The Great Canadian Invention Series: McIntosh Apple

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The McIntosh apple was discovered in 1811 by John McIntosh on a little farm Dundas County, Ontario, Canada. John McIntosh found a group of trees growing wild on this farm, and since the apples then where part of farmer’s nutritious diet, he moved all of them closer to his farm house. To his and other farmer’s surprise one of the trees was producing juicy, crispy and very fragrant apples. However, it was only one apple tree that was bearing them. Branches of that one apple tree were grafted to other apple tree, a technique where branch from one fruit are transplanted into another tree. The result was successful. And this is how the McIntosh apple became the most popular apple in Canada started by the McIntosh family.

Are You Ready to Make Your Own Apple Sauce?
Yes you are because it is very simple. Get your ingredients, the McIntosh apples – as many as you wish. Peel, slice or dice all the apples, and cooked them in covered pot until mushy – low heat please. Serve warm or cool, with ice cream, yogurt, or oatmeal.

mushroom gorgonzola pie

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My first savory pie and it was perfect. I literally could have ate the entire thing. Soft mushrooms, running strong gorgonzola, sauteed onions, all steaming with the hint of sage baked in a marvelous pastry. It was a lovely meal. I didn't even plan on photographing it because I really didn't want to wait to try it. But the look of the pie bird was just so funny, I made myself suffer the wait. Worth it.


I have always been plagued by the idea of a savory pie after seeing an episode of some Samantha Brown travel show, many years ago. She was in Cornwall, I think, and someone showed her how to make cornish pasties. They looked so amazing, even though they all had meat. Tradition old recipes like that from the UK have always fascinated me. They were all so glamourous, in a rustic way, reminding me of the beautiful British countryside. Food that I would want to eat if I ate meat. 


Anyways, when I saw a recipe for a savory pie that was vegetarian on that British recipe site I like, Channel 4, I believe. I knew I had to make it, it was a must. The original recipe was a bit different, one main thing, it only had a top crust but I need a double dose. That crispy shortcrust would be perfect, again. 


Last week I met up with Kamran of The Sophisticated Gourmet! I had such an amazing afternoon with him. He was in town from the East Coast, doing business, and had a few hours free so we met up. I was a bit nervous at first, just because I was meeting someone that I had only seen their photo a few times online. So I did that awkward, make eye contact with every guy that could plausibly fit his description to see if it was him. So after finally finding each other, we walked around Market Street, down the the Ferry Building (I got my first Weck jars!) the to Fog City News & Union Square. Fog City News, a magazine & chocolate shop that I had randomly stumbled upon one day. When I said, 'Oh there is some magazine shop that has good foodie mags up here' to Kamran, he went, Fog ... Something? I heard about this amazing chocolate and magazine shop that so & so told me I had to go to. My reaction was 'I have no clue what it's called, but it had chocolate & its amazing, so maybe!' and it turns out we were both thinking of the same shop! Very funny coincidence. A lovely afternoon talking with someone that actually had the same interests as me. I generally don't have much in common with people my age. No one seems to care about an amazing old piece of wood to use as a background, the wonderfulness of brown butter or can relate on always feeling the stress of putting up a new post. It really made me feel normal to be able to talk to someone who understands. Thanks for taking time out of your trip to meet up with me Kamran :) 








































Gordon Ramsay's shortcrust recipe.Filling an adaptation of a Simon Rimmer recipe.

A sunday with stephanie

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This Sunday I made the hour and a half drive down to Palo Alto and spent the day with Stephanie of Desserts for Breakfast. It started off around 9 in the morning and didn't end til almost 7 at night. It was a great day spent wandering a farmers market, getting great coffee then scrumptious sandwiches, making new backgrounds for each of us and finally making muffins. (Her first time! To my shock :) they had to be made once she told me that)


So the farmer's market. It had the most glorious eggs ever. I fell in love with them. There were four big bins of them, 2 of chicken eggs in the most beautiful pastel colors. Then 2 of duck eggs, pale pink, off-white, and a few dark grey almost black colored. Swooning over them, I immediately grabbed a carton and began searching for the best ones. They all had to be just a bit different, sizes, shapes, colors. I took a massive amount of photos of them, this post as proof. I have yet to even crack one, I don't want to. I should because they probably taste fabulous, but it's my first time getting eggs like these. I'm putting it off. 


The backgrounds were the main objective of the visit. We started off at Home Depot, finding the 'right' wood that would give the old look we wanted but would still be able for us to transform. Sanding, painting many coats, try to get that crackle finish (which is a lot harder than that silly little bottle says) and leaving a few boards for my next trip down there. I left with two new backgrounds that I already adore, many thanks to Stephanie for a great day. 


Oh and we made muffins! Lemon Verbena with Olallieberries. Two things I had never had before. Early in the day she said to me something like, Do you know any good recipes for Lemon Verbena? I have so much now! My first reaction being 'Umm thats some kind of herb-y thing right?' Knowing only that I have vaguely heard about it online, but never had tasted it or seen it in markets. So I wasn't much help in that department. But when we decided that we must bake something, well come on were food bloggers, how could we not? So when we somehow came upon muffins, because they were much quicker than the yeasted bready things that we first talked about. So the lemon verbena was a must, muffins were the vechine of choice and then she remembered the olallieberries that she had in her freezer. Of course I didn't know what they were either. So they are kinda like blackberries but sweeter? tarter? I honestly can't remember now, but I know they were awesome. Not many of those muffins made it home on that hour and a half drive. 


So now on to too many photos:




The farmer's market





















Duck Eggs




















A quick shoot in Stephanie's studio














Lemon Verbena & Olallieberry Crumble Muffins, recipe in on Stephanie's Blog, just click HERE 


















And now on to those magical egg. 

vanilla bean bundt with jam & a baby with bunnies

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I made a vanilla bean bundt cake. And smothered the pieces with jam.





What made this cake special, well besides the vanilla beans, was the demerara sugar and mostly heavy cream instead of milk. It made the cake really rich and moist but not overly sweet. I had found the sugar at my local grocery store, on clearance because whenever they stock fancier things no one seems to be daring enough to buy them. I guess its an unrefined type of brown sugar, says Wikipedia. It didn't have that strong molasses taste that I get from my normal brown sugar. I don't know what it was, but it made the cake taste amazing. THIS was the brand I used.



























Figgy Jam, with big chunks of fig still in it. Such an amazing topper for this cake. Definitely a change of pace in a good way from the normal buttercreams I would typically do. Made it perfect for a decadent breakfast treat. 















I also made brown butter madeleines. They were ok. Completely fine for a snack but there was something off with them. I have yet to be able to make madeleines that I am happy with. The bottoms always get brown so fast. Stick to the pan no matter if I butter/flour, cooking spray, whatever it. The edges get far to crispy. Hmm the search continues.  























This past weekend I took photos of my baby cousin, the little muffin (what we all call her now) Alana. Her big puffy cheeks, those insanely adorable chubby baby arms. So cute. She's my little love. Everytime I see her, I just go 'Muffin!' and scoop her up into my arms. She is the first baby on my mom's side of the family since me. I love this little kid more than I ever thought I would.










Baby cousin with baby bunnies.






Christina grabbed a rose to be in the photo with Alana. Alana preferred to try to eat it.
































My favorite photo by far. Christina is just slightly in the frame, trying to get the sweet little muffin to smile for the photos. Little Alana's big red cheeks. Love.