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I have a lot of stuff.

               I have a lot of stuff. The entire premise of this blog is about my collection of 400+ cookbooks. I have just about every type of chef knife, paring knife or kitchen gadget you can think of. That’s where I’m going to go with this. When it comes to kitchen items one could say that I’m a bit like a hoarder. I have three half-sized baking sheets, yet I have FOUR silicone mats for them as well as a box of parchment paper to be used to line them. I have a Kitchenaid stand mixer and various attachments, an Instant pot, a food processor, a stick blender, a manual pasta maker as well as manual meat grinder (you know the old hand crank style that you attach to the counter top?). I also have a marble mortar and pestle that weighs around three pounds. There are numerous cake pans, spring-form pans, loaf pans, and roasting pans. In my pantry I have just about every type of spice that you can name from allspice to zaatar. There are three types of saffron (American, Spanish, and Portuguese), three types a paprika (mild, hot, and smoked) and just about every type of salt under the sun (pink Himalayan, Fleur de sel, kosher, grey sea salt, black sea salt, and good old iodized table salt to name a few).

               When I go into a store (Winners/Homesense, The Bay, Superstore) I head to the kitchen section just to see what they might have. I might buy something, I might not. But I always go there just on the off chance that there is something I might need. I almost never go looking for a specific item, chances are I already have it.

Todays book is called ‘How to Cook Everything – The Basics by Mark Bittman 2012 published by John Wiley and sons. The book has a large beginning section that details everything you might need to cook everything. It has a section on the pantry and a list of the basic staples you need when starting out. There is also a list of the basic pieces of equipment you’ll need (pots, pans, knives). Going through both lists I have everything on them except for one small item – a 12” ruler. I never gave much thought to this, but I guess if you have some challenges as a novice cook as to how big your pie pan is you might need one.

 Most of the recipes in this book are easy enough for even the most inexperienced cook to do, hence the title.

As I searched the book for a recipe to showcase I kept coming back to this one. A lot of people have a problem cooking rice and yet it is one of the easiest grains to get perfect if you follow the method.

RICE PILAF

Makes 4 servings

Time: About 30 minutes, plus a little time to rest

Easy, fast, and reliable, pilaf has another bonus: Cooking it in advance (slightly) is not just possible but desirable.

2 to 4 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups rice, preferably basmati

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups stock

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

  1. Put 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in a large, deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the rice all at once, turn the heat down to medium, and stir until the rice is glossy, completely coated with butter or oil, and starting to color lightly, about 5 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper,

then turn the heat down to low and add the stock all at once. Stir once or twice, then cover the pan.

3. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat to the absolute minimum (if you have an electric stove, turn the heat off and let the pan sit on the burner) and let rest for another 15 to 30 minutes. Add the remaining butter or oil if you like and fluff with a fork. Taste and adjust the seasoning, fluff again, garnish, and serve.

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Family

I stated in an earlier post that my Mom taught me how to cook, but it wasn’t just her. My Grandmother, my Aunt Mary and pretty much any of my other aunts and cousins taught me what to do in the kitchen. Maybe I just gravitated there because that was where I felt the most comfortable. When my family had a Thanksgiving or Christmas family dinner there was always something for me to help with. Mashing the potatoes (my cousin Terry taught me about ricing potatoes to make them silky smooth), grating carrots for this orange jello salad my mom always made, making gravy for the turkey, or even just putting baked goods on trays (my cousin Dawn could bake and decorate cakes like nobody else) there was always something I helped with.

We were talking about things like this at work on Friday. When the kids were little Leanne and I tried to ensure that we all sat at the kitchen table for dinner. Sometimes it ended with an all-out battle to get the kids to eat. Nowadays families don’t eat together, and they certainly don’t cook. It’s easier to call Skip the Dishes, order in pizza or hit the drive-thru. Leanne and I still  try to sit together at the island in the kitchen where we will talk about our days and maybe plan what’s on the agenda for tomorrow.

               I lost both my grandmother and my aunt back in July. Grandma Mabel was 93, and Mary was 89 (90 on August 15). These two women had over 150 years of culinary experience between the two of them and while I can call myself a chef simply because I possess a Red Seal, I don’t think I can come close to the meals these two cooked for their families. I can’t ever recall a bad meal/dish either of them cooked. At Mary’s Celebration of Life on Saturday I was reminded of those family meals that we used to have. The comment that was made: no matter how many are expected for dinner, always plan for one more than that. We never ran out of food.

               Looking back, they both were known for something. With Mary it was her carrot cake (she gave me the recipe). The thing I remember the most about grandma was her gravy; dark brown and silky smooth.

I figured this time I would share a carrot cake recipe in honor of my Aunt Mary. This was the thing we always seemed to have whether it was for a birthday or a wedding. Hers was so good!

This recipe (not Mary’s unfortunately) comes from Bake With Anna Olson,2016 Random Penguin Random House Limited. Most of the recipes are fairly simple and straight forward. An accomplished baker will have no problem with any of these. Its printed right on the cover – “More than 125 simple, scrumptious and sensational recipes to make you a better baker”. Cookies, tarts, cakes and other pastries are all include in the bookand I haven’t found a recipe yet that I wouldn’t consider making at least once. What can I say; I like to bake!

 Ingredients

Carrot Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½  tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp salt

2 cups loosely packed, finely grated carrots

1 cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

¾ cup raisins or walnut pieces (optional)

Walnut halves for garnish (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ½ cup cream cheese at room temperature

4 cups icing sugar, sifted

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch     cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking     soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the     grated carrots. In a separate bowl, whisk both sugars, oil, vanilla and     eggs and add this to the carrot mixture, stirring until well blended. Stir     in the raisins or walnuts (if using) and scrape the batter into the     prepared cake pans dividing equally. Bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes,     until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool     the cakes for 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out to cool completely.

For the frosting, beat the butter and     cream cheese for 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add the icing sugar and     vanilla and beat gently until the sugar is incorporated, then beat more     vigorously until the icing is fluffy.

Place one cake layer on a platter. Spread     a cupful of the frosting over the cake and top with the second cake layer.     Spread the remaining frosting on the top and side of the cake. Garnish the     edge of the cake with walnut halves, if you wish. Store the cake refrigerated.

The cake will keep for up to 4 days.

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Why so many cookbooks?

 When my cookbook collection started to number in the hundreds I was often asked: why do you need so many cookbooks? You can find anything you need on the internet. While this is true, I like the feel of a book. I like the fact that I can write notes on the corner of the page if I change something (I do this regularly) and the book is also relatively portable compared to my laptop and won’t break if I drop it on the hard tile floor in my kitchen.  

I really don’t know why I buy some books. I might like the chef (Michael Smith or Jamie Oliver), it might be the subject matter (bacon) or even just the picture on the cover. The book might be part of a series or the latest compilation from a TV show. I just like cookbooks.

This week’s cookbook is Professional Cooking by Wayne Gisslen 4th Edition 1999 John Wiley and Sons. This is/was the textbook we used when I went to SAIT for my apprenticeship training. This book has it all. From the basic techniques of how to peel a carrot, to how to make a beef stock, to the basics of a baking powder biscuit or how to roast a chicken. There are sections on butchery, baking, soups, and presentation.

The recipes in this book have been proven to work time and time again. When I need to or want to make Banana Bread the recipe in this book is the one I always use because it never fails.

 Banana Bread

Ingredients

pastry flour                         24 oz

sugar                                     10 oz

baking powder                  1 ¼ oz

baking soda                        1 tsp

salt                                         2 tsp

chopped walnuts              6 oz

eggs                                       10 oz (approx. 6)

mashed banana                24 oz (approx. 7)

canola oil                             1 cup

Method

Butter and flour two 9x5 loaf pans.

Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients. Add wet to dry and mix to combine.  Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.

Bake at 375F for about 50 minutes.

You can also fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips at the end after mixing the batter.

This also works for mini loaf pans that I use at work and makes 24.

Once you have everything prepped you can have banana bread ready to go in under an hour. At work I always try to have 6 or 7 bananas peeled and in the freezer. In this way the only real prep time is for the bananas to thaw which takes about an hour.

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How to Boil Water

  I was five or six when my mom started teaching me how to cook. I would stand on a chair beside her and do the little things. I would pour the pasta into the boiling water or add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough. Sometimes I would get to do the hard things like crack an egg or flip a piece of French toast in the frying pan. My mom wasn’t a chef or even a great home cook, but she provided meals for her family that were filling, tasty and nutritional. My brother and I didn’t lack for anything growing up and quite often we were spoiled rotten by some standards.

This brings me to my latest rant/blog post. I work at a Federal Institution for women offenders. Food services operates on a SGMP (small group meal plan) where the food is provided for groups of up to 10 inmates who are supposed to cook meals as a group. The issue is that quite a few of them have absolutely no idea how to cook. I have had some of these women come up to me and ask how to cook pasta because theirs is always mushy after 25 minutes.(???) Part of the issue is that they didn’t have mothers or older siblings that taught them how to cook simple meals. Growing up it was easier to go to McDonald’s than Safeway.

I wish there was a program in the institution where they could learn simple cooking methods, basic hand washing of dishes and meal planning so that when they are released McDonalds or KFC aren’t the first thing they think of when they get hungry. Someday……

When I was attending SAIT in Calgary I went to The Cookbook Store on 17th Ave S to buy a book I had heard about. How to Boil Water – a Bachelor’s Guide To Cooking At Home by Brian Kanee, 1977, Hurtig Publishers. The clerk in the store looked at me totally stunned that I would buy this book especially when she found out I was a 3rd year Chef’s apprentice. “Why on earth would you buy this book? You obviously know how to cook.” I bought the book more for its ideas on how to set up a home kitchen than its recipes. There are sections on pantry staples and basic utensils as well as basic menus and party planning. There is even a section on wine. If you’re just starting out this can be daunting for the person just moving out on his/her own for the first time.

Most of the recipes are not very complicated. In fact, most of the soups in the book simply involve opening a can and heating up the contents. That’s ok. For the extreme novice cook sometimes heating up a can of soup is a BIG win. The point is to avoid starving and learn to cook at home.

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Chicken Curry

  I cut my teeth as a cook back in Lethbridge, Alberta where I worked for several different restaurants. I worked at McDonalds, KFC and Dairy Queen in High school and University. I then progressed to working at the Northside Luigis Pizza and Steak House where I learned how to make pizzas, pasta, ribs and how to cook a pretty decent steak. After I got my Red Seal I bounced around a lot ending up working in hotels.  Not once however, in my 20 years of cooking did I work at a restaurant that served curry. It was always basic diner style.

               After Leanne and I got married and moved to Edmonton I was always trying different things to add some variety to the meals we fed our kids. A friend of mine took me to an East-Indian restaurant here in town and I had butter chicken for the very first time. What a revelation that was! Creamy, tomatoey, with just a hint of spice. The restaurant also had a tandoor where they made Naan bread from scratch on the side of the 500+ degree oven. That was very cool. I then tried a premade butter chicken sauce available at the neighborhood grocery store. It was good but not quite the same. Since then I’ve tried butter chicken just about anywhere I’ve seen it on the menu, even on pizza. I just can’t get enough of the stuff.

               I’ve seen it made on numerous television shows, YouTube videos, and even Facebook promotional videos and pages. What I find funny is that the Dean of Indian cooking in Canada Vikram Vij cooks it at home but will not serve it in his restaurant. On page 166 of his book Vij’s at Home (Douglas & McIntyre 2010) it is the first line of the description of a Butter Chicken Schnitzel. “You will never see this recipe on one of our restaurant menus, but it is a regular indulgence at our house.”

               He has however served a Chicken Curry in his very first restaurant in Vancouver. This curry was actually made at home and the taken to the restaurant to serve because he didn’t have the proper licensing or ventilation to be able to cook and prepare onsite. He was determined to make his restaurant a success. Was it ever!

This recipe is found on page 92 of his book Vij’s - Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine, Douglas & McIntyre 2006.

 Vij Family’s Chicken Curry

Ingredients

1/2 cup canola oil

2 cups finely chopped onions

3 inch cinnamon stick

3 tbsp finely chopped garlic

2 tbsp chopped ginger

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

3 lbs chicken thighs, bone in

1 cup sour cream, stirred

2 cups water

1/2 cup chopped cilantro, including stems

Preparation

In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat for one minute. Add onions and cinnamon, and sauté for another four minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and cayenne. Cook this masala for 5 minutes, or until the oil separates from the masala.

Remove and discard skin from the chicken thighs. Wash thighs and add to the masala. Stir well and cook chicken thighs for 10 minutes, until the chicken looks cooked on the outside. Add sour cream and water and mix well. Increase the heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, while stirring two or three times until chicken is completely cooked. Poke the thighs with a knife. If the meat is still pink, cook for five more minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Cool curry for at least half an hour then transfer cooled chicken to a mixing bowl.

Wearing latex gloves, peel chicken meat off the bones. Discard bones and stir chicken back into the curry. Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it starts to boil lightly. Stir in cilantro.

To Serve: Divide curry evenly among six bowls. Serve with naan or rice.

 Because I don’t have a tandoor at home (who does?),  I buy my naan at Superstore or Safeway and simply heat it in the oven.

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Cheesecake 101

A long time ago my brother and I worked at a restaurant together that had a no-bake cheesecake on the menu. Allan was making  them three or four at a time at least twice a week. They were really good, but I never had to make them. Fast forward 10 years, I’m married, living in Edmonton, and I needed to bring a dessert for a church potluck. I decided to make a baked cheesecake. It worked!

I tried to turn it into a side business for a while and made cheesecakes for friends and family. I gave one to my dentist’s office just because they are great people. I even made close to 300 mini ones for a coworkers wedding, 24 at a time! The home business thing didn’t really work out, but I am still asked occasionally to make a cheesecake for a birthday. I even made a mango cheesecake for Laurier Baptist Church’s first ever Iron Chef competiton (I finished fifth).

Allan got married on the Thanksgiving weekend a while back and for dessert I made two kinds. A basic New York cheesecake with berries and a pumpkin version with bourbon whipped cream. They were such a hit that his mother-in-law couldn’t quit talking about how good they were. He seemed a bit pissed because of how many he made over the years at Luigi’s.

Over the last 15 years I’ve made about twenty different kinds of cheesecake: Mango, Skor-Cappuccino, Carrot cake, Black-out Brownie, Key-Lime, Pina-Colada, etc. I don’t even need a recipe any more, I just make a basic filling and flavor it how I want to and vary up the crust (graham crackers, Oreos, ginger snaps, brownie, carrot cake, etc.).

Over the years I’ve been making a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving or Christmas instead of a traditional pumpkin pie. Don’t know why but my kids seem to prefer it. The best recipe I’ve found is in The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook, Random House Publishers 2016, pg. 772. The recipe calls for drying your puree and using a water bath, but I’ve never done this and mine seems to turn out fine. It also calls for a 9-inch springform pan but you can use a 10-inch pan and it will be fine if not as thick

                         Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust

5              ounces graham crackers (9 whole crackers), broken into large pieces

3              tablespoons granulated sugar

½             teaspoon ground ginger

½             teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼             teaspoon ground cloves

6              tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1 ⅓         cups granulated sugar (9 1/3 ounces)

1              teaspoon ground cinnamon

½             teaspoon ground ginger

¼             teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼             teaspoon ground cloves

¼             teaspoon allspice

½             teaspoon table salt

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

1 ½         pounds cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks and left to soften at room temperature, about 30 minutes

1              tablespoon vanilla extract

1              tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon

5              large eggs, left at room temperature, about 30 minutes

1              cup heavy cream

  INSTRUCTIONS

SERVES 12 TO 16

 1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Pulse crackers, sugar, and spices in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened. Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using hand, spread crumbs into even layer. Using flat-bottomed ramekin or drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom, then use a soup spoon to press and smooth crumbs into edges of pan. Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.

 2. FOR THE FILLING: Bring about 4 quarts water to simmer in stockpot. Whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside. To dry pumpkin (see illustrations below): Line baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Spread pumpkin on paper towels in roughly even layer. Cover pumpkin with second triple layer of paper towels and press firmly until paper towels are saturated. Peel back top layer of towels and discard. Grasp bottom towels and fold pumpkin in half; peel back towels. Repeat and flip pumpkin onto baking sheet; discard towel.

 3. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat cream cheese at medium speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula. Add about one third of sugar mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl and add remaining sugar in two additions, scraping bowl after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat at medium speed until combined, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add 3 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 1 minute; scrape bowl. Add remaining 2 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds. Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand.

 4. Set springform pan with cooled crust on 18-inch-square doubled layer heavy-duty foil and wrap bottom and sides with foil; set wrapped springform pan in roasting pan. Pour filling into springform pan and smooth surface; set roasting pan in oven and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly when pan is shaken, and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 hours (see note). Set roasting pan on wire rack and use paring knife to loosen cake from sides of pan. Cool until water is just warm, about 45 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath, discard foil, and set on wire rack; continue to cool until barely warm, about 3 hours. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

 5. TO SERVE: Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

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Bacon

This is a sign in my office at home. Its only 4 inches square but it sums up how I feel about bacon.

This is another sign in my office. Note the second last line.

I love bacon and tend to try to add it to almost everything I cook; at least to things that I cook for just me. Meals for Leanne and I tend to be a bit less ‘bacony’. Going through my books has shown me that outside of maybe four of them that bacon is treated as a condiment rather than the star. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ok with that. But in the context of this blog I wanted a post that shows why I love it so much.

When my daughter Stephanie got married we went to a restaurant here in Edmonton called Pampa Brazilian Steak House. They serve meat on skewers tableside and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. They do these bacon-wrapped chicken thighs that were amazing! If you get a chance, go there! So, I did what any chef worth his Red Seal would do. I made them at home. OMG! I’m going to make those again.

Over the years I kind of forced my kids to eat bacon as well. Fettucine Alfredo with bacon, perogies with bacon and onions, bacon cheese burgers, stuffed (or twice-baked) potatoes with bacon and green onions…you get the idea.

Five years ago, I worked at a casino in Maple Ridge, BC that had a tomato bacon marmalade that they served on one of their specialty burgers. It was so good! Then I found this version in one of Michael Smith’s cookbooks on page 104. This might be even better. The book is Back to Basics – 100 Simple Classic Recipes With A Twist, Penguin Books 2013.

 Bacon Whisky Jam

Ingredients

2 lbs thick sliced bacon, chopped

a big splash of water

8 onions chopped

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups water

2 cups whisky

1 tsp (or so) of red wine vinegar

1. Place your favorite saucepan over medium high heat. Toss in the bacon then pour in a big splash of water. Stir frequently with

a wooden spoon. As the water simmers the bacon will begin to cook. Then as the water evaporates the bacon will render,

releasing its fat. Lastly it will crisp as the fat left behind heats past the boiling point of water into the flavour

zone. Keep an eye on the pans heat, adjusting as needed, keeping the bacon sizzling but not burning. Stir and be patient, until the bacon is evenly

cooked, nicely browned but not particularly crisp, about 20 minutes.

2. Remove the bacon and strain off all but a quarter cup or so of the drippings. Pile in the onions and patiently brown over low heat

until they are soft and caramelized, about 30 minutes. Add the bacon back in, accompanied by the brown sugar and water.

Continue simmering until the water is absorbed and the mixture becomes thick and jam-like, about 20 minutes. Splash in the

whiskey, reserving an ounce or so for the finish, and cook until you get back to the jam consistency, about another 25 minutes.

Carefully transfer the mixture to the food processor, pulse it with the reserved whiskey and the vinegar, and you’ve got a smooth

batch of bacon heaven!

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Second post. Now what?

I finally got around to doing the first post in this so-called blog.  Now to figure out what book I should immerse myself in this time. I can go Asian-inspired and look at the numerous books I have on Indian, Thai, Chinese or Japanese cuisine.  There’s a bunch on Italian, a few about Mexican and one about Greek food. Should I delve into different areas of cooking?  I could go into the dozen or so vegetarian ones or even of the various gluten-free cookbooks I have (my wife Leanne is Celiac). I think this time its going to be something fun. Cookies!!!!

               I really like cookies. A long time ago I ate all my mother’s Christmas baking. She discovered this about December 20th and I got to spend the first couple days of my Christmas break baking. I made a lot of different types of cookies. Chocolate chip, shortbread, and peanut butter. I REALLY like peanut butter cookies. Funny thing though…Leanne is deathly allergic to peanuts – so is my cousin Terry and her daughter Melanie (my unofficial little sister). The one thing besides bacon I’m not sure I could ever completely remove from my diet could kill people in my life that I love dearly. What’s up with that?

Todays cookbook is The Pillsbury Complete Book of Baking published by the Pillsbury Company in 1993. This book covers almost every type of baking from cookies to pies to breads. If you’re looking for something to bake it’s probably in here. It has 80 pages dedicated to cookies alone. My kind of book!

               My favorite type of peanut butter cookie (other than my mom’s classic) is called a Peanut Blossom. Its sort of a peanut butter snickerdoodle topped with a chocolate kiss. They are so good!

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

½ cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Sugar

48 Hershey's® Kisses® Brand milk chocolates, unwrapped

Method

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortening, peanut butter, milk, vanilla and egg; mix with electric mixer on low speed until stiff dough forms.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375°F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with 1 milk chocolate candy, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge; remove from cookie sheets.

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Culinary heroes

Who are your heroes? Looking at my office its easy to see that Thor is one of mine. I have pictures and figurines everywhere. Who are my culinary heroes? That isn’t as easy. If you were to look carefully at my books you would see that Michael Smith and Julia Child are well represented but so is Emeril and Jamie Oliver.

The one guy that I might be class as my ‘hero’ is James Barber. He had a show on CBC from 1989 – 1999 called “The Urban Peasant” and numerous cookbooks.

James wasn’t a chef. He was a writer and food critic in Vancouver but he seemed to have a way with cooking that appealed to me. It wasn’t about meticulously following recipes. It was cooking with feeling and allowing the food to shine. Looking back he was the first guy to improvise with food. On his show he seemed to cook whatever he happened to have in the fridge and the pantry.

One of the first cookbooks I ever purchased was “James Barber – The Urban Peasant” . My copy is a 3rd edition printed in 1992. Its’s a simple 128 page paperback without any of todays glossy color photographs and detailed recipes. It’s just whimsical drawings of chickens, cows, pigs, etc. and stories that support the ingredient highlighted by the chapter in the book. I bought it for the outrageous (in 1992) price of $12.95 at Eaton’s in Lethbridge solely based on the fact that I liked the show.                        

To me his show was cool. You went over to his house for dinner and over the course of half an hour you and he talked about how to make the meal without any fuss and you learnt how while watching him cook. This book is the same thing. There are stories about his mother and the things she doesn’t use because they are too nice and others about why the Royal Family doesn’t eat garlic. Who puts these things in a cookbook? James does.

One of my favorite recipes in the book is for Bannock. In the chapter he writes about how there really isn’t a recipe and he doesn’t give a specific method to cook it (he gives 4 or 5).

               2 cups flour

               3-4 tbsp oil, butter or lard

               1 tsp baking powder

               2-3 good pinches of salt

               Water, milk, beer or apple juice to make a stiff dough

               Mix all ingredients together, pat it out about half an inch thick, then fry it, bake it (in medium/hot oven) or throw it on a barbecue that isn’t too hot

That’s it? In today’s world what kind of recipe is that? I want to know the temperature of the oven, exactly how much liquid and how long to cook it.

But that was James. In the chapter he writes about making the dough, taking balls of it and putting it on the ends of sticks and cooking over a campfire. Its about making the kids having fun even though some of the dough balls end up black (sort of like roasting marshmallows).

I have nine other cookbooks by him that will get covered in this blog but I’m going to start with this one. It was my first, It might as well be my first post.

[unicornchef64-blog]

400 + Cookbooks

I’m going to start cooking from the 400+ cookbooks that I’ve collected over the years. I figure if I do one recipe a week it will take just over eight years to finish all of them ( assuming I don’t buy anymore in that time - like that’s going to happen) . 

[unicornchef64-blog]

Food.

I'm trying to organize the 1000's of recipes I've collected over the years. Any suggestions?