Bite of Toast

Burnt toast Fall 2007

My good friend Cindy publishes this quirky food magazine. And she's surely the one to do it! Cindy always sends me little email greeblies, detailing the fresh shrimp she brought to an an impromptu picnic or the little piece of pork she's barbequed for lunch. Her food philosophies are simple: eat whatever you think tastes good, try out new foods and recipes, and fear no failure.

Just this morning, she did it again, sending me just the thing to use up some concord grapes wilting on my counter.

This fall, I’ve been experimenting with a sour cream coffee cake, the kind that’s leavened with baking powder and soda rather than yeast. My favourite is made with concord grapes, those small deep purple ones that aren’t in season for very long. Some of them have such small seeds, you needn’t bother removing them. I put butter in the pan and melt it in the oven as it’s warming up. Then I add brown sugar and the fruit. I reduce the cream in the recipe (actually I use milk, soured with vinegar, or buttermilk if it’s on hand) and halve the amount of sugar too. The batter, of course, is spread over the fruit. I make the coffee cake first thing in the morning so I can have it warm with my coffee for breakfast. Only takes but half an hour to bake.

Pick up a copy of Cindy's magazine if you want to find out what other things she has to tell.