Flexibility and resourcefulness are primary features regarding beach house cooking. For example, on this morning I had planned on making omelettes but went to the fridge to find that I only had 5 eggs. I had already texted D who was off playing tennis to ask him to pick up some bakery bread so I did not want to bother him again. As a result, my omelette plans morphed into frittata. This is pretty easy to achive at this time of year when fresh produce is more than plentiful. Freshly picked spinach was the pivot of the egg pie.
When we packed up our family home, precipitated by our Mom’s move to a nursing home, we dispersed many of the kitchen items that she had requested, back to the person who had originally filled the request. This meant that I received her mandolin (not the musical kind, but the culinary one). The device is a simple one and I get a special kick out of efficient low-tech items. Hers makes perfect little matchstick potatoes that work great for this purpose.
The potatoes were cooked first and separately. Make sure that you patiently wait for them to crisp up before you stir or turn them. Have a little taste to determine that the starchy surface that potatoes sometimes retain, has been cooked away.
Select a metal handled sauté pan that can go from stovetop to oven.
Fry potatoes, peppers and garlic together in oil until the potatoes are done to your likeness.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Cook the bacon until crisp.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Pour off all bacon drippings except for approximately 1 T.
Place spinach into the pan, cover and cook just until wilted.
Stir the potato and bacon mixture together and then place on top of spinach layer.
Whisk the eggs and milk together.
Pour into the pan until the liquid just covers all the ingredients (you may need more or less eggs depending on the width and depth of your pan).
Cover and cook on medium heat until the eggs have started to set.
Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and place under the broiler until eggs have completely set and cheese has melted.
Cut into wedges and serve immediately.
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Placing the sautéed spinach on the bottom layer will ensure that the eggs will not stick to the pan.
Oh yum. Use a fork.
Kath’s quote: “The two-pronged fork is used in northern Europe. The English are armed with steel tridents with ivory handles – three pronged forks – but in France, we have the four-pronged fork, the height of civilization.” E. Briffault, ‘Paris a table’ (1846)
When we arrive at the beach house on a Friday evening, haven accomplished the grocery shopping, packing and helping D load the car, the last thing that I want to do is think about is making supper.This is when we sometimes grab a U bake pizza or shop at the deli on the way out of town.But last weekend J1 and J2 made a Crockpot supper of pulled pork and since I have an extra pot at home, I decided to bring it out to leave here permanently.I assembled the ingredients at about 8 in the morning, plugged it in and got on with my day of work.
Here’s a beach tip: I plugged in the pot outside and had it sitting on a wooden step (in the shade).This way, even this small appliance didn’t heat up the house.The only downside was that I was afraid that the amazing aroma would attract the bears that have been roaming around recently.
I served this with a leftover potato salad and made up a simple green salad when the roadside corn that I was hoping for did not materialize.Easy, peasy and hardly any dishes!
sage leaves and rosemary branches or other “sturdy” herbs
Instructions
Stuff the whole lemon and garlic cloves in the cavity of the chicken and set aside.
Place veggies in the bottom of the crock pot to create a cradle for the chicken.
Rub the skin of the chicken with chili powder.
Nestle the herbs around the birds.
Cover and turn crock pot onto highest setting.
About half way through your projected cooking time, reduce to low heat.
When the chicken begins to fall apart, take the entire insert out of the heating element and place under the broiler until the skin has crisped up (about 10 minutes).
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The key to crockpot chicken is adding moisture to the cooking process without the chicken “stewing” in the liquid. This can be accomplished with preparing a ledge out for hard veggies for the chicken to sit upon. If none are available, roll up balls of aluminum foil to raise the chicken from the bottom of the pot.
In addition to rubbing the seasonings directly into the flesh of the bird, surround it with fresh herb leaves.
One last tip: if you have one of the crockpot styles where you can lift the ceramic liner away from the element that heats up, do so and place the chicken in the ceramic pot right under the broiler and allow the skin to crisp up. Friday night Beach House dinner is done.
Kath’s quote: “One of the faults which a cook should most seriously guard against, is bad temper….It is in the power of the cook to do much for the comfort and prosperity of the family….Never let the family have reason to say — ‘The cook is always cross!’”-Sarah Josepha Hale, ‘The Good Housekeeper’ (1839)
I have decided to create a Beach House category of recipes.When we are up at our little place on weekends or in the summer, our meals and recipes focus on aspects different from the city:
When it is hot we either try to cook in the morning or use the barbeque or crock pot.Our oven isn’t brand new (almost everything is a hand-me-down out here) and throws off a lot of heat.
There is access to just caught fish, freshly picked blueberries and produce from farmers in the vicinity. There is a Farmer’s Market set up on the highway every Friday in the summer so we stop on our way out and then utilize whatever we have picked up.
We often cook for large groups as my extended family has three other cottages on the road.
We typically skip breakfast or simply grab a banana, granola bar or yoghurt in the morning with our many cups of coffee and then have a brunch or lunch item at noon when the guys get home from playing tennis at Grand Beach.
Although there are a couple of well-stocked stores for groceries and supplies, they are all a twenty minute car ride away and once we get here, we try to drive as little as possible.As a result many of my recipes use what we already have in the fridge or larder.For example, in this one, I use 10% cream instead of milk because it was what I had on hand.
We try to cook with as few dishes as possible because although the water is plentiful (the water table is so high that we pump it up through an apparatus called a sand point), disposing of water is not as easy.Lake Winnipeg is in some trouble and we do our part by having our house water drain into a tank which then has to be pumped out and trucked away.I do recycle water as much as possible by using a “friendly” detergent and then letting my plants drink up the dishwater.
I would have preferred to have used a multi-grain bread but again French bread is what I had on hand.
Ingredients
1 loaf French bread, cubed
1-2 lbs. mixed berries (divided in half) I used fresh Driscoll brand blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. Frozen berries could easily be substituted.
6 eggs
1 ¾ c cream (milk can be substituted)
1 t cinnamon
1 t maple syrup
1 t raspberry liqueur (or vanilla which I was out of)
½ c sliced almonds
Instructions
Spray your favourite casserole dish with canola spray.
*A word of caution: the dish I used was too deep and took a long time for the eggs to set. Use a shallower dish like an 8½ x 11 pan for quicker baking times.
Place half of the cubed bread in bottom.
Place half berry mixture over bread.
Place remaining half of bread over berries.
Mix together the eggs, cream or milk, liqueur or vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup in a pitcher (easier to pour without spills).
Pour evenly over all of the casserole.
Top with remaining berries.
Sprinkle almonds overall.
Refrigerate for 2 ½ hours or overnight if you wish.
Bake in a pre=heated 375 degree oven for 30+ minutes. Ours took longer because of the depth of the baking dish. Use a shallower dish and you could test for doneness after 30 mins.
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I let it sit for 2 ½ hours because that is the length of time I have between D and J1’s departure for tennis and their subsequent arrival back home.Many mornings I take the wee One for a walk on the beach in her “Chariot” stroller but this morning, I am getting caught up on some writing in the solarium.
Kath’s quote: “O, blackberry tart, with berries as big as your thumb, purple and black, and thick with juice, and a crust to endear them that will go to cream in your mouth, and both passing down with such a taste that will make you close your eyes and wish you might live forever in the wideness of that rich moment.”-Richard Llewellyn
