What I've Made Lately

The text edition! As I've misplaced my camera battery charger and I've run out of batteries, there has been a sad lack of picture taking in my kitchen. So, I've decided to provide the links to things I've made lately instead of lots of boring wall-of-text posts.

Acorn Squash Quesadillas
From Smitten Kitchen. I added some refried beans and regular jarred salsa rather than homemade. Verdict: delicious.

Skillet Carrots
From Orangette. I made these as a side dish to some perfectly grilled lamb chops and ate them on my balcony with some red wine and a good book. Verdict: extremely tasty.

Stir-fried Celery
From The Wednesday Chef. I put these on some chow mein noodles and managed to choke down half the bowl before I gave up and made dumplings instead. Way too salty, way too spicy. Verdict: skip it.

Artichoke, Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto
From Smitten Kitchen again. I used regular mushrooms and canned artichokes instead of shiitakes and fresh. Verdict: meh. I prefer my asparagus lightly boiled or roasted and crispy, I'm not a big fan of artichoke and the mushrooms turned the rice kinda grey. I ate it all but won't make it again.

French Toast à la Baldini
Two pieces of French toast with peaches and brie sandwiched between. I usually add chives or green onions or sub in frozen mixed berries when I can't find cheap peaches. Topped with Dad's maple syrup, bien sûr. Verdict: amazing, as always.

Pizza with Mushrooms, Onions, Tomatoes, Olives, Bacon, Green Peppers & Anchovies
From my lovely neighbourhood pizza parlour. Because occasionally I am too lazy to make dinner. Verdict: heavenly.

Warm Mushroom Salad

Warm Mushroom Salad with Hazelnuts and Pecorino
1/2 cup hazelnuts
2 tablespoons finely diced shallots
3 tablespoons sherry or a white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds mushrooms (cremini or a mix of wild mushrooms), cleaned and sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 ounces salad greens such as frisé, arugula or a mix of your choice
A 1 cup mix of fresh herbs (optional) such as chives, tarragon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or a couple pinches of dried
1/4 cup sliced shallots
1/4 pound pecorino or another hard, sharp cheese (I used the parmesan I had in the fridge)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Toast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, rolling them around once or twice to make sure they toast evenly. Rub nuts in a dish towel to remove skins then let cool. Chop the hazelnuts coarsely.

Whisk the shallots, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a bowl and let sit for five minutes (this will soften and almost pickle the shallots), before whisking in 1/4 cup olive oil.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter until the butter foams. Add the mushrooms, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until they’re softened but not limp (your cooking time will depend on the type of mushrooms you used). Toss in sliced shallots, cooking for an additional 2 minutes.

Spread salad greens on a plate. Sprinkle fresh herbs on top, if using. Spoon hot mushrooms over the salad greens. Pour three-quarters of the vinaigrette in the sauté pan and swirl it in the pan until heated. Season it with 1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour over salad and toss carefully. Adjust to taste.

Use a vegetable peeler to shave cheese over the salad. Sprinkle with hazelnuts. Serve immediately.

Birthday Cake

My friend Julie really loves lemon meringue, but I wanted to make her an actual birthday cake. Luckily I had this recipe bookmarked! It turned out pretty well but there are a few things I'd do differently next time:

1. Trim the cake tops so that everything stacks up evenly.
2. Chill the lemon curd longer (or make it ahead of time) so that it's not so drippy.
3. Check the cupboard to see if we have beaters when making the icing, since hand-whisking isn't going to get you anywhere with this meringue. I discovered our beaters after unsuccessfully trying to thicken the icing for about 10 minutes and I think if I used them for the whole thing it would have actually formed stiff peaks like it was supposed to and not been so melty. Not to mention I could have saved myself a lot of armwork on the cake batter (and everything else I've made this year).
4. Invest in a set of 9-inch pans so that I don't have to spend a few hours baking the layers one by one in my single 9-inch springform.

Lemon Meringue Cake

1-2-3-4 Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour*
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter, then dropping flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

It's way easier to stack a cake when the layers are frozen, so throw these in the freezer for about an hour before you start assembling.

* Make your own at home with the following formula: 1 cup self-rising flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour, minus 2 teaspoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Lemon Curd
From The Joy of Cooking
8 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 lemons, zest grated and juiced

Place the ingredients in the double boiler over boiling water. Don’t let top pan touch the water. Cook and stir until mixture begins to gel or thicken ever-so-slightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate it to thicken.

This keeps, refrigerated, for about 1 week.

Seven-Minute Frosting
From The Joy of Cooking

5 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs whites at room temperature
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk first five ingredients together in a large, stainless-steel bowl. Set the bowl in a wide, deep skillet filled with about 1 inch of simmering water. Make sure the water level is at least as high as the depth of the egg whites in the bowl. Beat on high speed for exactly five minutes. Remove the bowl from the skillet and add vanilla, beating on high speed for two to three more minutes to cool.

Use this frosting the day it is made.