A mitigated success

I made this recipe for a West African ginger-lime drink. It was pretty easy to make, and very healthy (surely it would be good to drink hot when one has the flu) and… sinus-clearing. It was very strong, so I had to add in a lot of water and ice. Then, I didn’t find it sweet enough, so I added some sugar to an individual serving. But really, it was best when diluted with Sprite or 7-Up. But then, really… isn’t it a lot of trouble for what is essentially ginger ale with lime? I found some recipes for ginger soda, and I might try those eventually. Just know that this drink, while good, might be more trouble than it’s worth (though there are no artificial sweeteners or weird ingredients in it, which is a definite plus in my book).



3 large ginger roots
6 limes
2-3 cups of water
1 heaping Tbsp peppercorns
1 heaping Tbsp raw sugar

Leaving the skin on, chop the ginger into small pieces.
Chop the lime with the rind into small chunks.
In a blender, put more ginger than lime and add enough water to be able to blend it. Taste the mixture as you go and add more lime or ginger as needed.



Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl and squeeze remaining juice from the pulp.





In the blender add peppercorns and sugar – then return the strained liquid to the blender and blend until smooth.

Once more strain the mixture through a sieve into a saucepan.
Heat the saucepan and bring the liquid to the boil. As soon as the liquid has reached boiling point take it off the heat and allow to cool.



Pour liquid over ice, add a little cold water and drink! (Don’t hesitate to use soda like Sprite as a mixer.)

Banana Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

This is another delicious recipe from Orangette. It’s a banana cake, not a banana bread, so it’s different from what I might have posted before – not to say that it’s not delicious for breakfast, too. For the frosting, I used Liberté cultured cream cheese – it does have lactose, but less than other brands I’ve tried. There are other lactose-free substitutes, but as far as I know, those are more available in the United States than up here, so I decided not to use the lactose-free tag for this recipe.

I had some fun converting measures to make cream of coconut out of creamed coconut. You see, while those two ingredients sound quite similar, creamed coconut is actually thicker than cream of coconut (and both are thicker than coconut milk). Using the helpful information in this glossary, I added some warm water to my creamed coconut to get a cream of coconut consistency. In retrospect, I should have stuck with the creamed coconut, because the icing was a little too loose for my taste (though I must admit the creamed coconut from which I started was not a pure solid, it was a very thick liquid, but still sold in a box). I used more icing sugar to thicken up the icing. So if you can find a can of cream coconut, that would be best; you could also boil down coconut milk to thicken it up and use it in the icing once it has cooled down.

For the cake
4 oz unsalted butter at room temperature or lactose-free margarine
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
¾ cup puréed very ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
¼ cup sour cream or lactose-free plain yogurt
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

For the frosting
3 oz cream cheese at room temperature (or substitute)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature or lactose-free margarine
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 Tbsp well-stirred canned cream of coconut; not coconut milk
1 tsp dark rum
1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut

For the cake
Place a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 °F. Lightly butter or spray a 9-inch round springform pan and dust it with flour, shaking out any excess.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Add the egg, and beat until well combined. Add the banana purée, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat to combine well.



Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.



Spread the batter in the prepared cake pan, and bake until the top is pale golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes.



Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan and leave the cake on the rack to cool.

For the frosting
While the cake cools, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and the butter on medium speed until smooth.



Reduce the speed to low; then add the confectioners’ sugar, cream of coconut, and rum. Mix until combined; then increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about two minutes. (It should be fluffier than it appears on the following picture!)



Spread over the top of the thoroughly cooled cake, and sprinkle evenly with coconut.

Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Soup

This soup was really delicious! I got the recipe from the Oprah Network. The only improvement I’d make would be to use fewer mushrooms and slice them really finely – perhaps something like shitake or enoki mushrooms would be better. The chicken pieces shouldn’t be too big, either. The soup is really easy to make, and you can adjust the spice level as you wish. I knew that green curry paste would be too spicy for me, so I used some mild curry paste I had on hand, and it was perfect. I didn’t bother with the jalapeño, the tomato or the toasted coconut for garnish, but I’ll keep them in this adapted recipe anyway in case you want to use them.

4 cups chicken stock
5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 Tbsp green curry paste or mild curry paste
2 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
½ tsp whole black peppercorns
¾ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and stems, plus additional ½ cup chopped for garnish
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
¾ cup thinly sliced shallots
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into ¼-inch strips
2 Tbsp Asian fish sauce
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp brown sugar
1 jalapeño , sliced into rings (optional)
1 small tomato , seeded and diced, for garnish (optional)
½ cup freshly shaved coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted, for garnish (optional)

In a large heavy-bottom pot over high heat, combine chicken stock, garlic, ginger, curry paste, coriander, cumin, peppercorns and cilantro.




Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Strain broth over a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids. Return broth to pot; add coconut milk, shallots, mushrooms and chicken. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and jalapeño, if desired; stir until sugar is dissolved, then add mixture to soup. Garnish with tomato, coconut shavings and cilantro; serve hot.

A meal of mashed potatoes

This may seem a bit out of season, because it was colder outside when I made it, and to me, it definitely feels like a meal for a cold day. The beautiful weather we’ve had over the Easter weekend (shattering last year’s record by almost 10 °C!) made it feel like early summer. But I do hear it’s supposed to be cold and rainy by the end of the week, so maybe this will come in handy. It was inspired by a post on The Kitchn, which exposed different ideas for making a meal with mashed potatoes as the focus rather than just a side playing second fiddle to the main dish.





For my version, I started by caramelizing some onions, then threw in some red bell peppers. I cut up mild sausages and fried them up in a pan. I mixed all that into the mashed potatoes. (Mushrooms or cheese would be good in this too.) It’s not pretty, sure, but it’s homey, easy and comforting. I recommend using more liquid in the mashed potatoes than you normally would, to facilitate the mixing. You could use pretty much whatever ingredients you have on hand, though; any meat or leftover veggies would work.

Quinoa Avocado Salad

I’ve got some catching up to do with my blog, sorry! I’ve got a bunch of recipes piling up. I’ll post about a salad I made a few weeks ago. It was easy to make, very healthy and delicious. Try to find red quinoa if you’re going to make it, it was lovely – but regular quinoa is fine too. It’s from Fine Cooking, but I found it via The Kitchn. The dressing was good, though I’d say there wasn’t quite enough in that recipe for the whole salad. Not that it needs much dressing, really, the ingredients are fresh and bright alone. As always, I served the salad with only one avocado at first, then used the second one when serving the leftovers.

Note that I didn’t rinse the quinoa: none of the sieves and strainers I had was fine enough for the job, surprisingly. You can omit the almonds if you want, too, or replace them with other nuts.

3 Tbsp raisins (preferably a mix of dark and golden)
2 Tbsp dried apricots, thinly sliced
1 cup red or white quinoa, rinsed well
Kosher salt
1 large lemon
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp sweet paprika
2 medium firm-ripe avocados (6 to 7 oz. each), pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 medium scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
2 to 3 Tbsp coarsely chopped toasted almonds (optional)
freshly ground black pepper



In a medium bowl, soak the raisins and apricots in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.



In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups water, the quinoa, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (The outer germ rings of the grain will remain chewy and white. Some germ rings may separate from the grain and will look like white squiggles.)



Immediately fluff the quinoa with a fork and turn it out onto a baking sheet to cool to room temperature.




Finely grate the zest from the lemon and then squeeze 1 Tbsp juice (or more).



In a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 tsp. salt.




In a large bowl, toss the vinaigrette with the quinoa, raisins, apricots, avocado, scallions, and almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Tomatoes Filled with Rice

This is another recipe found on Orangette. It was easy to make (though a bit long). I should mention that I got sidetracked in the middle, and left the par-boiled rice rest in the warm pot before transferring it to the tomatoes in the roasting pan. As a result, it swelled up and I had enough to fill more than four tomatoes… But it was still delicious. I’d say two tomatoes with some of the potatoes on the side constitutes a meal for one, so this would be a two-serving recipe if you’re having it for dinner (I had leftovers because of my mistake, and you could also serve a tomato as a side dish to something else).



4 large, good-tasting tomatoes
1 small yellow onion, diced
olive oil
1/3 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup water
5 fresh basil leaves
salt
breadcrumbs (use gluten-free bread if you are gluten-intolerant, of course)
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Cut the tops off the tomatoes. Holding them over a bowl, scoop out their insides – flesh, seeds, and juice – and let it all fall into the bowl. Set the tomatoes in a lightly oiled 9”x13” baking dish. Then fish the flesh out of the bowl, and chop it. Return it to the bowl with the juice and seeds.




In a medium (2-quart) saucepan, warm a glug of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent. Add the rice, and continue to cook, stirring, for another minute or two.



Add the tomato flesh, juice, and seeds – it may look like a lot, but add it all – as well as the water. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces, and add them too. Add a generous pinch or two of salt. Reduce the heat slightly, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste, and if needed, add more salt.



Spoon the par-cooked rice mixture into the tomatoes. Top them with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs. Arrange the potato slices around the tomatoes in the pan. Give everything a good drizzle of olive oil. (You might want to flip and rub the potatoes a bit, to make sure that each has a nice coat of oil.)



Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The tomatoes should shrivel a bit and release some of their juices, and the potatoes should cook through.



Cool for 15 minutes or so before eating, so that the tomato juices have time to settle.

Cari à la courge, aux pois chiches et au lait de coco

Voici une autre recette tirée du Coup de Pouce. Au départ, c’était une recette pour la mijoteuse, mais je n’ai pas de mijoteuse. J’ai donc adapté en faisant cuire le cari dans mon Le Creuset, au four à 250 °F. Je vous donne ici ma version, mais si vous voulez celle de la mijoteuse, suivez le lien au début du paragraphe. C’était vraiment délicieux comme souper, et avec assez de restes pour se faire des lunchs le lendemain... Super!

L’Ingénieur avait acheté une boîte de pois chiches de différentes couleurs, ce que j’ai beaucoup aimé dans le plat. Je les recommande si vous pouvez les trouver, mais ce n’est pas obligatoire. Il faut moins d’une courge, par contre, alors j’ai mis le reste à congeler, je ferai sûrement de la soupe plus tard. Si vous aimez manger épicé, n’hésitez pas à utiliser de la pâte de cari épicée – pour moi, la douce est parfaite. Enfin, le beurre de noix n’est pas nécessaire, selon moi. Si vous voulez éviter les noix, remplacez-le par du beurre de pois ou laissez tomber, carrément.

1 c. à soupe d’huile végétale
1 oignon, haché
2 gousses d'ail, hachées finement
1 c. à soupe de gingembre frais, haché finement
3 c. à soupe de pâte de cari douce (de type Patak's)
2 tasses de courge musquée (de type butternut) pelée et coupée en cubes
2 tasses de pommes de terre pelées et coupées en cubes
1 boîte (19oz) de pois chiches, égouttés et rincés
1 boîte (400 ml) de lait de coco
1 tasse de bouillon de légumes
¼ tasse de beurre de noix de cajou ou beurre d'arachides naturel (facultatif)
¼ c. à thé de sel
2 tasses de feuilles de bette à cardes ou d'épinards, parées et coupées en lanières, tassées
1 tasse de petits pois surgelés
2 c. à soupe de coriandre fraîche, hachée




Préchauffer le four à 250 °F.

Dans une grande casserole, chauffer l'huile à feu moyen. Ajouter l'oignon, l'ail et le gingembre et cuire, en brassant de temps à autre, pendant environ 7 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que l'oignon soit légèrement doré. Ajouter la pâte de cari et poursuivre la cuisson, en brassant, pendant environ 1 minute ou jusqu'à ce que la préparation dégage son arôme.



Ajouter la courge, les pommes de terre, les pois chiches, le lait de coco, le bouillon de légumes, le beurre de noix de cajou et le sel et mélanger. Couvrir et cuire au four pendant environ 4 heures.





Ajouter la bette à cardes et les petits pois et mélanger.



Couvrir et poursuivre la cuisson pendant environ 15 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que la bette à cardes ait ramolli. Au moment de servir, parsemer chaque portion de la coriandre.

Movies for spring

I just saw Cooking with Stella. I was interested because of the food aspect, of course, but also because of the Foreign Service aspect, since it reminds me of my roots. The movie started off with great food, then continued on a different tangent. On one hand, that’s a good thing, because I hate when a preview gives away the whole movie; on the other hand, there was less food than I expected. Overall, the movie was ok – not great, but I’m glad I saw it. I love how the official website gives a few of the recipes mentioned in it, though!

Another good movie in theatres right now is Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which you should really see on a big screen (or a big tv). It’s meant to be a sequel to the original Disney movie, but seen through Tim Burton’s eyes, it’s really something! The plot is predictable, even though it doesn’t actually follow the book, but the reinterpretation of the characters is very much worth it.

Coming to DVD is one of the best movies I saw recently: Sherlock Holmes, with Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law. It was AWESOME. Finally, a movie where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes kicks a** and is presented, with all his quirks and skills (unlike some of the other adaptations, where he seemed the perfect gentleman and a strict intellectual tolerating Watson... it’s actually the other way around, even though he is incredibly intelligent). The cast was perfect, and the Engineer and I are going to get the Blu-Ray version.

Also, Fantastic Mr. Fox (it’s not just a kids’ movie, trust me). I loved this in theatres, I really recommend it. The animation was great, as well as the cast, and I just loved the humour.

On a different note, you might also want to see Creation, a movie about the life of Charles Darwin around the time when he was developing his theory about evolution; the Engineer and I both enjoyed that one.