Chocolate Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

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Please, please! Make my favourite cookies, this time!

Which ones?

Well, I think that we can all relate to this piece of conversation!

I think that we just don’t want to admit it, we all love cookies! I like baking them, but I like eating them too. Truth be told, pleasing your loved ones is the best catalyst for baking cookies.

Everyone has a favourite cookie! Oatmeal cookies! We got oats, raisins and chocolate! Just for that! I know that, for the purist, I am missing chopped walnuts or pecans here. Well, I just wanted my buttery treats soft and chewy but you are most welcome to add nuts for crunch. Because, I was in spicy mood, I also decided to incorporate spices from my pain d’épices recipe into my cookies.

Ingredients for 4 dozen cookies:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cup flour

1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup Thompson raisins

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars using an electric mixer, until fluffy.

2. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

4. Incorporate the flour mixture to the buttercream.

5. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and raisins.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

7. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

8. Drop the cookie dough using a teaspoon onto the lined sheets. Make sure to leave 2 inches in between the mounds, because the cookies will flatten and spread upon baking.

9. Bake for 10 mins.

10. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 mins then on a wire rack.

Strawberry Mascarpone Spice Sandwiches

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Spring is definitely here! At the grocery store, the fresh strawberry baskets are expanding from week to week! I cannot wait until they reach the flat size to make jam, of course, but also quick-and-easy desserts like this sandwich. I would have made oversized cookies for strawberry shortcakes, but I already made pain d’épices so that what I used instead.

Ingredients for 4 dozen cookies:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cup flour

1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup Thompson raisins

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars using an electric mixer, until fluffy.

2. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

4. Incorporate the flour mixture to the buttercream.

5. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and raisins.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

7. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

8. Drop the cookie dough using a teaspoon onto the lined sheets. Make sure to leave 2 inches in between the mounds, because the cookies will flatten and spread upon baking.

9. Bake for 10 mins.

10. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 mins then on a wire rack.

Saturday Night Homemade Pizzas

(Click on pizza#1 to see pizza#2)

Bardeco at the corner of St-Mathieu and Lincoln in Montréal, then Royal Pizza in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona were my weekly, lazy-let’s-order-in night favourites.

I used to order pizza in all the time, but it was too much cheese, too much salt that I woke up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth!!! I also bought pre-packaged pizza crusts from the grocery stores, but they tend to be too soggy!

…Until I discovered homemade pizzas.

Easy, cheap and most delicious!

The great thing about homemade pizza is that you can make the dough, forget about it for a few hours, and knead it again for a short second rise while preparing the toppings. If you plan ahead, you could let the dough rise while you are out and about, relaxing at the movies or splurging on a new pair of Arnold Churgins!

Even better, you get to create your own pizza. Anything you can imagine for tasty homemade pizzas: barbequed red peppers, piccantelli olives, anchovies, and fresh buffalo mozzarella and herbs! Infinite possibilities! You have here two toppings for you to try. For the adventurous palate, the first one combining apples, capicollo, with Serrano peppers is sweet, savoury and spicy; the second one with tomatoes, anchovies and olives is for the conservative palate.

I adapted the recipe for the dough from the Joy of Cooking, added a tiny bit more water and reduced the amount of salt.

Ingredients for 2 pizza crusts:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1½ cup warm water

2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings for Pizza#1:

1 egg yolk

¼ cup mustard

2 tablespoon lemon juice or cider vinegar

100 g capicollo

1 apple (or grapple: grape-flavoured apple)

1 red pepper

1 small red onion

4 Serrano peppers

¼ cup grated parmesan, preferably grana padano, or gruyere

Fresh Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings for Pizza#2:

¼ cup tomato paste

4 slices pancetta

6-8 anchovies

1 tomato

1 yellow pepper

2 tablespoons capers

¼ cup piccantelli olives

Italian herbs

¼ cup grated parmesan, preferably grana padano, or gruyere

Fresh Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, stir the yeast into the warm water.

2. Let dissolve for 5 mins.

3. Stir in the olive oil with sugar and salt, then the flour.

4. Knead the dough for 10 mins to form a smooth and elastic ball.

5. Place the ball of dough in a bowl, cover and let rise for 2 hrs in a warm location, until doubled in size.

6. Punch and divide the dough into two balls.

7. Lightly knead, wrap in plastic film and let rise again while you prepare the toppings.

8. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

9. Grease or line two pizza pans.

10. Roll the dough using a rolling pin and place on the lined pans.

11. Allow the dough to relax before adding the toppings.

12. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 mins.

13. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Lazy Sunday Slow-Braised Yam Short Ribs à l’Orange

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My most unconventional dishes are the ones that I have created when my fridge and pantry are almost empty. Those days, it would have most likely snowed and the roads would be unplowed. Last Saturday was just like one of those days, I slept in late and, of course, I did not feel like facing the shopping crowds. No urge to bump around Edmonton’s slushy streets, to hunt for the primo parking spot, nor to elbow my neighbours for the perfect English cucumber! This weekend was going to be Zen, not zany.

This dish was made with the last carrot, celery and oranges that I could find in our crisper - not even a single mushroom. Lucky we had short ribs in the freezer and a lone yam in the pantry! With a little help from the slow cooker, it turned out to be a fantastic stew, melt-in-your mouth ribs infused with sweet, zesty oranges and enhanced with rich, creamy yam.

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef short ribs

1 teaspoon salt

1 large yam or sweet potato

2 oranges

1 carrot

3 stalks celery

1 onion

½ to 1 cup red wine

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop the celery and carrot, cut oranges and yam into 2 inch pieces.

2. Transfer half of the yam and the other vegetables into the slow cooker.

3. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

4. Season and sauté the ribs until all the sides are browned.

5. Transfer the ribs, with bone underneath, onto the vegetables.

6. Chop and add the onion to the drippings.

7. After 1-2 mns, deglaze with a splash of wine until the onions are softened.

8. Add the rest of the wine and transfer the onions to the slow cooker.

9. Sprinkle with the smoked paprika.

10. Slow cook for at least 6 hrs. Moisten the stew with wine if it looks dry.

11. One hour before serving, add the rest of the yam.

12. Serve hot over steamed rice or crusty bread.

Oyster Mushroom and Zucchini Quiche with Strawberry Frisée Salad

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Bacon bits, melted cheese chunks, cream and onions in flaky puff-pastry, anyone? The quintessential French comfort food - mac n’cheese-style. Very tasty for sure! But with spring at our door, as I was browsing through Helen’s fresh-looking salads, I thought that a lighter, tart-like version would be more appropriate! Of course, I did not forget any bacon, cheese or onions, but the stars of this quiche are oyster mushrooms and zucchini. I would have gone for cremini mushrooms, I just could not resist their velvety and delicate texture when I saw them. The small zucchini were also too tempting to ignore.

The highlight of the vinaigrette is Angostura bitters, which are an essential, sweet and not bitter at all, ingredient in the perfect Manhattan. Their sweetness, combined with fresh, juicy strawberries and savoury celery, moderates the mild bitterness of the frisée, making a perfect counterpoint for the quiche.

Ingredients for a 9x13 inch quiche:

1 package frozen puff pastry (No time to mess around this time!)

2 cups oyster mushrooms

1 red pepper

3 small zucchini

1 small red onion

1 medium onion

4 slices pancetta

2 tablespoons capers

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 eggs

1½ cup milk

¼ cup grated parmesan, preferably grana padano, or gruyere

Fresh Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the salad:

A few leaves of frisée lettuce

1 cup strawberries

2 stalks celery

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1-2 drops Angostura bitters

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

2. Roll the puff pastry and transfer into the paper.

3. Slice mushrooms, pepper, zucchini, red onion and scatter over the dough.

4. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

5. Brown then drain the pancetta on paper towel.

6. Slice, sauté the onion in the pancetta drippings, until caramelized.

7. Scatter pancetta and caramelized onion over the vegetables.

8. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

9. In a bowl, lightly beat eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper using a fork.

10. Pour the egg mixture onto the filling and spread on the cheese, out to the edges.

11. Bake for 30-45 mins, until the filling is set and begins to brown.

12. While baking the quiche, wash, tear off and let drain the frisée.

13. Wash and chop strawberries and celery.

14. In a salad bowl, whisk together vinegar, bitters, olive oil, salt and pepper.

15. Before serving, toss the frisée, strawberries and celery into the vinaigrette.

16. Bon appétit!

Pain d’Épices

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I know most of you associate exotic spices with Christmas and gingerbread cookies, Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie, or Easter and hot cross buns. For me, spices mean pain d’épices, a specialty loaf from Eastern France loaded with honey and spices.

For our after-school goûter, my sister and I used to have one or two buttered slices of pain d’épices with a warm cup of milk – nothing is better than milk and cookies on a rainy day! I remember seeing it at the gourmet food store in Montréal and at the Italian store in Edmonton, with Prosper, the teddy bear, smiling on the label. I had completely forgotten about it until we got to have it toasted and covered with foie gras for New Year’s Eve. How sweet, how decadent!

Back at the Italian store, I resisted getting my childhood treat, but I was determined to find a homemade spice loaf recipe. I chose this great, low-calorie recipe, in French, from the Marmiton, because it uses milk, not butter. Instead of using powders, I opted for bulk or fresh spices and doubled their amounts. I also replaced the ground fennel seeds with grated anis wood from Madagascar and added orange zest instead of using Chinese five spice mixture.

Aniswood is a peculiar spice, which like cinnamon, comes from the bark of the ravitsara, a tree native to Madagascar. Like for nutmeg, the bark is chunky and needs to be grated to release its flavour. I have used the bark to infuse my barbequed mahi-mahi or my short ribs with sweetness and smokiness.

Adapted and translated from the Marmiton.

Ingredients for one loaf:

250 gram cake or all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon grated aniswood
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons freshly grated cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
½ teaspoon cracked black peppercorn
½ teaspoon salt
1 orange zest
2/3 cup honey (Still my very special honey I used for the brûlée)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/5 cup milk, preferably homo milk
¼ cup triple sec

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and all the spices but the vanilla using a whisk.

2. Heat the honey until just bubbling.

3. Make a well in the flour mixture.

4. Pour and stir in the warm honey using a wooden spoon.

5. Incorporate the eggs, adding one at a time, then the vanilla.

6. Heat the milk, until warm, and add to form a smooth batter.

7. Preheat the oven to 320 F.

8. Line a loaf pan with parchment or wax paper.

9. Transfer the batter into the pan.

10. Bake for 1hr – 1¼ hr, until a toothpick comes out residue-free when inserted into the cake.

11. Let cool in the pan to room temperature.

12. Unmold, moisten with liqueur and wrap in aluminum foil for at least 2hr before serving.

Sautéed Baby Artichokes

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Another great find from the Italian store this week: fresh baby artichokes. It barely takes a few steps to prepare artichokes, but they take almost one hour to steam or boil. This recipe is a quick and easy alternative, and if you do not have baby artichokes, you can peel the hard, outer petals off and remove the fuzz to get closer to the heart – Yes! In case you did not know, artichokes are actually giant thistle flowers! Easy peazy! Instead of an appetizer, you get a tasty side dish to go with your chicken!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

6 baby artichokes

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1 lemon

Vinegar (or lemon)

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

1. To prepare the artichokes, peel off 2-3 layers of the hard, outer petals.

2. Cut the stem and 1 ½ inch off the tip.

3. Soak the prepared artichokes into a bowl of cold water spiked with vinegar to prevent any oxidation from occurring.

4. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

5. Chop onion and garlic.

6. Drain and dry the artichokes using paper towels, then half or quarter them depending on their size.

7. Add the babies to the skillet, together with the onion and garlic.

8. Stir fry for 5-10 mins, until the babies are softened.

9. Season to taste and sprinkle with lemon juice and zest before serving.

Banana Ketchup and Sun Dried Tomato Chicken

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Cooking banana and chicken together sounds weird, doesn’t it? Well! Wait until you have read and tried this tasty recipe!

Have you ever tried banana sauce? We found it at the Chinese superstore, with the rest of the condiments. Expected a heavy sweet-and-sour, banana-y taste, got a surprisingly mild-tasting ketchup instead! The banana ketchup is actually a product of the Philippines where it is popular as a dip for eggrolls and, just like its North-American tomato counterpart, it can be used as spread for hot dogs, hamburgers, and French fries.

I would usually use tomato paste to thicken my chicken dishes but, this time, I chose the sweet and sour condiment to enhance the sweetness of the red pepper and the sun dried tomatoes. As you know now, the chicken does not taste like bananas! It is yummy, even yummier with sautéed baby artichokes!

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1 pound chicken drumsticks (or breasts)

1 hot pepper (Cherry bomb)

1 red pepper

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 small red onion

2 stalk celery

1 bottle banana ketchup

1 cup dry white wine

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Olive oil

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and herbs.

2. Turn the oven broiler on.

3. Transfer the chicken onto a baking sheet and broil for 30 mins until all sides are golden and tent with foil.

4. While broiling the chicken, heat some oil over medium high heat in a pan.

5. Smash the garlic and chop the onion, celery, and pepper.

6. Add the chopped vegetables and the tomatoes to the pan and stir fry for 1-2 mins.

7. Stir the banana ketchup and the wine in.

8. Let simmer for 10 mins.

9. Add the broiled chicken into the sauce and let simmer for 30 mins over medium to low heat.

10. Serve with sticky rice and sautéed baby artichokes.

Victoria Rhubarb Mascarpone Sponge Cake

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Goodbye Mr. March, welcome Ms. April!

In the old saying, if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. This year, March came in warm and sunny, early signs of spring were everywhere surrounding us. Beautiful skiing in Fernie’s powder bowls, tulips and daffodils poking out in our yard….Just like a lion! But, then it left us with snow, fog and frigid temperatures last week. Not a lamb, instead a reminder that summer cannot be here yet!

I cannot wait any longer, and I had to make this very easy, fabulous dessert to bring spring back to my table. In my version of this sponge cake sandwich, Queen Victoria’s favourite treat for afternoon tea, I substituted the traditional sticky and sugar-laden jam and whipped cream with a sweet-and-sour orange and rhubarb compote and an unctuous orange-flavoured mascarpone cheese.

Ingredients for 8 generous servings:

Sponge Cakes:

1 cup butter

½ cup sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups cake or all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1½ Kosher salt

½ cup candied lemon rinds

Cream Filling:

½ pound mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons icing sugar

1 orange

Rhubarb filling:

3 cups frozen rhubarb

½ cup sugar

2 oranges

1 stick cinnamon

2-3 tablespoons triple sec

1. In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar using an electrical mixer, until light and fluffy.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time to give a homogenous cream.

3. In another bowl, resift the flour with the baking powder and the salt.

4. Fold the flour mixture into the butter cream, then the candied rinds.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

6. Line the bottom of two 8-inch round pans with wax paper, butter and dust the sides with flour.

7. Divide the batter into two and spread each half into the pans using a spatula.

8. Bake for 20-25 mins, until a toothpick comes out residue-free when inserted into the cake.

9. Let cool in the pans for 5-10 mins, then transfer on a rack.

10. To prepare the rhubarb filling, place rhubarb, sugar, orange juice and zest, and cinnamon in a saucepan.

11. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring, and lower the heat to a gentle simmer, until the fruit is tender.

12. Let cool slightly and stir in the liquour.

13. In the meantime, whisk cheese, icing sugar, orange juice and zest in a bowl until smooth.

14. To assemble the dessert, spread the rhubarb filling on one of the sponge cakes.

15. Poke the cake with a fork and wait 1-2 mins to allow any liquid to permeate and moisten the sponge.

16. Spread the cheese on the rounded side of the other cake.

17. Place the cakes right on top of each other, gently pressing to contact with the cheese with the rhubarb.

18. Sprinkle the top with icing sugar and enjoy without moderation!