‘Tis The Season For Fiddlehead Fern… But Hurry Up It’s Almost Over!

Fiddlehead Fern is a vegetable I simply loooove. If your main language is English, you might be thinking ‘what is that?’. If you speak French, you might know this vegetable under the name of Crosse de Fougère or Tête de violon. Basically, it’s the head of the fern that you cultivate before it grows out… which mean it’s only available in spring, before the plant becomes too big. Mid-April to June is the best time to buy this amazingly tasty vegetable.

If you’ve never prepared Fiddlehead Ferns, don’t be grossed out by their appearance. They can indeed put some people off. Instead, take the time to wash them out a few times in cold water, trying to clean out the dirt as much as possible. After that, prepare two small separate pots filled with salted water. Bring the water to a boil, throw the ferns in the first pot, and cook them for 3 minutes. Take them out and quickly throw them in the second pot. Cook for another 2 minutes. Once they’re done, rinse them out in cold water to stop the cooking.

Once the cleaning and cooking is done, you’re ready to eat these little gems (they can be quite expensive at the beginning of the season). I love them pan seared with butter, garlic and salt. Otherwise you can prepare a great vinaigrette and prepare the Fiddlehead Ferns as a salad. This is the recipe I’m suggesting to you… 

Pre cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

Twice cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

FIDDLEHEAD FERN SALAD

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

Salad

A nice bunch of cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

4 radish, finely sliced

2 lebanese cucumbers, finely sliced

A little bit of fresh baby arugula

Salad Dressing

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

¼ cup Apple cider vinegar

¼ cup White balsamic vinegar

1 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, pressed

Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Salad Dressing

In a small bowl or jar, mix all the ingredients. Adjust seasoning.

Salad

In a bowl, mix all the vegetables and add the salad dressing. Mix well. Adjust seasoning.

This version of a salad is really simple but you can let your imagination go where you want it to go. You could add cheese, tomatoes, olives, etc. Go wild!!

Oyster Season Is Still On So Have Some More

Because it’s still oyster season I’m going to write again about the sea’s gem! Of course, some of you probably hate the damn thing and I kind of understand you. Who wants to eat a raw, slimy and salty mollusk? Not many. But trust me, once you try the slimy beast, you might realize how good and refined it actually is. And you just might get addicted to it, even if it’s against your own good will!

There are easier ways to start eating oysters than to have them naked and raw. Although they’re not my favorite once cooked, they can be easier to gulp on once they’re not raw. Plus, if you add some flavor to them, a taste to which you might not be accustomed to becomes more subtle. But take it to the next level fast; cooked oysters might be good but they’re not the real deal. And if you want to pass as an oyster lover, people won’t believe you if the only way you like yours are cooked with a bunch of unnecessary ingredients on top.

The best way to eat an oyster is still raw with a hint of lemon but hey, if you’re gonna eat a lot of them and often, why not try different variations? Here are some of my favorites!

OYSTER WITH CUCUMBER AND MINT SALSA

INGREDIENTS  

1 small Lebanese cucumber, deseeded and finely diced

½ red onion or shallot, finely chopped

2 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

PREPARATION

In a bowl, mix of the ingredients. Spoon a little on top of freshly opened oysters. Serve immediately .

Note: Add the mint to the salsa only when ready to serve. If not, the mint will become brown.  

BACON AND GRUYÈRE OYSTERS

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup 35% cream

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

¼ cup grated gruyere cheese

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

4 slices of bacon cut in small pieces

6 oysters

PREPARATION

Open the oysters and put them in a bowl with the juice. Keep the bottom of the shells.

In a skillet, cooked the bacon pieces until they become nice and crispy. Place on an absorbing paper and take off the excess fat. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat the cream and reduce it by half.

In a skillet, cook the olive oil and the shallot. Add the cream and the oyster juice. Blend well.

When ready to serve, preheat your oven to broil. Place the bottom shells on a cooking sheet and put an oyster back in each shell. Put a small spoonful of the cream mixture on top of the oyster and top off with some gruyere cheese and crispy bacon. Put in the oven and cook until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden.

Note: Be very careful, the shell will be dangerously hot when you take it out of the oven so it’s better to eat with a small fork.

My Timeless White Cake With Finger Licking Good Butterscotch Sauce

What is it with the weekend and deserts? Whenever the weekend approaches I get a sudden urge for making a desert of some sort. Nothing necessarily very fancy, just something different to bite on. It must go with the fact that, for the rest of the week, I’m not really interested in anything sugary… or maybe because my husband is such a fan of the white granules!!

This cake is an absolute classic. When I was a kid, my favorite activity was baking – instead of playing with dolls – and I used to make this easy white cake all the time. It’s a timeless cake that will never go out of style. You can dress it up any way you feel like; with fruits, coulis, chocolate… whatever suits your taste.

This version of the cake was made for a bunch of friends. I don’t know if it was because of the influence of alcohol or because of it was simply so good, but the cake got completely eaten, even if some people started out by eating only a small piece.

If what you want is a true sugar rush, this, my friends, is your perfect drug!!

TIMELESS WHITE CAKE WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

Make 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

Cake

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

¾ cups milk

Sauce

½ cup sugar

½ brown sugar

2 tbsp golden corn syrup

¼ Scotch

¾ cup 35% cream, hot

¼ cup salted butter, cubed

1 tsp vanilla extract

PREPARATION

Cake

Preheat your oven at 350˚F.

In a bowl, beat the butter, sugar and 1 egg at a time. Beat thoroughly for about 5 minutes, until the mix is a pale yellow. Add the vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk.

Pour the cake mixture in a greased cake mold. Cook in the oven for about 40-45 minutes or until nothing stick to a toothpick when you stick it in the cake.

Sauce

In a heavy saucepan, bring the sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and the Scotch to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Attach a candy thermometer in the center of the pan and simmer over medium heat without stirring until the thermometer reads 121˚C (250˚F).

Remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually stir in the cream. Stir in the butter and vanilla, whisking until the sauce is smooth. Let cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Note: It may happen that the butterscotch sauce hardens on contact with the cream. If so, return the saucepan on the stove and stir over medium heat until it dissolves.

Cold Roast Beef With Horseradish And Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

A few weeks back I asked for a little bit of help from my readers. I was stuck. It felt like I had ‘cooker’s block’ (now that I think of it, it was probably just because I felt like enjoying the end of summer instead of spending my time in the kitchen). I needed inspiration for my son’s baptism, and it wouldn’t come. Thanks to the help of a few of you, I regained my inspiration and it hasn’t left me since. I owe you a sincere thank you!

One of the ideas I received was to make a cold roast beef. Seriously, roast beef? That is so 1950!!! (no offence to the ones who had the inspiration) Still, the idea was suggested to me not once, but twice. That’s when I seriously started thinking about it and tried to see it in a modern way. After all, it was going to be easy to make and I knew everyone invited was a carnivore. So I plunged and gave it a try. I love going out of my comfort zone. And it paid of, no doubt about it. The beef was such a success we hardly had any leftovers!

I have a secret to tell you… but don’t tell anyone. I bought my roast at Costco. No fancy butcher, just the good old meat counter at Costco. If you go on a Thursday, they receive all their weekend meats (which means the better parts). I got the best cut, the boneless prime roast. Much cheaper than at a regular butcher shop, no one noticed the difference. It melted in our mouths and was totally satisfying. Now I told you this was a secret. Do the same if you like, just don’t tell anyone about our little secret!

PRIME ROAST BEEF WITH HORSERADISH AND ROASTED GARLIC MAYO

Makes about 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

Roast Beef

1 prime rib roast beef (about 1 kg should do for about 8 people for dinner)

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

5 fresh rosemary sprigs, chopped

3 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped

8 garlic cloves

Salt & pepper

Horseradish and roasted garlic mayo

1 egg

½ tbsp Dijon mustard

the juice of ½ lemon

½ tbsp red wine vinegar

1 cups vegetable oil

Salt & pepper

1 tbsp commercial horseradish

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves

PREPARATION

Roast Beef

Preheat your oven at 325˚F.

In a small bowl, blend well the Dijon mustard, rosemary and thyme.

Cut the garlic in long pieces. Make some small incisions in the meat and stuff a piece of garlic inside. Do so around the entire roast. Once you’re done, put some salt and pepper on the meat. Take the mustard mixture and spread it all over the meat. Place the roast in an oven plate and cook for about 45 minutes.

Take the meat out and cover with aluminum foil for about 10-15 minutes to let the meat relax. If you want to eat your roast hot, serve it at this moment. If not, let the meat cool at room temperature (uncovered) and keep in the fridge. Cut it just before serving.

Mayo

To roast you garlic, preheat your oven at 400˚F. Cut the head of the garlic cloves and sprinkle with the olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil and cook in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. Let cool and mash it.

In a blender or a culinary robot, mix the egg, mustard, lemon juice and vinegar. Without stopping the machine, very slowly add the oil. The mayo will start to thicken as you add the oil.

When your mayo is done, add the horseradish and the roasted garlic. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve with the cold roast beef.

Note: You can keep the mayo for up to 5 days in the fridge so you can prepare it in advance.

Whisky Shrimp Sauce Made For The Lazy

Is it me, or do we cook less during summer? I mean, I cook, but very differently than during winter time. Putting a piece of meat or fish on the grill, grilling vegetables sprinkled with olive oil, having a fresh salad, all of this is so much easier than cooking behind the stove for hours. For this reason, I realize I don’t have as many interesting and fun recipes to present to you. It’s not because I like to cook that I’m purposely going make complicated recipes. Shame on me! In the next few weeks, I think I’m going to try to make “inspired summer food”. Simple and easy yet maybe a level above simply grilling my food!

Cold food during the summer is very much accepted by all. On the contrary, winter calls for hot, steaming food. Which is why you’re aloud to make cold, boiled shrimps, for your dinner tonight... if you feel like it! Just make sure you make a killer sauce to go along with them. The following sauce is sure damn good and makes the shrimp shine, showing off its great flavor. Because summer is for the lazy and whisky is for the happy!

WHISKY SHRIMP SAUCE

 

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise

3 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp Whisky

2 tsp Cajun spices (optinal)

Preparation

In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients.

Serve with big cooked shrimps. They can even be cold!  

Tasty Fish Taco; Healthy Yet Fun To Eat!

Don’t you feel like summer is flying by? It only just started and I feel like it’s ending already. Every year it’s the same thing; there is so much more to do, so many more people to see… the agenda is fully booked and time flies by. It seems like time to cook also flies by. Who wants to stay indoors to cook a huge roast when you can go chill under the sun and eat a great big ice cream? Hey, I love to cook by I am no masochist!

So the other day I did this recipe. I made it up on the fly (I felt like having fish which is something I crave lately… must be the heat). It took me a few minutes to make and realized that I had created something incredible for summer. I’m sure some of you have tried to make fish tacos before, but for me, it was a first. I thought it was amazing!! It’s healthy yet looks like junk food (I even fooled my 1 year old who was asking for more)! You can even prepare the different elements in advance and then pop the goody in the oven for a few minutes. If you’re dying to run outside to enjoy the fast disappearing summer, this is perfect for your beat. I know I’m going to be making this one close to once a week. I can’t wait to have it again!

FISH TACOS

Makes 2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS

Fish

400g Fresh Cod

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tbsp butter

¼ white onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp smoke paprika

¼ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp cumin

Salt & pepper

Salsa

2 small fresh mangos, diced

¼ red onion, finely diced

8 small vine tomatoes, quartered

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp olive oil

Hot sauce (chipotle or scotch bonnet is ideal)

Salt

Topping

Old age cheddar, shredded

Sour cream

Tortillas (flour or corn)

PREPARATION

In a large cooking pan, heat the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook until softened. Add the cod and cook until it breaks into small pieces (only a few minutes will do). Season with smoke paprika, coriander, cumin, salt & pepper. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix together the mango, red onion, vine tomatoes and cilantro. Add the lime juice and olive oil. Season with salt and hot sauce. Set aside.

When ready to serve, preheat the oven at 475˚F. On a tortilla, lay some of the fish mixture and top with grated cheese. Put in the over for 5-6 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Put the tortilla on a serving plate and top with some of the salsa and sour cream. Serve immediately.

Note: you can prepare the fish in advance and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. 

Get your booze on with bread pudding with rum sauce

Although summer is here, there’s still time for desert decadence. It’s not because it’s hot that we’re only supposed to eat fruits, right? This one is one of my personal favorites. If you’ve read me before, you know I’m more of a caramel type than a chocolate type. So with a sauce like this one (who can resist rum and sugar?) added to the moist bread pudding, my palate is more than satisfied!

On top of that, I have to admit that this is one of the only ways I’ll accept white bread to hit my plate. Yes, I like a healthier piece of bread for my breakfast… but still like the idea of a plain old white piece of flour once in a while. It’s just a better way to getting rid of the guilt and keep the most pleasure out of it.

Try it if you’re having friends over. It’s easy breezy to make!

BREAD PUDDING WITH RUM SAUCE

Makes about 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

Pudding

2 cups milk

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 tbsp dark rum

½ tsp vanilla extract

5 ½ cups stale white bread cut in small cubes

½ cup golden raisins

Rum Sauce

1 ½ cups brown sugar

2 tsp all purpose flour

¾ cup milk

1 tbsp dark rum

1 tsp vanilla extract

PREPARATION

Pudding

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter an 8-inch in diameter soufflé dish that has an 8 cups (2 litres) volume and sprinkle with sugar.

In a bowl, combine the milk, brown sugar, egg yolks, rum and vanilla. Add the bread and raisins. Let the mixture soak for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form.

With a spatula, little by little, carefully fold the meringue in the bread mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour.

Rum Sauce

In a saucepan, blend the brown sugar and flour. Add the cream, milk, rum and vanilla. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Let it become lukewarm while whisking a few times.

Serve immediately. Coat the pudding with the sauce. 

Note: Don’t be shy with the rum… I usually add a bit more than the recipe requires… just to get a better kick out of it! 

My Monday Afternoon Project: Lasagna

As some of you may have read throughout this blog, I’m big time pregnant right now. In fact, I could pop any day. I’m basically waiting around at home until the big day comes, which has great advantages. The downside is that I don’t have much energy left in me. Consequently, I’m not always in the mood for cooking. Still, I put a great effort to make sure I do keep on cooking. First, to stay healthy. But also to have great recipes to add to this blog.

You can also imagine that my fridge is pretty much kept full at all times. I’ve been like a small ant lately, making provisions for the hard times to come (because you never know what you’re going to get!). I have all sorts of frozen goods ready to be heated up, either in the microwave or in the oven. There is no way I will be cooking in the first few days after giving birth. Which is why yesterday I gave myself a big kick in the butt and made an astronomical quantity of Lasagna.

Don’t get me wrong, I love lasagna but it’s not something I eat every week. More like twice a year. Yet I find that when you make lasagna, it takes so much time that it’s not worth it if you’re only going to make one. Which is why I made 3 huge ones and froze them. I can keep them all if I want to or, I could give some out if I feel like it. You could do the same.

The following recipe is pretty traditional. If you want to make a few lasagnas at the same time, you’re going to have to multiply the ingredients. With the Bolognese sauce recipe below, you’ll be able to make 3 big lasagnas and you might even have some sauce left over. If you’re not planning on making many lasagnas, you can choose to cut the quantities to make less sauce or, better, keep the quantities and freeze the extra sauce for spaghetti. Same thing for the Béchamel recipe. You’ll have enough to make 3 lasagnas. This sauce doesn’t freeze so you should cut the quantities if you only want to make 1 lasagna. Finally, I like to buy aluminum lasagna pans that I can throw out after one use. There cheap, the perfect size and you can keep your good baking pans out of the freezer.

Oh yeah! I didn't eat lasagna last night so I froze all 3 of them without cooking them, which is why I don't have a great picture of the final result. I'm sure you can imagine what it'll look like once it's perfectly roasted! 

TRADITIONAL LASAGNA

Makes 1 lasagna

(Make sure you multiply the ingredients if you’re making more than 1 lasagna)

INGREDIENTS

Salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

About 12 dried lasagna sheets 

Black pepper

2 ½ cups Bolognese sauce (see recipe below)

1 ½ cups Béchamel sauce (see recipe below)

1-pound ricotta cheese

2 eggs

2 packs of 10z frozen spinach, chopped, unfrozen and dried

3 cups mozzarella cheese

¼ cup freshly ground Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION

If you’re planning on eating your lasagna on the day of preparation, preheat your oven at 375˚F.

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the vegetable oil (so your lasagna won’t stick together). Add the lasagnas and cook for about 6 minutes (they have to be all dente). Take the pasta out and pass under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside, covered with a slightly humid towel so they don’t dry out.

In a large bowl, mix together the Bolognese and Béchamel sauces. Adjust taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, the eggs, salt & pepper. Set aside.

In a 13”x 9” ovenproof pan, spread 1/3 of the Bolognese-Béchamel sauce. Cover with 5 lasagna sheets. Evenly spread the ricotta mix over the lasagna. Cover with spinach. Add 5 more lasagna sheets over the spinach and cover with another 1/3 of the Bolognese-Béchamel sauce. Add ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. Cover with the remaining 5 lasagna sheets. Empty the rest of the Bolognese-Béchamel sauce and cover with what’s left of the mozzarella cheese, as well as with the Parmesan. Put in the oven and cook for 45 minutes or until the cheese makes bubbles on top. 

Notes: I believe real traditional lasagnas should be made with Marinara sauce and separately cooked meat. Since I’m a little lazy sometimes (!), I prefer to make a simple Bolognese sauce so the meat is already integrated to the tomato sauce.

If you choose to unfreeze and cook, make sure you take your lasagna out of the freezer at least 10 hours before heating it. 

SIMPLE BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Makes about 10 cups

INGREDIENTS

½ cup olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves (or more if you like!), finely chopped

1 ½ pounds ground beef

4 celery branches, finely diced

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

Salt & pepper

3 - 36oz preserved tomatoes

2 dried laurel leaves

PREPARATION

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions and the garlic. Cook for about 8 minutes. Add the beef and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of freshly ground pepper.  Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the laurel leaves.

Simmer over low heat for about 1 hour or until the sauce has thickened.

Take off the heat. Throw out the laurel leaves. Adjust taste with salt and pepper.

BECHAMEL SAUCE

Makes 4 cups

INGREDIENTS

5 tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

4 cups hot milk

Salt & white pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

PREPARATION

In a small pan, heat the milk until it’s just about to boil.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Bring the temperature to medium heat and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the hot milk to the mixture, 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until the mixture is very smooth. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Set-aside until you’re ready to use it.