50 Celebration food The Internet has changed many things in our everyday lives
– from travel arrangements to our use of reference books – but it’s also had a profound impact on cooking and recipe-sharing. Sure, there’s always the chance that whoever uploaded that recipe had tippled a little too much before jotting it down and sharing it, but some of the ideas are simply great. Take, for instance, the jar
Jude’s Kitchen JUDIE STEEVES
of brandied cranberries a friend gave me for Thanksgiving. She’d processed them, so I had no concerns about their safety, but I don’t normally use cranberry sauce with my turkey. However, I had to try these. Well, they were simply scrumptious and would also be delicious served like chutney alongside roast pork or chicken, with a curry or with a cream or goat cheese appie. So, I asked her for the recipe. Friends share, right? It
shouldn’t have, but the answer floored me: she’d found it on the Internet. And, sure enough, there are all sorts of simple brandied cranberry recipes out there in the ether. Try one. They’re delicious. A little further investigation revealed more recipes for cranberries, including some which would be fabulous with brandied cranberries. I haven’t tried it yet, but I have no doubt tucking little
squares of puff pastry into mini muffin cups, topped with tiny squares of brie cheese and a few brandied cranberries would be to die for. Each should also be topped with walnut or pecan pieces and after cooking for 10 or 15 minutes, garnished with a sprig of that rosemary you brought in off the kitchen deck to overwinter in the kitchen. Yum, yes? I hold an annual open house for friends and family every
year a week or so before Christmas and I’m always looking for a new appetizer to add to my repertoire. Many of the same friends come year after year and I wouldn’t want to bore them! I will be trying the Brandied Cranberry & Brie Bites this year
for sure, as well as a couple of other appies I’m sharing with you here. With all the rich and sweet stuff around at this time of year,
it’s always refreshing to find the opposite on someone’s buffet or appie table, so I would suggest leaving the crackers and chips off at least one plate, and using cucumber rounds as the base for a simple but palate-cleansing fresh, Christmas- coloured bite. Merry Christmas to all!
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 2018
Who needs crackers? Cucumber slices are healthier and just as tasty for Salad Bites! JUDIE STEEVES PHOTO SALAD BITES
These are a delightful contrast to the many rich and fatty flavours around during the month of December. Simple to make and all dressed up in December’s favourite colours, too. BC’s greenhouse industry produces fresh cukes, tomatoes and herbs most months of the year now and there are some delicious goat cheeses available from artisans around the province.
English cucumber
cherry/cocktail tomatoes fresh dill
Chevre cheese fresh basil leaves salt & pepper, to taste
• Cut an English cucumber into rounds and spread each with a generous smear of soft goat’s cheese. Sprinkle with freshly-ground black pepper and sea salt or a flavoured salt of your choice, along with fresh herbs such as dill and basil. • Slice tiny tomatoes thickly and arrange on top of the herbs. • Set out on a serving dish and pass around.
NAN’S FRIED WALNUTS
It’s hard to stop eating these once you try one, so be prepared. 6 c. water
1/2 c. sugar salt
4 c. walnuts oil
• Boil walnuts one minute in a large pot of boiling water. Rinse under hot water and drain. • In a large bowl with a rubber spatula, gently stir the warm walnuts with sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
• Heat about about an inch of oil in a deep frypan or pot and fry the walnuts for five minutes, stirring often.
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• Drain walnuts in sieve and sprinkle with salt, stirring to keep them from sticking together. • Cool on wax paper • Store in a tightly-covered container.
BUTTERY-BROWNED CARROTS & PARSNIPS
Everyone loves carrots anyway, but if there was any question, this will cinch it. I never seem to make enough of these to satisfy the whole crew. Remember, though, if you increase the amount of vegetables, only increase the water a smidge because that dictates how long they will cook
1 c. (250 ml) parsnips 1/2 c. (125 ml) water
1 tbsp. (15 ml) brown sugar Email
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1 c. (250 ml) carrots 2 tbsp. (30 ml) butter 1 tsp. (5 ml) lemon juice sprinkling of salt
• Peel and trim a couple of parsnips and three or four carrots, cut into sticks about 1/4-inch square and two to three inches long. At this point, they can be prepared ahead and bundled up in a plastic bag in the fridge until a half-hour or so before dinner.
• Melt butter in a frypan or Dutch oven with a tight lid, add the parsnips, carrots, brown sugar, lemon juice, boiling water and salt.
• Turn vegetables about until it's all well mixed and the water has returned to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce heat to medium-low.
• Cook until the water evaporates, then allow them to brown in the butter before serving. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
• Good sprinkled with fresh chopped green onion tops or herbs such as fresh chives or parsley. • Serves 3-4.
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