breakfast tart

I am not a breakfast girl.  I know that it is the most important meal of the day, but I really struggle with sacrificing even 15 minutes of my sleep for breakfast.  That being said, I do enjoy breakfast.  The savoury aspect of eggs and bacon or sausages really appeals to me – pancakes, not so much.  I know they have good potential.  I just can’t seem to bring myself to eat them very often.  They are too sweet, too mushy.  So savoury it is.

A few weeks back I was cleaning out the fridge and found myself with some random bits and pieces that needed to be used: a few slices of bacon, an older jar of sundried tomatoes and a half bag of spinach.  My mind immediately went to a quiche, but Taster Boy is not a lover of quiche, too fluffy and full of eggs for him.  So I thought of a picture of a tart that I saw in Jamie Oliver’s book, Cooking at Home.  He had made it in a rimmed baking sheet, it looked rustic and a little different.  I pulled out the recipe and reviewed.  It called for it’s own version of crust and really focused on onions and spinach as the flavours.  Sounded good, but of course it had to be tweaked because I can seldom leave a recipe alone!

I opted to make my own stand by pastry crust but added about ½ a cup of sharp cheddar cheese, lowering the lard content to compensate.  This added a wonderful richness to the crust.  I used one egg and egg beaters to keep it a little healthier (yes, I know, adding the egg to the cheese to the crust was so not a healthy option, but pick and choose right?)  I loved that you could really throw anything into the tart.  Essentially whatever you would like with an omelet, you could add to this recipe.  Perhaps we should call this “Clean out the fridge Breakfast Tart”.

You could cut yourself a square of it and heat it up in the toaster oven, either at home or at work.  A grab and go breakfast that I literally have to just heat up is a good option for those of who prefer sleep and the snooze button.  I would love to hear what flavor combinations you might enjoy, or have already created yourself!

PS – my mom thinks this could be frozen well, because quiches can be frozen.  So I would individually cut and wrap in cellophane and then foil and then try.  Worth a shot if you have leftovers you don’t think you will get through.

Ingredients:

Dough
2 cups AP flour
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp vinegar (I was out of regular vinegar and tried red wine, it was pretty good)
1 cup ice cold water (you won’t use all of this)
1/4 cup Crisco lard
½ tsp salt
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Tart Filling
1 egg
1/3  cup egg beaters (2 eggs worth)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-3 cups clean washed spinach
1 medium sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese.
¼ cup chopped sundried tomatoes
4 slices of bacon, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare the dough by combining the flour and the salt on a clean counter top
2. Add the Crisco, using two knives chop it up into the flour to create an oatmeal consistency.  You want it keep little “pebbles” of lard in the flour and not make it too fine because in the oven these will puff up and create the delicious flakiness you want with your pastry dough.  I always used to make the dough in a bowl.  But I found the knives a little cumbersome in a rounded object and then realized you are already going to roll the dough onto the counter, so why not just start there?
3. Stir in the grated cheddar cheese
4. Beat the egg in a small measuring cup, add the vinegar and then add cold water until you reach a one cup measure
5. Make a small well in your flour mixture, pour about 1/3 of the liquid into the well.  With a fork start stirring the flour from the centre into the liquid and continue until fully combined.  You may need to add more water or flour depending on humidity of your flour
6. Lightly grease your pan with either pam or a light light coating of butter.
7. Roll out to fit your baking sheet.  Crimp edges, poke with fork and place in freezer for half an hour.  This way you don’t need to blind bake and then tart should not shrink too much or pull from the edges of the pan.
8. Preheat oven to 425F
9. Bake tart shell for 15-20 minutes, until just a about to brown.  This allows you to add the egg mixture and not get a soggy bottom tart.
10. While the tart is baking, in a large non-stick frying pan heat up the EVOO on medium heat.  Add sliced onions (if you are daring and like garlic, add a minced clove or two, delish!) Slowly sautee onions. Don’t rush it let them sweat and cook down, not brown.
11. Once onions have cooked for about 10 minutes, add spinach.  You may need to do this in batches depending on how big your pan is.  Allow to wilt. Cook out the liquid. If this isn’t happening, drain it from the pan.
12. Set aside until ready to bake tart.
13. In a small bowl combine the egg and beaters and whisk until light and frothy.  I find an immersion blender quite helpful to incorporate lots of air into it.
14. In the prebaked tart, spread out the spinach and onion mixture, sprinkle the sundried tomatoes and minced bacon and then pour in the egg mixture.  Add the shredded parm on top.
15. Turn oven down to 375F
16. Place tart in the oven, allow to bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
17. Remove and let cool to reasonable warm temperature, or even room temp and enjoy!

 

Guest Post by Jackie Connelly: Vancovuer Fall Foodie Events

Jackie had written this post a few weeks back.  It is my mistake for not posting it before the end of the month so a few of these events have already passed.  However I still wanted to post because it raises awareness of these great events, and you can make a mental note for next year… I know I will!  My apologies to Jackie and any readers who may have tried out the event on Oct 1.  And if you can, drop in to Jackies’ Food Photography 101 seminar as part of Sustenance!

Without a doubt Fall is the season for foodie events. Whether they’re fundraisers for non-profits, cooking classes or appreciating food art, Vancouver has a lot to offer if you’re looking to get out and expand your foodie activities. Here’s a list to get you going:

Vancouver Farmers Markets is presenting RIPE: the 1^st Annual Evening of Local Food and Libations at Performance Works on Granville Island October 1^st beginning at 6pm. Led by MC Jamie Maw the evening includes local and seasonal food prepared by Chefs Robert Clark and Quang Dang of C Restaurant and served canapé style, tasting tables from local food producers, regional beer & wine, two live bands, door prizes & a silent auction. More info here; tickets here.

Farm Folk City Folk presents The Sustenance Festival: Feasting on Arts & Culture at The Roundhouse in Yaletown starting Thursday October 1^st and going until World Food Day on Friday October 16^th. The Festival will offer a bounty of fun, learning, and agri-tainment, with over 20 food related art exhibits, 15 interactive pieces on display, and loads of events over two weeks. The Festival will also feature a special screening of the award-winning foodie film Tableland by local filmmaker Craig Noble, and a Pocket Market at The Roundhouse from 11am-5pm on Oct 16^th, with all produce from Southlands Farm in Vancouver.

I will be hosting a workshop during The Sustenance Festival called Food Photography 101 on Wednesday October 7^th at 6.30pm. We’ll shoot some food, talk about what you can shoot on your own at home, and you’ll get a take away with some basic techniques & resources for food & beverage photography. Any level is welcome, film or digital camera, laptop optional, tripod required. Register by email to info@ffcf.bc.ca or call 604-730-0450.

Long Table Series is based around the ridiculously long 40ft communal table in The Irish Heather GastroPub, where they host a series of dinners, each featuring a meal crafted by Executive Chef Lee Humphries and paired with a pint/bottle of beer for the bargain basement price of $12. Amazingly popular, these sell out fast and only a couple of dates remain. Check availability here.

Social Bites is a newer event concept in town, but certainly not one to be missed. Register online as a ‘guest’ you will spend one evening sampling meals at several ‘hobby chef’s’ homes all in the same neighbourhood, and then voting on your favourite while enjoying dessert at the ‘hot spot’ afterwards. The next event is October 17^th in Mt. Pleasant, and if you sign up I’ll be one of the hobby chefs cooking for you!

Happy event hopping!

Cheers,

Jackie

http://www.jackieconnelly.com/blog

 

roasted tomato bisque

I am in love.  In love, I tell you.  This is the easiest soup I may have made in years.  And it is all because of the talented (and pretty handsome), Tyler Florence.

For the last few weeks the secret ingredient, that stopped being so secret in our kitchen was tomatoes.  The tomatoes from the garden finally started ripening throughout September.  In the last month from 3 little plants we have harvested 25+ lbs.  I’ve canned them, made salsa, tons of tomato bocconcini salad, on toast, and of course the old stand by of pasta sauce.  So the other night I was randomly surfing foodnetwork.com and tried my luck at tomato soup.  Tyler Florences’ recipe came up.  It had something like 150+ reviews, most at the 4 or 5 star level.  Worth a shot right?

The thing I love, love ,love about it is how easy it was to make, and how fantastic the house smelled making it.  Basically you chop up your tomatoes and onions, peel the garlic and roast.  While that is happening, you reduce the stock, combine them, puree, season as you like and thin out to your desired consistency…so GOOD!  This is something you could make on a cold Saturday or Sunday afternoon while you are puttering around and then have some lunch for the week ahead at work.  Be sure to grab some crackers or some hearty bread to sop up the goodness!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs mixed tomatoes, quartered and cored (I used green leprechaun, roma and little cherry tomatoes)
10 cloves garlic (!)
1 red onion coarsley chopped
1 small yellow onion coarsley chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1.5 L veggie stock
3 Tbsp butter
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. In a roasting pan, combine the quarter tomatoes, chopped onions and garlic cloves.
3. Add olive oil and salt, stir until everything is coated
4. Roast in oven for about 45 minutes until starting to carmalize – stir a few times.  Let’s be honest you will want to peak because it will smell so good!
5. While the veggies are roasting, in large sauce pan, if not your dutch oven, add one litre (4 cups) stock, butter and bay leaves.  Bring to a low simmer and let reduce to half.
6. Remove bay leaves from stock, add roasted veggies and torn basil, purree with an immersion blender.
7. Bring to a low simmer, stir in tomato paste and cream.
8. Add remaining stock to bring it to the consistency you would prefer.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. EAT!

Adapted from Tyler Florences

 

guest blogger Jackie Connelly on Shaw TV

Work couldn’t be any busier right now.  To say that cooking or baking has fallen to the wayside would be a gross understatement.  I don’t think I have cooked a propper meal is over a week and a half.  I have this weekend off, a sheer luxury when you work at a university.  My hopes are to get our house organized, make some sugar cookies and get some work done for work. So soon, soon there should be more goodies posted.

In the meantime, check out this great 3 minute clip, profiling Jackie Connelly, guest blogger here. It’s a great post and insight into Jackie’s world food photography!  Congratulations Jackie.

 

Guest Post by Jackie Connelly: Food Photography 101 ~ Part 3: The Resources

Food Photography 101 ~ Part 3: The Resources
By Jackie Connelly www.jackieconnelly.com/blog
August 31st, 2009
Written as Guest Blog Post for Bakergirl Creations

At this point we’ve made our way through the creative and technical tips in Part 1 and 2, now it’s time for Part 3 – the resources. If you have any resources to add to my working list below, please leave a comment with a link to your resource…the more the merrier!

1. 1. Magazines. In Part 1 there were some links to a few of my favorite glossy, drool-worthy food & beverage magazines. In my opinion spending time deconstructing food shots you think are killer forces you step outside your bubble, which can be a very good thing. Here’s my drool-worthy list:
   1. Bon Appétit
   2. Donna Hay Magazine
   3. Dish
   4. Food & Travel
   5. Food & Wine
   6. Gourmet Magazine
   7. Gourmet Traveller
   8. Sunset Magazine
   9. Waitrose Food Illustrated

1. 2. Blogs. There are so many food, food photography, and food & prop styling blogs out there it’s unbelievable. My feed reader is jammed with so many, I only wish I had time to read them all every day. Therefore, this would be a ridiculously long post if I included even a small selection of them…so this is what I suggest you do to build your own list of blogs you love:
   1. Google ‘food blog’, ‘food photography blog’, ‘best food blog’, whatever exactly you’re looking for. Check the blogroll/links section of each of your favourites for even more. Caution: this can become addicting and an excellent way to procrastinate.
   2. Build a varied list of blogs, for all aspects of food photography include prop styling, cooking & recipes, food photography you love, and those tips & tricks kind of blogs.
   3. Last but not least, start commenting on your favourite blogs, and even start a blog of your own! Free sites like WordPress will have your set up and blogging in minutes.

1. 3. Classes. Online or offline, continuing to perfect your craft, be it hobby or professional, is a total necessity (in my opinion). Here are some exciting workshops and classes coming up around the globe:
   1. Workshops @ Adorama (US based)
   2. Want to learn from professional food stylists and a food photographer in San Diego at the end of September? Check this out.
   3. Marilyn Tausend seems to hold this same workshop in March, at least I’ve seen it listed for ’08 and ’09, cross your fingers for ’10 – travel and food photography in Mexico for 5 days sounds heavenly.
   4. Including shooting models, but also some fun sounding food experiences Red Leaf seems to have space left for their September 15-17, 2009 workshop.
   5. The International Conference on Food Styling & Photography, at Boston University. I’ve read the reviews; it was amazing. I’m all over this one for 2011, sadly there was nothing I could do to get away from my business this year, and it’s only held every 2 years.
   6. Food Styling Workshop through the Culinary Entrepreneurship Program in Los Angeles.
   7. Food Fanatics have some great videos on food styling techniques; these ladies are awesome!

1. 4. Books.
   1. For those of you that live in or visit Vancouver, I highly recommend dropping by Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks if for nothing more than to continue the drool session from your glossy magazine perusal.
   2. Food Photography and Styling by John Carafoli is chock-a-block full of great tips.
   3. Food Styling for Photographers is a great book, giving tips from both the photo and styling side of things.
   4. Lou Manna has written Digital Food Photography which I own, and though I don’t shoot in the same visual style as he does, and therefore not a huge fan of the photos, there are some decent lessons to be found in it.
   5. Earlier I mentioned Selina Maitreya’s book How To Succeed in Commercial Photography if you’re on the road to becoming a commercial photographer, but I think it could apply even if you just want to develop a more holistic approach to your photography.

I welcome any questions, comments or otherwise, please feel free to email me at info@jackieconnelly.com. Good luck!

 

guest post on Jackie Connelly’s blog: pomegranate tea lemonade

Many people have asked for the recipe for my pomegranate tea lemonade, it can be found as my second guest food post on Jackie Connelly’s blog Be sure to check back on Saturday to read her last post this month of three on Food Photography – you’re sure to learn something new!

 

maple blackberry muffins

“Raspberry muffins.”  That was what was requested for breakfast by my 5 year old nephew a few weekends ago when we looked after him and his 2 year old sister.  We didn’t have raspberries, so it was off to the the grocery story.  They too didn’t have any.  The choices were down to blueberries and blackberries.  Blackberries were “close enough” I was informed.  So with my little helpers gathered around the world’s smallest kitchen we made these super easy muffins.  The results paid off!  Faces smeared with blackberries, and seconds asked for.  A successful collaboration I am positive of.

I found this recipe over at Gourmet Girl’s site.  I had been intrigued by the yogurt in the recipe.  I had made it a few weeks back for Friday treats at work.  So this go round with the kiddies I thought I would try it again.  However instead of plain or vanilla yogurt I opted maple flavoured yogurt, topped with maple sugar instead of vanilla sugar.  Regardless of what combination you built this as, I am sure they would work out.  A great standby to have kicking around when muffins are needed in a flash.

Ingredients:
12-1/2 ounces cake flour (3 cups)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup maple yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups blackberries, (1 pint)
1/8 cup maple sugar for sprinkling tops
paper liners or buttered muffin tins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl toss blueberries with about 1 tablespoon of flour mixture and set aside.
3. Whisk all wet ingredients together and mix well.
4. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just barely combined. add blackberries and mix lightly. Do not over mix.
5. With an ice cream scoop fill muffin pan almost all the way to the top. top with sugar generously and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove muffins from pan as soon as they are cool enough to handle. They will keep for 3-4 days covered at room temperature.

Makes 18 muffins

 

easy peach cobbler

Summer fruits are in full abundance.  The delicious sweet nector of stone fruits: peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums.  The simplicity of the fruit calls for a complimentary simple preparation.  Last weekend we were invited to some old friends for a BBQ.  On the menu was slow BBQ’d ribs, corn on the cob and salad.  Such southern comfort food needed a simple but tastey dessert: peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream!

I was debating between blueberries and peaches, but you could easily make this with just about any summer fruit.  I was thinking about blackberries, raspberries or apricots…or you could mix them and it would be delicious.  The only thing that took time in this recipe was the peeling of the peaches, other than that, it took no time flat.  Isn’t overly pretty to look at, but tasted pretty darn good if I might say so myself.  I could have eaten the whole thing!  (good thing I had some help!)

Ingredients:
6 medium/large peaches
Juice from one orange
2/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup cake flour (it gives more rise, but you could certainly use AP flour)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk – I didn’t have it, so used 1/2 whipping cream and 1/2 skim milk
cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375F
2. Cut an “x” in bottom of each peach with a sharp paring knife and blanch peaches in 2 batches in a large sauce pan filled with boiling water for 10-20 seconds.  Immerse into a ice water.
3. Peel off skin with a paring knife, begining wtih the scored end and sicard.  Half peaches and then pit and cut lenghwise into 1/4 inch slices.
4. Rince out pot, and then transfer peaches, ,orange juice and 2/3 cups sugar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constanly, then noil sitrring occasionally, 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.
5. Pour melted butter into a 13″x9″ bking dish.
6. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt 1 cup sugar in abowl.
7. Thene whisk in milk until just combined.
8. Pour batter over butter in pan (do not stir).
9. Pour peaches over batter (do not sitr)
10. Sprinkle lighly with cinnamon if desirede.  Bake until cobbler is bubbling and top is golden brown, 40-45 minutes.
11. Cool in pan on rack until warm, 25 minutes.
12. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Serves 6,

 

Guest Post by Jackie Connelly: Food Photography 101 ~ Part 2: The Technical

Food Photography 101 ~ Part 2: The Technical
By Jackie Connelly www.jackieconnelly.com/blog
August 22
Written as Guest Blog Post for Bakergirl Creations

Since breaking into the world of food photography, I’ve met a lot of people (both in the real world and the virtual one) who want to get better at shooting food. I’ve compiled this beginner’s list based on some of the questions I’ve been asked and what I consider helpful tips to growing as a food & beverage photographer.  In Part 1 I focused on the creative side of food photography, here Part 2 is based on the technical side, and Part 3 coming up next will be valuable resources.

1. Get a tripod! It’s incredibly difficult to get good shots of food, or any table top/still life object, without a tripod. Having a tripod allows you to arrange your set-up, take that first shot, and then tweak your food and props to your hearts content without adjusting your composition, unless of course you want to.

2. Know your camera…and it’s manual functions. I’m a professional photographer, so I own a DSLR. To be honest those little point and shoots confuse me; all the bizarre symbols for zoom in and out, and they’re so small I’d surely sit on it at some point. But whatever type of camera you have (or want to purchase) remember: it’s not the amount of money you spend or kind of camera you’re using that will make the photos better. Ok, when we start talking about $40,000 large format digital camera backs then yes, one could easily argue my point here, but if you’re just starting out, buy only what you can afford and learn how to use it and it’s manual functions well. A camera that focuses, chooses shutter speeds and apertures automatically will not allow you to have any creative control over your shots, so pay special attention to the manual options chapter in your cameras handbook.

3. Try different light sources. Daylight, strobe, continuous – there are options depending on what effect you are wanting to achieve and what your visual style is (more on this in Part 2). Lights are available for rent from the local photography equipment rental supplier in your area (rent something over the weekend and you usually get 2 days for the price of 1, as most places aren’t open on Sunday). Whether you dedicate yourself to working with one kind of light source for all your work, or not, the lighting has one purpose: to make the food look as appetizing as it does to the naked eye, if not more so. I shoot with daylight ~ natural light from the two 16’ tall windows in my studio, and from two daylight-balanced continous lights that I’ll often use as a fill light to the main natural light, and as the colour temperature is nearly the same they are ideal to use together. Reflectors are also a huge part of what I use – giant pieces of white foam core are inexpensive and last forever, plus you can cut them into whatever abstract shape you might need. Also try black for blocking light. And small mirrors can work like magic to direct light into a dark pocket of the dish.

4. Part food photographer, part food stylist. I work with a food stylist, whose job is to grocery shop, cook, plate and tweak the food once it’s on set. However, when you’re first starting out you may not have the opportunity to work with a food stylist, so you must learn some basics yourself. A brush of olive oil goes a long way to making seafood and meat look deliciously moist; Kitchen Bouquet or soy sauce mixed with a drop of dish soap becomes a browning agent to chicken or fish, and alone KB makes a great looking cup of coffee, without the colourful luminescence (similar to the colors that occur when oil and water mix) regular coffee can have. You’ll learn to always have a “hero” product that is used for the final shot, while a stand-in is what you use while you’re tweaking things on the set.

 

a pleasant surprise + honour

Lovely Jill over at Jillicious Discoveries was justly recognized with a “One Lovely Blog Award”.  Jill has her own dessert company, Jillicious Desserts.  I admire that.  She found her passion and has followed it.  Now if only all of us could a) figure out our passions and b) work up the courage to make the changes needed.  A quote directly from her blog is, “It has been a great day. I love what I do”.  How cool is that?  More thinking is certainly needed on this topic I think…

Anyhow, Jill has kindly passed along the award to 13 other bloggers, and I was one of them!  This is my first blog award and I am so grateful for the little nod, so thank you so much Jill.  And now it is my turn – to pass along or acknowledge 13 deserving bloggers.  If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check them out!

• Annie - Annie’s Eats (a young mom, doctor and all round amazing baker/cook extraordinaire – no matter how busy, she is one of the most interesting and consistent bloggers I read.)
• Heather - Diary of a Food Fanatic (on a little hiatus for the summer!) (Because we’ve fallen in love with her puppy and his antics and being willing to try just about anything in the kitchen)
• Chuck and Angela – The Knead For Bread (for a pretty spectacular collection of breads, ideas abound and I am endlessly jealous of their creations!)
• Tlell - A Life Inspired (for finding inspiration, gratitude and wisdom half a world away)
• 28 Cooks (the first food blog I followed years ago…cool, healthy and vegaquarian options)
• Jackie - Jackie Connelly Food Blog (for amazing photography and showcasing opportunities in my wonderful hometown of Vancouver)
• Nicisme - Cherrapeno (for simple, tasty and beautiful meals)
• Bakerella - (for lets face it, everyone loves her creations!)
• Stephanie - A Whisk and a Spoon (for packing up her kitchen and moving from New York to Sydney and chronicling her baking along the way with stunning photography!)
• Julie - Measuring Up (for inspiring with healthy and clean eating options (and of course being a great meeting partner))
• Bake Or Break (for wonderfully stunning pictures and delightfully delectable desserts!)
• Lindsay and Taylor - Love and Olive Oil (for honouring the ingredients they use and respecting simplicity and love in cooking)
• “Tea” – Tea & Cookies (a fellow Canadian, and for introducing one my favourite features this spring  “Stalking Wonders“

So, I thank of the above bloggers for their contributions, I enjoy reading each and everyone of their posts.  I look forward to seeing who they will put forward as their 13.