What To Do with…. Nutmeg

After sweet, intoxicating and ubiquitous cinnamon, nutmeg is easily one of my favourite spices. It’s warm, exotic, and faintly sweet. Nutmeg evokes images of passing lazy days slung in a hammock under the warm Caribbean sun with a Hemingway novel in one hand and a rum drink within arm's reach of the other.

Nutmeg is mocha-brown and slightly larger than an unshelled hazelnut (or filbert) with a slightly ridged surface. This ovum-shape seed falls from an evergreen found in the Caribbean as well as parts of Indonesia and India. These little nuggets pack a powerful, fragrant punch that enlivens both sweet and savoury dishes. Even the smallest dusting can be transformational.

Nutmeg is sold as the whole nut and in powder form, however purchasing the whole nut is infinitely better. If you think nutmeg is abit pricey compared to other herbs and spices, just remember it will last a very long time if well stored. (I have read that spices should only be stored for up to 2 years, however, my stash of nutmeg is going on five years. And perhaps it is true, that it is not as potent as it was way back then, I have not seen any signs that my nutmeg has become rancid or otherwise inedible. The fragrance is still magical and potent after all this time.) However, I would recommend purchasing the whole seed for it ensures that you are not paying for “filler” product as well as it prolongs the potency of the spice. (This advice also applies for other types of herbs and spices. Whole, where possible, is usually better.) While there are specialized graters for this purpose, they are really not necessary. I use a micro-plane grater to scrape off what I need. (The micro-plane grater is easily one of the most important tools in my kitchen, I use it to zest citrus fruits, and shave Parmesan or nutmeg.) If you don’t have a micro-plane rasp, you can use the finest side of a multi-sided grater. (It may be less smooth depending on how sharp your grater is, so please be careful.)

Unfortunately however, most people's relationship with nutmeg goes as far as the seasonal drink, eggnog. While nutmeg and eggs are a natural match, it extends far beyond the holiday drink. Nutmeg compliments eggs both in a sweet and savoury sense. Nutmeg tastes great in other egg-based dishes such as crème brulee, cheese soufflés, and scrambled eggs.

Nutmeg is also a natural pair for the king of spices, cinnamon. In my kitchen, nutmeg tends to follow cinnamon in my baking creations. Nutmeg often makes its way into my apple and cinnamon dishes including pies, muffins and crisps.

Nutmeg makes an unexpected but welcome appearance in these gourgères (cheese puffs). It subtly enhances the nutty flavour of the cheese and of course, the eggs. Admittedly, I had been intimated by gougères for the longest time... making a choux pastry and then piping them out, and hoping that they turn out airy and light.... sounds little fussy and potentially a world of let-down, doesn't it? (Thoughts of the acrid smell of burning butter and flour drift across my mind...) But I watched a friend pipe and bake them at a dinner party recently, I was amazed how quickly they came together. Inspired by the simplicity of making gougeres, I went home and tried out several recipes from my collection of cookbooks. It seemed to me the combinations were universal: 1 c flour, 4 eggs, 1 stick of butter (1/4c), a quantity of Gruyere or Emmenthal, a pinch of spice and a strong arm. In fact, my first batch, came pretty close to perfect. (What? Yes, it's true.) And subsequent batches? Even better... (No exaggeration.) Now, these gougeres make a regular appearance as a pre-dinner bite when we have have guests. I can whip them out like no one's business.

Admittedly, I like it when my food gets attention.... (I do write a food blog... ) But I relish the look of delight and surprise on my dear guests' faces when the puffs emerge from the hot oven and tumble onto a large platter. Make these and your friends will be in awe of your culinary prowess as you have mastered choux pastry. Of course, you don't have to tell them how easy they are to make. That's a secret we'll keep between you and me.




I found this recipe in one of my favourite cookbooks, The Gourmet Magazine Cookbook. (TGMC is a very excellent cookbook, by the way, that is, if you can manage to purchase a cookbook without the requisite food porn. It is a compendium of well-tested, no fail recipes ranging from the most basic to the rather complicated. Sadly, the only photo in the 1,000 page cookbook is of Gourmet Magazine's editor-in-chief, Ruth Reichel, located on the back flap of the jacket cover! Ruth's awesome, but I like to be inspired by gorgeous photos of delicious dishes I may have overlooked if not for a beautifully shot photograph.)

There are many gougère recipes out there and I have seen then call for a pinch of cayenne pepper instead of nutmeg, I’ve had them both ways and prefer the nutmeg. Also, I have found this recipe incredibly easy and concise. I have upped the salt on this a tiny bit, just to boost the flavour a little bit. But other than that, the recipe is easy to follow but requires a strong arm or a stand mixer.

Gougères (Cheese Puffs)



Makes approximately 4 1/2 dozen

1 cup water
1 stick butter, cut into large chunks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 ¼ cup finely grated Emmenthal cheese
2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan Reggiano
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Bring 1 cup water, butter, and salt to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add flour all at once. With a wooden spoon, stir firmly and quickly until the flour absorbs liquid and forms a ball. (It will be stuck around your spoon, pulled away from sides of saucepan.) Continue to stir for another minute or so to absorb addition moisture from the dough. Remove pan from heat; cool dough 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time until the dough incorporates the egg and it becomes sticky and glossy before adding another egg. Stir in cheeses, nutmeg and pepper.

To prepare for baking – you can scoop the dough into a pastry bag or a Ziploc bag and pipe into tiny mounds. (I prefer the latter especially if you’re going to make this ahead. You can keep the dough in the fridge until your guests arrive. Then snip one of the bottom corners of the bag and pipe.) Alternatively, you can scoop the dough with two spoons. Once complete, I wet the bottom of the spoon to smooth out the mound and make it as round as possible.


Bake gougères for fifteen minutes, then reverse the positions of the pans. Bake for another 15 minutes until the gougères are light and golden. Serve immediately.

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Lamb and Guinness Stew

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays that everyone can celebrate. No need for cards, or high expectations and there will be no dashed hopes. St. Patrick's Day is simply a time to celebrate life with good friends. While the origins of this day begin in Ireland and the Irish everywhere take exceptional pride in celebrating this holiday, they don’t seem to mind if the rest of us celebrate with them.

I made this recipe inspired not so much in honour of St. Patty's Day but as a result of our first shipment of our “meat” share from a local farm around Toronto. It is a small scale farm that celebrates the return of values of environmental responsibility, non-commercial farming, and preservation of heritage livestock breeds. And that's definitely something we can buy into. Moreover, they naturally raise heritage breeds of beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkeys and ducks without use of antibiotics and the result is incredibly delicious and flavourful meats. This week's shipment included Shropshire lamb chunks and farm fresh Jersey Giant eggs.

As soon as I opened the package of lamb, I could tell the difference. The meat had a fresh clean smell to it and felt fleshy and firm. As I sauteed the meat, I expected it to exude that characteristic gamey "lamb" smell, instead that strong gamey smell gave way to a slightly more subtle aroma. It was distinctly lamb, but not overpowering or heavy. I sampled a tiny piece as I browned the meat and found that it had a delicate texture that practically melted in my mouth. It could be eaten right now! No braising required. But several hours in the slow cooker transformed the lamb and the other ingredients into rich, earthy stew that warms the belly and the soul on an unexpectedly cold March night.

The rich, earthy aroma of the stew wafted throughout our house and we had to go for a walk in the afternoon to stop us from slipping bowls of stew out before our guests arrived.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Lamb Stew with Guinness

1 large onion, cut into large chunks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 ½ c beef stock
¼ c pearled barley, washed
1 large can Guinness less a quarter cup
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch coins
3 celery stalked, trimmed and cut into ½ inch half moons
1 tsp rosemary minced finely
1 lb lamb, cut into chunks (shoulder or leg may be used)
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat & slowly cook onions.
2. Meanwhile, add celery, carrots, barley, beef stock, rosemary, brown sugar and Guinness into a slow cooker.
3. Once onions have softened, add onions to the slow cooker. Season lamb with salt and pepper.
4. In the same sauté pan, over medium high heat, sear the lamb. Turn meat and brown on all sides. Add to the slow cooker. Cook for 6 hours.
5. At the six hour mark, add potatoes, stir and cover. Cook for another 2 hours. Serve.

*The alcohol in the beer evaporates leaving a rich, dark flavour.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, that’s okay, too. You can slowly cook this in a Dutch oven under low heat, for less time, add potatoes in about an hour before you plan to serve. The late addition of potatoes leaves them their shape a toothy feel.

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The Fully Loaded Grilled Cheese: Meet Croque Madame

Note: What To Do With.... will return. I promise. I sat down to write this week's post and I couldn't quite do it justice. So I will save it for another day.

Sandwiches can be a marvellous thing. If you have lunch with me regularly, you know this already. I like them alot. They can be as simple as the peanut butter sandwiches I used to eat when I was a schoolgirl. Or with time permitting and a well-stocked fridge, they can be as flavourful and complex as you like. These days, I like thick juicy Ruebens, Cajun chicken on a toasted kaisers, BLTs, Montreal Smoked Meats, and Turkey Avocados... (and there is always a thick smear of spicy Dijon mustard.)

However, I woke up the other morning with a craving for something else... I've had France on the brain lately and started to think about a bistro we stumbled upon in the third arrondisement in Paris several years ago. Then I remembered my lunch there, a Croque Madame with a salad frisee.

The Croque Madame is a variation of it's slightly more famous spouse, le Croque Monsieur. The Croques are crispy, crunchy, savoury and oozy. Despite its fancy French name, the Croque at a basic level is a grilled sandwich. The Croque Monsieur is traditionally layered with deli-sliced ham and Emmenthal while his Madame boasts the addition of a fried or poached egg. The egg may be tucked in between the slices of bread or it may lay on top of the sandwich.

In this version, I have used smoked turkey and mozzarella and added sauteed mushrooms for a woodsy flavour. (Mozzarella has such a delicate flavour, the mushrooms bump up the flavour abit.) It's optional but I think it makes this sandwich a little special.

Breakfast Grilled Cheese



2 tbsp butter
5 button mushrooms, sliced
2 slices of bread (I like multi-grain these days)
1 egg

pinch of salt, pepper, chili flakes
1 1/2 tsp of chives (to taste)
50 grams of your favourite cheese (I like mozzarella, old cheddar or Gruyere)
50 grams of sliced turkey, ham, pastrami, etc. (or a couple slices of bacon)

1. Heat a panini maker.* Heat a pan over medium heat until butter melts and foamy. Saute mushrooms and season with chili flakes until they sweat down. Season with black pepper and salt. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Crack an egg into the hot pan and cook over easy.
3. Carefully lay one slice of bread on the panini press, add meat, sauteed mushrooms, chives, egg and cheese. Top with the second slice of bread and lay down the press on top of the sandwich.
4. Toast until you have nice grill marks on the bread and the cheese begins to melt.
5. Slice in half and serve.

*If you don't have a panini-maker, you can still make this sandwich. Heat a non-stick pan with about 1/2 tbsp of butter, once you have assembled the sandwich, place it on the heated pan to crisp up and turn golden. Carefully flip and brown on the other side. Serve immediately.

Since I started working for a British headquartered company, I have developed a strong affinity for "brown sauce" aka HP Sauce which has a strong presence in our staff cantina. Brown sauce is great with this sandwich. ...Read more

Steamed Mussels with Roquefort and Pernod

I love France. I know everyone says that, but I really mean it. I have had the good fortune to have traveled extensively and have seen many places and met many wonderful people along the way. But when it comes to Europe, I have only been to France. Why? I know there are many beautiful places in Europe. I really do know that. And I really do want to see them. I know that in my lifetime, I should hoist a stein of beer in Munich during Octoberfest, see the tulips in full bloom in springtime Netherlands, and visit the Little Mermaid in Denmark, just as a start... But I feel I must be honest, the lure of France is strong.

And to my defence, I have made attempts to see other parts of Europe. Several years ago, I planned a three week trip to France and Italy. I thought spending a week in a friend’s villa several hours from Marseilles would scratch that itch. But an hour before my departure to Italy, I decided to spend another day in France. That one extra day turned out to be another two weeks and still, Italy awaits me.

The regions within France are diverse and unique with, of course, a rich culinary heritage specific to each area. I have eaten my way around this great country and enjoyed every moment of it: the verdant north east where I filled my belly with soul-warming choucroute, the pebbly beaches of the south where I munched on fresh fish and olives, the quiet rural backdrops where I tucked into my first duck confit in the farmhouse kitchen outside of Dax and everything in between. I even had the opportunity to sample cuisines introduced to France by its North Africans and Vietnamese emigres.

More than anything else, when I think of France, I think about the people I've met and the memorable meals I've eaten. I am a true food tourist and you know the type: she arrives in a new place having already well-researched what's good to eat. But not a food snob, the food tourist knows which restaurant to seek out (high end and low end) and has already researched the specialities the region has to offer. In sum, the food tourist is in pursuit of one thing: great memorable food. Sure museums, historical sites and parks are an important part of travel, but when I am away from home, I am looking for a new flavour, or a new cooking technique and of course, something I can take home to re-create in my own kitchen. In fact, I always travel with a mostly empty suitcase so that I have ample room to haul home the treasures I find in the local grocery stores, and this is never more true than when I travel to France.

Before we even arrive, I have already planned most of my meals (of course, leaving a couple of meal time slots available for a little spontaneity!) :) I will want to go back to that patisserie where we had the crisp buttery pain au chocolate last visit. And of course, we have to stop in for that tarte a l'oignon...

Unfortunately, life intervenes and traveling to France for us is not always possible. So when I want to escape away to France, even just for a meal, I long for a big bowl of steamed mussels. The ritual of eating mussels may seem like a clique but it does the trick: sitting by the French seaside fishing out a pale orange mussel from its shiny onyx and dipping salty crispy frites in the creamy broth infused with Pernod and leeks. I had this dish when we were in Normandy and it was unforgettable.

It’s been three years since we have been to France but I still think about that afternoon where my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I watched sail boats float by and lingered over a massive bowl of steamed mussels. We have been talking about going back to France for some time now and we couldn’t resist when we spied a globe-sized net crammed with briny mussels at our market today. I knew exactly what I would do with them… Perfect for lunch.

A little blue cheese, a splash of Pernod and a spoonful of crème fraiche…to pry open those plump molluscs and you can have lunch in Normandy in ten minutes.

Steamed Mussels with Roquefort Cheese & Pernod

2 lbs mussels
½ red onion
1 tbsp butter
¼ c Pernod*
1/2c water
2 tbsp Roquefort cheese, chunked
1 tbsp crème fraiche

parsley and chives to garnish

Wash mussels in cold water, pulling away beards and scraping off barnacles if there are any. Rinse again and swish around in lots of cold water. Discard any mussels that remain open. Leave mussels in a large cold bowl of water while you prep the onion.

Finely dice onion and sauté in 1 tbsp of melted butter in a large saucepan. Once softened and slightly golden, add Pernod and water. Don’t be put off by the strong licorice scent. The alcohol burns off and all that remains is a faint anise aroma. Using a slotted spoon, add the cleaned mussels to the bubbling liquid and cover. It should take about five to ten minutes.

Scoop mussels out with slotted spoon and set aside. With the remaining broth, swirl in the crème fraiche and cheese. Stir until smooth and incorporated. Pour over mussels and serve immediately.

Bring a spoon, a pile of napkins and lots of crusty baguette. You’re going to need it!

*If you don’t like pernod or you are worried about the alcohol, it evaporates completely.

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And now for something a little different... Tapioca Cake

At our annual Chinese New Year's dinner, my aunt’s Malaysian Chinese friend made this delicious tapioca cake as known as kuih ubi kaiyu. Judging from the empty platter at the end of the night, her cake was wildly popular.
I inhaled several squares of this soft pillowy cake and realized what all the fuss was about. The cake isn’t airy and light like a sponge cake, it is dense and compact. Its light and delicate flavour (moistened by the addition of coconut milk and eggs) makes this cake perfect for an afternoon tea. It possesses the faint grainy texture of a cornmeal or semolina cake but also the smooth, creaminess of a tapioca pudding. If you leave it in the oven to bake a little longer, it develops a golden caramelly crust and a smoother, chewy texture reminiscent of Japanese mochi desserts (rice flour based desserts.) Personally, I prefer the wobbly but grainy texture but the choice is yours. I reduced the sugar from the original recipe (1 package of cassava, 1 c sugar, 1 c coconut milk, 1 egg and 1 pinch of salt) and added an additional egg to heighten the flavour of the eggy custard.

I wished I had discovered this cake sooner. It literally takes 2 minutes to put together (literally seconds) and is, without hyperbole, the simplest cake I have ever made (even with non-baker’s hands like mine.)

1 lb finely grated tapioca (cassava*), defrosted from frozen
2 eggs
1 c low-fat coconut milk
¾ c granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
Plus butter for the pan and parchment paper

*grated cassava/tapioca may be found in the freezer section of Asian grocery stores

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of a square baking dish with parchment paper and butter  baking dish and parchment paper.
2. Mix tapioca with 2 eggs, coconut milk, sugar and salt together.
3. Pour mixture into prepared dish and bake for approximately 30 minutes until the sides start to brown and the center is no longer wobbly.
4. Cool slightly and cut into squares and serve.

Best if eaten the day it is made.
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De-Mystifying Risotto

Note: What To Do With... will return next week

Risotto. If there is a word that strikes fear in the hearts of most accomplished home cooks, it would be this word (okay, maybe also, souffle. But that's for another day.)

Who could imagine that little humble arborio rice and ladles of broth could cause so much fright. Forget teetering bain maries over a hot oven rack, jarring fiddly home-made jams, or squeezing unctuous duck confits into mason jars, risotto is what scares me. What is it that makes risotto so fearsome? If you think about it, risotto is really a simple food. Rice and hot broth stirred together lovingly with the dedication of a doting parent until it is rendered al dente with each grain still fully defined but contradictorily, swathed in it's own carbo-rich creaminess.

But I think I can explain my fear...

I grew up eating steamed white rice. Like any good Chinese mom worth her salt, my mother taught me on how to cook perfectly steamed rice. Too much water and it's mushy and gummy. Too little and it's hard and chalky. Steamed rice is fully cooked and while each grain is fully defined, they cling longingly to each other. Making steamed rice is an easy process: measure out rice, wash it until the water runs clear and add the right amount of water (Knuckle-method* or generally a proportion of 1 c rice to 2 c water.) and as Ron Popeil says, "Set it and forget it!" The rice cooker performs white rice magic.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Chinese also have congee (or jook) which is a silky, creamy brothy rice "soup." This is also easy. Measure rice, wash until clear and this time, LOTS of water (about 6 c water to 1 c rice) and slowly simmer for an hour or so. But neither of these two things are risotto's equivalent. So I had resigned myself to enjoying risotto, but only in a restaurant. Recently it dawned on me that my fear of risotto was irrational. Be afraid of baking Montreal-style bagels or making nougat (what exactly is the soft ball stage, anyway?) but not risotto.

With a couple of things to keep in mind, anyone can make a luxurious creamy risotto. The reason risotto was a "restaurant" only meal for me, was largely in part to the commitment to stirring. You can't set it on the stove, and peel onions while it cooks. Oh no, risotto demands your attention, in fact, a full twenty minutes of stirring. Yes, it's labour intensive. You have to be faithful to the task. But don't mistake labour intensive for difficult. They are not the same and in the case of risotto, it was never more true.

This Italian rice dish is one of the easiest things to make provided that you consider some principles for making the perfect risotto:

Patience: risotto needs your attention and you cannot rush the process, you will need to stir constantly to extract the creamy consistency from the rice
Top quality ingredients: Your risotto is only as good as your ingredients. Use a flavourful stock, Arborio rice, the highest quality ingredients you can afford. This is a treat.
Hot stock: a barely simmering pot of stock should sit beside your risotto pot
One ladleful at a time: don’t be tempted to rush the process by pouring a large amount of stock into your risotto, use modest amounts.
Full absorption: Again, this addresses patience, once you add the stock, slowly stir to incorporate. Wait until the stock is absorbed before adding more.

If you follow these principles, you should have a creamy and perfect risotto every time. I promise.

This risotto is fantastic. It is creamy and richly flavoured and the hint of lemon brightens this dish. Admittedly, when we make this risotto, it is a 2 person job. One of us stirs while the other makes the scallops.

Vegetarian version: try making this risotto and top with these flavourful simmered mushrooms

Lemon Chive Risotto with Seared Scallops
Serves 4 (as a main) or 8 (as an appetizer)



2 c Arborio rice
1.5 to 1.75 liters of simmering chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
¼ tsp salt

1 ½ preserved lemons, seeds removed and finely diced**
approximately 3-4 tbsp finely snipped chives
1 tbsp crème fraiche

Scallops
8 large sea scallops (or 16 smaller scallops)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

1. On a paper towel, dry sea scallops. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat a medium size pot. Add butter and toss in garlic. Stir. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Turn down heat if necessary. Add Arborio rice. Stir until the rice is coated and glossy.
3. Add chicken stock 1/2c at a time. Stir constantly. When the liquid is absorbed, add another 1/2c. Do not rush this process. It should take approximately 20 minutes. The rice is ready when the rice is creamy and soft but each grain intact. Each grain of rice should have a starchy center.
4. Meanwhile, heat a frypan. Add butter and olive oil. Once it starts to smoke, add scallops. The scallops should sizzle and develop a rich dark brown crust. Within a minute, turn each scallop over and turn off heat. (Do not over cook scallops.)
5. Remove risotto from heat, stir in crème fraiche and chives.
6. Serve risotto with scallops on top.

*Knuckle-method for cooking rice in a rice cooker - once you have rinsed out the rice. Add enough water, so that your middle knuckle rises out of the water while all other knuckles are submerged. Chef Ming Tsai calls this the Mount Fuji method, for obvious reasons.

**If you don’t have preserved lemon, I would stir in the zest of 1 or 2 lemons and a little squeeze of lemon juice just as you add the crème fraiche and chives.

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