 A Room in the Forest, Dan Mangan's Natural Light, and Mother's Day crème brûléeNXNW May 10/11, 2025 | Welcome to the NXNW newsletter! We've got lots of great conversations on literature, music and gardening this Mother's Day weekend. Heather Ramsey shares her debut novel following a young forestry worker in Haida Gwaii, Dan Mangan stops by with his immersive new album, and Haley Landa brings us a lovely recipe for crème brûlée.
Looking for something from a past show? Check out our CBC Listen page. | | | Coming up on NXNW this weekend: | | | Saturday |  | Former Haida Gwaii reporter Heather Ramsey introduces her debut novel, A Room in the Forest, which follows a 19-year-old girl who discovers some unexpected truths when she takes a forestry job in Haida Gwaii. | | | | | Looking to bake something sweet for your parent this Mother's Day? NXNW baking columnist Haley Landa takes us through her recipe for crème brûlée, which we've listed below. | | | | | CBC’s Grant Lawrence returns with the third chapter of his new series, Whale Tale. This week, he takes us back to a particular evening, when whale hunters captured and closely studied a group of orcas. | | | | | Vancouver music icon Dan Mangan drops by to chat about his upcoming album Natural Light, an atmospheric collection of songs releasing on Arts & Crafts Productions on May 16. | | | | | Sunday | | | The 2025 list for Canada's 100 Best Restaurants is out now. Journalist Jacob Richler is the editor-in-chief behind this annual ranking, and he breaks down how he curates culinary excellence nationwide. (Keep an ear out for the B.C. restaurants he's mentioning, too!) | | | | | Ashley Ghostkeeper joins us to talk about her musical journey as an alumnus of the inaugural Indigenous Music Residency, a program hosted in partnership with CBC and the SOCAN Foundation. | | | | | Food historian and Cravings columnist Lenore Newman gives us a lesson on the genus of plants we know as brassica, continuing our May series about gardening and growing food. | | | | | NXNW's Margaret Gallagher takes us behind the scenes with the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra as it prepares for its 95th anniversary concert, with orchestra members reflecting on why the VYSO is vital for young musicians. | | | | | Chinese Canadian author Liann Zhang shares her buzzy new thriller, Julie Chan is Dead, which chronicles a young woman assuming her deceased twin’s influencer identity—unearthing some dark secrets behind the digital world. | | | | | | | | | Natural Light with Dan Mangan | | | Award-winning Vancouver musician Dan Mangan pays a visit to the NXNW studio with some music from his much-anticipated new album Natural Light, set for release on May 16.
Recorded in what Dan describes as "six magical days by four best buds in a cabin by a lake," Natural Light explores what it means to be alive in the moment—grappling with its messy beauty and reflecting on the changes in his life and the current world. | | |  | Dan Mangan in the NXNW studio. | | | | | | | Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra 95th anniversary | | | Earlier this week, NXNW's Margaret Gallagher visited the St. James Community Centre, where the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra (VYSO) was deep in rehearsals ahead of its 95th anniversary concert on Sunday, May 18.
During a rehearsal break, Margaret caught up with percussionist Liam Aldous and 91-year-old alum and board member Judith Fraser, as well as conductor Nadia Petriw and artistic director Jonathan Girard.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's ninth anniversary concert is taking place at The Orpheum Theatre on Sunday, May 18. Doors open at 1 p.m. PT. | | |  | Liam Aldous with his drum set. | | |  | Judith Fraser in the VYSO office. | | | | | | | Mother's Day - crème brûlée | | | NXNW baking columnist Haley Landa brings us her recipe for crème brûlée, which we've listed below. If you're hoping to bring the treat to your parent this Mother's Day, Haley recommends you start this recipe by Saturday morning to accommodate the two-day preparation. Give it a try!
Crème Brûlée
~fills 6 standard ramekins~
Ingredients:
450g 36% cream
150g homo milk
150g egg yolks
60g granulated sugar
3g vanilla bean paste (or ½ vanilla bean, or vanilla extract)
Instructions:
DAY 1:
1) Whisk or immersion blend all ingredients together, pass through a fine mesh sieve and place in fridge to infuse for up to 24 hours.
DAY 2:
1) Set oven to 220 F.
2) Set ramekins in a casserole dish spaced out evenly. Fill ramekins 80% full with the chilled brûlée mix.
3) Open the oven, pull out oven rack halfway and place the casserole dish on it. Fill the dish with warm (not hot!) water. The goal is to have the water and the brulee mix at the same level. We do NOT want any water to go into the ramekin, so be careful!
4) Bake low and slow for anywhere from 1.5-2 hours. Bake time will vary based on your oven and ramekin size, so start to check doneness at the one-hour mark by gently tapping the sides of the ramekin. Once the sides of the ramekin are set and the middle has a slight wobble, they are done.
5) Carefully remove from oven and allow to cool on the counter for 30 mins-1 hour, then transfer to the fridge to rest for at least 6 hours or ideally overnight.
6) Once you’re ready to enjoy, spoon a couple teaspoons of sugar on top of each ramekin, spread evenly and gently torch, or toss in the oven with the broiler on until the sugar is caramelized. Remove from oven, allow to cool for a minute or two and garnish with fruit or toppings of your choice. Enjoy! | | | | | | | In case you missed it... | | | Last week on NXNW, award-winning journalist Eve Lazarus spoke with us about her new book Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland, which uncovers the forgotten story of a 20th century vessel and the legacy of its survivors.
Lazarus will be holding a book launch for Beneath Dark Waters on Thursday, May 22, at 6 p.m. PT at the Museum of Vancouver.
Stream this interview on CBC Listen. Read it on CBC News. | | | | | Thanks for listening! | Have comments or suggestions you'd like to share? Email us!
The NXNW Team | | | | | |
