Recipes

I do most of the cooking around our house and, as Wendy would say, I usually don't make anything "normal". I thought I would share recipes of some of the more successful things that I have made. Either scroll down the list to see all the recipes in order, or click on a link below to jump directly to it. If you would like a more printable version, click here and a separate window will open with just the text of the recipes.

1. Sesame Beef
2. Mango Chutney Chicken
3. Feta Shrimp Pasta
4. BBQ Corn-on-the-Cob
5. Zucchini Shreds with Alfredo Sauce and Asiago Cheese
6. Chocolate Pate with Raspberry Sauce
7. Eric's (the Truffle Guy) Secret Chocolate Truffle Recipe
8. Spinach Salad with Maple Glazed Pecans and Fresh Fruit

Sesame Beef

• a good quality steak (sirloin), thinly sliced (this is usually easier if it is slightly frozen)

Marinate for 30 minutes or longer in:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 to 5 Tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Rice wine (optional)
• 1 clove of garlic (chopped)
• 2 to 3 drops of sesame oil

If you don't have the time to marinate, place the meat and liquid into a microwave at the lowest possible setting for several minutes - making sure not to cook it (just warm it). Drain and cook over medium heat in a frying pan or wok with a few teaspoons of cooking oil. Add a few spoonfuls of marinade if it becomes too dry. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Mango Chutney Chicken

• 2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts (cut into small pieces)
• 1 tsp curry powder (go to a specialty store and get some Madras curry if you can)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 to 1 can of chick peas (drained and rinsed)
• 1/4 c cashews (peanuts will do)
• 1/2 jar of Mango Chutney (Patak brand Tropical Fruit and Nut Chutney is good)
• 2 Tbsp water

Mix curry powder with chicken and let stand for 10 min or longer. Heat frying pan with a small amount of cooking oil and gently fry the chicken (medium heat or lower). After a few minutes, add the chick peas, nuts, and raisins. Continue cooking until chicken is browned slightly. Add the chutney and water and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the sauce is not runny. Serve with rice.

Feta Shrimp Pasta

• One green onion chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 8 medium shrimp or 5 large shrimp per person, shelled and de-veined
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 200 g feta cheese, chopped (low salt would be better)
• Freshly cooked Pasta (Penne works well)

Cook pasta. About 5 minutes before it is finished, cook the butter, garlic, and onion over low to medium heat in a frying pan. When the onions start to soften, add the shrimp and cook until they are nicely pink. Drain your pasta and place it onto plates for serving. Add the feta to the frying pan and heat until it begins to melt into the shrimp. Spoon over the pasta and serve immediately.

BBQ Corn-on-the-Cob

Here is a great way to cook corn. Soak corn in a bucket of water for ~30 minutes without removing the husks (this will prevent premature scorching). Turn barbecue to medium heat, and when ready, place the corn inside with the lid closed. Cook for a total of 30 minutes turning at least once. When finished, use OLD (preferably BLACK) oven mitts to peel the husk and silk from the cobs. (It is much easier to remove the silk after it is cooked since it sticks mostly to the husk.) Try to peel the corn quickly to prevent your mitts from getting moist - you will notice that they don't protect you from the heat at that point!

Zucchini Shreds with Alfredo Sauce and Asiago Cheese

• Several small zucchini (peeled and shredded to about the size of noodles - not too thin; I cut them into thick slices then shred them with a potato peeler; don't use the seeds as these will get too soft...)
• 1/2 cup Alfredo Sauce ("President's Choice Ultra Creamy 3-Cheese Alfredo Sauce" is good)
• 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese (optional)

Steam the zucchini shreds for about 10 minutes until soft but not mushy. Heat the Alfredo sauce in the microwave and mix with the zucchini and cheese. Serve immediately. If prepared correctly, the zucchini will be virtually indistinguishable from pasta.

Chocolate Pate with Raspberry Sauce

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 8 squares semi-sweet chocolate (melted)
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate (melted)

Whip the cream and vanilla until it begins to thicken. Add icing sugar and whip until light and fluffy. Whisk 1/4 of the cream mixture into the melted chocolate then fold in the remaining cream mixture. Spoon into a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap and smooth the top. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving. Can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for later use. Serve in slices with Raspberry Sauce.

Raspberry Sauce

• 1 package of frozen raspberries (300g; ~ 1.5 cups) thawed
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp orange liqueur (optional)

Process the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Strain to remove seeds. Spoon onto a dessert plate and place a slice of Pate in the centre. Spoon more over top then dust with icing sugar.

Eric's (the Truffle Guy) Secret Chocolate Truffle Recipe

This is the recipe that most people want me to make public. I have had great success with my plain truffles and variations on the theme, but most people have difficulty duplicating the taste. Hopefully this "official recipe" will help.

• ~200 g of chocolate compound* (melted - in microwave; less than 2 minutes on high)
• ~200 g of chocolate compound (melted, for dipping)
• one 250 g package of cream cheese, at room temperature (this is very important)
• Some kind of flavouring usually as 1 to 2 tsp of liquid (you may need to add some icing sugar to prevent it from being too wet).

STEP 1: Blend the cream cheese with the flavouring then add to the melted chocolate. If all goes well, the mixture will be smooth. If the cream cheese was too cold, the chocolate will have solidified into lumps. In this case, eat it and start over. If it works, chill the mixture for several hours. Technically, it is now called a ganache.

STEP 2: Using a spoon and your hands, form the ganache into small balls, rolling between the palms to make smooth. It helps if the room is cool and you keep washing your hands in COLD water (you'll see why!). Place the balls on trays covered with waxed paper. Before starting, you should really check to see if your tray(s) can be easily placed into the refrigerator - this could prevent a problem. Chill for several hours. You should be able to make 50 to 100 balls in one batch.

STEP 3: Melt the dipping chocolate and prepare another waxed paper lined tray to receive the finished truffles. Drop each one into the chocolate and roll until covered. Lift out with a fork, drain for a few moments, then 'slide onto the waxed paper' with a knife. This last part is the tricky bit - if all goes well, your truffle will sit in a very small puddle of chocolate and will happily sit there without rolling into the others on the tray. I have made several batches with just my fingers, and this required two dippings to completely cover the truffles. Use the fork and knife trick to save time and frustration. Chill and place in fancy boxes for serving/giving as gifts. These truffles should be stored in the refrigerator but are best eaten at room temperature.

The ingredients used are extremely important for this recipe. I use a chocolate that I buy in bulk at a health food store (Horn of Plenty, in Dundas). It is called "Swedish Semper Chocolate Compound", and yes, the Swedish appear to make really good chocolate! It is not a pure chocolate, but a "compound" that has a reasonably high wax-like component, thus making it handle well and solidify into a very crispy shell when used for dipping. I have tried the common Baker's Chocolate from the grocery store, but it was disappointing. White chocolate is possible, but it is difficult to work with. Chop your chocolate and melt it in a microwave since this is much more effective than using a double boiler.

Suggested variations:

• Ice wine with white chocolate dipped in white chocolate
• Irish cream with milk chocolate dipped in dark chocolate
• Raspberry puree mixed with white chocolate dipped in dark chocolate

Spinach Salad with Maple Glazed Pecans and Fresh Fruit

• 1 cup pecan halves
• 3 tbsp maple syrup

Place pecans and maple syrup into a small frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until pecans are almost dry (3-5 min). Spread out on waxed paper and allow to cool.

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/4 to 1/3 c white sugar
• 1/2 c oil (olive, vegetable, etc.)
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 c white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tbsp chopped onion

Mix together and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

• 1/2 can mandarin orange segments, drained
• 6-10 fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 c fresh blueberries
• 3-6 cups fresh spinach, ripped into small pieces

Toss salad with dressing, mix in glazed pecans, and serve.

All recipes on this page use 'approximate' measures. Use your best cooking judgement and personal preferences when preparing.