Kait's Plate

Tuesdays With Dorie: Translucent Maple Tuiles

2010-12-07T23:18:00.004-05:00

Do you have baking plans? A list of recipes that you've been meaning to try? If so, you'll want to add this recipe to the very top of your list. I promise, those other recipes can wait - but this one can't.

It's this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Translucent Maple Tuiles. These cookies are amazing, addictive, and best of all, they're easy to make. I made a half-batch, and good thing, because we ate them all within a few hours. Sweet, crunchy, and packed with maple flavour.

The recipe was chosen by Clivia of Bubie's Little Baker. Thanks Clivia! Visit her blog for the recipe.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Earl Grey Tea Truffles

2010-11-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's once again my turn to host Sweet Melissa Sundays. Christmas is less than a month away, and I thought I would choose a recipe that would fit right in during the holidays. Something you could add to a tin of assorted cookies, or bring all on its own as a sweet hostess gift, or even just polish off while you watch Love Actually for the fifth time. Just me?

Between my fondness of the holidays and my ingrained love of tea (I am half-Scottish, after all), what choice did I have but to make Earl Grey Tea Truffles?

At the risk of being too articulate, these truffles are goo-ooo-ood. The slightly bitter taste of melting dark chocolate followed immediately by the fragrant, bergamot aftertaste of Earl Grey tea? Yes, please.

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did. Thank you for baking along with me!

Earl Grey Tea Truffles
From the Sweet Melissa Baking Book
Makes about 5 dozen truffles

1 pound best-quality bittersweet (64-68%) chocolate
2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp loose Earl Grey tea leaves, or the tea leaves from 7 tea bags
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup best-quality unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, for rolling

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put in a large bowl.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the heavy cream and tea leaves to scalding. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
3. Return the cream to the heat and bring to scalding again. Strain the cream over the chocolate to cover completely. Set aside for 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth.
4. Whisk in the butter to the still-warm chocolate mixture until smooth.
5. Refrigerate until the truffle base is firm enough to scoop, at least 2 hours. Using a small #100 cookie scoop or a teaspoon, scoop out the truffle base and form into balls by rolling them around quickly in your hands.
6. Place the cocoa powder in a shallow soup bowl. Roll each truffle in the cocoa powder to cover.

The truffles are best eaten at room temperature. They keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Let come to room temperature before serving.

Tuesdays With Dorie Rewind: Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia

2010-11-23T17:45:00.000-05:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie is something I've been looking forward to for quite awhile. Instead of baking a particular recipe, we've been given the chance to go back in the archives and bake something we missed the first time around.

It's like time travel for desserts.

I chose Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia because Dorie's brownies recipes are the best I've ever had, and I assumed that this recipe would be no different. I voted for the safe bet. But I'm glad I did.

Texturally speaking, these brownies are half-fudge and half-brownies. They're incredibly rich. But as you can see, that didn't stop my husband and me from indulging.

For the recipe, visit Chocolate Chic.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Peanuttiest Blondies

2010-11-02T20:57:00.006-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe is not something you'll have any trouble devouring: peanuttiest blondies, chosen by Nicole of Bakeologie.

Peanut butter. Peanuts. Chocolate. Well, in my case, mini m&ms. I can't think of a more fool-proof combination of flavours.

Not so fool-proof is my oven, which burned the bottom of these despite me baking them at 25 degrees less than the recipe called for, and rotating the pan halfway through. It's a testament to these blondies, though, that they were delicious despite their burnt bottoms.

Trust me: you're going to want to make these. For the recipe, visit Nicole's blog.

Tuesdays With Dorie: All-American, All-Delicious Deep Dish Apple Pie

2010-10-26T22:55:00.004-04:00

I guess this is the month of pies. Two pies in as many weeks. This time I made All-American, All-Delicious Deep Dish Apple Pie (which I guarantee you cannot say five times fast). It was chosen by Emily of Sandmuffin for Tuesdays With Dorie.

Oh, TWD, I hate how much I love you. This is not the best time for me to be slaving over pies - a pile of yet-to-be-written thank you cards await - but I did it, and I'm glad. So is my belly. So is my husband's belly. And tomorrow, so too will be the bellies of his fellow grad students.

Not so glad are my neighbours, who were treated to the musical stylings of our apartment's hypersensitive smoke alarm while the pie was baking. It went off about five minutes after I put the pie (which was not burning in the slightest) in the oven, and then continued to beep every time I dared to stop fanning it for more than, literally, five seconds. By the time my significantly taller husband got home to help me wrap a tea towel around the alarm (just until the pie was finished baking, please don't tell the fire marshall), my arms had quite the workout.

Which is good, I guess, because this pie is amazing and I can't stop eating it. Now, I'm not a huge fan of pie crust, so I went with a crumble topping instead. This was a good choice, I think. The two best apple desserts in one enormous package.

You should make this pie. Visit Emily's blog for the recipe.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Peanut Brittle

2010-10-24T14:24:00.003-04:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe, Peanut Brittle (chosen by JoVonn of The Givens Chronicles) is perfectly timed. Halloween is fast approaching, and peanut brittle is just the kind of thing I associate with the Halloweens of yesteryear, when nobody worried about whether candy had been tampered with. Even in my own childhood, I remember receiving balls of sticky caramel popcorn and candy apples. I imagine that's pretty rare now.

I live in an apartment, so I won't be giving out any treats this year. And sadly, even if I could, I don't think this recipe would make the cut. For whatever reason, it never firmed up properly, staying very sticky and chewy when eaten. It was more like chewing gum than peanut brittle. And it was quite bland.

Still, though, I always love a chance to test out my candy making skills! For the recipe, visit JoVonn's blog.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Caramel Pumpkin Pie

2010-10-19T19:51:00.004-04:00

Hi. My name is Kait, and I'm a bad blogger. It's been nearly three months since my last blog post. But I have a good reason, I swear!

I married the love of my life almost two months ago. It was the best day of my life, and worth all of the stress of wedding planning. But the weeks leading up to it were some of the busiest of my life. Immediately after that, I spent two weeks in Europe, and just after that started a brand new job. Suffice it to say, my life is pretty nuts right now. And I find my interest in blogging not waning...but shifting. I'm hoping to start a new blog soon, one that still has a focus on food, but leaves room for me to share all of the other things going on in my life.

In the meantime, though, I'm stoking the embers of this blog with a Tuesdays With Dorie post. As crazy as my life has been, I just can't give up on my Dorie fix. It just wouldn't be right.

And so I made this week's recipe, Caramel Pumpkin Pie (chosen by Janell of Mortensen Family Memoirs) on Thanksgiving Monday, after a morning spent apple packing with my new husband.

Making this pie was, sadly, not the relaxing Thanksgiving tradition I'd had in mind. The pie crust was burnt way before it was even supposed to be done; the caramel was half-burnt and half-raw on my uneven stovetop, and the filling only came halfway up the sides of the crust. Not exactly the outcome I'd hoped for after spending all day making the pie.

Oh, well. Better luck next time!

To see how other bakers fared, visit Tuesdays With Dorie. I think they had better luck than me! For the recipe, visit Janell's blog.

TWD: Chewy, Chunky Blondies

2010-07-27T22:01:00.000-04:00

This week's recipe just may be the dessert bar to end all dessert bars: chewy, chunky blondies. They're a lot like chocolate chip cookies, but amped up with toffee bits and coconut and cut into thick squares. I could eat these all day. If someone doesn't take the bowl of them away from me soon, I just might.

Thanks to Nicole of Cookies on Friday for choosing such a stellar recipe! I know my fiance will be begging me to make this one again - assuming I don't cave to my own lack of willpower and make it again tomorrow.

Visit Nicole's blog for the recipe - you won't regret it.

TWD: Lots of Ways of Banana Cake

2010-07-20T22:28:00.004-04:00

I've never been known for being patient. So this week's Tuesdays With Dorie pick, Lots of Ways of Banana Cake (chosen by Kimberly of Only Creative Opportunities), was a bit of a challenge for me.

When I want to bake something, I want to bake it now. Banana cake requires waiting for bananas to over-ripen. I don't like baking according to the whims of produce. So after four days of waiting for my bananas to show their spots, I was thrilled to finally make this cake tonight after work.

It was well worth the wait. This cake is light and moist with an irresistible banana-coconut flavour. The added texture of the toasted coconut, present in every bite, elevates the dish for me. It's not often that I go back for seconds of a banana bread (or cake), but I made an exception for Lots of Ways of Banana Cake.

For the recipe, visit Kimberly's blog.

SMS: Chocolate Walnut Brownies

2010-07-18T17:48:00.004-04:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays pick, Chocolate Walnut Brownies (chosen by Tiffany of A Spoonful & a Heap), was a bit of an experiment for me. I've never liked nuts in brownies, but thought I'd give them a try - you know, just in case my palate had changed. Of course, I didn't forge ahead that bravely - I made just half of the recipe, pouring it into mini muffin tins.

Unfortunately, I overcooked the brownies, but was impressed by their rich nutty flavour, if not their texture. I was slightly less impressed with myself for not having enough willpower to avoid scarfing these down like I hadn't eaten in days, but it was worth it. After all, I overcame a food aversion that I've carried since my childhood.

Thanks to Tiffany for this great, classic pick! Visit her blog for the recipe.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Butterscotch Pralines

2010-05-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it's fun to bake something completely foreign to you. This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays pick, Butterscotch Pralines (chosen by Tess of The Cookin' Chemist), is the perfect example of that.

Pralines are a southern dessert, and I am not a southern gal. True, I grew up in Canada's southernmost area. But although, if the stereotypes are true, they are both home to good, kind people, Canada's south and The Deep South couldn't be more different.

Point being, I had no idea what pralines were prior to making this recipe. But after realizing the recipe involved candy-making, I was sold. I love making baked goods that require the use of a thermometer, like toffee. Maybe it's because they're usually pretty easy, or maybe it's the fact that they produce goods so sugary they instantly satisfy my sweet tooth.

These pralines were a big hit - creamy, sweet, and nutty, they tasted just like fudge. Maybe I'll tip my hat to southern Canada next time and add maple extract. Thank you, Tess, for such a lovely choice! Visit her blog for the recipe.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Apple-Apple Bread Pudding

2010-05-18T23:25:00.000-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Apple-Apple Bread Pudding, chosen by Elizabeth of Cake or Death?, couldn't have come at a better time for me.

You see, I've been sick since last week. Not deathly ill, thankfully, but the kind of ill that makes life pretty unpleasant nonetheless. It started out with a sore throat, shortness of breath, and an overwhelming urge to lie down on any flat surface - a desk, the floor, a book trolley at work. Then it mutated into the kind of cough that has prevented me from sleeping more than 20 minutes in a row for the past five nights. Five nights!

After five sleepless nights - four when I made this recipe yesterday - my brain is positively fried. Simple logic? Can't do it. Common sense? It's temporarily flown the coop. So this week, I needed a Tuesdays With Dorie recipe that was easy, and also soothing. Very soothing.

Enter apple-apple bread pudding. There were quite a few steps, sure, but they were all very methodical and pretty straightforward. I can slice apples. I can melt butter with sugar. And I can make a custard, especially when it doesn't involve tireless stirring over the stove top. And I can do all of these things - well, not in my sleep, but with a severe lack of sleep.

This recipe was a huge success, and makes a wonderful dessert or breakfast (hey, there are eggs and fruit in it, and I used whole wheat bread). Creamy custard, caramelized apples, texture from the bread, and an inviting complexity from the apple butter. Dorie, you've done it again.

Thank you Elizabeth! For the recipe, visit her blog.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Quick Classic Berry Tart

2010-05-11T01:00:00.000-04:00

Lately I feel like I've lost my kitchen mojo. Does that ever happen to you? Suddenly, the things you used to be good at don't come as naturally. I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't crack an egg properly anymore. I've been fishing tiny specks of eggshell out of my cracked eggs for weeks now.

And every so often, a recipe will turn out not quite as expected. I think it happens when I get more concerned with following a recipe than trusting my own intuition.

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Quick Classic Berry Tart (chosen by Cristine of Cooking with Cristine), was, unfortunately, more of the same. Of course, there were the bits of eggshell needing to be fished out. But the main problem was the pastry cream, which I overcooked. It looked just fine last night, but after taking it out of the fridge today, it remained a solid, springy jelly. The flavour was still fantastic - like custard - but the texture was quite off-putting. Oh, and doesn't it look silly? Almost like scrambled eggs.

With a crumbly shortbread-like crust - more proof my kitchen mojo's gone on hiatus? - and slightly sour strawberries, this tart was not a winner. Perhaps I'll try it again when I get my mojo back! For the recipe, visit Cristina's blog. And feel free to check out the other participating bloggers, who I'm sure fared much better than I.

Slow Cooker Beef Tacos with Queso Fresco

2010-05-05T21:52:00.000-04:00

Has there ever been an ingredient that eludes you, no matter where you search? For me, for a long time, that ingredient was queso fresco - a Latin American cheese that's reminiscent of cottage cheese. I first had it on a trip to Mexico with my mom, where it was sprinkled liberally on, well, lots of things, from huevos rancheros to tacos. That was over four years ago, and after searching supermarkets, Latino food stores and cheese shops from Toronto to Leamington to Florida, I had never been able to find any - until last month, when I discovered a Latino food shop in my own city with a ton of different cheeses for sale, including queso fresco.

When life hands you queso fresco, make tacos. That's not how that saying goes, of course, but maybe it should. Because queso fresco and tacos make one great pairing.

This recipe for slow cooker beef tacos, modified from a Rick Bayless recipe, reminds me of every authentic taco I've ever had at Mexican restaurants - tender, saucy beef sprinkled with mild, fresh cheese. If you can't find queso fresco, you can try other cheeses - feta, goat cheese, even cheddar or mozzarella. It won't have the same flavour or texture, but it will add the cheesiness that, to me anyway, is crucial to any good taco.

Slow Cooker Beef Tacos with Queso Fresco
Serves 8

2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1 inch pieces
28 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and sliced
1 tbsp. adobo sauce from can of chipotles
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1.5 tsp salt
24 warm corn tortillas, store-bought or homemade
1 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other cheese (feta, goat cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, etc.)
Fresh tomatoes, diced (optional)
Iceberg lettuce, shredded or thinly sliced (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

Add the beef to the bowl of a slow cooker. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes (with their juices) with the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, onion and salt. Pour the tomato mixture evenly over the beef. Cover and slow-cook on high for 6 hours. It can rest on your slow cooker's warm setting for up to 4 more hours.

When it's time to eat, spoon off the fat that has accumulated on top of the beef mixture - or don't, if you're feeling lazy. Shred the beef using two regular forks - this should be easy. Taste the meat and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with the warm tortillas, crumbled cheese and optional garnishes (tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream). Depending on who you ask, these garnishes aren't authentic - but a lot of the authentic Mexican restaurants I've been to serve them, and the fresh, bright flavour they add is a great contrast to the slow-cooked beef.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Chockablock Cookies

2010-04-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

There are moments in our lives that present an opportunity for growth; a chance to stretch beyond the boundaries of our comfort zone, if only we would take the risk. The making of this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe (Chockablock Cookies, chosen by Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet), despite my intentions, was not one of those moments.

You see, I know that I don't like dried fruit in cookies. I never have. Oatmeal raisin cookies? No, thanks - those stayed in the cookie jar when I was a kid. Fig newtons? Nope, not my style. But I occasionally dip my toes into the dried-fruit-in-cookies pond, just to see if my opinion has changed.

Unfortunately, it hasn't. Which is a shame, because this cookie was so promising. Coconut, chocolate chips, molasses - what's not to love about that? But then, that dastardly dried fruit - in my case, dried cranberries.

If anyone could convert me, it's Dorie. So I think it's time to put the nail in this particular coffin - dried fruit in baked goods is just not for me. Sigh.

Thank you, Mary, for choosing a recipe that convinced me to give dried fruit another chance! If you are a dried fruit fan, visit her blog for the recipe, which I'm sure you'll love.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Strawberry-Cranberry Cobbler

2010-04-25T23:26:00.000-04:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe was an exercise in flexibility. It was supposed to be Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler Pie, as chosen by Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures.I was so excited to make the recipe, as strawberry-rhubarb is one of my favourite fruit combinations. The problem? I have yet to find rhubarb at any grocery stores or farmers' markets. Boo.

I was also out of lemons, the zest of which was supposed to add flavour to the cobbler topping. I used freshly ground cardamom instead, which worked well.

I thought I'd try an equally tart fruit, so I substituted cranberries, which ended up being an incredible pairing. I've never had the two berries together, but they complemented each other perfectly. I'm thinking about making strawberry-cranberry jam this summer.

The other key ingredient I was missing? Energy. I just ran out of the time and motivation to make a pie crust, and so I didn't, making this cobbler pie just a plain old cobbler.

But it really was a fantastic dessert, with a double dose of bright berry flavour and sweet flaky biscuits on top. The filling was sweeter than it needed to be and never really set up properly, but a bit less sugar and a bit more corn starch ought to fix that. The flavour of this one makes it worth trying again.

Thanks for the great choice, Tracey! Visit her blog for the recipe.

I'm back with a...whimper (Tuesdays With Dorie: Sweet Cream Biscuits)

2010-04-20T13:21:00.000-04:00

Hello? Is anyone still out there? It's me, Kait, sheepishly returning to my blog after a much-needed but much-guilt-inducing month off. And what a month it's been. A new apartment, the end of school (well, in two days, anyway), job application after job application. I love our apartment, although there are still many boxes to unpack. I can't wait for school to be done (hopefully forever). And the job situation? Well, it's a work in progress.

I was hoping to come back with a bang, but my attempt at today's Tuesdays With Dori e recipe, Sweet Cream Biscuits chosen by Melissa of Love At First Bite, was decidedly lackluster.

I'm positive it wasn't the recipe itself (flour, cream, baking powder, salt - no butter!), as I snuck a few bites of the raw dough scraps and they were heavenly - creamy, slightly salty.

I know for a fact that I handled the dough too much, a big no-no when it comes to biscuit making. I got a bit too overzealous when I rolled out the dough, despite Dorie's express warning against this very mistake. The dough ended up about 1/4 of an inch thick, half of the thickness I was aiming for. So I decided to fold the dough upon itself and roll it together. That didn't work (the two halves separated). So I smushed the whole thing back into a ball and started from scratch.

I knew I was doomed when the dough kept springing back after being rolled. It was way too elastic. The result: biscuit hockey pucks. Such a shame.

Still, I'm intrigued by the concept of this recipe, and think it would be a great recipe to try again the next time I need to use up a ton of heavy cream quickly. But next time, I'll use a lighter hand. For the recipe, visit Melissa's blog.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

2010-03-14T21:45:00.000-04:00

This post will be short and sweet because, well, life is crazy these days.

There are three weeks left in my semester before exams. Which means there are three weeks left in my university career, period. I've got a seemingly endless list of assignments and essays to complete in that time frame, and a mean case of senioritis that's severely limiting how quickly I can get it all done.

And, pending some unforeseen decision from our potential new landlord, we will be moving to a new apartment on April 1. I am so, so excited about that - it feels like my fiance and I are finally starting our grown-up lives together - but before the excitement comes the packing. Oh, the packing. And our 4th anniversary this week means we're taking a short vacation to Toronto. Are we crazy? Yes, it's very likely.

So, alas, a post short on (food) details.

A Sweet Melissa Sundays pick, chosen by Julie of A Little Bit of Everything: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. I halved the recipe because we've only got three days to eat this, and a double layer cake just should not be eaten by two people in three days. I haven't made the icing yet due to, you guessed it, a lack of time. I can say, though, that the cake itself is a reliable recipe, but a bit run-of-the-mill. Now, perhaps my taste buds have been tainted because I had the most delicious carrot cake of my life at a friend's house recently, but nonetheless: this one is just a bit bland, as far as carrot cakes go. I'm hoping the icing will elevate it, but still, it's not the dark, moist carrot cake I'm used to.

For the recipe, please visit Julie's blog.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Sugar Cookies

2010-02-28T17:10:00.000-05:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays pick is Sugar Cookies, chosen by Nina of Nina's Cupcakes.

Based on the comments for this recipe, I have to admit, I was a little scared. And when I pressed onward, adding extra sugar and lemon zest as was suggested, and the dough stuck almost completely to my wooden cutting board, I nearly gave up. I was feeling a bit dramatic, I suppose; stressed out about school and not feeling like I had time to really make the cookies in the first place.

But I scraped the dough off the board, tossed it back into the freezer to chill quickly, and started over. My fiance, sensing my frustration (perhaps because of a couple of curses), washed the cutting board and rolling pin for me to start fresh. Gotta love him. With the cutting board coated in flour, the re-chilled dough rolled out like a dream.

I used my new cupcake-shaped cookie cutter from Crate & Barrel, and then made royal icing with meringue powder.

The combination of the lemony, buttery cookies and the sweet, crunchy icing is perfect. I think the extra lemon and sugar really helped - these cookies are so flavourful. Plus, the cuteness of the cupcake-cookies gives me a little mood boost whenever I spot them in the cookie jar. Obviously, a mood boost comes in handy at this point in the semester.

For the recipe, visit Nina's blog.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Honey-Wheat Cookies

2010-02-23T07:05:00.001-05:00

A month with two batches of Dorie cookies is a very good month, indeed. After my turn hosting Dorie's chocolate chip cookie recipe last week (yay!), it's time to pass the torch - can you tell I've been watching the Olympics nonstop? - to another cookie recipe, chosen by Michelle of Flourchild.

Honey-Wheat Cookies. Honey-laden, lemon-infused, wheat germ cookies. It all sounds a bit hippie-ish, but really, these are the kind of cookies that belong beside tea, not wheatgrass juice (or whatever it is that hippies drink).

The lemon zest lends its bright intensity, and the wheat germ is a really nice touch. It adds texture and a nice wholesome flavour. These disappeared around here, almost before I was able to photograph them! A definite make-again recipe.

Thanks for the pick, Michelle! You can find the recipe on her blog.

Tuesdays With Dorie: My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies. It’s true. They might be out there, but if so, they’re not easy to find.

So, naturally, the competition for the title of Best Chocolate Chip Cookie is steep. But Dorie Greenspan claims to have the winner. Although I think her recipe needs a few modifications, she’s not wrong. These just might be the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies ever.

I am so glad that I chose them for a very special week: my turn to host Tuesdays With Dorie. It’s hard to believe it’s already my turn. When I signed up a year and a half ago, it seemed so far away. Now, after making 42 recipes, it’s my shot. I’m a cookie fanatic, so I couldn’t resist trying out a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. I hope everyone enjoyed it!

Now, on to the cookies. Let’s start with the drawbacks. I baked the cookies on three different batches of cookie sheets, trying a slightly different method each time. The first batch ended up flat, almost melted, and fairly burnt after 10 minutes of cooking, although still edible.

(the first batch)

I chilled the second batch in the refrigerator while the first batch baked, and then baked it for 9 minutes. These fared better than the first, but were still a bit too dark and flat for my liking.

For the third batch, I tossed the remaining batter in the freezer until it was very firm but not frozen. I also baked them for 8 minutes. This was, in my opinion, the best way to bake them. They looked much, much better.

(the cookies getting progressively better)

And the taste? Phenomenal: the perfect counterbalance of vanilla-scented batter and rich chocolate chips. They were perfectly chewy, too; even the ones that were bordering on burnt softened up nicely in the cookie jar. I made half of the batch with walnuts and half without, and although the walnuts were fun to try, I still prefer this recipe without nuts.

Now that I know the proper method with which to make them, they’re my new favourite chocolate chip cookies. And my fiancé’s, too.

Thanks so much for baking with me! I'm in (hopefully sunny) Florida right now and depending on the internet situation, may or may not be able to comment on everyone's blogs right away. But I will do it once I'm back home. I look forward to seeing what you all think.

My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
From pg. 68 of Baking From My Home to Yours
Makes 45 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional) or pecans (optional)

Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well-blended. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate and nuts. (The dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen. If you'd like, you can freeze rounded tablespoons of dough, ready for baking. Freeze the mounds on a lined baking sheet, then bag them when they're solid. There's no need to defrost the dough before baking - just add another minute or two to the baking time.)

Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls.

Bake the cookies - one sheet at a time and rotating the sheet at the midway point - for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center; they may still be a little soft in the middle, and that's just fine. Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, then carefully, using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remainder of the dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

The cooking can be kept in a cookie jar or sealed container for about four days, or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to two months.

Variations:
Cocoa Chocolate Chip Cookies: use 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies: add 1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder after you add the vanilla extract.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: use 1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) of unsalted butter and a 1/2 cup peanut butter (you can use chunky or smooth, but it's best not to use natural peanut butter, which will not give you the right texture). Beat them together before adding the sugars. Use salted peanuts instead of walnuts or pecans.
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted or not, to the dough when you add the chocolate chips and nuts. Why not go all the way and add some raisins or bits of dried apricots?

A truffled version of Barefoot Contessa's Grown Up Mac and Cheese

2010-02-11T23:00:00.000-05:00

In my life I’ve surely tried a dozen macaroni and cheese recipes or more, ranging from boxed mac and cheese (of which I’m a bit of a connoisseur) to the real, made-from-scratch deal (of which I’m striving to be a better connoisseur).

I never get sick of the instant comfort macaroni and cheese provides, and how adaptable it is. But I still view it as a homey, curl-up-on-the-couch kind of food, not the type of dish you’d serve when entertaining.

Leave it to Ina Garten (and a twist or two of my own) to change my opinion.

Garten’s Grown Up Mac and Cheese is perfectly named. With a mix of Gruyere (or Swiss), cheddar, and blue cheeses, it has a very sophisticated taste. I love the complexity of the three cheeses combined. They’re all very sharp on their own, so together it’s quite a whopping flavour combination, with nuttiness from the Swiss cheese and saltiness from the blue.

I can see why it’s for grown-ups – I don’t know if my niece’s or nephews’ palates are developed enough for this recipe!

I omitted the bacon, used whole wheat macaroni, stirred a bit of truffle oil into the macaroni and cheese, and sprinkled panko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan on top. I loved these changes, especially the earthy truffle flavour. I also believe this recipe serves 3, not 2 as Ina says, because a recipe with this much cheese just cannot be served, in good conscience, to only two people.

Truffled Grown Up Mac and Cheese
(Original recipe here)
Serves 3

2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
1 tsp truffle oil (optional)
Approximately 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese

Add the macaroni to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. You could also microwave it in a bowl or measuring cup at 20 second intervals, until it is hot. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a few minutes more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Swiss, Cheddar, blue cheese, truffle oil, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a buttered 8x8” or 9x9” casserole dish.

Turn on your oven’s broiler. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs (about 1/3 cup or to taste) over the macaroni, and then grate parmesan over the bread crumbs.

Place casserole dish in the oven, watching it carefully so it doesn’t burn. When the cheese has melted and the panko crumbs are slightly toasted (they don’t tend to darken much), remove the dish from the oven. Serve immediately.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Cocoa-Nana Bread

2010-01-26T00:44:00.000-05:00

Some recipes sound so promising on paper, but fall flat in the execution. Others surpass even your greatest expectations. I'm afraid this week's Tuesdays With Dorie pick, Cocoa-Nana Bread, chosen by Steph of Obsessed With Baking, belongs to the former group.

Cocoa-Nana Bread. What's not to like? A rich batter strongly flavoured by cocoa powder. Semi-sweet chocolate chips added to the mixture to intensify the chocolate taste. And, of course, bananas: two of them, in fact.

The end result, though, was nothing spectacular. Not bad - just not as good as I was expecting. I couldn't taste the banana, leaving me with a run-of-the-mill (and rather dry) plain chocolate cake. Unfortunately, this isn't one I'd make again, although I appreciate the concept.

Thanks to Steph for this choice, and if you're interested in trying it out, click here for the recipe.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

2010-01-19T09:10:00.000-05:00

I’m a big fan of what I’ll call Dorie Greenspan’s “combo-desserts.” In my time with Tuesdays With Dorie, I’ve made cloyingly rich chocolate chip cookie-covered brownies. And I’ve made chocolate chip cookie bars smothered in chocolate and sprinkled with nutty Heath toffee bits. This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie pick, Chocolate Oatmeal Almost Candy Bars, belongs in the same vein.

In this recipe, chosen by Lillian of Confectiona’s Realm, two layers of chewy peanut- and oat-filled cookie batter sandwich a layer of soft, creamy semi-sweet chocolate fudge. The contrast between the chocolate and the cookie batter, both in terms of taste and texture, is perfect: softness from the chocolate and chewiness from the oats; saltiness from the peanuts and sweetness from the batter itself and the chocolate. The peanuts also give the bars a nice crunch, and of course, help create that unbeatable (at least, to me) chocolate and peanut butter flavour pairing.

The recipe also tastes different depending on the temperature at which it’s served: fresh from the fridge, I found the differences in texture less pronounced. At room temperature, the diverse flavours and textures popped.

Regardless of the temperature, though, this recipe is a winner. Thanks, Lillian, for the excellent choice! I can’t wait to make it again. Click here to visit her blog and snag the recipe.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Brownie Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate Pie Crust

2010-01-10T18:43:00.000-05:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays pick made SMS members everywhere the deciders of their own dessert destiny. Yes, one element of the dish was predetermined by this week's host, Donna of L'Amour de Tarte: chocolate pie crust. But everyone knows that a pie crust needs a filling, and that's where our own creativity got to play a huge role: we could choose our own filling from outside of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book.

My pick? Ice cream and brownies, or, brownie ice cream pie. Yum.

Now, a lot of the barometers for what makes a good pie dough kind of go out the window when you throw it in the freezer after it's baked. Was the finished crust light and flaky? I have no idea - it was too frozen to tell.

But I can say that it was relatively easy to throw together, although it did require more than double the water called for the in the recipe, and probably could have used more. I can also say that it wasn't very sweet, which came in handy with a filling that was very high in sugar. But for a less sweet filling, the dough would definitely need more sugar. It also wasn't very pretty, but I'm blaming that more on my dismal dough-rolling skills than on the recipe itself.

In the end, I just loved this recipe because it was chocolate pie crust. I had never heard of such a recipe before, and I can't find too much fault with anything that allows me to infuse chocolate flavour into a pie crust. There are so many fillings that would benefit from this crust: peanut butter, coconut, caramel. Even berries.

My own filling was very semi-homemade. Store-bought ice cream along with brownies made from store-bought mix. I added about 1L of vanilla ice cream to a bowl and crumbled cooled brownies into it, then stirred it together until it was well-blended and looked like cookies and cream ice cream.

I don't think I would freeze the crust again as it was just too hard. But the flavour combination was fantastic: the unsweetened, slightly bitter flavour of the crust contrasted by the rich chocolate sweetness of the brownies and unmatchable taste of vanilla. And pretty to look at, too.

For the pie crust recipe, visit L'Amour de Tarte.

Curtis Stone's Pots of Gold

2010-01-08T10:45:00.000-05:00

After a much-needed break, I am back - to school and to this blog.

This semester is shaping up to be very interesting. I'm taking a food writing class, and I think it's going to be a fantastic learning experience. I think it will help me to develop a more distinctive voice, something I've always felt that this blog lacks.

In addition to improving my writing, I'm also looking to improve my health - and after the holidays, I know I'm not the only person who is. My willpower is annually on hiatus from December 24 to January 1. After a holiday with seven different Christmas celebrations (all but one with food) and even a couple of New Year's gatherings, my body needs some help. So consider today's recipe a bit of self-sabotage: Curtis Stone's Pots of Gold.

You might think calling a dessert a "pot of gold" is a bit hyperbolic. And most of the time, it probably would be. But in this case, you'd be wrong - here's why: This recipe involves a layer of dark caramel covered by thick, creamy custard. Sound enticing? It is.

(a before and after of the caramel)

Think of it as a reverse creme brulee. Rather than crack through a layer of hard caramel, your spoon cuts through the springy custard and a pool of syrupy caramel spills out. It is absolutely delicious, and worthy of its golden name.

Ah, Curtis Stone. Eye candy and culinary talent to spare. Here's the recipe:

Pots of Gold
From Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone
Serves 6

Caramel
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Custard
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/3 cup whole milk (Note: I used 1% to great effect)
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract

Position an oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 275F. Set six 6-oz ramekins in a roasting pan.

Caramel
To make caramel, combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium size heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir gently over medium heat for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Then boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan, until syrup turns a deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Immediately remove saucepan from heat and divide syrup among the ramekins, tilting each ramekin to coat the bottom. Note that if you add syrup to the same ramekin twice, the first layer of caramel will set and not dissolve - which is okay, but makes clean up not so fun. Try to accurately guess how much to put in each ramekin on your first attempt. Set the ramekins aside and allow caramel to cool until hardened, about 10 minutes.

Custard
Bring cream, milk and sugar to simmer in medium size heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Remove pan from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk eggs, egg yolks and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk cooled cream mix into egg mix. Strain custard through sieve into a large cup measuring cup (4 cups or larger). Pour custard over hardened caramel in ramekins, dividing it equally.

Transfer roasting pan to oven. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until outer 1 inch perimeter of custards is slightly set but centers are still loose, about 1 hour. To test whether it’s cooked push a small knife into the center of one of the dishes; if caramel rises out of the hole made by the knife, they are done.

Remove roasting pan from oven and remove cups to a cooling rack. When slightly cooled, refrigerate overnight.

TWD: Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake

2009-12-29T23:57:00.001-05:00

This is another very brief post before I return with full (or at least, some) energy in January after a much-needed break. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! With a dessert like the one I'm posting about today, it's hard not to.

Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake. It's this week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection, chosen by The Tea Lady of Tea and Scones. And it is tasty. A classic, rich and sumptuous chocolate cheesecake with a hint of cinnamon in the crust. I think it provides a great foundation, and I'd like to experiment with jazzing it up in the future. A caramel swirl? Chocolate ganache or rasperry coulis on top? So many possibilities, and I can't wait to try them out. This time, I made one-third of the recipe in cupcake liners and it worked out very well. But I'm game to try making a full batch for my next celebration.

Click here for the recipe. Again, happy holidays and I'll see you in January!

A Brief Tuesdays With Dorie: Cafe Volcano Cookies

2009-12-15T20:41:00.005-05:00

I interrupt this previously-scheduled exam-induced blogging break to bring you this very special recipe: Cafe Volcano Cookies, chosen by the witty MacDuff of Lonely Sidecar for this week's Tuesdays With Dorie. Phew. Yes, these cookies look a bit like a pile of, well, something unpleasant. But they are damn tasty. I normally hate nuts in baked goods, but not in this recipe. It figures that it would take putting nuts in meringues (one of my all-time favourites) to make me like them.

These don't look as pretty as Dorie's - they're not nearly as light and dainty, and I'm pretty sure Dorie's didn't have almost-burnt bottoms - but I bet they taste just as good.

For the recipe, click here.

Meanwhile, I'm still drowning in essay-and-project-land, but the end is in sight and I can't wait to get back into the blogosphere just in time for Christmas. See you then!

A Programming Note

2009-12-07T20:24:00.002-05:00

First of all, I'd like to apologize for my absence of late. As much as I thought I'd be able to find the time to blog while in school, as my workload has increased, it's become more difficult.

This is the last week of classes (also known as the "final-projects-and essays-week from hell"), and then I've got one - and luckily, only one - exam next week.

Once I hand in the last of my projects, you can expect more frequent posts. I've got a ton of recipes I can't wait to share with you in time for the holidays.

I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you - my commenters and my favourite bloggers - when school stops kicking my butt in a week or so.

Thanks for sticking with me in the meantime!

Tuesdays With Dorie: Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

2009-11-24T15:42:00.000-05:00

This week for Tuesdays With Dorie, I made Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies, chosen by Pamela of Cookies with Boys. This is one of those recipes that looked nothing like it was supposed to, was frustratingly sticky during the assembly, and turned into a big, spread out mess on the cookie sheet. But it was so tasty I didn't even mind, and that's saying something.

Maybe it was the molasses I used. Dorie said not to use blackstrap, but I've only ever seen one brand of molasses in all of my years of grocery shopping, and it doesn't even say whether it's blackstrap or not. These cookies, which were supposed to be golden brown and form perfectly round discs, were very dark brown and spread out so much that the cookie sheet actually became one giant cookie - even though I refrigerated the dough before baking it. I cut the massive cookie into circles and was planning on grinding up the scraps to make a crust for a pie in the future, but my fiance chowed down on them instead. He couldn't help himself - they were that tasty.

In terms of flavour, this is a go-to recipe for sure. But I'll have to figure out how to ease the preparation in the future. Based on Pam's experience, it sounds like more flour may be the key.

Thanks for a great pick, Pam! Visit her blog for the recipe.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Butter Toffee Crunch

2009-11-15T02:23:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe, but it is already my turn to host Sweet Melissa Sundays. As I pored over the cookbook a few weeks ago, I realized what a hard decision it was going to be. I had at least 20 recipes on my short list. Slowly but steadily, I worked it down to my selection: Butter Toffee Crunch. I'm a sucker for candy-making.

Ah, and what a choice. Chewy, buttery toffee smothered in chocolate, with chopped blanched almonds on the top and bottom. Not only is this recipe beautiful to look at, but it is delicious and seriously addictive. It tastes exactly like a Skor bar but has the added crunch and flavour of the almonds. On top of all that, it lasts for weeks in the fridge while still maintaining that perfect crunch, which means it's a great gift giving option for Christmas. In fact, I plan on serving Butter Toffee Crunch at the candy bar we'll be having at our wedding - I can make it a couple of weeks ahead of time and I know it'll be just as tasty as the day I made it.

The preparation is relatively easy, as long as you've got the proper equipment (particularly a candy thermometer), a bit of patience and the ability to quickly add your baking soda and vanilla at the right time. Sure, seeing how much brown sugar and butter goes into the preparation may make you feel a bit guilty. Case in point:

Still, given the end result, I think it's totally worth it. Hopefully, you feel the same. Thank you for baking along with me this week, and I hope you enjoyed it! Click here to check out the other Sweet Melissa Sundays bakers. The recipe is below.

Butter Toffee Crunch
Makes 3 pounds toffee crunch (Note: it halves beautifully!)

1 1/2 cups sliced blanched almonds, finely chopped
4 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons water
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
2 cups (one 12-oz bag) semisweet (58%) chocolate chips

Before you start: lightly butter a jelly-roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet.
1. Coat the prepared pan with half of the chopped almonds.
2. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat, stir together the brown sugar, water and butter and bring to a boil. Cover for 3 minutes (this will melt any sugar crystals stuck on the sides of the pan, which will prevent crystallization). Uncover, attach a candy thermometer, and cook, without stirring, to 290F. Watch carefully after it reaches 280F to avoid scorching.
3. Have ready a long-handled spoon and a buttered metal offset spatula. Remove the hot sugar from the heat, add the vanilla and baking soda, and stir with the long-handled spoon (the mixture will bubble up when you add the baking soda).
4. Immediately pour the hot toffee onto the prepared pan. Spread as evenly as possible with the buttered metal spatula. Quickly scatter the chocolate chips over the hot toffee. Wait for 5 minutes and then spread the melted chocolate evenly with a clean, ungreased metal spatula.
5. Sprinkle the remaining almonds over the chocolate. Cool completely before breaking the toffee into pieces.

The toffee crunch keeps in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool dry place for up to 1 week, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Cran-Apple Crisps

2009-11-10T07:30:00.000-05:00

Behold, the world's best variation on an apple crisp, brought to you by none other than Dorie Greenspan (and our recipe-chooser this week, Em of The Repressed Pastry Chef). Please excuse the superlatives, but really, this crisp is amazing. Since I finished up my first batch of it, I've been thinking, daily, about making it again. In between projects, essays, midterms and just scraping dinner together at the end of a long day, this dish has been the culinary goal that I have been looking forward to.

The fruit component of the recipe involves placing a mixture of chopped apples, fresh and dried cranberries, sugar and flour in ramekins.

The topping is made of oats, flour, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger and what is bound to be my secret ingredient in crumble toppings from now on: sweetened shredded coconut. The coconut adds a beautiful complexity to the flavour of the crisps, and yet, the coconut flavour itself is subtle.

Baked until bubbly, the apple and cranberry soften and form a delicious sweet-tart blend which perfectly complements the coconut-infused topping.

You have. To. Make. This. Visit Em's blog for the recipe.

Pesto-Garlic Spice Blend Portobello Burgers

2009-10-27T22:36:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing I love more than a tasty and multi-purpose ingredient, it's a free one. What can I say? I'm a poor student.

This summer, I was lucky enough to win a set of Made With Love Spice Blends from a giveaway hosted by one of my favourite bloggers, HoneyB over at Grumphy's Honeybunch, as well as one for a friend.

I received two bottles of Made With Love's Pesto-Garlic Spice Blend and two bottles of Crimson Love, a beet-rosemary-nori blend with the bright red colour to match. Although both spice blends are delicious, the pesto-garlic spice blend has been seeing the most use in my household. Maybe it's my love of Italian flavours. I've been using the spice blend in place of real pesto whenever possible - stirring it into tuna salad, sprinkling it on sandwiches. I love sandwiching a slice of fresh tomato between two slices of cheddar and two slices of bread, sprinkling Pesto-Garlic spice blend on top of the cheese, and grilling the sandwich until the tomato is warm and the cheese is melted. It's quick and easy and such a delicious snack or lunch. I love that the flavour of the blend is spot on, but it's missing the fat and calories of nutty, cheesy pesto.

One of my favourite uses of the pesto-garlic spice blend, though, is adding it to marinades. It's a simple step but adds a ton of flavour.

In this recipe, the pesto-garlic flavour infuses a balsamic vinegar marinade. Portobello mushrooms are soaked in the marinade for about half an hour before being tossed on the grill to be cooked through. After they're cooked and a slice of provolone cheese is melted on top, they're placed on a bun, topped with tomato and spinach, and slathered with pesto garlic-infused mayo. The combination of the hot, balsamic-pesto flavoured portobello, the melted provolone, the creamy pesto mayo, and the cool tomato and spinach is fantastic. A perfect vegetarian treat.

Pesto-Garlic Spice Blend Portobello Burgers
Makes 2 burgers
Note: I'm a balsamic vinegar lover, so I love how the balsamic soaks right into the portobellos in this recipe. If you'd like a more mellow balsamic flavour, you can balance out the vinegar with more olive oil.

2 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stems cut off
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp Made With Love Pesto-Garlic spice blend (or actual pesto)
2 burger buns
2 slices provolone cheese
2 slices tomato
A few leaves of baby spinach, romaine lettuce, or other salad greens

Pesto Mayo
1 tbsp mayonnaise
A dash of pesto-garlic spice blend

Combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, pesto spice, and salt and pepper in a casserole dish. Place portobello mushrooms in mixture. Marinate for 15 minutes, then flip over and marinate for another 15 minutes.

To make pesto mayo, combine 1 tbsp mayonnaise with pesto-garlic spice blend (or, again, actual pesto). Set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat barbecue to medium heat. When mushrooms are done marinating, place them right on the hot grill. Flip after 4-5 minutes. Continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes, until tender but not shriveled. Then place one slice of cheese on each mushroom, closing the lid to help the cheese melt quickly. When the cheese has melted, remove the portobellos from the grill. You can also toast your burger buns on the barbecue.

Spread equal amounts of pesto-garlic mayo on both burger bun bottoms. Place one cheese-topped mushrooms on each bun, then top with tomato and spinach (or whatever greens you are using). Serve immediately.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Sweet Potato Biscuits

2009-10-20T21:30:00.000-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection is Sweet Potato Biscuits, chosen by Erin of Prudence Pennywise. And it is a doozy.

These are flaky, buttery, perfectly seasoned biscuits. And easy to make, too. Strangely enough, you can't even taste the sweet potato, making these kind of like Dorie's version of the Sneaky Chef (that cookbook author who sneaks veggie purees into her cooking).

I can't wait to make these again. Thanks for your choice, Erin! Click here for the recipe.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Spiced Pumpkin Cookie Cakes

2009-10-18T13:12:00.001-04:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays pick, Spiced Pumpkin Cookies (chosen by Debbie of Every Day Blessings of The Fivedees) could not have come at a better time. My mom enlisted me to make the dessert for Thanksgiving (in Canada, Thanksgiving was last weekend). And on a trip to the States in August, I had stocked up on canned pumpkin because it's so much cheaper there. Naturally, making a pumpkin dessert for Thanksgiving was a given, but I knew I wanted it to be something more than the usual pumpkin pie. So when I saw that these pumpkin cookie cakes were an upcoming SMS recipe, my choice was made.

Sweet little pumpkin cookie cakes, sandwiched with orange cream cheese icing in the middle - autumnal whoopie pies. I knew they would add a whimsical touch to the end of our Thanksgiving meal.

The batter itself tasted like pumpkin pie, and when cooked, tasted like pumpkin gingerbread. I loved the bright flavour of the orange zest in the cream cheese icing, although my fiance (that word still sounds strange to me) felt the orange zest ruined it. At least he had fun chowing down on the extra batter (once it had made enough cookies, I slathered the remaining batter on a cookie sheet and baked it as a slab).

Debbie, thank you for your selection. It was a very tasty and timely choice. Click here to visit Debbie's blog and get the recipe.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Allspice Crumb Muffins

2009-10-13T16:24:00.002-04:00

This week's pick for Tuesdays With Dorie, chosen by Kayte of Grandma's Kitchen Table, is Allspice Crumb Muffins. There's not a lot of mystery to this recipe - it's exactly how it sounds. It's a simple allspice-flavoured muffin with a crumb topping. Sounds pretty run-of-the-mill, right?

Well, it is and it isn't. It's not an exciting recipe. But it is made entirely of pantry staples, a breeze to throw together, and impossibly delicious. I'll take that over exciting but complicated any day.

This muffin is seriously moist and delicious, and makes a great snack or quick breakfast. I'm thinking of adding a bit of whole wheat flour next time to up the nutrition-factor. But the crumb topping? Oh, the crumb topping. Sweet, (all)spicy, perfectly crumbly and buttery. It was perfection. My fiance lamented that it made the muffin itself seem tame by comparison, but I beg to differ.

Allspice Crumb Muffins are just wonderful. Thank you, Dorie, for such a fantastic recipe. And thank you, Kayte, for this pick! I appreciated making something that didn't require me to rush out and buy ingredients. It made it so easy to bake it while in the midst of packing for the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and writing essays. Click here for the recipe.

Big News, an Award, and Chorizo and White Ale Mussels

2009-10-03T23:10:00.002-04:00

It seems life has been conspiring against me and this blog lately. First of all, I greatly underestimated how challenging it would be to return to school! I am also working part-time Monday to Thursday mornings before class, which means I have to go to bed early - that's not in my nature. The result is that I have way less time to get things done than I thought I would. While I'm still eating (of course), my backlog of awesome recipes to share with you is getting bigger and bigger.

But it's not all bad.

I have some amazing personal news. I'm engaged! My boyfriend proposed to me last Friday. We're looking to get married next fall (or late-summer) and are in the process of finalizing our dates and venue. I can't wait!

And one more thing, before I move on to today's recipe. Waaaay back in July, I was generously given a blog award by one of my favourite bloggers, Eliana of A Chica Bakes. Thank you, Eliana!

I'm supposed to pass this on to some lovely bloggers that I read. Consider it done. Sorry, Eliana, for taking so long to get around to this!

Here are some blogs that I'm loving lately:

1. Ginger Rose
2. Hot Oven, Warm Heart
3. Bubie's Little Baker
4. Katiecakes
5. Effort to Deliciousness

Ladies, please feel free to pass on this award.

Now, on with the show. Chorizo and White Ale Mussels. These mussels are a take on a Curtis Stone recipe, kicked up with more of a pub-grub feel. We used dried chorizo, which lent an intense smoky flavour and a gorgeous orange hue to the broth. The flavour of the white ale complemented the chorizo perfectly. And the butter added at the end created a wonderful richness that made us want to drink the broth from a mug. Thank you, Curtis Stone, for your inspiration!

Chorizo and White Ale Mussels
Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as an appetizer
Ingredients:
½ lb chorizo sausage (I used a smaller amount of smoked as it had a more intense flavor; I recommend the amount mentioned here if you’re using fresh sausage)
1 small onion, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 lb. mussels, scrubbed & debearded
1 cup white ale (I used Rickard’s White)
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1.5 tbsp butter
1 baguette, sliced
Hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
1. Place a large pot (one which has a matching lid) over medium heat. Add the chorizo and sauté for about 8 minutes or until golden brown if using fresh chorizo; til slightly crispy if using dried. Add onions and cook for 3-4, until softened. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, taking care not to burn it.
2. Add beer, add the mussels and toss to coat, and cover pot. Cook over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the mussels begin to open. Discard any mussels that don’t open.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl and cover to keep warm.
4. Boil the remaining juices in the pot for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the butter. Taste broth and season accordingly with salt and pepper, and hot sauce if using. Pour the finished sauce over the mussels and sprinkle parsley over top. Serve with a sliced baguette for dipping.

TWD: Cottage Cheese Pufflets

2009-09-22T21:35:00.001-04:00

Oh, cottage cheese pufflets. You sounded so promising. Sweet jam spread between a tart and tangy cottage cheese dough, baked and puffed to perfection. I had high hopes.

The end result, however, was an exercise in frustration.

This dough was soft and sticky. And I do mean soft. I have never had to refrigerate a dessert so many times before in the midst of its preparation.

Here's how you do it (at least, here's how I did it): Make the dough, refrigerate it. Roll out the dough, refrigerate it because it's too soft. Roll it out again. Start to cut it into circles. Refrigerate. Cut some more. Refrigerate the remaining dough. Place the cut out circles in the freezer to save time. Bring them out after the oven has preheated and dab on some strawberry-raspberry jam, then fold over and seal the dough. Except, oops, a new Mad Men episode is on! Come up to bake them during the first commercial break and find them completely soft again. Pop them in the freezer for a few minutes. Come up in the middle of Mad Men (sigh) and pop them in the oven. Watch the jam leak like crazy, and watch the dough puff up beautifully.

Alas, it was not a very happy time in the Kait's Plate kitchen while these were being made. The end result was quite delicious - puffy, crispy, with just the right amount of sweetness from the jam. The next day, however, they had softened considerably and lost their perfect texture.

Although the end result was fantastic, I don't think it was worth the overall effort. Sorry, Dorie! Thank you to Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes for choosing this recipe. Although its preparation was quite taxing, I'm happy I at least got to taste the delicious result.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Orange Scented Scones

2009-09-20T01:40:00.001-04:00

Dessert for breakfast - is there anything better (or more indulgent)? I have a soft spot for any baking recipe that I can justify eating for breakfast. It ensures that I use up a recipe before it starts to go bad, and more importantly, it means I get to eat sugar for a breakfast. A total win-win.

As a result, I was really looking forward to this week's Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe, Orange-Scented Scones (chosen by Robin of Lady Craddock's Bakery). As a bonus, I had never made scones before.

These scones - with their buttery orange flavour and flaky texture - were a great introduction to the genre. They were very fast and easy to pull together, and for very little effort, yielded a ton of flavour. I loved these for breakfast with homemade strawberry-raspberry jam.

I recently found myself a part-time job for the school year, and I think these will come in handy now that I'll be working mornings four days a week. They're a perfect grab-and-go breakfast. A big thank you goes to Robin for giving me the incentive to make a baked good I've never tried before. I think this is a recipe I'll be experimenting with in the future. Please visit Robin's blog for the recipe.

The culinary side of a vacation: Montreal and Ottawa

2009-09-11T12:30:00.001-04:00

In between finishing my internship and heading back to school (my first day back was today, in fact), I had a couple of weeks of vacation. During this time, I fit in a visit at home where I spent some time catching up with friends and family. Then, I was lucky enough to go on a trip with my boyfriend, his grandparents, his brothers, and his cousin to Montreal and Ottawa. I had never been to either city before, so I was very excited to see the local architecture and experience the local culture, not to mention brush up on my French in Montreal. But as always, the one thing I most look forward to on any trip is the food. Without fail, I always come up with a wish list of things I need to try before I leave the city. This time, my list revolved around the following classics: poutine, smoked meat sandwiches, Montreal bagels (suggested to me by my friend Single Betty), and beaver tails. As with any vacation, there were some unexpected treats that we got to enjoy, as well.

The first culinary stop we made in Montreal was at a sweet little bakery on Rue de Mont-Royal. They had a variety of fresh breads and sweets, including one of my favourites, meringues.

They were sweet, crunchy and delicious. I was so inspired by them, I bought a wide pastry tip to make the meringue-forming process easier in my future baking.

Up next was a small grocer, where I bought some snap peas for snacking, and my boyfriend couldn't resist the cheese curds. They're the kind used to make poutine (more on that later).

After a late-night trip to a diner on St. Catharine where we dined on the best poutine of my life and smoked meat sandwiches (no pictures, sorry!), we awoke the next morning and meandered over to the McGill University campus. During our walk, we noticed many vegetable plants lining the outside of the buildings. These tomatoes were the tiniest I've ever seen - the size of a dime.

After we worked up our appetite walking around the city, we had more poutine, and more smoked meat sandwiches. For the uninformed, poutine is french fries covered in special gravy and cheese curds. In the poutine we had in Montreal, the gravy heated the cheese through, but the cheese didn't melt, ensuring that the rich hunks of cheese curds remained mostly intact. Poutine is, simply put, junk food heaven.

We also tried poutine with hunks of smoked meat piled atop it, and poutine with chicken. Both delicious.

And of course, we couldn't leave without having another smoked meat sandwich. Before you worry about our health, keep in mind that 7 of us split the poutine and the sandwich! The portions were enormous.

That night, we went to the St-Viateur bagel shop, where we bought a dozen bagels. What makes Montreal bagels unique is the fact that they're poached in a boiling honey-water mixture, and, most significantly, baked in a wood-fired oven. You can read more about how they are made here. They have a very unique taste - they're quite dense and have a faint sweetness to them.

In Ottawa, after touring the Parliamentary building, we visited a nearby farmer's market. Although we were tempted by all of the fresh fruit and vegetables, we ended up going for less healthy fare. We were on vacation, after all.

We bought beaver tails (pictured here with apple pie topping), and sugar tarts, which tasted a lot like butter tarts but had a smoother texture and no raisins.

To me, food defines my vacations. My trip to Montreal and Ottawa was an opportunity to try some classic Canadian dishes in their "natural habitats," and it didn't disappoint. The only problem? Ontario poutine will never measure up now!

Tuesdays With Dorie: Chocolate Souffle

2009-09-08T01:05:00.001-04:00

Ah, the souffle. A word with such baggage. When I hear it, I think of a light, airy dish that requires the artful hands and eyes of Julia Child and the attention to detail of Martha Stewart to master. As I am neither Julia Child nor Martha Stewart, the atmosphere in my kitchen during the making of chocolate souffle, this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe (chosen by Susan of She's Becoming Doughmesstic) was, in a word, tense.

I was very concerned with the souffle turning out perfectly, so I decided to use my oven thermometer to make sure that the temperature gauge on the oven in my new/old apartment in London was still accurate. The fact that I couldn't seem to get the oven to reach the listed baking temperature of 400F was worrisome, and more stressful than it normally would have been. When I set the temperature to 400F, the oven went up to 425F. When I dropped it down to 375F, it registered 375F exactly. I upped the dial slightly, and it rested at 390F. My boyfriend didn't understand why I was so concerned about a 10 degree difference. "It's a souffle," I whined. "It's very scientific. It has to be exact." Since this was my first-ever souffle, I of course didn't know for sure how scientific it was, or how exact I needed to be in its preparation. But I did know that souffles are finicky, and I didn't want to take any chances. Eventually, we got the oven to register 400F.

By this point, I had folded two whipped egg whites (I was halving the recipe) into a mixture of melted chocolate, sugar, and egg yolks. I poured the mixture into the buttered and sugared ramekins. I glanced at the kitchen table, where I had stored in ramekins the ingredients I would need. "Why," I thought, "Is there still an unused egg white on the table?"

I looked at the recipe again and realized I was supposed to whip and fold in three egg whites. So much for being exact. Together with my boyfriend, I poured the souffle back into the mixing bowl, hoping the butter and sugar from the ramekins wouldn't ruin it, and folded in the additional whipped egg white. Then I poured the mixture into three newly buttered and sugared ramekins, before baking them for 20 minutes.

Despite my fumbling, they were fantastic. Light and airy as Julia Child's would be, maybe, although not as picture-perfect as Martha's. The chocolate flavour was still rich, and the sugar crust enhanced the chocolate flavour very much. I could eat this again and again, although luckily for my health, there were no leftovers. Just three happy eaters. Thanks for your choice, Susan!

TWD: Espresso Cheesecake Brownies

2009-09-01T07:32:00.000-04:00

After taking a brief hiatus from Tuesdays With Dorie in order to give myself some time to move back to school and get settled for the new year, I was very excited to dive back in with this week's recipe, Espresso Cheesecake Brownies, chosen by Melissa of Life in a Peanut Shell.

I was home for a visit for the past few days (a much easier task, now that I'm not dealing with rush hour Toronto traffic), but prior to that, I was slowly unpacking (I'm still not done!) and taking care of things around the house. One of the things on my to-do list was to bake as often as possible. I spoiled my boyfriend (and myself) with peanut butter and chocolate Rice Krispies Squares, maple sponge toffee, and, of course, these espresso cheesecake brownies.

Of all of the baked goods I made last week, however, I think these take the prize. Fudgy brownies with swirls of creamy espresso cheesecake, topped by a sour cream glaze. The espresso cheesecake is the dominant flavour, I think, which is a real bonus. It provides all the flavour of cheesecake without having to bother with springform pans and water baths. In the future, I would definitely want to make this in a cake pan, perhaps with a drizzle of chocolate sauce over the sour cream glaze. Or try different flavours of cheesecake, too - caramel cheesecake, perhaps.

Thanks, Melissa, for your pick. It was a huge hit here!

I'm back! Plus Southwestern Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes & Chipotle Peppers

2009-08-23T12:31:00.001-04:00

Well, it's official. I've been a terrible blog owner for these past couple of weeks! But I do have a perfectly reasonable excuse. As some of you may know, I've spent over a year living in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), away from my family and friends, for work. On Friday, my internship came to an end, and Saturday morning I moved 200km west to return to my university town (and my very patient boyfriend). I've spent the past couple of weeks packing like a madwoman. I'm no longer a resident of the GTA, and will no longer have access to the same amazing resources and restaurants that were just a short subway ride away when I lived near Toronto. Still, I know I'll find new ones.

In the meantime, my new home (and old home, since I lived here before moving to the GTA) is a mess of boxes. After spending hours unpacking, there's still so much more to go. And I've got some blog housekeeping to do as well - updating my bio, catching up on comments, visiting my favourite blogs, and I was even lucky enough to receive an award that I haven't yet had time to pass on.

Still, with all of these things to do, and without knowing where half of my belongings are, I still have everything on hand to make this wonderful recipe - Southwestern macaroni and cheese with tomatoes and chipotle peppers.

I took my standby macaroni and cheese recipe and amped it up with Monterey Jack cheese, chipotle peppers, tomatoes and dried chorizo that was heated until crispy.

The mixture was poured into a casserole dish (or baking pan), topped with panko bread crumbs and more Monterey Jack cheese, and baked until it had thickened. I broiled it to get the top browned and crispy.

The result is a creamy, flavourful mac and cheese. The chipotle adds flavour, and provides a hint of spice that isn't overwhelming. The crispy chorizo adds a nice texture contrast to the creaminess of the pasta, and adds a rich bacon-like flavour. The tomato adds a bit of freshness to the whole dish. And the Monterey Jack cheese is a necessity - it makes sure the southwestern theme rings true in every element of the meal. I can't wait to buy more Jack cheese and make this again.

Southwestern Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes & Chipotle Peppers
Serves 4-6
Based on a Nestle recipe

1 2/3 cups (about 7 oz.) dry small elbow macaroni (preferably whole wheat), cooked and drained
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
1 cup water
Heaping 1/3 cup diced dried chorizo (if you can't find dried chorizo, you could substitute an equal amount of fresh chorizo, cooked and crumbled)
1 chipotle pepper, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese or "Mexican-blend" style pre-shredded cheese

Topping:
Panko bread crumbs
Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add chorizo to pan. It will begin to render its fat and turn crispy. Stirring the chorizo occasionally, keep an eye on it and remove it from heat when it reaches a bacon-like crispiness. Drain the fat, and let chorizo rest on a plate covered with a paper towel, to soak up the excess oil.

Combine cornstarch, salt, mustard and pepper in medium saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk, water, and butter. Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups cheese until melted. Add macaroni; mix well. Add chorizo, chipotle, and tomato. Since tomato sizes can vary, you may add less tomato to your taste. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs over top, until a light, even layer of them is formed. Sprinkle a few tablespoons or so of cheese on top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. If necessary, broil for a few minutes to brown the panko-cheese crust.

A Terse Tuesdays With Dorie: Brownie Buttons

2009-08-11T00:30:00.001-04:00

When you find you find yourself without the proper equipment to make fudgy brownie buttons (chosen by Jayma), there is just one thing to do: bake the batter in a pan, cut it into circles, and make Brownie Button pops - then eat them compulsively.

Wondering why this post is so short? Find out over at The Dogs Eat the Crumbs.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Snickerdoodles

2009-08-09T00:43:00.001-04:00

One of the things I like about belonging to baking groups is that sometimes, I have to make recipes that I would never have tried otherwise. Case in point: this week's Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe, Snickerdoodles, hosted by Spike of Spike Bakes.

Since joining the blogging community, I've seen many a blogger make Snickerdoodles. But they never struck me as something particularly exciting or worth the effort. I know, that probably sounds shameful, but I just didn't see what the big deal was. A very basic cookie dough (there's not even any vanilla in it!) rolled in cinnamon sugar? "How boring," I thought. Still, I decided to take a chance this time around.

I creamed the sugar with the butter, then added some eggs. Yawn. I whisked together some flour, baking soda, and the other usual suspects, and mixed them with the wet ingredients. Whatever. Then I refrigerated the batter before rolling it into balls. No biggie. But then I rolled the balls in cinnamon sugar - a seemingly rather insignificant step - and the whole recipe was elevated.

My first bite seemed underwhelming. I thought it was good, but not spectacular. But then I kept chewing. And then I grabbed another cookie. And another. And then I foisted them upon my boyfriend, as I had obviously lost all resolve against the Snickerdoodles and if I was going down, at least he'd be going down with me.

Suffice it to say, these are spectacular. Sweet and buttery, with the perfect amount of spice from the cinnamon. I definitely see what all the fuss is about.

Thanks, Spike, for choosing Snickerdoodles! You can visit her blog for the recipe. And click here for the full list of Sweet Melissa Sundays bakers.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Chewy Peanut Butter (and Chocolate Chip) Cookies

2009-08-02T01:01:00.000-04:00

My mom has been a Tim Hortons addict for years. For my non-Canadian readers, and for my US readers who don't have one in their community yet, Tim Hortons is a moderately priced chain of coffee shops that is almost obscenely popular in Canada. In the past, my mom almost couldn't function in the morning without it. She's slowly weaned herself off of the stuff, but in years past, even if she was running late for work, she would stop to buy herself a large Tim's coffee. Based on the drive-thru line-up at Tim Hortons in the morning, I think it's a common affliction among Canadians.

Although I'm not one to enjoy Tim Hortons coffee very much, their cookies have always been my weakness. You can get half a dozen for just a few bucks, and if you're lucky enough to get a batch that's fresh out of the oven, it feels like winning the dessert lottery - warm, chewy, and often with chocolate oozing out. I'd probably sell my soul for their peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies. Luckily, now I don't have to.

I guess I could argue that this week's pick for Sweet Melissa Sundays, Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies, has saved my soul. Not bad for a cookie that takes just a few minutes to throw together.

This recipe involves the usual suspects - butter, sugar, peanut butter, an egg, flour, and vanilla (and in my case, chocolate too) - so I can't explain why these cookies are almost other-worldly in their deliciousness. But they are. If you take care not to overbake them, they're chewy even days later.

We could not stop eating them. My boyfriend ate about 10 in one 24-hour period. So while these cookies are soul-saving, they might be a little dangerous. They will definitely erode your willpower.

But at least, if you're a Tim Hortons cookie addict like me, they might save you a few bucks. A big thank you goes out to Stephanie of Ice Cream Before Dinner, who was kind enough to choose this fantastic recipe.

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia

2009-07-25T14:25:00.000-04:00

There's something about baking your own bread that gives you a true sense of accomplishment. While my own bread-baking experience is fairly limited, aside from a dark rye bread I made in high school, I have made my fair share of focaccia. And the smell it creates while it's baking in my oven is enough to make me feel like a professional baker.

This Herb and Parmesan Focaccia, an Emeril Lagasse recipe, took that sense of accomplishment to another level. The lightly browned, herb-flecked crust made this easy-to-make bread look like something out of a gourmet bakery. Yet with the use of my stand mixer, it was as almost (but not quite) as easy as buying it pre-made. But it was certainly less expensive, and much fresher.

I sprinkled a combination of Italian parsley, basil, and chives on top, in addition to the Parmesan cheese. The chives were an unexpected flavour, since chives don't scream "Italian" to me like focaccia does, but I think they made this recipe special - with their light onion flavour, they added a brightness to the bread that really popped.

As my pots of herbs are growing like weeds in this very wet summer, I know I'll come to rely on this focaccia recipe to make good use of their yield.

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia
Modified from the FoodNetwork.com Emeril Lagasse recipe
Serves 6

1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 to 115 degrees)
1 tbsp sugar
1 package yeast (equivalent to 8g or 2 1/4 tsp of yeast)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (you may need more)
2 tsp salt, plus coarse or kosher salt for seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced chives
1/2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1/2 tbsp chopped basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and let stand for 10 minutes until it foams.

In the mixer bowl with the dough hook attached, add 3 cups of flour, salt, and yeast mixture. Slowly turn it on and work the dough together. Turn it up to medium and mix for 5 minutes. If the dough is sticky, continue mixing and gradually add the remaining flour. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Pour a bit of oil over the ball of dough, turning the dough until it is coated in the oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside to rise for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the dough out on an oiled cookie pan or a parchment-lined pan and press "dimples" into it with your fingertips. Drizzle with the oil, herbs, cheese, kosher or coarse salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Bake until browned and cooked through and let cool.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Raspberry Blanc-Manger

2009-07-21T20:40:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, you can spend months anticipating something - waiting, praying, hoping it will come - and when it arrives, it's even better than you were expecting.

But sometimes, all of your hoping and praying is for naught - the object of your desire is a dud.

This week, I've experienced a bit of both. The former, I'll save for a little later. The latter? It's all about this week's Tuesdays With Dorie pick, Raspberry Blanc-Manger. This week's selection comes to us via Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy.

This blanc-manger is essentially a whipped cream cloud, with sugar, almond, and raspberries mixed in, which is set with gelatin.

It has been sitting there for the past year, tantalizingly, on the back cover of Baking: From My Home to Yours, just waiting for me to make it so I could enjoy its airy, fruity splendour.

But perhaps due to my own forgetfulness and finicky tastes, I didn't enjoy it.

To begin with, I absolutely detest almonds. I can't eat them unless they're coated in chocolate. This recipe calls for grinding almonds into dust, and they are a considerable component of the recipe. But I just couldn't do it. I wracked my brain for a possible substitute, but couldn't think of anything. I decided to carry on with the recipe, halved, and skipped the almond.

When the blanc-manger was assembled, I nearly poured it into ramekins. However, I had visions of a dainty wedge of blanc-manger on a plate, so I poured it into the recommended pan size for the full recipe - an 8" circular cake pan. It nearly filled the pan, and I couldn't imagine how double the recipe would have fit into it.

I refrigerated it overnight, and the next day after work, dunked the cake pan into warm water in order to loosen the blanc-manger from the mold. And then I walked away - leaving the pan (and the blanc-manger) in the warm water.

I came back half an hour to a creamy, soupy mess. I re-read the instructions - Dorie suggested putting the pan in the water for five seconds. Panicking, I stuck the blanc-manger back into the fridge. Although it did set up again, it had deflated and was about half as thick.

Although I knew my blanc-manger had already lost the beauty contest, I had high hopes for its flavour. But I found it to be rather bland and uninteresting - it tasted like eating whipped cream with raspberries in it. This could definitely be because I skipped the almonds, but either way, it seems like this recipe isn't for me. If you like almonds, though, I recommend checking out the recipe on Susan's blog.

On the bright side, my disappointment has been tempered by something major. Last fall, my oldest brother and his wife announced that they were expecting their first child. Since then I've been counting down, waiting to meet my newest family member and bond with him as I have my other niece and nephew.

Monday morning, just before 3 a.m., he arrived - a week overdue and after seemingly-endless months of anticipation. His name is Lachlan (like McLachlan, without the "Mc" - it's a Gaelic name), and based on the pictures I've seen, he is incredibly adorable.

I'll be heading home after work tomorrow to meet him, and then taking two days of vacation to hang out with the little guy. With any luck, I'll come back with permission to post a photo of him for your viewing enjoyment. After all of the waiting, I can't wait to finally meet him!

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Lemon (Blue-Raspberry) Cheesecake with Cornmeal Crumb Crust

2009-07-12T12:13:00.000-04:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays pick, Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake with a Cornmeal Crumb Crust, gave me lots of practice in two cooking and baking skills that I find crucial: knowing how to successfully scale down a recipe, and substituting what you need with what you have.

Based on my title, you can probably guess where the first substitution came in: raspberries for blueberries. This one came about by accident: I really thought I had a good amount of blueberries stored up in my freezer, but when it came time to make the sauce, I realized that I was way off. I had 10 blueberries. 10! So I added in raspberries to make up the difference.

I also toyed a bit with the foundation of the recipe: the cheesecake batter. The original recipe, which serves 12, calls for four bricks of cream cheese and a full cup of mascarpone. There is but one of me, and I had just one brick of cream cheese, so I decided to make do with what I had. I quartered the recipe, and also substituted sour cream for the mascarpone. My fourth-grade division skills definitely came in handy.

The cornmeal crumb crust was left as-is, although also quartered. I patted it into the bottom of cupcake liners, baked it for about 10 minutes until it was browned, and then spooned the cupcake batter over top of it. After that, one cupcake pan went into a water bath, and the other didn't - a bit of an experiment. They were both done baking after about 40 minutes, but the water bath-baked cheesecake bites turned out much better than their counterparts, who bubbled violently and threatened to explode out of the pan.

I was extremely impressed with this recipe and how it held up to my substitutions and tweaking. It was very creamy and had a bright, intense lemon flavour. The blueberry-raspberry topping was a bit tangy, which complemented the sweet lemon filling perfectly. And by making bite-size versions, I was able to make more servings - that's healthier, right? That is, assuming you don't eat all of the servings on your own. Not that I did that, of course.

For this amazing recipe, visit Eliana of A Chica Bakes. And to check out the rest of the Sweet Melissa Sundays bloggers, check out the member list.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Tribute-to-Katharine-Hepburn Brownies

2009-07-07T01:10:00.000-04:00

Long before the current landscape of fame, in which men and women become celebrities while having no discernible talent (I'm looking at you, Paris Hilton), being a Hollywood celebrity really meant something.

While there are still plenty of legitimately talented celebs out there - the Grammy and Oscar winners of the world come to mind - but when entertainment news tends to devote equal coverage to reality stars like Jon and Kate Gosselin as it does to Brad and Angelina, it makes me yearn for earlier days.

Sure, I wasn't born until decades after Hollywood's heyday, so maybe I hold a romanticized view of a past I wasn't even a part of. But when I think of true Hollywood glamour, I think of the heavyweights: Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Spencer Tracy, and Katharine Hepburn.

I have to admit, although I knew her name well, I didn't see my first Katharine Hepburn movie until I was in high school, when I watched "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" She acted with so much passion. It seems that she lived her life in much the same way.

According to Dorie Greenspan's introduction to this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Ms. Hepburn gave the following advice to her neighbour's daughter: "Never quit. Be yourself. And don't put too much flour in your brownies." Katharine Hepburn was my kind of woman.

This recipe, based on brownie recipes attributed to Ms. Hepburn, is unique in that it has a few secret ingredients: a bit of cinnamon and instant coffee, and of course, not a lot of flour. It's also heavy on the cocoa powder and sprinkled with chunks of chopped chocolate, giving it a rather dark flavour. The cinnamon and instant coffee add complexity, but aren't overpowering.

Some TWD bakers felt that this recipe turned out rather gooey. I left out the requisite nuts called for in the recipe and baked the brownies for an extra five minutes and found that they had a perfect texture: dense, chewy, but not undercooked. Chopped up into little chunks, the brownies were perfect in homemade vanilla ice cream.

Check out our special guest host, Lisa of Surviving Oz, for the recipe.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream with Brownie Chunks

2009-07-05T19:32:00.000-04:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays pick is Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream, chosen by Karen of Karen's Cookies Cakes & More. I was also supposed to make chocolate or butterscotch sauce, but completely forgot. Oops! Instead, I chopped up a couple of Tribute to Katharine Hepburn Brownies from this week's upcoming Tuesdays With Dorie assignment, and happily added them to the just-made ice cream before storing it in the freezer to firm up.

I can be a bit of a cheapskate when it comes to my groceries. I've never bought a vanilla bean in my life (please don't yell at me!), and even though this recipe did call for one, I used my pure vanilla extract instead.

The recipe also called for skim milk powder, which I also skipped - I'm way too cheap to buy a big, expensive box of milk powder when this recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of it.

Other than that, the rest of the ingredients were typical baking staples: eggs, milk, cream.

Despite my frugal adaptations, this ice cream turned out beautifully. Melissa Murphy (the author of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book) promised that the skim milk powder would yield an extra-smooth and creamy ice cream, but my powder-free version was very creamy - it tasted sinful enough as it was. However, if I do ever find that I need to buy skim milk powder, I'll be sure to give it a try in this recipe.

In fact, I think this could become my staple vanilla ice cream recipe. The brown sugar added sweetness and depth of flavour, and the brown sugar-vanilla combination could be complementary to so many add-ins. Beyond brownies, I'm thinking chocolate bars, skor bits, or chopped m&ms. Yum.

Thank you, Karen, for your excellent choice! It's always fun to break out the ice cream maker. Visit Karen's blog for the recipe for the ice cream, as well as for the hot fudge sauce which I forgot to make.

Homemade Potato Gnocchi in a Pecorino Cream Sauce

2009-07-03T00:39:00.001-04:00

Happy belated Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! Like many if not most Canadians, I enjoyed a day off Wednesday in honour of our nation's birth.

I thought it would be a perfect day to spend in the kitchen, and so I did. By day's end, I had made focaccia, brownies, and homemade potato gnocchi.

It was my first time making potato gnocchi, and while it was definitely time consuming, it was so worth it. I think there's very little that you can create in the kitchen that will make you feel as accomplished as when you make your own pasta.

Especially if you drizzle that pasta in a simply but elegant pecorino cream sauce. So how did it all come together?

First I boiled a few potatoes until they were tender, but not mushy. Then I used my nana's potato ricer, given to me by my mother, to crush the potatoes into smithereens. I mean, to squeeze them into delicate strings.

It felt great to be using kitchen equipment that belonged to my Nana. She died over 10 years ago, and whenever I use something that belongs to her it makes me feel connected to her still.

So after the potatoes were sufficiently obliterated (thanks, Nana), I mixed them with flour, ricotta, egg, parmesan, salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. The dough was tasty but still neutral-flavoured, ready to be rolled out, cut, and coated in the type of sauce that makes your mouth water.

While I cooked the fresh gnocchi for about 5 minutes, I heated heavy cream in a saucepan and then melted in an equal amount of grated pecorino cheese, then seasoned the sauce with a generous sprinkle of black pepper and a bit of salt.

The sauce was rich, so just a bit of it went a long way. At the same time, I appreciated that the sauce didn't have any butter - typical alfredo-style sauces do, so it was a bit lighter in calories than your average cream sauce. I loved how the sharp pecorino and pepper were carried by the mildly flavoured gnocchi. And I especially loved that the sauce was easy and quick to make, but so elegant and tasty.

This recipe makes enough for four servings of pasta, but if you're a smaller household like me, you can freeze the rest of the gnocchi to enjoy later.

The gnocchi recipe is from Canadian chef Anthony Sedlak.

Potato Gnocchi with Pecorino Cream Sauce
Serves 4

Gnocchi
1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes (like Russet)
1 x egg
1/4 cup ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup flour, plus more for dusting
Pinch grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Pecorino Cream Sauce
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:

Gnocchi
1. Add whole potatoes to a medium pot and fill with cold water just to cover. Season cooking water with salt and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer until potatoes are tender but not overcooked (this could take 20 or more minutes - I recommend checking every 5 minutes after the 10 minute mark). Drain potatoes and let dry out slightly. While still warm, peel skin off potatoes, cut into quarters, and push through a ricer or food mill. Gently combine riced potatoes with remaining ingredients, being careful not to overmix. On a floured board, divide dough into six pieces and roll each piece into a ¾ inch thick log. Cut each log into ½ inch long pieces. If desired, roll each piece on the back of a fork to create ridges. Lay out cut pieces on a lightly floured tray. To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil in batches, dropping in a few at a time; gnocchi are ready when they float to the surface (approximately 5 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and place on plates.

Pecorino Cream Sauce
1. Bring cream to simmer in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add Pecorino, stirring until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle sauce over plated pasta.

A very late Sweet Melissa Sundays: Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

I'm quite behind on making and posting about this Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe, Chocolate Chip Cookies. Two weekends ago, when the cookies were supposed to have been sitting pretty in the cookie jar on my counter, I had been too busy to post. First it was my boyfriend's graduation from university, and then a bridal shower in my hometown, and then another bridal shower that same weekend. I didn't spend any time in my own kitchen that entire week.

When the week came to a close and I found myself back in my apartment, I was perusing the Sweet Melissa Sundays website to see what recipe I had missed out on. It was a special week, and the announcement came late: Melissa Murphy, the author of the Sweet Melissa Baking Book, had chosen Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Almonds.

How could I resist? I'm a sucker for chocolate chip cookies.

So I set out to make these, a few days late. Unfortunately, I was unable to post them even last week due to internet issues. Well, actually, my landlords turned off the modem and router to save power while they went on vacation - I was very unhappy, to say the least!

Back to the cookies: the batter came together easily. I skipped the toasted almonds, and instead used a mixture of half semi-sweet chocolate chips, and half milk chocolate, which I cut into chunks. I loved the contrast between the milky sweet chocolate chunks and the darker chocolate chips.

The batter itself wasn't very sweet, which meant that the chocolate created a just-sweet-enough cookie, without that cloying sugariness that can make a dessert taste too rich. The downside of this, of course, is that you can eat many cookies in a row without that self-protective guilt kicking in. Great for my tastebuds, but from a health perspective, probably not-so-good.

What I loved most about these cookies, however, was the texture. I've been looking for a chewy, thin chocolate chip cookie, and I finally found it. Even days later, when the cookie had lost its crispy edge, it was still perfectly chewy.

A big thank you goes out to Melissa Murphy for this choice - I've found my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Sorry, Anna Olson. Check out her post on Sweet Melissa Sundays for the recipe.

Shrimp and Tomato Risotto

2009-06-24T00:09:00.000-04:00

When I was in Stockholm in April, I had the most amazing seafood risotto. Rice, cooked al dente, in a light tomato- and seafood-infused broth, served with a generous portion of shrimp, calamari, and scallops. Like many things in Stockholm, it was outrageously expensive, but it was worth every penny - and not just because it was on my employer's tab (although it didn't hurt!).

The risotto that I've made and ordered before has had a much creamier consistency, and it was nice to try something different. Although it was probably richer than risotto I've made at home in terms of its ingredients (restaurants generally love to cook with plenty of fat), its light consistency made it feel like a healthy meal.

When I got home, I found myself craving seafood risotto. Although I couldn't find a recipe that would yield a lighter risotto, like that which I had in Stockholm, I decided that this Shrimp and Tomato Risotto from Food Network sounded delicious - it would definitely satisfy my seafood risotto craving.

While a traditional risotto is made (using shrimp stock instead of the traditional chicken stock), tomatoes are blended with freshly sauteed shrimp and cream. When the risotto is nearly cooked, the shrimp mixture is added. More sauteed shrimp is added to the final risotto as a garnish.

The result is a rich, creamy risotto with shrimp and tomato flavour in every bite.

For the Shrimp and Tomato Risotto recipe, click here. A recipe for shrimp stock isn't included. You can use store-bought fish or shrimp stock bouillon, or you can check out this recipe, which yields a basic shrimp stock.

Maple BBQ Salmon and Grilled King Oyster Mushrooms

2009-06-17T09:00:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to receive a request to host a dinner party featuring True North Salmon as the main course.

As I'm living away from my friends and family while I complete my internship, any excuse to spend time with them is hard to turn down. My family and I are also huge salmon fans, so there was no way I could turn down the request! It would have been salmon-lover-sacrilege.

I travelled to London on the weekend of June 5, a huge box of three freshly-delivered salmon halves in tow, to host the party. The afternoon of the party, my boyfriend and I spent some time portioning out the salmon into individual filets. Actually, my boyfriend was kind enough to do the portioning, while I put the excess salmon into freezer bags for our future enjoyment.

My niece was up visiting my brother and sister-in-law that weekend, so they suggested that we hold the party at their place. They're both fantastic cooks, so I knew that though we were bringing the salmon, potatoes for baking, and dessert, they'd probably put together some awesome side dishes.

For their part, my sister-in-law made a nice side salad with homemade vinaigrette, while my brother made spicy, Asian-inspired Grilled King Oyster Mushrooms.

We made Maple BBQ Salmon, a recipe from True North. The salmon marinated in a mixture of maple syrup, fresh garlic, and garlic salt for over 30 minutes. When it was done, we put it on the barbecue until it was light pink and flaky. It was perfectly tender, if a little bland (extra salt really made a difference). My three year old niece, who I don't think has had salmon before, loved it. She doesn't usually have much of an appetite, but when she began to get full, we asked her to eat more potatoes -- instead she finished her salmon. A girl after my own heart.

All in all, it was so much fun to have an informal dinner party with family. All of the elements - the salad, baked potatoes, grilled mushrooms, and of course, salmon - made for a well-rounded and extremely filling meal. We barely had room for dessert (peach cobbler), but somehow we were able to polish that off, too.

Maple BBQ Salmon
4 servings

4 Fresh Atlantic Salmon portions
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper

1. Mix the maple syrup, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.
2. Place salmon portions in a shallow dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon portions in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning over at 15 minutes.
3. Drain the salmon fillets and discard used marinade.
4. Season salmon with salt and pepper.
5. BBQ the salmon portions over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked to taste.

Here's a link to the mushroom recipe we used from Off the Broiler - keep in mind it was very spicy, so you may want to use less ginger or hot pepper:
Grilled King Oyster Mushrooms

Tuesdays With Dorie: Honey-Peach Ice Cream

2009-06-16T07:00:00.003-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie pick is Honey-Peach Ice Cream, chosen by Tommi of Brown Interior.

I'm always happy to break out my ice cream maker and try a new recipe, and it's not something that I get to do as often as I'd like to. But when you're asked to make something as sweet-sounding as Honey-Peach Ice Cream, how can you resist? It seemed like it would be perfect summer ice cream. And I think it is.

Here are a few reasons why:

It doesn't require you to turn on your oven.

You just have to simmer fresh peaches in honey and blend them with a very simple custard, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker. Any dessert that takes advantage of fresh summer fruit gets bonus points from me.

In the final product, the honey flavour was subtle to me, but I thought it perfectly complemented the bright flavour of the peaches.

I think the honey-soaked peaches would also be perfect to make frozen yogurt with. The tartness of the yogurt would most definitely enhance the peach flavour. I can't wait to try out this idea in the future.

To see how my fellow TWD bakers did, you can check out the blogroll. For the recipe, visit Tommi of Brown Interior. Thanks for the great choice, Tommi!

Tuesdays With Dorie: Parisian Apple Tartlet

2009-06-09T00:15:00.001-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie pick is Parisian Apple Tartlet, chosen by Jessica of My Baking Heart.

This is probably the easiest dessert I have ever put together. It goes like this:

1. Roll out puff pastry into a thin sheet and cut into a circle.
2. Halve an apple, cut this half into four pieces, and place on the puff pastry circle.
3. Dot with brown sugar and butter.
4. Bake.

That's basically it. No mixing. No dough-making. Incredibly easy.

One problem, though. The brown sugar and butter slid off and turned the bottom of the tart into a blackened mess. I caught it halfway through and slid the tart away from the charred pool of sugar, but then most of the leftover sugar also turned into a pile of char.

Next time, I'll have to make sure the puff pastry is as cold as possible (I think the pastry didn't rise enough to keep the sugar and butter in) and put the pieces of apple together to create a wider border of pastry.

The flavour of this tartlet (besides the slightly burnt flavour, of course) is worth a second chance. Simple but classic, with its homey baked apple and brown sugar taste, it would be perfect for an impromptu dessert for just one - or a dinner party, for that matter.

Just be careful where your brown sugar ends up!

Check out My Baking Heart for the full recipe.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Bear's Peach Cobbler

2009-06-07T13:56:00.000-04:00

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays pick is Bear's Peach Cobbler, chosen by Andrea of Nummy Kitchen.

This recipe relies on a few pounds of fresh, peeled peaches and a handful of kitchen staples.

The peaches are tossed with a simple mixture of corn starch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar, then topped with sweet, lemony biscuit dough.

The mixture is baked until the peaches are bubbling violently and the biscuits are cooked through - browned on top and without a hint of raw dough left.

From classic cobbler ingredients and preparation comes a classic taste - the cinnamon-flecked peaches were were sweet, tender, and tasted like summer to me. They were, in fact, the first peaches I have tasted since last summer.

And the biscuit topping, even two nights after the cobbler was baked, was still crispy, providing a nice contrast to the tender peaches.

There was nothing I didn't like about this recipe. I halved the recipe since peaches are still quite expensive this time of year, and divided the peaches between ramekins, which yielded 5 servings in total. I served them at a dinner party at my brother's house last night, and everyone loved them.

I love recipes that can become my "go-to" recipe, and Bear's Peach Cobbler will definitely be my go-to peach cobbler recipe.

Thanks for the choice, Andrea! You can visit her blog for the full recipe.

5 Indispensable Food Photography Tips

2009-06-03T23:25:00.000-04:00

A typical food blog is part recipe emporium and part "food porn" gallery. A food blog without photos is just like a cookbook without photos - it may still be fantastic, but it's not the one that you're going to linger on at the bookstore. There have been times - like when my niece ate the last cookie before I could take a picture - that I decided not to post a recipe because I didn't have a photo. There have also been times when I've been sifting through my archives and thought, "That was a great recipe, maybe I should post that," but have been stopped by the sub-par quality of my earliest food photos.

So I think it's fair to say that one of the biggest challenges among food bloggers is taking amazing photos. While I don't think that my photos have become as wonderful as those belonging to some of my favourite food bloggers, I have learned some tricks along the way that have improved my photos, and I'm learning new tricks all the time.

If you're looking for ways to improve your own food photography, I offer the following five suggestions:

1. Stop me if you're heard this before, but natural light is your friend. I say that begrudgingly, as I currently live in a basement apartment and have very limited access to natural light - the sole window in my apartment is two feet wide and eight feet up. Still, the easiest way to take appetizing food photos is to photograph food in natural light with no flash. Never, ever use your camera's built-in flash when photographing food. It washes it out and makes it look slimy.

The good news is, there are alternatives. This is also helpful for the many times that you'll need to bake or cook something at night. You'll need to compensate for unnatural lighting, and there are a few ways of doing this.

2. If you don't have natural light, you can try to fake it.

Buy lights that emulate natural light. There are high/low options here. I've heard fantastic things about the Ego light by Lowel, but since I'm cheap, I use two $3 lamps from a thrift store and two $1.50 light bulbs that emulate natural light for people with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I found these at my local Home Depot, right alongside the other light bulbs. You're looking for something like the GE Reveal. You can even buy more than 2 lamps and create your own table-top lighting studio by placing the lamps around the table until there are no shadows. Again, don't use flash!

3. Learn the ins and outs of colour balance. Take a look at the following photo comparison. Which one of these photos of lemons looks more appealing to you? The blue-yellow lemons on the left, or the sunshine-yellow citrus on the right?

Your camera's white balance settings aren't always perfect, and can sometimes create a blue or red tone in your photos, usually in photos taken indoors. Not good. The best and easiest way that I know to correct this after the fact is to use Adobe Photoshop and add a colour adjustment layer.

Here's how you do it: in the menu bar at the top, select Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance. Then move the sliders around until you're happy with the way your photo looks. For the above photo, the image was obviously way too blue, and so I moved the bar away from blue and green and closer to the warmer colours.

Photoshop works wonderfully for me, but if you can't get your hands on a copy, you can use free or less expensive image editing software or websites that let you tweak the colour balance of your photos. I've heard good things about Picnik.

4. Macro is your friend.
Whether you've got yourself a fancy schmancy DSLR or a point-and-shoot, macro shots are the way to go when it comes to food photography. Macro is what allows you to get detailed, up-close photos. On your point-and-shoot camera, look for a flower symbol on the controls - this is the macro symbol - and press the corresponding button. Your DSLR will likely need a separate macro to get the best macro photos, although it may have a pre-programmed macro setting. My Canon Rebel XS has a macro setting, but won't let me take macro photos without flash in low light, and also doesn't deliver the kind of quality that my Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro Lens does. Macro lenses are expensive, unfortunately, but if you're serious about food photography (and you own a DSLR) I really believe they are the only way to go. You'll feel like an instant pro when you use a good macro lens.

5. Don't worry about the perfect staged setting - but do invest in some cheap props.
When it comes to food blogs, my favourite photos don't look staged or perfectly styled, like those in a cookbook. I don't believe that you need to let your food grow cold while you create the perfect setting, and I also don't believe that you need to invest in tons of props.

Simple backdrops are the best way I know to give a clean look to my photos when my kitchen, after cooking dinner or baking dessert, is anything but. Many of my photos are taken after I've thrown a swath of fabric over the contents of my messy kitchen table and placed my latest creation on top, moving quickly so I can enjoy my meal before it gets cold. You can buy plain fabric from a fabric store (I own a metre each of white, pink, cream, and blue fabric that was on sale for $2/metre), buy bristol board, or if you're really desperate, even tape a few sheets of plain letter-sized paper together and use it as an all-white backdrop. Lolo of VeganYumYum spray paints foam core board to get the exact backdrop colour she wants.

When it comes to plating, plain white tableware complements food very well. But unique tableware works well too, and can add a lot of interest to your photos. I got a lot of positive feedback when I posted photos of chocolate cupcakes which were placed on a turquoise cake stand. You can slowly and inexpensively accumulate a collection of interesting bakeware and tableware by scoping out local thrift stores, although of course, if you don't mind spending the money, you can buy new dishes, too. I stick to thrift stores because I've found a lot of cute dishes that way, like this Harkerware plate I found for 25 cents at a thrift store in Philadelphia.

So, that wraps it up for me. Feel free to leave suggestions of your own in the comments, or ask me a question.

For some supplementary reading, here are a few links to food photography tips I've found helpful:

Tuesdays With Dorie: Chipster-Topped Brownies

2009-05-26T00:13:00.000-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Chipster-Topped Brownies, might just be the most genius idea in baking I have ever encountered: rich, fudgy brownies topped with a chocolate chip cookie crust.

I feel like I could stop writing this post now and you would still be dying to make this recipe. But as genius as this recipe idea is, I did have some issues with the execution.

Dorie said to bake the brownie bars for 50-55 minutes. I baked these for 50 minutes and thought they were done, but discovered the next day that they were, in fact, a pile of mush (with a perfectly crisped cookie crust). I baked them for another 30 minutes but found that while the edges were beginning to dry out, the center of the brownie batter was still quite soft. Still, this dessert tasted fantastic - even better with cookies and creme ice cream. Yum.

So when I make it again - and I need to, because this kind of genius must be given another chance - I'm planning on baking the brownie batter for awhile on its own (for at least 15 minutes) before spooning the cookie batter over top. Mushiness and all, this recipe was a huge hit with my boyfriend, his roommate, and his family, so a perfectly cooked version is bound to go over even better.

For the recipe, visit Beth of Supplicious, who was wise enough to choose this dessert. Thanks, Beth!

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Guinness Gingerbread

2009-05-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

This recipe marks my first official entry into Sweet Melissa Sundays, a bake-along group that takes a page from Tuesdays With Dorie. Instead of baking our way through a Dorie Greenspan cookbook week-by-week, a group of bakers (currently standing at 38, and membership will be capped at 50 members) will tackle Melissa Murphy's Sweet Melissa Baking Book, filled with recipes from the Sweet Melissa Patisserie in Brooklyn, NY. It's an awesome little hard-covered collection with 100 recipes, so this is set to be a two year journey.

I'm kicking off my membership with Guinness Gingerbread, a spicy chocolate bread with a ton of molasses flavour and a nice richness from the stout.

I have to admit, for me, this title is a misnomer. I couldn't find a Guinness tall boy at my local liquor store (I didn't want to buy a six pack), so I snagged a big bottle of Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which I thought would complement the cocoa powder in this recipe.

I also skipped the white pepper the recipe calls for, because I'm way too cheap to buy a jar of white pepper for a recipe that only calls for 1/4 tsp. of it. I think it tasted just fine without it - the cinnamon and powdered ginger packed quite a punch all on their own. After whisking the ingredients together by hand (using the typical dry-wet-dry method of mixing cake batter), I poured the batter - fizzy from all of the beer - into a 9"x9" square pan and popped it into the oven.

The recommended baking time was 50-60 minutes. After 40 minutes it seemed done, but I let it cook for another 7 minutes -- I have issues paying attention to my kitchen instincts at times. I did find that the cake was a bit dry, and when I make this again, I'll definitely cook it for less time.

Still, the flavour of this gingerbread was fantastic, although I did wish I had a bit of whipped cream to offset the slight dryness, as Melissa suggested. My boyfriend also suggested that I added chocolate chips next time - he's a chocolate fiend. I might even make it with Dorie's icing recipe for her version of chocolate gingerbread. You can't go wrong with icing!

Thanks go to Katie of Katiecakes for choosing Guinness Gingerbread this week! I enjoyed it and think it deserves a place in my December holiday baking. Go visit her blog for the recipe.

TWD: Tartest Lemon Tart

2009-05-12T13:04:00.000-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection is the Tartest Lemon Tart, chosen by Babette of Babette Feasts.

When I read about Babette's selection, I was immediately smitten by the title. Who doesn't love a good lemon tart? But later, when I checked at the recipe to see what ingredients I would need to buy, I got scared. Dorie's Tartest Lemon Tart is not your average lemon tart.

It contains not just lemon zest and juice, but one and a half entire lemons. You're reading this correctly. Entire lemons. The lemons are blended up with the rest of the tart filling - heavy cream, butter, eggs - until the mixture is entirely smooth and no one's the wiser.

I was skeptical. No, wait, that's an understatement. I was terrified. The last time I threw entire lemons into a recipe, it was when I decided to make lemonade using my juicer - I cut the lemons in half and threw each half right into the machine. I was 16 and didn't realize that lemon pith is very, very bitter. Have you ever had bitter lemonade? I don't recommend it - there's no amount of sugar that will remove its bitter taste.

So as I blended up entire lemons in my trusty Magic Bullet, I couldn't help but think of the bitter lemonade and make a silent prayer to the culinary gods to please, please, please let this recipe turn out well.

The tart dough (which called for almonds, although I skipped them) was sweet and crispy - too crispy, according to my boyfriend, but I loved it. I don't own a food processor, so I made it using my stand mixer. I think that made the dough harder to work with, but I love the sense of accomplishment of making my own crust.

As I pulled it out of the oven - bubbled over and looking a bit curdled - I was scared. It didn't look all that appetizing. After letting the tart cool, cutting it into slices, and taking my first bite, however, I was impressed. There was a hint of bitter aftertaste, but besides that, this tart was smooth, lemony, and otherwise very much like a classic lemon tart. The second time around, I took Dorie's suggestion of making lemon tart "brûlée" - I added a bit of turbinado sugar to the top, whipped out my kitchen torch, and touched the flame to the sugar until it was melted and brown. The burnt sugar complemented the tart perfectly. In fact, having tasted it, I wouldn't serve the tart without the sugar crust on top. It was that good.

For this week's recipe, visit Babette Feasts. Thanks for the selection, Babette!

Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Focaccia

2009-05-05T23:51:00.000-04:00

Focaccia is an Italian bread that has entered the mainstream, big time. From gourmet focaccia at local bakeries to thick slices of focaccia in restaurant bread baskets, its popularity seems to be growing. And why not? Focaccia is almost always delicious no matter what topping you sprinkle on top of it. Whether it's chewy, crispy, salty, or sweet, focaccia is one of those comforting snacks that is hard to stop eating once you start. A gourmet restaurant at my university even makes salty focaccia with a cinnamon-syrup topping that is seriously addictive.

The best part about focaccia, for me anyway, is that in addition to being tasty, it's incredibly easy to make and requires just a few simple ingredients that you probably have on hand anyway. Mix them together in a stand mixer, let the dough rest for awhile, and just roll it out slightly into an oval shape and bake it. So simple. The rosemary-garlic smell (or cinammon, if you're so inclined) that permeates through your home as the bread is baking is reason enough to make focaccia.

After experimenting with a few recipes, my current favourite is Tyler Florence's version. I forgo his suggested topping and stick to the classic rosemary and coarse salt combination, with a twist. I roast a head of garlic in the oven and add that to the dough before letting it rise. The garlic flavour is surprisingly mellow and pairs wonderfully with the rosemary and salt.

Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Focaccia
Adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence

2 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Cornmeal, for dusting
Roasted garlic cloves, from 1 head roasted garlic (instructions can be found here via wikihow)

Toppings:
Dried or fresh rosemary
Coarse or kosher salt

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast with warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Add roasted garlic cloves (after squeezing or scooping the cloves out of their skin). Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil and corn meal. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oval shape about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then sprinkle rosemary and coarse salt on top. Bake on the bottom rack of oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Lemon Risotto with Salmon

2009-04-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

I'm back from Stockholm, Sweden! I had a fun but hectic time, working as much as 17 hours a day. It's amazing how, when you're really busy, a double-shift can pass as quickly as half a shift. I got to see some gorgeous sights along the way and visit some of Stockholm's most beautiful buildings (City Hall, Grand Hotel, Concert Hall, and more). But I'm happy to be back home in Canada. And I've missed all of you and your comments and blog posts - I've got lots to catch up on!

Before I left for Sweden, I made this lemon risotto topped with salmon. The risotto is adapted from a Giada de Laurentiis appetizer recipe. It's made with rice that is simmered in chicken broth and white wine. The rice is constantly stirred while more broth is added. When the risotto is creamy and cooked al dente, lemon juice and zest, parmesan cheese, butter, and heavy cream (if using) are stirred into the mixture and a simply prepared salmon filet is sliced up and piled atop each plate of risotto.

Fish and lemon are a natural pairing, but when it's not just lemon but a creamy, rich lemon risotto, the combination is even better! Still, this risotto is fantastic with or without the salmon.

Lemon Risotto
Adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 tablespoons butter
2 large shallots, diced (or half a medium onion, minced)
1.5 cups Arborio rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
3/4 a lemon, zested and juiced (the best way to do this is to juice and zest 1 whole lemon and use all but 1/4 of the juice and zest)
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan bring the broth and 1 cup water to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots or onion and saute until tender but not brown. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add a ladleful of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of the broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, at least 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan, heavy cream if using, the lemon zest and juice, and the salt and pepper, plus more to taste if necessary.

Serve immediately with salmon and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

To make salmon:
This salmon is cooked very simply so that it complements but doesn't take away from the flavour of the risotto.

1 salmon fillet per person
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Season salmon fillets on each side with salt and pepper. Add to frying pan and cook for a few minutes on each side until cooked through (light pink in colour and flaky).

Classic Crispy Meringues

2009-04-12T13:27:00.000-04:00

The first time I ever made meringues - sweet, crispy cookies made of egg whites - it did not go over well. I was using a recipe from one of my mom's cookbooks, and it was a hot, sticky summer day. Humidity is meringue's worst enemy. To make matters worse, since I was a kid (must have been about 10), I wasn't all that great at following directions. My raw meringues, which should have been very stiff and glossy, were literally puddles. I baked them anyway. Failure.

Since then, I've come a long way. I can now successfully make meringues, like this crispy-chewy version I made a couple of years ago. Well, most of the time. Last week, I decided to use up some extra egg whites I had hanging out in the freezer. I wanted to make a classic crispy meringue cookie, the kind that you can sometimes find in grocery stores in round plastic containers.

I stumbled about The Kitchn's version of meringues and thought it sounded perfect. One problem, though, was that it said to bake the meringues at 300F (the typical temperature for meringues is 200F) and I, ignoring my instincts, followed the directions perfectly. After only half of the recommended baking time had passed, the meringues were burnt. I am telling you, few baking mishaps smell worse than burnt sugary egg whites.

But I still really, really wanted meringues, so the next night, I made the recipe again, this time at 200F. They turned out perfectly! Crispy all the way through, a nice hit of vanilla flavour, and the melt-in-your-mouth texture that I was aiming for.

Click here for the recipe, but remember, do NOT bake these at 300F. Bake them at 200F. In the meringues shown in these pictures, I used 1.5 tsp. of vanilla and none of the recommended flavours mentioned in the Kitchn's post, although meringues do work very will with different flavours added in, and I recommend experimenting.

Quattro Formaggi Pasta

2009-04-05T00:10:00.014-04:00

For years now, my favourite restaurant dish has been Quattro Formaggi Rigatoni at Spago in Windsor, Ontario. It's rigatoni, cooked al dente, covered in the richest sauce you've ever tasted. When I'm visiting my hometown, every few months I make sure to stop in at Spago. While I'd like to try something else on the menu, this dish is so packed with flavour that I just can't.

The first bite of this pasta always tastes so good that I can practically feel the endorphins being released in my brain. It's one of those dishes that is so delicious that you have an involuntary verbal reaction. Does that ever happen to you? Where something tastes so amazing that you can't help but moan, "Mmmm, this is so good!"

So my mission lately has been to find a recipe that would compare to Spago's quattro formaggi pasta. I found a recipe that seemed to have the right foundation, and then adapted it to make its flavour match as closely as possible to the original inspiration. I was so thrilled with the results that I actually ate it for dinner twice last week, much to the chagrin of my waistline, I'm sure. This recipe is definitely not for dieters, but the best food often isn't.

The four cheeses in question, in the original, were fontina, gorgonzola, Parmiggiano Reggiano, and Pecorino Romano. In place of the fontina, I used a half-and-half mixture of asiago and mozzarella - technically bringing this recipe's total to five cheeses, but the flavour is that of the quintessential four cheese pasta, so the title stays. The cheese is melted into a bit of heavy cream and, within minutes, you have a cheesy, velvety-smooth sauce.

Quattro Formaggi Pasta
Serves 2 people - multiply accordingly
1/2 a 454 gram (1 pound) box of rigatoni
1 ounce asiago cheese, shredded
1 ounce mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (if you're using regular blue cheese, use less - about 1 oz.)
2/3 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
2/3 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/3 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Milk (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water. Cook according to package directions.

About halfway through pasta's cook time, pour heavy cream into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cheeses and simmer until they are melted. Add milk to thin if necessary. Set aside.

Drain pasta. Immediately add hot pasta to skillet and mix well.

Transfer to a serving platter or bowl. Add black pepper to taste and serve.

I've been given an award!

2009-04-01T22:03:00.002-04:00

Last week, I was so happy to learn that MaryBeth, the writer behind one of my favourite food blogs, Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way, gave me my very first blog award, the Friend Award! It's been a very busy week and in between my regular blogging schedule I was finding it hard to find the time to write up a post about it. But I made time tonight - sorry for the delay, MaryBeth!

Anyway, MaryBeth's blog is truly wonderful - it's packed with tons of recipes that make you think, "I need to make that!" And even better is the fact that she's always coming up with new recipes, many times a week. I don't know how she does it! I wish I had time to make every recipe.

Thanks for the award, MaryBeth! Here's the blurb that accompanies it:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Well, I'm going to break the rules! I'm going to give it out to five bloggers. Some of these bloggers I have a relationship with already, and some of these bloggers I just love to visit every week - they probably don't even know how much I enjoy their blogs. Well, now they know!

Here they are:

1. Tracey of Vanilla Bean Cafe
2. HoneyB of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honey Bunch
3. Scattered Mom of Notes From the Cookie Jar
4. Vibi of La Casserole Carrée
5. Mike of Living Out West

Tuesdays With Dorie: Coconut Butter Thins + an announcement

2009-03-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Before I get started with another round of Tuesdays With Dorie, I want to give my fellow TWD bakers and my readers a heads-up:

In mid-April, I'm leaving for a work trip to Sweden. I'll be gone for almost two weeks, and working, on average, 12-15 hours a day. Needless to say my posting will be sporadic during this time! I'm aiming to get some scheduled posts ready to go for while I'm out of the country, but since I'll be so busy prepping for my big work event, I'm not certain that I'll have time.

I definitely won't have time to do much Tuesdays With Dorie baking this month. I'll try to make at least one recipe, but can't make any guarantees. So while I won't be around for part of April, don't forget about me - I'll be back to my regular TWD schedule in May, and back to my regular blogging schedule sooner.

Now, on with the show.

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, courtesy of Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch, is coconut butter thins. I have to admit that I wasn't terribly excited to make these based on the title alone, since I really don't like shortbread and these sounded an awfully lot like shortbread.

But I thought I'd take a chance, especially since these buttery cookies contain coconut, lime zest, and coriander. Definitely more exotic than your average shortbread.

I doubled the lime zest and rubbed it, with sugar, between my fingers before adding it to the dough. This made the batter taste so good. I kept sneaking little spoonfuls of it. It tasted so fresh and tropical! The recipe also called for macadamia nuts, although I left these out.

I did find that, even though I rolled out the cookies exactly to specifications, they ended up cooking much faster than Dorie said. The cookies weren't supposed to colour at all but they had browned quite a bit by the time I got them out of the oven. I should have been watching them more carefully, but I didn't. Oh, well!

I also thought that the baked cookies were much less flavourful than the batter, although I suppose that's to be expected. But since the batter was somebody-take-this-mixer-bowl-away-from-me delicious, I was still a bit disappointed at the loss of flavour.

But you know what? These grew on us. We weren't overly impressed at first but kept snacking on them and liking them more with time. Suddenly the cookie jar is almost empty and I find myself wanting more.

Next time, though, I'm quadrupling the lime zest and adding more coriander.

Thanks for the selection, Jayne! You can visit her blog for the recipe.

Prosciutto, Blue Cheese, and Fig Jam Sandwiches

2009-03-26T23:05:00.001-04:00

I'm all for regular sandwiches - BLTs, ham and cheese, grilled cheese, tuna, club - you name it, I'm game. But sometimes it's fun to make sandwiches that are a little more gourmet.

On a day trip to wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake, my brother made sandwiches very similar to these for us all to snack on - prosciutto sandwiches with blue cheese and store-bought fig preserves.

It was delicious, and I shamelessly hijacked the recipe and replaced the store-bought preserves with a variation on Giada de Laurentiis' fig jam. The jam is a mixture of dried figs, simple syrup, brandy, and hazelnuts. I skipped the brandy, replaced the hazelnuts with walnuts, and halved the recipe. Slathered on a long dinner roll, topped with blue cheese and prosciutto and then toasted, it is a seriously tasty sandwich, though definitely not meant for a child's palate.

Prosciutto, Blue Cheese, and Fig Jam Sandwich
Makes 1 (multiply accordingly)

1 large dinner roll, cut in half length-wise
3 slices prosciutto
1-2 tbsp. blue cheese (or to taste)
1-2 tbsp. fig jam, recipe follows (or to taste)

Fig Jam
Makes enough for at least 4 sandwiches - freeze what you don't use in a small container, or refrigerate it if you'll be making the sandwich again later in the week.
3 dried figs, halved
1/4 cup simple syrup, recipe follows
1/8 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the figs and simple syrup. Bring the mixture up to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Place the fig mixture and the walnuts in a food processor or blender and blend, pulsing a few times, until pureed. Set aside.

Simple Syrup
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup sugar

In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Assemble the sandwich
Spread fig jam on one half of dinner roll. Top with blue cheese. Place the fig jam- and blue cheese-dotted bread, face up, in a toaster oven at 350F until the blue cheese begins to melt, about two minutes. Alternatively, you can do this in a regular oven, and if you're making more than two sandwiches, you'll have no other choice.

Remove the bread from the oven and spread the hot blue cheese evenly across the surface of the bread. It should spread very easily.

Top with prosciutto slices and the other half of bread. Place back in oven and continue to bake for about 5 minutes, until sandwich is thoroughly warmed and bread is toasted. Cut sandwich in half, width-wise. Serve and enjoy!

Tuesdays With Dorie: Blueberry Crumb Cake

2009-03-24T07:00:00.001-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection, via Sihan of Befuddlement, gave us an opportunity to try out Dorie's take on a classic: Blueberry Crumb Cake.

Because Baking: From My Home to Yours is such a massive tome, it's been my hope that enough of the recipes will be successful that the cookbook can be my go-to resource when I'm looking for a classic recipe. Sometimes the book falls flat of my expectations - I still need to use a different recipe for Iles Flottantes, for example. And other times, Dorie's versions of classics are exactly what I hoped for. In the future, when I want to make sugar cookies, I'll be using Dorie's recipe.

So when Blueberry Crumb Cake was chosen, I was looking forward to seeing which category the recipe would fall under: new go-to recipe, or disappointment -- is that too harsh?

Now, first of all, because I live on my own and cake doesn't tend to keep very well, I tend to shy away from cake recipes. Generally if a cake is chosen for Tuesdays With Dorie, I'm skipping that week. This is bound to change in September when my internship ends and I finally, happily, move back to my university home and the hungry boyfriend and roommates that it contains. For now, I figured that Blueberry Crumb Cake Muffins are decidedly easier to scale down, so that was the route I took. I ended up halving the recipe, eating some, sharing some, and freezing the rest.

The batter was perfectly spiced with cinnamon and fresh nutmeg. Yum. I love a well-spiced batter. Fresh lemon zest was also mixed in, which added a brightness to the flavour.

As I spooned the batter into the muffin cups, I was a bit concerned. It really wasn't like a typical thin batter - it was like a thick paste. This is generally not a good sign when it comes to cake, although Dorie did mention that this batter would be thick. Luckily, my concerns were unfounded.

I decided to forgo the nuts in the crumb topping because I really, really don't like nuts in baked goods. I read that a lot of other bakers had issues with the crumb topping turning into a melted, buttery mess, but I somehow managed to escape this fate.

I baked the muffins for a bit less than half of the time suggested for the full cake and was impressed with the final result: a spicy, lemony blueberry-flecked batter and a light, crunchy crumb topping.

Definitely a go-to recipe. For a copy of the recipe, visit Sihan. Thanks for stopping by! See you next week when I'll be baking Coconut Butter Thins with lime and coriander.

Baked Salmon with Sweet and Spicy Honey-Dijon Sauce

2009-03-19T23:26:00.001-04:00

Salmon is easily my favourite fish to cook with. It's very versatile and pairs well with so many flavours. It also lends itself very well to different ethnic genres of cooking. Soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar make for a delicious Asian marinade. Or you could use yogurt and spices to create an Indian Tandoori-style salmon. Or just brush on a maple glaze and grill the salmon on cedar planks for a very Canadian meal. A few days ago, I made salmon with a very classic flavour combination - honey and mustard.

Equal parts honey and dijon mustard are combined with a bit of fresh lemon, some garlic and dill, and a healthy dose of spicy cayenne pepper. Some of the sauce is reserved (for serving later) while the rest is poured over the salmon, which is baked until it's light pink and flaky. The resulting flavour is sweet, tangy, and spicy enough to keep things interesting.

Baked Salmon with Sweet and Spicy Honey-Dijon Sauce
Adapted from a recipe by Robin Miller

4 salmon fillets (typically 6-8 oz.)
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 minced clove garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill (or 1 tbsp. dried dill)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place aluminum foil in a baking pan or shallow baking dish. Spray with cooking spray or grease very lightly with oil. Place salmon in prepared pan or dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, water, lemon juice, cayenne, and garlic. Remove 1/2 cup of the sauce and set aside. Pour the remaining sauce over the salmon fillets in the pan. Roast the salmon until fork-tender, about 15 minutes (check after 10 if your salmon is thin).

Stir the dill into the reserved mustard sauce. Taste and season as necessary, adding more cayenne pepper if necessary. Serve the salmon hot with the reserved mustard sauce on top.

Spicy Black Bean and Corn Soup

2009-03-17T23:37:00.000-04:00

In Ontario (my province), hard alcohol is sold via a government-owned corporation, the LCBO or Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Because liquor is sold under a monopoly, this means that liquor prices in my province are known to be quite high. The trade-off, however, is that we also get a free magazine called Food and Drink with our purchases. Food and Drink is packed with tempting recipes and alcohol pairings, and whenever a new issue comes out, I always make sure I grab an extra one for my mom. Perhaps it's just my family, but my mom, my two brothers, and I are always excited to see a new issue of Food and Drink available. I'm sure it's not helping prices at the LCBO go down, but it is a fantastic magazine, so I don't mind.

This recipe, Spicy Black Bean and Corn Soup, is from a recent edition of Food and Drink. And it's wonderful. It relies on a few cupboard staples (black beans, canned tomatoes, frozen or canned corn, tomato paste) mixed with spices and a bit of fresh produce but tastes fresh and filling. It's a healthy and flavourful Tex-Mex style soup.

This soup is fantastic served with cheese quesadillas. Spread a couple spoonfuls of salsa over a six-inch tortilla. Sprinkle on shredded cheese, chopped green onions, and top with another tortilla. Then cook the quesadilla in a bit of melted margarine in a frying pan over medium heat until it's nicely browned and the cheese is melting. Together, the soup and quesadillas make for a perfect combination.

Spicy Black Bean and Corn Soup
Via Food and Drink Magazine

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups onion, finely diced
2 cups red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 tsp. jalapeno pepper finely diced, seeds removed
1 tbsp. garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn, thawed and rinsed
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onion, red pepper, and jalapeno for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, oregano, cumin, and chili powder and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add tomato paste, cook for 3 minutes while breaking up with a spoon. Add diced tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Add beans, corn and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, lower heat and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Just before serving, stir in cilantro if using.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Baked Semolina Gnocchi

2009-03-13T00:08:00.003-04:00

This weekend, we're heading to our hometown to attend an annual seafood dinner at a local Italian club. It's a tradition his family has followed for over five years, and something that I've been able to enjoy for what will now be three years in a row.

If you're a fan of seafood, this dinner is like heaven. Seafood soup, which is always a highlight, fritto misto (deep fried assorted seafood like shrimp and calamari), a fish and chicken course, and a pasta course, followed by dessert and coffee or tea. We're always completely stuffed by the end, although not quite so uncomfortable that we can't dance.

In preparation for going home for the weekend, I forgot to upload photos and recipes for some of the tasty meals that I've been cooking up lately. So I'm digging deep in my draft archives to bring you this recipe, homemade Baked Semolina Gnocchi. Since I made and photographed this dish quite awhile ago, I do have to apologize for the picture. Don't let its poor quality distract you from how wonderful this recipe really is.

The gnocchi (pronounced en-yawk-ee, not no-kee) you'll typically find in the fresh pasta section of the supermarket is made with potatoes, while these gnocchi are made with the semolina flour that's typically used to make other pastas. These gnocchi also aren't made into little dumplings; instead, they're cut into small discs with a cookie cutter.

Because semolina gnocchi, unlike potato gnocchi, doesn't require baking potatoes first, the dough comes together relatively quickly. After the dough has been cut into discs and chilled for almost half an hour -- which, incidentally, gives you plenty of time to make a salad and alleviate some of your guilt about the rich ingredients in the dish -- the gnocchi are arranged side by side, splashed with a bit of heavy cream, sprinkled with parmesan, and dotted with butter before being baked in the oven until cooked through and nicely browned.

Baked Semolina Gnocchi
Slightly adapted from a recipe by Emeril Lagasse

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 quart whole milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black better pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 to 2 cups (00-grade) semolina flour
3 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Heavy cream (about 1/3 of a cup)

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Grease a small baking sheet with 1 teaspoon of the butter and set aside. Butter a piece of parchment paper the same size as the baking sheet with 1/2 teaspoon of the butter and set aside, buttered side-up. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan with 1 teaspoon of butter and set aside.

Combine the milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium, heavy pot. Bring to a boil. Add 1/4 cup of the semolina, and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Lower the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook, stirring constantly with a heavy, wooden spoon, adding the remaining semolina flour 1/4 cup at a time, about 12 minutes. The mixture should be very stiff and thick. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the semolina mixture to the eggs and whisk well to incorporate. Add the eggs to the remaining semolina mixture and stir as hard as possible to blend. Add 1/4 cup of the cheese and stir well to blend. Turn out the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and using an off-set cake spreader or rubber spatula, spread across the bottom. Place the buttered parchment paper directly on the batter. Spread the batter evenly across the pan and smooth the top. Refrigerate until cooled, 20 to 25 minutes.

Using a 1" round cookie cutter or, in a pinch, the mouth of a small glass, cut the dough into circles. Dip the cookie cutter or glass in hot water as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Lay the pieces in rows in the prepared 9-inch pan, shingling them to fit. Pour a bit of heavy (whipping) cream over the gnocchi. You can eyeball this part, adding cream to your own tastes, although 1/3 of a cup is a good guideline. Dot the top with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake until the top begins to brown and the gnocchi are puffed, about 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Lemon, Clove, and Vanilla Cup Custard

2009-03-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie pick, from Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles, is a bit misleading. It's called Lemon Cup Custard, except it's not very lemony. As a matter of fact, it's not very custardy, either. A more appropriate name would be flan with a hint of lemon. That's not to say I didn't end up enjoying the recipe. I just didn't enjoy it as it was written.

The custard (or flan) is made by steeping hot milk with lemon zest and, in my case, cloves. The hot milk is then carefully mixed with four eggs and a bit of sugar, then strained into custard cups and baked in a water bath until set.

Half-way through the milk steeping process, I decided to read the P&Q section at Tuesdays With Dorie. That's the weekly thread where TWD bakers get to ask each other questions about the weekly recipe and offer up suggestions. I'm glad I did read it - otherwise, I would have proceeded with the recipe, unaware of what I was up against. A lot of TWD bakers took issue with the egginess of the custard, as well as its relative blandness - particularly its lack of lemony flavour. I steeped the lemon zest and cloves in the milk for a full hour, double the length recommended in the recipe. It was still too bland, so I added a ton of vanilla extract - more than I have ever added to a recipe before. About 2 tablespoons. It sounds like a lot, and it was, but the custard really needed it to be flavourful.

With these tweaks, I was quite happy with the recipe. The lemon flavour was faint, but the combination of vanilla and cloves really appealed to me, although my boyfriend wasn't quite as impressed. I do enjoy flan so I wasn't bothered by the recipe's slight egginess. I would make my version of the recipe again, but not the original. Thanks for the selection, Bridget! I enjoyed making something different.

Pinkberry and New York City Pizza: Cafe Daniello's

2009-03-03T22:36:00.001-05:00

During our trip to Philly and New York City, there were some things that we put on our absolutely-must-try list. Philly Cheesesteaks? Check. New York City pizza? Oh, yes.

Since my boyfriend is all about pizza, he took care of looking up reviews ahead of time and decided that we should visit Cafe Daniello's. We wanted a place that was known for amazing New York-style pizza but still offered the pizza in slices, since we knew we wouldn't want an entire pizza to ourselves (okay, we might want one, but knew we shouldn't order one). Daniello's sounded like it would fit the bill.

We walked to Daniello's from the Rockefeller Center, after a visit to Magnolia Bakery for some sugary cupcakes (more on that in a later post). On the way, I got distracted by a Pinkberry store and couldn't help but stop in for some pineapple-strawberry original Pinkberry. It's like frozen yogurt but different, and somehow, better. It's a little more tart and has this hint of a different flavour to it that I can't place. I had heard it was addictive, though, and I can definitely see why. It was seriously tasty.

So after eating a cupcake and then loading up on fruity frozen yogurt, you'd think my appetite would be gone, right? Well, it wasn't, and good thing, because Daniello's slices are big.

Of course, it's hard to tell, because they were so delicious that we greedily wolfed half of them down before realizing that -- oops! -- we forgot to take a picture. My apologies for the half-eaten pizza slices.

My boyfriend stuck to chicken pizza while I tried a favourite of mine, Pizza Margherita (slices of big bocconcini, fresh tomatoes, and basil). Both of our pizzas were delicious, and we were particularly taken by the crust. It was thin, crispy, and very flavourful. It tasted quite a bit like olive oil, to me, which is I think what made it so beautifully browned and flavourful.

Cafe Daniello's pizza is a must-eat. Although we didn't take advantage of the deal, when we visited you could get two huge slices of cheese pizza and a pop for $5. If you manage to get the same deal, it's a serious bargain. Our two big "gourmet" slices and a bottle of iced tea came to $11 after taxes, but were worth every penny.

Cafe Daniello's Pizzeria
1072 2nd Ave
New York, NY

Attention Twitter users!

2009-03-02T13:01:00.001-05:00

I signed up for twitter a few months ago, and recently incorporated it into my blog so that you can see my updates (and hopefully follow me, so I can follow you, too).

There are just a few people that I'm currently following, however, I'd really like to expand my twitter network and see what my readers are tweeting about. If you're a twitter user, please leave your twitter username in the comments, or follow me on twitter and I'll follow you back.

Thanks, everyone!

Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Cannelloni with Butternut Squash Cream Sauce

2009-02-25T07:35:00.000-05:00

I admit: I'm a butternut squash fiend. Soup, pasta, you name it, I'll probably love it. It seems to go well with almost anything. A few months ago, I was at a local restaurant that served sun-dried tomato and goat cheese ravioli in a butternut squash velouté. I thought I could duplicate the dish at home - maybe even make it better - and last weekend, I set out to prove myself right.

In short? I was oh-so-deliciously right. Instead of goat cheese and ravioli, I used oven-ready cannelloni shells filled with ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and freshly wilted spinach. Then I covered it with an adaptation of Rachael Ray's Pumpkin Cream Sauce and baked it until the pasta was tender and the sauce was a-bubblin'.

Squash, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach might sound like a busy combination, but the flavours pair so well together. Squash lovers: you will love this.

Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Cannelloni with Butternut Squash Cream Sauce
Serves 5-6 (3-4 cannelloni each)

Butternut Squash Cream Sauce
Adapted from Rachael Ray's Pumpkin Cream Sauce via Tart Reform

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion or 4 shallots, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Cooked, pureed flesh from a 2 lb. butternut squash (or a box of frozen butternut squash puree)
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup water or chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.
2. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Return the pasta to the pot along with the reserved pasta cooking water and toss. Stir in the parmesan; season with salt and pepper.
3. Top the pasta with the parsley and more parmesan.

Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Cannelloni
Approximately 20 cannelloni tubes, oven-ready
1 tub ricotta (454g)
4 oz. fresh spinach, wilted and chopped (or frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained)
2 large sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, finely chopped
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F.

With a fork, mix ricotta, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add egg and mix until ingredients are well-blended.

Using a pastry bag (or your well-washed hands), fill the oven-ready cannelloni tubes with the filling.

If you have already made the butternut squash sauce, spread 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish. If not, leave the filled cannelloni on a plate and continue making the pasta sauce, spreading the 1/2 cup of sauce over the baking dish when it is ready.

Next, place the cannelloni in the baking dish, over top of the sauce. Cover completely with the remaining butternut squash sauce.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Caramel Crunch Bars

2009-02-24T07:30:00.002-05:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection is Caramel Crunch Bars, courtesy of Whitney of What’s left on the table?

A big thank you to Whitney for choosing this recipe - I've been eyeing it for months! The photo of these cookie bars looked so delectable in the cookbook that I couldn't believe no one had chosen it yet. I was beginning to get impatient! In fact, I almost made it last month but ran out of time.

I'm glad I waited, because I was able to buy Heath bits (a main ingredient in this recipe) during my recent trip to the States. If I hadn't made the trip, I would have substituted with Skor bits. I thought Heath bits would be similar to Skor bits, but as you can see below, they're very different. Heath bits are on the left.

They're both labelled as toffee bits, but Heath Bits have almond in them, as well, which makes them taste a lot like peanut brittle. And I like that using them made my bars look more like Dorie's.

These cookies are made of three components: a cookie base, a layer of chocolate, and a generous sprinkling of Heath bits. The cookie base was so delicious - it tasted like toffee shortbread but had the added complexity of cinnamon, instant coffee powder, and chunks of chocolate. However, it also called for two sticks of butter. I shuddered at the thought of using half a pound of butter in this recipe, so instead I halved it and baked the batter in a 8"x8" pan as well as a loaf pan. it works out quite well, although I think my batter was a bit thicker than it was supposed to be.

The chocolate and Heath bits, I think it goes without saying, were very tasty. They made these cookies taste (and look) like a chocolate bar - I think that was the point, and it was very well-executed.

I can't wait to make these again! Visit Whitney of What’s left on the table? for the recipe. I'll be participating in Tuesdays With Dorie again on March 10, when I'll be making Lemon Cup Custard.

Philly Cheesesteaks - Jim's Steaks, South Street, Philadelphia

2009-02-21T14:47:00.009-05:00

It's been awhile since I last posted, and I have a very good reason for that - I took a 5 day vacation to Scranton (Pennsylvania), Philadelphia, and New York City. If you're wondering why we went to Scranton - we're huge fans of The Office, and that show is set in Scranton.

Since Scranton is just a 2 hour drive away from Philadelphia, it seemed like a no-brainer to go to Philly and try some genuine Philly Cheesesteaks.

Prior to our trip, I had never actually seen a cheesesteak. I pictured something very literal - a slab of steak with a slice of cheese on top, packed onto a bun. I didn't like that visual very much (I like my sandwiches tender and easy to eat, thank you very much), but I also figured that Philly Cheesesteaks wouldn't be so famous if they weren't delicious. Wise choice.

After deciding that we had to try cheesesteaks, the next decision was where to buy them. From my research, I learned that in Philly there is a bit of a rivalry between Geno's and Pat's, two cheesesteak restaurants. If you like Pat's cheesesteaks you can't like Geno's (and vice versa). After reading reviews, both sounded tempting, but another restaurant, Jim's, sounded even better.

Apparently, the meat in Geno's and Pat's sandwiches contain a lot of gristle in it. That might be authentic, and it certainly wouldn't be a problem for my Pho-loving boyfriend, but since I'm not a big red-meat lover in the first place, it didn't sound right for me. Meanwhile, Jim's is known to have all the meat without the gristle - right up my alley.

As we ambled down South Street (Philly's main tourist/shopping district), we noticed that Jim's consistently had a line so long that it continued outside of the restaurant and around the corner. Eventually, when we got hungry enough, we braved the line ourselves. It took about an hour to get the cheesesteaks in our hands.

When you get up to the counter, it helps to know how to order. The cooks behind the counter work fast to try to get the line to move as quickly as possible - you don't want to slow them down. So unless you want a special mushroom, pizza, pepper, or hoagie cheesesteak, the most important thing to explain is whether you want onions and what type of cheese you want. After hearing a few people in front of us order, it was easy - "two cheesesteaks with no onions, 1 whiz [Cheese Whiz], 1 provolone."

The finished product is hard to photograph well - just a ton of browned meat with a hint of Cheez Whiz. But the taste is phenomenal. The meat is lean but flavourful, perfectly thinly sliced, and tender. The creamy cheddar flavour of the Cheez Whiz adds a nice contrast to the meat. And the flavourful juices from the meat soak into the bun and drip over everything, making this a messy meal - but one you'll be happy to lick off your fingers, if necessary.

It's been almost a week since I tasted it and I'm craving it. I hope I go to Philadelphia again some day, even if just to have another cheesesteak.

Jim's Steaks
400 South Street
Philadelphia, PA

Update: if you'd like to try making your own Philly Cheesesteaks, here are a few recipes worth checking out:

Pat's King of Steaks Philadelphia Cheese Steak recipe

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich - Emeril Lagasse recipe

About.com: How to Make a Philly Cheesesteak

Authentic Butter Chicken

2009-02-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

When it comes to Indian food, nothing is better than Butter Chicken. At least, that's how I feel. I made a low-calorie version before and enjoyed it very much. Then I tasted the real deal, served with chewy naan bread, and I knew I had to make it, too, calories be damned.

I was flipping through the holiday issue of Food & Drink magazine (a free magazine distributed at Ontario's government-controlled liquor stores) and found this authentic recipe, written by an Indian restaurant's owner. The chicken is prepared Tandoori-style, with a spicy yogurt marinade, while tomatoes are combined with spices, garlic and ginger, butter (of course) and some whipping cream to form an incredibly flavourful and oh-so spicy sauce - just don't over-do it on the cayenne!

Butter Chicken
Adapted from Food & Drink magazine
Serves 3

Chicken
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. minced or pureed garlic
Salt to taste 1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 tsp Garam Masala

Sauce
4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or 2 cups canned tomatoes, without juice
2 tsp. grated ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 green cardamom pods
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1 tsp. grated ginger
1/3 cup whipping cream

To finish
1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
2 tsp. sugar

Chicken
Combine ginger, garlic, salt, cayenne and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let chicken marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature. Add yogurt and Garam Masala and let marinate for 20 minutes longer.

Preheat oven to 425. Place chicken on a rack over a roasting pan (or baking pan) and roast for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Reserve.

Sauce
Combine tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and chicken stock in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes or until tomatoes have completely broken down. Puree in a blender (or use an immersion blender).

Bring sauce to a boil. Add cayenne and simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in butter. Add the chicken and any juice and simmer for 5 minutes. Add (1 tsp.) ginger and cream and simmer another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust spiciness by adding up to 3/4 tsp. more cayenne. Stir in Garam Masala and sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice or naan bread.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Floating Islands

2009-02-10T07:45:00.003-05:00

This week’s Tuesday With Dorie selection is Floating Islands, chosen by Shari of Whisk: a food blog. Thanks, Shari! You can visit her blog for the recipe.

If you’re a Barefoot Contessa fan like me, this probably isn’t the first you’ve heard of Floating Islands (also known as Ile Flottante) - delicate clouds of meringue floating in a sea of custard with a drizzle of caramel over top. In Barefoot in Paris and an episode of her show, Ina Garten features this amazing French dessert. I made Ina’s version of Floating Islands a few years ago and, for its laborious preparation, it was well worth the effort. Click here for Ina’s recipe.

I was also lucky enough to eat Ile Flottante when I was in Paris in the spring of 2006 – and I was hooked. Below is a photo of Ile Flottante from some amazing little Parisian bakery whose name I have long forgotten – it was in the Montmartre district, if it helps.

As you may have guessed, I was very excited to try Dorie’s version of Ile Flottante.

Dorie’s recipe differed greatly from Ina Garten’s, and, for me at least, was much less successful. Dorie’s meringue uses less sugar than Ina (1/4 as much), and contains no cream of tartar. Whether it was the low sugar or the fact that the page facing this recipe talks about how many people have ruined their meringue by over-beating and I was a bit nervous about meeting the same fate, I believe my meringue was too soft. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize until after I had already cooked the meringues.

The cooking process was also very different – Ina Garten’s version involves baking the meringues at a low temperature in the oven, whereas Dorie’s requires poaching the meringues in milk. I much preferred Ina’s version. It tasted like real meringue, whereas Dorie’s method yielded meringues that tasted like cooked egg whites. Again, it may be because the meringues were too soft in the first place - but I think it's because of the low amount of sugar in the recipe.

I also had issues with the crème anglaise, which was weird, because I’ve made it several times before and never had any issues – must have been an off night. The crème anglaise was below the target temperature (180F) but still scrambled. I used a strainer and was able to get about half a cup of custard out of the batch. Maybe my candy thermometer was off?

I used some leftover caramel syrup from my last Daring Baker’s challenge – you definitely don’t want to make this recipe without the caramel as it adds a ton of flavour.

All in all, I’m sad to say I won’t be making Dorie’s version of this recipe again. Maybe it was me; maybe it was the recipe, but either way, I’ll be sticking to my tried-and-true Ina Garten recipe.

Changes coming

2009-02-09T23:20:00.001-05:00

I feel like it's time for a change. I've had this layout for almost a year and I'm growing tired of it - I need a flashier banner, a nice white background that complements food better. I found a great new template and created a banner. Tonight, I'll be implementing the new layout and tweaking it - sorry for how it may look in the process! I'll try to make the transition as quick as possible.

**Note: the template I found creates a big error message - I'll have to find a new template to base my new layout on. I assure you, this blog will look different by the end of the week.

Barefoot Contessa's Sole Meuniere

2009-02-05T08:30:00.002-05:00

I must confess: I'm not the world's biggest fan of sole. At least, I didn't think I was. I had one too many bland, stuffed sole fillets and didn't touch the stuff for years.

When I was flipping through my new copy of Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, though, I saw this gorgeous photo of two fried sole fillets resting in a lemony, buttery sauce.

I decided to make the recipe during a weekend visit with my boyfriend, who is also a seafood fiend, and we both loved it. It was rich, to be sure, and definitely not diet food, but it was amazing! The lemon and butter form a velvety smooth sauce that, because of the lemon, doesn't taste heavy. If you follow the directions, the fish cooks perfectly - it's so tender it feels like it melts in your mouth.

It's also extremely easy to make, even though it's elegant enough to be perfect for entertaining.

Easy Sole Meuniere
Serves 4
Slightly adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Note: Ina Garten says this serves 2 - but that's definitely only if you're not planning on eating anything else. 2 fillets each is a huge portion and you won't have room for side dishes.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 fresh sole fillets, 3-4 oz. each
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
6 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice - 2 or 3 lemons
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have 1 heat proof dinner plate ready. Combine the flour, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper in a large plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and season on one side with salt.

Heat 3 tbsp butter in a large frying over medium heat until it starts to brown. Coat 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot butter. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 mnutes on other side. While the second side cooks, add 1/2 tsp lemon zest and 3 tbsp. of the lemon juice to the pan. carefully put fish fillets on an oven proof plate and pour the sauce over them.

Quickly clean the pan- otherwise any sauce left in the pan will turn black a when you cook the next batch of fish - not very appetizing. Keep cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets. When they're done, distribute the cooked fish among 4 dinner plates (or 2 if you're serving 2 people). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley if using, and serve immediately

Tuesdays With Dorie: World Peace Cookies

2009-02-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe is World Peace Cookies, thanks to Jessica of cookbookhabit. While that title may seem pretty hyperbolic, it isn't - well, at least, not by much. These cookies are so simple - just your run-of-the-mill flour, cocoa powder, butter, sugar, and the other usual cookie ingredients - but they are so chocolatey and so addictive.

I rushed to make these cookies after work on Monday and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly they came together. Dorie says to refrigerate the dough for 3 hours, but since I was short on time, I froze them for just an hour and a half. No need to defrost - I just sliced them and baked them for 1 minute longer, as suggested by Dorie.

Although World Peace Cookies are supposed to contain fleur de sel, which is meant to give them a nice salty-sweet contrast, I don't own any. Instead, I used kosher salt. The result was a slightly salty after-taste that really complemented the double-chocolate flavour of the cookies. The cookies were chewy at first but became quite crispy once they finished cooling off.

This recipe is a definite keeper - a simple double chocolate cookie that's full of flavour. For the recipe, visit Jessica's blog, cookbookhabit. Thanks, Jessica!

Garlic-Lime Shrimp with Barefoot Contessa's Creamy Cheddar Grits

2009-01-29T07:45:00.002-05:00

As a Canadian, my knowledge of Southern food is pretty much non-existent. Pimiento - what? Grits - huh? But when I saw Bobby Flay and his wife make jalapeno cheddar grits on Boy Meets Grill, I knew I had to try the tasty-looking side dish (or, apparently, breakfast) with a slightly less appetizing name.

As far as I've seen, grits aren't sold in Canada. So on my last cross-border trip, I went to Meijer and bought myself a canister. And now, I'm so happy that I did.

Grits are kind of like the Southern version of polenta. They're made from hominy, which is made of dried corn kernels (minus the germ and and hull). You make grits on the stovetop, usually with the addition of water and the help of a bit of stirring - much less stirring than is required for polenta, in fact.

Ina Garten's Creamy Cheddar Grits from Back to Basics inspired me to finally cook some of the grits that had been sitting in my cupboard. The grits are cooked with some water, cream, and butter, and cheddar and green onions are added after the grits are finished cooking. The green onions are essential - they add so much flavour to this dish.

I knew as soon as I saw the recipe that I wanted to serve it with shrimp, so my boyfriend and I came up with this recipe for garlic-lime shrimp. It was the perfect combination. The shrimp cooks up quickly, in the last 10 minutes of the grits' cook time, which means it's easy to time things properly and you can serve both elements of the meal piping hot.

Keep reading for the recipe for both.

Garlic-Lime Shrimp
Serves 2 (multiply accordingly)
2o small raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on or off, depending on your preferences)
Lime juice
Olive Oil
1 tbsp. garlic
Salt
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper

Marinate shrimp with 2 tsp. lime juice, a sprinkle of salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (add cayenne according to how spicy you like your food) for 30 mins. If making shrimp with the grits, you can begin to marinate it after the grits have already started cooking.

Heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat in a medium frying pan. Add 1 tbsp. minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, just until softened. Add shrimp to frying pan, followed by another splash of lime juice. Cook until shrimp turns pink. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Creamy Cheddar Grits
Serves 6 as a side dish
Slighty adapted from Back to Basics

2 tsp. salt
1 cup quick-cooking grits (not instant)
1 1/4 cups half and half
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1.5 cups old Cheddar cheese, grated
4 stalks of green onion, chopped (we left the white parts out although Ina Garten says to use them)
Black pepper to taste

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt, then slowly add the grits in a thin steady stream. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until grits thicken, 5-7 minutes.

Add the half and half and butter to the grits and stir. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes, until very smooth and creamy. Off the heat, stir in the cheddar cheese, green onions, and pepper. Season to taste and serve hot.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

2009-01-27T07:45:00.003-05:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection, chosen by Heather of Sherry Trifle, is Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread. The making of this cake was, for my boyfriend and I, like a comedy of errors. It all seemed to be going so well until we put the cake in the oven.

Every week at the Tuesdays With Dorie site, a post called "P&Q" goes up that allows the members to discuss any issues they have with the week's recipe. Normally, I look at P&Q before I bake. This time, it slipped my mind until the cake had been in the oven for 5 minutes.

It was a bad week to forget - one member discovered that Dorie herself had a tip for this recipe. Apparently, modern 9"x9" pans are anything but - they're 8"x8". You can imagine the batter-covered mess overfilling your pan would make of your oven. I yanked the gingerbread out of the oven while my boyfriend whipped out the measuring tape. Sure enough, my pan was just 8"x8". We scooped out a good 1.5 cups of batter, threw it out (*tear*), and stuck the pan back in the oven. The lovely-scented batter looked so sad in the garbage, but we couldn't be bothered to make cupcakes.

Mini-crisis averted. On to the next one. After the gingerbread finished baking, I took it out and placed it, pan and all, on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. A bit of back story: my boyfriend (who is featuring so prominently in this post) is not known for patience when it comes to my baking. Steaming hot cookies? He'll pop them in his mouth as soon as they're out of the oven. He might burn his mouth, but to him, it's always worth it. My suggestions to wait a few minutes always go unheeded. This time was no different. I was on the computer, waiting for the cake to properly cool, when I heard him tentatively say from the kitchen, "Honey, can you come here?" And this is what I saw:

Oh, dear. I'm not sure if the issue was an insufficiently greased pan, an overeager boyfriend, or a delicate bread, but I do know that it didn't make much of a difference to the overall product. And that lopsided gingerbread was pretty funny to look at.

So, about the gingerbread: I used only half of the fresh ginger quantity given (1 tbsp. to the recommended 2 tbsp.) and used semi-sweet chocolate chips in place of bittersweet chocolate. There was a lot of molasses in this recipe and that made for a very strong-flavoured gingerbread. I didn't really notice the fresh ginger, but I'm sure the fact that I halved it had something to do with it.

Overall, I did enjoy this recipe - as did my charmingly impatient boyfriend - but I don't know if I would make it again, at least not just for the two of us. Since it does have such a strong flavour, one small slice per person does the trick. So really, this might be the perfect thing for putting out during the holidays on a tray of sweets, but not well-suited to being eaten in mass quantities for just a few days. Dorie says it freezes well, though, so that's another option to consider - freeze half for later so you don't over-do it.

Thanks for your choice, Heather! You can visit her blog for the recipe.

Barefoot Contessa's Scrambled Eggs with Truffles

2009-01-21T23:04:00.001-05:00

Ever since my boyfriend brought me back truffles from his trip to Italy, I've been looking for new ways to use them. Luckily, one of my Christmas gifts yielded a new and wonderful recipe that calls for truffles.

I was lucky enough to receive two Barefoot Contessa cookbooks for Christmas - Barefoot in Paris and Back to Basics, her latest. I've been thoroughly enjoying them, making a ton of recipes from both books. (Sidenote: Ina Garten is just so great. She and Dorie Greenspan are tied for my all-time favourite kitchen goddesses - they can do anything in the kitchen and almost everything they make looks so good!)

Barefoot in Paris includes a recipe for Scrambled Eggs with Truffles, which I found to be a perfect application for truffles. More than that, it showed me a new way to make scrambled eggs. The eggs are combined with half and half cream and slow-cooked over a water bath. Typically, when making scrambled eggs, I combine eggs with a bit of milk and butter. Ina Garten's got a passion for butter, cream, and big portions, though, so I wasn't surprised that this recipe called for 16 eggs and 1 cup of cream - and that's to serve only 4 people.

These eggs are very smooth and creamy, and would work very well without the truffles - the truffles give just a hint of flavour as-is. I also think these would be fantastic with a bit of fresh herbs - thyme or chives sound particularly tempting. Give them a shot, with or without truffles. Read on for the recipe.

Scrambled Eggs with Truffles
Serves 4 to 5

1 black truffle
16 extra large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
4-5 slices toast

Beat eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper together in a heat-proof glass bowl until combined but not frothy. Shave the truffle into the egg mixture with a truffle shaver or mandoline. If you have time, cover with plastic wrap and sit in fridge for few hours.

When ready to serve, set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook over the water, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the eggs are thick and custardy. The spoon will stand up in the middle of the eggs when they are properly cooked. This will take about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat immediately.

Place one slice of toast on each place and serve with the cooked eggs.

Individual Brown Sugar Brie Baked in Phyllo Dough

2009-01-20T19:02:00.000-05:00

There's an appetizer that my second cousin has made for our Boxing Day family reunion every year for almost a decade. It's sweet, rich, and once I have a bite, I won't stop nibbling at it until I'm full: baked brie. Brie and this dish are synonymous in my head, and I've never bought brie before without the intention to make baked brie. Since, after making this, I still have two-thirds of a wheel of brie in my fridge, I might have to come up with alternate uses for it. But this recipe is so good, I won't be surprised if I make it one more time this week.

It's very simple: brown sugar is mixed with a small amount of butter or margarine and packed on top of a wheel of brie. The cheese is then wrapped in butter-brushed phyllo dough and baked until the dough is crispy and the cheese is hot, oozing, and totally irresistible.

This version of the recipe makes a generous portion "for one," but it would also work as an appetizer for two. If you're looking to make a full wheel, adjust the ingredient amounts called for to suit (you'll need to at least double, possibly triple the phyllo dough, for example).

Individual Brown Sugar Brie Baked in Phyllo Dough
130g of brie (1/3 of a small 300g wheel)
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1.5 tbsp butter, melted
3 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 tsp butter or margarine
thinly sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Divide your 300g wheel of brie into thirds. Wrap 2/3 of the cheese with Saran wrap and put back in the fridge. Slice the top rind off of the remaining 1/3.

Next, place the 3 thawed phyllo sheets directly on top of each other. Brush the top sheet with melted butter, and place the wedge of brie on top of it. Mix together the brown sugar and 1/2 tsp. of butter or margarine and pack on top of brie.

Wrap the top sheet of phyllo dough around the wedge of brie until it's covered. There will be excess dough (i.e. dough that extends several inches beyond the cheese when it's folded over) - trim the excess with kitchen shears. Flip the "package" of brie over in order to keep the level of phyllo dough surrounding the brie fairly even. Repeat for the remaining two sheets of phyllo dough.

Place the brie in a casserole dish or on a baking sheet, baking for 30 minutes or until the phyllo dough is golden. Let rest for a few minutes. Serve with Ritz crackers or baguette slices.

Slow Cooker Roast Beef with Red Wine and Garlic

2009-01-16T17:07:00.002-05:00

Over the holidays, my boyfriend and I made a roast for his family and some family friends. While the word "holidays" might imply that we had ample time to sit around and leisurely cook, with all of the family gatherings and catch-ups with friends (we had seven Christmas gatherings alone including Christmas Eve and Boxing Day) there really wasn't that much time. I have a feeling we're not alone in that - holidays are lovely but they can definitely be hectic and even stressful.

We were gone all day before dinner, so the only logical solution seemed to be taking care of the prep in the morning and letting the slow cooker take care of the rest. Wise choice.

This roast contains a few simple ingredients, but the end result is so flavourful. The star of the show is really the red wine, which infuses so much flavour into the meat. The juices and red wine are also the perfect base for a tasty gravy - my boyfriend's mom took care of the gravy, so I don't have the recipe, but your typical gravy method will do just fine. Just substitute the plentiful red wine and roast juices for pan drippings and thicken as required. Meanwhile, the slow cooker ensures that the meat stays perfectly tender.

All in all, this is our new go-to recipe, and it's composed of ingredients you'll likely have on hand anyway. Read on for the recipe.

Slow Cooker Roast Beef with Red Wine and Garlic
Serves 8 with plentiful leftovers

One 5 lb. beef roast (for smaller roast, adjust other ingredients' quantities accordingly)
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-size portions
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size portions
2/3 of a 750mL bottle of dry red wine
1 cup beef broth (we used bouillon)
1 tbsp. garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Medium or large slow cooker (size and shape dependent on the size of your roast - we used a large oval)

Arrange the chopped carrots and potatoes in the bottom of your slow cooker's crock.

Next, heat a splash of olive oil over medium-high heat in a frying pan large enough to accommodate your roast. Meanwhile, after removing any excess fat from the roast, sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the roast pressing it in so that it sticks to the meat. Once the oil is hot enough, place your roast in the pan and cook just until the surface is browned, rotating the roast as necessary.

Place roast in slow cooker (on top of potatoes and carrots). Pour red wine and beef stock into the crock, then add garlic. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper in next (you can adjust the seasoning at the end, so don't go overboard). Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Alternatively, cook it on high for the first hour and then adjust heat to low - it will cook for approximately 6-8 hours total if so, depending on your desired doneness. The roast in the above picture was cooked using this "high-low" method and took 6 hours total.

When sufficiently cooked, remove roast to a cutting board or serving platter and slice. Remove the cooked potatoes and carrots from the bottom of the crock and place in a serving bowl (side note: these taste awesome!).

Thicken the juices leftover in the crock using your typical gravy method. My boyfriend's mother used Bisto (a gravy thickener); alternatively you could create a roux with equal parts of flour and butter and whisk in the juices, stirring until thickened. Ideally, serve the roast with mashed potatoes, as well as the cooked carrots and potatoes. A glass of red wine tastes great with this meal, for obvious reasons.

TWD: Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins

2009-01-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

For the past year, Tuesdays With Dorie members have been creating sugary wonders out of the baking bible that is Baking: From My Home to Yours. I've been along for the ride for the past six months. With few exceptions, the desserts have been some of the best I've ever had - lemony blueberry pie, granola cookies that make you wonder what you ever saw in oatmeal cookies, chocolate cookies that I still crave whenever I buy milk chocolate (really).

And while my sweet tooth is in no danger of fading away any time soon, I was still so excited to read that Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake chose a savoury recipe - Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins, to be exact. I goofed a bit on the ingredients for this one. I normally buy corn meal in bulk, and last week, I bought it from a typical grocery store for the first time. I ended up buying cornmeal labelled "pre-cooked" because I didn't think it would make a difference - I didn't realize that there were even different types of cornmeal - but it did.

Instead of the stone-ground variety that Dorie recommended, I ended up with a cornmeal so fine it was like flour. So my corn bread batter was more like corn bread dough, and that made for a pretty dense finished product.

Still, the flavour in these muffins is wonderful! I've never tasted a corn bread so complex before, with its chili powder and pepper. I omitted the jalapeno pepper and red pepper in favour of minced chipotle peppers, and the smoky chipotle added a lot of spicy flavour to the finished product. I would also omit the corn next time, since I found it more distracting than delicious.

This recipe is definitely worth making, although I need to buy some proper cornmeal next time. If you're looking for a corn bread with a lot of personality, I recommend heading over to Rebecca's blog for the recipe.