This year we visited http://www.poplarblufforganics.com first and were thrilled to see Rosemary Wotske and Cam Beard harvesting a bumper crop including 17 kinds of potatoes, 8 kinds of carrots, 4 beets, parsnips, and cortland onions from their friend at Busy Bea farm in Monarch. We enjoyed hot from the oven Agria baked potatoes with Sylvan Star gouda, Valbella bacon bits, Broxburn broccoli, Vital Greens sour cream and butter and washed it all down with Blush Lane Organic Apple Cider.
We love to go to http://www.wintersturkeys.ca because the turkeys are so calm and well-cared for. I tell everyone we are visiting a “turkey spa” and after they listen to Darrel Winter’s passion for raising the turkeys they believe me. Darrel and his wife Corrine Dahm had a few birds smoked in nearby Langdon and we enjoyed the meat on fresh buns with Brassica mustard, crudite and brownies and http://www.wildrosebrewery.com beer.
Down to Nanton we went, to visit http://www.paradisehillfarm.ca and the Legault family who have been growing beefsteak tomatoes exclusively for Calgary Coop and their own farmgate store since 2000. We tasted Tony’s tomato salad and rockin’ salsa on Tres Marias organic blue corn chips and then it was time to head back to Okotoks for dinner.
Dinner this year was a huge treat as it was lovingly prepared by the staff at Heartland Cafe in Okotoks. Bev Pell and her team including her parents Ron and Cecile Swartz welcomed us with Bison Borcht, followed by a chiogga beet and Paradise Hill salad, rounded out with Roasted Winter’s Turkey, stuffing, roasted Poplar Bluff root veggies and maple spiced cranberry sauce. The piece de resistance was a huge slice of Poplar Bluff Bolero Carrot Cake with Praline encrusted cream cheese frosting.
Happily Bev and her Mom Cecile (who originated the carrot cake recipe) have shared this bit of sheer bliss with us. This icing and cake was the perfect end to our day and being able to share it here tops off another great year of Tootles. We’re looking forward to the 2012 season and plans are already underway. The new series will be announced in City Palate March April 2012 edition. See you on the bus.
HEARTLAND CAFÉ’S CARROT CAKE WITH
CREAM CHEESE ICING
Notes to the cook – This recipe comes from the owners of Heartland Ron and
Cecile Swartz and their daughter Bev Pell and has been in use in the café for
over twenty years. Everyone loves it and
I feel very honoured that they shared it with me.
Ingredients
1 Cup Canola Oil
1 Cup Brown Sugar – packed
3 Eggs
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Ginger
1½ Cups Grated Carrot
1 Can Crushed Pineapple – drained but not dry (14 oz can)
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- Cream the oil and brown sugar
together with an electric mixer until well combined and fluffy. - Add eggs, one at a time, to sugar
mixture. Scrape down the sides and make
sure it is creamy and blended well. - Combine the flour, baking powder,
soda, salt, and spices together in a separate bowl and blend well with a fork. - Pour the dry mixture into the whipped
egg/sugar mixture and blend slowly until combined but do not over mix. - Fold in grated carrot and drained
crushed pineapple. - Spray the sides of an 8 inch
springform pan or a square pan with cooking spray and bake at 325ºF for 80
minutes. Test with a toothpick first before
removing from oven – it should come out clean when the cake is done. This cake must spring back in the center or
it will fall. Adding 5 or 10 minutes
more doesn’t hurt this recipe.
CREAM CHEESE ICING
8 oz Cream Cheese
½ Cup Butter – salted or unsalted and room temperature
3 Cups Icing Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Cream the cheese and butter together
until smooth and lump free. - Add icing sugar and vanilla
extract. Blend well spread on top of a
completely cooled carrot cake. - Top cake with pecan pieces if
desired.
