Apple Date-Nut Bars

I know, this is a random one.  I got my Good Food Box a few weeks back and in it was a box of fresh dates.  I know, fresh dates.  I had NO CLUE what to do with them.  So I logged onto Epicurious and searched for dates.  The most appealing recipe (aside from date bread which I’m making soon) was for date bars.  Now, I don’t think I’ve ever had a date bar before.  Not for any good reason but I’m just not sure when I’d choose a date bar over something else…. like chocolate.

I settled on the date squares thinking they would be similar to a cross between an apple crisp and a fig newton… and they totally were!  Sure there are somethings that I didn’t LOVE about the recipe like the “crust”.  It tasted great but it was so crumbly.  I’m surprised that I even got a half decent picture of them.

Next time I think I would do something different with the crust.  I’m not sure what, but it would be something.  I’d also increase the filling to crust ratio.  I could have used way more filling for sure!

Enjoy!

Apple Date-Nut Bars
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups pitted dates, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into bits and softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

In a heavy saucepan combine the apples, the granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and the water and simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Add the dates, simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring it and mashing the dates, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the dates are soft and the mixture is almost smooth, and let the purée cool. In a bowl combine the butter, the brown sugar, the salt, the flour, the pecans, and the cinnamon and blend the mixture well. Press half the flour mixture evenly into a buttered 13- by 9-inch baking pan, spread the purée over it, and crumble the remaining flour mixture over the purée, pressing it lightly to form an even layer. Bake the mixture in the middle of a preheated 375°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until it is golden, let it cool completely in the pan on a rack, and cut it into 36 bars.

Gourmet
September 1992

On The Town: Poutini’s House of Poutine

Poutini
1112 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
(no phone # available)

* Photo borrowed from Blog TO

I totally love Poutine. As I mentioned in my review of Smoke’s Poutinerie I didn’t grow up eating poutine because of my dislike for gravy but now that I’ve overcome that I say bring on the poutine.

When I heard that a new poutine spot was opening up in the city I knew I had to go.

THE FOOD

Fries: Can I get a yum yum? I thought these fries were pretty darn good. They had a very fresh cut taste to them AND they are fried to order which is a bonus (it does take a bit of time though). The fries weren’t overly crispy or overly soggy AND they weren’t too salty. If you are a fan of salt you may find them a tad under seasoned. But if you’re like me and don’t love salt they are perfection.

Gravy: Now, I’m not gravy connoisseur but I kind of think the gravy was perfection. The right amount of meatiness, the right consistency, the right spicing. Plus the gravy distribution was perfect. There was even a mini pool of the stuff at the bottom. And unlike the weird gravy at Smoke’s there was no bizarre herb-y flavour. SCORE! I would totally eat this gravy at Thanksgiving (if I were the type to ladle gravy on things like that).

Cheese: Ok, people get all bent out of shape about squeaky curds. I’ve never been quite sure about what they mean by “squeak”. Does it have to do the resistance when you bite in or do the curds actually squeak? Either way these were some good cheese curds. They use a fair amount of curds and the way they put the fries in the bowl (kind of vertically versus horizontally) means that it is easy enough to have some curds with most of your fries.

The menu is short but sweet.  Fries, poutine and baked potatoes.  There aren’t any fancy poutines, the biggest choice is between regular or vegetarian gravy.  They definitely avoid the gimmicks associated with Smoke’s.  My one concern is how long  they can stay in business (in that area) with such a limited menu.  That remains to be seen.

THE PLACE

The space is great.  Lots of exposed brick and muted colours. Seating is limited to three stools in the window but there are other high tables that you can eat over.  Although they should really just go out and buy 12 more chairs to increase the seating situation. Just a thought.  Luckily when we got there there were 3 guys sitting and eating their poutine.  They then sat lingering over the empty bowls.  A few minutes (and a couple of death stares later) they got up and we got seats.  SCORE.

Oh, and I must give props to the folks at Poutini for being virtually waste free.  The containers and cutlery are all biodegradable.  A nice touch.

OVERALL

A solid poutine spot.  Good portion size and totally worth the price ($7).  I would totally visit again when I’m in the ‘hood. One thing to note, they don’t have air conditionner.  It was about 28C outside when I was there and I was literally sweating while eating poutine.  And I know it wasn’t my usual meat sweats because I wasn’t eating meat.  Just be prepared to melt.  It was worth it though.

Here’s what others have to say about Poutini:
Blog TO
Chowhound

Barefoot Bloggers: Gazpacho

Hello all, a few things to explain off the top.

1. Sorry the colour in the photo is kind of off.  Ive been inspired to work on my photo setup but my first foray didn’t work out.  Better things to come down the road, promise.

2. I got a Blackberry and have been MIA from the interwebs as I’ve been struggling to get it setup.  A $55 phone call to RIM later I’m all ready to go!

This one is another Barefoot Bloggers pick this time courtesy of Meryl at My Bit of Earth. What a perfect summertime pick! Fresh produce and no stoves or ovens to heat up.  Sold.  Plus I enjoy gazpacho.  I’m not sure when or where I first had gazpacho but I kind of love it.

This was definitely an under 15 minute meal.  The fruits/veggies just have to be roughly chopped by hand and then coarsely chopped individually in the food processor.  Everything gets thrown into a bowl a with some liquid and you’re done. As Ina would say, “how simple is that?”

I followed the recipe exactly except that I topped the finished product with avocado.  Why not?

Delicious, easy and wonderful.  I served this with some garlic bread for a lightt dinner.

Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

(Recipe via Foodnetwork.com)

Pulled Pork

I love pretty much anything barbecue.  I’m not sure where I got that gene being Canadian and all but I just roll with it.  In Toronto there aren’t that many great bbq restaurants (although there are a few that I still have to try) and I don’t have a bbq to make my own so I usually just get my fill when I visit the U.S.  That’s why I got excited when I saw a recipe for oven roasted pulled pork come through my inbox to test!

I can’t get into too many details until the recipe is published but I can say that it was totally easy to make.  I’m a sucker for tackling a big cut of meat.  The recipe called for pork butt but I couldn’t find it anywhere so I bought a 4lb shoulder… for two people.  I’m a champ like that, I can handle it.

The most unique ingredient in the recipe list was liquid smoke. I’d heard of liquid smoke before but never had a reason to use it. All I have to say is use sparingly and wash surfaces carefully!  I could NOT get the smell of smoke off of me or out of the kitchen.  WHO KNEW.  And liquid smoke is not some crazy chemical either.  The ingredients are… liquid smoke.  True story.  The liquid smoke added a nice hint of smokiness to the meet.  I was totally impressed.  As someone without the means to make things “smoky” I think this is a decent alternative.

The finished product was delish.  The pork was fully cooked but still moist.  The accompanying sauce wasn’t amazing but it worked.  I was going to make a pulled pork platter but ended up with slider buns from SIlverstein’s bakery and the direction changed.  I served these with some coleslaw courtesy of Paula Deen and had a great dinner.  Actually I had two dinners and still have some leftovers in the fridge.

On the Town: Yummy Stuff and the Bacon Cupcake

Yummy Stuff Bakery
1660 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M6R 1B2
416-531-9732

(Photo borrowed from Toronto Life)

The other day I was out and about looking for a dress to wear to Wine, Dine and SHOP in a Dress and decided to visit Stella Luna. I was unsuccessful and wanted a sweet treat when I spied Yummy Stuff. I remembered passing this cute little shop the last time I was in the area (Queen  & Roncesvalles) and thinking that I should check it out.

I walked in and immediately saw a lot of cupcakes.  As someone who lived in NYC as the cupcake trend was taking a hold of the city (and then the country and then the world…) I kind of shudder at the thought of another cupcake shop.  Let me revise that, at the thought of another mediocre cupcake shop that either only does cupcakes or does everything else poorly.  Anyhoo… the non-jaded part of me was excited by the displays in front of me.  I did a quick scan and saw a sign for Red Velvet cupcakes… my weakness.  Sadly, there weren’t any cupcakes behind the sign.  However, just to the left I spotted…. wait for it…

wait for it…

BACON CUPCAKES!

Then it clicked.  I had remembered reading about these gems on Amanda Laird’s blog but didn’t put two and two together until that bacon-y chocolaty creation was staring me in the face.  Of course I ordered one.

The cupcake consists of a chocolate oatmeal base that’s not too sweet but intensely chocolaty and not particularly oat-y.  It was also moist which was a bonus.  I particularly enjoyed the layer of chocolate chips at the bottom of the cupcake.  What made this a bacon cupcake was the maple bacon frosting.  How perfect does that sound?  I love maple bacon.  I love buttercream ice cream.  I love crispy strips of bacon (on top of the cupcake!) so it was heaven.

I ate the cupcake inhumanely fast.  It was kind of embarassing really.  I’m glad that I don’t live in Parkdale otherwise I would be eating these puppies all.the.time.  At $3.11 a pop (including tax) it would be a pricey habit but totally worth the investment.

Oh, they had lots of other baked goods as well that I didn’t try.  I imagine they have the potential to be delicious as well.

Spanakopita

Every once in a while I get the urge to make a labour intensive meal.  This was one of those times.

I was flipping through one of my fave cookbooks Back to Basics by Barefoot Contessa aka Ina Garten when I came across this recipe for Spanakopita.  I’m a fan of all things spinach and have always had a weak spot for some feta and phyllo dough so I decided to give it a try knowing full well that this would take some time.  It basically involved making 12 bundles of cheesy/spinachy goodness.

It wasn’t hard to execute, just a bit time consuming.  The step that really got on my nerves involved brushing butter on the phyllo dough, sprinkling it with breadcrumbs, topping it with another sheet of dough and repeating.  I totally kept on screwing this up by butter and sprinkling the layer that didn’t need buttering OR sprinkling.  Life went on though.

Actually what really drove me crazy was my phyllo drying out.  Now I know all of the rules about keeping the phyllo covered with a dish towel etc. to prevent drying but I didn’t have a clean dish towel I used moistened paper towel hoping that would help but it wasn’t enough.

The results were delish.  The best part is that I made the full recipe and now have another 6 or 7 of these babies in my freezer waiting to be nuked and toaster ovened to perfection.

Despite my complaining I would totally make these again.

Here’s what others had to say…

Daily Deliciousness
David Lebovitz
Dana Treat

Dinner Spanakopita

• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Plain dry bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups small-diced feta cheese (12 oz.)
• 3 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
• 24 sheets frozen filo dough, defrosted
• Flaked sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook for another 2 minutes until the scallions are wilted but still green. Meanwhile, gently squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a large bowl.

When the onion and scallions are done, add them to the spinach. Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, 3 tbsp. bread crumbs, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in the feta and pine nuts.

Place on sheet of filo dough flat on a work surface with the long end in front of you. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil and sprinkle it with a teaspoon of bread crumbs. Working quickly, slide another sheet of filo dough on top of the first, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. (Use just enough bread crumbs so the layers of filo don’t stick together.) Pile 4 layers on top of each other this way brushing each with olive oil and sprinkling each with bread crumbs.

Cut the sheets of filo in thirds lengthwise. Place 1/3 cup spinach filling on the shorter end and roll the filo up diagonally as if folding a flag. They fold the triangle of filo over straight and then diagonally again. Continue folding first diagonally and then straight until you reach the end of the sheet. The filling should be totally enclosed. Place each finished strudel, seam side down, on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil.

Continue assembling filo layers and folding the filling until all of the filling or all of the sheets have been used. Sprinkle sea salt over the finished strudels and bake for 30-35 minutes until the filo is browned and crisp. Serve hot

(From Back to Basics by Barefoot Contessa)

Things I Want: Bullet Express

(image from bulletexpress.com)

I’m a sucker for infomercials sometimes.  Growing up I was obsessed with Ron Popeil and all of his kitchen inventions.  I’ve never ordered anything but will watch the same infomercial over and over again for years.

The other day I stumbled upon this infomercial for the Bullet Express by the same people that make the Magic Bullet.  I was riveted!  Riveted I tell you.

They call it the “8 Minute Meal Machine” because you can make an entire family dinner in 8 minutes.  Not including cooking of course but it accounts for all of the prep.  In the infomercial they really throw down.  They make toppings for nachos, a turkey meatloaf, pizza toppings even a cheesecake, crust and all!

It’s like a food processor and blender etc all in one.  ANNNNND it has a spout so you can chop directly into a bowl.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

With the special introductory offer you get an attachment to make this thing a juicer.  I kid you not.  They were juicing watermelons with the rind on.  The Bullet Express is NO JOKE.

Okay, I know it sounds like I’m shilling for these folks, but I’m not.  I just saw the infomercial and I’m obsessed.  This is the first time that I’ve wanted to pick up the phone and order something.  I kind of believe in this product because I have a bunch of friends who have the Magic Bullet and LOVE it.

Have you tried the Bullet Express?  Would love to hear feedback.

For now I will just dream about it…

ACR Hot Roti and Doubles

ACR Hot Rotis and Doubles
2680 Lawrence Avenue East
Toronto, ON
(416) 755-7806

(generic photo of doubles borrowed from Always Hungry)

Growing up I always wished I was half Trinidadian. Sure, being Jamaican is great (we’re the best Caribbean island, obviously) — we have great food, great music, are attractive etc. but Trinidadians have a lot going for them as well. I mean, rotis, doubles, Carnival… not to shabby Trinidad. I figured being half Jamaican and half Trinidadian would make me some sort of Caribbean superpower… but I digress.

I grew up eating rotis whether they were chicken, potato, channa… doesn’t matter. I don’t remember ever NOT eating rotis. Recently I was introduced to doubles. And by introduced I mean I got tired of HEARING about them all the time and decided to finally try one. My usual source for doubles is Island Foods and they have a very good product. I’ve tried the doubles from Patty King (the WORST, pre-made and just sitting there) and Caribbean Bistro which is good but expensive (I think they are $2.50 EACH!).

I heard about ACR through Chowhound and have been meaning to go there for months. It’s accessible by TTC but it’s a trek (Lawrence and Midland) but with the help of my Zipcar it’s an easy trip! This is strictly a takeout spot! The people that work there all seem really sweet in a no nonsense kind of way. The menu consists of a variety of roti (standard offerings), Trinidadian specialties such as Saheena, Phoulorie and other fried goodies and of course DOUBLES.

I ordered two doubles with pepper. At $1.25 each it would be a cheap meal for sure. It took a few minutes for my order to ready and a few seconds for me to consume my first double. MAN OH MAN was it delicious. The Barra (bread) was so fresh, light and hot. The channa filling was perfect spiced and not too runny. And the pepper! The pepper sauce was hot but it had a great depth of flavour. I think they sell it at the shop… I may have to pick some up next time I go.

Will I be back? Most definitely. However, to make this an economical habit I will have to figure out how to get there by TTC. Oops… I just checked it out. Turns out there’s a bus from the subway station by my house that stops RIGHT in front of the place. Dangerous.

Here’s what others have to say about ACR…
Eye Weekly
Chowhound

Barefoot Bloggers: Curried Couscous

Another Thursday, another Barefoot Bloggers post. This one comes courtesy of Ellyn at Recipe Collector and Taster.

I have to say that this recipe was beyond easy.  Like make it in 15 minutes easy. As in barely requires any cooking easy.  My food plans totally went awry last night. I had planned on making dinner before my meeting but then ended up working late (womp womp) so I had to rush downtown.  By the time I got home it was after 10:30PM but I really wanted to make my couscous!

The ingredient list looks a bit long but there wasn’t that much prep involved.  I started off by chopping everything then I made the couscous and while that was happening I made the sauce.  Seriously one of the easiest Ina recipes yet.

The flavours and textures in this recipe are really fantastic.  There is a nice bit of crunch as well as a good balance of sweet and spicy.  Leftovers will be consumed tonight with some broiled salmon.  This is a great simple yet impactful side dish to spice up a weeknight meal.

Ina delivers again!

Curried Couscous
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 Tbl unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated (or small diced) carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small diced red onion

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions; mix well and taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature. Serves 6.
(From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

Lou Dawg’s Southern Sandwiches

Lou Dawg’s Southern Sandwiches
589 King Street West
Toronto, ON M5V 1M5
416-347-3294

(Image from Foodea.com)

After living in NYC for 6 years I got accustomed to having a fairly regular fix of BBQ. Now I know that BBQ purists will get on my case and say that NYC is not a BBQ hub, but for someone from Toronto where decent BBQ is barely available I’ll have my fix at Dinosaur BBQ thank you very much.

When I heard that Lou Dawg’s opened up on King Street I was ecstatic. I’m always game for a way to fulfill my need for a Pulled Boy sandwich so it was onwards and upwards! On the weekends the place is open until 4am to satiate the post lounge/club crowd. I ended up going there after part I of a birthday party and the place was swinging at 11PM. There was a band BLASTING their music. It’s a small space, the volume was not needed. But I forged ahead in the name of BBQ.

The space isn’t huge but is pretty comfortable. I would like to visit during the day because at night they dimmed the lights and because this place is below street level I kind of felt like I was in a cave ::shudder:: It was clean though so no complaints. There isn’t table service which I like (it reminds me of being in Minneapolis), you order at the counter, pay your money and then they bring the food to your table. Works for me.

The menu is pretty simple, about 5 sandwiches, a salad, some wings and a bunch of sides. I opted for the Pulled Pork although I’d heard that the Brisket was pretty decent. One odd thing on the menu was the option to make any sandwich a Po’ Boy for $1. Now my experience with Po’ Boys have strictly been with shrimp and seafood — typically deep fried, so I wasn’t sure what to make of the Po’ Boy option. This has bothered others like my friends at Karmacake and I’m still looking into what a Po’ Boy officially is, but I suspect there is something fishy (or not as the case may be) happening at Lou Dawg’s.

Back to the food… My sandwich was HUGE. I could have easily split it with someone and been totally content. But I didn’t and ended up taking about 1/3 of the sandwich home with me for breakfast. The price was right at $6. The sandwich was decent. Not mind-blowingly amazing but good enough. The bun was fresh and the meat was really packed in there — they do not skimp, which is refreshing. The meat was not overly sauced but did have a more noticeable sauce than I’m used to (I had to think long and hard to remember the sauces my previous sandwiches had been in). I also found the meat a tad dry, but not enough to cause a controversy.

To accompany my sandwich I had a Sleeman’s Honey Brown (beer) and the sweet potato fries. I’m pretty sure my friend ordered the small but it was definitely NOT small… especially if you’re eating one of the giant sandwiches. These were some of the best sweet potato fries ever. I loved the spice that they coated them in. Definitely delicious! I did think that the sides overall were priced a bit high and there didn’t seem to be a combo option. I’m a 2-side kind of girl and have issues with paying $6 for two sides. I’d like to see some sort of combo plate.

The others in my party had the pulled pork (one had pulled chicken, I wondered, what’s the point?) and were pleased.

Would I return? Sure, but I’m in no rush. A few other BBQ places have opened up in Toronto over the past months that I’d like to check out before returning. If I were in the area and hungry I’d consider stopping in.

Here’s what others have to say about Lou Dawg’s…
Taste T.O.
Blog T.O.
Chowhound