Dawn's The Baker...And So Much More

Dawn had a wonderful mention in the Woman's Culinary Network's newsletter this past February written by Naomi Duguid:

"Dawnthebaker" is Dawn Woodward's hotmail account name, and that is how I often think of her, kneading a dough, shaping a cracker, slashing a baguette, setting and inventive and delicious tart out on a plate for a catered event.

Of course there is far more to Dawn than baking, but she did come into our lives with her baker's cap on. I first met her more than 10 years ago, at an artisanal baking conference at Greystone, the CIA's Napa campus. She was living in Toronto at the time, working as a consultant at Ace Bakery. They'd brought her up from the States because of her gleaming credintials and experience: 5 years and finalist in the competition for spots on the US Baking Team that ended up bring back the gold medal at the World Baking competition in Paris in 1997.

She left Ace that fall and came traveling me to India. We spent the millennium turnover together at Kovalam Beach near Trivandrum in sourthern Kerala, India. Dawn shared a room with my two kids, then boys of 9 and 12, played with us all on the beach, went running with me in the mornings, and danced with us late into the night as the clock turned us into the year 2000.

A few days later she put on her pack and headed north to travel through India, before flying to Thailand and traveling in northern Thailand, Laos, and China's Yunnan Province all on her own.

She's brave, is Dawn, and travels with her eyes and her palate open. I still have notes she sent me of foods she tasted in Gujarat on that trip, notes that were very helpful to me when I finally made it there four years later. After that long adventure she returned to the US. A second solo trip took her to Syria and Lebanon, as well as Turkey and the Republic of Georgia. In all those places she came accross interesting food; later she developed recipes drawing on all that travel experience. After she returned from that trip she spent a good chunk of the winter here in Toronto helping me with the recipe work for HomeBaking. She returned to the US and started working in Washington DC, finally settling at Obelisk, a fine Italian restaurant.

In 2003 she met Chef Ed Rek in DC. They moved to Philadelphia and married the following year. After restaurant and catering work, and developing a good reputation in Philly, they moved to Toronto in the fall of 2007. By then they were three; there daughter Evelyn was born in the Spring of 2006. In Toronto they settled near Dufferin Grove Park, and Dawn started to work on her business idea, a cracker business.

In the Spring of 2008 they launched Evelyn's Crackers, using local organic grains and other local ingredients, making the crackers by hand in the incubator kitchen, and selling them at farmer's markets. They've had rave reviews, and now have a solid following. Dawn continues to fine-tune the crackers, adding new ones and tweaking the originals. These days she also makes sweets, using the same organic grains (red Fife flour figures largely) to make shortbreads and cookies.

While getting the cracker business growing, Dawn and Ed have also been busy with the local food movement, promoting local grains and consumer awareness of the wealth of Ontario agriculture. Most recently Dawn was a speaker at a forum held by the ROM called "Canadian Sweet Treats". After her presentation on the hisory of maple syrup, Red Fife wheat, Mackintosh apples, and Amish and Mennonite settlements, the chair of the events said, "It took and American to give us a lesson in Ontario's food history!".

Naomi Duguid is a cook, cookbook author, food writer, photographer, and past recipient of the Women's Culinary Network Woman of the Year. Her website: http://www.immersethrough.com/

Canadian Iconic Desserts: Red Fife Whole Wheat

Dawn was asked to participate in a panel discussion at the Royal Ontario Museum this past Sunday (December 13, 2009). Being of a one track mind when it comes to whole grains, she knew it had to be something with Red Fife-Red Fife Apple Tart with Maple Sugar & Black Walnuts-see recipe on previous post. A versatile heritage whole wheat, grown primarily in Hastings County and the Petersborough area of southern Ontario, Red Fife is experiencing a resurgence with local bakers (even pasta makers, after being an endangered food with less than a couple of pounds of seeds surviving.

We are currently using six heritage organic grains (Rye, Spelt, Buckwheat, Red Fife Whole Wheat, Oatmeal and Barley) in various forms in our crackers and cookies. The barley and oatmeal is grown by Franz Seeburger of Hope ECO farms out in Alymer. The other grains are grown by John and Patricia Hastings of Madoc.

Red Fife Whole Wheat is a fabulous wheat with a great story of success that is uniquely Canadian. And as we have gotten to know John and Patricia and see their dedication to growing heritage grains we have a better understanding of the link between sustainable agriculture and long-term agricultural diversity.

Here is a short portion of Dawn's moment at the podium during the panel discussion at the Royal Ontario Museum this past Sunday.

Please Allow Me to Toot...

...our own horn.

A bit dated, but great nonetheless.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/555691

Evelyn's Crackers Participates in Slow Food's Terre Madre Day

Terra Madre Day
Celebrating Local Food!
Slow Food Toronto

December 10, THURSDAY - 6-9pm

Hosted by
FoodShare
90 Croatia Street
Entrance on Brock Avenue, which runs South from Bloor Street West, 1 street West of Dufferin
FoodShare website
Map to 90 Croatia Street

Tickets
$10 general admission
Free for children under 12

~~~~~~~~~~

About Terra Madre Day

The very 1st worldwide Terra Madre Day is being held on December 10, 2009 to celebrate Slow Food International’s 20th anniversary, in recognition of the importance of supporting local food networks.

Terra Madre Day will be celebrated in endless ways by the Slow Food network all around the world. Celebrations will take place on farms and in homes, in schools and communities, in cities, and rural areas: from New York to New Delhi, Turkey to Tanzania, Austria to Argentina.

~~~~~~~~~~

What is Slow Food Toronto doing for Terra Madre Day?

Slow Food Toronto will celebrate Ontario’s local food community with delicious sustainable offerings, music, and family-friendly activities, held at FoodShare on Thursday December 10th, open to the public from 6-9pm.

Travel through the various stations, sample delicious local product, and have an opportunity to connect with the people who produce, raise, grow, cook, and advocate for it all!



Participants Include:

·
YU Ranch, Bryan, Grilled naturally raised beef

· Niagara Specialty Foods, Mario Pingue, Proscuitto on Grassin

· The Healthy Butcher

· Akiwenzie Fish and More, smoked fish, Natasha Akiwenzie

· Matchbox Gardens, Hanna Jacobs, Vegetables, Serving Squash Bites

· Pfenning’s, Jenn Pfenning, Vegetables, Serving Carrots and Roasted Vegetables

· The Cutting Veg, Daniel Hoffman, Vegetables, varieties of garlic and red potatoes

· Everdale Farms, Gavin Dandy, raw carrots, gavin@everdale.orgCookstown Greens

· The New Farm

· KEG, Mark Trealout,

· FoodCycles, Ashlee Cooper, Sprouts

· Toronto Sprouts

· Plan B Organics

· HOPE Eco Farms, tentatively

· Torrie Warner, Warner Farms, apples, pears, cider,

· Lincoln Line Orchards, callahan_william@rogers.com

· Fifth Town

· Monforte Dairy

· Arwa Root, Mapleton’s Organic Dairy, Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Yogurt, Pumpkin Ice Cream

· St.John’s Bakery, Jeff Connelly, Red Fife Wheat Breads, Artisinal Loaves and Brioche

· Evelyn’s Crackers, Dawn Woodward and Ed Rek, Crackers, Jam and Crackers

· CIPM Farm, Patricia Hastings, Red Fife Wheat

· August’s Harvest, Wareen Ham, Garlin, Shallots, Saskatoon Berries

· Forbes Wild Foods, Jonathan Forbes, Wild and Forages Preserved foods

· Persall Naturals, Jason Persall, Vinegars and Cold Pressed Canola Oil

· Kozliks Mustard

· Culinarium

· Chocosol

· SOMA, tentatively

· JK Kitchens

· Haisai, Michael and Nobuyo Statlander

· 100 Km Foods, Grace and Paul, able to represent their growers and/or weekly food box

· Slow Food Toronto, with Margaret Webb’s Apple to Oyster’s book

· FoodShare

· FarmStart

· Not Far From The Tree

· Local Food Plus

· Evergreen

· West End Food-Coop

· Edible Toronto


~~~~~~~~~~

For more information, please contact:
Paul DeCampo, paul@toronto.slowfood.ca or
Miriam Streiman, miriamstreiman@hotmail.com

Red Fife Apple Tart with Maple Sugar

Sorry! I have been asked to include the recipe. Here it is:

Red Fife Apple Tart with Maple Sugar
Serves 8, generously
The red fife makes a sweet and nutty crust, with a firm cookie texture. Not too sweet, it can be eaten for breakfast, too.

Ingredients:
11/4 cup Red Fife Whole Wheat
½ cup All-Purpose flour
2 tablespoons maple sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, cold
1 egg yolk, large
¼ cup whole milk yogurt
1-2 tablespoons cold water
Blend the dry ingredients and cut in the butter until it is the size of peas and then add the egg yolk and yogurt and gently mix. If the dough isn’t coming together in a shaggy mass, add one tablespoon of water (or more if needed) and bring together in a rough flattened round. Refrigerate for 1 hour (or overnight).

Filling:
¼ cup toasted and ground almonds
¼ cup toasted and ground black walnuts
5 medium apples
¾ cup maple sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Squeeze of lemon juice
¼ cup maple syrup

Assembly:
Heat oven to 350F.
Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface or directly onto parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough to keep the rolling pin from sticking. Roll to a 12x17 inch rectangle. Place in same size baking tray and trim the excess. Chill for 30 minutes and then pre-bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel, core and then thinly slice the apple segments (less than 1/8th of an inch thick). Place in a medium bowl and toss with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon.

Sprinkle the dough with the ground nuts and then place apple slices over tart dough in parallel rows, overlapping each slice slightly.
Bake 40-45 minutes or until apples are soft and crust is well-browned. Brush with the ¼ cup maple syrup.

Canadian Sweet Treats: Food Experts Debate the Classics

Evelyn's Crackers' very own Dawn Woodward is on a food panel at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) on December 13th posted on Akimbo.ca focused on distinctly Canadian desserts:

Did you know that the butter tart is practically a Canadian culinary icon? But what about carrot pudding, fruitcake, and various types of squares? All of these have a significant presence in Canada’s culinary history. Listen and interact with a panel of food experts who will discuss these and other sweet Canadian delights. Enjoy a sampling of different sweet treats. And vote on your favourite!

Butter Tarts
In Canada, baking the perfect butter tart is the holy grail of pastry. For Elizabeth Baird the search began with Classic Canadian Cooking in 1974 and has continued through her 20 years as food editor of Canadian Living Magazine, co- host of Canadian Living Cooks and into best seller The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book.

Carrot Pudding
Liz Driver is the curator of Campbell House Museum in Toronto, author of Culinary Landmarks: A Bibliography of Canadian Cookbooks, 1825-1949, and a past president of the Culinary Historians of Ontario.

Cocoa Oat Bars with Barley Flakes
Nettie Cronish is a natural foods chef, culinary instructor, cookbook author, chair of the Women’s Culinary Network, and a board member of Transfair Canada.

Fruit Cake
Rose Murray is a cookbook author, food writer and broadcaster. Rose’s first book The Christmas Cookbook was published in 1979 and reprinted several times under the title Canadian Christmas Cooking. Her ninth book Hungry for Comfort won two awards in the 2004 national Culinary Book Awards and her tenth, A Taste of Canada, has been short-listed for the 2009 awards.

Lemon Squares
Alison Fryer has been a cookbook judge for the James Beard Foundation, International Association of Culinary Professionals & Cuisine Canada. A past winner of the Women's Culinary Network Woman of the Year, Canadian Booksellers Association Bookseller of the Year, and Ontario Hostelry Institute Gold Award. She is a frequent contributor to radio and TV.

Red Fife Apple Tart with Maple Sugar
Dawn Woodward is the owner of Evelyn's Crackers and Cookies, specializing in handmade treats using local organic heritage grains.

Moderator: Fiona Lucas, past president of the Culinary Historians of Ontario, incoming Chair of the Canadian Culinary Book Awards sponsored by Cuisine Canada and the University of Guelph, and Program Officer for Historic Foodways at Spadina House.

Cost: Public $32 Member $29

Register Now!
www.rom.on.ca/whatson
or call 416-506-5797
Sunday, December 13, 1 – 2:30 pm

A Local Organic Farmer Keeps the Doctor Away

A Chewswise Blog Post:

Doctors Rx at AMA: Eat Local and Organic

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 08:55 AM PDT

A couple of weeks ago, the New Yorker had a fascinating article on McAllen, Texas, a county that ranks among the highest in the nation in health-care costs. Funny thing is, the outcomes of the patients in the system weren't any better than places that spent far less. The moral of the story, by physician and writer Atul Gawande, was that you must control the culture of spending (and earning) to contain out-of-control health care costs.

What he spent less time on was the make-up of the county, which ranks high in alcohol consumption, diabetes and heart disease. The per capita income, he noted, was $12,000 a year and the Tex-Mex diet contributed to a 38% obesity rate (the national average is 34%). While acknowledging these social causes of illness, Gawande didn't take the next step and consider diet as a cost-efficient way to rein in health costs. Obviously, costs have to be contained in the system, especially one that rewards doctors for every test, procedure and visit. But why not include or integrate factors outside the health-care system that breed disease in the first place? Why not change the playing field so there are, in effect, fewer patients for doctors to over treat?

If Gawande didn't consider this argument, I was surprised that the American Medical Association did this week. In a fairly remarkable development, the AMA voted at its convention to support "practices and policies within health care systems that promote and model a healthy and ecologically sustainable food system."

"Preventing disease is paramount in the provision of health care. Hospitals, physicians and nurses are ideal leaders and advocates for creating food environments that promote health. This policy is an important contribution to a prevention-based health-care delivery system," said Jamie Harvie, director of the Health Care Without Harm Sustainable Food Work Group.


This statement wasn't just your usual "eat your fruits and vegetables, cut down on fatty food and exercise" type of recommendation. It was a blanket endorsement of organic and local foods, recognizing that the way food is produced effects health, the environment, even the conditions of workers. The resolution, in turn, was based on a report by its Council on Science and Public Health, which presents an informed view of the current nutritionally deficient food system. The report (pdf) states:

The current US food system is highly industrialized, focusing on the production of animal products and federally subsidized commodity crops, such as corn and soybeans. This has resulted in a highly processed, calorie-dense food supply, instead of one rich in a variety of fruits vegetables, and whole grains ... The poor quality diets supported by this system contributes to four of the six leading causes of death in the United States: heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.


The report then describes the way industrialized food production has actually threatened health. "These methods have contributed to the development of antibiotic resistance; air and water pollution; contamination of food and water with animal waste, pesticides, hormones and other toxins; increased dependence on nonrenewable fossil fuels (including fertilizers)," the doctors' report says.

It also adds the clincher that I wish Gawande had considered: "Clinical approaches to addressing diet-related health concerns are costly and not sustainable."

The resolution passed this week states:

That our AMA support practices and policies in medical schools, hospitals, and other health care facilities that support and model a healthy and ecologically sustainable food system, which provides food and beverages of naturally high nutritional quality.
That our AMA encourage the development of a healthier food system through the US Farm Bill and other federal legislation.
That our AMA consider working with other health care and public health organizations to educate the health care community and the public about the importance of healthy and ecologically sustainable food systems.
Industrial food producers are already in a tizzy over the documentary Food Inc., but I bet they didn't expect to be facing the nation's doctors.

I would note a last bit of irony to this resolution. For years -- back in the 1950s and 1960s -- the AMA did battle with one of the earliest proponents of organic farming, J.I. Rodale. They investigated him, and brought complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (over Rodale's over-zealous promotion of vitamins). It took a few more years -- OK decades -- for the AMA to change its position and at least endorse one point that Rodale got right: That the way food is produced effects health. He realized this in the 1940s. The AMA acknowledges it today.
- Samuel Fromartz