Forget Salsa. Chicks Dig Meringue.

Sometimes at work things can be repetitive. Every once in a while I like to try something new and sometimes things work and sometimes they don't. It is useful that I don't have to pay for my experimenting as well.

In a previous post (the ratatoiulle recipe) I briefly explained what a confit is. Here is an example of a fruit confit where the fruit is usually saturated in acid.

A simple, cheap recipe that takes a minute (hopefully you have a stand mixer to help you along the way) and allows you to practice making a meringue.

There are three types of meringue typically: common, swiss and Italian. This recipe is best with Italian (beating the egg whites while adding a hot simple syrup) because it is more stable in humid temperatures but it takes extra time and practice. The common meringue works perfectly well.

Vanilla Scented Poached Meringue with a Balsamic Strawberry Confit

4 Egg Whites
350 g White Sugar
1 Dozen Ripe Strawberries, cut into 6
50 ml Balsamic Vinegar
50 ml Vanilla Extract

In a small sauce pan, bring about half a liter of water to a boil. Add vanilla and let simmer.

Sprinkle a little sugar at the base of a small bowl. Add egg whites on top and let whip with a hand mixer or stand mix. When egg whites double in volume, start adding remainder of sugar slowly. Approximately 8 - 10 minutes. Egg whites should reach stiff peaks and should be glossy and very sweet.

In a frying pan on med heat, drizzle canola oil and let get hot. Add strawberries and quickly saute. Add sugar and vinegar and whisk until dissolved. Turn off heat and let cool.

Using two spoons, scoop 1 tbs. into vanilla water and let poach for one minute. Turn over meringue and continue poaching for another minute. Remove and drain. Repeat until desired amount is reached.

To serve, spoon strawberry mix onto plate, then place one meringue. Repeat and finish with Mint Oil.

Serves 4.

Mint Oil

1 Bunch of Mint
15 ml Hazelnut Oil (or any form of peanut oil)
Dash of Sugar
Squeeze of Half a Lemon

In a blender, add all ingredients and blend thoroughly.

Chill.

A Humble Chef's Tip: When making an herb oil, you can blanch the herb in simmering water and chill in a ice bath. Actually, I recommend it if you are using a leafy herb like parsley or coriander. It won't affect the taste of the oil, but will make the oil a little greener. It will also cut the life span of the oil a little because it may turn brown faster.

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What Did The Oyster Say To The Clam When He Asked Her Out? Aww, Shucks.

Oysters are bivalves (a mollusk that have a pair of hinged shells) that has enjoyed a popular history. Those crazy early Italians (the ones from Rome I think) loved these things for their aphrodisiac qualities. Me too. On the other side of the world, early East Coast Canadians depended on them to get by with their awful winters. Good for bed and survival.

If you think a Chocolate Chip Cookie and Milk makes for a great marriage, well, oysters can have multiple spouses: lemons, limes, freshly grated horseradish, lemongrass, chilies, champagne or white wine (Muscadet particularly) and Worcestershire Sauce. Use it any way you like: in an appetizer, or on it's own, or in a stew, soup or pasta.


Shucking can be tricky. A thick cloth will do. Don't be nervous about it. Just try it. The knife (you have to buy one!) is inserted at the hinge and cranked into one direction. Pop it open and retain as much liquid (some chefs call it Liquor) as possible, severe the vein, top with your favorite garnish and voila! Just looking at these photos and writing about it makes my want to run to the market and grab a whack of them (I like Malpeques with Tobasco).

There are a whack of oyster recipes out there, but if you go through the trouble of buying them and shucking them, go ahead and take the plunge and try it raw.

However, for those who can't swallow it, Oysters Casino is a popular classic.If you are unfamiliar, the fresh oyster is shucked and broiled (cooked with radiant heat from above) garnished with butter, bacon, shallots, parsley and pimiento. Yum.

Or, something much easier is Angels On Horseback: wrap each oyster with a small piece of bacon secured with a toothpick. In a very hot oven, bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until bacon is crispy. That's it. Crowd Pleasing 101.

I often make a salsa to top the oyster with.

Ginger Tomato Relish

1 small piece of Ginger, finely grated
1 Roma Tomato, innards removed, finely diced
Drop of Sesame Oil (A drop! The stuff is strong)
Drop of Soy Sauce(A drop! The stuff is salty)
1/2 a Red Onion, finely diced
Small Bunch of Cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 Lime, juiced

6 Oysters, washed

Combine ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. Mix again and adjust seasonings.

Shuck oysters and top with salsa.

Serve on ice immediately.

Variation: If shucking isn't your thing, you can steam the oysters in wine and add the leftover liquid to the salsa. Simply place in a soup pot, bring a splash of wine to a boil, cover and let cook until oysters open up. If they do not open, discard.

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What Kind Of A Guy Are You?

I couldn't help but notice I'm lacking a serious amount of entrees on my blog. Hell, I only have 15 recipes so far but only two true entrees (salmon on a plank and lamb shanks).

One of the most common cuts in the kitchen is the chicken breast. It is not particularly expensive but it isn't necessarily cheap either. And people seem to enjoy it even though it lacks flavour. Dark meat (thighs and legs) actually has more flavour but it isn't as appetizing as the breast. The trick is to make the breast flavourful and do something creative with it.

I always marinate my chicken breasts. It may be as simple as throwing some dried herbs on it s(h)meared with some olive oil, or perhaps you feel exotic and for once you want to use that tandoori sauce that's in the back of your fridge. Whatever it is, it'll make more flavour than just salt and pepper.

Butterflying is a technique where you slice the breast from the bottom (presentation side is the skin side up) to make the chicken look like a butterfly. It is easier shown than told but the best way for me to describe is cut into the chicken on a 15 degree angle to open side then turn the breast around and repeat. Open up the breast and if necessary use a mallet and pound out the chicken tenderly to make the breast flat and ready to be stuffed with your heart's desire.

Try using a Supreme: a chicken breast with skin and with wing bone. For classic presentation, you can "french" the wing bone: remove the meat to expose the bone. As it roasts, the bone darkens and acts as a garnish.

Prosciutto Wrapped Breast of Chicken Stuffed With Trio Of Roasted Peppers

4 Chicken Breasts, butterflied
8 Slices of Prosciutto
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Orange Bell Pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste (black, in case you're wondering)

Preheat oven at 375 degrees Celsius.

Coat peppers with a drizzle of oil and season. Over open flame or on your Barbecue, blacken each side of the peppers. Place each pepper into a seal able plastic bag and allow peppers to steam through. After ten minutes, open bag and allow to cool slightly. Remove charred skin and clean off as much as possible. (It is optional to rinse under running cold water however some chefs will argue that some flavour is rinse off.) Cut peppers into 10 cm strips and place one of each colour inside chicken. Carefully wrap up chicken with peppers.

Lay out prosciutto and place breast face down in the middle of the slice. Wrap the breast having the prosciutto meet on the bottom.

Place breasts on a baking sheet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Slice in half on a bias to present the trio of peppers.

Serve with risotto of choice and sauted yellow and green zucchini.

Serves 4.

Variation: if you would like to make a sauce, use the pan juices from the roasting process. Simply roughly up some vegetables (onion, carrot and celery) and cook breasts on top of the mirepoix (veg). Pour the jus into a sauce pan and bring it to a boil, drizzle a little maple syrup, season with salt and pepper and coat the breasts.

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