No picnic is complete without dessert. Gluten-free buckwheat flour adds a floral note to cinnamon-spiked apples in this hand-held, seasonal favourite.
Crumble Topping
1/2 cup (125 mL) gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup (125 mL) dark or light buckwheat flour
3 Tbsp (45 mL) coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp (30 mL) coconut sugar or turbinado sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) sea salt
Apple Filling
4 cups (1 L) diced apples, peel left intact
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 Tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup
1 tsp (5 mL) chia seeds
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
To prepare crumble topping, in medium bowl, mix together all crumble topping ingredients until fully combined. Set aside.
To prepare filling, in large bowl, toss together all filling ingredients. Divide mixture evenly among 6 ovenproof 250 mL glass Mason jars. Top with crumble, dividing evenly among jars. Place jars on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes. Cool completely, fasten lids, and transfer to picnic basket, along with 6 spoons.
Serves 6.
Each serving contains: 199 calories; 3 g protein; 8 g total fat (6 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 32 g total carbohydrates (15 g sugars, 4 g fibre); 199 mg sodium
source: "Picnic of Plenty", alive #384, October 2014
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.