Recipes Side dish Vegetarian

Sugar Snap Peas with Minty Pea Pesto

October 8, 2012

I must have tried so many different variations of pesto in my life and yet they always amaze me by their fresh taste and versatility. The combination of mint and peas has been popping up lately and is one of my favorite for the warmer months – incredibly bright and refreshing. Summer is definitely over now so this was probably my last taste before springtime! It’s easier to find fresh peas in the Spring so I’ve replaced them with frozen ones in this recipe (which I somehow always have a bag of in my freezer) but bought some nice sugar snap peas at my local farmers market as they were still available.

I find that side dishes are too often relegated to second class status and requiring no more than throwing some pasta, potatoes or frozen vegetables in a pot of boiling water. When you have some extra time on your hand, these sugar snap peas over pesto make for a terrific accompaniment to a light Italian dinner and definitely brings a gorgeous pop of color to your table. The sugar snap peas stay nicely crisp and the pine nuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano add some crunchiness and depth to this super bright dish. This makes for a bit of leftover pesto which you can toss with some hot pasta for a quick lunch or spread on crostinis.

Sugar Snap Peas with Minty Pea Pesto

 

Adapted from The New Brooklyn Cookbook
Active time: 35 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Makes 4 servings (side dish)

3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup frozen peas
3 fresh mint leaves
1 garlic clove, chopped
Grated zest of ½ lemon
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb sugar snap peas, trimmed and washed
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the pine nuts in a small ovenproof skillet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes, or until light brown. Transfer to a small bowl and allow to cool, then chop 1 tablespoon of the pine nuts. Set the chopped and whole pine nuts aside.

Prepare an ice bath. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute, or until tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peas to the ice bath (keep the water boiling). Use the slotted spoon to transfer the peas from the ice bath to a food processor (reserve the ice bath).

To the food processor, add the mint, garlic, lemon zest, the 2 tablespoons whole pine nuts, the ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup water, and salt and pepper to taste. Process until well combined but not completely smooth. Adjust the seasonings and reserve.

Add the snap peas to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to the ice bath.

Drain and place in a medium bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the reserved chopped pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread ¼ cup of the minty pea pesto on the center of each plate. Place the snap pea mixture on top. Garnish with additional grated cheese.

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London Restaurants

Champagne + Fromage, London

October 4, 2012

A dedication to two of my favorite things, champagne and cheese, could barely go unnoticed on my last trip to London. Sign that the area surrounding Covent Garden is slowly becoming a hip, foodie destination; a recent addition aptly called ‘Champagne + Fromage’ is bringing quality bubbles and superior French grub to the neighbourhood.

The shop/bistro seems right out of a tiny village in the French countryside and lures you right in with its gorgeous display of dry saucisson, terrines, and Champagne bottles gracing the front window. Once inside, you can’t help but fall in love with the rustic aesthetic and inviting atmosphere of the mismatched furniture, weathered wood cases and mouth-watering edible products lining up the walls. Everything here can be bought as gifts, to take-away or to eat in.

Though quite small, the place is filled with eye candy for the gourmands. Jars of terrine, rillettes, cassoulets, confits, soups and jams adorn the shelves – all sourced from tiny local French suppliers. You can pick from over 30 soft and hard cheeses, all from Une Normande à Londres, in addition to all the various charcuterie, jambons and saucissons, and of course some very fine champagne.

French Bubbles who owns the shop specializes in artisanal, limited production grower champagnes (i.e. made in small batches) and offers a range of champagnes to taste by the glass which I highly recommend you do. In such an authentic setting, pulling a stool for a bit of fizz and rustic fare seems like the only option, no reason for celebration needed!

The very French and knowledgeable staff can help you pick and pair the champagnes with each dish, proving to many that bubbly does indeed improve the flavor of the food and wake up your taste buds in unexpected ways.

We sat down for lunch and opted for a glass of pink champagne to accompany their signature tartines (a single slice of homemade sourdough bread draped in slivers of cheese and charcuterie or fruit and drizzled with rich olive oil) along with some selected charcuterie.

Tartine Basque (Tomme de Brebis cheese with roasted peppers and mango chutney).

Tartine Champagne (sautéed pear with melted Langres cheese) with Corsican Cured Meat Selection Board.

Whether you stop here for lunch, pre-theater snack or dinner (I reckon this is also a perfect date spot), I guarantee you’ll leave with either a bag full of odorous goodies and fizzy liquid, or even better a wide grin after having feasted on the quintessential gastronomic pairing of champagne and fromage, the ideal dinner in my too frequent gluttonous dreams…

Champagne + Fromage
22 Wellington Street
London  (Covent Garden)
WC2E 7DD
Tel: 0207 240 1604
 
Dessert Recipes

Hazelnut Fondant

September 30, 2012

Very few people I know can resist a molten chocolate cake and I’m definitely one of them. They’re the ultimate indulgence even though their preparation is quite simple. They reign over practically every restaurant’s dessert menu from the fanciest to the hole-in-the-wall and even their extra wait time would held in place the most hurried dinners. Countless times have I stared at a creative and tempting dessert card filled with seasonal marvels of mousse, puffs, pies and unique puddings only to relinquish my sweet curiosity for the familiar and exquisite pleasure of digging my spoon into a chocolate fondant and witness the thick wave of warm chocolate flowing on the plate…

There’s no reason to reserve this enjoyment exclusively to restaurant nights as it’s fairly easy to make at home and I can’t think of a better way to have your dinner guests drooling in anticipation when you’ll pop it in the oven for a brief 10-15 minutes right before dessert time. There are plenty of the classic and very chocolaty versions out there to try but I was immediately attracted to the marriage of chocolate and hazelnuts found here, not that usual. It’s still irresistibly good though slightly less sweet and you get the reward of biting into nutty bursts of roasted hazelnuts.

All the tasks involved are really simple and quick and the only key thing here is the baking time which will determine the amount of gooeyness your cake will have. Not to worry, even if you were to slightly overcook it, it would still come out extremely soft and delectable, almost impossible to ruin. Serve it warm straight at the table so everyone can see the melting goodness when you dig the serving spoon in… there’s no better communal dessert than this.

Hazelnut Fondant

Adapted from Elle a Table
Active time: 10  minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Makes 6 servings

200g milk chocolate
50g cornstarch
100g sugar
100g butter
100g whole hazelnuts
4 eggs
zest from 1 orange

Equipment
A 20cm x 15cm baking dish

 

Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bain-marie (water bath).

Whisk the eggs with the sugar until lightened and pale in color, then add the cornstarch.

Add the chocolate, hazelnuts and orange zest to the egg mixture.

Grease and flour your baking dish and pour the mixture in.

Bake in the oven at 325°F (160°) for 10-15 minutes or until the surface gets dry and lightly cracked. Leave it to cool slightly before serving.

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Main course Recipes

Steak Sarnie

September 27, 2012

Walking around my neighborhood this past Sunday, I got immediately reminded that football season had kicked off within minutes of reaching the main street. The gorgeous weather had opened up all the bars and pubs, spilling frantic TV watchers onto the sidewalks and filling the streets with the usual shouts and exclamations. Those lucky enough to have a bar seat or table were happily scarfing down the usual sandwich or burger and beer, seemingly happy no matter what the outcome of the game (or so it appeared!).

Watching football and eating have always gone hand in hand and it’s probably the one occasion where you can literally pig out on pub classics without feeling ‘too’ guilty. I love how bars and restaurants pull out monstrous portions for the crowds and I was looking for a way to reproduce somehow this trend at home for when you have a casual get together in front of the TV. A giant steak sandwich like this one fits the bill perfectly, is über tasty and a super fun way to feed a small crowd quickly and of course healthily.

The basis of a good steak sandwich is to have your meat pounded fairly thin, marinated or lightly seasoned, and quickly fried over a very high heat for that perfect savory crust and juicy pink center. Add some vegetables and good crusty bread and you’ve got yourself a complete meal that you can hold in your hands – perfect for couch surfing. This steak sarnie (British term for ‘sandwich’) feels light with the brightness of the rocket leaves and sweetness of the roasted red peppers, almost a simple steak salad on toast, though it’s still pretty filling. Whether you’ll be making it for Sunday afternoon football or an alfresco lunch, make sure you leave it whole when bringing it to your guests before cutting it up into individual portions, it just makes it so much more impressive.

Steak Sarnie

Adapted from Jamie’s 30 Minutes Meals
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Makes 4 servings
 
2x 300g best quality rump or sirloin steaks
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 ciabatta loaf
a small handful of jarred peppers
a couple of sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
horseradish sauce, to serve
a large handful of prewashed rocket, to serve

Put a griddle pan over medium heat and turn the oven grill/broiler on. Put the steaks on a board. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, pick and scatter over the thyme leaves, and drizzle with olive oil. Rub the flavors into the meat, then flip over and repeat on the other side. Pound the steaks once or twice with your fists to flatten them a little, then put them into the screaming hot griddle pan to cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. or longer if you prefer (this depends on the thickness of your steaks of course so use your instincts here).

Put the ciabatta loaf into the bottom of the oven. Finely chop the peppers on a large clean board. Move the steaks to the board and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Finely chop a few parsley leaves, mixing them in with the peppers and all the steak juices.

Scrape the pepper mix to one side of the board. Slice up the steak at an angle. Get the ciabatta out of the oven and slice it open with a serrated knife. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil from a height. Spread over as much horseradish as you like, then arrange the rocket leaves on one half.

Lay the steak slices on top. Mix and scrape the peppers and juices from the board and scatter over the meat, then fold together and take to the table.

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Montreal Restaurants

FCO di Fiumicino, Montreal

September 23, 2012

I have yet to make it to Rome but I recently found a pretty authentic shortcut at FCO di Fiumicino, a new pizza and gelato parlor in Old Montreal. I’ve always had a preference for restaurants offering a limited menu, too many choices and I get confused (I’m a Libra after all), and here they couldn’t have done it any simpler than this – you got pizza and gelato and that’s it. A brilliant meal if you ask me especially when both are so wonderfully executed.

The Roman-style pizza is done ‘al metro’ which means ‘by the meter’ so what you’ll find here is a meter long oblong shape cut up in serving pieces. The crust is at once crispy and delightfully chewy and the toppings are as fresh and flavorful as can be. This is probably as authentic as you can get this side of the Atlantic seeing as the oven as well as the pizzaiola came straight from Italy!



You’d be wise to save some space for the fantastic homemade gelato which has already been praised as one of the best in the city. The richness and smoothness of the classic Italian flavors is to die for and some like the bitter dark chocolate and Sicilian pistachio will send you right in the middle of a Roman Piazza.


Although only open on the weekdays (Monday through Friday, 10am-6pm), FCO di Fiumicino is well worth a lunch stop or a gelato afternoon break, especially if like me you can’t get to Rome as often as you’d like. Pick a slice or two from the very tempting display and grab a seat at the large communal table under a dramatic black chandelier for a bit of downtown coolness and a well deserved culinary escape.

FCO di Fiumicino
451, ave. Viger W.
Montréal, QC, H2Z 1G6
T: 514-861-3636
M-F: 10am-8pm
Map