Weekend gormandising

Trying to fry chicken or

how I will never again deep fry a piece of meat without having a thermometer (or two) at hand. Most of the pieces were done to my liking but some pieces were most definitely too rare. The oil was just too hot. What was I thinking?! Not the fault of the recipe, just user error.

This chocolate cake more than made up for it, though. Moist, tender, not-too-sweet. I used Callebaut dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet. No special reason, I just felt like eating a slice of chocolate cake.

We are off on a short backcountry ski trip tomorrow to enjoy the last of the snow, although it most certainly feels like spring around these parts. Happy Monday!

Apple pie

and tea for breakfast.

Homemade vanilla extract

Talking about Christmas presents,

no, no. Not the Polish vodka! I received a generous stash of vanilla beans from my sister-in-law and her fiancé.

I'm not sure why I haven't thought to make vanilla extract at home before. It couldn't be simpler! Most sources online recommend a ratio of three beans per eight ounces of vodka (or rum). I sliced the beans down the centre, scraped the caviar and put all of it in sterilised bottles. Each bottle held a wee bit more than 16 ounces, so I used seven beans per bottle.

I've squirrelled the bottles away in the darkest part of the cabinet. Now all I have to do is give the bottles a good shake once in a while and more importantly, be patient!

Eats

Coffee and pain au chocolat.

Dill ricotta topped with cucumbers and tomatoes and fleur de sel from Guérande spooned over a piece of fresh baguette.

Pasta with creamy leek and garlic pesto from Bittman, and Dorie Greenspan's garlicky crumb coated broccoli.

Gâteau au Citron, an absolute favourite chez nous.

Breakfast on most days. The yogurt is not homemade but one of my favourites, Malo nature.

Mozzarella, tomato, basil, olive oil, pepper and fleur de sel.

White beans, spinach and potato in a creamy coconut curry over couscous.

Weekly homemade pizza.

Breakfast on the weekends after a trip to the boulangerie: chausson aux pommes.

Not photogenic but very tasty. Leek, potato and zucchini pancakes from NYT's Diners Journal. I always add garlic.

Chocolate chip cookies from David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert.

Indian spiced peas with tomatoes and dill

In India, dill is often prepared like spinach or any other green leafy vegetable. It isn't simply reserved for garnishes or used in small doses like other herbs but rather cooked up as a side dish to be eaten with chapatis and dal.

When I was younger, it definitely wasn't my favourite option for dinner but as an adult, I have grown to love the flavourful 'vegetable', often prepared with roasted, crushed peanuts or roasted mung dal.

I had a small bunch of dill left over from this dinner but not enough to make a stand alone vegetable side. I though it might pair well with peas and tomatoes, and it does! The dill definitely takes center stage but is not overly powerful. If you aren't a big fan of dill, leave it out all together; the peas and tomato combination is wonderful by itself.

I realise too, that cooking Indian recipes often involve a long ingredients list which can seem intimidating if you are not accustomed to cooking Indian food regularly. So I've decided to post simple Indian recipes as and when I cook them. I can also post a few tips for cooking Indian food, if that seems useful to anyone.

Indian spiced peas with tomatoes and dill
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

sunflower or vegetable oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic minced
2 medium tomatoes (not too ripe) cut in large cubes
2 cups fresh (or frozen) peas
1 tsp corriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
red chilli powder (to taste)
2 fistfuls roughly chopped dill
salt

1. Add oil to a hot frying pan. Add onions and cook till translucent. Add garlic, and cook for a minute.
2. Add corriander, cumin and chilli powder. Be careful not to burn the spices. Keep stirring and add water, a teaspoon at a time, if needed, to avoid burning the spices. Cook till 'raw' smell of spices disappears, about 1 minute
   
3. Add tomatoes. Cook for a minute or two, till tomatoes still hold their shape but skin starts to pull away.
4. Add peas, stir, and cook till peas are almost done. Add dill, stir, cook for a minute. Turn heat off, cover pan for five minutes.
   
5. Serve with rice or chapatis and yogurt. Enjoy!
   

No bake chocolate cake

We had a friend over for dinner last night; instead of cooking up several courses, I served a number of small plates. The spread included roasted red peppers with garlic and basil; a mozzarella, tomato, and strawberry salad (from Dorie Greenspan's Around my French Table); tomato-chèvre tartlets with homemade pesto (also from Dorie Greenspan's Around my French Table); a simple lettuce salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and plenty of crusty baguette to mop up the juices.

Heidi's No Bake Chocolate Cake made for a wonderful close to the meal. I kept it simple, and left out the allspice and espresso. I also replaced the heavy cream with crème fraiche, and was tempted to arrange some sliced strawberries on the top but ultimately went with some chocolate curls instead.

It was a simple and delicious meal, focused on fresh, quality ingredients. I will definitely be making all of these dishes again!

Salmon cakes

Salmon cakes with a yogurt-mayo-dill sauce, lemony spinach and pan-fried garlic potatoes.

Before I forget, here's what I did:

• Mix cooked salmon, minced onion, minced garlic, lemon zest and juice, mayo, fresh dill and ground pepper together in a bowl. I also happened to have some sweet relish in the fridge so I put some in but capers or minced pickles with a pinch of sugar would taste equally good.
• Add a lightly beaten egg. Mix.
• Shape cakes with hands, coat with bread crumbs (I was out of panko), and fry in batches till golden brown on both sides.
• For the sauce, mix yogurt, mayo, fresh dill, a wee bit of relish and harissa. Season with salt.

Enjoy with a nice glass of white wine from the Loire Valley!

Eats

Pea-mint pesto with spaghetti.

Channa masala and chapattis.

Alphonso mangoes. Although we didn't make it in time to buy a box from one of the grocery stores near Gare du Nord, a friend from India was kind enough to share a few that were shipped to her from Bombay! Yes, these mangoes are that good.

Last-minute picnic. We didn't have much at home that day but enough for a few sandwiches. Jambon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Homemade ricotta gnocchi using the same recipe I used before.

Masala omlette with onions, red and green peppers, tomatoes, chillies, and fresh corriander. With crusty baguette and Bordier butter, naturally.

Parsley pesto rice pilaf with peas, sardines, and sauteed veggies.

Lemon bars using this recipe. Very, very good but not the best.

Roasted peppers with capers and mozzarella also from Smitten Kitchen.

Almond flounder meunière (except it wasn't flounder; the fish monger recommended something else) with a side of braised fennel; from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.

Treats from Aux Merveilleux de Fred. Check out David's review here.

Eats

Croissant sandwich with comté and thyme roasted mushrooms and shallots, with a small salad.

Sautéed onions, mushrooms and broccoli with lots of garlic. I can't remember what I did with them once cooked!

Homemade roasted pumpkin gnocchi in a brown butter sage sauce, with a side of caramelised leeks.

We bought okra from one of the Indian grocery stores near Gare du Nord to make a delicious bhendi masala.

Masoor dal to go with the bhendi masala.

My first attempt at homemade yeasted doughnuts turned out rather well. Except our apartment smelt a little like a diner after all the frying, and I cut the holes a little too large! I used this recipe.

A box of Arnaud Larher chocolates to nibble on.

Crusty baguette with ripe camembert, tart apples, and a grainy mustard-balsamic spread.

Our weekly homemade pizza in the oven. My preference is for a slow-rise pizza dough but this time I tried Jamie Oliver's recipe. Tasty but a little bread-like. Also, I miss my pizza stone.

Spagetti with roasted eggplant and mushrooms in a basil and tomato sauce with buffalo mozzarella.

Chocolate ganache custard tart from David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert. Easy and fantastic!

A lemon-looking clementine that we found lurking in the piles of clementines at the market this weekend.

Eats

Raw oysters from Normandy with lemon and shallot vinaigrette.

Fenouil

One of my favourites: Pascal Beillevaire demi-sel beurre.

Mid-morning snack: basilic chèvre on pain de campagne.

Deliciously smelly: Mont D'Or

Spicy chana masala for those particularly cold days.

Creamy, cheesy, garlicky rice with Swiss chard and a poached egg, inspired by Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.

Basil, beef and vegetable stir fry

Peanut butter cookies from David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert.