Fruits and Nuts Yogurt Dessert with Saffron

If you enjoy rich creamy sweets like I do, you're going to love this popular dessert from India.

In fact, it reminds me of the french "fromage frais" which is a richer version of cottage cheese. I'm convinced that rich foods means healthier living. Proof, richer -> creamier -> yummier -> happier eater -> healthier soul. This heavenly dessert is anything but unhealthy:

1. Almonds and pistachio nuts keep your heart pumping at a sanely rhythmic level.


2. Cranberries are loaded with vitamin C (and saves you from embarrassing moments from W.C. discomforts).


3. Saffron which gives that extra lift in aroma and a warm yellow colour to a dish, is apparently an aphrodisiac (it is believed that Cleopatra would use saffron in her baths so that lovemaking would be more pleasurable!).


4. Yogurt is filled with calcium which helps your knees from 'cracking' loudly every time you crouch.


5. AND because it's yogurt and not ice cream, you won't feel an ounce of guilt eating this treat.

I think what most of you really want to know is, how long does it take to make this delicious dessert? Seriously?...roughly 2-3 hours.

Seriously (I must be missing Grey's Anatomy), the liquid from the yogurt needs to be drained off for a good 2-3 hours to get that denser and creamier "fromage frais" texture. Once the yogurt is ready, it doesn't take any more than 15 minutes to whip it up....unless you are slow at cutting and mixing. :)

Preparation time: 10 minutes (add 5-6 minutes if you're grinding the seeds from the cardamom pods in a mortar, if you can't find ready-to-use ground cardamom)

Recipe "au pif":

2 containers of about 750g (26 oz) greek yogurt or wholemilk yogurt (approx. 10% fat)

3 tbsp milk

1 tsp saffron, or to taste (found in any grocery store in the spices section)

1/3 cup icing sugar or to taste

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (found in any asian or arab grocery/spice stores)

4 tbsp coarsely chopped unsalted pistachios

4 tbsp sliced almonds

Dried cranberries or fruits in season (pomegranate is often used in this recipe) to garnish.

Soak cranberries for 30 minutes in warm water. Discard water and put cranberries aside for garnishing.

Hang the yogurt in cheesecloth or kitchen paper towel for about 2-3 hours and drain off liquid.

Meanwhile heat the milk in a small saucepan (for about 8 minutes) or microwave and soak the saffron (for about 3 minutes) until the yogurt is ready.

When the yogurt is fully drained, combine saffron milk, ground cardamom, and icing sugar and add to the yogurt. Mix well until well blended.

Add in the chopped pistachios and sliced almonds.

Transfer into dessert cups or martini glasses, garnish with more pistachios, sliced almonds, and cranberries.

Chill for at least one hour.

Serves 4-6 people.

Not only is it delicious and refreshing, it's a great palate cleanser if you're preparing yourself for a second dessert!

Caribbean Comfort for a Feisty Snow Storm

It doesn't feel like winter is going to end any time soon in Montreal even if Spring is just around the corner. We had our gazillionth snow storm since December and my shovel was put to better use than my skis this year. We had everything this season from hail, to freezing rain and a ton of snow.

To comfort myself, I prepared a spicy and hearty dish that would remind me of the sunny and warm caribbean islands, popular holiday destination spots for canadians. It's a stew that has a very lovely texture and piquancy which stimulates everyone's taste buds for more. But frankly, the topliner of this bourgillon-style stew, is the turkey. It literally melts in your mouth. In all honesty, I was never a huge fan of turkey, as I often found it too dry and gamy. BUT, after having tried this recipe, which was sent to me by an amazing Haitian cook, I now feel more comfortable cooking and experimenting with it.


To add a caribbean flair to this snowy day of a neverending winter, I am so pleased to share this recipe with you which is simple to make. Though cooking time may be almost an hour, 90% of that time is simmering the turkey stew, while you catch up with your e-mails, reading or snoozing.
Preparation: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 55 minutes
Recipe “au pif”:
2 large turkey legs, chopped in pieces
1 tbsp + 1 tsp flavoured salt (you can get at any grocery store: garlic, paprika, cayenne…etc.)
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 yellow onions, sliced thinly in rings
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 large hot chili pepper, sliced
1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp flour
4 cloves (local grocery store)
3-4 sprigs thyme
1 Bay leaf
3 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp vinegar
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil

* To clean the bird (eliminate bacteria and gamy taste), soak in lemon juice and vinegar in a large bowl, for about 5 minutes, and pour boiling water. Let it sit for another 5 minutes and drain. Pat dry with paper towel. Remove the skin.

Season turkey with 1 tbsp flavoured salt and black pepper in a large bowl.

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on high heat and brown the turkey to give it colour (the more colour, the tastier). Put turkey aside.

In the same saucepan with turkey fat, heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, add in the flour and half the sliced onions and stir until soft. Add in the chicken stock, tomato paste, garlic, remaining 1 tbsp flavoured salt (or to taste), cloves and stir well for about 1 minute.

Add in the turkey and stir for about 30 seconds. With scissors, cut the ends of the thyme in small pieces over the turkey and stir until the sauce covers the turkey just over 1 cm (about 1/2 inch). Cover the saucepan with lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low and slow-cook or simmer for about 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes, uncover and add in the remaining half of the onions and the chilli peppers. Stir once and make sure the onions are nicely incorporated in the sauce with the turkey. Cover with lid and simmer for another 10 minutes. The onions will thicken the sauce. If you want more heat, add more chili pepper, cayenne pepper or tabasco sauce.

The sauce should be finely velvety and the turkey should fall apart from a prick of a fork.

Serve hot with pasta, rice, or a spinach salad.
Serves approx. 4 people.

My caribbeanean guests absolutely loved it. Bon appétit!

Banana & Coconut Tapioca Pearl Pudding

Yummm. It's silky and creamy...even I couldn't believe how savoury this pudding turned out!

The first time I made this pudding was just over 10 years ago when I was living in France. I had bought my first vietnamese cookbook in the 13th district (13ieme arrondissement) of Paris, in a huge Asian grocery store called Les Frères Tang, on avenue de Choisy. Sadly, I lost the book when I moved back in Montreal. I loved that book so much! It was a thin and slender red book with simple photos of different vietnamese dishes and very easy to follow recipes, especially for a first-time cook like me back then. It had all the tasty vietnamese dishes my mother would cook back in Montreal. While I was in France, I was eating mostly french food, didn't know many asians and couldn't find a really good vietnamese restaurant that would serve home-style dishes. As much as I love french food, I was missing my mother's home cooking. Thankfully, I had an uncle, my mother's little brother, who lived 40 minutes away from my place, just across the city (at least, it was the same city), and when he was free, we would go to this great Vietnamese restaurant called Hawai, if I remember correctly. It was a jewel and definitely on my A list of places to go whenever I felt home sick. From the "Pho Bo" (Tonkonese soup with beef) to the "Banh Cuon" rolls(steamed rice flour rolls stuffed with pork), everything was to be found at that restaurant. Right across the street was the Frères Tang store, where I bought my long lost and very missed cookbook. In that book, was a simple recipe of one of my favourite vietnamese desserts called "Che Chuoi Chung", the tapioca banana pudding. This version called for cooking the tapioca pearls in boiling water and sugar, to which you would add the bananas and the coconut milk. Really delicious.

For this post, I wanted to make this pudding richer in texture and in taste. I eliminated the water and used mostly coconut milk and added a personal touch of cardamon seeds.

The key ingredients to making this pudding ultimately rich and flavourful are the coconut milk, the cardamon seeds, and the ripe bananas. Any other fruit like honeydew or cantalope melons, can also be used in place of the bananas, making the pudding thinner and more of a summer treat. Or, simply "au naturel" (no fruit) with some shaved coconut.

The cardamon seeds on the far left can be purchased in any asian grocery stores, in the spices sections. The pods are crushed, shells discarded and the dark brown seeds used for flavour.

Small tapioca pearls are used for this pudding and can be found in any local grocery store. I prefer buying the white ones sold in any asian grocery store.

*

Approx. 5 minutes preparation, 15-17 minutes cooking time

Recipe "au pif":

1/4 cup small tapioca pearls

1 can (14 oz, 400ml) coconut milk

3/4 cup soy milk (plain, unsweetened)

2 tbsp raw cane sugar

5 cardamon pods, shells discarded - retain the seeds

a small pinch of salt

2 ripe bananas thinly sliced

fresh mint leaves to garnish

dark rum (optional)

* Soak the tapioca pearls in about 1 cup warm water. The pearls will swell in less than 2 minutes. Discard excess water.

*

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, soymilk, tapioca and salt.

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Slowly bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly.

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Simmer and stir until mixture just starts to thicken, about 5 minutes (mixture will be thin).

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Remove from heat; add in sugar and cardamon seeds and stir.

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Let stand in saucepan uncovered 12-15 minutes until the pudding thickens.

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Add the bananas and stir. Let the pudding sit for a few minutes until it thickens even more.

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Transfer in cups or small bowls. Garnish with a little bit of fresh mint.

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To make it even more interesting, drizzle a dash of rum and enjoy!

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Serve warm or chilled.

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Makes about 6 servings.