Bakers Market Debut

Completed our first day at the Bakers Market today!  It was lots of fun, especially watching the contestants of the cupcake eating contest stuff themselves silly!! 

We got so caught up keeping ourselves organized that we forgot to take some pictures of our table.  We do have some pictures of our prep from the night before...

The Salted Brown Sugar Shortbread that had rave reviews!  Yay!

Cheddar & Rosemary Shortbread fresh from the oven.

Vicki and I were up into the wee wee hours of the night baking and packaging the goodies.  We were all organized and ready to go this morning until we hit a bit of a snag...well a pretty big one.  We had to prepare some Aromatic Hot Chocolate for sampling, so we proceeded to boil the milk with our electric hot water kettle.  BIG MISTAKE.  There is reason why the instructions state to ONLY use them with water.  The indicator light started flashing, which we thought indicated boiling.  Except there wasn't the usual rumbling sound...it was eerily silent.  So we thought it would be prudent to check-in...turns out the milk burned!  It scorched so badly that the pot still has a thick layer of char, even after repeated scrubbing.  Take home message: Follow the manufacturer's directions!!  We were able to whip up another batch and still make it to market on time.  We're happy to report the rest of the day went without a hitch.

We surpassed our own expectations when our Balsalmic Onion Marmalade and Salted Brown Sugar Shortbread sold out within the first 2 hours of the market!  Yippee!  Thanks to everyone who came out to sample our fare.  We had lots of fun meeting everyone.  We're even more inspired to create more yummy treats to share!  Stay tuned...

Come see us next on November 20th at the Bakers Market!

Irene & Vicki

Some Like it Hot

Another product that will be for sale at the Bakers Market is our hot chocolate.  We have dark chocolate available in an aromatic blend, which has a kick to it from the spices we add, as well as the classic blend.  We'll have milk chocolate in both blends available in subsequent weeks.  Let me just say, this isn't the same hot chocolate you know.



Marshmallow Island Oasis in a Hot Chocolate Sea

 This is a European style hot chocolate which is made from REAL chocolate resulting in a rich, luscious, and satisfying cup of comfort. BTW I'm on team Dark Chocolate.  For those of you who love milk chocolate I dare you to join me on the dark side...  The Aromatic Dark side. MUAHAHAHAHA! 



The blend of spices in the drink doesn't result in a spicy hot chocolate like some other mixes that have shown up on the radar.  That isn't to say it doesn't have any kick to it though.  I would describe the flavors as having a subtle warmth, increasing the warming effect of hot chocolate.  Like in 'Chocolat', one of my favorite movies of all time(because of the chocolate and not because of Johnny Depp who always looks like he is in need of a shower in my opinion), when Armande takes that first sip of Hot Chocolate that instantly puts a smile on her sour puss face.

This hot chocolate also goes great with homemade marshamallows.  If you've never had a homemade marshmallow you have to try one.  They are far superior to the store bought kind.  Homemade marshmallows are soft and cloud-like, they can be flavored too.  I found out this summer that homemade are better suited for campfires.  Let me explain.  Have you ever cooked a round store bought marshmallow over an open fire?  Then it starts to sag because it melts on the inside before you can brown the outside.  Well, with these square marshmallows you don't have that problem because there's no need to constantly rotate it.  You cook one side after the other so you get even browning without having to battle the sagging.  They are especially great for s'mores because of their square shape.  I would be happy to make a special order of marshallows for those who are interested.  

To stop your drooling you can come try and/or buy this hot chocolate mix at the Bakers Market where there will of course be FREE samples.  See you at the market tommorrow!

-Vicki

Featuring: Balsamic Onion Marmalade aka The B.O.M.

Finally getting down to business and introducing some of the products we have available.  After much comtemplation I've decided to call this concoction 'Balsamic Onion Marmalade' (for the duration of the Baker's Market anyway).  Caramalized Onion Preserves is another name I am quite fond of since I am not sure if what I am making technically qualifies as 'marmalade'.  There seems to be quite a lot of confusion about about what distinguishes jams, spreads, chutneys, marmalades, etc. (I know I'm confused...).  Any feedback about this subject and names would be much appreciated!  I guess in the end whether I call it a jam, marmalade, spread, or whatever doesn't matter as much as it tasting good.



Balsamic Onion Marmalade

  There is quite a lot of work involved in making this 'stuff'.  The entire mixture has to be cooked down until it is thick and syrupy before it is ready to be canned.  It takes almost 2 hours for this step alone!  In addition all the jars must be sterilized before anything is placed into them before sealing.

Jar sterilization process

 Once the jars are sterilized I can start filling them with delicious Onion Marmalade!  The marmalade itself is slightly tangy, sweet, and rich tasting.  During my initial tasting I paired the marmalade with creamy brie, proscuitto, crackers, and bread.  The brie really complimented the flavors of the full bodied marmalade.  You can tell just by eating it that it has been long and slow cooked.  I plan to post some recipies featuring the marmalade in the future.  But here are a few ideas to keep your taste buds busy until then:

Applications for Balsamic Onion Marmalade:

• Sandwich Spread
• Burger Topping
• Pizza Crust Base
• Pork Chops
• Wine and cheese pairings

This marmalade will be available for sale and sample at the Baker's Market where we'll have other goodies for sale.  We will have a table set up on November 6th & 20th and December 4th & 11th.  If you can't make it to the market but would still like to get your hands on this good stuff just shoot us an e-mail and we will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Oh, by the way, since the marmalade is canned it will keep for a long time without refrigeration.  Not a bad idea to have a jar handy in the pantry for those times when you have guests over on short notice.  But make sure to refrigerate after opening.

-Vicki

to market, to market

Welcome to BINGE, the blog! 


This is my first venture in blogging....so your patience is much appreciated!


Well, what is BINGE the blog all about?  It all started when my sister Vicki and I decided to become a vendor at Vancouver's annual Bakers Market, on every Saturday Oct 2 - Dec 11 from 11am - 3pm.  We've always loved to mess around in the kitchen, whipping up all sorts of treats.  It also helps that we love to eat! 


We went to the Bakers Market for the first time last year, and got inspired by all the regular home bakers debuting their culinary talents.  It got us talking in vain about the possibility of us being budding enterprenuers.  Vicki got her butt in gear this year and registered us for 4 Saturdays.  We'll be there Nov 6 - Dec 11!  No turning back now!!  We came up with some pretty hilarious names to call ourselves and after lots of brainstorming, BINGE came to be!  Don't know where this will take us...if anything we're in for lots of fun!


I'll be doing some yummy shortbreads - sweet and savoury ones.  Vicki is making fancy balsamic onion marmalade and hot chocolate mixes made with REAL chocolate.  Hope people like our fare.  I hope to have some pics up soon.


See you at the market! 
Irene