What are we eating ? | Recipes to celebrate Easter

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: asparagus with nigella and cider vinaigrette

For 4-6 people

Ingredients

• 1 bundle of asparagus * trimmed (break off the tough end)
• 1 C. nigella seeds **
• Salt and pepper to taste
• cider vinaigrette
• 1 C. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. tablespoons vegetable oil (or grapeseed)
• 1 C. tablespoon organic cider vinegar (like Corriveau)

Preparation

• 1. Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes. Cool in ice water.
• 2. Combine all dressing ingredients.
• 3. Pour dressing over asparagus and toss.
• 4. Place the asparagus on a serving platter. Sprinkle with nigella seeds. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve !

Ratings

* Quebec asparagus is not yet in season, but you can find beautiful imported ones in greengrocers and in some supermarkets.

**Nigella seeds can be found in fine and ethnic grocery stores, for example at Épices de cru, at the Jean-Talon market

Published on lapresse.ca on April 15, 2017.

Quickly done well done: fake eggs Benedict

Albert Elbilia hates eggs Benedict. ” Too heavy ! “, he says without appeal. The kind of stuff you digest all day. And what about the store-bought English muffins used to make them, which only taste “baking powder and cardboard”? Albert Elbilia offers a version with homemade buns cooked in a pan or on a cast iron grill, without Hollandaise sauce, replaced by a drizzle of spicy mayonnaise.

For 4 people

Ingredients

• 4 ripe avocados
• 8 poached eggs *
• 16 thin slices of pancetta
• Lime and cumin mayonnaise
• Dry Roasted Cumin Seeds
• 4 homemade “English muffins” (see recipe below)

Preparation

• 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Place the slices of pancetta on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook the meat until well grilled, about 8 minutes.
• 2. Open the loaves in half: place a thinly sliced ​​avocado, two pancetta chips and two poached eggs on the base of each loaf. Coat with mayonnaise, sprinkle with roasted cumin seeds, salt and pepper, enjoy.

* Provide only one egg per person for more modest appetites.

Homemade English muffins

For 8 muffins

Ingredients

• 400g unbleached white flour
• 25g rye flour
• 280 g lukewarm water
• 30g olive oil
• 8g salt
• 4 g active yeast

Preparation

• 1. Place the water, yeast, flours and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on lowest speed for 8 minutes, gradually incorporating the olive oil during the last 2 minutes of kneading.
• 2. Roll the dough into a ball, coat with a drizzle of olive oil, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then let rise for 3 to 4 hours, until the dough almost doubled in size.
• 3. Invert the dough onto the work surface, fold down once and let rest for another 20 minutes, then roll out the dough with your fingers into a large rectangle. Cut into 8 square buns.
• 4. Preheat a cast iron grill (ideally, or skillet) over medium-low heat. When the cast iron is very hot, brush the dough pieces with olive oil and cook them, one at a time, on the grill. Turn over halfway through cooking (2 to 3 minutes) and repeat with the other breads.

Lime and cumin mayonnaise

Ingredients

• 320 g homemade or store-bought mayonnaise
• 20g lemon juice
• 10g maple syrup
• 35g lime juice
• 6g ground cumin

Preparation

• 1. Using the mixer, mix all the ingredients until the mayonnaise is homogeneous.

Published on lapresse.ca on January 17, 2017.

Call me boss! : panade of sautéed greens, leeks and Alfred le Fermier

It will go wonderfully with your lamb or your Easter ham; maybe even replace them! The panade, prepared with simple pieces of bread, is the perfect brunch dish to prepare the day before.

For 6-8 people as a main dish, 8-10 as a side dish

Ingredients

• 10-12 cups of bread cubes (like Autumn Loaf)
• 4 cups leafy greens (such as Swiss chard, dandelion, or spinach) washed and chopped
• 1 clove garlic coarsely chopped
• 2 cups leeks (white part and tender green), washed and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 325 g Alfred le Fermier cheese (to make about 4 cups of grated cheese)
• 1 C. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 3-4 tbsp. chopped parsley
• 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth)

Preparation

• 1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large saucepan with the garlic clove. Add the leeks.
• 2. Brown for 2 minutes over medium heat. Then add the greens and cook for about 1 minute or until wilted. If the pan is not big enough to hold everything, cook the greens in several stages, so that the leaves stay very green.
• 3. Add half of the salt and pepper and mix. Set aside and let cool.
• 4. In a large bowl, mix the bread cubes with the remaining salt and pepper, parsley, olive oil, 1/4 cup chicken stock and half the grated cheese.
• 5. Preheat the oven to 165°C (325°F).
• 6. Line the bottom of an enameled cast iron casserole dish (3.5 L capacity) with parchment paper to facilitate the unmolding of the cooled panade. (Skip this step if serving immediately after cooking. It just won’t come out of the pan. Serve with a spoon!)
• 7. Place a layer of bread cubes in the bottom of the casserole.
• 8. Add a layer of the mixture of leek leaves and grated cheese on the bread. Gently squeeze the mixture. Repeat this process until the pot is full. There should be 2 or 3 layers of each element and the last should have a bit of everything, with an emphasis on cheese!
• 9. In a saucepan, bring the rest of the chicken stock to a boil. Salt if necessary.
• 10. Slowly pour the broth over the sides of the panade, allowing the bread time to absorb the broth between each addition. Fill to within 1/2 inch of the rim of the casserole. The more liquid there is, the softer the panade will be. For a firmer result, use less broth.
• 11. Cover the panade with parchment paper cut in a circle (or oval, if the casserole is oval!), then cover the entire casserole with aluminum foil, matte side out. Place on a baking sheet to catch any cooking juices that may overflow.
• 12. Bake for 90 minutes. The panade should have puffed up and the edges should be golden.
• 13. Remove foil and parchment, increase oven to 190°C (375°F) and bake until surface of panade is golden brown.
• 14. When it comes out of the oven, let the panade rest for a few minutes before serving it.
• 15. If the panade is prepared in advance, let cool completely after cooking. Then cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, pass a spatula over the sides of the pan to facilitate unmolding. Invert the panade onto a board or large platter. Slice and place on a plate. Pour a dollop of 35% cream on top of each slice and warm in an oven at 150-165°C (300-325°F).
• 16. It is also possible to prepare the panade a day in advance, stopping before the baking stage. Keep refrigerated. When baking, be sure to preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) and add 30 to 40 minutes to the time in step 12 to ensure complete cooking.

Source: recipe inspired by Judy Rodgers, chef at Zuni Café, San Francisco.

Published on lapresse.ca on April 15, 2017.

Guilty Pleasure: Cinnamon Rolls

Marc-André Royal, chef and co-owner of La Bête à pain, was inspired by “large, super soft commercial brioches” to determine the style of brioche he wanted to serve in his bakeries. “But unlike the industrial ones, ours only have ingredients that you can pronounce! » Classic brioche dough, cinnamon, sugar and light crackle icing. It’s simple and it doesn’t feel like a brick in your stomach.

Makes 12 buns

Ingredients for the brioche dough

• 625 g all-purpose white flour
• 12 eggs
• 30g of salt
• 10 g dry yeast
• 95g white sugar
• 80g milk
• 240g cubed butter

Preparation of the brioche dough

• 1. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the hook, pour all the ingredients, except the butter, and mix for about 12 minutes at first speed.
• 2. Add the butter cubes all at once and mix until the butter is well incorporated, about 4-5 minutes.

Ingredients for the filling

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

Preparation of the filling

• 1. Mix the two ingredients. To book.

Ingredients for the icing

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 C. cinnamon
• 4 tbsp. milk

Preparation of the icing

• 1. Mix the three ingredients with a whisk. To book.

Assembly

• 1. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle 1 cm thick.
• 2. Sprinkle the dough well with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.
• 3. Roll out, stretching the dough slightly towards you to make a nice even cylinder.
• 4. Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces.
• 5. Place on a baking sheet and bake in an oven without heat for 60 minutes.
• 6. Remove from oven and set aside.
• 7. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and bake the buns for 20 minutes.
• 8. Once out of the oven, apply the glaze using a brush.

Published on lapresse.ca on April 3, 2017.

Health ! : peanut, date and banana smoothie

Banal, the banana? It costs almost nothing and is consumed every day all over the planet. However, it is when we cook it in the simplest way in the world that it has its most beautiful surprises in store for us.

Indeed, whether we puree it, freeze it or eat it as is, the banana helps to make our meals healthier. Moreover, it achieves this feat without taking anything away from the richness of our breakfasts, desserts and snacks.

“The banana is probably one of the most versatile fruits,” says nutritionist Hubert Cormier. You can eat it raw, but also use it in the preparation of a multitude of recipes: the classic banana bread, the nice cream [dessert glacé à base de bananes congelées]the banana split, or even to make it a base for preparing pancakes”, he lists.

Ingredients

• 125 ml (1/2 cup) peanuts
• 3 pitted Medjool dates
• 250 ml (1 cup) unsweetened soy beverage
• 1 banana
• 15 ml (1 tbsp.) soy butter
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) ice cream

Preparation

• 1. Soak peanuts and dates in soy milk to retain all nutrients.
• 2. The next morning, process all the ingredients in a food processor until you obtain a smoothie with a smooth and homogeneous texture.

Hubert’s advice: It is possible to vary the ingredients of this recipe by changing the variety of nuts. Try with cashews or almonds.

Source: recipe by Hubert Cormier, nutritionist, taken from his book Legumes & Co.

Posted in The Press+ on January 26, 2017.