recipes

Raisin Butter Tarts and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Theresa Best — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:16:39 -0800

Raisin Butter Tarts and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night my sister and I had a Christmas baking session. I’d brought a copy of Anna Olson’s Back to Baking to try out, and after consulting Anna’s recipe for Raisin Butter Tarts (page 100), my sister declared that she wanted to follow it instead of the recipe she already had. My baking choice was Anna’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (page 18), made with her Basic Brown Sugar Cookie Dough (page 17, or see below!).

For the butter tarts, we had to use regular margarine instead of unsalted butter because that’s what we had on hand. We also had a package of pre-made tart shells that we used instead of making our own dough. (Sorry Anna! Time wasn’t completely on our side!) However, instead of these two “departures” we followed the recipe exactly, and we decided that the resulting tarts were pretty much the best we’d ever tasted.

For the chocolate chip cookies, we also had to substitute regular margarine for unsalted butter. And, because I wanted tidy, round, evenly shaped cookies (go figure: I’m an editor), we rolled out the dough into a log and sliced it instead of dropping spoonfuls of it onto the baking tray. The cookies were simple, chocolaty bliss: a classic that turned out perfectly.

We were using a convection oven, to handle multiple baking trays, and Anna’s notes (page 8) on using this type of oven were really helpful.

Thanks, Anna!

—Theresa Best

Basic Brown Sugar Cookie Dough

• Makes enough dough for 2 to 3 dozen cookies •

foundation recipe

This cookie dough is the base for the favourites of the drop cookies: Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Molasses, and Peanut Butter. After a couple of batches, you’ll likely have these proportions memorized and be able to whip off a batch of cookies with your eyes closed. Before making any of the cookies for which this dough serves as a base, read the specific cookie recipe itself to see if additions need to be made to this basic dough recipe.

½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup (125 mL) packed light brown sugar

¼ cup (60 mL) sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

1¼ cups (310 mL) all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch

½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

Cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar together until fluffy.

Beat in the egg and then the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and stir until evenly blended.

Follow instructions to make Chocolate Chip (page 18), Oatmeal Raisin (page 20), Molasses (page 20), or Peanut Butter (page 22).

Notes from Anna’s kitchen

1. The cornstarch is the secret to this dough. Regardless of which cookie variation you choose to make with this recipe, the cookies stay soft in the centre and are delectably tender.

2. Ever run out of brown sugar? You can re-create light brown sugar by using granulated sugar and adding 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of fancy molasses to a recipe for every 1 cup (250 mL) of brown sugar called for. The molasses creates the taste and the moisture that the brown sugar would add to a recipe.

Black Bean Brownies

Jeffrey Bryan — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:17:59 -0700

This recipe comes from the new book Spilling the Beans by Julie Van Rosendaal and Sue Duncan. Did you know you could bake with beans? This recipe is a great introduction to baking with beans but the book also includes recipes for scones with red lentils and banana bread with white beans!

Black Bean Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

These are the full on real deal. Nobody has ever detected the merest hint of a bean in these, nor given a damn once told. Use good-quality chocolate; you’ll be happy you did.

1 cup (250 mL) rinsed and drained canned black beans (half a 19 oz/540 mL can)

1 1/4 cups (310 mL) broken pecan pieces (optional)

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter

2 oz (60 g) unsweetened chocolate

1/3 cup (80 mL) all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup (185 mL) sugar

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

2/3 cup (160 mL) good-quality chocolate chips, or a 3 1/2 oz (100 g) bar good quality bittersweet or semi-sweet dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°f.

Spread the rinsed black beans out on a double thickness of paper towel and blot them gently to remove as much moisture as possible. Leave them uncovered on the counter until you need them for the recipe.

Spread the pecan pieces (if using) on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and very lightly browned, about 6 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan set over very low heat, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate, taking care not to let the mixture scorch. Whisk to combine, then remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt together and set aside.

Place the dried-off beans and the cooled butter/chocolate mixture in the bowl of a food processor, and process until very smooth, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla; process again until combined. Scrape the mixture into the flour mixture and fold gently, leaving streaks of flour still visible. Add the pecans and chocolate chips and fold to just combine.

Pour the batter into a lightly buttered (or sprayed, with non-stick cooking spray) 8-inch square pan, and smooth the top. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes: the batter should no longer jiggle when the pan moves, but any toothpick inserted would be very chocolatey indeed. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. The brownies will need to cool awhile, unless you want to eat them with a spoon directly from the pan (we’ve done it). Otherwise, cut them when they’ve cooled, and store in the refrigerator if you like a dense texture, or at room temperature if you like them softer.

Cereal Killer Soup

Jeffrey Bryan — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:33:23 -0700

Here's a recipe from the book Glutton for Pleasure by Bob Blumer. As is his specialty, this dish isn't all that it seems!

Cereal Killer Soup

I made this soup in a breakfast-for-dinner episode of The Surreal Gourmet. My guests were a group of Toronto taxi drivers who worked the all-night shift and were accustomed to eating dinner after the sun rose. They came from all walks of life and all corners of the globe—and dispensed their cab-driver wisdom liberally.

Lucky for them, they weren’t really getting cold cereal for supper. And lucky for me, I got to hang out in my kitchen with some very wise men.

4 tablespoons (60 mL) butter, divided

1 tablespoon (15 mL) Indian spice blend (e.g. garam masala)

1 cup (250 mL) Cheerios

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 leek, white and pale green section only, diced

1 head cauliflower, trimmed and roughly chopped

6 cups (1.5 L) chicken or vegetable broth, divided

Salt and white pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) freshly grated nutmeg (ideally)

1 tablespoon (15 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4–1/2 cup (60–125 mL) milk or half-and-half cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons (30 mL) butter and add spice blend. Add Cheerios and toss thoroughly. Transfer spiced Cheerios to a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes, or until crispy. Reserve.

In a medium pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons (30 mL) butter and sauté onion and leek for about 4 minutes, or until translucent. Add cauliflower and 5 cups (1.25 L) of broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is completely soft.

Purée contents of pot in a blender until smooth. If necessary, thin with remaining broth until soup is your desired consistency. For extra-smooth soup, run the purée through a fine strainer. Discard any solids. Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Finish with lemon juice.

To serve, reheat to a gentle simmer. If you choose to increase the richness quotient, add approximately 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of milk or cream per serving while reheating. Pour soup into a cereal-style bowl and sprinkle generously with the spiced Cheerios.

Vote!

Jeffrey Bryan — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:06:57 -0700

Today is election day in Canada and what better way to celebrate our democracy than with mousse (except perhaps moose, but I don't have a recipe for that right now). Here is Rose Murray's recipe for Maple Yogurt Mousse from A Taste of Canada. The recipe even includes a handy 2 hour break giving you enough time to run out and vote!

Maple Yogurt Mousse
This light-and-easy dessert is creamy-textured but low in fat. Yogurt adds a pleasant tang that balances the sweetness of the maple syrup.
Makes 6 servings

1 envelope unflavourted gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/3 cup whipping cream
Additional whipped cream
walnut halves (optional)

In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin into the cold water. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved. Stir in the maple syrup and remove from the heat.
Add the yogurt and milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour into a large bowl and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks; fold into the maple mixture. Pour into stemmed glasses and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. If desired, garnish each serving with a small dollop of whipped cream and top with a walnut half.

Bal Arneson Has Been Keeping Busy!

Jeffrey Bryan — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:36:37 -0800

Bal Arneson has been busy this week! The Spice Goddess herself has been on her Vancouver media tour to promote her new book Bal’s Quick and Healthy Indian. She stopped by Shaw TV for interviews on Urban Rush and Studio 4 with Fanny Kiefer. And this morning she joined Riaz Meghji at Breakfast Television with her delicious Spiced Honey Chicken recipe. On Tuesday she was at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks for a reception/book signing where she met with fans, as they tasted some of her favourite recipes from the new book. Did I mention she did all this while still going to her full time teaching job?!

Throughout her Vancouver tour Bal has worn traditional saris evoking her Punjabi heritage. With their bright colours and ornate designs, Bal’s saris are eye catching to say the least!

If you’re in Toronto, don’t miss Bal at First Canadian Place on March 14^th.

Here’s Bal’s recipe for Tamarind Scallops from her new book Bal’s Quick and Healthy Indian:

Tamarind Scallops

Scallops are quick to prepare. The sauce is tangy (the tamarind) and creamy (the coconut), and the spices give these scallops a touch of the exotic.

Serves 4

Tamarind is a good source of antioxidants, vitamin C, and minerals such as calcium and iron.

2 Tbsp (30 mL) grapeseed oil

12 large scallops

1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped ginger

1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped garlic

1 Tbsp (15 mL) cumin seeds

1 Tbsp (15 mL) garam masala (page 7)

1 tsp (5 mL) mustard seeds

1 cup (250 mL) unsweetened dried coconut flakes

1 cup (250 mL) coconut milk

2 Tbsp (30 mL) tamarind pulp (page 8)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the scallops and cook them for 1 minute on each side, or until the scallops begin to turn brown. Add the ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, garam masala, and mustard seeds and cook for 20 seconds. Turn the heat down to medium.

Add the coconut flakes, coconut milk, and tamarind to the skillet, and cook until the scallops are opaque, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve with rice and Baked Baby Eggplant Filled with Paneer (page 10).

Mini Cheese Ball Pumpkins

Jeffrey Bryan — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:53:50 -0700

Halloween is 2 days away and I’m ashamed to say I’m still searching for the perfect costume. With so little time left it’s looking like I’ll have to pick up a pre-packaged, store-bought, one-size-fits-all costume on my way home!

I wish I could say I wasn’t alone in this situation, but it seems like everyone at the Whitecap office has their costume all planned out. We’ve got a bag of cotton candy, a Britney Spears (circa 1999), and even a double rainbow!

If you’re scrambling last-minute like me, you may also be looking for a Halloween-themed appetizer to bring to wherever this haunted holiday is taking you. Luckily, I can help! These mini cheese balls from Everyone Can Cook for Celebrations by Eric Akis are quick, include ingredients that you can find at any grocery store, and are sure to be a hit!

Mini Cheese Ball Pumpkins

I turned the mixture I used to make a regular cheddar cheese ball into these bite-sized mini cheese balls. When coated in crushed cracker crumbs and pushed down in the center, the squat shape is reminiscent of a pumpkin. Serve them as is, or set them on thin crackers. You can make these up to a day in advance.

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: None

Makes: 24–30 pumpkins

8 oz (250 g) brick cream cheese, softened
1 cup (250 mL) grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup (60 mL) very finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup (60 mL) walnut pieces, very finely chopped
2 tsp (10 mL) hot horseradish
1/2 tsp (2 mL) Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt, or to taste
1/2 cup (125 mL) finely crushed orange-colored crackers (see Note)
24 pieces green bell pepper, each 1/2 inch (1 cm) long and 1/8 inch (3 mm) wide

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the cream cheese in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until lightened. Mix in the cheddar cheese, onion, walnuts, horseradish, Worcestershire and salt. Lightly dampen your hands with cold water. Shape the cheese mixture into 3/4-inch (2 cm) balls and set on one of the baking sheets.

Place the cracker crumbs on a wide plate. Coat one of the cheese balls in the crumbs, gently pressing them on to help them adhere and shaping the ball so it has a nice round shape. Set it on the clean baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cheese balls. Gently push down in the center of each cheese ball to give it a pumpkin shape. Make a stem by inserting a piece of green pepper into each cheese ball. Tent with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheese balls at least 2 hours before serving.

Note: I use goldfish crackers for the coating, but any crisp, orange-colored cracker would work. I crush the crackers in a food processor; 1 cup (250 mL) of these crackers, when crushed, yielded the crumbs I needed to coat the cheese balls.

Eric’s options: Instead of walnuts, use pecans.

Book Launch for In a Pinch

Jeffrey Bryan — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:20:00 -0700

Last week we at Whitecap celebrated the release of Caren McSherry's new book In a Pinch: Effortless Cooking for Today's Gourmet. Caren held a food-filled party at her store, The Gourmet Warehouse, that drew friends and media alike!

Stations throughout the store featured some of Caren's favourite edible treats. There was Rockin' Ronnie Shewchuk preparing his popular pulled pork sandwiches, local cracker enthusiast Heather Nichol showing off her new Moroccan Spice crackers, and Chef Robert Clark himself (of C Restaurant fame) searing seafood snacks for Caren's guests.

Everyone went home with gift bags that included many of Caren's favourite kitchen utensils (which Caren writes about in the book).

In a Pinch is the perfect guide for effortless entertaining. In her book, Caren shows how to impress your friends and family with recipes that don't leave you stranded in the kitchen all night.

Here's the recipe for Crab Avocado Stacks from In a Pinch:

Crab Avocado Stacks

Makes 24

Magical marriages in food do exist. Certain combinations of foods marry well: salmon and pinot noir, macaroni and cheese, and crab and avocado. For this appie, I actually use a healthy multigrain tortilla chip, an “antijunk snack food” that inspires me to take it beyond salsa.

Guacamole
1 large Roma tomato
2 ripe avocados, peeled and mashed
1 large shallot, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
1–2 tsp (5–10 mL) your favorite hot sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Assembly
24 multigrain tortilla chips, kept whole
3 1/2 oz (100 g) fresh crabmeat (or chicken), shredded
1 cup (250 g) grated Monterey Jack

For the guacamole, cut the Roma tomato in half; squeeze out the juice and dice. Place in a medium bowl with mashed avocado, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well; add the salt and pepper if you need to. Set aside.

Choose chips that are completely whole and lay them on a baking sheet. Place 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of guacamole on each chip. Divide the crabmeat evenly over each of the chips. Top with the grated cheese.

Broil in a preheated oven until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Transfer to a colorful serving platter and enjoy.

In a Pinch:
Instead of making your own guacamole, use a convenient jar of guacamole seasoning to which you just add avocado!

Slow Cooker Stone Soup

Jeffrey Bryan — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:21:44 -0700

Recently a good friend of ours gave us a slow cooker for the office. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, as this Fall we are publishing the sixth book in Eric Akis’s Everyone Can Cook series: Everyone Can Cook Slow Cooker Meals!

Yesterday, the Whitecapettes and I—all nine of us—decided to try out our first recipe from the book. We chose the Vegetable Tikka Masala because of its (relatively) short cook time (and because one of us is vegetarian). Everyone brought in two ingredients, stone soup style, and in the morning we threw it all in the cooker and let it sit.

The tikka masala turned out great and left the whole Whitecap office smelling amazing all day. Thanks to Phil for the slow cooker and Eric for the recipe!

Group Shot, slow cooker meal

Did you know?: “Tikka” means “chunks of chicken” in Hindi.

Vegetable Tikka Masala

Makes 6 servings

This is a vegetarian version of a dish made famous in Britain. It’s usually made with chicken. The whipping cream in the curry-laced sauce in which the vegetables are cooked gives it a silky texture and, of course, a divinely rich taste. I like to serve this dish with slices of cumin seed flatbread (see Eric’s Options for Rosemary Flatbread in Everyone Can Cook Slow Cooker Meals).

1 cup (250 mL) tomato sauce
1 cup (250 mL) vegetable stock or water
1 cup (250 mL) whipping (35%) cream
2–3 Tbsp (30–45 mL) mild, medium or hot curry powder
1 tsp (5 mL) cornstarch
18 small to medium cauliflower florets
10–12 miniature red-skinned potatoes, each quartered
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced on the bias
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp (30 mL) peeled, chopped fresh ginger (see About Fresh Ginger on page 30)
2–3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas
Salt to taste
3 Tbsp (45 mL) chopped fresh cilantro or sliced green onion

Place the tomato sauce, stock, cream, curry powder and cornstarch in your slow cooker and whisk to combine. Mix in the cauliflower, potatoes, carrot, bell pepper, onion, ginger and garlic. The mixture will look thick, but moisture will seep out of the vegetables as they cook, so don’t be tempted to add extra liquid. Push down on the potatoes to ensure they are submerged in the liquid. Cover and cook on the low setting for 5 to 6 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. Mix in the peas, cover and cook for 10 minutes more, or just until the peas are heated through. Season the tikka masala with salt. Sprinkle servings with chopped cilantro or sliced green onion.

Summer Fruit

Jeffrey Bryan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:14:15 -0700

Summer has finally arrived on the West Coast! The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and I have been spending my afternoons and evening reading at the beach. There is absolutely nothing like summer to make a boring workday into a mini-vacation!

I don’t know about you, but in the summer all I want to eat is fruit. This season is often the best time to get your favourite produce at its peak. Whether you’re biting into a fresh Gala apple or popping a handful of juicy green grapes in your mouth, fruit makes the perfect easy and refreshing summer snack.

If you’re looking for an interesting way to serve fruit this summer you have to check out the Watermelon and Watercress Salad (just reading that made my mouth “water”—groan) from Tony de Luca’s Simply in Season.

Watermelon and Watercress Salad

You can use cubes of melon or stamp out shapes from slices of melon with a fluted cookie cutter. While using both red and yellow watermelons adds a “wow” factor to this dish, choosing only the ripest fruit is more important, as this will dictate whether the salad is remarkable or leaves diners wondering, “What was Tony thinking?”

Serves 6

1/3 cup (80 mL) olive oil

1/3 cup (80 mL) aged sherry vinegar

2 Tbsp (30 mL) honey

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 red onions, cut crosswise into thin rings

2 bunches watercress, washed, dried, and stems removed

kosher salt and black pepper to taste

8 cups (2 L) cubed watermelon (1-inch/2.5 cm cubes)

additional olive oil for garnish

fleur de sel for garnish

2 Tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped basil (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, and shallot. Add the red onions and watercress, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss well.

To serve, arrange the watermelon and salad on 6 dinner plates. Drizzle each plate with olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Garnish with chopped basil if desired.

Happy Canada Day!

Jeffrey Bryan — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:38:52 -0700

Tomorrow is Canada Day and what better way to celebrate than with food? This year Canada turns the big 1-4-3 and if you’re heading to a birthday celebration for this beautifully scenic country don’t forget this Strawberry Shortcake from Rose Murray’s A Taste of Canada:

Strawberry or Peach Shortcake

The beloved Canadian author, Edna Staebler, made Mennonite country cooking famous in Food that Really Schmecks (1968 and commemorative edition, 2007). From that book comes this “old-fashioned biscuit-dough shortcake recipe” that remains a favourite because it is so quick and easy. You can update it with fancy creams or add interesting flavours to the fruit, but the shortcake itself is delicious. When Edna was well enough to travel, we would visit friends on a farm near Owen Sound each year during peach season. Edna would make her shortcake and take along a lovely basket of Niagara peaches from the farmers’ market. For years I have made it for my Canada birthday parties to which Edna would always come wearing her red and white Capri pants! So, partly in her unique prose, here is the shortcake that I will continue to make (although I do like to split it and add whipped cream with the fruit).

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar (approx)
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk or sour milk*

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture is crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix just enough to make sure the dry part is moistened. Spread the dough out in a greased 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) pan—“quite a large flat one—or you can use half the recipe and put the batter into a 9- x 9-inch (2.5 L) square one.” Sprinkle with additional sugar and bake in the centre of a 400°F (200°C) oven until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 20 minutes. “Serve warm and smothered with sugared berries or sliced peaches. You don’t need to split it and butter it or slather it with whipped cream.” Makes 12 servings.

*In Mennonite country cooking, nothing was wasted, and if the milk was past its prime, it was used in the recipe. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can sour milk by placing a tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice or white vinegar in a glass measure; fill it with milk to the 1 cup (250 mL) mark and let it stand for 15 minutes.