All posts filed under: cooking

the Baltic states : a note on cookbooks

September 5, 2023
by spqr
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book review / cookbook / cooking

There isn’t much written in English about the cuisine of the Baltic countries. The countries that bound the northern Baltic Sea are diverse in their food cultures. But the most interesting are what is colloquially known as the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The Baltic states have a long history, and like other places this has included numerous invasions and occupations by different groups. From the 13th century Baltic Germans constituted the ruling […]

The saga of sugar syrup substitutes

June 13, 2023
by spqr
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baking / cooking

Sometimes a recipe calls for some form of sugar syrup that you may not have on hand. This usually occurs because the recipe originates from somewhere where the syrup in question is more common, e.g. Golden Syrup is more commonly found in Commonwealth countries. So know you have to find a substitute. Easy right? Not always. Substitutions are never 100% perfect – they may result in differences in flavour and/or consistency. For example molasses is […]

Pasta with mascarpone

May 20, 2023
by spqr
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cooking / pasta

With my new delve into a low-residue diet, I have to eat things that aren’t exactly the epitome of a good diet (i.e. potatoes, and white pasta). But they are tasty, This is an extremely simple recipe for pasta with mascarpone that anyone can make. It is best served with small pasta, such as shells, or long pasta like tagliatelle. This is also a good base sauce which can be used to create a variety […]

Making toasted sandwiches with a vintage French sandwich press

February 18, 2022
by spqr
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cooking / kitchen tool

One of the best presents I got last Christmas was from my daughter, who bought me a vintage French sandwich press. I like to fill these with cheese and sliced ham. This waffle press iron is a scallop shell pattern made in France by SEFAMA. It is made of cast aluminum stainless steel shaft and plastic handle, in mid-century style with a hook that holds the press closed while the sandwich is being made. The […]

Löwenzahnhonig – Dandelion flower honey

September 17, 2021
by spqr
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cooking / edible flower / recipe / Swiss food / Switzerland

In North America, dandelions are considered weeds, but they are actually one of the more interesting foraged plants, with every part of the plant able to be eaten. In Europe dandelion flowers are often turned into Löwenzahnhonig, or dandelion honey. The name dandelion comes from the French, dent de lion, or lion’s tooth, and the same goes for the German Löwenzahn. Of course this is not really a honey, but more of an infusion of […]

Cooking good food is not hard

November 29, 2020
by spqr
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cooking / food

During these trying times, it is good to find retreat to our homes and cook. There is some solace in the ability to create something that tastes good. It is no wonder baking tools have been hard to find. I do miss having the luxury of casually shopping for food in my favourite food hangouts. But there are options like home delivery from my favourite butchers, Sanagan’s Meat Locker, and Di Liso’s Fine Meats, or […]

A simple meatloaf

September 14, 2020
by spqr
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cooking / recipe

People hear meatloaf and they invariably moan. Yawn. Isn’t that a legacy of the 1960s? There is nothing inherently wrong with meatloaf, as in reality it is just an oversized hamburger. Its history likely dates back to sometime in the 19th century as a way of cooking with scraps of cheap meat, in the same guise as stews, or cottage pie. An idea repeated in many cultures – Middle Eastern kofte, German Falscher Hase (fake […]

Elderflower cordial

July 5, 2020
by spqr
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cooking / drink

I have two small elderberry bushes in the backyard. In the past couple of years, I have tried to wait until the berries emerge, but the birds seem to get the lions share of what is on offer. This year I decided instead to make elderflower cordial. Elderflower cordial is one of those seemingly European things, which can be used for numerous things – sparkling water, fruit salad, sorbets, or as a drink mixer. I […]

Sourdough starter pancakes

May 21, 2020
by spqr
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cooking / recipe / sourdough

So, what to do with the starter that is removed prior to the daily refreshing of a sourdough starter? It seems a pity to just dump it in the food waste. There are a number of things to do with it, and top of the list is sourdough pancakes. Just save the “discard” in a glass jar in the fridge over the course of a week, then use it to make this recipe. We tried […]