Evelyne posted on January 24th, 2012
Ever since the new year I was on the hunt for an Austrian recipe, a part of my ancestral roots. I had settled on Knödel and when I found out the theme for January’s 5 Star Makeover was meatballs I knew it was more than a coincidence.
Knödel are large round potato or bread dumplings, typical of Austrian, German, Hungarian and Czech cuisine. Usually they are served as a side dish for meat, goulash or in soups. But they can also be served as a dessert, such as filled with plums. I have had this dish exactly only twice in my life. My dad is Austrian and does not cook so I never ate many Austrian dishes. My first time was at my cousin’s place (my dad’s nephew) for dinner and once was in a brauhaus in Austria.
So this could fall into the meatball category I chose a very typical Austrian knödel from the state of Tyrol where smoked bacon (Speck) or sausage are added to the dumpling dough. These are called Tirolerknödel, or Tyrolean Dumplings. A now gourmet dish found in Austrian menus, Tirolerknödel was actually food for the poor prior to the ski industry and some say the recipe is about 3000 years old.
 Knödelfest in St Johann, Tyrol - photo Martin Lugger 
I decided to use small Fois Gras Sausage I discovered recently. They are make with pork, duck and foie gras. My meat ingredient definitely brought on the gourmet touch. My knödels were surprisingly flavorful and delicate, a real treat. They are so easy to make you should definitely try them out on your family for dinner, or even better after a day of skying.
Ξ Tirolerknödel with Foie Gras Sausages Ξ
8 oz stale bread or rolls, torn apart or cubed
3/4 cup milk, warmed
5 oz Foie Gras Sausage (or any sausage)
1 tbsp butter
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (I used coriander)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour, give or take
Directions:
Place the bread in a bowl and pour the milk evenly over it. Stir and set aside.
Place the Foie Gras Sausages in a skillet and fry until browned. Remove from skillet and cut into small pieces.
Add the butter and onions to skillet and fry until translucent and amber colored. Stir in the parsley and set aside to cool.
Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and eggs to the bread mixture. Add the cooled onions and sausages.
Combine well with your hands. Add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the mixture hold a bit better, it should feel like a very sticky dough. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Form 10 small dumplings with wet hands and drop into the boiling water. Reduce the heat so the water simmers gently and cook for about 15 minutes. Dumplings are done when they float. Serve with a hot broth and garnish with parsley.
The knödels are very delicate when you take them out of the boiling water but will hold better after they cool down a bit. The inside is very moist, a bit like a savory bread pudding. If you have leftovers slice them up and frying them in a skillet for breakfast.
 A note on the foie gras sausage: Wish I took a pic of the package but it is long gone in the trash. But I bought them at my local’s farmer’s market this summer and kept them frozen. This is not a common product at all. Only hint I found online is this french website advertising the sausages. They are cocktail sized, white and the first ingredients should read pock, duck and foie gras.
Evelyne posted on January 20th, 2012
Have you ever ordered a pudding for dessert in a Persian, Middle Eastern or Indian restaurant? I bet if you have you were quite surprised the first time. It is nothing like the thick, very sweet, creamy pudding we are familiar with. It is much lighter in the creamy department, usually a lot less sweet, it may have a stiffer consistency and flavors can include rose water (Gulabjal ), pistachio or saffron. To the North American palette it is usually a big hit or a big miss. These puddings take on a perfumed quality. Personally I love it and it has way less calories the instant pudding.
I came across this Cardamom flavored pudding on a site that associated it with Indian cuisine. Actually this particular recipe is referred to as an Afghan recipe, called Firnee, but you will find very similar versions in the Indian cuisine (called Phirni or Kheer, made with added rice), Pakistani, Persian or the various Arab cuisines.
Traditionally Firnee is topped wit pistachios but let’s throw caution to the wind and top it with fruit, in this case strawberries.
Ξ Firnee – Cardamom Pudding Ξ
adapted from Sunset
Ingredients:
5 cardamom pods
4 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
10 strawberries
lemon juice and a bit of sugar
Directions:
Crack cardamom pods gently with a rolling pin. Combine with 4 cups milk in a pan; stir occasionally over medium-high heat until milk is boiling, 9 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix sugar, the cornstarch, and the ground cardamom. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup milk. When the milk in pan is boiling, remove from heat and gradually whisk in cornstarch mixture. Return to medium-low heat and stir just until mixture comes to a boil, 3 to 7 minutes.
Pour through a fine strainer set over a bowl; discard residue. Ladle pudding into 6 small bowls or ramekins. Let cool about 10 minutes, then cover and chill until cold and set, at least 1 1/2 hours.
Chop strawberries into small pieces. Place strawberries in a bowl and add a bit of lemon and sugar to them. Mix, cover and chill. Drain the strawberries if there is liquid. Just before serving, spoon strawberries evenly over puddings.
—————————————
And see how the strawberries match my new couch slipcover? I know very weird segway! But I was asked by the fabulous people at Wayfair to pick an item for review. And they sell everything…and I mean EVERYTHING, yes they even sell kitchen sinks.
So usually I would pick something kitchen related like a small appliance or something but I opted for a sofa slipcover because my 14 year old couch is in a pathetic state. Well the cushions are as I would need to replace the seating foam and have them upholstered in a different material since the current material is ripped.
 Partial view of my couch with a young Sati - pic is 3-4 years old A new couch is not in the financial cards right now and this couch has a lot of significance for me: it is the first big piece of furniture I ever bought as I was planing to move out of my parent’s house. This couch represents my independence. Yeah yeah I am being to sentimental. Anyways I decided to get the Sure Fit Stretch Sullivan Sofa Slipcover T-Cushion to give my sofa a revamped look for the next little bit it still has to live out.
 The product advert pic but same shape as my couch Now I knew this was going to be a bit of a challenge because I have what is called a T-cushion couch and the back support is pillows which I move all the time. I thought this model would mold well enough to my couch and I could stuff away the extra back material easy enough. It was a bit of a puzzle to put on but eventually I got it. I really like the claret color and the pattern, a real instant decor makeover for the living room. It’s like a stretch velour.
 Now that I have been using the slip cover for a while I have mixed feeling about it. This is really not a big deal but every so often you do have to readjust the seems and bit. Overall I am really happy with the functionality. My big problem – and this is not the product’s fault – is that the cover is a cat hair magnet and the hairs gets really tangled up in the weave of the cover making hard to keep fur free. So if you have been on the fence about getting a sofa slipcover I say go for it with the Sure Fit collection…unless you have a furry pet that goes on your furniture.
Evelyne posted on January 16th, 2012
When you start exploring more exotic foods you realize pretty soon that your local Chinese, Japanese, Greek and ethnic etc. restaurants are bastardized versions made for the North American palate. You may find the small gem family run restaurant that serves more authentic dishes or you can really find out what the true cuisine of a country is when on holiday. Greek food is a perfect example. When I was there many moons ago I ate grilled octopus, devoured lams stews, enjoyed moussakas and drank frappes in large quantities. No souvlakis or gyros in sight.
Moussaka was actually something I discovered first in a Greek restaurant in Montreal, not in Greece. I still remember the first time I ate it and immediately associated as extreme comfort food. Of course I would choose an ethnic dish as comfort food and not something closer to home! Now when I go to a Greek restaurant, if moussaka is on the menu chances are that is what I will order. Warning: moussaka is not the most photogenic food but it is amazing.
One day I came across a recipe for Greek Moussaka. Remember the days when gas stations gave out free stuff like glasses and plastic containers? It was pretty lame stuff usually but at one point one company (can’t remember which one) was giving away a series of little cookbooks. My parents had that whole collection. One of the books was fancy recipes for dinner parties and in it was this recipe below. I first made it about 15 years ago and I keep going back to it because it is the best moussaka I ever ate, hands down. I don’t have a source as I wrote down the recipe in a personal book a decade ago and my mom no longer has the cookbook.
Contrary to popular belief, moussaka is not solely a Greek dish but a dish of the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East. Each country and/or region has a different spin on it, with a common base of sauteed eggplant, tomato and usually minced meat. But the one we are the most familiar with is the Greek one, which is characterized by lamb meat spiced with cinnamon and a top layer of Bechamel sauce with nutmeg.
The Greek moussaka is believed to be invented by Nikolaos Tselementes, a Greek chef considered one of the most influential chefs of the early 1900s who modernized Greek cuisine and published many influential Greek cookbooks.
Ξ Greek Moussaka Ξ
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs. ground lamb (or beef)
2 large onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cups plain breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan
Bechamel Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
4 cups milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups cottage cheese
1 tsp. nutmeg
Directions:
Slice the eggplants in to 1/2 inch slices. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the bitterness. In a skillet over med-high heat, heat 1 tsp. approx of olive oil per batch. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside.
In a skillet heat the remaining olive oil, add onion and saute until semi-translucent. Add the ground lamb (or beef) and brown until the pink color disappears. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add wine, tomato paste, cinnamon, salt and pepper, bring to a boil and allow to simmer for approx 15 minutes. Add the parsley.
In a 9×13 inch baking pan, sprinkle evenly half the breadcrumbs, layer half the eggplant slices, spread half the meat sauce and sprinkle half the grated Parmesan. Repeat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
To make the Bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and allow the flour to cook for a minute. Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in the eggs, then the cottage cheese and nutmeg. Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens.
Pour the Bechamel sauce on top of the layers, smooth the sauce evenly with a spatula and allow the sauce to fill the sides and corners of the pan. Bake for 1 hour or until the sauce has a golden color. Allow to cool for 15 – 20 minutes before serving.
Evelyne posted on January 9th, 2012
OK class, today we will have a lesson in religion. January 6th is known as Epiphany, a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of Jesus of Nazareth as the living Son of God on earth. Over the centuries the specific events which testify to this revelation have varied a lot but for today’s Western Christians, the feast primarily commemorates the coming of the Magi, with only a minor reference to the baptism of Jesus and the miracle at the Wedding at Cana.
And of course, in some parts of the world, a dessert had to be created to celebrate this revelation. In parts of France people have traditionally prepared a Galettes des Rois, a cake consisting of puff pastry with almond cream (frangipane) to their celebrations. It is reminiscent of the King Cake found in the American Southern States that celebrate Mardi Gras. Hidden inside the cake you will find a trinket (usually a porcelain figurine) or a dry bean. The person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket becomes the king/queen for the day and will have to offer the next cake. The analogy of the king refers to the three kings drawn to visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Often a paper crown accompanies the cake which is placed on the chosen king/queen.
 
I am not a religious person but by pure coincidence I happened to host a dinner at my place with a few friends on the evening of January 6th so of course I had to make a Galettes des Rois for the fun of it. Without a small porcelain figurine or dry bean in sight I opted for a small button. The crown took the form of a tiara with pink marabou which I happened to have lying around (don’t ask). And since I had a hankering for pistachios this was my nut of choice for the frangipane. Hey traditions only survive with the addition of modern twists!
For my filling I adapted a recipe found on Pham Fatale. Since we were only 4 at the dinner table I made the galettes small enough to ensure there would be no leftovers should the trinket not be found on the first round. If you buy a package of frozen puff pastry this recipe will make 2 galettes of 5 to 6 servings each. You could just make 1 bigger galette, in that case roll you disks out to 12 inches.
Ξ Pistachio Galettes des RoisΞ
5 ounces roasted, unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled
2 eggs, at room temperature
10 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
4 x 9 inch disks of puff pastry (1 package of frozen puff pastry 397 gr/14 oz)
Directions:
Place the pistachios in a blender, a food processor or spice grinder and process them until you have a coarse crumbs. Make sure you stop before it turns into nut butter.
Using a handheld mixer, whisk the eggs and 5 tablespoons of sugar for about about 5-6 minutes, until the eggs are a pale yellow and very airy.
Cream the butter with 5 tablespoons of sugar, the salt and vanilla extract. Pour in the egg mixture and the ground pistachios. Gently mix until the batter is smooth.
Using a fork, beat the egg yolk with a tablespoon of milk. Use as your egg wash as described below. Place 2 disks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lay half the pistachio frangipane on each puff pastry disk, leaving a 1 inch ring of pastry. Brush the ring with the egg wash and place the remaining disks on top. Press the perimeter very tightly together. Using a knife, make decorative cuts on the top disks and brush with egg wash.
Refrigerate the galettes for an one hour. If you skip this step your filling may end up leaking out of the disks while baking (which happened to me). Preheat the oven to 400F, bake 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350F and bake 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden.
And in case you are wondering who was the lucky trinket finder this year. It was me! Yep I have the button in my mouth.
Evelyne posted on January 5th, 2012
What to post as the first recipe of the year? I was not too inspired at first. The fact that I was bed/couch ridden for 4 days with a nasty cold certainly did not help. December overall was not a good thing (I will stop bitching soon, smiles for 2012). Cooking was not a priority. With the cold still hanging on, the return to work was also difficult. Oh and did I mention how freaking COLD the weather was too.
Elaborate cooking no. A hot and warm drink yes. One with strong booze to kick my cold in the *&?%, oh yes! So I offer you a Cheers for the New Year with a drink that will fill the party quota, the sitting by the fire place quota, warming up from a cold day quota, and help scaring away a nasty virus quota. A nice boozed up hot chocolate with orange notes.
Ξ Grown Up Orange Hot Chocolate Ξ
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon sugar
A pinch of salt
1 oz orange juice
7 oz milk
1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier
1 Tablespoon Scotch (or other)
Mix cocoa, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan, slowly stir in milk and orange juice. Heat and stir over moderately low heat until just boiling, then simmer 2 minutes. Add Grand Marnier and Scotch. Serve in a mug or thick glass with an orange zest.
Check out all the other citrus lovers on January’s #citruslove bloghop
Evelyne posted on December 26th, 2011
Like most you I am sure, I have spent he day lunging around resting and trying to recuperate after lots of fun and partying. I hope Santa was good to you? I certainly got plenty of new toys and gadgets for the kitchen.
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year 2012
 Bloody Mary Fruit Sangria Cocktail Not to put a damper on things I am leaving town for a few days tomorrow morning for a funeral. My godmother has passed away from cancer. Don’t feel to bad, she is no longer suffering. Silver lining and all. Besides that she lived a wonderful life for 80 years and she was my mom’s best friend for the past 70 years. She was an amazing baker. I will try and get one of her recipes while away and bake them as an homage.
I will be back in town for New Years Eve and parties are already planned. So this will most probably be my last post for 2011. And I will have to leave my commenting on your blogs to 2012 as well I am afraid. I want to thank you all for visiting my blog when you can. I hope to entertain you, makes you laugh most of the time and make you salivate of curse. I am always so thankful to have found this outlet to share my passion: FOOD.
I will end this post with a little peak into the family meal we shared on December 24th and a bizarre but awesome cocktail recipe I created.
 Chicken Ballantine My mom is always in charge of the dinner. This year she made a Vichyssoise soup and Chicken Ballantine. This was apparently my grandmother’s recipe. It is deboned chicken legs shaped into a ball filled with rice and liver stuffing. To accompany it she made a white sauce flavored with Ricard, a French aniseed liqueur. Yep it is as good as it sounds.
I always am in charge of the cocktail and dessert. Thank you to Liz from That Skinny Chick can Bake for the Ganache Topped Chocolate Tart she posted and I could not resist making. A resounding success it was declared. Instead of whip cream I opted for a recipe of homemade real Crême Fraiche I saw at Food Wishes. You have to make this! This is what the Brits put on their scones at tea time.
My father is from Vienna, Austria and we follow the tradition of opening the gifts on the evening of the 24th. And a personal family tradition is to open a bottle of bubbly as we open the gift. This is where the cork landed: in a crystal wine glass by the sink from dinner. Funny but my mom was not laughing lol. Speaking of drinks, here is my cocktail invention. It was a spur of the moment invention and it does sound weird but it was really delicious. I am guessing the measurements since I did not take notes. If you don’t have pepper vodka just add a bit of Tabasco to taste with regular vodka.
Ξ Bloody Mary Fruit Sangria Cocktail Ξ
12 oz tropical fruit smoothie
1 oz hot pepper vodka ( I used Khortytsa Pepper Honey Hot from the Ukraine)
1 oz Grand Marnier
2 oz red wine
Mix all ingredients together and serve on ice. Serves 2.
Evelyne posted on December 20th, 2011
Seems like a post about favorite food related books is of “rigueurs”, I have seen many lately popping up. I have had this post in the making for months so I guess this is a good time as any to join the flock. I think cookbooks are just gorgeous works of art that provide leisurely hours of perusing and salivating. Unfortunately the moment they enter my house they sit on a shelf collecting dust. It seems most of my inspirations come from online. I do enjoy reading fiction and non fiction books about food.
Here is a little list of my favorites – cookbooks with less dust and some great food readings.
I COOKED
 
The Taste of Africa by Rosamund Grant and Josephine Bacon
African food mystifies me. Not only does it fall into my ethnic radar, it is also a much less common cuisine to come across. There are a few African restaurants out there but I hardly believe them to be truly authentic. I had to get this book and explore real African food. Seventy five recipes cover traditional dishes from several African countries. See the recipe for Gambian Beef in Aubergine Sauce I made.
 
The Asian Grill by Corinne Trang
I got this book for $2 on a side walk sale. What got my attention in this book was not even the grilling, it was the chapter on condiments filled with many basic sauces and marinades we see in all Asian recipes. I also loved the chapter devoted on how best to stock a pantry for Asian cooking.
 
The Classico Pasta Sauce by Antigone Dallas
I have a tendency to fall into a pasts sauces rut often by making the same sauces over and over again. I like the variety here on the basicred, Alfredo and pesto sauces.
I READ
 
Salt by Mark Kurlansky
A long and at times heavy and frustrating to read factual book on the history of salt. But it was worth the entire read. Salt is essential to our existence, shaped civilizations, served as currency, was the reason why wars were declared, gave people the ultimate power of control and was the only way to preserve food for about 8,000 years. Did you know salt was the reason behind Ghandi leading the Indian people to protest against the British Empire? Read the book to find out why?
 
My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme
The book on which the movie Julie and Julia was inspired from. This book covers so much more about life starting with her arrival in Paris in 1948. You can feel her lively spirit and positive attitude she has always had. She tells us about her first grocery shopping experiences, her time at the Cordon Bleu, the saga of finally publishing Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Really great read and you can even get some great traditional French recipes in there.
 
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
I read this book years ago and I would love to read ti again. It is sort of a comical food memoir of the English author’s first year culinary woes and discoveries in Provence. Stories of hunting for mushrooms, goat races and foie gras adventures. . A book to be savored and devoured. read his other books too.
 
What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert L Wolke
I got this book when I was getting interested in molecular gastronomy. We are told this fancy cooking style is all about chemistry. Well it turns out ALL cooking is a form of chemistry. This is an easy book to read with incredible dry humor. The author is a foodie, a columnist (Washington Post column Food 101) and a chemist. I loved this book and I learned a lot about food chemistry which I could apply in my everyday cooking, like when to use baking powder or baking soda in baking.
 
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
I have it but I have yet to read it. It is suppose to be the Bible on how and why things happen in recipes. After reading What Einstein Told his Cook i knew I wanted to learn more about the chemistry of cooking. It covers a lot more too like why certain spices work together or solutions to recipe failures. I have not read it yet because it is a big reference book so not sure how to go about it.
I AM IN
Backpacker Recipe Guide
A small cookbook of the ten most popular recipes submitted to Hosletbookers.com in a contest. Guess who is one of the ten winners, yes it would be me! Download the .pdf recipe guide by clicking the photo above.
I WANT
 
Rice & Curry: Sri Lankan Home Cooking by S H Fernando
Unusual ethnic food alert! I saw this book on a fellow foodie blog and I have desperately wanted to get my hands on this cookbook since then. In Sri Lanka a meal is typically referred to as ‘rice & curry’ – and curries can vary from main dish offerings (meat, chicken, fish, or mutton) to an assortment of vegetable and even fruit curries. Indian, Malay, Arab, Portuguese, Dutch and British influences all left their mark on the cuisine, but indigenous Sinhalese dishes have remained popular in villages for centuries. Fernando takes readers on an unforgettable culinary journey through Sri Lanka: demystifying ingredients, spices, and flavours and proving that Sri Lankan food is an easy-to-prepare, healthy option for modern lifestyles. It includes over 100 recipes, an introduction to Sri Lankan history, culture and cuisine, and stunning colour photographs throughout.
 
200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes: From Cheddar and Brie to Butter and Yogurt by Debra Amrein-Boyes
Another fellow foodie blogged about this book. In the last years I have made mascarpone and ricotta from scratch. I am a cheese addict. If I can make more at home easily I am sold! Homemade cheeses can easily surpass any commercially made cheese. In fact, the techniques used in home brewing, canning, pickling and wine making are quite similar to those needed to make cheese. More than ever, home cheese-making supplies and equipment are easy to find, and the only other requirement is a kitchen. The recipes in this book feature step-by-step instructions that eliminate all the guesswork. From cleaning to sterilization, every technique and process is explained clearly so that even a novice can create artisanal-quality cheeses. The book describes all cheese types and families, ripening and aging techniques and the kinds of milk and other components needed. Recipes for yogurts, kefirs, butters and buttermilk round out the collection.
 Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
I came across several recipes by Yotam Ottolenghi on the internet and they are all mouthwatering, even if vegetarian for a carnivore like me. Not a vegetarian himself, his approach to vegetable dishes is wholly original and innovative, based on strong flavours and stunning, fresh combinations. With sections devoted to cooking greens, aubergines, brassicas, rice and cereals, pasta and couscous, pulses, roots, squashes, onions, fruit, mushrooms and tomatoes, the breadth of colours, tastes and textures is extraordinary.
 
My Year Of Meats by Ruth L Ozeki
This novel is the interlocking story of two women. Jane Takagi-Little is a Japanese American journalist who is hired by Beef-Ex to work for a Japanese production company. Jane works as the host and creative producer and every week an American wife is shown living “her life” and cooking meat. Parallel to Jane’s story is the life of Akiko Ueno, reluctantly married to a man working for Beef-Ex. Her husband cares only that Akiko has a baby and forces her to watch “My American Wife” and cook the recipes, believing that it will allow her to conceive. The novel goes on to show just how manipulative the production company and meat industry are. (wiki)
|
International Incident Party |
A note on the foie gras sausage: Wish I took a pic of the package but it is long gone in the trash. But I bought them at my local’s farmer’s market this summer and kept them frozen. This is not a common product at all. Only hint I found online is this french website advertising the sausages. They are cocktail sized, white and the first ingredients should read pock, duck and foie gras.
