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Monthly Archives: April 2012

Muffin Monday: Chile Jack Muffins

April 29, 2012

Written & photographed by
Stay-At-Home-Chef

My creative juices were flowing this week as the Muffin Monday food bloggers tackled Chile Cheddar Muffins. The original recipe is from Bakingdom which lists it courtesy of Darla, and there the trail ends. But while the recipe’s origins are a bit of a mystery, the level of tastiness lodged within each bite of these muffins is crystal clear.

The recipe came together quickly and easily, the batter divided into three elements that included the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking powder, chile powder, baking soda and salt), wet ingredients (buttermilk, olive oil, and egg), and what I like to call ‘the goodies’ (cheddar cheese, roasted red pepper, chives, and parsley).

Here’s where I got creative: instead of using roasted red pepper I decided to throw caution to the wind and try out the tantalizing peppadew peppers I happened to have on hand. For those of you unfamiliar with peppadew peppers, they are a sweet piquanté pepper that is a heady mixture of sweet heat. I also added some roasted garlic, and opted to use jalapeño monterey jack cheese instead of cheddar, with my herb of choice being thyme.

The combination of all of those bright flavours in the form of a muffin was a roaring success in our household. They were rich and moist, all of the ingredients cooperating nicely with none of the players trying to outshine any of the others.

Happy Muffin Monday!

For a copy of the original recipe for this week’s Muffin Monday, please visit Baker Street’s site and be sure to check out what the other food bloggers have baked up this week!

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

Monthly Miettes: Lime Meringue Tart

April 25, 2012

Written & photographed by
Stay-At-Home-Chef

For the second challenge of our funtastic Monthly Miettes, Aimée White of Food: Je t’Aimée tasked us with making any tart our hearts desired. Immediately following Aimée’s announcement there was a flurry on Twitter as the food bloggers involved debated which of the heavenly looking tarts to make for this month’s post. The initial response from the group was to make them all (yes they look that good!) but in the end I found the Lime Meringue Tart called my name the loudest.

All of the tarts and tartlets in Meg Ray’s Miette, are an elegant testimonial to the flavours of each season that combine intense flavoured fillings with crisp buttery shells. Why not try the Pastry Cream & Fresh Fruit Tarts to help herald in spring, let the Blueberry or Raspberry Tartlets bask beside you in the warm summer months, celebrate the flavours of fall with the Pecan Tart, or curl up in winter with the tangy Lemon Tart. Honestly, you can’t go wrong. I’m sure they all taste amazing.

The Lime Meringue Tart is the only recipe in this section that does not involve making a Pâte Sucrée crust (an ultra rich, buttery dough). Instead it calls for a homemade graham cracker crust, a glorious invention that utilizes whole-wheat flour instead of graham cracker crumbs. The results are a lovely, crisp, buttery crust gently flavoured with honey and brown sugar. As a side note, use the same recipe to make your own graham crackers, something that I will most definitely be doing in the near future.

Unfortunately my experience making these tarts was incredibly frustrating. There were simple mistakes, such listing the wrong page number for the additional recipes (e.g. the Graham Cracker Crust is incorrectly listed as being on page 152). Not a big deal, but considering this book has already gone through one major editorial overhaul it is something that should have been caught. The other issues I had were in terms of technique. First of all, the dough for the Graham Cracker Crust was much too soft to handle. Even after chilling the dough for the suggested amount of time, there was no way I could have rolled it out into anything but a heap of mush.

In the end I simply scooped the dough into my tartlet pans and pressed it into shape. It was at this point that I had my first glass of wine.

My next challenge came with the lime cream. To make the citrusy custard you whisk together the zest and juice of fresh limes, sugar and eggs in a double boiler until it reaches 172 F degrees. The recipe stipulates that this should take between 15-20 minutes, but after an hour of heating the curd I couldn’t get the temp to rise above 162 F degrees. I have no idea what went wrong, but in the end I gave up and added the butter which proceeded not to melt so I had to reheat the whole mixture over the stovetop again.

It was at this point that I had my second glass of wine.

Next I tackled the boiled icing (or Italian meringue), a shiny dense cloud of sweet icing fluff which is then brûléed on top of the tarts. A combination of sugar, cream of tarter and water is heated on the stove until it reaches a temperature of 240 F degrees. At this point you are supposed to add it to egg whites and whisk until thick and holds a firm peak.

Okay (breathe Jasmine) the recipe says to stir the sugar until dissolved but does not stipulate to leave it alone while it bubbles away. Any time I’ve made caramel I have always avoided any stirring action, but trusting the recipe I gave the pot an occasional swirl.

I should have trusted my instincts. The syrup burned.

Thinking positively, I added the sugary mixture to the egg whites thinking it might still taste okay. Sigh. At no point did the recipe mention that the egg whites needed to be whipped prior to adding the syrup. I ended up with a half scrambled egg burnt sugar mess of a liquid that (surprisingly) tasted good but in no way would have worked for the tarts.

At this point I grabbed the entire bottle of wine and walked out of the kitchen.

The next day I found another recipe for boiled icing on Baked Bree, and the results were much improved. Lessons learned? No stirring the sugar and whip the egg whites prior to adding the syrup.

Voilà!

After all of my frustrations the tarts turned out beautifully and tasted absolutely incredible. The tangy lime cream was perfectly sandwiched between the rich buttery crust and the heavenly sweet boiled icing. I cannot tell you how fantastic these tarts tasted! It must have been all my blood sweat and tears.

At this point I should probably mention that when Miette was first released it was riddled with errors. Both Meg and Chronicle Books immediately took steps to remedy the situation, providing correction sheets for copies of the book already in circulation along with an amended fourth printing of the book (you can view a list of corrections for earlier editions here). Part of the reason Aimée chose this particular book for our monthly baking challenge was because of the effort the Miette team put into remedying an unfortunate situation. She wanted to give the book a fair shake.

Yet as my frustration continued to grow while making these tarts, I couldn’t help the shadow of doubt that began to take root in my mind. How many errors are still alive and kicking in this book? A few of the other food bloggers mentioned having issues with the Tomboy Cake during last month’s challenge. Hopefully things get better from here on out because deep down I’m rooting for this book. What can I say? There’s just something irresistible about an underdog. But I also love the overall design of the book, and the collection of recipes offer a nice variety and sampling from the bakery’s repertoire.

I’m crossing my fingers (and toes)…

For more information on Monthly Miettes or if you’re interested in participating, please visit Food: Je t’Aimée

Muffin Monday: Low-Fat Raspberry Almond Muffins

April 22, 2012

Written & photographed by
Stay-At-Home-Chef

The original recipe for this week was for Sugar Crusted Raspberry Muffins, and came from Real Simple. It is an easy, straightforward muffin that can be quickly assembled and baked off ready to eat even on the busiest of mornings. However, I was feeling particularly frisky in the kitchen so ended up altering the recipe quite a bit.

First of all, I wanted to try and make these a healthy low-fat version that still held great taste and texture. I opted to use almond meal rather than all-purpose flour, figuring the combination with raspberries would be fantastic. I melted the butter and added it to the sugar (just for kicks I used icing sugar rather than granulated), baking powder and salt. The resulting mixture was quite crumbly and reminded me of shortbread cookies.

For the liquid ingredients I decided to skip the milk and used 5 egg whites (whipped into soft peaks), which I folded into the flour mixture. Then I added the fresh raspberries and popped them into a 350 F degree oven and baked them for 25 minutes.

Easy peasy.

I loved the taste and texture of these muffins, but found they lacked structure and fell apart quite easily. I’m assuming it was the lack of gluten. Perhaps I should have added some xanthan gum? Anyway, they were so lovely and light thanks to the egg whites, and the almond meal tasted great with the raspberries although next time I’d like to try coconut flour.

The best part about these muffins? The chewy golden tops that were almost meringue like in texture. Yum.

For a copy of the original recipe for this week’s Muffin Monday, please visit Baker Street’s site and be sure to check out what the other food bloggers have baked up this week!

Posted in: Muffin Mondays, The Back Burner – 6 Comments

Food & Wine Magazine: April Cover Recipe

April 19, 2012

Written & photographed by
Stay-At-Home-Chef

Asian Beef with Basil

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (disappointing flavour)

Initial Thoughts: The photo of this fresh looking beef dish literally jumps off the page!

THE TEST: April’s Food & Wine Magazine cover recipe is an exciting Asian Beef with Basil dish. The photo has a modern look and feel that is fresh, and I couldn’t wait to give the recipe a try. Just reading the list of ingredients had me drooling over the imagined flavour punch. Lemongrass? Ginger? Garlic? Anise? Basil? Yes please!

Beef chuck is marinated at room temperature for 30 minutes in a mixture of blended garlic, lemongrass, soy sauce, oil, salt, sugar and Chinese five-spice powder. Let me tell ya folks – the smell is absolutely incredible. INCREDIBLE! Every five minutes I would ‘happen’ to wander by the beef and stop for a big ol’ sniff just to make sure the aromatics were as tantalizing as I remembered. And each and every time I fell more in love with the smells that wafted up from the bowl.

Next step? Sauté the beef and remove from the heat before adding onion, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper which is browned and then cooked down in a mixture of water and tomato paste. The beef is added back into the pot along with beef broth, carrots, star anise and more lemongrass. After approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes the beef is ready to be served over rice noodles garnished with fresh basil and red chile.

THE RESULTS: Now after my big flavour buildup I’m sorry to have to inform readers that I was disappointed in this dish. With all of those lovely and powerfully flavoured ingredients I found the results to be more bland than anticipated. Don’t get me wrong – it was good. But in comparison to the way it smelled while cooking the overall flavour of the beef was weak. Good thing I happened to have a fantastic bottle of Yalumba Viognier on hand to serve (wine pairing courtesy of Kendall Harris of Wine2Three).

That being said, please take the time to hop over to Food, Je t’Aimée because I know Aimée absolutely loved this recipe. I’m happy her results turned out better than mine! It’s a good reminder about how subjective the world of food can be…even when cooking from the same recipe.

If you would like to join us next month, the more the merrier. So pick-up a copy of the latest issue of Food & Wine Magazine and be sure to send us your thoughts, comments and photos. We’d love to hear from you.

Cover Recipe:
Asian Beef with Basil

As part of my culinary New Year’s resolutions, I have committed to creating each month’s cover recipe from Food & Wine Magazine.

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 Food & Wine and get cooking. Be sure to send your comments and photos to info@cookthatbook.com.

The mission of Food & Wine Magazine is to find the most exciting places, new experiences, emerging trends and sensations in the culinary and wine industries. From travel and entertaining to luxury and design, this magazine brings an energetic and stylish take on food and wine. For more information on Food & Wine Magazine, please visit www.foodandwine.com

Wine Pairing by Kendall Harris of Wine2Three
This month’s cover recipe was a fun challenge in terms of a food and wine pairing. I could see there was beef (so immediately my thoughts turned to red wine), but it was served on top of a bed of light rice noodles (which subsequently turned my thoughts to white). Upon closer inspection of the recipe, I could see there was some spice called for which made me think of a fruity white wine like Gewurztraminer. But because beef is a heavier protein than fish or shrimp, I wanted a white with a little more oomph, a little more body, a little more weight to it, and I thought: Viognier. Specifically Yalumba Viognier, which is one of the nicest Viogniers I’ve ever had. Yalumba was the first winery to plant Viognier vines in Australia and they know what they’re doing with this often challenging varietal.

When you swirl and sniff a glass of Viognier, you will almost always detect an unmistakable aroma of peach and white flowers. This is the first white wine I learned to identify by scent alone, and it was that peachy fragrance that gave it away! It’s such a beautiful wine ‘on the nose’ as they say. And when you taste it, Viognier will have gorgeous fruity characteristics (which will make it pair so well with this spicy dish) and it will also have a pleasing viscosity to it; it doesn’t seem ‘watery’ as some very light (and cheap) wines sometimes can, but has more body to it which will make it pair perfectly with this Asian flavoured dish.

Cheers – I hope you enjoy this pairing!

This month’s wine pairing suggestion is Yalumba Viognier

Kendall Harris shares her adventures in the wine world as Wine2three on Twitter & Facebook. She is WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) Advanced Certified & is currently developing a weekly wine series on ShawTV, where she is a full time reporter. Join her on Facebook – click LIKE at www.facebook.com/wine2three for regular fun wine info!

Posted in: Food & Wine Cover Recipes, The Back Burner – 2 Comments

Muffin Monday: Ricotta Dill Muffins

April 15, 2012

Written & photographed by
Stay-At-Home-Chef

Some of my favourite recipes from Muffin Monday have been savoury. Remember the Crusty Cheese & Onion Muffins? How about those Spinach Feta Muffins? Yum. So when I saw that An from Baker Street had chosen a savoury recipe for this week’s muffin, I was excited. It has been a while since we tackled the savoury side of muffins.

The recipe for this week’s muffin was scribbled on a piece of paper that An happened to come across, the original source unknown. Originally dried basil was called for in the recipe, but I decided to use fresh dill. I also added an extra egg, and threw in some sautéed onions, garlic and zucchini. What I love about this recipe is the unlimited flavour possibilities. Feel free to switch up the herbs, try a variety of ‘goodies’ (cheddar cheese, bacon, shredded hash browns, feta, spinach, roasted garlic etc.)

These muffins were a nice change from the usual sweet treats we’ve been making. The texture was lovely and eggy, the ricotta resulted in a nice moist texture, and the subtle flavour of the dill was perfectly balanced with the caramelized taste of the veggies. I think next time I would throw in some cheese (feta would be nice) to give the muffins some added saltiness.

For a copy of this recipe please click here

Happy Muffin Monday!

For a copy of the original recipe for this week’s Muffin Monday, please visit Baker Street’s site and be sure to check out what the other food bloggers have baked up this week!

Posted in: Muffin Mondays – 13 Comments

COOKBOOK REVIEW Soup: A Kosher Collection

April 10, 2012

By Pam Reiss

Soup: A Kosher Collection is available for purchase through our online store or at local bookstores. For more information on this book please visit Whitecap Books.

Review written & photographed by Helena McMurdo

Winnipeg based Pam Reiss holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management and works in her family business, Desserts Plus (kosher catering company and specialty food store). Her interest in food and recipe development led to her first cookbook entitled Soup: A Kosher Collection, which was originally published in 2004. The second edition (released by Whitecap Books, $24.95 CDN) came out in the fall of last year and contains an additional 20 recipes, full colour photos and nutritional information for each recipe.

As the name suggests, this book is a collection of kosher soup recipes (150 in total) and is organized into different sections that include Parve (vegetarian), dairy, fish, meat, as well as fruit and dessert soups. The recipes are simple and comforting and feature flavours from around the world. Whether or not you follow a kosher diet, the recipes are appealing to anyone who loves soup.

If you like to keep an eye on health, the nutritional breakdowns for each recipe are a handy feature. I also really appreciated the author’s notes stipulating whether a soup is suitable for freezing.

However, what struck me the most about this book is the variety of recipes offered. This is the kind of cookbook that will have you stop every couple of pages in order to bookmark something to make at a later date.

A gem of a cookbook for soup lovers!

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS FROM RECIPE TESTS

Posted in: Contributing Writers, Cookbook Reviews – 4 Comments

Muffin Monday: Raspberry Coconut Muffins

April 8, 2012

Written & photographed by
Stay-At-Home-Chef

After eight months of Muffin Mondays I have to admit that the calories are starting to pile up (and in less than desirable areas I might add). So when I saw that this week’s recipe from Taste of Home was a low-fat alternative to all of the glorious decadence we’ve been enjoying of late, I was relieved. Don’t get me wrong – I have adored the muffins of late but my waistline needs a break!

The original recipe calls for strawberries combined with plain yogurt, nutmeg and vanilla. In order to avoid a trip to the store, I opted to use some freeze-dried raspberries I had in the pantry. I also threw in ½ cup of coconut, replaced half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat, and used agave nectar rather than granulated sugar.

In the end I would have to say that these muffins turned out well and were incredibly moist due to the yogurt, but they did nothing to knock my socks off. However, if you’re looking for a quick and healthy treat to start your day then this recipe could be your answer.

I liked the flavour combination of raspberries and coconut, and the whole-wheat flour lent a nice nutty texture to the muffins. The agave nectar worked well as a sugar replacement, and is something I’ll definitely be using more often in the future. While nothing freeze-dried can ever replace lovely fresh fruit, I liked how the raspberries became hydrated and held their shape without turning to mush. Plus there was no issue with the fruit running into the batter and causing the muffins to become discoloured.

Look – even the Easter bunny had to have a nibble!

For a copy of the original recipe for this week’s Muffin Monday, please visit Baker Street’s site and be sure to check out what the other food bloggers have baked up this week!

Posted in: Muffin Mondays – 10 Comments

Monthly Archives: April 2012

Muffin Monday: Chile Jack Muffins

Monthly Miettes: Lime Meringue Tart

Muffin Monday: Low-Fat Raspberry Almond Muffins

Food & Wine Magazine: April Cover Recipe

Asian Beef with Basil

Muffin Monday: Ricotta Dill Muffins

COOKBOOK REVIEW Soup: A Kosher Collection

Muffin Monday: Raspberry Coconut Muffins

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