Signe's Kitchen

Originally posted on 5/2/2013 This is Prince Edward County, Ontario, rye. It's the first lot of a test crop. The folks at Stonemill Bakehouse are very Zen; they are at once forward- and backward-thinking. Looking to a future of locally-grown and sourced ingredients is a new old idea. You see, we all got dazzled by shiny things from far, far, away and became fossil fuel junkies. And for the blip in human history when fossil fuels have been relatively cheap - if, of course, you

...and Chef Michael Smith. I've been working with The Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts for the last little while, and one of Bonnie's top profs shared one of his favourite cookie recipes with me, so I thought I'd share it with you here. Here's what Michael says about this recipe: "These Austrian-style cookies have a delicate, buttery texture – despite the fact they contain no butter! Even those who claim to hate the flavour of licorice should be won over by the sub

Why not, we’re Nordic…sort of…plus, I've got a Swedish name, and it’s a perfectly comforting way to usher in fall – and dare I say it? – winter. And, should you care about such things, Scandinavian-Nordic culture is having another moment; especially, from where I sit, in the food department. Folks here have been talking about hygge for a couple of years now. It’s sort of Danish for cozy, though not exactly, and it's more than that too. It’s one of those words that doesn’t hav

Originally posted on 11/28/2012 I was never much of a beer drinker, though I have developed a taste for it of late. My new fave is Radler. I am a real wine lover and I do enjoy a rather old school (yes, I'm a product of the '70s) rocks glass of Dubonnet Red on the rocks. But when I'm thirsty for bubbles and an ice cold refreshing something or other, cider is my go-to drink. I don't think I've met a cider I didn't like, if only a little bit. I used to drink Strongbow; it was j

Creamy, proper, clam chowder does not come out of a can. It’s a myth. And, making creamy clam chowder is not hard. That’s also a myth. Most likely propagated by the folks who sell clam chowder in cans. Traditionally, a true chowder must be thickened with potato, not flour. All manner of potato things work, from left over mashers, to instant potato flakes, to diced and simmered spuds. Feel free to use canned clams and their juice, but with a few fresh beauties tossed in to gar

Originally posted on 7/23/2012 The nice folks at Phillips Distilling Company saw fit to present me with a bottle of their new Prairie Organic Vodka. How does one say, "Why, thank you!" in Russian, anyway? Spasibo! I'm of the vodka is vodka school of thought. I've tasted harsh and I've tasted smooth, but the only time I was truly able to detect a flavour - vanilla and grass - it was in bison grass vodka from Poland. Otherwise, nothing. So, I thought I'd take this beautiful bot

Originally posted on 2/21/2012 Here's a question I hear all the time: "Don't you need a rooster to get eggs?" [[This bad boy was caught by Murray sneaking out of his hen house!]] The answer is a resounding NO. Ladies, do you need a man around to ovulate? No. No you do not. And nor does a hen. It amazes me how disconnected we have become from backyard hen keeping. Up until very recently it was a given. Ever heard the expression "egg money"? That's not money for eggs, it's the

Originally posted on 10/7/2012 Sigh. I've tried, with this terrible photo, to show you how tall my sunchokes have grown. But the yellow flowers are so teeny tiny, they're hard to find in the shot, non? Well, look really hard, and when you do find them, notice that the arbour on the left of the image is over six feet tall, so the tallest of the plants (look at the top right) is close to 12 feet! I've gotta say, I'm impressed with the strength of the stems. They've been blown h

Originally posted on 6/29/2012 I bet many of you living in Canada have one of these trees in your yard or on your street. And I bet many of you don't know what it is. You might notice the proliferation of berries in late June, you might lament the purple poo on your car or you might be curious. I hope it's the latter. This is a Serviceberry Tree. The fruit is edible and delicious. My Serviceberry grows on a very lumpy, uneven bit of ground - not safe for ladders. So I pick an

Originally posted on 4/13/2012 ...but if I were, this lady - Karen Le Billon - would be my hero, my mentor, my guide. You see, I'm old enough to remember when mothers were not short order cooks. You got what you got and you said thank you. You ate it or you didn't. But if you didn't eat what was 'for supper' then you didn't eat at all...unless you sneaked down to the kitchen for a secret snack. Kids are not genetically programmed to like chicken nuggets. Parents program their