Lunching at a Bakeshop - Art-is-in Bakery Is Heating It Up With Kevin's Clam Chowder

I went to Art-is-in Bakery (or is it Boulangerie?) for bread shopping and ended up staying for lunch. My first time trying their midday fare.

I didn't want a big honking sandwich. Many are priced around $11. More than I cared to spend for lunch and a price that implied 'size'. So I took on Kevin's Clam Chowder.

The KCC, named for owner-baker-chef Kevin Mathieson, was loaded up with clams plus big chunks of potato, celery, carrots and tomato.

The lightly creamed broth was absent of 'glom' and had a bit of spicy heat to warm your cheeks. The kind of lip-smacking taste that leaves you wanting for seconds.

No fish crackers here. Teetering on the plate was a wedge of the famous Art-is-in Boulangerie's Dynamite Cheddar, Chive & Jalapeño baguette.

Plenty of lunch for $6.25.

Art-is-in Bakery
250 City Center Avenue, Bay 114 (access from Scott St., just west of Preston)
Ottawa, Ontario
613.695.1226
Website: www.artisinbakery.com
Facebook: Art-is-in Bakery
Twitter: ArtisinBakery

Mon to Wed: 7 am - 6 pm
Thurs to Fri: 7 am - 7 pm
Sat: 8 am - 5 pm
Sun: 8:30 am - 4 pm (Brunch from 9 am - 1 pm)

Salmon Salad Smørrebrød Built from Local Ingredients

I keep an emergency tin of salmon handy when I have a bit of a lunch crisis. I do enjoy a salmon salad sandwich.

We often will have slices of bread in the freezer from Art-is-in Boulangerie. This time, it was their Crazy Grain bread.

Roots and Shoots Farm is keeping our crisper well stocked - lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic scapes.

Two thumbs up for today's smørrebrød (open-faced) sandwich! [Must be eaten with a knife and fork! It is all so civil and a great way to eat more slowly.]

Salmon Salad Smørrebrød

SANDWICH:
Slice of Crazy Grain bread
Butter (optional), but if used, must be spread right to the edge
Boston leaf lettuce
Tomato slices
Cucumber slices
Tropicana onion slices
Salmon salad (tin of salmon, real mayonnaise, salt & pepper)

GARNISH:
Garlic scape pesto
chives

Pat Crocker's Strawberry Sauce Is My New Jam

Pat Crocker's Strawberry Sauce is now my new jam. It uses very little sugar compared to conventional jams, allowing the taste of the strawberry to stand forward. She also provided depth in flavour to this creation by incorporating molasses and sweet raspberry vinegar. I think a twist of the pepper grinder would have made a good seasoning as well.

I wanted a thickness closer to jam. Sugar plays a big role in the thickening process. Where a batch of jam typically takes 6 1/2 to 7 cups of sugar, this recipe only takes 1 cup. Although she suggests that the mixture cook for 15 minutes, I kept it on the cook-top bubbling away for closer to 30 minutes. The sauce was no longer runny but a bit less viscosity than a lemon curd. It could still pour off the spoon. Not something typical of jam. This batch would have yielded 4 250 ml jars but because of the extra reduction, my sauce produced a little less than 3 1/2 jars.

Pat is also a big proponent of food safety and she is thorough in her reinforcement of proper sterilization of the jars and also the scalding of the snap lids and rings. Always use new snaps and rings when preserving.

Although my jars of sauce are going in the freezer, and I could forgo the water batch method, sterilized jars are still a critical step in making this sauce.

Pat suggests this sauce is a wonderful accompaniment for dishes like pancakes, waffles and ice cream. I think it would also work well along side duck or poultry. I am even considering it as my secret ingredient in my killer strawberry margaritas. My first taste of the sauce was a smear on top of punchy fresh Gouda cheese on a piece of Crazy Grain bread from Art-is-in Boulangerie.

Pat Crocker's book, Preserving, has been by my side since the day I bought it in late winter. Not only are there recipes laid out by the seasons, there is a wealth of information about many of the fruits and vegetables we are going to encounter throughout our growing seasons. As a very active CSA member, I can't imagine being without this book to help me to maximize the gifts in my food baskets - weather it is ensuring proper care or just using every bit of it in the most delicious way.

Thanks to Pat, her Strawberry Sauce is now my new jam.

Pat Crocker's Strawberry Sauce
[includes my small changes]

4 cups mashed or blendered strawberries that are well-ripe-to-overripe
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 packed brown sugar
grated rind and juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon fancy molasses
1 tablespoon raspberry wine vinegar (can use balsamic vinegar)

blumenstudio - Can Anybody Make A Better Café Crema?

.i go to blumenstudio at 465 Parkdale Avenue for the café crema
.double shot
.served in the #4 size Könitz Coffee Bar cup
.one part espresso
.one part microfoam cream
.made by Katrin Kosk herself





.i could have a cortado
.or a John Wayne
.or a café con panna
.or the usual cast of characters - latte, americano, cappuccino
.but I don't

.it's always the café crema



.thursday I brought the darling husband to my secret place
.well, not so secret because I do tell him all the time just how great the café crema is at blumenstudio

.again, café crema
.I went for my 'girl' cup
.the #4 size Könitz Coffee Bar cup
.he took the more masculine tumbler presentation
.the very special Classic Gourmet Coffee bean from Vaughan, Ontario means they were both delicious
.again



.Kat fills her display case with a rotation of local treats
.Art-is-in Boulangerie
.The Flour Shoppe
.Simply Biscotti
.Dolci
.Auntie Loo's Treats



.new to the top shelf is chocolates from ChocoMotive from Montebello, Ontario



.chocolate together with coffee is brilliant
.though not a divine revelation that I can lay claim to, it bares repeating

.our 'product research' included:
.Manon: marzipan, butter cream, fondant, toasted pecan, coated in white chocolate
.Caramel & fleur de sel: flowing caramel, Maldon salt, coated in dark chocolate
.Sucre d’orange: Fondant, candied orange, coated in dark chocolate *
.Lingot: nougatine, coated in dark chocolate and dusted with gold powder *

.* favourites



.Kat also is the corner store for milk, butter, eggs and refreshing drinks
.Local friends in that mix
.Cochrane's Dairy in Russell
.Stirling Creamery in Stirling, home of Kraft Hockeyville 2012!



.Kat does big things with 'blumen'
.her many large coolers display a selection of sophisticated blooms that play to her unique European sense of style



.a recent post on Apartment613 reminded me that it was time to pay blumenstudio a visit again
.to say happy 1st anniversary
.although we missed it by a day, we helped to ring in the beginning of year two
.year two of many more



.need a quiet place for a great coffee?
.be careful where you sit though
.she is always re-arranging

.restful .inspiring .heavenly café crema



blumenstudio
465 Parkdale Avenue
613.680.8400
website: www.blumenstudio.ca
Facebook: Blumenstudio
Twitter: @blumenstudio

Tues to Thurs: 8 am - 6 pm
Fri: 8 am - 8 pm
Sat: 9 am - 7 pm
Sun 10 am - 4 pm

LUNCH: Working the Leftovers

Deep freezer diving uncovered a small portion of pea soup made late April. And no surprise, also a wedge of Art-is-in Boulangerie's Dynamite Cheddar, Chive & Jalapeño Baguette.

Clarmell On The Rideau - Chèvre Goat Cheese is nearing the end.

Fresh heirloom tomatoes are abound.

The homemade pesto still lives on.

Now, time for lunch for me and the mister.

Our CSA Basket Continues To Delight - Kale and Egg Open-Faced Sandwiches

I am nearing the end of my first CSA basket from Roots and Shoots Farm. We are appropriately signed up for a half share as there is just the two of us most days.

The two weeks flew by and here I am, anticipating what will be in the next basket, soon to arrive.

I learned a lot last year about how to care for my produce to maximize shelf life. When I bring the items home, I give them a quick cleanup where necessary. I have a few plastic grocery bags I recycle for just the occasion. Most items are wrapped loosely, but well, in order to keep the moisture in.

A testament to the effort was the fact that tonight we enjoyed the Red Russian Kale.



Maybe it wasn't as perky as pick up day almost two weeks ago but it was still fresh and raring to go.

The first Roots and Shoots newsletter for the season contained recipes to help us get started. In conversation with a few blog readers and fellow Roots and Shoots CSA'ers, it was clear that the Kale and Eggs dish was a hit.

Here is the Roots and Shoots Kale and Eggs recipe direct from the newsletter:

"Red Russian Kale: This can be used the same way as Bok Choy, in a stirfry or raw in a salad, but you should try one of our favorite farm breakfasts – Kale and Eggs. We fry up (quickly) some onions and scapes, throw in the chopped kale, add some soy sauce on top. Add a little water and cover, so the kale will steam a bit. Then crack an egg (or three) on the kale and re-cover. You can add a little water if there’s not much steam left. The egg should steam lightly on top of the kale, and in the time it takes for two sets of toast to almost burn, your breakfast is ready!! "



Our 'toast' was Art-is-in Boulangerie's Dynamite Cheddar, Chive & Jalapeño Baguette. (We keep a stash in the freezer for such occasions.) We did not have any scapes remaining so the chef substituted minced garlic.

I dressed my Kale and Egg open-faced sandwiches with homemade red pepper and peach relish and a few toasted pine nuts.

Thank you Roots and Shoots for great produce. Thank you Ari for 'egging' me on. I finally made this breakfast dish. For dinner!

LUNCH: Art-is-in Bread, Clarmell Chèvre Cheese, Quebec Tomato, and Homemade Pesto

Today's lunch drew on local and market ingredients.

Art-is-in Boulangerie's Dynamite Potato, Caramelized Onion & Fresh Dill Bread

• The Dynamite Potato, Caramelized Onion and Fresh Dill bread was bought fresh today at Art-is-in Boulangerie. I cut the 2 foot loaf into eight 3" wedges, ready to be put in the freezer. (When I use a wedge, I thaw it, cut it in half, and usually toast it.) Today's sandwich bread was toasted first.
  

Clarmell On The Rideau - Chèvre Goat Cheese

• Bought from The Piggy Market in Westboro, Clarmell Farm's chèvre goes for $29/kg. It may seem dear but the taste is pure gold. The cheese is produced at the Glengarry Fine Cheese Factory in Lancaster, Ontario using a 100% goats milk from the Mussell family's farm. Many think this is the finest chèvre for miles around, including Savvy Company! I can easily agree. I have also seen Clarmell cheese down in the Byward Market at the stall for Bekings Poultry Farm. It is also available at the Ottawa Farmers' Market at Lansdowne.
  

Farm grown tomatoes from Quebec

• We were at the Jean-Talon Market in Montreal on Sunday. It is said that it is frequented more by the residence of Montreal than tourists, so prices are reasonable. There were many stalls of beautiful fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. We picked up some tomatoes grown in Quebec. They have been so enjoyable as they are ripe and full-flavoured. The 4 good-sized tomatoes were $2.

Homemade Pesto

• I picked up a large bunch (weighed 12.5 ounces!) of fresh basil while at the Jean-Talon Market. It only cost $3. The bunch yielded close to 4 packed cups of basil leaves. From this I made pesto using also 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, 3/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, 6 large garlic cloves (toasted and minced), few drops of lemon juice, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Garnish of Basil Leaves

• My basil leaves are from one of my basil plants from Vicki's Veggies near Picton.

The mister had the same sandwich for lunch. He used the word 'awesome'. I think my friend Marcus of Danish Open-Faced Sandwiches may say they are unconventional as far as open-faced sandwiches go, but would be pleased with the layers of texture, taste, and colour.

Can Canned Salmon Be a $12 Sandwich? The Mister Says 'Yes!'

One of the challenges of working out of your home is that the 'cafeteria' can sometimes be lacking. Lacking in ingredients. Lacking in imagination. Lacking in staff.

The dream come true is to pull yourself away from the desk, stroll to the kitchen and find that your bistro lunch awaits. Well that didn't happen for me today but it was the pleasure the mister experienced. I decided to scrounge for the ingredients. I channeled my imagination. I volunteered to be that staff.

And voilà! Two open-faced sandwiches of toasted Art-is-in Boulangerie Dynamite Cheddar, Chive and Jalapeño baguette. Blanketed in thin slices of perfectly ripened avocado. Slathered with a salad of canned salmon loaded with real mayonnaise, ramps and gerkins. Then topped with a homemade preserve of red pepper and peach relish.

For this, I charged him $12 + tax!



The $12 Canned Salmon Sandwich

1 three-inch piece of Art-is-in Boulangerie Dynamite Cheddar, Chive and Jalapeño baguette, thawed, cut in half and toasted
1 can of salmon, deboned and drained
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 ramp leaf and bulb, very finely chopped
2 gerkins, very finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 ripe avocado, sliced
Red Pepper and Peach Relish

Cover the two toasted halves of bread with avocado slices.

Combine the salmon, mayonnaise, ramps, and gerkins. Adjust the ingredients to your taste. Lightly salt and pepper. There is enough salad to generously cover 4 open-faced sandwiches.

Top each open-faced sandwich with a teaspoon of red pepper and peach relish.

Arrange artfully on a contemporary bistro-styled plate. Provide a linen napkin. Serve with love!

Art-is-in Boulangerie's Dynamite Cheddar, Chive & Jalapeño Baguette

The salty cheese flavour and the heat from the chili peppers drew us to Art-is-in Boulangerie's Dynamite Cheddar, Chive & Jalapeño Baguette on first bite.

However, when fresh bakery bread is NOT loaded with preservatives, how do you enjoy that fresh bakery taste with every bite? This is a common problem for a small family.

Luckily for us, when the temptation arises, we have been enjoying our favourite Art-is-in Boulangerie Dynamite baguette at a moment's notice. We have found that the bread freezes very well, and we like having a sandwich portion on the ready to just toast up with butter and jam or to transform into a veggie packed panini.

Let me share with you how we maximize our Art-is-in Boulangerie Dynamite baguette experience right here at home.

The 2 foot loaf is $5.00 + tax. If I am lucky to pick up a stick at the end of the day, I only pay half price.





As soon as I get it home, I divide the stick into 8 pieces, tuck it into a freezer bag, release the air, then slip it into the freezer. Each sandwich portion works out to be approximately 70 cents - 35 cents if you were able to get the loaf at half price! Either way, it's a good price for a quality 3" x 5" slice of Art-is-in.



A piece thaws quickly on the counter. I wait to cut it in half just before using as this keeps it at its freshest.

If I am going to toast it first, I use the 'Bagel' setting on my toaster. This allows for an even toasting on the inside and a gentle warming on the outside. I want to be careful not to burn that cheesy goodness.

Is it worth it to put in the extra effort up front? You bet! It guarantees us a fresh baked experience with every bite! It ends up being a great solution for our small family.

SUMMARY OF TIPS FOR DYNAMITE BAGUETTES:

• Shop at Art-is-in Boulangerie the hour before closing (5 - 6 pm), and buy bread at half price, if you are willing to gamble on selection
  
• Freeze loaf right away. Well, maybe after sampling! (freezes very well and also thaws very quickly).
  
• Before freezing, slice bread into eight 3" sections to have sandwich-size portions on the ready anytime
• Cut sandwich portion in half just before using in order to maximize freshness
  
• Toast using the Bagel setting - this toasts the inside and warms the cheesy outside
• Prepare with love and inhale
• Green tip: Keep emptied freezer bag in the freezer and refill when a new loaf comes home
• Repeat

Do you have a favourite Art-is-in Boulangerie bread?





Art-is-in Boulangerie
250 City Center Avenue, unit 112 (access from Scott St., just west of Preston)
Ottawa, Ontario
613.695.1226
Website: www.artisinbakery.com
Facebook: Art-is-in Bakery
Twitter: ArtisinBakery

Mon: Closed
Tues to Fri: 7 am - 6 pm
Sat: 8 am - 4 pm
Sun: 10 am - 3 pm

Homemade Edgar-esque Panini

When I couldn't get to Edgar in Hull today for lunch, I ended up making my own Edgar-esque panini to satisfy my appetite:

Art-is-in Boulangerie Dynamite bread (Roasted Garlic and Rosemary) with goat cheese, perfectly ripe avocado slices, roasted red pepper slices, vine-ripe tomato slices, red onion slivers, fresh cilantro leaves, toasted pine nuts and chipotle mayo with chives.

I have had some unforgettable paninis at Edgar and one very similar to this before. As I loaded on the goodies, it was hard to stop. Pine nuts? Perhaps a bit unconventional but it was actually good!

I thought about my hopeful lunch trip to Edgar all morning. I knew I was going to have a panini. I often chose soup. I was imagining the warm, crunchy bread and the oozing flavours all piled in together. There would be cheese of some sort. Vegetables of some sort. And some flavour that kicked. Maybe a protein. Maybe not. Whatever Marysol put together, it would be all Edgar. By 2 o'clock I knew I wasn't going to make it.

Sometimes when you get fixated on an outcome, you miss the so very obvious. It finally dawned on me that I would have Edgar at home. Now I am no Marysol when it comes to her prowess with food stocks, but I was willing to give it a whirl.

This rescue lunch likely would not have been possible except for the fact that the teenager is back in the house for a few months. Our fridge and freezer are well stocked and on the ready for whatever that hungry appetite might throw at them 24/7. His recently gifted panini grill has also amped up what creations might come out of the kitchen.

Thanks to the teenager, here is some of our regular fare that we have on hand:

Freezer

• Art-is-in Boulangerie Dynamite bread pre-cut to panini size and ready for assembly
• Roasted red peppers individually wrapped

Kitchen

• Red onion
• Vine-ripe tomatoes

Fridge

• Goat cheese
• Mayonnaise
  

The ingredients that ended up 'making' the sandwich included leftovers from other cooking experiences over the past week.

We happened to have on hand:

• Toasted pine nuts leftover from last night's dinner party
  
• A number of perfectly ripe avocados
  
• Chipotle peppers and sauce leftover from chili night
• Fresh cilantro leftover from chili night
• Chives leftover from last night's dinner party

Marysol's Edgar was pure inspiration today but there is no fear that my own panini miscellany will stop me from making that drive over the river when I can. My panini was great, but hers are better. And I am willing to succumb to the temptation of her mini treats and that wonderful cup of Cha Yi tea every time.

Zangebak - Finding a Forgotten Memory

Six years ago I became an adult orphan when my mother passed away. For us, our mother was the nurturing soul that pulsated through the family. No matter what your age, when you lose your mother, it is a pain that stays with you as daily life brings its constant reminders of her. And with food being such a central focus of her life, the reminders are many.

Last weekend while at Edgar in Hull I enjoyed a "mini almond cake" with my tea.



Another recent visit to Art-is-in Boulangarie with a friend had me trying their wee 'financier'. A financier is a small French cake usually containing almond flour, crushed or ground almonds, or almond flavoring.



Perhaps trying these similar treats so close together in time was enough of a jolt to excavate a food memory from my childhood that has long been buried. Maybe as much as 30 years? When I was young, we made a treat called zangebaks. They were very almond tasting dense 'cakes' made in muffin tins. The outside had a bit of a crunch to it and the inside a bit chewy.

I shared this jettisoned memory with the good people at Edgar and vowed to comb through my shoebox of old recipe cards to see if I still had this gem. I keep all my active recipes in Mastercook and go to the archives when I want to resurrect the past and officially include it in our repertoire. Many childhood recipes are in Mastercook now but some still remain without attention on 4" x 6" yellowing cards.

Bless my organization skills! I found it. Written out in what I call my 'high school font'. Always block letters. Always using a fountain pen. Although it appears tidy, it is missing some instruction. Like when to include the almond extract. Also missing is the source. I always put the source of the recipe in the top right hand corner. Not so much for attribution in the digital age but as part of the preservation of the recipe's genealogy. Where did this zangebak recipe come from? I assure you my four brothers will not be of help on this one. And again I am reminded of the finality of my mother's passing. No more going to her for details, memories and understanding. No more help in colouring in the finer details of the past. Again I feel the severance of time gone before me and my time now.



My father was the one who regularly made requests for zangebaks back in the days when I was still at home. But I do not remember them ever being around when I went home to visit. Did he tire of them and move on to a new favourite? Did she lose interest in making them? I too had forgotten about them and had never made them again since leaving home.

Despite the very fuzzy details, I loved meeting up with an old food friend this week. I loved 'spending time' with my Mom in the kitchen again. I would do anything to have her back.



Zangebak

In the second batch I put in 1/3 cup ground almond and then reduced the flour by that amount. It worked well. I also tried them in a mini muffin tin yielding at least 24 mini cakes. Baking time should be reduced to closer to 15 minutes. Do not over-bake or you will not get the center chew.

1 cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
sliced almonds, optional

Heat oven to 350ºF. Cream butter. Beat in sugar. Add egg. Continue to beat. Add almond extract. Beat thoroughly.

Mix flour and baking soda today and then fold into butter mixture.

Divide dough evenly into 12 portions and fill into buttered muffin tins. Push a sprinkling of sliced almonds on the top of each cake.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Let stand in muffin tin for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on rack.

Art-is-in Boulangerie Rolls

Some food journeys are a perpetual quest for the 'best'. The best butter tart. The best baguette. The best croissant. Perhaps you have your own addictions.

I sense that dinner rolls also rank up there with that Holy Grail style, forever searching, never satisfied, food foraging agony that we food lovers seem to put ourselves through.

If you are possibly people of this kind, you may find yourself making your way to the new location of Art-is-in Boulangerie at the City Center here in Ottawa. Their retail storefront at their new larger bakery allows you to try a much broader selection of bakery treats than just the wonderful baguettes that they have become so well-known for over the past few years. (Our favourite being the Dynamite Cheddar, Chive and Jalapeño.)

On our exploratory visit this past Saturday, I picked up 3 rolls - white with poppy seed, white full of olives with sesame seeds, and a muesli style. We enjoyed them with Jarlsberg cheese and the Raspberry & Orange michaelsdolce jam.



Sunday I was back and the selection had changed. This day there was just one choice in rolls. Potato buttermilk! These were eventually converted into chewy sandwiches of rosemary ham, Jarlsberg cheese and Dijon mustard. The perfect little lunch snack.



Plan ahead though and enter at your own risk. I suspect when you go, you will also be tempted by the breads, baguettes, croissants, tarts, morning pastries, cakes, cookies, brioche, macarons, lunch time soups and sandwiches.....

Art-is-in Boulangerie
250 City Center Avenue, unit 112
Ottawa, Ontario
613.695.1226
Website: www.artisinbakery.com
Facebook: Art-is-in Bakery
Twitter: ArtisinBakery

Mon: Closed
Tues to Fri: 7 am - 6 pm
Sat: 8 am - 4 pm
Sun: 10 am - 3 pm