Bean curd noodle trio (duo)

Posted on 21 March 2008 by leacock

preparation time: 30 minutes
cooking time: 30 minutes
emergency contact: carol
origin: shanghai

winter bamboo shoots

Winter bamboo shoots can be found in most Asian markets during — you guessed it — the winter months. They take a bit of work to peel, but their fresh, delicate flavour cannot be duplicated by using other types of bamboo (especially not the horrible, soggy tinned stuff). Chop the stalk off to leave the “head”, then tear off the outer leaves. You should have some oblong brown lumps as pictured above. Using a paring knife, scrape away the inner leaves to leave a white nubbin. Now you’re ready to go.
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Pork chops

Posted on 20 March 2008 by leacock

preparation time: 10 minutes
marinating time: 1-2 hours
cooking time: 7-10 minutes
emergency contact: amy

pork chops – 4 (1.5-2 lbs, depending on the size)
teriyaki sauce – 4 Tbsp
sugar – 1 tsp
cornstarch – 2 tsp
sea salt
black peper
lemon pepper, Greek seasoning, etc. (optional)

Meat selection and preparation are critical to the success of this dish. Pick pork chops with as much dark meat as possible and pound the chops vigorously with the butt end of a meat cleaver handle. It’s possible that any other heavy implement will work as well, but this has not been tested.

Lay the pork chops in a shallow dish. Add teriyaki sauce and massage it in, flipping the chops over several times to get even coverage. Marinate the chops for 1-2 hours in the fridge.

About 15 minutes before cooking, take the chops out of the fridge. Season each side with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Rub the cornstarch into one side and any additional seasoning onto the other side.

Pour some olive oil in a large skillet and heat it up on medium high. Put the chops in the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Let the chops cook for about 3 minutes on one side on medium until they’re nicely browned, then turn them over and cook with the other side down for another 3 minutes or so. When both sides are browned, turn down the heat to medium low and cook until they’re done (see note below). Let the chops rest for a few minutes before serving.

Note: The cooking time will depend on the thickness of your pork chops, but in general, 7-8 minutes total should do for medium-sized chops. Remember that the chops will continue to cook after you take them off the stove. Poke them a bit with a fork
pork chops in the pan if you’re unsure.

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Herbed lemon chicken thighs

Posted on 20 March 2008 by leacock

preparation time: 20 minutes
marinating time: 2 hours
cooking time: 45 minutes
emergency contact: carol

chicken thighs – 12 small (boneless with skin on works best)
bacon – 12 slices
shallots – 6-8 small or several large
olive oil – 4-5 tbsp
thyme – 12 sprigs
rosemary – 12 sprigs
sage – 12 leaves
lemons
coarse salt and pepper

Put the shallots, olive oil and salt to taste in a blender and blend into a paste. Probably best to add the olive oil gradually in order to achieve the correct consistency.

Rinse the chicken thighs and pat dry. Marinate the thighs in the shallot mixture for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F.

Cut the lemon into thin slices and arrange the slices in a baking pan. Put a sprig of rosemary, a sprig of thyme and a sage leaf on top of each thigh, then wrap the entire bundle in bacon and place atop a lemon slice.

Sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper over the chicken bundles and bake for about 45 minutes. You might want to check after 30 minutes and rotate the pan if necessary.

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Easter at Patrick Roger

Posted on 18 March 2008 by leacock

patrick roger easter hens

Of all the chocolate joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine…

While LA Burdick’s mice and the Pralus pyramid are firmly entrenched Leacock favourites, there’s something to be said for Patrick Roger‘s hens, now appearing at the Saint-Germain boutique in Paris.

(The photo above appears courtesy of La Coquette and is the first in a three-part series on the Patrick Roger Easter window display. Click on the hens to enlarge.)

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Cantonese steamed fish

Posted on 17 March 2008 by leacock

preparation time: 20 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
emergency contact: amy or carol

clam souffle

1 whole fish, cleaned – about 2 lbs (something not too firm like rock bass, striped bass)
ginger slivers – 1/3 cup
scallion slivers – 1/3 cup
dark soy sauce – 4 tbsp
light soy sauce – 1 tbsp
sugar – 1/2 tsp
vegetable or canola oil – 1 cup

NOTE: Ingredient quantities will vary with the size of your fish. In general, you want enough ginger and scallion slivers to cover the fish and enough soy sauce to pool around the fish. For the oil, it’s best to heat up more than you think you’ll need – there should be enough to drizzle over the entire surface of the fish and to hit all the ginger and scallion slivers (it’s the oil that “cooks” the slivers). Also, make the slivers as fine as your patience will allow.

Rinse the fish thoroughly in cold water and pat dry. Place it in a shallow microwavable dish, add about 1 tbsp of water and cover the dish with plastic wrap, leaving a few gaps for steam to escape. Cook the fish in the microwave on high until it just flakes at its thickest point. For a 2 lb fish, this should take 7-8 minutes, with the cooking time depending on the maximum thickness. (For a 1.5 lb fish, this should scale down to about 5.5-6 minutes.) Be careful not to overcook the fish!

In the meantime, heat the oil in a saucepan on the stove until it’s very hot. Check by throwing in a scallion sliver – it should sizzle on contact.

When the fish is done
after microwaving, remove the plastic wrap and pour off the water. Sprinkle the fish with sugar, cover with the ginger and scallion slivers
ginger and scallion slivers and douse with the soy sauces. Place the dish in the sink and arm yourself with an oven mitt. Standing well back, pour
pouring the hot oil the hot oil evenly over the entire fish.

Serve immediately.

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Seafood soufflé

Posted on 17 March 2008 by leacock

preparation time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
emergency contact: amy

clam souffle

eggs
salt
sugar
soy sauce
corn or vegetable oil
seafood (clams or dried shrimp are best, fresh shrimp works fine, and for a non-seafood version, sprinkle toasted prosciutto bits on top)

If using clams, rinse them thoroughly and let them sit in a bowl of cold water in the fridge to allow them to de-grit themselves. If using dried shrimp, soak for 10 minutes in hot water. If using fresh shrimp, peel and mince and season with a bit of salt and sugar. Set up a steamer with a rack and start heating up the water.

Crack the eggs into a shallow pyrex baking dish (use 3 eggs) or bowl (use 5 eggs) and beat. Add soy sauce (~ 1.5-2 Tbsp), salt, a pinch of sugar, 1.5-2 tsp oil and mix. Add hot water of a volume about twice that of the original volume of egg, add cold water of about the original volume of the egg and stir. Finally, add the seafood. The mixture should at this point have a fairly low viscosity.

consistency of egg mixture before steaming

Cover the dish with foil, pierce foil with a few times with a fork, and place the dish in the steamer. Steam over simmering water for 20-25 minutes until egg has set. Don’t use too vigorous a boil else the soufflé won’t have a smooth texture. Sprinkle some sliced green onions and drizzle some soy sauce on top before serving. Quantities may be scaled up or down, but the cooking time shouldn’t change much.

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1-2-3-4 spareribs

Posted on 17 March 2008 by leacock

preparation time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 45 minutes or more
emergency contact: amy

1 lb spareribs, cut up into pieces (the smaller the ribs, the better)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp Shao Hsing Chinese cooking (or other type of) wine
3 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp dark soy sauce

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a pot. Chuck the ribs in and stir to coat in the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat until the liquid thickens into a gooey sauce (about 45 minutes), stirring once in a while. It’s best to make at least double this amount at a go, which with rice and high-speed broccoli will serve 3 for dinner.

Related recipes: Fun jing spareribs, Dry-roasted ribs

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Yunan honeyed ham

Posted on 17 March 2008 by leacock

preparation time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 2 hours (30 minutes + 60-90 minutes)
emergency contact: carol
origin: shanghai

yunan honeyed ham

1 chunk of Yunan ham (which is probably not available, so substitute prosciutto ends)
chicken broth
honey or maple syrup

Bring a pot of water to boil. Put in the prosciutto end(s) and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Remove the chunk of meat and cut into slices about 3-4 mm thick. Lay slices into a shallow baking dish. In a small bowl, combine 1.5-2 cups of low salt chicken broth and 1/2 cup of honey or maple syrup. You need enough sauce to completely submerge the ham slices and it should taste extremely sweet at this point. Pour the sauce over the ham, cover the baking dish with foil and poke a few holes in the foil with a fork. Place the baking dish in a steamer, bring the water in the steamer to a boil, then turn down heat to a low simmer and steam for 1-1.5 hours.

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Information and scheduling: holidays 2007

Posted on 27 December 2007 by leacock

Here’s some practical information for the post-Christmas events.

Saturday 29 December

  • 11:30: dim sum at Full House Restaurant (Highway 7 East, Unit 25, Richmond Hill, 905-882-1388)
  • no Saturday dinner at Leacock

Sunday 30 December

  • 15:00: birthday cake and tea at Leacock
  • 18:00: birthday dinner at Spring Villa (7301 Woodbine Ave, Markham, 905-940-2888)

Monday 31 December

  • 19:30: New Year’s Eve puzzle at Leacock (please RSVP if you’re coming); film screening for anyone who decides to abandon the puzzle after the mandatory 1 hour effort

Monday 1 January

  • 18:00: New Year’s dinner at Leacock
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Nordic design

Posted on 1 November 2007 by leacock

CoaterWear: Bergen raincoats
Ilse Jacobsen: Danish designer of the fashion galoshes that have Bergenites slipping on wet cobblestones all over town
Menu Scandinavian Living: makers of the much loved propeller trivet
Noa Noa: shops across Europe and worldwide, including Montréal
Oleana: Norwegian-made knits and silk, also represented by Urbanity in Vancouver
PEJ Danmark: North American site of the Danish design company that makes the coolest egg cups ever
Spaksmannsspjarir: Iceland clothes
Trethorn: how could we forget?
Tripp Trapp: Stokke’s Norwegian-designed adjustable baby chair (the old version was known as the KinderZeat, but Tripp Trapp works better for smaller children)

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