The Comfort of Things

Cozy. Comforting. Words that fill me with the feeling that everything will be alright, that soon, this will pass, and there will be something just around the corner to excite and rejuvenate us. It is human nature to gravitate towards those things which make us comfortable, and it is often during times when we are so close to the end, the end of high school for me, and near the end of living on Bowen for our family, that we need a little reminder of these things to keep us motivated to keep going until that moment of change. In my last post I began by reminding myself of a few things that I love about living on an island, and some of the memories of growing up in a rural, peaceful environment. Here is a list, one that you can easily start for yourself, that helps us all to return to who we are, remember what we love, and importantly, what brings us a love and energy as well as inspiration in our lives.
As always, we should have something to encourage us, to bring us happiness and joy, comfort, peace, and the sense that we have something to fall back on when we need it. This list, and the things I thought of in the process of writing it, has done just that. I got the idea from a blog by Moorea Seal, and just had to make one for myself! Hopefully you can make one too to help you do the same.                      

A LIST OF MY GREATEST COMFORTS


Walking outside at night under a full moon, the quiet
Hearing the purr of the cat 
Bowen's best Signature hot chocolate
Dipping toes into a soapy hot bath
Having a bright bouquet of flowers in the house
Lying on the deck under the warm sun
When someone brings a cup of tea to you in bed
Feeling sort of proud after a blog post
Finding a perfect dress in a cute boutique
Warm gluten free chocolate chip cookies {my favourite recipe can be found here}
Driving with the music up, and belting out the words
Getting lost in a daydream
Telling someone your secret
Roadtrips
Fresh peaches and cherries from the Okanagan
Listening to "A Pocket Full of Sunshine"
Seeing my sister in the airport, coming home
Finding a heart in your latte foam
Driving on my scooter when the wind is warm
Racing my dog down the trails
Photos of mum and dad when they were younger
"Good Morning" texts
Standing by the woodstove in winter
Pulling on fuzzy socks in the morning
The book: The Man Who Listens to Horses
Reading something in French
Riding horses
Mum's Eggplant Parmigiano
Wearing Nana's jewellery
Listening to my sister and dad discuss science
Curling up in a nest of blankets and pillows
Hiking
Watching people, and creating stories for them
Writing
Big open fields
Creating lists
Organizing my closet and room
Roasted root vegetables
Pretending I really can sing
Playing board games
Watching "Easy A" with my sister
Biking on Bowen
Rope swings
Sitting on a beach, the waves against the quiet
The first snowfall
Painting my nails
Snuggling my rabbit
Apples taken and eaten right off the tree
Coffee dates with mum
Gluten free granola for breakfast
Big sunglasses
Chocolate desserts
Laughing with friends over an inside joke
Giving someone a hug when they need it
Picking up blue sea glass from the beach
Feeling salty after swimming in the sea
Avocadoes
China tea cups
Remembering funny moments from when we were little 
The feeling of the plane during take-off
Photos of me when I was little
Finishing a novel
Giving someone a handmade gift
Sharing a tub of Haagen Daaz with your best friend
Running through a sprinkler
Spending time with my entire family
Clotted cream tea
Throwing a stick over and over for my dog
Knowing I have a future full of opportunity: travel, friends and exciting new things

...and homemade crème brûlée in the pouring rain.


Classic Vanilla Crème Brûlée


{Print me here}

A creamy, rich dessert with the decadent and simple flavour of vanilla is the perfect dessert, but all dessert is perfect. With such a simple and elegant presentation of both texture and taste, you really can't go wrong serving crème brûlée to guests or family. Everyone loves breaking the hard caramel topping of each pot, and diving into the slightly warmed custard underneath. And it gives everyone the chance to feel as if they're little again, digging for the precious treasure, only this time your taste buds will find it.

{Makes three individual crème brûlée pots}

{Ingredients:}

300 mL heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
75 grams brown sugar, or coconut (palm) sugar

{Directions:}

Preheat the oven to 300° F.

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, warm the cream. Add in the vanilla to the cream and heat until the cream is just about to begin simmering. Remove from the heat.

Set aside the cream and vanilla to infuse for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs yolks and 25 grams of brown sugar. Pour a small amount of the cream into the egg mixture, stirring well, and then add the rest.

Divide the mixture between three ramekins, and place them in a roasting pan. Fill the pan with enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. 

Bake for an hour, or until the crème brûlées are set, with the edges pulling from the edges of the pots and the centre still "wiggly". Remove from the oven and cool slightly, before moving them to the fridge for three hours, or overnight.

Before serving, heat the rest of the brown sugar in a heavy saucepan. It should become darker in colour, and turn to a caramel texture. Remove from the heat quickly, and pour onto a greased baking pan. Be very careful, the caramel is very hot.

Once hardened, peel the cooled caramel from the baking pan, and break the pieces into small chunks into a food processor. Blend finely to small crystals, and sprinkle evenly overtop the set crème brûlées.
Using the broiler setting of the oven, place the crème brûlées with the ground caramel topping under the grill until the crystals melt and turn a light golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow the topping to harden, then serve.

Enjoy! xx S.


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Think of Me Gluten-Free: The Comfort of Things

21 May 2013

The Comfort of Things

Cozy. Comforting. Words that fill me with the feeling that everything will be alright, that soon, this will pass, and there will be something just around the corner to excite and rejuvenate us. It is human nature to gravitate towards those things which make us comfortable, and it is often during times when we are so close to the end, the end of high school for me, and near the end of living on Bowen for our family, that we need a little reminder of these things to keep us motivated to keep going until that moment of change. In my last post I began by reminding myself of a few things that I love about living on an island, and some of the memories of growing up in a rural, peaceful environment. Here is a list, one that you can easily start for yourself, that helps us all to return to who we are, remember what we love, and importantly, what brings us a love and energy as well as inspiration in our lives.
As always, we should have something to encourage us, to bring us happiness and joy, comfort, peace, and the sense that we have something to fall back on when we need it. This list, and the things I thought of in the process of writing it, has done just that. I got the idea from a blog by Moorea Seal, and just had to make one for myself! Hopefully you can make one too to help you do the same.                      

A LIST OF MY GREATEST COMFORTS


Walking outside at night under a full moon, the quiet
Hearing the purr of the cat 
Bowen's best Signature hot chocolate
Dipping toes into a soapy hot bath
Having a bright bouquet of flowers in the house
Lying on the deck under the warm sun
When someone brings a cup of tea to you in bed
Feeling sort of proud after a blog post
Finding a perfect dress in a cute boutique
Warm gluten free chocolate chip cookies {my favourite recipe can be found here}
Driving with the music up, and belting out the words
Getting lost in a daydream
Telling someone your secret
Roadtrips
Fresh peaches and cherries from the Okanagan
Listening to "A Pocket Full of Sunshine"
Seeing my sister in the airport, coming home
Finding a heart in your latte foam
Driving on my scooter when the wind is warm
Racing my dog down the trails
Photos of mum and dad when they were younger
"Good Morning" texts
Standing by the woodstove in winter
Pulling on fuzzy socks in the morning
The book: The Man Who Listens to Horses
Reading something in French
Riding horses
Mum's Eggplant Parmigiano
Wearing Nana's jewellery
Listening to my sister and dad discuss science
Curling up in a nest of blankets and pillows
Hiking
Watching people, and creating stories for them
Writing
Big open fields
Creating lists
Organizing my closet and room
Roasted root vegetables
Pretending I really can sing
Playing board games
Watching "Easy A" with my sister
Biking on Bowen
Rope swings
Sitting on a beach, the waves against the quiet
The first snowfall
Painting my nails
Snuggling my rabbit
Apples taken and eaten right off the tree
Coffee dates with mum
Gluten free granola for breakfast
Big sunglasses
Chocolate desserts
Laughing with friends over an inside joke
Giving someone a hug when they need it
Picking up blue sea glass from the beach
Feeling salty after swimming in the sea
Avocadoes
China tea cups
Remembering funny moments from when we were little 
The feeling of the plane during take-off
Photos of me when I was little
Finishing a novel
Giving someone a handmade gift
Sharing a tub of Haagen Daaz with your best friend
Running through a sprinkler
Spending time with my entire family
Clotted cream tea
Throwing a stick over and over for my dog
Knowing I have a future full of opportunity: travel, friends and exciting new things

...and homemade crème brûlée in the pouring rain.


Classic Vanilla Crème Brûlée



A creamy, rich dessert with the decadent and simple flavour of vanilla is the perfect dessert, but all dessert is perfect. With such a simple and elegant presentation of both texture and taste, you really can't go wrong serving crème brûlée to guests or family. Everyone loves breaking the hard caramel topping of each pot, and diving into the slightly warmed custard underneath. And it gives everyone the chance to feel as if they're little again, digging for the precious treasure, only this time your taste buds will find it.

{Makes three individual crème brûlée pots}

{Ingredients:}

300 mL heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
75 grams brown sugar, or coconut (palm) sugar

{Directions:}

Preheat the oven to 300° F.

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, warm the cream. Add in the vanilla to the cream and heat until the cream is just about to begin simmering. Remove from the heat.

Set aside the cream and vanilla to infuse for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs yolks and 25 grams of brown sugar. Pour a small amount of the cream into the egg mixture, stirring well, and then add the rest.

Divide the mixture between three ramekins, and place them in a roasting pan. Fill the pan with enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. 

Bake for an hour, or until the crème brûlées are set, with the edges pulling from the edges of the pots and the centre still "wiggly". Remove from the oven and cool slightly, before moving them to the fridge for three hours, or overnight.

Before serving, heat the rest of the brown sugar in a heavy saucepan. It should become darker in colour, and turn to a caramel texture. Remove from the heat quickly, and pour onto a greased baking pan. Be very careful, the caramel is very hot.

Once hardened, peel the cooled caramel from the baking pan, and break the pieces into small chunks into a food processor. Blend finely to small crystals, and sprinkle evenly overtop the set crème brûlées.
Using the broiler setting of the oven, place the crème brûlées with the ground caramel topping under the grill until the crystals melt and turn a light golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow the topping to harden, then serve.

Enjoy! xx S.


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