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If you were ever planning to eat cake for breakfast, this blueberry buckle would be an ideal candidate. /Janine Kennedy
Blueberries are one of my favourite types of fruit. In the summer, in my part of Canada, the berries grow wild on the side of the road and along the gravel lanes which wind their way up the highlands. The wild blueberries at home are both sweet and tart, full of flavour and smaller and darker in colour than the ones I usually find at the supermarket. They are bursting with flavour.
During blueberry season, we make the most of this roadside bounty. My aunties, mother and myself would go out picking the berries by the pint. If the haul was good, we could freeze some. If not, we d use what we had and bake with them. Muffins, pie and crumbles would follow, as well as blueberry buckle – a cake made from a thick, muffin-like batter; topped with a sweet crumb.
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This lemon drizzle cake has a soft, moist crumb, zingy lemon syrup and a creamy vanilla glaze. /Janine Kennedy
I used to put lemon loaf in the old-lady category of tea time treats. In my part of Canada, the population is largely comprised of over-50s (our poor economy sent young folk elsewhere for work for many years) and, as a small girl, I would dutifully follow my parents around our tiny community for visits and tea on the weekends.
My mother had a group of ladies she would regularly visit, and my father would also have a group he enjoyed calling to (having known these people all his life; my father had inside knowledge on who were the best bakers).
A Community football club has opened its doors after lockdown to welcome back its players. The Falmouth Community Youth Football Club saw over 100 kids return to the pitch last week as lockdown easing allowed it to reopen its doors. The club described the turnout as a welcome sign to see so many children take part in inter-club friendlies across the 3G pitch facilities on the Falmouth School Sports Development. The club currently caters for over 200 members, aged 3 to 16 years, and provides free football every Saturday morning, which is supported by over 30 Coaches and Parent Volunteers. Club Chairman, Janine Kennedy, said: We are all so happy to see the many children returning back to football after such an uncertain and challenging time for them and their families.
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This Korean-style braised beef short rib dish also features delicate quails eggs; which are lightly boiled and peeled before being marinated in the sweet and savoury soy-based sauce. /Janine Kennedy
It seems like a million years ago, but, once, I lived in South Korea. I had never left Canada before making the move. I had never lived in a city. Suddenly, I found myself in a crowded, loud and boisterous neighbourhood in a city just south of the capital, Seoul.
As an English teacher, my school provided me with accommodation and while the school was in a well-to-do area, my apartment was on the edge of town; surrounded by rice fields and trees.
Panna cotta tartlet with blueberry compote
/Janine Kennedy
I had a difficult time deciding what to make for Easter dessert this year. Usually, I make a big chocolate cake masked in Italian buttercream and topped with crushed mini-eggs. But for the second year in a row, we weren t able to share our Easter with other people. I didn t have as many mouths to feed, and my kids had already eaten their entire bodyweight.
Dessert was a toss-up between peach cobbler with warm custard or – one of my favourite desserts – panna cotta tartlet with a blueberry compote.
I like panna cotta, but on it s own it can be a bit blah . I love upping its complexity by adding in a sweet pastry base and a fruity sauce. Though there s plenty of cream and butter in this recipe, it tastes light and refreshing and looks really impressive. For springtime, it s an ideal dessert (especially if you can run to a milk tank and skim some cream before the truck arrives to take it away).