which comes first the chicken or the egg?

This month's Daring Cooks challenge was to poach eggs and there were a couple of recipes that were provided to us along with this challenge.  The obvious one, of course, is Eggs Benny, which is one of my favourite dishes.  I have made Eggs Benny several times and in many different variations - back bacon, spinach, tomatoes, ham, lox, crab, shrimp, to name a few - so I decided to make the other recipe provided, Oeufs en Meurette.  This is a recipe that I have never even heard of, let alone made.

We usually have a big breakfast/brunch on at least one day of the weekend so this Oeufs en Meurette was going on my menu for Sunday.  I don't know if it was the power of suggestion after reading the recipe for the Oeufs en Meurette but I had an urge to make Coq au Vin for dinner on Friday.  When preparing my grocery list, I soon realized that the sauce for both of these dishes was VERY similar, in fact close enough that I could kill two birds with one stone.  I decided to make the Coq au Vin on Friday night and reserve some of the sauce to have with the Oeufs en Meurette on Sunday...... so in this case the chicken, definitely, came before the egg.

   

Coq au Vin

Recipe from Alton Brown Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

24 to 30 pearl onions
4 chicken thighs and legs, or 1 (5 to 7-pound) stewing chicken, cut into serving pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
6 ounces salt pork, slab bacon, or lardon, cubed 

8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 (750-ml) bottles red wine, preferably pinot noir
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
2 medium carrots, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cups chicken stock or broth 

Directions

Cut off the root end of each pearl onion and make an "x" with your knife in its place. Bring 2 to 3 cups of water to a boil and drop in the onions for 1 minute. Remove the onions from the pot, allow them to cool, and then peel. You should be able to slide the onions right out of their skin. Set aside.
Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken pieces, a few at a time, into a large (1 or 2-gallon) sealable plastic bag along with the flour. Shake to coat all of the pieces of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the bag to a metal rack.
Add the 2 tablespoons of water to a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat along with the salt pork. Cover and cook until the water is gone, and then continue to cook until the salt pork cubes are golden brown and crispy, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the salt pork from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, using the remaining fat, add the pearl onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until lightly brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Next, brown the chicken pieces on each side until golden brown, working in batches if necessary to not overcrowd the pan. Transfer the chicken into a 7 to 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven.

Add the mushrooms to the same 12-inch saute pan, adding the 1 tablespoon of butter if needed, and saute until they give up their liquid, approximately 5 minutes. Store the onions, mushrooms and pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Pour off any remaining fat and deglaze the pan with approximately 1 cup of the wine. Pour this into the Dutch oven along with the chicken stock, tomato paste, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add all of the remaining wine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is tender. Maintain a very gentle simmer and stir occasionally.

Once the chicken is done, remove it to a heatproof container, cover, and place it in the oven to keep warm. Strain the sauce in a colander and remove the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Return the sauce to the pot, place over medium heat, and reduce by 1/3.

Depending on how much liquid you actually began with, this should take 20 to 45 minutes.

Once the sauce has thickened, add the pearl onions, mushrooms, and pork and cook for another 15 minutes or until the heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, remove from the heat, add the chicken and serve. Serve over egg noodles, if desired.

NOTES/VARIATIONS: 

• I did not marinate the chicken overnight. 
• I added all the ingredients to the slow cooker and cooked it on high for about 3 1/2 hours and on low for about another 1 1/2 hours.
• I served it with mashed potatoes.
• I omitted the tomato paste, quite by accident, but the results were good anyways.
• Delicious!

Oeufs en Meurette

From Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, seen on Epicurious

Ingredients

8 eggs (size is your choice)
1 bottle red wine (750ml/25 fl. oz.)
2 cups (400ml/16 fl. oz.) chicken stock

1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
Bouquet garni (thyme, parsley, bay leaf)
½ tsp. (2 ½ ml/3g) black peppercorns
2 Tbl. (30 ml/30g) butter

¼ lb. (115g) mushrooms, sliced
¼ lb (115g) bacon, diced

16 pearl onions, peeled (200g/7oz.)
Vegetable oil for frying
8 slices of baguette, ¼” (6mm) thick
2 Tbl. (30 ml/30g) butter, room temp.

2 Tbl. (30 ml/20g) flour 

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat wine and stock together in a large pan and poach eggs a couple at a time for 3-4 min. Yolks should be firming but still a little soft. Set them aside.

2. Add the veggies, herbs, and peppercorns to the poaching liquid and let the sauce simmer until reduced to half volume. This will become the meurette sauce.

3. In a separate large skillet, melt 1 tbs. (15ml/15g) of the butter on medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms until soft and then set aside. Add in another 1 tbs. (15ml/15g) butter and the bacon, frying until browned, then set aside on a paper towel. Turn down the heat to medium, add in the pearl onions and sauté until softened and browned. Then drain off the fat and add the bacon and mushrooms back to the pan and set aside off the heat for the moment.

4. In a medium skillet, heat a few tbs. of oil and then fry the baguette slices until browned on each side. Add more oil as needed. Set the fried bread (croûtes) on a paper towel and then place on a baking sheet in an oven that is set to 200F/95C/gas mark 1/4 or whatever your lowest setting is to keep them warm.

5. Blend 2 Tbl. (30ml/30g) butter and flour together to form a paste of sorts that will be used as the thickener for the sauce. Whisk this into the reduction sauce until the sauce starts to thicken.
Strain the sauce over the skillet of mushrooms, bacon and onions, and return the skillet to heat, bringing to a boil. Season with salt & pepper to taste, then set aside again.

6. Reheat the eggs by placing them in hot water for a quick minute. To serve, plate a poached egg on top of a croûte, and then ladle some of the mushrooms/bacon/onions and sauce on top.

NOTES/VARIATIONS:

• I used the sauce from the Coq au Vin for the  Oeufs de Meurette
• I cracked the eggs into a pot of gently boiling water with vinegar
• I use a very scientific method to check to see if the eggs are done - I touch them with my index finger
• I usually drain the poached eggs on a paper towel

Blog-checking lines: Jenn and Jill have challenged The Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num.

grape leaves stuffed with ground moose and rice

I remember a neighborhood that I lived in long ago and the first time we were invited across the street to join our neighbors for dinner.  These particular neighbors owned a restaurant and he was as Greek as they come.  I decided that I would bring Spanacopita to dinner.  One of the other guests remarked that she thought that I was pretty nervy to be bringing Spanacopita to this particular house.  I really hadn't thought anything of it until she mentioned it. 

This was the beginning of a long friendship borne of a common appreciation for good food and good wine.  We shared many meals together, simple and extravagant, and from them I learned to make several Greek dishes.  Moussaka was a Greek dish that I tackled on my own, though, and he said that mine was better than his mother's. 

They would often go to visit YaYa, as they called his mother, driving for about an hour both ways.  When they returned it was almost certain that they would be bringing dolmades made by YaYa's loving hands and they would often share them with us.  We would eat them cold with our fingers as a snack and they were usually accompanied by beer.  It was a good combination. 

Over the years venues change and people come and go but the memories linger.  For me, these memories most often seem to take the form of meals shared. I haven't seen either of them for many years now but when I saw that this month's Daring Cooks challenge was to make dolmades, I was excited because this is one of the Greek dishes that I had never made.  So, I know you are wondering, did I make a dish worthy of sharing at a Greek's dinner table?  All I can say is...YaYa would have been proud.

Grape Leaves Stuffed with Ground Meat and Rice 
with Apricot Tamarind Sauce/ Yebra
Adapted from Aromas of Aleppo by Poopa Dweck and Michael J. Cohen. Published by Harper Collins, 2007 

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Hashu/Filling

Ingredients
1 pound (455 gm) ground (minced) beef moose
1/3 cup (80 ml) (2 1/3 oz) (65 gm) short grain rice
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) all spice
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) cinnamon
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) kosher (coarse) salt
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1½ gm) white pepper
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup (5½ oz) (150 gm) pine nuts **optional**

Directions:
Soak rice in water, enough to cover, for 30 minutes. Combine meat, rice, allspice, vegetable oil, cinnamon, salt, white pepper, onions, garlic and if desired, pine nuts, in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

If using grape leaves preserved in brine, put them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to remove the salt. Make sure that the water penetrates well between the layers and leave them soaking for about twenty minutes and then change the water a time or two using fresh cold water.  If using fresh leaves, plunge a few at a time in boiling water for a few seconds only, until they become limp, and lift them out.

 Ingredients for assembly:
1 pound (455 gm) hashu/filling (see recipe above)
36 preserved grape leaves, stems trimmed, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
6 dried apricots – or more if you desire
3 tablespoons (45 ml) tamarind concentrate
¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (9 gm) kosher (coarse) salt

Directions 

1. Place a grape leaf on a flat surface, vein side up. You can trim the little stem if you would like.
2. Place about two teaspoons (10 ml) of the filling in the center of the leaf, near the stem edge.
3. Roll the leaf end to end, starting from the stem edge. As you roll, fold the sides of the leaf in toward the center. The leaf should resemble a small cigar, about 2 to 2 1/2 inches (50 mm to 65mm) long.
4. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.(You can freeze the stuffed grape leaves at this point. Just line a baking sheet with wax paper. When firmly frozen, transfer to an airtight plastic bag place back in the freezer.)

1. In a medium saucepan put in the vegetable oil and then place the filled grape leaves in the pot with the seam at the bottom.
2. Place apricots in between the stuffed grape leaves. Cover and cook over low heat for 5- 8 minutes or until the grape leaves begin to sweat.
3. Using all three tablespoons, place a little of the tamarind concentrate over the rolls.
4. Combine lemon juice, salt, and water and then add to pan, filling it ¾ full.
5. Weigh down the grape leaves with a heat proof plate or board to prevent them from unraveling. Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes.  Alternatively, place the saucepan in an oven preheated to moderate 350°F/180°C and cook for an hour.  
6. Spoon cooking liquid over the grape leaves occasionally. You will know they are done, when the grape leaves are neither soupy nor dry.
7. Tilt pan sideways over serving platter, allowing the grape leaves to tumble out. Try not to handle them individually to reduce unraveling.  Alternately you can try spooning them out very gently. 

Notes:
Tamarind paste can be found at Asian, Mexican or Indian grocers.  You can also find the pods (a little more difficult) and make the paste yourself.  It is akin to a sweet/tangy tea flavor.

 Blog-checking lines: Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness, has challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food.

nut butters - daring cooks challenge for july

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

The nut butters were fairly easy to make but it meant using a food processor.  My food processor of twenty years recently packed it in.  I had to borrow my mother's food processor for the pate challenge and my girlfriend offered to lend me hers for the nut butter challenge.  I finally ordered another food processor but only after GWH researched it inside and out because that's what he does.  Just sayin'. 

Anyways, last night as I am making my last recipe for this challenge, look what showed up.  Listen, can you hear that?  It's me making  Tim "The Toolman" Taylor sounds.

It is a beautiful thing and I can't wait to use it but timing is everything!

Where were you when I needed you?!

There were four recipes provided to us and we had the option of choosing from these and/or choosing one of our own using a nut butter in a savory dish.  I made three out of the four recipes as well as a few of my own creations. 

These were the recipes that were provided:

Chicken with Curried Tomato Almond Sauce 

This recipe was quite good.  Curry, need I say more?

 Chicken with Pecan Cream and Mushrooms

This recipe was okay but if I made it again I would add something to kick it up a notch.

Walnut White Bean Dip with Rosemary & Sage

This is one that I didn't make but it looked interesting.

Of all the recipes provided, the Asian Noodle Salad was by far the most memorable.  This sauce was like music on your tongue and when the song was over the notes lingered deliciously.  This is a tune that I will play over and over again.  Mmmm happy place.

Asian Noodle Salad with Cashew Dressing

Ingredients:
Cashew Butter
1 cup cashews

 Cashew Dressing
1/2 inch (1 cm) slice of fresh ginger, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup (120 ml) cashew butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
3 tbsp (45 ml) sugar
 I used only 1 tbsp of sugar
3 tbsp (45 ml) vinegar
3 tbsp (45 ml) sesame oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (75 ml) water
Hot sauce to taste (optional)
I used about a tablespoon of Hot Chili Sauce (Rooster Sauce)


Noodle Salad
1/2 lb (225 g) linguine or rice noodles
I used rice noodles
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1/2 lb (225 g) small or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
I used leftover pork tenderloin cut into small strips
1 large red bell pepper, cored and seeded, cut into thin strips
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) slice green onions
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh basil
I used 1/2 cup (120 ml) cilantro
1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped cashews (optional garnish)
Lime wedges (optional)
I also added mango, carrots and blanched green beans and I julienned all the vegetables. 

Directions

1. Make cashew butter: Grind cashews in food processor for about 2 minutes until smooth.
2. Prepare cashew dressing:  Combine ginger garlic, cashew butter, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and water in food processor or blender.  Process blend until smooth.  Be sure to process long enough to puree the ginger and garlic.  The dressing should be pourable, about the same thickness as cream.  Adjust consistency - thinner or thicker - to your liking by adding more water or cashew butter.  Taste and add your favourite hot sauce if desired.  (If the cashew butter was unsalted you may want to add salt to taste) Makes about 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) dressing.  Store any leftover dressing in the refrigerator.
3. Prepare noodles according the package instructions in salted water.  Rinse and drain noodles.  Set aside.
4. Heat oil in large non-stick pan over medium heat.  Add shrimp to the pan and saute for about 3 to 4 minutes or until opaque throughout.  Alternatively, cook shrimp in boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes or until done.
5. Slice basil into thin ribbons.  Combine noodles, bell pepper, cucumber, onions, and basil in a large bowl.  Add about 1/2 cup (120 ml) cashew dressing, toss gently to coat.  Add more cashew dressing as desired, using as much or as little as you'd like.  Scatter shrimp on top.  Squeeze fresh lime juice over salad or serve with lime wedges.  Sprinkle with chopped cashews, if desired.

Throughout the month, I had leftover nut butters hanging out in the fridge so anything that I was making was fair game to be nuttered.  I would be like, "Hmm I wonder what this would taste like if I just added some Almond Butter".  The following are the dishes that I chose to enhance with Nut Butters and I think they turned out quite well.

 Lettuce Wraps 

with Peanut Sauce

Cedar-Planked Sockeye Salmon

glazed with Teriyaki Almond Butter and...

...served with Fruit Salsa

I recently had this wonderful, decadent Cashew Soup at a Dinner Club and it was the inspiration for this recipe. I had leftover Maple Salmon that was destined to become chowder so I decided to make the Salmon Chowder and add Cashew Butter.  Good call.  It was quite delicious.  I would suggest serving it in small portions, though; perhaps as a starter to a meal, as it is very rich. 

Salmon Chowder with Cashew Butter

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 celery stalks, chopped fine
2 carrots, chopped
2 cups baby potatoes, halved or quartered
3/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 1/2 cups homo milk
2 cups salmon, cooked and broken into chunks
3/4 cup cashew butter

Directions:
Saute onions, garlic and celery in a little oil or butter until tender.  Add carrots, potatoes, white wine and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.  Simmer until vegetables are tender.  Add milk, salmon and cashew butter.  Heat through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  If the chowder is too thick, add some more milk until you get the desired consistency.


I thoroughly enjoyed this nutty challege.  It was fun to create these dishes and fun to eat them, of course, but it was also great to see what the other Daring Cooks came up with.  There is amazing skill and creativity out there.  Check out some of the others here.

pate party - daring cooks challenge for june

Recently I joined an online group called the Daring Cooks.  It is a forum for those, such as myself, who are obsessed by all things culinary; most are bloggers, some are not .  Each month, a different food blogger hosts and puts forth a challenge that everyone is to make and that challenge is not to be revealed on your blog until the 14th of the next month.  I was very excited when I found the Daring Cooks because to me it sounded like so much fun.....and I was right, it was.

Here's this month's challenge:

"Our hostesses this month, Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz, and Valerie of a The Chocolate Bunny, chose delicious pate with freshly baked bread as their June Daring Cook’s challenge! They’ve provided us with 4 different pate recipes to choose from and are allowing us to go wild with our homemade bread choice."

When I first saw the challenge and saw that I had to make bread, I was a little taken aback because I'm a cook, not a baker.  I have always perceived baking to be an exact science that requires precise measuring and measure schmeasure is what I usually say.  Not to mention the fact that pate usually involves liver.  Eww, right?  I quickly got over it and decided to suck it up.  I am glad that I did because I tried some recipes that I might not have otherwise; some to be repeated, some not so much.

Note:  I changed a few things with the recipes provided and my revisions and notes are in red.

This is the first one that I tried because how could I go wrong with seafood, right?  It was not bad but I felt that it could have been a little more flavourful.  This could have something to do with the anemic trout that I picked up at the grocery store.  It would have probably been way better made with a fresh rainbow trout but would a fresh rainbow trout actually make it into a pate.  Hmmm.  Maybe not.

Trout and Shrimp Pâté
(Daring Cooks Recipe)
Yields one 6x3 inch (15x7,5 cm) terrine or loaf pan

      I made three small ones instead

1 tbsp / 15 ml butter
1/4 lb / 4 oz / 120g medium raw shrimp, deveined, shelled and tailed (about 12 medium shrimp)
1/8 cup / 30ml Grand Marnier (or cognac, or another strong liqueur of your choice) (optional)

      I used Sambucca instead of the Grand Marnier

1/2 lb / 8 oz / 240g trout filet, skinned and cut into thick chunks
1/4 lb / 4 oz / 110g raw shrimp, deveined, shelled and tailed (any size)
3/4 cup / 180ml heavy cream
Salt, to taste
Green peppercorn, coarsely ground, to taste
Chives, for garnish
     I put a little chopped fennel into the mixture and then used it as a garnish
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
In a heavy, flameproof frying pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the 1/4 pound of medium shrimp, stirring often, until pink and cooked through. Remove the pan from heat. (NOTE: These shrimp will be used to form layers within your pâté. If you feel they are too thick – like the ones in the photograph, you might want to slice them in half lengthwise.)
Pour the Grand Marnier over the cooked shrimp. Light a match and carefully ignite the alcohol, to flambé the shrimp. Wait for the flames to go out on their own, carefully tilting the pan to ensure even flavoring. Set aside.
Put the trout and the remaining raw shrimp in a food processor and pulse. Gradually pour in the cream and keep pulsing until you obtain a smooth mixture that is easy to spread, but not too liquid (you may not need to use all the cream). Season with salt and green pepper.
Butter a 6x3 inch (15x7,5 cm) loaf pan or terrine, then line it with parchment paper. Spoon in half the trout mixture, and spread it evenly. Place the flambéed shrimp on top, in an even layer, reserving 3 or 4 shrimp for decorating. Top with the remaining trout mixture.
Prepare a water bath: place the loaf pan in a larger, deep ovenproof dish (such as a brownie pan or a baking dish). Bring some water to a simmer and carefully pour it in the larger dish. The water should reach approximately halfway up the loaf pan.
Put the water bath and terrine in the oven, and bake for 35 minutes. The pâté should be cooked through and firm in the center.
Remove the pan from the water bath and let cool. Carefully unmold onto a serving platter. Decorate with the reserved shrimp, and sprinkle with chopped chives. Cut into thick slices and serve at room temperature, with crusty bread.

 At this point, I wasn't quite ready for the bread thing so I made crackers instead.  We really enjoyed these.

Simple Crackers

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.  Lightly grease two large cookie sheets.  Combine the dry ingredients, and then stir in the water and oil and then mix until a smooth dough forms.  Divide the dough in half and flatten each half on a cookie sheet.  Use a small rolling pin or even your fingers for a rustic, uneven look.  Once the dough is spread thin, use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares.  The crackers will shrink slightly when cooked.  Sprinkle or spray with olive oil.  Top with your choice of herbs or spices.  I used sea salt and a mixture from Victorian Epicure called Herb & Garlic Dip Mix.

Next, I made the veggie pate.  This was probably my favourite.  Big Flavour.

Tricolor Vegetable Pâté
(Daring Cooks Recipe) Yields one 25 by 12,5 cm (10 by 5 inch) terrine or loaf pan
          I used four ramekins instead
Line your pan with plastic wrap, overlapping sides.


White Bean Layer
2 x 15-ounce / 900 ml cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained thoroughly
     I used 2 19-ounce cans
1 tbsp / 15 ml fresh lemon juice
     I used the juice from half of a lemon, about 3 tbsp
1 tbsp / 15 ml olive oil
     I used 2 tbsp
1 tbsp / 15 ml minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
    I used about 3 tbsp
2 garlic cloves, pressed
    I used 4 cloves
Mash beans in large bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil, oregano and garlic and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread bean mixture evenly on bottom of prepared pan.




Red Pepper Layer
7-ounce / 210 ml jar roasted red bell peppers, drained, chopped
     I had some peppers in the freezer so roasted them in the oven and used them
3/4 cup / 180 ml crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
Combine peppers and feta in processor and blend until smooth. Spread pepper mixture evenly over bean layer in prepared dish.


 
Pesto Layer
2 garlic cloves
1 cup / 240 ml fresh basil leaves
1 cup / 240 ml fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup / 60 ml toasted pine nuts
3 tbsp / 45 ml olive oil
1/2 cup / 120 ml low-fat ricotta cheese
Mince garlic in processor. Add basil, parsley and pine nuts and mince. With machine running, gradually add oil through feed tube and process until smooth. Mix in ricotta. Spread pesto evenly over red pepper layer.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
      I found it easier to unmold when I froze the pate beforehand.
To unmold, invert pâté onto serving platter. Peel off plastic wrap from pâté. Garnish with herb sprigs and serve with sourdough bread slices.
     When I unmolded the pate, I put the pesto layer on top.  It was more attractive than the bean layer.

I was still not ready for the bread so I decided I would try to imitate those Raincoast Crisp crackers. These were delicious and in honour of our beautiful, rainy home I have renamed them Wetcoast Wafers.

Wetcoast Wafers
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1(generous) tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk (or just plain milk soured with vinegar)
1/4 cup honey

Stir the above ingredients together until blended. Don't overmix!


Then add:
1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans/walnuts/almonds)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds (ground or whole)
1/4 cup Sesame seeds

1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped (or more, or dry would also work, adjust proportion to taste)
Pour into two 4"X8" greased pans. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees F or until springy. Cool completely on rack and put in the freezer. When the loaves are totally frozen, cut into very thin slices. Lay slices on cookie sheets and bake 15 minutes at 300 deg. F. Turn the slices over and bake another 10 or 15 minutes.


Finally, I made the liver pate.  There were mixed reviews.  Those that usually like liver pate really enjoyed it.  Some of us just can't get it out of our heads that it is "offal".  

Three Spice Liver Pâté 
(Daring Cooks Recipe) Yields one 25 by 12,5 cm (10 by 5 inch) terrine or loaf pan
    I made smaller portions using a ramekin and small loaf pans
1 lb / 454 grams pork liver (or beef or combination)
     I used beef.  I couldn't find pork
1/2 lb / 227 grams ground pork
1/2 lb / 227 grams pork fat (or pork belly)
2 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp / 2 ml cinnamon
1/2 tsp / 2 ml coriander (ground or crushed)
1/2 tsp / 2 ml cumin
3/4 tsp / 3 ml salt
1 tbsp / 15 ml coarse freshly cracked peppercorns
2 tbsp / 30 ml cognac
2 bay leaves
1 package of bacon
Preheat oven to to 350ºF (180ºC).
Cut liver and pork fat into small pieces and add to food processor. Add ground pork, garlic, shallots, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Grind until smooth.
In mixing bowl, incorporate the meat and liver mixture with the cognac and eggs.
Line bottom of baking or ceramic pan with overlapping pieces of bacon. Place a bay leaf on the bottom and then fill with meat/liver mixture. Cover top with another bay leaf and then overlapping pieces of bacon.
Place in oven in the larger baking pan and add enough water to cover 2/3rds of the pan containing the meat/liver mixture. Bake for about 1-1.5 hrs.
The pâté will contract and the juices will be on the bottom. Allow to cool and soak up the juices. Remove any excess bacon and discard the bay leaves.  I left the bacon on - how can you go wrong with bacon - and I sprinkled chopped green onions over top for some colour.


The lovely french baguette slices in the picture above are not mine.  These below are mine.  Notice the deformed one on the right.  They didn't rise as much as I would have liked and I probably should have baked them a little longer.  Oh, well all is not lost.  I now have my first attempt at bread behind me and I will definitely try it again.  I ran into Tina Bacon from the Pink Spatula and was telling her of my bread dilemma.  Tina teaches baking classes at Well Seasoned in Langley.  She directed me towards this site for Artisan Bread.  This is the one that I will be trying next. I love that the results are quick.  I will let you know how it goes.

French Baguette
(Daring Cooks Recipe)
yield: Three 16" baguettes
Starter
1/2 cup / 120 ml cool water
1/16 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup / 240 ml flour
Dough
1 tsp / 5 ml active dry yeast
1 cup to 1 1/4 cups / 240 ml to 300 ml lukewarm water*
all of the starter
3 1/2 cps / 840 ml flour
1 1/2 tsp / 7 ml salt
*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.
Make the starter by mixing the yeast with the water, then mixing in the flour to make a soft dough. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours; overnight works well. The starter should have risen and become bubbly.
Mix active dry yeast with the water and then combine with the starter, flour, and salt. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface may still be a bit rough. Knead for about 5 minutes on speed 2 of a stand mixer.
Place the dough in a lightly greased medium-size bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Divide it into three equal pieces. Shape each piece into a rough, slightly flattened oval, cover with greased plastic wrap, and let them rest for 15 minutes.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, fold the dough in half lengthwise, and seal the edges with the heel of your hand. Flatten it slightly, and fold and seal again. With the seam-side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 15" log. Place the logs seam-side down onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined sheet pan or pans.
Cover them with a cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaves to rise till they've become very puffy, about 1 1/2 hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450ºF (240ºC).
Using a very sharp knife held at about a 45° angle, make three 8" vertical slashes in each baguette. Spritz the baguettes heavily with warm water; this will help them develop a crackly-crisp crust.
Bake the baguettes until they're a very deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack. Or, for the very crispiest baguettes, turn off the oven, crack it open about 2", and allow the baguettes to cool in the oven.

Whew!  I am now officially a Daring Cook.  This challenge was a lot of fun and I look forward to next month's challenge.  The recipes are revealed to us on the 17th of each month and on the 14th of the month following, I can post my results here for you to see.  I wonder what it will be.... Log in next month to find out.