Warm Salmon Dip

This post was inadvertantly published on the same day as another, so we apologise if you’ve already seen/been here. Also, this post was written during our first foray out of lockdown.

We have continued to entertain one couple at a time outdoors, keeping well below the allowed maximum of five (outdoors only). Our space allows for four people socially distanced, any more, we’re less than two metres (six feet) apart and we are not comfortable with that.

I try to make meals that are hearty and warm. This is one such dip I made as an hors d’œuveres for friends who came for lunch (the main was JT’s Bœuff Bourguignon). That day in February was 6° C (43° F) outside but our heater warmed our little area to 15° C (59° F) which made it very comfortable with light coats on (in fact, my friend came seriously over dressed and had to peel layers off to be comfortable).

It’s quite romantic eating outside in the winter, and even my naysayer hubby is loving it. In fact, most of the negativeness has come from the men, the women are all over being outside but once the guys experience our little cozy nook, they are sold. Just like this dip, one taste and you’re sold. I make a similar dip using canned crabmeat but I must tell you that this salmon dip is so much more flavourful.

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 375 mL dip

Ingredients:

• 250 g Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 1 tsp dill (dried is fine)
• 2 tsp horseradish (the original recipe called for horseradish cream, but I never had horseradish cream on hand)
• 20 g red onion or shallot, finely minced
• salt & pepper to taste
• 25 g celery, finely minced
• 150 g canned salmon, without skin or bones. It’s about 1/2 cup, or one can give or take.

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and mix well (a light-duty hand mixer is perfect for this).
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. If you are making this for the future, line three 125 mL or half-cup ramekins with plastic wrap.
4. Divide the mixed dip into the three ramekins pressing into the ramekin so it will retain the shape. Try not to have too many folds so that the plastic comes off easily. Carefully twist the plastic wrap to seal. Place the ramekins in the freezer. Once the dip has frozen to the ramekin shape, remove the frozen dip and label it and return the shaped dip to the freezer until needed. Put your ramekins away.
5. About 30-40 minutes before serving, pre-heat the oven to 375° F. Remove plastic wrap from the frozen dip and pop the shaped-frozen dip into the original ramekin you used to freeze it. Place on a cookie sheet (it may boil over depending on how full your ramekin was) and bake for 30-40 minutes or until dip is bubbling in the centre.
6. Remove the baked dip, garnish with a smoked salmon rose and serve with papadams, crostini, crackers or even sliced cucumbers.

A warm, boldly flavoured salmon dip that is perfect for outdoor entertaining.

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Baked Pork Samosas

Way back in April we had an outdoor Indian evening with a single neighbour and for hors d’œuvres I served Pork Samosas. They were delicious and so moreish. They are not the traditional deep-fried samosa, but they are baked phyllo pastry versions. I can tell you that they didn’t last long.

A delicously flavourful, crispy triangle.

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 16 two-bite samosas

Ingredients:

• 15 mL vegetable oil
• 1/2 shallot, finely chopped
• 200 g ground pork
• 5 g garam masala
• 5 g curry powder
• 10 g cumin
• 5 g grated ginger
• 10 g roasted puréed garlic 
• 200 g mix vegetables
• 50 g frozen peas, thawed
• 10 g cilantro leaves, chopped, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 pack phyllo pastry
• 150 g unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and sweat the shallot until translucent.
2. Add the pork and cook until no longer pink, mix in the ginger and garlic and stir well.
3. Sprinkle the garam masala, curry powder and cumin over the cooked pork and stir until fragrant. Remove from heat and mix in the vegetables and cilantro. Allow to cool completely.
4. Cut each phyllo sheet into 5 cm widths and brush with melted butter.
5. Starting at one end, dollop a tablespoon of the pork mixture and begin folding in a triangle pattern like illustrated below.
   
6. Brush the tops with more melted butter. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and heated through. Serve with peach chutney.

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Warm Spanakopita Dip

Warm Spanakopita Dip

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 250 mL dip

Ingredients:

• 15 mL garlic-infused EVOO
• 30 g shallots, small dice
• 160 g zucchini, grated
• 70 g spinach, finely chopped
• 0.5 g dill weed
• 50 g cream cheese
• 70 g Greek feta, crumbled, divided
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pan and sweat the shallots until translucent. Add the zucchini and cook until softened. Add the spinach and wilt completely. Season with the dill and stir well.
2. Add the cream cheese and stir until it has melted into the vegetables.
3. Add about three-quarters of the feta and stir well into the warm dip. Reserve one-quarter of the feta for garnish.
4. Reheat the dip and serve with pita bread.

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Cream of Celery Soup

Spring came early to Toronto, with warm, sunny days as early as the first week of April! Buds burst on trees and shrubs and we waited with bated breath for the blooms in hopes that we wouldn’t get a spring frost. A good spring always has rain and we’re OK with that as long as we get some sunny days interspersed to keep our mood elevated and this spring was perfect. The rainy days were a touch cooler (still above freezing) but cool enough to crave soup. JT has been a real trouper this winter, eating without complaint, my favourite brothy soups but his true love are creamed soups so I thought I’d create this creamy, tasty soup on a rainy mid-April day. I served this with Cheesy Onion Scones!

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 400 mL soup

Ingredients:

• 15 mL EVOO
• 50 g sweet onion
• 300 g celery hearts, tender leaves included, roughly chopped
• 50 g cauliflower florets (as a thickener)
• 400 mL vegetable stock
• 7.5 mL lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• 30 mL table cream

Directions:

1. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a soup pan and sweat out the onions until translucent, add the celery and cook on medium/low for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the cauliflower florets and vegetable stock and simmer until all of the vegetables are soft.
3. Purée until smooth and taste for acidity and salt, add as required. Keep warm until ready to serve.
4. Just prior to serving, add 30 millilitres of table cream, stir well.

Celery in North America doesn’t have a strong anise flavour, it’s very mild.

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Polenta Bites with Mediterranean Tapenade inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi

I am constantly on the lookout for new hors d’oeuvres/finger food that I can insert into my cocktail repertoire. I came across this tasty recipe in early April when I was looking around for something to make with polenta. I loved the crackers because I’ve already made Polenta Fries, Polenta Crisps, and Polenta Choux Pastry. Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe includes a beautiful tapenade but I didn’t have parsley and I wasn’t going to go out for just one ingredient as we had just stepped into our THIRD State of Emergency Lockdown, so I improvised with baby arugula, and I must say, it’s darn tasty, I may even substitute the parsley with arugula going forward.

Don’t let the dark edges fool you, they are the best part!!!

Polenta Bites with Mediterranean Tapenade

Recipe inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi

Makes about 35 little crackers and enough tapenade for about 6 or 8 crackers.

Ingredients for the Polenta Bites:

• 350 mL chicken stock
• 15 mL roasted garlic purée
• 15  EVOO
• 2.5 g sea salt
• 75 g fine cornmeal
• 40 g finely grated parmesan
• 5 g chopped chives

Directions for the Polenta Bites:

1. Prepare a large sheet of parchment paper by spraying it with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. Heat the chicken stock with the roasted garlic purée, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt until a slow boil.
3. Slowly pour in the cornmeal and stir vigorously until all has been incorporated into the water and it is beginning to thicken, add the grated parmesan and chives and cook, stirring constantly until very thick.
4. Pour the hot mixture onto one half of the prepared parchment and fold the other half over it. Using a rolling pin, roll out to about 2mm thick. Even out the edges (cooks treat) and cut into 3 cm squares. Allow to cool completely.
5. Preheat the oven to 425° F (I used convection) and bake the polenta bites for 20 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and flip the crackers over so that the top is the bottom and the bottom is the top and try to separate the crackers and move them around on the parchment so they bake evenly. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Green olives, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and peppery arugula make a very tasty tapenade.

Ingredients for the Mediterranean Tapenade:

• 5 Green olives (with pimento)
• 6 Kalamata olives, pitted
• 4 quarters Marinated Artichoke Hearts
• 2 small handfuls of baby arugula
• 1 green onion about 15 cm long, roughly chopped
• 30 mL EVOO
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions for the Mediterranean Tapenade:

1. Add everything into a small food processor and process until you have achieved the desired consistency.
2. Serve as a dip or portioned onto each cracker like a canape.

 

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Cheese Crisps

These are super quick and easy to make. They don’t keep well, particularly if your house is a bit humid so plan to bake them just before you want to eat them or if they get a bit soggy, just pop them into the oven to dry them out a bit.

Deliciously crunchy and cheesy crisps.

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 12-15 crisps

Ingredients:

• 400 g old cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone matt.
2. Spread the cheese out on the matt as thinly as possible so that the grated pieces are interlaced.
3. Bake for 4-6 minutes or until the cheese has entirely rendered and is starting to become golden but not burned.
4. Carefully remove from the oven and pull the parchment onto a cutting board. With a pizza cutter, cut into wedges. Allow to cool completely. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• I use a rimmed baking sheet because the oils from the cheese may slide onto the oven and burn.
• Parchment may burn so a silicon matt is preferred.

 

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Sourdough Cheese Sticks

 

Over the holidays, I received some lovely sourdough starter and I made sourdough bread (as though we needed it!). I’m always a little distraught discarding some of it so I adapted an old recipe I brought back from Hungary to utilize the discard and a little of the fed starter, it worked out very well. I’ll definitely keep this in mind for future baking.

Makes 1 30 cm x 42 cm sheet, cut to whatever size you desire.

For the original recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 300 g all-purpose flour
• 150 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 100 g discard sourdough starter plus 30 g fed starter
• 125 g Greek Yogurt
• 100 g shredded cheese (sharp cheddar works well, freshly grated Parmesan is best)
• 5 g Salt
• 20g shredded cheese

Directions:

1. In the large mixing bowl of your stand mixer with the scraper attachment, blend flour, butter, starters, 100 g cheese and salt until incorporated, then switch to a dough hook and add the Greek yogurt and knead until smooth ball forms.
2. Allow to rest in a warm dark place for 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375° F
4. On a piece of parchment paper, roll out dough to about 1/2 cm thickness.
5. Cut into 7-10 cm x 2 cm sticks.
6. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
7. Slide cheese sticks on the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is golden and melted.
8. Re-cut sticks, if necessary, while still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.

These are very tasty served warm.

Notes:

• Use a flavourful, hard cheese (like cheddar, gruyere or Jarlsberg) is best for this treat.
• I use a pizza cutter with a kitchen ruler to cut the sticks, it makes it very easy. If you cut the sticks after you sprinkle with cheese, your cutter will take up most of the cheese!
• In the original recipe, there is an egg wash on the top, I omitted this time because I figured the cheese would stick regardless, but it does add a lovely sheen which I will not omit next time.
• These cheese sticks freeze well. To reheat, spread in a single layer, cheese side up on a baking sheet and bake at a low 200° F for 10-15 minutes or until defrosted and slightly warm.

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Fruit and Seed Crackers (subheading: Not this Year)

It’s definitely going to be a very different holiday season this year. We usually escape the drudgery of November by renting a house in a friends’ community in Arizona but, not this year. I’m already dreading February when we usually escape to Spain, thank you COVID19, not this year.

I usually look forward to all the holiday parties, both throwing and going to them, but not this year.

Over the last few years, I’ve slowly stopped baking my Christmas goodies to give to friends, but not this year. We deserve a treat. So friends, drop the diet and enjoy!

We usually entertain friends and family this time of year around our wood-burning fireplace in our living room, but not this year. However, we’ve adapted our outdoor space to include a natural gas heater, and equipped the sectional and chairs with electric blankets, trying to extend our entertaining capacity during these trying times. It’s been very successful at 10° C (50° F) but who knows how cosy it will be when temperatures plummet to -10° C (14° F) in January and February. I’m taking full advantage while I can.

This recipe was developed for an evening when we socially-distance-entertained friends under the warm heat trapped under the awning and cosy electric blankets.

These crackers are like biscotti because they are twice-baked. Using an electric slicer gives you excellent control and wonderfully thin slices.

Fruit and Seed Crackers

Makes 75 thinly sliced crackers

For the original recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 300 mL milk
• 15 mL honey or agave syrup
• 5 g salt
• 125 g spelt or whole wheat flour
• 200 g AP unbleached flour
• 60 g dried cranberries
• 70 g raw pumpkin seeds
• 50 g sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Prepare a small terrine pan (like this one) by lining it with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Combine the eggs, milk and honey and mix well.
3. Sift the salt and flours together to combine. Stir in the fruit, nuts and seeds. Make a well in the centre and pour the egg mixture into the dried ingredients, stir to combine.
4. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Reduce the oven temperature to 300° F.
5. Tip the loaf out to cool completely and then slice as thinly as possible (I found the electric slicer did a beautiful job). Bake cracker slices until toasty and crisp, about 20-30 minutes, flip if necessary. Cool completely to store.

Notes:

• I adapted this recipe from Chef Mimi’s blog. I used the seeds and fruit I had on hand, it’s quite versatile, so use what you have on hand.
• I made these again in August 2021 and did not have whole wheat or spelt flour so I substituted almond flour and they turned out lovely.

 

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Baja Mexican Spicy Beans with Lime Sauce and Salsa

In mid-July, we were one of five couples invited to a socially responsible BBQ at a friend’s house. They put three tables together outside giving us ample space to distance ourselves. Each couple was asked to bring something and this marvellously flavourful side was one of the dishes someone brought. Everyone asked for the recipe, including me! I chose to make it as a dip for a summer evening cocktail party, socially responsibly distanced, of course. Each couple had their own plate!

The beans and lentils are packed with flavour, the salsa and lime yoghurt just up the ante.

Baja Mexican Beans and Lentil Dip with Lime Sauce and Salsa

From Bowls of Goodness: Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes Full of Nourishment By Nina Olsson

For the original recipe please click here

Ingredients for the Salsa:

• Home grown vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and set aside.

Ingredients for the Baja Sauce:

• 150 mL sour cream or yoghurt
• Juice of 1 lime
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until needed

Ingredients for the Beans:

• Olive oil
• 2 shallots, diced
• 200 g dried navy beans (400 g cooked)
• 100 g dried lentils du puy (200 g cooked)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 avocado, finely diced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
• 3/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Cook the beans and lentil until softened, rinse.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan and add the shallots until caramelized, add the garlic and cooked beans and cook until they can easily be mashed about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Serve in a bowl or on a plate drizzled with the Baja Sauce and Salsa with baked tortilla chips

I chose blue tortilla chips because they were gluten-free and organic.

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Calamares Fritos

We enjoyed a lot of seafood in Spain. But this recipe did not come from our time there, it graced our cocktail table soon after we moved back into our newly renovated bedroom. We were watching a little Jamie Oliver before turning out the lights and the recipe that night was this gem: Crispy Squid and Smashed Avocado. It was a hit the first time I made it, and soon after, I was getting requests to make it again. It is a deep-fried recipe, and you all know how much I love deep-frying, but it is quickly fried and on my first measure of the oil used, I was able to get most of it back after it cooled which means the calamari did not absorb much. Cutting the calamari length-wise instead of in rounds will allow the calamari to curl up like a spring which looks super cool. I paired this tapa with Romesco Sauce and Avocado Cream, and they were both awesome!

To see the original recipe, please click here.

Serves 1-2 people

Ingredients:

• 1 calamari tube, cleaned and sliced lengthwise to open up
• 65 g all-purpose flour
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 L vegetable oil

Ingredients for the Avocado Cream:

• 1 Avocado
• pinch of cumin
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 lime, juiced

Ingredients for Serving:

• Romesco Sauce
• 1/4 Lemon cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Cut the calamari into strips lengthwise (not rings). Add the flour and sea salt to a bowl and toss the calamari strips until well coated.
2. Heat the vegetable oil to 375° F. Fry the calamari strips 5 at a time until golden. Drain excess oil on kitchen paper.
3. Meanwhile, mash or cream the avocado with cumin, sea salt and lime juice.
4. Serve calamari hot with the sauces.

Notes:

• Cut the calamari into thin strips length-wise so that it will curl into a spring shape as it fries. Shorter ones will curl less.
• This dish is equally as good with either sauce so if you don’t want two sauces, just go with one.
• To scale up the dish, just add another calamari tube for each additional person. More than 4 people, double the avocado cream recipe.

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Tortilla de Arroz, Coliflor y Queso

Our little village in Spain has an awesome Indian restaurant at the far end. We ate there once and even though everything was great (food, service), we decided that going forward it’s a better take-out place because it just didn’t have a cool vibe (overly lit); and a bonus is that it’s far better value as take away, if you don’t order way too much rice, like I inadvertently did!

Even though the rice wasn’t expensive, I really hate throwing away good food so I kept it for something in the future. The future arrived in the form of a tapa! I made a spin on the famous Spanish Tortilla de Patatas but used rice, cauliflower purée and cheese instead of potatoes. It made a very tasty tapa which we later used as breakfast.

The measurements are approximate because I used leftovers.

Tortilla de Arroz, Coliflor y Queso

Makes 1 omelette about 20 cm in diameter (serves 4-6 people)

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 250 g cooked rice
• 125 mL cauliflower purée
• 125 mL milk
• 50 g cheese, finely grated
• 30 mL pesto

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Set aside for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Heat a small 20 cm frying pan on the stove on medium heat and brush generously with olive oil.
4. Pour the contents of the omelette into the hot frying pan and press evenly in the pan.
5. Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes.
6. Place pan into the oven and finish cooking until a toothpick tester come out clean.
7. Serve warm with a roasted garlic aioli.

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Ensalada de Aguacate y Atún

During our time in Spain, we ate a lot of delicious tapas. One such tapa was the Ensalada de Aguacate y Atún, a simple yet spell-binding combination of tuna, avocado, lemon juice and olive oil. Using the very best of all four ingredients allows each one to shine individually and together they melt into the most magical concerto. We just couldn’t get enough of it. It was, however, not easy to find in our little town so I decided to make it part of our weekly meal plan. I made this one for our Valentine’s Day lunch.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 150 g canned tuna in oil
• 200 g ripe avocado, cubed
• Juice of one lemon
• A good drizzle of olive oil
• Arugula

Directions:

1. Drain the tuna and combine it with the cubed avocado and lemon juice.
2. Spoon evenly onto a bed of arugula. Drizzle generously with olive oil.

Notes:

• For presentation purposes, I layered the ingredients over the arugula. In reality, it is served well combined.
• The arugula was my addition, the true dish is served on its own.

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Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette)

I have wanted a Tamagoyaki pan for the longest time. There are several cheap and cheerful ones on the market but they are all non-stick and to be honest, I just don’t care for the non-stick coating. This past Christmas, JT got me a cast iron Tamagoyaki pan and I love it! Tamagoyaki is described as a sweet yet savoury rolled omelette and it is ever-so moreish! I’ve made quite a few since the day I received this lovely gift and they have all been well received. I used Nami’s recipe over at Just One Cookbook and it’s a keeper. I generally make them for hors d’œuvres but you can easily make a lunch out of them. For Hors D’œuvres, estimate 2-3 pieces per person or about one half of a roll.

Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette)

Makes one rolled omelette about 5 cm in diameter and 20 cm long (or the width of your pan).

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 30 mL neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
• 45 mL dashi
• 5 mL soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 5 mL mirin
• slice of cheese

Directions:

1. Combine the eggs, dashi, sugar (if using) soy sauce and mirin and whisk well.
2. Bring the Tamagoyaki pan to medium heat. Brush the entire surface with oil. Pour about 30 mLs of the egg mixture into the pan and tilt to spread the egg mixture evenly. Lay a single slice of cheese onto the omelette allow it to melt.
3. Using a heat resistant spatula, begin rolling the thin layer of egg starting from the sloped end of the Tamagoyaki pan and move it back to the sloped end. Brush the entire Tamagoyaki surface with oil again and repeat pouring and rolling until all of the egg mixture has been used.
4. Roll the Tamagoyaki in a parchment-line bamboo or plastic sushi mat and hold with elastics for about 5 minutes. Slice into six even slices. Serve warm.

Notes:

• Nami has a great video to show how to accomplish this task; it’s not difficult at all and it doesn’t take long to become quite expert at achieving the perfect Tamagoyaki!
• Nami adds about 2 teaspoons of sugar to her recipe but I reduced it to one, then one time, I totally forgot and didn’t miss it. The mirin is sweet enough.
• To get the cool texture, roll the Tamagoyaki in a bamboo or plastic sushi mat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. I line my bamboo sushi mat with parchment to protect it.
• Serve with finely shredded daikon radish seasoned with a little rice vinegar.

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Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Canadian Thanksgiving was at my SIL’s place in Peterborough. She asked that we bring hors d’œuvres so I made three dips. This one was blog-worthy.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Makes about 250 mL dip

Ingredients:

• 160 g roasted red peppers, skin and seeds removed
• 15 g roasted garlic purée
• 1 g salt
• 10 mL red wine vinegar
• 20 g almond flour

Directions:

1. Combine everything in your food processor and process until smooth.

1. Serve at room temperature with crackers or bread.

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Stuffed Clams

I am always inspired by my favourite blogs, and this recipe is no different. My gourmet chef blogger-friend Stefan, made this wonderful hors d ‘œuvres a few weeks ago and I just had to try them. I made only eight halves because it was just the two of us, so I adjusted the recipe while maintaining the proportions he suggested. I also changed up the bread crumbs with whole wheat panko because that is what I have at home. They were delicious and quite impressive looking! Definitely will make them again soon. They are so easy to make for a large group because you can stuff the shells and hold them in the refrigerator and bake them when required. Thank you Stefan for another tasty treat!

These are tasty, bite-sized morsels.

Makes 8 halves. Please click here for the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 8 large clams (about 60 g clam meat)
• 100 mL dry white wine
• 10 g butter
• splash of garlic oil
• 50 g green bell pepper, finely diced
• 25 g minced onion
• 40 g dry chorizo, finely diced
• 20 g whole wheat panko
• minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• grated cheese

Directions:

1. Place the cleaned clams in a large pan with a lid and pour the wine over them. Heat covered, until boiling and cook the clams until they have all opened.  Remove the clams as they open and set aside. Pour off the liquid and reserve.
2. Remove the clams from the shells (reserve the shells) and chop finely.
3. Add the butter and splash of garlic oil and sauté the bell pepper and onion. Add the chorizo and cook for a minute or until the chorizo renders and colours the onion.
4. Add the panko and the parsley and stir well. Add a little of the reserved wine and clam juice liquid until the mixture is slightly damp but not soaking wet. Add the clams.
5. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
6. Stuff each shell with the clam mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately with slices of lemon and a sprinkle of parsley.

These worked very well with our favourite Italian Pinot Grigio.

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Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties

Over the summer we don’t watch a lot of television, instead, we enjoy sitting outdoors on our patio and chatting about the day’s events. But since the renovation has finished, we cannot help but want to retire early to our fancy room and enjoy a television show or two before bed. On such an occasion, we were watching America’s Test Kitchen and they made this wonderful dish. Both JT and I were drooling by the end of the show and if it weren’t 10pm, we would have jumped out of bed to make the dish right away. The very next day, I shopped for the ingredients and made a large batch. This makes a lovely light meal or a slightly heavier appetizer or hors d’œuvres. It brings all of the usual flavours of Vietnamese cuisine and it’s so satisfying. The raw patties freeze well and can be grilled frozen because they are small, just make sure the internal temperature reads 155° F (Canada) 160° F (US). Don’t skip marinating the grilled burgers in the sauce, it adds a rich meaty flavour to the sauce and the sauce flavours the meat beautifully.

Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties

Makes about 20 small slider-sized patties

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 10 mL chili paste
• 10 mL roasted garlic purée
• 10 g sugar
• 15 mL fish sauce (see notes)
• 45 mL freshly squeezed lime juice
• 175 mL hot water

Ingredients for the pork patties:

• 1 large shallot, minced
• 15 mL fish sauce (see notes)
• 2.5 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL white pepper
• 454 g pound ground pork

Ingredients for the salad for 2-4 people:

• 250 g rice vermicelli
• 1 head Boston lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 English cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and cut into chunks
• a generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves and stems, cut thinly
• a generous handful of fresh mint leaves, cut thinly
• a handful of peanuts, sesame seeds or finely sliced green onions for garnish

Directions:

1. Make the sauce first because it is best if it stands for a few hours. Add all of the ingredients to a heatproof container and combine well until the sugar has entirely dissolved. Set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Combine the ground pork with all of the ingredients and mix well. Measure out small portions (we wanted them for hors d’œuvres and appetizers, so we did slider-sized patties) and form into firm patties.
3. Grill each patty on a hot grill until sides have caramelized and the centre is 155° F (Canada) or 160° F (US). Directly from the grill, add the patties to the sauce and allow to sit in the sauce for 5-10 minutes turning a few times if they are not entirely immersed.
4. Meanwhile, boil enough water to cover the rice vermicelli and allow to soften to al dente! Strain.
5. To serve, lay the torn Boston lettuce on each plate or a serving platter, scatter the cucumber, cilantro and mint over the leaves. Top the greens with the softened noodles and add the pork patties. Garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds or finely sliced green onions or all of the above! Drizzle with the sauce and serve remaining sauce on the table.

One of the last meals we had outdoors before September kicked in.

Notes:

• The sauce needs to mellow because it is very limey at the beginning. The meat juices help the sauce mellow out.
• We have reduced the sugar in this recipe by eliminating it from the patties, we found it balanced enough.
• Check the saltiness of your fish sauce, you may need to reduce the quantity so the patties aren’t too salty.

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Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

I remember seeing these tasty morsels a few years ago and was intrigued by the tapioca flour ingredient but I soon forgot about them. Recently, we were watching America’s Test Kitchen and by fluke, they were making a batch which reminded me how much I had wanted to make them. These days, more and more of our friends have become gluten intolerant or simply wish to reduce their gluten intake so this recipe comes at the right time. Plus the weather is perfect for cocktails on the back deck while the sun moves across the sky for its exit. I’ve made a few adjustments to the original recipe and have converted it to metric weight measures because that is my preference for baking.

We loved these little cheesy dough balls and you can bet that I will make them again and again. I hope you try them too.

Would you care for a few with your cocktail?

Brazilian Cheese Bread (gluten-free, lactose-reduced)

Makes 50-60 little balls. For the original recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 390 g tapioca flour (starch)
• 2 g baking powder
• 10 g plus 2 g salt, divided
• 2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks, divided
• 200 mL lactose-free milk
• 25 g unsalted butter
• 115 mL grapeseed oil (any vegetable oil)
• 212 g sheep’s milk semi-firm cheese

Directions:

1. Combine tapioca flour, baking powder and salt and mix well in the large bowl of your stand mixer.
2. In a small saucepan, heat until just boiling the milk, butter and grapeseed oil.
3. While mixing the flour on low spead, add the hot milk solution and beat well for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat for about 8 minutes or until dough is shiny and smooth.
5. Add the cheese and mix for about 1 minute.
6. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with damp parchment paper. Put the baking sheet on top of another baking sheet (these little breads tend to burn on the bottom so insulating the bottom will help them bake more evenly).
7. Scoop out 15 mL spoonfuls the prepared baking sheet. It’s easier if you dip your scoop into water each time. Shape into little balls.
8. Combine the egg yolk with the 2 g salt and mix well.
9. Brush the egg yolk mixture on top of each dough ball and bake until tops are golden and crusty 18-20 minutes. Turn the pan around for the last 5 minutes of baking.
10. Refrigerate the dough while baking the first batch. Repeat making little balls of dough until finished.
11. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Notes:

• Check the saltiness of the cheese you use, and adjust the salt measurement accordingly. I found America’s Test Kitchen recipe was a little saltier than I like.
• I used Starkey and Hitch goat’s milk gouda in this recipe.
• America’s Test Kitchen found the dough too sticky to work with so they rested the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours before baking. I did not find the dough too sticky so I skipped that step (it’s about the same as choux pastry) .
• The recipe is as easy as making choux pastry but the texture is quite bready.
• Freeze in a zip-lock baggy. To reheat frozen balls, bake them at around 275° F until defrosted and warm.

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Sweet Corn and Gruyère Soufflé

You may have noticed that I missed a post last week, I am sorry but things came to a head as the renovation is slowly completing. We have moved in but there are still a few minor things that need finishing and our Contractor is doing relatively well to get them done, at a snail’s pace! Of course, everyone will say that but we are tired. I’d like to get all my clothes into the new closet and wall units. Get’er done, as they say!

Light, cheesy, delicious with a touch of sweet corn.

I saw this awesome recipe in the LCBO’s latest Food and Drink and I really wanted to make it. We invited my SIL over for lunch to show her the reno and what perfect opportunity to make a fancy Al Fresco lunch. I already had everything in my pantry, even the BBQ’d corn kernels (they were in the freezer) and it was so easy. This one was actually my test run and it turned out very well. I think the only thing I’d change is to add a little crispy bacon because who doesn’t love bacon!

For the original recipe, please click here.

Makes 500 mL of soufflé batter, I used 2x 250 mL ramekins for this shot.

Ingredients:

• 15 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing ramekins
• 4 g Parmesan, finely grated
• 60 g cooked sweet corn kernels
• 60 g bacon, crispy
• 30 g Gruyère, grated
• 6 g finely chopped chives (about 1 bunch)
• 6 g flour
• 95 mL milk
• 2 large eggs, separated
• pinch salt (I forgot this and JT wasn’t the wiser, cheese has a lot of salt and so does Dijon, so be careful)
• 30 g Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Butter the ramekins and sprinkle the parmesan into it to coat the sides and bottom, knock out excess (save to sprinkle on top). Set aside.
2. Combine the corn, gruyère and chives and mix well. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter over low heat and add the flour, whisking until it is lightly toasted. Drizzle in the milk while whisking and cook for 2 minutes to create a smooth sauce. Add the salt.
4. Remove from the heat and add the egg yolks and Dijon mustard and whisk until smooth.
5. Pour the hot liquid into the corn mixture and mix well.
6. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold about 1/3 into the corn mixture to loosen. Fold in the remainder evenly.
7. Pour into the prepared ramekins and smooth out the top with an offset spatula (I did not do the latter on first try). Bake in a hot oven for 30-35 minutes or until nicely risen and golden. Serve immediately.

Pull up a chair and dig in.

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Dry-Seared Mushroom Soup

Renovations have begun so we have had to move out of our bedroom and bathroom upstairs. The guys have hoarded off the affected areas but construction dust is relentless. We moved into the basement guest suite, it feels like we are staying in a hotel, sort of, except for the dust. The majority of the mess has been limited to the second floor but soon the electricians will descend and all hell will break loose. We have decided to update our electrical so the entire house will finally be up-to-date. Fortunately, these renos have not affected the kitchen, so I’m still able to play!

This is a creamy, intensely flavoured soup. If you are a fence-sitter about mushrooms, this soup is not for you. But if you like the earthy goodness of mushrooms, then run to the kitchen and make this soup, it’s that good. By the way, it’s still soup-weather in these parts.

We are getting early afternoon sun in the kitchen these days, it’s so nice to be out of that winter light!

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 1 L soup

Ingredients:

• 500 g variety of dark mushrooms (I used portabello, cremini and shiitake)
• 40 g sweet onion, sliced thinly
• 15 g unsalted butter
• 500 mL beef stock, or more to taste
• 15 mL dark soy sauce
• 15 mL puréed roasted garlic
• 30 g almond flour
• Pinch of tarragon, to taste
• Pinch of smoked paprika
• 15 mL white truffle olive oil

Directions:

1. Clean the mushrooms and slice about 2mm thick. Heat a non-stick, cast iron or ceramic pan until it is very hot (no oil, cooking spray or anything). Place sliced mushrooms in the pan, making sure not to overlap or crowd them. Sear each side until golden, remove and set aside and repeat until all of the mushrooms have been seared.
2. In a medium Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions until caramelized.
3. Add the almond flour and toast lightly.
4. Add the beef stock, dark soy sauce, roasted garlic and about 3/4 of the mushrooms (I reserve about 1/4 for texture for the soup), cook for about 45 minutes or until the stock is richly mushroom flavoured and the mushrooms are soft enough to purée.
5. Purée the soup until creamy and smooth with a high-speed immersion blender. Add the smoked paprika and white truffle oil and purée again. Press through a fine sieve to get a super creamy soup.

Notes:

• In trying to eat fewer carbs, I have used ground almonds as a thickener in this soup. Feel free to use your own thickener for preference but the almonds really create a creamy mouthfeel and add a lovely nuttiness to the soup.
• I specifically avoided white mushrooms because they don’t have the strong earthy flavour I was after.
• If you don’t like truffles, omit the white truffle oil.
• I used some interesting wild mushrooms as the garnish for the photo.
• If you have access to Mycroyo, you may wish to coat the mushrooms with it for the perfect sear.

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Truffled Parmesan Mousse

A similar, unbelievably moreish dish was the first course that Dave (Fine Dining at Home) served us at his beautiful home in Manchester. It was creamy, full of flavour, and so delicious that my mouth is watering as I think of his dish. You can see his version here.

I really didn’t have a high-brow enough opportunity to serve this dish before our reno started, so I made a version that I used as a dip for a more casual starter. This was the basis of my recipe. Dave generously gifted me with several truffle-y food items and one was a beautiful bottle of truffled olive oil. I used his olive oil for the dip. If you are not a fan of truffle flavour, simply use a good quality olive oil instead.

Deliciously light and dreamy.

Makes about 125 mL mousse

Ingredients:

• 20 g unsalted butter
• 25 g sweet onion, finely minced
• 30 mL cognac
• 125 mL whipping cream
• 125  g parmesan rinds
• pinch of rosemary
• 15 mL white truffle olive oil
• sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and sweat the onion until translucent. Add the cognac and cook until it has almost evaporated.
2. To the onion, add the whipping cream, parmesan rinds and rosemary and bring to a slow simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes stirring often.
3. Taste and season with salt.
4. Strain to remove the rinds, onions and rosemary. Allow the liquid to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
5. Add the white truffle olive oil and mix well. Whip with a hand mixer until it is somewhere between soft and stiff peaks. Refrigerate until needed.

 

Notes:

• This is a very rich dish, so if you serve this as individual appetizers, I would choose smaller glass vessels. Garnish as Dave did with a demiglace and steamed asparagus spears with a parmesan tuile.

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Gluten-free, Low Carb, Herbed, Olive Oil Crackers

We are heading into another renovation. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s been 12 years since the last one and things need to get done. Obviously, we’ve chosen another contractor, with whom we shall have a better relationship, hopefully. It really doesn’t take much: honesty and communication. That’s all we ask. Don’t leave us hanging and for damn sure, don’t lie to us. We have been hung out and lied to and to be honest, it’s difficult to get over. But I’m going in with a positive attitude.

We are adding a master ensuite and walk in closet to our bedroom, and we are updating the main bathroom. We will move into the basement guest suite to remain in the house while the work is getting done. The dreaded demolition starts April 9.

I tell you this because we have been entertaining like mad, knowing that the next few months will be chaos and dust. So I’ve been cooking like crazy and gearing up blog posts so I don’t skip a beat. My best friend and her picky-eater- hubby came by for brunch so I made these tasty crackers. Needless to say, hubby passed on them.

Makes about 33 crackers

Ingredients:

• 100 g almond flour
• 20 g coconut flour
• 20 g psyllium husk
• 5 g salt
• 30 mL Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 egg
• A good pinch of thyme leaves
• A good pinch of rosemary
• A good pinch of dehydrated onion and garlic, ground into a powder

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (175° C).
2. Using the metal blades in your food processor, add all the ingredients and pulse until entirely combined and resemble small peas.
   
3. Pour onto a large sheet of parchment paper and push toward the centre. Lay another piece of parchment on top. Roll out between two pieces of parchment to about 0.5 mm (1/16″) thick.
4. Cut into shapes using a pizza wheel and a kitchen ruler. (I cut small triangles that were about the size of chips).
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they begin to get a golden tone. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. They will firm up as they cool.
6. Store in an airtight container.
7. Serve with your favourite dip or cheese.

Notes:

• This is a modification of this earlier recipe.
• The crackers have good body and are sturdy enough to hold dip or cheese.
• I used dried herbs because it’s still winter here and my herb garden is still hibernating!
• We were just in Spain and of course, I purchased some wonderful olive oil. This is the one I used for this recipe.
  

 

• Feel free to flavour with your favourite herbs or spices.

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Thai Inspired Lentil Coconut Soup

As you can imagine, I had hoped that winter would be on its way out by our return from Europe last week. Sadly, it wasn’t so. Temperatures, although slightly warmer were still not showing signs of spring. And Facebook was of no help, throwing into my face, a year that the crocus’ were out and the lily of the valley was growing in thickly. No, spring has not sprung — that damn groundhog lied, again.

During these colder days, I like to eat soup so I’ve been creating new flavours since our return. I cobbled together a version of this recipe just before we left and JT liked it so much he asked for it upon our return so I got out my measuring tools and recreated this tasty dish for posterity. To me, lentils have always been paired with warm South Asian spices, more like curries, which we adore but I wanted something different. This soup comes together quickly and is thick and luscious enough to make a meal on its own. It has some nice comforting flavours of roasted garlic and cumin with a beautiful fresh hint of kaffir lime leaves and coconut. I didn’t have time to source fresh Kaffir lime leaves so I used the dry stuff, if you use fresh, you may wish to cut it back a bit, they are meant to be a background note. The lentils purée up creamy and smooth and make a gorgeous luxurious soup. I will serve this at an upcoming dinner party, I know it will be a hit.

Some crispy rice crackers would have made a nice side for this dish.

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 1.25 L soup

Ingredients:

• 15 mL coconut oil
• 130 g sweet onion, chopped
• 15 mL puréed, roasted garlic
• 5 mL cumin
• 8 kaffir lime leaves (mine were dried)
• 300 g red lentils, rinsed and picked through
• 1 L chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• 250 mL coconut milk
• salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil in a Medium Dutch oven. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the roasted garlic and stir until fragrant.
2. Add the lentils and stir to coat. Dust with the cumin and cook until fragrant.
3. Add the kaffir lime leaves and the chicken stock and cook until lentils are soft. Remove the kaffir lime leaves.
4. You can run an immersion blender through the soup, leaving a few chunks for texture or entirely creamy or you may leave it soupy.
5. Garnish with toasted coconut.

Notes:

• I usually remove 250-500 mL of the chunky soup and purée the remainder until smooth and creamy and then I add back the chunky bits for texture.
• Lentils generally thicken as they sit so you may wish to add a bit more stock or coconut milk depending on your preference for the thickness and how long it sits before serving.
• America’s Test Kitchen recently mentioned that a sprinkle of baking soda on onions as you sauté them will reduce their acidity and make them caramelize quicker. I have been using this technique since I saw it.
• When I prepped for Anjum Anand, she had me toast the cumin quite a bit, but for me, toasting until fragrant is enough.

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Spanish Potato Omelette

You may recall that I made a version of this recipe in November 2012 but had an unfortunate accident when the entire omelette slid out of the pan and onto the floor! No “three-second rule”, that baby was toast!

Preparing for a recent trip to Spain, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to repost the recipe in its full glory. These creamy little potatoes are the perfect ingredient for this simple but tasty dish. And it’s perfect if you have leftover potatoes. But don’t stop there, even though the potatoes and onion are the traditional tapa, the flavour combos are endless. In fact, I cheated and added a little crispy pancetta for additional flavour.

Spanish Potato Omelette

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes one loaf pan, about 10 cm x 21 cm (4″ x 8.25″), 16 slices

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 200 g potatoes
• 60 g onion, finely sliced
• 30 mL roasted garlic
• 30 g pancetta, finely diced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a loaf pan, set aside.
2. Boil the potatoes until soft. Strain and layout on a cool baking sheet and smash with a fork. Allow to cool completely.
3. In a small frying pan, over medium heat, sauté the pancetta until crispy, remove and set aside.
4. Whisk the eggs together, add the roasted garlic and whisk well. Mix in the smashed potatoes, pancetta and raw onions.
5. Pour into the prepared loaf pan, making sure the inclusions are evenly distributed.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until egg is completely set. Cool slightly, run a sharp knife around the perimeter and turn out of the pan. Flip over and slice into even, bite-sized rectangles.
7. You may serve immediately or cool completely, refrigerate and gently reheat the prior to serving.

Notes:

• I did not bother to peel the potatoes, I just smashed the little buggers skin and all after boiling.
• The original Spanish recipe called for the onions to be sweated out beforehand, you can do this, but I found no alteration in the flavour of the omelette so why waste the extra time?
• You may also serve these with a dollop of sriracha mayo.

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Twice Baked Mushroom Soufflé

We had a little break from the Christmas rush on boxing day and we made our pilgrimage to Niagara-on-the-Lake. We love to stay at Harbour House because the rooms are nice, the people are wonderful and they have a few perks that we like to take advantage of: a lovely breakfast spread in the morning room, wine and cheese in the lobby between 4-5 every night, free shuttle service to any restaurant within NOTL! During our last night, we dined at The Cannery and I noticed they had a twice-baked soufflé on the menu so I immediately amended our NYE menu to include a twice-baked soufflé.

We had some friends over for New Year’s Eve and I decided to make a tapas evening. We had six courses but were too full so we only had five of them. I spread the evening out as much as possible so we ate from 7:30-10:30. The courses were:

• Zucchini Fritters with Sriracha Aioli
• Twice Baked Mushroom Soufflé
• Coconut Shrimp with Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
• Crab Gyoza with Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce
• Mussels in a White Wine Broth and Baguette
• Cheese Course (this is the one we saved for the following day).

It was a nice way to spend the evening, just noshing and chatting away. We hadn’t seen these friends since mid-November so we had a lot to catch up on. But there wasn’t a lot of talking during this course. Just eating!

Twice Baked Mushroom Soufflé

Original recipe by Lorraine Elliot of Not Quite Nigella.

Makes about 500 mL (~15 oz)

Ingredients:

• 15 g butter, plus additional for buttering ramekins
• 15 g plain all purpose flour
• 80 g shiitake mushrooms, sliced medium thickly
• 40 g chestnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
• 10 mL roasted garlic purée
• 125 mL milk, heated
• 1 egg, separated
• 40 g goats cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
2. Butter the ramekins well, all the way up the sides. Boil some water.
3. Dry roast the mushroom slices in a non-stick pan so that they colour a little on both sides and much of their moisture has evaporated. Set aside.
4. Melt the remaining butter in the pan and add the flour all at once. Cook the flour for a minute without burning it. Add the milk and whisk until smooth, it will be very thick.
5. Chop the slightly cooled mushrooms and add them with the roasted, chopped chestnuts and roasted garlic purée to the roux and whisk well.
6. Add the egg yolk and stir well to combine. Set aside to cool.
7. Meanwhile, beat the egg white until stiff but not dry. Take about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites and stir it into the roux mixture to loosen. Fold in the remaining egg whites until well incorporated but not deflated.
8. Divide the mixture into the prepared ramekins and bake in a bain-marie (this is why you were boiling the water) for 35-40 minutes or until tops are lightly golden (remember, they will be baked again).
9. Allow to cool in the ramekins for about 5 minutes (they will deflate a bit), then gently loosen sides with a sharp knife and turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool until room temperature.
10. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until needed. If you are not going to use it for a few days, wrap each soufflé individually in plastic wrap and then bag in a large ziplock freezer bag. Freeze until required.
11. To defrost, remove from the freezer the night before it is required and defrost in the refrigerator. The microwave is not suitable for this step.
12. Lay the soufflés into individual ovenproof dishes and prepare the béchamel finishing sauce.

Ingredients for Béchamel Finishing Sauce:

• 5 g unsalted butter
• 15 g all-purpose flour
• 250 mL milk
• Pinch of thyme leaves
• pinch of nutmeg
• season to taste.

Directions for Béchamel Finishing Sauce:

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and cook the roux without burning for about 1 minute.
2. Slowly add the milk while whisking to create a smooth sauce, cook until thickened.
3. Flavour with the thyme leaves and nutmeg.
4. Pour over the defrosted soufflés in an oven-proof bakeware and bake about 25 minutes in a preheated 350° F (180° C), to heat it through.

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Gluten-Free Vietnamese Shrimp Cakes

Happy New Year! These shrimp cakes are chuck-full of shrimp, in fact, they are more shrimp than cake! And they are packed with the fresh flavours of ginger, cilantro and green onions which work incredibly well with the sweet succulent shrimp! I had intended on freezing them, but they disappeared too quickly so unfortunately I have no idea how they would perform after being frozen. They really don’t take long to put together and they pan fry so quickly, you could make them up in the morning and hold them in the refrigerator until needed, then reheat them at 250F for about 30 minutes. These luscious babies are definitely going on my New Years Eve tapas menu.

For the original recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 100-125 mL water
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 30 g coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 10 g fresh cilantro, chopped
• 30 g green onions, finely sliced
• 100 g celeriac, finely grated
• 454 g Raw Shrimp, chopped roughly
• Grape seed oil for frying

Directions:

1. Whisk eggs with water and ginger.
2. In another bowl, combine baking powder, coconut flour and sea salt and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix into a paste.
3. Add the remaining ingredients (cilantro, green onions, celeriac and chopped shrimp and mix well.
4. Heat grape seed oil in pan (about 1 cm deep). Using a 4 cm cookie scoop, scoop spoonfuls into the hot oil and press down to flatten a bit. Fry each side until golden.
5. Serve warm with a spicy mayo dipping sauce (125 mL (1/2 cup) mayo with 15 mL (1 tbsp) sriracha sauce).

Notes:

• You may use a blended gluten-free flour mix instead of just plain coconut flour, but I found the coconut flour flavour works really well here.
• Don’t like frying? Try baking them in a 350F

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Baba Ganoush Revisited

We are knee-deep in entertaining season so I thought I’d share some easy recipes for entertaining. Homemade dips are simple to make and are a million-times better than store-bought dips. I’ve suggested grilling the eggplant for a smoky flavour in my recipe but if your grill is tucked away for the long winter, you can broil them for a similar effect.

Speaking of entertaining, do you own a wood-burning fireplace or know someone who does? Do you struggle to bring wood in from your wood pile when you have friends over? The sawdust and bits of wood alway stick to your clothes and the number of trips in and out is tiring! I have a solution! I’ve created a handy log carrier, hand made by yours truly in Canada! This is the perfect gift for the wood burning fireplace owner! Made of heavy duty denim, with a copper handles, these carriers can hold 12-14 kg (25-30 lbs) of wood, the perfect amount for a roaring fire without breaking your back! They are $60 (Canadian) each or two for $100 (Canadian). Shipping within Canada and to the US is available but you’ll need to contact me before November 23 to make sure you get it by Christmas. Now let’s get busy and make some baba!

Baba Ganoush

For the original recipe, please click here.

Makes about 400 mL dip

Ingredients:

• 8 small Thai aubergines, halved and seeded
• olive oil
• 2 cloves of roasted garlic
• 15 mL tahini
• 6 g cumin
• extra virgin olive oil
• juice of half a lemon
• sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Grill aubergines on very hot BBQ, until skin is charred and the flesh is soft (we did ours mostly on the skin side on the BGE).

1. Roast the garlic in a parchment pouch wrapped in foil. Cool.
2. Peel the charred skin and away from the aubergine and discard, peel roasted garlic and discard skins.
3. In the bowl of your food processor, add all of the ingredients and purée until smooth, season to taste.

Notes:

• I like to toast my cumin for big flavour.
• Use raw garlic if you wish, we have developed a bit of an aversion to raw garlic so I roast it whenever possible.
• Use as much olive oil to give you a smooth dip.
• I would not substitute peanut butter for the tahini in this case.
• If you like a tarter dip, add more lemon juice.
• Seeds of the eggplant tend to be bitter, so I’d remove them.

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Seared Scallops in Creamy Grilled Corn Velouté

Late in the summer, I got together with a dear friend whom I haven’t seen in quite some time. We had a long lunch chatting about what’s going on in each of our lives and ended up reminiscing about wonderful vacations we have each had in Spain. Of course, my head goes directly to food and I had couldn’t stop thinking about a spectacular dish we had during one of our first meals in Almaria: a scallop wrapped in Iberian bacon bathed in a corn emulsion! It was out of this world. The delicate flavours worked so well together. I thought this dish could make a lovely starter or a beautiful amuse bouche, appetizer or light main course for the holidays; of course, I put my own little spin on it and it is equally as compelling. In the Notes area, I have made suggestions on how to make this dish vegetarian or vegan.

This scallop wrapped in Iberian bacon bathed in a corn emulsion is the artistic creation of Joseba Anorga Taberna, a contemporary restaurant rated as one of the top ten in Almeria.

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main

Ingredients:

• 300 g grilled corn (or frozen corn)
• ~200 mL chicken stock
• 20 g roasted almonds (with or without skins)
• sea salt to taste
• 20 g pancetta, cut into small bits
• 15 mL grapeseed oil
• 4-6 large scallops
• butter
• 45 mL white wine vinegar
• Splash of water

Directions:

1. Rince frozen corn, if using, to defrost. Purée the corn with almonds and the chicken stock until desired consistency is achieved (I used 200 mL for a thicker velouté). Press through a fine sieve to catch all of the corn skins, discard skins. Reserve the creamed corn at room temperature until required.
2. In a small pan, fry the pancetta in the grapeseed oil until crisp; set on paper towel to remove excess oil. Reserve the pancetta fat (there isn’t much).
3. Add the butter and reserved pancetta fat to a large cast iron frying pan. Dry the scallops well. When the oil is smoking hot, add the scallops and sear each side without turning or moving. The scallops will release from the pan when they are ready. Flip each scallop only once.
4. Remove the scallops and cover to keep warm.
5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine vinegar and splash of water, if using and reserve for drizzle (I did not need to add water).
6. To serve, spoon the corn velouté into shallow bowls (I like a rimmed soup bowl for a main or a small shell dish as an appetizer. Add the hot scallops, sprinkle on the crispy pancetta and drizzle with the deglazing liquid. Serve immediately garnished with shallot curls.

The subtly sweet corn compliments the delicate sweetness of the scallop, and then there is the salty bacon and the acidity of the pan juices. Heaven!

Notes:

• This dish can easily be made into a vegetarian or vegan by using King Mushrooms instead of scallops as I have done here (they have a similar texture to scallops and will sear just like scallops). Substitute a robust olive oil for the butter and vegetable stock for chicken stock. Obviously, omit the pancetta but sprinkle the finished dish generously with sea salt for balance.
• Searing is possible only when the scallop or King Mushrooms are perfectly dry, so pat them dry before you cook them.
• If you are using frozen corn, add a pinch of sweet smoked paprika to emulate the smokey flavour of grilled corn.

This was our actual dinner, it was very tasty indeed.

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Neapolitan Zucchini Fritters

I’ve been following “Memorie di Angelina“, an Italian blog by Frank. I like this blog because (like my other favourite Italian blog “from the Bartolini kitchens“), Frank documents authentic Italian recipes with easy instructions and mouthwatering photos. I have been drooling over his recipes all year and during this last summer, I was overwhelmingly inspired to recreate his Frittelle di pasta cresciuta con zucchine (Zucchini Fritters)! Those of you who have been following me for years know that I am not a fan of deep fried food, but once in a while a recipe calls out to me and I am compelled to make it: this is one of them.

These fritters are unlike any fritter that I’ve had; they are soft, pillowy, and slightly chewy, yeasted bread dough balls with delicate shavings of zucchini and thinly sliced shallots (I added the shallots, they were not in the original recipe). They are fried at a slightly lower temperature so they don’t brown quickly and get dark and crusty. The trick is to fry them through without getting them golden like most deep-fried fritters would be. The flavour is a little taste of heaven and if you feel decadent, serve them with a romesco sauce or an aioli (as Frank kindly suggested). I made the recipe as Frank outlined on his beautiful blog and yielded about 41 (may have been 42 — quality control, of course 😉) tasty morsels. I served them 4 per person but you may want to serve the entire batch if your crowd is hungry enough. They freeze beautifully and reheat in a 300° F oven in less than 10 minutes.

The dough is rather shaggy when raw, but using two spoons to portion the little balls (one to portion, the other to push off into the oil), it’s easy and not as messy as I had envisioned. I was quite surprised that I yielded back almost the same amount of oil as before frying, which means the little balls did not soak up much at all — it makes total sense as they didn’t taste oily or deep fried. Each ball swells as it fries and turns into about 1-manly bite or two-lady-like bites, perfect for cocktails. It’ll be some time ’till we drag out the outdoor cushions again but I thought I’d share the recipe for the Holiday season.

Makes about 40-42 little balls

Please click here for the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 300 g “00” flour
• 250 mL warm water
• 5 g Instant dry yeast
• 300 g zucchini, shredded
• 25 g shallot, thinly sliced
• 5 g salt
• Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the yeast with the water and mix well. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover, set aside for 2-4 hours.
2. Meanwhile, mix the shredded zucchini with a generous amount of salt and set aside for the duration of the proofing of the dough.
3. Scrape out the zucchini into a fine sieve and rinse with cold water. Place the rinsed zucchini into a clean piece of cheesecloth and squeeze as much of the water from it as possible. Sprinkle into the prooved dough and mix well. Add the salt and the shallots and mix well.
4. Preheat oil to 350° F.
5. Using two spoons, scoop out a small amount (about a generous teaspoon) and gently push the dough into hot oil, being careful not to splash. Add only a few at a time so the oil doesn’t lose its temperature. Lay the fried balls onto a clean paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve immediately or set aside/freeze and reheat at 300° F for 4-8 minutes.

These are light and flavourful Italian fritters. Do you like my new outdoor cushions and pillows? I made them using my new heavy duty sewing machine!

 

• 

• We remade the coffee table too but I forgot to take a photo!

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Baked Cornmeal Tuilles

We are fast approaching the holiday entertaining season and what better way to kick-start the party-fun than with some tasty cornmeal tuiles! I first saw these beauties on lovely Lorraine’s beautiful blog in early spring, and I knew at first sight that they would be making an appearance on my blog. The yield is amazing, I got about 50 tuiles from one batch! Now that is economical. And they are tasty too. I will definitely make these tuiles again, thank you dear Lorraine.

It’s best not to make these in the middle of the summer heat, like I did. What was I thinking?!?!?!?

Baked Cornmeal Tuiles

For the original recipe, please click here.

This recipe makes 50 chips about 9 cm x 7 cm (3 1/2″ x 2 3/8″)

Ingredients:

• 215 g plain fine cornmeal, not flour
• 40 g gruyère, finely grated
• 5 g salt
• 30 g unsalted butter, cubed and softened
• 250-500 mL water, boiling
• 2 g Herbs en Provence
• oil or non-stick spray for brushing baking sheets

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Put a Silpat mat on the baking sheet. Add the tuile template, if using. Brush or spray the Silpat liberally with a high flash point oil, like grapeseed.
2. Combine the cornmeal, gruyère, salt and butter, mix well. Pour the boiling water into the cornmeal mixture and mix to a cream of wheat consistency. See notes.
3. Spoon 8 mL (a heaped teaspoon) into the centre of each tuile template and spread out to the edges using an offset spatula. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then carefully flip over and continue to bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until edges have gently browned and they are crisp.

Notes:

• Lorraine specifically indicates not to put them on a parchment-lined sheet because that is what the original author suggested, but I like to live dangerously and tried it anyway—it didn’t worked out; I found that crisping took a lot longer because the parchment held onto the moisture. I found a happy medium by baking them on a Silpat matt brushed or sprayed with oil.
• I mixed everything together with my immersion blender because I wanted a slightly finer texture to the cornmeal and I wanted to break up the herbs a bit more.
• Confession: My chips were not curling beautifully so when I flipped them, I snuck a cannoli roll underneath each chip to give it curl.
• An Australian cup is slightly less than a North American cup, but I found the recipe worked out anyway. for the pictured recipe, I used 400 mL water.
• I reduced the salt by half and it was salty enough, but keep in mind that Gruyère is also very salty.
• Consider adding some other flavourings, such as granulated garlic or onion powder. I would add 5 g at a time and taste to make sure it’s not overpowering.
• I found that my tuiles shrank about 30% while baking so I increased the spoon drop to 8 mL (a heaped teaspoon) from 5 mL (a level teaspoon).
• I tried to make lovely, even ovals but was not able to get it right no matter how hard I tried, so I created a tuile template using a silicon matt (that I bought at the Dollar Store for $4) and an Exacto-knife and oval cookie cutter. It literally took me 10 minutes! Or you may buy a tuile template here. Make the template about 20-30% larger than you want your chip to be because they shrink that much!
• These make lovely little snacks when serving cocktails. These chips are deceptively sturdy and will hold up to any dip.

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Korean-Style Mung Bean Pancakes

This is not your ordinary pancake. The mung beans add a certain richness and denseness to the pancake. It’s almost like an overmixed North American pancake! Having said that, it still has nice fresh flavour and can be quite addictive. Some recipes have you remove the skins and split the mung beans, I had neither the patience nor the time, so this recipe is a little green/greyer than most. I figured the skins had vitamins or at the very least, fibre. Use whatever veggies make you happy. Next time, I’ll add green onions because the chives had very little flavour.

Korean-Style Mung Bean Pancakes

This recipe makes about 20 appetizer portion pancakes.

To see the original recipe, please click here.

To print this recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 95 g mung beans, soaked in warm water for at least 2 hours
• 250 mL water
• 15 mL miso paste
• 10 g coconut sugar
• 65 g rice flour
• 5 g ginger, grated
• 45 g coconut, soaked in water then drained
• 60 g each, frozen peas and corn
• a handful of pea shoots
• Chives
• Cilantro

Directions:

1. Combine everything but the peas, corn, pea shoots and herbs in the jar of a blender and blend until very smooth.
2. Heat a non-stick pan and spray lightly with oil. Drop 15 to 30 mL batter onto the pan a good distance apart from each other (so you can easily flip them) and top with a sprinkling of the peas and corn, pea shoots and herbs. Cook until golden on one side, then flip and finish cooking for a very short time so that the herbs don’t burn.
3. Serve warm with dipping sauce (recipe below).

Ingredients for the dipping sauce:

• 30 mL rice vinegar
• 5 mL soy sauce
• 2.5 mL sesame oil
• pinch of coconut sugar
• pinch of toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Serve with mung bean pancakes.

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Turkey Gyoza

One of the main differences between blog food and food styled food is that blog food is edible. You wouldn’t want to eat food styled food because it’s likely sat on set for hours and at the least been handled to death or at the very worst, there have been additions which make the food last longer on set! Meat is regularly oiled up to look juicy, sauces and stews get a dash of white corn syrup to look glossy and delicious, etc. The gummy-bear pancakes on my website were generously coated with silicon spray so they wouldn’t absorb the syrup too readily! Wraps are most often superglued together, and their stuffing is generally only 1/3 deep (the rest is crumpled up paper towel!). Coffee, tea or bevy’s in general are usually not even real, kitchen bouquet parades as a variety of liquids! So there is a HUGE difference between blog food (which we usually eat, moments after it’s shot) and food styled food! But you needn’t worry about these gyozas, not only are they pretty enough to eat, they were eagerly consumed directly after the shoot, and they were so yummy!

Turkey Gyoza

For original gyoza wrapper recipe, please click here.

Makes 24 gyoza

Ingredients:

• 120 g AP unbleached flour
• 67 mL water, boiling
• pinch of salt
• cornstarch for dusting
• 150 g lean ground turkey
• 5 mL sesame oil
• 40 g shallots (1 large)
• 3 g garlic scapes, finely minced
• 10 g ginger, finely grated
• 15 g carrot, finely grated
• 15 mL soy sauce
• 3 g coconut sugar
• Butter or grapeseed oil to brown gyoza

Directions:

1. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add boiling water to the flour and salt mixture slowly to make a dough, turn out to a surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth. Cut dough into two and roll into a sausage-like roll. Wrap in plastic and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a pan and sweat out the onions, add the scapes and cook for a minute. Add the ground turkey and cook through. Stir in the ginger, carrot, soy sauce and coconut sugar and cook for a minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly.
3. To make the wrappers, roll each sausage out to a manageable thickness and run it through the KitchenAid pasta roller from #1 to #5.
4. Cut into 7.5 cm (3 inch) rounds. Wet the edges of each round, spoon 5 mL (1 tsp) of meat filling into the centre and fold in half and seal the edges. I used a handy pleater like this one to get perfect pleats.
5. Steam each one for 3-5 minutes. When cooked, melt butter or grapeseed oil in a cast iron pan. Pan fry each one on one side only so it is golden and crispy. Serve with your choice of dipping sauce.
6. Freeze uncooked gyoza on a piece of parchment and once frozen add to a ziplock bag for future use. Frozen gyoza will cook in 3-5 minutes!

One side is crunchy while the other side is soft. They are sooo good!

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Crispy Baked Springrolls

I have been thinking about hacking a spring roll recipe to avoid deep frying and I believe I have found the answer. If you like crispy spring rolls with a flavourful filling and a delicious peanut dipping sauce, then you will like this recipe. JT is all about the deep fried spring roll and I adore fresh rolls (rice paper rolls that are not cooked). It’s easy to accommodate when we go out because we order what we want (and usually have leftovers for another day!) but at home, I prefer not to make two separate dishes so poor JT has to endure the fresh rolls (I also don’t like deep frying). It was the middle of the night when I came up with this idea: to use phyllo pastry as the roll paper! The idea festered in my brain for some time, I even bought the phyllo pastry and had it in the fridge for a week before I carved out some time to make them. To be honest, the first attempt was a bit soggy, the phyllo absorbed all of the liquid from the filling and didn’t crisp up and that’s when I put my thinking cap on and came up with this winner! The first set was made with half a phyllo sheet, this time, I used an entire sheet for one roll. I also brushed each sheet with sesame oil and sprinkled coconut flour over each sheet (coconut flour absorbs liquid quite effectively without much taste). The result was outstanding, JT approved with gusto. I will definitely make these again.

So crispy, you will never guess that they were not deep fried!

Crispy Baked Spring Rolls

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes 6 x 20 cm rolls

To print this recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 60 g protein, your choice, finely minced
• 5 mL each, soy sauce and hoisin sauce
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 small shallot, finely chopped
• 30 mL sesame oil, divided
• 45 mL grape seed oil
• 20 g coconut flour
• 6 sheets phyllo pastry
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 mini cucumber, finely sliced
• 42 g glass noodles, cooked

Directions:

1. Heat 15 mL sesame oil in a small frying pan, add the garlic and shallot and cook until softened. Add the protein and cook through. Season with soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Cool completely.
2. Combine the remaining 15 mL sesame oil and grape seed oil in a small container.
3. Take one phyllo sheet and brush with combined oils. Sprinkle a small amount of coconut flour on the oiled sheet (I find using a small sieve makes this very easy).
4. In the centre of one short end, spread some grated carrot, sliced cucumber and glass noodles. Add about 1 tbsp meat mixture and spread. Fold the bottom and top sides into the roll (about 1/3:1/3:1/3) and brush with a little of the oil mixture, sprinkle with coconut flour and begin rolling tightly from the filled end. The first layer of the pastry will crack, but don’t worry, it will be covered with several layers. Repeat until you have 6 finished rolls.
5. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
6. Brush the finished roll with the remaining oil mixture and lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden, turning occasionally. Serve with peanut dipping sauce, recipe below.

Ingredients for the peanut dipping sauce:

• 60 mL chunky peanut butter
• 45 mL rice vinegar
• 5 mL soy sauce
• dash of honey
• lime juice

Directions for the peanut dipping sauce:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until well combined. Taste, adding sweetness or salt as needed.

May I offer you a couple of these tasty spring rolls?

Notes:

• Protein choices: ground beef, pork or chicken. For vegetarian, try crumbled tofu or even tempeh.
• The pastry thickness is essential to make a crispy spring roll, otherwise, the filling moisture overwhelms the pastry and it becomes soggy.

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Sun-dried Tomato, Basil and Parmesan Straws

In late March/early April, we spent two glorious weeks in Arizona. We stayed with friends for this duration because we had offered to puppy-sit (Jordan) while they took a quick 7 day holiday in Ireland. We had never puppy sat before but their beautiful black lab, Jordan is quite possibly one of the laziest dogs we have ever met so she was really no problem at all. We did get her used to three walks per day, that is, until we bumped into a woman carrying a black light, walking her dog after dark. I had to ask and yes, it was to detect scorpions. That was the end of our after dark walks. Period.

I like to arrive with gifts in hand and these basil Parmesan Straws were the perfect hostess gift because I had a bunch of basil that needed using a couple of days before our departure. Plus they are pretty tasty. Jordan thought so too.

Sun-dried Tomato, Basil and Parmesan Straws

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 75 pieces

To print this recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 290 g flour
• 10 g Fresh Basil, finely chopped
• 50 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
• 10 g garlic, finely minced
• 110 g unsalted butter (cold)
• 30 g  grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten separately
• 15-30 mL water or milk
• Sea salt

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
2. Put all dry ingredients into a food processor, including the basil, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, and process to mix well.
3. Add the butter and process to coarse granules.
4. While the blades are running, pour in the egg and process until a soft ball forms. If this does not happen, drizzle little bits of water until a soft ball forms.
5. Remove from processor and using a small amount of flour, roll out the dough to about 1/2 cm thickness. Cut into 8cm x 7 mm straws and position evenly on a cookie sheet. Brush with second egg and sprinkle with sea salt.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.
7. Remove and allow to cool. This will store well in a cool, dark place or freeze.

Notes:

• I like to use a plastic ruler to cut the straws evenly. My ruler is a dedicated food ruler that never is used with pens or pencils or markers!
• This type of rolling pin gives you evenly thick dough, but as I have mentioned previously, it is a pain to unscrew the disks and I inadvertently have to wash all of the disks each time I use it.
• This dough is a bit wetter than some of my other recipes because of the sun-dried tomatoes and fresh garlic.

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Turmeric, Ginger, Miso Soup with Peas and Corn

In the Spring edition of the LCBO’s (our liquor store) Food & Drink magazine, they featured a Turmeric, Miso & Ginger Soup that immediately caught my attention. In mid-March, we were still craving soups, believe it or not, so I thought I’d give this colourful soup a go in my humble kitchen. The flavours were earthy, brightened by the lemon juice and sweetened by the peas and corn, everything one could want from the spring soup.

An Earthy soup to warm and ward off any spring colds.

Makes 1 L soup

For the original recipe, please click here.

To print this recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 15 mL EVOO
• 70 g sweet onion (such as Vidalia), finely chopped
• 50 g celery, sliced
• 1 L vegetable stock, divided
• 20 g ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 g garlic, roughly chopped
• 5 g turmeric powder
• 20 g white miso
• 15 mL freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 70 g each, frozen peas and frozen corn

Directions:

1. In a medium stock-pot, heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add the celery and cook for a minute or so longer.
2. In a small measuring cup fitted for your stick blender, add about 125 mL vegetable stock, the ginger, garlic, turmeric and miso and blend until smooth.
3. Add the turmeric mixture to the celery and onions and cook for a few minutes, until you can smell the garlic. Add the remainder of the vegetable stock and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add the frozen peas and corn and stir for a minute.
4. Serve hot.

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Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Shortbread Cookies

In mid-March JT and I went to the large National Home Show at the Enercare Centre. I found discounted tickets on Groupon AND I also found a Groupon discount code, which made the two tickets $17.80; that was an awesome deal because the regular price of the tickets are $20 each! These shows are getting more and more expensive and I really don’t understand why, the vendors pay through the nose to exhibit, AND the public pays a hefty entrance fee. The kicker was parking at $21! The Enercare Centre is not located downtown, it is slightly west but still within the city, but there is not much else around it — total money grab! And that completes my rant.

While at the show, there are always a few food vendors exhibiting and one of my favourites is a shortbread company who generously hands out samples. JT and I sampled one of their savoury shortbread cookies and I knew I had to make a batch. On the drive home, we brain-stormed the possible flavours and I knew the moment JT said caramelized onion that it had to be the one. We bought a very special sharp cheddar to accompany the sweet flavour of the caramelized onion, they were absolutely perfect!

Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Shortbread Cookies

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 75 cookies that are about 3 cm in diameter.

To print recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 114 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 80 mL caramelized onions, slightly dried out, see notes
• 120 g sharp cheddar, grated
• 5 g sea salt
• 120 g “00” flour
• 90 g cornstarch

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter, caramelized onions and grated cheddar until light and fluffy (about 5-8 minutes).
3. Sift the salt, flour and cornstarch into the creamed butter mixture and mix until well combined but do not overmix.
4. Create two disks and wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Turn out to a lightly floured surface and roll about 4 mm thick.
6. Cut with 3 cm round cookie cutter. Continue until the dough has been used up. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.
7. Serve with wine or your favourite cocktail.

Notes:

• We used the KitchenAid Flex Edge Beater, it creams the cheese, butter and onion beautifully.
• We always keep caramelized onions in the freezer in ziplock baggies for such uses. I use this recipe.
• Spread the caramelized onion on a piece of parchment and allow it to sit for 10 minutes, this allows some of the moisture to wick out and will allow the shortbread its melt-in-the-mouthfeel.
• The cheddar we used today was a Welsh cheddar.
• The “00” flour we used was an imported Italian flour.
• The rolling pin we used was this one. To be honest, I don’t love it, it’s a pain to unscrew the disks that are not required but it does roll the dough out evenly.

The flavour of the caramelized onion shines in this delicate little savoury cookie.

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Creamy Mushroom Soup — revamped

Soup has been on our menu quite often this winter. Personally, I adore soup, so much so, we’ve coined the expression “I love soup so much, it could be my middle name”! My favourite are brothie soups like chicken noodle, Phõ, lemongrass, and miso to name a few, but JT prefers creamy soups so I throw him a bone every so often and blitz the soup with my immersion blender. This one turned out exceptionally well so, I decided to repost. Plus the light is getting much better and I couldn’t resist.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 500 mL

Ingredients:

• 25 g variety of dried wild mushrooms
• 35 g red lentils, dried
• 140 g shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 90 g sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 60 g celery, roughly chopped (about 1 rib)
• 25 g butter
• 40 g roasted garlic (about 5 large cloves)
• salt and pepper to taste
• ~300 mL vegetable stock
• 2-4 tbsp finishing olive oil

Directions:

1. Soak the dried, wild mushrooms in about 500 mL water for a minimum of 30 minutes. Strain through a gold coffee filter and reserve liquid. Rinse the mushrooms.
2. Caramelize the onions in the butter. Add the celery, roasted garlic and rehydrated mushrooms and cook until soft, about 15 minutes.
3. Add the reserved mushroom liquid and lentils and simmer loosely covered for an additional 30 minutes, stirring often. Meanwhile, toss the sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms in some olive oil and roast in a hot oven (375° F) until caramelized (roughly 20-25 minutes), turning once.
4. Remove soup from heat and purée with an immersion blender until smooth, adding vegetable stock to desired consistency (I added about 300 mL). Press through a fine sieve for a velvety, smooth texture. Add salt and pepper to taste and purée once more. Garnish with the caramelized mushrooms and drizzle with the finishing olive oil. Serve piping hot with Cheddar Orange Scones.

Notes:

• No matter how well your blender purées creamed soups, push it through a fine sieve for a creamy and velvety texture. Then blitz it again just before serving. This is a tip from the 1-star Michelin chef we had a cooking lesson with in Lyon.
• Thick creamy soups that are not made with cream, like this one, deserve a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• Serve with a scone to make a hearty lunch.

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Updated Kale Chips

In an effort to eat healthier, I developed this recipe for a snack that is flavourful, crunchy and delivers a bit of protein and vitamins! The almond flour helps with the crunch as does the coconut flour, the dehydrated onion and garlic give the flavour this healthy snack delivers.

Kale Chips

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Serves 2 to 4

To print recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 120 g kale, washed, dried and cut into medium-sized pieces
• 30 g almond flour
• 20 g coconut flour
• 10 g dehydrated onion
• 5 g dehydrated garlic
• 30 mL olive oil
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 93° C (200°F )(I used my convection (fan) setting).
2. In a dedicated spice/coffee mill, grind the almond flour, coconut flour, onion and garlic until a fine powder. Set aside.
3. Wash kale and dry as well as possible. Remove thick ribs. Cut into bite-sized pieces keeping in mind that they will shrink to about half their raw size.
4. Drizzle olive oil over kale and toss to coat evenly. I gave them a quick, light massage to evenly coat each leaf.
5. Spread kale on a cookie sheet so they are on one layer and not overlapping. Sprinkle lightly with about 7 g of almond flour mixture (I found it easier to sprinkle through a fine sieve).
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes tossing occasionally until crisp. Sprinkle with salt.
7. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• Spice up the finished kale chips with a little cayenne pepper.
• Instead of olive oil, use chili oil to coat raw chips.
• Spread the oil-coated chips evenly on a cookie sheet to dry quickly and evenly.
• A medium to larger cut leaf will dehydrate to a bite-sized chip.
• Store the leftover coconut flour mix in an air-tight container for future kale chips.

Nutritional facts for kale chips

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Roasted Garlic Dip

Just prior to Christmas, I did a couple of jobs which had me buying a lot of garlic. When I say a lot, I mean literally dozens of heads! Of course, I gave away as much as I could but the majority came home with me. I am not one to toss perfectly good food in the bin, so I decided to roast the heads and freeze them for quick additions to sauces and soups. Now, I must say that this idea is genius because roasted garlic is so tasty and having some quick at hand makes it easy to add another level of flavour without the harshness of raw garlic. Over the holidays, we got together with our wonderful neighbours and I made this delicious roasted garlic dip.

Now there is that cold winter light!

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Serves 6-8, makes about 300 mL

To print recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 200 g roasted garlic (about 4 heads)
• 125 g cream cheese, room temperature
• 50 g Greek Yogurt
• Sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a small bowl large enough to accommodate a stick blender, combine all of the ingredients and purée until smooth and silky.
2. Serve at room temperature.

Notes:

• I roast garlic by cutting off the bottom of the head (the root end) and setting it in about 30 mL of olive oil. I like to cover the garlic I roast so it steams and roasts at the same time. I roast the garlic in a 350° F oven for about 45 minutes or until they are very soft.
• To extract the garlic, simply squeeze each clove into a container.
• Some people add freshly grated Parmesan to this dip but I find it rich enough without it.
• Save the cut ends of the garlic for soup stock.

This dip would also be a tasty cream sauce for pasta.

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Baked Jalapeño Poppers (and a vegetarian, gluten and dairy free option)

Our neighbourly South-Western- themed progressive dinner party was scheduled two days after we returned home from Arizona, I didn’t think it would be a problem because we were only responsible for hors d’œuvres and appetizers, easy-peasy! HA! Had I read more than the heading of the organizer’s email, I would have realized that things would get a bit more complicated since one person decided to go vegetarian, gluten and dairy free (for health reasons). But, you know me, I do love a challenge and as luck would have it, my experiments turned out even better than I expected! So much so, that JT has asked for it several times since, so I documented the recipe for the future use.

This recipe originated from Emeril Lagasse but I tweaked it a little bit. What attracted me to this recipe was, of course, that it was baked an not deep fried, and although deep fried would be awesome, it’s always nice to lower calories whenever possible particularly if you need not sacrifice flavour or texture! I think you will be very happy with the baked version (our group could not get enough of them)! I’ll speak to the vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy- free version in my notes below (no pics, sorry).

You can see how crispy these turned out.

Baked Jalapeño Poppers

Makes about 24 jalapeño poppers

For the original recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
• 170 g (6 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 140 g (1 1/2 cups) grated sharp or old cheddar
• 3 g (1/2 tsp) ground cumin
• pinch of cayenne, or less, to taste
• 2 large eggs
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) milk
• 8 tsp Essence, divided
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• non-stick spray

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and grated cheddar and mix well.
2. Toast the cumin until you can smell the aroma, allow to cool and add to the cream cheese mixture and stir well. Set aside.
3. Prepare your breading station by whisking 2 large eggs with 2 tsp of the Essence and the milk in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, mix 4 tsp of the Essence with the coconut flour. In the third shallow bowl, add 2 tsp of the Essence to the panko and mix well. Reserve remaining essence for the next time (and believe me, there will be a next time!)
4. Fill each jalapeño densely with the cream cheese mixture, being careful not to mound it too high; continue filling until you have filled all of the jalapeño halves.
5. Dredge each jalapeño half in the coconut flour, then dip into the egg mixture and repeat once more. Finally, dip each pepper into the panko and press panko into the jalapeño to coat well. Repeat until all are coated.
6. Pre-heat the oven to  375° F. Place jalapeño cut side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Give each jalapeño a light coating with the non-stick spray. Bake for 30 minutes or until panko is golden and crisp.
7. Serve warm with sour cream and salsa.

Notes:

• For the vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free version, I simply replaced the cheeses with creamed lentils (about 1/4 cup cooked in vegetable broth and puréed with a stick blender) and the panko with shredded unsweetened coconut. Even the non-vegetarians loved them! (Sorry, no pics).
• I use coconut flour for baked “fried” foods because the coconut has an unbelievable absorption property which makes the batter so much crispier than all-purpose flour.
• I used gloves to protect my hands from the jalapeños as I cleaned them, you might consider doing this too.
• Leftovers? Freeze unbaked jalapeños on a parchment-lined baking sheet and when frozen, pop them into a ziplock bag.To bake frozen jalapeños, no need to defrost, just bake for a little longer to crisp up.

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Basil and Sun-dried Tomato Gougières

In October I did some really cool TV jobs! I cooked for the lovely and talented Chef Anjum Anand from her I love India Cookbook for Your Morning (click here to see the segment (about 1 min of commercials)) and Mark Bittman, the original author of the infamous No-Knead Bread! recipe (click here to see the segment (only about 30 seconds of commercials)) and Ocean Wise Executive Chef, Ned Bell from his beautiful new cookbook, Lure!

Ned is awesome! It was indeed a pleasure to work with him. Yes, those are ‘sensible shoes’ as a fellow food stylist recently mentioned on instagram!

Mark was incredibly humble and amazing to work with (although, I wish the camera-man would have said something about the angle of the burgers!)

Mark released his Tenth Anniversary Edition of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook, simple meatless recipes for great food! The book is enormous, over 700 pages and it’s packed with great info, techniques, and wonderful recipes.  Although Mark is not vegetarian, he believes we should be enjoying a more plant-based diet. What I liked about his recipes is that they are truly vegetarian and not just cop-out vegetarian like spaghetti with tomato sauce that you see on some menus! I cooked tofu, tempeh, seitan and a really interesting beet burger. The recipes were easy to follow and came together quickly without special equipment. I will definitely make a few again and even others from the delicious cookbook.

Although this recipe isn’t from his cookbook, it is indeed vegetarian.

Makes about 50 gourgières. To print the recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 250 mL (1 cup) water
• 128 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• Pinch salt
• 128 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 40 g (~1/4 cup) sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
• 15 g (~3 cloves) garlic cloves, finely minced
• 7 g  (~10) basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F (218° C). Line a baking sheet with wet parchment paper (crumple the parchment into a ball and saturate with cold water and wring out, flatten with your hand on the baking sheet).
2. In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt and garlic and heat until melted. Remove from heat and add the flour all at once, stirring well. Return to heat and cook for a couple of minutes until it comes away from the sides of the pan.
3. Remove from the heat and beat in one egg at a time until fully incorporated, being careful not to scramble the eggs. Fold in the herbs and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
4. Using a small ice cream scoop dipped in water with a splash of oil, scoop out single balls onto the baking sheet about 5 cm (2 inches) apart. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden and the puffs have poofed about double in size.
5. Cool on a wire rack. Continue to bake until you have exhausted your batter.

A light and delicious cocktail nibble.

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