Quick Bites from Pender

Nettle-Mint Lollipops

In Island Life, Kitchen Tips, Lessons From Cooking School on March 19, 2010 at 7:17 am

Nettle-Lollipops

In my brain, it sounded like an inspired, natural way to colour candy green.  (The beets worked, after all.)

In practice, it results in Disgusto-Pops.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

Stinging Nettles

One of the chef tips we learned at culinary school was how to use pureed spinach as a green colour enhancer.  You put some spinach in the blender with a little water, blend away, and eventually, you have a vibrant colourant that makes broccoli soup a little greener.

nettles-blender

I got a green colourant out of the nettles, it was just a little more olive than vibrant.  And once the heat of the molten candy got it, it was so drabbed down that I had to use A LOT to turn the lollipops green — so much that the lollipops tasted strongly of nettles, and nothing of the peppermint extract I also used.

nettle-colouring

A lollipop that tastes of nettles is not A Good Thing.  You’re going to have to trust me on this.

Maple Blossom, Orange & Fennel Salad

In Island Life, Recipes on March 18, 2010 at 5:01 am

Maple Blossom Orange Fennel Salad

Two out of four of the ingredients in this salad were foraged at Mile Zero — on the deck just outside our front door.  But we don`t grow a lot of citrus in the Pacific Northwest, and while I have grown fennel (on our deck even!), I haven`t done it in March.

Which leaves the sorrel (sorry) and the maple blossoms.

Iced Irish Coffee

In Recipes on March 16, 2010 at 5:01 am

iced-irish-coffee

Some may celebrate with a green macaroon or cupcake, but ’round here, we pull out the whiskey on St. Paddy’s Day.

Join us won’t you?