Weekend Cooking

I wound up focusing on decadent foodstuffs this weekend - quasi-kettle corn, french toast, hot chocolate and some cinnamon-dusted baked sweet potato slices. Mm-mmm good.

French toast hit the spot this early afternoon, as we'd been out all night at Nuit Blanche, Toronto's second annual nightowl art extravaganza. I hadn't cooked the stuff for years (if ever, now that I think about it), but it's a pretty simple recipe that becomes delectable with the addition of a few berries (raspberries and blueberries in this case) and a generous helping of maple syrup.


Happy french toast brunch!

I used three eggs, about 1/2 c. of milk and a sprinkling of cinnamon in the 'batter', which wound up being the perfect amount for nine sizable slices of sunflower rye bread. I also sprinkled a bit more cinnamon on each side of the bread while it was in the frying pan.


I discovered that it was extra-good to squish the raspberries onto the maple syrup-doused toast, ensuring optimal coverage.

The three of us devoured the F.T eagerly, leaving only the slightest smudge of maple syrup on the plates.



I look forward to making some blueberry pancakes with the leftover berries (the raspberries were finished off easily during brunch).

I also provided a sweet pick-me-up before Nuit Blanche, creating what I'm going to call quasi-kettle corn on a whim.

I popped two bags of microwave popcorn then, in a small saucepan, melted 1/2 a cup of butter and about 2-3 tbsps. of brown sugar over medium heat on the stove, creating a vaguely caramelized butter topping. The next time I do this I'll use a little less butter to allow the sugar to caramelize a little but more, but the result was still enjoyed by my friends without a word of complaint.

I'll leave off with another standalone photo, this one an example of my occasional 'snack dinners'. This one consisted of a few homemade chocolate chip cookies, dates with cream cheese, mini carrots with ranch dip and granny smith apple slices with some aged white cheddar.



Delicious!

Coconut Riff

I was a huge fan of the last coconut-curry stir fry I created, so tonight I revisited the idea with slightly different ingredients and stuck it on top of rice (instead of with sticky rice as a side). The result was absolutely delicious, plus it left enough for me to share with my roomie and have a good sized lunch for tomorrow.


This is pre-coconut milk - isn't the spinach a lovely colour?

The ingredients this time were as follows:

-1 small sweet potato
-1 1/2 handfuls spinach leaves
-1 small can water chestnuts
-1/3 of a block of firm tofu
-1 handful green beans
-1 small head of broccoli (stem peeled & chopped as well)

Sauce: Sesame seed/olive oil, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, medium curry powder, coconut milk

I microwaved both the beans and the chopped-up sweet potato (separately) for two minutes to ensure they were tender in the stir fry, but the rest of the veggies went in raw. As in the last fry-up I started with the tofu, heating up the wok and searing it with the oils, soy and sweet chili sauce along with a bit of curry powder. I then added the beans and sweet potato, followed by the spinach. I let the spinach wilt, then added the rest of the ingredients and poured the coconut milk over everything, which was then left to simmer until the broccoli florets were tender and the rice (again, bless my lovely rice cooker) was done.


Sorry for the slight blurriness - I'm still working on my lighting.

I served it in my beautiful white IKEA bowls over the rice and enjoyed it while watching the premiere of Grey's Anatomy.

More cooking notes to come after this weekend, I'm sure.

Restaurant Review: HoSu

HoSu (A)
254 Queen St. W., 416-848-9456
2352 Yonge St., 416-322-6860
Website

Sushi is one of my obsessions. I'll admit I'm not currently the most adventurous sushi eater, but I've been working my way up from California rolls for the past few years and the progress thus far has been mostly delcious. It's always fun to try out new sushi places, finding out which fish I like and whether unagi (BBQ eel) is good (it is - really, really good in fact).


This photo and photo below both from the HoSu website - not my images.

Toronto has a multitude of sushi spots, some cheap and sketchy, others expensive (and hopefully good), a special few cheap and delicious. HoSu edges into the last category, the bulk of their main courses (with the exception of some of the larger sushi platters and bento boxes) falling under the $10 mark. Both Korean and Japanese dishes are served, giving the menu a variety I look forward to exploring during future visits.

For my first meal there, though, I stuck with the Japanese bento box, my friend and I each ordering one to share between us. Mine was the vegetarian bento ($9.95), which came with steamed tofu, kappa maki and vegetable tempura, and my friend ordered the biggest bento on the menu, coming in at $15.95, that included chicken teriyaki, shrimp tempura, california rolls and 9 pieces of fresh sashimi. We also ordered six dynamite maki, which were a bit disappointing, but the bentos saved the day, providing great variety and stunningly fresh tuna and salmon sashimi. Each box also came with miso soup, a tiny salad and steamed rice, and complimentary servings of kimchi, hot soybeans and edamame.


Again, this photo from the HoSu website. Mmm...sushi.

We left the restraurant stuffed to the gills with great food and exclaiming over the freshness of that sashimi - I was a little leery at first to try the raw fish without a cloak of rice and seaweed, but had absolutely no trouble warming to the idea once I tasted the buttery, flavourful slabs of fish. HoSu is defnitely a good place to go if you're in the mood to go off the beaten California-and-cucumber-roll track and try some new sushi treats.

Product Review: Quaker Instant Oatmeal

I think I'll do the occasional product review too, just to change it up. Once again, ratings are on a grade scale from A+ to F-.

Though I try to cook from scratch as much as I can, there are some instances where instant is the only way to go. Take weekday breakfasts, for example. Since I'm not a morning person I tend to go with cereal, cereal and more cereal (pouring milk is just barely uncomplicated enough for my early-morning self), broken up by the occasional piece of toast with peanut butter or maybe a banana.

Now that it's getting chilly, however, I long for a breakfast food that falls into the category of mindless-yet-satisfying. Here's where Quaker (or brand-of-your-choice) instant oatmeal comes in. I took the chance and picked up a box of 'plain' instant oatmeal, avoiding the oversweetened flavoured varieties (apologies for the picture, it was the only biggish one I could find).

The first morning I chose to cook it with water, following the directions on the box and adding 3/4 c. water, then sticking it in the microwave for two minutes on high. What emerged was then doctored with brown sugar, cinnamon, a teesy splash of soy milk and some cinnamon and eaten with great relish.

It's surprisingly good made with soy milk as well, and overall I was happy with the texture (a but runnier than non-instant oatmeal, but acceptable) and the addition of my various toppings made it a cosy, completely satisfying cold weather breakfast.

Rating: A

Quick Autumn Meal

Sometimes, I like to live off of snacks. Making a proper meal can be rewarding sometimes, but what about those nights when you get home late, feeling tired and just want to plop down in front of the TV? You open your freezer and are greeted by a frozen loaf of bread and some equally unwelcoming strawberries (which wouldn't make a great meal anyways) - not one microwave dinner in sight. What's a girl to do?

The answer lies in snack food. Not chips or popcorn, but something a little more satisfying, celery with peanut butter and raisins, perhaps (good old ants on a log!), or maybe graham crackers with nutella. Other favourites of mine are apple slices with aged white cheddar, toast with peanut butter (and sometimes jam or honey), dried mango and plain yogurt garnished with sweet red grapes and a little honey.

One of the best autumn snacks, however, is a 'baked' sweet potato. I say 'baked' because it's possible to make an equally delicious potato in a fraction of the time in the microwave. I microwaved mine for 4 minutes and 20 seconds on the 'baked potato' setting (pricked with a fork to prevent explosion), then sliced it open, sprinkled it with brown sugar, pepper and cinnamon, and stuck it back in for another 4 or so minutes on high (cooking times may vary by microwave).

I paired the sweet potato with some toast that I'd spread with peanut butter and honey and sprinkled with raisins, as well as some yogurt with grapes and honey for dessert. Utterly delectable, let me tell you!


Not my photo, but mmm...looks delcious!

Fruity Goodness

Here's the promised post about the fruit sauce I created to drizzle over some vanilla ice cream. I started off with a couple pints of fresh raspberries, but really only ended up using one because the other wound up having some mold in it. The perils of trusting No Frills produce (it's either really good or really awful). I picked over the non-moldy batch and reserved a few of the best berries for garnish. They looked quite lovely in their little bowl:




The recipe for the sauce was modified from one I found online for blueberry sauce (which was a success when paired with cheesecake). This time, instead of blueberries I used the fresh raspberries and some frozen strawberries to give it substance and it turned out beautifully.


See? Saucy goodness!

The recipe is as basic as it gets:

• About 2 c. fruit (I used maybe 1 1/2 cups of raspberries and 1/2 cup frozen strawberries)
  
• 1/3 c. sugar
  
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  

Wash and crush the berries (if using frozen berries, microwave for about 1 min. to soften) in a small saucepan and add sugar, lemon juice and salt. Mix well. On stove bring the mix to a boil, boil for one minute. Remove from heat, add vanilla and chill.

Use to top anything that could use added punch, such as ice cream, cheesecake, meringue, etc. etc.

Oh, and as a bonus I'll post a photo of the chocolate chip cookies I made tonight. I'm not bothering to give them their own post, as they're just run-of-the-mill, straightforward cookies, but they sure do look pretty:

Weekend Eateries

Along with the home cookin', I managed to make it out to two restaurants this weekend. Since I want this blog to be more than just my own kitchen adventures, I'm going to provide quick reviews of the restaurants I eat at - perhaps they'll come in handy for one of you (since the proliferation of eateries in Toronto can be bewildering).

Restaurants are rated on a grade scale, from A+ to F-.

Poor John's (A+)
1610 Queen St. W., 647-435-2688
Hours: Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat. 9-5, Open Sun. for brunch from 10-3

My new favourite brunch spot, the best time to hit up Poor John's is on Sunday, when they roll out a Very Special brunch menu that features what is quite possibly the best french toast in the history of the Earth. Three thick slabs of Portugese bread are drizzled with real maple syrup and topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream (also real) and a scattering of fresh berries - decadent and certainly addictive (around $8.95 and worth every penny). The special menu also boasts a variation on the 'two eggs any style' breakfast, roasting the home fries with more of that maple syrup for an unexpected flavour experience. The normal brunch menu is slightly more typical, the 'two eggs any style' ($6.75) the responsible big brother of the flamboyant Sunday option, the potatoes instead packing a subtle chili heat. Yogurt and granola loaded with fresh fruit and a filling omlette round out the selections, and a cup of chamomile-mint tea or the feature fair trade coffee provides the perfect pick-me-up drink to go with the delicious food.

For those of you who like to sleep in far past the 3 p.m. brunch cutoff, Poor John's also offers lovely sandwiches with fillings like avocado and curried tuna. The quirky atmosphere, where vintage formica tables, couches and exposed-brick walls come together with a lone chandelier, encourages meandering conversation and the staff shows off great serving chops, making the Poor John's experience enjoyable throughout.

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Swan (A)
892 Queen St. W, 416-532-0452
Hours: Open for lunch Mon-Fri 12-4, dinner Sun-Wed 5-10:30 & Thurs-Sat 5-11, brunch Sat & Sun 10-4

Swan's unassuming decor (more formica tables and exposed pipes on the ceiling) belies the artistry of its food, though a diner arriving later on in the evening might be tipped off by the crowds of trendy young folk filling the brown leather booths. My starter, a thick black bean and roasted corn soup, was brimming with flavour and slow chili heat that left me reaching for the bread basket by the end of the bowl. The soup was followed by a beautifully presented spinach salad, leaves bundled together by a strip of crisp cucumber, surrounded by a handful of pumpkin seeds and raisins and a swirl of vinagrette. My fellow diners enjoyed more typical mains, one of which (a pork chop) came with a sweet potato puree that had the most stunning silky texture and melted on your tongue, as well as a flavourful chunk of corn bread. We indulged in dessert as well, a maple syrup creme brulee that had a perfectly crunchy upper layer. I'm certainly planning to return, as there were a few other menu items that appeared quite tantalizing.

Squash Soup (Attempt #1)

Saturday night I had plans to make a delicious autumn meal for my lovely boyfriend, one that featured butternut squash soup as the main attraction with a side dish or two to set off the sweet golden nuttyness of the squash. Sadly, it didn't turn out quite the way I planned, though it was claimed that the soup tasted just fine. They can't all be victories, I suppose.


Yes, I only have one kind of plate. At least they're pretty.

I followed the vague recipe my mother gave me, which calls for:

-1 Butternut Squash
-1 Can Chicken Broth
-1/2 a Medium Onion, Chopped
-Nutmeg and/or cinnamon to taste

Making the soup is a breeze - just cut the squash into quarters and throw it into the oven at around 350-400 degrees fahrenheit until it's tender through and through. While the squash is baking, fry up the onion until clear and browning at the edges. Set aside. Get out your blender and pour the chicken broth in there (diluting it as per directions on the can), splitting it in half if your blender's too small. Once the squash is done, peel the skin off and chop it into chunks, tossing the pieces into the blender along with the onion and blending until smooth.

At this point if you prefer a less thick soup, add some more chicken broth/water. Once everything is at a desireable consistency, throw the soup into a pot and heat on the stove, stirring in the nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. When the mixture is steaming hot, remove and serve. You can also add a glug or two of cream or milk (or possibly coconut milk - I'm going to experiment with that later) if you'd like the soup to be creamier, or serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream.

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It's nice and simple, definitely a quick, tasty, and (dare I say) healthy dinner option. The main reason mine went awry was the lack of butternut squashes in my local No Frills (I knew I should have made the trek to the Dominion!). I substituted a 'buttercup' squash, hoping it was analagous to its butternut cousin, but sadly it wound up being much less sweet and strangely gritty in texture once blended. I had to add an extra shake or two of cinnamon to overcome the strange taste that I can only describe as 'unripe'. It definitely tasted better after a few spoonfuls, but next time I'm going for butternut or nothing! I'd also like to experiment with some flavour variations - the aforementioned coconut milk could give the soup a slightly Thai leaning, which would be accentuated by a bit of spiciness, perhaps from chili powder (so yeah, keep an eye out for Attempt #2).

I served the soup with simple sides - sticky rice, this time made with the right amount of water (I was excited - it turned out perfectly) and no coconut milk, and crisp sugar snap peas.

Dessert ended up being the star of the show, quite stunning in its simplicity. We got some vanilla Haagen Daas ice cream, which I consider to be the best grocery store ice cream available, and I whipped up a simple fruit sauce - fresh raspberry and frozen strawberry - to pour overtop and crowned the whole thing with the rest of the raspberries that hadn't made it into the sauce. Mmm-mm good. I'll post the recipe for the berry topping tonight - trust me, you'll want to try this one.

Moroccan Attempt

Last night I got another chance to sit some friends down and cook for them, something I'm enjoying more and more. Last time I'd gone in a Thai direction with sticky rice and coconut milk, so I decided to stick with a slightly 'exotic' (as opposed to North American standards, that is) theme and make a foray into Moroccan cooking. I've made trips to this corner of the cooking world before - in fact, one of the best dishes I've ever made (rest assured it will appear here sooner or later) is this incredibly rich, satisfying chicken with dates and almonds and the combination of spices that makes Moroccan food so irresistable - cinnamon, cumin, tumeric and ground ginger.


The finished product - chicken, peas and couscous.

This time around I decided to make it a proper meal insofar as I created a main, a pair of side dishes and a dessert that had been thought out (at least a few minutes) beforehand.

The menu:

• Lemon Chicken
  
• Sweet Couscous
  
• Sugar Snap Peas
  
• Grapes with Yogurt and Honey
  

The peas and dessert were simple but delicious - I boiled the sugar snaps for barely 5mins to preserve some crunch and scooped the plain yogurt into bowls, added a generous handful of grapes to each, then drizzled a bit of honey over the top.


Close-up on the couscous. Mmmmm.

The sweet couscous takes a little more preparation, but remains quite easy to make. I was working roughly off a recipe (so once again the measurements are mostly estimated and should be played around with) I found somewhere on the internet, but had to adjust it to the ingredients I had available, which were:

• 1 c. Couscous (you can use whole wheat if desired)
  
• 1 c. Sultana Raisins (or more if you so desire)
  
• 1/2 c. Slivered almonds
  
• 1 tbsp. Cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp. Tumeric
  
• 2-3 tbsp. Honey
  

To start off, bring one cup of water to a boil and pour over the raisins just to cover. Add a little cinnamon to the water - 1/2 tsp or so - and let sit while you work on the rest of the meal.

Cook the couscous according to the directions, or, if you buy it in bulk, with a ratio of one cup of water to one cup couscous. Bring the water to a boil, add couscous and remove from heat, covering and leaving for 5mins, then fluff with a fork and transfer into a serving bowl. Drain the rasins and toss them into the couscous along with the slivered almonds, followed by the cinnamon and tumeric. Toss and taste, adding more spice if desired. When the taste is to your liking, drizzle the honey on top and mix it in - this gives the couscous a little more texture and helps it hold together (as well as adding yet another delicious flavour). Serve and enjoy.

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The lemon chicken that was supposed to be the main event of the meal didn't turn out exactly as I envisioned it, but both of my friends decided it was quite edible. I still would like to attempt a Moroccan-inspired, lemony-but-not-saucy chicken breast, but this recipe ended up having more in common with Chinese lemon chicken, as it wound up sporting a glutinous sauce and an intense lemon flavour. I like to call it 'Lemon Meringue Chicken', as the sauce is vaguely reminiscent of the lemon custard in said pie.

The ingredients:

{Marinade}

• Juice of two lemons
  
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
  
• 1 tsp. cumin
  
• 1 tsp. tumeric
  

{Other}

• Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  
• Olive oil
  
• Flour
  
• 1/4 c. Additional lemon juice (can be 'RealLemon')
  
• Honey
  

Marinate the chicken for at least half and hour, up to one hour. Remove from marinade, reserving liquid for later, and chop into smallish pieces. Dredge pieces in flour. Heat oil in a large frying pan, then add chicken. Brown for 5-10 minutes, until no pink can be seen in the centre of the pieces. Pour reserved lemon marinade plus the extra 1/4 cup of lemon juice over chicken, let boil for 5 mins, then turn down to a simmer and let liquid reduce, adding honey and a sprinkle or two of cumin and tumeric to taste (as the sauce will be very tart). Keep cooking until sauce has reduced to a thick, almost glutinous texture and clings to the chicken, remove from heat and serve.

Pictures will be along shortly, and expect quite a bit of material from this upcoming weekend, as I'm going to be writing up a blurb about my favourite brunch spot, as well as trying my hand at butternut squash soup, a perfect autumn dish.

Adventures, Part II

Now it's time for a much less exact recipe, an adventure in which I exercised my knowledge of complimentary flavours in the creation of a simple-yet-delicious stirfry. I've decided to call it the "Big Coconut Stirfry" by virtue of the sauce's coconut milk base, but the other elements of the sauce are what truly made it delcious.



To start with, my friend (who I'd invited for dinner/to feed my experimental cooking to) and I chopped up a whole whack of vegetables. I'm sure you could use any combination of veggies for this dish, but I was quite happy with how the colours, tastes and textures of the following ones cooperated:

• Broccoli (cut into smallish buds, boiled for a few minutes to tenderize)
  
• Cauliflower (cut like the broccoli, boiled with the broccoli)
  
• Shitake muchrooms (cut into strips)
  
• Red pepper (cut in strips)
  
• Baby corn (cut in pieces)
  
• Swiss chard (cut in strips)
  
• Sugar snap peas (cut in half)
  

I also cut up some extra firm tofu into rectangles about half a centimetre thick and set out the ingredients for the sauce:

• 1/2 can of coconut milk
  
• Curry powder (mine is medium heat)
  
• Soy Sauce
  
• Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
  

Once all that was done I took a moment to start up the rice cooker, which contained sweet rice, water and some coconut milk that I hoped would turn magically into sticky rice. Sadly it didn't work out perfectly, but the end result was pretty close to my desired outcome, though a little soupy (less water next time). I'll probably do an entry dedicated solely to sticky rice/rice cookers in the near future, so keep an eye out for that.

Now back to the main event. All amounts have been estimated, as I didn't measure any of the ingredients in the heat of the moment, so feel free to toy with them and adjust to your own taste.

After heating up my wok (I cook on a gas stove, but I'd set an electric to high or around 8-9) with a liberal dollop - about 2 tablespoons - of sesame oil (heated until it was smoking a bit), I tossed the tofu in and let it fry for a moment before adding three tablespoons of soy sauce and some sweet chili sauce (1.5 tbsp or so) and let the tofu sizzle for around three minutes. Once it started browning, I added the broccoli, cauliflower and red pepper and a quarter cup of water and tossed everything until the sauce that formed while the tofu was cooking was thoroughly coating the lot of it.

I then added a sprinkle of the curry powder, maybe 1/2 a tsp of it, and mixed up the stirfry again before adding the baby corn, mushroom and swiss chard, letting the new ingredients cook until the chard grew limp. The half can of coconut milk was added next, along with another helping of curry powder - at least a teaspoon - and everything mixed up again. The next few minutes were spent watching the stirfry simmer and adding a little bit more sweet chili sauce and some more curry powder until the sauce was flavourful enough for my liking. At the last minute I threw in the sugar snap peas, let them cook for maybe two minutes, then turned off the heat, mixed everything up one last time, and ladled the stirfry into bowls.



The sticky rice was served on the side in seperate, smaller bowls, and thankfully the entire meal (ice cream for dessert included) was a hit.

This Week's Adventures

I started out this week determined to cook up a storm, and by golly I think I did. It was also a good workout for my culinary flexibility, as one dish was from a recipe, and the other straight from my head. I'll start with the dish I made on Wednesday.

The recipe is called Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard, but when I went to the grocery store they were apparently all out of canned black beans, so I wound up substituting with one can of kidney beans and a can of small Mexican red beans. I'd still like to try this recipe again with black beans, as I find they have an entirely unique taste as compared to their beany cousins.

Other than that substitution, I pretty much followed the recipe, though I believe I put in a little more squash then asked for, because I just can't get enough of that butternutty goodness. Mmm.

Here's a shot of the chili mid-cooking process...


Please forgive me for the badly lit photos - I'm still working out a better lighting system so my food shots don't turn out quite so yellow

You can see that I chose to leave the squash in relatively big chunks, and thankfully this didn't backfire on me - the pieces cooked all the way through and were perfectly tender.



Post-chard addition. I realize it looks like a witches' stew, but trust me, it tastes delicious. I'm actually carting the bulk of it up to my cottage to share with my parents this weekend, just to prove to them that I can actually cook.

Welcome to My Kitchen

An appreciation for really good food - both homemade and restaurant fare - has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. My parents are both great cooks - my dad being the more experimental one who loves to delve into French and Italian cuisine while often making his own changes to the recipes (most of which improve them), and my mom being the one who makes the classics and can turn out a batch of impressively thin crepes with very little swearing involved.

I've been cooking for myself for a while now, but only recently have I really made an effort to try and expand my repertoire, branching out from the simple stir fries and grilled cheese sandwiches (and who could overlook the lovely radioactive orange of Kraft Dinner?) that formerly formed much of my personal recipe repository.

I've also vowed to expand my horizons when it comes to baking. Until my first foray into cheesecake, most of my sweet creations took the form of cookies. Mostly chocolate chip, but I'd also tried out gingerbread, shortbread, sugar cookies, and these truly amazing simple chocolate cookies that wound up looking surprisingly professional. Now I've added the aforementioned cheesecake to the mix - thus far only plain and strawberry, but I plan to work on chocolate as my next challenge.

So that's a quick overview of where I'm coming from - if I had to write myself a headline it would be 'Slight food snob searches for scintillating new recipes' or something equally alliterative.

Stay tuned for more missives from the kitchen, coming as soon as I upload the pictures of my latest triumph (just to tantalize you, the recipe was for a black bean and butternut squash chili).