Recipes – Page 3 – Come and Cook with Us

Chia Seed Muffins Worth Baking

Let’s just say that there are days when I crave these muffins. They are not just plain old muffins. They are special. When we lived back in New York city, a particularly hard stretch would be rewarded with one of these Chia Seed Muffins from Le Pain Quotidien. They have that dense, flavorful chocolatey and not too sweet taste that is just right for me. After some research – and testing – I finally found what I think are the most divine muffins that there are. Come and cook with us!

I have to preface this week’s recipe with the fact that these delicious muffins are not gluten free. They use whole wheat pastry flour that has less gluten than bread or regular flour, but are still not gluten free. For a GF variety, a ready-to-use GF flour mix such as King Arthur GF Flour or Cup 4 Cup GF flour are all great alternatives that still make this muffins a total success.

Let me know what you think of these Chia Seed Muffins. Finally, I don’t have to bribe my husband to bring me a few whenever he is visiting a city that has a Le Pain Quotidien. Instead, I can bake my own. And now you can, too! Come and cook with us!

Chia Seed Muffins

Down to London for Some Pimm’s

If you are up for a novelty drink this summer, let me introduce you to Pimm’s, the “other” national drink of England which I’ve been enjoying during my recent stay in London. It brings back lovely memories of my life here, sitting along the Thames, sipping Pimm’s and being carelessly young and happy! Put aside any soccer rivalry and reach across the pond for a bottle of Pimm’s. You won’t regret it. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Down to London for Some Pimm’s”

Who Says You Can’t Bake a Cobbler when Camping?

As most of you know, we love camping. The fresh air, being close to nature and the experience of a simpler life is what makes it so special. And if that were not enough, if your camping site is overlooking the ocean, you’re lulled to sleep by the rolling waves of the Pacific. What’s there not to love. When it comes to cooking, however, we have decidedly moved up away from the simple and tried our luck with the slightly more sophisticated. Our latest menu involved a whole fish, a breakfast burritos, soft-shell crabs and an inspiring cast-iron mixed berry cobbler! The first time we made it, three of us finished it in one go, which was probably a mistake, but I’m sure it will be back for more appearances soon! Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Who Says You Can’t Bake a Cobbler when Camping?”

Simple Beef Pot Roast à la Omi

Whenever I am fortunate enough to visit with my grandmother Omi, she is usually either in her store selling screws, nails and door-knobs or at the stove. Either way, the conversation will always steer towards her lunch plans and more often than not, she has a pot-roast braising in the kitchen. This isn’t necessarily a warm-weather-type of meal, unless you live in the Dolomites where it is generally always on the cooler side, but it is great, fast and delicious and I wanted to share it as my Omi’s quintessential meal. Come and cook with us!

We love any recipe that doesn’t take too much active involvement, so this simple pot roast is ideal when you want a real meal and have the time to prepare it a few hours in advance. You don’t have to stay there and nurse it the whole time, although checking on the liquid level is a good idea. Alternatively, you can transfer the whole affair into a slow-cooker and you’re golden. As with many meat dishes, browning the seasoned roast on all side is key to get that delicious umami flavor: it’s called the Maillard reaction. This doesn’t really “seal in the juices”, although that sounds like a great strategy. Instead, it creates those complex flavor compounds that make browned meat taste so delicious.

The type of cut that is used for this dish is not high end, so think chuck, round or brisket with lots of connective tissue that will tenderize the meat and make it succulent. If at all possible, buy the organic grass-fed variety, thereby opting for quality vs. quantity, which is always a good strategy when it comes to food.

A pot-roast is a beautiful thing and I hope you will find the opportunity to give this dish a try. Come and cook with us!

Beef Post Roast

Make Space for Quinoa Pizza Crusts

It usually happens in one of two ways. Either, a recipe jumps at me out of a cook book or magazine and I go home with the urge to immediately experiment with it, or it grows on me over time until I finally try it. Quinoa pizza falls into this latter category. I’ve heard of it, I’ve seen it, I meant to try it, but when my friend Karyn praised it, I just had to see what the hype was all about. And boy, do I understand it now. And if you give this quinoa pizza crust a try, so will you. Come and cook with us!

The recipe seems easy enough if a little time consuming as the quinoa needs to soak for about 8 hours. So we prepare it in the morning if we want pizza for dinner. After the soak, the quinoa gets blended with water, spices and herbs until it forms a pancake batter. Pour it, bake it, top it and you have yourself a delicious gluten free pizza that surprisingly doesn’t really taste like quinoa at all.

Next up will be cauliflower pizza crusts. In the meantime, let me know what you think of the quinoa option. We love it. Come and cook with us!

Quinoa Pizza Crust