Recipe

“Black Gold” Jamaican Rum Cake Tips

Posted on: November 15th, 2015 by Carla Johnson No Comments

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

The glorious, festive, food and treat-filled festive season is coming up and rum cake is going to be at a lot of gatherings. Mmm….rum cake. Soft, sweet, moist cake punched up with rum-soaked fruit. Oh, so delicious.

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

Start with my friend Adam’s phenomenal “Black Gold” Jamaican Rum Cake recipe and use these videos to help guide your baking. The first video does a good job of showing you the texture of the cake at each step in the process and the second video is how to make browning, the dark sauce that you add depending on how dark you want to make your cake.

All fruits ripe!

Likky-Likky!

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin


 


Cioccolato Tasting Wheels

Posted on: November 8th, 2015 by Carla Johnson No Comments

“I owe it all to art books, chocolate and young men.” ~ Beatrice Wood, 103

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

Sometime ago I posted some tasting/flavour wheels and I am happy to bring you an update. Hope these chocolate wheels help you enjoy your  chocolade / chokolade / Schokolade / sjokolade / tjoklit /  الشوكولاته / čokolada / chocolat.

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

Credit for wheel above: Chocolopolis.com

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin


 

 

Chef Tim Wasylko Says Good Bye to 24 Sussex

Posted on: November 7th, 2015 by Carla Johnson 1 Comment
Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

Photo credit of Chef Tim Wasylko

Chef Tim Wasylko, CWS contributor of “Stuck on Reduction” Grilled Watermelon Salad with Madeira Caramel, has been in the press lately.

For five years, Chef Tim prepared meals for the family and guests of our former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. With the change in government, Chef Tim is sadly facing a career change. He has not publicly shared what other opportunities may be in his future yet, but I certainly hope more than a few great offers come knocking on his door. In the meantime, you may be able to find him stirring up more beautiful creations at his family business The Winchelsea in Winchester, Ontario.

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

When the news broke, Chef Tim shared some heart-felt inside stories about the life of the Harper family in an article in the Ottawa Sun. While my personal political views are more to the left, I don’t try to toot my opinions too loudly because wonderful things happen across the full wing-span of politics and I truly enjoy celebrating the accomplishments of people in all walks of life.

The former chef said he never felt like a servant or a butler.  
He recalled the first thing Laureen Harper saying to him as 
“I want you to cook for my family the way you cook for your family.” 
“And I often did,” he recalled.
~ Ottawa Sun, Friday, Nov. 6, 2015

Chef Tim, I wish you the best and I look forward to more wonderful culinary adventures in your future!

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin


 

 

“Home Alone” Zucchini Quiche with White Rye

Posted on: October 27th, 2015 by Carla Johnson No Comments

My husband and I are usually pretty good to each other, but we sure can be bad influences on each other when it comes to food. He loves salty, fatty. I love sweet, chocolatey. He taught me to love potato chips and I taught him to love handfuls of chocolate – preferably dark chocolate.

Cooking With Sin author Carla Johnson

Funny thing is, when he goes away I eat very healthfully. A few weeks ago he was gone for several days and I found this quiche recipe. It grabbed my attention because I had zucchini in the fridge needing to be eaten. It had an Italian lean to it so I wanted to mix in some grappa, but I went a delicate white rye distilled right here in Ontario. I added it to the onions while they were browning, along with some balsamic vinegar. I thought the red onions were a nice contrast to the green zucc. Plus, who doesn’t love to caramelize their onions!

Cooking With Sin author Carla Johnson

The further Canadianize this recipe, I fried bacon instead of pancetta and used ready-made pie pastry. Plus I used Parmigiano-Reggiano instead of the grana Padano cheese and baked it at 400°C for 40 minutes.

Cooking With Sin author Carla Johnson

Source: http://www.italianfoodforever.com/2015/06/caramelized-onion-zucchini-pancetta-quiche/

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin


 

“Heaven’s Cuisine” Bourbon Bacon Popcorn

Posted on: August 21st, 2015 by Carla Johnson No Comments

“Sometimes when you cook with “sin,” it brings you a little closer to heaven.” ~ Carla Johnson

Note: All photos in this post are credit of Carissa Idsinga

Inspired by a recipe she found on The Endless Meal blog, my cousin-in-law Carissa made a batch of popcorn that blew everyone’s mind. When she shared her pics on social media, she said, “This is what they serve you when you get to heaven.”

Cooking With Sin author Carla Johnson

A passionate, thoughtful foodie, Carissa cares deeply about eating healthful and beautiful food. She grows most of her own vegetables and has her own chickens for eggs. She enjoys foraging for food and loves time in her kitchen creating the most exquisitely delicious meals for family and friends. Plus, she shares a love of food with her sister Sophie who dishes out inspirational eats on her blog Soph n’ Stuff.

Cooking With Sin author Carla Johnson

Whenever Carissa cooks or shares recipes, we all pay attention. She knows food and she inspires us with her culinary ventures. This batch of popcorn especially grabbed everyone’s attention. Hello, bacon! Plus, you make the popcorn the old-skool way. It is the way I remember making it as a child – in a pot on the stove! This is one fun recipe. Carissa may have just found a most heavenly way to embrace your inner child.

Cooking With Sin author Carla Johnson

“Heaven’s Cuisine” Bourbon Bacon Popcorn

 

  • 1 1/2 cup bacon, diced
  • 1 cup quality popcorn kernels (22 cups when popped)
  • Butter, softened – up to 1 cup, depending on how much bacon fat you use
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp & 2 tbsp bourbon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • Dash of liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  1. Fry bacon in pan over medium high heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan reserving the fat.
  2. Pop the popcorn in a pot – old skool!
    • 2 tbsps of bacon fat into a large pot. Heat and test with 2 or 3 popcorn kernels, cover on. Once they pop, add the rest of the kernels.
    • Gently shake the pot until the popping slows. Remove from heat.
    • Transfer popcorn into a large bowl. Remove any un-popped kernels.
  3. Make the bourbon caramel.
    • Top reserved bacon fat with butter to fill a 1 cup measuring cup. Scoop into a medium pot.
    • Add sugar, 4 tbsp of bourbon & salt. Bring to a boil (approx. 4-5 minutes) until candy thermometer reads 275° F.
    • Remove immediately from heat and carefully stir in baking soda, liquid smoke, vanilla, paprika & 2 tbsp bourbon.
    • Pour caramel over the popcorn right away, tossing the mix. Then stir in bacon.
  4. Bake
    1. Preheat the oven to 275° F. On baking tray (0r 2) lined with parchment paper, spread popcorn evenly.
    2. Bake for 15 minutes.
  5. Cool and serve.

Cooking With Sin author Carla Johnson

Note: All photos in this post are credit of Carissa Idsinga

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin

Carla Johnson Cooking With Sin