Good food, good meat, good god, let's eat!

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie

2010-11-01T17:53:00.005-04:00

I have made this pie twice in one week. I had extra pumpkin, yes, but it really is fantastic. It's veering into the 'much too much' category for me-ultra rich, ultra sweet- but my roommate is in love. Maybe you will be too.

The recipe comes from Bon Appetit's Thanksgiving issue from 2009, and I've made no modifications. You can find the recipe here.

It looks much more elaborate than the Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie, but is actually much less involved (no cooking of the filling pre-baking).

Start by making the streusel-y topping (chopped walnuts-though you could definitely swap these for other nuts-pecans, hazelnuts, even almonds would be nice, brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch of salt):

Roll out your pastry and fit into the pie shell, decorating the edges if you like. Compare this shell (made while watching Waitress and drinking beer) with second version, where I was all neat and fancy with triangle cut outs. Remember the risks of distracted baking.

The shell is then blind baked with pie weights/pennies/beans to hold its shape.

You can easily prepare the filling by hand or by mixer, simply by combining the brown sugar, spices, eggs, pumpkin purée and heavy cream.

Fill your shell and bake until filling is jiggly but the top has set. Cover with brown sugar/nut mixture and continue to bake until the filling is puffed and topping has browned.

It can be served at room temperature or cold, and goes best with cinnamon whipped cream.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie

2010-10-18T12:46:00.007-04:00

Gourds are taking over. They're everywhere-decoratively perched outside of otherwise soulless corporate supermarkets, overflowing at farmer's markets, begging you to pick them at local farms. There's something romantic about making pumpkin pie with the flesh of a pumpkin you picked, roasted, and scooped out its innards with your very own hands. But it is seriously not worth the hassle, get the canned stuff.

For one thing, the giant jack-o-lantern pumpkins that make up the bulk of these kitschy displays do not a good pie make. If you insist on a truly DIY pie, go for the smaller pie pumpkins. But it's messy, inconsistent and time intensive compared to readily available canned or frozen pumpkin purée which will produce better results in most cases.

Canned pumpkin purée served me well in this year's Canadian Thanksgiving pie making endeavor. See last year's here. I went for a sour cream pumpkin pie recipe from Gourmet Today, which nicely cut the sweetness of the pumpkin and gave a bit of welcome tang.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie

For the crust:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3-4 tbsp ice water

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl and cut the butter in with a pastry cutter, a couple knives, a food processor or a stand mixer (I've had good results with this, just make sure the butter is really cold). You want small pea sized lumps of butter-the idea is not to cream but to leave these lumps which will turn into glorious flaky pastry. Add in just enough water so your dough comes together, and divide into 4 portions (this next step I hadn't done before and am not sure it made a huge difference, but if Gourmet says so...). On a lightly floured surface, smear each portion forward with the heel of your hand. This helps distribute the fat. Once completed or skipped, gather all the dough into a ball, flatten into a 5-inch disk and wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. I usually make the dough a day ahead to save time. It also freezes well.

When you are ready to roll out your dough, lightly flour your surface or place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375˚. Trying to keep it as cool as possible, roll out your dough until it will fit a 9-inch pie plate. Because pumpkin pie has a custard filling, the crust is blind-baked (pre-baked sans filling). Once you fit the dough into the pie plate and decoratively crimp the edges to your liking, prick all over with a fork and fill with pie weights, dried beans or even pennies (make sure you line your pastry shell with foil first).

Using a pyrex pie dish is the best way to check in on browning. Bake your shell approximately 20 minutes with the weights in, and an additional 10 without, until pale golden. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, get to work on your filling:

1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups pumpkin
3 eggs, separated
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt

Heat 1 cup of the sour cream (reserving 1/2 cup) in a large metal bowl set over a pot of boiling water until warm, stirring occasionally.

In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, egg yolks, brown sugar, spices, salt and reserved 1/2 cup of sour cream. Add to hot sour cream and cook over simmering water, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes to thicken the custard.

Remove bowl from heat and cool in an ice water bath (in a larger bowl, or if you're out of larger bowls, the sink), stirring occasionally until cool.

Whisk egg whites with an electric mixer (difficult to do without) until they hold stiff peaks. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture and slowly incorporate the remaining whites.

Pour filling into your cooled shell and smooth the top (mine kind of overflowed, but it will all work out). Bake until filling is set and puffed around the edges, 40-50 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve with whipped cream, dosed with cinnamon if you feel like getting fancy.

Let's go to the Food Building!

2010-08-25T12:46:00.008-04:00

Torontonians, you have two weekends left to get yourself to the Ex. The Canadian National Exhibition features scheming carnies, rides of dubious safety, entertainment that ranges from middling to deafening (Air Show anyone?) and a smorgasbord of culinary innovation. Yes, innovation. Ex vendors boldly deep-fry what no one has deep-fried before, and the results are heavenly. Along with gastronomic breakthroughs the CNE features typical carnival fare (for Toronto): neon sno-cones, many varieties of fried dough, fries, burgers, pizzas, shawarma, dim sum, sushi, pho, falafel and more, all under the magnificent roof of the food building.

I crave Tiny Tom's conveyor belt mini donuts year-round, and seek them out at any outdoor Toronto fest, whether Word on the Street or the Weed March. This year marks their 50th anniversary and I got a little festive. My favourites are icing sugar or cinnamon, $5/dozen, or 4 dozen for $15.

Dollar spaghetti doesn't really appeal to me, but it keeps coming back year after year.

It is after all the Canadian National Exhibition and poutine is heavily featured along with other so-called national dishes.

I don't know why I thought this would be a good idea but the take-out dim sum was truly atrocious (Chinatown is cheaper and infinitely better).

The Lemon Ladies.

I admit I am late to the game on this one. I've been hearing tell of the delights of deep-fried chocolate bars for years, but this was my first taste.

And it won't be my last. The crisp batter coating is an excellent balance for the melting chocolate-caramel confection.

It was the same stand's deep-fried butter that's been making headlines. This is not in the Food Building, but rather fairly deep into the midway, near the Canadian Armed Forces display. At first I was a bit reluctant to ask people if they knew where it was fearing judgment, but everyone was happy to point the way, noting that it seemed hugely popular.

Small balls of butter are frozen onto toothpicks, then dipped in the same batter coating as the Mars bars.

After frying they are topped off with a squirt of chocolate, caramel or strawberry sauce.

When ready, the butter has melted inside the donut-like coating and biting in frees the butter from this doughy cage. I don't think I could eat more than four as they are quite rich, but it really is delicious.

Good, unpretentious, possibly fatal treats await you at the Ex! Let's go!

Blueberry Cobbler

2010-08-10T16:19:00.005-04:00

It's finally here. After months of waiting, I got the call. If anything was going to shake me out of a sweaty summer cooking hiatus, it was this.

Thanks, Toronto Public Library. Thomas Keller's most recent tome claims to feature accessible and simple food. This is half true-there are some simple dishes to be certain but the majority call for ingredients and tools the average home cook won't have on hand. I can't pick up piment d'Espelette at the nearest grocery and my budget certainly won't allow for a blow torch right now, but I can dream.

In fact, I was so inspired by this beautifully composed book I chose to forgo sleep a few nights

ago for some late night baking. The blueberry cobbler seemed simple enough and I had all the ingredients on hand by some miracle.

Blueberry Cobbler

1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp / 3 oz / 3/4 of a stick/ 1/3 of a cup
1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 buttermilk (I substituted yogurt with no problem)
4 pints/8 cups blueberries (sacrilege-I used frozen and it worked out alright. But it's wildblueberry season in my lovely home province of Nova Scotia so I urge you to seek out the good stuff)
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp cinnamon sugar

Heat oven to 350˚.

In a medium bowl sift or whisk together 1 3/4 cups flour with the baking powder and baking soda.

In a large bowl cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar (by hand or with stand mixer) until light and creamy-make sure butter has come to room temperature before you begin. Beat in the eggs (also at room temp) one at a time until incorporated. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches,

alternating with the buttermilk/yogurt added in 2 batches. Flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour.

In yet another large bowl, mix the blueberries with 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 tbsp flour and the lemon zest. If using frozen berries there is no need to thaw before using. Spread berries evenly in an 11 inch square or 13 by 9 inch baking pan.

Spoon batter over the berries in clumps, leaving some space in between. Combine the

remaining 1 tbsp of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over top.

Bake approximately 40 minutes, until berries are bubbling and the topping is golden brown.

Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. For best results serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It will keep for several days.

Sandwiches: More than fine

2010-07-24T11:08:00.004-04:00

With the heat in Toronto this summer, I'm actually kind of grateful for my basement living situation. I will take cool and damp and dark over hot and sticky any day. I'm mostly living off of popsicles right now, but sandwiches offer a little more sustenance and so I offer you a round-up of Toronto sandwich news and a sandwich of my very own.

First of all, Sandwich Box is opening a new location at Bay and Bloor which I am thrilled about, because since the Queen St. W location shut down over a year ago, I've had to find excuses to visit the Financial District. Although in a cruel twist of fate, I will likely be graduated by the time it opens and actually work near the Financial District locations. As long as I have regular access to this gourmet Subway with excellent packaging, I'm happy. No opening date posted yet but renovations have been going on for a couple months now. Soon, I hope!

Sky Blue Sky Sandwich has been open for months but I was late to the game and have only started going this summer. They have a huge customizable sandwich menu, all named after Wilco songs (if you're into that kind of thing) with lots of vegetarian choices (if you're into that kind of thing). So far I've tried the Casino Queen (turkey with a balsamic onion marmalade, bacon, and avocado) and the We're Just Friends (chicken with roasted red peppers, Swiss cheese and red onions), both of which have been stellar though in the future I will ask for them to be buttered before grilled as they were a shade dry. The bread is craving-worthy, with several varieties (three cheese, honey-nut whole wheat, cranberry cream cheese) baked in house daily. I also tried the avocado-cucumber soup which was the perfect choice for a sweltering afternoon. The owner is incredibly friendly and happy to chat. Best of all, all sandwiches are under five dollars. There can be a bit of a wait if you come at a peak time, but there is the option of emailing your order so it's ready for pick-up. The future.

Lastly in sandwich news, two of my favourite restaurants are facing off this Sunday at Deli Duel, as a fundraiser for The Stop Community Food Centre. Caplansky's, The Stockyards and Goldin's are the names, smoked meat's the game. Sandwiches are three dollars and admission is free. Caplansky's has never failed to impress in the smoked meat department (I'm partial to the smoked meat poutine) and other deli fare. I wouldn't call The Stockyards a deli, but I would bet that their smoked meat is a contender, after having tried their barbecue options. Goldin's I have never heard of before, so I'm looking forward to tasting what they have on offer. Deli Duel is tomorrow at 1pm at Wychwood Barns, on Christie at St. Clair.

Finally, I leave you with a fancy BLT that was just the thing on a night too hot to turn on the oven. Bacon, spinach, tomato and fresh mozzarella grilled until crisp and melty. Simple and delicious.

Freedom Pie

2010-07-04T11:59:00.004-04:00

Inspired by the patriotic pies on the cover of the Martha Stewart Living and my American heritage, I pillaged the remaining rhubarb in the garden and I got baking.

The pastry is made just like this and with the help of some star-shaped cookie cutters. I know a lot of people are strawberry-rhubarb pie-hards but to me it is just too cliché and sickly sweet. The entire point of rhubarb is its tartness, in my opinion. It might not be to everyone's taste, but I have fond memories of dipping stalks into some sugar and gnawing away. This pie is that memory, grown-up and elevated.

Rhubarb Pie (adapted from Joy of Cooking)

2 lbs rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths, which should measure 5 cups (no metric for you on this 4th of July)
1 1/2 cups sugar + 2 tsp
1/4 cup tapioca or cornstarch (I generally use cornstarch but both work great)
2 tsp orange zest (optional but highly recommended)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
Milk or cream

Preheat oven to 425˚.
Combine rhubarb with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, tapioca or cornstarch, zest and salt in a large bowl and let sit for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

It should go from this:

to this:

Spoon this filling into your prepared pie crust (again, see this post) and dot with butter before covering with a basic lattice, or this festive variation. You can even do a double crust with vents if you don't want to bother with the occasional frustration of lattice tops, although I think they are worth it. I'm including some photos of a previous plain-old lattice top rhubarb pie which in my mind also screams 'America', if that's what you're going for. Not such a bad idea to double the recipe as it keeps well and makes a nice breakfast.

Once your lattice or top of choice is affixed, brush with cream or milk and dust with sugar. You can crimp the edges with a fork or more creatively.

Bake at 425˚ for 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 350˚ and bake 25-30 more minutes until crust is nicely browned and juices are bubbling. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Cherry Jícama Crostini

2010-06-28T22:09:00.005-04:00

I escaped the riot city that was Toronto this weekend and am home in Halifax enjoying the sea, the rain, the fully equipped kitchen of my parents' house. Gadgetry like cherry pitters, mango splitters, various styles of cheese slicers do make me covetous, but it's the digital scale that I wish for most of all. One day.

Anyways, my bff (she of wollstonecraft) came to visit and we whipped up some seasonal crostini before dinner tonight.

Cherry Jícama Crostini (adapted just barely from Fine Cooking June/July 2010)

1 cup sweet cherries (or 5 1/2 oz if you are blessed with a scale), pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup diced jícama (Mexican root vegetable, mostly here for crunch rather than taste-you could substitute a crisp apple if you can't find it. Use your leftover jícama to make this lovely summer salad)
1 scallion (green onion), thinly sliced
1 tsp chopped mint
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
Pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper
1/3 cup goat cheese (or 2 1/2 oz)
1/3 cup ricotta (or 2 1/2 oz)
1 baguette

Mix cherries, jícama, scallion, mint and vinegar in a medium bowl. Season with cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.

In another bowl mix goat cheese and ricotta and season with salt and pepper.

When ready to assemble, cut your baguette into 1/2 inch slices and toast. Spread with cheese and top with cherry mixture.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

2010-05-16T22:36:00.009-04:00

Recently I made a birthday cake for a good friend with the fairly limited palate of a 10 year old boy. He wanted chocolate, and I wasn't going to mess around. I knew that getting fancy with flavours would not be appreciated-no wacky fruit filling or liqueur infusions; some nuts would be okay, maybe.

Still, I hadn't made a cake for a while and wanted to test my baking muscles. Browsing through Cooking with Les Dames D'Escoffier, I found a winner. Shirley Corriher, biochemist and cookbook writer, and her update on a Pillsbury classic, the Tunnel of Fudge Cake. A runner-up in the Bake-Off contest in the 1960s, this recipe helped popularize the bundt pan and developed a cult following. A simple chocolate cake with walnuts, its secret is an inner ring of fudge within the baked cake. This was originally achieved with a Pillsbury frosting mix, now discontinued, but Corriher re-worked the recipe without. Published in the NYTimes Science section, it is extremely detailed and Corriher explains exactly why it works. All baking demands precision, but I was careful to follow to the seemingly minute detail (natural cocoa, as she insists the more commonly found Dutch-processed will cause the cake to fail). She explains it much better than I could, so I am linking to her recipe and the accompanying article.

The method is fairly standard, beginning with creaming butter and sugar (usually a pain by hand, a greater pain with flimsy forks). Make sure butter and eggs are at room temperature, both for ease of creaming and the benefit of your end result.

School was briefly out for me and I re-purposed my book stand into a cookbook stand.

The finished product, dusted with confectioner's sugar. You could do a frosting or glaze, but the cake itself is so rich and sweet that it isn't necessary and may be too much.

The birthday boy and cake in action.

A terrible attempt to show the inside tunnel of the cake.

I was a bit nervous about the tunnel effect and the consistency of the cake-you can't check for doneness with a thermometer, but rather must trust your oven temperature's accuracy, or use an oven thermometer if you lack this trust. All in all, the cake was a huge success and great for chocolate lovers. I will definitely be making it again.

Asparagus, chorizo and bean salad

2010-05-16T22:09:00.004-04:00

I am settling into my summer routine, balancing work, 2 courses and some light yachting (go ahead, be jealous). I am still cooking, but the majority of the time I am looking for recipes that are quick, inexpensive, yield lots of leftovers to be packed up for lunch (and dinner on my long days) and use a minimum of dishes. This gem from the smitten kitchen archive meets all the criteria and looks and tastes like spring, a great way to use up in-season asparagus.

Asparagus, chorizo and bean salad

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed and chopped into ~2 inch pieces
2 chorizo sausages, sliced into 3/4 inch pieces (or other spicy sausage)
1/4 cup almonds
1 1/2 cups bread cubes
1 cup beans (canned is great, I used great northern beans but she uses cranberry beans in the original-whatever you have on hand)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet until very hot, and add all ingredients except beans and salt and pepper. Stir to coat well with oil, and cover and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring a few times more. Remove from heat, add beans and seasoning and serve.

Hot Docs, get your Hot Docs!

2010-05-01T01:45:00.000-04:00

So in the chaos of finishing up papers, exams, starting a new job and moving out of dorms (where I have a real kitchen!), my blogging has fallen by the wayside. But that's all about to change! I seem to have misplaced my camera cord, but I assure you I have been cooking exciting things and will post all about them soon.

In the meantime, I will highlight some of the excellent gastrocentric documentaries on offer at Hot Docs through next Sunday in Toronto.

The Story of Furious Pete follows the title character through his struggle with anorexia and subsequent rise as a competitive eating champion. Check out his youtube channel for a preview. His eating is incredible, revolting, and heartwarming. Yes, heartwarming. It's a really sweet film, a lot of it shot in Toronto and I would definitely recommend it (it's gone rush though, so line up early).

Candyman: The David Klein Story traces the invention of the Jelly Belly, possibly my favourite candy (also Ronald Reagan's).

I cannot wait to see Kings of Pastry (screening with Seltzer Works, which is a neat short about the seltzer industry). 16 world class pastry chefs compete for France's prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier award.

Dish: Women, Waitressing, and the Art of Service tackles gender issues in the service industry, and because it sold out so quickly, a third screening has been added for Sunday the 9th.

These are only a handful of the great films playing over the next week and a half, and if you're in Toronto I urge you to check them out.

Food Tourism

2010-02-18T16:19:00.009-05:00

I've just returned from four days in New York, and while I've been slacking on the cooking front lately for a million reasons, I hope some of these treats will tide you over.

First stop was the Chelsea Market, packed with bakeries, butchers, fishmongers, chocolatiers and seemingly every other tasty thing imaginable.

Usually I am not so enthused about seafood-I get a lot of the good stuff at home, but some of these preparations were truly special and inspiring.

I've kvetched about the inferiority of New York bagels, but this spread I would happily eat on anything, from bagels to saltines.

Picked up some chocolates from Jacques Torres as a small Valentine's Day treat.

Giant jar of Nutella-a treat too large for my suitcase and my budget (ringing in at $70 USD).

Now this is just silly.

Don't worry, "Eternal Flame" is our song.

Carrot cupcake at Billy's. I like baked goods plenty, probably more than most people, but am not totally on board with the cupcake craze. Cupcakes are fine, they just aren't anything special (read: hovering around $5) in my books. I guess with all the hype I was expecting something elevating that would dispel my cupcake doubt, and while this was very good, it was overly sweet and not quite everything I think a cupcake could be. I also stopped by Magnolia for an absurdly rich cheesecake/chocolate cookie cupcake hybrid, which again was good but not great.

Cheeseburger, medium-rare, with the works at the Parker Meridien's Burger Joint. It was everything they (friends, guidebooks) told me it would be. Tucked behind a dark curtain in a decidedly upscale hotel, this burger (and excellent fries) was well worth the wait (about 20 minutes on a holiday Monday afternoon). Made to order, juicy but not soggy, tasting strongly of delicious delicious beef above all the prime condiments, it is a serious contender. Atmosphere behind the curtain is like a casual, lively bar-orders are placed at the counter and yelled out when grilled to near carnivorous perfection. $14 USD for cheeseburger, fries and a Coke. I meant to make it to Shake Shack as well but ran out of time. Next trip.

I've just finished Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, an account of her adventures as New York Times food critic, and in another life where I am not a student living below the poverty line I would love nothing more than to retrace some of her mouth-watering steps in the city. Really fantastic; highly recommended.

Yogurt Cheesecake

2010-01-28T16:52:00.009-05:00

I'm a bit behind-this is our usual Christmas dinner dessert, but it is good enough that I have requested it for other festive occasions. When I say it is our usual, what I mean is that if my dad were to cease cheesecake production, or make any modifications to this recipe, there would be yuletide mutiny. Originally sourced from the now defunct Peninsula Farms Yogurt cookbook, the key delicious components of this non-traditional cheesecake are a tangy yogurt cheese filling and an Oreo-hazelnut crust. It is a bit of a production-at least one day's head start required to make the yogurt cheese. Dad says, "I use 2 layers of J-cloth in a colander for draining full-fat yogurt... drain on the counter till I've got half the starting weight of whey out of it, stirring from time to time. I'll usually start with 3,000 g." Once you've got your yogurt cheese, you can proceed.

Yogurt Cheese Cake with Hazelnut-Chocolate Crust

5 oz hazelnuts, grated (yield: about 1 cup /225 ml)
1 1/4 cups "Oreo" type chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
Chocolate Lovers' option: ADD 1/4 cup cocoa (best possible) OR 1 square grated chocolate, (1 oz/30 g) unsweetened or semisweet baker's chocolate or other high-percentage cocoa dark chocolate
2/3 cup melted butter (unsalted preferred)
pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
3 cups yogurt cheese
1 pkg cream cheese, softened (8 oz/225 g)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/3 cups sugar (fruit sugar, see note)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold water
2 packets unflavoured gelatin (so not vegetarian friendly)

The crust:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
2. Grind the hazelnuts. I use a small rotary hand grinder. The fresher the nuts the better - a half-pound or so of unshelled nuts will provide enough nutmeats.
3. Combine the nuts, Oreo crumbs, sugar, cinnamon (and extra chocolate if used) in a bowl, and mix well.
4. Add the melted butter and stir well until all is evenly moist.
5. Firmly press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch spring-form pan.

6. Bake for ten minutes. Chill thoroughly in fridge. Handle gently.

The filling:
1. Cream together the yogurt cheese, cream cheese, sugar, extracts, and salt. Mix until very smooth.
2. Place the cold water in a very small sauce pan. Sprinkle gelatin onto the surface, stirring well. Place over very low heat and stir constantly until the gelatin is dissolved - when the water reaches lukewarm.
3. Stir the gelatin into the yogurt mix by hand, blending very well.
4. Pour this into the cold crust, jiggle gently to level, and put the cake in the fridge overnight to set up.

Run a very thin knife around the sides before opening the spring-form pan.

Dad's notes:

This cheesecake is quite different in texture from the more familiar NY-style cheesecakes - more like a cream pie or lemon meringue pie than a baked cake.
I've been known to add a 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom to the dry crust ingredients, and I think pecans would be a nice alternative to the hazelnuts. Freshly grated lemon rind can replace the lemon extract.
Note on "fruit" sugar - This very finely ground sugar which dissolves much more quickly in unheated liquids, is sometimes available in supermarkets under various trade names. You can easily make it with a blender from regular granulated sugar. Simply blend it at high speed for a minute or so, using a spatula to help all the sugar get to the blades.

Pesto Scallops

2010-01-14T13:56:00.003-05:00

This Mark Bittman recipe for sea scallops stuffed with pesto was a huge hit, and took less than 30 minutes (even quicker if you use a store bought pesto, a great option in the dead of winter). Try to buy the freshest scallops possible (they should NOT be packed in water) for best results.

Basil-Stuffed Scallops (this recipe serves 4 very hungry people, scale up or down as needed)

Approximately 20 basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lbs large sea scallops (as uniform in size as possible, also I made this for 3 and it was much too much, though delicious. This will yield generous portions for 4)
3 tbsp lemon juice
4-6 cups mixed greens (optional, makes for nice presentation to serve the scallops on a bed of greens)

Start by preparing your pesto (or opening a jar), cut the scallops almost all the way through their midsection and spread on the pesto and close all the scallops back up.

Heat a large skillet over high heat, add approximately 2 tbsp oil and the scallops. Cook about 2 minutes per side, dependent on how thick your scallops are, until nicely browned. This goes by very quickly, careful not to overcook!

Place scallops on a bed of greens and create a quick pan sauce by adding the lemon sauce to the skillet over low heat for 10 seconds, pouring sauce over the scallops. I served the scallops with some plain pasta and asparagus broiled with lemon zest and salt.

Springerle

2009-12-29T16:27:00.015-05:00

With our oven repaired, I've started on making traditional German Christmas cookies, which is basically the only German food we make. Springerle have a distinctive taste that can take some getting used to (I like them much more now than I did as a kid, and they aren't for anyone who hates black licorice). I love the taste, but they are a family favourite because they are beautiful, impressed with hand-carved molds featuring German folk art. The molds are very hard to find outside of Germany (although I'm sure they can be found online) and every year my dad and uncle take turns with them, and my dad mails some of the finished product to his sister and my brother, both living far away. It wouldn't be Christmas without them, and that's why I've taken the pains to make them starting December 27th (it is quite the process). This is my grandmother's recipe.

Springerle (makes about 30 cookies, depending on size of molds)
Notes: These anise flavoured cookies, Springerle, have been described by some misinformed cook-book writers as beautiful but "hard and tasteless". Follow this recipe, store carefully, and you will see how wrong they are. For very fine sugar, grind granulated sugar in a blender at high speed to convert to fine sugar-1 cup at a time about 1 minute works well, and costs less than buying it in the store, if they carry it at all. Springerle molds come in the form of carved rolling pins and as flat rectangles. Keep these out of water. Clean with a stiff brush, pick out dried dough with the sharp tip of a bamboo skewer. It seems to help sometimes if the molds are cold (put in freezer between uses). Anise oil can be obtained from health food stores and from some pharmacies. It gives a much clearer and nicer flavour than anise extract. Anise seeds can be sprinkled on the baking sheet before putting the cookies on for added texture and a bit of taste.

6 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups/680g very fine sugar (aka fruit sugar, VeriFine™, NOT confectioners sugar)
3/8 tsp salt
3/8 tsp anise oil (3/4 tsp if using anise extract)
1 large lemon, grated rind of
6 cups/675g sifted flour, all purpose white (you can just whisk it for a while in a large bowl if you don't own a sifter or are not inclined to use one)
3 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together at medium speed for 1/2 hour (1 hour+ beating by hand with a whisk-I hope you have an electric mixer, it really does need to mix this long.) Mix in the salt, anise oil, and lemon rind slowly, just till blended.

Remeasure the sifted flour and and sift together with baking powder (or if you are whisking, not sifting, just whisk together). Fold/mix it into the egg/sugar mix with a wooden spoon (never electric mixer). This will make a very tender dough. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Roll out about half the recipe, 3/8" (10 mm) thick on a floured counter. Press or roll the traditional German carved wooden Springerle molds into the dough deeply enough to make a clear impression. The molds should be lightly dusted with flour. Cut around the impression with a sharp floured knife, and transfer the cookies to a buttered baking sheet. Leave an inch between cookies.

Set aside in a warm place for 8-12 hours (overnight) for the patterns to air-dry thoroughly, so the baking won't destroy them.

Bake at 300˚ (150˚ C) for 15-20 minutes (until very light yellow, NOT browned at all). Larger cookies may need slightly more time. Remove immediately from the cookie sheets to racks for cooling.

To keep them from drying out and becoming hard, store the cookies in an air-tight container or zip-lock plastic bag which should be kept closed except when taking cookies out to eat. An apple slice wrapped loosely in foil can be included to help maintain humidity. Store for at least one week.

Barbecued Citrus Pork Roast & Orzo with Brown Butter

2009-12-24T14:30:00.006-05:00

Sunday at home means time for a roast, and this time it was to be pork. I found a great winter-y recipe for a citrus flavoured pork loin with accompanying gravy that makes use of the seasonally-ubiquitous boxes of clementines (Christmas oranges, if you will) sitting on everyone's counter. This great plan almost ended in disaster as our oven appeared to be getting no warmer. Turns out it was broken and thankfully has been repaired as of this morning (which could be seen as a Christmas miracle, but is to me a blow, as I had nearly convinced my parents of the merits of deep-frying our turkey). But for that night, with the roast ready to go, it was time to turn to the barbecue.

Pork Loin with Citrus (adapted from Cooking with Les Dames D'Escoffier serves 6 or 3 with leftovers)

3 lb centre-cut boneless pork loin
1 tbsp zest from clementines or tangerines
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
400 ml chicken broth
1/2 cup juice from clementines/tangerines (approx 4-use the ones you zested)
3 tbsp easy-blend flour (or all-purpose)

1. Set pork on wire rack inside baking pan. Mix zest, oil and all spices in a small bowl and rub mixture onto the pork. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350˚ (or heat barbecue to 400˚, and turn off one side) Pour broth into the baking pan and roast until the pork is cooked to 160˚, about 2 hours. If using barbecue, place pan on the side you've turned off. Add more broth or water as needed.
3. Transfer cooked pork to a cutting board and let stand while you prepare the gravy. Whisk juice with flour (easy blend is ideal but not necessary) in a small saucepan, add pan drippings and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until thick and bubbly. Serve sliced pork with gravy.

Part Two

I can't believe I've gone this long without brown butter in my life. Brown butter is made by melting regular butter until the water evaporates and the milk solids begin to brown, creating a richer, nuttier flavour. I first used it in brown butter mashed potatoes that I will be recreating for Christmas dinner, but honestly I can't think of a food this wouldn't make elevate to the next level of decadence. Pasta is much less work-no peeling needed and a faster cook time get the brown butter in your mouth faster.

Brown Butter Orzo with Toasted Pine Nuts

1 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp pine nuts

1. Toast nuts lightly in a small skillet until browned, or in the oven.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet and continue heating until water evaporates and milk solids begin to brown, and remove from heat. Stainless steel is best so that you can see your butter change colour (cast-iron is a fail for this) and not have it stick. Careful not to let it go too far.
3. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil, add salt and orzo and cook until al dente (about 6 minutes). Drain pasta and add to skillet with nuts and butter over low heat, turning to coat.

We also had zucchini quickly and easily sautéed, lest you think we don't eat any vegetables.

Montreal vs. New York Bagel Showdown

2009-12-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

This week I was presented by a unique opportunity to conduct a side by side taste-test of Montreal bagels and New York bagels. As I'm home for break we can get St. Viateur bagels at a local grocery store and my dad's intern went to Long Island for the weekend and brought us some New York bagels. Neither were day-of fresh, but both samples had traveled similar distances and lived comparable shelf-lives. What is the difference, you may be asking. A bagel is a bagel is a bagel, isn't it? Certainly not!

As you can see in the picture, Montreal style bagels are small and dense, in contrast with puffier New York style bagels. In many New York bagels the hole almost disappears due to the puffyness but Montreal bagels are decisively ring-shaped. Montreal bagels are boiled in honey-water before baking and contain sugar, lending them a sweeter flavour, while New York bagels tend to be saltier, boiled in plain water. Montreal bagels are baked in a wood-burning oven, and are attractively browned in places, while New York bagels are baked in a standard oven and have a more uniform look. Traditionally, Montreal bagels were either sesame or poppy-seed, though there are more varieties today (including the abomination that is the whole-wheat bagel). New York bagels come in a range of flavours, perhaps most deliciously pumpernickel and everything.

A word about other bagels: Some bagels do not deserve to be in either category. While I am a Canadian college student and so frequent Tim Horton's, their bagels are simply not in the same league, but by their sheer blandness make every bite of a true bagel, New York or Montreal, so much better. I had high hopes for a Bagel World that was to open near campus, but those high hopes led to grave disappointment when it finally opened (it has since closed). Montreal bagels can be ordered from St. Viateur and some excellent grocery stores (like Pete's Frootique in Halifax) stock them. My Market Bakery in Toronto's Kensington Market makes a good Montreal bagel. I have not found a great New York style bagel in Canada, but I haven't been looking too hard.

Sesame New York bagel toasted with butter and cream cheese:

Poppyseed Montreal bagel toasted with butter and cream cheese:

I will admit my bias, if it has not already become clear. Montreal bagels are one of my favourite foods, and as soon as I have my own freezer it will be forever stocked with mail-ordered St. Viateur's. They are dense, chewy and slightly sweet-to me they are what a bagel ought to be. New York bagels are chewy but in a very different way-they are breadgels. They can never achieve the crisp excellence of a toasted Montreal bagel due to their sheer bulk. This bulk can come in handy if you simply want a tasty vessel for whichever sandwich meats strike your fancy, but in pure, classical applications of the bagel (toasted, with cream cheese or butter), Montreal wins by a landslide. I realize that the bagel wars are divisive and I can appreciate that both have their strengths-it really depends on what you are looking for in your bagel, and in large part this is shaped by what you grew up with. Both are delicious topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon (but really what wouldn't be?), though in a simple preparation, there is no contest.

Mussel Mayhem

2009-12-16T10:52:00.004-05:00

I am home in Halifax for break and that means savouring the seafood, beginning with mussels which are relatively cheap and quickly devoured. Due to an unfortunate fall that broke my dad's wrist, it also means I am in charge of dinner most nights, and this one was quick to get on the table and uses only one pan. It comes from the beerbistro cookbook, a Toronto restaurant I've actually never been to (but will be checking out soon). I got this exciting cookbook and several others at the library, which is a great way to test-drive books and especially great for me, on a student budget with no kitchen, and thus no means or practical reason to purchase cookbooks, though many are making the cut for my cookbook wishlist when I finally have a kitchen of my own.

All of the recipes in this book use beer, somehow-in salad dressings, as a marinade, even in desserts. They have pretty specific recommendations for the best beer to use in each recipe, but my dad is a longtime home brewer so I just substituted one of his IPA's for the helles lager called for-the beer flavour is subtle in the finished product as most of it steams off.

Mussels with Tomato and Beer (serves 2-4)

2 tbsp butter
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 lbs mussels
6 tbsp beer-helles recommended, any IPA a good substitute
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 plum tomato, diced
2 tsp chopped tarragon

1. Melt butter and sauté onion and garlic about 1 minute. Add your cleaned mussels (just a quick rinse will likely do for most store-bought mussels) and cook 30 seconds.
2. Add beer and tomato sauce to mussels, shake to distribute evenly, then cover and steam mussels for about 3 minutes.
3. Add tomato and tarragon, and let boil uncovered to reduce sauce for 1 minute. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Distribute into bowls and serve alongside crusty bread to soak up extra broth.

Stollen my heart

2009-12-10T17:48:00.017-05:00

My German heritage does not figure prominently in my life-I don't speak it, I've never been, none of my immediate family members were born there. Basically, I'm blonde and have an affinity for beer and clean design. But Christmas is a different story altogether. Every year my dad and I make at least 4 different kinds of traditional German Christmas cookies (coming soon) and stollen. Stollen is a sweet bread (not to be confused with sweetbread), almost the consistency of shortbread that is covered in powdered sugar. This is certainly not a health food, but it's Christmas! Our family version uses raisins (lately Craisins too), currants, candied fruit and almonds.

My dad actually made this before I arrived home (a couple were shipped to my brother and my aunt-loaves also freeze well), so I am grateful to be using his photos and his recipe, as handed down by my great-grandmother. The top of the index card reads ""Like Grandma Retter and Grossmutter Ressel made!" wrote Ilse Zimmer, mother of Peter (my dad), Chris & Julie."

Austrian Stollen (makes 2 loaves)

4 tsp quick-rise instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup lukewarm milk
7 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
grated rind from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
5 cups flour
3/4 cup white raisins (substitute Craisins for some or all of this)
1/2 cup currants
1/4 brandy (or sherry)
1 cup mixed diced candied fruit
1/3 cup blanched sliced almonds, lightly toasted

1. Combine in a large bowl the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon rind and milk. Add yeast and 3 cups flour to make a soft dough. Beat vigourously with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes, let rest 10 minutes or so. Mix in another 2 cups of flour and the softened butter to make a soft and slightly sticky dough.

2. Turn out dough onto a floured board for kneading. Work in just enough flour while kneading so that the dough loses any stickiness, and then knead for at least 10 minutes, until dough is elastic and shiny. Form into a ball.

3. Place in a well-buttered bowl, turning so all surfaces are buttered. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place to double. Punch down, and knead lightly again. [The dough could be refrigerated for 3 or 4 days at this point]

4. Mix fruit and brandy. Let stand for 1 hour, stir from time to time. Drain excess liquid. (I drink it - Yummy! -IZ [my grandmother!]). Knead the fruit and almonds into dough.

5. Butter a large baking sheet very thickly. Cut dough in half. Roll out each piece into an oval 1/2 as large as baking sheet. Fold each oval so that bottom edge extends beyond top. Turn this back to form a small roll and fold. Place both ovals on baking sheet, well apart so that they do not rise and touch while baking. Let rise until puffy. Brush top with melted butter. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 375˚.

6. Remove to racks to cool. Brush tops with butter while warm, and again after they cool. Dust with confectioner's sugar, and repeat before serving.

Sneak slices whenever you can find an excuse to go to the kitchen. They are heavenly toasted with butter, especially on Christmas morning.

Milanesa Madness

2009-12-10T13:47:00.007-05:00

A couple weeks ago I attended a cooking class hosted by OLAS, the Organization of Latin American Students here at U of T. It was a great afternoon-I met some new people in my program, practiced my Spanish and made all sorts of tasty treats. Milanesas are breaded meat fillets, typical of the Southern Cone (the guy who was teaching me to make these is from Argentina). They can be made with beef, chicken, or veal-we used thin slices of eye of round. They are typically fried, but these were made in the oven-a little healthier.

Milanesas (makes 20)

20 thin slices of beef (eye of round preferable and cheap)
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp chopped parsley
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Lots of breadcrumbs
couple glugs of canola oil
Lemon juice (optional)
Grated cheese (optional)

1. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, parsley and garlic.
2. Toss in the meat and mix to coat, letting it sit approx 20 minutes.

3. Spread out breadcrumbs on a large plate/platter and individually press the macerated pieces of meat into breadcrumbs to bread them and pound the slices thinner. If you don't want to make the full recipe, this is the point where they can be frozen and quickly cooked when you are ready to eat them.

4. On a baking tray with a light coating of oil, arrange as many milanesas will fit and bake 10 minutes in a 400˚ oven. After 10 minutes, flip and if you are adding cheese, just grate some on now. Bake 10 more minutes.

If you haven't used cheese, they are great with a bit of lemon juice on top. This recipe makes so many, so if you aren't feeding a crowd save some for sandwiches or freeze extras (pre-cooking).

Pumpkin Pie and more

2009-10-13T10:00:00.009-04:00

These are my confessions: I bought frozen pie crust. And it was okay. It made more sense than buying flour, shortening, a pie plate and a rolling pin. If you are buying frozen pie crust, look for one made with lard, vegetarians be damned. Tenderflake is a good brand.

Now I may have taken shortcuts on the crust, but the filling is totally from scratch, including the pumpkin purée. Canned pumpkin is pretty good and totally suitable for pie, but pumpkins are abundant and cheap right now and roasting them takes very little effort. Buy a pie pumpkin, smaller than jack-o-lantern size. Pre-heat oven to 400˚. Cut in half, remove seeds and stringy bits (save the seeds!) with an ice cream scoop/a spoon/your hands. Smear the fleshy insides with butter, brown sugar, a bit of orange juice and maple syrup. Place halves face down on a baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes, until you can easily pierce the skin with a fork. Let cool and remove skin.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie-adapted from Fine Cooking #35

2 - 2 1/2 lb pie pumpkin to yield 2 cups purée (prepare as described above)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
9 inch pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 375˚. Put the cooked and cooled squash in a food processor if you've got one and purée until smooth. If no food processor like me, whisk vigourously and try to remove any lumps.
2. Combine purée with brown sugar, eggs, cream, spices and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust and bake until firm, about 50-60 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Notes: I easily got 4 cups of pumpkin from the pie pumpkin I bought, so doubled the recipe for 2 pies. Also, this is epic with whipped cream. Leftovers are totally acceptable breakfast food.

Now what to do with all those seeds? Wash them, remove any stray pumpkin pulp, let them dry on some paper towel and get ready.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

However many pumpkin seeds you have
1 glug of oil (I used olive oil)
Salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 325˚. Add oil to your bowl of seeds and toss to coat. Spread seeds on a cookie sheet and add as much salt as you like. You could also go with a spicy coating perhaps, or garlic. Your choice! Bake approx 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until seeds are golden.

We could not stop eating these. They are so simple to make and delicious, crunchy, salty, fatty. They are wonderful.

Orphan Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-10-12T08:57:00.017-04:00

Okay, so I'm not really an orphan. But as the dining hall lines thin and the university quiets over Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, it starts to feel that way. It doesn't really make sense to go home on a 3-day weekend and it would be nice to see my family, but missing out on a major food holiday is what hurts more. An entire turkey would have been a bit much, but this rolled pork loin stuffed with an autumnal stuffing was a festive and showy alternative.

Pork Loin Rolled With Apricot, Prune & Walnut Stuffing (serves 4)

Pork loin, approx 800 g (my dad's original calls for a tenderloin but I bought this instead)
2/3 cup dried apricots, chopped fine
2/3 cup prunes, chopped fine
1/2 cup walnut crumbs
4 shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp oil - walnut, olive or canola
2 tsp honey
4 tbsp rum/Irish whiskey/port/sherry (I used Grand Marnier, but really, almost any booze)
1/2 tsp dry thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 slices bacon

1. Preheat oven to 375˚. Start by butterflying the meat so it lays flat at 1/4" thickness. I had never butterflied before but it's not so hard. I recommend subscribing to the Cook's Illustrated podcast on iTunes and watching the Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin episode for instruction on butterflying. If you haven't been entirely even in your cutting, you can pound it to the desired thickness, laying the meat between to sheets of plastic wrap, or putting it in a ziploc and whacking it with a heavy skillet.

2. Cover chopped apricot and prunes with boiling water, let stand 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, mince and gently sauté shallots and garlic in oil until they turn golden (do not brown). Combine drained fruits, walnuts, shallots & garlic, honey, liquor and dry spices in a bowl, stir and let sit a few minutes.

3. Spread stuffing evenly over the pork loin, leaving a bit of space at one end. Sprinkle on the leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, roll up the loin from the small end. Top with slices of bacon and remaining sprig of rosemary, and tie up with string/twine. Place on lipped baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes.

4. To serve, remove strings, slice thinly and serve. Ideally you will not be using a paring knife, but it still turned out okay.

Glazed Carrots

As many carrots as desired
Generous piece of butter
Pure maple syrup-the better the syrup the better this will be

1. Begin by steaming the carrots. We were short on pots and pans, so this was accomplished in the microwave (in a large microwave safe bowl, add about 1 tbsp water to cut and peeled carrots, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for approx 3 minutes).
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter and add maple syrup. Add carrots to the skillet and cook until a glaze forms, being sure to coat the carrots entirely.

Mashed potatoes

Yukon gold potatoes (we did 5 largeish for 3 people)
Butter
Milk if desired

1. Peel potatoes and cut into uniformly sized sections. Boil and salt water, add potatoes and cook approx 25 minutes (use fork test to check doneness-you should get no resistance and they should almost start falling apart).
2. Drain water and turn heat to lowest setting. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes to a uniform consistency. Add butter, a lot or a little as you are so inclined. I would recommend a lot. Taste frequently to determine if it needs more butter or possibly some milk. Serve.

Pumpkin pie post coming soon!

Can-do spirit

2009-10-02T18:54:00.013-04:00

I had never before considered canning, but this week I signed up for a tomato canning workshop offered by the social justice committee at Hart House, here at the University of Toronto. For $10, we got three hours of instruction on preparing tomatoes for canning and 9 jars of purée to take home.

Canning is probably not something I would have taken up on my own-it's just so foreign and intimidating. My aunt makes preserves, but the whole process seemed eerily magical, almost like alchemy. It's a little late to think about getting into jams and such this year (especially without a kitchen), but putting up tomatoes was so simple, if a little time consuming.
Canning is downright trendy right now. Check out this week's The Spendid Table podcast, this great article from the Globe and Mail on canning, or Food In Jars (with links to many other canning blogs). I think it's partly the recession, partly people being more interested in what's going into their food, and the rise of foodie-ism in general.

Anyways, I will walk you through my afternoon in the Hart House kitchen.

We started off with vast quanities of Ontario Roma tomatoes, which we then halved and removed the stems and any rotten bits (slight imperfections are not to worried about-the beauty of a purée).

Next they were cooked briefly to soften them up (this afternoon only furthered my love of restaurant kitchens, everything so big and shiny). Once they are nice and soft, we ran them through a machine which removed the seeds and skins (separating the tomatoes from the excess water first). The tomato water can be strained and then sent through the same machine as well. I'm sure there's a super crafty way to do this sans-machine but if you have one at your disposal, why not.

Next we poured the purée into sterilized Mason jars with a few leaves of basil.

After securing screw-band lids, the jars are submerged in water and boiled for 25-30 minutes. Through this ~magical~ process, a seal forms (the lids should be concave) and you've just canned tomatoes. An excellent base for sauces and a reminder of summer as the cold descends.

I had a lot of fun (mostly because it was just so nice to be in a good kitchen handling food), and next summer definitely want to test out jam-making and putting up other fruits and vegetables.

Shrimp primavera

2009-09-27T16:25:00.012-04:00

This is a tasty and quick pasta dish that involves little equipment (pot, pan, knife and you're good) which is especially key away from home in a poorly equipped dorm kitchen. It comes from City Food, a collection of recipes from Halifax restaurants purchased sometime in the early nineties, I am guessing. The restaurant it is from, Silverspoon, is no longer in existance and I have only had the homemade version. Which is really good. We have this often, we have this with guests, I ask for this when I am home for a visit.

Also an anecdote about my earliest cooking exploits and an example of how ridiculous my dad is sometimes:

In grade 8 home economics we had a project to cook a meal for our family, do a write-up and have a parent give us a grade. Most kids made burgers, spaghetti, easy but totally legitimite things. I made guacamole, this shrimp primavera and apple crisp. And it was excellent. Everyone' else's parents gave them 10/10. My dad gave me 9.5, baffling my teacher. "There's always room for improvement," he said. And I suppose he's right.

Shrimp Primavera (serves 4)

3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup cooking oil
1/2 lb- 1 lb deveined shrimp
1 cup white vermouth
2 tbsp finely chopped dried apricots
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp rosemary
1-2 red, yellow or orange peppers (I only used 1)
pasta for 4 people (I used linguine, up to you)
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
1/4 heavy cream (I am waddling towards obesity and went with close to 1 cup)
1/2 mango, diced

Sauté minced garlic in oil in a large skillet for one minute. Stir in shrimp and cook until opaque. Remove shrimp and set aside.
Pour in vernmouth and simmer 5 minutes. Add apricots, lemon juice, rosemary, salt and pepper. simmer 5-10 minutes to reduce volume by half.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook to desired texture (al dente, obviously). Drain well. Place in a very large bowl.
Immediately toss together: pasta, vermouth mixture, shrimp, strips of pepper, parsley and enough cream to coat the pasta. Garnish with chunks of mango. Serve immediately (although it also makes great leftovers)

Pastravaganza at Rossini

2009-09-01T09:43:00.018-04:00

So I am back at school and without a kitchen, though I have friends with kitchens (hint hint, friends). But even better than friends with kitchens are friends whose family owns a restaurant. Sergio Zanetti, owner of Rossini Restaurant here in Toronto, was kind enough to invite me to learn to make gnocchi with their chef, Marco. While originally the plan only included gnocchi, things quickly escalated. I'm not including recipes as most of this was made in large batches and measured largely by eye, but I will try to include some helpful hints should you attempt pasta making.
We started off with gnocchi, sort of a soft noodle dumpling made from Russet potatoes, egg and flour. I'd originally asked my friend for a recipe because I had had some amazing lobster gnocchi at Rossini. You want to use as little flour as possible so that they are not overly gummy.
Marco took care of preparing the dough, and we got to work shaping the gnocchi. After rolling out thin ropes, we cut small pieces (these were probably about 3/4" but you could go slightly smaller or larger as long as they are consistent) and used a fork to give them a nice design (optional). Fold the fork firmly against the counter and roll the cut side of the gnocchi up to get this pattern. Work quickly and allow the gnocchi to chill in the fridge before cooking.

Next we made several kinds of pasta, all from the same basic dough. The only ingredients are eggs and flour, seriously. The restaurant has an industrial dough hook but if you were making a small batch it would be manageable in a home kitchen.
Pappardelle (like wider fettucine) was first. Pieces of the dough were flattened out by hand and then fed through the pasta machine (theirs is electric, though I've used a crank machine at home) at thinner and thinner settings, until the dough was almost paper-thin and translucent. Once it is rolled out, the dough is folded into thirds widthwise and then cut into strips of the appropriate size.Spaghettini starts the same way as papparelle, but instead of cutting the strips by hand they had a convenient attachment that cut the tiny strands.Next were tortellini and cappelletti, which are very similar. Marco mixed a filling of braised beef, parmesan and some bread crumbs, and dough that had been rolled out into thin sheets is cut into large squares. The folding is a bit finicky but oddly satisfying and something you get the hang of quite quickly. Of course you could do all kinds fillings, and sauces as well.
Ravioli are prepared by placing balls of the filling on a half of a long sheet of pasta, spaced out into even squares. Beat an egg in a bowl and brush on in between the squares as a sealant. Then fold over the remaining sheet and firmly press down, trying to remove as much excess air as possible while doing so (a lot like dumplings). Once they are all sealed up, cut them into squares and once again squeeze out any air trapped inside.It ended up being quite the day. I had a blast and learned a lot. You do need some equipment (hand-cranked models are not prohibitively expensive) and some practice, but once you have the techniques down, making fresh pasta is stress-free and rewarding. And wayyyy better than boxed.
Thanks again to Marco and Rossini for letting me come in! Also thanks to Martina for taking the pictures! Marco and I with the fruits of our labour:

Blueberry Pudding

2009-08-30T12:16:00.009-04:00

I did not make this-for my last supper at home before heading back to a dorm room, my dad made some of my favourites. I'll start by posting possibly my favourite dessert-hot blueberry pudding with cinnamon whipped cream. This comes from my dad's recollection of a Craig Claiborne recipe (he thinks) from many years ago. I am leaving my dad's text as is because it amuses me and I've actually never made this.

Hot Blueberry Pudding with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

2 litres (a loaf) of good bread (wholewheat, multi-grain, artisan, ...), crust trimmed, cut into 12 mm/ 1/2" cubes
250 gm unsalted butter
375 gm sugar
1 litre low-bush (wild) blueberries
250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
strong cinnamon sugar

1. Melt the butter in a large deep sauté pan over medium high heat. When the bubbles have settled add the bread cubes, stirring to coat with butter. Stir regularly until cubes are browning, but not burned.
2. Add the sugar and keep on the heat until the sugar melts and begins to carmelize. ---this can be done a few hours ahead, and the pan & bread set aside. Reheat to soften the sugar ---
3. Turn the heat to high. Add the blueberries to the hot bread cubes, and stir until the berries are heated through.
4. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream, using cinnamon sugar.
5. Immediately serve into bowls with a good glob of cinnamon whipped cream. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

NOTES
Sauté the bread and sugar, and whip the cream a few hours before the meal. The final addition and cooking of the berries must be done just before serving.
This is the Zimmer family’s favourite thing for Peter to do with fresh Nova Scotian low-bush wild blueberries. Other times of the year it can be made with thawed frozen wild blueberries- thaw in the fridge for a couple hours.
The large high-bush blueberries don’t have the intensity of flavour of the “wild” low-bush berries from Eastern Canada and New England.

Blueberry Coffee Cake with Lemon Spice Streusel

2009-08-26T19:42:00.008-04:00

Do we have any blueberries, I wondered, as I opened the fridge door.
Oh yes. Oh my.

This recipe comes from Cooking with Les Dames d'Escoffier. Les Dames d'Escoffier are a female culinary association dedicated to the advancement of women in the field. Some of their luminaries include Julia Child, Alice Waters and Dorie Greenspan. This is a collection of their favourite recipes for home cooking, written very accessibly. So you know it's going to be good. I actually took this out of the library but it has quickly moved to #1 on my wishlist. Tons of great recipes along with wine pairings which is crucial for me, because I am absolutely clueless and unsophisticated when it comes to wine. The book is also peppered with personal anecdotes about these women's careers as chefs, restauranteurs, food writers, photographers, caterers, as well as some great kitchen tips. There are very few photos but, hey, I trust them and this cake did not disappoint. Also a way to use up some of the buttermilk I bought for the waffles this past weekend.

Buttermilk Berry Coffee Cake with Lemon Spice Topping
For the cake:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen works too, could also use raspberries, blackberries, etc.)
2 tsp lemon juice

For the streusel:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp butter, room temperature

1. Pre-heat oven to 350˚ and butter a 9-inch springform pan. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl of electric mixer or by hand (check out our old school mixmaster and understand my longing for a KitchenAid).
2. Add the eggs one by one. Beat in the vainlla.
3. Sift together your dry ingredients and alternate adding them and the buttermilk, gradually, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not overbeat.
4. Pour half of the batter into pan, and try to make it as level as possible. Toss together lemon juice and blueberries, sprinkle on top and add remaining batter over top.
5. For the streusel, combine dry ingredients in small bowl and cut in the butter until you have a nice crumb-y streusel texture. Sprinkle over top and bake approx 1 hour 10 minutes, checking doneness with a skewer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes. Undo the springform and serve warm or at room temperature.

Teaches of peaches

2009-08-24T18:58:00.004-04:00

Again embracing the season I bought two boxes of swoon-inducingly ripe peaches and set my phasers on pie. I guess I've had a lot of practice but pie dough is really not all that intimidating, even a fancy-looking lattice top. It can even be prepared the night before to split up the work. Bake sure your butter and shortening are cold for better results.

Pie Dough for Lattice-Top Pie (you guessed it, Cook's Illustrated)

3 cups flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
7 tbsp shortening, chilled (ex. Tenderflake, Crisco)
10 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
10 tbsp ice water

1. If you've got the set-up, make this in a food processor for best results. You can do just fine without one, I did. Mix flour, salt and sugar, add shortening and process/use pastry cutter until mixture has texture of coarse sand. Scatter butter over mixture and process/use pastry cutter until you get coarse crumbs, with butter pieces no larger than peas. Sprinkle ice water over mixture and use rubber spatula to fold, pressing down to help dough come together. Divide dough into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten larger piece into 5 inch square and smaller piece into 4 inch disk, wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour, up to 1 day.
2. When you're ready to go, roll larger piece into a 15 by 11 inch rectangle. Slide onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper and using a pizza wheel or knife cut 8 strips of dough, straight as you can. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Roll out smaller disk on lightly floured surface (we have this cool cloth with the diametre of a pie plate drawn on), and transfer to 9 inch pie plate. Leave the overhang alone and refrigerate.

6-7 medium sized peaches (about 7 cups when sliced)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch salt
3-5 tbsp potato starch or Minute tapioca

1. Heat oven to 500˚ and place rimmed baking sheet inside. Boil water in a large saucepan and fill a large bowl with ice water. Score an X on the bottom of the peaches, use slotted spoon to drop into boiling water for 1 minute, then into ice water for 1 minute to facilitate peeling (or leave skin on, up to you). Halve, pit and cut peaches into slices 3/8 inch thick.
2. Mix slices with lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and starch or tapioca (if using tapioca grind fine in food processor, spice grinder, or place in ziploc and bash with rolling pin/other similar object). Turn mixture into dough-lined pie plate and form the lattice. Here is a useful diagram if you've never made a lattice-top before. Lightly brush lattice-top with 1 tbsp water and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 425˚. Place pie on baking sheet and bake about 25 minutes, until crust is set and begins to brown. Rotate pie and reduce heat to 375˚, continue baking until peach juices are bubbling and crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

You raise me up

2009-08-23T14:59:00.004-04:00

Home-made waffles for breakfast ceases to be a good idea when you realize that means waking up at 8 on a Sunday. This batter for yeasted waffles can be whipped up the night before and left to rise 12-24 hours in the fridge, making quick work of a delicious project.

Yeasted Waffles

1 3/4 cups milk
8 tbsp/1 stick/1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1. Heat milk and butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat until butter is melted, 3-5 minutes. Cool until warm to touch. Meanwhile, whisk flour, sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl to combine. Gradually whisk warm milk-butter mixture into flour mixture until batter is smooth. In small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla, and then add to batter and whisk until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions, remove batter from fridge once iron is hot (batter will have risen-make sure to use LARGE bowl). Whisk batter to recombine and deflate, and bake waffles according to manufacturer's instructions. To hold waffles place on wire rack on top of cookie sheet covered with dishtowel in 200˚ oven.

Ribs and grilled corn

2009-08-23T11:17:00.004-04:00

To accompany my delicious cornbread, I turned to the barbecue in a day-long attempt to be Southern. It was tasty. Ribs are my standard birthday request and they are always good because well, they're ribs. I knew Cook's Illustrated could take me further. These are slow cooked (pick a nice afternoon to spend outside tending the grill) and incredibly tender. If you're going to the trouble of spending four hours on ribs, it's not much more to make your own sauce, but store-bought is also acceptable.

Kansas City Style Sweet and Sticky Ribs

3 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 full racks pork spareribs, trimmed of any large pieces of excess fat, membrane removed and patted dry
1 cup wood chips
2 cups bbq sauce

1. Combine paprika, sugar, pepper, salt and cayenne in a small bowl. Massage spice rub into both sides of rib racks.
2. Soak wood chips in bowl of water for 15 minutes, place in small disposable aluminum pan. Place pan directly on primary burner of gas grill, ignite, turn all burners to high and preheat with the lid down until chips are smoking heavily, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium and shut off other burners, adjusting temperature of primary burner as needed to maintain an average temperature of 275˚. Position ribs over cooler part of grill.
3. Place sheet of vented aluminum foil directly on top of ribs and cover grill. Grill, turning and rotating ribs after each hour for 3 hours. Brush ribs liberally on both sides with sauce, wrap them tightly with aluminum foil and cook until very tender, about 1 hour more.
4. Transfer ribs (still in foil) to cutting board and rest 30 minutes. Unwrap and brush with additional barbecue sauce. Slice ribs between bones and serve with remaining sauce.

And now the sauce:

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup root beer
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp brown mustard (regular if you can't find brown)
1 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining ingredients except liquid smoke, and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer until mixture is thick and has reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour. Stir in liquid smoke if using-I didn't.

Corn is so plentiful this time of year that one could ALMOST get tired of eating it boiled on the cob with lots of butter and salt. For a nice change of pace, try Mexican-style grilled corn.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp minced cilantro leaves
1 clove of garlic, minced
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tsp lime juice
1 ounce Pecorino Romano, grated (about 1/2 cup, I substituted parmesan)
4 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
6 large ears of corn, husks and silk removed

1. Turn all burners to high and heat with lid down until very hot. Scrape and oil grate.
2. Combine mayonnaise through cheese in large bowl. In second bowl, mix oil and salt. Brush evenly onto corn and grill until lightly charred on all sides. Remove from grill and bursh with mayonnaise mixture, serve immediately.

I love this cornbread so much...

2009-08-22T21:04:00.004-04:00

Well, he'll tell you:

I looooove cornbread. I actually don't care much for chili but will often suggest it just to have cornbread alongside. I played with the Cook's Illustrated recipe a bit to spice it up and make it even cornier.

Cornbread

2 tbsp unslated butter, melted
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk-if you don't have buttermilk, you can make a good substitute with the ratio of 1 cup whole milk to 1 tbsp vinegar
2/3 cup milk
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
1/4 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen

1. Pre-heat oven to 425˚. Grease 9 inch square baking pan with butter.
2. Mix together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well.
3. Crack eggs into the well and mix, then add buttermilk and milk and stir until just combined. Add melted butter along with pepper and corn and mix.
4. Pour batter into pan and bake until golden brown and lightly cracked, about 25 minutes.
5. Allow pan to cool 5-10 minutes on wire rack, and serve warm.

A veritable deluge of posts coming soon as I count down to back to school. Next: Ribs!

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring...

2009-08-20T16:44:00.007-04:00

Bananabread!

My work was getting rid of an absurd amount of over-ripe bananas and I seized the opportunity and did not ask questions.

My first project?

Banana bread-from Cook's Illustrated

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp nutmeg (optional)
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla

1. Pre-heat oven to 350˚. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Melt the butter so it has time to cool.
2. Spread walnuts out on cookie sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 10 minutes. Let cool.
3. Whisk together dry ingredients and walnuts in a large bowl.
4. Mix all wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated and batter is thick and chunky. Scrape batter into loaf pan with spatula.
5. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temp.

Foodie Films & Feminism

2009-08-16T14:19:00.004-04:00

This past week I've twiced ducked into the air-conditioned paradise that is the local movie theatre to check out the latest in foodie fare, Julie & Julia and Food Inc. Food Inc. is good but nothing terribly new if you're familiar with Michael Pollan, author of the Omnivore's Dilema and In Defense of Food. Industrial food will kill us all, we ought to know where our food comes from and understand the difference between food and "food", etc. Pollan appears in the film, along with the author of Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser. Pollan also wrote an interesting piece for the nytimes magazine last weekend re Julie & Julia, and the shift that has taken place in cooking to become a spectator sport. Top Chef, The Next Food Network Star, Oprah's BFF Gayle eating sandwiches all get huge ratings, but the majority of those tuning in don't view these programs as educational but as entertainment. They are not inspired to pick up a ladle and shop for fresh ingredients but rather are happy to sit back and watch, eating take-out or frozen entrees. What's with the disconnect? Pollan of course argues that we ought to be getting back in the kitchen, and this sparked retaliation from the feminist blogosphere.

This passage is drawing particular ire: "Curiously, the year Julia Child went on the air — 1963 — was the same year Betty Friedan published “The Feminine Mystique,” the book that taught millions of American women to regard housework, cooking included, as drudgery, indeed as a form of oppression. You may think of these two figures as antagonists, but that wouldn’t be quite right. They actually had a great deal in common, as Child’s biographer, Laura Shapiro, points out, and addressed the aspirations of many of the same women. Julia never referred to her viewers as “housewives” — a word she detested — and never condescended to them. She tried to show the sort of women who read “The Feminine Mystique” that, far from oppressing them, the work of cooking approached in the proper spirit offered a kind of fulfillment and deserved an intelligent woman’s attention. (A man’s too.) Second-wave feminists were often ambivalent on the gender politics of cooking. Simone de Beauvoir wrote in “The Second Sex” that though cooking could be oppressive, it could also be a form of “revelation and creation; and a woman can find special satisfaction in a successful cake or a flaky pastry, for not everyone can do it: one must have the gift.” This can be read either as a special Frenchie exemption for the culinary arts (féminisme, c’est bon, but we must not jeopardize those flaky pastries!) or as a bit of wisdom that some American feminists thoughtlessly trampled in their rush to get women out of the kitchen."

Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon and Kate Harding at Salon cried foul at this but I can't abide by their reactionism. Yeah, I get that cooking and other domestic work can be oppressive, depending on the situation. But cooking has never been that to me, nor do I think it was for Julia Child or Julie Powell. Housewifery was a woman's domain, restaurant kitchens were for male chefs. In the film, Child forcefully enters a man's world with no apologies. The only woman in her Cordon Bleu course for professional chefs, she doesn't sink but swims, and manages to successfully share this previously guarded realm of haute cuisine with the average American women. Child was named a Grand Dame by Les Dames D'Escoffier, an international organization of female chefs, restauranteurs, winemakers and producers dedicated to the advancement of women in the male-dominated (to this day) field of culinary arts (review of their incredible new cookbook coming soon). Cooking brought Julie Powell literary success and personal fulfillment.

In my mind, providing wholesome delicious food is as valuable as bringing home the bacon (note: not mutually exclusive!). My views are of course shaped by my own experiences: I had the luxury of a stay-at-home dad throughout most of my childhood, who I know did not view himself as chained to the stove but rather took pleasure in making great food and teaching me to appreciate it. I don't think only women should get back in the kitchen, and neither does Michael Pollan-everyone should have basic kitchen skills (beyond using a can-opener and setting the microwave), whether they are an amateur gourmand or not. Cooking does not need to be intimidating, labourious, expensive-but fundamental skills need to be instilled before this point can be reached. Though my junior high home-ec classes were nothing earth-shattering, I'm glad they were there and am sorry to see these programs being phased out. Couldn't we have more shows like the French Chef, taking the fear out of cooking, explaining all the mystery and magic rather than watching Guy Fieri eat and eat and eat?

In light-hearted conclusion, I give you the fantastic Sarah Haskins:

Thanksgiving in August

2009-08-15T18:30:00.005-04:00

Well, the best of Thanksgiving flavours in August. Thankfully it is finally too hot to consider roasting a turkey. Turkey burgers with craisins and sweet potato fries will have to stand in for now.

Sweet Potato Fries (for 4)

2 large sweet potatoes
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425˚. Grind spices together, mix in salt.
2. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into fry shapes (at least 1/2 inch thick), about three inches long.
3. In a large bowl, mix fries with enough olive oil to lightly coat and spice mixture.
4. On a non-stick baking pan (or a pan sprayed with cooking spray), spread out fries and cook for 30-40 mins, turning about every 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Cranberry Turkey Burgers (serves 4)

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
2 scallions
1 jalapeño pepper
Olive oil

1. Finely chop scallions and pepper, coarsely chop Craisins. Sauté in oil until scallions are lightly browned, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Once cool, mix above mixture with ground turkey and form patties.
3. Cook for approx. 6 minutes per side over medium high heat (I did it on the barbecue but they could easily be done on the stove-top).

Guacamole

2009-08-13T18:58:00.004-04:00

This isn't that much of a recipe-so much of it is 'to taste' but it's delicious and summer-y and possibly the easiest thing I've ever posted. No special equipment necessary-if you own a bowl and a fork you are all set.

2 ripe avocadoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
0-1/2 cup mayonnaise (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
tabasco sauce to taste
1 chopped tomato, if you like

Mash all ingredients together (except tomato, stir that in last if using), and serve with tortilla chips.

Rainbow Cupcake Connection

2009-08-09T14:09:00.007-04:00

Rainbow cupcakes are old news in the baking blog world, but I'd never partaken. A friend's birthday was the perfect occasion to test out these technocolour treats. While they look fancy and colourful, in fact it is just a plain vanilla cupcake recipe with food colouring. It's a little finicky if you are set on getting a perfect ROYGBIV rainbow in layers, but on the second round I was pretty haphazard, which resulted and equally delicious and more psychadelic cupcakes (I made a double recipe, but really only got 18, not 24-it's a pain to run out of batter halfway through a rainbow. I wanted a light coloured frosting to show off the vibrant cakes, so I went with a cream cheese vanilla bean frosting.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Icing (Cook's Illustrated-to double, just double everything except use 3 whole eggs and 2 yolks)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup / 8 tbsp / 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg + 2 yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
food colouring

1. Heat oven to 350˚. Line muffin tin with paper or foil cups.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter, sour cream, egg and yolks and vanilla and beat until smooth and shiny.
3. Separate batter into as many bowls as colours you plan on using (I did 5). Add in food colouring and mix until desired effect is achieved.
4. Divide batter between the cups as you like (useful tools include spatulas, a laddle, possibly a baster). Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack before icing.

1 pkg cream cheese
5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
seeds scraped from 2 vanilla beans
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar.

1. Mix and ice cupcakes-you can get fancy with piping or just spread it on, depending on time and aesthetics.

Gazpacho

2009-08-08T16:01:00.003-04:00

It might finally be too hot to cook now that it's stopped raining. Mark Bittman's 2007 article on summer cooking (or not cooking) has tons of great ideas and I went with gazpacho, a chilled tomato soup that makes me nostalgic for Spain (fun fact, Spanish McDonald's serves a pre-packaged gazpacho. Also beer.)
It can be made with no heat, very little effort and few ingredients. Chop 3 or 4 tomatoes and one cucumber into large chunks, tear a couple slices of stale bread into small pieces(you can create stale bread by baking the slices at very low heat for 10 minutes of so), add a clove of garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, a bit of sherry vinegar and a couple ice cubes and combine in a blender or food processor, adding water as needed to facilitate blending. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold, leftovers keep well in fridge.

Rock Lobster

2009-08-07T21:17:00.006-04:00

I consider it a basic human right to have lobster at least once when I come home for a visit. Company is the perfect excuse. Lobsters are absurdly easy to cook, absurdly involved to eat (if doing it at home; restaurants don't make you work for it). Much cheaper to do it at home, especially if you just want straight up boiled lobster.

Boil salted water in a large pot, stick your lobsters in head first, cook 15ish minutes depending on their size. Melt some butter for dipping. While waiting for the giant pot of water to come to a boil this past January, I remembered hearing tell that you could hypnotize a lobster, so my friend and I turned to youtube for guidance. If you stroke it's back at the beginning of the tail repeatedly, the lobster will go into a trance state, and you can make it do fun headstands, as seen below. We were pretty lucky as these guys were already pretty lethargic from the flight (you can pick up lobsters to take as your carry-on at the Halifax airport) and so were fairly cooperative. Once your lobster is ready you're going to need some implements, and most importantly, some napkins as it will get messy. A vise grip or crackers of some sort and seafood picks are probably the most essential. Here's a handy diagram of how to dig in.

Bruschetta and Beer-can Chicken

2009-08-05T19:32:00.007-04:00

With the barbecue on for chicken, why not toast some bread for delicious bruschetta? Cut a baguette/similarly shaped loaf into thick slices and toast on barbecue (this will go very quickly, remain alert!) Rub some crushed garlic onto the bread and mix coarsely chopped tomato, fresh basil, a bit of olive oil and salt in a bowl, and then top with tomato mixture. Serve immediately!

Now: do you like beer? Do you like chicken? Have a barbecue? Well, do I have a recipe for you. Once you get the technique down (not hard), there are endless variations to this impressive/succulent take on roasted chicken.

Beer Can Chicken

1 can beer
1 chicken, 3-4 lbs
2 tbsp all-purpose bbq rub
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 cups wood chips of your choice

1. Pop the tab off the beer can. Pour half of the beer over wood chips or drink if not using wood chips. Using a church key-style can opener, make 2 additional holes in its top. Set aside.
2. Remove chicken's inside stuff. Rinse inside and out under cold running water and drain and blot dry, inside and out with paper towels.
3. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the rub inside the body cavity and 1/2 tsp inside neck cavity. Drizzle oil over the outside and rub or brush it all over the skin. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with 1 tbsp of rub and rub in. Spoon remaining rub into the beer through the hole in the top of can. Beer will probably foam up, no worries.
4. Hold the chicken upright and lower it onto the beer can, so the can fits in the cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a tripod. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the chickens back so they don't get scorched.
5. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. If using charcoal, place a large drip pan in the centre. If using gas, place all the wood chips in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and preheat on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium.
6. When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss all of the wood chips on the coals. Stand the chicken up in the centre of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crisp and the meat is cooked through, 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. If using a charcoal grill, you'll need to add 12 fresh coals per side after 1 hour. If the chicken skin starts to brown too much, loosely tent the chicken with aluminium foil. Using tongs, hold the chicken by the can and carefully transfer it in an upright position to a platter. Let it rest about 5 minutes and then, being sure not to spill hot beer/burn yourself, lift it off the can. Carve the chicken and serve.

Potstickers

2009-08-03T16:33:00.005-04:00

Dim Sum is a wonderful thing, and I am not without here in Halifax. The Great Wall on Bedford Rd is my favourite haunt, as well as the Cheelin stand at the Farmers Market. Excellent dumplings are available, this was more of a challenge, to see if home-made can come close in this instance.

With my good pal Cook's Illustrated walking me through, they turned out great. It is a large recipe, so I now have 30+ in the freezer ready for quick snack attacks remedies.

Potstickers

3 cups minced napa cabbage leaves
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 lb ground pork
6 tbsp minced scallions (about 4 medium scallions, white and green parts)
1/8 tsp ground pepper
4 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed (about 1 tsp)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
24 round gyoza wrappers (I could only find square wonton wrappers and they do nicely)
4 tsp vegetable oil

1. Toss cabbage and salt in colander or mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage begins to wilt, about 20 minutes; press cabbage gently with spatula to squeeze out excess moisture. Combine cabbage and all other filling ingredients in medium bowl and mix thouroughly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until mixture is cold, at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
2. Place 4 wrappers flat on work surface. Place one slightly rounded tablespoon filling in centre of each wrapper. Moisten edge of wrapper with water, using fingertips. Fold each wrapper in half, starting in the centre and working toward outside edges, pinch edges together firmly to seal, pressing out any air pockets. Position each dumpling on its side and gently flatten, pressing down on seam to make sure it lies flat against work surface. Repeat to form 24 dumplings.
3. Add 2 tsp oil to 12-inch nonstick skillet and quickly spread oil with paper towel to distribute evenly. Arrange 12 dumplings (or however many will fit) in skillet, lying flat on one side, with all seams facing same direction, overlapping just slightly, if necessary. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook, without moving until dumplings are golden brown on bottoms, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add 1/2 cup water to skillet and cover immediately. Cook, covered, until most of the water is gone and wrappers are slightly translucent, about 10 minutes. Uncover skillet and increase heat to medium-high; cook, without stirring until dumpling bottoms are well browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes more. Turn off burner and slide dumplings from skillet onto double layer of paper towels, browned side down, to blot excess oil. Transfer to platter and serve immediately with Scallion Dipping Sauce (below) or soy sauce. Let skillet cool until just warm, then wipe skillet clean and repeat with remaining dumplings and oil.
To freeze extras, place them uncooked on a plate, once frozen transfer to a ziploc. Start the recipe right away from cook time, no need to thaw.

Scallion Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 medium scallion, minced

Combine all ingredients and serve.

What's kuchen?

2009-08-02T09:59:00.007-04:00

A delightful pun on 'What's cooking?' or a perfect transition to explain that kuchen is the German word for cake? I say both. Despite my German heritage, my vocabulary is limited to food (largely Christmas cookies).
Plums are ripe and plentiful right now, so when my dad brought home a bagful yesterday, we both thought 'kuchen'. This isn't strictly a kuchen, but the shortbread crust was very nice! You can do most of the prep the night before, and no messing with pastry-the crust is impossible to screw up.

Plum Tart with Lemon-Shortbread Crust (from Fine Cooking #94)

1/3 cup + 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
6 ripe medium black or red plums (about 4 oz. each-mine were smaller so I used 8), pitted and sliced into 16 slender wedges (or as many as you can get)
1/2 cup or 4 oz. or 8 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 egg yolk
2 tsp firmly packed finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Cooking spray
2 tbsp plum or apricot preserves

1. In a medium bowl, whisk 1/3 cup sugar with cornstarch, kosher salt and lemon zest. Add the sliced plums and gently toss with your hands to evenly coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate 1 hour to overnight.
2. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Put the butter cubes in the freezer. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Put the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl or a food processor (or a regular bowl if no food processor, like me), and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly and mealy, about 25 short pulses (use a pastry cutter if no processor). Add the egg yolk mixture and blend, using long pulses, just until it forms a moist, crumbly mass, about 15 three second pulses. The dough won't come together on its own, but it should hold together when squeezed. Transfer the dough to the tart pan. Dip the bottom of a flat-bottomed cup measure in flour and use it to press the doug onto the bottom and sides of the pan in an even layer (alternatively, use your hands. Or use them first and then the measuring cup to clean things up). Wrap the pan in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour to 1 day.
3. Heat oven to 375˚. Unwrap tart shell and prick the bottom and sides several times with a fork. Spray one side of a piece of parchment paper or foil with cooking spray. Line the shell with the sprayed side down and fill the lined shell with pie weights or dried beans. Set the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the pie weights and liner. Reduce heat to 350˚ and continue baking until the sides and bottom of the shell are golden brown and dry, 10-15 minutes. Cool for about 20 minutes.
4. Drain the plums in a sieve or colander set over a medium bowl for a few minutes. Pour the juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally until very thick, about 3 minutes. Scrape into a small bowl and let cool. Next, melt the preserves in the saucepan over medium-low heat until syrupy. Pour the preserves into the tart shell and evenly brush them over the bottom and sides. With a rubber spatula, spread the plum juice over the preserves on the bottom of the shell. Starting at the edge of the shell, arrange the plum slices cut side down and tightly overlapping in concentric circles. If you have more slices, keep tucking them in wherever they fit. You can also pile a few in the center of the tart.
If any juice remains in the mixing bowl, drizzle up to 1 tbsp. over the plums. Discard the rest. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tbsp sugar over the plums. Bake the tart directly on the oven rack until the plums are tender when poked with a paring knife and caramelized along their edges (a few tips may even blacken), the crust is a deep golden brown, and any juices look syrupy and bubbly, 40-50 minutes. After you remove the tart from the oven, moisten the plums by dipping a pastry brush into the juices between the plums and brushing any surfaces that look dry.
Cool the tart in its pan on a rack for at least 2 hours before unmolding and slicing with a very sharp knife.

Pizza-pie

2009-08-01T18:58:00.007-04:00

So I made pizza. Mostly this is an excuse to post this gem from the CBC Archives.

Note the pronunciation.

First I made the dough and let it do its thing for a while.
Then I made the sauce. If opening a can of San Marzano tomatoes, adding some olive oil and salt and simmering for 20 minutes counts as making. I will say yes.
I made pizza margherita (tomato sauce, cheese (I used bocconcini) and basil leaves over top after baking and classed up hawaiian, with prosciutto replacing ham.

Challahback Girl

2009-07-30T13:34:00.014-04:00

I think my big city snobbery is wearing thin on my friends and family here at home. 'What do you mean the library's closed Sundays AND Mondays?' 'What do you mean the traffic lights turn off after midnight?' 'What do you mean there's no Jewish bakery??' The last one however can be compensated for. St. Viateur Bagel from Montreal (the best of all the bagels, in my opinion) delivers to a local grocery store, making for easier access than in Toronto. As soon as I have access to a freezer of my own aka when I sort of grow up, it will be stocked with mail-ordered bagels, ice cream and booze. Somewhat surprisingly, I am not in fact obese.

But bagels are only one part of the equation. Homemade challah is something I've made several times and never falls short of delicious.

Challah (Cook's Illustrated)

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, extra for dusting workspace
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs + 1 yolk
4 tbsp/1 stick/56 g unsalted butter, melted (I hate butter conversions)
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp hot water
1 egg white
1 tsp poppy or sesame seeds (optional, but adds deliciousness)

1. Whisk together 3 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Mix together 2 eggs, yolk, melted butter, and 1/2 cup water in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook (if a KitchenAid mixer with all the attachments is the only reason you would get married, except possibly for EU citizenship, and that day has yet to come, use your hands-it works for me). Add flour mixture to wet mixture; knead at low speed until dough ball forms, about 5 minutes, adding remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to prevent the dough from sticking (this will take a bit longer by hand). Whisk reserved egg white with remaining 1 tbsp water in small bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. Transfer dough to lightly oiled large bowl, turning dough over to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Gently press dough to deflate, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size again, 40-60 minutes. (Rising will go quicker in a warm area, I always end up sticking the bowl on top of the fridge-warm air rises and all that)
3. Lightly grease large baking sheet and set aside. Transfer dough to lightly floured workspace. Divide dough into 2 pieces, one roughly half the size of the other. Divide large piece into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into 16-inch rope, about 1 inch in diameter. Line up ropes side by side and pinch ends together. Braid, and pinch other ends together. Place braid on baking sheet. Do the same with the smaller piece of dough, brushing some of the egg white mixture on the top of the larger braid before placing smaller braid on top, as shown. Loosely drape loaf with plastic wrap and let rise until loaf becomes puffy and increases in size by one third, 30-45 minutes.
4. Heat oven to 175˚. Brush loaf with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if using. Bake until loaf is goldern brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into side of loaf reads 190˚, 30-40 minutes. Place baking sheet on wire rack. Cool loaf completely before slicing.

Green Tea Ice Cream

2009-07-27T21:55:00.006-04:00

Damn, matcha powder is expensive. It compensates by being absurdly potent, I guess. After sushi comes green tea (or red bean, or sometimes mango or ginger) ice cream, and I knew this was one step of the sushi experience I could recreate.

Once again I am using the Perfect Scoop as my ice cream bible, it has yet to wrong me.

Green Tea Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar (don't skimp, you could even add a bit)
pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
4 tsp matcha powder (can be found in fancy supermarkets/tea shops/asian groceries)
6 large egg yolks

Warm milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour cream into a large bowl and whisk in matcha powder. Set a mesh strainer on top.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir constantly over medium heat until you reach custard consistency, coating the spatula. Don't let it boil! Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream, whisking vigorously to dissolve the matcha. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
Chill in the refrigerator overnight, and freeze according to your machine's intructions.

Strawberry Shortcakes

2009-07-25T15:47:00.005-04:00

Strawberry season is coming to an end so you should be able to get lots of delicious berries for cheap, perfect for baking.

The biscuits are not that fussy and a huge improvement over supermarket yellow/orange-y sponge 'shortcakes'. Whipped cream is pretty much whipped cream, no real need to DIY. You can macerate the berries and prep the dough before dinner, whip the cream while they're baking and have them assembled within 1/2 an hour.

From Baking Illustrated: Serves ~8

Fruit

8 cups strawberries (~2 1/2 pounds), hulled
6 tbsp sugar

1. Place 3 cups of the hulled strawberries in a large bowl and crush with a potato masher (or spoon). Slice the remaining 5 cups berries and stir into the crushed berries along with the sugar. Set the fruit aside to macerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Shortcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour+extra for dusting workspace
5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk or half-and-half
1 large eggwhite, lightly beaten

1. Heat oven to 425˚. In a food processor (or by hand) mix the flour, 3 tbsp of the sugar, baking powder and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over and process (or mix) until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 1-second pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl (if using a processor, duh).
2. Mix the beaten egg with the whole milk in a measuring cup. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Combine with a spatula until large clumps form. Turn the mixture onto a floured workspace and lightly knead until it comes together.
3. Use your fingertips to pat the dough into a 9 by 6-inch rectangle about 3/4 inch thick, being careful not to overwork the dough. Flour a 2 3/4 inch biscuit cutter and cut out 6 dough rounds (you can probably get a couple more). Place the rounds 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet, brush with the beaten egg white, and sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp sugar. (Dough rounds can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before baking.)
4. Bake until the shortcakes are golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool the cakes until warm, about 10 minutes.

Whipped Cream: If you want to take a shortcut, this is the place-canned whipped cream, cool whip, etc., are all acceptable

1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar (superfine/confectioners preferred)

1. You will get better results if you chill the bowl and beaters in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before starting. Using a hand-held or stand mixer, combine the sugar and cream and beat on slow, then medium until it looks like the consistency of whipped cream. Taste and add more sugar if you want.

Assembly:
Spilt the shortcakes in half (they will likely have a slight natural crack). Place each bottom on a plate, spoon on some berries, then cream. Top with the tops. If you wanna get crazy but some more berries and cream up top, or venture into the world of multi-decker shortcakes if you dare. Serve immediately.

Restrictions, schmrestrictions

2009-07-20T20:43:00.003-04:00

Tonight I made dinner for a friend with both a gluten and lactose allergy. Thank god she is no longer vegetarian. Really, this isn't that limiting. I even made cookies for dessert (meringues) but they were less than photogenic so maybe I'll catch them on a repeat.

I barbecued sirloin medallions rubbed with rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper and olive oil.

The salad is awesome and often made. Even salad/vegetable haters love it. The dressing is key, if you're saving leftovers make sure to save dressing as well or plan to make more.

Chopped Salad (serves 8)

2 large orange or red bell peppers
2 ears fresh corn or 230g frozen kernels
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt & ground pepper
2 large ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, cut into small dice
1 small jicama (Mexican root vegetable, not a strong flavour but crunchy), peeled and cut into small dice
2 large firm-ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into small dice
1 can black beans ~15 oz
fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Vinaigrette

Garlic, 1 small clove
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
45 ml lime juice
45 ml orange juice
1 shallot, finely chopped
Spoonful of honey
4 ml cumin seed, toasted and finely ground
60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
fresh ground pepper

1. Roasting peppers and corn (A): Position the rack in the centre of the oven and heat to 425˚. Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet wil foil. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the stem, core, and ribs. Put the pepper halves on the sheet cut side down. Husk the corn and put the ears on the baking sheet. Drizzle the oil over the peppers and corn, and rub around to coat the peppers and kernels evenly. Sprinkle the corn with salt and pepper and roast in the oven until the peppers are soft and slightly shriveled and browned and the corn kernels are lightly browned ina few spots, about 20 minutes (rotate the corn occasionally as it toasts). Let them rest until cool enough to handle. Cut the kernels from the cobs. You should have about 1 1/2 cups. Scrape away the charred pepper skin and cut the flesh into small dice.

1. Stove-top roasting the peppers and frozen corn niblets (B): The peppers can be roasted on a screen over a stove-top gas burner over a high flame: keep turning until most of the skin is blistered. Put in a deep bowl and cover with a lid or plate until cooled enough to handle. When the vegetables are done, let them rest until cool enough to handle.
You can start from frozen corn kernels, pan-roasting them on the stove top in a cast-iron or non-stick frying pan on high heat. Add a bit of oil to the hot pan, add the corn frozen or thawed, and salt and pepper. Stir from time to time until a fair portion of the kernels are slightly browned.
Scrape away the charred pepper skin and cut the flesh into small dice.

2. Make the vinaigrette: Mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the slat. In a medium bowl whisk the garlic paste with the lime and orange juices, shallot, honey and toasted cumin. Slowly add the oil in a thin stream, whisking until well blended. Season to taste with black pepper and more salt and honey, if you like.

3. Chop all the salad ingredients up to 4 hours ahead and store them in separate covered containers in the fridge. Make the vinaigrette ahead as well if you want.

4. Assemble the salad: Artfully arrange strips of the corn, tomatoes, peppers, jicama, avocado and black beans on a small platter or other wide shallow serving dish. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Serve the vinaigrette in a pitcher. Encourage guests to spoon elements of the salad onto their plates and drizzle on some of the vinaigrette. Or drizzle the vinaigrette over the whole salad just before serving.

(obvi my dad's writing)

So yes, a lot of prep work, chopping practice, but basically simple, looks impressive, tastes awesome, great summer-y food.

Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream

2009-07-18T19:56:00.008-04:00

From David Leibovitz's The Perfect Scoop.

The ice cream-maker possibly older than I am started to show it's age during this operation-motor stalling, strange noises. Thankfully it made it through.

This ice cream is divine, and luckily I bought enough extra berries to eat some Amélie-style before getting started. Like most ice creams, I started making the custard the night before so it could chill for 8+ hours.

Ice Cream (night before)

1 cup whole milk (homo milk in Canada)
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)
5 large egg yolks (this means meringues coming up soon)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.
2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
3. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Add the vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath (put bowl into larger bowl filled with ice/ice water). Chill thouroughly (ideally overnight) in the refrigerator.

Raspberry Swirl

1 1/2 cups raspberries
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vodka (tempura, ice cream, who knew?)

1. An hour or so before churning the ice cream, make the raspberry swirl by mashing the raspberries together with the sugar and vodka with a fork, until they're juicy but with nice-sized chunks of raspberries remaining. Chill until ready to use.

Go Time
1. Freeze the ice cream custard in your ice cream maker (in my case, this means buying a bag of ice, crushing it up, packing the ice cream maker with said ice and coarse salt, and putting the custard in the inner container to churn.) As you remove it from the machine, layer it in the container with spoonfuls of the chilled raspberry swirl mixture.

Breakfast for dinner

2009-07-17T17:03:00.003-04:00

Possibly the ultimate lazy/delicious dinner: breakfast. The meal so nice I ate it twice.

Poached eggs on toast + bacon=heavenly and ready in 5 minutes. Poached eggs have become my thing lately. My mom always ate them and the texture grossed me out, I preferred my 'scrambled egg on toast', not really scrambled eggs but an egg fried into toast shape and then pre-cut (egg and toast!) by my dad...Poached eggs on toast is my way of proving I'm almost a grown-up now.

Real ICE CREAM post tomorrow.

Oprah Burgers

2009-07-16T21:31:00.004-04:00

Okay, really, they are turkey burgers. But they come to me via oprah.com. Apparently Oprah dedicated a show to sandwiches, and had Gayle drive across the country eating. Why oh why do I have to work a day job? That is my kind of tv, and sounds way better than James Frey confessionals and car give-a-ways.

They were not as epic as Oprah promised, although I did scale down the recipe for 3 and the proportion of stuff to burger was a little high, and I didn't have time to let them firm up in the fridge. But they were pretty tasty (served with apricot and jalapeño chutney) and I intend to re-attempt. Grilling next to them are eggplant and red peppers served with mint-cumin dressing that was pretty much the bomb.com, courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

Shrimp Tempura

2009-07-14T22:08:00.006-04:00

Halifax may be satisfying my crustacean cravings, but the sushi, I miss it. Well there is sushi here, but it is unreasonably expensive compared to the sketchy/amazing places I frequent in Toronto. Also drunk sushi at 1am, not so much an option. So I made something I never before considered making at home. Tempura.

Crispy, battered, deep-fried-only worth it if you're eating there, the soggy lumps you get by delivery/take-out do not do this food of the gods justice.

Cook's Illustrated got me pretty close. Here is their take:

Shrimp Tempura (serves 4)

3 quarts vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds colossal shrimp (8-12 per pound), peeled and deveined, tails left on.
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 large egg
1 cup vodka
1 cup seltzer water
Kosher salt

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. In large, heavy Dutch oven (I used a wok) fitted with clip-on candy thermometer, heat oil over high heat to 385 degrees, 18-22 minutes.
2. While oil heats, make 2 shallow cuts about 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart on undershipe of each shrimp. Whisk flour and cornstarch together in large bowl. Whisk egg and vodka together in second large bowl. Whisk seltzer water into egg mixture.
3. When oil reaches 385 degrees, pour liquid mixture into bowl with flour mixture and whisk gently until just combined (it is OK if small lumps remain). Submerge half of shrimp in batter. Using tongs, remove shrimp from batter 1 at a time, allowing excess batter to drip off, and carefully place in oil (temperature should now be 400 degrees). Fry, stirring with the chopstick or wooden skewer to prevent sticking, until light brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Once paper towels absorb excess oil, place shrimp on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and place in oven.
4. Return oil to 400 degrees, about 4 minutes, and repeat with remaining shrimp. Serve immediately.

Use the left-over batter/oil to fry up some vegetables, I went with rounds of sweet potato.
I was surprised at how well this turned out, it was actually pretty easy, if a bit finicky. But the vodka in the batter is key.

DIY Thin Mints

2009-07-13T19:20:00.009-04:00

I was once a girl guide. Then my friend and I turned 12, got too cool and peaced. I was never a cookie selling champion but I could sure put them away. Thin mints are my favourite and I was psyched to see various successful attempts at recreation. I am using the recipe from Baking Bites, also featured on The Crepes of Wrath.

Thin Mints
from Baking Bites (my notes in italics)

Homemade Thin Mints
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp peppermint extract (could be upped to 1 tsp)

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add in the milk and the extracts. Mixture will look curdled. Gradually, add in the flour mixture until fully incorporated.
Shape dough into two logs, about 1 1/2 inches (or about 4 cm) in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1-2 hours, until dough is very firm.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Slice dough into rounds not more than 1/4 inch thick - if they are too thick, they will not be as crisp (seriously, focus on your cutting, you also want them to be flat and all approximately the same thickness)- and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies will not spread very much, so you can put them quite close together.

Bake for 13-15 minutes (err on the less crispy side if you want them to taste authentic/max delicious), until cookies are firm at the edges. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before dipping in chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Coating (2 logs, 2 rounds of baking-first round I went with nice quality dark chocolate, but found them a bit too intense. Round two I started with straight up milk chocolate with 30%cacao, but though the taste was awesome, the melting quality was not so great and they coated the cookies a little gloopily. So I went for a 2/3 milk chocolate, 1/3 dark chocolate, no butter mixture which worked out great)
10-oz dark or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt on high power in the microwave, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency somewhere between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating.
Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, turn with a fork to coat, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes, or until chocolate is cool and firm.
Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it smooth and easy to dip into. (This part gets messy/awesome)

Makes 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies. Store them in the fridge or freezer if you like them extra crispy.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-07-09T16:21:00.006-04:00

I have been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan lately, and everytime I am craving something sweet and might normally think about maybe grabbing some Reese's Pieces or gummies of any kind (fyi I have a bit of a candy problem, if you are enabler, stick with these kinds to be safe), I read the label and look for corn/derivatives from corn/generally get freaked out by all these mono/dextrose/acid sounding things in my "food", and justify baking another batch of cookies.

These are a classic, tasty and quick. It makes for excellent dough snacking as well.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe (originally from Cook's Illustrated)

Note on chocolate chips: Using fancy chocolate chips makes a huge difference in my opinion. My preferred brand is Ghiradelli's Semisweet Chocolate Chips, both for taste and the way they melt. I was almost out so this batch was half and half (the other half being plain old President's Choice), and I, for one, could taste the difference. Not my best work, but for quick and somewhat wholesome (extremely wholesome when I think about HFCS, antibiotics-loaded cows, and scary chemicals) cookies, these did the trick.

Pesto makes everything better/My favourite sandwich

2009-07-04T11:15:00.007-04:00

Food processor older than I am + Fresh Basil = Delicious Pesto

I used Mark Bittman's recipe from How To Cook Everything but it is seriously easy beyond belief, just process basil, pinenuts or other nuts (I used walnuts), garlic and olive oil. You can also use cheese if you want but I don't like to.

Mostly I made this pesto because it is the basis for what I consider to be the perfect sandwich. There is a small chain I love in Toronto called Sandwich Box, which is basically high-end Subway. I actually really hate Subway. The smell as soon as you go in is so overpowering and if I'm paying for someone else to make my lunch I don't like making that many choices. You're supposed to be an 'artist', use your judgement. Also choosing between the soggy veggies/cold cuts is not all that appealing. But Sandwich Box...I dream about it. You pick a bread, a spread, and three toppings from meats, vegetables and cheeses. Of course you could always choose more. And we are not talking slimy chicken terriyaki and wilted lettuce. No, no, my friend. Would you like some roasted garlic and cumin aoili? On fresh-baked rye, foccacia? Some caramelized onions and portobellos on that? YEAH. AND they pack it up in the cutest box and serve it with a side salad, after seasoning and toasting your sandwich.

This is a recreation of the sandwich I almost always get, prosciutto, brie and pesto on a baguette. But what, isn't that only two toppings? I thought you said three. Yeah but I don't feel like veggies on this one, although I was kind of disappointed not to get my three toppings worth. Until I realized I could just ask for double the brie. This sandwich is also reminiscint of one of my favourites from Spain a couple summers ago, serrano ham (they do fucking incredible things with pigs there) and brie panini.

Prosciutto, brie and homemade pesto on sourdough instead of baguette.

P.S. I finally got a summer job! I start on Monday but will try to keep up.

The first of many ice cream posts

2009-06-27T19:51:00.002-04:00

Okay so maybe I need to look into getting some food photography skills. But I promise it was delicious. Thursday I made the custard and Friday I froze this delicious rhubarb crisp ice cream. Pretend mine looks like this much nicer photo. If I make this again I might leave out the 'crisp' part. I felt it kind of detracted from the flavour and distributed unevenly through the ice cream.

Home-made ice cream is so worth it in my opinion. For one, you can make whatever wacky flavours your heart desires. It's not that hard to make (even with our old-school beast of an ice cream machine) and I know it's frozen so this will maybe sound silly but: Fresh ice cream tastes so good. The flavours aren't muted, you get the full effect of the rich cream and you get to feel proud of yourself/impress others.

Next flavours on the list: Green Tea, Plum, Black Sesame and whatever seasonal fruits I can get my hands on.

Super easy pasta

2009-06-27T19:45:00.004-04:00

This is barely worth a post but it's just so pretty! My parents brought this pasta back from Italy and it is so colourful and delicious. Cooking for one blows, which probably explains my pizza pocket habit, but this is so good with so little effort there is just no excuse. Boil water for pasta, salt it. Pasta goes in. Olive oil, minced garlic in skillet. Add herbs once the garlic has cooked (in my case fresh basil). Wait for your pasta to be done. Coat with the 'sauce' and top with parmesan. mmm.

Dad's South Western Macaroni & Cheese

2009-06-23T19:27:00.007-04:00

This is one of my favourite things to eat and one of the first things I ask for when I come home. You get macaroni & cheese AND nachos, all at once and I like it better cold for lunch the next day. Yes, there is a lot of chopping but the recipe is pretty easy to make. Tonight I decided to make it myself, using my dad's recipe. I've decided to transcribe his version verbatim both because the directions are clear and in my opinion adorable. He is clearly writing for an audience, and now he has (a small) one, as opposed to the recipe index card box K-Z. Bold signifies not extra important but extra dad-lol. My notes in italics.

Hrs Lead Req'd: 1 1/4 hr cook's time: 3/4 hr Final Cooking: 40 min
Makes 8 Servings

300 g yellow onions, coarsely chopped
400 g sweet bell peppers, red, yellow, orange and/or green (don't use green, less pretty/tasty)
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, minced (or 3 or 4)
0-2 other med./hot peppers, to taste, chopped
250 g ham, chopped
15 ml cooking oil (canola)

--------

200 g sharp cheddar cheese, diced 10-12 mm/ 3/8 - 1/2"
250 ml plain yogurt (1 cup)
60 ml instant blend flour (1/4 cup) 30 g
250 ml milk (1 cup)
1-4 dashes tabasco or other hot sauce, to taste

---------

300 g macaroni or other similar pasta (cavatappi)<--yes to the spiral macaroni
3 tsp salt
4 l. water

---------

nacho chips
mozzarella cheese, grated

This is our usual quantity of a favourite family comfort food. - reduce 50% for less enthusiastic appetites (don't, the leftovers are even better).
Use a large oven-proof skillet ( 12" (30 cm) cast iron is just sufficient).
Start a large pot of water for the pasta.
Clean (peel, stem, core, de-seed) and chop (coarse or fine to your preference - I go 'coarse') the peppers, and onions, and ham. Cut up the cheddar. Whisk the flour into the yogurt and mix in the milk.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat, add oil, and when its hot add the onions and all the peppers and ham, and cook, over medium-high heat, stirring from time to time until the vegetables are soft and some are barely beginning to brown. Pour in the yogurt-milk-flour mix, and stir until thickened. Taste, adding hot sauce (chipotle tobasco is our current choice (he used to pronounce chipotle hip-o-tl until his Spanish major daughter caught him)), salt and fresh-ground black pepper to your taste.
Turn on the broiler.
Sprinkle cheddar on top and mix it in. Remove from heat when the cheese is mostly melted.
Meanwhile, when the water boils, add the salt and macaroni, and cook until al dente (6 minutes or so). Drain the macaroni and keep hot.
Fold the macaroni gently and thouroughly into the sauce in the skillet. Spread a layer of nacho chips on top, and grate on a layer of mozzarella cheese.
Pop under the broiler (if you are using cast iron you may need your dad or someone else strong to do this step, no joke) for a minute or two, until the cheese melts and the chips just start to brown. Watch carefully, from browned to burnt is a moment's inattention.
Remove, and serve...
* The quantities of onions, peppers, ham, jalepenos and hot peppers and tobasco can be varied to suite taste or availability. We usually have a mix of red, yellow and orange sweet peppers, and often add a hot banana pepper. We normally use two-year old white cheddar and Black Forest style ham and blue corn organic nacho chips...
* This makes very good left-overs, but the nachos and cheese should be eaten on first serving: the nachos go limp in the fridge.

Oatmeal-Walnut-Craisin-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2009-06-21T19:18:00.007-04:00

This is what resulted from looking for a more acceptable way to eat Craisins than by the handful, adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Makes 16 large cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 rolled oats
1 cup walnuts, toasted & chopped
1 cup Craisins (dried sweetened cranberries), chopped
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350 (you can also toast the nuts at this temp)
2. Mix flour, baking powder & soda and salt in medium bowl. In a second bowl, mix oats, nuts, Craisins and chocolate.
3. By hand or using electric mixer, cream butter & sugar. Add egg and vanilla.
4. Stir in flour mixture.
5. Stir in oat mixture.
6. Divide dough to form 16 balls roughly 2 inches in diameter. Divide between two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, flatten to 1 inch thickness.
7. Bake 20 mins, rotating the sheets halfway through. Don't overbake, they will look slightly underdone at this point, edges should be browning but the centres should be soft. You want them to be chewy.
8. Cool on wire rack and enjoy.

Fool for rhubarb

2009-06-16T17:48:00.006-04:00

Every May, the rhubarb patch in the garden gets transformed into glorious pies to accompany the rest of my birthday dinner (some combo of ribs/lobster, mashed potatoes and artichokes/green beans). Needless to say, I was crestfallen to be stuck in my dorm room in Quebec eating pb+honey+banana for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So now that I'm home, I am attacking this overgrown vegetable with a vengeance. Yesterday's project came from La Tartine Gourmande, which counts as continuing my French immersion.

I would have better photos but in what I foresee to be a trend, my lovely father ate them all before I could get my hands on the camera. Tonight's dinner, Nigella's linguine with mushroom, lemon and thyme sadly befell the same fate. I grabbed a bit too much rhubarb and luckily had some extra puff-pastry and so made this quick mini-pie:

I've never been a strawberry-rhubarb believer. The whole point of rhubarb, to me, is the delicious almost sour tart-ness. Chomping on stalks dipped in sugar, or enjoying a nothing-but-rhubarb pie lets the true, delicious flavour shine through and strawberry combos only cover it up/are too sweet for my taste.

Rhubarb being rhubarb, this made but a dent which means once I get my hands on The Perfect Scoop from the library I'm planning to attempt Rhubarb Crisp Ice Cream along with family favourites like Szechuan Ginger and last year's delightfully boozy Margarita Ice Cream.