Warm Goat Cheese w/ Vanilla Tomato Salad

It has been quite a while since I have posted on this blog, actually more than a year! Recently a friend and teammate of mine, reminded me of the blog and suggested that I'd come back to it... As an added incentive, she brought back from a trip to Indonesia a whole bundle of Vanilla beans and so kindly gave me several of them. Thank you! You know who you are... Some others can probably put 2 & 2 together and figure it out!
Anyway, this was a thoughtful, wonderful gift, which I have to put to good use. A special gift calls for special attention. Dear vanilla, aroma of far away tropical places, hints of sweetness, reminiscent of a woman skin's fragrance, I visualize myself by a blue lagoon, where the sun lights up the skin. Corny isn't it? That's why I'd rather cook than write poetry...
So I have been searching for an acceptable recipe in my usual recurring theme: tasty, light, quick to make and savory. I did not want to fall in the common set of vanilla usage, but find instead something a little more unusual. This will be the first posting of a series of vanilla focused recipes.
So tonight I choose to make for dinner this very light recipe for a clean finish of the day. It could be served as an appetizer as well.

Warm Goat Cheese w/ Vanilla Tomato Salad
(4 servings)

For the salad:
a container of mixed greens
2 pints of cherry tomatoes (can be replaced for striking effect by 8 medium size heirloom tomatoes)
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
salt crystals

For the dressing:
1 vanilla bean
2 tbsp of lemon infused olive oil (if not available, replace by 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice - preferably Meyer lemons)
1 tsp of red wine vinegar
1 tsp of salt crystal

For the goat cheese:
2 bijoux or Crottins de Chavignol
4 slices of country bread
olive oil

Turn on your oven broiler.
Start by preparing the vanilla dressing. Slit the vanilla bean and extract the seeds using a knife. Place all the seeds in a bowl with the other ingredients, emulsionize with a whip or a fork.
Toast the bread slices, lightly rub olive oil and cut the goat cheese in 2 halves, placing a half goat cheese on each slices of bread. Place under the broiler to obtain a slight melt. Be cautious as it will go fast...
Do not remove the tomato seeds or skins. Half the cherry tomatoes after having washed them (if using heirloom tomatoes, cut them in 8 pieces). In a mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes and the dressing together.
Lay a handful of mixed greens on a plate, garnish with some tomatoes, and place the warm goat cheese on toast beside it. Just before serving (be quick as you want the goat cheese to still be warm), sprinkle some chopped chives and salt crystal on top of the salad.
Serve with either a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc or a Chardonnay.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Compote of Banana & Orange with Vanilla

So yesterday, my "End-Of-Week" Soup cooked all day in the crockpot. We came back home and this wonderful cooked vegetable and chicken smell was throughout the house... Oh wonderful feeling, not to have to cook anything... Serve, sit and eat... Well, well... I couldn't resist to do a little sweet dessert for the family. I had tasted this dessert several years ago (2002 or 2003) at Le Gavroche, Michel Roux Jr's restaurant in London and I had loved its delicateness. Chef Roux is an avid marathon runner and he wrote a cookbook called The Marathon Chef - Food for Getting Fit. He was kind enough at the time to sign one copy for me.

His dessert was then prepared with muscovado sugar instead of the brown sugar I used tonight. Muscovado has a slightly lower sugar content with a more intense taste. It carries notes of anis seed, caramel and coffee... Huuummm...

A quick note - when doing pastry/desserts, you ought to use a metric scale as it is more accurate. Pastry is almost like chemistry. It is a precise science... Of course, it is more important for some desserts than others. Most household electronic scales will have a oz & gram function.

Banana & Orange Compote with Vanilla: (4 persons) - 35 minutes

Ingredients: 4 bananas, 6 oranges, 2.5 oz (75g) granulated sugar, 2 vanilla pods, 4 oz (120g) brown sugar, 30 ml dark rum

Peel and julienne the skin of 2 oranges. Juice the oranges and reserve. Cover the orange peel julienne in cold water and bring to a boil, strain and repeat 2 more times. While boiling the peels, prepare a sugar syrup with the granulated sugar and 100 ml of water. Once the peels have been boiled 3 times in cold water and drained, cover the peels with the sugar syrup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes to make candied orange peel.
While you are making the candied orange peel, peel the remaining oranges and divide them in segment being careful to remove the membranes between each segments. Do not waste any juice, press the remaining core and segment membranes as well as peel for any juice. Add it to the pressed one made earlier.
Place all the juice in a pan, with the split vanilla pods, the rum and half of the brown sugar. Boil & reduce by 1/3.
Peel the bananas, slice and add to the juice. Simmer stirring with a wooden spoon until lightly cooked. Remove the vanilla pods, Portion the bananas and juice in 4 terracota ramequins or shallow bowls. Arrange the orange segments on top, sprinkle the remaining brown sugar and glaze under the broiler or with a blow torch as I did here (see picture). Decorate with the candied orange peel.

This dessert served warm is delicious... You could even, after a hard and long training day, gives yourself a little satisfaction by adding a small portion of good quality vanilla ice cream!

End of the Week Vegetables and Chicken Soup

Fall is here, winter is coming, but throughout the year, I have basically made a similar recipe roughly once a week. It all depends on how much I cook, what recipes I try or repeat, etc... When shopping, either the product packaging requirements or my pars are off sometimes. So I have instituted this recipe which is basically the leftovers either in a stew or soup format.
I try to avoid wasting anything so I will use vegetables peelings (specifically turnips, carrots, etc...) if they are clean and in a good shape or when some unused vegetables are starting to wilt or rot, it's time to make a soup...

Green Vegetables & Chicken Soup:
Ingredients: 5 small zucchinis washed, quartered in length and diced, 1 cup of green peas, 3 branches of celeri washed and diced, 1 cup of wilted romaine salad, 1/2 cup turnip peelings (from another recipe), 3 tomatoes quartered, 3/4 qt beef stock, 1/2 qt chicken stock, leftovers of a roasted chicken, 1/2 cup sage leaves wilted, salt, pepper

In a crock pot with a low setting, pleace all the diced vegetables, herbs and pulled meat from the chicken (remove all bones) and pour the stocks. Cover and set on the low setting in the morning prior to leaving for work. When back, the soup is ready...
We traditionally eat it as is witout blending it. If there is soup left, I blend it and let it cool. When cooled I pour it a liter size empty bottles of  water (3/4 of the way, otherwise the bottle will pop in the freezer) and freeze for later us when I do not have any time to cook!

Boeuf Bourguignon et Celeri Remoulade

Tough challenge to manage kid's homework, work, search for a new job, triathlon training, overuse injury post marathon and the resulting frustrations, not to forget weight... Oops... And a blog... My appetite is still the same as when I was training for my A race... so... Yep! I've put on 6 lbs in a blink!


Today, I had a little more time so I decided to tackle one of my old favorite recipes. This was a dish my mother used to make often and it created a wondeful smell in the house coming back from school. It's also one of the first I learned how to make! Hopefully it'll come out just the way my mother used to make it. Le Bœuf Bourguignon!! A wonderful braised meat in a delicious Bourgogne wine w/ pearl onions and bacon, served on a bed of pasta... Rectification: tonight it will be served with a green salad and a Céleri Rémoulade. Salad will be for the recovery part of the training! On a buildup periodisation, I would serve the Bœuf Bourguignon either with steamed potatoes & parsley or with a dish of tagliatelle, cooked "al dente" and just drizzled with olive oil.

The appetizer part of our meal tonight is the Céleri Rémoulade. This is a very typical recipe of the Parisian catering and butcher shops. It is very simple, quick and healthy, specifically if you substitute a light mayonnaise. Celery is an excellent source of vitamin C, fibers, folic acid, potassium, vitamin B1, B2 & B6. It is also said that celery has anti-cancer and lowering blood pressure properties… Actually, celery root juice (using a juice extractor) is a great post-workout replacement electrolyte due to its natural high concentration of sodium and potassium!

Céleri Rémoulade (Celery Root Salad): (4 Persons)
Ingredients: 1 large celery root, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp of spicy mustard, 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, salt & pepper

Peel the celery being careful of removing all roots parts, wash and shred using the fine grate. Toss in the juice and a tsp of salt, mix in well. Hold in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Prepare the rémoulade sauce by mixing the mayonnaise with the vinegar and mustard. Add pepper and salt to taste.
Drain the celery and using your hands press out any remaining lemon juice. Mix well in the sauce. You want to add the sauce to the shredded celery progressively as the amount of sauce will be dependent of the size of the celery root. You want it coated, not drenched in sauce…
Just before serving, sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley or chopped green pitted olives.

Bœuf Bourguignon only requires a good red table wine, however made with a good Bourgogne wine it becomes a very delicate dish. Every French family has a recipe each with slight variations (some will have a couple carrots or button mushrooms, others will use a few shallots instead of pearl onions), however the consensus is that the dish becomes even better when warmed up again… So as triathletes with a job and in some cases with a family, who seldom have extra time, it is an interesting recipe to work on as you can make it on a Sunday, post bike work out and then chill it and either freeze or refrigerate portions of it for a fantastically tasty meal during the week. 20-30 minutes warming it up on the stove on medium heat and voila!

Bœuf Bourguignon: (6 persons)

Ingredients: 3 lbs of beef chuck or rump, 2 tbsp flour, 1 lbs of thick slices bacon diced in ½ inch , 20 pearl onions, 1 tbsp of butter, 1 bottle of red wine 13 proof minimum, salt & pepper, nutmeg, 1 bouquet garni (thyme and bay leaf tied together).

In a deep sauce pan with heavy bottom, gently sweat the onions and the diced bacon. When they start to turn golden, remove them from the cooking pot and reserve. Add the butter, let melt on medium-high heat to avoid it to turn black, add the meat, sprinkle the flour and let the flour brown a little. Pour the entire red wine bottle (open a 2nd bottle, not to be tempted to drink your cooking wine…) and add some water so the meat is just covered. Add salt and pepper, a dash of grated nutmeg, the bouquet garni and bring quickly to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmering and add the diced bacon. Simmer without covering for 1:30 to 2 hours. Add the onions 20 minutes before the end.

Again, you can serve this dish with steamed or boiled potatoes or even French Fries. As a child, it was always with fresh pasta. Tonight because of calories and my training level, I will serve it with a green salad of mesclun with a simple red wine vinaigrette.

Pesto Silders

Found this recipe in Cooking Light - November 09 issue and decided to do it last night! Super easy and tasty... Unfortunately they were eaten before I could actually take a picture... So I will have to come back to this recipe another day just for teh sake of pictures! And I already see the variations I'll be creating on this recipe. I will report them here for your enjoyement!

Pesto Sliders: (4 persons counting ONLY 2 sliders each...) - 20 minutes max!!
Ingredients: 1 lbs ground lean beef, pesto, 8 mini hamburger buns (we bought the whole grain ones at Wegmans), 2 medium tomatoes, salt, pepper, ground cumin, shaved parmiggiano
Season the meat to taste with the salt and pepper, add a generous pinch of cumin (now the Cooking Light recipe does not call for it, but as always I digress with variations and trying out flavors - Cumin pairs very well with red meat & has digestive help benefits). Mix well with a fork (If using your hands, make sure they are OBVIOUSLY clean! And do not forget under the nails... The reason I make this comment is that I cooked our meat medium rare, 130F which does not kill all...) and separate in 8 meat patties. Warm the buns in the oven, heat the grill pan on the stove or even a BBQ if you feel like it... Spray the pan with a good quality pan spray. Grill the meat to your desired cooking temperature...
Spread pesto on the lower part of the bun, top with a slice of tomato. Place the patties inside the buns, top witha couple shaving of cheese and serve immediately with some ovenable French Fries and a simple green salad. Et Voila! A quick, easy and tasty meal!

I will talk tomorrow about the everyday vinaigrette I make.

Ropa Vieja with Capers and Olives

All right on this one, I cheated a little as I cooked this dish yesterday afternoon. It truly requires 20 minutes of cooking time in a pressure cooker, but add up the ingredients prep and you find yourself deviating from my initial rule of 30-40 minutes dishes. Overall, with prep and cooking this dish takes about 50 minutes, however if you organize yourself correctly and cook this meal ahead over the week end, it will keep in the fridge well. You only have to heat the dish for about 20-25 minute at medium setting to have an excellent dish ready.
You can even freeze this meal ahead and use as needed when you do not feel like cooking!

Another variation, definite time saver & most likely my choice next time I will prepare this meal, would be to seal the meat juice in a saute pan by searing the meat (NOT COOKING IT!) and "sweating" the vegetables in the same pan after the meat. Do not clean the pan between as the vegetables when sweating will render liquid which will lift the searing juice from the pan and give a wonderful flavor. This can eb done the night before, rserve in the fridge until morning, and just before going to work, place all the ingredients with the seared beef and sweated vegetables in a crock pot on low setting. When you'll come home, you will be welcomed by the wonderful aroma of this Cuban Pot Roast recipe! Additionally, the slow cooking of the crock pot will allow the meat to be slowly braised, dissolving all its conjonctive tissues and rendering it so tender it will melt in your mouth! You will only have left to cook that night a rice pilaf seasoned with a generous pinch of saffron.

Cuban Pot Roast (Ropa Vieja): (4 Persons)
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 lbs. (3/4 in thick) beef chuck steaks, cut into 4 or 6 pieces, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedge, 3 fancy cloves,15 baby carrots cut in half or 2 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch chunks, 1 celeri branch cut in 1/2 in chunks, 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips, 2 garlic cloves finely chopped, 1 28 oz jar of tomatoes in juice, drained and chopped, 1 cup low sodium beef stock, 1/2 tsp oregano, pinch of cinnamon, 1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, 2 tbsp capers rinsed.

Heat the oil in the pressure cooker, sear the meat until browned on all sides. Remove, season with salt & pepper and reserve for later.
Place in the cooker the onion in which you have inserted the fancy cloves, carrots, red pepper and garlic. Sweat until the vegetables began to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock, oregano and cinnamon. Stir well to scrap all meat pan searing. Add the meat and any juices.
Lock the pressure cooker's lid in place and bring to high pressure on high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain a consistent pressure and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, release the pressure and open the lid while being careful of the escaping steaming. IT SCOLDS! Transfer the meat to a warm serving platter, cover with foil and keep warm until serving time.
Let the cooking liquids stand for about 5-7 minutes and remove any excess fat from its surface. Add the olives and capers and cook for 3-5 minutes over high heat to reduce. When slightly thickened, pour over the meat and serve immediately.

I served this dish tonight with a saffron mixed rice pilaf made of wild rice, red whole rice and kamut rice. Because of the wild rice and the red whole rice, cooking time should be about 40 minutes. Proportions are as follows: for every measure of rice, you will need 3 measures of water (here you could use a mix of vegetable stock and water - if using a stock, make sure it is low sodium). I also added to the cooking liquid 2 large pinches of Iranian Saffron (The best one!) and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until all liquid have disappeared. The rice is ready.

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

I have been focusing so far on lunch or dinner recipes, so today I have decided to prepare a breakfast item. This morning I could not make the "Boot Camp" with Team Z, intense work out session focusing on dynamic stretches, strength building, etc... As we are starting our new winter focus, Coach Ed is having us follow a strength periodization with anatomical adaptation today. I ended up working out at home for about one hour. Pfeewww! Hard work out.

In foresight, last night, I "prepped" all the necessary ingredients and place them in different air-tight containers in the fridge, ready to be assembled and blended!

Hell to pay probably tonight as the sound of the blender at 5 am in a sleepy family home may not be a welcome one for all....

Blueberry & Banana Smoothie (4 persons)

Ingredients: 3 ripe bananas, 9 oz blueberry (fresh or frozen), 7 fl oz of milk, 2 tbsp maple syrup

Peel, chop and put the bananas in the blender with the blueberries, milk and maple syrup. Reserve 2 blueberries per glass and a thin slice of banana to decorate the drinks.

If by any chance you have a couple leaves of fresh mint in your fridge, throw 2 leaves in the blender for an added flavor twist and reserve one for decoration as well.

This smoothie provided me with the right amount of fuel for my work out session. If on a week end, I would have used this recipe as a post work out recovery drink as it is very nutritious, packed with fiber, antioxydants and proteins.