“Amelie has no boyfriend. She tried once or twice, but the results were a letdown. Instead, she cultivates a taste for small pleasures: dipping her hand into sacks of grain, cracking crème brûlée with a teaspoon and skipping stones at St. Martin’s Canal.”

~ Excerpt from the script of “Amelie”

As Ken tapped the keg, the party-goers lined up their mugs and the suds flowed. One after another the “Mmmm”s and the “Oh ya”s filled the room. The new beer was a hit!

Ken Woods tapping a keg

Black Oak Brewery in Toronto is known for throwing great parties and this night was extra special. They were celebrating surviving 10 years in the craft brewing business and Ken had brewed a strong batch of “10 Bitter Years” to celebrate the occasion.

The new beer was a hit with the crowd, but the revelers did not know Ken’s tongue was firmly planted in his cheek when he named it “10 Bitter Years.” The craft brewing business is tough and while many brewers had failed, Black Oak was still standing. There had been tough obstacles along the way and some bitter memories lingered, yet it was truly an occasion to celebrate.

Ken Woods had always loved craft brews, so in 1999 he decided to try his hand at creating his own, and Black Oak Brewery was born. Ken sees the large brewers as similar to the fast food industry where large amounts are produced to appeal to a mass market. He loves being in the craft brew business and equates it to a fine, personal dining experience where every subtle element is carefully attended to by the brewer.

If you ask Ken what makes his beer special, he will tell you it is prepared in small batches with custom engineered, high tech, Canadian made equipment. He will tell you the majority of the ingredients are Canadian, but the key ingredient he wants you to know is the reverse osmosis water. It is 99.9% pure and creates consistency in the brewing, plus it allows them to treat the water with minerals for authentic types of beer.

Black Oak has two beers it brews year round – Black Oak Pale Ale and Black Oak Nut Brown Ale – and five seasonal beers. The “10 Bitter Years” beer continues to be very popular.

Ken is very smart and has surrounded himself and his business with great people. I have personally enjoyed getting to know a few of them.

Tracy Phillippi

Tracy Phillippi. Tracy handles the Black Oak marketing and administration business. She is a passionate craft brew and food writer who does everything with enthusiasm and her unique flair. Extending her love of good food into the community she started the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council “to mobilize and engage youth to make change by building a just food system.” www.tyfpc.ca

Jason Rees

Jason Rees. Jason is a chef and griller. http://bbqblog.ca He worked some kind of magic and created this amazing crème brûlée with Black Oak Nutcracker Porter, one of Black Oak’s seasonal beers. Jason certainly has a wild side to his personality, and he also has a big heart. He just spent three weeks in Haiti building homes with Habitat for Humanity. http://www.habitat.ca

Black Oak

“Anything-For-An-Excuse-to-Use-My-Blow-Torch”

Crème Brûlée

2 cups 35% cream

1. Start by reducing a 341ml bottle of Nutcracker Porter on the stove to 1 cup (about 1/3) do this over moderate heat, do no let the beer boil, as it will get a burnt flavour. This will take at least 30 minutes to do. Don’t forget to drink a beer while you are waiting for the reduction, it makes the time watching it so much more fun.

2. After then beer has been reduced to 1 cup, add the cream, scraped vanilla bean 1/2 the sugar and nutmeg, and bring almost to a boil, whisking constantly. When you see boil bubbles reduce the heat, if you are using a thermometer the temperature you are looking for is no more than 175°F/80°C  and at least 140°F/60°C hold this temperature for 10 minutes to let the flavour from the vanilla bean steep like a cup of tea. Carefully remove the vanilla bean from the hot mixture, and remove from heat.

3. In a separate glass or metal bowl combine the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the yolks are frothy.

4. Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks whisking constantly as not to make the eggs scramble. This is often referred to as “tempering” the eggs. Combine the entire mixture and whisk gently for another 5 minutes.

5. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh into ramekins to remove any vanilla bits and cooked eggy bits.

6. Place ramekins in (water bath) a pan with at least 1 inch of water in the bottom to help equalize the heat, and cook in your oven at 300°F for 45-55 minutes, until firm around the edges but still “jiggly” in the center.

7. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled, about 2 hours. Remove ramekins from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours. I like to chill mine over night.

8. Here’s the best part. Get out your blow torch! I like to do this with my guests watching- sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard. I like to use a small, hand-held torch to melt sugar. I’ve been told this can be done under the oven broiler, I’ve never tried it though, as i love any excuse to use my blow torch. This step can’t be done too far in advance, as the cooked sugar will dissolve into the creme in about an hour.

http://blackoakbeer.com/

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”
- Anais Nin

by Alana Cholewa

Val and I met in the fall of 2000. We had just started university and lived in the same residence building. Val, God bless her, is the loudest person I know. She is short and Italian, and packs a punch if she feels the need to hollar. In all fairness, I must admit that I heard her long before I saw her: In a building that housed over one thousand first year students, that was quite the accomplishment!

While I became familiar with her during Orientation Week, I was actually introduced to her a few weeks later. While some people can find ample volume off-putting, I have always appreciated and respected Val’s ability to just put it all out there.

Over a decade later, our friendship is still holding strong. We picture ourselves growing old with each other — two grannies on a porch with extra large wine glasses. This recipe for cupcakes is much like our friendship, rich with colour and flavour. The icing, sweetness on top, isn’t as sweet and innocent as it appears. Gotta watch for this blonde and brunette friendship – it, too, packs a punch!

“Packs a Punch” Cupcakes

Step #1: Bake the Cupcakes

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sour cream with a mixer.

3. In another large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. Simmer the stout and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.

4. Add the stout mixture to the egg mixture and beat until blended.

5. Add the whisked dry ingredients and mix slowly until all ingredients are just combined.

6. Filling muffin or cupcake tins 2/3 full. Bake for 16 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Make sure to completely cool the cupcakes on a rack.

Step #2: Fill Cupcakes with Ganache

Whiskey Ganache

1. Chop the chocolate squares into fine pieces and put them in a heatproof bowl.

2. Heat the cream until it simmers lightly then pour it over the chocolate pieces. Let stand for one minute until the chocolate melts then stir until the mixture is smooth.

3. Add the butter and whiskey and stir or whip with a beater until it is combined and smooth. Cool slightly, but still soft enough to pipe.

4. Scoop out the middle of each cupcake with a melon baller, or apple corer. Pipe the ganache into the middle of each cooled cupcake and fill to the top.

Step #3: Top with Icing

Irish Cream Frosting

1. With an electric mixer, whip the butter and powdered sugar, slowly adding the Irish cream until the icing is smooth and creamy.

2. If the mixture thins out, add more powdered sugar until thick again. If more liquid is needed, add more Irish Cream or milk.

3. Spread a generous amount of icing on each ganache-filled cupcake.

4. Enjoy packing a punch with this treat!

This recipe was inspired by – http://www.sweetspot.ca/SweetHome/recipes/32765/test_kitchen_guinness_cupcakes_with_irish_cream_frosting/

Please join us on Facebook! Click on this “Like” image.

You are invited to join the group too!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CookingWithSin/

“No soldier can fight unless he is properly fed on beef and beer.”

– John Churchill, 1^st Duke of Marlborough

Connie & Don Campbell live, eat and cook with passion. They keep busy running a large business and they keep grounded by tending to their farm. They raise their own beef cattle and free range hens, plus they grow their own vegetables and herbs.

Farming can come with interesting challenges. Recently some of their renegade hens started running a”fowl” of the pen. Connie and Don have not yet figured out the escape route, but a few days ago they found this nest tucked away in another building. 17 days worth of eggs!

Connie and Don often travel, so when they come home they enjoy delicious meals prepared with care and thought. Connie is a wonderful cook who loves to be challenged to improve her skills. She trained at two Culinary Institute of America campuses, one in New York and the other in California. The California campus was in Napa Valley, so she cleverly called it “wine boot camp.”

Six years ago I met Connie and Don for the first time. My husband and I decided to buy rental properties and were pleased to find R.E.I.N. (Real Estate Investment Network). Don is the president of R.E.I.N. He & Connie have been real estate investors for over 25 years and work hard to help educate others who want to do the same and do it wisely.

Recently a new friend moved in to Connie and Don’s neighbourhood. When Connie learned their new friend had to eat gluten-free, she happily took it upon herself to prepare a special gluten-free meal with cuts of their own beef, gluten-free beer and gluten-free flour. It was a fun opportunity to get to know new friends and connect over an exquisite meal.

3 – 4 lbs. round steak, cut 3/4 inch thick in portion sizes

3 tablespoons all-purpose celiac flour or other gluten-free flour

1 bottle of gluten-free beer, 12 oz.

1 cup gluten-free beef stock

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Cook the bacon until crisp and transfer to paper towels. Set aside.

3. Add onions to drippings and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until soft. Sprinkle brown sugar over onions and increase the heat to medium high and cook for about 8 minutes, until onions are golden.

4. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to the onion mixture and stir briefly. Transfer to a baking roaster.

5. Sprinkle all sides of the beef with salt and flour.

6. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the beef on both sides. Transfer beef to the roaster and place on top of the onions.

7. Add the beer and stock to the heated skillet and scrape up the browned bits. Reduce the liquid a little, then pour it over the beef in the roaster. Top beef with the bacon and thyme.

8. Place in the oven for approximately 2 hours. After 1.5 hours, check for desired tenderness.

9. Alternate cooking methods:

a) Place in slow cooker for about 8 hours.

b) Braise on the stove-top for about 1.5 hours. More stock or water will be needed.

Connie and Don are both avid bloggers.

Connie’s great food blog is  “Growing Cooking Sharing”

Don’s real estate investing blog is “Insights on Canadian Real Estate, Business, Economics and Life“

Connie & Don recently celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary!

When I published my first book “Magnetic Real Estate Photography,” Don, a best-selling author himself, graciously wrote the foreword and shared great publicity tips.

 

 

“Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends.” ~ Tom Waits

A New Year celebration naturally calls for sparkling wine, so let me help you find some great deals.

Natalie MacLean of NatalieMacLean.com specializes in finding the best wines for the best prices here in Ontario. This year for New Years, three of her recommendations are:

A James Bond Favourite!

Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve, A.C., Champagne $53.95

An “Affair to Remember” Pink Champagne

Freixenet Cava Cordon Rosado $12.65

My Favourite!

Santa Margherita Prosecco Di Valdobbiadene Brut $17.95

You can see Natalie MacLean’s Top 10 Bubblies for 2012 here.

Did you know? While Dom Perrignon did not invent champagne, he did create the cork and wire design that holds the cork in place.

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future.  ~ Author Unknown

Joanne Papple Flanagan started making rum butterscotch bananas about ten years ago. She was hesitant to use it with the children as she didn’t know about the alcohol, but now they are all older her daughter Morgan has started to request it. She just loves it. It is easy to make, so now that Morgan makes it herself, they have it fairly often.

Joanne and her family

Recently Morgan requested it for her birthday supper. She is lactose intolerant so it goes well with lactose free ice-cream. Joanne’s other daughter must eat gluten free so butterscotch bananas was a really good choice.

Joanne and I met through a mutual friend and the first thing she asked me was if I knew just how much alcohol remained when you cooked with it. It is a range and there is a burn-off guide in the book to help you gauge. I’m a mom too and a lot of people ask the same question. I have learned it takes a lot longer to actually burn off the alcohol than we think, but a lot less remains than we think.

For example, with this recipe, if you let the rum simmer for 15 minutes, 40% of the alcohol remains. Rum starts of at 40% alc. and after15 minutes of cooking is down to 16% alc. If you look at the dish as a whole, the rum is probably only 5% of an entire serving, so the actual alcohol content, at 16%, is a minuscule amount.

A little math helps. Most rum is 40% alc. You boil it down to 16%. Once served, the rum is approx 5% of each dish. 16% of that 5% equals less than 1%, so the alcohol content of an entire serving of butterscotch bananas is less than 1%. (I hope that’s not too confusing!) To compare, cough syrup ranges between 5-14% alc.

Go ahead, enjoy butterscotch bananas guilt-free with your kids. If you want to have a little more fun and take a wee bit more off, you could flambé it with them too.

Morgan and their dog Honey at the beach

Mother-Daughter Butterscotch Bananas

Serves 4

1. In 1 1/2-qt. casserole stir together brown sugar and rum. Add butter. Cover. Microwave at High 4 to 5 Minutes, stirring after 2 minutes, until sugar is dissolved.

2. Cut bananas lengthwise, then crosswise so there are 8 pieces. Add to syrup, stirring to coat each piece.

3. Microwave at High 1 to 2 Minutes, until hot. Serve over ice cream.

Options: chopped pecans or 1/4 tsp cinnamon

This summer, Joanne’s town of Goderich Ontario was hit by a horrible tornado. Many homes and other buildings were completely destroyed, This tree was right in front of Joanne’s place and fell onto the road. They were lucky it didn’t fall on the house! Goderich is a truly beautiful part of the world and the loss of homes, historic buildings and old trees has devastated everyone. With an estimated damage of $185 million, The people of Goderich will be rebuilding for a long time and would truly appreciate your support. Please go to http://edgefund.org/

Here is Goderich before, during and after the storm.

Wishing You and Yours a Peace-Filled Holiday.

May Goodwill and Blessings Fill Each of Your Days!

~ Carla

To help you celebrate, here is a collection of links to several great recipes I hope you and your loved ones will enjoy.

Instead of store-bought egg nog, try one of these:

Easy Apps:

Saucy Sauces:

One-of-a-Kind Salads:

*Sin*-ful Side Dishes:

Distinctive Desserts:

The-Morning-After Breakfasts:

“Here’s a toast to the roast that good fellowship lends,

With the sparkle of beer and wine;

May its sentiment always be deeper, my friends,

Than the foam at the top of the stein”

~ Anonymous

Take a chef who loves pork, make him a die hard fan of the TV show Iron Chef, then give him a BBQ team with off-beat humour and an unmatched flare for the grill. What could you possibly name that BBQ team? …“Pork Ninjas!”

Jason Rees is loved by his fans for his extraordinary panache for all things culinary. His BBQ team “Pork Ninjas” competes all over the country and wows every crowd with their smokin’ grillin’ expertise. When Jason turned 30 he commemorated it with a very fine flying pig tattoo.

http://www.bbqblog.ca/2006/12/my-love-of-bbq.html

Pork Ninjas’ Salad Dressing

1. Loosely toss the bacon, blue cheese and onions.

2. In a separate bowl make the beer dressing by combining the rest of the ingredients, and whisk briskly until the beers flattens out.

3. Crumble the cheese-bacon-onion mixture over your favorite potato salad or cobb salad, then drizzle the beer dressing over top of the entire thing.

4. This dressing is truly rocking when served super fresh, so you don’t want to store it to use later.

*G-F Tip! Make this dressing with gluten-free beer and voila!

“This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption… Beer!”

- Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, Friar Tuck

Recently I was at a trade show and a woman walked up to me startled by my height. I’m 6’2” and I love it. She had a really good sense of humour and made me laugh when she said, “You don’t look so tall on your blog!”

My blood line is a mix of Dutch and Norwegian. As you may know from my first post, the maternal line of my family is Mennonite (100% Dutch descent). The paternal side – the Johnson side of my family – is Norwegian, so I decided there has to be some Viking blood in me.

Vikings were not the barbarians that legend has implied. By the 9^th century, Vikings had started settling into England and it has been said that English women preferred Norse husbands because they were very well read, plus they bathed and used combs.

Porridge comes with many different names from different parts of the world, but the recipe remains really simple. Porridge is a dish made from boiling a grain in water or milk.

In 1854, Hanna Winsnes (1789-1872) published the first Norwegian cookbook. “Lærebog i de forskjellige Grene af Husholdningen” which basically translates to “Teaching book in the different sections of the household”.

One of Hanna’s recipes is “Beer Porridge.” The instructions she wrote were awkward to intrepret, so I did some searching and reworked it in 21^st century English. My version is different, but more workable, I believe.

On page 155 of Hanna Winsnes’ cook book:

The beer is mixed with water according to taste; normal home-brew beer can be used undiluted. For each pot of mix take two egg yokes and one half pægel (1.2dl) of full fat cream, or three egg yokes without cream. Beat well. When the beer is boiling and has been mixed cooked with sugar (to taste), take the pot off the heat, and pour in the eggs while beating vigorously, to form a froth.

The dish does not keep but must be eaten immediately.

Dice fine rye bread and brown it in butter; when it has been well mixed with the butter sprinkle a little powdered sugar (icing sugar) over, keep stirring, like when you are roasting coffee. This is eaten with the beer porridge, and can be made before the beer is started.

http://mylittlenorway.com/2011/12/old-norwegian-beer-porridge/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MyLittleNorway+%28My+Little+Norway%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Norwegian Beer Porridge

1. Mix the rye bread, beer, egg and sugar in a pot.

2. Bring to a boil then reduce and simmer, stirring constantly, until it thickens.

3. Serve warm with cold skimmed milk.

Let me take this opportunity to introduce you to Mads Refslund, a brilliant Danish chef. Here is a description of his beer porridge.

Old rye bread softened with beer and then submerged under white chocolate foam and salted milk ice cream. This must be the breakfast that fuels grizzled fishermen as they hunker down against wild North Sea winds. It was out of this world and completely unique to my palate.

http://readysetdc.com/2011/07/does-the-new-nordic-kitchen-live-up-to-the-hype/

Have some fun! Here’s a site where you can write your own motto in Old Norse:

http://www.vikingrune.com/old-norse-motto-generator/

Join us on Facebook! Here is the link to the “Like” page.

You are invited to join the group too!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CookingWithSin/

Carla Johnson’s first cookbook “Cooking With Sin” has just won the award for Best Wine Book for Canada, in the prestigious Gourmand International’s “World Cookbook Awards.”

Next is the world judging at the “Gourmand Best in the World” where “Cooking With Sin” will represent Canada in the international competition at the Paris Cookbook Fair in March!

Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

Founded by Edouard Cointreau in 1995, the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards are presented every year to the best cooking and wine books. They are regarded as the Oscars of the culinary book world. The prizes are awarded in 36 categories for cooking and 14 for wine. Every year, Gourmand presents the awards in a gourmet food capital, this time in Paris. The ceremony is a unique opportunity for meeting personalities from the food and drink literary world, as publishers, authors, chefs, vineyard owners and journalists from all over the world attend the event.

http://www.cookbookfair.com/index.php

More Awards for “Cooking With Sin”!

Best Books USA Awards Finalist!

http://cookingwithsin.com/2011/11/02/best-books-2011-usa-award/

Cuisine Canada Nominee!

http://cookingwithsin.com/2011/05/06/cuisine-canada-nomination/

See what the Ben Franklin Awards had to say about it!

http://cookingwithsin.com/2011/07/18/cookbook-awards-events-feedback/

Much Appreciation to Everyone for your support!

Join me on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooking-With-Sin/180946528621424

& Twitter

@Carla_Johnson

If you see a fat man who is jolly and cute,

Wearing a beard and a red flannel suit,
And if he is chuckling and laughing away,
While flying around in a miniature sleigh
With eight tiny reindeer to pull him along,
then lets face it… your eggnog’s too strong!!

Just in time for the Holiday Season! Two wonderful drinks you can serve your guests.

When my husband’s Aunt Susan was a young child, she emigrated with her family – and her 9 siblings! – from the Netherlands, more specifically, Friesland.

By her early 20′s, Susan was well-settled into Canadian life when she met Robert Hogeboom. They fell in love, married and had two beautiful children. Sadly, while the children were still young and Bob was only in his 40′s, he succumbed to cancer. He passed away too quickly and too young.

Susan was energetic and creative and watched her children grow up to marry and have grandchildren, but in her late 50′s, she too succumbed to cancer.

It is an honour to remember Bob and Susan here on the blog. There were very special people who left us wanting so much more of them.

Bob and Susan loved to entertain and Bob always made his own eggnog at Christmas time. Interestingly, he always made it by hand. He said the key was to mix it all with your bare fingers. I think it was his way of adding love. All great cooks know good food needs love. So, roll up your sleeves, scrub your hands really well and let’s get to work.

Uncle Bob’s “Hand Made” Egg Nog

1. Beat egg yolks until thick.

2. Gradually add granular sugar until it becomes light in colour.

3. Slowly stir in the alcohol, cognac and rum.

4. Add add the cream and 3 of the egg whites. Stir until mixed thoroughly.

5. In a separate bowl, beat remaining egg whites until thick, then gradually add the confectioner’s sugar.

6. Beat the egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form.

7. Gently stir the egg whites and sugar mixture into the egg yolk mixture.

8. Serve in glasses and garnish.

*By the way, Bob’s egg nog recipe remains popular with many of their relatives & friends. They have all made his egg nog over the years, but none of them make it by hand.

Raise a glass of Christmas Cheer!

Susan was very musical and she often sang with her sisters. They all have great sense of humour and call themselves “The Sour Lemon Sisters.” One of her sisters, Maaike, whips up a very “sin”ful drink she calls Northern Slush. She once served it at a company gathering where it was a hit. One of the people at the party asked for the recipe and as Maaike was writing out the recipe, she realized she had accidentally doubled the liquor in the party batch. That night, a good time was had by all!

“The Sour Lemon Sisters” Northern Slush

1. Mix all the ingredients together and freeze for 48 hours. It will become a slush.

2. To serve, scoop the slush into glasses and top with clear soda like 7-Up or Sprite.

Happy Holidays!