I picked up a copy of a special publicaton by Vegetarian Times called the Farmer’s Market Cookbook featuring some of the magazine’s best summer recipes. I immediately bookmarked the recipe for Oregano and Asiago Focaccia, which originally appeared in the April 2008 edition of the magazine. This is probably the easiest focaccia you will ever make. It’s delicious and fast and it will go very quickly. Trust me.

Word to the wise: use finely grate the Asiago. I used coarsely grated cheese and it didn’t quite all melt into the focaccia (not that anyone is complaining, mind you) but if you want your cheese fully incorporated, use finely grated.

As always, this is my entry for Magazine Mondays. That’s the “non-event” I started as a way of forcing myself to use those clipped magazine recipes that were piling up everywhere. I can’t believe it but in October, MM will be three years old! Wow!

Anyway, if you post a magazine recipe (doesn’t have to be posted on a Monday), just send me the link and I’ll include it in my next round-up. Details about Magazine Mondays are all here.

Here’s who’s joining me for this week’s edition:

Melissa of It’s the Way She… made Goat Cheese and Roasted Corn Quesadilla from the March 2009 issue of Cooking Light.

Andrea of New Holistic Guide made a Garden Tomato and Goat Cheese Dip from Viva.

Recipe Sleuth from Eye for a Recipe made Creamy-Cilantro Lime Slaw from the July 2010 issue of Bon Appétit; Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Olivada from the July 2010 issue of Bon Appétit and Tender Zucchini Fritters with Green Goddess Dressing from the August 2010 issue of Bon Appétit.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Buttermilk Pecan Chicken Cutlets from the June 2010 issue of Cooking Light.

Janie of Panini Girl made Mostarda di Pomodori from the August 2010 issue of La Cucina Italiana.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

I love my mommy.

Even though I am fully grown, I still call her mommy.

She’s the best mommy a Cream Puff could have.

Happy Mother’s Day, mommy!

And a Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. Hope it’s so sweet!

Ciao!

The Best French Toast
Serves 3 (or 2 very hungry people)

Note: This is my base recipe for french toast. You can amend the recipe based on what flavours you want to produce. You can add all sorts of extracts to the base, you can add liquor to the base, you can add flavoured sugars to the base, you can double the base or triple it easily and you can even make the base savoury for a french toast dinner. If you prefer an eggier french toast, add an egg and reduce the amount of dairly by a quarter cup. For the bread, I like to use thick slices of brioche or a good quality sandwich bread. You can keep the French Toast warm while you cook all the bread by placing it in a 200 degree F. oven in an oven-proof dish.

The Base:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup whole milk
a pinch of salt

To the base, for the recipe pictured here, I added:

3 tablespoons vanlla sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 slices thickly sliced brioche or sandwich bread
Melted butter (to grease the griddle or sauté pan)

Combine the beaten egg, cream, milk and salt in a wide shallow bowl. Add whatever additions you like to the base (in my case I added vanilla sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon).

Either heat a griddle or a large sauté pan and grease the bottom with a bit of melted butter. Regulate the heat accordingly so you don’t burn your French Toast (I generally keep it at medium-low once the pan has heated up nicely).

Dip one slice of bread in the egg and cream mixture. Don’t dip for too long (I like to dip about 5 seconds per side). Carefully place the bread in the griddle or pan and cook on each side for three to four minutes. The bread will be golden when you flip it. Transfer the slice to a plate and keep it in a warm oven while you cook the rest.

Once you’ve cooked all the French Toast slices, serve with whatever garnishes you like including: powdered sugar, strawberries, cream, maple syrup and butter.

Enjoy!

As March draws to an end I find myself slowly emerging from the last two months. I can very clearly recall the beginning of January, but everthing between that first week of 2010 to now is a blur.

Work. Work. Work.

It’s been challenging, fun, stressful, difficult, exciting and so very busy. As always, I feel so happy and relieved at this time of year (biggest work project of the year is done), but I also feel tired and a bit drained.

As much as I enjoy winter, I was so very happy to answer the door when Spring rang the bell.

Bring on the warm weather, the flowers, the open-toed shoes and of course, the return to baking and cooking for me.

Prior to this weekend, I had not baked in over a month.

Ridiculous!

As I contemplated another Monday with no post, I remembered that I had one Magazine Mondays recipe in the bank: Classic White Bread from the February 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living.

While I have certainly had my issues with some Martha Stewart recipes in the past, this one was a winner from start to finish. And best of all I had the pleasureable experience of kneading bread dough.

This is a sturdy, delicious bread that can be used for numerous purposes. My own favourite was to smother it with salted butter and cherry jam.

It’s been awhile since my last Magazine Mondays post so this is just a little reminder that if you post a magazine recipe, send me the link and I’ll include it in my next MM round-up. Here’s who joined me for this edition:

Tia of Buttercream Barbie made Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies from Bon Appétit and Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars from a 2001 Issue of Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies and she also made Blueberry Peach Yogurt Muffins from Canadian Living.

Tamy of Always Eat on the Good China made Blend in the Bayou from Taste of Home.

Dawn of Doable and Delicious made Herbed Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese from Bon Appétit.

Janie of Panini Girl made Hazelnut Cinnmaon Crescents from Bon Appétit.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Ciao!

The 2010 February Daring Cook’s challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

Well I’m a few days late posting my February 2010 DC challenge but it’s not my fault. Between posting about how proud I am to be a Canadian and how much I love all of you, it took me awhile to get to the DC challenge.

I have to say, though, it’s been a great couple of weeks for me because between the Olympic love, the Valentine’s Day love and the love of this challenge, my tummy has been very happy!

Michele challenged us to make mezze, which are a series of small dishes to be served with homemade pita (which was also part of the challenge). Michelle specified that we had to make hummus, but beyond that we could make any other mezze that we liked.

For starters, I cannot thank Michele enough for showing us how to make pita bread. Had I known it was this easy, I would have tried it long ago. And the pita was truly delicious! I made mine with a bit of wholewheat flour thrown in with the all-purpose so the pita had a bit of a darker colour and a slight nutty taste, which was very nice.

The hummus was also delicious. I’ve made hummus many times before and every time I make it I think, “Why don’t I make this more often?”

Beyond those two components, I didn’t really try a lot of recipes. I made an eggplant dip, which I blogged about last week (but kept the DC secret!!!). I would have liked to try a lot more recipes but as usual, time was in short supply. However, I look forward to making pita bread again soon and trying some more mezze.

I want to thank Michele so much for this challenge! Please take a moment to visit the DC blogroll to see what the other Daring Cooks accomplished. You can click here for the recipe.

Okay … back to the Olympics … Opa!

Ciao!

Disclaimer: Cream Puff will not be held responsible for the dramatic reduction in bookshelf space due to the purchasing of any cookbooks as a result of posts on this blog between December 1, 2009 and December 12, 2009, inclusive.

I happen to believe that cookbooks make the very best Christmas gifts.

Well, okay, maybe diamonds make the best Christmas gifts but right after diamonds it’s cookbooks.

Ummm … hold on … okay Mauviel copper pots are really cool so let’s say Diamonds are number 1, Mauviel copper pots are number 2 and then cookbooks.

Except I guess Gien dinnerware is really nice … oh … nevermind!

Let’s just stick with the cookbooks, shall we?

I find that at this time of year, a lot of bloggers have “year-end” lists as in “my top five posts of the year” or “the best five dishes I made this year”. I always love reading people’s top cookbook lists for the year since I am a cookbook freak. Certifiable freak.

I did a list last year but I left so many cookbooks off my list and had such a hard time choosing that I really felt I needed to do something more this year.

So for the first twelve days of December I’m going to give you a cookbook a day. Now to be clear, while some of these cookbooks are newly published, some aren’t. In fact some of them are older cookbooks but the point is that I discovered them in 2009 and I really feel it would be awesome for you if you found them in your Christmas stocking this year.

So let’s get started, shall we?

On Day 1, I give you Two Dishes: Mother and Daughter - Two Cooks,Two Lifestyles, Two Takes by Linda Haynes and Devin Connell.

I’m the lucky owner of two previous cookbooks by Linda Haynes: The ACE Bakery Cookbook and More from ACE Bakery, both of which I love.

For those of you that are unfamiliar, Linda Haynes is the founder of ACE Bakery, probably the most famous bread bakery in Toronto. I’ve said this to many people on many occasions but ACE Bakery consistently has some of the best artisanal bread in the city. Lucky for me, the ACE headquarters are just around the corner from my family’s business so we’re pretty much in there all the time!

Linda contacted me awhile ago and asked if I’d like a copy of her new book and of course I said yes. The first thing I noticed when I got the book is that it was signed by Linda and Devin so that immediately got things off to a great start. Much like the bakery itself, Linda’s books are very open and very welcoming and the well wishes were a nice touch to get me started!

The idea behind this book is that Linda and her daughter Devin each present dishes based on a particular theme. The difference is that they each present their own take on the theme. What results is an always delicious juxtaposition of recipes. Clearly both good cooks, mother and daughter carry on a “recipe conversation” throughout the cookbook that really clicks. Several times, as I read through the book, I found myself thinking, “What kind of recipe would my mom come up with in this situation?”

It’s a completely accessible book that’s beautifully photographed (a bonus in my books is that many of the pictures are taken in and around Toronto and as a native Torontonian, it was nice to see many of the places that I shop at featured in the book).

Ultimately, though, a cookbook always comes down to the recipes and these ones are very enticing and very good. On the savoury side, there’s a nice mix of dairy, vegetables, fish and seafood and meat. On the dessert side, well, there’s lots of dessert and that’s a good thing that requires no other explanation.

I also really loved the way many of the recipes borrow from a variety of ethnic cuisines including Asian and Italian. The recipes strike a nice balance between being healthful and being indulgent.

It’s hard to put my finger on it, but it’s just one of those books that says “pick me up, invite your friends over and cook from me”. It also says, “pick me up and put me in someone’s Christmas stocking!!!”

If I’d had the time I would have happily tried about half the recipes but I managed to try two in time for this post.

The first was the incredible and life-changing (for me) Multigrain Bread on page 30. I adore ACE’s multigrain bread and buy it all the time. While I enjoy baking bread at home on occasion, I have had no luck with grain breads. I don’t know what my problem is. If the idea of integers didn’t send me into a cold sweat I’d express my rate of success with a negative number. That’s how bad it is.

When I first saw the recipe I flipped by it many times. But then I kept flipping back. Finally I was like, “no guts, no glory”, and I headed out to the nearest natural foods store to stock up on my supply of bulgur, rye flakes and untoasted buckwheat groats (a lot easier to find than one would think!). I made my starter and the following morning I was eating the most incredible grain bread. It will never be ACE’s grain bread but for homemade, it was really good. So I’d like to thank Linda and Devin for giving me that early Christmas gift.

The second recipe I tried was one of Devin’s: Baked Lemony Feta Cheese with Thyme, Rosemary and Black Pepper on page 51. I thought I had thyme in the refrigerator but as it turns out I didn’t. Surprisingly, we still have oregano fluorishing in our herb garden so I substituted some of that instead.

About three seconds after I had my first taste I pretty much decided that this is the appetizer of the year for me. It will be front and centre on Christmas Day when we serve nibbles before the big family meal. Delicious! Delicous! Delicous!

Just like the book.

A big thank you to Linda and Devin for thinking of me but more importantly, thank you for such a lovely book!

Ciao!

Every year, in early October, we have a Thanksgiving potluck at work. I usually try to bring two dishes (surprisingly I tend not to bring dessert …). Because I organize the potluck, I try to wait until the very end to decide what to bring and I generally try to fill in any gaps in the menu.

This year, we were short on bread recipes so I decided I’d bring something that was appropriate for Thanksgiving … something that just oozed the fall and the harvest.

Enter the Bacon Cheddar Quick Bread with Dried Pears from the October 2008 issue of Bon Appétit.

The bread was so easy to make and was very good, however, I would recommend that you eat it warm from the oven and not the next day. I made it on Sunday for Monday’s potluck and while it was tasty, it would have been better warm with some butter.

As you know, Magazine Mondays is all about tackling that pile of clipped magazine recipes that you’ve got. Don’t look the other way. You know you have tonnes of recipes you haven’t tried yet. We all do! So get to it!

Here’s who joined me in liberating themselves from another magazine recipe:

Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy joins us with a tempting Maple Chicken.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made a Spicy Chicken with Mushrooms dish from the November 2008 issue of Family Circle.

Mondo of Mondo’s Morsels (love this blog!) made a gorgeous Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Cake from the September 2006 issue of Fine Cooking.

Janie of Panini Girl made a pretty Butternut Squash Soup with Sage from the November 2001 issue of Bon Appétit.

Our most loyal Wandering Coyote of ReTorte made Chicken Sangria from the March 2009 issue of Gourmet.

Georgia of Oh Kitchen, What Won’t You Do? made a soul-satisfying Winter Lentil Soup from Real Simple magazine.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

New month, new flavour!

This month the Cream Puffs in Venice Flavour of the Month is Trish Magwood’s Dish Entertains: Everyday Simple to Special Occasions.

I’ve owned this book for quite awhile now and as is the case with most of the cookbooks I own, I’ve never tried a recipe. It’s a good thing there’s no such thing as the cookbook police checking to see if I’ve tried any recipes or not. Whew!

Anyway, if I had to describe Trish Magwood I guess I’d describe as a food businesswoman. She’s the owner of a very popular cooking school in Toronto called dish cooking studio. She also starred in a very likeable program on Food Network Canada called Dish (at least I loved it) where she’d cater parties ranging from intimate gatherings at home to picnics at the cottage. My favourite episode was an engagement party where all the food that was served was some form of dessert.

(Why don’t I ever get invited to those types of parties?)

Her cookbook features the recipes that were prominent in her television show and I couldn’t be happier as there are some really good recipes in here. And I’m hoping to finally get down to trying some of them.

There is one recipe in the book that I’ve been making ever since I saw it on her show. It’s essentially a loaf of bread that’s given an olive oil bath and then patted down with rosemary and sea salt. The loaf is baked until you have a crusty, rosemary-scented piece of heaven.

I was intrigued by the idea because it reminded me of a party hall, just outside of Toronto, that used to be very popular at one time for Italian weddings. The start of the meal was always indicated by the emergence of servers from the kitchens with loaves of Italian bread that had been drenched in olive oil and baked with salt and rosemary. No matter how much you swore that you’d avoid the bread during the wedding meal (everyone knows that bread is a killer duirng an Italian wedding meal), you just couldn’t help snatching up a piece of that bread and digging in.

This is so easy to make and it’s perfect for a family dinner or a larger gathering. It goes well with any course and it’s also a great way to use day-old bread.

Okay, people. December is here. Time to party.

Ciao!

Rosemary Bread
From Dish Entertains by Trish Magwood.

1 large loaf of good bread (Yes, I know, that’s vague but what can I say. I like to use a loaf of sourdough bread or a loaf of Italian bread like Pugliese.)
extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. finely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp. sea salt (I use coarse sea salt)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the loaf by cutting 1-inch slices but do not cut all the way down (cut about three-quarters of the way down).

Drizzle a bit of olive oil (about a teaspoon) in between each slice of bread and then drizzle a few more teaspoons over the crust of the bread, rubbing it all over with your hands.

Sprinkle the rosemary in between each slice and over the top. Sprinkle the salt over the top as well.

Wrap the bread in aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Serve while hot.

Enjoy!

What attracted me to Carol Field’s Italy in Small Bites was the idea of small snacks throughout the day to sustain me.

Wouldn’t that be amazing … if at any time of the day you could bite into something tasty, yet not filling?

I’ve spent most of October dreaming about what I’d try from this book and yet never getting around to it. That’s most of the month spent dreaming about snacks with almost no snacking.

Until I made these little babies.

Do you know what taralli are? Have you ever seen them in your local Italian bakery or grocery store? Ever bitten into one?

No?

You’re missing out.

I’m not sure where or when I was introduced to taralli but they have always been around. They’re not a traditional food from either of my parents’ areas of Italy, but my neighbour makes them, and the grandmothers of a lot of my friends made them and I can’t visit a bakery or grocery store in this city without seeing bins of them.

They are taralli.

So what are they?

Taralli are like a sort of breadstick shaped in a ring. They’re not quite crispy like a breadstick but they’re not soft or chewy either. Taralli can be savoury or sweet depending on what you add to that basic recipe. My favourite taralli are savoury ones dotted with fennel seeds, but I also love taralli spiced with red pepper flakes. Growing up, we would often eat sweet taralli that had been dipped in a glaze or icing.

The recipe for taralli in Field’s book caught my eye because I’ve never made them before and have always wanted to try them. And because I love them. If I can learn to make something I love, then why not!

The dough for taralli is very similar to making a pizza dough. You start with flour, yeast and water (and a bit of salt) to which you add the flavouring of choice. The taralli that I buy are almost always flavoured with fennel seeds so that’s what I used.

After allowing the dough to rise, the dough is rolled into log ropes that are then divided into three. From each segment, you make a ring.

Then, much as you do with bagels, you drop the rings into boiling water very briefly. As soon as the rings float to the top, you remove them to drain and cool down a bit.

The taralli are then baked until golden and somewhat crunchy.

I say somewhat because the taralli that I’ve eaten have always had this interesting texture. It’s a cross between something crispy and something flexible. I know that sounds odd, but trust me, if you try one you’ll understand what I mean.

I was very proud of my taralli. While they don’t compare to the homemade taralli that I’ve had from those who are true experts, they were good for a first try and rather easy to make.

As with most worthy snacks, they prove that homemade is usually best.

I’m having so much fun with Field’s book (and my daytime snack imaginings) that I’m not ready to say goodbye to it yet. I’m keeping it around for the November Flavour of the Month.

And now back to my snacks …

Ciao!

Here are some interesting posts about taralli as well as recipes for taralli that you might want to read or try:

Various taralli recipes
Inside a Pugliese Taralli Maker
Taralli
Street Food from Napoli: Taralli

Have you seen the film Stranger Than Fiction, featuring Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson, where Ferrell’s character walks around while hearing his life narrated out loud by the author played by Thompson?

I’m not sure why or how, but I sort of felt like my attempt at making lavash crackers was being narrated by some otherworldly Daring Bakers’ entity with the last line of the film being: “And she burns her crackers! The End.”

But before I tell you the whole, sad story, let us begin at the beginning with the real stars of the show, our hosts: Shel of Musings from the Fishbowl and Natalie of Gluten A Go Go.

These two leading ladies conspired to give us a Daring Bakers’ first this month: our very first alternative, fully vegetarian challenge in the form of lavash crackers with accompanying toppings.

While I can’t give you an exact count, a significant number of Daring Bakers are what Lis and I affectionately refer to as “Alt DBers”, which means that they in some way or other are alternative bakers. These are members who adapt recipes to be gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian and everything in between.

When it comes to our Alt DBers, Natalie has been a tireless champion of the cause. Without her Lis and I would be quite stumped when it comes to answering so many of the questions that we get from Alt DBers. So we’re thrilled that both Natalie and Shel have the opportunity to put the spotlight on alternative baking and the challenges faced by those who can’t just open up a cookbook and have a go at it without substituting ingredients.

And now back to our story.

The recipe for lavash crackers is based on the one from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. As recipes go, this was probably one of the easier ones in recent DB memory.

We begin with our ingredients. The Cream Puff places together bread flour, salt, yeast, honey, oil and water in a bowl.

Let us move to Chapter 2.

With a mighty wooden spoon, the Cream Puff mixes the ingredients to form a ball of dough. And my, what a ball of dough!

The action continues with the ball of dough and the Cream Puff engaged in a violent battle otherwise known as kneading. After five minutes, the ball of dough has been somewhat tamed.

After ten minutes it’s as meek as a mouse. Cream Puff is able to stab it with a thermometer. Ouch!

But the lavash dough gets its revenge. Its unwieldy nature results in the Cream Puff’s somewhat irregularly shaped dough.

The Cream Puff attempted to exact revenge by using a sharp object otherwise known as a cookie cutter. Feeling somewhat guilty, she piled on some lavender buds in an effort to make amends.

She really went for the sympathy vote by sprinkling thyme, rosemary and sea salt on part of the lavash dough as well.

The lavender chapter seemed to end well.

The thyme, rosemary and sea salt chapter … not so much.

And she burns her crackers!

Does this sad story end here?

No.

There is a happy ending in the form of a Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Dip used to camoflauge the crackers.

And there’s even a sweet ending in the form of Lavender Lavash Crackers drenched in the Cream Puff’s newest discovery: agave syrup.

And so this story ends. With burned crackers and knowledge gained.

Ciao!

For the challenge recipe, please visit Shel’s blog and Natalie’s blog.

Here’s the recipe for the Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Dip:

1 cup roasted red peppers, cut into strips
3 cloves, roasted garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. tahini
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Taste and ajdust seasoning. Serve at room temperature.

Ladies and gentleman, today I have decided to coin a new term.

That term is Bakeanista.

What is a Bakeanista? Well, a Bakeanista is a member of the femal species that would happily forego shopping for shoes, getting her hair done or going for a spa treatment to stay at home watching yeast bloom and covering the kitchen in flour.

You dream of souping up your Kitchen Aid mixer?

Bakeanista.

You get into arguments with people over the quality of flour?

Bakeanista.

You bake and do laundry at the same time?

Bakeanista.

And not only am I going to be so bold as to coin the new term, I’m going tell you who the original Bakeanistas are: Mary of The Sour Dough, Lis of La Mia Cucina, Helene of Tartelette, Kelly of Sass and Veracity, Laura of Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen, Sara of i like to cook and Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness.

So how did the Bakeanistas band together? Well as with all good stories there are many versions and theories and events but let’s just say that in its most current rendition, the Bakeanistas were born when Mary saw this postthis post and decided that the Bakeanistas needed to act.

So she sent out the Bakeanista symbol (no those were not lights from an alien spaceship that you saw in the night sky), organized everyone, provided a recipe and arranged a live baking session via Skype.

If you’ve made any type of bread before or worked with yeast at all, then this recipe couldn’t be simpler. If you haven’t baked bread or are terrified of yeast, this is a great recipe to try.

Really. It’s easy. And the end result is a bubbly mass of cheesy rolls that my family devoured for lunch with a green salad and some freshly sliced prosciutto.

What I lov … oh wait … sorry, folks. I see the Bakeanista symbol flashing again. Somewhere there’s something that needs to be baked!

Ciao!

Here are the Bakeanistas that participated: Helen, Ivonne, Kelly, Laura Rebecca, Lisa, Mary, Sara, and Stephanie

Here’s the recipe we used: Gruyère-Stuffed Crusty Rolls.

Note: I used marbled cheddar in my loaves.