Tarte au yogourt grec et aux fraises

Je me suis rendu compte que ceci est mon 1400e billet. Comme quoi le temps passe vite! Je vous parle, pour l’occasion, d’une tarte au yogourt grec que nous avons adorée. Elle est décorée de fraises (qui auraient été meilleures si c’était la saison des fraises, mais c’était très bon quand même); je l’imagine bien avec des bleuets ou des framboises aussi, ou peut-être des prunes ou des pêches. Il faut de la gélatine pour cette recette : j’imagine que ça se trouve, de la gélatine végétalienne, mais pas dans toutes les épiceries. J’utilise rarement de la gélatine, alors la mienne était d’origine animale, et je ne m’en suis pas souciée. Aussi, j’ai utilisé des miettes de Corn Flakes vendues telles quelles, en boîte, mais vous pouvez obtenir le même résultat en réduisant en miettes au robot culinaire environ 5 tasses de flocons de Corn Flakes. Je l’ai dit récemment, je le redis : les Corn Flakes, ça ne contient pas de blé, mais ça contient du malt, alors ça ne convient pas aux personnes intolérantes au gluten. Cette recette fait environ 6 portions (mais j’avoue qu’on a dû se retenir de ne pas tout finir d’un coup!) Vous excuserez la plaque de cuisson dans les photos; je n’ai pas d’assiette de service de la bonne taille!

1 ½ tasse de miettes de Corn Flakes
5 c. à soupe de margarine fondue
3 c. à soupe de cassonade tassée
1 sachet de gélatine sans saveur (7 g.)
¼ tasse d'eau
1 ¼ tasse de yogourt grec nature sans lactose
½ tasse de lait sans lactose
¼ tasse + 3 c. à soupe de miel liquide
1 c. à thé de vanille
1 tasse de fraises fraîches, coupées en tranches

Préchauffer le four à 375 °F.

Dans un bol, mélanger les miettes de Corn Flakes à la margarine fondue et à la cassonade. Presser ce mélange dans le fond et sur la paroi d'une assiette à tarte rectangulaire à fond amovible de 14 po x 4 po (35,5 cm x 10 cm). Cuire au four pendant 10 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que la croûte soit dorée. Déposer l'assiette sur une grille et laisser refroidir.

Entre-temps, dans une tasse à mesurer en verre, saupoudrer la gélatine sur l'eau et laisser ramollir quelques minutes. Cuire au micro-ondes, à intensité maximum, pendant 20 secondes ou jusqu'à ce que la gélatine soit dissoute (remuer 2 fois en cours de cuisson).

Dans un grand bol, à l'aide d'un fouet, mélanger le yogourt, le lait, ¼ tasse du miel et la vanille. Incorporer la préparation de gélatine en fouettant. Verser la garniture au yogourt dans la croûte refroidie. Réfrigérer 4 heures. (La tarte se conservera jusqu'au lendemain au réfrigérateur.)

Démouler la tarte. Disposer les tranches de fraises sur le dessus de la tarte. Parsemer des morceaux de croûte qui se seraient détachés. Réchauffer le reste du miel au micro-ondes pendant 15 secondes. Arroser la tarte du miel chaud et servir.

Spaghetti aux boulettes de tofu

J’ai déjà une recette de spaghetti aux boulettes de viande que j’adore, mais elle contient du bœuf, et l’Ingénieur a réitéré son désir d’en manger moins (pour des raisons environnementales). J’ai donc essayé les boulettes au tofu de Coup de Pouce. Honnêtement, je préfère mes boulettes de viande. J’ai trouvé les boulettes de tofu un peu sèches, et plus denses que ce à quoi je m’attendais. L’Ingénieur, par contre, a dit que c’était justement cette texture qu’il aimait. Même qu’il aurait bien vu ces boulettes dans un sous-marin…

1 paquet (350 g) de tofu ferme ou extra-ferme, égoutté
1/3 tasse de persil frais, haché
1 ½ tasse de chapelure nature
2 c. à soupe de tahini (beurre de sésame) ou de beurre d'amandes
2 c. à soupe de sauce soja
1 blanc d'œuf (j’en ai mis 2)
1 c. à soupe de moutarde de Dijon
¼ c. à thé de poivre noir du moulin
2 gousses d'ail, hachées finement
2 c. à soupe d'huile végétale
4 tasses de sauce marinara
16 oz. de spaghettis
1/3 tasse de parmesan râpé (facultatif)

Au robot culinaire, mélanger le tofu et le persil jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit grumeleux. Ajouter la chapelure, le tahini, la sauce soja, le blanc d'œuf, la moutarde, le poivre et l'ail et mélanger en actionnant et en arrêtant successivement l'appareil. Mettre la préparation de tofu dans un bol et la façonner en boulettes, 1 c. à soupe à la fois.

Dans un grand poêlon, chauffer la moitié de l'huile à feu moyen. Ajouter la moitié des boulettes de tofu et cuire, en brassant souvent, pendant environ 8 minutes ou jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient dorées. Procéder de la même manière avec le reste de l'huile et des boulettes. (Je l’avoue, j’ai dévié de la recette : j’ai mis un peu d’huile d’olive sur une plaque à cuisson et j’ai mis les boulettes au four à 450 °F pendant 15 minutes.)

Dans une grande casserole, chauffer la sauce marinara jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit fumante. Ajouter les boulettes de tofu et laisser mijoter pendant environ 4 minutes ou jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient chaudes.

Entre-temps, dans une grande casserole d'eau bouillante salée, cuire les pâtes de 8 à 10 minutes ou jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient al dente. Égoutter les pâtes et les répartir dans les assiettes. Napper chaque portion de la sauce et parsemer du parmesan, si désiré.

Whole Wheat and Avocado Chocolate Cupcakes

I was curious to try this recipe, since it sounds so much more nutritious than most chocolate cupcake recipes out there! The cupcakes were, in fact, very good, but I’m not sure they were that special. Whole wheat flour has the same amount of fiber as the white whole wheat flour I use for the vast majority of my baking (4 g. per ¼ cup serving), and at this point, avocado purée in a chocolate cake isn’t really new for anyone, I think. There were visible flecks of avocado in the crumb of the chocolate cupcake, but I couldn’t taste it. I also made the coconut chocolate ganache to ice the cupcakes, and that was really good!

For the cupcakes
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup of soy or almond milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
½ avocado
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 ½ tsp. of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners (I felt like the paper liners didn’t come off the cupcakes cleanly, but I admit I’m not sure whether greasing the tin instead would have been enough).

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

Whisk together soy milk and vinegar and set aside (it will curdle).

In a food processor or blender, purée avocado with a little bit of the soy milk mixture until smooth.

Add sugar, oil, and vanilla to the rest of the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy (a whisk will suffice here). Add the avocado mixture and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients in two batches, and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 to ¾ of the way.

Bake 18-22 minutes, depending on your oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Ideally, transfer them out of the pan about 10 minutes after you take them out of the oven so they don't get soggy.)

For the ganache
½ cup coconut milk
½ tsp. vanilla
5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Heat coconut milk in a saucepan until it just simmers. Remove from heat and stir vanilla and Whisk until smooth. Chill until it gets firm (a few hours). At this point, I beat the ganache and smeared it onto the cupcakes; it would have needed to be a bit former to be piped on, and you could also use it as a glaze if you don’t chill it.

Chicken with Satay Sauce and Noodle Salad

This recipe is from when Jamie Oliver was on the Nate Berkus Show to teach him how to cook. It was a fun episode; in that segment, Nate ordered a chicken satay dish from a Thai restaurant, and before it was even delivered at his front door, Jamie had prepared an equivalent dish from scratch! I’m no professional chef, so obviously my prep took me longer, but it was still an easy dish. I’d had the recipe in my bookmarks for a long, long time, but luckily I had printed out a copy when the show got cancelled, as now the link no longer works. In the interest of preserving Jamie Oliver’s original recipe, I’ll write out the same ingredients he did, but be advised that I omitted the chiles, I didn’t use skewers, and I didn’t serve it in lettuce cups. I’ve also changed the wording of some of the steps to make it easier on myself to follow along, because it is somewhat long (and some of the original instructions were incomplete or in the wrong order).

This dish was really good! We all liked it, and since it wasn’t too complicated, I might make it again. Jamie Oliver suggests serving it with fruit garnished with mint sugar, so I’ll write that below in case you want to make it.

For the satay sauce
½ small bunch of fresh cilantro
1 fresh red chile (I omitted it)
½ clove garlic, peeled
a 1-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and roughly chopped
3 heaping Tbsp. good-quality crunchy peanut butter (I used smooth)
soy sauce
2 limes

For the chicken
4 6-oz. skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I cut mine in half)
honey, for drizzling (optional)

For the noodles
½ medium-sized red onion, peeled
1 fresh red chile (I omitted it)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. fish sauce
8 oz. dried Chinese egg noodles (chow mein noodles)
¾ cup unsalted raw cashews
1 tsp. honey

For serving
2 small hearts of romaine lettuce, trimmed at the base, leaves washed
½ small bunch fresh cilantro
1 fresh red chile (optional, and I’ll give you 1 guess as to whether or not I used it)
soy sauce
1 lime
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper


Get all your ingredients ready (mise en place really helps here when you have so many things going on). Turn the broiler on to full blast. Lay 4 wooden skewers (see note below) in a dish of cold water to soak (if they float, use a plate to weight them down). Set a kettle of water to boil.

For the satay
Put the cilantro (stalks and all) into the food processor with the chile (stalk removed), garlic, ginger, peanut butter, and a lug of soy sauce. Finely grate the zest of both limes, then squeeze the juice from one of them. Add a couple of splashes of warm water and whiz to a spoonable paste. Season to taste. Spoon half into a nice bowl and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and set in on the dining room table; reserve the rest. Rinse out the food processor for a subsequent step.

For the chicken
Line up the chicken breasts close together on a cutting board, alternating ends. Gently and carefully push the skewers through the breasts. Slice between the skewers to give you 4 kabobs; thread any stray pieces on the ends of the skewers. (This isn’t clear to me, because the first step calls for a total of 4 skewers, but this clearly has you use more than 1 skewer per breast. I’m guessing you can just cut your chicken breasts and make skewers of the size you see fit. I cut my chicken breasts in half lengthwise and didn’t even use skewers. Don’t sweat it too much.) To make the chicken crisper, you can score it lightly on both sides.

Scoop the reserved satay mix into a roasting pan, add chicken skewers, and toss with your hands to coat, rubbing the flavor into the meat. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and season with salt. Put on top rack of the oven, under the broiler, for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through, drizzling with a little honey at the halfway point. (I cooked my chicken on a rack set on a baking sheet lined with foil.)

For the noodles
Meanwhile, put the onion half in the processor with the chile (stalk removed) and the cilantro. Pulse until finely chopped, then add a few lugs of olive oil, the soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, and fish sauce and pulse again to combine. Taste and correct the seasoning. Put the mixture into a large serving bowl.

Put the noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and a plate, then leave to soak for 6 minutes (or cook the noodles according to package directions).

Put a medium frying pan on low heat. Bash the cashews with a rolling pin; add to the warm pan and leave to toast, tossing occasionally, for a few minutes. Turn the heat up to high and add honey, mixing and tossing the nuts in the pan. Once dark golden, tip them into the serving bowl, add the cilantro leaves (from the “For serving” heading above) and toss everything together.

For serving
Drain the noodles. Take the chicken to the table and serve it with a bottle of soy sauce and a few wedges of lime. Let everyone build parcels of lettuce, noodles, chicken, a sprinkle of onion mixture, satay sauce and a squeeze of lime.


For the fruit with mint sugar
1 large pineapple, peeled and sliced
1 heaping cup blueberries or other fresh berries or soft fruit
1 small bunch fresh mint
3 Tbsp. superfine sugar
1 lime, halved
1 cup creamy coconut yogurt

Arrange the pineapple and blueberries on a large platter.

Rip the leaves off the mint and pound in a pestle and mortar until you have paste. Add the superfine sugar and pound again. Scatter 1 tablespoon of this mint sugar over the pineapple.

Arrange the coconut yogurt in individual dishes, top with fruit, scatter remaining sugar and squeeze the lime over each serving.

Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Singles

I had a lot of bananas in my freezer, probably because the Little Prince used to love them, but has snubbed them lately, so I had to freeze them when they got overripe. I tried two muffin recipes that were very similar: oat flakes, Greek yogurt and mashed bananas in the food processor, along with a handful of chocolate chips. The first one I wasn’t crazy about, because I felt like the oat flakes didn’t get grinded properly, and I was left with something that was not a muffin but wasn’t oatmeal, either. I tried a variation where the oat flakes are ground to flour before the other ingredients are added, but the result was basically the same. Neither muffin achieved the moist, fluffy crumb that was promised, the chocolate chips sank to the bottom, and they’re by no means bad, but not as enjoyable as I would have wanted.


Enter the baked oatmeal single: a muffin-sized portion of baked oatmeal, hearty and, perhaps most importantly, not masquerading as something with a fluffy crumb. This is exactly what it looks like, and the chocolate chips are pretty evenly spread out. This recipe is a keeper. It freezes well, too, so don’t worry about leftovers.

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 ¼ cup lactose-free milk
¾ cup mashed bananas (I used one large banana)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly mist 18 muffin tin cups with cooking spray (I got 15 oatmeal singles myself).

Combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites, egg, mashed banana, milk and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until blended together. Mix in chocolate chips.

Spoon the oatmeal mixture evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake uncovered for 18 to 22 minutes or until oatmeal is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Petits pains de viande à la sauce barbecue

Je ne sais pas si vous vous souvenez de la recette que j’avais oubliée il y a 6 ans (!) intitulée Boulettes de zigotos, mais j’en ai trouvé une autre du même genre. Il s’agit d’une recette de Coup de Pouce, et ce que j’aime bien, c’est la quantité de légumes qui sont cachés dans ces grosses boulettes… Je voulais être certaine d’en avoir beaucoup, alors j’ai doublé la recette, mais les quantités ci-dessous donnent 4 bonnes portions (c’est écrit 8 petits pains de viande ci-dessous, et en doublant, j’en avais 20, alors les miens étaient de toute évidence plus petits, et c’est peut-être pour ça que dans ma tête, il s’agit de grosses boulettes). Aussi, je n’avais pas de sauce tomate de type passata, alors j’ai ajouté de l’eau à de la pâte de tomates, mais mon résultat était quand même un peu trop pâteux pour faire une belle sauce… Qu’à cela ne tienne, ça a été un succès quand même! J’ai servi ces petits pains de viande avec du couscous et des haricots verts.

½ tasse de coulis de tomates (de type passata)
2 c. à soupe de mélasse
2 c. à thé de vinaigre de vin rouge
1 c. à thé + 1 c. à thé de moutarde de Dijon
1 c. à thé de sauce Worcestershire
1 lb. (500 g.) de bœuf haché maigre
1 tasse de carottes râpées
1 tasse de courgettes râpées
1 oignon vert haché
½ tasse de son de blé [je crois que je n’ai pas tout à fait doublé cette quantité]
2 c. à thé de mélange de fines herbes séchées à l'italienne
sel et poivre

Dans un bol, à l'aide d'un fouet, mélanger le coulis de tomates, la mélasse, le vinaigre, 1 c. à thé de la moutarde et la sauce Worcestershire. Réserver.


Dans un autre bol, mélanger le bœuf haché, la carotte, la courgette, l'oignon vert, le son de blé, le mélange de fines herbes et le reste de la moutarde. Saler et poivrer. Ajouter 3 c. à soupe de la sauce barbecue réservée et mélanger. Façonner la préparation de bœuf haché en 8 boulettes (voir note plus haut) et les mettre dans des moules à muffins huilés. Napper les boulettes du reste de la sauce barbecue.

Cuire au four préchauffé à 400 °F pendant 12 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que les boulettes aient perdu leur teinte rosée à l'intérieur (il a fallu plus de temps dans mon cas; j’ai utilisé un thermomètre pour vérifier la cuisson).

Coconut Cream Pie with Macaroon Crust

I made a coconut cream pie from a recipe in Bon Appétit that was just fantastic! The crust is made of coconut (instead of the usual cookie crumbs), and I replaced the whipped cream topping with CocoWhip, a vegan coconut topping made by So Delicious and sold in the frozen section. It was the first time I tried that topping, and this was the perfect recipe for it (I still have some left in the tub, too). The pie itself was wonderful; the crust held together well and I loved its texture, which contrasted pleasantly with the creamy coconut filling. The chocolate-covered almond topping was a great touch, too! I wouldn’t have thought of it as a garnish, and I wasn’t sure I’d even like it, but it turned out to be one of my favorite things in this dessert. (Note that as I cut the pie, the whipped topping smeared a bit on the sides of each piece; I didn’t really mind, but I did clean it up before taking the picture. If you’re serving this for guests, make sure you bring the finished pie on the table before you start slicing it; that way, everyone will be impressed already before getting their slice.)

For the crust
nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 large egg white
1¾ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

For the custard and assembly
2 wide strips lime zest
1¾ cups lactose-free whole milk
¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup raw skin-on almonds, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
3 large egg yolks
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ tsp. kosher salt
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter or margarine
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tub vegan whipped topping, such as CocoWhip

For the crust
Preheat oven to 325 °F. Lightly coat a 9" pie pan with nonstick spray.

Mix egg white, coconut, sugar, butter, and salt with a rubber spatula in a large bowl until evenly combined and the consistency of a stiff paste. Using your hands, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie pan. Bake until edges are golden brown and bottom is set and just barely golden, 15–20 minutes. Transfer pie pan to a wire rack (leave oven on to toast almonds and coconut) and let crust cool. Brush crust with melted chocolate.

For the custard and assembly
Bring lime zest, milk, and coconut milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cover and let sit off heat 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until slightly darkened and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Let cool. Toast coconut on same baking sheet, tossing once, until edges are golden, about 4 minutes (2 minutes in my case).

Stir almonds into melted chocolate in a small bowl. Spread in an even layer on a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle toasted coconut over chocolate almonds and chill until firm, 8–10 minutes. Coarsely chop, then cover and chill.

Pluck out lime zest from milk mixture; discard. Return milk mixture to a simmer. Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add ½ cup milk mixture to egg mixture. Whisking constantly, add egg mixture to milk mixture in saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbling (it will look like thick pudding). Remove from heat and whisk in butter and lime juice.

Scrape custard into crust and press a piece of plastic wrap against surface. Chill until set, about 2 hours. (The pie can be made ahead up to this point and will keep, chilled, for up to a few days.)

Just before serving, spoon whipped topping over custard, leaving about a 1" border, and swirl decoratively. Scatter chocolate-almond mixture around perimeter.

Breaded Chicken Cutlets

I recently took the time to read through Jenny Rosenstrach’s book Dinner: A Love Story. I do say “read through”, because it’s much more than a collection of recipes; it’s about the importance of eating dinner with those we love, especially once we have children (and it was written by a woman who had kept a food diary for over 10 years; you can hear her on a podcast here). The ritual of shared mealtime helps us connect. Of course, it can be intimidating to cook for young children because they can be picky, and it’s especially hard for working parents to make the time for cooking every day. This book is about how Jenny and her husband Andy make it work, and how their strategy has evolved over time. Each recipe is presented with a slice-of-life story. I very much enjoyed it and bookmarked a half-dozen recipes from it. This recipe is also on their blog – it’s a classic, and for good reason! Everyone here loved it. Using the Corn Flake crumbs definitely gives it a little extra je-ne-sais-quoi compared to other chicken breasts prepared with the same method.

You’ll need a meat mallet for this recipe, to pound the chicken breasts to roughly 1/3 inch. (If you don’t own one, you could try improvising by using a large can, for example.) Thin chicken breasts will cook more quickly and evenly. If they get too big as you’re pounding, you can always cut them in half to make them easier to handle. Note that my friend Jen has reported success using aquafaba instead of eggs in similar recipes. Also, even though Kellogg’s Corn Flakes are technically wheat-free, they contain malt flavoring, which is often made with barley and therefore not gluten-free. You could use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead if that’s a concern, along with gluten-free flour of course. Personally, I found it very satisfying to use Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs instead of having to grind my own cereal because it felt less wasteful, but obviously it’s cheaper to make crumbs yourself (and in that case, based on another recipe I saw recently, you would need about 5 cups of cereal flakes to make the crumbs). Feel free to season the crumbs – I used salt and pepper, but Jenny Rosenstrach also recommends dry mustard, cayenne pepper, sesame seeds, fresh or dried herbs and/or grated parmesan.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded like crazy
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs (or bread crumbs, see note above), seasoned with salt and pepper

Pour some vegetable oil in a large skillet (I used safflower oil; be generous with the oil here, because you do need to fry that chicken properly – aim for about 4 tablespoons).

Set up your dredging stations: a plate with the flour, one with the eggs, another with the crumbs. Dredge your chicken pieces first in the flour, then in the eggs, and finally in the crumbs.

Fry each breast in the oil for 3-4 minutes on each side, proceeding in two batches if necessary (it’s better than trying to cram everything in one skillet, trust me; to save time, you can also use two skillets at once). The cooked chicken can be set on a plate lined with a paper towel and tented with foil until your second batch is ready – don’t forget to add more oil to the pan if necessary.

Batch of links

- With Halloween coming up, I hope you’ve heard about the Teal Pumpkin Project: if you’re offering non-food treats (things which would be safe for kids with food allergies or diabetes), place a teal-painted pumpkin outside your door to let them know. And try to advertise it so that people know which houses are safe for their kids!

- Here’s a good interview with Shauna James Ahern (a.k.a. Gluten-Free Girl) about how the landscape of gluten-free dining has changed over the past 10 years and about her latest cookbook, American Classics Reinvented.

- I talked about Zero8 (the Montreal restaurant serving food free of the 8 major allergens) on several occasions, after I ate there and when they were crowd-funding their move to a new location over the past two years. Well, Zero8 is finally back! They’re having soft-openings this month and should be back in full swing next month, in Rosemont. (Their website is here.)

- There’s a new gluten sensor out there (on pre-sale right now) for individual consumers: the Nima lets you analyze your food to determine whether it has gluten or not. I can see this being useful at restaurants or catered parties where you don’t have a nutrition label handy.

- A new app called EpiAlert reminds you to take your EpiPen with you whenever you leave the house. (Obviously, you need a smartphone for this, but if forgetting your auto-injector device is an issue, as I imagine it might be with recently diagnosed people or children, this seems like a good solution.)

- The company called Follow Your Heart will be producing a new egg-replacement product called VeganEgg, made from algal flour. The big draw is that it can be used to make scrambled “eggs” or similar preparations (like frittatas or quiches), in addition to being used as a substitute in baking. I’m really curious to taste it!

- There’s an interesting vegetarian approach to the My Plate dietary guidelines, called Raising the Bar, which is (unsurprisingly) cheaper than eating meat. Plus, the vegetarian meal plan has more servings of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Hopefully, the vegetarian meal plan can help people with lower incomes feed themselves in a healthier way.

- This headline made me smile: Vegan chef wins omnivore chili cook-off. She didn’t tell the judges her chili was vegan until all the votes were in.

- Danny Meyer will be eliminating tipping at his restaurants. This is a very controversial move, because our North American culture is steeped in tipping waiters. That being said, the change should not only make things fairer for waiters, but (most importantly, in my opinion) eliminate the wage gap between waiters and back-of-house staff like line cooks. Of course, this will be done by increasing prices, so it remains to be seen what consumers will think. I’m really looking forward to seeing how that plays out and whether other restaurants follow suit.

Batch of links

- I’ve been meaning to post this link for the longest time! I’ve been to London on several occasions and was always impressed with how well the cabs drivers know the city – I don’t think there are more knowledgeable drivers anywhere, actually. It’s because cab drivers there have to pass an exam to prove they know all the streets by heart. This is all the more impressive given the number of streets in London as well as the way they are laid out. So anyway, this New York Times article describes the process in detail, and I come away from it thinking that these knowledgeable drivers are still relevant even in the era of GPS devices.

- Admittedly, this has been in my links for a while as well, but better late than never. A tweet by Seth Rogen led me to an article titled Back hair surpasses pubic hair as the most political hair (more evidence here; and here’s a video with actual data on people’s preferences regarding pubic hair), which then led me to an even more interesting article: In defense of hairy women. Did you notice how I wrote this whole thing without once making a bad joke about a hairy topic? That took a lot of self-restraint, let me assure you.

- People who know me know how much it irritates me when I hear the word “literally” being misused. Sure, some dictionaries now accept “figuratively” as one of its meanings (essentially saying that its antonym is a synonym!), but my retort to that is that you should choose prescriptive dictionaries over descriptive ones.

- Our use of little words can reveal certain interests. This isn’t just about filler words like “uh” or “like”, but also function words like “I”, “the” and “that”. Researchers were able to predict which people would date and form longer lasting couples, who was lying, and what the power dynamic was between two people simply based on their use of little words.

- I don’t know if, in the future, all households will have a Glowforge, but I sure hope so.

- I listened to a very interesting podcast (in three episodes) about infidelity. Dear Sugar tackled the issue – it happens in a whopping 85% of relationships, be it emotional or physical infidelity. Part 1 deals with the betrayed, part 2 deals with the betrayers, and part 3 has an interview with Esther Perel, a relationship therapist specialized in infidelity.

- An interesting article about a 93-year-old woman who has spent her entire life in the same building in NYC (she was born in the basement). It reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

- And even though the Engineer sometimes thinks I’m overreacting, this is why I always shred my boarding pass (along with just about anything else that has my personal information).

Batch of links

- Have you ever wondered where Bon Appétit recipes come from? If so, you’ll like this article.

- Had you heard of Food Pickle? This gem of a name is the Food 52 board which basically serves as a cooking hotline: you can ask questions (such as how to convert units in a recipe, what to do with leftover ingredients, which ingredient to substitute, how to gut a fish, etc.) and get answers relatively quickly from the community. It’s been online for a while, but I now notice it’s very active, and as I write this, the top posts had new answers every few minutes. This is great if time is of the essence!

- Also, 60 of the most common cooking mistakes, illustrated.

- The difference between cherry and grape tomatoes (I tend to prefer grape tomatoes myself).

- Do you need to dimple burger patties so they stay flat once cooked? The answer is here.

- How the weird art of food photography went mainstream.

- My life as a Magnolia cupcake bouncer. Admittedly, this isn’t most people’s idea of a fulfilling career, but wouldn’t that look great on a business card?

- A neat, albeit cluttered, infographic of how food moves from one state to another within the US.

- I had blogged about a packaging-free grocery store in Austin, called in.gredients. There’s now an equivalent in Berlin, Original Unverpackt (and here’s a subtitled video that explains the concept, along with an article). The more I think about it, the more I wish all grocery stores would apply some of the same principles. I don’t think the average family could go 100% packaging-free, but there are certainly ways to greatly reduce how much packaging we use! Part of that can be done by the average consumer, but stores should also offer more packaging-free options. And, well, so should the 10 companies that make almost everything we eat.

- Speaking of grocery stores, now that I’ve seen an Aldi grocery store, I really want to go to Wegmans. I imagine that doing a weekly order there must take half the day, but as an experience, it looks like such an awesome store!

Breakfast Sausage Patties

I’d been making muffins for breakfast on the weekends, and I noticed the Engineer being less than enthused. I needed to shake things up and pique his interest again, and breakfast sausage was just the thing. I had a recipe from Bon Appétit that I’d been meaning to try, so this was as good an opportunity as any. We rarely have meat for breakfast at home, but we figured that once in a while is fine. Plus, you know exactly what goes into these sausage patties! They are pleasantly salty, with a touch of sweetness like proper breakfast sausage ought to have, and are nicely spiced. I served these with eggs, and if you want to go whole hog (ha!), throw in potatoes and toast.

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp. light brown sugar
1½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. crushed fennel seeds
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I only used a pinch of Korean pepper)
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. smoked paprika
1 lb. ground pork shoulder (Boston butt)

Mix sage, thyme, brown sugar, salt, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a medium bowl. Add pork and work spice mixture into meat with your hands until it's very well blended.

Scoop out ¼-cupfuls of mixture and flatten into about ¼"-thick patties (they will plump slightly when cooled). Griddle sausage over medium-high heat until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes more, until cooked through.

Tarte aux pommes

Après avoir fait cette recette, il me restait de la crème sure sans lactose que je voulais utiliser, alors j’ai fait des tartes. Deux tartes, sur le même principe : une pâte sucrée, des fruits, et un mélange de crème sure, de sucre et d’œufs pour unir le tout. Ma première se présentait comme une tarte aux bleuets, mais j’ai consulté la version anglaise du site et, en français, il s’agit d’une tarte aux myrtilles. Entendons-nous tout de suite : les bleuets et les myrtilles sont deux fruits différents (en anglais aussi, d’ailleurs; on les nomme « blueberries » et « huckleberries », respectivement). Et je pense que la recette aurait mieux fonctionné avec des myrtilles ou de petits bleuets sauvages, mais avec des bleuets d’épicerie, je n’étais pas du tout impressionnée. La pâte était un peu dure, et il manquait de garniture.



J’ai ensuite fait une tarte aux pommes. Elle était bien meilleure, car la pâte était moins dure (il s’agissait d’une pâte sablée plutôt que brisée), et il y avait davantage de garniture. J’aurais été mieux de choisir des pommes qui se défont un peu à la cuisson, car les miennes sont restées un peu trop dures à mon goût. Je recommanderais aussi d’utiliser de la crème sûre (ou de la crème fraîche ou peut-être même du yogourt) à la température de la pièce, car elle se défera alors mieux au lieu de faire des grumeaux. Notez que la tarte se tenait beaucoup mieux après avoir passé la nuit au réfrigérateur, et l’Ingénieur a trouvé aussi que cela améliorait le goût. Pour ma part (ha!), j’ai l’impression qu’il va me falloir essayer au moins une autre tarte aux pommes cet automne pour être satisfaite… Mais c’était quand même un bon dessert, alors voilà.

Pour la pâte sablée
1 tasse (125 g.) de farine
1/3 tasse (65 g.) de sucre
1 pincée de sel
¼ tasse de beurre, coupé en petits morceaux
1 jaune d’œuf
1 c. à soupe d’eau tiède

Dans un robot culinaire, mélanger la farine, le sucre et le sel. Ajouter le beurre et actionner le mélangeur pour obtenir une consistance semblable à du sable mouillé. Ajouter les autres ingrédients et actionner le mélangeur pour obtenir une consistance homogène. (Attention, c’est une pâte sablée, pas brisée, alors elle ne formera pas de boule.) Laisser reposer au réfrigérateur 30 minutes.

Pour la tarte
5 ou 6 pommes (j’en avais 3, pour un total d’environ 1 ½ lb. – choisir une variété qui se défait un peu à la cuisson, comme la Cortland ou la McIntosh), pelées, épépinées et tranchés finement
2 gros œufs
100 mL (un peu moins de ½ tasse) de lait sans lactose
3 c. à soupe de crème sure sans lactose (à la température de la pièce)
3 c. à soupe de sucre en poudre
¼ c. à thé de vanille
1 c. à thé de cannelle
1 pincée de muscade
amandes effilées (facultatif)
sucre en poudre (facultatif)

Préchauffer le four à 350 °F.

Étaler la pâte sablée et en chemiser un moule de 9 pouces à fond amovible. (Si elle ne tient vraiment pas, on peut la placer dans la moule et l’y étaler avec les doigts.)

Cuire la pâte à blanc, avec des billes de cuisson ou des haricots secs sur le dessus, pendant environ 15 minutes.

Sortir du four et disposer les tranches de pommes en rosace sur la pâte.

Bien mélanger tous les ingrédients de la garniture et la verser sur les pommes. Parsemer d’une ou deux poignées d’amandes effilées (facultatif).

Cuire au four pendant 40 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le dessus des pommes soit bien doré et que la garniture soit ferme.

Saupoudrer de sucre en poudre (facultatif) et servir tiède ou froid.

Tarte tomates et mayonnaise

Bon, j’avais déjà fait une tarte aux tomates avec de la mayonnaise, mais j’ai décidé que celle-ci était assez différente pour mériter d’être faite aussi. La mayonnaise, c’est de l’huile et un peu d’œufs, alors ça va très bien avec les tomates, et en tarte, c’est un peu comme une quiche mais moins consistant. Cette recette-ci est tirée de Nothing But Delicious. Ce que j’ai le plus aimé, je crois, c’était faire de la mayonnaise aromatisée. Par contre, j’ai changé la recette. D’abord, j’en ai fait moins (parce que la recette en faisait au moins 2 tasses, mais il en faut moins d’une pour la tarte). Ensuite, j’ai changé la méthode. Parce qu’en suivant la recette du blogue, ma mayonnaise a foiré, deux fois de suite. Bon, ce qui est génial avec la mayonnaise, c’est que si elle ne s’émulsifie pas, on peut recommencer en réutilisant l’huile, donc on n’a pas vraiment gaspillé quoi que ce soit, à part quelques jaunes d’œufs. Reste que c’est vraiment frustrant. Et puisque j’ai déjà une recette de mayonnaise, qui fonctionne sans problème, c’est ce que j’ai utilisé comme base avec mon huile rescapée, et tout a fonctionné parfaitement. La recette de mayonnaise ci-dessous est donc mon adaptation, mais j’ai ensuite fait la tarte telle quelle, en ajoutant seulement du poivre et en m’assurant d’utiliser des fromages sans lactose. J’ai servi le tout avec une salade inspirée de celle-ci (parce que le duo quiche ou quasi-quiche et salade, c’est un classique et c’est dur de trouver mieux).

Je conseille de préparer l’huile à mayonnaise, ou même la mayonnaise au complet, la veille ou jusqu’à quelques jours d’avance.

Pour la mayonnaise aux shiitake
5 oz. de champignons shiitake
1 petit poireau (ou quelques oignons verts), haché
2 petites gousses d’ail
1 feuille de laurier
quelques branches de thym frais
1 tasse d’huile de pépins de raisins (ou huile végétale de goût neutre)
1 œuf (ou 3 jaunes d’œufs)
1 c. à soupe de jus de citron
1 c. à thé de moutarde de Dijon
1 pincée de sel

Préchauffer le four à 200 °F.

Mettre les champignons, le poireau, l’ail, la feuille de laurier et le thym dans une petite casserole et verser l’huile dessus. Couvrir et mettre au four pendant 6 heures, jusqu’à ce que votre cuisine sente incroyablement bon.

Laisser refroidir, puis filtrer et conserver l’huile (jeter le reste).

Dans un robot culinaire, à vitesse moyenne, mélanger les jaunes d’œufs, puis ajouter le jus de citron, la moutarde de Dijon et le sel et mélanger de nouveau.

Ajouter environ ½ tasse d’huile, 1 c. à thé à la fois, avec le moteur en marche. Ajouter ensuite le reste de l’huile en filet, en la versant très lentement, en continuant à mélanger jusqu’à ce qu’elle soit incorporée. (Éviter de battre trop longtemps ou à une vitesse trop élevée.)

La mayonnaise se conserve au réfrigérateur pendant quelques jours.

Pour la tarte aux tomates
1 recette de pâte brisée (comme la moitié de celle-ci)
½ tasse de parmesan
½ tasse de cheddar blanc âgé
½ tasse de mayonnaise aux shiitake (j’en ai mis plus)
tomates de variétés anciennes (disons une grosse, 3 moyennes et un casseau de miniatures)
sel cacher et poivre, au goût

Abaisser la pâte et la mettre dans un moule de 9 pouces à fond amovible. Piquer le fond avec une fourchette et mettre le moule au réfrigérateur pendant 20 minutes.

Pendant ce temps, trancher les tomates en rondelles d’environ ½ cm d’épaisseur et parsemer de sel. Laisser reposer 15 minutes, puis éponger des deux côtés à l’aide d’essuie-tout.

Mélanger la mayonnaise et les fromages; saler et poivrer, puis mettre de côté.

Préchauffer le four à 425 °F. Place une grille au milieu et une grille dans la position la plus basse.

Mettre la croûte à tarte sur une plaque à biscuits. Étendre la moitié du mélange à la mayonnaise sur la croûte à tarte. Parsemer de la moitié des tomates, étendre le reste de la mayonnaise dessus, puis parsemer du reste des tomates. Saler et poivrer, au goût.

Faire cuire pendant 15 minutes sur la grille la plus basse du four.

Baisser la température à 400 °F et mettre la tarte sur la grille au milieu du four. Faire cuire encore 25 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que la croûte soit dorée et entièrement cuite.

Laisser refroidir à la température de la pièce au moins une heure avant de tailler des parts avec un couteau dentelé. On peut ajouter une chiffonnade de basilic si on le souhaite. La tarte se conserve quelques jours au réfrigérateur, mais les tomates font de l’eau, alors elle est meilleure le premier jour.

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Muffins

I had some lactose-free cream cheese left after making this recipe, so I decided to make more muffins. I wasn’t hard to convince, really, because they’re red velvet cream cheese muffins from Averie Cooks. To be honest, they’re very sweet and straddle the line between muffins and cupcakes, so I’m labeling these both “breakfast” and “dessert”. The crunchy crumb topping certainly gives them some nice texture! Plus, the cream cheese keeps the crumb moist, so they’re very pleasant to eat.

For the crumb topping
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine, diced into cubes

For the cream cheese mixture
4 oz. lactose-free cream cheese, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the muffins
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
1 large egg
½ cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1/3 cup buttermilk (lactose-free milk with maybe ½ tsp. lemon juice)
2 Tbsp. natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. red liquid food coloring

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Spray a muffin pan very well with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside.

To make the crumb topping, mix the sugar and flour in a bowl using and, a pastry cutter or two forks, cut in the butter until you have coarse crumbs. Set aside.

To make the cream cheese mixture, combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a bowl, and beat with a handheld electric mixer (I used my stand mixer) until smooth, or whisk by hand until smooth. Set aside.

Now, for the muffins themselves. To a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.

To a separate medium bowl, add the egg, oil, buttermilk, cocoa powder, red food coloring, and whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until moistened. Batter is thick and some lumps will remain; don't overmix.

Fold the cream cheese mixture into the muffin batter, being careful not to overmix. Some streaks of cream cheese should remain (though in my case they didn’t show in the finished muffins).

Turn batter out into prepared pan, filling each cavity about two-thirds full.

Evenly sprinkle each muffin with the crumb topping.

Bake for about 17 to 19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. Allow muffins to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, or until they've firmed up and are cool enough to handle, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Cauliflower Alfredo

Did I just make pasta with a white sauce? Yes, yes I did. But I’m doing it again because this time, there are vegetables in the white sauce. Cauliflower, to be exact, but I certainly couldn’t tell when eating it. It’s a recipe from The Skinny Fork, though perhaps it’s not what one should eat to be skinny because it still has two kinds of cheese. Still, it feels good to know that my family is getting a vegetable inconspicuously hidden in a white sauce! I thought this was delicious, lovely and creamy and satisfying. The Engineer, however, actually found it too rich for his taste (and I confess I may have used a bit more shredded cheese blend than called for). But you know what? He can have lactose whenever he wants, whereas I can’t, so this white sauce was awesome for me.

FYI, for the cauliflower, I chopped a whole head of it into florets, then steamed them until they were cooked through. I then measured and set aside 2 cups of those for the recipe; I puréed and froze the rest for another use (or to make this again, who knows?).

2 cups cooked cauliflower
1 ¼ cup lactose-free milk
3 oz. lactose-free cream cheese
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. margarine
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 cup lactose-free cheese blend (I used Daiya’s mozzarella blend), shredded
16 oz. pasta of your choice

Place the cauliflower, milk, cream cheese, flour and salt into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat and add in the garlic. Sauté for a few seconds, being careful not to burn.

Add the cauliflower mixture to the pan and cook, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes or until it begins to come to a simmer. Continue to stir, cooking for a few more minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat and add in the cheese. Stir and cover immediately. Let the sauce stand for 10 minutes before using. The sauce will continue to thicken while it sits.

Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to package directions. When the sauce is ready, simply stir it into the drained pasta and serve, ideally with cracked black pepper.