Rhubarb Cardamom Shortbread Bars

I know rhubarb season is nearing its last days (sniff!)... but before it goes, here's one last hurrah: chewy rhubarb cardamom shortbread bars. In fact, I've already filled the freezer with rhubarb so I can make these all through the year. 

This recipe was shared with me via a friend from Salt Water Farm who blogged about it last spring. Thank you Irene!! This one's a keeper! 

This recipe is totally unique because the dough is frozen and then grated into the pan! Which accounts for the delightful chewy crumbly texture of these bars.

If you don't have any rhubarb, you can substitute your favourite jam in this recipe.

I do hope you'll try these, they are quite irresistible! You can find my version of this classic recipe here on PBS Food. Enjoy!

Semolina Gnocchi Stuffed With Asparagus

I'm feeling more than a little giddy this evening. Because Kitchen Vignettes is now on PBS! I'm so excited to join the amazing team of chefs, bloggers, and show hosts at PBS Food... and also blushing a little and getting a kick out of having my photo alongside such talent, especially since I'm not actually a chef but just a girl who loves cooking and eating (and happens to make weird videos with dancing vegetables and such). Over the coming months, I'll be sharing a whole bunch of new recipes I've got up my sleeve on a weekly basis. Please come on over, check it out, and say hello!

To start things off on the right foot with this new blog series, I wanted to share an asparagus recipe that I hope you'll try.



I first had semolina gnocchi (also called Gnocchi Alla Romana) at Shepherd's Pie in Rockport, Maine and then I saw the light. It reminded me a bit of the velvety cream of wheat porridge my mom used to make for me as a kid, one of my favourites. Well it turns out when you add a little butter, egg yolks, and parmesan, plain old cream of wheat takes on a whole new persona. Who knew? I sure didn't. I love potato gnocchi too, but I'm a sucker for easy one-casserole dishes and I'm now a semolina gnocchi convert. Stuffed with asparagus, mushroom, and cheese, this makes a hearty comfort dish that is great for rainy days like today. And it makes tasty leftovers the next day. Have it for breakfast, lunch, or supper. Or all three.

While I pine and yearn to have my own asparagus patch one day, I'm not quite there yet and so my friend Diane from Sleepy Hollow Rag Rugs kindly made a little cameo in my video, picking the basketful that you see. Thank you Diane! And what a joy it was to see those asparagus pop up out of the earth and snap away so juicily!

You can find the recipe for my gnocchi stuffed with asparagus on PBS Food. Please let me know in the comments below, what are your favourite asparagus recipes?

And now I'm going to go back to doing my happy dance to this song which I am a little obsessed with at the moment. Bonne nuit mes amis :-)

Eggs Poached in Maple Syrup

It's been said we Canadians have identity issues. I heard someone say once that we're better at defining ourselves by who we're not (ie: we love to proclaim we are not American) than by who / what we actually are. And then there's food. Is there such a thing as Canadian cuisine? That's a hard question to answer. I was pleased to be asked to contribute to the Canadian Food Experience Project which has set out to answer that very question and to explore our Canadian food heritage.

OK so I know maple syrup is the obvious / cliché Canadian food... but as my first contribution, I couldn't help but share something kind of crazy I remember eating as a kid: eggs poached in maple syrup.

Although he denies it, I distinctly remember my dad making this for me when I was little. You may remember my dad. I've written about his passion for maple syrup before and made this video of him last spring when I joined him on his annual maple syrup making adventure.

This recipe is the ultimate celebration of maple syrup. And it's so easy it hardly qualifies as a recipe. There's not much to say about it other than you literally just poach an egg in a pot of boiling maple syrup. It's rich and heavenly, perfect for dipping warm toast into, or served on crepes for the ultimate brunch. If the yolk is soft, it will run and mix with the maple syrup and possibly dribble down your chin and the whole thing is a big sloppy and delicious mess. My mom used to say "c'est cochon, mais c'est tellement bon" (roughly translating as "pigging out in the best possible way"). Try it and let me know what you think.

I'm curious to know, what are YOUR favourite Canadian recipes?

MAPLE SYRUP POACHED EGGS

1 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup water

About 4 eggs, depending on how many people you're feeding

Pour the maple syrup and water in a very small saucepan (the smaller the better as more of your eggs will be submerged in the syrup). Bring the syrup to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Crack the eggs directly into the gently simmering maple syrup (you may wish to poach 2 eggs at a time so they aren't too crowded). As they cook, spoon a little of the hot syrup over the yolks every now and again. Poach for about 3 minutes if you like your yolks soft, and longer according to your personal preference. Serve the eggs in a generous pool of maple syrup. Serve with warm crusty bread to use for dipping and mopping up. Bon appétit!