Oatmeal Muffins with Drunken Apple Chips

When visiting the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market I was looking through the product at Noggins Corner and was shown their new dried apple and pear chips.  We were discussing the uses for them and I decided that they had to be put into a muffin.  So into the kitchen I went to try to produce a creative tasty muffin using the dried apples and I am thrilled with the results.

I love cooking with high quality dried fruit.  I am not talking about the rubber textured chemical laden crap that is out there posing as heath food (beat down coming on foodthug.com), I mean fruit dried without chemicals and at the lowest temperatures possible.  In all fairness I have to mention that Superstore has a great selection of dried fruit in their organic section and though it can be pricey it is worth the money.  I have my problems with Superstore but their organic section is worth a long look.  Using dried fruit can help you get your daily dose of fruit while still maintaining a high level of nutrition and is a much better choice than fruit juice for those of us battling weight.

Proper dried fruit has all the flavor and most of the nutrition of the fresh item but can be fortified with more flavor but rehydrating it in flavored liquid.  This make is an amazing taste treat.  For this recipe I have rehydrated dried apples with a combination of calvados (apple brandy) and apple cider along with half a stick of cinnamon.  This really kicks up the flavor of the dried apples.

I added this to a basic oatmeal muffin base that uses yogurt to reduce the amount of oil required added in a little more calvados and kicked up the level of cinnamon.  I am very pleased with the results and hope you will be as well.

Ingredients

1 bag of Noggins dried apples (about 1/4 cup)

1/3 cup

1/3 cup apple cider

1/2 a cinnamon stick

Dry Muffing Ingredients:

1 cup of oatmeal

2 Cups Whole White Flour (Speerville Mills)

(If you cant get a whole white flour use 1.5 cups unbleached white and 1/2 whole wheat)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Wet Muffin Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

2 Tbsp Calvados

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

2 tsp vanilla 

To prepare the dried apple:

Place the apples, cinnamon stick, cider and calvados into a small pot and warm on low heat.  If you have a warming element place it on there and allow to sit until the liquid is absorbed.  This can be done ahead of time and then stored in a covered container until needed.  Be sure to remove the cinnamon stick when this step is done.

To prepare the muffins:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place the oatmeal in a large bowl.  Sift in flour, baking soda and baking powder (this help aerate the flower and prevents lumps of baking soda or baking powder which can ruin a muffin experience.)  Stir these together well to combine flavors. 

Note: You will want to mix your dry ingredients well to distribute the spices.  Once we add the wet ingredients will will only mix to combine.  Stirring flour in liquid builds gluten which is great for bread but makes tough chewy muffins.

Place the wet ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until well combined and frothy.   

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until combined.  Make sure you get right down to the bottom of the bowl.  The batter will be lumpy don’t over stir or you will end up with bouncy muffins and we are not cooking for McDonalds ;).  Fold in the prepared apples and then spoon into a oiled muffin tin.  This will make a dozen regular muffins.

Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  The muffins should be golden and a tooth pick inserted in the middle should come out clean.  

Thanks to My Local Suppliers:

Dried Apples : Noggins Corner Farm Market

Apple Cider: Suprima Farms

Eggs: Elmridge Farm

Cinnamon: JamesLea - Bio foods International

Oatmeal / Flour: Speerville Mills

Yogurt:                       Fox Hill Cheese House

Simply Delicious Homemade Granola

I am developing a serious case of oatmeal dependency.  I have started increasing the amount of oatmeal in my diet and have discovered that on days I eat oatmeal I have more energy and don’t feel the desire for those mid day nibbles that can be so detrimental.  

Granola is a simple and easy way to get my oatmeal fix.  I make granola about once a week now and it is a household staple.  It is easy to make, and you can play with the mix of spices to create a product that meets your personal needs.  I have designed a simple base for my granola that includes oats, nuts, maple sugar & syrup, and spices that I enjoy.  I do not add dried fruit to the granola I make it I add it when I make my bowl so I can have a variety of flavors through the week.

Ingredients 

2 pounds large rolled oats

2 cup fine chopped walnuts

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup slivered almonds

1.5 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

2 tsp maple sugar

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees

Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or if at all possible silicon mats (they are a beautiful kitchen tool).  I prefer the heavy cookie sheets that you can get at Costco.

In a large bowl add  the rolled oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds and almonds in a large bowl and toss with your hands to combine.  Sprinkle in the spices, salt and maple sugar and again toss well with your hands.  In a small bowl combine the maple syrup and canola oil and whisk then add half to the dry ingredients, mix well with your hand.  Then add the rest and mix again.  Be sure to get down to the bottom and toss the spices in.  Rub together with your hands and make sure the oats get coated with flavor.  Yes you will get your hands dirty but we all love that when we were kids right! :)

Spread the mixture evenly over your cookie sheets and place in the oven.  After 10 minutes take them out of the oven stir making sure you move the granola on the edges to the middle, this is what will burn or overcook.  Rotate the pans top to bottom and put back in the oven for 10 minutes more.  Again remove from the oven and stir.  It is done when lightly golden.  If it needs more time do it 5 minutes at a time as when the moisture level goes down it cooks a lot faster.  Keep an eye on it at the end.  It should not take longer than 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely then store in a large zip top bag.

You can serve with milk, yogurt, different fresh and dried fruits, it is a great base to an amazing breakfast.

Thanks to my local suppliers:

Oats :                                  Speerville Mills 

Organic Maple Sugar:     Coulis Divin         

Maple Syrup:                    Acadian Maple Products

Fair Trade Cinnamon and Ginger from:     

JamesLea - Bio foods International

Also Pictured in this recipe:

Dried Cranberries: Terra Beata Cranberry Farm

Dried Blueberries:  Noggins Corner Farm Market
Vanilla Yogurt:        Fox Hill Cheese House

Fruit of the above purchases from Noggins Corner Farm Market at the Halifax Seaport Farm Market

Dill Lemon Creamed Eggs with Foxhill Cheese Milk

Foxhill Cheese’s new milk has inspired me to go back to update a classic breakfast that I first cooked when I was in grade 9.  I love breakfast, always have and always will.  I was looking for something different and went through my mom's cookbook and found creamed eggs.  A basic recipe with hard boiled eggs and a white sauce served over toast.  I made it and everyone loved it.  Over the years I have made a lot of variations of this recipe using various herbs, spices, cheese and presenting the eggs different ways.  Since I am using amazing milk I decided to come up with a variation to honor this, something clean that added flavor without covering up the taste of farm fresh whole milk.  I hope you enjoy, I know I did.

Ingredients:

8 Free Range Eggs

1/4 cup Butter

1/4 cup Flour

1/2 small onion (minced)

1 clove garlic (minced)

2 Cups Whole Milk 

1/2 tsp dried mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg (cream sauces love nutmeg)

3 whole sprigs of Fresh Dill

1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Fresh Parmesan Cheese 

4 Pieced of Toast

Paprika 

Place the Eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 6 minutes.  I prefer this recipe with slightly runny yolks, I have an aversion for dry egg yolk however if you want to cook it longer feel free.  

As soon as the eggs are started melt the butter in another pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic, cook for about 3 minutes till they soften and then add in the flour.  Stir with a whisk and allow to cook until it turns a light carmel colour.  You want to toast the flour a bit or your white sauce will have a raw flour taste and it will dull the flavor of the herbs and spices added later.  Next add about half the milk, and whisk until smooth then add the remaining milk and the dill.  Heat until the mixture thickens, then lower the heat.  Add in the mustard, salt, white pepper and lemon juice and stir in.  Then add in the cheese and stir until smooth.  Heat for about 10 min over low heat to blend the flavors, taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  

When the eggs are done drain and place in cold water, when you can handle them peel the eggs carefully.  Take half the eggs and chop into the sauce, the yokes will be soft but will pop out of the whites just stir those in. 

To plate put the toast on your plate add some of the sauce egg mixture, take a whole pealed egg and place it in the toast, cut in half, top with a little more sauce, some fresh snipped dill and paprika.   Enjoy.

Thanks again to my local suppliers:

Milk : Foxhill Cheese House

Eggs: Shani’s Farm

Garlic:         Active Life Farm

Onion:         Noggins Corner Farm Market

Dill: Riverview Herbs

And as always thanks to the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market for giving me a place to meet all these great suppliers.

Fresh Ricotta Cheese Cakes - With Fox Hill Milk

One of the things I love about classic Italian food is how simple it is and how it really highlights ingredients.  Therefore I decided to honor the high quality milk from Fox Hill by making little ricotta cheese cakes.  These are lighter that cheese cake made from sour cream and cream cheese but are just as tasty.  This is very simple to make and it has nice clean flavors that you are sure to enjoy.  

Ingredients:

1/2 pound fresh ricotta cheese (recipe)

2.5 Tbsp White Sugar

2 T Flour

2 Eggs

1/4 Tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Orange zest

1 tsp Vanilla

1/8 tsp sea salt

20 dark chocolate disks

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Prepare 4 ramekins by greasing the insides with butter then flour.  Tap out the excess flour. Ensure the entire surface is covered with butter and flour or the cakes will stick.

In a mixing bowl add sugar to ricotta, and stir with a whisk until somewhat smooth, then whisk in flour and eggs (one at a time).  When you have a smooth batter add in cinnamon, orange zest, vanilla and salt and beat again.  

Fill each ramekin about half way, then put 5 chocolate disks in each one then top each with the remaining batter.  ramekins should be about 3/4 full.  Do not fill to the top.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes to an hour.  They will get golden on the top.  They are going to puff up but will fall when cooling, that is expected dont be alarmed.

When the are done remove to a wire cooling rack and refrigerate.   Top them with a cool strawberry sauce and a little powdered sugar.  

As always thanks to my local suppliers:

Milk for Ricotta : Fox Hill Cheese House

Eggs: Shani’s Farm

These suppliers are located at the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market

A note about the Cinnamon I used:

While at the international day which is held every Friday at the Halifax Market I ran into a vendor who was selling spices and teas from Ceylon.  As with most of the vendors at the market he was passionate about his product.  His company imports spices directly from Ceylon from a fair trade cooperative of farmers.  He stressed the freshness of the product as well as the quality.  He was proud that the farmers could make a good living providing a high quality product, this is what we want for all of our farmers .  I ground up 2 cinnamon sticks to test and it was amazing.  The scent had an amazing citrus note to it and the cinnamon taste was great.   I will be doing a blog of them soon after I have sampled a few more products but had to give them props for the cinnamon.  They can be found at the market on international day and their website.

Smoked Salmon on Fresh Bagel - A great local treat

I have already blogged about the bagels from Spice of Life Artisan Foods at the Halifax Seaport Market in my breakfast sandwich blog.  But this morning I have to mention them again because I paired them with another treat from the Market and wanted to share the experience.

This morning I paired the bagel with some beautiful rich smoked salmon that I got at the Halifax Market on Saturday.  I have bought some nice clams, and fresh haddock from Evan’s Fresh Sea Food before and will have some recipes to blog out in the near future, however I had to share with you the delightful smoked salmon experience I had this morning.

Smoked salmon is a real treat, and Evan’s does a great job preparing it for us.  The cure has just the right amount of salt and the light smoke taste does not overwhelm the beautiful salmon that is used.  The fish is rich and almost buttery in texture and had a clean fresh flavor.  This combined beautifully with some nice creamed cheese, a crisp bagel, and some fresh snipped chives.  

I found the balance of flavors in the salmon to be perfect.  I enjoyed every aspect of it and it made for a great start to the day.  This was not a planned blog but the experience was so good I thought I would share it.  This was a great local food treat.

I have shared with family and friends my reasons for eating local and my experiences.  It started out as a reaction to the dismal quality of the food in our local factory food outlets.  The questionable handling of meat, the produce that is full of mold or that is half rotten the day after you buy it and all of the additives and chemicals that we must endure drove me to look for a better option.  I figured that even if I had to sacrifice variety, put in a little more work and spend extra money it would be worth it.

However the results have been surprising.  I find that I waste less food, and that the price difference is not as high as I thought it would be.  I always cook so the additional work is really not there, and I have found ways to make cooking from scratch work for me even during busy times.  As far as variety and quality, there is no comparison.  I am eating a wider variety of food than ever before, and the food is amazing.  I can’t remember ever having smoked salmon on fresh bagels at home and having it be this good.  This was an outstanding taste treat once of many that I have had since starting to eat local.   

I would encourage you to review my prior blog articles and see what I am doing with local foods.  I am now giving links to local suppliers in every recipe and have links on the right hand side of the menu.  If you don’t live in Nova Scotia, please google around and find the local suppliers in your area.  Our local farmers provide us food with pride.  Factory food outlets (even the one that has their president choose food for us, ya right) take pride in their share price and CEO’s bonus structure.  Lets vote with our dollars and pay those who are looking to provide us their best.  The experience of eating local is too good not to be shared.

Oatmeal Corn Waffles

I really enjoy waffles.  All those little pockets to hold syrup and butter, or a nice fruit sauce.  They are a real treat on a weekend morning, and the left overs can be popped in the toaster for a nice treat in a week day morning.  I know there are waffle like substances available from your local factory food outlet, but we deserve better.

I will be releasing a number of waffle recipes on the blog, including a traditional wheat flour waffle, a herb and parmesan cheese waffle which is an amazing base for poached eggs and smoked salmon and a chocolate desert waffle which would be amazing topped with Fox Hill Cheese Coconut Gelato.

But for today I am going to give you my favorite hearty waffle recipe.  This recipe is a cross between a waffle and a bowl of flavorful oatmeal.  It is crispy on the outside and soft and a little creamy on the inside.  A couple of these waffles will give you the energy you need to start the day.

Ingredients: 

7 Cups of Rolled Oats

1.5 Cups of Corn Meal

8 Cups of Hot Water

1 Cup of Apple Cider

1/4 Cup of Canola Oil

3 Tbsp of Honey or (Brown Sugar to make it Vegan)

2 Tbsp of Vanilla Extract

1.5 Tbsp Cinnamon

2 Tsp Sea Salt

1/2 Cup Currents

1 Apple Cored and Diced

In a large mixing bowl combine the first 9 ingredients (not the apples or currents) and stir to combine.  Allow this to sit for about 20 minutes to allow the grains to hydrate and absorb the flavors.  

While waiting heat up a waffle iron if it is variable heat it to medium heat.

Using an immersion blender blend up the batter a little bit, it is ok to have flakes of oats left but the batter should be mostly smooth.  Then stir in the currents and diced apples.  You can blend this in small batches in a blender but really get an immersion blender because it is so much cleaner. (Well for me anyway :))

When the iron is heated, spray with no stick spray and cover the bottom plate with batter.  This is not leavened so it will not rise much so don't worry about filling it up.  It wont expand and overflow.  These waffles take a while to finish cooking as they contain a lot of moisture, cook them until they are crisp on the outside and the steam is no longer pouring out of the waffle iron.  It takes 5 to 8 min a waffle.  They should be golden brown in color.  Serve right away, if you are going to freeze the left overs allow them to cool on a cooling rack and then freeze.  They reheat beautifully in a toaster.

These are very flavorful and very good for you.  They are low in fat and oats are one of the best grains you can eat.  For my vegetarian and vegan friends they can be made with no animal products.  Having said that these waffles do not sacrifice any flavor in order to be healthy.  Give them a try.

Thanks to my Local Suppliers:

Oats: Speerville Mills

Honey: Cosman and Whidden Honey Ltd

Apple Cider: Pasture Hill Farm

Apples: Noggins Corner Farm

Also Pictured:

Berkshire Bacon: Active Life Farms

Fresh Mint: Riverview Herbs

As always thanks to the Halifax Seaport Farm Market for giving me a place to connect with my suppliers.

Beef Stock – The base for a perfect winter soup

My favorite winter food is a good hearty bowl of soup.  So many people I know love a good bowl of soup but say they just can’t get it to taste right or that it is just too much work.  It does take time to make a great bowl of soup but it does not take a lot of effort.

The foundation of a great soup is the stock.  I have already given you the recipe for my chicken stock, and now I am going to give you my beef stock recipe.  Tomorrow I will release the vegetable stock and then we will embark on a series of blogs on soup making.  With these three stocks you will be able to make a wide variety of flavorful soups that your family will love.

I will again reiterate that factory food soup bases and stocks don’t come close to homemade in flavor or nutrition.  The high levels of sodium and the level of processing require to provide the desired shelf life in my opinion results in a substandard product from both a taste and health standpoint.  Careful caramization of ingredients and slow simmering will build flavors that will not need to be overloaded with sodium.

This stock takes about 8 hours on the stove but can be left overnight or put it on the back burner and let it simmer away.  It can also be finished in a slow cooker when you are at work.  Don’t let 8 hours of sitting bother you because it only takes about 15 minutes of actual time to prepare.

Ingredients

2 pound beef soup bone (shank piece with meat and bone)

One onion Pealed and course chopped

1 Tbsp Grape seed Oil

3 carrots washed and course chopped

3 stalks celery washed and course chopped (remove bottom white part – bitter)

1 bulb of garlic cut in half loose peal removed

3 Tbsp Tomato Paste

1.5 cups Dry Red Wine

1 Tbsp Freeze dried Sage Leaves or 3 Fresh Leaves

6 sprigs of Fresh Thyme

6 pepper corns

Salt to taste – 1 to 3 tsp

Preheat the oven to 375.  Sprinkle salt and a few turns of fresh ground black pepper on all sides of the meat.  Place on a roasting rack in a pan for about 45 minutes until meat is browned.  Turn about half way through.  Be careful not to burn the meat or bone because it will add a bitter flavor to the stock.  You just want to get enough brown on to add flavor.

Rough chop all of the vegetables and heat the grape seed oil (preferred because of the high smoke point and neutral flavor) over medium high heat in a 6 liter stock pot.  Add the vegetables to the hot oil in the stock pot stir occasionally until the onions start to turn golden, be careful not to let anything too dark.  To quote Gordon Ramsey “If it’s brown it’s cooked if it’s black it’s …” (I’m not famous enough to get away with that.J) 

Once there is a light gold on the onions add the tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes or so stirring frequently.  Deglaze with the red wine.  Add in the soup bone and fill the pot with water.  Add in the herbs and pepper corns.

Simmer on low heat. Do not bring to a rolling boil the odd bubble is not a problem but keep just below the boil covered for 8 hours.  If you see foam on the top skim it off, this contains fats and other impurities.  I usually do this two or three times during the process. 

After 8 hours salt the stalk to taste and then drain the stock into a bowl through a strainer.  (Don’t do like a buddy of mine as stain it in the sink and be left with the veg and bone :s).  You can save the meat off the bone and discard the rest.  Cool the stock.  At this point you can skim the fat off the top and strain through cheese cloth if you desire a very clean stock. 

This flavor rich stock will be an excellent base for your soups or stews.  I will be posting several recipes using this stock in the near future.

Thanks to:

WippleTree CSA for providing the onion
Active Live Farm for providing the garlic
Noggins Farm Market for providing the carrots
Getaway Farm for providing the soup bone
Jost Vineyards for providing the wine
River View Herbs for providing the Thyme and Sage

And of course the Halifax Seaport Farm Market for giving me a great place to pick up my local products.