Category Archives: Food

Ottawa Food Photography :: Heavenly Salted Caramel Sauce

I’m not entirely sure why I decided to call this Heavenly Salted Caramel Sauce when it’s clearly evil. Pure and total evil. Despite my best efforts I am completely unable to control myself walking by the refrigerator knowing this yumminess is inside. Ideally you want to save this ooey gooey goodness to use as an ice cream topping or something of that nature. In reality, I’d take bets with anyone that it would be long gone before you even have a chance to get out and buy some ice cream. ;)

 

Heavenly Salted Caramel Sauce
1 cup water
2 cups white sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
Pour water into a large sauce pan. Pour the sugar into the centre of the pan, not touching the sides. DO NOT STIR!
Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Then turn heat up to high and boil until the mixture starts to turn brown. This should take approximately 20 minutes. (Still no stirring!)
Heat the cream in the microwave for 45 seconds. It will turn a golden brown colour. Add vanilla to the milk and then slowly pour it into sugar mixture along with the salt. Once blended, immediately remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Pour into a jar and chill in refrigerator immediately.

 

 

Now be forewarned, this recipe can be tricky. The first time my hubby and I experimented with it we ended up with something super dark and thick in consistency. Which would be fine…expect that it tasted burnt. Our second attempt we realized that you must add in the cream and vanilla mixture as SOON as the sugar starts to turn brown. Any later and your sauce will taste burnt. Another tip to ensure it turns out: After adding in the cream and vanilla mixture, do not let it heat any longer on the stove. The longer this boils, the faster the moisture boils out. This will leave you with a very thick, grainy, fudge like treat. Which is also super delicious (and also known as Sucre a la Creme!) but will be very different from a syrup type stuff we’re going for here. ;)

 

Despite the trickiness, this stuff really is delicious and totally worth making! Enjoy!! :)

 

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Ottawa Food Photography :: Easy Peasy Peach Cobbler

I love this recipe. It fits almost all of my criteria for a perfect dessert. You can thank me now…or later. Whichever you prefer. But I promise, the next time you have company over and can’t figure out what to serve them for dessert and you make this you’ll be saying “Wow, I must go back to Danielle’s blog and leave a comment telling her how wonderful this is!”. Because really…it doesn’t get easier than this folks. Don’t believe me? FOUR ingredient Peach Cobbler. That’s it. You’re Welcome. ;)

 

 

Easy Peasy Peach Cobbler

Two 16oz cans sliced peaches (in syrup).

1 box of white or yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter

1tsp ground cinnamon

Dump all contents of both cans of peaches into the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. Cover with dry cake mix, spreading it evenly over top of the peaches and pressing down firmly. Cube butter into tiny chunks and place them randomly around the top of the cake mix. Sprinkle the top with 1tsp of cinnamon (or as much as you like). Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Serve warm topped with real whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. ENJOY!

 

 

To book a session with Danielle Lynn Photography (Ottawa Food Photographer), please contact me today! My services include photography for Ottawa Restaurants, Bakeries and cookbooks. My availability for Summer 2012 is filling up quickly – don’t wait to reserve your date!

 

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Ottawa Food Photography :: Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

At 29 years old, I can still say without a doubt that the best cook in the world is my Mom. Her recipes aren’t fancy, complicated or overly involved, but every one of them is good and in my mind, are the definition of comfort food. On a recent visit to my Mom’s house, she made this Cauliflower and Cheddar soup that is one of my favorites. It’s been years since I’d had it but the first bite reminded me of why it was always a childhood favorite. Tender, fresh cauliflower and warm cheesy, creamy goodness = get in my belly! ;)

The best part of this recipe is how easy it is to make. The most time consuming part is chopping the cauliflower. But it’s worth it. Trust me. On cold rainy spring days (like we’ve been having a lot of in Ottawa lately!) you’ll be glad you took the time to make it. :)

Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups (or one medium sized head) of chopped cauliflower
1 carton (900ml) of chicken broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flower
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

In large pot, melt butter and sautee onions until soft. Stir in broth and add in the chopped cauliflower. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer while covered for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. In a measuring cup, combine flour and milk and add to pot. Cook and stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add cheese slowly while stirring. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Danielle is an award winning photographer who specializes in lifestyle portraits of families and children as well as food photography in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. To book your own session or to inquire about my services, please contact me today!

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Ottawa Food Photography :: Chicken Fajitas with Pineapple Mango Pico de Gallo!

The creation of this recipe was inspired by a recent visit to a new little taco place that opened up here in town. The other day I ate some SUPER delicious tacos there and I have not been able to stop thinking about them since! This of course got me thinking about the amazingness of Mexican hand foods, and how very little I cook it despite really enjoying it. Now like any ethinic food I attempt, I make no claims to the authenticity of this dish. I simply cook based on my own tastes and what I think my family will eat! I do, however, guarantee that this will be one of the most unique, delicious, colourful and flavourful dishes you will ever make in your own kitchen! It’s also surprisingly easy to prepare if you don’t mind a bit of prep work! Probably the best thing about this dish though is the presentation. It LOOKS like you spent hours crafting and preparing this masterpiece…when in fact, it was even less involved than I initially thought. The flavours and textures mingle so nicely that it almost creates a unique flavour all it’s own. Highly recommended as a cool and impressive dish for entertaining this summer!

 

1 ripe mango cubed
1/2 fresh pineapple cubed
1/3 of an english cucumber peeled and cubed
12-15 sweet baby tomatos sliced into quarters
1/2 red onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely minced
A small handful of cilantro roughly chopped (or however much desired)
Juice of 1 large-ish lime.
sea salt to taste
(Optional ingredient ideas: Avacado, Jalapeno peppers, Tomatillo, Red/yellow/orange peppers.)

Place all chopped and peeled fruits and veggies into a bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the ingredients. Salt to taste. Toss all ingredients together and refrigerate covered for an hour or two before serving to let the flavours ‘mingle’. Serve cold on tortillas over top of fajita chicken (see recipe below) Note: This Pico de Gallo will keep if covered in the fridge, however the mango and pineapple will likely get mushy very quickly so eating quickly is a good idea. Not that this would be a problem of course. ;)

 

 

2-3 cubed chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4  teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you like it spicy!)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
Heat a few glugs of oil in a skillet and cook chicken over medium heat until completely cooked (no pink). Add 1/2 cup of water (or lime juice) and 2-3 tablespoons of seasoning mix and stir well. You will have some left over fajita seasoning after making this recipe. So you could easily use more than I’ve recommended, or store the left overs it in an air tight container for next time. Alternatively: Any of the fajita spice packets available at the grocery store would work for this too, and would save a bit of time. We like the sodium-reduced house brand stuff at our local Loblaws.

 

 

Aren’t the colours phenomenal?! If food could be sexy, I believe this would be it! ;)
Are you an Ottawa or Gatineau area bakery, restaurant or cafe owner who is in need of some unique images of the delicious foods you serve? Perhaps you’d like food photos for a website, blog or menu? If so, I’d love to discuss the possibilities with you!

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Ottawa Food Photography :: Quinoa Chili

During this time of year, I am ALL about making my family these types of simple dinners. Not only are they extra delicious on a cold day, but they are so easy. And when it comes right down to it, for someone who has 2 kids, 2 dogs, a husband and a business, easy is pretty much the most important thing. Always. ;)

This chili recipe is one that I created myself based mostly on my memory of recipes I’ve followed in the past. Like most things I make, its really versatile. You could definitely add or take away any of the ingredients and substitute them for others depending on your tastes. For this one I decided to use Quinoa. If you aren’t familiar with this wonderfully healthy and delicious grain, you can read more about it here. We really love Quinoa, but don’t often use it because I either forget or struggle to find things that it works well in. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a fantastic addition to chili. I may even go so far as to say that it really completes this dish, both for taste and texture reasons. I’ll let you be the judge of that for yourself though. ;)

 

Quinoa Chili

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Quinoa (we buy the organic stuff from Costco – best price!)
1 Pound of ground beef (we buy from Aubrey’s here in Ottawa)
1 diced red pepper
1 diced green pepper
1 medium onion diced
1 can of corn
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of crushed tomatoes
2 tbsps of chili powder (or more/less depending on taste)
1 tsp cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Cook 1/2 cup of Quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside in covered pot.

2) Brown ground beef in heavy bottom pot and drain off any excess fat. Add in spices, diced onions, peppers with a glug or two of olive oil. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes.

3) Add in the full cans of tomato, corn, kidney and black beans. Add in Quinoa as well, mixing chili well to blend ingredients together.

4) Let cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes before serving. Top with whatever you like. I like mine best with sour cream and sometimes Fritos. ;)
* Note – I think this recipe could very easily be adapted to suit a vegetarian. A couple of options would be to omit the meat and substitute it for the ground tofu stuff (not sure what the correct term is but its that stuff that looks like ground beef. LOL!), or even just more Quinoa, beans and veggies to bulk it up!

 

 

I’m also VERY excited to share that my Food Photography site is reaching completion!!! Yes, that’s right…for 2012 my food photography will have its own dedicated website and it’s own name. Sort of a division of Danielle Lynn Photography if you will. I plan to offer a fully styled food photography service as one of my specialties and since it’s so different from portraiture I figured it needed its own space. My sites will share this as a common blog though so fear not! You won’t miss a thing! ;)

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