I don’t really DO dessert, but…Almond-Peach Tiramisu

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January 1st, 2010

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I mean…pump me full of hormones, and I’ll scream murder for a Milka bar. But you can make me much happier with something in the cheese category. In addition to that, I’m not a big eater. Three courses is always too much for me. Given those two facts, you can probably imagine that I don’t eat a whole lotta dessert. And even if I do, it’s pretty much always a cheese plate.

But sometimes you gotta placate the dessert lovers around you. Especially when they are your girlfriend’s family, and you want to, no, you MUST, impress them with your kitchen-fu.

Ergo: tiramisu. With a difference.  

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THIS JUST IN: poaching eggs is not difficult

376
December 31st, 2009

It really isn’t! Just follow these directions, and enjoy your poached eggs.

More tips after the break.

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Cream of celeriac soup and salad of grilled radicchio, pear and blue cheese

371
December 31st, 2009

Soup and salad is my go-to simple meal for nights when I don’t feel like cooking anything but still want to eat something relatively healthy. But I love it so much that I sometimes fancy it up a bit. While today’s version totally defeats the purpose of the original concept (since it’s neither “easy” nor particularly “cheap”), it’s totally worth the effort.

This soup is a hearty, seasonal soup. It’s pretty simple to make, and freezes well. It’s a bit sweet, a little creamy, with a slightly nutty flavor from the celeriac. The salad, on the other hand, is a bit on the fancy side. The bitter radicchio is grilled on a griddle pan, and is topped with slices of pear, crumbled blue cheese, and caramelized pecans. While they don’t need to be served together per se, they compliment each other very nicely.

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Canneloni redux: grilled pepper, eggplant and mascarpone filling

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December 31st, 2009

Hello Chompers!

Remember those hand-rolled canneloni I made a while ago? I liked them a lot, so I experimented with a different filling. This time, I used eggplant for the center filling and grilled red peppers and mascarpone for the outer filling. The canneloni were baked in a batch of D.I.Y. tomato sauce made with cherry tomatoes and a few dried chili peppers for spice.

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Poll winner: Boeuf Bourguignon – my style!

337
December 31st, 2009

While I promised you all this recipe a long time ago, I am only just now am getting around to posting the recipe. I actually have a massive backlog of recipes to post, but this poll winner gets top priority!

I’ve spent quite some time working on this recipe, and I really hope you like it! I’ve gotta say: while it involves a little work and a lot of time, boeuf bourguignon is the perfect comfort food for cold wintery nights. And it’s nearly impossible to have too many leftovers. Below the recipe I’ll explain how to turn boeuf bourguignon into little pies!

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BURGER TIME!

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November 26th, 2009

I think the pictures speak for themselves here: as all great couples do, Marbles and I can agree on everything except the constitution of the Perfect Burger.

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Spiced carrot-lentil soup

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November 26th, 2009

It’s soup season, so of course I’ve been making SOUP! This recipe resulted from a previous cooking endeavor that only used one carrot out of a whole bunch, and a half packet of red lentils that had been glaring at me sadly from the cupboard. As the carrots wilted and the lentils moped, I said “ENOUGH ALREADY!” And then I blitzed them all into a quick, hearty soup.

I am really proud of my soup, as I’ve always hated the bland, overly sweet flavor of many carrot soups. This one, instead, is zingy, zippy, zesty and all kinds of good things that start with z. It is also nutrient dense, without becoming something you eat only because it’s supposed to be healthy. It’s a filling soup without being to heavy, with light flavors that can be spiced up or mellowed down to your own taste.

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Rolled cinnamon pastries

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November 26th, 2009

You know how you sometimes crave a pastry, but all the bakeries are closed, and all you have is some random bits and bobs in your freezer and pantry? That’s what happened to me today. So I invented these dainty little rolled cinnamon pastries.

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Belgian endives with ham & cheese

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November 26th, 2009

I know I’m suppose to get cracking on that Boeuf Bourguignon I promised you, but the budget’s been tight and time is not on my side, so lately my cooking has been characterized by either “cheap” or “quick” or both.

Which brings me to Belgian endives. Damn, I love those things, and they are cheap as what-have-you ate the moment. I know lots of people are terrified of them, and many think they are very bitter. But with the bitter cores removed and combined with a luscious, cheesy sauce, they are delicious.

This recipe for Belgian endives with ham & cheese is my version of a Dutch staple. It was one of my favorites when I was a kid. I updated it by reducing the béchamel and cheese and using fancier ham. Despite this being an oven baked dish, it’s really quick and super easy. And, not unimportantly, it’s CHEAP!

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You’re getting beef AND vegetables

November 5th, 2009

Since it seems that someone totally rigged the stew poll, it seems that I will be making and then posting a recipe for boeuf bourguignon. But since I highly suspect (even while lacking hard evidence) that someone rigged my poll, I hereby solemnly promise to also make and post the runner up.

And since coq au vin is pretty much a chicken version of boeuf bourguignon, only the voters for lamb will be shit out of luck.

Don’t blame me, though! Blame the someone *cough*Marbles*cough* who rigged the poll!

PS Okay, she didn’t really “rig” the poll so much as tell lots of her friends and coworkers to go vote for her favorite. So welcome, new readers! I hope you all like beef!

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