Brownie Cupcakes

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

1. Over medium heat, melt together the chocolate and butter until smooth and combined. Remove from heat,

2. Stir in the sugar. Then add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, stir in the flour and salt until well combined.

3. Spoon batter into 12 lined muffin cups. Bake about 20 minutes in a preheated 180C oven.

Sausage Roll

400 g ground pork
200 g ground beef
300 g “pate brisee” (dough)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1~2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch salt and pepper
Pinch four spice powder
1 egg
Butter

1. Melt some butter in a frying pan. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until onion is tender.

2. Mix together the ground pork, beef, salt & pepper, four spice powder and onion mixture until well-blended. Place mixture in the fridge for a few hours to allow flavours to “blend”.
Prepare the dough. Roll it out on a piece of wax paper. Lightly beat the egg and brush it onto the dough.

3. Place meat mixture onto the dough and shape it into a log. Wrap the dough around the meat mixture, brushing exposed sides of dough with egg as you wrap.

4. Place the log onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 45 minutes-1 hour in a preheated 400F oven, or until the meat is fully cooked.

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing log into slices.

French Crepes

These are so easy to make, I'm not sure why I used to be in awe of crepes.

6 eggs
500 g flour
1 L milk

1. Whisk together all ingredients until batter has no lumps. For best results, allow the batter to sit about an hour.

2. Heat a nonstick frying pan and wipe some oil (using a paper towel with cooking oil on it) on the pan. Spoon some batter into the pan and spread it thinly so it covers the surface of the pan. The batter will brown very quickly and it will be very easy to flip the crepe once one side is brown. Flip the crepe over and brown the other side as well.

3. For sweet crepes, serve the crepes with a selection of jams, sugar, and Nutella; for salty crepes, serve with a selection of cheese and cold cuts.

Strawberry "Soup"

This is a really simple, refreshing dessert or snack for summer.  I first tried it in a restaurant in a small town in France and later re-created it at home.

1-2 pounds of strawberries, washed and cut into pieces

approx. 375 mL plain yogurt, to taste

1-2 Tbsp sugar, to taste

1.  Mix all ingredients together in blender, Vorwerk, or food processer.  Chill and enjoy.

Lemon Butter Fish

3-4 filets of white fish

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup butter

3 cloves of garlic, minced

the juice of one lemon

fresh parsley, to taste

basil, to taste

salt & pepper, to taste

1.  Heat olive oil in microwave until hot.  Add butter to oil and stir until melted completely.

2.  Add garlic to lemon juice and let sit 2-3 minutes.  Add to oil mixture.  Add parsley, basil, and salt & pepper.

3.  Place fish in an oven-proof dish, and pour oil mixture over fish.  Place in a pre-heated 180°C oven and bake until fish is cooked through.

Chocolate Banana Cake

We were invited to a birthday party, so I was asked to make a cake as a dessert.  I found this recipe on the internet, and it turned out really well.  It was a big hit at the party.

2 cups granulated white sugar

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2-3 bananas)

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

200 grams (8 ounces) chocolate, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp icing sugar (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and flour a 9x13 pan

2.  Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

3.  Whisk together eggs, mashed bananas, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract.

4.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir or whisk until combined.  Pour into pan and bake 35-40 minutes.

5.  Place chopped chocolate in a stainless steel (or heatproof) bowl.  Set aside.

6.  Heat the cream and butter in medium saucepan just until boiling and immediately pour over chocolate.  Stir until smooth.  Allow to cool slightly, then add the icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Spread it on the cooled cake, and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

My family in France capital H hates peanut butter. Turns out a lot of French people feel that way. They've been teasing me quite a lot about my enduring love for peanut butter, so the other day, I decided to make them some cookies.

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1. Mix shortening, peanut butter, sugars, and egg thoroughly. Blend dry ingredients and blend into shortening mixture. Chill dough.

2. Roll dough to 1 1/4 inch balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten balls criss-cross style with a fork dipped in flour. Bake 10-12 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.

Shrimp Stirfry

I made this tonight.  It was super spicy, although I got compliments on it.

2 packages frozen shrimp, shelled and de-veined

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp ginger, minced

3 dried chili peppers, chopped

1 lime, juice only

4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds

1 onion, sliced

1.  Combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, and lime juice.  Mix with shrimp and let marinate about a half an hour.

2.  In a frying pan or wok, fry onions and carrots until tender crisp.  Add shrimp and marinade and cook until heated through.  Serve with rice.

Poivrons Farçis

I learned how to make this when I moved to France. The ingredients are really simple, although putting everything together is a little time-consuming. This recipe makes a delicious sauce that is great with some bread or rice to soak it up. For how relatively simple this recipe is, it's very delicious-- a little girl who normally doesn't like vegetables at all said that she thought it was "very good".

500-700 g ground beef
2-3 stalks of parsley, chopped
2-4 bulbs of garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
6 tomatoes, cut into cubes
4 Tbsp tomato sauce
salt & pepper, to taste
olive oil
6 bell peppers (any colour-- I use red)

1. Mix ground beef, parsley, garlic, onion, 3 chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt & pepper together well.

2. Wash the red peppers. Cut out the tops and pull out the seeds and membranes from inside. Stuff the meat mixture into the peppers.

3. Put some olive oil and 3 cubed tomatoes in the bottom of a glass baking dish, and place stuffed peppers on top.

4. Place in a pre-heated 400°F oven for about an hour. Be sure to turn the peppers half-way through cooking.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I learned how to make these on a trip to Vietnam.  They are a little labour-intensive, but they taste great and you'll get heaps of praise.

1 cup vermicelli noodles, softened in cold water about five minutes and then chopped

1 cup mushrooms, finely grated or chopped

1 cup carrots, finely grated

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 cup zucchini, finely grated

1 cup bean sprouts

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 egg yolk

Rice paper sheets, prepared according to package directions

Vegetable oil, enough to cover 1 cm deep in frying pan or wok

1.  In large mixing bowl, combine all filling ingredients (noodles, mushrooms; carrots, onion, zucchini, bean sprouts, salt & pepper, and egg yolk).  Mix well.

2.  Prepare the rice paper.  Cut some of the sheets in half.  Place round sheet in front of you and place a half sheet on top closest to you ( 1 whole sheet + 1/2 sheet per spring roll).

3.  Place 1 1/2 Tbsp of filling mixture on the double sheet, then roll it up, taking care to tuck in the sides as you roll.  Do your best to make the rolls tight, as it will make it easier to fry them in the oil.  Repeat until all filling is used up.

4.  Heat oil in frying pan.  Oil is ready when bubbles form around the tip of a wooden chopstick.  Place spring rolls in oil, taking care to place them open end down and roll them in the same direction as they were rolled.  Prick each roll with a knife or fork to allow for even cooking.  Keep turning spring rolls until golden brown, then remove from pn and drain well.  Serve with spring roll sauce and Enjoy!

Tip:  If you want meat spring rolls, you can add 1 cup of minced beef, pork, chicken, or shrimp.

Orange Roasted Salmon

I've made this twice and it turns out really well.  It also presents nicely and is a very unique and interesting dish.

1 1/2 tsp lemon pepper

1 Tbsp garlic powder (or 2-3 Tbsp garlic, minced)

2 Tbsp parsley (or about 4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped)

salt & pepper, to taste

Oranges, thinly sliced

Onions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh is best)

1/4 cup honey

5-7 salmon filets

1. Combine lemon pepper, garlic, salt & pepper and parsley, and set aside.

2.  Arrange orange slices to cover bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish (it's a lot prettier if you can use a glass dish); cover orange slices with onion slices and sprinkle with half of the parsley mixture.  Bake for 40 minutes in a preheated 400°F oven.

3.  Increase temperature to 425°F.  Push orange and onion to sides of dish and place salmon in the middle.  Whisk together orange juice, lemon juice, and honey and pour over salmon.  Sprinkle salmon with remaining half of the parsley mixture.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until salmon is opaque in the middle.

4.  The original recipe calls for you to discard the baked orange slices and serve it with fresh orange slices, although they actually taste great and make for an interesting presentation, so I keep the baked ones.  It's as you like it.  There is a lot of yummy sauce left, so this dish would go really well with rice or even some nice bread to soak up some of the sauce after.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

I made this the other night and it went over really well.

1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice (fresh is best)
2-3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp finely chopped gingerroot
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp water
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp peanut butter
4 green onions

1. Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Reserve three Tbsp of the mixture, cover and refrigerate. Add water to remaining mixture and pour over chicken. Cover and let marinate at least half an hour and up to two hours.

2. For peanut sauce, combine coconut milk, reserved mixture, and peanut butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2-4 minutes or until sauce thickens. Keep warm.

3. Thread chicken on skewers along with slices of green onion. Brush remaining marinade over chicken skewers and grill until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Serve with rice and peanut butter sauce for dipping.