PLUM TART

Roasted Beet Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese and Maple Balsamic Dressing

2011-08-09T21:47:00.002-04:00

When I was in California back in June I had the pleasure to eat at Chef Tyler Florence's San Francisco restaurant Wayfare Tavern. It was a fantastic meal -- the starters, avocado salad and bacon-wrapped dates, were particularly memorable as were the popovers -- and one that has inspired me to try a few new things in the kitchen since getting back.

Up until a few years ago I was a beet hater. Probably because of the fuschia-tinted pickled variety I was used to growing up, a mainstay at family dinners (I think my grandpa was the only one who liked them). But I recall having a roasted beet salad at a downtown restaurant and realizing just how delicious a beet could be -- earthy and sweet, slightly warm, and dressed with a simple citrus vinaigrette. I think there must have been some goat cheese in there as well, because beets and goat cheese are genius together.

I've made beet and goat cheese salads before but I had to try Chef Florence's version (from his cookbook Family Meal) because I love the way he'll take a fairly straightforward recipe and make it into something truly special without a lot of extra effort. That was definitely the case here, where whipping the goat cheese until fluffy, adding chopped almonds, and finishing with a maple-spiked dressing made the salad that much better, especially in the texture department.

Roasted Beet Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese and Maple Balsamic Dressing
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds baby beets, preferably a mix of red and yellow
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 oz fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup Marcona almonds (or regular whole almonds, skins-on but not roasted)
1/4 cup micro arugula or pea sprouts (I used fresh basil)

Maple Balsamic Dressing:

1 shallot, finely minced
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the dressing: Combine shallot, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup in small jar with tight-fitting lid. Season with salt and pepper. Shake until well mixed.

Preheat oven to 400F. Wash the beets well and trim the root end. Cut two 12-inch sheets of aluminum foil. Lay one piece of foil on your work surface and put the beets in the center. Drizzle with a three-count of olive oil and sprinkle with the thyme, salt and pepper. Cover with a second piece of foil and crimp the edges several times to make a pouch. Place the pouch on a baking sheet and roast the beets for about 1 hour or until a knife pierces a beet smoothly. (You can stick the knife right through the foil.) Take the pouch out of the oven, open it up to let the beets cool, and then peel the beets and cut each into 4 wedges.

Place the goat cheese in a mixing bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Beat vigorously with a whisk until the oil and goat cheese are combined and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the salads, dollop the goat cheese mixture onto a serving plate. Scatter the beets and chopped almonds over the goat cheese and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with arugula.

Source: Tyler Florence Family Meal, Tyler Florence, Rodale, 2010

Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies

2011-08-07T21:53:00.002-04:00

I knew I was in trouble when Annie Rigg used the word "squidgy" to describe her brownies.

Squidgy. YES.

I also belong to the "brownies should be fudgy, not cakey" camp, so I couldn't wait to give Ms. Rigg's recipe for Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies a try. My absolute favourite dessert, for those who don't know, is a warm-from-the-oven brownie, fudgy and almost pudding-y, with some softly melting vanilla ice cream over top. So rich and squishy and chocolatey it borders on the pornographic -- my friend O and I bonded over one very much like this at Garde Manger in Montreal, read all about it here.

I shouldn't be surprised that Annie bakes a tasty brownie -- she's devoted a whole cookbook to the subject, called Fabulous Brownies. My friend B baked the Salted Caramel Swirl version not too long ago and added bacon to the mix. Divine. I wanted to try her basic recipe, as many of the other varieties in the book stem from this one. It didn't disappoint. Rich. Fudgy. Sticking to the teeth. Licking the last bits off the spoon. And oh yes, most definitely squidgy.

Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies
Makes 16 squares

225 g/ 8 oz dark/bittersweet chocolate, chopped
150 g/ 10 tbsp butter, diced
125 g/ 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
125 g/ 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp light brown sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
125 g/ 1 cup all-purpose flour
A pinch of salt

A 9-inch square baking pan, greased and lined with greased baking parchment

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth and thoroughly combined. Leave to cool slightly.

Add both sugars and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. Sift the flour and salt into the bowl and stir until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan, spread level and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the brownies are set and have a light crust on top.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the pan before removing from the pan and cutting into 16 squares to serve.

Source: Fabulous Brownies, Annie Rigg, Ryland Peters & Small, 2011

Salty Caramel Ice Cream

2011-07-21T22:54:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to remember when my love affair with salted caramel started -- I think it was at Splendido in the spring of 2010. I ordered their chocolate caramel tart for dessert, and it was sprinkled with what appeared to be Maldon salt. I was already full from a very decadent dinner but once I tasted that tart and its divine mingling of dark chocolate, rich buttery caramel, shortbread crust, and crunchy salt flakes, I was done for. Days later, I was still thinking about it. With all due respect to David Chang, THIS was crack pie.

And while I've had a ton of salted caramel goodies since then (my friend B's Salted Caramel Brownies with Bacon stand out), I'd never actually made anything myself. Well when I saw the recipe for Salty Caramel Ice Cream in Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home by Jeni Britton Bauer of the famed Ohio artisan ice cream chain, I knew I had to try it. I mean, it's a no-brainer, right? I was also curious to try making caramel without added water. I don't have the best pots in the world, and the idea of cooking dry sugar until it melted and caramelized seemed a dubious proposition, but why the hell not? Besides, if I burned the pot I'd just have to buy a new.....set.

Well, thanks to Jeni's careful instructions, the caramel, and the resulting ice cream, turned out amazingly well. An incredible flavour of ever-so-slightly-burnt sugar, a hit of saltiness, and a richness that I'm guessing comes from the addition of cream cheese. I recommend sieving at the point where she mentions it, as you'll likely find a couple bits of caramel that don't quite blend in, and while a little texture's not a bad thing, I wanted this ice cream to be silky smooth (and it was). I added texture in serving it up -- with some toasted, chopped cashews and a few flakes of Maldon salt (hey, if it's good enough for Splendido...).

Loved this recipe and can't wait to make it again. Then again, Jeni's Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Cognac Figs sounds pretty out of this world. Figs soaked in booze, made into ice cream? I can get behind that.

Salty Caramel Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

PREP: Mix 2 tbsp of milk with cornstarch in a bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Mix the cream with the corn syrup in a measuring cup with a spout. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK: Heat sugar in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat until it is melted and golden amber in colour. Remove from heat and, stirring constantly, slowly add a bit of the cream and corn syrup mixture to the caramel. It will fizzle, pop and spurt. Stir until will combined, then add a little more and stir. Keep adding the cream a little at a time until all of it is incorporated.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the milk. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for four minutes. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in cornstarch slurry.

Bring back to a boil over medium-high and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. If any caramel flecks remain, pour mixture through a sieve.

CHILL: Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE: Pour into frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream in a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Source: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home, Jeni Britton Bauer, Artisan, 2011.

Bucatini With Ramps And Asparagus

2011-04-17T18:01:00.001-04:00

Ramps, or wild leeks, are available for a very short time in early spring, so when I saw them at the farmer's market this weekend I had to pick some up. They have an earthy taste not unlike green onions, and are perfect when paired with other fresh spring flavours like lemon and asparagus.

But because they're not around for very long, or maybe because they're not commonly used, finding recipes that employ them is a bit tricky. I think the last time I cooked with them, I chopped them up and tossed them in with some scrambled eggs. Easy, but very fresh-tasting and delicious.

I think that's the key with ramps -- don't pile too many flavours on top. If you do, you miss the point. Keep it simple, and let them shine through in the finished product.

I found a spaghetti recipe on Epicurious (from Gourmet magazine) that called for the ramps to be made into a sort of pesto. For a few reasons -- one of which being I'm moving in less than two weeks and I've already packed my food processor -- I used it as a mere jumping-off point and came up with my own simple creation. Bonus: it took less than 10 minutes to prepare, perfect for a quick weeknight supper.

Bucatini With Ramps And Asparagus
Serves 2

1 bunch ramps (7 or 8), washed, root ends removed
1 bunch asparagus (about a dozen spears)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1/2 lb bucatini
2 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for grating over finished dish
1 tsp lemon zest, plus some of the juice from the lemon
Kosher salt to taste

Roughly chop ramps. Slice asparagus into 1/4-inch pieces, leaving the tips whole.

Cook the bucatini in boiling salted water, until slightly underdone -- about six minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.

Meanwhile put a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add 1 tbsp butter, and 1 tbsp olive oil. When the pan is hot, add ramps and asparagus, and saute until bright green and tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.

Add bucatini to skillet along with 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp cheese, lemon zest, and some of the pasta water. Using tongs, stir everything together until the cheese and butter have melted and coated the pasta.

Ladle into bowls. Finish with a squirt of lemon juice and some Parm-Reg grated over top.

Adapted from Gourmet, 2000.

Rhubarb Brown Sugar Crumble

2011-04-16T13:40:00.001-04:00

I will always have a sweet tooth. Yet I'm finding the desserts I gravitate toward have changed over the years -- where I used to always go for the sweetest of the sweet (chocolate cheesecake, pecan pie, etc.) I now find my cravings leaning toward the tart and refreshing. Anything with citrus (particularly lemon), sour cherries, and rhubarb.

That's not to say this Rhubarb Brown Sugar Crumble isn't sweet -- it has two cups of sugar between the streusel topping and the fruit filling -- but it also has a nice tang and tartness. I also tend to cut back on the amount of sugar in recipes nowadays -- and I did the same thing here. I've reprinted the recipe straight as it is from Fine Cooking magazine, but I reduced the amount of sugar by a quarter-cup in both the filling and the streusel. If you're not a fan of tart/sour, keep the amounts as-is.

I've written about fruit crisps and crumbles before -- likely because they're one of the desserts I make most. You've got that great combination of tender cooked fruit, crispy, buttery oatmeal topping, and likely some ice cream or whipped cream served alongside. So much easier than a pie, and I think more interesting, texturally.

Plus you can switch up the toppings and fillings depending on what you like. I often add nuts to the topping (pecans or almonds are always good); as for the filling I often do apple, but rhubarb is my new fave. My mom makes a killer peach one, as well as a great mixed berry one. I'm thinking plum will be the next one I try. Plum crumble with a cardamom-walnut streusel topping. Sounds good, no?

Rhubarb Brown Sugar Crumble
Serves 4-6

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

Streusel topping:
4-1/2 oz (1 cup) all-purpose flour
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 oz (8 Tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:
7 cups 1/3-inch-thick sliced rhubarb (about 2 lb)
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon, using a rasp-style grater)
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with the softened butter.

Make the topping: In a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and salt and pulse several times to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal and clumps together when squeezed lightly, about 1 minute.

Make the filling: Combine the rhubarb, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a spatula until evenly mixed. Transfer the rhubarb mixture to the baking pan, and sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit; the pan will be very full, but the crumble will settle as it bakes.

Bake until the topping is lightly browned, the rhubarb is tender (probe in the center with a skewer to check), and the juices are bubbling thickly around the edges, 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool to warm or room temperature and to allow the juices to thicken, at least 1 hour.

Source: Fine Cooking, April 2007

Moving On...

2011-04-15T22:50:00.008-04:00

Two weeks from today, I move to midtown.

At the end of January I bought my first place -- a condo in the lovely Yonge and Davisville area. At the time, Moving Day seemed ages away but here we are, mid-April, and by the end of the month I'll be there.

I've lived in the historic St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood of downtown Toronto for the past six years or so (in two different apartments), and I love it so much I had my real estate agent show me just about every building in the area before expanding my search northward. The reason being, as an avid cook and baker, having the Market at my doorstep was just too perfect. There was no ingredient I couldn't find there -- from pomegranate molasses, to black truffle salt, to tamarind paste. In fact I'd sometimes look for recipes that had offbeat ingredients just to see if I could find them at SLM -- invariably, I could.

That's to say nothing of the incredible fruits, vegetables, breads, and meats to be found both there and at the weekly farmer's market across the road on Saturday mornings.

And though I realize I can always come back -- it's only a subway ride away, after all -- I thought I'd pay tribute to it and a few of the other culinary treasures in my neighbourhood before I leave.

Here are my top five, in no particular order:

1. Mengrai's Striped Bass with Tamarind Coconut Sauce (pictured, above) -- There are so many lousy Thai food places in this city, fortunately Mengrai is not one of them. I've taken a few friends to eat there over the years, but what I'll really miss is my Friday night routine of calling them up, ordering this particular dish for takeout, and enjoying it on my sofa while watching a movie. Sure, once in awhile I'd order noodles or one of their curries (all very good) but this was the one that kept me coming back. I loved that the vegetables would often change depending on what they had on hand -- sometimes there would be green beans, and broccoli, sometimes cauliflower and carrots, almost always bok choy and savoy cabbage. Comfort in a bowl.

2. Cafe 260's Coffee Beans -- Situated right across from my current condo building, Cafe 260 has been selling me their fresh roasted beans for the past three years. Their house blend is much better than anything the big brands have to offer, in my opinion, and I've gone through enough pounds of it to get my buy-12-get-1-free more than once (I probably drink too much, truth be told). It's also become a favourite of my parents, and they request it whenever we go to the cottage. I'm sure I'll find some decent beans in the new 'hood, but nothing like my little Cafe 260.

3. Stonemill's Cherry Strudel (St. Lawrence Market) -- I'm all about the Parisian breakfast -- a good cup of coffee in one hand, a delightful pastry in the other. And while I adore a good croissant or pain au chocolat, Stonemill's Cherry Strudel, with its flecks of cinnamon, buttery, flaky crust, crunchy turbinado sugar topping, and tart-sweet cherry filling is perfection. My Saturday morning is not complete without one of these.

4. Roasting chickens from Rowe Farms at the Saturday Morning Farmer's Market -- I used to think of chicken as the blandest, most pedestrian of foods. That was when I was overcooking boneless-skinless breasts, and before I started roasting them whole. The first time I roasted a whole chicken it was a Rowe Farms bird, and it opened my eyes to how delicious and flavourful chicken could be. It helps that Rowe Farms meats, while a bit more expensive, are locally-grown and free of antibiotics and hormones. I now buy as much of my meat there as I can, and it's worth every penny. Roast chicken has become one of my favourite Sunday meals -- paired with herb-roasted fingerling potatoes, and lemony Swiss chard, it's hard to do better.

5. French toast at the George St. Diner -- After a particularly stressful day last summer -- I had my wallet stolen and the thieves racked up thousands on my credit cards -- my wonderful parents came into the city, gave me some money to see me through the week until I could get my cards back, and took me out for breakfast at the George St. Diner. I had French toast (my favourite brunch food), and as I drowned it in maple syrup I could feel all that anxiety easing away. Though I've only been back a few times since, I'll always remember that day fondly. A bad experience made better with the help of food and family. Isn't that always the way?

While I realize I'm saying goodbye to some of these places -- not you, though, SLM, I'll always come back to you -- I know there are a ton of great spots in the new neighbourhood and I cannot wait to try them out. My friend [and soon-to-be-neighbour!] Bonita was kind enough to give me a tour recently and I'm particularly enthused about the pastries at Jules, the gelato at Il Gelatiere, the Indian food at Amaya, and the Middle Eastern fare at Tabule.

I will be sampling all of them very soon!

Soba Noodle Salad with Salmon and Asparagus

2011-04-14T22:25:00.002-04:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Springtime at the farmers' markets, where stalls are overflowing with asparagus, ramps and rhubarb, and there's that sense of anticipation of what's to come -- strawberries, wild blueberries, zucchini, tomatoes, peaches and plums, all the best our local growers have to offer.

Recently my friend Bonita treated me to a fantastic meal that was the very essence of spring -- herb-crusted lamb, roasted asparagus, and rhubarb custard tart. It totally inspired me to pull out my cookbooks and spring issues of Bon Appetit and Fine Cooking and look for some new recipes to try.

And so, this Soba Noodle Salad with Salmon and Asparagus from the April 2011 Bon Appetit. Tons of fresh flavours here, from the grated ginger in the vinaigrette, to the tender green asparagus, to the chunks of avocado piled on top of the finished dish.

I've finally learned to be patient and wait until my pan is smoking hot before searing, in this case, the salmon. It gained a really lovely colour and a crisp exterior from only a couple minutes, each side, in the fry pan. I'm really loving grapeseed oil for frying, by the way. It doesn't impart a noticeable flavour to whatever you're cooking, and it has a high heat tolerance as well.

I really enjoyed this salad, and I can see it becoming a go-to dish as long as asparagus is in season.

Note: this salad doesn't keep very well. I did eat the leftovers for lunch the next day, but I picked out the baby spinach leaves as they'd gone soggy. It might be worth keeping some of the ingredients separate until just before serving if you plan on making this dish last beyond the one meal.

Soba Noodle Salad with Salmon and Asparagus
Serves 4

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
Fine sea salt
5 1/2 ounces soba noodles
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)
12 ounces wild salmon fillet, skinned
9 ounces thick asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
3 1/2 ounces baby spinach leaves (5 to 6 cups)
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, coarsely chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds

Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook soba noodles in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well; transfer to large bowl. Pour dressing over; toss to coat.

Heat vegetable oil in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Cook until browned but still deep pink in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to plate, cool slightly. Wipe skillet clean.

Add enough water to skillet to reach depth of 1 inch. Bring to boil. Sprinkle sea salt over and add asparagus. Simmer until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Add spinach and asparagus to noodles; toss to incorporate evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide noodle salad among plates. Break salmon into bite-sized pieces. Tuck salmon and avocado into noodles on plates. Sprinkle sesame seeds over and serve.

Source: Bon Appetit, April 2011

Baking for Toronto Bakes For Japan

2011-04-11T22:49:00.002-04:00

This past weekend Toronto was host to one heck of a bake sale. Toronto Bakes For Japan brought together amateur and professional bakers selling their sweet and tasty wares across the city with proceeds going to Japan relief efforts.

I happily volunteered to bake for the event, and after flipping through my cookbooks I decided on two recipes from my favourite baking resource of late, Alice Medrich's Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy: Toffee Bars and Cinnamon-Dusted Blondies.

I started with the Toffee Bars, which were definitely the more time-consuming of the two but completely worth it. You start by pressing a shortbread base into a 13x9-inch pan and sprinkling it with pecans. That gets baked for about 20 minutes, while at the same time you prepare the toffee topping. Once the base comes out, you spread the hot toffee over the pecans, put the pan back in to the oven for another 12 minutes or so until the toffee bubbles and darkens.

Once the pan is out and cooled, you drizzle melted milk chocolate over top. I used a good quality chocolate bar (Green & Black's) for an added layer of luxury.

On to the Blondies -- I've never made blondies before, as they always struck me as the brownie's sorry sister. But Alice's recipe convinced me otherwise (the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips sprinkled over top helped). She adds a tablespoon of dark rum to the batter, and I think it adds a really great flavour element. I went for the cinnamon-dusted variation, which calls for a quick grate of the cinnamon stick over the works before serving. But I might also go for the Peanut Butter Hazelnut version next time, because peanut butter makes everything better -- and I heart hazelnuts.

I couldn't find cello bags anywhere -- if anyone has a downtown source for these I'd be happy to hear it! -- so I bought a roll of cello and some ribbon to package them up. I think they looked pretty good for an amateur! I dropped the treats off at the Rivoli on Sunday morning -- three dozen Toffee Bars and two dozen Blondies -- and I was heartened to see so many treats on display and volunteers ready to sell them. Last I heard, the bake sale made more than $20,000 for Japan relief. Amazing! Big kudos to Heena and the TBFJ organizers for putting together such a fantastic event.

Toffee Bars
Makes 24 regular sized bars or 36 smallish squares

For the crust:
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (2.33 oz) sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups (10 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups (7 oz) pecan halves

For the topping:
1 tbsp water
3/4 cup (5.25 oz) packed light brown sugar
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 chunks
2/3 to 1 cup (4-6 oz) milk chocolate chips or 6 oz milk chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

To make the crust: Cut the butter into chunks and melt it in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated. Press the dough evenly over the bottom of a foil-lined 13x9-inch pan. Scatter the pecans over the dough without pressing them into it. Lay an extra piece of foil loosely over the nuts to allow them to toast without burning while the crust is baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned at the edges. While the crust is baking, make the topping.

To make the topping: Combine water and brown sugar in a small saucepan, and whisk until the sugar is moistened. Heat the mixture over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the butter and remove from the heat.

When the crust is ready, whisk the topping until smooth. Remove the foil from the crust and scrape the hot butter mixture over the pecans on the crust. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the topping is dark and bubbling vigorously. Remove the pan from the oven and scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the top. (Or melt and drizzle the chocolate decoratively over the bars after they have cooled.) Cool the bars in the pan on a rack. Lift the ends of the foil liner and transfer to a cutting board. Use a long sharp knife to cut into bars. May be kept in an airtight container for at least 1 week.

Source: Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich, Artisan 2010.

BBQ Heaven

2011-03-12T22:02:00.002-05:00

As I edited the photos for this blog post I had a moment of 'Wow, did I really eat all that?' incredulity.

Yes, I really ate all that ... and savoured every calorific bite.

I love good BBQ, but it's hard to find around these parts. So when my friend Bonita suggested we hit Buster Rhino's Southern BBQ in Whitby, ON for one of their menu sampling days I jumped at the chance. B had already been to one, and her descriptions of candied bacon, smoky ribs, and tender brisket had me positively drooling. Such events at Buster Rhino's are few and far between so we signed up for this one weeks ago, knowing it was a hot ticket.

Darryl Koster, the proprietor, knows BBQ. His family is from South Carolina, and he's not about injecting Jack Daniels into his meat, or dousing it with BBQ sauce (Although he does make a damn fine one.). No, he prefers to use rubs to bring out the flavour of the meat itself, which is evident when you taste it. For Darryl it's all about low and slow cooking, using charcoal and cherry wood. And the smokiness of the cherry wood is infused into everything, the flavour lingering long after you've taken your last bite.

On to the food, all eight courses' worth.

We start with Bacon Jam, a decadent spread made with figs, coffee, chipotle, bittersweet chocolate, and of course lots of bacon. Spread on crackers, it's the perfect amuse bouche to get us excited about what's to come.

Next up: Pig Candy, a sweet, smoky bacon confection. Delightful.

A bacon triple-play, we next sink our teeth into a potato skin unlike any other. Smoked cheese, loads of bacon chunks (and not those weenie, tasteless bacon bits you'll sometimes get with potato skins) and spices fill the perfectly-cooked spuds.

Moving right along to the best-named item of the day, the Redneck Wellington. There's true innovation at play here, as Darryl and his team have stuffed homemade sausage with BBQ sauce, caramelized onions and peppers, then smoked it. From there, the sausage is tucked inside phyllo pastry and baked until you have the creation you see pictured. Buttery, spicy, meaty goodness.

I love pulled pork, and Darryl's pulled pork slider is excellent. Going along with his recommendation, I first try it as-is, no adornments. It's tender, savoury and delightfully smoky -- the reason Darryl uses cherry wood, by the way, is because he finds mesquite and hickory bitter. From there, I pile on some homemade coleslaw. The tart bite of the coleslaw complements the pulled pork perfectly, and though I can't imagine anything topping it, a hit of BR's Championship Hot BBQ Sauce is a nice little addition.

On to my choice for best course of the day -- and that's the beef brisket slider (pictured at top). The meat is so tender it's ridiculous. And though I'm glad it's a miniature (I'm starting to get full...imagine that), I'll most definitely return for the full-sized version. Creamy potato salad is the perfect side dish.

I'm thinking it's dessert time but no! One more course! How could I forget about the ribs...cooked low and slow for hours after being coated in mustard and a spice rub. Once again, the chosen side -- baked beans -- impressed. I'm not a baked beans kinda gal, but these ones I gobbled up.

Finally, dessert. A scoop of vanilla ice cream impaled with a slab of bacon pecan brittle. Is there anything bacon can't improve? It is the wonder food.

Several hearty rounds of applause later, Darryl and his hard-working crew bid their enthusiastic, satiated diners adieu. Smiles all around, as they know we'll all be back. And soon.

Homemade Granola

2011-01-12T00:03:00.004-05:00

I've made granola from scratch a few times, but this batch turned out particularly well. The truest test of quality granola in my mind is whether you can still stand to eat it after several straight days -- I'm at Day 5 and loving it! It's a take on the version found in Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook, using ingredients I already had on hand.

Starting with fresh ingredients is key not only when we cook but when we bake -- thank you Regan Daley for that lesson! -- so I think a big part of this granola's success is the fact that I'd bought most of the items only a few weeks previous at my local bulk food store for Christmas baking. I had a lot of leftovers of rolled oats, dried fruit, and nuts, so pulling together a decent mix was easy. I think next time I'd go out and purchase specific add-ins to suit my taste. I'm thinking dried cherries, pecans, and even some dark chocolate chips to go with the base ingredients of oats, honey, coconut and spice. And perhaps next time I'd add cardamom instead of cinnamon.

Be sure to try your own version based on your favourites -- and believe me, this tastes so, so much better than the stuff in the box which I often find has an unappealing dustiness to it. That or it's break-your-teeth hard.

Homemade Granola
Makes approximately 9 cups

5 cups rolled oats
3 cups chopped mixed nuts and seeds (I used a combination of walnuts and pumpkin seeds but you could also use pecans, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.)
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut (I used sweetened coconut)
1 tsp ground spice (try cinnamon, ginger, or cardamom)
1/2 to 1 cup honey, maple syrup, or raw sugar, or to taste (I used about 3/4 cup of honey)
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract, optional
Salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups dried fruit, chopped if necessary (I used raisins, cranberries, cherries, and currants, but you could use any dried fruit you like)

Heat oven to 350F. Combine oats, nuts and seeds, coconut, spice, sweetener, and extract if you're using it; sprinkle with a little pinch of salt. Toss to mix together ingredients. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. The granola should brown evenly.

Remove pan from the oven and add dried fruit. Cool in the pan on a wire rack, stirring now and then, until granola reaches room temperature. Serve (or store in sealed container at room temperature for up to a week).

Source: The Food Matters Cookbook, Mark Bittman, Simon & Schuster, 2010.

Rum-Raisin Bread Pudding

2011-01-09T22:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, ok... it's January and I shouldn't be indulging in these kinds of treats so soon after the Christmas holidays, which were laden with cookies and chocolates galore. But I've also deemed 2011 a year of austerity, which means not wasting food, and what else was I supposed to do with the stale half-loaf of challah bread in my fridge?

This recipe is a variation on the Bread Pudding recipe in Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything, a new addition to my ever-growing cookbook collection (I also picked up his Food Matters Cookbook, a collection of healthy and eco-conscious recipes). The thing that's so great about bread pudding is it can be whatever you want it to be based on what you're in the mood for. Craving chocolate? Add some chocolate chunks to the mix. Extra fruit on hand? Add it along with some nuts for added texture.

I was tempted by the Rum-Raisin combo Bittman included -- in part because it reminded me of the first time I had bread pudding (in New Orleans, where it was served with a rich bourbon sauce) -- and since I had the required ingredients on hand decided to give it a go. It was ridiculously easy -- simply heat milk, butter, cinammon, salt and sugar, pour it in a buttered baking dish filled with stale bread chunks, add beaten eggs, and desired fillings, and bake for about an hour.

Rum-Raisin Bread Pudding
Makes: 6 servings
Time: About 1 hour, largely unattended

3 cups milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter (plus more for buttering the pan)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
Pinch salt
8 slices white bread, preferably stale, crusts removed if they are very thick or dark
3 eggs
1/4 cup dark rum
1/2 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350F. Over low heat in a small saucepan, warm the milk, butter, 1 tsp of the cinnamon, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the salt, just until the butter melts. Butter a 6-cup or 8-inch square baking dish and cut or tear the bread into bite-sized pieces.

Put the bread in the baking dish and pour the hot milk mixture over it. Let it sit for a few minutes, occasionally submerging any pieces of bread that rise to the top. Beat the eggs briefly and stir them into the bread mixture along with the rum and raisins. Mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Set the baking dish into a larger baking pan and pour hot water in, to about an inch of the top of the dish.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until a thin-bladed knife inserted in the center comes out clean or nearly so; the center should be just a little wobbly. Run under the broiler for 30 seconds to brown the top a bit if you like. Serve warm or cold.

Keeps well for 2 days or more, covered and refrigerated.

Source: How To Cook Everything, 10th Anniversary Edition, Mark Bittman, Wiley, 2008

The Cookie Factory: Christmas Baking 2010

2010-12-25T21:33:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to get back to the blog for weeks, but damn, this busy December just didn't let up! Between a fabulous and food-filled NYC long weekend (more on that in an upcoming post) and the regular pre-Christmas mayhem, blogging just wasn't going to happen.

One thing I was determined to do this year was bake Christmas cookies, since the past few years I've been really lagging in that department. I think I maybe did one or two batches last year, and don't recall doing any the year before. This year I made up for it with five different kinds of cookies and bars, all of which turned out quite well!

I started with Alice Medrich's Ginger Cookies, from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies (one of my favourite cookbooks of 2010). These cookies are phenomenal, especially if you love ginger -- they contain the powdered variety as well as candied and fresh. It makes for a crisp-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside spice cookie, with a nice sharp bite at the end (courtesy the fresh ginger). Alice includes a tamer version in the book but I really recommend trying the original recipe first.

Second, I made Magic Cookie Bars (which I learned are also called Hello Dollys). I'd been meaning to include a batch of these in my Christmas baking for a few years now, as my mom made these when my sister and I were kids and I was feeling a bit nostalgic about them. Also, I bought one in New York at Magnolia Bakery and while it was delicious, I preferred my mom's version which went lighter on coconut and heavier on chocolate. For those who don't know the recipe, it's simple (find it here) -- it's basically a graham crust, topped with equal parts chocolate chips, walnuts or pecans, and coconut, doused with sweetened condensed milk, and baked until golden brown. It's chewy in some spots, crisp in others, a little bit salty, a lot of sweet, and with hits of chocolate throughout. In short, it's heaven.

Thirdly, Kahlua Truffle Triangles from Fine Cooking magazine, introduced to me by a friend from work (and fellow baker). She had printed off the recipe and told me that I MUST try them because they are ridiculously good. She was right. Everyone who tasted these -- family and friends alike -- raved about them. They're so easy, and so delicious, that they're going on my must-make list for future Christmases. (See recipe below.)

My last two batches of cookies were Chocolate Mint Bars and Shortbread. The Chocolate Mint Bars represent another childhood favourite, and the women in my family (my grandma, mom, and sister) all recognized them immediately -- the pale green hue of the top layer is hard to miss. They're not far off from a mint-flavoured Nanaimo Bar, I imagine, with a chocolate-graham-walnut base, a creamy icing-ish layer spread over that, and drizzled mint chocolate on the top. The base is also mint-flavoured. Because these are so sweet I cut them into rather small squares. I used my mom's recipe but you can find a similar one here.

As for the shortbread, this is a recipe a friend gave me, and it produces the most delicate and delicious shortbread I've ever tasted. While I don't want to give away her secrets here, the thing I found most interesting about the recipe was that it called for cake flour rather than all-purpose flour. Once baked, my biggest challenge was cutting decent-sized bars that didn't crumble on me (that's how delicate they were). I'm saving this recipe for next year, as a truly melt-in-your-mouth shortbread is a rare and wonderful thing.

And with that, the cookie factory is closed for another year! Merry Christmas, all!!

Suzanne

Kahlúa Truffle Triangles
by Abigail Johnson Dodge
Yields about 6 dozen 1-1/2- to 2-inch triangles.

For the crust:

6-3/4 oz. (1-1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
3 oz. (3/4 cup) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp. table salt
6 oz. (12 Tbs.) cold, unsalted butter,cut into 10 pieces, more for the pan
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the filling:

1 lb. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, broken into squares or very coarsely chopped
3/4 cup whole or 2% milk
4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
4 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. Kahlúa

Make the crust:

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, allowing foil to overhang the long sides of the pan to act as handles for removing the cookie later. Lightly butter the foil.

In a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Process the ingredients briefly to combine, about 15 seconds. Scatter the cold butter pieces and the vanilla over the flour mixture and process, using short pulses, until the dough begins to form small clumps, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Turn the dough into the prepared pan. Using lightly floured fingertips, press the dough into the pan in a smooth, even layer. Bake until pale golden, especially around the edges, 22 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake or the crust will be hard and crispy. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and lower the oven temperature to 325°F.

Make the filling:

In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate, milk, and butter together over a pot of barely simmering water or in the microwave. Whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and Kahlúa on medium-high speed until foamy and lighter in color, 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the chocolate mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about 30 seconds.

Pour the chocolate batter over the baked crust and spread evenly. Bake until the sides are slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out wet and gooey but not liquid, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack. As it cools, the center may sink a bit, leaving the edges slightly (about 1/2 inch) elevated. While the filling is still warm, use your fingertips to gently press the edges down to the level of the center, if necessary.

When completely cool, cover with plastic and refrigerate until very cold, at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, using the foil as handles, lift the rectangle from the pan and set it on a cutting board. Tipping the rectangle, carefully peel away the foil. Using a hot knife, cut the rectangle lengthwise into 1-1/2-inch strips, wiping the blade clean before each cut. Cut each strip on alternating diagonals to make small triangles. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Fine Cooking 82, pp. 66
December 1, 2006

Guinness Gingerbread with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

2010-12-05T21:10:00.001-05:00

I've made this Guinness Gingerbread, from Nigella Lawson's latest cookbook Kitchen, twice in the past week and with good reason. It's fantastic! Sweet, but not too sweet, with lots of spice and a wonderfully moist texture. It's a perfect dessert for the holidays, but I've been having it with my morning coffee at work. Decadent, I suppose, but that's what the Christmas season is for, right?

It's also gloriously easy to make -- simply melt and mix the butter, sugar, Guinness, and spices on the stove, mix in the dry ingredients, then add some sour cream and eggs, pour into a 9-inch pan, and bake!

With my parents over for dinner this weekend, I knew I wanted to make the gingerbread, and I thought some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream would be a welcome addition. I pondered going out and buying a pint of Haagen-Dazs, but given that my sister bought me the ice cream maker attachment for my new stand mixer, why wait to make a batch of homemade?

I opted for a simple vanilla bean ice cream from the book Sweet Scoops, by Shelly Kaldunski, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the results. In fact, I think I'm spoiled now for all store-bought ice cream. This was the silkiest, richest, most divine ice cream imagineable. I had no idea vanilla ice cream could be so flavourful, and though it complemented the cake it would have been heavenly all on its own.

I realize that making homemade ice cream all the time is unrealistic -- which given the fat-laden ingredients (2 cups half-and-half, 1.5 cups heavy cream, 8 egg yolks!) is probably a good thing. But I'm most definitely going to be keeping the freezer bowl chilled for the next opportunity that arises. If you're an ice cream junkie, as I am, consider putting an ice cream maker on your Christmas list. It's every bit worth it.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, seeds scraped
8 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspooon salt

In heavy saucepan combine half-and-half, cream, and vanilla bean pod and seeds. Warm over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture barely comes to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar and salt. Whisk vigorously until the mixture lightens in colour and doubles in volume, about 2 minutes.

Remove cream mixture from the heat. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1 cup of the warm cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour the resulting egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly, and place over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the mixture forms a custard thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 1-2 minutes. (I found this took closer to 5 minutes for me.) Do not let it boil.

Meanwhile, set up an ice bath in a large bowl and nest a smaller heatproof bowl inside. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into the smaller bowl. Discard the vanilla bean. Stir the custard occasionally until cool. Remove the bowl from the ice bath and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

Pour the cold custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Spoon the ice cream into a freezer-safe container and place parchment or waxed paper directly on the surface. Cover tightly and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

Source: Sweet Scoops, Shelly Kaldunski, Weldon Owen Publishing, 2009.

French Fridays With Dorie: Marie-Helene's Apple Cake

2010-11-28T23:50:00.004-05:00

I'm ashamed to say that I've really fallen behind in my attempt to cook along with my fellow French Fridays With Dorie friends (wow, that's a lot of Fs). I remember being so proud of myself having baked this Apple Cake (which is delicious, by the by) a full two weeks in advance of its date on the schedule -- and then I failed to post an entry.

Then I let November slip by with nary a recipe made -- and there were some good ones, too! Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flans, Potato Gratin, Caramel-Topped Semolina Cake....uh, yum!! Anyway, I plan to make all of these at some point, and in the meantime December is a new month, and hopefully I can get myself back in the game -- it's looking like the four recipes for the month will be Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts, Beef Daube, Leek and Potato Soup, and Speculoos. Holiday-appropriate, no?

Back to Marie-Helene's Apple Cake -- as you can see by the photo it is rammed with apples. I used a variety, as I'd been apple picking not long before and had no less than six different kinds in my fridge. This cake is lovely in that it's not overly sweet, and it stayed moist for several days. The dark rum added a deeper flavour and richness that I liked. I would add cinnamon next time, as I can't get enough of the apple-cinnamon combination.

I think the cake is at its best warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but it was also nice on its own at room temperature with a cup of coffee (not ashamed to admit this was my breakfast at work more than once).

Don't be concerned about the ratio of apples to batter. The batter bakes up around the apples quite nicely, and it turns a tempting golden brown shade as you can see.

I just had a thought -- how divine would this be with a butter-rum sauce drizzled overtop?! Next time!

Waldorf Salad, Jamie Oliver's Way

2010-11-21T22:38:00.003-05:00

I've long been a fan of Jamie Oliver -- his original Naked Chef series was the first cooking show I made a point to watch week to week -- and so how stoked was I to attend his cooking demo and talk in Toronto last Thursday?!

Jamie was just as cheeky, self-deprecating, and genuine as I expected him to be, and it's evident that his passion to get kids (and adults) eating healthy food -- which inspired his 'Food Revolution' in Britain -- hasn't subsided one iota. Most recently, he travelled through the U.S. and the highlights of those adventures are present in his latest show, Jamie's American Road Trip, and cookbook, Jamie's America. He cooked two recipes from the book: a red snapper ceviche similar to one he had at a Peruvian restaurant in New York City, and a steak dish with two sauces, a peanut-smoked chili sauce and a fresh tomato salsa, something he was inspired to create after time spent in L.A.

After a ridiculously decadent week that included cupcakes for dinner one night -- what would Jamie think?! -- I was craving healthy myself, so I decided to make one of the salads included in his book. Flipping through the pages I was tempted by both the Candied Bacon Green Salad and the Southern Pecan and Apple Salad, but ultimately I went with his take on the Waldorf Salad. Though I've never had one before, the Waldorf is my kind of salad. It has stuff in it. Lots of stuff. A bed of greens on a plate fails to impress me, but throw in some blue cheese, toasted walnuts, green grapes, and apple slices, and I'll perk up a bit.

I like that Jamie has lightened up the dressing by replacing mayonnaise with yogurt. I used full-fat yogurt but you could use a lower fat one if you wanted to, I'm sure it would still taste delicious.

Waldorf Salad, Jamie's Way

Serves 4

4 large handfuls of salad greens (eg. fresee, romaine, arugula, watercress, baby spinach)
2 large handfuls of seedless green or red grapes, halved
3 medium celery stalks, trimmed
2 large handfuls of walnuts (approx 4 oz), roughly chopped
Small bunch of Italian parsley
1 red apple
6 oz blue cheese

Dressing:
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 heaped tbsp natural yogurt
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss together salad greens and grapes. Peel outer layer from celery. Slice at an angle then add to greens and grapes.

Toast walnuts in a dry frying pan, shaking every 25 seconds. Watch them closely to make sure they don't burn.

Cut off tough ends of parsley stems and discard. Finely chop remaining stems and save them for the dressing. Chop the leaves and add to the salad greens. Add chopped parsley to rest of dressing ingredients -- add enough olive oil to equal about three times the amount of the combined mustard and vinegar (in other words the acidic part of the dressing). Add the yogurt, salt and pepper and either whisk together the dressing or put everything in a Mason jar and shake it up until the dressing has emulsified.

Drizzle dressing over salad leaves. Slice apple into matchsticks (or thin slices, which is what I did) and scatter over the salad. Add toasted walnuts and use hands or tongs to mix everything together. Transfer salad to platter, piling grapes and walnuts on top. Scatter bits of blue cheese over everything. Finish with a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Source: Jamie's America by Jamie Oliver

Jams And Jars: Grown-Up Applesauce

2010-10-17T19:51:00.001-04:00

With dozens of apples taking up valuable real estate in my fridge, it seemed inevitable I'd get around to making some applesauce. I'd never actually made homemade applesauce before even though it's something I've loved since childhood. I'd eat big bowlfuls of the stuff whenever I was under the weather, and it's still something I crave every so often.

This 'grown-up' version, from Fine Cooking magazine, is wonderful, especially when still slightly warm. I'm sure the fact that the apples were only a day or two off the tree had something to do with it, but let's not discount the role the butter and brandy play. The addition of half a vanilla bean, and the recommendation that the pod steep in the sauce as it cooks, also elevates this to something far greater than what you'd typically pick up in the grocery store.

I used a variety of apples, among them Empires, Galas, Cortlands, and Fortunes, which worked really well because some fell apart while others stayed chunky and provided some bite in the finished sauce. Needless to say this would pair wonderfully with pork, but it's delicious enough on its own.

Grown-Up Applesauce

8 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp water
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 to 4 tbsp granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp brandy

Combine apples, butter, and water in a heavy pot. Add seeds from vanilla bean and tuck pod in among the apples. Cover the pot, set it over medium heat, and simmer until the apples are tender and have cooked to a rough purée, stirring them gently from time to time, 20 to 25 minutes. Depending on the variety of apples used this may take slightly longer. Go with your instincts on this one, as well as your preference in terms of texture. I don't mind if some of the apples have a bit of bite to them, I just don't want them raw in the centre.

Add the sugar, stir, and continue cooking uncovered for a few minutes to let the sugar dissolve. Taste the sauce for sweetness; it should be tart-sweet. I went with 3 tbsp of sugar and found that to be sufficient. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar. Stir in the brandy and simmer a few minutes more to cook off a little of the alcohol. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool, leaving the vanilla pod in to steep. Take the pod out before serving.

Source: Fine Cooking

French Fridays With Dorie: Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

2010-10-16T22:11:00.009-04:00

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Dorie Greenspan when she was in Toronto to promote her gorgeous new cookbook, Around My French Table. The 15-minute interview flew by -- not surprising since we both love all things food and all things French -- and I couldn't wait to crack open the book at home and start cooking away.

Not long after the interview my friend Bonita told me about French Fridays With Dorie, where fans cook their way through the book each week and post about their experiences. What a great idea! I missed the first two weeks -- Gougeres (Week 1) and Gerard's Mustard Tart (Week 2) -- but I was determined to join in the fun this week, albeit a day late. And I'm glad I did, because the Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup is hands-down the best soup ever to come out of my kitchen.
I was initially perplexed about the inclusion of a Vietnamese soup in the French-themed cookbook, but Dorie in the recipe introduction explains the two countries' historic connection -- Vietnam was once a French colony -- and the enduring influence of Vietnamese cuisine there.

I stuck pretty close to the ingredients and method given, as I tend to do whenever I try a recipe for the first time. I went with Chinese egg noodles over rice vermicelli (both were listed as options), chose skin-on-bone-in chicken breasts (rather than skinless, boneless) to poach in the broth as I wanted the extra flavour, and I didn't skimp on garnishes. I like a soup with lots of stuff in it, so I threw in a big handful of bean sprouts, lots of cilantro and fresh basil, daubs of hoisin sauce and sambal oelek, and a squirt of fresh lime juice over everything.

I'm not ashamed to say I ate two bowlfuls. This will definitely be a recipe I come back to again and again.

Interested in participating in French Fridays With Dorie? Find out more info here, and follow the Twitter feed here.

Apples, Apples, Apples!

2010-10-03T23:48:00.046-04:00

Is there anything more 'fall' than an afternoon of apple-picking? This is my favourite time of year, bar none, and having lived in the city for half my life, I appreciate the chance to escape to the country more and more, particularly in late September, early October when the leaves are changing.

So on this chilly first weekend of October, my sister and I bundled up and headed out to an orchard in Waterdown, Ont. Despite its unfortunate name and slightly maniacal looking mascot, Frootogo Orchards offers a great variety of fruit for the picking as well as a cute store packed with homemade preserves and baked goods (the apple turnovers and hot spiced cider make a great post-picking treat), a pumpkin patch, and a big kids' play area. But we were there for the apples, so we plunked two empty baskets in a wagon and headed out.

Because we were picking later in the season, there were only about half a dozen varieties to choose from (more than enough, really). We started with Fortunes and Jonagolds, both of which are supposed to be excellent for baking. This will be my first time using either variety, as I often bake with Crispins and Northern Spys.

From there we picked some Galas and Spencers, the latter of which is another new one for me. Spencers are, according to the farm's chart, better for eating out of hand than baking but we'll see. Truthfully some of the varieties look so alike it'll be hard to tell them apart. One notable exception was the Cortland, which was so deep red it looked almost burgundy next to the others. We ended our day with a few of those (good for eating raw and baking), and wheeled our brimming baskets back to the main building to be weighed and paid for. Let me tell you, you end up with a lot more apples than you think. If I had to wager I'd guess at least 20 lbs' worth. That's a lot of applesauce, apple crisp, and apple cake. Oh, and probably a pie or two.

If you have a great apple recipe, I'd love to know! Post a comment or email me at plumtartblog@gmail.com.

Jams And Jars: Slow-Roasted Plum Tomato Sauce

2010-09-06T01:07:00.007-04:00

Thanks go to my foodie friend Bonita, she of the fabulous Bon Eats blog, for telling me about this wonderful sauce from Cuizoo. I'd been searching in vain for a tomato sauce recipe that started with fresh Romas as opposed to canned ones -- who knew it would be so difficult? -- and I'm glad I went with this one, even though the making of it was slightly ridiculous. Not the author's fault, but mine, entirely.

You see, I knew full well that the sauce needed five, six hours to cook down. And yet, I let the weekend slip away, while my beautiful Romas sat untouched on the kitchen counter. Suddenly it was 8pm on Sunday and I was at risk of letting some or all of the tomatoes go bad. So I went for it, even though I knew the sauce likely wouldn't go in the oven until 9pm (meaning it'd be finished cooking at, you guessed it, 3am).

I stayed up as late as I could muster for a school night -- about midnight -- dutifully taking out the roasting pan once an hour and stirring up the fragrant mixture. Then I retired, setting my alarm for 3am to take out the finished sauce. And when 3am came, I did exactly that. Bleary-eyed and still half asleep I poured the sauce into a big metal bowl, and tossed it in the fridge. And there it stayed for the rest of the day until I had time to reheat it, puree it, and jar it.

I had a taste after pureeing and before jarring and I have to say this sauce is well worth the time. I won't say effort because really this recipe is as easy as it gets. No blanching and peeling the tomatoes, which is a huge plus. One thing to be aware of is that because the tomatoes cook down so much you might not get as much sauce as you'd think when you're starting out. I managed four 500mL jars, or about eight cups. But a little goes a long way and you can extend its life by mixing it with other ingredients. For instance tonight I mixed some roasted eggplant into a few spoonfuls of the sauce, thinning it out with some pasta water. I'd say I used four tablespoons of it, max.

Also, my friend Bonita said I might want to cut back on the honey as the sauce is on the sweet side. I actually cut the amount in half, to 1/8 cup, and I still found it sweet. Depending on how you like it you might want to cut it back even further. The tomatoes become quite concentrated in flavour as they cook down, and the balsamic vinegar adds sugar too. Use your own judgement, and know that you can always add additional sugar or honey at the end should you wish.

Slow Roasted Plum Tomato Sauce with Basil

1-2 large onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2-4 sweet peppers, stemmed and roughly chopped
8-10 pounds of Roma tomatoes, cored and halved
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
3 t sea salt
1-2 t freshly ground pepper
2 t dried oregano
1 t fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
3-4 T red wine
Additional salt, pepper, and sugar/honey to taste
2 big handfuls of basil, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a very large roasting pan, combine the onion, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, fennel, and bay leaves.

2. Roast tomato mixture in preheated oven for 5-6 hours, stirring every hour or so.

3. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Remove bay leaves. Puree with immersion blender or in traditional blender (cool mixutre a little more if using a traditional blender and be very careful to keep lid off slightly and covered with a towel so the steam can escape).

4. Add red wine and taste for seasoning – adding more salt or pepper if needed. And if your tomatoes are on the acidic side, you might need to add more honey or sugar.

5. Stir in chopped basil and serve as is or put in containers to freeze.

Makes about 3 or 4 large jars ( or 10-12 cups of sauce)

Source: Cuizoo

Fudgy Brownies

2010-09-04T22:49:00.005-04:00

I've been cooking and baking so much in the last couple of weeks, I haven't had time to keep up with the blog! Can't say what's got me so inspired lately, except maybe the promise of fall. Fresh starts, and all that jazz. That and I want to make the most of the farmers' markets before they're done for the year. Although the only thing in this recipe that I bought at the market was the eggs. Oh well! As much as I love fruity desserts that feature the bounty of the season, nothing beats a brownie. Especially a fudgy brownie, still warm from the oven, with a tall glass of milk.

I used top quality chocolate for these, and I think it's a necessity -- you always hear that a dish is only as good as its ingredients and I wholeheartedly concur. This recipe calls for a mixture of bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate, which intensifies the flavour. If you can splurge on Callebaut or Valhrona, please do.

A couple of tips -- according to the Fine Cooking folks (where this recipe comes from) you can double the recipe by using a 13x9-inch pan and increasing the baking time slightly. And you'll note that the baking time provided is 35-45 minutes -- the magazine recommends using the shorter time for metal pans and the longer time for glass ones. I used metal, took it out at 35 minutes, and they were perfect.

Fudgy Brownies

5 oz. (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3 oz. (2/3 cup) all-purpose flour

Position an oven rack on the middle rung. Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square pan, line the pan bottom with parchment (or waxed paper), and then butter the parchment.

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the butter and both chocolates. Remove the pan from the heat; cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar and then the vanilla and salt. The mixture will be somewhat grainy; this is okay. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, stirring each time until blended. Add the flour, beating until thickened and smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter) clinging to it, 35 to 45 min.
Set the pan on a rack until cool enough to handle. Run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan and then invert the pan onto a flat surface and peel off the parchment. Flip the baked brownie back onto the rack to cool completely. Cut into squares with a sharp knife.
Yield: 16 brownies
Source: Fine Cooking, Aug. 1999

Orzo Salad with Grilled Broccolini and Sausage

2010-09-03T22:19:00.001-04:00

One of my girlfriends recently turned me on to Fine Cooking, a magazine she subscribes to, and in browsing through a recent issue I knew I had to try this dish. I love the combination of sausage and greens, and could only imagine that grilling them along with red onion would make this a satisfying end-of-summer meal. I don't cook with orzo very much but I loved it here, and the olives and capers added a beautiful briny note to the salad.

The recipe calls for pre-cooked chicken sausage, but I used a raw spicy chicken-turkey sausage, that I poached for 10 minutes before grilling to ensure it was cooked through. I finished the dish with some fresh basil -- my three pots' worth are threatening to take over my balcony so I'm using it wherever possible -- and it worked really well with the other flavours. I reheated this salad the next day and it was still good -- I added some halved grape tomatoes to change it up a bit. Super-easy, this dish. Will definitely be making it again, maybe switching up the sausage variety and/or the type of vegetable used.

Orzo Salad with Grilled Broccolini and Sausage

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup pitted picholine olives (or other mild green olives), quartered
1-1/2 Tbs. capers, rinsed and chopped
1 large bunch (about 12 oz.) broccolini, trimmed
1 large red onion (12 oz.), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Kosher salt
4 cooked chicken sausages
8 oz. (1-1/4 cups) dried orzo
Freshly ground black pepper

Prepare a medium gas or charcoal grill fire. In a large bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the oil and the vinegar. Stir in the olives and capers and set aside.

Arrange the broccolini and onion on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and sprinkle with about 1 tsp. salt.

Grill the broccolini, onion, and sausages (with the lid closed), flipping halfway through cooking, until the vegetables have softened and charred slightly, 7 to 10 minutes for the broccolini and 10 to 12 minutes for the onions, and the sausages are browned and heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the orzo until it’s just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Coarsely chop the broccolini and onion, and cut the sausages into bite-size pieces; stir them into the dressing. Add the orzo, toss to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Serves 4
Source: Fine Cooking, May 2010

Red Prawn And Mango Curry

2010-08-27T22:11:00.009-04:00

Every so often -- generally in fall and winter -- I get a mean hankering for a thick, spicy curry. With the cooler weather we've had this week, it definitely feels as though autumn is just around the corner, and my body was craving stick-to-the-ribs comfort food.

A while ago I swapped cookbooks with one of my girlfriends -- I lent her two of my Giadas (Everyday Italian, Giada's Family Dinners) and she lent me one of her Nigellas, Nigella Express, recommending a few of the recipes inside including the Red Prawn and Mango Curry. Taking a look at the ingredients, which included cubed butternut squash and sweet potato, I decided I didn't want quite as much starch -- it is still August, after all -- so I subbed in zucchini, red pepper, and sugar snap peas. And rather than fresh coriander as the garnish, I finished the dish with whole basil leaves snipped from my balcony pots (Why buy herbs when you can use what you already have on hand?).
It was so satisfying. Shrimp and mango go together so nicely, and the heat of the curry was balanced by the creaminess of the (full-fat) coconut milk. Serving this over basmati or jasmine rice would've been nice but I happened to have some black rice on hand (from Rube's at St. Lawrence Market) so I used that. The only time I'd ever had black rice, sometimes referred to as forbidden rice, before was years ago at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in New York City's Lower East Side. It was served in a coconut milk-rich dish that also featured shrimp and fresh basil, so tonight's meal was somewhat reminiscent of that one. If you can get your hands on black rice, it adds an interesting visual element to a dish, and it's reportedly high in antioxidants. It's also very tasty.

Red Prawn and Mango Curry
Adapted from Nigella Express

1 tbsp safflower oil (or any flavourless oil)
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 tbsp red Thai curry paste (or according to taste)
1 400mL can coconut milk
250 mL chicken stock
2 tsp fish sauce
1 red pepper, cored and thinly sliced
A couple handfuls of sugar snap peas
1 zucchini, diced
12 jumbo prawns, peeled and deveined
1 tsp lime juice
1 mango, diced
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan. Fry the onion until soft, then add the curry paste.

Whisk in the coconut milk, chicken stock and fish sauce and bring to the boil.

Tip in the red pepper, sugar snap peas and zucchini and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

Tumble the prawns into the pan, letting the sauce come back to the boil. When it does, add the lime juice and diced mango and cook for another minute or until the prawns are cooked through.

Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve over rice.

Serves 2.

Wild Rice Salad

2010-08-23T22:50:00.008-04:00

I was chatting recently with Alison Fryer, owner of The Cookbook Store in Toronto, about new and hot cookbooks and she mentioned a pair of titles by British chef Yotam Ottolenghi. I confess I hadn't heard of him before, but flipping through the two books (Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, and most recently Plenty) I was intrigued by what I saw -- Mediterranean- and Middle Eastern-influenced dishes with vibrant flavours such as chili, lemon, pomegranate, pistachio. Many of the dishes vegetarian. I wanted to buy both, then and there, but then I thought about my borderline-ridiculous collection of cookbooks at home and decided against it.

Instead, I went online and found two sources of Ottolenghi recipes -- the official site and the Guardian UK which features a weekly column by the man himself entitled The New Vegetarian. Jackpot! I decided I'd try out a few of his recipes first before considering buying one of his books. I started with a bulgur salad called Kisir (bottom photo), a traditional Turkish side dish made with tomato paste, parsley and spices. I'd seen it described in a few places as a spicier version of tabbouleh. This particular recipe called for pomegranates and mint, and though I subbed chopped up raspberries for the not-in-season pomegranate seeds it turned out fabulously. Filling, hearty and full of flavour.

Next up, dinner for a friend, which consisted of Roast Chicken With Chili and Basil and Wild Rice Salad (top photo). Both dishes were hits -- packed with healthy ingredients but not in any way boring. The chicken marinated in an Asian-influenced marinade of sesame oil, chili, soy sauce, and rice vinegar for hours, which gave it tons of flavour when it came time for roasting.

The Wild Rice Salad was wonderful too, getting lots of flavour from dried apricots, toasted pistachios, green onions, and fresh mint. Ottolenghi excels at these grain-based salads, and they're becoming a favourite of mine. I'm already a big fan of bulgur and quinoa, but now I'm thinking I'll have to add millet, Israeli couscous, and wild rice to the mix.

Notes:

To freshen up this salad after the first day, drizzle with additional lemon juice and olive oil, and give it a good toss.

The recipes give weight measurements as opposed to cups/tablespoons, etc. I have a kitchen scale, so it's no big deal, but it's something to keep in mind. I've come to prefer the weight measurements as they're more precise.

Wild Rice Salad

250g wild rice
60g peeled pistachio
150g soft dried apricot, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
1 small bunch of mint, leaves picked
1 small bunch of rocket
3 spring onions, roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the rice in a large pot and cover with water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and cook for 30-40 minutes, depending on the variety, or until the rice is cooked aldente. Drain and rinse under cold water.

While the rice is cooking, roast the pistachio in a dry pan over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

Coarsely chop them with a large knife. Drain the apricot and coarsely chop them too.

In a bowl mix the rice, apricots and pistachios. Add the rest of the ingredients, toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

Source: www.ottolenghi.co.uk

Jams And Jars: Peach Jam

2010-08-22T19:55:00.011-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows I have a bit of a jam addiction. At any given time I have five or six varieties in my fridge, and I'd just as soon serve it over ice cream, with cheese and crackers, or whisk it into a sauce or marinade as spread it on toast.

My favourite jam is apricot, not only for its taste but its versatility, and I'd planned to make a big batch of it this year to see me through the fall and winter. Sadly, apricot season passed me by before I had a chance to do much with them -- one galette was all she wrote.

So, we entered peach season, and once I saw the lovely Red Havens on display I knew they'd make a fabulous preserve. One of my foodie friends agreed, so we set aside a Sunday afternoon to whip up a few batches. (When you're going to the trouble of making jam, why not make a whole whack of it, right?)

Two baskets of peaches and a whole lot of sugar later, we managed 20 full 250mL jars, and one three-fourths of the way full. Not bad! And my goodness, the colour! So much darker than I was anticipating -- instead of a pale yellow they're a vibrant reddish orange (I attribute that to the red tinge in the skins).

A few notes:

-Blanching is a must, for ease of peeling and to retain as much of the peach as possible.

-We didn't use the boiling water canner. Instead we ran the jars through a hot dishwasher cycle, then kept them in a 200F oven. The lids we boiled in water on the stove, using tongs to seal the jars once they were filled. All our jars made that telltale 'popping' sound that signifies a proper seal, so I think as long as you work quickly once you've filled the jars you'll be fine. If you're nervous though, just put them in the refrigerator. Here's how to tell if your jars have sealed properly.

-Though the recipe says you'll get five jars per batch, we filled a minimum of six jars per batch, so have extra jars and lids on hand just in case.

Peach Jam

6 cups (1.5 L) sliced peeled peaches
2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice
1 pkg light fruit pectin crystals
3-1/2 cups (875 mL) granulated sugar

In large Dutch oven and using potato masher, mash peaches to make 4 cups (1 L). Add lemon juice.

Mix pectin with 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the sugar; stir into peaches. Bring to full rolling boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining sugar and return to full rolling boil; boil hard, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat; skim off foam.

Using funnel, fill hot 1-cup (250 mL) canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch (5 mm) headspace. Cover with prepared lids. Screw on bands until resistance is met; increase to fingertip tight. Boil in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Fills 5 1-cup jars.

Source: Canadian Living, July 2008

Plum Cake

2010-08-15T21:42:00.008-04:00

When I saw the baskets full of perfectly ripe plums at Brick Works farmers' market this weekend, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them -- bake them into Dorie Greenspan's Dimply Plum Cake, from her tome Baking: From My Home To Yours.

Let me count the ways in which I love this cake: 1) It's way easy to prepare; 2) It bakes up beautifully, the batter rising up around the plum halves and transforming into a deep golden brown; and 3) It's delicious.

I also saw this recipe not too long ago on the excellent Smitten Kitchen, and took a cue from it in subbing cinnamon for cardamom. It's not that I don't enjoy cardamom -- in the right recipe (savoury or sweet) it can be wonderful. But cinnamon and plums is, quite simply, a divine combination.

As Dorie suggests, you can substitute other fruits and spices depending on what's available. Apricots with orange zest and star anise, peaches with lemon zest and finely chopped fresh basil, nectarines with orange zest, cherries with lime zest. Whatever your preference, you'll love this cake!

Dimply Plum Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flavourless oil, such as canola or safflower
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 purple or red plums (in the fall, use Italian prune plums), halved and pitted

Preheat oven to 350F.

Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and put the pan on a baking sheet.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together.

Using a mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. On medium speed, beat in the oil, orange zest, and vanilla. The batter will look very light and smooth, almost satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter, jiggling the plums a tad so they settle comfortably into the batter.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes -- during which time the plums' juice will return to the fruit - then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up.

Source: Baking: From My Home To Yours, Dorie Greenspan, Houghton Mifflin, 2006.

Penne With Herbed Zucchini And Goat Cheese

2010-07-29T22:37:00.013-04:00

Don't you love it when a recipe far exceeds your expectations? It doesn't happen often, to me at least, but when it does it's so satisfying. I've cooked zucchini countless times. I've tried to like it, I really have. But the end result has always been the same. Bland. Watery. Blah. Not so with this dish, from a 1997 issue of Gourmet, dug up on Epicurious.

My reason for cooking this was simple -- I had the handful of items it required on hand. And I should say right now that with recipes that have so few ingredients -- six, in this case -- the quality of said ingredients is paramount. I had the best of the best -- local zucchini bought a few days ago at a farmers' market, top notch dried pasta, herbs snipped from my balcony pots, and Monforte goat cheese -- and the dish was all the better for it.

If you're like me, and your primary culinary use for zucchini thus far has been zucchini bread -- which I never turn my nose up at, btw! -- give this simple summery pasta dish a try. I made a couple of additions -- bumped up the amount of garlic to two cloves, and spritzed fresh lemon juice on at the end -- but feel free to take or leave those changes. I also used rotini -- but in my mind all those short pastas are interchangeable. Use what you've got.

Penne With Herbed Zucchini And Goat Cheese
Gourmet | July 1997

6 ounces penne or other tubular pasta
3 medium zucchini
1 large garlic clove
2 teaspoons mixed fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram leaves
2 ounces (1/4 cup) soft mild goat cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

Fill a 4-quart kettle three-fourths full with salted water and bring water to a boil for pasta.

Halve zucchini lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Thinly slice garlic lengthwise and finely chop herbs. Crumble goat cheese.

In a heavy skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté zucchini, stirring, until browned and just tender. Stir in garlic and herbs and sauté, stirring, 1 minute.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente and reserve 1 cup cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander and in a bowl toss with zucchini mixture, cheese, 1/4 cup reserved cooking water, and salt and pepper to taste, adding additional reserved cooking water if necessary.

Serves 2.

Source: epicurious

plumtartblog@gmail.com

Mushroom Risotto

2010-04-12T22:35:00.007-04:00

I've been making risotto for years -- it's one of the first dishes I learned to cook when I was living on my own and I used to make it fairly frequently for friends. Often a mixed mushroom version, similar to the one here, or a tomato basil one that required a bit more effort but looked even nicer on the plate.

Last night I had a fierce craving for a classic mushroom risotto so I came upon this recipe and decided to give it a go. In years past I'd cook risotto in a large saucepan, but after watching many an episode of Hell's Kitchen where I noticed the chefs cooked their risotto in a wide saute pan I decided to try that instead. I don't know how much of a difference the extra surface area made, all I know is that the risotto was fan-freaking-tastic. Creamy, not the least bit gummy, and with a tiny bit of bite still in the rice. I should mention that I now buy my rice at Rube's, an excellent purveyor of grains and legumes, and I was using homemade chicken stock, so I'm sure the quality of the ingredients also contributed to the tasty end product, but my instincts tell me the saute pan is the way to go.

I was recently advised by one of the chefs appearing on CityLine, the show I work for, that I should seek out a wooden spoon with a hole in the centre to make risotto with, as the hole allows the rice to pass through when you're stirring and aids in the texture. If I happen upon one I'll certainly pick it up, but I don't know that it's necessary.

Lemony Mushroom Risotto
Gourmet | February 2001

2 2/3 cups boiling-hot water
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 lb small cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Arborio rice (8 oz)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Pour 2/3 cup hot water over porcini in a heatproof cup and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Lift porcini out of water, squeezing excess liquid back into cup, and rinse well to remove any grit. Coarsely chop porcini. Pour soaking liquid through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a glass measure and reserve.

Meanwhile, bring broth and remaining 2 cups hot water to a simmer. Keep at a bare simmer, covered.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté cremini, stirring, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add porcini and reserved soaking liquid to skillet and boil, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Cook onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed.

Stir in 1/2 cup simmering broth mixture and cook at a strong simmer, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition become absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender but still al dente and creamy (it should be the consistency of a thick soup), 18 minutes. (There will be leftover broth.)

Stir in zest, mushrooms, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, parmesan, parsley, and pepper to taste. (If necessary, thin risotto with some of remaining broth.) Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a main course, or 6-8 as a side dish.

Source: Epicurious

plumtartblog@gmail.com

'Don't Mess With Perfection' Guacamole

2010-04-07T21:03:00.005-04:00

I've seen all sorts of things added to guacamole (onions, tomatoes, cilantro, etc), but it's my firm belief that the perfect guacamole has but four ingredients: garlic, lime juice, salt, and the all-important avocado. This goes back to the first time my friend Kama made fresh guacamole before my eyes. The flesh of a perfectly ripe avocado, scooped into a bowl, the juice of a lime, a minced garlic clove, and plenty of salt (more than you'd think to add). Mashed together roughly with a fork and not pureed, so you still have the odd chunk of creamy avocado, it was easy to prepare, gorgeous to behold, and absolutely delicious with a big bowl of tortilla chips.

This is now my go-to recipe whenever I make guac (Thanks Kama!), and so long as the avocado is ripe it's pretty much impossible to screw up. Feel free to tinker with the amount of garlic, lime juice and salt -- as mentioned I feel it needs a bit more salt than might be your instinct to put in, but give it a try and see what you think. If you're serving with salty tortilla chips you may want to back off on the salt a bit. While I used to only make guac when I had chips on hand, now I use it for sandwich spread as well (I prefer it to mayonnaise).

Don't forget that avocadoes, once sliced into, go brown quickly so try not to leave the flesh too long before adding the lime juice, which will stop the browning. Also, if you're wrapping up the leftover guac, place a sheet of plastic wrap directly over the guacamole and store it in an air-tight container.

Happy snacking!

'Don't Mess With Perfection' Guacamole

1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste

Scoop out the avocado flesh and put it in a bowl.
Add the lime juice, garlic clove and salt.
Mash with a fork. You don't want a puree, but a rough mash.
Taste, and add more salt if desired.

Makes approximately one cup of guacamole.

plumtartblog@gmail.com

Easter Baking: Spiked Double Apple Cake With Brown Sugar-Brandy Sauce

2010-04-04T20:46:00.005-04:00

The stove got a workout this long weekend, between baking dessert for my family's Easter supper (which we had on Good Friday) and Saturday night's dinner with friends.

On Thursday night I baked Walnut Layer Cake with Coffee Buttercream, from Regan Daley's In The Sweet Kitchen, for the family dinner on Friday. I was fortunate enough to interview Regan last week, and the former pastry chef is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to baking. I have a feeling her book could become my go-to baking resource, as it's full of delicious-sounding cakes, tarts, cookies, and bars for every imaginable occasion.

I will say that the walnut cake didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped it would, but I blame myself and not the recipe. My first mistake was leaving the cake layers in the oven too long. The baking time specified 30-35 minutes, and I left them in for the full 35. They definitely could've come out at 30. Also, it was quite late when the cakes came out so I left them to cool on racks and went to bed with the idea of making the buttercream in the morning. The end result was that the cake was dry. Too bad, because the coffee buttercream was wonderful. I've never made meringue buttercream before and it was wonderfully light and creamy -- not grainy and heavy as some icings can be. The key is that you're using only egg whites, and not yolks. With its intense coffee flavour, I imagine it would go perfectly with a dark chocolate cake.

On to the second dessert of the weekend, which followed a French bistro-style dinner of roast chicken, rosemary potatoes, and haricots verts. I went with another recipe from In The Sweet Kitchen, this time Spiked Double Apple Cake with Brown Sugar-Brandy Sauce (pictured). Wow. This one was absolutely spectacular, and there's no doubt I'll be making it again. Raisins and dried apples soaked in French brandy, cinnamon, brown sugar, fresh apples baked into a sheet cake that's chewy and spicy. The cake is delicious on its own, but with a generous pour of the brandy sauce on top it's sinfully delightful. I upped the decadence factor with a dollop of whipped cream. Vanilla ice cream would be great too I'm sure.

With both baking and cooking you're bound to have successes and failures -- the key is not to dwell on the failures, but to revel in the successes! (And hopefully there'll be more of those.)

Buttermilk Spice Cake

2010-03-29T20:29:00.003-04:00

I offered to make dessert for our family's Easter dinner this year -- because of everyone's schedules we're actually eating on Good Friday -- and have been scanning my cookbooks and magazines for ideas. Bon Appetit's March issue features a Buttermilk Spice Cake with Pear Compote and Creme Fraiche, and earlier this week I decided to try out the cake on its own to see if I liked it.

I should've taken a closer look at the list of ingredients before it came time to bake, as I realized I was missing a couple of key items, one of them being the buttermilk! Oops. I did however have 1% plain yogurt, which I knew would work just as well. I was also down a vanilla bean. I do have high quality vanilla, so I used that and bumped up the amount. It turned out fairly well, although I'm not sure if it makes the cut for my family's holiday dinner. Pears seem more fall than spring....I'm thinking something fresh and light. Perhaps a lemon tart, a key lime pie, or a rhubarb fool. Decisions, decisions.

Buttermilk Spice Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit | March 2010

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon (scant) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground whole star anise*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 3-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla)
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lime peel
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup 1% plain yogurt)
Powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups crème fraîche

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; line pan with round of parchment paper.

Sift first 9 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add lime peel; beat to blend. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions, scraping down bowl occasionally. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until beginning to brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on cooling rack.

Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack; peel off parchment and turn right side up onto platter. Sift powdered sugar over. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream, yogurt, and/or crème fraîche.

For the original recipe, including the pear compote, click here.

plumtartblog@gmail.com

Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Chops with Peperonata

2010-03-28T20:48:00.006-04:00

My sister and I are going to Italy for 10 days in June -- booked our plane tickets earlier this week -- and I can't wait for us to eat, drink and sightsee our way around Rome, Florence and Cinque-Terre. Gelato every day? Without a doubt.

The latest issue of SAVEUR has a feature on classic Roman food, including a drool-worthy cover shot of Maiale in Agrodolce, aka Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Chops. Decided to make that and Peperonata (Stewed Sweet Peppers) for dinner last night to get into the spirit of all things Italian. The chops were supposed to be grilled, but I'm BBQ-less so I pan-seared them and finished them off in the oven.

Both recipes were a cinch to make, and the balsamic-honey glaze for the pork was rich, sweet, and tangy. My photos aren't nearly as pretty as SAVEUR's, but I assure you both dishes were very tasty and went together wonderfully.

Maiale in Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Chops)
Saveur | April 2010

4 10-oz. bone-in pork chops, frenched
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 sprig fresh rosemary, torn into 1" pieces

Put pork chops on a plate; drizzle with oil; season generously with salt and pepper; let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high heat. Combine vinegar and honey in a 1-qt. saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced to 1⁄4 cup. Stir in butter and rosemary and set aside.

Put pork chops on grill and cook, occasionally turning and basting with balsamic mixture, until browned and cooked through, 12–14 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

*Alternately, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and/or 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Sear chops for two minutes per side. Brush glaze on both sides, then finish in a 375F-degree oven for 5-8 minutes. Rest for five minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Peperonata (Stewed Sweet Peppers)
Saveur | April 2010

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 assorted red peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1/4" ctrips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Heat oil in a 4-qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Add peppers, garlic, onions, and 1/2 cup water and season with salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until peppers are soft, about 1 hour. Stir in vinegar and transfer to a serving bowl.

Makes 2 cups.

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Rhubarb Cardamom Crisp

2010-03-22T21:46:00.007-04:00

I love the tartness of baked rhubarb, which is why even though it's early in the season I had to pick some up at the farmer's market last weekend. I figured that even though what I was getting was almost certainly hothouse rhubarb, baked into a crisp it would still be delicious. And it was, although my adapted recipe needs tweaking.

I'd had a package of Amaretti cookies in my cupboard for months, can't even remember what I originally bought them for. So rather than the typical oatmeal topping I usually employ for fruit crisps, I thought crumbled up Amaretti would be just as good -- maybe even better! With only a few cups' worth of rhubarb on hand, I chopped up three good-sized Ida Red apples to fill my nine-inch-square baking pan. I mixed the rhubarb and apple with some lemon juice and sugar, then poured it into the pan. I sprinkled the roughly crushed cookies over top and then dotted butter over that. Then into the oven for 45 minutes.

It smelled good almost immediately, but here's where I went wrong. After only 20 minutes the cookie topping was already a deep brown. I knew the fruit still had a long way to go so I put foil overtop to prevent it from browning any more. It succeeded in that regard, but the moisture from the fruit softened the topping somewhat. Next time, I'd put the foil on for the first half hour, then remove it for the last 15-20 minutes to ensure a crisp topping.

Rhubarb Cardamom Crisp
Adapted from David Lebovitz's Peach and Amaretti Crisp on Epicurious

Filling:

3 cups rhubarb, chopped
3 cups apple, chopped (I used Ida Red but feel free to use your favourite baking apple)
1/4 cup white sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp ground cardamom

Topping:

1 cup Amaretti cookies, crushed (about 20 cookies)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
8 tbsp butter (1 stick), chopped into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix together filling ingredients. Pour into 9-inch-square pan.

Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over fruit filling. I like a rustic topping with bits of different sizes, but if you want it to look more uniform pulse together the ingredients in a food processor.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. If the top starts to look too brown, cover it with foil. Just make sure you leave enough room at the end of the baking process to uncover it and crisp it up again (you don't want a soggy topping).

Note: Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I had to settle for pistachio kulfi (all I had in my freezer), which was good, but vanilla would've been better.

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Duck Confit with Roasted Celeriac

2010-03-19T21:03:00.006-04:00

This post is a bit of a cheat, in that I didn't prepare my own duck confit. However I always wondered what those vacuum-sealed packages of duck confit were like, so last week I picked one up at the market. Not cheap -- $12 for one fat-preserved leg -- but I chose a Quebec brand figuring it'd be of good quality.

You know what? It was pretty tasty! And so easy to prepare. Basically you unwrap the packaging, place the leg on a baking sheet skin side down, pop it in the oven at 400F for five minutes, then flip it over so it's skin side up and put the oven on broil to crisp the skin for another five minutes or so. Keep an eye on it though, you don't want the skin going from crispy brown to crispy black.

On the side I served some roasted celeriac, a great match for duck. And some orange relish over top. As you know, orange and duck also pair wonderfully. At nearly 50 grams of fat per package, I won't be eating duck confit every week, but every once in a while it's a nice indulgence.

Roasted Celeriac

1 celery root
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash celery root and cut off outer layer. Dice.

Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes.

Orange Relish

1 large orange
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel orange. Blanch peels in boiling water; drain and chop roughly.

Trim off and discard pith from orange. Cut orange into small pieces and combine with chopped peel, sugar and white wine vinegar in a small pot.

Simmer gently until liquid cooks down and relish becomes slightly syrupy, about 5-6 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Source: Anthony Sedlak, The Main

Beef Shank and Sausage Ragù with Spaghetti

2010-03-16T00:21:00.007-04:00

One of these days I'll learn my lesson about slow-cooked meals on weeknights, and that starting the process after 6pm inevitably means I won't be eating until close to 10. Such was the case tonight, when I finally sat down to a delicious and hearty bowl of Beef Shank and Sausage Ragù with Spaghetti.

The shank meat had been simmering in my Dutch oven for a good 2.5 hours and was falling off the bone. Combined with sausage, toasted fennel, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and a whole bottle of red wine, it was worth every minute of its cooking time and I highly recommend the recipe. But for those of you thinking of making it, take the timing into consideration and save this one for a lazy weekend afternoon.

Beef Shank and Sausage Ragù with Whole Grain Spaghetti
Bon Appetit | May 2009

Ragù:

2 teaspoons fennel seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 pounds hot Italian sausages, casings removed
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 pounds 1 1/2-inch-thick beef shanks with bone (about 3 pieces)
5 cups chopped onions (about 3 large)
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
4 fresh bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Pasta:

1 1/2 pounds multi-grain or whole grain spaghetti
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

For ragù:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast fennel seeds in small dry skillet over medium-low heat until slightly darker in color and very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large oven-proof pot over medium heat. Add sausage. Cook until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to pot. Sprinkle beef shanks with salt and pepper. Add to pot and sauté until brown, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer shanks to bowl with sausage. Add onions to pot and sauté until brown and tender, scraping up browned bits, about 10 minutes. Return shanks, sausage, and any accumulated juices to pot. Add tomatoes with juice, wine, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, crushed red pepper, and toasted fennel seeds. Bring to simmer.

Cover pot and place in oven. Braise until shanks are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Transfer shanks to work surface. Cut meat off bones and dice. Discard bones. Tilt pot. Spoon off fat from surface of pan juices. Return diced shank meat to pot. Simmer until liquid is reduced enough to coat spoon, about 10 minutes. Season ragù to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, before continuing.

For pasta:

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; transfer to large bowl. Add oil and toss to coat. Add cheese and parsley; toss to coat. Season pasta with salt and pepper.

Divide pasta among 12 shallow bowls. Ladle ragù over and serve.

Yield: Makes 12 servings

Source: Epicurious

Note: I used fettuccine rather than spaghetti, as I felt the thick, hearty sauce warranted a sturdier noodle. But if you prefer spaghetti, use that, or your favourite pasta shape.

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Jams And Jars: Pickled Red Onions

2010-03-14T22:12:00.013-04:00

This is the first of what I hope will be many 'Jams And Jars' posts on Plum Tart. Last year I tried my hand at a few preserves, including a variety of pestos (basil, parsley, sundried tomato) and jams (Meyer lemon marmalade, strawberry, strawberry-rhubarb), and this year I want to do much more. Chutneys, pickles, compotes, sauces, you name it.

With the St. Lawrence Market -- and its weekly farmer's market on Saturdays -- a stone's throw from my door, I have the best of local fruits and veg to pick from. And there's really nothing better than crunchy homemade dill pickles beside a grilled cheese sandwich, marinara sauce with summer-fresh tomatoes served over pasta in the dead of winter, toast and jam made with Ontario berries. Although I didn't blog about it, I made my own mayonnaise -- actually lemon aioli -- recently and it was fantastic. Miracle Whip, I'm through with you.

So to kick things off: pickled red onions. These have to be the easiest preserves I've ever made as they take no time to cook. The hardest part is slicing the onions. Once that's done, you simmer them with white wine, honey, lemon juice, sugar, and salt for about 10 minutes til softened and that's all she wrote.

This recipe is from Fresh with Anna Olson, part of her Fiddlehead Salad, but the onions can be used for all sorts of things -- as a burger or sandwich condiment, over chicken or fish, or in any variety of other salads.

Pickled Red Onions
Makes 4 cups

4 cups sliced red onions
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Simmer all the ingredients, uncovered, over medium heat until the onions are tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. These can be refrigerated for up to six weeks.

Source: Fresh with Anna Olson, Anna Olson, Whitecap, 2009

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-11T23:01:00.005-05:00

I'm all about trying new and exotic recipes, especially when it comes to sweets. Sometimes, though, there's nothing more satisfying than the classic chocolate chip cookie. I've been baking one version or another -- most commonly the one found on the back of the Chipits bag -- for years, and they're the ultimate in instant gratification. Virtually no time to whip up, 12 minutes in the oven, another five and they're in your hand, the chocolate gooey and melting.

Tonight I did a few things differently, the main thing being my choice of recipe. I went with the one from Michael Smith's Chef At Home (the 2005 edition), as it seemed straightforward and didn't muck about with extra ingredients such as nuts, coconut, etc. Also, I realized as I was about to start that I only had about 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour left in the canister, so I decided to try cake and pastry flour instead. For all of you bakers wondering if there's a difference, there definitely is! The cookies baked up higher than a butter-based cookie usually does, and they definitely seemed more cake-like, less chewy. At least that was the consistency five minutes after they came out of the oven. Not sure what they'll be like when they cool down.

Smith recommends starting with cold butter, which is harder to cream with the sugar. I used a technique I learned when making pie pastry in cooking class last year, which is to grate the butter into your mixing bowl. That way it's easier to blend with the sugar.

I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to make this my 'ultimate' chocolate chip cookie, whether I'll go back to the Chipits recipe, or whether I need to try more iterations. I think I like the latter option, as it means more cookies for me! Mwah ha ha!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A heaping cupful of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick of cold salted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
Spoonful of corn syrup
1 egg
Splash of pure vanilla extract
Cupful of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together. Set aside.

Cream the cold butter and sugars together, beating them until they're smooth in a countertop mixer. If you don't have a countertop mixer, beat vigorously by hand in a large mixing bowl, or combine them in a food processor. Add the corn syrup, egg and vanilla, and continue beating until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon.

Using a spoon, scoop out a ball of the dough and drop it onto a lightly greased cookie tray. Flatten slightly. Repeat, leaving lots of room between the balls for the cookies to expand. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove and cool on a rack.

Makes about 18 cookies.

Source: Chef At Home, Michael Smith, Whitecap Books, 2005

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Cookbook Review: Fresh with Anna Olson

2010-03-09T21:58:00.009-05:00

I have far too many cookbooks to count, in fact some of them have taken up residency under my bed as there's no more room in the kitchen. One of my most recent additions, Fresh with Anna Olson has become a go-to resource for the relative ease of its recipes along with its consistent results.

Anna's Spelt Crust Pizza with Artichokes and Mushrooms (pictured, below) inspired me to go out and purchase a pizza stone first. And I'm so glad I did, as the results were a revelation. The cornmeal-dusted crust was crispy and flavourful, and the combination of pesto and sour cream was a nice change from the tomato base I usually go for. The rest of the ingredients, among them cremini mushrooms, sliced artichokes, arugula, basil, prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano, worked together very well in a pie that was light yet filling.

From there, I made Whole Roasted Pork Loin with Onions, Pears and Orange; Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Pan-Roasted Garlic; Maple Roasted Chicken Breasts; and Triple Chocolate Brownies. All turned out well, notably the Pork Loin which was the best I've ever made.

But my absolute favourite recipe, thus far, has to be the Spiced Chocolate Pear Tart (pictured above). I've made it twice now, once for a friend and another time for my parents, and it is deadly good. Chocolate short crust pastry, rich, cardamom-spiked chocolate filling, and sweet poached pears over top. It's definitely a knockout dessert.

Broken down by season, I've been sticking to the Fall and Winter sections so far, but with spring around the corner I'm excited to try more of Anna's recipes with items I bring home from the farmer's market, particularly the Strawberry Meringue Tarts; Ham & Scallion Scones with Lemon-Herb Chevre; Asparagus with Rhubarb Hollandaise; and Jerk Marinated Chicken Breasts.

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Dandelion Greens with Almond Vinaigrette and Ricotta Salata

2010-03-07T21:53:00.009-05:00

I've really been getting into bitter greens lately. Swiss chard, mustard greens, radicchio, endive -- either in salads or cooked they really hold their own against sharply-flavoured accompaniments and are so much more interesting and flavourful than the veggies I usually cook with.

Tonight I tried dandelion greens for the first time in a simple but tasty salad from Lidia Bastianich. As is often the case, a few good-quality ingredients are all you need for a delicious dish. I particularly loved the almond vinaigrette dressing. Thought it sounded strange at first, until I read the recipe. You toast slivered almonds in the oven until they're golden brown and have that gorgeous toasted nut aroma. Then you take half of them and puree them in a blender or food processor with the rest of the dressing elements (red wine vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper), saving the other half for garnish. The resulting dressing is absolutely divine -- still warm, with a wonderful buttery depth of flavour from the pulverized almonds. Though you could easily make the dressing in advance and refrigerate it, there's something so nice about a salad served with warm vinaigrette.

I served this salad with a couple of oven-toasted and buttered slices of Yukon Gold-White Cheddar foccacia that I picked up earlier in the day. A light supper, to be sure, but satisfying.

Dandelion Greens with Almond Vinaigrette and Ricotta Salata

1 pound tender, young dandelion greens (about 10 loosely packed cups)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound ricotta salata, cut into shards with a vegetable peeler

Cut any tough stems from the greens and trim any wilted, yellow, or tough leaves. The greens can be prepared up to several hours in advance and kept, loosely covered with a clean towel, in the refrigerator.

To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the toasted almonds, vinegar, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the greens in a large bowl, season them with salt and pepper, and pour the dressing over them. Toss well and divide the dressed greens among six plates, mounding them in the center of the plate.

Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of toasted almonds and top with shavings of ricotta salata. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Recipe from Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, Random House, found on Epicurious, March 2009

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Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

2010-03-06T23:50:00.005-05:00

My favourite on-the-go breakfast is a pastry of some sort and a coffee. And though I'd love to be able to enjoy buttery croissants, pains au chocolat, and cherry strudels daily, I don't exercise nearly enough to justify the indulgence. So I tend to limit the fattening stuff to weekends and make some attempt at healthy eating through the week.

These muffins, from Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite cookbook, satisfy my carb cravings, while being loaded with nutritious ingredients -- banana, blueberries, whole wheat flour, and buttermilk. There's also butter, but only 1/3 cup for the whole recipe, which makes a dozen. As for sugar, a good part of it comes from the banana.

These also keep nicely for a few days -- although I transferred them to the refrigerator after a day to prolong their shelf life.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12

2 very ripe large bananas
Scant 2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Scant 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup light olive oil or melted butter
7oz blueberries, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp raw brown sugar

Heat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with muffin cases. Peel the bananas and mash in a bowl, using a fork.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, egg, olive oil or butter, and bananas. Quickly fold the ingredients together until just incorporated, taking care not to overmix. Tip in the blueberries and give the batter one or two stirs.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cases and sprinkle with the raw brown sugar. The cases will be quite full. Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until well risen and golden brown on top; a skewer inserted into the center of the muffin should emerge clean.

Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Healthy Appetite, Gordon Ramsay, Key Porter, 2008.

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Red Beet Risotto with Mustard Greens and Goat Cheese

2010-03-04T19:07:00.013-05:00

Bored of the same old thing, I've been experimenting with different vegetables lately. I'm fortunate enough to live near one of the best markets in the world, so why continually buy green beans and cucumber when there's so much else to choose from? Lately I've cooked recipes with celeriac (which I adore), Jerusalem artichokes (also wonderful), and a few days ago I made a winter salad with Belgian endive and radicchio -- both of which I've used before but never together in a salad. It's been one food epiphany after another, which is quite a feat in the dead of winter.

When one of my Twitter followers suggested recently that I try mustard greens, I couldn't resist. I initially thought salad, but then I came across this recipe and knew I had to try it. Not only because the mustard greens are left raw but because beets and goat cheese are among my favourite flavour combos.

While chopping up the mustard greens I tried some, and wow, the name could not be more appropriate. They have a piquant Dijon mustard quality about them that's unexpected but so good. I was planning to use the leftovers in a salad with Dijon vinaigrette but now I think that'd be mustard overload. Perhaps something with less bite, such as a creamy buttermilk dressing, would work better.

But, I digress. The risotto. Much to my delight, this wasn't a heavy, stodgy risotto at all, on the contrary it was light, creamy, and flavourful. A variety of textures, from the softness of the goat cheese, to the slight bite of the beets and rice, to the crispness of the greens. And the beet juice infuses the risotto with a delightful ruby hue, very photogenic.

Though I had this as a main course, you could easily serve it as a side as well. I think you'll like it!

Red Beet Risotto with Mustard Greens and Goat Cheese
Bon Appetit | February 2007

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 (2 1/2- to 3-inch-diameter) beets, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups chopped white onion
1 cup Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
3 cups low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups chopped mustard greens
1 (5 1/2-ounce) package chilled soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.

Add beets and onion. Cover; cook until onion is soft, about 8 minutes.

Mix in rice. Add broth and vinegar. Increase heat; bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered until rice and beets are just tender and risotto is creamy, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon into shallow bowls. Sprinkle with greens and cheese and serve.

Serves six

*I found this recipe on epicurious, and in the notes it was suggested that you could replace the goat cheese with Parmesan if desired. I personally love the combination of beets and goat cheese so I left the recipe as is.

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Pecan Molasses Bundt Cake with Bourbon Glaze

2010-02-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

Made this cake recently and it was delicious -- unfortunately I didn't grab a shot of an individual slice to capture the dark and light cake layers. It was gobbled up too quickly! The warmed-up bourbon sauce is truly the crowning touch.

If you want to add fruit to this dessert, pineapple is a good choice.

Pecan Molasses Bundt Cake with Bourbon Glaze
Bon Appetit | March 2003

Cake:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 1/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk

1 cup pecans, toasted, finely chopped
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Glaze:

2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons dark corn syrup
1/2 cup bourbon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 10-inch-diameter Bundt pan with nonstick spray; dust with flour. Sift 3 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and 2 teaspoons vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions. Transfer half of batter to prepared pan.

Stir pecans, corn syrup, molasses, and 2 teaspoons vanilla in another medium bowl to blend. Stir in baking soda. Stir pecan mixture into remaining cake batter in bowl. Spoon pecan batter over batter in pan (do not swirl). Bake until tester inserted near center of cake comes out with dry crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Transfer cake in pan to rack.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze:

Stir 2 teaspoons water and baking soda in small bowl to dissolve baking soda. Bring sugar, buttermilk, butter, and corn syrup to boil in heavy 6-quart saucepan over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and melt butter. Reduce heat to medium-high. Stir in baking soda mixture (glaze will bubble). Boil until sauce is golden and slightly thickened, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in bourbon and vanilla.

Invert warm cake onto platter. Immediately brush 1 1/2 cups hot glaze over cake, allowing glaze to soak into cake. Cool cake completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate remaining glaze.)

Rewarm remaining glaze, stirring. Serve cake with ice cream and warm glaze.

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Pan-Fried Duck Breast with Orange, Thyme and Juniper Rub

2010-01-29T20:00:00.005-05:00

This recipe was so good I made it twice in under a week. Decadent, yes, but the reason for the second go-round is that I wanted to serve it to my parents who were in town for dinner last night. It's one of Anthony Sedlak's recipes from his cookbook The Main, based on the TV series of the same name, and I've got to hand it to the Vancouver chef -- the man knows food.

Everything in this recipe went together wonderfully well -- the juniper, orange zest and thyme rub on the duck breast, the sides of rosemary-roasted plums and roasted celeriac, even the homemade orange relish. Also, as per Anthony's suggestion I used some of the rendered duck fat to fry the celeriac before roasting it, and it was delicious. That and the roasted plums were revelations -- I couldn't believe the sweet, almost floral aroma given off by the plums after they'd cooked for half an hour. Magnificent. My parents enjoyed the meal too -- so much that my mom plans to make this next time they have friends for dinner. Couldn't have asked for higher praise!

Pan-Fried Duck Breast with Orange, Thyme and Juniper Rub

4 duck breasts
1 tbsp black pepper
Zest of one orange
2 tsp crushed juniper berries
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Lightly score skin side of breasts.

Combine black pepper, orange zest, juniper berries, parsley and thyme in a bowl and mix well. Pat firmly onto flesh side of duck breasts. Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Let duck breasts stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Season generously on flesh sides with sea salt. Place duck breasts skin side down in a large, ovenproof skillet and cook slowly over medium heat until fat renders and skin becomes crispy and golden, about 7 to 8 minutes. Drain pan of excess heat as needed; reserve 2 tbsp of duck fat for the roasted celeriac.

Finish cooking in oven 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest at least 10 minutes in a warm place. Thinly slice against grain before serving.

Serves 4

Courtesy The Main, Anthony Sedlak, Whitecap Books, 2008

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Olive Oil and Orange Cake

2010-01-24T22:46:00.003-05:00

I've always been intrigued by the idea of baking with olive oil, which is why I decided to try this recipe of Mario Batali's for Olive Oil and Orange Cake. Wow, it is delicious. Not too sweet, and it could just as easily serve as a morning treat with coffee as an after-dinner dessert.

Mario recommends serving it with whipped cream, creme fraiche, or yogurt. I opted for thick, plain yogurt and some lemon zest. The cool sourness of the yogurt worked incredibly well against the dense, citrus-spiked still-warm cake. I polished off the whole thing single-handedly in under a week.

Olive Oil and Orange Cake

Makes 6-8 servings

6 medium oranges
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350F. Oil a 9-inch round cake pan.

Using a grater, zest all the oranges, and juice one of the oranges. (Reserve the fruit for another use.) In a small bowl, combine the zest, juice and olive oil. Set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the eggs and salt until frothy and light, about 2 minutes. Slowly beat in the sugar, and continue to mix until pale and thick, about 2 minutes more.

Sift the flour and baking soda together, and gradually beat into the egg mixture. Fold in the citrus zest mixture just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool to room temperature.

Courtesy Molto Italiano, Mario Batali, HarperCollins, 2005

Chicken Stew with Polenta, Celery Root and Sage

2010-01-24T22:19:00.003-05:00

Ever since blowing a significant wad of dough on my Le Creuset Dutch oven last year, I've been looking for any excuse to use it. Flipping through Mario Batali's cookbook Molto Italiano, I found a recipe for Chicken Stew with Polenta, Celery Root and Sage. Talk about comfort food, and definitely a dish for my flame-coloured beauty.

This was my first time making polenta, and in all honesty I'm not sure I'm a fan. It was nice in the stew but on its own it was a bit bland. Next time I may use half chicken stock, half water instead of all water to give it a bit more flavour. Still, I realize it's supposed to be the starch here and not overpower the other flavours.

On the other hand, I am loving celery root! I've used it in a number of recipes lately and I love its texture and flavour. And as Mario notes, this stew reheats well, so it's nice to make on a Sunday and then have it Monday night when you've come home from work and are in no mood to cook. My favourite kind of recipe.

Chicken Stew with Polenta, Celery Root and Sage

Makes 4 servings

5 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking polenta or fine cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 3.5 to 4 lb chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces, rinsed, and patted dry
4 ounces chicken livers
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large celery root, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cups Barbaresco or other fruity red wine
1 cup basic tomato sauce
8 fresh sage leaves
1 tbsp parsley, chiffonade
1 tbsp lemon zest

In a 4-quart saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the polenta in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Pull the pan off the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the polenta is as thick as molten lava. Pour into an 8-by-10-inch baking pan and allow to cool.

Season the flour with salt and pepper and spread on a plate. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, then dredge the chicken livers in the flour. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Brown the chicken pieces in two batches, then transfer to a plate. Add the livers, onion, and celery root to the pot and cook until the vegetables are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Add the wine, tomato sauce, and sage and return the chicken pieces to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the thighs are nearly cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the polenta into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the polenta to the pot and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, place on platter, sprinkle with parsley and zest, and serve immediately.

Courtesy Molto Italiano, Mario Batali, HarperCollins, 2005

Comments? Email plumtartblog@gmail.com

Arugula Salad With Warm Oyster Mushrooms

2010-01-17T13:47:00.005-05:00

Salad is a hard sell for me in winter, when all I crave are soups, stews and rich pastas. But this is one I never turn down, I think because the flavours are so robust. We're not talking watery iceberg lettuce and Italian dressing here, this is sharp, peppery arugula balanced against soft, buttery mushrooms, brought together with freshly squeezed lemon and fruity olive oil. Because there are so few ingredients, try to make sure you're using top quality stuff. Unblemished mushrooms, your best bottle of extra virgin olive oil (my brand is Olio Carli), and of course genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano (not the powdered stuff).

The original recipe I based this on is one of Mario Batali's, but his called for porcini mushrooms which I'm sure would've been wonderful. But it was also very tasty with the oyster mushrooms, and I'm guessing portabellos, creminis, and shiitakes would also work well.

Oyster Mushroom Salad with Arugula

8-10 oyster mushrooms, stems removed and roughly chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 bunch arugula, washed and patted dry
1/8 cup plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Grated zest and juice of half a lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for shaving
Coarse sea salt

Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan, then add the mushrooms. Cook until softened, 8-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, place the arugula, 1/8 cup olive oil, lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to mix thoroughly. Divide the salad equally among two plates.

Remove the hot mushrooms from the pan and place on the arugula. Using a vegetable peeler, shave Parmigiano-Reggiano onto the salad. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and coarse sea salt over top and serve.

Serves 2

Modified from Mario Batali's recipe for Porcini Salad with Arugula, from Molto Italiano, Mario Batali, Harper Collins, 2005.

Farfalle with Mushrooms, Prosciutto and Rosemary

2010-01-15T23:05:00.001-05:00

I'm a recipe girl. I browse through cookbooks, find something I want to make, buy the ingredients and follow the instructions more or less to the letter. That's not to say I don't make substitutions and get creative based on what I have on hand on a given day, but when it comes to creating my own dishes the results have typically been less than spectacular. I still recall scraping a disastrous lemon chicken dish -- so overpowering with lemon my lips pucker just thinking about it -- into the trash bin in frustration.

Tonight's dinner was another story -- without a recipe in mind but knowing I had prosciutto, cremini mushrooms and whipping cream in my fridge I decided on a pasta dish. Simple, maybe, but still many places where it could go wrong in the flavour and texture department. Tomato sauces I've done a million times, but I avoid cream sauces because they can be heavy (and of course they're not great for the waistline). Still, tonight I was feeling like something decadent and figured I should at least know how to do a cream-based pasta should the need arise.

I started by browning quartered mushrooms -- about two cups' worth -- in a bit of butter and olive oil over medium heat, adding a splash of water to the pan to prevent them from drying out too much. Once they had some nice colour to them and had shrunk down a bit I added four slices' worth of diced prosciutto along with 1 tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary. I let that cook for a few minutes, turned down the heat slightly, then added 1/4 cup chicken stock, 1/4 cup dry white wine, 1/3 cup whipping cream and the juice of half a lemon. I stirred all that together and let it reduce down until thickened slightly, 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, I'd been cooking about two cups worth of farfalle in boiling, salted water, just to al dente. Reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water, I drained the farfalle and then mixed it into my saute pan with the cream sauce. I added some salt and black pepper to taste, and then dished it out. To finish I grated over some Parmigiano-Reggiano, a spritz of fresh lemon juice, and some chopped fresh parsley. And the verdict? Delicious! Creamy without being heavy, and with a really balanced flavour -- the saltiness of the prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano, the earthiness of the mushrooms, and the vibrancy of the lemon and rosemary contrasting with the cream. Not bad for an improvised dish, in fact part of the reason for this blog post is so I don't forget it!

I think the key is practice and the refusal to let kitchen failures discourage you. Even recipes aren't foolproof, after all!

Farfalle with Mushrooms, Prosciutto and Rosemary

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cremini mushrooms, washed and quartered
4 slices prosciutto, diced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
Juice of half a lemon
1/8 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat butter and oil in large saute pan over medium heat, add quartered mushrooms and a splash of water and cook until browned and a bit shrunk down. While this is happening cook farfalle pasta until al denta in salted, boiling water.

Add prosciutto and rosemary to pan and cook for a few minutes to allow the flavours to meld together. Turn down the heat slightly then add the chicken stock, white wine, whipping cream and the lemon juice. Reserve the lemon to squeeze a few drops over the finished dish. Stir all ingredients together and cook until cream sauce has thickened slightly, 5-10 minutes.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water to help the sauce coat the farfalle if need be. Mix the cooked farfalle in the saute pan with the sauce. Add salt and black pepper to taste and stir everything together. Ladle it out, and garnish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, and a final spritz of lemon juice.

Serves 2.

suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Orange-Infused French Toast With Maple-Glazed Pears

2009-11-03T19:56:00.009-05:00

I've posted about French toast before, but I couldn't not include this version as it's the best one I've tried to date.

I was in the mood for breakfast for dinner tonight, French toast specifically, but put off by the mediocre bread I had in the fridge. Hard to go back to the run-of-the-mill grocery store variety when you're used to using challah (it really is the ultimate bread for French toast).

So, I was determined to make up for the lousy bread by elevating everything else, from the egg batter to the toppings. I started by slicing up some gorgeous Bartlett pears and sauteing them in butter and maple syrup until they were softened. For the batter, I mixed eggs with a splash of milk, some cinnamon, some orange zest and orange juice, and a pinch of salt. I dredged the bread slices for about 30 seconds on each side, and then fried them up in some butter. I like to keep the oven at about 300F, and I place the cooked slices on a baking sheet to keep warm.

Once the bread was nicely browned on both sides, I toasted some sliced almonds in my fry pan for a finishing touch. I then plated it up: French toast on the bottom, maple pears and toasted almond slices over top. A final drizzle of maple syrup over it all, and done! I have to say it was a fantastic combination. The orange really came through and complemented the pears nicely. And the almonds added a welcome crunch. For a made-up recipe, it turned out quite well! Even with the crappy bread!

Orange-Infused French Toast With Maple-Glazed Pears

8 slices of bread, preferably challah
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Zest and juice of half an orange
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter

Maple Glazed Pears:

3 Bartlett pears, sliced
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup sliced almonds, for garnish

Preheat oven to 300F.

Toast sliced almonds in a dry fry pan over medium heat until golden, 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 3 tbsp butter in the same pan. Once melted and starting to foam, add sliced pears and saute for 2 minutes. Add the maple syrup, stir to ensure pears are evenly coated, and continue to cook until pears are slightly softened and syrup is warmed through.

Make the batter by beating eggs, then adding milk, cinnamon, salt, orange zest and orange juice. Put batter in a large shallow dish and dip bread slices in, one at a time, for 30 seconds a side. Meanwhile, heat clean fry pan to medium-low and add 1 tbsp of butter. Cook two slices at a time if your pan is big enough. The bread should need about 3 minutes per side -- if it's not browning, turn up the heat. Between batches, add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan to keep the bread from sticking (and for flavour!).

Once each batch is done, put the slices on a baking sheet in the preheated oven to keep warm. Serve two slices of French toast per person, and garnish with the pears, almonds, and a final drizzle of maple syrup.

Enjoy!!

Suzanne

suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Pumpkin Cranberry Loaf

2009-10-29T20:24:00.008-04:00

Where has the time gone? I can't believe it was August when I posted here last. It's been a crazy busy fall, the main change being my new job. I've left CityNews.ca to run CityLine.ca, the website for national lifestyle program CityLine, on Citytv. One of the main benefits? I get to write about, among other topics, food! I've had the pleasure to meet some great chefs, including our regular experts Jason Parsons, Massimo Capra and Michael Bonacini.

Earlier this week I interviewed Vancouver chef, and host of The Main, Anthony Sedlak -- wonderful guy, and incredibly talented. Next week I'm looking forward to speaking with food writer/cookbook author Lucy Waverman, and Anna Olson, cook-baker extraordinaire and host of the Food Network Canada series Fresh. All very exciting, as I own cookbooks by many of these folks and getting the opportunity to chat about food and cooking with them is hugely rewarding.

In honour of next week's interview with the lovely Ms. Olson, I want to encourage everyone to try this delicious pumpkin cranberry loaf from her 2004 cookbook Sugar. I love the interplay of sweet pumpkin and tart cranberry, and this loaf stays incredibly moist for days.

Pumpkin Cranberry Loaf
Makes 1 9x5-inch (2L) loaf

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 325F.

Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder, salt and spices and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and stir in pumpkin puree, orange zest and vanilla. Stir in orange juice.

Add dry ingredients in two additions and blend just until incorporated. Fold in cranberries.

Spoon batter into greased loaf pan and bake in centre of oven for 60-75 minutes until a tester inserted into the loaf comes out clean.

Allow to cool before slicing.

Courtesy Anna Olson, Sugar, Whitecap Books, 2004

suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Roasted beet and goat cheese salad with orange vinaigrette

2009-08-18T20:42:00.004-04:00

I roasted beets for the first time last summer and the results were a revelation. Sweet, tender, and nothing like the over-vinegared jarred ones I remember from childhood. They pair incredibly well with tangy goat cheese, so tonight I made a salad with those two ingredients as the base.

I added some spring greens, chopped walnuts for crunch, and a homemade orange vinaigrette (homemade salad dressings are so much better than bottled and they're a snap to whip up). I'm not one for making a meal of a salad, but if the ingredients are interesting enough, and filling enough, it can be pretty satisfying. This one filled me up nicely.

Roasted beet and goat cheese salad with orange vinaigrette

4 medium sized beets, roasted*, peeled and chopped
1 navel orange
bagged spring greens (or buy in bulk, enough for about 2 cups worth per serving)
1 small log of goat cheese
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

*Roasting beets: wrap cleaned beets in foil, then place on a baking sheet. Roast in 375F oven for about an hour. Beets are done when you can easily pierce them with a knife. Wearing rubber gloves, peel skins off beets and slice.

Make vinaigrette by first zesting the orange and putting zest in a Mason jar. Then halve the orange and using a citrus reamer, squeeze the juice into the jar. Then spoon in the mustard, followed by the olive oil. Add some salt and ground black pepper. Pop the lid on the jar and shake until emulsified. Add more salt and/or pepper if needed.

Clean the salad greens and place in a big bowl for mixing. Add the sliced beets and walnuts to the greens, and mix in the vinaigrette. Use tongs to ensure the dressing is uniformly distributed. You may not need all of the dressing, you don't want the ingredients to be dripping with it. Place in serving bowls and top with chunks of goat cheese.

Serves 4.

Enjoy!

Suzanne

Capellini cacio e pepe

2009-08-17T21:03:00.004-04:00

As far as easy dinners go, it doesn't get much simpler than capellini cacio e pepe. The classic pasta dish has Roman roots, and it's essentially comprised of three ingredients: the cooked pasta, Pecorino romano cheese, and black pepper. Cacio translates into cheese; pepe into pepper. It develops a creaminess from mixing the hot pasta with the cheese and some of the pasta cooking water.

I made it for dinner tonight out of sheer laziness, but I have to say the results were delicious. The cracked black pepper provided a nice bite, and I used Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rather than Pecorino and it worked well. I've seen recipes that suggested mixing a few tablespoons worth of pasta cooking water with the cheese so that it forms a paste, which is then combined with the pasta. Instead I combined the pasta. grated cheese and water quickly in the still-warm pot after draining the noodles, and that helped melt the cheese into a sauce. Use as much pasta water as needed to achieve a creamy consistency. Also, don't be skimpy with the pepper!

You can use any kind of pasta, short or long, for this dish. I used capellini, but you can easily use spaghetti, penne, whatever your favourite.

Capellini cacio e pepe

1 lb capellini (or other pasta)
1 cup grated Pecorino romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for garnish
1 cup pasta cooking water
Ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid before draining.

Mix pasta, grated cheese and about 1/2 cup cooking water in pot that pasta has cooked in.

If pasta is still dry, add more cooking liquid. Grind black pepper over top and mix in.

Serve in big bowls, with extra grated cheese sprinkled over top and another grinding of black pepper.

Serves 3-4

Enjoy!

Suzanne

Bulgur salad with grilled chicken and parsley pesto

2009-08-16T22:30:00.007-04:00

Preserves have been my obsession this summer and I have to admit I love having a fridge full of Mason jars filled with all sorts of things: basil pesto, parsley pesto, strawberry jam, strawberry-balsamic vinegar-black pepper sauce, etc. My mom's been preserving up a storm as well, and I can't wait to try the pickles she jarred a few weeks back.

One of the best surprises has to be the aforementioned parsley pesto, which I made specifically for a recipe from the June 2009 issue of Bon Appetit. I had quite a bit left over, and I've since used it as a sandwich spread and all-around garnish. Try it -- I found it a fresh, summery alternative to the ubiquitous basil pesto.

Bulgur salad with grilled chicken and parsley pesto

Prep: 30 min Total: 45 min
Serves 4

3 cups water
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking bulgur
1 1/2 cups (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves with tender stems
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted, cooled
1/3 cup (generous) coarsely chopped shallots
2 1/2 tbsp (or more) fresh lemon juice, divided
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
4 large chicken breast halves with skin (about 1 1/2 pounds)
8 fresh apricots, halved, pitted, or 16 drained canned apricot halves
Butter lettuce leaves (optional)

Place 3 cups water and bulgur in medium saucepan; sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until bulgur is tender but still slightly chewy, stirring occasionally, 11 to 12 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well. Transfer to large bowl.

Meanwhile, place parsley, almonds, shallots, and 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice in processer. Using on/off turns, process until parsley is coarsely chopped. With machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup oil and process to coarse puree. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir 3/4 cup pesto and remaining 1 tbsp lemon juice into drained bulgur. Season to taste with salt and pepper and additional lemon juice, if desired.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Brush chicken and apricot halves with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken and apricot halves until chicken is cooked through and apricots are slightly charred, 7 to 8 minutes per side for chicken and 2 minutes per side for apricots.

Line 4 plates with lettuce leaves. Divide bulgur salad among plates. Place 1 grilled chicken breast on each plate, Spoon dollop of pesto atop chicken. Divide apricot halves among plates and serve.

Courtesy Bon Appetit, June 2009

Basil risotto with roasted tomatoes

2009-08-09T00:59:00.006-04:00

I have to admit I've gotten into this season of Hell's Kitchen, even though it borders on the ridiculous at times. Like most, I watch purely to see Gordon Ramsay give the contestants hell for burning scallops and under-cooking chicken. In the first episode of each HK season, Chef Ramsay asks the contenders to present their signature dish. It got me thinking about what my signature dish is -- do I even have one? I love to cook, and I cook frequently, but is there one particular dish that I'd call my own (even if the recipe isn't mine)?

There's definitely one that stands out from when I first started to enjoy cooking, and I remember making it for company on more than one occasion: Basil Risotto with Roast Tomatoes from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 1. It was the first risotto I ever made, and though I tried others, I kept coming back to this one. For starters, it just looks so pretty. A row of beautifully roasted cherry tomatoes still clinging to the vine, vibrant green basil pesto, chopped roughly so you can still make out bits of basil and chunks of pine nut, all sitting atop a mound of creamy risotto. The white, green, and red brings to mind other classic Italian dishes such as the Margherita pizza or the Caprese salad (also favourites of mine).

I hadn't made the dish in a while, and on a recent night when I didn't know what to do for supper I realized I had everything I needed in the pantry for it, with a few modifications. Though I didn't have cherry tomatoes on the vine, I had a pint of grape tomatoes. And with three jars of homemade basil pesto in the fridge I wasn't about to make more, even though I do like the texture of the rough chopped version. And I have to say the finished product was just as tasty and satisfying as I remember -- one bonus being the homemade chicken stock that added a wonderful richness to the risotto. Of course the key to a creamy, not gluey, risotto is taking the care to add the chicken stock to the rice slowly while stirring constantly. It's not a dish you can pop on the stove and leave, you're actively involved the whole time. But I personally don't mind that. With a glass of wine by my side, and some music on in the background, I find risotto-making therapeutic.

So while I'm still pondering what my current signature dish might be -- maybe I just haven't found it yet! -- here's one I know I'll keep in my repertoire for years to come. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Basil risotto with roasted tomatoes

4 vines or 24 individual cherry tomatoes
olive oil for drizzling
cracked black pepper
sea salt

risotto
20g (1/2 oz) butter
1 tbsp olive oil, extra
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
5 1/2 cups (2 1/4 pints) chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

rough pesto*
1 cup basil leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup toasted and roughly chopped pine nuts
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Place the tomatoes in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour or until soft.

Make rough pesto by roughly chopping the basil leaves and mixing with the chopped garlic, grated cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil. Set aside until risotto is done.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the butter, extra olive oil, onion and garlic for 6-8 minutes.

Place the stock in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a slow simmer. Add the rice to the onion, stirring for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the hot stock, a bit at a time, stirring continuously until the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente (about 25-30 minutes). Keep checking the rice as you may not need all of the stock (nothing worse than a soupy risotto). The rice should be soft but still have a bit of a bite to it.

When the risotto is done, stir through the Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve in bowls topped with the rough pesto and the tomatoes. Drizzle some olive oil over top and serve.

Serves 4.

*If you don't want to make the rough pesto, a dollop of a good-quality store-bought pesto will work. But the rough pesto adds a nice texture to the dish and I recommend taking the time to make it.

Courtesy Modern Classics 1, Donna Hay, HarperCollins, 2002.

Enjoy!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Raspberry White Chocolate Chunk Muffins

2009-07-26T22:31:00.005-04:00

Hi all, I'm back blogging again after more than three months! Rather than make excuses as to why the extended hiatus, let's just get back to the food, shall we?

I've actually been pretty active in the kitchen in recent weeks, thanks to the wonderful selection of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and meats at my favourite farmers' market, the St. Lawrence Market. We're well into summer now and I've tried recipes with fresh Ontario rhubarb, strawberries, tomatoes, apples, basil, parsley, zucchini, peas in the pod, and more.

My latest passion has been making preserves -- jams, chutneys and pestos, mainly -- but that's worthy of a separate entry so stay tuned.

In an effort to use up some leftover raspberries, I decided to try a recipe for Raspberry White Chocolate Chunk Muffins from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2 cookbook. Where Modern Classics 1 is devoted more to classic recipes one might serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner, Modern Classics 2 focuses on desserts, from cookies and cakes to pies and squares (or slices as the Aussie calls them).

Aside from the fact that the muffins took quite a bit longer than the suggesting baking time -- unless Ms Hay has a convection oven, 12 minutes seems rather short for muffins to cook all the way through, no? -- they were extraordinarily easy to whip up.

One note: because I used fresh, ripe raspberries they broke apart a bit when I stirred them into the dough. While I don't mind the dough stained with raspberry juice in spots, you might, so one way to avoid it is to partially freeze the berries before stirring them into the batter. That should help them stay whole.

I'm not sure if you can call this a muffin -- with the addition of white chocolate it seems too decadent for breakfast somehow -- but whatever, it's delicious!

Raspberry White Chocolate Chunk Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
3/4 cup chopped white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Place the sour cream, eggs, and oil into a separate bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir the sour cream mixture through the flour and sugar mixture until just combined.

Sprinkle over the white chocolate and stir just until incorporated. Gently fold the raspberries through the mixture.

Spoon into 12 x 1/2 cup capacity non-stick muffin tins until two-thirds full. To help prevent sticking use paper muffin cups. Bake for 12 minutes or until tested with a skewer.*

*When I made these they were in the oven for closer to 22 minutes. Ovens vary, so keep an eye on them. I allowed mine to get nicely golden brown on top.

Courtesy Modern Classics 2, Donna Hay, HarperCollins, 2003

Cookbook Friday: The Gourmet Cookbook

2009-04-17T09:03:00.004-04:00

I'm a bit behind in my blogging lately -- all I can say is that it's been busy, both work-wise, and life-wise, and I haven't had a chance to spend much time in the kitchen.

Fortunately that changed on the weekend, when I made something I've wanted to try for a while: beef short ribs. I turned to The Gourmet Cookbook, which has more than 1,000 recipes for anything and everything, and selected their recipe for Korean short ribs -- also known as kalbi. I've had kalbi in restaurants before and when done right it's fantastic: the sweet and savoury sauce clinging to tender ribs that fall off the bone.

Looking at the title you'd think all the recipes in Gourmet are fussy, but they're not. Sure, it's the first cookbook I reach for when I'm having friends for dinner but that doesn't mean it's a special-occasion-only resource. Most of the recipes are very easy to follow and not intimidating in the least.

The Korean short ribs recipe is the perfect example of this. I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter and the ribs turned out well. They didn't burn, but developed a nice caramelized exterior without going dry.

As a note, I didn't refrigerate the ribs in sugar for four hours before marinating. I added the sugar in with the rest of the marinade ingredients, scored the beef, and marinated for two hours. That was enough to keep the rib meat moist through the cooking process.

Korean Short Ribs
4.5 lbs meaty beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 2.5-inch pieces by the butcher
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Score the meaty side of each short rib.

Stir together sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger and pepper in small bowl. Spoon marinade over ribs, spreading it with your fingers to coat them evenly. Refrigerate, covered, turning ribs once, for two hours.

Preheat broiler. Let ribs stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Broil ribs on rack of broiler pan about 6 inches away from heat, turning once and rotating pan once or twice, until ribs are dark caramel-brown but still slightly pink inside, about 15 minutes total. If ribs begin to turn black, move pan farther away from heat and continue cooking.

Let ribs stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook, Ruth Reichl, Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

South American picadillo

2009-04-13T23:59:00.004-04:00

I've never made picadillo before but this South American dish is the essence of comfort food. It's basically a blend of seasoned ground beef, sauteed peppers, onion and garlic, and diced tomatoes.

According to Bon Appetit, the source for the recipe, there are variations on the dish depending on what country you're in. I stuck pretty close to the cookbook version, which included frozen peas in the mix. I eliminated the capers, not because I have a problem with capers, I just didn't feel like their briny, pungent flavour in this dish.

The recipe recommended serving the picadillo with rice, black beans, and a side of warm corn tortillas. Wanting to use what I already had in the house I opted to simply serve the beef dish over some pre-cooked brown rice. Though I didn't have black beans or corn tortillas in my pantry, I can see how both would work as sides.

This is an easy, no-fail recipe for a Monday night when you don't feel like going to too much trouble in the kitchen. There's not a lot of chopping, and you can easily halve or double the recipe based on how many people you're serving. I like to have leftovers for the next day's lunch so I often make 4 servings' worth.

South American picadillo

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped red bell pepper
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes with added puree
1 14.5-oz can beef broth
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup drained capers.

Heat oil on a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add beef, cumin and cayenne; saute until beef is brown, breaking up with back of fork, about 8 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, broth, peas, and capers, if using.

Simmer until picadillo is thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Recipe: Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh, Wiley, 2008

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Impressed by Rowe Farms' meats

2009-04-11T23:55:00.000-04:00

While shopping at the St. Lawrence Market this morning the Rowe Farms booth caught my eye -- located in the North Market's northwest corner, the Guelph, Ont.-based meat purveyors boast conscientiously-raised, hormone-free, antibiotic-free products.

Given that I don't include that much meat in my diet, I don't mind paying top dollar to ensure that what animal products I do eat are of higher quality. And it seemed clear from checking out what was on offer that these were indeed better meats than what I typically buy from the grocery store. The skin on the chicken thighs was white, not that weird yellowish tinge you sometimes see; the pork loin chops a uniform pale pink.

I bought two of the pork loin chops, a package of the thighs, four Italian sausages, and a pound of extra-lean ground beef. For that, I paid $30. Yes, probably almost double what I might have paid at a grocery store, but as I said before, for the amount of meat I eat it's worth it.

Tonight, I cooked one of the pork chops, using a recipe from Bon Appetit's Fast Easy Fresh. And I can honestly say it tasted delicious. The knife cut through the chop without any effort, and it was juicy and moist inside, not dry! If this is what I can come to expect from Rowe Farms, I think I've found my new butcher!

I've included the original recipe, which is slightly different -- it calls for a 12-oz pork tenderloin, but you can easily sub chops. If you pound the chop to 1/2 inch thickness, as I did, it'll only take about 3 minutes per side to cook.

Pork medallions with chili-maple sauce

1 12-oz pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 green onion chopped

Cut tenderloin crosswise into six slices. Using meat mallet or rolling pin, pound medallions between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/2 inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and five-spice powder.

Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Add pork; cook until brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter. Add next three ingredients to skillet. Boil until reduced to scant 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Pour sauce over pork, sprinkle with green onion.

2 servings

Courtesy Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh, Barbara Fairchild, Wiley, 2008.

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Cookbook Friday: Weekend Cooking

2009-04-10T00:37:00.000-04:00

Whether you like Ricardo or not, it's hard to argue with success in the kitchen and I've had good luck with the few recipes I've tried from the ebullient Quebecois chef.

I like that on his Food Network program, Ricardo often visits local farms and businesses both to educate and promote local purveyors. He's not the first chef-TV host to do it, but I always appreciate that extra effort to show that his dishes rely not only on his skills in the kitchen but quality ingredients to start with.

One of the first Ricardo recipes I tried was a pearl barley risotto with fresh spring asparagus. I like making risotto with barley from time to time, as it's creamy without being gummy (as arborio rice can sometimes be).

That recipe was from his self-titled magazine, but I've since bought his cookbook, Weekend Cooking, and it's filled with inspirational ideas for mains, desserts, brunch fare, and veggie sides. I purchased a chunk of sashimi-grade tuna just so I could make his Semi-Cooked Tuna Steak with almonds and mashed ginger butternut squash and it was to die for. The tuna was coated in egg and a mixture of ground almonds and ground ginger, then seared just to cook the outside, with the inside left bright pink. Between that and the vibrant gold of the mashed butternut squash it was one of the prettiest dishes I've ever made.

Also, his maple-glazed bok choy is one of my veggie staples. When I feel like a dinner of healthy greens, but don't feel like salad, I'll cook this up. It takes no time at all and though it's probably meant as a side dish I cook enough to make it my main course, with some rice.

Maple-Glazed Bok Choy

1 large bok choy, or 4 small ones, 6 oz each
1 tbsp non-toasted sesame oil*
1 garlic clove, chopped
salt and pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 green onions, chopped

Cut bok choy into 1 inch slices, diagonally.

In wok or large skillet, heat oil. Stir-fry bok choy with garlic for about five minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Add soy sauce, maple syrup, and green onions. Continue cooking over high heat for about three minutes. Season to taste.

Serves 4 (or one if it's your main course!)

*Toasted sesame oil has more flavour than non-toasted. If you don't have non-toasted sesame oil, you can replace it by one-third toasted sesame oil and two-thirds peanut or canola oil. To get 1 tbsp non-toasted sesame oil, use 1 tsp toasted sesame oil mixed with 2 tsp peanut or canola oil.

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Not your average sandwich

2009-04-07T22:42:00.003-04:00

Lately I've been obsessed with sandwiches. Not your ordinary fare: PB&J or a flimsy slice of ham slapped between two pieces of stale bread.

No. I'm talking quality 'wiches, the kind you might find on the menu at 'wichcraft, Tom Colicchio's popular chain of gourmet sandwich shops. My sister and I stopped in there for a quick bite when we were in NYC last fall, and we were both impressed with the quality of their breads, spreads, and ingredient combinations.

I had goat cheese, avocado, celery, walnut pesto and watercress on multigrain bread, while Barb had grilled cheddar, smoked ham, pear & mustard on cranberry-pecan bread. Both amazing, although next time I'd get one of the warm sandwiches.

More recently, I was brunching at Le petit dejeuner with my parents, and rather than go for traditional breakfast fare I chose their Apple and Brie Panino, which featured Mutsu apple, Brie cheese, and Dijon mustard between slices of quality bread, crisped to perfection in a panini press. It got me thinking about making my own gourmet sandwiches at home and I've done up a few in recent days.

One was a sandwich take on my favourite summer salad, the Caprese salad. I took Mozzarella di Bufala and sliced it up with some heirloom tomato, and fresh basil leaves, drizzling over some fruity olive oil and a sprinkling of Maldon salt and pepper on slices of ciabatta bread. To add an extra dimension of flavour, before heating it I laid a few strips of Prosciutto di Parma with the other ingredients.

Eventually I may invest in a panini press but I was easily able to cook the sandwich in my fry pan. I pressed down on the bread with a heavy canister (but you could also just use a spatula or your hands to press the bread down). A couple minutes on each side was all it took to get the mozzarella melting. It was just as good as either of my restaurant gourmet sandwiches, maybe even better!

I also did a Brie and apple sandwich recently, using Ida Red apple instead of Mutsu, and substituting my Double C spicy mustard from Kozlik's. A little extra heat went nicely with the creamy cheese.

Tonight I did more tomato and mozzarella, adding a thick slather of black olive tapenade to my bread before toasting it. As a spread I think I actually prefer it to mustard.

Now that I've rediscovered my love for sandwiches -- good ones -- I imagine I'll keep trying new flavour combos, maybe taking a cue from 'wichcraft, maybe striking out with my own original concoctions.

I notice Bon Appetit has a gallery of their top heated sandwiches -- check them out, they look fantastic.

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Cookbook Friday: Home Made

2009-04-03T21:29:00.005-04:00

With a lovely, market-fresh cod fillet in my fridge I turned to the pages of Tana Ramsay's Home Made for a recipe. She had two: grilled cod with home-made red pesto, and spaghetti with cod in a chili, garlic and white wine sauce. When I read her note on the latter recipe, that it's "a good supper for a lazy night," my mind was made up.

While Tana's husband, world-famous Chef Gordon Ramsay, is known for his Michelin-starred restaurants and fancy fare, Tana Ramsay's cookbooks are all about family-friendly cooking. But family-friendly works for single girls like me who work 9-5 five days a week because the concept is the same: like the busy mother-of-four, I don't want to mess around with complicated instructions and mile-long ingredients lists on my weeknights. Save the fussing for the weekend, when it's a Friday night and I'm dead-tired, I want something easy and fast.

The Ramsays are a health-conscious family so the recipes in Home Made are generally quite healthy. Not diet recipes or low-fat fare per se, but wholesome. There are a lot of seafood dishes, for example Rosemary-infused Monkfish, Sea bass with vine tomatoes, olives and capers, and Scallops with parsley and lemon vinaigrette. There are also a number of hearty soups -- I made the Sweet potato and carrot soup with chili oil before my interview with Ms. Ramsay and it was a perfect winter dish.

With spring approaching I imagine I'll be making lots more from Home Made, including Balsamic lamb salad, Cucumber pappardelle with dill, and Spring greens with nutmeg butter.

Of course I want to make everything in the section entitled Chocolate. I'd like to try the Chocolate and beetroot cake because the combination sounds odd (Tana assures us it works!). As well, the Chocolate souffle cake with cherries and mascarpone sounds sinful, and how can you go wrong with Chocolate Malteser ice cream?!

Back to my supper tonight though. The last time I mixed seafood and pasta was when I went through a Seafood Fettuccini phase back in college. For a time, if I was out in a restaurant and that was on the menu I'd order it. But I always remember it being so heavy and when I finished eating it I always felt bloated. Happy, but bloated. The spaghetti and cod dish was the complete opposite. No cream sauce to weigh things down, just a refreshing mix of heat from the chili flakes, pungency from the garlic, and some fruity olive oil and fresh lemon zest and juice for brightness. It was about as light as a pasta dish gets, but also managed to fill me up.

Spaghetti with cod in a chili, garlic and white wine sauce

300g/11oz haddock or cod
4 slices of stale bread
2 tbsp olive oil
500g/1lb 2 oz dried spaghetti
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 tsp dried chili flakes
splash of white wine
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt and black pepper

Cut the fish into 4 even-sized pieces to make the cooking times the samd.

Put the bread into a food processor and whiz until you have fairly coarse but even breadcrumbs. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan, tip in the breadcrumbs and allow them to toast until crisp and golden.

You need to be quite organized and have all your ingredients to hand now. Place the pasta on to cook in a large pan of salted boiling water as instructed on the packet. Season the fish.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and add the garlic, chili flakes, and wine. Add the fish and lemon zest. Allow the wine mixture to come to the boil, turn the pieces of fish over and reduce the heat so that the wine is just simmering. After about 1 minute take out the fish using a slotted spoon and put to one side. The fish should be just cooked.

Let the wine mixture simmer for another 3 minutes or so until it has reduced by about one-third. Add a ladle of the pasta water to this.

Drain the pasta, once ready, and add it to the wine in the pan. Increase the heat until it is bubbling again, then add the fish and sprinkle in the parsley. Gently flake the fish throughout the pasta, add the lemon juice and toss throughly.

Serve in warm pasta bowls, adding a little more parsley on top and a scattering of the golden breadcrumbs as desired.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Courtesy Home Made, Tana Ramsay, HarperCollins, 2008.

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Foodie experiences: Brooklyn's Diner, and Astier in Paris

2009-04-02T22:54:00.005-04:00

I was tickled to read a New York Times blog post by Mark Bittman about a restaurant I visited while in Paris in 2007, Restaurant Astier, and its wonderful communal cheese platter. This table-sized tray of dozens of cheeses -- each one stinkier and/or moldier than the last -- was one of my food highlights while in France.

A selection of cheeses at a Paris market

The way it works is this -- the cost of the cheese is worked into the prix fixe price, and the platter is passed around from table to table, generally at the end of the meal. I remember eyeing it enviously as servers brought it from one set of happy diners to the next, hoping that it would be my turn next. Finally it arrived and I joyously cut into a wedge of fuzz-topped chevre, a silky Brie, and several others, the names of which fail me now. All I remember is that despite having finished a filling meal, I couldn't get enough.

If you're ever in Paris, I highly recommend Astier for this experience alone.

This is the second time in the past few weeks I've read about a place I've been fortunate enough to frequent on my travels -- in the recent issue of Saveur, its list of 12 Restaurants That Matter (in the U.S) included the sister establishment to Diner, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Though I haven't been to Marlow & Sons, which sits right next door to Diner, eating at the latter was an amazing experience.

My sister and I outside Diner in Brooklyn

The Marlow & Sons forerunner occupies an old Kullman dining car, and you can choose to sit in one of the booths or sidle up to the bar to nosh (which is what my sister and I did). The menu of the day is scrawled on the back of a piece of receipt paper, and it's all about what's seasonal and local. Both our meals were delicious, and I'd make the trip to the hip and happening Williamsburg to dine there again in a heartbeat.

Brussels sprouts can be tasty, really!

2009-03-31T21:10:00.004-04:00

I'll tell you right now that I was the weird kid that actually liked Brussels sprouts. Two reasons for that: 1) My mom didn't overcook them until they were a mushy, soggy mess; and 2) butter, lots of butter.

Brussels sprouts are a relatively cheap vegetable to cook and they're low-maintenance. Give them a quick rinse, pop them in a pot of boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, then plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. But on their own the taste can leave a bit to be desired.

Bacon to the rescue! I do like my Brussels sprouts just fine with lots of butter and salt, but sauteing them in bacon fat gives them an even better flavour. Ok, so it's not exactly low fat, but hey, you're still eating your vegetables! And when I say bacon fat, I mean a tablespoon or two, tops.

Here's a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis's Everyday Italian for Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta -- who knows, it may even convince your kids to eat them!

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
2 tbsp olive oil
3 ounces paper-thin slices of pancetta, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Place the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl of ice water to cool completely. Drain again.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until it begins to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until pale golden, about two minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the pancetta mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and saute until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, 1/2 tsp of pepper and 1/4 tsp of salt, and simmer until the broth reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the Brussels sprout mixture to the pancetta mixture and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Makes four side-dish servings.

If you don't have pancetta on hand you can easily use regular side bacon.

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Mushroom tortelloni, the easy way

2009-03-30T20:54:00.003-04:00

I'm all about making weeknight dinners easier on myself but not at the expense of a quality meal. Microwave dinners are a thing of the past -- truthfully I can't believe I ever ate that crap, but in college you do what you gotta do. However, there are some decent cheats to be found at your local grocery store, if you don't mind taking the time to finish the recipe off with quality ingredients.

Take, for example, the refrigerated fresh President's Choice pasta: recently I bought a package of PC Porcini Mushroom Tortelloni. Because it's fresh it only takes a couple of minutes to cook in boiling water, which means you can spend a bit of extra time dressing the dish up (and I'm talking 15, 20 minutes max).

I sauteed two cloves of garlic in butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then added about 1.5 cups of chopped cremini mushrooms, along with some salt and pepper. I sauteed those down, deglazing with a bit of white wine, and then put them off to the side. Once the pasta was cooked, I added a bit more butter to my skillet, browned it, then added some fresh sage leaves. Once the sage leaves had become fragrant I added the cooked and drained pasta in to the skillet along with the cooked mushroom mixture and mixed everything together, with a bit more salt and pepper. For an added health kick I tossed in about 1.5 cups of baby spinach leaves and let them wilt down. Spoon the mixture onto a plate or bowl (I prefer a bowl for pasta), grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top, and you're done.

No pasta machine required!

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments, email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Cookbook Friday: Mrs. Cook's Kitchen

2009-03-27T09:05:00.005-04:00

Sometimes freebie cookbooks can yield unexpected rewards and such was the case with Mrs. Cook's Kitchen, by former Ottawa Sun food editor Gay Cook.

The extended title of Mrs. Cook's Kitchen is "Basics & Beyond" and her cookbook is just that -- a collection of tried-and-true recipes that you'll keep coming back to. Nothing too pretentious or elaborate, rather straightforward dishes such as Herb Roast Chicken with Pan Juices, Caramelized Baked Tomatoes, and Poached Pear with Roquefort Salad.

Gay Cook also includes recipes for freshly baked bread, from Rosemary Focaccia, to Country Grain, to your standard loaf of White Bread. She also offers advice on wine pairings, and assembles menus for everything from casual dinner parties to brunch, to holiday get-togethers.

The cover of Mrs. Cook's Kitchen is a trilogy of soups and I've made two of them: the Spicy Lentil Soup with Yogourt, and the Fresh Pea Soup with Mint. Loved them both, especially the pea soup. I always thought pea soup was a drab, lifeless greeny-brown colour until I made it myself and saw how vibrant it could be. I used baby peas and once blended it was a bright, spring-like emerald green. Beautiful to behold and delicious -- and a soup that's fresh enough for spring, not simply a winter dish.

But the one recipe I come back to time and time again is Gay's Old Fashioned Macaroni & Cheese. It's a breeze to prepare, and turns out perfectly every time. Not too saucy, just creamy and tangy, with a nice bit of crunch from the bread crumbs on top. I prefer an extra bit of bite so I left my bread crumbs a bit bigger, tearing them from slices of stale whole wheat bread with my hands rather than pulsing them in a food processor. If you like the classic mac & cheese, not that god-awful boxed stuff, I encourage you to give Gay's version a try. I had some tonight with a side of sauteed Swiss chard (see picture) and it was extremely filling!

Old Fashioned Macaroni & Cheese

1.5L water
1 tbsp salt
2 cups macaroni, uncooked
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup Cheddar or Swiss cheese, grated
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 7 x 11 inch shallow casserole.

Bring the water and salt to a boil and stir in the macaroni. Cook for 8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain into a colander, shaking it to get all the water out of the macaroni "tunnels."

In a large saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat, stir in the onion, cover and cook for 5 minutes, without browning the onion. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Raise heat to medium-high, whisk in the milk until smooth and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cheese, salt and pepper, then the macaroni. Pour the mixture into the casserole. Toss the crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden. The casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to a day before cooking, but add 10 extra minutes to the cooking time.

Serves 4-6
Preparation: 20 minutes
Baking: 20 minutes

Comfort food at its finest -- I hope you'll try this recipe!

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Single girl supper: Pan-Seared Rainbow Trout with Sauteed Greens

2009-03-22T22:23:00.004-04:00

Though I had a ton of amazing leftovers in the fridge from last night's feast, I felt like making a healthy dinner for one tonight. At the supermarket I spied some Ontario-farmed rainbow trout, so I purchased a 3/4 lb fillet -- enough for two meals (one dinner, one lunch).

For a side, I wanted to use up the leftover broccoli rabe in my fridge, and I remember seeing a recipe in Everyday Italian for sauteed broccoli rabe with raisins and pine nuts. I figured that would go nicely with the trout, and it was nice and light as well.

I didn't want to do much to the trout. It was a beautiful-looking piece of fish and I didn't want to mask the flavour with something cloying or heavy. I opted to rub both sides with olive oil, cracked black pepper, and some French grey sea salt I recently bought at a specialty salt purveyor at St. Lawrence Market. The grey sea salt has an almost moist consistency, and a little goes a long way.

I cooked the broccoli rabe first since I knew the trout would take next to no time to cook. Sure enough, it only required six minutes, total. I melted a small amount of butter and oil in my frying pan, put the trout in skin side down, cooked it for four minutes, flipped it, cooked it for another two, and that was all. Perfectly done.

I squeezed a bit of fresh lemon juice on both the broccoli rabe and the trout before serving.

A healthy, delicious dinner for one -- so easy, and so fast!

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Dinner with friends

2009-03-21T23:59:00.005-04:00

When I moved into my new place last July I swore I was going to have friends and family over for dinner all the time -- it hasn't exactly happened that way. For starters it took months for my furniture to be delivered (hard to host a dinner without a table and chairs), and secondly I've had a difficult time conquering my fear of kitchen multi-tasking while hosting.

When you're in a relationship entertaining is fairly simple. One person can be chit-chatting with guests in the living room, pouring wine, etc, while the other is busy in the kitchen chopping herbs or prepping appetizers. When you're a single girl it's all on you to be a good host while at the same time not burning the garlic or forgetting about the walnuts you put in the oven to toast.

Tonight my friends Cathy and Jason came over for dinner and I was determined to make something nice for them. Coming up with a menu is fun, but also overwhelming when you have as many cookbooks as I do. I finally settled on roast pork with apricot and shallot stuffing, roasted winter vegetables, buttered green beans, and a warm apple compote to serve alongside the pork. For dessert, a maple sugar pie (Cathy loves the flavour of maple) with whipped cream.

The menu determined, I headed to St. Lawrence Market this morning to pick up everything I needed. In the early afternoon, I baked the maple sugar pie. It was my first attempt outside cooking class at pie pastry, and it rolled out nicely. Tricky thing, that pie pastry. In retrospect the pie was creamy and sweet, the crust crisp and golden. For a flakier crust I hear using half vegetable shortening and half butter is the way to go and I might try that next time. I used all butter and the crust was a bit on the firm side for my liking.

With a couple of hours to spare I started cooking the apple compote, using Fuji apples (a recommendation from Chef Marty). I'm proud to say it turned out just as well as it did in class last week, and Cathy and Jason raved about it. It goes so nicely with roast pork, I'm definitely adding it to my repertoire. I've included the recipe below.

The pork turned out well. I don't know what cooks did before meat thermometers. It's impossible to tell otherwise whether the pork is cooked all the way through. I tested it once and it wasn't quite done enough in the center so it went back in the oven for another 10 minutes. That finished it off and it was cooked just right. As for the stuffing, it tasted great when I cooked it in the pan but I'm not sure it benefited from being inside the pork roast. I think next time I'd make a double batch -- one for stuffing the pork roast to keep it moist, and more to serve on the side on its own.

The winter vegetables were tasty although it's hard to screw those up. I went for a selection of red-skinned baby potatoes, parsnips, onion, and purple-hued carrots that looked and tasted a bit like beets. Very cool, and really added some visual oomph to what can otherwise be a dull-looking dish.

(By the way, I didn't take any pics of the meal -- you'll have to believe me when I say it all looked fantastic.)

All in all, the evening was a great success and I managed to enjoy my friends' company without being a slave to the meal (as I was worried I might be). Next time I have Cathy and Jason over though I'm making things simpler: macaroni and cheese. I never need an excuse to cook that and Jason told me tonight it's one of his favourite dishes. Say no more!

Good luck to all those single guys or gals cooking for friends. It's a challenge, but you'll definitely be satisfied when you're through. And hey, if you feel overwhelmed, they're your friends, put them to work!

Warm Apple Compote*

Serve with pork, or enjoy it on its own.

4 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch pieces (If you can't find Fuji, Braeburn, Spy or Ida Red will also work)
1-2 oz water
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
1 tsp nutmeg, or to taste
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup red wine
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
Rind and juice of one lemon

*Note: The measurements here are to be used as a guide only. Taste the compote as it's cooking and use your judgement on whether the compote needs more sugar, more acidity, more butter or stock to round out the flavour.

Put half of chopped apples, along with water and brown sugar, in a medium sized sauce pot and stir to combine over low to medium heat. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest and lemon juice and salt. Stir and let the apples begin to break down, adding chicken stock or water if the liquid at the bottom evaporates. You don't want the apples to stick to the pan and burn.

When the apples have softened and broken down substantially, add the rest of the chopped apples along with more spices as needed. Add the red wine and stir. Keep the mixture simmering and let the second batch of apples soften somewhat. Once those apples are softer, though still holding their shape, add a bit more chicken stock and some butter. Stir well. Once you're happy with the consistency -- ideally the first apples will have become a chunky sauce and the second ones will be more or less intact -- take it off the heat and either keep it warm if you're planning to serve right away, or cool down and then refrigerate.

Makes approximately 4 to 6 servings.

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Cookbook Friday: The Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook

2009-03-20T17:56:00.007-04:00

If, like most people, you find you just don't have enough time most nights to get a decent meal on the table, Bon Appetit's Fast Easy Fresh will save your life. Honestly, since purchasing it in January I've gone to it again and again for dinner suggestions.

The title doesn't lie -- these are dishes that are relatively quick to prepare, with uncomplicated ingredient lists and often very few steps involved. You're not going to be soaking dried beans overnight or marinating for hours on end. But this is Bon Appetit so you're also not sacrificing quality for the sake of convenience.

The book is very well laid out, generally divided by ingredient, although there are sections on starters, salads and a sizeable index of sandwich, pizza, rice and pasta options. And there are 1,100 recipes! So you can't say you're tired of making the same old thing. There are so many options here -- if anything the problem will be deciding on one thing. (I often end up bookmarking a few before I end up settling on something.)

Not too many photos here, but not to worry. This tome is jammed with useful info on ingredients and techniques to help ensure your recipes turn out as they should. The first thing I made from it was the Wisconsin mac and cheese and it was delicious.

More recently I made the Salmon with mustard and brown sugar glaze -- only six ingredients, one of which I didn't bother with, and again it was a success. I reduced the ingredient quantities since I was making a dinner for one, and it's easily done.

Salmon with mustard and brown sugar glaze

3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup butter, diced
1 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning (I didn't use this, instead used salt and pepper to taste)
1 2-pound center cut salmon filet
1/3 cup spicy brown mustard
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Boil wine, butter and Old Bay seasoning (if you're using it) in a small saucepan for 3 minutes. Sprinkle salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. Place on rimmed baking sheet; pour wine mixture over. Bake until salmon is just opaque in center, about 14 minutes. Remove from oven.

Preheat broiler. Mix mustard and sugar in small bowl to blend; spread over salmon to cover. Broil salmon until topping is brown and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Transfer salmon to platter.

Serves 4. Serve with a spinach salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette.

Courtesy The Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook, Barbara Fairchild, 2008.

If you know someone who's just starting to cook, or is rekindling their passion for cooking, I highly recommend this book as an all-purpose go-to. Sure there are others, The Joy Of Cooking springs to mind, that might offer more in the way of general advice and basic recipes, however I maintain if what they're looking for is inspiration for interesting dinners, breakfasts, or even lunches to take to school or work, this will be the one they take off the shelf most.

I recently picked up a copy for my sister, who's been cooking more in the last few months, and she's already tried a few things from it. If you're looking for it, the cover's green, and it weighs a ton.

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Baked pork chop with date and bacon stuffing

2009-03-18T00:05:00.002-04:00

Tonight was our last night of actual cooking in my George Brown cooking class (sniff!). I've absolutely loved this 12-week course, and I know for a fact I'll be taking more classes from GBCS. It's just a matter of where to go from here - Italian? French? Asian? Sauces? Knife Skills?

But anyway, back to class. On Tuesday we made a baked pork chop with date and bacon stuffing, and a warm apple compote to go alongside. Chef Marty gave us more incredible tips on how to ensure the finished dish is exactly how it should be. The pork chops had the bone still attached, which definitely makes for better presentation.

We started off by making the apple compote, comprised of 4 Spy apples peeled and cut into a one-inch dice (so quite large), ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, grated ginger, some white wine, about a third of a cup of white sugar (although you could use brown), a teaspoon of sea salt, the zest and juice from a lemon, a tablespoon or two of butter and 1/4 cup or so of chicken stock just to round out the flavour. If you were making apple compote for dessert, you could omit the stock.

I've avoided putting precise measurements in my description because really this is one of those "make it to taste" dishes. We were adding ingredients as we went, more cinnamon if needed, more butter or stock if the flavours were too acidic or harsh. More lemon juice if more tartness was required. It's one of those recipes that really makes you feel like a chef, because you're constantly tasting, and trying to improve on, what you've done. One thing to note though is that Chef Marty added half of the apples at the start with the spices and other ingredients (except for the stock and butter), cooked them down until they were quite soft, and then added the rest of the apples. What happens is you end up having a variety of textures -- the apples added in first will soften to the point where they're breaking down, while the late additions will still have a welcome bit of bite to them.

Once the compote was all but done we were able to start on the pork dish. First we started with the stuffing, which was essentially sauteed bacon , onions, and celery. Add some chopped dates that have been soaking in Riesling or another white wine. Season with salt and pepper, as always, and cook the mixture down, deglazing with white wine or water as needed. When there's still a bit of liquid left in the pan, but not much, add some bread cubes from a stale loaf (1 or 2 slices' worth). You should be able to stir it all together by this point and the bread will soak up the extra moisture.

It's important to cool down the stuffing before you shove it into the pork chop cavity, so let it rest for a few minutes. Use your boning knife to cut into the chop and use it to make a sizeable pocket in the chops. Once the stuffing has cooled slightly spoon it into the waiting chops.

Heat up some oil and butter a large skillet, on high heat. Rub the chops with oil, salt, and pepper, and when the pan is hot, put the chops in to sear. Shake the pan to ensure the chop isn't sticking. Turn down the oven temperature. After a couple of minutes turn the chop to cook the other side. Then put the pan in the oven so that the chop can finish cooking. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness -- if the internal temperature reaches 150C you're in business.

This was all in all a delicious meal. Everything went together and it was that perfect balance of savoury and sweet. Can't wait to try it again at home.

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Could these desserts be any more decadent?

2009-03-17T22:22:00.007-04:00

Last week my colleague Erin was kind enough to bring some of the peanut butter chocolate cake she'd baked to the office to share. A sour cream chocolate cake to start, covered in peanut butter frosting, and then glazed with peanut butter-chocolate ganache. My God, was it good, and sinfully rich (recipe here, if I've piqued your interest).

Courtesy Editor at Large

It got me thinking about some of the amazing desserts I've tried over the years -- some made my friends and/or family, others made by yours truly. My friend Olga is an incredible baker, and her baklava is to die for. Perhaps I will see if she'd be willing to share her secret recipe in an upcoming post. She also once made a lemon mascarpone cheesecake that was published in the LCBO's Food and Drink magazine. That recipe is available here and if you have company coming over it not only tastes delicious but it looks impressive. The trick, I recall Olga telling me at the time as I swooned over the silky texture of the cake, is to beat the cream cheese for a long time. Patience is most definitely rewarded in this case.

I think my love of baking comes from my mom, who was always baking when my sister and I were kids. From apple pies to pecan pies, squares of all varieties (my favourites were the turtle bars and mint chocolate squares), cookies, homemade sheet cakes for our birthdays (chocolate cake and chocolate icing more often than not, although she switched to mocha icing at one point, which was also delish). But my favourite 'Mom' dessert is also probably one of the simplest -- fruit crumble. A base of mixed berries, or apples, sometimes peaches in the height of summer, covered with a layer of butter oats and flour, spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg, baked in the over until the fruit is bubbling and the topping crisp and golden. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side it's the most comforting of comfort foods. Rustic, and uncomplicated.

I've made some interesting desserts over the years -- last year I made a Marsala wine-spiked mocha semifreddo that was quite delicious and surprisingly light-feeling, given the amount of cream involved. I also made a chocolate amaretti cake that had a crust ever so light and crisp, giving way to a moist, dense filling. Part cookie, part cake, and entirely scrumptious.

With friends coming over for dinner on Saturday I'm thinking it's time to attempt another challenging dessert. But what? A few recipes have caught my eye, including:

1) Chocolate Caramel Tart (from the latest edition of Saveur) - this is Saveur's cover recipe this month and it looks mouth-wateringly good. It's taken from the menu of Brooklyn's Marlow & Sons, one of the restaurants featured in the issue.

2) Coffee-Chocolate Layer Cake with Mascarpone Frosting (from Bon Appetit) - I see two problems with making this spectacularly rich-looking cake. 1) My friends aren't coffee drinkers. 2) There's no way the frosting would survive long enough to end up on the cake. Me. A spoon. End of story.

3) Tropical Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting (also from Bon Appetit) - I admit it, I'm a sucker for cream cheese frosting. Was there ever a time that carrot cake was eaten without it? I don't even want to imagine it.

4) Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze (from Gourmet) - Are you sensing a cream cheese theme here? Yes, I think I'm leaning in that direction. Although spring is here and part of me is looking for light options, I can have fruit salad any day of the week. That said, there's fruit in this dish, so it's not all bad, right?

At this point I'm still undecided - make one of these lovelies, or go another direction entirely. What are your thoughts? Do you have an out-of-this-world dessert recipe you'd like to share? If so comment below or drop me a note at suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Salut!

Suzanne

Dinner in a pinch

2009-03-16T00:01:00.006-04:00

On Saturday night I made marinara sauce to serve over a heap of spaghetti, and luckily had enough of the sauce left over for one or two more meals. Not enough to freeze, but I definitely didn't want to waste it.

My initial thinking was that I'd thin it with some chicken stock and make a rich and chunky tomato soup, adding some fresh basil and toasted bread cubes for texture. But as Sunday wore on I was feeling less and less like soup and was once again craving pasta! Rather than noodles though I craved ravioli. But there was no way I was making my own -- not enough time, unfortunately -- so I bought a package of fresh, pre-made spinach-and-cheese-filled ravioli from the store.

For some added nutritional value I blanched some chopped broccoli rabe (my new favourite veg) to mix in with the pasta and sauce.

I'm finding with pasta dishes -- and indeed just about everything I cook -- it's all about the final flourish. Whether that's one last squeeze of lemon, some chopped parsley sprinkled over top, or in this case a grinding of black pepper, some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a swirl of fruity extra virgin olive oil.

It may not be fancy, but it tasted great to me. And I still have more sauce left -- maybe I'll be making the tomato soup yet!

Salut!

Suzanne

Email your comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Quick and tasty marinara sauce

2009-03-15T00:01:00.004-04:00

Sometimes you're so famished you just want dinner on the table, five minutes ago. Such was the case Saturday night -- I arrived home following a three-hour hike craving pasta like nobody's business. Knowing I had the basics to make a speedy marinara sauce (I really must cook and freeze a big batch of it one day for instances like this), I set to work chopping onion and garlic, filling a pot with water for the spaghetti, and, most importantly, pouring myself a glass of red wine to make the whole process that much more enjoyable.

I used canned whole plum tomatoes, which are just fine in a pinch. Whole tomatoes are preferable to diced or pureed -- they're generally of better quality and are easily crushed into the sauce. Also, a good amount of salt and some sugar, to remove any tinny flavour from the tomatoes. I always add a few glugs of red wine to the sauce, finding that gives it more depth and body. A few spoonfuls of tomato paste will help to thicken up the marinara -- you can add more if you need to, but keep in mind that the sauce will reduce down over the 20-30 minutes you're simmering it.

Have some chopped fresh herbs -- basil is ideal, I didn't have any so chopped up some Italian parsley -- for garnishing, as well as some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. I stir some into the sauce and pasta just before serving, and grate more over top at the very end.

Also, keep some of the pasta water on hand to help the sauce coat the pasta (a few tablespoons may be enough but reserve up to a quarter cup of it). This is one of the simplest meals you can make but also one of the most satisfying.

Spaghetti marinara

1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cooking onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
A few glugs of red wine (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle over finished dish
1 tsp sugar, or to taste
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp freshly ground pepper, or to taste

1/4 pkg spaghetti

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onion and sprinkle a bit of salt overtop. Saute until soft and translucent, five to 7 minutes. Add garlic cloves and saute for about 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, salt, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Once the sauce is at a boil, reduce it down to simmer for 20-30 minutes, tasting and adjusting flavours (salt, pepper, sugar, etc) if necessary.

Meanwhile, heat water in stock pot. When boiling, add salt and dry pasta. The spaghetti should take about 8-9 minutes to become al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve a bit of the pasta water. Toss cooked pasta with a bit of olive oil to keep noodles from sticking together.

When sauce has reached desired thickness, mix a few ladles worth into a big bowl with the cooked pasta and some grated cheese. Add a small amount of the pasta water and, using tongs, mix the whole thing together. Spoon onto serving plate or bowl, and garnish with chopped fresh herbs (basil or Italian parsley work well) and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Kick back with your wine, and enjoy!

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Banana Oat Muffins

2009-03-14T00:00:00.006-04:00

Muffins are one of those indulgences I couldn't give up if I tried. My morning coffee just isn't the same without one, and I love all kinds: blueberry, raisin bran, carrot (my all-time favourite), cranberry, morning glory, zucchini, pumpkin (threatening to unseat carrot at the top of my list).

Probably the best muffin I ever ate was in Lake Placid, New York of all places. It was from a little hole-in-the-wall bakery, and the flavour was lemon-raspberry. There was a dusting of superfine sugar on top that contrasted the tartness of the lemon and raspberry perfectly, and also served to give the surface a slight crunch. It was fresh out of the oven, and to die for. And one day, I'll recreate it (or attempt to).

Most recently I baked a batch of banana oat muffins from Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite cookbook. They were a snap to whip up -- especially since I had four over-ripe bananas sitting on the counter. These aren't as moist and dense a muffin as some I've had, but they're also healthier than most, with oats and walnuts included in the ingredients. I added a pinch of cinnamon because banana and cinnamon is such a wonderful combination. If you're in the mood to bake muffins but don't want to feel guilty when you eat the whole batch yourself, try this recipe out.

Banana oat muffins

1 1/3 cups oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 large ripe bananas
1 egg, beaten
4 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350F. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.

In a large bowl combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Mix well and make a well in the center.

Mash bananas in another bowl with a fork. Stir in beaten egg and butter. Add to the dry mixture along with the walnuts and fold through until just combined. Don't overmix.

Spoon mixture into paper cases and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Adapted from Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite, Key Porter Books, 2008

If you find that after a couple of days the muffins start to get stale, I heat them up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds just to get them warm and soft again. I've also heard brushing the tops with milk and popping them back into a warm oven (200F?) works.

I like to serve these slathered with peanut butter and honey, although that ups the fat and sugar content a bit!

Salut!

Suzanne

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Cookbook Friday: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

2009-03-13T18:13:00.011-04:00

Vegetarian home cooks will recognize this name -- a number of Moosewood cookbooks have come out over the years, based on recipes from the cooks at Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York. Four men and 14 women publish under the name "The Moosewood Collective" and their recipe collections have been extremely popular, even winning the James Beard Award for Best Vegetarian Cookbook.

There are seafood recipes in their books, but otherwise the recipes are vegetarian or vegan. Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home is filled with uncomplicated dishes that are relatively easy and quick to prepare. There are sections on soups, salads and sides, grains, pastas, stews, and desserts, among others. Also you'll find a useful pantry list, as well as a guide to ingredients and cooking tips and techniques.

Pressed for time? There's also a list of recipes within the book that can be made within half an hour for a super-fast supper.

No photos here, but the authors helpfully suggest other recipes from the book that will complement what you're making. For example, for the Pad Thai I made, the authors recommended serving a tossed salad with Japanese Carrot Dressing, and Creamy Banana Ice for dessert.

I admit that as a meat-eater I haven't made as many dishes from this cookbook as I have some of my others, but in the desire to eat more grains and vegetables I'm going to try to change that this year. I did make their Pad Thai, in part because I was craving those Thai flavours of cilantro, lime, and fish sauce, but also because I was curious to see what a Pad Thai devoid of chicken, shrimp, and even tofu (not sure why they opted to leave that out) would be like.

How was it? Surprisingly tasty, although next time I'd add some soy-marinated extra-firm tofu for an additional bit of protein and to add more texture to the dish. Otherwise though it was quite tasty.

If you're making it, don't skip the peanuts on top -- yes, they add fat, but they also add a necessary crunch and flavour. Note that this recipe is in U.S. measurements.

Pad Thai

2 quarts water
3/4 pound mung bean sprouts
6 oz rice noodles (1/4 inch wide)

3 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce (or soy sauce)

3 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil
3-4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tbsp minced fresh chile, or 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups grated carrots
4 large eggs, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
2/3 cup chopped peanuts
6-8 scallions, chopped (about 1 cup)

In a covered pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Blanch the mung bean sprouts by placing them in a strainer or small colander and dipping it into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Set aside to drain well. When the water returns to a boil, stir in the rice noodles and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but firm. Drain the cooked noodles, rinse them under cool water, and set them aside to drain well. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the lime juice, ketchup, brown sugar and fish sauce to form the Pad Thai sauce.

Prepare the remaining ingredients and have them near at hand before you begin to stir-fry. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the garlic and chile, swirl them in the oil for a moment, and stir in the grated carrots. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Push the carrots to the sides to make a hollow in the center. Pour the beaten eggs into the centre and quickly scramble them. When the eggs have just set, pour in the sauce mixture and stir everything together. Add the drained rice noodles and mung sprouts, and toss to distribute evenly. Stir in the peanuts and scallions, and serve at once.

Serves 4
Total time: 40 minutes

Don't be too concerned if the dish seems overly orange when you're stirring it together in the skillet. The peanuts and scallions offer some contrasting colour when you're serving it up. Also, consider garnishing with fresh cilantro, if you like. It's another complementary flavour that people tend to love or loathe. It took me a while to get onto it but now I see just how well it works in certain dishes.

As for other recipes that caught my eye in Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home -- Apricot Bulghur Pilaf, Spaghetti with Pecorino and Black Pepper, Portuguese White Bean Soup, Spicy Peanut Dip, and Moosewood Fudge Brownies. Can't wait to try them all!

Salut!

Suzanne

Do you have a cookbook you'd like me to feature on Cookbook Friday? Email your suggestions to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.

Coq au vin

2009-03-10T23:00:00.010-04:00

Tonight in cooking class we made the classic French dish Coq au vin, which is essentially chicken cooked in wine. This was by far my favourite of all the things we've made in the course and I couldn't resist digging into it after getting home.

I'll try to detail what I did because it really did turn out well, thanks as always to Chef Marty's wisdom and expert tips.

Coq au vin

3 lb chicken, cut into six pieces*
250mL white or red wine (I used red but it gives the chicken a purple-ish tinge)
250mL chicken stock
1 cup button mushrooms, left whole
1 cup pearl onions, peeled
1/4 cup vegetable oil, approx.
1/4 cup butter, approx.
1/4 cup flour, approx.
4 rashers of bacon, sliced into lardons
3 garlic cloves, left whole, crushed a bit to help release juices
A few sprigs of thyme, save some leaves for chopping up and adding at the end.
2 dried bay leaves
A few tablespoons of chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400F.

Heat two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. While it's heating up, rub a bit of vegetable oil, salt and pepper over the chicken pieces.

When the pan is very hot, add the chicken pieces skin side down (or "presentation side" down, as Chef Marty noted). Shake the pan a bit to ensure chicken doesn't stick. After a couple minutes, when skin has turned golden, flip the pieces over and cook for another couple minutes, again, shaking to make sure the pieces don't stick. Once well seared on both sides, remove the chicken to a plate.

Drain the chicken fat into a small side pot (you will use some of it later to deglaze). Wipe out the skillet and add a tablespoon more oil, then tip in the sliced bacon. Saute it for a couple minutes until it's cooked, then add the pearl onions to the pan. Cook those until they've begun to brown, then add the garlic. Saute that for 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms. Once those have browned up (a few minutes), deglaze the pan with water and/or a bit of the chicken fat, scraping up any browned bits.

Add the wine and chicken stock to the skillet, as well as some salt and pepper, then add the chicken pieces back in along with the herbs (a few whole thyme sprigs and the bay leaves). Turn the chicken in the sauce to coat well. Reduce the sauce a bit, then cover the pan and put it in the oven for 20-30 minutes to cook. Remove the lid for the last few minutes of cooking time to help the chicken develop its golden brown crust.

While the chicken is cooking in the oven make a beurre manie -- roll a hunk of butter into a golf ball sized piece using your hands, then roll it around in a bowl of flour, incorporating the flour into the butter. Keep incorporating the flour into the butter until when you press into the ball your finger doesn't feel buttery anymore. It should feel almost like a ball of dough. You will use this later to thicken the sauce.

Once the chicken is cooked through, take the pan out of the oven. Set aside the chicken pieces and remove the herbs (these can be thrown away). Set the skillet over high heat again and reduce the cooking liquid. Take a few spoonfuls of the liquid and put it into a bowl, add your beurre manie and whisk until your butter-flour ball has dissolved into the liquid. Now add that back into the skillet and whisk it quickly back in. Adding the flour and butter together separately helps prevent lumps from forming, and it also helps prevent the sauce from breaking.

Once you're happy with the thickness of the sauce add the chicken back in, along with some fresh chopped parsley and thyme, turn the pieces to coat in the sauce, and you're done! A great dish to serve up family-style.

*I left the legs attached to the thighs but if you want you can separate them, making eight pieces in total, two each of breasts, wings, legs, and thighs.

Salut!

Suzanne

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Who doesn't love peanut butter?

2009-03-09T22:10:00.005-04:00

I'm a peanut butter-aholic. Smooth, chunky, mixed into salad dressings or smoothies, baked into cookies and cakes, or just thickly spread on a cracker or a piece of toast. I always have one or two jars on hand, usually one all-natural variety, one naughty variety. Currently in my cupboard I have a big jar of Skippy smooth and a nearly-finished jar of Plantation Super Creme that a friend brought back from Georgia (not the factory connected to the salmonella outbreak).

Photo courtesy Piccolo Namek

Peanut butter lovers like me will love this, a collection of top PBs on Saveur, plus a bit about the history of the popular spread. Click and prepare to drool. Sadly, for us Canadians, the only one I'm familiar with is Peanut Butter and Co. -- the others may only be available in the U.S.

That's okay though, we have some pretty fine peanut butters to choose from here. I quite like the good old fashioned Kraft Peanut Butter, with the bears on the front. Not fancy, but a good peanutty taste. Also love the aforementioned Skippy for its creaminess -- I often bake with it. MaraNatha makes an organic roasted peanut butter, and Paris, Ont. based Nuts To You Nut Butter puts out a variety of nut butters, including peanut, hazelnut, cashew and almond. I do enjoy almond butter from time to time, it's particularly wonderful for dipping apple slices into.

However nothing will replace good old fashioned PB -- just ask The New York Times, which devoted an article to it last month.

Do you have a favourite brand I failed to mention? Let me know!

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Desperately seeking homemade artisan crisps

2009-03-08T22:38:00.006-04:00

The word 'artisan' is a little like the word 'wedding' -- attach it to something and expect to pay twice or three times the price. And when I say 'artisan', I'm referring of course to food. Artisanal cheeses, artisanal bread, artisan crackers. I know why it's all so expensive -- you're paying for choice ingredients like organic flours and milk, and fancy additions such as figs and pepitas.

And I usually go in for this stuff -- those gorgeous oval loaves studded with cranberries, walnuts and flaxseed get me every time. But there's one item I just can't get my head around: the artisan crisp. Don't get me wrong, these things are addictive. Flavours such as Rosemary Raisin Pecan, Cranberry Hazelnut, Date and Walnut -- such a perfect little snack food, and much more interesting than a water cracker or a piece of Melba toast. But a box costs anywhere from $5 to $7 depending on where you look.

So, I wondered if I could make my own artisan crisps. What first got me thinking about this was a recent recipe for a Nut and Seed Biscotti on the fantastic food blog 101 Cookbooks. Packed with hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and pistachio seeds, they were sliced thin and looked like a perfect stand-in for the crisp. I tried my own version, using ingredients I had on hand including walnuts, slivered almonds, and dried apricots. So how did it turn out? Well, it was still a bit more like a biscuit than a crisp. That said, I could picture using it in a number of places -- on the side of a salad, for instance, or as an afternoon snack with some goat cheese on top (as the 101 Cookbooks author suggests), or even in the more typical way, as a morning treat with a coffee.

So, the search for the homemade crisp continues, although I do recommend trying this biscotti recipe. One thing to note though, if you decide to have a go at this, be aware that if you're using fruit, be careful not to let it burn in the second half of the baking process. Some of my apricots were a little over-done.

Apricot, Almond and Walnut Biscotti

2/3 cup dried apricots
2/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
2/3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 300F. Grease loaf pan and line with parchment.

Slice apricots into four lengthwise. Toast walnuts and almonds on a baking sheet for a few minutes.

Mix together flour, sea salt, apricots, and toasted nuts.

Whisk together sugar and eggs. Mix dry ingredients into sugar-egg mixture and stir until incorporated. Mixture will be thick. Spoon it into the loaf pan and press down evenly with fingers.

Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes until cooked all the way through (check with a toothpick).

Once done, remove from oven and turn it up to 425F.

Slide a knife around the edges and turn biscotti out onto cutting board. Using a serrated knife slice the biscotti crosswise into 1/4 inch-thick pieces. Lay pieces flat on baking sheet, brush with olive oil, and bake in oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the biscotti, and return to oven for another 5-6 minutes until both sides are golden and crisp. Repeat with remaining biscotti.

Makes 20-24 biscotti.

Modified from Nut and Seed Biscotti, 101 Cookbooks, March 2009.

If anyone has a recipe for artisan crisps, please email me at suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com -- with your permission I'd like to try it, and perhaps feature it on this blog.

Salut!

Suzanne

Vietnamese beef and noodle soup

2009-03-07T23:58:00.004-05:00

It was a grey, rainy day today, and I couldn't decide what to make for dinner except that I wanted comfort food that wasn't overly heavy. I finally settled on pho, that spicy, savoury Vietnamese beef and noodle soup I love to order in Chinatown, but have never made myself. I figured there was a reason -- with all those ingredients it must be terribly complicated and time-consuming, right? Actually, no!

I will say right off the bat that you should leave yourself at least an hour, hour and a half of prep and cooking time if you decide to make pho from scratch. But to me, that's not unreasonable considering the delicious end result. Besides, most of that is time spent waiting for spices to infuse the broth, and allowing the beef to soak up its marinade. The actual active prep time in this recipe is pretty minimal. Aside from the ginger and garlic there's nothing to chop, and the beef is so tender it's a breeze to slice.

Though I have a cookbook devoted purely to Vietnamese cooking, this recipe is actually one of Gordon Ramsay's. Whether or not it's traditional pho, it's absolutely divine, and the heady mix of spices -- star anise, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon -- made my kitchen smell incredibly exotic.

A couple notes here, before I share the recipe. If you find the broth overpowering, dilute it a bit with water. Also, though it seems like not enough time, 30 seconds in the boiling broth is plenty to allow the beef slices to cook. You want them to remain pink in the middle. And thirdly, though the recipe suggests side dishes of hoisin and chili sauce for dipping, I dolloped a spoonful of each right on top of the pho with the other garnishes, before stirring them into the broth. Both added bursts of flavour, as well as a bit of heat from the chili.

Vietnamese beef and noodle soup

1 lb (500g) beef filet (beef tenderloin)
1-inch (2.5cm) piece of gingerroot, peeled and finely grated
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely crushed
sea salt and black pepper
1 tbsp (15ml) sesame oil, plus extra to toss
7oz (200g) dried thin rice noodles
5oz (150g) bean sprouts
2-3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
small bunch of cilantro, leaves only
small bunch of mint or Thai sweet basil, leaves only

Broth:

6 cups (1.5 litres) beef stock
1 1/2-inch (4cm) piece of gingerroot, peeled and thinly sliced
4 star anise
3 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cardamom pod, lightly crushed
2 tsp (10ml) superfine sugar, or to taste
3 tbsp (45ml) fish sauce

To serve:

lime wedges
hoisin sauce
Vietnamese chili sauce

Trim the beef of any sinew, then slice as thinly as possible. Place in a bowl and add the grated ginger, garlic, some pepper, and the sesame oil. Toss to mix, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes.

For the broth, pour the beef stock into a large pot and add the rest of the ingredients with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain the broth into a clean pot or a big bowl, discarding the ginger and spices. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Add the rice noodles to a large pan of boiling, salted water and cook according to hte package directions until tender, but still retaining a bite. Drain in a colander and immediately toss the noodles with a little sesame oil to prevent them from sticking.

Bring the broth to a boil and tip in the beef and bean sprouts. Simmer for just 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.

Divide the noodles among warm bowls and ladle the hot broth over them, dividing the beef and bean sprouts equally. Sprinkle over the green onions, cilantro, and mint. Serve immediately, with lime wedges and little individual dishes of hoisin and Vietnamese chili sauces for dipping.

Serves 4.

Courtesy Healthy Appetite, Gordon Ramsay, Key Porter, 2009.

A few gulps of this spicy and satisfying soup and you'll be transported to Southeast Asia!

Salut!

Suzanne

Email comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Cookbook Friday: Everyday Italian

2009-03-06T00:01:00.012-05:00

I'm starting a new feature on Plum Tart: Cookbook Friday!

Each Friday I'm going to highlight a different cookbook, whether it's something from my extensive collection, a new release, or a recommendation from a friend. Where possible I'll provide a recipe for you to try, one I've had the opportunity to test myself.

I'm kicking things off with the cookbook I used most recently: Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis.

When I first saw Giada De Laurentiis's show, also called Everyday Italian, on Food Network Canada I was skeptical. I thought she was just another pretty face in the Food Network world, with no real experience or knowledge. Then I took note of what she was cooking -- hearty fare with traditional ingredients that looked delicious and not overly complicated. After watching a few shows, and finding out that she schooled at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, my opinion of GDL changed. She genuinely knew what she was talking about, plus had a deep appreciation for her family's recipes passed down through the generations.

I received Everyday Italian as a Christmas present from my mom two years ago and it's become one of my go-to cookbooks. It's broken down into sections, among them Antipasti, Sauces, Pasta, Polenta and Risotto, and Dolci (sweets).

There are further subsections for some of the basics, such as making homemade pesto and roasting peppers, as well as a handy list of pantry staples. The recipes are straightforward, the instructions clear and easy to follow. And the photos are beautiful. I don't require photos in a cookbook but they certainly make flipping through it a more pleasurable experience.

Among the recipes I've tried from GDL's Everyday Italian: White Bean and Tuna Salad, Prosciutto Purses, Marinara Sauce, Simple Bolognese, Seared Rib-Eye Steak with Arugula-Roasted Pepper Salad, Chicken Cacciatore, and Chocolate Amaretti Cake. That last recipe went over very well with the friends I made it for -- it has a texture somewhere between a cake and a cookie, is very chocolatey, but at the same time not sickeningly sweet.

The other night I made one of the first recipes I saw Giada cook on her show -- Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe (pictured). I've reprinted her recipe as it is in the book, but if you're looking to lighten it up feel free to sub in spiced turkey sausage for the pork sausage. That's what I did and it was delicious.

Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Salt
2 bunches of broccoli rabe, stalks trimmed and quartered crosswise
12 ounces dried orecchiette pasta or other small shaped pasta, such as farfalle or penne
3 tbsp olive oil
1 pound pork sausage, casings removed
3 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Strain the broccoli rabe, reserving all the cooking liquid. Set the broccoli rabe aside. Cook the orecchiette in the same pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until the sausage is brown and juices form, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Add the pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Stir the Parmesan cheese, salt to taste, and pepper into the pasta mixture. Transfer to pasta bowls and serve.

Makes 4 main-course servings.

Courtesy Everyday Italian, Giada De Laurentiis, Clarkson Potter, 2005.

Stay tuned for more cookbook reviews each Friday. Thanks to Erin for the brilliant idea! What's your favourite cookbook? Email me at suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com with your suggestions and perhaps I'll feature one of them in the weeks to com.

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments on this blog? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Spring Means Citrus

2009-03-05T04:34:00.002-05:00

I mentioned yesterday that with spring just weeks away, and the weather already warming up, I'm craving fresh, bright flavours, especially citrus. Well it appears I'm not the only one.

Image courtesy André Karwath

Saveur magazine just put together a lovely photo gallery of dishes featuring citrus flavours, with links to the recipes of course. Candied Orange Peels, Roasted Ham With Orange Glaze, Lemon and Coriander Marinated Olives, just to name a few. Yum!

I'm thinking of trying a few -- in particular the Orange and Radish Salad, and the Lemon Tart.

Bring on spring, and the citrus!

Salut!

Suzanne

Email your comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Lime Coconut Rum Pie

2009-03-04T21:35:00.006-05:00

I've made dozens of desserts, including countless cookies, over the years, but if I had to point to the one I'm proudest of, it's the Lime Coconut Rum Pie I made for my parents when they were visiting for dinner one evening.

Taken from the Summer 2007 issue of Food and Drink, a fabulous free resource for home cooks, the recipe is similar to a Key Lime Pie only ever so slightly more decadent with the addition of dark rum to the whipped topping.

I made it back in 2007, when the issue came out, and I haven't tried it since -- in part because I don't know that any follow-up attempt would match up to my original effort. The buttery graham crumb base, the smooth, tart lime filling, the rum-spiked cream, and even the oven-toasted flaked coconut on top -- all the flavours melded together perfectly and the texture was light and creamy. There were so many opportunities for things to go wrong, but nothing did.

With spring on the way, my cravings are shifting from savoury and salty to fresh, sweet, and bright, which is why citrus flavours immediately pop to mind. I'm thinking this is the year to have another go at this sublime lime dessert. Who knows, maybe it'll even be better the second time around!

Lime Coconut Rum Pie

Crust
1 cup (250 mL) graham crumbs
1/2 cup (125 mL) ground almonds, toasted
3 tbsp (45 mL) sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, melted

Filling
1 cup (250 mL) sugar
5 tbsp (75 mL) cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
4 large egg yolks
1 tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter
Finely grated zest of two limes
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Topping
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
2 tbsp (25 mL) dark rum
1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) flaked coconut, toasted
Lime for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

Place the crumbs, almonds and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and mix until well blended. Tip the mixture into a buttered nine-inch (23 cm) pie dish and press evenly over the bottom and sides. Bake the pie shell for 10 minutes, then let cool.

In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in 1 cup (250 mL) water and the milk, whisking until cornstarch is dissolved. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and then gradually whisk in about 1 cup (250 mL) of the milk mixture. Whisk this milk and yolk mixture back into the pan and then return the pan to the heat. Simmer, whisking often, for 3 minutes. The mixture will be very thick.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter. Add the lime zest and the juice and whisk into the mixture until butter is melted. Pour the lime-egg mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pressing onto the surface of the mixture, and let cool slightly. Spread the mixture into the baked pie shell, smoothing the top. Cover the filling with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Pour the whipping cream into a bowl and add the rum and sugar. Whip the cream until stiff and spoon onto the pie, swirl and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Garnish with lime zest if desired.

Courtesy Food and Drink, Summer 2007, LCBO

This dessert is fantastic if you're having family and/or friends over, and it's especially good in the warmer months -- which thankfully aren't that far away!

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Susur In The City

2009-03-03T22:33:00.004-05:00

Short blog post tonight -- just wanted to share a cool Q&A with famed Toronto chef Susur Lee, who recently relocated to NYC to open a restaurant, Shang, in the impossibly hip Lower East Side.

Susur ran his two restaurants, Susur, and more recently Lee, in Toronto for decades and he has been arguably the most influential single chef in Hogtown, inspiring a whole new generation of chefs.

The interview offers a glimpse into the culinary mastermind's views on success, the restaurant biz, Toronto vs NYC cuisine, famous faces who've dined at Shang, and what he misses about T.O.

Here's hoping he does well in his new venture, even though we miss him too.

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments, email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Cincinnati chili, sort of

2009-03-02T21:44:00.005-05:00

Craving some red meat, I made chili on the weekend. But not just any chili -- Cincinnati chili. What is Cincinnati chili? Well, according to Cooks Illustrated's 2009 Soups and Stews issue, it's a beefy chili that's spiced, but not spicy, if that makes sense. It doesn't bowl you over with heat, you're not running to the fridge every 30 seconds to get more water, it's full of subtle but definite spices such as cinnamon and allspice, as well as other ingredients such as cider vinegar and brown sugar to round out the flavour. This was exactly the kind of dish I was looking for, so I gave it a whirl.

Though I stuck pretty close to the Cooks Illustrated recipe -- they do all the trial and error so you don't have to -- when it came to serving up the chili I made a few modifications. Traditional Cincinnati chili calls for everything to be served separately. The chili is typically served over spaghetti, as if it were a super thick Bolognese sauce, and then topped with condiments from grated cheddar to diced raw onion to kidney beans. I tend to enjoy my chili best with everything, except for the cheese, mixed right in, so I cooked some short pasta (elbow macaroni) and drained and rinsed a can of kidney beans to incorporate toward the end of the cooking process.

If you like chili, but not the overpowering heat, this recipe's for you.

Cincinnati Chili

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups canned tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce)
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pkg elbow macaroni (optional)
Cheddar cheese, grated, for garnish
Green onions, diced, for garnish

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until soft and browned around edges, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and allspice and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, vinegar, and sugar.

Add beef and stir to break up meat. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chili is deep brown and slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. If adding beans directly to mixture, add them in the last 6-8 minutes of cooking. If adding cooked pasta, add in the last minute of cooking and stir into chili mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with shredded cheddar cheese and diced green onions on top.

Modified from: Cooks Illustrated Soups & Stews, Winter 2009, Boston Common Press Limited Partnership

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Cheap eats in Toronto

2009-03-01T22:31:00.001-05:00

I have to admit I haven't been dining out much lately -- for a couple of reasons. One, I'm trying to hone my cooking skills at home and the best way to do that is practice, practice, practice (helps that I love it). Two, it's just too expensive! However, everyone needs a night off from kitchen duty once in a while and I was pleased to see this co llection of Toronto's top mains for under $15 from NOW Magazine .

I've been to Foxley and can attest to the quality of their dishes (didn't have the beef cheeks but had some delectable sticky-sweet short ribs). Ditto Torito -- one of my favourite summer spots, and they make a wonderful ceviche. I've also tried Le Petit Dejeuner, but for brunch (excellent Belgian waffles), not dinner.

Have to say I'm anxious to try a few of these dishes out, especially the Pho from Pho Pasteur and the mac and cheese from Weezie's. The root vegetable ragout from Big Mamma's Boy looks particularly inspired as well.

If you have any recommendations for cheap eats in the city, leave a comment below or email me.

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Leftover roast chicken delish in salad

2009-02-27T00:38:00.002-05:00

Determined not to waste a morsel of the whole chicken I roasted Tuesday night, tonight I used the leftover meat in a green salad. I had two thighs' worth, which by the way is the most flavourful meat on the bird and still tender after a few days. I cut the meat into bite-sized chunks and tossed it with salad greens, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese.

I whisked together a simple white wine vinaigrette to go with it, and was very satisfied with the results. I've had chicken breast on salads many times and the thigh meat is just so much tastier. It was buttery, and still had that oven-roasted taste even after being in the fridge for a few days. When I spoke with Chef Gordon Ramsay recently he mentioned that one of the ways he's been cutting down on food costs is by buying chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, and I see why. It's much more durable than the breast, which dries out so quickly and doesn't have a fraction of the flavour.

As for the picked-clean carcass, it's currently sitting in a pot of burbling water on the stove where it will stay for a couple of hours until I have some golden, flavourful stock.

Salut!

Suzanne

Comments? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com