Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Shots

jens Crandall House, Home Swede Home, Recipes, The Old Third bacon, butternut squash, cider, cream, ginger, soup 0 Comments

You might think this is very much a fall post. That is true. It would be a perfect fall post. Except it’s not. March has finally arrived and spring is just around the corner. The long winter months are over and we can start looking forward to seeing the the earth come to life again. In anticipation of the new season, with all that it will give us, I find celebrating what has kept us alive throughout fall and winter is a nice gesture. In the olden days root cellars were very popular. Before grocery stores became what they are today and before modern refrigeration, this was the way to survive. Everything that needed to stay cool was put down there. Potatoes and carrots, apples and onions, squash and pumpkins were stored along with preserved vegetables and fruits. Perhaps even a few bottles of wine. I really love the traditional Swedish root cellar. They were outside of the house, dug into the ground and covered with dirt so that they resembled a grassy mound with a small door. I would love to eventually build a one behind the house. I will tell you more about them in another post. So, this will be one of the last ‘winter posts’ for a while. These butternut squash and apple cider shots are a great amuse bouche or hors d’oeuvre for your next dinner party. I am using The Old Third Golden Russet Apple Cider of course.

1 butternut squash

1 medium onion

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

6-8 fresh thyme sprigs

fresh ginger, one 1″ piece

4 cloves of garlic

3 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cup dry apple cider

1/4 tsp nutmeg

salt & pepper

1/2 cup cream

1 package sliced bacon

Peel the butternut squash and cut into 1″ pieces, discarding the centre core. Peel and roughly chop the onion and ginger. In a frying pan heat up the butter and olive oil. Sauté the onion and ginger 2-3 minutes, then add the squash and garlic as well as the thyme sprigs. Sauté for another couple of minutes. Add the chicken stock, apple cider and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then simmer until squash is soft, 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon crisp, either in a heavy skillet, or on a baking sheet in a 450F oven. Let the bacon cool then crumble it together into small pieces. Put aside.

Remove the soup from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Pour into shot glasses just before serving.Decorate with the crumbled bacon. Makes 24-30 shots or 6 appetizer size servings.

Mise en Place

jens Crandall House, Home Swede Home, Recipes carrots, celery, leeks, mise, mise en place, redonnons, whitepepper 0 Comments

Countless were the times when I was wrapping up a dish and I’d take one last look at the recipe. Staring back at me was that one ingredient I failed to prepare. Julienned carrots, finely diced fennel or blanched pearl onions. Suddenly I was balancing between dropping that one item or, delaying the completion of the dish in order to correct my oversight. Countless were also the times I was in the middle of cooking when realizing that a vital ingredient to the dish I was making was nowhere to be found. I was certain I had had it at home. These scenarios might not always be crucial or end up a culinary disaster, however, they’re no fun.

I have watched cooking shows on TV for as long as I can remember. One thing that used to annoy me was how everything was always prepared ahead of time. All the ingredients were there, within arms reach. The vegetables were chopped and diced and placed on plates. Dry ingredients pre-measured and added into cute little bowls. How tidy. How ‘mise en place’. I remember thinking it was so ridiculous. I mean, who cooks like that? Slowly but surely I became accustomed to the idea. It’s clearly done to save time and to make sure not to miss any ingredients. One day I thought, let’s try this method and see how well it works. And so I did. I brought all the ingredients out on the counter. I prepared all the vegetables and herbs according to the recipe. I chopped, sliced, diced and minced. I put everything in bowls and on plates. I measured and I weighed. Then I started cooking.

If you haven’t yet, you really should try it. Not only does it eliminate the chance of missing an ingredient, but it also slims the chance of forgetting to prepare that one ingredient, should it require julienning, dicing, or blanching. At the same time it encourages you to read through the recipe before starting, something you should always be doing no matter what you are planning on making.

Today, years later, the ‘mise’ is my best friend. There will be a few extra bowls and plates to wash up when finished, but it certainly makes cooking so much easier and much more enjoyable.

Rustic Oven Baked Pancake

jens Crandall House, Home Swede Home, Recipes bacon, cream, eggs, maple syrup, pancake 0 Comments

Brunch. I love that word. For me it’s tied with fun times with friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Almost festive. This Swedish oven baked pancake is a wonderful option next time you have friends staying for the weekend. Traditionally chunks of bacon are added to the batter before baking, although I prefer it without. The reason being has nothing to do with taste or flavour. Serving it plain gives you the opportunity to consume it savoury or sweet. A side of fried bacon or sausages drizzled with maple syrup is a mouth watering salty option. Whipped cream and strawberry or blueberry jam with a dusting of icing sugar is ideal for the sweet tooth. It’s easy to make and its moon landscape surface is sure to make a longer lasting impression than the more common flat pancake.

3 cups milk

1 1/3 cups flour

5 eggs

pinch of salt and sugar.

Butter

Pre-heat the oven to 425F.

In a large bowl, sift the flour into the milk and whisk together until a smooth mixture forms.

Add the eggs, salt and sugar and keep whisking until well blended.

Pour into a buttered 11”X17” baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes or until browned and bubbles have formed. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Dream Squares

jens Crandall House, Home Swede Home, Recipes butter, cake, drömtårta, eggs, fluor 0 Comments

Drömtårta, or Dream Cake is a real classic at the Swedish coffee table. Did you know that traditionally, Fika, the Swedish word for coffee with dip, includes seven different kinds of cookies? More about that in another post. Drömtårta is often made sure to make an appearance as one of the seven. This was one of my favourites growing up. Traditionally it is served in a rolled-up version, just like the Budapest Roll in an earlier post, then cut into 1″ pieces. Today I decided to turn it into bite size squares for a change. A very decadent, hint of vanilla filling, wrapped in a fluffy subtle chocolate cake. It is as good with a glass of milk as with a nice hot cup of java. Your choice. This recipe calls for all purpose flour but feel free to substitute it with potato flour for a gluten-free version. It works just as well.

Cake:

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp cacao

1 tsp baking powder

Filling:

100g butter, room temperature

2/3 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Preheat oven to 480F.

With a blender, whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flour, cacao and baking powder into a bowl then slowly, while whisking on medium-low speed add to the egg mixture. Blend well but make sure not to over beat the batter.

Line a 11″x17″ baking sheet with parchment paper then pour batter.

Bake in the middle of the oven for about 5 min, or until cake is set.

On a rack, place another sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle with sugar and flip the cake on top of the sugared paper. Carefully peel off the parchment paper from the cake. Let cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together the ingredients for the filling. Spread evenly over the cooled cake. Cut the cake in half, crosswise, then flip on side over the other – filling agains filling. Cut into bite size squares. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Vegetarian Lasagna

jens Crandall House, Home Swede Home, Recipes garlic, lasagna, pasta, sage, spinach, tomatoes, vegetarian 0 Comments

A few nights ago we had some friends over for dinner. One of the guests was a vegetarian and the other ones loves meat. It was a pretty cold and chilly night, so I thought lasagna would be lovely. To please everyone around the table I decided to split things up. Instead of your traditional meat lasagna, I made this vegetarian version filled with mushrooms, spinach, ginger and nutmeg. For the meat lovers I slow cooked a beautiful prime rib in red wine, beef stock, a couple of chopped onions and carrots along with a few bay leaves. The lasagna itself however, is filling enough and is perfect as a meal on its own.

Filling:

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp truffle oil

One medium size fennel

Fresh ginger, about a 2″ piece

4 cloves of garlic

15 sage leaves

200g shiitake mushrooms

200g crimini mushrooms

4 baby bok choy

350g fresh spinach

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1-2 tsp sambal oelek (hot chili paste)

pinch of tarragon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Salt & Pepper

Béchamel Sauce:

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

3 cups milk

White pepper

Salt

3 tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups grated gruyère cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Thinly slice the fennel and finely chop the ginger, garlic, sage leaves and mushrooms. Roughly chop the book choy. In a large cast iron pot, heat up the truffle oil until hot but not burning. Turn the heat down slightly and add the fennel and ginger. Sauté for a couple of minutes before adding the garlic sage and mushrooms. Sauté for another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bok choy to the pot along with the spinach and the rest of the ingredients. Make sure everything is well combined, and let it simmer until the liquid is almost gone. Turn the heat off and let cool.

Béchamel:

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium sized sauce pan. When melted, lower the temperature and start adding the flour. Whisk constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Cook the butter/flour for a couple of minutes, whisking non stop. Add the milk, a little bit at a time. Keep stirring! Raise the temperature back to medium. As the sauce thickens add more milk. The sauce is ready when coating the back of a spoon. Season with salt & pepper.

In a large oven proof dish, start putting the lasagna together. Coat the bottom of the dish with the béchamel, cover with sheets of pasta and sprinkle some of the vegetable filling on top. Drizzle béchamel over filling. Repeat layers twice. Place the sliced tomatoes on top of the third vegetable layer before putting down one last layer of pasta. Sprinkle the cheese. Cover with the rest of the béchamel sauce.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 45-60 min, or until golden brown and pasta is soft.

Happy Days Are Here Again

Bruno Prince Edward County, The Old Third 0 Comments

Image by: Johnny C Y Lam © www.johnnycylam.com

Image by: Johnny C Y Lam © www.johnnycylam.com

“Happy Days Are Here Again”. The tune penned by Ager and Yellen in 1930 is stuck in my head. Roosevelt and his Democratic party used it shamelessly as a campaign medley for many years, but mostly, it is remembered as a sort of theme song for the repeal of prohibition. The significance isn’t lost on me as I watch the bottles fill one by one with ruby coloured liquid. Pinot noir has not graced our cellar for some time. Not since the unusually warm spring of 2012 which woke our buds early. Too early. That April night, Mother Nature arrived with a decidedly wicked temperance bend and unleashed frost. Only barren vines remained in her wake.

At times I despised her. Hated her with every fibre of my being. I’d want to shake my fists at the sky above me and berate the unfairness and treachery of her actions. You bitch, I’d want to yell with all the strength and fury I could muster. Except, I wouldn’t. I shift uneasily. Generally, I try not to wish anyone harm. Although there have been some notable exceptions, in this case it is not some higher moral stratus in which I try to perch myself. I am not blithely turning my check. An undercurrent of unease washes over me. I smell something. An unmistakable odour. One I remember as a child when I thought a ghoul lived under my bed. Or the smell that could paralyze me while I waited for my school bus. The same bus that safely carried my neighbourhood bully towards me. Later in life, this odour came and went. The smell could linger around an office table as I waited for a job interview or while I stood in line at customs and immigration coming home from abroad. Yes, I recognize that smell. We never forget the smell of fear. I am not the superstitious type. Frankly, not even religious. Still, somehow, in these modern times, I fear her. I fear what she could do to me. What she could do to anyone. So, I do not think ill thoughts of her. No, Mother Nature is far too dangerous.

Today, I hum that tune. We have lots of bottles to fill with pinot noir. Friends have come to help us. Johnny tirelessly drives the corks into the bottle while Kate, his lovely fiancé, masters the bottle filler. With a deft hand she loads up the bottles while we all gossip and laugh. We desperately try to keep up with Kate’s speed and Johnny still finds time to photograph and capture the moment. Jens shoots me a smile. We are lucky to have friends. Lucky to have wine. Mother Nature was not vexed. Yes, happy days are here again.

Image by: Johnny C Y Lam © www.johnnycylam.com

Sweet Hot Buttered Rum

jens Crandall House, Home Swede Home, Recipes 0 Comments

I’m not a huge fan of winter. I love the snow. Hate the cold. There are many ways to stay warm. I might have tried them all. Sipping on beautifully fragrant tea with a spoonful of local honey while wrapped in a fluffy blanket is a favourite. This drink is another option for one of those cold winter days. It takes a while to make so start it early in the day. The scents from the pot will linger through the house and tease you with what is to come. As the suns last rays disappear over the horizon and darkness sets it’s time. Fill up your favourite mug with this sweet hot buttered rum, grab your book and cocoon yourself in the blanket. It will warm you up for sure!

8 cups water

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 pinch salt

2 cinnamon sticks

10-15 whole cloves

2 cups rum
Whipped Cream
Ground Nutmeg

Put all the ingredients except Rum, whipped cream and nutmeg in a large pot. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Cover and let simmer on very low heat for 3-4 hours. Top up with more water if need to.

Pour into cups or mugs. Add Rum (about 1/4 cup/serving). Top with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg.

Leftover base liquid (without the Rum and cream) will keep in the fridge for a few days. Take out and re-heat as needed.

Crandall House….Closing Day

jens Crandall House, Home Swede Home 0 Comments

Excitement and a sense of pride goes hand in hand when buying a house. A marvel that this is yours. The beginning of something new. A blank canvas for you to put your stamp on. For most people. In our case, purchasing Crandall House, not so much of the above. Really, you say? Here’s the thing. We never planned on buying a house. We weren’t even looking at properties. Crandall House sits right across the road from our heritage barn that now houses the winery and tasting room here at The Old Third. Originally part of the same property, this dilapidated 19th century remnant of a once proud greek revival home was severed off in the 1960’s. Although occupied, it was in desperate need of TLC. We stressed over who might buy it and worried about the curb appeal of our piece of heaven.

Starting a vineyard and winery from scratch is plenty of work for two people. How about adding a full fledged renovation of an old farm house? Years of hard work followed. Many were the times when lighting a match or renting a bulldozer came to mind, but persistence succeeded in the end. Today I am very thrilled that we have brought Crandall House back to life. She now sits proud.

Please enjoy this collage of photos from Crandall House – Closing Day. With many more stories and pictures to come.

Budapest Roll

jens Crandall House, Home Swede Home, Recipes cake, cream, eggs, meringue 0 Comments

I was quite spoiled growing up. Having a stay at home mom who baked and cooked everything from scratch had its perks. I’m sure I wasn’t always appreciative about it though. I mean, why couldn’t we have tasteless store bought loaves of bread like most of my friends? I do now, however, look back at it all with very fond memories and a lot of gratitude. Breads, cookies, cakes and jams as well as all kinds of food. One of my all time favourites and a real treat was “Budapestrulle”. A melt-in-your-mouth meringue and hazelnut roll with whipped cream and mandarins. Originally created by Swedish pastry chef Ingvar Strid in the 1950’s. It has, surprisingly, no resemblance to Hungary’s capital Budapest. It is quite easy to make although you might need to take a deep breath before rolling it up. I guarantee you will love it. In this recipe I have substituted the hazelnuts with almonds which works just as well.

6 egg whites

1 1/3 cup sugar

150g ground almonds

1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 1/2 cup whipping cream

2 cans mandarin oranges

Dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Slowly add the sugar while beating the egg whites on low speed. With the use of a spatula, carefully fold in the ground almonds and vanilla with the egg whites. Spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 min, or until set. You can check by poking it with a toothpick. If it comes out dry, it’s ready. Move meringue and parchment paper to a drying rack and let cool completely. While meringue is cooling, drain the mandarin slices. They need to be fairly dry before being put on the cake.

Flip the cake upside down onto a new sheet of parchment paper. Carefully peel off the parchment paper (brush it with warm water if it doesn’t loosen). Spread the whipped cream over the bottom of the cake. Place the mandarin slices evenly on top of the cream.

Now comes the tricky part. The rolling. Don’t panic if it cracks or start to break. Place the long side of the cake in front of you and start rolling it. Don’t press too hard (you’ll end with an empty roll of meringue and a pile of whipped cream and mandarines in front of it if you do.) I find using the parchment paper helps the rolling ones you get started (hold on to the paper rather then the cake). Remember not to press too hard. Once rolled up make sure the edge of the roll is facing down.

Melt the chocolate and drizzle on top. A dusting of icing sugar is pretty as well. Cut diagonally in a zig-zag pattern so that you end up with triangular pieces.

Orecchiette with Pork and Fresh Vegetables

jens Crandall House, Home Swede Home, Recipes celery, creme fraiche, green onion, pasta, radish 0 Comments

I adore pasta. Perhaps I was Italian in a previous life? Who knows. Something I would bring to a deserted island? Definitely. It’s convenient. Something to fall back on when peeling a pot of potatoes seem like an enormous task. It comes in a large varietal of shapes and forms. I have my favourites of course. Orecchiette is being one of them. Bruno gets his fair share of pasta when I’m cooking although he is not as fond of it as I am. Don’t take me wrong, he likes it. I love it. In this recipe I use ground pork rather than ground beef. The more subtle flavours of the pork allows the other ingredients to pop. A great dish whether it’s snowing or sweltering outside. It goes amazingly well with our Golden Russet Apple Cider!

2 stalks celery

3 shallots

3 green onions

2 radishes

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1000g ground pork

4 tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 cup creme fraiche

2 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste)

Ground pepper

500g pasta of your choice

Finely chop the vegetables and put aside.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil for the pasta.

In a frying pan, heat up the butter and olive oil. Fry the ground pork on medium heat until cooked. Add the soya and Worcestershire sauce along with the vinegar. Let simmer until liquid is reduced by half.

In the meantime cook the pasta until Al Dente. Drain.

Add the creme fraiche and sambal oelek along with some ground pepper to the pork and stir well. Toss with pasta, or serve separate. Sprinkle celery, radishes and green onions on top. Serves 4.

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