Lunch at home

Now that the Little Prince is in daycare three days a week, this gives me more time to make nice lunches for myself (and occasionally eat leftovers with him the next day). Admittedly, this isn’t necessarily the best use of my time, because it would be nice to do things like get caught up on my sewing projects or my reading, but hey, a gal’s gotta eat. Sometimes, I make meals that I know my kid wouldn’t enjoy as much, like soups or salads. He wasn’t big on Greek salad, although sliced apple salad was a different story. I was just happy that I got to use a 1 ½-pound heirloom tomato in a salad! I should also mention that I made croutons by pan-frying cubes of bread in olive oil, with some herbes de Provence and truffled salt, and they were the best ever! Even better than what the Greek salad actually called for.


I also made guacamole deviled eggs for the Engineer’s birthday. I had to cook two batches of eggs, because the directions they gave for boiled eggs were an absolute disaster, so I ended up making them again my go-to way (hard-baked for 30 minutes at 325 °F). They were good, but deviled eggs are such a hassle to make pretty! Actually, they are a hassle, period, considering how much effort goes into just a few bites… Vegan pho was alright, though the broth was a bit too concentrated for my taste. I really enjoyed Minimalist Baker’s vegan omelet, made with silken tofu, tahini, and nutritional yeast and filled with vegetables – but sadly, I didn’t get any appetizing pictures of that. It was obviously more involved than an omelet using eggs, but it was really good! And it’s a great way to use up vegetables and herbs that might go bad otherwise.


The lack of good pictures is also true of Molly Wizenberg’s herbed chicken meatballs in broth with peas and parmesan, although I liked that one so much that I’m going to share the recipe anyway. It’s basically a soup, except that if you store the leftovers in one pot, with the meatballs right in the broth, the latter gets cloudy – the taste is the same, but it’s a little less aesthetically pleasing. It would be great served with buttered, toasted bread (maybe garlic bread?). Note that the original recipe called for 10 cups of chicken broth, but I found that to be a little too much, so I recommend 8 cups (2 liters / 2 quarts). If you don’t use low-sodium broth, consider maybe using 6 or 7 cups of broth and making the rest water.


3 oz. (85 g.) rustic, country-style bread
¼ cup lactose-free whole milk
18 oz. (540 g.) ground chicken or turkey (ideally dark meat)
6 sprigs Italian parsley, leaves finely chopped and stems discarded
4 sprigs marjoram, leaves finely chopped and stems discarded (I omitted that)
salt and pepper, to taste
8 cups chicken stock (see note above)
12 oz. (340 g.) fresh or frozen peas
grana padano or parmesan, for grating

Cut the crusts off the bread. Cut the bread into roughly ½-inch cubes and put it into a large bowl. Add the milk, toss to coat, and leave to soak for about 20 minutes. Then squish the bread into a mush, and add the ground chicken. Add 1 tablespoon each of the chopped parsley and marjoram, a few grinds of black pepper, and a couple of very generous pinches of salt. (If you’re using table salt or fine sea salt, about 1 teaspoon should be right.) Mix with a fork, or with your hand, until evenly combined. (If you’re unsure of the seasoning, at this point you can fry off a little bit of the meat mixture and taste for salt.) With damp hands, form the meat into 1-inch balls. You should get approximately 25. Chill the meatballs for 30 minutes before cooking.

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a wide pot, such as a Dutch oven. (This is a good time to taste the stock for seasoning.) Gently drop the meatballs into the simmering stock, and cook for 5 minutes (I cooked mine longer, to make sure they were cooked all the way through – you’re looking for their internal temperature to reach 165 °F). Remove the meatballs from the stock, and set aside. If the broth is cloudy, you can strain it, or just continue on. You can now go one of two ways:
1. If you plan to serve the soup immediately, add the peas to the simmering stock, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Return the meatballs to the pot, and stir in the remaining chopped herbs. Serve with freshly grated grana padano or parmesan.
2. If you plan to eat the soup later, chill the meatballs and the stock separately. When you’re ready to eat, bring the broth back to a simmer, add the meatballs and peas, and cook until everything is warm and the peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining chopped herbs. Serve with freshly grated grana padano or parmesan.

The best applesauce - and more hipster apples

Every fall for the past several years, I had been looking for Pink Pearl apples in various grocery stores and markets. I’m pretty sure I first heard about them on The Kitchn, though a few years ago they were also mentioned on Spilled Milk and in Bon Appétit. I had to resign myself to the fact that these apples just aren’t sold in South Texas even when they are in season, and since the latter source recommended Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm for online ordering (a Google search didn’t reveal any other providers for fruit, only seeds and seedlings), I decided to take the plunge and order a case of apples. From Michigan. The apples themselves were not that expensive for heirloom apples (a little under $1.40 per apple?) plus proper packaging ($12.50 according to my itemized bill, but included in the price shown online), but the catch is that since apples are perishable, you have to pay for 2-day shipping, and *that* was a hit on the wallet. This had been bugging me for so long, though, that I decided to just take the hit this one time to cross them off my bucket list. I’m glad I did, although I won’t be placing this order annually!

Pink Pearl apples are known for their pink flesh. I’m a sucker for pink-fleshed apples (Surprise? Pendragon? Redlove Era?), though again, I can’t find them in South Texas and haven’t even tasted those varieties! Pink Pearls have a great balance of sweet and tart flavor, and I like my apples a bit tart, so these were a good fit. I saved the seeds of my Pink Pearls out of principle, though I realize that the climate here isn’t the most conducive to apple trees…

For those of you who want to make this applesauce recipe, but with more readily available apples, my favorite is still Envy, though last summer I had some great Honeycrisps and Pink Ladies. Actually, on that note, you should read this great article on the Honeycrisp and heirloom apples in general. The author got me right at the beginning with a rant about the Red Delicious, which ended with (and I quote): “Fuck the Red Delicious.” I couldn’t agree more!

Anyway, I decided to make applesauce with my Pink Pearls. I was inspired by an Instagram picture posted by Molly Wizenberg, of Orangette, who had the most beautifully pink applesauce I’d ever seen! I had tried this recipe before, and it makes perfectly fine applesauce, though I’d recommend draining it a bit before puréeing. But then I remembered I had wanted to try a recipe I found on Orangette, which seemed all the more appropriate given that that’s probably how Molly Wizenberg made the pink applesauce that looked so awesome in her Instagram feed! So I took a look, and it is Judy Rodgers’s roasted applesauce. And, well, damned if it wasn’t the best applesauce I’ve ever eaten! I’m always going to make it this way now, regardless of what kind of apple I use. Roasting the apples concentrates their flavor and makes the sugars caramelize a bit. I ended up using a bit less than 3 pounds of apples, because they didn’t all fit in my pan (so in that picture with the unpeeled apples in the pan, they didn’t all make it in, and the leftover apples are next to the pan in the next picture). The yield was probably a little over 2 cups of applesauce. I think next time, I’d just use two pans to make a big batch and freeze some (laid flat in a Ziploc bag, if you’re wondering). Anyway, this is absolutely awesome applesauce, especially if you like it a bit chunky.

3 ½ to 4 lbs. apples (Rodgers uses crisp eating apples, like Braeburns, Pippins, or Galas; I used Pink Pearls)
1 pinch of salt
1 to 2 tsp. sugar, or to taste
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine, cut into slivers

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Put them in a (ungreased) baking dish just large enough to hold them in a crowded single layer. (I used a 9”x13” pan here.)

Toss with a little salt and 1 teaspoon of the sugar (unless they are very sweet, in which case you might not need any sugar at all.) If they are tart enough to make you squint, use 2 teaspoons of sugar. Dot the apples with butter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until the apples start to soften, about 15 to 30 minutes (I needed 30 minutes for mine).

Remove the foil, increase the heat to 500 °F, and return the pan to the oven. Leave the apples to dry out and color slightly, about 10 minutes more. When the tips of the apples are golden and the fruit is tender, remove the pan from the oven, and coarsely mash the apples. (I used a potato masher for mine.) If you like, season the applesauce further with salt and sugar to taste. You can also use a splash of apple cider vinegar, but I didn’t.

Batch of links

- Better post this while it’s still relevant: When Hillary Clinton’s emails were leaked this month, it turns out there was important culinary information in there. You can’t rush a good risotto.

- A very interesting article titled A Plea for Culinary Modernism. The apt subtitle is “The obsession with eating natural and artisanal is ahistorical. We should demand more high-quality industrial food.”

- On a slightly related note, The Pie that won WWII is an interesting read.

- Also, The Depression Radically Changed the Way Americans Ate.

- There is now a sixth taste, which explains why we like carbs so much. And it also makes me wonder why we thought there were only four tastes for so long…

- There’s now potato-based vegan cheese!

- A ranking of the most (and least) vegetarian-friendly cities in America. Not surprisingly, San Antonio is near the bottom, but who would have thought that Santa Fe would come out on top? I’m really impressed by all the data points in this article.

- I heard about a new-to-me vegan chain called Veggie Grill, and it’s expanding! Let’s see if it makes it out of Southern California…

- Montreal has a zero-waste grocery store now – it’s called Méga Vrac.

- Inside the New York Library’s last, secret apartments made me want one of those places!

- Ever wondered what happens to unclaimed airline luggage in the US? Chances are, it ends up at a thrift store in Atlanta.

- A card with a hand-drawn map instead of an address was correctly delivered in Iceland. I love stories like these! It always reminds me of the time a cousin sent a letter to my grandmother using only her first name and the name of her street, in addition to the village and province (no postal code). It got to her that time, but the Canada Post employee won’t stand for such nonsense anymore.

Petits pains de viande coiffés de purée

Ici, on aime ça, la viande et les patates. Enfin, le Petit Prince a l’air d’aimer les patates juste s’il s’agit de frites ces temps-ci, mais sinon, on aime ça. J’ai fait un souper très simple, des saucisses de poulet avec des patates écrasées, le tout rôti au four, et c’était très bon. Le genre de souper sans se casser la tête que j’aime bien faire, surtout avec une petite salade verte.

Dans le même genre (mais en moins simple), voici une recette de Coup de Pouce, qui est présentement introuvable sur leur site (ils ont refait leur moteur de recherche récemment, et c’est le bordel total!). Pour faire d’une pierre deux coups, j’ai testé en même temps cette recette de purée de pommes de terre à l’ail, au parmesan et au beurre noisette qui était à se rouler par terre! Il me restait de la purée de pommes de terre, alors je l’ai servie à côté. La prochaine fois, j’en mettrais davantage dans la recette et j’utiliserais une cuillère à crème glacée pour faire de belles boules sur les petits pains de viande, ce serait plus joli dans l’assiette et moins redondant surtout… L’Ingénieur a appelé ça des « meat muffins », et je pense qu’avec une boule de simili-glaçage de patates, ce serait comme des petits gâteaux à la viande (au lieu de petits pains). Ça aussi, j’ai servi avec une salade verte. Vraiment délicieux (et le Petit Prince a aimé la viande, en tout cas!).

Pour les patates : on s’entend que vous pouvez utiliser la recette que vous voulez, mais je me dois de vous donner celle que j’ai essayée, tellement c’était bon.

Pour la purée de pommes de terre
10 grosses patates (3 lb.; j’avais des Yukon Gold, il me semble)
¾ tasse de beurre
4 gousses d’ail, râpées
½ tasse de fromage parmesan râpé
1 tasse de lait sans lactose (ou plus, au besoin)

Peler les patates et les couper en gros morceaux. Faire bouillir dans de l’eau salée pendant 20 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’elles soient tendres.

Après environ 10 minutes, faire fondre le beurre dans une petite casserole à feu moyen. Quand le beurre commence à mousser, ajouter l’ail et brasser sans arrêt jusqu’à ce que le beurre brunisse (il y aura de petits morceaux foncés au fond de la casserole). Retirer du feu.

Drainer les patates et les remettre dans la casserole. Ajouter le beurre réservé ainsi que le parmesan et le lait. Piler les patates jusqu’à ce qu’elles aient une consistance homogène (ajouter un peu de lait au besoin). Saler et poivrer, au goût.

Pour les petits pains de viande
1 œuf légèrement battu
¼ tasse de chapelure assaisonnée à l’italienne (j’ai mis des fines herbes dans ma chapelure nature)
¼ tasse de champignons frais, hachés finement
¼ tasse de carotte râpée
¼ tasse d’oignon haché finement
2 c. à soupe de ketchup
2 c. à thé de moutarde de Dijon
2 c. à thé de sauce Worcestershire
1 gousse d’ail hachée finement
1 ¼ lb. de bœuf haché maigre
½ tasse de sauce barbecue du commerce
1 ¼ tasse de purée de pommes de terre (ou davantage, voir notre plus haut)
¼ tasse de cheddar râpé
ciboulette hachée

Préchauffer le four à 350 °F. Huiler douze moules à muffins et les mettre sur une plaque à biscuits.

Dans un grand bol, mélanger l’œuf, la chapelure, les champignons, la carotte, l’oignon, le ketchup, la moutarde de Dijon, la sauce Worcestershire et l’ail. Ajouter le bœuf haché et bien mélanger.

Presser légèrement la préparation de bœuf haché dans les moules à muffins; badigeonner les pains de viande de la sauce barbecue. Cuire pendant 30 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que les petits pains de viande aient perdu leur teinte rosée à l’intérieur (j’ai utilisé un thermomètre).

Entre-temps, chauffer la purée de pommes de terre au micro-ondes. Répartir la purée sur les petits pains de viande (voir notre plus haut) et parsemer du cheddar. Poursuivre la cuisson au four pendant 5 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le fromage ait fondu. Parsemer de ciboulette et servir.

Plum Squares with Marzipan Crumble

I made a few more recipes with stone fruit (a somewhat disappointing apple and peach compote and a delicious peach melba parfait with graham cracker crumble with yogurt), but none quite so good as these late-season plum squares with marzipan crumble from Smitten Kitchen. Min came out thicker than what I was expecting (probably because my pan was 8 inches square instead of her 9 inches square), but they were delicious! The Engineer and I both loved them; the Little Prince wants it known that he prefers less fruit in his desserts.

This recipe calls for an 8-inch square pan, but a 9-inch one will work just as well. You can double the recipe and use a 9”x13” pan, too. I wrote down what Deb Perelman recommends doing with the second half of the tube of marzipan (since the most commonly available brand seems to be Odense, I’m assuming everyone will have this “problem”). You won’t regret it!

For the crust
1 cup (130 g.) all-purpose flour
½ cup (55 g.) sliced almonds, toasted (or almond flour)
¼ tsp. fine sea salt or table salt
¼ cup (50 g.) granulated sugar
¼ tsp. almond extract
½ cup unsalted butter or margarine

For the crumble
2/3 cup (85 g.) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup marzipan or almond paste (about 3.5 oz. of a 7-oz. tube)
1/3 cup (65 g.) light brown sugar
¼ tsp. fine sea salt and table salt
4 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter or margarine, cut into cubes
¼ cup (30 g.) sliced, toasted almonds

For the filling
1/3 cup marzipan or almond paste (the second half of your 7-oz. tube; optional)
1 lb. plums (about 6 or 7), halved, pitted and thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Cut two 12-inch lengths of parchment paper and trim each to fit the 8-inch width of an 8×8-inch square baking pan. Press it into the bottom and sides of your pan in one direction, then use the second sheet to line the rest of the pan, perpendicular to the first sheet. This is going to make it very easy to remove the bars.

For the crust
Combine the flour, almonds, salt, sugar and extract in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks, and add it to the bowl, then run the machine until the mixture forms large clumps, maybe 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer the dough to your prepared baking pan and press it evenly across the bottom and 1/4-inch up the sides. Bake for 15 minutes, until very pale golden. Let cool (you can place the crust in the fridge or even in the freezer, on a cooling rack, to speed this up, but I didn’t bother).

For the crumble
Blend flour, almond paste, sugar and salt in processor until almond paste is finely ground. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until coarse crumbs form. Transfer crumble to bowl; mix in almonds.

For the filling
Place the almond paste in between two sheets of wax paper and roll it out thinly. (At this point, mine decided to take on a shape like Texas – go figure.) Cut it into pieces and place it onto your parbaked crust.


Combine all remaining ingredients in medium bowl; toss to coat well.

Sprinkle ½ cup prepared crumble over cooled crust. Top with plum mixture. Sprinkle with remaining crumble.

Bake until filling bubbles thickly and top is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. If the bars brown too quickly, cover them with foil for the remaining baking time. Cool in pan (again, you can use the fridge or freezer here, but I didn’t bother). Once firm, use the parchment sling to remove the bars and cut them more cleanly on a cutting board. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, before serving.

Zucchini Pizza

The recipes for the pizza and dough are both from Smitten Kitchen. Deb Perelman calls for a 9”x13” half-sheet pan, but I don’t have those. My pan is about 11”x17”, if I remember correctly, so I made the full recipe of her dough (instead of the 2/3 that she recommends), but even then, I didn’t have enough to cover the pan. It did feel like enough pizza in all, though, but I would have preferred it if it had covered all the surface nicely… Next time, I might increase the dough proportions by a third, especially since I didn’t want a too-thin, crispy dough. Keep in mind that this dough, if you make it, is soft and doesn’t stretch easily, so you can’t just roll it out to the desired size. You could always buy your dough, too, if that’s easier, or use your favorite recipe. I really liked this pizza, though I must admit that the Little Prince was a bit disappointed at the lack of tomato sauce and the high vegetable-to-cheese ratio.

Note that you have options for this pizza dough, depending on your schedule: an overnight schedule (beginning at around 8-9 pm the night before, for dinner around 6-8 pm); an all-day schedule (beginning at around 6-8 am that morning); and a part-day schedule (beginning at around 12 pm). I chose the latter.

For the dough
3 cups (375 g.) all-purpose flour (bread flour works too)
slightly heaped 1/8, 1/4 or 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast (for overnight, all-day, or part-day schedules respectively, above)
1 ½ tsp. sea or kosher salt
1 ¼ cup warm water, plus an additional tablespoon or two if needed

In a very large bowl, mix all ingredients with a spoon. The dough will be craggy and rough; this is fine, but if it feels excessively so, add another spoonful or even two of water. Cover bowl with plastic and keep at room temperature for approximately 22 (for overnight schedule), 12 (for all-day schedule) or 6 (for part-day schedule) hours, or until the dough has more than doubled. This takes longer in a chilly room and less in a very warm one, but don’t worry too much about this, as the dough is generally forgiving of a loosened schedule. (I like to put my dough in the microwave with the door ajar, which keeps it safe from drafts and provides warmth from the lightbulb.)

Flour your counter very well. Scrape dough out of bowl onto floured counter; in the time it has risen, it should have changed from that craggy rough ball to something very loose, soft, sticky and stretchy. Flour the top of the dough and make it into a ball shape (if you are making two smaller pizzas with it, divide it into two balls first). Take hold of it and let the soft dough stretch and fall away from your hands a few times before landing on your prepared baking sheet. Use floured fingers to press and nudge dough into a roughly rectangular shape. Add desired toppings (see below).

For the zucchini topping
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 ½ lbs. (about 5 small or 3 large) zucchini or other summer squash, trimmed
1 ½ tsp. fine sea salt
2 cups (8 oz.) coarsely grated lactose-free gruyere cheese
2-3 Tbsp. plain breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 500 °F. Brush either a 13”x18” rimmed half-sheet pan or two 9”x13” quarter sheet pans (see note above) with olive oil. Used floured (or oiled) fingertips to pull, stretch, nudge and press the prepared pizza dough across the bottom of the pan. The dough will be thin and imperfect; just try to get it even and if holes form, just pinch them back together. (This is where I was unhappy with my dough, aesthetically speaking, but the result was very good nonetheless.)

Use a food processor with a grater attachment or the large holes of a box grater to grate the zucchini. In a large bowl, toss together the zucchini and salt. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes (more, if you have the time), until the zucchini has wilted and released its water. Drain the zucchini in a colander and then use your hands to squeeze out as much water as possible, a fistful at a time.

Back in the large bowl (wiped out if still wet), toss the zucchini with the gruyère shreds, being sure to break up any clumps of zucchini. Taste the mixture; it should be seasoned enough from the salt, but you can add more, plus ground pepper or pepper flakes if desired.

Spread the zucchini mixture over the dough(s), going all the way to the edges of the pan and piling it a bit thicker at the edges, where it will brown first. Sprinkle messily with the bread crumbs.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping is golden. Remove from oven, cut into squares and dig in.

Maple Oat Scones

I love having something special for breakfast (and by special, I mean something other than toast with peanut butter or some such option). But because I also don’t really want to spend the early morning cooking, some of my favorite breakfasts are the make-ahead kind, like muffins or quick breads. I made a great coconut-lemon tea cake, but I can’t really make a post out of it because I lack good pictures (somehow, they were all taken in low light and turned out horrid). I do encourage you to try it, though! Another great recipe was these maple oat scones. The original recipe was gluten-free, but I used some white whole wheat flour for expediency’s sake. Note that if you don’t care about eating vegan scones, you can use lactose-free milk instead of plant-based milk here. I loved these because they were not too dense, just sweet enough, and had the oats that I often crave in scones. Plus, you can’t go wrong with maple!

For the oat scones
1 ¾ cups + 2 Tbsp. flour (gluten-free or not)
½ cup quick oats (I used rolled oats)
1/3 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. sea salt
4 Tbsp. vegan butter (margarine), chilled
2 Tbsp. non-hydrogenated shortening
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or lactose-free milk
1 tsp. vinegar

For the maple glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk or lactose-free milk

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or silpat. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, sift together flour, oats, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add chilled shortening and vegan butter. Using pastry cutter, cut in shortening and butter until small pieces remain. (I always do this step in the food processor, it’s faster.)

Mix together almond milk and vinegar in small bowl, then pour over flour mixture. Gently blend dough until it just comes together. Be careful to not overmix.

On lightly floured surface, place dough. Gently pat into 8-inch circle, about 1 inch thick. Using pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into 8 triangles.

Place scones on prepared baking pan. Bake 16-18 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly on cooling rack.

To make maple glaze, mix together powdered sugar, maple syrup and almond milk. Drizzle over cooled scones. Allow icing to set before serving.

Petits gâteaux miel, rose et chocolat blanc

Ah, comme je m’ennuie du blogue Obsessions gourmandes, qui a malheureusement été retiré de la toile quand l’auteure, Catherine Draws, a cessé d’y écrire! Il me restait des recettes à essayer, moi, en plus! Maintenant, Catherine Draws est copropriétaire du restaurant Lili.Co, où je n’ai malheureusement jamais eu le plaisir de mettre les pieds… Cependant, mis à part son blogue, certaines autres de ses recettes sont toujours en ligne ailleurs, et c’est le cas de ces petits gâteaux miel, rose et chocolat blanc qu’elle a créés pour Danone.

Je n’avais pas de yogourt grec au miel, alors j’ai improvisé en mélangeant du yogourt grec nature avec du miel – il se peut que mes proportions aient été différentes de celles de la recette d’origine, mais le principe reste le même. Gardez en tête que vous n’avez pas à mettre beaucoup de miel dedans, puisqu’il y a aussi de la cassonade dans la recette. Nous avons beaucoup aimé ces petits gâteaux! Nous les avons mangés comme des muffins, mais vous pourriez y ajouter un glaçage (comme celui-là, tiens) pour en faire un dessert plus qu’une collation.

125 g. (4 oz.) de chocolat blanc
3 c. à soupe de beurre salé ou de margarine
2 œufs
1 pot individuel (100 g.) de yogourt grec au miel Oikos (voir note)
1 pincée de sel
3 c. à soupe de cassonade
1 ½ c. à soupe d’eau de rose
1 tasse de farine tout-usage
1 c. à soupe de poudre à pâte
1 pincée de sel

Préchauffer le four à 375 °F. Garnir un moule à muffin de caissettes de papier (il m’en a fallu 9).

Au bain-marie, faire fondre le chocolat et mettre de côté.

Dans un petit bol allant au four à micro-ondes, faire fondre le beurre à intensité élevée 30 secondes à la fois jusqu’à ce qu’il soit tout fondu.

Dans un grand bol, battre ensemble à l’aide d’un fouet les œufs, le yogourt grec au miel, le sel et la cassonade. Ajouter l’eau de rose.

Ajouter le chocolat et le beurre fondu à la préparation. Mélanger.

Dans un petit bol, incorporer la farine, la poudre à pâte et le sel et mélanger jusqu’à homogénéité.

Couler la préparation dans les petites caissettes de papier, aux trois quarts de leur capacité, puis faire cuire pendant 12-15 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce qu’un cure-dent inséré au centre de la pâte en ressorte propre.

Sortir du four et laisser refroidir complètement avant de déguster.

Bulgogi

I decided to make bulgogi after seeing this post, but then I realized that I also had one from Bon Appétit that, based on the ingredients, looked more flavorful, so that’s what I went with. Bonus: there are instructions for using various types and cuts of meat, including chicken, which is helpful since I don’t know where to get the thinly sliced fondue beef that is more common in Quebec and called for in the first post. I used beef from a tri-tip steak that I sliced myself (pro-tip: put the meat in the freezer for 15 minutes or so right before slicing it – the task will be easier). Also, I don’t have gochugaru, and I don’t want things too spicy anyway, so I used 1 tsp. of regular ground Korean pepper. This was fantastic; I’ll be sure to make it again! The marinade is great, but it’s worth getting a good sear on the meat as well. Absolutely delicious!

I served this with rice with gomashio and green beans.

¼ pear, grated
1 garlic clove, grated
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
1 Tbsp. gochugaru or 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. grated peeled ginger
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 lb. boneless pork loin, trimmed hanger steak, boneless short rib, or skinless, boneless chicken
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
kosher salt
sliced scallions (for serving)

Combine pear, garlic, soy sauce, gochugaru, ginger, sugar, and sesame oil in a large resealable plastic bag or medium bowl. Using a sharp knife, slice meat into very thin strips (see note above). Add to marinade, seal bag, and squish everything around until the meat is coated. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes, or chill up to 8 hours.

Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high until oil is shimmering. Remove half of meat from marinade, letting excess drip back into bag; season lightly with salt and cook in a single layer without moving until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Toss meat and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until cooked through and crisp at edges, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, remaining meat, and more salt.

Serve topped with scallions.

Raspberry and Rosewater Cheesecake

I bookmarked this cheesecake a long time ago, before I even knew there would be lactose-free cream cheese on the market one day. I originally saw it on Design Sponge, but the recipe is by Christelle Tanielian (so those of you who speak French can get her French version here). I rewrote a bit of the instructions to be clearer.

The crust is made with biscuits roses de Reims (affiliate link), which gives it a beautiful pink hue! That being said, I think that 250 grams was a bit too much, and considering that each package contains 100 grams, I’d just use 200 grams next time – the crust would then be thinner than on the pictures, and I think that’s fine. They contain eggs and wheat as well as possible traces of soy and tree nuts, so I’ve adjusted the tags accordingly. If you want a substitute, the closest you would come in taste and texture, in my opinion, is ladyfingers, though you’d miss out on the pink hue. You could also use Nilla wafers, Speculoos, or graham crackers.


I loved both the look and flavors of this cheesecake! However, the Engineer didn’t like the cheesecake base, even though he really enjoyed this one. I think it’s because this cheesecake doesn’t contain any sour cream, so the base tends to be sort of a one-tone thing, but that creates a better backdrop for the other flavors, so it’s a trade-off.

The top of the cake was so glossy that I didn’t realize it reflected other objects at the angle at which I took the pictures, so please ignore the yellow spot on its upper left surface in the penultimate picture. That is all.

For the crust
200 g. biscuits roses de Reims (see note above)
90 g. (3 oz. or 6 Tbsp.) butter or margarine, melted (coconut oil would work, too)

For the filling
750 g. (three 8-oz. packs) lactose-free cream cheese, at room temperature
150 g. (¾ cup) granulated sugar
3 eggs
2-3 Tbsp. rosewater (to taste; I used 3 Tbsp.)

For the raspberry topping
100 g. (½ cup) granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. corn starch
½ cup water
185 g. (1 ½ cup) frozen raspberries
1-2 Tbsp. rosewater (to taste; I used 2 Tbsp.)

For the crust
Finely grind the biscuits roses de Reims and mix in well with the butter (I did this in the food processor). Grease an 8-inch (22 cm) springform pan and press the cookie mixture evenly into the pan using the bottom of a glass or spoon (and up the sides if you wish, as well). Put aside in the freezer.

For the filling
Preheat the oven at 300 °F. Fill a pan with water and place it on the lowest rack of the oven (this will help keep the cheesecake moist as it bakes).

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then add rosewater while beating on low speed until the texture is creamy.

Place the springform pan with the crust on a baking sheet (to prevent making a mess if it drips) and pour the filling evenly into the crust. Place the baking sheet with the cheesecake in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Once the oven has been turned off, let the cake cool inside the oven and leave the door closed. Once it is completely cooled, put it in the refrigerator overnight.

For the raspberry topping
Place the sugar and corn starch in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. Add water and stir well.

Add the frozen raspberries and crush them using a wooden spoon. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir continually for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in rosewater, and allow to cool completely. I strained the mixture to remove the seeds, but this is not absolutely necessary.

Remove cake from the pan and transfer to a plate. Spread the topping over the chilled cheesecake and decorate with fresh raspberries if you have them. Refrigerate for an hour and serve.

Batch of links - Food deliveries

This post has been in the works for a long time, mostly because whenever I think I’m basically done, I come across another relevant link! I wanted to round up links about food delivery, more specifically meal kits, ready-made meals and grocery delivery services. I’ve divided the links in sections below.

First, a short intro on meal kits, for those of you not familiar with them. Here is an article on The Kitchn titled How meal kits made my marriage better, essentially because one spouse was handling the bulk of the cooking while the other spouse, when it was his turn, had trouble planning and executing a recipe. Meal kits eliminate the need to plan and shop, and the pre-portioned ingredients make prep a breeze. Yet you still get a good home-cooked meal out of it! I admit this would be a draw for our family, because I find that meal planning takes a lot of mental energy.

The same was true for Bryan Walsh of Time magazine: like 1/3 of Americans, he didn’t cook, mainly because he was scared of the process, which seemed complex, confusing, and a little scary to him. His wife is a good cook, but he wanted to take more responsibility for housework, so he turned to meal kits to help him learn to cook. “According to the consultancy Technomic, the global meal-kit market topped $1 billion in 2015 and is projected to hit $10 billion by 2020,” so he’s clearly not the only one feeling that way. Even though instructions are clear and often illustrated, though, you still need to actually do the work: chop vegetables, cook chicken to at least 165 °F, etc., so it’s possible to mess up dinner (and at $8 to $12 per person per meal, it isn’t cheap, but it’s still less expensive than a restaurant). Over a year, however, he reports greatly improving his skills and broadening his palate. It even gave him “the confidence to try cooking without training wheels.”


Meal kits
These seem to be the most popular right now. You pick your meals on the website, and the ingredients are sent right to your door. There are too many services to list them all, but here are reviews of Home Chef, Blue Apron, Chef’d, Plated, Peach Dish, Terra’s Kitchen, and Hello Fresh, as well as a round-up of several options to help you choose (all on The Kitchn).

And to vary my sources a bit: a review of Blue Apron by a professional chef, a review of Plated, and a review of six meal kit services, with a clear winner.

Real Simple also did a face-off with 15 national services and distilled it down to six, based on your priority (fastest to prepare, most customizable, etc.); the results are here. For me personally, while just not having to come up with a meal idea and not having to shop for it would already be a weight off my shoulders, I’d certainly prefer to take it one step further and buy ingredients that come fully prepped – that would be Fresh Realm.

There’s also a very complete review of Blue Apron by a long-time user. I found it interesting, but I disagree with one point: he compares the cost of Blue Apron with that of dining out and therefore concludes that he’s saved money. To me, even though you obviously save time because you don’t have to bother with meal planning and grocery shopping, I’d still compare that service to cooking at home, so I’m not sure how cost-efficient a $10/serving meal is.

Some celebrities are getting in on the game, too: Jamie Oliver has teamed up with Hello Fresh, while Martha Stewart has a partnership with Marley Spoon.

In San Antonio, we have a service called Sue Sheff; they use local ingredients as much as possible, and the meals are dietician-approved. I haven’t tried them, but I’d consider it, especially since there’s no subscription fee! As one of the founders said in the July 2016 issue of San Antonio Magazine, “Our customers have turned out to be busy people who value the idea of home cooking using some local ingredients.”

Canadians can try Good Food, and I’m sure there will be more and more options as time goes on.

There are also vegan options, like Purple Carrot (with which Mark Bittman was affiliated) and Beyoncé’s vegan 22 Days Nutrition. Another service, Sun Basket, has vegan as well as paleo and gluten-free options.

There are many reasons why people chose meal kits, such as saving time, remedying lack of inspiration, or trying new foods without being stuck with most of a container in your pantry for the next several years (we’ve all been there). That is, of course, if you don’t mind all the packaging waste and added expense, although it may help curb food waste since you only get as much of any ingredient as you need for the recipe (this does depend a bit on how you shop/cook to begin with).

As for cost, here’s a dollar-to-dollar comparison with grocery shopping, although you should keep in mind that different services will have different fees, including in some cases membership fees.

For more information, here’s a cursory behind-the-scenes look at the businesses, with a more interesting article about Blue Apron specifically.

There’s also Foodstirs that I thought looked interesting, perhaps mostly for people who are intimidated by baking or who want to buy a kit to make cupcakes with their kids and decorate them in a Pinterest-worthy way without too much trouble. The baking mixes don’t contain the “bad” ingredients of most commercial mixes. Personally, though, I wouldn’t spend $25 on a dozen cupcakes that I make myself, even if the toppers are included.


Ready-made meals
There are businesses that deliver ready-made meals: some are essentially restaurants without a store-front, but create meals designed to still look and taste good after a 20-to-30-minute trip in a box; others ship frozen meals to your doorstep.

If you live in Manhattan, David Chang has a food delivery service called Maple this “restaurant” focuses exclusively on delivery, so prices are lower. If you live in San Francisco, Seatlle, New York or Los Angeles, there’s Munchery, which delivers chilled meals to your door. Spoonrocket went under, but Sprig is still operating. A little Googling even led me to vegan meal deliveries in San Antonio.

In addition to these, there are also services that will pick up your favorite dishes from local restaurants and deliver them to your home. For example, Favor lets you order from any restaurant and have food delivered within an hour; this is available in San Antonio, but only in the more central areas of town, not outside the second beltway. Those of you with a mobile device can also try UberEATS, which is basically an Uber driver delivering your food.

In Montreal, try Avec plaisirs, which delivers bento boxes for at least five people – this is great for office workers at lunch time, though perhaps less so for families who lack time to make dinner. Plus, Hungry Box will even deliver an equivalent meal (sandwich and salad) to someone in need – this is also more of a work lunch option.

Four Canadian provinces can also get frozen meals delivered from MamaLuv. This used to be my go-to gift to new parents, but since the company isn’t really allergen-friendly or kosher, I had to come up with other ideas in recent years. I’m not sure there is an American equivalent, at least not one framed specifically as “gifts” for new parents, people going through a rough patch health-wise, etc. Then again, there are so many ready-made meal companies out there that it hardly matters (as long as one can get deliveries without a subscription).

If you have to eat gluten-free, you won’t be left out, thanks to Freshly; the meals are delivered frozen to your door.

For people who like to snack, Graze looks absolutely awesome! There are over a hundred different snacks, and each $11.99 box contains 8 snacks. If I weren’t afraid of getting fat, I’d totally sign up for this. The food looks fantastic! The downside is that you can only enter preferences and someone on their staff chooses snacks for you, and then you can give feedback. If you want to choose your snacks from the start, then Nature Box would be a better match. Click here for more snack delivery companies. Another option is Love with Food, which has a plan curated to be gluten-free

I also like the idea of Try the World, which sends curated boxes of food items from a different country every other month. In Canada, try Food Trip To…, which is basically the same concept, with a bonus playlist (although you can order boxes only when you feel like it, without a subscription).


Grocery deliveries
If you want to get groceries delivered, there are services like Instacart. It’s obviously a little more expensive than going to the store yourself, but it saves you time and can even save you extra expenses: you can get stuff delivered from Costco without being a member! Delivery is actually not that expensive, about $3.99, and the prices are supposed to be the same as what’s in store. The link has a very good pros and cons chart. Plus, some people say having groceries delivered actually saves them money. Another service is Shipt, though you have to pay for an annual membership. (This, to me, makes it less attractive because I only see myself using such a service temporarily, say if I have a newborn or am recovering from an illness. Or on the rare occasion when I run out of something and need it urgently, but my child is napping. That being said, it could make it more attractive to someone with a chronic illness or disability, or perhaps the elderly.) This is assuming that your grocery store doesn’t let you order online already (ours does, though we’ve never used the service).

There are other services like Good Eggs, Foxtrot or Peapod, but you always need to be in certain major cities to have access to those services, so they’re certainly not convenient for everyone.

In their August issue, San Antonio Magazine had a great comparative chart of local grocery delivery services. I can’t find it on their website, but I took the liberty of scanning it and posting it below. The services are broken down according to various criteria, so you can really make an informed decision based on your shopping habits and what you want from such a service. Some of these are available nationally as well.

Cherry Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

This isn’t exactly seasonal, because I didn’t use fresh cherries. I could have, at the tail end of the season, but then I thought of how much easier it would be to use frozen cherries instead of having to pit all those cherries myself, and laziness won out. This means I had to increase the baking time, however, but I knew that going in. The Engineer and I both really enjoyed it, but the Little Prince has somehow decided that the only thing that can replace his peanut butter toast in the morning is pancakes, so no dice with him. The recipe is from David Lebovitz’s blog.

For the streusel topping
¼ cup (35 g.) flour
2 Tbsp. old-fashioned (rolled) oats
2 Tbsp. light or dark brown sugar
2 tsp. poppy seeds
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon or cardamom
1 pinch of salt
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, salted or unsalted, at room temperature

For the cake
1 ½ cups (210 g.) flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup (150 g.) granulated sugar
grated zest of 2 large lemons
½ cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola or grapeseed
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup (225 g.) plain lactose-free whole milk yogurt
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ cups (210 g.) pitted cherries, sweet or sour (fresh or frozen)

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan, dust with flour, and tap out any excess.

Make the streusel by mixing the ¼ cup flour, oats, brown sugar, poppy seeds, cinnamon or cardamom and salt in a small bowl. Add the butter and use your fingers to break the butter into small pieces, until the streusel is in small bits. Set aside.

To make the cake, whisk the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds and salt together in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together very well with your fingers, encouraging the lemon oil to saturate the sugar. Whisk in the oil, eggs, yogurt and lemon juice. Add the flour mixture all at once, stirring with a rubber spatula until it’s almost completely incorporated. Fold in half of the cherries and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Dot the remaining cherries over the top and sprinkle with streusel. Bake the cake until golden brown on top and it feels set in the center, about 45 to 50 minutes. (Since I used frozen cherries, mine took closer to 75 minutes. Just insert a toothpick in the center to check for doneness.)

Let the cake cool on a wire rack. When cool, run a knife along the outside of the cake to help it release from the pan and tip the cake out of the pan.

Rosemary Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Salad

This salad is unbelievably flavorful! The chicken is cooked in bacon grease, which obviously helps a lot, but the rosemary is also a wonderful addition, not to mention the dressing. This was a big hit in our house (even the Little Prince, who did not care for all the elements of the salad, found enough in there to keep him happy). I found the recipe on How Sweet It Is. The proportions below have been doubled from the original recipe, because I wanted leftovers; as always, I only sliced the avocado when I was ready to serve it.

For the salad
8 slices thick-cut bacon
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3-4 Tbsp. finely minced fresh rosemary
6-8 cups spring greens and/or butter lettuce
1 bunch watercress
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large avocados, thinly sliced

For the rosemary vinaigrette (quantities can be doubled if you want a lot of vinaigrette)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. finely minced fresh rosemary
salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook until it's crispy and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon and place it on a paper towel to drain any excess grease.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cover with the rosemary. In the same skillet used in the previous step, over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook until golden and crisp on both sides, about 5 to 6 minutes per side (make sure it is cooked through). Remove the chicken and let sit for a moment while you assemble the salad, then slice it.

Toss the greens with the watercress and the tomatoes. Top with the sliced chicken, the bacon and the avocado.

Whisk together all the ingredients for vinaigrette (I like to shake everything together in a small jar).

Drizzle the salad with the rosemary vinaigrette!

Summer fruit tart, two ways

I had been meaning to try this raspberry custard tart from Tea & Cookies for years, but I never did because the Engineer doesn’t like raspberries. However, as I was looking at it, I realized that the red and golden raspberries, albeit beautiful, are just a suggestion. Tara Austen Weaver actually suggests rhubarb in the spring, maybe caramelized apples or pears in the fall, or other berries in the summer. So I decided to enjoy the peaches, which are fantastic this time of the year here. The crust of this tart contains quinoa flour, which gave it a great flavor (though note that it also contains wheat flour, so it isn’t gluten-free). It should be noted, however, that it won’t keep very long: I made it on a Saturday, and it was great then and still good the next day, but by Monday it was definitely past its prime.

For the crust
6 ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing tart pan
½ cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
½ cup quinoa flour
¾ cup unbleached white flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 °F.

Mix butter and sugar until light and add egg. Mix until fully combined. Add flour, quinoa, and baking powder and mix. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Butter a 10-inch tart pan (I used a 9-inch tart pan and it turned out fine) with removable bottom. Remove tart dough and press evenly into greased tart pan. Place in fridge again, briefly, to chill.

Using greased tin foil (so that it doesn’t stick to the dough) and pie weights, blind-bake for 20-30 minutes, until the center is beginning to brown. Keep an eye on the edges to make sure they don’t get too brown. Place some extra tinfoil around the edge if they get too dark.

For the custard
1 ½ cups lactose-free whole milk
4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
large pinch of salt

Heat milk in a small pot or saucepan over medium heat until just warm. Set aside.

In a medium bowl add the egg yolks and sugar and whisk until thoroughly combined. Take half a cup of the milk and begin to drizzle into the sugar and egg mixture while you continue to stir. Once the egg mixture has loosened, pour slowly into the remaining milk. Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt, whisk to mix, and heat slowly on medium flame stirring constantly. The mixture may begin to bubble around the edges a bit. Keep the heat low until the pastry cream thickens and continue cooking three minutes. (At this point, you can pour or spoon the pastry cream though a wire mesh strainer set over a clean bowl to remove any lumps, but I didn’t bother.) Allow to cool completely and cover with a piece of clean saran wrap or plastic bag pressed against the pastry cream so there is no air in contact with the surface. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.

For assembly
5 cups fruit (see note above)
optional: powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

Spread the pastry cream in the fully cooled tart shell. Top with berries. (Raspberries and blackberries will bleed into the pastry cream, so if possible, leave them off until just before serving.)



The other recipe I tried is a raw vegan peach Melba tart with “mascarpone”. So, obviously there are raspberries in this, but only a few per piece, so they are easy to push away for people who don’t want them. The crust didn’t hold together very well, perhaps because it was only refrigerated instead of frozen, but it was still very good! Note that the recipe suggests using sliced pears along with figs or cranberries in the fall.

For the crust
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw walnuts
1/3 cup medjool dates, pitted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

In a food processor, pulse the nuts into a fine meal. Add the dates, vanilla extract and salt. Pulse until the dates are well incorporated and the mixture begins to clump together. Press into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and refrigerate until needed.

For the mascarpone
1 cup cashews, soaked 2-4 hours or overnight and drained
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp. agave syrup (I used maple syrup)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
¼ tsp. lemon extract (turns out I didn’t have any, so I omitted it)
½ tsp. nutritional yeast
½ tsp. white miso

Blend all of the ingredients together until a very smooth, thick texture is achieved (you’ll need a strong blender, such as a Vitamix).

For assembly
5 small peaches
1 cup raspberries

Peel the peaches. (The original recipe recommends the usual spiel of scoring the bottom with an “x” and blanching them in boiling water before peeling them, but I don’t bother. I can’t be the only one who doesn’t have trouble peeling peaches with a regular vegetable peeler, right?) Thinly slice and set aside.

Pour the mascarpone into the prepared tart crust. Add a circle of the peach slices around the edge, slightly overlapping each slice on its neighbor. Fill the center of the tart with fresh raspberries and serve.