So, summer has hit Toronto with a big bang. We went to the market yesterday and the local fruit and Veggies were bursting out everywhere. There was even fresh wild blueberries and local peaches ... so a cobbler is on the menu for tonight.
I wanted something yummy and not too heavy for brunch this am and resisting Dad's cry for bacon and eggs I decided to go for Fresh Corn Pancakes -which I served with sour cream, salmon caviar and mini arugula sprouts - yummy. Dad had his with Bacon and Maple syrup and then we both had raspberry and blueberry ones for desert. The corn which was the first of the season was very tender but not really tasty yet. This is a versatile recipe with lots of variations a good basis for summer meals.
Fresh Corn Pancakes
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn meal
4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp (or less) of sugar
1tsp salt
3-4 ears of corn ( uncooked or leftover cooked)
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 stick unsalted butter melted and cooled- or leave out salt and use salted butter
whisk together flour, corn meal baking powder sugar and salt in a bowl
cut kernels from corn cob to measure 2 cups
In a separate bowl scrape cobs and collect pulp using back of a knife - mix 1/2 cup corn + corn pulp and milk and blend. then strain through sieve to remove solids. This makes a yummy kind of "corn milk". Mix in eggs oil and butter with the corn milk.
Toss remaining corn kernels with flour to coat and then mix liquids and solids until combined. let sit a minute or two. heat up griddle till hot -brush with oil add a little butter pour in about 1/3 cup/ pancake if making large ones, cook till you see bubbles breaking on the surface flip and brown on other side. Serve with toppings of your choice
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Toad in the Hole
As it's spring break time, Jon has started cooking exciting things again. This recipe comes from Gordon Ramsay's cookbook . It always makes us nostalgic to have some yummy British food. We'd never made it before, but it turns out it is so ridiculously easy, it will become part of our repertoire! I suggest accompanying this meal with some delicious beer, preferably an ale.
Toad in the Hole
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil8 good quality pork sausages
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp of sea salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
Onion gravy:
knob of butter
red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
1 tsp English mustard
2 tbsp redcurrent jam (nb: we used strawberry jam and it was delicious)
few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Coat a baking dish with the olive oil. Add sausages and toss well to coat. Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the batter: mix flour, salt, eggs, and milk (we did this with a hand blender). Blend until smooth.
Take the sausages out of the oven and pour the batter all around them. Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes until the batter has risen and is golden brown.
Meanwhile, make the gravy. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions with some salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent. Add the flour and stir for another couple of minutes. Gradually stir in the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the mustard, jam, and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Simmer until the gravy has thickened to a light coating consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When ready, remove the toad in the hole from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving, with the onion gravy. Enjoy!
Toad in the Hole
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil8 good quality pork sausages
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp of sea salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
Onion gravy:
knob of butter
red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
1 tsp English mustard
2 tbsp redcurrent jam (nb: we used strawberry jam and it was delicious)
few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Coat a baking dish with the olive oil. Add sausages and toss well to coat. Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the batter: mix flour, salt, eggs, and milk (we did this with a hand blender). Blend until smooth.
Take the sausages out of the oven and pour the batter all around them. Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes until the batter has risen and is golden brown.
Meanwhile, make the gravy. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions with some salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent. Add the flour and stir for another couple of minutes. Gradually stir in the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the mustard, jam, and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Simmer until the gravy has thickened to a light coating consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When ready, remove the toad in the hole from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving, with the onion gravy. Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Simple chicken marinade for grilled chicken.
Today I made my roomies some Chicken Caesar Salad. Salad dressings are not my forte so I just bought the Dole Ultimate Caesar Salad Kit (perhaps Ali can give you her Caesar dressing recipe) but I did make a very tasty (even my laconic room-mate remarked it was very good) grilled chicken.
You need:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- The juice of 1 small lemon
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar (I was originally going to use red wine vinegar but I couldn't open it, so the cider vinegar won out. I think it was the tastier choice in the end.)
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 heaping teaspoon honey (as usual I recommend unpasteurized wild honey. It just tastes better.)
Slice the chicken into long 1/2-1 inch thick slices. Stir together the ingredients in a small deep bowl (I actually used a tupperware and occasionally shook it). Add the chicken and marinate for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The best way to do this is to grill the slices on the barbecue. Since the chicken is already sliced, it doesn't take long to cook. However as it is the middle of winter I cooked the chicken in my toaster-oven on 350 for 25 minutes.
Place the chicken strips over tossed salad and voila: Chicken Caesar Salad! This recipe served 3 not so hungry adults. You may want to increase the amount of chicken if you are hungrier.
You need:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- The juice of 1 small lemon
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar (I was originally going to use red wine vinegar but I couldn't open it, so the cider vinegar won out. I think it was the tastier choice in the end.)
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 heaping teaspoon honey (as usual I recommend unpasteurized wild honey. It just tastes better.)
Slice the chicken into long 1/2-1 inch thick slices. Stir together the ingredients in a small deep bowl (I actually used a tupperware and occasionally shook it). Add the chicken and marinate for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The best way to do this is to grill the slices on the barbecue. Since the chicken is already sliced, it doesn't take long to cook. However as it is the middle of winter I cooked the chicken in my toaster-oven on 350 for 25 minutes.
Place the chicken strips over tossed salad and voila: Chicken Caesar Salad! This recipe served 3 not so hungry adults. You may want to increase the amount of chicken if you are hungrier.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Annemiek's Pasta Sauce of Deliciousness.
My room-mate's mother, Annemiek, makes the most incredibly delicious pasta sauce. I am not a huge fan of pasta, and I am also not the sort of person to keep eating after I am full, but I will gorge myself on this pasta sauce until my stomach begs for mercy. In fact, to avoid obesity I need to restrict how often I make this recipe it is so good. It is also ridiculously simple:
You need:
- Bacon, to taste. I usually use about half a package.
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic (or to taste. Really you can't ever have too much garlic and bacon.)
- One large can of diced tomatoes.
- One package of cream cheese
- Spices (optional. I usually use oregano, basil, marjoram and parsley, but only a very little bit so as not to overwhelm.)
- fettuccine.
Cook the fettuccine in a separate pot. I assume you all know how to cook pasta. Dice the onion and garlic (we often use a garlic press). Chop the bacon into small strips (we do this by cutting the bacon with scissors). In a large cooking pot fry up the onions and bacon until mostly cooked. Add in the garlic and fry for a few more minutes before adding the diced tomatoes and the cream cheese. Simmer with the lid of to reduce while the pasta cooks, stirring often so as not to burn the cream cheese. Add the spices, though really, the sauce is tasty enough without them.
Add to fettuccine and enjoy. So simple, soooooo good!
You need:
- Bacon, to taste. I usually use about half a package.
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic (or to taste. Really you can't ever have too much garlic and bacon.)
- One large can of diced tomatoes.
- One package of cream cheese
- Spices (optional. I usually use oregano, basil, marjoram and parsley, but only a very little bit so as not to overwhelm.)
- fettuccine.
Cook the fettuccine in a separate pot. I assume you all know how to cook pasta. Dice the onion and garlic (we often use a garlic press). Chop the bacon into small strips (we do this by cutting the bacon with scissors). In a large cooking pot fry up the onions and bacon until mostly cooked. Add in the garlic and fry for a few more minutes before adding the diced tomatoes and the cream cheese. Simmer with the lid of to reduce while the pasta cooks, stirring often so as not to burn the cream cheese. Add the spices, though really, the sauce is tasty enough without them.
Add to fettuccine and enjoy. So simple, soooooo good!
Om nom nom Muffins!
I love muffins! I love them so much I call anything that is cute, fuzzy (long story), or sad a muffin. Last night I finally had the perfect combo of time, energy and chocolate chips to make my favorite muffins: chocolate chip bran muffins. The recipe is shamelessly stolen from the top of the Quaker bran box and is quite delectable.
Here is the original recipe, with notes from me in italics:
QUAKER Bran Muffins
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs (unbeaten)
1 1/2 cup QUAKER natural wheat bran
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 tsp salt <- I never add salt to baking recipes (with the exception of bread). I find things these days are usually quite salty enough without needing to add, and salt is easy to add on later either with a shaker or some salted butter.
1/2 cup raisins (optional) <- @#*% raisins! Add chocolate chips till there's more chocolate chips than batter! Then add some more!
12 servings - 1 dozen large muffins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream shortening and sugar together.
Add molasses and eggs and beat together well
Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a bowl.
Add to liquid ingredients, mix well, add raisins.
I am kind of lazy and just dump the ingredients into the bowl one by one mixing the whole time. It works out fine.
Spoon into greased muffin pans. Or into muffin cups, easier to clean.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Here is the original recipe, with notes from me in italics:
QUAKER Bran Muffins
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs (unbeaten)
1 1/2 cup QUAKER natural wheat bran
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 tsp salt <- I never add salt to baking recipes (with the exception of bread). I find things these days are usually quite salty enough without needing to add, and salt is easy to add on later either with a shaker or some salted butter.
1/2 cup raisins (optional) <- @#*% raisins! Add chocolate chips till there's more chocolate chips than batter! Then add some more!
12 servings - 1 dozen large muffins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream shortening and sugar together.
Add molasses and eggs and beat together well
Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a bowl.
Add to liquid ingredients, mix well, add raisins.
I am kind of lazy and just dump the ingredients into the bowl one by one mixing the whole time. It works out fine.
Spoon into greased muffin pans. Or into muffin cups, easier to clean.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Mamma's Tortière
We had never made this traditional Québecois dish before (it not being part of our particular tradition) so, typically, Perle read a bunch of recipes, including Martin Picard`s of course, and made up her own version.
We did not make the puff pastry, but bought it at the gourmet shop which is catering the baby shower. Maybe next time...
We made 2 pies with pastry on the top only.
Ingredients:
1 lb minced pork
1 lb minced veal
1 lb minced beef
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic
sliced brown mushrooms
olive oil
cinnamon
cloves
thyme
salt
pepper
bay leaf
¼ cup white wine
2 cubes demi-glace
Tbsp flour
Tbsp butter
crush cloves, thyme, salt, peppercorns, cinnamon
sauté garlic and onions in oil, remove to a bowl
sauté mushrooms in oil, remove to a bowl
add wine and deglaze the pan
add meat and brown
stir in onions, mushrooms and spices and demi-glace
cook until most of the liquid is reduced
thicken with 1 Tbsp flour and butter
put the meat in pie plates, cover with pastry, brush with beaten egg
bake at 350° for 45 minutes
We did not make the puff pastry, but bought it at the gourmet shop which is catering the baby shower. Maybe next time...
We made 2 pies with pastry on the top only.
Ingredients:
1 lb minced pork
1 lb minced veal
1 lb minced beef
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic
sliced brown mushrooms
olive oil
cinnamon
cloves
thyme
salt
pepper
bay leaf
¼ cup white wine
2 cubes demi-glace
Tbsp flour
Tbsp butter
crush cloves, thyme, salt, peppercorns, cinnamon
sauté garlic and onions in oil, remove to a bowl
sauté mushrooms in oil, remove to a bowl
add wine and deglaze the pan
add meat and brown
stir in onions, mushrooms and spices and demi-glace
cook until most of the liquid is reduced
thicken with 1 Tbsp flour and butter
put the meat in pie plates, cover with pastry, brush with beaten egg
bake at 350° for 45 minutes
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Duck à l'orange
conception: Perle Feldman
réalisation: David Glaser
Soon after we started cooking together, we started labelling recipes that way, since Perle is the more creative and can come up with a new concept, while I would put it all together. Of course, it's not that clear a division. In this case Perle made the sauce, the critical part.
This is a dinner for two. You will need:
one duck breast with skin on
salt and pepper
thyme and rosemary
2 oranges
Grand Marnier
butter
3 Tbsp sugar
prep work
cut the peel of one orange into thin strips, avoiding taking the white pith
simmer orange peel in some water to soften, about 10 minutes
add sugar and continue to cook until liquid is almost absorbed
cut off all the pith and membranes of the orange and reserve the chunks of pulp
squeeze the juice from the other orange
score the duck skin and sprinkle with salt and pepper
cook the duck
in a medium-hot skillet, sear the duck skin side down for 5 minutes, until skin is crispy
turn and continue to cook on medium-low heat for another 10 minutes
remove and place duck under a foil tent
make the sauce
drain the duck fat from the skillet
deglaze with Grand Marnier, then with orange juice
add herbs and orange pulp
reduce the sauce, add some butter
serve
We served the duck with quinoa and steamed asparagus
spoon the sauce over the duck
add the candied orange peel
réalisation: David Glaser
Soon after we started cooking together, we started labelling recipes that way, since Perle is the more creative and can come up with a new concept, while I would put it all together. Of course, it's not that clear a division. In this case Perle made the sauce, the critical part.
This is a dinner for two. You will need:
one duck breast with skin on
salt and pepper
thyme and rosemary
2 oranges
Grand Marnier
butter
3 Tbsp sugar
prep work
cut the peel of one orange into thin strips, avoiding taking the white pith
simmer orange peel in some water to soften, about 10 minutes
add sugar and continue to cook until liquid is almost absorbed
cut off all the pith and membranes of the orange and reserve the chunks of pulp
squeeze the juice from the other orange
score the duck skin and sprinkle with salt and pepper
cook the duck
in a medium-hot skillet, sear the duck skin side down for 5 minutes, until skin is crispy
turn and continue to cook on medium-low heat for another 10 minutes
remove and place duck under a foil tent
make the sauce
drain the duck fat from the skillet
deglaze with Grand Marnier, then with orange juice
add herbs and orange pulp
reduce the sauce, add some butter
serve
We served the duck with quinoa and steamed asparagus
spoon the sauce over the duck
add the candied orange peel
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