Posts Tagged ‘Bread’

Solé’s “Waterloo Dark Beer” Bread

Posted on: December 26th, 2013 by Carla Johnson No Comments

For the past three years I have been involved in “Best Bites: Taste of the Region” fundraiser here in Cambridge, Ontario. As the beverage contact on the organizing committee for the event I contact and invite the wineries, breweries & distilleries to the event. As you can imagine, I have the best job! This is the 5th in a series of “Thank You” posts featuring the beverage participants who have been such an important part of helping make Best Bites such a resounding success each year.

Every morning, Chef Chris Barkshire at Solé Restaurant & Wine Bar in Waterloo, Ontario, arrives early to make fresh batches of their signature house breads. One of their breads is made using Waterloo Brewery Company’s “Waterloo Dark”, a refreshing dark lager. It is a delicious, crusty, multi-grain bread that is a favourite of many customers.

Waterloo, Ontario, a city just north of Cambridge, is a growing hub of IT start-ups and ventures. The city is also home to two renowned universities and several research facilities. With the growth, changes and fluctuations in the population, the city continues to have a solid sense of community. It is collaborations like this between these two popular local businesses that exemplify the support and comradery found in the city.

Solé Restaurant’s

Waterloo Dark Beer Bread

2 oz. fresh yeast

¼ cup warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup of each, flax, white sesame, quinoa, oats, sunflower seeds

2 teaspoons salt

¼ cup olive oil

4 oz. honey

8 oz. Waterloo Dark

8 oz. water

1. Crumble fresh yeast into plastic container, add sugar and water. Water should be at a nice tepid bath temperature. It will double in size so use a large container. Put somewhere warm to activate.

2. In a mixer, add flour, salt and all the grains and seeds. Mix for two minutes. Add the remaining ingredients mix for three minutes. Then add the yeast mixture and mix for another 8 min.

3. The dough will be very tacky and sticky, to work with, so be sure to flour your hands as you pull it out of the mixer. Place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place where it can double in size.

4. After doubling in size punch it down, cut and shape it into loaves, rolls or any shape you want. Place on baking trays and let rise again.

5. Bake at 325°F for approximately 25 minutes or until you tap on the loaf and it sounds hollow.

WATERLOO DARK

Brewed with specialty Canadian malts, imported hops and pure cultured brewer’s yeast, Waterloo Dark has been recognized and honored multiple times for its superior quality and craftsmanship at the World Beer Cup, Canadian and Ontario Brewing Awards, and the Monde Selection International Institute for Quality Selections.

FOOD PAIRING

Dark lagers are enjoyed all year long, and they’re not as filling as ales. Beef dishes go especially well with Waterloo Dark. This lager’s roasted malt character allows your taste buds to enjoy the rich flavour of that perfectly cooked top sirloin steak. Waterloo Dark will cut some of the heaviness in sauce-based pork rib dishes as well.

@Carla_Johnson

“Steam Whistle” Shrimp, Chili & Bread

Posted on: December 1st, 2013 by Carla Johnson No Comments

For the past three years I have been involved in “Best Bites: Taste of the Region” fundraiser here in Cambridge, Ontario. As the beverage contact on the organizing committee for the event I contact and invite the wineries, breweries & distilleries to the event. As you can imagine, I have the best job! This is the 4th in a series of “Thank You” posts featuring the beverage participants who have been such an important part of helping make Best Bites such a resounding success each year.

Steam Whistle’s founding partners Greg Taylor, Cameron Heaps and Gregory Cromwell, met while working together at the Upper Canada Brewing Company. After Upper Canada Brewing was sold to Sleeman’s, and the Toronto brewery was closed, the three friends lost their jobs and went to work elsewhere. They loved the beer industry, though, and wanted to get back into it so they decided to start their own brewery. They wanted to call it “The Three Fired Guys” and after 2 years, their dream became a reality when they opened Steam Whistle Brewing in March 2000. Although they called the brewery Steam Whistle in reminiscence of 1950s, a “3FG” is on every bottle and can.

Every month, Steam Whistle hosts an art exhibition to support local, emerging artists. They provide the space, launch party and promotion – all for free. In return, all Steam Whistle asks the artist is to donate one piece of art to be displayed in the brewery for thousands of visitors to appreciate each year. This November they had a Staff and Friends Art Show where the brewery staff showcased and donated a piece of their own art to raise money for Movember.

Drunken Spicy Steam Whistle Shrimp

By James Kirkland

2 bottles of Steam Whistle Pilsner

1/2 cup (125 ml) cider vinegar

2 cups (500 ml) water

2 tablespoon (30 ml) Old Bay seasoning (see recipe)

2 lb. large shrimps in shell (approx. 16-20)

2 tablespoon (30 ml) garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoon (30 ml) Creole seasoning (see recipe)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter

1. Pour the Steam Whistle Pilsner, vinegar, and water into a tall gallon stockpot. Add the Old Bay seasoning, cover and heat to a boil. When the blend is boiling rapidly, add the shrimp and cook for 1 – 2 mins, or until the shrimp turns pink. The flesh will continue to cook in the shell, so don’t overcook. Drain the shrimp in a colander.

2. Before serving, blend the minced garlic and Creole seasoning, and butter and toss the shrimp in this spicy blend

Old Bay seasoning

1 tablespoon (15ml) ground bay leaves

2 1/2 teaspoon (12 1/2 ml) celery salt

1 1/2 teaspoon (7 1/2 ml) dry mustard

1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon (2 1/2 ml) ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon (2 1/2 ml) ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon (2 1/2 ml) ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon (2 1/2 ml) ground ginger

1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika

1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground mace

1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground cardamom

Creole seasoning

1/2 cup (125 ml) paprika

1/2 cup (125 ml) garlic powder

1/4 cup (60 ml) granulated onion

3 tablespoon (75 ml) ground black pepper and salt

2 teaspoon (10 ml) white pepper

2 teaspoon (10 ml) cayenne pepper

1/4 cup (60 ml) dried oregano

1/4 cup (60 ml) dried thyme

2 teaspoon (10 ml) ground cumin

2 tablespoon (30 ml) sugar

Moose Brewski Chili

Adapted from Chef Gerry Crewe’s Cooking with Beer; Favourites of Newfoundland and Labrador

10-12 Servings

6 Tablespoon butter

3 large onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic

3 lbs. ground moose meat

60 oz. crusted tomatoes (canned or fresh)

6 oz. tomato puree or paste

8 oz. Steam Whistle Pilsner

2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 Tablespoon Chili powder

Dash of tobasco sauce or cayenne pepper – to taste

1 Tablespoon salt

2 (28-oz.) cans red kidney beans

1. Melt butter in saucepan. Add onions & garlic and cook until tender.

2. Add moose meat and brown. Add tomatoes, puree or paste, beer, and spices. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add kidney beans and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Serve with good bread (try the recipe below) and self-serve topping bowls with sour cream, green onions, bacon and cheddar.

Steam Whistle Beer Bread

This recipe was brought to you by Dan Clapson of Higher Ground Café, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Check out Dan’s website dansgoodside.com where he has more recipes with Steam Whistle.

Serves 4
Total cook time…1 hour (not including sandwich assembly!)

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 bottles Steam Whistle Pilsner

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup butter (melted)

3 Tblsp. honey

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Combine all dry ingredients, add in the beer, honey, & melted butter, mix together until a dough forms.

3. Place the dough in a greased loaf pan (try a mini loaf pan & make some smaller loaves, great for sandwiches!), and pop into the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Check with a toothpick, and if it comes out clean you’re good to go.

4. Let cool, and enjoy Steam Whistle in a way you’ve never dreamt of!

All photo credits: Steam Whistle Brewing

More Steam Whistle recipes -> HERE!

@Carla_Johnson

200,000 Visitors! Sticky Buns for Everyone!

Posted on: April 1st, 2012 by Carla Johnson No Comments

A big “Thank You” to Everyone for your Support!

😆

Looks like I blinked and missed the 200,000^th new visitor to Cooking With Sin! Oh well, let’s celebrate with Grammy Moon’s Sticky Buns with rum!

By the way, don’t you just love my title. Tee-hee!

Over the winter I was laid up recuperating from major surgery. I had a total knee replacement in my right knee. (I like to say I’m on my way to becoming the Bionic Woman.) During my recuperation I kept busy writing posts and I also developed a mild addiction to Cheers & Frasier reruns.

On one of the Frasier episodes, Daphne makes her Grammy’s sticky buns for breakfast, so I found a simple recipe for sticky bun sauce with rum.

Enjoy!

“I decided to prepare you a traditional English breakfast…and to finish it off, a batch of Granny Moon’s famous sticky buns. Granny made these every Sunday. Of course, she always added a pint of rum to the recipe. Nobody liked these more than Granny herself. Many’s the Sunday I’d head over to her house after church, only to find her out in the garden in her wedding dress, face down in the birdbath.”

~ Daphne Moon, character from the TV show “Frasier”

Grammy Moon’s Sticky Buns with Rum

Step 1: Bake a dozen of your favourite cinnamon buns.

Go ahead and cheat with the store bought cinnamon bun dough that you unroll and bake. I won’t tell! 😉

You will want to pull them fresh from the oven just as the sauce is ready. Most sticky bun recipes bake the buns with the sauce in the bottom of the pan or muffin tin where it can candy a bit. With this recipe, we are candying the sauce in a pan and pouring it over the buns after they are baked.

Step 2: Prepare the Sticky Rum Sauce

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons dark rum

2.5 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons light sour cream

1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted, optional

1. In a small saucepan, stir in the brown sugar, butter, rum, condensed milk, water, sour cream and corn syrup. Bring to a boil then simmer on medium heat until slightly thick, about 2 minutes.

2. Take the pan off of the heat. Stir in the salt, vanilla and baking powder.

3. Take the fresh baked buns out of the pan and pour the glaze over each one. Sprinkle with the pecans, if you wish. Let stand until the glaze is absorbed a bit by the buns and they are cool enough to eat. Serve them while they are still warm.

Adapted from Food & Wine, January 2010

Here is a clip of the Frasier episode about Grammy Moon’s sticky buns. Just brilliant!

See how we celebrated at the 100,000th visitor.

“100,000 Visitors! Rum Cake for Everyone!”

Bread Pudding & Hard Caramel Sauce

Posted on: December 5th, 2011 by Carla Johnson 2 Comments

“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A few days ago, my friend Rhonda, who shared her Red Wine Jelly recipe a couple posts back, posed a question to her friends on Facebook. She asked for opinions on what dessert to serve a special guest that night. The responses were great.

Based on what Rhonda had in the kitchen, it was narrowed down to bread pudding, but everyone agreed it needed a better name. One friend said she called it “Warm Apple Dessert.” Someone else suggested “Not Enough Apples for Pie.” Rhonda kinda liked “Facebook Friends Dessert”

Call it what you want, but it is really simple, it is really delicious and Rhonda’s guests loved it!

Rhonda and her dog Ginger

Rhonda’s Bread Pudding with ‘Hard’ Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

4-6 slices of dry bread torn into pieces

2-4 apples, peeled and cut into small pieces

2 cups milk, scalded

2 eggs

cinnamon, to taste

walnuts and coconut, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350°F. Butter a baking dish liberally.

2. Mix together the bread and apples in the baking dish and cover it with the milk. Let it soak.

3. Beat together the eggs and cinnamon and pour over the bread mixture.

4. Sprinkle walnuts and coconut on top if you wish.

5. Bake at 350°F for 45 mins.

6. Prepare the caramel sauce while the bread pudding is in the oven.

7. Serve with Hard Caramel Sauce, recipe below.

Hard Caramel Sauce

1 cup store-bought caramel sauce

1/4 cup rum – white, dark or spiced all work well

1. Warm up the caramel sauce in a small pot

2. Gently stir in the rum until it is blended.

3. Serve over the bread pudding.

Plant arrangement on Rhonda's deck

Looking for another bread recipe? You might like “Working Past Midnight” French Toast.

Speaking of Facebook, join us! Here is the link to the “Like” page.

“New Life” Home Brew Stew with Cheese Biscuits

Posted on: August 13th, 2010 by Carla Johnson No Comments

I’ve finally found my way. Say ‘Good-bye’ to yesterday.

Hit the gas, there ain’t no brakes on this lost highway.

I’m bustin’ loose, I’m lettin’ go, out on this open road,

It’s Independence Day on this lost highway.

~ Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, John Shanks

Dawn picked up the phone and warmed to Michael’s familiar voice, “Dawn Smith, do you love me?”

“Yes. Yes Michael. I do.”

“Good! Because in 30 minutes a cab will arrive to take you to the airport. I bought your ticket and put $2000 in a bank account for you. You will have to pack quickly. I need you out here with me for my book tour, Dawn.”

She hung up the phone and kicked into high gear. The next half hour was a blur of phone calls, packing and panic. A friend offered to take her cat and a neighbour happily took her food. Dawn packed as much as she could and just before the cab pulled up, she called her boss to quit her job.

When she finally sat down in the seat of the cab, Dawn took a deep breathe. After years of living carefully, she was leaving it all behind. It was the right thing to do. She was as ready as she could be for the next phase of her life, 8 months on the road with Michael Fletcher and any other adventure that would come their way.

Michael Fletcher and Dawn Smith had known each other for 20 years, but had little contact. They had met briefly as a teenagers. Dawn has always been shorter than average and seeing Michael, all 6′ 2” tall and full of bravado, she remembers thinking he was the hottest guy she had ever seen. After that, they went their separate ways.

Dawn married someone else and started her own catering business. Her marriage ended just as her mom became seriously ill. Dawn then cared for her mom until her mom’s passing. It had been a very tough time for her.

Meanwhile, Michael had spent time in the military, followed by several business ventures. Several of his businesses were great successes and others had been failures. At his lowest point, when he had to declare bankruptcy, he examined everything he had done, both right and wrong. He determined to learn form all his mistakes and become a smarter and better business person from it.

It was New Year’s eve, two years after her mom had died and Dawn’s cousin Sandy called her up to go out to a party. Dawn was tired. She was tired and low on cash, so she did not want to go. Sandy told her that Michael and a couple other guys they knew were going to be there, “Dawn, I need your support. You know what these guys are like!” Dawn held her ground.

In desperation, Sandy begged, pleaded and cajoled. It worked. Dawn got herself dressed up and out she went.

Dawn remembers vividly the moment she walked into the party. She locked her eyes on Michael and he locked his eyes on her. They fell in love immediately. Whatever happened rest of the night does not matter and they don’t really remember.

Michael had to fly west, back to his home, a few days later, but their relationship continued. At the time they weren’t sure how things would work out with each of them being on different sides of the country; they just knew it would work – somehow.

Two months later, the phone call came. Michael had written the book “Shameless: A Business Coach’s Guide to Succe$$” and was going on a book tour. He knew by this time that no one better than Dawn would work with and beside him. He knew their strengths were the perfect compliment. He needed her on this tour and he didn’t have the luxury of time.

When Dawn’s plane landed, they were off on a whirlwind 8 month tour promoting his book. It was one of his biggest successes at that time. Once the tour wound down, they took the momentum and started business coaching. Moving back east, they created a system called “Neworld Coaching.”

It has been a good five years since that fateful call. Michael and Dawn have grown their coaching business into a worldwide venture and have added many other successful businesses to their portfolio.

Michael did not want Dawn to lose her identity as a cook, so they agreed to always make a meal together every week. Their cooking evenings usually start off with opening a bottle of wine and a general an idea what they are going to make. They will find a base recipe and play with it to suit their tastes.

The first night they cooked together, they watched “Chef at Home” with Chef Michael Smith. Dawn has a special spot in her heart for Chef Michael Smith. Not just because he’s a tall, charming and brilliant cook (with a great head of curly hair!), but because she had a older brother named Michael Smith who had been given up for adoption as a baby. The name is very dear to her heart.

http://www.chefmichaelsmith.ca/en/home/default.aspx

Dawn and Michael both loved the stew they saw Chef Michael Smith cooking on his show that night. Looking up his recipe online, they found the base of what he made and played with it. First, they added their own home brewed beer. Then they added potatoes, parsnips and lots of extra garlic. They also found the chef’s recipe for cheddar biscuits and substituted milk for the heavy cream and garlic powder. They always bake the biscuits on a pizza stone to get the texture and flavour just right.

Dawn and Michael have a whole collection of recipes they have created together, and their Home Brew Beer Stew is a favourite at family gatherings. This is the first recipe they created together and I am tickled to announce that this is the first recipe they have chosen to share with anyone.

Fletcher’s Home Brew Beef Stew with Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Home Brew Stew

Ingredients:

½ cup vegetable oil

3 lb beef roast (cut into chunks)

salt & pepper

1 very large onion (peeled & cut into wedges)

8 cloves garlic (peeled & sliced)

1 small can tomato paste

2 bottles of Fletcher’s Home Brew (or any other lager you choose)

2 large potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks)

2 parsnips (cut into chunks)

2 cups beef stock

Method:

Preheat oven to 325° F
Heat oil in very large heavy-bottomed pot
Add beef and season with S&P. Brown
Remove when done and reserve chunks in a bowl
add onions and sauté till golden brown
Add garlic & tomato paste-stir
Add potatoes, parsnips & beer
Season again with S&P
Cover and place in oven
Stew slowly until beef is tender and broth is thickened

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 ½ cups milk