Two years ago, montcarte was born. It’s been a great and delicious two years and I’ve gotten so much out of keeping this blog. I’ve stumbled across so many talented cooks and bakers, communicated with them, learned a lot about food and food photography and overall, have experienced food in a completely different way than before.

So this post is to say, Happy Birthday!

Often, the things we’ve made and loved aren’t always the dishes that bring us the most visitors. So to celebrate two years in the blogosphere, I’m going to make two lists: the first is our top 10 posts according to Google Analytics and the second is my own personal top 10 favourite dishes of the past two years.

Montcarte’s Top 10 Posts
(according to Google Analytics)

1. Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon-Lime Curd Filling and Lemon-Lime Frosting

2. Greek Pasta Salad with Feta and Olives

3. Caramel Apple Cupcakes

4. Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

5. Eggs Benedict and Toasted Crispy Spinach

6. Chocolate Crackle Cookies

7. Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins

8. White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

9. Blueberry Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze

10. The Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie

and now…

Montcarte’s Top 10 Posts
(according to ME!)

1. Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding

2. Tomato Tart (or Tarte à la tomate)

3. Crepes Terrine with Spinach, Mushroom, and Smoked Turkey

4. Orange Chocolate Chunk Bundt Cake

5. Baja Fish Tacos

6. Tomato-Basil Upside Down Bread

7. White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

8. Butternut Squash and Pecan Lasagne

9. Schwartz’s Smoked Meat Pizza

10. Low and Luscious Chocolate Cheesecake with Cappuccino Swirl

Thank you to all the readers – half the fun of this site is getting the chance to know you.

This fudge, while some people may call it cheating, is a fast and easy way to get your chocolate fix. Using condensed milk to make fudge? Blasphemy! It’s probably not the best fudge out there, the most chocolatey, the creamiest, the most creative, etc., but it’s good and gets the job done.

I made this to for the dessert portion of our Christmas meal, but haven’t gotten around to posting it yet. It certainly is a festive fudge, with big chunks of glossy, red candied cherries and little white puffs of marshmallows. It’s a sweet, dense fudge – very chocolatey and the cherry flavour isn’t very strong, but does add a nice little oomph. I enjoyed the chew of the marshmallows.

There’s not much more I can say about this fudge. It comes together in a flash, would probably be fun to try making with kids, and makes a nice addition to any dessert table.

Since I should be expanding my fudge repertoire. I’d love to know what recipes you all enjoy using. Send them my way please?

Cherry Polka Dot Fudge
adapted from Eagle Brand
Makes about 2lb

3 cups (750 mL) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (300 mL) Regular Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped glacé cherries
1/2 cup (125 mL) mini marshmallows

1. Melt chocolate chips with Eagle Brand. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, cherries and marshmallows.

2. Spread evenly in parchment paper-lined 8” (20 cm) square pan. Chill 4 hours or until firm.

3. Remove from pan and peel off paper. Cut into squares.

Believe it or not, I had never tasted a persimmon up until a few days ago. I’ve been seeing lots of desserts using persimmons around, so when I saw some at the market, I picked them up right away and started scouring the internet for the perfect dessert to make with them.

The first thing I discovered that there are two types of the persimmon fruit: astringent and non-astringent. Astringent persimmons have to be eaten when they are super soft, jellylike in texture. These will be sweeter and juicier and the hachiya persimmon is the most delicious and common of these ones. The non-astringent can be eaten while they’re still firm and they take a long while to get soft and will be milder in their flavour and sweetness. The fuyu persimmon is the popular type of non-astringent.

While this may be sound overly exciting, it’s a good thing I discovered this, because obviously, the type of persimmon you have will affect how it should be cooked! I had bought fuyu persimmons, and finally decided that I wanted to prepare a bread pudding with them, something warm, sweet and gooey to make me happy in these January evenings.

I adapted this persimmon bread pudding from Martha Stewart and ended up with a perfect bread pudding. Instead of using white chocolate, I threw in some milk chocolate chips, and instead of melting the chocolate into the milk sauce, tossed them in separately. This gave the pudding little chocolate chunks and bits of the chocolate sweetness, instead of having it smoothly integrated into the sauce. I also added more cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as raisins. The recipe I’ve included is how I prepared it.

I loved this bread pudding – in fact, I thought it was pretty perfect. I didn’t completely puree the persimmon, and instead cooked them, got them all soft, mashed up a lot of them, but left chunks of the fruit intact. I was left with a light, sweet flavour throughout the pudding and nice pieces of almost peachy-cantaloupe firm fruit scattered in. I loved the amount of cinnamon, and the milk chocolate was great in there as it added a definite sweetness. This isn’t an overly saucy bread pudding, and I loved the non-soggy texture. This is a great base to any bread pudding, and if you wanted to try other fruits in there, it would work wonderfully. I’m thinking peaches next time!

Persimmon-Chocolate Bread Pudding with Raisins
adapted from Martha Stewart

3 Fuyu persimmons, peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces or slices
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup sugar, plus more, for baking dish
Unsalted butter, for baking dish
10 slices (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1 1/2-inch-thick day-old or toasted brioche, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup raisins
2 cups milk
3 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine persimmon, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup sugar; simmer over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

2. Mash heated persimmons until there a lot of the fruit is pureed, making sure to leave some fruit pieces intact.

3. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish, and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place bread in baking dish; sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Scatter chocolate chips and raisins over the bread as well.

4. In a medium saucepan, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and milk; stir frequently over low heat. Remove from heat once the sugar is dissolved.

5. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk warm milk mixture into eggs, being careful not to cook the eggs; stir in persimmon mixture. Pour mixture into baking dish, covering bread completely.

6. Bake until filling sets, about 35 minutes.

I love snacking on salty, savory foods. I used to be all about the sweet stuff, but it seems I’ve moved on to the salty snacks these days. Unfortunately, that includes chips, which I should avoid at all costs. One good solution I found was to make my own spicy popcorn, which is tasty and snacking-worthy, but not very nutritious. Recently, I tried out a recipe from the Cookin’ Canuck for spicy/sweet roasted chickpeas. I love chickpeas and will even eat them right out of the can. Something about their texture and salty, creamy taste make me all happy. Given that and the fact that they give a real nutritional punch, roasting them and coating them with rosemary, cayenne and brown sugar could only make them little balls of heaven.

They were so good, I ate a whole 14oz can in one sitting. In probably less than 20 minutes. And wished I had made more so that I could continue eating them. Their texture was perfect – crispy on the outside, with a warm, slightly chewy middle. The spices didn’t overwhelm the chickpea flavour either.

Next time, I’ll definitely add more cayenne, as I thought they could use a lot more heat. Other than that, I’m really pleased with the spice mixture, though these measurements are really up to personal taste. I recommend you make the mixture, taste it, and add more of whatever spice your tastebuds desire.

Spicy-Sweet Roasted Chickpeas with Rosemary & Brown Sugar
adapted from Cookin’ Canuck

1 (14 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 tbsp (packed) brown sugar
1 tbsp dried rosemary rosemary
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Drain chickpeas into a strainer. Rinse and drain very well. Dry the chickpeas on a large sheet of paper towel, with another sheet laid over top. Pat gently to remove excess water.

3. Toss chickpeas with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

4. Roast for 40-50 minutes, or until chickpeas are golden brown and rattle when you shake the baking sheet.

5. While the chickpeas are roasting, combine brown sugar, rosemary, 1 teaspoon olive oil, cayenne pepper (the amount you use depends on your heat tolerance), and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl.

6. Pour the roasted chickpeas into the bowl and toss with the brown sugar mixture. Cool completely. Serve. Store in an airtight container for up to one week

My first attempt at making jam seems to have been successful, especially if I go by the reactions of some of the people had when I gave some to them (hellooooo Patra!).

Ever since the pickles, I’ve been wanting to try jarring more foods. Still wanting to keep it fairly simple, I figured a jam would be a good way to go. Fruits aren’t really in season anymore, but I did have a big bag of frozen strawberries and some frozen raspberries leftover from the summer. A strawberry/raspberry jam just isn’t that exciting, so I decided to follow this recipe and add some heat to it by including a nice amount of jalapeno peppers.

The end result was wonderful! I enjoyed the addition of the raspberries, as I found that the jam was very sweet, and the tartness of the raspberries probably cut the sweetness a bit (in doing some research on jam-making, it seems you shouldn’t try to reduce the amount of sugar in recipes, as that will affect the consistency of it, usually making the jam runny – any input on this?). I like things HOT, so I added more jalapeno peppers, seeds and all, than was suggested by the recipe. The jam was definitely hot, but not overbearingly so. The sweetness helps, and the heat seemed to dissipate a little over time. The end result was a sweet, fruity and spicy-hot jam.

This jam is great with cheeses, and I couldn’t stop piling it on to any cheese I could get my hands onto…Apparently, it’s a great addition to baked brie…since I have away the jars I made and only had a bit left for myself, I can only say that I definitely believe it and am looking forward to making this, and other jams, again and again!

*I ended up buying a liquid pectin, and since the recipe called for powdered pectin, I had to look up if you could use them interchangeably. It turns out that you can, but you have to change the amount. Apparently, you also have to add liquid pectin in at a different point than you do with powdered pectin; you add liquid pectin after you’ve cooked the fruits and with powdered pectin, you add it before or while cooking. Either way, the consistency of my jam was good – not too thick and not too runny, so it worked out for me! The recipe below is my version, using liquid pectin (I also halved the original recipe). Check out the original if you’re using the powdered pectin!

Strawberry Raspberry Jalapeno Jam
adapted from All Recipes

1 ½ cups crushed strawberries
1 cup crushed raspberries
3/4 cup minced jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons liquid pectin
3 ½ cups white sugar
4 half pint canning jars with lids and rings

1. Place the crushed strawberries, minced jalapeno pepper, and lemon juice into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once simmering, stir in the sugar until dissolved, return to a boil, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the liquid pectin.

2. Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.

3. Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.

4. Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart. Allow to cool overnight Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

When I saw this dish on Smitten Kitchen, it spoke to me. I love things like this – oven-baked, soul-comforting gratins are among my favourite foods. Especially if they include sweet potatoes!

I made this to bring to our Christmas Eve dinner, and I was extremely happy with how it turned out. I swapped the swiss chard in the original for spinach and used more Swiss cheese than Gruyere. I kept everything else the same as the original.

Everything went together really well. I loved the onions and spinach filling, the thick slabs of sweet potato and the rich, creamy béchamel. The veggies weren’t overly wet at all and absorbed the béchamel sauce well. The sweet potatoes ended up being the right texture, and the spinach tasted amazing alongside the potatoes. I loved the Swiss/Gruyere cheese mixture -the dish wasn’t overly cheesy, so you could still taste all the separate parts of the gratin.

It is a bit time-consuming to prepare, and uses a fair number of dishes. It’s well worth it in the end though! You’re left with a comforting sweet potato dish that can feed an army, and feed them well!

Spinach and Sweet Potato Gratin
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 pounds frozen spinach, thawed and liquid pressed out
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups heavy cream or whole milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 pounds medium red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces shredded Grueyere cheese
3 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

1. Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a wide 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add spinach, pinch of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then transfer greens to a colander to drain well and press out liquid with back of a large spoon.

2. Combine cream or milk and garlic in small saucepan; bring to simmer; keep warm. Melt two tablespoons butter in a medium heavy saucepan over moderate heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, whisking, one minute, then slowly whisk in warm cream/milk and boil, whisking, one minute. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter deep 9×13 baking dish. Spread half of sweet potatoes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and a 1/4 cup of the cheese. Distribute half of the greens mixture over the cheese, then sprinkle salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and 1/4 cup of the cheese over it. Pour half of bechamel sauce over the first two layers then continue with the remaining sweet potatoes, more salt, pepper, herbs and cheese and then the remaining greens, salt, pepper and herbs. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the gratin, pressing the vegetables slightly to ensure that they are as submerged as possible. Sprinkle with the last 1/4 cup of cheese.

4. Bake gratin for about 1 hour until golden and bubbly, and most of the liquid is absorbed. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

If you like this, you might also like:

Crepes Terrine with Spinach, Mushroom, and Smoked Turkey
Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding
Butternut Squash and Pecan Lasagne