I talk about food, you read it.
Archive for October, 2011
Roasted Tomato Soup
1When J and I got home from Vegas I saw that I had a lot of tomatoes ready that I had been ripening on the windowsill. It’s getting rather cold at night and with the increase of rain I didn’t want to lose everything to blight. Some still were victims of the nasty rot but I did manage to salvage a lot and make a delicious roasted tomato soup out of them. This soup curbed my craving for vegetables and was extremely flavourful. It was the perfect meal after a weekend of debauchery.
Ingredients
- Handful of tomatoes 8-10 (I used Roma, cherry, yellow and some unnamed varieties)
- 1 onion chopped large
- 6 cloves of garlic
- ½ olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 3-4 cups chicken stock
- Sprig of thyme
- Sprig of rosemary
- ½ cup heavy cream (optional, I didn’t add)
- Fresh basil chopped for garnish
- Fresh grated parmesan for garnish
Wash and half tomatoes, chop onion and throw in a bowl with peeled garlic cloves. Toss with olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper.
Dump onto a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 20-30 min, until onions and tomatoes are soft.
Remove roasted vegetables and transfer to a large stock pot. Pour in chicken stock to cover and throw in the whole springs of thyme and rosemary. Simmer on med-low until reduced by a third.
Remove springs of herbs. Use am immersion blender to puree soup until smooth. Alternatively this could be done in the blender. Add cream while blending if using. If you’re soup looks too think you can also add more chicken stock at this point. Season to taste.
I found this soup to be fresh, flavourful and didn’t leave me feeling like I was missing anything. I originally was going to put a baguette slice on top and broil some cheese but opted for fresh basil and cheese shavings instead. You could easily slip some cream into the soup as well to give an even richer flavour but I wanted to keep with my healthy theme and leave it out. I personally don’t think it needed to be a heavy creamy soup but maybe when it snows it will be time for something like that. I was even more impressed that J had 2 bowls full when neither of us is really “soup” people. I can’t wait to make this again!
Mon Ami Gabi
26 months ago
Our last night in Vegas came far too quickly. We still had so much to do and so much to see that we all wished we could have at least one more day. The one thing we all agreed was that we were all getting sick of pizza and burgers so we wanted to end our night eating together like adults where we couldn’t hear the dinging and chiming of the slot machines. While I definitely enjoyed eating pizza in Paris at 10pm after drinking too much it was definitely time to have a meal my body needed. I swear Vegas doesn’t offer much in respect to vegetables.
We cleaned ourselves up and headed down to the lobby where Mon Ami Gabi French bistro sits. The restaurant is supposed to resemble French style dining with a cozy atmosphere specializing in Steak Frites (no not vegetables). If it’s nice out they have a patio on the strip that has an amazing view of The Bellagio fountains. Since it was still very warm out we were lucky enough to be able to sit at one of the patio tables.
As soon as we sat down we were brought a loaf of bread with a small plate of slices beats and apple. I was very thankful to see my first vegetable that wasn’t stuffed in a burger. The bread seemed fresh and warm; they just don’t serve it with a knife so we tore our way through it instead. The beat relish (we’ll call it) was served cold and had a nice but not overpowering sweetness to it. The guys seem to think beats taste like dirt; I prefer to say they have an earthiness to them.
J also ordered a plate of Oysters. They were very fresh tasting and were the smaller/sweeter variety, although we weren’t told the exact type. This was also the first raw oyster one of our friends had as well. I was a little scared she wouldn’t like them, due to the texture but she also really enjoyed them. Sorry to her boyfriend who will now have a slightly more expensive bill when they go out dining.
For my main, I ordered the Steak Roquefort, which was a steak and blue cheese sauce served with frites. I asked to substitute my frites for the market vegetables which happed to be baby summer squash. The steak itself was pounded thin and there was a rather large portion of the blue cheese sauce on top. The steak was cooked well and the sauce was also tasty. I really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t any better than anything I could get at home. In fact I prefer our thicker steaks to this thin one. The baby squash were fried in a buttery style sauce and I really enjoyed those. One of our friends also ordered this meal and he was also thought the same.
J ordered Steak Bordelaise, which was the same style steak topped with caramelized onions and a red wine sauce. J was a little less than in impressed with his meal. The steak was fine but the onions on top seemed more like boiled onions. I am wondering if they boiled them in the wine sauce and then quickly sautéed them. The wine sauce was also very subtle; almost to the point the wine was unrecognizable. The frites are cut thinly into ribbons and are nice and crisp but still with a soft potato center. When J was done his meal, I scooped up a bunch of the frites and soaked them in my steak juice. Very yummy.
Another one our friends ordered the Roasted Chicken. She enjoyed the chicken but again said it wasn’t anything amazing or anything she couldn’t get back at home. She also had the same frites which she enjoyed but the ketchup she requested never arrived. Perhaps they don’t have ketchup in French bistros?
None of us had any room for dessert and with the casino calling our name we ended our dinner there. The meals weren’t overly amazing but they also weren’t costly either so in the end I was still happy. The best part was being outside and watching the fountains at Bellagio. I hear their breakfast is amazing.
Max Brenner
06 months ago
Flying to Vegas has got to be one of the best flights ever. It’s short and full of anticipation. You get to see the bright lights of the city and start the party right there on the plane. We flew during lunch but with such a short flight we didn’t bother ordering the plane food and instead ate pork jerky, snack mix and of course vodka. Its twelve o’clock somewhere right? That meant that when we checked in, got changed, and checked out the casino is was way past food time. We were all a little hazy and ready to eat but somehow we ended up wandering towards Caesars palace in the mall. The giant alcohol infused slushies caught our eyes but the boys intervened and directed us to the first restaurant they saw.
Max Brenner’s specializes in chocolate and the entire theme of the restaurant is of course chocolate. I probably could have used a chocolate fix, but since I hadn’t eating in a long time, I focused my attention on their food menu. We all ended up getting the Brenner Burger which comes with their waffle fries dusted with chilli and cocoa powder.
The burger itself is huge! I was impressed by just the sheer size of what was sitting in front of me that I didn’t notice right away that it was stuffed with a giant onion ring. That’s probably what gave it its impressive height. I squashed it down, cut in half to reveal a perfectly cooked medium rare burger patty. Now, a lot of people won’t eat medium rare ground beef due to health issues but I was in Vegas. So it was time to live a little. Having the meat slightly pink gave it much more flavour. It was a very delicious burger.
The fries were also incredible. The waffles are able to hold a lot more of the seasonings then a typical straight fry would and they had a nice hint of spice from the chilli. I didn’t taste much cocoa and it didn’t offer any sweetness either so I assume it was a dark chocolate powder. I would have liked to taste more of that but they were still delicious none the less.
Needless to say I couldn’t finish my burger but the entire group all agreed that the burgers were great and we would definitely eat there again….if there wasn’t so many other options. Can’t eat at the same place twice in Vegas!
Cheesy Vegetable Medley
0I know Thanksgiving has passed but I went away to Vegas and my schedule has been jam packed with random things so yes….I am blogging about this now. Although our friends in The United States still have yet to celebrate so I hope these posts will reach some people in time!
Since I had the turkey and the cranberry sauce down pat I still needed some sides to fill up my new family. As I mentioned before my sister in law is an amazing cook so my options should have endless but not knowing what people like and dislike was driving me nuts. I also wasn’t sure if there was a certain dish that was tradition either. J wasn’t helpful in filling in the blanks either so I decided that an easy side of vegetables would be great and also keep me sane.
My mom makes a vegetable bake that is smothered with cheese, topped with parmesan/breadcrumbs and always puts a smile on my face. I asked her for the recipe because I know anything covered in cheese is going to be a hit no matter who is over for dinner. This was really easy and also can be made the night before and thrown in the oven while your turkey is resting.
Make-Ahead Vegetable Medley
3 large carrots
1 medium cauliflower
1 ½ pounds broccoli, (about 2 heads)
Sauce
5 Tablespoons butter or marg
5 Tablespoons flour
2 ¼ cups milk
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (to taste- perhaps a little less)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese (I added 2 cups)
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
Topping
2 Tablespoon butter, melted (I omitted)
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley
A day ahead slice carrots diagonally 1/4 –inch thick. Cut off and peel broccoli stems. Cut stems into ¼ inch thick slices. Slice large broccoli floweret’s in half lengthwise through stems. Break cauliflower into flowerets. Cut large ones lengthwise through stems.
Arrange carrots, broccoli stems and cauliflowerettes in a vegetable steamer and steam over boiling water for 9 minutes or until barely tender. Add broccoli flowerets and steam 1 ½ minutes longer. Plunge vegetables in cold water to cool quickly, drain.
For sauce, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and blend until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Stir in mustard, salt, pepper, cheese and parsley.
Pour half the sauce into a shallow three-quart casserole. Add cooked vegetables, mix gently, then top with remaining sauce and gently mix again. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Before baking combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over top. Bake, covered at 325 for one hour (until hot and bubbly) Take off cover last 20 min for crunchy topping. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Sorry I don’t have a photo of the after but you can imagine how it looks. Yummy veggies covered in a nice bread crumb topping. This was my first official home made cheese sauce and it actually turned out. I was a little worried because its more science then cooking but it was easier then I could have imagined and really yummy.
Cranberry Sauce
0This year it was suggested that J and I should host Thanksgiving this year. We have a new home, we recently got married and now have a little puppy so why not share our accomplishments with our family by feeding them a rather large turkey with all the fixings’.
There is a lot to live up to when it comes to big family dinners. I also didn’t know if I should stick to tradition, try something new, or make it potluck style. Since I was slightly overwhelmed I did ask our guests to bring stuff but my sister in law really saved me by coming early, helping out, and also bringing loads of food. The one item I knew would be easy and fun was the cranberry sauce. I bought a pound of fresh cranberries from The Cranberry Festival in Fort Langley and it turned out great!
Ingredients
- pound of fresh cranberries
- 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (depending how tart or sweet you like your sauce)
- 1 cup orange juice
- Salt
Put cranberries, ½ cup sugar and orange juice into a pot and heat to medium until sauce starts to simmer and berries pop. You will need to simmer for about 20 min and then mash everything up to your desired consistency.
Taste and adjust. My berries were really tart so I ended up adding at least ½ cup more sugar. If you add more sugar then simmer longer so it cooks out. You don’t want sugar graduals in the sauce.
The orange juice is so subtle in the sauce. It’s nice to have a bit of refreshing citrus with a berry so tart. The sauce also thickened perfectly as well. I was really impressed with how easy this was.
The Great Pumpkin Ale
07 months ago
Halloween is almost here, the leaves have turned and I think the best part of fall is the Pumpkin. You can put it in foods, make pie, add it to lattes and also have it in ale. Not just any ale, but The Great Pumpkin Ale by St-Ambroise. This is probably the best pumpkin ale out there. It has the perfect amount of spice, creaminess and still has the flavour of a good beer. They go down way to easy!
Tuscan White Bean Soup
0When October 1st came and went I became very excited for all things fall. I tried to have a scarf day at work, had a pumpkin spice latte from starbucks and dreamed about all foods that I could make this season. While scarf day didn’t work out, this recipe for Tuscan White Bean Soup sure did. It’s reminiscent of curling up on the couch and cuddling with your loved ones. Let the cold snap begin for all autumn soups will keep me cozy!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1/2 small onion chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2-4 sage leaf
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (also known as white kidney beans)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Small bunch of thyme leaves for garnish
- Rustic bread for dipping
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling (I used white truffle oil)
Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, onion and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and reduce for about 5 minutes. Add the sage, beans, and stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 20 minutes. If you have an emersion blender, blend soup to desired consistency (preferable smooth). If not, pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly with a cloth, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.
This soup couldn’t have been any better. It had such a great flavour! The only complaint from J was that he wasn’t sure about the consistency and would have preferred it slightly thinner. I liked the thickness of it and thought it was perfect for dipping your bread into but to each their own. If you want something soupier, then add another cup of broth or simmer for 5-10 minutes less then what I wrote.
Mediterranean Pasta
0Some days I just don’t feel like making a meal plan. I don’t want to take the time to come up with something new or go to the grocery store for the latest and greatest. I just want to eat a simple dinner that doesn’t incolve too much thinking. This is when I turn to pasta and rummage through the fridge to see what I can throw on top of the pasta.
This particular day I was lucky since I had diced tomatoes, tomato pasts (thawed thinking it was pizza sauce), feta, olives, and basil which immediately made me take a trip to the Mediterranean.
I didn’t use a recipe and I also wasn’t really keeping track of what I was doing but this is what I remember
Ingredients
- Onion diced
- Garlic cloves
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon basil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dried chilli flakes
I quite often use my emersion blender to smooth out my pasta sauces, but this time I held back since I wanted to have a thinner sauce with chunks of tomatoes. This would be my absolute basic pasta sauce so feel free to add what you like.
Once pasta was cooked, I tossed in the sauce. Once platted I topped it with feta, olives and fresh basil. It was amazing and amazingly simple. I love how sometimes throwing together the simplest of ingredients produce the ultimate dishes.
Crab Cake Benedict
1During our lovely summer, my parents took several trips to the cabin and were able to do some crabbing. They maxed out every time and then proceeded to call me and brag about it. There is nothing like fresh crab right out of the Ocean. It will beat restaurant or store bought crab hands down every time. On their way back one time they came over and dropped off some cooked crab they caught that morning so J and I could have some surf and turf for dinner. The rest I cracked and froze to enjoy later.
Well, it hasn’t really been that long since indulging in surf and turf but every time I opened the freezer the crab was screaming “eat me!”. SO I decided it was time to thaw it out and make crab cake eggs Benedict.
Ingredients
- 8oz cooked crab meat
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/ 2 lemon juiced
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 small jalapeno or green pepper if you don’t like spice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 TBSP mayonnaise
- 1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 black pepper
- pinch cayenne
- panko crumbs
- oil for frying
Blot crab with paper towel, make sure its dry. Mix everything together except for panko and oil. For crab into small golf ball sized amounts and flatten to form cakes.
Pour Panko on a plate and coat each crab cake.
Heat non-stick pan with oil and fry each cake for about 3-5 per side, until golden.
Once cooked, I put my cakes on half of an English muffin and topped with hollandaise sauce. I didn’t use my trusted recipe and just sort of winged it so my sauce was a little thick. Use this recipe, you won’t be disappointed.
