Quiche December 10, 2009

Making a quiche is easy – that’s it, if you already have the crust for it. You can either buy a pie shell or you can make your own pastry (pretty easy, just follow the instructions on any lard package) and freeze it. In the end, if you’re not too fussy about it, you can just make the quiche without the crust.

I baked my quiche in a 9×5 loaf pan, using the following ingredients: 3 eggs, 2 Tbsp margarine, 2 Tbsp tomato sauce, 1 red pepper, 2 green onions, grated cheese, milk, white flour, salt, pepper, paprika.

Instructions

If using pastry, coat the pan with it first and set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add the tomato sauce, the margarine, some milk and white flour (you want the batter to be slightly consistent, but still fluid). Mix thoroughly. Add chopped green onion and bell peppers. You can add all sorts of goodies that are left in your fridge, like ham, bacon, salami, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, olives, etc. Add salt, pepper and paprika. If using pastry, sprinkle it with cheese and then pour the egg mixture on top. If you’re not using pastry, simply incorporate the cheese into the egg mixture. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or until done.

Another apple dessert: Apple omelette November 3, 2009

Apple by Abhijit Tembhekar

Apple omelette is so easy to make! It’s good warm or cold, simple or with icecream or jam. You’ll need 4 apples, 4 tbsp white flour, 4 eggs, cinnamon, some butter and around 1 cup of milk. Optional: rum, raisins, vanilla essence.

Instructions:

1. Peel and cut apples into cubes. Butter an oven proof deep dish and put the apples in.
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Add rum and raisins, if using.
3. In a separate bowl, mix eggs with flour. Gradually incorporate milk.
4. Pour over apple cubes and bake at 375F for around 45 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.

Photo credits: Abhijit Tembhekar

Meat Shops in Calgary April 7, 2009

Organic, free range, naturally raised… New categories for consumers concerned with genetically modified foods, growth hormones and antibiotics in their meat. I confess to getting a bit lost here. So, here’s a list of meat stores in Calgary and the labels they claim for their meat. It’s a list in progress, so feel free to suggest stores I’ve missed and to check it again and again over time…

• Second to None Meats – three stores available on 4th St SW (#3-2100 4th St SW), Macleod Trail South (7400 Macleod Trail South) and Bowness (4612 Bowness Road NW). Sells Alberta beef from the Canadian Celtic Cattle Company which is labeled ‘naturally grown’ – according to producers, this means no hormones, no steroids, no antibiotics used in the finishing period (what does that mean???). The pork is available from Broek Pork Acres and is labeled no antibiotics, no growth hormones, no animal by-products. The chicken is brought from Maple Hill farms in BC and is labeled free range, no animal by-products, no medication. The eggs are certified organic free-range. You can also find a range of home-cooked meals (I was told the meat pies and the cabbage rolls are absolutely delicious).
• Spragg’s Meat Shop at Calgary Farmers’ Market – Sells pork labeled free range – according to producers, this means raised outside, no hormones and no antibiotics in the feed (does it mean they can be injected though?). Delicious sausages and wide variety of pork meats.
• Grazin Acres at Calgary Farmers’ Market – Sells pork, chicken, turkey, duck, lamb and eggs. All labeled organic, no hormones, no growth hormones. In my opinion, cheapest organic eggs (4.99 the extra large 12 eggs pack). A small leaflet from the producers clarifies the following terms: certified organic (no growth hormones, medication, free run, fed certified organic grains), natural (no hormones and medication), free range/ run (animals raised able to walk around).
• Sun Works Farm at Calgary Farmers’ Market – Sells chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and bison. The meats are certified organic, and the eggs are organic and free range. I love the ground bison – a small pack is around $5 and it’s enough to prepare 4 servings of the meatballs I was talking about here. They also sell bones for stock, which I find useful.
• Hoven Farms at Calgary Farmers’ Market – Sells Alberta beef, certified organic – according to producers, this means no antibiotics, no artificial hormones (see comment below from producer), fed with chemicals-free grass. You can also get the beef bones for stock.
• Regina’s Fine Meats at Crossroads Market – Sells Alberta pork, chicken and a good selection of smoked meats and sausages. A poster at the shop indicates that the meat was not medicated, but doesn’t clarify what this means. The website says that the sausages have no msg, no nitrates, no binders or fillers.

Deviled Eggs with Pickles January 30, 2009

Quick and easy: deviled eggs with pickles. You’ll need: eggs, olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper, basil, mustard, parsley, pickles.

Instructions:

1. Boil eggs (boil them well, then put them under cold water for a couple of minutes).
2. Remove shell, cut in half and scoop the yolk out.
3. Mash all yolks with a fork, then add 1 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp mustard. Mix well
4. Add paprika, salt, pepper, basil, parsley and pickles cut as thinly as possible.
5. With a teaspoon, put the mixture back into the whites. Serve cold.

Quick and Easy Creme Brulee December 6, 2008

Creme brulee is not as complicated as it seems. In fact, it only takes some 20 minutes to prepare everything (and some 40 minutes in the oven). No need to worry about complicated bain marie/ water bath, here’s the quick version. You’ll need 1 l milk, 8 eggs, one and a half cup of sugar, some vanilla essence and lemon zest.

Instructions:

1. In a pan, melt half of the sugar until it becomes liquid. You’ll need to use an oven-proof pan. If you are using a ceramic or glass oven-proof dish, quickly pour the liquid sugar into the dish and make sure you coat all the base surface while the sugar is still liquid.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the 8 eggs. Gradually integrate the rest of the sugar and the milk.
3. Add vanilla essence or vanilla sugar and a bit of lemon zest.
4. Pour everything into the oven-proof dish or pan, and put it in the oven (300 – 350F would do it) for some 40 -50 minutes.

I found this nice video depicting the process step by step. Although the instructions are not in English, it’s quite good in terms of finding out what you’re supposed to expect when making this delicious dessert.