Sara’s on holiday, and will return with a new column the week after next. To tide you over until then, here are some of Edible Witness’s greatest hits:
Prime time scones (April 2011)
“Scones get a bad rap, I think, because the ones you buy in coffee shops are crumbly, dry sadness pucks. They’re just there so you’ll buy more tea, because otherwise it’s like eating a handful of dust and currants. Proper English cream scones, however, are a whole other story: made with heavy cream and eggs, they’re moist, light, flaky and slightly sweet, and serve as a perfect canvas for your favourite jam and some softly whipped cream.”Read more >>
Pork is the new bread (February 2010)
“I call it a staple, but pancetta deserves a more laudatory categorization, because it can pretty much take a perfunctory meal to the next level with little effort. Examples? Poach an egg over toast and brown up a few diced pieces to crumble on top. Add it to soups or stews before sautéing the vegetables. Throw it in a roasting or sauté pan with some green vegetables (especially green beans or kale, but especially Brussels sprouts). Get razor-thin slices of the round type, bake until crispy, and use it as a base for an h’or d’oeuvre. Crisp it up in a pan and crumble over your salad. Oh, you have all that rendered fat left? Use it in a warm bacon-like vinaigrette. You can do this. Because the pancetta is already in your fridge.” Read more >>
Eating local is easy (June 2011)
“While few of us are committed enough to go the route of the 100-Mile Diet, there are easy ways to ensure you are supporting local and sustainable farmers: keep an eye on labels and choose foods that come from Ontario; get your food from local farmers’ markets, try to buy meat that you know comes from a nearby farm (some butchers, like Sanagan’s Meat Locker, exclusively source their meat from small local farmers); and, finally, contribute to a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) co-op. I finally decided to check out Kawartha Ecological Growers (KEG) this year, and I don’t think I’ll be back at the market anytime soon.” Read more >>
Sara Chan is a Toronto-based entertainment lawyer, food enthusiast, unprofessional home chef and even less professional food photographer. Her favourite food group is pork.