What are we eating ? | Cooking berries to celebrate Canada

Just before the weekend, all readers who cook ask themselves this eternal question: what are we going to eat? In order to inspire you, The Press suggests some suggestions for seasonal recipes that will make your mouth water.

Snack: raspberry and apricot salad

Servings: 4

Preparation: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 apricots
• 32 raspberries
• 1 C. (5 ml) candied ginger, finely diced
• 1 lemon
• Herbs: Greek basil, lemon balm, coriander

Ingredients for the vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
• 1/4 cup (60ml) honey

Preparation

1. In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
2. Divide the fruit among four plates.
3. Spoon a dollop of dressing onto each plate to drizzle the fruit.
4. Garnish with a few cubes of candied ginger, microplane grated lemon zest and a few herbs.

Published on lapresse.ca on July 21, 2014.

Quickly done well: dehydrated strawberries and strawberry stem juice

Rehydrated strawberries can be used in many simple preparations: lightly warmed as an accompaniment to a cake and whipped cream, as a base for a sorbet or ice cream, in compote with granola or with a crumbled biscuit.

Ingredients

Preparation

1. Hull the strawberries and set the stems (with some flesh) aside.
2. Place the strawberries on parchment paper, taking care to keep a space between each one.
3. Put in the dehydrator at 55°C for 24 hours depending on the size of the strawberries or in an oven with the light on. To the touch, the strawberries should be completely dry.
4. Place the stems of the strawberries in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let steep for at least an hour. Filter.
5. Return the strained liquid to the heat and bring to a boil.
6. Pour the boiling liquid into a sterilized jar, close and leave to seal.
7. To rehydrate strawberries, simply pour the preserved juice over the strawberries. Add maple syrup to taste. Leave to rehydrate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Note

Rehydrated strawberries keep refrigerated for a week. Dehydrated strawberries and sealed strawberry stem juice will keep for up to one year.

Published on lapresse.ca on June 14, 2023.

Call me boss! : olive oil cake with raspberries and white chocolate buttercream

Ingredients

• 300g sugar
• 1 C. baking powder
• 1 C. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 300 g (1 1/3 cup) good cold-pressed olive oil
• 220 g (1 cup) buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• Zest of two lemons
• Zest of an orange
• 1 C. Marsala (Italian fortified wine)
• 330 g (2 1/3 cups) pastry flour, sifted

Preparation

1. Butter two 7-inch round pans and cover the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Put aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs, zest and Marsala. Add the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and simply combine.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry. Leave to cool in the moulds.

Ingredients for the white chocolate buttercream

• 250 g egg whites (7 or 8 eggs) without any trace of yolk
• 225g (1 cup) sugar
• 1 1/2 pinch of salt
• 375 g (about 1 3/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened but fresh
• 150 g (about 1 cup) white chocolate, melted
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp. rum or other aged spirit
• Gel food coloring

Ingredients for the finish

• 1/2 cup homemade or purchased raspberry jam

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl over a double boiler, whisk egg whites, sugar and salt. Whisk constantly until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved. It will take about 8 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until the meringue is cool to the touch and holds its shape when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.
2. Slowly add chunks of butter to the meringue, whisking constantly. If the cream separates, continue beating until it coagulates again. Add the melted white chocolate, vanilla and rum, then mix until smooth.
3. Set about 3/4 cup buttercream aside to spread between the two cakes. Divide the rest into five small bowls and add the desired colors a small amount at a time, taking into account that it is easier to add more than to remove.

Assembly

1. Unmold the cakes when they have cooled completely. Remove the domes with a good knife to have a flat surface. Spread the reserved buttercream on one of the cakes. Add raspberry jam. Place the second cake on top. Seal the sides with a little frosting.
2. Pour the five colors of buttercream into five pastry bags with different nozzles. Decorate until there is no empty space left on the cake. Refrigerate to set. The cake is even better if it spends the night in the refrigerator, so that the flavors mingle.

Source: a recipe from Michelle Marek, pastry chef at the Gia restaurant.

Published on lapresse.ca on December 3, 2022.

Guilty Pleasure: Multi-Fruit Pie

Servings: 6 to 8

Preparation: 30 minutes

Cooking: none

Refrigeration: 2 hours

Utensil: 25 cm round tart mold in pyrex or ceramic

Ingredients for the bottom of almonds and dried fruits

• 255 g (1 1/2 c) whole almonds, toasted
• 210 g (1 1/2 c) dried fruits – dates, figs and raisins
• 1 C. ground cinnamon
• 1 C. 1 tbsp water – or more, if needed

Ingredients for the fruit filling

• 600 g to 700 g (3 to 4 cups) fresh fruit of your choice (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwis, cherries, blackberries, green grapes and others)
• 500 ml (2 cups) cranberry and raspberry juice or other fruit juice
• 2 tbsp. tablespoon agar-agar flakes

Preparation

1. Grind the almonds in a food processor.
2. Add the other ingredients and grind again.
3. Press the mixture with your fingers into the bottom of the pan.
4. Place the fruit on the base of almonds and dried fruit.
5. In a saucepan, mix the fruit juice with the agar-agar and bring to the boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes or until flakes are completely dissolved.
7. Mix well and pour this hot mixture over the fruit.
8. Leave to cool for 2 hours in the refrigerator and serve.

What is agar agar?

“Plant substance extracted from red seaweed, consisting of pectin and having the property of swelling in water. A vegetarian substitute for gelatin, agar-agar is sold in flakes or powder. It is easily found in Asian grocery stores and health food stores. »

Source: excerpt from the book Piesby Josée Fiset and Dominique Boué, published by Éditions de l’Homme.

Published on lapresse.ca on February 8, 2010.

Health ! : cricket smoothie

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 sliced ​​banana
• 250 ml (1 cup) frozen strawberries
• 250 ml (1 cup) strawberry yogurt
• 15 ml (1 tbsp.) cricket powder

Preparation

1. In a blender, puree all the ingredients until smooth.
2. Note: it’s the strawberry seeds that crunch to the bite, not bits of insects!
3. You can use a smooth fruit like frozen mango (instead of strawberries) to avoid confusion.

Posted in The Press+ on March 8, 2018.