter and buttermilk.  Whisk, whisk, whisk to make a slightly thick batter.

 Insert skewers into cocktail smokies.



Insert skewers into cheese sticks.

Heat oil in a wok or deep fryer, over medium high heat.  Drop a tiny bit of batter into the oil to test to see if it's hot enough to start frying.  Batter should sizzle immediately, but not brown immediately.  Once you start frying you may have to adjust the heat a bit to keep the oil at the perfect frying temperature.

Dip the mini dogs into the batter and allow any excess to drip off, back into the bowl.  Carefully place in the oil, skewer and all, and use tongs to turn.  Don't crowd your pan, so that you can fiddle a bit turning, browning and cooking evenly. Remove after 3-4 minutes, when batter is a deep golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve with mustards and ketchup.

Repeat with the cheese sticks, keeping in mind they are a tich trickier to fry.  You walk a fine line between not frying it long enough (and the cheese not fully melting) and frying it too long (the outside gets too brown or the cheese bursts through the batter and starts the oil spattering).  It might take a couple of pieces to get it just right.  Forest Grump did the frying for me, and he had the cheese frying perfected, after 2 sticks.  And seriously, having to fiddle a bit is so worth it!    

As River boy says, "Oh Em Gee, these are sooooo good!"  

Yip, yip, yip yahoooooo!

**And don't forget you can always use any leftover batter for pancakes the next morning.**

NAUGHTY NEEPS

Earthy, creamy mash of winter veggies riddled with tiny little bites of sharp cheddar.  Do you call them rutabagas, turnips or neeps?

 I grew up in a family where deliciously fantastic food was standard fare.  Mom made the ordinary extraordinary.  From chilaquiles and cheese enchiladas, to curried shrimp in patty shells, to spicy meat sauce and spaghetti to down home family favorites like fried chicken and apple pie.  But the real standouts, the dinners my sisters and I still lovingly crave, are those steeped in British tradition. 

Mom and my very special Auntie Alice (I miss you both so much it hurts), made Sunday roast dinners second to none.  And they both made everything look so easy peasy.  Salt and peppery standing rib roast, Yorkshire puddings swathed in dark, rich gravy, crispy edged, creamy centred golden roast potatoes that tasted like heaven and of course mashed turnips with a dob of butter melting on top.  Oh mama!!

Long after those soul warming dinners of my childhood, I have come to learn that what we always called turnips are really rutabagas.  But, they'll always be turnips to me.  Or will they? 

When I got married I found out my in-law family also called rutabagas turnips. But they went a step further with the Scottish nick name, neeps.  And, my oh my, how the Stowells love their neeps. 

Call them what you will, whether they be rutabagas, turnips or neeps, they have become an indispensable ingredient in my kitchen.  'Turnips' make my soup stocks richer, my gratins tastier and my Christmas dinners the stuff of memories.

So when I stumbled upon Rutabaga Cheddar Mash on Donna Lynn Ketchum's food blog, I knew I had no option but to pull out the rutabagas turnips neeps and make this tasty recipe my own.  

Adding a bit of diced potato to the cubed turnips while they're simmering, brings out a hidden creaminess to the mash.  Dark edged, slightly caramelized, sweet onions, tiny chunks of sharp cheddar, a knob of butter and a good splash of cream or milk make these neeps irresistible.  Naughty Neeps!!  

 

NAUGHTY NEEPS- About 6 servings.

1 small Vidalia, Walla Walla, Maui or other sweet onion, peeled, quartered and very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 medium-large rutabaga, peeled, cut into 1-inch dice
1 medium potato, peeled, cut into 6-8 pieces
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup cream or milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup sharp cheddar, cut into small cubes

 Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat.  Add sliced onions, sprinkle with sugar, stir, and saute until the edges of the onions start to brown nicely.  Turn heat down and let onions cook 5-8 minutes 'til they get all golden with yummy dark bits like the onions at the fairgrounds. But watch them, turning the heat down if necessary, so they don't get too brown.  Set aside.

Put turnip cubes in a pot with about 1 teaspoon sea, Kosher or other salt.  Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover, reduce heat so gently boiling.  After 20 minutes add cubed potato and simmer another 15-20 minutes until both veggies are tender.  Drain.

Mash in pot with 2 tablespoons butter, milk or cream, fried onions and salt and pepper to taste.  Mash, mash.  Gently stir in cheddar cubes and scoop mixture into serving bowl, so that the cheddar doesn't completely melt into the veggies but stays in little blobs of melty yumminess. Serve up hot. Blimey!

KAWAIHAE PIE aka Sex In A Pan

Happy Birthday Courtney!! 

Both of my boy-men, 30-something kids, always request this childhood favorite for their birthday 'cake'. Way back when, this scrumptious, banana-cream-pie-ish, layered dessert, slightly hinting of cheesecake was a family stand-by, called Sex In A Pan. 

Then a few years ago, whilst living the Hawaiian dream, up Kaloko mauka, where bananas grew in our yard, just up the hill from Kona village, I had my way with this sweet goodie, toying with the ingredients just enough to end up with today's version, now dubbed Kawaihae Pie. Ono!  And even with all those layers it's pretty darn easy peasy to make too.  Don't shy away from the more than usual 'packaged' ingredients used here. Those packages do exactly what they're supposed to do to make this dessert yummy. EAT PIE!

MY HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai, high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.

Dear Journal – Kawaihae is this out-of-the-way, if-you-blink-you’ll-miss-it town up Kohala way where we sometimes stop for lunch on our way to the North Shore.  It seems to feel warmer there to me than here in Kona, and sunnier.  You’ll sometimes hear talk of the changing winds of Kawaihae.  The Mumuku (wind from the uplands) and the Naulu (wind from the sea).  There’s not a lot of reef around the Big Island, but in the waters off Kawaihae you’ll find reef.  Maybe that partly accounts for Kawaihae being such a prolific fishing village in the old days.  There’s a popular harbour there  where the first ships to bring horses and cattle to the Big Island docked and just offshore is where Kevin Costner’s movie Waterworld was filmed.  All around Kawaihae there’s ancient Hawaiian heiaus (temples) and other wonderful historic sites.  It seems to me that Kawaihae is on the edge of things.  On the edge of old and new, of revered history and a little spring of new commerce, of unexpected findings and strange weather, of roads that go both ways.  It seems that if you come across Kawaihae, you’ve come across more of a rest-stop than meets the eye.  To me, it has this strange, unexplainable feeling, like you’ve stepped off to some ‘other place’.  It’s good, but somehow unworldly.  Kawaihae was on my mind when I made last night’s dessert for company.  Maybe that explains why I piled up the layers with flavors and textures hidden inside of each other. 

KAWAIHAE PIE aka Sex In A Pan - 12 -14 servings

Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham crumbs
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
3 bananas, sliced thin
1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 - 500ml (16 ounce) container Cool Whip
2 3/4 cups milk
1 - 113g (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding
1 - 113g (3.9 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish:
Banana slices tossed with a bit of lemon juice (to keep from browning) or shaved milk chocolate or chopped chocolate covered macadamia nuts, or any combination of.

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.  Mix graham crumbs, 1 heaping tablespoon sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.  Bake 10 minutes.  Cool completely.

Layer banana slices over cooled crust.  Beat together cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth.  Stir Cool Whip into beaten mixture until creamy smooth.  Spread over banana slices.  Chill in fridge while making next layer.  Combine milk and both pudding mixes in bowl and whisk for 2-3 minutes.  Let set for 3-4 minutes.  Spoon over cream cheese layer.  Chill in fridge while making top layer.

Whip cream with 3 tablespoons sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Carefully spread sweetened whipped cream over pudding layer.  Refrigerate 12-24 hours.  (I always make this dessert the day ahead)  Remove outer ring of pan.  Garnish with bananas, shaved chocolate or chopped chocolate covered macadamia nuts and serve.  Let's kaukau!

CHEESE & HERB PULL-APART GARLIC BREAD

Warm your winter kitchen and your tummy with layers of soft yeasty homemade bread touting fragrant herbs, brazen amounts of melty cheese and oodles of sultry garlic.

Brrrrr!!!  Okay, who's the joker that plunked the oft cursed prairie weather right here in our usually mild mannered valley?

Baby it's COLD outside!!  Bone chilling, frost bitten, shaking-in-your-fur-lined-boots cold.  Brrrrrr!  

Given ol' man winter's frigid blast, I had no option.  I'm sorry.  Really sorry. For side-tracking you when you're seriously on-target with your January goals.  I apologize for tempting you.  For pushing you to the very edge of all reason, where you know there's no option but to succumb to warm-from-the-oven, yeasty soft, cheese and herb riddled garlic bread. 

Aaaannnnddd.....this loaf goes a step further.  This is not your mama's garlic bread.  Not the kind where you have to pull open the drawer, find the bread knife and slice off a piece.  Nope, not that kind.  This is a ridiculously fragrant loaf that the moment it comes out of the oven, beckons insists your fingers pull off a piece right here and now.  Effortless. 

Go ahead, pop another buttery piece.  Forest Grump did.

Seems there was a good dent in our loaf before we even dished out the turkey soup.  Might I add, this bread is great with soup.  Whether munched on the side or dipped in the barley, veggie and turkey laden, golden rich, heady broth.

Not only that, but it was pretty darn easy, and fun, to make.  I started the dough in the breadmaker, then rolled it out, slathered it with garlic-jalapeno butter, sprinkled herbs here and there, sliced the dough, stacked the dough, sliced again, shimmied the stacks into a loaf pan, baked, and voila.  The staff of life. 

I used cheddar cheese with chopped fresh cilantro and chives. But whether you fancy Monterey Jack, Parmesan, provolone, havarti, gouda.........basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, or, or, or ......any combination will  work.  We love 'heat', so I added some really finely chopped fresh jalapenos which gave a perfect zing.  And, of course, lots of fresh, minced garlic.

So, don't say I didn't warn you about this not being your New Years resolution type recipe.  Besides that, I just know you've earned a warm-the-tummy-and-the-soul comfort food treat. 

And tomorrow is a new day.  Redemption is just one sleep away.   Tomorrow, salad.

With warmed up cheese & herb garlic bread!  (Hahahaha.  Just kidding!  There won't be any bread left!)

Which reminds me, here's one more treat for you. Redemption Song.  
I just love this version!  It gives me goosies.

**Thanks to Pink Parsley food blog for the delicious inspiration and to Joy the Baker, where the whole, scrumptious pull-apart bread thing really got revved up, but with cinnamon sugar.  Ohhhhh, I can't wait to make a cinnamony version.  Stay tuned. 

"A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou."
~ Omar Khayyam

 

CHEESE & HERB PULL-APART GARLIC BREAD - Makes 1 loaf

Bread
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast, or 1 package active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
3 generous cups flour
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling
4-5 plump garlic cloves, minced
1-2 fresh jalapenos, very finely chopped (optional, for you non-heat seekers)
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs (cilantro, chives, basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, dill, tarragon, parsley)
2 cups grated cheese (I used 'old' cheddar, but any cheese will work)
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine water and milk in a 2 cup measure.  Microwave until just steaming.  Add 3 tablespoons butter and stir. Let sit until butter melts and mixture cools to lukewarm. 

If using a breadmaker: add yeast, sugar, flour, salt and beaten egg, then lukewarm liquids.  Hit the dough cycle button. 

For the dough, without breadmaker: Pour heated water-milk-butter mixture into bowl of standing mixer.  Stir in sugar and yeast and let rest for 5-7 minutes until foamy. Stir in beaten egg. Add flour and salt and mix with a dough hook about 8 minutes. The dough should be silky-ish, not sticky, to the touch.  Butter or oil a bowl, transfer dough to bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in bulk.

While dough is rising combine softened butter with minced garlic and chopped jalapeno.  Set aside.

Punch down the dough and turn onto lightly floured surface.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Roll the dough out into a 12 x 20 inch rectangle.  Slather evenly with garlic, jalapeno butter. (oh my!)  Sprinkle evenly with chopped herbs and grated cheese.  Grind some black pepper over top to taste.

Cut the dough, vertically, into 6 equal sized strips with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. 



Stack the strips on top of one another.



Slice the stack into six equal slices once again.  You'll have six stacks of six squares.

Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.  (I lined my loaf pan, partially, with overhanging parchment, which worked like a charm.  Once the loaf was baked, it lifted right out of the pan.)  Turn the pan on it's end, or however it's easiest for you, and stack and shimmy the stacks into the pan.


Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes or until almost double in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown and the inside is cooked through.  If the top browns too quickly, cover the loaf loosely with foil.  I baked my loaf just over 45 minutes and did cover with foil for about the last 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and alow to cool for 10-20 minutes. (Forest Grump, this means you!)  Run a knife around the edges, and invert onto serving platter.  (or if you used parchment paper, just pull that beauty out using the overhang as handles).

Soul warming comfort, layer on layer.  Pull, pop.  Repeat.

Creamy Lime Pie with Coconut Whip

Sweet, puckery mouthfuls of lime goodness topped with fluffy, creamy dollops that speak softly of coconut.  Yes, please.

Sunshine.  In your mouth.  This un-Key lime pie simply, purely, tastes like sunshine.  Florida sunshine, at that. You know that exotic, infamous, edgy kind of sunshine that you only get in Florida?  That's what I'm talkin' about. 

Each creamy mouthful takes the BRRRR right out of these snowy, chilly, grey winter days. One piece of this silken lime pie easily sends you, smiling, on a sweet, sunny sojourn, even if ever so briefly.

Stubbornly reluctant to let go of the warmth of these glorious tropical daydreams I had an 'Ah ha!" moment. Instead of the usual whipped cream topping, I chilled the heck out of a can of ordinary coconut milk, sprinkling in a bit of sugar and vanilla as I whip, whip, whipped. 

You know what happened next, right?  Soft, snowy white clouds of cream that whispered gently of swaying coconut palms and that, shazam, fell instantly in love with Creamy Lime Pie. 

You know you waaahnt some!

 

CREAMY LIME PIE with Whipped Coconut Milk - **Makes one 8 or 9 inch pie

1 - 8 or 9 inch graham cracker crumb crust
3 large egg yolks, beaten (I used farm eggs, with wonderful deep golden yolks, making my pie a deeper hue)
1 - 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
Grated zest from 1 lime
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 - 14-ounce can good quality coconut milk, chilled several hours or overnight
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F.  In medium bowl, beat egg yolks with sweetened condensed milk, lime zest and lime juice.  Whisk or stir until evenly combined and slightly thickened.  Pour into prepared crust.  Bake 30 minutes.  Cool.  Serve chilled or at room temperature, dolloped with whipped coconut milk.

For whipped coconut topping, chill mixer bowl and beater in freezer for at least 30 minutes.  Pour in chilled coconut milk, sugar and vanilla and beat on high until soft to medium peaks form.  Chill.

**I suggest using an 8-inch pie plate, or a shallow 9-inch pie plate.  If using a deep dish 9-inch pie plate or a 10 inch pie plate, double all filling ingredients and bake 40-45 minutes.

BUTTER TARTS

Sweet, gooey, sinfully buttery, quintessentially Canadian, flaky little pastries. 
Timeless.  Seductive.

Exuberantly, and with great flair I just crossed one, long-quested item off of my culinary bucket list.  I did it!!  Wooohooo.  These are them!!

These scrumptious little goodies are without a doubt, in my estimation, the best butter tarts I have ever made.  It took me a verrrry long time to get here. Lots of recipe hunting and tweeking, experimenting, trial and error.  But I have arrived.  At butter tart nirvana.  It's a happy place to be.

Cousins to the all-American pecan pie and British treacle tarts of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Harry Potter fame, pioneer-invented butter tarts are truly and proudly Canadian. 

The earliest published butter tart recipe dates back to 1900 from Barrie, Ontario in The Women's Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital Cookbook. The filling recipe I used is said to be the Top Secret, renowned recipe from Wilkie's Bakery in Orillia, Ontario passed down through generations of Wilkies and having won National competitions as The Best Butter Tarts in Canada. 

It's likely that I may not have really found great-grandmother Wilkie's treasured, award-winning recipe.  But, right here, right now, I come brandishing the only butter tart recipe I will ever use.  Man are they good!

Thanks Lennie for posting Award-Winning Butter Tarts on Food.com.  And, just in case, 'cuz you know, just maybe.......big, big thank-yous to Great Grandma Wilkie. 

"Seize the moment. Remember all those women
on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart."
~ Erma Bombeck

BUTTER TARTS - Makes 24

Flaky Tart (or pie) Pastry
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup cold lard, cubed
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon vinegar

Butter Tart Filling
3/4 cup raisins (a mixture of raisins and currants would be wonderful too)
7 tablespoons soft butter
Generous 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of Kosher or sea salt
3/4 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 large eggs, lightly beaten (Weird, but you must!!  Beat 2 eggs in measuring cup, then use 3/4's of the beaten eggs)
1 teaspoon good vanilla or 1 tablespoon dark or amber rum (rum & butter tarts.....mmm!)

For Pastry:  In medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and sugar until evenly combined.  Using pastry blender, or your hands, work in lard until mixture resembles fairly fine crumbs, with a few larger pieces.  Add ice water and vinegar and stir like crazy with a fork until dough clumps together.  

Divide in half.  Press into disk on floured surface.  Roll out the dough, evenly, turning and flouring to keep from sticking, if nessary.  Cut into 12, 3/4 - 4 inch rounds.  Gently place the rounds into a 12-cup tart (or muffin) tin, coaxing dough, tenderly, into perfect little tart shells.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.  Chill until ready to fill.  (You may have a bit of left-over dough.  If you do, make jam turnovers.  That's what my mama always did.)

For Filling: In a small bowl, place raisins and cover with hot tap water; let stand for 30 minutes.  In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together soft butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup.  Stir, stir, stir until creamy smooth and well incorporated.  

Add beaten egg and vanilla or rum.  Mix well.  Drain raisins.  Retrieve tart shells and divide raisins equally into all shells; then divide butter mixture into all tarts, filling each about 3/4 full.  

Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes; filling will be lightly browned and bubbly.  

Us Canadians fall into three camps when it comes to butter tarts and are passionately loyal about our favorite type: runny, gooey, or firm.

No surprise, I'm a gooey girl from way back......so when you bite into one, your eyes close and you immediately understand sweet, gooey seduction.  I baked my tarts 17-18 minutes.

If you like dribbley goodness, bake tarts 15 minutes.  If 'firm' does it for you, bake tarts the full 20 minutes, or maybe baby even a couple more minutes, if needed.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PIE

Ridiculously sublime chocolate pie. Indulge. 

 
Pretty, isn't it?  Sinfully rich and delicious too.  But, here's the clincher, it's easy peasy to make ahead and have ready for dinner party day.  Aaaahhhhhh.....  A perfect dessert?  Mayhaps.

Some recipes in my collection I've made only once or twice, some a handful of times, some dozens of times, but likely (I lost count long ago) I've probably made this Chocolate Mousse Pie hundreds of times. But we have to go waaay back to explain..... 

'Twas the 1980s in the beautiful orchard city of Kelowna, when Forest Grump and I worked day in and day out at what still remains one of our favorite labours of love, Chianti's. Our little going concern of a mom-and-pop-made-from-scratch restaurant, had line-ups out the door most weekends and many regulars came craving yet another piece of Chocolate Mousse Pie.  We also served those crazy delicious, real-deal New York style baked cheesecakes in an ever changing variety of fresh fruit and carmely flavours.  But it was the mousse pie set the standard and became one of those things people kept coming back for. 

Still, years later, Chocolate Mousse Pie has become a requested family favorite for birthdays,  
anniversaries, Christmas parties and other special occasion gatherings.  Truth be known, I'm always quite thrilled when someone requests this dessert because it's best made the day ahead (yay!) and it really is pretty darn easy. (yay!)  And best of all it always, always delivers!!  Every velvety mouthful boasts decadent, gorgeously chocolate, creamy sweetness.  Some people even smile and close their eyes when savouring this particular dessert.  One of my favorite testimonials.

Give this one a try, it might just become one of those stand-by, special occasion desserts that you can feel so good about counting on. And aside from that, when you bring it out to serve, you get say, "Wipe that chocolatey smile on your face right now!"

"Giving chocolate to others is an intimate form of communication,
a sharing of deep, dark secrets. 
~ Milton Zelman

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PIE - 12 to 16 servings

Crust:
2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 3/4 cups good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups whipping cream
4 tablespoons icing sugar
4 egg whites, room temperature
2 eggs
4 egg yolks

Topping:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, sugar, vanilla
Chocolate dipped berries

For crust: Combine crumbs and butter in the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.  With a soup spoon press crumbs on bottom and part way up sides of pan.  Refrigerate.

For filling: Melt chocolate, until completely smooth, in top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Let cool.  Meanwhile whip 2 cups whipping cream with 4 tablespoons icing sugar until quite stiff.  Refrigerate.  Beat egg whites until stiff.  Set aside.  Get ready to give yourself a little bit of an upper body workout.  Add whole eggs to melted chocolate, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon to completely incorporate.  Add egg yolks and mix until thoroughly blended.  Come on, stir! 

Now, stir or whisk a little of the beaten whites and whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten.  Keep adding cream and whites in 2 or 3 more additions, whisking gently until completely incorporated.  Pour into prepared crust and chill at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.

For topping: Whip 1 1/2 cups whipping cream with 2 tablespoons sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla until quite stiff.  Loosen crust on all sides using a sharp knife.  Remove outer ring of pan.  Place pie on serving plate.  Smooth a good layer of whipped cream over top of the mousse pie, then decorate edges with a piping bag, if desired.  Plop on some Callebaut chocolate covered strawberries and voila!

MAR'S CHEESE BISCUITS

A delectable soft crunch of crust, followed by a featherlight, slightly sweet, flakiness, riddled with sharp cheddar cheese - in every bite.

 
A whole convergence of things brought us here today, like mighty rivers flowing toward the sea and meeting up before reaching destination, becoming a single unstoppable force.

We've been wallowing in sunny, unusually hot, late summer days here in the Okanagan for the past couple of weeks.  Then just a few days ago, it was like someone flipped the switch to the 'Autumn' setting.  It's still nice and warm most days, but the evenings and star-filled nights are decidedly cooler. 

Alas, summer is gone and, oh-oh, before long that OTHER season will be here.  But first, gorgeous, colourful, bittersweet Fall is starting to toy with us.  I love this time of year. Roadside fruit and veggie stands are bulging with the bounty of the season, the sun throws a warm, golden glow across the hills and even the moon is full of the glories of harvest, puffing itself up to almost fill the night sky.

Now that the sweltering, keep-out-of-the-kitchen heat of summer has passed, it's a marvelous time of year to get back into the kitchen and play.  Perfect timing, might I add, as September is one of those birthday months for us, and as luck would have it our first-born grandson, Palmer, was in house to celebrate his milestone 13th birthday yesterday.

When asked what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he didn't answer with the expected, homemade pizza or BBQ chicken or spaghetti.  Without hesitation he ordered, "Corn chowder please, Tutu-ma". 

Corn chowder it was.  And comfort laden, butter smeared, pillowy layered, hot-from-the-oven, cheese oozing, biscuits. 

This biscuit recipe, which is more like a scone in some ways, comes from my mom-in-law who is the most trustworthy source, period, for all things to do with breads. 

And just for you, in the name of biscuit perfection, I have tweeked and re-tested this recipe.  I tried and I tried and I tried, another batch, and another batch.......by george I think I've got it!

One bite will lead to another, will lead to another, will lead to a cheesy, crumb-tickled smile of satisfaction.  Mick, was wrong.  I can me some satisfaction and some fine biscuit lovin' happiness too.

So let the forces of time, the changing of the seasons roll.  Bring it, Mother Nature!  With comfort from our kitchens warming our bellies we can take whatever you throw at us.

Happy Birthday Palmer!  (And River boy too! We miss you!)  Thanks oodles Mar for the best damn cheese biscuit recipe to be had and all the love baked into every sinful mouthful.

MAR'S CHEESE BISCUITS - Makes 12

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small bits
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, or your favorite cheese
1 egg beaten in a measuring cup, with canned milk, milk or cream added to make 1 cup

Preheat oven to 425F.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  With fingers or pastry cutter lightly work butter into dry ingredients, being careful just to break the butter pieces up a bit, but not to completely incorporate.  Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. 

Stir in cheese.  Pour in egg-milk mixture and lightly stir with a fork 'til dough forms a soft, slighty sticky, ragged dough ball.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, kneading gently into a disk.  With floured rollling pin roll dough into a 1/2 thick rectangle.  Fold the dough over onto itself in three sections as if folding a letter.  Again with floured rolling pin roll dough to about 3/4" thickness.  Using floured, approximately 2-inch cutter, cut out rounds, placing onto buttered baking pan or baking dish. Gather scraps and pat out to cut or form remaining dough into biscuits.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until deep golden brown and scrumptiously aromatic.  Let cool just a bit.  Serve hot with butter, crab apple jelly or golden syrup. 

Roasted Corn Guacamole & Carne Asada Soft Tacos

Chewy sweet niblets of grilled corn crowded into spicy, herby, citrusy guacamole is fantastic on just about anything.  On soft flour tortillas loaded with chili-rubbed, grilled steak, ha cha cha.  Ole!

 
It was a slow burning, blue-hot August afternoon.  The stillness in the forest begged to be quenched.  From somewhere in the house, Chris Isaak sensually crooned of a Wicked Game.

A pair of pebble skinned, dark green avocados stared at me, unblinking.  Hot chilies lay helter skelter on the kitchen counter taunting me.  A heat-blasted whisper of a breeze rustled the silk of fresh picked corn cobs that lazed on a nearby table top.  Plump limes eased out of the fruit basket landing on the floor with a soft plop, plop.  A stack of soft flour tortillas were emitting some sort of primal chant honouring the searing summer sun.  Spicy flecks of chili powder were dive bombing a tiny dish of salt splashed olive oil, then rebounding onto a tender flank steak, spelling out the words, 'grill me'.

Ay, ay, ay, carumba!!!  ALRIGHT ALREADY!  I get the drift! 

That's how it all came together that one hot August afternoon I was persuaded into my forest kitchen to conjure.

First up, spicy guacamole loaded with grilled corn.  Two of my flavour favorites, together, at last.  Yum-O!  This corn blessed guac is great as a dip with crispy tortilla chips or dolloped on fried chicken or grilled fish, or just about anything else you can think of.  But it's killer fantastic on steak tacos!  Which brings me to another one of my fave foods, carne asada. 

It was quickly becoming deliciously obvious, that I had no choice but to give a flank steak a good massage with olive oil, sea salt and lots of spicy hot Hatch chili powder.  Post massage, a little chill time before grilling that baby to tender scrumptiousness.

It was all we could do to stop ourselves from sampling the grilled steak while it rested so all those precious, luscious juices stayed put.  When we couldn't wait another second, a slicing frenzy followed and before we knew it we were tucking mouthwatering steak into warm soft tortillas with big plops of grilled corn guacamole on top.  Mmmmm....mmmm....mmmmm!

Muchas gracias to I Will Not Eat Oysters food blog for the delicious dog day afternoon inspiration.

ROASTED CORN GUACAMOLE & CARNE ASADA TACOS
Serves 4-5

Carne Asada
1 1/2 pound flank or skirt steak
2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sea or Kosher salt
3 tablespoons, mild, medium or hot chili powder (we use Hatch's Hot, cuz we like it 'hot'!)

Guac
4 fresh cobs of corn, husked
2 medium, perfectly ripe avocados
Juice of 2 plump limes
1/2 Walla Walla, Vidalia, Maui or sweet onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 fresh jalapenos or other hot chile pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon sea or Kosher salt

8-10 small flour tortillas
Lime wedges, for squeezing

For the carne, mix together olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt and chili powder and massage over entire surface of the steak.  Cover or pop into a large ziplock bag and refrigerate 1-6 hours.

Meanwhile preheat barbecue to medium high.  Place corn cobs directly on the grill and close the top.  Grill corn 12-18 minutes, turning every few minutes, until some kernels are bright yellow, some deliciously brown and caramelized and some slightly charred.  Let cool.

Mash avocado with a fork, leaving it a bit chunky.  Put mashed avo into a large bowl with lime juice, chopped onion, chopped hot pepper and cilantro.  Mix to combine.  Cut kernels off the cob and add to avocado mixture. Season with sea salt, to taste.  Cover and chill under ready to serve.

Preheat barbecue to high.  Place steak on grill and reduce heat to medium-high and grill 5-9 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare to medium.  Remove the steak to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle.  While steak is resting, pop tortillas on the grill for 20-30 seconds on each side.  Keep grilled tortillas warm by wrapping in a clean kitchen towel. 

Thinly slice steak across the grain on a diagonal.  To make tacos, tuck a few steak slices into a warm tortilla, top with a good scoop of grilled corn guacamole and a squeeze of fresh lime. Devour. Repeat. If you want to make a full meal deal, these tacos go rather fantastico with frijoles and Mexican rice.

RASPBERRY OREO ETON MESS

Sweet mounds of coffee-scented, dark chocolate flecked whipped cream crowded with tangy, melt in your mouth, succulent, fresh raspberries.  Heaven!

We've pretty much unanimously decided that Eton Mess, or as we have affectionately dubbed it, "This Crazy Little Thing Called Love", is unequivocally one of the best desserts in the whole wide world.

The spectacularly simple coupling of berries and cream has always been potently delicious. Throw in a couple of unexpected ingredients and this version of Eton Mess becomes downright seductive.

It keeps repeating on me that Gordon Ramsay would vehemently, verbally slap my face for messing with this classic English dessert that is traditionally made with strawberries, cream and pieces of meringue and served at Eton College's annual cricket game against Wincester College. Sorry Gordon!

Don't get me wrong. Classic Eton Mess is sublime. But meddling with it only proves this traditional treat is truly timeless.

I admit I would not have thought of adding Oreos to berries and cream. Just seems wrong. Then I came across an Eton Mess recipe on the food blog Mississippi Kitchen that started the ball rolling. Once I was off in that direction there was no stopping me.

First of all, don't think 'Oreos', because Oreos, crushed to smithereens, added to espressso laced whipped cream and berries magically transform into something else.  Into seriously, rich chocolate specks of deep deliciousness.  Cool, huh?

Ease of preparation and barely a handful of ingredients promise sinfully gorgeous, sweet mounds of dessert perfection every time.  And you can make it ahead.  Bob's your uncle! 

 

RASPBERRY OREO ETON MESS
Makes 4 servings

10 Oreos
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 cups fresh ruby-red raspberries

Crush Oreos in a baggie, with a rolling pin, so that there are some very fine crumbs and a few coarse, bigger pieces.  Set aside. 

Place whipping cream, sugar and instant espresso powder in bowl of electric mixer and beat until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold in the crushed Oreos and raspberries and mound into serving glasses or bowls. You can serve immediately, but we've found we like it even better if it's refrigerated for 2-8 hours, so the ingredients all get to know one another.  Bloomin' brilliant!