Moroccan Turkey Stew

My mother was having some friends over for dinner the day after Boxing Day. Now, in our house, the Christmas Day meal is breakfast. Yup, that's right. Bacon, Ham, eggs, clementines, french toast, pancakes and champagne and OJ. Sidebar, Christmas Day is my favorite day of the year -I can eat as much as I want, drink as much as I want, and never have to get out of my PJ's!

Anyhow, we made an amazing turkey dinner on Boxing Day, and my mother wanted to incorporate it into her meal for company. Thus was born my Moroccan Turkey Stew.

Moroccan Turkey Stew

3 cups of turkey meat
1 can of Chickpeas, drained
1 large can of stewed tomatoes
1 cup of fresh spinach
1 medium sized sweet potato, chunked
3 large carrots, chunked
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1 med. white onion, thinly sliced.
2 cups of spinach
1 1/2 tsp. each of cumin, coriander and turmeric
pinch of Cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 450. Toss Sweet potato and carrots with olive oil, and 1 tsp. of cinnamon, cumin, coriander and S&P. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender.

Heat olive oil on med. heat. Saute onions until soft, add garlic. Add tomatoes, and saute until tender. Add sweet potato and carrots and tomato paste. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock. making sure to scrape all those lovely brown bits off the bottom. Add turkey, chickpeas and stewed tomatoes. Season with remaining spices, salt and pepper. Add spinach and cover until spinach wilts.

Serve over brown rice with Naan or pita bread. I also added a fruit chutney on the side.

Merry Christmas to all!

Few things say "Christmas" like fruitcake and an Eggnog Martini!

Wishing you and yours a holiday season full of my favorite things: food, fun and friends!

Happy Holidays!

Family Christmas Party

I grew up cooking, and subsequently eating my meals at the kitchen table surrounded by cookbooks. Eating, while reading about food is actually one of my favorite pastimes. Come to think about it, reading about food IS my favorite pastime. I've even been scolded by my friends at parties a few times for reading their cookbooks instead of socializing (Loser). Anyhow, I digress...

I grew up with Company's Coming, Jean Pare's institution of a cookbook series, and the one from which I drew the following recipe for Cream Puffs for my family Christmas Party.

Cream Puffs from Company's Coming Desserts, p. 103, adapted by moi.

1 cup Boiling Water
1/2 cup Butter
1/4 tsp. Salt

1 cup Flour
4 Eggs

500 ml. Whip Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp. Icing Sugar

200 g Dark chocolate, melted

Method:

Combine water, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until in forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each is added. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.


Whip cream, vanilla and icing sugar using an electric mixture until light and fluffy. Spoon into a pastry bag and pipe into the cream puffs.


Melt chocolate in a double boiler and dip the tops into chocolate.


Put cream puffs in the fridge to let the chocolate set, then assemble into a tower. Dust with powdered sugar and wait for the "oooo"s and "aaahhh"s!

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

Every year I exchange Christmas presents with the most extreme chocoholic that I've ever met. Essentially, I put a good deal of thought into each year's offering in order to top the previous. Last year's delectable, chocolaty treat consisted of a chocolate cake enclosing a chocolate mousse layer, covered in chocolate ganache, chocolate curls and surrounded by chocolate praline wafers...RIGHT? Sadly, my only photo of that masterpiece was on my camera phone, so you'll never get to see the finished product.

Anyhow, this year was the ultimate chocolate chip cookie! It could easily be made with store-bought dough (no judgment!) but mine was from scratch.

So...chocolate chip cookie, topped with milk chocolate ganache, Kit Kat chunks, and multi-coloured sprinkles.

Sweet 'n' Salty Holiday Treats

The other night I had a salty sweet craving...Seeing as how I needed to make a treat to bring to a Holiday party, I decided to indulge my own desires and make my favorite snack; chocolate covered pretzels. These things are so easy, it's laughable...although it did take a while to strategically place the seasonal mini M&M's on the melted chocolate without them sliding off!


This simple method is as follows. The hard part is not eating them all yourself...

Melt Chocolate.
Dip pretzels in chocolate.
Top w/ Mini M&M's.
Set in the fridge until hardened.

Walk away!

MMMMMMMMM.....

Naughty Cookie Company

I met Dawn Emson, owner of the Naughty cookie company at a work function as I was painstakingly deciding which of her scrumptious samples of biscotti to choose. In the end, I sampled all four - are you surprised? My personal favorite was the Holiday Ginger Nut, combining my favorite type of nut with my favorite uh...root? The following is a list of yummy biscotti offered on her website.

Holiday Ginger Nut~This gingerbread Dunking Optional Biscotti is filled with heaps of Macadamia nuts and spices...biscottilicious with a cup of steamed milk or hot cocoa...

The Original Christmas Biscotti~Just in time for Christmas, this Dunking Optional Biscotti is filled with cherries, and more cherries (red and green of course) and slivered almonds...with the texture similar to shortbread...it reminds me of my grandmother's cookies she baked with love every Christmas...and trust me..one is not enough!

Canadian Maple Crunch~gives you just that…a crunch of pecans in a light maple biscotti (made with 100% pure Nova Scotia maple syrup)...you can't eat just one...

Double Double~For the real coffee lover... try this new addiction. Take espresso and add DOUBLE the chocolate, then to ‘top’ it off with DOUBLE roasted espresso beans and you have got Double Double…Enjoy!

Visit Dawn's website at www.thenaughtycookieco.com for details!

Feast with Friends

On Sunday night, I had the ultimate indulgence with my ultimately indulgent friends. There's nothing like good food, good wine and amazing people to share it with. I met my friend Joanne about three years ago. In one of out Tourism classes, she was doing a presentation on wine tourism, while mine was on culinary tourism. I immediately decided that we would be friends, and now, that friendship is indispensable.

Another friend of ours had a bottle of the now SOLD OUT Benjamin Bridge Nova 7, Nova Scotia's first and only sparkling wine, and was looking for an opportunity to crack it. The fact that this bottle even existed in his cellar made for an opportunity to celebrate, and so we did. Now, normally, when J and I get together for food, the day passes in a storm of phone calls where we "bounce culinary ideas off one another" as our friend so perfectly put it. We discuss the general menu, what our recent cravings are, and what wines to pair with what foods... you know, the usual. This Sunday was no different, and it made for an amazing smorgasbord (I LOVE THAT WORD) of flavour.

The spread...

I picked up a few essentials at the market on Sunday. J and her man live for That Dutchman's Dragon's Breath Blue, so clearly that was a must. I don't know what the appeal here is really, cause this is one strong, pungent and stinky cheese, but we're all drawn to it's incredible flavor.

I also felt the need to consume vast amounts of butter, so I picked up a loaf of fresh, springy, sweet and, well, buttery french brioche from La Boulangerie Vendienne.


As much as J desired the stinky, yet delicious blue, I was craving some sweet, creamy goat's cheese, which she mixed with cream cheese, and rolled in..wait for it...pistachios, and pink peppercorns. The former, enhancing the rich cheese's natural sweetness, while the later contrasted it with a touch of heat.


As soon as I learned of J's intention to include pistachios to the meal, I had the urge to incorporate sweet, buttery apricots to the mix. Admittedly, this recipe would best be served with fresh apricots, but since they aren't in season, I bit my tongue, went with dried and hoped for the best.


Apricot spread/salsa/jam/ whatever you want to call it:

1 cup of dried apricots
1 cup boiling water
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp. crushed coriander
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

Method:

Soak the apricots in the boiling water until soft, then roughly chop. Add the honey, coriander and pepper and mix.

The end result was pretty spectacular, especially when layered over pistachio studded goat cheese, which itself was smeared atop of slightly toasted, warm, buttery brioche.

Another phenomenal bite included the spicy pink peppercorn
goat cheese balanced by the luscious jewel-like raspberries

Baked Brie with Kahlua, Brown Sugar and Pecans

I'm not quite sure what measurements J used here, but I'm pretty sure that it was a game of chance. She cut the top off of the Brie before baking it though - That top is too annoying to deal with when you're trying to get to the ooey gooey underneath.

An amazing bite!

The Wines!

Fewer than 200 cases of Benjamin Bridge's 2007 Nova 7 were released in July 2008 and were sold out in weeks. This is a beauty; fresh and fruity. My friend Gabe managed to hold on to this one for a while.

You know the saying...

"A picture is worth a thousand words"

Ted Hutton Family Farms at the Halifax Farmer's Market

B-Day dinns at Baan Thai

Overlooking Dresden Row is one of Halifax's culinary treasures. Though the sign is displayed street side, I had never taken the initiative until my friend mentioned her craving for Thai food. Now, since it was her Birthday that we were celebrating, I left the choice of restaurants up to her...but not without emailing her the suggested menu!

Upon reading the menu, I knew that this would be my choice. It wasn't until I saw roasted duck curry on the menu that I knew she would be like putty in my hands...muahahaha.

Unfortunately, the driving force behind my desire to eat at Bann Thai, the shrimp chips were not available that night. After a little bit of sulking - after all, it wasn't my party, I couldn't cry if I wanted to - we went with the mango salad accompanied by another starter of fish cakes.

The B-day girl went with not one, but two curries! I've never seen anyone with such an enthusiasm for this type of dish. We chose the roasted duck curry, obviously(!), and the Green Jungle Curry, which was insanely hot. We also got an order of Jasmine rice to soak up all the yummy, spicy sauce.

Appys:

Fish Cakes

The fish cakes were delightful, with a crispy batter enclosing the tender fish. The dipping sauce was a sweet and salty soy based concoction that was the perfect pairing for the tasty, slightly greasy fishcakes. Gotta have a bit of grease every now and then...

Mango Salad

A sweet and refreshing mango salad accompanied the cakes. Tossed with peppers and crisp, almost spicy red onions, our choice of appy combos were in perfect balance.

Mains...

Roasted Duck Curry
w/ grape tomatoes, basil and pineapple

Thai Green Jungle Curry
w/ pork, eggplant, mushrooms and peppers

This was certainly a great night for a B-day celebration. At the end of the evening, no cake was to be had, as we were all in a food induced comatose state. However judging by the satisfied face of the B-day girl, no cake was needed!

1569 Dresdent Row
902.446.4301

Sweet Things to start the Holiday Season

There are a few things that are essential for my Christmas Holiday Season to be complete. Although some (crazy) people need snow, Christmas carols or the sent of pine trees, my necessities are, of course, of the edible variety. There are three things that I crave at Christmas time. To me, the season has not started until I have consumed them all.

Clementines - The quintessential Christmas citrus. This little guy has an almost apricot-like taste, you can eat eleven in one sitting and not feel guilty, and there is always the mindless challenge of peeling them in one piece.

Eggnog - The best thing since...milk? Sidebar, How come there isn't a "got nog" ad campaign? Hmmm, I should get on that one. My heart beats a little quicker when I see these festive cartons appear on the grocery store shelf. Clearly, my first thought goes to a little amber rum and eggnog, 2 ice cubes and a dash of cinnamon...but why stop there? Eggnog in coffee is delish, and I had quite a happy crowd when I recently made eggnog french toast.

Candy Cane Ice Cream - Also tres seasonal. Rich and minty...and a nice flavor change from the usual mint ice cream. Also, I may have mentioned in previous posts that since my wisdom teeth came out, I have a serious relationship with this cold and creamy treat.

Grafton Street Dinner Theatre...and food phobias

This past week, I went to the Grafton Street Dinner Theater as for my office Christmas party. This is a great way to relax, have fun and get in the Christmas spirit! It was also a great way for me to get to know my new colleagues in a not so formal setting.


A delightfully creamy, seafood-packed chowda was my choice of appy. For a main, this company provides 6 choices! I, of course was the last to order but finally decided on jam-packed lobster crepes, fresh veg and a lovely creamy sauce. For dessert, a huge - and I mean huge, berry crumble of which I ate the entire thing. Sidebar - My camera died before I could photograph the tasty berry treat.

As much as I loved the food on this particular night out, I was more taken with the way the show set the wheels turning in my slightly (wine induced) cloudy brain. The show was about phobias. I have the "usual" phobias I guess - I'm petrified of sharks, and I'm not too fond of broccoli. However, I recently went for allergy testing, and I realized then and there that a true phobia of mine is the potential discovery of a food allergy.

It makes me sad when people are allergic to food. Allergies like seafood, nuts and berries - no bacon wrapped scallops, peanut M&M's and chocolate dipped strawberries? WHAT. Anyhow, it turns out that the allergies I had as a child remain: dust, dust, cats (sniff) and more dust. I have also determined this Christmas season that I might just be allergic to my Christmas tree as well. However, that is a small price to pay as Christmas comes but once a year, but bacon wrapped scallops are forever.

Lazy Sunday Brunch at The Carleton

After a looooooong morning meeting at a local coffee shop, I met a friend for brunch and a stroll. After much consideration, as well as encountering several closed restaurants in the process, we ended up on the corner of Prince and Argyle. Sidebar- WHY are so many restaurants who have Sunday Brunch on their menus CLOSED for Sunday brunch?!? Anyhow, after a quick browse over the Carleton's brunch menu, we settled in at a table by the window and cozied up to our twin Americanos.

As per usual we went the sharezies route and chose two dishes to halve. We went for the Smoked Salmon Benny and the Fruit and Yogurt cup with Granola. The Eggs Benny were fantastic with a light, lemony Hollandaise and supple smoked salmon. The Carleton also provided some of the best hash browns that I've had in a while. Unfortunately, the Fruit and Yogurt left a little to be desired, as the fruit selection, though fresh, was pretty minimal.

The Carleton's brunch menu has a great selection, and we drooled over the pancakes and french toast for a while before choosing some "lighter" options. I'll definitely try it again though as I can still taste those salty chunks of potato-y goodness.

Soy Beans and Dumplings

This Friday, I invited my friend Maria over to do...well nothing. Between her schedule and mine, we both needed a little RnR, and I thought "why not do it together?" However, even a night in needs a good dinner, so after work on Friday, I headed over to the Asian variety across the street.

I love ethnic food stores. Every trip is different, and you discover so many new flavors and spices. Though I love all the sauces, dips, noodles and rice, my favorite part is the snack foods.

Pork and Veggie Dumplings and Edamame, sans shell. Unfortunately, when I got home, I realized that I had forgotten the chili sauce at the Asian. What good is fresh when there is no bite to contrast it? In a moment of genius, I spied (in my near-empty fridge) a jar of my aunt's hot pepper jelly. I swiftly chucked it in the nuker and added it to my soy.

Fluffy pillows of sweet pork and fresh veg

Edamame...buttery beans

The final product!

For my sweet tooth, I had to get some dessert. I chose some Peanut Mochi. These things come in all kinds of cool and unusual flavors like red bean and brown sugar, and are wrapped in a graham crumb-like coating. What's not to like? Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of these. With an odd, jelly-like texture, it was like tempting me with a bad knock off of Reese peanut butter cups. I don't usually use symbols to express my thoughts, but in this case the sad face " :( " doesn't even come close. On the bright side, at least my dins was fantastic!

Peanut Mochi...aka, heartbreak

Marvelous Muffins

If there was only one thing that I could exist on for the rest of my life, it would be muffins. That might seem a little random as I have fairly gourmet taste buds, but these baked treats are just the thing to cease those growls emerging from my stomach.

Think about it. Muffins can be both savory and sweet, like biscuits or cake and contain fruits, vegetables, even meat! Sidebar- Ham, cheese and jalapeno corn muffin from Whole Foods in NYC....amazing!

This weekend, I tried an apple and bran muffin from Wired Monk. Normally, I'm not all about chain muffins, but here, I make an exception. Wired Monk's baked goods always deliver.

Also of note:

• Cabin Coffee
• The Daily Grind
• Uncommon Grounds-Valid! It's a local chain
• Just Us!-Also a local chain
• Deli Green Bakery & Catering _ I get mine at Atlantic News on Morris St.
  
• Also looking forward to trying mmmmuffins from Ciboulette and Certainly Cinnamon
  

Ah-What a beautiful sight!

Followed by one of the saddest sights in the world...

Opening Night at Bear Restaurant

As you can probably tell by now, I get really excited about food. Yeah, I love good food in itself, but when paired with the buzz about a new restaurant and the excitement of an opening night, I am filled with tremendous anticipation.

The feeling for this particular resto started with a seedling back in June when I first saw the sign for Bear Restaurant on Barrington Street. Now, here's the background on this place. Bear is the flagship resto of Nova Scotian chef Ray Bear. Bear is known for his transformation of the restaurant, Gio, in the Prince George Hotel. Also an asset to Bear is the lead bartender, Tom Rubin who created a fantastic cocktail menu.

I've become accustomed to sharing small plates with friends recently, but on this visit, I wanted a whole meal to myself. When I talk about excitement, nothing can compare to the giddy feeling that touched every nerve in my body when I was handed the brand new menu to the brand new Bear.

Newfs look out. My meal for the evening was spectacular. As I perused the various offerings of lamb, steak and rabbit, my eyes zeroed in on a slightly unusual selection for a Haligonian menu. It goes as follows; (oh, and make sure to wipe the drool off your computer screen when I'm done) Butter poached lobster tail, with salt cod brandade, sweet corn and...wait for it, scruncheons!! The premise might sound a little odd to non-native Newfoundlanders, but there's nothing like a piece of crispy, salty fried pork fat. I was overjoyed when I saw this description and closed my menu immediately, decision made.

The lobster meat was luscious and sweet with a rich tint of butter, while the concept of creamy mashed potatoes were given new life when mixed with herbs and salted cod. The yellow corn added a touch of sweetness and a lovely contrast to the scruncheons's salty bite.

For another little bite at the end of the meal, we shared a cheese plate. Bear does this course a little differently than most restos, allowing you choose from around 20 different cheeses, while paying by he ounce. We went with a pungent St. Benedictine blue, a nutty St. Andre, and a creamy Ash Brie. These were complimented with a variety of sweet and fruity bites!

Bear Restaurant
1241 Barrington St.

425.BEAR (2327)


http://www.bearrestaurant.com/

Titz'n Glitz 2008

Last week, I took part in a spectacular event. I was the Food Chair for Titz'n Glitz, a Breast cancer fundraiser held at the Marriott Harbourfront Hotel with proceeds going to "On the Front Line" Breast Cancer Society.

It was not an easy task to coordinate food for 750 ladies on a virtually non-existent budget. I was a busy bee generating sponsorship and donations...not to mention planning a bangin' menu. I could not have achieved these results, however, without the wonderful organizations who came through to give to a great cause.

It ain't called Titz'n Glitz fer nothin'!

Pete's Frootiqe was the logical place to go to get some fresh, and luscious fruit. Yoplait donated some of their creamy Source Yogurt for the health conscious, and the Chefs at Cora's Breakfast and Lunch took on the task of carving up melons for the fruit display.

Chef Jeffrey Wilfong created the fruit and vegetable displays. I gave him some images of what I had in mind, and boy, did he deliver!

Pete's Frootique also worked out an incredible cheese selection. Not only did they provide some scrumptious cheeses, but they supplemented this display with a multitude of additions to create amazing bites. Nuts, grapes, dates and figs shared the stage with pomegranites and papaya to please the palate!

Creamy cheese plate with Brie and Camembert

My favorite cheese plate; the stinky cheeses with THREE Dragon's Breath Blue, Dubliner Cheddar, Stilton and Goat's Cheese.

Hard cheeses plate with Cranberry Cheddar, Old Cheddar,
Gouda and Swiss

To go along with the scrumptious cheese from Pete's Frootique, Julien's Bakery donated a mountain of bread. We're not just talkin' baguettes, though theirs are fantastic. There were chewy and crispy, savory and sweet!

The menu also consisted of a variety of 'bars', but not the ones you have in mind. Nope, these were some 'do-it-yourselfers', and I'm pretty sure they were a hit.

Taco Bar

Chipotle Marinated Steak,
Tequila-Citrus Marinated Chicken
Shrimp and Black Bean,

w/ all the fixins'

Sundae Bar, courtesy of Sobeys:

Chocolate sauce, Caramel sauce, Oreo cookie crumbs, Skor Bites, Hershy's Mint Chocolate Chips Mini M&Ms, Sprinkles, Blueberries and Raspberries to accompany Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream, generously donated by Scotsburn.

You can't have a sundae w/out Cookies
and Brownies and Squares- Oh My!

The Party Cake

Shauna Austin of City Girl Cakes put this broad together. I love chocolate cake and I have to say, that I've never tasted anything like this creation. Her cake was moist, and both dense and light all at once!

It was a great night for a greater cause. Slightly stressful, but a valuable experience for me, Titz'n Glitz 2008 was an event I'll never forget.

For more information, or to make a donation, go to: http://www.titiznglitz.com/

http://www.citygirlcakes.com/

http://www.petesfrootique.com/