My favourite cookies (for now)

Lately I have been obsessed with making cookies. I feel very comforted when I have homemade cookies in my kitchen. They also make those afternoon slumps and 3 pm classes easier to get through. My favourite cookie recently is a double chocolate masterpiece that surprises with a salty bite hidden within the sweetness. I've seen this cookie called either a "Korova" cookie or a "World Peace" cookie. The name Korova is both a restaurant in Paris, for which these cookies were made, and from a confection in the movie, " A Clockwork Orange". They were christened World Peace cookies because they are so good that they could be the solution to world peace. Anyways, try them and decide for yourself. Be warned: They are addictive so I suggest you make them when you have someone to share with.

Korova Cookies/World Peace Cookies
From Dorie Greenspans' Baking: From my home to yours.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel, or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small bits (I also use chocolate chips sometimes)

1 . Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together and keep close at hand. Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the butter is soft and creamy. (Alternatively, you can do this and all subsequent steps by hand, working with a sturdy rubber spatula.) Add both sugars, the salt, and vanilla extract and beat for another minute or two. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the sifted dry ingredients. Mix only until the dry ingredients are incorporated — the dough will look crumbly, and that's just right. For the best texture, you want to work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

2. Turn the dough out onto a smooth work surface and squeeze it so that it sticks together in large clumps. Gather the dough into a ball, divide it in half, and working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter. (Cookie-dough logs have a way of ending up with hollow centers, so as you're shaping each log, flatten it once or twice and roll it up from one long side to the other, just to make certain you haven't got an air channel.) Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill them for at least 1 hour. (Wrapped airtight, the logs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for I month.)

3. Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and keep them close at hand.

4. Working with a sharp thin-bladed knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick. (Don't be upset if the rounds break; just squeeze the broken-off bit back onto the cookie.) Place the cookies on the parchment-lined sheets, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) spread space between them.

5. Bake only one sheet of cookies at a time, and bake each sheet for 12 minutes. The cookies will not look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies stand until they are only just warm or until they reach room temperature — it's your call. Repeat with the second sheet of cookies.

NOTE: The dough can be made ahead and chilled or frozen. If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking — just slice the logs and bake the cookies 1 minute longer. Packed airtight, baked cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Note #2: Contrary to most cookies, I don't find these that easy to make. I'm challenged by the log rolling and the slicing - they do indeed fall apart every time and so I end up rolling them into little balls as if I was working with just mixed batter. Nevertheless, I still keep practicing because they are too delicious.

Not so boring brussels sprouts

I'd be lying if I said that brussels sprouts aren't boring. My adult tastebuds like them, but I can see how kids might not exactly love them. It seems to me that the usual presentation involves boiling or steaming and serving them as the "green vegetable" on the side. There must be a more creative and tasty use for brussels sprouts! So, I did a little research and found the basis for a recipe in the Barefoot Contessa in Paris. Her recipe was a little too plain for my liking. I had a lot of stuff in the fridge I needed to use up, plus I envisioned something a little more plentiful than brussels sprouts and bacon. I was looking to make a meal. Here's what I came up with. I don't have an exact recipe with measurements and I pulled some pre-made items out of my freezer, but try to picture my culinary genius, anyways.

1. Dice and fry some cured meat - I use prosciutto, though bacon or salami would be good too. Set aside.
2. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil.
3. Add brussels sprouts. Add chicken broth to steam the brussels sprouts.
4. When brussels sprouts are fork-tender or close to it, add other ingredients to make a meal. I added spinach, cherry tomatoes and cheese ravioli. Once, I added white kidney beans and the result was delicious.
5. Toss everything with pesto.
6. When everything is cooked, top with the prosciutto and serve hot. Yummy!

I suppose this post is meant to inspire, which is essentially what I think blogging is all about. This is also my take on "cooking without a recipe" a la Michael Smith (of Chef at Home, my favourite show).

This is what dietitians eat...

Last night, I got together with some of my best friends from university. Everybody is either a dietitian, studying to be a dietitian or is in the food business. Not surprisingly our gatherings tend to centre around food. Usually informal, everybody brings something (so we end up with more than will ever finish) and then we proceed to *ahem* pig out. Last night's offerings included a cheese tray, crackers, bread, chutney, dips, tapanade, roasted red peppers, marinated artichokes, olives, nuts, pizza, Sunchips, grapes, apples, bruschetta, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate - oh, the chocolate. I know sometimes I am accused of overdoing it on the dessert, but I've never seen so much chocolate in one place (other than in the store, of course).

The chocolate is courtesy of my friend Karen [shameless plug - check out Karen's awesome catering company Bite Catering]. Karen has a real knack for acquiring interesting things, the chocolate being no exception. She's also very generous, which is why she brought so much over for only seven people. Since we'd never seen or tried any of these chocolates before, nor could we understand the flavours on most of the packages, we just started trying them all. Not all of was that great, but some of it was surprisingly addictive. Needless to say, I ate a lot of it as did my friends. I read this summer of a study that found that unhealthy weights tend to show up in groups of friends. While my friends and I are all at healthy weights, I'm thinking if we got together every few days to eat like that, maybe that wouldn't be the case for very long!

The moral of this story is that dietitians are just as likely to overindulge as everybody else. We may like our fruits and veggies but we also love our fats and sugars - especially me! Everything in moderation is ok, right?

Secret Ingredient Quiche

For those of you who have ever been in my kitchen, you know that I have a lot of tools, gadgets, pots, pans, etc. The more I read about cooking and baking, the more toys I collect. This is a bit of a problem in a small condo where space is at a premium. My very supportive husband prefers to have things put away in a logical place - so I know it drives him crazy when he finds my baking pans hidden under the bed and in our closet!
Anyways, for awhile now I've been thinking that I must have a proper tart pan with a removable bottom and last week I finally found one that was reasonably priced (even if it was a bit bigger than I was looking for). When I buy a new toy, I like to use it right away so I was inspired to make a quiche. Most people are usually inspired to make a meal based on the ingredients they have in their fridge and pantry; I am inspired by new pans.

Back to the quiche. Since I'd never made quiche before, I went online to find a recipe. The first place I went to was one of my favourite blogs, 101 Cookbooks. There was a quiche recipe but it was not what I expected. Instead of being loaded with eggs and cream, it had a secret and much healthier ingredient --tofu! I should point out that even though I have spent the last few years studying nutrition, I have no qualms about the use of high fat ingredients on occasion. However, when faced with the alternative of making a healthier version, I was intrigued. After all, I should practice what I preach! Here is the link to the recipe.

This was surprisingly easy. I didn't follow the recipe exactly because I didn't have all the ingredients. I used onions and bell peppers instead of spinach and mushroom. My only critique was that I thought the filling tasted too much of the sesame oil and that's not even using the full amount listed. The sesame oil was nice in the crust but I would omit it next time from the filling.

I really liked this, and even better, Marcus liked it. I made him guess what the filling was and he couldn't, a testament to how much this tastes and feels like a traditional quiche.

Apple Upside Down Cake?

So on the weekend my sister came over and, as usual, she was bearing gifts. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, is always concerned that there is not enough food in my fridge. This means that when she goes grocery shopping, she buys double of everything so that Marcus and I don't starve (does anybody else have this "problem"?). The product of my mother's generous spirit this time was an abundance of apples - so many apples that Marcus and I could never finish them all before they begin to rot (and this can take a long time if you keep your apples in the fridge like me). While I might sound like I'm complaining, having so many apples gave me just one more excuse to get baking. Pie would have been the obvious choice, but I decided that I instead would do something a little easier, and for me, also nostalgic. I chose an apple cake recipe - one that is in fact the first recipe I ever made as an 11 year old kid. It's pretty easy and I've made it many times so this should have been a no-brainer. Well, sometimes one can get just a tad too overconfident...



Unfortunately, I didn't wait for the cake to cool before removing it from the pan and this disaster occurred (I really wanted my dessert, obviously). As a result, when I turned the cake out onto the cooling rack the whole thing just fell apart. It was also apparent that the cake wasn't fully cooked inside. Marcus suggested that I just put it back into the pan and throw it into the oven for a little longer. So, that's what I did. While it looks like a big mushy mess, it was actually absolutely delicious. We ate it sort of like a pudding and added some ice cream on top. It won't win any prizes but it still hit the spot.

The recipe is slightly adapted from Second Helpings Please!, a popular Jewish cookbook that was given to me at my wedding shower. It ensures that I will follow the traditional path of my "ancestors" and continue to feed my husband as well as he was fed by his mother ;)

2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. oil
3 tbsp. orange juice (or water)
1.5 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6-8 apples peeled and and either thinly sliced or shredded (I like to use the food processor but don't overprocess or you will you get applesauce)
1/2 c. brown sugar (to toss with the apples)
2 tsp. cinnamon (to toss with the apples)

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
Prepare the apples and toss with sugar and cinnamon, then set aside. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in oil. Alternate adding the liquid and the dry ingredients and just beat until everything is smooth. The batter will be neither too thick or too liquidy. Spoon half the batter into the pan. Add the apples. Spoon the remaining batter on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature before removing from the pan!

Bread - not from the store!

So the other day I decided to try explore new culinary territory...baking bread. For awhile I had been thinking that I should try and expand my repertoire, especially because I had bought some yeast some time ago and I figured it would die before I ever got around to using it. Since it was Friday and we were going to my parents for dinner, I thought it would be nice to bring some challah. As usual, I didn't feel like researching or doing whatever else I should have been doing for school, so I decided that my day was going to be spent making bread. There are many challah recipes out there but I needed one that was super straight forward and preferably called for mixing by hand or with a food processor. I found one on the Food Network Canada site that was described as "Traditional Challah" and was part of the episode, "Fear Yeast no More". That sounded just right to me! The recipe can be found here. I'm not sure that I would use this recipe again as I thought the bread could have been a little bit sweeter, but the instructions were excellent for a novice bread maker.

Anyways, to the actual bread making experience. I have to say, that in the two years that I have been cooking and baking in my own kitchen, I don't think I've had a more satisfying culinary experience. The art of bread making has been described as therapeutic and I cannot disagree. Everything from watching the yeast bubble, to kneading the dough and watching it rise, to the smell of the bread baking and the anticipation of the first bite was a calming experience. When I finally saw the finished product, I was unbelievably self-satisfied. My family can certainly attest to my exuberance as I couldn't stop talking about the bread that I had made with my own two hands. Behold my masterpieces below.

Maybe it was beginner's luck that the bread turned out so lovely, but the next day I ran out to buy bread flour so I will certainly be practicing my bread making skills in the near future!

Slow Cooker Chili

One of my very favourite kitchen toys is my slow cooker. I love the idea of preparing a meal by throwing all the ingredients into the pot, plugging it in before I leave for school and coming home to a house that just smells amazing. In the last week I've used my slow cooker twice -- for chili and for soup. I wish I could say that I'm an adventurous slow cooker (I have cookbooks that say you can make anything from cheesecake to pasta) but I like to stick with what I've had success with -- and what's easiest. The first dish I ever made in my slow cooker (and which I continue to make whenever I am out of dinner inspiration) is chili. It's super healthy and simple and there is no way to screw it up. I only make it with beans (no beef) because it is hardy and filling enough without the meat. There is no specific recipe and some of the elements are a little different every time but here's the basic idea:

Lots of beans -- I usually put in about 4 cans of either red or white kidney beans, black beans, chick peas, and whatever canned mixed beans I have in my pantry.
A can (or two) of diced tomatoes
1 large onion
A few cloves of garlic
A red pepper or two (or any other bell peppers that I have lying around)
1 jalapeño pepper (but lately I have been using a couple of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
Pinch of cumin, chili pepper, salt and pepper

Mix everything together in the slow cooker and plug it in for four to six hours. About an hour before it's done, respice the mixture if you've used dried spices because their strength can fade if cooked too long. Top with some sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro and chopped green onion and you have a filling and healthy fibre-filled dinner. A bowl of this chili will taste even better for lunch the next day. Sorry for the vagueness of this recipe but no matter how much or how little of the ingredients you use, you can't screw up! If anybody has any ideas for other additions to this recipe to make it even better, let me know...

Introducing me: I am in my kitchen way too much...

I've decided to start a food blog because I know that everybody out there is just dying to read about one more food blogger's culinary adventures! Well, actually, the primary reason for this blog is a school assignment designed to explore the relationship between health and the arts. While I'm not so creatively inclined in either the performing or visual arts, I have gotten rave reviews on the creations that come out of my kitchen -- so why not further explore and share this hidden talent with a food blog? I am always in the kitchen, in fact it is my number one procrastination tool. My world seems to revolve around food - I cook it (obviously) but I also spend a lot of time thinking about it, reading about it and watching food related shows to figure out what I'm going to experiment with next. I am also studying nutrition, which means that cooking healthy and being healthy are important to me (though you wouldn't know it given my obsession with dessert).

I'm not sure yet how this blog will develop and what sort of culinary angle I'm going to take but I expect that it will be a rather "organic" process. I hope that by writing this blog and sharing my thoughts (and hopefully reading some of yours) that I might better understand how the act of sharing culinary adventures contributes to better cooking skills, kitchen creativity. food knowledge, culinary open-mindedness, healthy living and the enjoyment of one of life's most basic and universal pleasures.