An update on tuna

In May, I had posted a link to information about buying sustainable tuna. At the time, I mentioned that I had never seen the Safeway brand of tuna at my local grocery store. Well, lo and behold, I did recently notice that they carry it here in Canmore. And as you can see from the photo, it is reasonably priced compared to other conventional tuna. I'm not sure if it is sold at other Safeway locations but I imagine that it should be. Best of luck in your search!

Blueberry Vol-au-Vent

Wow! It's been quite awhile since I've posted. So much has happened in our little mountain town since my last blog post. Thankfully, our house was fine but the homes of friends and colleagues suffered significant damage. Canmore and Exshaw are both on the road to recovery but it will be a long time before things get back to normal.  Personally, we have had a lot on the go as well. Scott started parental leave in June and we've been camping, biking, and visiting family over the past month. We have high hopes for this summer's holiday plans but given the recent circumstances, time will tell if those plans come to fruition.

This recipe has been in my blog 'to post' pile for quite awhile. It is one of my go-to dessert recipes when we have friends for dinner. It's lovely to make during the summer when blueberries are fresh but it's equally delicious in the winter when you use need to frozen berries. This recipe is originally from the Pepperidge Farms website but I've adapted it by significantly reducing the sugar and enhancing the flavour with additional lemon zest, butter, and vanilla. A word of advice - watch your pot carefully when you are making the pastry cream as it burns quite easily. Stir it frequently and keep a close eye on it for dessert success!

Ingredients:
1 package Tenderflake frozen puff pastry
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries or 1 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
2 tsp grated lemon zest

1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Bake pastry shells according to package directions.
2. To make blueberry sauce, mix berries, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon zest in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Cover and refrigerate.
3. To make the pastry cream, mix 1/4 cup sugar and flour in a saucepan. Whisk in the milk. Cook and stir (using a whisk or wooden spoon) over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and gradually stir half of the hot mixture into beaten egg. Return egg mixture to saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Place plastic wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream and refrigerate for an hour.
4. To assemble - spoon 1 tbsp blueberry sauce into each pastry shell and top with 1 tbsp pastry cream. Alternate until pastry shell is full. If desired, top with fresh whipping cream (yummy but not necessary).

Summer's here! Go forth and enjoy the outdoors. 

Free-range vs Free-run Eggs

One of my goals while on maternity leave is to source out a good supply of farm eggs. I've tried a few different options over the past few years but haven't been totally happy with them. I'm still in the process of researching and will create a post soon that outlines all the options for buying local eggs in the Bow Valley. In the meantime, check out this video that Hoven Farms created about the difference between free-range and free-run eggs.

Sustainable tuna

Other than worrying about whether or not dolphins were harmed during tuna fishing, I honestly haven't given much thought to the sourcing of canned tuna. However, I came across this post on the Eco-Bravo website and I thought that it was worthwhile information that should be shared with others.

The original list comes from the Greenpeace Canada website which is nice because it means that the information is Canadian-based. Having said that, I've never seen the Safeway brand of tuna at my local grocery store but I do plan to ask if they can bring it in. I did look at the prices of the Wild Planet and Rainforest Trading tuna at Nutter's and for me, these are too expensive for my grocery budget. But the Gold Seal brand is available at all local grocery stores and regularly goes on sale. And so for us, this seems like the most reasonable compromise for our family.

The price of cheese

We eat a lot of cheese in our family. I ate a lot of cheese as a child so it is not surprising that my love of cheese continues to this day. So when LCW texted me this morning to let me know that cheese is on sale at Sobey's this week ($4.99 for 500 gram blocks), I was reminded that I need to write a post about buying cheese.

The price of cheese fluctuates greatly. However, it is a loss leader item and it frequently goes on sale. In Alberta, 700 gram blocks of Cracker Barrel are normally priced at $11.99. However (usually twice per month), they go on sale for between $7.99-$8.99/block. On rare occasions, they are priced at $6.99/block. I find that the easiest way to remember whether cheese is a good deal is to know that big blocks shouldn't be much more than $1 per 100 gram. Because cheese goes on sale so frequently, I refuse to pay full price for cheese. It stores well in its original package so I will usually buy 2-4 blocks at a time (or whatever the limit is for the sale price).

*after reviewing the Cracker Barrel website, I thought that it was interesting to see that their cheese has no artificial preservatives, no artificial growth hormones, or antibiotics. I'm no expert on how organic cheese differs from conventional cheese but these points make me feel somewhat less guilty about buying non-organic cheese as it's VERY expensive and I find it hard to justify the cost given how much cheese we eat!*

CSF Send-off BBQ in Calgary

If you were interested in learning more about Community-Supported Fishing, consider attending the  annual send-off BBQ. Info is below:

Your fisherman is coming to town . . .

Calgary BBQ, May 21st   Hello! Our 5th season as a CSF is getting under way!  Each year, in spring, Skipper Otto and his son Shaun head to the prairies to say hello to our CSF members there before fishing gets underway. This year, our season send-off BBQ in Calgary will be as follows: Location: Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Centre, 1320 5 Avenue NW   Date: Tuesday May 21st   Time: 6-8pm Details: We will BBQ salmon and invite you to bring side dishes, drinks, or dessert to share.  Past members are encouraged to spread the word and invite friends and loved ones to enjoy the evening and learn more about our Community Supported Fishery.   Shaun and Otto will be making a presentation at 6:30 and are happy to answer questions, tell fishing stories. If you haven't already joined for 2013 but are planning to, this is also a great opportunity for you to join or pay for your share in person.     Thanks again for supporting our fishing family and looking forward to seeing you in Calgaray soon! Sonia, Shaun, Otto, and the whole gang

Community-supported fishing (and a random tale about the sea)

As the bio on my blog says, I love the ocean. I grew up on Vancouver Island but left when I was 19 years old. I miss many things about the sea - the smell of the fresh salty air and the sense of calm that envelopes me when the waves are lapping against the beach. 

It was this sense of calm that my mom, my sister, and I sought out after Angie finished the Boston Marathon on April 15th. Our time in Boston was brief and while we immensely enjoyed the initial part of our visit, the trip certainly did not turn out as we planned. We were never in harm's way after the bombings but we were scared and confused by the events that unfolded around us. 

After the bombings, our emotions were high and we sought refuge in a trip to the Massachusetts seaside. We drove out of the city to find the ocean and walk in the sand. We chatted with New Englanders who were horrified that their most treasured event had been marred by terrorism. We ate good food at a diner in Salem and enjoyed a most fabulous supper in Gloucester.  After a long day on the road, we returned to the city, still on edge but with a feeling of peacefulness that comes from spending the day together with the ones that you love. 

The story of our trip to Boston doesn't have much to do with community-supported fishing but our meal at Alchemy in Gloucester certainly did. Despite the fact that Gloucester is a fishing town right on the Atlantic ocean, Alchemy sold salmon that had been brought in from the Faroe Islands. This is because Atlantic salmon has been horribly overfished and most Atlantic salmon sold in stores today is farmed. While I'm not interested in debating the merits of farmed vs fresh salmon, I personally will not buy farmed salmon. However, given that I live in Alberta, fresh fish (never mind good-tasting fish) is hard to come by, not to mention incredibly expensive. Enter Skipper Otto's Community-Supported Fishing (CSF). 

I first heard of Skipper Otto via CBC Radio in Calgary. The CSF concept was being profiled on the radio and I was intrigued. I contacted the individuals at Skipper Otto and requested the names of clients who were willing to act as references for their business. I spoke to a few people who had ordered from Skipper Otto in the past - all were thrilled with the quality and taste of the salmon that they received. I took the plunge and purchased a share last summer. Truth be told, the salmon we received is some of the best that I have ever eaten. It is not fresh when we receive it in Alberta but it is frozen very soon after being caught and tastes almost as good as fresh. 

I paid $250 for a CSF share last year and received approximately 8 large salmon fillets (1/2 of a whole salmon) plus a few packs of smoked salmon. This priced out to be less than the farmed Atlantic salmon that you can buy at Costco. The quality was superior and as mentioned, the taste was excellent. We will be ordering a CSF share again this year and I'd encourage you to consider doing the same*. Skipper Otto delivers in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Saskatoon.  

*I'm not afflicted with Skipper Otto in any way and receive no financial benefit or incentive from writing about their fish*