Pink Bites

Vegetarian Baked Kibbeh (quibe vegetariano de forno)

2010-03-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

Kibbeh is one of many middle-eastern foods Brazilians love. It is normally made with ground beef (and bulgur) and it can be baked like a pie or shaped into fritters and deep-fried. I love making this vegetarian version of baked kibbeh. Instead of meat, I use potatoes to bind the pie and ricotta cheese to keep it moist. There are numerous variations of kibbeh found in Brazil, you can make a cheese filling, you can make it with sweet potatoes, there is even fish kibbeh, if you want to be really unconventional. To me, there are two flavours that I need to taste on a kibbeh: limes and mint. The combination of white and black pepper and cinnamon completes this dish. The kibbeh tastes even better with a squeeze of fresh lime .

Vegetarian Baked Kibbeh Recipe:

makes 1 9x13 inch pie

You will need:

500 grams of bulgur wheat

500 grams of potatoes, peeled

1/2 cup of fresh mint, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 onion, shredded (use the large wholes of a box grater)

1 cup of ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon of ground white pepper

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon of kosher salt

lime wedges, to serve

Soak the bulgur in cold water for 1 hour.

While the bulgur is soaking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender. Drain, let cool and mash the potatoes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the bulgur and squeeze it with your hands to remove any excess water.

In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, the bulgur and all the other ingredients. Mix well.

Coat a 9 x 10 inch baking dish with oil or butter. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and smooth the top. If you like to, make a diamond shape pattern by crossing the top a toothpick.

Bake until set and golden, about 45 minutes.

Let it cool before cutting into slices. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime.

Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup with Walnut Pesto and Goat Cheese Crouton

2010-01-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a light soup recipe, the kind that will help you keep up with your new year’s resolutions, you might want to skip this post. This is definitely not a resolution-keeping, weight-loss, figure-friendly soup. However, if you are interest in a creamy, indulgent, rich soup that reminds you of the best soups you tried at restaurants….then read on.

This soup is so rich that it’s intended to be served in small portions, like an appetizer. It is creamy and delicious and just what I crave on those rainy and grey Seattle days. The walnut pesto and the goat cheese croutons (which aren’t technically croutons) are a perfect compliment to the soup. The pesto lends a fresh and garlicky touch and the goat cheese crouton gives tang and texture. I like using coarse cornmeal to coat the goat cheese because it gives it a wonderful contrast of textures with the soft cheese.

Creamy tomato and basil soup with walnut pesto and goat cheese crouton recipe:

makes 6 servings

You will need:

For the tomato and basil soup:

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

3 cups of chopped tomatoes (use fresh when in season, otherwise use good quality canned)

3 cups of tomato juice

10 fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

1 cup of half and half

4 tablespoons of butter

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot and cook the onions and garlic until they soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato juice and simmer for 20 minutes, until soup thickens slightly.

Blend the soup along with the basil leaves, return soup to pot and season with salt and pepper. With the soup on low heat, add the half and half and the butter, stirring until it’s all combined and the butter is completely melted.

Spoon soup into small bowls, drizzle with the walnut pesto and top with a piece of goat cheese crouton.

For the walnut pesto:

makes 1/4 cup

1 packed cup of fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

1 garlic clove

4 tablespoons of olive oil

4 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the basil, garlic and the walnuts in a food processor. With the motor running, slowly drizzle the olive oil (use more or less until you get the desired consistency, I like my pesto loose and more on the liquid side). Pour pesto into a small bowl, stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep covered and refrigerated.

For the goat cheese croutons:

makes 6 “croutons”

1 log of goat cheese (8 inches)

1/4 cup of coarse corn meal

1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

Place the cheese in the freezer for 10 minutes. Spread the corn meal in a deep dish. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet. Slice the cheese into 6 rounds, coat each piece with cornmeal and shallow fry it in the oil until golden, about 2 minutes each side. Transfer to a paper towel to dry.

Red Wine Tapioca Pudding with Vanilla Whipped Cream (sagu de vinho tinto com chantili de baunilha)

2010-01-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

This is my first post of the year, and I would like to start by wishing everyone that reads my little blog a Happy 2010. I didn’t mean to neglect this space for so long, but life has been just a little too crazy for me lately. Hopefully I am ready to start posting more often. I miss this place, I miss coming here, sharing recipes with you and reading your comments. The first recipe I post this year is an old fashion Brazilian recipe: red wine tapioca pudding.

Cooking tapioca in red wine (or grape juice for kids) is a very common practice in Brazil. This is not your usual tapioca pudding, it tastes less sweet and it’s not as rich as the ones cooked with milk or cream. I like to make some fresh whipped cream to top the tapioca pudding and vanilla is one of my favourite flavours. Use the larger tapioca pearls if you can find them. A full-bodied wine works best for this recipe, but you may use grape juice if you want to avoid the alcohol.

Red Wine Tapioca Pudding with Vanilla Whipped Cream Recipe:

makes about 1 quart

You will need:

For the tapioca pudding:

2 cups of tapioca pearls

3 cups of water

1 bottle of red wine (Zinfandel or Cabernet)

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 cinnamon stick

10 cloves

For the vanilla whipped cream:

1 cup of heavy whipping cream, chilled

2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar

1/2 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

Make the tapioca pudding:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring often. While the tapioca cooks, use another pot to heat the wine, 1/2 cup of sugar, cinnamon stick and cloves and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain wine mixture into the pot with the tapioca and continue simmering until the pearls are translucent. At this point, if you thing the Add the rest of the sugar (1 cup) and remove from heat. Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Make the vanilla whipped cream:

Beat the cream and the sugar until soft peaks form, add the vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Spoon the chilled tapioca pudding into cups or bowls, top with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream and serve immediately.

Chocolate Salami

2009-12-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

This is an old Brazilian recipe that has been on my list of things to cook for quite a while and I am so happy I finally made it, it was easy to do and the end result was quite delicious. No, it’s not a sweet salami. In fact, it’s not a salami at all. This is a sweet, chocolaty treat made with cocoa, nuts, sweet condensed milk and a touch of cognac. Sounds good? It gets even better: this is a one-dish, no-bake recipe that requires less than half an hour of hands-on time. It’s called “salami” because this log shaped treat resembles a salami, both from the outside or when sliced. Even if the salami resemblance is not that obvious,this dessert will for sure make a good conversation piece.

Chocolate Salami Recipe:

makes 3 logs

You will need:

1/2 cup of raisins

4 tablespoons of cognac, divided

2 packages of Maria cookies (400g total)

1 cup of blanched almonds

1 1/2 cup of melted butter

2 cups of cocoa powder

1 can of sweet condensed milk

confectioner’s sugar for decorating

Soak the raisins in 2 tablespoons of cognac for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, break the cookies with your hands into medium size pieces. Add the almonds, butter, cocoa powder and sweet condensed milk. Add the soaked raisins and stir it all very well. This will be a very stiff dough and the best way to mix it all is by using your hands. It may seem like it’s not going to come together, but it will, just keep mixing it up until all ingredients are well incorporated, forming a dark, moist dough.

Roll a double layer of plastic wrap onto a clean work surface and place one third of the dough in the middle. Using your hands, shape dough into a log about 2-3 inches in diameter. Place log towards the end of the plastic wrap and start rolling the plastic tightly around the log. Twist the ends of the plastic like a candy and tuck them under the log. Refrigerate log overnight.

When ready to serve, use a small sieve to sprinkle the outside of the logs with confectioner’s sugar (or, if you prefer, sprinkle the confectioner’s sugar on a kitchen towel and roll the log on it).

Slice it with a sharp knife. Enjoy it!

Perfect Tempura

2009-11-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

I had it in my mind that I would learn to make perfectly crunchy tempura at home, the same you get at (good) Japanese restaurants. I tried doing tempura at home in the past and the results have always been mediocre. This time around, I was determined to make it right. I had a secret weapon though, that not everyone may have: a Japanese co-worker that happens to also be a great cook. She told me there are two important things to consider for a perfect tempura:

1- the batter as well as the vegetables and seafood have to be very cold. The temperature shock between the hot oil and the cold veggies help create a crispy tempura.

2- the batter cannot be a smooth one. It is best to leave it lumpy, it will help create the bumps we see on the outside of the veggies and shrimp tempura.

The last tip I got was on how to make tempura sauce. I know you can buy it ready at most supermarkets, but I wanted to learn to make my own. The sauce ingredients need to simmer for a few minutes and then be strained. Do not let them boil.

For my homemade tempura adventure I used shrimp (the largest ones I cold find), sweet potatoes, yams, eggplants and onions. It turned out really nice and crispy. I could actually hear the sound of the batter cracking on our neighbour’s mouth as she enjoyed some of the shrimp tempura.

Tempura Recipe:

serves 4

Equipment needed: (this is not a mandatory list, but I found that it helped me a lot)

1 wok or very large pot

1 medium strainer, or “spider” to remove tempura from oil

1 cooling rack set over a baking tray to drain the tempura

chopsticks to mix the batter

You will need:

For the tempura:

1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick

1 yam, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick

1 onion, peeled and cut into rings

1 small eggplant, sliced into rings about 1/4 inch think. Cut each ring in half

1 dozen large shrimps, deveined, tails on, flattened*

canola oil for frying

* To flattened the shrimp, make an shallow cut along the back of the shrimp and press it down to flatten it.

For the batter:

1 large egg, cold

150ml iced water

200g of flour, cold (leave four in the fridge to chill it)

For the tempura sauce:

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of water

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)

1/4 cup of bonito flakes

Make the sauce:

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and gently simmer for about 2 minutes. Strain and discard solids. Set aside.

Make the batter:

In a medium size bowl, lightly beat the egg, add the water and mix it well. Add the flour and mix it using two chopsticks. Do not over mix it, leave a few lumps of flour. If the oil is hot and the vegetables and shrimp are ready, dip each into the batter and fry until the outside is golden and looking crispy. The vegetables will first sink to the bottom of the wok (or large pot) and rapidly come to the top. Drain in a cooling rack set over a baking tray. Serve immediately with the sauce for dipping.

Note: keep all ingredients chilled until you are ready to fry the tempura. I first prepared the veggies and shrimp, then left them in the fridge while the oil heated and I prepared the batter. If the oil is not ready by the time you finish the batter, leave in the fridge as well until ready to use.

Vegetarian Pho

2009-11-24T21:37:00.000-08:00

Six years ago I didn't know what Vietnamese food was. I had never seen any Vietnamese restaurant in Brazil or anywhere else. Andrew was the one who introduced me to this cuisine, and now we both enjoy going out for Pho and salad rolls. Since not many Vietnamese restaurants serve vegetarian pho soup, I decided to make my own broth at home. It was easier than I thought. If you ever did a vegetable broth, than you can make veggie pho. Everything goes in a large pot for boiling, then strained and served over rice noodles and your favourite pho fixings.

Bonus points for this recipe for filling the house with wonderful aromas of anise, cinnamon and cloves.

Vegetarian Pho Recipe:

serves 4

You will need:

For the broth:

1 onion, peeled and halved

1 large piece of ginger

2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 quarts water

2 small leeks, well washed

5 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

10 whole cloves

1 tbs coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)

1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce (or to taste)

2 tablespoons of salt (or to taste)

For assembling the soup:

1 package of banh pho (rice noodles)

4 oz of canned straw or button mushrooms

8 oz of fried tofu pieces

1 tablespoon of canola oil

4 oz of fresh shitake mushrooms, sauteed in oil

1/4 cup of cilantro leaves, chopped

Fixings:

bean sprouts

Thai basil

sliced onions

green or red pepper, sliced

lime wedges

hoisin sauce

Make the broth:

First, grill the onion and ginger on a a barbecue grill until charred. You can do this in the oven broiler as well.

Once the onions and ginger are browned, place all broth ingredients, except soy sauce, salt and sugar, in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook it over medium heat for about 45 minutes. Season with sugar, soy sauce and salt to taste. Strain the broth and return to pot. Keep warm.

Make the noodles:

Cook the noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes or until soft. Drain and rinse with cold water . Divide the noodles into 4 large soup bowls.

Assemble the soup:

Divide the tofu, canned mushrooms, shitake mushrooms and cilantro evenly among the 4 bowls. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles and mushrooms and top it with beans sprouts, Thai basil, onions and other toppings you might want. Enjoy it hot.

Pumpkin and Coconut Sweet (doce de abóbora com coco)

2009-11-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

This is such a perfect dish to cook on a November day when pumpkins are in season and the crisp air outside makes us want to stay in, turn on the stove and cook something warm and comforting.

This dish is really simple to make and it fills the house with wonderful aromas of cinnamon and cloves while it slowly simmers. The ingredient list couldn't be shorter: pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon cloves and coconut. This is a very typical Brazilian dessert and it's normally served with a slice of fresh cheese. Here in the States I pair it with feta cheese and it makes for such a treat.

Pumpkin and coconut sweet recipe:

makes about one 16 oz container

You will need:

2 lb of pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks

2 cups of sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

10 whole cloves

16 oz of shredded coconut

Put all ingredients, except the coconut, in a large pot and cook on medium-low heat until the pumpkin is very soft, about 30 minutes stirring occasionally.Add the coconut, mix well and remove from heat. You can mash any large pieces of pumpkin with a potato masher, or, if you prefer, leave it more chunky.

When it's cooled down a bit, transfer it to an air tight container and store it in the fridge. Serve it cold or at room temperature. I like to eat this sweet with a slice of feta cheese, or spread over a piece of crusty bread, always accompanied by a good cup of coffee.

Enjoy it!

Raspberry Oatmeal Squares

2009-10-28T21:58:00.001-07:00

This is a simple treat I make quite often since the ingredients are all staples here at home. Raspberry is the most common flavour I make, but you can use your favourite jam. I even thought about making this with Nutella or dulce de letche. I bet it would be wonderful... If anyone decides to give it a try, I would love to know how it turned out! If you take your jam straight out of the fridge, it might be a little too hard to spread. A quick 5 seconds in the microwave should take care of that.

These oatmeal squares are best eaten the day they are baked, but they will keep well in an airtight container for a couple of days. They go very nicely with a cup of tea, perfect on a lazy afternoon.

Raspberry Oatmeal Squares Recipe:

makes about 25 squares

You will need:

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

2 cups of rolled oats

1 cup of brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 sticks (1 cup) of cold butter

1 1/2 cup of raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter a square 9 inch baking pan.

In a food processor, blend the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the butter into pieces, add to the food processor and pulse a few times until large crumbs form. Divide the dough in half.

Press one half of the dough into the prepared pan, covering the bottom and a little bit up the sides (about an inch).

Spread the jam over the dough evenly and cover it with the other half of the oatmeal dough by just sprinkling it overtop (do not press it).

Bake in the preheated oven f0r 55 minutes. Let it cool before cutting the squares.

Chicken Lasagna

2009-10-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about my grandma a lot lately. She turned 87 last month. She doesn't cook anymore these days, but when she was younger, she was a wonderful cook and I would always look forward to eating her pastas and desserts. I always enjoyed spending time with my grandparents, but I regret not spending as much time with them in the kitchen. I could never imagine, back then, that cooking would be such an important part of my life. Because of that, I never got to see how my grandma prepared her legendary chicken lasagna... Now it's too late to ask, so this is my attempt to recreate it. The most important thing on a lasagna for me is the sauce. It has to be a white sauce, not ricotta cheese. For the filling, a nicely seasoned cooked chicken and tomato sauce will do just fine. Choose your favorite lasagna noodles. I use the "no-boil" ones, it's easier.

Chicken Lasagna Recipe:

makes 1 lasagna (9x13 inches)

You will need:

For the chicken filling:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

For the white sauce:

5 tablespoons of butter

4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

4 cups of warm milk

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

For assembling the lasagna:

1 package of lasagna noodles (I use the "no-cook" type)

1 lb of shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup of grated parmesan

Make the chicken filling:

Cook the chicken breasts in water along with the bay leaf until cooked through. Drain and shred the meat. In a large pan, heat the oil and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Mix in the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Make the white sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium pot or pan. Add the flour and cook it until it's no longer raw, about 3 minutes, stirring. Add the warm milk slowly to the pot, whisking it constantly until all the milk is added and the sauce is smooth. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking until the sauce thickens it up enough to cover the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the stove and set aside.

To assemble the lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon some of the white sauce on the bottom of a large (9x13 inches) baking dish. Make one layer of lasagna noodles (4 sheets per layer), cover it with some of the chicken filling and top it with some mozzarella, then white sauce. Make sure the white sauce is spread evenly, specially on the sides of the dish, so you won't end up with dry edges. Keep making layers of noodles, chicken mozzarella and white sauce, finishing with the white sauce remaining. Top everything with the grated parmesan. Cover the lasagna dish with foil, being careful not to let the foil touch the sauce. Bake it for 40 minutes, remove foil and let it get golden and bubbly, 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and wait 10 minutes before cutting the lasagna.

* If using the type of lasagna sheets that don't require pre-boiling, like I did, make sure there is enough sauce to cover the entire lasagna, or it will be dry. If you think there is not enough white sauce, thin it out a little bit by adding more milk into it, a tablespoon at the time and whisking well after each addition. Re-season if necessary.

Pretzels

2009-10-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

I never thought making pretzels would be so easy and so much fun. I decided to make them for a German party last weekend and didn't have any idea what to expect. It turned out it was pretty straight forward to make and relatively fast too (there is a 1 hour resting time, but I suppose this could be shortened with quick rising yeast). The pretzels were delicious especially when still warm. My friend had some German sweet mustard that was wonderful with the pretzels. Now that I made my first batch of pretzels, I am thinking about experimenting and making sweet ones (I always loved the cinnamon and sugar ones at the mall...) or perhaps adding raisins to the dough, who knows.

Be sure to salt it well before the pretzels hit the oven otherwise then can come out quite bland in taste.

Pretzel Recipe:

makes 8 large or 16 small pretzels

You will need:

1 1/2 cups of warm water

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

7 grams of active dry yeast

4 1/2 cups of flour

4 tablespoons of butter, melted

2/3 cup of baking soda

egg wash (egg and water beaten together)

salt (I don't have pretzel salt, so I used kosher salt)

Make the dough:

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or a large bowl if making pretzels by hand), add the sugar, salt, warm water and yeast. Mix well and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it begins to foam. Add the butter and flour and mix (use the dough hook) until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it looks uniform. Turn it into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let it rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in volume.

When the dough is almost done resting, bring 2 quarts of water along with the baking soda to a boil in a large pot. You will boil the pretzels in it before they go in the oven, so make sure it's a pot large enough to hold one large pretzel at the time. Preheat the oven to high (450 degrees).

Lightly spray two baking sheets and a clean work surface with oil. Turn the dough into the oiled surface and dived it with a sharp knife (8 large ones or 16 small ones). Make a long log by rolling the dough back and forth on the surface with the palms of your hands. For large pretzels, it should be about 24 inches long and 12 inches if making small ones. Shape the pretzels by holding each end, twisting in the middle and attaching the ends to the bottom of the pretzels. Place pretzels in the oiled baking sheet. Carefully place one pretzel at the time in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Do not leave the pretzel in the water for more than 30 seconds or they will start falling apart.

Transfer each pretzel back to the baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with salt and bake each baking sheet for about 10 minutes, or until pretzels are brown and puffed.

Enjoy warm with some sweet mustard!

Banana Crumb Cake (Cuca de banana)

2009-09-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been around here a lot lately, but I have good reasons for that. The best one is that I got a new job. It's a job I believe it's perfect for me, but I will talk more about it at another time.

For now, I would like to share this recipe with you: Banana crumb cake. I learned this recipe back home when I was studying in the south, where the German influence is very strong and therefore there is plenty of German dishes. I suppose the Germans originally made it with apples, but bananas are definitely more "Brazilian". There are two ways I do this cake, this one is what I call the tall version, layered with banana filling. There is another type of "cuca" (I have no idea where the name came from. If anyone out there knows, please share!) that is's more simple and has no layers, it's normally baked in a shallow square pan. The second one resembles more the types of crumb cakes I find here in the U.S. I hope you like this one. According to Andrew, it goes very well with a glass of milk.

On another note, I wanted to thank everyone that joined my Facebook page so far. You are welcome to post questions or comments over there too.

Banana Crumb Cake Recipe:

makes one 9 inch round cake

You will need:

For the crumb topping:

3/4 cup of brown sugar

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

For the cake:

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 cups of cake flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

4 bananas, peeled and sliced

3/4 cups of milk

Butter and flour a 9 inch cake pan.

Make the crumb topping by mixing all the ingredients with a fork until you have pea size crumbs. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites until it forms stiff peaks. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and the baking powder together. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the yolks, butter and sugar on medium-high until it gets pale and creamy. Add the vanilla. Turn speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture and the milk, alternating both and finishing with the milk. Fold in the egg whites into the batter.

Pour half of the batter in the prepared pan. Make a layer using half of the bananas and half of the crumb mixture. Pour the remaining batter on top of it and repeat the layer of banana and crumb topping (crumb topping last).

Bake it at 350 until the toothpick tester comes out clean. This cake takes me about 1 hour to bake, so be patient. Cool it for 15 minutes before slicing it.

Enjoy it!

	A spring form pan will make it easier to keep the crumb topping intact and give you a nicer presentation, but it's not necessary as you can just take slices straight from the pan.

Fresh Peaches Poached in Spiced Coconut Milk Topped with Granola

2009-08-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

I am a big fruit person, but I normally eat them fresh without any cooking involved. Peaches are especially nice fresh, when they are juicy and have a wonderful aroma. Sometimes though, I like to try something different. This time I decided to poach the peaches, and as I was opening the can of coconut milk I thought about how nice it would be to add some spices to it, like cinnamon and cloves. These spices are normally used during cold month desserts, but they worked very nicely here. The granola on top is optional, but I like the crunch. Fresh whipped cream or ice cream would work well too, specially if you are a fan of cold and hot contrast on a dish.

Peaches Poached in Spiced Coconut Milk Recipe:

serves 4

You will need:

2 fresh peaches, ripe but still firm

1 can of coconut milk

1 cinnamon stick

10 whole cloves

1 -2 tablespoons of sugar (depending on how sweet you want it to be)

Granola (optional)

Peel the peaches, cut them in half and remove pit. Place peaches in a small sauce pan and cover with the coconut milk. Add the spices and sugar. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, without boiling.

Pour each half peach in individual bowls and top it with some of the coconut milk. Top it with granola, if using. Serve immediately.

Dobos Torte - Daring Bakers

2009-08-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of

A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

This was the first time since join the Daring Bakers that I was not completely pleased with the results. The Dobos Torte tasted very good, which was not a surprise. White sponge and lots of chocolate ganache, how bad can that taste? My problem was with the presentation, and it probably had a lot to do with my decision to cut the recipe in half (lesson learned).

Since it's only the 2 of us, and I was recently told by my doctor to decrease my sugar intake , I thought I would make just a small cake for us to share. The problem of making small amounts is that if something goes wrong, you don't have much back up, and that is what happen to my sponge cake. It all went well for the first batch, but the second one stuck to the baking paper and I couldn't remove it. So I ended up with 1/4 of the sponge cake from the recipe. That is the reason you only see a small slice of my "torta"....

The chocolate buttercream was easy to make and tasted great, the only thing is that it melts pretty fast so it has be kept in the fridge. Even after the layers were assembled, I had to keep it refrigerated or the layers would slide off and melt.

A typical Dobos Torte is topped with a caramel-covered sponge layer, normally sliced into wedges. Since I was already running short of cake layers, I decided to skip the caramel altogether.

I ended up with a multi layered mini torta that tasted great (just like store bought actually), but didn't exactly look that attractive., specially if you think of Dobos Torte as a beautiful, tall cake with a crunchy and shinny caramel topping.... Mine wasn't any of that....

Although Dobos is a wonderful dessert, certainly elegant (when made properly), I don't think I will be making this again anytime soon. Perhaps it is a little too rich for my taste, but as a true Daring Baker, I am happy that I tried it.

For more beautiful photos of Dobos Torte (and too see how they are really suppose to look like), head over to the Daring Kitchen. And for the complete recipe for this particular Dobos, click here or here.

Grilled Romaine Hearts with Warm Peas

2009-08-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

On my last post I declared my love for all things grilled, so here it another grilled recipe. This time it's romaine lettuce that takes a trip to the barbeque. Don't be so surprised, grilled lettuce is really good. I love how charred they get, a little burnt on the edges, warm but still crunchy in the middle. The trick is to brush it well with oil and cook for a very short time. You can use grilled lettuce in salads, with some grilled cherry tomatoes and red onions. It's delicious and unexpected. This recipe is for grilled romaine hearts that are topped with a warm peas and shallots mix. I like the combination of peas and lettuce a lot. This makes a perfect side dish for a barbeque party.

Grilled Romaine Hearts with Warm Peas Recipe:

serves 2 as a side dish

You will need:

1 tablespoon of olive oil *

1 tablespoon of chopped shallots (use red onions if you don't have shallots on hand)

1/2 cup of peas, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup of either water, chicken or vegetable broth

salt and pepper

1 lettuce head, preferably romaine hearts

Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

First make the warm peas mix. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan or skillet, add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the peas, your liquid of choice and cook until warmed up, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Cut the lettuce in half lengthwise leaving the root still attached ( it holds the leaves together). Rinse with cold water and let it dry. Brush cut sides with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Grill the lettuces cut side down over a medium hot grill for about 5 minutes (start checking after 3 minutes as grill temperatures vary). Remove from the heat.

Plate lettuce halves cut side up and spoon the warm pea mix on top (reheat it if necessary). Top everything with shaved Parmesan, if using and serve immediately.

* If you like butter (who doesn't?), go ahead and use it instead of the olive oil for a richer dish.

Enjoy it!

Potato and Olive Pockets in the Barbeque

2009-08-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

We bought our BBQ about 5 years ago in Canada. It was the simplest and cheapest gas model in the store (in the two digits category...). Since then, it has traveled to Seattle, endured a couple of really bad winters (specially last year) and the constant, terrible wind that hits our balcony all the time. The metal plate inside of it is broken, as is the lid. It's a very small grill and I do my best to keep one side of it vegetarian, although that is not always possible. Nevertheless, I love our barbeque. I can't imagine my life without it. Sometimes I fantasize about buying one of those super grills, with a rotisserie motor (for making gyros), and it almost feels like I am cheating on our my loyal companion, our cheap BBQ grill. I use it pretty much everyday, all year around. During the cold months (in our case, that's 9-10 months), I roll it close to the balcony door so that I don't have to step outside, but can still grill on it from the inside of the apartment. I use our old, broken BBQ to cook just about anything I feel like.

This time it was potatoes. I like to grill potatoes but I don't like to have to boil them first (too much work, too much clean up). So I bought some very tiny ones (from Trader Joe's), that could go straight into the grill. The foil keeps the moisture in and lets the potatoes cook nicely. The olives give a nice saltiness and a touch of Mediterranean flavour. Sometimes I use green onions (scallions), sometimes it's chives, whatever I have in the fridge. Next time I make these potatoes, I am thinking sun-dried-tomatoes might be good addition to them.

Potato and Olive Pockets in the Barbeque Recipe:

serves 4 as a side dish

You will need:

1 lb of very small potatoes such as Trader Joe's Tiny Teeny Potatoes**

16 mixed olives

4 teaspoons of olive oil

4 teaspoons of butter

4 tablespoons of fresh chives or green onions, chopped

salt and pepper

Wash and rinse the potatoes, scrubbing the skins to remove any dirt.

Cut 8 squares of foil paper (about 10x10 inches each) to make 4 double-lined pockets. In each pocket, put 1/4 of the potatoes, 4 olives, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of chives or green onions). Season with salt and pepper (keep in mind olives are very salty ) and close tightly. Place pockets in a hot barbeque grill, cover and let it cook for about 20 minutes.

Be careful when opening the pockets, they will be hot and the potatoes steamy. Serve immediately.

Enjoy it!

** If you can't find tiny potatoes, use small new potatoes cut in half.

Pure Honey Ice Cream

2009-07-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

This ice cream is the ultimate proof that when it comes to good food, less is often more. With only 3 simple ingredients (plus a pinch of salt), you can make this delicious ice cream that tastes so homemade and pure. Because the recipe is so simple, it is important to use the best ingredients that you can find and afford. Local, organic eggs and dairy are wonderful and easy to find this time of year. The final product will taste exactly like the honey you use, so choose something that you really like. I used a raspberry honey that I picked up last week at my local farmer's market.

This ice cream can be a starting point for many other variations. I kept it simple, but you may want to add some chopped walnuts to it, or some chopped semi-sweet chocolate. You can also infuse the base of the ice cream with herbs or spices such as basil, mint, cinnamon, vanilla. On this case, just add the extra ingredient to the simmering dairy base, let it rest for at least 2 hours, strain it and proceed with the recipe.

Another great way of using this honey ice cream is to make smoothies and shakes. Try blending it with fruits like peaches, bananas and strawberries.

Pure Honey Ice Cream Recipe:

You will need:

4 egg yolks

2/3 cup of pure honey

1 1/2 cups of half-and-half

1 1/2 cup of whole milk

a pinch of salt

Bring the cream and the milk to a simmer, do not let it boil. While the cream mixture warms up, whisk the yolks, honey and salt together until pale and fluffy.

Slowly incorporate the warm cream mixture into the eggs, one ladle full at the time, whisking vigorously. Return the egg and cream mix to the stove and cook over low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Do not let it boil. The custard is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail if you pass your finger on it.

Cool custard completely in the fridge before putting in the ice cream maker. Follow instructions of your ice cream machine.

Enjoy it!

Milano Cookies - Daring Bakers

2009-07-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

We were given a choice of making both cookies or only one of them. I chose to make the Milano cookies because I am not a big marshmallow fan. The cookies were very easy to make and the dough reminded me of my first Daring Bakers challenge, the Tuiles. Remember them? This time the dough was piped and had a much thicker consistency. The filling of the cookies was as simple as a chocolate ganache can be, with the addition of some orange zest.

The recipe is pretty straight forward and I did not make much changes to it. I did, however, omit the lemon extract (didn't have any), and halved the entire recipe. I ended up with about 16 cookies. If you would like to see more Milano cookies or the chocolate covered marshmallow cookies, head over to the Daring Bakers site and have fun!

This is the original recipe given to us. I halved all ingredients (using 3 egg whites) and omitted the lemon extract.

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
• 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Banana and Chocolate Tart

2009-07-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

I know very little people (if any) that don't like chocolate or bananas. The combination of both is even better, so when I ended up with an extra tart shell from my last Daring Bakers challenge, I knew exactly what to do with it. It's hard to go wrong with chocolate and bananas.

If you have already a tart shell frozen or if you are using a store-bought one, this dessert comes together in no time at all and can easily be made on any busy week night. If you are going to make the dough from scratch, than you'll have to add some extra time, but this dough is really easy to work with. For this recipe, I used an already blind-baked tart shell,

The idea here is to make a layer of chocolate on the bottom of the tart shell and top it with fresh bananas. A no-brainier, really. I also added some possible variations and additions to make this tart even more delicious.

Banana-Chocolate Tart Recipe:

makes one 9 inch round tart

You will need:

1 tart shell, homemade or store-bought , par baked and cooled (recipe for sweet short crust pastry as well as how to blind bake a tart shell, here)

4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate

1/4 cup of cream or half and half

3-4 ripe bananas, depending on their size

1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the cream just until bellow boiling point. Pour it over the chocolate and stir until you get a smooth consistency. Let it cool.

Peel the bananas and half them lengthwise. Squeeze the lemon juice over the bananas and add the sugar. Mix well.

Spread the chocolate sauce on the bottom of the tart shell and top it with the bananas, cut side up, forming a circular pattern.

Bake it until tart is golden brown and bananas are soft, about 30 minutes.

Serve warm by itself or alongside some vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy it!

Possible variations:

Sprinkle the bananas with some chopped peanuts or walnuts half way trough baking.

Place a layer of shredded coconut between the chocolate and the bananas.

Use cinnamon-sugar instead of the brown sugar.

Barley and Avocado Salad

2009-07-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

This dish works well in a household where there are both vegetarians and meat eaters (like mine). That is because this filling salad can serve as the main dish for a vegetarian as well as a side for some grilled chicken for a meat eater. This dish is so healthy and tasty, you won't get tired of it. You can think of it as a kind of deconstructed guacamole with the addition of barley. Kind of.

I like to cook a big batch of barley every once in a while and keep it in the fridge for different uses during the week. It makes salads like this one a cinch to prepare. To cook the barley, I simply add lots water to a pot, bring it to a boil, add the barley and cook it for about 45 minutes with a semi open lid.

Barley and Avocado Salad Recipe:

serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side

You will need:

1 hass avocado

1 cup of coked barley

1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoons of chopped cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon of chopped basil leaves

1 tablespoon of chopped red onion

1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon of salt

fresh pepper to taste

Half the avocado and remove the pit. Cut the avocado flesh into bite size pieces. Mix together the avocado, barley, tomatoes, herbs and red onion. Make a dressing for the salad by mixing the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and whisk it until it comes together. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir it to combine, being careful not to squeeze the pieces of avocados. Serve it immediately.

Enjoy it!

Short Pasta with Zucchini, Peas and Mint

2009-07-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

This is a summer pasta dish, and the best part for me is that it comes together in less than 30 minutes. It's a "sauceless" kind of pasta, just tossed together with sauteed vegetables and fresh herbs. Delicious and healthy. Whenever I make this at home, I start by heating the water for the pasta, then move on to prep the veggies and cook them. By the time the pasta is cooked my vegetables are done and I just scoop them out of the water and drop them in the skillet with the vegetables. It's that easy. I like using short pasta in this recipe because I cut the zucchini in batons so they all have a similar size. The pasta on the photo is a whole wheat rotini, but you can use any kind of pasta that you like. This recipe makes 2 servings and can be easily doubled.

Short Pasta with Zucchini, Peas and Mint Recipe:

serves 2

You will need:

2 cups of uncooked short pasta (rotini, penne)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 cup of chopped onion

1 teaspoon of salt

pepper to taste

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small-medium zucchini, cut into batons

1/2 cup of peas, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente.

While the water heats and the pasta cooks, make the vegetables.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, cook for another 30 seconds. Add the zucchini and peas and cook until the zucchini is cooked but still somewhat firm. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and save some of the water. Add the pasta to the vegetables in the skillet and some of the pasta water to make it a bit moist. Add the fresh mint and mix well.

Enjoy it!

Pink Bites Turns One!

2009-07-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a whole year since I started sharing my cooking adventures here. I wish I had a big birthday cake recipe to post and celebrate it, but I don't. It's been too hot to use the oven. But I couldn't go without acknowledging this date. Over 150 recipes in a year, I think that's something to celebrate. Most of all, I want to thank you for stopping by, I hope Pink Bites has inspired you to make some home cook meals and hopefully enjoy it with people you love.

I look forward to another year filled with good eats.

Cheers all!

Quick Caprese Tart

2009-07-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

This is as easy as a meal can get. Store bought puff pastry, tomatoes and mozzarella. A few sprinkles of parmesan cheese on the bottom and a few more of basil on top. That's it, dinner is served. Most (or all) of these ingredients are staples in my house, and quite frankly, one cannot go wrong with this classic combination of flavours. This tart can be made year around, but is specially good during the summer months when tomatoes are at their pick.

The recipe bellow is for one tart, using half a package of puff pastry. This is a super easy tart to make and it's best eaten straight after it's baked. It can be served as a side dish for a chicken dinner, or paired with some grilled vegetables for a vegetarian main meal.

Quick Caprese Tart Recipe:

serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main dish

You will need:

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed (half a package)

1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

1 large beefsteak tomato (If using smaller tomatoes such as on-the-vine or roma, you might need more than one)

8 oz of fresh mozzarella

a handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped

flour for dusting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dust a flat surface with flour and roll the puff pastry with a rolling pin until it is about 9x10 inches.

Using a knife, trace a line around the pastry making a board of about 1/2 inch. Place the puff pastry on a baking sheet and pierce the bottom several times with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until just lightly golden.

While the pastry is baking, slice the mozzarella and dry well with a paper towel. Slice the tomato in a way that will better fit the pastry. In the picture, I used one large beefsteak tomato cut in half and the sliced.

Sprinkle the partially baked pastry with the parmesan cheese and cover with alternating pieces of tomato and mozzarella. Return it to the oven for 10-15 more minutes, until the cheese starts to melt and the pastry is golden brown. Top tart with basil and serve immediately.

Enjoy it!

Vietnamese Tofu Sandwich

2009-07-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

This sandwich is inspired on the Vietnamese summer rolls, that's why I call it a "Vietnamese Sub". I love the summer rolls but they can be quite time consuming to make, so I decided to put some of the flavours that I like from the rolls in a sandwich. One of the things I love about the fresh salad rolls is the peanut dipping sauce that comes with them, so I made my own Asian-peanut spread for the sandwich by combining peanut butter, hoisin sauce and mayonnaise. I added carrots, jicama and daikon as well as baked tofu. For extra crunchiness, I put some chopped peanuts inside the sandwich. Fresh cilantro adds to the theme, making this a one of a kind sandwich.

Vietnamese Tofu Sandwich Recipe:

makes 1 sandwich

You will need:

1 tablespoon of peanut butter (room temperature is best)

1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons of vegenaise (or regular mayonnaise)

1 baguette about 8 inches long

1/2 block of (1 piece) of baked tofu of your choice

1/2 carrot, peel and cut into thin strips

1/4 jicama, peeled and cut into this strips

1 small piece of daikon, cut into strips

a handful of fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon of peanuts, roughly chopped

Mix the peanut butter with the hoisin sauce. Add the vegenaise until you get a creamy consistency. You might use more or less mayo depending on how you like the spread to taste.

Slice the bread lengthwise and spread the peanut-mayo on both sides.

Layer all the other ingredients to make your sandwich.

Enjoy it!

This month's Weekend Wokking (not so) secret ingredient is cilantro, so I am submitting this recipe for it. This edition of Weekend Wokking is hosted this month by Blazing Hot Wok.

If cutting vegetables is not your thing, use the large holes of a box grater to shred the carrots and jicama.

Bakewell Tart - Daring Bakers

2009-06-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

I have never heard or Bakelwell tarts before, so didn't know what to expect. It turns out it is a tart shell layered with jam and topped with frangipane. That's the best way I can describe it. I also had never made frangipane before, and was excited about that. Frangipane is a almond flavoured filling that can be used in many different ways and it is often found in French pastries. It was easy to make and I loved the flavour of it.

I followed the recipe given to us and ended up with a surplus of both shortcrust pastry and frangipane. Not a problem, just made some small tartlets using muffin size baking shells. It worked out great. By reading the comments from other Daring Bakers, I realized that when making a large size tart it would be better to pre-bake, or blind bake the shell, or the jam could make it soggy. I did that with my 9 inch tart and the dough was perfectly cooked at the end. The small tartlets didn't need to do that, but I made sure they stayed in the freezer for a while before I baked them.

I used an organic, good quality, store bought raspberry jam for my bakewell tarts, but any kind of jam or spread would work too, homemade or store bought. The recipe can be split into two days (prepare the shortcrust pastry in one day and the rest in another day).

I really enjoyed making this challenge, the tarts were so delicious, very delicate and elegant. Head over to the Daring Bakers home to see plenty more bakewell tarts and get inspired!

Bakewell Tart Ingredients List:

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
1cup of raspberry jam
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Sweet shortcrust pastry Recipe:

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane Recipe:

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Assembling the tart

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatized for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

For a large 9 inch pie: blind bake the tart shell before moving to the next step. To do that, cover the cold tart shell with foil, place beans or pie weights on top of it and bake for about 15 minutes, until slightly golden brown.

For small muffin-size tartlets: continue with recipe as bellow, baking the frozen tartlets straight out of the freezer.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly giggly and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Eggplant Salad with Fresh Mozzarella and Sun-Dried-Tomatoes

2009-06-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

Eggplants are very tasty and healthy and I love to experiment with it, although I don't think I do it as often as I should. This salad is very picnic friendly, great for the summer season. It can be made in advance and kept in the fridge, it travels well and it tastes so good. Pair it with a good crusty bread for a delicious light meal. A chilled glass of white wine is optional, but strongly suggested :)

Eggplant Salad with Fresh Mozzarella and Sun-Dried-Tomatoes Recipe:

serves 4 as a main course or 6 an an appetizer

You will need:

For the salad:

1 medium to large size eggplant

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

fresh pepper

8 oz of fresh mozzarella balls

1/4 cup of sun-dried-tomatoes in oil, drained

For the dressing:

1/4 cup of a mix offresh basil leaves and fresh oregano, mixed

2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

up to 1/4 cup of olive oil (you may need less than that)

salt and pepper

Cut the eggplant into bite-size pieces and place in a colander. Sprinkle generously with salt and let it rest for 30 minutes. Pat eggplant pieces dry with a paper towel. Heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add eggplant, stir it around the pan and cook until done, but firm. Season with fresh pepper. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and let it come to room temperature.

To make the dressing, use a blender,or a food processor. Start by processing the balsamic vinegar, herbs and sugar together. With the motor running, drizzle the oil until the dressing comes together by thickening a bit and having everything well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the dressing with the salad ingredients, and refrigerate it. Serve it cold or at room temperature.

Enjoy it!