Inside Pat's Work as Food Writer

A CONVERSATION WITH… PAT CROCKER

Posted by The Secret Ingredient on May 31, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

For a woman who specializes in canning and preserving, Pat Crocker is poetically named. Hertome, Preserving (now on sale) is the most complete—and beautiful—cookbook on canning, freezing and jarring you will ever need. Suitable for both novice and experiences canners, this cookbook not only helps you create your preserves, but then offers dozens of delicious recipes in which you can use your canned fruits and veggies! We invited Pat to answer a few questions about her food life and likes. Click over to this past blog post to get a feel for the book and see some of the beautiful color spreads, but in the meantime, get to know Pat!

 Mission:  Write with insight and experience, cook with playful abandon, eat with gusto.  

More on Pat Crocker and her cooking/food/life's work, click here...

Taste Canada Announces Book Awards

Taste Canada Nominees for Food Writing Awards 2012

The long list of nominees for Taste Canada's Food Writing Awards in the Single-Subject Cookbooks category have been announced and three (!!) books by Pat Crocker including one co-authored by Nettie Cronish are among the fifteen nominations.

Some information about the Taste Canada Awards:

Taste Canada — The Food Writing Awards is an evolution of the former Canadian Culinary Book Awards.

These newly branded annual Awards will continue to recognize and celebrate superior writing and publishing throughout Canada’s culinary world, both English and French, while acknowledging and respecting the authority and history of the original Awards.

Winning authors and their publishers will receive recognition through:

• media outreach
• marketing partnerships with Canadian publishers
• a paid Awards event in November 2012
• a trophy to commemorate winning a Gold Award
• our ongoing partnerships with Canadian media outlets, retailers, and sponsors, along with Taste Canada sticker templates for the winning books

To view all of the nominees in the Single-Subject Cookbooks category, click here.

The short list of books for the Awards will be announced on August 1, 2012, so stay connected right to this blog and I will bring you all the news.

Meanwhile, if you are are a culinary professional and interested in joining Cuisine Canada, go here.

Candied Citrus Peel

Candied Citrus Peel

Simmering citrus peel in a simple syrup made from granulated sugar and water is one of the oldest forms of preserving the unique fragrance and taste of citrons, oranges and lemons. This method may be used for any thick-rind citrus fruit or for fresh ginger but oranges are the best for eating as a candy or dipping in chocolate.

Makes about 2 cups (500 mL)

2 Navel oranges

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) granulated sugar

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) water

about ¼ cup (50 mL) extra granulated sugar for coating

1. Wash oranges by scrubbing them with warm, soapy water. Rinse well and trim away the ends of the oranges.

Cut the oranges into quarters and remove the inner flesh sections, leaving the rind and pith intact. Set the inner flesh aside

Cut the peel into strips that are roughly 1/4-inch by 2-inches .

2. In a saucepan, combine peel strips with 2 cups (500 mL) of cold water (the strips should be generously covered). Add ½ tsp (2 mL) salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil gently for 2 minutes. Strain, discarding the water. Repeat this step 2 more times. Rinse well with cold water.

3. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Add drained peel strips, reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 hour. Stir the strips once to distribute them evenly in the sugar water but after that, leave them to simmer without stirring. Check on the pan occasionally to make sure that the syrup is simmering gently and not scorching. A heavy bottomed pan is essential. After 1 hour, check on the pan every few moments. The water should be almost evaporated and the strips should be translucent and soft but not mushy.

4. Meanwhile, prepare parchment or waxed paper by sprinkling it with 3 tablespoons (45 mL) granulated sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and using tongs, transfer the candied strips from the syrup to the sugared paper. Toss well to coat the strips and sprinkle with more sugar if needed to evenly coat them. Use a fork to separate the strips. Let cool and dry overnight on the paper over a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for 1 week or pack into freezer containers, seal, label and store for up to 9 months.

Use: Dip the candied peel in chocolate and use as a sweet confection; use to decorate cakes, muffins or chop and add to the batter of baked goods. I have used them as swizzle sticks for cocktails and they are especially nice with rich chocolate mousse or brownies.

Winter Preserving

Winter Preserving

While Thursday December 22 is the actual date of winter solstice this year, where I live in Bruce County Ontario, we have snow on the ground. The Santa Clause parade comes to town today and I have a new ice scraper for the car windshield–all signs that winter has arrived.

Helen Hatton asks, "What's more perfect than a homemade holiday gift, especially when it's absolutely, delightfully edible and delicious? When it comes to holiday food gifts, just can it!"

Read the entire article or download it and the recipes in PDF format HERE.

Happy Holiday Preserving!

BookSigning Event in Toronto

Join Pat and Nettie at All the Best Fine Foods, 1101 Yonge Street, Toronto on

Friday, December 9, 2011. We will be signing Everyday Flexitarian books.

See you there!

Canning Video

Global Morning Cans!

Last week I went to the home of Morning Show co-host Daru and together, we made Scarlet Mango Chutney. In less than one hour, we made the pickling spice, cooked the chutney and filled the jars. Watch the results by clicking on the screen to the right-

Scarlet Mango Chutney

While this chutney is piquant enough to stand up to the spiciest of dishes, it is not the color one would expect: it is flaming red. I love the beet/mango combination and the cider vinegar, candied ginger, turmeric and pickling spice combine to transport one back to Bombay and turn of the century England, with its curries and chutneys.

I challenge you to try this scarlet version before going back to the traditional, glowing orange mixture, but if you really must have yellow chutney, simply substitute grated butternut or acorn squash for the beets.

Makes 8+ cups (2+ L)

4 to 6 mangoes (about 4 lbs/2 kg)

1 cup (250 mL) raisins

½ cup (125 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) apple cider vinegar

¼ cup (50 mL) apple juice

¾ cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar

2 tbsp (25 mL) Classic Pickling Spice Blend (page xx) or commercial pickling spice, wrapped in cheesecloth

1 tbsp (15 mL) ground turmeric

1 tbsp (15 mL) pickling salt

4 cups (1 L) shredded beets

2 cups (500 mL) chopped onions

½ cup (125 mL) chopped candied gingerroot

1. Dice mangoes following. You should have about 6 cups (1.5 L). Transfer mango to a large bowl and combine with raisins and lime juice.

2. Heat 5 1-pint (500 mL) jars in boiling water and scald the lids, lifter, funnel and tongs.

3. In a Maslin pan or canning kettle, combine vinegar, apple juice and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add turmeric and salt. Stir well and hang the pickling spice bag so that it is immersed in the boiling mixture. Add mango mixture, beets, onions and gingerroot. Stir and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally for 30 to 45 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.

4. Fill hot jars, leaving a 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles and add more hot chutney if necessary, to leave a 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) headspace. Wipe rims, top with flat lids and screw on metal rings. Return jars to the hot water bath, topping up with hot water if necessary. Bring to a full rolling boil and process jars for 10 minutes.

5. Remove canner lid and wait 5 minutes before removing jars to a towel or rack to cool completely. Check seals, label and store in a cool place for up to 1 year

Use: The beets in this chutney make it more savory than traditional mango chutney, so it may be liberally used with grilled and roasted meats and hearty winter casseroles and stir-fried dishes.

Judy Creighton, Canada Press

Stunning book on preserving local harvest is a guide for all seasons

book Preserving: The Canning And Freezing Guide For All Seasons (HarperCollins, $29.95)

The Canadian Press

Just because the harvest season for locally grown fruits and vegetables is waning is no reason not to keep on canning and freezing what is on hand.

In fact, following the seasons and “putting down” the bounty of local produce can be a year-round activity for anyone who has decided to catch the trend and make it their own, says Pat Crocker, home economist, herbalist and an award-winning author of eight cookbooks.

Her latest endeavour is Preserving: The Canning And Freezing Guide For All Seasons (HarperCollins, $29.95).

“What if you froze a lot of last summer’s strawberry harvest and want to make it into jam for Christmas gifts?” she asks. Well, it is really a no-brainer and it frees up the freezer for other items.

Most of all, Crocker wants to catch the wave of newly minted fans of getting back to basics, especially those who are interested in preserving foods for year-round consumption.

click here to read the rest of the story.

Thanks Judy, as a long time food journalist, you know what Canadians want and need. I appreciate your comments on Preserving.

–Pat

Book Reviews

Vegan Cook's Bible

As you know, this book has just won GOLD in the first, annual Living Now Book Awards. Here are a couple of reviews for this book, now available at Amazon and independent book sellers.

The Englewood Review of Books

NBC Los Angeles

Pat, you had me at Poached Peaches

Award

Vegetarian Cook's Bible wins Gold

The first annual Living Now Book Awards has awarded my Vegetarian Cook's Bible the GOLD MEDAL in the Cooking/Natural (Organic, Vegetarian, etc) category:

4. Cooking/Natural (Organic, Vegetarian, etc.)
Gold: The Vegetarian Cook’s Bible, by Pat Crocker (Robert Rose)
Silver: Ten Talents: Natural Foods - A Diet from the Garden of Eden, by Rosalie Hurd, BS & Frank J. Hurd, DC, MD (Hurd Pictorial Edition)
Bronze (tie): A Good Catch: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from Canada’s Top Chefs, by Jill Lambert (Greystone) and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw, by Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi, and Jennifer Murray (Alpha Books/Penguin Group)

Thanks go to the whole team at Robert Rose publishing. Their health and healthy cookbooks are outstanding.