Recipe #23 British Columbia Dungenous Crab Cakes!

Ingredients:
2 lbs steam cooked crab
1 egg
2 tbsp mayonnaise (low fat)
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Paprika to taste
2 slices of fresh soft bread, grated into soft, bulky crumbs
A small amount of dried panko breadcrumbs

In a large bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, Worchestershire sauce, celery salt, Old Bay and paprika. Whisk it until smooth.

Add the crabmeat to the egg mixture in the bowl and lightly fold the meat into the liquid until all the crabmeat is coated.

Next, add the soft fluffy breadcrumbs. Lightly fold the crabmeat and breadcrumbs together until the crumbs are incorporated into the mixture. The mixture will look rather dry but thats okay - you only want a small amount of binder to hold the crab cakes together. Remember, crabmeat should be the main ingredient in a crabcake, not breadcrumbs. Make into rounds and cover with remaining breadcrumbs.

In a heavy skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter or Becel until foamy. Gently add the crab cakes to the hot skillet. Fry over medium heat three or four minutes, until browned, then turn over and brown the other side.



Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Capers and Dill

(makes about 1 cup)

2 large red bell peppers, roasted and peeled
1 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tbsp drained capers
1 tbsp sour cream (I used reduced fat)
2 tbsp mayonnaise (I used light 1/2 fat)
Salt and pepper to taste

Puree the peppers, dill, parsley and capers in a processor or blender, maintaining a little texture. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Taste for seasoning. Let stand until needed, about 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Recipe #22 Old Fashioned Baked Beans

2 cups Thompson's White Pea Beans
5 cups cold water
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/4 cup Molasses
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
Pinch black pepper
1/4 lb salt pork or bacon,sliced

Sort and rinse the beans then soak them in cold water overnight. Drain and add 5 cups of fresh cold water, cover, heat to boiling, then simmer 30 minutes or under nearly tender. Drain the beans reserving the liquid. Place onion slices on bottom of a 6 cup casserole (we use a cast iron pot with a lid). Add remaining 7 ingredients to the beans, stirring gently to combine, then pour the beans into the casserole. Add the reserved liquid and enough water to cover the beans, then place sliced lean salt pork or bacon on top. Cover with the lid and bake at 250 degrees F for 7 hours. About four hours into the cooking time and every hour after that, check the beans to make sure they have enough liquid - add more if needed. About 1 hour before the end of the cooking time, remove 1 cup of beans, mash, then stir back into pot carefully. Uncover the casserole to allow the beans to darken and add salt to taste.

We used to make this recipe in our cast iron dutch oven cooked in a wood cookstove. We were very fortunate to have a wood cookstove at our cottage on Lake Duborne. Although, we sold the cottage in 2000, it has left us with many memories of cooking wonderful meals this way.

Childhood memories

Memories can be triggered by pictures, smells and conversation. A few weeks ago, I shared some memories of maple syrup and when I first tasted the sweetness in my early childhood at my grandparents home (pictured above). I also remember eating bannock, blueberry pie and baked beans in this house. A huge wood cook stove was used to heat the house but more important it was used for cooking. Cooking on a wood cook stove can be challenging but the the food tastes incredible! It takes skill to gauge the temperature on a wood cookstove and both my grandparents were masters. I can still smell the aroma of fresh bannock from the oven that my grandfather baked. He would then get maple syrup from the root cellar and made us feel very special. My grandmother would bake pies for special guests, with local wild blueberries - we all loved this special treat!
Cooking in this time period was not done for fun, it was a necessary daily chore. But it left me with many, wonderful memories of my grandparents beautiful home on the Dokis Bay Reserve. Whenever I look at pictures of the old homestead or catch the sweet smell of food being cooked in a wood cook stove or look at my grandparents (Pauline and John C. Restoule) wedding pictures, it triggers fond memories of my early years.

Recipe #21 BBQ Pork Loin

Ordering the meat:
For double loins of pork, ask the butcher for centre cut loins of pork tied together.

Preparing the Herb Marinate:

Per pound of pork
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground thyme or sage
1/8 tsp ground bay leaf
Pinch of allspice
Optional: 1/2 clove of mashed garlic

Mix all ingredients together and rub them into the surface of the pork. Place in a a covered dish. Turn the meat 2 or 3 times. Marinate for about 6 hours

Brush off excess spices with a paper towel. Add olive oil. Slide the pork onto a spit rotissarie and BBQ on medium high heat. The meat is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Alternatively, roast in an oven at 325 degrees F, basting with juices occaisionally.

Remove the trussing strings, slice and transfer to a serving platter.

This recipe is taken from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", pages 376 and 380.

Special Celebrations!

In 2006, our family celebrated with my mother on the occasion of her 80th birthday. The party will be remembered by many for years to come - the music, the friends, the relatives and of course, the food. In the picture from left to right: Gloria, Abigail (my niece), Helena (my sister), Al Jr (my nephew), Bertha (my Mom) and Matthew (my nephew). When it was all over, we could only say or sing to each other "Wasn't that a party?"

The buffet dinner was highlighted by two barbequed, herb marinated roast pork tenderloins. The special combination of spices in this marinate makes the roast pork succulent and once you have tasted it, you will be back for more.

Double pork tenderloins are best served to large groups and make a great addition to buffet spreads - keep this in mind for your next backyard wedding, family re-union or holiday get-together with family and friends.

Recipe #20 Maple Pecan Pie

1 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup melted butter or becel
3 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup pecan halves

Combine all ingredients except pecans in a bowl. Beat with a rotary beater until smooth.
Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with pecan halves.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes. Enjoy!

Maple Syrup is truly Canadian!

Maple syrup is a staple in most Canadian kitchens. My first memory of tasting maple syrup was at the home of my grandparents in Dokis Bay. Making maple syrup in the springtime provided a winter supply of syrup for baking, candymaking as well as an alternative to sugar. This was very important in the early days of Canadian homelife. Today, we continue to enjoy maple syrup on our pancakes and waffles. Maple syrup also adds a special touch to many other recipes like the one I am featuring today - Maple Pecan Pie!

If you would like to learn more about history of Maple Syrup, please visit the following website:

http://www.ontariomaplesyrup.com/time_line.html