ArcoIris Wine and Cheese Event

This week was packed with social events like dinners and wine and cheese parties! They're events a foodie like me would attend to even during snow storms. Not sure if you're aware, but we had to welcome at least 60cm of snow this week here in Montreal. But that's ok, I didn't mind shoveling my way out to feast at those gourmet food occasions.

Camembert and Goat Cheese

The event that was well worth being-stuck-in-two-hour-snow-storm-traffic-jam was organized by my good friend Sandra for her Reiki/Massage Open House/Wine and Cheese event. There were so many interesting people there who share similar interests as I do, such as living the moment and enjoying good food. Though, one of my mandate was to take photos of the entire soirée, my friend found it funny to see where my focus was on - the food. I relished the simple, yet delicious "amuse-gueule".

ArcoIris poster

Wine was definitely not unpopular at the event!

A foodie's dream - the welcoming table

Serene and calming setting

Guest enjoying the glorious food

For the sweet tooth, white chocolate and peppermint swirl kisses



Sweet and plump clementines from Morocco for the health conscious


Almonds to help balance the cholesterol level after eating all that cheese!

Fresh fruits

Veggies and...

an artichoke and asiago cheese dip!

***

THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE EVENT A SUCCESS

And last but not least, the guests ...

and our wonderful and attentive hostess, on her cell phone, scheduling new sessions for new clients for her popular and very in demand reiki/massage business!

Decadent Chocolate Fondant with Raspberry Coulis

A couple of people have asked me this week why I don't have more cookie or cake recipes on my blog. They're right, for someone who always has room for dessert after stuffing herself with a main course meal, I seem to be neglecting my baking skills. I love sweets but not the kind that are too sweet, like pecan pies or brownies. Why add a ton of sugar to a brownie when you can't taste the chocolate? Might as well eat a bowl of just sugar.

For a long time, I was looking for a simple recipe of a "Chocolat Fondant" cake after having savoured one in a renowned Montreal restaurant called "Chez Alexandre". That cake literally gave me a food orgasm. Every morsel was exquisite. The best part of this dessert is the melted dark chocolate sauce oozing from the center of the cake, like molten lava from a hot volcano.

Finally, I found a very simple recipe which I followed to a tee the first time I made it a month ago. To no surprise, the cake turned out overly sweet for my taste. A real chocolate lover would agree with me that the main criteria for a successful chocolate cake is for it to taste chocolatey. So, for this second attempt, I cut down on the sugar and added less flour to have that molten chocolate texture in the center.

Recipe “au pif”:
7 ounce (or 2 x 100g bars) dark chocolate - at least 60-70% chocolate content
1 stick unsalted butter (soften at room temperature)
¼ cup sugar (raw cane or regular granulated sugar)
¼ cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs
4 small ramequins

Preheat the oven at 300F (150C).

Chop the chocolate in small pieces and melt it in a “bain-marie” or a double-boiler. Stir for about 5 minutes with a whisk until nicely melted.

With a whisk mix the softened butter and sugar until well blended. While whisking, add one egg at a time to the mixture. Then add in the flour and whisk until you reach a thick velvety texture.

Slowly add in mixture the melted chocolate with the help of a spatula until the chocolate is well incorporated into the batter and until you reach a nice creamy velvety texture.

Add in about 4 tbsps of the cake batter into the ramequins or until each ramequin is 3/4 full.

Bake no more than 20 minutes, as you want that smooth, velvety and molten chocolate texture in the center. Check with a tooth pick once in a while. You know it's done when the outside of the cake is baked and the toothpick comes out slightly wet.

Raspberry Coulis:
1 cup fresh raspberries
juice of a freshly squeezed lemon
½ tbsp sugar
blend

The beauty of this dessert is that you can prepare it in advance, set the batter in the ramequins and put them in the freezer. It's perfect for unexpected guests, just take the ramequins out of the freezer for at least 30 minutes, preheat the oven, bake and serve.

There is no better way to enjoy this indulgent and decadent dessert than to serve it warm with the Raspberry Coulis, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle a dash of your favourite liquor, like rum or cognac...mmmhh

Shrimps in Spicy Black Bean Sauce

When I have guests over, especially the ones who love seafood, I can't think of an easier and quicker dish to make than shrimps in a spicy blackbean sauce. This weekend, we had a couple of guests over who just love eating anything that's good. This recipe is the exact same recipe as the lobster in spicy blackbean sauce I had posted a few months back, except that it is a lot easier, since there is nothing to do with the shrimps. You just throw them in the sauce and sit back and let them cook with everything else. To make it spicier, just add more fresh chili peppers or chili paste. All I could hear from my guests was "mmmh...". Do you know how gratifying that simple sound is to someone who loves cooking, not only for herself, but for others too?

Recipe "au pif":
2 lbs medium-sized fresh shrimps (jumbo shrimps, even better) - shells removed
3/4 lb ground pork
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (about 3/4 of 1 red bell pepper)
1 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp black bean sauce (local asian grocery store)
1 tbsp oyster sauce (local asian grocery store)
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp red chili paste (depending on how much heat you can take), or thinly sliced red chili peppers
1 1/2 cup water
a pinch of coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 tbsp canola oil for cooking

Season the shrimps in salt and pepper.

In a small bowl mix water, corn starch, oyster sauce and chili paste with a wisk and put aside for later to make the sauce.

Heat 2 tbsp canola oil in wok or big sauce pan. Stir fry the shrimps for about 2 minutes until brown. Put aside in .

Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in wok on medium heat and add in ground pork (with a wooden spoon continuously break and stir the pork to make sure pork is cooked in fine granular pieces, and not chunks). Remove cooked pork and put aside.

Increase heat at high, add in remaining 1 tbsp of the canola oil in wok and stir fry scallions, garlic, red bell peppers. Immediately add in the cooked pork and stir. Pour in the water mixture, lower heat and stir until sauce becomes thick like gravy. Add in the shrimps and stir 2 minutes until well mixed.

Serve warm with white steamed Jasmin rice. Serves 4...or 2 hungry people.

Braised Chicken in Rum

After my final exams end of November, I felt so burnt and tired that I took a small break from almost everything, including food blogging. This past month has been the most hectic of the year so far, having a new colleague on board to train, being audited for really exciting (SOX- Sarbanes Oxley) processes, backing up another colleague who was away on holidays, in Goa(eating fantastic indian food, of course. Sigh). Despite the busy schedule, there were two things that pre-occupied my mind, good food and s--.
..Sox, what did you think?

To unwind and celebrate the little free time I had back, I did better than having a drink...I had food and liquor all in one dish.

I had the plate of this sublime chicken in liquor dish all set up and nicely decorated but the picture turned out so dark and lifeless. When I depend on natural lighting to take good food shots, I have to rush and cook everything I need before the sun goes down, which means 3:30pm in Montreal these days. Didn't happen today, so I took a picture of the chicken still simmering in the rum and wine sauce, with the onions and mushrooms that you can still see the sauce bubbling in the background. The lighting isn't the best but I still think the shot did the whole chicken ensemble justice. The sauce was incredibly flavourful and the chicken just fell apart by a simple prick of a fork.

Recipe "au pif":
6 chicken drumsticks (legs/thigh)
1/2 cup thick smoked bacon, cubed
2 cups mushrooms
10 baby white onions
1 large garlic clove
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup rum
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
salt
pepper
olive oil

*I usually like removing the skin and cartilage off of the end of the drumstick so that the chicken cooks faster.

Heat about a tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan and add in the chicken. Cook about 5 minutes by turning them over until the chicken is brown all around. Remove and put aside.

Heat another tbsp of olive oil and add in the mushrooms, onions and the garlic clove. Sauté for 2 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and put aside.

Heat a small pan and add in the bacon. Stir and sauté for about 2 minutes until brown and crisp. Turn off heat, add in the mushroom, onions and garlic to the bacon and mix.

In a large deep pan, add in half of the mushroom-bacon mix in one layer. Gently lay the chicken over that first layer and add in the remaining half of the mushroom-bacon mix on top. Add in the wine, rum, chicken stock, bay leaves and thyme. The chicken should be slightly covered by the broth. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat, for about 30-35 minutes.

Whether you have a big family or guests over, you can leave the pot in the oven (300F ) to keep piping hot until ready to serve.

Serve with creamy mashed potatoes, plain rice or pasta.

Serves 4-6 people.