Lunch at Café Ceylon

April 4, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 3 Comments

On Saturday, my mum came over to Victoria to visit for the day. We did some errands downtown, browsed through some kitchen shops and bookstores, and went out for lunch. We were planning on going to The Blue Nile, which is an Ethiopian restaurant in Esquimalt, but it turned out they weren’t open for lunch. Instead, we went to Café Ceylon – and am I ever glad we did!

Café Ceylon serves Sri Lankan and Indonesian food, and after reading a favourable review of it – on Urban Spoon, maybe? – I had made a mental note of it as somewhere to take my mum, because she is an adventurous eater and loves trying out ethnic food (as do I!). Luckily I had the foresight to put the restaurant’s location in my phone, so when we discovered that Ethiopian food wasn’t going to happen, I had an alternative….

Beef Stroganoff

April 2, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 4 Comments

I was craving something rich, creamy, and savoury the other evening, and this hit the spot. I’m quite sure that this is not “authentic” beef stroganoff, but then I’m not really sure what is – as far as I can tell, there’s no “traditional” recipe: it’s just beef and mushrooms in a sour cream sauce over noodles, and the variations are pretty endless. I’ve never had it made for me by anyone else, so I have nothing to compare to, but this tasted pretty darn good. I looked at a few recipes online for inspiration, and this is what I came up with 🙂 I used flank steak, but I’m sure any kind of steak would be fine – probably ground beef would work too! Shiitake mushrooms would be a great addition to this dish….

Things I made this week

March 31, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 3 Comments

I got the April issue of Bon Appetit in the mail last week, and it is full of delicious recipes that I wanted to try immediately. So, I did, and we ate quite well this week! I made three recipes from the April issue and one from the March issue. I was fairly happy with the way they all turned out, but with the exception of one (which I will share in this post), I want to do some tweaking to get them to taste the way *I* want them to before I post the recipes. But I took pictures so I’m going to share them anyway 😉 The recipes are all available at bonappetit.com and I’ve included links to the original recipes, just in case you don’t want to wait for me to post my versions here!…

The Best Banana Bread in the Entire World. Ever.

March 28, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 12 Comments

You may suspect that I am employing hyperbole in the title of this post. My friends, you are incorrect! This actually IS the best banana bread in the entire world. Ever. This recipe comes to me via my friend Lynette’s mum, Elaine, and it has attained legendary fame by all who have tried it as being absolutely fan-freakin’-tastically delicious. This banana bread comes out light and fluffy, sweet and moist, and is likely to disappear in a shorter amount of time than it took you to bake it. The first time I tasted it, Elaine had made a double batch, and it was absolute torture smelling it as it baked. Lynette and I then devoured an entire loaf, hot and steaming from the oven.

I have made this recipe a billion times, and I’ve played around it it a bit, so that my typical banana bread comes out slightly different from Elaine’s original recipe. I add an extra banana and some vanilla, and to convince myself that it’s a little bit good for me, I usually substitute in some whole wheat flour. Then I also usually add a bunch of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, which effectively cancels out any health benefits the whole wheat flour might add… But whatever. It tastes divine….

Welcoming Spring with Hot Cross Buns

March 22, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 7 Comments

Spring is here! I know this because last weekend I went for a run in a t-shirt, there are crocuses everywhere, the cherry trees are blossoming, and hot cross buns are appearing on the bakery shelves. Also, Sunday was the first day of spring, so… I guess that makes it official.

I like hot cross buns – or rather, I want to like hot cross buns, but I rarely find a store-bought one that meets my expectations. Mostly because they all contain either candied peel or glacée fruit (bleh!). I also find the texture of store-bought hot cross buns to be somewhat lacking, so I decided to try making them myself.

I’ve gotten fairly comfortable with yeast doughs through experimenting with the no-knead doughs in the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day (which is super fantastic and I would recommend to everyone), and I had an idea of what kind of dough/final texture I was looking for. I considered using the no-knead challah dough from Artisan Bread, but then I realized that I just needed to find a recipe that used a similar kind of dough, enriched with butter and eggs. I finally settled on a Martha Stewart recipe, which had an enriched dough that contained lemon and orange zest, but no spices. So, I consulted a Canadian Living recipe and used it as a basis for adding cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to the Martha Stewart recipe. The result is exactly what I ever could have wanted in a hot cross bun: rich, dense-but-light texture, just the right spice with citrus notes, and best of all, no nasty candied peel or glacée fruit! In my search for the perfect recipe, I came across several that contained only currants, and one with golden raisins and dried cherries, so I used all three, and it’s a great combination. Another thing to consider was what kind of “cross” to put on the buns – a flour/water paste combination applied before baking, or an icing cross applied after baking. My personal preference is for the flour/water paste, so I went with that. As a result, there is actually nothing about the recipe I would change next time – I would just refine my technique a little!

I halved the original recipe (which yielded two dozen), and after the first rise, I took half the dough and stuck it in the freezer because I though that twelve buns at once would be overkill, so I only ended up with six buns. When I decide I want more (which will probably be much sooner than later!), I will let the dough thaw to room temperature, divide it into six, and continue on from the second rise….

Afternoon Tea at the White Heather Tea Room

March 19, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 18 Comments

My friend Lynette and I are secretly little old ladies at heart. One of the defining things about our friendship is our undying love of tiny sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, and tea, and we often celebrate the milestones in our lives by going out for afternoon tea. Heck, we don’t need a milestone – any occasion is a good excuse. We have even gone so far as to dream up a “Tea Tour” of the English countryside, wherein we would travel from tea shop to tea shop, sampling afternoon teas and writing reviews to publish in a book (who knows how realistic this is, but a dream is a dream, right?). In preparation, we have been to nearly every afternoon tea-serving establishment in Victoria, from the quintessential (and expensive) Fairmont Empress Hotel to the more-British-than-Britain (and now defunct) Blethering Place, but we have not yet written any reviews.

This is about to change. Prepare yourself for the first Tea Party review.

(This means we will have to revisit all the local places we have previously had tea at – darn! 😉 )…

Power Truffles

March 18, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 6 Comments

These are inspired by a blog post I came across on the lululemon website with several recipes for “energy balls”, but somehow that just doesn’t sound appetizing… so I’m calling my version “power truffles”. These are very tasty, packed with peanut butter, nuts, and seeds, and will be a great post-workout snack, which is what I made them for… but they would be equally good as just an afternoon snack 😉

To boost the energy content a little more, the rolled oats could be replaced with quinoa or amaranth flakes, both of which are high in protein. The cocoa powder makes these a little bit chocolatey, and due to the peanut butter and honey in them, they taste slightly like peanut butter and honey on toast, which I quite enjoy. To change things up, they would also be good with almond or cashew butter and perhaps agave syrup, which I haven’t experimented with yet. Oooh, I can imagine a version with almond butter, cocoa powder, and dried cranberries instead of raisins… or dried cherries maybe? Yum!

I made these in about 15 minutes total – no baking required. The most time-consuming part was rolling them, and even that was pretty darn easy.

…

Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash

March 16, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 7 Comments

Nate and I both agree that this is some of the best macaroni and cheese ever. The base for the sauce is butternut squash, chicken stock, and milk, rather than a flour-butter-milk white sauce. For me, the healthy addition of the squash makes it totally acceptable to add more cheese 😉 If you want a creamy sauce (or want to disguise the fact that there’s a vegetable hidden in it!), puree it in a blender. For more texture and evidence of squash, mash roughly with a fork or potato masher. Both ways are delicious. Although it probably doesn’t actually make a difference in taste, my favorite pasta to use for this is large shells. For the picture above, I stirred about 1/3 cup of chopped cooked bacon into the sauce. Pasta plus cheese plus bacon equals love 🙂

Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash

Modified slightly from my good friend Martha’s recipe

2 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash

1/2 cup chicken stock or water

3/4 cup milk

Combine the above in a pot, cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat (to avoid boiling over). Turn to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from the heat, mash/puree, and add:

A dash each of nutmeg and cayenne (or chipotle powder)

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or a mix of your favorite easily melted cheeses)

1/2 cup ricotta or cream cheese

Meanwhile, cook pasta:

about 3 cups raw/dry if the pasta is large (such as large shells or penne)

OR about 2 cups raw/dry elbow macaroni (or other short, dense pasta such as small shells)

OR enough to fill up a 9” square baking dish slightly less than halfway, as you end up with twice as much pasta when you cook it

OR if you’re being precise and like to weigh things, about half a pound of pasta 😉

(Thanks Katy for the clarification tips!)

Place drained pasta in a 9” square baking dish, pour sauce over, and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, mix together:

1/2 cup Panko, regular breadcrumbs, or cracker crumbs

1 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp grated parmesan

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley)

Salt and pepper

Sprinkle over pasta. Bake at 375˚ F until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serves 2-4, depending on how much you love macaroni and cheese!

Delicious Ribs and Slow Cooker Fail

March 14, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 9 Comments

This morning I put ribs in the slow cooker to do their thing all day and be delicious and fall-off-the-bone ready for dinner. This is something I have done many, many times before with consistently awesome results, so imagine my surprise when I got home from work, lifted the lid to check on the ribs, and discovered that they were well on their way to becoming burnt. Luckily it was just the sauce that was turning black, so I put the ribs in a covered baking dish with some more sauce, stuck them in the oven to finish, and they turned out just fine.

Normally, the slow cooker works perfectly for these ribs, so I don’t know what the problem was. I think it might be time for a new slow cooker, because it was on low and the lid was on properly and everything. Anyway. The ketchup can be substituted for any tomato product (perhaps with an added dash of cider vinegar) – once when I was out of ketchup, I subbed in some cherry tomatoes from the overabundance growing on the porch, which turned out to be incredibly delicious. And if you don’t have a slow cooker (or just don’t trust yours anymore!), these can also be done in a covered dish in the oven….

Tomato Bisque with Ricotta and Chives

March 10, 2011 By Korena in the Kitchen 4 Comments

I am not the biggest fan of raw tomatoes (something about the texture puts me off), but I do like tomato soup quite a bit – there’s nothing like Campbell’s tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. I had half a can of tinned tomatoes and some ricotta in the fridge that I didn’t know what to do with, so I decided to make some tomato soup and top it with the ricotta. I consulted with my friend Martha and came up with this recipe – actually double what I originally made, because it barely made enough for Nate and me!

I added milk to make it a little bit creamy, but that is totally optional. Use whatever herbs you want – I used thyme while cooking, and garnished it with chives because I noticed that they are just starting to come up in my herb garden. I would still use a hardier herb, such as thyme or oregano, during the cooking, and garnish with something more delicate (or stir it in at the last minute). Nate suggested dill, which would be fantastic in the summer when it is fresh and growing everywhere! And of course, you can’t go wrong with the tomato basil combination 😉 I *LOVE* ricotta, but it could be replaced with sour cream, crème fraîche, or even cream cheese if you’re feeling adventurous.

Because this recipe calls for canned tomatoes, it’s a good idea to use really good quality canned tomatoes, rather than a no-name bargain brand. I used Unico brand, which is decent, but my favorite is an Italian brand. The tomatoes are much riper and the juice they are packed in is much tomato-y-er, and it’s only about 50 cents more than the bargain brand, which is worth it for the taste….

Lunch at Café Ceylon

Beef Stroganoff

Things I made this week

The Best Banana Bread in the Entire World. Ever.

Welcoming Spring with Hot Cross Buns

Afternoon Tea at the White Heather Tea Room

Power Truffles

Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash

Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash

Delicious Ribs and Slow Cooker Fail

Tomato Bisque with Ricotta and Chives

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