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Puff Daddy: Gougeres (French Cheese Puffs)

Jul 7, 2014 · 29 Comments

There's something a little ironic about writing a post for Bastille Day literally hours after coming home from a trip to England, but such is the life of a (not-so) globe-trotting food blogger.

When the Holiday Food Blog Party gang decided to celebrate the French national holiday of Bastille Day a few weeks ago, I immediately called dibs on gougères. They're one of my favourite classic French pastries - golden bite-sized puffs of savoury choux pastry flavoured with cheese and herbs.

My go-to recipe comes from David Lebovitz. It comes together quite easily, as long as you've got your mise en place done before you start cooking, and works like a charm, rising up to golden puffy perfection even when I get lazy and scoop out the dough with a disher instead of piping it out all proper-like. They're about as foolproof as choux could possibly get....

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Thank You Berry Much: Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Jun 23, 2014 · 13 Comments

The strawberries are here! The strawberries are here!

The harvest was a little late this year, what with the hellishly long winter and unseasonably cold spring we just had, but at long last, the Ontario strawberries are here. Finally.

I was so excited to spot the familiar green baskets brimming with bright red berries that I didn't even balk at the $6 selling price.

(OK, I did balk. But then I sucked it up and picked up a basket anyway. #treatyoself and all that.) ...

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Wild Thing: Flaky Chinese-Style Ramp Pancakes

May 20, 2014 · 16 Comments

When it comes to really popular stuff, I'm notoriously perverse.

The hottest new restaurant in town that everyone is lining up for? Meh, not worth the wait. That new band that everyone loves the crap out of? They're okay, I guess. That show that everyone is raving about around the water cooler? I just can't get into it.

(Seriously, what is the deal with Girls? I can't decide if the characters bore me, annoy me or both.)

So considering that everyone loses their ever-loving mind when the first crop of ramps arrives at the market each year, I've always assumed that I'd probably be underwhelmed and stayed out of the feeding frenzy.

...

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Game On: Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Dip

Jan 27, 2014 · 18 Comments

Now, I'm not a football fan, by any stretch of the imagination... but I am most definitely a fan of football food.

Mostly, it's because it's a fantastic excuse to eat all the delicious fattening things that I rarely eat any other time of year.

Things that I honestly can't say no to when they're put in front of me.

Things like jalapeno poppers. I swear, I could polish an entire dozen of those deep-fried cheese-stuffed calorie bombs all by myself....

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Winging It: Coca-Cola Glazed Chicken Wings

Jan 15, 2014 · 15 Comments

Believe it or not, there was a time in my life when I just didn't get the point of chicken wings. The effort-to-reward ratio just seemed off-kilter to me - too many bones, not enough meat.

And then, one day, a particularly delicious batch of wings showed me the error of my ways.

What I hadn't understood until that moment is that chicken wings aren't about the meat... they're about the delicious crispy chicken skin and, by extension, the delicious sauce said skin is smothered in. The meaty bits are just a bonus, really.

I'm still kind of a snob when it comes to my wings, though. I much prefer plump drumettes to scrawny wingettes. I hate overly gloppy or overpowering sauces. And I'll take untraditional seasonings like jerk spice, honey-turmeric or chili-lime over the basic Buffalo butter-and-hot-sauce combo pretty much any day of the week....

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Making Merry: Brie and Cranberry Bites

Dec 5, 2013 · 25 Comments

It happened again... somehow, December just snuck up on me, stealthy and sneaky-like, bringing with it the usual round of parties and potlucks and baking and shopping and gift-giving and merry-making.

That doesn't exactly leave much time for baking, which is where these Cranberry Brie Bites come in. ...

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Pure Simplicity: Fresh Easy Sweet Pea Soup

Jul 5, 2013 · 4 Comments

The hardest part about this time of year (aside from the crushing humidity that usually blankets the whole of Southern Ontario) is the faster-and-faster technicolour blur of seasonal produce that comes and goes from the greengrocer's shelves faster than I can get my fill.

It seems like asparagus season just started yesterday, but it's already come and gone. Strawberries and sweet peas are winding down, and it won't be long before they give way to cherries and peaches and other stone fruits.

Simplicity is Sometimes Best

Obviously, when fruits and vegetables are at their peak, it's silly to fuss around with them too much.

Some things, like radishes or berries, are best eaten just as they are with little else besides a sprinkling of salt or sugar. Others, like fava beans, asparagus or artichokes, are cooked in the simplest way possible and then lightly seasoned with lemon, olive oil or salt and pepper....

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Game On: Buffalo Chicken Pizzettes

Feb 4, 2011 · 15 Comments

When it comes to sports, suffice to say that I'm not exactly what you'd call a fan. Not even close. I can tell you the difference between a volleyball, a football and a hockey puck, but that's really about it.

The Boy is pretty much the same. It's something I'm quite thankful for, considering many of the men in this country plan their lives around the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast schedule. Basically, we watch the Olympics Games every time they roll around, and then go into a nice sports-free hiatus for another two years.

What we are fans of, though, is hot sauce....

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When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip: Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)

Jan 14, 2011 · 13 Comments

With the Golden Globes kicking off the awards season this weekend, everyone and their brother seems to be talking about the must-serve cocktails and nibbles for awards-watching parties.

Fear not, gentle readers. I'm not jumping on the bandwagon of silly themed recipes... there will be no Blackberry Swan Pavlovas, no Mad Men Martinis, and definitely no King's Peach Pie. On the other hand, this seemed like as good a time as any to add a few more recipes for party-friendly finger foods.

Muhammara is one of my latest favourites. It's no secret that I love dips, especially ones with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flair... so it's pretty much a given that I'd fall head over heels with this rich mixture of red peppers and walnuts. It also helps that it takes all of 15 minutes to make, and is both vegetarian- and vegan-friendly (which is awfully appealing if you have as many veggie friends as we do).

The flavour of muhammara is more than the sum of its parts - this Mediterranean take on roasted red pepper dip is a balance of bitter and sour and garlicky and sweet, deep and complex, and utterly beguiling. I tend to lose myself in the eating of it... so much so that sometimes I realise I'm mopping the last few streaks from the bowl without any memory of having eaten the whole thing.

The reason, I'm sure, is pomegranate molasses. Made by boiling down pomegranate juice until it is reduced to a thick molasses-like concentrate, this dark brown syrup is an essential ingredient in many Middle Eastern cuisines. The resemblance to molasses is only superficial - the flavour lies somewhere between tart and bittersweet, almost like a well-aged balsamic vinegar.

I usually purchase mine at a Lebanese-run corner market, but in a pinch, it's also possible to make homemade pomegranate molasses by cooking down bottled pomegranate juice until it become thick and syrupy.

The best partner is tender homemade pita (whole wheat, if possible) or thin sheets of sesame-studded lavash, but it's also quite delicious with a crudite platter of cucumbers and carrots and cherry tomatoes if you're looking for a nice change from the usual sour-cream-and-onion-soup dip.

Muhammara (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)

Author: Adapted from Epicurious
Total Time: 15 mins
Yield: 4 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This Mediterranean version of the roasted red pepper dip adds lots of garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and walnuts, for an addictively delicious combination of sweet, salty, sour and bitter.

Ingredients

Scale

Makes around 2 cups
1 cup roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
⅔ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
½ tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Using a food processor, pulse the roasted red peppers, panko, walnuts and lemon juice until mostly blended.
Using a mortar and pestle, grind down the garlic, salt and cumin into a smooth paste. (Alternatively, you can also use the flat of a knife to mash together the garlic and salt, and replace the cumin seed with ground cumin.) Scrape into the food processor, along with the pomegranate molasses and red pepper flakes. Pulse again until you have a smooth paste.
Running the food processor on low speed, gradually pour in the oil in a thin stream until all the oil is incorporated. The dip should look thick and glossy, but not pasty or dry - if necessary, stir in a little water, a tablespoon or two at a time, until you get to the right consistency.
Transfer to a pretty serving bowl and serve right away with crackers, pita or vegetables for dipping.
(Dip can also be prepared up to three days in advance. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.)

Prep Time: 15 mins
Category: Appetiser

Dippety Doo Dah: Fresh Fava Bean Dip

May 25, 2010 · 13 Comments

With fava season winding down, I'm finding every excuse I can to try new ways to prepare them... so when our friend Chriss dropped in for a mini-marathon of Lost, I decided this was just the excuse I needed to try out a new dip.

Like most dips, it's ideal for entertaining, since there's very little prep required aside from shelling, blanching and peeling the favas. And if you happen to be one of those people who's extremely organized and prepared, that's something you can easily do a day or two in advance.

Other than that, it's just a matter of dropping everything into a food processor and pressing a few buttons until you've achieved deliciousness....

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