Building Good Sandwiches The Organic Way - Avocado and Egg on Rye

I took the long way to lunch today. The really long way. What could I possibly eat? The fridge wasn't brimming, nor was it empty. But it gave off that vibe like "There's nothing to eat."

The crisp, fresh, sweet carrots first beckoned my munch. Then a large, succulent cucumber.  The scant leftover blue cheese dressing was almost too obvious.

I figure they deserved some civility, so instead of crunching down on them mindlessly, they were cleaned and cut and presented for sharing.

In my fridge foraging I found a nicely ripe avocado, a partly cut red onion, a small wedge of Jarlsberg cheese and a few herbs - cilantro, basil and chives. Oh some kind of sandwich I guess. Still pretty un-enthused.

The bread is kept in the freezer, pre-sliced at purchase or at home just before hitting the chiller.

Avocado said rye bread. I agreed. Lucky me, one slice left.

And so on with the building and piling. It was now seeming more hopeful.

I find building my open-faced sandwiches is much like art. You stand back and stare at the canvas and size up the look - and in this case the taste - then figure out where to put more colour, more texture, more flavour.

You know me well enough by now to know that my cheap trick is the egg - more often than not, soft-boiled. Partly it is my canned answer to 'What next?' when my lame response is apt to be 'I don't know'. I like that it is colour and it is protein too. Maybe that makes this cheap trick okay then.  I blame my Danish roots. We do love the egg.

So it was that my lunch organically unfolded. The carrots, the cucumber, the smørrebrød sandwich. And in the very last seconds, a quick splash of sriracha for the WOW and the POW.

* Happy to say that my carrots, cucumber and cilantro came in my latest CSA basket from Roots and Shoots Farm. The to-die-for sriracha is a new creation from michaelsdolce which I bought at the Ottawa Farmers' Market, Brewer Park.

Jam 'n Booze

Whenever I go to the Ottawa Farmers' Market, I make a point of swinging by Michaelsdolce to chat with Michael Sunderland and check out his latest jams.  On a visit in July, he was showcasing his new Yellow Plum & Star Anise - a hit with me, and then his Spiced Cherry Jam.

Although the Spiced Cherry Jam was delicious, the juicy cherries made this first batch just a bit too runny.  Michael said he was going to be changing his next batch up a bit to solve that.

Ever the optimist, I happily will look for a way to turn a food problem into a feature.Not ever thinking this good taste was ever lost, I suggested using the 'jam juice' as a cocktail starter.

Next thing I know, Michael has pressed his sample jar of Spiced Cherry Jam into my hand with the challenge to hit the cocktail lab.

We recently had visited Dillon's Small Batch Distillers in Beamsville and picked up a bottle of their vodka and gin.  Both start with local Niagara grapes as their base.

Our drink mix test was put to a panel of esteemed judges and Dillon's vodka proved to be the best match for Spiced Cherry Jam.

Michael isn't new to 'jamming' his cocktails.  He will be joining Ottawa bartender, Jeff Taylor to make non-alcohol cocktails for the Savour Ottawa's Harvest Table lunch coming up August 18 at Brewer Park beside the Ottawa Farmers' Market.  Read more about it from Laura Robin at The Ottawa Citizen. Recipes included!

Many of us prefer not to use thickeners when making our fruit jams.  If juicy fruit gets the better of your batch, just remember Jam 'n Booze.  It's the Year of the Cocktail, after all.

Belgian Waffles Mille-feuille For Mother's Day Brunch

My mother took great pleasure in showing her love for her family by serving well prepared homemade food.

Waffles were always on the menu when her grandchildren came for weekend visits.

I inherited her waffle machine some 8 years ago. Every time I use it I think of her.

BELGIAN WAFFLES MILLE-FEUILLE
Yields: 16 waffles 

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons melted butter 

Garnishes
Raspberries
Banana slices
Whipped cream
Pure Maple Syrup
michaelsdolce™ Raspberry Chocolate Jam

Method:
Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into bowl.

Separate eggs and whip egg whites until stiff.  Beat yolks in a separate bowl. Add the milk to the egg yolks and beat together.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, slowly beating until perfectly smooth. Add the melted butter and combine. Then fold in the egg whites.

Use the waffle maker as directed.

Notes:
My machine is the Philips Deluxe Wafflemaker HL5360. I cook my waffles for 5 to 6 minutes depending on if I am serving them right away or storing them in the freezer.

When I serve them right away, I like them to be a bit crispy. If I am freezing them, I want to allow for a bit of cooking when they are being warmed (and crisped) in the toaster.

Turkey Dinner and the Super Delicious Piping Hot Gravy

My turkey dinner menu is non-negotiable. I cater to the guests favourites. This is not the time for me to get creative with the dishes. So in that way it is an easy meal to prepare. It becomes a buffet of everyone's wants.

At best, I can play around with how I make the turkey. I usually brine it and this year I tried Martha Stewart's cheesecloth method. These two things are supposed to be about making the meat juicy and flavourful. Who could object to that?

But there must be mashed potatoes for the teenager and roast potatoes for the MIL. The mister wants the stuffing and the teenager insists it is the 'usual' recipe from my side of the family tree. The 10 cent braised red cabbage (rødkål) is something I insist on and would feel hollow without it. The basic steamed peas and carrots are also the request of the teenager. After all, Grandma always made them with any roast meal. The MIL has a soft spot for the roasted parsnips and carrots. So before you can get any kind of fancy, the plate is full.

Other visiting guests have wanted squashes. But not this time.

Typically there isn't a big interest in anything cranberry. This year I sprung for Michael Sunderland's michaelsdolce™ Cranberry and Apricot jam. We all loved it with the meat.

There is plenty of choice, it is simple, and the plate is full. In the end, in my opinion, it comes down to piping hot delicious gravy. My gravy recipe is timeless and something that has been done my way for some 20 plus years. It now is the family tradition.

Christmas is 76 days away. Tuck this recipe in a safe spot and give it a try with your December turkey.

* I used potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and red cabbage from Roots and Shoots Farm for our Thanksgiving dinner.

TURKEY GRAVY FOR 12

Giblet Stock
Turkey neck and giblets
1 1/2 cup white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc or Gewürztraminer)
4 1/2 turkey stock (or chicken)
1 big stick of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 small cooking onions, chopped

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan. Make sure the turkey stock is cool to start and not hot. This is important for drawing out the flavours from the neck and giblets. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 3 hours. Strain out the juice from the giblets and vegetables. It should measure about 4 cups.





Gravy
8 tablespoons fat from the drippings of the roasted turkey
12 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Giblet stock
Pan drippings from roasted turkey, fat skimmed off
Turkey stock (chicken stock or white wine or vegetable water from boiled potatoes or peas and carrots), as required

Scrap the pan drippings into a bowl. The fat will rise to the top. Skim off all the fat and leave the flavourful, dark pan drippings for later. If you don't have enough fat from the roast, use butter as well.

Pour the giblet stock into the roasting pan and bring to a boil in order to de-glaze the pan. There will still be a lot of flavour stuck to the bottoms and sides.

Heat turkey fat in a saucepan. But make sure it doesn't get too hot or it will start to burn and also burn the flour. Whisk in the flour. Cook it for at least a minute to remove the raw flour flavour. It is important that the flour is totally covered in the fat to avoid lumps. This is called a roux.

Add 1 1/2 cup of the giblet stock and whisk. When adding liquids to a roux, it is important that they are not chilled since the roux is hot and you will cause the roux to 'cease'. Adding the liquid in stages means that the liquid will incorporate into the roux more easily. Continue to add in batches until all the giblet stock is used. Add the pan drippings that have been separated from the fat.

Bring your gravy to a boil to thicken. The thickness of a gravy is a personal thing. I will now add turkey stock (or chicken) to bring the gravy to the consistency our family enjoys. Sometimes I add a bit more wine. The water from the boiled potatoes or peas and carrots are also great liquids to use for finishing your gravy to get it to your desired consistency.

I don't typically do this with gravy but I like to for turkey gravy. I put the gravy through fine sieve into another pot, working the sieve with a whisk to push all the goodness through. This is mainly due to the 'chunks' of drippings from the roasting pan. I like a very silky turkey gravy. On the off chance you had problems with lumps, this will catch those too.



I roast my turkey the day before I serve it. I also make the gravy the day before. This allows me the time to fuss as much as I want with the gravy as I am not under a time crunch. I think that extra day really does wonderful things for the flavour of the gravy. Much like a stew or chili or soup that sits for a day.

I use turkey stock from the Glebe Meat Market in my giblet stock recipe. They sell 500 mL bags. Sometimes fresh, sometimes frozen. Because I make the turkey the day before serving, I also make turkey stock that day once I have the meat off the carcass. If I need to thin out my gravy for the meal, I will use the turkey stock that I made the day before with the roast and the gravy starter.



Serve your gravy piping hot.

Æbleskivers filled with michaelsdolce™ Raspberry & Orange Jam

The Danish pancakes balls called æbleskivers can be served as a breakfast treat or dressed up as a dessert. My post back in May details the construction process and shares my favourite batter recipe.



I recently tried Michael Sunderland's michaelsdolce™ Raspberry & Orange Jam to fill the centers of my æbleskivers. (Because of this, I skipped putting vanilla extract in the batter.)

After the batter was in the pan for a minute, I dropped a half teaspoon of this bright, vibrant jam into the middle. Raspberry and orange are two of my favourite flavours.

When I served them up, I couldn't resist drizzling a wee bit more jam onto the warm morsels. Orange zest, chocolate shavings and a dusting of icing sugar prettied up the plate.



If you are considering buying an æbleskiver pan, I recommend going to CA Paradis in Old Ottawa South or Hendrix near the Ikea plaza. They both carry the cast-iron Lodge Pro Logic æbleskiver pan.

If you are looking to try the many michaelsdolce™ jams, you can find them at close to a dozen stores in Ottawa and also now at Pusateri's Avenue Road store in Toronto. Check out his gorgeous website.