Elephant Ears

The move is now complete and much to my surprise was not as difficult as it could have been. The forecast was for rain on the day I moved and with an open trailer transporting most of my stuff, this was not a good thing. But the sun came out in full force and it was 31°C and humid while everything was packed into the car and trailer. This wasn’t exactly pleasant weather to be moving heavy boxes around in, (cookbooks weigh a ton) but it was better than the torrent of rain that arrived later that afternoon. The best part of the move though was that I managed to sneak away from my apartment without running into The Landlord or Ozzy. Considering the two of them were making daily unannounced visits to my place in the week leading up to my move, this was surprising indeed. I’m free of them forever! Almost. Ozzy’s last serenade, (a 4am special performance that was played on repeat with him accompanying the music on both guitar and vocals) has somehow stuck in my head. If you’re into Journey, the late 1970’s to early 80’s and power ballads, you should recognize these lyrics, which are somehow oddly appropriate:

Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world

She took the midnight train going anywhere.

Because of the move and packing and unpacking I’m late to the party but I’m hoping Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy will still let me in to her Blogiversary Bash, especially if I bring these cinnamon palmiers. With only three ingredients these are ridiculously easy to make, look fantastic, make your house smell like cinnabons when you bake them and will have people begging for more if you serve them at a party. And if you don’t like calling them palmiers, they’re also called Elephant Ears which I think is the most adorable name ever and in my opinion makes them exponentially better.

Cinnamon Palmiers, (or Elephant Ears!)

Puff pastry, (which you can make yourself if you’re feeling intrepid, but it’s perfectly ok to buy it too)

Sugar

Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Roll out the puff pastry and spread with cinnamon and sugar, as much or as little as you like. Beginning at one end roll up the puff pastry until you reach the half way point. Then, start rolling up the other end until the two rolls meet in the middle. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes to make it easier to cut. Remove from the freezer and slice the roll into half inch pieces and dip one side in more cinnamon sugar and place on baking tray. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden, let cool on tray.

Procrastination: Lemon Pepper Shrimp

I am a known procrastinator. If there’s something to be done it’s highly unlikely I will do it early. I will find anything I can to pass the time to avoid doing what I should be. Today I should be packing. Instead I just made a big bowl of lemon pepper shrimp. In my defense, I’m also trying to clear everything out of my fridge and freezer because I hate the thought of throwing out food. So really, I could argue that making lemon pepper shrimp was productive because I used up the last of the shrimp and a lemon. It was practically a form of packing. The shrimp was packed away into my stomach for safe keeping.

Procrastination Lemon Pepper Shrimp

~Half a pound of shrimp, (or whatever’s left in the bag)

A knob of butter

~A tsp minced garlic

1 lemon

Salt

Pepper

Smoky paprika

Peel and devein shrimp. Pat dry and season with salt, pepper and smoky paprika. Heat a saucepan over med-high heat and add butter. Once it becomes frothy add the garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook about 1 minutes, flip them over and cook another minute. Squeeze in the lemon juice and grind in some more pepper. Cook just until shrimp are pink throughout.

Technorati Tags:

Lemon + Pepper + Shrimp

I Can Make Crepes

Big things are happening in the Jumbo Empanadas kitchen right now. One of those things is relocating kitchens entirely. I am finally getting out of my awful apartment, which is something I’ve been meaning to do for the past 9 months, (since the day I moved in actually). I’m not just changing apartments though, I’m leaving the city completely. This has been a difficult decision for me to make because I really do like Toronto. I like my friends here and the markets and the restaurants and the variety of things to do for entertainment, heck I even kinda like my jobs, (cause my coworkers eat my baked goods and say nice things about them, flattery will get you everywhere). I like all of those things and I will miss them dearly so why on earth am I moving, and hours away at that? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself daily, but hopefully the end will justify the means and the move will turn out to be a good thing.

As much as I will miss Toronto, there are a few things that I will be happy to be rid of and even happier never to see again. I will not miss Ozzy, (who invited me to come over for a nightcap of wine cooler from a 2L plastic jug) or The Landlord, (who doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase ‘illegal entry to a residence’) or my crappy apartment, (that has no windows in the kitchen, thus leaving it in eternal darkness). I will not miss being woken up at 4am by Ozzy as he sings along to Journey or Pat Benetar being played at full blast. I will not miss The Landlord’s junk collection that clutters the common hallways, walls and backyard of my apartment and includes things like Jesus statues, teddy bears and 3 legged chairs. And I will not miss an apartment that has a front door that opens into the bathroom, frosted windows with bars on them and fuses that blow if more than 2 appliances are running at once.

What does all of this have to do with crepes? Nothing, but I just thought I’d let you know I can make them and they’re especially good with whipped cream, strawberries and nutella.

Easy Crepes (From Bon Appetit, June 1998)

1 1/3 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Mix first 6 ingredients in blender just until smooth. Cover batter and chill at least 15 minutes and up to 1 day.

Spray 7-inch-diameter nonstick skillet with vegetable oil spray and heat over medium heat. Pour 2 tablespoons batter into pan and swirl to coat bottom. Cook until edge of crepe is light brown, about 1 minute. Loosen edges gently with spatula. Carefully turn crepe over. Cook until bottom begins to brown in spots, about 30 seconds. Transfer to plate. Cover with paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying pan with oil spray as needed and covering each crepe with paper towel. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

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Crepes

Music and Martha

It’s time for another musical post. I think I love music and cookies equally and given the amount of cookies you see on this blog, that should tell you something. I’m one of those people who always has their earphones in and their iPod on everywhere they go. I’ve even gone so far as to purchase an otter box so that I can swim with my iPod, (I get some strange looks at the pool for that one). I listen to music when I’m happy and I listen to it when I’m sad. I just like to have it on. My friend C doesn’t understand how I can listen to some of the music that I do when I’m sad because she says it would render her useless and rocking on the floor in the fetal position. And although music may indulge my sadness at times, it’s also soothing. I wish I was musically talented because it seems like a good alternative for someone like me who sometimes has difficulty finding the words I want to say. I guess that’s why I bake instead. Speaking of which…

Last time I posted a Martha Stewart Cookie round up I received a number of comments about how I shouldn’t use up the world’s supply of butter, (sorry guys, I’m ignoring you on that front) and one query from Elizabeth of Blog from OUR Kitchen on why there weren’t any peanut butter cookies. Well Elizabeth, just for you there are three peanut butter recipes this time around.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars: I made these for a friend’s birthday. It took me a while to figure out what to make for him but I ultimately decided on these bars because he’s still just a big kid despite his quarter century of existence and PB&J is the ultimate kid food. He declared them “top notch.”

Nine Inch Nails- Something I Can Never Have, (Still). This song makes me want to cry. And on several occasions it has probably succeeded in making me do so. But I love it anyways.

Chunky Peanut, Chocolate and Cinnamon Cookies: For me, these cookies didn’t have enough cinnamon flavour to warrant listing cinnamon in the overly long title. They were good cookies but for cinnamon to appear in the opening line the dose definitely needed to be upped. Next time.

Radiohead- Karma Police. I’ve been listening to Radiohead a lot more since seeing them live at Lollapalooza where they put on a fantastic show. As an added bonus at Lollapalooza the crowd was treated to fireworks part way through the show that were completely unrelated to Radiohead, (they were happening for a separate occasion at a nearby park) but were perfect nonetheless as they began during Everything In Its Right Place.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies: I ran out of peanut butter while making these so I subbed in some homemade stuff, (ie- I got out my super blender and whirred up some peanuts I had in the cupboard) which may have affected the outcome slightly but not negatively. Peanut butter and chocolate are a natural combination so I was rather surprised when a couple people who tried them told me they had never thought to put the two together in brownies but liked the results.

Tool- Schism. Tool’s videos are always bizarre and not necessarily in a good way so I would recommend listening to the song but not watching the video unless you’re into that sort of thing, in which case, go ahead. I’d also give this a listen even if you think you don’t like Tool, you might surprise yourself. There are a number of bands that I’ve come to like that I never thought I would and Tool is one of them.

Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies: I wanted to love these, I really did. They sounded like they would be amazing. Sadly, I didn’t. But that just goes to show you that different people have different tastes because when I took them into work everyone devoured them. One co-worker described them as “tastes like shortbread mixed with french toast, but good french toast that already has syrup on it.” I have no clue where he got that idea from, but I’m glad he liked the blondies.

Foo Fighters- Stranger Things Have Happened. I’m actually going to see Foo Fighters live this Saturday on Toronto Island so I’m pretty stoked about that. What’s even better is that I won the tickets while baking Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies at 2:30 in the morning when I couldn’t sleep. I’ll also be seeing Oasis on Sunday, it’s all part of Virgin Music Festival and it’s all free for me.

Earl Grey Tea Cookies: These cute little cookies don’t actually have a strong Earl Grey flavour but they’re delightful with a cup of tea so maybe that makes up for it.

Rum Raisin Shortbread: Despite the name, these cookies don’t actually contain raisins, they call for dried currants. Does this seem odd to anyone else? The cookies taste good, but I can’t help but think I want to make them again with raisins or change the name so that when offering them to people I don’t have to try to explain why Rum Raisin cookies don’t contain raisins.

Coldplay- Lost. This song is off Coldplay’s latest release, Viva La Vida. I’ve been looking forward to this album for quite a while and it didn’t disappoint. I really wanted to go to their concert when they were in Toronto and was thisclose to buying scalper tickets but I ended up being out of town on the dates they were here, (which was probably a good thing for my bank account, scalper's have no qualms about charging your soul for a ticket that's probably a fake anyways).

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies, (from the top): I love candied ginger and although these cookies don’t call for any, I think it would be an excellent addition. They’re quite addictive just the way they are though and perfectly chewy.

Chocolate Cherry Crumb Bars: When I first tasted these bars right out of the oven I wasn’t all that impressed. Then I set them in the fridge overnight and somehow they were transformed into a wonderful magical bar of deliciousness the next day when I had one for breakfast, (don’t judge). I couldn’t believe I ever had doubts about these bars, they’re definitely worth trying and I will certainly be making them again.

All of the cookie recipes can be found in Martha Stewart's Cookies (The very best treats to bake and to share). And as usual, if anyone wants to send me concert tickets and be my life sponsor you're more than welcome to do that. If you have musical suggestions of stuff you think I might like, I'll accept those to, I love finding new sounds.

Technorati Tags:

Martha Stewart + Cookies + Brownies + Blondies + NIN + Nine Inch Nails + Coldplay + Radiohead + Chocolate + Foo+Fighters + Tool + Peanut Butter

And All That Could Have Been, (This Cake Is It)

This cake is worthy of an upcoming birthday celebration but you shouldn’t wait for one to give it a try. It could easily be labeled a show stopper as it’s a beautiful combo of chocolate, salted caramel and more chocolate, coated with roasted almonds. But what’s most important about this cake is that it can back up its good looks with even better taste. There’s no uncertainty here as is often the case with so many other things. You see this cake and you know it’s good. It tells it like it is and sometimes you need cakes, (and people) to do that for you. Otherwise you’re left wondering if things are as they appear to be And All That Could Have Been.

There’s no wondering with a recipe for Chocolate Cake with Fleur de Sel Caramel Filling from Vanilla Bake Shop because although it requires a number of steps to assemble, I assure you that it’s one delicious step after another. I found the caramel filling particularly intriguing as the addition of crème fraîche or sour cream gives it a noticeable tang. And you can’t go wrong with a ganache that requires only cream and chocolate so long as you use your favourite chocolate. The ganache is also easy to spread and roasted almonds help to hide flaws if your icing skills aren’t quite where you’d like them to be. Layer cakes always seem impressive but this one is especially so, could you honestly ask for anything other than a fork?

Chocolate Cake with Fleur de Sel Caramel Filling (From Bon Appetit)

CARAMEL FILLING

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced

1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Large pinch of fine fleur de sel* plus additional for assembly

GANACHE FILLING AND FROSTING

1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 cups heavy whipping cream

CAKE

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup hot water

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee

1 1/4 cups almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

CARAMEL FILLING

Stir sugar, 1/4 cup water, and corn syrup in deep medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium; cover pan and cook 4 minutes. Uncover; increase heat to high. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, occasionally brushing down pan sides with wet pastry brush, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Whisk in butter, then crème fraîche, lemon juice, and pinch of fleur de sel. Cool completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

GANACHE FILLING AND FROSTING

Place chocolate in large bowl. Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate; let soften 1 minute. Whisk until chocolate is smooth. Cool, then cover and chill overnight. DO AHEAD Ganache can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.

CAKE

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of each with parchment paper; butter paper and dust pan with flour.

Sift sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl. Add milk, eggs, and melted butter. Using electric mixer, beat at low speed until blended. Increase speed and beat 2 minutes. Stir 1 cup hot water and espresso powder in small bowl to dissolve. Add to batter; beat until blended (batter will be thin). Divide batter between pans (about 3 cups each).

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 32 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Cut around cakes; turn out onto racks. Peel off parchment and cool completely.

Using long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Place 1 layer on platter; spread with 1/2 cup room-temperature ganache. Spoon 3/4 cup ganache into pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch plain round tip. Pipe ring of ganache around edge of layer. Spread 1/4 cup room-temperature caramel filling evenly inside ring. Sprinkle caramel with large pinch of fleur de sel, then 1 tablespoon almonds. Top with second cake layer, ganache, ganache ring, caramel filling, fleur de sel, and almonds. Repeat with third cake layer. Top with fourth cake layer, cut side down. Spread remaining ganache over top and sides of cake. Press remaining almonds onto sides. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and chill. Let cake stand at room temperature 1 hour.

*A type of sea salt; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Technorati Tags:

Chocolate + Caramel + Cake + Bon Appetit + Fleur de Sel

Sandwiches: What’s in a name?

Some people are quite particular about what they’ll call a sandwich. I’m perhaps surprisingly not. If it’s got some sort of starch like substance enrobing some sort of filling and is handheld, that works for me. Under my very broad definition of a sandwich you’ll find subs, panini, wraps, shwarma, falafel, burritos and burgers, just to name a few. Some of these I make at home, (like my glorious BLT’s) and others I tend to look for when I’m out and about in Toronto.

Burritos are popular lately and most people have a favourite burrito shop that they frequent exclusively. I have long been an advocate of Big Fat Burrito in Kensington Market, (and especially their pulled pork burrito, it’s awesome) but I’m also willing to try new places so when I was advised that Burro Burrito was the place to go, I had to make a trek there. One of the perks of Burro Burrito, (so I was told) was that they have both chicken and steak burritos but also give you the option of combining the two. I enjoyed my steak and chicken burrito but I won’t be returning there frequently enough that they know my order by heart like they do for some people. I’m sticking with Big Fat Burrito.

Roti kind of looks like the Caribbean form of a burrito from the outside, but one bite will convince you that they’re completely different entities, (though both in the sandwich family as far as I’m concerned). Like burrito joints, there are many different places to get roti, each with a pact of devote followers that are certain their roti house is the best. I used to love a place called Jerk Spot. It was located in the Entertainment district and was my favourite place to go after the bar during my university days. There were two entrances to Jerk Spot, one at the front and the other at the back off a parking lot and alleyway that wasn’t really visible unless you knew it was there. I used to enter from the back as my favourite bar was on the other side of the parking lot and it was just a hop, skip and a jump away after last call. I usually got either the jerk chicken roti or curried chicken roti and couldn’t wait to get it into the parking lot to tear into it. Sadly, Jerk Spot has closed down and I haven’t yet found a place that I love as much. Part of me wonders if that’s at all possible because half the charm of Jerk Spot was that a trip there was usually preceded by a night of memories made with friends. In my quest to find a Jerk Spot substitute one of the places I’ve tried is Island Foods. I have sampled their vegetable roti and although it was quite good and I will most likely return to try their jerk chicken, it can never replace Jerk Spot.

I love discovering new places that have the potential to become favourites. When I see a new restaurant opening in my neighbourhood I look forward to trying it out. I watched as Wild Thing was renovated into a café and gelato bar as I passed by it a few times a week on my way to work. When it was finished it was neat, bright and inviting with a sandwich board outside the front door advertising their daily selection of paninis. The thought of a goat cheese, sundried tomato and roasted red pepper panini had my mouth watering so I knew it was only a matter of time before I gave it a shot. My panini, though on the skinny side, was quite good and certainly flavourful. It was served with a side of mixed greens that was unfortunately decidedly lacking in the dressing department. Aside from the sandwiches though, Wild Thing makes their own gelato and you know I’m a sucker for all things ice cream. They will certainly have my business again so long as they’re serving flavours like Pineapple and Basil, Mayan Chocolate and Ruby Red Grapefruit with Vodka.

Upscale chefs are onboard the sandwich wagon too. Jamie Kennedy’s recently opened Gilead Café has a selection of sandwiches and lunch offerings that change regularly based on what’s available locally and in season. The Gilead Café is a very affordable way to experience Jamie Kennedy quality food at regular people prices. And even though the café is tucked away on a side street, word of mouth has spread quickly that it’s an awesome place to grab a bite. There isn’t a lot of room to eat in, so expect it to be busy right around lunch time but don’t let that deter you from going. Whereas most places will offer a side of salad with your sandwich, on the day I was there, Jamie Kennedy was offering sautéed asparagus. It’s touches like this that let you know this café is part of the J.K. family. Most importantly though, the sandwich I had was grilled halloumi and vegetables and it came with homemade ketchup for dipping which was fantastic. I’ve been itching to return there ever since.

In general it’s rare that I order the same meal repeatedly when I frequent a restaurant but the veal sandwiches at the St. Lawrence Market make me break that rule. They’re perfect in every way and when a craving for one hits it’s impossible to get it out of my head. The sandwiches from Mustachio are also enormous so it’s best to bring a friend along to help you eat it. Imagine if you will, fresh foccacia bread piled high with thinly breaded parmesan veal cutlets, grilled eggplant, onions and peppers, slathered with tomato sauce. You want one now too, don’t you?

If it’s dessert you’re craving, sandwiches don’t have to be savoury, I fully accept any sort of cookie or ice cream sandwich too. If you happen to be in Toronto near the end of August each year you should stop by the Canadian National Exhibition, (known also as “The Ex”) which is basically an enormous fall fair with rides, games, food, shows and entertainment. Of course I’m particularly interested in the fair foods like cotton candy, caramel apples and waffle ice cream sandwiches. Since this is a sandwich post, it’s only right to highlight the waffle ice cream sandwich which features a slab of vanilla ice cream pressed between two hot off the press waffles. The smell alone will lure you in, but you’ll stay for the hot and cold contrast between the ice cream and the waffles.

My waffle maker is currently out of service but that didn’t stop me from making an ice cream sandwich with the NY Times 36 hour chocolate chip cookies and some homemade coffee flavoured frozen yogurt. You can pair just about any cookie with any flavour of ice cream, if it sounds good to you, go for it. I think my recent bacon ice cream would be pretty good with chocolate chip cookies too. Mmmm salty and sweet.

Other sandwiches coming out of my kitchen include things like simple egg salad on freshly made bread, or one of my personal favourites, the B.L.T., (particularly if it contains homemade bacon and bread and lettuce and tomato from the garden). I urge you to branch out from your typical sandwich eating habits, especially if that means a diet of subs from the same sub shop that you always go to. Try a falafel or roti next time the sandwich craving hits. Even if you don’t love it, at least you tried something new and I've given you something.

If you’re visiting Toronto you can find the delicious sandwiches pictured above at the following locations:

Island Foods

Gilead Café

St Lawrence Market

Wild Thing

Canadian National Exhibition

Burro Burrito

The egg salad sandwich, B.L.T. and chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches came from my kitchen and you’re welcome to stop by there too.

Technorati Tags:

Sandwiches + Panini + Roti + Burritos + Toronto

The Homebake Pizza Co.

We hand make it, you home bake it! That’s the slogan behind Toronto’s first take and bake pizza shop, a concept which is established in the USA and other areas of Canada but is new to Toronto. At The Homebake Pizza Co. in Roncesvalles, pizzas are made fresh to order with high quality and organic ingredients wherever possible. There are no pizza ovens in the shop because you take it home raw to bake in your own oven, (or on the BBQ!). This means your pizza will be hot and fresh when you want it and your kitchen will smell wonderful too. It doesn’t take a long time to bake and you don’t need any special pans either. Baking time is 15 minutes on average, (but this will depend slightly on your oven) and the pizza comes on a piece of parchment paper on cardboard which is used to slide the pizza and parchment directly onto your oven rack.

The pizza comes in two sizes, regular and large, and you can choose one of 6 featured pizzas or makes up your own combination. Build your pizza by starting with the type of crust you want, (organic white, multigrain or spelt) followed by sauce, (tomato, pesto or roasted garlic) and toppings of your choice, (select from a wide variety including roasted asparagus, spicy salami and goat cheese).

When you walk into The Homebake Pizza Co. the first thing you’ll notice is that it’s not your average pizza shop. Owner and operator Cassidy Watkins spent a lot of time making sure her store was beautiful and it definitely paid off. That kind of attention to detail and care extends to all areas of The Homebake Pizza Co. Cassidy is continuously trying to improve her product and respond to customer feedback. She’s currently working on a gluten free crust to meet the needs of her clientele. Cassidy’s always willing to chat or answer questions about her pizza so stop in and say hi and pick yourself up a great pizza while you’re at it!

The Homebake Pizza Co.

476 Roncesvalles Ave.

Toronto, ON

(416) 588-4272

http://homebakepizza.ca

Bacon Ice Cream- You Know You Want It

This ice cream has a few factors in common with the Potato Bacon Cheddar Tart from the previous post: it has been a long time coming and it helps to soothe my bacon addiction. It was only a matter of time before I made bacon ice cream, I’ve been talking about it for ages and every time I mention it to someone and they turn their nose up at me I only want to make it more. In fact, on the day I made this ice cream I told a friend about it and his reply was “Bacon belongs with eggs.” I told him it’s a good thing that’s what ice cream is made out of… Victory is mine.

The first step in making this ice cream is candying the bacon and if that’s as far as you get, you’ll still be pretty happy. I candied an extra two strips knowing full well that I would eat them before they ever made it into the ice cream. And I did and it was awesome. This ice cream works because it doesn’t taste overpoweringly of bacon. The base is flavoured with brown sugar and a bit of rum and the candied bacon is only added in at the end for a special sweet and salty finish. The only change I would make to the recipe would be to add some fleur de sel at the same time as the candied bacon, I thought the ice cream could actually have used a little more of a salty kick. But who am I to question David Lebovitz’s ice cream prowess? Any way you scoop it, if you’re a bacon lover this ice cream is for you.

Bacon Ice Cream, (From David Lebovitz)

For the candied bacon;
5 strips bacon
about 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

For the ice cream custard:
3 tablespoons (45g) salted butter
¾ cup (packed) brown sugar (170g), light or dark (you can use either)
2¾ (675ml) cup half-and-half
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons dark rum or whiskey
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
optional: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. To candy the bacon, preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
2. Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil, shiny side down.
3. Sprinkle 1½-2 teaspoons of brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon, depending on length.
4. Bake for 12-16 minutes. Midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that's collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until as dark as mahogany. Remove from oven and cool the strips on a wire rack.
5. Once crisp and cool, chop into little pieces, about the size of grains of rice.
(Bacon bits can be stored in an airtight container and chilled for a day or so, or stored in the freezer a few weeks ahead.)
6. To make the ice cream custard, melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and half of the half-and-half. Pour the remaining half-and-half into a bowl set in an ice bath and set a mesh strainer over the top.
7. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm brown sugar mixture to them, whisking the yolks constantly as you pour. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
8. Cook over low to moderate heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.
9. Strain the custard into the half-and-half, stirring over the ice bath, until cool. Add liquor, vanilla and cinnamon, if using.
10. Refrigerate the mixture. Once thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the bacon bits during the last moment of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine.

Cure for Bacon Withdrawal: More Bacon

Michael Smith, Chef at Home, knows how to make some seriously tasty food. This is the same man that inspired me to make such dishes as Buffalo Chicken Wing Salad (which I need to make again soon, it’s awesome) and Lobster Mac and Cheese, (which I have made on my own and also by using his fantastically indulgent recipe). He simply makes great things. I’ve been a fan of Michael Smith’s for a long time and I have two of his cookbooks which I adore but when he suggested wrapping a potato tart in bacon I knew that we would be friends for life.

What’s that? Bacon? I know, it's been a while since my beloved bacon has appeared here. I had become so accustomed to eating homemade bacon, (thanks to Michael Ruhlman, Michael seems to be a good name) that I couldn’t bear to eat any other kind and have therefore been missing out on bacon almost altogether. Since moving out I haven’t made any of my own bacon, cause it’s just not the same without the smoker, or quite frankly, without my Dad so I’ve been going through bacon withdrawal. Luckily there’s a cure for bacon withdrawal though and that’s lots and lots of bacon.
From the very first time I saw Michael Smith make this Potato Bacon Cheddar Tart I knew that I had to try it myself but for some reason it didn’t happen right away. The recipe stayed on my brain though, (Dad’s too) and every now and then we’d mention that Potato Bacon Tart we’d seen and inevitably how we should really make it soon. It was almost as though we were reminiscing about something we’d never even tasted. I think we saw Michael Smith make that tart in reruns two more times before we finally made it into the kitchen to try it ourselves. Why we waited that long, I have no idea, but no bacon lover should have to go through life even a minute longer without experiencing this. Because as you should all know by now, everything is better with bacon.

Potato Bacon Cheddar Tart (From Michael Smith via the Foodnetwork and also his book Chef at Home)

3 x baking potatoes, sliced one quarter inch thick
1 lb. of thickly sliced bacon
1 lb. of orange cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
***

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a 6-inch non-stick fry pan with bacon slices, arranging them in a radial pattern and starting with one end of bacon in the centre of the pan and the other end draped over the edge. When the entire surface of the pan has been covered, sprinkle with pepper and add a layer of sliced potatoes to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with grated cheese and pepper and repeat layers until they are slightly above the top of the pan.
Fold the bacon, one slice at a time up and over the potato mound toward the centre. Carefully overlap each slice and repeat until the top is completely and neatly covered with bacon. Press down and cover with a lid.
Place tart on a baking sheet, which will catch any drips during cooking. Bake for 3 hours.
*** I also added some thinly sliced onions and smoky paprika to the layering process.

Lollapalooza: 3 Days of Awesome

Question: Where do you go if you want to experience great food, awesome music and the most amazing weekend of your year?

Answer: Chicago and Lollapalooza!

This past weekend I road tripped down to the windy cindy to enjoy Lollapalooza, the three day music festival that features 8 stages and over 100 bands set in beautiful Grant Park in downtown Chicago. Headliners this year were Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and Nine Inch Nails and all three put on memorable shows. The three day festival was sold out with 225000 people attending which resulted in massive crowds and some crazy energy.

And although the weekend was not about food, I still managed to fit lots of that in. The first night there we had dinner at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian Steakhouse. Prior to this weekend I had never even heard of Brazilian Steakhouses but Chicago is full of them. I suspect most of them operate in the same sort of manner with a self serve salad bar, sides replenished at your table, (cheesy mashed potatoes, deep fried banana and parmesan polenta sticks) and the pièce de résistance, servers carving your choice of 17 juicy chunks of meat tableside.

At Fogo de Chao you get a token at the beginning of your meal that you use to signal servers. If you flip your token to the green side be prepared for server after server to arrive at your side with a skewer of meat to carve and load up your plate. When you’ve got enough, flip your token to red and the onslaught will stop temporarily. Meat choices include pork, beef and chicken and a variety of cuts of each from ribs to tenderloin. The server will also inquire as to how well done you want you meat and will carve off a slice accordingly.

Fogo de Chao was certainly a novel and delicious experience although I believe I slipped into a meat coma shortly following dinner that took a few hours to recover from, just in time for a visit to the Ghirardelli store. I believe I have a separate sweets compartment in my stomach that is never full and always accepting donations. This meant I was able to enjoy a scoop of blueberry cheesecake ice cream on a sugar cone and also accept a complimentary peanut butter chocolate while waiting in line. Sweet.

What’s a visit to Chicago without an authentic Chicago deep dish pizza? Pizzeria Uno is a great place to satisfy such a need. When the server recommended only a medium pizza for 3 of us, I was skeptical, thinking it wouldn’t be big enough but I needn’t have worried. Our deep dish pizza was filled with cheese, sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms and tomato sauce and it was beyond filling. I actually saved one of my slices to enjoy after the Rage Against the Machine concert, (when I was in desperate need of refueling) and still had some leftover for breakfast the next morning.

Ah yes, the Rage Against the Machine show. I was close enough to the front to get a full work out, but not so close as to be crushed into the barricades, which was a reality for a lot of people. With Bloc Party finishing their set an hour before the Rage show began, there was lots of time for anticipation to build. Despite no music being played during this hour people were still crowd surfing and generally gearing up for the show. When 8pm finally rolled around a siren started blaring from the stage and went on for a full minute and a half before Rage took the stage and began full throttle with Testify. Check out my video below of the beginning of that song. The crowd went absolutely nuts! From Testify the band carried into Bulls on Parade and the energy reached a frenetic state. It was so intense that the band actually had to stop the show and ask people to take ten steps back and look out for one another. This happened two more times during the show, with the band stopping music completely but promising to play all the songs from their set so long as everyone was safe. It was an unreal performance.

Nine Inch Nails were closing out the festival at the end of day three and I was determined to have a prime spot from which to enjoy the show. This was no easy feat. I had to give up seeing Gnarls Barkley and Kanye West play as they were at the opposite main stage, (almost a full mile across the park) in order to hold my spot for Nine Inch Nails. This also meant enduring a horrendously loud and awful set put on by Love and Rockets, (Worst. Band. Ever.). Many of the people around me had in earplugs for their performance and I desperately wished that I was one of them.

It was worth it though when NIN came on and blew me away with a show that was both visually and musically outstanding and I was front and centre for all of it. The band played a lot of new material, starting off the show with 1 000 000, Letting You and Discipline off the new album, The Slip before transitioning seamlessly to some older material, (including March of the Pigs and Closer) and then instrumental tracks from Ghosts, among other greats. The set ended with huge energy for Only and The Hand that Feeds with a dynamic crowd that showed no signs of exhaustion after three days in the heat at Lolla. The show could have ended there, but Trent came back with a three song encore of Echoplex, Hurt and In This Twilight. Standing under the stars with thousands of people singing along to the very emotional song Hurt completed my whole Lollapalooza experience. The NIN show was a perfect cap to a fabulous weekend in a great city that I definitely want to return to.

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Lollapalooza + NIN + Rage Against the Machine + Nine Inch Nails + Pizza + Chicago