I just made my first attempt at making my own dill pickles. I won’t reveal the recipe I used until the pickles are tested.

I had a lot of fun making them. There was something satisfying about sterilizing the jars, stuffing them with fresh dill, garlic, onions and dried chilies…and then waiting for the telltale pop!

Now I just have to wait three weeks. Well, at least they’re pretty to look at.

Stay tuned for Spicy Dill Pickles – Part II!

This past weekend, Soli and I walked up to the Jean-Talon market here to take advantage of all the fresh and in-season produce available. With armloads full of plump, sweet tomatoes, basil, corn, cucumbers, radishes, red peppers, carrots and eggplant, we had to take a taxi back home. Once at home, Soli went right to work making a chicken stock, using the carcass of a beautiful chicken he had roasted himself the night before. We’ll be eating a fantastic vegetable-chicken soup for days now!

But that’s besides the point. While he was preparing his stock, I was scouring my bookmarks, looking for a dish I could prepare that used some of this fresh, amazing produce. I found this, on Simmer Till Done‘s site…What better fits the bill than an upside down tomato-basil bread, peppery dough spirals filled with basil, parmesan, red pepper flakes and olive oil baked on top of fresh tomatoes to create an upside-down bread that is spicy, salty, cheesy and filled with the sweetness of tomatoes. It pulls apart easily, almost like monkey bread and is the perfect side for any autumn meal.

The original recipe called for one tablespoon of black pepper in the dough, and I found the bread much too peppery with that amount, so I made the change to one teaspoon. Additionally, the original recipe asked for 1/2 cup of olive oil in the filling mixture, but when I rolled the dough up like a jelly roll, most of the oil just squished out onto the cutting board, so I cut the amount by half. Everything else, I would keep the same! It’s such a savory bread, packed with flavours that all complement each other wonderfully. I really adore this bread and will definitely make it again.

Tomato-Basil Upside Down Bread
adapted from Simmer Till Done

DOUGH
2 1/2 teaspoons (or 1 package) active dry yeast
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons warm water
4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (or three-pepper mix)

BASIL PARMESAN FILLING
4 – 5 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped (basil from store produce pkg, about 1 oz)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (or three-pepper mix)
fresh-ground red pepper flakes, to your more hot/less hot taste -or- 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

TOMATO TOPPING
3 large or 4 small-medium tomatoes (or about 12 plum tomatoes)
optional for sprinkling: 1/4 teaspoon each: sea salt, sugar, red pepper flakes (which I didn’t add, as it seemed the bread and filling would be salty and peppery enough as is)

BREAD DOUGH
1. Using mixer: Stir the yeast into warm water in mixer bowl; let stand about 10 minutes, until yeast looks bubbled and creamy. Fit mixer with dough hook.

2. Stir in olive oil first, combining with yeast, then mix in flour, Parmesan cheese, sea salt, ground black pepper and hot pepper flakes. Start mixing on low and increase to medium speed, kneading about 5 minutes, until dough is combined, soft and elastic.

(If dough looks too dry: add water while mixer kneads, few drops at a time, until dough just combines. If dough looks too wet: add tiny dashes of flour while mixer kneads, sparingly, until sides of bowl look clean and dough combines.)

3. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap, then dish towel. Set aside and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours. Dough should feel very smooth, moist and soft.

While dough rises, make filling & tomato topping.

BASIL PARMESAN FILLING
1. In small bowl, place chopped fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine well, and set aside.

TOMATO TOPPING
Remove cores and chop tomatoes to small, rough pieces. Place in bowl (without accumulated liquid) and set aside.

ASSEMBLE TOMATO BASIL BREAD
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Lightly oil (with olive oil) bottom and sides of 10″ round cake or springform pan (can also use 9 x 13 metal pan, Pyrex dish, or similar). Drain any excess juices from chopped tomatoes, then spread evenly over bottom of pan. Set aside.

3. Turn risen bread dough out on lightly floured surface. Gently pull and stretch dough to a rough rectangle, approximately 11″ x 24″. Using spatula, gently spread Filling evenly across dough to cover, reaching edges. Starting at long edge, roll dough up jelly roll style, as for cinnamon rolls. Try to roll evenly and without air gaps. With seam side facing down, make sure filled roll is solid and combined by patting sides and edges.

4. Using a thin, sharp knife (serrated is best) cut 1″ slices from dough roll. Arrange slices, spiral side down, on top of chopped tomatoes in prepared pan. In a 10″ round pan, you will have little to no room between slices (if using a larger pan, arrange slices barely touching, with small amounts of space between them.) Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise slightly, about 20 minutes.

5. Place filled pan on wider sheet pan or foil (important – to catch drips!) Bake on lower rack 40 – 45 minutes, until top rolls are medium brown, feel hollow when tapped, and tomato juices have bubbled and thickened. Remove from oven and cool on rack for 5 minutes.

6. To unmold & serve: Have a platter or cake stand ready that is wider than the bread pan. Cover browned top of rolls with platter or stand (pan will still be warm, use oven mitt.) Holding platter to pan together, turn over in one motion until pan is upside down. Use a knife to carefully lift pan from bread, releasing steam slowly. After releasing initial steam, lift pan off completely, revealing tomato-topped bread. Serve immediately.

7. If you’d like darker edges and more caramelization – it’s beautiful and delicious that way – preheat the broiler. When hot, mix together optional sea salt, sugar and red pepper flakes. Slide whole bread onto a sheet pan, then sprinkle salt mixture over tomato topping. Place under broiler for 1 – 2 minutes, watching carefully, until tomatoes sizzle and edges blacken. Remove and serve.

If you like this, you might also like:

Tomato Tart (or Tarte à la tomate)
Cottage Cheese Dill Bread
Tomato Soup with Rice

When you hear the words, “caramel banana cake,” do you envision a moist and fluffy banana cake swimming in a pool of rich caramel, or perhaps a thick layer of it smothering the top? A decadent dessert unlike any other? I know I do, because that exactly what I thought of when I came across the caramel banana cake on Technicolor Kitchen’s site. However, that’s not exactly what I got…

What I did get was a perfectly fluffy banana cake filled with walnut chunks, dark chocolate chips and a heavy, spicy dose of cinnamon and nutmeg, with a crunchy, sandy caramel bottom, which was just fine with me! This cake is not very different from any really good banana bread or cake; it’s got just the right amount of spices, the walnut crunchiness is a great addition to the texture of the cake, and using dark chocolate chips sparingly means just occasional hints of chocolate, so as not to take away from the great banana flavour.

My caramel was not exactly the caramel I was expecting though. I think I may have let it sit off the heat too long before pouring it over the hot-out-of-the-oven cake. The texture was sandy, and I had to pretty much spread it on the bottom of the cake. It got a lot harder, and quite crumbly, and adhered well to the cake, so that one I flipped it out of the bundt pan, the thick caramel crunch layer stuck nicely to the cake. I actually enjoyed it this way, it was like having little nuggets of maple fudge in it! Next time, I think I may attempt to fix my caramel error and not let it sit off the heat, and I’ll pour (or spread) it on the cake on the top, as it is a fairly plain-looking cake. But changes or not, I’d definitely make the cake again – it’s an easy, great bundt that is wonderfully flavourful. It’s not a decadent cake, but one that you can enjoy as much as any perfectly-made banana bread, with a little bit extra thrown in.

Caramel Crunch Banana Cake
adapted from Technicolor Kitchen
Printable Recipe

CAKE
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups (300ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil)
1 ¾ cups (350g) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (75g) coarsely chopped walnuts
85g (3oz) dark chocolate, broken into small pieces (or chocolate chips)
3 ripe bananas, diced (or mashed)

CARAMEL:
½ cup (88g) firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

CAKE
1. Butter and flour a tube pan or a bundt pan that can hold 12 cups; preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.

2. Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs, oil and sugar. With the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that the sugar has been incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix for another 30 seconds.

5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients a bit at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and then to ensure everything is incorporated.

6. Once the dry ingredients have been added, remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add the walnuts, chocolate and bananas. Gently fold them in with a spatula or a wooden spoon. Don’t over mix.

7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes and then test the cake to see if it’s done by poking a toothpick or cake tester into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If not, bake the cake for another 5 to 10 minutes.

CARAMEL (CRUNCH)
1. About 5 to 10 minutes before the cake is done, make the caramel by combining all the ingredients in a small pan. Bring to the boil and stir occasionally to ensure that it doesn’t burn. Let it boil for about 5 minutes and then turn off the heat.

2. Once the cake is out of the oven, poke holes all over the cake with a skewer. Immediately pour the caramel over the cake, stopping every now and then to let the caramel sink in. If the caramel pools in spots, poke more holes to allow it to sink in.

3. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once it’s cool, loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and then unmold it onto a plate.

If you like this, you might also like:

Banana Bread with Hazelnuts
Banana Crunch Muffins
Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

I used to write restaurant reviews for Midnight Poutine, an awesome site with a talented group of writers that contribute articles about all things Montreal…the music scene, the arts scene, and day-to-day life in this great city. I did this for over a year and then stopped, for a variety of reasons. Anyway, Montcarte was originally created to document the food we make here at home as well as the great food Montreal restaurants have to offer.

So, every week, I’m going to post a review that I did for Midnight Poutine here.

This week, I present you with Ramen-Ya (originally posted here):

Finally! Ramen in Montreal @ Ramen-Ya

Ramen-Ya is a relative newcomer to St-Laurent in the Plateau, and I certainly hope it’s a restaurant that’s here to stay for a long time. I recently had one of the best (and most affordable!) lunches there than I’ve had in a long time, and I am looking forward to eating there on a regular basis.

Ramen-Ya is a small resto, with only a few tables and benches at the bar. However, it’s clean, sleek and tastefully decorated, and a lovely place to sit down and have a meal. The star of the place is their ramen soup, which is not to be confused with the insane amount of pho that is available in this city; no, the ramen soup here is lighter, less greasy, fresher and filled with ramen noodles.

You are offered a choice between three different types of broth: shoyu, (the clearest and lightest in flavour) miso, or curry (the darkest and heaviest in flavour). The traditionalist in me went for the shoyu broth (which the waitress also recommended), and a side of tonkatsu, or breaded pork cutlet, to put in the soup.

Alone, the pork was a bit dry, but after it had sat in the ramen soup for a bit, it became tender and a wonderful addition to the already-full soup. Along with a plentiful serving of ramen noodles in the bowl were mushrooms, crunchy bean sprouts and seaweed. Not heavy at all, this soup was hearty and filling, and full of freshness.

For appetizers, we went with the gyoza, perfectly pan-fried on one side, so there was a mixture of textures; slightly chewy on one, crispy on the other.

They could’ve been filled a little more pork, but what was there was rich in flavour, as was the dipping sauce. The serving size was ideal.

The other appetizer we ordered was the grilled squid, served on a bed of lettuce. I loved every tender bite of it.

I loved the meal and will be a repeat visitor. And with two appetizers, one big bowl of soup and a pork cutlet and a small sake, Ramen-Ya fed two people for $30, tax included. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

Ramen-Ya
4274 St Laurent
(514) 286-3832

It seems the markets are pretty much giving zucchini away these days, and corn is in delicious abundance, so when I spotted a recipe for zucchini and corn fritters, I knew there couldn’t be a more perfect, seasonal food.

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly. The only changes I made is that I sprinkled some sea salt on them when they came out of the oil, which was really nice. I made half the mixture with some sausage chunks – it added a nice flavour in the end, but I wasn’t crazy about the texture. I preferred the fritters when they were kept vegetarian.

The fritters were crispy on the outside, and chewy and moist on the inside. If felt as though I was eating potato fritters, but without all those carbs! The corn kernels were great little nuggets of sweetness (I did add more corn, about three cobs worth). I couldn’t really taste the cilantro though, so next time, I’d add a bit more of that.

I think this is a really easy, great recipe that’s amazingly versatile. You could pretty much throw any veggie, herb or meat in and end up with a great-tasting fritter. If you make them though, plan to eat them right away…they lost all crispness the next day, even after trying to heat them in the oven.

Zucchini and Corn Fritters with Cilantro
adapted from Serious Eats

4 cups shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 ears corn
1 small onion, diced small
3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
3/4 cup flour
A few good grinds of black pepper
Canola, grapeseed or other neutral oil, for pan-frying
Sour cream or Greek yogurt, for serving

1. Shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater or with the shredding disc of a food processor. Place the shredded zucchini in a colander in the sink or over a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Toss to combine. Let drain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and scramble lightly. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and add the kernels to the bowl along with the diced onion, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, flour and pepper.

3. Pick up the shredded zucchini in small handfuls and squeeze out and discard as much liquid as you can. Add the zucchini to the bowl. Mix well to combine.

4. Pour the oil into a large frying pan to a depth of about 1/4-inch. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Drop large, heaping spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture into the pan to form disc-shaped fritters. Cook in batches without crowding (about 3 or 4 at a time, depending on the size of your pan) until golden brown on the underside (about 2 minutes) and then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Add a bit more oil between batches if necessary.

5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. The fritters should be crisp on the outside and slightly custardy on the inside.

If you like this, you might also like:

Veggie Mulligatawny
Corn Muffins
Roasted Garlic and Veggie Poutine