Our dear friends Paul and T are venturing up for a fall get together and we’re really excited. We’ve started to plan all our meals and our diversions! I have been dying to make a lobster bisque with some left over lobster carcass that I froze a while ago, so last night I did it. This recipe reminds me of a Bouillabaisse we had in Marseilles in 08. We were totally blown away by the intense flavour the lobster carcass had. WOW. Here is a very loose recipe (I made it up as I went along).

• 2 one lb lobster carcass (little broken bits discarded, but keep the body with all the guts)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes in oil, well chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (I use Mayan)
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 small red potato, washed well, skin on
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp saffron
• 1-2 dashes of fish sauce (Asian fermented fish sauce)
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 litre of vegetable stock (low sodium)
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup evaporated milk
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In about 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock, add the saffron and allow to sit.
2. Heat onion in a large soup stock pan. Sauté onions and garlic.
3. Add potato, celery and garlic, stir well.
4. Add the tomatoes (both sun dried and paste), stir well.
5. Add the lobster carcass, saffron in vegetable stock, a couple of dashes of the fish sauce and the vegetable stock until the lobster is covered.
6. Simmer for about 1-1 1/2 hours.
7. Strain liquid through a fine sieve. Reserve the liquid.
8. Remove the lobster carcass and bits of shell from the vegetables. and press the well cooked vegetables through the fine sieve as much as you are able (this will help thicken the soup).
9. Stir the strained liquid, it should be relatively thick. Run your immersion blender through it to ensure the soup is smooth.
10. Press through a fine sieve again (to make sure there are no lobster shell bits in the soup.
11. Return to heat and add as much of the evaporated milk to make a creamy bisque.
12. Serve with a crustini with Chipotle aioli drizzled on top. YUM!

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!

This year we had to close the cottage down a bit early because of weekend obligations. It’s never fun but we’ve got it down to a science so it generally goes smoothly.

Because it’s a work weekend, I try to make most of the food easy and fast. For the first time in months, we were able to sneak away from work early, around 2ish, which means we’re on the road by 3! Of course, the gods of traffic hate us, and we barely made it up in four hours!!! Should be a 3.25 hour trip. But we made it.

I made an asparagus soup the night before. I generally keep a baggy of asparagus ends in the freezer and take out as needed. Because they are usually the end you discard anyway, it’s basically free. For this soup, you will need more than you think because a lot of it is discarded after it’s run through a fine sieve (it’s mostly the woody parts, but they are still quite tasty.

Creamed Asparagus Soup (serves 2 as main course or 4 as small cups)

• 2 cups asparagus stems (I generally use the ends which I have snapped off over the summer months and frozen)
• 1-2 cups low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 slices prosciutto
• 2 thinly sliced crusty bread
• 1/4 cup grated gruyère

1. Thinly slice prosciutto and fry until crispy in a little oil (1 tsp)
2. Drain crispy prosciutto and set aside.
3. Using about 1-3 tsp olive oil, rub both sides of bread and toast until crispy. Set aside.
4. Using 1 tbsp olive oil, sweat out the onions until soft, add the asparagus stems which have been cut into about 1 inch lengths.
5. Add 1 cup chicken stock and cook until the asparagus is very soft.
6. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth (you will need a good motor because the woody stems may cause problems).
7. Once you have puréed the soup, ladle into a fine sieve and press through using the back of your ladle (do not skip this step, the woodiness of the stems will make this soup inedible if you don’t strain it!). Add more stock until desired consistency has been achieved.
8. While keeping soup warm, sprinkle the gruyère evenly onto one side of each toast. Place under broiler for a minute until cheese is bubbling.
9. Ladle soup into two bowls, gently top with the gruyère toast and sprinkle with the prosciuto crisps. Serve hot
10. Enjoy!

Check out the photos from the weekend.

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!

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.

This is a small capuccino sized serving, for 5 (about 75ml per serving). Although it seems like a lot of work, this is really worth it. The flavour is incredible AND it’s totally my recipe! Inspired no less, by our dinner at Europa in Montréal on February 15 2009.

• 1 cup finely sliced leaks
• 3 small new potatoes (about 2″ in diametre) sliced finely (no need to peel)
• 13 oz water
• 1 tsp concentrated chicken stock or miso (I used chicken for this version)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Cook leaks in butter and olive oil until soft (about 5 minutes).
2. Add water and chicken stock and stir until dissolved.
3. Add potatoes and cook until everything is soft.
4. With an immersion blender, purée until everything is smooth.
5. Strain through a fine sieve (all the peel will get caught in the sieve) into a pyrex container.
6. Set aside.

Gruyère Crème

• 1/4 cup carnation 2% evaporated milk (use real cream if you’re in the mood)
• 1 cup finely grated Gruyère cheese.

1. Heat cream, add cheese and whisk until smooth. If your cheese was cold, you may need to purée with an imersion blender to get it really smooth.
2. Pour into a small funneled container (so that you can control the shape). Allow to cool completely and then refrigerate (this is important because you want to get the crème really thick and the contrast of the hot soup and the cold cream is lovely!)

Assembly:

1. Heat soup in microwave for a couple of minutes (you want it steaming hot, but don’t boil it as it will crust up on the sides).
2. Carefully pour into 5 demitasse cups.
3. Pour Gruyère Crème in a circular pattern on top, and draw a sharp knife in one direction to make the pattern shown.
4. Serve with a small spoon so the crème may be stirred within.
5. Enjoy!

JT’s sister and her son (nephew Brian) were over for dinner on Saturday night. This pork loin roast is a fantastic recipe that we originally saw on Martha Stewart, when she had her Mom as a guest on the show. I’ve adapted the recipe, of course, but will link to the original in the title.

The Menu

Cocktails: Spanakopita

Appetizer: Lemongrass soup with shrimp

Main course:
Roast Loin of Pork with Pan Fried Apples and Apple Cider Gravy
Braised Red Cabbage
Garlic Mashed Cauliflower Potatoes (trying to keep the carbs down, but I have two yukon golds left over in the fridge that I want to use up!)

Dessert: Apple Strudel with Caramel Sauce

Lemongrass Soup (spicey Tom Yum) adapted from this website (this really is not as complicated as the list of ingredients, but don’t miss one, you will know it!)
Serves 4

• 3 cups water or chicken stock
• 1 lemongrass stalk, cut into 4″ pieces and smashed
• 4-6 whole (double) torn kaffir lime leaves
• 3 slices galangal (about 1/2 teaspoon
• 3-20 small thai chilies, to taste
• 2 cups mixed mushrooms (straw mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, black mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, etc.)
• 1 tomato, cut into 8 pieces lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons white soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar (or to taste)
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1-2 stems coriander, cleaned and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 4 shrimp, cooked skinned, cleaned and tail off

1. Add the water/stock to a sauce pan. Crush the lemongrass and cilantro root in a stone mortar & pestle or with the butt of a knife, then add them to the water. Tear the lime leaves to release flavor, and throw them in too along with the galangal.
2. Turn on your heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Boil your herbs for about 5 minutes or so, to release the flavors. The color of the water should be a light green when you’re finished.
3. Add the mushrooms, and chilies and boil for 2-3 more minutes, until mushrooms are soft.
4. Add the sliced tomato, and cook until soft, probably less than a minute.
5. Turn off the heat. Add your soy sauce, sugar, and at the very end the lime juice. Taste to make sure the flavor is right… It should be very sour & spicy. You may need to add more lime juice depending on how sour your limes are.
6. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with one shrimp and cilantro leaves.

Roast Loin of Pork with Apple Cider Gravy

• 1 boneless pork loin (4 to 5 pounds), tied
• 8 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground marjoram
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large mayan onion, finely chopped
• 2 jonagold apples sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter

1. Make incisions in the pork every 2 to 3 inches, and insert garlic slices. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, sugar, and marjoram, and coat the pork evenly with the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle flour over the pork to lightly coat. Shake to remove any excess flour. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork, and brown on all sides. Transfer pork to a large roasting pan. Add the chopped onions over the pork. Add 1 1/2 cups water to roasting pan, and roast, covered, for 1 hour, basting occasionally.
3. Remove pork loin from roasting pan, and let rest for 10 minutes. Place roasting pan on stove, heat over medium-high heat, and cook pan juices until reduced and thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, set aside for the apple cider gravy (below).
   
4. In a frying pan, melt the butter, and pan fry the apple slices until slightly browned on both sides.
   
5. Slice pork, arrange on a serving platter with the apples, and serve with gravy (below).

Apple Cider Gravy (this is an adaption from President’s Choice first cookbook)

• 2 cups apple cider
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 cup low fat evaporated milk (not condensed) or heavy cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste
  

1. In a saucepan, bring apple cider to a boil and reduce to about 1/2 cup (this does take some time).
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the dijon mustard and the cream.
3. Return to heat and simmer until reduced about 3/4.
   
4. Add the juices from the roasting pan. Mix well.
5. Season and keep warm until ready to serve.
   

Apple Cranberry Strudel

• 6 Jonagold apples, peeled cored and grated coarsely.
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
  
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tsp grated lemon peel
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts or almonds
• 6 sheets of phyllo pastry
• 1/4 cup melt butter (unsalted)
• Sugar for dusting strudel top
  

1. Mix apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cranberries and lemon peel together and set aside.
2. Take 3 sheets of phyllo pastry and drizzle with melted butter in between each sheet.
3. Sprinkle with ground nuts.
4. At one end, add enough apple filling to form a roll about 3″ in diameter, all the way across the pastry.
5. Fold in edges and roll up.
6. Repeat with second set of three pastries.
7. Brush with melted butter.
8. Bake at 350°F until phyllo is golden.
9. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, drizzled with caramel sauce, and yogurt (to cut some of the sweetness).

Caramel Sauce (adapted from Epicurious Bon Appétit | April 2006

Makes about 3/4 cup

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup carnation 2% evaporated milk (not condensed)

Last Saturday we had our good friends, Dave and Mi Mi over for dinner. The menu was:

Hors D’oeuvres: Home made chicken liver paté, korozot (hungarian goats cheese dip) and variety of olives.

Puréed Roasted Cauliflower Soup (recipe below), with slivered apples and gruyere cheese dallopped on the centre.

Paella with Rustic Home Baked Bread

Molten Chocolate Cake with berries and Vanilla Ice Cream

Puréed Roasted Cauliflower Soup (8, 1/2 cup servings)

check out the recipe on Foodista

1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into even chunks
1 head garlic + 2-3 tbsp olive oil + sea salt
1 small yellow onion
2-3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt to taste
3-4 cups stock of your choice (I like miso, but chicken works well too…I wouldn’t try beef!)
1 golden delicious on Jonagold apple julienned into thin slivers
4 tbsp julienned Gruyeres cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Prepare garlic to roast, remove loose skin.
Take a 10″ x 10″ piece of parchment and put garlic squarely in the middle. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.
Take a 10″ x 10″ piece of foil and place beneath parchment, now wrap the entire garlic up so that the olive oil does leak out. Set aside.
Quarter yellow onion.
Place onion and cauliflower on a 12″ x 17″ cookie sheet with 1-2″ sides, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt, coating evenly.
Place sheet in oven, place garlic package beside it and roast for about 40-45 minutes. You don’t want the cauliflower to brown, just roast nicely.
When cauliflower is soft, place into a glass blender. Remove garlic from package and drip the olive oil onto the cauliflower in the blender. Squeeze the garlic out into the blender…the whole thing.
Pour 2 cups of stock into the blender and blend to puré, adding additional stock to desired consistency.
Using a fine seive and the back of a laddle, press the puréed soup through so that all lumps are removed.
Reheat in microwave, garnish with cheese first then the apple on top, and enjoy.

Paella (serves 4 really hungry or 6 marginally hungry people)

This is a recipe I adapted a long time ago from Ken Kostik, but I can no longer find it on line!) I find this very easy because everything is cooked independantly and then assembled in the paella pan, and reheated for about 10-15 minutes.

• 4 chicken thighs cut into halves or thirds depending on how large they are (I like the dark meat for this recipe)
• 12 shelled and deveined shrimp
• 1 calamari tube, sliced in rings about 1 cm thick
• 12-16 mussels (this may be omitted), cleaned and checked that they are alive
• 1 Chorizo sausage sliced into 1 cm thick rounds then cut in half
• 5 oz white fish of your choice (we used cod because it stands up to cooking in the rice)
• 1 tsp saffron
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika (I generally use spanish)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced finely
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 4 skinned and seeded chopped tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 tbsp fresh basil chiffonade
• Lemon wedges to garnish
• 2 green onions finely sliced

Instructions

1. The day before marinate the chicken thighs in 2 tbsp olive oil, smoked paprika and salt and refrigerate.
2. 1 hour before cooking the rice, soak the saffron and garlic in the white wine for about 1 hour.
3. Prepare rice in a rice cooker, adding the saffron, garlic wine and about 1/2 of the cut Chorizo sausage and remaining water as per rice instructions.
4. Using a cast iron griddle, cook the chicken thighs thoroughly. Refrigerate.
5. In the paella pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and sauté onions until translucent, add the remaining Chorizo sausage and brown the sausage. Set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 350F.
7. Once the rice is cooked and you are about 10-15 minutes from serving, add the rice, fish, mussels, shrimp, calamari, tomatoes and chicken. Stir well (depending on how wet you like your paella, you may wish to add chicken stock to taste – I prefer a dryer version, don’t forget that the mussels will release some liquid as well). Bake in 350F oven for about 10 minutes until shrimp is pink, mussels have opened and calamari is done but no rubbery!
8. Add frozen peas and red pepper. Stir and bake an additional 2-5 minutes, until heated through. Garnish with green onions, lemon and basil.
9. Serve immediately with fresh home made bread, and lots of wine!

Fall is the time for root vegetables, and beets are one of my favorites! Beautiful in colour, rich in nutrients and it makes a really filling meal! Roasting beets instead of boiling them brings out their natural sugars and actually will reduce the earthiness somewhat.

I picked up about 4 large red beets at my local green grocer. Peel with rubber gloves (so your hands don’t stain!)

• 4 large red beets
• 1/2 Vidalia onion
• 4-6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt
• 4 cups stock of your choice (I used miso, but chicken or vegetable would work well too)
• 1 cup buttermilk

1. Pre heat oven to 400F
2. Peel beets and chop into 2 cm cubes. Add to roasting pan.
3. Peel and chop onion into 1/4’s (leaving onions larger will help them slow down in cooking)
4. Toss the above in olive oil and sea salt.
5. Roast for about 45 minutes or until tender.
6. Peel outer layer of garlic so each clove is still covered in skin.
7. Using about 30cm square of parchment paper, place garlic in centre. Pour olive oil over and season with sea salt.
8. Wrap garlic with parchment and wrap that bundle in foil paper. Place this garlic bundle beside the roasting pan and roast along side of the beets for about 45 minutes or until soft.

To make the soup:

1. Add the roasted beets, onion and the garlic to a glass blender (squeeze the garlic from it’s casing and don’t forget to pour in the olive oil from both the pan and the parchment!)
2. Add about 1 cup of the broth and blend well. The beets will be an exceptional fuchia colour.
3. Add broth as required to achieve the desired consistency.
4. Pour the soup through a fine sieve to remove all woody bits — this makes the soup unbelievably creamy and silky — don’t skip this step!
5. Add buttermilk, if desired — it adds depth of flavour, but if you don’t like buttermilk, then by all means omit it!
6. Serve this soup hot or cold, both are unbelievable.

For something different, try roasting golden beets AND red beets (in different pans) and preparing each soup separately. Pour carefully into a bowl, one side gold, the other pink or better yet, if serving cold, use a clear drinking glass and pour golden soup into bottom first then carefully pour pink on top, serve with a dallop of crème fraiche or sour cream. Wow, what a presentation that would make!