Happy Friday!
I hope you all had a great week. It’s been very busy for me, and I’m really glad the weekend is almost here. There is a snow storm coming, and I’m ready to cuddle up on the couch and relax.
I don’t have a recipe this week, but I do have some really exciting news; I am going to Eat Write Retreat thanks to a sponsorship from Canadian Beef! It’s an amazing opportunity and I am incredibly grateful. I can’t wait!
The people at Canadian Beef are once again offering a scholarship to Eat Write Retreatthis year. I tried to win one last year, but sadly the random selection gods were not smiling on me. I’m giving it another shot this year with an extra beefy recipe.
This recipe for Tourtiere, a French Canadian meat pie, is adapted from this recipe by Martin Picard. If you’ve ever seen The Wild Chef you know Martin is a little special, and if you’ve seen this episode of The Layover you know he takes Celine Dion very seriously. But to really appreciate Martin Picard, you need to eat at Au Pied de Cochon, his restaurant where traditional French Canadian meals are turned extraordinary (mostly through the addition of copious amounts of foie gras). I managed to get reservations to the PDC Cabane a Sucre for this season and to get myself ready I decided to try this recipe.
The original recipe called for pork, but I swapped the pork shoulder for blade roast and the ground pork for beef. The results were very, very good. Using two kinds of beef creates a nice combination of textures, and the different cooking methods for each adds layers of flavour. This is not a recipe that can just be made on a whim, it’s really a two day affaire. I made the crust and the filling on Saturday, then assembled the pie on Sunday. I hope all the beefy goodness is enough for the random selection gods.
Life is all about attitude. Whether the glass is half full or empty can really shape your life. When it comes to Valentine’s Day I had two choices; I could mope about another year without a date or I could make and enjoy some pretty heart shaped desserts. I chose pretty heart shaped desserts.
Panna cotta is one of my favourite desserts. It’s incredibly easy to make, and the variations are infinite. In honour of Valentine’s Day, I chose to add a little rosewater to the cream. And of course it needed a touch of red so raspberry jelly layer had to be added. The result is a perfect combination of creamy and fruity layers, with just a hint of something floral.
Whatever your plans for Valentine’s Day, I wish you lots of love a little something sweet!
Rosewater Panna Cotta with Raspberry Gelée
• 2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp gelatin
• ¼ cup cold water
• 2 cups cream or milk
• 2 tsp rosewater
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp gelatin
• ½ cup cold water
1. Grease the molds with an unflavoured oil. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the 1 tsp gelatin over the ¼ cup water. Set aside. In a medium saucepan bring the raspberries and the 1/3 cup sugar to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes to release the juices. Strain, and stir the raspberry juice into the gelatin until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Pour into molds and let set in the fridge for at least one hour.
2. Once the raspberry gelée has set, make the panna cotta. In a medium bowl sprinkle the 2 tsp gelatin over the ½ cup cold water. Set aside. In a saucepan bring the cream and sugar just to boil. Add the rosewater. Stir into the gelatin until just combined. Let the cream mixture cool slightly then pour into the molds over the gelée. Let set for at least 2 hours.
3. To unmold, run a sharp knife along the edge of the mold then invert onto plates
Enjoy!
While watching a recent episode of Criminal Minds I learned that people identify most with the music they listened at the age of 14. I guess that explains why I know the lyrics to so many Ace of Base songs. And why I think Meatloafs I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) is one of the greatest car singing songs of all time. 1994 was a good year in music. Remember this classic? (please note the Habs jersey in the video)
Despite some awfully cheesy songs , I really do identify with the music from that year. I spent hours listening to The Cranberries, Melissa Ethridge. I think I had that Lisa Loeb song on repeat for a good 6 months (taped off the radio of course, with the inevitable announcer’s voice cutting into the song). And I’m still looking for a man like the one Salt-n-Pepa kept singing about.
This all got me thinking about the types of food I identify with and when those connections were made. My taste in food, like my taste in music, has changed over the years. Some foods I’ll always love though, and those loves were forged way before my 14th birthday. Grilled cheese sandwiches, my moms pancake soup, stuffed vine leaves (random, I know).
And, of course, cookies. As a kid I would have told you that the classic chocolate chip cookie could not be beat, but I would have been wrong. All you need to take chocolate chip cookies to the next level is a little peanut butter, another childhood favourite. If you want to make them out of this world, just sandwich some chocolate and peanut butter filling between two cookies. I made these for the Super Bowl under the guise of “go big or go home”, and they did not disappoint. The cookies should be a little chewy, so be careful not to over bake them or they’ll get too crisp. The recipe makes about 36 cookies, or 18 sandwiches. Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.
I confess, have no real interest in the Super Bowl. In the past I would watch for the commercials, but a few years ago a Canadian broadcaster picked up the rights to air the game here. So in Canada we see Canadian commercials, no Soup Nazi, no Ferris Bueller, just the same stuff we see every day. Thank goodness for youtube!
Despite not being interested in the game itself I do have a system for picking a team, cutest quarterback will win. Today I believe that to be Tom Brady. Please note these are my personal opinions, if you happen to think Eli Manning is the bees knees I won’t argue with you.
The best part of the Super Bowl has to be the food. This year I decided to make something a little different, but not too different. Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, like wings but in ball form. There are advantages to the meatball over the wing. First, there is the messiness factor. Wings are greasy, slippery, and sticky all at the same time. In meatball form the messiness is no longer an issue, you can use a fork or if the meatballs are small enough toothpicks to pick them up like appetizers. Second, wings are strangely expensive. I really have no idea why they cost as much as they do, but ground chicken is a much less expensive option. Either way, you can’t go wrong with butter and hot sauce!
Just one note on the recipe. The original does not say to fry the meatballs, but when I took mine out of the oven they were a very unappetizing colour. I would call it dusty rose. So I fried them after baking. In my instructions below I’ve written to fry before baking, because that’s what every meatball I’ve ever read says. Feel free to fry afterwards.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
BBQ Dipping Sauce
Enjoy!
What She's Having 