When it comes to appetizers, some like buffalo wings. Others like chips and salsa. My personal favourite is some warm, straight-out-of-the-oven salty focaccia, with a dipping sauce of extra-virgin olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Should you present me with that, I apologize, but I doubt I’d be paying attention to whatever you say next… I’d be distracted. And were you in my shoes in such a situation, you’d be, too. Mmmh.

Last week H and I decided to have a grape-themed night. I found us some matching cookbooks at Half-Price Books that are all about grapes! Green Black Red features all California grape recipes, and it had some delicious-looking things in there, indeed. We picked the two best-looking ones and went for it.

The focaccia looked fantastic in the book, and ours came out virtually identical (except quite a bit more thick, but hey, who’s going to complain about that?). It’s golden and crisp on the outside, encrusted with juicy red grapes, dusted with fresh rosemary sprigs and large-grain sea salt. And it’s Heavenly.

Grape & Rosemary Focaccia

Adapted from Focaccia with Grapes & Rosemary from Green Black Red

Ingredients:

• 1 package dry yeast
• 5 cups organic AP flour (King Arthur, unbleached)
• 1.5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1.5 cups fresh red grapes, whole
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Process:

1. Place yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add warm water, then stir in sugar. Let sit 5 minutes/ set aside.
2. Stir together the yeast mixture with 3 cups of the flour and the kosher salt using a large wooden spoon.
3. Once fully mixed, slowly incorporate the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/2 cup at a time, using your hands to knead the flour into the dough. Keep kneading until it is smooth and elastic (for approx 10-15 minutes).
4. Temporarily place the dough on a work surface, clean the bowl, and dry. Lightly brush extra virgin olive oil around the bottom and halfway up the sides of the bowl, then place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for an hour.
5. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and check the dough. If it has doubled in size, then pour the 1/2 cup of olive oil in the bottom of a large, round tart dish/pizza pan or baking sheet. Place the dough into the pan and gently stretch it out to fit.
6. Dimple the bread with your finger, and make dimples ever 1/2 inch. Place a grape in each dimple, then sprinkle the top of the bread with the rosemary and sea salt. Drizzle olive oil over the top.
7. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes (depends on the heat of your oven; I baked for 20 minutes and could have even gone down to 18 or so- my oven is hot), until the top is crisp and golden brown but not hard. Cut with a serrated knife or pizza cutter and serve warm with the dipping sauce I mentioned above, or with wine and cheese.

Mine was too thick to make panini, but the book suggests using it as a sandwich bread as well. Personally, though, I like it better as thick squares you can pull apart while warm and munch on as a pre-dinner sort of thing, or as a snack. How do you eat yours?

We were having a friend over for dinner and this friend (K) and I disagree on a great many things. Despite our being on opposite ends of the spectrum on what many would consider to be life’s most important topics, she’s one of my very closest friends, and has been for years. She’s a wonderful person, and so for her- and probably only her- would I honour a request that goes as follows:

Me: “Hey, so what should I make for dinner?”

K: “Does it sound bad if I say nothing particularly Frenchy?”

I’d say it’s a testament to our friendship that she asked so nicely :) and so I went searching about for something non-French! I also wanted to do something simple and that had a very tiny possibility of not being liked. Therefore… who doesn’t like cheese pizza? Right? I know her not to be lactose-intolerant, so I figured this one was the safest possible choice. Thankfully, she quite enjoyed it. That “mmh!” she said was wonderful to hear.

Rosemary Margherita ‘Pizza’ Tart

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s French Tomato Tart, which is in turn adapted from A Culinary Journey in Gascony

Ingredients (variation of original):

• 1.5 cups organic AP flour (King Arthur)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons soy butter
• 1 large egg (cage-free, brown, organic)
• 2 tablespoons cool water
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon)
• 4 large hothouse tomatoes, ripe (quantity will vary based on tomato size and your tomato preferences)
• 1/2 jar Muir Glen original tomato sauce
• 1 large ball fresh mozarella cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons freshly-frated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon large grain sea salt

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the soy butter and mix until the butter is fully dispersed into the flour and comes to a crumbly texture
3. Mix the egg with the water in a small bowl, beating thoroughly until the mixture has a light yellow colour.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the center of the flour mixture and mix in to where everything holds together into a dough ball.
5. Flour a work surface, flour your rolling pin, and place the dough ball onto the middle of your work surface. Roll it out and keep dusting it with flour, until there is no stickiness to the dough.
6. Roll the dough onto your rolling pin and place it onto a large 9-inch fluted tart pan. Press the dough onto the sides firmly, then roll your pin across the top to remove the excess dough (which you can use to make a freeform tart, twists, or whatever you choose!)
7. Brush on the mustard and arrange the sliced tomatoes over the mustard. Fill in the holes (where you can see the mustard / there are less tomatoes) with the tomato sauce, then spread whatever you haven’t used of it over the tops of the tomatoes.
8. Place large slices of the mozarella over the tomatoes & sauce. Then sprinkle on the parmesan cheese, sea salt, drizzle on the olive oil…. then take some of the rosemary off of the sprigs and place over the pizza. Lastly, for decoration, place on two large sprigs of rosemary to infuse the pizza.
9. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has browned to a golden colour and the crust is just turning golden-brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!

Yum yum yum. The sister has taken to this recipe, and it’s a very yummy one. I’m never against fresh mozarella, personally, and neither should be the general populace, because mmmmh, it’s so good! :)

Studies show that crunching something decreases stress, and these pack a powerful crunch- so if you’re stressed out, this is clearly what you need! :) (that and someone cozy to cuddle with and reassure you that the world is, whether or not you’ll believe him or her, not ending) I had some leftover tart dough when making a margherita pizza and had picked what was sure to become too much rosemary for its topping, and thought, well, maybe instead of a free-form tart with the leftover dough I’m going to make some twists!

The process was incredibly simple and the result was crunchily delicious. The sister was particularly fond of these. And the lovely friend we had over for dinner- K- seemed to enjoy them  as well. Try these out! They’re really quick, and once you’ve got the hang of them, you can go through the lot of them rather quickly with the rolling, twisting, brushing, and so on and so on.

Rosemary Parmesan Twists

Dough Recipe Adapted from David Lebovitz’s French Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups organic AP flour (I used King Arthur)
• 8 tblspn (1 stick) soy butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg (brown, cage-free, organic)
• 2.5 tablespoons cold water
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons freshly-grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon large-grain sea salt

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the soy butter and mix until the butter is fully dispersed into the flour and comes to a crumbly texture
3. Mix the egg with the water in a small bowl, beating thoroughly until the mixture has a light yellow colour.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the center of the flour mixture and mix in to where everything holds together into a dough ball.
5. Flour a work surface, flour your rolling pin, and place the dough ball onto the middle of your work surface. Roll it out and keep dusting it with flour, until there is no stickiness to the dough. Then, cut off small balls approximately 1/2-inch in diameter.
6. Take one of the small balls and roll it out to where it is one long strip. Place a few rosemary pieces onto the dough, and roll it into a long, narrow string.
7. Repeat this with a second ball, then place the two together and twist. Press lightly upon the ends so that they stay together, then place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat.
8. Repeat this process until you have completed all your twists. Then, lightly brush the twists with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle the sea salt on top.
9. Place in oven for 8 minutes. Then take out the baking sheet and sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Then place back in oven for another 3-5 minutes, until the twists are golden brown and the cheese looks crunchy.
10. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then place in a basket lined with parchment paper or a napkin… and enjoy!

Nowyou may be thinking, Odile, that’s silly to be rolling it out so much, it’ll toughen the dough. That’s right, and it’s purposeful, it is! The tougher the dough, the crunchier these twists will become. For once, you want to overwork it to the point where it’s going to have the most satisfying “CHH!!!” sound you’ve ever heard when you bite into it. Yum. Mmh. You could substitute the rosemary for thyme or the fresh herb of your choice- though I really do think the rosemary’s nicest.

My apologies, I realize that’s a ridiculously long title. That said, it needed to be descriptive! Last night the boyfriend, as per usual, declared his hunger, and I opted to do some fridge cleaning. I had two cutlets of pork loin left over from some time ago in the freezer, and an older chicken breast. I also had a number of tiny potatoes that were itching to be used in SOMEthing, so I thought, all right, a marinade and some mashed potatoes.

It took about an hour and a half all together to assemble, which for me is quite quick for a complex dish. The meat was incredibly flavourful and a bit spicy (for me, meaning for you not at all, chances are) and I was surprised at how well it captured the marinade’s flavour despite the short time they spent together in the fridge.

The mashed potatoes are rich and very, very creamy, thanks to skim milk, parmesan cheese, and nutmeg- the secret to mashed potatoes, just like my mother taught me. Nutmeg + potatoes = match made in Heaven. You’ll have to trust me on this one and see for yourself :)

Indonesian Curry Marinade Grilled Pork or Chicken with Creamy Nutmeg Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients (for two) (meat & marinade):

• 2 portions of white meat (I used one chicken breast and two small pork loin cutlets – go organic!)
• 1 tsp each of garam masala, minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp each of cumin, ground cloves, coriander, sea salt
• 1/4 tsp each of balinese chili powder, powdered ginger, pepper, and carry ou curry bombay
• 1.5 tbl extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients (potatoes – makes one rather large bowl, serves 6):

• 8 small potatoes (Yukon Gold and Red, mixed)
• 1/2 stick soy butter (or 5 tbl)
• 7 tablespoons organic skim milk
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp each of pepper, nutmeg

Process:

1. Mix marinade ingredients together and whisk briefly in a medium-sized bowl. Dunk in meat and drench completely in marinade. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Place softened butter, milk, parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg at bottom of a large bowl.
3. Rinse the potatoes, place on a plate covered by a damp paper towel, and place in microwave for 5 minutes.
4. Heat a grill pan on medium high heat.
5. Turn potatoes over to their flipside and microwave for another 5 minutes. Continue flipping and microwaving until the potatoes yield easily to the touch and become softened.
6. Peel potatoes one by one and mash into the large bowl’s mixture with a fork, continually folding it over and under. Set aside and cover with plastic wrap to keep warm.
7. Remove meat from fridge; place onto grill pan and grill for approx. 5 minutes, then flip onto reverse side and grill for another 5 minutes (timing will depend on thickness of meat cuts).
8. Serve potatoes with an ice cream scooper and serve with a refreshing and light summer salad to balance the carbs.

And you’re set! It’s a rather simple recipe but chock-full of flavour and is a nice mix of down-home good ol’ Southern cooking with a flare of Indian and Indonesian curries. Yum! I plan to keep experimenting with this marinade… next time there’s yet another curry from Bali I’d like to try :).

H and I share a love for tuna, don’t we, H? We also share a love for salmon (and that’s not to mention chocolate, cheese, knitting, sewing, decorating, sundresses… the list goes on). Consider it mutual-love-item-#76. When the boyfriend and I were on our cruise recently, I went a bit crazy with the tuna salad sandwiches (so good!)- thus imagine my delighted surprise when H suggested we make these delicious Oregon Tuna Melts for this week’s cooking date! How on Earth could I refuse so brilliant a suggestion?

These were monstrous. I mean, if I were a big, strong man who liked large, meaty wiches, then this would have been the one. I was barely able to finish half of this thing. It’s INTENSE. H will probably have me note that she was able to eat hers but she has magical sandwich-eating powers so that’s neither here nor there. The point is, if you have a hungry boyfriend to feed- as is often the case, it seems- this one’s a winner. And it involves fresh, delicious ciabatta. What’s not to enjoy?

What’s really original about this recipe is that there’s mayonnaise spread on the sandwich, but not in the tuna salad- rather, olive oil and balsamic vinegar (two of my favourite things in life) flavour it instead. Original, delicious, and more healthy. Case closed. Make this sandwich.

Oregon Tuna Melts

Adapted from Oregon Tuna Melts from Food & Wine Magazine’s  Simple Acts of Sandwich Genius (Tommy Habetz)

Ingredients (makes 2 large sandwiches):

• 2 6-oz cans albacore tuna (chunk light, in water)
• 1/4 cup finely-diced red onion
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar from modena (don’t get me started on vinegars)
• 1 heaping teaspoon dried basil (recipe called for fresh, we went for dried for a less sharp taste)
• 2 ciabatta rolls, split in half
• Dijon mustard and mayonnaise for spreading
• 4 1/4-inch-thick organic Emmantaler cheese slices (so good!)
• sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Process:

1. Heat grill pan/panini press on medium heat.
2. Drain tuna, then mix in small bowl with onion, olive oil, vinegar, dried basil, salt, and pepper.
3. Spread mustard on one half of the ciabatta rolls and mayo on the other. Layer two slices of cheese over the mustard half on each roll. Spread the tuna salad on top of the cheese evenly. Place the mayo’d ciabatta slice over the tuna to close the sandwiches.
4. The recipe suggests you brush some melted butter onto the tops of the sandwiches; I prefer to have a little organic canola oil heating on the grill instead. It’s healthier! Place the sandwiches (ours were so large, we had to go one at a time… my grill pan is not too gargantuan) on the grill and cover with the panini press. Grill over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, until you have some nice grill marks going.
5. Cut in half and serve warm with a cool, refreshing drink! I suggest some home-made lemonade.

Mine was not quite as warm as I dilligently shot pictures prior to eating, but it was quite nice… and I’m not a fan of melting cheese, so I liked it better with the cheese being a bit cool. These are terrific for that day when you need a hearty sandwich that feels decadent but really isn’t too bad! I’m sure you could try many a variant of it as well.

Frittatas are the Italian version of an omelette, and my idea of an omelette- not that I really eat them- is to put all sorts of things inside them. I had a number of egg whites left over from making tart doughs earlier on in the week and decided to pour them all together in this comprehensive frittata. It’s rich and chock-full of good things, but on the lighter side due to it being mostly egg whites- lower in cholesterol and fat! It’s very, very simple, despite having tons of ingredients… so try it! :)

Low-Fat Egg-White Frittata

Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites (large, cage-free, brown, organic eggs)
• 3 whole eggs
• 2/3 cup organic skim milk
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp salt & pepper
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup fresh sweet yellow corn, organic
• 1/4 cup fresh green peas, organic
• 2 tablespoons freshly-grated Reggianito cheese
• 3/4 cup chopped peppered deli turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach, organic
• 1/4 cup finely chopped baby carrots, organic

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place all frittata ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together briefly until just combined. For a firmer consistency, add a tablespoon or two of organic AP flour.
3. Butter a large, shallow tart dish fairly generously and pour in batter.
4. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden brown and mixture is set in well; wiggles when shaken lightly.
5. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes; then slice with a smooth knife and eat warm.

I told you it was simple! It’s very quick, very very very simple- did I mention how simple this is?- and hearty. You can make it as a weeklong leftover dish, or comfortably feed it to 5-6 people. Long live Italian practicality.

A.M. and I made- or tried to make- naan to go with our curry dish. A few mistakes on my part made for some rather creative naan… but hey, that’s beside the point.

My Curry Cuisine book calls it ‘probably one of the best gifts from the tandoor to humankind’ and I really can’t agree more: naan is other-worldly. There’s truly something magical about it- I don’t know what it is, but when it’s a bit crispy on the edges, soft on the inside, easily breaking apart so you can dip it in your curry sauce… perfection, right there. My attempt at naan resulted in some problems: I used 4 cups AP flour and 2 self-rising- which made these rise far too much- and then did not flatten them out enough to bake. Thus, I ended up with a sort of cross between naan and a biscuit… hence the name… naanscuits. Warm, with a bit of butter, you’d never know the difference. Maybe this could be some sort of new fusion Southern-Indian cuisine… hmm…

Naanscuits (Naan / Biscuit Cross)

Adapted from Naan in Curry Cuisine

Ingredients:

• 2 rounded tsp granulated sugar
• 2 whole eggs, brown, cage-free, organic
• 1 & 2/3 cups organic skim milk
• 6 cups organic AP flour (or, if you want to make the same mistake I did, use 4 cups AP flour and 2 cups self-rising AP flour)
• 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder (make sure it’s fresh!)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 & 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used organic canola oil; take your pick)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place two nonstick baking/cookie sheets in oven to heat.
2. Whisk together sugar, eggs, and milk until the sugar has fully dissolved.
3. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and mix in the salt and baking powder. Gradually pour in the milky mixture and mix with a rubber spatula. Knead lightly until a soft dough is formed, and don’t overknead. Cover with a damp kitchen towel for 15-20 minutes; set aside.
4. Pour in the oil and knead it into the dough. Scoop out the dough in tiny balls and roll them into small, flat rounds. Pull on one end to make a teardrop shape and place the naan pieces on the hot baking trays.
5. Bake for 5 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked inside (mine took 15-20 minutes due to their odd thickness) and serve warm and yummy!

With some luck, yours will come out better than mine :) as mine as so odd and…. biscuit-y. But very good! Therein lies the important part… still tasty. Yes? yes. Right, A.M.?

I have a confession to make: I have a thing for chicken curry (so long as it’s mild enough for me to eat it). There’s something delicious and delectable about curry that’s really quite irresistable. My mother knows this, and so, for my birthday (back in May), she gifted me with a wonderful book (Curry Cuisine, containing curry recipes from over the world) and several large bags of spices from Indonesia. Fantastic!

A lovely friend of the boyfriend’s neighbors (say that three times fast) came over for a dinner date recently and, being more of an expert in Indian cuisine than I, I much appreciated the help! A.M. (my guest) and I made the most delicious curry that has thus far been made in this apartment: murgh makhani. It was SO good- honestly- so delicious!! I’m already pining to make it again.

One note: the chili powder… ohmygoodness. This had A.M. and I in coughing and sneezing fits. We used a Balinese chili powder my mother gave me, and it looked deceptively kind… but this stuff was STRONG. We were sneezing like mad, several minutes after having been away from it. Beware of your chili powders, that’s all I’m saying.

Murgh Makhani (Old Delhi-style Chicken Curry)

Adapted from Mugh Makhani in Curry Cuisine

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 2 large chicken breasts, cleaned, skinned, de-boned, cut into large cubes
• 3/4 cup low-fat vanilla european-style yogurt (O Organics!)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp each of salt and pepper
• 1 tsp Balinese chili powder (aaaah)

Sauce:

• 1 can 12 oz Italian-style diced tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1/2 cup water, room-temperature
• 1.5 tsp powdered ginger
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cloves (powdered)
• 1 tsp Saigon cinnamon
• 1/2 stick soy butter, softened
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar

Process:

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl, add the chicken, coat thoroughly on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 25-30 minutes.
2. Preheat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-to-low heat.
3. We at first put the chicken on skewers to grill, but found that because of the angle, the chicken wasn’t cooking properly, and decided to take the chicken off the skewers and cook as cubes. Take your pick! If you use wooden skewers, be sure to keep the skewers in a shallow dish filled with awter for 5-10 minutes prior to grilling so that they will not burn. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken has a coloured crust on all sides.
4. To prepare the sauce, place the tomatoes and juice in a saucier pan (make sure it’s deep enough) with the water, ginger, carlic, cloves, and cinnamon. Cook until the tomatoes become very soft and shredded. Once the sauce is thickening, take the half stick of butter and melt it into the sauce, mixing in thoroughly.
5. Take the cooked chicken cubes and add to the sauce, and continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the salt and sugar, and serve the curry with rice or naan (see naanscuits recipe for ideas).

It’s hot, it’s just just just the right degree of spice, and all of that can most certainly be attributed to my fortune in having had A.M. join me for a cooking date. She knows the spices inside and out and truly understands the relationship between their flavours. Thanks for a delicious and wonderful date, A.M., and I hope your travels in India right now are going safely and wonderfully! :)

One of my happiest childhood memories is of baking tarte aux pommes with my mother. I wouldn’t necessarily eat it- for many years I was much more a fan of la tarte a la noix de coco -  coconut tart. Mmmh. I’m smiling happily just thinking about it :) My mother is a terrific baker, but her tarts are fantastic. She has the crust-to-filling ratio down to a science, knows the exact thickness the crust should be for each area (top, bottom, angles, sides, corners)…

Recently when I was home, my mother suggested we make tarte aux pommes together. Naturally, I was ecstatic – we had spoken of it in the past few months but had never gotten around to it. After we made the tart together – I was watching with even more avid interest than before- she kindly wrote down the recipe for me (“From an old maïzena (a cornstarch brand, I can’t remember the name now) recipe, I think” she tells me). Herein I shall share this delicious tart recipe. The best part? It’s so incredibly simple, and so good.

A quick note: The pictures here are from my recreation of it a few days later (we had some leftover tart dough). I used the leftover dough to make the minis and made a new crust for the large tart. You’ll notice that the colour is much lighter and the texture seems more crumbly and frail- that would be of two major changes. I used soy butter in place of real butter- much to my mother’s dismay, the French feel strongly in needing real butter for pastry- and potato starch in favour of corn starch. Both were delicious, just different- it’s difficult to compare.

You’ll be surprised at how few ingredients are in this- the filling is so simple, but the baked applesauce is delicious, and the texture of the apple slices on top, divine. So good!

Traditional French Apple Tart

Adapted from my mother’s recipe, from a maïzena container, long ago

Ingredients (makes one large 9-inch tart):

• 130 grams unsalted butter, semi-chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used soy butter)
• 4 egg yolks (cage-free, brown, organic eggs)
• 14 soup spoons (my mother was very insistent on using this! “Americans never use the right spoon measurements”) granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups organic AP flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch (for a more crumbly consistency, try potato starch)
• 1/2 – 2/3 jar of unsweetened, all-natural applesauce (depending on your preference)
• 1-2 medium-sized apples, peeled, cored, sliced very thinly (my mother used Granny Smith; I used Pink Ladies)

Process:

1. Place butter (cubed) and sugar in a large mixing bowl using a pastry cutter (not sure what to call this… my mother kindly gave me one… it’s plastic, round-ish (with an inward area), and hand-held) to cut the butter into the sugar.
2. Once these are well mixed together, crack in the egg yolks and cut the yolks into the butter-sugar mixture using the same round baking tool. Pour in vanilla and mix until the whole mixture has a brownish colour.
3. Sift together the flour and corn or potato starch into a small bowl. Pour into the liquid mixture in 2-3 batches, mixing together efficiently (still with the round thing) but being careful to NOT overmix. The more you mix, the tougher the dough will get.
4. Once the dough is in a ball and has reached a good texture (a bit sticky, but not falling apart by any means) – you can add milk if the dough is too dry and a bit of flour if it is too sticky – set aside and butter your tart pan.
5. Preheat your oven to 360 degrees F.
6. Place the dough in the middle of the pan, and use the heel of your palm to press it up into the sides of the pan, making sure it’s evenly distributed onto the sides.
7. Spoon the applesauce into the tart pan until it is about 70-75% of the way full. Then layer on the apple slices in a flower or row pattern.
8. Bake the tart for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the apples are slightly crisped on the edges. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, then serve warm with cinnamon and vanilla ice cream; OR, allow to cool overnight and eat at room temperature (or chilled)- it’s delicious any way you have it!

Honestly, this is a terrific thing for snack, dessert, breakfast… try all of them! You can try other starches, other flours… you could probably make this one vegan, perhaps even gluten-free! I shall experiment more later. :)

PS if you’re confused about the other, odd-looking tarts… those are coconut. It’s just two egg yolks, 1/4 cup of sugar, 3/4 cup of coconut, and 1 tsp of vanilla. I should have removed them from the oven a bit earlier, but… still good!

I had the fortune of finding a book H had been lusting after (her words) for her birthday- and as it’s a cookbook of Giada’s, we naturally had to break it in by making something out of the book. H suggested we try her pasta ponza. I was afraid of the capers, but decided to try being brave for her, and so we set out on it. We followed the recipe rather closely- minus using all red cherry tomatoes (no yellow), using whole wheat shell pasta in lieu of ziti, and a mix of grated Reggianito and parmesan in stead of Pecorino Romano. The capers were a bit much for me, but I love the tomatoes, the breadcrumbs, and the idea in general- I plan to bake crusted tomatoes in the future, because that was delicious! As for the capers… I’ve gotten better about being open to foods, but it looks like this is one I’ll continue to have difficult with (which is ironic and sad, as I love balsamic vinegar).

Pasta Ponza

Following Giada de Laurentiis’ Pasta Ponza

I’m not going to bother with reposting the recipe because: a) I’m feeling lethargic and it is rather late; b) we didn’t change very much, so the recipe structure is the same; c) I’m now thinking about balsamic vinegar and my mind has drifted. My writing out this recipe now may result in something off-topic and involving dreaming of Modena, so I think I’ll refrain :). That said, this pasta was a simple one with tons of flavour, and would make a terrific week-time dish to make in a large batch with leftovers for lunch at work!

Yes, I realize they’re a bit overdone and not all that original, but that’s beside the point :). So we held a tropical, Hawaiian-themed Fourth of July picnic at work… and it was a potluck… and so of course I was expected to come bearing sweets. I decided upon the obvious but simple (I was seeing Eclipe with my sister and very close friend the night before and thus needed a do-ahead recipe) and settled on these pineapple cupcakes. They were rather good! There was some confusion, however, as to their assembly: to make transportation easier, I opted to bring the icing (which was, admittedly, fairly runny- more of a glaze than an icing, really) in a small bowl and allow everyone to dunk their cupcakes individually. Unfortunately, despite my having labeled ‘cupcakes!’ and ‘dunking station!’ few seemed to ice their cupcakes. But this is okay – those who understood it, enjoyed it (and ended up with some very sticky fingers aftward). Should you follow this recipe, I’d suggest removing the wrappers prior to dunking… or baking in silicone cups and not worrying about baking cups alltogether.

Tropical Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes

Adapted from Pineapple Meringue Cupcakes at A Good Apetite

Ingredients:

• 3/4 heaping cup AP organic flour
• 1/2  heaping teaspoon baking powder (make sure it’s fresh!)
• 2 tablespoons soy butter, room temperature/ soft
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg (cage-free, brown)
• 1 teaspoon 2x extra strength vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• Just under 1/4 cup organic skim milk
• 1/8 cup apricot nectar
• 1 small can pineapple pieces (small) in juice (NOT syrup)
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Icing/Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 box jell-o vanilla instant pudding mix (weird, I know)
• 1/3 cup low-fat smart balance sour cream
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 tsp 2x extra strength vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon apricot nectar
• 2 tablespoons organic skim milk
• 1/4 cup pineapple chunks in juice (not strained)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 36 muffin cups with liners
2. Briskly cream together the soy butter, sugar, egg, & vanilla extract until light & fluffy. Then beat in the milk and apricot nectar.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the liquid mixture in 2-3 portions, being sure not to overmix.
5. Fold in the pineapple and coconut until just mixed. Do not overmix!
6. Fill the muffin tins until they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden brown.
7. For the icing, combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until combined. Chill glaze thoroughly before dipping cupcakes. Top with fresh pineapple chunks and toasted coconut for decoration.

They’re cute, and rather good, if you’re the tropical sort, so try them out! They’re certainly convenient for potlucks or transport if you ice them separately, and for those who catch the hint, dunking stations are quite a bit of fun… interactivity + food = stupendous :).

I say Greek-inspired… that’s a loose term. Slightly crazed is what I was, when I had the sudden and inexplicable urge for a scoop of vanilla’d goodness, and confusion as to how to make it have a bit more ‘oomf’. My mother had gifted me with some incredibly delicious fruit that would not last the weekend I planned to spend at the house with my family, and thus I needed to finish it prior to leaving the apartment. The solution? This yummy and delicious concoction that I’m, at least for the purposes of this blog entry, going to assume has some vague Greek roots to justify its title.

Greek-Inspired Ice Cream Snack

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized scoops of low-fat vanilla ice cream (or Greek yogurt, to make it more apt)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup Tuscan melon balls
• 1/4 cup fresh raspberries
• 1.5 tablespoons toasted almond slivers
• 1 tablespoon clover honey (or the honey of your choice)
• large sprinkle of large-grain sea salt

Assemble in the order of the ingredients: ice cream or yogurt on bottom, then fruit, then almonds, honey, and salt. It’s this explosion of taste of tart and sweet that’s just delicious and unique. I really enjoyed the contrasting textures and degrees of sweetness, and the stickiness of the honey. You could switch out different fruits, or perhaps even switch the almonds for pistachios to get a more baklava-inspired dish… maybe add some crushed rose petals… very open to experimentation!