Cooking with Alison

Posts Tagged ‘food’

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Herbed Focaccia Recipe (from scratch)

In Breads on October 14, 2010 at am

Focaccia is an Italian bread that can be topped lightly or substantially, or used as sandwich bread.  Its popularity in North America has resulted in overly simplified recipes using prepared pizza dough.  I like Peter Reinhart’s recipe from his very well-rated book, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  Although it is a 1 to 2 day process (most of the time spent rising the dough), it is well worth the effort.  Everyone that tried this bread loved it.

I made focaccia for the first time one weekend, while studying for a designation exam.  Each step between rising became a study break.  Since I had a variety of fresh herbs on hand, I made herbed focaccia.  See my sun dried tomato focaccia recipe here.

Some other suggestions:

  • olives, roasted garlic, herbs, sundried tomatoes, or garlic infused oil (dimple these in before the 2 hour proofing time)
  • hard cheeses such as parmesan, chedder, swiss, or Monterey Jack (add this 5 minutes before the finished baking time)
  • soft cheeses like mozzarella or feta (add these about 10 min before the finished baking time)
  • try topping the finished focaccia with an assortment of meat and/or vegetables (ie. carmelized onions and goats cheese)
  • try slicing the focaccia in half and using it as a sandwich bread

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Shrimp Flavoured Noodles with Pacific Clams and Chinese Broccoli (One Pot Meal)

In Rice and Noodle Dishes on October 12, 2010 at am

Thin, shrimp flavoured noodles are used in various dishes in Cantonese (Chinese) restaurants.  They come dried, in little bundles (1 or 2 per serving) and cook just as quickly as instant noodles.  So they’re perfect for quick and delicious one pot meals.  If you’ve never had these before, I should inform you that they don’t actually taste like shrimp.  They have a subtle, unique, and indistinguishable flavour that, in my opinion, makes them addictive.  You can serve them in soup (but eat them quickly before they expand and get mushy) or “dry”.  Like they do in restaurants, dressing these noodles can be as simple as drizzling with oyster sauce.  I usually treat them like healthy “instant noodles”, but this time I fancied them up for dinner.  I also like eating these noodles dry with fish balls and boiled lettuce (recipe here).

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I ate at a restaurant where Barack Obama ate! (Stewman’s Restaurant Review)

In Random, Reviews on October 10, 2010 at am

Bar Harbor, Maine, USA, was one of the ports of our New England cruise.  Completely by chance, my sister and I found the restaurant, Stewman’s Downtown.  Underneath the Stewman’s sign, the words “President Obama Was Here” had been written on a few wooden planks.  When a staff member confirmed that US President, Barack Obama had indeed dined at Stewman’s Downtown, we immediately asked for a table, even though we were risking not making it back onto the cruise ship in time.  I was crazy excited about eating at a restaurant where Barack Obama once dined.  It’s too bad that our actual dining experience wasn’t great.  Here is our mixed review of the restaurant, Stewman’s Lobster Pound, the downtown location.  Note that I’ve also thrown in a review of a raw bar in Bowen’s Wharf, Newport, RI.

On a side note, random food-related discoveries are among my favourite things in the world.  Also on that list are maki/sushi/sashimi, massages, comfy duvets, and whole weekends spent in bed watching tv series and movies.

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New England Clam Chowder Reviews and Recipe

In Reviews, Soups and Salads on October 8, 2010 at am

My sister and I celebrated her birthday by taking a cruise along the east coast of Canada and the USA (New England).  Being a huge fan of clam chowder, I was naturally excited to try New England clam chowder from New England.  Unfortunately, having only a few hours at each port, we were only able to try clam chowder from Boston, MA, and Bar Harbor, Maine.  But we were not disappointed.  We also sampled two major brands of oyster crackers.  Here I share my reviews of the chowders and the oyster crackers, as well as my own recipe for a quick and easy New England clam chowder (photos at the very bottom of this post).  Be warned, this is a full fat, high caloried recipe.

New England Clam Chowder Reviews

Boston, MA

When we were in Boston, we tried the “New England Clam Chowda ‘Voted Boston’s Best’ ” from Boston Chowda and it was the best I have ever had!  Photo below.  To start, the temperature of the soup was piping hot.  The potatoes were cooked perfectly, the clam’s weren’t overcooked or tough, and the consistency of the soup was exactly how I like it, creamy and substantial but not too thick.  Also, the ratio of potatoes and clams to soup was perfect.  Boston Chowda can be found at the Prudential Center (where we had it), at Quincy Market in Faneuil Hall, and in North Andover.  We didn’t have a chance to taste test the clam chowder from Legal’s Seafood – a restaurant that is often voted as having the best clam chowder – but I plan to the next time I visit the city.

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Stir Fried Chicken and Peppers with Black Beans

In Meat and Eggs on October 6, 2010 at pm

One of my family’s favourite Chinese restaurants in Markham, ON, has a stir fry dish where the chicken and peppers are cut into very small pieces.  I think this method enhances the flavour of the dry sauce.  This is my recreation of that chicken and pepper dish.  It is simple, colourful, and flavourful, and is best enjoyed with a hot bowl of white rice.

On a side note, my family always refers to that Chinese restaurant as “sketchy place”, because it’s such a dirty hole in the wall, but the food is unique, delicious and relatively low in price.  The best food often comes from the sketchiest establishments.  Someone will ask, “Where are we going for dinner tonight?”  The reply will literally be, “Sketchy place.”  We go there quite often and the family that runs the restaurant knows us well.

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Best Pineapple Cake Recipe (and a little bit of food psychology)

In Cakes on October 4, 2010 at am

I tried pineapple and walnut cake for the first time recently and this experience turned out to be a neat example of food psychology.  I find that pineapple cake has a distinct flavour and texture that is noticeably different from that of a standard cake.  So when most people try it for the first time, they are thrown off when it doesn’t taste the way they were subconsciously expecting it to.  This mismatch results in a knee-jerk negative perception of the food at hand.  It took me two bites to decide whether or not I liked it, and only one more bite to fall in love with it  🙂  I made it for my mom’s birthday the next week.  My dad, Ed’s family, and my housemate really enjoyed the cake.  But it was funny to watch my mom, Ed, and Krystal as they took their first bites.  I could see from their faces that they had the same initial reaction that I had.  My sister didn’t take another bite because she decided that she didn’t like it.  However, it didn’t take long for my mom to decide that she liked it.  Then, after encouraging Ed to try more of it, he quickly became a big fan too  🙂  If you give it a chance, I think you are going to love the moistness and density of this simple and fresh cake.

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Sockeye Salmon Cream Cheese Spread

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on October 2, 2010 at am

My entire extended family loves canned sockeye salmon and has been eating it for decades.  But I never appreciated it until a few years ago when my sister mixed it with cream cheese.  The ratio of salmon to cream cheese is important to achieve the perfect balance of fish and creaminess.  I like adding just enough cream cheese to soften the fishiness without masking its unique flavour.  In my opinion, if you can easily make out the taste of cream cheese, you’ve added too much.  Sockeye salmon is very flavourful so I like to keep the ingredients simple and fresh, and I don’t add salt.  If you’re tired of tuna salad (recipe here), give this a try.  It’s great in sandwiches or served as a spread for crackers.

Note: If you’ve never used canned sockeye salmon before, don’t be alarmed if you see fish skin and bones.  The bones are soft enough that they are edible (and they’re actually good for you).

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Beef Chow Mein Recipe (Restaurant Style)

In Rice and Noodle Dishes on September 30, 2010 at pm

Cantonese style chow mein dishes are very popular in Chinese restaurants.  I love the crispy noodles topped with saucy meat/seafood and vegetables.  Beef and Chinese broccoli (“gai lan” or “kai lan”) chow mein is just one of many delicious variations.  Use whatever ingredients you have on hand.  This dish is very simple to make, although it is slightly labour intensive.  A healthier and less labour intensive option is to mix the noodles in with the toppings instead of pan frying the noodles separately.

Photo on the left:  You can see the crispy noodles along the edges of this dish.  That’s the best part of this meal and it’s Very easy to do it just like the restaurants.

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Quicky Sticky Biscuits

In Other Desserts on September 28, 2010 at pm

If you like sticky, caramel/toffee desserts, you’ll appreciate these.  I’ve made them for my family and for a dinner party and everyone loved them.  They are easy to make and since there are no rising periods, this is a relatively quick recipe.  They taste best fresh out of the oven as the toffee hardens when it cools.  But you can warm them up again in the microwave.  Also, keep in mind that these biscuits make a heavy treat.  Luckily, I discovered that they freeze well and can be re-heated in the microwave.

See the original recipe and a photo of these biscuits from the cookbook here.

Quicky Sticky Biscuits

makes 12 biscuits; adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor

for the sauce:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup salted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans

for the biscuits:
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup very cold or frozen unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces
2 cups cold buttermilk  (I used 2 tbsp lemon juice topped up to 2 cups of cold milk and I let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before using.)

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Review of Smoke’s Poutinerie

In Reviews on September 24, 2010 at pm

Smoke’s Poutinerie is a Canadian chain that specializes in non-traditional poutine.  To date, there are 7 locations in Toronto with additional locations in Tremblant, Ottawa and London.  To my excitement, they opened for business in Kingston, Ontario on Monday September 20, 2010.  The week they opened, I went with Ed and co-workers to try it.

I was impressed by their food and customer service, but even more so by the fact that they started the World Poutine Eating Championship (more on that below).

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Smoked Salmon and Lemon Mascarpone Crostini

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on September 19, 2010 at pm

I recreated my favourite appetizer from a local restaurant (Kingston, ON).  Ed and I may be a bit biased, but we like my version better.  That’s probably because I was able to use my favourite brand of smoked salmon.  Of all of the pre-packaged smoked salmon brands that I’ve tried (and I have tried many), Norwegian Fjord’s Smoked Norwegian Steelhead Salmon is my favourite.  I have only ever seen this brand at Costco.  I’ve made these for parties and pot lucks and they never last long.  They are extremely easy to make.

Notes:  I highly recommend that you make the pickled red onions.  They add the most pleasant sweetness (surprise!) and texture to this crostini.  Smoked salmon is more commonly served with capers.  Capers would also enhance the visual appeal of crostini.  However, I usually leave them off because they add too much sodium to the already salty salmon for my taste (and health).

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Pickled Red Onions Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on September 18, 2010 at pm

I love the addition of pickled red onions to smoked salmon. They are very easy to make and can be used as a condiment for all sorts of things.  What I love about this recipe is the balance of sweet and sour.  You don’t really notice the sweetness of the onions until you pair them with lemon juice on a smoked salmon crostini, for example.  Then you get a really nice, crisp, and refreshing surprise.

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