Soy Milk and tofu from scratch

Today was another holiday in France.  So I wanted to make tofu for the first the time.  My mom used to make soy milk but we never did tofu.  Couple of weeks ago, I have bought the most tasteful tofu from an organic store. They sell nagari and soy grains as well, so there was my chance to make my own tofu.  The whole process was fastidious, but the taste was worth it.

Nigari and organic soy beans

 

Soak the beans in water overnight

 

Wash the beans.  Blend the beans with water.

 

Use a cloth and a  strainer, squeak the milk.

 

Boil the soy milk

 

Pour 1 liter of soy milk in a bowl, add the nigari that was previously dissolved in water.

Waite for 15 min.

 

 You can see the tofu is forming in a cheesecloth.

 

Tofu

The remain soy milk.  I added sugar while it was boiling.

Banana Cake with chocolate icing

Banana breads or banana muffins with walnuts are common in Canada. In France, nobody seems to make them.  Once, we had a German guy who came at our office and I served him a piece of my banana cake.  He couldn't contain his amazement.  "wow is this banana in the cake, it is good".  I don't know if it was out of politness but last time he saw me he talked again about the cake. lol  So I guess banana cakes are not so common in Europe.  Correct me if I'm wrong. 

So here's my banana cake recipe.  It never lasts more than a day.

It has been eaten before I could get a picture of the whole cake

Banana Cake Recipe

 3 ripe bananas

125g of yogourt (one portion)

375g of all purpose flour

250 g of sugar

3 eggs

11g of baking powder

half of yogourt cup (approx. 62 g ) of vegetable oil

I use my yogourt recipe 

 Icing

200g of chocolate for dessert

2 t.s. of icing sugar

100ml of cream

Usually, we bake this cake in a rectangular mold so the banana bread would look like a bread loaf, but I find that baking it in a round mold, it would cook more evenly.

For the cake, mash the bananas into puree. Mix the sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, yogourt and oil together.

 Bake in the oven at 200 degree Celsius or 392 degree Fahrenheit ), for 40 minutes.

For the icing, break the chocolate into pieces and add the cream.  Heat in the microwaves for 40 seconds.

Add the icing sugar.  Mix until the mixture is smooth.  Cover the melted chocolate on the cake while it is still hot.  Let it cool until the icing hardens.

You can add nuts in the cake batter if you want.

So here's my favorite cake recipe, enjoy.

Election Day in France and another recipe

Today, is it Election day in France.  They vote 2 times.  So, this is the First Round.  I went with my husband at the Mairie (town hall) of our village.  Even though I can't vote, I was curious how they do it in France.  Nothing really exciting.  Old people from the Mairie are there to hand out the votes of each candidate.  It is pretty much the same as in Canada, except there wasn't a lot of people this morning at the Mairie.  Elections are always on Sundays.  In Canada, it is during a week day, in a school near where you live.  We are waiting patiently the results.  We will know at 8pm the 2 candidates for the Second Round.  

Today was rainy and cold.  I had prepared the Sunday lunch and the dessert yesterday.  I thought we would get up early, we even set our alarm clock.  The program was : to go voting in the morning and then work-out at the gym. but we have chickened out. We went to the gym yesterday and we were still sore from our work-out.  So today we will stay in.

I made fish pie, well I didn't have enough potatoe mash to top the pie.  I also did another pie.  Rhubarb pie, since they are in season.

Recipe:

1 kilo of rhubarb

sugar

a pie crust

a little bit of cream

2 t.s. of corn starch

Cut in chunks the rhubarb, then coat the rhubarb with sugar (I use flavored vanilla sugar)

I don't mesure so it needs to be covered with sugar.  Let's say a cup.  Rhubarb is really acid so sugar is necessary.

I let it sit for an hour until there is juice at the bottom of the bowl.

Use a pie crust (store bought or home made), put the rhubarb pieces in the pie crust.

I use the juice of the rhubarb for the filling.  I have added one big egg, sugar and a dash of creamand 2 t.s. of corn starch.

Mix it all up and cover the tart.

Put in an oven for 45 minutes at 200°C or 392°F (lower depending on your oven).

I put a little spoon of whipped cream and a dash of maple sirup on the side.  

ps: If you have too much rhubarb, you can cook it in a pan and you have rhubarb compote.

Enjoy!

When life gives you lemons you make Lemon Curd Muffins!

I have seen on British TV a few a lemon curd muffin recipes.  I thought I would give it a try.  I wanted to make Lemon tart at first, but just the thought of making meringue and all, made me wanted to give up without even starting first.  My husband doesn't like lemony food, but lemon curd yes!

I have started the lemon curd first.
3 eggs
juice of 3 lemons
150 gr of sugar
1 table spoon of corn starch
30gr to 50 gr of unsalted butter cut in cubes
(the "authentic" version doesn't have corn starch)

Start whisking the eggs and the sugar first, then add the lemon juice and the corn starch.

Put the mixture in a bowl that will go over a bain-marie.
Whisk whisk whisk until it starts to thicken.  Add the butter cubes.
It may take more than 5 minutes.  I was about to give up and then it started to thicken.  Now it's ready.
You can put the lemon curd in a jar, it will last up to a week.

Update 19/07/2013 : The bain-marie is not really necessary, you can put the pan directly on the heat.  It will work too.  Just set the heat on medium or low. 

Now what to do with all this lemony goodness?

It goes well with:
-crêpes
-yougurt
-cake
-muffin

Lemon curd muffins

I made my muffins with the french" yogurt cake" recipe, they use the cup of the yogurt for measurement.

 

Use the cup of the yogurt to measure the ingredients, do not throw this away!

-1 portion of plain yogurt 
-3 eggs
-2 cups of sugar (cup of the yogurt)
-3 cups of flour (cup of the yogurt)
-10 g of baking powder
-1/2 cup of the vegetable oil (cup of the yogurt)

Mix all the ingredients together and grate a little bit of lemon zest and add it to the mix.
 Prepare le muffin tin and the muffin cases.

Put a table spoon of the cake mixture in the muffin cases (it should be half of the muffin case) and add a spoon of the lemon curd, then another spoon of the cake mixture.

 Bake in the oven at 200 degree Celsius or 392 degree Fahrenheit (lower depending on your oven), for 30 minutes.

Enjoy! Miam c'est bon!

Ottawa

Last December, I have finally returned to Canada, after 4 long years away.  Things haven't really changed.  I have only found that goods are more expensive than before. It seems that economic crisis hasn't really struck Canada.  People were busy working and they were into the Christmas frenzy. 

I have also rediscovered my town, Ottawa. My husband wanted to see the Rideau Canal  and the Parliament again.  But what we did most in Ottawa, is eating.

And boy we ate: poutine, Korean, Lebanese, all you can eat Sushi.  This is what I miss most about Canada, the variety of food available, at reasonable price. 

One evening, my sister's friend, invited us for drinks in the ByWard Market.  Afterwards we were headed to the Chinatown.  A Chinese gateway has been installed on Somerset St.  We then finished the evening at a Karaoke place, the Shanghai Restaurant.  It was the weirdest place ever, but really entertaining.  The host was a Chinese drag queen, China Doll.  We sang our hearts out 80's oldies.  We had a blast and this is how I have rediscovered my city.

Food in Ottawa:

Best shawarma in town

All you can eat sushi

Karaoke night in Chinatown, Shanghai Restaurant

Chinatown Ottawa

 

 I was not in this pic!