Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Spring Fiddleheads


My aunt Sandra served dinner to the nieces last week. I love going to her home. Sandra is hospitible. She smiles when you walk in. She takes your coat. The table is always set. She doesn't mind when I roam around and take pictures of her life.


And, like her home, her food is full of colour, love and flavour. If you look up on the stove, you'll see a red, cast-iron covered dish. Inside are fiddleheads. The red, the green, the flavour, the memory... Her mother, my grandmother, grew up in the Miramichi, where fiddleheads were a -fleeting- harbinger of spring. Like her mother Viv, Sandra soaks them in cold water, lifts them into a colander, then rinses them again. Then she steams them until tender and adds salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Lemons, of course, weren't abundant along the banks of the Miramichi back then. Viv used a dash of vinegar instead. Either is delicious.



Friday, January 6, 2012

A January Thought

I just found this little 'thought' as I was searching through some files. Sometimes when you read something written a while ago, it feels like you're peering into someone else's life. I liked the sound of these words, the colours, the flavours, the ease of flowing with the seasons. I needed this inspiration on this grey, cold, January day, when food seems particularly beige. Thank you Lindsay from the past.

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Flowing with seasons defines how I operate in the kitchen. Cold, grey days trigger a nostalgia for warm, simmering stews spiked with a vibrant spoonful of parsley pesto. The first sign of grape hyacinths tells me it’s time to sauté spring greens in garlic and top with soft goats cheese and a sprinkle of pistachios. Summer means the lightest of touches; most ingredients shine all on their own. Roasted squash and buttery mushrooms tell me it’s fall.


Within this rhythm is a toolbox of flavours I keep close at hand. It’s these tools – lemons, vinegars, oils, maple syrup, flaky sea salt, roasted tomatoes, garlic, ginger, toasted spices, to name a few – that are the constant in my kitchen. I can’t control the seasons, but I can play with what they bring. My tools allow local golden beets and white sprouting broccoli to become the focus of a Thai green curry. Sweet potatoes and parsnips become a Moroccan tagine. Quince becomes a jelly served with goats cheese.


These tools create harmony in my kitchen. They create balance. They allow food to sing.


I also must add that I am a mother of three. I cook meals on the fly for boys who are hungry. My food isn’t complicated, but the tool box is essential. It can transport even macaroni into something fit for, well, the parents.


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Kernel of Wisdom from Christensen's

Christensen's Vegetable Farm, a family favourite for all things fruit, vegetable, floral, canned and preserved. Signs like this one are posted all over the walls, inspiring, urging, coaxing and empowering people to perhaps try something new, or prepare their bounty in a new and interesting way. Last night their fresh, sweet corn (picked '5 minutes' before purchase) was boiled, sliced, and scattered through buttery hodge-podge. And yes, we smiled from ear to ear...


Monday, July 18, 2011

The Building of a Bisque

Directions:
1. Gather friends together and boil lobsters.
2. Eat lobsters.
3. Salvage any leftover lobster meat and set aside. Place shells in a big roasting tin and blast for an hour in a 450f oven. This will dry out the shells and enhance their flavour.

4. Put roasted shells back in the lobster pot. Add water to cover and add whatever flavourful ingredients you have - onions, green onions, herbs. Simmer for an hour or so. Do this over a propane stove outside if you can; it's a stinky job.
5. Strain.
6. Chose a friend (see above, R) who is a fabulous and enthusiastic professional cook who can create a mirepoix with her eyes closed.
7. Watch her saute the mirepoix, add tomato paste, lobster stock and cream. Give her a glass of wine as she cooks. Inhale.
8. Spoon into bowls and add reserved lobster meat.


9. Enjoy.






Monday, June 20, 2011

Singapore Sweetness

The other day I received an email from my friend, Chére, in Singapore. Chére and her family are heading to NS for the summer. Below is an email she found in her inbox from her son Will, who's learning to email. She sent it to me, and with Will's permission, I'm sharing it. Needless to say Pippa and I are in love. But have I mentioned he's only seven?

From: Will Cooper
Date: June 15, 2011 AM 07:14:34 GMT+08:00
Subject: Things i am going to buy in canada with my canadian money places where to buy stuff Camp Cooper/Old Navy/Nova Scotia/Toronto

Things i am going to buy in canada with my canadian money places where to buy stuff Camp Cooper/Old Navy/Nova Scotia/Toronto
1.my own wallet 2. 3.Pippa Cuthbert and Lindsay Cameron Wilson soup 4.mini-stanley cup 5.vancouver canucks hat 6.my own tomato plant 7.carrot seeds 8.a small camping tent (made for real camping) 9.a dvd of vancouver canucks hockey goals 10.Pippa Cuthbert and Lindsay Cameron Wilson juice 11.Pippa Cuthbert and Lindsay Cameron Wilson cookies



Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Monday, April 11, 2011

Lobster Sandwiches

I've been in the test kitchen lately, developing recipes for Select Nova Scotia's Seasonal Calendar, the Art of Cooking Local. I've been tasked with developing recipes based on one seasonal ingredient each month. I've paused on June - Lobster. I thought a fantastic lobster sandwich would be ideal, but I couldn't move forward. A lobster sandwich is an example of restraint, control, discretion. The lobster needs to shine; less is more. But it's also memorable, nostalgic and decadent. My measure, however, is an unlikely one... my grandmother loved a good lobster sandwich. The soft white bread, a touch of mayo and big, generous pieces of lobster. But she was also practical. One June day she offered to treat a handful of her grandchildren to lobster sandwiches. We piled into her VW rabbit and pulled onto the Bedford Highway, the Basin sparkling in the rear-view mirror. But before we knew it, she took a right, straight into the McDonalds parking lot. "They make the best lobster sandwiches", she said. "I hope we're not too late."

I threw out the following question last week on Facebook. The responses were numerous, but not a mention of McD's.

(The verdict? Fresh lobster meat tossed with chives, tarragon, a little mayo, sea salt, pepper and tiny pieces of chopped apple. Crunch and interest, but the lobster still shone. And the bread? Squishy? Toasted? Sourdough? Hotdog bun? I chose baguette. Cause that's what I had.)

in the test kitchen..what makes a fabulous lobster sandwich? thoughts?
April 6 at 10:42am · · ·
    • D Lots of Lobster.
      April 6 at 10:43am ·
    • V chunky lobster pieces!
      April 6 at 10:44am ·
    • C Letting the lobster be. x
      April 6 at 10:44am ·
    • V and great white bread from La Vendenne
      April 6 at 10:44am ·
    • L A bit of mayo and a fresh baguette. :) Is that sacrelige?
      April 6 at 10:45am ·
    • J warm toasted bread and lots of lobster
      April 6 at 10:47am ·
    • H lemon, mayo, soft lovely bread. now i'm hungry....
      April 6 at 11:12am ·
    • B i'm allergic .... but still think you would need a little bit of celery...
      April 6 at 11:19am ·
    • Lindsay Wilson thanks everyone! love it! will let you know how it goes...
      April 6 at 11:30am ·
    • J very small chunks of onion and celery. I like mine in a toast hot dog bun.
      April 6 at 11:35am ·
    • R It is all about the steamed bun and the right amount of mayo...God want one
      April 6 at 11:35am ·
    • M I might be too late but I like dill or mint or lemon. Something a little different to give it punch.
      April 6 at 12:03pm ·
    • M I like mine without lobster. I sometimes wonder if I am really from Nova Scotia.
      April 6 at 12:16pm ·
    • C Some Cava on the side.
      April 6 at 1:07pm ·
    • D lime jello
      April 6 at 1:25pm · · 1 person
    • D fennel
      April 6 at 1:50pm ·
    • P little mayo and a little dill....yum
      April 6 at 2:15pm ·
    • C I agree with Nicolle mayo+lemon+ crispy pancetta+chopped chives
      April 6 at 3:04pm ·
    • V A bit of curry mixed in with the mayo, crispy lettuce, really fresh French bread.
      April 6 at 4:08pm ·
    • Lindsay Wilson Oh soooo good. I think it will have to be lobster sandwich 3 ways...
      April 6 at 4:44pm ·
    • C i like a little crunch, like a tiny bit of celery... lots of pepper, not too much mayo
      April 7 at 12:25am ·
    • P sourdough bread
      April 7 at 5:34am ·
    • J tiny chunks of sour apple.
      April 7 at 10:48am ·
    • M really crispy lettuce, and very finely chopped spring onion, and a hint of dijon in the sauce. I will be happy to sample :)
      April 7 at 3:39pm ·