For as long as I can remember, we have always had a garden. My grandparents always had a garden. My aunts and uncle always had a garden. My cousins alway had a garden. My friends and neighbours always had a garden.

Now that the time has come to say goodbye to the garden for another year, like most people, there are certain vegetables and fruits that I will miss more than others. But I will miss none more than my sweet little cherry tomatoes.

I love you guys!!!

While almost all of our other tomato varieties have yielded the last of their fruits, our little cherry tomatoes are still going fairly strong.

So about a week ago I decided to find some way to preserve some of these babies. I did a little searching and came across this recipe.

The base of the tomatoes in oil is a very simple recipe for Oven-Dried Tomatoes. I so enjoyed watching the tomatoes slowly roast and dry in the oven. It made me feel like I was preserving something very special from the summer season. And it was easy! So easy that I wondered why I haven’t done this more often.

The tomatoes in oil have graced our pasta, our pizza and some fabulous panini.

This is my Magazine Mondays recipe for this week. As always, I remind you that if you have a magazine recipe that you’ve finally put to bed, send me a link and I’ll post it in my next Magazine Mondays post. And you don’t have to post your recipe on a Monday. It can be any day of the week.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

This week I was joined by the my buddy Wandering Coyote of ReTorte with some mouth-watering Braised Beef Ribs!

Here are the recipes I used: Oven-Dried Tomatoes and Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil.

Je suis en retard.

I am late.

Sweet (and I mean SWEET) Fanny of Foodbeam was the host for this month’s edition of Sugar High Friday. The deadline was September 26.

But today is September 28.

Hmmm …

Since her theme is cupcakes, I am hoping (quite shamelessly) that I can entice Fanny to include me by bribing her with Cinnamon Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting.

Here’s hoping it works.

S’il vous plaît, Fanny?

Ciao!

Cinnamon Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

For the cupcakes:

I used a basic yellow cake recipe to make these cupcakes. The recipe I used comes from Tish Boyle’s The Cake Book, but you can find great yellow cake recipes all over the web. Try this one, for example. I altered my recipe by baking half of it in mini paper cups and the other half in a 9-inch cake pan.

For the frosting:

1 pckg. cream cheese (8 ounces), at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup caramel sauce
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup icing sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together at high speed until light (about 2 minutes).

Lower the speed and add the vanilla extract and caramel sauce. Mix well.

With the speed on low, add the icing sugar until incorporated and then increase the speed to high and whip the frosting for 2 minutes.

Apply liberally to the base of your choice. Or eat with spoon.

Enjoy!

Have you seen the film Stranger Than Fiction, featuring Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson, where Ferrell’s character walks around while hearing his life narrated out loud by the author played by Thompson?

I’m not sure why or how, but I sort of felt like my attempt at making lavash crackers was being narrated by some otherworldly Daring Bakers’ entity with the last line of the film being: “And she burns her crackers! The End.”

But before I tell you the whole, sad story, let us begin at the beginning with the real stars of the show, our hosts: Shel of Musings from the Fishbowl and Natalie of Gluten A Go Go.

These two leading ladies conspired to give us a Daring Bakers’ first this month: our very first alternative, fully vegetarian challenge in the form of lavash crackers with accompanying toppings.

While I can’t give you an exact count, a significant number of Daring Bakers are what Lis and I affectionately refer to as “Alt DBers”, which means that they in some way or other are alternative bakers. These are members who adapt recipes to be gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian and everything in between.

When it comes to our Alt DBers, Natalie has been a tireless champion of the cause. Without her Lis and I would be quite stumped when it comes to answering so many of the questions that we get from Alt DBers. So we’re thrilled that both Natalie and Shel have the opportunity to put the spotlight on alternative baking and the challenges faced by those who can’t just open up a cookbook and have a go at it without substituting ingredients.

And now back to our story.

The recipe for lavash crackers is based on the one from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. As recipes go, this was probably one of the easier ones in recent DB memory.

We begin with our ingredients. The Cream Puff places together bread flour, salt, yeast, honey, oil and water in a bowl.

Let us move to Chapter 2.

With a mighty wooden spoon, the Cream Puff mixes the ingredients to form a ball of dough. And my, what a ball of dough!

The action continues with the ball of dough and the Cream Puff engaged in a violent battle otherwise known as kneading. After five minutes, the ball of dough has been somewhat tamed.

After ten minutes it’s as meek as a mouse. Cream Puff is able to stab it with a thermometer. Ouch!

But the lavash dough gets its revenge. Its unwieldy nature results in the Cream Puff’s somewhat irregularly shaped dough.

The Cream Puff attempted to exact revenge by using a sharp object otherwise known as a cookie cutter. Feeling somewhat guilty, she piled on some lavender buds in an effort to make amends.

She really went for the sympathy vote by sprinkling thyme, rosemary and sea salt on part of the lavash dough as well.

The lavender chapter seemed to end well.

The thyme, rosemary and sea salt chapter … not so much.

And she burns her crackers!

Does this sad story end here?

No.

There is a happy ending in the form of a Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Dip used to camoflauge the crackers.

And there’s even a sweet ending in the form of Lavender Lavash Crackers drenched in the Cream Puff’s newest discovery: agave syrup.

And so this story ends. With burned crackers and knowledge gained.

Ciao!

For the challenge recipe, please visit Shel’s blog and Natalie’s blog.

Here’s the recipe for the Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Dip:

1 cup roasted red peppers, cut into strips
3 cloves, roasted garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. tahini
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Taste and ajdust seasoning. Serve at room temperature.

While I’m still trying to hold on to a bit of summer, I’m also happily welcoming my favourite season of the year, Autumn.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for leaves changing colour, frosty mornings, cool but sunny days and that feeling of winter, just around the corner. Oh yes … and HOCKEY!!!

Just as I savoured my homemade lemon gelato, I’m also looking ahead to the best of the fall and for me that includes figs.

I adore figs and while I can’t say that the figs that we get here in Toronto are the best in the world, we are lucky enough to have access to some good figs. We even have neighbours who have managed to grow their own figs!

For today’s edition of Magazine Mondays, and this being the first day of fall, I couldn’t help but choose a recipe featuring figs. I settled on a Fig Frangipane Tart from the Fall 2008 issue of Ricardo magazine.

This tart was fairly easy to make and so delicious. It’s a great way to use any fresh figs that you can get your hands on. And figs and almonds compliment each other so well. I made the tart for the occasion of my godson’s birthday and brought it as part of a dessert tray. It was very elegant and quite the crowd pleaser.

Magazine Mondays, for those that aren’t familiar with it, is a very informal event that I’ve started as a way to put those magazine recipes that I’m constantly collecting to good use. If you have a magazine recipe that you’ve finally tried, let me know and I’ll link to it in my post.

In the meantime, enjoy those figs and have a great week!

Ciao!

I’m always happy to be joined by other people in the food blogging world who are tackling that magazine pile! Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies (a real MM pro!) comes to us with two recipes: Curried Cauliflower Soup with Coriander Chutney and Watermelon, Feta, and Olive Salad; my dear Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction made a gorgeous Lemon Olive Oil Cake and Wandering Coyote of ReTorte made (drool) Shrimp in Ginger Butter Sauce. Remember, if you post any magazine recipes, let me know!

Fig Frangipane Tart
From the Fall 2008 issue of Ricardo magazine.

Note: This recipe is similar to the Peach and Almond Tart I made during the summer. This is a lovely fall dessert so I encourage you to try it.

Equipment: 9-inch tart pan (round or square) with a removable bottom.

For the crust:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix with the paddle attachment until well blended.

Add the lightly beaten egg and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour, cinnamon and salt and mix until just combined.

With your hands, pat the dough into the tart pan making sure you pack the dough up the sides of the pan and into all the corners evenly.

Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the frangipane filling.

Frangipane filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/4 cups ground almonds
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
8 to 10 figs, quartered (depending on size)
icing sugar (for garnish)

Before you start the filling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the centre of the oven.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix until combined.

Add the extracts and mix for another minute.

Add the eggs and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the ground almonds and flour and stir in with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Scrape the frangipane filling into the prepared tart shell.

Arrange the quartered figs over the top of the filling.

Bake the tart for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the tart comes out clean. The crust will be golden.

Let the tart cool on a wire rack. Once cool, dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

It seems impossible but today is in fact the last day of summer.

As I’ve been telling so many people lately, I feel like I just blink and suddenly two or three months pass me by.

And to tell the truth, I still feel like I’m not fully back home, as though I’m straddling my time in Italy and my time since I’ve been back in Toronto. I feel a bit like I’m neither here nor there.

It’s unusual for me to be so reluctant to say goodbye to summer. It’s not my favourite season and the end of summer signals the beginning of my true seasonal love: the fall.

But these days my mind keeps replaying the three incredible weeks I spent in Italy and I’m just not ready to let go.

On my last night in Rome, I called my mother to go over my arrival time and flight information. I’m sure she sensed my reluctance to leave. Before we ended our conversation, she asked me to go out and have one last ice cream and to make it a lemon gelato, just for her (lemon gelato being her absolute favourite).

I stepped out into the hot Roman night and immediately veered off the beaten tourist path. I passed by countless gelaterias but couldn’t settle on which one to make the last one that I would visit before heading home.

And then quite by chance, I happened upon Il Gelato di San Crispino, a gelateria that I’d hoped to visit during my time in Rome but that had, up until that point, eluded me.

Without hesitating, I walked right in and ordered what is without question the very best lemon ice cream I have ever tasted.

It was so vibrant and so crisp that I felt like I was eating the most refreshing, cold lemon imagineable.

As I ate my gelato, leaning against the side of just another old, fading, beautiful Roman building, I silently thanked my mother for the best Roman goodbye that I could imagine.

Ciao!

Note: If you make it to Rome, you must visit Il Gelato di San Crispino, widely considered to be among Rome’s best gelaterias. The recipe for the lemon gelato that I made (pictured above) is from Olives & Oranges by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox. If you’d like to try making lemon gelato at home, here are some great recipes:

http://nymag.com/restaurants/articles/recipes/lemongelato.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2058527_make-lemon-gelato.html

http://italianfood.about.com/od/gelatoandsherbet/r/blr0306.htm

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/1620/lemon+gelato

It’s been over a month since my last Magazine Mondays post. Hard to believe but true.

While my magazine pile hasn’t exactly dwindled all that much, I must say that Magazine Mondays has helped me to put some old magazines to good use. So I guess I don’t feel so bad about my food magazine habit.

Especially since I returned from Italy with a whole lotta food magazines!!!

For this edition, I chose a recipe from a specialty magazine I bought in 2006 called Lidia: Italy at Home. It’s a magazine that features the great Lidia Bastianich sharing Italian food tips, recipes and knowledge. There are a number of recipes that I bookmarked but the one that I chose to try was a recipe for Fruit Jam Tartlet Cookies.

The reason I chose this recipe is that it brought to mind the crostata made by my aunts in Italy. A crostata is an Italian sweet that can take many forms. It’s best described as a tart with some sort of fruit filling in the form of jam or fresh fruit. But crostatas can also be filled with chocolate, pastry cream and any number of other fillings.

My father’s family makes a very rustic type of crostata filled with homemade prune jam. My grandmother used to make the dough with oil but nowadays the dough is made with butter.

When I went to Italy in 2003, I was there for a very short time so the opportunity was never there for my aunts to make a traditional crostata with me. This time around, I spent so much time hopping from one family member’s home to another, that I once again missed the chance to watch my oldest aunt, Zia Filomena, make a crostata. She is the family’s undisputed master crostata-maker. So she’s promised me that next time, we will make that crostata together.

I plan on holding her to that promise!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Ciao!

Fruit Jam Tartlet Cookies
From the 2006 issue of Lidia: Italy at Home.

Note: These cookies are actually a crostata that is then cut into small squares to form cookies. You could just as easily serve the crostata whole. The recipe is published here (scroll down a bit on the page.)

Is there a more overworked yet underappreciated vegetable in the kitchen than the Daucas Carota, otherwise known as the Carrot?

How many carrots have been sacrificed in the name of sauces, soups and stews with nary a tear shed over their demise?

Well no more I say! Today, here, right now, the humble Carrot gets its due!

And Carrot’s shining moment comes in the form of carrot salad. Yes, that’s correct. An entire salad made entirely of carrots.

Aren’t I the bold one!

Actually, I can’t take all the credit. In fact I don’t think I can really take any of the credit. The truth is that the credit goes to Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox, the authors of Olives & Oranges, a lovely little book that I first mentioned here. Early on in the book, there’s a recipe for a refreshing and vibrant carrot salad.

The recipe shocked me because, to be quite honest, I’ve never really looked at the Carrot as being a potential star of its own show. I hate to admit it but in my kitchen the Carrot is usually a member of the supporting cast. It’s the trustworthy and always-loyal servant to a multitude of pretty dishes. But a dish unto itself?

Who knew!

So while the stars are tripping over themselves in the rush to the red carpet here in Toronto, I give you a different premiere: The Carrot Salad!

Please don’t forget the Carrot at Oscar time!

Ciao!

Carrot Salad with Preserved Lemon Juice, Parsley and Thyme
Adapted from Olives & Oranges by Sara Jenkins & Mindy Fox.

Note: The original recipe is very simple. It uses sea salt, lemon juice, parsley and olive oil to dress the carrots. I switched it up a bit by using the juice of preserved lemons, as well as white wine vinegar and thyme. Whatever you use to dress the salad, it’s so refreshing and it’s an excellent way to use those carrots straight from the garden.

4 large carrots, julienned (You can also shred them.)
1/2 tsp. sea salt (If you use preserved lemons, the juice will be salty so you don’t need a lot of salt.)
the juice of one preserved lemon (How much juice you get will depend upon the size of the lemon. Alternatively, you can just use regular lemon juice, however, be sure to increase the amount of sea salt.)
1 to 3 tbsp., white wine vinegar (Depending on how acidic you want the salad, you can adjust the amount of vinegar accordingly.)
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 tbsp. minced thyme
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place the julienned carrots in a bowl and add the sea salt and the preserved lemon juice. Toss the carrots and let them sit for about 30 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss. Let the salad sit at room temperature for several hours. Serve the carrots at room temperature or refrigerate them overnight. Refrigerating them results in a truly crispy and tasty salad.

Enjoy!

Saturday August 2, 2008; 3:37 p.m.

That is the exact time that my vacation started. That is the time of the last e-mail I sent (to Lis, for the record). Right after that e-mail, I turned off my computer, and shortly thereafter left for the airport.

And so began three weeks of computer-free living in Italy, surrounded by my aunts, uncles and cousins.

It was bliss.

It’s difficult for me to describe the feeling of returning to Italy to my father’s family. It’s beautiful and warm and reassuring and healing and exciting and emotional and fun and nerve-wracking and stressful and transforming all in one.

My father was the second last of six children. And when I’m there, my aunts and my uncle surround me in a way that makes me feel like my father is always with me. Always, I am amazed at how much they look like him, how much they sound like him, how much they make me remember him.

For me, it’s like being in a cocoon and when my vacation is over, I emerge renewed and restored by the energy and caring of my relatives. Of course, add to the mix the fact that it’s Italy.

Gorgeous, sexy, stunning, breathtaking Italy.

Since I’ve been back people have been asking me for photos but the truth is I took very few pictures while I was there. I had no desire to operate anything more technically challenging then a fork and knife (both of which I operated quite a bit thank you very much).

For three weeks, almost no camera, no computer, no cell phone.

I love my blog and I love the Daring Bakers. Both of these entities have found a significant place in my life. But I would be lying if I didn’t say that it was nice to put the pause button on blogging.

So while I was away, I filled my free time with lots of observation.

I observed all the food that was put in front of me. I tasted everything. I smelled everything. I listened to the sound of everything cooking. I touched the fruits and vegetables and cheeses that touched my plate.

Best of all, I spent as much time as I could with my aunts. While I have spent very little time with them in the grand scheme, still, they are a major force in my life. They have become the standards to which I aspire. They are the most incredible women and everyday I feel blessed that they are a part of my life.

And I miss them terribly.

It was a small blessing then, that upon my return from vacation, I found a copy of a book called Olives & Oranges waiting for me.

Written by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox, it’s a book dedicated to the food of the Mediterranean. This beautiful book has been a great source of comfort over the past weeks. That’s why I chose it as the Flavour of the Month for September 2008.

For the first recipe, I couldn’t resist trying the Plum Galette. Just outside of an aunt’s house in Italy, there is a beautiful purple plum tree. Everyday I walked by that tree and stared in awe at its branches, absolutely laden with plums.

But they weren’t ready. Everyday I knew that I’d be leaving without tasting one of those plums this year. So as soon as I got back, I went to the farmer’s market and bought myself a basket of gorgeous purple plums. Some of them I’ve baked into this lovely tart.

And I imagine myself sitting under my aunt’s tree, staring up at those plums.

Ciao!

Plum Galette
My version of the galette in Olives & Oranges written by Sara Jenkins & Mindy Fox.

I did not adapt this recipe in any way so I’m not going to share it with you here. However, if you’ve ever made a fruit tart or a fruit galette, then you shouldn’t have any problems recreating this recipe. Alternatively, I suggest you buy the book!

For the galette dough: It starts with a basic tart dough or pâte brisée. This is an excellent pâte brisée so I highly recommend using this one if you don’t want to buy the book. Instead of dividing the dough into two disks, gather it into one large disk and refrigerate it for about half an hour.

For the filling: While the dough is refrigerating, take about two pounds of plums or any other fruit you like. If using a stone fruit like plums, then simply cut them in half. If using peaches then cut the fruit into slices. Toss the fruit with a bit of lemon juice and a few tablespoons of sugar.

Assembling the galette: Once the dough has chilled, roll it out into a 13-inch circle. Arrange your fruit in the centre leaving a border. Fold the edges of the border over the fruit and then brush the border with egg wash. Sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar for caramelization.

Baking the galette: Start off by baking your galette for about 25 minutes at a high temperature (I recommend 425 degrees C.). Then lower your temperature to 375 degrees C and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until your galette crust is golden and the fruit filling has released a lot of juice and has thickened. Let the galette cool on a rack before serving.