Fox Hill Cheese House HAS MILK!!!!!!

I have been a big fan Fox Hill Cheese House for 4 or 5 years now.  I have an issue with commercial milk products.  Something in the processing causes me to have itching on my hands and I get stuffed up.  I thought I was reacting to dairy products which was really strange because it was never an issue for the first 30 years of my life.  Being a cheese freak I could not stop eating cheese and when I heard about Fox Hill I drove right up the next weekend for some cheese.  The first thing I noticed was that I did not react.  I decided to test it out and went back and bought some gelato and some cheese curd and consumed it all in one night (the sacrifices we make).  No reaction at all.  I was thrilled.  I have been a customer ever sense.

When I was visiting them I heard the story of how they graze, and care for their cows.  How much care they take to ensure there are no antibiotics in their milk and how they use their own milk to make their products.  The level of pride they show in their business and the food they produce shows through.  You can tell that pleasing their customers is the priority of Fox Hill.

When they came out with bottled milk I had to try it and ran down to the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market to get my bottle (ok, 3 bottles, oh yeah got 5 more...).  The milk is pasteurized so no fear there but except for that and the Vitamin D they have to put in it is unprocessed.  You have to shake it because the cream will rise to the top but when you drink it, wow, fresh cold milk, you can taste the cream and natural sugars.  It is amazing.  I had my first glass of milk & cookies for the first time in years.  It is by far the best milk I have ever had.  And no reaction at all. 

Factory milk essentially has the crap kicked out of it, they separate off all the cream using a centrifuge, high temperature pasteurize it, then pump in milk fat to the prescribed percentage, add back vitamins they destroy in the processing of the milk and homogenize the milk.  Of course this allows them to use the cream in other applications, make modified milk ingredients and allows dairies to make more profit off their raw material.  The final product is not however whole milk.  As with most things produced in factories you end up with a poor copy of the real thing.

At 3 dollars a liter the milk is cheaper than the organic milk sold in the factory food outlets and is a far superior product.   I am very excited to have this available to me and I encourage you to go try a bottle (just leave one or three for me).  If you have a chance go up to their Port Williams location and take the time to talk to them about their operation.  You will be impressed by the level of pride and commitment to quality that they have.  You will also get some of the best gelato available.  If you don't want to take the trip to the valley then visit them at the market and you can get a sample of their milk (and gelato).  

Poached Eggs on Roasted Root Vegetable Hash

As those who follow my blog may know I am a bit of a breakfast lover.  I enjoy a hearty breakfast and love a properly cooked egg.  This morning I got up and saw the wonderful selection of root vegetables I purchased at the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market and decided poached eggs on hash would be ideal.  

To make my roasted vegetable hash I first needed roasted vegetables.  Since it is winter and I am trying to eat locally then the roasted veggies are root vegetables.   I picked up some great red onions, sweet potatoes, multicolored carrots and fingerling potatoes from Noggins Corner Farm those served as the base for my breakfast.  Who said winter eating is boring in Nova Scotia.

Roasted Root Vegetables

12 Fingerling Potatoes 1 inch slices

3 Carrots Sliced

3 Small to Medium Sweet Potatoes 1 inch dice

1 Red Onion Chopped

2 cloves of Garlic Sliced

1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

6 sprigs of Oregano

3 sprigs of Rosemary

Preheat the oven to 375.  Chop up the vegetables and put them in a roasting pan.  sprinkle with salt and pepper, add in the herbs and toss to coat all of the root veggies.   Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.  Allow them to brown slightly but take care not to burn the onions or garlic.  Stir occasionally to allow for even roasting.

Remove from the oven.  These can be served as part of a main course or as I did this morning be used in a hash.

Roasted Vegetable Hash with Poached Eggs

1 Recipe of Roasted Root Vegetables

6 strips of bacon

1 tsp Paprika

8 fresh eggs

1 Tbsp Salt

2 tsp vinegar (rice wine I prefer)

Fry off 6 strips of bacon until crispy.  If you are using good smoked bacon render the fat off on medium low heat and then drain off the fat and crisp up.  It takes a little more time but you end up with better bacon.  

Prepare water for poaching the eggs but filling up a large frying pan with water, add in the salt and vinegar, bring to a simmer. 

Roughly mash up the hash and add to the pan (preheated) you used to cook the bacon and add the paprika.  Fry until potatoes turn a nice shade of golden.  Between the oil in the roasted vegetables and the residual bacon fat you will be able to brown up the potatoes.

To poach the eggs crack each egg into a small bowl and slide into the simmering water.  Cook them until the whites are firm but the yokes are still runny.  The yoke makes a beautiful sauce for the hash.

Plate the eggs on top of the hash.  I find this hash sweet enough to support a little spice so I topped it with sriracha hot sauce and some fresh cilantro.  

Thanks to my local suppliers:

Root Vegetables: Noggins Corner Farm

Garlic, Eggs and Bacon : Active Life Farm

Fresh Herbs : Riverview Herbs

And as always the Halifax Seaport Farm Market for providing a place for me to purchase great local product.  (Especially in the Winter)

Oatmeal Cookies with Drunken Dried Fruit

Who want to make cookies this weekend!!!  I have heard people say they don’t like a lot of things, but cookies are not one of them.  We can all think back to the smell of homemade cookies fresh out of the oven.  The taste of a warm cookie with a tall glass of cold milk, and of course sneaking cookies from the freezer for a midnight snack. (Ok maybe that was just me -- blush) 

One of my favorite cookies is an oatmeal cookie with raisins or assorted dried fruits.  It just so happens that oatmeal is incredibly good for you.  I am not promoting this as a health cookie, you wont see me on an infomercial promoting this a a cookie that will cure your every ailment.  However increasing your intake of oatmeal does help reduce weight, lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.  Oatmeal also is loaded with fiber which makes you feel full so you will eat less.  So if you can replace a factory food cookie with something that contains oatmeal then you have done a good thing.

This cookie is also very flavorful.  I think that we can eat our way to better health and weight (in my case a major concern) by eating better food.  However for me this only works if it tastes good.  Here is a cookie that I have come up with that is a good choice for a sweet snack.  

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter (organic and local is best) - At room temperature

3/4 Cup of Brown Sugar

2 Eggs (beaten)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp Honey

1 1/2 cups Whole White Flour (if you cant get this go half & half white and whole wheat)

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon of Ground Ginger

1/2 teaspoon of Ground Cloves

2 Cups of Rolled Oats

1/3 cup dark raisins

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup dark rum or orange juice

Directions

This recipe takes a little bit of wait time at the beginning.  Take your butter out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.  Put the dried fruit in a small pot and cover with dark rum or orange juice.  Put over very low heat, the warmer element of your stove if you have one is ideal.  Allow the dried fruit to sit until the butter is soft.  

Preheat your oven to 375

When the butter is softened, place it along with the brown sugar in the bowl of a Kitchen Aid Mixer with the whisk attachment (or a large metal bowl and use a hand mixer).  I don't shill for Kitchen Aid by the way but their mixer is one of my favorite kitchen helpers and I use it extensively.  Beat the sugar into the butter until it is smooth.  It is important not to use melted butter the sugar grains when beat in with the butter form little pockets of air which will make the cookies lighter in texture.  

Next add in the eggs, honey and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.  In another bowl combine the  flour, baking soda and spices.  Change the mixing attachment on your mixer to the paddle.  Mix these well then sift into your wet ingredients adding about a third at a time stirring each time to incorporate.  Don’t skip the sifting step.  It will ensure the flavors are well mixed and will weed out any lumps of baking soda which can be a very unpleasant bite.

Drain the fruit in a strainer and then add the fruit and oatmeal to the mixer and stir until incorporated.  

Now for cookie sheets I highly recommend a nice heavy cookie sheet with a silicon mat to help stop sticking.  These produce nice evenly browned cookies that do not stick and make cleanup a non issue.  To scoop out the cookies I recommend getting a disher.  It is like a small ice cream scoop, you can get them in various sizes and they will make a nice uniform cookie.

Scoop the cookies out onto your cookies sheet in about tablespoon full sizes.  I like to press them down a bit to make a cookie about half an inch thick.  Bake in the 375 oven for twelve to fifteen minutes.  Check the first batch often, you want a nice golden brown, they will still be soft.  Remove from the cookie sheet on to a wire rack.  This recipe will make about 2 dozen cookies.

Play around with the recipe, try different dried fruits (though I recommend soaking them to add additional flavor and to stop them from turning into little bullets).  Also you may want to add more spices or maybe play with adding a little nutmeg.  Taste and try, that is the secret to good home cooking.

Thanks again to my local suppliers:

Oatmeal and Whole White Flour - Speerville Mills

Eggs - Active Life Farms

Honey: Cosman and Whidden Honey Ltd

Chef Michael Smith - An Inspirational Chef for Home Cooks

Flavor, we all love it.  Good food brings back memories of childhood, can make us feel better after a bad day, and is the center piece of a great social event.  We have dinners at weddings, state functions and to host an important person in our lives.  Food is something that we enjoy and cant wait to share with those we love.  

I have always loved cooking, I started cooking at the feet of my Grandma Pratt when I stood on a milk crate to fry my first egg and my Grampa Skakum inspired me to cook for others.  Our family occasions were always filled with great food and it seemed magical how a feast could be created when you opened the fridge and saw just a few raw materials.  I would watch my grandfather cook and see him say, ok we need some sweetness what do I have, it could have been sugar, honey or Coke as long as it brought the flavor he wanted.  He would dip into his herbs and spices and add then taste and it always turned out amazing.  I have great family role models to guide my cooking and that is where my love of food came from.

Another person who has inspired my cooking style and who taught me how to play with flavors was Chef Michael Smith.  I started watching him when he had his Inn Chef show and was impressed with how easy he made everything look, and how much I wanted to eat the food he served.  His show Chef at Home provided tremendous inspiration.  The line “My favorite recipe...cooking without a recipe” really caught my interest.  My grandfather and grandmother both seemed to throw things together and the results were always amazing.  I wanted to be able to do the same thing, break away from formula cooking and just create great food.  I wanted to create and Michael Smith held the secret. 

Michael Smith educated me on how to build a recipe based on the flavors you love.  When he would walk into his pantry during the show I was amazed at all of the ingredients he had, he would describe flavors and how they went together.  I could taste it as he described it.  I love how he will take an ingredient then build a recipe around it and enhance the flavors.  His approach is very clear and his food is not at all intimidating.  I find that his approach to food has changed how I watch cooking shows.  I don’t look at a dish as a dish but as a combination of flavors, I pay attention to what is used with what, and what flavors make or break a particular dish.  After watching his shows I am better able to learn from other Chefs.  

I firmly believe that we have to take responsibility for our food and free ourselves from the factory food that can be so bad for us.  In order to do this we have to learn how to cook and how to make food that is pleasing to ourselves and our family.  I will share with you all of the things I am learning but I would strongly recommend that you follow Michael Smith.

He has launched a website where he is broadcasting a new series called Food Country.    He has launched 5 episodes so far and has a new one every Tuesday.  He also has some great recipes and tip and is building an interactive food community inviting others to share their tips.

He is of course on Food Network Canada and you can follow him on Twitter @ChefMICHAELsmith and on Facebook.  If you love food and love cooking I recommend bookmarking his site and following him on Twitter.  He will change the way you look at food and cooking, I know he did that for me.

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.

The Coastal Cafe - Very Creative Eats for Sure

One of the keys to creativity is confidence.  In order to produce an exceptional and original product you have to be comfortable with who you are and know that what you are bringing to the table is outstanding.  This creativity and confidence is evident when visiting The Costal Cafe in Halifax.  

To quote their website  “We don't provide the ultimate dining experience, nor do we demonstrate pretentions over your latte. We are honest, and our simple mission is to provide the best food and coffee without any bullshit.”  I can tell you after a couple visits they achieve this.  The people are very friendly, they keep it warm and welcoming and as a result there is a wide cross section of people that eat there.  

I will tell you that I am no coffee expert, I know what i like and what I don't (Sorry Tim Horton’s but your coffee is sour to me).  There is something about the coffee here that makes it craveable.  I cant break it down for you so you will have to go try it yourself and comment back here and let me know what makes it so special.  It is however among the best I have ever had.

Now for the food.  I have been there for breakfast and not breakfast (this is what they call lunch).  Both times I have left with a big smile and was impressed with the little creative touches that they add to their food.

When we went for breakfast I had the Huevos Rancheros Toros Locos.  This is three eggs over easy on corn tortillas with fajita beef, black beans, guacamole and pico de gallo.  The tortillas were crispy and salty, the eggs were spot on (I hate over cooked eggs) and the balance of flavors was perfect.  The best little touch was the sour on the guacamole that perfectly set off the richness of the eggs, meat and cheese.

My dining companion had the Eggs Oslo, which is 2 beautifully poached eggs on a parsnip rosti (think thick potato pancake but better) on a butternut squash jam and a red wine cranberry syrup.  The eggs were cooked perfectly and the rosti was very flavorful.  The butternut squash jam was a first for me so I dipped in and tried it and it was sweet and flavorful.  The sour component of the dish was the red wine cranberry syrup which could have been a little more sour to our tastes but we both really enjoy sour.

I am a big fan of breakfast and I can honesty say this is the most interesting breakfast menu I have seen in a long time.  They have taken the time to put a lot of creativity into their food and it is worth the little extra that you pay.  Not only are you getting really good food which is fresh, local and well prepared but you are going to experience something new and wonderful each time you go there.  I can't wait for winter to end to see what their spring breakfast menu looks like.  Though I still have to work my way through the rest of their winter menu, hmmmm a foodies work is never done.

Now as a rule I do not blog about a restaurant unless I go at least twice.  So today I ventured over to have some not breakfast.  Again I was impressed with the little creative touches on the menu.  I ordered the Tempura Haddock Burger.  This is served with a ginger wasabi mayo and sesame peppers, a beautiful salad and some thin cut homemade fries tossed with fresh herbs.  The fish was perfectly cooked, moist and fresh.  The batter was crispy and it was served on a lightly toasted english muffin.  The peppers added a nice fresh element and the ginger wasabi mayo was a real flavor treat.  When I was served the fries I was asked if I wanted ketchup, after one tasted I declined so I could enjoy the taste of the potatoes and herbs.  The salad was fresh and light and beautifully dressed.  

If you want to have a special meal in an open, friendly and unique environment and if you enjoy creative well prepared food The Coastal Cafe needs to go on your list of places to try.  Click on the hyperlink at the top of the blog to go to their website and check out the menu, there will be something there you just have to try.