Cafe World Challenge Week 29

Week 2 of working again and things have been hectic, but I did make a dish, as promised. I chose to do breakfast for dinner this week, which is always a hit here as my kids seem to always love eggs and bacon. Since I've already crossed Bacon and Eggs off the list, I made Eggs Benedict.

Eggs Benedict

I love eating Eggs Benedict and all its variations at restaurants for breakfast, although I find a good Hollandaise sauce is not easy to find. I love my recipe for Hollandaise sauce, but have only made Eggs Benedict once before with smoked salmon. I usually love eating my Hollandaise sauce with asparagus, so I served my dinner Eggs Benedict with asparagus so I could dip the spears into the leftover sauce, delicious and decadent. I've only ever made my sauce over indirect heat, you can use a double boiler, but since I don't have one, I use a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Hollandaise sauce recipe

4 egg yolks

3 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 pinch ground white pepper

1/8 tsp Worchestershire sauce

1 tbsp water

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 tsp salt

Bring water to a gentle simmer in a pan, making sure that the water doesn't touch the heatproof dish or double boiler top pan. In the top dish whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, white pepper, Worcherstershire sauce and 1 tbsp water. Continue whisking, add melted butter a few tablespoons at a time. Continue whisking until until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Whisk in salt and remove from heat. Put a lid over the dish to keep the sauce warm.

Eggs Benedict recipe

Hollandaise Sauce

eggs, 1 or 2 per person

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Canadian bacon/back bacon or I used peameal bacon, 2 slices per egg

English muffins, split, 1 half per egg

Fill a large saucepan with water (3 inches) and bring water to a simmer. Add vinegar. Gently break eggs into simmering water and allow to cook for about 3 minutes. Toast muffin halves and brown the bacon in a skillet. Place 2 slices of bacon on a muffin half and when ready top with a poached egg. Top with Hollandaise sauce.

There are many variations on the standard recipe:

-Eggs Florentine with spinach instead of bacon

-smoked salmon instead of bacon

-mushrooms and brie

-asparagus and swiss cheese

etc, etc the possibilities are endless and fun to try. I always love to discover a new combo at a restaurant and order.

Next Up: Cooking and Cafe World Challenge not sure, but I'm going to the American Sewing Expo this weekend, woohooo!!! So I'll fit in a post about what I see, do and (in a whisper) BUY!!

Progress: 54/80

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 21

I had bumper week with three recipes completed. It was almost four, I wanted to make a fruit salad, but every time I opened the fridge or looked in the fruit bowl my supply had been obliterated. I suppose I shouldn't complain that my family likes fruit.

So recipes this week were for Super Sliders, Spicy Devil Eggs and Ice Cream Sundae using homemade ice cream.




Super Sliders

If you live in Canada, you can find the cute little sliders buns and burgers at Presidents Choice stores.
I really love their brand and am always impressed with the PC products.

This dish seems to disappear and return in the Cafe World Cookbook. I'll included it, it was in the cookbook when I made it over the weekend and its gone again now.

I used the PC slider buns and burgers with lettuce and cheddar cheese. I added a dollop of my homemade tomato sauce, which made them delish. So I'll share that recipe quickly. I use it with pasta, mixed with veg or on top of fish. I made a big batch and it is always a crowd pleaser and super simple.

Versatile Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 tomatoes chopped
1 tsp salt
Dried herbs to taste.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 10 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add tomatoes, salt and herbs and cook until tomatoes break down and sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

I used a marinara herb blend this time, but like basil or oregano too. I've also added fresh basil when I make a smaller batch that will get used up in one meal.



Spicy Devil Eggs

I translated this as Devilled Eggs, which I love. I make these every month or two, usually as a lunch or as part of a casual family dinner. They are also great for pot luck. I made mine with diced deli meat that was in the fridge and added some pickles too. Its so simple you just make hard boiled eggs, scoop out the yolk, mix with mayo and Dijon mustard and anything else that tickles your fancy and pipe into the egg white halves. I use a plastic bag with the corner snipped off for my piping.
I found this recipe that seems to resemble my eggs I made for a lunch with the kids. I forgot I was sharing these with you all, else I would've made them prettier, Sorry!!!!



Ice Cream Sundae

The showpiece for this week, my homemade ice cream. I like making ice cream if I can play with the flavours and make something you can't get in the store. This time I made a Praline ice cream. It should have been praline and ice wine, but I didn't add enough ice wine to affect the flavour. It was an ice wine and brandy blend that I thought would be good. I made the sundae with dark chocolate dessert topping and sprinkled with praline mixed nuts.

Praline Ice Cream

Praline:

Use equal weights of chopped blanched almonds and sugar
I had 120 g of nuts so I used 120 g of sugar
lemon juice

Heat sugar and some lemon juice in a small saucepan until the mixture develops a deep caramel colour. Add the almonds and stir until they are browned. Pour the mixture onto a greased baking sheet (I used a thin layer of oil) and allow to cool. When cold and brittle, grind up with a mortar and pestle or bash into smaller pieces using whatever implements you have on hand.

Ice cream:

500 ml milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1 egg, beaten
800ml whipping/double cream
5 ml vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
prepared praline
liqueur or brandy to taste (optional)

Heat the milk in a saucepan. Combine the sugar and cornflour and add to the milk, stirring constantly.
Boil, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool slightly. Carefully add the egg while whisking constantly. Add the salt and praline.
Cool the mixture completely and stir in 500 ml of the cream and the vanilla. Place the ice cream in the freezer to start freezing. After about 30 minutes to 1 hour, remove the ice cream and break up any ice crystals with a fork. Stiffly whip the remaining 300 ml of cream and fold into the ice cream with the liqueur, if using. Freeze again until stiff.






Cafe World Cookbook

It seems they added Escargot right at the back last week and I didn't notice it. This will be made for hubbie, don't think I'd want some...or they could remove it before I ever have to consider it. HINT, HINT!!!!!

Up Next: My beef will be done corning, I'll cook that up and hopefully make some fresh healthy fruit salad to offset those unhealthy jelly donuts.

Progress: 42/74

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 10

I made my crab bisque as planned, didn't get to the caramel apples I planned, but made one of my two usual quiche recipes and only realised I could include it in the challenge when it was in the oven. So another two dishes done.



King Crab Bisque

I love making soups and will usually make a chowder if I'm using seafood. I googled that the difference between the two is supposed to be the texture. Bisque is smooth and creamy, whereas chowder is chunky. The Cafe World recipe also has potato which reminds me more of chowder, so I decided I'd use my regular chowder recipe and just give it a good whizz to make it smooth. After this experiment, I admit I prefer it chunky like chowder. Reflecting afterwards I also thought that perhaps the colour wasn't right either, aren't bisque's usually redder. With the herbs liquidized in the otherwise white soup, it had a green tint. Well whatever, it tasted okay.

I also did a cheat for this and instead of using fresh crab, I used good quality canned chunk crab. I really didn't need the extra work!!!

Just a note too on the other ingredients and quantities. I change this recipe every time I use it. I usually use haddock or some other fish and usually use leeks. My area seems to have a leek shortage right now, there were none at the 2 store I checked, so I used 1 onion and the 4 spring onions I had left in the fridge. I also sometimes add carrot to my leek, it just depends on what I have on hand. In other words, use what you have or like, that simple!!!

Recipe

1/2 stick butter (50g)
4 leeks washed and thinly sliced or 1 onion and 4 green/spring onions.
4 cloves garlic chopped
pinch nutmeg
5 cups milk
two cans crab meat or other fish
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 large potatoes mashed

Heat the butter in a saucepan and gently cook the leeks and garlic till soft, add the nutmeg. If using the fish, I usually poach it in the milk and then add the leek mixture. If using canned crab, add crab and milk, season with pepper and stir in parsley and mashed potato. Cook until heated through. If you want it smooth like a bisque, use a hand blender or let cool a bit and use a blender.



Impossible Quiche

I was browsing through my recipe scrapbook and my eyes fell on my much used quiche recipe and the decision was instantaneous. This, in my opinion is ultimate comfort food, especially since it has that evil little ingredient....BACON. This quiche is NOT figure friendly, it has butter and cheddar cheese and cream (sometimes), but mushroom is a vegetable right? Since this quiche is pretty rich, you can only eat a little at a time, so I usually serve it with a light salad for dinner and then eat the rest for breakfast or brunch. This would make a great addition to a brunch table. The pastry is rich, so I've made a lighter version before using a store bought pie shell.

Mushroom and Bacon Quiche

Pastry:
250ml (1cup) cake flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 stick butter

Filling:
1/2 a package bacon (250 g)chopped
250 g white mushrooms sliced
3 eggs
375ml (1 1/2 cups) milk or cream (I like 1 cup milk & 1/2 cup cream)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 ml mustard powder
3 ml salt
ground pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh herbs or 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs

Pastry: Mix all ingredients in a food processor, press into base and sides of a 24 cm quiche dish
Filling: Fry bacon until crisp. Remove and keep aside. Saute mushrooms in bacon grease. Spoon Bacon and mushrooms onto base.
Beat eggs, milk/cream and lemon juice. Add cheese and seasoning and pour onto base.
Bake in a preheated oven at 160C/320F oven for 1 hour.



Progress: 24/61

Next up: My little guy is home sick, so I promised I'd make Caramel Apples, actually he's more interested in the Caramel sweets I make with the leftover caramel.
I might also see if I can find those monster drumsticks and make a Dino Drumstick???


* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Cafe World Challenge Week 4

This week I decided to up my game a little as Cafe World has added some new dishes, bringing the total to complete to 59. I'll list the new dishes at the end and include them in the master list to the side. I'm also not sure if there is any April Fooling going on with the cookbook, so things might be different again next week.

I did 3 1/2 dishes this week, with a few recipes to share.



Steak Dinner with Garlic Fries

You might recall from Week 1 that I didn't make the Garlic Fries with the Hot Dog, well I've got my favourite Garlic Potato Topper from Epicure Selections and they were good. I make oven bake fries, much less calories to contend with. I also use the same spice mix on the steak.


The Steak and Potatoes were served with a green salad, just a salad mix from a bag with my own dressing. Since I used two different dressings in my cafe meals this week, I thought I'd share my thoughts on making your own salad dressing.

My favourite tip, which I picked up in Jamie Oliver's book, Cook with Jamie, is to use a jam jar to make up, shake up and store the dressing. This makes it so easy with no need for whisking or figuring out how to store or serve the dressing.
The basic recipe is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, but I sometimes add more or less to achieve a good taste balance, it depends on the oil/vinegar used. I love making dressings, so I own many varieties of oils and vinegars, if you follow the basics, you can go crazy with the types you use. To this you can add a variety of other ingredients, for example: garlic, fresh or dried herbs, mustards, juice, etc, etc. I sometimes make a lower calorie dressing with juice instead of oil. These dressing will keep in the fridge for a while if they don't have dairy products or fresh herbs or garlic. Oh yes, I sometimes add in creme fraiche to make a creamy dressing.

I noted what I used in this weeks dressings so I could share the recipes. Note the amount of oil and vinegar was approximated as I usually add them to my jar and adjust after taste. It's then easy to see how much of each I used as the vinegar and oil separate.

Walnut Vinaigrette

1/3 cup walnut oil (will work with extra-virgin olive oil, but then won't be called Walnut vinaigrette)
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 small shallot minced
1/2 tsp dry English mustard
salt & pepper to taste (I used 1/4 tsp each)
1 pinch sugar (needed to balance the tastes a bit)

Add altogether in jam jar and shake. Shake before each use. Or alternatively use a whisk to mix in a bowl.

Classic Dressing

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste.

Method same as before.

Check out this post for more dressings.


Loco Moco

Before doing the research I didn't know this was a real dish or what it was. From the look of the picture in Cafe World I thought it could be a type of Sushi with the egg on top. That I wasn't game for. But luckily it turned out to be good, although not recommended if you suffer from high cholesterol.

Loco Moco is a Hawaiian dish that consists of a bed of rice with a hamburger patty, gravy and an egg on top.

The history behind the dish is pretty interesting. It was created back in 1949 at a Hawaiian restaurant and is now popular throughout Hawaii. Check out the Wikipedia entry for more.



I made a yummy gravy, which would have gone well with the steak too. It was so good I'm ashamed to say I did lick some gravy off the plate...I just couldn't waste it.

Gravy

beef broth (I used 1 litre homemade and a 287ml can commercial)
1 cup Merlot
2 tbsp butter softened
1 tbsp flour

Cook the broth and wine for about 2 hours or until reduced by at least half. Add the broth to the pan you cooked the hamburger in, loosen the meat bits, which also flavoured the gravy. Combine butter and flour and add to the broth mixture, keeping cooking until gravy thickens.

Smoked Salmon Latkes

Latkes are fried potato pancakes. The combination with the smoked salmon was a first for me, but it was fantastic. I served mine with whipped chive-flavoured cream cheese.

This is how I made my Latkes:

2 large potatoes grated
1 medium onion grated
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour

Mix together and fry small pancakes in shallow vegetable oil. Drain on a paper towel and serve with smoked salmon & cream cheese.



Cookbook changes

With the changes made last week and yesterday, there are now 59 dishes for me to complete. There are 58 in the cookbook, but they have removed the Giant Dino Egg, which I have already completed, so I will still count it.

Other new additions are:
Martian Brain Bake - a past dish returned to replace the Dino Egg.
Chashu Ramen
Tom Yum Goong
Mystical Pizza
Ice Cream Sundae :)

Progress: 9/59

Next Up: Haven't planned yet, just check back Friday and see.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

CW Challenge Week 3

This week I have two more Cafe World dishes to cross off the list. One is a breakfast classic and another is a family favourite.




Bacon & Eggs

A favourite of mine, although I don't make it much at home because bacon is EVIL!! I think it goes straight to my hips and butt. I love my Bacon & Eggs in a sandwich and the egg is turned with a hard yolk and no yellow runny stuff. My husband likes his sunny side up, the kids like it scrambled, so a full spectrum of egg tastes in my family.



Veggie Lasagna

This is a recipe I've used many times. I like it because it's loaded with vegetables and although I always use the low fat ricotta cheese, adding fat-free yogurt reduces the calories further. I have Swiss chard in my garden, so I use that when it is available.

Recipe

12 lasagna sheets (depends on dish size)
2 cups spinach or Swiss chard
3 cups shredded mozzarella ( I use part skim)
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 medium onion, finely chopped
10 asparagus spears cut into 1/4 inch piece
1 red pepper chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan

Cheese mix:
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup parsley
red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Spray baking dish (I use 8 in square) with oil or non-stick spray.
Combine all ingredients for cheese mix and set aside.
Build lasagna in dish as follows.
Layer 1: pasta, then spinach, 1/3 cheese mix, 1 cup mozzarella.
Layer 2: pasta, carrot and onion, 1/3 cheese mix, 1 cup mozzarella.
Layer 3: pasta, asparagus and red pepper, last 1/3 cheese mix, 1 cup mozzarella.
Top: pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.



There have been some changes to the Cafe World Cookbook, I know of at least one theme dish that's been added, but I haven't studied the list to see if anything has been taken away. So I will update my master list with the changes next week.


Progress: 5.5/54

Next Up: Steak Dinner

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CW Challenge Week 2

This week, as promised, I made French Onion Soup, or as my husband called it....hot water with onions in it. It was rather disastrous.

French Onion Soup

So let me begin by saying that I love French Onion soup and have ordered it many times in restaurants, but have never made it myself. So I was rather let down by the results. I will definitely be trying this one again, so I won't cross it off the list just yet. In this instance I don't believe the fault lies with the recipe, but rather the cook. I made two "errors" that if corrected will dramatically improve the taste.

Error 1
I didn't cook the onions long enough. I suggest they should get the nice caramelization to add some flavour, but I had hungry kids so I made the boo-boo.

Error 2
I used my homemade beef stock. I love making my own stocks and then freezing them, but this particular batch of beef stock wasn't very strong flavoured. Next time I will use the store bought variety.

So here goes for the recipe, I'm sure if you follow the above hints it will turn out better than mine. If it doesn't let me know and I will find another for my next attempt.

Recipe

6 onions, sliced
2 litres/quarts beef broth
2 tbsp butter
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp tarragon
French bread/baguette
cheese, I used sliced Swiss

Melt butter and cook onions over high heat for 5 minutes and then turn down heat and cook onions till golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Add broth, tarragon and bay leaf.
Continue cooking over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Remove bay leaf and ladle into oven proof bowls.
Place bowls on a cookie sheet, top soup with bread, then cheese. Broil till cheese melts.

Oh and remember that those bowls will be HOT!!! Don't make my mistake.




Giant Dino Egg

My youngest and I went on some prehistoric travels and used some nifty team work to steal a very well guarded dino egg.
Result..yummy breakfast for a hungry little time traveller.








Progress: 3.5/54

Next up: In the mood for some Bacon & eggs?

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.