7 May 2011 Best Cocktail Ever – BOA 405

Best Cocktail Ever – BOA 405

May 7, 2011 By

When in Las Vegas, do stop by BOA Steakhouse in the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace for a fabulous meal and perhaps the best cocktail I’ve ever had – the BOA 405.  Here’s how to make this fab drink at home.

BOA 405

Ingredients:

  • 2 strawberries
  • 1 1/2 ounces vodka
  • 1/2 ounce simple syrup
  • 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
  • 1 dash balsamic vinegar
  • 1 pinch of coarsely cracked black pepper
  • 1 strawberry for garnish

Directions:

  1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the strawberries and syrup.
  2. Add the vodka, lemon juice, vinegar and ice and shake well.
  3. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with pepper and strawberry.
Filed Under: Cocktails Tagged With: , , , ,
12 April 2011 Easy Like Sunday Morning Key Lime Pie

Easy Like Sunday Morning Key Lime Pie

April 12, 2011 By

It’s unusual for me to post a recipe that skips most of the work and goes for semi-homemade but this is one of these instances.  This super easy to make key lime pie skimps on prep time but not on flavor.  Don’t like the meringue top?  Simply replace it with whipped cream and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1-14 ounce can condensed milk
  • ½ cup Key Lime juice
  • ½ tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 frozen, 9-inch graham cracker crust
  • 4 tbsp granulated sugar

Pie Directions:

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks on high speed until thick and light in color, about 4 minutes.  Turn off mixer and add condensed milk.  Mix on slow speed.  While still on slow, add half the lime juice, then the cream of tartar, then the remaining lime juice.  Mix until the filling is just blended.
  • Ladle the filling into frozen crust and bake at 325 degrees until set, about 10-15 minutes, or until center is dry to touch.
  • Let pie set in freezer for 3 hours before topping with meringue.

Meringue Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 500 degrees (or use a kitchen torch).
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the sugar until medium-stiff peaks, about 4 minutes.
  • Form peaks on surface of the pie with the meringue.  Brown in oven, or with the kitchen torch, and return to freezer until ready to serve.

8 servings.

 

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Eggs, Fruits Tagged With: , , , ,
11 April 2011 Sweet Treat for the Non Baker

Sweet Treat for the Non Baker

April 11, 2011 By

By now, you’ve seen me post recipes that might appear odd by normal standards (Oeufs Dans le Sirop D’Erable anyone?) but that I enjoyed eating growing up.  I’ve mentioned in previous posts that my mom is a great savory foods cook but isn’t passionate about baking, so when my sister and me asked for dessert, mom would occasionally fix us an “Open Faced Brown Sugar Sandwich”.  Yes, it only took a minute to prepare this special treat, but boy did we love it.  Here’s how it goes:

  1. Take a slice of fresh white bread and butter it very lightly.
  2. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of brown sugar over the buttered slice of bread.
  3. Pour ¼ heavy cream over the sugared bread.  Let the cream saturate the bread for about a minute, then eat the treat with a knife and fork.

Crazy, ehn?  Thoughts?

Filed Under: Canadian, Desserts Tagged With: , ,
8 April 2011 Bruléed Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding

Bruléed Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding

April 8, 2011 By

As a small kid, I loved watching my grandma cook and bake in her tiny kitchen where the pantry was jam packed with goodies.  I’d make my way through this pantry, being careful to open the door slowly in case anything went flying out, to see what neat condiments she had stored away for future baking sessions.  One of those pantry items was a small red box of instant tapioca pearls that I was always fascinated by.  This memory came back to me this week so I decided to make tapioca pudding, but to go the long route.  Hope you try and enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup large pearl tapioca (I use Reese brand)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 6 tsp granulated sugar

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, soak tapioca pearls in 3 cups of water overnight.  Drain water.
  2. In a double boiler, heat cream and milk until just warmed (I use a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water).  Add salt and drained tapioca.  Continue to heat until small bubbles appear at sides of pan. Cover, turn heat to low and cook for one hour.  Make sure the milk mixture does not simmer or boil.
  3. Separate egg whites from yolks.  Beat egg yolks and sugar together until light yellow.  Add a little of the hot mixture to the egg yolks and blend thoroughly. Then add the egg yolk mixture to the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly.  Raise heat to medium under the double boiler and cook until tapioca mixture is very thick, about 20 minutes.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Slowly fold the hot tapioca mixture into the egg whites.  Stir in vanilla.
  5. Spoon the tapioca pudding into six 7-ounce ramekins.  Sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar over the surface of each pudding-filled ramekins.  Brulée the pudding tops using a kitchen torch (or under the broiler), serve at room temperature or chilled.
    Makes 6 servings.

Notes: As an alternative, omit the brulée top and pour 1 teaspoon of pure maple syrup on the tapioca pudding.  Based on a recipe by Reese Tapioca.

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Desserts, Eggs Tagged With: , , , ,
4 April 2011 Easy Banana Bread

Easy Banana Bread

April 4, 2011 By

Not sure why, but the thought of throwing away over-ripe bananas drives me nuts.  Instead, I’ll spend a few bucks to save four $0.35 bananas – not logical, but makes for a treat everyone enjoys.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 over-ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl – set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs, beating well after each one, add the bananas and beat for 1 minute.
  4. Pour the banana / butter mixture into flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined – do not overmix.  Pour batter into a lightly grease 9×5 inch loaf pan and sprinkle walnuts over the top (if using walnuts).
  5. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out with just a few moist crumbs.  Remove the banana bread from the oven and let  cool in pan for 15 minutes, then unmold and cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes: I like chunks of banana in my banana bread so I typically squeeze and knead the bananas while they’re still in the peel.  By the time I’m done with this fun task, all I need to do is remove the peels and add the ‘mashed’ bananas to the batter.

Filed Under: American, Breakfast, Desserts, Eggs, Fruits Tagged With: , ,
2 April 2011 Feeling Sappy? My Top 5 Maple Syrup Desserts

Feeling Sappy? My Top 5 Maple Syrup Desserts

April 2, 2011 By

Maple Water Bucket

Maple season’s here and every year that I don’t make it home to Quebec for the sweetest season of all, I get a bit homesick. I grew up in a small town in southeast Quebec where my family and four other families of friends owned a sugar shack. I have very fond memories of harnessing horses to a sled hauling a maple sap collection barrel and then bring this sap to the shack for the boiling process that would result in amber elixir our moms then cooked and baked with.

This year, since I won’t be making the pilgrimage north, I decided to bake and cook with maple syrup for a two-week stretch to get my fix in. I even requested the help of my family to expand my maple recipe collection. Here are my top 5 maple dessert recipes from my archives and from newly-shared family recipes:

  1. Eggs in Maple Syrup
  2. Maple Delights
  3. Maple Syrup Dumplings
  4. Maple Syrup Pie
  5. Maple Taffee on the Snow

BONUS 6: Maple Whipped Cream

If you decide to try any of them, please leave a comment on this post so I can let my mom, aunt and grandma who contributed know that our traditional family recipes are being enjoyed.

Cheers!

Veronique

Filed Under: Canadian, Desserts, Maple Syrup, Other Neat Things Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
30 March 2011 Eggs in Maple Syrup (Oeufs Dans le Sirop D’Erable)

Eggs in Maple Syrup (Oeufs Dans le Sirop D’Erable)

March 30, 2011 By

My mom, Diane, isn’t the sweet tooth in the family, her love of food is more savory, so I’m excited to be able to share a dessert she craves often and can’t live without – scrambled eggs cooked in maple syrup.  Yea, I know, it sounds odd, but it’s a very traditional dish in Quebec, especially during sugar shack season in the spring.  Think egg drop soup, but with maple syrup instead of broth.  Give it a try a let me (and my mom) know what you think!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup maple syrup (see ‘notes’ below)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Vanilla ice cream (optional, sort of)

Directions:

  1. Bring the syrup to a boil in a small, heavy saucepan, over medium-high heat.  Once the syrup has begun to boil, turn heat to medium-low.
  2. In a medium bowl, break the eggs, then scramble them well using either a fork or a whisk.  Add salt to the eggs and stir to incorporate.
  3. Pour the egg mixture into the simmering syrup and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate the egg into the hot syrup.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, then remove the saucepan from the heat and let sit to cool for about 15 minutes.
  4. Scoop ice cream in two bowls, divide eggs between the two bowls then spoon some cooking liquid onto the eggs and ice cream.

Makes 2 servings.

Notes: Don’t waste top notch maple syrup to bake or cook with, less fancy grade will do just fine and often offers stronger maple flavors.  This recipe can easily be doubled.  Letting the mixture cool off a bit before serving allows the syrup to thicken slightly, so don’t omit this step, no matter how difficult it will be!

Filed Under: Canadian, Desserts, Eggs, Maple Syrup Tagged With: , , , , ,
29 March 2011 Pulled Pork Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Pulled Pork Stuffed Poblano Peppers

March 29, 2011 By

Stuffed Poblano Chiles

I love Mexican food and try to fix some type of Mexican dish at least once a month.  On a weekend where I was craving Chile Rellenos, I decided to tweak my recipe a bit and stuff the chiles with slow-cooked pork shoulder I fixed in my slow cooker – boy was it a winning dish and simple to make!

Ingredients:

  • 4 large Poblano peppers
  • 2 cups Troegs Braised Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder, shredded with two forks
  • 2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

  1. Roast the Poblano peppers over a flame (or under the broiler) until the skin is almost completely blackened.  Place roasted peppers in a glass bowl and cover with shrink wrap for about 15 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the pork, 1 cup of cheese and cilantro.
  3. Peel the skin off the peppers, cut a slit down the long side of the peppers then remove the seeds and most of the veins.
  4. Divide the stuffing into 4 portions, then stuff peppers with the pork mixture – do not overfill.  Secure the opening of each pepper with 1-2 toothpicks.
  5. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs well.  In a separate shallow bowl, add the cornmeal.  Dip each stuffed pepper in the egg mixture then coat with cornmeal.  Place the coated peppers in an oven-proof dish.  Drizzle olive oil over the peppers, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese then place in the oven to bake for about 20-25 minutes.
  6. Serve each pepper over Spanish rice with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Makes 4 servings.

Filed Under: Cheese, Entrees, Mexican, Pork, Vegetables Tagged With: , , ,
28 March 2011 Troegs Braised Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder

Troegs Braised Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder

March 28, 2011 By

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 3lb pork shoulder (pork butt, Boston butt)
  • 3 tbs maple syrup
  • 2 tbs dry mustard
  • 1 tsp each – salt, pepper
  • 1/2 tsp each – cumin and chili powder
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 bottle Tröegs Hop Back Amber Ale, or another medium bodied beer

Instructions:

  1. Rinse pork shoulder with water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Drizzle the maple syrup over pork then rub all over surface.
  3. In a small bowl, combine dry mustard and all the spices.  Rub over the meat.
  4. Place the onion slices and carrot pieces in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker.  Place pork over the vegetables then pour beer around it.
  5. Cook on HIGH for 6-7 hours.
  6. Remove pork from slow cooker, discard the vegetables then tear the meat into chunks using two forks.  Serve.

4 Servings.

Notes: Serve pork as a pulled pork sandwich in a bun by combining the meat with some BBQ sauce, use in quesadillas, tacos or enchiladas, in Pulled Pork Stuffed Poblano Peppers or other dishes calling for braised meat.

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Pork Tagged With: , , , , , ,
27 March 2011 Maple Delights (Délices à l’Erable)

Maple Delights (Délices à l’Erable)

March 27, 2011 By

My aunt, Francoise, from Quebec shared her simple recipe for simple maple treats that’s a breeze to prepare.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (see ‘notes’ below)
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 8-ounce can of Pillsbury crescent rolls

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a 9-inch pie plate, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup and heavy cream using a fork to create a homogenous mixture.  Set aside.
  3. Take the crescent rolls out of the packaging, but do not unroll.  Using a sharp knife, cut the rolls into 8 slices of the same width.  Place all the dough slices on their sides on top of the maple cream mixture.
  4. Place the pie plate unto a cookie sheets (who wants to risk spillovers?) then into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the treats are golden brown.
  5. Remove the pie plate from the oven, and let the treats cool for about 15 minutes before serving with either Maple Whipped Cream or vanilla ice cream.

Makes 8 servings.

Notes: Don’t waste top notch maple syrup to bake or cook with, less fancy grade will do just fine and often offers stronger maple flavors.

Filed Under: Canadian, Chicken, Desserts, Entrees Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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