Sweet and Warm / Douce et Chaleureuse

Less than a year ago, when we moved into our new house, I made a wish. I walked my daughter to the hallway of our house and made a wish: I wished for this house to be warm, to be caring and to always see people lined around the kitchen table. I wanted this house to bring old and new friends together. I wanted this house to be filled with laughter, love, couscous and mint tea. I wanted this house to feed us. To feed people; and to feed our hearts.

Our wishes came true. Our wishes come true every single day. And for that, we are thankful to be looked after and to have a warm shelter above our heads.


Our kitchen brought old friends and new friends together around the table a couple of weeks ago, when celebrating Earth Day with some local bloggers. Blushing cheeks and awkward silence (especially me) quickly faded away with espresso beans stories and some crostinis. The picnic table was set. The sun was out. The couscoussier was steaming its last batch of couscous. Cameras were clicking (thanks again Christine for these lovely photos). Plastic wraps, banana leaves, and paper bags were unwrapped to reveal Uruguayan savory rolls, a refreshing mix of greens with fennel and orange segments, luscious mango and pastry cream tart, and an olive loaf.

The couscous was mixed with steamed raisins and served in my mothers’ wooden “gassaa”, to which I added a lamb and vegetable broth made with green peas, zucchinis, carrots, and a dollop of sweet and deep, spicy and delicious glazed pearl onions. The couscous was good, spicy and sweet, although I would have liked the broth to be thicker. But a mysterious sous-chef turned off the burner without my knowledge and without my permission.

These glazed pearl onions are just what you would expect from any caramelized onions and so much more. The bath of chicken broth, butter and warm spices, like cinnamon, ginger and turmeric, turned these babies into an exotic delicacy that I didn't see possible in an onion. I can olnly imagine how scrumptious they must be with roasted vegetables, winter squashes, stews, rice, pasta, grains, sandwiches, as a side dish to roast chicken, lamb, braised veal shanks, and how they will take mashed potatoes to another level of sophistication.

After lunch, we headed back to the kitchen to share a cup of mint tea, talk about life and family and feast on Christine’s Mango tart. We feasted indeed. Just before my last sip of mint tea, I raised, secretly, my cup and made another wish: I wished for this life to always be as sweet and warm as friends and home sweet home are.

Spicy Glazed Pearl Onions

Recipe: Adapted from here
- 10 ounces pearl onions, peeled
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup black raisins
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- A pinch of sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan, and cook over a medium-low heat, covered, 1 hour, then remove cover and continues cooking, stirring from time to time, until liquid thickens to a syrupy consistency and the onions have a glazed appearance, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Oignons Grelots Confits aux Epices

In Français Please: adaptée d'ici
- 280g de petits oignons grelots
- 500ml de bouillon de volaille
- 100g de raisins noirs
- ½ c.c de curcuma
- ½ c.c de gingembre en poudre
- 25g de sucre en poudre
- 25g de beurre
- 1 c.c de cannelle en poudre
- Une pincée de sel marin
- Du poivre noir fraichement moulu

Mettre tous les ingredients dans une casserole et faire cuire sur feu doux, couvert, pendant 1 heure, puis découvrir et laisser réduire jusqu’a ce que le jus ait la consistence d’un sirop, en remuant de temps en temps, et que les oignons aient une apparence caramélisé, pendant 30 minutes. Servir chaud.

My Favorite Pickled Beets Recipe/ Ma Recette Préférée de Betteraves au Vinaigre

I had my first pickled beets about a few months ago at the local fruit market, and I instantly fell in love with them. They were on a tray for people to sample along with pickled onions, cauliflower, cabbage and other bright veggies. As I stood there, my mouth started salivating at these vinegary pickles just like your mouth must be salivating right now as you are reading these pickled words.
The taste of the beets was different from fresh beets. They didn’t have this “earthy” flavor anymore. They were sour, sweet, spicy, although the vinegar was a bit overpowering the rest of the ingredients.

After a few attempts at recreating what I thought was the perfect combination of sweet, sour and spicy pickle, I find this recipe to be the perfect pickled beets I’ve had so far. I added spearmint to the marinade as I like the fresh note that it adds to the marinade, but you can use dill if it’s what you prefer.

Pickled Beets

Recipe: Gourmet, December 2000
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/4 onion, halved
- 1 small bay leaf
- 3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 bunch fresh spearmint
- 3 beets (1 lb without tops)

Betteraves Au Vinaigre

In Francais Please: Gourmet, Decembre 2000
- 250ml de vinaigre de cidre
- 125ml d’eau
- 125ml de sucre en poudre
- ¼ c.c de graines de moutarde
- ¼ oignon, coupé en deux
- 1 petite feuille de laurier
- ¾ c.c de graines de poivre noir
- ¼ bouquet de menthe
- 3 betterave (environ 500g sans leur tige)

- Bring all ingredients except beets to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

- Mettre tous les ingredients à part les betterave dans une casserole de 2- à 3-Litres de capacité, porter à ébullition en remuant jusqu’à ce que le sucre se dilue. Couvrir et laisser frémir pendant 30 minutes.

- Meanwhile, Cook beets in a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and cool. Slip off skins and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

- Entre temps, faire cuire les bettraves dans une casserle d’eau bouillante salée. Egoutter et laisser refroidir. Retirer la peau et couper en morceaux d’un centimeter d’épaisseur.

- Cool the marinade, and then pour through a fine sieve into a bowl.

- Laisser la marinade refroidir, puis passer à travers une fine passoire.

- Stir together beets and marinade, then marinate, covered and chilled, 1 day.

- Mélanger les betteraves et la marinade, puis laisser mariner, couvert et au frais, pendant au moins 24 heures avant de servir.

How To Make Roasted Garlic Oil in 3 Easy Steps / Comment Préparer L'huile D'ail En 3 Etapes Faciles

Warning:

You shouldn’t make or even read this recipe if you are a Vampire, a mosquito, a dog or a cat (garlic apparently causes anemia in cats and dogs), Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Silvio Berlusconi, or if you are on your way to a job interview, a meeting or a club.

Side effects may include: dependence, happiness, sudden sense of proud, garlicky smell of your kitchen, your clothes and you; runaway of your family, your friends, your pets; loneliness.

If dependence on Garlic Oil lasts more than four hours, please, don’t sue me!

Roasted Garlic Oil and Roasted Garlic Mash

Recipe: Bon Appétit, April 2003
- 2 large garlic heads, cut horizontally in half
- 2 cups pure olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, toasted

Huile d’Ail Rôti et Puree d’Ail Rôti

In Francais Please: Bon Appétit, Avril 2003
- 2 têtes d’ail
- 500ml d’huile d’olive
- 2 branches de thym, ou 2 c.c de thym séché
- 1 c.c de grains de poivre, grillés

- Cut the garlic heads horizontally in half.

- Couper les têtes d’ail en deux horizontalement.

- Put the garlic heads cut side down in a small casserole or ovenproof pot and pour the olive oil over them. Add the thyme and pepper. Cover with a lid or foil and bake in a preheated 300 F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the garlic is soft enough to mash.
Carefully, remove the garlic from the oil and set aside.

- Deposer les têtes d’ail côté coupé en bas sur un plat allant au four et verser dessus l’huile d’olive. Ajouter le thym et le poive noir. Couvrir d’un couvercle ou d’une feuille d’alluminium et faire cuire dans un four préchauffé à 150C pendant 45 minutes à 1 heure, jusqu’à ce que l’ail soit tender pour pouvoir le reduire en purée.
Retirer l’ail tout doucement de l’huile d’olive et mettre de côté.

- Strain the oil into a bowl and let cool, then pour into an airtight container. The oil will keep in a cool and dark place for at least a month. You can use the garlic oil in just about anything. I love it particularly in my salad dressing, with a touch of honey. Delicious!

- Faire passer l’huile d’olive au chinois et laisser refroidir, puis verser dans un bocal ou une bouteille a fermeture hermétique. L’huile se gardera pendant au moins un mois dans un endroit frais, à l’abri de la lumiere. Vous pouvez utiliser l’huile d’ail dans tous vos plats. Je l’aime particulierement dans mes vinaigrette, avec un peu de miel. Un vrai Délice!

- To make the garlic mash, squeeze the cloves out of their papery husks into a bowl. Mash the roasted garlic with a fork. Store mash in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. This is a very useful substance to have on hand for your roasted chicken, lamb, vegetables, stews, soups…etc.

- Pour faire la purée d’ail, presser les gousses d’ail de leur enveloppes sur une assiette. Ecraser à l’aide d’une fourchette. Conserver au frigo dans un recipient à fermeture hermétique pendant au moins un mois. Cette purée d’ail est trés pratique, elle relevera vos poulets rôtis, vos legumes, soups, ragouts…etc.

Leeks and gruyère Soufflé, Step-By-Step / Le Soufflé de poireaux et Gruyère, étape par étape

When I was thirteen, I started writing recipes in an agenda that my father had given me. The agenda wasn’t my favorite. When I think about it, I should have chosen a prettier one, a real recipe notebook; yet I’ve decided to go with this one. A small blue agenda with aluminum covered corners and on the cover you can read: “M Roads and Buildings Industry”. I know this M. He’s my father’s friend, a really nice guy. I just didn’t expect his agenda to be the one that would carry my cherished recipes for such a long time, but it did.

My mother’s recipes notebook is also an agenda. A big, black agenda, that goes back to the late seventies, early eighties. I don’t really remember the exact date. What I do remember however is that on the cover you can read: "National’s Oil Company”. I guess it runs in the family!

But when you come to think about it, isn’t cooking making something out of natural resources? That might explain why my mother and I use such agendas as recipes repertoire. Smart thinking, right?

One thing I made yesterday in my kitchen was this Gruyère and Leeks soufflé. It was heavenly delicious: Creamy, light and very comforting. I know a lot of people get scared of soufflés; they have this reputation of being hard to make and don’t like to wait for anybody. But like most reputations, what you hear is not always true.

If you’ve ever whipped up some egg whites or made a mousse, then there is no reason in not making soufflé. This time, I decided to give you a step-by-step recipe in making leeks and Gruyère soufflé. I hope you will enjoy it.

If you have any ideas for step-by-step recipes, let me know. All suggestions are always welcome.

Leeks and Gruyère Soufflé

Recipe: Basic Soufflé recipe from here. Serves 6.
- 4 ½ tbsp sweet butter, plus 1 tsp to coat the
- ¾ cup grated Gruyère cheese
- 3 leeks, cleaned, washed and roughly sliced
- 1 ¼ tsp sea salt
- 4 ½ tbsp flour
- 1 ¼ cup milk
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp old style Dijon mustard
- A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- 3 egg yolks
- 7 egg whites

Soufflé de Poireaux et Gruyère

In Francais Please: La base du soufflé d'ici. Pour 6 personnes.
- 75 g de farine
- 75 g de Gruyère râpé
- 3 poireaux, néttoyés, laves et grossierement hachés
- 1 ½ c.c de sel marin
- 40g de farine
- 275 ml lait
- ¼ c.c de poivre noir, fraichement moulu
- ½ c.c de moutarde a l’ancienne
- Une petite pincée de noix de muscade, fraichement moulu
- 3 jaunes d’oeufs
- 7 blancs d’oeufs

- Make Ahead: Take the eggs out of the fridge, and let them come at room temperature.
Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a pan and sauté the sliced leeks season with ¼ tsp salt. Cover and cook for 5 min on medium-low heat until the leeks are tender. Uncover and continue cooking for a few minutes on high heat until all the liquid has been evaporated. Set aside to cool.
- Avant Toute Chose: Sortir les oeufs du frigo pour qu’ils reviennent à temperature ambiante. Faire fondre 1 c.c de beurre dans une poele et faites sauter les poireaux. Ajouter du sel et laisser cuire sur feu dou, couvert jusqu'à ce qu’ils deviennent tendres. Découvrir le poele et laisser cuire encore plus, sur grand feu, jusqu’à ce que tout liquide soit evaporé. Mettre de coté.

1- Butter a 1½- quart soufflé mold with 1 tsp soft butter. Be sure it is well coated all around.
Add the Gruyère cheese and turn the mold around so that the cheese sticks to the butter. Let the extra cheese fall into a bowl. Refrigerate the coated mold. A very cold mold helps the soufflé rise straight. Never smear the coating or you mat disturb the rising of the mixture.

1- Beurrer généreusement un moule à soufflé d’1 ½ L avec 1 c.c de beurre mou. Ajouter le Gruyère râpé et faites tourner le moule tout autour afin que le fromage adhere aux parois du moule. Enlever l’exces de fromage mais sans jamais toucher l’interieur du moule ou vous risquerez de deranger la montée du soufflé. Mettre le moule au frais. Un moule bien froid aide le soufflé a monter bien droit.

2- Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir quickly, and cook for 1 minute on low heat.
3- Add the milk, 1 tsp salt, black pepper, the Dijon mustard and bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk. As soon as it reaches the boiling point, the sauce will thicken. Boil on low heat for 1 min, still stirring to avoid scorching.

2- Faites fondre le beurre restant dans une casserole et ajouter la farine d’un seul coup. Mélanger rapidement, et faites cuire sur feu doux pendant 1 minute.
3- Ajouter le lait, sel, poivre, la moutarde de Dijon et porter a ébullition, en remuant constament avec un fouet. Des les premiers bouillonements, la sauce commencera a épaissir. Laisser mijoter sur feu doux pendant une minute, tout en continuant de mélanger.

4- Away from the heat, add the yolks and mix well.

4- Hors du feu, ajouter les jaunes d’oeufs et mélanger.

5- Add the leeks, ground nutmeg and the grated Gruyère cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon.

5- Ajouter les poireaux, la noix de muscade rape et le Gruyère rape. Mélanger a l’aide d’une cuillere en bois.

6- Whip the egg whites until they hold a peak, but are still “wet”. Place about one-third in the leek mixture and mix with a whisk. Work as fast as you can, because as soon as you stop beating the whites, they start to break down and become grainy.

6- Battre les blancs d’oeufs en neige jusqu’a ce qu’ils gagnent de volume mais reste un peu mousseux. Ajouter le tiers a la sauce de poireaux et mélanger avec un fouet. Travailler aussi rapidement que possible car après avoir cesser de battre les blancs, ils ont tendance a se séparer.

7- Using a spatula, gently fold the remaining whites and leeks mixture together.

7- A l’aide d’une maryse, incorporer délicatement les blancs au mélange de poireaux.

8- Fill the soufflé mold to the edges. At this point, the soufflé can be refrigerated, and will keep for at least a couple of hours. At baking time, sprinkle some Gruyere cheese on top and place on a cookie sheet in a 375F-preheated oven. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake for 30-35 minutes (about 25 minutes for individual ramekins). Never open the oven when it’s still baking. Serve immediately.

8- Remplir le moule à soufflé jusqu’aux bords. A ce stade, le soufflé peut etre mis au frais pour quelques heures. Au moment de le cuire, parsemer un peu de gruyère râpé au dessus et faites cuire dans un four préchauffé a 190C. Baisser la temperature a 177C et laisser cuire pendant 30-35 minutes (Environ 25 minutes pour des ramequins). Ne jamais ouvrir le four pendant la cuisson du soufflé. Servir tout de suite.

9- You can also serve your soufflé, especially if it is collapsed, unmolded. Run a knife a round the edges and invert on a plate. Serve in wedges.

9- Vous pouvez aussi choisir de servir le soufflé démoulé (surtout si ce dernier est tombé). Faites passer un couteau autour des bords et démouler. Servir en tranches.

Praline / Pralin

I like the idea of making something that can last for months in my fridge, and that I can use it later on to flavor my desserts and sweet cravings.

It has been quite a while since my last “Basics” post. And I know we are not even Friday, but I wanted to share with you this basic recipe that will add a nutty, rich touch to your custards, ice creams, cakes or butter creams.

Praline is a nougatine (caramelized sugar and nuts) ground to a paste. The nuts are usually almonds or hazelnuts, or a mix of both. In Louisiana and Texas, pecans are almost always used.
Praline is obtained by using a special machine that crushes and reduces the cold nougatine mixture, in the process of which some of the essential oils from the almonds are extracted. A food processor doesn’t achieve the exact effect but creates good enough reproduction.

The word praline can vary from a country to another. It can refer to the praline candy that is most popular in New Orleans (made with nuts sugar and cream) or to the praline paste (pictured above) or to the praline coated nuts that are served to my father on every New Year’s Eve.

Praline Paste

Recipe: Adapted from here
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- ½ cup oven-browned hazelnuts with skin
- ½ cup oven-browned almonds with skins
- 1 ½ tsp almond or peanut oil

Place the nuts on a tray and roast in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown. Place the sugar in a heavy saucepan and mix in the water. Stir this just once then place on the stove. Cook on medium-high heat until it turns into a nice golden caramel color. Oil a cookie sheet lightly and set aside. Add the nuts to the caramel, carefully remove from the stove and shake gently to mix well. Pour the mixture on top of the oiled cookie sheet. Let cool until hard and brittle. At this point with call it nougatine (brittle) and you can break it and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for and kept for months, using to decorate custards and ice cream.
To continue with the praline recipe (you’re not lost, aren’t you?) break the brittle in a mortar into large crumbs. Place them in the food processor and powder for 1 minute. It should begin to look crumbly and soft and slightly sticks to the sides of the food processor. Add the oil and blend for another 2 to 3 minutes, stopping the machine every 20 or 30 seconds until it looks pasty and slightly wet. Place in a jar in the refrigerator and keep for months, using it to flavor ice creams, chocolate truffles, custards and butter creams.

Pralin

In francais please: Adaptée d’ici
- 175 ml sucre
- 3 c.s d’eau
- 100 ml noisettes avec leur peau, grillées
- 100 ml amandes avec leur peau, grillées
- 1 ½ c.c d’huile d’amande ou d’arachide

Préchauffer le four à 180C. Mettre noisettes et amandes dans une plaque de cuisson et faites griller jusqu’à ce qu’elles deviennent dorées. Mettre le sucre et l’eau dans une casserole à fond épais. Mélanger une fois et faites cuire sur feu moyen jusqu’à une belle caramélisation. Ajouter les noisettes et amandes grillées au caramel et mélanger doucement afin que le mélange soit homogene. Verser sur une plaque de cuisson huilée et laisser refroidir et durcir. A ce stage, on l’apelle nougatine, et vous pouvez la briser et la mettre dans un bocal à fermeture hérmétique au frigo. Elle peut se garder pendant des mois, et l’utiliser pour décorer crème glacée au pralin et flans.
Pour continuer avec la recette du pralin (vous me suivez toujours?) mettre la nougatine dans un mortier et réduire en une poudre grossiere. Verser la poudre dans un robot ménager et réduire en une poudre fine et réguliere. Ajouter l’huile d’amande ou d’arachide et continuer a mixer pendant 2 a 3 minutes, en arrétant le robot chaque 20 ou 30 secondes jusqu’à ce que le mélange ressemble à une pâte souple. Le pralin se garde au frigo dans un bocal à fermeture hermetique pendant des mois. Vous pouvez l’utiliser pour parfumer vos crème glacées, flans, crème au beurre et truffes au chocolat.

Pomegranate / Grenade

The Pomegranate is a fruit cultivated in some parts of Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran and Japan) in California, Arizona and Latin America, and over the whole Mediterranean region.
It is the symbol of the city of Granada in Andalusia, Spain and the official logo of many cities in Turkey.

Fresh pomegranate season is from September to November in North America.

How to choose it:
The pomegranate should have a pronounced red color and a shiny skin, with no blemishes or bruises. It should also be heavy for its size to guarantee a juicy fruit.

How to peal it: (a very easy way)
After halving it with a knife, remove the white casings and invert the pomegranate in a way that the outer skin will be facing you and the inner seeds will be facing a bowl. Take a tablespoon and tap the pomegranate with the back of the spoon. The seeds will pop out of the pomegranate into the bowl.

How to eat it:
The seeds can be eaten raw or in a fruit salad and goes very well with lamb’s lettuce (mâche). It can be used in making syrup, juice, jelly, liqueur, sauces or jams. In India and Pakistan, they are widely popular in chutneys, relishes and curries. In Turkey, pomegranate sauce is used in salad dressings and to marinate meat while pomegranate syrup (thank you Hande!) is used in Muhamara (Turkish red pepper, cumin and walnut spread) and Güllaç (a famous Turkish dessert).

This recipe is my favorite way, if not the only way, I eat pomegranate since I was a kid.
It is basically pomegranate seeds scented with orange blossom water, which results in a refreshing and very aromatic fruit salad. Orange blossom water, if you are not familiar with, is distilled water that contains the essential oils of orange blossom. It is very sweet-scented and a little goes a long way.

A Simple, easy and very satisfying dessert. That's how I like to start my weekend.

Happy weekend everyone.

Orange Scented Pomegranate

Recipe: Serves 4 people
- 2 pomegranates
- 2 small tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp orange blossom water

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and place them in a bowl. Add sugar and orange blossom water and mix using a spoon. Cover with a plastic wrap and chill for at least ½ hour before serving.

Grenade parfumée à l’orange

In francais please: Pour 4 personnes
- 2 grenades
- 2 petites c.s de sucre en poudre
- 2 c.s d’eau de fleur d’oranger

Récupérer les graines de grenade et les mettre dans un bol. Ajouter le sucre et l'eau de fleur d’oranger et mélanger à l’aide d’une cuillère. Couvrir de fil plastic et mettre au frais au moins ½ heure avant de déguster.

Leeks

The Leek, called "the asparagus of the poor" in France, is a vegetable native to the Middle East and related to onions, garlic, shallots and scallion. It is in season from fall to spring, and knows two verities: Summer leeks, which are smaller and subtle in flavor, and winter leeks, which are generally strongly flavored. The Leek is the national emblem of Wales.

- How to choose: The stalk should be firm to the touch. The bulb should have a shiny white color and bright green leaves with no bruises, cracks or wilted leaves. They should be about one, one-half inches in diameter. Try to purchase leeks that are of similar size to ensure more even cooking.

- How to eat: the edible part of the leeks is the white base and the light green stalks. Leeks have to be clean properly because the center is usually full of sand. Trim off the greener part of the leaves. Keep it for clarifying consommé. Remove the roots. Remove the dried and yellowish skin around the leek, if any. Holding the leek, leafy side down, insert your knife through the white part approximately 2 inches down from the root, and cut through the entire length of the leek. Repeat two or three times to split the leek open. Wash thoroughly under cold water.

- How to store: It can be stored, whole in the crisper of your refrigerator for 10 days. Cleaned and sliced, it can stay in the fridge, in pierced plastic bags for 5 days. Cooked, it can stay in the fridge, in a hermetic container for 2 days.

- How to cook: Leeks can be used in salads, soups (the most popular leek soup is Vichyssoise), quiches and tarts, terrines, served with meat, fish and shellfish. You can boil it, steam it, bake it, roast it and sauté it. Or you can simply eat it raw.

- Health Benefits: leek is low in calories and is a great source of fiber and potassium. It may help lower your cholesterol and the greener part is full of vitamin C.

My favorite way of eating Leeks is by cooking it in water and serving it with a mustard and apple cider vinaigrette and sprinkled with toasted walnuts. This weekend I made this simple and quick Leek dish that has been sautéed in Olive oil and served with fresh thyme leaves, a dash of spanish smoked paprika and a drizzle of lemon juice. The perfect Sunday, or any day supper.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Warm Leek Salad:

Recipe:
- 4 medium leeks, cleaned and sliced
- ½ Lemon
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves
- A dash of Spanish Smoked paprika
- Salt, pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil

Heat your pan. Add the olive oil, then the leeks. Toss quickly to coat the leeks with the oil. Let it cook, uncovered on medium heat while stirring regularly for about 8 min. Season with salt and pepper. The leeks should be tender but still has a bite to them. Add half the thyme, toss quickly and plate. Drizzle a little bit of lemon juice on top; you don’t want to add too much or it will be too sour, sprinkle with a dash of paprika and the rest of thyme. Let it cool a bit and serve it warm.

Salade Tiède de Poireaux

In francais please:
- 4 poireaux moyens, nettoyés et coupes en rondelles
- ½ citron
- 1 c.s de feuilles de thym
- Une pincée de paprika espagnole
- Sel, poivre
- 1 c.s d’huile d’olive

Faites chauffer votre poele sur feu moyen. Ajouter l’huile puis les poireaux et faites sauté rapidement pour bien les couvrir de l’huile. Laisser cuire decouvert en mélangeant de temps en temps pendant au 8 min. Assaisonner de sel et de poivre. Les poireaux doivent etre tender a l’interieur mais avec un peu de croquant a l’exterieur. Ajouter la moitié des feuilles de thym, mélanger rapidement et enlever du feu. Servir avec un filet de jus de citron, éviter de trop en mettre sinon vous aurez des poireaux aigres, d’une pincée de paprika et le reste du thym. Laisser refroidir un peu et servir tiède.

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash, also known in Australia as Butternut Pumpkin is a winter squash available in early fall through winter. It originates in Mexico when it is believed that the natives there where eating butternut squash as early as 5500 BC.
Butternut squash has a vase like shape with a hard, thick yellow to a light tan skin and is filled with seeds. It grows on a vine; the flesh is orange, to deep orange when ripe, with a sweet flavor and a nutty flavor similar to sweet potato or pumpkin.

- How to store it: With their thick skin, butternut squash can be kept longer than summer squashes. Store in a cool dry place (between 53F- 64F/ 12C- 18C) for up to two months. If the squash has been cut, wrap it with a plastic wrap and put it in the crisper for up to three days. Butternut squash freezes very well: peel it, cut it in pieces and freeze it.
- How to cook it: Once peeled, discard the seeds and cut it in pieces. Then it’s up to you, butternut squash can be boiled, roasted, baked, steamed and stir-fried. It can be used in soups, gratins, lasagna, raviolis, and pasta in general, as a ratatouille, or even in sweet tarts, flans and jams.
- Nutritional values: Butternut squash is known to be a good antioxidant low in calories, before you add the generous dollop of butter to it, and diuretic and laxative.
- Good with spices: Cinnamon, anise seeds, cardamom, ginger, mace, clove, nutmeg, paprika, turmeric, cumin, ras-el-hanout, and allspice.
- Good with herbs: sage, savory, tarragon and thyme.

Some Updates:
Now that I am done with my Friday Basics, I would like to pass on some awards.
I am not teaching you anything by saying this, but let me just say it: blogging is so much more than writing posts, taking pictures and having feedbacks. It’s way more than that. It is the experience you share with your readers, who then become your friends. As I started this blog about seven months ago, I never thought I would be so addicted to it and how many people from all over the world would cross my path. We share this same passion for cooking with its good and even failed adventures and we open up about our personal backgrounds without feeling ashamed of what we do, of what we say or how we might be judged. It just feels like home.
So from the bottom of my heart, to all of you who have always been a regular, to those who have left some sweet notes and to those who have only took a glimpse at what I do, I say Thank You.
Now lets go back to the awards. The lovely Nora of Life's Smorgasbord, who is just a sweet and brilliant person, awarded me with the Thoughtful Blogger Award.

"The Thoughtful Blogger Award is for those who answer blog comments, emails, and make their visitors feel at home on their blogs. For the people who take others’ feelings into consideration before speaking out and who are kind and courteous. Also for those bloggers who spend so much of their time helping other bloggers design, improve, and fix their sites. This award is for those generous bloggers who think of others.”

And I would like to pass this award to:
- Haalo is just one of my favorites. Sweet, kind and shares all what she knows to help others.
- Marion. This woman is talented, generous, caring and very smart.
- Anh is a genuinely sweet woman. She always has the kind word that makes you smile.
- Shayne, my friend, takes kindness to a whole new level. This woman won’t hesitate to call you to tell you how much she loved your post.
- Ivonne, what can I say about her. She is Ivonne, the Godmother of thoughtfulness, generosity and passion.

I wish I could give more awards to all of you but they ask just for five.
Another thing before I go, you will notice for th next week or so that I won’t be blogging as much as usual. We are in the process of moving to another house, which we are very excited about and my days are filled with boxes, boxes and more boxes. I will post about the Daring Bakers Challenge and will be back in a few days hopefully, after I get my things more organized.
Until then, have a wonderful weekend my friends, eat well and be happy.

Baking Tips

I have been negligent on keeping up with my posts this week but I just couldn’t help it. There have been some changes that needed to be taken care of and I can’t believe it’s already Friday. I didn’t want to let down my Friday Basics and for today I’ve chosen to share with you some common troubleshooting in baking and how to prevent them. Whether it is in making cakes, pies, bread, cookies or even quick breads and custards.

Yeast Breads
- Dough is rising too fast: Kitchen is too warm; transfer to cooler location. If you use instant yeast (also known as quick-rise, rapid-rise), then it is predictable your dough rises 50 percent faster than active dry yeast, which allows too little time for the bread to develop flavor. My advice, go with the dry yeast.
- Dough is rising too slowly, or is not rising: Kitchen is too cool, or water in which yeast was proofed was too warm or too cool; transfer to warmer location. Or, yeast is too old and no longer active. After opening yeast, keep it in the fridge and don’t forget to check the expiration date before using.
- Bread lacks flavor or tastes too yeasty: Dough was proofed too long. Common with instant yeast.
- Bread is dense and too moist: Bread was not proofed long enough.
- Bread look slack: Dough was overproofed, or the oven was insufficiently heated.
- Bread is too hard and chewy: Bread was overbaked at too low a temperature.

Quick Breads
- Bread caved in: Rose too fast because of too much leavening.
- Bread is too dry: Baked too long or not enough fat or liquid.
- Bread is underbaked in spots: Oven was not hot enough; oven heats unevenly.
- Bread is too dense or tough: Batter or dough was overmixed.

Cookies
- Cookies spread too much during baking: Butter was too soft when added, or dough was placed on hot baking sheet.
- Cookies are burned on bottom: Cookies were too thin, oven was too hot, pan was too thin or too low in the oven, or pan was not rotated during baking.
- Cookies did not bake evenly: Pan was not rotated during baking.
- Cookies fell apart when removed from pan: Cookies were removed too soon.

Pies and Tarts
- Pie or tart is sticky and hard to roll out: Too much water was added, use extra flour when rolling; dough is too warm, put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes before proceeding.
- Pie or tart dough is stiff and hard to roll out: Not enough water was added to dough, or dough is too cold, let it warm up a bit.
- Blind-baked crust pie or tart dough did not hold its shape: Too few pie weights were used for blind baking; dough did not rest long enough or was too soft.
- Blind-baked crust dough shrank in pan: Dough was not chilled long enough, or was stretched too much when lining the pan. I always freeze my crust, lined in the pan for 15 minutes before baking it, and it works every time.
- Pie or tart crust is not fully baked on bottom: Crust was not partially baked before filling was added; especially with custards and juicy fruits.
- Pie or tart crust is dense rather than dense: Butter and dough were overworked.

Cakes
- Cake did not rise: Ingredients were overmixed, knocking too much air out of batter.
- Cake is cracked in the middle: oven temperature was too low.
- Cake is high on the edges but is sunken in the middle: oven temperature was too high.
- Cake stuck to pan: cake was too hot when removed from pan, or pan was not properly prepared.
- Cake is soggy on the bottom: Cake was left to cool too long in pan.

Custards and Soufflés
- Custard is lumpy: Custard was overcooked on stovetop or was not strained.
- Custard is grainy or watery: Custard was overbaked.
- Custard is too wet in center: Custard was underbaked.
- Bread pudding is dry: Bread did not sit long enough to absorb the custard before being baked.
- Soufflé did not rise: Soufflé batter was overfolded and air was knocked out, or oven was not hot enough.
- Soufflé is dry: egg whites were overwhipped, or soufflé was overbaked.

Source: Essentials of Baking

Prickly pears / Figue de Barbarie / Chumbo

Last weekend, hubby and I bought a huge box, huge considering that it was only for the two of us, of Prickly pears, or as some may call them cactus pears, Indian figs or if you are like me, I call them Chumbo (its Spanish term).
We were so excited, like kids in front of a giant pile of candy we couldn’t wait to take a bite out of it. What do two people like us do with all these prickly pears? Well, like we always do. He peels them, I put them in the fridge until well chilled and then we pop them in our mouth, one after the other, laughing at how many chumbo we ate all in once.

I know you can make jellies, jams, and drinks out of it, but when you have such a beautiful and ripe fruit; there is not much you should do to enhance what it already has.
Prickly pears can be found in abundance in the west and Southwest of the untied states and as Far East as Nebraska and throughout much of Mexico. It also flourishes in Mediterranean regions, such as North Africa, South of France, south of Italy, southern Portugal, southern and eastern Spain, in the island of Malta, Turkey, Israel and else where in Bulgaria, South Africa, Australia and chili.

Like all cacti, prickly pears are about 90% water. The young stems (called nopal), fruits (called Tuna) seeds and flowers of the prickly pears are all edible. Most of the markets in the United States, Europe and Australia sell prickly pears cleaned from their spines, but if you can’t find them without their spines you’ll have to be very careful when peeling and removing the spines as they can remain embedded in the skin, causing significant discomfort, redness and sometimes infection. Wear protective gloves. Put the prickly pears in a bowl filled with water and try to scrub the spines gently using a scrubbing brush. Do not splatter.

The stems are commonly used in Mexican cuisine in dishes such as huevos con nopales (eggs with nopal), or “tacos de nopales” and the fruits are used in a popular alcoholic beverage: Tequila.
When collecting pads, choose the young glossy green ones. The older ones are fibrous and though. Prepare them by peeling them, dicing them and adding them to salads, soups and stews as a thickener or bake them.

The fruit, ripen in late summer is sweet, very refreshing and with a granular texture due to the tiny seeds inside. The fruit can be red, yellow/orange or pale green depending on the region. The seeds in India are dried and grind into pastry flour and the gel-like liquid of a prickly pear can be used as a conditioner. Now how versatile is that.

Source: Wikipedia.org
wwmag.net

Flours ID

Flour, made by milling grains such as wheat, rye, and corn, is the baker’s most essential, most basic ingredient.
The type of grain and the way the flour is milled help determine its defining characteristic: the amount of protein it contains. The protein, present in wheat flours, and in very small amount in rye and oat flour, forms what we call gluten. It is what makes the dough elastic when kneaded.
You can control the amount of gluten by the type of flour you use and how much you manipulate the dough or batter before baking: Kneading rigorously is recommended for yeast bread. Stirring the ingredients briefly instead of kneading is recommended for quick breads and cakes. It produces a mixture with little gluten and a tender crumb.
A variety of flours are used in baking. The most common are described below:

Wheat Flours:
All-purpose (plain) flour: A mixture of both hard and soft wheat is the most common flour on the U.S. market. All-purpose flour is available bleached (chemically treated) and unbleached. Bleaching makes the flour whiter and increases the flour ability to hold sugar and water, while the unbleached flour tends to contain more protein and has a more agreeable flavor.
Bread Flour: is milled exclusively from hard wheat and is high in protein. This is the kind of flour you will use for example in the making of baguettes.
Cake (soft-wheat) Flour: made from soft wheat, is milled more finely than the other wheat flours and is low in protein and high in starch. It is generally the best choice for delicately crumbed cakes and similar baked goods. It has to be sifted prior to use to aerate it and to remove any lumps.
Semolina Flour: is made from durum wheat with the bran removed. It is used in some Italian breads (Ciabatta, Cocodrillo…) and desserts and to keep breads from sticking to the baking sheet. Look for a fine grind for baking (cornmeal).
Whole-wheat (Wholemeal) Flour: is ground from whole-wheat berries. It retains all three parts of the grain: the endosperm, the bran, and the germ, and therefore contains more vitamins, minerals, starch, and fiber than other flours ground from only the endosperm. It is lower in protein than all-purpose flour and gives a dense bread with a nutty, sweet flavor.
Other Flours
Corn is the source of many different product used in baking.The dried kernels are ground into cornmeal of different textures, from fine (also known as corn flour) to coarse. Stone ground corn meal has a nuttier flavor than fine or medium-grind cornmeal.
Silky, powdery cornstarch is ground from the heart of the kernel and used as a gluten-free thickener. I use it also to lighten up the flour in my cakes when I don’t have cake flour. The rule goes: ¾ of all-purpose for ¼ of cornstarch.
Oats: they can be ground into flour for bread making. However, being very low in gluten, you will have to combine it with wheat flour to make bread and other raised baked goods. Old- fashioned rolled oats are common in cookie and muffin recipes. They are interchangeable with quick oats in many recipes, although the old-fashioned are preferred for their superior texture. Instant oats and steel-cut oats are best for eating as cooked cereal. Oat bran is used to add flavor, texture and nutrients to yeast and quick breads.
Rye Flour: milled from rye berries, is low in protein. There are three different kinds of rye flour: dark, light and medium. Rye flour gives a distinctively flavored, dense, more rustic and earthy bread than wheat flour. Coarse dark rye flour is sometimes labeled Pumpernickel flour.
Chestnut Flour: After harvesting, chestnuts are dried then milled into flour. Being gluten-free, it can be used combined with all-purpose flour in bread making or any raised baked item. The rule goes: 30% chestnut flour for 70% all-purpose flour, or more depending on anyone’s palate. It can be used alone when making either sweet or savory crepes and tart crust. Enhances the flavor of chocolate, hazelnuts, almonds and chocolate.
Buckwheat Flour: Buckwheat is a fruit. The flour is made from the grains of the fruit. It’s gluten-free and therefore can be used alone when making bread. Because of its bitterness, it is common to combine buckwheat flour to other flours, such as wheat or potato flour.
It can be used alone in making crepes, pancakes, blinis, Japanese Soba and Pasta (mixed with semolina). It can be stored for only two months.

*Photo: Left to right, from top left: Ol-Fashioned Rolled Oats, Rye Flour, Semolina Flour, Cake Flour.

Source: Supertoinette.com
Essentials of Baking,Williams-Sonoma

Zucchini

Zucchini

Also known as Courgette, is a small summer squash that has its ancestry in the Americas. It can either be yellow, green or light green. The word zucchini comes from the Italian word zucchino, meaning a small squash. It is one of the rare vegetables that can be found in savory dishes as well as sweet dishes and breads.
The zucchini flowers are also comestible. With pistils removed (for female flowers) and stamens removed (for male flowers). The male flower is the one with a thin stem, and it is usually the one used for cooking, as the female flower is responsible for “giving birth” to the zucchini. Remove any insect from inside the flowers and clean gently with a damp kitchen towel, as they are very delicate. Pat dry, if needed, and you can serve them in different ways: deep fried as beignets or tempura, stuffed, in omelets, sautéed, baked, in soups or pasta or rice.
- How to choose them:
Firm to the touch, smooth, with a nice shiny color, preferably thin and no more than 6 inches long. Bigger zucchinis tend to be tougher, bitter and mealy.
- How to store them:
Store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisp drawer for up to four days. Do not wash them until ready to use. Softness is a sign of deterioration.
- How to freeze them:
Slice the zucchinis and blanch them for two minutes. Shock them in ice cold water to set the color and stop the cooking. Drain and seal in an airtight container or Ziploc bags. They can be kept in the freezer from ten to twelve months. Cook without thawing them.
- How to cook them:
Cook them with a minimum of water added. It is better to steam them instead of boiling them, as they are known to retain a lot of liquid. When in possession of young zucchinis, no need to cook them. Just trim the stem and slice the zucchini into rounds, using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler. Serve as a salad with some fresh thyme and raspberry vinaigrette.
Zucchini can be sautéed, baked, stuffed (globe zucchinis are the perfect choice), steamed, grilled, fried (beignets, fritters) and jams. They are considered an important ingredient in the making of Ratatouille, zucchini bread and zucchini and chocolate cupcakes.
Whatever dishes you wish turning your zucchinis into, just remember to not overcook or you will end up with a mush.
Next week, I will show what I have done with my globe zucchinis. Although it is easy to guess, don’t you think?
If you have a favorite zucchini recipe you would like to share, drop it in the comment section. After what, I will randomly choose one of them, which I will be trying, and illustrating on my blog with your name, of course, as the original author.
Until next time, have a great weekend my friends.

Source: About.com
Wikipedia

Some Tips and a Recipe / Des Astuces et une Recette

Picture this: Less than three years ago, a young woman stands in the middle of a grocery store. She is lost. She just started to learn about the country and the language and why do people use the word “stuff’ for everything, and she is lost in the middle of a grocery store. Standing in the breakfast section in front of a gigantic range of jams, she reads all these labels: jam, preserve and jelly. She is lost. She knows what jelly is, but what about the two others? What’s the difference? Which one is "confiture"? She starts looking at the consistency of each and every one of them to figure out which one is jam. She didn’t expect to see all these names. Looking for a sign, some help, a dictionary may be. She goes back and forth, watching what people would pick the most from this pile of sugary jars. She figured this might help her. No, still lost. She finally picked the one that looked the most familiar to her, hidden in the world section and written in French: Bonne Maman apricot jam. She went back home, turned her laptop on and looked for the definition: Properly, the term jam refers to a product made with whole fruit, cut into pieces or crushed. The fruit is heated with water and sugar to activate the pectin in the fruit. The mixture is then put into containers*.
The term Preserves is usually interchangeable with Jam, however some cookbooks define Preserves as cooked and gelled whole fruit (or vegetable), which includes a significant portion of the fruit**.

So jam and preserve are the same, she tought. Why do they make it sound so confusing?
Lost, she was no more. Came the summer, she was determined to make her own pots of jams for the winter to come. This way the only dilemma she would have to face will be to either spread her jam on a slice of Rye and orange bread or a tart shell.

Before we get to the recipe, allow me to share with you some tips and basics about making jam:
Jam jars should have lids and rings that help creat a vaccum seal. Ball and Kerr are good brands to use. When sterrilizing your jars, use canning tongs, specifically made for gripping jars. They are very helpful.
Some fruits (like apricot, pear, mango, watermelon, green tomatoes..etc) need to macerate in sugar for 24h before cooking them. Adding lemon juice when starting the cooking process help preserve the natural color of the fruit.
Usually the rule goes, for every 2 pounds(1 kilo) of fruits add 1 ½ lb(750g) sugar or 1 1/3(600g) if the fruits are too sweet.
The success of a good jam resides between the time of cooking( not too long and not too short) and the balance between acidity and fruit pectin. It goes from 20 to 45 min of cooking, depending on the fruits. Some fruits, lacking in pectin, might need more time to cook. But you should:
1- always keep an eye on them.
2- Have them on medium-high heat and stiring regularly.
3- Never put the lid on as it will overflow and you also want the jam to thicken by evaporating.
4- Skim the foam that might form on top.
If you have a copper pot, use it to make jams. It is the best tool, according to chefs, for jams. It conducts heat evenly and alows pectin molecules to interact between themselves.
If your jam has crystallized, slowly add some boiling water to dissolve it.
An easy tip to know when your jam is ready: Put a little bit of it in a spoon and set aside for 30sec. If it rinkles when touching it with your pinkie, then it’s ready. If not continue cooking it a bit more. Try again later.
Some fruits jam combinations:
- Apricot: almonds, honey, ginger, vanilla, walnuts and lavender
- Cherry: Kirsch, Rhum and vanilla
- Lemon: Orange blossoms and vanilla
- Strawberry: black pepper, balsamic vinegar, raspberry, blackberry
- Raspberry: black pepper, strawberry, thyme, blackberry
- Pear: cinnamon, red wine
- Peach, nectarine: Vanilla, walnuts, ginger, clove, lemon, bitter almonds
- Apple: vanilla, cinnamon, anis star, cardamom, lemon balm, rhum, lavender, rose water, mint.
- Squash: orange zest, anis star
- Rhubarb: lemon, raisins, cinnamon, apple

Strawberry Preserve

Recipe: adapted from Food and Wine, July 2007
- Juice of 2 lemons, strained
- 4 ½ cups sugar
- 2 pounds medium strawberries, hulled

In a large, deep skillet, pour the lemon around the sugar. Cook over medium heat undisturbed until most of the sugar starts to melt. Gently stir the sugar until completely melted. Using a moistened pastry brush, wash down any sugar crystals from the side of the skillet.
Add the strawberries and boil over medium-high heat, mashing them gently then, if you don’t like to have pieces of strawberries in your preserve, puree them using a long stand mixer. Let it cook until it reaches 220F (or 8 degrees above boiling point, depending on altitude), about 10 min. Continue to boil until the preserves are thick, about 4 min longer.

Confiture de Fraises

Recette: adaptee de Food and Wine, Juillet 2007
- Le jus de 2 citrons, passé a la passoire
- 1,064 l de sucre
- 900g de fraises de taille moyenne, equeutees

Dans une marmite profonde, verser le jus de citron autour du sucre. Faire cuire sur feux doux, sans le remuer jusqu’a ce que le sucre commence a fondre. Remuer le sucre doucement a l’aide d’une cuillere en bois pour que le sucre soit completement fondu. A l’aide d’un pinceau a patisserie, legerement mouille brosser doucement tous cristaux qui peuvent se former autour du sucre.
Ajouter les fraises et porter a ebullition sur feu relativement élevé. Ecraser les fraises ou si vous ne voulez de morceaux dans votre confiture, broyer le tout a l’aide d’un mixeur a soupe. Laisser cuire jusqu’a ce que la confiture atteigne 104 C (ou 4 degres au-dessus de l’ebolution dependant de l’altitude), environ 10min. Laisser bouillir, sans couvrir encore 4 min, ou jusqu’a ce que la confiture soit epaisse.

*,**: Wikipedia
Source: Supertoinette.com

Sage Pesto / Pesto de Sauge

I am ashamed of my self. I have just noticed, a couple of days ago, that I didn’t keep my promise of sharing my sage recipe with you as planned two weeks ago. I have no excuses for letting you down and for disgracing my blog. I try to always keep my promises and when I don’t I start fidgeting around the house telling my self that people won’t trust me anymore. I even wrote about it down on my journal:
“Dear journal, I dishonored my loyalty towards my friends. Remember my last post about sage? No? The Friday posts, remember? Ouff! You are slow on the uptake, aren’t you? Ok! To sum up I will say that I promised a recipe, which is my new take on pesto using sage and lemon zest, but failed to deliver it on time. I am unforgivable! What? You think that I should shut up and continue on with the recipe and they might forgive me? You think? Fine, fine I’ll keep it quiet.

Sage Pesto

Recipe:
- 3 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- The zest of ¾ of a lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 big garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 sage sprigs (about 30 leaves)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, pepper

Pluck the sage leaves and put them in a blender with garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, the zest and the juice of he lemon. Blend until smooth. With the blender running add slowly the olive oil until it looks like a thick paste. If you like your pesto a little lighter in texture you can always add more olive oil. Season to taste. Keep in the fridge.

Pesto de sauge

In francais please:
- 3 c.s de pignons de pin. Legerement grille
- 100g de parmesan, frechement rape (environ 30 feuilles)
- Le zest du ¾ d’un citron
- 1 c.s de jus de citron
- 2 grosses gousses d’ail, épluchees
- 3 brins de sauge
- 50ml d’huile d’olive
- Sel, poivre

Cueillir les feuilles de sauge des brins et mettre dans un robot ménagere ave l’ail, les pignons de pin, le parmesan, le zest et le jus du citron. Mixer jusqu’a ce que le mélange devienne homogène. Avec votre robot en marche, verser doucement l’huile d’olive pour obtenir une purée assez épaisse. Si vous aimez votre pesto plus leger, en terme de consistence, vous pouvez toujours rajouter plus d’huile d’olive. Assaisoner a votre goût. Garder au frigo.

Sage / Sauge

Sage, also called Garden sage and Kitchen sage is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. It has long, oval grayish leaves covered with bumps and blue to purple flowers that are decorative and comestible as well.

- How to grow:
Plant the sage in full sun 24 inch (61cm) apart. Grows to 24 inch (61 cm) tall. It blooms in June.
If you want to have your sage to come back every year, plant the Salvia Officianalis variety. Sage helps to keep white butterflies away from cabbage and bugs from carrots.
- How to use:
- Cooking:
Sage is known to have a slightly peppery and bitter taste. It has to be used in small amount as a little goes a long way. It is used as seasoning for cheese, vinegars, Veal, fish, sausage, stuffing, soups, and sauces. It is also used in Italian cuisine like Piccata, Saltimbocca, Rice Minestrone and Italian Vermouth. I like it in my salads and my caramelized baby carrots.
- Medicinal uses:
The Latin name for Sage is “salvia” which means to heal. Sage is believed for centuries to be a medicinal herb for Stomachache, cold, sore throat, gas, anxiety, excessive perspiration, and has been shown to boost memory.
But don’t take too much of it as it is toxic in excess or over long periods.
- How to dry:
Gather the sage in a bouquet but without their flowers. Hang upside down and place them in a dark, dry and well-ventilated room for two to three weeks. To keep them from the dust cover them with a paper bag with holes on it. But do not use plastic bags.
Keep your dried sage in paper bag, tightly closed.

Next week, I will show you how I used sage in a twist to an Old Italian recipe. Until then, have a good weekend my friends.

Source: Supetoinette.com

Peaches / Les pêches

Because I thought my blog should be more than a recipe repertoire, I decided to start this fun, technique section where every Friday I will give you some helpful tips and informations about the food you eat and how to get the best of it.
Today, my first subject is going to be one of my favorite fruits, and which happened to be in season in Michigan: Peach.

Peaches

The peach is a fruit originating from China, where it symbolizes fertility, longevity and where the peach flowers are used in Chinese wedding. There are over 400 varieties of peaches and the most popular one are the velvety and the smooth peaches.
- How to choose them:
Choose them in season when they should are ripe with a delicate skin; a good color and no blemishes or finger marks. Your peach should be fragrant. If you want to keep them for a few days before eating them, then choose them a little unripe. They will continue their maturation at room temperature.
- How to store them:
Store your peaches at room temperature and without piling them up. Depending on how ripe you brought them, they will keep from two to three days in your basket. Just avoid touching them too much as they get bruises easily.
Peaches don’t like spending days in the fridge, as they get dried and their flesh becomes like cotton wool. Just remember to get them out of the fridge hours before eating them so they can fully develop their aroma.
- How to freeze them:
Halved, pitted and blanched for two minutes in boiling water with a dash of lemon juice. Peaches with yellow flesh (nectarines, Springlady, Diamond princess, Early O’Henri, Redtop…etc) chosen just ripe can stand freezing better than other varieties.
- How to eat them:
Peaches can be eaten raw or cooked. It can be baked, sautéed, caramelized, in syrup, in a jam or compote, in pies, tarts, muffins, cupcakes and cakes.
Peaches go also very well with white meat and Monkfish and fresh herbs like basil and mint.
- Diet and Beauty:
Peaches are an excellent source of fiber, water, vitamin C, B3, B5 and vitamin E.
Squashed, it makes also a good, natural and moisturizing facial masque; at least if you can stop yourself or others from licking your face constantly.

My peaches are screaming to be taken to the kitchen for some weekend experimenting that I will be sharing with you in the near future. If you have some Peach recipes that you would like to share, please let me know in the comments.
Until then, have a great weekend everyone.

Source: Supertoinette.com