Crumb: A Food Blog logo

menu icon
search icon
×

Appetizer

Easy Peasy, Fig and Cheesy: Fig and Cheese Tartlets

· 11 Comments

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Dairy Farmers of Canada.

All good things must come to an end, and that includes my little adventure with Dairy Farmers of Canada’s Cheese of the Month Club.

Fig and Cheese Tartlets

There’s nothing quite like receiving a lovely new Canadian cheese on my doorstep each month! I’ve discovered all kinds of wonderful new cheeses from coast to coast, some of which I was already familiar with, and some of which were completely brand-new to me.

I’m guessing the lovely folks at DFC like to go out with a bang, because this month, we got an extra surprise in our delivery… TWO cheeses!...

Read On →

Got Your Goat: How to Make Labneh (aka Yogurt Cheese)

· 11 Comments

After a cooler (and wetter) than usual spring, it feels like summer weather is finally here... and with it come all my usual hot-weather cravings.

Antipasto Platter with Homemade Goat Labneh

I've been making iced tea by the bucket-load, grilling pretty much everything in sight, and on days when even the grill feels like too much work, I've been assembling giant (and sometimes overly elaborate) antipasto platters.

One of my favourite additions for these platters is homemade labneh, a traditional Middle Eastern dish that's basically just good-quality yogurt that's been strained for a couple of days until it's thick and unctuous like a soft cream cheese, or left to strain even longer until it's thick enough to roll into little balls....

Read On →

Positively Radishing: Radish Toasts with Chive Butter

· 13 Comments

One of my favourite parts of June is the return of the local farmers market.

Radish Toasts

Compared to the bigger markets like the St Lawrence or the Brickworks, the little market at Withrow Park with its dozen stands may not look like much, but I think it's perfect. It's got everything I need... fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, cheese, bread, and pastries, all locally grown and produced....

Read On →

Foccacia 'Bout It: Tomato and Mushroom Focaccia Bites

· 25 Comments

One of the ongoing dilemmas of being Canadian is being endlessly taunted by the amazing products sold in American grocery stores.

Tomato-Mushroom Focaccia Bites

I mean, have you seen the pop aisle in an American grocery store? It's a magical place full of every possible flavour of soda you could dream of.

Canada may have cornered the market when it comes to potato chip flavours (ketchup chips FTW!), but when it comes to sheer mind­-boggling variety of just about everything else, the US wins hands ­down....

Read On →

Fiddle-Dee-Dee: Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns

· 10 Comments

Fiddleheads are one the surest signs that spring has finally arrived here in Ontario, usually making an appearance at the local market right around the same time as the first of the local asparagus.

Pickled Fiddleheads

The only catch is that fiddlehead season is mercilessly short.

Which explains why those of us who are in the know anxiously await their return each year with the kind of mild delirium that's normally reserved for hockey playoffs and Game of Thrones season premieres.

What are Fiddleheads, Anyway?

These adorable little curlicues are actually the shoots of the ostrich fern, which grows wild throughout most of Canada in temperate woodland regions.  The shoots are picked just as they unfurl from the soil, while they're still young and tender.

Their name, as you might have already guessed, comes from their resemblance to the ornamental carving that is typically found on the end of a fiddle or violin.

Cooked fiddleheads have a flavour that falls somewhere between asparagus and green bean, but with a subtle grassy note that’s all their own....

Read On →

Sgt Pepper & the Hungry Hearts Band: Ridiculously Easy Roasted Red Pepper Dip

· 7 Comments

There are a few dishes in my repertoire that are so stupidly easy to make that I actually kind of feel guilty calling them a recipe.

Take this crazy good dip, for example... literally all you have to do is throw some roasted red peppers, cream cheese, mayo, garlic and lemon juice into the food processor and then blitz until smooth.

That's why I call it "ridiculously easy" roasted red pepper dip, as opposed to "reasonably achievable" or "usually not too difficult" roasted red pepper dip.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

...

Read On →

Lavash Me with Praise: Baked Goat Cheese Dip with Balsamic Fig Compote

· 16 Comments

One of my favourite things about the holidays are all the cocktail parties. And not because of the cocktails, either... I'm strictly there for the food. (Okay, maybe not strictly. But mostly.)

Baked Goat Cheese with Balsamic Fig Compote

Forget the carols, the sleigh rides and the jingling bells. For me, the holidays are all about nibbling the evening away on a nice assortment of appetizers.

My own holiday tradition is to host a big open house where all of our friends and family and neighbours and everyone else we know is invited to join us for an evening of good food and good company....

Read On →

Secret Recipe Club: Ginger-Miso Edamame Spread

· 28 Comments

It's that time of the month again... the Secret Recipe Club is back!

I'm really excited because my my assignment this month was none other than our fabulous Group A leader, Jane, whose blog The Heritage Cook is bursting at the seams with all sorts of delicious recipes.

Miso-Ginger Edamame Dip

Meet This Month's Blogger

Aside from running the show for Group A, Jane is also a really talented gluten-free cook and has made over many of her favourites to accommodate her gluten intolerance.

She also runs a regular series called Chocolate Mondays, which is a positively genius idea if you ask me.

While it was tempting to choose one of her chocolate recipes, I'm totally obsessed with dips and spreads, so I almost instantly chose the Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread which Jane adapted the recipe from Food and Wine.

I just couldn't resist the bright green colour or the fact that it featured green peas, one of my favourite spring ingredients....

Read On →