Happiness ~

Happiness ~, a photo by ©EpicureanPiranha ~ on Flickr.

...we all have it within our reach!

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by ♥ Have a delicious day!

~ marie, the EpicureanPiranha

~ 9 11 2011 ~ We Remember

~ 9 11 2011 ~ We Remember, a photo by ©EpicureanPiranha ~ enjoying last days of summer! on Flickr.

~ a small but heartfelt tribute ...


A personal thought ::

Is remembering enough?

No. We should all remember and strive for greater peace and harmony in this world, starting with the smallest things. Peace and harmony with the people around us;  the people we see everyday. Deeply ingrained beliefs are hard to change, but we must start somewhere ...

My Fresh Raspberry & Basil Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

Luscious, juicy, fresh ruby-red raspberries, and the sweet taste of fresh basil ~ the flavours I used in one of my latest creations, a scrumptious, rich (but NOT heavy!), coffee cake.

♥ This is one of the most delicious coffee cakes I’ve ever made ♥ The marriage of fresh raspberries and basil is perfect! It was inspired by a delicious raspberry-basil jam I purchased from a lovely auberge in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. To make it even more special, I made a rich cream-cheese frosting which I flavoured with fresh lemon zest and vanilla.

Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea in the garden!

Just to tempt you, here are a few more photos:



The fresh tastes of summer! Juicy, ruby-red raspberries, and fresh basil.

 The cake is easy to make. It has a wonderful texture, somewhere between a cake and a buttermilk muffin, which is divine when it's warm from the oven. It you want to serve it warm, then serve the cream cheese buttercream in a bowl on the side.



Impossible to resist with a perfect cup of tea or a delicious latte!

Here is the link to the recipe on my gourmet webzine: EpicureanPiranha.com.

Richly Spiced Cambodian Chicken Curry

Cambodian cuisine is less known than that of its neighbours, Thailand and Vietnam. It is a colourful cuisine whose style and ingredients reveal strong influences from its neighbouring countries. Influences can also be seen from the period of French occupation (though less spicy in general), China (including the use of caramel in certain dishes and eating curries with toasted baguette) and India (many Cambodian curries contain Indian curry powder and black pepper as opposed to chilli, which is served separately).

There are many curries and stir-fries in Cambodian cuisine, and most dishes are served with rice (hundreds of varieties are grown there). This delicious Cambodian curry contains a number of spices and herbs, including Indian curry powder, as well as nuoc mam (or Thai fish sauce) and coconut milk. Lemongrass, lots of fresh basil and coriander, fresh galangal (or ginger if you can't find galangal), and the addition of dark caramel (which you can see in the top-right portion of the image below) impart a special warmth to the fragrant sauce.

The recipe also calls for sweet potatoes, so all that’s needed to accompany this dish is some Thai fragrant rice and a green vegetable. In the image below, I chose to serve it with lightly stir-fried bok choy, which I first cut in half and then served sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

This is another shot of the same dish, which I had prepared with new potatoes and parsnips this time (replacing the sweet potatoes). When preparing a recipe like this, don’t be afraid to substitute certain ingredients depending on what you have on hand. As long as you preserve the “essence of the recipe”, the dish will be slightly different, but equally delicious!

The recipe for this delicious curry is now published on my gourmet webzine ::
Richly Spiced Cambodian Chicken Curry

A Festive Apricot Orange Almond Bread ...

A Festive Apricot Orange Almond Bread ..., a photo by ©EpicureanPiranha on Flickr.

...this is what I baked for my Mom on Mother's Day. Perfect for special days, for brunch, or afternoon tea ♥

Freshly published on my gourmet blog/webzine: Festive Apricot Orange Almond Bread ♥

Deliciousness !, a photo by ©EpicureanPiranha on Flickr.

A Message of Love on Mother's Day ♥

Mother's Day is a very special day for me, because I have the dearest, most loving Mother one could hope for!



Always my champion, Mom has been my staunchest supporter and ally, in everything I've undertaken. When others failed me, she's always been there with warm words of support. She's been the first to celebrate my victories, and always been my guiding light in my darkest hours ...


♥ Mom holds me tenderly in her arms ~ Christmas 1956, I was 15 months old ♥

More than a Mother, she is is a close friend and confidente. A beautiful, strong woman, who radiates sunshine and warmth all around her when she laughs or smiles ~

Christened Rose-Blanche, which means white rose, she could not have been called by a sweeter name! She wears it so well, because she's the Sweetest Rose I know!

"A mother holds her children's hands for a while...their hearts forever."

~ Author Unknown



♥ In Celebration of All the Wonderful Women I Know ♥



Alas, I'm not a professional writer, and far from being a clever wordsmith! So I've tried to find words that could express my feelings for her from the many beautiful things have been said about mothers ...

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden,
fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends
who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken
around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts
and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

~ Washington Irving (1783-1859)



Epi's Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Caramelized Lemon Glaze


I'm sending You all my Love on Mother's Day, Dearest Mom ♥ You will always be so very close to my heart!

And I wish all mothers a Very Special Day this Mother's Day!

Love,

marie, the EpicureanPiranha

A Wonderful Surpise Tasting Gift!

A Wonderful Surpise Tasting Gift!, a photo by ©EpicureanPiranha on Flickr.

Via Flickr :
Last week, after creating my official EpicureanPiranha Page on Facebook, the charming owner of É Café Canada, Michel Alloul, left me a message to say how much he enjoyed my gourmet webzine. We started chatting on Facebook about food, coffee, and coffee beans, and Michel said he’d send me some of their coffee for me to try.

I had been expecting a few small samples ~ so imagine my delight and surprise upon receiving a large box containing a selection of four 454 g bags of their coffees, a package of dark chocolate covered coffee beans, a package of dark chocolate covered cranberries, and a package of assorted biscotti!

I’ll be writing up a review and posting a new article on my webzine about all the É Café goodies and coffees I received, so watch out for it soon!

A Springtime Frittata & Citrus Salad

The lovely month of May, when springtime has finally begun to settle in. Birds are singing, flowers are sprouting, and there’s a lightness in the air  ♥  I was in the mood for something as fresh and light as spring, which has taken so long to arrive!

Serve the frittata, cut in wedges, with the fresh citrus salad or a green salad if you prefer.

I had a nice selection of green vegetables and fresh herbs on hand, and some small, cooked new potatoes left over from dinner the night before. These ingredients, and a large box of pretty, juicy, and very sweet Jaffa Clementines I’d purchase two days ago, inspired my springtime brunch!



This simple Clementine salad is pretty and so fresh!

This would be perfect as part of A Mother's Day Brunch :-)

Freshly published on my Gourmet Webzine, EpicureanPiranha ~ enjoying life in tasty bites!™, where you'll find the illustrated, step-by-step recipe, along with serving suggestions.

Thank you for your Foodie Love and continued support, dear friends ~ have a delicious day ♥

Savouring Quebec

One of my Facebook friends posted a link to an article on the Louis d'Or today, a Quebec cheese from the Fromagerie du Presbytère which won first prize in the prestigious Canadian Cheese Grand Prix. As I was reading the article, from the Montreal Gazette, I came across another interesting bit of info which I thought might interest some of my readers:

"If you plan a holiday in Quebec this year, the latest edition of the annual guide to B and B's, inns, and farms to visit which offers a savoury collection of addresses throughout the province has just been published. Called Terroir et saveurs du Québec (Guides de voyage Ulysse, $24.95), it lists 330 places to stay or dine, 250 farms and producers of foods, wines and ciders, 105 restaurants serving local products, plus careful directions, maps and copious photographs. It's a mouthwatering read...."

Read more on the Online version of the Montreal Gazette: Quebec Cheese Wins Award.

From: http://www.bonjourquebec.com/  Travel Media Centre

You'll find lots more information on Quebec's official tourism website, Bonjour Quebec. Here's a link to the site. It provides information on some key events taking place in the Province, as well as other usful info (to change the language, check the top right hand of the screen where you can select French, English or Spanish):

Bonjour Quebec Travel Media Centre.

Morrocan Chicken with Chickpeas, Almonds, & Currants

Morrocan Chicken with Chickpeas, Almonds, & Currants, a photo by ©EpicureanPiranha on Flickr.

This is a lovely Morrocan dish, but unlike the original, it is much lower in fat because the chicken is skinned. The recipe is from a Time Life series of French cookbooks I bought years ago on healthier eating, and sadly lacked flavour. So I adjusted the spices and seasonings, and the resulting flavour was perfect! Subtle, delicious ...perfect with a chilled, dry rosé or white wine, or a cold Boréale Blanche white beer "on lie" from one of Quebec's excellent micro breweries!

My Quest for the Best Challah!

My Quest for the Best Challah!, a photo by ©EpicureanPiranha on Flickr.

Challah is one of my favourite egg breads ~ the aroma of the loaves baking is sublime, and the rich dough is incredibly tender whith just a hint of sweetness! With cold butter, and perhaps some wild berry preserves, I could easily eat a whole loaf when it’s still warm from the oven (I actually did this a few years ago!). But I’d never tried baking one until last year. After researching recipes for this delicious Jewish specialty in my cookbooks and on the web, I had chosen the recipe I’d found in the Fleischmann’s Yeast cookbook. The proportion of butter and eggs seemed the most promising for what I wanted to achieve.

I have to admit that I was very pleased with the results. The baked loaves looked gorgeous, and had a wonderful flavour and texture. But the bread just wasn’t as rich tasting ~ and the dough not as golden ~ as I’d hoped! So I went back to my research, but still could not find a recipe that seemed better. Since I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I decided I’d have to create my own recipe!

I've just published it on my webzine My Quest for the Best Challah!

Chakchouka with Mediterranean Influences

Chakchouka with Mediterranean Influences, a photo by ©EpicureanPiranha on Flickr.

Sunday was gorgeous and sunny, and it prompted me to prepare a brunch inspired by the colourful cuisines of Tunisia and the Mediterranean!

Chakchouka (or shakshouka), is a sort of vegetable stew popular throughout northern Africa, Israel, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, where it’s known as ratatouille (although ratatouille includes several other vegetables, the cooking technique is the same). The dish I made was similar to Tunisian chakchouka, the main difference being in the spices I used: chilli, bay leaf and lots of chopped flat-leaf parsley.

My chakchouka was a highly seasoned mixture of slowly simmered tomatoes, onions, and lots of garlic, to which I added peeled, char-grilled bell peppers. Once this had reduced to a jammy consistency, I delicately poached fresh eggs in the mixture by baking for a few minutes in the oven. Served with a spicy couscous, grilled hot Italian sausages, a fresh green salad, crusty bread, and a cold beer from one of our many excellent microbreweries, it was the perfect brunch!

A Rose for a Rose ...

In Celebration of International Women's Day, and of My Mother, a Very Special Woman! a photo by ©EpicureanPiranha on Flickr.

In Celebration of International Women's Day, and of My Mother, a Very Special Woman!

For the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, I dedicate this beautiful rose from my mother’s garden to all the wonderful women in my life, but especially to my mom. She’s tiny, only 1.5 m tall, but has the most enormous heart and strength of all the women I know! Her unfailing love, devotion, care and attention for my dad ~ who is very ill from cancer ~ are his greatest source of joy, and the most potent drug to assuage the psychological torment caused by this sinister disease. I love you, dearest mom ♥

The name of this rose is "Simply Marvelous ~ Jacideso rose"

Take my lips ...

Take my lips ...
Mise en ligne par ©EpicureanPiranha

… I want to lose them

I wanted to create a scrumptious, romantic dessert for Valentine’s Day. After tasting these wonderful little cakes, I christened them Melt Your Heart Pistachio Cupcakes. Rich and tender, flavoured with a large proportion of ground, roasted pistachios and blue curaçao (a bitter orange flavoured liqueur), they are crowned with a cloud of silky, white chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream ~ flavours and taste sensations that melt your heart!

Perfect for ♥ Valentine’s Day ♥, especially when decorated with lots of tiny, red lips :-)

Note ♥ Actually, these aren't very sweet ~ the beauty of Swiss meringue buttercream is that it's made from a cooked meringue to which you add butter - so, no raw sugar taste, and very little sugar compared to simple buttercreams made from powdered sugar which can be overly sweet and heavy. Just silky buttery cream, light as a cloud because of the meringue. And the delicate, moist cupcakes really taste of pistachio and butter :-)

Coming soon on my gourmet webzine ♥

Hazelnut broyage layered with cream, fresh peaches & blueberries

Hazelnut broyage layered with cream, fresh peaches & blueberries
Mise en ligne par ©EpicureanPiranha

"Meringue gateaux are wonderful concoctions based on layers or pieces of meringue to which ground nuts may have been added, which once baked, are layered with one or more preparations of flavoured whipped cream, light buttercream, pastry cream, ganache, fresh fruit, fruit compotes, or a multitude of other fillings and filling combinations.

If ground nuts have been added to the meringue, the mixture is then known as ~ depending on the recipe’s origin and the type of filling(s) used ~ success, progress, japonais, grillage, broyage, dacquoise, or russe. These delicious types of meringue range from very crisp to very chewy, depending on the proportion of nuts, sugar, and egg whites used, as well as how they are baked."

~ the ©EpicureanPiranha


I had leftover egg whites I needed to use the other day, so I decided to make some toasted hazelnut meringues. The delicious flavour of hazelnuts, gently toasted then finely ground, makes the meringue rich and just slightly chewy in the centre. Whipped cream flavoured with vanilla and a little brown sugar to give it a delicate caramel flavour, blueberries and thinly sliced fresh peaches are a lovely compliment to the hazelnuts.

Lovely with an espresso or perfect to end a meal :-)

MYTH: "Making Bread the Traditional Way Takes Too Long"

MYTH: "Making Bread the Traditional Way Takes Too Long"
Mise en ligne par ©EpicureanPiranha

"...making bread takes very little actual time on your part - about 15 minutes at the start, to measure, mix, and knead the ingredients is all that's needed, plus a few minutes time and attention to punch the dough down and knead once or twice between provings, then to place the dough into the greased tins. The dough itself and the oven take care of the rest, leaving you plenty of time to do whatever you wish in between!" ~ ©EpicureanPiranha

Next time it’s raining or stormy outside, why not try this delicious recipe for oatmeal bread. I’ve detailed and photographed each step. Creating something so delicious and satisfying from simple ingredients using one’s own hands, without the need for more than a few measuring cups and spoons, is unbelievably satisfying and therapeutic!

I hope you'll have a look at the recipe and be tempted to try it - it's actually very simple if you follow the steps I've fully illustrated. Here is a direct link: Step-By-Step Instuctions for Making Great Bread"

My Mediterranean-style Scallops with Rich Tarragon Tomato Sauce on Linguini

 Scallops with Rich Tarragon Tomato Sauce
Mise en ligne par ©EpicureanPiranha

Tarragon is a wonderful, aromatic herb with a lovely flavour somewhat like anise and basil combined, and a hint of lemon. I particularly love tarragon with tomato-based sauces and seafood ♥

So last evening I created this rich tomato sauce finished with a hint of heavy cream, and served it on a bed of linguini fini garnished with large, plump, sea scallops quickly sautéed in butter until golden. Wonderful!

By the way, this would be a perfect recipe for a Valentine's Day dinner for two ♥  Find the detailed recipe, and all the steps you need to make this dish a success, on my webzine: EpicureanPiranha . com

Enjoy!

Emergency Cake Fix!

Emergency Cake Fix!
Mise en ligne par ©EpicureanPiranha

Muffins are a great emergency fixe when you have a craving for cake! They’re quick and easy to prepare, bake quickly, and taste best warm from the oven so there’s no waiting :-)

I created these Butterscotch Pecan Bites today for my brother-in-law Ron – he loves having sweet pastries or cake for dessert and is arriving from Alaska with my sister this evening to visit. They’re made with rich 10% fat yogurt, brown sugar, loads of tiny butterscotch bits wrapped in milk chocolate (a recent discovery ♥), and my favourite nuts, pecans.

The recipe is coming up soon on EpicureanPiranha.com, my epicurean webzine ♥

Visions of sugarplums …

Visions of sugarplums …
Mise en ligne par ©EpicureanPiranha

Sweet treats ....

Delicate meringue kisses of pale pink and green, a deliciously decadent luxury version of “Millionaire’s Shortbread” (layers of buttery shortbread, lightly toasted pecans, rich caramel, and Lindt chocolate), and a rich orange, dried cranberry, and ginger pound cake ~ the selection of  desserts I prepared for our New Year’s Eve celebration dinner.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
Mise en ligne par ©EpicureanPiranha

Wishing you all a Wonderful New Year filled with love and happiness!