Monthly Archives: April 2010

Bon Appétit Magazine: April Cover Recipe

April 30, 2010

Salmon with Sweet Chili Glaze, Sugar Snap Peas & Pea Tendrils

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 (quick & easy but needed more depth)

Initial Thoughts:
Oh yay! I’ve been on the hunt for a new salmon recipe to try, and this dish looks as if spring jumped right onto the plate. So fresh and healthy. And with all of the high-caloric recipes I’ve been testing lately, this will be good for my waistline.

The Test:
‘Ridiculously easy’ is how best to describe this dish. Anyone – regardless of their amount of experience in a kitchen – will be able to make this recipe and have it turn out beautifully. And the best part? It plates up like a fancy restaurant, so if you are wanting to impression someone in your life with your culinary abilities this is the way to go about doing so.

Broiling salmon fillets in the oven is one of my favourite ways to prepare this particular fish, as it tastes great and takes no time to cook. And with this recipe calling for only three ingredients to make up the sauce for the salmon, I found myself able to tidy up the kitchen, fix snacks for the kids, and catch a full episode of “Franklin”, before quickly sautéing the sugar snap pea garnish and sitting everyone down at the dinner table.

My one concern with this recipe was that I was not going to be able to find pea tendrils. The very name of this plant seems to imply ambiguous obscurity, but shows how much I know because low and behold there they were on the shelves of the major grocery store chain. Pea tendrils (or pea sprouts) consist of the young leaves and shoots of the snow pea plant. Many people find them to taste like a fusion of peas and spinach, but I think they hold a nice sharpness more akin to a mild radish.

The Results:
Given the small number of ingredients used in this recipe, I was surprised at how complex the flavours turned out in the end. The salmon was moist and tasty without becoming overpowered by the marinade, with the sweet chili sauce pairing perfectly with the spicy ginger and salty soy sauce. With the addition of the sugar snap peas and pea tendrils, a nice combination of flavours developed with the sesame oil, garlic, and rice wine vinegar from the veggies.

This turned out to be quite a tasty little dish! That being said, I found it somewhat lacking in depth of flavour and can’t help but wonder if it would have been better to marinate the fish for more than 30 minutes (perhaps even overnight?) Mr. Spock didn’t think this dish dethroned our usual salmon recipe, but I would consider making it again simply because of the ease and speed with which it comes together.

(For a copy of one of our family’s favourite salmon recipes, click here)

(For a copy of March’s cover recipe, please click here)

As part of my culinary new years resolutions, I have committed to creating each month’s cover recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine. Inspired by a New York restaurant owner who has been making the magazine’s cover recipes each month for the last 25 years, I decided to attempt to do the same while blogging about my monthly experiences along the way.

NOTE: If any of you would like to follow along with me and join in on the fun, I’d love to compare notes! So pick-up a copy of the latest issue of Bon Appétit and get cooking. Be sure to send your comments and photos to info@cookthatbook.com.

Bon Appétit celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Every issue invites readers into a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle—cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design. For more information please visit www.bonappetit.com


Posted in: Bon Appétit Cover Recipes – 2 Comments

Bon Appétit Magazine: March Cover Recipe

April 8, 2010

Eggplant Parmesan Rolls with Swiss Chard & Fresh Mint

RATING: 4.5 out of 5

Initial Thoughts:

Hmmm…interesting.
The girls are going to hate this dish.
Mr. Spock is going to hate this dish.
Hmmmm…interesting.

The Test:
Now you may have noticed that I have been a tad lagging behind with the cover recipes. In fact, I avoided collecting my mail for several weeks because I didn’t want to be faced with April’s issue while I had still not completed February or March. But I’m playing a pretty good game of catch up, and am proud to say that with this cover recipe I am only behind by one!

I made this dish on a Meatless Monday, and I have to be honest and say that my expectations were low. Very low. First of all: eggplant? We’re not averse, but a whole dish based on this ingredient was cause for concern. And as if that weren’t enough to make me procrastinate, it was a light recipe. Yay. In my mind this was going to be an overpoweringly eggplant flavoured dish with no taste. Awesome. But nonetheless I sighed (heavily), rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

The recipe itself is not difficult, but it definitely takes some time to drain the eggplant for an hour before broiling and stuffing each slice. The good thing was that I made this dish ahead of time while the kids were out in the backyard (thank goodness for sunshine!) and then simply popped it in the oven for an hour and voila.

The Results:
Contrary to my low expectations, this dish turned out GREAT! It was so tasty that both Mr. Spock and I agreed we’d make it again. The flavours were all there, and I loved how the eggplant ended up almost as a type of pasta substitute (great for people with gluten sensitivities). Even the mint was a nice touch, although next time I would try replacing it with basil instead. We will definitely be making this recipe again – it’s a keeper!

For a copy of March’s cover recipe, please click here

As part of my culinary new years resolutions, I have committed to creating each month’s cover recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine. Inspired by a New York restaurant owner who has been making the magazine’s cover recipes each month for the last 25 years, I decided to attempt to do the same while blogging about my monthly experiences along the way.

NOTE: If any of you would like to follow along with me and join in on the fun, I’d love to compare notes! So pick-up a copy of the latest issue of Bon Appétit and get cooking. Be sure to send your comments and photos to info@cookthatbook.com.

Bon Appétit celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Every issue invites readers into a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle—cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design. For more information please visit www.bonappetit.com

Posted in: Bon Appétit Cover Recipes – 2 Comments

Easter Treats

April 1, 2010

When I think back to the excitement I felt as a child when taking inventory of my Easter basket, there are three specific candies I remember most fondly: Peeps, Cadbury Mini Eggs, and Cadbury Cream Eggs. So when out shopping for basket goodies for my own kids, I turned instinctively to my old favourites. What is it about these Easter treats that evoke such nostalgia? To be honest, as an adult I find them overly sweet and always give up consumption after just a few bites. Nonetheless, each year I still go out and purchase them again and again. Am I alone in this sweet cycle? What are your favourite Easter treats?

Peeps
Just Google “Peeps” and you’ll see the extreme popularity these fluffy marshmallow critters enjoy. There are entire websitededicated to recipes, facts and myths, even exclusive Peep forums. While Peeps originally came only in the familiar shape of the yellow chick, now these candies are available year round in all sorts of holiday-themed forms, colours, and flavours. Invented by Rodda Candy in the early 1900s, each chick was individually made by hand as candy makers squeezed each Peep out of a pastry tube before painting on the eyes. Mass production of the marshmallow treats began in 1953 after the company was bought out by Just Born.

Enjoy Peeps in a steaming cup of hot chocolate!

Fun Facts:

  • Last Easter more than 700 million marshmallow Peeps were consumed throughout the United States.
  • Favourite ways to consume Peeps: eating them stale, microwaving, freezing, roasting, and using as a pizza topper.
  • Peeps have been the number one non-chocolate Easter candy in the US for more than a decade.
  • Originally it took 27 hours to make a batch of Peeps. Today it takes six minutes.
  • Each Peep contains 32 calories and 0 grams of fat.

Cadbury Mini Eggs
Cadbury’s yummy miniature eggs are the ultimate addition to any Easter basket. With their crisp candy coating and silky milk chocolate centre, the only thing up for debate is whether to suck or crunch your way through a bag. Unleashed upon the world by Cadbury in 1989, the Mini Eggs were developed in Canada and have been an Easter favourite for the last 20 years. Originally they were only available during the Easter season, but recently Cadbury introduced “The Other Bunny” who delivers Mini Eggs 365 days of the year. Today, these treats come in different varieties including Mini Eggs Dark, Mini Eggs Micro, and Mini Eggs Popping (crunchy shells that pop and crackle in your mouth).



 Cadbury Mini Egg Cupcakes decorated with marshmallows, sprinkles, heart candies, & coconut

Cadbury Creme Eggs
Even though the first Cadbury Creme Egg was introduced in 1923, the version that we all know and love was not launched until 1971. It has since become an Easter icon worldwide, with over 300 million Cadbury Creme Eggs being produced each year. These goo-filled treats are manufactured by pouring liquid chocolate into egg shaped moulds, which are then filled with the ‘yolk’ (white and yellow fondant).

Fun Facts:

  • In the UK, Cadbury Creme Eggs are the most popular selling chocolate between January and Easter.
  • If you ever find yourself in Bournville (England), you can hitch a ride in the official Cadbury Creme Egg car – an oval vehicle that frequently makes trips round the village.
  • The famous “Clucking Bunny” ad campaign was first launched in 1982, and still remains the most recognized and beloved confectionery advertising personality.
  • According to a Cadbury survey:
    53% of people bite off the top, lick out the cream, then eat the chocolate
    20% just bite straight through
    6% use their finger to scoop out the cream

What better way to enjoy a Cadbury Creme Egg than in the form of a martini. Be sure to check out my recipe for this sweet Easter treat! Click here for more.

HAPPY EASTER!

Posted in: The Back Burner – 2 Comments