Pasta Salad with Pesto and Asparagus

With the arrival of asparagus at the local farmer's market, I can't resist putting together one of my favorite spring salads. Toss in some homemade pesto, small tomatoes; garnish with parsley and voila a fresh pasta dish on its own or a delicious accompaniment to your favorite grilled meat. If you have any questions about the recipe, just drop me a line and it will be a pleasure to answer them.

LES CULTURES GOURMANDES

A few shots of this weekend's Pointe-A-Calliere Museum's Cultural Feast, held in Old Montreal from May 29 to May 30th. It is a family friendly outing with activities for the kids, music and numerous booths offering a variety of foods from Montreal's diverse cultural community.

Donut Muffins

I discovered this recipe on the Food Network "Community" site. The photo submitted by one of the members looked so appetizing; that I couldn't resist making these "donut muffins'. The results are quite surprising, as you can see from my own photo above! The trick is to use mini muffin trays instead of the traditional size muffin trays. So watch out Tim Horton; you are about have some stiff competition with these baked goodies that are under the no fry zone. Much healthier version for you but with all the addictive flavors of tiny 'Timbits'. Only two small changes to the original recipe; I substituted the margarine for the natural and rich flavor of butter and doubled the recipe. The recipe makes makes 36 donut bits (mini muffins)

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 11/2teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup milk
• 2teaspoon baking powder
• 2cups all-purpose flour
• 
  
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 36 mini-muffin cups.
2. Mix 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill the prepared mini muffin cups about 3/4 full.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. While muffins are baking, place 1/2 cup of melted butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Remove the muffins and dip each muffin in the melted butter, and roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool and serve.

Garde Manger Restaurant

To all the Food Network fans out there, I wanted to share a photo of Chuck Hughes' restaurant in Old Montreal. The exterior of the restaurant is simple and unpretentious, not even a sign to indicate its name, much like the charming host himself and his cuisine. Though unpretentious, the food is far from simple with its fresh ingredients and rich flavors. Upon entering the front door you embark on a memorable dining experience; enhanced by his beautiful and capable staff. Should you be lucky enough to meet Chuck himself, you discover that he is the real deal. His energy and exuberance are evident; as you see him interact with the staff in the open kitchen of his restaurant. Even without the cameras rolling, his endearing smile seems always present and upon request; manages to find a few minutes to give you his personal greeting.

Fruit Tart with Lemon Curd Filling

Nothing beats a sweet and tangy fruit tart for a scrumptious summer dessert. The star of this tart is the refreshing lemon curd filling bursting with flavors. It is sure to become a family favorite.

Ingredients: 
Lemon Curd:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
4 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
Add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind and butter in a saucepan.  Stir the ingredients on medium heat  until dissolved. In a bowl beat the eggs and  gradually pour in a steady stream  the lemon mixture. This method will temper the beaten eggs when adding the hot mixture. Transfer back to the saucepan and simmer for 1-2 minutes to allow the lemon/egg mixture to thicken. Pour into a glass bowl and place a plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a crust from forming. Refrigerate for  2-3 hours.  
Fold in the whipping cream and serve.

Trout and Jerusalem Couscous

I finally managed to track down Jerusalem couscous(also known as Israeli couscous) and in celebration, broke into my tiny stock of saffron for the occasion to enhance its flavor. Jerusalem couscous is made from durum wheat semolina and readily absorbs the flavors which it is cooked in.

Focaccia

I experimented with the no-knead bread dough and lo and behold; it worked. I simply added some olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and malt (about 1 tablespoon) to the original recipe. The photos speak for themselves. The focaccia turned out delicious. If you are tempted to give it a try and have any questions, drop me a line.

Ingredients:

Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons light virgin oil

Tomato topping:
 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half  and juice squeezed out
1 garlic clove finely minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin oil
2 tablespoons grated parmigiano reggiano
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 -3/4 cup mozzarella,diced
salt
pepper


METHOD 

DOUGH:
The night before:

 

In a mixing bowl add the flour, the yeast and the salt. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, blend the dry ingredients.



Pour in 1 1/2 cup of water, 3 tablespoons of light virgin oil, and mix. Pull together the dough using your hands or a wooden spoon. 

Scrape any excess flour from the bottom and sides of the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well incorporated and form into a ball.  The dough will have a stringy texture.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on the bowl to avoid the dough from drying out. Allow to rise in a warm dry, and draft free place for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. The photo to the right is dough that has risen overnight.

The next day: 
Transfer the dough to a greased and floured 12 " pizza tray. Dust the dough  lightly with flour, and with your hands spread out to the edges of your pizza pan, forming a disk. Drizzle with oil and season with salt.  Sprinkle fresh or dried rosemary on the top.  Place in a draft free place to allow to rise a second time for 1-2 hours
.

Topping:
While the dough is rising, prepare the topping by adding the prepared tomatoes in a bowl and tossing in the olive oil, parmigiano reggiano, the smoked  mozzarella, the minced garlic, oregano and seasoning with salt and pepper.
Once the dough has risen a second time spread  the tomato cheese topping gently on the focaccia dough.

Bake in a pre-heated 500º F oven for 15-20 minutes.