'Leftover' just found a whole new meaning; chicken soup!

What to do with leftover chicken? I used to wonder the same thing. It's cooked, and has been served. So how can you re-serve it, but elegantly, and still delicious?
I found a surprising answer in cooking class. Chicken soup. You can make chicken soup with cooked leftover chicken. It's pretty simple, and so convenient!
I started by putting the chicken, diced, into the pot with the gravy of the chicken. I added a can of tomato sauce, and sliced carrots, celery, and zucchini. The water I added simply blended everything together and gave me a soup consistency. Of course, I added an herb, and I chose cilantro this time, as it is what I had in my kitchen.
I let this simmer and boil for a minute or so, and then poured some corn-meal, lightly and gently and not all at once, to thicken the soup. This made a huge difference.
Surprising, short, and quick. You can play with the recipe as you wish, and as you see fit. Add the herb you want, the vegetables you want (onions, bockchoy, frozen corn...), leftover cooked rice, a can of crushed tomato or a tomato cubed- really whatever you want.
So that turkey that you are not going to finish tomorrow night... well, make a soup for the next day or two!
Happy eating and thanksgiving!

This one speaks for itself

Melting. That is probably the word I would use to describe tongue when it is perfectly cooked. A few days ago, I made tongue. It's strangely easy, yet delicate and refined.

I began by boiling water in a huge pot, and put in the two tongues to let them boil for a while (almost an hour). When I took it out of the water, the tongue was ready to be peeled. So, slowly and carefully, so as not to tear the tongue, I pulled off the skin. I did so while it was still hot, it's simply easier that way, I think.

IMPORTANT: do not throw out the water once you are done boiling the tongue!! Keep it to make a meat soup, with carrots, celery, leeks... the usual.

So now I cut the tongue into relatively thin slices (still hot), but be careful. You want clean slices, so use the right knife for it, not the kind that will tear it to pieces. I put the cut tongue in a pot with fresh sliced mushrooms and tomato sauce. I let this cook for a while, and later added in some red wine.

This meat is so unbelievable. So soft, so gentle on the tongue and so fierce in the taste!

Simply serve it with white or brown Basmati rice. Don't forget to salt it! (I often forget, but try to remember that salt is actually a chemical that helps it cook well! I don't know how I missed that!!) Alternatively, you can serve it with quinoa, but if you do, remember to rinse the quinoa really well to take away the bitter taste. It is even better if you add two tablespoons or so of chicken broth mix, or, instead of water, use chicken soup or meat soup.

As always, happy eating!

chicken roulade, brussel sprouts with sweet potatoes, gazpacho, cheese-cake, chocolate foundant.... WOAH

It's been a while since I've shared any 'food news' here. I was away, on vacation, in France. Let's just say it was quite an exotic few weeks. A close family member of mine got married there, and it was the most beautiful event I have ever seen in my life. Everything was just as we wanted, but one thing was even more fabulous- the meal. Everything, from the fish decorated with a bread-stick, to the veal roulade in wine sauce served with roasted onions, to the fruits and small éclair and mille feuille, everything was well cooked, well presented, and absolutely delicious. So I thought I would share that with you...

Now, as we get ready for the upcoming holiday (SIX MEALS!), the kitchen is full of delicious wafting odors. Here are only a few things on the upcoming menu.

1. Chicken roulade. I've only made it once before and can't wait to restart. First I use the meat mallet to make the chicken a bit more flexible and flat. On the side I mince sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, GF bread crumbs, zest, garlic, and oregano. I roll this mixture into the chicken and stick a tooth-pick in it to hold it together. I fry the chicken for just a bit, but then put it in a skillet with a sauce made of chicken broth, lemon juice, cornstarch, and a few other ingredients. This takes about forty minutes to make, but when it's presented, it's so elegant, so appetizing... really a special recipe here.

2. Here is an original recipe. Not such a big one, but really harmonious mixture of flavors. Dice brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. Put a tiny bit of olive oil in an oven-proof pan, and put in the brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. Add thyme (fresh, of course!) and let it cook in the oven, for not so long. This dish is delicious, and the colors are very beautiful. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes really plays off the more banal taste of the brussel sprouts.

3. Gazpacho. This is the first time I attempt to make this, but it came out really great! Simply dice garden vegetables (cucumber, tomato, pepper, onion) and put it into a pot. Fry cubed eggplant and put it in as well (un-fried mike make the gazpacho too liquidy). Add salt, to help get the juice out of the vegetables, and a bit of tomato sauce and water. And you just leave it on a low-medium fire, let it simmer a bit, and cook. You can serve this with different things which the eaters can add to their liking, like cheese or croutons.

4. CHEESE CAKE!! YUMM!!!! The trick with this cheese cake is to beat the cheese for very long, to make it airy and soft. I added lemon juice to it, which gives it a nice tangy twist. The crust, which is only on the bottom, because I made it in a spring-form pan, is a mixture of cookie crumbs, margarine, ground walnuts, and some more. This cheesecake, of course, must be served very cold, and probably with strawberries or another red fruit.

5. Alright, one more. Chocolate foundant. These are so tasty, so easy to make, and so worth it! It simply reuires beating egg whites and mixing them into melted chocolate, eggs, potato starch and sugar, and baking for FOUR minuted, not more. Then you take out the small tins and turn them upside down, and the small cake will come out, just soft on the outside, and 'fluid' on the inside. Meaning that when you serve each person one foundant, they sink their spoon in, and the chocolate will come oozing out. I love this one! Really fun recipe, and really fun to serve and eat.

Happy eatings!

pictures to make your mouth water...

salmon

fried breads (I made a hummus-tehina dip for it!)

curry, pepper, parsley and other interesting ingredients for tilapia

rosemary potatoes

chocolate dipped fruit

balanced and beautiful

Tonight's supper was unbelievable. Now, this supper was not just one great dish, served with some other nice food that went ok together. This meal was co-ordinated, balanced, and really very good! On top of that, the plate was beautiful when I served it, which makes me even happier.

I began by simply opening my freezer. I took out frozen fresh spinach and tilapia. Then I raided my fridge until my hands closed around the perfect ingredient to top this meal: mushrooms. So this is how I began.

I took out a deep pan and melted butter and some olive oil. When that was hot I added in chopped shallots and the mushrooms. I waited for the mushrooms to be tender, and when they had browned just enough I added the spinach (by then they were mostly defrosted and soft enough). I threw in two minced garlic cloves and seasoned it with salt. I left the pepper out since the mushrooms and shallots and garlic were already quite enough. Speaking of garlic, I would just like to mention that if you do not have FRESH garlic, NEVER EVER USE GARLIC POWDER!! Just leave it out of the recipe all together, rather than use the powder. I keep it frozen, so I can take it out when I need it.

Alrigh, onto the fish. Tilapia is the easiest fish to manipulate, so for a first try, it's good to use. I defrosted it in milk, and dipped it in dijon mustard. Then I caked the fish in corn meal, which gave it a really good crust: sturdy and tasty.

Next... rice noodles. I had never made them before, but they are the easiest, simplest side dish ever! You just throw them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes and there you have it! Since it was my first time making the noodles, I served some brown rice along with it, just in case anyone did not appreciate the new dish.

First of all, I was beaming when I served each person: the green spinach mixed with mushrooms, served with a dash of Parmesan, the fish- a bit yellow, and the white noodles and brown rice made an amazing combo!

Dessert was soon served- fruit tart. It was beautiful, and delicious with a chocolate crust and jelly glaze. I admit, this is the one part of the meal I did not take care of- my sister made it. But it completed the meal perfectly.

Happy eating!

chocolate and fruit- two delicacies

Chocolate is an interesting food. It can be a sweet treat, one that you take in your bag as a sugar boost for when you feel tired and sluggish. It can be dark chocolate- you take a cube of it with your japanese tea in the morning. Perhaps you like to make cookies with chocolate chips in them... so chocolate is an ingredient that holds many possibilities.

Fruit. You've eaten a raw orange I'm sure. Maybe a poached pair, a baked apple, or some gingered pineapple. You can mix different kinds of fruit to make a fruit salad. You can put pear slices in a horseradish sauce for you salmon, or make a fruit yogurt. The possibilities seem infinite.

So here's my creation (which I know many before me also came up with...). I made chocolate dipped fruit... except the chocolate mixture was my own recipe! I know, it sounds so simple, but you have to make sure the chocolate doesn't harden, the taste is sweet enough, its not too liquidy, so it seemed like an interesting adventure. I melted chocolate for a few seconds in the microwave, and added an egg yolk, mixing really fast so that the egg does not cook with the heat of the chocolate- and then you add some heavy cream.

Now I cut the fruit I wanted to dip: pineapple, oranges, kiwi, and (my favorite-) strawberry. I dipped them and did not let the chocolate drip off, placing the fruit directly onto the platter I had prepared. The plate looked absolutely beautiful! Really a refine dish, I think. You can serve this with a dry cake...

So, I hope to post some pictures soon, to show you my creation (which I am so proud of!)!

Good night!

Bon Apetit

talk about dessert!

This dessert, I think this was one of the best ones I have ever made. Let's start with the meal itself- it'll build up to dessert.

For lunch, we began with soup. Squash soup with boursine-French cheese- in it. It was very good, especially on that rainy, cloudy, chilly afternoon.

Then came the main course. One of the dishes was paratha with hummus-tehina. But here's the cool catch- it was all home-made. Paratha is a bread-type of food. It's flat, and made with lentil flour, garbanzo bean flour, water and salt. You fry it until each side is a bit golden, and make sure to serve it hot! Also, the salt is quite crucial in this recipe, otherwise it's really too bland. The hummus-tehina I made in my brand-new chopper/grinder! I served it on a plate with Parsley nicely decorating it, and splashes of olive oil here and there. Then the fish- we had golden salmon. I baked it with a simple mayo-mustard sauce, but to serve, I made a horseradish cream sauce. Really delicious. Basically, the trick is to whip it well, so that it stays puffy. You serve it with a sprinkle of cut red onions and slices of pears.

We also has leek mushroom pie. A bit more complicated to make, but definitely worth the time! A good accompanying dish was potatoes- cooked in the oven. For those who obsess over eating light, there was also sweet potatoes, baked in the oven.

So, those were some of the dishes for the main course.

Now for the dessert.

I began by making a cheesecake. Now this cheesecake was like none I had ever tasted before. It had the perfect tiny twist of lemon, and the cheese was whipped for ten minutes, so that when you bit into the final product, it was soft and airy. The crust I made from GF cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter. Then I made pears. But these were not just any pears. I had left them in a mixture of boiling water, red wine, honey, galic cloves, lemon zest, cinnamon sticks, and cinnamon powder. When I served it, it was with chopped pistachios sprinkled on top of the standing pear, which was laying in a tiny puddle of chocolate syrup, with a small spoon of vanilla ice-cream on the side.

Makes your mouth water, right?

For afternoon snack I made chocolate dipped fruits- strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, and oranges. I simply melted the chocolate, added an egg yolk, and heavy cream until I felt it was good. And it came out great!

Continue to enjoy your cooking,

Happy eating!