7 June 2013 Ingredient Spotlight – Spaghetti Squash

Ingredient Spotlight – Spaghetti Squash

June 7, 2013 By
Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

I’ve been on a low carbohydrate diet for a few weeks and one of the things I miss most is a big bowl of spaghetti Bolognese. I’ve been reluctant to try making this dish with spaghetti squash instead, but was pleasantly surprised when I finally caved and did just that over the weekend.

Remove Seeds

Remove Seeds

About Spaghetti Squash (Cucurbita Pepo):

  • Although it’s harvested in the fall, spaghetti squash can keep for up to 6 months in a cool place. That’s how we find it at the market year-around.
  • When cooked, the spaghetti squash’s flesh becomes strand-like much like spaghetti, hence its name.
  • Spaghetti squash seeds can be roasted just like pumpkin seeds.
  • Spaghetti squash is full of folic acid, vitamin A, potassium and beta carotene (especially in orange varieties).
  • It’s low in calories at about 40 calories per cup.
Pull Strings with Fork

Pull Strings with Fork

Here’s a fail-proof way of cooking spaghetti squash:

  1. Pierce through the flesh of the squash in about 10 places with a sharp, thin blade knife.
  2. Place a double layer of paper towel in the microwave and place the squash on them.
  3. Microwave for 12 minutes (for medium-sized squash), rotating every few minutes if your oven doesn’t have a rotating plate. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before attempting to handle.
  4. Cut the squash long ways.
  5. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and save them for roasting.
  6. Using a fork, pull strings of squash flesh away from the outer skin. Place the “spaghetti” in a bowl for intended use.
Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Since I had a major craving for meat sauce, I topped my squash spaghetti with traditional Quebec Meat Sauce I’d defrosted. YUM!!!!!!!

Have you had this fruit and if so, what’s your favorite way to enjoy it?

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Cuisine Type, Entrees, Fruits, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,
21 May 2013 Family, Friends and Food in Quebec

Family, Friends and Food in Quebec

May 21, 2013 By
Beet Salad

Beet Salad

Last weekend, I flew up to Quebec to surprise my dad for his birthday. As always, the weekend was filled with an abundance of food and adult libations.

Lobster Dinner

Lobster Dinner

Friday, the weather was nice and we opted to grill pork tenderloin kebabs that my brother-in-law, Etienne, had marinated in his special concoction a good part of the afternoon. Since it was also my mom’s birthday a couple days prior to my arrival, my nieces and me made my Chocolate Éclair Squares, an easy-to-fix, tasty and light dessert (perfect for Memorial Day celebrations).

Wines for Lobster Dinner

Wines for Lobster Dinner

Saturday, my sister Josée, her daughters and me decorated her home for dad’s party and began cooking for the memorable dinner party. On the menu was a springtime salad of roasted beets, heirloom tomatoes, red onions, Mozzarella and basil. My brother-in-law boiled some lobsters and made his now-famous Lemon Butter Cream for dipping – fantastic. Dessert was a plate of vanilla bean cupcakes and my Zesty Key Lime Tart (minus the meringue and topped with whipped cream instead). The wine lineup wasn’t half bad either.

Poutine

Poutine

Sunday morning, mom fixed us a big breakfast of eggs benedict with homefries and after spending the morning at our horse ranch, I headed back to the airport to catch my flight back to New Jersey. As I’ve grown accustomed to doing when I fly out of Quebec, I had a poutine to mark the end of my wonderful weekend.

Hope your weekend adventures were as delicious as mine were.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Chocolate, Cuisine Type, Culinary Travel Tales, Desserts, Entrees, Seafood, Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,
20 April 2013 Divine Squares

Divine Squares

April 20, 2013 By

divine-squaresWhen I was a young kid growing up in Quebec, my mom and my friends’ moms tried to outdo each other by making scrumptious treats for our birthday parties. Not only were the birthday cakes over-the-top, but moms typically sent kids home with baked treats that they wanted to be sure other moms checked out an envied.

One of my friend’s mom out-shined all the other moms’ baked treats, and I’ve perhaps never had a better baked treat, than her Divine Squares.

The buttery base is chewy, the caramel layer is gooey and decadent and the chocolate topping provides just a bit of chocolaty crunch that’s hard to resist.

These could become the best treats you’ll ever make.

Crust

Crust

Crust Ingredients:

  • 5 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp. baking soda
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • ¾ cup Rice Krispies
Caramel

Caramel

Caramel Layer Ingredients:

  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 14-ounce can of condensed milk
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
Chocolate Topping

Chocolate Topping

Chocolate Topping Ingredients:

  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1¼ cups Rice Krispies

Crust Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine all the crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Once the butter has been absorbed, press the mixture onto the bottom of an 8×8 pan.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes.

Divine SquaresCaramel Layer Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the caramel layer ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  2. Pour the caramel over the baked crust.

Chocolate Topping Directions:

  1. Melt the chocolate chips by microwaving them for 30 seconds. After stirring the chips, if they’re not quite melted, return to the microwave for 15 seconds. Add the Rice Krispies to the chocolate and stir gently to coat.
  2. Sprinkle the chocolate Rice Krispies over the caramel mixture to mostly cover the caramel.
  3. Allow to cool for an hour then refrigerate at least 12 hours.

Makes 12 squares.

Filed Under: Canadian, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , , , , , ,
31 December 2012 Festive and Simple Prime Rib

Festive and Simple Prime Rib

December 31, 2012 By

Prime Rib RareIn my small town in Quebec, there was always a place where one could be guaranteed a great meal – L’Arnold. The steakhouse closed a few years ago and what folks missed most about it was the fork-tender prime rib (rosbif as we refer to it back home).

My bother-in-law Etienne

My brother-in-law Etienne

Last year, the former cook from the restaurant began hosting cooking classes where he taught the art of his prime rib. My brother-in-law, Etienne, attended the class and prepared a stellar prime rib for us for Christmas.

The gist of the prime rib preparation:

  1. Get a bone-on prime rib with the bones removed but reattached with kitchen twine.
  2. Salt and pepper the bone side moderately.
  3. Coat the entire surface (not the ends) of the prime rib with salt (1/8”) then lightly pepper over the salt. It’ll appear to be WAY more salt than you’d ever need, but don’t fret, it’ll be removed at the end of the cooking time.
  4. Roast uncovered in the oven at 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 124 degrees for medium-rare.
  5. Remove the roast from the oven, leaving the meat thermometer in place, and wrap with foil. Cover the foil with a dry kitchen towel. Let the roast rest covered in foil and the kitchen towel for 30-60 minutes until the meat thermometer reads 134.
  6. Uncover the meat, scrape the salt crust off, slice portions and serve with jus or brown sauce.

This method works well for any size prime rib. If you want the meat rare, remove the roast when the temperature is 122 degrees and let rest until it’s at 132 degrees. For medium, remove the roast when the temperature is 127 and let rest until it’s at 137.

Happy roasting!

Filed Under: American, Beef, Canadian, Entrees Tagged With: , , ,
11 December 2012 Tourtiere du Lac St Jean (Meat Pie from Quebec)

Tourtiere du Lac St Jean (Meat Pie from Quebec)

December 11, 2012 By
tourtiere

Photo by Eat with Dan

RECETTE EN FRANCAIS

A tourtiere is a traditional dish from Quebec. Although this giant meat pie isn’t from the region of Quebec I’m from, it’s actually from a place called Lac St Jean, it’s very popular around the holidays everywhere in Quebec.

Last weekend I hosted a small dinner party where I wanted to feature some traditional dishes from Quebec. Tourtiere just had to be on the menu! 

This dish is a labor of love with the time-consuming part being the small dicing of the meats and potatoes and the tricky part the rolling of a sheet of pastry big enough to cover the bottom of my huge cast iron Dutch oven. Don’t forget to start the process the day BEFORE you’re going to bake this dish. The result – homey deliciousness.

This dish could easily feed ten guests as a main entrée. I served it in a buffet for 15 people and we ate half of it. The good part is that the leftovers are super tasty.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ pounds beef top round, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 ½ pounds veal shoulder, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 ½ pounds pork shoulder (pork butt), cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 chicken breast, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • ½ pound salt pork, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 3 large onions, diced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 Tbsp. each dried Summer Savory and salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 4 pounds, Yukon Gold (or similar) potatoes
  • 2 batches of Fail Proof Pie Crust, enough for four 9” crusts
  • 1 large egg combined with 2 Tbsp. water
  • 28 ounces chicken broth

Directions:

24 hours before baking the Tourtiere:

  1. Combine the meats, onions, bay leaves and spices in a large, non-reactive bowl. Stir the mixture and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

The day you’re baking the Tourtiere:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Peel the potatoes and cut into ½ inch dice.
  3. From the 4 portions of pie dough, divide the dough into two balls – one that’s ¾ of the whole recipe and one that’s ¼ of the whole recipe. Roll out the bigger ball and cover the bottom of a 9-quart Dutch oven, ensuring there’s a 1” overhang.
  4. Add about 1/3 of the meat mixture to the Dutch oven then cover the meat with 1/3 of the potatoes. Repeat the process until all the meat and potatoes have been used.
  5. Roll out the small pie dough ball and cover the meats/potatoes in the Dutch oven. Seal the bottom and top crusts by pinching them then rolling them over themselves to create a rope around the perimeter of the Dutch oven.
  6. Cut a 2’ round vent hole in the center of the Tourtiere. Decorate the surface of the Tourtiere with scraps of pie dough (optional) then brush the egg wash over the entire surface.
  7. Using a small funnel, add the broth to the Tourtiere by inserting the funnel into the vent hole. You may need to shake the pot in order for the broth to get distributed thoroughly throughout the Tourtiere. Don’t overfill the Tourtiere with broth to the point where broth overflows – use less if need be.
  8. Place the Tourtiere, uncovered, in the oven for 15 minutes. A baking sheet directly under the Tourtiere is a good idea to prevent spills.
  9. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees, cover the pot and bake for 6 hours.
  10. Turn the heat up to 400 degrees, uncover the pot and allow the Tourtiere to brown for about 30 minutes.

Makes 15 hearty portions.

Filed Under: Beef, Canadian, Chicken, Entrees, Pork, Potatoes, Veal, Vegetables Tagged With: , , ,
13 November 2012 Canadian Brown Sugar Pie (Quebec Tarte au Sucre)

Canadian Brown Sugar Pie (Quebec Tarte au Sucre)

November 13, 2012 By
Tarte au Sucre

Tarte au Sucre

The Canadian brown sugar pie is a very traditional pie served in eastern Canada, specifically Quebec, around the holidays called ‘tarte au sucre’. My Grand-Mother always made a few sugar pies and froze them to have them on hand for the holidays. It reminds me a bit of pecan pie filling, minus the nuts, but smoother and firmer in texture. If you’re from Indiana, you may know this dish as Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie.

I know mile-high pies usually get all the love, but this brown sugar pie is baked in an 8″ pie plate, making it a somewhat thin pie. It’s definitely sweet and a small piece goes a long way!!! Believe it or not, vanilla ice cream is served with the pie to ‘cut through the sweetness’!  

Be sure to place the sugar pie on a baking sheet as you put it in the over to prevent spills.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 tsp. butter, softened
  • 1 tbs. flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. maple extract
  • 2 – 8″ pie crusts

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  2. Bring the condensed and whole milks, brown sugar and butter to a simmer over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. When small bubbles form at the surface, cook for 2 minutes, whisking occasionally.
  3. In a small cup/bowl, stir the maple extract, the flour and 2 tablespoons of hot mixture to form a paste. Add this paste to hot mixture and whisk to fully incorporate.  Cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.
  4. Pour the sugar mixture into an un-baked pie crust and cover with a second crust.
  5. Bake until browned, about 25 minutes. 

Serve with vanilla ice cream at room temperature or warm. The pie keeps well wrapped in foil for up to a week (not that it’ll last that long). You could also bake the pie, cool it and wrap in several layers of plastic wrap then foil and freeze for a month.

Yields 8 servings.

Filed Under: Canadian, Desserts Tagged With: , ,
11 November 2012 Slow Cooker Quebec Baked Beans

Slow Cooker Quebec Baked Beans

November 11, 2012 By

I have written about Quebec Baked Beans in the past and about how my maternal Grand-Mother fixed this traditional breakfast dish for the family. Last night, I decided to try to make the beans in the slow cooker and they turned out amazing!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups dried white beans
  • 1/2 pound salt pork, cut into  1″ cubes
  • 1 medium onion, peeled
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1 tsp. each salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Place the beans in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water then cover with foil.  Place the saucepan in the refrigerator at least 12 hours.
  2. Rinse the beans in a colander under cold water.
  3. Place the cubed salt pork in the bottom of a 3-5 quart slow cooker (Crockpot). Top the pork with the rinsed beans. Tuck the onion into the beans. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the beans and pork.
  4. Add water to the slow cooker to cover the beans by an inch. Simmer on LOW for 8-10 hours.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Canadian, Pork, Sides Tagged With: , , ,
21 August 2012 Dad’s Quebec Smoked Meat Sandwich

Dad’s Quebec Smoked Meat Sandwich

August 21, 2012 By

A special Quebec treat I enjoy is a perfectly steamed smoked meat sandwich.  Dad has had a restaurant-grade food steamer since I was a little girl that his brother from Montreal found for him. Fabulous hot dogs and smoked meats have come out of that steamer over the years, and this past weekend, while I was in Quebec, dad treated the family to the tasty sandwiches.

A 10-pound piece of corned beef was steamed for a couple hours until perfectly moist and fork tender.  Rye bread was also steamed for a minute to create the perfect sandwich.

The steamed meat was sliced thin on an electric meat slicer and piled high on the rye bread. A little mustard and some crisp pickles were the only complements the sandwich needed.

If you make your way to Quebec City or Montreal, be sure to sample a real Quebec smoked meat sandwich, it ranks up there with the very best New York corned beef on rye.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Canadian, Culinary Travel Tales, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , ,
16 June 2012 Lobster Boiling 101

Lobster Boiling 101

June 16, 2012 By

The trick to making a perfectly-boiled lobster is to carefully time how long it is in the water.  This is the technique my dad’s passed on to me for solid results:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Plunge the lobsters, head first, into the boiling water.
  3. Bring the water back to a boil (should take 3-5 minutes).
  4. Let the lobsters cook for exactly 15 minutes then immediately remove them from the water and serve.
  5. Serve with Lemon Butter Sauce.

This method is for lobsters up to two pounds.  For lobsters over two pounds, cook for 20 minutes.

Enjoy,

Veronique

 

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Entrees, Seafood Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lemon Butter Sauce

June 15, 2012 By

This lemon butter sauce is ideal served over pan-roasted chicken, with grilled shrimp of simply boiled lobsters.

Ingredients:

  • ½ pound (2 sticks) salted butter
  • Juice of 3 lemons
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

Directions:

  1. Bring the butter to a simmer in a medium heavy pan over medium-low heat.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until the milky solids have mostly evaporated.
  2. Add the lemon juice and reduce heat to low.  Whisk in the cream and keep warm until ready to serve.

For best results, serve in a small dish over a candle burner to keep warm.

 

Filed Under: American, Canadian, French, Fruits, Sides Tagged With: , ,
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