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Skillet “Roasted” Brussels Sprouts

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I have always liked brussels sprouts, but this fall I discovered a new way of cooking them, and that “like” has turned into LOVE – we’ve been eating them this way at least twice a week. Cooked over low heat with a smidge of olive oil and salt in a cast iron skillet, these baby cabbages end up caramelized and sweet and nutty tasting, with none of the bitterness that some people hate about brussels sprouts. They’re even better with a dusting of cheese on top. I will fight you for the last sprout. I will.

Brussels sprouts generally take a bit of work, what with the trimming and peeling off of the outer leaves. However, in my book, it’s totally worth it – especially when you cook them this way! – because they taste great and they’re great for you. Look for small-ish sprouts with tightly closed leaves. If you can find them still attached to the stalk, even better! These sprouts in particular were quite tiny and light green, and were grown locally at Vantreight Farms in Saanich :).

Skillet “Roasted” Brussels Sprouts

This is barely a recipe – more a method. Super easy. Makes about 2 servings. Inspired by 101 Cookbooks.

Cut the ends off several handfuls of brussels sprouts, peel off any blemished outer leaves, and cut them in half (if they’re really tiny you can leave them whole). You want to end up with about 2 cups of halved sprouts.Rinse the sprouts with water, drain well, and toss with a light drizzle of olive oil. Heat about 1 tsp olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, add the sprouts – they should sizzle ever so slightly. Arrange them cut-side down in a single layer, and sprinkle with a few pinches of coarse salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and stir the sprouts a bit to turn them over. They should be looking nice and browned on one side. Cover and cook again for 2-3 more minutes, until caramelized and crisp-tender and still vibrantly green. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with grated cheese (parmesan, gouda, gruyère) to serve.

Daring Bakers: Filipino Sans Rival Cake

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Catherine of Munchie Musings was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert – the delicious Sans Rival cake! And for those of us who wanted to try an additional Filipino dessert, Catherine also gave us a bonus recipe for Bibingka which comes from her friend Jun of Jun-blog.

At first glance, it seems odd that Sans Rival is a traditional Filipino dessert, being that all of its components are decidedly French! This is a cake made of dacquoise discs – meringue mixed with nuts and baked until crisp – layered with French buttercream frosting and decorated with more nuts (traditionally cashews). Apparently, in the 1920s and 30s, many Filipinos went abroad to study and those who ended up in France brought home the French language and pastry chef techniques that originated the Sans Rival. Sans Rival means “without rival”, and it’s a pretty appropriate name: this is a delicious, rich dessert.

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Insane Burgers and Poutine at La Belle Patate

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Typical winter in Victoria BC: dark at 4 pm, constantly windy, rains all the time. ALL THE TIME. Seriously nasty. Yesterday it was too nasty to make dinner, so Nate, Sam and I trekked across town in the dark, stormy evening to sample the burgers and poutine at La Belle Patate in Esquimalt.

La Balle Patate is the very definition of a hole-in-the-wall burger joint, but what makes it unique is the Québécois menu, consisting of several versions of poutine (fries, fresh cheese curds, and gravy), Montréal smoked meat, burgers, steamed hot dogs, and other diner food. Definitely not a restaurant for the faint of heart, or those with high cholesterol.

Nate and I split an order of the Boe Special (poutine with fried onions) and each had a La Belle Burger – a double patty, double cheese, double bacon monster loaded with fried onions and mushrooms and smothered in La Belle sauce. Oh, and a slice of tomato. When I ordered my burger, the guy behind the counter gave me an approving look and said I was a “brave lady”. Heh.

La Belle Burger, a heart attack on a paper plate

The burger was massive (I only got through three-quarters of it) and it tasted pretty much as ridiculous as it sounds: beefy, bacony, juicy, burgerlicious. This is a roll up your sleeves, tie back your hair, grab a stack of napkins, and unhinge your jaw kind of burger (Guy Fieri, eat your heart out!). And then you’ll need to have salad for the rest of the week to make up for it (but so worth it!).

The poutine was good too – squeaky cheese curds (which means they’re fresh) mixed with slightly sweet spuds and rich gravy, plus grilled onions… you can’t really go wrong here.

Sam ordered poutine and a “steamie”, which is a steamed hotdog covered in sauerkraut. He ate in about four bites, so I guess it was good! I didn’t get a picture because my hands were covered in burger juice. Mmmm.

We arrived just before 6 pm and the place was empty, but in the time it took for our food to be ready (about 20 minutes – it’s all made fresh to order), it filled right up. The staff seemed to know almost every one of their customers, so obviously they have a pretty loyal following. There are a few chairs and tables where patrons can devour their poutine immediately instead of as take-out, but La Belle Patate is not exactly a sit down restaurant. If it were on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, it would definitely fit into the “dive” category: the “decor” includes chipped paint, old Québec license plates, and a chest freezer, and the food is served on paper plates and foil pans. This wouldn’t discourage me from returning, but is something to be aware of in case you’re expecting something else.

But if you like burgers, fries, gravy, and cheese curds, you should check this place out. It’s perfect for a stormy November evening, because licking burger juice off your elbows will help you forget all about the nasty weather ;).

La Belle Patate on Urbanspoon

Perfect Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These are the perfect marriage between a peanut butter cookie and a chocolate chip cookie. Both are classics in their own right, and this recipe somehow manages to combine the tastes and textures that makes each one great. Good peanut flavour, slightly chewy like a good chocolate chip cookie, and full of chocolate chips. Seriously, these are the best peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tried.

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Apple Struesel Cake with Creme Anglaise

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Last weekend my friend Katheryn had me and some friends over for a calamari feast – which actually meant that we had to disembowel and clean 5 lbs of raw squid! But really I loved every tentacle-y, slimy minute of it ;). I offered to bring dessert – which actually meant that I phoned Katheryn and announced, “I’M BRINGING DESSERT! … oh, you need lemons and parsley? Yeah, I guess I can bring those too…”.

Anyway, we all know that dessert is the most important part of any meal, so let’s focus on that: I made an apple cake using my favorite one-bowl butter cake recipe, topped it with brown sugar struesel, and served it with creme anglaise, which is pretty much the best sauce ever – it tastes just like melted vanilla ice cream only better. It was all super delicious, and the cake actually tasted even better the next day – I guess the apple and cinnamon flavours had more time to develop or something. It was also a nice cozy thing to eat in the fall – very comforting and homey. So without any further ado, here’s how to make it!

Apple Struesel Cake

Adapted from the “Melt-and-Mix Butter Cake” in Modern Classics Book 2 by Donna Hay (I love her!)

Preheat oven to 325˚F. In a medium bowl, stir together:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup granulated sugar

a pinch of salt

a few dashes cinnamon

1 apple, peeled and chopped

Add:

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

Stir everything together until there are no dry patches. The batter will be quite thick – almost more like cookie dough than cake batter. Spread the batter into a 9″ greased cake pan, lined with parchment paper. Arrange 1 peeled and sliced apple over the top. To make the struesel topping, mix together:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

a few good dashes of cinnamon (about 1/2 tsp)

1 tbsp melted butter

Stir until crumbly. Sprinkle over the cake (you probably won’t need all of it). Bake the cake at 325˚F for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with only a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then invert the cake onto a plate, remove the pan and parchment paper, and revert (re-invert? un-invert?) onto a cooling rack. Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature in a puddle of creme anglaise (recipe follows).

Creme Anglaise

This is a rich, delicious vanilla-scented pouring custard that is a great alternative for anything that you might want to serve with vanilla ice cream. I have no idea where I got this recipe from.

In a heat-proof bowl, whisk together:

3 egg yolks

2 tbsp granulated sugar

Beat with the whisk until very pale and thick, about 5 minutes (a good arm workout).

This should be MUCH paler and thicker – I somehow managed to delete ALL of the dozen photos I took of this stage!

Meanwhile, in a small pot, scald:

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup milk

(or you can use all milk – whole or 2% probably for best results)

When the cream/milk is scalded (ie, almost-but-not-quite boiling), whisk a very small amount into the egg yolk mixture to temper it (ie, so it doesn’t make scrambled eggs), then slowly add the rest of the milk/cream mixture, whisking constantly. Pour everything back into the pot and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly in a figure-8 motion, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (ie, you can drag you finger through it and it leaves a clean trail without the sides running into it). Don’t let it boil! While all this is happening, place a sieve over a small bowl that is sitting in an ice bath (ie, in a larger bowl of water and ice cubes). When the mixture has thickened, pour it through the sieve into the small bowl. This will make sure the creme anglaise is smooth and the ice bath will stop the cooking process. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, then cover the creme anglaise with plastic wrap, pressing it right onto the surface so it doesn’t form a skin. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spiced Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

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Pasta is one of my favorite comfort foods, and spaghetti and meatballs is pretty much the ultimate incarnation of that. What makes these meatballs special is the spices: cumin, coriander, and cayenne, inspired by the Middle Eastern Spicy Kebabs in Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day (the kebabs are supposed to go with homemade naan bread, which explains why they are included in a bread-making book!). However if you have a craving for the more traditional “Italian” meatball, you can just replace those spices with a few handfuls of chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese and whatever herbs you feel like. Both the “Middle Eastern” and “Italian” versions are tasty. My trusted friend Martha first taught me how to make meatballs in tomato sauce, so I follow her method of browning the well-seasoned meatballs and then simmering them with a can of chopped tomatoes. This makes for a fairly plain but delicious tomato sauce where the meatballs are the star. If you want, you can jazz up the tomato sauce with some sautéed onion or garlic, but I find that the meatballs have enough flavour on their own. Serving these on fresh pasta (rather than dried) just makes the meal a little bit more delicious :). One day I’ll make my own homemade pasta, but that seems a little too ambitious for a weeknight!

Spiced Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

I prefer to use a combination of ground beef and pork for meatballs – it gives good flavour and texture – but feel free to use all beef, or even ground turkey, instead. This recipe makes a double amount of meatballs – enough for two meals – so I usually freeze half of them for later.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine:

300-350 grams each lean ground beef and lean ground pork

2 handfuls of breadcrumbs (I use panko)

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, smashed

generous 1 tsp ground cumin

generous 1 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you want more heat)

generous salt and pepper

Mix it all together gently with your hands. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on a plate. You should get about 30 meatballs. Freeze half of them for later.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 15-or-so meatballs to the pan and brown them on all sides, either by turning them with tongs or by giving the pan a violent shake to dislodge them from the bottom of the pan. When they are thoroughly browned, add:

1 28-oz can of chopped tomatoes

Stir, cover, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and check the seasoning of the tomato sauce – the meatballs should have given it some flavour, but it will probably need salt and pepper. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Serve over cooked, long pasta (spaghetti or linguini or whatever) with lots of parmesan cheese. Serves 2-3.

Daring Bakers: Povitica

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The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

My first thought when I saw this month’s challenge was, “What the hell is povitica?”. When I found out that it was a walnut-filled bread, I have to admit that I was not super excited about it – we had just done croissants last month, and I was hankering for something drenched in chocolate. However, once I started seeing some of the beautiful loaves showing up on the Daring Baker’s members’ forum and reading all the various iterations of, “OH MY GOD THIS IS SO GOOD!!!”, I decided to pull up my socks like a big girl and get over my attitude problem. And I’m really glad I did, because this is a beautiful, delicious bread!…

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Pulled Molasses Taffy

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One of my favorite things about Hallowe’en, other than the adorable trick-or-treaters and watching fireworks, is the molasses taffy that comes wrapped up in the black and orange waxed paper. I love the brown sugary flavour and the chewy texture, but last year I could not find them for sale ANYWHERE, so I decided that I would try to make them myself this year. So, the other day, I did. Pulling taffy is fun in the same way that making “ghost gum” out of a marshmallow is fun, and it looks like spun gold while you’re doing it – it gets this metallic sheen that unfortunately disappears when you stop. The candies came out tasting great, but they are rather harder than I was hoping for. You’re supposed to cook the syrup to 270˚F, or the “soft crack” stage, but during the process I discovered that my candy thermometer didn’t work, so I used the “sugar syrup and water” method instead, which is less precise and resulted in a slightly overcooked syrup. But with a working thermometer, these candies would be perfect! I used blackstrap molasses, so the flavour is quite strong. If you prefer a mellower molasses flavour, use fancy molasses instead. I would also recommend using demerara brown sugar if you can find it – it is a less-refined brown sugar with more flavour than regular brown sugar, which is actually just white sugar with molasses added back into it!

Pulled Molasses Taffy

From Canadian Living

In a medium sized pot with high sides, combine:

1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, preferably demerara

1/3 cup molasses, blackstrap or fancy, your choice

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tsp butter

Bring a boil, stirring, over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot and without stirring, let the mixture cook over medium heat until it gets to 270˚F. Alternately, test the temperature by drizzling a bit of the syrup off a spoon into a cup of cold water – when the syrup forms hard but pliable threads (aka “soft crack” stage), it is ready.

While the syrup boils, mix together:

1 tsp warm water

1/4 tsp baking soda

When the syrup reaches the correct temperature, remove it from the heat and immediately stir in the baking soda mixture. It will foam up a bit – stir vigorously to dissipate the chemical reaction. Pour the taffy mixture onto a greased cookie sheet and let it cool for about 5 minutes. With a greased spatula, fold the edges of the taffy in towards the middle. Continue until the taffy is cool enough to handle and when you poke it with your finger, an indentation remains.

Pick up the taffy with well-greased hands. Pull the taffy apart with a twisting motion, then fold it in half and pull it apart again, twisting with your hands. Repeat until the taffy is glossy and light in colour with a metallic shine, about 5 minutes. Divide the taffy in half and pull/twist each half into a rope about 1/2 an inch thick. Place on the greased cookie sheet. With a pair of scissors dipped in cold water, snip the taffy into 1/2″ pieces. If the taffy is soft enough, wrap each piece individually in a small piece of waxed paper (if it’s too hard it will just rip the paper when you twist the ends). Alternately, layer in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper.

Pasta Shells with Chicken, Bocconcini, and Cherry Tomatoes

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It’s been a long, busy week, and I’m kind of uninspired in the kitchen right now, so it seems that now is a good time to share this pasta dish that I made several months ago. The recipe comes from my trusted friend Martha’s Everyday Food magazine, which I was fortunate enough to have been gifted a subscription to a few years back. This is my kind of pasta: chicken, cheese, fresh vegetables, and a light sauce. It’s SUPER easy to throw together – you barely even need to use measurements, just a handful of this and a handful of that – and you can make it even easier by using left-over chicken. Aside from cooking the chicken, this is a one pot meal: you boil the pasta, drain it, and then toss everything right into the pot with the pasta along with some parmesan, butter, and a splash of the pasta cooking water. Really good, really simple, and now I want it for dinner!

One thing to note – because the tomatoes are just mixed in with the hot pasta and cooking water, they don’t actually get cooked. Nate is not a huge fan of raw tomatoes (neither am I actually, but I don’t mind them here) so next time I will give the tomatoes a quick sauté in a hot pan with some butter or olive oil before adding them to the pasta.

Pasta Shells with Chicken, Bocconcini and Cherry Tomatoes

Adapted from Martha Stewart; serves 2 (with leftovers)

Season 6 – 8 chicken breast cutlets (depending on size) with salt and pepper, and cook on both sides under a preheated broiler or on a grill until cooked through. Cut into bit-sized pieces, cover to keep warm, and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, assemble the other ingredients:

a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes (about 6 or 7), cut in quarters

several spears of asparagus, cut into one inch pieces

2 oz of bocconcini – about 2 large balls cut into 1/4″ dice, or a handful of tiny pearl or cherry bocconcini

a few handfuls of freshly grated parmesan

a small palmful of chopped parsley

1 soup bowl full of medium/large pasta shells – pasta tends to double in volume when cooked, so start with half the amount (raw) that you want to end up with (cooked) (or about 4 oz raw pasta, if you won’t want to eyeball it)

When the water boils, chuck in the pasta. When it is *just* al dente, toss in the asparagus and cook for about 30 seconds. Drain the pasta/asparagus in a colander, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Working quickly so you don’t lose any residual heat, toss everything but the bocconcini in the pot along with:

about a tablespoon of butter

salt and pepper

Stir to combine, adding the reserved pasta water a little at a time until you have a light sauce coating the pasta (you probably won’t need all the water). Stir in the bocconcini. Serve with more grated parmesan on top.

Pear-Filled Vanilla Birthday Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

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One of my co-workers recently had a birthday and a cake was requested, so I obliged with a vanilla cake filled with pears and frosted with chocolate buttercream. It went over really well at work (someone actually said, “This is the best cake I’ve ever had!” 🙂 ) so I have a feeling I’ll be making more. This will continue the trend of me having made more cakes in the past six months than I have in the past six years, but that is totally fine with me ;).

The slightly battered piece I brought home for Nate

This vanilla cake (aka yellow cake, because it contains egg yolks) is super easy to make and comes out fluffy, moist, and delicious. It’s my favorite plain cake recipe because it doesn’t require any fancy ingredients and it could easily be jazzed-up-up with lemon or orange zest or something. I baked it at a slightly lower temperature than the recipe stated and wrapped the pan in strips of damp towel to insulate it against getting a big domed top, and the cake came out perfectly baked and perfectly level. I wanted to fill it with something fruity, and over Thanksgiving my mum gave me a big bag of gorgeous pears from her pear trees, so I sautéed some in butter and brown sugar and spread it between the cake layers. I also wanted to try proper Swiss meringue buttercream frosting after the cream cheese frosting fiasco, and it came out awesome! Fluffy, buttery, and not too sweet. I can’t wait for an excuse to make it again in another flavour. Plus it was really fun to decorate with :).

Pear-Filled Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Because of all the butter in the frosting, this cake should be stored in the fridge, but let it come to room temperature before serving – the texture of the filling will be much better, and cake tastes best when it’s not cold anyway!

Yellow Vanilla Cake

Modified slightly from A Passion for Baking by Mary Goldman.

Can be baked as a sheet cake in a 9″x13″ pan, as a circular layer cake in two 9″ round pans, or as 24 cupcakes. The original recipe says to bake at 350˚F, but I had success with 325˚F.

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Spray/grease your pan(s) and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a mixer bowl, cream together:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Mix until light and fluffy, then add:

3 eggs (one at a time, mixing after each)

1 tsp vanilla

Mix until well blended.In a bowl, combine:

3 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed while slowly pouring in:

1 1/2 cups warm milk

Blend until the batter is smooth. Pour into prepared cake pan(s) and spread the batter evenly. Wrap the pans in a strip of wet towel to insulate the edges of the cake from cooking faster than the middle and creating a domed top. Bake at 325˚F for 35-45 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top, slightly springy when touched, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with no crumbs (check after 35 minutes). Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment paper, and cool completely. Split, fill, and frost as desired (it’s easier if the cake has been chilled before splitting it).

Pear Filling

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt:

3 tbsp butter

Add:

3 cups finely diced pears

Sauté until softened. Add:

3 tbsp brown sugar

a dash each of nutmeg and salt

Cook until the pears are very soft and the juice is syrupy. Stir in:

a squeeze of lemon juice

Remove from the heat and let cool before filling the cake. The butter in the filling will solidify if kept in the fridge, so serve the filled cake at room temperature (it’s fine to store it in the fridge though).

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

From Sweetapolita. For a detailed tutorial on making Swiss meringue buttercream, click here.

Makes about 5 cups of frosting, enough to frost the outside of a 9″x13″ cake, to frost and fill a 9″ round 2-layer cake, or to frost 24 cupcakes. Best made in a stand mixer because it requires a lot of beating!

Cut 1 pound (2 cups) of butter into cubes and leave at room temperature to soften slightly. Pour a splash of vinegar or lemon juice in a mixer bowl and wipe out with a paper towel to remove any traces of oil. Also wipe down the whisk attachment with vinegar/lemon juice. This ensures that there is no oily residue that will prevent the egg whites from whipping up.

In the perfectly clean mixer bowl (not attached to the mixer), combine:

5 egg whites

1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Make a bain marie/double boiler by placing the mixer bowl over a small pan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl is no touching the water). With the whisk attachment, stir the egg white-sugar mixture until it comes to 140˚F, or use your (clean) fingers to feel that the sugar is totally dissolved in the egg whites and the mixture is hot. Note that you are stirring to keep the mixture from turning into scrambled egg whites, not to incorporate air. Attach the mixer bowl and whisk to the mixer and beat the egg whites at medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Continue stirring on low speed until the egg whites are COMPLETELY cool – the side of the bowl should be cool to the touch.When the egg whites are cool, it’s time to add the butter. Switch the whisk for the paddle attachment, and mixing on low speed, add in the cubes of butter, one at a time, allowing the butter to incorporate before adding the next cube. The egg white meringue will fall and go through various stages of looking weird and curdled as you add the butter – this is all okay. When all the butter is added, the mixture will probably look quite clumpy, curdled, and thick. Keep stirring on low and after a few minutes it will emulsify and smooth out into a thick, creamy, fluffy frosting.Add:

2 tsp vanilla

dash salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips, melted and cooled

Stir well to incorporate the chocolate.Keep the frosting at a cool room temperature to frost the cake.

To Assemble the Cake:

Split the cooled cake in half horizontally and place the bottom layer on a cake board, protected by 4 strips of waxed paper. Pipe a wall of frosting around the edge of the layer, and spread the cake with the pear filling. Place the second layer on top, and coat the cake with a thin “crumb coat” of frosting. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until the frosting is set, then frost with a thicker layer. Decorate as desired – this frosting is great for piping.

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All content © Korena Vezerian and Korena in the Kitchen, 2011 – 2021. Please contact me before duplicating any content, including pictures. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Korena Vezerian and Korena in the Kitchen with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.