Homemade Focaccia with Caramelized Onions, Pears and Blue Cheese

I loved this recipe so much, I made twice in a week!  Easy to make and delicious.  Thank you Food and Wine Magazine... 

Makes a 9 x 13 inch focaccia

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 cup warm water 
  
• 1 package active dry yeast 
  
• 1/2 teaspoon honey 
  
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
  
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
  
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced 
  
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar 
  
• 1 large Bosc pear, cored and sliced 
  
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese 
  

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast and honey and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the flour and 1/4 cup of the oil; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour and the salt and knead until smooth. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic and let stand for 1 hour.

• Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 10 minutes.
  
• Preheat the oven to 450°. Oil a 9-by-13 inch rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the dough to the sheet and press it down to fit. Dimple the dough all over with your fingers and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Let the dough rise until puffed, about 20 minutes.

• Scatter the onions over the dough. Arrange the pear over the onions and sprinkle with the blue cheese. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the focaccia and bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve.

  
  

  WANNA PLAY?  The second time around, I made half the focaccia with pears and the other half with thinly sliced potatoes, and sprinkled sea salt.

  The focaccia freezes well.  Feel free to eat half and save the rest for later.

Bourbon Maple Mustard

Who knew that bourbon in Canada  is rye whiskey?  I learned something new... This mustard, made with maple syrup is delicious- great bourbon (really rye) flavour twinned with that greatest Canadian sweetener, maple syrup.  I have yet to meet someone who doesn't love this combination.

This is great as part of a cheese board, right beside the meats or as a topping for sandwiches, burgers  or sausages.  Be sure to age it about one or two months before opening the jar.  Your patience will be rewarded.

Yield: Approximately three cups (3 x 250ml jars)

Ingredients
1 cup      Canadian Club Rye*
1/2 cup   filtered water
1 cup      brown mustard seeds
1/2 cup   cider vinegar
6 tbsp     dry mustard powder (ground yellow mustard seed)
1/2 cup   maple syrup (or substitute honey or brown sugar)
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Combine the rye, water and mustard seed in one litre canning jar (or a small bowl).  Mix to wet all seeds, and then allow to steep until nearly all of the liquid is absorbed, about four hours, or overnight.

Prepare the canner and the jars/lids.

Transfer the steeped seeds to the bowl of a blender (Vitamix is perfect for this job) or a food processor; process until smooth, or leave grainy, as you prefer. Add vinegar, mustard powder, maple syrup, and salt and process briefly to mix. Transfer to a medium saucepan.

Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring mustard to a boil; continue on a low boil until it reduces to your desired thickness, remembering that it will thicken further upon cooling (I cooked mine for about ten minutes). Taste and adjust seasonings (add additional water if you need to tinker with the flavor and the mustard is getting too thick).

Fill hot jars to a generous 1/4-inch headspace (more like 1/2-inch), tamping down the mustard into the jar. Thoroughly bubble by passing the handle of a wooden spoon along the edges and middle of the jar. Wipe rims, affix lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Allow to rest for five minutes in the hot water prior to removing from the canner. Store in a cool, dark spot for up to one year.

* For a milder bourbon/rye flavour, you can substitute 1/2 cup of water for 1/2 cup of rye.
I suggest you let this set for about two months after processing to give the flavours time to develop.

Caramelized Banana Bread

There are always frozen very ripe bananas in my freezer- ready for a quick banana bread.  The caramelized bananas topping this bread are well worth the additional step, adding another level of goodness. "Bake from Scratch" is my new favourite baking bible and this recipe is a great example of easy to follow instructions and delicious results.  Visit their website for online ideas.

Caramelized Banana Bread from Bake from Scratch

Makes one loaf

Oatmeal Banana Bread -

I have a great banana bread recipe, but I wanted to make it even healthier- so I added toasted oatmeal, maple syrup instead of sugar, and fresh blueberries.  Alton Brown's recipe introduced me to toasting oatmeal and I added my riffs... Enjoy!

The Best Banana Bread!

I just ate the most wonderful banana bread!  Light and nutty with lots of banana flavour.  I baked mini breads so I can limit my portions to just one, at a time.  Perfect!

I've included some healthy ingredients to my recipe: flax seeds, yogourt and toasted nuts.  The usual butter is replaced by healthier grapeseed oil.

This recipe will make one regular size bread or about 10 mini breads.

This is One Special Focaccia!

Two summers ago, one of my very best friends, Sue, and I toured the wineries of the Naramata Bench, near Penticton.  This is an amazing place- great wineries, great vistas and great food.

We lunched at Lake Breeze Winery.  The food was amazing.  One of the things we really enjoyed was the focaccia.  It was light but chewy, and oh so flavourful.  After lunch, we walked around the property and found that the kitchen actually overlooked the lake and had great windows where we could watch food being prepared and speak with the chefs.  Congratulations on a great lunch were extended along with a special request for the focaccia recipe.  Hey, you never know unless you ask!  Chef Mark graciously agreed to provide us with his recipe.  Yahoo!  Home we went to reproduce his special treat.  Success!

This recipe makes a lot of focaccia!  Feel free to halve the recipe.