kitchen Archives - Page 15 of 29

Christmas in Copenhagen | Part 2 | Torvehallern

Bathed in long shadows created by the warm sunlight flooding the space, Copenhagen’s Torvehallern is a jewel box of gourmet flavours waiting to be discovered. This glass-encased pair of food halls is Copenhagen’s biggest and busiest food market with over 60, 000 weekly visitors. After our all-too-brief visit, I understand why. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have a local market like this at home!

Gathering together the best that Denmark and the rest of Europe have to offer, these two modern glass structures offer a treasure trove of opportunity for any bourgeoning foodie fortunate enough to live in the area.

Stig – the charming olive maker at Stig’s Oliven {pictured below} – was our favourite vendor by far, though I must confess he threw us off at first by loading up a full plate of food for us without our asking! In friendly and generous Danish style, he quickly set us at ease again by offering it to us as “samples” to have with our lunch.

Without a doubt, his garlic olives are the best I’ve ever had, and I quickly made my way back after we’d eaten lunch to snap up a large vacuum-sealed bag of them to bring home. They are now one of the most treasured items in our larder, carefully hidden away from the unmoderated olive-eating appetite of my son and his epicurean tastebuds.

Not surprisingly, there are no lack of fromageries at the Torvehallern, with local Danish cheeses as well as gorgeous imports from all over Europe. France makes a very strong showing in this department.

The inventive, colourful and unexpected combinations at Hallernes Smørrebrød were positively inspiring, even if we didn’t know what half of them were! This is food to be enjoyed with the eyes as much as with the tastebuds, an everyday art form to be savoured over lunch.

In the end, we chose to sit outside, bathed by the warmth of the sunlight and ignoring the chill of the wind as we ate our simple but absolutely gorgeous lunch of smoked salmon fillet encrusted with dill, accompanied of course by Stig’s generous samples of olives, artichokes and dolmas. Very few vegetables were harmed in the making of this particular lunch, but all the gorgeous protein gave us the fuel we needed to keep exploring.

From florals to fresh herbs, nuts and chocolates to intoxicating dried spices, the variety at Torvehallern is truly a feast for the senses. I can’t imagine there are many ingredients a galloping gourmet could long for that would not be found within these two expansive glass edifices.

The truth is, Torvehallern left me longing for an authentically European market to shop at weekly back home, not to mention an endless supply of Stig’s olives! Seriously, I don’t know what we will do when they’ve all been eaten! If only a trip back to Copenhagen were an option {sigh}. Perhaps our new motto will be: “Don’t cry because all of the olives have been eaten. Celebrate because you got to eat some of them.”

Wishing you all a flavourful weekend filled with generous surprises and random acts of kindness.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|December 21st, 2012|0 Comments

Redeeming a Sweet Tradition | Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

As many of you know, I’ve chosen to go gluten-free as a part of a more anti-inflammatory way of life. What I haven’t share with you before now is why. I’m doing this because I’m recovery from a couple of serious car accidents and I want to give my body all the tools it needs to heal. What I’m learning along the way is that everyone’s journey to going gluten-free is different. I have friends with Celiac disease who are gluten-free because they have to avoid all gluten in order to stay alive. I have friends who are gluten-free for the sake of their figure and find it an amazing tool for staying slim. And I have friends like me whose bodies “tolerate” gluten but aren’t the happiest when they eat it. For all of us, we get to learn together.

I feel like saying that I haven’t made this choice to jump in on a trend. I’ve chosen to go gluten-free {on the recommendation of my very lovely naturopath} for the sake of greater health, and I’ve decided that this will NOT be a process of denial and punishment. Rather than thinking of it as a list of “no no’s,” I have chosen to think of it as an adventure in recreating recipes and finding new foodie loves.

Holiday baking being a classic tradition, I decided to reinvent a simple, classic Sugar Cookie recipe to create a holiday treat that is “safe” for me and all of my gluten-free friends. And what better way to make those sweet treats than with friends!

PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN

The star player in our gluten-free baking adventures so far has definitely been Cup4Cup flour. The dough this product creates {from pie crust dough to cookie dough} is insanely beautiful to work with. In fact, I prefer it over regular flour! Seriously. The result with these sugar cookies not only tastes great, but the edges are so clean that my baking queen of a friend Natalie asked if I’d cut them twice {once before and once after baking}! I seriously think you’ll love working with it.

PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN

My other secret weapon? Coconut sugar. OK, so I guess this makes these sugar-free Sugar Cookies! A rather lovely twist in the plot if you ask me! So why do I use coconut sugar instead of regular cane sugar? A) It is anti-inflammatory and super low on the glycemic index, and B) I actually have an anaphylactic allergy to cane sugar, so it’s kind of a non-negotiable for me. {Please celebrate this one with me as it is actually the BEST anti-aging allergy I could possibly have. I seriously feel blessed with this one.} Coconut sugar has quickly become my favourite cane-sugar-substitute, and the great news is that you can now get coconut sugar in bulk at Costco!! It makes me so happy to see healthy living becoming increasingly accessible for everyone.

The amazing thing about the way the coconut sugar performs in this recipe is that it seems to caramelize as it bakes, giving the cookies a maple shortbread kind of flavour without a drop of maple syrup or maple sugar involved. SUPER yummy! And the cookies are actually soft. That’s right. Gluten-free cookies that are not as dry as the Sahara. Even my non-gluten-free family and friends love these little lovelies! Now that is a triumph. Here’s how we made them:

THE RECIPE

1 1/2 c softened organic butter

2 c coconut sugar

4 eggs or egg substitute equivalent {I used egg substitute as this is another allergy for me}

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 c. Cup4Cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

THE METHOD

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter, coconut sugar, egg substitute and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and then slowly add them to the wet ingredients until fully combined. Wrap the dough and chill for an hour {or overnight}. You can even freeze it in balls to bake one batch at a time if you’d like!

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Use your favourite cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place the cut cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 6-8 minutes and cool completely before icing.

PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN

Oh yes, I nearly forgot! What does a sugar-free girl do about icing, you might ask? Well, my friend Jenn was the problem solver on this one. She gave me the idea to create a cream-cheese-based icing and pipe that on instead of Royal Icing. That’s just what I did and it worked like a charm! I just mixed one tub of spreadable light cream cheese with about 20 drops of Stevia and 2 TBSP of honey {I didn’t use coconut sugar here because I wanted the icing to stay white}. As you can see, no one would ever know it wasn’t Royal Icing just to look at the finished product. Yes, the icing has a cream-cheesy flavour, but I actually like that a lot. For my next batch I might experiment with a bit of lemon juice or lemon zest added to the icing for a refreshing twist, though I think I’ll have to go with a full-fat cream cheese to keep it from getting too runny if I do that.

See? There are most definitely creative ways to reinvent the old classics! No need for total self-denial or missing out on holiday traditions! What are your favourite holiday treats? Any gluten-free baking tips from all you veterans out there? I’d love to continue learning together!

Wishing you all a wonderful {gluten-free} Wednesday.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|December 19th, 2012|6 Comments

Christmas Gift Guide {For Foodies}

As a foodie myself, I couldn’t help but assemble a delightful list of items to satiate the appetite for beauty and function. From steals to splurges, there’s something for every foodie on your list this year.

Here’s what I’m thinking: A bourbon-barrel-twist on the classic maple syrup makes for a sweet surprise; A gorgeous raw honey with an incredible story of sustainability and philanthropy is sure to inspire; Petrified wood will elevate cheese boards to the status of art installation; A stunning and sophisticated collection of gorgeous gold bowls will entice guests, making the healthiest of snacks feel decadent; A classic and elegant cheese knife set always makes a timeless gift; Embrace Emerald Green {the official colour of 2013} with gorgeous cast iron cookware; Art + Water + Form + Function = Beauty; Natural materials really are the best companion for real food.