something out of nothing: poached pears

When I read Lindy from Toast proposing a blogging event titled, to make something from nothing, I was intrigued. Having finished school not so long ago, I definitely understood financial constraints. I have enjoyed fine dining when I have been able to afford it; however, I have found solace in foods that are tasty, cheap, cheerful and comforting. So, I appreciated Lindy’s concept of putting together a collection of recipes that are enjoyable, affordable, and creative and was up for the challenge of trying to make fantastic eats for little money! I decided not to buy any ingredients and instead used what was in my kitchen. I had 3 pears sitting in my fruit bowl; so poached pears it was! This recipe is simple, cost effective, and good for any occasion.







poached pear with spiced granitè and honey



poached pears


4 pears, peeled and cored.
You can cut the pears in half to core them. Or, you can use a whole pear and dig out the core from the blossom end with a melon baller or apple corer, leaving the pear in tact. The latter method works best when poaching pears.


poaching liquid (enough for 4 pears)

3/4 cup sugar
3 cups water
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1 stick cinnamon
1 star anise
1 cardamom pod, broken open
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean (cut length wise)

Add all the ingredients into a small pot and bring to a boil. Take off the stove, and let sit for 10 minutes or until semi-cool. Add peeled and cored pears to the poaching liquid and simmer with a piece of parchment paper over top of the pears, so that no oxidization occurs. Poach pears for 20 – 30 minutes or until tender and soft to touch. Take off the heat, and let sit for another 10 – 15 minutes before removing pears. Serve pears once they have cooled, or leave the pears in the fridge soaking in the poaching liquid, tightly covered, until needed or for up to two days.

so there’s no waste: a granitè from your poaching liquid

If you would like to make a granitè with the remaining poaching liquid, sieve out the spices, and pour liquid into a flat shallow container to cool. Freeze, covered, until frozen. Use a fork to scrape the ice into small shards. Transfer the granitè to a plastic container and keep frozen until ready to use. If you don’t want the granitè to melt too quickly, try chilling your glasses or bowls in the freezer. Then, serve a lovely poached pear with the granitè. Whether it is a casual or fancy affair, poached pears are always simple and elegant.

*Note: If you have some leftover wine, substitute half the water in the poaching liquid for wine. You’ll then have poached pears in wine with a wine granitè – yum.

swans down cake flour

I have recently come across Swans Down extra fine cake flour. On the package is this statement: “Since 1895, Swans Down cake flour has been specially milled from soft winter wheat to give all your cakes a fine, velvety texture.” If it’s been around since 1895, why haven’t I heard of it till now? Oh, I know, it’s because it’s made by a company that markets to Eastern Canada and I grew up in the West and because it’s not easy to find. I discovered Swans Down at Summerhill Market in Toronto and have heard it’s only available at a small handful of stores in Toronto. The 1 kg bag at Summerhill Market costs $4.29.

Milled incredibly fine, this flour has the feel of potato starch. I think it is useful for cakes that require a light, delicate crumb. I plan to experiment with it over the coming months. If you know other places to purchase Swans Down in Toronto, please let me know.

Swans Down Cake Flour is made in Canada and is a product of Dover Industries Limited, www.dovergrp.com/index.htm. The website, however, does not list their retailers.

angel food cake

Martha + Jaime = this week’s dessert! An unlikely duo – not really. I think the emphasis on simplicity and flavour in some of their recipes work well together.

The dessert that I made for this Friday night dinner was a vanilla bean angel food cake, oven roasted strawberries, lemon, lime and peppermint sorbet, and whip cream and lemon sauce. It turned out to be a light, fresh, and tasty dessert. Angel food cake is a lovely light and white cake with a tender crumb. It’s distinguished by its lack of egg yolks, chemical leaveners and fat. In my cake, I added vanilla bean to heighten and highlight the flavour of vanilla. Roasting strawberries, which is incredibly simple, increases their flavour, and I think they would also be fantastic with yogurt, ice cream or even on their own. The sorbet is simple, light, tangy and refreshing. I enjoy the look and taste of the tiny bits of zest and mint in the sorbet, but if your not sure, just sieve out the zest and mint, and you will still have a wonderful sorbet. The angel food cake compliments the roasted strawberries, sorbet and lemon sauce; it also acted as a sponge soaking in the wonderful flavours. Deceptively simple and quick, this dessert will have your guests thinking you slaved away!








vanilla bean angel food cake with oven roasted strawberries and lemon, lime and peppermint sorbet


vanilla bean angel food cake

1 1/4 cups sifted flour (not self-rising) – I used Swans Down extra fine cake flour; sifted flour means sift the flour first before measuring!
1 1/2 cups sugar
a pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups eggs whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise and use scraped seeds)

you will also need a 10 inch tube pan
makes one 10 inch cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. with a rack in the lower third. Cut parchment to fit the bottom of the tube pan. Fit the paper into the pan. Do not grease the pan. Sift the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt together. Sift again into a bowl. (You should have sifted the flour 3 times by now; this is necessary, as you want to incorporate as much air as you can.) In a small bowl, add the remaining sugar and the seeds of one vanilla bean. Mix and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Beat in the cream of tartar and vanilla extract. Raise speed to medium high; beat until the whites are nearly stiff. Reduce speed to medium low; beat in the reserved vanilla sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat until the peaks are almost stiff but not all dry. Transfer the egg whites to a large bowl. Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites; fold in gently with a large rubber spatula. Gently transfer the batter into the tube pan. Bake until the top of the cake is lightly golden and the cake springs back when pressed lightly, 35 – 45 minutes. Invert the pan onto its legs or hang it over the neck of a bottle or funnel; let it stand, in the pan, until completely cool, about 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the sides. Unmold cake, and remove parchment paper.


oven roasted strawberries

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1 pint strawberries

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Using a piece of parchment paper, coat the bottom of a casserole dish with butter. De-stem strawberries and place strawberries in the casserole dish cut side down. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and place into oven. Roast until strawberries start to “slump” and feel soft when squeezed, 10 – 20 minutes. After the strawberries are cool, transfer into a container or use immediately.

*both recipes have been adapted from Martha Stewart.


lemon, lime and peppermint sorbet

200 g, or 1 cup, sugar
275 ml water
zest and juice of 5 lemons
zest and juice of 5 limes
1 bunch of peppermint

Place the sugar and water in a pan, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a while. Zest and squeeze your limes and lemons. Chop the peppermint and the lemon and lime zests, the finer the chop the better. Mix everything together, cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight. Stir sorbet mixture and freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

*based on a recipe from Jamie Oliver

This sorbet should be eaten as soon a possible, or within a couple of days, as it will likely get icy, although you shouldn’t have a problem finishing it off. I have made this sorbet many times, and I haven’t tampered with the recipe because it is simple and good. If you want the sorbet to last longer, you will need to add an invert sugar like glucose or trimoline and reduce the amount of sugar. You can also add an alcohol like gin or vodka (use approximately 5% alcohol in the total amount of liquid) to reduce the iciness of sorbet and to keep it for a longer period.