We’re had Gordon and Angela over for dinner this past Saturday and of course, I am still on this Tapas kick so we’re doing Tapas Around the World Part III. Recently a dear friend’s mother reached out asking about tips and tricks to serve a successful tapas dinner (at least, in my own little mind, they have been successful!!), so this post will focus on my tips and tricks! Hope it helps, Noni!

1. 4-6 (including yourselves) is an ideal grouping for tapas, more than 6 is a cocktail party!
2. Mix it up – serve cold, room temperature and hot dishes so that you’re not standing in the kitchen the entire time.
3. Mix up sharing portions and mini individual portions (this allows some who are hungrier to help themselves to a second helping).
4. Prepare in advance and make notes on what’s next (there will always be distractions when you entertain, so I find the notes extremely helpful to make sure I don’t forget something!)
5. KIS – keep it simple. Don’t plan to make something complicated that will take you away from your guests for more than 5-10 minutes at a time.
6. Plan your plating. I generally take out all the dishes I am planning to use and have them ready in the order of the courses. This way you’re not scrambling to find something last minute (check out Tap Phong on Spadina in Toronto, the most amazing store for unique, inexpensive plates!).
7. Plan to have things your spouse can do (such as grilling), that way you can share the cooking time and alternate being with your guests.
8. Use prepared sauces adjusting to your specific taste; you don’t have to make everything from scratch!
9. Multi purpose for example, two out of the three desserts will have Crème Anglais, one I will heat, the other will be served cold.
10. Determine where courses will be eaten (we like to begin the kitchen on our soapstone island and end up in the living room in front of a roaring fire, but you can also move around, depending on what you are serving).
11. Wrap necessary cutlery in a napkin per person and have it ready in the living room (or where ever you plan to eat your tapas).

I have had good success with four rounds of three (four stages, each with three small portions or sharing portions). I will often try to incorporate a portion of something that I have made in bulk and frozen sometime previously and just have to cook/bake – that takes off some pressure of creating everything from scratch just for that meal. You can also mix it up with store-bought items and some home-made to help with the work load.

This is the menu for last Saturday night, my notes for pre-preparation (to do the day or days in advance) are below and the order of preparation (during the dinner party) are below that. It’s a lot more prep work ahead of time, but it does give you a lot more time to enjoy your guests.

Round 1: Thai

• Lemongrass soup (May be prepared 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated. Reheat in microwave when ready to serve). I left out the shrimp this time, due to an aversion to seafood.
• Pork Saté and peanut sauce (Prepare morning of, soak wooden skewers, marinate pork and refrigerate until ready to grill; Prepare peanut sauce in advance or use store bought, refrigerate).
• 10-ingredient slaw (Prepare the morning of, keeping the wetter ingredients separate from the drier ones (such as cucumbers are wet, cabbage is dry) so the slaw stays crunchy. Combine and dress just before serving).

Round 2: Spain

• Chorizo and Tomato Sausage (Prepare raw ingredients and combine, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, ready for a quick fry).
• Onion and Orange Salad (Prepare in advance so the onions have time to mellow). Store covered in refrigerator, I store in serving dish to save time later.
• Bacon wrapped dates (I generally make these in bulk, so all I have to do is pulled out the required quantity from the freezer and bake when ready to serve).

Round 3: India

• Onion Bhaji with mango sauce (I prepared a bulk quantity of onion bhaja’s in advance and froze them – you can buy ready made bhaja’s to simplify. Now I have onion bhaja’s for another couple tapas dinners; Mango sauce was Sensations from Sobeys with a minor adjustment)
• Mini Naan with Butter Chicken (I made butter chicken for dinner on Wednesday night and made too much on purpose; you can do this virtually with anything!)
• Carrot Pickle (I made this a couple of days in advance, but you can buy ready made condiments just as easily).

Round 4: France

• Madeleine’s with Crème Anglais (I generally make Madeleine’s in bulk and freeze, so I just pull out the number I need). I made Crème Anglais the night before for another dinner party, so I just made too much and refrigerated)
• Crêpe Suzette (I made Crèpes for breakfast the day before, and as usual, I made too much batter so I decided to make the crèpes for the tapas in advance and refrigerate. Remember that these are small portions so the crèpes are only 5″ in diameter!).
• Ile Flottante (Crème Anglais from night before; I made the Ile the morning of).

Below is an example of what my notes would be a few days prior to the event:

Prepare a couple of days in advance:

1. Cook lemongrass soup, cool and refrigerate.
2. Create onion bhajas and freeze (I ran out of my stash, so I had to make them again).
3. Create Bacon wrapped dates and freeze (I ran out of my stash, so I had to make them again).
4. Butter Chicken (I planned to make this for dinner during the week and reserve a small portion for Saturday night – about one to two chicken chunks per person).
5. Prepare Carrot pickle (this needs to sit in the dressing a few days to allow it to pickle). Refrigerate.
6. Make crèpes, cover and refrigerate.
7. Make Crème Anglais, cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Prepare the day of (this takes about 3 hours or so):

1. Marinate pork with a store bought peanut marinate (I altered mine to my taste) and skewer on soaked wooden sticks, wrap in cello and refrigerate.
2. Prepare the ingredients for the 10-ingredient slaw; keep wet ingredients such as mango and cucumber separate to the drier ones such as radish and cabbage. Do not dress until 10 minutes before serving (doing so will wilt the slaw and it will become too sloppy).
3. Prepare the onion and orange salad (chop a few extra onions for the chorizo, this saves time). This salad needs to be dressed in advance so that the citrus can mellow the onion. Cover well and refrigerate (not covering will make your fridge smell like onions!)
4. Crêpe Suzette: prepare the orange liquor sauce and reserve (no need to refrigerate).
5. Prepare the Ile Flottante and allow to cool, refrigerate. (I put the ile into the individual dishes, covered and refrigerated so all I had to do was pour the Crème Anglais on top, and one of my three dessert courses was complete!).

The Main Event. My actual notes are not nearly as detailed, but since I am giving pointers, I thought I would add as much detail and thought behind my madness!

1. Guests arrive and beverages are served in the kitchen. I asked JT to grill pork satays, so the men do that outdoors while the women chat in the kitchen. We continued to chat and eat pork satay with peanut sauce in the kitchen.
2. JT had prepared a fire in the fireplace in advance, so all he had to do was light it. We moved to the living room and JT lit the fire. This gave me a moment to clean up the kitchen a bit and heat up the soup in the microwave. While the soup is heating, I assembled the slaw and dressed it. On a large tray, we served the individual soup cups, and small plates for the sharing portion of the slaw. The lovely thing about tapas is that you can pace yourselves, so if one coarse is heavier, take a few extra minutes before serving the next round!
3. We cleared the dishes and JT cut the bread, and brought out plates for the Spanish tapas, which were all sharing portions. The onion and orange salad was prepared in advance so all I did was pour it into the previously chosen serving bowl. The bacon wrapped dates take about 10 minutes on 375•F and the chorizo and tomato takes about 6 minutes. I cooked the chorizo while the dates were baking. We served it all at once. Because this course was sharing, it took a bit longer to eat particularly with the great conversations we were having!
4. Because the courses are getting heavier, I waited for the Spanish course to be 1/2 finished before I put the rice on for the butter chicken. It takes 20 minutes and I wanted about 10-15 minutes between courses.
5. When we cleared the dishes from the Spanish course, I started heating the butter chicken in the microwave (sauce and chicken heating separately, to keep the chicken whole and not mushy). The onion bhaji’s go into the oven for about 10 minutes on 350•F to heat through (they are already cooked from deep frying previously, I just need to reheat). The sauce for the bhaji was prepared in advance and was ready waiting on the serving platter. The pickle was also prepared in advance and already in the serving dish.
6. The Indian course was served at once.
7. Dessert had a bit more time between. I had previously plated the Ile Flottante so I just had to pour the Crème Anglais over it. Then I heated the remainder Crème Anglais for the Madeleine’s. The mini crépes had been prepared in advance, as had the orange sauce for the Crépes Suzettes. I heated the sauce in a pan, added the crépes and heated them through. Once the crépes were done, I plated and added the finishing touches and served. In the meantime, JT made espressos and dessert was enjoyed by the fire.

Tapas seem like a lot of work, but it really is a well orchestrated symphony of courses. I’d love to hear your comments about your tapas dinner. Please let me know how it works out.

I have been really bad about blogging lately. My hesitation is that I want to post recipes with photos, but I do hate our crappy little Nikon so I procrastinate. My dear friend Barb gave me the boot last night and suggested that I post my creations anyway, so here I go (thanks Barbie!).

We haven’t seen Barb and Kevin for quite some time, so we had them over for a tapas dinner. What’s really nice about a tapas dinner is that it’s the entire evening. We sat in front of a roaring fire and ate little portions all night long. If you think about the time you spend creating a sit-down meal and the relatively little time it takes to devour said meal, the tapas menu is a much more satisfying experience! I’ll post only recipes I haven’t posted before and I will try to link those that I have posted before. Keep in mind that I never use a recipe verbatim, I always eyeball to my own personal taste. This is a rendition of how I remember doing this dinner. Hope you enjoy.

Round One: Asia
Sushi rolls
Lemongrass soup w. shrimp
Mango salad
Wine: South African Viognier

Round Two: Mediterranean
Chorizo w. tomato & balsamic
Spanakopita
Onion & orange Salad
Wine: Spanish Rioja

Round Three: Europe
French onion soup dumplings
Beef bourguignon
Roasted golden beet & goats cheese salad
Wine: French Cabernet Sauvignon

Round Four: North America
Québec Artisan Cheeses w. crackers and breads
Wine: Ontario Late Harvest Riesling

Lemongrass Soup with Shrimp (80 mL each serving, serves 4)

• 350mL low sodium chicken stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots finely chopped
• 3 dried Kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tbsp lemongrass, finely ground
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, finely ground
• 2 tsp or so freshly grated ginger (I like to use my microplane for this)
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic (I like to use my microplane for this)
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• pinch of roasted chilli paste
• 1 tbsp agave nectar (you may substitute honey for this)
• 4 medium mushrooms (cut into quarters)
• 4 cooked shrimp
• 3 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro
• 3 tbsp finely sliced green onions

1. This soup is prepared relatively quickly so it is best to have your mise en place  so all you do is add ingredients to the pot.
2. Chopped shallots, set aside. Grind lemongrass and coriander seed, set aside (I like to use my spice grinder aka coffee grinder dedicated to spices).
3. Heat olive oil in a 3 quart soup pot, add finely chopped shallots and sauté until soft.
4. Add lemongrass, coriander and freshly grated ginger and garlic and sauté until you can smell all of the ingredients (less than 1 minute).
5. Add chicken stock, fish sauce, lemon juice, chili paste, kaffir lime leaves and agave nectar and stir to combine.
6. Bring to a boil and allow flavours to blend about 5-7 minutes on the boil, taste to make sure it is seasoned well.
7. Add mushrooms about half-way through the boil.
8. Remove from heat. Remove kaffir lime leaves.
9. Serve in small bowls, adding one shrimp per bowl, garnish with chopped cilantro and finely sliced green onions.
10. Enjoy!

Mango Salad (serves 4 small)

• 1 medium ripe mango
• 1/2 English cucumber
• 2 radishes
• 2 green onions finely chopped
• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
• 4 tbsp coarsely chopped peanuts
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 finely chopped thai chili
• 1 tsp agave nectar (or honey)

1. This salad is best made the morning of the day you are serving so that the dressing has time to blend into the salad.
2. Using a fine slice on a mandolin, finely julienne the mango, cucumber and radishes, toss to mix well.
3. Add green onions and cilantro leaves and toss again, set aside.
4. In a small measuring cup, mix lime juice, fish sauce, thai chili and agave nectar and whisk until well combined. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
5. Strain thai chili’s from the dressing (otherwise it could be way too hot!) and pour over the salad mixture. Toss to coat evenly and refrigerate 4-5 hours.
6. To serve, garnish with additional cilantro leaves and chopped peanuts.
7. Enjoy!

Chorizo with Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinegar (serves 4)

• 1 cup 1/4″ sliced chorizo sausage
• 2 medium sized plum tomatoes, seeded but skins left on
• 1/4 cup chopped onion (I prefer Mayan sweet onions or vidalia)
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped (I prefer to use my microplane)
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a small pan, add chorizo and caramelize each side.
2. Add onions and garlic and sauté for a minute. Add tomatoes and sauté for another minute.
3. Add balsamic and allow balsamic to reduce slightly 3-4 minutes (this will thicken the balsamic a bit)
4. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Red Onion and Orange Salad (serves 4) adapted from Spain-Recipes.com

• 2 medium navel oranges, peeled, sectioned and sliced in half into bite sized pieces.
• 1 small red onion finely sliced (mandolin works best)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 tbsp salted sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons blueberry merlot balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Section oranges over a bowl to catch the juice that undoubtedly drizzle from the orange.
2. Combine oranges, onions and raising in a bowl.
3. Combine vinegar and olive oil and mix well.
4. Pour over oranges and onions. Refrigerate overnight (this will allow the onions to mellow quite a lot).
5. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top and serve.

French Onion Soup Bundles (makes about 24 dumplings, which may be frozen for future use)

• 2 large mayan onions
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1/4 cup Port
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 48 sheets of won ton wrappers
• 1 egg white with a little water to help glue the wrappers
  Beef Broth for presentation
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1/4 cup port
• 1 clove garlic smashed but left whole
• 1 small onion in large chunks
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 cup gruyère cheese finely grated and broiled on a silpat sheet until crispy

1. Finely chop onion and garlic.
2. Heat olive oil and add onion and garlic, sauté for about 1 minute. Slowly add the beef broth to cover, add bay leaves. Stirring frequently, boil down adding stock as it evaporates until all the stock is consumed by the onions and the onions are golden brown.
3. Add port to deglaze the pan, add thyme.
4. Set aside to cool completely.
5. Lay out 6 won ton wrappers at a time, painting each one with the egg white and water mixture. Add about 1 tsp of the onion reduction to the centre of each wrap and fold two opposing sides into the centre so they overlap and the sides are smoothed out to seal. Layout 6 more won ton wrappers at a time and paint each one with the egg white mixture. Lay filled won tons seam side down and repeat the folding process. Place finished bundles onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment so they do not touch one another. Repeat until the entire onion mixture has been used. Freeze over night and store in a zip lock bag for future use.
6. For presentation, I like to serve the bundles in a beef broth reduction, drizzled with gruyère crème and a gruyère crisp. To make the beef broth reduction, add 2 cups beef broth, smashed garlic, onion in large chunks, 1 bay leaf and thyme into a sauce pan and simmer until reduced to about 3/4 cup. Strain liquid and set aside (discard onion, garlic, bay leaf mix).
7. To serve, steam bundles for about 3-4 minutes until the won ton is done. Heat beef broth reduction and pour evenly into four shallow round bowls (should just be a hint of liquid, not a soup). Add french onion soup bundles and drizzle with the gruyère crème (I like the contrasts of the cold crème and the hot bundles in the hot soup) – garnish with the gruyère crisp. Serve immediately.
8. Enjoy!

Beef Bourguignon was JT’s specialty and he followed Julia Child’s recipe which can be found on line at Julia Child recipes: Boeuf à la Bourguignonne (should be made ahead and reheated on the stove for a few minutes, adding red wine if needed).

Roasted Golden Beets, Sautéed Beet Greens and Goats Cheese Salad

• 3 medium golden beets (well scrubbed, tops and bottoms trimmed, cut into 2″ cubes)
• 2 tbsp olive oil in about 4 cups water
• 1 oz pancetta finely sliced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 finely chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 2-3 cups well washed and chopped beet greens
• 1/4 cup balsamic
• 1 tsp pesto (home made or store bought)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup goats cheese crumbled

1. Preheat over to 375°F.
2. Put beet cubes into the water and olive oil, strain (this is an excellent way to reduce fat as the olive oil floats and as you strain the beets, it sticks evenly to the beets). Discard water.
3. Arrange beets in a 13″ x 10″ pan evenly so they are not on top of one another. Bake for about 45 minutes or until beets are tender to pierce.
4. Fry pancetta in 1 tsp olive oil until crisp, add onions and garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add beet greens and sauté until soft (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat and add roasted beets.
6. In a small measuring cup, mix balsamic, pesto and olive oil together.
7. Place greens and beets on a platter and add crumbled goats cheese. Drizzle dressing over the warm salad and serve immediately.
8. Enjoy!

Deconstructed Caesar Salad

Ingredients

• 1/4 tightly packed Ice Burg Lettuce per person
• 1 prosciutto slice per person
• 2-3 cherry tomatoes per person, sliced in half
• 1 slice of dark rye toasted
• 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese finely grated

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 large + 1 small clove garlic minced finely or microplaned
• a couple of drops of fish sauce (from Thai stores)
• 2-3 tbso EV olive oil
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare dressing by mixing all ingredients well.
2. Crisp the prosciutto slices under a broiler, watching carefully as it burns easily. Blot with paper towel and set aside.
3. Rub dressing on all sides of the Ice Burg, let stand to absorb the flavours.
4. Rub the small clove of garlic on the toast, sprinkle with Parmesan and return to broiler so Parmesan melts (1-2 minutes).
5. Grill Ice Burg Lettuce on a very hot grill for about 1 minute per side.
6. Plate Ice Burg lettuce, prosciutto, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan toast.
7. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
8. Serve immediately.

I had some tomatoes in the refrigerator that needed to be used up and fast, so what better than a chilled soup on a hot summer’s day? JT doesn’t like raw onions so I always make this soup cooked and then cool it down. JT gave this one a 9.5/10! The balsamic gives the soup a sweetness but because you reduce it, there isn’t the sharpness!

Serves 2 for lunch or 4 as a small cup Appetizer

Ingredients Soup

• 1/2 an onion thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp E.V. Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 450 g chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 100 g finely diced celery
• Sea salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 cup beef broth (I always use low sodium)

Directions Soup

1. Place olive oil and onions in a medium saucepan (not cast iron), and sweat for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until the balsamic is reduced.
3. Add garlic, celery and beef broth and cook until everything is soft.
4. Purée with an immersion blender until smooth.
5. Force through a fine mesh sieve to remove tomato skins and seeds.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Chill for several hours.

Ingredients Garnish

• 60 g celery finely diced
• 6 cherry tomatoes (these were from my tomato garden) finely diced
• 1 small radish finely diced
• 1 small garlic very finely chopped (or on a microplane)
• 3-4 sprigs each parsley and basil finely chopped
• 1 medium leaf mint finely chopped
• Sea salt to taste
• 1 tsp crumbled feta per plate

Directions Garnish

1. Mix all ingredients together and set aside to allow flavours to develop (1/2-1 hr should be enough).
2. Pour soup into bowls, and spoon garnish onto centre (some will sink, but then you can build it up so the garnish shows in the centre).
3. Add crumbled feta. Drizzle with olive oil if you wish.
4. Enjoy!

The Marlatt’s are coming to the cottage in a few weeks and I am already thinking about the menu. I was inspired by Iron Chef last week, where the secret ingredient was melon and you had to have a frozen component. One of the chef’s created a version of melon and prosciutto that I loved, so here is my rendition.

Chilled Melon & Kiwi Soup with Crispy Prosciutto Chiffonade and Frozen Melon & Kiwi Balls

Serves 4-6 small portions

• 500g + 100g Sweet Cantaloupe
• 80g + 20g Kiwi
• 1/2 cup no fat yogurt
• zest of 1/2 lime
• 1 tbsp Agave Nectar (if melon is not sweet enough)
• 1 slice of Prosciutto per person (omit if you are making this vegetarian)

1. Seed and peel cantaloupe. Cut 500g into smallish cubes.
2. Peel and core Kiwi and cut 80g into smallish cubes.
3. Put cantaloupe, kiwi, lime zest and yogurt into blender and blend until smooth.
4. Taste and season with agave nectar if not sweet enough (my cantaloupe was plenty sweet enough, so I didn’t need the extra sugar)
5. Pour through a fine sieve to avoid the kiwi seeds and cantaloupe pulp.
6. Chill 4-5 hours.
7. Cut the remaining 100g cantaloupe and 20g kiwi into 1/4″ cubes (I have a mini melon baller so I used that (of course you did!)). Place on parchment paper and freeze 4-5 hours.
8. When you are ready to serve, chiffonade the prosciutto and fry until very crispy (broiling works too, just watch it carefully, it burns quickly!). Drain extra oil onto paper towel.
9. Pour soup into small cups, dot with the frozen cantaloupe and kiwi and place the chiffonade of prosciutto on the centre top.
10. Serve while the prosciutto is still hot (it’s a great contrasts of textures and temperatures, melon soup being cold, prosciutto being hot, and the little balls of melon and kiwi being frozen!)
11. Enjoy!

From the LCBO Summer 2008 Magazine, Lucy Waverman

Iced Brie on Water Crackers

• 8 oz (250 g) brie, rind removed, cut into pieces
• ¼ cup (50 mL) white wine
• ¼ cup (50 mL) grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp (5 mL) dry mustard
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch paprika

1. Combine brie, white wine, Parmesan, butter, dry mustard, cayenne pepper and paprika in a food processor and process until smooth.
2. Spoon mixture into a decorative bowl and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm but not frozen.
3. Serve immediately on water crackers.

This recipe cuts in half very nicely.

Makes about 20 Corn shaped corn breads.

Jalopeño Cornbread

• 1  1/4 medium ground corn meal
• 1 1/4 all  purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda as I was making these for my diabetic father-in-law)
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2  cup diced jalopenos (if you like thnings spicey, add cayanne to your taste).
• 1/2 cup finely  chopped green onions
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Pre heat oven to 400F. Pre heat oiled cast iron corn shaped mold until smoking.
2. Sift cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. Blend eggs, milk and oil in another bowl.
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry.
5. Fold in the shredded cheese, jalopeño and onion.
6. Spoon to fill hot molds and bake for 25 minutes or until firm and golden.

Although this soup is very rich, I have modified it to a slightly healthier version and suggest about 1/2 cup servings otherwise you won’t have room for dinner!
Modified from Epicurious.

Cold Avocado Soup with Cilantro Oil

For soup

• 1 fresh ear of corn, shucked (or 1 cup frozen corn)
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cups chopped white onion
• 1 fresh serrano chile, stemmed and coarsely chopped (including seeds)
• 1 firm-ripe California avocados
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup low fat yogurt
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (if using frozen corn)

For cilantro oil

• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

To make soup:

1. Roast corn on rack of gas burner over high heat, turning occasionally with tongs, until kernels are charred in spots, 4 to 5 minutes. (Alternatively, heat a dry well-seasoned cast-iron skillet and roast corn over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes.) Transfer corn to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cob with a sharp knife, then cut cob into thirds.
2. Bring kernels, smoked paprika if using frozen corn, (or cob pieces), 2 cups water, garlic, salt, chili and 1/2 cup onion to a boil in a saucepan and boil until liquid is reduced to about 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool, uncovered. Discard cob pieces.
3. Purée corn mixture remaining 1/4 cup onion in a blender, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids. Return broth to cleaned blender.
4. Quarter, pit, and peel the avocado, then add to blender with the lime juice and purée until smooth. Add yogurt and purée again. Transfer soup to a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap and chill soup at least 1 hour.

Prepare cilantro oil while soup chills:

1. Purée cilantro, oil, and salt in cleaned blender, scraping down sides of blender several times.
2. Transfer to a pointed tip decorator bottle.

Assemble soup:

1. Season soup with salt and ladle into 4 small soup bowls. Drizzle cilantro oil.

California Rolls are one of JT’s favourite sushi, so when we invited Brian (our nephew) for dinner this Sunday, I made a bunch. Unfortunately, he canceled due to a cold, so we had sushi for appi’s, and lunch the next day!

California Rolls

• 4 sheets of Nori  (dried seaweed paper)
• 1 cup uncooked sushi rice
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 6 sea legs
• 4 slices of cucumber
• enough Avocado for 4 sushi rolls
• 1/4 cup of white and black sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tsp Wasabi (green mustard)

1. Cook rice as per directions and allow to cool. Add the rice vinegar and stir well.
2. Cut cucumber into 1/2″ thick slices the length of the sushi paper.
3. Cut sea legs in half lengthwise.
4. Peel avocado and slice into 1/2″ thick slices, dip into lime juice so it won’t brown.
5. Using a generous strip of plastic wrap, place one sushi paper on the wrap.
6. Rub a small amount of Wasabi along one edge of the Nori.
7. See making sushi video
8. Roll in Sesame Seeds, cut into 8 pieces.
9. Serve with Soy Sauce (low sodium).

Enjoy!

The diet went extremely well last week – 4lbs in total, and am hoping for an additional 4 this week. I broke down and had cocktails and wine, but the weeknights will remain dry.

I remembered I bought a tortilla press a few years ago and thought I would dust it off and make some mini hors d’oeuvres sized ones. They turned out OK, not sure if I will make them again. The braised beef filling was extremely tasty!

Whole Wheat Tortillas and Braised Beef

Homemade Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla Recipe

• 2 cups less 2 tbsp of whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds and wheat germ
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup warm water

1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor. In another bowl combine the warm water and oil.
2. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour mixture, drizzling until it combines to form a dough. Once the water is mixed in, add another tablespoon of water and repeat the process until all the water is mixed into the dough. The dough will be sticky.

Cooking The Tortillas

1. Once you have rolled out the tortilla very very thinly, place it on a preheated cast iron skillet. You don’t need to add any oil or butter. Cook the tortilla for about 30 seconds to one minute. You will notice brown spots all over your tortilla. Flip it over and cook an additional 30 seconds to one minute.
2. Don’t over cook it as you want the tortilla to be nice and soft.
3. Keep your tortillas warm by covering them in a towel on a plate or in a tortilla warmer.

Braised Beef Filling

• 1/2 cup of braised beef (I saved this from an oxtail gravy I made quite some time ago)
• 1 green onion
• 3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic fine minced
• 3 tbsp finely diced red pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Cayanne pepper to taste
• Onion sprouts to garnish

1. Mix all ingredients together, serve with warm tortillas as an hors d’oeuvres.
2. Enjoy