Citrus poppyseed cake

This recipe, on the other hand, will impress. It is a divine triple layer, glazed, and iced, multi-citrus cake. Lemon, lime, and orange zest are used to flavour the cake, and cream cheese adds the rich-sour taste to the icing. One problem is, who has three round cake tins? Although it may be possible to put double the batter in one cake tin, and then split that layer in half, getting it to cook all the way through that double-thick batter is another issue. Instead I used a slightly smaller, flat-bottomed ceramic bowl to cook the third layer, which resulted in this topsy-tirvy looking creation. The icing was also a challenge to spread, but would have probably been much easier if the glaze had hardened on the top and sides of the cake first. Three stars, three bars.

Cracked wheat pilaf with vegetables and fresh herbs

Although healthy, this recipe lacked flavour (or so I have been informed by fellow samplers). I substituted sprouted wheat for cracked wheat, which I personally like though I realize sprouted wheat is not for everyone. Despite its high nutritional value, this recipe is not one that will impress your guests. One star, one bar.
PS Thanks for the help from Nic and Simone on this one.

Banana bread (with my own variations)

Rebar's version of banana bread is a good standard recipe, but is not as awe-inspiring as some other recipes. The wheat germ adds some depth of flavor to the batter, which is a nice touch. I substituted dried strawberries for walnuts, but they were lost among the bananas. I don't have a picture this time; the bread looked like most other banana breads I've made. Two stars, one bar.

lentil and split sea soup (p. 142)

I made the lentil and split pea soup this weekend - this included making, for the first time, the vegetable broth, instead of relying on my stock of turkey broth from the freezer. The broth turned out nice and coloured, and I have extra in the freezer. I had to go a bit off book on the spices, since I didn't have coriander or tumeric (so curry powder stood in). It turned out pretty well, but not as good as the Greek Red Lentil, which is one of my favourite soups! Also, I found that the lentils were well-cooked before the peas were - I think if I made it again I would soak the peas for longer than the lentils to get them more hydrated (the recipe says to soak and cook them together). All in all, a good hearty soup, but not what I usually expect from Rebar. Maybe with the Mint Mango Chutney (recipe in a side-bar on the page), it would be more exceptional? Perhaps I will add some apple chutney that is in the fridge to my next bowl ....

Mesculun and Fresh Pear Salad (p. 7)

To go with the chicken and yams, I did the fresh pear salad. This is partly because I didn't want to do a hot veg, and partly because I am a sucker for pear and brie combos. The dressing has a cup of blackberries, and is good and flavourful, while being fairly light (largely due to the high fruit to vinegar ratio, I think). I used blueberry vinegar, which worked well, though once that's gone, I guess I'll probably have to use white wine if I make this salad again. In typical Rebar fashion, there was way too much dressing for the actual amount of salad required for 6 people - we finished the large tub of mesculun over the week, and STILL have some dressing left over. I used walnuts and pumpkin seeds instead of hazel nuts, because I forgot to put hazel nuts on the grocery list, and they worked quite well. Since the salad was being served as a side along with the main meal, instead of ahead of it, I just did it in a big bowl, rather than plating it individually, as recommended in the recipe. I would definitely make this one again! Three stars and 1 bar.

Baked Yams (p. 152)

Last Saturday, I had the rare experience of hosting an all non-vegetarian dinner party. I took advantage of the situation to roast my first ever chicken, accompanied by two Rebar sides. The first was baked yams with honey, lime, and butter (see the next post for the salad). This dish was super-easy, but it took a bit longer than the estimated time in the book to bake the yams. I used the hand blender to get them nice and smooth, which worked well. They made a nice veggie/starchy side and fit in with the winter comfort food vibe of the chicken. My one criticism was that they were a bit too rich - I think I would use less honey (or maybe more lime and pepper) next time. Two stars and one bar.

Corn Dance Cakes

I was inspired to make this, as it called for smoked salmon, something I have plenty of from my smoking efforts in the summer. The salt from the salmon was well balanced by the sweet corn. I was also lucky to have fresh eggs from my dear friend Karen, and freshly milled hard wheat to make the cakes. I'm not sure if it was the recipe, or the spectacular ingredients that I loved the best. My rating is three stars and one bar.