UrbnSpice

"A Taste Of Heart & Home"

Learning Tips Series

LEARNING TIPS

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“Success is no accident.

It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all,

love of what you are doing or learning to do”.

Pele


LEARNING TIPS is a little bonus that I like to incorporate on Urbnspice and into my cookbooks.  I use LEARNING TIPS to elaborate on a technique or share tips with you that helped me throughout my career as a chef and pastry chef as well as my home kitchen.

I use the term LEARNING TIPS in a broader sense to allow for a greater scope to explain some of the finer points of baking and cooking. This can often make the difference between a good result and an exceptional one.

Learning Tips: assortment of pastry equipment | urbnspice.com

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Fun with Pomegranates

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The Confident Kitchen Series

What is the best way to eat and/or use pomegranates?  I have heard many versions and most people talk about struggling to get to the juicy gems (called arils) that are well hidden inside the dry pithy fruit.   I thought it might be a great idea to tell you about one of the easiest (and neater) ways of tackling this unusual fruit.

A beautiful pomegranate

A beautiful pomegranate

Did you know that Pomegranates are considered a Super Food?  They have sources of Vitamins A, D and B-12, and Calcium, Protein, Potassium and fibre, as well as it is a powerful antioxidant. And, they are delicious!

CHEF TALK: The two common methods of extracting the arils from the pomegranate is to score the outside of the pomegranate as shown in the first photo.  Pry the fruit in half.  Using a medium to Large size bowl, hold the pomegranate half (or pieces) over the bowl and use the back of a wooden spoon to tap firmly against the fruit and the arils will fall into the bowl.

The second method, which is a technique that I prefer, is as follows.  If you try this technique, you will have a minimum of pink speckles all over your kitchen (and little faces if your children or grandchildren are helping you).

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A Frilly Frittata – An Italian Omelette

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Do you love eggs?  Do you love them for breakfast, brunch or dinner?  Me, too!  How about a recipe that can be used for all three meals? I think you are going to like this one.  It is a delicious take on a frittata,  which in essence is an Italian omelette. What it really could be described as is an easy way to make an omelette for a crowd.  I have a trick up my sleeve to share with you that makes it easy to do.

I have made this Frittata for Mother’s Day Brunch,  Father’s Day Breakfast, as well as when we have a houseful of guests for the weekend.  You will find that the art of making a frittata is a very good skill to master.

Gorgeous Frittata for breakfast or brunch | urbnspice.com

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The Secrets of Chicken Soup

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There are Secrets of Chicken Soup.  I read a lovely article from Chef Laura Calder about the secrets of making Chicken Soup. Her article confirms everything I stress in my Soup and Stocks Class. The “tweaking’ part of the soup making process is important and essential – and fun!

One of my students told me she was a bit shy to try making her own chicken soup after a failed attempt tasted like the chicken had run through the pot. She is now confirmed and confident soup maker. You will be as well after you read Laura’s Mom’s recipe for chicken soup.

Making soup is one of my life’s greatest pleasures. I make soup when I am happy, or stressed, or when there is a chill in the air, and for no reason at all. My own Mom’s soups were famous in the neighbourhood full of wholesome, hearty ingredients from my father’s gardens to feed a gaggle of little girls and their friends.

I also love soup classes – it is one of my favourite classes to teach.  Most of the comments that I have received have been from this class.  Students went home with litres of soup, a booklet of recipes and a whole new perspective on taking their soup making to a whole new level.

In the meantime, try this fantastic easy recipe for chicken soup.  You might learn a secret or two, too!

Five Minute Chicken Soup - really! | urbnspice.com

Five Minute Soup – really! | urbnspice.com

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:

  • Tweaking
  • Ice Baths
    __________

Please share this article and comment on your soup adventures.

Other Urbnspice Soups You Will Enjoy:

Urb’n’Spice’s Five Minute Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash and Roasted Pear Soup – an elegant soup fit to serve company

Chilly Day Soup – A Market Inspired Vegetable Soup

Home Welcoming Hearty Black Bean Soup

The Ultimate French Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sea Salt

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 Urbnspice Chef

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Learning Tips – Cutting the Cake

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Learning Tips Series

Learning tips are something that I like to incorporate into my books.  Here is one of the most popular topics:  Cutting the Cake.

First, I have a story to tell a story regarding why it is so important to cut a cake properly after having taken so much effort to create a beautiful dessert.

During a volunteer trip to France, the resident chef where we were staying bought two gorgeous cakes for our final farewell dinner.  The Chef took great pains to set up his station with the beautiful cakes, a cake server, plates, etc.  With great aplomb, he started to cut the cakes.  It was quite painful for me to watch how quickly the beautiful cakes were destroyed.  Instead of a cleanly cut serving, we were each presented with an unrecognizable muddle of cake. A chainsaw may have been a better choice of cutting tools in this case.

Cutting the Cake: Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake | urbnspice.com Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake …

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