Just Because....

Because I need a pretty picture on here.

Baked omelette, salad, and baguette.

Classic Time

I have to apologize for the quality of the photographs lately. These pictures were taken on our iPhone, late at night. They will be getting better: we found the camera, and I'm about to start planning ahead, picture wise.
So this is a picture of a lemon tart that I made a little while ago to take to a dinner with our friends, Steve and Sareh, who I'm sure I've mentioned before.

Tarts, I have learned, are very difficult to take flattering pictures of (unless its a slice of tart). There's something about a big, detail-less, dome, that refuses to pucker up to the camera. In person, however, they are sight to behold.
Lately I've been more of a tart person than I have a cake person. But I don't seem to have much luck with baking cakes, so that may be the reason for the cakes slip to the dregs. I enjoy the dense, fudgey cakes, to the more angel food like cakes, so perhaps I should give flour-less cakes a try.
Crumbles used to reign over all desserts for me, but tarts may have just taken over that position too. From the depths of "I'd never pick a piece of tart over any other dessert," it has become the champion.
There's something about taking a still wobbling tart out of the oven, and having to wait for it to harden up before cutting into it. Its like its a little species of its own, determining itself when it will be ready for enjoying.

I love the contrast between the crumbly buttery crust, and the delicately smooth, buttery filling. Then again, so does everyone else. That contrast is the beauty of tarts.
This Winter I kept hearing all about Meyer lemons, all the time. The original recipe I used for this tart calls for regular lemons, but I used the Meyer variety. I don't think Meyers are still available at this time, so use regular lemons.

Laura Calder's Lemon Tart


1 baked 9 inch cookie pastry tart shell (everyone has their own tart shells they use. I use Laura Calder's. If you don't have a shell recipe, let me know, and I will post the one I use).

2 whole eggs + 4 egg yolks
3/4 cup (155g) sugar
3/4 cup (175 ml) lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
2/3 cup (150ml) creme fraiche or heavy cream (I used heavy cream for my start since it was a spur of the moment creation, but if you can find creme fraiche, use it).
zest of 2 lemons

Heat oven to 350F.
Beat together eggs, yolks, and sugar. Whisk in juice, and then the cream. Strain into a jug and then stir in the zest. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to let any bubbles subside.
Skim any foam off the top of the lemon filling. Set the tart shell on a baking sheet in the oven, and pour in the filling. Bake the start until set but slightly jiggling in the center, about 25 minutes. The tart will set more as it cools. Serve at cool room temperature.

Morning, Evening, Anytime Pick-Me-Up

I love a good breakfast bar.

I love a good breakfast anything, really. But I normally like to reserve breakfast for just that. Breakfast.
I'm not a big fan of the pancake dinner. If it's sweet and constitutes a meal, it must be the first meal of the day.
But there are certain foods that like to break the rules. They refuse to be relegated to one measly spot. Quiche, I feel, is the captain of this rebellious team. I love a good quiche, morning, noon, and night. And if quiche is the captain, these cookies are its minion. Unassuming, but rounding out the team nicely.

These are hearty little things, so I'll have them as an afternoon snack if I'm having a light dinner. Since they're so incredibly filling, they're great to have around for when you're in a rush, with no time to sit still and enjoy a meal.
But I especially enjoy mine as a no-maintenance breakfast. There's something about cinnamon and nutmeg in the morning that just alerts the senses, and says, "Let's begin." In addition to cinnamon and nutmeg, are molasses and pureed pumpkin. Deep, rich, and oh so tasty. Ideal breakfast material.
I like to add some raisins and nuts (usually walnuts) to keep things feeling healthy, but dark chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds are great too.

I haven't tried freezing them yet, but I don't see why that wouldn't work. Though really, they get better with age so I wouldn't bother with freezing them. They hit their peak about the third day after they've been baked.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

I don't recall where I originally found this recipe, though it was somewhere online.

Preheat oven to 350F

In one bowl mix:
1 1/3 cups of rolled oats
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

In a second bowl mix:
1 2/3 cups of brown sugar
2/3 cups canola oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla

In three batches fold bowl 1 into bowl 2. Fold in 1 cup nuts and 1/2 cup of raisins, or 3/4 cups chocolate chips and 3/4 cups pumpkin seeds.
Scoop 1 tablespoon balls of batter and flatten a little. These won't spread much when baking so don't worry about placing them too far apart. Bake for on lined cookie tray for 16-20 minutes. Remove to cooling rack.

Sunday Morning Activity

There are some foods I just never think of making. Rosti falls into this category. When I thought rosti, I pictured an entire day spent matchsticking potatoes. But lo, this was not the case.

The first time (and one of the few times) I had rosti was at a buffet, which inevitably meant it was not of very good quality. But it was still potatoes, so how bad could it be? I gobbled the whole thing down. Litre of oil and all.
Now, that hits on what is wrong with most rosti. I imagine most are fried, and so the result is too wet, as well as being a calorie bomb. This rosti, however, is popped in the oven for about an hour, and so it crisps up very nicely. Heck, maybe most rosti are popped in the oven - I am certainly no expert on rosti - but this one tastes like it went in the oven, not for a long dip in canola central.
As I was matchsticking the potatoes (which shockingly, took about five minutes) John said something so perfect. "It's like an aero. The flavour is in the spaces." I couldn't have said it better myself.

We ate our rosti with two poached eggs each and some dressed spinach. The ultimate, unassuming comfort food.
And, just because, I had to add this photo of poaching eggs. They look like little ghosts:

One final note: the recipe says to cook the rosti in an ovenproof frying pan. I didn't have one on hand, so after frying the potatoes in the pan, I transferred them to an 8inch pie dish, and pushed the potato down to fit with a spatula.

Potato Rosti
From Jamie Oliver's Cook With Jamie


olive oil
a small knob of butter
1 1/2 pound floury potatoes, grated and cut into matchsticks
salt and pepper
3 or 4 springs of rosemary, leaves picked
6 cloves of garlic, peeled (this stuff is strong is the rosti, so if you're not big on garlic, reduce amount and cut into smaller bits)

Preheat the oven to 400F. In an ovenproof non-stick frying pan, and about 8inches wide, heat a splash of olive oil. Add the butter and toss the potatoes in it with a pinch of salt and pepper, the rosemary leaves, and the whole garlic cloves. Fry on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring all the while, until the potatoes start to soften. Then place the pan in the oven for 25 minutes.
Take the pan out of the oven and cover it with a damp piece of wax paper. Wrap your hand in a tea towel, and press down on the paper to flatten and compact the rosti. Remove paper, and return to oven for another 25 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

I Introduce To You...

Everyone has some variation of this salad. Whether it is with celery, fennel, mushrooms, pear, apple, parsley, onions, or all of the above, it is near impossible to mess up.

I first discovered what I call "my version" in Laura Calder's French Taste: Elegant Everyday Eating. French Taste is my favourite, favourite, favourite cookbook of all time (do you think I made that clear enough) and I can't believe I'm only getting around to telling you about it now.

I see this book all over town in discount boxes, and I cannot understand for the life of me why its popularity is not more well-spread.
It is a beautiful, helpful, and reliable little thing, and I trust it with all my heart. It has essays on how to shop, eat, and cook (which might seem a bit redundant for someone who has just bought a French food cookbook, but nevertheless, they are still super informative). There is an essay on pastry, which, for me, was revolutionary.
Frankly, I wish it were my own.
The recipes, for the most part, are easy to whip up, and very sophisticated, which I feel a little pompous saying (sophisticated food? I should not quit my day job....if I had one), but it's true. So there. Endorsement over. Let me know if I convinced you.
I recently discovered that Ms. Calder lives in Toronto. Now, I'm not one to care about celebrity spotting's, but I would give up my precious little Fennel and Mushroom salad for a year to meet her... which is saying a lot since I cannot so much as hear the word fennel without feeling an intense urge to out and purchase one, all for the purpose of ending up in this little delight:

What sets this fennel salad apart from the rest is the minced shallot that macerates in white wine vinegar. That vinegar, though drained before being added to the salad, adds a big punch. Get a bite with too shallot and hello 'I just sucked on a lemon' face. But well distributed shallot = heavenly delight.

Laura Calder's Fennel and Mushroom Salad


1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1 fennel bulb
1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
leaves from a large bouquet of parsley
a handful of chopped chives (though I do normally skip this part)
olive oil
salt and pepper
lemon juice
parmesan (optional)

Put the shallot and vinegar in a ramekin. Set aside.
Cut stalks off the fennel bulb and peel any discoloured parts off bulb. Cut bulb in half, lengthways, and slice very thinly. Add to bowl. Add in the mushrooms and parsley leaves. Drain the shallot, discarding the vinegar, and add to bowl with the chives. Dress with oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and parmesan.

I often leave out the mushrooms, or parsley and add is celery. Sometimes I even add chickpeas. But I always add the macerated shallot.

What beats beets?

I had the tastiest, most beautiful dinner last night. Here it is in all its splendour.

Beets in a garlic walnut dressing and a sauteed kale and poached egg sandwich. A glass of red wine, two chocolate chip cookies, and couple episodes of The Sopranos. What more could a girl want?

I first tried the beet salad, a Mark Bittman recipe, at Steve and Sareh's place. It was devastatingly good. It was Laura Calder who pointed out that beets, when cooked nicely, can taste like candy. 

By the way, when we had this salad at Steve and Sareh's it was accompanied by two other Mark Bittman recipes that have found their way into my kitchen numerous times now. Definitely worth checking out his broccoli rabe pasta and the Mexican tofu chocolate pudding (when serving the pudding do not mention it is tofu - they'll never know!). 

But back to the beets. You scrub them, wrap them in tin foil, and bake for about an hour. They're so sweet and soft once cooked. They kind of remind me of turkish delight... though the actual flavours are nothing alike. Pop a piece in your mouth while they're still warm and just let it melt, the juices running down the back of your tongue. I love a good dinner like this, where just the memory of it is oh so satisfying.

The sweetness of the beets is balanced by the strong and stinky garlic-walnut dressing. Quite a lot of garlic goes into it, but you fry the garlic before adding it to the food processor, bringing out its natural sweetness, so the contrast between the garlic and beets is not so severe.

We had our salad with a sandwich of boiled (5minutes), and then sauteed (salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon) kale, with a poached egg on a lightly toasted baguette. If you make this sandwich, which I highly, highly recommend you make to go with the salad, make sure the yolk is still runny. That way, when you put the top piece of baguette down to complete the sandwich, tasty yolk saturates the bread and kale. 

Things got barbaric on John's plate:

Beets With Garlic-Walnut Sauce

2 pounds red beets, about 4 large beets, greens trimmed

1/4 cup olive oil

6 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup walnuts

2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (I used apple juice last night - worked great)

salt and pepper to taste

fresh parsley for garnish

1. Wash beets. While still wet wrap in foil. Bake at 400F for 60-90 minutes on a cookie sheet or roasting pan.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and softening, about 6 minutes. Add walnuts and cook another four minutes. Put mixture in a food processor and process until you have a relatively smooth paste. Scrape sides as you go. Add juice, salt and pepper, and process one more time until well incorporated.

3. When the beets are done you should be able to pierce with a knife with little or no resistance. Let cool, and the peel and chop into cubes. Toss with dressing, and serve with parsley.