I’m wiping up the mud and debris left from January and welcoming February with open arms. January is a rough month. It starts out on a high, with resolutions and promises. But I dunno, something veers off. Maybe because 2 years ago on January 21st my mom died and that kind of is like a big kick in the gut to every January that comes after. So I’m going to declare February as my new slate! It’s a time when winter shakes off all of the big bad-ass-ness and fuzzy blossoms, sunshine and warm air start swirling around Vancouver. This month, we’ve had the windows open every day and it smells of springtime. Years ago, when my brother first came to visit me from Ontario, he came in February. He wore is heavy winter coat and toque as is the fashion out east. But as soon as he arrived, he ditched the cold weather gear and felt liberated in only a denim jacket and a colourful plaid scarf. Add in cherry blossoms, sun that warms the cheeks, and the smells of the earth coming back to life and you’ve got February.

And to celebrate, I’ve baked up some banana bread and trust me, it’s no ordinary loaf. I first made this in January when I had a friend over for tea. We needed tea and comfort and chocolate, because as I mentioned, you need all the help you can get during that dark month. This bread was just the ticket and it’s this bread that I want to share with you today.

Yup, that tasty loaf came from these fugly, brown bananas. Whenever we have bananas that start to get too spotty and soft, into the freezer they go. And when we’ve got a few rounded up, I start thinking banana bread. I’ve made a few in my day, but wanted to try something new. Chocolate chips were a given, but I decided to throw in some cocoa powder along with grated coconut into the mix. I also used some coconut-flavoured yogurt, but if you don’t have any on hand and wanted a bit more of a coconut kick, add in a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract into your milk or yogurt mixture. Oh, and I added rum. I like rum. It goes well with bananas and chocolate. And January.

February has only begun and there’s already some exciting news to share. I’m beyond thrilled to mention that this blog has been nominated for a Bloggie which is a huge (!!!) weblog award. I’d sure appreciate it if you could head on over and vote for Everybody Likes Sandwiches as Best Canadian Blog. As well, you can check out a whole host of other awesome blogs that have been nominated.

elsewhere: Got a hankering for soup? Look no further because the smokey southwestern apple & squash soup I had last week was so freakin’ tasty!!! (It deserves every. single. exclaimation. point.) You can get the recipe on Poppytalk.

cocoa-coconut banana bread
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c vegan margarine
3 ripe bananas, mashed – about 1 cups worth
1 T rum (or use vanilla extract)
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 c coconut-flavoured yogurt or vegan yogurt or 1/3 c soy/almond/coconut milk* + 1 tsp vinegar
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/4 c walnuts, chopped
1/4 c unsweetened grated coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease loaf pan with margarine & dust with flour. Set aside.

Cream together the sugar and margarine until fluffy. Add in mashed bananas and rum and blend well.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

Pour half of the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir until combined. Add in the milk or yogurt mixture and combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix. Fold in the chocolate chips, coconut & walnuts. Spoon batter (don’t worry, it will be thick) into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about one hour and 10 minutes.

* If you use coconut milk, don’t use the stuff from the can – instead use the carton kind which is more like milk.

Possibly related posts:

• banana espresso chocolate chip bread
• the big bad banana: jacked-up banana bread

My husband’s birthday is January 2nd and while I love my husband dearly, I’m not so keen on celebrating the day of his birth so close to the holidays. After a month of chocolates and sweets, I’m eager to get on with whole grains, raw vegetables and the like. But after years of birthday pie and cake making, I’ve discovered the solution to coping with sweets right after the holidays. And that answer, my friends, is citrus. Seriously, it’s light and bright and I think most deserts made with lemons and limes can’t be too heavy and cloying. Plus, it has the added advantage of making us look ahead towards summer and in the middle of winter that can only be a good thing.

Previous January birthday treats for Cornelius have included lemon meringue pie, a coconut lime cake and a coconut-banana cream pie. Light and tropical! And then there were other birthdays that included a chocolate chip banana bread and ginger loaf and a red ale chocolate cake (yes, beer birthdays are the best). But I think this lime tart has been my favorite birthday baking treat so far and I’m just itching to make it again.

When most people think of lime tarts, a key lime pie is the thing that comes to most minds. It’s got a lovely retro pull and it just sounds refreshing. But the thing about those itsy-bitsy tiny little limes is that you have to juice every single one of them. I’ve heard tales of people using garlic presses to make the juicing of those little green fruit easier, but for me, I like the plain ol’ limes. Every store has them and if you pick right, you can get some juicy little buggers. The trick is to let them come to room temperature and then press on them with your palm just before juicing. Some say use a microwave to heat them up first, but we got rid of ours ages ago, and a good press against the countertop does wonders.

The truth is, I was a little worried because I goofed while mixing up the filling. I used my favorite recipe which calls for yolks only. But as I was whisking away the yolks and the condensed milk, I mistakenly tossed in the egg whites along with the lime juice. But you know what, despite my initial shock that I had done something terribly wrong, it ended up making the perfect pie! The photo above is the the pie just before going in the oven. It looked pretty dang wonderful. I was concerned that the pie filling would be too stiff but the resulting filling was soft and creamy with the added bonus of not wasting any egg whites! My plans on trying out a seven-minute frosting were shot to hell, but I remedied that with some rum-soaked whipping cream which I think made for a perfect dollop of sweetness to contrast against this tart lil’ tart.

I tend to have a heavy hand when it comes to pouring booze. One of our friends who partook in this pie thought my whipped topping was pretty rummy indeed (I, however, thought it perfect). If you did want to make some sweet rum whipping cream, just whip most of a small container of heavy cream and add a tablespoon of powdered sugar (more if you like it sweet) and a glug of good dark rum (Goslings Black Seal is my fave). If free pouring scares you, start off with a teaspoon and taste – adding more if needed. And if you think like me, more is needed.

And the bonus of fluffy dollops of whipped cream is that it hides those tell-tale candle holes left in the pie. We do birthdays up right in our house. Thankfully, we only went with 6 candles instead of the 30-plus candles that would have been necessary for a proper birthday send-off!

elsewhere: Not interested in dessert just yet? Head over to Poppytalk where you’ll find a delicious recipe for Salsa & Black Bean Tortilla Soup. Perfect for warming up the endless January chill.

lime tart
Note that condensed milk must come in different sizes depending where you’re from. I used a 300 ml can but you can easily use a 400ml can just as easily without subbing a thing. If you do use a larger can, you’ll get a sweeter pie. Can’t find sweetened condensed milk in your country? Google a recipe, there’s many out there.

tart shell
1 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs
2 T white sugar
5 T melted butter

filling
3 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk (300 ml)
1/2 cup lime juice (about 4 limes)
2 t grated lime zest

1. Preheat oven to 350F and place oven rack in the centre. Butter a tart pan (sides and bottom) and set aside. Mix together the crumbs and sugar until well blender. Stir in the melted butter with a fork and then firmly press the crumbs into your prepared tart pan with your hands – up along the sides and the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

2. While the crumb crust is baking, in your electric mixer, whisk together the eggs until frothy. Slowly pour in the condensed milk and beat for 5 minutes until fluffy. Pour in lime juice and zest and beat until mixed.

3. Pour filling into crust and bake for 10-15 minutes or until filling has set. Place on wire rack to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two – or overnight. Serve slices with a dollop of  lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Possibly related posts:

• coconut lime cake: a birthday cake for cornelius
• burnt nectarine tart (but not on purpose)

Usually the transition into a new year brings a bit of stress. Maybe I set my goals and expectations too high or maybe I just feed off the stress of others. But not this year. I made a couple simple goals and one of them – to be a better hugger – already got in some practice-time through December. And yeah, about that hugging goal, I’m totally serious. Truth is, I’m a wimpy hugger and I really noticed how lacking I was in the hugging department when I visited my friend in Montreal. After we had met up, he sent me off with a big ol’ bear hug and it made me feel pretty great. It’s amazing how a hug can really make someone else feel good. So I told myself that I’m going to quit giving out namby-pamby tentative hugs to my friends and instead deliver good, hearty and heart-felt hugs. We’ll see how it goes.

A hug makes you feel warm and loved and happy and I think this meal does the same. This dal uses red lentils which cook up in a hurry into a soft and tender bite. There’s curry involved along with a bit of sriracha because I like heat. But there’s also some diced apples to nudge in some mellow sweetness. I added in fennel because I had some lying about my vegetable crisper, but you could sub in something as common as celery, broccoli or cauliflower. I even think some greens like spinach, kale or chard would be good here too. There’s no fuss involved and it’s an easy enough meal to make on a busy weeknight. See, it’s like a nice hug for your insides and it’s a good a place to start as any.

elsewhere: Yup, I love year-end recaps and over at Poppytalk, I list my top 12 favorite recipes that have appeared over on Poppytalk through 2011! Take a peek and check out my favorite recipes.

tomato-apple dal
2 T coconut oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 c fennel bulb, finely diced
2 apples, finely diced
2 T fresh ginger, minced
pinch of salt
2 T curry paste
2 c red lentils
2 c diced tomatoes
3 c water
Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce, to taste
1/4 c yogurt (optional)

In a large heavy pot, melt coconut oil over medium-high heat and add in onions, fennel, apples and ginger along with a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally until everything starts to get a little soft. Add in the curry paste and lentils and stir around until the lentils start to glisten. Turn down heat and add in the tomato puree and water, stirring so everything is combined. Put the lid on the saucepan and let simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until everything is soft. If it’s too dry for your liking, add in a bit of water. Stir in yogurt (if using) and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice.

Possibly related posts:

• curried apple & lentil dal
• warm up with winter squash, red lentil & tofu curry

I always associate apples as a fall thing, but this year, I got a hold of some early apples from my sour cherry orchard hook-up. So, this late August & early September I was swimming in heritage apple varieties like Wealthy, Sunrise, and King apples, along with the more familiar Gala and Mac varities. I love apples so an early apple glut is a welcome surprise.

I snacked on the crisp and juicy apples for as long as I could, but since I live in a shoebox of an apartment (no cold cellar), I couldn’t keep them crisp for long. So my delicious crunchy apples had transformed from an eating specimen to a cooking one – perfect for apple pancakes, ginger apple pandowdy, baked apple oatmeal, but I settled on trying out an apple cheddar quick bread instead. Good choice!

The bread was delicious and flavourful and worked really well as a side for a vegetable stew I had made for supper. But we ate it toasted for breakfast the next morning and might I say it was even better. Toasted cheese and apple bits? I’m so in.

The only real trick with this recipe was the baking time. I figured that 35-40 minutes should have been enough, but it wasn’t. While it looked lovely and golden on the outside, inside it was still gooey. So I baked it for an extra 15-20 minutes and it turned out fine. The recipe below reflects how long I think it should bake for, however, if you are using a larger loaf pan you might want to reduce the baking time.

elsewhere: Want to see just about the prettiest thing? Click over to Poppytalk where I do a post with a recipe for sea salt caramels with toasted pecans. But that’s not all! I wrap up the caramels using parchment & washi tape so it makes a super cute gift. Adorbz.

apple & cheddar quick bread
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 c milk + 2 T
1/3 c canola oil
1 egg
2 T brown sugar
1 c finely diced apples
1 c strong cheddar cheese, grated

3 T cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400F. Prep your 8×4 loaf pan* by lightly greasing it with butter and then use a mixture of cornmeal and flour to dust the insides with – about a spoonful of each should do. Shake out any excess and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk everything together. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, oil, egg and brown sugar until well blended. Pour in the diced apples and stir in the flour mixture. Add in the cheese in 3 handfuls – stirring between each addition. Dump the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top of the bread and cook for 10 minutes longer until the cheese melts and the bread is cooked all the way through – use a wooden skewer in the middle of the loaf to test doneness.

*if your loaf pan is larger, reduce the baking time by 10-15 minutes.

Possibly related posts:

• the apple of my eye: apple-cheddar-bagel snack
• smitten with apples: chai-spiced apple oatmeal bread

First up, broccoli crunch slaw. This is one of the most popular recipes on this blog & for good reason too. It’s not heavy (thanks to the yogurt in the dressing) and it’s very festive with the dried cranberries and the crunchy roasted almonds. Even slaw-haters and raw-broccoli naysayers will love this one.

My mom always made a soup for Thanksgiving and I’m happy to carry on the tradition. While she would usually make vichyssoise, I tend to think sweet & spicy. I love love love this sweet potato, corn & jalapeno bisque (which is just a fancy way of saying soup) and despite how easy it is to make, it’s fancy enough for your frilliest guests. Got more adventurous friends, this spicy African yam & peanut soup is incredible.

Who doesn’t love a good cranberry sauce? Apples, cranberries and fresh rosemary co-mingle to make something really wonderful. Tasty with turkey, stuffing and all the fixings – and also delicious over biscuits and mac and cheese. It’s utilitarian-ly delicious. This cranberry chutney is another delicious alternative.

Everyone always finishes their stuffing, right? I personally think it’s the one thing that everyone loves. I love my mom’s traditional sage-onion-celery stuffing but I’ve made it a bit more exciting with the addition of chopped apples and walnuts. A keeper.

I can’t get enough of vegetables on the Thanksgiving table. I was a vegetarian for 10 years and old habits die hard. These braised vegetables are a godsend for busy holidays because they are so simple to prepare. Trust me, these braised turnips, onions and carrots will knock your socks off. Want to braise some more? Try this braised cabbage, cumin and apple dish or give milk-braised cauliflower & carrots a go.

Who could argue with a good pumpkin dessert? This pumpkin and apple crumb cake is made for Thanksgiving, though I’d happily eat it all year round.

But you can’t forget pie! Last year I made a fantastic apple & sour cherry pie with a crumb topping. I still dream about that pie. And if you can’t forgo pumpkin pie, why not give this retro looking pumpkin chiffon dream pie a try!

Please don’t forget that after Thanksgiving it’s not about eating leftover pie for breakfast (though a little slice never hurt anyone). Give yourself a hearty & wholesome breakfast and try this pumpkin spice bowl of steel cut oats.

Now take a deep breath, because now you’re Thanksgiving day ready. Just remember to breathe and the rest will be easy. Do you have any Thanksgiving favorites? Share them with me in the comments, I’d love to hear about your own dinner traditions.

Possibly related posts:

• thanksgiving is pretty much all about food.
• thanksgiving pt. 2: cranberry chutney + pumpkin chocolate chip cake

Blackberry and peaches have a short life span. They appear in local markets and entangled in bushes wanting to be seen, heard and tasted and then just before you’ve had your fill, they seem to vanish. I have a tendency to hoard and my freezer space suffers because of it. But this year, I didn’t stash away buckets full of berries. Instead, I found joy in their freshness and honoured their fleeting nature. I ate them out of hand and I also made these tasty squares.

But first, I wanted to talk about summer. It is also fleeting. Summer didn’t really seem to start here until August and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon either. This summer I attended a horse race where I came out pretty much on par. You win some, you lose some and then you drink a cold one. I played croquet in suburban backyards and went on bike rides around the city. I discovered a beautiful new park close to my neighbourhood and I appeared on the radio. I even went to an afternoon baseball game!

I rode a wooden roller coaster, ate a corn dog and realized that I’m getting too old for those spinny rides at the fair. With friends in tow, I spent a few afternoons and evenings in a tiny island in the middle of the city, usually with a picnic and a beer in hand. We drove out to the semi-desert of this beautiful province and saw hoodoos and peered down at tiny prickly pear cactuses that grew underfoot. We camped by rivers and had campfires and ate ‘smores.

Summer, I’m glad we became fast friends. Luckily, blackberries and peaches make wonderful playmates. Sweet and tart and much less fussy than a pie, these bars make a lovely wrap up to the fading summer sun.

blackberry & peach shortbread bars
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen and this recipe)
3 c all-purpose flour
1 c white sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t sea salt
1 c cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
2 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
2 cups blackberries (if using frozen, no need to defrost)

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 9×13″ pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add the butter and use your hands to crumble the dough into small pieces. Add in the egg and vanilla. Stir to combine. Press 3/4 of the dough into the prepped pan and set aside the remaining dough for the topping.

Add the sliced peaches over top and then scatter the blackberries. Crumble the remaining dough over top . Bake for 35 minutes or until the top and sides are golden. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 24 squares.

Possibly related posts:

• i’m hooked on blackberries: cornmeal pate brisee & blackberry-peach galette
• raspberry/blackberry oat breakfast bars

A couple weeks ago, I received a phone call from someone at CBC radio. The “On the Coast” program hosted by Stephen Quinn was doing a short segment about blackberries and had a few questions for me. A google search by their researchers revealed that I’m not only a forager of local blackberries but I’m a big fan of the fruit. I was asked a few questions and then asked to go to the CBC studio the next day. Needless to say, I was a big bundle of nerves. What if I stumbled or said “ummmm” every few seconds? Well, it turned out that the whole thing was really fun and a great experience. And you can listen to me right here defend this wonderful fruit and hear my nervous giggles! Thanks again to CBC Radio & On the Coast for letting me post this clip here!

Over at Poppytalk I’ve been busy whipping up some fantastic things! On Wednesday I wrote about a super simple – but totally elegant – peach tart using the best local fruit. It can easily be made vegan too! And last week I made a stack of buckwheat pancakes which are gluten-free and totally delicious. Light and fluffy and wholesome? Check!

Possibly related posts:

• blackberry & peach shortbread bars
• i’m hooked on blackberries: cornmeal pate brisee & blackberry-peach galette

I have 2 small confessions for you. One, I had my first bite of an apricot a few days ago. Two, I didn’t like it. How did I get through my life without trying an apricot? Well, that would be an insanely long story that basically boils down to the fact that me and fruit have always had a tumultuous relationship. Sour fruits like Granny Smith apples, pineapples, blackberries and raspberries have always been perfect pals, but my relationship with other fruits haven’t been so tight. Some of it has to do with the fact that instead of paying me an allowance, my parents decided that it would be better if we sold the pears from our backyard tree door to door. I don’t think my brother and I ever sold a basket to anyone. Being a door-to-door pear salesman was humiliating and not something I’d recommend for other ten year olds. I could also tell you that one summer, my brother and I spent the first few weeks of our vacation picking strawberries for a couple of bucks. We made enough to buy a bag of chips at the farm store and that pretty much wiped out our strawberry picking income for the day. I only started coming around to strawberries 10 years ago and I still pretty much have a strong hatred for pears. But for most of my life, I never really crossed paths with apricots. When I asked my husband what they tasted like, he said “like a bad peach” which isn’t really a ringing apricot endorsement.

So in an effort to ditch all my childhood fruit hang-ups, I thought I’d give apricots a try. I picked up a batch of organic Skaha apricots from a farmer who drives into Vancouver on a regular basis. They looked beautiful – bright orange globes with a gentle blush of pink. I took my first bite and was sorely disappointed. They weren’t juicy or flavourful or interesting in any way. So I hopped onto Twitter to complain and almost everyone said cook the damn things and they’d be wonderful. Luisa, of The Wednesday Chef, even passed me the link to Olga’s blog which had a recipe for apricot jam. Olga uses a recipe from David Tanis’ wonderful book Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys. Lucky me, I had fallen in love with the very same book when I borrowed it from the library and purchased it soon after I returned it, so I felt it was totally fortuitous to try out the recipe myself.

I felt pretty confident making this despite the fact that as David Tanis writes it, it’s more of a story than a cut and dried recipe – but that’s part of the charm of his book. I have made a couple rounds of blackberry jam in my day and like David, I’m all for making small batch jams for breakfast rather than preserving the summer for posterity. I knew I could do this apricot jam thing and perhaps I might give apricots another chance. So I got to work and it was all pretty simple stuff: sugar, fruit and a bit of water. I decided to add a vanilla bean since I figured these babies needed all the help they could get. As the jam was simmering away, David notes that things will start to “smell really, really good and look even better”. Uh oh, I was worried because despite my Class A sniffer, I couldn’t smell a damn thing besides the sugar and the vanilla bean. It also just looked like apricots floating in a sugar syrup. Here is where Twitter again came to the rescue. I was told not to panic but to continue giving the jam a bit more heat. So I did, I let the thing simmer briskly for a while longer before turning it down to a low simmer. My jam panic was subsiding and I began to trust in my instincts.

Re-reading David’s “making a little jam” story he says that judging by eye is the key to making this jam and I have to agree. It’s not one of those things that require 20 minutes of heat and an 45 minutes of cool down. This isn’t a science experiment where exact measures and temperatures are required. Making this jam is more of a craft. But don’t worry about it being a complicated process – you’ll get the gist of it soon enough – just trust your gut. And leaning on Twitter also provides some welcoming reassurance.

And how were those boring bland apricots? Delicious! The jam turned out beautifully and the jammy taste is bright, sweet and almost floral. Apricot jam is a win! Seriously, how could you look at all that bright sunshine spread over toast and not be happy in the mornings. It’s completely impossible. Thanks apricots for showing me something new.

A few notes. According to David Tanis, do not be tempted to reduce the sugar as apricots are never sweet enough for jam. Also, this jam tastes best the week it is made, so make up a small batch and enjoy it every morning over toast until it’s gone and share it with friends. It will, however, last for about a month in the fridge.

simple vanilla bean apricot jam
(Adapted from Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys)
2 c organic sugar
2 c organic apricots (about 8 apricots)
1 vanilla bean

Cut apricots in half, removing pits, but leaving the skin on. Place in a large heavy pot and add in sugar. Lightly give the mixture a stir so that the apricots help to moisten the sugar. Place over low heat with a 1/2 cup of water. Scrape the seeds of 1 vanilla bean into the pot, stirring until combined. When the sugar melts, turn up the heat to medium and let it simmer rapidly, scraping off any foam that gathers on top, giving it a stir now and then.

Bring the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 30 – 45 minutes or until the apricots begin to soften and melt. Stir frequently which will help get those fruit a-melting. When the jam coats the back of a spoon and starts to look “right”, you’re there! Remove from heat and let the jam cool down to room temperature. Spoon into jars and refrigerate, or process if you plan on canning this batch.

Possibly related posts:

• happy birthday cake to me: black magic cake with vanilla bean buttercream
• jam it on the one: sour cherry vinaigrette

A couple of years ago, I had great luck making a cherry buttermilk sherbet. The only ice cream maker I had at the time was a large and clunky (but beautiful) turquoise vintage hand-crank one. I didn’t pull it out of our storeroom and instead just froze it and whisked it a bit and as luck would have it, it was a tasty success. But now I’ve got an electric ice cream maker and it’s so easy to try out crazy flavour combinations on a whim. So far I’ve had great luck with Mexican chocolate ice cream, coconut cherry chocolate frozen yogurt and bourbon buttermilk ice cream. So when the BC Blueberry Council came a-knocking at my door with containers of fresh, local BC blueberries I figured I’d try my hand at another wacky but elegant flavour combination. Thanks BC Blueberries!

The previous evening we had cracked open a bottle of riesling and we had a bit left in the bottle so I figured I’d add it to the mix. The rosemary came about because the rosemary growing on our balcony was looking full and lush so I plucked off a stem and got to work. I whipped up a quick sugar syrup and added in the rosemary to infuse for a couple of hours. This recipe doesn’t use up all the rosemary syrup, so go ahead and use it in a cocktail – I think this would be perfect in a Pimm’s Cup or blackberry smash (here’s a recipe for something similar).

The fresh blueberries get blended along with the rosemary syrup and the white wine. I chose to strain out the blueberry skins for a smoother texture, but that’s up to you, but I like the strained version much better. The mixture then heads to the fridge for a bit of a chill before churning. I liked this best right out of the machine – it’s soft and smooth and it gets a little sloppy in the best way. But you might want to give it an hour or two in the freezer to firm up a bit. So how did it tastes? Pretty wonderful and quite elegant. The rosemary is subtle but definitely there – if you want a stronger flavour, let the sugar syrup infuse longer. The riesling is quite nice with the blueberries and I’m sure a chardonnay would be lovely too. Just use a nice wine, one you’d use for drinking.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, don’t fret! This makes perfectly elegant popsicles for the grown-up set (just skip the cool-down stage). And you can make sorbet by freezing the mixture in a metal tray and giving it a whisk every now and then until it gets to the texture you like best.

elsewhere: Check out this summery Sweet Pepper & Cauliflower salad recipe over at Poppytalk. The recipe is adapted from David Tanis so you know it’s delicious.

blueberry sorbet with riesling & rosemary
1/2 c water
1/2 c sugar
1 medium stem of rosemary
3 c fresh blueberries
1/3 c riesling
pinch black pepper

In a small saucepan, heat water and sugar until sugar melts. Add rosemary and let the mixture cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, though 4 might be just right. Remove rosemary.

Add the blueberries, riesling and black pepper to a blender and give it a whirl. Pour in 1/3 cup of the rosemary sugar syrup and blend again until well mixed. Strain mixture into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer and let the mixture cool, covered, in the fridge for about an hour, where it will become strangely gelatinous. If you are making popsicles, skip the cooling part and just pour into your popsicle maker & freeze overnight.

Pour blueberry mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Eat immediately if you like a soft sorbet or freeze for 2 hours before eating.

Possibly related posts:

• cranberry rosemary apple sauce
• 3 of my favorite words: bourbon ice cream

Despite having eaten only one banana in my entire life (I was nine when my life-long hate started), I do tend to get a bit gooey for banana bread. While my husband might keep the banana brokers in business, he often buys more than he can chew at once. The ones he doesn’t manage to stuff into his maw before they turn brown end up inour freezer where they shrivel, turn black and get baked into banana bread. Not a bad life-cycle, I think. One of the most repeated recipes in my kitchen is this wonderful cinnamon and chocolate banana bread but sometimes one needs to shake it up a little.

This banana bread is a delicious one and it has a wonderful pedigree – it comes from the Baked cookbook which has given my kitchen so much wonderful baked bounty in the past. This recipe is no exception. The original recipe makes muffins but I decided to go with a loaf pan instead. Also, the recipe easily doubles and freezes well in case you want to get all your baking done at once.

Chocolate and espresso? Oh yeah! This is a great banana bread to wake up to in the morning as it pairs so nicely with a good hot coffee. If you are a walnut-hater (and a surprising amount of you are), then just replace the walnuts with more chocolate chips and you can’t go wrong.

banana espresso chocolate chip bread
(adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)
1 1/2 c mashed, ripe bananas (about 4)
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t instant espresso powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour one loaf tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk and egg. In another bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips & walnuts.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in a pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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