HoHoHo...Winter-licious Chutney!

This Christmas, Marco and I have decided to extend my tradition of making homemade gifts to share the joy with our loved ones! We have booked our calendars and invited them over for cooking sessions in order to make their own Christmas gifts. It will all take place in our kitchen, with us, Chez Nous.
Hence, the name of this selection of recipes and gifts that we are going to make, let's call them the Chez Nous products...We are so looking forward to the fun of such future cheering sessions: Winter Chutney, Xmas Granola, orange marmalade, chocolate truffles with sesame seeds, Xmas shortbread cookies, olive oil crackers, and tapenade (Mediterranean olive purée), to name but a few. I will give them all out to you, in due time, of course!
The Chez Nous concept implies that our guests bring the ingredients needed for their own homemade gifts, and I provide the recipes, jars, boxes, labels, fabric bags, etc.
I am still working on the packaging, but as I started today with my first batch of Winter Chutney, I thought I would just share the recipe with you now...

Winterlicious Chutney: Curried Apple and Prune Chutney

Ingredients
2 kg cooking apples
6 cooking onions
500 g pitted prunes (or dates)
10cm piece of fresh ginger
4-8 plump garlic cloves
2 tbsp salt
4 cups of malt or cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp of Madras curry paste (I actually cut it with more spices and put 1 tbsp of cumin seeds, 1 tbsp of turmeric, 1 tbsp of curry and a pinch of cinnamon)
1 kg light brown or muscovado sugar
A selection of nuts & berries, according to your taste: hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, currants or any other dried fruit, like a few thinly sliced apricots, for instance.

Makes 4.5 Kg

Honestly, I tend to halve the quantities as my pot is not big enough to contain a larger amount. And 1 Kg of apples is quite enough actually, it already makes up to 7 jars!

1. Peel, core and square the apples. Chop the onions, prunes & ginger & garlic. Put all the ingredients, except the sugar, in a large non-reactive pot, and simmer for 20 min over medium heat until the apples have begun to soften. Add the sugar and simmer for another 5 min stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Increase the heat and boil the chutney for 45-50 min, stirring often, until when reduced and thick.
3. Ladle into hot sterilized jars, cover with vinegar-proof seals, and label.

Best served with cold meats, like poultry or pork, or in sandwiches with mature cheddar, Stilton (the traditional British Ploughman sandwich combination works well here, as this chutney easily replaces the pickle or relish), or brie de Meaux cheese.

Getting ready for the season is starting NOW!
What a blast!

Gourmandise Salée!

That photo was taken once the flan was cold, hence the somewhat raplaplat (deflated) look of it. But when you take it out from the oven, OULALA, there is a gorgeous soufflé effect.

Mes Chers,

You are going to love this one! Yummy! It is delicioso and takes no time at all.
I had just finished my watercress when I saw that recipe so I did not do it with watercress, but with spinach, and it worked beautifully.
I took the recipe from the September-October issue of Saveurs, the French magazine (quite easy to find in Toronto's bookshops), so I am giving it to you in French. Don't panic if your French is a bit rusty, you should cope just fine. Anyways, cooking terms are very similar in both languages! OK, I will help you a bit along the way, just for you not to stumble and get hurt. I guarantee you will find it easy, easy as French or English pie ;0)

Flans de Cresson et Tomates Cerise

Préparation: 15 mn
Cuisson: 20 à 25 mn
Pour 4-6 personnes
Préchauffez le four à 180*C (375*F).

3 oeufs entiers
15 cl de crème fraîche liquide
150 g de ricotta
30 g de parmesan râpé
10 tomates cerise
1 botte de cresson (a bunch of fresh watercress or a good handful of spinach)
2 cuillers à soupe (tablespoons) d'huile d'olive
Sel et poivre du moulin

1. Lavez le cresson et coupez grossièrement les tiges. (Rinse and cut the stems roughly).
2. Dans une poêle, faites chauffer l'huile d'olive et jetez-y le cresson. Enrobez-le bien d'huile et retirez la poêle du feu. (Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the watercress just for it to soften a bit, and be coated in oil, remove pan from stove).
3. Mixez le cresson finement et réservez-le. (Process the watercress into a thin mixture, and save it aside for now)
4. Dans un saladier, fouettez les oeufs. Ajoutez la ricotta. ( In a sald bowl, whisk the eggs, and add the ricotta)
5. Versez enfin la crème liquide, le parmesan râpé. Salez et poivrez. (Then, add the cream and grated parmesan) Incorporez le cresson mixé, et mélangez bien. (Incorporate the processed watercress, and stir well)
6. Lavez les tomates cerises et coupez-les en deux. (Rinse the cherry tomatoes and halve them)
7. Huilez légèrement des petits ramequins et garnissez-les avec la préparation. (Oil the ramekins slightly and garnish them with the mixture)
8. Plantez dans chaque ramequin quelques demi-tomates et enfournez 20 à 25 mn, jusqu'à ce que le dessus des flans soit doré. (Plant a few halved tomatoes in the ramekins, and put in the oven for 20-25 mn, or until the top becomes golden).

Dégustez tiède ou froid. Mon conseil: Avec une salade de roquette ! (Savour warm or cold. My advice, with a salad of arugula!)

An easy-peasy dish to rejoice over with a party of friends...Also ideal for a romantic tête-à-tête.

Let me know what you think of the recipe, will you?
Bon appétit!

High tea & Biscotti!

Mon cher Coco,

What a plunge! Last Saturday, Marco and I invited Tess and Daniel (our Franco-German friends) for high tea at 5P.M. I served them a selection of salmon and cream cheese sandwiches (+ a jet of lemon, lumpfish caviar, a bed of watercress and a few leaves of cilantro), and my first-ever chocolate biscotti. Well, the mountain of biscotti was devoured in no time. As my guests noticed with obvious pleasure, they were crispy on the outside but still a bit soft inside; not like most biscotti that can be a bit too hard, so much so that when you plant your teeth in them, you fear you might break one or two...
This being said, over Sauvignon Blanc and Earl Grey tea, we devised plans for our Homemade Xmas Presents Party, the concept entailing that we will gather to make Christmas presents ourselves for our loved ones. We decided on a date and on the products that will be made, preserved in beautiful jars or boxes and wrapped in joyful ribbons: Xmas granola, chocolate truffles, biscotti (savoury and sweet) and mulled wine to be enjoyed on the spot (because this doesn't keep easily...).

For more ideas of homemade Xmas presents, stay tuned as I will go through and review all the presents that I make at home for my loved ones!

Here is the Biscotti recipe, for your eyes only. Enjoy!

Biscotti (from Chocolate, by Trish Deseine)

Makes about 30
Preparation time:20 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

1 handheld electric mixer
Cookie sheets
waxed paper

1 heaping cup of sugar
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
9 ounces (250-270 g) best quality dark chocolate chips.
Instead of 9 ounces of chocolate chips, play with what you have and like the most: cranberrries, almonds, hazelnuts, peeled candied orange....I personally put 230g of chocolate chips and added currants and pistachios to reach 270g.

Pre-heat the oven to 350*F (180*C).
Beat the sugar and butter. Add the eggs one by one, then the vanilla. Incorporate the flourand baking powder. Add the chocolate chips and mix well. On waxed paper, shapethe mixture into two rectangles, 10 inches (env.25-30cm) long and 4 inches (env.10cm) wide. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes, The cake should be crackled on top and a knife inserted into the centre should come out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300*F (150*C).

Slip the cakes onto a board and, while still hot, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices (env.1-1,5cm). Place the biscotti, ont their sides, on cookie sheets and bake again for 5-8 minutes, each side. They should be golden on top. Leave to cool, then indulge yourself by dunking them in a cup of your favourite hot beverage!

Cold & Flu Busters

When you feel down and out (see Cédric Roulliat's picture!): it's time for a cold & flu buster!

Marco, my husband, has been ill for three days now. Since then I've worked on preparing only super healthy meals with a lot of nutrients that should help him recover fast. For instance, I made a rich split peas soup (with carrot, celery and potato), a spicy Chili con Carne (to help him sweat the illness out). But last night he stil felt down and out, and I could indeed see that he was not in top notch shape, I decided to take drastic action. I thought of my favourite juice, the Cold&Flu Buster (carrots, pineapple, ginger..) that I usually order at Lettieri, the Café we often go to in Yorkville. I therefore started to prepare two Cold&Flu-Buster salads to help him fight against the vicious impact of the enemy flu; and it helped. This morning, after 72 hrs of illness, he is still weak and a bit feverish, but he looks stronger, ready to face a beautiful day out teaching at OCAD. And I like the idea that, perhaps, along with the effects of drugs and medication, my TLC and cold & flu busters played some part in his recovery...

Cold & Flu Busters...(Feel free to accomodate the quantities and ingredients according to your taste!)

Carrot, Avocado, and Pineapple Salad

Ingredients for 3-4 people:
-4 carrots
-1 avocado
-2 slices of fresh pineapple
- 1/2 cup of fresh coriander
-1 tin of albacore tuna
-1 tbsp of dried berries
Dressing: (according to your fantasy and taste!)
Mine had:
- Tapenade (black olives purée)
- Mustard
- 1 squeezed lemon juice
- Grapeseed oil + balsamic vinegar
- Cumin and Ginger
- Salt & pepper

Potato, Endive & Blue Cheese Salad

Ingredients for 3-4 people
-2 or 3 boiled eggs
-3 potatoes (peeled, cut into cubes and steamed)
-1 stick of celery
-1 or 2 endives (according to how big they are)
-1 good handful of arugula
-1 pear
-Crumbs of blue cheese (according to taste)
-Crushed or whole walnuts
Dressing:
- Tapenade+ mustard
- Grapeseed oil + 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- 1tbsp of cider vinegar + 1tbsp of soy sauce
- 1 pinch of curry powder
- Salt & pepper

If you have caught a nasty cold, remember what your mum would tell you: stay in, rest well, drink a lot of water or tea, and eat good, healthy food! It might even be a lot of fun, finally ;-)

Jack'o'Lanterns in the Park (+pumpkin gratin recipe)

Last Sunday, November 1st, we were invited by Catherine and Karl to a Pumpkin Parade in Sorauren Park, Toronto.
Everyone in the hood brought their pumpkins down to the park and lit them up. As this is a very artsy area, the carvings were often quite interesting and elaborate. I must admit that I did prefer the traditional scary patterns over the too fancy ones, but I did appreciate the carving work and technique. Of course, that was the perfect occasion to pop by at our friends' house for a glass of wine before getting ourselves going to these fields of Jack'o'Lanterns. For your viewing pleasure, here is a gallery of pumpkin art at its best. Enjoy!

Karl and Marco (my husband) bringing a bat pumpkin (carved by Amelia, Karl & Catherine's daughter) to participate in the Trick-or-Treat show!

I loved this one!

Harry Potter greeted great success amongst the crowd of pumpkin afficionados.

E.T . Ahh! One of our absolute favourites in the celebrities' pumpkins' category!

Of course, the gentle monster from Max and Where the Wild Things are was part of the Fest!

The Michael Jackson trilogy. Memo: he is dead, this is it!

This one read: No dirty diesels!

Gently evil! Love it.

Spooky-wooky! Boo! Screaming in the forests of the night...The Halloween party gathered for one last picture before parting. Thank you, Catherine, Karl & Amelia, for this magical and eerie moment shared together.

The next day, the Parks staff counted 1,620 pumpkins; there was no waste as they collected the pumpkins afterwards for composting. Frankly, we had a great time in Sorauren park! It was a great Jack'o'lanterns parade, where families and friends could marvel at the arts and crafts displayed in front of their eyes whilst feeling the impact of such terrifying or hilariously funny lanterns.
Last but not least, the smell of pumpkin flesh getting gently warmed up and cooked by the candles was ravishing. It whetted my appetite for a Pumpkin gratin...
So let me give you a very simple recipe (in French, just to have you practice a bit!) that will help you enhance the panel of Fall colours on your dinner table. To me, this very simple way of cooking pumpkin is reminiscent of my childhood as my mother would invariably bake pumpkin gratins to celebrate the arrival of another colourful and happy fall season!

By the way, I was talking to my good friend Jennifer yesterday morning, and she told me about her friends Pumpkin farm. It unfortunately is not open after October but, keep their contacts for information. Their products are exceptional! Here's the website....

http://www.knoxpumpkinfarm.com/farmmarket.php

Traditional Gratin de Courge

Préparation : 30 mn
Cuisson : 30 mn

Ingrédients :
- Un bon morceau de courge ou de potiron (la quantité varie en fonction du nombre de personnes, pour 4-6 personnes: 1kg)
- 2 oeufs, juste les blancs (2 egg whites)
- 2 cuillères à soupe de crème fraîche épaisse
- 1 cuillère de miettes de pain ( 1 tbsp of dried bread crumbs)
- 100 g de gruyère (Swiss gruyar)
- 1 cuillère d'huile d'olive
- Sel, poivre et noix de muscade (nutmeg), marjolaine (marjoram) + sauge (sage), selon vos goûts.

Préparation :
1.Découper la courge en morceaux et faire cuire dans une cocotte ou dans un panier à la vapeur (steam the pumkin!).

2.Après la cuisson, faire égoutter la courge (1 h environ) afin qu'elle ait rendu toute son eau.

3.Incorporer délicatement les blancs que vous aurez montés pour qu'ils soient fermes, à la crème, la moitié (50g) du gruyère, le sel, le poivre et une pointe de noix de muscade râpée. Mélanger cette préparation à la courge. Mixer le tout.

4.Verser dans un plat à gratin et parsemer du reste du gruyère. Faire cuire 30 mn dans le four à 200°C (400*F).


Guidelines in English ;-)

Cook winter squash or pumpkin if using fresh. In medium bowl whisk egg whites until they are firm. Add yogurt or cream, 2 tbs Parmesan or Swiss gruyar and spices+ herbs. Mix well. Add pumpkin, mix well. Pour into a lightly oiled baking dish. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheese, then bread crumbs. Drizzle with 1 tbs oil. Bake at 200C (400F) for 30 minutes or until top is set and golden brown. Remove and serve.

Bon appétit, chers Cocos gourmands!