Vanilla Pear Jam

When I came across this recipe...(well, to be honest I was hungry) I wished that I had pears and energy and I would have been in the kitchen never-minding that it was 10:30 pm. Since I did not have pears I was off to the Farmer's Market the very next day, where I bought some lovely green D'Anjou pears. Unfortunately they were green as regards both colour and ripeness - so I had to have another lesson in delayed gratification wait for six long days to make and then taste this jam. This is a small-batch recipe (making 8 half-pint jars) so it is not a huge investment in time. The dividends are pretty fantastic though.

We have tried this with a nice sharp cheese on flatbread. Then with almond butter on celery. Of course on toast. But most deliciously drizzled (generously) over some nice thick Greek yogurt and topped with chopped dark chocolate. I am pretty sure I heard angels singing.

Vanilla Pear Jam

(from Food in Jars with a very little tweak)

8 cups chopped pears* (no need to peel)

2 vanilla beans, split and scraped

4 cups sugar

1 package pectin crystals

In a large, heavy pot combine chopped pears, sugar and vanilla beans. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the sugar melts and the fruit can be easily mashed with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove the vanilla bean pods and use an immersion blender to make a fairly smooth sauce.

Stir in the pectin and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Boil for five minutes. Remove from heat.

Fill hot, sterilized jars. Wipe rims to be sure they are clean. Apply lids (that have been simmering in water while you are cooking your jam) and screw on rims. Process jars in a hot water canner for 10 minutes (that is boil for 10 minutes). Remove jars from canner and place on a towel -lined counter to cool. When they are completely cool (after a couple of hours), the lids should be sealed. You can check the seal by pushing down on the center of the lid - if it is sealed it will be slightly concave and solid feeling.

Makes 8 half-pint (or 250 ml) jars.

*I used mostly green D'Anjou with a couple of Red D'Anjou pears (just because I liked the way the red ones looked at the market and I thought that perhaps the red skins might warm up the colour of the jam a bit) but any smooth-skinned pears should work equally well.

I have already given away half of what I made (to carefully selected and especially well-loved people) and promised one of the remaining jars to Jonathon. Hmmmmm, probably need to add pears to the list for the Farmer's Market run tomorrow!

A Little Hat

If I could leave well-enough alone, this little hat would have been about as close to instant gratification as I am likely to get....a least as far as knitting goes when I am the knitter. But I got worried about size when I was almost finished the first time - pulled it almost all out, wound the wool up and got to work again. The second time, I didn't count carefully enough and the decreases were not working out the way they should have - undone again. But like they say, third time's the charm (that and I was getting a bit fed up with the project). So, if not for all that, it would have taken just a short afternoon to make this little hat for Ysa. As it was it only took one afternoon and an evening. Now there is a hat to match the sweater. Cute to be sure but could anything begin to match the perfection of this face? How I love her.

In the unlikely event that you haven't seen the perfectly beautiful pictures Eden took of Ysa in her sweater and bonnet do go take a look. Sigh.

Sunshine

Today is one of those days that feel like winter will never end. It is not especially cold (unlike Friday -30 C!!!!!) at -4 degrees but it is grey. The streets are ugly from the salt and gravel. My vegetable garden is under three feet of snow and it looks like no zucchini would dream of growing there ... ever. My head aches and my heart is heavy, arghhhh! I want to wake up to new life, green, growing,sunshine. Since I am pretty sure that reality is many sleeps away, and I am not one to wallow (at least not for very long) I think what the doctor ordered is a trip to the grocery store where one can purchase a bit of summer for the price of a couple of zucchini and two lemons. Don't believe me? You might after trying this cake. I am pretty sure actually, that you will. 

This cake is soooooo good. The brown sugar adds warmth and is a nice foil for the brightness of the lemon. The chia seed was my substitution for poppyseed and I think it is a much better choice. If you haven't tried chia (or Salba a trademark name) it is worth the trip to get. You will most likely need to go to a whole foods type of market but may be lucky enough to find it in the health food section of your supermarket. It is super duper good for you and the tiny seeds add a perfect little crunch. mmmmmmmmmm.

Lemon Zucchini Cake

adapted from cinnamon, spice, and warm apple pie

finely grated peel of 2 lemons

1/3 cup milk

1 cup unsalted butter

1 1/3 cup golden brown sugar

4 large eggs, separated

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup ground almonds

3 Tbsp chia seed

2 medium zucchini, coarsely grated

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

 for the icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp finely grated lemon peel

2-3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Butter and baseline with parchment paper a 9" springform pan. Heat the milk until hot but not boiling. Add the lemon peel and let cool while you make the rest of the cake batter.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt, ground almonds and chia seed. Add the milk and lemon peel mixture and the zucchini. In a separate grease-free bowl beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff, then fold into the other combined ingredients. Scrape into the prepared pan and level the surface.

Bake in 375 F oven for 50-60 minutes, until just firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool completely.

When cool, mix together powdered sugar, melted butter and lemon peel. Add sufficient lemon juice to make a spreadable icing. Spread over cake top.

And look! The sun is weakly trying shine for me - just since I sat down here.  A little reminder and a bit of hope. Spring will come. I feel better already.

The Nursery at Merin's House - Before and After

Before (obviously during demolition - the previous glory of the room was, sadly, not recorded)

Before there was a pregnancy this room was "the baby's room".  Every choice, from paint to pictures, was made with joy and anticipation. It was a huge pleasure and privilege to help Merin prepare this space for  her very much desired baby. Before Ysa's birth, we were not aware of  her gender. That meant all the choices were made so that either "color" of baby - pink or blue - would be comfortable here; we would just tweak things by adding vintage metal trucks or tutus and bows after the big reveal.  Merin wanted a room that would be a reflection of not only her taste and style but also comfort and love. The budget was tiny but that just makes the challenge a lot more fun. 

When the house was purchased there was clean but worn broadloom covering the oak flooring. We stripped off two layers of wallpaper and found evidence of two previous paint colors under that! There was an unattractive home-made* looking desk mounted (most unfortunately) very securely to the wall. This room was ever so tired and dark. So off with the wallpaper, out with the carpeting, and on with the fun.

We chose a very soft, warm grey for the walls. The floors were refinished a dark nutmeg color (as throughout the house) and Jonathon contributed the sheepskin rug that I had pieced together for him (by hand! ) from individual sheepskins several years ago. On a trip to the flea market we found the super-fantastic vintage rocking horse and knew it was meant for this baby's room - the original blue paint was perfect. I had made the linen drapes for our apartment in Tokyo and when they were spiffed up by adding a wide band of striped yellow, grey and black fabric to the bottom they were perfect here as well. 

The pictures are actually vintage children's books from the 1950's. The format is the same as a comic book and the illustrations were so delightful that we wanted to use them as art. Off to Ikea for Ribba frames, down to my stash for some great textured paper from Korea (the paper looks like matelasse - with a lovely 3D texture - perfect again!), a little measuring and cutting and our masterpieces were done. 

Merin's teddy bear collection was retrieved from the wooden box of her childhood treasures - saved for this very time. (The flowered bear in the crate was made from a curtain that hung in Merin's great-grandmother's home and wears a collar made of a hand-crocheted doily that the same grandmother made, the little white bear on the shelf was made by her Aunt Shan.) Jonathon was recruited to do the design for the vinyl lettering on the roller blind and the wall above the dressers. A little more primping and....Ta da! Finito!

A lovely little room to welcome a sweet baby in this happy home. Not long used but Merin loved it and loved every moment of preparing it for Ysa. Happily, Ysa still sleeps in the same crib, with the same quilts her momma made, surrounded by the same nursery rhyme quotes, framed books and teddy bears. Just in a different house. But still a happy home - filled and overflowing with love. Sweet, lucky baby.

photos courtesy of eden lang pictures with the exception of the 4th (obviously iPhone pic) Thanks once again Eden!

* I am not opposed in any way to DIY - I just prefer things to look hand-crafted rather than home-made! Big difference.

J'adore Theodore

Theo is as tough as a tank - his preferred route is direct rather than easy. He loves animals - his current favorite is a lion and he roars whenever he finds a picture or a toy lion. Busy, busy, busy, and mostly on the run, his mission is to explore every nook and cranny. He is tender and sweet with baby Ysa (with whom he shares a special bond). He loves Bapa and is even pretty fond of me. He prefers to eat very little other than dried cranberries and bananas. He can snuffle like a bunny, "gap" like a fish, and pant like a puppy.  He says only a few words and one of them is "Ys" (eeeees - for Ysa). He likes to sit on my lap and "read" books with me - especially one about Noah's Ark (lots of animals to point out and make sounds for). He loves to forage in my pantry. He is solid and strong and sweeter than sweet. His smile is like the sun and I even find his total despair when something offends him adorable. I am totally, totally, his slave.

16 months

Gabby Draws

Gabrielle Letourneau is a young woman of incredible talent and intelligence. She is the rare combination of artistic and creative ability and a really sharp mathematical mind - the whole right brain/left brain thing in balance and really heavy on both sides at that! She is also my niece so I am lucky to have a piece of her work in my home (the chair - a story for another day). I have watched her skill develop as she has grown and I am truly in awe. In an extended family that is pretty loaded with creative ability she really stands out. 


This last Christmas I commissioned  her to do a sketch of the wedding dress that I designed and made for Eden, as my gift to Eden. In the end it was much more than a sketch, it is a beautiful pencil drawing with intricate detail, a special piece of art that both Eden and I love. 

The drawing is large (27x40 inches) and done on vellum. It is cool and fantastic, just like Eden - and Gabby!

This reproduction drawing of the Degas dancers was a birthday gift that Gabby did for Merin's 18th birthday. Merin loved it and hung it on the gallery wall in the living room of the lovely little home she shared with Mike.

Thanks Gabby. 

Sunday Suppers and an Orange Cake

Sunday supper - doesn't it just sound  lovely?  Because I love our family's tradition of Sunday get-together suppers, those two words conjure memories of wonderful, warm, happy times with the people I love most. Some Sundays it is just a few that can gather, other weeks more and still best (but rare) we are all together. The little ones running around, strewing books and toys, playing make believe and 'helping' with the baking. Adults talking - relaxed - in cozy couches, holding a baby or toddler...or not. The warm smells of delicious food. The secure feeling of unity and understanding - sharing. Belonging.


This past Sunday my sister Shannon and her daughter Gabby joined the gang here. Because Shan cannot indulge in any dairy or gluten tainted goodies I ventured out into the new (for me) territory of baking with alternatives. And guess what? It was not just mildly successful but crazy good. It has a nice light - but still very moist - texture, the most heavenly aroma, and is such a pretty orange color. I would make it again even if Shan was no where around .... but then again, hopefully she might come more often!

Glazed Orange and Coconut Pudding Cake
very slightly adapted from Cannelle et Vanille 


makes one 8" cake


4 medium Seville oranges
3 eggs
1 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond meal
3 Tbsp tapioca flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda


Prepare an 8" springform pan by buttering the sides and bottom of the pan and covering the bottom with parchment paper. 


Cover whole oranges (yup, peels and all) with water in a medium pot and cook, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. They float so you will need to (try) to turn them over from time to time so as to make the whole orange tender. Drain the water and place the oranges in a large bowl. When they are cool enough to handle, split them open and remove the seeds. Put the juice, flesh and peel in a food processor and puree to a fine paste.


Put 1 cup of the puree in a bowl with the eggs, sugar, vanilla (seeds scraped from the vanilla bean) and melted coconut oil. Whisk to combine and then whisk in the dry ingredients. Put batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted  in center comes out clean.


Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove collar and let cool completely. Dust with icing sugar. Before serving pour glaze over individual portions.


Orange Glaze


1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice


Whisk together until smooth.