Month: May 2010

Portugal Day

~ Lynn ~ 1 Comment

Casey of Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria is hosting an event called Portugal Day on June 10th. The idea behind it is pretty simple, make a portuguese recipe, blog about it, that’s it. If you want to participate, contact Casey and she will add you to the blog roll. Submissions need to be in by June 9th.

I love Portuguese food, but have never attempted to make it. This is going to be fun! The question now is do I make dessert (Pasteis de Nata anyone?) or a meal (mmm grilled chicken with piri piri…)? So much to think about! Stay tuned for the results.

Mayan Chocolate Mousse – a cool dessert for a hot day

~ Lynn ~ 11 Comments

The weather in Montreal has been fantastic lately, today is sunny and 26 beautiful degrees. Unfortunately that makes it just a little to warm to turn on the oven and bake up some goodies. The solution? Chocolate mousse! No actually cooking required, unless you consider melting chocolate cooking.

I’m calling this Mayan because I got the idea to add cinnamon from Haagen Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream. Did the Mayans ever make chocolate mousse? Unlikely. But they were totally missing out.

This mousse is made with raw eggs. If that causes you any kind of stress, stick to a mousse recipe that just uses whipped cream. The whipped eggs do create an incredible texture though. I think I’ve eaten enough raw cake batter and cookie and dough in my life to be immune to any possible side effects, but just in case I use organic eggs in the mousse.

Mayan Chocolate Mousse

  • 4 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 eggs separated
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • whipped cream and fruits for garnish

Directions

  1. Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter. Add the cinnamon once melted. Set aside to cool.
  2. Whisk the egg yolk till double in volume and the colour has lightened. Mix into melted chocolate. Refrigerate while whipping the egg whites.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff peaks.
  4. Take a small amount of the egg whites and mix it into the chocolate to thin the chocolate, then fold the chocolate into the egg whites.
  5. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Have Some Chocolate.

~ Lynn ~ Leave a comment

In my last post I promised comfort cookies would be made to help cope with the Habs loss. Unfortunately, a heat wave has hit Montreal that makes turning on the oven feel like torture. (That may be the first time in my life I used the words unfortunately and heat wave in the same sentence)

So instead of cookies I’ve been getting my comfort from chocolate. Theobroma chocolate to be specific. Never heard of it? Theobroma makes organic, gluten-free, high quality chocolate, right here in Quebec. And it is sooo good. Right now I’m having their dark chocolate raspberry bar.

If you can get your hands on it, you should definitely give it a try. Just be warned, once you’ve had it other chocolates will just seem lacking.

Spicy Red Lentil Patties And A Lovely Long Weekend

~ Lynn ~ 3 Comments

I love long weekends. You may think  that is a silly statement, but it’s not, one of my coworkers actually does not like them because he gets bored. Crazy, eh?

My weekend was anything but boring. It started with cousins dinner Friday night. We went for tapas at Sala Rosa and had a delicious meal. I will soon be attempting to replicate the fried goat cheese with honey and onion confit. And if I’m feeling adventurous I may even attempt the mussels with bacon and cream sauce.

Some friends from Ottawa came into town Saturday to watch the hockey game, which the Habs sadly lost (the Habs are also losing as I write this, my theory is if I pay less attention they might tie the game). Sunday we had a lovely picnic on the mountain. I would have written about the food we ate, but we gobbled it up so fast I wasn’t able to get any pictures.

Needless to say, we overindulged a little. To make up for those indulgences, I decided to make myself a nice healthy lunch today, red lentil patties.

Spicy Red Lentil Patties

  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp cummin
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • salt

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, cover the lentils with water by about two inches. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Drain lentils.
  2. While the lentils are cooking, fry the onion and garlic.
  3. In a large bowl, combine lentils, onion mixture and all other ingredient.
  4. Form the mixture into burgers.
  5. Put the patties on a greased baking sheet and broil 4-5 minutes on each side.

The patties were very tasty, and were quick and easy t o make. I had them with plain yogurt, but they would have been great with something like tzaziki.

(My theory on ignoring the Habs turned out not to work, congrats to the Flyers, tomorrow I will be making comfort cookies)

A Sunny Sunday Breakfast: Banana French Toast and Poached Eggs

~ Lynn ~ 6 Comments

I’ve been trying to come up with a challenge friendly breakfast that actually seems like a weekend breakfast. It seems as though the typical weekend brunch is unhealthy, but when you think about it, it’s really not. It’s all about what you put in to it, how you prepare it, and how you serve it.

Take french toast for example, sure if you take a couple of slices of wonderbread, fry ’em, and then douse them in syrup they’ll be unhealthy. But if you use quality ingredients and stay away from the imitation maple syrup there is nothing wrong with a slice of french toast (or 2).

To get my protein in this breakfast I had a poached egg. I’d like to thank Janice for this article on silicone egg poachers, before discovering this a poached egg would never have appeared on my plate. And this bistro egg sandwich is delicious.

Banana French Toast

2 slices organic whole wheat bread (I used bread with flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries)
1 very ripe banana , mashed
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon clarified butter (ghee)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (for sprinkling on toast)
1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar (for sprinkling on toast)

Whisk mashed banana, egg and milk together. The mixture will be a little clumpy because of the banana. Soak the slices of bread in the egg mixture for 2 minutes.
In a frying pan, heat the coconut oil and butter till a drop of the egg mixture sizzles (otherwise the bread will just soak up all the oil). Fry the slices of bread for 2 or 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut sugar.

The banana makes the bread very sweet, so there is no need for syrup! The bread is also very filling with all the seeds in it. I was only able to finish one slice of toast and my eggs. I only used 2 slices of bread, but there is enough egg mixture for 4. If you’re feeding a bigger crowd just increase the number of eggs.

Mojitos In Mason Jars: My Kryptonite

~ Lynn ~ Leave a comment

Ok, so the picture is not of a mojito but I felt this post needed demonstration.

Last night I went out with the intention of only having one small drink. Just a little one. Instead I had a mojito the size of the drink above. On an empty stomach. Needless to say I got pretty darn drunk. But how was a supposed to turn the Mojito down? Its minty rummy goodness was calling my name as we waited in line. I had no choice.

So once again I broke the challenge rules. Oops.

Magazine Monday: Mini Tomato Chèvre Tarts

~ Lynn ~ 8 Comments

You may have noticed that my posts aren’t very challenge-like lately. I’ll admit, I haven’t worked as hard on this one as I did for the sugar free challenge. I think the rules this time around are too lax. Organic chips are still chips after all. All I really have to do is have a smoothie and go for a walk. How hard is that? I need a challenge that is actually challenging.

But I’m trying to shape up a little, starting with this post. The April 2010 issue of Chatelaine has a recipe for a Classic Tomato Chèvre Tart that really caught my eye. I’ve decided to make it challenge friendly by making the crust out of whole wheat flour and eliminating the sugar. I could have gone the extra mile and substituted the milk for something non dairy, but that seemed like overkill (and to be honest could have been disastrous). I also decided to make the tarts mini for easy office-lunch portability and for the cuteness factor.

These smelled soooo good in the oven. I could hardly wait to have a bite. And when I did have a bite, it was like a little bit of goat cheese heaven.

Bonus, this recipe is really easy to make, it took me just a few minutes to get the dough and the filling together.

I’ll be submitting this post to Cream Puffs in Venice for Magazine Mondays. Be sure to check her blog to see what all the other Magazine Monday-ers are up to!

Mini Tomato Chèvre Tart

  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 150 g goat cheese
  • salt & pepper
  • 3 plum tomatoes, diced
  • 1/4 cup snipped chives

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine flours, butter and salt with your hands until a it takes on a crumbly texture. (This can be done in a food processor too). Add liquids and stir till ingredients for a ball.
  2. Press dough into a muffin tin. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 400.
  4. Combine eggs, milk, cheese , chives and salt and pepper in a bowl.
  5. Put some diced tomato in each muffin cup. Pour 1/3 cup of egg mixture into each muffin cup.
  6. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until filling is set.

Enjoy!

A Mothers Day Maple Cake

~ Lynn ~ 2 Comments

Happy Mothers Day!

My momma she loves me, loves me like a rock

And to thank her for all that love, this year I’m made her a maple cake. We talked about maple cake a few weeks ago. Apparently in the 80’s my mom had a piece of maple cake that she thinks about to this day. I have no idea what went into that cake, but I can make something that is full of maple goodness. This is  a joconde soaked in maple liqueur with maple butter cream. Janice made this cake for a birthday for a few weeks ago and got rave reviews. The joconde recipe came from Joe Pastry, and the butter cream is a Martha Stewart recipe. Soaking in the liqueur was Janice’s idea.

Joconde

  • 6 room temperature egg whites
  • 2 tbsps granulated sugar
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 5 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425. Grease 2 9 inch pans and line with parchment paper.
  2. Whip egg whites to soft peaks. Add granulated sugar and continue whipping till stiff peaks.
  3. In another bowl, add whole eggs, almond meal and confectioners sugar. Beat until light and foamy.
  4. Add flour, beat just until incorporated.
  5. Fold egg whites into the egg and flour mixture.
  6. Fold butter into batter.
  7. Pour into pans, being sure to separate evenly.
  8. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until the center of the cakes spring back when touched. Let cool for a few minutes in the pans then turn out on to wire rack to cook completely.

Maple Liqueur Syrup

Directions

  1. Bring sugar and water to boil in a saucepan.
  2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes
  3. Add maple liqueur
  4. Brush over cooled cake layers.

Maple Buttercream

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
  • 1 1/3 cup unsalted butter

Directions

  1. Using a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk yolks until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes)
  2. At the same time, in a large saucepan, heat maple syrup till it reaches 240 degress. Keep a close eye on the syrup as it will bubble up quite a but while heating.
  3. With the mixer running, slowly pour syrup down the side of the bowl. Be careful not to splash the hot syrup.
  4. Mix until bowl is just slightly warm.
  5. Add butter in pieces, making sure each piece is thouroughly combined before adding the next.
  6. Ice cake.

The buttercream is ridiculously good. I had to stop myself from sitting down with the bowl and eating the leftovers with a spoon while watching the hockey game.

Enjoy!

PS: I know the song is about a boy and his mom, I just think it still applies.

PPS: Please don’t laugh at my piping skills, I’m working on it!

Cook and Date; A Good Idea In Theory

~ Lynn ~ 1 Comment

I’ve been complaining about being single for quite a while now, but really haven’t done anything to try to fix the situation. Online dating, speed dating, blind dates, I haven’t done any of that. So to try to be more proactive about my love life, I tried something new this week; Cook and Date.

The idea behind Cook and Date is that a group of singles meet while learning to cook from a local chef. Once the lesson is done we get to enjoy the fruits of our labour. And hopefully along the way meet someone who seems kinda nice.

That is not so much what happened.

The evening starts with cocktails and mingling. Because one girl was an hour late we didn’t get any appetizers till around 8:30. Cocktails and no food on a weeknight = drunk people.

Also because that one girl was late, the chef did a lot of the work without us ever knowing what he was doing. Only 3 people actually got involved in the cooking, and I use the term cooking loosely, as 2 of them were assembling a tiramisu (everything was prepared) and 1 grilled some sausages. The same guy who grilled the sausages decided to play TV chef, so the actual chef wasn’t even able to tell us what was in the food.

It felt like the majority of the people there knew each other and weren’t there to learn anything or to meet someone new. By the end of the night the drunk guys were asking people uncomfortable questions and not leaving them alone until the answered. It was really quite unpleasant.

I went into this thinking that at least I would get a cooking lesson, but I walked out with nothing. We were supposed to get the recipes by email, but I’m still waiting.  I still think the idea is a good one, but sadly the people at the event made it a terrible evening.

I guess I’ll just keep waiting for the cute guy in the elevator to talk to me!

A Surprise Birthday Cake

~ Lynn ~ 1 Comment

I recently changed departments at work. My old department would collect a dollar from every employee on Friday’s and use the money to buy birthday cakes from Premiere Moisson. My new department does not. The switch from a cake department to a non-cake department hasn’t been easy. I often find myself craving a piece of Opera cake. Or chocolate mousse raspberry cake, which I will try to reproduce at home one day.

I have therefore decided to introduce cake to my new coworkers. Today is my bosses birthday, and I will be bringing a birthday cake to the office tomorrow to celebrate. I checked with Genevieve, and she thinks the department will sing Happy Birthday to her. I won’t, but since I’m making the cake I think that’s ok.


I decided to go with a classic, chocolate cake with chocolate icing, to be sure that everyone will like it. I used the same recipe as the last birthday cake I made, mostly because I didn’t have time to look for a new recipe. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t any drama though! I decided to make the cake in a 9 by 3 inch spring form pan instead of baking it in two separate pans. My goal was to limit the domming effect that led to the lopsidedness last time. Bad idea.  About two minutes after I put the cake in the oven, it smelled like something was burning. At first I thought maybe some of the milk from the icing (recipe below) had landed on one of my stove burners. I looked but everything seemed fine. Then I opened the oven. The pan was leaking. Thankfully it was a slow leak and some of the batter had landed directly on the element so the smell of burning alerted me to the impending disaster. I pulled the cake out of the oven, poured the batter into two regular 9 inch pans, set the timer and walked away. Thirty minutes later the timer went off. I opened the oven and discovered two completely uncooked cakes. I had turned the oven off when I pulled the springform pan out and never turned it back on again. So I turned on the oven, reset the timer and tried to bake the cake for the third time.

Third time is the charm!

I won’ t repost the recipe for the cake, as you can find it here, and the only change I made was to soak it in a little Kahlua.

I will however post the buttercream recipe. The buttercream is divine. The recommended to me by Janice, who has the answer to all of my baking questions. She described it as tasting like chocolate milk, but I think its more like hot chocolate. It’s a pastry cream based buttercream, and is incredibly easy to make. If you’ve never made a pastry cream before, be careful not to curdle the eggs.

Chocolate Buttercream

Yields about 4 cups.

  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 lb butter (4 sticks)
  • 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

Directions

  1. In a large bowl mix egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and cocoa together with a wooden spoon.
  2. Bring milk and 1 1/2 cup sugar to boil in a large sauce pot over medium high heat.
  3. Once boiled, add a small amount of milk to the egg mixture, stir to combine. This will temper the eggs to avoid curdling. Slowly add the rest of the milk mixture, whisking constantly.
  4. Return milk and egg mixture to sauce pot over medium heat. Mix constantly but slowly for 2-4 minutes, until you see large bubbles come up. At that point mix quickly for 45 seconds to 1 minute. The pastry cream should have increased in volume and become quite thick.
  5. Whisk the pastry cream with an electric mixer for 5 to 10 minutes to cool.
  6. Once cooled, add the butter 1 tbsp at a time, thoroughly incorporating after each addition.
  7. Add the melted chocolate, whisk till well combined.

I’ll try to get a picture of a slice at the office tomorrow.