Avocado & Honey

Oven Chips

2010-09-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

The first time I had these was when my brother-in-law, Manish came to visit over Christmas. He helped us prepare christmas dinner and made these wonderful oven chips.

Ingredients:

thinly sliced potatoes
a few tablespoons of cornstarch
pinch of salt, pepper
pinch of chilli powder
few tablespoons of rosemary

Mix all the ingredients, place on a baking tray and splash with some olive oil. Bake for about 20min.

Imagine oven potatoes sizzling along side some rosemary...Smells delicious. Serve this dish hot and cripy alongisde some sour cream (optional).

Quiche

2010-09-18T14:31:00.001-07:00

A slice of Quiche celebrates brunch at its best. You can transform your left-over ingredients into a new dish by mixing them with some eggs, cream and cheese. Some of my favourite combinations are brocoli and cheese, tomatoes and goat cheese, leeks, peppers and cheese or mushroom and cheese or bacon and cheese. All you need is cheese, right? : )

For the crust:
Mix together in a food processor:

250g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
200g cold butter (cut in small cubes)
1/2 cup cold water (Add gradually as you may require more or less)

For the filling:
Mix together in a bowl:

3 eggs
1/2 cup of whipping cream or whole milk
1/4 cup grated cheese
pinch of salt and pepper
a big handful of the meat / vegetables of your choice

Roll the dough onto a pie dish, add the filling and bake at 375 F for about 30 min.

Most of the time, I use cheddar cheese in my filling. You can experiment with whatever you like. Also, if you usually use herbs in our omelettes, go ahead and add that also.

In this last one I made, I used leeks, a mix of colourful peppers and cheddar cheese. Serve alongside a hot tea on a cold day or fresh orange spritzer on a warm day.

Enjoy!

Mango Salad

2010-06-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Mango has got to be one of favourite fruits. I can have mangoes any time, any day. I'll even eat them when I don't have an appetite!

Growing up, we had mango trees in our backyard. I can’t tell you when exactly I learned how to peel one but I definitely remember helping myself to delicious mangoes after school as a young teenager. When I first moved to Canada, I probably didn't buy mangoes for a long time as I couldn't bring myself to spend more than a dollar on each! Anyhow as with everything, the shock dissipates after some time. It's not easy to get good mangoes in Canada. Forget about sweet ripe ones...These are like winning the lottery. If you're lucky that day, you might get a good one : ) If you buy the mangoes while they're semi-ripe and wait for it to ripen on your counter, it doesn't always taste great. So my favourite way to eat mangoes here is in salads, Thai style. That way, you can enjoy them semi-ripe and it doesn't really matter whether it's a little on the green or ripe side...

I use very few ingredients when I make mango salad but every time I make it, I also add other "salad" ingredients I have on hand.

The basic ingredients are:

mangoes (semi-ripe)
lemon/lime juice
herb of choice (mint, coriander, green onion)

I can eat the salad with just the above ingredients. I'll add a splash of olive oil and dash of salt if I'm serving it to others : ) Other ingredients that I also like in mango salad are:

avocados
red peppers
red onion
green chillies (to taste)
mix salad leaves
bean sprouts
crushed nuts

As simple as this. Delicious mangoes.

Pita Bread

2010-06-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

I once watched Chef Michael Smith's trip to Istanbul on TV. It was everything you'd expect from a food adventure; visits to local markets, bakeries and pastry shops. Everything looked wonderful and made with so much passion. What a privilege it would be to experience all that.

A few weeks later, by coincidence, a friend mentioned a shop in Toronto that sells all kinds of middle eastern breads. What an interesting shopping experience that was. I had never seen pita bread as thin as crepes and some longer than an arm's length! If you want to see what I mean, check out Arz Bakery in Toronto. If you live in Montreal, try Marché Adonis.

Well, true to my style, I just had to look for a home baker's recipe for pita bread to see if I could get some of that fresh taste from my kitchen : ) And I found it in a book called "Pain" which you can buy from a Premiere Moisson bakery in Montreal.

Here are the ingredients:

2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

My take on making bread is don't think and don't fuss about it too much. Mix, shape, bake and see how it turns out. I really liked what Tarek says to Walter in the movie The Visitor when he's teaching him to play the African drum. "Don't think" he says. Just play. Is it ridiculous to take that approach with bread making? Perhaps. Some people think of it of an exact science right? Do whatever works for you. After all, why do something if you're not going to enjoy it.

So here's a general guideline to the recipe.

Mix everything and let rise until doubled in size. Then, divide into 8 balls. Use a dusting of extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Leave to rest for 30 min. My favourite technique to shape dough into balls is to pull the sides, gathering the ends at the bottom. Pinch the bottom and you'll have perfect round shapes each time. Even my husband can do this and he's ready to lend a hand too!

After you've given the dough time to relax, flatten each ball to a flat bread shape. Thin crust or thick crust? It's up to you. Leave the dough to rest for another 30 min and bake in the oven at 450F for about 10 min. You'll be amazed at the lovely tasty pockets that come out of your oven!

Tada! a keeper.

Try it with some humus or baba ganoush or fill with your favourite sandwich toppings like shredded cheese and lettuce. Excellent.

Not-so-Montreal Bagels

2010-05-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Guy, St Catherine, St Mathieu, Atwater, Rene Levesque...this was my neighbourhood when I was a student in Montreal. That was quite the location. Everything was at my doorstep. I shared an appartment with my sister, Nathalie, and she taught me where to get good eats. From time to time, we would get hazelnut coffee from Java U and head to Rene Levesque for wonderful breads. We got croissants from a small bakery on St Mathieu, groceries from the Faubourg, where we would also buy fancy cheeses, cold cuts, the best pad thai in the country and also wonderful bagels. ahhhh...the list is long...

The neighbourhood has changed a lot since then and some of our favourite spots have unfortunately closed. The bagel guy still operates, although not as much as before.

I am pretty sure Nathalie helped refine my taste buds. When she was still in high school, she used to make wonderful things like Crêpe with bechamel sauce, chocolate mousse, Bavarois à l'ananas...mmm mmm mmm. We don't get to spent too much time together anymore. We're separated by oceans. So I'm dedicating this one to her as good bagels remind me of good times in Montreal.

Here's the recipe.

In a food processor, pulse:

one medium onion

Remove the onion from the bowl and reserve for later use.

Without washing the bowl, add to the food processor:

4 cups bread flour
1 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt

Turn the food processor on and while the motor is running, add:

1 3/4 cups water (room temperature)

Process the dough for 2-3 minutes, until it becomes soft and heats up a little bit. Transfer the dough to a board and knead briefly. Place the dough back in the food processor. Process for a minute and knead again on a board. Repeat this process a 3-4 times to work the dough so it becomes very smooth and strong.

Allow the dough to rest (2 hrs) until it doubles in volume. When the dough has doubled in size, cut it into 12 round pieces and allow to rest for 1 hr.

To prepare the onion, in a low heat pan:

Fry the onion with some olive oil and stir until the onion caramelizes into a paste

Stretch each dough ball out slightly, making a hole in the middle for the bagel shape. Spread a little bit (1/4 tsp) of the onion paste on top. Bake in a 450 F oven for about 15 min.

Smell the aroma in the house... It's quite wonderful.

These aren't quite the Montreal bagels from my old neighbourhood but they're very satisfying and till the next time you can get the authentic Montreal bagels... Yummy.

Date and Walnut Buns

2010-05-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Ever gone to a dim sum restaurant and ordered sweet buns? Well these are similar but I am using dates and walnuts as stuffing instead and I'm also adding the traditional spices you find in hot cross buns.

In a sauce pan, warm up the following until the butter melts:

150 ml milk
50g butter
crushed cardamom seeds (2 pods)
1 clove

Let the mixture to infuse off the heat. Strain the spices out when the liquid cools down. Then add:

1 egg

In a stand mixer, add:

400g whole wheat flour (or bread flour or a mixture if you prefer)
1 1/2 tsp yeast
zest of an orange
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
all of the egg mixture

Knead and let the dough rest until doubled in size.

Prepare the dates by placing:

2 cups dates, just enough boiling water to cover

Leave the dates to soften for a few minutes, then strain, dry excess water, and chop into pieces. Prepare the walnuts by chopping:

1/2 cups of walnuts (reserve about 2 tbsp for the topping)

When the dough is ready, cut off a small piece, stretch it out a little. Sprinkle with some date and walnut pieces and roll up into a small bun. Repeat until you've used up all the dough and let it rest for about 40 min. Sprinkle the top with a few walnut pieces and bake at 400 F for 15-20 min.

Prepare a glaze for the buns by mixing:

1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp boiling water

When the buns are ready, spoon over some of the glaze. Step back and admire your hard work; whole wheat buns stuffed with sweet dates and walnut crunch.

Coconut Macaroons

2010-05-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

Coconut macaroons, coconut rocks, coconut pyramids, gato coco (in creole) are many names I've come across for this recipe. This one comes from a cooking class from when I was about 13 years old. It's made with condensed milk, grated coconut and egg whites. You can flavour this any way you like. I added cocoa once (although, next time I'd rather use dark chocolate chunks) and I also tried it with roasted almonds. A friend of mine has suggested cardamom which I have yet to try. My favourite, though, is a classic basic recipe with a dash of vanilla.

Mix together:

a can of condensed milk (300 ml)
3-4 cups of grated coconut (If using fresh, squeeze some of the water out)
dash of vanilla

Fold in:

2 egg whites beaten to stiff peaks

Fold the egg whites in the coconut mixture. Spoon the batter on a lined tray and bake at 400 F for about 15-20 min.

The challenge will be to not eat a handful of these : )

Cheese Biscuits

2010-05-15T09:01:00.001-07:00

Cheese biscuits are comfort food any time of the day. They pair up well with a cup of tea, a bowl of stew or just on their own. I used to make them with bread flour only but recently I've started sneaking in some whole wheat flour. I once read that whole wheat is a better option than adding bran to recipes since bran doesn't have the nutrients that whole wheat has. So when we have the option, why not use some whole wheat flour?

"Whole wheat makes a tough dough," you ask? In my opinion, these are still really light and fluffy. Give them a try!

In a food processor, pulse the following ingredients together:

250g bread flour
250g whole wheat flour
30g baking powder
125g unsalted butter

Grate:

125g cheddar cheese and reserve for later

In a separate bowl, combine:

1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt

Place the flour mixture in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in all the buttermilk mixture, followed by the grated cheese. Mix using the handle of a wooden spoon and finish combining with your hands. Speed is key in this step. Overworking the dough will produce tough biscuits.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface (even if not yet combined completely) and shape into a ball. Let the dough rest for a few minutes.

Then roll out the dough to about 1 1/2 cm, cut into shapes, place on a lined tray and brush with an egg wash (or milk or cream). Bake at 400 F for about 15 min.

Voilà!

Basic Rustic Bread

2010-05-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Growing up, we always had fresh bread (pain maison) in the house every morning. They came in individual sizes with a signature slit in the middle that's so typical of this type of bread. The crust - perfect and rustic. The crumb - soft and has a good bite. Pain maison was the staple of all breads.

This recipe is reminiscent of pain maison. It's effortlessly glorious and rustic. This is the only bread recipe that I make by hand. It doesn't take kneading at all. Roughly mix all the ingredients in the order below in a very large mixing bowl. Don't worry about getting all the ingredients to distribute evenly. The whole process is a matter of a few minutes only. Wet your hands towards the end to make things easier.

This recipe makes about 5 medium size loaves. I usually bake two loaves and refrigerate the rest. This way, I can have fresh bread for the rest of the week!

Dough:

3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
1/2 cup rye flour (or substitue for another type of flour you've been dying to try like semolina flour, spelt or kamut)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp salt

Leave the dough to rest for a couple of hours or until doubled in size. To make a loaf, sprinkle some flour on the surface of your dough and cut off a piece of dough (size of a grapefruit). Flour your hands and stretch the surface of the dough gently and around to the bottom. This will help smooth the surface of the dough. Pinch the dough closed at the bottom and let it rest on a well floured surface (or sheet lined with parchment paper) for 40min.

You can either use up the rest of the dough by making additional loaves or refrigerate it for use later.

Baking:
Organize 2 shelves in your oven. One in the middle and the other in the bottom third of the oven. If you have a pizza stone, place on the middle rack. Preheat to 450 F while your dough is resting. When ready, sprinkle some flour on your dough, slash the top a few times and slide your dough on the middle rack. Add a pan with a cup of boiling water on the lower rack to add steam to your oven. Bake for 40 min.

There they are! Golden and fabulous.

If you can resiste the temptation, let the loaves cool down completely before tearing into them. The crumb will be much better. Reheat your bread slightly if you want to have it warm later.

You can add more flavour to your bread by stretching the dough like you would a pizza dough and adding a few toppings like herbs, nuts etc. Try oregano, few chunks of fresh figs, garlic and sharp cheddar cheese. I won't even mention waiting till the bread cools down completely : ) May I suggest pairing this warm bread with a creamy Bleu d'Auvergne?... ah, so delicious. Perhaps I've lost a few of readers at the mention of blue cheese? mmm...

One last thing, if taking dough from the refrigerator, cut off a piece of dough, shape and let come to room temperature for about 45min before baking.

Pumpkin Soup and Accompaniments

2010-04-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

I adore pumpkin soup! This is a true statement. I don't know anyone who doesn't like it. You could call it cheap and cheerful if you want. Although on second thought, perhaps "cheap" isn't the right word to use next to this really gorgeous soup. Pumpkin soup is light, warm, velvetty and has perfect sweetness - not too sweet, not too rich.

There's really no point to an exact recipe to make pumpkin soup. It's more of a throw in the pan, cook, blend and eat technique : ) So treat this post as a general guideline. If you've never had pumpkin soup, I really hope you try it. It's goooood.

Pumpkin is usually sold in wedges from the supermarket. So buy a big wedge, remove the skin, cut the pumpkin in pieces and throw in a pan. Also add one onion cut in large chunks and enough water to cover most (but not all) of the vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are soft (about 10 min) and remove off the heat.

Well, that's it really. I don't add anything else, not even salt during the cooking. You could substitue the water for chicken stock if you want but I prefer the lightness of the soup with just water.

When the vegetables have cooled slightly, puree the vegetables and spoon into a bowl.

For final touches, add a dollop of sour cream/yoghurt, sprinkle some sharp cheddar cheese, pinch of salt and pepper. If you have fresh thyme leaves on hand, add a tiny bit of that too. Careful not to add too much thyme. The first time you make it, less is better. Add more next time if you want.

You could also try it with milk or cream instead of the sour cream/yoghurt. That is delicious too!

Unless you know you're finishing the whole pot of soup, I would suggest adding any type of dairy direcly in your bowl instead of the pot. This will give you better peace of mind that your soup will keep better in the fridge for the next day.

To accompany the soup, try some fresh bread and roasted garlic. This combination is to die for.

To make the roasted garlic, simply cut the top of a garlic head. Place the rest on a piece of foil. Sprinkle some salt, pepper, olive oil and herb of your choice. Close the foil and place in a hot oven for about 30min. I usually sneak this into an oven if I am baking bread! When it's ready, squeeze the garlic and spread on some bread. Now about those little chunks of garlic we cut off from the garlic head, I'm sure you'll find good use for them right?...

Whatever accompaniment you choose, I hope you enjoy some pumpkin soup.

Olive Bread

2010-04-26T04:12:00.000-07:00

This recipe has become a favourite in my house. It's really versatile. You can flavour it any way you want. Try your favourite pizza toppings. The process is a bit lengthy but picture the main stages:

Make the Starter
Mix the Starter with all ingredients for the Dough
Add the olives
Bake

With some mixing action and patience, you're on the way to fabulous bread. So let's start.

Starter:
Look forward to making the Starter. Imagine a bowl of rich bubbliness... There's no better homemade feeling than this. Mix all ingredients with a fork and let rise until doubled in size.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup warm water
3/4 tsp yeast (I use traditional)

To test the temperature of the water, place a finger in the water. You should be able to leave it in at least 30 secs. Otherwise, it's probably too hot.

Dough:
Life will be so much easier if you use a stand mixer. In your mixer bowl, add the following ingredients in this order.

All of the Starter
2 cups warm water + 2 tsp yeast + 1 tbsp honey (Whisk gently to dissolve)
4 cups bread flour
2 3/4 tsp salt

Using a wooden spoon, stir to get all the ingredients roughly. This will prevent chances that you'll get flour all over your counter. Then, with the dough hook on, switch the machine on for 5 min. Let rest for 15 min.

Start the machine again for about 7 min. If needed, increase the speed and allow the dough to flap against the sides of the bowl and get more elastic.

Hope you're enjoying the recipe so far. At this point your dough looks really sticky, elastic and quite runny. It's time to add the olives.

Olives:
Feel free to experiment with your favourite toppings for this bread. I use a combination of herbs and olives. Last time I made this bread, I also put in a few slivers chunks of garlic. Every time my husband got some garlic, he happily referred to them as surprises : )

2 tbsp rosemary + oregano
1 1/2 cup cut olives (I use a mixture of kalamata, sundried black olives and green olives)
A few small slivers of garlic

Add the above to your mixer bowl. Give it a few more swirls in the machine. Switch it off and transfer to a bigger bowl. Let the dough rise for an hour or so until doubled.

Baking:
Here we go, final steps!

Pre-heat oven at 400 F
Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper
Transfer the dough into sheet pans (It's a bit tricky but do it with confidence, you can do it!)
Let rise for 45 min (Do not skip this step as your dough won't rise as much as you expect it to)
Bake for about 40 min. Check it half way through the cooking and turn the pan.

Smell the goodness? : ) Enjoy!

Easy Mango Pudding

2010-04-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

It's mid afternoon and I'm enjoying a day off at home. It's early spring and while I'm appreciating the weather getting nicer, today isn't quite warm enough for my comfort level.

I start to feel peckish. I can't believe it given I had a very generous portion of sushi for lunch. "What's to eat?" I ask... I remembered seeing my husband snacking on some yoghurt earlier. So inspired, I came up with the Easy Mango Pudding.

Try it. It's delicious and easy to make. Enjoy.

Photography - Courtesy of photoRK.com

Ingredients:

1 mango
1/2 tbsp Honey
1/4 cup Low Fat Yoghurt
dash of Vanilla
1 tbsp toasted pecan
1 tbsp toasted coconut

Directions:

Dice the mango and place in a bowl
Add some honey to taste
Stir in the yoghurt and vanilla
Garnish with toasted pecan and coconut

The Beginning

2010-04-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

April 17, 2010, a date to remember. I am really excited. I finally have a place to keep all my favourite recipes and blog about my adventures. Hopefully life will be full of them.

You always hear famous actors say how their parents were their biggest fans. I feel the same. In my spare time, I love to try new baking recipes. It takes a lot of trial and error but I know what I like and sometimes, $$$$Jackpot - I hit a sweet spot. Mum understands this passion. She's always so happy to hear about the new recipes. I can't wait to share this link with her : )

So to mum and everybody, I hope you'll join me as I post some of my favourite food adventures!