What are we eating ? | Fresh menu for eating out

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.

Indulgence: sweet gazpacho

Simple to make and refreshing as you wish, a gazpacho brings a nice colorful touch to the meal. SoupeSoup has agreed to share his recipe with us, step by step.

Ingredients

• 2 large greenhouse tomatoes
• 1 peeled English cucumber
• 1/2 small red onion
• 2 red peppers
• 30ml cider vinegar
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 green jalapeno or 15 ml sambal oelek (or other pepper of your choice)
• 500ml cold water, salt and pepper

Preparation

• 1. Wash and cut all the ingredients into pieces.
• 2. Put all the ingredients in the blender.
• 3. Grind into a smooth and homogeneous puree.
• 4. Don’t forget to season!
• 5. Refrigerate one hour or overnight. When serving, you can add a drizzle of olive oil and a little fresh coriander.

Published on lapresse.ca on August 30, 2017.

Quickly done well done: fennel salad with orange

Whether you think meat grilled on the barbecue or a picnic in the park, the main course rarely comes alone. This week, the freshness of fennel salad with orange from nutritionist Nathalie Verret.

For 4 servings

Preparation: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 orange
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• The seeds of 1 pomegranate (80 g, or 1/2 cup)
• 1 C. tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped pecans
• 2 tbsp. teaspoon quality balsamic vinegar

Preparation

• 1. Take the zest from the orange and cut the quarters into supremes.
• 2. In a salad bowl, mix the orange zest and supremes with the fennel, onion and pomegranate seeds. Add the oil and mix.
• 3. Divide the salad among serving plates.
• 4. Just before serving, garnish with pecans and season with balsamic vinegar.

Source : Mediterranean diet — 21 days of menusNathalie Verret, Modus Vivendi.

Posted in The Press + July 20, 2017.

Call me boss! : puff pastry tart with oyster mushrooms, cheddar and prawns

For 8 guests

Ingredients for the bechamel sauce

• 540g milk
• 35g flour
• 35g butter
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Ingredients for the pie

• 365g puff pastry, rolled out
• 800g baby potatoes, cooked and sliced
• 200 g lightly pan-fried oyster mushrooms
• 200 g grated cheddar cheese
• 335 g northern shrimp (or, failing that, smoked salmon)
• 2 tbsp. chopped dill
• 2 tbsp. chopped chives
• The juice of half a lemon
• 1 drizzle of olive oil
• Salt pepper

Preparation of the bechamel sauce

• 1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
• 2. Add milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk constantly, bringing the mixture to a boil (over medium-high heat) until the sauce becomes thick and creamy. Leave to boil for a few minutes, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Preparation of the pie

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the puff pastry on a large baking sheet until golden brown. Garnish with bechamel sauce, then arrange the potato slices, the oyster mushrooms and the grated cheddar (this part can be done the day before).
• 2. Bake for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile: mix the prawns (or salmon), dill, chives, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Take the pie out of the oven and place the shrimp filling on it.

Source: recipe provided by chef Adèle Prudhomme, formerly of the Sainte-Cécile grocery store.

Published on lapresse.ca on June 14, 2017.

Guilty Pleasure: Raspberry Lychee Cake

To end a great meal, you need a dessert. Nothing beats a cake to wow your guests. This one won’t take you hours of prep and it’ll get everyone excited — we’ve tested it.

For 12 to 15 people

Ingredients for the cake

• 454g soft butter
• 2 3/4 cup sugar
• 5ml vanilla essence
• 8 eggs
• 5 cups sifted flour
• 5 c. baking powder
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup of “Soho” lychee liqueur (sold at the SAQ)

Ingredients for the icing

• 500g cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 cup 35% whipping cream
• A few fresh raspberries and lychees to garnish

Preparation of the cake

• 1. Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is frothy (about 5 minutes). Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition.
• 2. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add to the butter and sugar mixture, on low speed and alternating with the milk and lychee liqueur, in 3 or 4 stages. Warning: do not beat the dough too much, otherwise the cake will be denser and more compact.
• 3. Gently fold in the raspberries, mixing by hand with a wooden spatula.
• 4. Divide the dough into 3 molds of about 20 cm in diameter, buttered. Bake at 180 ºC (350 ºF) for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Preparation of the icing

• 1. Cream the cheese and the sugar for a few minutes in the blender. Add the cream, mix well.
• 2. Top each layer of the cake with icing, and decorate with fresh raspberries and lychees.
• 3. Keep the cake in the fridge and chill it for about 30 minutes before serving it.

Source: recipe by Catherine Martin, pastry chef at Crime et gourmandises, in Saint-Lambert

Published on lapresse.ca on June 14, 2017.

Health ! : S’mores milkshake

The milkshake appeals to all Jukebox Burgers customers, young and old alike. Here is the recipe for the most popular milkshake, the one with S’mores.

For 1 serving

Ingredients for the milkshake

• 2 scoops of ice cream, vanilla, chocolate or both
• A swig of toasted marshmallow syrup *
• A swig of chocolate syrup
• 2 coarsely chopped graham crackers
• Milk, to taste, to cover

* You can find roasted marshmallow syrup at Terra Café et Thé, in Montreal.

Ingredients for the filling (to taste)

• Whipped cream
• chocolate syrup
• A handful of miniature marshmallows
• Graham crackers (whole and in breadcrumbs)

Preparation

• 1. Place all milkshake ingredients in a blender. Stir until a liquid texture is obtained.
• 2. Pour into a tall glass. Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup and miniature marshmallows. Top it off with a graham cracker.
• 3. Taste quickly!

Trick

To decorate the rim of the glass like in a restaurant, put a little chocolate syrup on the edge of the glass, then stick some graham cracker crumbs on it.

Published on lapresse.ca on March 22, 2018.