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 or 1large pyrex with tons of icing.

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 to 1 cup sugar

1.5 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 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

Zest of 1 orange

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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