• preparation

In a suitable soup pot, cook the salt pork until lightly brown. Stir in the onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems, and saffron. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and fish stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
A few minutes before serving, cut cod into cubes and add to soup. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add milk and parsley. Heat before serving.

• preparation

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery, carrots and onion stirring frequently until carrots start to soften, about 5 min. Sprinkle with flour and salt. Mix well.
Add potatoes, wine, broth, milk and herbes de Provence. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 min. Stir in cream and trout. Continue simmering for 2 min. Ladle into bowls and top with parsley
just before serving.

• preparation

In large skillet, simmer asparagus in salted boiling water for 6 minutes or just until tender.
Drain on towels; transfer to platter.
Whisk oil, lime rind and juice, honey, salt and pepper; stir in mint and chives.
Drizzle over asparagus; garnish with red pepper.

From Canada Living Test Kitchen

• preparation

Mix all ingredients well. Spread on English muffin halves. Chill or freeze for future use.
Broil until golden brown. Cut muffins into quarters. Muffin halves can also be served as a luncheon.

• preparation

GUACAMOLE:

Peel avocados, cut in halves, remove stones, and mash the avocados.
Add remaining ingredients, and mix.

BLUE CHEESE DIP:

In bowl, combine all the ingredients well. Serve chilled.

SALSA:

In bowl, combine all the ingredients well. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

• preparation

Buy the oysters. When buying oysters, look for a tag with the harvest date and use them within a week of that date. Also, make sure the oysters are fresh and alive; the shells should be tightly closed or should close when tapped.
An hour before shucking, scrub the oysters with a stiff brush under cold running water to remove any grit. Set them aside to relax muscles in shell. They will open with more ease.

Shuck the oysters. Hold the oyster, curved-side down, in a towel on a cutting board. Insert an oyster knife between the shells at the narrow pointed end. (Use a real oyster knife-there is no substitute!) Press down firmly on the oyster to prevent slipping and twist the knife to pry the shells apart. Use the knife for leverage; do not use force. Cut the muscle that connects the oyster to the top shell with the knife, being careful not to pierce the meat. Remove the top shell. Slide your knife under the oyster to loosen it, keeping the meat and liquid in the shell. Use your knife to carefully scrape away any shards of shell.

Make the aioli. Blend the garlic, egg yolks, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the motor running and process until thick. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the aioli to a bowl, then cover and refrigerate.

Prepare the ragout. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring, until crisp. Add the shallots and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic, cook 3 minutes, then add the butter and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble the oysters. Preheat the broiler. Place the oysters, in their shells, in individual baking dishes or one large dish. (Put a crumpled sheet of foil underneath them to keep them steady, if necessary.) Top each with a spoonful of mushroom ragout.

Finish the dish. Top each oyster with a dollop of aeoli. Broil until the aeoli is golden, about 2 minutes, and serve immediately.

• preparation

Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Process cheese with the flour. Add butter and spices and process until dough forms a ball. Scrape the side of bowl, and process for a few more seconds to blend.
Roll the dough into 2-inch thick cylinder. Wrap in wax paper. Chill. Slice into 1/4 -inch slices. Place on sheet pan lined with wax paper.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until wafers are crisp. Cool on rack.

Note: I also roll cylinder in ground almond.

• preparation

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and dill. Add beer, milk, and eggs; mix well. Season cod fillets.
Place fillets in batter mixture, coat well.
Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place fish in hot oil, and fry until golden brown.
Cook fish in batches to maintain oil temperature

• preparation

In a suitable soup pot, cook the salt pork until lightly brown. Stir in the onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems, and saffron. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and fish stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
A few minutes before serving, cut cod into cubes and add to soup. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add milk and parsley. Heat before serving.

• preparation

Melt butter in a frying pan. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes over low heat. Chop potatoes coarsely. Flake the cod flesh. Combine potatoes, salt and pepper, onion, eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley.
Add the flaked fish and blend well. Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet and smooth it over. Chill.
Shape the mixture into 12 round cakes. Coat the cakes with breadcrumbs.
Heat half of oil and butter in a skillet, and brown the cakes on both sides about 4-5 minutes per side.

• preparation

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic powder, to taste, and cook for 5 minutes. Add peas and rice and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to overcook; this dish is best if the bell pepper and onion still have a crunch to them. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each serving with sprig of parsley.

• preparation

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery, carrots and onion stirring frequently until carrots start to soften, about 5 min. Sprinkle with flour and salt. Mix well.
Add potatoes, wine, broth, milk and herbes de Provence. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 min. Stir in cream and trout. Continue simmering for 2 min. Ladle into bowls and top with parsley
just before serving.

• preparation

Combine the lentils and 2 quarts water in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the lentils are soft about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils and allow to cool.

Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil to a large frying pan and sauté the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and salt over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 more minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. When cool, add the lentils to the vegetable mixture.

Add the eggs, Parmesan, bread crumbs, parsley, and walnuts to the cooled vegetable mixture and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated. Place in the refrigerator for 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.

Shape the mixture into mini burgers (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the vegetable mixture firmly. Place in the prepared baking dish, allowing 1/4-inch of space between the burgers.

Roast for 30 minutes, or until the mini burgers are firm and cooked through.
serve with marinara sauce.

• preparation

Pat meat dry with paper towels, then season on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a Dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes. Then add enough oil to barely coat bottom of pot and heat until shimmering. Sear the meat until golden brown, turning to cook all sides evenly, about 8 minutes. Don't be tempted to turn the meat too soon or it will tear; instead wait until it easily releases from the pot. Once it is nicely browned all over, remove it from the pot. If there are lots of blackened bits on the bottom of the pot, wipe it clean with a paper towel, or deglaze with a little water then discard.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the olive oil and all of the aromatics, and cook, stirring fairly often, until the onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. You may need to increase the heat after a minute or two if the onion isn't softening, but only slightly. If the garlic or onion begins to burn, add a little water and stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle the flour into the pot, and stir to coat everything evenly; cook the flour just long enough to remove the starchy taste without taking on any color, about 30 seconds. Add vinegar, tomato paste and water, and bring to a boil. Deglaze pot, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Put the roast in the pot; the water should come only about 1 inch up the sides of the meat. Reduce the heat so the liquid is simmering, not boiling, and cover the pot tightly with the lid. While the meat is braising, turn it every 30 minutes; the meat should be almost tender (a sharp knife inserted in the center should meet little resistance) after 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the meat from the pot. Strain braising liquid through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible (discard solids).
Return the roast and the strained liquid to the pot. Nestle the garnish vegetables around the roast, submerging them a bit in the liquid (the liquid should almost reach top of vegetables). Bring the liquid to a boil, then simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. The meat should be very tender by now and give no resistance when pierced with a knife (The meat will be firm enough to slice; if you want it be falling-apart tender, cook 30 minutes more).
Transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving platter, leaving the sauce behind (there should be about 1 cup). Cover and keep warm near the stove. If the sauce is too thin, heat until reduced (but be mindful of the saltiness, since the more sauce is reduced the saltier it will taste) or thicken it with a bit more flour, whisking until smooth. Add a small amount of vinegar if necessary to balance the flavors. Let roast stand for about 20 minutes, then slice to desired thickness. Spoon some sauce over pot roast and vegetables to moisten and serve with remaining sauce on the side.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine bran, flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in mixing bowl.
Beat egg, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, molasses, together.
Add liquid ingredients to dry and stir just until moistened. Fold in the raisins and apricots.
Fill greased a 12-muffin tin 3/4 full.
Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove muffins from cups while hot. Transfer muffins on a rack to cool.
* add 1 tablespoon vinegar to regular milk

• preparation

Pick over crabmeat to remove any cartilage. put it in a food processor and add 2 tablespoons scallions, the ginger, cilantro, mustard, sesame oil and soy sauce. Pulse about 4 times, just to blend the ingredients without shredding the crabmeat too finely.
Transfer the crabmeat to a bowl and fold in half of the lime juice, the chili oil to taste and the egg whites.
Form the mixture into 8 equal size patties, about 2½ inches in diameter. Lightly coat each patty with bread crumbs, put them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour.
Heat a film of the peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet. Sauté the crab cakes over medium-low heat until they are lightly browned on both sides. Serve with the mayonnaise mixture on the side and sprigs of cilantro for garnish.
For the sauce:
Mix the mayonnaise with the remaining lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and scallions and set aside.

• preparation

Mix first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir in buttermilk, oil and egg yolks.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until medium-firm peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter.
Heat a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat; lightly brush skillet with melted butter. Drop batter by ¼ cupfuls into skillet; spread to 4 inch rounds. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons blueberries over each round. Cook until tops are covered with small bubbles and bottom are golden, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook until second sides are golden, about 1 minute.
Repeat with remaining batter and blueberries, brushing skillet with melted butter for each batch.

• preparation

Clean, wash and cut broccoli into medium pieces. Cook lightly in boiling water. Drain well.
Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with broccoli. Cover broccoli with the diced chicken.
In a separate bowl, mix chicken soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cream and ginger. Spread over chicken. Top with the cheddar cheese. Brown bread crumbs with butter.
Sprinkle over top of chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

• preparation

1. Combine kale leaves, ginger, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and ground pepper in food processor. Pulse/process until all the kale is chopped up. Transfer to a medium bowl. If all the kale won’t fit in the processor at once, process in batches. Don’t over-process, you don’t want your kale to become a paste/puree. It should look like chopped leaves.
2. Add water, flour, baking powder and egg yolks. MIX WELL.
3. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they hold peaks but are not too stiff. They’ll first get bubbly and then turn to a light fluffy foam.
4. Fold egg whites (beaten) into the kale mixture.
5. In a pan, heat up a thin layer of oil on medium-high.
6. Drop the kale batter in spoonfuls onto the hot pan. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side. The fritters should be a golden brown color. You can turn the heat down a bit once they get frying. It’s a pretty quick process. Add more oil as needed.
7. When they’re done, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
8. Serve with sour cream, a chutney or another dip of your choice.

• preparation

Light a grill.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the lime juice, ginger, fish sauce and garlic.
Season the pompano fillets with salt and pepper and grill over a hot fire for about 3 minutes per side, or until just cooked through.
Transfer the fish to a platter or plates. Spoon the sauce over the top, garnish with the dill and serve.

• preparation

In a small sauté pan over moderate heat, toast the bread crumbs until golden and crunchy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg and water.

In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, stuffing, and turkey. Using your hands or a spoon, shape the mixture into 2-inch-long, oblong-shaped croquettes (you should have about 24 croquettes) and transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet.

Working with 1 croquette at a time, dredge them in the egg-water mixture, letting the excess drip off, then dredge them in the bread crumbs, and return them to the rimmed baking sheet.

In a large skillet, over moderately high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Working in batches, pan-fry the croquettes, turning them occasionally, until crispy on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining croquettes, wiping the pan clean and adding 2 tablespoons of the oil to the pan between batches. DO AHEAD: The croquettes can be prepared ahead and frozen, well wrapped in foil, for up to 3 months. To reheat: Bake the frozen croquettes on a large baking sheet in a 475°F oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the croquettes from the oven for about 5 minutes to let the interiors thaw, then return them to the oven to finish baking for another 2 minutes.

Serve hot with cranberry sauce and/or warm gravy.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1.Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make sure to cut a large-enough sheet of parchment paper so that there is overhang on all sides. Then fold the excess up so that the drippings don’t seep through any cracks.
Lay the bacon strips flat, making sure pieces do not overlap.
2. Bake until crisp and browned, 15 to 18 minutes, 24 minutes (thick-cut bacon), rotating the sheets once.
3. Transfer strips to a paper towel to drain.
Let the drippings cool slightly, lift up the parchment, and store the drippings into a container.

• preparation

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes.
Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well.
Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again.
Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes. Add bread crumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.

• preparation

Peel and cut the onions into 1/4-inch thick slices; separate into rings. In shallow bowl, stir together milk or buttermilk and ½ teaspoon of the salt; add onion rings and soak for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a bag, combine flour, remaining salt and pepper. Add onion rings in batches and shake to coat.
In deep-fryer or large saucepan, heat 2 inches oil to 375 degrees. Deep-fry rings, in batches without crowding for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.
Drain and keep warm on paper towel-lined baking dish in 250 degree oven

• preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. (For more crispiness, preheat your oven to 500°F.)
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Cut each piece into wedges. Alternately, you can slice the peeled sweet potato into disks either with a mandoline or a sharp knife.
Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the oil. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and spices of your choice. Mix well, so all pieces are coated with oil and spices.
Place a baking sheet inthe oven to preheat.
Spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on the preheating the baking sheet, to help the fries get crisp.

Bake for a total of 25 to 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn over all of the sweet potato pieces. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until they are well browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

• preparation

Preheat the oven at 350 F and brush the cut sides of each squash using olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
Place cut sides of squash down on two baking sheets. Roast 25 minutes or until tender.
Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add celery with leeks, salt and pepper, cooking on medium heat for about eight minutes, stirring now and then.
Add apples and thyme, cooking on medium high about five minutes, or until until the apples begin to soften.
Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Work in bread, parsley, stock, chestnuts, and cream, tossing to mix well; salt and pepper.
Turn the squash so cut sides face up. Fill the cavities with stuffing and bake 20 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.

• preparation

For Streusel Topping:
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
Combine first 5 ingredients in processor. Blend using on/off turns until nuts are coarsely chopped. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture begins to clump together. Transfer streusel to bowl and refrigerate.

For Filling:
Combine apricots, sugar, flour and allspice in large bowl; toss to blend. Let stand until dry ingredients are moistened, about 25 minutes. Carefully fold in raspberries.
Roll out pie-crust disk on lightly floured surface to 12 1/2-inch round.
Transfer crust to 9-inch diameter glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang under; crimp edges decoratively.
Spoon filling into crust.
Place pie on baking sheet. Bake until filling begins to bubble at edges, about 45 minutes.
Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over pie. Cover crust edges with foil to prevent overbrowning.
Bake until crust and topping are golden and filling is bubbly in center, about 50 minutes.
Cool pie on rack at least 2 hours.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream shortening and sugar.
Beat in the eggs vanilla and yogurt.
Crush the bananas. Sift the remaining dry ingredients. Add to batter. Mix in the bananas.
Grease and flour 2 (9-inch by 3-inch) loaf pans.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
A cake tester inserted in center of cake should come out clean.

• preparation

Make the wafer batter:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter with confectioner’s sugar until creamy. Beat in flour, and vanilla. Beat egg whites to a light texture. Fold them into the batter.
Spoon the equivalent of a tablespoon of batter on a buttered cookie sheet pan. Spread batter with a small spoon to form 4 inch circles. Continue spooning and spreading more batter leaving about 3 inch space between wafer batter. Bake the wafers until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer wafers to rack. While hot, they can also be shaped into cups. Cool. In high humidity, store in an air tight box until ready to use.
Make the raspberry coulis:
Save half the raspberries for garnish. In an electric blender, puree remaining raspberries with confectioner’s sugar. Strain, and chill.
Make the Chantilly Cream:
In an electric mixer, whip the cream with the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla pudding until stiff.

Presentation:
Pipe 4 rosettes of cream in center of a dessert plate. Arrange 6 to 8 fresh raspberries on cream. Top with a wafer, cream, raspberries. Top with a second wafer. Pipe a cream rosette in center. Arrange raspberries around cream rosette. Decorate with mint leaves. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry coulis in each plate. Serve.

• preparation

Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until cornstarch dissolves.
Boil until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until cold. ( can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled.

• preparation

Fit the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with a circle of parchment paper.
Combine cookie crumbs, sugar and butter in a bowl. Spread evenly into bottom of pan and refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until firm. To make cheese cake, combine sugar and cornstarch in a stainless steel saucepan.
Dissolve unflavored gelatin in 1/4 cup of the lemon juice. Whisk remaining lemon juice and beaten eggs in sugar and cornstarch mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture thickens to a medium-thick consistency. Remove from heat.
Stir in gelatin and lemon zest. Transfer to a large bowl, and let cool at room temperature.
Whisk in Mascarpone until smooth. Beat whipping cream in a bowl until stiff. Fold mascarpone mixture into whipped cream.
Spoon cream mixture into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula. Seal top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Run a small sharp knife along the edge of the inside cake pan rim to loosen cake.
Remove sides of pan. Transfer dessert from metal base to a serving plate.
To serve, garnish with fresh berries, lemon zest and a red berry sauce.