I usually make my French toasts with a cereal type of bread but this morning, I had almost an entire Italian loaf left, freshly baked yesterday. I did not want to lose it. Plus, I do not feel like going to the store on a Sunday morning. Instead, I improvised.

I mixed a little handful of oats with authentic muesli. I am picky when it comes to muesli. Select your own favorite brand as long as it is none of the mass-produced cereal boxes. I added oats to help the muesli sticked more to the soaked bread. I made my usual French toast egg mixture. I found that it works better if I put a layer on top and press a little. It is a messy job but once you tasted, you will see that it is worth it.

The Sugared Apple Topping

Heat one or two teaspoons of margarine in a pan at medium. Add two sliced and peeled apples. I used one pear apple and one Granny Smith. I put the slices on a bowl and immediately pour over some lemon juice.

I put the Granny Smith first so they can cook a little bit longer than the softer pear apple slices. Cook for one minute. To create a sauce, throw in the pan the lemon juice used earlier on the sliced apples – you need about one or two tablespoons. I added brown sugar to taste; it does not take a lot. I eyeball the quantity by lightly sprinkling the brown sugar until I am happy. Reduce the heat to 2 or 3. Let it cook until some apples become soft.

When I served the French toasts, I decorate the apples with a little bit of the remaining oat-muesli mix.

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This recipe should be a hit with kids and adults. And the strawberry in those candy coated strawberries will make us less guilty to eat caramel. If you wish to make your own, Steamy Kitchen shared her 15-minute recipe. She saves time by melting Kraft caramels with sea salt. If you host a kid party or a huge casual party (i.e. lots of guests), go for the generic brand.

Save Time and Achieve a Finer Taste

The ultimate taste would be achieved if you order a jar of caramel from a caterer/candy maker like the delightful creamy salty butter caramel at Kreavie. Then, cover the caramel with the almond & hazelnut croquant, also from Kreavie. The recipe will still take about 15 minutes to make.

Jaden of Steamy Kitchen recommends to soak the strawberries briefly in ice water to perk up the green stem and improves the succulent texture of the strawberries. I will definitely try it!

+ recipe: Salted Caramel Covered Strawberries by Steamy Kitchen

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I can rarely resist a tasty simple to make lemon chicken recipe.  This is why I share the aromatic roasted chicken recipe by Evan Kleiman of Angeli Caffe in Los Angeles. I spotted his recipe on Saveur.

The recipe is something that you can make after a day at the office, if you do not mind eating later. While it marinates for an hour, you could relax, train with the Wii Fit or pick up fresh vegetables at your local fruit and vegetable store.

The recipe called for a whole chicken cut in 8 pieces. You can easily adjust the recipe to cook the number of pieces you need to feed your family. Or bring the leftovers for lunch at the office the next day. Or use the remaining meat to prepare a homemade chicken soup.

Side Dishes

I would serve the Pollo Arrosto with steamed broccoli, boiled green beans or an arugula salad with a lemon olive oil vinaigrette. I use 2 parts of lemon juice for 5 parts of peppery olive oil and season to taste with freshly ground pepper and fleur de sel. Nothing complicated but it tastes incredible!

+ Pollo Arrosto – Lemon and Rosemary Chicken recipe on Saveur – photos by Andre Baranowski

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I absolutely love the traditional French onion soup. Who can resist the caramelized onion soup topped with croutons and melted cheese? When it is well done, the taste is divine. Ronda of All the Best shared a twist on the classic recipe that I want to try. Her recipe adds Portobello mushrooms and use goat cheese instead of the classic grated Swiss, Gruyere or Emmental cheese.

+ photo: Caramelized Onion Mushroom Soup recipe by All the Best

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Amongst the Top 40 Good Things on Martha Stewart, I feel that 4 truly makes a difference when you cook.

1. Mise en place

The “mise en place” is the first cooking lesson that my mother taught me. I still do it today. If you prepare all the ingredients – meaning cutting, slicing, measuring – before starting to cook your meal, you simplify the tasks ahead. You will be able to adjust to unforeseen events and be free to experiment with the recipe as you cook it.

2. No-Waste Dressing

I still make my vinaigrette with a whisk and a bowl. Hard habits do not go easily. But each time, I watched Michael Smith on Chef at Home, he reminds me how simple shaking your vinaigrette in a closed jar can be.

This tip takes it further. My French background means that I am partial to the classic Dijon mustard, red vinegar with olive oil dressing. It is responsible to find a good use of your almost empty Dijon mustard jar. Adjust the proportions to the amount of mustard left in the jar. Read more…

3. The Garlic Trick

I always use a garlic crusher at home because of the smell on my hands. But to get rid of the garlic smell, simply rub your hand on the interior of your stainless steel sink. It sounds crazy but it works.

On Martha, they suggest we sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt and a drop of olive oil over the cloves before chopping. The salt acts as an abrasive which helps to pulverize the garlic, and the oil lets it slide off the blade. This trick arrives just in time since my garlic press broke last week. Read more…

4.  Olive Oil to the rescue of Pesto

I learned this trick from Ina Garten many years ago. Pour a thin layer of olive oil on top before putting the airtight lid on the container. This will preserve the beautiful green color of your pesto. Read more…

+ photos: Top 40 Good Things on Martha Stewart

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I cannot believe that I never visited Matt Bites before. It is an exceptionally awesome blog produced by food photographer Matt Armendariz, who is located in Los Angeles. Matt offered a lot of behind the scenes stories on his blog. He also shares tips on food and food photography.

If you like to bake your own candy, you will want to add this to your repertoire. We have to thank one of his food stylist friends, Cindie, for this recipe. She brought the Blood Orange Caramels with Toasted Almonds and Sea Salt at a shooting. I must quote how Matt, who does not have a sweet tooth, described the taste:

Oh my god, these caramels. Soft and chewy, the initial stickiness gives way to buttery and tart citrus flavors before ending with tiny salty fireworks once the crystals have had time to dissolve on your tongue. The whole shebang ends with a crunch of the toasted nuts, and before long you realize these caramels have sent you over the edge with very distinct flavors all working together harmoniously.

I was sold when I saw the pictures. Now, I am craving for some. If you bake those, make sure to use Parchment paper. You are never supposed to put wax paper on the oven since it could burn. But it is even more important when you are making caramels. People who used wax paper for baking reported that the caramel sticked too much, which was caused by the fact that the wax melted on the oven. Leave the wax paper to wrap the caramels, once they have cooled down.

+ photos and recipe: Matt Bites

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This post was initially about a salad recipe. As I wrote it, the recipes of the dinner I cooked last night became a part of the story. This is a simple menu that you could serve when you have friends over. It is based on taste, lots of good taste. But what I like the most is that you will not pass all night on the kitchen. The ingredients are available at any grocery store. I find everything at the village; we stayed at the ski cottage this weekend. This makes it the ideal menu for stress-free entertaining.

Tropical Fennel Salad recipe

I ate the tropical fennel salad twice this year and twice I was in awe. It will become my signature salad for potlucks. You have to try it. I never meet anyone who did not like it. The recipe is from Élie Benchetrit, the host the cooking segment on On Est Ensemble. This is Web TV show where I host a design segment. Élie’s take on recipes is that they are made to be shared. Therefore, I translate it for you.

Ingredients for the salad:

• 2 fennel bulbs, shaved paper thin with a mandoline (otherwise, sliced it as thin as you can)
• 1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and sliced
• 1 not too ripe Mango, peeled and sliced
• 10 basil leaves to decorate and add taste

Ingredients for the vinaigrette:

• 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 French shallot, minced
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Put in a bowl or a large service platter, the sliced fennel, apple and mango.
2. Whisk in a bowl all the ingredients to make the vinaigrette.
3. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad. Mix. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Before serving, top with the basil leaves.

The salad looks more appetizing with a green herb. I forgot to buy fresh basil. I improvised and minced the thin fennel foliage instead. The taste was incredible, even without the basil.

A Main Course in less than 20 minutes

The resting period of the salad gives you plenty of time to make the rest of your meal. I grilled a rainbow trout fillet that I served with boiled green beans. I add small pieces of butter on top the green beans, a dash of sea salt and pepper when I plate my dishes. You can do that directly on each plate.

I paired the meal with Les Jamelles Sauvignon Blanc, an affordable white wine that goes well with fish, citrus dishes and mixed salads. A good pairing tip is to match the tasting notes of the wine with ingredients from your meal. The Sauvignon Blanc from Les Jamelles displays fresh aromas of fruit passion, limes and blackcurrants.

My Dijon Mustard Grilled Trout recipe

My recipe for the the trout is super simple. I use the same recipe for salmon on the BBQ. Brush olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) on the skinless side of a fish fillet. Then, I spread Dijon mustard. Add a little bit of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Grill in a pan at medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. While the fish is cooking, I spread Dijon mustard on the skin side. Return and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Check it as you do not wish to overcook your fish. The aim is that the fish is not fully cooked at the center. The heat will cook it after you remove it from the pan.

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If you are planning a girl night out or wish to laugh on Valentine’s Day party with your single friends, you should get this cocktail recipe book by Dee Brun. The subtitle of Libations of Life says it all; it is A Girl’s Guide to life one cocktail at a time. It is fun, refreshing and you will get to learn how to make cocktails that all women like.

We know that girls like to drink a Cosmopolitan. Here you get to choose between the Commitaphobe Cosmopolitan, the Good on Paper Cosmopolitan, the Control Top Cosmopolitan, The Butt Cleavage Cosmopolitan and Ya… I got carded Cosmopolitan. The classics are there from the daiquiri, the long island, the mai tai, the mojito, the manhattan, the margarita, the martini and so.

To give you an item of the tone of the book, I will let Dee speaks for herself. Watch her in this video where she demonstrate a cocktail recipe from her book.

SOURCING:
+ For Americans: Libations of Life by Dee Brun $13.22 USD
+ For Canadians: Libations of Life by Dee Brun $14.56 CAD

Disclaimer: I met Dee Brun ia twitter last month. She sent me a copy of her book for review.

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I attended last December this wonderful event at Boutique Point G, a must-go place for french macarons in Montreal. They invited the cream of social media crowd for a tasting cocktail at their store. Although I was sick, I could not miss that.

What about Darth Vader?

It was the costume of a molecular chef hired for the event. It was appropriate since Darth Vader served us macarons dipped in liquid azote. That was awesome! Have a peak at the night by watching this video. You can see my husband (a cute long hair guy with a black shirt) and if you really pay attention, you can spot me.

If you visit Montreal, make sure to stop by this little shop located at 1266 Mont-Royal Street.

+ Boutique Point G

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What a beautiful pink, orange and red dish! Winter is the time for citrus, so let’s make good use of them not just in the morning. Deb of Smitten Kitchen shared a gorgeous green leaf-free salad that is cheerful enough to brighten a cloudy day – it rains all day in Toronto.

+ Mixed citrus salad with feta and mint on Smitten Kitchen

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Cooking your own chips is not complicated. What I like the most is that you can use vegetables, fruits and cheese to make your chips. You can serve them as a snack, an appetizer or a side dish.

I compiled a list of 5 favorite recipes for you to try:

+ A classic Baked Potato Chips by Martha Stewart
+ Apple Chips by Ricardo Larrivée. These chips are baked for about 4 hours.
+ Laura Calder used carrots, small beets and parsnip to make her vegetable chips
+ The Parmiagino chips by David Rocco. My friend Mel place a skewer on each chip before baking. It becomes adorable lollipops.
+ The well explained Parsnip chips that I spotted on the cooking blog My Husband Cooks

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All week I wanted to buy a Galette des Rois at the bakery but I was too busy. I do not bake my own Galette des Rois because I am not good at making the perfect puff pastry. A twist from Helen of Tartelette may persuade me to give it a try. Helen replaced the traditional almond frangipane (almond cream) with a pistachio frangipane. Since I could buy puff pastry from the bakery, it should not be too hard to do the rest.

Even if Epiphany was January 6th, a Galette des Rois is so good that I could eat it anytime of the year. If you wish to do it all from scratch, Helen shared the entire recipe for making Galette des Rois on her site, in English and in French.

+ photos: Tartelette

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