Carrot & Cardamom Preserve

Carrot Cardamom Chutney I just wanted to say that this is simply, fantastic. I bought this in the spring from Stefanie at Bake*well. Let”s just say she is a little baking genius. I ate this on top of some stinky Quebec soft cheese, (which was in itself to die for) I added this on top and it sweetened up that stinky cheese just the right way. Sweet and savoury, savoury and sweet, love! I think I would even eat this preserve on its own, atop toast. You see, it possesses this marmalade-like citrus zing, which I think would be just perfect for sleepy weekend mornings. Stefanie can be found on Saturdays (and I think Thursdays) at The Covent Garden Farmers Market. She always has a variety of mouthwatering baked goods, quiches and she does some preserves as the seasons change. Go get some, tell her I say hi! Stefanie Bake*well Pastry & Preserves Covent Garden Market  Read More

Baked Goods Spotlight – Covent Garden Market

Rhubarb Tart Today was the opening day for The Covent Garden Market. As any of you know that made it out today, the weather was not the greatest . Even though very windy (so windy that the tents were threatening to jump their ropes!), the sun still managed to make a brief appearance and it was reasonably warm for a few minutes. That was time enough for me to make a decent dent in my grocery budget. I went for asparagus and rhubarb, but I left with 2 kinds of bread, green onions, mint, tarragon, rhubarb tarts, breakfast muffins, lemon tartlettes, a jar of carrot & cardamom preserve and a few other nibblies that we ate there. There are three vendors at the outdoor market that sell baked goods: International Bakery, Made From Scratch and Bake*Well. I purchased my very artisanal looking breads from International Bakery,I happened upon the rhubarb tarts and the breakfast muffins from Dee at Made From Scratch and Stefanie at Bake*Well provided me with the lemon tartlettes,carrot cake with cream cheese icing and the home made carrot & cardamom jam. I have not had the doughy pleasure of diving into the breads just yet, but how can I go wrong with a professional baker baking such rustic breads? They look and smell delicious, every time we got back in the car as we ran our Saturday errands it smelled like a bakery in there -Vundenbar! Moving on to the rhubarb tart and breakfast muffins – yes, I ate them both in one day! You see, Sean and I went in for a coffee at the Little Red Roaster where he ate what was left of his carrot cake – for the record, he did allow me a small nibble and it was delicious! Then there was my rhubarb tart – I need to take my time on this one… it was soooooooo good! First of all, it was flaky in all the right places. Secondly, I am guessing that there must have been two kinds of sugary goodness in there to combat that tarty playfulness of the wonderfully rouge rhubarb. Lastly, the pastry was light and crumbly, topped with oats and all the right spices, it was just devine! Dee tells me she is using Arva Flour Mill flour for most of her baking needs. She goes in and gets a 50lb bag of flour! She was giggling as she told me, I did too – I can just imagine this tiny woman hauling her 50lb bag out of the mill. Dee was lovely and I am glad to meet her. Later on in the day, Sean and I shared the breakfast muffin, we made it a lunch muffin – it was full of seeds, nuts and many other good things. It was slightly sweet, just the right amount, and it was full of complex flavours and it did not even contain sugar! Quite satisfying and although it felt like a treat, it also seemed like it was good for us. On to Stefanie at Bake*Well. … On her table there were assorted tarts, preserves and I think there was a quiche. I am not so sure, my memory is vague as I was distracted by Sean drooling all over a very large carrot cake before I even finished paying! I purchased a super intriguing looking preserve type thingee – it”s a jam, it”s a preserve.. it”s Carrot & Cardamom! I am very excited to try this at a later date, and I will be sure to post the results at that time. I chatted with Stefanie for a few minutes – people, you have to meet her – she”s adorable and she believes in supporting the local food movement. Almost everything on the table was made from mostly local ingredients. For instance, she also uses the Arva Flour Mill and takes advantage of seasonal ingredients like berries and nuts in her baked goods and preserves. So now you are saying okay, okay – but why are those lemon tartlettes on there? Yes, the other thing I purchased was two lemon tartlettes, and of course the lemon filling is not from a local lemon, but the crust and other ingredients are! I bought these for a special treat for me and my mum tomorrow for her special Mother”s Day lunch. Can”t wait to dive in! Thank you Stefanie and I am SURE I will be back. Once again, The Covent Garden Market surprises me with its various treats supplied by its local producers, it is such a great place to go on a Saturday morning and when I am there I feel that it has it”s own little vibe and this particular visitor just loves it!  Read More