French Beach Cooking School Farewell

January 2012

Marcie here: I am closing this little operation near French Beach with a bit of sorrow, but everything must come to an end sometime!  I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with wonderful people who enjoy messing about with food and learning new (and old) methods of preparation. We created some sublime concoctions of fresh and beautiful food from this abundant region!  Keep on picking those nettles and mushrooms and making that cheese; it's a culinary paradise out here and all you have to do is open your eyes and have a good look around you.  Enjoy!

January Beef Wellington

Happy New Year Everyone!

Hope everyone had a delightful Christmas and can only hope and wish we all enjoy a good 2012!

Saturday, January 28, 2012; 10:00-2:00 p.m. $50.

Thought I'd start out with a bang this year with one of foodom's most famous dishes - also known in the highest places as "Boeuf en croute". In my experience most folks seem to think this is an almost impossible task plus the fact that tenderloins are delicious of course, but nowadays very over-priced!  I have solved this with a cut of meat that is just as tender and (I think) has even more flavour! Come and learn how to turn out this delectable entree for your next dinner party. All you need to bring is your apron and a good appetite!

Have been playing with the garlic grown last summer and here is a delectable treat for those of you who crave garlic, w/o even mentioning it's fabulous anti-oxident elements!

Take about 25 or 30 garlic cloves (find at Fairway), wash, dry and place in baking pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and roast at 350F for 40 minutes - until golden-brown and beautiful.  Cool off and place in food processor along with a dash of sea salt, black pepper, some dill, and 2 eggs.  Process on low at first and get this all mixed together.  Then take your olive oil and drizzle in while machine is on medium...about a half cup.  You will see it turn into a beautiful "mayonnaise" or call it garlic sauce.  It is delightful with Beef Wellington, but the correct condiment for that is horseradish. I then put in jars and processed for 20 minutes and keep them in the refrigerator. Garlic lovers, give it a try!

Mushroom Foray Success!

The mushroom foray on 10/1 was a rousing success with a good number of beautiful chanterelles found along with a number of Wooly Gomphidius which turn a delightful red in the frying pan; these seem to be around to herald the coming of the chanterelles. Lovely day, no rain and we picked 2 baskets in about a half hour.  Check out the photos on site! We ended up with Tom Maler's exquisite morel pate' which was produced with his dried morels.  Sure wish there were more of these pups around here; they are awesomely delicious! 

So, if you can get your hands on some dried morels, try this fab recipe: Put 1 cup of morels in a bowl and cover with water; let sit overnight. Pour off water, but save. Cut morels up into tiny pieces and put in fry pan along with one Tbsp. of garlic pieces. Bring to a boil and cook off all the water; add 2 cups of whipping cream, a little dill, nutmeg, dash of salt and pepper and cook down again until it is creamy and thick.  Spread on crostini or serve on toast points; you will get raves! 

PLEASE NOTE:  No class end October as we are away.  Next class will be Saturday, December 3 and will feature the famous Bermuda Cassava Pie; come and learn how to turn this lovely stuff into an unforgettable Christmas tradition! It contains a surprising number of ingredients which make this a fascinating culinary event!

NEW Class Date!

Please note that the mushroom foray and cooking demo has been moved from September 24 to Saturday October 1, 2011.  Usual time is 10:00 to 2:00 p.m. We will be going into the forest, so you must wear sturdy clothes, hiking shoes and gloves; also bring a basket or small bucket, pocket knife, gloves, and your camera if possible, along with water.  I will provide some snacks. Upon return we will have a cooking demo with some fascinating fungi from another BC location! Please pass along to anyone you know who is interested, thanks!

FBCS New E-Mail;

Please note that I have a new e-mail: vandiemen@xplornet.ca!  My old Marcichka was deleted by Xplornet due to some spam problems. 

September 24 Class

Saturday, September 24 will find us OUT in the bush searching for mushrooms! It will take a good half hour to hike to our foray location, so good hiking shoes and old clothes plus gloves and a basket are a must!  Depending on how many students we get we can carpool as it takes about 10 minutes to get to the location.  Bring your own drink (coffee or cola) and I will have something to eat on our break.  As usual, there are simply no guarantees we will find anything, but we will go looking for chanterelles and any other edibles like cauliflowers or boletes will be just great. Once back at the school, we will dig into a surprise mushroom dish as well as try and ID the mushrooms found. Looking forward to a great foray!  

Mussels Alive-Alive-O!

Well, we've got it figured out hopefully for Saturday, July 30, starting at 9:00 a.m.!  We should be able to pick as many as we want and some for people to bring home as well; so you need to dress accordingly and bring bucket, hand tool or knife to get these pups off the rocks; gloves are a really good idea too along with long boots.  We'll wash 'em and prepare them for a chowder which is my special one from New England; they take some doing, but we'll go slow and have a good time getting them ready. Looking forward to this excursion; wear your oldest clothes and look forward to maybe getting a little wet - oh yes, bring a towel too! 

For anyone who loves art, don't forget the Sooke Fine Art Show which opens on July 23!  In connection with that, they will sponsor the "Taste of Sooke" on Thursday, July 28 and yours truly has been conned into providing a "taste."  Not sure what I am doing, but it better be good as I am up with some of the best chefs in Sooke including the Sooke Harbour House!  Yes, OMG!! 

NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS!

E-MAIL ADDRESS CHANGE!  SORRY, BUT E-MAIL ADDRESS HAS BEEN CHANGED TO:  vandiemen@xplornet.ca!!  I had a cyber problem and had to do away with the old one!  It still remains on the bottom of the page, but ignore it!! Best I can do right now!

Off to Tennessee and Massachusetts to see two grandkids graduate from high school - should be fun!  So, no classes scheduled until July!  We will go and find, pick and cook MUSSELS...California mussels...the real deal...right off the rocks!  So plan on it...bring boots, a bucket, and a hand tool or knife.  Hope to see a few of you then!  Will send out notice when we get closer to the date...w/be at the end of July, but not sure yet when the lowest tidwe w/be!!  

Caldeirada de Peixe

The Lisbon fish stew in March was a delicious success! Used salmon and basa, but think white fish is the way to go because of the skin on the salmon.  The dish is so pristine and the broth so clear - shows you what a half bottle of white wine will do when mixed with tomatoes and onions!  We ate it with a loaf of garlic bread and the juice for dipping was luscious.  Jan pronounced it as good as he remembered from Lisbon, so I think we have another one for the cookbook!  Adding just a little bit of butter to the broth also is a taste treat and you don't need much. 

So April 30 will see us making real spring rolls; see previous post regarding this class.  We made a complete dinner out of them and I served us each four along with a bit of salad with sesame dressing.  The kicker is I baked them - did not deep-fry and they were crispy and just yummy.  Come and learn how...

Snow Date!

Well, what can I say?  We are up to our ankles in snow over here in Shirley, so nobody is going anywhere...or nobody in their right mind would try to get here on Saturday...so we'll postpone Saturday's class until Saturday, March 6! Same program: Classic Dutch Cuisine!  This Witlof and Eggs meal is a traditional, but special meal in Holland.  It will also please vegetarians as there is NO meat in the dish. Hope to see some of you brave the wilds of the West Coast Road and join in!  

Just for interest, I wonder how many of you are interested in learning how to do mushu pork or chicken and spring rolls?  I've had great success with these lately and altho they seem mysterious, they are not; just a little time-consuming, but what fun and the results are fabulous!  Last night I did a clam, shrimp, and snapper dish which was awesome...cooked in a court boullion only; so pure, so good, so healthy, so beautiful!  My own concoction, but based on what I've learned about the beauty of Miso.  Maybe that would be a class!   

Cha Gio or Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Jan. 14: Behold!  Golden spring rolls! Amazing recipe and so easy; bought the spring roll wrappers at Western and made the filling first: 1 can crabmeat, (almost 1 lb. of ground chicken meat), 1/2 red onion, diced tiny (or use scallions), 1 carrot - shredded, 1/2 red bell pepper - diced, 1/4 English cucumber diced, 2 cup bean sprouts, and salt & pepper to taste. Add red pepper flakes if you want it spicier. 20 wrappers, and 4 cups of oil for frying.

Mix all ingredients together well; should be sticky from ground chicken. Place one wrapper on a diagonal toward you. Plop 2 Tbsp. filling onto lower half; fold pointed end up and over filling; fold in sides, slightly squeezing filling into roll; then roll up and place seam side down on baking tray with either paper or a tea towel on it. Package makes a good 20 and I had 5 left over which I filled with a half banana and a tsp. of Nutella! (Oh, dear!) Covered the tray with another tea towel and put in fridge for 2 hours.  After that I mixed about 4 tbsp. of Chinese red chilli sauce with 2 tbsp. of mushroom-flavored soy sauce for a dipping sauce. At mealtime I heated the oil to 375 deg.; make sure the rolls are submerged and oil is really hot!  I turned them once and they became golden brown - cooked about 5-6 minutes; use tongs to turn.  Put them on paper towel and in oven at "warm."  Served us both four and drizzled the sauce over; umm-umm-good; really delicious; the crust crackling and beautiful and the filling juicy and delectable.  I'd love to do a class so if you agree, let me know and I'll set something up!  Just was told that my phone number is not on this site so that was a boo-boo!  If you want to register by phone, simply call (250)646-2772.  Looking forward to seeing you soon! 

Happy 2011!

The November class was great and we turned out a spectacular Cassava Pie. Everyone was surprised that the cassava mixed with meat along with sugar and eggs is so blendable and tasty.  Plus the fact that it is easily obtainable in Victoria either frozen or dried.

January will see the French tourtiere appear and it is an absolute winner when it comes to a successful dinner party; winter fare for sure and so comforting and delectable; class is on Saturday, January 29, so hope I see some of you here!

Have gotten into the Indonesian cookbook and am experimenting tonight with Babi Kecap which is simply pork cubes cooked in lemon juice, onions, and coconut cream; it smells heavenly. The authentic Dutch book added mushrooms and chestnuts, but I only added a small container of wild honey mushrooms which seems to be a nice addition.  Also experimenting with dim sum of various types and tomorrow it's spring rolls with ground chicken, bean sprouts and chives. Have you seen the "flower chives" at Fairway?  They are in the Chinese produce section and definitely a must! Long and firm, they are cut up into 1/4" pieces and frozen immediately.  Then when you want some, just take out what you need and they are all dry and frozen. Also in that department check out the "King Oyster Mushrooms" which come 3 or 4 in a bag; Huge, beautiful white fungi, they have a sweet little brown cap; slice in half and saute' for 10 minutes; serve with Chinese chili sauce as a starter (or soy) and you will get raves at your next dinner party. 

Another successful surprise was last week when I made enchiladas because I found a jar at Fairway, something you don't see all the time. I used a chicken breast and cooked it quickly in a frying pan until just cooked.  Sliced it in half and rolled it up in 2 flour tortillas which I placed on half the enchilada sauce in a baking pan.  Covered them with the rest of the sauce and then poured a can of coconut milk over all and finished it off with some grated Gouda I had on hand.  Oh my...a fusion of flavours and so luscious; think it's a winner; give it a try and have fun!

Cheese & Mushrooms!

The October class was an absolute ball with six students all eager to find out how to make these cheeses; so simple and so good!  I now have Rennet so will be working on Ricotta and Mozz...so stay tuned!  If you want to experiment yourself, Rennet may be found at Charelli's Deli in Victoria; why the grocery stores don't carry it is beyond me! I took my last batch of the Russian cheese (from the buttermilk) and added about 3 tablespoons of the Chinese sweet chili sauce and some dill; fantastic spicy taste and so good with any kind of cracker or chip.  I had also made a batch of the salmon lox from a beautiful slab of sockeye and this was wonderful with a dab of cheese and then a piece of lox on top...really lovely. Photo of class uploaded; sorry if a bit dark; I should have noted the light coming in the window! The foray for mushrooms was a great success, and everyone found a few edibles to try. They are still out there with all this rain, so keep on hunting! 

Please note that the next class will not be at the end of November as we have a memorial to attend that day which is very important, so I have scheduled this next class for Saturday, December 4.  I have also changed the dish from a tourtiere to the famous Bermuda Cassava Pie. (Will repeat the tourtiere class in January.) The "pie" is such a unique dish and an absolute requisite at the Bermuda Christmas table that I thought some of you "west coast" folks would like to learn something really different!  It is a lovely concoction of cassava root, chicken, pork, sugar and eggs; go figure that one!  Brought to the island by Caribbean folks in the early 1800's, this dish has become THE epitome of Bermuda cuisine!  I am using a family recipe which was brought to the senior Gauntlett house every Christmas by Aunt Katherine; she was a wonderful cook and probably would laugh today at being called a "foodie"! 

Kulebiaka Class

Had three great students for the Russian kulebiaka class and the finished product was absolutely a picture in it's golden crusty pastry!  We did the "golden" pastry routine and it rolled out as ordered and happily hopped over to the baking sheet where it was covered with salmon filets, rice, and mushrooms; it is truly a spectacular creation and will bring accolades to anyone who presents it as a dinner party focal point.  I'll put up a picture so you can see the thing in all it's culinary glory! 

Have had so many requests to repeat the cheese class that we will do that on Saturday, October 30, so sign up now! We will also go out on a mushroom foray after class (rain or shine), so if you are into this wild fungi, then do bring basket and good hiking shoes; we will be out for approximately one and a half hours.

Happy Fall!

Hope everyone has had a delightful summer and welcome back to the French Beach Cooking School!  To start off my second year, we are going to make a Russian specialty dish called "Kulebiaka" - it is salmon fillets encased in my golden pastry aong with veggies and mushrooms; will try to find some wild ones out there and perhaps we'll be lucky. We may also go on a short foray if it has rained enough and the shrooms are starting to fruit! So, bring walking shoes along as well!  We visited Holland and Slovenia in July-August and learned about an exquisite bread called Struckli; I have never (ever) had such a delectable piece of bread; it was light, fluffy, tasty and to me, better'n chocolate! Difficult to believe, but if you are a bread-aholic like me, you will love it.  I'm working on perfecting it and will, hopefully, give a class in the New Year.  So, the first class of the season is set for Saturday, September 25 and will be at the usual time - 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Heart of Pork

Had to pass on this recipe because it turned out totally awesome for a piece of meat (muscle) that hardly anyone pays any attention to except for their dogs!  There is no fat on these hearts so I first browned them up a little in sesame oil along with the onions. Then I poured on the rest of the ingredients and let them simmer for 3 hours.  Succulent over noodles, rice, or whatever really turns you on.  A winner I think!

2 Pork hearts

1 large onion, diced

2 Tbsp. minced garlic (or bottled)

1/4 cup Thai chili sauce

1/8 cup Pomegranate concentrate

2 heaping Tbsp. black mole' paste

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1 cup water

PLEASE NOTE!  We will be closed for the summer (July and August) and will re-open in September with a startling ethnic (Russian) specialty of Kulebyaka; a pastry-encased invention including salmon, mushrooms and peas.

Czech with Tom!

The June class will be a winner! And that's because Tom Maler of Victoria will be the resident cook and will instruct us on the art of making an eye-round turn into a thing of beauty and succulence!  Along with this mouth-watering "main," (called "Svickova) we will enjoy learning how to make real Czech bread-dumplings. I have had this delightful repast, and can vouch for it's total vivacity and cultural edgy taste; nothing like having the real mccoy cook for us, so I hope you folks who love ethnic foods will register early and get in on the fun.

Class will be Saturday, June 26, from 10:00 to 2:00 p.m. $35/class

Puto Class

April's Filipino puto class was awesome with 5 beautiful women making my day!  Veronica brought her Japanese visiting student with her and Aya seemed right at home with these older Canadian women, obviously enjoing every little tidbit which poured from each student as we discussed various foods and tips.  Such fun to share and everyone always has something that nobody else has heard of or thought of; it's a major education for me as well and the camaraderie this day was enjoyed by all.

We began by getting the puto dough started and letting it rise for one and a half to two hours.  While it was rising, we started on the Thai red curry sauce and Chris shelled the shrimp while Lillian and Aya cut up the tomatoes, celery and apple.  We used a packet of Thai red curry powder to save time, but I advised using the small bottles of red and green curry paste which are simply the best.  The packet flavour was very good, but we did add a whole can and a half of coconut milk to make the sauce a bit milder.  The shrimp were added and cooked 3 minutes and the tomatoes at the end so as not to be mushy.  While waiting for the dough we dove into my pear-banana cake and drank Jan's Costa Rican coffee - all very yummy! We peeked after one hour, but it was just bubbling so we went back to the coffee and cookbooks for more discussions.  After another 30 minutes it had doubled so we stirred it down and poured it into the muffin cups.  Fashioning a steamer from a rectangular pan, a rack, and a tent of silver foil worked very well and 8 minutes later they were puffed and beautiful-looking; whoops, not cooked in the middle; back into the pan for another 5 minutes and all was well!  The red curry shrimp sauce went very well with the puto and I know everyone enjoyed the unusual meal. I think it was Chris who suggested using a large roasting pan as a steamer and I think this would work just fine. 

Looking forward to repeating the Sushi class on May 29 and have four signed up already!

Cataplana Class

A swell time was had by all participants in the Portuguese cuisine class last Saturday; cataplana which is actually a hinged copper dish in Portugal is used to serve up this delectable melange of succulent pork cubes and luscious clams.  One of the students actually has one, but we used one of my large enamel casserole dishes to serve in and dove into it so fast that the camera was forgotten!  Served with crusty slices of sourdough bread, this made a delicious lunch for all concerned.  See photo of students, Julie-Anne, Gina and her mom Sheila; thanks for coming...had a ball!

Feb. Sushi Class!

Well, I had a blast...five students, one repeater (thanks Fred) and all such a happy group!  Julie-anne is already coming back for the Portugal scene at the end of March, so we are on our way!  The students all got a taste of my sashimi (salmon) and ceviche (halibut).  The Sashimi key, I think, is letting the fresh fillet marinate overnight in sesame oil and ponzu soy sauce; I sliced it very thin and we all had a taste.  The halibut fillet had been marinated overnight in lime juice and was also good, but I think 4-6 hours is plenty to actually "cook" it; it was entirely opaque and quite nice over a small piece of lettuce. 

Then we got into the sushi and I made the first roll; the students all cut up the vegetables and we had cucumber, celery, carrots, avocado for the veggie rolls and crab (imitation), shrimp, and salmon for the seafood rolls.  One of the students already had made sushi and knew that sushi-grade fish has to be flash-frozen at -25 deg. below zero to earn that grade.  Everyone made their own roll and after chilling for an hour along with a walk to Flea beach for nettles, we cut them up into 8 pieces each.  See picture!  A taste of nettle soup was also provided and I hope everyone tried making some; they are loaded with vitamins along with some 41% protein; they seem to live near the ocean as well as along creeks or sloughs, so hope you have been able to find some, as they freeze well for your next batch of soup!  

My recipe is very simple:  One bag of nettles including young stems; (always wear gloves!); blanch in hot water (the stingers disappear), and cut up.  I use vegetable or chicken broth and also whey (from making cheese) when I have it on hand.  One good-size onion and some garlic to taste.  Simmer all this for 2 hours, add salt and pepper to taste and then pour in one can of light coconut milk.  Bring back to serving temperature and...enjoy! 

I neglected to write up the Tourtierre class as I received company the following week, so here it is:  It was WONDERFUL!  Dick from Colwood was a star...(he's made 10 now!) made the bison & pork filling and they all seemed wowed by the ease of my golden pastry and the fact that it does not fall apart when you lift it onto your pie plate!  You simply fold it in half and then it easily goes onto the plate and then you flip the folded half over the plate - viola - she lays nicely in the pan waiting for the filling! Glazing with egg white is always nice and sticking a rose or other edible flower in the pie "hole" is a nice touch for the steam to escape; try rose leaves if no fleurs are out...amazing touch! 

Looking forward to Portugal at the end of the month! Y'all come! 

Sushi Coming Up 2/27

So, is this the most beautiful spring or what?  The herb garden is looking lush already and even the mini-daffodils are out - we are loving it!  Getting ready for the Sushi Class on the 27th of this month and have a lovely piece of salmon as well as a beautiful piece of halibut to add to the seafood.  We'll do veggie too - hope everyone loves avocados!  You will also be offered a sampling of ceviche which is raw fish "cooked" in lime juice and for the brave - sashimi!  Surprise dessert!  It is such a fun project making these rolls and you'll all go home with a new rolling mat.  So come prepared with aprons...that's all! 

Register at:  marcichka@xplornet.com    $35.00/pp

Well, who has tried Empanadas?  Got out the Mexican cookbook after seeing a recipe on "About.com" and compared.  The Mexican dough had a little sugar in it plus baking powder(?)  Hmmm!  The other one did not, but I decided to try the Mexican version.  It came together very easily and I covered it with a tea towel. Meanwhile I cooked up the ground beef, onions, garlic, cumin, paprika, dill and chili pepper until it looked like a juicy mix and set it to cool. About an hour later it rolled out beautifully and I cut the circles out with a crumpet ring!  You put a mere teaspoon of the filling on the dough round and then bring the other side over and crimp them together with a fork - they make lovely little half-rounds; pricked each with a fork to let steam escape and popped them into a 375F oven for 20 minutes until they were golden brown.  Served the man his empanadas with a dipping sauce of home-made tzatziki.  Think of the possibilities here:  salsa, sour cream, guacamole, chili sauce - oh my heart be still! Will have to look up what the Spaniards really serve with their Emps!!  Cheers for now! 

Mocha Cake/Jan. 19

Interesting day getting the sourdough starter going and turning it into a nice loaf, hopefully.  Also giving it a try in the bread machine to see which is fluffier - hand-kneaded or machine! Came across a black forest cake mix in the pantry this morning and turned it into this delectable concoction which I found in my new "25 Years of Favorite Brand Name Baking" book, kindly proffered by Jan who saw it on a table for $10 - rather than the $60 original price tag!

1/2 C chocolate chips

1/2 C chopped almonds or pecans

1    Black Forest Cake mix package

1/4 C espresso coffee powder

2    Tsp. ground cinnamon

1-1/4 C  Water

3     Eggs, beaten

1/3  C  Olive Oil

       Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 325 deg. F. Grease 10-cup Bundt pan well. Pour chopped nuts into bottom of prepared pan.

In large bowl, combine cake mix, coffee, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. Add water, eggs, and olive oil.  Beat well by hand until all are moistened and then beat together for a good two minutes.  Alternatively you can use your mixer, but I did not find it necessary.  Pour batter over the nuts in the pan. 

Bake 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto cake plate; the nuts make a lovely topping and then sprinkle with a small amount of powdered sugar.  Lovely with a scoop of vanilla icecream on the side. 

Awesome Cheese Class

Sunday, January 17:

Happy to report on a very successful cheese class yesterday with 5 super students, two all the way from Saanich!  Jennifer's fiance lives in France and his mother makes goat cheese (they raise goats) so Jennifer who will leave for France soon wanted to learn my method.  She promised to let me know how her soon-to-be MILaw makes hers...can't wait for that one! While the cheese was setting up we walked to Flea Beach and perused the stinging nettle area; soon those little sprouts will be coming up and we will have a nettle-picking and nettle-soup making class.  We saw the first tips of one, but most are not showing yet.  They tend to be in wetter areas around and near creeks, so I'm sure they are around almost everywhere; you just have to get a good bead on their make-up and then you'll recognize them everywhere. 

The February class which falls on Saturday, 27 February will feature sushi. We will make vegetarian and seafood sushi. Most folks now know that sushi does not mean "raw" fish.  I usually use, along with the vegetables, shrimp, crabmeat, and salmon.  However, any firm fish can be used such as halibut, tuna, or snapper. Lovely additions of avocado make a luscious and beautiful roll! Hope you will join us here in Shirley!

Must advise that January 30 class for the French Tourtiere is full at this time. 

January Classes

Ahhhhh, peace and quiet...don't you love "after Christmas?" New Year's was old friends coming in and celebrating quietly with a nice champagne-type sparkly and delicious Christmas pudding with hard sauce...lovely; hope yours was as fun as here!

Have had such interest in the soft cheeses that I'm repeating it on Saturday, January 16 - 10 to 2 p.m.  Hope you'll bring in some new friends to find out how easy this is, saving time and money for sure!

January 30 will have us making my golden pastry and filling it with a luscious French tortiere filling with a slight interesting twist.  This spicy meat pie is ideal for any dinner party and would serve eight people easily. We'll dive into it after it's out of the oven!

Always interested in your foodie doings and would love to hear about anything you'd like to learn here at the school.  Making Khachapuri (bread with cheese) on Friday night for friends; this is a real Georgian (next to Russia) treat which puts cheese into a soft bread and then you fry it very slowly over low heat for a spell - until the cheese is soft and beginning to melt. I want to perfect it, but this is another idea for a class and these are excellent any time, breakfast, lunch or suppertime.  Especially delish with soups during the winter. 

Let me hear from you with ideas and recipes!  Thanks! 

The Duck

Ahhhhh Christmas! Time to dream up something extraordinary for a pre-Xmas dinner for special folks!  I remembered a recipe that a Dutch girl had made in my kitchen on a visit 3 years ago, but had never written down; but it was the Marsala that made it so delectable, so while buying the Xmas libations the other day, I located a beautiful bottle of Marsala.  This was definitely a special duck - a 6.5 lb. Muscovy from Shirley Sell's farm; had to do something unique with it.  First the innards were popped into a large pan with herbs and one cut-up small onion and set to simmer. Then I browned the duck all over in a splash of olive oil tossing in one large cut-up red onion.  Next a cup of the broth and a half bottle of the Marsala was poured over the duck. It sputtered and hissed and then settled down into a nice, cozy simmer.  Two hours later I had a beautiful bird, almost falling off its bones.  Removed the bird to the cutting board and cooled the pot down and 30 minutes later put it in the refrigerator.  Later I skimmed the fat off easily and added a cup of wild cooked mushrooms.  Finally I stirred in a medium container of sour cream until it was a pale pink creamy sauce.  Pulled the duck apart and laid the pieces on a large platter.  Then poured the sauce all over the duck and put the balance into a sauce boat.  Served with a wild rice risotto and asparagus. This was for four, so there's another meal there and Jan has made a most beguiling soup from the carcass.  And the lovely fat from the duck is in a container in the freezer just waiting for the next time I do confit something!

I'm up and running and looking forward to January classes!  Merry Christmas everyone! 

Shortbread Disaster

Hedgehogs '09

Shot of the hedgehogs from the Kludak Trail; how about a foray next fall?

Borscht Stew(?)

Well, it's Thursday; spent the day taking cat to vet and shopping for dinner party on Saturday night. Forgot temporarily about supper (if you can imagine), and came home with nothing fresh, but did have 3/4 pound of ground pork in fridge...hmmmmmmm! Also found the container of borscht from dinner last Monday; could this be a match made in the FBCS? Possibly. I browned up the pork with one chopped onion and it sizzled to half done quickly; Stirred in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mixed it about. It continued to sizzle a bit, so I lowered the heat and poured in the left-over borscht. Also threw in a small container of wild mushrooms picked the other day and stored in a bit of olive oil. Left it to simmer for 30 minutes and then tore up about 6 nice leaves of fresh curly kale and let it simmer for another 10 - smelled heavenly...and I was starving. Toasted up some beautiful naan bread and we had a gorgeous meal. And I said to Jan, "you may never see this one again," but my goodness it was good!

Hedgehogs

Found about 5 pounds of beautiful, large hedgehogs up on one of the Jordan River mountains...we were on the Kludak Trail about 3500' up! Clean as a whistle and I now have about 6 medium containers in the freezer. Will make a wonderful starter for the next dinner party and will also use in next class as an "extra" while we are making our Xmas tortiere. Class is scheduled for Saturday, December 5, here at the French Beach Cooking School. Come see us!

French Beach Cooking School

Opened the French Beach Cooking School in Shirley, BC two months ago. Hold classes in my home last Saturday of each month and first class was making goat cheese and Russian cheese. The Russian cheese is made from buttermilk and the goat from...ahhhh, you guessed it, goat milk! Trying to find fresh, unpasteurized as I think it will give greater flavour; however, it turns out great and I add from time to time, dill, parsley, garlic, chives, whatever is on hand, and, of course, a little salt. It is superb turned into a pot of polenta...gives the polenta a creamy, lovely texture as well as a bit of a kick! Love to talk to other cheese-makers in the area.

Second class was Pelmeni - the famous Russian pasta pouches with 2 meats and onion; I use ground beef and pork; trick is to put it to the processor and get it really creamy; adding a little cold water helps; the Russians swear this is necessary and I do love/love the texture inside the pasta! We sat down to a lunch of pelmeni and I used the traditional condiments...sour cream (smetana), mustard, and vinegar. We were all drooling into our bowls. Takes time, but definitely worth it! Five students from Victoria appeared to really enjoy this class.

Next class was Bermuda Cassava Pie and that is unknown out here on the west coast. It is a traditional Christmas side dish brot to every Christmas dinner in Bermuda. Cassava was brot to the island by the Black folks who came to work in Bermuda some 250 years ago and they brot with them their foods and their recipes. It consists of a cassava (root) mixture containing eggs and sugar along with a filling of chicken and pork. Usually one pours over turkey gravy as the mixture is thick and crunchy on the outside.

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Agaricus Arvensis (Horse mushroom) Florida '09