kitchen rap

• new to the kitchen
• on the chopping block… Paderno factory sale
• Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh's High Tea for Spring
• from Kathleen's recipe box… Smoked Salmon Eggs
• from Kathleen's recipe box… Whole Wheat Scones
• from Kathleen's recipe box… Lemon Curd Hutchinson
• from the Robin Hood recipe box… Glazed Fruit Sticks
• publishing and subscription information

East meets West with Ming Tsai

Ming Tsai has created a set of pantry items offering everyone the cornerstones of his distinct culinary approach by combining Eastern and Western flavours and techniques. Add roasted garlic ginger soy sauce to meats or poultry for a hassle-free stir fry. Or use Ming's 3 chile sesame oil to add a spicy kick and colour. Use the dim sum dipping sauce as an accompaniment to appetizers, whether store-bought or home-made using recipes from Ming's Blue Ginger cookbook. Lemongrass ponzu vinaigrette creates a simple, yet flavourful, salad. And soy lime syrup over seafood balances sweetness with a zing of lime.

The Garlic Box garlic seasonings and sauces

Only fresh Ontario gourmet garlic is used to produce these innovative food products. Stored in your pantry, dehydrated garlic chips can be used whenever garlic cloves are called for. Garlic pesto seasoning makes a delicious pasta topping, or can be used to marinate chicken or tossed with roasted potatoes. For the ultimate comfort food, a teaspoon of garlic mashed potato seasoning turns ordinary mashed potatoes into a gourmet treat. The seasoning can also be mixed with cheese or sour cream to create a delicious garlic dip. Smoked garlic grilling sauce for cooking and smoked garlic cocktail sauce for dipping enliven foods with the flavour of smoked garlic.

Wildly Delicious' olive oils and bread dippers

Pure Italian extra virgin olive oil is made from hand-harvested olives and is extracted naturally without heating. Because they come from olives from the first pressing, Wildly Delicious' extra virgin olive oils have a pleasant, appetizing flavour and are low in acidity. Infused with roasted garlic, rosemary, lemon & sundried tomato, or basil, the oils are delicious drizzled over pastas, grilled meats, and vegetables. A medley of oils, balsamic or wine vinegar, and fragrant blend of spices unite in the exotic bread dippers, available in 8 inventive flavours. Serve as a tasty alternative to butter and other traditional bread toppings for a unique and piquant prelude to your meal. A wonderful accent for Italian crusty breads, the dippers also make a terrific marinade or salad dressing. Bruschettas and pasta have never tasted so great!

Wildly Delicious' glass rimmers

These sophisticated glass rimmers are the most exciting garnish to a cocktail since the olive met the martini. Try adding a delicious flair to the rim of your favourite margarita, bloody Mary or rum libation. Terrific around "virgin" beverages, too. The seasonings are a blend of dazzlingly delicious sugar, herb and spice rubs. Spice up your kitchen, bar and your backyard grill with margarita lime salt, tropical daquiri, bloody Mary/Caesar, Tahitian lime & watermelon, pina colada, raspberry lemonade, and cosmopolitan. For cooler weather, use the specialty coffee & cocoa rimmer with your favourite hot beverage. To use, moisten the glass by running a slice of lemon or lime around the edge, then press firmly into any glass rimmer. The sugar or spice layer should be thick, even and opaque.

From Canada's only stainless steel cookware manufacturer, Paderno cookware is made of high quality 18/10 polished stainless steel with an aluminum bottom pad that is bonded to the pot to transfer heat into the pot quickly and evenly, while the steel retains that heat inside the pot. The handles are made from stainless steel and are welded in place, so they stay on and stay cool during use. The special curved lip makes it easy to pour liquid from the cookware. The lids are designed to provide a vapour-lock seal. Oven, broiler, and dishwasher safe, Paderno cookware carries a 25 year warranty.

Through April 22, all Paderno and Chaudier cookware -- pots and pans, roasters, the asparagus cooker, woks, teapots, coffee pots, and kettles -- is on sale at a savings of 40% off the list price. You save 50% on the 4 quart sauce pan, 7 quart Dutch oven, and 4 quart casserole.

If you have never taken part in a real English tea, spring is the perfect time. "Tea" in England, of course means a meal, not just a hot cuppa and these days it usually refers to the third meal of the day -- dinner or supper to North Americans.

"High tea" was how it was originally described and it could be quite the substantial meal. My first experience with it came about years ago when I visited a dear aunt and uncle in Nottingham. We would sit by the coal fire and enjoy hefty slabs of cold pork pie, slices of cooked ham with dabs of fiery English mustard, small sweet tomatoes my uncle grew in his backyard, homemade fresh cheese made by my aunt, sliced hardboiled egg with salad cream and always the lovely little crusty rolls my aunt called cobs that she made each and every morning. There was soft English lettuce and sliced cucumber, maybe a chunk of sharp white cheddar and strong tea brewing in a large fat pot. We always ended with her buttery, ginger biscuits and slices of homemade fruity malt loaf or a sponge cake. Now that was high tea!

The original afternoon tea was devised by Anna, the seventh duchess of Bedford. Around the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign, the duchess came up with the idea of offering tea with small refreshments to fill that long troublesome time between lunch and dinner. Anna's tea probably included a grouping of delicate sandwiches composed of thin slices of crustless white bread, spread with butter and filled with rounds of English cucumber, salted and drained beforehand. Or, perhaps sliced, hardcooked egg and watercress, minced ham, anchovy paste or smoked salmon. Sweet followed, perhaps a Victoria sponge sandwich, the round, layered cake filled with raspberry jam and whipped cream or sometimes lemon curd, dainty little teacakes and tarts and usually a heartier cake like Dundee or other fruit and nut cake.

Combine these two themes and you've got the makings of the best high tea ever. And don't forget the tea! Brew good quality tea with just boiled hot water in a big, warmed tea pot and don't forget to add one extra teaspoon or tea bag for the pot.

Until next month, cook and eat with love,

Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh

Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh is a Toronto-born food writer whose work has appeared in major Canadian newspapers and magazines. Author of four cookbooks -- Rustic Italian Cooking, The Global Grill, The Sticks & Stones Cookbook (with Ted Reader) and The Wine Lover Cooks (with Tony Aspler) -- with two more on the way, she lives with her beau and their black lab and assorted children who come and go, in Niagara wine country.

Smoked Salmon Eggs

Here is a variation on a traditional tea offering; make sure to use good quality smoked salmon and, of course, the freshest eggs.

1. Using a small sharp knife, slice the eggs in half lengthwise, wiping the blade clean after each cut. Carefully separate the yolks from the whites and put the yolks in a fine sieve. Place the whites on a plate and loosely cover with damp paper toweling and plastic wrap until ready to fill.
2. Press yolks through the sieve into a small bowl, toss with lemon juice, then stir in sour cream and mayonnaise. Fold in 2 tablespoons of the smoked salmon and 2 teaspoons of the green onion, then fold in the black pepper and cayenne. Mixture should be quite creamy.
3. Fill each egg white half with 1 - 2 teaspoons of the mixture. Combine remaining salmon and green onion in a small bowl. Garnish each mound of filling with a bit of this mixture. Serve immediately or chilled.

Makes 12

Whole Wheat Scones

Make sure to serve these lovely, moist scones warm from the oven with chilled butter. Very good with sliced ham, smoked salmon, cheese or with salads.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220C). Line a baking sheet with a non-adherent baking mat (or lightly butter).
2. In a mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Add any whole wheat flakes that don't pass through the sifter into the bowl. Add the butter and work into the flour mixture with your fingertips until mixture is crumbly. Whisk together the egg, vinegar and milk in a little bowl and add all at once to the flour mixture. Stir to blend all ingredients.
3. As mixture forms into a dough, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth. Pat or roll dough into a circle about 3/4" (2 cm) thick. Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 equal wedges. Transfer to the baking sheet and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Makes 12

Lemon Curd Hutchinson

This is my mother's -- and her mother's -- old English recipe for lemon curd which can successfully be used to fill small tart shells, to sandwich a sponge cake, as the filling for a classic jelly-roll or simply paired with the above scones. Full of the goodness of lemons.

Combine all ingredients in the top of a double boiler placed over a pot of boiling water placed over relatively high heat. Cook for 1/2 hour or until thick, making sure to stir occasionally. Pour into washed and sterilized jars and keep refrigerated until ready to use. (Also great for breakfast spread on hot, buttered toast!)

Makes about 2 jars

Glazed Fruit Sticks

Hearty fruit and nut bars delicately coated in a sugar glaze. Lovely served with tea.

1. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir well to blend.
2. Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs.
3. Mix dry ingredients with creamed mixture. Stir in raisins, nuts and dates. Mix with hands to incorporate fruit into a smooth dough.
4. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Place 2 portions on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Shape each dough portion into a strip approximately 10" (25 cm) long, 2" (5 cm) wide and 1/2" (1 cm) thick.
6. Bake at 375ºF (190C) for 12 - 15 minutes or until light golden. Dough should feel soft, but will become firm upon cooling.
7. Cool 10 minutes on baking sheets; then place on wire racks to cool completely.
8. Combine icing sugar and water to make a smooth glaze. Drizzle over uncut bars. Let glaze dry, then cut strips diagonally into 3/4" (4 cm) sticks.

Makes about 4 dozen

Recipe © 2002, Robin Hood Multifoods Inc. Reprinted with permission.