Roast Chicken - Seriously Delicious

I was looking through some old posts on The Good Egg blog a few days ago and I read something that tweaked my interest. It was a post written after I had spent a weekend with my friend Elaine in Newfoundland. I wrote about how she had roasted a chicken for 3 hours and how good it was. Then that reminded me of the books she had put me onto while I was there - Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking and More Home Cooking, both wonderful little books that I have recommended to tons of people. In one of those books, Laurie Colwin talks about how she roasts a chicken - for at least three hours on a temperature of 250-300F. The catch is that she would baste the chicken "constantly" during those three hours.

Basting a chicken is no big deal - if you are indeed home to do it. I realized my biggest stumbling block would be remembering. So, I set the timer for for every 10 to 15 minutes and last night we had one of the tastiest birds I've ever made.

There is one other part of this story. Laurie Colwin suggested sprinkling the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. But I wanted to try a recipe from one of my scrapbooks. Melt 1/2 cup butter and combine that with 1/2 cup soy sauce. Just those two ingredients created something very close to magic. I also stuffed the chicken cavity with a bunch of fresh thyme (well, not so fresh anymore) and 4 or 5 garlic cloves. After the three hour wait on the chicken, we were rewarded with a falling-off-the-bone, juicy-beyond-belief, taste sensation. It was an epic chicken dinner.

Carrot-Banana Muffins

Just to be certain, I've just run back into the kitchen to take another nibble off of one of these muffins. Can it really taste that good with no flour and no sugar? Well yes, it does!

You are now probably thinking, "What is she, a health nut now?"  I wouldn't say that, but I do like to dabble. This recipe comes from a surprisingly good cookbook called True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure by Dr. Andrew Weil. I say surprisingly because I probably wouldn't have given this book a sideways glance but one of my favourite food websites recommended it (www.splendidtable.org) and whatever they say merits a full-on glance.

Carrot-Banana Muffins
Makes 18 medium muffins

2 cups almond flour (aka ground almonds or almond meal)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened  shredded coconut
3 large eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed and softened
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups pitted and chopped dates
2 medium carrots, shredded
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and coconut. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, bananas, butter, honey, and vinegar together. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Fold in the dates, carrots, and walnuts. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Since there's no actual flour, the muffins will not rise significantly.) Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn out the muffins onto the rack and let cool to warm or room temperature.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

I have always wanted to try this cake. It contains no wheat and since Alan is avoiding wheat these days, it was the perfect choice for his birthday cake. And what a treat it was! By the time I got around to taking a few pictures of it, there was very little left. This was a recipe that I have had in my scrapbooks for a while now, cut out of an old "Cook's Illustrated" magazine. You can always trust those hard-working Cook's Illustrated people.

 
Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
Serves 12

Bottom Layer:
6 Tbsp butter, cut into 6 pieces, plus extra for greasing the pan
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3/4 tsp instant coffee or instant espresso powder
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated
Pinch fine sea salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar, lumps removed with your fingers

For the bottom layer: Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Melt butter, chocolate, and coffee powder in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Remove from heat and cool mixture slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and egg yolks; set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add half of brown sugar and beat until combined, about 15 seconds. Add remaining brown sugar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted, about 1 minute longer, scraping down sides halfway through. Using whisk, fold one-third of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Carefully transfer batter to prepared pan, gently smoothing top with offset spatula.
Bake until cake has risen, is firm around the edges, and centre has just set but is still soft (centre of the cake will spring back after pressing gently with finger), 13-18 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Cake will collapse and shrink as it cools and this is fine). Do not remove the cake from pan.

Middle Layer:
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
5 Tbsp hot water
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp fine sea salt

For the middle layer: Combine the cocoa powder and hot water in small bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 2-5 minutes.
In clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, granulated sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15-60 seconds.
Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and gently tap pan on counter 3 times to remove any large air bubbles; gently smooth top with offset spatula. Wipe inside edge of pan with damp cloth to remove any drips. Refrigerate cake at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer.

Top Layer:
3/4 tsp powdered gelatin
1 Tbsp water
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

For the top layer: In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand at least 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in medium bowl. Bring 1/2 cup cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture and stir until fully dissolved. Pour cream mixture over white chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 5-8 minutes (mixture will slightly thicken).
In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip remaining cup cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to gigh and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into white chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold remaining whipped cream into white chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. Spoon white chocolate mousse into pan over middle layer. Smooth top with offset spatual. Return cake to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2 1/2 hours.

To serve: If using, garnish top of cake with chocolate curls or dust with cocoa. Run thin knife between cake and side of springform pan; remove side of pan. Run cleaned knife along outside of cake to smooth sides. Cut into slices and serve.

Harissa

Last Friday I taught the "Scrumptious Vegetarian" class. All of the recipes were from, or based on, recipes from one of my favourite books of the last year - Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. If you don't know this book, run to the library or your local bookstore asap. I have found this book to be truly inspiring. 

Harissa is a hot chili pepper condiment that is traditionally served with couscous or fish stews. The original recipe in Plenty calls for one red pepper to be roasted before anything else is done. I made the recipe four times before I wised up and bought a jar of whole roasted red peppers. Roasting peppers isn't rocket science but it does take some time and I think it is probably one of those things that make the difference between someone making this recipe or passing it by. So use the jarred pepper and  keep a stash of this in your fridge to serve with just about anything. Scrambled eggs, fried rice, stews, soups, stirred into pastas... The opportunities are endless! 

How did I know this was a hit immediately? I ate my whole first batch before the clock had even reached 11am.

Harissa

Makes 1 cup. 

1 roasted red bell pepper

¼ tsp coriander seeds

¼ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp caraway seeds

½ Tbsp olive oil

1 small red onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1-2 medium-hot red chilies, seeded and roughly chopped

½ Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp sea salt

Place a frying pan over low heat and lightly dry-roast the coriander, cumin and caraway seeds for 2 minutes. Remove them to a mortar and use a pestle to grind to a powder.

 

Add the olive oil to the frying pan and heat, then fry the onion, garlic, and chilies (if you don't want it that hot, use one red chili) on medium heat for 6-8 minutes, to a dark smoky colour. Cool slightly, then tip into a blender or a food processor. Add the remaining harissa ingredients, including the roasted pepper and ground spices, and blitz together to make a paste. Keeps in the refrigerator couple of weeks (well, I think it does, but mine has never lasted more than a few days).

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! There is a calendar hanging in my kitchen that is full of beautiful pictures of fruit and vegetables and the occasional flower. Last years has been replaced by the new-and-improved version and it was in a pile headed for the basement. My camera sat nearby and inspiration took hold. Here are some of the pictures that I photographed from the calendars that I love so much. 

While visiting my sister and her family last weekend, I came across a current seed catalogue in their bathroom. Leafing through seed catalogues in January is a wonderful way to look forward to spring, imagining the world of possibilities at your finger tips. My mind gives no thought to the work involved in sowing, growing, hoeing, and harvesting. Armchair gardening holds a lot of appeal for me.

This is the year that I'm going to make all of those recipes that I've always wanted to try and never have for whatever reason. Too caloric? I'm not bothered anymore. Too labour intensive? Don't be daunted. Why make it when you can buy it? Let's try it at least once. I'm tired of putting recipes off. There are so many foods to make, try,  and savour. If I don't start this year, when will I?

In preparation for making everything I've ever wanted to this year, I spent a few evenings (ok, more than a few) this fall indexing my recipe scrapbooks. What a chore, you're probably thinking. But no. The recipes and food ideas that I have haphazardly collected over the years are nothing short of amazing. Each scrapbook could be a cookbook in itself. And now I can turn to my neatly typed out indexes when I'm looking for something specific, or I can peruse the lists with little more than an ingredient or a thought in mind and find the most inspiring ideas and pictures.

I feel a good year coming on. Family, friends, good food & drink.... I just brewed a cup of Kombucha green tea and the tag on the string says, "The purpose of life is to enjoy every minute." Let's try.

Pumpkin Gorgonzola Custards

I've been testing recipes for my upcoming French Nibbles & Hors D'heurves class on Friday. I can't think of too many other things I'd rather be doing on a cold day in November! This recipe wasn't actually on my list of must-haves for the class but I ran across it again in the amazing Around My French Table cookbook by Dorie Greenspan and decided I must try it (she calls hers "pumpkin gorgonzola flans, but I LOVE anything "custard"!). I was leaning more toward her Cheesy Creme Brulees but pumpkin is one of my favourite foods of all time so I took a chance. It is definitely a winner!

This is not a sweet custard, but a drizzle of honey and a dollop of thick yogurt goes perfectly with the blue cheese flavour. These would make excellent starters at a cold-weather dinner. I liked eating mine warm - the cheese was still melted enough that it ran throughout the pumpkin, infusing every single bite.

*Warning: Alan came home and tucked into one of the custards (at room temperature) and he is definitely NOT a fan. I still am, though. 

Pumpkin Gorgonzola Custards
Serves 6.

1-15 ounce can pumpkin
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled (a generous 1/2 cup)

Greek yogurt and honey for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter 6 (or more) ramekins and fit them into a baking dish or roasting pan that holds them comfortably. Lind the bottom of the pan with a double layer of paper towels or a clean dish cloth and place the ramekins in the pan. Boil a kettle of water.
Process the pumpkin, eggs, egg yolks, and cream in a food processor and process until well blended. Season with the salt and pepper and pour the custard into the ramekins. Divide the Gorgonzola among the custards and poke the  cheese down into the custard a bit. Sprinkle the tops with the chopped nuts.
Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake the custards for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle of one comes out sort of clean. Remove the baking pan from the oven and carefully remove the custards from the hot water. Allow to cool till warm or room temperature.
Top with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey.

Grilling Spice Mix

I love making food gifts and now is the time to start thinking about getting organized for the holidays. I have been inspired by a great little book - Gifts from the Kitchen by Annie Rigg. It is definitely worth a look. This recipe is based on one of the recipes in that book. Feel free to tinker with the amounts and types of herbs. It's all up to you!

This grilling spice mix is perfect for your friends that love to BBQ throughout the year. Package the mixture up into little mason jars with handwritten tags for your favourite people. Include a bottle of gourmet barbecue sauce, and a grilling utensil or two, and you have the makings of a great gift. I made lamb burgers last week and I added 2 tablespoons of my spice mix. They were fantastic!

Grilling Spice Mix

Makes about 1 cup.

6 green cardamom pods

2 tsp black peppercorns

2 Tbsp cumin seeds

4 tsp coriander seeds

4 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp fine sea salt

2 tsp dry mustard powder

2-3 tsp sugar

Gently crack the cardamom pods by giving them a sharp tap with a heavy object. Remove and discard the papery green outer husks and put the little black seeds into a dry skillet. Add the peppercorns and the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds. Toast the spices in a dry skillet over low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until they start to smell very aromatic and begin to brown slightly.

Immediately put the toasted seeds into a mortar, add the crushed red pepper flakes, and finely grind with the pestle. Add the remaining ingredients to the mortar and mix to combine. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can use a clean coffee bean grinder)

Scoop the spice mix into a sterilized jar, seal, and label with grilling instructions.

*** Sprinkle the spice mix over steaks, chicken or veggies and leave to marinate before grilling. Store the spice mixture in a cool dark space for up to 2 months.