Glorious Morning Muffins

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This is a wonderful way to start the day, and perfect for a small breakfast. You don’t always have to make 12 muffins!  Simply leave the unused muffin cups dry, and if you accidentally grease add a little water so the pan does not burn during baking.

YIELD about 6-8 muffins (depending on the size you like!)
PREP preheat oven to 350F & prepare muffin tin

Glorious Morning Muffins

Glorious Morning Muffins

MIX:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In separate bowl, WHISK:

1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla

MIX all together and ADD:

1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup grated apple, peeled
1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Stir just until flour is blended, be careful not to over mix. Evenly distribute into prepared muffin tin and bake for about 25 minutes or until nice and golden brown.

Breakfast muffins

Breakfast muffins perfect for just a few muffins...

A deLIGHTful career with Tracey Kusiewicz

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FoodiePhotographerTraceyK

Credit: Foodie Photography, photographer Tracey Kusiewicz.

Have you ever been served food that looked so good you almost couldn’t eat it? Maybe you took a photo and then devoured it? I admit, I have. There is a scrumptious career out there dedicated to capturing those drool factor moments called food photography. Until I met with one of Vancouver’s prominent food photographers, Tracey Kusiewicz, I had no idea what this world entailed.

After more than 10 years of work in Vancouver, you have likely seen Tracey’s work a few times in local papers, restaurants or cookbooks. Trained in Montreal, specialized in food & beverage, Tracey said, “I always knew that was what I wanted to do”.

In her south main studio, I joined Tracey for a small taste in the life of Foodie Photography. The radio played as I entered her studio, that is literally a kitchen with an open workspace attached, like a small dance floor.  The windows are ceiling high, and let in as much or as little light needed. It’s the end of a full day, Tracey was wrapping up and loading her dishwasher as I found a seat, and my mind reeled with only a million questions…

What do you enjoy photographing most? Dessert (said instantly, I agreed).

What are some of your work highlights? The most interesting things that occur are learning about new cuisines. I’ve done a number of East Indian cookbooks and learning about foods I’m not necessarily familiar with… and learning more by doing cookbooks is really interesting.

What restaurants do you like now? I went to CornerSuite recently, which was nice to shoot.

What inspires you about your work? That it’s different all the time. That there is variety and you’re not stuck at a desk, even though I am quite often [with post-production work]. But its not in a typical office way. I get up really early and my office is in my home. Or I am here [at the studio] or on set somewhere. There is good variety, so you are not doing the same thing everyday.

What’s challenging about your job? It’s feast or famine. There are lulls and then you get crazy busy and you have to split yourself in 10 different ways.

What are you known for? What I think I’m respected for, I have a value added type of service. I do the food photography, some food styling and a lot of prop styling – mould that all together and I developed a style of my own. Clients like that.

Who do you follow in the industry? Its good to look at your competition but you have to be careful that you don’t shoot the same way they do. Images are very influential, and you may not realize it when you look at things you tend to emulate what people do when you like it. I respect my peers. I like what they do but I try not to look at it because I don’t want to subconsciously replicate what they’ve done.

Donna Hay is a food stylist. She is such an icon in the industry, she is Australian, and she has a whole series of cookbooks. She is always very current, and very trend setting with looks.
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As I started to wrap up, we began to talk about what’s next. Tracey enjoys commercial photography and it is the staple of her client base.  But she continued, “In 10-15 years… I’d like to take a more artistic approach. I’m almost reserving that side of me now. I am being artistic and creative, but I’m not taking full control because I have to satisfy my clients too.”

Foodie Photography post card

Tracey's award winning photography in applied arts, a spoonful of saffron, taken with a special lens.

She crossed the room to find a post card for me, with an artistically photographed spoon of saffron, “I did win an award with applied arts [for this]. …I just did it for self promotion, self fulfillment, to feed my creative soul.”  Her tone changed as she talked about the photo, it was genuine inspiration and calm. She is an artist through and through. I felt inspired myself. I’m going to display the photo in my kitchen, right next to the spice rack…

Almost at Home with Pastry Chef Wendy Boys

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Pastry Chef Wendy Boys and Sous Chef Martin Roussel

Pastry Chef Wendy Boys and Sous Chef Martin Roussel make an entertaining pair and a great five course meal too.

Inside Vancouver’s very own Granville Island Market lies a hidden gem of a culinary experience that all foodies simply must delight in – EdibleBC Market Dinners.  After meeting with Eric Pateman, I returned to experience one of his private market dinners hosted by Pastry Chef Wendy Boys.

Shortly after market closing, we were taken to EdibleBC’s retail location inside the market, which transforms at night into a kitchen set for demonstrations.  A black linen table was set with silver and glassware, suggesting formal dining, but it was a casual affair set in the aisle next to shops closed for the night.

Second course

Second course: Local spot prawns, spring greens, grapefruit, pea shoot salad

Informative EdibleBC staff explained the evening’s format, encouraged us to interact and ask questions, and then turned our attention to the main event: Pastry Chef Wendy Boys and her Sous Chef Martin Roussel.

The final two courses

Fourth course, left: Chocolate Mousse with Cocolico sponge toffee awaiting warm caramel foam topping

What followed were five amazing courses created by Wendy, made with ingredients either from within the market, her garden,or her chocolate business. Each course demonstrated right before us as if on a TV set but we could smell the ingredients. The food not only looked amazing, but after seeing exactly how it was prepared it heightened the experience.  It was so casually interactive as well, that I almost felt at home with Wendy.

Fifth Course

Fifth course: Macaroons & Mignardise (second from right her signature vanilla salted caramel)

Known for her signature vanilla salted caramels, the dessert course was certainly a climactic finish. Adding to the feast of an experience, all guests were given copies of each recipe served to try at home, and photos from the evening were emailed to us the next day.

As the night began to wrap up, I was able to briefly chat with Wendy about her background and Cocolico.  When she moved to Vancouver, she was already an established and trained pastry chef with over six years of restaurant experience in Calgary and Montreal, she wanted to try catering and began working at the Lazy Gourmet. “But then the restaurant drew me back,” she said, and worked for another six years in restaurants, including working with Chef Rob Feenie at Lumiere. Later in 2009, she started Cocolico.

What’s the inspiration behind the name of your company? Funny story, I was looking for a name for a long time actually. My company name is Wendy Boys Chocolates Inc. and I thought it was boring, I wanted something more whimsical.  …My favourite word always when I was a kid was coquelicot, a French word which means poppy seed. I always thought it was fun to say, but most Anglophones can’t pronounce it, so we anglo and chocolisized it to Cocolico!”

Is your background mostly French then? I went to French immersion; I’ve always had an interest in French. Then I stuck with it and moved to Quebec, became bilingual, and moved to France. French has always been a big influence for me, and I’ve always worked in French kitchens as well.

Chef Wendy delivered a culinary experience that any tourist – or local – would write home about. If you haven’t tried her signature vanilla salted caramels, the salty sweet confectionery is an an indulgent combination for any sweet-tooth!

Cocolico burnt caramel sauce

Inspired by the dinner, I purchased Cocolico's burnt caramel sauce by Wendy Boys. Cocolico has sold over 30,000 jars to date, making only 140 jars in a batch. It is Wedny's very own recipe, and despite the name, it doesn't taste burnt at all!

The Pastry School Switch-up with Amanda Goats

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Orange Tyme Curd Tart

Orange thyme curd tart ganished with fresh thyme and a plump blackberry.

I arrived in Amanda’s north shore home kitchen on a Monday afternoon and was offered, “an after school snack” that trumps all of my previous after-school snack experiences: an orange thyme curd tart. Garnished with a plump blackberry and a sprig of fresh thyme, from her herb garden – in one bite it’s amazing. I had never considered the combination of orange and thyme before, but these are the secrets you learn in the pastry world.

Now a trained Pastry Chef working in Vancouver, Amanda Goats shared her experience with me on the switch from a corporate world to pastry. Amanda grew up in small town BC, where food was the heart of family social occasions. “I have always loved baking, since I was young. My sister and I used to fight over who got to bake the birthday cakes… My mom would also bake all of her own bread. I guess it started from there”.

After working in the corporate world for a while, Amanda’s artistic side grew restless, so she signed up for pastry school. Instantly she said, “I loved pastry school. It was the most fun thing.” Her program covered all pastry and some culinary fundamentals. Despite the intense amount of detail learned in a short time, she said it was all fun including, “…black box competitions at the end [of the culinary course], iron chef style, and you don’t know what your ingredients are. It was intimidating, but really fun.”

French Macarons

A sample of her French macarons, not macaroons, I learned from Amanda the extra o is part of the difference between these and the common coconut cookie.

My after school snack slowly disappeared, and Amanda share more pastry adventures, including what her transition out of school. Fortunate to work straight out of school, she has now experienced designing menus and creative desserts. Amanda even shared an insider perspective on Dine Out Vancouver, where the menus are set with dessert, “On weekends we were doing 400 desserts per night, and I was having to make all that product.”

Is it what you expected? It’s a lot harder and grittier…than I expected. It is physically tiring, but you don’t realize it until the end of the day. It is very hard on you. …I find it comical cooking at home now because the portions are so much smaller. I had to scale my [pizza dough] recipe from work down. I usually make a double batch and I made one-quarter of a single batch here, which made four pizzas. I generally make a double batch [at work], which requires 22lbs of flour and 7.5L of water. …I am definitely a lot stronger.

 

What do you enjoy most? I like the people I work with. Working in restaurants attracts a different type of person, there is a different sense of camaraderie.

Where do you find your inspiration? I have subscribed to bon appetite for years. They are by far my favourite… Epicurious is a mainstay for recipe searches too.

Pastry Chef Amanda Goats

At home with Pastry Chef Amanda Goats

Where do you dine out? My favourite place [right now] is The District. It’s a Belgium pub and all the food is good. They do really good brunch on the weekend too. Fishworks is really good as well.

When did you start your SweetPursuits blog? Before pastry school. A lot of my coworkers and friends were interested in what I was doing.

Amanda is looking into starting her own side cake business now, “I’m excited to do this,” she said with a smile. Simply by talking to her you can tell she favours quality over quantity and has a pastry instinct that is sure to satisfy any customer’s sweet expectations.

Endless Edibles with Eric Pateman

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Edible BC retail location in Granville Island Market

Edible BC retail location in Granville Island Market

On a busy afternoon in Granville Island market, I made my way to EdibleBC at the north end of the market. As I passed vendors of fresh produce, meat, breads and pastries, the market hummed to my delight, with tourists and locals. I had the opportunity to meet Eric Pateman and learn more about his business. We found a seat at the Granville Island Tea Merchant, one of Eric’s neighbours, on a first name basis no less, “Good afternoon Eric, what can I get for you?” Just like an episode of Cheers, everyone seems to know his name.

Later Eric explained, “It’s all about relationships in this business”. Owner of EdibleBC, Eric Pateman’s business is showcasing local flavour and he is a pioneer in culinary tourism.

Truly passionate about what he does, Eric’s energy is fresh and inspiring to hear, so when he began his story from the beginning I was all ears, “I’m a fourth generation Vancouverite and I’ve been cooking since I was 12 years old. I had my first catering company when I was 17.” Now he is a trained Chef, has an Oxford MBA, and is well known in Vancouver’s food industry.

Eric Pateman displayed in an ad for Granville Island Market

Eric Pateman displayed in an ad for Granville Island Market, as a Birch Syrup expert!

“I’m a local guy, that thought there had to be something better,” and so Eric left Vancouver on a search for something more. He did find some inspiration in Paris, France, during his travels, which he brought back to Vancouver. And EdibleVancouver was born. “I thought it would just be a website where I could tell people where to eat, and didn’t know if would go anywhere. Six months later we had five employees.” His business began as a culinary concierge, for people to tour the great eats of Vancouver, and it grew into events, and now retail, online shopping and even blogging.

In 2005, EdibleBritishColumbia opened on Granville Island in the spring. Known for distributing quality local artisan products, they host interactive market dinners after hours in Granville Island, and other creative culinary tourism adventures.

Inside Edible BC store

A selection of some of the products available at Edible BC in Granville Island Market.

What inspires you about your work? Its different everyday, everyday brings new challenges and opportunities. Companies approach us everyday with new products; we receive 20 – 30 products a week. We promote the best of what everyone else is doing. I’ve done the corporate thing, and this is much better!

How do you choose the products in your store? We have a monthly staff meeting. All staff are involved, products are tasted, reviewed from a marketing perspective, shelf space, etc. If it makes the grade on all the levels then we’ll bring it in.

Voted top 40 foodies under 40 in Canada by Western Living magazine in 2008, what do you think qualified you for this? Because what we are doing is unique. We are promoting small artisan products, and culinary tourism is huge now. Part of it is the business background, passion for what we do, and hitting the market at the right time. If we’d started a year earlier, it would have been a different story.


What is your favourite product? It varies every month.

What is your current favourite lunch place? Go Fish. It’s the best seafood in Vancouver by far. They do fish tacos, grilled oyster pulled sandwhiches, scallop burgers, and fish and chips. It is outstanding!

Birch Syrup from Quesnel, BC

Birch syrup, featured during EdibleBC’s 1500+ market tours during the 2010 Vancouver Games. Eric describes, “It’s like maple syrup but from birch trees. and comes from Quesnel, BC. Maple syrup takes 40 litres of sap to make 1 litre of syrup, and it takes 100 litres of birch sap to make one litre of syrup.” Birch syrup outsells maple syrup in their store five fold; with a more molasses and trickle flavour it has more cooking implications, such as birch syrup ice cream, salad dressing, or marinades for fish.

Well, if you ask this foodie, follow Eric Pateman and his endless edibles. You can trust his products, because they are passionate about what they do – their signature is sharing other artisans’ signatures! Eric Pateman’s team is still growing and the edible journey has really just begun, they just incorporated EdibleCanada…

Lemon Curd

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This is my personal favourite recipe, similar to the one Jill Shumka used when I visited her.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
6 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp grated lemon rind
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter

Method:
Beat eggs with a fork until blended, add lemon juice, rind and sugar. Cook mixture in heavy saucepan over low heat until thick, resembling soft custard consistency.  Then whisk in butter.  Remove from heat and pour into jars.

Cool, and store in fridge.  Enjoy!

Serving suggestions: This foodie’s favourite is simply spread over warm toast, or a fresh baking powder biscuit.  But you can also use more traditionally in lemon tarts as filling.

Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd

The Uncommon Cake Sweetie – Jill Shumka

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On a sunny afternoon in Vancouver, Jill Shumka welcomes me into her south Main Street kitchen. I feel like I am walking into a food TV set – a brightly lit and spacious kitchen showcases a double broiler overhanging an extended island stove top. Jill returns to her kitchen and begins to stir what appears to be lemon butter.

A professional ballet dancer turned foodie sweetie, Jill has been passionate about cakes and pastry art since her days in Europe. The mother of two is owner of The Uncommon Cake – a home-based boutique bakery, delivering customized artistic cakes and delicate cookies on request. I am experiencing a tour of her kitchen, and the chance to learn more about her business.

While living in Europe in the late ‘90s, Jill was looking for a career change out of ballet. Switzerland, where she was living, proved to be the sweet inspiration she needed. “Every other store has little marzipan du

cks all in a row and tons of other pastries”.

Slowly whisking butter into the lemon yellow mixture, Jill tells me about her return to Canada and how her business began. “I saw Martha Stewart Living everywhere and learned a lot from there,” but she signed up for culinary school too. “[The school] encouraged me to go to culinary school over pastry because it would give me more opportunity…I also took a night class in cake decorating, but it was very traditional cake designs.”

Jill was looking for more, “I essentially taught myself everything I know [about cakes]”, and she learned from one request to the next as orders came in through friends and referrals. Soon her website was born, bringing us The Uncommon Cake.

As Jill sieves the lemon into a receiving bowl, it dollops through into silky lemon curd – a filling for her next creation!  She continues to wrap the curd and I asked her a few more questions:

What keeps you inspired to bake?

It’s the final product, feeling rewarded by the end result and seeing that you have done a great job – feeling satisfied at the end of the day.

What advice do you have for a new pastry student/entrepreneur?

Learn from a mentor, to dive in and learn a lot in a shorter time.

What is your favourite recipe?

My shortbread cookies. They bake well, cut well and last. It’s a go-to recipe.

What do you enjoy eating, when you’re not making cakes?

If we have time away from our kids, we love Habit Lounge on Main in Vancouver.  They make really good Brie and carrot perogies.

Who do you follow now for inspiration?

Elisa Strauss in New York, of Confetti Cakes, she made a cake for Charlotte & Harry’s wedding on Sex and the City; and Studio Cake styles. For cookies, I like Elenis.com.

Hand crafted fondant art for Jill's next cake creation

Do you consider yourself to be a foodie?

I would have to consider myself a foodie because of my obsession with desserts. Maybe sweetiewould be more accurate.

It would seem she has always been an artist, from the dance studio to what now appears to be her baking studio, Vancouverites are fortunate that Jill Shumka brings an uncommon quality to her uncommon cakes and beyond…