As my friend on Facebook said, “There’s a reason everyone was going to Freudian analysts in the ’50’s.”
October 20, 2013
October 12, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving, eh!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving eh
It’s Canadian Thanksgiving, and you know what that means! Passive-aggressive machinations regarding who gets to carve the turkey and whether Peggy’s gherkins get to sit in Great Gramma’s crystal dish or if it will be That Woman Bob Married with her goddam pickled beets again, and what’s so special about pickled beets anyway? Great Gramma never served pickled beets; it’s just not right.
Where was I? Oh right, Canadian Thanksgiving.
I suppose if I googled long enough I could find some ridiculously convoluted excuse for why our Thanksgiving is in October instead of November, but the simple fact is, we’re a Northern country. If we waited till November the weather would be crap and people would literally die in the car on the way to the big family dinner, frozen in snowdrifts, their misery preserved forever or until the spring thaws at least. Seriously, this was my biggest worry when I was a kid; that we’d die right there on the 401 because of a white-out.
What’s on the menu at a Canadian Thanksgiving? Pretty much anything that would be on the menu at an American one, barring sweet potatoes with marshmallows (what IS that? some kind of practical joke by the South?) and pecan pie. Why don’t we do pecan pie? Because pecans up here cost about as much as truffles do, and you don’t see us making truffle pie now, do you? So we have pumpkin pie and butter tarts.
Butter tarts are perhaps the most Canadian food ever invented (pace Poutine!). There is some controversy about whether or not raisins go in butter tarts, and I’m all Team Raisin, simply because you need some sort of contrast to the delicious, caramely center UH “centre” of the butter tart. Nuts are completely non-canon, although a tasty addition; walnuts are best, because their natural dryness plays against the sweet creaminess of the filling very well. Think of butter tarts as pecan pie without pecans in it, and you can see why we like them so much.
Chatelaine is the definitive Canadian women’s magazine (think typical American women’s magazine, but with fewer boobs, less makeup, and more politics and social justice articles) and so it is to Chatelaine that I turn for a classic butter tart recipe. They’re all more or less the same, actually, but this one has a pedigree.
 Preparation time: 10 minutes; Baking Time: 16 minutes; Makes: 12 tarts
Ingredients:
12 ( 3-inch, 7.5-cm) homemade or 16 purchased frozen tart shells, each about 3 inches
2 eggs
3/4 cup ( 175 mL) corn syrup
1/4 cup ( 50 mL) liquid honey
1 tsp ( 5 mL) vanilla
1/2 cup ( 125 mL) brown sugar
1 tbsp ( 15 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ( 50 mL) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup ( up to 1/2 cup, 50 mL to 125 mL) raisins or walnuts
Oh, what a delicious dribble occurs when biting into these buttery tarts made by Tait’s Bakery. These are divinely runny so be prepared for the drips!
Instructions:
Place oven rack at its lowest level. Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line 12 tart shells with homemade pastry. If using store-bought frozen shells, use 16 and leave in foil cups. Place tart shells on a baking sheet with shallow sides to catch any spills. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with corn syrup, honey and vanilla until well blended. Stir brown sugar with flour. Stir into egg mixture along with butter until evenly mixed.
Dividing equally, scatter raisins or walnuts over bottoms of shells. Pour filling over top. Bake on bottom rack of preheated 375F (190C) oven until filling is bubbly and top is slightly crusty, from 16 to 18 minutes for 12 tarts or about 16 minutes for 16 tarts. Cool on a rack. Tarts will keep well at room temperature for up to 1 day. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Okay, okay STOP! “Delicious dribble,” people? If it is occurring, you’re using “dribble” as a verb, and verbs are tasteless, as is anyone who writes like that. Now go back to J-school and come back when you can write prose that actually makes sense!
Sorry.

Sorry
June 29, 2013
Mason Jars, Holidays, and Safety
I know putting things in mason jars is the very latest in foodie fads (if it’s 2010) but there are practical considerations to deal with. Here is one of them from Victoria-based private chef and recovering economist Janice Mansfield.
I know those little pies and cakes in mason jars are all over Pinterest, and they look as cute as buttons, but PLEASE do NOT bake your desserts in them!
Mason jars are made to be heatproof, but are not made to withstand dry heat (aka baking). Perfectly ok to use as serving dishes for things already cooked or made up. All it takes is one glass splinter to ruin your long-weekend barbeque!
Snack safely!!! and have a good one!
Happy Canada day to my friends in Canuckistan and Happy Independence Day to the Yanks!
August 27, 2012
Sunday Food Porn, slightly delayed Cake Edition
Just as with the real thing and our belleh, this GIF of a gorgeous lemon cake is probably going to be too big to fit in the blog, but Sooooooo worth it anyway. Click on the image to view it in full size 3D GIF form.
August 4, 2012
Don’t Trifle with Trifle
Yes, in honour of the Olympics it’s an All-British weekend here at Manolofood. The thing I love about a really good Trifle is… well, the things I like are how it helps you use up the butt-end of a cake that nobody wants to kill off, the fact it has fruit in it so you can pretend it has vitamins, the fact it has booze, and the fact that it doesn’t have any cloying icing roses.
Some use ladyfingers, some use jellyrolls, some use poundcake, some use Angelfood, but basically all you need for a trifle is cake, custard, jam or fruit, and some kind of booze. Here’s a nice roundup of Top Trifle recipes.