For the Love of Food

Potato Salad

2011-06-06T06:24:00.000-04:00

My daughter was telling me that all the kids in her english class were talking about my potato salad, which is nice to hear because it is so easy to make. it does take some time to let the potatoes cool

Sorry for the photo I had to grab a quick one while some was left.

Ingredients
8-10 potatoes
1/2 lb bacon
mayonnaise
sour cream
chives or green onion (I used about 1/4 cup)

Boil potatoes in their skins until tender, drain, let cool in the pot with the lid on (over night is best)
peel the potatoes by scraping with a knife, and cube into about 1/2 inch cubes put into a large bowl.
cook bacon and break into bits (I usually cut mine first it makes it easier to get it all the same size).
Add the bacon and 2-3 tbsp of the fat to the potatoes.
Add equal amounts of Mayonnaise and sour cream to coat the potatoes well.
Add the chives and mix.
let sit in the fridge until well cooled, and serve

Sweet and Salty Cake

2011-06-03T22:59:00.007-04:00

*Photo by Tannis

So! I've been super busy lately and I keep forgetting to take pictures of what I've made since I last posted. Too bad, because there's been a lot of good stuff. I made a shaved asparagus pizza and then a regular one, pasta puttanesca and roasted-red-pepper-and-mixed-pea pasta salad, Korean vegetable pancakes and some of the regular breakfast kind. I bought a new cookbook and from it I made a chopped avocado salad (meh), chicken fajitas (mmmmm) and a pot-roast meatloaf (me! And it was fabulous). Some of which I may even type up and share when I have a chance.

But this I can't keep to myself. It is possibly the most decadent thing I have ever made. I believe if I hadn't had people over to eat it with me I would be dead of cake overload right now. It's so rich that we had to have a water break halfway through our half-inch slices. It is amazing in every way.

It's also pretty labour-intensive, but I would just start a few days in advance next time. The cake layers can be baked then frozen for a few days/weeks, which will also make them easier to work with, and the caramel and frosting can be made in advance then refrigerated. I found that everything spread more nicely while cold anyway.

Baked's Sweet and Salty Cake
For the cake layers:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup sour cream
2 2/3 cups cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla

For the salted caramel:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup sour cream

For the whipped ganache frosting:
1 pound dark chocolate, chopped (I used dark chocolate chips)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, soft fut cool, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Fleur de sel, for garnish

Make the cake layers:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Butter and flour each pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa, 1 1/4 cups hot water, and sour cream; set aside to cool, about 10 minutes. In another medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Beat the butter and shortening together until smooth and ribbonlike, about 5 minutes. Add both sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and mix again for 30 seconds. Add flour mixture alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until cake is just firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely and remove from pans.

Make the salted caramel:
In a small saucepan, combine the cream and fleur de sel. Bring to a simmer over very low heat until salt is dissolved.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water. Cook over high heat until the mixture thickens and is amber in colour or an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F [Cook until it is a few shades lighter than desired - it will continue to cook for a few minutes after you take it off the heat]. Remove from heat and let cool 1 minute.

Add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Whisk in the sour cream. Let cool to room temperature and transfer to an airtight container an refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the cake.

Make the whipped ganache frosting:
Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl [if you have an electric mixer use that bowl because of later instructions] and set aside. In a small saucepan bring the cream to a simmer over very low heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water. Cook over high heat until mixture thickens and is light amber in colour. Remove from heat and let cool 1 minute.

Add cream to caramel and stir to combine. Stir slowly for 2 minutes, then pour caramel over the chocolate. Let caramel and chocolate sit for a minute, then slowly stir the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted. Let the mixture cool, then transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on low speed until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Increase speed to medium high and gradually add the butter, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on high until mixture is fluffy. [Not having a mixer I used hand beaters, and my ganache didn't get as "whipped" as it should have - still delicious but if you have a mixer I'd use it]

Assembly:
Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate. Place the first layer on the cake plate.

Spread 1/4 cup caramel on the cake, allowing it to soak into the cake. Follow the caramel layer with a layer of about 3/4 cup of the ganache icing. [At this point I'd refrigerate for 5-10 mins to firm everything up] Sprinkle 1 tsp fleur de sel over the icing, then place the second layer on top and repeat process with another layer of caramel followed by a layer of ganache icing and salt. [Chill again] Place the remaining layer on top, spread with caramel and cover entire cake with a thin 'crumb-coat' of icing. [Chill about 15 mins to firm up] Top with remaining ganache icing. Garnish with fleur de sel.

No-Knead Bread

2011-05-11T10:38:00.003-04:00

No-Knead Bread
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450°F. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven and turn dough over into pot. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is browned.

What I've Made Lately

2011-04-27T15:57:00.003-04:00

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

2011-04-07T09:57:00.003-04:00

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

2011-04-05T19:22:00.004-04:00

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.

Not really food but food related

2011-03-29T16:50:00.000-04:00

Sorry for posting lately but I was busy organising my spices, this included building a new spice cupboard.

Hopefully I will be back posting food soon

Eggs Baked in Tomatoes

2011-03-06T10:40:00.010-05:00

These are delicious and super easy. All you have to do is scoop, crack, bake and eat. They're also pretty filling - I made two for dinner but with some toast on the side one tomato will fill you up.

Romaine Pesto and Egg-Stuffed Tomatoes
Adapted from Gourmet*

6 tbsp pesto, any kind
6 large tomatoes (about 3 inches in diameter)
6 large eggs at room temperature
Parmesan for serving

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut off about 1/8 inch from top of each tomato with a sharp knife. You may also want to cut a sliver off the bottom then oil the cut bit so they stand upright better. Scrape out pulp and seeds with a spoon and discard them. Put tomatoes, cut sides up, in a 9-inch glass or ceramic dish and spoon 1 tablespoon pesto into each tomato. Crack 1 egg into each tomato and season with salt and pepper. Bake eggs in tomatoes until whites are set and yolks are still runny, 18 to 22 minutes. Grate some Parmesan on top and eat.

*The original recipe also included a instructions for making your own romaine-parsley pesto. As I find storebought pesto perfectly delicious and much simpler, I didn't bother making my own.

Coady

2011-03-02T16:17:00.002-05:00

I haven't tried this yet, but I thought I would post it. I read about "Coady" sauce in the newspaper and googled it to find out what it is. It's a Newfoundland thing and I thought I'd share it.

If anyone tries it first, let me know how it tastes!

Figgy Duff

“Figgy” refers to the raisins and “Duff” refers to the dough mixture.

2 cups breadcrumbs
1 cup raisins
1 tsp. baking soda
tbsp. hot water
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup flour
½ cup molasses
1 tsp each of ginger, allspice & cinnamon

To make breadcrumbs soak dry bread in enough water to soften. Drain and squeeze bread to remove excess water. Break into crumbs and measure 2 cups. Mix crumbs, raisins, molasses and melted butter. Them combine baking soda and water to crumb mixture. Mix well. Grease 4-cup molds and pour pudding into the mold. Cover top with a piece of greased foil and fold over the sides of the mold to keep steam out. Place molds in a large pot and add boiling water till it reaches the halfway mark on the molds. Cover and steam for 2 hours or until firm to touch. Serve with Molasses Coady (below).

Molasses Coady

1 cup molasses
¼ cup butter
¼ cup water

In a saucepan, combine ingredients. Heats to a boil then simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Serve over Figgy Duff.

Tomato, Barley and Garlic Risotto

2011-03-01T10:59:00.004-05:00

This is a really easy and delicious risotto. The only thing I found wrong with the recipe was the amount of garlic: it originally suggested using two whole heads, and even though I cut that down to a quarter of a head it was still pretty garlicky. Next time I think I'd use just two cloves.

Barley, Tomato and Garlic Risotto
From Yotam Ottolenghi's The New Vegetarian

2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
750g fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
200g (1 can) tomato paste
½ tsp smoky paprika
⅛ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp picked thyme
4 strips fresh lemon zest
1½ tsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
270g (1 ½ cup) pearl barley, well rinsed in cold water and drained
Roughly 200ml water
20g chopped coriander leaves, plus extra to garnish (Didn't have, didn't use)
Black pepper
200g feta, crumbled roughly (Ditto)

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan and sauté the garlic quarters for about two minutes, or until golden. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, chilli, thyme, lemon zest, sugar, salt, barley and a ladleful of water; stir and bring the mix to a simmer. Cook over minimal heat for 50-60 minutes, until the barley is tender but still firm to the bite. You'll need to stir it from time to time, so it doesn't stick to the pan, and add water occasionally, making sure there is always just enough liquid left in the pot to cook the barley. At the end of the cooking, the mix should be runny enough easily to spoon into bowls.

Once done, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the coriander and some freshly ground black pepper. Add most of the feta, stir gently so the cheese doesn't break up too much and stays in largish chunks, taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with the reserved feta and coriander.

Roasted Chicken with Dijon Sauce

2011-02-15T14:36:00.005-05:00

As soon as I saw this I had to make it, since I love mustard and happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of bone-in skin-on, since that's what I had in the freezer; if you do this cover the pan in the oven and roast for the lesser amount of time.

Roasted Chicken with Dijon Sauce
3 pounds chicken, with skin and bones
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream (I had milk and just boiled a little longer)
2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or the green parts of scallions (didn't have, didn't use)

Preheat oven to 450°F with a rack in middle. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown chicken, skin side down first and turning once, about 5 minutes per batch. Don’t move the chicken until the skin is bronzed and releases itself.

Return all chicken, skin side up, to skillet and roast in oven until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, then add shallots, wine, and broth to pan juices in skillet and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and boil until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. To thicken the sauce further, turn the heat to high and boil it until it reduces to a consistency you prefer. Whisk in mustard, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken with sauce.

Cinnamon Buns

2011-02-14T15:33:00.003-05:00

These are amazing. I want to make the sticky buns next! (Sorry, no description today - back to work!)

Cinnamon Buns
6 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
5 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp lemon zest or extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/8 - 1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tbsp cinnamon + 1 1/2 tbsp sugar)

Cream together the sugar, salt and butter. Whip in the egg and lemon zest until smooth. Than add the flour, yeast and milk. Stir until the dough forms into a ball, then knead until the dough is supple and tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little water. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat with oil. Cover and let sit at room temperature until doubled.

Roll the dough into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and about 14'' by 12'' (for larger buns) or 18" by 9" (for smaller buns). Sprinkle over with cinnamon sugar and roll the dough up into a log. cut the roll of dough into 8 to 12 even pieces (for larger buns) or 12 to 16 pieces (for smaller buns).

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the buns so that they are close but not touching, about 1/2 inch apart. Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into each other and nearly doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350°F with oven rack in the middle. Bake buns for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool about 10 minutes, then streak with fondant glaze while they are warm but not hot.

White Fondant Glaze
The recipe calls for 4 cups of confectioner's sugar; I think I used 1/2 cup. Make as much as you think you will need.

Confectioner's sugar
Milk
Vanilla or lemon extract (optional - I used vanilla but I think I would prefer plain)

Sift powdered sugar then whisk in enough milk to make a thick paste. Add flavouring if desired, then drizzle over buns.

Bonus Pic: Ciabatta, the recipe for which (as well as the above) can be found in The Bread Baker's Apprentice

Farmer's Benedict

2011-02-13T13:39:00.002-05:00

This dish is based on a delicious twist on eggs Benedict that I had at the Elgin Street Diner a few weeks ago. The original dish swapped out the English muffins for a bed of pan-fried potatoes, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach and ham, topped with poached eggs and Hollandaise. My version is a little different, as I tossed in mushrooms instead of the ham and, being put off by the effort and stick of butter that goes into Hollandaise sauce, topped it with a slice of stinky cheese. I would really recommend the Hollandaise version as well, if you can be bothered to make it.

Farmer's Benedict
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 to 1 pound fingerling potatoes, quartered
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (Or ham or bacon lardons)
A few handfuls of baby spinach
Eggs

Boil potatoes until they are just tender but not entirely cooked. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms over medium-high heat until the liquid they release has evaporated. Add the potatoes to the pan, season with salt and pepper and saute until crisp on the outside. Add the tomatoes and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted.

Top with a poached egg and Hollandaise or a melty cheese.

Win Cake

2011-02-12T18:38:00.005-05:00

I had another dinner to go to so I decided to re-try the whole "baking a cake" thing. It couldn't have come at a better time, because I really wanted to try this recipe but I was a little anxious because I hate pears - good thing my friends don't mind acting as guinea pigs for my baking experiments! This one turned out great, so great that I was still wishing I hadn't left the uneaten half at their place a week later. Definitely a keeper.

This is one recipe where I have to admit that you will want a KitchenAid or electric beaters, as my weakling human arms couldn't get the eggs beaten quite well enough, not to mention that they were killing me after a few minutes.

Torta di Pere [Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Cake]
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, at room-temperature
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 pears, peeled, in a small dice
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with breadcrumbs; set aside. [I just buttered it]

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until pale and very thick.

While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and cook it until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Remove from the heat but keep in a warm spot.

Add the sugar to the eggs and whip a few minutes more. Just as the egg-sugar mixture is starting to loose volume, turn the mixture down to stir, and add the flour mixture and brown butter. Add one third of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, a third of the flour, the remaining butter, and the rest of flour. Whisk until just barely combined — no more than a minute from when the flour is first added — and then use a spatula to gently fold the batter until the ingredients are combined. It is very important not to over-whisk or fold the batter or it will lose volume.

Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the pear and chocolate chunks over the top, and bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes, or a tester comes out clean.

Comfort Food

2011-02-02T15:54:00.003-05:00

I wasn't sure about this after the first time I had it, but as I ate up my leftovers I became sadder and sadder knowing that it was almost gone. It's warm, gooey, and best of all healthy and cheap. The site I got this from suggested serving it with pitas (it is a Middle Eastern dish), but I ladled it on top of some toast.

Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce)

2 tbsp olive oil
3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (I used 2)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
Salt, to taste
6 eggs (If you are going to have leftovers, use only as many eggs as you are going to eat right now. Then you can refridgerate the sauce by itself and either poach or fry an egg separately to put on top when you eat the leftover sauce.)
1/2 cup halloumi or feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley (I left this out)

Heat oil in a saute pan or wide pot over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Add tomatoes and their liquid to pan, and crush with a spoon or potato masher. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover pan and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley.

Butter Chicken

2011-02-01T13:34:00.000-05:00

This is a warm comforting dish on a cold evening.


Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Canola Oil
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (give or take)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup 2% Evaporated Milk
¼ cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Preperation:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

2. Heat remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, garlic and ginger until soft and fragrant.

Stir in butter, lemon juice and spices. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add tomato sauce, cooking for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in milk and yogurt. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add reserved chicken to sauce and bring sauce to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until sauce has thickened and chicken is cooked through.

Serve over steamed rice.

Fail Cake

2011-01-31T15:55:00.003-05:00

If you make this cake, try to avoid my mistake and actually follow all the directions. I promise, it will turn out much better for you. The main problems I had with this cake were: 1. I forgot sour cream so I substituted milk, and the batter was too runny; 2. I didn't have a bundt pan so I used an 8-inch springform, so the centre took forever to cook while the top dried out; and 3. I only had regular cocoa powder, so the leavening was off and it sunk in the middle. (Also I was too lazy to make ganache, which I think would have really added another dimension). That said, it was pretty tasty anyway. I am going to have to make it again, properly, and see how it goes.

Chocolate Stout Cake
1 cup stout (I used Guinness, but I would go for something richer next time)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules*

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan well. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Beat eggs and sour cream in another bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the pan, then turn cake out onto rack for drizzling ganache.

Ganache:
For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of cooled cake.

*Since I didn't make ganache, I put the coffee powder in the cake batter.

Two Easy Sides

2011-01-30T06:49:00.000-05:00

It was Elles Birthday Dinner, We had Duck, Wilted spinach and peppers, and Brown Butter Potatoes.

Wilted Spinach and Peppers

1/3 cup Butter
2 onions peeled quartered and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 Sweet Pepper quartered and sliced (I used half Red and Yellow)
1 Pound spinach

Melt the butter in a large Pan (one pound of spinach is huge)
Over low heat saute the onions until just starting to carmelize.
Add the Pepper and just take the hardness off but leave the crunch.
Add the spianch and wilt.

Brown Butter Potatoes.

2 pounds Potatoes
1/4 cup butter.
Salt, and Pepper

Wash and cut the unpeeled potatoes, and place in a pot and bring to a boil and simmer until tender.
Put butter into a small saucepot and heat it until it melts over medium heat. Because butter contains as much as twenty percent water it will then begin to steam and foam. Once the water has evaporated the foam will subside and the butter’s temperature will begin to rise. The milk fat solids that are one or two percent of the butter will then begin to brown. Continue watching as it begins foaming a second time. Swirl it gently, watching the colour, until it turns golden brown and releases the aroma of toasting nuts. Immediately pour the browned butter into a bowl to stop it from browning further.
When the potatoes are tender mash in the butter and salt and pepper.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

2011-01-28T11:51:00.003-05:00

Ingredients

Chicken Breast(s)

Tomato Sauce (meat free) - I use Classico jarred sauce. It really doesn't matter which one as long as it's meat free.

Breadcrumbs

Flour

1 Egg

Parmesan Cheese (grated)

Olive Oil

1- Pound your chicken breast with a hammer or a similar tool to make sure it is relatively the same thickness throughout. (don't skip this step, its actually important so that your chicken cooks at the same time)

2- Mix together equal parts of breadcrumbs and flour. I usually use a 1/4 cup of each for a large sized breast, but you can use more or less at your discretion. also for extra parmesaniness you can mix in about a tablespoon.

3- Beat egg in a separate bowl

4- Take the chicken that you beat-up earlier and coat it with the breadcrumb mixture, and then the egg, repeat this step until the chicken has a good coating or all the mixture is gone. (this part can be messy)

5- Heat enough olive oil in a frying pan to generously coat the bottom on medium to high heat

6- Cook you chicken in the pan until the outside is crispy (make sure that the chicken is completely cooked at this point)

7- Line an Oven-safe dish with tinfoil, this keeps the sauce from baking onto the dish and makes cleanup easier.

8- Put your cooked chicken in the pan and cover with sauce. Then cover the sauce with Parmesan cheese.

9- Put the pan in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melty and the sauce is warm

10- Serve the chicken. I like to have this chicken with pasta on the side.

French Lentil Salad

2011-01-23T10:47:00.002-05:00

This lentil salad is delicious, easy to make, and great either warm or cold. I make a lot of bean salads to take to campus for lunch, and this is by far the best one yet, much better than the mass of red lentils and red pepper in my fridge that is waiting for me to give up and just finish it. I could eat this salad every week and not get tired of it (and I might!).

French-Style Warm Lentil Salad
1 cup French green (Puy) lentils, picked over and rinsed (I had regular, so that's what I used)
3 cups water
1 Turkish bay leaf
½ tsp. salt, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. red wine vinegar
½ Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Crunchy sea salt, for serving
2 Tbsp. finely chopped Italian parsley, for serving

In a medium saucepan, bring the lentils, water, and bay leaf to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt, and then simmer, covered, for another 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but not falling apart.

While the lentils simmer, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just softened, about 7 to 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons vinegar, mustard, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, and whisk to emulsify.

When the lentils are ready, drain them in a colander or sieve, and discard the bay leaf. Dump them into the skillet with the vegetables, and add the vinaigrette. Cook over low heat, stirring gently, until heated through. Stir in the remaining ½ tsp. vinegar, and serve warm, with crunchy salt and parsley for sprinkling.

Hunter's Chicken

2011-01-20T19:53:00.010-05:00

There's a place in Stratford that makes "Hunter Chicken." It's really, really good. I decided to try to make it myself. Because it's also really, really expensive!

So, here goes:

1/3 cup white all-purpose flour
3 T olive oil
3 T butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 kg skinless, boneless chicken thighs
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 lb button mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Lightly coat chicken with flour.
2. Heat oil, butter & garlic in giant deep frying pan on high (be careful - try med/high and adjust). Saute chicken pieces thoroughly on each side until golden (6-8 mins per side). Take chicken out; set aside; keep warm.
3. Add bacon, onion, rosemary & thyme into pan and cook 2-3 minutes at medium. Deglaze pan with the wine. Cook 12-15 minutes on med. until cooking juices reduce and are completely absorbed.
4. Add tomatoes and put chicken back in pan. Add chicken broth, bay leaf, salt & pepper. Add mushrooms. (At this point, I also added a handful of cauliflower and carrots that were in my crisper. Obviously...this is optional...there might have even been a sprig of broccoli.)
5. Cover, reduce heat to lowest and cook very, very, very slowly for about an hour.

I didn't eat this yet. I turned off the heat, let it sit in the pan for 20 minutes, then put it into two beautiful casserole dishes, covered with plastic wrap and put in fridge.
I'm going to serve it tomorrow night.
I'll let you know how it turned out then.

Watch this space!

Notes After Dinner: I found there will still a lot of liquid in the stew. Some of the recipes called for corn starch, but I didn't like that idea. It could be served over rice to absorb the broth, but I don't care for rice and I was serving potatoes, so I didn't want to do that. Next time, I would add less broth and cook step 3 a little longer. It was very tasty, so it will definitely be worth refining the recipe.
K

Wining and Dining

2011-01-16T16:57:00.007-05:00

First off, this lovely picture is thanks to Liza, who took control of the camera I was too lazy to do anything with. Second, my first attempt at making pot roast was pretty great, and with a few minor improvements I think it could be even more delicious (e.g. correctly estimate how much time it will take to cook so it ends up medium instead of well done; don't completely forget to add the vegetables to the stock, etc.) And of course, having people over to eat with me made it all the better.

I'm only giving the recipe for the roast, but we also had tiny potatoes roasted until crispy, a salad with mum's birthday vinaigrette (tasty!) and some roasted vegetables that Tannis brought, which included carrots, onion, sweet potatoes and apple. Plus a blueberry pie, which was inhaled too quickly to photograph, and a few bottles of wine.

All in all, quite a successful dinner party!

Boeuf à la Mode
Put in a deep bowl:
1 beef pot roast
Pour over the meat:
Red Wine Marinade (below)
Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Drain the meat and pat dry (I reserved one cup of the marinade and added it to the stock later). Heat in a Dutch oven over medium high heat:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Brown the meat on all sides. Pour off excess oil. Add:
5 cups beef stock or broth (I used 4 cups plus the marinade)
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Towards the last hour degrease the simmering liquid and add:
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced onions
Cut the roast into thin slices and serve with the cooking liquid

Red Wine Marinade
Combine in a medium saucepan and simmer over low heat for 2 minutes:
2 cups dry red wine
1 small red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs thyme
6 whole black peppercorns, cracked
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
Remove from heat and season to taste with salt. Let cool before using.

Elle's First Pie

2011-01-16T07:30:00.001-05:00

Crust:
Use the Double Crust Pie Dough Recipie.

For the Filling:

4 cups of apples peeled and sliced.
1/2 cup White Sugar
2 Table spoons Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cloves
sprinkle of Mace
2 tbsp Corn Starch

To assemble:
Pre-heat oven to 450F
Roll out dough
Mix the filling ingredents in a bowl.
arange the filling in the bottom pie shell top with second crust.
Place in oven reduce heat to 375F bake about 45 Mins or until crust is golden brown.

Stew and biscuits

2011-01-16T07:05:00.003-05:00

Stew and Biscuits

For the stew:

Ingredients

2 pounds stewing beef, trimmed
onion
garlic
celery
carrot
1/2 bottle red wine
4 cups beef broth
1/4 cup yellow mustard
root vegetables, (onions, carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips or celery root)
bay leaf
fresh herbs, (such as thyme, rosemary, or sage)
salt
pepper

Directions

Begin with a few pounds of trimmed stew meat. Remember tough meat is best for stewing because the muscles that are used the most are not just the toughest, they have the most flavor! Cut the meat up into medium chunks. Too small and the stew will cook too fast and you won’t get the marvelous, deep flavor that comes from long slow simmering.
Brown the beef in a thick-bottomed stew pot; use enough oil to coat the bottom and add more if you need to. Dry each piece so it browns well. Be patient; take the time to evenly brown all sides of each piece of meat. Don’t overcrowd the pan or it will cool and not properly brown the meat; work in batches. A medium heat works best, too high and you’ll burn the meat and the tasty bits on the bottom of the pan. This is the single most important step in making a richly flavored stew. Because the stew will only simmer it will never achieve the high temperatures necessary to caramelize the meat; this is your only chance! The affect on the flavor is dramatic, the more you brown the tastier it gets. But don’t burn the meat because then it will taste bitter remove from the pot and set aside . Add flour I use about 1/4 to 1/3cup and cook until starting to brown.
Pour a big splash of wine into the pot and stir vigorously to dislodge the particles stuck to the bottom. They’re pure flavor! When the bottom is clean add the meat and vegetables.
Add enough broth to cover the meat at least halfway. Add more to cover if you have it, but not so much that the meat is swimming. Add some salt and pepper, a few bay leafs. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. You may continue cooking on the stove or in the oven. Generally an oven set at 325 degrees will stew perfectly. Either way stew until the meat is tender and can be cut with a spoon. This will take at least an hour and a half.
Now like many things in life stew is best served the day after you make it. The wait gives the complex flavors time to meld and mature. But if you’re hungry, go for it and remember: It’s all about flavor!

For the Baking Powder Bicuits

Ingredents

2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable shortning
1/2 to 2/3 cups Milk

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 450F
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl. Using a pastry cutter cut in the shortning until the mixture resembles course crumbs. add milk until moistened and comes together.
Turn out ont floured surface and knead until just smooth.
Roll out to 1/2 inch thick. cut into 2-inch rounds.
Place onto an un-greased baking sheet and bake 12-15 mins. or until golden brown

Pierogi, Two More Ways

2011-01-12T19:01:00.005-05:00

Like I said, there's a lot.

Wild Mushroom Pirogies
For filling
1 cup boiling water
2/3 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 medium onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I skipped this)

Pour boiling water over porcini in a small bowl and soak until softened,10 to 20 minutes. Lift porcini out of water, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, and rinse well to remove any grit. Pour soaking liquid through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a bowl and reserve.

Mix onion, garlic and cremini. Finely chop the porcini, then mix in.

Heat butter in a skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook mushroom mixture, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are dry and 1 shade darker, about 8 minutes. Add reserved soaking liquid and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick, dry, and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Cool completely.

Cut wrappers into circles and fill pierogies. Working with 1 round at a time, moisten edges with water and fold in half to form a half-moon, pinching edges together to seal.

Do ahead: Filling can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Freeze on a tray until firm, about 2 hours, then freeze in sealable plastic bags. Thaw before cooking.

Potato Pierogi
Boil until tender, then mash:
1 pound potatoes
Cook in a skillet until brown:
1 large onion (1 - 1 1/2 cups)
Mix onion and potato together then add:
1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar or Parmesan)
Stuff pierogi.

Cabbage-Stuffed and Cabbage, Stuffed

2011-01-11T17:30:00.003-05:00

Having apparently gone insane, I decided to make not only cabbage rolls and three types of pierogi this week. One large head of cabbage, four packs of wonton wrappers and countless hours of labour later, I was still no closer to answering the question of why somebody who doesn't even like making drop cookies because they take too much effort would even consider filling a freezer with miniature stuffed delicacies.

Because I love any and all types of dumplings, that's why. They're like presents for your mouth. Enjoy!

Cabbage Rolls
1 head Savoy cabbage
1 pound ground beef
1 small to medium onion, chopped small
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, shredded
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 parsnips, shredded
1/2 cup uncooked rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 to 4 cups of tomato sauce, tomato juice or V8

Cut the core out of the cabbage but leave it whole. Place it, with the empty core area facing up, in a large bowl. Boil a small pot of water and pour the water over the cabbage and let it sit for ten minutes. (I've also heard that you should freeze the cabbage overnight, which I might try next time - I found the leaves difficult to pull off after the first few.

Heat the oil in a saute pan. Cook the onions until they are soft, add the carrot, celery and parsnip and saute them for a couple extra minutes, until they are also soft. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, transfer it to a bowl and let it cool a bit. Mix in the meat, rice and tomato paste and season again with salt and pepper.

Drain the head of cabbage. Pull off large leaves and cut out the large vein. Pat the leaves dry with towels. Roll about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling in each leaf (depending on the size of your leaf) and arrange in a large, wide pot. Pour in enough juice or sauce to cover the rolls. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, letting them simmer covered on the stove on low for about 45 minutes. Serve immediately. These also freeze very well.

Mushroom and Sauerkraut-stuffed Pierogi
Heat in a skillet over medium heat:
1 tbsp butter or oil
Add and cook, stirring, until soft:
1 cup onions, chopped
Add and cook until tender:
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
Remove to a bowl and mix in:
1 cup sauerkraut, drained

Let cool completely, then cut a package of wonton wrappers into 2 1/2 inch circles. Stuff with mushroom mixture. Either cook or freeze pierogi on a tray, not touching, then store in the freezer for later use.

Jerome's Easer Caesar Salad Dressing

2011-01-09T15:16:00.001-05:00

Jerome's Easer Caesar Salad Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 c Parmesean cheese
2 tbsp of half and half (you could also use milk)

Mix all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

Enchiladas

2011-01-09T15:07:00.001-05:00


Enchilada

Enchilada Sauce
1     28 fl oz can of diced tomatoes
1     Medium Onion sliced
6     Cloves of Garlic
2    tsp Chipotle Powder
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Pepper

Chicken Filling
4     Skinless, Boneless Chicken breast halves cubed
1     tsp Paprika (I like to use Smoked)
1     tsp Ground Cumin
1     tsp Chipotle Powder
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese divided
1     can green chilies (about 1/2 cup)
8     corn tortillas
       sour cream

For the Chicken
Combine the cubed chicken, Paprika, Cumin, and chipotle powder, and let marinate for about an hour.
Fry the chicken mixture until the chicken is no longer pink. let cool.
when cool mix the chicken, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and the green chillies.

For the Sauce
Fry the onions and garlic in enough oil to coat the pan until golden, cool.
Add the tomatoes to a blender of food processor add the onion mixture, and spices puree until smooth.

For the Enchiladas
Place 1/8th of the chicken mixture on each tortilla, fold the side in then the bottom up and roll up. Place in a 9X13 casserole that has a lite coating of the sauce. top with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake in a 350 oven until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly about 20 mins.

Clam Chowder

2011-01-09T14:13:00.002-05:00

Clam Chowder

Being from the west coast I was brought up on clam chowder, and the best place to get it was a string of restaurants called Mo's. This is as close as I can get to theirs, enjoy.

Yield: 6 servings
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients
1/2 pound Bacon diced
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cups Flour
3 can Minced Clams (6 oz. each)
6 cups Diced Potatoes
3 cups Milk
1 dash Salt, pepper, paprika, butter

Procedure
1. Saute bacon until brown; drain off fat.
2. Add onion and saute until clear.
3. Add potatoes and juice from clams, cook about 15 minutes until potatoes are soft.
4. Stir in flour.
5. Add clams, milk and seasonings. heat through (do not boil)
6. Serve with a pat of butter.

Chipotle Brownies

2011-01-05T15:23:00.002-05:00

From the people who brought us apricot-rosemary squares, another unusual and delicious bar. I am definitely going to have to try their other stuff.

Spiced Chipotle Brownies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
11 ounces dark chocolate coarsely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 glass or light-colored metal baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, cocoa powder and spices (chipotle, cinnamon and cardamom) together.

Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

Onion Tart

2011-01-04T10:33:00.006-05:00

This tart is really more of a pizza, with a bready dough base and flat shape. It was amazing and pretty easy to make, although I found it a bit too heavily spiced. Next time I make it I will halve the seasonings and let the onions stand out on their own (don't cut down on the mustard though, it's delicious). The recipe below contains my adjustments.

Onion Tart with Mustard and Fennel
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (a 1/4-ounce package)
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115°F)
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg
2 tbsp plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 pound yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I used a bit more)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Stir together yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Put 1 1/2 cups flour in a medium bowl, then make a well in center of flour and add yeast mixture to well. Stir together egg, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon salt with a fork. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or your fingertips, gradually incorporating flour, until a soft dough forms. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead, working in additional flour (up to 1/4 cup) as necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

While dough rises, heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté fennel seeds until a shade darker, about 30 seconds. Stir in onions, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover onions directly with a round of parchment paper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very tender and golden brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Knead dough gently on a floured surface with floured hands to deflate. Pat out dough on a large heavy baking sheet into a 15- by 12-inch rectangle, turning up or crimping edge, then brush mustard evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge. Spread onions evenly over mustard, then sprinkle evenly with cheese.

Bake tart until crust is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into 2-inch squares or diamonds and serve warm or at room temperature.

As Promised (So Long Ago)...

2011-01-03T11:42:00.004-05:00

Delicious curries, plus a salad. Three new recipes to make up for my Christmas-break laziness.

Chana Masala
Good-quality olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garam masala
¼ tsp ground cumin
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 Tbs cilantro leaves, roughly torn, plus more for garnish
A pinch of cayenne, or to taste
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Film the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil, and place the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until it is deeply caramelized and even charred in some spots.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, stirring, and add a bit more oil if the pan seems dry. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garam masala, ground cumin and cardamom pods, and fry them, stirring constantly, until fragrant and toasty, about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup water, and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the water has evaporated away completely. Pour in the juice from can of tomatoes, followed by the tomatoes themselves, using your hands to break them apart as you add them; alternatively, add them whole and crush them in the pot with a potato masher. Add the salt.

Raise the heat to medium, and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and cayenne, and simmer the sauce gently, stirring occasionally, until it reduces a bit and begins to thicken. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Add the chickpeas, stirring well, and cook over low heat for about fifteen minutes. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Stir in yogurt or garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro. Serve.

Red Split Lentils With Cabbage (Masoor dal aur band gobi)
200 grams (1 1/4 cups) red split lentils, picked over, washed and drained
1 litre water
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into fine slices
225 grams (1/2 pound) cored and finely shredded cabbage
1 to 2 fresh, hot green chilies, finely sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 medium tomato, peeled and finely chopped, or 1 small can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon peeled, finely grated fresh ginger

Put the lentils and water into a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Remove any scum that collects at the top. Add the turmeric and stir to mix. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, turn heat down to low, and simmer gently for 1 1/4 hours. Stir a few times during the last 30 minutes.

When the lentils cook, heat the oil in a 20 to 23 centimeter (8 to 9 inch) frying pan over medium heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 3 to 4 seconds. Now put in the garlic. As soon as the garlic pieces begin to brown, put in the onion, cabbage and green chilies. Stir and fry the cabbage mixture for about 10 minutes or until it begins to brown and turn slightly crisp. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Turn off the heat under the frying pan.

When the lentils have cooked for 1 1/4 hours, add the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, the tomato and ginger to the pot. Stir to mix. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Add the cabbage mixture and any remaining oil in the frying pan. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer.

Simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cabbage is heated through.

Tangy Shredded Cabbage Salad
2 cups tightly packed, shredded green cabbage (use the large holes of the grater)
1 small serrano chile or jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

In a medium bowl, toss together the cabbage, chile, lemon juice, salt and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Heat the oil in a small skillet or butter warmer over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid or splatter screen. When seeds stop popping, immediately pour the oil over the cabbage salad and toss well. Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to blossom.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Christmas Cookies, Part VI

2010-12-18T09:17:00.003-05:00

As soon as I saw the recipe for these, I knew I had to make them. They sounded so unusual, and I love savory and sweet together in desserts. They come from a bakery in New York called Baked, which has a ton of unique sweets that I'm dying to try out (next baking session: spicy chipotle brownies).

Sadly, we have come to the end of my Christmas baking spree. The rest of the week I'll be posting some super-healthy curries to offset the effects of eating practically nothing but cookies for a few weeks.

Apricot-Rosemary Squares
For the rosemary dough:
1 1/2 sticks = 3/4 cup = 12 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated zest of half a lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 3/4 cups flour

For the apricot filling:
2 cups (230g) California dried apricots
1 1/2 cups water or white wine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brandy
pinch of salt

For the crumb topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup pecans or almonds, coarsely chopped
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the edge.

2. Make rosemary dough: cream butter with powdered sugar and salt. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and rosemary, then gradually add flour, mixing until the dough is smooth.

3. Transfer the dough to the baking pan and pat it flat into the bottom. Chill 30 minutes.

4. Make apricot filling: combine apricots, water, sugar, honey, brandy, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Let cool for a few minutes, stirring, then puree in a blender until smooth (I just mashed mine up with a whisk right in the pot. There is no way I'm going to wash syrupy apricot jelly out of a blender by hand).

5. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake shortbread for 20-25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

7. Make crumb topping: mix together flour, sugar, nuts, salt, and butter until the mixture just barely starts clumping together.

8. Spread the apricot filling over shortbread, then top with crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then slice. The bars can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Christmas Cookies, Part V

2010-12-17T11:12:00.004-05:00

I'm back!

By this point you might have noticed that nearly all the cookies I make are either bars or slice-and-bakes. Why? Because spending an hour or so individually scooping and shaping drop cookies is just so tedious, that's why. However, a particularly delicious cookie can sometimes triumph over my laziness... and these peanut butter cookies definitely fall into that category.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Note: I recommend using crunchy peanut butter so you get three different levels of peanut-y goodness.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick = 1/2 cup = 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar (I left this step out)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a criss-cross pattern, but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Exams Interrupt Life (Film at Eleven)

2010-12-09T11:23:00.006-05:00

Since I have nearly all my exams this week it's unlikely that I'll be posting any recipes until Wednesday, but stay tuned for the rest of the Christmas cookies and some other stuff.

Here's a gratuitous picture of a steak sandwich instead:

It was amazing.

Christmas Cookies, Part IV

2010-12-07T21:46:00.003-05:00

So. Delicious.

Picture everything you love about cheesecake. Now picture everything you love about gooey, fudgy brownies. Now put them together in one bar. I think in this case the whole is definitely more than the sum of its parts.

This is the original recipe. I one-and-a-halfed the brownie base and left the cheesecake as it was, then baked it in a 9x13. Oh, and I left out the chocolate chips. Turned out great.

Cheesecake-Swirled Brownies
Brownie batter
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake batter
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Plus
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Make brownie batter: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Heat butter and chocolate by placing the mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

Make cheesecake batter: Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula. (I found this harder than it sounds. I guess I'll have to practice some more to get a really lovely marbled effect)

Sprinkle chocolate chips over cheesecake/brownie batter swirl.

Bake brownies: Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Slicing tip: chill brownies until they’re almost frozen before cutting them. It makes it much easier to get a clean slice. I store mine in the freezer because I like my brownies icy cold when they're not hot and gooey.

Christmas Cookies, Part III

2010-12-06T17:32:00.002-05:00

Well, candy, actually. These are super easy and pretty good, although after I made then I remembered my dislike for the whole chocolate-orange thing. Good thing I have roommates!

Orangettes
Slice ends off four oranges, score the peel from one end to the other, and remove the peels from the oranges. Slice the peels into thin strips and trim the edges.

Using a medium size pot, place the peels in boiling water and blanch them for a few minutes. Drain, rinse, and repeat twice with new water each time.

Prepare the simple syrup by combining 16 ounces water with 8 ounces sugar in a saucepan. Bring the syrup to a simmer, place the peels in the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. Once the peels have cooked, remove from pot, and place on a rack to cool and drain.

Melt 16 ounces dark chocolate over a double boiler. Dip the candied orange peels in the chocolate, remove them quickly, and let them cool on a piece of parchment paper. Store the orange peels in an airtight container.

Christmas Cookies, Part II

2010-12-05T12:43:00.004-05:00

Honestly I'm not sure what the problem is with these, but I feel like something's missing. Maybe the espresso flavour could be more intense, or the chocolate chunks could be larger, or maybe they needed to bake longer (I forgot to set the timer). Still, they are very good and people seem to like them - they're just not perfect for me. Also let me recommend the rolling-in-the-bag technique for every roll-out cookie. It makes things so much easier.

Verdict: Not a must-bake, but try them out.

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 sticks = 1 cup = 16 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside to cool to tepid.

2. Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a sturdy rubber spatula.

3. Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

4. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.

6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale – they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.

Christmas Cookies, Part I

2010-12-04T16:37:00.005-05:00

These are my favourites of the batch, hands down. They are adapted from the lemon-blueberries bars I made this summer, and they are as awesome now as they were then. I was worried because I realized halfway through baking that I didn't adjust the sweetness at all to counteract the tartness of the cranberries, but they don't need any extra sugar at all. I will be adapting these to fit any and all fruits and berries in the future. Definitely a must-bake!

Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks/1 cup/16 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest (1 tbsp) and juice (2 tbsp) of one orange
4 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and orange zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly (kind of like pie dough - pea-sized bits are what you're looking for). Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together sugar, cornstarch and orange juice. Mix in berries, then spread mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Mushroom Tart

2010-12-02T11:53:00.004-05:00

This tart is great, but I feel like it could be improved a bit. First of all, as great as wild mushrooms are, it would probably be just as awesome with a mixture of button and brown mushrooms. Secondly, next time I think I will put 1 1/2 or even two pounds of mushrooms in to make a more substantial filling (you can't tell from the picture, but it's pretty thin). That said, this tart was pretty delicious and I definitely recommend trying it.

Mushroom and Blue Cheese Tart
For the pastry:
1/2 recipe of Dad's pie dough

For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 lb. assorted fresh wild mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced*
1/2 lb. fresh button mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced*
5 ounces blue cheese

1. Make the pastry, following Dad's previous instructions.

2. Preheat an oven to 400°F.

3. In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the green onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Increase the heat to high, add mushrooms, and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid they released has completely evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

4. Fit the dough into a tart pan. Crumble the blue cheese into a bowl, add the cooled mushrooms and stir well. Spread the mixture over the dough.

5. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

* I would actually use 3/4 to 1 lb brown (cremini) mushrooms and 3/4 to 1 lb button mushrooms, to save on cost. You could throw some wild mushrooms in as well if you feel like it, but honestly I don't think it would make much of a difference

PS. Poached Egg Win! Practice makes perfect, I guess.

Poached Egg Fail

2010-11-26T15:55:00.003-05:00

(Also: Picture Focus Fail - seriously, I think maybe one leaf in the background there is in focus.)

How exactly do you poach an egg? My attempt wasn't terrible, but I lost most of the egg white in the pot and it never really came together. Any suggestions to improve a repeat performance?

On a happier note, here is a recipe for a delicious salad dressing! Boring, yes, but I have been eating mostly leftovers and freezer food for the past week or so.

French Vinaigrette

1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 very small clove garlic or small shallot, minced
1 egg yolk, at room temperature (I always omit this)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil

Whisk everything together.

Quite to the point, isn't it?

Tomato, Sausage and Spinach Risotto

2010-11-22T11:07:00.002-05:00

I'm sure we can all agree that risotto doesn't exactly photograph well. However, I can assure you that it tasted delicious. And while it isn't quite a one-pot meal, it does manage to squeeze in all four food groups. So I'd call that a success.

Tomato, Sausage and Spinach Risotto
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound (350 g) spicy Italian sausage, casings removed and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
About 7 cups flat-leaf spinach, chopped (I used an entire 225 g bag)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

In a medium saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Israeli Couscous, Two Ways

2010-11-18T11:02:00.005-05:00

I love Israeli (a.k.a. pearl) couscous with a passion that I just can't summon for the regular stuff. Instead of mushy grainy slop that I can never manage to make taste edible, pearl couscous is a bowl of delightful little pasta beads with a texture that makes every dish better. This dish was pretty delicious on its own (although I'd throw another pint of tomatoes in next time), and possibly even better the next night when I bulked up the leftovers with spinach and chicken.

So without further ado, here is my reduced and adjusted recipe - I doubled the tomatoes, reduced the salt (as the olives are pretty salty already) and made various other minor adjustments. It will feed 2 as a side if you go with the original, or as a main dish if you add the spinach and chicken.

Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes
For roasted tomatoes and dressing
2 pt red grape or cherry tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp warm water (I used one)
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

For couscous
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup black olives, pitted and chopped
2 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Roast tomatoes and make dressing:
Preheat oven to 250°F.

Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour.

Peel garlic and puree with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is smooth.

Make couscous: Bring broth to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.

Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spinach and Chicken Option

Cut 2-4 chicken thighs into strips and saute until cooked through. Add a generous handful of spinach when chicken is just about done and saute until limp but not slimy. Add to couscous.

Indian Fry Bread (Sopaipillas)

2010-11-17T08:14:00.001-05:00

First off let me apologize not for not posting lately, due to vacation and work scheduling I really have not had the time.
Karin and I found these on our recent trip to the South West they are so good as either a taco shell under chile or with some honey.mmmm

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
oil for frying

Mix the dry ingredents ad water and mix, then knead until the dough is soft not sticky (adding more flour or water as nessary)
Heat about 1 inch of oil in a deep sided pan to 375 degrees.
Place in a bowl, cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
Divide into 12 equal size balls, roll out each until 5-6 inches across.
fry in oil until golden brown turning as needed.


Serve with butter, jam or honey. Or make tacos.

Ginger Fried Rice

2010-11-15T08:51:00.003-05:00

Two photos this time instead of a lengthy description. In a word: delicious. Also, I'm pretty impressed that all three parts of this meal were done at the same time.

Ginger Fried Rice
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
4 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried
4 cups cooked rice
Eggs to put on top (1 per person)
2 teaspoons sesame oil (for some heat use hot sesame oil)
2 teaspoons soy sauce

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown.

Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not browned.

Raise heat to medium and add rice, sesame oil and soy sauce. For traditional fried rice scramble eggs in separate skillet and add to rice then cook, stirring well, until heated through. Otherwise, fry egg sunny side up and serve on top of rice.

Dipping Sauce (Although it's actually for drizzling on top)
1 part sesame oil
1 part soy sauce
1 part hoisin sauce

Stuffed Chicken

2010-11-13T13:28:00.002-05:00

The easiest and most impressive meal ever. So easy that for the first time in probably a few months I actually made a proper meal with meat and potatoes and a side vegetable. Must be hibernation season.

Simply unroll your chicken thighs, spread some pesto, goat cheese, and a strip of red pepper in the middle of each, and pop in the oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes. Serve with some more pesto on top.

I served mine with some roasted potatoes (chop into halves or quarters, toss them in a roasting pan with butter on top and put in the oven at 400 F, come back in an hour and enjoy) and sauteed spinach (toss some spinach in a pan over medium with a drop of olive oil, a splash of broth and a few quartered black olives; stir for a minute or two until wilted but not soggy).

Almost Perfect

2010-11-11T13:10:00.005-05:00

My attempt at re-creating Amato's spinach pizza. This pizza dough is pretty delicious, and I'll probably use this recipe if I have wine and honey on hand but I didn't find a huge difference between it and the last one. I doubled it because I though it wouldn't hold all the toppings, but I would just make a thin crust pizza next time. Also, I ended up picking all the charred sun-dried tomatoes off the top, so I wouldn't include those again.

New Pizza Dough Recipe

6 tablespoons warm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more water)
2 tablespoons white wine
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups flour

Whisk wine, water and yeast in a medium bowl until yeast has dissolved. Add honey, salt and olive oil and stir. Add flour and work it with a spoon or your fingers until it comes together as a dough.

Sprinkle some flour on the counter and knead the dough for a minute or two.

Lightly oil the bowl, put the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover and leave undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

Dump it back on the floured counter and gently press the air out of the dough. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under the plastic wrap or towel for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like and bake.

Spinach Pizza
Baby spinach
1 small white onion, sliced thinly
1 roasted red pepper
1 pkg goat cheese (the smaller log - I don't remember the measurement)
Basil
Olive Oil
1 garlic clove, minced

Spread 1 tbsp olive oil over the pizza dough and sprinkle with garlic and approx 1-2 tbsp basil (or use pesto and omit the olive oil)

Cover with spinach. Use a ton. Don't worry if it looks like your pizza is going to collapse under the weight; it will shrink in the oven. Slice red pepper into strips and scatter over the spinach. Do the same with the goat cheese. Drizzle over with another tbsp of olive oil.

Bake at 425 F for approximately 18-20 minutes.

Chickpea Salad

2010-11-10T16:21:00.003-05:00

I am saving my descriptions for graded writing right now, so without further ado:

Chickpea Salad with Capers and Roasted Red Peppers
2 large red peppers, roasted and skinned*
2 cans chickpeas, rinsed
1/4 cup of parsley or cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons of capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice or red wine or sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Cut the peppers into half-inch wide strips and put them in a large bowl together with the chickpeas, herbs and the capers. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, salt, garlic and oil. Pour over the chickpea mixture and combine.

*To roast red peppers: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place peppers on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes to brown evenly.

Blondies

2010-11-05T20:46:00.004-04:00

Today I have made the dangerous discovery that there is a gooey, caramel-y bar cookie that can be whipped up in no time flat and only uses a few basic ingredients. They can be made plain (if you can call it that) or stuffed chock full of extras to make them even more delicious. And judging by the fact that I made them only a few hours ago and the pan is half empty, they are 100% Roomie Approved. Not bad for about five minutes work.

Blondies
Basic Recipe:
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Butter an 8×8 pan.

Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions* (below).

Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
Top with a vanilla butter cream, chocolate ganache or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

*I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 1/4 cup whiskey, which I might take down to 2 tbsp next time - it's a bit strong in the gooey centre bits.

Update: once the cookies cool down and solidify a bit the alcohol taste is much less strong.

Simple White Bread

2010-11-04T20:51:00.003-04:00

This was the first bread I ever made. It's quick and easy since there's no pre-ferment, so you can make it in only a few hours.

Simple White Bread

2 cups warm tap water, about 110 degrees
2 1/2 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
5 1/4 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup flour for dusting the loaves
Cornmeal for the pans

1. To make the dough, in a 3-quart mixing bowl place water and sprinkle yeast on surface, allowing it to stand for two minutes before whisking. Add the smaller amount of flour and salt stiffing with a rubber spatula until it forms a ball. Knead the dough by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, adding more flour if dough is too soft.

2. Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn dough over so top is oiled. Cover bowl and allow dough to rise at room temperature until doubled. If you wish to interrupt the process, let the dough begin to rise, then punch it down, cover it tightly and refrigerate. When you are ready to proceed, bring back to room temperature until it begins rising again.

3. Divide the dough into two parts and shape into loaves. Arrange dough seam side down, cover with plastic or a towel and let it rest of 5 minutes.

4. Dust pan with cornmeal. Place loaves seam side down on cookie sheets and dust each loaf heavily with flour. Cover and allow to rise until doubled.

5. About 30 minutes before you intend to bake the loaves, preheat oven to 500 degrees and set racks at the middle and lowest levels. Set a pan on the lowest rack to absorb some of the excess bottom heat and keep the bottom of the loaves from burning.

6. Make 3 to 4 diagonal slashes in each loaf. Immediately place loaves in oven and lower temperature to 450 degrees.

7. After loaves have baked for 20 minutes and are completely risen, lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking about 20 to 30 minutes longer, until bread reaches an internal temperature of about 220 degrees. Remove loaves from oven and cool on a rack.

On a Similar Note

2010-11-02T15:54:00.003-04:00

I have been on a bit of a squash kick for the past few weeks. Here is a recipe I tried out last night - I only made one 1-pound squash, whereas the recipe calls for 3 pounds, so if you want to go with the original proportions then just double all the other ingredients.

Roast acorn squash with goat cheese and tahini dressing
1 lb acorn squash, cut into quarters
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
40 grams (approx) soft goat cheese
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon tahini
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Place squash wedges, skin side down, in a roasting pan, drizzle with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, season to taste and roast until tender 45 – 50 minutes.

For the tahini dressing, crush garlic cloves to a smooth paste in a mortar and pestle, whisk in the remaining ingredients and season to taste (I just minced mine).

Divide wedges among plates, crumble over with cheese, scatter with cilantro leaves, and drizzle the tahini dressing.

Oatmeal Chocolate Pecan Cookies

2010-10-21T11:52:00.002-04:00

Because I needed something to snack on while studying, and because I apparently didn't get enough sweets at Thanksgiving, I made these amazing cookies.

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (optional)
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment. Beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about three minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. Stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest, and chocolate chips.

Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack. Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.

More Squash

2010-10-21T11:26:00.010-04:00

I love squash, but I don't like it sweetened and I don't like it cooked down into mush. Happily this recipe is neither of those things: it's spicy and tangy, and the roasting gives it a nice crisp edge. Delicious.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile-Lime Vinaigrette
I halved the original recipe and made some adjustments. This will make 2-4 side servings, depending on how big you think a serving is.

1 (1 1/2 – to 1 3/4-lb) acorn squash
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges. Toss squash with black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.

While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk in lime juice, jalapeno (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 2 tbsp oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Homemade Pizza

2010-10-21T11:26:00.008-04:00

This pizza is so easy and so good, I may never bother ordering in again. I can't wait to try this crust with other toppings (spinach, ricotta and red peppers, anyone?)

Really Simple Pizza Dough
Makes enough for one medium thin crust pizza. Double it if you like your pizza thick and bready.

1 1/2 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball. Knead it for just a minute or two.

Lightly oil the bowl, put the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap or a towel and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

Dump it back on the floured counter and gently press the air out of the dough. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under the plastic wrap or towel for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like and bake.

Onion Pizza
I didn't use onion jam because I didn't have any, but i will definitely make the effort to go pick some up next time. Not only does it sound like the most delicious thing ever, but I bet it would help to stick the toppings on a little better, too.

1 fresh pizza dough
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used Gouda)
5-6 fresh sage leaves (I used about 1/4-1/2 tsp ground)
1/4-1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved or quartered
1-2 tablespoons onion marmalade
Salt and pepper to taste

Roll out the dough fairly thin and put it on a pizza stone sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover the dough with cheese, spread the onion all over, dribble some cream over it, season it with salt and pepper then toss on the olives, sage and some globs of onion jam.

Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes at 450ºF.

Pumpkin-Orange Bread

2010-10-21T11:00:00.005-04:00

I'm back! Although I may have seemed to disappear off the face of the earth these past few weeks, exams are done now and I have the time to tell you all about the delicious things I've been making. Starting with this pumpkin bread:

This was one of the most aggravating recipes I have ever made, mostly because it was in metric and I don't have a scale, so I had to use the internet to convert all the measurements into cups and spoons. But also because the recipe says that it will make one 9x5 loaf of bread, and as you can see from the picture, it makes a lot more than that. So as I was adding ingredients and watching my biggest bread bowl nearly start to overflow, I was convinced that I had converted incorrectly and was going to end up with a great deal of inedible slop.

Happily when I opened the oven an hour later, I found a delicious moist bread waiting for me inside. The end.

Orange Pumpkin Loaf

1 large orange
125 grams butter (1/2 cup)
445 grams white sugar (2 ¼ cups, or 2 cups packed brown sugar)
3 eggs
410 grams canned pumpkin (I used a large can of pumpkin - possibly 425 ml)
130 ml water (1/2 cup)
415 grams all-purpose flour (3 ¼ cups)
8 grams baking soda (2 tsp)
4 grams baking powder (1 tsp)
8 grams salt (1/2 tsp)
2 grams cinnamon (1 tsp)
2 grams cloves (1 tsp)
100 grams walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease 3 9x5 inch loaf pans.

Cut a whole orange into wedges and remove seeds. In a food processor or blender, pulse the orange (peel and all) until puréed.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the pumpkin, water, and the orange purée. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir into batter just until moistened. Mix in nuts. Pour into the prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Corn Salsa

2010-10-11T11:26:00.002-04:00

2 Cups Frozen corn
2 tbsp Seeded minced Jalapeno Chile
1/2 cups Red Bell Pepper, Cut into small dice
2 tsp Cilantro
1/4 cups Red Onion, Cut into small dice
pinch of salt
pinch of ground Black Pepper
1 tomato, seeded cut into medium dice (about 3/4 cups)
1 small can V-8 Juice (about 1/2 cups)

In a dry fry-pan toast the corn over medium heat until lightly browned.
Mix the corn with all the other ingredients in a small bowl. Hold at room temperature for at least an hour before serving.

Best Baguettes

2010-09-30T11:25:00.004-04:00

These baguettes are delicious. They're light and chewy, and the crust is crunchy but not tough. They're great for sandwiches or just plain with a bit of butter. I made six but they are a little small, so I think I will go for four next time I make them - these ended up being about 10-12 inches long and 2-3 inches wide.

Pain a l’Ancienne

Yields 4-6 baguettes

6 cups (27 ounces) unbleached bread flour
2¼ teaspoons salt
1¾ teaspoons instant yeast
2¼ cups plus 2 tablespoon to 3 cups ice-cold water

1. Combine the flour, salt, yeast and the lesser amount of water in a large bowl and mix until it forms a ball. The dough should be sticky and soft but it should release from the sides of the bowl. If not, sprinkle in a small amount of flour until this occurs (or add more water if the dough seems too stiff). Lightly oil the bowl and roll the dough around until it is coated with oil, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel.

2. Immediately place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill overnight, to retard fermentation.

3. The next day, check the dough to see if it has risen in the refrigerator. It will probably be partially risen but not doubled in size. Leave the bowl of dough out at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours (or longer if necessary) to allow the dough to wake up, lose its chill, and continue fermenting.

4. When the dough has doubled from its original prerefrigerated size, sprinkle the counter with flour. Gently transfer the dough to the floured counter, degassing as little as possible. If the dough is very wet, sprinkle more flour over the top as well as under it. Roll the dough gently in the sprinkled flour to coat it thoroughly, simultaneously stretching it into a long oblong. If it is too sticky to handle, continue sprinkling flour over it. Dip a metal pastry scraper into flour to keep it from sticking to the dough, and cut the dough into 4-6 strips with the pastry scraper by pressing it down through the dough until it severs it, then dipping it again in the flour and repeating this action until you have cut down the full length of the dough. (Do not use this blade as a saw; use it as a pincer, pinching the dough cleanly with each cut.) Let the dough relax for 5 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, or 550 degrees if your oven goes this high. Place a steam pan on the bottom rack.

6. Place the baguettes on a floured sheet pan (or two) and score the dough with 3 diagonal cuts. Because the dough is sticky, you may have to dip the razor blade, serrated knife or scissors in water between each cut. You may also omit the cuts if the dough isn’t cooperating.

7. Put the pan in the oven on the middle rack. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan and close the door, then reduce the oven setting to 475 degrees and continue baking.

8. The bread should begin to turn golden brown within 8 or 9 minutes. If the loaves are baking unevenly at this point, rotate them 180 degrees. Continue baking 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the bread is a rich golden brown. (I baked mine for 9 minutes per side.)

9. Transfer the hot breads to a cooling rack. While these are cooling, you can bake the remaining loaves, remembering to turn the oven up to 500 degrees or higher before baking the second round.

Potato Bacon Cheddar Tart

2010-09-25T11:46:00.002-04:00

OK I know what your thinking, Potato and cheese wrapped in a bacon crust is going to be like Grease Goulash, but you're wrong and so was I. This is actually quite good and not greasy inside at all. I watched Chef Michael Smith make the on his shoe Chef at Home and when I got his book I had to try it.

Yield: 8

Ingredients

2 pounds or so of room temperature bacon
1 minced onion
3 minced garlic cloves
4 cups of grated aged cheddar
Five or six large unpeeled baking potatoes
A sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Carefully arrange the bacon in a radial pattern from the center of the bottom of a ten-inch, non-stick pan to the lower edge of the rim and continuing up and over it. Let the ends hang over. The slices should overlap slightly around the sides of the pan. To reduce the thickness of the bacon in the center stagger every other piece starting it two inches from the center and extending it further than the adjacent slices. With the palm of your hand, flatten the center area, leaving no gaps in the bacon. Season the bacon with pepper then sprinkle on several tablespoons of the grated cheddar.
Slice the potatoes as thinly and uniformly as you can, about a quarter inch thick. Arrange a circular pattern of overlapping slices around the inside bottom edge of the pan. Continue arranging overlapping layers of the potatoes until the bottom is evenly covered. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Mix the onions and garlic together and sprinkle some of the mixture onto the potatoes. Continue with a layer of the grated cheese. Cover with another layer of the potato pressing it down firmly before continuing with alternate layers of the potatoes, onion mixture and cheese until the pan is full.
Continue with several more layers insetting each a bit from the edge of the pan until the top is an inch or so higher than the pan’s rim. Fold the overhanging bacon neatly up and over the top of the potatoes. Trim a small piece of parchment paper and place it in between an ovenproof lid and the bacon. This will prevent the bacon’s ends from pulling back and shrinking during cooking.

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for at least two and a half to three hours. You’ll know it’s done when a small thin bladed knife insert easily. Pour off as much of the fat around the edges as possible. Let the tart stand for fifteen minutes then invert it onto a cutting surface. Slice into wedges and serve immediately. You may refrigerate any leftovers and reheat them later it in a microwave

One Pot Wonder

2010-09-22T13:45:00.004-04:00

This was delicious. It's flavourful, full of vegetables and spices and, most importantly, is made in a single pot.

This recipe is halved from the original, and it makes a lot - probably enough for four people. The original recipe also called for fewer vegetables (I doubled the red pepper and probably the tomatoes as well - I'm not sure if the weight refers to before or after seeding. If before, then I doubled them), but I think it's even more healthy this way.

Also: one pot!

Arroz Con Pollo (Cuban Chicken with Rice)

Chicken
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
6 chicken thighs

Rice
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-to-large onion, chopped (I used two smallish ones)
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more to taste
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 lb. tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I estimated, and I suspect I had closer to 1 lb.)
3/4 cup (6 oz.) beer (not dark)
3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 cup drained rinsed bottled pimiento or roasted red pepper strips (optional - I left them out)

Marinate chicken: Mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt. Stir in vinegar and oregano. Toss chicken with marinade until coated and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 hour.

Cook chicken and rice: Cook onions, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add chicken with marinade to vegetable mixture and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, beer, broth, and rice and bring to a boil, making sure rice is submerged. [Note: Use tongs to temporarily remove the chicken from the pot, mix the rice in with the other ingredients in the pot, and then replace the chicken, pressing it into the broth a bit before going onto the next step.]

Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover pot with a tight fitting lid. Cook, stirring once or twice, until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, bay leaf, scatter pimiento strips over rice, and serve.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

2010-09-14T20:18:00.009-04:00

This is possibly the best thing I have ever eaten. Make it. Make it now.

Yes, there is a lot of prep work, but trust me - it's so worth it.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

For the pastry:
I used half of Dad's recipe.

For the filling:
1 small butternut squash (about one pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup fontina cheese, grated (I used a smoked Gouda)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 tsp ground)

1. Make pastry (I made mine ahead of time, you can do this step whenever you like).

2. Prepare squash: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel squash, then halve and scoop out seeds. Cut into a 1/2-inch dice. Toss pieces with olive oil and a half-teaspoon of the salt and roast on foil lined sheet for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Caramelize onions: While squash is roasting, melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook onion over low heat with the remaining half-teaspoon of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.

4. Roll out pastry and fit into tart pan.

5. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese and sage together and pour into tart shell. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Meatballs

2010-09-13T06:39:00.000-04:00

I spent the morning making meatballs for the freezer I used 5 pounds of Hamburger and made 110 but will share the recipe using one pound.

110 meatballs ready for the frezer

1 pound Hamburger
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Using your hands mix all ingredients in a bowl.
take about a golf ball size bit of the mixture and form into a ball.
If using right away fry over med heat until all sides are browned and the internal temp is at least 160 or no longer pink and the jucies run clear.
If you are making a larger batch like I did bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temp is at least 160 or no longer pink and the juices run clear.
Should make around 20 balls depending on the size you make, try to make them all the same size to make the cooking more consistent.

Chickpea and Carrot Salad

2010-09-11T10:35:00.004-04:00

Simple to make and a great healthy lunch.

2 large shallots, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
½ cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, chopped (I just used a few tablespoons of dried)
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, garlic, and salt. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the shallots and garlic to mellow.

Add the carrot, parsley, and olive oil to the shallot mixture. Toss in the chickpeas, and season as needed with salt and pepper.

Liver Dog Treats (puppy crack)

2010-09-06T12:45:00.001-04:00

I made these for my little helper now it is all he wants.

1 lb liver
1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup water

Boil the liver in water until no longer pink about 10 minutes.
Grind the liver using the smallest plate you can.
add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined. (I used my mixer for this.)
roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness
use cookie cutters to cut cookies.
Bake at 250 f for about one hour until bone dry (no pun intended)

Bran Muffins

2010-09-06T12:02:00.001-04:00

This is one of the recipes that my daughters in university always ask me to make for them.

For 12 Muffins

1 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup Bran
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt.
1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit) we like golden raisins
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (the sour cream makes a richer muffin)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients including the dried fruit.
In another bowl mix the wet ingredients together.
Stir together in the large bowl until just moistened.
Spoon into large paper lined muffin cups.
Bake in a preheated 375 f oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden and the tops are firm to the touch.

Spinach Pasta Fettuccine

2010-09-06T11:27:00.000-04:00

I love the taste of fresh pasta one of our favorites is spinach Fettuccine.
1 3/4 cups Durum semolina flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp Olive oil
8 oz. spinach blanched drained squeezed dry and chopped. (you can also use 5 1/2 oz of thawed frozen spinach)
put all ingredients on the bowl of the mixer and knead until thoroughly combined. let rest at least one hour.
Roll out the pasta until desired thickness #4 on my roller.

Cut and place on rack to dry separate noodles as drying before boiling.

Jerome's Granola Bars

2010-08-28T08:55:00.002-04:00

I developed this recipe like most other people by stealing ideas from others and perfecting it to what we like and my way of cooking.
The Bars are Sweet without being overly so and very satisfying. Enjoy

1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, melted

2-3 Tbs. flax seeds

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup chopped Almonds
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries.

4 1/2 cups oats.

Mix by hand the- corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, flax seeds


Mix in the Flour, baking soda, and salt Mix again and add - the Almonds and cranberries. Finally Add the oats

Lightly press into 12 X 17 sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 325° 30 minutes, until light brown on top. Cool 10 minutes, Cut into squares, let completely cool before removing from pan.

Traeger Lil Tex Review

2010-08-20T15:28:00.000-04:00

I have had my Traeger Lil Tex BBQ Smoker for about two months now so I thought I would do a quick review of their product.

I managed to get mine as a demo so I did manage to get a better price than the new $1199.00 but that being said I would have no problem paying that for a grill of this quality.

As it was already assembled I can't first hand tell you about that but after reading the instructions and talking to the guy who did do the assembly it seems pretty easy.

The Traeger burns wood pellets at about $20.0 for a 20 lb bag and they are available in 10 different verities of wood flavours. I usually have about 4 different ones on hand so I have a choice depending on the meat. As far as I can tell you will be spending about the same for pellets as for propane but I have done no scientific study to back this up only my observations as to how long a bag of pellets last compared to a tank of propane.
When I was originally shopping for a smoker I found that most only let you smoke the Traeger allows you to also use it as a BBQ for this reason I wanted one of the Lil Tex models as the junior does not give enough head room to the cover to do a chicken or good size roast comfortably.

PROS.

I find the unit easy to clean if you cover the catch plate with foil almost all of the grease ends up in the catch bucket.

The model I have (the Elite) is controllable in 25 degree increments from smoke to 450 degrees. the standard model only has three positions but it looks like you can up grade it.

The food does taste great with a nice smokey flavor even when not doing a smoked meal, I find this flavor lacking on the propane grill.

CONS

it does take some time to get the grill up to temperature (about 10 minutes) so you you want to just plop a burger on and be eating in 5 minutes stay with a propane.

when you run out of pellets i find that I have to clean out the fire box to get it to relight, or else you end up with a BBQ full of pellets.

All in all if I had my choice of buying a comparably priced Propane grill and the Traeger and could only have one it would be the Traeger. As I do have both I do find that I use the Traeger more usually do to the family asking me to.

Here are links to the Canada site http://www.traegercanada.com/
Traeger USA http://www.traegergrills.com/

Rice Pudding

2010-08-18T17:31:00.003-04:00

Rice boiled in milk until it all congeals - if that doesn't sound delicious then I don't know how to help you. Rice pudding is an excellent dessert (or breakfast) because it's made from whole grains, has tons of calcium and if you throw some berries or a baked apple on top you've got three food groups right there.

Rice Pudding
Makes 4 desserts or 2 meals

1/2 cup rice
4 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
Pinch of cinnamon, cloves, or whatever spices you like
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bring the rice, milk, sugar, bay leaf and spices to a gentle boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. When the pudding looks nearly done (thick texture but the grains of rice are not mushy or dissolving) add the vanilla.

Serve hot or cold with fresh fruit or berries, raisins, a baked sliced apple, or just plain.

Ciabatta Bread and more

2010-08-18T07:01:00.002-04:00

I found a great site for Bread Information called the Artisan where you can find a wealth of information and in-depth articles on ingredients. they also have some recipes there where I found this one.

Ciabatta - Indirect Method (Biga)

(Slipper Shaped Bread)

Adapted from a recipe in a "Molina Sima" recipe booklet.

Ingredients

Starter

3/4	Tsp.	Yeast - Active Dry or 3/10 sm. Cake Yeast (5 g)
1 1/4	Cup	Water - warm (300 g)
3 3/4	Cups	Flour - unbleached all purpose (500 g)

Dough

1 1/2	Tsp.	Yeast - Active Dry or 6/10 sm. Cake Yeast (10 g)
1/2	Cup	Water - (120 ml)
775	Grams	Starter from above
1/2	Cup + 2 Tbl.	Flour - unbleached all purpose (50 g)
1/2	Tsp.	Malt (2.5 g) - [See Note Below]
1 1/2	Tsp.	Salt (7.5 g)

Note: If liquid malt is used, dissolve it in the 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of water, before it is added to the dissolved yeast. If powdered malt is used, add it with the flour.
Procedure

Starter

Dissolve the yeast in 1 1/4 cup warm water and allow it to stand for approximately 5 -10 minutes. Add the unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 cup) and mix until the flour is absorbed and a firm dough is formed. Cover the starter and allow it to remain at room temperature overnight.

Dough

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup water and allow it to stand for approximately 5-10 minutes. Combine the flour (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons), malt (1/2 teaspoon), and salt (1 1/2 teaspoons). Place the flour mixture on the work surface (or in a large bowl), and make a well in the center. Gradually add the dissolved yeast, and starter, mixing well between additions. Continue to mix until the dough begins to hold together. Knead the dough to a soft consistency. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough will feel sticky.

Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover with a cotton towel (or plastic wrap), and allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Turn the risen dough onto a flour dusted work surface. Divide it into two portions. Pat each portion into a rectangle approximately 4 by 8 inches long and dust each portion with flour. Dust a piece of canvas (untreated, 100% cotton) or a proofing board (lumber core plywood) with flour. Transfer each portion to the floured canvas or proofing board. Dust each portion with flour. Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.

As the dough is rising, place a baking stone in the oven and set the temperature to 500 F. Allow the oven to heat for 30 minutes.

Turn each portion of dough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, elongating and stretching it in the process. Slide a baker’s peel beneath the parchment paper. Lower the oven temperature to 425 F. Slide the parchment paper from the peel onto the baking stone. Introduce steam into the oven during the first 10 minutes of baking. Allow the dough to bake until it is a deep golden color, about 5 - 10 more minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a rack.

I did have some problems (I put in 1 cup of water instead of a half) as I did get distracted my my kitchen helper.

Instead of baking it on a pan as they suggest I baked it in loaf pans as my family finds making sandwiches easier. The bread turned out well I cut it a little early and the photo does not show the texture as well as it could

As I was Baking I received s book that I had ordered, Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day.

Where I found a recipe for Pain a l'Acncienne Focaccia on page 57. the instructions cover 3 pages so I did not reproduce them here, so go buy the book it is well worth it.

I topped it with Pizza sauce I had in the freezer, Sausage, and a mixture of Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.The taste was amazing and it was very filling.

Rib Rub and Ribs

2010-08-16T15:20:00.001-04:00

I had a mess of people coming over, but did not know who was staying for dinner so I made a mess of ribs.

RUB makes about 1 cup + -

2 1/2 tablespoons Smoked paprika
2 tablespoons Salt
2 table spoons Granulated Garlic
3 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Ground Pepper
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
2 teaspoons Chipotle powder
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Dries Thyme

Mix all ingredients together and store in a glass container.

When ready to use rub a generous amount onto the ribs.

Place the ribs in the smoker and smoke 6 hours.

Remove from the smoker and place in a casserole dish with about 1/2 inch of apple juice cover tightly with foil and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. you can stop here until ready to continue later or the next day

Brush with sauce place back on the smoker at 275 for about 1 hour.

I cant give you the recipe for the sauce because I mixed two different ones I had made earlier into one but it turned out well.

Italian Bread

2010-08-13T21:32:00.008-04:00

This bread takes a while to make because of the pre-ferment, but it's worth it.

Italian Bread (From Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice)
Makes two 1-pound loaves

3 1/2 cups biga (instructions below)
2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 2/3 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon diastatic barley malt powder (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup to 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, lukewarm
Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting

Remove the biga from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough. Cut it into about 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper or serrated knife. Cover and let sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.

Stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and malt powder in a large bowl. Add the biga pieces, olive oil, and 3/4 cup water and stir together until a ball forms, adjusting the water or flour according to need. The dough should be slightly sticky and soft, but not batterlike or very sticky. If the dough feels tough and stiff, add more water to soften (it is better to have the dough too soft than too stiff at this point).

Sprinkle flour on the counter and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed, until the dough is tacky, but not sticky, and supple. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl.

Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
Gently divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, and carefully form the pieces into two loaves, degassing the dough as little as possible. Lightly dust with a sprinkle of flour, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rest for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment or dust with cornmeal. Place the loaves on the pan and lightly mist with spray oil. Cover loosely.

Proof at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until the loaves have grown to about 1 ½ times their original size.

Preheat the oven to 500°F, having an empty sheet pan or cast-iron frying pan on the bottom rack or oven floor. Score the breads.

Pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan on the bottom rack and close the door. Lower the oven setting to 450°F and bake until done, rotating 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking. It should take about 20 minutes for loaves.

Biga

Makes enough for one Italian bread recipe

2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons to 1 cup water, at room temperature

Stir together the flour and yeast. Add 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the water, stirring until everything comes together and makes a coarse ball. Adjust the flour or water, according to need, so that the dough is neither too sticky nor too stiff.

Sprinkle some flour on the counter and knead for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the dough is soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky.

Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, or until it doubles in size.

Knead the dough lightly to degas then re-cover. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. You can keep this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it in an airtight plastic bag for up to 3 months.

Peach Tart

2010-08-10T07:38:00.001-04:00

So what is the difference between a pie, tart, or flan??? see this link at the Pastry sampler

Peach tart adapted from the "Joy of Cooking"
Preheat oven to 400
Line a tart pan with a pie dough (see below) I used a whole double crust, what can I say I like crust.

Line the tart shell with sliced peaches (mine were cut into eighths)

Combine

2 eggs yolks
2 tbsp flour
2/3 to 1 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
pour this mixture over the sliced peaches.

Bake 15 minutes at 400, then reduce the heat to 300 and bake 50 minutes longer.

Double crust Pie Dough

2010-08-10T06:52:00.002-04:00

Here is my Mom's Pie Dough Recipe, unlike her I will tell you the secret on how to get it nice and flakey and tender. I took me about 4 years to get that out of her.

2 cups sifted flower
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup shortning

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl

Flour and salt

(here is the seceret part)


Water and flour paste

Take 1/4 cup of this flour and mix it with the 1/4 cup of warter to form a paste, set aside.

Yes that is a dime for size

Using a pastry cutter cut in the 2/3 cup of shortning, until 1/4 inch peices

mix in the paste ( I find my hand works best) to form
a ball.

Cut in half for a double crust, I try to make it just a little larger than half for the bottom crust as you need just a little more.

Flatten slightly on a floured surface,

and roll out to the desired thickness

to cover the bottom of the pie plate.

Bread and Butter Pickles

2010-08-07T21:51:00.005-04:00

(Recipe from Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 4 cups of pickles, filling a 1-quart jar

1 pound cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick — pickling or kirby cucumbers work best
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/8 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, or 1/2 tablespoon ground
1/4 teaspoon celery seed

In a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers, onion and salt. Mix well. Cover the mixture with ice. Let stand at room temperature for two hours. In a pot, bring sugar, vinegar and spices to a boil. Drain cucumbers and onions. Add to vinegar mixture and bring almost back to a boil. Remove from heat and cool; store in an airtight jar in the fridge.

They will begin tasting pickled in just a couple hours. I made mine around 5 pm today and they were almost ready when I had dinner at 8 - I had another around 10 pm and they were just about perfectly pickled.

Corn on the Cob

2010-08-06T08:00:00.004-04:00

It as amazing but a lot of people do not know how to cook corn on the cob, so I thought I would give some general directions.

1     Get your corn for a good source, around Elmvale I have found Valley Farm Market to be the best source, as they have the facilities to keep it fresh all day (all corn is picked in the morning no matter where you get it) and only bring it out when they need it most road side stands just let it sit in the sun deteriorating all day.

2     Shuck the corn just before you use it no more than 1 hour before it hits the pot.

3     Prepare your water you will need about 1 quart of salted water per cob in a large pot (the larger the better) bring to a roiling boil.

4     Place you cobs in the pot and bring back to a boil before you start timing you will need to boil the cobs for 5 to 10 minutes depending on how soft you like it. Most people do not cook their corn long enough and think the corn was bad or old. Don't forget fresh corn takes longer to cook than frozen as the frozen is parboiled prior to freezing.

5 Remove your corn using tongs, it helps to avoid burns from splashed water.

6    Prepare you corn as you see fit. I like to roll it in butter and sprinkle salt on it.

7    Enjoy!

Summer BBQ dinner

2010-08-06T07:44:00.003-04:00

What can you say about a dinner like this except MMMM!
the potatoes were done on the smoker BBQ sliced about 1/2 inch thick and covered with olive oil and Lawery's seasoned salt and q-ed at 275 I thought low and slow would be good. Next time I will increase the temp to 375-400 for about 10 minutes a side the tune it down. The steaks were excellent with a little Montreal steak spice and the corn was also good, although we did have to let it set maybe a little too long waiting for the steaks.

Brioche Burger Buns

2010-08-05T10:40:00.007-04:00

I made these buns for my barbecue on Saturday and they went over really well. I actually deviated a lot from the recipe that I am posting here, but I'm sure that they would be equally as delicious if one decided to, say, read the directions before making the dough.

For the curious, I originally forgot the water and added both eggs to the batter, so when I eventually added the water the dough turned out really sticky and I had to add about an extra half cup of flour. But they turned out okay anyway.

Brioche Burger Buns (Recipe from The New York Times)
Makes 8 4-to-5-inch burger buns

3 tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Sesame seeds (optional)

1. In a glass measuring cup, combine one cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about five minutes. Meanwhile, beat one egg.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, well-floured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be on the sticky side so it can be a bit messy, but keep in mind that the more flour you knead in, the tougher the buns will get. Try to leave them tackier than you would a round loaf.

3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange two to three inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely and let buns rise in a warm place for one to two hours.

5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with one tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

2010-08-05T05:56:00.003-04:00

I made this side dish to go with our BBQ'ed pork chops and fried potatoes.
The recipie comes from Laurie Ann March's "A fork in the trail" an exceptional cookbook for camping meals that are to be dried to make them lighter, I find that I use quite a few of the recpies for everyday use as they are so good and very comfort orientated.
Laurie has a few sites that are worth checking out.
A fork in the Trail about her outdoor cookbook.
Outdoor adventure Canada, a web site dedicated to camping, canoeing, and other outdoor activities. (check out the forum a great source of information)
Wilderness Cooking, about cooking in the wilderness.

2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed (I had about 4 cups)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh line juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 canned chipotle pepper, chopped (that's one pepper out of the can)
1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can of peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Boil the potatoes until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
drain and mash with the sour cream, lime juice and zest.
add the rest of the ingredents.

We found that I had a bit much lime, (I cook by feel not measuring) and maybe too much Chipotle for some of the family, but I was fine with it.

Sour Dough Bread

2010-08-04T12:30:00.004-04:00

Thanks to my daughter Coady I have started making bread again, I have started with a French sour dough Baguette.

Here is the recipe I used and adapted to my style of cooking

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. sourdough starter
4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
More flour (1 c.)
cornmeal

In large mixing bowl, sprinkle dry yeast over water. Let dissolve 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar, sourdough starter then gradually add 4 cups flour mixed with salt.
Cover bowl with damp towel, let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours in warm place.
Turn dough onto floured board, work in about 1 cup more flour until dough is no longer sticky, then knead until satiny (about 5 minutes). Shape dough into 1 large or 2 long oval loaves. Set on cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise again in warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Put shallow pan of water on lower shelf of oven, preheat to 400 degrees. Make diagonal slashes in bread, preferably with razor blade so dough does not fall.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until crust is medium-dark brown. Set on rack to cool.

Welcome ! ! !

2010-08-03T20:29:00.001-04:00

I have set up this blog to share my and my family's love of food.
So sit down and enjoy>