Nov '11 - Nov '12 photo-recap

Celeriac remoulade (dijon mustard, capers and gherkins in a homemade mayonnaise base)

Parsnip puree

Rustic Pork Ragout  (Used leftovers of Prunes and Pork stew in a homemade tomato sauce base, over rustic style pasta)

Cran-orange chocolate cheesecake (baked this for Thanksgiving '11, got the recipe from Julia at Misschievous.tv)

Traditionnal Apple Pie (recipe in the Thanksgiving '11 issue of Food Network Magazine)

Citrus and Cranberry Sauce (mix and match recipe from various sources on internet)

Sweet potato puree

Cornbread, bacon, pecans stuffing (mix and match recipe from various sources on internet)

My Thankgiving dinner plate (Turkey was the Mix and Match Turkey with Rosemary-Lemon butter from Thanksgiving '11 Food Network Magazine; stuffed the turkey with a couple of lemons and rosemary sprigs too)

Chorizo, Kale and Beans soup (my own recipe)

Galette des rois

Sourdough loaf

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sourdough (my own recipe)

Apricot and peach cottage cheese parfait (recipe from Julia at Misschievous.tv)

Chicken noodle soup (mix and match from various sources on internet)

Thai-style shrimp and lemongrass soup (from Sunday Soup by Betty Rosbottom)

Thai-style chicken green curry (my own recipe)

Pork chops Piccata, wild-rice and quinoa mix (my own recipe)

Tomato and basil quiche (recipe from the Baking Techniques class at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts)

Epi Baguettes (recipe from the Baking Techniques class at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts)

Rosemary and sage Focaccia (recipe from the Baking Techniques class at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts)

Strawberry and Blueberry Jam (recipe on this blog)

Heirloom tomato salad and parmesan-bacon tuiles (Food Network magazine)

Gruyere cheese and Chives Gougeres (recipe from the Baking Techniques class at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts)

Tomato paste

Tomato paste

Chorizo, Bosc pears and Mesclun salad; apple cider vinegar and hazelnut oil vinaigrette (my own recipe)

Mushroom and gorgonzola veloute (recipe on this blog)

Dinner rolls (recipe on Simply Scratch)

ZOMG Butterness!

The title says it all!

This gloomy weather just makes me crave comfort, cozy food. On a whim, I decided to bake some kind, any kind of bread, just to be able to dunk delicious pieces of soft, warm dough in my soup tonight (which was to be a prepackaged brick of lobster bisque my friend brought me from France last week).

I decided to use a recipe for dinner rolls from one of my favorite blogs out there, Simply Scratch.

Check this blog out, but don't do it at work as massive procrastination will ensue!

 

Mushroom and Gorgonzola veloute

The weather is getting crisp, the temperatures are dropping and the leaves are turning yellow.

Fall is here. And that means I'm in the mood for soup!

I got a really good deal for a chunk of Gorgonzola cheese today at the supermaket, and I was just scanning my fridge to find something (anything) to pair it with when I saw a bucket of button mushrooms. And then there was light! I had my soup of the day. Somehow, I was going to find a way to combine those two ingredients to create a delicious cozy automn soup :)

I immediately took to my favorite cooking tool: google. The first hit I got was this recipe which I tweaked a little. I added potatoes for fibers and creaminess instead of a white sauce base (flour and butter).

Ingredients:

- A small container of mushrooms (sliced)

- 2 small potatoes (floury, not waxy), peeled and diced

- 1 onion and 2 small cloves of garlic, diced

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1/4 cup gorgonzola, crumbled + extra for decoration

- salt, dried rosemary leaves 1/2 tsp each

- small glass of white wine

- 1/4 heavy cream

- 4 cups chicken broth

RECIPE:

Melt the butter and cook the onion and garlic until soft.

Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown.

Deglaze with white wine and reserve 1/4 cup for texture and decoration.

Add potatoes, salt, rosemary and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer covered until potatoes are fork tender.
Turn off heat and add cream and Gorgonzola. Puree with an immersion blender.

Serve with a slice of whole wheat bread. Sprinkle with reserved sliced mushrooms, crumbled cheese and liberal amounts of black pepper :)Enjoy!

When you're in a jam...

I realized this morning that I had no time to buy a present for a friend's birthday this afternoon...

What to do, what to do? I stuck my head into my fridge and cupboards and within a few minutes, I was struck by lightning. JAM!

Random fruits, granulated sugar and a lemon. 30 minutes later: ta-da!!!

Ingredients:

- half a lemon, zest and juice

- 2/3 cups granulated sugar

- 2 cups mixed blueberries and quartered strawberries.

Recipe:

- dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice and zest over very low heat (about 10 minutes)

- add fruits, and let simmer 20 minutes, until a drop of liquid gels on a cold plate (I used a metallic plate, so as not to crack a ceramic one with heat shock)

- carefully fill a sterilized jar (one half-pint for that amount of jam works perfect). 

Yes, it's that simple! Enjoy :D

Brats and kraut leftovers salad

Boy, am I on a roll today, or what?

After receiving a lo-hot of cabbage in my farm share over the summer, I decided a few months ago to make my own sauerkraut. I won't be posting the recipe here, because I did not document the process with pictures and I basically just followed a random recipe found on the internet.

A couple nights ago, I decided to use the kraut in a basic beer-brats and kraut recipe. Long story short, I found myself stuck with leftovers and did not feel like eating full-on sauerkraut and sausages yet again today, so I came up with this salad on the fly.

INGREDIENTS (for 2)


- 1 romaine heart salad
- 1 small red apple
- 1 cold leftover grilled bratwurst
- about 1/2 cup leftover kraut
- shaved gruyere cheese
- white balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

RECIPE

- with a stick blender, puree the kraut with the salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil: that will be your dressing for the salad.

note: I used white balsamic because I had this at home already. I think it might be better with apple cider vinegar, since it will pair well with the fresh apple.


- dice the cold brat and the apple in small cubes.
- cut the salad in bite size chunks.
- toss everything together, add the dressing and top with shaved cheese.

Bon appetit!

Winter roots and squash gratin

So..... Today I am going to a late "Halloween/day of the Dead" potluck dinner with my colleagues. I decided to tweak a french staple: the Gratin Dauphinois.

I decided to use whatever winter veggies were sleeping in my fridge, and ended up using potatoes, butternut squash, parsnips and turnips.

This recipe is dead simple. No pun intended ;)

Here goes:

INGREDIENTS (about 10 servings as side dish, 6 servings as vegetarian entree):

- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 huge turnip (same size as a rutabaga)
- 1 medium yukon gold potato
- 1 medium parsnip
- 1 small carton of whipping cream (I would normally use heavy cream, but that's all there was left at the supermarket today)

- a splash of milk
- about 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (it really does make a difference to use this nutty-flavored delicious cheese in stead of cheddar or mozzarella. If you can, splurge! -it's not that expensive-)

- grated nutmeg (fresh is better, but already ground is fine too)

- salt, pepper

RECIPE:

- preheat the oven at 350F (~175C).
- wash, peel and quarter all veggies.

- using a mandolin, cut the vegetables in thin slices (~2mm thick).

Be very careful with the mandolin and protect your fingers with the guard. I promise that this is really the ONLY way to go with a mandlin. I recently discovered what it feels like to be a veggie going through that blade, and I do not recommend it... Lost the fingerprint and sensitivity on my right ring finger :(

- Put the vegetables in a thin layer on the bottom of a dish. Add salt, pepper, a little bit of nutmeg and some cheese.

Add another layer of veggies, salt, pepper and cheese. No nutmeg on that second layer. Then repeat layers only adding nutmeg every other layer (I find that if I add nutmeg on every layer, it becomes overpowering). Finish with a nice layer of grated cheese on top.

- Pour the cream and milk on top of the veggies.
- Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

- Enjoy!