Morning craving

I woke up this morning craving something sweet.

I know eating pastries at ten in the morning is not the proper thing to do and might be considered gross by some but then again aren't chocolate croissants, hot buns, danish pastries, all really glorified morning desserts?

So began my search for a quick sweet breakfast dessert in La Jolla. I've been searching for one in the area since I got here, and though it has an abundance of fantastic restaurants, the desserts have been rather disappointing. I made the mistake of walking into a nearby cupcake shop after dinner one night, the atmosphere was cheesy with an aspiring DJ churning out country music-ish sounding songs. The cupcakes lacked flavor and I left most of the frosting. I NEVER leave the frosting.

I was pleasantly surprised when I came across the Michele Coulon Dessertier. It is a small quaint shop tucked away in a corner of La Jolla. Michele Coulon's father was Belgian and she spent her high school years in Paris learning the skills of pastry making from her mother.

I walked into the store and my eyes rested on a platter full of mini pastries. They were exactly what I was looking for. Enough variety to satisfy my sweet craving and small enough to ensure that I wouldn't have to put in extra time at the gym. I chose a berry tart, a German chocolate layered cake, and a pecan pie tart.

The berry tart had a light flaky crust filled with a white chocolate custard, topped with a lemony layer, and covered with a blackcurrant, blueberry, and raspberry. The sweetness of the chocolate custard was cut perfectly by the tanginess of the lemon layering and the juicy berries on top provided the perfect finish.

The German chocolate cake had layers of belgian chocolate, toasted coconut, and pecans. The flavors blended well together and the pecan provided a nice crunchiness to the pastry. It had a mille-feuille structure to it and was my favorite of the three.

The pecan tart was also delicious. I have a special place in my heart for pecan pie. I have been known to devour entire pies by myself. This pecan and caramel concoction was cruchiness all the way through from the caramel coated pecans to the surrounding deliciously crunchy exterior.

If you are in the area I would recommend stopping by this wonderful little store and trying out their mini pastries with a hot cup of cappuccino or cafe latte. It made my morning....

I'd like s'more please...

This weekend I attempted something outrageous, something daring, something I never thought I would do.

Have you conjured up images of skydiving feats or me devouring Anthony Bourdain style animal delicacies? Well, it wasn't quite as dramatic as that, but I did something that should warrant the same level of awe in my books. I went camping...

I never understood the excitement surrounding this primitive notion of "fun." Why willingly subject yourself to a place where there are no toilets (or public ones which are worse than the alternative), creepy crawlies, and no beds, when you could be exploring nature in all its glory from the comfortable bounds of a bed and breakfast?

My husband and some of his friends wanted to go so I put my apprehension aside and decided to give it a shot. The trip began splendidly when he got a text from someone already at the camp site saying they had just encountered a 'man-eating' rattlesnake. I demanded we turn back but he convinced me that it was just a joke and we continued on our way. Upon arrival, I was greeted with an iphone image of the supposedly imaginary rattlesnake.

It was evening soon and a burning bonfire was built. We all gathered around as it became chillier and began grilling burgers, baked potatotes, and veggie skewers. I felt surprisingly ravenous outdoors and before I knew it I was making my way through much of the food, talking and laughing, toasting my hands on the fire, and gasp, I have to admit, really enjoying myself.

We polished off our meal with a traditional camping dessert that I loveddddd! S'mores! We put the marshmallows on the ends of some skewers, roasted them until they were deliciously soft and gooey, sandwiched them between two graham crackers coated with chocolate chips, and then bit into one of the best "sandwiches" I've ever eaten. It was a messy marshmallowy chocolatey crunchy piece of gooey heaven.

Something this good should not be restricted to outdoor barbecues and camping trips. Keep a box of graham crackers, marshmallows, and some chocolate chips at home and whip it up as a delicious snack when you're having a movie night.

S'mores

Marshmallows

Chocolate Chips

Graham Crackers

If outdoors roast the marshmallow over a flame until it becomes charred on the outside. If indoors, put the marshmallow and chocolate chips on a cracker and microwave until the chocolate chips have melted and the marshmallows are gooey. Remove and top with the other cracker.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I know. Thats the way to eat fruit...

I was inspired to make these because of a trip we made to a farm over the weekend. Each week we pick up our vegetable box at the farmer's market which comes from J.R. Organics farm in Escondido. Each year, the owner, Joe Rodriguez, thanks his customers by inviting them for a tour of his farm and a home cooked meal. We decided to take advantage of it and find out what it entails to grow vegetables organically.

Farming is tough as I soon discovered. The Rodriguez family are fourth generation farmers who bought eighty five acres of land in the 1950s. Joe Rodriguez took us on a tour of his farm and patiently explained the necessity of crop rotation in preventing the rapid depletion of minerals in the soil. He discussed the advantages of using beneficial insects such as ladybugs and mites over the pesticides used by most farmers. We walked past a field of compost brought from nearby animal farms to fertilize the soil and were told that any excess was given to poor farmers to prevent wastage. We were also taken to the greenhouse where plants such as lettuce and chard were being nurtured until they were large enough to be planted in the fields. It was definitely an educational experience and interesting to see where our vegetables came from and the reason they tasted so much better than those found in large supermarkets.

Our tour ended at the strawberry field where we picked strawberries and ate them to our hearts content. California strawberries, in general, are delicious but these ones were just out of this world. We picked them straight off the stems and ate them in all their juicy sweetness.

The next day we picked up our vegetable box from the farmer's market and there, sitting right on top, was a box full of those mouth watering strawberries. I was tempted to eat them then and there but I resisted and decided to dress them up a little bit. The only thing better than juicy sweetness is chocolate-coated juicy sweetness. Can you think of anything better?

Here's a simple and delicious recipe for chocolate covered strawberries.

Recipe

16 strawberries

1/2 pack of chocolate chips (8 0z)

1/3 cup heavy cream

Parchment paper

Directions

To melt the chocolate chips put them in a glass bowl and place the bowl on top of simmering water on the stove. The water should not touch the bowl. When the chocolate begins to melt slowly add the cream and stir until the mixture has a smooth consistency. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat. Dip the strawberries, one at a time, into the mixture and then place them on some parchment paper. When they are all coated place them in the fridge until the chocolate has hardened.

Shrimps by the Sea

I can proudly say that I've successfully hosted my first lunch party. The food was edible. The guests were happy. The day was perfect.

The day before was an entirely different story.

The lunch was to celebrate my husband's birthday and a good opportunity to put my cooking skills to the test (or so I thought). We've had people over before but only two or three at a time and usually its some sort of potluck arrangement. This was the first time I was cooking for eight people and I slightly overestimated the quantity which could have fed a small hungry army. I set to work on my rather ambitious menu comprising of shrimp orzo pasta, chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce, eggplant and tomato dip, chicken avocado and roasted red pepper bruschetta, and a vegetable couscous salad followed by the birthday cake.

I started off at 10 am the day before, happily chopping up vegetables, boiling, blending, baking, roasting, and singing along to the radio. Five hours later the singing had turned into an angry growl, I felt like throwing all of the food out the window, and getting takeout from the nearest Chinese restaurant was seeming like a fabulous idea.

I'm glad I stuck it out. The next day we laid out a beautiful spread by the ocean. The weather was perfect, a little overcast so we weren't sweltering in the summer sun, and the food was much appreciated by everyone there. It was well worth all the effort. My husband's favorite dish from that day was the shrimp orzo pasta which is light, delicious, full of fresh herbs, crunchy onions, chunks of feta cheese, and of course shrimp. Its perfect for the summer months.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo (from Barefoot Contessa Food Network)

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• Good olive oil
• 3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
• 1 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
• 1/2 cup small-diced red onion
• 3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Come Rain or Shine...

I love soup.

I think people that have lived through brutally cold winters have a special place close to their heart for this simple yet comforting meal.

There is nothing quite like walking outside, in -30 degrees Celsius, with a vicious wind blowing pellets of hail in your face. Welcome to winter in Montreal. Despite the layers of clothing, thick overcoat, manly looking mittens, and winter hat, by the time I walked through my apartment door each day, I could barely feel my fingers and I was convinced that one day my nose would drop off from severe frost bite. I would begin my defrosting ritual by making myself a cup of tea (my current caffeine addiction can sadly be attributed to an attempt to keep warm rather than any conscientious all-night studying sessions). This would be followed by a bowl of soup, usually of the canned unappetizing variety, which would bring my body temperature up to almost normal.

There were occasions when my roommates and I would go for the real hearty stuff. My favorite steak place, Entrecote, happened to be on our street. Aside from its absolutely mouth watering butter immersed steaks and thin crispy fries, it also ruled in the realm of hearty flavorful carrot soup. After leaving the restaurant we would discuss the soup almost as much as the steaks.

I have to say that I don't really like carrots. I never eat them raw. I don't like them in salads. Sometimes I'll eat them if they're disguised in a stir fry but for the most part I avoid them. For some reason, I only enjoy them in a soup form.

Recently we received fresh earthy carrots in our farm vegetable box. I tried out a simple soup recipe and it was delicious. I had it as a starter that day and as a light lunch the next. It tastes just as good in warm sunny California as it did in Montreal's brutally cold winters all those years ago. Come rain or shine, this soup is a definite keeper...

Recipe for Carrot Soup (from Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks)

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds carrots
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cups+ vegetable stock or water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
fine grain sea salt (as much as you need)

- olive oil, toasted sesame oil, or red chile oil for a finishing drizzle - if you use toasted sesame oil (sometimes labeled pure sesame oil) it is very strong. I typically dilute it with olive oil. I use one part sesame oil to four parts olive oil.

Take the tops off the carrots (if they have tops) and give them a good scrub. Cut them into 1-inch segments and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes or until the onions start to get translucent. Add the stock and carrots and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender - longer if your carrot pieces ended up larger. But try not to overcook. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.

Puree with a hand blender (sometimes I leave the soup a bit chunky, other times I go completely smooth) - then stir in the lemon juice. Now salt to taste. If you used a salty veggie stock, you might just need a little salt. If you used water, you'll need quite a bit more. Keep adding a few pinches at a time until the carrot flavor really pops. If it tastes flat or dull, keep adding.

Finish with a drizzle of great extra-virgin olive oil, one of the other drizzles I mention up above, or whatever twist you come up with.

Serves about 4.