Grilled Chicken and Prosciutto Margherita Pizza

The Margherita Pizza is said to have been invented in Naples by a local baker in 1889 to celebrate a visit to the city by Italy's Queen Margherita. The three original toppings were said to represent the colors of the Italian flag; basil for the green, tomato for the red and mozzarella for the white. I do make a Margherita Pizza that is true to those original ingredients which is quite delicious but here I have added a couple of extra flavour elements that work very well together. The roasted tomato jam as a base has the full natural sweetness of the tomatoes brought out in the cooking process which works as a great counterpoint to the saltiness of the kalamata olives, prosciutto and parmesan. All of this is supported by a fantastic crispy chewy thin crust that I've grown a little too fond of these days.

Pizza dough

Makes sufficient for 4 -6 individual pizzas

4 cups flour
1/2 tsp instant rise yeast
1 & 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook. Mix for 5 -10 minutes on medium speed. You may need to add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time until the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. Alternatively stir together with a wooden spoon before turning out onto a floured bread board and kneading for 5-10 minutes. Cover the dough and allow to rise for about an hour until about doubled in size. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for another few minutes. Divide into 4-6 equal portions, form into balls and let rest for about 10-15 minutes before stretching or rolling the dough out into about 9 inch rounds.

Preheat your pizza stone in middle rack of your oven for half an hour at 450 degrees F.

Place one round on a wooden peel that has been well sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal will allow the pizza to slide off the peel (I’ve even used a thin piece of cardboard in a pinch if you do not have a peel.) Make sure your pizza is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings.

Roasted Tomato Jam
6-8 large vine ripened tomatoes diced
2 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Toss together in a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has reduced off the tomatoes are the consistency of jam.

Pizza Sauce

3 cups Roasted Tomato Jam
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp crushed chili sauce (optional  if you don't like spicy hot sauce or adjust to taste)

Spread sauce over the pizza dough before adding:

sliced grilled chicken
fresh mozzarella slices
fresh basil leaves
thin sliced prosciutto
pitted kalamata olives
julienned red peppers
freshly grated parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper

Shake your peel to make sure the pizza is not stuck. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the bottom is evenly brown and the top cheese begins to brown slightly. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Blue Cheese Steak and Red Onion Jam Panini

Meal planning for me sometimes includes a plan for tomorrow night's dinner while cooking tonight's. Very often this includes a great hearty panini as a meal in itself, like the great Turkey Dressing and Gravy Paninis that always seem to be on the menu the night after a roast turkey dinner; find that recipe here: Turkey Dressing and Gravy Panini. I swear we sometimes roast a turkey just to have those.

During the summer grilling season, one of my very favorite ways to use this meal strategy is to make sure there is leftover rare steak so that I can make these great paninis; I usually throw on a couple of extra steaks to make sure. Now I know blue cheese is not to everyone's taste, so feel free to substitute some good cheddar if you like; aged white cheddar is fantastic on this sandwich. The onion jam is what elevates this recipe to a higher level and although it takes only minutes to make, you can make it in advance and bottle it. It makes a great condiment for roast beef too.

Red Onion Jam

2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to season
3 large red onions, sliced or chopped
1 large shallot minced
1/2 tsp ground dry thyme
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine

In a small pot or saute pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Throw in the onions and shallots, season with salt and pepper and saute until the onions are completely cooked and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Add the brown sugar,thyme, nutmeg, balsamic vinegar and red wine and simmer together until the red wine reduces and the mixture comes to a thick jam-like consistency. Remove from heat and serve or bottle in mason jars for later.

Paninis

sliced rare beef steak
red onion jam
crumbled blue cheese
dijon mustard
butter
ciabatta bread

Split the ciabatta bread horizontally and lightly butter the OUTSIDE of the bread. Spread the inside of the bread with dijon mustard, add a layer of red onion jam followed by the sliced beef and crumbled blue cheese. Place on a preheated panini press and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the outside is golden and crispy and the cheese begins to melt.

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Beer Battered Shrimp with Chili Lime or Lime Curry Mayo

This is a recipe that I use mostly as an hors d'ouevre at parties but throw a few home fries next to them and they make a tasty lunch or dinner too. This is a different beer batter recipe that I tried here and that turned out very well. It is a slight variation of an Anthony Sedlak version that I was interested to try because of the yeast in the batter. I was quite pleased with the result because it tasted wonderful and the batter remained crispy after deep frying and did not get soggy at all. As always, deep frying in small batches and keeping the heat well regulated to maintain 375 degrees F is crucial to a crispy final product that has not absorbed a lot of oil in the cooking process.

I like to serve a couple of different dipping sauces and here we have two mayonnaises to suit different tastes. Both start with a lime based homemade mayo with one adding curry powder and the other adding crushed chili sauce for some great sweet heat. Most people will like one or the other or both, so I find they are great versions to serve at parties.

Beer Batter

1 teaspoon instant dry yeast (the type that does not have to be proofed in water first and can be directly added to the flour)
3 tablespoons warm water
One 12 oz bottle beer at room temperature
1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 litre vegetable oil, for frying

Add the instant yeast and sea salt to the flour and stir together. Add the water and beer and whisk together well. The batter should be thin like pancake batter. If the batter appears too thick or two thin you can add a little more flour or water as needed. Don't worry if there are still a few lumps in the batter, this is not a problem, it is better not to over mix this batter. Set the batter aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F.

2 dozen fresh, raw, large shrimp,;peeled washed and deveined
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup flour

Toss the shrimp in the salt and pepper and then dredge them well in the flour before dipping them into the batter and dropping them into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown turning them over once if necessary.
Remove from oil and rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.

Lime Mayonnaise

In a blender or food processor combine until thick and pale in color
2 large or extra large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
A pinch cayenne pepper
Zest of 1 lime finely chopped

Add oil alternately with lime juice in three parts, adding the oil very slowly in a thin stream.
About 1 cup canola oil
Juice of one lime

Add all of the lime juice to the recipe but when the mayonnaise reaches the right consistency that you prefer for dipping you may not have to use all of the canola oil.

To the mayonnaise you can stir in
1 tsp curry powder OR
1 tsp chili sauce (more or less to taste)

Here, I've divided the mayo in 2 portions and added half the chili paste and curry powder to each half.

Store any leftover mayonnaise in an airtight container in the fridge for no more than 24 hours. Great on sandwiches or on crab cakes too.
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Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

The last day of school in our neighbourhood means the Dawson's annual summer launch party where guests are welcomed by Joan, Jinji and Lilli, three very gracious hostesses. It's always a fun time for the kids with water slides, trampolines and a bouncy castle all crowded into their beautiful back yard in the center of the city. Parents are invited too, to sit and observe the children's revelling from beneath the shade of blooming, fragrant old lilacs which stretch out over the back deck.

It's always a great, informal relaxed time with good conversation and good eats, which naturally is where I come in. My contributions to the table at this year's party included a baked brie in puff pastry with toasted walnuts and partridgeberries for the parents and a huge chocolate chip banana cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. The cake recipe is really a variation of my mom's banana bread recipe which I've recently discovered goes amazingly well with chocolate buttercream frosting.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

1 cup white sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ cup orange juice
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat sugar and oil in a bowl. Add eggs and mashed.
Sift together dry ingredients and fold into banana mixture alternately with orange juice.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. A toothpick inserted in the center which comes out clean is the best indicator that the cake is fully baked.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water

Combine and bring to a boil. Continue to boil over medium heat without stirring until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Meanwhile beat together to stiff peaks
6 egg whites at room temperature
¼ tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Slowly pour in the sugar syrup hitting the side of the bowl and not the beaters. Continue beating the frosting for 10-15 minutes until the meringue is completely cool. When completely cool, slowly begin to add, a few tablespoons at a time

2 cups softened unsalted butter

Beat until smooth after each addition.

Combine and melt in a double boiler:

1 pound chocolate, chopped in small pieces
½ cup butter

Add to the meringue mixture and beat well until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. This may take 15 minutes or so and you may have to chill the frosting for several minutes before beating it again to get it to stiffen. Alternatively, you can place the frosting bowl in an ice bath while continuing to beat constantly until the icing stiffens sufficiently.

Garnish with chocolate dipped banana chips if desired.

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Chili Lime Shrimp Kabobs

With the summer grilling season in full swing, my own gas grill is not seeing much rest these days. I coudn't resist some gorgeous looking fresh shrimp at the store yesterday morning. Within the hour, they were bought, marinated, skewered, grilled and devoured as a colorful and healthy lunch.

Makes 4 kabobs

Marinade

juice and finely grated zest of one lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 finely minced shallot
1 tsp crushed chili sauce (more or less to taste depending on how much heat you prefer)

Mix together well and add to a large zip-loc bag along with

12 jumbo shrimp

Squeeze the air out of the bag and let the shrimp marinate for about 20 minutes before placing them on pre-soaked bamboo skewers along with

fresh pineapple chunks
red pepper chunks

Glaze:
Add the remaining marinade from the bag to a small pot along with

1/4 cup honey

Simmer for a few minutes.

Place the kabobs on very hot preheated grill for about 3 minutes per side or until the shrimp are fuly cooked. Brush the glaze onto the kabobs while grilling. Serve.

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Buffalo Wing Pizza

I've tried many recipes for pizza dough over the years, even making thousands of pounds of it during my stint at the local pizza joint in my hometown many years ago but I've continued trying out different recipes looking for the perfect pizza crust. To me the perfect pizza crust is thin, crispy on the bottom and edge crust, with a bit if a chewy texture in the mouth. All of this can only be achieved in a very hot oven, baking the pizza directly on a hot pizza stone.

The real trick for a truly great thin pizza crust, I've discovered, is no fat or oil whatsoever in the dough. I've had recipes using butter or olive oil or combinations of both but to get the texture I really like the dough has got to go back to basics. For this recipe the dough only has 4 ingredients, identical to making authentic French bread; flour, yeast, sea salt and water.

So no, there are no wings on this pizza, that's not really practical, I don't think, so here I do use grilled chicken slices. The amazing sauce is key to this recipe. Here I've added a little balsamic vinegar and plenty of hot sauce to my standard roasted tomato jam. Fresh mozzarella makes this really great  but I'm sure grated mozza would be good too.

Pizza dough

Makes sufficient for 4 -6 individual pizzas

4 cups flour

1/2 tsp instant rise yeast

1 & 1/2 cups lukewarm water

2 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook. Mix for 5 -10 minutes on medium speed. You may need to add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time until the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. Alternatively stir together with a wooden spoon before turning out onto a floured bread board and kneading for 5-10 minutes. Cover the dough and allow to rise for about an hour until about doubled in size. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for another few minutes. Divide into 4-6 equal portions, form into balls and let rest for about 10-15 minutes before stretching or rolling the dough out into about 9 inch rounds.

Preheat your pizza stone in middle rack of your oven for half an hour at 450 degrees F.

Place one round on a wooden peel that has been well sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal will allow the pizza to slide off the peel (I’ve even used a thin piece of cardboard in a pinch if you do not have a peel.) Make sure your pizza is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings.

Roasted Tomato Jam

6 large vine ripened tomatoes diced
2 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Toss together in a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has reduced off the tomatoes are the consistency of jam.

Pizza Sauce

3 cups Roasted Tomato Jam

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp hot sauce (Add more to taste. I do.)

Spread sauce over the pizza dough before adding:

sliced grilled chicken

fresh mozzarella slices

crumbled blue cheese

freshly grated parmesan cheese

cracked black pepper

Shake your peel to make sure the pizza is not stuck. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the bottom is evenly brown and the top cheese begins to brown slightly. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Roasted Carrot and Celeriac Soup

Sometimes referred to as celery root, celeriac is not actually the root of a celery plant, it is a diffferent vegetable altogether. I am not a big fan of celery myself, but I find the mild celery flavour of celeriac is very good in mixed vegetable side dishes or as here, to add some extra body and freshness to a pureed carrot soup. Most of my pureed soups start with roasted vegetables becasue the roasting brings out the natural sugars in them, resulting in a much more flavorful soup. Served with a little garlic toast, this is a great healthy lunch or first course at dinner. This soup also freezes well, so we tend to freeze it in single serving small airtight plastic containers for individual lunches any time.

1 large cleriac, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

3 lbs carrots cut in 1 inch lengths

6 large cloves garlic, unpeeled

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to season

Toss all of the above together and roast in a single layer on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven until the vegetables are fork tender, about 45 minutes. You may need to take the garlic cloves out before this time if they have completely softened.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large pot and add

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground thyme

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 to 1 1/2 litres of vegetable stock (low or no sodium is best)

Simmer over medium low heat for about a half hour before purreeing the soup in a standard blender or using and immersion blender. Taste the soup and do a final seasoning with salt and pepper before finishing the soup by adding:

juice of half a lemon

2 tablespooons clover honey

Stir well and serve.

NOTE: The amount of vegetable stock you add to this recipe varies, depending on the size of the vegetables and how thick you prefer your finished soup to be. You can always add more at the end it it is too thick when purreed.

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Chocolate Fudge Cake with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

I made this cake yesterday to bring to a party being thrown by one of my daughter's classmates in celebration of their "graduation" from elementary school to junior high. (Sigh, where did those seven years go?) It was great fun watching a bunch of 12 year olds dig into the chocolate dipped strawberries which were devoured before the cake was even cut.

I've used my standard chocolate scratch cake here and added an easy recipe for the 'frosting challenged'. This frosting is quite easy to make, starting with a base of silky melted chocolate. When you're off to a start like that, how bad can the finish be? ;)

I like to dip my strawberries in chocolate ganache instead of plain melted chocolate because the cream in the ganache softens the chocolate, making it melt in your mouth faster and meld with the flavour of the juicy ripe strawberries even better. I also find this makes them less messy to eat because the chocolate doesn't shatter when you bite into the strawberry and fall into your lap! :)

Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup soured milk
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla flavouring

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes.

Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

12 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
pinch salt
4 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter completely, then add the cream and salt and heat just to the boiling point. Remove form heat and pour in the chocolate chips. Make sure all of the chips are covered in the cream and butter mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes before stirring together until smooth. Add the vanilla and slowly beat in the icing sugar with an electric mixer  until the frosting comes together to a spreadable consistency. If your chocolate is too hot you may have to cool the frosting and beat it with an electric mixer again when it's cooler.

Chocolate Ganache for Dipping

2 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream

In a small saucepan over low flame, heat the cream to almost boiling. Add the chocolate chips a half cup at a time, stirring until completely melted after each addition. If after the final addition of the chocolate chips, you feel the consistency of the chocolate is too thick, simply add a little heated cream to thin it out.

Wash and pat dry the strawberries in paper towels before dipping them into the chocolate mixture. Place the dipped strawberries on a wax paper, parchment paper or silicone lined baking sheet and refrigerate for a half hour before using them to garnish the fudge cake.

Baked Honey Lemon Glazed Wings

I served these delicious wings last night at supper and everyone loved them. They are really simple to make and are baked and not fried, although you could easily deep fry them instead if you prefer. These are dredged in a seasoned flour before baking which really helps the glaze to stick to the wings; a real finger lickin' recipe for sure.

3 lbs chicken wings, cleaned and cut in two pieces with the tips removed

salt and pepper to season

Season the wings with salt and pepper.

Sift together:

1 cup flour

2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

3 tsp powdered ginger

2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp salt

Dredge the cleaned and trimmed wings in the seasoned flour. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (for easier clean up later) and place a wire rack/s over the sheet. Bake the wings on this rack at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes, turning them over half way through the cooking time.

Honey Lemon Glaze

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add

1 small finely chopped shallot

1 tbsp olive oil

Saute for a minute to soften the shallot, then add

1/2 cup honey

finely chopped zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Simmer together for about 5-10 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken wings into a large bowl and pour the hot glaze over the wings. Toss well to cover all of the wings in glaze. Garnish with grated lemon zest and chives if desired.

Grilled Asparagus Pineapple and Chicken Pizza

This pizza was inspired by the Primary Colors pizza at a local restaurant, Pi, on King's Road here in St. John's. Good thin crust pizza is hard, if not impossible to come by in this neck of the woods and these guys are the best of what's available here. This pizza uses a pesto sauce instead of a tomato based sauce. You can use a good quality bottled sauce if you like but I've included a good standard pesto recipe which can be frozen in small batches in airtight containers for later use in other dishes. Good pesto is all about the best quality ingredients, so use the best olive oil and parmesan cheese that you can find.(or as Martha would say, "The best you can afford.")

I always cook pizza on a very hot stone in a 450 degree oven which has been well preheated for at least a half hour. You will have to experiment with the height of your oven rack so that the pizza is close enough to the top element to brown the top of the pizza properly; for me middle of the oven works best. An investment in a good pizza stone and wooden peel is one which will pay off greatly in the long run. We've often had make-your-own pizza kids birthday parties and even adult gatherings where the guests did the same and enjoyed it as much or more than the kids.

Pesto

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
10 cloves garlic
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good quality olive oil
1 cup freshly grated good quality parmesan cheese

In a food processor pulse together the walnuts, pine nuts and garlic to break them up. Add the basil leaves, salt and pepper and pulse the food processor until the basil leaves are well broken down. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until the basil and nuts are very well pureed. Finally add the grated parmesan cheese and process foe only another minute. Freeze leftover pesto in small airtight containers with a layer of plastic wrap placed over the surface to protect it from discoloring.

Pizza Dough

MAKES ENOUGH FOR 6 -8 INDIVIDUAL PIZZAS

3-4 cups all purpose flour
1 packet instant yeast
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
½ tsp sea salt

Mix dry ingredients together except for one cup of the flour. Add the warm water and mix very well with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until dough forms. Remove to a floured breadboard or your counter top and knead for an additional 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest for ½ hour, covered in a warm place. Knead again for 5 minutes and split dough into portions and allow to rest for 20 minutes before rolling your dough into the desired size.

Preheat your pizza stone in middle rack of your oven for half an hour at 450 degrees F.

Stretch or roll your pizza dough into 8-9 inch rounds and place one on a wooden peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal will allow the pizza to slide off the peel (I’ve even used a thin piece of cardboard in a pinch if you do not have a peel.) Make sure your pizza is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings.

Toppings:

Grilled chicken slices
Grilled asparagus
Grilled pineapple
Grilled red peppers
Sauteed red onion
Crisp cooked bacon
Mix of mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Shake your peel to make sure the pizza is not stuck. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel.
Bake for 8-12 minutes depending upon your oven. Bottom and top should be nicely browned.

Pork Tenderloin Medallions in Chinese BBQ Sauce

As much as I like cooking and spending time in the kitchen, I still love a good quick meal. This one makes good use of pork tenderloin cut in thin coins for fast cooking and some delicious Chinese Char Siu Sauce, which is sometimes referred to as Chinese Barbeque Sauce. If you steam the carrots and broccoli while you stir fry the pork medallions you can easily have this one on the table in 20 minutes.

3 large carrots, sliced

3 cups broccoli florets

Steam the carrots and broccoli in salted water until fork tender. Drain and immediately drop the steamed vegetables into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking action. Drain and set aside.

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin

salt and pepper to season

3 tbsp peanut oil

Cut the pork tenderloin in thin slices. Lightly season the pork with salt and pepper. Add the oil to a very hot wok and quickly stir fry the pork slices for only a few minutes. Remove them from the wok and set aside.

3 cloves minced garlic

1/2 cup Char Siu Sauce

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp chinese chili paste (optional if you don't like it spicy, add more if you do)

2 tsp low sodium soya sauce

Reduce the heat on the wok to medium high and saute the garlic for a minute before adding the remaining ingredients ans simmering for only a couple of minutes. Turn the heat back up to high. return the pork and steamed vegetables to the wok and toss together for a few minutes until everything is well heated. Serve over rice or chinese noodles and garnish with toasted almonds, cashews or sesame seeds.

Double Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Bananas and chocolate are a naturally great combination and here they get along particularly well. I call these double chocolate because not only are they topped with the BEST chocolate buttercream frosting ever, I've also sneaked a few chocolate chips into the cupcake batter, just like my mom used to do when she made banana bread.

I should note that the recipe for this frosting makes quite a large batch. This is a good recipe to use up any leftover chocolate buttercream frosting or you could just make a half batch which should be good for a couple of dozen cupcakes.


Cupcake Recipe

1 cup white sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup orange juice
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat sugar and oil in a bowl. Add eggs and mashed bananas.
Sift together dry ingredients and fold into banana mixture alternately with orange juice.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Fill paper lined cupcake pans with the batter and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before forsting with chocolate buttercream frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water

Combine and bring to a boil. Continue to boil over medium heat without stirring until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Meanwhile beat together to stiff peaks
6 egg whites at room temperature
¼ tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Slowly pour in the sugar syrup hitting the side of the bowl and not the beaters. Continue beating the frosting for 10-15 minutes until the meringue is completely cool. When completely cool, slowly begin to add, a few tablespoons at a time

2 cups softened unsalted butter

Beat until smooth after each addition.

Combine and melt in a double boiler:

1 pound chocolate, chopped in small pieces
½ cup butter

Add to the meringue mixture and beat well until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. This may take 15 minutes or so and you may have to chill the frosting for several minutes before beating it again to get it to stiffen. Alternatively, you can place the frosting bowl in an ice bath while continuing to beat constantly until the icing stiffens sufficiently.

Beef and Broccoli

Beef and Broccoli

(serves four)

Here's another quick cook meal for a busy weekday or busier weekend supper.

1 1/2 pounds of brocolli, (cleaned and cut into 1 1/2 inch florets)

1 1/2 pounds striploin steak (ask for it thick cut to 1 1/2 inches)

salt and pepper to season

2 cloves minced garlic

2 tbsp peanut oil

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp chinese five spice powder

1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger

4 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2/3 cup beef stock

Cornstarch Slurry ( 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp cold water)

Steam the brocolli florets for only about 3 to 4 minutes. Drop the steamed florets into a big bowl of ice water to stop th e cooking action. Drain the florets from the cold water and set aside.

Slice the beef accross the grain in thin slices. Heat the peanut oil in a wok at the highest heat. Lightly season the beef strips with salt and pepper and cook the beef strips in small batches for only a couple of minutes in the wok. Set aside.

Saute the minced garlic in the wok for a minute before adding the freshly ground nutmeg, chinese five spice powder, fresh grated ginger , hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and beef stock. Simmer together for a few minutes before adding enough of the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Taste the sauce and do a final seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Add:

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Toss the cooked beef strips and brocolli back into the sauce and toss together over high heat only for a minute until the brocolli is heated through. Serve over rice or chinese noodles. Toasted cashews make a nice garnish too.

Soft Molasses Cookies or Giant Jam-Jams

Giant Jam-Jams or Soft Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Chill dough for several hours or overnight before rolling out the dough on a well floured board and cutting out 3 inch circles. Cut a ½ inch circle out of half of the rolled out cookies. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before sandwiching the cookies with

1 tbsp partridgeberry apple jam per cookie (or your favorite jelly)

Use the cookies with the circle cut-outs as the tops of the sandwich cookies.

Alternatively, you can just roll the dough into 1 inch balls, roll the balls in plain sugar and bake them on a parchment lined cookie sheet for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. You can make sandwich cookies out of them or serve them just as they are.

Strawberry Chocolate Buttercream Cake

Strawberry Chocolate Buttercream Cake

A good chocolate buttercream icing is a dangerous thing. After a single serving, I can resist most of the goodies created here but this stuff calls out to me if there are any leftovers at all. Combine it with some ripe sweet stawberries and a dark, moist, chocolate scratch cake and well... that's a recipe for a midnight fridge visit if I ever saw one!

Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup soured milk
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla flavouring

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes.

Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans, or one 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water

Combine and bring to a boil. Continue to boil over medium heat without stirring until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Meanwhile beat together to stiff peaks

6 egg whites at room temperature
¼ tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Slowly pour in the sugar syrup hitting the side of the bowl and not the beaters. Continue beating the frosting for 10-15 minutes until the meringue is completely cool. When completely cool, slowly begin to add, a few tablespoons at a time

2 cups softened unsalted butter

Beat until smooth after each addition.

Combine and melt in a double boiler:

1 pound chocolate, chopped in small pieces
½ cup butter

Add to the meringue mixture and beat well until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. This may take 15 minutes or so and you may have to chill the frosting for several minutes before beating it again to get it to stiffen. Alternatively, you can place the frosting bowl in an ice bath while continuing to beat constantly until the icing stiffens sufficiently.

1 1/2 pounds fresh ripe strawberrues, cleaned , dried and de-stemmed.

Add a thin layer of frosting to the bottom layer of the cake. Arrange the strawberries to cover the entire surface of the bottom layer. Using a piping bag, or just a large ziploc bag with a corner snipped off, squeeze the frosting in and around all of the strawberries until they are completely covered. Top with the second cake layer and frost the entire outside of the cake. Garnish with additional strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate ganache if you like.

Chocolate Ganache

Scald to almost boiling:

1/4 cup whipping cream

Pour the scalded cream over

1 cup chocolate chips

Let stand for 5 minutes before stirring until smooth. You can use a piping bag to drizzle the ganache over the cake or , as with the frosting, just snip a small corner off a ziploc bag to serve the same function.

Cauliflower Gruyere Gratin

Cauliflower Gruyere Gratin

4 cups cauliflower florets, trimmed and washed

Place the uncooked cauliflower florets into an ungreased 9 inch square glass baking dish.

For the gruyere sauce:

In the microwave, scald


2 cups whole milk

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook together for 2 minutes

3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp sea salt

Whisking constantly, slowly pour in scalded milk. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes stirring constantly. Stir in:

6 ounces smoked gruyere cheese, grated (You can substitute Asiago, Parmesan or Romano.)
1 tsp tarragon
2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Pour over the clauliflower florets.

Crumb topping

1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 ounce grated smoked gruyere
1 ounce grated parmesan
2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the cauliflower and sauce and bake for about 40 minutes or until bubbling and the cauliflower is fork tender. Let stand five minutes before serving.

Roasted Sweet Potato Mash

Roasted Sweet Potato Mash

( Find the recipe for Orange and Five Spice Grilled Chicken here:

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/06/orange-and-five-spice-grilled-chicken.html )

I thought that I had previously posted this recipe but after receiving several messages yesterday when I featured this great side dish with some awesome grilled chicken, it seems a lot of folks are looking for it. A great combination of roasted sweet potatoes and white potatoes, we love to serve these potatoes with many things from roasted chicken or pork loin to grilled salmon. I do love just a little hint of fragrant spice in this side dish but you can omit it if you choose. This one will quickly become an old stand-by.

2 lbs russet potatoes

2 lbs sweet potatoes

6 cloves roasted garlic

3 tbsp butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp chinese five spice or cinnamon (optional)

Wash the sweet potatoes and russet potatoes and roast them in their skins in a 350 degree oven for about an hour or until all of the potatoes are fork tender. Place garlic cloves in an aluminum foil packet with a teaspoon of olive oil and roast in the oven along with the sweet potatoes and russet potatoes.

Scoop the russet and sweet potatoes out of their skins. Add the roasted garlic that has been removed from their skins and mash together well. Add the butter and cream (and five spice or cinnamon if desired) and mix until smooth. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.

Orange and Five Spice Grilled Chicken

Orange and Five Spice Grilled Chicken

( Find the recipe for the Roasted Sweet Potato Mash here:

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/06/roasted-sweet-potato-mash.html )

4 large boneless skinnles chicken breasts

Marinade:

1/2 cup frozen concentrated orange juice

1 tsp chinese five spice powder

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove finely minced garlic clove

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground dry thyme

Marinade the chicken breasts for 30 -60 minutes before grilling. Use leftover marinade to brush on the chicken while it's on the grill. Grill for 6-7 minutes per side depending on the size of the breasts or until the inside reaches 180 degrees on a meat thermometer. Serve on a bed of Roasted Sweet Pototo Mash.

Roasted Squash and Red Pepper Soup

Roasted Squash and Red Pepper Soup

2 pounds squash, peeled and cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes

3 tbsp olive oil

3 large red peppers

1 quart vegetable stock ( use low sodium if nuying prepared stock)

5 cloves roasted garlic

4 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp chinese five spice powder

1 tsp ground dry thyme

sea salt to season to taste

Toss the cubed squash and whole garlic cloves in the skins with the olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Place in a gleass baking pan and bake at 375 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until the pieces are fork tender and the edges have become slightly caramelized.

Roast the red peppers over an open gas flame or on the grill until the outside skins are blackened. Toss the roasted peppers into a ziploc bag and let stand for 10 minutes to steam off the skins. Remove the blackened skins as well as the seeds and chop the peppers into 1 inch pieces.

Add the cooked peppers and squash to a 3 to 4 quart saucepan along with the roasted garlic that has been removed from thier skins and all of the other ingredients. Simmer for 20  inutes before pureeing the soup with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.