Quiche Maraîchere w Pumpkin – Cooking with Pumpkin (Series)

This is part two of my series regarding pumpkins and how to cook an entire one without any waste.

Today I’ve made a vegetable quiche with a few modifications. Maraichere refers to market-fresh produce.  I snuck in pumpkin which doesn’t add a lot of flavour, but does add a lot of nutrition (if you’re into that sort of thing).  The substitution of yogurt instead of heavy cream gives this dish a nice tartness and smooth texture.

Printable Recipe

Pictured is a basic balsamic reduction. 1/2 cup balsamic vinager, 1/2 cup water, reduced to half.

Pumpkin Cake with Frosting and Olive Oil Roasted Pepitas

This is part 1 of 4 from “What I did with an entire pumpkin.”

I missed the boat with Halloween this year, which was a giant disappointment.  I was busy moving. I didn’t know where any of my things were.  No costume, no candy, no ghosts, no fun.  This year I’m going to try and mash together Halloween and Christmas in the best Tim Burton fashion.

Pumpkin is the telltale sign of fall.  It may be November, but there are plenty of them around.  Here’s what I did with the first quarter of the pumpkin:

Printable Recipe

Recipe: Authentic Hollywood Fake Blood via @MarkGatiss

I know it isn’t really ‘food’, but it certainly is edible.  Click here for the video.

Mark Gatiss‘ recipe for fake blood:

2 cups of golden syrup (other brands are available)

1 cup of warm water

*whisked

10 tsp red food colouring

10 tbs cornflour (a little bit at a time)

5 tsp blue food colouring

5 tsp yellow food colouring

peppermint to taste

Completely edible and delicious.

Handmade Brioche

I was once told that I wouldn’t be able to make Brioche very well by hand.  Of course whenever a person tells me that “I can’t”, I do my best to find out if “I can or can’t” on my own.

According to my CIA baking manual *babka is brioche with a filling (usually chocolate).  I did my own spin and also made one with lemon and sugar mixed with butter. The internet is full of various recipes for the dough, so I stuck to the traditional brioche method from the CIA manual.  I scaled the recipe down to 1/8th as I’m sure you won’t be wanting to make twelve loaves.  I felt satisfied making this with my bare hands, however I will welcome the day a Kitchen-aid mixer waltzes through my front door!

Printable recipe

Enjoy!

Quick Summer Pickle

This lovely pickle is pretty and deliciously sweet and sour.  It goes really well on hamburgers, inside sausage buns and is amazing on its own.  I can imagine it would go really well with anything you put on your grill this summer.

I was inspired to make these after buying myself a mandolin. I was looking for different ways to use the shredder attachment.  You can use a food processor or be meticulous and do it by hand.

This pickle is not meant to keep for a long time.  It is not sealed in a traditional manner.  My jar has been in the fridge for a month, but I don’t expect it would do well for much longer than six weeks.  Keep it refrigerated.

If you’d like you can make it at home with my recipe.

Homemade English Muffins

Oh, do you know the muffin man?

Forever searching for new and exciting breakfast foods I somehow felt that baking my own English Muffins would be lazier/easier than walking to the store and buying some.  I love going out to breakfast with friends, but some weekends I am far too hungover and cranky to bare with the queues.  We’ve all been there.  Add that together with forgetting my sunglasses at a friends house and we can almost have a near catastrophic apocalypse of h-anger.

These muffins are crispier and fluffier than the store-bought variety.  The recipe takes a total of two hours to make, however I recommend doing them the night before.  Don’t be discouraged by the time. The actual physical time spent with the dough is about 15 minutes.

The printable recipe can be found here.

Sanagan’s Meat Locker

I finally had the chance to get myself to Sanagan’s Meat Locker in Kensington Market this weekend.  Sanagan’s is the type of diamond in the rough butcher you hear about from a friend (and a food expert).  The man behind the block, Derek was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and eager to answer any questions.

Don’t expect to come into Sanagan’s with a specific recipe. The meat they have is received directly from the farm.  This is the type of place you go to first before you buy your vegetables.  A few Woodbridgesque women came in directly after me looking for ground turkey for their South Beach diets.  They didn’t have any.

I bought a whole chicken, several pounds of ground beef, two peices of beautiful osso bucco and a gorgeous piece of bison shoulder.

Here’s what I did with the meat (recipe):

Culture Club

What do sour dough, small beer and Orangina have in common?  Well, they’re all alive!

I’ve currently made a detailed schedule that takes almost a month to complete.

I’ll be running around gathering ingredients and I’ll update soon on the experiment’s progress.

Additional posts to come in the meantime.

Love,

-KG

Butcher’s Wife’s Pork Chops (Côtes de Porc Charcutière)

There’s something about the smell of pork chops on a snowy Sunday evening.

At a temperature of -17ºF last night, I wasn’t going anywhere. On TV we watched Les Stroud fend off polar bears, brave the arctic, and eat whale blubber. All while in his muck-lucks.

This recipe will warm you up and give you a good night’s sleep. (Especially if you drink a lot of the port).

Printable Recipe

Cabbage Soup – (Soupe de Chou)

Alright.

Now that you’ve gorged on food for the past four days and you’re sufficiently broke, what’s next?  How about something cheap, light and painless.

Your poor little stomachs and wallets will thank you for this delicious, nutritious and inexpensive meal.

Printable Recipe

Almond Pet de Soeurs (Nun’s Farts)

An elegant petit four with a not so elegant name.  These treasures melt in your mouth while the snow piles up for Christmas.

You can find these all over Québec.  I’m sure my Montréaler boyfriend will be upset that I made them while he was away.

Printable Recipe

Hot and Steamy Savory Buns

Wow, is it getting hot in here or is it just me?  The smells of bread in the oven are unparalleled.

I originally started thinking about making cinnamon buns, but that’s sort of ordinary.  Isn’t it?

Hey, why not make a savory version?  That’s what I did.

Filled inside these scrolls is tomato sauce, bacon, cheddar cheese and leeks.  Eat your heart out.

Printable recipe

Pot au Feu (via Les Halles Cookbook)

According to Anthony Bourdain, this is socialist soul food meant to make Frenchmen cry.

The aromas coming from the kitchen will torture you for three hours as it cooks.

Served with baby pickles (cornishons), hot mustard and rock salt, I don’t think there could be a simpler recipe.
You can use any combination of meat, really.  I used exactly what was specified, but you could use only brisket, only short ribs.  It’s your choice.  The cheapest beef cuts work best.  You can easily halve this recipe.  I had enough left to make a ridiculous amount of soup.  This would serve six easily.

Printable Recipe

I’d like to take a second to mention that my root vegetables were bought from Fiesta Farms, who is proudly supporting Grow for the Stop. The charity supports both struggling local (southern Ontario) farmers and the less fortunate.  Let’s not forget that the vegetables are certified organic and certified delicious.  Fiesta Farms is located just above Christie subway station at 200 Christie Street. (416.537.1235)

Martha Stewart vs. Rachael Ray

Watch as the refined Martha passive-aggressively educates “un-oiled truck brakes voice” Rachael Ray.

You might also learn how to make a pie crust as well.

Check out the video on Eat Me Daily

I Will Do Anything For Loaf (Meatloaf that is)

I was looking for something equally easy and uncomplicated this Sunday as I’d admittedly gotten into the sauce pretty early.  What? I have no guilt.  I work a lot and I deserve it. Sob, sob.

This is a grownup version of the meatloaf your mom would smear ketchup on in the early ’90s, except it isn’t dry and frightening.

I adapted this recipe from the Jamie Kennedy Seasons cookbook.  By adapt I mean changed the potatoes and added carrots.  The gravy is simply heated up beef demi-glace, which I bought at Cumbrae’s for $6.00 (in the freezers).  Again as I always mention, please buy your meat responsibly.  The few extra pennies you spend towards local, farm raised meat is good for your body, the animals and the environment.  Just do it.

Printable Recipe

I’m unable to control myself.  The song has been stuck in my head since Sunday!