Zucchini Ham and Cheese Tian

What, you might ask, is a tian? It's a Provencal dish of vegetables, sauteed, then placed in the oven to brown a little. The name derives from an earthenware dish used to prepare the vegetables, called a tian.

Whatever the etymology of the word, it's a delicious and easy way to prepare vegetables so that they melt in your mouth.

Maggie, of Normandy Life, recently posted a link to her Pinterest page to do with all things zucchini (or courgettes, as they say in France). I discovered this recipe on her page, and adapted it a little. Here's the original link (in French). 

Zucchini Ham and Cheese Tian

3-4 zucchini, about 8 inches long

6-8 slices ham (I used smoked ham from the deli)

200 grams (about 7 ounces) Comte cheese (I couldn't find Comte, so I used a new-to-me cheese, made in B.C., - Gewurztraminer "Artisan Cheese - a semi-soft cheese with white wine" I think you could use whatever cheese you wanted.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

fresh thyme (about 2 teaspoons)

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 fat clove garlic, minced

1. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into strips (4 or 5 strips, depending on the diameter of the zucchini)

2. Heat the oil in a pan, then brown the zucchini over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towel.

3. Cut the slices of ham in half lengthwise. Cut the cheese into 1/4 inch slices.

4. Layer the zucchini, the ham, and the cheese in a glass baking dish. 

5. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil remaining in the pan until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh thyme leaves. Spoon over the mixture in the baking dish.

6. Sprinkle with pepper, and a little bit of salt, if you think it's needed. With the saltiness of the ham and the cheese, I didn't add any salt.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. The cheese will melt, the zucchini soften a little more and it will taste simply wonderful. 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Raspberries are best eaten fresh, don't you agree? But sometimes there are more than enough fresh ones and I want to do something else with them. These muffins are filled with berry goodness combined with a bit of cheesecake flavour. I adapted these from a recipe found in an old Cooking Light magazine. 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

2/3 cup (5 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar 
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (or whole milk plus 1 Tablespoon vinegar)
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat until creamy and smooth. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat well.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well.
Add the flour mixture along with the buttermilk to the cream cheese mixture, stir to combine. 
Add the raspberries and gently fold in.

Spoon into 20-24 muffin tins (lined with paper liners). Bake for 25 minutes or until tops spring back when touched with your finger. 

Fudgesicles

Fudgesicles

3 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/3 + 1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Whisk together the milk, cream, sugar and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Continue whisking and heat over medium heat until very hot (but not boiling). 

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Slowly pour about 1/2 of the milk mixture into the eggs, whisking to combine. Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan and combine well with the rest of the milk. Heat over medium heat until slightly thickened. Don't let it boil. 

Remove from the heat and add the salt, vanilla and chocolate chips. Whisk until the chocolate chips are melted. Let cool and pour into popsicle molds.

Apricot Rosemary Jam

I was speaking with my youngest daughter via Skype one evening recently as she pulled jars of this jam from her canner. The combination of savory herbs and sweet fruit intrigued me and I asked her for the recipe. Here it is:
 

Apricot Rosemary Jam

1.5 lbs of pitted, ripe apricots, cut into chunks (1 dry quart)
2 cups granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Combine the apricots, sugar and rosemary in a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened. To test for thickness, spoon a small amount onto a plate and draw a spatula or spoon through the center. The jam is done when the edges don't immediately come together. 
Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice.

Pour jam into 6 - 1/4 pint (1/2 cup) sterilized jars. Top with lids and seal as usual. 

Yields: 6 - 1/2 cup jars or 3 1-cup jars. 

Butterscotch Marshmallow Squares

Years ago, we lived in a tiny apartment in south Texas. It was hot as blazes. I wrote my mother (pre-internet) to ask for some of her unbaked sweets recipes. I still have the folded and stained sheet of paper on which she typed out three recipes for me. This is one of them. 

It comes together fast and requires no baking. The squares freeze well. 

Butterscotch Marshmallow Squares

1 cup peanut butter (I use Adam's brand - natural, unsweetened, smooth - but crunchy would be good, too)
2 teaspoons butter
1 - 12 ounce package butterscotch chips
4 cups colored marshmallows

Melt the first three ingredients together. I use a glass bowl in the microwave for one minute, stir and then heat for another 30-60 seconds, if necessary. Let the mixture cool a little.
Stir in the colored marshmallows.
Pour into an 11 x 7 glass baking pan. Let cool (in fridge), then cut into squares. Enjoy!

Carrot Ginger Soup

It's been a couple of weeks of influenza/colds/conjunctivitis around here. I think we're at the tail end of it all. On Friday night I felt like cooking something and what I craved was this carrot soup, laced with healing ginger and garlic. Easy, filling, and oh, so comforting.

Carrot Ginger Soup

1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (or whole)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh ginger (use more or less to taste)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
5-8 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 zucchini, washed and roughly chopped
1 quart chicken stock (preferably home made)
salt and pepper to taste
a swirl of cream, optional

In a medium-large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the garlic and ginger. Saute for a further minute or two.

Add the carrots, zucchini and chicken stock. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.

Cool slightly and puree with an immersion blender. Season to taste. A couple of tablespoons of cream will smooth out the flavors and add richness. I usually add cream, but this time I didn't have any on hand and the soup is fine without it.  

Pecan Toffee Bars

Simple ingredients and an uncomplicated recipe yields a pan full of yummy treats. Chewy/crisp caramel taste on the bottom, a thin layer of chocolate and a sprinkling of nuts combine in a wonderful harmony of flavours.
 

These bars keep well at room temperature in a sealed container for about a week, or freeze them for longer storage. If they hang around that long.

Pecan Toffee Bars

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan. 
Beat together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour until well blended. 
Spread dough evenly in pan - it will be thin. 
Bake 25 minutes until lightly browned. 
Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Return pan to oven for no more than 2 minutes. With an off set spatula spread the now melted chocolate evenly over the base. Sprinkle with pecans. When cool, cut into bars.