Sea Salt & Cinnamon Candied Almonds

So, if you're anything like me winter time has you craving sweets. I could eat candy for days. When my self restraint is fully operational, I like to substitute healthier options for unhealthy cravings. These almonds are a nice compromise.

This took me 10 minutes to make using the dry caramel method. If you haven't done this before, the key is to start with a hot pan or pot and pay attention.

1 cup Almonds (roasted or raw)
2 Tbsp Corn syrup
4 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Sea Salt

Heat a sauce pan to medium-high. Add corn syrup, cinnamon, and sugar to the hot pan. Allow the sugar to dissolve and the mixture to boil. Once the colour starts to darken add the almonds and stir. Ensure all almonds are well coated. While still hot, spread the almonds out on parchment paper and sprinkle with sea salt. Be sure to spread them out as much as possible, they will be difficult to separate when they cool.

Treacle Tart w/ Cinnamon Glazed Apple

As a pastry chef, the old world recipes are always fascinating and fun to try. It's interesting to see what was being done in the world of food as society progressed, better still, we can actually replicate these dishes and experience a little of our own ancestry first hand.

One such dessert is, as the title suggests, a treacle tart. A simple short crust with a tooth-achingly sweet filling, the tart is a great way to use up stale bread (and it isn't bread pudding). This recipe is a twist on the classic, I've removed the lemon from the filling to let the treacle shine through and decided to go with a cinnamon apple as a contrast instead.

1 8" Baking tin lined with short crust
1 jar Lyle's golden syrup or treacle (must be treacle)
1 1/2 cups Plain breadcrumb
1/4 cup Cream
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg

2 apples (peeled, halved, cored)
1/4 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Cinnamon stick

Combine treacle, bread crumb, eggs, vanilla, and cream. Pour into short crust lined tin (ensuring crust is high enough for filling not to overflow).

In a small saucepan bring sugar, water and cinnamon to a boil, continue to boil for 5 minutes. Add the apple halves and poach for 3 minutes. Remove apples from the liquid, once cool enough to handle slice the halves thinly and arrange them on top of the tart. With a pastry brush, coat the top of the tart with the poaching liquid.

Place in a 350 degree f oven for 30-40 minutes. Crust should be golden and the filling firm but not dry.

Slice and serve with hot custard or ice cream. Then sit back and enjoy the praise you will receive for serving this easy to prepare dessert.

Garlic Braised Back Ribs

The long, grey winter in Toronto always leaves me missing BBQ season. As an apartment dweller in the city, my grill time already verges on non-existent, winter is a no-grill zone for me. Here's a recipe I recently created to bring a little taste of the BBQ indoors this winter. These ribs are succulent and tender, a perfect make ahead dish for guests or a nice Sunday meal with a glass of wine.

Garlic Braised Ribs
1 kg Pork back or side ribs
1 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp Soya sauce
4 tbsp Hoisin
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 large white onion (rough chop)
1 tbsp Grainy mustard
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp Sriracha
Garlic cloves (whole, peeled)

Combine all ingredients in a covered baking dish, I used a Betty Crocker Dutch Oven for this recipe. For the garlic you can add as much or as little as you prefer, keeping in mind the flavour will mellow as it roasts. I love garlic, it's a great flavour and a curative! I added roughly 20 cloves.

Place the covered meat in the oven at 300 degrees f for 2 hours. Remove the lid and continue cooking for an additional hour.

This was a simple Sunday meal, served with rice and pickled beans.

Saturday Brunch

Nothing says weekend breakfast like pancakes. A fun change up to the typical brunch fair ( and a good way to cut the sugar) is to make them savoury! A great addition to any brunch buffet.

Broccoli and Feta Pancakes
1 cup ap flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tsp baking soda
Feta cheese
1/2 head of broccoli (fine diced)

Whisk together the flour, eggs, milk., salt and baking soda. The consistency should be medium thick, for fluffier pancakes. Add crumbled feta cheese and broccoli and mix until incorporated.

Drop batter onto medium high greased pan. Flip when golden.

I decided to throw down a slice of mozzarella to have fried in the centre. Try different types of filling out, this. Is a versatile recipe. Have fun!

Spicy Salted Caramel

If you've never worked with Caramel before this recipe may take some practise, but mastering the technique will make you a caramel pro! It is the same basic method for everything from brittle to sauce.

1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
3 tsps sea salt
1/4 tsp crushed chili flakes
2tsp vanilla
1Tbsp cider vinegar

In a heavy saucepan stir together the corn syrup, sugar, water, vinegar and 2tsp sea salt. Place on high heat but do not stir. Brush down the inside of the pot with some warm water if crystals begin to form. Once the sugar starts to turn golden or amber in colour add the cream, butter, chili flakes and vanilla. Continue to heat until the mixture is 245 degrees F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, a chilled dish or bowl of ice water will allow you to test the consistency of the caramel. It should be soft and chewy but still able to hold its shape.

Remove from the heat and pour into a well oiled pan. Garnish with sea salt and score the caramel into squares with an oiled knife. Place the caramel in the freezer until firm, remove from the pan and break along the score lines. Store in wax paper in a cool dry place for 7-12 days. Try dipping them in chocolate for an extra treat!

There you have it, delicious, sweet caramel. By changing the amounts of liquid and the cooking time this recipe can go from sauce to hard candy with ease. You may also notice that I don't add brown sugar, and darken the sugar before adding any dairy. This is a more traditional method, the caramel flavour comes from the burnt sugars. Using regular brown sugar gives a butter scotch flavour instead of caramel.