2023 Pantone Colour of the Year Since the pandemic, the Pantone Color Institute has struggled with elevating the notion of vibrancy to ward off the doldrums of isolation and lockdowns. …Read More
Since the pandemic, the Pantone Color Institute has struggled with elevating the notion of vibrancy to ward off the doldrums of isolation and lockdowns. Last year, they created the blue-ish Veri Peri. In 2020, they rolled out two colors – variations of yellow and grey – to inject positive feelings among the masses.
This year, Pantone continues its hop, skip and jump across the colour spectrum to unveil Viva Magenta, a deep red to nudge the restlessness that’s been wallowing in stasis the past couple of years. “In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real,” said Leatricer Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director. “Pantone 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known.”
And as these items in this spread demonstrate, there’s no time like the summer to make the most of this hot new colour.
Art: Brenda Lakeman
“Viola” earrings and ‘Savanna’ earrings by Skyla Russell from Made for Brunch, $25 each “Viola” earrings and ‘Savanna’ earrings by Skyla Russell from Made for Brunch, $25 each
“Harper” mixed media on watercolour paper (11 x 14 inches) by Agnes Kokot, Agnes Kokot Studio (contact artist for price)
Gerbera daisy from Salisbury at Enjoy, $15.99Kids glittery ballet flats from H&M, $24.99
Twilight Collection dinner candles from Modern Eyes Gallery, $2 each
Kelly & Katie pleated shoulder bag from DSW, $49.99 with Painterly floral scarf from Simons, $29Little Bear gelato “Haskap Cheesecake” from Mercato Italian Bakery, $12.99
Sustain lipstick “Aki” from Cheekbone Beauty, $32
[post_title] => Viva Magenta
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[_excerpt] => 2023 Pantone Colour of the Year Since the pandemic, the Pantone Color Institute has struggled with elevating the notion of vibrancy to ward off the doldrums of isolation and lockdowns. …
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Designers breathe new life into previously worn outfits These days, hand-me-downs are enjoying brand-me-up status, adding more mileage to the fabrics, but with new identities all their own. In part, …Read More
Designers breathe new life into previously worn outfits
These days, hand-me-downs are enjoying brand-me-up status, adding more mileage to the fabrics, but with new identities all their own. In part, you can credit the environmentally-inspired recycle movement for hinting that even clothing can be repurposed into creative fashion designs. Maybe give kudos to an unpredictable economy for triggering ideas to revitalize outdated outfits or other items that no longer fit the youngsters. Or tip your hat to the notion that some of the stuff folks used to wear is simply too good to throw out.
Local crafty designers have already been going the upcycle route by taking vintage and other previously-worn wares and with a stitch here and there have come up with new looks for old items. The result is an array of wardrobe pieces from jackets and tote bags reconstructed from vintage quilts to denims paired with upcycled fabric inserts. Round it out with second-hand jewelry and accessories and you’re good to go.
To further press the point, this photo essay was shot in the art gallery of the Multicultural Heritage Centre in Stony Plain, located in a repurposed institution that was previously the Old Red Brick School House built in 1925.
Photography and Styling: Brenda Lakeman
Model: Nikki Bosh
Location: Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery, featuring the Fiber Arts Network “Chromatopia” exhibit curated by Alexis Marie Chute
Vintage denim patchwork jacket $100 and “All The Things” patchwork tote $150 from Prairie Trail Goods with “Groovy Flower Power” denim from DeKill Designs, $200“Stars and Squares” patchwork jacket from Prairie Trail Goods, $150 with Preloved pink t-shirt
from The Little Honey Bee Boutique, $13 and “Groovy Flower Power” denim $200 and scrunchie set $12 from DeKill Designs with “Material Existence” multimedia sculpture by Alexis Marie Chute“Patchwork Western” from DeKill Designs, $100 with Preloved yellow denim miniskirt from The Little Honey Bee Boutique, $15“Estate” cropped patchwork jacket from Prairie Trail Goods, $180 with “Minnie Mouse”’ denim from DeKill Designs, $150 and Prelove lace insert soes from The Little Honey Bee Boutique, $19
“Pretty in Pink at Grandma’s House” crewneck $45 and “At Home Together” cross-body bag, $60 from DeKill Designs with Preloved green pencil skirt from The Little Honey Bee Boutique, $10 with “Material Existence” multimedia sculpture by Alexis Marie Chute“Springtime” granny square duster $180 and vintage tooled saddle purse $120 from Prairie Trail Goods with “Lake Side Dream” baby doll top from DeKill Designs, $60 and Preloved white denim jeans, $17 and Preloved lace insert soes, $19 from The Little Honey Bee Boutique
[post_title] => Recycled Fashion
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[_excerpt] => Designers breathe new life into previously worn outfits These days, hand-me-downs are enjoying brand-me-up status, adding more mileage to the fabrics, but with new identities all their own. In part, …
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One of Canada’s greatest traditions hits the road this summer One thing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police doesn’t mess with is tradition, which is why its signature Musical Ride has …Read More
One of Canada’s greatest traditions hits the road this summer
One thing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police doesn’t mess with is tradition, which is why its signature Musical Ride has kept its look and repertoire relatively unchanged over the decades. The sight of peace officers in red tunic astride their equine partners continues to be a draw across Canada, entertaining spectators via the attraction’s institutional manoeuvres, from the opening procession to the final criss-cross. This year, as part of the RCMP’s 150th anniversary, folks are in for a treat as the Musical Ride embarks on its first national tour since the pandemic, with performances slated to take place in Alberta. Here’s a look at the venerable Musical Ride by the numbers:
3: number of years of service officers dedicate to the Musical Ride
4: criteria horses must meet to be part of the Musical Ride (colour, rideability, size, temperament)
6: age at which a horse begins its decade of performing in the Musical Ride
8: number of Musical Ride horses gifted to Queen Elizabeth II over the years
17: maximum height, in hands, of a Musical Ride horse
30: average length, in minutes, of Musical Ride
32: number of horses used in the Musical Ride
40: average number of venues the Musical Ride performs at annually
50: Canadian banknote denomination, issued from 1969 to 1979, that featured an image of the Musical Ride on the back
150: number of years RCMP has been in existence, including their early days as the Northwest Mounted Police
635: maximum weight, in kilograms of a Musical Ride horse
720: number of acres of the Musical Ride’s first breeding farm, established in 1939 at Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan
1876: first known year of performance of what would eventually evolve into the Musical Ride
1887: year of first official Musical Ride, performed in Regina
1938: first year the Musical Ride permanently used exclusively black horses to accentuate the riders’ scarlet tunics
Where possible, the stables are open to the public from 9 am to 9 pm daily at each tour stop. The Musical Ride members encourage the public to visit them and the horses before and after the performances. There, riders can answer any questions and introduce their horses. For itinerary updates, check out rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
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[_excerpt] => One of Canada’s greatest traditions hits the road this summer One thing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police doesn’t mess with is tradition, which is why its signature Musical Ride has …
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Relatively cheap and straightforward, ultralight aircraft make flight accessible – and a lot of fun – for the masses. “Ever been inside a cloud before?” Claudio Mota shouts over his …Read More
Relatively cheap and straightforward, ultralight aircraft make flight accessible - and a lot of fun - for the masses.
“Ever been inside a cloud before?” Claudio Mota shouts over his shoulder.
Straining to hear the flight instructor over the buzz of the engine, all I can say is that I’ve seen clouds from airplane windows. That’s nothing like feeling it on your skin, Claudio answers, and I get a sense of why he feels so at ease now, a couple of thousand feet above a looping bend in the North Saskatchewan River, northeast of Drayton Valley. The Air Adventure Flight School’s ultralight trike that he’s piloting and in which I’m a passenger has an open-air cockpit, so the views are all around us. The twisting, greenish-brown river. The fields, brightly verdant with July rain, stretching into the hazy distance. A tractor-trailer crawling along a secondary highway below. Endless sky. From this height, everything looks not so much distant as somehow miniaturized.
Looking up, I see we still have some distance to climb before we reach the nearest clouds. Claudio obviously intends to take us up there, and I admittedly tense a little. I’ve never been a fan of heights, let alone flying. But the ultralight experience is surprisingly different. Exposed to the elements, you feel like you’re more immersed in the act of flying. Rather than, say, passively watching things unfold from a narrow, double-paned window.
Claudio explains the reason he wants to go higher: with the evening sun sinking in the west, it’s a good opportunity to view a glory—an optical illusion cast on clouds or mist by a low sun. A glory consists of a magnified shadow circled by bands of rainbow, created as water droplets diffract sunlight. They’re so named because the rainbow resembles the halos in old religious paintings. If nothing else, it’s a handy excuse for exploring the range and possibilities of ultralight flying.
Ultralights represent one of the fastest growing areas of aviation in Canada. First developed in the 1980s, they now make up a fifth of all registered civilian aircraft. These lightweight, powered hang gliders are controlled by weight shift—the pilot steers the aircraft by applying force to a control bar. The engine is used to gain altitude, after which the pilot may cut power to glide back to earth. The aircraft are often referred to as “trikes,” giving rise to a common analogy: if flying a Cessna is like driving a Cadillac, then flying an ultralight is like riding a motorbike.
Claudio shifts the control bar, and we start to climb. Though it’s a summer evening, ideal time for flying, it’s a windy one. We’re protected from the elements and the temperature change—about a degree Celsius for every 100 metres of altitude—by our heavy flight suits. My nerves are slightly on edge, though, as I watch buildings and features on the ground grow ever smaller.
Before long we’re levelling out. Fast-moving wisps of stratus cloud drift across our faces, and indeed, it is a cool sensation. Claudio steers the trike around, putting us between the setting sun and a mass of cloud. I look to my left, and there it is: the dark shadow of the trike on a white backdrop, surrounded by rings of colour. We linger for a bit, taking it in along with the expansive views all around us. Then Claudio kills the engine, and we comfortably drift back to the sureness of ground again.
Besides ultralight trikes, Air Adventure Flight School also offers flight instruction for paragliders, gyroplanes (a sort of mini-helicopter that uses air power to attain lift), and paramotors (a parachute powered by a motor worn on the pilot’s back). The school is located on Highway 624, about 21 km north of Drayton Valley or 31 km southwest of Seba Beach. Visit airadventurefs.ca for more info.
Getting an Ultralight Permit in Canada
According to Transport Canada, ultralight permits must be at least 16 years of age and medically cleared to fly. They have to complete a minimum of 20 hours of flight instruction and pass a written examination. Additionally, they must acquire a minimum of 10 hours flight time, including at least two hours of solo flight time, and a minimum of 30 takeoffs and landings, with 10 or more of those as the solo occupant.
From fens to foliage, Wagner Natural Area is a rustic escape just minutes away from more urban jungles Situated west of Edmonton on Highway 16, Wagner Natural Area is a …Read More
From fens to foliage, Wagner Natural Area is a rustic escape just minutes away from more urban jungles
Situated west of Edmonton on Highway 16, Wagner Natural Area is a provincial nature reserve that’s home to an abundance of wildlife and biodiversity that connects its visitors to the beauty of Alberta’s natural habitats. Spanning more than 250 hectares and hosting a scenic 1.5 km walking trail, it exists to conserve all that biological diversity for scientific, educational, and research purposes.
“We’re proud that we can share the area with the broader community, and they can recognize that there is something special about it.”
David Ealey, President of the Wagner Natural Area Society
What makes Wagner Natural Area so special is its fens–a type of wetland that forms when groundwater rises to the surface–giving the area a strong source of water and nutrients. Fens represent a small sample of Alberta’s boreal forest, and they exist due to the aquifers formed during the last ice age, over 10,000 years ago. Those aquifers allow groundwater to flow underground, which in turn seeps downhill into St. Albert’s Big Lake.
The Marl Pond walking trail is open for visitors, but because of the wetland area, the trail can become incredibly wet and filled with mosquitoes. Waterproof footwear and insect repellant are highly recommended. Along the trail, you’re likely to see a variety of wildlife such as willow swamps, black spruce forests, and marl ponds themselves.
“The wetland provides suitable conditions for the growth of a lot of different vegetation, which is epitomized by our orchids,” says Ealey. The area hosts 16 of Alberta’s 24 orchid species–including lady’s slipper and the rare bog adder’s mouth–as well as marsh marigolds, sundews, and butterworts.
Bird watchers can have a field day observing such species as the ruby-crowned kinglet, tree swallow, and yellow warbler known to be found in the area around this time of year. Because of the area’s proximity to the surrounding communities, large mammals from beavers and coyotes to white-tailed deer and even moose are harder to come across.
To combat the spread of COVID-19 earlier this year, Wagner Natural Area canceled all calendar events until further notice, although those who look after the area anticipated that summer visiting hours will be known some time during the summer. The washrooms and picnic shelters on-site are also closed. Signage is set up along the Marl Pond Trail that encourages visitors to practice safe social distancing and clean up after themselves so everyone can enjoy the trail.
Wagner Natural Area was originally discovered by naturalists in the 1940s and was later named after property owner William Wagner, who gave the original parcel of land to the provincial government for protection in 1975. Supervising the natural area is the Wagner Natural Area Society, which was created in 1982 under the Alberta Government’s Societies Act to protect the biological and physical wellbeing of the park.
In 1986, the society joined the Alberta Government’s Volunteer Stewards program. These volunteers maintain exceptional park conditions and foster a commitment to conservation for the park. The society functions to coordinate special events in the natural area, such as guided tours for elementary schools, academic research studies for summer students, and hosting Junior Forest Wardens to help evaluate the growth of the park.
According to Ealey, several thousand visitors annually flock to Wagner Natural Area to experience the array of family-friendly events and wildlife.
“We have different visitors for different reasons, and people add so much to their personal wellbeing by being able to connect with a natural area that is special, that is cared for, and that is interesting to experience.”
David Ealey, President of the Wagner Natural Area Society
Aerial theatre company Firefly takes performance art to new heights. As an aerial artist, Annie Dugan literally experiences a series of ups and downs in her work. But while she’s …Read More
Aerial theatre company Firefly takes performance art to new heights.
As an aerial artist, Annie Dugan literally experiences a series of ups and downs in her work. But while she’s equipped to take on those altitude variances, she’d rather do without handling the more metaphorical highs and lows inherent in running her company, Firefly Theatre.
A case in point was the pandemic, which shut down pretty much every business that didn’t sport a grocery or liquor storefront, just when Dugan was polishing off plans to introduce the company’s first annual Alberta Circus Arts Festival.
“I came up with it before the pandemic and it just takes a little while when you have a brand new idea for a festival, They don’t happen overnight. There’s a lot of planning, thought and design and fundraising. We had it already to start in 2020, and of course that didn’t happen.”
Annie Dugan, Firefly’s artistic director
Two years later, when vaccinations and government quarantine directives mitigated the dangers of Covid, Firefly was ready to take another shot at it circus arts festival debut, retaining most of the lineup from the aborted 2020 version. But just days before the event, a flood at their choice venue of La Cité Francophone created a scramble to reassemble the proceedings at the University of Alberta’s Timms Centre.
If there’s a sense of guarded optimism that all will go well for the second annual event, slated to run June 22-25 at La Cité Francophone and the Mill Creek Ravine, Dugan’s covered it up with bubbly enthusiasm. “We have contemporary circus coming from across Canada,” she said, wistfully pointing out one of its main attractions, Quebecois troupe Barka, an 18-piece ensemble of musicians and performers fusing dance music with circus disciplines. The band will also be on hand to inaugurate the festival with a dance party. “It gets everybody hyped up and gives you an outlet to dance and have a good time,” Dugan added.
Also on the itinerary is the profound “Twist of Fate,” a solo show by Angola Murdoch, a gymnast sidelined by scoliosis, although she uses her aerial talents to tell her remarkable story. Another female one-hander is “Deep Dish,” which stars Winnipeg contortionist Samantha Halas, who revisits her formative years working as a waitress. “She has these crazy skills she does with pizzas,” noted Dugan.
A mixed bag of Canadian circus performers will take part in the festival’s “North by Northwest” cabaret as well as a free family-friendly event in Mill Creek Ravine. Rounding out the proceedings will be a series of workshops that will include such skill sets as stilt-walking and juggling.
Ever since Dugan and her husband, local actor John Ullyatt founded the company in 2000, Firefly’s entertainment programming has not only delivered some all-ages fare, the company has also taken on some heady, surreal stuff. One production tackled a two-decade odyssey of the corpse of Argentinean icon Eva Peron. Another recent show explored the hellish works of Dante, while yet another aerial presentation concerned one man’s obsession with rubber ducks.
Regardless of the content, Firefly’s won over a loyal audience, not only in Edmonton but worldwide, via the company’s performances at the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland, a Canada Day celebration in London, England, and at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. The company has also received such honours as the City of Edmonton Excellence Award in Arts and Culture and a Mayor’s Award for Innovative Artistic Direction.
Former New Yorker Dugan first joined a circus in her region when she was 21, riding horses. After taking some time off to learn about theatre, she discovered an acrobatic style that would change her life.
“When I got out of theatre school, I saw some people working on aerial silks and the corde lisse [a vertically-suspended rope], which is very new and that really hit North America in the mid-‘90s. That style of working was developed in France in the ‘80s. To me, it looked like a fabulous way to tell stories.”
Annie Dugan, Firefly’s artistic director
Dugan boned up on the intricacies of aerial art and took time off to head to Edmonton to play at the Edmonton Street Performers Festival in 1997 and the Fringe Festival in 1998. She made the permanent move to the Alberta capital in 1999. “I had a rope and I had trapeze and I wanted to find a place where I could hang them and train, and there wasn’t one anywhere,” she recalled. “I found a gymnastics club that let me hang my equipment and myself and John Ulyatt, we formed our company and started creating.”
They created more than an aerial theatre company, but a whole mini-industry focused on circus art. Since Firefly’s inception, scores of artists have learned the craft at the company and incorporated that knowledge into subsequent projects. “There are three circus schools and recreational circus schools in town which were started from people who came from Firefly,” said Dugan.
And while the business end of aerial arts has its own peaks and valleys, Dugan credits another unpredictable element that tipped the scales in her decision to stay in Edmonton, namely the nice summer weather the city enjoyed during her previous two visits. “I had a great time,” Dugan said. “The sun was shining, and I’m telling you, if the weather was bad, and if it rained and snowed, we might not be talking now.”
6 surprising scoops For those weaned on ice cream’s triumvirate of flavours – chocolate, strawberry and vanilla – back in the day, checking out the array of flavours available these …Read More
For those weaned on ice cream’s triumvirate of flavours – chocolate, strawberry and vanilla – back in the day, checking out the array of flavours available these days would be like day-tripping into The Twilight Zone. Marching in lockstep with society’s movement towards diversity, so it goes with what tops your cone these days. What’s impressive is that a number of merchants in this part of Alberta have dreamed up some of those unique flavours; here’s a look at a few of them.
Avocado
What was once relegated to guacamole has since become a millennial favourite when served on toast. But using avocado has gone a step further as an ice cream flavour, which at Scoop n roll is done using a Thai rolling application. (Scoop n Roll)
Gigi’s has long shaken the foundations of what a cheesecake style of ice cream should be like. Besides cheesecake, this flavour employs peanuts, bits of brownie and chocolate ice cream designed to vault taste a few points higher on the Richter scale. (Gigi’s)
If you have a choice of more than 60 flavours from which to choose, as is the case at Marble Slab, there’s nothing wrong with being inventive. At this outlet, pick from what’s available to create a combination that suits your fancy, and maybe in the process, you might invent your own flavour. (Marble Slab)
Filipinos know a thing or two about keeping cool during the summer, and they’re also quite inventive when it comes to ice cream. Yelo’d has among its classic choices Ube, otherwise known as purple yam, which has a slightly nutty vanilla taste. (Yelo’d)
Kind Ice Cream is not only local, the folks like to think local, hence the Edmonton variation of Rocky Road ice cream, but with a twist and the vibe associated with a leisurely drive on the stretch of road alongside the North Saskatchewan River.
Mike's Ice Cream Cups has introduced two new flavours this year: the Lucky Lemonade Sorbet and Rockn Root Beer, the latter being yet another variation of the traditional sasparilla beverage originally made by North American aboriginals.
Available at local retail throughout Edmonton
[post_title] => 6 Surprising Local Ice Cream Flavours
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[_excerpt] => 6 surprising scoops For those weaned on ice cream’s triumvirate of flavours – chocolate, strawberry and vanilla – back in the day, checking out the array of flavours available these …
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Donairs might be popular, but the humble shawarma is a rising contender It’s no contest regarding what pita-wrapped delicacy rules the culinary roost in Canada. From coast to coast, the …Read More
Donairs might be popular, but the humble shawarma is a rising contender
It’s no contest regarding what pita-wrapped delicacy rules the culinary roost in Canada. From coast to coast, the donair is king. After all, it was invented more than 30 years ago in Halifax. In terms of popularity it easily outranks the shawarma, a centuries-old dish that’s popular in Europe, although it’s starting to gain momentum in this country. And while proponents of these rival dishes vie for your attention and taste buds, they share a common history.
Both involve the rotation method of roasting, which was done horizontally until the 19th century when Turkish chef Mehmetglu Iskender Efendi invented a method to cook the meat in a slow vertical spin, allowing for the morsels to self-baste. That culinary style has been preserved in the dishes’ monikers with donair stemming from the Turkish döner, meaning rotate. Shawarma comes from the Arabic word šāwirmā and Ottoman Turkish šāwarmā, both meaning “something that is spun or turned over.”
Not only are the methods and definitions similar, donairs and shawarmas also share a common ancestor called the döner kebap. Others call it the Iskender kebap (after the inventor) and Bursa kebap (after the Turkish city where it was created). But the method for making the dish is the same, starting with thin slices of basted lamb atop a pile of diced pide (a Mediterranean flatbread) before adding hot tomato sauce and sheep’s milk butter, then garnishing with parsley and a dollop of yogurt.
Beyond that point, the trails associated with the donair and shawarma diverge. The donair’s more immediate origins are easier to trace, dating back to the 1970s when Halifax restaurateur Peter Gamoulakos tried to sell a Greek pita wrap called a gyro. The roasted lamb dish that includes diced tomatoes, onion and a tzatziki sauce wasn’t exactly a hot item. So Gamoulakos swapped out the lamb and tzatziki in favour of beef and a sweet sauce and Canada’s culinary world hasn’t been the same since.
The considerably older shawarma sticks closer to its döner kebap roots and is traditionally made with rotated lamb, sheep or chicken. Spiced and served with garlic sauce, tomato and onion, the rest of the ingredients vary according to region in the Middle East. Israeli consumers avoid yogurt or butter as Jewish dogma forbids meat and dairy in the same meal. Shawarmas are also popular across Europe, although oddly enough, they’re more often referred to as doner kebabs, presumably due to the influence of Turkish immigrants who arrived in the 1960s.
In Canada, the shawarma doesn’t have such an irony when it comes to identity; it’s more like an identity crisis when going up against the donair. But the shawarma is gradually making inroads into Canadian appetites with donair shops adding the dish to their menus. Further publicity potential could be realized with Shawarma Day, a campaign started in 2020 occurring annually on Oct. 15. Should the shawarma eventually catch up to the donair in terms of popularity, the big winners will be consumers who benefit from even more pita-wrapped options.
A local creation, a Local Gem! When the recent pandemic hit the city and canceled a slew of outdoor events, one attraction besides the entertainment sadly missed by Edmontonians was …Read More
When the recent pandemic hit the city and canceled a slew of outdoor events, one attraction besides the entertainment sadly missed by Edmontonians was an exotic pancake appetizer common at those gatherings across the city. For years, the northern Chinese delicacy known as green onion cake jockeyed for attention between the mini-donuts and elephant ears at kiosks during major festivals and it wasn’t long before locals embraced the appetizer as their own.
But more than 40 years ago, green onion cakes were pretty much non-existent in the city until a former construction worker from Qingdao, China opted for a future in the hospitality industry. Siu To, who missed the cuisine from his homeland, fortunately knew how to cook them and from that mindset sprang a unique menu that included the green onion cake appetizer. In 1978, the dish premiered at his first eatery, Happy Garden and then his next venture Mongolian Food Experience.
Almost overnight, To’s cakes were hot items across the city to the point where other restaurants wanted to buy the items in bulk for their clientele. Then, when the first of many festivals sprang up all over the city from the Folk Festival to the Fringe in the early 1980s, To saw an opportunity to make the dish available at these events, and before he knew it, his cakes were selling like hotcakes.
What’s unusual is that nowhere else in Canada or even the U.S. are green onion cakes anywhere near as popular as they are in Edmonton. A few initiatives have taken place to make To’s creation the official food of the city. And while that has yet to happen, it’s already achieved notoriety as an attraction with such achievements as being a featured food at a Royal Alberta Museum exhibit on Chinese restaurants in 2013 and a listing in Charlene Rooke’s tome Edmonton: Secrets of the City.
As for why the pancake-shaped dish is uniquely popular on the western outskirts of the prairies, it’s a mystery. Some like the fact that it’s not messy to eat, others like it as a diversion from the more sugary food available at events. But more ardent supporters think the dish’s simplicity is a reflection of the unpretentious demeanor of Edmontonians.
Whatever the reason, while delicious, it’s also easy to make. And To, who now runs his own restaurant, Green Onion Cake Man, hasn’t made the recipe a secret, hoping to share his favorite dish with as many folks as possible.
Mix the flour baking soda, baking powder and water in a large bowl. Knead the dough until texture is the same as your cheek.
Cover the bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the shortening, vegetable oil, sesame oil, salt and green onions.
Spread out the dough into a circular shape and flatten to 1 cm. thin with a rolling pin.
Spread out the green onion mixture onto the dough.
From the bottom, stretch the dough and roll it inwards until it is a long baguette-like roll.
Cut it into eight rectangular pieces.
Squeeze and pinch the ends shut.
Flatten each into a pancake shape and store between two rectangular sheets of parchment paper.
Heat oil in a frying pace.
Place cake and pan fry until golden brown on each side. Serve with sambal hot sauce.
[post_title] => Green Onion Cakes
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[_excerpt] => A local creation, a Local Gem! When the recent pandemic hit the city and canceled a slew of outdoor events, one attraction besides the entertainment sadly missed by Edmontonians was …
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Sponsored by Italian Centre In this no-bake cake, you’ll find Biscoff cookies layered between whipped cream and biscoff spread. It’s perfect to make the day before an outdoor barbeque as …Read More
In this no-bake cake, you’ll find Biscoff cookies layered between whipped cream and biscoff spread. It’s perfect to make the day before an outdoor barbeque as it sets up in the fridge overnight. Garnish with sea salt and more cookie crumbles for an easy presentation!
Ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup cream cheese
1x jar Biscoff Spread (divided, 1/2 cup biscoff spread and remaining for topping)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp icing sugar
2x packages Biscoff Cookies
Toppings:
Sea salt
Biscoff Spread
Leftover Biscoff Cookies for crumbling
Servings: 8-10 pieces
Preparation: 30 minutes + overnight for cake to chill in refrigerator
Total Time: 30 minutes plus overnight to chill
Kitchen Equipment: stand mixer, loaf pan (approx. 9 x 6 x 2 inch pan)
Instructions
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper leaving a 1 inch overhang on the side of the pan.
In a stand-mixer bowl or regular bowl (if using a hand mixer) add whipping cream and whip into stiff peaks. Then add cream cheese, ½ cup biscoff spread, vanilla, icing sugar and a pinch of sea salt and whip until you reach a thick creamy consistency.
Start by layering a single layer of biscoff cookies on the bottom of the loaf pan and one horizontal layer up the side of the pan (see photo).
Spread about a 1/4 of the cream mixture (about 1 cup per layer) over the cookies.
Continue layering cookies (flat and up the sides of the pan horizontally per layer - see photo) and then cream mixture; you should have approximately 5 cookie layers and 4 cream layers but this will depend on the size of your loaf pan.
End with a cookie layer and press into the cream. Melt the remaining biscoff spread in the microwave to pour over top of the cake. Sprinkle the cake with sea salt and any leftover cookie crumbles.
Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 hours or overnight.
If you want more of an ice-cream consistency, freeze for about 1 hour before serving.
Using the parchment paper overhang on the sides of the pan for support, lift the cake out to a serving platter. Peel the parchment paper from the sides of the icebox cake and tear or cut so that there is parchment paper remaining on the bottom of the cake and around the edges.
Sprinkle the top of the cake with more sea salt if you desire.
Cut into slices (a serrated knife works best) and serve.
