Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Arugula Salad With Warm Oyster Mushrooms

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

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

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

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

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