9 February 2022 Quebec Old Fashioned Doughnuts         

Quebec Old Fashioned Doughnuts         

February 9, 2022 By

Growing up in Quebec, many families had their traditional recipes for homemade doughnuts that they would make primarily around the holidays. Some families, especially the large ones, made doughnuts year around as they freeze well placed into freezer bags and can be thawed for impromptu visitors (or just because).

My mom made this giant batch of doughnuts today and I just had to share the yield she gets from that one recipe. These Quebec-style doughnuts, also called croquignoles, are cake like inside and perfectly crunchy from a quick dip in the fryer. The traditional method is to serve these plain or coated in granulated sugar, but the sky’s the limit with the various toppings to add – they’re a delicious blank canvas.

Doughnut Cutter

Check out my mom’s doughnut cutter. The benefit of using this type of cutter is that you also get doughnut holes that you can fry to deliciousness. A 4” in diameter glass would also work, but I’d recommend using a smaller cutter to cut a hole in each doughnut.

Ingredients:

  • 5 large eggs
  • 4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 cups whole milk combined with 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ Tbsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 10 cups of all-purpose flour combined with 8 tsp. baking powder (plus extra flour for rolling the dough)
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • Crisco or oil for frying
This is What This Recipe Yields

Directions the day prior to making the doughnuts:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
  2. Add the milk mixture, the salt and the vanilla and beat until combined, 30 seconds.
  3. Add the flour mixture, 2 cups at a time, until fully incorporated – don’t overmix.
  4. Add the butter and blend into the dough until fully incorporated.
  5. Cover the dough with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Mom and Her Doughnuts

Directions for frying day:

  1. After the dough’s rested overnight, heavily dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. The dough will be quite sticky, so don’t be shy with the flour dusting.
  2. Divide the dough into 2 batches and place one portion onto the floured work surface. Knead the dough until it’s mostly no longer sticky – don’t over-knead as that’ll create tough doughnuts.
  3. Roll the kneaded dough using a rolling pin to about ½ inch in thickness for bigger doughnuts or ¼ inch in thickness for smaller doughnuts.
  4. Using a doughnut cutter (or a glass 4” in diameter), cut doughnuts out of the dough and place them on a wire rack until ready to fry. Repeat with the second portion of dough.
  5. Fill a large deep skillet or pan 1/3 of the way full of either Crisco or vegetable oil. Bring the oil to 375 degrees over medium-high heat.   
  6. Fry the doughnuts in batches so there’s no crowding in the pan. Bring the oil back up to temperature between each batch. Place the fried doughnuts on layers of paper towels to drain, then move to a wire rack to cool.

Yields about 10 dozen doughnuts.

Filed Under: Canadian, Desserts Tagged With: , , , ,
11 January 2022 Easy Pork Schnitzel

Easy Pork Schnitzel

January 11, 2022 By

My husband’s Dutch and loves a good schnitzel. We often make this popular German dish using veal or chicken, but perhaps our favorite version is to use pork tenderloin. Pork tenderloin isn’t a cut of meat I purchase often, like its beef counterpart, I just find it too low on fat to produce a juicy, dare I say moist, dish.

Pork Schnitzel

The crunchy exterior and ultra-tender meat are a perfect match for a great schnitzel. I typically serve our pork schnitzel with my Lemon Mustard Cream Sauce and lots of fresh lemons.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pork tenderloin cut into 2-inch-thick portions
  • 2 cups breadcrumbs, I like a mix of regular and Panko
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • ½ cup vegetable oil for frying
  • Lemon Mustard Cream Sauce
  • 2 lemons, cut into quarters
Prepped Ingredients
Properly Coated Pork
Pork Frying
Pork Schnitzel with Lemon Mustard Cream Sauce

Directions:

  1. Place a pork medallion between two layers of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to ¼ inch thick.
  2. Place the breadcrumbs on a plate.
  3. Place the flour on a separate plate.
  4. Scramble the eggs in a shallow dish.
  5. Warm the vegetable oil in a large deep skillet (I use my cast iron pan) over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. You want the oil hotel so the pork gets crispy and not soggy.
  6. Dredge the pork into the flour to coat, then dip into egg mixture, back into the flour, back in the egg then finally in the breadcrumbs. Lightly pat the breadcrumbs on to ensure a good coating.
  7. Place the coated pork into the hot oil and fry 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pork and cook and additional 3 minutes, or until the pork is browned and crisp. Fry in batches so the pan doesn’t get crowded causing the oil to cool too much.
  8. Serve hot with the Lemon Mustard Cream Sauce lemon wedges.

Makes two generous portions or up to four if you serve the schnitzel with a starch like mashed potatoes, rice or buttered noodles.

Filed Under: Cuisine Type, Entrees, German, Pork Tagged With: , , , ,
29 December 2021 Lemon Mustard Cream Sauce

Lemon Mustard Cream Sauce

December 29, 2021 By

This lemon and mustard cream sauce is perfect on basically everything. I originally made this easy mustard sauce to put on a pork schnitzel dish, but it’s equally great on fish and chicken. It’s creamy from the béchamel, tangy from the lemon juice and mustard, and a little licoricey from the tarragon.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. coarse ground mustard (could also use 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard instead of 1 tablespoon each Dijon and ground mustard)
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • ¼ tsp. each black pepper, salt and tarragon

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour, whisking constantly, and cook for 2 minutes.
  2. Add the mustards and lemon juice, whisk well and continue to cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add the cream, chicken broth and spices, whisking until the mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Yield: 1 ½ cups.

Filed Under: American, French, Sauce Tagged With: , , ,
27 December 2021 Reverse Seared Roasted Prime Rib

Reverse Seared Roasted Prime Rib

December 27, 2021 By

This is the ultimate prime rib technique. I’ve used it the last two Christmases and it produced superior results and I highly recommend it. I very skeptical when I saw the beef would roast at 150 degrees Fahrenheit, but, it’s simply brilliant.

Reasons to love this technique:

  1. Set it and forget it for five ½ – six ½ hours!
  2. It comes out of the oven and MUST rest for 45-60 minutes allowing you to use the oven for other purposes, like making Fail Proof Yorkshire Puddings.
  3. The slow and low temperature creates a perfect cook from edge to edge. No more bullet of raw beef in the center and gray/overcooked meat on the outside.
  4. As long as you keep the cooked beef covered loosely in foil, you can determine the exact time you’ll serve dinner because all you need before slicing is 10 minutes in the hot oven. This is awesome!

Technique:

  1. This works with a bone-in (a must), well-marbled prime rib from three-12 pounds. I typically make a four to five-pound roast to feed four-six people.
  2. The day prior to your dinner party, take the beef out of the packaging and place on a rack in a roasting pan and place in the fridge uncovered.
    • The early morning of your dinner, apply a very generous coating of black pepper and kosher salt to the roast and put back in the fridge until ready to cook.
    • Two hours before cooking, take the roast out of the fridge to allow to come to room temperature.
    • Place the roast, still on the rack in the roasting pan, in a 150-175 degree Fahrenheit oven (some ovens won’t stay on at 150 degrees, so raise to 175 degrees if that happens). I cook mine at 150 degrees. Place an instant-read thermometer in the center of the roast (make sure it doesn’t touch a bone). Cook for five ½ – six ½ hours, until the thermometer reads 120 degrees for rare, 130 for medium-rare or 135 for medium. Anything more cooked than medium is a sin, don’t be sinful. For a five-pound roast, mine took just over 6 hours.
    • Once the roast reaches the desired temp, 120 degrees at my home, take out of the oven and tent it loosely with foil. Allow the roast to rest for 45-60 minutes.
    • Raise the oven temp to 500 degrees and place the roast back in the oven, without the foil, for 10 minutes to crisp up on the outside. I only crisped mine up for seven minutes, but will go the full 10 next time for a deeper brown color.
    • Serve at once!
    See the ‘crust’ that forms from sitting overnight in the fridge?
    Look at the yummy crust!

    The fabulous person whose method this is, is J. Kenji López-Alt, a stay-at-home dad who’s moonlighted as a culinary consultant of Serious Eats. Read all about the fascinating testing he did to come up with this perfect method on Serious Eats. This guy’s changed my Christmas dinners forever and I’m very grateful!

    Please let me know how your prime rib turns out when you try this method!

    Cheers,

    Veronique

    Filed Under: American, Beef, Entrees Tagged With: , , , ,
    24 December 2021 Josee’s Beef Stroganoff

    Josee’s Beef Stroganoff

    December 24, 2021 By

    In our family, my sister makes the very best beef stroganoff. Hers is the recipe my grandma used and it’s rich, comforting and perfect on a cool night.

    Beef Stroganoff was invented and named after Count Stroganoff, a member of a Russian elite family, by his personal chef.

    In the original recipe, beef bouillon granules are added to boiling water to create a broth. I’m simply using beef broth and it’s an adequate substitute.

    Serve this dish the day after making it as it gets better as it sits. You just need a side of long grain white rice for a perfect pairing.

    Ingredients:

    • 2-pound sirloin, sliced into 2” strips
    • 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
    • 1 small onion, diced
    • 1/2-pound mushrooms, sliced
    • 3 Tbsp. butter
    • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
    • 2 cups hot beef broth
    • 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
    • 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1/ tsp. thyme
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • Cooked white rice
    Cut Beef Into Strips
    Sprinkle Beef with Flour
    Sauté Beef
    Add Broth to Beef
    Beef Stroganoff Simmering

    Directions:

    1. Coat the beef strips with the flour, set aside.
    2. In a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot, sauté the onion and mushrooms with the butter over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
    3. While the vegetables cook, in a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef strips and cook for about 5-7 minutes until the beef has browned, stirring a few times to prevent scorching. Add the hot broth to the beef and stir to scrape down any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute.
    4. Add the broth and beef to the vegetables and stir to combine.
    5. Add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and stir to combine.
    6. Add the spices and the sour cream and stir again to combine.
    7. Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender.
    8. Serve with rice

    Makes 4-6 servings depending on how hungry your family is.

    Filed Under: American, Beef, Entrees Tagged With: , , ,

    Gilding the French Onion Soup

    December 8, 2021 By

    At our home, we LOVE French onion soup. When we moved into our new home recently, we unpacked everything we owned, no more bins in the attic, no more boxes in the garage, we literally unpacked the equivalent of two full kitchens! In the process, I realized that we have 10 French onion soup bowls, so I decided we need to make it more often!

    Cheesy Garlic Toast
    Garlic Toast French Onion Soup

    While I typically use my Traditional French Onion Soup recipe, I like to tweak it now and then. This past weekend, I replaced the regular toasted French bread I normally use with toasted cheesy garlic bread and it was fabulous. Yes, I know adding cheesy bread under the cheesy topping is gilding the lily, but, why not! 

    Enjoy!

    Filed Under: Cheese, French, Soups, Vegetables Tagged With:
    7 December 2021 World’s Best Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip

    World’s Best Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip

    December 7, 2021 By

    You’re at a party and appetizers are served. Every single time, the humble spinach and artichoke dip will be king. It’s warm, comforting, gooey and so….so delicious.

    This version of the popular dip features fresh spinach, which makes a huge difference in taste and texture. Serve this with either toasted French bread or with scoop chips (my favorite).

    Be sure the cream cheese is at room temperature BEFORE you assemble this dish.

    Ingredients:

    • 5 ounces fresh spinach
    • 1 cup sour cream (don’t use low fat), room temperature
    • One 8-ounce package cream cheese (don’t use low fat), room temperature
    • One 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 12 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
    • 5 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
    • Two big pinches each of salt and pepper

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    2. To a large bowl, add the spinach, the sour cream, the cream cheese, the artichokes, the garlic, half the Mozzarella, the Parmesan and the salt/pepper. Mix until combined.
    3. Coat a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray (of butter well) – could also use a cast iron skillet. Spread the spinach mixture in an even layer and top with the rest of the Mozzarella.
    4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Then tun the broiler to high and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the top of the dip is golden brown.

    8-10 servings (unless you’re my gang, then it’s 4-6 servings).

    Inspired by this recipe.

    Filed Under: American, Appetizers, Cheese, Snacks, Starters, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: ,

    Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream and Creamy Lemon Sauce

    November 27, 2021 By

    My mom’s become quite the food photographer over the years. She’s a great cook and baker and often shares details of her culinary experiments with me and sometimes, I even get pics!

    Last week, she had many lemons on hand and fixed a lemon cake with a creamy lemon sauce that sounded so great I’ve decided to share it, along with two of her photos!

    Ingredients

    Cake:

    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
    • Pinch of salt
    • Zest of three lemons (reserve 1 tsp. for the buttercream and 1 tsp. for the sauce)
    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
    • 1 cup plain yogurt
    • ¼ cup melted butter
    • ¼ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
    • 2 eggs
    • ½ tsp. baking soda

    Lemon Buttercream:

    • 1 cup butter, softened
    • 5 cups powdered sugar
    • ¼ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
    • Reserved 1 tsp. of zest

    Creamy Lemon Sauce:

    • 1 cup plain yogurt
    • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
    • Reserved 1 tsp. of zest
    • 2 cups fresh berries (optional)

    Directions:

    For the Cake:

    1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
    2. Butter, or coat with cooking spray, an 8”x8” cake pan.
    3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and the zest.
    4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, yogurt, butter, lemon juice and the eggs until just combined. Add the baking soda and mix to incorporate.
    5. Using a large spoon, add the flour mixture to the batter, one spoon at a time, until just combined – don’t overmix! Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
    6. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes then unmold and allow to cool completely.

    For the Lemon Buttercream:

    1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
    2. Add the lemon juice and beat for 30 seconds.
    3. One cup at a time, add the powdered sugar until fully incorporated.
    4. Add the zest and beat 30 additional seconds.

    For the Creamy Lemon Sauce:

    1. In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, the sugar and the teaspoon lemon zest.

    Frost the cake with the lemon buttercream, drizzle with the creamy lemon sauce and serve with berries.

    Yields 6 Servings.

    Filed Under: American, Desserts Tagged With: , , , ,
    20 July 2021 Easy Zucchini Orzo

    Easy Zucchini Orzo

    July 20, 2021 By

    This orzo was in last week’s Blue Apron box and it was delicious so I thought I’d share the easy recipe with you. This side dish was served with grilled chicken but it would be great with seafood and fish also.

    Zucchini Orzo with Grilled Chicken

    This zucchini orzo is a breeze to prepare and a great way to use up garden zucchini which can be plentiful this time of year. This recipe makes enough for two servings, but is easy to double or triple if you have guests.

    Ingredients:

    • 4 ounces orzo
    • 2 scallions
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1 medium zucchini
    • 4 tsp. olive oil
    • 1 Tbsp. verjus blanc (or white wine vinegar)
    • 2 Tbsp. Mascarpone cheese
    • 1½ Tbsp. golden raisins
    • 1 Tbsp Weeknight Hero Spice Blend (Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika & Whole Dried Parsley)
    • ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
    • 1 Tbsp. Capers

    Directions:

    1. Over high heat, place a medium pot ¾ of the way full with salted water and bring to a boil.
    2. Small dice the zucchini. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms and hollow green tops.
    3. Add the orzo to the pot of boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot. Cover to keep warm.
    4. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the diced zucchini in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the chopped garlic and sliced white bottoms of the scallions and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the verjus (or the white wine vinegar) and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Transfer to the pot of cooked orzo, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and stir to combine.
    5. To the pot of cooked pasta and zucchini, add the mascarpone, raisins, and capers and stir to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if needed.

    Makes 2 side servings.

    Filed Under: American, Greek, Pasta, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,
    3 June 2021 Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    June 3, 2021 By

    This isn’t really a recipe, more of a reminder to make this Mediterranean pasta salad more often. All the ingredients can be prepped in advance. I even cook the pasta, cool it and add to a zip top bag so I don’t have to boil water the day of my BBQ. The dressing I typically use is my Easy Greek Vinaigrette which is tangy and delicious and can be made and stored in a canning jar (or other small jar).

    This image of my salad is just one version. I sometimes add artichocke hearts, garbanzo beans or skip the pasta – it’s just pretty and a salad everyone enjoys.

    A pound of dry pasta with the various fixings will feed eight diners.

    Enjoy!

    Veronique

    Filed Under: American, Cheese, Greek, Pasta, Salads, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,
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