Cleansing the Palate

Timeless beauty

What would any of the 12 days of Christmas be without a cheese tray? Well…nothing in my house. I live for cheese at any time of the year but it's this season that I allow myself to be excessive. Cheese is traditionally served at the end of meals in many European countries and I am happy to carry on a heritage tradition of serving a cheese plate with a bit of savoury nibbles on the side. It is lovely on the tongue after a heavy meal or a strongly flavoured one in place of a sweet and filling dessert. After a lighter fare a cheese tray can be a course all its own and should be served with a more substantial accompaniment such as hearty breads and compotes or a charcuterie board.  It's just a shame the cheeses I love are so expensive that this has to be a special occasion tradition.

Along with the cheeses shown below I served a Le Sauciflard sausage with a Parmesan rind, a Mennonite Summer Sausage, Spanish Olives of differing types such as cracked and spiced small and Jumbo plain. I managed to find dilled pickles the size of my little finger as sweet pickles such as gherkins aren't popular around here. 

To go with the 'cheese ball' I made, I served Kashi fire-roasted vegetable crackers and Pita crisps with Sea Salt. Absolutely delicious ! I mention the cheese ball with quotes as it isn't truly a cheese ball - more of a thick spreadable dip wrapped with phyllo dough. I originally thought of this as individual appetizers made from Goat's milk but a dearth of the necessary time demanded a change in the plan. This is what I came up with.

To make this again as a whole offering, I would make a bowl out of the phyllo rather than treat it like a galette with a top, like I did here. That way guests can scoop out a spoonful at a time onto their plate without wrestling with temperamental phyllo dough that tends to become shards of confetti when baked. 

Since the filling is the most important part of the dish, I am including the recipe here even though the presentation was a last minute compromise that probably won't make it to my kitchen journal as is.

A sampling of what was served: Top left to bottom right:
Kaltback Gruyère (Switzerland); Swiss Babybel; Snowdonia Smoked Cheddar (Wales); Kerrygold aged cheddar (Ireland);
 Saint Agur Blue Cheese (France); Snowdonia Cheddar (Wales): Cheddar Babybel

Left: The Smoked Cheddar is a grainy, crumbling cheese with a mildly pungent flavour holding a light smokiness.
Right: The aged cheddar in the black wax is simply lovely. Although a firm cheese, as soon as it hits that
sweet spot between the tongue and the upper palate, it turns into a slightly sweet creamy paste that is divine.

Left: The fabulously wonderful Kerrygold along with a Double Gloucester, a Wensleydale or a Red Leicester will be
my favourite go-to cheeses from across the pond.
Right: I do love Stilton and a mild Irish or Danish blue but I can't say this Saint Agur is a favourite. I found the mustiness to be too overpowering for me. I'd rather have a bit more tartness and a little less damp basement.

Oh yeah!! I love me a good gruyere and this one doesn't disappoint. Firm, slightly granular but with the teeniest of
grains, pungent without curling the toes and a milky paste made in that sweet spot all lead to an enjoyable mouth
feel and taste.

How I served this : wedge of galette onto plate with crackers and spread knife

Cheese, Pepper and Artichoke Spread/Dip

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

130g Pickled Peppedaw Peppers from South Africa

175g Pickled Artichoke Hearts

Salt and pepper

butter, melted

phyllo dough, half a pkg

In processor, add softened cheese, peppers, artichokes, salt, pepper and whiz until blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Remove half of the phyllo sheets and return rest to plastic wrap to stop from drying out. Working quickly, lay a sheet at a time onto a baking tray, lathering on melted butter onto each sheet. Place cheese ball in centre of sheets and fold up one corner. Brush melted butter onto fold and repeat on the other three corners, brushing on more butter as you go.

Bake in 375 degree oven for approx 20 minutes or until golden brown all over. If top is browning too quickly, cover the top loosely with foil, removing near the end of cooking time to continue browning.

Can be reheated in the oven - just cover any cut parts with foil or parchment paper to stop the exposed parts from drying out as it reheats. (If you are following my suggestion of a phyllo bowl, cover the entire top when reheating.)

Lovely Chenin Blanc from South Africa is a wonderful wine for both the cheese platter
and the rabbit dish I served for Christmas dinner.

all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2015

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Quick and Easy: Cider, Onion and Parsnip Soup

Ahem… well now. It's Valentine's Day and I, as a blogger and a female, am supposed to be swamped with romantic notions and the mad desire to blog about chocolate, strawberries and more chocolate. I did give it some thought actually but as I am a 44 year old woman who is daily tallying the marks of time on her skin and is trying to teach others how to eat healthy on the cheap, Valentine's indulgences should be avoided. As well, I just don't do Valentine's Day. Never have and more than likely never will. I look around at all the oozing romantic cuteness spreading like a bad rumour and wonder why we do this? I can understand wanting to recognize the importance of a romantic side to our lives, really I can. But I would much rather have a mad, grand passion and be made to feel sexy and interesting 365 days a year than be told rather clumsily that golly, gosh and gee what a swell gal I am, once a year. I'm just sayin'.

I know both genders are conditioned to believe that all women are standing there with their hands out for some goodie today but you would be surprised how many don't actually care about this day at all. The giggling young ones and the unsatisfied middle aged married ones may be the easiest to convince that a gift on a day in February guarantees true love and appreciation, forever. The rest of us however, realize that it is a commercial day designed solely to play on the ever-present feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty we all feel at some point in our relationships and on the guilt we feel that we may have spent the previous year taking our partner for granted or worse, on the premise that you are buying the continued love and support for another year with a trinket. Since these feelings are part of the human condition, we are all going to fall victim to purchasing proof of our feelings, or fall victim to expecting to be gifted as proof of others feelings towards ourselves. There is nothing wrong with being extravagant on Valentine's Day, if you can afford it figuratively and literally, just look to your motivations for giving or receiving. If what you are considering buying/doing or what you are about to get has a price tag that makes your heart skip a beat, maybe reconsidering the relationship you are in is in order. Again, I'm just sayin'.

Now that I have said it, I will offer up a few tips for this day. I do believe that a simple demonstration of appreciation is all that is required, if you wish to be a part of this day. A simple meal, a single flower, a REAL connecting gaze that shows that you are really seeing your partner in all their facets and you love what you see, time spent doing what they like to do, or if what they would really love and cherish from you on this day is your absence, well, then, bugger off for a while. 

It's a little late for breakfast in bed - and a healthy, non-indulgent one is the way to go - but if you are the type to leave mid-week celebrations for the weekend, keep it in mind. One important detail to remember when gifting your loved one with a meal, whether cooked by you or catered in some way, is to try to avoid foods that are strong smelling like garlic and onions or heaven forbid, are gas producing! That is hardly the atmosphere you wish to create. The cliché is candles and roses, not candles and explosions…

Another important point about cooking for someone on this day, is to have everything prepared ahead of time. Choose a meal that is quick, easy, non-messy and able to sit without spoiling in case plans get derailed for a bit (wink wink, nudge nudge).

If you are going out, choose an activity you both will enjoy that is relaxed and stress-free. Surprising her with a night out is a lovely idea but to be practical, a woman has to know how to dress for the evening. It is very stressful to get ready for an evening out without knowing the destination. A few hints about formality or the meal being served can help her decide without giving it all away. I was once surprised with a charity dinner with Chef Michael Smith and knowing it was semi-formal with a sit-down meal was very helpful.

However you choose to celebrate this day, if you do at all, remember the principle of KISS… Keep It Simple Sunshine…

Well, for those of us not into this day, we still have to eat. The soup I have for you today is light-tasting, filling and definitely has a flavour not discovered everyday. The onion flavour is a wee bit strong so I wouldn't recommend serving it on Valentine's Day unless you've been together for a while. Certain smells seem to dissipate and not have the same impact after a few years together.

The soup is meat-free, gluten-free, and vegan so it is a soup to pull out on those occasions that you have a number of guests who dispositions you are unfamiliar with.

Putting it all together

butter

olive oil

4 large sweet onions, thinly sliced or chopped small

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium parsnips, washed, peeled and chopped

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 cups chicken broth or flavourful vegetable broth

2 1/4 cups apple cider - not mulled!

salt and pepper

1 tbsp fresh thyme

2 rounded tsp curry powder

Sauté the onions in the butter and oil until browned and aromatic. You are not caramelizing but frying the onions for this recipe so a higher heat and no sugar is used. When they are almost done, add the parsnips, garlic and celery. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the apple and seasoning and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the broth and cider. Cook for fifteen minutes at simmer until parsnips are soft. Process with an immersion blender. Adjust seasonings. Serve with pumpernickel bread.

To fancy this up to serve for a special occasion, make croutons out of the pumpernickel and very finely slice some apple and finely chop some more fresh thyme for garnish. Choose a white dish to serve in as the colour of the soup can look garish and unappetizing if you choose the wrong coloured dish. A simple arugula salad tossed in some balsamic vinegar is all that is necessary to accompany this soup.

all text and photos ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Quick and Easy: Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Soup

Soup. You may well wonder, as you look through my recipes, why I focus so much on soups and stews. It's really rather simple. It is inexpensive, easy, can be made to feed many people and next to pizza, is the perfect meal. Pizza? you ask. Yes, but let's be clear here. I am talking about pizza done right; in perfect balance. Where we go wrong is in our choice of pizza, how much of it we eat and how often. Otherwise, pizza in and of itself is a balanced meal choice.

When we indulge in pizza we tend to go for items such as pepperoni, bacon, sausage and extra cheese which translates into nitrates, nitrates, nitrites and fat, not to mention all the extra fillers found in dry sausage-style cold cuts and in sausages themselves. We also seem to drop the word 'vegetable' from our vocabulary when ordering our pizzas. If we choose vegetables that are as fresh as possible, meats such as chicken and ground beef and lighten up on the cheese, we can have a slice or two and greatly diminish the possibilities of another lecture on how bad pizza is for us. 

This soup packs all the flavour of a great pizza, costs less to make than it does to order a pizza and is so very good for you and not to mention but I'm gonna anyway, it is incredibly easy to make. Consider whipping up this smooth, velvety, flavour seduction for your lovely one after a romantic day of ice skating this Valentine's Day - it's one way to warm up.

If you read my previous article with the Red Pepper Chipotle Soup, you'll know a bit about lycopene in red vegetables. Sweet potatoes also have some lycopene as well as beta-carotene which is found in orange coloured vegetables. It is extremely high in vitamin C making this soup a powerhouse for boosting your immune system and the overall health of your skin and body. I attribute only suffering from a bad cold for three days to the week I've spent developing and making these soups. Not a testimonial, more of an opinion :)

What you need to know

This easy-to-make soup requires no special know-how at all especially if you've followed along so far and are clear on caramelized onions. I encourage the non-cooks who want to make something special to give this a try. Not only will you impress people with an elegant presentation of this golden yumminess, you will be able to add to your repertoire of go-to dishes and put this in a place of honour right beside PB&J's and Kraft Dinner. Of course, if making toast makes you sweat, you may want to consider going out to eat.

Putting it all together

Caramelized Onions

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp olive oil

4 large sweet onions, chopped or sliced

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp allspice about 3 berries if using whole, crushed in mortar and pestle

pinch salt

This will have to been done in batches so make sure to divide the sugar and spices between the batches. Increase your butter/oil as needed. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until golden brown and soft.

Soup

While your onions are caramelizing, prepare the soup pot with the following:

5 medium sweet potatoes, chopped

2 boxes of beef broth 900mL each (approx 4 cups each)

1 tsp dried thyme

3/4 tsp allspice about 5 or 6 berries, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

scallions or green onions for garnish, greens only

As the onions are cooked, add to pot. When the last batch goes in, bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Process with immersion blender. It is not necessary to add cream to this very thick soup. If you find the consistency is too thick (?!) add some hot beef broth until you're happy.

This will make enough soup for a large family to be full and satisfied so there will be leftovers if you're a couple or a single. The soup freezes, thaws and reheats well so I suggest making the recipe as is and freezing the rest but you can divide the recipe evenly in half for a smaller meal.

Coming up next is, yes, another soup that will not only tempt your tasty buds but make them want to sin again and again (naughty tasty buds), but then we step it up a bit in time for Valentine's Day with a meal that is nicely presented and manly enough to please everyone. I don't post 'gourmet' recipes often as my goal is to provide meal ideas for the everyday, but I do love to experiment on special occasions. The recipe in question was the result of a need to challenge myself to present an elegant dish with seasonal and local ingredients only. As I've only made it once before, I will be retesting this dish this weekend to ensure my memory is as good as I believe it is :)

all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Holiday Entertaining: Feeding your Overnight Guests

This is the time of year when overnight guests (welcome or otherwise) and weekend-er brunch visits so it pays to be prepared well ahead of time. One of the fun parts of having guests is getting to play host(ess) and plan out the visit. To an organization geek like me, making the million lists dissecting the visit to a nano second is an experience better than...ahem, chocolate.

Honey, I'm Home

Whether your guest is an unexpected cousin you see once a decade or your mother-in-law, you as host(ess) have a multitude of duties and responsibilities. Ranging from bare minimum etiquette to "Hey Martha, I want your job" perfectionism, these amenities and services that you provide your guests are vital. Starting to sound like you are running an Inn or B&B? Well, yeah. Why not? In both cases you are offering shelter and food to a guest in an overnight situation. In ancient times offering shelter to a guest was no light matter--you were in a sense offering your life as surety of your guests safety and the fulfillment of their physical needs such as a bath, meal and bed or pallet on the floor. The satisfaction and health, literally, of guests to your household was of reputation breaking or making proportions. Today, things aren't quite as serious but all the same, the duties of bath, food and a bed remain unflinchingly paramount.

It all starts with the welcome at the door. If you are not artistically inclined, no worries. Stretch yourself enough, or at least stretch your pocket book to purchase a wreath for the door and leave it at that. If you have the time and the inclination to get crafty--go nuts--lights, topiaries, wreaths, whatever, just get creative and had fun, with style and taste of course. A warm greeting goes a long way to making someone feel wanted and a part of things rather than as a piece of baggage you need to store somewhere.

Afternoon and evening arrivals should be greeted with the smell and taste of a warm and bracing drink and tray of nibbles. Awkward conversation can be diverted immediately upon the arrival of food and drink so make sure to offer tasty tidbits to fuel at least a few minutes of conversation. Some visits don't require the societal niceties, such as the visit of a college buddy or your sister but most will require some straining of what gracious entertaining muscles you may have (think boss, neighbour or church member). Having an instant conversation ice breaker on hand is priceless.

Your overnight guest should find a well made bed with extra pillows, blankets and throws. Some people have allergies going both ways--some to feathers, some to the poly fill--so it is a good idea to find that information out before hand and offer that if they come without provisions of their own. I myself always travel with my own pillow for my head, as I have neck nerve issues and one I use to separate my knees at night, as I have RLD (restless leg disorder) and I find the pillow helps. Don't assume however, they will travel thusly burdened themselves. Here is where you can either go overboard or offer the minimum. You can take your cue from a hotel room and stick a coffee/tea maker, hairdryer and new bathrobe if your guest is staying longer than one night. Conversely, you may want to only stick some thick towels and a magazine in the room. That helps for guests you don't want making themselves at home!

The same can apply to the bathing needs of your guest. All that you the host(ess) would have to do most of the time is supply thick and fluffy towels. However, you may want to keep handy a few new toothbrushes, a new tube of popular toothpaste and a new comb. Anyone who has traveled beyond their doorstep knows that no matter how carefully you plan and pack, something will be left behind. As well, if your guest is a close relative, odds are they are assuming they can use your supplies, unless they have special needs that you just can't cover. No body loves you like your family!

If your guest is someone special or if you are just the type to be crafty and love to give gifts, a little something left on the bed or side table for your guest to take home with them is a wonderful idea. It can be anything from a box of local handmade chocolates, to a handmade christmas ornament or my favourite, beeswax candles bundled in threes and tied with raffia or jute and hung with a tiny "dollarstore" charm. ( In quotes, as most things from a dollar store are made in China. I would recommend not buying these types of things new. Buying them and other small trinket items used repurposes them, cuts down on new items being made and the money spent goes into the local economy rather than to a foreign company.)

Rolled Beeswax Candles
Beeswax candles will burn cleaner and with less impact on air quality. You can pick up natural sheets and the cotton wicks at most craft stores.

• Cover your workspace with waxed paper sheets
• Use a hairdryer to warm up the wax just until it is pliable
• Lay one length of cotton wick along the edge of a sheet and fold over about 1/8" of beeswax, pressing to seal.
• Continue rolling up to the end of the sheet
• Trim the wick 1/2" from the top and even on the bottom
• Tie in bundles of three with jute or raffia
• Thread a charm or trinket onto the same material and tie to the bundle

Include a little card and a candle holder for the receiver and it will be a lovely take home gift. Alternatively if you are the guest, this would also make a lovely host(ess) gift.

You can also get your kids into the fun by making some salt dough ornaments.

Salt Dough Ornaments

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 cup warm water

Put salt and flour into a bowl and add the water 1/4 cup at a time until a rough dough is formed. Dump out on floured board and knead until smooth and pliable. Use your favourite cookie cutters and stamp out your ornaments. Poke a hole for the string. Place dough onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 300F for 1-11/2 hours.

Let cool. Paint and embellish. 

Road to Happiness is through the stomach

Now that your guest has slept soundly and bathed well, they're going to be hungry. Be warned that even if you have a guest that says "Don't worry about me, I never eat breakfast" as soon as they see others eating they will want to, at least, munch on a little something. Have some homemade granola and yoghurt as well as some winter fruit salad made from apples, grapes, frozen whole berries and a bit of maple syrup for sweetness. Try to avoid exotic imports for the obvious reasons (I covered that in another post). For those that wish a hearty breakfast there are the standard  2 eggs, bacon, homefries and toast or french toast with sausages or you can get a bit adventuresome and make the following:

Peameal Bacon and Egg Shell Pasta

with Hollandaise sauce

18 jumbo pasta shells, cooked and rinsed in cold water, drained

1/2 cup goat's cheese, crumbled

6 eggs, scrambled but still very soft and runny

4 green onions, minced

1-2 tbsp Miracle Whip or mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp water

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or 1 tbsp dried dill

1 tbsp butter, melted

8 slices of peameal bacon, fried (cured, pickled pork loin)

Combine goat's cheese, onions and Miracle Whip; stir well. Gently mix with the scrambled eggs and fill the shells. Place shells in baking dish; add the water to dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350F.

Combine the cheese, breadcrumbs, dill and butter; sprinkle over shells. Continue baking, uncovered, for 5 more minutes.

Blender Hollandaise sauce:

3 egg yolks

pinch cayenne pepper, ground

2 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 cup melted butter

1 tbsp chopped fresh dill or half amount of dried

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

In blender, blend all ingredients except for the butter, for 10 seconds. Continue blending while slowly adding the butter. Serve immediately.

To serve:

Pour some sauce onto the plate anyway you'd like but I prefer a broad swath that will offer sauce for every mouthful. Place one slice of fried peameal bacon on the sauce and top with 2-3 shells (these are very rich and filling). Drizzle a bit of the sauce over the egg shell pasta.

Goodbye is such sweet sorrow

Saying a fond farewell to your guest is another opportunity to do your host(ess) duties by gifting them with a doggie bag of baked Christmas goodies. For guests with children, include some candy and a little toy.

I wish you much fun and success in your holiday entertaining. If you are to be a guest yourself, remember what the work entailed, be appreciative and bring a little something for your host(ess).

Merry Christmas!

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