And on the eleventh day of the 12 Days of Cookbooks, I give you Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn.

I first “encountered” Lucinda Scala Quinn on the show Everyday Food. I would catch an episode every now and then and was always impressed by her straightforward, pleasing dishes.

When I found out that she’d written a cookbook and that I would have the opportunity to review it, I was intrigued. When the book arrived at my doorstep, I was totally taken in.

My “routine” when I get a new cookbook is to sit down on the couch with a pack of post-its. I begin flipping through the book beginning with the dessert section (if there is one) and going back to the beginning. When I see a recipe I like, I bookmark it for future reference.

After five minutes, I realized that I had bookmarked every single page that I’d flipped through up to that point.

People, listen. This is easily one of the best cookbooks of the year.

To begin with, the production quality of the book is major! The paper, the photographs, the feel of it is just top scale all the way. Even if you never cook from it, it would make a fabulous coffee table book.

The book is a tribute to the meals that Quinn has prepared over the year for her sons and her husband. This is her family’s soul food. Starting with breakfast all the way through dessert, the recipes ooze comfort, flavour and warmth. As I read through each recipe I could feel myself being drawn deeper into a big, warm family hug.

And as soon as I hit page 76, I knew exactly what I was going to try: Tuna Melts.

Oh my gosh, people, I have not had tuna melts in years. I literally stopped, put the book down and thought back only to realize that it’s been at least ten years since I last had one of my favourite open-faced sandwiches.

Without delay, I went straight into the kitchen, prepared a tuna salad that I spooned onto some bread, topped with some cheddar and broiled.

Love.

That’s pretty much how I feel about the whole book.

Love. Love. Love.

Please buy yourself a copy as a Christmas gift. You deserve it!

To Lucinda, wherever you are, thank you for a cookbook that will grace my shelves for many, many years to come!

Ciao!

Tuna Melts a la Cream Puff
Inspired by Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Mad Hungry.

Note: This is my favourite tuna salad. To make a Tuna Melt, just spoon it onto the bread of your choice, top it with the cheese of your choice, and place it under the broiler for a few minutes.

1 can of good quality tuna, packed in olive oil
1/2 a shallot, finely chopped
1 dill pickle, finely chopped
1/4 cup pickled hot peppers, finely chopped
1/4 finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 slices of the bread of your choice, lightly toasted
4 slices of the cheese of your choice (I like aged cheddar)

Drain the tuna and place in a large bowl, breaking it up with a fork.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix very well. (I like a “loose” tuna salad with very little mayonnaise. You can adjust the consistency as you see fit.)

Preheat the broiler.

On a sheet pan, lined with aluminum foil, place the bread slices and top with generous portions of the tuna salad. Top with cheese.

Place under the broiler for a minute or two, until the cheese is melted and golden.

Eat immediately.

Enjoy!

One of my favourite ways to unwind at the end of the week is to stop by my local big-box bookstore on the way home from work.

Once there, I have a strict routine that I follow each and every time. First, I peruse the food section of the magazine rack. From there I make my way to the discounted cookbooks table and from there I travel to the epicentre of my world: the cookbook section.

Now it should be noted that I rarely buy cookbooks at my local big-box bookstore because Toronto has one of the very best cookbook stores anywhere, aptly named The Cookbook Store.

Still, though, I do enjoy my Friday after-work relaxation sessions and it was during one of these sessions that I picked up a cookbook that I fell instantly in love with: Jeanne Kelley’s Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes From a Modern Kitchen Garden.

I’m not quite sure what it was that drew me in. I don’t know if it was the brilliant cover photo of a pair of hands holding blue eggs (blue eggs!) and yellow tomatoes. I don’t know if it was the gingham design on the book’s spine (Cream Puff looooooooooooves gingham)! I don’t know if it was the size and weight of the book (something so comforting about the book’s heftiness).

I don’t know what it was.

All I know is that I marched to the cash register and happily handed over my money so that I could take this little piece of cookbook heaven home with me.

To say that I fell in love with this book is to put it mildly. The best way that I can sum up my feelings is that in my wildest dreams, were I ever to write a cookbook, this book is exactly how I would want it to look and feel and the recipes are exactly the kind of recipes I wish I could write.

All manner of beautiful photographs sit beside recipes that are a dream to me: Curried Yellow Split Pea Soup with Mint Yogurt, Green Been, Corn and Farro Salad, Broiled Iberico Cheese, Serrano Ham and Romesco Tartines, Alsatian Bacon and Onion Pizza, Albacore Kebabs with Charmoula and Moroccan Chicken Skewers.

Want more?

Okay.

How about Stuffed Turkey Breast with Achiote, Poblano Chiles and Feta Cheese? Or how about Spiced Lamb with Mint, Date and Apple Pear Relish? Rose and Orange-Scented Honey-Nut Tart? Any takers?

A sizeable cookbook, the paper is thick and glossy and the fonts used are so very pretty! The palette of colours used in the book’s design are warm and inviting, just like the very best of kitchen gardens.

There’s even a section on how to keep your own chickens.

Such a beautiful, beautiful cookbook.

Prior to purchasing it I had no idea who Jeanne Kelley was and wherever she may be in the world, I’d like to thank her for her vision in creating such a book.

It’s truly a thing of beauty.

Ciao!

Ricotta, Honey and Pecan Tartine
Inspired by Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes From a Modern Kitchen Garden by Jeanne Kelley.

Note: In case you hadn’t figured it out this book is my choice for Flavour of the Month for July 2008. A tartine is an open-faced sandwich. There is a recipe in the book for Whole Grain Tartines with Ricotta, Walnuts, Cherries, Honey and Mint. This is my pared down version (serves 2) of that recipe.

two 1 to 1-1/2-inch thick slices of good bread, grilled or toasted (I used a fabulous sourdough but you can use whatever you like)
1/2 cup ricotta
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. chopped mint

Divide the ricotta in half and spread half on one slice of bread and the other half of the ricotta on the second slice of bread.

In a small bowl, mix the pecans and the honey and then divide it equally amongst the two slices of bread, covering the ricotta with the pecan and honey mixture.

Sprinkle both tartines with mint.

Enjoy!

I’d like to thank everyone for all the kind words and comments you’ve left about the redesign of my blog.

This was a big step for me and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous as to how the new design would be received. There are still a few little issues to be worked out. I want to customize my sidebar a bit further and add some content including the Daring Bakers logo and links, but all in all I’m thrilled!

Now that the redesign is out of the way, it’s time to get back to the serious business of blogging. As many of you know at the beginning of the month I announced that my Flavour of the Month for May 2007 would be the lovely Tea Party by Tracy Stern. A busy schedule and the blog move meant that I haven’t been able to share very much from this book. As a result, this will continue to be the Flavour of the Month for June 2007. There are just too many incredible recipes for me to share with you in the few days left in May.

I have a lot of other news including an account of a wonderful lunch that I had with my own baking heroine, Dorie Greenspan. But until then, I leave you with what is perhaps one of the most recognizeable elements of afternoon tea: tea sandwiches.

There’s something irresistible to me about those perfect, tiny little concoctions that go so well with a cup of tea. I’ve had many variations of tea sandwiches, some good and some not-so-good. Stern has at least a handful of intriguing versions of the perfect tea sandwich. For this post, I decided to focus on two because they both include elements that I love.

The first is the cucumber tea sandwich. I adore cucumbers. During the summer, when it’s just far too hot and humid to cook elaborate meals for dinner (not that we often cook elaborate meals for dinner mind you), the humble tomato and cucumber salad is present on the table almost every night. Especially delicious because the cucumbers are from our very own garden, there’s very little else that I can think of that’s as refreshing as a cucumber.

In Tea Party, Stern has a pretty version of these sandwiches that feature cucumber slices on top of buttered bread garnished with mint leaves. For my version, I decided to forego the mint leaves and make a flavoured butter instead. I bought some lovely chives, which I processed with softened butter in the food processor. I used a scalloped cookie cutter to cut slices of basic white sandwich bread into 2-1/2 inch circles. I spread the chive butter on the rounds of bread and then topped them with thinly sliced cucumber. For a pretty touch I garnished my little sandwiches with chopped chives.

While the greenish tinge to the chive butter might put some people off, I loved the way these little sandwiches looked and I loved the way they tasted even more. The bite of the chives was a nice foil to the freshness of the cucumber.

I chose to try a second tea sandwich from Stern’s book because they featured blue cheese, which I adore. I’m slightly ashamed to admit this but I have been known to polish off huge hunks of blue cheese all by lonesome. I love me my cheese!

Tea Party includes a recipe for Blue Cheese, Walnut, and Pear Tea Sandwiches. While I’m not a huge fan of the pear, I thought I’d give the combination a try. The sandwich begins with a sturdy whole-grain bread that’s spread with a mixture of softened cream cheese and crumbled blue cheese. A sprinkling of chopped walnuts is followed by thin slices of pear. I topped the pear with a second slice of bread, trimmed the ends and cut the sandwiches into rectangles. I garnished with a bit of cheese and a walnut.

These tea sandwiches were delicious! The sweetness of the pear was a perfect match for the tanginess of the blue cheese and the walnut added a nice buttery crunch.

I know I recommend a lot of cookbooks, but if you’re in the market for a cookbook about tea, I highly recommend Stern’s book. These tea sandwiches were delicious and they’re only the tip of the tea iceberg!

Ciao!

Chive Butter

Note: Flavoured butters are so easy to make and they’re a wonderful way to add a twist to a multitude of dishes and foods. I like to make up large batches of flavoured butter, roll the butter into logs and then freeze them. This way I have pretty little butter logs to pull out whenever I entertain. Simply slice the logs into rounds and allow them to soften slightly before serving. This chive butter is excellent in sandwiches. I especially love it spread on corn on the cob!

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup chives, roughly chopped

Place the butter and the chives in the bowl of a food processor.

Process until the mixture is smooth.

Use the chive butter immediately or refrigerate it until you’re ready to use it. If you’re going to spreading the butter, let it soften again before using.

The chive butter can be frozen for two weeks.

Enjoy!

Technorati tags: tea, tea sandwich, tea party

Goodbye lazy summer days.

Goodbye backyard barbecues and farmer’s markets.

Goodbye open-toed shoes.

Goodbye iced lattes.

Goodbye sitting outside until midnight.

Goodbye Flavour of the Month:  Simple Italian Sandwiches.

Goodbye, September!

Ciao!

Hot Sorpressata and Fontina Panini

Adapted from Simple Italian Sandwiches by Jennifer Denton and Jason Denton.

Note:  Sorpressata is a type of Italian salami that tends to be quite spicy. Any type of spicy deli meat will work well in this panino. Fontina is an Italian cheese made of cow’s milk. It can be very strong-tasting but compliments the sorpressata nicely. Fontina works well for panini because it melts well.

Now that September is over and it’s time to move on from panini, I wanted to mention a comment I’d received from Mrs B of Eating Suburbia about how to make panini if you don’t have a press. You can make great panini using one of the following two methods:

1. The old-fashioned way (A):  Heat a large pan and place your panino on the pan. With a large spatula, press on the panino and hold for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the panino and repeat on the other side. This method is a bit tedious but it works.
2. The old-fashioned way (B):  Heat a large pan and place your panino on the pan. Cover the panino with another pan or pot that is quite heavy. You can make it heavier by weighing it down with a dish or a tin of food. Let the panino cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then remove the weight. Flip the panino and repeat on the other side.

(Special thanks to Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Michel of shakylegs for also suggesting ways of making panini without a press in my previous post.)

• 2 ciabatta buns, split in half
• olive oil (for brushing the tops and bottoms of the bun)
• a handful of arugula leaves (washed and dried)
• 8 slices spicy sorpressata, thinly sliced
• 2 slices Fontina cheese, thinly sliced (you can use more Fontina if you like)

1. Heat the panini press.
2. Lay half the arugula on the bottom half of each ciabatta bun.
3. Top with the sorpressata and Fontina.
4. Cover with the top half of the ciabatta bun and brush the top and bottom with olive oil.
5. Heat on the press for 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese has melted and begins to ooze slightly.
6. Remove the panini from the press and let cool for a minute. Slice the panini in half and serve.
7. Enjoy!

Technorati tags:  panini, sorpressata, fontina

What a week! It seems that the arrival of Autumn has brought with it busy days and busy nights. As a result, I’ve been a bit neglectful and I apologize. But never fear. I shall catch up on missed posts and unanswered e-mails as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I’m sending this panino to all of you as a weekend greeting. It’s filled with arugula (is there a better lettuce to use in panini … I don’t think so!), prosciutto cotto, fresh mozzarella and hot mustard.

The idea comes from the Cream Puffs in Venice Flavour of the Month for September 2006:  Simple Italian Sandwiches. For those of you that are unfamiliar with prosciutto cotto, it is ham that has been cooked as opposed to cured, such as Prosciutto di Parma. Prosciutto cotto (means "cooked ham" in English) is often used in cold salads (diced or cubed), on pizza and in sandwiches, and is wonderful baked in the oven. One of our favourite dishes is an eggplant dish where slices of eggplant are topped with prosciutto cotto and mozzarella and baked long enough for the mozzarella to melt. If you’ve never tried prosciutto cotto, visit your local Italian deli and sample it.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Ciao!

Prosciutto Cotto and Mozzarella Panino with Hot Mustard

Adapted from Simple Italian Sandwiches by Jennifer Denton and Jason Denton.

• 2 ciabatta buns or small baguettes, sliced in half
• olive oil (for brushing the tops and bottoms of the buns)
• a handful of arugula, washed and dried
• 2 to 3 tbsp. hot mustard (or any mustard that you prefer)
• 6 slices fresh mozzarella
• 6 slices prosciutto cotto

1. Heat your panini press.
2. Spread the hot mustard on one side of your bun or baguette.
3. Top with half the arugula.
4. Place three slices of the mozzarella on the arugula.
5. Top the mozzarella with three slices of prosciutto cotto.
6. Place the top half of the bun or baguette on the prosciutto cotto.
7. Brush the top and bottom of the bread with olive oil.
8. Grill the panino for 5 to 6 minutes, being careful that your bread doesn’t burn.
9. Remove the panino and let rest for a few minutes. Slice in half with a serrated knife.
10. Repeat with the second bun or baguette.
11. Enjoy!

Technorati tags:  panini, prosciutto cotto

When hunger strikes, strike back with a panino filled with pesto, arugula, artichoke, Prosciutto di Parma and Asiago cheese.

May the panini force be with you!

Ciao!

Pesto, Artichoke, Prosciutto and Asiago Panini

Inspired by Simple Italian Sandwiches.

• 2 ciabatta buns, halved
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto (click here for a basil pesto recipe)
• a handful of cleaned arugula leaves
• small jar of artichokes packed in oil or water (be sure to drain the artichokes very well)
• 6 slices of Prosciutto di Parma
• 4 slices Asiago cheese
• olive oil (to brush the top and bottom of the ciabatta buns before putting them on the panini press

1. Heat your panini press.
2. Spread the pesto over the bottom halves of the ciabatta buns.
3. Divide the arugula evenly between the two ciabatta buns and layer the arugula over the pesto.
4. Drain your artichokes well and divide them between the two panini. Layer the artichokes over the arugula.
5. Divide the prosciutto between the two panini and layer it on the artichokes.
6. Divide the Asiago between the two panini and layer it over the prosciutto.
7. Cover the panini with the other half of the ciabatta buns.
8. Brush the top and bottom of the buns lightly with olive oil. Place the panini in the press and grill on each side for 4 to 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the bread.
9. Serve immediately.
10. Enjoy!

Technorati tags:  panini, pesto, artichokes, prosciutto di parma, asiago

Alright. Now that I’ve sufficiently recovered from Black Friday, I can get on with September and the making of many delicious panini. Ladies and gentleman, please allow me to introduce to you The Nutella Supreme, a panino entirely of my own creation. Well. Almost.

Considering I listed Nutella as one of the five foods to eat before you visit the Bakery in the Sky, it makes perfect sense to launch September’s Panini Mania with a Nutella-filled panino. The Cream Puffs in Venice Flavour of the Month, Simple Italian Sandwiches, lists a recipe for Nutella Panini but you most certainly don’t need to follow a recipe to enjoy this treat.

What you do need is great bread and a jar of Nutella. As far as the bread is considered, for a Nutella panino I favour a quality baguette. Toronto’s ACE Bakery makes the most adorable mini-baguettes, which are perfect for individual servings. This means Cream Puff does not have to share her bread and Nutella. This is a very good thing.

My love affair with Nutella goes back as far as I can remember. But of all my Nutella memories, none are more thrilling than the blissful afternoon snacks that my brother, little cousins and I enjoyed on those occasions when we were in Italy for the summer. Because we would stay with my grandparents whose home was high up in the hills of Le Marche, my grandmother tended to buy the few foods she did not make herself in bulk. As a result, we didn’t have those tiny little jars of Nutella or those little snack-sized packages. No. We had a vat of Nutella. That’s right. A big plastic tub of the world’s greatest chocolate spread. Greedy little beasts that we were, we wouldn’t even wait for my grandmother to properly spread it on bread for us. Instead, we’d rip large loaves of bread into hunks and then dip the bread directly into the tub of Nutella.

Of course only a grandmother would let you do such a thing. And what fun we had! So with this lovely memory in mind, I was settled on making my Nutella panino when I received an e-mail from a reader who explained that her daughter likes to eat Nutella with peanut butter and strawberries. Now I am very familiar with Nutella and peanut butter sandwiches … consider them a homemade version of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. But for some reason, the idea of topping this luxurious concoction with strawberries just never occurred to me.

Inspired, I set about to create a new panino. I began with my little mini-baguettes, sliced in half and lightly buttered on each side. I grilled the baguette halves in the panini press for a few minutes. After removing them from the press, I let them cool slightly. If I had begun layering on the peanut butter and Nutella right away, the hot bread would melt the toppings and you’d have a very leaky panino, which is not necessarily a bad thing if you’re consuming it in total privacy with no one to watch as you greedily lick peanut butter and Nutella off your paws (or is that just me?). However, if you plan on taking a picture for your blog, I recommend letting the bread cool slightly.

Once the bread had cooled a bit, I spread peanut butter on one half and Nutella on the other. I topped the peanut butter half with sliced strawberries and sprinkled sliced almonds on the Nutella half. I sandwiched the two together, dusted the top with icing sugar and then … because one can never have too much Nutella … I drizzled some more Nutella over the entire thing.

And there you have it. The Nutella Supreme.

Okay. So maybe a month with no baking won’t be so bad after all.

Have a great week!

Ciao!

The Nutella Supreme

Loosely inspired by the daughter of a reader, a treasured family recipe and Simple Italian Sandwiches.

• 4 mini-baguettes, halved or 1 baguette, sliced into four equal pieces and then halved
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 4 strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• icing sugar for dusting

1. Heat your panini press.
2. Spread the butter equally on both sides of your bread.
3. Grill your bread in the press for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Be careful not to burn your bread.
4. Let the bread cool for a few minutes.
5. Spread the peanut putter equally on 4 of the bread halves.
6. Spread the Nutella equally on the other 4 bread halves.
7. Layer the strawberry slices over the 4 bread halves covered with peanut butter.
8. Sprinkle the almonds over the 4 bread halves covered with Nutella.
9. Sandwich the bread halves to form 4 panini.
10. Dust with icing sugar and drizzle on more Nutella if desired.
11. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe will serve 4. Feel free to use more Nutella or peanut butter depending on your preferences.

I do not recommend spreading the filling on your bread and then grilling the panini. The filling will leak out and you’ll end up with no filling on your bread but lots on your panini press!

The lovely Meeta of What’s for Lunch Honey? (how happy am I that I met Meeta!) hosts a recurring event called The Monthly Mingle. This month’s theme is your favourite holiday cuisine. Based on all the lovely memories that I have of enjoying Nutella while on vacation in Italy, this would have to be it. As a result, The Nutella Supreme is my entry for the 4th edition of Meeta’s Monthly Mingle. Thank you so much for hosting this event, Meeta! I can’t wait to see what next month’s theme is.

Technorati tags: nutella, peanut butter, panini, monthly mingle