A Cure for Clutter - Baskets

In the bathroom….

In the family room….

The pantry...

Extra kitchen storage...

The possibilities are endless.  

Some of our favourite places to find baskets are Ikea, Jysk and Homesense 

What to do with mushroom salts?  Here is a tasty recipe!

Tempura Green Beans With Mushroom Salt And Shallot Dip

           

            Shallot Dip

            2 shallots, 1 coarsely chopped, 1 thinly sliced into rings

            4 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, thinly sliced

            1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

            Kosher salt

            ¼ cup mayonnaise

            ¼ cup sour cream

            2 tablespoons buttermilk

            2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

            Freshly ground black pepper

            ¼ cup vegetable oil

        

Place chopped shallot, scallions, and vinegar in a food processor and season with salt. Process until finely chopped; transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk in mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, and chives; season dip with salt and pepper.

            
Cook oil and shallot rings in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shallots to paper towels to drain; season with salt. Set aside for serving.

         
  

          Tempura Green Beans

         8 ounces green beans, trimmed

         ½ cup all purpose flour

        ½ cup cornstarch

        ½ teaspoon baking powder

        ½ teaspoon kosher salt

        1 cup chilled club soda

Fit a large pot with thermometer; pour in oil to measure 2". Heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 375°.

            
Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch, flour, baking powder and kosher salt. Add club soda; whisk until batter is smooth.

            
Working in batches, dip green beans in batter, letting excess drip back into bowl, and fry, stirring gently with a slotted spoon if green beans stick together, until golden, about 3 minutes per batch. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with mushroom salt.

Top dip with crispy shallots and serve alongside green beans.           

Today I had the pleasure of baking one of my favourite things....bread!  Not just any bread, it is a no knead bread, of only 4 ingredients and is baked in a very hot oven in a cast iron pot.  I have been baking this for years and has now become a well requested item when I am invited for lunch or dinner. It also makes a lovely gift when wrapped in crisp parchment paper and tied with twine.  Served warm, it is an absolute treat! 

So I am happy to share my recipe and hope that you will enjoy this as much as I do.

No Knead Bread

3 cups flour (any type....experiment and have fun with different types)

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

3/4 tablespoon of kosher salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix dough the night before by combining all ingredients in a bowl with a fork.  It will be a shaggy mess.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit over night.  (12 - 20 hours)

The dough will be wet, sticky and bubbly at this point.  

With a wet spatula, or your floured hand, dump the dough on a floured surface and fold ends of the dough over a few times and nudge it into a ball shape.  Dust the top of the dough with flour and cover with the same plastic wrap. Let is nap for 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 450 F and put cast iron pot into oven to warm up.  When oven ready, remove pot and very carefully dump the dough into the pot.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes until the crust is a lovely golden colour.  

After it has cooled, if it is a gift,  I like to wrap it up in parchment paper and secure it with raffia or twine.  The presentation I feel is just as important.  

Fiddleheads - available soon!

Contact us via our website if you are interested!!

How to cook and store fiddleheads

Remove any brown stuff and dirt on the fiddleheads. Trim the ends. Wash them throughly in cold water. Fiddle heads taste best when blanched in salted water for 2-4 minutes or until they are tender but crisp. Use blanched fiddleheads in pasta or lightly saute them in butter. Instead of boiling, fiddleheads can also be steamed till they are crisp-tender. Blanched/steamed fiddleheads can be patted dry and frozen. Don’t eat fiddleheads raw, they can make you sick! Consume fiddleheads immediately after your purchase or foraging trip. They don’t keep very well. If you must store fiddleheads, wrap them loosely in a plastic bag and refrigerate them. Use within one day.

Fiddlehead Fern and Morel Mushroom Pasta Recipe

serves about 3-4

1/2 oz dried morel mushrooms


3 oz fiddlehead ferns (about 18-20 pieces), washed well


1/2 pound pasta


3 tablespoons butter or olive oil


2 cloves of garlic, chopped


2 sprigs of thyme


1/4 cup heavy cream (recommended) or milk


salt and pepper

Boil water in a small pot, add dried morel mushrooms to boiling water. Immediately turn off heat. Cover and let the mushrooms soak for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain and squeeze excess liquid from the mushroom. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid.

In another pot, boil more water, add fiddlehead ferns and boil for about 2 minutes. Then remove from water and submerge in a bowl with cold water and ice cubes. This will stop the cooking process and keep the fiddleheads crisp and green.

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water till pasta is al-dente. Don’t overcook pasta.

While pasta is cooking, heat a skillet and add butter or olive oil. Add chopped garlic, thyme, and drained morel mushrooms. Cook till morels are soft. Add drained fiddleheads, cream, and 2 tablespoons of mushroom soaking liquid. Cook on low heat for about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper. For a thinner sauce, add more mushroom soaking liquid. Add the boiled pasta and toss.

Finishing salts custom made with wild Manitoba mushrooms.  Perfect for seasoning pastas, eggs, risotto, soups, stews…..the possibilities are endless!

A variety of wild Manitoba mushrooms including chanterelle, lobster and others infused in flaked sea salt for perfect adhesion to your favourite foods. 

Fall 2014 mushroom harvest!!

These salts are available for purchase.  Contact us via our website.