Tongue in Cheek: Raspberry Macaroon

Tongue in Cheek: Raspberry Macaroon

So much more than a cookbook

Yesterday, I sadly closed Madame Benoit book after reading it all.  Her cookbook featured recipes of her grandparents,her mom's along with her daughter, Monique's recipes which she proudly featured.  It was a beautiful way to spend a snowy winter weekend as in reading the book , as it brought many memories of Mom and her culinary skills and life on the farm.. As I was reading Benoit's book, I was also listening to Mavis Staples being interviews by Holger Peterson  who thanked him for the memories that were rekindled for her by the interview.. I also thank Madame Benoit for the memories that I she has stirred up for me.  Hmmm..who shall I lend the book to enjoy- JF or Jonathan???

Madame Benoit cooks at home

Yesterday, I popped into Chapters and then Value Village to see if there were any  classic cookbooks and to my delight I found  a copy of Madame Benoit cooks at home (1978).. for $3.99..It was a Christmas Gift in 1982 and it looks like it has never been  used or read.. I love her books as she writes a little about each recipe as to the origin or history.. In this book she talks about the influences on her life and her cooking career.. Her greatest influence was Doctor de pomaine who worked as a physician at the Institute Pasteur  in  Paris  and also wrote books on cooking where you are seeing and smelling as you follow his recipe. He believed that one needed to understand food chemistry to understand food transformation and what it does to one's body. In the early1900, he also felt as distance between places shorten that we would come to know all the  cuisines of the world. How remarkable a statement that was!  In her introduction shealso talks of the influences of her parents and grandparents in her love of food.

Of note, Madame graduated from Le Cordon Bleu 25 years before Julia Childs
In checking reviews on her books, I came across the following Blog and this particular book.
 
http://backyardfarmsto.blogspot.com/2010/01/canjam-episode-1-citrus-fruit.html

I look forward to reading  this book that is so much more than a cookbook 

Clay Hot Pot

I am a proud owner of a clay pot that I purchased at Pacific Mall a couple of days ago. I am am anxious to use this new pot! However, I am following the instructions of preparing the clay pot before using it for cooking by soaking it in water for three days. Today, I can use this pot that looks like a covered casserole dish, but that you can also use on your stove top.

Not too sure if it’s a Sand Pot as it is glazed. For first time usage of the pot it suggests starting with minimum temperature and increase the temperature gradually.

The recipes I was able to find on the net used the stove top method to first cook the rice and then add meat and veggies in steps to cook on the stove. I decided to cook all of the stuff in one go in the oven. I used a multigrain rice that had six grains in the mix. I first marinaded skinned chicken breast and turkey sausages in soya sauce, fresh grated ginger and garlic for about an hour. . ..

..



I popped in the Hot Pot into a cold oven and after an hour at 325 the liquid was not even warm so I increased the temperature to 375and baked for another hour.

I served this with lightly sautéed long green beans

The dish was tasty, however the chicken was dry and over cooked.. I think that chicken thighs would have worked better here. The dish lacked color. I had planned on added Shrimp and Baby Bok Choy for a few minutes at the end of the cooking time, but since the chicken seemed over done,I did not. Although less cooking time was needed for the meat, which was thawed, it was correct timing for the rice. Overall I was disappointed as although tasty, the dish not only needed color, but also acidity like lime. A soup dish may have been more enjoyable.

langostinos a la gitana

langostinos a la gitana (grilled shrimp on roasted red peppers)

This shrimp pintxo is still on the Restaurant menu and translated in English as “grilled shrimp on roasted red peppers”.   

Since “a la gitana” means a female gypsy, I think the chef is having fun with this dish.   Mystery and enchantment of the gypsy culture has always added charm to the Spanish culture.  Furthermore, the beauty of a Spanish Flamenco gypsy dance adds to this mystic.  

Grilled shrimp is a favourite tapas in Spanish Tapas bars while drinking a glass of chilled fino sherry or beer.

The presentation of this Pintxo captures the image of a flamenco Dancer.

 

Roasted Red Pepper.
Toss red peppers in olive oil and bake in a preheat oven of 450 degrees.  Roast the peppers until partially charred, turn peppers often.  Place peppers into a bowl and cover with saran wrap, the skin will remove easily after sweating in the covered. 

For this dish, puree the roasted peppers in food processor.  Add a drizzle of Olive oil, roasted garlic and lemon juice to taste and pulse in food processor until mixed.  Season with salt and pepper.  Garlic that has been rubbed in Olive oil can be roasted along with Peppers in the oven. 

Grilled Shrimp
Whisk together ½ cup of olive oil, juice of one lemon and 1 -2 tsp of sea salt.  Mix unpeeled shrimp with heads intact in marinade mixture for a couple of minutes.  Do not leave the shrimp in the marinade longer as the shrimp will cook in the lemon juice.  Grill or sauté in a hot frying pan for about 1-2 minutes, turn and sear the other side until cooked.  Keep warm 

Presentation
 In to a small individual serving dish or Tasting Spoon , add a dollop of red pepper puree, position the grilled shrimp on top, drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle finely chopped parsley around the shrimp- Voila , Enjoy !.

 

Tarta de queso con su culis de frutas del bosque

The translation of Tarta de queso  is cheesecake
 con is "with"  fruit coulis or  a fruit puree
del Bosque means "of wood"  

 perhaps it means cheesecake with wild berry coulis


Tarta de queso con su culis de frutas del bosque

  

Oh great! .Here is my search for this tapas..

Which is in Spanish but does not give you a translation of what the video is   It is a video of

ARTA DE QUESO PHILADELPHIA

(YouTube) that shows how to make this  delicious recipe for cheesecake with berries.  Having looked at a recipe for this Tart that included an English translation the video makes sense. 






Ingredients:
For the base:
2 packages of oatmeal cookies or 1 1/2 cups of graham wafer crumbs
30 gr (1/3 cup) butter



 Filling:
400 gr. creamy fresh cheese or Philadelphia cheese or 2 (8 ounces)packages of cream cheese.,
700 dl. whipping cream (or 2cups)
100 gr. sugar (or 1/3 cup)
2 tsp of lemon juice   
For coverage: berry coulis.   

250 grams( 1 cup) of raspberries, 250 grams( 1 cup) of blueberries, 2 tsp sugar, lemon juice

A classic coulis is usually berries that have been seasoned with sugar and lemon juice to bring out the flavour of the berries.  Some of the recipes have you puree the fruit and then strain the mixture to remove any seeds.  This mixture when stored in a non metal container will keep for a few days in the refrigerate.. My thoughts are that you may not need to puree the berries as once the sugar is added the juice from the fruit is released and the mixture can be pressed through the sieve.   However, I would think that the mixture may be too thin to place on the cheese cake mixture and may need to be thicken with Corn starch.  Cooking this will change the flavour of this coulis
Use fruits such as raspberries and blueberries but also coulis could be made with currants, blackberries, etc

A New York style of Cheesecake topped with wild berries and drizzled on top with Blueberry Coulis  is pictured below 

Method:

• Melt the butter
• Place cookies into a plastic bag.  Roll with a rolling pin until finely crushed. Mix Butter and cookie crumbs.  Press mixture into desired pan or form.
• Beat the cream cheese, cream and sugar mixture until smooth. Spread over the crust.  Fridge for 3 hours minimum.
• Pour coulis over the cheese mixture..

• Run the spatula around the cake to unmold and remove the pan rim
• Decorate the top with the fresh berries used in the Coulis and fresh mint.

To make the little Pintxo that was served in the restaurant, one needs miniature mold to achieve the look.  A similar cheesecake appears on the Cape Food Services web site ,the picture from that site  is included in this posting

http://www.capefoodservices.co.za/gallery.php

2010 Jan 17 Raclette Birthday Celebration

Raclette is a dish indigenous to parts of Switzerland and France. The Raclette cheese, from the French word “to scrape”, is heated in front of a fire or on a special grill and then scraped on to small boiled potatoes when the cheese is melted and dusted with paprika and fresh-ground black pepper.


Condiments that are served with this meal are a variety of sour pickles such as gherkins, picked onions and pickled beets.

When Mary- An and I had Raclette in Switzerland, each home had their own variety of condiments. Here in Calgary, our friends serve sliced canned pineapple and small cubes of chicken breast that need to be grilled. In the past years, they have increased the amount of salads served such as iceberg salad, spinach and mushroom and grated carrot salad. The nicest variety of pickles served was in Lucerne in particular the pickled zucchini in white wine was delicious. Last night, shrimp was a nice addition to the meal.

I first heard about Raclette on a cooking show in Winnipeg in the seventies when Brain Little grilled in a frying pan ½ thick cheese slices until the outside was crisp and the cheese was gooey soft in the middle. These cheese slices were served with boiled potato, pickles and a green salad.

Raclette can simply be melted by placing slices of cheeses on ovenproof plates into a very hot oven or microwaving the cheese for a few minutes. He discussed how the oldest method of melting and serving Raclette was the fireplace as the cheese round facing the glowing coals melted, it was scraped on to heated plates. Nomadic Swiss herders could easily prepare this meal around a campfire.

The modern electric grill melts the cheese in small pans and grills meat, seafood and vegetables on the top grill. This is a leisurely meal and ideal for a cold winter days. Raclette cheese that is already sliced can be purchased in Calgary .  On you tube, I found a candle heated raclette which would work beautiful on a ski hill!!