A while back while preparing for a small dinner party, Wendy decided that we needed a salad. I jump at any food request Wendy makes these days. We had a nice head of romaine in the crisper and that immediately suggested “Caesar Salad”. A search through the fridge and pantry gave me everything I needed but anchovies. It was too late to mount a shopping expedition so I had a second look at the Caesar dressing recipe.
It’s really just a mayonnaise (one of the basic ‘mother sauces’ of French Cuisine) sharpened with extra mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and anchovies.
Mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
250 ml. extra virgin olive oil.
In a large bowl mix the yolk, lemon juice and mustard with a whisk. Slowly begin to add the oil a few drops at a time. Egg yolk is an emulsifier: it joins a liquid molecule to an oil molecule, so you need lemon juice or vinegar to complete the bond. As you whisk, the sauce becomes pale yellow and has a nice sheen. One egg yolk will easily emulsify a cup of oil, but don’t push it too hard until you’re experienced. Mayonnaise is mild and creamy.
If you add a couple of finely grated garlic cloves, the mayonnaise becomes a Sauce Aioli.
But most of us buy Mayonnaise in a nice jar at Superstore or Sobey’s. It’s a heck of a lot easier and less frustrating. (Just wait until your Mayonnaise breaks or separates at a critical moment.) Here’s a quick and dirty Caesar Salad Sauce.
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar, or one you like.
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.
1 cup grated fresh Parmesan Reggiano cheese.
Because the store-bought mayo is already an emulsion, it will readily mix with these ingredients and make a tangy, sharp sauce. You can adjust the flavour to suit your taste. Let the sauce sit in the fridge for a couple of hours to meld the flavours.
Lightly oil slices of French or Italian bread and toast in the oven until they are crusty. While still warm, rub both sides of the slices with a garlic clove. When cool, cut the bread into nice sized cubes.
I had nothing to replace the anchovies, so I left them out. I did have some hot smoked salmon. I filled each salad plate with romaine and gave each plate a squirt of the dressing. I then layered on the croutons and sprinkled the greens with freshly ground Parmesan (the real stuff, Parmesan Reggiano), some croutons, and the salmon. The acid tanginess of the sauce went well with the salmon.
Everyone loved the salad and I was commandeered into making it for Christmas dinner.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
A Dessert Presentation
Wendy mentioned that some of our ‘constant readers’ had requested a recipe or two. I have to admit that my cooking skills have not been tested much these past few months with Wendy’s taste buds being sorely affected by her treatments. When she thought that an evening of dessert and Monopoly with Jack and Suzanne and Dale and Lynn was just what she needed, I was challenged to make an interesting and healthy presentation.
During the summer Wendy goes off to various places and picks fruit and freezes them for later consumption. While rummaging in the freezer an idea came to mind. Strawberries, blueberries and rhubarb (courtesy of Dale and Lynn's garden) all came to hand and the whole dessert concept became Memories of Summer (with apologies to President’s Choice).
Remember that these fruits have been frozen and when they thaw they will give up juice, become soft, and will lose their shape.
The centerpiece of this is the rhubarb. Be gentle.
Jellied Rhubarb Compote
1 kg (2 lbs) rhubarb, cut into one inch pieces
2 oranges, zest and juice
250 ml honey, sugar, or maple syrup
2 packets Knox gelatin
Mix rhubarb, orange juice and zest, and sweetener into a pot and heat gently. You are trying to get the rhubarb to give up its juice and mix with the other ingredients. Cook until the rhubarb is soft. Prepare the gelatin according to the package directions and add to the hot rhubarb mixture. Stir well.
Prepare nine ramekins. Fill each ramekin with the mixture and put into the refrigerator to cool until set.
Blueberry Compote
(this is a good recipe for tart fillings or a cobbler base too)
1 litre blueberries
250 grams sugar
24 grams cornstarch (a scant tablespoon)
1 tspn cinnamon
¼ tspn nutmeg
¾ cup cold water
Mix sugar, spices, cornstarch and cold water in a pot over medium heat, bring to a boil while stirring. When thickened, pour in blueberries and bring back to a boil. Cool.
Strawberry Sauce
2 cups frozen strawberries
½ cup sugar (or less according to your taste)
2 tspn cornstarch
Thaw the strawberries before starting. Drain off a half cup of juice and mix with the cornstarch.
Put the berries and sugar in a pot and heat. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook gently until the berries are cooked and the liquid is thick.
To serve Memories of Summer:
Gently turn out the jellied rhubarb compote onto the centre of a dinner plate. Spoon blueberries and strawberries on opposite sides of the plate. Place a dollop of ice cream or a fruit sorbet at the top of the plate.
Enjoy.
P.S. A shortbread cookie would go well with this.
During the summer Wendy goes off to various places and picks fruit and freezes them for later consumption. While rummaging in the freezer an idea came to mind. Strawberries, blueberries and rhubarb (courtesy of Dale and Lynn's garden) all came to hand and the whole dessert concept became Memories of Summer (with apologies to President’s Choice).
Remember that these fruits have been frozen and when they thaw they will give up juice, become soft, and will lose their shape.
The centerpiece of this is the rhubarb. Be gentle.
Jellied Rhubarb Compote
1 kg (2 lbs) rhubarb, cut into one inch pieces
2 oranges, zest and juice
250 ml honey, sugar, or maple syrup
2 packets Knox gelatin
Mix rhubarb, orange juice and zest, and sweetener into a pot and heat gently. You are trying to get the rhubarb to give up its juice and mix with the other ingredients. Cook until the rhubarb is soft. Prepare the gelatin according to the package directions and add to the hot rhubarb mixture. Stir well.
Prepare nine ramekins. Fill each ramekin with the mixture and put into the refrigerator to cool until set.
Blueberry Compote
(this is a good recipe for tart fillings or a cobbler base too)
1 litre blueberries
250 grams sugar
24 grams cornstarch (a scant tablespoon)
1 tspn cinnamon
¼ tspn nutmeg
¾ cup cold water
Mix sugar, spices, cornstarch and cold water in a pot over medium heat, bring to a boil while stirring. When thickened, pour in blueberries and bring back to a boil. Cool.
Strawberry Sauce
2 cups frozen strawberries
½ cup sugar (or less according to your taste)
2 tspn cornstarch
Thaw the strawberries before starting. Drain off a half cup of juice and mix with the cornstarch.
Put the berries and sugar in a pot and heat. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook gently until the berries are cooked and the liquid is thick.
To serve Memories of Summer:
Gently turn out the jellied rhubarb compote onto the centre of a dinner plate. Spoon blueberries and strawberries on opposite sides of the plate. Place a dollop of ice cream or a fruit sorbet at the top of the plate.
Enjoy.
P.S. A shortbread cookie would go well with this.
Kids' Guide to Museum
Although I haven't talked much about work in this blog, I have been able to continue working part-time during treatment.
I wanted to share this newspaper article about one of the projects I've been coordinating. This Kids' Guide was developed with the assistance of a group of Grade 4 and 5 students from a nearby school, to highlight their favourite parts of the Museum and enable other kids to act as tour guides for their own families. The students are very proud of the resulting booklet, which features their art and writing. I think the final product exceeded everyone's expectations, and it is now available to visitors as part of their regular admission.
Wendy
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
New Treatment Underway
Weekly treatments with the new (to me) chemo Taxol got underway today. In four weeks I see my oncologist, Dr. B, to assess how it's going. The chemo nurse says if it's effective and depending on the side effects, it can sometimes be continued indefinitely, like the bone strengthener I receive intravenously every 4 weeks.
The nurse feels that the oncology docs here really keep up to date, going to conferences, involved in clinical trials, reading, etc. Says if this ever happened to her Dr. B is who she'd want, and she's not the first person I've heard express that. Her view is that Dr. B doesn't give up easily, as long as you're on board, which is my impression too.
Apparently one of the most common side effects of Taxol is achy bones, especially the large ones in the hips and thighs. There may be increased tiredness as treatment goes on, of course hair loss, but perhaps less effect on the digestive system than some of the previous treatment.
We'll see how it goes over the next few weeks.
Wendy
The nurse feels that the oncology docs here really keep up to date, going to conferences, involved in clinical trials, reading, etc. Says if this ever happened to her Dr. B is who she'd want, and she's not the first person I've heard express that. Her view is that Dr. B doesn't give up easily, as long as you're on board, which is my impression too.
Apparently one of the most common side effects of Taxol is achy bones, especially the large ones in the hips and thighs. There may be increased tiredness as treatment goes on, of course hair loss, but perhaps less effect on the digestive system than some of the previous treatment.
We'll see how it goes over the next few weeks.
Wendy
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