9.15.2014

Summer Part Three: Camping & Cottaging | July & August 2014














It feels like time to clear out the summer archives and share its memories before we move into the new season. Though at times it felt unsettling to be here and there this summer- well more there than here- looking back at these moments it was all worth it. When shooting film I always like reflecting on what I ended up spending a precious frame on. To be honest, sometimes I get why I took a certain photo and other times I can't remember at all. Regardless of my (lack of) memory, in the moment it must of felt right and usually nothing beats that. 

9.11.2014

Blink Bonnie Cottage | Georgian Bay, ON | August 2014











Being 'cozy' is by far one of my favourite states of being. For the past 15 years this place (named Blink Bonnie) has made me feel cozy and it's the family cottage of one of my oldest friends. Remember this post? During my last visit to Georgian Bay I decided that it was time to document one of my most loved places on Earth. Voila!

9.01.2014

Savory Summer-Inspired Galettes | Part Two: Restaurant Day | Sunday August 17th















Before summer sneaks away I wanted to share the recipes for the savory galettes that I served this past Restaurant Day (see previous post). Simultaneously trying to photograph and prep food is not as simple as one would think and takes double the time to get through a recipe. However, the process is always enjoyable. 

Ingredients for the pastry:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water (for the glaze)

Make dough
Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.


1. Simple Zucchini & Ricotta
Ingredients for the filling:
1 large or 2 small zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1-2 medium garlic clove, minced (use 2 if you want a punch more of garlic)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves

Prepare galette: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (though if you line it with parchment paper, it will be easier to transfer it to a plate later). Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Shingle the zucchini attractively on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.

Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

2. Burst Tomato & Summer Corn
Ingredients for the filling:
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher or sea salt
3 cups (about 450 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes
1 ear corn, cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
1 small (8 ounces or 225 grams) zucchini or summer squash, diced
1 bundle (3 to 4 ounces or 85 to 115 grams) scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (2 ounces or 55 grams) grated parmesan

Make filling: Add olive oil, tomatoes, salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes (if that’s your thing) to your sauté pan then cover and heat over high heat. Roll the tomatoes around from time to time so that they’ll cook evenly. In a few minutes, you’ll hear some putts and pops as the tomatoes burst a little. When most have, remove lid, turn heat down to medium and add zucchini chunks. Saute for two minutes, until they soften. Add corn and cook one minute. Add scallions, just stirring them in, then turn off heat. Adjust seasonings if needed. Transfer mixture to a large plate and spread it out, so that it will cool faster. You want it cooled to at least lukewarm before assembling the galette.

Prepare galette: Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round and it really doesn’t need to be perfectly shaped. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; I like to fold my dough gently, without creasing, in quarters then unfold it onto the baking pan. Sprinkle tomato-zucchini-corn mixture with half of parmesan and spoon the mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. If any liquid has puddle in plate, try to leave it there as you spoon. Sprinkle with almost all of remaining parmesan, leaving a pinch or two behind for the crust. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze. Sprinkle glaze with last pinches of parmesan.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Bon Appetit! 

Recipes adapted from Smitten Kitchen. The original (and more cheesy) recipes can be found here and here.

Photos 13 & 14 taken by Camille.

8.19.2014

Restaurant Day | Sunday August 17th | Montréal, QC















This past Sunday was Montréal's third time participating in Restaurant Day. Originating in Finland, this event is a worldwide food carnival where anyone can set up a restaurant for a day. Restaurants can happen anywhere and some popular spots are homes, yards, parks, street corners and especially in Montréal, alleyways. Aside from being a student I've made most of my other friends in the city through food. I truly believe that food is one of the biggest mobilizers out there and where there is food, people will follow. So, in February when a friend asked me to join her in hosting a pop-up restaurant for this 'new event' coming to Montréal I was in! Though trying to create a cozy and warm! space outdoors in the middle of winter might have been a tad ambitious of us (space heaters cannot out power Mother Nature), we managed to pull off a pretty good indoor version of what we had intended. In April we carried on the tradition and hosted our second pop-up in the alleyway beside my house. We offered a diverse spread of small, homemade bites and created a space that resembled an outdoor living room for people to sit and enjoy both one another and the spring sunshine. Across the street the MTL Kitchen Collective was hosting a restaurant as well and serving up the best beet burgers I've ever tasted! We got to talking about food-related gatherings and our other interests, and decided to keep in touch about potential future collaborations. Their aim is to create community through food by bringing creative culinary events to Montréal and well needless to say this speaks to my heart. 

And well it happened! This past Sunday alongside the MTL Kitchen Collective & other friends we hosted a BYOB(lanket) strawberry social in the park. On the menu was homemade biscuits with vanilla cream and local strawberries; chai and mango lassies; and savory galettes made by yours truly. The weather all week had been rainy and cool and it didn't feel overly inspiring to have a picnic. However, on Sunday it pulled through and there was food, blankets and a great group of people! Running a restaurant is hard and tiring work that I won't even try to justify that I understand it from my limited experience. However, I think I get why people preserve and do it. To look out and see satisfied faces makes oven mishaps and preparing dough for hours after work on Friday night totally worth it. Of course, 'I get by with a little help from my friends' and I owe a big thanks to those friends who lent a hand (arranging flowers and transporting galettes) and came out to join us on Sunday.

Stay tuned for recipes!

For more information about the MTL Kitchen Collective and upcoming events, check out their website:

Learn more about Restaurant Day: http://www.restaurantday.org/


Photos 10, 14 & 17 taken by: Camille, Nicole & Kate

About

Lauren Kolyn is a lifestyle photographer based in Toronto, Canada.

Contact: kolyn.lauren@gmail.com