Roasted Whole Cauliflower

This is a delicious side that looks and tastes fantastic.

1 tbsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 medium head cauliflower, leaves trimmed and bottom cut flat
1/4 cup plain hummus
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp red pepper spread
2 tbsp chopped toasted pistachios
1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves

• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Combine Garam Masala, 1/2 tsp salt and oil; set aside
• Cook whole cauliflower in large saucepan of boiling water just until tender but firm, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Drain well; place cut side in greased baking dish.  Insert tip of sharp knife into topi f cauliflower in five random places.  Brush spice mixture all over and into crevices.
• Roast in centre of oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned and tender.  Meanwhile, whisk together hummus and 2 to 3 tbsp water to thin sauce until thin enough to drizzle if necessary.  Set aside.
• Combine yogurt and red pepper spread.  Drizzle spoonful each of red pepper sauce and hummus sauce over top of roasted cauliflower; sprinkle with pistachios and cilantro.  Cut into wedges and serve with remaining sauces.

Layer Cake with Whipped Cream

An unusual and delicious cake.

135 ml butter
3 egg yolks
225 ml flour
100 ml sugar
75 ml milk
7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) baking powder
300 ml sugar, for topping
Chopped almonds, optional
500 ml whipping for filling

Cream butter and sugar; add egg yolks.  Sift flour and baking powder into egg mixture alternately with milk.  Grease 2 springforms well (I skipped this and just used one pan) ; divide dough evenly into pans.  Beat egg whites stiff.  Add 300 ml sugar.  Spread on top; sprinkle with almonds.  Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove from pan and place on serving plate with whipped cream between layers.

Savoury Apple and Turkey Sausage Tarte Tatin

This is a perfect recipe for this time of year.  Sweet and savoury with all the great fall flavours.  Serve with a side salad and a great glass of wine.  From Holiday 2015 Food and Drink Magazine

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
6 to 8 small fresh sage leaves
5 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cored with a paring knife
4 lean turkey sausage links, meat removed from casings
1 sheet puff pastry dough 225 g, thawed but still cold.  If using a brand with unrolled squares, roll out 1 square on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick, dusting off excess flour

• Generously butter an 8 inch cast iron skillet and then equally distribute remaining butter in small blobs around the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle the sugar and salt over the butter.  Arrange sage leaves all around.
• Snugly fit apple quarters into skillet in an overlapping spiral, working your way to the centre.  Squeeze them in as tightly as you can.  Place knobs of sausage meat on top of apples, then lay puff pastry over the sausage, tucking excess dough in around the edges, trimming away if there still too much dough.  Poke dough a dozen times with the tip of the knife.
• Preheat oven to 450F.
• Place skillet over medium heat until juices start to boil.  Continue cooking until theres very little liquid left in the skillet - check by gently pushing the dough in from the edge with the tip of the knife.  It will take 25 to 27 minutes for the apples to cook and most of the juices to evaporate, without having the bottom burn.
• Transfer skillet to preheated oven and bake until pastry is browned on top and cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes.  Remove from oven and jerk pan around to release apples from the bottom.  Slide a small knife around the outer edge, making sure nothing is sticking.  Let cool for 20 minutes.
• Right before turning over your savoury tart tat in onto a serving plate, heat the bottom of the pan over high heat for 20 to 30 seconds, jiggling it to make sure nothing is sticking.  Place the large serving plate over the top of the pan, take a deep breath and flip the tart onto the plate, slice and serve.

Serves 4 to 6

Skillet Rosti with Smoked Salmon and Chive Sour Cream

I have a great cast iron skillet and use it almost every day.  It is perfect for this particular recipe.  If you have never used cast iron I highly recommend it.  I took a little time getting used to it because it takes longer to heat and retains heat longer than my old skillet.  This recipe is from Food and Drink Holiday 2015

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, divided
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 russet potatoes, peeled, grated and squeezed dry in clean towel
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp snipped chives plus more for garnish
1 cup sour cream
Generous 275 g smoked salmon or smoked trout

• Add 1 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp vegetable oil to 8 inch skillet and heat over medium heat.

• Add grated potatoes to a large bowl and toss with remaining melted butter, flour, salt and pepper.  Toss until well combined.

• Tip mixture into hot pan and press down firmly with hand or spatula to help it form a solid cake.  Cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until it is golden brown underneath (you can check the colour by gently lifting up the edge of the rosti with a spatula, but don’t do this too early as the rosti may come apart).  When nicely browned on the bottom, loosen rosti from the pan with spatula and slide it onto a plate (remember the skillet handle will be hot).  Place another plate on top and holding both plates together, flip them over.  Carefully slide browned side up rosti back into the skillet and continue cooking for 6 to 7 minutes more, or until golden brown on bottom and cooked through.  Remove from heat and slide rosti onto a serving plate.
• Stir chives into sour cream. 

•  Top warm rosti with curls of smoked salmon and dollops of chive sour cream, plus more chives for garnish if you please.

Smoky Citrus Turkey Taco Salad

If you can’t find turkey a couple of nice chicken breasts will work well too.  The Avocado Dressing for this salad is fantastic and I am sure I am going to use this one frequently.  I am going to give you the recipe as is but I found it too thick…almost like a dip so for a true dressing I would add more water or some olive oil.

1 pkg (400g) Turkey breast slices or tenders
1/2 tsp orange rind, grated
3 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 chipotle pepper, minced
3 cups mixed baby greens
3 cups broccoli slaw
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 cups tortilla chips
Lime Wedges

AVOCADO DRESSING
1 small ribs but firm avocado, chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Avocado Dressing:  In a small food processor combine avocado, lime juice, water, vinegar, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• In a bowl, whisk orange rind and juice, oil, cilantro and chipotle pepper.  Add turkey and turn to coat evenly.  Let sand for 15 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.  
• Place turkey on greased grill over medium high heat for about 12 minutes or until no longer pink inside and thermometer reaches 170F.  Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
• In a large bowl, combine greens, broccoli slaw, tomatoes and corn.  Toss with dressing.
• Divide among 4 plates and top with turkey.  Place tortillas around salad and top with lime wedge to squeeze over top just before eating.

Coriander Pork Skewers With Red Onion Salsa

I really like this one, lots of great summer flavours.  Bay leaves are just for flavour as they are to hard to eat so always discard them after grilling.  If you don’t have hot paprika, mix 3/4 tsp sweet paprika with 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.  From Canadian Living/The Barbecue Collection.

450 g pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp hot paprika
1/2 tsp salt
12 fresh bay leaves (approx)

RED ONION SALSA
1 tomato
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Pinch each salt and granulated sugar
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1. Toss together pork, garlic, coriander, oil, cumin, paprika and salt until coated; marinate for 10 minutes.
2. For salsa:  cut tomato into quarters; seed, core and slice.  Toss together tomato, onion, vinegar, salt and sugar.  Stir in mint.
3. Alternately thread pork and bay leaves onto skewers, using more bay leaves if desired.  Grill, covered on greased grill over medium high heat, turning once, until just a hint of pink remains inside pork, about 12 minutes.  
4. Serve with red onion salsa.

Chocolate Biscuit Gateau

A decadent dessert that goes great with a good cup of coffee.

225 g plain chocolate
225 g butter
2 eggs, beaten
25 g caster sugar
225 g digestive biscuits

To decorate
75 ml double cream
Glace cherries
Walnut halves

Grease a 6 inch cake tin with detachable base.  Break up chocolate and put in a bowl over saucepan of simmering water to melt.  Melt butter gently in another pan.  Beat eggs with sugar in bowl.  Pour in melted butter in a study stream, beating continuously.  Now blend in melted chocolate.  Break up digestive biscuits into small pieces; fold into chocolate.  Turn mixture into cake tin; chill overnight in the refrigerator.

To serve, stand cake tin on a canister at least 2 inches smaller than the base of the tin.  Push the tin carefully down onto the table, leaving the base with the cake on the canister.  Slide it onto a serving plate and decorate with piped whipped cream, cherries and walnut halves.

**use unsalted butter and bitter sweet chocolate

Spring Cake

A great cake that you can change the flavours with by switching the Nescafe powder for orange peel.

6 egg whites
Dash Salt
Dash cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 pt whipping cream
2 tsp Nescafe powder

Beat egg whites and slowly add dry ingredients until batter is stiff.  Place brown paper on baking sheets; draw 3 large circles.  Place meringue on circles.  Bake 1 hour at 300F.  Melt chocolate chips and spread evenly on 2 cooled meringue layers.  Place in fridge.

Whip cream; add coffee powder.  Spread cream between layers and on the cake.   Leave in fridge 24 to 48 hours.

Chopped Liver and Fried Salami Sandwiches with Russian Dressing

Another great recipe to get your liver on!  I switched the salami for a proscuitto but you could also use bacon.  A good quality bread is a must for this sandwich.  From Food and Drink Spring 2016.

CHOPPED LIVER
2 large eggs
2 medium cooking onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
500 g chicken livers, rinsed and patted dry
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

RUSSIAN DRESSING
1 small shallot, minced about 1 tbsp
1 tbsp minced chives
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp sugar

8 slices beef salami
8 slices rye bread
Crisp leaves of iceberg lettuce
2 sour dill pickles, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, lower to a simmer and carefully add eggs to pot.  Cook, uncovered, for 12 minutes.  Drain pot and rinse eggs under cool water.  Peel eggs as set aside.
2. In a large pan over medium low heat, cook onions in olive oil, stirring often, for 25 to 30 minutes or until deeply caramelized.  Add cleaned chicken livers to pan with onion and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, until browned and cooked through (a little pink is ok).  Season well with salt and pepper.  Let cool for 5 minutes, then add eggs and contents of pan to a food processor and pulse until combined but not pasty - 2 to 3 short pulses.  Taste again for seasoning and remove to a bowl.  Cover well with plastic wrap touching the liver so that it doesn’t discolour, and refrigerate until cool.
3. Combine all Russian dressing ingredients and whisk until smooth.
4. In a large pan fry 4 slices of salami at a time over medium heat for 1 to 2 mites on each side or until slightly browned and sizzling.  While this is happening, start toasting slices of rye. 
5. Its time to make the sandwiches!  Mound 4 pieces of toasted rye with a good amount of chopped liver, top each with 2 slices of salami, then lettuce, pickle, tomato and Russian dressing.  Top each with second piece of toasted rye.  Serve with a side of potato chips or salad.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

This is a really decadent breakfast!  I got the idea from an Atkins diet book but I wouldn’t personally suggest this for weight loss.  I tis a great Sunday morning treat though.

1 loaf thick bread - I like a french or Italian loaf
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3 tbsp strawberry jam
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp canola oil

• Heat oven to warm setting.  Line a baking sheet with foil; place in oven.  Coat loaf into 8 thick slices.  Make a pocket in each slice, taking care not to cut through to the opposite side.
• In a bowl, mix cream cheese and jam until blended.  Fold in berries and cinnamon.  Evenly dived mixture into bread pockets.
• Mix cream mixture, eggs, vanilla and salt in a shallow bowl.  Dip bread slices two at a time into mixture until saturated.  
• Heat 1 tbsp each butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet.  Cook slices in batches, 5 to 6 minutes per side, until golden brown.  Do not crowd skillet.  Add more butter and oil to skillet as needed. Transfer cooked slices to baking sheet to keep warm while cooking remaining slices.

Philippine Pork Kabobs

There is lots of flavour in this marinated pork, I added some grilled vegetables as well.  From Canadian Living/The Barbecue Collection.

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp pepper
Generous pinch ground cloves
Generous pinch cayenne pepper
675 g boneless pork shoulder or loin, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

BASTING SAUCE:
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil

• Mix together soy sauce, cilantro, vinegar, garlic ginger, bay leaf, pepper, cloves and cayenne; toss with pork until coated.  Cover and marinate, refrigerated, for 2 hours or up to 1 day.  Thread onto skewers.

Basting Sauce:  Mix together ketchup, lime juice, sugar and oil.  

• Grill pork, covered on greased grill over medium high heat, turning often and brushing with basting sauce, until no longer pink inside for fattier shoulder or until just a hint of pink remains inside for loin, 12 to 15 minutes.

Danish Puffs

I enjoy making these, they really aren't that difficult and look so good.  Fill these with either a pudding or whipping cream and glaze with the icing of your choice.

1/3 cup butter
200 ml water
1 cup flour
2 to 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F.  Bring butter and water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add flour; stir vigorously until mixture leaves side of pan.  Cool slightly.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Place small rounds of dough on greased baking sheet (use 2 tsp or a pastry bag).  Bake on middle rack until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes (do not open oven door the first 15 minutes or the dough will collapse). Make a slit in each to allow the steam to escape.  Cool on a rack.  Pipe some filling in each and top with icing sugar or glaze.

Peach Torte

This is the perfect recipe for in season Peaches!

BASE
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup butter

FILLING
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (8 medium)
3/4 cup chopped nuts

Base:  Combine flour and icing sugar in bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Press into bottom of greased 13 x 9 inch pan.  Bake at 350F for 20 min or until lightly browned.

Filling:  Beat eggs and sugar until light.  Blend in vanilla.  Add flour, baking powder and salt, mixing well.  Fold in peaches and nuts.  Pour over crust.  Bake at 350F for 40 to 50 minutes longer or until browned.  Cool in pan.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.  Yield:  15 servings.