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Compotes

Savoury Rhubarb Apple Compote with Pork Medallions

By Denise Pare-Watson

CHC CANADA 150 FOOD BLOG CHALLENGE Series

I am a proud Canadian. When the Culinary Historians of Canada invited food bloggers to participate in the “CHC Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge”, I knew that I wanted in! What a great way to celebrate and honour Canada’s 150th birthday by featuring a different Canadian dish or discussing a topic which reflects on what it means to be Canadian. This month: The First Fresh Foods of Spring! Savoury Rhubarb Apple Compote with Savoury Pork Medallions is the recipe that I will feature using fresh foods of spring. 

It has been a long, cool, wet spring in British Columbia. The first few leaves of our rhubarb plants and perennial herbs assure me that spring has indeed arrived.

Emerging Rhubarb Plant in Springtime | urbnspice.com

The first leaves of the Rhubarb Plant emerge from the soil in the spring

Rhubarb was a staple in the family gardens of 50 years ago – every home garden had its own rhubarb plant in the corner of the plot.   When I was a child, my family and friends typically used rhubarb in sweet dishes. When the first tender stalks of rhubarb appeared, we would pick them and dip the thin red stalks in sugar for a delicious sweet and sour treat. Mom would make rhubarb and apple crumble or use the rhubarb in fruit compotes. As Spring passes into Summer, the broad rhubarb stalks became tough enough to use as hockey sticks. We would pull most of these remaining sturdy stalks and finely chop them to make stewed rhubarb. A bonus crop of more tender new stalks would develop from the plant as long as lots of water was applied during the hot dry summer months.

Gardens certainly have changed over the decades with smaller yards or no yards at all. Rhubarb is not a container garden type of plant with its big root system needing at least 40 litres of soil and compost.   Today, fresh rhubarb is more difficult to find, although frozen rhubarb is readily available.

How we use rhubarb has, for the most part, remained unchanged over the years, with its continued use in sweet recipes such as rhubarb crumbles and crisps. Rhubarb has so much more to offer given its savoury properties. In this post, I share a recipe for Savoury Rhubarb Apple Compote with Pork Medallions that uses both rhubarb and chives as ingredients – two of the first fresh foods of spring.

Chives are one of the first spring fresh foods | urbnspice.com

Chives are one of the first spring fresh foods | urbnspice.com

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Filed Under: CHC Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge Series, Dairy Free Recipes, Egg Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes, Main Dishes or Entree Options, My Recipes, Refined Sugar Free Recipes Tagged With: Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge 2017, Compote, Compotes, Pork, Rhubarb

Urbnspice Confitures, Compotes and Jellies

By Denise Pare-Watson

Let me tell you a little about the UrbnSpice kitchen. There is often a gently simmering bone broth, a recipe or two in development stages, a course outline on the writing desk, cookies baking in the oven or jar labels being printed off for Urbnspice Confitures, Compotes and Jellies. It is a busy place where my background as a chef, pastry chef, administrative and office technology is extremely useful in putting together high-quality products and training.

Caramelized Onion Confiture | urbnspice.com

I have been making confitures (jams), jellies and preserves since I was a little girl helping my Mom preserve food from our market garden. There was something inherently satisfying looking at shelf upon shelf of multicoloured jars brimming with preserved fruit and vegetables, jams, jellies and sauces. I will always fondly remember the spicy fragrances of chilli sauce and apple butter simmering away on the stove.
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Filed Under: Condiments & Accompaniments, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, Spice Blends, Urb'n'Spice Confitures, Chutneys, Compotes, Jellies, Urbnspice Classes, UrbnSpice Confitures Tagged With: Artisan Jams, Charcuterie accompaniments, Cheese pairing, Cheese Plate accompaniments, Chutneys, Compotes, Confitures, Events, UrbnSpice Confitures

Cherry Inspiration

By Denise Pare-Watson

Cherry Season – everyone looks forward to it.  Eating out of hand is likely the most popular past time as the plump cherries appear at the roadside stands.  If you are lucky like me, you might have a daughter or an acquaintance with a cherry tree in their yard. Cherry Inspiration – let’s explore it.

Cherry Inspiration | urbnspice.com

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
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: Breakfast Items, Condiments & Accompaniments, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, My Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, Cherries, Cherry, Compotes, Oatmeal

Cherry Rhubarb Compote

By Denise Pare-Watson

Inspiration comes in so many ways when surrounded by beautiful Okanagan produce just begging to be made into something wonderful.  Cherry Rhubarb Compote seemed to be the perfect accompaniment to many desserts, including a topping for simple Creme Brulee, Baked Rice Pudding,  Earl Grey Chiffon Mini Cakes, or simply served with creamy Greek yogurt.

I made the compote from cherries and rhubarb from my daughter’s own yard.  Look at how spectacular this gorgeous produce is!

Rhubarb Inspiration | urbnspice.com

I also hide my packages of prepared rhubarb away under the boring things in the freezer so that no one will find them.

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Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
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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: Breakfast Items, Condiments & Accompaniments Tagged With: Cherry, Compotes, inspiration of the day, Rhubarb

A Bake Off! Earl Grey Chiffon Mini Cake

By Denise Pare-Watson

It is always fun trying new recipes and new methods of making things that I have made in the past.  Recently, an opportunity to experiment with a recipe for chiffon cake that came from a famous celebrity chef came my way and I was all over it!  The recipe is called Earl Grey Chiffon Mini Cake.

Earl Grey Mini Chiffon Tea Cakes | urbnspice.com 

This recipe is from Anna Olson, Food Network Star and it is called:  Earl Grey Chiffon Cake with Maple Meringue.  As part of the inaugural launch of Anna’s newest book called, “Back to Baking”, the Food Network gave everyone the opportunity to try to make Anna’s recipe and send in a photo of their version.  This is mine.  I had fun with it.

I have had the pleasure of having this lovely chiffon cake once before made by The London Chef in Victoria, B.C. when Anna Olson spent an intimate evening with 18 lucky people.  My husband and I were part of this lucky group.
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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
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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: Cakes and Cupcakes, Desserts and Sweets, Individual Desserts Tagged With: Cakes, Compotes, Desserts, Individual Cakes, Individual Desserts

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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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