The meat used here is a boned chicken leg (easily found at your supermarket or favourite butcher) that’s been lightly pounded  until evenly flat then stuffed with a mixture of onions, mushrooms, bread crumbs, herbs and some Kasseri cheese I brought back from Greece. This particular cheese comes from the Thracian island of Samothrace and it’s been one of fave cheeses since discovering it this past May in Greece.

The stuffed chicken leg gets tightly rolled with an outer layer of bacon which becomes the new outer skin. You’ll need some aluminum foil and relax…no need to use those rusty trussing skills to tie-up the meat. The foil keeps everything in a roll and it gets unwrapped towards the end to allow the bacon to crisp-up. Each leg serves two persons so you can easilt multiply this recipe to accommodate a larger gathering.

Chicken Ballotine With Kasseri (Μπαλοτίν Κοτοπουλο Γεμιστο με Κασερι)

(serves 4)

2 large chicken legs, boned

approx. 12 slices of bacon

Stuffing

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of Cremini mushrooms, quartered

1 hot of Metaxa brandy

approx. 1/2 cup of coarse bread crumbs, lightly toasted

1 tsp. of fresh thyme leaves

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

4 batons of Kasseri cheese ( or other firm white cheese like Graviera or Gruyere)

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Make the stuffing: add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat and then add the onions, garlic, mushrooms and thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and allow to sweat for about 5 minutes. Add the brandy and simmer for a couple of minutes then take off the heat and add the breadcrumbs stir in. Add salt and pepper to taste and take off the heat and allow to cool. Add chopped fresh parsley, stir-in and reserve.
2. Ask your butcher to bone the chicken legs and remove the skin. Rinse the legs and pat dry then place plastic wrap on your work surface and over the meat. Gently pound the meat to flatten it out into an almost uniform square (be careful not to create any holes).
3. Place a large piece of aluminum foil on your work surface then place the bacon on top, slightly overlapping each other. Lay the flattened chicken leg on top then lightly season the meat facing up with salt and pepper. Spread the stuffing over  the surface of meat and then line the batons of cheese in the middle (lengthwise) and roll-up into a log. Now roll-up the foil around the chicken log and twist the ends until the foil has tightly secured your roll. Repeat for remaining boned chicken legs.
4. Place on baking sheet lined with a rack then into middle rack of your pre-heated 35oF oven for 35 minutes then take the Ballotine(s) out of the oven, remove the foil and place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the bacon has crisped. Remove from the oven and allow 1o minutes resting period before slicing. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes or Greek roasted potatoes or baked rice with red peppers.
5. Serve with a chilled bottle of Domaine Vourvokelis White Lagara from Xanthi.

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The madame who’s been often credited with bringing French cuisine into the homes of American (and Canadian) homes is Julia Child. My earliest recollection of “Julia” was watching her on the PBS affiliate located in Buffalo, New York (just 3 hours south of Toronto). Later, I would again see Julia appear on TV cooking with other pre-eminent American chefs and I really enjoyed her cooking series with Jacques Pepin.

The “go-to” recipe for Beef Bourguignon seems to be Julia’s, as included in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, which I finally acquired last year. Julia’s recipe for Beef Bourguignon builds layers of flavours for this popular French dish with browning the beef, then sauteing the vegetables, browning the onions and mushrooms and ultimately, adding delicious French wine (Burgundy of course) and beef stock in what inevitably becomes one of the most delicious sauces you will ever have tasted. Her (Julia’s) recipe is a tried and true winner and I’ve not veered by the ingredients list but her method will also leave one with a lot more clean-up. I’ve taken a different approach to her recipe with an empathetic eye towards the homemaker who dreads washing so many pots/pans and instead, everything gets browned, sauteed, browned, simmered and braised all in the same Dutch oven.

Choose a heavy, good quality Dutch oven or oven-proof baking vessel that comes with a lid. A heavy-bottomed vessel will allow you to properly brown your meat without burning and my Kitchen Aid 7-quart Dutch Oven did the trick! The beef I used was chuck (or shoulder) as it has some fat on it, has a flavour similar to short rib and lends well to slow-cookin’. White or Cremini mushrooms are best for the dish and you, of course need small onions. Your choice of stock should be beef (of course) and traditionally a Burgundy (red) should be used but as long as you use a quality red that you like to drink – your dish will turn out just fine!

Your choice of side dishes range from the very traditional boiled potatoes to buttered noodles, rice or my choice for today – a garlic mashed potato.

Beef Bourguignon (adapted from Julia Child)

(serves 4-6)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 kg. (2.5lbs)  of chuck (or beef shoulder), cut into large cubes

coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper

4 rashers of bacon

1 large onion, sliced

1 large carrot, sliced

5-6 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 heaping Tbsp. of all-purpose flour

20-24 small/pearl onions, skins removed

1 heaping Tbsp. of unsalted butter

2 cups of white or Cremini mushrooms, halved or thickly sliced

2 cups of red wine (Burgundy)

approx. 4 cups of hot beef stock

1 heaping Tbsp. of tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (approx. 7-quart capacity)

1. Season your cubes of beef with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Place your Dutch oven on your stove-top over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and then add your cubes of beef (don’t overcrowd your, cook in batches). Brown on all sides and reserve on a plate. Remove the fat from the vessel and reduce heat to medium, add your bacon, onions, garlic carrots, bay leaves and thyme and stir. Cover and allow the vegetables and bacon to sweat for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to pick-up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
2. Remove the vegetables, bacon (and herbs) with a slotted spoon and if there’s not enough fat in the pot, add a tablespoon of olive oil and now add your pearl onions and brown on all sides for a couple of minutes. Now add your butter and as soon as it melts and then begins to sizzle, add the mushrooms along with some salt and pepper and stir and brown on all sides. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and reserve (along with the pearl onions).
3. Add the reserved onion/carrot mixture back into the pot and sprinkle the flour over them and stir to coat. Now add your browned beef, the wine and the tomato paste. Bring to a simmer while stirring and pre-heat your oven to 350F. Pour enough beef stock to just cover your meat and stir in. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Cover and place the Dutch oven in your pre-heated oven (middle rack) for about 90 minutes. Remove the baking vessel from the oven, uncover and add the mushrooms and stir-in. Taste and adjust seasoning and should the sauce too dry, add another cup of stock or water. Place the pearl onions on top and cover and return to the oven for another 75-90 minutes. Your sauce should be thick and coat a wooden spoon. Remove the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme and keep your Beef Bourguignon covered on your stove-top/keep warm.
4. Prepare your side dish of garlic mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or rice and serve with your Beef Bourguignon topped with chopped fresh parsley and a red Burgundy wine.

Note: When I was removing the bay leaves and thyme sprigs I was also looking to remove the bacon but they had totally broken-down and melted away into the dish – awesome!

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2011 Peter Minakis

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

My previous post featured an Apple Crumble Pie and I think we’re all in agreement that Apple Pies are best in the cooler months. Apple Pies are also best accompanied  with ice cream – vanilla ice cream for sure. I finally splurged on buying an ice cream machine last year and I’ve been delighted with the results so far. Being a foodie that likes making as much of my food as possible at home, I now proudly make my own ice cream. Homemade Apple Pie is better with homemade ice cream.

When walking down the aisle in the supermarket and perusing the almost endless varieties of ice cream, you’ll usually see both vanilla ice cream and French Vanilla ice cream. What’s the difference? The regular vanilla ice cream tastes okay but it’s dumber, more generic version of it’s rich cousin, French Vanilla ice cream. French Vanilla ice cream contains real vanilla seeds, scraped from pod(s), egg yolks, whole milk and cream and sugar (obviously). When making French Vanilla ice cream, you’ll smell the difference as soon as the milk begins to warm up and the vanilla perfumes your kitchen. Splurge on vanilla beans…they are worth the money!

Making your own ice cream is not more economical that buying ready-made ice cream, rather you make it so that you know exactly what’s in the ice cream, you make the flavours you like and the flavour is far superior than most commercial ice creams. The process hasn’t changed from when only hand-cranked ice cream makers were around – electricity has taken the place of manpower. I like the experimentation that’s allowed with ice cream – it’s usually very forgiving, the flavours are limited only by your imagination and the end result will be tasted each and every time, with each rich and velvety scoop. I now know what real French Vanilla ice cream taste like.

French Vanilla Ice Cream

2 1/2 cups of whole (homogenized milk)

4 egg yolks

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy (whipping cream)

1 vanilla bean

Equipment needed: 2 quart ice cream maker

1. Pour your milk into a heavy-bottomed medium-sized pot and then carefully cut your vanilla pod in half with a paring knife. Use the back of the knife to scrape and remove the vanilla seeds and drop into your milk. Place the pot on your stove top over medium heat and warm up to just scalding (don’t throw out the leftover pod, add it to your sugar and you’ll have vanilla sugar).
2. In the meantime, separate the whites (reserve for an egg white omelet) from your eggs and add yolks into a bowl with the sugar and whisk until creamed. As soon as your milk has reached a scalding stage (just before coming to a bowl), use a ladle to slowly add milk into the creamed egg and sugar mixture. While whisking the egg/sugar mixture, very slowly add one ladle at a time of milk to it (add 4 ladles).
3. Now pour the the contents of the bowl into the pot and while constantly stirring, simmer the custard mixture until it thickens (thick enough to coat a wooden spoon). Allow the custard to cool (place in pot in an ice bath if you want to speed up this process).
4. Once the custard has cooled, pass through a medium-wired mesh strainer (to remove any lumps but allow the vanilla seeds to still pass through) and add the cream and mix. Cover custard mixture and place in the fridge to chill for at least a couple of hours.
5. Assuming that you’ve placed the ice cream maker’s freezer bowl in your freezer overnight, you’re now ready to turn your custard mixture into ice cream. Pour the custard mixture into the ice cream maker and churn for 25-30 minutes. You now should have a thick but creamy ice cream. You may serve it immediately or empty into a plastic tub and cover. Place in the freezer for a couple of hours (minimum). If serving your ice cream from the freezer, your ice cream will be firmer. Allow the ice cream to soften at room temperature for about 5 minutes before scooping out.
6. Serve with your favourite warm apple pie.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2010 Peter Minakis

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Sometimes I’m wrong about a recipe or new riff on a classic. Thank goodness I’m right most of the time. Case in point was this Creme Brulee with Mastic.

Although there are some savory applications for mastic, it seems that this unique Greek spice is more at home in liqueuers, desserts and baked items. I had not ever tasted a Creme Brulee with Mastic but I rolled the dice just before Greek Easter.

Based on the aroma alone, when the ground mastc, vanilla extract simmered in the cream, I knew (was confident) this dessert would work but one is never sure until the final taste-test, are ya?

After a long “Ummmmm” and and equally long exhale, the creme brulee with mastic proved to be a tasty success. I am declaring creme brulee to be one of the easiest, still classiest and delicious desserts one can have. Oh sure, it’s all heavy cream but you deserve a decadent treat every now & then. I deserve a decadent treat every now & then.

The great thing about creme brulee is it’s versatility with flavouring. One could easily raid the liquor cabinet and choose any bottle and spike the cream with it to add a new flavour.

Think of a nut flavouring, a spice (I chose mastic this time) or a tea? Find a reliable creme brulee recipe and the rest is up to you for interpretation. As for putting the “brulee” in the “creme”…you have two options:

1. Buy a kitchen torch;
2. Use your broiler

I finally splurged on a kitchen torch. Most are quite affordable and they do the job rather well. Gather your friends and family and show off your nifty & new little kitchen toy.

How did I do?

Creme Brulee With Mastic

(serves eight)

3 cups of whipping cream

8 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

4-5 mastic (mastiha) teardrops, ground

extra sugar for brulee

pre-heated 350Foven

1. Pound your mastic tears into a powder using your mortar & pestle or place the mastic tears in between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a heavy kitchen instrument until powder form.
2. In a medium-sized pot, add your cream, vanilla extract and ground mastc and over medium heat, bring to a steaming hot heat. Take off the heat and cover. Wait a few minutes before whisking into your eggs/sugar mixture.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until incorporated. After you’ve allowed your hot cream to cool a bit, pour into the bowl with egg/sugar mixture while whisking. Pass the mixture through a fine strainer to remove any cooked bits.
4. Divide among eight 6.oz ramekins. Place in one large (or two smaller pans) and pour in enough boiling water into the pans to come halfway up the ramekin (this is called a “bain marie”).
5. Place on the middle rack of your pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the centers still jiggle. Remove the ramekins from the water and let cool. Cover and place in the fridge for at least two hours.
6. To serve with the “brulee” topping, sprinkle some white sugar on top and using your kitchen torch, melt and caramelize the sugar until a deep brown colour. Allow the ramekins to cool for a couple of minutes and serve with a spoon. Get cracking!

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

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© 2009, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Canada is an officially bilingual nation – French and English. I have enjoyed the regional Quebec cuisine and the homeland French cooking from continental Europe. I prefer the rustic French dishes and I’m particularly fond of Provence and it’s food as it reminds me much of Greek cooking.

One French classic that I recently sought to re-create is the tarte tatin. Last year I made a plum tarte tatin and I enjoyed the dessert alot. This time I took a stab at the classic which uses apples.

Tarte Tatin is the famous upside-down tart that’s caramelized with sugar, water and butter. It was created by two French sisters in what could be France’s most famous kitchen mistake gone wonderfully well!

There are many variations on the original dish which originated in the humble home kitchen but it’s popularity has taken it to the kitchens of most great restaurants.

The tarte should be served warm or at room temperature. If prepared ahead of time, keep in the the cast-iron skillet and just before serving time, place in a hot oven and and re-heat.

Finally, I brushed some heated and strained apricot preserves over a cooled tarte and served it with some cinnamon ice cream. This dessert is simple, an eye-catching treat that will make your family, friends and guests feel right at home or…at a bed & breakfast in Sologne.

Apple Tarte Tatin

approx. 1 1/2 lbs. of firm, slightly tart apples (I used Royal Gala)

2/3 cup of regular sugar

3oz. of unsalted butter

apricot jam

puff pastry, thawed overnight in the fridge

large cast-iron skillet

lemon juice

water

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. Peel the apples, core and cut into thick wedges (I used an apple slicer) and place in a bowl with enough water to cover them and the juice of about 1/ lemon. Treat your cast iron skillet with room temperature butter.
2. In a small pot, add the sugar and 3 Tbsp. of water and caramelize over medium-low heat. Once the syrup has turned to a copper colour, add your butter and swirl the pan to mix and take off the heat and pour the caramel into your cast-iron skillet.
3. Take the apples out of the water & lemon bath and quickly drain. Now quickly place the apples wedges in the skillet, so that they are squeezed tightly together. (You want to do this step quickly so that as not to allow the caramel to harden too quickly)
4. Now place the skillet on a baking sheet (avoid any dripping caramel in oven) in your pre-heated oven (middle rack) and bake for 40-45 minutes. Take the tarte out of the oven and allow the apples to cool a bit. Once cooled, place the puff pastry on top and trim any excess pastry off. Place the tarte once again in a pre-heated oven and  bake for another 30 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. In the meantime, add some apricot jam to a small pot and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and pass through a metal sieve to remove any chunks of fruit. Place the strained jam back in the pot and keep warm.
6. As soon as your tarte has cooled, place the serving dish on top of the tarte and carefully flip over, so that the apples are facing up. Now brush the apricot jam on the apples to give your tarte an added glaze and another dimension to it’s flavour.
7. Serve a wedge to each person with some of Holler’s cinnamon ice cream on the side.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

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© 2009, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.