Couscous chocolaté aux poires et à la lime

J’ai découvert cette recette quand Fannie Denault est passée à Du Cœur au Ventre. C’est un dessert inhabituel, mais ô combien délicieux! Je reproduis ici la recette que j’ai utilisée. Vous pouvez aussi remplacer la lime par une orange, un citron ou un pamplemousse, et le lait de coco par du lait de vache, de soya ou d’amande. Le sucre pourrait être remplacé par de la cassonade, du sirop d’érable ou du sirop d’agave; la poire peut être remplacée par une mangue, par exemple. Pensez aussi à remplacer le chocolat par de la vanille et de l’eau de rose. Les possibilités sont infinies! Ça fait quatre portions; si vous n’en servez que deux immédiatement, n’utilisez qu’une poire et gardez l’autre pour le lendemain.

1 tasse de lait de coco
4 c. à soupe de sucre
2 c. à soupe de cacao de qualité
zeste d’une lime, râpé et haché menu
jus d’une lime
2 poire mûres
2/3 tasse de couscous
cannelle (au goût)



Faire chauffer le lait de coco et le sucre dans une petite casserole. Ajouter le cacao, mélanger et porter à ébullition, puis éteindre le feu.



Verser le couscous dans la casserole, mélanger, couvrir et laisser gonfler 5 minutes.

Éplucher les poires, les couper en quartiers et les arroser du jus de la lime.

Détacher les grains du couscous à l'aide d'une fourchette. Couvrir de nouveau pendant 5 minutes.

Mettre le couscous dans des bols. Ajouter les poires et le zeste de lime. Saupoudrer de cannelle et servir.

Spaghetti carbonara

J’écris cette recette en français, car je me doute que les anglophones en ont entendu parler assez souvent. Il s’agit de la recette de spaghetti carbonara que fait Tom Cruise et qu’il a diffusée à l’émission d’Oprah Winfrey. N’allez pas croire qu’il l’a inventée, il a dit à l’émission que c’est son chauffeur italien qui lui en a fait part à Rome, et c’est une recette de famille. Je l’aime parce que non seulement elle est délicieuse, mais en plus, elle est sans lactose. Je l’ai modifiée un peu, en diminuant la quantité de parmesan et de spaghetti. En fait, je n’en utilise jamais un paquet au complet; la moitié d’un paquet donne quatre bonne portions, c’est nettement suffisant pour moi. Pour cette recette, il faut quand même utiliser des œufs crus qui sont cuits simplement par la chaleur des pâtes cuites. Ça arrive plus vite qu’on le croirait, mais quand même, si vous ne voulez pas prendre de risque avec les œufs crus, utilisez des œufs pasteurisés en berlingot. Et pour une version sans gluten, utilisez des pâtes sans gluten, bien sûr.

4 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
2 gousses d’ail, hachées
1 oignon, haché
8-12 tranches de bacon, coupées en petits morceaux
4 œufs
1 paquet de spaghetti
1 ½ tasse de parmesan râpé

Faire chauffer l’huile dans une poêle. Y ajouter l’ail, l’oignon et le bacon. Laisser cuire à feu doux pendant 20-30 minutes, en remuant de temps en temps.



Battre les œufs dans un bol avec du sel et du poivre moulu.





Amener à ébullition une marmite d’eau. Faire cuire le spaghetti, l’égoutter et ajouter immédiatement le mélange d’œufs aux pâtes. Mélanger jusqu’à ce que les œufs soient bien répartis (et bien cuits par les pâtes chaudes).



Ajouter le contenu de la poêle et mélanger. Ajouter le parmesan et mélanger jusqu’à homogénéité. Servir.

Riz au lait de coco et aux bananes

J’ai piqué cette recette dans le Elle Québec d’octobre, mais elle est tirée du livre Les secrets des desserts de Jérôme Ferrer. Elle n’est pas compliquée, et l’Ingénieur et moi l’avons trouvée délicieuse. Il s’est d’ailleurs extasié sur le fait qu’il goûtait toutes les saveurs indépendamment et simultanément : le riz, la noix de coco, la banane. Il a parlé d’un arc-en-ciel de saveurs! J’ai saupoudré ma portion de cardamome, c’était vraiment excellent. Je préfère servir ce plat tiède, et l’Ingénieur le préfère froid, comme d’habitude. Sachez quand même que les bananes s’oxydent, alors si vous ne prévoyez pas servir les quatre portions immédiatement, attendez-vous à ce que les bananes brunissent un peu. (Vous pouvez toujours séparer le riz en deux portions et n’ajouter une banane qu’à la portion que vous mangez tout de suite. La recette fait quatre bonnes portions.)

1 tasse de riz rond (Arborio)
2 tasses de lait (sans lactose)
2 tasses de lait de coco
1 gousse de vanille, ouverte et vidée
1/3 tasse de sucre
½ tasse de noix de coco râpée
2 bananes, tranchées en fines rondelles

Dans une casserole, mélanger le riz et le lait. Amener à ébullition. Ajouter le lait de coco, la vanille (la gousse et son contenu), le sucre et la noix de coco râpée.




Laisser mijoter 30 minutes à découvert, en jetant un coup d’œil de temps en temps.



Une fois le riz cuit, y incorporer les bananes et cuire quelques minutes de plus.



Déguster chaud ou froid, avec ou sans cardamome.

Pear and Chocolate Scones

Last time I was at Jean Talon market, I ended up buying some Bartlett pears, because I tasted a slice and they were delicious; I just couldn’t pass them up. And shortly before then, I had found this recipe for pear and chocolate scones that I just had to try. They’re unusual in that the filling is wrapped inside the dough rather than mixed into it. The original recipe was vegan; I used dairy but made it lactose-free, though you could of course replace the margarine with actual butter. I used these teeny, tiny chocolate chips that I bought with another recipe in mind. While they’ll be perfect for the other recipe, I recommend you stick to the regular-sized chips here, which won’t fall out of the scones as much when you make them (and measuring them will also be more accurate).



I have to say that as I was mixing the dough and then kneading it, it was just about the worst experience of my life. (Well, only as far as dough is concerned, but still.) It was sticking everywhere, and I just kept throwing flour at it in an effort to tame it. That’s why there are no pictures; I was in no condition to touch anything. Finally, I had enough and I decided to just try to roll it out already and get it over with. And you know what? Suddenly, it was THE most cooperative dough EVER. It stretched out exactly where I wanted it to, it did everything exactly like it should, it didn’t even stick to the floured rolling pin. Go figure.

Despite this weird experience with the dough, making these scones was totally worth it! I’m keeping this recipe for future reference for brunches.

4 Tbsp frozen margarine or butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
½ Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup (lactose-free) milk
1 pear, peeled and chopped into small chunks
½ cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 ˚F.

Grate the frozen margarine on a plate and return it to the freezer until you need it.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Gently and quickly, with your fingers, mix in the grated frozen butter substitute.
Mix in the milk.

On a floured work surface, knead the dough 8 times.
With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 12 inch square.
Fold the dough in thirds (like a letter) and then fold it in thirds in the other direction.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze for 5 minutes (or refrigerate overnight).



Peel, core and chop a pear into small chunks.

Roll the dough out to a twelve inch square again.
Top with pear and chocolate chips.



Roll the dough up into a log and cut into four equal pieces. Cut each piece diagonally.



Transfer scones on to a baking sheet and brush the tops with melted butter (or substitute).



Bake for 25-30 minutes (but check at 25 minutes).
Allow to cool for 15 minutes before eating.

Green Tea Shortbread Cookies

The original recipe was actually for green tea shortbread sandwiches, with a white-chocolate ganache as the filling. While I know that you can make lactose-free ganache by substituting fruit purée for the cream, I didn’t have time to start fiddling with that when I made these cookies. However, you should know that they are really not very sweet in and of themselves, and they are also quite brittle, so a sweet sandwich filling would have helped on both these fronts here. I sprinkled sugar on my cookies, which is optional, but recommended if you don’t do the sandwiches.

2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened green tea powder (matcha)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (or cold lactose-free margarine)
½ tsp almond extract
superfine sugar, for sprinkling



Whisk dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a larger one, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until just smooth. Add the almond extract, then all of the dry ingredients.



Divide the dough in half and shape into two discs, wrapped in plastic. Chill the discs for an hour or two in the refrigerator, or until completely firm.



Preheat the oven to 325 °F.

Roll the dough to your desired thickness on a floured board (I wanted to avoid staining my white countertop green). You will need to lightly flour the top of the dough and the rolling pin, too, before rolling.



Cut with cookie cutters into your desired shape, arranging them on baking sheets (You can line them with parchment paper is you want). Sprinkle a thin coat of superfine sugar over the cookies.

Bake them until lightly golden at the edges. For thin, small cookies, this took 15 minutes. The darker the edges, the more intense the flavour and, some say, the longer the cookies will keep.

Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing

This is another wonderful recipe I found on Orangette. I served it for lunch to the Engineer and his father, and all three of us heartily approve. I just love roasted butternut squash! And chickpeas too, of course. I found this healthy recipe delicious both with and without dressing, warm or cold. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I omitted the clove of garlic from the roasting pan, but I did have garlic in the dressing. I also ended up using 5 Tbsp of olive oil in the dressing, because my tahini was quite bitter. If this is the case with yours too, you could also reduce the amount of tahini and keep the rest of the ingredients as they are. I served the dressing on the side, because it was then easier to refrigerate unused servings.

For the salad
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 ½ lb.), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, pressed
½ tsp ground allspice
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt
a 19-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ of a medium red onion, finely chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

For the tahini sauce
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp well-stirred tahini
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more to taste



Preheat the oven to 425 °F.

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a good pinch or two of salt. Using a large spoon or your hands, toss until the squash pieces are evenly coated. Turn them out onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.



Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon.

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add tahini sauce to taste, and toss carefully. Serve, with additional salt for sprinkling.

Artificial sweeteners

The Engineer and I have different views regarding artificial sweeteners. He believes that anything that causes his calorie intake to drop is good. He especially likes diet sodas, because he doesn’t want to waste calories on drinks – he’d rather have his calories come from good food. While I agree with this in principle, I believe that artificial sweeteners are not healthy and I’d rather have naturally sweetened drinks, even if it means drinking less. But the scientific community is still split as to how safe different sweeteners are, so I have no definitive answer on that.

It’s become apparent, though, that artificial sweeteners are linked to weight gain. They can prevent individuals from feeling satiated and cause them to eat more calories in total. That article is very interesting and clearly written. (Another interesting article describes how the body regulates food intake based on the combination of fat, sugar and salt in your food.) I’ve heard there are sodas made with sugar derived from the stevia plant; I’ve even seen sugar from the stevia plant sold under the brand name Truvia in the States (I haven’t seen it yet in Canada, but then again, my grocery store is notorious for carrying nothing).

Then again, in the case of sodas in particular, I’m now torn as to whether I should drink any at all. Major soda companies (Coke and Pepsi, as well as their various sub-products) are notoriously disrespectful of the environment; they have gone so far as to deprive entire villages of drinkable water (as well as dumping toxic chemicals all over the place). Le Monde had an article on the subject, and I recommend this video, in French, on the subject. I haven’t given up soda altogether, but I’d love to know of brands that are more ecologically and socially responsible.

However, avoiding artificial sweeteners altogether is near impossible, since they are even in the tap water we drink, the same way that water now contains leftover antibiotics and hormones that aren’t filtered out at water treatment plants. So in many ways, even when we cook our meals from scratch, we don’t always know what we are ingesting (do you know what that cow ate before it became your hamburger?).

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments. Do you buy meat from trusted sources (like beef straight from the farm, or organic pork or poultry)? Have you found another preferred drink besides soda? Do you try to avoid artificial foods in general?

Épices de cru

Ça fait un moment que je vous le mentionne, alors là, je vais en parler pour vrai. J’ai maintenant une marque d’épices préférée : Épices de cru. Plusieurs magasins en vendent, mais les deux magasins qui y sont dédiés sont La Dépense ainsi que Olives et Épices, tous deux au marché Jean Talon. On y trouve de tout (mélasse de grenade! nori! 50 000 sortes de thé!), et de toutes les sortes (vous irez voir combien de sortes d’huile d’olive ils vendent).

Épices de cru ne vend pas (ou peu) d’épices moulues, puisqu’elles perdent leur saveur plus rapidement que les épices entières. De plus, pour choisir entre plusieurs sortes, les employés nous font sentir les épices pour voir laquelle on préfère. C’est ainsi que j’ai acheté huit gousses de vanille de Madagascar, choisies parmi une demi-douzaine de types différents. En plus, comparez leur taille à celles que j’avais trouvées à l’épicerie il y a un an! Elles sont deux fois plus grosses, sont de bien meilleure qualité, et à huit pour 10 $, sont bien moins chères. Depuis samedi, elles embaument ma cuisine.



Après tout, c’est vrai qu’une même épice goûte différent selon sa provenance; le cas du cacao est assez connu, et celui de l’huile d’olive aussi. Mais c’est le seul magasin que je connais qui me donne le choix. (Il ne manquerait plus que le boucher me donne ce choix-là aussi, comme pour le gars qui peut connaître la race, le sexe et l’âge du bœuf qu’il mange!).

Si vous n’êtes pas à Montréal, vous pouvez commander toutes ces épices sur le site Web d’Épices de cru.

Tomato Soup with Red Onion and Cilantro Stems

After buying fresh cilantro for the turkey meatballs, I realized that it was the perfect time to make this soup with the stems. Of course, I read it too quickly and cut the stems in 2-inch pieces, not ½-inch pieces. I’d recommend the second option. It was still very good, though I think I might use chopped seeded tomatoes next time (crushed tomatoes might be pushing it too far). I served it with cheese straws.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
½ tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup cilantro stems, cut into ½-inch lengths
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
sour cream or plain lactose-free yogurt, for serving
cilantro leaves, for serving

Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and cilantro stems, and stir well.



Strain the tomatoes, and add the juice to the saucepan. Then seed the tomatoes, chop them coarsely, and add them to the pan as well. Add the broth, and stir to combine. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the lime juice. Then taste, and adjust the seasoning, if needed.



Serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream/yogurt and some cilantro leaves.

Cheese Straws

I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and knew I just had to try it. I used extra sharp cheddar (I just love Irresistibles’ premium quality extra sharp white cheddar cheese; it tastes great and I can digest it just fine). I weighed it rather than measured it by volume, because I grated it extra-fine. The recipe calls for half-and-half; I used cream with lactase drops because I had it on hand, though you could probably use lactose-free milk or, if you want to go the dairy-free route, I’m sure an egg yolk would yield great results here. And for the pepper flakes, I used the ground dried Korean pepper of which I’ve become so enamoured. I found that once the dough was rolled out, a pizza wheel was the perfect tool to cut it into strips.

These golden straws puffed up beautifully and were delicious to boot. I’ll definitely keep them in mind for the next party I attend/host! Presentation may be more uniform if I make round crackers rather than strips, but then they wouldn’t really be straws...

1 ½ cups (about 6 oz) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces (or lactose-free margarine)
¾ cup flour, plus more for dusting
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp half-and-half



Preheat oven to 350 °F.

In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.



Add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.



On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide (dipping the knife in flour after every few inches ensures a clean cut). Gently transfer the strips to an ungreased cookie sheet (though I lined mine with parchment), leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. The dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t be concerned — just do your best. The straws can be any length, from 2 to 10 inches.



Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Artistic desserts

I wanted to quickly share two links that I liked. They both pertain to what I call “artistic desserts”, not only because they look nice, but because they are actually inspired by art.

First, there’s an article about the artistic desserts served at the Rooftop Garden, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s café (and about Caitlin Williams Freeman, the chef who makes them). I’d love to try one of those if I ever go to San Francisco. I especially like the cake based on Piet Mondrian’s paintings. Of course, the price tag seems a bit steep, but I like the idea. Those who have enough patience could make that one at home.

I also saw cookies that reminded me of Jackson Pollock’s work. And by the way, if you have time to kill, try this website where you can “draw” just like him.

Korean Scallion Pancake

I got this recipe from David Lebovitz’s blog. I really liked it, because it is very simple to make, but also very good. (That being said, I realize only now, as I look at the recipe again, that I messed up: I added the beaten egg to the flour mixture and poured the whole thing over the scallions, instead of adding the egg to the scallions after the flour. Honestly, it’s good both ways!) We served it with a carrot-ginger sauce.

I couldn’t find strips of dried Korean peppers anywhere, but at Aubut, I found some ground Korean pepper, though, from the Épices de cru brand (more on that in a later post). And I think I fell in love with it. You see, I don’t like spicy foods, but this pepper has more of a sweet heat than a spicy one. I’ve used it in a few other dishes since then, and I love its subtle (read non-aggressive) taste.

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup ice-cold water
½ tsp salt
1 large or extra-large egg, lightly beaten (or 2)
1 bunch of scallions
a spoonful of soy sauce
dried Korean pepper

Stir together the flour, water and salt until just mixed.

Chop the green parts of the scallions into 3-inch lengths. Reserve the white parts for another use.

Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a 9- or 10-inch skillet, preferably non-stick, until hot. Fry the scallions until they're completely cooked through and soft. Add a touch of soy sauce to the pan when they're almost done, to season the scallions.



If using other ingredients, any vegetables, kimchi, prawns or whatever, add them now, then toss a few times to heat them through.

Pour the pancake batter over the scallions (and other stuff) in the pan, spreading the batter, and cook a few minutes until the bottom is nice and brown underneath. Lift the edge to peek.

Pour the beaten egg on top then swirl the pan to even out the egg a bit, still keeping it pretty uneven. Distribute the dried pepper over the egg and cook until the egg is just beginning to firm near the edges.

Using a wide spatula, flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two until the egg is set and preferably crispy at the edges.

Slide pancake onto a cutting board, then let cool a bit. Cut into wedges and serve with dipping sauce of your choice.

Asian Interlude - Rolls

The Engineer and I had some homemade Asian-inspired meals recently. The Engineer made sushi rolls (which he hadn’t done in a really long time). As you can see, we could not procure sushi-grade fish for this meal, so we ended up with a simple fare of smoked salmon, avocado and cucumber. It was enough to get back in the swing of things (we fully intend to get our hands on sushi-grade ingredients in the future). I’m posting a series of simple step-by-step photos for creating the rolls; you can get recipes for the rice online, as well as videos. Suffice it to say that we really appreciated our meal – and at least we knew exactly what was going into it, which isn’t true in many restaurants.







We also tried Vietnamese-style spring rolls. They are quite simple, and you can fill them with whatever you want; we had a veggie version here. Start by putting one (ONE) sheet of rice paper in a bowl of warm water to soften, then transfer it to a plate and put your fillings on top. Fold the top flap, then the sides, and roll it toward you to close it. The trick to rolling these is to do it with just the right tension: too hard and they’ll tear, but too loose and they’ll fall apart. You can see from my finished picture that some are looking better than others – you’ll get better as you make them, don’t worry. We served them here with a carrot-ginger sauce that I really liked (though be warned it’s quite vinegary, which is an acquired taste) as well as with a great peanut sauce (though next time I make it, I might just not add water and skip the stovetop altogether).