Sautéed Mushrooms

Simple and yummy!

3/4 lb mushrooms
3 to 4 tbsp Olive Oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp white wine
2 shakes Tabasco sauce

Quarter or halve mushrooms.  Preheat skillet on high heat.  Add oil and mushrooms.  Saute for 3 minutes.   Add garlic, Tabasco, oregano, salt and pepper.

Avocado and Cheese Tart

I loved this recipe…The Tomato Chili Ketchup and Apple Balsamic Dressing are worth the trouble to make.  A really great mix of flavours.  From Food and Drink Early Summer 2011.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cubed
2 tbsp shortening, cut in pieces
2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
2 tbsp cold water

FILLING
1 cup soft goat cheese
3 tbsp whipping cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup Tomato Chili ketchup (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Apple Balsamic Dressing (recipe follows)
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

1. Place flour and salt in a bowl.  Cut in butter and shortening until it is the texture of bread crumbs. Combine vinegar and water and sprinkle over flour mixture.  Gently combine with hand and knead together into a smooth ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400F.
3. Roll out dough into 6 - 5 inch circles.   Place circles in 4 inch tart shells or large muffin tins.  Freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.  Line tart shells with foil and pie weights or dried beans and bake for 15 minutes or until golden around the edges.  Remove foil and weights, prick base with a fork and bake 5 minutes longer or until pastry is fully cooked.
4. Reduce oven to 350F.
5. Combine goat cheese, whipping cream, Parmesan and Tomato chili Ketchup in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Fill each tart shell with goat cheese mixture.  Top each with a few slices of avocado and a tiny spoonful of Tomato Chili Ketchup.  Warm through in oven for 8 minutes.  Make a swirl on a plate with Apple and Balsamic Dressing, and place warm tart on top.  Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

APPLE BALSAMIC DRESSING

1 cup apple juice

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Place juice and vinegar in a pot and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and cook for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened - it will thicken considerably as it cools.  You can whisk in a little warm water if it becomes too thick.

Makes 1/3 cup - will keep in a refrigerator for a month.

TOMATO CHILI KETCHUP

2 cups canned tomatoes chopped (500 ml)

1 tsp (5ml) seeded and chopped red chili

1 tsp chopped garlic

2 tbsp ginger, chopped

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp Asian chili sauce, optional

Salt to taste

1. Combine tomatoes, chili, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, brown sugar and red wine vinegar in a saucepan over medium high heat and bring to boil, stirring occasionally.  Turn heat to a simmer and simmer gently for 40 to 45 minutes or until dark red and thick.
2. Add chili sauce and cook 2 minutes longer to blend flavours.  Season with salt to taste.

Open-Face Hamburger with Kimchee Mayonnaise

This is a really different take on hamburgers.  I loved the slaw!  From Food and Drink Early Summer 2011.

BURGERS
2 lbs (1kg) coarsely ground chuck
1 tsp Asian chili sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp chopped garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper

KIMCHEE MAYONNAISE
1/2 cup chopped kimchee
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice

SLAW
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup julienned snow peas
1 cup julienned cucumber
1/2 cup julienned green onions
1/4 cup slivered mint
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp grated ginger

1. Preheat grill on high heat.
2. Combine burger ingredients.  Form 6 burgers, making them about 1 inch thick.
3. Combine kimchee, mayonnaise and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Set aside.
4. Combine lettuce, snow peas, cucumber, green onions and mint in a large bowl.  Whisk together rice vinegar, vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame oil and grated ginger, and toss with salad ingredients just before serving.
5. Grill burgers for 4 minutes per side or until medium or longer for desired degree of doneness.  Serve burgers on an open face bun with Kimchee mayonnaise and slaw.

Chocolate Bombe with Marmalade Heart and Chocolate Triangle

This dessert is fantastic and definitely worth the trouble…switch up the marmalade for your favourite jam or perhaps a peppermint chocolate.  From Food and Drink Early Summer 2011.

6 oz (175 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 egg whites
Pinch salt
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup orange marmalade

GARNISH
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Vanilla Sauce
Chocolate sorbet

1. Butter and sugar four 4.5 inch ceramic ramekins.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heavy pot over low heat.  Let cool slightly then stir in egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar.
3. Beat together egg whites with a pinch of salt and remaining 2 tbsp sugar until it holds slightly drooping peaks
4. Fold flour into reserved chocolate batter, then fold in egg whites.  Divide chocolate batter between prepared ramekins, then use the point of a butter knife to create a well in the centre of chocolate batter and spoon in 2 heaped teaspoons of marmalade. Carefully smooth top to cover marmalade.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
6. Bake cakes for 18 to 20 minutes or until tops of cakes just begin to look uniform.  Remove from oven and invert ramekins onto serving plates.  Leave for 5 minutes or until cake releases from ramekins.
7. To make garnish, melt chocolate in a heavy pot over low heat.  Set aside. Draw 4 triangles on a piece of parchment paper.  Brush each with a very thin layer of melted chocolate and place in the refrigerator to harden.  Brush each triangle with a second thin layer of chocolate and chill again.  Peel off parchment paper and set aside.
8. Serve cake surrounded by Vanilla Sauce, top with sorbet and chocolate triangle.

Vanilla Sauce

Love love love this sauce!  Use it on anything you can!  Make sure you use the vanilla bean…don't substitute with vanilla extract.

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 large eggs

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Pinch sugar

1. Heat milk, cream and vanilla bean in a pot over medium heat until simmering.  Remove from heat and let sit 30 minutes to let flavours infuse.  Strain liquid and scrape vanilla seeds back into milk cream mixture.  Return to heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Beat together eggs, sugar and salt until slightly thickened.  Beat in warm vanilla cream and return to pot.  Stir over medium heat until sauce starts to thicken (do not allow to come to a boil as it will curdle).  Pour vanilla sauce into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator until using.

Shrimp with Caramel Sauce

Serve the shrimp with the dipping sauce or wrap in lettuce leaves to make little packages.  This is a nice recipe that has a wonderful Asian flavour to it.  From Food And Drink Summer 2011.

500g Large Shrimp (I could only get small cooked shrimp)
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce (I used oyster sauce)
2 tsp sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

CARAMEL BASE
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

SAUCE
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp fish sauce (again I used oyster sauce)
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp grated lime rind
1 tsp Asian Chili sauce
1 tsp sugar

GARNISH
Boston or iceberg lettuce leaves

1. Season shrimp with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and pepper.  Reserve.
2. Add sugar and 1/4 cup water to heavy pot over medium heat.  Heat slowly until it begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes.  When caramel is a medium brown, carefully stir in remaining water and cook for 1 minute longer or until sauce is thickened.  Stir in oil, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, lime rind, chili sauce and sugar, and return to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes or until sauce has thickened and flavours have combined.  Set aside.
3. Place shrimp on lemon grass or wooden skewers, skewering shrimp in 2 places to prevent them turning around.  Put about 3 on each skewer.
4. Preheat grill to high
5. Grill shrimp for 2 minutes a side or until pink and curled.  Let cool to room temperature.
6. Serve shrimp with lettuce and sauce for dipping.

Serves 4 to 6

Tortelli with Mushrooms and Chives

I could not find morel mushrooms for this one, but Cremini seemed to work well.  This is a wonderful recipe you must try!  From Food and Drink 2011.  Serve with a salad.

Filling
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped morel mushrooms about 175 g
1/3 cup ricotta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped chives

Tortelli
4 sheets fresh pasta
4 large egg yolks
1 egg beaten with pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
12 sage leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Add onions and mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes or until juices are nearly dry.  Remove from heat and add ricotta and Parmesan and mix together.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in parsley and chives.
2. Place a sheet of pasta on the counter and using a sharp knife and a plate as a guide, cut a 6 inch round of pasta.  Repeat until you have 4 rounds.
3. Divide mushroom ricotta mixture into 4 portions.  Spoon each portion about 1/4 cup filling for each onto a round of pasta, leaving a small border.  Make a well int he centre of the mixture and slip in an egg yolk.  Brush edge of pasta with egg salt mixture and fold over to make a half moon shape.  Seal edges, pressing out any air pockets.
4. Bring a large shallow pot of water to boil.  Carefully add Tortelli and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, to make sure yolks remain runny.  Immediately remove from pan and place on serving plates.
5. While pasta is cooking, heat butter and sage together in a small skillet over low heat for 2 minutes or until butter is hot and melted.  Add lemon juice and season with salt.
6. Place 1 tortello on each serving dish and drizzle with sauce.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve at once.

Serves 4

Orange and Almond Cake

A wonderful cake made without flour!  This has great flavour and isn't too sweet.

2 large navel oranges, unpeeled (I used 4 clementines)
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups ground almonds
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

GARNISH
3 tbsp icing sugar
Orange slices

1. Simmer oranges in water to cover for 1 1/2 hours.  Drain, cool and chop up.  Puree in food processor. (I used a blender and it was fine)
2. Preheat oven to 375F.  Butter and flour an 8 or 9 inch springform.  Line base with parchment paper.
3. Beat egg yolks, then add to oranges in processor together with almonds and 1 cup sugar.  Pulse until well mixed (once again, I just used a blender).
4. Whisk egg whites until frothy.  Keep beating while adding remaining sugar.  When thick and glossy, stir into orange mixture.  Spoon into springform. Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean.
5. Cool in pan, and turn out.  Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with orange slices.

Serves 10