A taste of Summer: Shrimp, Cherry Tomato and Oregano Bucatini

As the weather is getting warmer, I've been craving light pasta dishes tossed with fresh ingredients and a mix of vibrant colours. This dish fits the bill pretty perfectly! I like using different types of pasta to spice up weeknight meals and the bucatini works beautifully in this one. It's a thicker cut than spaghetti with a nice bite and swirls wonderfully amongst the fresh cherry tomatoes, peas and shrimp. I also like finishing off these types of pasta dishes with a few simple steps: a little lemon juice (to brighten up all the flavours), some fresh herbs and a few creamy feta cubes. It's really the perfect spring or summer meal!

Shrimp, Cherry Tomato and Oregano Bucatini
Serves 2

Bucatini for 2
4 garlic cloves, thinly minced
12 shrimp, deveined and peeled
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup of frozen peas
1/4 cup of diced feta
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
4 sprigs of fresh oregano (leaves roughly torn)
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Add the peas to the pasta pot when there are 5 minutes of cooking time left.

While the pasta is cooking, place a pan on low heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic and stir to coat. Add the shrimp with a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the shrimp just becomes pink and opaque. Remove from the heat and add the cherry tomatoes. Once the pasta and peas are cooked, drain and add to the pan with 2 teaspoons of pasta water and return to medium low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice, zest, cream, feta and oregano.

Transfer to a serving platter adding a good drizzle of olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Cookbook Giveaway

I bring you a wonderful cookbook giveaway this week - Ancient Grains for Modern Meals.Loyal readers of this site know that I'm continuously experimenting with new ingredients in the kitchen. One of my latest ventures has been trying new recipes using different types of flour. From spelt, to whole wheat, to kamut - it's really changed the way I bake and has brought a myriad of textures to my baked goods.

When I was approached by Maria Speck about her Ancient Grain for Modern Meals cookbook, I knew this book would be right up my alley. It's full of wholesome and delicious recipes using whole grains and quick-cooking grains with fresh Mediterranean flavours. It will help you experiment with ingredients such as spelt, quinoa, farro and barley as well as polenta, buckwheat and millet. There are a lot of useful tips to master the art of cooking with grains and dozens of mouth-watering recipes to try. Some of the top ones on my list are Parmesan Polenta with Rosemary Oil Drizzle, Buckwheat-Feta Burgers with Tangy Parsely Sauce and Spelt Crust Pizza with Fennel, Prosciutto and Apples.

To win a copy of the book, leave a comment on this post or write a comment on Chocolate Shaving's facebook page. You can write a comment on both and your name will be entered in the contest twice. Just let me know what your experience cooking with grains is. The contest ends on May 19th, at midnight. The winner will be drawn at random and you must be a Canadian or American resident to enter. Good luck and I look forward to hearing from you!

Blue Cheese and Sweet Onion Scones

Scones always brings back oodles of good memories for me. There used to be a big Marks & Spencer grocery store in Paris when I was growing up. As I've mentioned here before, my mom and I would love to stop by there every once in a while and pick up scones with some thick double cream and jam. It was the perfect indulgence.

Savory scones are certainly less common, but they really are a wonderful treat as well. These come packed with sweet onion jam and chunks of blue cheese. It's quite a strong flavour combination, but I absolutely love it. The onion jam can, of course, be purchased at most gourmet stores from a jar, but preparing it at home makes it really special. It's not hard to make, it just takes a little time. The only thing to be prepared for is that the onions reduce incredibly so all the meticulous onion chopping job results in a pretty small quantity of jam, once cooked. It's a good idea to make a big batch of the jam - it's absolutely delicious on top of pizza (and then layered with figs and goat cheese), as it is spread on crusty baguette topped with roasted beef and roasted red peppers.

These scones are a nice afternoon treat when you're not in the mood for something sweet, and also work wonders as a complement to a cheese platter. And, really, what's not to like about a cheesy warm scone?

Blue Cheese and Sweet Onion Scones
Makes 16 hefty scones
Adapted from Good to the Grain

For the dry mix:
1 1/2 cups of graham flour
1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tbl sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the wet mix:
4 oz (one stick) of cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
4oz of good blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup of buttermilk
3/4 cup onion jam
1/4 cup honey

Move the two oven racks to the upper and lower third positions and preheat to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick silicone mat.

Find a ruler at least 9-inches long and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients. If there are any bits left in the strainer, add to the sifted mixture.

Add the cubed, cold butter to the dry ingredients and using your hands or a pastry blender break down the butter until it breaks down into pieces as small as crumbs and as large as squashed peas. Stir the crumbled blue cheese into the mixture and refrigerate the bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, onion jam and honey. Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, gently combine the two until everything is incorporated and the dough looks wet but crumbly.

Generously flour a work surface and dump out the dough. Using your floured hands, gently move around the dough and knead until a soft ball can be formed. The dough should be dry enough that it doesn’t stick to the counter but wet enough that a knife will stick when cutting through it. Using your hands or a rolling pin, shape the dough into a 9 by 7-1/2 inch rectangle about 1-inch thick.

Using a knife or a bench scraper slice the rectangle first into 4 rectangles, then each rectangle into 4 rectangles yielding 16 2-1/4 by 2-inch scones. Place the scones on the two prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Bake for 22-24 minutes, rotating the baking sheet 180 degrees around halfway through. The scones are finished baking when the tops are golden brown and the blue cheese starts to ooze out and starts to caramelize on the baking sheet.

At this point, the scones can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and baked just before serving. Or, you can freeze the formed dough for 2 hours on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag and refrigerate for up to 3 months.

Onion Jam
2 pounds of yellow onions, about 7 1/2 cups, sliced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt (use less if you are using regular salt)
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

Peel the onions and cut them in half. Slice them into 1/4 inch slices.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onions, salt and pepper and stir to coat the onions. Saute the onions for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The edges of the onions should begin to brown. Turn the flame to low, cover the pot and cook for another 20 minutes.

Uncover the pan, stir the onions and continue to cook for 1 hour. Make sure to stir often to make sure the onions do not burn. The onions are ready when the liquid has evaporated and the onions are dark, translucent and jammy. Stir in the vinegar and allow to cool. The onion jam will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 1 month.

Pear and Chocolate Loaf

This recipe came about when I realized I had a few leftover pears that I wanted to put to good use. I wanted to make an easy dessert that would combine both pears and chocolate -a heavenly combination! Pear pieces, when baked in this type of loaf, soften and meld beautifully with the other flavours to create an airy yet incredibly tasty treat. A little orange zest really boosts the flavours and lightens the cake and the simple citrus icing makes the loaf that much more special.

This loaf could also be served at breakfast, in which case I would suggest omitting the icing. The loaf is incredibly versatile: it's perfect as the first sweet bite of the day, as well as for an afternoon snack or for dessert, anytime. And, the best part? It takes minutes to put together!

Pear and Chocolate Loaf

40 grams of bittersweet chocolate
140 grams of butter, softened to room temperature
150 grams of granulated sugar
2 eggs
160 grams of all purpose flour
1 tsp of baking powder
2 pears (not too ripe)
1 orange, zested
40 grams of cocoa

Icing
1 cup of confectioner's sugar
2 tsps of lemon juice
Water


Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and reserve. In a mixer bowl, add the softened butter and sugar. Beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. Fold in the cooled melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, beating the mixture until just homogeneous. Add the orange zest.

Peel and core the pears and cut them into small bite-size pieces. Add the pear to the batter and fold until the pear is evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Place the batter to set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 425F. Remove the batter from the fridge and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, and lower the temperature to 350F. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out just clean.

Let the loaf cool for a few minutes and gently unmold onto a cooling rack.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Add the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk. The consistency of the icing must be thin enough to spread on top of the cake, but thick enough to be opaque. Add a few drizzles of water until you reach the perfect consistency. Once the loaf has completely cooled down, drizzle the icing on top of the loaf and carefully even out using an offset spatula or flat butter knife. Enjoy!

Hot Cross Buns

With the Easter long weekend just around the corner, it's the perfect time to make a warm batch of Hot Cross Buns! Check out my full post for these delicious treats on Style at Home. What will you be making this Easter?

Hot Cross Buns
Makes 12 buns

1 cup of whole milk
1 package of active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 cups of bread flour
1/2 tsp of grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1/4 cup of chopped candied lemon peel
1 egg white, beaten with 1 tsp of water

Glaze
1 1/4cup of sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 tbl of milk
1 tsp of lemon juice

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it reaches 100-110 degrees. Remove from the heat immediately and pour into a mixer bowl. Add the yeast, sugar and butter. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and mix on medium speed until the mixture is homogenous. Add the eggs, one by one, and mix until just incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix the flours, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the dough. Knead until the mixture starts to form a sticky dough (4-5 minutes).
Add the golden raisins and candied peel and knead until the fruit is evenly distributed throughout the dough. Pour the dough into a lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Once the dough has about doubled in size, shape the dough into small tight balls (each should hold in the palm of your hand). Lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until the balls of dough have expanded and are touching.
Preheat your oven to 400F. Using the beaten egg white and water mixture, brush a light coating of egg onto each bun. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Let the buns cool completely before glazing.
In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients to make the glaze. Place the glaze in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4 inch tip and make a cross design on each bun. Using scissors or a knife separate the buns and serve.

Creamy Mustardy Chicken with Haricots Verts and Red Onions (and a Giveaway!)

First of all, here is one of my recipes for the ultimate one-pot meal. It's perfect for any weeknight when you're looking for something comforting and nutritious without spending hours in the kitchen. I love using creme fraiche and mustard to give flavour to the chicken. It's such an easy marinade and really helps to keep the chicken tender. Haricots verts also work wonderfully with this combination. I have a soft spot for haricots verts as they were one of the vegetables I ate the most growing up in Paris. My mom boils them in salted water and tosses them with minced garlic, good olive oil and sea salt. If you can't find haricots verts, you can definitely make this dish with regular green beans but I love the more delicate flavour and thin texture of haricots verts.

I also bring you a fabulous giveaway this week. Sterling Publishing is giving away a copy of Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love to one lucky Chocolate Shavings reader. Cristina Ferrare hosts a cooking show on Oprah's OWN network and is a New York Times best-selling author. Her cookbook includes many mouth-watering recipes like Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta, Mustard-crusted Salmon and Peach Crumble.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post or write a comment on Chocolate Shaving's facebook page and let me know what dishes you are most looking forward to trying this spring. You can write a comment on both and your name will be entered in the contest twice. The contest ends on April 28th at midnight and you must be a Canadian or American resident to enter. I will draw the winner at random. Good luck!



Creamy Mustardy Chicken with Haricots Verts and Red Onions
Serves 3-4

6 chicken drumsticks
1/2 large red onion cut into bite size pieces
200 grams of haricots verts
1/2 cup of creme fraiche
2 heaping tablespoons of grainy mustard
1/2 large lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat your oven to 375F. Heat a large cast iron pan on medium high heat. Pat the drumsticks dry and generously season with salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of vegetable oil to the pan and place the chicken, skin side down once the oil is hot. Leave the chicken to brown, untouched for 2-3 minutes. Turn the chicken skin-side up and remove the pan from the heat. Scatter the haricots verts and red onion around the chicken.

In a small bowl add the creme fraiche, grainy mustard, lemon and minced garlic. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Kitchen Favourites

I often get asked what kitchen accessories I couldn’t live without. For me, it’s often the small things that make cooking a smooth and fun process. I’ve compiled some of my favourites kitchen items to share with you. They are all pretty inexpensive items that make cooking and baking as easy as pie. What are some of your favourites? To read my full post, visit Style at Home.

1 Stainless steel knife rack
This is really the most efficient way to store knives. In a minute, knives are safely put away and readily accessible.

2 Kuhn knives
Paring knifes are one of the most useful tools to perform small tasks in the kitchen. I love the range of colours Kuhn offers. They are also made with a carbon steel blade which helps keep them sharp.

3 Apple tea towel
The designs at Ferm Living are absolutely stunning. I love their organic cotton kitchen towels — they have the perfect pop of colour for any kitchen space.
4 Silicone tongs
Most chefs do not use tongs in professional kitchens but I find them to be one of the most useful tools in a home kitchen. The silicone ensures you won’t scratch the surface of your pans.

5 Garlic press
This incredibly inexpensive tool is ideal for mincing garlic in seconds.

6 Mixing bowls
I use mixing bowls for seasonings, marinades and garnishes. I love these bowls from Anthropologie. Stacked on a shelf in different colours, they are beautifully functional.

7 Silicone baking mat
This silicone mat does not need to be greased and is completely non-stick. It’s perfect for making any type of cookie and replaces parchment paper.

8 Microplane
This is my absolute favourite! You can use it to grate zests, chocolate and parmesan cheese.

9 White silicone cookie spatula
This silicone spatula is slanted to make it easy to move cookies from a baking mat to a cooling rack. It’s also a practical tool for other tasks in the kitchen.