Just Peachy

Growing up in a diabetic household, we rarely ate desert. And when we did have an after dinner sweet, it was often fruit or recipes that Mum had adapted to have less, or no, sugar. Unlike these days where supermarket shelves seem to be full of sweet-tasting sugar-free products, in the 1970s and 1980s these products were hard to find--if they existed at all! Consequently, I find many deserts too sweet for my not-so-sweet tooth, even those made from scratch following traditional recipes. The sweetness often seems to overpower any other flavours.

This recipe is a delicious low sugar recipe from a favourite Mennonite cookbook of mine: More-with-Less Cookbook. It is sort of like a cross between peach pie and a light cheesecake, and relies on the sweetness of the peaches to tempt the tooth. When peaches are in season, it's heavenly. Even with canned or preserved peaches, it's divine. I usually make it with yogourt instead of sour cream. Sliced peaches work just as well if you don't have halves.

Peach Kuchen
Serves 6

1 ½ cup unbleached flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
8-12 peach halves, canned or fresh
¼ cup sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 egg beaten
1 cup sour cream or yogurt

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tbsp sugar. Cut in butter. Pat mixture into the bottom of a 9” pie dish or flan pan. Place peach halves on top of pastry base, open side down. Mix the ¼ cup sugar with the cinnamon, and then sprinkle this mixture over the peaches. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 F.

Mix together the egg and sour cream or yogurt. Pour over baked peaches and bake for another 30 minutes.

Of Squash and Apples

It's been somewhat quiet at Amanda's Kitchen this week. Well, the physical kitchen has been busy preparing family feasts, which ironically means that the blog has not.

I'm still using up my pantry stock, so the food at my family celebrations this past weekend once again consisted of a lot of root vegetables and preserved foods. Browsing through my recipes, I was inspired by my recipe for Apple and Carrot Soup to try a variation with butternut squash instead of carrot. The result was fabulous. It also used up the last of my apples and squash from last season.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Serves 4

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 cooking apples, cored and peeled
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp canola oil
1 T vegan margarine
4 c. water
croutons
fresh coriander leaf

Combine the oil and margarine in a large pan. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash and saute for a few minutes more.

Add 4 cups of water, the apples, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Puree the soup in a food processor or using a hand blender until you get the desired consistency. This soup can be served silky smooth or hearty and chunky.

Pour soup into bowls and top each with croutons and fresh coriander.

For an extra rich soup, use 3 cups of water instead of four and after puréeing the soup add in a cup of full-fat milk or soy milk or light cream.

Lola Rosa Café

Last week I had the wonderful experience of having lunch at Lola Rosa Café, located at 545 Milton in the 'McGill Ghetto" district of the city. Despite its presence on the Montreal vegetarian scene for many years, I'd only recently heard about it. I'm not sure how it escape my 'veg-dar,' but it did. I can only assume that it's because I have never been a student at McGill and therefore never really had a reason to venture down Milton street.

The menu at Lola Rosa is a good sampling of world vegetarian cuisine. It's displayed on chalk boards on either side of the small gypsy-esque style dining room and features dishes like boerek, (phyllopastry triangles filled with spinach, feta, pine nuts), curry, chickpea and cabbage ragout, burritos, quiche, lasagna, veggie burgers, salads and sandwiches. It also features a list of mouth-watering deserts, including a vegan chocolate cake.

For my dining pleasure, I chose the polenta and ratatouille. The polenta was very tasty, if a bit on the heavy side, and the ratatouille was a somewhat non-traditional smooth tomato sauce with chunks of zucchini and hints of coriander. It was not quite was I was expecting--my own ratatouille is quite chunky all around--but overall it did not disappoint and was quite filling.

My dining mate was on a special diet. She explained her needs to the waiter and the kitchen had no problem coming up with a special plate for her consisting of black beans on plain rice topped with avocado. It looked and tasted wonderful. Both our meals were served with a side of salad.

At about $10 per plate, lunch is a bit expensive at Lola Rosa. However the food is well worth it and the day we went the place was packed. Dinner prices are the same as lunch. Wine and local beers are available. The cafe has also recently started serving breakfast.

In addition to being a cafe, the venue also features art from local artists on its wall. New artists are displayed every few weeks.