Chez Edgar

It's hard to believe that Edgar has been open for over a year ago now.  It seems like just yesterday that Marysol was getting her footing as a new restaurant owner.  Now, Edgar is known for its quality, made-from-scratch foods and quaint atmosphere.  With only 11 seats, we were lucky to find a place when we arrived for brunch shortly after opening (not ones to be deterred by the time change).  

I love everything about Edgar, the food, the service, the atmosphere...even getting to practice my ordering skills in French (note: everyone is bilingual, but thankfully didn't automatically switch to English just because I have an English accent).

I'm looking forward to the opening of Odile, Edgar's little sister, which will have more seating.

I ordered the dutch baby, a puffed up pancake filled with slow-cooked pork belly, five-year-old cheddar, apple puree and maple syrup.  I ate it slowly to savour the taste and to make sure I got a bit of every flavour in one bite.  

"Ron" had the cabin à sucre-inspired meal, which included baked beans with maple syrup, poached eggs, potato gratin, bacon and what I think was a yorkshire pudding.

Of course, who can resist the counter full of baked goods?  I went with the lemon beignet, which is a muffin rolled in sugar and cinnamon and filled with lemon custard.

Ron had a plum tart, which he loved.

Socks Two Ways

It has been a while since I've posted any finished knitting projects, which is odd because I've been doing a lot of knitting this winter.  I've added a link to my ravelry page on the sidebar.  If you knit or crochet (or like to look at that kind of stuff), definitely sign up.  It is probably the most comprehensive knitting site around.  Plus, you can create your own profile, keep track of your projects, stash, needles, projects in the queue, etc.  

Here are two completed projects...

Here is my first pair of socks.  I took a course at a local knitting store, Wabi Sabi.

These next ones took me forever!  I am jealous of the people who seem to bang out intricate sock designs on a weekly basis.  These were my first toe-up socks.  From these socks, I learned to make the toes wider and make sure to not knit too tightly when casting off (otherwise you won't get them past your heel).

I showed these socks to my Baba and she said, "Who has such big feet?"  Thanks Baba...

I'm probably not destined to be a regular sock knitter.  Now that I've put so much energy into making the socks I don't want to ruin them.  So, they mainly sit in my drawer.

Stay tuned for another knitting post in the near future.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberries

Day 2 of lemon-mania. It's really surprising how quickly you can use up a pile of citrus when you put your mind to it. Two Peas and Their Pod had lemon ricotta pancakes posted and they looked fabulous. Not only were they fabulous, they were quick and easy to make. The only alteration I made to the recipe is a change of all-purpose flour to whole wheat flour.

I made a double recipe and had enough to feed 8 people. It's almost embarassing to admit that this is the first time I've made pancakes from scratch. I'll never go back to store bought again. Although I didn't make the blueberry sauce; just added blueberries to the actual pancakes we all loved them.

To make the blueberry sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water

1. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and stir in lemon juice and cornstarch mixture. Stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

To make the pancakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, egg, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest, and canola oil. Gently fold this mixture into the dry ingredients until flour disappears. Don't over mix. The batter will be thick.



3. Heat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot griddle or skillet. Cook the pancakes until browned on the underside and beginning to set, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, about two minutes longer. Continue making pancakes until batter is gone. Serve warm with blueberry sauce or maple syrup or both.



And... to start the day we made a bowl full of lemon mint water with a splash of maple syrup.