A Million Marvelous Loaves

A million cakes with one recipe.  Years ago, I found this cake in an one of my old Fine Cooking magazines. I couldn't count how many times I've made it. With infinite variations depending on the season or taste of the moment, it is simply a great loaf cake recipe, finally now posted. Hooray!!

Our most recent variation is a winter cake with white chocolate and cranberries detailed below, this and some other ideas we have tried at the end of the recipe. Pre- heat oven to 350F.

Basic foundation, whisk to combine in a medium bowl:

2 cups of flour

3/4 c. white sugar- decrease to 1/2 c. if using other sweet add in's like chocolate etc.

1 tbsp. baking powder (heaping)

1 tsp. salt

Any spices and any dry add ins.

1 c. milk, or buttermilk- use 1/2 c. milk if using more wet add ins for the second 1/2 cup

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla, or any other flavour profile

Mix: wet goes into dry, and then add 1/2 c. (1 stick) melted butter and fold into the batter. This is the KEY to this recipe! 

Into a pam-etized loaf pan, and cook for about 50 min or until done.

That's it!

A few ideas for some terrific flavour profiles, just use your imagination!!

• white chocolate chips, hazelnuts and cranberries
  
  orange juice and zest
• dark chocolate chips, orange juice and zest, and orange glaze on top
• milk chocolate chips, almonds, almond extract
• lemon juice, lemon zest, poppy seeds and blueberries, lemon glaze
• any chocolate, crushed peppermint candy and peppermint extract
• Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, pecans and pumpkin puree- fabulous!!
• Cardamom and orange flavours, juice and zest

And on, and on, and on...

Love this cake!!

 

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Five Spice Duck, Mandarin Noodle Salad and Peanut Sauce

This is such a fun and scrumptious dinner, light and bright! The key is to use "duck confit" ( so, already cooked sous-vide) which you whip into a fabulous base for thid crunchy sweet and savory meal.

Duck prep: cook the duck per instructions. Usually a boil in the "sous -vide" bag, then baked for a few minutes. For this dish, a sprinkle of Five-spice and a good crisping up under the broiler, in a frying pan or high heat oven.

Vegg prep: a thin julienne of cucumber and scallions are a must, lots! If you wish you can add carrot, radish, iceberg lettuce, snow peas and any other vegg you like for a good crunchy texture. Long thin slices...

Sauce: Hoisin is essential. A quick side sauce mixture of Sambal Oelek (thai chili sauce) and soy sauce is also fun to dab into for a spicy kick. 

Asian pancakes are fun to use for a duck wrap. We tried rice paper, and although it worked, not a pretty sight and hard to maneuvre. Otherwise, the duck is awsome on top of salad!

The Noodle Salad: Pre cook rice noodles. Boil for a couple of minutes, rinse under cold water, and drizzle with sesame oil to keep from sticking. We love mixing any crispy lettuce, thinly sliced cabbage, red is fun. Add shredded carrot, scallions, radishes, celery,  Top with mandarin/clementine/orange segments and toasted almond slivers. Mango slices are a yummy addition too. Lots of fresh coriander and fresh mint.

A fresh citrus Asian inspired dressing: in a jar mix, 1 tsp. grated ginger, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, rice wine vinegar, bit of balsamic vinegar, squeeze of lime juice, squeeze of fresh orange juice, a hit of soy sauce and a hit of maple syrup. To this, add a 2 to 1 hit of olive oil or canola oil. Shake and taste. Balance the flavours as per your taste. Add salt and pepper if needed. 

Peanut sauce can be added to any of the above, it's just so damn good!

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter, add a bit of water until desired consistency. To taste: add rice vinegar, touch of maple syrup, soy sauce, chili paste (crazy for Sambal Oelek) minced ginger. That's about it. Just keep adjusting until you like it best. Can be jarred and kept in the fridge for a long time...great for dumplings!!

 

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Barb's Glorious Gingerbread Cookies

I have no idea who Barb is, but this is her recipe in my sister-in-law's recipe book. What can I say, over the holidays we keep making more as they don't last long. THE BEST!!!

Pre-heat oven to 325F.

3/4 c. softened butter
1 c. white sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. molasses

Cream the butter and sugar, add egg and molasses.

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground clove

1/4 tsp. nutmeg ( I added this...love nutmeg, but can be omitted!)

Combine the dry into the wet. It is a stiffer dough that you can actually knead by hand at the end. Make small perfectly rolled balls and dip into a bit of sugar. These cookies spread into nice rounds, so space well on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-9 minutes, do not overbake. 

OH SO CHEWY!!!!!! Great with a cuppa tea...

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Playful Poke Bowl

This is one of those super satisfying, extreme flavour meals, especially if you are a sushi lover. "Hey! Let's make a poke bowl!" is always a good idea!! I could eat this every day...no kidding. 

Use a high grade salmon or tuna, but you can make this dish with shrimp or really any protein you may like.

The key to a really yummy bowl is the freshness of the ingredients.  It's all about creating the flavours and textures that will be layered on a bed of seasoned rice, and making enough of everything for "seconds". Rice, protein, vegg and seasoning.

The Rice- sushi rice is probably the best but we usually make this dish with basmati. Once cooked, you can season the rice with a bit of rice wine vinegar and a drop or 2 of sesame oil. 

Vegg components, really anything goes as long as it is finely chopped, diced or sliced. Some favourites are:
shredded carrots

sliced cabbage

Avocado!

sliced snow peas

cucumber

scallions

radishes

Buy the bright green seaweed salad from the grocery store. Seriously, adds a great punch to this poke bowl.

The diced salmon or tuna needs a nice quick bath in a simple marinade, and this, just a few minutes before serving so it doesn't cure.  Combine a few drops of sesame oil, a bit of grated ginger, rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, lime juice and sesame seeds. Pour this over the fish as a seasoning.

That's about it! Now layer your Poke Bowl bow, rice first, and the alternate fish and vegg as you wish.

For the finishing touch, a yummy sauce- combine mayo, (add a bit of Greek yogourt if you like) and your favorite Asian hot sauce. We love Sriracha and Sambal Oelek.

A spritz of lime, some fresh coriander or basil is a nice garnish too.

This treat is healthy, fresh, so easy to make for an ultimately satisfying bite.

ENJOY!!

 

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"Vij's" Comfort Family Chicken Curry

 Thanks to Canadian Indian Chef Vikram Vij for all of his delectable treats loved by our family and many. This cozy chicken curry dish has graced our table over a hundred times. And, it never tastes exactly the same, so it's magical and open to moods and variations.

No exaggeration here...that cinnamon and onion sauté that fills our home with such a fabulous aroma is a sure sign of the ultimate comfort food dinner, and hopefully lots of leftovers. The kind of thing that inspires happiness and excitement the minute you walk in the door.

Here is my take on Vij's recipe, serves about 6 people (just great for leftovers) 

The key is to prepare everything in advance as follows. "La mise en place" makes this dish so easy to put together.

The spices...in a small bowl, combine: 
3/4 tbsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 heaping tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander 

1 tbsp garam masala (you can make your own...)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

** level tablespoons are good here. Teaspoons can be heaping. 

1 stick of cinnamon

Dice or slice 2 large onions

Rough chop about 1.5 cups of fresh tomato or about a cup of canned diced tomato

Grate or finely chop 2 large cloves of garlic

Grate about 2" fresh ginger, makes about 2 tbsp (freeze your ginger and thaw a bit before grating)

Set aside 1 cup of either: sour cream or thick Greek yogourt, or half of each. Any variation is great.

2 cups of liquid- 1 cup water and 1 cup chicken broth

You will need about 6 to 8 de-boned chicken thighs. I usually cut them up into chunks so easy to serve. In case you are curious, yes, I have doubled this recipe for a crowd as it works well. You just need a really big pot!

Now assemble in a large, heavy bottom pot- a Creuset if you have one:

In canola oil, sauté the onions and cinnamon until golden, about 10 min or so on medium heat. The aroma is heavenly...

Lower the heat and add ginger and garlic, stirring so it doesn't burn.

Stir in the spices to bloom, brings out their flavour

Add the tomatoes and stir until the mixture seems to separate a bit. Takes a couple of minutes.

Add all of the chicken to the pot, and cover for 10 minutes. I turn the pieces after about 5-6 minutes.

Once the chicken has cooked for a while, add the sour cream/yogourt to the pot and combine well. Then add the liquid.

Turn down the heat quite low and let this all simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. I usually put the top of the pot over a wooden spoon to an open tilt. Stir every few minutes. 

Make a slurry- a tbsp of cornstarch and a bit of warm water. Add this to the pot as it is simmering, and the sauce will thicken just enough.

Prepare basmati rice and some frozen small sweet peas. Garnish each bowl with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. (peas are a must with this dish!) Also, a nice dollop of yogourt is always fabulous. 

Warm naan bread is a great scooper-upper for all of this luscious sauce.

I promise that your family and friends will be begging you for this dish forever!!

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Fabulous Fudgy Chocolate Cake

I am not a cake person, UNLESS it is gooey, or dense and super moist. My daughter (the incredible baker) found this ultra dewy chocolate cake, and honestly, I think I ate half of it myself. This is a fabulously fudgy delight. The recipe itself is so interesting which is why she decided to try it in the first place. 

It is the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted from "a very intriguing recipe".

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Combine dry ingredients:
2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

In a medium pot, combine and bring to a boil:

2 c. sugar and 2 c. water

Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then pour this into a large bowl.

Yes, lots of sugar but if you are going to make the best chocolate cake, this is what it is. Do not lament!

To this, add and stir until slightly cooled:

4 oz of semi or unsweetened dark chocolate ( semi-sweet Baker's was terrific)

6 tbsp. butter ( we like salted) 

1 tsp. vanilla

Have 2 slightly beaten eggs ready for the next step

Then, either by hand with a whisk or with an electric beater, add 2 beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat all together until smooth. 

Prepare 2 -9" cake pans and divide the batter evenly. Cook for about 25 min, do not overcook!!

While the cake cools...

Make Chocolate Espresso Icing from scratch...oh boy! This is the killer.

Beat 1.5 sticks of soft butter with 2 c. of icing sugar

In a double boiler, melt 2 oz. melted chocolate ( same as you used for cake) with 2 tbsp. 15% cream and a little vanilla extract.

To this add a mix of 1 tbsp. instant espresso coffee with 2 tbsp. warm water.

Pour the chocolate espresso mixture into the butter and sugar and combine until smooth

This icing is optional...but really takes this cake to another level.

I am salivating as I write this post...gotta make it again, NOW!

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Sumptuous Salty Buckwheat Choco Chip Cookies

We are so crazy about the fabulous taste of buckwheat flour! That nutty, yummy flavour, great in both sweet and savory dishes...these cookies do not disappoint. Add the salty factor, and they are off the hook! 

Semi-sweet chocolate chips are awesome with the saltiness, but really any "chip" you like would work well.  Try gluten- free flour for a flatter, chewier cookie. My favorite. 

Pre-heat oven to 375F.

Melt 1.5 sticks of salted butter until slightly browned.  This KEY element makes for ooey- gooey cookies.

To this, add and whisk until creamy:
2/3 c. brown sugar

1.4 c. white sugar

1 large egg

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl, combine:

3/4 c. all purpose flour or gluten-free flour

3/4 c. buckwheat flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 tsp salt

Add about a cup of your preferred chocolate chips to the flour mixture, or peanut butter chips, or...any kind you like!

Add the wet into the dry and mix until combined. If you have time, put this into the fridge for a min. of 30 min to an hour. Makes a really great cookie if the dough is cold.

Cook these for no more than 8 or 9 min. Sprinkle some flaky salt on the hot cookies.

I am telling you...they won't last long on the plate. 

Make a double batch!!!

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Captivating Carrot Cake

Credit must be shared on this one, Rita and Tassie, the unequivocal Cake Queens! 

Imagine...with glee, I sent this incredible Tassie Cake Queen recipe to the other Cake Queen, my mother-in law Rita only to be reminded by Rita that she made this exact cake for our glorious pre-wedding party (all those years ago!)

Wow, how embarrassing. The only redeeming point to this story is that it a really is a most fabulous cake, hence a perpetual family fave. 

For a 3 layer cake, use 3-8" cake pans, fun for height and all that icing...but I usually use 2 regular 9" pans with tons of icing anyways.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Combine these dry ingredients in a medium size bowl:

2 cups of flour, I like to use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and the rest regular

3/4 cup sugar

1.5 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp clove

Add a few other ground spices like: cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, maybe 1/2 tsp of any added. 

In a larger bowl, hand mix:

1 c. canola oil

4 beaten eggs

2 cups grated carrots

1 c. crushed pineapple with juice

some vanilla

I believe Rita puts an entire orange in the blender and adds it to this cake recipe. Such amazing flavour!

I love this cake with pecans and yellow raisins and use a lot of each!

Pour dry into wet, and don't over mix. 

Bake this for about 40-45 min. on a timer and then check if the cake needs more time. Do not overcook. Check it at 35 min...

While the cake cools, make the decadent cream cheese icing:

2 packages of cheese

1 stick of butter (half cup)

1 cup icing sugar

Tsp vanilla and a tiny bit of almond extract, maybe 1/2 tsp.

This is not a super sweet icing. Lemon or orange zest if a nice addition for flavour. Add more sugar if you like a sweeter icing. 

If you know how to make candied carrot strips to decorate like Rita does...go for it!! Just beautiful! 

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Eggplant Parma Extraordinaire!

Eggplant...Salted? Breaded? Floured? Naked? We've tried many renditions, such a family fave. 

Now we've discovered that none are as fabulous as this one. 

It has that specific NYC salty flavour with sweet eggplant layers. The earlier recipe in this blog is also great, but this one beats it.

For a 9" by 13", medium size Pyrex or baking dish: Peel off the bitter skin and thinly slice 1 or 2 fat eggplants. As a guideline, each layer needs about 5 slices and you will need 3 layers. 

Place the cut eggplant rounds in a colander, and heavily salt each layer. Let this sit and sweat for about 1 hour. Don't worry, it won't be salty when cooked. Rince each slice and pat dry with paper towel. 

YES, the salting makes a difference, especially as this recipe has no breading or flour. It will be pure, sweet eggplant once cooked. 

While salting, make the sauce. 

Passata- a jar of pureed tomatoes. A dream for this recipe. In olive oil, add a few chili flakes, and crush a few big cloves of garlic, saute until golden. Then take the garlic out. This way you have flavored the sauce with enough punch but it's not overpowering. Add the Passata to this and let cook for a little while only. Add salt and pepper. Voila!

For this eggplant parma version, the eggplant is NAKED. In a large pan, place about a 1/2 inch of light oil, I like canola, and make sure it is quite hot. I dip the edge of the eggplant into it and if it sizzles, it is ready. Brown each side of the eggplant, about 2-3 minutes per side and let it rest on paper towel once cooked to drain any excess oil. 

To assemble the parma, you will need lots of fresh basil and shredded mozz for each layer. Fresh mozz is also great in this dish, and a combo of the two works well. 

First place sauce on the bottom of the pan and drizzle a little olive oil on top of it. place a few slices of eggplant to cover, and it doesn't have to be perfect. Now add lots of torn up basil, lots of shredded cheese and spoon over some sauce. Repeat this until the last layer. you will need at leaswt 3 layers. If the pan is deep, do 4, what the heck! Top with sauce, mozz and cheese.

This will bake in the oven at 350F for about 45 -50 min, until the cheese is melt and bubbly. Once cooked, let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

This is a winner. The house will smell great! Keep some for leftovers to sop up with a crusty baguette. It is always better the next day!!!

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Gorgeous Homemade Gravlax

WOW, talk about easy! I had a craving for Gravlax. I just love it and prefer it over smoked salmon. For my palate, Gravlax is a clean, more pure flavour of this supreme fish. I have tasted a few versions and find that the challenge is determining the right salt/sugar ratio. Well, we found it!! Timing also has a lot to do with the texture. If you are like me, less cured is the way to go...and with a dark rye bread and a wonderful Mustard sauce (a riff of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa), this dish is really hard to beat and great for entertaining!!

The measurements are important to get the right everything going. This recipe will serve about 8 people as an appetizer. 

You will need a 2 lbs filet of salmon, skin on. Get the fatter side if your fishmonger is cutting from a large filet. Adjust the following ratios for smaller piece of fish. 

1 cup of Rock salt. No other salt will do. The large "gros sel" ensures that the curing happens without soaking the fish in salt. This is what will indeed ruin your effort.

1 cup of white sugar

1 tbsp of crushed white or black peppercorns 

Add ins:

1 cup of freshly chopped dill.

1 raw beet for a fabulous red tint. 

Orange and/or lemon zest.

That's it! 

Mix the salt, sugar and flavouring in a bowl. Use food processor to crumble the raw beet, then add to mixture.  Have a large Pyrex or deep dish handy. 

Place 2 large pieces of cling wrap on your work surface, overlapping. 

Spread half of the salt mixture onto the Saran in the size and shape of the filet. Place the salmon, skin side down on top of this. Top the fish with the remaining mixture.

Wrap the fish with the cling wrap and place in the dish. You need something flat-ish to lay on top of the fish. And, on top of this, place a few cans as weights so that the fish will be pressed down.

Refrigerate this for 3 consecutive 12- hour intervals. 36 hours makes for a Medium cure. It can be less.

There will be liquid in the dish and it will be goopy. No need to turn the salmon over.  

After at least 24 hours or so, unwrap the salmon and rinse well. Pat dry, and place it back in the fridge for at 3 hours or longer.  This lets the salt "settle" and drys out the surface of the salmon.

A 24-hour cure is enough for a more "sushi-esque" texture.  But the above is really the right way to prepare this dish. And, it is perfect.

To serve, thinly slice the fish on an angle, down to the skin. The texture will be gorgeous and glossy. 

Have some dense dark rye bread, and serve with a dollop of this luxurious Mustard sauce, and fresh dill garnish.

Mustard Sauce:

Mix plain Greek yogourt, Dijon mustard and grainy mustard (to taste) a bit of lemon juice or white wine vinegar and something sweet, I like a dash of Maple syrup, but white sugar works well too. Horseradish is also a good addition to the sauce.

This is a special dish. Too easy for words and so refined to serve. 

Enjoy!!!!

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Japanese Cod Soup Creation

No real recipe... humbly, just some noodles, broth, cod and other stuff. I know there is a secret complex homemade Chinese chili sauce in there too!

Beautiful...

My son's curious creation. 

Y'ia sta xeria sou!!

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Vibrant Vodka Pasta

What a fabulous little cook! My daughter has an idea, and it comes to life on the plate and the palate.

Along with baking, her pasta dishes are becoming a specialty around here. This deeply delicious vodka sauce has the perfect balance of salty, spicy and tomato creaminess. What a satisfying treat!

Before making the sauce, put a big pot of water to boil for the pasta. Don't forget to heavily salt the water. It makes or breaks the dish! Use a nice big, thick type of pasta, rigatoni, fusilli etc...

The trick to this sauce is to let the layers cook down in between steps.

Saute: in olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
at least 1 tbsp chili pepper flakes, more if you want to spice it up
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper

Once golden, add in half a tube or half a small can of tomato paste and allow it to cook down
Add a half small can of crushed tomatoes
Throw in 2 crushed garlic cloves, these will be removed later

Now the sauce needs to simmer for a while. Once simmered add in 1/3 cup vodka and stir, allow to cook down.

Then add about 1 cup of 15% cream and this rose sauce should now have a very silky consistency. At this point taste for salt and pepper.

Now it is time to add the pasta to the sauce. Loosely strain with pasta water if you using a spider spoon to transfer the pasta to the sauce. If not, reserve a cup of the pasta water to add in the sauce. It really smooths everything out and gives a glossy finish. For an extra richness, add a nob of butter.

Serve right away, nice and hot, adding parma and basil to every plate. This is a great birthday dinner for Dad!!  And goes so well with a big glass of delicious red wine for Mom.

Bravo sou!!!

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Super Simple Fresh Bean Salad

Over 20 years ago, my brother in law served this bean salad with dinner. It was fabulous then, and here we are still making it all the time! 

For posterity, here it is...super simple and colorful!

Canned beans, rinced and drained. We love any and all beans in this salad. One kind or mixed, depending on the crowd, just scale this recipe.

Add, frozen corn niblets that have been thawed. A must.

Diced onion, red is best, or scallions.

Some carrot and celery if you have it.

Tons of finely chopped fresh cilantro.

Olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. 

Salt and pepper

That's it! This is a great side, we especially love it on a hot summer day, with fish or any grilled meat.

Why not add a few other fun textures? This salad can be a base for lots of good stuff. 

But best loved as is.

Enjoy! 

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Orange- Scented Cardamom Coffee Cake

In the mood for a "breakfast" sweet but not too sweet treat? This is a really delicious orange- scented and spiced cake, perfect friend to a good strong coffee.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, combine:
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp salt

In a smaller bowl, mix:
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 c. melted butter (1 stick)
vanilla or almond extract, just a hint

Pour the liquid into the dry and combine but don't over mix. It will be a fairly dense batter. Place this into a buttered or "pam-etized" pie plate sized cake pan. Bake for 25 min. Do not over bake! It will be a dense and moist cake.

I made a mascarpone and cream cheese icing with orange zest, only because I had these in the fridge. Decadent for sure. An orange juice and icing sugar glaze would be really good too. Get the zest in where you can.

I love the cardamom aroma in the kitchen in the morning, and serve this warm, it is really great!

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Mom's "Throwback" Tuna Casserole

Our Mom made this casserole many times when we were kids, and my sister and I just loved it! I was telling my own kids about it and they just about gagged. No way, tuna schmoushola!! I was out to prove them wrong. With one, there was no convincing, the other took it on as a challenge, and WOW, what a huge delicious surprise (haha to you) and success!!

The best noodles to use are the thick "No Yolk" noodles, actually keeps the dish light. You can pre-cook these "al dente" as they will bake in the oven in a pyrex or corning ware type pan.

Saute:1 small onion, a handful of mushrooms, couple of stalks of chopped celery and 1 chopped leek  Set this aside.

Make a light bechamel type sauce: in a small pot, on medium heat, melt to sizzle 2 tbsp. butter, add 2 tbsp. flour and cook down. Slowly add 1.5 cups of milk (warm it up a bit before using here if you can) and whisk, add 1/2 chicken stock for flavour, of course salt and pepper. Once thickened, add a half can of cream of mushroom or celery soup, some chopped fresh rosemary. Add some cheese, strong cheddar and gruyere is a super combo, or any mix you have. Luxe, thick sauce!!

In a large bowl, gently combine the pre-cooked noodle with the sauce, add lots of small green peas and the sauteed vegg. To this, add 2 cans of tuna. Place this into a buttered baking dish. Top with a lightly buttered panko mixed with more cheese.

Ready to bake. At 375F, cook covered with foil for about 20 min, and then uncovered for another 10 min. Broil for a couple of min at the end to add color and crunch.

This casserole is really fabulous. Thanks Mom for all the fabulous dinners we always had as kids. Now to remember the filet of sole casserole...I will dig deep into my brain for that one. I know it has cream of shrimp soup!!!

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Perfection! NYC Style Chicken Parma

In our top 5 family fave repertoire must be Chicken Parma. I always thought I made a really good one as my family told me so. Oh, so sorry!!! Not as good as this new version. The taste reminiscent of the Parkside Chicken Parma we enjoyed with our Dad a hundred years ago in Corona, Queens, NYC. That salty, cheesy crispy, only in NYC flavour.

A bit of a process:

Make your favorite version of marinara sauce. I simply saute in olive oil- tons of chopped garlic until golden, some chili flakes, add 2 cans of whole of diced tomatoes which I crush in the pot, and lots of salt and pepper. No onion, no sweetness in my sauce!

For the chicken- the KEY to this amazing parma is the marinade and technique.

Butterfly chicken breasts, and pound them flat. One should be good for 2 people.
In a pyrex or pan, let the chicken sit in the fridge for a few hours in a marinade of lots of chopped garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. It may go opaque and that's OK.

Breading:
1 plate of flour and salt, eyeball enough to cover the amount of chicken you will dredge
1 plate of 2-3 beaten eggs, add 1 tbsp. each of garlic and onion powder, some oregano (Greek if you have it, so much better than the rest!) some rosemary nice, and salt and pepper.
1 plate of panko or regular breadcrumbs, no seasoning needed.

So, first the marinated chicken is dipped in the flour and shaken, then the egg, then the panko. Place this on a rack which will then go back in the fridge for about  30 min to an hour. It dries up which make a crispier fry. This is also KEY!!

In a large Creuset or deep pot, put about an inch of Canola or any light high- heat frying oil. Not olive oil here...the oil needs to get HOT. To test if ready, dip a corner of the chicken and

check for that sizzle. Drop the breast in the oil and let it deep fry for about 2 min. on each side. Keep going until all of them are cooked, one at a time. They will be golden brown!!

In a pan that can handle a broil, place sauce on the bottom, then the fried breasts on top, add more sauce not quite to the edge, and top with good quality mozzarella mixed with Parmesan cheese, (no other cheese!). Sprinkle fresh finely chopped parsley all over.

At this point, you can bake the breasts for a few minutes and then broil. If the chicken is thin enough, just broil.

Serve with your favorite pasta...it's a killer! 

I promise, this is the BEST chicken parma you will ever make. I'm sticking with it as my birthday meal!!

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"Club Med" White Chocolate Bread

Dreaming of a fabulous holiday with tons of sun and a turquoise sea? Dreaming of that other-worldly white chocolate bread share with best friends at the secluded Club Med Columbus Isle?

Make it at home!

Thankfully, my daughter has inherited her Yiayia's deft hand for baking and her Gran's knack with all things sweet and delicious.  The double whammy, just enough to make this famous vacation treat. And boy, it is as good or better than how we remember it.

1.5 c. all purpose flour
4 tsp. or 14 grams ( 2 packets ) of dry active yeast
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. water
6 oz white chocolate chips or chunks (quality chocolate please)

You can use a mixer with a bread paddle, but we make this by hand.
Combine flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl.
Add the water and knead or mix for about 10 minutes. If more water is needed, you can add some slowly.
The right consistency is when the dough is smooth and homogeneous, and should not stick to your hands or the bowl.
Add the chocolate and make sure it is well distributed in the dough.

Take the dough out of the bowl and shape into a ball. Let it rest for a few minutes while you pre-heat the oven to 400F.
After about 5 min. pound the dough into the desired shape loaf, we do long- ish. This may take a bit of kneading and folding till you get the right shape.

On a parchment lined pan, let the loaf rest for 45 min. You can put a damp cloth over it, and it should double in size. This works well when the pan is sitting on the pre-heating oven, seems to really help the rise.

Once ready, place a 1/2 cup of water at the base of the oven. This will create some vapor while the loaf is baking. Bake it for about 20 min. or until the top is a nice golden brown.

It looks so nice when some of the exposed white chocolate is dark and yummy. The loaf should be golden brown.

Serve this warm... the texture is surprisingly soft and the chocolate gives it just the right amount of sweetness.

We are thinking of using this same recipe for a savory loaf, like a garlic twist!!!

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Golden Savory Granola

This is such a welcome idea for a crunchy addition to salad or soup. A salty, spicy, herb-y twist to a homemade granola. Incredibly easy and truly delicious! More fun than a crouton.

Be creative and add combos you think will be good together. Really anything goes!

Heat oven to 325F.
You need 2 egg whites for 1 to 1.5 cups of oats.

Here is one that turned out great.

Combine all together in a bowl:
1 to 1.5 cups of oats
Mixed seeds (we get them from Bulk Barn ) so any variation of sesame seeds, flax, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat groats, sunflower seeds, chia seeds etc. Really anything you like works.
Add dried rosemary, any dried herb you love works.
Add coarse salt, coarse pepper, paprika, garlic salt, onion salt.
Fennel seeds (what a great addition for a super flavour)
Various peppers work really well, we added some Aleppo pepper.

Cayenne or chili pepper would be good too.
Cumin seeds and coriander seeds would be great too for that type of Middle Eastern slant.

I think you can really theme this crumble with any flavour profile you want.

Add in the egg whites and a bit of olive oil to coat the mixture. We also added a bit of maple syrup for a little sweet hit. Honey or brown sugar is probably just as good.

On parchment paper or foil, spread out this mixture on a flat pan/cookie sheet and bake for about 40-50 minutes.

Once cooled, crumble in pieces that can be stored in a zip lock or jar, and will last a long while.

I'm addicted to this crunchy treat!!

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Blissful Buckwheat Pancakes

A Mother's day treat! Nothing beats this pancake with its nutty yummy buckwheat "galettes au sarrasin" flavour. 

1 c. Buckwheat, or half buckwheat and half flour of choice

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (make your own, milk and lemon juice or vinegar, so easy)

1 egg

Vanilla

Combine wet with flour and it will thicken a bit but it's not an overly thick batter. 

Serve these pancakes with tons of butter, maple syrup and cream cheese. The cat's ass!! 

No fruit for me...

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Awesome Almond Flour Brownies

We've been making these beautiful cushion-

y, oooooey-gooey brownies for years. Time to share!

Heat oven to 350F.

3 steps: wet, dry and melted chocolate.

Wet: in a medium bowl, hand whisk 3 eggs, 3/4 c. white sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Dry: in a small bowl, mix 3/4 c. Almond flour, pinch of salt, 2 tbsp. Cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp. Baking powder.

Choco: in a double boiler, so pot in pot, melt 5 semi sweet Bakers chocolate cubes, or 3/4 c. Choco chips. When melty and glistening, take off the heat and set aside to cool a bit. 

Once cooled, in a slim stream, add melted chocolate to the wet bowl and whisk. Then add the dry and combine well. 

In a square pyrex or pie plate, bake the brownies for about 20 min. Be careful not to overcook so they will be gooey. Just the way we like it!!

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Southern Comfort Feast

Anyone for Southern crunchy fish fry, okra casserole and sweet and savory corn muffins?! Of course! Who would ever say no to that!

I love cod for this dish because it is dense enough to hold up to the light fry without falling apart and stays super moist. With the 1-2-3 dip method, here we go:

1- seasoned flour,.salt and pepper, with a bit of cornstarch.

2- egg dip

3- panko breadcrumbs and cornmeal, half and half.  Season heavily with salt, lots of pepper, paprika, old bay seasoning, garlic salt, oregano. 

Saute medium to large chunks of dipped cod in hot canola oil. Don't move it around. Let it get golden brown and pop into the oven at 325F to keep warm, while you work in batches. The crispy crunchy outcome is to die for!

Okra Casserole- in a stove to oven skillet, with a good amount of olive oil, saute 2 chopped onions until golden, add about a 1/2 cup of chopped tomato or tomato sauce,( not too much), and tons of fresh chopped parsley. Add frozen okra, the small ones are really yummy if you can find them. Mix this together, add salt and pepper. Cover the top with sweet paprika and a bit more oil. Pop this in the oven at 350F for about 25 min or so. A dollop of yogourt when serving is fabulous. 

Any hot sauce, I love Frank's, works so well with this entire dinner.

Great side dish: Honey Cornbread (muffins or loaf.) Out of the over with butter...watch out!
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour ( NOT whole wheat...doesn't work here)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup honey

Add pepper and thyme for a more savory flavour. Our favorite combo! 

In large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Spray muffin tin and fill the cornbread mixture into each cup. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. If using a loaf pan, you will need to bake until the toothpick comes out clean, so check after 15 minutes but will probably need more time. 

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Terrific "Tandoori" Marinade

My friend Jackie makes the most delicious BBQ fish on skewers with a yummy "Tandoori" flavour marinade. So, I decided to mimic this on a whole piece of salmon filet. I would actually use this delicious and light marinade with any type of firm fish, or poultry, and for BBQ or baking. 

It is that good!!

Mash 1 clove of garlic and 2 tbsp of ginger to a paste. 
Scrape the paste into a medium bowl and add:

1 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin 
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground fenugreek ( this is a MUST ingredient)
1 tsp. turmeric 
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne 
1/2 tsp. garam masala
Salt and pepper 

To this spice mixture, add 1.5 c. yogurt and 2 tbsp. of canola or olive oil and whisk until smooth. Will smell heavenly.

In a large zip lock, coat the fish or meat with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.

Once cooked, the flavours are pronounced but light at the same time. Love the salmon especially. Serve with chopped fresh coriander and spritz of lemon or lime. Basmati rice scented with smashed cardamom pods, raisins and a bay leaf is the perfect accompaniment, and of course sweet peas!!

As a fantastic side, roast and caramelize cauliflower pieces for about 45 min, turning half way. Season with turmeric, ground fenugreek, cumin, salt and pepper. In the meantime,. sauté onions with fresh ginger, a bit of garlic if you like, raisins, garam masala, a few cherry tomatoes and more turmeric. Add the roasted cauliflower to this, and then add fresh spinach until wilted. 

Serve with any Tandoori flavour. Fabulous!

Make Raita, Greek yogourt, shredded Cucumber, lots of fresh mint, a squeeze of lemon and salt. Wowwww!

I could eat this dish every week! 

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Succulent Spices and Secrets

When my son cooks, don't expect or look for a recipe to attempt to re-create the dish. The end result is always a wonderful taste sensation, and you will never have a "step by step" of how he got there (unless you sit and watch!!)

Here are some of the spices he says he used for this fabulous Middle Eastern chicken and rice feast:

Simple Chicken marinade:

Salt, whole and crushed peppercorn, paprika, ground cumin and coriander, fenugreek (ground or whole leaf), harissa and turmeric. 

This marinated chicken is grilled for a delicious BBQ angle to the dish. 

Now for the basmati rice concoction: ( I think...)

In olive oil, saute lots of onion union until golden, add chopped garlic, ginger. Don't forget the bay leaf!

Add spice mixture of cinnamon, cumin, cilantro, turmeric, cardamom, harissa, paprika.

Add lots of pitted dates. WOW, what a great addition, they kind of melt while staying whole.

Add the rice to toast in this scented saute and cover with water. You can add a hit of chicken stock or Bovril. Cover the pan for about 10 min or until rice is cooked.

Garnish with toasted almonds. YUM!

This is one of the best rice combinations I have ever tasted. It is simply mouth watering.

Serve the chicken and rice on one big platter.

Garnish your plate with fresh parsley or cilantro, dollop of yogourt, squeeze of lemon or lime. 

Hope I didn't miss anything...I probably did, but you get the gist of it, right!!

Such a winner to enjoy for a family or group meal!!

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Beloved Quick Bernaise Sauce

If you love Paris, and you love steak, you probably love Bernaise sauce. This luxurious sauce just takes you there. That buttery, tangy, tarragon lemony sensation that is dipping heaven for steak. I dream of it...

So finally, tried a quick homemade version that worked with dried tarragon. Who knew it could be so incredibly delicious, and too easy! Really underestimated this microwave sauce that was just perfect with a BBQ flank steak. Will become a staple with steak and salmon for sure. 

In a small microwavable bowl, melt 1/4 c. butter. Once melted, whisk in:

a finely minced shallot

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 beaten egg yolks

2 tbsp. Cream or yogourt 

1.5 tsp. Lemon juice 

Touch of salt

1 tsp. Dried tarragon 

1 tsp or more finely chopped fresh parsley (dried works too)

Whisk all together. That's it!

Then, in 20 second intervals, 2 or 3 times, microwave and whisk the sauce until a thicker consistency unfolds. It takes a couple of times to thicken even if you think it isn't, it will! 

Serve right away, will be so warm and velvety. Steak, salad and Bernaise, dreamy, tellement délicieux! 

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PLEEEZZZE! Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

Ridiclulous times call for ridiculous desserts. This is where a decadent peanut butter chocolate pie comes in. A few quick steps, a long chill and a little sliver at a time. This pie can feed a troop...VOILA!

Make a regular graham cracker crust in a pie dish. Add some cocoa powder to the mix for that extra dash of choco fix. Bake for about 15 min or so, until set.

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, combine until whippy:
1 cup of peanut butter
1/3 c. of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. Greek yogourt

Once the crust is ready, smooth the peanut butter mixture into the pie and chill for about 15 min.

In the meantime, make the top layer of chocolate creaminess:
For the microwave, in a medium size bowl, combine 1.5 c. of choco chips, I like semi- sweet dark, and 2 tbsp of heavy cream. In 30 second intervals, 2 or 3, melt the chocolate until glossy and smooth. Let cool for a bit.

Now, whip 1/2 c. of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into this, and watch a lovely, light-ish and creamy mixture emerge. This now is the top layer to the pie.

Once the chocolate layer is placed onto the pie, into the fridge it goes for a few hours to chill and set. Take it out of the fridge about 30 min before serving.

Of all my un-refined plebeian baking over the years, this might be the richest concoction yet. So, one bite at a time...so, so yummy. 

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Chinese Orange Chicken with Crispy Noodles

I'm not really sure how this Chinese inspired dinner came together. I can only say that under these "C" confinement times, we were craving the flavours and crispiness of some of our favorite Chinese  dishes, Orange beef and Crispy noodles with vegg.

Since we had chicken thighs, not beef, my son began the quest in our fridge and cupboard for the scents and spices for a baked Orange chicken concoction. Some of the key ingredients for the perfumed basting liquid are: 1/2 cup to a cup of olive oil, (amount depending on how much sauce you are making) star anise, bay leaf, orange juice and strips of zest, whole dried chili pepper, crushed black peppercorn, garlic, ginger, brown sugar...all of this came together in a pan and reduced for a saucy chicken bake at 325F for about 1.5 hours. I think this could also be done on the stove top in a big pan, covered for part of the cooking.

My daughter loves, but loves crispy noodles. We all do. We have never prepared them this way, but it really worked out! Topped with any vegg you think would go well, we had fresh broccolini and a can of water chestnuts. We blanched the greens before incorporating them into the sauce below. I would consider using the frozen Asian vegg packs too which I suppose you could also blanch or microwave the get the freeze out.

Pre-heat the oven at 300F if you are making a lot so they keep warm while you make the oodles of crispy noodles in batches. 

We boiled dried "chow mien" or ramen noodles for a few minutes and then drained.

To crisp them up, you need quite a bit of canola oil and a hit of sesame oil in a large frying pan or wok and get it truly hot. Place a pancake kind of layer of noodles in the pan (spread them out), and once golden, flip them. Keep doing this until all are done.

In the meantime, make a sauce that you will cook in a pan, saute the vegg in, and eventually pour over the noodles. We used lots of Oyster sauce as the main base, soy sauce, sesame oil, pasty garlic that we mircroplaned. Minced ginger or lemongrass would also work well. Next time, we would consider thickening this with a bit of a cornstarch slurry when cooking.

Place your noodles on a platter and pour the saucy vegg on top. Garnish with fresh scallions and toasted sesame seed.

This entire feast was such a winner, we can't wait to make it again!

        

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BA's Shockingly Fabulous Focaccia Bread

I admit, I have never made any recipe with "yeast" due to sheer fear. This recipe crossed our eyes from Bon Appetit with one of our fave foodies, Samin Nosrat, and just sounded too good to be true. Should we dare? Beloved focaccia... so we hovered over my daughter while she attacked the seemingly daunting task. To our great delight, it was beyond simple to make and the end result was even better than we could have imagined. Better even than our new favorite down the street Italian cafe's focaccia bread . Now that's hard to beat! And it beat it indeed.

Here it goes...and it's an overnight process or at least 8 hours of resting:
In a large bowl, whisk together:
5 cups of all purpose white flour
5 tsp. salt, Diamond Crystal worked great. (can't scrimp on the salt, key flavour)

In 2.5 cups of lukewarm tap water, add 2- 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast and 2 tsp. honey. Mix this up and it turns cloudy. Leave it sit for about 5 minutes and some fermenting bubbles should form. If this doesn't happen, the yeast is probably not good. Add the yeasty water to the flour and mix with a spatula and/or your hands until a nice shaggy dough forms. (no dry streaks)

In another large bowl (as the dough will expand to double its girth) pour 4 tbsp. (or more, more is good) of extra virgin olive oil. It does matter that the oil you use is of great quality. It's incredible how much the oil perfumes the final product. Add the flour into this bowl and collect the dough with your hands, rolling it around in the oil while making a nice ball. Cover with saran and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.

An alternate choice is to set the dough aside at room temperature to rise for 3-4 hours. We haven't tried this method yet, but we will!

After an overnight rise, the dough looks amazing, "alive", bubbly. Now it's time to stretch out the dough onto a large cookie sheet sized pan, or two for a more thin crusty bread. We loved the thick, light airy bread that is baked in 1 pan and we were blown away by the moistness once cooked. (We tried the 2 pan method to make a pizza thin bread, what a hit!)

Let the dough rest more once in the pan, at least an hour or so, it will still rise more. We left it a really long time before baking. Then, with all your fingers, strongly poke around the top of the dough, making small pools. On goes lots of olive oil, don't be shy.

Then comes the SECRET we only learned from Samin on the BA YouTube spot. Make a small glass of brine, 1/3 cup water and 1.5 tsp. salt, and pour straight onto the dough. It collects in the finger-made pools and then top with even more oil. WOW! Just doing it makes you feel like this bread will be special.

We topped our bread with lots of flaky sea salt and lots of dried rosemary.

In a 450F oven, the bread bakes for about 20-30 min. You want the underneath and crust to be nice and golden brown.

We were surprised at how fabulously this bread turned out. We keep making it!!

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THE BEST Oatmeal Muffins

My daughter wanted to make these muffins and went onto the blog only to ask, "where's that recipe Mom"? We can't believe it isn't on the blog, we've only made this recipe about 1000 times! It is simple, the moistest, best tasting oatmeal thing.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine 1 cup of large flake oatmeal with 1 cup of boiling water and let it sit. This is the key to this recipe.

In a medium bowl, cream with a mixer:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 c. softened butter (1 stick)
then, add 2 eggs and a tsp. of vanilla and combine

To this mixture, add through a sieve:
1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda (thanks Jackie!)
With a wooden spoon, stir in the moistened oatmeal.

Add your choice of any dried fruit, any type of chocolate chips, coconut, nuts etc. Beef it up!

Bake for 20 min or so. They are so bloody good!

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Fantastic "Reuben" Frauds

Looking in the fridge for lunch in these crazy "C" word times. Seeing sauerkraut and cold cuts...thinking rich Reuben sandwiches! Swapped corned beef for whatever meats we had, (turkey, capicolli) havarti cheese for swiss, milti-grain bread for rye, and made homemade Russian dressing. 

1.5 cups mayo

3 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp horsradish

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Some sugar and paprika

Place bread, buttered side down in large pan to grill. Slather the dressing on the bread and top with cheese, meat and loads of sauerkraut. More dressing and the other buttered slice. Then flip! 

Very rich sandwiches, so mouthwatering, especially with some of your favorite chips! Once or twice a year kinda thing...but oh so damn good!! 

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"Creuset" Beef Ragu and Pasta

When we say, let's have a "Creuset" around here, we are likely speaking about this dish! Again, comfort food for the ages. 

You need a large piece of fatty beef, affordable cut, chuck or similar. "Bon, pas cher", cheap and cheerful. Bone in or out, doesn't matter. 

Brown the beef in the Dutch oven pot, canola oil, some chopped onion. I love tons of salt, pepper, dried rosemary, garlic salt and some paprika. Sprinkle a little flour on the beef and don't move it around in the pot until browned. Then flip. 

Once done on both sides, add: can of tomatoes, whole or diced and liquid until 3/4 up the sides of the beef ex: wine, chicken stock, water with Bovril etc. Throw into the pot: a head of garlic in skin and a few bay leaves. 

Cover meat with a piece of parchment paper or foil and pop the pot into the oven at 275F degrees for about 3 hours. Meat will fall apart. 

Serve atop any pasta, spaghetti squash or even better...soft cheesy creamy polenta! Garnish with finely chopped parsley and lemon zest and/or lots of parm cheese. Yum! 

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Savoury Slow Cooked Pork and Chickpeas

Another winner in the comfort food category, so succulent braised in white wine for a velvety "zumi" (sauce) with the creamy chickpeas.  Just delicious. The fennel seeds and bay leaves lend a very aromatic sense to this dish.   I made this with a large pork shoulder, but I can also imagine how nice this would be with a large grain fed chicken or chicken pieces, maybe bone - in thighs.

Pre-heat oven to 325F degrees

Crush together: (in a mortar and pestle or grinder, not too fine though)
1.5 tsp. crushed chili pepper flakes
1 tbsp. whole black peppercorns
1 tbsp. fennel seed
1.5 tbsp. course salt

Rub this mixture onto the meat covering all. I like to cut the meat into very large chunks so the seasoning gets onto more of the surfaces and into the crevasses.  Let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours if you can.

Brown meat on all sides in a large Creuset type pot that will eventually go into the oven. Once done, remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Discard most of the rendered fat and continue to brown:

1 large onion, chunked
1 whole head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
4 or 5 bay leaves

Once well combined and slightly golden, add the meat back to the pot and add:
2 cups of dry white wine and 2 cups of water. I like to spritz a bit of Bovril chicken stock into the "zumi" for depth. The meat should NOT be covered with liquid. This is a braise.

Cover the meat with parchment paper (push down onto the food, keeps steam in) and seal on the pot lid. Transfer the pot into the oven and let cook for about an hour. Turn the meat, and keep cooking for another 1.5 to 2 hours until the meat is pull - away tender. At this point, add 2 cans of chickpeas into the pot for another 15 minutes or so, till warmed through. You can mash them a bit before or keep them whole.

Serve this in bowls all by itself or on top of rice. Garnish with chopped parsley combined with tons of lemon zest. The "zumi" is fabulous, and could easily be sopped up by a nice baguette, or simply slurped.

Leftovers make a terrific taco filling!

I am salivating at the thought...

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