finding fiddleheads

Last week my pal Karen and I spent the day with travel writer Sandra Phinney and fiddlehead expert Melvin Nash  foraging for fiddleheads. The young furled ostrich fern that looks like something from a Tim Burton movie is a spring delicacy in these parts.  You can read all about my adventures on the Fredericton Tourism Town Square Blog and find out more about this dish I prepared with the wonderful Chef Lizzie Stewart of The Blue Door Restaurant and Bar, one of the top 50 restaurants in Canada.

fiddlehead risotto

Along with ramps and morels, fiddleheads are part of trifecta of blink-and-you-miss-it wild foods of spring.   I had the chance last Friday to go foraging for fiddleheads with a man who literally wrote the book on fiddleheading, Melvin Nash.  You'll be able to read all about those adventures on the Fredericton Tourism blog later this week.   I had been obsessing about the idea of fiddlehead risotto since I first knew I would end up with a few pounds of fresh fiddleheads.  (Actually I spend about 98% of my time obsessing about risotto.  It's only the ingredients that change.)

I found a great recipe Spring Lemon Risotto with Asparagus and Fiddlehead Ferns on the kitchn and
based the dish on that.   I opted not to include the asparagus giving the spotlight completely to the fiddleheads.

serves 4 to 6
3 cups fiddlehead ferns
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, washed well, and diced.
2 scallions, white parts only, washed and minced.
1 clove garlic minced
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
approximately 5 1/2 cups hot vegetable stock
zest of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Start by cleaning the fiddleheads.  I learned a great technique from Melvin but it involves a stiff breeze and rushing stream.  Assuming your kitchen doesn't have these amenities, use your sink.  Wash the fiddleheads then rub them in a kitchen towel to remove any of the brown paper-like chaff. Trim off any brown ends.  

To blanch the fiddleheads you'll need a pot of boiling water and an ice bath.  Boil the fiddleheads for about 2 minutes and then plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking.  Once they cooled, I chopped the stems and left the furled tops intact.  Set aside.

Simmer your pot of brother, covered, over medium-low heat.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Saute leeks, scallions, and garlic  until tender and almost translucent.

Add rice, and stir until grains are translucent at their edges but still opaque in the center, about 3 minutes. 

Add wine, and stir until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Add the warm stock by the cupful, stirring until rice has absorbed nearly all of the liquid before adding the next cup.

When rice is almost done, stir in the blanched and drained vegetables and the lemon zest. Stir in the last 1/2 cup of stock, then add the cheese and remaining butter.

Roasted fiddleheads: I love roasting vegetables.  I think if there was more roasting and less boiling of vegetables people would not be so averse to eating them.  I topped the risotto with roasted fiddleheads and I thank it really made this dish.  Simply toss the clean fiddleheads with oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

We paired it this with one of my favourite wines - Benjamin Bridge's Nova 7 - perfection!

bananas! simple dairy-free "ice cream"

Faced with a few over-ripe bananas late last week I was trying to work up the motivation to bake up some banana bread.  But it just seemed like so much effort.  Also I didn't have eggs.  (It's been that kind of month around here - I don't have eggs on hand!).   But then I remembered that I had seen a lot of non-dairy "ice cream" recipes on Pinterest so I browsed and found this super-simple recipe.  I whipped up a batch late Thursday night to the delight of my co-workers on Friday a.m.  It was such a hit that on Saturday I whipped up a second batch for a girls' night potluck.   I was really impressed with how well the consistency turned out - rich and creamy and just like old-school ice cream!

This is the recipe based on 6 bananas but it's super easy to adjust based on what you have on hand - I don't even measure.  And you could tweak flavours etc. for a variety of flavours.   Best part is you don't even need an ice cream maker!

what you need:

• 6 ripe bananas
• 1-1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup of canned coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp agave syrup  or sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup in the second batch!)

Slice the bananas and freeze for at least an hour.    This is the trick to getting the ice cream consistency as opposed to freezing banana mush, I think. 

Combine frozen bananas and other ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  It will now be the consistency of soft serve.  Transfer to a container and pop in the freezer until frozen.  Enjoy!

dine around freddy

Wow! where did the past month go?  Lots of changes coming for me but more on that soon!  One of the big preoccupations over the past month has been eating.  Seriously.   Dine Around Freddy started on the 14th.  For two weeks ten restaurants in Fredericton offer up three course meals at a fixed price of $29.   Eight of the restaurants invited me and writer & chef Karen Pinchin to get a sneak peek - taste? - of their menus.  Luckily Karen and I are also good friends so spending several evenings lingering over three course meals wasn't exactly a chore. (Check out Karen's 10 Commandments of Dine Around)

We felt pretty spoiled and I have to say a big thank you to the restaurants that hosted us.  You can read my restaurant by restaurant posts over at the Fredericton Tourism blog

pop secret

Popcorn popped on the stove top is one of my favourite cold weather snacks and I've been mean to post about this for awhile.    After sharing bowl recently my friends Julie and Jilanna suggested I get on that.  This isn't really a recipe as much as a technique.  I can't remember where I heard about it originally but needless to say I can't take credit for thinking this up, I'm just passing it on as it gives a great flavour with minimal unpopped kernels.

What you need:

• Large, heavy pot - I use one with a glass lid to keep an eye on the progress
• Approx. 3 tbsps of oil - vegetable oil works, I prefer olive or occasionally coconut oil (just be aware that different oils have different smoke points so be sure to keep an eye on the heat)
• 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels - I don't actually get very precious about this - no-name popcorn kernels seem to work for me!
• salt

What you do:

Coat the bottom of the pot with oil and place on a burner over medium heat.  Scatter three kernels on the bottom of the pot and cover.  These are your test kernels that will let you know when the oil is at a good temperature.  Now we wait.

Once all three kernels have popped (keep an eye out, if there's a straggler and the other two look in danger of burning move on) move the pot off the heat and add all the kernels in a single layer.  Cover and count to thirty before returning to the heat.  This seems to be the key step in getting all the kernels to a consistent temperature and ensuring maximum "poppage" (which is obviously a real word).

Note: If you plan to season with table, kosher or sea salt, this is actually a great time to add it.  That way as the popcorn pops, the salt is distributed throughout.  I don't do this with blended salts though (i.e. black truffle, lavender, herbed) as the blended ingredients can burn in the hot oil.

Return the pot to the heat gently shaking it back and forth over the burner to avoid burning the kernels.  Once the popping starts, I like to keep the lid slightly ajar (not too wide or you'll have popcorn all over the place).  This helps the steam escape and will give a nice crispness to the popcorn.  Once it has slowed to a few seconds between the pops remove it from the heat.  Dump it in the bowl, season and enjoy!  

Because this is popped in oil, drizzling melted butter seems a little like gilding the lily.  So rather uncharacteristically I recommend you skip the butter!  

And that it's it. Not only does it taste a million times better than microwave popcorn, it's cheaper and not laden down with artificial flavours and preservatives.  Simple and delicious.

it's the weekend... share a laugh.

Gilda Radner and Madeline Kahn

 Happy Friday!  I hope you had a wonderful week.  I am having a little Friday afternoon dance party at my desk as I write this.  The sun is shining and we are enjoying pretty mild temps after a real cold snap.  Just in time to get out celebrate the weekend!  Tonight I'm heading to check out the art at two new exhibits opening at the UNB Art Centre and then it's off to celebrate the great local food folks from Real Food Connections.  Tomorrow I'll be cheering on my cousin Danielle in some high school basketball.  I'm also finishing my first script treatment.  As part of my script-writing class we are each writing a one-act play in five weeks!  It's a little daunting but also exciting.  As my friend Lori says: "Doing is believing."

And, of course, I'll be making some time to get out and enjoy the great weather.  How are you spending your weekend?

Here are some fun links to end the week.

* giggle. How Parks & Recreation is secretly Fraggle Rock (scariest fact in this story? Fraggle Rock premiered THIRTY years ago!)

* guffaw. If this past Sunday's Downton Abbey took place entirely on Facebook.

* oooh.  Loving these Design*Sponge florals inspired by the Joni Mitchell album Blue See all their past album-inspired collection here. This definitely helps me fulfill my New Year's goal of making time to look at beautiful and inspiring things.

* awww. My name is Heather and I'm a sap-a-holic... a group of old men get together at the local Tim Horton's to sing barbershop renditions of a Disney song.  Commence ugly crying.

the weekend that was

The sun over the Nashwaak River from D's backyard.

I hope you had had a great weekend!  Saturday started off beautiful and sunny here.  My friend D and I headed to the local farmer's market and then to my place for a simple breakfast.

While I was cooking up breakfast I glanced outside to discover that the sunshine was gone and it was practically a white-out!  Five minutes later the sun and blue skies were out again.  Truly crazy weather!

Saturday night my friend K and I treated ourselves to a girls night of cocktails and conversation at the Blue Door.  We laughed a lot.  So much fun and great hospitality from the crew at this great restaurant.

Sazerac!  So delish - I'm all about the old school cocktails "served low."

And my first scriptwriting class on Sunday night was amazing - feeling so inspired.   We are each writing a one-act play over the course of the next five weeks.  Will be a challenge but I'm excited!

It wasn't all sunshine, French toast and sazerac this weekend.  One of the city's favourite pubs and eateries  - the Garrison District Ale House - suffered serious damage when a fire broke out there on Friday night.  The good news is that they plan to re-open in six weeks.  The down side is that they've had to lay off 38 employees in the meantime.  There's a fundraiser in the works to help the staff and you can find out more on Facebook or by following @garrison_staff on Twitter.  Huge response already from the community makes me so proud of our little city!

How did you spend your weekend?

the things we do for luck

Even though I have no particular personal connection the Southern United States, I've somehow adopted the tradition of making a variation of Hoppin' John each New Year's Day. According to lore, eating this black-eyed pea dish on New Year's Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck.   I've made it as a hot bean and rice dish and cooled down as hearty salad.  A few weeks ago my friend Jilanna sent me the link to the new magazine By Hand which featured their take on Hoppin' John - this time baked in an acorn squash.  Yum!

Since I didn't have dried black eyed peas and had to resort to canned, I tweaked the amount of stock a bit (I also think I'd add some rice if I do the recipe again.)   It's a hearty, savoury dish and for a household of one offers up a whole lot of left-overs for the first week of work lunches in 2013.

As a nice side bonus, I had a small amount of squash seeds to toss in salt and oil and roast for a tasty snack.

Apparently to be truly lucky, Hoppin' John should be eaten with collard greens and cornbread which I skipped but hopefully a little luck will still come my way in 2013!

it's the weekend: freshen up

 Elizabeth Taylor - gorgeous even when she wasn't glammed up.

watch.  Did you watch Mr. Rogers growing up?  I sure did.  PBS Digital studios has done this remarkably touching and humourous remix of some of his wisdom.  "It's good to be curious about many things."



listen.   The twee pop of Dream Diary is such a throwback it makes me feel like a girl of 17 again...



admire. Julia Rothman's Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life makes me want to pack up and move to a farm.  Informative and charming at the same time.  I like that.

make. On Sunday after my lovage revelation I was chatting with my grandmother about it and she informed me that if I could find a use for chickweed, we'd be in business.  And then this recipe showed up in my Twitter feed.  Not sure that I'll be making the River Cottage chickweed pakoras any time soon but it was a funny coincidence.

breathe. Vienna-based photog Akos Major's series Still is a visual vacation from the over-stimulation of ever day life.

lovage, actually

Levisticum officinale (Garden Lovage) Otto Wilhelm Thomé

"I chose this for you because you seemed like the kind of person who'd be up for trying something new."

It's five o'clock on a drizzly Thursday afternoon and the line-up at Real Foods Fredericton  stretches through the small storefront and out the door.  Leah Antsis is walking me through the contents of my weekly grocery box. Among the still-crisp Honey Crisp apples, Chef Carson's new spring greens and the first local organic tomato of the season, she has tucked a Ziploc bag filled with fresh chives and... leaves that look like the sort of thing you'd yank out by the roots if you saw it growing in your garden.

Leah explains to me that it's lovage, that it has a flavour reminiscent of celery (the hollow stems make excellent straws for your Caesars, she says) and hands me a recipe for "Old-Fashioned Lovage and Potato Soup." Which of course I had to try.

the preservation society

I don't proclaim to be an expert on how Edie Sedgwick spent the mornings after Andy Warhol's Factory parties but I feel fairly confident that  they did not involve pickling a pound of asparagus spears.   But there I was digging out my canning supplies the morning after a large evening at a 1960s-inspired benefit for the Beaverbrook Art Gallery (a party so fun I forgot to actually take any photos. oops.)

When starting out canning the first step (well, the  first step for me anyway) is to get over the conviction that botulism-poisoning is imminent for one's family and friends.  As with most fears, your best weapon against this is information. Get yourself a good book on canning, educate yourself on the process and the dangers, be vigilant about prepping your materials, ingredients and water bath properly, pay close attention to processing times and temps and, for pickling, use the vinegar with the proper acidity and in the proportions called for in the recipe.  While you don't need to arm yourself with several thermometers and a roll of litmus paper, you should adhere closely to the recipes and directions.  So if you're the kind of cook who prefers tossing ingredients into a pot to see what happens rather than following a recipe, canning may not be for you.  Might I suggest flavoured syrups or a nice sorbet?

There are a number of great resource books out there but I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Canning for a New Generation from my friend Jennifer and I really like the approach author Lianna Krissoff has taken. 

We can pickle that after the jump.

like buttah

When it comes to experiments in the kitchen, I prefer minimal effort for maximum results (see last week's homemade ricotta adventures).  And when these experiments involve a split second where one thing margically transforms into something else, so much the better.

On Saturday after a morning of errands at the Boyce Farmer's Market, Aura Whole Foods and Victory Meat market, I decided to spend some time in the kitchen before heading into the garden to finish planting the veg.   Ninety minutes later I had a couple of bars of lavender soap, a batch of chem-free Henry-friendly bug spray, hibiscus syrup for drinks (based on the lavender syrup here) and two containers of butter and a cup or so of buttermilk.

If you've followed my blog for any amount of time you know that I like old-timey things.  One of the happiest weeks of my childhood was spent here where I willingly swept out stables at dawn and slept on a straw tick mattress. 

So when my friend Jilanna sent me a blogpost that included a link to making your own butter I became possessed by the idea.  I used the recipe from eating from the ground up and I recommend reading Alana's post because she took more pictures than I did and also it's just very entertaining.  I particularly like that she is very pragmatic about the fact that we don't make butter at home because it is more economical.   It's about the satisfaction of making something yourself.  Also because it is delicious. And I'm willing to pay three bucks for that.

(Although on a practical note, I will say that it is sometimes easier to find heavy cream than unsalted butter in this city so there is definitely a good reason to know how to do this.)

So here is the big trick to making butter at home.

1. Dump 16 oz of whipping cream and 1/2  a teaspoon of kosher salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Turn on the mixer.   I just used a hand-mixer which probably took a few more minutes than a Kitchen Aid stand mixer but was hardly onerous.
3. Watch and be amazed - first you'll get whipped cream (resist the temptation to make stop here and make shortcakes), then over-whipped cream (a kitchen tragedy we've all experienced) and then a few minutes later in a split second and like magic, it breaks and you suddenly find yourself with hunks of golden butter swimming in butter milk.Stop mixing.
4. Strain the buttermilk off into a jar for using in pancakes or biscuits.
5. Squeeze all the remaining buttermilk out of the butter.  Rinse in cold water and squeeze.  Repeat until all the buttermilk has been squeezed out.

I split my butter into two small wooden cheese boxes I had on hand.  I mixed one with chopped basil for an herb butter and one I left plain.  And that's all there is to it!

lavender lemonade

With the arrival of summer weather comes my need to always have a bottle of simple syrup in the refrigerator.  If you've ever experienced the frustration of trying to dissolve granulated sugar in a pitcher of iced tea you know this syrup is an absolute must for sweetening cold summer beverages.  (If you're avoiding white sugar, you can make this syrup with raw sugar, although you will get a darker colour.  A quick Google search should also provide the proportions if you wanted to do an agave or honey based syrup.)

On Sunday I became a little bit obsessed with the idea of doing a lavender infused simple syrup and then making lavender lemonade.  So I stopped by Aura Whole Foods on my way home from work yesterday and for a toonie I got enough lavender buds to make 3-4 batches of this syrup. In the time it took to cook up a pot of pasta for my supper, I had made a cup of dusty pink, lavender-infused simple syrup.  

(This  was so dead easy that I think I'll go back and get some hibiscus. Imagine a shocking pink syrup!

the how to

bring 1 cup of water and 3 tablespoons lavender buds to a boil.  Add 1 cup of sugar, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes occasionally giving the pot a gentle swirl.   Remove from heat and let cool slightly before straining the syrup.  I strained once through a fine mesh sieve and then a second time through a coffee filter.  Let cool completely.  This will yield about a cup of syrup.  It will keep in a sealed bottle for about a week. 

To make the lemonade, combine 2 parts water + 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice +1 part simple syrup. 

Pimm's Cup:  What the mint julep is to the Kentucky Derby, this cocktail is to Wimbledon and polo matches.  The herbal lavender lemonade is a perfect complement to this gin-based liqueur.  In a tall glass pour 1.5-2 oz Pimm's No. 1 over ice, fill with lemonade.  Top with club soda if you want a little fizz and garnish with a slice of cucumber (the traditional way), a twist of lemon, a strawberry or a sprig of mint.  It's Pimm's O'Clock!

raspberry sorbet

Summer (or at least a very lovely late spring) seems fully upon us now and it's time to switch out the cool weather kitchen gadgets (goodbye for a few months, slow-cooker) for the warm weather tools (ice cream maker, I think I've missed you most of all!). 

While I'm looking forward to making a few batches of rich and decadent ice cream, I decided to start the season with something a little lighter (and to use up the end of last season's berry picking to make room in the freezer!).  So raspberry sorbet it was.

I've mentioned before on the blog how easy sorbet is.  This raspberry sorbet has only four ingredients - the most time-consuming part was waiting for the puree to strain completely. While I was standing in my sunny kitchen pressing the pureed raspberries through the strainer, I experienced a rush of memories of the fruits of last summers berry-picking adventures.  Coulis, cordials, sorbets...  Can't wait to do it all again!

the how-to

Heat 1 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved to create a simple syrup.  Puree syrup with 3-4 cups of raspberries.  Strain through fine mesh sieve.  Raspberry sorbet has such a stunning colour and raspberry seeds are such a pain that I strained this twice.  Stir in 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or to taste and chill the mixture for at least an hour until cool.  Freeze in ice cream maker according to directions.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, don't worry.  You can make sorbet in the freezer just plan on it taking a little longer - this recipe gives you the how-to.

Is it even possible to make raspberry sorbet without humming a little of Prince's Raspberry Beret?

say cheese

I was watching an episode of Happy Endings (Year of Penny!) last week and Max was complaining about his hipster brother and his "ricotta-making wife."  And even though I know it wasn't supposed to inspire me, I was reminded through my laughter that I had a recipe for ricotta stuck to my kitchen idea board.  

Purists will tell you true ricotta is made from heating whey and separating the curds (I'm really starting to feel like Little Miss Muffet...) but this super simple at home method does the trick and certainly yields a result better than most of what you find in the supermarket and for a lower price and without the preservatives.

And it pretty much took me longer to tell you all this than it took to actually make fresh cheese at home.

the how to

heat 2 litres of 3.25% milk over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it starts to get steamy and foamy.  Resist the urge to hurry this along by raising the heat: scalded or boiled over milk is no one's friend.  Once heated, remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1/2 tsp of kosher salt (use kosher as iodine in table salt can react with the flavour) and let set for about two minutes as curds separate.   Strain the cheese using a  fine mesh strainer lined with two layers of cheesecloth. Ricotta can be kept sealed in the fridge for about a week.

To what degree you strain it is your choice.  As you can see from the photo above I went dry. I wanted it to be quite solid for tossing with Nashwaak noodles, baking into a leek and asparagus frittata etc.  If you want your ricotta to have a creamier, more spreadable texture you can stir in a little heavy cream or olive oil before using. (you could also toss in a few chopped fresh herbs!)  I stirred in a little Persian lime-infused olive oil and topped some flatbreads with ricotta, cherry tomatoes and basil - so delicious!

In related news - I hate paying $8 a tub for mascarpone cheese and it turns out making that at home is just as easy as the ricotta.  (And cheap at about $2 for a 375ml of cheese)

someone's in the kitchen

When Fredericton Tourism asked me if I would go behind the scenes at the Delta Fredericton kitchen and cook with Executive Chef Jason Gower and his team for a Kitchen Rave I jumped at the chance.  Held periodically at the hotel, the Kitchen Raves offer a chance for couples, corporate groups or friends to head to the kitchen and prepare a three course meal the way the experts do.  Of course, the best part is sampling the finished product!

Our first course was a cocoa crusted chicken served with a wild mushroom and lobster risotto, topped with lemon butter sauce.  I love the idea of liberating cocoa from desserts or sweet treats and look forward to trying this cocoa crusted chicken at home.  And, of course, risotto is one of my favourite dishes and this version with lobster, wild mushrooms and saffron didn't disappoint.  (I also learned some secrets on how I can serve risotto at my next dinner part without forcing my guests to visit me in the kitchen for a 20-minute broth facial over a steaming risotto pot!)

Our salad course was roasted asparagus and goat cheese salad with seared Bay of Fundy scallops and topped with a port wine vinaigrette and crushed walnuts.  Originally this had been intended to be a roasted beet salad but Chef has a real commitment to quality ingredients sourced as locally as possible and when he couldn't find beets to his liking switched the dish to asparagus. I've been roasting asparagus at home a lot this spring - brings out a wonderful flavour, especially in the tips.  How cute is the little cucumber slice basket holding the greens?  A simple way to dress up your greens!

Before the main course, Chef took us outside to share a breathtaking sunset.  Who needs dinner and a movie?  This is the real show!   The Delta Fredericton patio has arguably the best view of the river in the city and this has me excited for the opening of their pool bar!

We headed back to the table and our main course: white balsamic and roasted garlic marinated strip loin of Atlantic pride beef, topped with a red wine reduction and grilled baby prawns. I rarely cook beef at home because I find it challenging to get it just right.  So I appreciate someone else serving me a juicy, quality strip loin.  And how cute are those multi-coloured carrots?  Really simple and creative choices to dress up the plate.

And finally - dessert: a Keswick apple tart tartin served with vanilla pod ice cream quenelles.  This is a dish that really emphasizes the Chef's focus on local ingredients.  The local apples are blanched and frozen in the fall so they can be used throughout the year.  I've done that with vegetables but it never occurred to me to preserve the fruits of my apple-picking labours this way!  (I'm going to need a bigger freezer...)   The tart was sweet and caramelized and the rich and creamy vanilla pod ice cream from McCabe's is ice cream as it should be!  A fancier spin on the classic apple pie and ice cream and a great end to a delicious evening.

Whether you're a seasoned chef or a kitchen neophyte, the Delta Kitchen Rave is a night of great fun and great eats.  Keep an eye on the Delta Fredericton Facebook page for details of the next rave - they announce about two weeks in advance.

roasted tomatoes,caramelized onions & goat cheese pasta

There's a place for overly intricate recipes with a long list of exotic ingredients and techniques.  That place is not my kitchen.  I prefer recipes that really allow a handful of ingredients to do what they do best.   In the case of this dish (based on an old Bon Appetit recipe) it's all about sweet roasted tomatoes, rich carmelized onions and tangy goat cheese.  And that's about it.  Anything else would just be gilding the culinary lily.

2 pints grape tomatoes
3 red onions, thinly sliced
8 oz pasta of your choice (I used linguine)
5-7 oz goat cheese
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  In a 9x13 baking dish toss tomatoes with olive oil to coat.  Season with salt and pepper and roast for about 45 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to brown and collapse.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat, add onion and cook until they start to brown - about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes until onions are brown and softened.  (Do not rush this! It's tempting but caramelized onions are worth the wait!) Salt the onions and cook another 5 minutes until the caramelizing is complete.

While the onions are cooking down, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. (I saved a little bit of pasta water to deglaze the onion pan and add back into the mix - why waste that caramelized flavour?)

Toss together pasta, tomatoes, onions and most of the goat cheese (keep aside a bit for garnish).  Plate it, crumble the remaining goat cheese over top and that's it! Enjoy!

tabbouleh with watermelon

With the weather we've been having lately, it's easy to believe that summer is just around the corner.  This tabbouleh recipe I found in a back issue of Martha Stewart helps those summery feelings along.   The traditional tomato is replaced with sweet juicy watermelon and a little crumbled goat cheese gives it a tangy creaminess.  Fast, healthy, delish!

• 1 1/4 cups water
• Coarse salt
• 3/4 cup bulgur wheat
• 8 ounces watermelon (about 1/2 small), peeled and coarsely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

Bring water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in bulgur, and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and let stand, uncovered, until cooled, 15 to 30 minutes.

Transfer bulgur to a bowl, and toss with watermelon, parsley, scallions, oil, lemon zest and juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gently fold in goat cheese.

chocolat

Truffles are one of those delightful treats that never fail to impress but are actually quite simple to make. You can get pretty much covered in ganache while rolling them but if you can melt chocolate, you can make these.    I found this recipe in Bon Appetit a few years ago and I love the blend of dark chocolate, Earl Grey tea and brandy for a nice grown-up kick.

Skip the heart-shaped box of supermarket chocolates and whip up a batch of these for your sweetie!

Earl Grey Truffles

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
3 Earl Grey tea bags - (try Stash's Double Bergamot Earl Grey for  a wonderful citrus note)
8 ounces of dark chocolate chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons of brandy
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Bring cream and sugar just to boil in heavy small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Remove from heat.  Empty tea from bags into cream.  Cover and steep 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir chocolate and butter in small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. I like to use a double-boiler to ensure the chocolate doesn't burn.  Transfer to medium bowl.

Strain cream mixture through fine mesh strainer into chocolate mixtures, stir to blend.  Stir in brandy and salt.  Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  Cover and chill until firm, about 4 hours.

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture between palms to form balls.  Place on prepared sheet.  Chill until firm about 1 hour.  Roll truffles between palms again.  Place cocoa powder in small bowl.  Roll truffles in cocoa.   Cover and chill.

playing chicken

What is is about Sunday nights that always make me want to roast a chicken?  I love the convenience of grabbing rotisserie chickens from the supermarket to use in weeknight meals but since you can have your own roasted chicken in just over an hour, Sunday seems to be the perfect time to roast your own.  Great eating for a few days and then the chance to make homemade stock.  In the fall, I like the earthiness of classic poultry seasonings: sage, thyme, rosemary and love pairing it with root veg.  But now that we are in deep winter I am craving a little brightness... okay a lot of brightness.  Enter Martha Stewart Living and a recipe for Lemon, Parsley and Parmesan chicken.

With its vibrant citrus and fresh green flavours, the combination of lemon and parsley is one of the quickest and surest ways to brighten up any dish.  I use it frequently with pasta and toss it with chickpeas, olive oil and garlic for a quick and filling salad.  But stuffing half a cup of chopped parsley and half a lemon inside a chicken was new for me.  The result was incredibly juicy and light tasting meat. You also roast some small potatoes drizzled in olive oil and lemon juice with the chicken - delicious and addictive!  Topped with a parsley, lemon and parmesan sauce, it's a great way to brighten up a winter's night.

(I served this with a simple strawberry and spinach salad to get a few more vegetables in there.)