The Food Podcast Lindsay Cameron Wilson

Cake, Pudding and the Space In Between with Colleen Thompson -  is officially live! Yes we are back to regular programming after a little pause in the season. I haven’t been toes up and eating cake - I mean pudding - this whole time. I’ve been sorting out the semantics of dessert. It can be confusing, so the episode begins with a short primer on the sweet and savoury world of cakes and puddings, and how their names vary from place to place. The cake above, a Malva Pudding, is where a pudding and a cake intersect. It is also where the magic of science comes into play. The sponginess of this pudding happens when baking soda and vinegar meet- sweet bubbles and growth, that’s what this pudding/cake is all about. 
And the space in between? That’s the story that lives in this cake - its journey from South Africa to a little restaurant in Canada, and the story of writer and photographer Colleen Thompson who wrote a cookbook capturing the flavours of these places. And woven through the in between is music, because as Colleen writes, “music, like food, has an incredible ability to shape us. Songs describe the longings, the passions, the small details we might otherwise miss.” And like recipes, when we record these songs, we remember who we were when we loved them.
I hope you enjoy this story of life, through the lens of a sweet, spongy, storied pudding. 
x Lindsay
Links:
* Dark Angel - featured in this episode with permission from Jill Barber, Rose Cousins and Jenn Grant
* Colleen Thomspon - writer, photographer and raconteur
Instagram @monkeyweddings
* Monkey Weddings & Summer Sapphires - South Africa to Nova Scotia: Stories, Recipes and Memories (General Public Inc, 2020) 
* 32 Songs to Live and Cook By - Colleen Thompson
* Field Guide, Halifax - Malva pudding is still on the menu!
* Mrs. Beeton’s Cookery Book
Malva Pudding - from Monkey Weddings & Summer Sapphires, reprinted with permission.
Yield: 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon smooth apricot jam
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup milk
Syrup
½ cup sugar
½ cup heavy cream 
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup hot water
(this is where some might add a splash of booze - Cognac if you have it!)
* Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a square 9” baking dish.
* In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter, apricot jam and vinegar together. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. 
* In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. 
* In a separate bowl, mix the egg and sugar together until the mixture is pale yellow - about 4 minutes. Add the butter, apricot jam and vinegar mixture to the eggs and sugar together with the milk and mix. 
* Add the flour mixture bit by bit and mix well. 
* Pour mixture into the baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes until the pudding is golden and baked through (a skewer inserted should come out clean). 
* In a small saucepan, over medium heat combine all of the syrup ingredients and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the syrup over the cooked pudding and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Serve with heavy cream, custard or vanilla ice cream.

Credits
Hosted by Lindsay Cameron Wilson
Edited by Abigail Cerquitella
Theme song is One More Night by Jenn Grant 
Follow: @thefoodpodcast and @lindsaycameronwilson


Get full access to Food Stories at lindsaycameronwilson.substack.com/subscribe

Here I am, on a sunny day back in October, savouring a Shore Lunch sushi bowl in the sun. I am sitting on a red adirondack on the wharf in Lunenburg, NS. A few tourists are milling around. A ship is tied up in front of me. Water is lapping against its sides. I take this picture then put my phone away. This food takes all my focus. Yellofin tuna. peppery greens. Chickpeas. Seaweed salad. Nori Flakes. Sesame Chickpeas. Miso Whip. Later I will see Amy Funk’s art exhibition at the Lunenburg School of the Arts. Amy is also the chef behind the Shore Lunch food truck. She made this bowl.
This episode is the story of how Amy Funk, and artist and chef who has lived far and wide, has landed here, on the south shore of Nova Scotia. Cooking, painting, and feeding me in the sun.
We discuss life. Hardships. Ingredients. Wanting the big time, and finding it in Nova Scotia. Here in this bowl.
Thanks for listening,
x Lindsay
Links:
* Shore Lunch Food Truck
* Tipping is a Legacy of Slavery by Michelle Alexander
* Lincoln Street Food
* Lunenburg School for the Arts


Credits
Hosted by Lindsay Cameron Wilson
Edited by Abigail Cerquitella
Theme song is One More Night by Jenn Grant 
Follow: @thefoodpodcast and @lindsaycameronwilson


Get full access to Food Stories at lindsaycameronwilson.substack.com/subscribe

This episode began with a prompt in my writing class - to explore a threshold moment. It could be an ending, a beginning, leaving something behind or entering into something new. It could be a boundary, a tipping point, the edge of an experience. I began by making lists, but like all good prompts, I found myself transported to a place I hadn’t expected - my grandmother’s apartment overlooking the Bedford Basin. And as I walked through the memory, images, flavours, aromas and textures emerged. And a recipe too.
So here is it, an episode through the lens of my grandmother Vivian. I hope it transports you into your own threshold memories. Feel free to share a taste of them with me in the comments below. I’d love that.
Thanks for listening,
x Lindsay

Credits
Hosted by Lindsay Cameron Wilson
Edited by Abigail Cerquitella
Theme song is One More Night by Jenn Grant 
Follow: @thefoodpodcast and @lindsaycameronwilson


Get full access to Food Stories at lindsaycameronwilson.substack.com/subscribe

A Measure of My Dreams is a lyric from A Rainy Night in Soho by the Irish band The Pogues. The lyric speaks to love and loss, but it also touches on the transient nature of life, and the fleeting beauty of moments, and the profound impact brief encounters can have. 
Liz Chute has made a life from profound encounters. For 25 years Liz has owned and run The Pebble Bed and Breakfast in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Liz is from Listowel, Ireland, and her family, her home, her business and her kitchen is full of Irish love and passion. 
This episode is Liz’s story, told through the lens of music, food, family, dancing, running, pressed sheets and a passion for authentic hospitality.
It’s a special one. I hope you enjoy it!
X Lindsay
Links:
* The Pebble B&B
* That review on Tripadvisor
* The Food Podcast - A Field Guide to Christmas
* The Pogues - A Rainy Night in Soho
* Simon Pearce Glassware
* Frette Linens
* Molton Brown
* qualifying for the Boston Marathon

Credits
Hosted by Lindsay Cameron Wilson
Edited by Abigail Cerquitella
Theme song is One More Night by Jenn Grant 
Follow: @thefoodpodcast and @lindsaycameronwilson


Get full access to Food Stories at lindsaycameronwilson.substack.com/subscribe

Lauren Gerrie is my guest this week on The Food Podcast. She is a New York based chef, a dancer, teacher, artist, collaborator and community builder. She’s a flavour alchemist, a master in texture, a cheerleader and a woman who barbecues scallops on the windy shores of Nova Scotia in a leotard. This conversation is a celebration of community through the lens of food, friendship, The Two Fat ladies, dance, movement and celebration. And Pat Benatar.
Thanks for listening.

Links:
* We Belong by Pat Benatar
* Ryan Heffington - Ted Talk: How Dance can unleash your inner joy
* Moves Pure Joy - Instagram @movespurejoy
* Lauren Gerrie - Instagram @laurengerrie
* The Two Fat Ladies Complete Series on Youtube
* Books for Cooks Notting Hill, London

Credits
Hosted by Lindsay Cameron Wilson
Edited by Abigail Cerquitella
Theme song is One More Night by Jenn Grant 
Follow: @thefoodpodcast and @lindsaycameronwilson



Get full access to Food Stories at lindsaycameronwilson.substack.com/subscribe

I’m jumping in here to welcome you to a re-leased episode of last year’s A Field Guide to Christmas. For those who celebrate, we do it every year, but somehow, we still need a field guide, a mentor, and calming friend to shepherd us through this beautiful, nostalgic and sometimes difficult time of year. 
At least I do, and I know there’s one other person too…
I was sitting at a high school football game earlier in the fall, watching my son and nephew play. It was an away game -  A five hour drive. But the last of the fall leaves were still hanging on, there were thermoses of coffee in the cup holders, so it wasn’t such a bad drive. 
The Cape Breton autumn winds were whipping at our backs as we perched on metal bleachers. (I should say that the field guide to watching Canadian football would include pads to sit on  - we use the little cushions that come with our ikea outdoor furniture - they work like a charm and keep you warm.) Anyway, the turnout wasn’t so good for our team, spectators were thin, but those who were there had clearly read the football field guide and were kitted out in cozy jackets, hats, mitts and were lounging in portable camping chairs. At half time one of the mom’s leaned over and said, I’ve been listening to your Field Guide to Christmas. I know we’re two months away, but it soothes me knowing other people cry on Christmas. And we can laugh about it. 
So if you too need a refresh for how to get through the next week with ease and wonder, listen to the rest of this episode, perhaps again, for the first time. 
You too might pick up a word I had forgotten in the wisdom shared by writer and long time Christmas host Vicky Grant. The word she drops is outdoorfin - the rush of joyful energy received when you leave the chaos of the home, the chaos of the world, the heat of the oven, the wrapping paper on the floor, and the drying Christmas tree, and GO OUTSIDE. 
So with that, I give you our field Guide to Christmas, recorded in December of 2022… and by the way, my sons would say I did spiral out of control last Christmas, just for a little bit, but, not only did I go for a walk on christmas day, I also dipped in the river with my sister and nieces on New Year's Day. A cold plunge in a brackish river on the east coast of canada in winter will give you enough ourdoorfins to last at least a week. 
But before we listen I just want to say Thanks so much for being here at The Food Podcast, sharing stories, through the lens of food. 
The Food Podcast will be back on the 9th of January with chef, artist and dancer, Lauren Gerrie.
Until then,
x Lindsay
Show Notes
* Nigel Slater, The Christmas Chronicles . Or listen to the Christmas Chronicles here -
* Anja Dunk, ADVENT - Festive German Bakes to Celebrate the Coming of Christmas
* Jenn Grant’s Forever on Christmas Eve Album
* Writer Vicki Grant. Vicki says a Christmas party isn’t a Christmas party without Grease Babies. I wrote about them here. As for the recipe, here’s the gist: begin with white bread, crusts cut off. Add a teaspoon of undiluted Campbell’s Mushroom Soup to each slice and spread edge to edge. Roll slice and wrap with bacon. Bake until crispy but still gooey on the inside. They’ll be gone in seconds.
Episode Credits
Hosted by Lindsay Cameron Wilson
Edited by Abigail Cerquitella
Theme song is One More Night by Jenn Grant 
Follow: @thefoodpodcast and @lindsaycameronwilson


Get full access to Food Stories at lindsaycameronwilson.substack.com/subscribe