Chorizo Corn Puffs (a spin on the classic corndog)

I received a new cookbook this week from my Mother-in-law which I am so excited about! It is the Surreal Gourmet Bites: Showstoppers & Conversation Starters. The recipes are all very whimsical and include such treats as pearls of wisdom, lucky duck, french fried polenta and bee stings. I am going to try and make quite a few items from this book as the pictures will be worth a thousand words.

Today I made something simple that didn't require the oven since it is so hot. This recipe is perfect for a day that may include baseball, squirt guns and swimming in the backyard pool.

It is a new take on the ballpark classic - corn dogs.

Ingredients & Preparation: (from Surreal Gourmet Bites: Showstoppers & Conversation Starters)

Dry

• 1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Wet

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil

Other

• 3-4 cups of peanut oil for frying
• 8 inches of chorizo , ideally 1 inch in diameter
• assortment of mustard

In a large bowl, mix all your dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix all your wet ingredients. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth (pancake batter consistency).

Pour peanut oil into a small, tall pot until 3" deep. Heat oil to 350F.

Peel and discard chorizo casing. Cut into 1/2 inch slices or form into little balls (which ever is easier for you).

Coat chorizo in the batter. Place 6 at a time in the oil and fry for about 1.5 minutes - turning half way through. Transfer to a paper towel and serve hot with the assorted mustard. I used traditional French's yellow mustard, Maille green mustard and Honey Mustard.

Serve as a light afternoon snack. Delicious with cold beer and sweet potato fries!

Creme Caramel

So this was a midnight experiment...I have no idea why I was inspired at such an odd hour to make my first creme caramel. I stayed up until 2AM so I could take some pictures once it set and then ate a piece of this delicious thing and tried to get to sleep while fighting the sugar high. Needless to say, I am tired this morning but it is Friday so I should survive.

I watched Laura Calder from French Food at Home make this dessert the other night on FoodTV and thought I just had to try it. My result was very good for a first go. Next time, I think I will use a deeper pan and perhaps regular organic sugar as mine didn't caramelize to the rich, dark colour I hoped for. I used organic Demerara sugar which has a great flavour but perhaps is too crystallized to caramelize properly. I don't really know though.

Ingredients & Preparation: [From FOOD TV, Laura Calder: French Food at Home (episode Classic Bistro Desserts)]

Serves 6-8 people

• 1 cup sugar (for the topping)
• 2 cups fresh whole milk
• 1 x vanilla bean (or vanilla extract if no beans available)
• 6 x free-range eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch nutmeg

Heat the oven to 325°F. Bring a full kettle of water to the boil, and turn off the heat (this is for the water bath later).

Dissolve the sugar for the topping in a saucepan with 1/4 cup water, and boil until it turns a dark, fragrant, liquid caramel. Pour into the cake tin and swirl to coat the bottom evenly. Set aside.

Pour the milk into the same saucepan, so that it laps up the caramel on the bottom and sides (this is the most brilliant trick for flavour!) Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the milk, and add the pod. Heat to the boiling point, turn off the heat, cover, and set aside to infuse 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the sugar. Add the nutmeg. Once the milk has infused, whisk it into the egg mixture.

Strain the custard over the hardened caramel and set the pan in a larger dish or roasting pan. Pour the boiled water into the bottom pan to come half-way up the sides of the flan. Transfer to the oven and bake until set, 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove the flan from the oven and from the water bath. Run a knife around the outside edge to loosen the flan. Cool completely – even chill, if you like. To serve, flip the flan onto a plate, pour over any caramel remaining in the pan. Serve in wedges.

Cook's notes: Use a very sharp knife around the edges. I learned the hard way and didn't have a smooth finish around the edges. Also, the straining step is key so you don't get bubbles in the custard. And ensure your dish that you flip the creme caramel on to is big enough and has a slight rim or you'll have a mess on your hands.

Balsamic Chicken with Shallots & Sun-dried Tomatoes

So tonight was another one of those nights...nothing in the fridge, not a lot of time to cook or plan a meal etc. Luckily, I bought some chicken at the grocery store while I was out getting my morning coffee. I had no plans for the chicken but ended up with a delicious new recipe! The following is my new creation...I call it 'balsamic chicken with shallots & sun-dried tomatoes'. My husband thought I should give it a proper name, but I am sticking with tradition and naming it after what's in it!

I served this tonight with some store-bought gnocchi in alfredo sauce and we ate in front of the TV while watching the Lost finale (thank God for DVR).

Ingredients & Preparation:

Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers.

• 6 chicken breasts
• handful of sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), julienne
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 5-6 basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella

Marinade:

• 3/4 cup of balsamic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• dash of lemon juice (I added this but I doubt it is really required)
• few grinds of fresh pepper

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients (I do not add any salt as the sun-dried tomatoes are salty enough). Place chicken in a shallow baking dish and pour marinade over top. You can let this sit, covered, for an hour or so in the fridge if you have time.

Sprinkle the shallots, sun-dried tomatoes and basil over the chicken. Arrange the peppers around the edges of the chicken and over top if you have enough to cover. Sprinkle the cheese on top of everything. Place the covered dish in the centre of the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Take the cover off and broil for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese on top.

Serve with your choice of side and enjoy!

Prosciutto wrapped Cod

Before!

My husband and I love to eat seafood. I hadn't made cod in a very long time and wanted to make something quick and easy but yummy. I can't remember where I found the idea to wrap the cod in prosciutto but I have found a recipe that outlines the exact steps I made so it should keep you on the right track.

I served this with the Classic Risotto Milanese (below) and fresh asparagus from our local farmer's market (picture below before steaming). I had the leftovers (uncooked portions which I cooked and did not reheat!) the next day which I served on a bed of linguine with pesto and a green salad. It was just as delicious.

Ingredients & Preparation: (this recipe is from Healthy Appetite with Elie Krieger)

Serves as many as you want! Just buy enough fillets. This is for 4 people.

• 4 (5-ounce) cod fish fillets
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I did not add any extra salt as the prosciutto is very salty already)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces sliced prosciutto
• Cooking spray

Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Wrap 1 wide or 2 thin slices of prosciutto around each piece of cod. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat it over a medium-high heat. Add the fish fillets and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the prosciutto is crisp and the fish is cooked through. Serve while hot!

After!

White Chocolate Tarts with Berries & Pistachio

These little tarts are inspired by one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city. Grano has a crostata tri-colore (http://www.grano.ca/) and I absolutely adore it. I had a craving one day and couldn't get to the restaurant so I made my own version. It has been a staple in our house ever since.

The three colours are red, white & green. Raspberry, white chocolate and pistachio. I added some blackberries to the batch I made today. I cheat and use pre-made mini shells.

This dessert is so simple to make and so, so good.

Ingredients & Preparation:

• 18 Mini pie shells
• Approx. 12 squares of white bakers chocolate (I didn't count!)
• 10% cream, until chocolate is smooth
• pistachios, shelled and chopped into pieces
• raspberries, cut into 1/4's
• blackberries, cut into 1/4's

Pre-bake your mini shells according to directions. Melt your chocolate however you can - I use a pot of boiling water with a small sauce pan on top so the heat from the steam melts the chocolate. Add the cream and keep stirring until the chocolate is smooth, thinned out and creamy. I do this by feel so I have no idea how much cream I use. Maybe about 1/2-3/4 cup?

Place some chopped pistachios in the bottom of all your shells. Fill just below the top with white chocolate and place raspberries or blackberries into the centre with some more pistachios. Let cool in the fridge for a couple hours.

Insalata Caprese

I went to our local farmer's market this Saturday since it was such a gorgeous day. I was looking for some tomatoes to make this salad since the ones from the grocery store are never quite right. I found some beautiful beef steak and yellow tomatoes. Typically, this salad is made with plum tomatoes but I wanted to use local produce and these were to good-looking not to buy!

Again, no recipe for this salad but it's very simple to make.

Ingredients & Preparation:
This made enough for 4 people and we had the leftovers at another meal.

• 1 large beef steak tomato, sliced
• 3 small yellow tomatoes, sliced
• fresh mozzarella (Buffalo mozzarella if you can get it), sliced
• fresh basil, chopped
• radicchio, chopped for decoration
• salt & pepper to taste
• fruity olive oil, drizzle

Cut up your tomatoes into slices. The larger tomato slices may need to be cut in half. Cut mozzarella into slices. Arrange the tomatoes and cheese in rows on a nice platter. Sprinkle with basil, salt & pepper. Place radicchio around the edges for decoration (optional and not the traditional way to serve). Drizzle the salad all over with olive oil when ready to eat. I prefer this salad to be prepared and put in the fridge for an hour or so so it can be served cold.

If you are looking for another way to present this salad, a fancier way to serve individual portions is to make a "stacked" version. Stack your tomatoes, mozzarella and basil (full leaves) and drizzle with olive oil. You can also drizzle some balsamic for added je ne sais quoi.

Buon appetito!

Mussels in White Wine, Herb & Garlic Sauce

When my husband and I were in Belgium a few years ago we ate a lot of Moules et Frites at the beautiful cafes in Brugge. This weekend I had a craving and decided to try and make them at home. I had no recipe (and I didn't measure anything - sorry!) so I decided to go by memory. Unfortunately the grocery store didn't have any fennel or chervil which is what I wanted to use so I improvised with some other herbs. The result was delicious!

Ingredients & Preparation:
Serves 2-4 people as an appetizer

• 1 bag of mussels from the fish counter (they should be cleaned & ready to use)
• 1 handful of coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
• 1 handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• 4 sprigs of tarragon, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1/2 cup of 10% cream
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• few grinds of fresh black pepper

Heat olive oil in a heavy, large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté until shallots and garlic are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, salt, pepper, the herbs and celery. Let that cook down for about 1 minute. Add mussels. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 5 minutes. At the last minute, add the cream to the broth. Take the mussels out and put them into a big serving bowl (discard any mussels that do not open). Ladle broth over and serve with warm crusty bread for dipping.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary, and Garlic Lasagna

This is SUCH a decadent meal for a Wednesday night but it was the American Idol finale so that's something to celebrate, right? I was supposed to make this on the weekend but never got around to it. Not the most healthy option in the world, but the flavour and melt in your mouth goodness really are worth a *few* extra calories. At first, you may think that butternut squash, rosemary & garlic don't work together but once it is all warm, bubbly and melted together it is delicious!

I am trying to find out if it is Lasagna or Lasagne. Both options seem to be acceptable. Please feel free to post a comment and let me know which is correct!

Ingredients & Preparation: (From Epicurious, original from Gourmet, December 1995)

Servings: Makes 6 main-course or 12 side-dish servings.

• 3 pounds butternut squash, quartered, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 9 1/2 cups)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cups milk (I used skim)
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• nine 7- by 3 1/2-inch sheets dry no-boil lasagne pasta
• 1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan (about 5 ounces)
• 1 cup heavy cream (35%)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs

Preheat oven to 450°F. and oil 2 large shallow baking pans.

In a large bowl toss squash with oil until coated well and spread in one layer in pans. Roast squash in oven 10 minutes and season with salt. Stir squash and roast 10 to 15 minutes more, or until tender and beginning to turn golden.

While squash is roasting, in a saucepan bring milk to a simmer with rosemary. Heat milk mixture over low heat 10 minutes and pour through a sieve into a large pitcher or measuring cup.

In a large heavy saucepan cook garlic in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in flour and cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk mixture in a stream until smooth. Return pan to heat and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes, or until thick. Stir in squash and salt and pepper to taste. Sauce may be made 3 days ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.

Reduce temperature to 375°F [I missed this step (duh!) and baked at the high heat! No wonder the fire alarm went off. It didn't burn however, so no worries] and butter a baking dish, 13 by 9 by 2 inches.

Pour 1 cup sauce into baking dish (sauce will not cover bottom completely) and cover with 3 lasagne sheets, making sure they do not touch each other. Spread half of remaining sauce over pasta and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Make 1 more layer in same manner, beginning and ending with pasta.

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream with salt until it holds soft peaks and spread evenly over top pasta layer, making sure pasta is completely covered. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan over cream. Cover dish tightly with foil, tenting slightly to prevent foil from touching top layer, and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake lasagne 10 minutes more, or until top is bubbling and golden. Let lasagne stand 5 minutes.

Garnish each serving with rosemary.