Archive for November, 2009

November 30th, 2009 Uncategorized | 2 Comments

James Henry, a Washington D.C. boy who went to school in Montreal, has four memorable qualities; he’s obsessed with alien conspiracy theories, always wears beautiful hand-crafted leather shoes,  doesn’t own a pair of jeans, and makes the most amazing roast chicken I have ever had. On weekends, James used to throw last minute dinner parties featuring the same chicken dish and there was never enough to go around. Anyone invited the first time always wanted a second invite, including me. Seriously: this chicken made fast friends. In fact, the more I think about it, this roast chicken was James’ hook, his way of drawing people to him. It was his social glue. When James left town, I didn’t just miss James, I missed his chicken. After a while, a culinary sadness swept over me. Would I never again savour those amazing flavours?

 

Fortunately, James blew into Montreal recently for a visit and  I was quick to suggest he whip up his signature dish.  I even picked up all the ingredients myself (including two organic chickens — kaching!) bringing them over to the apartment where he was crashing and saying, “James. Make!  Please!?” I watched him prepare the chicken and wrote down the very easy recipe. All my friends agree, it’s simply the best roasted chicken recipe we know. Even better, now I can make it myself. Thanks for sharing James. Culinary sadness gone.

 

James Henry’s Roast Chicken

 

 roastchicken

 

The secret to my friend James Henry’s roast chicken is the grated lemon and piles of tarragon. It’s so lemon-y and delicious, it’ll blow your mind. This chicken makes a perfect dinner for you and your man, with ample lunch leftovers. It’s also ideal for a small dinner party. (Don’t forget to boil the carcass when you’re done, it makes a yummy stock.)

 

Ingredients

 

1 whole chicken (James swears by organic and I’m inclined to agree. When eating meat, why not eat the best? If you’re penny pinching, just ask friends to chip in three or four bucks to help cover costs. They won’t regret it, I swear.)

2 lemons

1/3 cup dried tarragon or 1 cup fresh chopped

salt

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Take out icky slippery bits from chicken cavity and discard. Grate entire lemon rind from two lemons over chicken.

 

 

jamesh

James grates the lemon rind over the chicken.

 

roastchickenlemon

 

roastchickenprep

 

paste

 

Add the tarragon and garlic, lots of salt, and rub all over, pressing some of the paste under the skin.  Squeeze juice of one lemon over chicken. When finished, put the remaining grated lemon inside the chicken cavity.  Place into oven and cook for two hours or until skin is browned and juices run clear. (For faster cooking you can put the temperature higher, to around 400 F, and reduce cooking time. Obviously cooking time varies with chicken size, and you can always use a meat thermometer to ensure thorough cooking.)

 

When  the chicken is done you can make a ‘jus’ from the pan drippings by adding a cup of red wine and reducing on the stove for five minutes over medium heat. Serve with mashed potatoes (use my yogurt mash in Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie). For a vegetable side, simple steamed green beans work well.

 

Thanks again James for sharing this recipe.

 
November 29th, 2009 Uncategorized | Leave a comment !

 

 

Sometimes I worry: Will the FC still love me when I’m old and gray? But then I see this picture of artist David Hockney painting at the age of 72 and I stop worrying. Don’t you just adore the funky cap and suspenders, not to mention the groovy painting flowing out of him?

 
November 27th, 2009 Uncategorized | Leave a comment !

carrotsgirl

 

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the whole “baby carrots” debate. Dipped in formaldehyde or turpentine or something very bad for you, they’re stripped of nutrition, totally worthless, and as my friend Brent said “you might as well be eating cardboard.”

 

On a purely aesthetic level, baby carrots are like tiny little you-know-whats. They’re girlie diet food. The MacDonalds of healthy eating, baby carrots are for people with no imaginations.

 

Now I’m no food scientist and I’m certainly not acquainted with all the facts (which are maybe overstated and untrue) but the minute I started hearing the debate I stopped buying baby carrots and I’m so glad. It was like I rediscovered the carrot. Real carrots are much tastier and they don’t get all white and mouldy when they sit in the fridge for too long. Regular carrots are also more handsome, especially when they’re fresh with a bouquet of green stems still attached.  But I also like the giant bags of pantry carrots, they have real weight, last for weeks, always ready to be used in soups, stir fries, or chopped finely into a pilaf. Like a solid man with a sense of values, a big bag of carrots gives me a sense of security. And the size? Much more impressive!!

 

The FC loves his carrots as much as Bugs Bunny and he like to eat them whole, like a real man should.  As for me,  I like my carrots cut into slices so you can see the underlying layers of colour and texture– and they’re much better for dips. I’m also captivated by those trippy multi-coloured ones that are becoming more and more popular in Montreal.

 

Welcome back real carrots. I love you!

 

 Cumin Carrot Soup

 

 

carrotsoup

 

My friend Louisa, a terrific cook who’s dinner invitations always fill me with anticipation, whipped up this beauty of a carrot soup the other night. The pecans and butter propel the sometimes-humble carrot soup into a whole new stratosphere of sex appeal. Yet it’s not-overly exotic either, which is refreshing, since I find the usual coconut, garlic, ginger coriander jamboree often drowns out the carrots. Instead, this soup lets the carrot’s essential flavour remain central. A perfect soup for entertaining. Here’s the recipe.

 

Ingredients

 

1 medium onion, chopped (3/4 cup)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2-3 large carrots, sliced thin (about 1 3/4 cups)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

2 cups water (or chicken broth, Louisa uses broth)

2 tablespoons pecans, chopped coarse

1 teaspoon unsalted butter for tossing the toasted pecan garnish

 

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook onion in butter over moderate heat, stirring until softened. Add carrots, cumin and salt and cook, stirring 1 minute. Addd water or broth and simmer, covered, 25 minutes or until carrots are very tender. 

 

Meanwhile, on a baking sheet, toast pecans in the middle of oven until fragrant or one shade darker. Toss pecans with butter and salt to taste. In a blender puree soup until smooth. Divide soup between bowls and top with pecans.

 

 
November 25th, 2009 Uncategorized | Leave a comment !

Even though the French Cutiepie has to leave me every morning to go to work, he likes to keep in touch during the day. Today the FC synced his home computer with his work computer allowing him to be here virtually. I have to say it’s pretty cool seeing his cursor move across his computer screen by an invisible hand. He even played deejay for me, remotely opening up a video of a cheesy French pop song that he used to play during our early courtship days. Isn’t that the sweetest most romantic thing? 

 

Here’s the song. (Okay, maybe you had to be there, but the retro 80s French vibe and sentimental lyrics worked for me.)

 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PfpVML_LLw[/youtube]

 
November 23rd, 2009 Uncategorized | Leave a comment !

Cooking for others is a great way to draw love and friendship into your life.
But what if you can’t cook?

No worries. Here’s ten tips for faking it in the kitchen.

1. Throw a frozen pizza in the oven. Heating something up is almost like
cooking. (Try PC’s Blue Menu Goat Cheese and Veg.) Add a fresh salad of
pre-washed greens with quality storebought dressing, it’s a two course feast.
2. Dress for success. A pretty apron will always create the illusion that
cooking has been done even if you’re ordering Chinese.  Be sure to decant your
take-out onto real dishes. Eating off styrofoam or paper tells people you’re not
a real cook.
3. Pretend your stove isn’t working and your landlord won’t fix it. Eventually
the truth with out, but at least it’ll buy you some time to enroll in a cooking
class.
4. Fresh pasta + jarred gourmet sauce = you’re a great cook! (Source out a good
gourmet food store in your hood. Sometimes you can find complete French meals
including canned fois gras and jarred veal ragout. Heat, assemble, serve. That’s
cooking.)
5. Display a set of beautiful cookbooks in your kitchen or clip a recipe onto
your fridge. If someone notices, say it’s something you’ve been meaning to make.
Intending to cook is almost as good as actually cooking.
6. Set the table. You may be serving KD, but attractive dishware, candles,
flowers and homemade place cards go along way to elevating the repas.
7. Add one fresh ingredient to something pre-prepared, a chopped red pepper or
some fresh herbs. (Just be careful not to cut yourself. Slicing off a fingertip
usually tells guests you’re not a real cook.)
8. Be a master baker with a roll of Pilsbury chocolate chip cookie dough. Slap
on a pair of pretty oven mits while you take the cookie sheet out of the oven
and you’re practically Martha Stewart.
9. Kitchen utensils such as a nice cutting board, a pair of stainless steel
tongs, set of mixing bowls, spice rack, and a few good pots say you’re in the
kitchen zone even if you’re not.  Even better, if your boyfriend turns out to be
the real chef,  you’ll have everything he needs to cook his way into your
heart.
10. Having food in the house, no matter what it is, implies you can cook. Jar
of olives or antipasto. Processed cheese. Tin of smoked oysters. Crackers.
Non-perishable pantry food means you’ll always have something on hand for
hungry friends and unexpected boys you like. (Pantry food also comes in handy
for the days when you’re snowed in or in the middle of zombie apocalypse.)

Caution: Sometimes in the faking process a change happens and you become a real
cook.  So be prepared. Soon the just-for-show cookbooks will be regular reading
material.

 
November 23rd, 2009 Uncategorized | Leave a comment !

fakecook

 

Cooking for others is a great way to draw love and friendship into your life. But what if you can’t cook?

 

No worries. Here’s ten tips for faking it in the kitchen.

 

 1. Throw a frozen pizza in the oven. Heating something up is almost like cooking. (Try PC’s Blue Menu Goat Cheese and Veg.) Add a fresh salad of pre-washed greens with quality storebought dressing, it’s a two course feast.
2. Dress for success. A pretty apron will always create the illusion that cooking has been done even if you’re ordering Chinese.  Be sure to decant your take-out onto real dishes. Eating off styrofoam or paper tells people you’re not a real cook.
3. Pretend your stove isn’t working and your landlord won’t fix it. Eventually the truth with out, but at least it’ll buy you some time to enroll in a cooking class.
4. Fresh pasta + jarred gourmet sauce = you’re a great cook! (Source out a good gourmet food store in your hood. Sometimes you can find complete French meals including canned fois gras and jarred veal ragout. Heat, assemble, serve. That’s cooking.)
5. Display a set of beautiful cookbooks in your kitchen or clip a recipe onto your fridge. If someone notices, say it’s something you’ve been meaning to make. Intending to cook is almost as good as actually cooking.
6. Set the table. You may be serving KD, but attractive dishware, candles, flowers and homemade place cards go along way to elevating the repas. 
7. Add one fresh ingredient to something pre-prepared, a chopped red pepper or some fresh herbs. (Just be careful not to cut yourself. Slicing off a fingertip usually tells guests you’re not a real cook.)
8. Be a master baker with a roll of Pilsbury chocolate chip cookie dough. Slap on a pair of cheerful oven mits while you take the cookie sheet out of the oven and you’re practically Martha Stewart.
9. Kitchen utensils such as a nice cutting board, a pair of stainless steel tongs, set of mixing bowls, spice rack, and a few good pots say you’re in the kitchen zone even if you’re not. Even better, if your boyfriend turns out to be the real chef, you’ll have everything he needs to cook his way into your heart.
10. Stock your pantry. Jar of olives or antipasto. Processed cheese. Tin of smoked oysters. Crackers. Having food around implies you can cook. Non-perishable pantry food also means you’ll always have something on hand for hungry friends and unexpected boys you like. (It also comes in handy for the days when you’re snowed in or in the middle of zombie apocalypse.)

 

Caution: Sometimes in the faking process a change happens and you become a real cook. So be prepared. Soon the just-for-show cookbooks will be regular reading material.

 
November 21st, 2009 Uncategorized | Leave a comment !

Today the FC and I woke up starving and the first thing on my mind was
pancakes. The recipe from Smitten Kitchen which I followed two weeks ago was so
terrific it was time for round two.  This time I halved the recipe (the last
batch fed an army) and it worked out perfectly for two hungry lovers (plus 1 and
1/2 cups  of buttermilk was all I had left in the carton from last time!!)

Wanting a new twist, I swapped out the blueberries and added three thin slices
of banana on each pancake, adding them during the cooking process, not in the
batter. (Note: If you cover up the banana with an additional drop of batter, the
cake flips better (otherwise, the fruit really does stick and scorch, especially
berries.)   Keep in mind that once the pancake is flipped the cooking time is
next to nothing (especially if you keep your pancakes small– mine are about
9-10 centimeters tops.) A minute and half if that.

For garnish, I skipped the lemon ricotta mixture that made the blueberries sing
last time and used a simple vanilla yogurt with additional sliced bananas.  Hot
from the pan with a drizzle of maple syrup, these pancakes couldn’t have been
better. Did it top the blueberries last week? Hmmm. I really do love bananas in
my pancakes, so I think I’d have to say “yes!”

In fact, the pancakes were so distractingly good I didn’t take a picture. (I’ve
also learned that when food blogging, sometimes you have to stop documenting and
just enjoy the meal. It’s also better for the relationship. Right FC?)

 
November 21st, 2009 Uncategorized | 1 Comment

bananeverte

 

Today the FC and I woke up starving and the first thing on my mind was pancakes. The recipe from Smitten Kitchen which I followed two weeks ago was so terrific it was time for round two. This time I halved the recipe (the last batch fed an army) and it worked out perfectly for two hungry lovers (plus 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk was all I had left in the carton from last time!!)

 

Wanting a new twist, I swapped out the blueberries and added three thin slices of banana on each pancake, adding them during the cooking process, not in the batter. (Note: If you cover up the banana with an additional drop of batter, the cake flips better (otherwise, the fruit really does stick and scorch, especially berries.) Keep in mind that once the pancake is flipped the cooking time is next to nothing (especially if you keep your pancakes small– mine are about 9-10 centimeters tops.) A minute and half if that.

 

For garnish, I skipped the lemon ricotta mixture that made the blueberries sing last time and used a simple vanilla yogurt with additional sliced bananas. Hot from the pan with a drizzle of maple syrup, these pancakes couldn’t have been better. Did it top the blueberries last week? Hmmm. I really do love bananas in my pancakes, so I think I’d have to say “yes!”

 

In fact, the pancakes were so distractingly good I didn’t take a picture. (I’ve also learned that when food blogging, sometimes you have to stop documenting and just enjoy the meal. It’s also better for the relationship. Right FC?)

 
November 19th, 2009 Uncategorized | Leave a comment !

 

autumncat

 

 

A friend of mine once told me that it takes four seasons to know a man.  The FC and I are nearing the end of our fourth and final season. Autumn.

 

The crisp fall weather brought us some major excitement. The FC and I bought a cottage (in Quebec “cottage” means a house) and we’ll most likely be moving in May. He also met my family and passed “the Irene test ” with flying colours (though admittedly it’s not much of a test because my mother, having three daughters, loves having surrogate sons in her home and was already asking his sweater size for future presents.)  But in all the excitement we also faced a little heartbreak too, and this is where the FC really shines.

 

I’m now more sure then ever that the FC is not a fairweather boyfriend. He consistently impresses me with his faith in our future, his desire to jump hurdles, make sacrifices and face my contradictions, fears, limitations (and endless articulations of those limitations) with a sense of hope and humour.

 

It’s funny, but when I first started this blog (because of him, back in the spring) I wanted it to be funny (what else can you do with a name like “cooking for cock?”) but these days I’m feeling more sentimental then quippy,  less interested in making sexual puns and more interested in really understanding the nature of love. Sure the FC and I laugh together all the time, but there’s also a gravity and seriousness that has settled into my very core, a respectful reverent wonder and awe and thankfulness for what I’ve been given even if, for whatever reason, it doesn’t reach another Autumn.

 

(But I truly hope it will.)

 

 

photo by Yoojung Seo