Food in the Glebe

Apricots

by Carolyn Best

Along with peaches, cherries and plums, apricots are classified as “stone fruits” or drupes, indicating that they have a hard inner shell containing a single seed, surrounded by a fleshy middle layer with a thin outer skin.

Apricots have long been considered the national fruit of Armenia, a country that once included most of Anatolia (Anatolia, the westernmost protrusion of Asia, today comprises most of modern day Turkey). In earlier times the warriors of Armenia rode into battle wearing apricot-coloured robes, one of the many ways in which the fruit and its beauty have been central to the culture and identity of that land. In a famous 19th century Armenian poem, the beauty of the apricot is compared to that of a young woman playing a zither:

“Have you seen the bright moon rising
In the Heavens? Have you seen
Ruddy Apricots that shimmer
Through the garden’s foliage green?”

From “The Armenian Girl” by Raphael Patkanian (1830–92)

Apricots have a short harvesting season so, unsurprisingly, they have always been dried and kept for later use. They are beloved in the Middle East and Turkey, where they are valued as a delicacy as well as a rich source of nutrients, which is their treasure.

In the presentation of the following cake, the apricots appear to float like beautiful suns rising or setting above a golden, egg-rich landscape.

Carolyn Best is the former proprietor/chef of The Pantry vegetarian tearoom.

Apricot Cake

6 eggs
1 cup melted butter or oil
1/2 lemon
1 tsp almond essence
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
12 apricots if large, 18 if small

Beat together the first four ingredients. In a separate bowl stir the baking powder through the flour and then stir into the eggs, butter, squeezed lemon juice and almond essence. Pour into a greased and floured glass baking dish. Cut the apricots into halves and place them, cut side down, over the surface of the cake. Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes.

Blossoms on the plate

by Marisa Romano

Mark your calendar! The first annual Canadian Flowers Week begins on September 13.

The celebration will be launched in the heart of Toronto with a cutting garden event in the trendy Victorian Gladstone Hotel, the oldest continuously operating hotel in the city and an essential stopover for all art lovers. Organizers have planned numerous “flowery” events with the participation of growers, wholesalers, designers, florists and retailers from all over the country. The aim is to raise awareness of the Canadian floral industry and promote locally grown blooms. The message is clear: approach “slow flowers” as you would approach slow food, local, in season and grown with respect for regional ecosystems. We customers can join the celebration by attending an event during the week or just by adding a fresh bouquet of locally grown flowers to our windowsills, a floral centrepiece to our tables or a blossom to our dinner plates. For more information on Canadian Flowers Week and a list of events: www.canadianflowersweek.ca.

Locally grown flowers can be purchased in the Glebe from Bloomfields Flowers and McKeen Metro. Bloomfields offers flowers that arrive at the store from the family’s organic farm and passersby have admired the unique compositions displayed on the street front since 2004.

McKeen Metro recently added locally grown blossoms to its flower section. The bouquets for sale remind me of summer fields, English gardens and the loveliest front yards here in the Glebe. They are delivered weekly by Danielle Schami, co-owner with Larry and operator of Franktown House Flowers, a micro farm located on the outskirts of Wakefield. You can also admire Franktown House Flowers bouquets at Delilah on Bank Street. The store receives a bunch of blossoms every other week through a bouquet subscription (part of a Community Supported Agriculture subscription).

Schami realized her long-time dream of owning a flower farm when, in 2013, she purchased the piece of land where flower fields thrive today – a special place, indeed. The 19th century farmhouse on the property was originally built in Franktown, the place where Larry’s forefathers settled when they first arrived in Canada from Ireland. In the 1970s, the building was dismantled by the land’s previous owner and moved to its current location in Wakefield. That building was his dream house and he wanted it on his dream property. Along with the building, he also brought to Wakefield the lilacs that were originally growing around it in Franktown, that have given the town the designation of “Lilac Capital of Ontario.” The century-old farmhouse gives the name Franktown House Flowers to Schami’s business and I would say that those lilacs were an omen of what would become of the land.

Among the more than one hundred varieties of flowers grown by Franktown House Flowers are also tasty edibles ready to be used in “drinks, jellies, salads, soups, syrups, salts, dressings and main dishes,” and none of them are the flowers that we usually add to our dinner plate like broccoli florets, cauliflower, artichokes and capers. I asked Schami for an easy recipe, a simple way to introduce the novice to edible blossoms in the kitchen. She suggested starting by using flowers to decorate cupcakes and tortes, or adding them to simple leafy salads to enhance the flavour with extra zing.

“I’m seriously thinking of offering workshops and starter kits so people can grow their own edible flowers in the garden, window box or on their balcony,” replied Schami when I asked her where I can buy her edible blossoms. In the meantime, she is offering edible bouquets at her stand in Wakefield’s Saturday farmers market. The idea is to use the bouquets as a centrepiece and let diners pick and add their favourite savours to their food.

More information on Franktown House Flowers: franktownhouse.ca.

The day following our exchange I received her recipe for carrot and raw beet salad, and a delivery of freshly cut edible blossoms: citrusy gem marigold, spicy calendula, and sweet and floral borage. The result: too sinful to eat so, like Eve, I had to pass the temptation on to friends.

Danielle’s Carrot and Beet Salad

Grate equal amounts of fresh beets and carrots. Sprinkle with a balsamic vinaigrette made with equal amounts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. Mix gently and top with gem marigolds, calendulas and borage flowers.

Marisa Romano is a foodie and scientist with a sense of adventure who appreciates interesting and nutritious foods that bring people together.

Pumpkin Pecan Scones

Picture this. It’s Sunday morning and you wake up to the smell of pumpkin and warm spices drifting through the house. You walk into the kitchen and there’s a fresh batch of golden scones dripping with thick glaze and sprinkled in chopped pecans sitting on a plate. You’re either dreaming or some baking angel got a hold of this killer pecan pumpkin scone recipe and decided to “make” your weekend.

I’ve always enjoyed a good scone but I can tell you (with some bias) that this recipe is out of this world. The light, bread-like base is made with the creamy taste of pumpkin mixed with a lovely blend of spices such as allspice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and sweetened lightly with only half a cup of maple syrup. The simple glaze has only three ingredients and the pecans sprinkled on top add the perfect crunchy texture.

My family loves this recipe. When I make these at home they squabble over the last piece. One batch only takes an hour to make and they are bound to be the star of your weekend brunch table. What are you waiting for? Grab your ingredients and let’s get started.

If you want to see a video of how they’re made, you can visit my YouTube channel “Cooking with Jackie B.” for the video on pumpkin pecan scones.

Jackie Bastianon is a journalism student at Carleton University. She is passionate about the environment and spends much of her spare time cooking, creating and eating delicious plant-based foods.

Pumpkin Pecan Scones
Ingredients:
Scone

1 Tbsp chia seed
3 Tbsp water
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
7 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 cups maple syrup
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (soy or almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Maple Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp non-dairy milk
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 cup whole pecans

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Combine chia seed and water in a small bowl and stir. Place the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow the mixture to set and thicken.
In a large mixing bowl, create your dry mixture by combining flour, baking powder, sea salt and spices. Stir well.
In another mixing bowl, create your wet mixture by combining maple syrup, pumpkin puree, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Stir well.
Add coconut oil to the dry mixture and use a blender to mix until you achieve a nice crumbly texture.
Once the chia seed mixture has thickened, remove it from the fridge and add it to your liquid ingredients and stir until the chia seeds are no longer visible.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and fold the mixture in a few times until the dough begins to come together. Place it on a lightly floured surface.
Using your hands, shape the dough into a long rectangle that’s approximately 1 ¼ inch thick and 4 inches wide. Then make alternate diagonal cuts along the rectangle to cut out 12 scones.
Bake the scones on a well-greased baking sheet 12–15 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.
While they are in the oven, prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, non-dairy milk and maple syrup together in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until the glaze has a thick, smooth consistency. Feel free to adjust the amount of non-dairy milk as necessary.
Once the scones are fully baked through, place them on a counter or cutting board to cool.
To glaze the scones, dip them (top down) one at a time in the glaze and sprinkle right away with chopped pecans to ensure that they stick. Serve warm for breakfast, brunch or dessert and enjoy!