Neuhaus Chocolates

I know it's been a while since I've done a post. And yet here even though I'm posting I'm still not even cooking. Well, I'm lazy. It's February after all. My worst month of the year. I'm always so tired and sick of winter in February. I just want to hibernate. February for me feels like a month I have to make it through. One thing that does help get me through it is thinking about vacations that I will be taking in the coming year and vacations I have taken in the past. This February I find myself thinking about our trip to Europe last fall because it was the best vacation ever. I'm thinking about all the fun things we did and all the yummy food we ate. Sometimes I try to re-create the thrill of vacations past by re-creating a food item I enjoyed while on vacation. Right now I'm thinking of Neuhaus Chocolate. I hadn't heard of Neuhaus until maybe 3 years ago. It's not readily available in my corner of the world and to be honest it's not exactly cheap. I did discover Neuhaus while in Paris with my mother and now that I know about it there simply is no going back.

I guess I could describe Godiva as being the poor mans Neuhaus. And anyone who has shopped at Godiva knows they don't exactly give the chocolate out for free there either. That' s also not to say that I don't enjoy Godiva because believe me I do. I really, really do. But I feel like why have just champagne when you could have Dom Perignon? Have you had Dom? If you have you know what I'm talking about. Neuhaus to me feels like the Dom of Chocolates. I insisted Husband and I have Neuhaus chocolate while in Europe and I think Husband spoke well when he said he felt like a kid again when he ate the Neuhaus Chocolate. It just tastes that amazing. And the fact that they had a Smurf line out at the time helped out too!

Now, it's not easy to get your hands on a box of Neuhaus Chocolates in Canada. The only place I have ever seen them sold is a high end grocery store in Toronto called Pusateri's. And the cheapest box was $50. If anyone can tell me of another retailer I'd be glad to hear it. If you find yourself in Europe pick up a box. You will not regret it. You should be able to find a box in the airport shops. You will be turned and I have been, and how I turned Husband into a Neuhaus fan and find yourself daydreaming of those wonderful truffles!

Vegan Chili

For quite some time I've been wanting to try the Vegan Chili that I saw made on The Ellen DeGeneres show. Ellen is a well known vegan and this was a recipe that, if I do recall correctly, her personal chef made on the show. I thought this might be expensive to make but was pleasantly surprised that most of the ingredients were things that I already had in the cupboard. I really only had to pick up a couple things. My grocery store did not offer the brand of "Ground Beef" listed on the ingredients list,which is Smart Ground, so I went with Yves Original "Ground Beef". Which is actually tofu that looks just like a cooked ground beef.

Not only is this recipe super easy and super fast to make but it is also SUPER delicious!!! I made a plate of hot nachos for Husband and I and served it with this vegan chili as a dip for the nachos and both Husband and I really liked it. I highly recommend this recipe. And seriously if you're thinking of cutting down on the amount of red meat you consume but hate to give up your meaty favourites, think of this recipe as having your cake and eating it too. You can still enjoy and nice bowl of chili honouring your inentions of lessening the red meat in your diet. I beseech you to try this recipe whether your vegan or not. Delicious, delicious, delicious!

RECIPE: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/recipes/vegetarian_vegan/vegan-nachos-vegan-chili-nacho-cheese-0205.php

Italian Dinner!!! featuring Amalfi Baked Lemons, Amalfi Salad and Lone Linguine with White Truffle Oil

Last Friday I decided to make a bit of a fancy meal for Husband and I for dinner. My sister bought me "Jamie's Italy" for Christmas and I've been wanting to try some recipes. I chose 2 recipes from the aforementioned book and one recipe from Nigella's "Kitchen". The Jamie Oliver recipes were the 2 Amalfi recipes and the linguine belongs to Nigella.

The Amalfi Baked Lemons really intrigued me. It's just so different than anything I've ever had before or tried to make before so I was really looking forward to trying it. I decided to serve my dinner in courses and to prepare each course fresh for serving. I thought "What's the rush it's Friday? Right!?!" Husband wasn't to fond of that approach. I think he was looking for a massive plate of food all in one shot, but as the chef for the evening it was my opinion that mattered!! The ingredients for the baked lemons are easy and straight forward. And while you might be thinking "Who wants to eat baked lemons???",I have good news for you. This is actually a cheese dish. The only part of the lemon you use is the rinds, which you fill with buffalo mozzarella and a couple other items. Then you bake until the cheese is ooey and gooey and infused with a subtle but fantastic lemon citrus flavour. I thought this dish was a really nice change from the ordinary. Husband found this dish passable.

So, round one I hadn't won Husband over and he was making it known that he was still quite hungry. I forbade him from snacking on cookies between courses. I'm not sure Husband is familiar with the adage patience is a virtue! Round 2 was Amalfi salad. No greens for this salad. It's an uncomplicated dish, but very fresh and refreshing. Everything is very thinly sliced and tossed in an oil & vinegar dressing then at the last moment you add in orange. The orange is quite vital I feel because it balances the strong flavours of the radish and onion. I liked this dish as well, Husband liked it better than the baked lemons but still he was not satisfied.

My last and final chance at impressing Husband was the Lone Linguine with Truffle sauce. Now I know that husband loves pasta and I know he likes truffle so I was feeling pretty good about this one. Sure it doesn't have any meat (always a negative for Husband) but still I held out hope. Even though this dish is really quite quick to prepare I still couldn't keep husband's hands out of the cookie jar which was disappointing but apparently he was on the verge of starvation and the only thing between him and certain death was a chocolate chip cookie. Anyhow, this recipe calls for white truffle oil but as I had black truffle oil in the cupboard that's what I used. The sauce is made with raw egg and the trick to the dish is stirring the sauce into the still hot pasta over your still warm element but not having the egg "curdle" for lack of a better term. What you do get if you can avoid that scrambled egg effect is a gorgeous and velvety truffle cream sauce that is to die for. I thought this dish was amazing! Husband found it to be good but he thought it was more of a base of a sauce and there should be more to the dish. I have to tell you though I could not disagree with him more. This dish is like a little black dress. Uncomplicated, simple, classic and stunning. The pasta acts as a canvas for that amazing and unmistakable flavour that is truffle. I feel like this dish is a piece of culinary artwork. Maybe not everyone is going to get it but if you truly do love food and flavour then you simply cannot ignore that this dish is nothing short of an Ode to the truffle.

In the end, even with Husband's lack of enthusiasm for the meal, I managed to quite enjoy this culinary expedition. What better way to armchair travel than through the kitchen?

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

I have to say I first fell in love with pumpkin soup while on my honeymoon. Husband and I went to an all inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic and one night we ate at the French a la carte restaurant on the resort. I ordered the pumpkin soup and it was amazeballs. It had a beautiful puff pastry crowning the bowl and once you poked thru to the soup it was rich, delicious, creamy and heavenly. What more do you want in a soup? I've been chasing that pumpkin soup ever since. When we were in Amsterdam this past fall I had another great pumpkin soup, but if I'm having to cross oceans to get a pumpkin soup I love I won't be having the stuff very often will I? That is until today!

I have been looking for a really good pumpkin soup recipe for a while now. I had some pumpkin puree to use up in my fridge so I was looking for a recipe again tonight. I found a Jaime Oliver recipe that looked okay - but it was made with butternut squash and chestnuts...not pumpkin. So I made an impulsive decision to try a recipe of my own design. A bold move, I know, but I just happen to be feeling bold tonight. I have to tell you, I'm pretty effing happy with how my soup turned out. Previously, I wasn't able to find what I wanted in a pumpkin soup. So I guess perhaps the old adage applies here, necessity is the father of invention. Or maybe in this case we can say that cravings are the mother of recipes.

So with these clouds of want all around my head I started to build my pumpkin soup with a very specific idea of what I wanted. A velvety texture, rich and subtle undertones and I wanted this soup to make me feel like I had just crossed an ocean to get to it. I wanted this soup to make me feel like I could be eating it in the fanciest of restaurants of Paris or in the coziest corner of a Swiss ski lodge. I have to say I think I have achieved this. Well, for me anyway. I share this recipe with you because you deserve a vacation in a bowl too!

2 tbsp butter

1 medium onion chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

1/8 cup ice cider

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

620g pumpkin puree

1 cup 18% cream

3 bay leaves (fresh)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 tsp cinnamon

Bolivian rose salt

pepper
Fresh Parsley (optional)

In a large pot over medium heat melt butter. Add onion and celery and saute until soft. Add ice cider and let this cook off. [If you don't have or can't acquire ice cider (this is a liqueur) you could use apple juice.] Add chicken stock, pumpkin puree and cream. Stir until blended and allow to come to a soft boil. Add a good grinding of both salt and pepper, followed by bay leaves and cinnamon. Stir to blend. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until melted in. Let simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Remove the 3 bay leaves and puree the soup with blender (either conventional or immersion blender). Portion to bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley if desired.

Gingerbread Cookies

I have grown quite the reputation in the gingerbread department. Everyone knows that I am the queen of gingerbread cookies. Really I owe my crown to Martha Stewart though. It's her recipe that I use and have always used to make the gingerbread cookies that everyone seems to love. I think I've been making this recipe for close to 10 years now and it hasn't failed me yet. This time of year we're all looking for a recipe to really make the season. And a foolproof recipe at that! What better to way to fill your home with all things seasonal than with the smell of gingerbread. If you have kids it's a great family activity to decorate these cookies with them (or you could even make a gingerbread house!). These cookies also make a great little gift to friends or family members that you just want to give a little something. The very best part about this recipe is how well the cookies freeze. You could make these well in advance, freeze them and pull them out of the freezer if you have guests over during the holidays. I really truly think that this is THE perfect holiday recipe. Which is why I'm passing it on to you. Enjoy this festive season with your friends and family and maybe a little sugar too!

RECIPE:

http://www.marthastewart.com/343445/gingerbread-cookies?czone=holiday/workshop-christmas/workshop-christmas-house&center=307034&gallery=274868&slide=285771

Spicy Sweet Green Beans

Yesterday was Christmas with my family. We did it a little early this year because with Husband and I living almost 3 hours away from my family it's just not practical to see bot hour families in one or two days at Christmas time. So we've been alternating families for Christmas for quite a few years now. Hence this past weekend was "Christmas" with my family. It was a nice relaxing weekend at my sister's house and I brought a vegetable dish as my share of the family dinner. I thought of bringing green beans and then found this recipe in my Mark Bittman Food Matters cookbook. It's a mixture of sweetness, spice and nutty that really goes great together and was a nice compliment to our traditional Christmas dinner. Everyone really liked it even my sometimes hard to please with food father and Husband too who was not exactly glad to hear that I was making green beans.

I made these at my sister's house but if you wanted to take a dish as your contribution to a meal this is also great because it doesn't have to be served warm. It can be served at room temperature, but it can be served warm too for those of you freaking at eating something less than hot.

I think this is a terrific vegetable dish and you might be able to convince all the "greens" haters out there to give this a shot because the nuts make this seem like something other than just a pile of veg on your plate. Anyhow, I'm telling you to give this one a chance you will not regret it.

http://markbittman.com/spicy-sweet-green-beans

Vanilla Tzatziki

The other night I found myself faced with a daily question "What will I make for dinner?". As I stuck my head in and out of cupboards, the freezer, the fridge, I came across a box of falafel mix and decided that was it. Falafel for dinner, with rice and greek salad, perfect! Things went great making the meal but I realized that I really wanted some tzatziki to go with it and I didn't have any. I wasn't going to run to the store for it but I thought why not google the recipe and see if I have what I need to make it. I chose a recipe from "allrecipes.com" and checked my cupboards against the ingredient list. I had everything I needed except the only yogurt I had was vanilla flavoured. This made me doubtful that I was doing the right thing but I thought "What the hell, worse case scenario I throw it out." I didn't make the portion of the recipe they instructed for - it was calling for 2 containers of yogurt! I just needed enough to get me thru my meal so I scaled it back considerably. I used 3 tbsp of yogurt as my base and just winged it from there on portions of other ingredients. And I have to tell you I am sooooo glad that I went ahead with it. I think I actually liked this version of tzatziki better than regular tzatziki. The vanilla gives it just a little bit of sweet that is so delicious. I love it when my careless kitchen habits turnout for the good. This one paid out in spades. I now want to always make my own vanilla tzatziki and I'm going to share my "recipe" with you.

3 tbsp Vanilla flavoured Greek Yogurt (Liberte brand)

2 inches of a cucumber peeled and finely chopped

a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

a few dashes of lemon juice

a dash of salt

a good grinding of pepper

1.5 tsp of fresh (or frozen) dill

1 small clove of garlic minced

put all your ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Taste and alter as your taste buds allow.

example - if it tastes too sweet add more lemon juice, if it tastes too tart add more yogurt - but only small portions at a time.

I think you will really like this, I had a couple people at work give it a taste and they liked it as much as I did so it's not just me!

Enjoy!