Sarah Walker The Curated House, Author at The Curated House

Thanksgiving Menu | GF Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Maple Butter Icing

PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN

I love the simple joy of having so many friends gather together around our table for our annual Harvest Gathering. Each person represents a unique perspective, diverse creativity and offers amazing gifts to the world.

As it turns out, my circle of friends makes me feel somewhat more “normal” when it comes to having food allergies and sensitivities. I have a lot of them, but try not to let them take centre stage in my life or in entertaining. I truly believe that being and eating healthy shouldn’t have to be a neurotic chore. So this year – in favour of my new gluten-free adventure as well as others around the table who cannot eat gluten – I reached out to the lovely people at Cup 4 Cup to see if they would allow me to experiment with their amazing gluten-free flour in my little kitchen. They most graciously obliged, and today’s recipe is the result of that loveliness.

The flour is just as it sounds: a true cup-for-cup substitute for regular flour. All I can say is, we were amazed. Truly, gratefully amazed. This flour works and tastes just like regular flour, and the end result was very satisfying. I’ve already gone to Williams Sonoma to restock and am delighted to have such an amazing alternative now in my culinary arsenal.

Here’s my take on a Harvest dessert that will please any of the friends and family gathered around your table, even the non-gluten-free variety.

I CHOSE BABY FOOD FOR THE APRICOT PUR´EE – INEXPENSIVE + JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT!

OK, it’s Tuesday Confession Time {TCT}. My maple butter icing was a bit of a fail. The flavours were bang on, and it was the perfect match for the Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake. That wasn’t the fail. It’s just that it was my first time making Maple Butter, and as it turns out it’s a bit of a finicky little number. It’s so truly Canadian that I had to try it {not to mention that I felt giddy at the thought of large quantities of the gorgeous, creamy confection in my fridge}, but my first batch was not my best batch. The truth is I’m not terrible bothered, as these kinds of culinary mishaps simply invite the opportunity to try again!

The secret {as I learned from the sweet maple farmer who sells his maple butter at The St. Lawrence Market on Saturdays} is to freeze the maple syrup overnight after you’ve boiled it before you whip it into the final butter. I merely cooled mine, so it was lacking the structure I expected from it and as such totally absorbed into the cake. Make no mistake, it tasted amazing! But it was not the look I was after.

PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN

Needless to say, I am not a maple-butter-making expert quite yet, but I plan to attempt another batch very soon and will offer you my perfected recipe as soon as I have one! In the meantime, I suggest buying a tub of maple butter from the lovely farmer who has it on offer Saturday mornings at The St. Lawrence Market, OR you can join me in my quest and use this recipe as your jumping off point in search of maple butter perfection! Be sure to share all your tips and tricks in the comments below so we can all enjoy the glorious goodness of this truly Canadian treat!

PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN

My most sincere thanks once again to Gabriela Hansen for sharing her delightful photos with us today. Wishing you all a warm + happy Tuesday!
xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 13th, 2012|0 Comments

Art Interiors | Festival of the Smalls

Each year, my favourite Toronto art gallery hosts a delightful event intended to make original art truly accessible. Art Interiors‘ trailblazing event – The Festival of the Smalls – has been making original art affordable to all of us for 19 years now. The owners of the Forest Hill Village gallery – Lisa Diamond Katz and Shira Wood – carefully curate a delightfully eclectic mix of small canvases each year. Ranging from $55 to $250, the diverse works on offer are perfectly priced for your Christmas shopping list!

Paintings by Erin Vincent and Elizabeth Lennie

As you may remember from previous posts like this one, I am a big fan of curating interesting groupings of smalls. While large canvases can be a powerful way to bring soul to your space, groupings of smalls offer a dynamic and inspired approach to creating interest and anchoring a wall. Done well, a grouping of smalls can even script something of a story in the way each of the pieces speak to one another.

Today for Make Something Monday, I thought I would share some of the Art Interiors artists I love and offer you a peak at their contributions to this year’s Festival of the Smalls. Up first, Elizabeth Lennie, an inspired Canadian artist who captures the visceral and emotional connection with two favourite Canadian past times – swimming and hockey.

Up next is Elzbieta Krawecka, whose large landscape paintings are spectacular and can truly anchor a space. {Take a look back here at my use of one of Elzbieta’s large canveses in a client’s beautiful traditional master ensuite.} Elzbieta’s masterful painting is both classic and refined, well worthy of being collected and engaged with daily. Her smalls are the perfect way to add her spectacular work to your collection! Here are a few of my favourites this year. If someone could just buy me the first one for Christmas {please + thanks} I’d be ever so delighted!

Emily Bickell has become well known for her remarkably realistic water surface studies. Often just close-up studies of the play of light and movement on the water, they communicate a serenity and quietude that can only come from spending time on the blue, surrounded by nature. I am particularly fond of the last two as they transport me to the lakes of Northern Ontario, a place of great serenity, relaxation and beauty for me.

If I had to sum up Kelly Grace’s work in one word, for me it would be nostalgia. As a child, I spent countless hours with our family’s Viewmaster, clicking through slides of beautiful scenes. I can still hear the hard plastic “click” the lever would make as I scrolled through the images. Kelly Grace’s series of paintings {see two below} instantly transport me back to my living room’s hardwood floor where I would lay on my belly or my back, totally enrapt by the images hidden inside this deceptively simple gadget.

The pieces I’ve shared today are just a small sampling of the small works available during Art Interiors‘ Festival of The Smalls, on until December 24th. If you are in search of something inspired, personal and entirely unique for a loved one on your list, you simply must pay a visit to the lovely ladies at the gallery for help with finding that perfect piece of original art. It’s the kind of gift that is guaranteed to surprise + delight.

Happy {Make Something} Monday!

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 12th, 2012|0 Comments

The Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

Just looking at this beautiful photo, taken by my friend Gabriela Hansen, I can smell the warm, sweet and rich comfort of roasted turkey filling my home. What a glorious scent! I think the all-day event of cooking the bird is a part of the comfort of it. The ritual of regularly basting as the aroma becomes increasingly intoxicating only serves to build up our anticipation of gathering together around the table in thanks. It’s a part of why Thanksgiving is one of my family’s favourite times of the year.

I’ve been cooking my turkey the same way for years, and learned the secret to tender meat and caramelized skin from good old Martha Stewart herself. Here’s my take on Martha’s method.

We have a tradition of talking a brief walk in the woods during the last 30 minutes of the turkey’s roasting. It’s always wonderful to get out into the fresh air and sunshine, drinking in the beauty of nature and stretching our legs a bit before sitting down to our Thanksgiving feast. This year we had a particularly glorious day, and my heart was filled with gratitude at being surrounded by my amazing family and friends in such a beautiful place as Canada.

After the walk, it’s back to the house to reveal the gorgeous, caramelized bird with bundles of fresh herbs and lots of love.

The rich and hearty mix of flavours on our plates can only be rivalled by the richness of the love and friendship that surround our table. For me, that is what we celebrate each year at our Harvest Gathering. Filling our home with laughter and collaboration and food and friendship is truly the best way I can think of to remind ourselves of all that we have to celebrate.

I know I promised you a dessert recipe, and in fact I’ll share two with you! But you’ll have to wait until next week. Right now, I’m still intoxicated by the memory of this day and am swimming in gravy boats full of gratitude for the love I have in my life.

I cannot begin to express the gratitude I feel for Gabriela Hansen, the incredibly talented photographer who captured our Thanksgiving celebration together. Thank you, Gaby, for sharing your heart and your view on the world with us all. So thankful to know you and to have the privilege of working with you.

Wishing you all a weekend filled with time with your loved ones, celebrating what really matters. Hold each other close and enjoy the adventure!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 9th, 2012|1 Comment