Culture & Recreation-January

Rob Ford Watch was in full swing Friday. Kept an ear open to the morning show. Update came at 10:30   Ruling overturned. Alas. Cheaper than a by-election, I suppose. After the kerfuffle, settled into the afternoon with a little Bach. We do seem to take a lot of trouble pronouncing his name whereas we don't bother with anyone else.  Why is that? How many ways can you say Bach?

The only conversation was hockey so I amused myself with the bird that had landed in the tree.  I had been on the hunt for a pheasant and the usual sources no longer carried any kind of game bird.  In fact the young lad at the deli counter had no idea what I was talking about.  "A what?"  Then later, "What was it you called it again?"  Most amusing.  The plump bird in the tree may just have met my needs.  Cumbrae Meats to the rescue, though.  A fine butcher shop and we are fortunate to have one of their three locations right here in Hamilton.  It's unusual to go into raptures about a butcher shop but this one's rather nice.  Beautifully presented product; good quality.

A few cm's of snow fell Friday PM and surprisingly the traffic was moving.  It is customary to travel at top speeds of 60-70kmh when the flakes fall.  Easy to spot those without snow tyres.  Over to the other side of town to get the bird.  I behaved and didn't stop for cappuccino, chocolate dipped spun toffee nor Pad Thai.  However, Chef & Wife did have their mango shrimp on so picked up a portion for the fridge.  Shopping frenzy getting the rest of the menu. Some shelves bare and prices on the rise due to the arctic conditions south of the border.  Expecting a better Niagara Ice Wine harvest this year.

The more you can do towards dinner now the less the next day.  Simple philosophy.   Cafe de Paris prep began in earnest. Opportunity finally presented itself to take down the Xmas tree. I have had my detractors; keeping the tree up has been a bit of a hard sell.  I've enjoyed it.  Thought to tarp it, fully decorated, and drag it out to the shed until December. 
 

 

 

Mysteries of what appears to be complex cooking revealed.  No complexity to it at all.  Simple is good.  On this week's menu:

Aperitif~Cafe de Paris

scallops in white wine

pheasant with chestnut sauce

chocolate pots
cheese plate

Vin~Pouilly Fume
 

Will be posting all the details a little later at:   CAFE DE PARIS

["And for the rest of them, we'll have a large trough of baked beans, garnished with a couple of dead dogs." John Cleese (Fawlty Towers)]

CBC's Ideas for Friday evening.  Artists in Residence at the Glenfiddich distillery in Scotland.  This particular episode focused on Jillian McDonald.  Every year the Distillery pays to have artists in residence and this is one of many that Ms. McDonald  has received.  Her previous projects include a Billy Bob Thornton  which defies description here but I will include the link to do it better justice Valley of the Deer   One distillery past project includes a special batch of single malt that will be aging, I believe, 100 years.  The project is a sort of treasure hunt to actually find where this special batch is hidden.  And even with all this talk of single malt, I failed to raise a glass to Robbie Burns. Tsk. Tsk.

Felt somewhat obligated to pay attention to Canadian politics again with the pending Premiership vote Saturday.  How long did this take?  An agonizing length of time.  So far so good on not focusing on Wynne's sexual orientation.  Think she entertained one question on the subject.

Set off Sunday to clear the gremlin behind the eyes.  Thought to finish the trail but first meandered through farm country. A little overcast and cold.  Found Edwards Cemetery dating from 1853.  It's surrounded by nothing but fields for miles.  Desolation and silence.  Reminded me of the Carol Shields novel Swann.  Things going on in farmhouses and nobody on the outside knows because of the isolation. 

Sinking headstones; a few crumbling ones. A young boy over in the far corner.

 

 

Silence until a little man on a bicycle came along the road collecting tin cans.  Thought it was a kid on a skateboard-it had that sound.  The collector was in fact crushing the cans.  Seemed like an awful lot of cans in the ditches. Cold!  Didn't feel a hike was going to happen.  Off to Haldimand through Blackheath.  Doubled back on Chippewa to Tyneside then #65. 

The middle tree looks vaguely human.  Very Wizard of Oz.

 

 

 

 

Pleasantly surprised to find work continuing on the Unity Road portion of the Chippewa Trail.  The gate was closed and not one, not two, but three earth movers sat idle on the path for the weekend.  Old railway ties were piled up ready for removal.

 

Over to Haldibrook Rd.  The pile of asphalt I mentioned last time has disappeared.  The site looks much better.  Passed by the other side of the Killman Zoo.  The alpacas were feeding; they looked rather comfortable in their coats.

 

 

 

Skaters and hockey players out on the Binbrook ponds.

 

 



 

This is a curious house that I often drive by.  Like its shape and the Widow's Walk.

 

Home to defrost.  Got an update on the Cheez Whiz shipment to Silver Screen Suppers . Jars arrived intact and a successful casserole was prepared; recipe provided by Mr. Francis of Caker Cooking  Well done,  everyone.

   

Finished up the day with the first part of Bennet's Smut. Bennet is partial to pheasant, too.

 

 

 

Crossing Borders With Cheez Whiz

What's in the box?
Cheez Whiz, again?  You can't be serious.

Adventures in caker land continue anew.  I heard from Jenny who writes from silverscreensuppers.com  in the UK which is a blog devoted to recipes of the stars.  Stars, as you would obviously expect, from the silver screen era.  This is a very nicely designed blog and good fun.

What was absent from Jenny's English pantry?  Cheez Whiz.  Mr. Francis'  cakercooking.com had peaked her curiosity.  I proposed a trade.  Most UK products are available locally but one thing that has been discontinued here is the Luxury line of Baxters Soup.  I was after a tin of Highland Game. Who amongst us does not like a little wood pigeon in their soup?

I'm sure you've seen Baxters on the store shelves but the Luxury offers a little bit of decadence for a first course.  Smoked Haddock (sold under the name, Cullen Skink) or Stilton & Broccoli amongst others. I believe the Lobster Bisque is still availabe.

 

 

So the parcel has been shipped and we'll see what Canada Post and The Royal Mail can do.

Will I be opening a tin of Luxury next year or will I be out in the woods, clad in camouflage, hunting pheasant, partridge and grouse for my own creation?

Not Caker Cooking-Scallops From Away

After experimenting in Caker Land, it is time to get back to meals that require a little more effort and that produce much tastier results.  I think more nutritious, also.  Ah, the complicated recipe.  Yes, there was a head of broccoli in that casserole, but it just felt wrong to be prepping for, making and eating it.  The empty jar of Cheez Whiz was carefully placed into the recycling bin this week leaving space in the fridge for fresh cheese.  Perhaps we'll crack open the Caker book on the post's anniversary.  I do enjoy the CakerCooking blog, though. I like the tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek style.

I was in the grocery store beginning of the month and someone reminded their partner to go and get the Cheez Whiz.  "Don't do it!" the brain screamed.  "Go to the cheese counter and see what you can do with that!"  Great line from Mother with Albert Brooks.  Mom has a hunk of fossilized cheese she's keeping in the freezer.  "I can tell from the gross weight I'm not going to like it," John says to her as she slices off a piece with the electric knife.

Try this for a month.  Break out of the cheese rut and buy a different cheese each week. Just a few ounces, that's all I ask.  A blue, a brie, a goat, a cheddar.  Go Canadian.  I'm trying to do the 100 mile thing but it is challenging.  Obviously I'm buying bananas that have travelled great distances.  Short of staging a raid on the Gage Park tropical greenhouse, I have to let the guilt go on the banana front.  Likewise with the avocado.  I was mortified to find last week's blackberries came from Mexico.  I didn't realize.  Remember years ago when we debated about South African oranges and Chilean wine?  Politics went deep. See what democracy has done?  Now it's just a matter of how far it's travelled to your doorstep. (Side note on wine-if you think it's Canadian, check again.  Is it 100% local grape or a mix bag of imported grape that is merely cellered locally? Yes, by all means buy the Italian, French or Australian but make sure the local stuff is local.)

This is Frederick.  As you can see, Frederick likes his food. He also likes a drop of wine. Frederick is never without his tasting spoon, but he broke it recently in a fit of kitchen pique. Someone put chicken nuggets in his oven and he wasn't best pleased.  Frederick is a coq au vin kind of guy.  He likes his game bird-pheasant, partridge and quail. 

Frederick has connections.  The scallops in this recipe came hand delivered from Nova Scotia waters.  When I was presented with them, I had about four cents on hand.  I have not forgotten about the IOU. 

A complicated recipe this is not.  This is very simple but very satisfying dish and if you don't have Frederick's connections, some chicken or shrimp will work very well.

1 TBSP butter
2 leeks, sliced
sprinkle of nutmeg
1/3 C chicken stock
1/4 C 35% cream
sea salt
12 scallops or to taste depending on size
curry powder~either the "yellow" stuff, Tandoori, your own blend or try Patak's paste; the choice is yours

Saute leeks in butter; add stock; sweat for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Add cream.
Simmer 'til thickened.

Pat scallops dry.
Sprinkle with a little sea salt.
Give the scallops a massage with the powder or paste.
Pan fry in butter, 5 minutes a side.
 

Serve on leeks with a side of rice.
Serves 2; just.  Increase portions accordingly.
Great smell in the kitchen and very tasty. Putting it into steady rotation.

Homage to Cakers-Discovering the Inner Caker

For Sale:  disguise; used once to purchase Cheez Whiz, Campbell's soup and Dream Whip topping.

This past September holiday Monday, I was introduced to the Caker Blog by Brian Francis. Francis is a writer by trade (I recommend Fruit) and collector of cookbooks-Caker cookbooks.  I have had the pleasure of listening to Francis talk about his day job previously on CBC  but, never on food. He blogs on Caker cooking at the following link:

http://www.cakercooking.com/

Thoroughly enjoyed the October 15th post.  Check it out. 

Francis shared his enthusiasm for Caker cookbooks with Ms. Rogers and The Next Chapter audience. We’ve heard the term Food Porn used many times with respect to the glossy publications available on the open market.  Francis’ collection comes from church socials, school fundraising ventures and community initiatives.  They are often plain and spiral bound with few photos or illustrations.

Self identifying as a Caker-some useful tips.  If you answer yes to the following questions, then you may be a Caker.

Do you have a jar of Cheez Whiz by the toaster? Do you stockpile commercially prepared tomato sauce? Is your whipped cream stored in the freezer or does it come from a pouch?  Do you often combine a vegetable, chicken, rice & Campbell’s Soup in a casserole dish?

(please click on the FAQ section of Francis' blog for more on Caker id)

Emphasis on convenience food.  Hailing from the British cooking tradition of the chip butty, I understand the appeal of Caker food. (However, I will say that the UK is no longer the culinary nightmare it once was.)

I was reminded of a Caker cookbook lurking on the family shelf.  Cooking Secrets from the West Flamboro Presbyterian Church. 

 

 

Went rummaging for it this past Thanksgiving weekend.  The usual suspects-casseroles and squares.  Tinned soup and Dream Whip figuring prominently.

Selected Broccoli & Rice Casserole and Green Cake and I offer them up to the Caker World. I must say I felt very self conscious at the checkout with my Dream Whip, Cheez Whiz and Ritz crackers in hand. 

Broccoli Casserole (Submitted by Dorothy Hanes)

Saute  2 pkg frozen broccoli or 1 fresh head.

Cook  1- 12 oz pkg long grain or wild rice mix.

Combine ½ lb jar Cheese Whiz and 2 cans mushroom soup.

Mix everything together and pour into buttered casserole dish.

Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over mixture (breadcrumb notes a bit vague here; go with your instincts).

Bake 350 C  for 1 hour.  (Option to add diced chicken or tuna)

I give you my casserole...

 



 

Francis spoke of the challenges in maintaining his blog given the nature of the finished
product. It is very often colourless and formless (as above) and sometimes the taste is a bit suspect.

Would definitely flesh it out with the chicken.  It needs something to cut the strength of all that soup concentrate and Cheez Whiz!  Thank goodness for the broccoli and brown rice.  Almost have to add a starch side. 

(Editor's note:  it aged well; mellowed out after 24 hrs courtesy of the microwave and the chicken breast)

Green Cake (Submitted by Jean Betzner)

[I think cake is a misnomer here]

Layer 1

1 CUP Ritz cracker crumbs, ½ CUP shredded coconut and ¼ CUP melted butter.  Press into 8x8 pan.

Layer 2

Combine 4 oz cream cheese, ¼CUP icing sugar, 1 half of prepared envelope of Dream Whip

Layer 3

1 pkg pistachio pudding mix and 1 ¼ CUP milk. Spread over crumb base.

Cover with remaining Dream Whip.

 

The publication of these recipes is not meant to poke fun at anyone (except perhaps my efforts); it is simply the nature of the cookbooks and their reflection on the culture at the time. Enjoy!

Must re-christen Green Cake.  Any suggestions?