Jean's Luscious Lemon Squares

My friend Jean is the best baker I know. Approaching 92 she's had a few years to get it right. Her appetizer and dessert recipes are exceptional. One of my favourite desserts that she makes are her Lemon Squares. They're like a burst of sunshine, a little sweet but enough lemon juice to make your cheeks pucker.

Jean's Lemon Squares
Makes about 20

Pastry:
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup icing sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt

Topping:
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup white sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 lemon, juice and zest

Preheat oven to 350°F. To make the pastry: blend the first four ingredients together and pat into a buttered 8” square baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry becomes a creamy color. To make the topping: In a medium size bowl, add all of the topping ingredients together and mix to combine. Pour the mixture over the baked base and bake 15-20 minutes, or until set. While warm, dust the top with icing sugar. To serve, cut into squares.

Asparagus and Shrimp Risotto

With Easter just around the corner, it's the time of year we all get together to share a lovingly prepared meal with family and friends. If you have notions of shaking things up a bit and making something a little different than the traditional holiday menu, try this recipe for Asparagus and Shrimp Risotto. It's full of wonderful springtime flavours and is guaranteed to become a new family favourite. 

Giuliano Hazan preparing the asparagus 

Giuliano Hazan introduced me to this dish when I was in Florida earlier this year. It looks spectacular and is absolutely delicious. The recipe takes full advantage of the great abundance of fresh asparagus around at the moment and makes a lovely light starter for an Easter lunch or dinner. Guiliano first cooks the asparagus in water until tender, which he does using the "Wiggle Test". He takes a spear out of the boiling water and if it wiggles, it's done! 

He also saves the asparagus water, rather than throwing it away, to augment the broth he uses for the risotto, which adds great depth of flavour and a fabulous light green hue to the final dish. Fresh shrimp are added to the risotto at the last minute to ensure they're cooked to perfection. Guiliano and his wife Lael served the Asparagus and Shrimp Risotto on their gorgeous Italian ceramicware from Faenza in Emilia Romagna, making the dish a feast for the eyes as well as the tummy.

The asparagus and rice are warmed through first, then the broth is added gradually

Risotto with Shrimp and Asparagus
serves 4 to 6 people 

Recipe courtesy of Giuliano Hazan

1/2 pound asparagus, bottoms trimmed and peeled
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and cut into half inch pieces
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 1/3 cups risotto rice, such as Arborio or Carnaroli
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Choose a skillet that will accommodate the asparagus, fill it with water and place over high heat. When the water comes to a boil add a generous amount of salt and the asparagus. When the asparagus are tender, lift them out of the skillet. Pour the asparagus water into a sauce pot and place over low heat and maintain it at a gentle simmer.

Put the chopped onions and the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Sauté until the onions have turned to a rich golden color.

Cut the asparagus into pieces no more than one inch long and add to the onions in the pot. Raise the heat to medium high and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add the rice and stir until it is well coated. Add a couple of ladlefuls of the simmering asparagus water and stir. Continue stirring and adding asparagus water to the rice as the liquid evaporates. The rice is almost done (tender but still firm) add the shrimp, which will only take about 2 minutes to cook. If you use up all the asparagus water before the rice is done continue with heated plain water.

When the rice is done there should be enough liquid left to give it a "wavy" consistency. Add some freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt (usually the salt in the asparagus water will have been sufficient). Serve at once.

Prosciutto and melon make an ideal appetizer 

Mary MacLeod's Famous Shortbread

My version of homemade Mary MacLeod shortbread

I've been a Mary McLeod Shortbread fan ever since she opened her first tiny shop at Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto over 30 years ago. Her story is one of inspiration, imagination and pure Scottish determination. Newly divorced, a trained nutritionist and looking to get her children through university, she needed to make a living and decided to do what she did best — bake. 

Mary MacLeod hard at work making shortbread

Her specialty then and now is her fabulous shortbread, made using a recipe her grandmother taught her when she was just a wee girl in Scotland. Her shortbreads are all handmade with natural ingredients, rich with butter and perfectly textured. 30 years after she opened her store, Mary McLeod is still going strong, and continues to develop new recipes well into her 70's. My favourite recipe has always been her Chocolate Crunch Shortbread — it just seems to melt in your mouth.

Mary MacLeod Shortbread's Queen Street location

Mary MacLeod's shortbread is sold at her new location on Queen Street East as well as Holt Renfrew and Summerhill Market, but at $12.75 for 6 cookies, they're not an inexpensive confection. However, I did discover Mary's shortbread recipe online last year, and made Mary MacLeod-style shortbread for all of my nearest and dearest this past Christmas — and it tasted exactly like the original, at a quarter of the price but made with love! 

Simple ingredients and simply delicious

Mary MacLeod's Shortbread

Makes 16-20 

8 oz of butter
3 oz of icing sugar
1 oz of white fruit sugar
2 oz of Durum wheat flour
12 oz of Cake or Pastry Flour
1 bar of Lindt extra creamy milk chocolate

Weigh out all your ingredients into different bowls, with the butter in the main mixing bowl. Using a small hand mixer, cream the butter, icing sugar, sugar, and durum wheat flour until a pale white colour. When you think it's combined, take a pinch of it in between your finger and thumb to see if the sugar and durum wheat have broken down into the butter. Clean off the mixer beaters.

Working with your hands, gradually add the flour into the mixture. Stop adding flour if you have a soft, pliable dough. If you don't use all the flour that is ok. You will know when it is done when the dough does not stick to your hands.

Take the shortbread out of the bowl and place onto a wooden board. Knead it for a few minutes until workable and pliable. Form the dough into little balls and then press them into patties, and place on a parchment lined cookie tray. Using a small upturned glass, indent the tops of the shortbread creating small inset circles, then finish with a square of chocolate pressed into the centre.

Bake at 250°F for 30 minutes and then rotate the pan. Bake for another 30 minutes until golden brown. Using a spatula, remove the shortbread and let them cool on a rack. Once cooled, dust the tops with icing sugar for the full Mary MacLeod 'look'. Store in an airtight tin or wrap them up in clear cellophane as gifts for friends.

639 Queen Street East, Toronto

www.marymacleod.ca

Grilled Lamb Chermoula

Grilled Lamb Chermoula is one of my favourite recipes. Fabulously fragrant and wonderfully aromatic, it's best grilled on the barbeque, making it a perfect dish for the summer months. 'Chermoula' is a classic marinade used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking, and is made using a robust mixture of aromatic spices such as cinnamon, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, paprika and cayenne. The spices are then tossed with a well-trimmed rack of lamb that has been cut into single or double chops, and mixed together with a handful of garlic, some olive oil and a handful of fresh cilantro. It's that easy.

For the best results, the lamb should marinate for a couple of hours, or even overnight before cooking, to let the lamb become infused with the aromatic marinade. This recipe works really well with chicken and pork, and can also be used with fish, seafood and root vegetables. But it's with lamb that the Chermoula spices truly shine. Vibrant and full of flavour, this recipe is excellent served with a big bowl of tzatziki, which isn't very Moroccan, but it is delicious!


Lamb Chermoula
Serves 4-6


1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
6 whole cloves
2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
salt and pepper
2 8-rib racks of lamb
4 cups chopped cilantro


Using a heavy knife, cut both racks of lamb into single or double chops, as desired, and set aside. Break the cinnamon into small pieces and place in a food processor with the coriander seeds, cumin, cloves, paprika and cayenne and grind 2-3 minutes. In a large bowl, stir together the chopped garlic and olive oil, then add the lamb and toss to coat. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add the spice mixture. Toss it all together to ensure the lamb is thoroughly coated with all the spices. Then add the cilantro, and give it all a final toss to coat. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill at least 2 hours or even overnight — I even marinate it all in a big plastic baggie which makes storing it in the fridge very easy and saves on clean up! When ready, place the lamb on a hot barbecue and cook until the chops are grilled evenly on both sides. Serve on a big platter with a bowl of tzatziki on the side.

Asparagus: A Taste of Springtime

Asparagus is the very essence of Springtime — the first crop of the season to emerge from the soil after a long cold winter. Found in markets everywhere at the moment, they're cheap and plentiful. Grilled on the BBQ, pureed as a soup, baked in a tart, or added to risotto, there are so many ways to cook asparagus, it's a great time of the year to make the most of the deliciously sweet and tender spears and get cooking. Whenever you buy asparagus, look for smooth, glossy-skinned spears with tight heads, and freshly cut ends. When you get your precious spears home, stand them upright in a dish filled with about 2-inches of water, like you would with a small bunch of flowers. 


There are a number of ways to prepare Asparagus, but make sure you take off the bottom of the stalk, which can be hard and woody. A neat trick is to snap off the end of one spear, and where it breaks, will delineate the tender top from the hard bottom. Then you can line up the rest of the bunch and cut off the bottoms in line with the one that snapped naturally, then all of the asparagus will have nice neat ends. And if they're thick, peel them — you'll have lovely tender asparagus every time. 

Asparagus Soup with Croutons and Chives
Serves 6

2 bunches asparagus (about 2 pounds)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium/large leeks
2 cups of heavy cream
2 cups water
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 tsp finely chopped chives (or more, they really boost the soup)
Croutons (see recipe below)

Trim the tough bottom parts off of the asparagus and cut the remainder of the spears into 1-inch pieces.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and starting to brown, about 5-10 minutes.

Add the cream, 2 cups of water, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Increase heat and bring liquid to boil. Add the asparagus, lower to a simmer, and cook until the asparagus is tender but still quite green. Then add the lemon juice and puree the soup in a blender or food processer

Season to taste, and garnish the soup with the croutons and chives.

Croutons
Makes 1 cup

3 thick slices of leftover baguette
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp herbes de provence
2 pinches sea salt

Cut the bread into generous 1/2" cubes — about 1 cup. Heat olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the bread cubes, season with herbes de provence salt, and toss to coat the flavored oil. Using a spatula, tossing occasionally until they're golden brown and crunchy, about 10-15 minutes. These are excellent on salads too!

Asparagus, Mushroom & Swiss Cheese Tart
Serves 6-8

Crust:
2 cups flour
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp light olive oil
6 tbsp cold water
egg wash

Pulse the flour, butter, oil and salt in a processor until crumbly. Add the water and pulse a few times until it comes together. Carefully upturn the dough out onto a board and push it together gently, then roll into the shape of your pan. My tart pan has a removable bottom for easy serving. Brush egg wash on the edges and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Let cool off a bit while you make the filling.

Filling:
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 chopped onion
10 oz package sliced Cremini or button mushrooms
1 clove chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped basil
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 bunch very thin asparagus

Mix eggs, milk and parmesan together in a bowl and set aside. In a pan, saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms until soft. Add the basil or any other herbs and remove from heat.

Put mushroom mixture onto crust. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with grated cheese. Pour egg mixture over that. Arrange the asparagus in a starburst pattern, with the heads pointing outwards. You may have to trim the asparagus to fit your pan. Bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Roasted Asparagus
Serves 8

2 lb fresh asparagus
2 tbsp good olive oil
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 400°F. Break off the tough ends of the asparagus and, if they're thick, peel them. Place the asparagus on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for 25 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Squeeze a little lemon juice overtop and serve with a lashing of grated pecorino or parmesan to make the dish even more yummy.

The Norma Ridley Members Lounge at the AGO

I was recently invited to the Norma Ridley Members’ Lounge at the Art Gallery of Ontario, for a light lunch and to see the AGO's current exhibition entitled Black Ice, a retrospective of David Blackwood, a Newfoundland native and one of Canada's leading printmakers. Drawing on childhood memories, dreams, legends and oral histories from the Wesleyville community on Bonavista Bay where he was born and raised, Blackwood explores the struggle for survival between humans and nature in one of the most exposed and hostile environments on earth – Newfoundland. 

Blackwood's images depict Newfoundland as a place of struggle, danger and tragedy, and the hardships of the cod fishery and the seal hunt in the land of his ancestors. They tell stories of a barren land, a hostile climate and a threatening sea. Life is fragile, and death by drowning or exposure ever-present. The works are predominantly mono-chromatic, large in scale, stark and visually powerful, playing on Blackwood's eloquent powers of story telling.

The centrepiece of the exhibit is Blackwood's 'Fire Down on the Labrador'

After exploring the Blackwood exhibit, we popped into The Norma Ridley Lounge, available to Art Gallery of Ontario members, and offering a relaxing haven to have a warm sandwich, homemade soup or glass of wine. Open for lunch Tuesday to Sunday, the lounge offers a small but tasty menu. We ordered their Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese and Tomato Mini Quiche, a light savoury pastry filled with fresh cherry tomatoes, caramelized onion and goat’s cheese, made with fresh cream and eggs, and baked until golden brown. The pastry was thin and delicate, and the flavourful goat cheese custard with sweet caramelized onions melted in every bite. We followed with their homemade Carrot Ginger Soup, a smooth and velvety puree of carrots and minced ginger with a subtle hint of curry and light cream, which was lovely, light and delicious. The Norma Ridley Lounge offers patrons a quiet oasis to relax and recharge, before venturing back into the Gallery to explore some more of the many collections and new works on exhibit year-round at the AGO.

The Norma Ridley Carrot Ginger Soup

Caramelized Onion, Tomato and Goat Cheese Mini Quiche

Makes 8 mini quiche

1 recipe shortcrust pastry, store-bought or homemade 

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large red onions (about 1-pound)

16 cherry tomatoes

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

Pinch nutmeg

6 ounces soft goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line 8 mini tart tins with pastry that has been chilled for half an hour. Line the base of the pastry with parchment and top with rice or dried beans, at least two thirds of the way full. Bake the tart crusts for 10 minutes at 350°F, then remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven for another five minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

Remove the parchment and discard the beans or rice. Using a fork, poke a few holes in the bottom of each of the tart crusts to release air. Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making filling.

Slice the onion thinly. Heat the olive oil in a small pan and gently fry the sliced onions for 5–10 minutes, until soft and beginning to caramelize. Stir occasionally, and cover with a lid in between. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and cream, and season with a little salt and pepper. Spread the onions evenly in the bottom of the pre-baked pastry cases. Dot with goat’s cheese and arrange the cherry tomato halves, cut-side up, over the base also. Then pour in the egg mixture.

Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the custard is just set and lightly golden. Break off any excess pastry if you want to, to neaten the top, and remove the tart rings. Serve warm or cold with a mixed salad.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Serves 6

1 medium onion, diced

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp of minced fresh ginger

1 tsp curry powder

2-3 cloves finely minced garlic

1½ cups chopped carrots

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

¼ cup orange juice

salt and pepper to taste

½ cup light cream or whole milk (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium heat in the bottom of stockpot. Add onions and cook until soft, but do not brown. Add ginger, garlic and curry powder, and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

Add carrots, broth, and orange juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until carrots are exceedingly tender, about 20-30 minutes. In batches, puree soup in blender, or if you have an immersion blender, you can blend it in the pot.

Thin with additional broth as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with some cream and chopped chives if you wish.

Amaya: The Indian Room on Bayview

One of my favourite Indian restaurants in Toronto is Amaya: The Indian Room, serving sophisticated and innovative Indian cuisine that is wonderfully flavourful, deliciously fragrant and consistently excellent. Amaya's dishes focus on both north and south Indian cuisine, with tandoori flavours from the north and seafood specialties from Goa. The dishes come beautifully plated and served in handsome hammered copper bowls, creating an environment that is as beautiful, as it is welcoming. 

Amaya's elegantly modern interior

Modern paintings and photographs of the Indian countryside line Amaya’s red-and-cream-colored walls and maple paneling, while large round woven lanterns adorn its ceilings. Amaya has an inviting and relaxed atmosphere with servers elegantly attired in traditional Indian Nehru jackets in addition to being charming and well informed about Amaya's menu and the kitchen's ability to adjust dishes according to customer's wishes.

Himalayan Basmati Rice in Amaya's attractive hammered copper vessels

Everything at Amaya is absolutely delicious — the menu and divided up into starters, vegetarian dishes, seafood & fish, poultry, meat, rice and naan. The best place to start is with one of their signature dishes, Amaya Prawns which are sautéed with sweet peppers and onions in a green mango curry, and a plate of their yukon gold potatoes and green peas filled Samosas with cumin, coriander and turmeric — light, flakey and delicious, they are quite addictive. 

Amaya Prawns — a culinary masterpiece and my personal favourite

The Chard Pakora Fritters are also excellent, made with gram flour, green chilies, coriander, turmeric and caraway seeds, and two sauces: a coriander mint chutney and a spicy tamarind sauce, which add a nice kick to the pakoras.

Amaya Chard Pakoras

It's best to go to Amaya with another couple, as we did this evening, so you can take full advantage of Amaya's outstanding menu, including their succulent Butter Chicken in a richly flavoured and layered tomato cream sauce; classic Lamb Shank Xacutti, served in a richly flavoured coriander, coconut, clove and cardomom sauce; emerald green Saag Paneer accented with nutmeg, ground coriander, ginger and garlic;  and of course Dal Makhani, Amaya's 12-hour cooked black lentil stew prepared in a rich tomato and butter sauce. A couple of orders of hot, pillowy naan and cardamom-bejewelled Himayan basmati rice are the perfect counterpoint for any Indian meal, and at Amaya, it's a feast fit for a Maharaja. 

Amaya's Saag Paneer garnished with red pepper and shaved ginger

An empire in the making, Amaya has several locations across Toronto from Amaya Express (the home delivery arm of Amaya), Amaya Bread Bar, Amaya: The Indian Room and two new food court locations, plus their new line of prepared sauces available at Pustater's, McKewans, Longo's and Metro. Amaya also offers private catering for corporate events, weddings, cocktail receptions and private dinner parties, providing service staff, bartenders and on site chefs!

Amaya's new line of prepared sauces

Amaya Butter Chicken
Serves 4

3 8oz chicken breasts boneless, skin removed, diced in small pieces
1 12.6 oz bottle Amaya Butter Chicken Sauce

1/4 cup) unsalted butter
5 tbsp single cream
½ cup water or chicken stock
¼ tsp dried fenugreek leaves

For the marinade:
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 cup plain full fat yogurt
¼ tsp Garam Masala

Make small cuts all over the chicken pieces with a sharp knife to help marinade penetrate. To marinate the chicken, mix it with the ginger-garlic paste, oil, salt, lemon juice and chilli powder and leave for 10 minutes. Then mix it the yogurt and garam masala together and apply to chicken. Set aside for another 10 minutes. Place  them on a baking tray.

Preheat oven 425°F, and cook the chicken for 15-18 minutes. You may need to turn the pieces after 10 minutes or so to ensure they colour evenly on both sides. The chicken should be cooked through. Strain off the juices through a fine sieve and set the chicken aside.

Meanwhile, heat the Amaya Butter chicken sauce and water in a pan and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add chicken, cream and butter and simmer for 8 minutes, until the sauce is beginning to acquire a glaze.

Serve with naan bread or pilaf basmati.

1701 Bayview Avenue, Toronto

416.322.3270

www.amayarestaurant.com