Yum! September 2005

Welcome to the Canadian Living Test Kitchen bulletin board. This is our space to write about the foodie world -- stories we are working on, tasty new food products and must-have utensils that spark our imagination. We'll report new cooking tricks (and occasionally lessons learned) that come from the day-to-day testing and developing of recipes you find in the magazine. And, as we discover the hottest new restaurants, chefs and gourmet and farmer's markets, you'll be among the first to know.

Sept 24 Foodie diary: Foodie flicks and the recipes they inspire
Every year, we watch for foodie flicks at the Toronto International Film Festival. This year, the darkly funny -- and somewhat unnerving -- Danish film Adam's Apples takes the cake.

Adam is an ex-con who leaves prison to "help" Ivan, an optimistically delusional preacher, at his small country church. Upon arrival, Adam is asked to set a goal for his stay. "To bake a cake," he answers sarcastically. Ivan takes Adam literally and appoints him to tend the rectory apple tree, with the revised goal of producing an apple cake. The ensuing relationship between the two men is both humorous and intense as the convict sets a new ambition for himself (to break the preacher's faith) while unwittingly contending with the many tribulations of the apple tree and moving ever closer to his "cake."

In food-themed stories, redemption usually occurs through cooking (or eating) and somehow this film brings us to that moment while taking us on a journey that seems completely hopeless. Adam's Apples is an unusual film that will inspire you to reconnect with the world through baking (perhaps our Scandinavian-inspired Apple Cardamom Cake is a good starting point). Watch for the movie at repertoire cinemas and rental stores.

Test Kitchen tip of the week:
Which are the best cooking apples? Different apples have different purposes and, often, the tastiest ones to eat (such as Fuji and Red Delicious) are too sweet for baking. Others (such as MacIntosh and Royal Gala) break down easily and are better suited to sauces and spreads. For baking, we prefer Cortland, Idared, Northern Spy and Spartan apples -- but our absolute favourite pies are made with a combination of these apples.

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