This week's CSA delivery

Veggies!

And the basket is getting bigger. Swiss chard, mixed greens, radishes, beets, bok choy, potatoes, garlic scapes and horseradish. An interesting basket… What to do.  Chinese style stir fried greens, rainbow salad and more garlic smashed potatoes, with horseradish? Also a bouquet of lilies.

Clive Burger

This is a burger joint I can eat at. Hormone and antibiotic free beef. Looks promising and I wonder if it lives up to the hype? The burger was average, and far better than the dried out Alley Burger that I waited an hour for. (This one came in 15 minutes). The toppings were fresh and free, I added fried onions and mushrooms. Tasty burger, but Dairy Lane’s burgers are juicier. Fries were crisp and thick, only problem was that they were heavy on the salt. I had the vanilla milkshake, that was really good. We only ordered one order of fries; it’s big enough for two. They had extra so they gave us another one for free. Nice gesture, but we saved them for later.  Oh, and the artwork is kind of neat. Will come by again if I’m in the area.

 
Clive Burger 17th on Urbanspoon

Fuel For Gold

I’ve tried this place a few times and clearly keep on coming back. They have a hearty bean, lentil and wild rice salad. Their sandwiches and paninis are really good.  They use quality local and organic ingredients. Their homemade cookies are big enough to share and delish.  They carry Phil and Sebastian’s coffee which would make it the best coffee on campus. Nice healthy and affordable options at the UofC, for a change.

It’s sponsored by the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary, whose dietians and chefs design the menu. Great idea!

Fuel For Gold on Urbanspoon

This week's CSA delivery

I decided to try something new this summer.  I signed up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) share.  This week I got: flowers, sorrel, mixed salad greens, swiss chard, potatoes, green onions and garlic scapes. Had a nice salad for dinner.

 

Veggies!

Yee Haw!! Stampede Food

I usually avoid most Calgary Stampede activities.  But it is their centennial… and of course there’s the food.  So I made a trip down to the grounds to sample some of the delights. As an avid foodie, I have to try everything, right?

The winner was definitely Naaco Bites from the Naaco Truck. It was voted best new midway food of the Stampede. Naaco also uses locally produced, organic and/or sustainable foods.

The Naaco Truck on Urbanspoon

Red bean paste buns

Everytime I make this, it usually gets better.  It was a hot, slightly humid day when I made these yesterday. Let it proof on the counter rather than in the oven. Resulted in dough that raised nicely with a nice round shape for the buns.  I had some almond milk on hand so I substituted it for the milk. Voila, lactose free.

IMGP0008_rz

IMGP0014_rz
Making bao is time and labor intensive so I usually double the batch.  I have a three quarter sized sheet pan and it works wonders.  Using two half sheets means that I have to open the oven and rotate halfway through baking.

Makes 20 buns

Ingredients for buns:

Single batch (makes 10 buns)

  • 11 ml dry yeast (1 pack)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup milk or almond milk for dairy free
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 2 cups bread flour (can use all purpose instead)
Double batch

  • 22 ml dry yeast (2 packs)
  • ¼ C sugar
  • 20 ml vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup milk or almond milk for dairy free
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 4 cups bread flour (can use all purpose instead)

Ingredients for brushing buns:

  • 2 egg yolks, whisked for double, halve for single
  • Syrup (1 teaspoon sugar + 2 teaspoons water)

Method for making buns:

  1. Put sugar in hot water, let sugar melt completely.  Add milk and oil, mix well. Allow cool to 104F (40C), add yeast and stir well. Cover with a cotton towel for 10 minutes and let it rest. The mixture should look foamy.
  2. Add sifted flour into the mixture, mix well.  I usually use a mixer for a few minutes on low until the dough comes together.
  3. Knead dough until not sticky. Divide dough into two balls.  Can leave that way in a large bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Or form into two logs and put into a large French white casserole with lid. Leave in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. Can also set oven to bread proof setting or 100F. The dough will be more than double in size.
  4. Cut dough into 10 parts in equal size and stuff with filling of choice. I like using red bean paste but char sui is also tasty.
  5. Brush with egg yolk. Let it have a second rising for 20-30 minutes if possible.
  6. Bake for 16 minutes at 360F. Baking time will vary with oven but you know when it’s done when the tops turn color. Brush with syrup (sugar in water).

Bao recipe adapted from: http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2008/09/incredible-baked-cha-shao-bao-chinese.html#ixzz1HkjcVP6J

Tips on handling the dough

  1. Cut pieces of dough from the roll, four at a time and form into balls. Let sit on the counter for a few minutes.
  2. Using one of the balls, start flattening along the edge with your fingers.  Go around the edge in a circle, finishing in the middle. The finished product should look like a bowl.
  3. Fill with the filling.
  4. Start pinching the edges together in a circle until the edges are closed.  When finished it should look like a wonton or those appetizers that look like purses.
  5. Twist the top to seal and push into the bun. This will become the bottom of the bun.  When left to rise for at half hour or so, it will fill out and close the gaps.

Fillings

Char Sui Bao

BBQ pork bun.  Pretty easy to find a recipe on the web.  I tend not to make these as often is it is a lot of work to make the char sui and then cool, cut and stir fry.  But boy is it tasty.

Dau Sa Bao

I usually use the store bought red bean paste but I sometimes make my own using the following recipe.

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dessertsfruit/r/redbeanpaste.htm

Lean Yoong Bao

Lotus seed paste bun.  I buy it from T&T but I find it’s a bit sweet.  If I could find the ingredients I would make it from scratch.

Kai Mei Bao

Cocktail buns. This uses a mixture of shredded coconut (I prefer unsweetened) and melted butter.  I don’t have the proportions but make sure that it has a paste like consistency.

Ga Lei Bao

Curry beef bun. I used a recipe adapted from the following:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,161,153191-250203,00.html

Make sure that the filling is dry and not wet. Otherwise it will leak while baking.

I’ll add some pictures the next time I bake.

Kashmiri Curry

I made a Kashmiri curry over the weekend. Still tasting wonderful a few days later. Traditionally it is made with lamb. I didn’t have any lamb stew so I substituted cubes of beef blade roast. The long, slow cooking makes it wonderfully tender. Also, because I had some leftover sour cream and whipping cream, I substituted those for the yogurt. Recipe is adapted from Simply More Indian by Tahera Rawji. I will post on request or if I have the time.

Gaucho Brazilian BBQ

Went for dinner with a party of 25 on Saturday. Drinks came pretty quickly, but the meat was slow to come around at the start. Having been to their competition, Bolero’s, Gaucho definitely wins in the flavor department. The choices for the salad bar complimented the meal nicely. There was a nice variety of meat, it would be nice if they offered grilled pineapple.  They even let use bring in a large cake for our celebration. Will return next time I’m in the mood for a meat fest.

Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue on Urbanspoon

Gluten free muffins and ice cream

I made a second attempt at gluten free muffins.  Not as successful as the first attempt.Very dense and heavy.  Still trying to find the ideal baking time.  Baked for 33 minutes but could have probably used more time. Also omitted the xanthan gum as I have a friend who can’t eat it.  I’ll add it again next time and see if it affects the texture. Also used quinoa flour which gives it a nutty taste. Will see if I can find a substitute for that too.

I stopped by My Favorite Ice Cream Shoppe yesterday. Been meaning to try this one for a while. I thought that paying $3.25 for a fairly large single scoop was a good deal.  The ice cream was pretty good, I think the flavor was mud slide. Tasted like mocha with vanilla. Perfect treat after swimming. They have 72 flavors, I think I will be back for more.

My Favorite Ice Cream Shoppe on Urbanspoon