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Rolled Sugar Cookies with Lemon Glaze Icing

December 7, 2017 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

 

 I have been accused many times of being a cookie monster. Without any exaggeration, I can quite easily consume a dozen or so cookies in one sitting. I can see my family and friends nodding their heads right now. Honestly, cookies are so deceiving. They’re presented as cute little entities that are about 3 bite sizes or less. After eating 6 or so, I tell myself, “It’s fine Betty. Cookies are small.” And so I continue eating until someone stops me. Usually it’s my 10 year old daughter demanding I save some for her.

With the holiday season approaching, I don’t hold myself back at all. This is the time to indulge, enjoy and share. Normally I bake about 4 different types of cookies right about now and bake 3 dozen of each. I have rotating baking trays out on my front porch cooling with Roxie my trusty yellow Labrador on the lookout for any pesky and hungry squirrels or birds. She barks as soon as something comes remotely close. Even a blowing leaf. 

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Filed Under: Christmas/Holidays, Cookies, Holidays

Ricotta Cheesecake with White Chocolate and Pine Nuts

December 1, 2017 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

 

My dear children Moineau and Georges have both been home sick for days up till yesterday with fevers, chills coughs… As any mother, I’ve had sleepless nights. Between checking their temperature, giving meds and hearing their poor coughing and cries, its been hard to have a good nights sleep for the whole family. It’s Friday December 1st now and I’m two blogs behind, Christmas shopping still not done, and now sick as a dog.

Yet I don’t feel stressed. At least not compared to when I had my flower shop. This time of year was hell for me in the past. It was non-stop starting November 1st until Christmas eve. It felt like the phone never stopped ringing, my inbox was always full and my fingers were permanently black from all the various evergreen saps. There was never enough hours in the day. I remember arranging client outdoor planters before the crack of dawn, using my truck head lights as makeshift lighting since the sun had not yet risen.

This year will be my third Christmas without the business. Being behind on a bit of shopping doesn’t concern me. But I have to admit, skipping a couple blogs does. So last night when the kids were sleeping, I began to bake. I decided ricotta cheesecake with white chocolate and pine nuts because its a cake that needs to be refrigerated for a few hours and still tastes great a few days later. Perfect for later when we’re all feeling better. 

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Filed Under: Cakes, Chocolate, Christmas/Holidays

Matcha and Black Sesame Crêpes

November 2, 2017 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

My mother in law would probably pucker her lips till they turned white and wrinkled much like her backside exit if I ever told her what I did to the base of her crêpe recipe. I asianized it.

For the old school Belgian or Frenchie, crêpes are a kind of sacred dish. My mother in law has never deviated from the simple recipe of just flour, eggs, milk, sugar. She normally serves it with some cassonade (brown sugar), nutella or some jam on the table. I remember once serving crêpes for lunch with sour cream, bacon and chives…and yup the puckered backside  lips appeared. “Quelle horreur” she exclaimed. Awww…. Always love her candour! She skipped the bacon and cheese and went straight to the cupboards to grab the brown sugar. She refused to even try! Old school and I forgot to mention, stubborn.

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Filed Under: Belgian, Breakfast, French, Fusion, Korean, This Korean Bakes

Kimchi & Egg Galettes

October 26, 2017 By stemsandforks 1 Comment

Kimchi, kale, spinach and chèvre in a crusty, flaky buttery pastry topped with an egg – who can resist such a plethora of flavours? This delightful dance of sweet/savoury, rich/acidic, chewy/flaky and hearty galette is my interpretation of Omurice. I was inspired by this childhood favourite comfort dish originally from Japan. Omurice is essentially fried rice crowned with a paper thin omelette, with ketchup slathered atop. Koreans have adapted it by adding kimchi (of course), along with a mish-mash of proteins, seafood or veggies in the rice. Omurice can really be made of anything. So long as it’s fried rice blanketed by an omelette. Its name is a quintessential example of Gairaigo which basically means a transvocalization. ‘Omu’ for omelette, and ‘raisu’ for rice.

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Filed Under: Belgian in the House, Family Favorites, Fusion, Galettes, Korean, This Korean Bakes

Banana Avocado Chocolate Cake

October 23, 2017 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

I’m one of those out of sight, out of mind girls. I recently had scallops at a restaurant that was smothered in a tarragon brown butter. So so good- drooling now just thinking about it. But it reminded me of brown butter icing. And how it has been months since I made anything with brown butter. I had ripe bananas and avocados kicking around and decided a cream cheese brown butter frosting would pair wonderfully. As well, it’s been a while since I’ve played the sneaky mom of putting some sort of veg in a cake without telling the kids…

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Filed Under: Cakes, Chocolate

Pumpkin and Walnut Bundt Cake

October 3, 2017 By stemsandforks 7 Comments

We are definitely not a turkey family. Well, I personally enjoy a fresh roasted turkey but my husband and kids don’t. Pumpkin however is always a hit with all the Binons. 

This thanksgiving (Canadian) pumpkin is definitely on the menu. I’m thinking of some creative ways of using this wonderful squash asides from a cake or pie. Dumplings…soup…maybe even pumpkin steak? Ha! I’m just thinking out loud right now. Of course if you have any ideas…do let me know. As my daughter always points out…I like “weird” recipes. 

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Filed Under: Autumn, Bundt Cakes, Cakes, Holidays

Chocolate Ricotta Cake with Mascarpone Mocha Buttercream

August 27, 2017 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

Since I started blogging, the friendships I’ve made with other fellow food bloggers and stylists has been incredible to say the least. 

Recently fellow instagrammer @rodica_godlewski and I organized a food styling gathering at my home with fellow food stylists M.Aimee from @milkofthykindness and Sarah from @sarah.boileau. We were 4 complete strangers…well strangers that conversed for several months prior to our meeting on Instagram but had never seen each other in the flesh or spoken to each other. It was so lovely to finally put a face larger than a blueberry and a voice to their names. To finally shed cyber palling two dimensionally and begin a real friendship in the flesh was incredible. The ideas and inspiration we shared with each other not to mention the great laughs was epic in porportions. 

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Filed Under: Cakes, Chocolate, Family Favorites

Trison Farms: The Three Rising Sons

August 18, 2017 By stemsandforks 4 Comments

Freshly harvested pepper vines at Trison Farms, Kingsville, Ontario

There was no shortage of abandoned wood crates after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) banned wood crates for produce to be stored and shipped.

Although Canada is renowned for its sprawling farmlands and agricultural abundance, as a Canadian, I’ve seldom visited a farm nor given much thought to where my produce comes from. This all changed one sunny afternoon as I jumped in my car and drove for almost four hours from Toronto to Kingsville, Ontario. I was headed to Trison Farms to meet the owners, the Mastronardi family and to learn more about what happens behind the scenes before Ontario produce debuts at a grocery store.

Freshly picked pepper vines.

Cherry tomatoes

The drive was long and dull. I literally had to pinch my face repeatedly so I wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel. Some might describe the landscape as picturesque – I only saw an endless monotony of flat cornfields that stretched beyond the horizon. Mile after mile, no stores, no people… just a homogenous sea of green. The only sign of life was the occasional herd of cows, grazing at a glacial pace.

Initially, the mammoth 200-meter tall wind turbines in Chatham-Kent were quite impressive, but they quickly lost their novelty as they too became a repetitious part of the monotonous landscape. There were 124 of them to be exact. In retrospect, I don’t think counting wind turbines helped the cause of trying to stay awake. I may as well have been counting sheep.

Left only with my thoughts (I had given up on trying to find a radio station that wasn’t playing country), my mind wandered. I kept thinking, “I could never live here.” 

Vine tomatoes ripening on the vines

Migrant worker hand picking bell peppers

In fact, one of the questions I had prepared for the three sons who had just taken over the family farm business, was, “If you had a choice to be doing anything else, what would it be?” I anticipated I would get an earful of woeful tales of being stuck on the farm and yearning to escape to the bright lights and fast pace of the city. Armed with my city-centric questionnaire, I finally reached my destination. 

Brothers Jordan, Joshua and Joel Mastronardi are fourth generation farmers dating back to1962. Their grandfather Gino had started the now massive produce empire, with only a half-acre glass greenhouse. Today the greenhouse spreads over 25 acres and at peak season employs almost 80 full-time, temporary, and migrant workers.

There were no shortage of hats and sweat bands amongst the workers with the warm stuffy temperatures in the greenhouses                    

As we conversed, I learned more about their family and the illustrious story behind their operations, it became evident that there were no fantasies of escaping to the big city. Here was a family so passionate and so deeply knowledgeable about what they did, that I began to feel remorseful for my narrow-minded views. The three boys like their parents Rick and Mary, continue the hard work with dedication but with a more innovative approach.

“The boys have definitely evolved the farm into a modern, efficient and forward-thinking facility. I was just growing and selling produce. These boys are taking it to the next level,” previous owner and father, Rick, proudly quipped.

Although he claims to have passed the baton onto his sons, they are quick to inform me that he is still just as immersed in the day-to-day operations and refuses to take a vacation.

Rick Mastronardi, Second generation owner of Trison Farms inspecting his black berries.

Fallen leaves are collected after each harvest.

Using lights to trick strawberry plants into thinking it’s spring, these strawberry vines will bear fruit in the winter.

Mary, the matriarch of the family is no different from her husband Rick – There’s no sitting on the porch sipping lemonade and eating bonbons for her. She continues to manage the retail marketplace which is a cozy, roadside open-concept shop. She runs this business with produce from the family’s greenhouses as well as other local grower’s products.

Trison Farms roadside market where they sell both their own produce and local farmers produce

The brothers are continually looking to grow not only their produce but innovative machines, and software to increase their efficiency and develop new varieties of berries. Josh who is in charge of sales and marketing tells me at times they can’t keep up with demand. Not only do they grow their produce, but they pack and distribute almost 200’000 pounds of quality berries, peppers and tomatoes per week. And they’re not planning on slowing down this uphill growth. 

Worker packing Sheppard peppers in the packing facility

Freshly plucked peppers

Large water tanks

Joel, the eldest of the sons, helms the development of the produce itself, growing crops. So many factors to consider here from irrigation, to pest management, crop pollenating, planting, fertilization…the list is endless and so is Joel’s work load. Jordan the youngest is in charge of warehousing. Sorting, packing and filling orders all with the utmost attention paid to quality and efficiency. 

Josh Mastronardi, 4th generation farmer

Three sons, three very busy departments mean some days the brothers may not even run into each other on any given day. Which Joshua says “…helps create a great working relationship as no one hovers over the other”. 

As for my initial question? Josh simply answers: “I never really thought about anything else. My brothers and I always worked on the farm growing up and knew we’d continue to be a part of it.”

Getting produce ready for delivery

Processing/Packing Warehouse

The Mastronardi Family. From left, Jordan, Rick, Mary Ann,Joel and Josh.

I left with an incredible and informative education about greenhouse farming. Which yields higher attractive crops, uses minimal and natural pesticides when compared to field farming, makes the most efficient use of water and has longer growing seasons due to a controlled environment. But greenhouses are more expensive both to operate, install and maintain. What shocked me was how everything was hand-picked. Be it peppers or grape tomatoes…Someone was hand selecting and packing every single fruit and vegetable.  

Sheppard Pepper

I was totally wrong. Farm life is not slow, dull or isolated. In fact it was quite the opposite. It involved so many facets of business and life. Agriculture, sales, innovation, technology, marketing but ultimately a passion to grow and perfect a necessity to every human’s life – food. As I made my four hour trip back to Toronto, somehow the endless fields and wind turbines looked different this time. I no longer saw a monotonous sea of nothingness…I saw endless hours of labour, love and rich history.

As I ran the events of the day through my head – the wonderful earthy fragrance of the greenhouses, the moving stories of a family-built empire, and the symbiotic balance of raw nature with new technology…I found myself thinking…”I could live here.”

Tomatoes grown by Trisons. From Top Left going right to left; Beefsteak, Grape, Vine, Heirloom, Cocktail

Assorted peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Sheppard and bell peppers from Trison Farms

Blackberries and Strawberries grown by Trison Farms

 

 

Filed Under: Articles

Triple Berry Scones with Lemon Vanilla Drizzle

August 17, 2017 By stemsandforks 10 Comments

I often laugh when someone writes a recipe declaring it easy, fast or that cooking is therapeutic. For me cooking and baking is not easy. It’s work regardless how simple the steps are to a recipe. The whole process of prepping, cooking and washing up…(especially washing up) is long and can be tedious at times. For me there is nothing therapeutic about cooking and baking. But there is something satisfying, fulfilling and validating about the process of cooking. If I had to compare it to something…hmmm… maybe giving birth to a child?  I’m not saying that a child is on the same level as a fresh loaf of banana bread. But the expression of something as profound as pregnancy being referred to “something in the oven” sums up what baking is in an exaggerated way. Getting ready for your child requires, well the creation (clears throat), the nurturing and caring while in the “oven” and than labour – blood sweat and tears- the finale- a reward…your beautiful baby or that fresh banana loaf. But it’s 100% all you and created by you.

I recently did a friend a favour and received several boxes of various berries and fruits. Gorgeous tiger and dark figs, cherries, strawberries, blueberries and kiwis. I planned to make something with the figs but they were at its prime and I admit my family and I scarfed them down in a matter of minutes. Kiwis – I’m sorry. But I don’t like you. You’re guilty by association. After getting sick one day as a child and barfing the green seedy exotic fruit all over my brand new overalls, I have never been able to try them again. So cherries, blueberries and strawberries in a triple berry scone (I know it’s not a berry…but they’re adorable like a berry) 

I made these scones when I was in a pinch to make a quick thank you for my daughters friend for hosting her at their cottage. Now if you are skipping the glaze (which I don’t recommend), try adding a touch more sugar as I lessened the usual ratio. Not crazy about super sweet scones but the drizzle does add a perfectly balanced and lovely sweet citrus zing. Remember, scones should be tender, slightly flakey, buttery with a touch of sweetness.  So here it is. A super fast and easy scone recipe (sniggering- bahaha). 

Bon app!

Save Print
Triple Berry Scones with Lemon Vanilla Drizzle
Author: Betty Binon
 
Ingredients
  • FOR THE SCONES:
  • 260 g or 2 cups AP flour
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of table salt
  • ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder
  • 50 g or ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 115 g or ½ cup butter or 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • ½ cup heavy cold cream
  • 1 large egg
  • ⅓ cup overflowing fresh blueberries
  • ⅓ cup overflowing freshly chopped strawberries
  • ⅓ cup overflowing with pitted cherries
  • ⅓ cup toasted walnuts (optional)
  • FOR THE DRIZZLE:
  • 125 g or 1 cup icing sugar
  • 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
  1. FOR THE SCONES:
  2. Preheat oven to 400F (205C), line baking tray with parchment paper
  3. In a medium metal or plastic bowl, grate butter on box grater's biggest hole and pop in freezer uncovered- let it sit in freezer while you gather rest of ingredients
  4. In large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar and whisk well and set aside
  5. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and cream together and set aside
  6. Add the cold butter in the flour mixture with fingers, tossing for about 15-20 seconds
  7. Pour the cream/egg mixture to the dry flour mix and stir gently with spatula - DO NOT over stir. stir still ingredients become just wet
  8. Fold in all the berries and the nuts (if you're adding)- don't overwork dough here
  9. shape the dough into a disc about 8 inches wide and about 1.5 inches thick
  10. With a sharp knife, cut the disc into about 6-8 equal wedges and separate about 1 cm at most
  11. Bake for 20-25 minute or until the crust is a golden brown
  12. Allow to cool before drizzling icing
  13. FOR THE ICING:
  14. In a bowl whisk together the freshly squeezed lemon juice, vanilla bean paste and icing sugar
  15. Drizzle over scones once they've cooled somewhat
3.5.3226

 

 

Filed Under: Biscuits/Scones, Family Favorites, Fruit

Strawberry and Carrot Cake

July 22, 2017 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

I realize I’m so behind blogging. I remember making this cake for fathers day which was easily over a month ago. We had a BBQ at our house and so asked my dad and hubs what they wanted for dessert. Dad asked for something with strawberries seeing as the season started and Pierre asked for carrot cake. Thus the marriage of the two. I prepared it not thinking very much about posting it as a blog. However realized I had too after posting a pic on Instagram and getting a barrage of requests to post the recipe. 

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Filed Under: Bundt Cakes, Cakes, Family Favorites, Fruit

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