Lately

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I’ve been itching to bake a tart with summer berries, but after tasting my gooseberries and the like (black currants, red currants and raspberries), I think I might have to give them a week of sunshine to get that last oomph of sweetness (if the sun ever decides to come out). So today, I’m going to share an assortment of photos related to  casual meals, a local farmer’s market visit and my latest addiction, London Fog tea.

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Dolce Grey tea from BEAN AROUND BOOKS & TEA.

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Lavender shortbread: to me, a touch of vanilla and lavender from the shortbread enhances the experience of the London Fog tea since I like my tea without sugar. I didn’t include a recipe for the shortbread, since there is no shortage of wonderful recipes online. I just added a dash of homemade brandy vanilla extract and a spoonful of lavender flowers.

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Pickled garlic scapes: made with young stalks of garlic plants from my garden. Thank you to Kathy from De la Bouche Specialty Foods for sharing a wonderful recipe for the pickles (recipe follows). I also acquired a jar of raspberry mango jam from her booth at a local farmer’s market; savouring it along with some cream cheese was such a delight.

Pear tart: from Sweet Thea at the local farmer’s market. Teacup roses and lamb’s ear create welcoming bouquets for my household. Beef filet mignon with a salsa verde appetizer was a great hit at my casual garden dinner (recipe follows)!

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Gulf prawns: thank you my dear friends for bringing such a treat and even cooking for us:) (recipe follows)

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This year, I’m trying to not waste all that abundant mint in my garden. Besides some mint tea, having mojitos to share is always a plus!

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A local farmer’s market visit: creative and hardworking people, Jocelyn and Chris from The Farm for Life.

summer_bouquet summer_evening

Sometimes I fail a whole roll of film due to an inaccurate metering, an inadequately slow shutter speed (due to a limited film speed) etc., but in this case I salvaged the last frame of this photo of our dog; it made me smile.

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I planted this rose a few years ago. I fell in love with it at once, especially thanks to the name, which means something along the lines of “memory of perfume” in French. It’s never a good idea to leave a tag on a rose bush. I can’t get to it since it’s painfully thorny.

We truly enjoyed this beautiful bottle of rosé from Okanagan. Stuffed pork tenderloin with caramelized onion and balsamic sauce (recipe follows). Ah, another plant I want to take full advantage of; sea of lavender on a pathway.

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We need sun to ripen and sweeten these berries!

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Pickled Garlic Scapes (by Kathy from De la Bouche Specialty Foods)

 

I have never weighed the scapes, but it takes a lot to fill 2 jars.

Makes about 2 x 1L jars

3 tablespoons pickling or coarse salt

3 cups white vinegar

3 cups water

A lot of scapes to fill the jars

1 to 2 stems lemongrass, roughly chopped

A few piece of Thai bird chili

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine salt, vinegar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt. Leave on the stove to keep hot.

Place the lemon grass and chili in the bottom of each jar, and add the scapes that are cut lengthwise at least 1/2 inch from the top of the jar. Cold pack them into hot sterilized jars tightly. Make sure your lids are hot. Pour brine over the scapes to within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. Put lids on, fingertip-tight. Place in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes at full boil. Then, remove lid of the canner, turn off the burner and let the jars sit in the water for another 5 minutes before removing. Let cool, and store.

 

Beef Filet Mignon with Salsa Verde

This amazingly refreshing treat contains tons of garden herbs, yet melts on your tongue. Try to source the best quality meat from a reputable butcher for safe consumption.

Serves 4

2 pieces beef filet mignon

½ cup extra virgin olive oil and extra for searing

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

4 scallion stems, finely sliced

¼ cup mint, finely chopped

2 tablespoons salted capers, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 ¾ teaspoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons butter

Place the oil, lemon juice, parsley, scallions, mint, capers and lemon zest in a medium sized bowl and stir to combine.

Add ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to the herb mixture; stir and set aside.

Place the beef in a flat glass tray or container, and rub the remaining salt, pepper and garlic all over the beef. Pour in half of the herb mixture and marinate all sides evenly. Cover and let sit for a couple of hours (up to 1 day) in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Warm up a skillet over high heat with butter and olive oil. When the pan is smoky hot, sear each side of the beef until nicely browned, for about 2 minutes on each side.

Place in the oven for 5 minutes for medium rare doneness.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and cover with a piece of tin foil for about 5 minutes.

Slice the beef, transfer to a serving plate and drizzle the rest of the herb mixture over top. Serve immediately.

 

Gulf Prawns

Serves 4

A dozen or more Gulf prawns, rinsed and patted dry

½ onion, sliced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pinch of brown sugar

Pinch of salt

Freshly ground pepper

A dash of dry white wine

A sprig of Italian parsley

Warm the butter and oil in a medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the onion until caramelized.

Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until soft. Add the sugar, wine and prawns and cook until prawns change colour. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Add the parsley and serve immediately.

 

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Onions and Balsamic Sauce

Serves 6

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 pieces of pork tenderloin

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Whisk the mustard, maple syrup, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place the pork in a flat glass tray or container, and rub with a pinch of salt and pepper. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the balsamic sauce all over the meat, cover and marinate in the refrigerator.

In the meantime, sauté the onion with the butter and oil over medium high heat until caramelized. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms are soft.

Add the rest of the balsamic sauce and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 390F.

Take the pork from the refrigerator. Make a slit on each piece, and stuff the onion mixture inside, leaving ¼ inch borders. Using toothpicks, close the slits as tightly as possible.

Roast in a roasting pan for 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with a piece of tin foil. Rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, collect the liquid from the roasting pan in a small saucepan. Reduce until thickened over medium heat.

Slice the pork and transfer to a platter. Pour the sauce over top and serve immediately.

 

Plum Upside-Down Cakes + Grand Marnier Ice Cream

plum upside-down cake

Has your long awaited dream come true recently? One of mine just did with the sweet and juicy fragrance of Japanese plums wafting all over our house and garden. The name of the plum tree “Beauty” somehow coincides as if celebrating a realization of my will. I have kept a twelve-year-old fine COOKING magazine, the September issue to be exact, that features two pastry chefs in a challenge to improvise a plum dessert using a limited number of ingredients. From there, one recipe particularly grabbed my heart so much that I was determined to plant my own plum tree(s) in a future garden and bake this recipe with the very fruits from the tree. I have baked this recipe a number of times but now that I can finally harvest my own hard-earned fruits, I can report that it was a splendor well worth waiting for! You undoubtedly have your own dreams. Let them come true by maintaining a strong will, desire and a little patience.

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Plum Upside-Down Cakes

The recipe calls for smallish plums that are ripe but firm. I used my Japanese “Beauty” plums, and they worked wonderfully with their nice balance of sweetness and acidity to accompany a big dab of Grand Marnier ice cream.

Makes eight 8-oz ramekins

10 oz. (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

Extra butter for greasing the ramekins

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

6 medium-size red plums, pitted and sliced 1/8 inch thick

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

6 oz. (1½ cups) cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼  teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

Grated zest of 1 orange

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Butter the ramekins. Heat the oven to 350F.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 6 oz. (1½ sticks) of butter with the brown sugar, whisking until smooth and combined. It’s okay if you still have sugar granules.

Immediately pour into the bottoms of the buttered ramekins, dividing evenly. Arrange a layer of plum slices in each ramekin, overlapping them slightly, using smaller slices to fill any gaps.

In a small bowl, combine the milk and lemon juice. The mixture will curdle and that is okay.

In another bowl sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Cream the remaining 4 oz. (1 stick) of butter with the sugar and orange zest in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix to combine.

Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk mixture, mixing just to combine.

Divide the batter among the ramekins. Arrange the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the cakes are firm to the touch and the juices are bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the sheet midway through baking to ensure even cooking.

Let cool on a rack until warm. Run a paring knife around the inside edge of each ramekin, invert onto a plate, and gently lift it off the cake. Top each cake with a scoop of Grand Marnier ice cream (recipe below).

*If you’ve baked the cakes ahead, heat the oven to 350F, set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and heat until just warmed, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Adapted from Karen Barker’s recipe from fine COOKING.

 

Grand Marnier Ice Cream

This dessert is a perfect way to chill out during hot summer afternoons. It also happens to be a perfect match for the Plum Upside-Down Cakes.

Makes about 1L

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 cups whipping cream

2 cups whole milk

¼ cup to ½ cup Grand Marnier

Beat the eggs and milk together in a large saucepan. Add sugar and cook over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. This is the time to dream about your future. Instead of yesterday’s thoughts, let’s imagine and dream, not necessarily about a plum tree but whatever suits your fancy; and of course, don’t forget to keep whisking! The mixture should smoothly coat the back of a spoon.

Strain into a large bowl and cool. Then, add the cream and Grand Marnier starting from a small portion. Taste it and adjust the amount of liquor.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Churn the mixture according to the manufacturer’s instructions. You can transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and store in a freezer to encourage further solidification.

See more ice cream recipe here.