Tartine briarde gratinée - Baked Pear and Brie Sandwiches

I often feel at a loss when it comes to making vegetarian meals for my niece when she comes for dinner. Tofu is bland (and please, don't even mention tofurkey!) and pasta, while delicious, gets repetitive. This Saturday I met a friend for lunch and then thought I wanted to shop, but soon discovered my heart wasn't into it. And yet, I also didn't want to go home right away. So I wandered, and ended up at Chapters bookstore on Robson street. I like to pick out a bunch of books and just settle down and flip through them. Maybe one of these days I'll actually buy one. Anyway, in one of the books was a bunch of recipes for 'tartine'; essentially, these are open-faced sandwiches. This one is spinach and pear topped with brie. The salt at the end is important to bring out all the flavours.

1 bunch spinach

2 very ripe pears

1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter

250g ripe brie

4 slices of my home-made Commons Bread or similar peasant-type bread 

A pinch of salt per sandwich

Fresh-ground pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 450°F.
2. Peel pears and cut into matchsticks. Heat butter in sauté pan and cook pears until browned.
3. Prepare ice bath for spinach - wash the leaves and blanch in salted water - quickly draining and dumping them into the ice bath. Dry leaves on paper towels.
4. Arrange bread slices on a cookie sheet. Combine pear and spinach, and divide equally among bread slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Pop in the hot oven for a few minutes (2 to 4), or until the cheese has obtained the desired amount of runniness, and serve immediately.

Lollipops

Last Christmas my gift to my family was home-made candy. I think I got the most out of the experience, to tell you the truth. Making candy is incredibly fascinating and fun! Or at least for a research geek like myself. I haven't mastered the art of flavoring yet, but I'm willing to keep trying! This recipe is for lollipops - I just poured out rough, globby circles onto parchment paper and popped in some sticks before it cooled, and haven't explored other methods... yet! I found this amazing science-cooking site that explains how the different steps and ingredients work to make candy, called the Exploratorium.

Makes about 8 to 10 lollipops per batch

1 cup sugar
⅓ cup corn syrup
½ cup water
¼ tsp cream of tartar
¼ to 1 tsp flavouring
liquid food colouring
1 to 2 tsp(s) citric acid (optional)

1. Prepare either a marble slab or an upside-down cookie sheet (air underneath the sheet will help the candy to cool faster), by covering it with parchment paper and spraying it with oil. If you're using molds, prepare the molds with lollipop sticks, spray with oil, and place them on a cookie sheet or marble slab.
2. In your pan, over medium heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cream of tartar with a wooden spoon until the sugar crystals dissolve.
3. Continue to stir, using a pastry brush dampened with warm water to dissolve any sugar crystals clinging to the sides of the pan, then stop stirring as soon as the syrup starts to boil.
4. Place the candy thermometer in the pan, being careful not to let it touch the bottom or sides, and let the syrup boil without stirring until the thermometer just reaches 300°F (hard-crack stage). If you don't have a thermometer, you can test Drop a little of the molten syrup in cold water and it will form hard, brittle threads that break when bent.
5. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and let the syrup cool to about 275°F before adding flavor, color, and citric acid (adding it sooner causes most of the flavor to cook away).
6. Working quickly, pour the syrup into the prepared molds and let cool for about 10 minutes. If you're not using molds, pour small (2") circles onto the prepared marble slab or cookie sheet and place a lollipop stick in each one, twisting the stick to be sure it's covered with candy. (It helps to have a friend do this since you need to work quickly.)
7. Let the lollipops cool for at least 10 minutes, until they are hard. Wrap individually in plastic wrap or cellophane and seal with tape or twist ties. Store in a cool, dry place.

NOTE: You can use flavoring extracts that are available in the baking supplies section of your local supermarket, such as vanilla, almond, anise, maple, and lemon. Approximately 1 teaspoon of this kind of flavoring should be enough for a batch of lollipops.
There are also highly-concentrated flavorings specifically for candy making, available online or in specialty stores. The flavor choices are almost endless. These usually come in tiny 1-dram (1 teaspoon) bottles, and ¼ teaspoon should be sufficient to flavor a batch of lollipops.
It’s a good idea to have the flavors and colors that you will add to your candy measured out and ready beforehand. You will need to work quickly once the syrup reaches the hard-crack stage because it will harden quickly!
When using stronger flavors such as cinnamon, mint, and cherry, you can use a small amount (about ¼ teaspoon). Subtler flavors such as lemon, strawberry, orange, and peach require more (½ to 1 tsp). You can add about ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract with these flavors to accent them and add a "creamy" flavor.
If you're making several batches, save the stronger flavors for last or they may contaminate the other batches. Be sure to wash all measuring and mixing spoons in between batches as well.

Marshmallow candy

There is nothing like a fresh, home-made marshmallows. It's a little involved but well worth it. The funny thing is that, because of the gelatine, it's not a vegetarian dessert!

Part 1 - the candy
3 (1 oz) packages unflavoured gelatine

1 cup ice cold water, divided

12 oz granulated sugar, approx. 1½ cups

1 cup light corn syrup

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Part 2 - the finishing
¼ cup confectioners' sugar

¼ cup powdered starch, corn or arrowroot

vegetable oil

1. Place the gelatine into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1⁄2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
2. In a small saucepan combine the remaining ½ cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240°F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
3. Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows:
4. Combine the confectioners' sugar and starch in a small bowl. Lightly coat with oil a 13 x 9" metal baking pan. Add the sugar and corn-starch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
5. When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and starch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
6. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1" squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Macho Mushroom Soup - Acquacotta

The original asks for porcini but who the hell can afford a lb of fresh porcini mushrooms! Gosh, I sure would like to be one of them, though. Anyway, I suppose this is a completely inauthentic version since I just use any old mushroom - usually button or Parisian mushrooms, plain old white, but you know what? It's still quick, easy, and friggin' delicious.

¼ cup olive oil

1 white onion, coarsely chopped

1 lb. fresh mushroom, cleaned and coarsely chopped

1 bunch spinach (approx 12oz), washed, stemmed and chopped

1 fresh chilli pepper, minced

2½ cups water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese, for sprinkling

1. Heat up the olive oil in a deep saucepan. Add the onion and cook until soft. Then add the chopped mushrooms and chopped spinach and mix together. Add the chile pepper, salt, and pepper.
2. Add the water, enough to cover the vegetables. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with Parmigiano cheese just before serving.

Bacon and Onion Quiche

November 2010 - Bacon, my Jewish friends tell me bacon is the one pork product that has either caused or could cause them to break with kosher. Pork, for my part, is part of my nutritional heritage as a descendent to the Gauls (I base this on the historically accurate documents about a small village that resisted the Romans, chronicled in the works titled "Astérix le Gaulois"). In spite of this, it is also one of the meats that, in my current financially precarious state, I will only buy free range or organic, and have waited with bated breath for the time the happy porker farmers come to the local farmer's market so that I can purchase a few choice packets. As luck would have it, happy pigs are more readily available that I thought, for the local Capers-slash-Whole Foods market carries bacon from happy, outdoor pigs from a local producer. As happy as I am to have discovered this bacon, I nevertheless use it judiciously - its flavour is so strong that it tends to overpower anything else in the dish, which is why I use it primarily as 'lardons' when making hearty winter stews. But for some reason I wanted to make a quiche with bacon and gruyère. After looking around at other recipes, I decided to throw in some onion and dijon mustard as well. And I'm quite pleased with the result - a nice balance of flavours for a warming winter dish where the bacon plays a part in the society of flavours instead of being a corporate raider.

1 blind baked pie crust, completely cooled

3 slices bacon (thick slices, if thin adjust the quantity accordingly)

1 large onion, sliced into rounds

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

3 large eggs

1 cup coffee cream OR ½ cup heavy cream + ½ cup milk

2 tsps Dijon mustard

¾ cup Gruyère cheese, grated

1. Prepare the blind-baked pie crust. Allow to cool completely before using to allow the crust to set.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. Chop bacon into lardons (cut bacon into paper-clip sized pieces). Cook the lardons in a big skillet until semi crisp.
4. Remove all but 1 Tbsp. of the bacon fat (to save in use in other recipes) from the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until the onions are soft and start to brown. At this point, add the parsley and garlic, and cook 1 more minute.
5. Once the bacon has cooled a bit, chop into smaller pieces, and combine with the onion mixture.
6. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until light. Stir in dairy and mustard and whisk again to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
7. In the pre-baked pie shell, sprinkle the cheese on the bottom, then the onion and bacon mixture, and finally smother it all with the egg mixture.
8. Bake the quiche until it's all puffed and golden brown and joyful, about 35 minutes.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature.
10. To keep the quiche warm, cover it with aluminum foil and bake it in a preheated oven at 200-250F.

Tuscan Bean Stew

It may be a little premature for me to post this recipe because I've only made it once. When I made it I didn't want to wait to soak the beans and cook them, so I used two cans of white kidney beans instead, and it was delicious. This means I don't know which version is better - with the dry beans or the canned beans or if they're both just as good as the other. Thanks Cook's Illustrated for the base recipe!

Part 1 - the beans

Salt

1 lb dried cannellini beans (about 2 cups), rinsed and picked over (OR two cans canned beans)

Part 2 - the mushrooms
1⁄2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1⁄2 cup water (save to add to the soup)

Part 3 - stage 1 of the soup
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, cut into 1⁄2" pieces
2 carrots, in 1⁄2" pieces
8 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cups water
3 cups broth
2 bay leaves

Part 4 - stage 2 of the soup
14oz (398mL) can diced tomatoes
1 medium bunch kale or collard greens (about 1 pound), stems trimmed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces)
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Part 5 - serving
Ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak, at room temperature, for at least 8 and up to 24 hours. (Soaking the beans in salt water overnight helps them cook up creamy, with tender skins.) Drain and rinse well.
2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 250°F. (Cooking the beans at a near-simmer in a 250°F oven leads to fewer exploded beans in the finished stew.)
3. Pour 1⁄2 cup boiling water in a small bowl and add dried mushrooms. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Lift mushrooms from liquid with fork and mince. Strain liquid through fine-mesh strainer lined with paper towels into medium bowl. Set mushrooms and liquid aside.
4. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 16 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining 4 cups water, broth, bay leaves, soaked beans, and reserved mushrooms and cooking liquid. Increase heat to high and bring stew to simmer. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until beans are almost tender (very centre of beans will still be firm), 45 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Remove pot from oven and stir in tomatoes and greens (the acid in tomatoes can interfere with the beans’ tender texture. Add them toward the end of cooking, after the beans have already softened). Return pot to oven and continue to cook until beans and greens are fully tender, 30 to 40 minutes longer.
6. Remove pot from oven and submerge rosemary sprig in stew. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and rosemary sprig; season stew with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, use back of spoon to press some beans against side of pot to thicken stew. Serve, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and lightly drizzled with olive oil.

Turnip Torte - you gotta try it!

Whaaat? A delicious, comforting dish made from turnip? It's surprising but, yes, it's pretty darned good. Assembly is very easy, but it does require quite a bit of cooking time.

NOTE: next time I'll try adding a few sprinkles of either whole or cracked caraway seeds.
Response - it was good!

2 lbs turnip

1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter

½ lb havarti, grated

salt & freshly ground black pepper
Caraway seeds

1. Boil the unpeeled turnip in salted water until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the turnip(s); drain, cool, peel and cut into 1/4" thick rounds.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
3. Spread the butter on the bottom of a shallow pie plate and sprinkle 1⁄4 of the cheese in the pan; top with 1⁄3 of the turnip slices, slightly overlapping them; season with salt, pepper and a light sprinkle of caraway, and repeat, salting, peppering and carraway-ing each layer of turnip until the last quarter measure of cheese is sprinkled on top.
4. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown; let it cool a bit before serving.
5. Goes very nicely as a main dish with some toasted, crusty rye bread.