For my birthday, my mom gave me a copy of The Art of Living According to Joe Beef.  Joe Beef  is one of Montreal’s culinary gems and its book reads like a gastronomical novel – it’s just beautiful in content and images.

One of the recipes I knew I had to immediately try is the BBQ Pulled Pork over Seared Scallops.  Yes, it’s a bit odd in concept.  No, you haven’t made a better dish than this one at home – guaranteed.

I served this dish as a main course but I’ll have it in my back pocket as an amazing starter for upcoming dinner parties.

Pulled Pork Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. each salt, pepper, granulated sugar
• One 4-5 pound pork shoulder (sometimes called Boston Butt)
• ¼ cup yellow mustard
• ½ cup water
• 4-5 jumbo scallops per person
• Canola oil for frying
• Sea salt and pepper

Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients:

• 7 egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 cup butter
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice

World’s Best BBQ Sauce, Ever, heated

Pulled Pork Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, salt, pepper and sugar.  Slather the pork with the yellow mustard then coat with the spice mixture.  Place pork in a large Dutch oven and add the water.  Put the pork in the oven for five hours.  After the initial five hours, check for doneness every hour, covering the meat with aluminum foil if it becomes dry or overly browned, until it’s cooked for nine hours total.  The meat should be fork tender.
3. Allow meat to cool for 15 minutes then, using two forks, pull it off into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl (can be made a day ahead of serving if refrigerated then warmed in hot BBQ sauce).

Hollandaise Sauce Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter.  Allow to cool for 3 minutes.
2. In a tall container, like a pitcher, add the egg yolks.  Using an immersion blender, add the butter to the yolks in a slow, steady stream until the sauce thickens and is emulsified.
3. Add the cayenne pepper, the salt and the lemon juice.  Keep sauce at room temperature until ready to use.  Makes about ½ cup.

Plating Directions:

1. In a large cast iron or non-stick pan over high heat, add the oil and heat until shimmering hot.  Add the scallops and cook for two minutes on each side.  Remove onto a paper towel.
2. For each scallop you’re using: in a medium bowl, add one tablespoon of pork and two tablespoons of hot BBQ sauce.  Combine meat and sauce well.
3. Add a tablespoon of Hollandaise sauce per scallop on a plate (1-2 for a starter or 4-5 for an entrée).  Top the sauce with a scallop.  Top each scallop with a tablespoon of BBQ-sauced pulled pork.

Notes:  The pulled pork in its state at the end of step 3 of “Pulled Pork Directions” can be used in a multitude of ways when combined with BBQ sauce: pulled pork sandwich, as a topping for pizza, in tacos, etc…

Need some inspiration for a romantic meal this Valentine’s Day (or any old day)?  Here are four, simple-to-make dishes along with wine pairings that are sure to show your loved one(s) how much you care.

• Savory Cheese Tartlets with Blackberries paired with  La Marca Di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco ($12)
• Cream of Asparagus and Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese Soup  paired with  2007 Hirsch Vineyards San Andreas Pinot Noir ($65)
• Boeuf en Croûte (Beef Wellington)  paired with  2006 Stag’s Leap Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($40)
• Simple Greek Yogurt and Berry Tart  paired with  2008 Heron Hill Late Harvest Vidal Blanc ($18)

BONUS – breakfast:  Strawberry and Nutella-Stuffed Crepes

Whichever dish you decide to prepare for your loved one(s) this Valentine’s Day, I hope your meal is paired with love.

Cheers,

Veronique

I take no credit for this BBQ beyond buying the cookbook and trying it.  It’s the legendary BBQ sauce by Joe Beef restaurant in Montreal, Canada.  Without exaggerating, I want to bathe in this stuff, it’s that good.  Sweet, spicy, full of depth and simple to make.  This BBQ sauce would be great over grilled chicken or ribs and combined with pulled pork for an amazing sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Coca Cola
• 1 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. molasses
• 1 Tbsp. Sriracha
• 1 tsp. ground coffee
• ½ tsp. each salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine all the ingredients and cook for 30 minutes, stirring a few times.

Notes:  Sauce keeps for up to two weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Among my circle of friends, I’m typically the one cooking and baking (and loving it).  This weekend, my two girlfriends from Florida, Eileen and Gloriann, came to visit me to help celebrate my 40^th birthday.  To their surprise and my amusement, I put them to work to make me a birthday pie.  The recipe below is inspired by a chocolate cream pie by Hershey and it’s delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 cups milk, divided
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled
• 2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Directions:

1. Combine chocolate and 2 cups milk in medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture boils.  Remove from heat.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt in medium bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining cup of milk and the egg yolks.  Stir the egg mixture into the sugar mixture.   Gradually add the egg and sugar mixture to the saucepan with the warm chocolate.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture boils, about 2 minutes.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pie crust.  Press a sheet of shrink wrap directly onto the surface of the chocolate mixture to prevent a skin from forming.  Cool for 20 minutes then refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
5. Top the pie with whipped cream before serving.

8 to 10 servings.

Traditional Bean Pot

When I was growing up in Quebec, the family would gather at Grandma’s house for baked beans breakfast several times a year.  She’d bake fresh loaves of bread and the aromas would be divine.

Grandma would soak her dry beans overnight then cook them slow and low overnight, with Grandpa adding a little water throughout the night.  The beans were prepared simply: salt pork, a whole onion (that uncle Dan would always get to have) and some molasses.  Grandma would serve the beans on mismatched plates, no two alike, and I’d pour Quebec maple syrup on them and scarf then down – bliss.  I’ve eaten my way around a bunch of cities and this meal is still my favorite breakfast.

This year, with Grandma’s passing, my mom, Diane, decided to fix this dish for us as a sort of an ode to Grandma.  She’d even bought a handsome bean pot for them to simmer in!  I’m providing the recipe below, but it’s not really about making this dish, it’s about the story behind it.  Way to go mom for keeping this tradition alive and the family well-fed!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried white beans
• 1/2 pound salt pork, cut into 1″ cubes
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. each salt and pepper

Directions:

1. 

   Place the beans in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water then cover with foil.  Place the saucepan in the refrigerator at least 12 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Take the beans out of the refrigerator and put on the stovetop on high heat.  Boil the beans for 30 minutes, then, using a colander, drain the water.
3. Place half of the cubed salt pork in the bottom of a heavy, oven-proof pot or Dutch oven (if you have a traditional bean pot, even better).  Add the beans and top with the remaining salt pork.  Tuck the onion in.  Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the beans and pork.
4. Cover the beans with hot water, place in the oven, covered, and cook for 7-8 hours.  Halfway through the cooking process, add more hot water to once again cover the beans.

Makes 6-8 servings.

This is the first Christmas the family will spend without Grandma.  I’ve mentioned in past posts what an amazing cook and baker she was and that she had a huge part in my love of food.

One of the items that belonged to Grandma that I was fortunate enough to get was a small 3-section glass dish that she displayed her Christmas treats on.

I’ve made Grandma’s Chocolate and Peanut Butter Treats over the weekend and plan on proudly displaying them on the dish to my guests.

It’s one of my small contributions to keeping traditions alive.

Cheers,

Veronique

Growing up, my Grandma made jelly roll cake all the time.  A favorite was the vanilla cake with raspberry jam tucked inside and confectioner’s sugar lightly dusted over.  Every Christmas, our family shares a Bûche de Noël, in recent years, it has been purchased because nobody has wanted to tackle making it from scratch.  This will be the first Christmas we spend without Grandma and I have decided to bite the bullet and make our family’s Yule log.  Here is a version I might use, unless I have a chocolate craving.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
• Zest of an orange
• 3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup cake flour
• Browned Butter and Salted Caramel Frosting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat an 11×17 jelly roll pan with cooking spray.  Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper and coat the paper with additional cooking spray.
2. Using a stand mixer, beat the eggs for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Add the sugar, Grand Marnier, zest, vanilla and salt and beat for another 2 minutes.
3. Add flour in quarter cup additions, incorporating with a rubber spatula very gently. Do not over mix!
4. Spread the batter evenly into the pan and bake for 10 minutes.  Wait 3 minutes and remove the cake from the pan and onto a large kitchen towel dusted with confectioner’s sugar.  Peel off the parchment paper.  Wait 2 minutes and roll the shorter side onto itself using the kitchen towel as a guide until a tight roll is created.  Chill rolled cake for 30 minutes then unroll the cake gently, removing the towel as you go.
5. Spread 1 cup of frosting on the cake in an even layer then roll back into a tight log.  Cut a 2-inch piece at one end of the cake at an angle and place atop the cake to create a branch stump.  Frost the outside of the cake, including the stump, run a fork over the surface of the cake to create mock bark then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve 10.

My grandma used to make my sister and me peanut butter and banana grilled sandwiches in a cast iron contraption when we were kids.  This contraption, an early version of a Panini press, had long handles that could be flipped on the stovetop until the bread was perfectly browned and gorgeous.  I miss those days and decided to sort of recreate the sandwich using my modern day Panini press and a little twist – Nutella!

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. softened butter
• 2 slices whole wheat bread (I like oatmeal and whole wheat for this)
• 2 Tbsp. chunky peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. Nutella
• ½ ripe banana, sliced

Directions:

1. Heat up Panini press or a grill pan over high heat.
2. Spread 1 teaspoon of butter on one side of each bread slice.
3. Spread the peanut butter on the unbuttered side of one bread slice.
4. Spread Nutella on the unbuttered side of the second bread slice then arrange the banana slices over Nutella.
5. Top the Nutella/banana slice with the peanut butter slice so that the buttered side of each bread slice is on the outside and the goodies are on the inside.
6. Place the sandwich in the Panini press and grill for 3 minutes.  Alternatively, place the sandwich on the grill pan (still on high heat) and top with the weight of multiple pans or a pan with a 2-3 pound weight in it and cook 1 1/2 minutes per sides.
7. Transfer sandwich to a cutting board and cut sandwich diagonally using a serrated knife.

1 serving.

I recently attended a berry virtual tasting hosted by Driscoll’s and WineTwits and created the following recipe to share with the group.  The results are just as tasty when blackberries are used.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cup half and half
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
• 4 croissants, cut into1/2” cubes
• 1 6-ounce container of fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Heat cream and half and half in a saucepan over medium heat until just simmering.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, ¾ cup sugar and vanilla until well combined.  Add a ladleful of hot cream to the egg mixture and whisk well to bring up the temperature of the eggs.  Add the rest of the cream to the egg custard and whisk well.
4. Add the cubed croissants to the custard and gently push down the cubes into the liquid to ensure they absorb as much custard as possible.  Set aside for 20 minutes.
5. Lightly coat four 10-ounce ramekins with cooking spray.  Add two raspberries to each ramekin then divide the bread and custard mixture between the four dishes.  Divide the remaining raspberries amount the dishes and sprinkle each with the rest of the sugar, about one teaspoon each.
6. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for about 35 minutes, until puddings are puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.  Serve while still warm with a drizzle of Blackberry Balsamic Coulis and/or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Last night, I had some friends over for fondue night.  We don’t fondue as often as we should because when we do, it’s a great time.  There’s no better way to stretch out a meal than to fondue.

I served a cheese fondue made using Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar from Vermont and Victory Headwaters.  Sharp cheese and beer – winning!  For dinner, I typically do a fondue pot with beefy, wine broth for shrimp, chicken and cheese cubes and a pot with hot oil for beef tenderloin.  The dinner fondues are served with three dipping sauces, this time: Sriracha and maple mayo, a Dijon mustard and tarragon mayo and a garlic mayo.  Just a fun concept and please ping me if you’d like fondue tips.

Today is football day at our home and we usually take it super easy on Sunday afternoons.  This means that I typically make dinner in the morning so we can just eat in front of the television later.  Today, I made my Grandma’s amazing meat sauce that we’ll eat with spaghetti.  I double the sauce recipe as it freezes beautifully.

Hope you’re having as great a weekend as I’m having!

Cheers,

Veronique