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Archives for December 2011

My Inspiration of the Day : The Savoy Cabbage

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of UrbnSpice Series

How could I resist it?  It was just sitting there in all its beauty, beckoning me to create a culinary masterpiece.  I felt that my favourite green grocer had created this display to entice just me – it worked!  It was a magnet.  Would you be able to pass this gorgeous vegetable by without admiring its beauty?  I could not.  My prize was a Savoy Cabbage.

Market Inspiration: Savoy Cabbage | urbnspice.com

Market Inspiration: Savoy Cabbage 

I watched that morning how passersby did not even give this gorgeous display a second look.  Perhaps they did not know what to do with it;  perhaps they were far too busy to consider its use; and perhaps, they were stuck in a cooking rut that would not allow them to consider this prize.

My mind was spinning with possibilities – how would I use it to its best advantage? How could I show off its bounty? Who could I share it with?

The grand total of this beauty was $1!  How could something so beautiful be so reasonably priced? I had to have it.  I brought it home with great care and proudly admired it on my kitchen counter for the remainder of the afternoon.

For those of you that have never tried this variety of cabbage, you are missing out on a very mild flavoured vegetable that is as versatile as it is delicious.  Its uses are many, from salads, soups, side dishes such as shredded savoy cabbage with leeks and pine nuts, or sautéed with butter, salt and pepper. This beautiful cabbage was destined to be included in my gluten-free repertoire – a stuffed cabbage, but not just any stuffed cabbage.

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Filed Under: Dairy Free Recipes, Dietary Restrictions, Egg Free Recipes, Experiments, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, Meat Dishes, Nut Free Recipes Tagged With: Cabbage, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, inspiration of the day, Main Dishes

On Cutting Vegetables

By Denise Pare-Watson

On Cutting Vegetables

“Vegetables sure are hard to cut – they are so problematic!  So unwieldy, so roly-poly, so wobbly!”

“This class is going to be so great!”

(Snippets of conversation overheard during an Urb’n’Spice  Knife Skills & Cookery Class)

Butternut Squash - cutting skills | urbnspice.com

Cutting Skills – Butternut Squash
Cutting Skills - Rutabaga | urbnspice.com

*****

“I hope this book will inspire the kitchen con-artist in you,

increase fruit and veggie consumption in your family,

and motivate you to become an Accidental Cook. Pass it on!”

― Merrin McGregor, Vegetables Accidentally

*****

“I don’t think I’ll ever grow old and say,

“What was I thinking eating all those fruits and vegetables?”

― Nancy S. Mure, Eat! Empower.

*****

Further Reading of Interest from Urb’n’Spice:

The Confident Kitchen Series – How to tackle a butternut squash

Rooting for Rutabaga – An Understated Vegetable

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Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
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Filed Under: Foodie Quotes, The Confident Kitchen Series Tagged With: Cutting Skills, Food Quotes, Sides, The Confident Kitchen Series, Vegetables

Urbnspice – A Taste of Heart and Home

By Denise Pare-Watson

As a Red Seal Chef and Pastry Chef with a passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession, “Urbnspice” was designed to share with a wider audience some useful & easy-to-follow information, help and support surrounding everyday questions, concerns and issues dealing with everything food related.

As a female working in a professional kitchen, a few things became apparent very quickly.  Firstly, one needs a sense of humour!  Secondly, one’s vocabulary expands – and not in a good way.  At one point, my husband commented how “colourful” my language had become since I started working in food services!  On “Urbnspice”, I will concentrate on the sense of humour portion of my kitchen experience along with some practical day-to-day tips on how to make your life a bit simpler in the kitchen.  We will discuss tips on such subjects as recipes, diets, what’s hot, what’s not, what is working well and what may not be working at all.

Fall Themed Wedding Cake | urbnspice.com

Urb’n’Spice Autumn Theme Wedding Cake

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Filed Under: About, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, UrbnSpice Confitures Tagged With: All About Urbnspice, inspiration of the day, Urbnspice

GLUTEN FOR PUNISHMENT, TOO

By Denise Pare-Watson

This post is a sequel to Gluten for Punishment, which is why I called it Gluten for Punishment, Too.  What do you do when you have the challenge of multiple dietary restrictions to consider?

I have been experimenting at home and in my workplace featuring gluten-free, grain-free, and sometimes dairy-free recipes. This week, the recipe testing happened to include all three restrictions!

This would make most chefs shake their heads, shiver in their toques, or briskly march their chef-clogs out of the kitchen. Not this chef, since I have a virtuous reason why I am persisting in this culinary undertaking. I need to provide my daughter with ideas regarding a very special 1st birthday cake. Why, you ask? The one-year-old has an Auntie who has a gluten-free, grain-free restriction and follows a Paleo Diet. As well, our tiny guest of honour is lactose intolerant.

Gluten Free Cake with Dairy Free Ganache | urbnspice.com
Gluten Free Cake with Dairy Free Ganache

If this happened to you, what would you do? You may not necessarily be facing the restrictions listed above; however, most gatherings have guests with some type of restriction that you have to consider when planning your menu. This does not necessarily mean that you have to serve sorbet for dessert, although it certainly provides an alternative.

My suggestion is to list the restrictions of your guests and make sure you review the ingredients that you will be using in your recipes carefully and methodically. Eliminate or modify any recipe that will be problematic for allergies, sensitivities or intolerances (these reactions are all different).

In many cases, you can exclude or substitute an ingredient in certain recipes and they will not affect the end result. For example, the addition of heavy cream or butter to your pan when making a sauce for chicken breasts or other meats can be omitted for your dairy sensitive guests without adversely affecting the sauce. In this situation, you can use the reduction method by simmering the liquid in the pan until it thickens.

Taking the concept of substitution into consideration, my challenge was to develop a birthday cake or dessert recipe that is gluten-free; grain-free and dairy free.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cakes with Dairy Free Ganache variations | urbnspice.com
Gluten Free Chocolate Cakes with Dairy Free Ganache variations

The birthday cake recipe that I developed is a flourless chocolate cake, using a nut meal (if tolerable), coconut flour or sunflower seed flour as a flour substitute. Typically, I would cover this type of rustic cake with a ganache made of heavy cream and chocolate. Since dairy ingredients are an issue, I made a ganache from fruit puree – in this case, raspberry puree. Raspberry puree is easily made by pressing fresh or thawed berries through a sieve to remove seeds and sweetened to taste. You can find out How to Make Raspberry Coulis post here.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cakes with Dairy Free Ganache variations | urbnspice.com
Gluten Free Chocolate Cakes with Dairy Free Ganache variations

Another dessert option for this type of dietary restriction (if a cake is not required), is a sabayon (the French culinary term) or zabaglione (Italian culinary term). A sabayon is a sweet sauce produced by a similar technique used in the popular savoury hollandaise sauce (Eggs Benedict). There are only three ingredients in a sabayon: Egg Yolks, Sugar, a speciality wine blend. Marsala is typically used, although an Ice Wine is also brilliant (although very expensive).

Another dietary restriction challenge has been unravelled. There are others to be solved! Stay tuned.

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

  • Gluten-Free Flour Blends
    __________

Urb’n’Spice Books:

Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious – The Cookbook Series from Pastry Chef Denise Paré-Watson of Urb’n’Spice

If you enjoyed reading this post, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.comDenise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

 

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Filed Under: Cakes and Cupcakes, Dairy Free Recipes, Desserts and Sweets, Dietary Restrictions, Experiments, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes Tagged With: Dairy Free, Dietary Restrictions, Gluten Free Desserts, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free

SABAYON

By Denise Pare-Watson

Sabayon is an elegant French dessert that anyone can make.  It is easy to do and it only requires a few ingredients:  egg yolks, fine sugar and typically, a  wine like Sweet Marsala, Madeira, Icewine or Port.  recently, I taught a class at a specialty vinegar and spice store and made Quince Balsamic Vanilla Bean Sabayon with Seasonal Fruit and Berries for the class using one of their exquisite line of balsamic vinegars.

Sabayon | urbnspice.com

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Filed Under: Cooking Techniques, Dairy Free Recipes, Desserts and Sweets, Dietary Restrictions, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes, Nut Free Recipes, Quick and Easy Dishes, Refined Sugar Free Recipes, Sauces, Sweet Tagged With: Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free Desserts, Grain Free Desserts, Nut Free, Sweet Sauce

Chocolate quotes

By Denise Pare-Watson

Chocolate Quotes

Everyone knows that the UrbnSpice Chef loves chocolate –

so, this post is dedicated entirely to just chocolate quotes.

I will revisit this page from time to time and add a few more chocolate quotes.

It is surprising how many quotes pertain to chocolate – one of my favourite subjects.

Let’s have some fun with this!

To start here is one of my own quotes:

 *****

“Never, ever refuse homemade Brownies”

UrbnSpice

Quadruple Chocolate Brownie - Gluten Free | urbnspice.com

 *****

“What is life without chocolate”

 *****

“When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.”

Regina Brett, 90 years old

 *****

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake | urbnspice.com

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake | urbnspice.com

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”

Charles M. Schulz

 *****

“I’ve always got a sweet tooth. I have chocolate hidden in places that nobody knows about.”

Tony McCoy

 *****

“Every meal should end with something sweet.

Maybe it’s jelly on toast at breakfast or a small piece of chocolate at dinner

– but it always helps my brain bring a close to the meal.”

Robert Irvine

 *****

“Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.”

Audrey Hepburn

 *****

“After about 20 years of marriage, I’m finally starting to scratch the surface of what women want.

And I think the answer lies somewhere between conversation and chocolate.”

Mel Gibson

 *****

White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes | urbnspice.com

 *****

Chocolate Intelligence

“Your hand and your mouth agreed

many years ago that,

as far as chocolate is concerned,

there is no need to involve your brain.”

Dave Barry

Dave Barry is a humour columnist. 

He also loves chocolate! 

 *****

Chocolate Quotes: Chocolate Truffles | urbnspice.com

 *****

“Did you hear that Chocoholics Anonymous has been disbanded?

No one wanted to quit!”

Anonymous Chocoholic

*****

Chocolate and First Dates

“Why is Chocolate like a first date?

The quality of the end result has everything to do with the product going in!”

Anonymous Chocoholic

*****

“The bank of friendship cannot exist for long without deposits of chocolate.”

Anonymous

*****

“I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process….

It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?”

— Author Unknown

*****

“We are indeed much more than what we eat,

but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.”

—-Adelle Davis

Author and nutritionist

******

Vince Lombardi said,

“Winning isn’t everything – it is the ONLY thing.”

Chocoholics say,

“Chocolate isn’t everything – it IS the only thing.”

******

******

Chocoholics and Stock Investors

“Why are Chocoholics like Stock Investors?

They keep coming back for more!”

Anonymous Chocoholic

******

******

Other Urb’n’Spice Posts that you might enjoy:

Chocolate Truffles

Rainy Days and Sunshine (And Chocolate Covered Strawberries)

More about UrbnSpice and Chocolate:

Urbnspice Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series

 

Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series | urbnspice.cocm

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License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!, Foodie Quotes Tagged With: Chocolate, Chocolate Quotes, Food Quotes

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Meet Denise – The Urbnspice Chef

Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.
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