Kwatta

I was recently working a couple of weeks in the Netherlands, it was very close to the Belgian border, and for my second week, I stayed in a Belgian hotel. Most of the hotels there have breakfast buffets, and I noticed this small package next to the jams and butter. Ah, something like Nutella. A happy face on its cover, it must be yummy.

Kwatta at one time, they've been around since 1883, was a Belgian-Dutch company; in 1972 it became a sole Belgian company; in 2010 it was sold to the American company Heinz. The name Kwatta comes from Suriname, the country where they first obtained their cacao, and means "one fourth" in the native language, which refers to that one-fourth of the chocolate spread is made out of real cacao.

How did it taste? Well, I enjoyed it every morning for breakfast, and on two slices of bread, and even "stole" some from the buffet to take home to Canada. There is definitely a sweetness to it, though the chocolate part of it looks darker than Nutella. I was disappointed that the hazelnut part of it was lacking somewhat, I find Nutella more hazelnut-y. I didn't have a chance to get to a store in Belgium, to see if I could purchase a jar of it, but I definitely would, and think it makes a nice change to Nutella.

Kashi Toasted Berry Crisp

If you go to Kashi's Website, they are offering free samples of either their Honey Almond Flax cereal, or the one I chose, Toasted Berry Crisp. You get a very small sample in the mail, good enough for one breakfast. The cereal on the package looks way more tasty than what is inside the box, far more of the dried cranberries and wild blueberries than what you actually get. The cereal itself is tasty enough, there is a definite fruity flavour to it, and it is crunchy yet not hard (what I don't like about some granolas or mueslis). This cereal, like all of Kashi's products, contains their seven whole grains and sesame blend. Overall, I think that I would eat it, but do know that its goodness, as a health product, comes with a much higher price tag than the sugared cereals it intends to replace. Oddly enough, tonight I was in Walmart, and I saw a couple of people, one in front of me, one behind, in line buying this very cereal, so it might very well be good.

Perky's Nutty Rice Crunchy Cereal

I'm always perusing the Healthy aisles in the supermarket, looking for something new and interesting, that I can incorporate into my morning meal, and came across this new cereal. Probably better for you than any of the standard sugared cereals available, this one is sweetened with raisin juice concentrate and honey. It's also made from rice, rather than wheat or corn, gluten-free (if that is important to you) rice flour and rice bran specifically. The only other ingredient in its listing is salt. Overall sounds good for you. How does it taste? Not bad, crunchy, definitely a rice flavour, but I doubt I would buy this again, it being too expensive and not a wonderful flavour.

Frisian Flag Syrup

Growing up, I fondly remember slathering this on toast bread. It's really just sugar syrup, awfully sweet, we called it Rubenkraut in German. I discovered it again this weekend in one of the Supermarkets I frequent, I hadn't seen it for years. My father used to buy it for me at this restaurant run by a Dutch couple, but they had gone out of business a long while back. Ah, memories.

A Trio of Blueberry Jams

My sister and her husband were in Quebec City for four days, on a trip they won at a Chamber of Commerce event, boy, they are lucky. My sister had asked me whether there was something that I wanted them to bring back as a gift. Now, knowing Quebec is known for its maple syrup, and not really liking maple syrup that much, except on pancakes, I opted for another thing that province is known for, wild blueberries. I was pleasantly surprised, I had actually forgot about it, and I had not been down to see them for three weeks, when they gifted me with this intriguing trio of wild blueberry jams, made with blueberries from the Lac St-Jean region of Quebec, known especially for its crop of that delectable fruit. Blueberries are my favourite fruit, it's only the wild variety for me, too, I find the commercial larger cousin too sour, if it's not tasteless. One of the trio of jams is just straight blueberry; another is flavoured with lemon; the third flavoured with orange. It should be interesting to compare and contrast the flavours, and see what works.

Pancakes the way I like them

Growing up, my mother always made pancakes this way. It's a fairly simple recipe, as most pancake recipes are, but, to tell the truth, I do this recipe more by feel than by amounts of ingredients. I don't like leaveners in my pancakes, like you find in most North American restaurants, these pancakes end up being more like crepes, except thicker. The added melted butter to the batter reduces the amount of oil or butter you need to fry the pancakes, it's a little trick that works great. This recipe makes about two large pancakes and one smaller half-sized one per person. Pour some maple syrup over them, roll them up, and enjoy! I put Nutella over the smaller one, delicious!

Mom's German-style Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour (per person)
1 egg (per person)
1/8-1/4 cup sugar (no more than 1/4 cup)
enough milk to make a thin batter
1 Tbsp melted butter

Mix first three ingredients with a whisk, then add enough milk to make a fairly thin batter, it should flow freely. Add the melted butter and stir to incorporate. Ladle into a heated skillet on medium heat with more butter. Flip over after top side is dry; bottom should be slightly starting to turn brown. Top with maple syrup or fruit or jam.

Golden Blueberry Pancakes

I got this recipe from the yearly Milk Calendar given out free by the Canadian Milk Board, all its recipes have some sort of dairy product in it, usually milk or cream, though I use rice milk in baking and cooking, and that works most of the time, unless you need the fat, such as in puddings. I also substituted spelt flour for the whole wheat flour. The whole recipe makes over 20 pancakes, so I cut the ingredients by a third, being only one, and still had more pancakes that I can eat. They were tasty with real maple syrup. Blueberries are my favourite fruit, so these were a treat.

Golden Blueberry Pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 Tbsp. butter for cooking (approx.)

In large bowl, whisk together all-purpose and whole wheat flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, yogurt and melted butter; pour over dry ingredients and sprinkle with blueberries. Stir gently just until combined. A few lumps should remain.

In large nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt a thin layer of butter. Ladle about 1/4 cup batter per pancake into skillet. Cook for 2 min. or until bubbles break into batter but do not fill in; turn and cook for 1 to 2 min. longer or until golden and puffed. Repeat with remaining butter and batter, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning.

German Potato Pancakes

I recall coming home from Public school one lunchtime, to the smell of potato pancakes that my Grandmother visiting from Germany had cooked specially for lunch. They were delicious! And far the best potato pancakes I've ever had. I've realized since that I enjoyed them more for the experience of arriving home to freshly made and hot pancakes, than for the taste of them, and I shouldn't compare what I have since made to that day. I am of the opinion that they should be eaten with applesauce, rather than sour cream, like some do. Feel free to do so.

Potato Pancakes
1 lb. potatoes
1 small onion
1-2 eggs
20-30 g flour
salt and pepper to taste
100 g oil or fat (for frying)

Grate the onion using a fine grater. Wash, peel and grate the potatoes using a coarse grater. Add the eggs, the grated onion and flour to the potatoes and mix well. Heat the oil in a frying pan to medium heat; then lower the heat slightly. Drop a heaping tablespoonful of the potato mixture onto the hot oil, and press it flat with a spatula. Cook till it is golden brown, turning once. Serve with applesauce.