Pancakes

I know. I know. It has been a while since my last post. But here I am, back with new recipes!
An easy one this morning!
My Mom, sister, Catherine, and her children (Clara, Simon and Constance) are here visiting from France. Simon always has a few requests when he comes and one of them is pancakes! I am not sure if he really likes pancakes, he absolutely loves maple syrup!!!
This morning I made both blueberry and chocolate chips pancakes!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Serves 8


3 cups whole wheat flour
6 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
6 Tbsp butter, melted

1 1/2 cup milk or 2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate chips
Fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries.
Maple syrup


In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, melted butter, milk (or buttermilk) and vanilla extract.
Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir only to moisten the batter.

Heat the griddle on the stove. Butter it and pour some batter to form pancakes. Add the chocolate chips or blueberries on top of the pancakes. Cook for a few minutes, until bottom becomes golden and flip over. Cook for another couple of minutes and serve with fresh butter and warm maple syrup.

Carrot Soup

Winter is soup season, especially when it gets as cold as it got over the last weekend. I do not make soup very often because I never think of it, and I see it as really time consuming. But sometimes it is soooooo worth it! Like this soup that Franck, our chef at Ecoroo, made on Friday.
Carrot and Apple Soup.
It was so delicious that I made it on Sunday for the kids.
We ended up having dinner at our friends, the Cicalis, and I brought the soup with me. All the kids loved it!! Now that's a success in itself!

I use organic carrots because I don't usually peel them.

Carrot and Apple Soup

Serves 8



1 1/2 lb carrots, preferably organic, sliced in 1/2 in. pieces
1/2 lb Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
Vegetable broth
1 tsp curry, to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and julienned


In a large heavy sauce pan, heat the olive oil. Add the carrots and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the diced apples and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the curry, salt and pepper to taste.
Add the vegetable broth to about half way up the level of the carrots and apples.
Cook until the carrots are tender, about 15 more minutes.

Puree the vegetables until smooth, adding more broth if necessary. Adjust the seasonings and serve in individual bowls, topped with the julienned apple and a sprinkle of cilantro.

Tarte aux Pommes - Apple Pie

I really have to share this recipe with you, as it is really easy, quick and quite delicious! Of course I make the crust from scratch, using whole wheat flour. It gives the crust an earthy flavor, and the trick to a lighter crust is in the vinegar!!!

I like to mix the apple varieties, but one is constant in my recipes: the Granny Smith. It is tart and doesn't decompose when you cook it! I mix it in this pie with a slightly sweeter apple, the MacIntosh or the Macoun.

The following recipe makes two crusts. One serves about 8 people.

Tarte aux Pommes

Serves 8


2 sticks of butter
450 grams whole wheat flour  (3 1/2 cups)
1/4 - 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp all purpose flour for working surface
1 Tbsp melted butter for pie dish
1 egg white, slightly beaten

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
4 MacIntosh apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter


In a food processor, pulse the butter and the flour until it resembles coarse meal. Add the vinegar, little at a time, until the dough comes together. The dough will smell of vinegar but it goes away when cooking. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside for at least 2 hours.

When the 2 hours are up, heat up the oven to 400F.
Roll out the half of dough into a circle and fold the circle; make it a ball, without working the dough, patting it together. Roll it again into a circle to fit the dish.
Line the buttered pie dish with the crust and brush with the egg white. This will make a barrier for the apples juices and will prevent the dough from getting soggy.

In a large bowl, mix the apples with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Transfer to the dish and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and reduce the heat to 375F. Cook for another 30 minutes. Take out of the oven and "sprinkle" with the 2 tablespoons of butter.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some cinnamon whipped cream.


NOTE: the other half of the dough can be rolled the same way (roll, fold and roll again) and frozen for a later use.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Well...it was cold this weekend on the Cape!!! We got a fire going really early, and I decided that a stew was the best answer to frigid temperatures!

Remember that to make a great stew you have to start marinating the meat at least the night before!!!

Beef Bourguignon

Serves 8


6 lb of beef chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bottle of good quality Burgundy wine, or Californian Pinot Noir
3/4 lb bacon, cut into strips
2 medium onions, chopped
6 carrots, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
5 to 6 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 to 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste


The night before, marinate the beef in the wine and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Take the meat out of the fridge and drain the wine and juice. Reserve the liquids.

In a large Dutch oven, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Remove all but 2 Tbsp of the bacon grease and set aside.

Heat the 2 Tbsp bacon grease and add the vegetables - onions, carrots and garlic. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
When done, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add another 2 Tbsp bacon grease (or olive oil) and brown the meat on all sides in several batches. You do not want to add too much meat all at once as it will render too much juice and won't brown. When the meat is nice and browned, set aside until the last batch. Return all the meat to the Dutch oven and sprinkle with the flour. Stir well to ensure that each piece of meat is coated with the flour. Add the vegetables. Mix well. Add the bacon, the reserved wine and mix again. Add the bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for three hours, stirring occasionally, scraping the bottom and making sure it does not boil.

After one hour of cooking, you can add the cocoa powder.

Before serving, sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Serve with steamed potatoes, or egg noodles.