Archive for the ‘Home Cooking’ Category

In honour of Mother’s Day, I’ve decided to dedicate this blog to my mom, who is a fantastic cook and has played a big role in my love of food.

Growing up, virtually none of my friends ate “strange foods” like braised pork belly, oxtail soup or whole steamed fish at home. As much as I loved Chinese food, I longed to eat the same stuff my friends were eating – like meatloaf with ketchup topping and creamy chicken noodle casserole. On weekends, instead of fluffy stacks of syrup-drenched pancakes with a side of crispy bacon, my mother would prepare a savoury rice porridge known as congee (or jook, as we call it at home) served with a generous helping of her famous pan-seared pot stickers.

If you’ve never had congee, you’re in for a real treat. It’s a warm and savoury porridge often with chunks of tender marinated meat in it. And like oatmeal, its consistency can be adjusted with water if you prefer it thick or thin. It’s also dead simple to make and you don’t need any fancy equipment. Just a big pot, a knife, a wooden spoon and a ladle will do.

This recipe is super simple and can be tailored to include virtually anything you like. My husband loves beef congee, but my personal favourite is turkey congee (my family’s way of using up leftovers from Thanksgiving).

Marinated Chicken Congee

Here’s what you’ll need to make the perfect Marinated Chicken Congee:

(Makes 4 to 6 servings.)

1 cup long-grain white rice

8 cups chicken stock, unsalted chicken broth or water

1-inch (2.5 cm) chunk peeled fresh ginger

Salt and white pepper to taste

Marinated chicken

1 lb (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced

1 green onion, chopped

1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tsp oyster sauce

½ tsp sesame oil

Pinch each salt and white pepper

In large pot, rinse rice; drain. Add chicken stock and ginger; bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender and has broken down, about 1½ hours. (Tip: Keep an eye on the congee for the first 15 minutes as this is the time when it tends to boil over when covered.)

Meanwhile, in bowl, combine chicken, green onion, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate overnight.)

Add chicken mixture to congee, stirring to combine until chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Adjust consistency of congee with water if necessary. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve topped with your favourite garnishes, such as green onions, ginger, chopped peanuts, chili oil and cilantro.

So, in the spirit of Mother's Day, what recipe reminds you of your mom?

Stressed about hosting a party? Don't be! With these 7 easy tips, you'll be throwing parties on a regular basis.

Dinner parties don't have to be this formal to impress your guests (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tip No. 1: Know your guests. Inquire about any dietary restrictions and potential "dislikes." In this day and age people may have gluten and/or dairy intolerances and severe food allergies, they may be vegetarians or vegans, or they may simply abstain from eating certain foods. Make something appropriate to suit everyone's needs and you'll avoid being a short-order cook.

Tip No. 2: Choose a theme. Can't decide on what to serve? Choose a theme and stick to it throughout the menu. For example, for a French-themed lunch serve French wines, simple pate and cheeses with fresh baguette, vichyssoise, Nicoise pasta and pot de creme for dessert. Most of these dishes can be made in advance.

Tip No. 3: Accept help. If your guests offer to help with prep or cleanup, let them. Many hands make light the work. Have someone pour wine, help plate dinner or stir a sauce over the stove top.

Tip No. 4: Plan ahead. Count out plates, cutlery and napkins days before. Prep food in advance and reheat what you can. The more you do before your guests arrive, the more you'll be able to enjoy your own party. If you're making a chocolate soufflé for dessert, have your dishes buttered and sugared, chop your chocolate and measure out ingredients all prior to your guests' arrival. The best parties are the ones you enjoy with your guests.

Tip No. 5: Don't go over budget. If you would like to splurge in some areas be sure to cut back in others. Lobster with flavoured butter for dinner is great served with stuffed baked potatoes and a rainbow slaw.

Tip No. 6: Introduce new foods. Find a a new and exciting ingredient to incorporate into your food. It can be as simple as using a smoked sea salt, flavoured oil, or less common fruits and vegetables such as candy cane beets or baby patty pan squash.

Tip No. 7: Have fun! Have your favourite music on in the backround, enjoy what you're cooking and get everyone involved.

I confess that, years ago, when my budget was tight, I purchased artificial vanilla extract to supplement my high-priced Madagascar Bourbon version. When the time came to bake for company, family or friends, I had to decide whether the recipients were worthy of the real thing. I've come to realize that pure vanilla extract is like liquid gold when it comes to baked goods.

Vanilla, dating back to the 15th century, is the second-most-expensive spice after saffron. Why? Growing vanilla seed pods is labour-intensive. Since I have ventured into the realm of homemade vanilla extract, I will no longer have to subject myself to sticker shock in the grocery aisle.

Here's how you do it...

1. Split 3 to 4 vanilla beans lengthwise and insert them into a sterilized 16 oz (473 mL) glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid.

2. Pour in good-quality vodka, up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the top. Tightly seal bottle with lid.

3. Wait. Store in a cool, dark place for 4 to 6 weeks and let it work its magic.

The best part is you can top off the extract with more vodka and keep adding vanilla beans, even the beans you have scraped the seeds from.

What to do with it?

Make your own cream soda.

Stir 1 tsp vanilla extract into 1 cup sparkling water. Add simple syrup (equal amounts water and sugar heated in a saucepan until sugar dissolves) or agave syrup to taste. This version is far superior to the pink dye-coloured variety of cream soda on the market.

Cream Soda Float: Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the cream soda. Yum!

Grown-up version: Add 1 oz of liqueur, such as chocolate, raspberry or Irish cream.

Or try one of these recipes...

Double Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Angel Food Cake With Lemon Curd and Mascarpone Cream

Vanilla Custard

What's your favourite vanilla-flavoured treat?

Have you ever tried to make your own marinara sauce?  If the answer is no, you’re not alone.

We’re all busy, and I'm not about to advocate make-work projects that don’t pay off. What always makes sense – to me at least – is to prepare something from scratch that doesn’t take much effort and will reward me with something delicious.

This is the stand-by marinara recipe that I have used for years. It is great tossed with pasta and a bit of Parmesan cheese, and it can be used as a base for pizza sauce, lasagna, dips and soups.

With just a few tweaks, like adding some finely diced onion or a few teaspoons of dried oregano, you can tailor this sauce to fit your every culinary need.

For best results, use good-quality tomatoes, such as San Marzano tomatoes, which have a hint of sweetness. Trust me – making your own marinara sauce is so worth it!

Easy Marinara Sauce 

Easy Marinara Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of your knife

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) whole tomatoes or 1 bottle (22 oz/650 mL) strained crushed tomatoes (passata)

½ tsp each salt and pepper

pinch crushed red chili flakes (optional)

In saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, turning frequently until slightly softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, salt, pepper and crushed red chili flakes, if using. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

[Tip: If using whole canned tomatoes, break apart in saucepan using a potato masher.]

Refrigerate any leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Do you use marinara sauce in your recipes?

Our good friend Marie Porter from Celebration Generation sent me these amazing original Valentine's Day recipes -- budget-friendly & easy homemade chocolate truffles -- and I just had to share. It is my final, final, final parting gift. xo Colleen

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Single, dating, or married, as Valentine’s Day looms before us our thoughts are turned to one thing -- chocolate, of course! Make this the year to break away from the regular old store-bought chocolates, and try making them yourself. Not only do homemade truffles taste better than most store bought Valentine’s Day offerings, it’s just plain cool to be able to say that you made them yourself.

These truffle recipes require no fancy ingredients or equipment, and take very little time to make. Truffles are quick and easy to make – much easier than their retail cachet would have you think! Even a novice cook can turn these babies out, with very little effort, stress, or cost.

While chocolate chips are an unusual medium for truffle making, they are easy to find, and lack the sticker shock that comes with the more traditional chocolate options. Anyone can make these truffles at home, with common ingredients, for only about $5.00/~ 30 truffles!

White Chocolate Almond Amaretto Truffles. Recipe & photo copyright Celebration Generation

White Chocolate Almond Amaretto Truffles

10 oz white chips
1/4 cup cream
3 tbsp Amaretto
2 tbsp butter
Finely chopped almonds

Place white chocolate chips into a glass mixing bowl, and put aside.

On stove top, bring heavy whipping cream, and butter to a boil. Stir well, remove from heat, and stir in Amaretto.

Pour hot cream mixture into bowl of chocolate chips. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Starting in the middle of the bowl, slowly start stirring the chocolate and cream until all of the chocolate is melted, and the has disappeared into it – it should be smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap, preferably resting right on top of the surface – this prevents a skin from forming while it cools. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two, until it’s pretty solid.

Once solid, scoop out small balls (a teaspoon or so), and roll them into balls. Try to handle the chocolate as quickly / gently as possible, or it will melt.

Once all of the ganache is rolled into balls: wash and dry hands, then roll ganache centers in the chopped almonds. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Milk Chocolate "Bananas Foster" Truffles. Recipe and photo copyright Celebration Generation.

Milk Chocolate "Bananas Foster" Truffles

10-11 oz bag good quality milk chocolate chips
½ cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 tsp banana extract
3/4 tsp rum extract
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
Finely chopped pecans

Place milk chocolate chips into a glass mixing bowl, and put aside.

In a small saucepan, combine heavy whipping cream, extracts, and cinnamon. Heat to a boil, remove from heat.

Pour hot cream mixture into bowl of chocolate chips. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Starting in the middle of the bowl, slowly start stirring the chocolate and cream until all of the chocolate is melted and the cream has disappeared into it – it should be smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap, preferably resting right on top of the surface – this prevents a skin from forming while it cools. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two, until it’s pretty solid. Once solid, scoop out small amounts (a teaspoon or two), and roll them into balls. Try to handle the chocolate as quickly as possible, or it will melt.

Once all of the ganache is rolled into balls: wash and dry hands, then roll ganache centers in pecan chips. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Marie has a ton more easy truffle recipes in her cookbook, The Spirited Baker (Celebration Generation, 2010)! Photo copyright Celebration Generation.

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Marie shares more super-easy truffle recipes, and more fun boozy desserts, in her cookbook The Spirited Baker. Thanks for another great guest post, Marie!

Iron Chef Cat Cora, and me

Back in October, I met the inspiring Cat Cora for her launch of Cat Cora cookware by Starfrit, available exculsively at Walmart stores across Canada. Cora is a stickler for eco-friendliness, and ensures a charitable element is a part of each product. If you need last-minute gifts for the picky foodie on your list, here are two I think are great:

Maple Wood Butcher Block, $69.94
This block is made from 100% Canadian maple recycled flooring pieces, and assembled in a small Quebec factory that employs 200 developmentally delayed adults who wouldn't otherwise have means. This board sits above the counter and can breathe, so it won't get moldy underneath.

Hard Anodized Fry Pan, $25
Her frying pans are hard anodized, meaning they are stick-resistant without the toxic spray coating that eventually wears off into your food. And notice the long handle - it keeps hands away from the heat and also slim enough for people with smaller hands. "I'm smaller, y'know," Cora explains in her Southern accent. "But I can pick this long handle up with two hands. I usually need to do that with a stir-fry."

And, of course I took this opportunity to bend Cat Cora's ear on how the rest of us can develop cooking skills like hers.

Q. How do you develop a palate like a chef?
Cat Cora: Pick one thing you're really good at, and experiment with it. The best thing to use is a roasted chicken - that's what they make young chefs do in culinary school because it's easy and forgiving. Experiment with seasonings like curry, fennel, citrus - mix it up! Then you'll build up your senses, your brain, your nose and your palate. You figure out what you like, what you react to, and what you absolutely love.

And the younger you start developing your palate, the better. Get your kids eating herbs and spices so they'll have great palates when they're adults, but it's never too late to start. Like I said, practice on the chicken.

Q. What are some Iron Chef tips you can give to amateur home cooks hoping to enter a competition?
Cat Cora: Just tune everything else out. If you don't know what to do, put your head down into your food and just start prepping something. And taste as you go along! The bottom line is it doesn't matter how pretty your dish looks if the taste is off. -- young chefs always make that big mistake. Don't worry about making it pretty and then trying to find the taste later, if you do that you'll fail miserably!

Q. What's happening now in your charity, Chefs for Humanity?
Cat Cora: We just donated $150,000 to the United Nations World Food Program for their SAFE stoves initiative that benefits women. Most developing nations have open fires in their places of residence with no ventilation -- a major health hazard for women. Also, women and girls are the foragers of the world. They are the ones to collect firewood, but unfortunately that's when a lot of sexual assault happens. We try to avoid this with SAFE stoves, they work independently of firewood. My charity started SAFE stoves in Haiti and we'll move on to other places.

Q. Our Facebook fans wanted to know -- what's in Cat Cora's turkey stuffing?
Cat Cora: [laughs] We do caramelized mushrooms, lots of fresh rosemary and oregano, garlic, and good bread that we dice up into big bite-sized pieces. I don't like my stuffing mushy, I like pieces I can bite into. I make homemade cranberry sauce that I like putting on top of my turkey stuffing, too.

I also like to take the stuffing out of the turkey and brown it a little so it gets crispy on top. Just a few minutes on 400˚F to 450˚F.

What's in your turkey stuffing? Is it like Cat Cora's, or different?

When it comes to latkes, I am a traditionalist. I can't seem to go for veggie-laden twists using zucchinis or sweet potatoes, adding spices like curry, or even gluten-free latkes. I want mine pure and simple, and fried in lots of oil.

So when I was assigned the task of making latkes for our family Hanukkah party this year, I knew exactly which recipe to turn to. My favourite traditional latke recipe is pretty darned simple. You just need to bear the, mess, oil-splattered kitchen, grease-scented home and oil-slicked skin–especially when making latkes for a crowd. But it's all worth it!

5-Ingredient Latkes

5-Ingredient Latkes

Ingredients:

1.Potatoes - I like Yukon gold.

2.Onions - Cooking onions do fine.

3.Flour - All-purpose please

4.Salt - Kosher (of course)

5.Eggs - Large

And canola or vegetable oil for frying (not counting this as an ingredient!)

Preparation
STEP 1:
Grate 4 potatoes and 1 onion with coarse grater blade on your processor. (Many purists swear to grating by hand, but I've had too many bloody knuckles)

Grate 4 potatoes and 1 onion

STEP 2:
In colander, squeeze as much moisture out of the potatoes as possible, but don't rinse. (Some people swear by rinsing the grated potatoes to keep them white, but then you rinse away all the potato starch that helps the shredded potato stick together.)

STEP 3.
Transfer potato and onion mixture to a large bowl. Using a fork, mix in 1 egg, 2 tbsp of all- purpose flour and 1/2 tsp kosher salt.

Mix ingredients with a fork

STEP 4:
On medium heat, heat oil about 1 cm deep in a large frying pan (we use an electric frying pan to get more latkes in the pan at once). Drop mixture by spoonfuls into the hot oil. (Make sure the oil is hot enough, it should bubble around the latke).

Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil

Use a fork to spread out the mixture for lacy, crispy latkes.

Spread mixture with fork

STEP 5:
Fry latkes 3 to 4 minutes per side. Turn using a lifter and a spoon, or an offset spatula to avoid splattering.

Frying latkes in hot oil

Golden and lacy

STEP 6:
Transfer to rack over towel-lined baking sheet. Serve immediately with sour cream or apple sauce. (We always ate sour cream at home in Edmonton, only when I moved to Toronto did I ever see applesauce served with potato latkes!)

Latkes for a crowd

To make ahead: Line baking trays with foil. Place cooled latkes on trays. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

To reheat: Place latkes on cooling rack over foil lined baking sheet. Bake in 400°F oven until hot and crispy, about 10 minutes.

What are your favourite type of latkes? Thin and crispy, thick and puffy (like at the deli), or multi-vegetable?

Applesauce or Sour Cream?

Wishing you all a Happy and healthy Hanukkah full of light, dreidels, and loads of latkes!

Real life French teacher, and blogger extraordinaire and photograher, Mardi of http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com invited me for a return visit to guide her enthusiastic junior chefs through another Canadian Living recipe.

This time 9 boys, most of whom are about 9 years old, divided and conquered the tasks to create Canadian Living's Pad Thai, in the Science Lab during their after school cooking program. The kids each have a cutting board (secured with a wet dishtowel) a knife and bowl. They divide up the tasks, so each concentrates on one or two tasks, then adds their ingredient to the others to complete a meal. What a simple yet brilliant approach to teamwork!

By sharing the work, the culinary whiz kids, chopped,

Make your eyes water shallots

Meticulously sliced peppers

Cutting shrimp in half

measured,

Trying to get the fish sauce out of the bottle

and sauteed ,

Frying garlic and shallots

Shrimp turning pink as they cook

their way to piping hot dinner (to take home in containers) in under 1 hour.

Ready to take dinner home

Pad Thai ready for home

What is so special about cooking with burgeoning chefs is both their enthusiasm and their honesty. When I passed around fish sauce for a sniff, I chuckled at the responses: Fish sauce, they told me, smells like, "stinky feet" "ear wax" and "Parmesan cheese."

I love cooking with young chefs, exposing them to new and sometimes unfamiliar tastes and aromas on a voyage of discovery.

It reminds me how valuable it is to have time in the kitchen (or Science Lab) with kids.

What is your most memorable kitchen moment?

Inspired by the almond flour recipes in my copy of Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet by Jenny Lass and Jodi Badger, I decided to try making "walnut flour" crepes for a California walnut food blogger challenge, and fill them with fresh raspberries, crunchy candied walnuts and maple creme fraiche.

I'm happy to report they were a raging success. My husband ate 4 of them.

Gluten-Free California Walnut Crepes with Raspberries, Candied Walnuts & Maple Creme Fraiche

Gluten-Free California Walnut Crepes with Raspberries, Candied Walnuts and Maple Creme Fraiche

Walnut flour:
The night before, toast your California walnuts lightly. Once cooled, place nuts into a freezer-safe bag and freeze overnight. Freezing helps the nuts retain structure so you don't end up with walnut butter.

The next morning, pulse walnuts in food processor a handful at a time, adding granulated sugar as necessary to get rid of excess moisture, I added about 2 tsp per handful of walnuts. Pulse until you get about 1/2 cup of  coarse walnut meal, like this:

Walnut meal - any further pulsing than this and you'll end up with walnut butter.

Maple Creme Fraiche
Also the night before, combine 1/2 cup sour cream (I used 5% fat), 1/2 cup whipping cream (the real deal - 35%), and 1/4 cup maple syrup in a glass jar. Shake, and leave on the counter overnight to thicken.

Candied Walnuts
I knew the crepes could use some crunch, so in the morning made this easy Canadian Living Candied Walnuts recipe, which uses a hints of cinnamon and cayenne for an earthy kick.

Gluten-Free Walnut Crepes
5 eggs
3/4 cups Walnut Flour
2 tbsp water
2 tsp raw honey
pinch of salt
unsalted butter, for frying
Filling:
Fresh raspberries
Candied Walnuts
Maple Creme Fraiche
Maple syrup, optional

In bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients. Set in fridge for 15 minutes to thicken.

Heat 1 tsp of butter in crepe pan on medium-low. Whisk walnut crepe batter again, then pour 3 to 4 tbsp of batter into the pan and swirl around so batter spreads evenly to the edges. When the edges are cooked and you smell toasty walnuts (about 2 minutes), flip. I found it easiest to lift a corner with my fingers and slide the spatula underneath. Cook for another 30 seconds on the other side, and set aside on a plate.

Fliparoo!

Repeat, adding a little butter to the pan and whisking batter before every new crepe to ensure walnut flour is evenly distributed. Separate crepes with parchment paper, until your batter is gone.

Filling:
Set one walnut crepe on a plate. On one-third of the crepe, add fresh raspberries:

Crunchy candied California walnuts:

Thick, delicious Maple Creme Fraiche:

Fold the long end of the crepe over the filling, and roll the crepe so it's seam-side down. Repeat.

Drizzle with a little maple syrup if you want, but I found this step unecessary in the end. The maple creme fraiche and candied walnuts made the dish sweet enough for me.

Serve with delight to family & friends. These are SO GOOD!

Have you ever used a nut flour in place of wheat flour?

Teenagers and mornings, not exactly a match made in heaven!

Especially when it comes to getting teenagers to eat before school.

If you have a teenager, you know what I am talking about- teenagers can barely get out of bed, and sometimes expecting them to eat breakfast, is well, just fantasy.

And although they can fend for themselves, in my experience,  teens still LOVE to be taken care of. So when they aren't hungry but still want a little something, a smoothie is an excellent solution.

Pour into a thermos for a quick run-to-catch-the-bus breakfast!

3 Ingredient Smoothies

1. Real fruit juice-About 3/4 cup

I like prefer the exotic fruit blends you can find in the refrigerator section of the grocery store,  but orange juice will work just fine.

STEP 1

2. Frozen Fruit- About 1 cup (slightly more fruit will give a thicker consistency)

My favourites are mangoes, peaches, strawberries, bananas (fresh or frozen) and blueberries. Freeze your own in the summer and store in ziptop bags in the freezer.

STEP 2

3. Yogurt- about 1/4 cup

Plain, vanilla, fruit flavoured, low fat, balkan, anything goes. Sometimes we even use frozen yogurt if we have it on hand.

STEP 3

Blend the three ingredients until smooth.

BLEND

You can add 1 tbsp of honey if you like it sweeter (but then it would be a 4 ingredient smoothie!).

Makes 1 large happy teenager (smoothie).

1 HAPPY TEENAGER

Click for more smoothie ideas

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/fruity_yogurt_smoothies.php

Do you eat breakfast before school? Work?

What's your favourite on the run breakfast?