Herbed Cottage Cheese Spread

The herb garden is doing well. I love going out to clip a handful - chives, oregano, thyme, parsley, and adding them to salads or soups.

This spread, which could also be used as a dip, uses nothing but fresh ingredients. It tastes better if the flavours have some time to get to know each other in the fridge before serving. Equally good spread on toasted baguettes, crackers, or with fresh vegetables, it's a summery staple that comes together easily.

Note: I used 1% cottage cheese and light sour cream. Feel free to use the fuller fat varieties - you'll probably land up with a creamier taste.

Herbed Cottage Cheese Spread

2 cups cottage cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh chives, snipped
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 green onions, green parts thinly sliced and the white parts minced

To chop the fresh herbs, I like to give them a good rinse, dry them well, then place them all in a heap on the cutting board, along with the garlic cloves, and run my chef's knife through them until they are a fragrant heap of green and white on the board.

Combine the cottage cheese, the sour cream, the salt and lemon in a blender or food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chopped herbs. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Almost Piña Colada Popsicles

Summer time treats, for me, always include popsicles. They are easy to make and handy to have in the freezer for a cool taste on a hot day. I'm hoping for many hot days this summer. These are mild in flavour, full of pineapple, coconut milk and banana. A dash of rum or rum flavouring wouldn't come amiss for more of the piña colada flavour, but you might want to leave it out if these are intended for children.

My popsicle molds are old Tupperware ones - they've been around for at least 35, maybe 40 years - they first belonged to my mother. I've lost a few of the handles, but a wooden popsicle stick fits into the slot quite nicely.

Almost Piña Colada Popsicles

1 can (398 ml) crushed pineapple, with juice
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
1 banana
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tablespoon light rum OR 1 tsp rum extract

Whir everything together in a blender. Pour into molds. Freeze. Enjoy on a hot summer day!

Crustless Leek, Spinach and Feta Quiche

I love quiche. In a crust or without. This quiche is crustless and makes a wonderful lunch, paired with sliced tomatoes and avocados. I assembled the quiche in the morning before running out to do some errands, then baked it just before my daughter came for lunch. 

Other vegetables could easily be substituted - onions for leeks, or cooked broccoli or zucchini for spinach. Add some leftover ham or chicken for a heartier meal.

Crustless Leek, Spinach and Feta Quiche

1 Tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil

2 leeks, sliced (use the white and pale green sections), and well rinsed, then drained

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups fresh chopped spinach (or use about 1/2 box of frozen spinach)

4 eggs

1/4 cup cream

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup milk

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

a handful of pitted Kalamata olives, if desired

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the sliced leeks and sauté gently until almost tender. Add the garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted down and all the liquid has evaporated. Add salt and pepper, but take into account the saltiness of the cheese. Let cool.

Whisk the eggs together, add the cream, sour cream and milk. Stir in the cooled vegetables and the feta cheese.

Pour into a lightly greased 10" diameter baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, and arrange the olives over, if using. 

Quiche may be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated for several hours before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until mixture is mostly set and lightly browned on top. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving to let it finish cooking.

 

Brown Rice and Onion Bread

Making bread is a very satisfying endeavour. It lasts, properly wrapped, for a long time in the freezer and then taken out and reheated. Of course, nothing beats slicing the crust off a barely touchable loaf right out of the oven. And the fragrance - nothing can beat it.

This bread is adaptable in so many ways - instead of brown rice, use wild rice, bulgur, millet or quinoa. Don't use ordinary white rice, though, its flavour tends to overwhelm the bread. 

Brown Rice and Onion Bread (adapted from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day)

2 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups unbleached white flour
2 1/4 teaspoons salt (or 3 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt)
2 Tablespoons instant yeast
1 cup cooked brown rice (wild rice or another cooked grain may be substituted)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
2 cups diced fresh onion (about 1 large onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage (other herbs may be used - rosemary, thyme, parsley)

1 egg white, for egg wash (optional)
1 Tablespoon water, for egg wash (optional)

Combine all of the ingredients except the egg wash in a mixing bowl. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer and start with the paddle attachment, mixing for 1 minute on low. The dough will be sticky, coarse and shaggy. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 4 minutes, adding a small amount of flour or water as needed to keep the dough together. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 - 3 minutes by hand, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. It should still be very soft and slightly sticky. Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days.

When ready to bake, remove dough from fridge 2 hours before you plan to bake it. Shape the dough into loaves, either free-form balls on a baking sheet, or in loaf pans. It can also be shaped into rolls. Use a minimum of flour when shaping, just to keep dough from sticking.

Cover the shaped dough with a towel and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until increased about 1 1/2 times its size. If you want a shiny top, whisk the egg white and water together, then brush over the tops just before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaves 45-55 minutes, rotating pans once. For rolls, bake 20-25 minutes, rotating once. Cool on a wire rack. I dare you to resist eating one warm from the oven.

Herb and Garlic Pan Roasted Snapper

We like fish, but I find that it needs a serious injection of flavour to really taste good. This is especially true with white fish such as snapper. A combination of herbs, garlic, and lemon was just perfect with these pan-roasted fillets. I threw in a handful of grape tomatoes before putting the dish in the oven and was very pleased with the result.

Herb and Garlic Pan Roasted Snapper Fillets

2 Tablespoon butter, divided

1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon minced fresh chives

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

2 snapper fillets, each cut in half

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in oven-safe skillet. Add the garlic and stir until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Do not brown. Remove from heat and stir in the herbs and lemon zest. Remove from pan to small dish. Wipe out skillet

Melt the remaining Tablespoon of butter in same skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the snapper fillets. When the butter is foaming, add the fillets. Immediately spoon the herb mixture over top while the fillets are cooking. After 1- 2 minutes, add the tomatoes, then place the skillet in the oven.

Bake until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from oven and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over. Serve immediately.

We ate this with sliced avocado, roasted zucchini and roasted fennel. It was a quick and easy meal, satisfying but not heavy.

Lemon Meringue Cups

My husband loves lemon meringue pie. I do, too, but for the past few years my pie crusts have been dismal. I have no idea what changed since I use the same recipe as I always have. But now, I try to avoid making them. Instead I came up with the idea of making the filling and  meringue in a ramekin, without the crust.

I made these for Valentine's Day dinner last night and I'll be using this idea again. On top of the lemon filling I spooned a bit of strawberry sauce to add some red colour. 


I used four 4-oz ramekins. The recipe filled them well. I found it quite a lot to eat, and next time, I'd use six 4-oz ramekins and not fill them entirely.


Lemon Meringue Cups


Lemon Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 Tablespoons butter 
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 Tablespoons strawberry preserves


Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Whisk in the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Gradually stir in 1/2 to 1/3 of the mixture into the beaten egg yolks, whisking all the while. Return mixture to saucepan, whisk all together and boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and butter. Pour into four (or six) 4 oz oven proof ramekins or custard cups. Gently spoon the strawberry preserves on top of the lemon. 


Heap meringue (recipe follows) onto filling, taking care to spread meringue right to the edges of the cup. This will prevent it from shrinking or weeping as it cools. 


Bake about 10 minutes or until a delicate brown. I found there was quite a lot of meringue and baked them for 15 minutes, watching carefully the last few minutes to ensure they didn't burn.


Meringue:
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla


Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Beat in vanilla. 

Meringue-Topped Cookies (Morkakor)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Heart-shaped cookies are a tradition in my family for Valentine's Day. Instead of my mom's usual sugar cookie recipe, this year I used a recipe from my husband's family - Morkakor. His grandfather was Swedish and these were his favourite cookies.

A buttery, crisp, almond-flavoured foundation is spread with meringue that bakes up crisp and can turn chewy if the humidity is high. They are delicious either way. The original recipe calls for the meringue to be sprinkled with chopped almonds. I used sprinkles in honour of Valentine's Day, to provide a little colour.

Morkakor (makes about 4 dozen cookies)

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour

Cream butter, add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, and then the almond extract. Add the flour. Form dough into a ball, chill if too soft to handle. Roll to 1/8" thickness between two sheets of parchment paper, lightly floured. Cut with a floured cutter. Place on baking sheets. Spread each cookie with meringue (recipe follows) and sprinkle with nuts or candy sprinkles. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. The cookies should be firm and the meringue a light brown. Cool on wire racks. Store tightly covered.

Meringue

2 egg whites
12 Tablespoons sugar
4 Tablespoons chopped almonds, or candy sprinkles

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, and beat until the meringue is stiff but not dry. Spread on cookie bases.