Poached Eggs 水波蛋

*This was a post that first appeared in my prior blog, 2 Sisters et 1 Cat

This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy eggs, and I'm about to share with you a quick way to impress someone on this Valentine's Day! Those of you who are easily intimidated by those two words - poached eggs, don't let yourself believe that you can only enjoy it in restaurants. You just need to know a few things before you start. 

Penne with Fiddlehead Ferns, Yellow Wax Beans and Lemony Spinach-Pistachio Pesto 義大利麵與野生蕨菜、菜豆和檸檬菠菜開心果青醬

When I went to the Marché du Vieux Port a few weeks ago, I was very happy to see that slowly, spring vegetables are starting to make their appearance. Besides some lettuce, one of the few greens you'd find are fiddlehead ferns. When I first encountered this rare spring delicacy back in 2010 in New York at a farmer's market, their unusual curlicue shape caught my eyes and lit my curiosity. If I remember correctly, it was just starting to get some "recognition" at the time. Without knowing exactly what it was or how it tasted, my intuition told me to grab a handful of them. I was so excited about it that I rushed home and immediately cooked them that evening! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

Lemony Spinach-Pistachio Pesto 檸檬菠菜開心果青醬

 

Whenever the whether starts to get warm, I like to incorporate more herbs, such as basil, parsley, and chives in my cooking. Every year around this time, I buy several different pots of herbs to grow. Unfortunately, they always die in the winter, since it's so cold here. I can't seem to keep any indoor plants without my cat eating them. Given all that, it's still worth it for me to get them and enjoy them, even if only for a few months. 

 

Kahlua-Chocolate Banana Bread 卡魯哇巧克力香蕉蛋糕

I don't know about you, but whenever I surf around online looking at yummy food photos, it always makes me hungry. And I mean anytime, anywhere, and even after I just ate! That's how this banana bread recipe was born. （／_＼）I was pinning photos from Pinterest one night and I came across this Espresso-Chocolate Banana Bread recipe from Yes To Yolks. The idea of espresso, chocolate chips, and banana all together sounded so mouth-watering to me. I had just finished my dinner and had a belly full of food, but at that moment, nothing was going to stop me. I didn't care how late it was, I was determined to make that darned espresso-chocolate banana bread! (*≧m≦*)

The North Coast of Taiwan, Wanli & Jianshan Old Street 萬里、金山老街

It was precisely a year ago when I went back to Taiwan. I started writing this post, but never finished it and decided to leave it that way. It was just too painful for me to replay it all (my father's illness, my husband's work difficulties, having to restart a brand new blog...), but now I feel ready to share - yes, I know it's very late, please forgive me! I realize that I can't let go of these memories, so you'll probably be seeing more posts about my trip to Taiwan in the coming months.

Lentil-Fennel-Apple Salad With Lemon-Hazelnut Vinaigrette 球莖茴香、蘋果、法式扁豆沙拉與檸檬榛果醋醬汁

 

While most places have been greeted by the arrival of spring, the blossoming of flora, and the abundance of vegetables in the past few weeks, Quebec still remains under 10 degrees most of the time. In fact, we still had some snow here and there until just a week ago. The temperature finally rose! Most of the spring vegetables are not usually out for another few weeks. By this time, I'm already itching for something a little lighter and more cleansing for a change.

How To Prepare Fennel 如何處理球莖茴香

Slightly sweet with a liquorice flavour, fennel has a celery-like texture and is nice to enjoy raw. Growing up in Taiwan, I'd never seen it before I went to NY, and even then, I didn't dare to try it until after I got into cooking. It's actually extremely easy to prepare, and is a great addition to your salad, fish, or even meat dishes. Use both the bulb and the fronds to add this unique flavour to your dish! 


 

Baked Eggs and Turkey-Chickpea-Spinach Meatballs in Smokey Paprika Tomato Sauce 匈牙利紅椒蕃茄醬汁烤蛋與鷹嘴豆肉丸

 

Last month, I was fortunate enough to win two tickets (worth $500!) to go to an opening event of a food festival, Québec Exquis with this photograph above. Thanks to ICI Québec who held the food photography contest! It was a special event that we normally wouldn't go to, with a lot of fancy little bouchées that were being served by the top restaurants in Québec! I turned my prize into a "mission to share with everyone" and took notes throughout the whole event. As you know, with a couple drinks, it is quite easy to lose your memory! XD 

So here's the event, La Soirée Haute Cuisine and "the recipe" - Baked Eggs and Turkey-Chickpea-Spinach Meatballs in Smokey Paprika Tomato Sauce. They're both featured at Foodies In Quebec City. If you're still fishing for an interesting brunch recipe for this Easter weekend or for Mother's Day, then you've come to the right place! 

 

One of the most beautiful and delicious bouchées from La Soirée Haute Cuisine

「美食之夜」晚宴中的食物

上個月很幸運的贏來2張參與第四屆Québec Exquis美食節開幕晚會，並價值$500加幣的票。這要感謝舉辦這項比賽的ICI Québec! 由於這晚會很特別，而當天晚上的食物又都是由魁北克很知名的餐廳所提供，為了讓大家能對魁北克的美食大開眼界，整晚一邊忙著吃、一邊忙著排照與做筆記。(其實大部分是一張嘴不停的吃才是吧…!(；¬д¬)

這個月特別在Foodies In Quebec City寫了2篇，大家可以到那裡閱讀「美食之夜」(按這裡)，以及這個與眾不同的烤蛋食譜 (按這裡)！如果您還在為這個週末的復活節或即將來臨的母親節brunch要做什麼菜而煩惱，那麼嘗試看看這道特別又健康的料理吧！

Coping With the Loss of Your Pet 走出失去寵物的憂傷, 1

Life without Soji (our cat) has not been easy these past 4 months. After all, we spent 14 years of our life with her! Before Soji, I had never had a cat. If anything, I was a little afraid of cats. I remember that my husband and I just started dating before we met Soji. He liked to tease me and suggested that maybe I should get a cat. He was out one day and, coincidentally, saw a flier from a neighbor who was looking for someone to watch her cat for about 2 weeks. He showed it to me. At the time, I thought, why not? I'd get to earn a few bucks, the time wasn't long, and it'd be a great chance for me to learn some cat skills. Before deciding, we went to visit the neighbor, and Soji simply looked too cute for us to say no, so we brought her home right away. Unexpectedly, she and I became very close almost instantly. (I guess I'm a natural, after all!) Before it came time to return her, we checked in with our neighbor and were surprised when she told us that if we wanted her, we could keep her (apparently, Soji didn't quite get along very well with our neighbor's other 3-legged cat.) We realized... Oh, that's why!

Beef "Bourguinness" Individual Pot Pie 吉尼斯迷你燉牛肉派

You may be surprised to see that for this post I chose such a hearty dish! I know, it's not very me (as you can see from my other recipes). I don't normally eat much meat, nor do I eat a lot of French food at home, but since Saint Patrick's Day is coming, and with the great quality meat we have here in Quebec, I thought, why not introduce something different to everyone? This recipe is really multi-functional, you can think of it as three separate dishes: the beef stew, the sautéed mushrooms with caramelized pearl onions, and the baked mashed potatoes.

I love cooking up a storm every now and then with some French classics. This recipe takes me back to the old days when I was in The French Culinary Institute. I remember how many times we had to practice certain techniques and how complicated the art of French cooking is, but in the end, the taste makes it all worth it. I'll be showing you how to make everything from scratch: no gravy packages, no frozen mashed potatoes. It's the real thing! So why wait, come check out this recipe (with lots of photos) on Foodies In Quebec City!

 

很多朋友們大概會為我這次寫的食譜感到驚訝，因為我大部分都是煮較簡易又清淡的料理，也不吃太多的牛肉，什麼烤牛肉、牛排等我都很少吃。不過就如同大家一樣，有時候也會例外的想吃口味稍重的菜，特別是聖帕特里克節 (Saint Patrick's Day) 就即將到來，而我們在魁北克又有品質非常好的肉，讓平時在家並不是那麼常吃法國菜的我，想到偶爾也應該介紹些不同口味的料理來給大家嘗試。這個食譜其實可以讓大家分為3個不同的料理來享用：燉牛肉、奶油蘑菇與焦糖小洋蔥、烤馬鈴薯泥，是個多功能又實用的食譜。除此之外，它也讓我想起多年前在紐約的French Culinary Institute受訓時做的一些菜及那時期嚴格的訓練。法國菜的確是很下工夫，但是煮出來那完美無瑕的料理是另人肯定的。我將在這個食譜裡與大家分享一些道地的法式手法，請大家到Foodies In Quebec City來學這道讓家裡充滿美味的派！

The French Garnishes: Sautéed Mushrooms In Butter & Caramelized Pearl Onions 奶油炒蘑菇與焦糖小洋蔥

Very often in French comfort food, like Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stew In red wine), Coq au Vin (chicken in red wine), Poulet Roti (roasted chicken), etc., you will see mushrooms and pearl onions among the ingredients. You might think that all the vegetables were cooked together, but in fact it's not what it appears; they're actually supposed to be cooked separately! Some of the ingredients such as the onions and celery are typically discarded after cooking, since they tend to get mushy. Once the sauce of the dish is ready, this is when you add the garnishes with everything else before serving.

I love how in French cuisine you add garnishes to have the right texture. It's more work, more time, and even a little wasteful, but to me, that is the art and beauty of the classic French cooking - everything is cooked to perfection. Here, I'll show you how to make two of the most classic garnishes: sauteed mushrooms in butter and caramelized pearl onions. You can even make them ahead of time and just add them to your dish before reheating!

Butternut Squash And Turnip Soup With French Lentils 南瓜蕪菁濃湯與法式綠扁豆

This recipe is actually inspired by a soup I had at Le Cercle (one of the hippest and one of my favourite places in Quebec) on New Year's Eve just 2 months ago. We wanted something light and easy for our tummy to start with - since we knew that it would have a lot more to take later on. It was supposed be the soupe du jour, and even though the waiter sort of told us what it was made of--you know, it was New Year's Eve, who was listening??? And forget about it, since everything was in French, too!!!