cherries + tacos

Over the weekend my friend Adam and I drove to Sun Valley Farms in Winona to pick the season's first cherries. I'd heard that cherries weren't going to be that great this year due to too much rain, but these were fantastic. They weren't as plump as in previous years, but they were sweet and weren't mushy.

On the way back to the city, we had some great authentic Mexican food in Hamilton at Mex-I-Can. I've been craving tacos like mad this summer and these were fresh and flavourful. 

* Mexican Coke (tastes so much better) + guacamole

* carnitas tacos (top) + chorizo tacos (bottom)

* Sun Valley Farms

1186 Highway 8

Winona, ON.

* Mex-I-Can

107 James St. North

Hamilton, ON.

b.a.h. mag #3

Issue #3 of b.a.h. is out. Here are some behind-the-scenes images from a day of shooting. A lot of work goes into each issue, but it's also a lot of fun.

rhubarb vanilla bean jam

I usually try to limit myself to making only one kind of jam per year (I mean, how much jam can two people really eat in 12 months?). Last year it was blueberry and this year it was rhubarb. To make the jam a bit more aromatic and flavourful, I added a vanilla bean to the mix.

1.5 lbs rhubarb, washed & chopped
1/4 C water 
1.5 lbs sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1 package liquid pectin
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped of seeds

1. Place rhubarb and water into a large pot. Bring to a boil, then add the sugar, vanilla bean pod and seeds, and lemon juice. Boil for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft.

2. Add the pectin and continue to boil for 10 minutes. Remove vanilla bean pod.

3. Ladle into sterilized jars*, wipe the rims and screw on lids. Process the jars for 10 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Remove and allow to cool completely before storing in a cool, dark place.

makes enough to fill four 250 ml jars

* I sterilize my mason jars and lids by placing them in a large pot of boiling water for 15-20 minutes.  

great food series

Recently, I've started reading Penguin's Great Food Series. A tribute to some of the most influential food writers of all time, the series spans the last 400 years and celebrates everything from recipes and entertaining to etiquette and social issues. I only have six of the 20 books, but am excited to add the rest to my ever-growing book collection. So far, I've found each volume to be relevant, amusing and most of all, inspiring. Also, take a look at those covers! They're a thing of beauty.

* images from Penguin

strawberry oreo ice cream

With all those strawberries I picked, I decided to bust out the ice cream maker. This cookie-studded, berry-laced ice cream is a copy cat of the Dairy Queen Strawberry Golden Oreo blizzard. A nice treat on a hot afternoon.

1 1/2 C sliced strawberries
3 tbsp sugar
juice of half a lemon
8 Golden Oreos, broken into chunks

ice cream  base:
6 egg yolks
3 C whipping cream
2/3 C sugar
half of a vanilla bean, scraped of seeds
pinch of salt

1. Mix berries, sugar and lemon juice. Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour. Drain juices.

2. Combine 2 cups of the cream, sugar and pinch of salt in a pot and heat until warm and sugar has dissolved. Take off of the heat and add vanilla bean pod and seeds. Cover and let sit off of the heat for 30 minutes.

3. Place remaining 1 cup of cream in a bowl with a mesh strainer over top. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly add the warm cream mixture, whisking constantly so that the yolks don't cook. After all of the cream mixture has been added, place the mixture back into the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

4. Pour the mixture through the strainer into the remaining cream. Mix to combine. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the mixture to avoid a skin from forming. Chill until completely cold or overnight. Churn in an ice cream maker for about 30 minutes or until it looks like soft serve. Stir in strawberries and cookies. Place in a container and let the ice cream firm up in the freezer.

good pickins

Over the long weekend Joe and I went to Barrie Hill Farms to pick strawberries. I've bought several pints of Ontario strawberries over the last few weeks and they were all disappointing, so I was skeptical that the berries would be any good. Surprisingly, they were sweet and juicy! Maybe it was because we picked each one carefully. Or maybe it was because it was extra sunny out that day. Regardless, we picked over 10 pounds and have been enjoying them ever since.

While also grabbed some fresh sweet peas. They were like eating candy. 

Next up for picking: cherries, blueberries and peaches. Can't wait.

* Barrie Hill Farms

2935 Barrie Hill Rd.

Barrie, ON.

a lovely brunch

Arounna had such a nice birthday brunch last weekend. I especially appreciated the three kinds of bacon and crispy (yet fluffy) waffles that John made.

cherry turnovers

I had some leftover pie dough sitting in my fridge so I whipped up these cherry turnovers as a little treat.

The filling is just a mixture of chopped fresh cherries, a couple of tablespoons of sugar and a tablespoon or so of cornstarch. Easy!

backyard korean bbq

Seema and I both love Korean bbq, so we decided to have one in her backyard. 

* side dishes: both Korean & Japanese 

* Seema made 3 types of gyoza using ingredients from her garden

When it came to meats, Seema made chicken yakitori and I brought samgyupsal (sliced pork belly)and marinated a ton of kalbi (Korean short ribs). 

* samgyupsal lettuce wrap (w/ kimchi and seasoned dried anchovies)

Dessert was sweet and simple: black sesame ice cream with strawberries and condensed milk.

Seema has a nice backyard. Check out her blog for more pics.

taco time

Most of my Sundays are spent holed up in my small kitchen prepping food for the upcoming week. But sometimes, when I have a busy week and an even busier weekend, things get thrown off track. Which means more dinners out. Like this impromptu Monday night meal at Tacos El Asador. I need to go here more often. I also need to eat more tacos.

Jarritos: tamarind flavour and Mexican Cola

Nachos: Not your ordinary cheese-laden variety, these come topped with refried beans, chunks of ripe avocado, queso, cilantro, jalapenos, sour cream, tomatoes and onions.

Chicharron papusa (a hand-made, griddled thick corn tortilla stuffed with pork)

Al pastor soft taco (marinated pork + pineapple)

Chicken soft taco

Tacos El Asador

690 Bloor St. W