Thursday, August 26, 2010

Margherita Burgers Recipe and a Review to Come

As I mentionned briefly in a previous post, we've been changing things around the apartment lately: cleaning, painting and searching for some new furniture. I've been looking for inspiration pretty much everywhere I can find it. From kitchen tables to window treatments and wall hangings, I've been Googling like crazy!
One site that has it all is CSN Stores and I've been given the opportunity to review their services and products. I'm not kidding when I say they have everything, have a look for yourselves! So, please stay tuned for more in the coming weeks!
While we have been working pretty hard on making our apartment feel a little cozier, we've also been trying to take advantage of what's left of Summer vacation. The kids start school in less than a week now and it seems like just yesterday we were so happy that Summer was finally here! It has been a little cooler lately and I've been trying to use up those herbs I have growing on the porch. My favorite is basil, I could use it in just about anything, and most often I end up putting a big handful in my burgers. A few weeks ago I "invented" this burger recipe and I've made it at least 3 times since! The burgers are juicy and flavorful and yes, they taste like Summer!


Margherita Burgers

You can change the given quantities of pretty much any of the ingredients to suit your tastes.


2 lbs lean ground beef

1 egg

1/3 cup plain bread crumbs

1/4 to 1/3 cup of sun dried tomatoes, in oil, chopped finely

2 tbsp of the oil the tomatoes are packed in

1 small red onion, finely diced

1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste


Hamburger buns

Slices of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil leaves, for garnish


In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, sun dried tomatoes, oil, onion, chopped fresh basil and salt and pepper. Mix well and form 8 patties. You can cook the burgers on the BBQ, in a pan or, as I like to cook them in my panini press, it takes half the time as they cook on both sides at the same time! Just cook them from 8 to 10 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of each patty is 160F. Let the burgers rest a few minutes before serving them.

Heat or toast the hamburger buns, place a patty on each bun, then top with mozzarella, tomato slices and fresh basil leaves. Then enjoy what's left of Summer!
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Sunday, August 8, 2010

Sunday Kind of Breakfast

I love getting up on Sunday morning and taking my time deciding what to make for breakfast. I'll let the kids play their video games so I'll have time to make myself a cup of coffee, browse through my many, many bookmarks or magazines, and try to find THE recipe I feel like making that morning. Or perhaps I'll settle for a tried and true breakfast favorite like crêpes, scones, muffins or waffles. But some days, I feel like having more of a savory breakfast, something I usually make as "breakfast for dinner". Those most often involve eggs, bacon and some type of bread. We so very rarely have bacon for breakfast that once the bacon aroma started wafting through the house, my son walked into the kitchen with this surprised and happy look on his face and actually said: "Are you making BACON for breakfast?!?" He was one happy kid.

I also had a bunch of gorgeous grape tomatoes from the market which I turned into a nice little salsa to serve alongside some eggs cooked in a bagel nest. The bagels are from Bagels Tradition'L in Québec, where you can get pretty much THE best bagel in town. They're baked in a wood oven which gives them a distinctive taste, and they are very, very hard to resist! All in all, a great Sunday breakfast. Now, what to make for dinner... ;)


Oven Cooked Bacon

Once you start cooking your bacon in the oven you will never go back to making it in a pan. You can use the time the bacon is baking to make the rest of breakfast! Cool, right?

Preheat your oven to 400F. Lay the bacon slices down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on how thick your slices are and how crisp you like your bacon. Once cooked, place the slices on a piece of paper towel to absorb some of the fat. You can keep the bacon warm in a low oven, if you need to.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Olive oil
About 20 small grape tomatoes (you could also use cherry tomatoes)
1 small red onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper

In a pan, over medium heat, pour a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let them warm up and get soft, again, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add basil at the very last minute and keep the salsa warm until serving time.

Eggs in a Bagel Nest


Ingredients for each serving:
Butter and olive oil
1/2 a bagel
1 egg
Sliced green onions
Grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a little butter and olive oil and heat until the butter is melted and bubbly. Place your bagel half, cut side down, into the pan and let it warm up for a few minutes. Crack the egg into the bagel hole. The white will stream down the side and that's OK. Cover the pan and let the egg cook for a few minutes, depending on how done you want the yolk to be, check on it often. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, salt, pepper and green onions. Serve with bacon, fresh tomato salsa and make sure you don't forget the coffee!
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Monday, August 2, 2010

Maple Semifreddo

A few days turned into a week filled with family gatherings and reunions, and passed as quickly as a few hours. It seemed as soon as we hugged and kissed "Hello!" to relatives we hadn't seen in ages, too soon we had to say our teary goodbyes. It really is true that time flies when you're having fun and oh, what fun we had! Yes, I wish I was still there... Wouldn't you?




Alas, back to reality it is, back to work and back to the recipe I promised you guys a week ago! Although maple is a flavor I associate with cooler temperatures and comforting, warming desserts, I was inspired by watching Nigella make a Honey Semifreddo to try and adapt it with maple syrup. Let me tell you, It worked fabulously! The maple flavor really shines through and with three ingredients this dessert is as easy as it gets! Creamy and refreshing, perfect for a lazy Summer day.


Maple Semifreddo

adapted from Nigella Lawson


300 ml heavy cream (35%)

100 ml pure maple syrup

1 whole egg

4 egg yolks

Maple syrup and roasted pine nuts, for serving


Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and set aside.


In a large bowl, mix the maple syrup, egg and egg yolks. Place your bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whip the mixture constantly until thickened. When it's ready it should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Let it cool for a few minutes while you whip the cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg mixture into the whipped cream.

Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for at least 4 to 6 hours.

To unmold, place the loaf pan in warm water and use the plastic wrap to remove the semifreddo from the pan. Cut into slices, drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with roasted pine nuts.
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