>Fresh Ricotta Cheese Cakes – With Fox Hill Milk


>

One of the things I love about classic Italian food is how simple it is and how it really highlights ingredients.  Therefore I decided to honor the high quality milk from Fox Hill by making little ricotta cheese cakes.  These are lighter that cheese cake made from sour cream and cream cheese but are just as tasty.  This is very simple to make and it has nice clean flavors that you are sure to enjoy.  
Ingredients:
1/2 pound fresh ricotta cheese (recipe)
2.5 Tbsp White Sugar
2 T Flour
2 Eggs
1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Orange zest
1 tsp Vanilla
1/8 tsp sea salt
20 dark chocolate disks
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
Prepare 4 ramekins by greasing the insides with butter then flour.  Tap out the excess flour. Ensure the entire surface is covered with butter and flour or the cakes will stick.
In a mixing bowl add sugar to ricotta, and stir with a whisk until somewhat smooth, then whisk in flour and eggs (one at a time).  When you have a smooth batter add in cinnamon, orange zest, vanilla and salt and beat again.  
Fill each ramekin about half way, then put 5 chocolate disks in each one then top each with the remaining batter.  ramekins should be about 3/4 full.  Do not fill to the top.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes to an hour.  They will get golden on the top.  They are going to puff up but will fall when cooling, that is expected dont be alarmed.
When the are done remove to a wire cooling rack and refrigerate.   Top them with a cool strawberry sauce and a little powdered sugar.  
As always thanks to my local suppliers:
Milk for Ricotta : Fox Hill Cheese House
These suppliers are located at the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market
A note about the Cinnamon I used:
While at the international day which is held every Friday at the Halifax Market I ran into a vendor who was selling spices and teas from Ceylon.  As with most of the vendors at the market he was passionate about his product.  His company imports spices directly from Ceylon from a fair trade cooperative of farmers.  He stressed the freshness of the product as well as the quality.  He was proud that the farmers could make a good living providing a high quality product, this is what we want for all of our farmers .  I ground up 2 cinnamon sticks to test and it was amazing.  The scent had an amazing citrus note to it and the cinnamon taste was great.   I will be doing a blog of them soon after I have sampled a few more products but had to give them props for the cinnamon.  They can be found at the market on international day and their website.


>Ricotta Cheese with Fox Hill Milk


>

I love italian food.  Can’t get enough of it.  I have already given you a recipe for a great tomato sauce, and now I will show you how to make ricotta cheese.  Ricotta is used as a filling for ravioli or other stuffed pasta, it is used in lasagna and is also fantastic for making all kinds of desserts.  You can get ricotta in the stores but trust me this is much better.  It is so soft, smooth, and creamy.  It has a clean rich flavor that can’t be matched by the cheese you get at your local factory food outlet.
This recipe uses 2 L of Fox Hill milk and will yield about half a pound of ricotta.  It is very simple to do and it will be worth the effort.  If you do not use Fox Hill Milk then you will need to as about 3/4 cup of cream into the mixture to get a nice rich ricotta.  I have made this a number of times and I can tell you honestly tell you using Fox Hill’s milk results in the best ricotta that I have had.  It only makes sense as the more natural the product the better the results will be.
I will be using this cheese in several recipes I will blog later but this will go great in any recipe you have that uses ricotta cheese.  
Ingredients
2 L Unhomogenized Milk or 2 L Whole Milk and 3/4 cup cream
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp salt
Cheese Cloth (this will be required to drain the cheese)
Add the milk and salt to a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven and heat the milk to 180 degrees.  Be careful to not let the milk boil.  Make sure you put the thermometer into the milk deep enough to get an accurate reading.  When the milk is to temperature add in the lemon juice and gently stir it in one or two stirs, do not aggressively stir because you do not want the curds to be broken up.  
Turn the heat to low and allow to cook for 15 minutes longer.  Again do not let it come to a boil.  After 15 minutes turn off the pot and cover.  Allow to sit for about 30 minutes to an hour or until you see the curds formed and the liquid separating.  You will see the milk curdle when you add the lemon juice this is not what you are looking for.  You want the milk solids to really form up or the liquid will not strain off.

When this is completed line a colander with several layers of cheese cloth.  Slowly pour the mixture into the cheese cloth and allow to drain until all of the liquid has passed through.  (About 30 min to an hour).  You can then take the cheese and put it in a storage container and refrigerate or use it right away.  It will stay fresh 2 to 3 days.
Special thanks to Fox Hill Cheese House for making such a wonderful product.

>Fox Hill Cheese House HAS MILK!!!!!!


>

I have been a big fan Fox Hill Cheese House for 4 or 5 years now.  I have an issue with commercial milk products.  Something in the processing causes me to have itching on my hands and I get stuffed up.  I thought I was reacting to dairy products which was really strange because it was never an issue for the first 30 years of my life.  Being a cheese freak I could not stop eating cheese and when I heard about Fox Hill I drove right up the next weekend for some cheese.  The first thing I noticed was that I did not react.  I decided to test it out and went back and bought some gelato and some cheese curd and consumed it all in one night (the sacrifices we make).  No reaction at all.  I was thrilled.  I have been a customer ever sense.

When I was visiting them I heard the story of how they graze, and care for their cows.  How much care they take to ensure there are no antibiotics in their milk and how they use their own milk to make their products.  The level of pride they show in their business and the food they produce shows through.  You can tell that pleasing their customers is the priority of Fox Hill.
When they came out with bottled milk I had to try it and ran down to the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market to get my bottle (ok, 3 bottles, oh yeah got 5 more…).  The milk is pasteurized so no fear there but except for that and the Vitamin D they have to put in it is unprocessed.  You have to shake it because the cream will rise to the top but when you drink it, wow, fresh cold milk, you can taste the cream and natural sugars.  It is amazing.  I had my first glass of milk & cookies for the first time in years.  It is by far the best milk I have ever had.  And no reaction at all. 
Factory milk essentially has the crap kicked out of it, they separate off all the cream using a centrifuge, high temperature pasteurize it, then pump in milk fat to the prescribed percentage, add back vitamins they destroy in the processing of the milk and homogenize the milk.  Of course this allows them to use the cream in other applications, make modified milk ingredients and allows dairies to make more profit off their raw material.  The final product is not however whole milk.  As with most things produced in factories you end up with a poor copy of the real thing.
At 3 dollars a liter the milk is cheaper than the organic milk sold in the factory food outlets and is a far superior product.   I am very excited to have this available to me and I encourage you to go try a bottle (just leave one or three for me).  If you have a chance go up to their Port Williams location and take the time to talk to them about their operation.  You will be impressed by the level of pride and commitment to quality that they have.  You will also get some of the best gelato available.  If you don’t want to take the trip to the valley then visit them at the market and you can get a sample of their milk (and gelato).  

>Poached Eggs on Roasted Root Vegetable Hash


>

As those who follow my blog may know I am a bit of a breakfast lover.  I enjoy a hearty breakfast and love a properly cooked egg.  This morning I got up and saw the wonderful selection of root vegetables I purchased at the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market and decided poached eggs on hash would be ideal.  
To make my roasted vegetable hash I first needed roasted vegetables.  Since it is winter and I am trying to eat locally then the roasted veggies are root vegetables.   I picked up some great red onions, sweet potatoes, multicolored carrots and fingerling potatoes from Noggins Corner Farm those served as the base for my breakfast.  Who said winter eating is boring in Nova Scotia.
Roasted Root Vegetables
12 Fingerling Potatoes 1 inch slices
3 Carrots Sliced
3 Small to Medium Sweet Potatoes 1 inch dice
1 Red Onion Chopped
2 cloves of Garlic Sliced
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
6 sprigs of Oregano
3 sprigs of Rosemary
Preheat the oven to 375.  Chop up the vegetables and put them in a roasting pan.  sprinkle with salt and pepper, add in the herbs and toss to coat all of the root veggies.   Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.  Allow them to brown slightly but take care not to burn the onions or garlic.  Stir occasionally to allow for even roasting.
Remove from the oven.  These can be served as part of a main course or as I did this morning be used in a hash.
Roasted Vegetable Hash with Poached Eggs
1 Recipe of Roasted Root Vegetables
6 strips of bacon
1 tsp Paprika
8 fresh eggs
1 Tbsp Salt
2 tsp vinegar (rice wine I prefer)
Fry off 6 strips of bacon until crispy.  If you are using good smoked bacon render the fat off on medium low heat and then drain off the fat and crisp up.  It takes a little more time but you end up with better bacon.  
Prepare water for poaching the eggs but filling up a large frying pan with water, add in the salt and vinegar, bring to a simmer. 
Roughly mash up the hash and add to the pan (preheated) you used to cook the bacon and add the paprika.  Fry until potatoes turn a nice shade of golden.  Between the oil in the roasted vegetables and the residual bacon fat you will be able to brown up the potatoes.
To poach the eggs crack each egg into a small bowl and slide into the simmering water.  Cook them until the whites are firm but the yokes are still runny.  The yoke makes a beautiful sauce for the hash.
Plate the eggs on top of the hash.  I find this hash sweet enough to support a little spice so I topped it with sriracha hot sauce and some fresh cilantro.  
Thanks to my local suppliers:
Root Vegetables: Noggins Corner Farm
Garlic, Eggs and Bacon : Active Life Farm
Fresh Herbs : Riverview Herbs
And as always the Halifax Seaport Farm Market for providing a place for me to purchase great local product.  (Especially in the Winter)

>Oatmeal Cookies with Drunken Dried Fruit


>

Who want to make cookies this weekend!!!  I have heard people say they don’t like a lot of things, but cookies are not one of them.  We can all think back to the smell of homemade cookies fresh out of the oven.  The taste of a warm cookie with a tall glass of cold milk, and of course sneaking cookies from the freezer for a midnight snack. (Ok maybe that was just me — blush) 
One of my favorite cookies is an oatmeal cookie with raisins or assorted dried fruits.  It just so happens that oatmeal is incredibly good for you.  I am not promoting this as a health cookie, you wont see me on an infomercial promoting this a a cookie that will cure your every ailment.  However increasing your intake of oatmeal does help reduce weight, lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.  Oatmeal also is loaded with fiber which makes you feel full so you will eat less.  So if you can replace a factory food cookie with something that contains oatmeal then you have done a good thing.
This cookie is also very flavorful.  I think that we can eat our way to better health and weight (in my case a major concern) by eating better food.  However for me this only works if it tastes good.  Here is a cookie that I have come up with that is a good choice for a sweet snack.  
Ingredients:
1 Cup Butter (organic and local is best) – At room temperature
3/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Eggs (beaten)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp Honey
1 1/2 cups Whole White Flour (if you cant get this go half & half white and whole wheat)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon of Ground Cloves
2 Cups of Rolled Oats
1/3 cup dark raisins
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup dark rum or orange juice
Directions
This recipe takes a little bit of wait time at the beginning.  Take your butter out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.  Put the dried fruit in a small pot and cover with dark rum or orange juice.  Put over very low heat, the warmer element of your stove if you have one is ideal.  Allow the dried fruit to sit until the butter is soft.  
Preheat your oven to 375
When the butter is softened, place it along with the brown sugar in the bowl of a Kitchen Aid Mixer with the whisk attachment (or a large metal bowl and use a hand mixer).  I don’t shill for Kitchen Aid by the way but their mixer is one of my favorite kitchen helpers and I use it extensively.  Beat the sugar into the butter until it is smooth.  It is important not to use melted butter the sugar grains when beat in with the butter form little pockets of air which will make the cookies lighter in texture.  
Next add in the eggs, honey and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.  In another bowl combine the  flour, baking soda and spices.  Change the mixing attachment on your mixer to the paddle.  Mix these well then sift into your wet ingredients adding about a third at a time stirring each time to incorporate.  Don’t skip the sifting step.  It will ensure the flavors are well mixed and will weed out any lumps of baking soda which can be a very unpleasant bite.
Drain the fruit in a strainer and then add the fruit and oatmeal to the mixer and stir until incorporated.  
Now for cookie sheets I highly recommend a nice heavy cookie sheet with a silicon mat to help stop sticking.  These produce nice evenly browned cookies that do not stick and make cleanup a non issue.  To scoop out the cookies I recommend getting a disher.  It is like a small ice cream scoop, you can get them in various sizes and they will make a nice uniform cookie.
Scoop the cookies out onto your cookies sheet in about tablespoon full sizes.  I like to press them down a bit to make a cookie about half an inch thick.  Bake in the 375 oven for twelve to fifteen minutes.  Check the first batch often, you want a nice golden brown, they will still be soft.  Remove from the cookie sheet on to a wire rack.  This recipe will make about 2 dozen cookies.
Play around with the recipe, try different dried fruits (though I recommend soaking them to add additional flavor and to stop them from turning into little bullets).  Also you may want to add more spices or maybe play with adding a little nutmeg.  Taste and try, that is the secret to good home cooking.
Thanks again to my local suppliers:
Oatmeal and Whole White Flour – Speerville Mills

>Smoked Salmon on Fresh Bagel – A great local treat


>

I have already blogged about the bagels from Spice of Life Artisan Foods at the Halifax Seaport Market in my breakfast sandwich blog.  But this morning I have to mention them again because I paired them with another treat from the Market and wanted to share the experience.
This morning I paired the bagel with some beautiful rich smoked salmon that I got at the Halifax Market on Saturday.  I have bought some nice clams, and fresh haddock from Evan’s Fresh Sea Food before and will have some recipes to blog out in the near future, however I had to share with you the delightful smoked salmon experience I had this morning.
Smoked salmon is a real treat, and Evan’s does a great job preparing it for us.  The cure has just the right amount of salt and the light smoke taste does not overwhelm the beautiful salmon that is used.  The fish is rich and almost buttery in texture and had a clean fresh flavor.  This combined beautifully with some nice creamed cheese, a crisp bagel, and some fresh snipped chives.  
I found the balance of flavors in the salmon to be perfect.  I enjoyed every aspect of it and it made for a great start to the day.  This was not a planned blog but the experience was so good I thought I would share it.  This was a great local food treat.
I have shared with family and friends my reasons for eating local and my experiences.  It started out as a reaction to the dismal quality of the food in our local factory food outlets.  The questionable handling of meat, the produce that is full of mold or that is half rotten the day after you buy it and all of the additives and chemicals that we must endure drove me to look for a better option.  I figured that even if I had to sacrifice variety, put in a little more work and spend extra money it would be worth it.
However the results have been surprising.  I find that I waste less food, and that the price difference is not as high as I thought it would be.  I always cook so the additional work is really not there, and I have found ways to make cooking from scratch work for me even during busy times.  As far as variety and quality, there is no comparison.  I am eating a wider variety of food than ever before, and the food is amazing.  I can’t remember ever having smoked salmon on fresh bagels at home and having it be this good.  This was an outstanding taste treat once of many that I have had since starting to eat local.   
I would encourage you to review my prior blog articles and see what I am doing with local foods.  I am now giving links to local suppliers in every recipe and have links on the right hand side of the menu.  If you don’t live in Nova Scotia, please google around and find the local suppliers in your area.  Our local farmers provide us food with pride.  Factory food outlets (even the one that has their president choose food for us, ya right) take pride in their share price and CEO’s bonus structure.  Lets vote with our dollars and pay those who are looking to provide us their best.  The experience of eating local is too good not to be shared.