Theme and Variation: Latkes

I have a recipe from AllRecipes called German Potato Pancakes that I hadn't touched for over a year because I just don't buy potatoes anymore. (Sweet potatoes anyone?) But when an impromptu "family dinner" came around and I was stuck trying to think of something to make, I looked at the three large zucchinis that were in my fridge and decided that zucchini pancakes would be a lovely idea.

They were really good, but not really photogenic because I either a) didn't wait long enough and they fell apart or b) didn't use enough oil/waited too long and came out burnt. But I loved the distinct zucchini taste and the fact that they were green.

My roommates loved them too, and Carol said, "You know what else is good? Sweet potato pancakes." Obviously I had a gigantic sweet potato on hand because I like buying them to make mashed sweet potatoes (Mmmmmm...) It was hard for me to sacrifice the thing to make sweet potato latkes, but it was worth it.

Like the zucchini latkes, it was hard for me to control the things and after presenting Carol with a gorgeous plate (complete with a shot glass of maple syrup) —since it was, after all, her idea--I struggled to make some unburnt, photogenic sweet potato latkes. So here Carol is, with her perfect plate.

To me, the flavour of the sweet potato latkes were not as distinct as the zucchini latkes, although I'm sure if you had them side-by-side with regular latkes you would be able to taste the difference. I also think they come out a prettier, orange-gold colour than your traditional latke.

Latkes
Serves 3-4; Sweet potato latkes are excellent with both maple syrup and yogurt (aka poor university student's sour cream--but seriously, can YOU make smoothies with sour cream? I think not) I'm sure applesauce would be good too if you had that kicking around.

• 1 egg
  
• 15 mL (1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
  
• ½ mL (⅛ tsp) baking powder
  
• 1 mL (¼ tsp) salt
  
• 3 medium potatoes, 3 large zucchini, or a giant sweet potato, grated (Really just eyeball the amount of vegetable, the original recipe isn't very exact and you WILL feel like there isn't enough egg in the recipe)
  
• 60 mL (¼ cup) onion, finely chopped (or grated seems to be the traditional latke way, although I didn't do it)
  
• Oil for frying

1. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Mix in vegetables.
   
2. Heat oil (about a tablespoon? These things suck up oil like you wouldn't know, and it really doesn't help that my kitchen/stove is slanted) in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoons of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on the first side (very important to make sure that the pancake will hold together for flipping) and slightly less time on the second side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels. You may need to change the oil between batches to avoid burning.

I'm sure there is a more healthful way of doing it (i.e. baking vs. frying) so if I ever get that figured out I'll let you know.

And even if they don't turn out photogenic they will still turn out delicious! Promise :)

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My first poached egg!

Whenever I go out for brunch (which, as a poor student, is not very often) I'm always tempted to order Eggs Benedict. However, having never had poached eggs before, and having had an aversion to egg yolk when I was younger, I was never sure if I'd like it, so I'd order something "safe" instead, like waffles, crepes, sausages or omelettes.

After watching the Amateur Gourmet's super-cute Eggs Benedict video, and remembering Megan of Not Martha's own experiments with poached eggs a while back, I decided to finally poach an egg for myself.

A little beauty, if I do say so myself. I loosely followed Megan's instructions with the idea of using a deep skillet and white vinegar (although I don't think I put as much as "a few tablespoons") and heating the water until it was just bubbly. I cracked the egg into a ladle before sliding it into the water, and then just kind of left it there while I turned around and made a smoothie.

When I turned back around to retrieve my egg, I panicked a bit because I had the heat on too high and the water had boiled and become all foamy. I took the water off the heat, and there my egg was, clinging on for dear life at the side of my non-stick skillet.

But it was beautiful.

Maybe I will order Eggs Benedict next time I go to brunch.

UPDATE 04/29/07: I went out for brunch this weekend and made a point to order Eggs Benedict. We were at a tiny greasy Greek diner in NDG (called Astral Deli?) and the Hollandaise was lumpy and everything was overseasoned. But I think I like Eggs Benedict. Awesome.

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Exploding Cupbrowniecheesecakes

I always feel kind of guilty that my posts come weeks after I've made and eaten the recipes. Fortunately, I noticed that one of my favourite food blogs, ...an endless banquet, blogged about a Mexicali meal two weeks after it happened, so now I don't feel so bad :P

I made these cupbrowniecheesecakes for a Tribune party two Fridays ago. I had made cupcheesecakes for a meeting before and they turned out really well (though I thought the crust was a bit crumbly because I didn't measure the butter properly) so I thought if I made cupbrowniecheesecakes it would take it to the next level.

But then they didn't really turn out. They exploded.

I should have known. The original recipe is for a 9x13 pan of cheesecake brownies, which rise as a unit. When left to rise in smaller units (and I think I was a bit too greedy with some of them), the brownie part exploded through the cheesecake part. They were still good though... well I don't know 100% because they all got eaten before I could have one, but I've used the brownie recipe for four years now and the cheesecake topping for two.

The brownie recipe, which I adapted from this recipe on AllRecipes is super-bad for you. The first step involves melting a cup of butter.

At one point I was thinking, maybe one day I'll figure out the yield of one cup of butter in terms of mL and then just replace it with veggie oil! But then again, butter is not 100% fat so I'm not sure if it'll work out.

The next step involves adding two cups of sugar—I add one cup of brown and one cup of white.

Then I add four eggs...

...and vanilla. Next came the most important ingredient: cocoa.

This may be the only remotely healthy part of the brownies because cocoa contains a high level of flavonoids, or antioxidants, which can help promote better cardiovascular health. While most brownies tell you to chop up some bar of Baker's chocolate, this is the real stuff, though the other brownie recipes might tell you to add less sugar and butter, so it evens out. This step is where the magic happens. Sometimes at this point this is where your kitchen starts smelling like chocolate, even before the brownies go into the oven.

After adding the rest of the dry ingredients, the brownie batter is complete and you can start on the cheesecake part.

At this point I stopped taking photos because my roommate Carol came down to make dinner and I don't think she knows I own a food blog and she would find me crazy if I was taking photos every step of the way. So I made the cheesecake batter, then portioned both into muffin tins. As I said before, I got a little greedy and so the yield was only 18, and they exploded:

I was kind of disappointed and wasn't sure if I wanted to take them to the party, but Carol encouraged me to because she thought they looked "unique" and I'm pretty glad I did.

Cheesecake Brownies or Cupbrowniecheesecakes
Yields 1 9x13 pan, or 18 cupbrowniecheesecakes. Recipe can be halved to an 8x8 pan.

Brownie base:

• 250 mL (1 cup) butter
  
• 250 mL (1 cup) granulated sugar
  
• 250 mL (1 cup) brown sugar
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 5 mL (1 tsp) vanilla extract
  
• 170 mL (⅔ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 250 mL (1 cup) all-purpose flour
  
• 2 mL (½ tsp) salt
  
• 2 mL (½ tsp) baking powder

Cheesecake topping:

• 1-250 g (8 oz.) pkg of cream cheese, softened
  
• 170 mL (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
  
• 10 mL (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice
  
• 1 egg
  
• 2 mL (½ tsp vanilla)
  
• 1 mL (¼ tsp) salt
  
• 30 mL (2 tbsp, or 1/8 cup) all-purpose flour

Brownie base:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 9x13" pan, or line your muffin pan with cupcake cup thingies.
   
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter in prepared pan, or portion into muffin tins. (I scooped in a little less than ¼ cup for each one, but I think less would be a good idea)

Cheesecake topping:

1. Cream together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.
   
2. Beat in lemon juice, egg, vanilla and salt.
   
3. Beat in flour and spread mixture in even layer over batter. (A teaspoon over each cupbrowniecheesecake is perfect.)

If making cheesecake brownies, bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. For cupbrowniecheesecakes you can go on the lower end of that range.

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Chinese New Year Dinner Part 2: The Meal

Remember when Chinese New Year happened in mid-February, I prepared a dinner in late February and then blogged about shopping for it in early March? Well my roommate Jane finally got her photos up, and it's taken me another two weeks to finally put them up here and talk about them.

The photo at the top is the full spread. Clockwise from the top: BBQ pork and soya sauce chicken from Épicerie A Lam Kee, stir-fried Chinese broccoli with garlic and ginger, Half of a steamed winter flounder, and little abalone with Chinese spinach.

Chinese broccoli has been one of my favourite vegetables since I was young (for a very huge chunk of my life it was THE favourite, but since I rarely have the chance to buy it in Montreal and I seem to not make it as well as my mom does, it has fallen out of favour) Although it's called Chinese broccoli, it's more leafy and stalky than broccoli. There's also something about the florets that makes them super flavourful. Super-easy to prepare (even though somehow I still screw it up): Trim the veggies, blanche them in boiling water with sugar and oil added in, then stir-fry with garlic and ginger. Serve with oyster sauce.

The winter flounder was the cause of a lot of stress. First I wasn't sure if flounder would be good steamed (fortunately it was), then the flounder I bought was too big for my steamer so I didn't know what to do! After consulting with Jane, and calling my mom in Calgary, it was decided that I'd cut it in half and steam each half separately. Also super-easy. For a bigger fish it could be suggested that you cut slits into it to increase the surface area, but in this case I just layered the sliced ginger and green onion (thanks Jane for slicing it finely for me!) on the fish before putting it in the steamer. While that was happening, I heat up some oil in a pan so I could pour it on the fish along with the soya sauce when it was ready (I don't know something my mom told me to do--I now realize it's pretty heart-unhealthy so I just skip the oil step and pour soya sauce over by itself)

The fish was preggers and so we had to pick out its eggs, but other than that it was good.

The abalone and spinach was also easy (I was making three dishes here, everything better be easy!) Mainly because the abalone came from a can (that my mom bought for me when she found out I was hosting this) I basically just poured the abalone (liquid and all) into the wok and let the liquid reduce a bit before adding some cornstarch to thicken it and oyster sauce for flavour. While that was happening I blanched the spinach so it could have a bed of veggies to be presented on.

For dessert we had New Year cake. My mom and I made it in Calgary before I flew back to Montreal with it. I was originally going to post the recipe but it's so long that I don't remember (sorry!) It has this sticky, chewy consistency because it's made with glutinous rice flour and a LOT of sugar. The variation that my mom and I made used coconut milk, while others use brown sugar, giving it a yellowish appearance. I still have some in my fridge, as gross as that probably is... will definitely post up the recipe for... next Chinese new year?

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Inspired by... (Chickpea Salad)

One of the bad things about my infrequent updates is that when I finally come around to writing these entries, the recipe is already starting to slip a bit from my mind. This is a bit of a pity, since this salad is a beauty, if I do say so myself.

Fortunately, it helps that there's a bit of a story behind the recipe and I have certain cooking habits that just kind of allow me to piece this together.

As the title implies, this salad was inspired by none other than Molly at Orangette. I was browsing Marché Lobo (see two entries ago) when I saw a ready-made chickpea salad, and realized that I had purposely bought a can of chickpeas to make this salad. So I picked up some ingredients that I *thought* were in the salad, and headed merrily on my way home.

I got home to find that the salad was more plain that I thought it was. Since her original recipe serves 2, and I wasn't prepared to eat a whole can of chickpeas for dinner, I still had half a can of chickpeas to make the recipe mine.

And by mine I mean after making it I realized that this is kind of inspired by a bean salad that my roommate last year made. There are two "secret ingredients": lemon and cumin. There is lemon juice in Molly's recipe, but for someone who loves that acidic kick in her food sometimes, I found that I needed to up the amount. The cumin truly truly truly makes a difference... it just gives this wonderful, smoky quality to the salad.

Vincci's Chickpea Salad for One

• ½ can (19 oz) of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  
• ¼ - ½ red pepper
  
• a bunch of parsley, chopped (should yield about ¼ cup)
  
• 1/8 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• ½ tsp cumin
  
• healthy dusting of freshly ground black pepper

My trick in making this salad was also the fact that I was going to be taking it with me--Throw everything in a box except the black pepper, shake to mix, then add black pepper on top. I suppose doing it the old fashioned way of throwing it in a bowl and tossing would work too ;)

As with all my recipes, this might eventually undergo a little tweaking, but just looking at the pictures makes me want to go out and get another can of chickpeas...

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Marché Ste-Anne

I felt pretty bad that I blogged about the Expo Manger Santé after it ended, so I'm sure you'd be happy to know that the Marché Ste-Anne is still going on, every second Saturday (this Saturday is one of them!) from 10 am to 2 pm.

Don't let the quiet entrance fool you; this little market, located in the basement of St. George's church in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, was buzzing with activity when I went to its last reincarnation almost two weeks ago.

Although I do prefer the summer version of this market (out on the waterfront, with a LOT more fresh produce--for obvious reasons--like yellow raspberries and heirloom tomatoes... Mmmmm...), this one isn't bad either. There are lots of baked goods, as well as stands that sell goat cheese, honey, jams, homemade Ethiopian food, bath products, used books... I've made a point to stop at the bread stand right at the entrance--it's run by people from La Mie en Folie, an artisan bakery up on the Plateau. I always buy their grain bread, but they have other flavours, like orange-chocolate, that sound very tempting.

I was also "conned" into buying a 75-cent samosa from a man who was selling ready-to-eat Indian foods.

And I say "conned" very loosely... I guess I hadn't meant to go and buy a samosa, but I was just at another stand and he was chatting with the guy there, and then he got to talking to me, and you can't just be like, "No, I'm not going to buy your 75-cent samosa!" And it was very good. The perfect combo of potatoes, peas and spices... My roommate Carol makes samosas with a very similar filling, but for some reason when they come out they look more like dumplings than samosas... any of you non-existent readers know what the problem might be other than maybe because she doesn't deep-fry them?

I was disappointed to find that the organic farmers weren't there last time. Just weeks before they still had some winter vegetables, like beet and sweet potatoes... I hope they come back now that the weather is starting to "warm up"...

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