Drum roll please.... THE RECIPE!

ok ok ok!
Here it finally is! The recipe for the Decadent Tart!!!

But first, here are some of the comments I got in my lil comment book at my table for Taboo Eats :

(Some of them are in French, I will put the translation underneath.)

«Mmm-mmmmmm! Délicieux! Tes bouchées goutent comme le ciel dans ma bouche!»

Mmm-mmmmmmm! Delicious! Your bites tast like heaven in my mouth! 

 ''Very Very good!"

''Very inventive!''

''I love you, can't wait for your book. I follow your blog and love THIS idea! Keep up the good work!''

«Tu as su créé un canapé for coloré... Mais quelle surprise en bouche! Bravo!»

You've managed to create a colorful canapé... But what a surprise in my mouth! Bravo!''

WHOOP!

Yield 24-30

Crust-cracker

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups of vegetable shortening (Crisco)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 4-8 tablespoons of iced-water

Red wine poached pears

• 2/3 cups of fruity red wine. I've used Linden Bay from Australia, it's found at Loblaws (10.99)
• 2 Bartlett pears, thinly sliced. A mandolin works wonders.

Whipped rosemary goat cheese

• 140 g of soft plain goat cheese (about a cup)
• 3/4 cup of whipping cream
• 1-2 tablespoons of fresh, finely chopped, rosemary
• pinch of salt and pepper

Maple Praline pecans

• about 1 cup of halved pecans
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup

Crackers

1. Pre-heat oven to 400.
2. This is easy, it's pretty much follow the instructions on the Crisco pack. But anyways, in a large bowl, pour in your flour, salt and pepper. Mix.
3. Add the Crisco, and using a dough blender or like me, a metal whisk, break in the shortening into the flour till it looks like gravel.
4. Add 4 tablespoons of your iced-water and mix it with a fork. It's all about breaking the shortening into the flour and water. Add water till the dough isn't crumbly too much.
5. Using your hands, make a ball with the dough. Put a little but of flour on a dry, flat surface and place the ball on it.
6. Flatten the ball a bit before flouring your rolling pin. Roll out the dough until it becomes a flat sheet. about 1/4 on an inch.
7. Using a cookie cutter or  glass, in any shape cut out pieces till you don't have any more dough.
8. Place on parchment paper, using a fork, poke holes in the pieces (it will keep it from bubbling up)
9. Bake for 10-15 minutes. I set my timer on 5 minutes and checked each time.
10. Let cool.

Poached pears

1. While the dough is baking, peel the pear and rid it of it's seeds using a de-seeder.
2. Take out your mandolin, and set it to the thinnest slice that you can. Slice pears.
3. In a sauce pan, over medium-heat, drop in the pears and the wine. Make sure the pears are covered by the wine. If not, add more wine.
4. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, then drain and let cool completely.

Whipped goat cheese

1. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the whipped cream.
2. When it starts to thicken, add a pinch of salt, the rosemary and the soft goat cheese. Whip till everything is well blended and fluffy.

Praline pecans

1. In a frying pan, over medium-high, drop the pecans and maple syrup.
2. Using a spatula, mix, making sure the pecans are well coated.
3. Keep stirring until the syrup is thick and caramel like.
4. Spread the pecans on a flat parchment paper and let cool.

Now all that's left is assembling it!

A cracker, 1-2 slices of pears, goat cheese (about the size of a gum ball), 2 pecans, a drizzle of maple syrup for extra yum and a itty bitty tiny pinch of salt. I've tried it out on co-workers and friends and they all loved it!

And tadam! I know it has a lot of steps, but they're done simultaneously.

Enjoy! And let me know how it went :)

Oh what a Day/Night

Ahoy!

How are you all on the lovely gray Sunday?
Personally, I feel hung over. Hung over after a hard day of making food, selling food and having a blast! Alcohol free. It was one hell of a day!

Taboo Eats, ladies and gentlemen. For those of you who follow me on twitter and Facebook may have had a bit on a annoyance with my constant promotion of this event. But you know what? I'm not even sorry, lol!

The Day started out at 8, in the kitchen of the old Jail in Ottawa. This is where we prepped for almost 5 hours. And by we, I mean myself and my helper... aka mom. We got to hang out with some of the other non-chefs/competitors. Let me tell you, that kitchen smelled like heaven. This lady, Anjana makes her own curry spice blend. I mean, just imagine the aromas in that kitchen!

The prep went as I planned, except for the dough. People who bake probably know that pie crust dough is extremely temperamental. After 10 batches, rolling, cutting and baking 300-ish pieces, we succeeded! I am never making pie crust again. lol I DREAMED about it last night!

The night of the event was a blast. We set up our lil booth with a bit of sass and girlishness. A lot of people tried our lil tart. The music was good, the people were great and I was with my best friends! What could a girl want more?

 

helpers <3 Don't they look good in those aprons? Thanks g-mom!

At the end of the night, we decided to go around the other tables and share the few pieces we had left at our station. We got to do trades with the other non-chefs.

It was so much fun just to talk to them and share our experiences. Each and everyone of them were extremely talented and awesome people.

As for the dishes, if I had to pick just one, the mushroom risotto was A-MA-ZING. It's was gooey and warm and rich and mushroomy and freaking delicious.

Here is where it gets a bit ironic. The winner of the night was the only other Tart in the competition! Lol. Am I bummed that I didn't win? Not really. From the beginning I was doing this for the experience and the event itself. The guy, Justin, was SO happy and surprised that there was nothing else to do but to be happy WITH him and FOR him.

Oh and another awesome thing? All the left overs, whether they be from the prep or the event, went to the Ottawa Street Mission.

At the end of the day, life is about trying things that scare you and making it through. This is exactly what I did.

I am extremely proud of myself for even signing up! I am even more proud for making it to the actual competition. I am also so grateful for everyone that came out and for my helpers.
Carine, Stephanie and Louise (mom), I could never thank you enough for your help, your encouragement, your patience, your craziness and your love.

T'was a very very good night :)

Taboo Eats Update

Alright guys. Is everyone sitting down?
Deep breaths.

I GOT SELECTED FOR TABOO EATS!!!!!!!

I don't think I could be anymore excited than this! Out of 60+ entries, they picked 15-16 participants. I am one of those.

I'm taking this opportunity to thank everyone who tasted the dish, helping me making it a winning dish. It worked guys!

I would also like to invite you all officially to come taste it (and taste the other dishes that will presented).

Ok, write this down. Got a pen and paper? No? Go get it. Ok, got it?
Good.

September 29, 2012
Old Jail - Hi-Hostel Ottawa, 75 Nicholas Street
6 p.m to 10 p.m
$10 entry
$2-8 plates.

There will be drinks and beverages, live music, good food, cool people and cooler people including me and my 3 helpers. Carine, the bff peas 4 life. Stephanie, the work bff. And Louise, my momma. We'll be the ones in the matching apron with the winning Decadent Tart hehe.

You can get your tickets at tabooeats.com or on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TabooEats/app_216160271817558.

I will post the recipe on September 30th. I PROMISE. With a bunch of awesome pictures for sure.
So go on! What are you waiting for? Who doesn't wanna spend a fun evening?

See you there!

Decadent Tart + Taboo Eats 2012

Hello fellow blog readers and food eaters!

How have you been?
Personally, I've been extra busy. Seems like time just flies by without me noticing!

I have a little news to share with y'all today.

On Friday morning of last week, Sept 7, I awoke to a newspaper carefully placed and framing a certain article. That said article was about a new culinary competition in the city of Ottawa. It's called Taboo Eats.
(tabooeats.com)

Upon reading the article, I realized that this newspaper was placed there for a reason (thanks mom). I needed to find out more.

So I said screw the shower, I need to check this out first. I clicked and fell in love with the concept! It's this event, where non-chefs get to present their food to a crowd. Festival style. This is the perfect opportunity for me to test out a recipe on other people than my friends and family. (I love you all, but you are a bit biased after all hehe <3)

So I signed up, found my recipe and just this morning, I dropped off my sample.
This is the part where you cross your fingers, and toes for me. They are selecting a few "competitors" for the main event on Sept. 29.

I'll find out tomorrow at 5 ish. OH! And it's at one of the coolest places in the City. The old Jail. I've been there about 5 times. It's rich in history and... ghost stories. I'm a HUGE fan of ghost stories so this event is pretty much made for me.

I guess you're wondering what I made huh?
It's called Decadent Tart. It's pretty much a re-organized tart. It has a flaky pie crust-like cracker. Red wine poached pears, rosemary whipped goat cheese and maple praline pecans.

Now, this happened so fast today, that I completely forgot to take pictures! But hopefully, I'll get picked and then I'll some extra good pictures to show you all.

I will keep you poster on whether or not i make it! Wish me luck!

recipe to come!

Well looky here—Guest Blogger—You Are What You Eat

Hi y'all.
Today's post is not a recipe. Well, maybe it kind of is, but not a "delicious-in-my-mouth" type of recipe. It's more of a lifestyle thing.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have our very own, very first Guest Blogger!
Everybody say hi to Andrea! (Hi Andrea!) She is not only someone I loved working with, but she's been a shoulder for me, an ear and a friend. We are lucky that she wrote us a little somethin' somethin'. So without further ado, here is what she had to say!

P.s she left her info at the bottom, please check it out! It's VERY inspiring.

You Are What You Eat

For months I had been ignoring the subtle messages i.e. nausea, indigestion etc. my body was sending me to change my diet. It seemed nonsensical to me since I already eliminated dairy products, red meat, pork, refined flours, processed sugars and gluten.

So what was I going to eat? I wondered, because the smell of chicken, turkey and seafood became repulsive. Where was I going to get my protein? These were questions that hounded me and had me declaring to Roxanne how I love my lean meats and seafood.

I was resistant to switch to a vegan diet. But when my digestive system imploded, I heard the message loud and clear. So I educated myself and asked Roxanne many questions.

My ignorance dissipated. I no longer walked in a health food store and curled my nose at hemp, spelt, millet, quinoa, chia and flax seed. To me it sounded like bird food. However, knowledge is power!

I gradually incorporated these organic foods and went full-fledged vegan four months ago. Not only do I feel healthy, the meals are simple to prepare and satisfying.

One of my favorite recipes by Roxanne is kale chips. After I tasted one, I could not stop. They are highly addictive and because I love them so much, I forwarded the recipe to Anderson Cooper. This was part of a campaign to convert Anderson to enjoy kale. He’s not much into eating vegetables.

Maybe you aren’t either. That’s okay. I’m not advocating for others to become a vegan or implying that it’s a better way to eat. What I am suggesting, is to be mindful of the foods you put in your body. I believe you can eat anything, as long as it’s in moderation. After all, you are what you eat.

Biography

Andrea Lewis lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is the author of Dramaville is a not a place; it’s a state of mind. Her memoir promises to be filled with drama, emotional turmoil and an inspiration to never give up! Connect with Andrea at http://www.andreamlewis.com

LIME-onades

Hello!
How much are y'all enjoying Summer so far? Feeling a little perched?
I have two neat drink recipes for you to quench your thirst.
Super easy, as usual, sugar free and tasty. Made with 100% fresh ingredients!

First off, I have a Strawberry, Mint LIME-onade.
Why Lime-onade? Well because it's made with limes and not lemons!
When life hands you limes...

Here is what you will need (for one glass)

• the juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 -1/3 cup)
• 6-7 mediums size ripe strawberries, rinsed (the dark red ones)
• 5-6 leaves of fresh mint
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of agave nectar (you can also use about 1 to 2 tablespoons of splenda, honey, stevia)
• ice cubes

1. Using a blender or Mortar and pestle, grind the strawberries to get the juices out. It should give you about 1/3 cup of juice. Whether you use the mortar or the blender, filter the juice from the flesh using a strainer.
2. In a tall glass, drop in the mint leaves. Using the pestle or the end of a wooden spoon, grind the mint directly in the glass, just as you would for a mojito.
3. Add the lime juice, the strawberry juice, the agave nectar and mix well. You can add the sweetener little by little and taste along the way. That way you can sweeten it to your liking.
4. Fill the glass with cold water, leaving about an inch at the top. Put in 2-3 ice cubes and garnish with a strawberry and fresh mint leaves. Voila!



Next up, it's a blueberry LIME-onade.

The ingredient go as such:

• the juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 -1/3 cup)
• 10-15 blueberries
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of agave nectar (you can also use about 1 to 2 tablespoons of splenda, honey, stevia)
• ice cubes

The steps are the same, minus the mint crushing. Pop in a few blueberries to make it pretty and you are done!
So delicious and so easy!

Cool snack

So, this weekend I was out and about trying to get every last item needed to finally pack my suitcase (I'm leaving in 4 days! YAY!) when I came across these really cute Popsicle molds (see bellow)

I instantly craved for ice cream. Being that they were only 5.99, I bought the cuties and brought them home.
Now, I had to figure something nice and refreshing to make and I came up with this:

Coconut "ice cream cones"
Super easy. Sugar free. Dairy-free and deeeelicious.

Here are the ingredients (according to the size and number of molds)

• 1 cup of coconut cream, unsweetened (you can use coconut milk, but the cream is silkier and thicker)
• 4-5 black berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 tablespoons of splenda or 1 tablespoon of stevia.  You could also add real sugar, syrup or honey.
• 3 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix (yep, you read right)

1. Separate the coconut cream in half, into two bowls.
2. In one bowl, add half the vanilla, all the berries and half the sweetener.
3. Mix well, making sure to mash the berries.
4. Fill two of the molds.

1. Using the rest of the coconut cream, sweetener and vanilla, add the hot chocolate mix. Mix well and fill the other molds.



1. Freeze for 2-3 hours or until the mixture is hard and cold.

That's it! All that's left to do is to enjoy them whenever you feel like!

you can also try it plain vanilla, cherry, choco-mint (using fresh mint), coconut-pineapple. The possibilities are endless!