la boheme cherie

Book Love

2010-11-25T20:49:00.011-05:00

Lately I've been having some health problems. Nothing major but bad enough to stop me from doing any blog post worthy cooking. I did however take the time to look around and see what's new in the delicious world of cookbooks. Here are some favourites that I'd like, correction, I need to pile on my bedside table asap:

Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson, baker and co-owner of Tartine bakery in San Francisco. I absolutely love this book. A handsome surfer who makes chewy, crusty, perfect bread. What's not to love? Watch their video and prepare to fall in love. Over and over and over again... Bourke Street Bakery, baked goods,all the way from Sydney, Australia. If you need convincing, just take a look at their website.I can't wait to get this one for those lazy, winter Sunday mornings. French Feasts, 299 Traditional Recipes for Family Meals and Gatherings, by Stephane Reynaud. Hmmm...I'm thinking apres-ski gatherings... Recipes from an Italian Summer. For the summer of your dreams, spent cooking for your friends in your (rented) Sicilian villa, or on the shores of Capri. Or your downtown apartment in Toronto. Either way, it's going to be one perfect summer.

Vanilla apple tart

2010-11-01T15:31:00.001-04:00

What a crazy day we had yesterday! Snow in the morning, sun in the afternoon... Autumn and winter at their best, all in one day! The streets were crawling with hungry little trick or treaters, decked out in their Halloween costumes. This apple tart in by no means an antidote for their inevitable sugar rush, but it was the perfect Halloween desert for me. Lately I've been playing around with different types of fillings for sweet tarts and while I love almonds, frangipan filling (at leat the ones I've tried so far) somehow always turns out a bit on the dry side. With this apple tart I wanted something creamy, smooth, with a dash of sourness. The simple combination of full fat sour cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla really fits the bill here. Next time though I will double the amount of filling, maybe add some cardamom or lime oil and use black plums or pears. Oh, the possibilities!

Ingredients:

For the tart shell:

120 gr all purpose flour
120 gr softened butter
120 gr creamy cottage cheese
pich of salt

For the filling:

2 whole eggs
50 gr powedered sugar
200 ml full fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla essence

4 medium apples, peeled and cut into small wedges
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp thin apricot jam
1 tbsp pine nuts

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly butter a 10 inch tart pan.
Mix together all tart shell ingredients until smooth. Do not overwork the dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
For the filling, mix eggs, sugar and vanilla until well blended and creamy. Add sour cream. Mix well.
Mix apples with lemon juice.
Roll out dough to fit tart pan. Pour in sour cream mixture and place apples over top.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with apricot jam. Sprinkle with pine nuts and bake for 20 more minutes or until golden. Please check frequently, oven temperatures may vary.

Lemon-yogurt fritters

2010-09-28T16:33:00.001-04:00

I'm back after one of the busiest yet best summers on record. There was not much time to post anything. This summer for us was the summer of tomatoes. Big, juicy, colourful, wonderful tomatoes. Served as bruschetta topping, sandwich filler, sliced with fresh basil, sea salt, olive oil and balsamic, or my favourite the once-a-week fresh tomato sauce. We had many lovely dinners of bucatini with crab and tomato sauce, penne rigate with pancetta and vodka-tomato sauce and so on. Tomatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have a very eclectic range, don't I? But now it's time to bid adieu not only to this magnificent fruit but also to my lovely, minuscule garden, source of many a culinary pleasures over the summer.
Now it's time for fragrant curries and warm soups. Slow simmered stews, hot drinks and loads of apple ice cream.
And just because I have a thing for deep fried dough, I'm going to start with these lemon yogurt fritters I found on a wonderful blog, Orangette. See the recipe here. I haven't changed a thing. It's perfect as it is. Read it and weep. Or better yet, make them. As in now!
This is it, proper soul food for the beginning of something new. Because summer is over. Crying, I am.

Honey-baked nectarines with labne

2010-08-13T18:39:00.008-04:00

Here's the thing: I am very hungry, very busy and very excited in no particular order. So here's a quick recipe for your Sunday morning. Or any morning of the week. I've had baked fruit before, but this one towers above all others. I'm planning on devouring every delicious, silky spoon of it every single weekend till the cows come home, or until nectarine season draws to an end. Whichever comes first.

Honey-baked nectarines with labne

Ingredients:

25 gr unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
6 nectarines, pitted, halved
100 gr honey
a few bruised cardamom pods
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
juice of 1 orange
500 gr Greek yogurt for labne

Drain the yogurt over a muslin lined sieve over night. Next morning you can call it labne.
Preheat oven to 375F. Scatter butter pieces in a baking dish. Place all nectarines, cut side up over the butter. Scatter all spices on top of the nectarines, drizzle with honey and pour over orange juice. Bake for about 20 minutes or until your kitchen smells so good, you just can't take it any more. Serve warm with a generous dollop of labne. Add some home made granola and you can call it a meal.
Recipe from GT magazine.

Beat the heat

2010-07-27T12:40:00.005-04:00

Here's a little something for the hottest of summer days( two little somethings actually), for all you gourmands out there.

Some of us won't refrain from preparing and enjoying some quality chow just because it's hot outside. And some of us will. If you're part of the latter group, see you in the fall! If you're still here, you must try this refreshing mango and cucumber soup. I've already made it at least five times this summer. Yes, it's that good. There's a bit of prep work involved, but all in all it's easy, fast and there's no cooking involved.

Summer meal planning is easy, really. Especially if you stick to the basics. Cold soups, grilled meat or seafood with nothing but salt, pepper, garlic and lemon juice, throw in some fresh veggies with a cool yogurt sauce and you're home free! As for the sweet part, you have fresh fruit, ice cream or sorbet. My freezer is laden with mango, red currant and raspberry sorbet throughout the season. Now, if you want to take it a step further make a nice tart crust, fill it with whipped cream, mascarpone, ricotta or some pastry cream and top it off with fresh fruit of your choice. And you're done!

Making the perfect tart crust has been somewhat of an obsession of mine lately. If you share my obsession, search no more.

I think I found the one, courtesy of Fran Bigelow, author of Pure Chocolate. This tart crust has a crumbly dough that won't shrink or puff when baked, eliminating the need for the pie weights. Low gluten cake flour makes the dough short and crisp. Not to mention that it's nice and thin and not at all mealy, which most tart shells tend to be.

The key to making perfectly tender tart shells in temperature. Make sure to thoroughly refrigerate your oeuvre. The dough needs to be chilled when it hits the oven. The heat makes the butter expand, forming air bubbles that create a light pastry.

Chilled mango and cucumber soup

Ingredients:

4 ripe mangoes

2 English cucumbers, peeled and deseeded

2 tbsp finely chopped red onions

fresh lime juice to taste

2 tbsp chopped coriander

2 tbsp chopped mint

salt and pepper to taste

Finely chop 2 mangoes and 1 cucumber. Set aside. Coarsely chop remaining mangoes and cucumber. Add to a food processor along with the rest of your ingredients. Blend until almost smooth. Add 1 cup pf water. Blend again.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl, add the finely chopped mango and cucumber. Stir well and chill for a few hors before serving. If you desire a thinner soup, add more water. For a creamier texture, take 1 cup of your finished soup and puree it with an immersion blender. Pour it back into the soup and stir well.

Try adding chopped chillies or fresh ginger for some kick.

Recipe adapted form Gourmet magazine.

The best sugar tart crust (so far)

Ingredients:

3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 cup cake flour

all purpose flour for dusting

Cream together butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk. Continue mixing until completely smooth. Add cake flour and mix until just blended. Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Lightly butter a 9 inch round tart pan (this is very important). Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and let it warm on the counter for about 20 minutes until pliable but still cool to the touch. On a floured board knead the dough a few times. Pat into a ball and flatten with your hands to a 5 inch round disc. Begin rolling from the center out until an 11 and 1/2 inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick is formed. It the dough gets difficult to work with, just return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes. Gently place the dough to the buttered pan. Press it onto the bottom and around the edges of the pan, keeping the sides even and thick.Trim excess dough along the edges. Pierce the bottom with a fork and place in the refrigerator until well chilled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the chilled tart shell on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.

Recipe adapted from Pure Chocholate, by Fran Bigelow.

Good Morning Sunshine!

2010-07-11T11:17:00.002-04:00

Mon cherry amour

2010-07-06T19:14:00.012-04:00

Cherry season is upon us and while I'm sure most of you would rather eat them as they are, crisp, juicy and straight from a bowl (or from a tree if you're lucky), I urge you to try this recipe. Even if it's 40C outside and the last thing on your mind is baking. It honestly takes no time at all to make. You just do some mixing, pouring, scattering and finally devouring copious amounts of these "black beauties".
A few weeks ago I was introduced to what I think was a new kind of cherry (investigation in process), somewhere between a black cherry and a sour cherry, deep red, a tad softer than your regular cherry and with some much needed sourness thrown into the mix. Upon returning from the market the two of us finished off almost the entire contents of a 7 litre basket in one sitting. When I returned next week for seconds and possibly thirds, the cherries in question where nowhere to be found. So I settled for these black cherries, which are almost as delicious but a lot easier to sacrifice for treats such as these cake squares, maybe pickled cherries or even some luscious, silky jam.
This is the stuff summer dreams are made of, along with lemony ice tea, a cozy porch and this song.

Black cherry cake squares

Ingredients:

3 whole eggs
350 ml full fat yogurt
250 ml sugar
100 ml vegetable oil
1 tbsp baking flower
1 tbsp vanilla extract
500 ml all purpose flour
500 g pitted black cherries

Preheat oven to 375C.
In a bowl mix well eggs, sugar and yogurt. Add oil, baking powder, vanilla and mix well. Finally add flour and mix until just combined. Spread batter in a 9"X13" metal baking pan, lined with baking paper. Scatter cherries over the batter and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into large slices and serve while still warm. Or not. Either way, you'll be happy. I promise.

Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T11:27:00.005-04:00

Check out some very stylish Canadiana here:http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/celebrating-canadas-national-birthday-a-road-trip-9146/?ref=fp_article_title

Easy Peasy

2010-06-08T09:28:00.005-04:00

I heart peas! Always have, always will. I bought a basketful of them the other day. Fresh and sweet. And never enough.
When it comes to peas creativity fails me. Every time. There's only three dishes I've ever made with fresh peas. And that's just fine by me. I make chilled pea and mint soup, a pea, pancetta and pecorino crostini topper and this little recipe right here. Creature of habit that I am, I'll probably stick to them.
Because there's not a lot of cooking involved, the quality and freshness of your ingredients is of the utmost importance here.
Fresh, organic (if possible) peas and mint and the best quality feta you can find. I've been buying my feta cheese from the same place for years. From a sweet old lady at the farmer's market. She's small, shy and as cute as they come. She also sells the best filo pastry outside of Greece, Kalamata olives and fresh mint. (Spanakopita? Good thinking!) Oh, and she also just passed her driving exam. Again. Annoying, (as she put it), but once you turn 80 they make you to do these crazy things from time to time. Such is life! Her words, not mine.

Green peas with feta, yogurt and mint

Ingredients:

2 lb fresh peas in the pod, shelled
1/2 lb best quality feta cheese
1/4 lb Greek yogurt
1/4 lb creme fraiche
1 bunch of scallions, finely sliced
handful of mint, shredded
2 tbsp olive oil
juice and zest of 1 lemon

Cook peas in boiling water just until al dente. Drain well. Mix with olive oil, scallions and mint.
In a separate bowl mix yogurt, lemon zest, creme fraiche and feta. Add to pea mixture. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve with warm pita bread. You can also sprinkle some sumac on top for good measure.
Ultra delish both warm and cold.

A lovely day

2010-05-24T12:22:00.004-04:00

I woke up smiling this morning. It was rather early, the sun was up, birds were singing and I was surrounded by this mesmerizing lush green as far as the eye could see. Early summer bliss in the middle of the city. Very very quiet. For you see, it's a holiday today. The first long weekend of the season. And city folk are rejoicing, you might say. Some went to cottage country, some went camping while others chose to stay put and enjoy the peaceful pace of the first holiday Monday. I belong to the latter category. Just lying here on a checkered blanket, reading a very old edition of The Dickens Digest, "four great Dickens masterpieces written for the modern reader" it says. I bought it at a yard sale not long ago. As I open the book I find an inscription written on the very first page: "From Frank Whitmore, Christmas 1943." It was someone's Christmas present during the Second World War. That makes it all the more special to me. I am going to escape today. To another world. Then maybe take a nap al fresco. My favourite. Don't even have plans for cooking. Some cool garden pea salad with feta and yogurt will do. And maybe some minty lemonade to wash it down.
Breakfast was simple and comforting as well. Some rather robust stalks of rhubarb have crossed my way the other day. So I made some stewed rhubarb and strawberry jam to go with my semolina porridge for breakfast. Utterly delicious, if I do say so myself.

Semolina porridge with strawberry rhubarb jam

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of honey
60 g semolina
20 g butter
slivered pistachios to serve

For stewed rhubarb preheat oven to 325 F. Add about 400 g rhubarb (cleaned and cut into 2 cm pieces), 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 2 cinnamon quills to a baking dish. Mix it all together, cover the dish with foil and bake for about 1 hour. Remove dish from the oven. Let it cool a little. Transfer stewed rhubarb to a pan. Discard cinnamon quills. Add 2 cups of strawberries and sugar to taste. Quickly boil for a few minutes, until strawberries have broken up and given the jam a wonderful rich pink colour. Cool.

Combine milk, vanilla, lemon zest, honey in a bowl. Bring mixture to a boil. Add semolina in a steady stream and cook until thick, about 10 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Transfer porridge to 4 individual bowls ans serve with strawberry rhubarb jam and pistachios scattered on top.

Happy Sunday!

2010-05-16T11:19:00.001-04:00

Playin' around

2010-05-10T14:16:00.008-04:00

Yeast and I have had somewhat of a roller coaster relationship throughout the years. As a rebellious cook/teenager, I avoided any recipe that even mentioned the dreaded Y word. Same goes for gelatin.
Needless to say my first endeavour into this (for me) uncharted territory was a disaster of epic proportions. What can I say? I was 15, it was Saturday, and I felt adventurous. Enter an old recipe for cheese danish with raisins. I had fresh yeast on hand, lots of it. So I though, why not?
Thick headed that I am, I was adamant about not needing any help whatsoever. Baaad idea. On the first try the yeast wouldn't rise. No problem, had lots more where it came from. Second try, just as bad. I had the windows open, there was a major drought in the house. But the recipe didn't mention anything about the precarious working relationship of yeast and drought. Thus, not my fault! Finally, on the third try, yeast + sugar + warm water rose beautifully. I was in business! Or so I thought. I put all the ingredients in my large ceramic bowl, mixed it all together, worked the lovely vanilla scented dough into a shiny, springy little ball of beauty. I felt really proud. I covered the dough and let it rise while practicing my "see, I told you I could do this by myself" speech. And then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. But even after two hours the dough wouldn't rise. After three hours and much consideration I concluded that it has risen. A little. A tiny bit. And it still smelled wonderful. Plus I already made the filling. The creamiest cottage cheese from my grandmother' own cremerie, kirsh soaked plump raisins and vanilla sugar. So I rolled out the dough, cut it in squares, filled it with big spoonfuls of cheese and formed the adorable tiny purses. They were a marvel to look at. At this point I was convinced that this achievement was going to be the pinnacle of my blossoming culinary career. To backtrack, I had had some considerable cooking success before that day. My chocolate sour cream ice cream and my potato salads were famous. I mean, really. With my entire family, all three of them.
Next I placed my baking sheet of danishes in the oven and anxiously waited for the final result. I had my serving trays all prepared with doilies and all. The whole house smelled wonderful.
After 30 minutes, the recommended baking time, I went to check on my work. I wish I hadn't. The dough had not risen at all and all the cheese filling was seeping out of the little pockets, forming charred crusty little pools on both the baking sheet and the oven floor.
It took me five years to even look at a recipe with yeast again.
Since that time many a yeasty recipes have found their way to my kitchen, with various degrees of success. I got bolder and no yeasty recipe is ever going to scare me again! But seriously, no two recipes ever come out exactly the same. Is it just me? Am I doing something wrong?
I'm on a quest to make the perfect brioche. Fluffy, light, not to buttery or crumbly or dry and definitely not one that requires 7 eggs for 2 cups of flour!
I know a lot depends on the quality of your flour, your eggs and even the room temperature. I've done my research and the consensus seems to be that fresh yeast is superior to that of the dried kind. But these days fresh yeast is not widely available.
And it's a little scary, too. And then there's the instant kind, which I never used nor do I have any desire to use in the future.
If you get the best results by letting your dough rise slowly, what exactly is the point of instant yeast? What's the hurry?

This past weekend I was craving the satisfaction that comes from working with soft yeasty dough with your bear hands. So I made these walnut buns, using Nigella Lawson's Norwegian Cinnamon buns recipe for the dough. I halved the recipe, since
using 4 cups of flour for two people seemed a tad to much. For the filling I used 1 stick of butter mixed with 1 cup of ground walnuts and some vanilla sugar. Should you wish to give this walnut version a try, you could also use this recipe (for the dough), one of my favourites and on regular rotation in our kitchen. The walnut cream knocks it out of the ball park, so you might want to try it. You can bake them in muffin tins, or just spread the filling on the dough, roll up, cut it up in 1 1/2" coins and bake them as you would cookies, placing them 2 inches apart on your cookie sheet. I baked the second half in these cute little tins I bought in Tokyo, along with a bunch of other tins and moulds that I have yet to figure out how to use.
Happy baking! As for me I'm right back to the drawing board. I still have a lot to learn. Another day, another stubborn recipe: caramel roll ups with fennel seeds. And yeast, of course. I'll keep you posted. Later,(in my life) I might even consider making homemade bread. Real bread. With crunchy, thick crust. Just like the ones they make in Paris. Whit natural starter or old dough. Check out the brilliance here.
In the meantime any yeast related tips, suggestions are more then welcome.

Happy Sunday!

2010-04-25T17:57:00.005-04:00

"There's no sincerer love than the love of food."-George Bernard Shaw

Something for sakura season

2010-04-20T15:43:00.008-04:00

Here's something quick and oh so very Japanese to celebrate cherry blossom season. It may not be the real thing but it sure brings back wonderful memories of Japan. Kyoto, to be more exact, with its majestic temples and cozy restaurants, where I was slurping humongous bowls of steaming udon noodles on a daily basis. And yet I still don't know how to properly use those darn chopsticks. Go figure.
Here's what you need: brown rice cooked according to package directions in some dashi stock. Easy peasy to make. Really. See here.
Ummm, what else? Some sliced avocado, green onions, a few strips of wild salmon, shredded nori sheets ( the stuff you use to wrap sushi) and red tobiko (flying fish roe) to garnish. And to make it so wonderfully palatable some soy sauce and mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine).
Cook your rice in the dashi stock. Cool. Season with a few splashes of tamari soy sauce and mirin. Divide into bowls and top with avocado, salmon, pickled ginger and green onions. Be generous with the latter. Unless you're going for oiling the wheels of romance here. Garnish with the shredded nori and tobiko. Enjoy!

White quinoa porridge with banana and toasted coconut

2010-04-06T11:45:00.006-04:00

Quinoa is an ancient food that has been cultivated in the South American Andes for centuries. The Inka called it the "mother grain" and considered it sacred. Technically it is not a grain, but a seed, rich in iron, protein and calcium. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids.
Before using, the seeds need to be rinsed well in order to remove a bitter resin-like substance called saponin. Usually quinoa sold in North America is already rinsed, but it's always a good idea to rinse again to remove any leftover residue.
Consider using quinoa in soups, stews, salads, breakfast foods, desserts...The possibilities are endless. Being highly nutritious and gluten free, quinoa is a worthy addition to anyone's diet.
I stock up every month on both white and red quiona and try to incorporate it in my cooking at least once a week.
You'll love this one:

White quinoa porridge with banana and toasted coconut

Ingredients:

2 cups light coconut milk
1 cup white quinoa
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup shredded, toasted coconut

Combine coconut milk with 1 cup water in a pan. Add a pinch of salt and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently for about 25 minutes, until the grains are tender.
Meanwhile place sugar with 1 1/4 cups water in another pan and place over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and simmer until thick and syrupy.
Pour some syrup into your serving bowls, then add a layer of quinoa, add more syrup and finally top with sliced banana a sprinkle over the toasted coconut.
Serves 4.
If you haven't got much of a sweet tooth you might enjoy this quinoa salad recipe: http://labohemecherie.blogspot.com/2009/02/moroccan-red-quinoa-salad-with.html

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T13:51:00.000-04:00

Favourites

2010-03-24T17:28:00.004-04:00

Lately I haven't had much time to cook or bake, let alone post anything. So, I just thought I'd share some favourites:

I could listen to this over and over and over again...

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Variations on takeout. Two of the cutest kids I have ever met.
Laos 2008.

Something I've been craving for almost a year now:

And last, but not least with picnic season coming up I'd really like one of these please!
Hot food on a picnic you ask? Just try it!

Breakfast for a rainy day

2010-03-13T08:04:00.005-05:00

I have a thing for rainy mornings in general and this one in particular. Waking up early just agrees with me somehow. We had a lovely breakfast of baked pears with hazelnut crumble served with greek yogurt and whipped cottage cheese, followed by a healthy dose of Bugs Bunny. Never mind the rain, the sweet smell of cinnamon makes everything better. This is shaping up to be a wonderful day. For you see, this is not a usual Saturday for me. On every other Saturday but this one, you'd find me studying Spanish grammar, running errands, having long conversations with my favourite vendors at the farmer's market, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, and cleaning out my nest. You know, getting ready for a relaxing Sunday. But today is different. I have no intention of studying, cleaning or cooking as I already finished my cooking for the weekend last night. The theme is the Iberian Peninsula, that means braised squid with chorizo and sherry in a roasted garlic and sweet tomato sauce, followed by some Pasteis de Nata, picked up from the bakery.
Right now I'm off for some Dim Sum, this documentary, and later a guitar class.
Have a wonderful weekend my friends!

Spiced honey baked pears with hazelnut crumble

Ingredients:

For the baked pears:

4 ripe, but firm pears, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbsp honey

For the crumble:

3o g rolled oats
20 g chopped hazelnuts
15 g brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
40 g butter, melted
Yogurt or cottage cheese to serve

Preheat oven to 325 F.
For the pear mixture, simmer all ingredients in a pan until pears are soft, but not mushy and the liquid has almost evaporated. Pour mixture into a buttered oven proof dish.
For the crumble mix all ingredients by hand making sure to coat all dry ingredients with melted butter. Scatter crumble over pear mixture, bake until golden about 15 minutes.
Serve warm with yogurt.
Recipe adapted from GT magazine.

Chocolate salami

2010-03-03T14:57:00.006-05:00

There are only a handful of things I'm willing to share. Most of these things have to do with food in some capacity. If it were up to me I'd gleefully share all my meals with loved ones (select ones at that), as I truly believe that entertainment should be a natural and pleasurable part of every one's existence. I like to define a theme, then let it run through the entire occasion. Even if I don't have the right set or props. Say, like nowadays. All my meals are concocted with much love and attention, custom tailored to each recipient's individual preferences. But try as I might, there are always some "glitches" here and there, like this one time, at band camp... I kid, I kid.
Long story short, I love to share my food. And my music. As well as my thoughts on matters of national concern. There's nothing I love more than a substantial, healthy argument.
What I'm not willing to share are my clothes ( just ask my girls:)), my books and the juiciest of bits and pics of my personal life. This is probably why I'm no friend of most types of social media. I do however enjoy my lil'old blog:)
So back to what I do like to share, here's a recipe from the archives: chocolate salami. The last time I had choco salami I was on a train heading to the Black Sea, with a bunch of friends, a backpack and a really old, crappy tent. Back then I thought that trip was somewhat of a disaster, but looking back I have to say it has changed my life to the core. For the better, of course. And I'm still reaping the benefits. See? No juicy stuff here!
Compared to that old version, this recipe has seen some major tweaking and is a summary of a bunch of different versions I found on the world wide web. So, without further ado here it goes:

Chocolate Salami

Ingredients:

40 g unsalted butter
100 g bittersweet chocolate
35 g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
40 g condensed milk
100 g butter biscuits (such as Leibniz)
20 g flaked almonds
20 g shredded coconut
40 g dried sour cherries
40 g pistachios
20 g blackberry cordial
25 g dessert wine
cocoa powder

Melt chocolate with butter over a pot of boiling water. Let it cool a little.In another bowl crush biscuits into small pieces, not crumbs. Add almonds, coconut, sour cherries and pistachios. Mix. Add cordial and dessert wine. Mix well and set aside. Take your melted chocolate, add icing sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and condensed milk. Place back over the pot of boiling water and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add to biscuit mixture. Mix well. Let it cool. Shape into a salami shape using some aluminum foil.
Let it set for a few hours in the fridge. Remove foil and roll salami in cocoa powder. Slice and serve. Perfect picnic fare!

Braised kohlrabi with poppy seeds.

2010-02-15T15:43:00.007-05:00

This one is for all you kohlrabi lovers out there. That's right, all three of you!
Unfortunately kohlrabi is one of those underrated vegetables you can find relatively easily (if you know where to look), yet not a lot of people know what it is. Unless you live in Kashmir, where most households serve kohlrabi for dinner several times a week.
I grew up eating kohlrabi, even love it raw. The crisp, juicy flesh makes a terrific salad, when mixed with julienned carrots, crumbled feta cheese, drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and sprinkled with poppy seeds.
I can't remember a time when buying kohlrabi at the grocery store didn't generate and ad hoc meeting of all cashiers, management and whoever else was willing to put in their two cents' worth. They can never agree on what kohlrabi actually is or how much they're selling it for. Strange, since this veg is so versatile and cheap, not to mention delicious.

I first made this dish with turnips, found the recipe on the Gourmet magazine website (R.I.P). It's quick and satisfying, and can also be made with carrots and parsnips. Serve with creamy yogurt mixed with some grated lemon rind and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. The poppy seeds are a must!
Find the recipe here.

2010-02-09T15:10:00.002-05:00

I've been slacking of. I know. It seems like the dead of winter has gotten the best of me. I try to post something new at least once a week, but lately with all this dreary grey all around me inspiration has avoided me like the plague. I don't seem to have any new ideas. It might be February, or maybe I don't get enough vitamin D. Or maybe I'm just a friggin' cry baby. Those around me would definitely concur with the latter.
So why not make some good old fashioned soul warming beef stew or maybe a gooey chocolate cake? Right?
Mostly because I haven't had time lately for anything elaborate, but also because I'm one of those strange creatures who craves something fresh and crunchy ( and most of the time out of season) in the middle of winter. I'd swap my hot chicken soup with kale and roasted garlic for a bowl of fresh Ontario cherries right about now. Any takers?
So on one of these sunless days last week I decided to put some crunch in my lunch.
Like so:

Toss some frisee salad with thinly sliced fennel, sliced cara cara oranges and torn fresh mozzarella. Drizzle with a vinaigrette made of extra virgin olive oil, cider vinegar, grainy mustard, fennel seeds, sea salt and a bit of honey. Finish it off with freshly ground black pepper. You could also add some thinly sliced prosciutto to round out the meal. Or maybe a glass of crisp Chardonnay to toast the warm days ahead.

Lemon curd

2010-01-27T10:44:00.000-05:00

This one is for one of those mornings when you feel like starting the day on the right note. And by that I mean with dessert. Kinda.
Until a few years ago, in my lil' book of big bad munchies lemon curd fell in the vaguely familiar category. Nowadays it's become a staple in my fridge, right along with Moroccan lemons, Harissa paste and Gianduja spread.
This recipe will yield about 250 grams of luscious curd. Now be warned, this amount has more than 1 stick of butter and can be eaten right out of the jar in one sitting, if you're like me. ( Look for my forthcoming autobiography,entitled How I clogged my arteries in stores everywhere.) But jokes aside, pace yourself, and spread it thinly on toast or use it in a lovely pot de yaourt with some fresh kiwis, pomegranate seeds and passion fruit. And maybe ad some nuts and granola.

Lemon curd

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 lemons, juice and zest
125 gr butter, chopped

Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale. Add lemon juice and rind and finally the chopped butter. Place over simmering water(low heat), cook until mixture has thickened (8 to 10 minutes), whisking continuously, bien sur.
Enjoy responsibly!

Birthday in the sun

2010-01-26T18:08:00.007-05:00

Due or should I say thanks to the inefficiency of a well-known airline, which shall remain nameless at this point I recently got to spend my birthday with some wonderful friends in California. It was one of those low-key, warm and memorable celebrations that one can only long for. After a decadent lunch of fresh shucked Cherrystone clams and steamed Alaskan king crab, with nothing but warm butter and lemon juice, we set off for a long bike ride along the beach. The weather was sunny, the ocean was calm and my little heart was very happy indeed.
In the evening we were treated to a Vietnamese feast, followed by birthday macaroons, ice cream and lodsa cupcakes.
One of the best birthdays ever!
The last two days were spent driving along the Californian coast with San Francisco as the final destination. I always kinda wondered why San Fran was called the best foodie city in North America. Now I know and cannot wait to go back and further explore it.
If you're in the neighborhood don't miss:

Newport Beach: The Crab Cooker for the most delicious Alaskan king crab.
http://www.crabcooker.com

Los Angeles: Caffe Bello for the best coffee and hot chocolate this side of the pond.
http://Www.CAFFE-BELLO.COM/

San Francisco: Loving Cup, espresso and rice pud bar. Come on!!!
http://www.lovingcupsf.com/

Delfina Pizzeria, for the best pizza you'll ever have.
http://www.pizzeriadelfina.com/

Liptauer cheese spread

2010-01-05T16:12:00.004-05:00

Liptauer is traditional Austro-Hungarian cheese spread, but Romanians, Czecks and Scandinavians also claim it as their own. It's typicaly served as a snack on rye bread, or sometimes as a filling for different types of appetizers. I like it thickly spread on rye bread with some cornichons and thinly sliced red onions. Oh, and it's great with beer!
My version is made with a combination of cream cheese and cottage cheese. Use the best cottage cheese you can get your hands on. It should be rich and creamy, nothing like some of the clumpy, loaded with additives commercial brands out there. Try your local Farmer's market. Some recipes use capers and anchovy paste and a lot of paprika. I kept it fairly simple. You adjust it to your taste. That way we can all avoid heated arguments or virtual hair pulling, trying to figure out what the stuff should be like or where it comes from. The important thing is where's it's going: your hungry belly!

Ingredients:

250 g cream cheese
250 g good quality pressed cottage cheese
2 small cornichons, finely diced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 tsp caraway seeds (a must)
1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
1 tsp grainy mustard
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve at room temperature with rye bread or crackers, cornichons and thinly sliced red onions.
Or for a fresh summer lunch try stuffing some sweet cherry tomatoes with the cheese spread and toss them with fresh heirloom salad leaves, radishes, chopped boiled eggs and some herb vinaigrette.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T22:16:00.002-05:00

We started off this brand New Year on a very good note, I'd say. With a scrumptious breakfast. Eating some sort of fried dough (which I have a thing for) for breakfast on every January the 1st has inadvertently become a tradition around here. And there's nothing wrong with that, as my New Year's resolution is very skimpy on any details regarding any kind of self restraint when it comes to guilty pleasures.
Find the recipe for these delicious Buttermilk Beignets here.
May your New Year be the best ever, filled with love, peace, hopes and dreams!

Plum butter snow crescents

2009-12-28T16:36:00.004-05:00

"What's in a name..." right? Plum butter snow crescents. Or shape them differently (like my Mom does) and name them Frog's lips. Flaky vanilla scented dough + thick, creamy plum butter + powdered sugar = perfection.
For the less faint hearted I recommend making them with lard. The original recipe which comes from my grandmother uses lard instead of the butter and sour cream. Now, to some of you this might sound strange, to say the least. But don't diss it till you try it! Lard makes any pastry incredibly flaky. You cannot fake this level of flakiness. No butter, no shortening, nothing will rise up to the challenge. That said I always make them with butter and sour cream. It's healthier and my palate is more used to that buttery taste.
So my friends, call'em what you will just make sure you give them a try. You'll thank me later.

Ingredients:

100 g butter, at room temperature
120 g thick sour cream
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
250 g flour
2 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar
generous pinch of salt

150 g plum butter
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 375F.
In a bowl mix flour, powdered sugar and salt.
In another bowl mix butter and sour cream. Add egg and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour mixture and work dough until very smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, roll out chilled dough( keeping dough and surface floured) to about 16" square.
Cut into 20 squares. Place a small tsp plum butter into one corner of square, roll it up and form into a crescent.
Continue with remaining dough and plum butter. Place crescents on baking tray. Bake cookies for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden around the edges. Roll crescents into powdered sugar while still warm.

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-24T16:40:00.003-05:00

South America

2009-12-22T11:28:00.003-05:00

We've recently taken a trip to a place not so far far away. South America has been on my radar for quite some time. This trip had actually been in the making, so to speak, for several years. We started in Peru, than on to Argentina, Chile and finally Brazil. Although this has been a trip of a lot of firsts and some mishaps, all in all it was wonderful. We observed nature at its best, made a lot of new friends and had some great food. What stood out the most was the amazing ceviche in Lima (ceviche is the next sushi, according to some local gourmands, and who am I to argue?), steak and ice-cream in Argentina, beach food in Brazil and some outstanding wines in Chile.(Try Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, from Concha y Toro; soooo ready for Christmas dinner!). Flavours on the continent are generally very mild, not a lot of spices.
Most days were quite action packed with a lot of hiking, surfing (I chickened out of this one), sand boarding, swimming. And finally to end the day on a perfect note, we had something special going on almost every night. Whether it was great dinners in Buenos Aires, grill parties in Patagonia or playing guitar (and having way too many caipirinhas) till the wee hours of the morning on a Brazilian island, these memories will keep us going right through the end of winter. Or so we hope!
I'll be using a lot more quinoa, dulce de leche and raw fish in my cooking in the near future. I'm also looking for the name and recipe for the best lime and coconut pie we had in Rio de Janeiro, courtesy of some very friendly Bahian ladies. If anyone knows the name of this Bahian pie, please let me know.
And now it's back to business. I have some cookies to bake,truffles to make, a book to finish and a very stylish shrug to knit.
Have a wonderful Christmas!

Photos by: L.N. et moi.

The One

2009-10-19T23:41:00.005-04:00

Have you ever had a perfect food moment, when everything is just flawless: the food, the moment, the place and the people you're sharing everything with? Mine involves a snowy winter day, a sleigh ride, two people who are unfortunately no longer in my life and sitting in the windowsill in my favourite little country house, savouring every little bite of these beautiful plum dumplings. That day must have been one of the most perfect days of my life. It was many many moons ago, but every time I make these little treasures, it all comes back to me.
We all have an absolute, hands down, all time favourite food, right? You know, the food you would ask for for your last meal on this planet. Mine are plum dumplings. They're like sweet gnocchi filled with fresh plums, loadsa cinnamon sugar and rolled in toasted breadcrumbs. Some people like to serve them with sweetened double cream, but I prefer a generous dusting of powdered sugar.

I don't like a very potatoey flavour, so I use a little bit more flour than most recipes ask for. This will make them perfect when freshly made and served warm. The amount of flour you need also depends on the potatoes you're using. The dough must be soft, not too sticky so it can be rolled out easily.

Plum dumplings

Ingredients:

400 g cooked, peeled potatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp semolina
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
16 to 18 small prune plums
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
powdered sugar and toasted breadcrumbs for serving

Deseed your plums. Mix caster sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Take each plum and fill them with the sugar mixture. Set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Push potatoes through a potato ricer in a large bowl. Add salt, egg, oil, semolina. Stir mixture with a wooden spoon. Now add your flour, in three parts and mix together with your hands. Work dough into a smooth ball. Add more flour if necessary.
Using a well floured working surface, roll out dough to make it 5mm thick. Cut dough using a sharp knife into about 18 little squares. Place a cinnamon sugar filled plum onto center of each square. Now shape them into small dumplings, using more flour if necessary. Cook them for about 15 to 20 minutes. Gently take them out into a sieve, letting excess water drip of. Place dumplings into the warm toasted breadcrumbs. Dust with cinnamon sugar and serve.

Back to the basics

2009-10-13T14:29:00.005-04:00

I worry a lot. Usually about things that are beyond my control, which makes the whole thing pointless. So why worry?
Just try to stay on the positive side, right? Sure, easier said that done. I'm always in a roadrunner mood. Go, get it, now, fast typeathing. I get overly excited about the most trivial things. And when I have a cloud over my head, the last thing on my mind would be food. I cannot touch food, for the life of me. That may very well be the reason I haven't spent much time in the kitchen lately. That, and also the abundance of fresh local apples, that I have been devouring by the buckets (left no room for anything else). They're so incredibly crisp when freshly picked! I'd always go for a freshly picked apple over any apple dessert.
On my last trip to the farmers' market however I bought so many different types, that I just didn't know where to keep them.
So I made the simplest, most delicious apple squares I could think of. I've been enjoying these since I was a toddler. Never thought of them as dessert. They're a meal in their own right. Make them in the evening. Take the whole pan with you, go to your dark oak library, (I don't have one, but you go ahead and do it), close the door behind you, choose a leather-bound mystery, plant yourself comfortably in your reading chair and devour them while still warm. Don't expect a lot of leftovers.

Apple cinnamon squares

Dough:

300 g all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg
125 g sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
125 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100 ml sour cream
1/2 tbsp vanilla

Filling:

3,5 to 4 lb of your favourite apples
1 tbsp cinnamon
Juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 375F.
Butter and flour a medium sized baking pan, knocking out excess flour.
For dough: mix all ingredients to form a smooth dough. Divide in two. Cover with a tea towel, chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
For filling: peel and grate all the apples. Squeeze them by the hand fulls to get rid of the excess juice. You should get about two cups of apple juice, depending on the apple. Put juice aside for later use.
Mix in cinnamon and lemon juice.
Roll out half of your dough, to fit your pan. Dough will be thin. Pour apple mixture evenly over dough in pan, cover with second rolled out dough. Prick dough all over with a fork and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden.

Strawberries. For the last time.

2009-10-01T11:48:00.004-04:00

Since I'm not a fan of those imported rubbery monsters we can all "enjoy" during the winter. Go out and grab the very last, late Ontario strawberries. Now. Run. Serve them macerated, with some whipped cream, or alongside your favourite brownie.
I still have a handful of them. They deserve a regal treatment, even if they're not exactly freshly picked. I'll bake them. Gently, for a few minutes to soften and release those juices. Then knock them over with homemade custard. Real vanilla, please!!!

Olive oil doughnuts

2009-09-22T11:22:00.003-04:00

Blackberry season is upon us. I went to the farmers market, spent a small fortune on a huge box of them. Had big plans for making this thick, dark, gorgeous blackberry cordial laced with mint and lime juice. But It seems like fall has really made its presence known as far as my health is concerned. I was down with a cold the past few days. So blackberry cordial NO, fresh, sweet smelling local blackberries eaten straight out of the box YES.
Let's hope this is just my immune system (wanting to get stronger) playing tricks on me and getting ready to dodge all the viruses that might come my way this winter.
When I'm sick I'm always hungry. Weird, I know. I have strange cravings. I'm not talking about a healthy helping of hot soup needed for that oh so essential boost of vitamins and overall comfort of the soul. Oh, no. I'm talking fried dough. Lots of it. Drenched in some sort of luscious syrup or dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. And in this case served with a big bowl of blackberries.
But let's keep this short, sweet and addictively delicious. These are the easiest doughnuts ever. They are shortened by olive oil and sweetened by freshly squeezed orange juice. The blackberries are just a bonus.

Olive oil doughnuts

1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup table cream
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup olive oil
60 g sugar
90 g icing sugar
475 g self raising flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Combine egg and 60 g of sugar in a large bowl. Add cream, orange juice, olive oil and vanilla. Add flour to make a soft dough. Knead until it all comes together neatly. Divide dough into 10 equal pieces, then form 15 cm cylinders. Pinch ends together to make doughnut shaped rings. Combine icing sugar with cinnamon. Heat oil to 350 F and fry doughnuts until golden (turning once) about 5 to 6 minutes. Cool completely. Coat with cinnamon sugar. Let go of your willpower. They're worth it.
Recipe adapted from GT magazine.

Red currant vanilla squares and a farewell to summer

2009-09-07T17:53:00.006-04:00

Summer is officially over. Loved it, as usual but it was about time. This summer was very different for me for several reasons, which I won't get into right now. The seasonal fruits and veggies, long, quite walks and warm summer rain will definitely be missed but now it's time for something new: my favourite time of the year, FALL. Fall with its gorgeous colours, candle lit evenings with friends and great comfort food, lots of crisp apples and juicy blackberries. For me it has always felt like a new beginning. I still have that back to school thrill running through me. Love the smell of new books, new leather shoes and the prospect of new wonders and adventures.
But since I'm not one for leaving any loose ends, here's my farewell to summer: deliciously juicy, sweet and tart red currant vanilla squares, that scream summery goodness. Made these last week with the last red currants of the season.

Red currant vanilla squares

Ingredients:

350 g all purpose flour
200 g sugar
150 g butter, at room temperature
500 g red currants, cleaned
4 eggs
pinch of salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
150 ml sour cream

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix 250 g flour with 50 g sugar.Add butter and mix with your hands to obtain a soft dough.
Knead for about a minute. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. Grate dough into a medium sized square cake pan, lined with baking paper. Push on grated dough with the back of a spoon to even it out. Scatter over red currants.
Beat the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in salt, lemon zest and vanilla. Add sour cream and the rest of the flour and mix until combined. Beat egg whites until stiff, add to batter in two additions, gently folding it in. Pour mixture over red currants. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden. Cut into large squares and dust with icing sugar.
Enjoy!

And now here's my wish list for my new "school" year:

Cradle of flavour by James Oseland. The author spent two decades exploring the foods of the spice islands. Need I say more?

Cook in Boots by Ravinder Bhogal. Coffee table/ kitchen shelf perfection from a girl who loves food and shoes even more than I do.

Turquoise by Greg Malouf. The most beautiful book ever from the executive chef of MoMo (Melbourne), author of Saha and one of Australia's best chefs.

A year in my kitchen and My favourite ingredients by Skye Gyngell, expat Australian, now running the kitchen at Petersham Nurseries.
Do you have a cook book wish list?

Black currant sorbet

2009-08-19T17:45:00.006-04:00

I'm a sorbet girl. While I would never shun a bowl of salted caramel ice-cream on my summer party dessert table, if I have a choice I almost always go for the sorbet. After having more than my fair share of gelato in Italy,in France I made a conscious effort to forgo anything in the ice cream family in favour of all time favourite baked goods like almond croissant, brioche au sucre the occasional ham and cheese quiche. Than one night in Paris, after scouring an entire neighbourhood for an Isabel Marant store, I came across a small shop that claimed to be selling only the very best Berthillon ice-cream. Well, that I had to try. I've read so much about it on the uber popular blog of David Lebovitz, skipping it would have made my trip incomplete. So I bought two scoops of cassis sorbet. Happy to say, it was amazing. So much so, that I've been wanting to replicate it ever since I've returned home. As black currants aren't so easy to find around here, I only got around it this past week.
This black currant sorbet is rich, sweet, tart and silky all at the same time. Enjoy, along with a few of our photos from all around France, one of my favourite countries in the entire world.

Black currant sorbet

Ingredients:

3 cups granulated sugar
2 3/4 cups fresh black currants
1 tbsp cassis liqueur

Bring sugar and 3 cups of water to a boil. Let sugar dissolve, remove from heat.
Place currants and 2 cups sugar syrup in a saucepan. Simmer for 12 minutes. Puree in a blender. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Discard solids. Cool completely. Add 1/2 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar syrup and cassis to black currant mixture. Refrigerate until very cold. Freeze in an ice cream maker.

Photos: L.N.

Apricot-red currant summer tart

2009-08-13T20:54:00.007-04:00

I just had to make this tart. But then again this time of year there's always something I "just" have to make. Every day there's something new. Don't you just love August? We already have peaches and apricots, still have red currants and strawberries and I even found some of the last sour cherries( my absolute favourite) of the season. So many recipes, so little time...
Because the season of these wonderful summer fruits is so short, I tend to over bake and over eat all month long. And I'm loving every moment of it!
This apricot red currant tart is best served warm. Think sunny weekday afternoon, tall glasses of homemade lemonade, iced coffee and a few girlfriends popping by unexpectedly. Let the good times begin...

Apricot-red currant summer tart

Ingredients:

300 g all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
200 g diced, unsalted butter at room temperature
2 eggs
150 g sugar
about 8 medium sized halved, pitted apricots
250 g red currants, picked over
1 cup sour cream
powdered sugar to serve

Preheat oven to 375F.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add butter, 1 egg, 100 g sugar and mix to form a dough. Knead several times until smooth. Form into a ball and refrigerate covered with plastic wrap for at least 1 hour. Line a medium sized baking tray with baking paper. Mix sour cream with the egg and remaining sugar until sugar dissolves.
Roll out dough on a floured surface to fit baking tray. Place apricots, cut side up on top of dough. Scatter red currants on and around apricots. Pour sour cream mixture around fruit and bake until golden around edges, about 35 to 40 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut while still warm in large rectangles.

Chocolate and hazelnut baklava cigars

2009-08-04T14:14:00.004-04:00

Summer hasn't been very nice to us this year. So far we've had rain, thunderstorms, cooler than usual days and everything in between. Longing for a hot summer afternoon spent on a porch, somewhere very quiet, with a slice of peach pie, some home made lemonade in hand and Billie Holiday tunes in the background seems foolish at this point.
August is usually my month of cold soups, iced drinks, grilled fish and salsas. This year it's a bit different. I had hot chocolate for breakfast this morning. That should explain a lot...
Last week however, I spent a lovely afternoon at home with my new favourite summer read and one of the best cook books I've ever owned: Postcards from Portugal by Tessa Kiros. This book will immediately make you want to jump on a plane bound for Portugal. Given the fact that Portugal is just a tad farther than my local green grocer's I decided to take a quick trip to the latter. I couldn't really find all the ingredients to make anyhting from the book, so I made the best of what I had at home. We had an Andalusian gazpacho, some corn on the cob with mint and feta butter and these yummy, albeit not so summery chocolate-hazelnut cigars to finish. By the end of the meal, we all felt like we just had a great day. A great day, indeed.

Chocolate and hazelnut baklava cigars

Ingredients:

130 g dark chocolate, chopped
250 g toasted hazelnuts
140 ml runny honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
6 sheets filo pastry
70 ml melted butter

Preheat oven to 390 F. Combine chocolate, hazelnuts and spices. Add to a food processor and coarsely chop. Add honey and pulse until mixture comes together. Lay one sheet of filo on a clean working surface. Brush with butter. Fold in half, then brush again with butter. Spread two big tablespoons of chocolate- hazelnut filling along the edge closest to you. Fold in the two sides, then roll up tightly. Place on a baking tray. Brush again with butter. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Bake until golden, about 8 minutes.
Serve with a vanilla ice cream affogato and you'll be in heaven.

Tutti Frutti Jam

2009-07-21T14:54:00.006-04:00

Finally, I can make all the jams and preserves I've been craving so much. Well, not all of them as I I don't have much space to store them for the bleak winter days ahead. When I grow up ( at this rate that will never happen!), I'll have a special pantry just for jams and preserves. A special little nook for concoctions like green tomato and fig jam, chili-vanilla red currant jam and the like.
You know, for the cave woman in me, just to evoke those primeval feelings of self sufficiency and survival.
Until then, I'll keep it simple. I made this tutti frutti jam from leftover fruit. Jam making is easy if you stick to some basic rules. It's just fruit+sugar (a concentration of over 60 % of sugar will create a hostile environment for those nasty micro-organisms),+ some lemon juice for some added pectin. I made this jam using equal amounts of cherries, strawberries, raspberries, red currants and apricots. Mixing low pectin fruits(cherries, strawberries) with high pectin ones( raspberries, red currants) will make for a not overly sweet or overcooked jam, as the jam will set faster, giving you a real fruity taste.
Make sure you use sterilized jars. You wouldn't want those previously mentioned micro-organisms taking up residence in your jam, now would you?

Tutti Frutti Jam

1400 g of cherries, red currants, strawberries, raspberries, and apricots (equal amounts)
850 g sugar
juice of one lemon

Wash and clean all fruits, halve and stone your cherries and apricots.
Add all fruits to a medium sized pan and cook over medium heat until they release some of their juices. Add sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium high and cook until setting point is reached. A simple method to check the setting point is to put a saucer in the freezer when you start making the jam.Then, when your jam has somewhat thickened drop a little jam on the cold saucer and let it cool for a minute or two. Push with your finger. If the jam crinkles, setting point has been reached. If it looks too runny, boil for a few more minutes then test again. Remember this will be a soft set jam, unlike the store bought hard or jelly like varieties.
When setting point has been reached, remove jam from heat and pour into hot sterilized jars.
Have a regal Sunday breakfast by serving this fruity goodness on some toasted apricot bread, slathered with ricotta cheese.

Spiced cauliflower with Egyptian dukkah

2009-07-09T12:02:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I bought a beautiful head of organic cauliflower from the farmer's market. It was a hot summer day and I was going to make some creamy cauliflower spread with shallots, mayo and lots of lemon; And then have it slathered on fresh white bread with juicy ripe tomatoes, just the way my grandmother used to serve it when I was a child. I used to spend most of my summer vacation at my grandmother's. Back in the day when life wasn't crazy, when we could afford the luxury of loosing track of time without any repercussions and the 3 month long summer vacation seemed like an eternity. In a good way. Back then it was all about friends, games and the meals in between . Most mornings I woke up to the smell of savoury french toast and mint tea. After breakfast we went fishing at a nearby creek, then played hide-and-seek in the orchard. To get away from the scorching sun we took a nap. Every day, after lunch. No exceptions. Not just the children, but every living creature enjoyed some good old siesta time. It was dead quiet, except for one pesky fly that always found its way into my cool, shady room.
Very annoying at first, I must say. But after a while It became indispensable for my afternoon nap. Sort of like an odd lullaby.
By the time I woke up my afternoon snack was ready. It was usually this creamy cauliflower spread, with just picked juicy tomatoes, or vanilla custard with poached meringue, caramel pudding or ice cold lemony apple compote.
Those days are long gone but as vivid in my memory as ever. I try to make the above mentioned goodies as often as a can. Every summer. It was one of these hot, kinda quiet days a few weeks ago when I decided to buy some cauliflower. I wasn't able to prepare it the same day, and as luck would have it, the weather cooled down so drastically the next day, that it felt more like October than June. So I decided to forgo my previous plans and go for a more weather appropriate, hearty cauliflower dish instead.

Spiced Cauliflower with Egyptian Dukkah

Dukkah is a delicious mix of nuts, seeds and spices. My version has almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts with coriander, sesame and cumin seeds, but feel free to use any type of nuts you may have on hand.

For the Dukkah:

Preheat oven to 375F. Roast 1/4 cup each of blanched almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts until fragranat, about 8 minutes. Cool. In a skillet toast 1/4 cup each of coriander and cumin seeds. Cool. Add nuts and spices to a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add mixture to a bowl. In same skillet toast 1/4 cup of sesame seeds until fragrant. Add sesame seeds along with some salt and pepper to mixture in bowl. Store in an airtight container.
Dukkah is also lovely sprinkled on top of salads, carrot soup, spicy tomato soup or used as coating on fish or chicken.

For the spiced cauliflower:

1 large head of cauliflower, cleaned, cut into small florets
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 red chili, seeded, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup of bread crumbs
Thick yogurt and lemon juice to serve

Cook cauliflower in salted boiling water just until crisp-tender.( It will have an unpleasant smell and texture if overcooked).
Drain well. In a large skillet heat the olive oil, add chili, lemon zest and bread crumbs. Cook until toasted and fragrant. Add cauliflower and stir to coat. Sprinkle a generous amount of Dukkah on top and serve warm with thick yogurt and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Oh, and special message for ZS. Long live all hockey players!!!

Lemons, lemons, lemons

2009-06-27T22:27:00.005-04:00

I dreamt of Italy last night. Again. What is it about this country that gets you hooked? Sure they have all that glorious nature, wonderful, exuberant people, pizza, gelato, opera, unforgettable sunsets over the Colosseum, etc... but I have traveled to lots of exotic, remote corners of the world (getting almost crippled by the weight of my backpack, a.k.a. my best friend), saw incredibly beautiful things, met all kinds of people, and ate my way across several continents and none of these places trigger as many nostalgic emotions as Italy does. And things ought to get better, as far as my daydreams are concerned anyway. Memories get better with age. They get wrapped in this strange fog like filter. You know, like the ones they use to make new photos look old. You look at them, immediately see a story there, and in your mind it all plays out in slow motion. But I digest, as Joey Tribiani so eloquently put it.( If you don't know who Joey Tribiani is, you should probably stop reading this blog). What I wanted to talk about here are lemons. Amalfi lemons, to be precise. These ubiquitous little gems that litterally fall on your shoulders when you take a stroll on the notoriously narrow roads of the Amalfi. You can't escape the scent of lemons here, they're everywhere. In the air, in your pasta, in your salad, in baba al limone or that hornlike little thang Italians call sfogliatelle. What surprised me the most was that it's mostly the zest of lemon that is used, rather than the juice.
So in keeping with tradition, I made this lemony panna cotta today. Not a traditional one, as this version is made with buttermilk and lots of lemon zest, making it lighter and tangier than the usual panna cotta made with cream. And because strawberries are in season, why not serve your panna cotta with some honey-lemon strawberry salad?
Finally, if you're ever in the Amalfi region please, oh please have some lemon granita for me. And maybe a shot of Limoncello. Or two.Thank you.

Buttermilk panna cotta with honey-lemon strawberry salad

Ingredients:

750 ml buttermilk
100 g sugar
zest of one organic lemon
3 1/2 gelatin leaves, softened in cold water

salad:
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 tsp mild honey
juice of half a lemon

In a medium saucepan combine buttermilk with sugar and lemon zest. Bring to a slow simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Do not boil. Squeeze out excess water from gelatin and add to buttermilk mixture. Stir to dissolve completely. Strain into 4 cups and refrigerate at least 6 hours.
For the salad combine all ingredients and spoon atop panna cottas.
Serves 4 of you or 1 of me.

Bella Italia and a recipe

2009-06-17T22:42:00.007-04:00

I've already done this countless times in my head. Create this post, I mean. Create, recreate and so on...Considered the many things I should write about. The good, the great, the unexpected, the magic of it all. Just trying to share all the incredible experiences I've had, complete with the sounds, smells and yes even the soundtrack of the whole trip, as all good stories need a soundtrack. Try Gianna Nannini , Madonna's Miles Away or Open Road by Grace. I've had these tunes in my head for months now, playing over and over again...And every single time they take me back to the long, scenic drives in the south of Italy and the poppy fields of France. The lemon scent in the air in Amalfi; savouring every bite of the world's BEST pistachio gelato in Polignano-al-Mare, while the rough waves hit the rocks so hard your feet start trembling; gazing for hours at wild horses in the south of France, need I say more??
It all started in March, when we shuttered our humble abode and set off on a pilgrimage to the culinary motherlands of France and Italy. Being quite aware of the fact that not much can be done to temper the self-indulgence of this story's premise I will rely on just a few of the pictures to give you a taste of what it was like. For me.

Strawberry Mozzarella salad with Prosciutto di Parma

After having mozzarella and prosciutto for lunch almost every day while in Italy, I felt (at the time) that I needed a break from both. Clearly this so called break did not last long. I found some gorgeous local strawberries at the market and just couldn't resist. On my way home I dropped by my local Salumeria for some fresh mozzarella and a few slices of prosciutto and hey presto lunch!

For the dressing mix some extravirgin olive oil with grainy mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Toss some sliced strawberries and mixed Italian greens with the dressing. Serve with torn mozzarella pieces and a few slices of prosciutto.Enjoy!
More on Italy and France coming soon...

Almond custard and mixed fruit gratins

2009-03-21T10:03:00.005-04:00

There are three types of people in this world. Those who know how to appreciate what they already have, those who don't, and those who are seriously working on it. I proudly consider myself a member of group #3. But let's not go too deep here, I'm just talking about fruit. When at home, I tend to overlook them. If I want something sweet I just reach for some chocolaty concoction or a tall glass of fizzy apple lemongrass cordial on ice. Not even my shiny brand new fruit basket loaded with all sorts of tropical goodness and local apples and pears( always eat seasonal, right?) will make me throw a glance towards the healthy option. But all that is about to change. As I traveled a lot in the last few years, I realized that what I missed the most in my daily diet were fruits and soup. Not that you can't buy fruit anywhere, it's just that when I'm in a different country I want to eat as much local specialities as I can. These are usually cooked or baked, and that my friends means that there's no room for "boring" fruit like apples and oranges or chicken noodle soup for that matter. Now I try to eat all my fruit when they are still fresh, or use them in desserts, such as these delicious almond custard gratins. You can use any combination of fresh fruit. If you make this for guests, they will swoon first. Next they will ask weather they're easy to prepare. And immediately after your affirmative answer, they will ask for the recipe. I promise.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
pinch of salt
1 large mango, peeled, cubed
2 kiwis, peeled, cubed
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 stick unsalted butter, cubed
creme fraiche, for serving

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 4 gratin dishes.
Mix all the fruit in a bowl, then divide among gratin dishes.
Whisk eggs, cream, sugar,almond meal, vanilla, almond extract and salt until combined. Pour custard over fruit. Sprinkle with almonds and dot with butter. Bake for 35 minutes.
Cool to room temperature. Serve with creme fraiche.
Recipe adapted from Gourmet magazine.

Xococava-Chocolate heaven

2009-03-09T22:30:00.007-04:00

You are reading the mumblings of a very happy gal. What's with all that happiness you ask? Well, I have just discovered the best place to go for chocolate and ice-cream in Toronto. This magical place is called Xoxocava (pronounced Shococava). Located in the Yonge/St Claire area, this gem of a place is a cross between a dessert tapas bar, ice-cream parlour and espresso bar. It is small and charming, decorated with marble counters and a wall covered with broken dishes, this place had me from the get go. The very knowledgeable staff (they make the best cafe con leche and hot xocolata) will help you choose to your heart's desire between ice creams (hazelnut, meyer lemon, licorice caramel, espresso etc), sorbets ( pina colada, madagascar chocolate, texas ruby grapefruit), truffles, pastries or barista drinks. they have wonderful brownies and different types of croissant. Sinfully buttery, yet not greasy and flat like at most other patisseries in the Midtown area (you know who you are!).
The selection of truffles and candies would require a whole new post. With flavours like fennel and chorizo(just try it) truffles, quince jellies, candied orange peel and nougat you're sure to find something to your liking. I know I'll be a regular customer.
Hurry, check it out before word gets out and you'll have to queue up for hours to get some ice-cream to cool you down on those soon to be here hot summer days.
Xococava
1560 Yonge Street
416 979-9916

Chocolate almond macaroons

2009-03-02T20:16:00.005-05:00

I'm one of those people who thinks that food has an amazing ability to change one's bad mood to a cheerful disposition. This type of food would include chocolate, of course. This past week I met up with a friend who seemed a bit sad. Not too much, just a tad. Or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to make something sweet, something chocolatey. I had this great bittersweet Callebaut sitting in my cupboard that I'd had my eye on for a few days. So what is a girl to do with 100 grams of leftover quality dark chocolate? Macaroons of course. For the hundredth time. Somehow I always seem to think that the next batch will be even better than the previous one. This cookie is not the typical french version, but a denser, chewier one.
It has a delicious vanilla flavoured chocolate filling with just a pinch of sea salt. Salt just takes chocolate to the next level in my opinion. It has to be really good sea salt and just a pinch of it.
Over the years I have tested tons of macaroon recipes. Some of them great, some not so good. Chocolate, caramel and coffee
flavoured ones are favourites with my palate. The colourful ones, filled with butter cream tend too be a feast for the eyes rather than the taste buds. They're just sweet, and not much else. (This applies to all the" designer" macaroons that I had in Tokyo). That said I have never had Pierre Herme's world famous macaroons. I am heading to Paris soon, taking a taxi from the airport straight to the Pierre Herme store (no, just kidding:)). Will definitely let you know of any sudden change of heart that might occur during this ever so important visit.
Oh, almost forgot: it turns out my friend K. was not sad, or down or tired that day. I was all in my had:) But she loved the cookies and promised to be sad, down or tired a helluva lot more often from know on!

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp sifted cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/2 tsp almond extract
75 g dark chocolate
10 gm butter
13 ml heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 325F. Beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly add sugar, beating until egg whites are very thick. Mix in cocoa, almond meal and extract. Dampen hands and form about 1 teaspoonfuls of dough into balls. Pinch balls to form a teardrop shape. Place cookies on baking sheet (lined with parchment paper), bake for about 15 minutes until slightly cracked. Do not over bake, as they will end up very dry. Cool completely on a rack.
For filling, combine chocolate, butter and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Add vanilla extract and sea salt. Cool to room temperature. Spread half teaspoon of filling on flat side of cookies, then sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing lightly to seal. Store in an airtight container.

Moroccan red quinoa salad with butternut squash, chickpeas and goat cheese

2009-02-24T22:23:00.006-05:00

Thankfully I'm not one of those people who need a lot of convincing to try something new. (Except when it comes to things like horse meat salami and such). I have no problem trying new foods when travelling or getting to know the culinary delights of a different culture. I discovered quinoa a while ago by accident. I saw this recipe in a newspaper that someone left behind on the subway.( See? It pays off to take public transit:)) That recipe never made it to my kitchen, I don't even remember what was in it, but I did some research on this wonder grain as soon as I got home. Turnes out, quinoa has been a staple of South American cuisine for centuries. I wonder what took us in the Northern Hemisphere so long to discover the "mother of all grains".
Lately I have been using this wonderfully versatile grain quite often. Whether it was a black been quinoa salad to accompany some barbecued Mexican fish wrapped in banana leaves ( oh, summer where art thou?) or just a quick Indian spiced mango and cilantro quinoa salad, I made sure to use it at least once a month. The benefits of quinoa are endless; it has a very high protein content, it's a great source of dietary fiber and it's also high in magnesium and iron. In its natural state, it has a bitter coating, called saponin. Most quinoa sold in North America has been processed to remove this coating.
Quinoa is cooked much like rice, 2 cups of water to 1 cup of grain for 15 minutes. It should be al dente, mild tasting and somewhat nutty when it's done.
This Moroccan salad is a very satisfying one; eats like a meal, rich with flavour and very filling because of the squash. The cumin seeds and preserved lemons give it that distinct Moroccan flavour that I tend to crave in cold winter months. For a great recipe for preserved lemons click here.

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, cubed
5 garlic coves, unpeeled
1 tbsp light olive oil
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp honey
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 cups cooked red quinoa
4 oz soft, mild goat cheese
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 preserved lemon, peel only, sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted, crushed
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
some mixed greens (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. In a bowl toss squash with garlic cloves, light olive oil, soy sauce and honey.Pour squash in a roasting tin and bake for 40 minutes or until squash cubes are soft but still holding their shape. Remove from oven. Put squash in a large bowl. Reserve garlic cloves.
Add chickpeas and quinoa to squash. Peel and coarsely mash reserved garlic cloves, add cumin seeds, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice salt and pepper.
Add dressing to squash mixture, then add preserved lemon peel. Mix well. Serve in large bowls, with toasted pumpkin seeds
and crumbled goat cheese on top.

Vanilla rice pudding with poppy seeds and mango

2009-02-18T19:15:00.005-05:00

What do you do when without any reason whatsoever you keep forgetting things? Things like you have a class at 3pm, not 4 pm or meeting up with a friend you haven't seen for a long time or more importantly a doctor's appointment that you had to wait almost a year for??? I blame it on the weather (but then again I tend to blame everyhting on the cruel Canadian winter:)). What else could it be?! And of course we all know what to do to make things better when the weather is at fault: turn to some ultra soothing comfort food. This time I chose rice pudding with a twist. The milk, rice and some flavourings combination really works for me. Having tried other versions with cream, egg yolks, folded in at the end of cooking, or even coconut milk (all of which added unnecessary calories and made the pud taste waaaaay too rich) I can honestly say that this simple version is the best one. For me, at least.

Ingredients:

600 ml whole milk
4 1/4 oz caster sugar
pinch of salt
4 1/4 oz arborio or carnaroli rice
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp lime oil
1 mango

Heat the milk with the sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, add the rice. Reduce heat to low, and cook until thick and rice is tender, stirring occasionally (20 to 25 min). Remove from heat. Add poppy seeds, vanilla and lime oil. Garnish with cubed or sliced fresh mango.

Fig and date granola with cardamom and ginger poached quince

2009-02-08T11:14:00.005-05:00

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. How many times have you heard that??? While we may find it boring, it is absolutely true. It's been scientifically proven that people who eat a nutritious breakfast tend to have more energy throughout the day and are also likely to have less problems with their weight. As a teenager I used to skip breakfast whenever I could. I just thought it was a waste of precious sleeping time. It wasn't rebellion or anything like that it was just a matter of fact. I much preferred to have some quick bite, like a Mars bar or sugary cereal (empty calories, my friends). Nowadays I pay more attention to what I put im my body and I have to say I grew to love breakfast. Actually it's my favourite meal of the day. Especially the loooooong, weekend breakfast, that is usually a 3 or 4 course affair around this household. OK, that sounds more like brunch, doesn't it? I've been known to still be in my PJ's at 3pm, with a warm almond croissant in one hand a double shot latte in the other.
But that only happens on the weekends. On a weekday, when time is of the essence granola is my saviour. This particular granola has oats,nuts, honey and all the goodness of dates and figs. I added honey and lemon juice for moisture, but you can also use any kind of cordial you have at hand. (Blackberry an lime cordial is brilliant for this job). You may also want to have different nuts and seeds. With this one anything goes. Really. Did I mention that oats are good for you? They can help reduce cholesterol, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and they are low GI foods, providing a steady release of energy throughout the day.
Quince is one of those fruits that you either love or hate. I belong to the quince lovers category. This wonderfully aromatic fruit is widely used in Middle Eastern cooking, in tagines ans sweets. You can't go wrong with paring lamb and quince.
The Spanish have a great concoction as well. It's called dulce de membrillo or quince cheese. It is served with thick slices of Manchego cheese. Heaven!!!
When raw, quince has a very hard and grainy flesh. Practically inedible. But once it's cooked it turns into this silky, smooth, and soft marvel of a fruit.
You can serve the poached quince with different kinds of granola or muesli, or just plain vanilla ice-cream. Add a thin crisp cookie and you hit a home run.

Fig and date granola

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup figs, chopped
4 tbsp honey
juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix oats, almonds,pumpkin seeds with honey and lemon juice in a large bowl.(Mixture should be slightly wet. Add more honey if need be). Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Pour mixture on the cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and mix in chopped dates and figs. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Serve with poached quince, thick yogurt and honey.

Cardamom and ginger poached quince

Ingredients

4 large quince
1 cup sugar
5 cups water
2 cm piece of ginger
3 cardamom pods
juice of half a lemon

Peel, halve and core quince. Cut in 1 inch slices. Place quince slices in a large pot along with all the other ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer uncovered and cook for about 1 and 1/2 hours, or until the fruit is soft. Take off the heat, and lift quince pieces out of the poaching liquid. Place poaching liquid back on the stove and simmer for about an hour, until the the liquid is reduced to a wonderfully fragrant thick syrup. Remove ginger and cardamom. Discard. Put quince pieces back into the syrup and cool completely, before refrigerating.
Enjoy the aroma that has just filled your house!

Craving some Indian food?

2009-02-01T21:47:00.007-05:00

Well, so am I. Pretty much all the time. The smokiness, the spices, those deep layered flavours just can't be beat. The best meal I ever had (at a restaurant) was without a doubt at a restaurant called Bukhara in New Delhi. I remember we went shopping for spices in Old Delhi after lunch and by the time we got home it was almost 8pm. I was so hungry I could scream. Suddenly I remembered a midnight conversation I had (accidentally) overheard the night before. Our host and one of his guests were talking about this great restaurant they always go to when in town. I didn't pay much attention then, but I did remember the name Bukhara. And boy am I glad I did! We immediately asked our host to give us directions to this place. He said he'd be glad to, but he didn't think we could get in there without a reservation. We just pretended not to hear what he had just said. We jumped into a tuk-tuk (kinda dangerous, noisy, dusty, but loads of fun) and went straight to the restaurant. The funny thing was that this is an expensive restaurant. Nobody goes there by tuk-tuk. But hey, when you gotta eat you gotta eat! So after making a grand entrance, we had to wait for a while, but managed to get a table. The food was unbelievable. The chicken, lamb, char grilled veggies were smoky, spicy and utterly delicious. There was no rice on the side, but we had some dhal, cucumber-tomato raita and the most most satisfying piece (or several pieces rather) of naan bread ever!
I can't wait to return. It's hard to describe what it's like in India to someone who has never experienced it. It is definitely a land of contrasts, so vast, colourful, loud and sometimes surprising that it would take a lifetime to get to know it corner to corner.
The sounds, the people, the scenery and the great food will definitely make you want to go back. Most people who have been there say that while you're there you can't wait to leave and once you left all you think about is going back. I know I would be ready to go right now!

This recipe I chose to deal with my cravings is in no shape or form authentic. I know that. But it is Indian spiced, easy, fast fresh and super delicious. For the chicken I used homemade mango pickle (I always have lots of different pickles and spice mixtures in the fridge), but store bought will do just fine.

Baked mango chicken with Indian spiced chickpea salad

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tbsp mango chutney or pickle of your choice

Preheat oven to 400F. Place mango chutney or pickle in a bowl. Add the chicken and coat well. Arrange chicken breasts on an aluminum foil lined baking tray. Bake for about 30 to 35 min.

For the salad:

30 oz cooked chickpeas, drained
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp each fennel, cumin, coriander seeds
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup yogurt
lime juice to taste
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
pinch of sea salt

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add fennel, cumin and coriander and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat and crush spices a little using a mortar and pestle. Put chickpeas in a bowl, add spice mixture and rest of the ingredients. Serve with the baked mango chicken.

India photos by L. N.

Toasted walnut and cassis cookies with some good news

2009-01-24T19:32:00.010-05:00

Let's have the good news first. Very happy to announce that my entry Lingue di suocera with star anise for Meeta's Monthly Mingle -World of Spiced Cookies has been chosen the winner of this round.
Anita of Dessert First was kind enough to reward the winner (moi) with a copy of her first book, Field Guide to Cookies: How to identify and bake virtually every cookie imaginable. To purchase Anita's book please click here.
Thank you Anita and Meeta. And to celebrate I baked these wonderful toasted walnut and cassis cookies (only appropriate for the occasion).

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 cup walnuts, toasted, finely chopped
3/4 cup blackcurrant jam
2 tsp cassis
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a bowl mix butter, sugar, salt and vanilla with a fork. Stir in flour and walnuts. Form tablespoons of dough into balls. Put them on a baking tray 2 inches appart. Flatten them to 1/3 inch thick rounds. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.
Perfect with a glass of milk. Enjoy!

Baked Pepper Squash with brown sugar and cinnamon

2009-01-18T17:17:00.007-05:00

As a child I loved winter. Winter was everything to me. Never complained about the cold, about the snow. We used to play all day long, vehemently denying that it was so cold and we got so wet that we could not feel our hands anymore. The only thing that could get me into the house on a perfect snow day was a good dose of classic cartoons. That and some warming food or drink to keep the energy going. I chose to embrace winter with everything it had to offer. Endless days of ice-skating, making snowmen, steaming mugs of hot chocolate, this is what I remember. Time went by very slowly (in a good way) and I was convinced that everyone had it as good as me. I would have also bet my bottom dollar that all my friends from back than would be my friends forever. And nothing would ever change.
Than one day I found myself at the shoe store looking for boots that don't have slippery soles. That's when I realized things have changed. Even though my daily cartoon dosage was not limited to two anymore, I could stay up as long as I wanted and yes, I could finally have chocolate for breakfast, I felt like I lost something forever.
Nowadays I'm trying hard to look at the world with a child's eyes, even when it's -20 outside, and it's slippery, windy, slushy and miserable.That's where the food comes in. Memories of hot mint tea, warm baked potatoes, steaming bowls of hot soup, aromatic baked squash, they all help when you're trying hard for a different perspective on things.

Saturday morning I decided to finally check out the Wychwood Barns farmers market. Not knowing much about it, I was almost too late, getting there right before they closed. This wonderful new project on the Toronto foodie and cultural scene is so much more than a farmers market. The space used to be an old streetcar repair barn. Now it's home to artist's studios, a farmers market, a greenhouse and 12 not-for-profit environmental and cultural organizations.
The Green Barn is operated by The Stop Community Food Center. The Green Barn will operate a sheltered garden, and outdoor bake oven and a compost demonstration site. It's a great place that strives to increase access to healthy, culturally appropriate food while building community and challenging inequality. To find out more, donate or to volunteer please click here.
On Saturdays this farmers market is the place to go if you're looking for delicious, seasonal local food and produce. You can buy everything from organic squash, cabbage, carrots, apples, sauerkraut, honey, the freshest, most delicious smoked white fish from the Georgian Bay to ready made goods, like empanadas, fresh artisanal bread, hot chocolate and more.To find out more about Wychwood Barns click here.
I bought some squash, honey and smoked fish and hurried home because this was going to be a perfect winter's day.

Baked Pepper Squash with brown sugar and cinnamon

Ingredients

1 pepper squash
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut squash in two and clean out both cavities. Melt butter. Add sugar and cinnamon to melted butter. Mix well. Cut each squash half in two. Brush with half of the melted butter mixture. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes. Take off foil and bake uncovered for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting with remaining melted butter.

Black Forest Trifle (easy version)

2009-01-13T22:06:00.006-05:00

It's January. The days are short and extremely cold at the moment. But that didn't stop my dear friends to come over to wish me Happy Birthday (from the other side of town, mind you). So what does a girl like me do in such instances? Prepare a delicious dinner with all the trimmings, of course. Or that's what I should have done, anyway. But it didn't happen. I wanted to make fondue (or a twist on the traditional one) with brie cheese and wild mushrooms. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, apparently not for yours truly. I managed to completely mess up a perfectly simple fondue recipe. It turned out thick and lumpy as hell. But my ever so gracious friends (because that's the kind of people they are) said it was delicious. It was not.
Oh, well at least we had dessert. Black Forest Trifle, namely.
I kept it simple and used store bought Belgian chocolate cake and custard. Those of you who cringe at the thought of store bought custard click here for a good home-made custard recipe.
I used cherries for decoration and only for decoration as they were tasteless. That will teach me never to disobey the cardinal rule of great cooking: always use seasonal ingredients!

Ingredients

Makes 4 to 6 servings, depending on the size of the glasses you use

1 chocolate cake loaf (about 500g)
2 1/2 cups vanilla custard
1 800 ml jar pitted sour cherries in light syrup, drained, 1/2 cup juice reserved
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup kirsch
1 cup heavy cream
chocolate shards and cocoa powder for decoration

Mix 2 tbsp sour cherry juice with the cornstarch. Add to rest of the sour cherry juice and bring to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan. Stir until thickened. Take mixture off the heat then add the cherries and kirsch. Set aside.
Cut chocolate cake into 1/2 inch thick slices. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks (you can add powdered sugar to taste, if desired).
Prepare 6 small water glasses. Start layering with cake slices, then sour cherry mixture, then custard. Repeat layering once more. Finally, top it off with whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate shavings and sifted cocoa.

Lingue di suocera (Mother-in-law's tongues) with star anise

2009-01-04T20:18:00.010-05:00

Weird name. Great cookie.That simple.
Some say cookie season is over. Well, not for me. I like to have my cookie jar full at all times, thank you very much. For me an espresso is not worth the trouble, if there's nothing "on the side".
So here's my contribution to Monthly mingle- World of Spice Cookies, hosted by Meeta of What's for lunch, Honey?

Ingredients

250g plain flour
100g caster sugar
100g butter
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 tbsp cold water
1/2 cup citrus marmalade
1 star anise

Mix flour, sugar, salt in a food processor. Add butter and blend well until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add egg yolks, vanilla and pulse to combine. Add water to allow dough to come together. (Add more water if necessary). Wrap in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Using a mortar and pestle, crush star anise. Sift using a fine mesh sieve and stir into citrus marmalade.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 5 mm thick. Cut out rounds, using an 8cm diameter cutter. Spoon 1/2 tsp marmalade into the center of each round, spreading it out slightly. Bring together two ends and pinch to join.
Place cookies on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool. Dust with icing sugar.

Recipe based on Mary Taylor Simeti's recipe in Bitter Almonds.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T14:48:00.005-05:00

Happy 2009! I wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.
I can't believe another year has gone by. We finished the year on a sweet (literally) note and what better way to start the new year, than something fried, sweet, spicy and delicious? I found this recipe for Cinnamon-Sugar Pillows on the Williams-Sonoma website.
I thought it would make a great New Year's day breakfast, so I prepared everything last night. We had them this morning with a steaming mug of latte. Find the recipe here.

Happy Christmas!

2008-12-25T15:23:00.003-05:00

Have a wonderful, happy and delicious Christmas!

Chai spiced truffles

2008-12-19T14:41:00.003-05:00

When I started this blog I thought that I'd be posting every day with the Christmas season just around the corner. Well, life intervened and that didn't happen. Now, Christmas is almost here. And this is going to be my first "official" Christmas post.
For me Christmas is not Christmas without truffles. I usually make several different flavours to choose from. This year I'm going to stick with just one: Chai spiced truffles. I make a huge batch and send them (well, not all of them) to my sister every year.
Word is she enjoyed them a lot. I hope you enjoy them, too.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
6 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
3 black peppercorns
4 cloves
7 oz coarsely chopped milk chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Bring heavy cream to a boil, add all spices. Cover and let infuse for an hour.
After an hour strain into a clean pot and bring to a boil again. Discard spices.
Add chopped chocolate to the cream, mix well. Add vanilla and butter. Mix well to melt the butter.
Let the mixture cool, cover and refrigerate over night. The next day, line baking sheet with waxed paper. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared sheet. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
Place cocoa into bowl. Roll truffle between hands into rounds. Roll them into cocoa.
You can also roll them in melted chocolate, you'll need about 6 oz for this amount of truffles.
I used Callebaut chocolate, my chocolate of choice when a recipe asks for quality chocolate.

Midnight snack of the week

2008-12-05T10:07:00.003-05:00

This gal likes to snack. A lot. Especially before going to bed. Preferably something spicy, hot and full of flavour on a piece of stinky cheese. Usually a nice coriander and cardamom flavoured kiwi or sweet mango chutney will do it, but this time it's something special: my second childhood food crush, mushrooms.(The first being cheese). I found this recipe in an old hand written cookbook of mine. Plus I needed to make good use of some herbes de Provence I had sitting on my spice rack.
It's the perfect midnight snack. Sweet dreams, everybody!

Citrusy mushrooms with herbes de Provence

Ingredients

1 lb small white button mushrooms
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp grated orange zest
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
150 ml vegetable stock
2 tsp herbes de Provence
100 ml olive oil
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Clean mushrooms, peel and cut in half if too big. In a bowl, mix orange and lemon juice, vegetable stock, orange zest and herbes de Provence. Mix well, then add the mushrooms. Heat olive oil over medium heat, add the shallot and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, then add mushroom mixture and cook until mushrooms are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Finally add the parsley. Cool completely. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavours develop.

Cardamom and damson plum cookies

2008-12-03T10:34:00.005-05:00

OK. It took a little longer than expected to publish the recipe for this cookie. My apologies. I made these heavenly bites a few nights ago, while the Grinch was stealing Christmas (on TV). It was almost midnight by the time I finished baking them. ( I seem to be doing a lot of late night baking).
Except for the few I kept to take photos of the next day, they were all gone in a matter of minutes. I do have to say though, that they are better the next day, if kept in an airtight container. My damson plum jam is home made. Friends say it's the best jam ever. I tend to believe my friends. If you cannot find damson jam, use a good quality raspberry jam.
Cardamom does it for me, so I used a lot in this recipe. Should you like a milder taste, use less. Same goes for the damson jam. I kinda like it dripping out of the cookies. For aesthetic purposes use less. This is a small batch. You can easily double it.
If you're not thinking Christmas yet, it high time you did folks!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup(or so) damson plum jam

Add flour, cardamom and salt to a bowl. Mix well.
Beat together butter, cream cheese, sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Next add flour mixture in two parts.
Mix until dough comes together. Chill in the fridge, wrapped in a plastic wrap for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from fridge.
Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter stamp out rounds as closely together as possible. Arrange cookies on a baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.
Bake cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are golden. Cool completely. Sandwich cookies together with damson plum jam. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Sour cream coffee cake with chocolate pecan filling

2008-11-26T21:47:00.009-05:00

As this wonderfully moist coffee cake was on the picture,(previous post) I thought it wouldn't hurt to post the recipe as well.
It's a great, easy to make alternative to more elaborate cakes or pastries that could be served with coffee. It makes quite a large cake, but no worries here, it keeps for 4 to 5 days under a cake dome.

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
5 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 1/2 oz superfine sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Filling:

1/4 cup toasted pecans
3 oz coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
3 tbs light brown sugar
1 1/2 tbs natural cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350F. Generously butter a 9-inch bundt pan.
Make the filling: In a food processor, pulse pecans, sugar, chocolate and cocoa to combine and chop the pecans and chocolate.
For the cake: In a bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well blended. Blend in vanilla.
Next alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Spoon half the batter into the bundt pan. Smooth with the back of a spoon, spreading out evenly. Sprinkle over the filling, then layer on the rest of the batter. Run a large wooden skewer around the pan for a few times to get the desired marbled effect. Smooth the top again.
Bake until golden brown and the wooden skewer inserted comes out clean, about 45 to 55 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before removing from the pan.
Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking magazine.

Glorious brunch

2008-11-24T19:32:00.003-05:00

Bad weather should not get me down. Not me. Not usually. But when by some miracle it does, I already know how to make my day better. A long, long weekend brunch that will keep me satisfied for the day is the answer.
Muesli, with lots of sweet dates, apples, walnuts. Maybe some coffee cake. A big bowl of latte. And maybe some simple scrambled eggs, with chives and truffle oil. Just a tiny bit. Drizzled on top.

Honey muesli with medjool dates, apples and walnuts

Ingredients

225 g old fashioned oats
125 ml fresh orange juice
250 g plain yogurt
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
4-5 pieces chopped medjool dates
2 apples, grated
50 g toasted walnuts

Mix oats, orange juice and 150 g of yogurt (or more, depending on how thick you like it).
Mix in lemon zest, chopped dates and half of grated apples. Serve in a bowl, topped with rest of the yogurt, chopped apples and toasted walnuts.

Memories of Japan

2008-11-23T17:43:00.008-05:00

It's only been a few months since we're back from Japan. But boy, do I ever miss it! This strange country with its complicated customs is definitely different from anything I've ever seen before. It's so much more than cherry blossoms and world famous gardens. The food is the best you'll ever find no matter what cuisine you prefer. The Japanese have elaborate ways of presenting food. Everything looks perfect. Always. You could go to a department store, go to the food court(usually in the basement) and spend hours just looking at the display . Impeccably presented salads, fresh seafood, Italian baked goods and not to mention the individually packaged, sealed french macaroons, (the current rage in Tokyo) and other goodies. My favourites were Takasimaya and Isetan.( Too bad we were not allowed to take photos).

While Tokyo is a modern shopping mecca, Kyoto is a more traditional city with lots of beautiful temples and shrines. Real Geisha still exist in Kyoto. They can be seen on the narrow streets of the city walking to school or maybe to one of their appointments.

A must see in Tokyo for any food lover is Tsukiji market. It's the largest fish market in the world, selling 400 different kinds of seafood on any given day. It may sound unbelievable but you can't even smell the fish, it's so fresh. Really.
I had the best and certainly freshest sushi at the market at 9 am!!! after lining up for 2 hours. It was all worth it.

My favourite Japanese desert? Mochi ice cream, a confection made of pulverized sticky rice and ice cream filling. Favours like honey lemon, mocha, blueberry cheese cake,azuki bean, green tea and my favourite: double caramel made me go back to Shinjuku district again and again.

All this reminiscing made me want to eat something very Japanese, very fast and even more delicious.
So here it is: wild salmon sashimi. It takes 10 minutes to make. If it takes longer, you're doing something wrong.

Salmon sashimi with sesame oil flavoured dipping sauce

Ingredients

1 bunch green onions, cut into 3-inch long pieces, halved
1/4 cup tamari soy sauce
1 tsp lime juice
2 tsp fresh orange juice
1 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp roasted sesame seeds
twelve 1/8 inch thick slices of salmon cut into 2 inch squares

For sauce mix tamari, lime juice orange juice and sesame oil.
Arrange green onions on 4 plates. Next arrange salmon pieces on top. Drizzles with some of the sesame oil mix.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve with remaining sauce.

Aromatherapy with cinnamon honey buns

2008-11-20T22:08:00.007-05:00

Cinnamon buns will never be old news in my book. I have made different variations of them countless times. They're pretty hard to get bored of around our nook. Last Sunday I woke up craving something comforting and delicious, something that would go perfectly well with a hot mug of cafe latte. So I decided to make this pecan honey variation. They are a lot easier to make than they might sound. The sweet smell of cinnamon filled the entire place. That alone is worth making them for.

Pecan honey cinnamon buns

Ingredients

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup milk, warmed
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering
3 large egg yolks
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups plus 3 tbsp all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp salt

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

To make the dough: In a bowl combine yeast, a pinch of sugar and the milk and let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. Add remaining sugar, 4 tbsp melted butter and the egg yolks, honey and vanilla. Mix until blended. Mix in flour and salt. Knead until dough is smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about an hour.

For topping: Butter a 9-by-13 inch glass baking dish. In a medium sauce pan melt honey with the brown sugar and 4 tbsp of butter over moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved, about a minute. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with pecans.

For the filling: In a bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 12-by-18 inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border all around. Sprinkle the dough with cinnamon sugar.
Starting at the long side, roll the dough into a log and turn it seam side down. Cut into 12 slices. Arrange the slices, cut side up, in the baking dish. Cover and let stand in a warm place until buns double in volume, about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the honey buns for about 35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Invert buns onto a baking sheet and let cool slightly. Serve warm.
Recipe from Food and Wine magazine.

Zucchini patties with feta

2008-11-19T20:24:00.006-05:00

Here's a fast weekday dinner recipe. These patties are from Bon Appetit magazine. I've been making them for a while. Everyone loves them.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
1 egg
1 tsp salt, divided
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tbsp fresh dill
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup corn oil
Greek yogurt to serve

Mix zucchini with 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Put it in a sieve. Press out excess liquid. Put zucchini back to bowl. Mix in egg, yolk, flour, cheese and 1/2 tbsp salt. Mix in parsley, onion and dill. If the batter is too wet, add more flour.
Heat two oils in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into skillet. Fry patties until golden, 5 minutes per side.
For a more substantial meal( to go with the patties), fry up some organic lamb sausages, and serve with yogurt and warm pita bread.

Hazelnut and mascarpone brownies for Santa

2008-11-18T07:25:00.008-05:00

Made these brownies as an early bird snack for Santa(as he was in town yesterday).They turned out really well.
Next time I might try them out with fromage frais ( now available from Liberty) or even with creamy cottage cheese( also from Liberty, they make the best).
To roast hazelnuts, roast them in a 300 F oven until skins crack, about 15 to 20 min. Cool, rub with a paper towel to remove skins.

Filling:

250 gm mascarpone, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts

Batter

135 gm chopped chocolate
4 tbsp butter
3/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts

Put cheese into a bowl. Combine eggs with sugar, beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add to mascarpone. Mix well.
Mix in all other ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.
For batter, melt butter with the chocolate in a bowl, set over a pan of simmering water on medium heat.Remove. Set asside.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Put sugar, eggs, vanilla into a mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Fold in chocolate mixture. Add baking powder, salt and cocoa. Mix well. Add flour and mix until smooth.Fold in hazelnuts. Spread batter into a baking paper lined 8" square cake pan. Spread filling over batter. Pull a large wooden skewer through layers to create a marbled effect.Bake until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean about 30 to 35 min. Do not over bake. Allow to cool before cutting.

Look who's coming to town!

2008-11-17T20:38:00.006-05:00

For all you non-believers, look it's Santa! He decided to make an early appearance on Sunday in Toronto.
The biggest, baddest Santa Clause Parade happens in this city every year. Kids of all ages line the streets early in the morning to catch a glimpse of him. He knows all of your names, of course. I think I even heard him call my name:)
He was just passing by, though.But he'll be back sooner than you think. So, have y'all been good this year???

Honey almond semifredo with fresh figs

2008-11-03T12:19:00.012-05:00

Why not start with figs? I used to not love them so much. But like so many things in my life (over the last few years) my view on figs has dramatically changed. If you can still get your hands on fresh figs this season, make sure you give this recipe a try. It is increadiblly luscious.

250g mascarpone
3/4 cup vanilla custard (I used PC Devon custrad)
1/3 cup mild honey, plus extra to serve
2 eggwhites
3/4 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
150 g nougat, chopped
fresh figs

Line base and 2 long sides of 1L loaf pan with baking paper. Whisk the mascarpone, custrad and honey until combined. Beat eggwhites with electric beaters until stiff. Fold in custard mixture to combine, then add almonds and nougat. Pour into pan and freeze overnight. Let it soften slightly before serving. Serve with extra honey and fresh figs.