Flatbread with Caramelized Onions and Brie

I made this caramelized onion and brie flatbread as part of mother's day dinner (which was actually brunch food, because brunch food is the best). My mom made some comment about how she usually doesn't like caramelized onions, or maybe it was regular onions, but she really liked this. Who doesn't like caramelized onions?! Crazy. I think we all really enjoyed this flatbread though. It was my first time using frozen puff pastry (and in my last post I admitted to using store bought lemon curd - what's happening to me?!) I expected the puff pastry to be more crisp (as the recipe states it would be) but it was actually quite soft and floppy - which makes sense because croissants are basically puff pastry, right? Which I actually still have (homemade!) some of in my freezer from when I made croissants about a year ago, and I should probably throw out.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cheddar & Dill Beer Bread Rolls
Croissant Pockets with Apricots and Brie
Mushroom Crescents
Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins

Flatbread with Caramelized Onions and Brie
Adapted from The Rest of the Best and More (From the Best of Bridge Series, Vol. 2

4 small (or 3 large) onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
14 oz (397 g) package frozen puff pastry
6 oz (170 g) brie (rind removed), diced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large deep frying pan on medium-high, add onions; cook until wilted and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook for 15-25 minutes, until onions are caramelized and golden. Cool.

Puff pastry package has 2 pouches. Pinch both together and roll out to a 12"x16" (30cmx40cm) rectangle. Place pastry on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat. Spread onions over pastry. Dot with cheese. Sprinkle with parsley and refrigerate if not baking immediately.

Bake in preheated 400F oven for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and pastry is crisp. Cool for 5 minutes. Cut into 20 squares.

Swiss Rarebit

I have discovered a new cookbook love, The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest. I now see that my life was incomplete without it! I took it out of the library, after reading Ricki talk about it and I was hooked and had to buy it. Vegetable-flecked bread? Curried sweet potato pie with coconut crust? Savory apple casserole? I could go on and on. I think I'm seriously going to make every single recipe in this cookbook. I own a lot of vegetarian cookbooks, and it is so incredibly rare that you come across a gem like this. Every recipe sounds so good, uses ingredients that aren't hard to get, and there's so much variety. This cookbook was originally published in 1982 and I guess I'm surprised at how innovative and interesting the recipes are. I think I assume that after all these years people would've come up with more interesting stuff, but that's definitely not true. This book is where it's at. I just can't believe I've gone this long without having it! I'm sure many of you already have it but for me it's an exciting new discovery (as I'm sure you can tell). I've already made 4 or 5 things from it and this is just the beginning. I don't think it can replace Rebar as my favourite vegetarian (and all around cookbook) but it might come out as a tie.

Today I'm sharing with you this delicious Swiss rarebit, which wasn't the first thing I made from this cookbook but seemed like a good thing to share right now while we're all looking for warm comforting meals. I've always wanted to make rarebit and now I want to try out other versions like with mustard and beer. This rarebit is made with Swiss cheese, mushrooms, white wine, tarragon and green onions - a wonderful combination. It makes enough to top 4 thick slices of pumpernickel (which I made using a recipe from this cookbook and it was awesome - to be posted soon), and we made the mistake of each eating two for our meal. It was super tasty and basically like a cheese/wine/mushroom fondue on toast (who can say no to that), but if you eat two slices like we did, you will feel really gross afterwards. Next time I'll just eat one piece with a big salad.

Wow I'm feeling quite verbose tonight. You'd think I'd be inspired to finish my essay right now when I'm in a mood like this, but no.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Feta and Ricotta Cheese Pie
Cauliflower Gratin
Cheddar Ale Dip

Swiss Rarebit
Adapted from The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest

The only thing I changed was to use half the amount of oil (and using oil not butter).

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp unbleached white flour
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
5 medium sized green onions, minced
up to 1 cup grated Swiss cheese (1/4 lb)
thick slices of toasted pumpernickel
freshly grated nutmeg & ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or medium-large saucepan. Add the mushrooms and salt, and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.

2. Gradually sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for about 1 minute, then stir in the wine and tarragon. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

3. Shortly before serving, stir in the green onions and cheese. Keep cooking over low heat, stirring, until the cheese is completely melted.

4. To serve, place 4 generous slices of pumpernickel toast on 4 separate plates or in shallow soup bowls. Spoon the rarebit over the top, grind on some fresh nutmeg and black pepper, and it's ready to eat.

Onion and Mushroom Frittata

There's nothing new or earth shattering about this frittata but it was good and we all need meals that are easy, filling and healthy. This was the first recipe I tried from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook, which I've owned for probably a year. When I've flipped through it before nothing has really called out to me but I thought I'd pick a few recipes and see how they were, so we'll see how that goes. If anyone has any recommendations from this cookbook let me know! You can easily use this recipe as a base to make whatever kind of frittata you want. Experiment with herbs, spices, cheese and different vegetables.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Walnut Mushroom Nut Roast
Squash & Aged White Cheddar Tart with Sage and Roasted Garlic Custard
Curried Tofu Salad
Lemon Miso Tofu

Onion and Mushroom Frittata
Adapted from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook

The recipe calls for 2 tbsp parsley but I used only a little parsley and mostly basil. I'd try less oil next time, maybe 1 tbsp. This serves 4 if you eat something else with it (like a salad or some kind of vegetable) but if you want to eat just this then I'd say it serves 2, maybe 3. Also, it says to add the salt and pepper after the mushrooms finish sauteeing but I'd save the salt and add it to the finished frittata, so you can use less and taste it more.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 pound wild, cremini or white button mushrooms, wiped, clean, stems trimmed, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large eggs
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley & basil

1. Heat the oil in a 10 inch nonstick skillet with an ovenproof handle. Swirl the oil to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the mushrooms and saute until they turn golden brown and the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add pepper (and salt if you want) to taste.

3. Preheat the broiler. Use a fork to lightly beat the eggs, cheese and parsley/basil in a medium bowl. Add the egg mixture to the pan and stir gently with a fork to incorporate into the vegetables. Cook over medium-low heat, occasionally sliding a spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen the frittata as it sets. Continue cooking until the frittata is set, except for the top, about 8 minutes.

4. Place the pan directly under the broiler and cook just until the top is golden brown and set, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let the frittata burn.

5. Invert the frittata onto a large platter. Cut it into wedges and serve. The frittata may also be cooled to room temperature and then cut and served.

Mushroom Crescents

While I really love baking, I don't often bake savoury things - and I really should more often. At least I can eat the savoury things as part of a meal, plus savoury baked goods are often delicious. Like these mushroom crescents. And delicious doesn't begin to describe them. Unshareable would be a better description (and I'm sure that isn't actually a word) as it will be hard to part with even one of these yummy little things.

The mushroom/onion/herb filling is extremely addictive. It's yummy as the filling in these little pastries, and it's yummy just eaten with a spoon. The pastry is really easy to make and easy to work with, which was great for me because usually I hate rolling out dough. And the pastry was super tasty and slightly flakey and really good. Combine the filling and the dough, incredibly yummy as I've already said.

I know I'll be making these again, and I'll be making the filling again for other purposes and trying other fillings as well. So far the ones I want to try are brie & pears, roasted garlic & feta, and caramelized onions and aged cheddar. Let me know if you have any other suggestions! Sadly I forgot to take a picture of the inside of the crescents.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Wine Sauce
Portobello Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto, Roasted Peppers and Romano Cheese
French Barley Salad
Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins

Mushroom Crescents
Adapted from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book

Makes about 40 pieces.

Filling
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped portobello mushrooms
1 1/2 cups finely chopped button mushrooms
1/3 cup white wine

Pastry
4 oz (125 g) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten

In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; fry onion, garlic, thyme, sage, pepper and salt, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add portobello and button mushrooms; fry, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Cook until liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Pastry
In large bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy. Stir in flour until dough begins to form; knead in bowl until smooth. Divide dough in half; flatten into 2 discs. Wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

On lightly floured surface, roll out each disc into 10 inch (25 cm) circle. With 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out circles, rerolling scraps. Working with 6 circles at a time, brush edges lightly with egg. Place 1 tsp (5 mL) of the filling in centre of each; fold dough over filling, pinching edges to seal. Place, 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, on baking sheet. (Can be frozen at this point.) Brush tops with remaining egg.

Bake in centre of 400F oven until light golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins

These muffins are super insanely yummy. They're very soft and moist and often I find the things I make with whole wheat flour to be drier than when I make them with all purpose but these were just perfect. Usually I make sweet muffins, I think just because that's what I'm used to but after making these I've opened up a whole new world for myself of delicious savoury muffins. My boyfriend is definitely happy about this as he would prefer most of my baked goods to be savoury instead of sweet, and actually I made this muffin with him in mind (and yes he did love them!).

There were several variations suggested in The Sweet Melissa Baking Book and I chose the caramelized onion, cheddar and sage option as you can see. I look forward to trying the other variations - goat cheese, olive and thyme; pear, blue cheese (well I'll use something else for this) and walnut; sun-dried tomatoes, feta and oregano. These are great for an anytime snack but you can also eat them with lunch or dinner. Or maybe just eat a few for lunch or dinner mmm.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Whole Wheat Cheddar Scones
Banana Crunch Muffins
Orange Berry Muffins
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins
Adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

My modifications were to use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose, 1% milk instead of whole milk (and next time I'll try using all milk instead of half heavy cream half milk), chile powder instead of cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tbsp dried sage instead of 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage. Next time I might add more cheese. Now I wish I could remember how much raw onion it took to get 1 cup of caramelized onions! I think it might have been 2 small onions or 1 large onion. But extra caramelized onions are never a bad thing!

Makes 12

3 cups (350 grams) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp chile powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp dried sage
10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup 1% milk, at room temperature
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped caramelized onions

Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with muffin papers (or butter and flour the cups or spray them with nonstick vegetable cooking spray).

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, chile powder, sugar and sage.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and eggs. Whisk in the heavy cream and milk until combined.

3. Add the cheese and caramelized onions to the flour mixture and gently toss with your fingers to coat. Make a well in the center. Pour the butter mixture into the center of the well and using a rubber spatula, gently pull the flour mixture into the center of the well until just combined.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup until full. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until lightly golden and a wooden skewer inserted into the center come sout clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Onion Chutney: The Most Delicious Condiment That You Didn't Know You Were Missing

Even though Rebar is one of my super favourite cookbooks and I've made many things from it, I'm still discovering new recipes. Recipes that I passed by before because they didn't interest me, had an ingredient I wasn't too fond of, or had esoteric ingredients. Well I'm really glad that this recipe caught my eye this time around because I am so in love with the onion chutney, which is really the star of the sandwich.

The main recipe is for a different take on a grilled cheese sandwich - with aged white cheddar, green apple, Dijon (yum), watercress (though I just used the greens I had) and onion chutney. We ate it with roasted red potatoes tossed with fresh herbs, as you can see. The grilled cheese was good, but the onion chutney was better. It's so easy to make and so so so full of flavour. It's the perfect condiment. Add it to anything! An omelette, a tofu scramble, a sandwich, a quesadilla, a spoon. Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of the onion chutney, but take my word for it - it is deliciously amazing. The flavour reminds me of this extremely unhealthy extremely tasty pan fried onion dip, but is obviously much better for you. And a side note, I honestly wonder how more people do not have the Rebar cookbook.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Mustard Wine Sauce
Pan Fried Onion Dip
Walnut and Mushroom Nut Roast
Sweet Potato Black Bean Salsa

Cheddar Chutney Grilled Cheese with Green Apple
Adapted from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

whole wheat bread
butter or margarine
aged white cheddar cheese
Dijon mustard
Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
lots and lots of onion chutney

Butter one side of each bread slice. On the unbuttered side of half of the slices, spread Dijon mustard and layer with chutney, apple slices, cheddar and greens. Top with remaining bread slices, butter side up. (It seems really ridiculous that I'm basically writing out a recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich... but since I'm at it, in order to keep the sandwich together and things from sliding out, try to disperse the cheese throughout the layers in the sandwich instead of just putting them between the apple and greens.)

Heat a pan over medium-low and cook sandwiches on both sides until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy and golden.

Onion Chutney

2 tbsp butter
2 yellow onions, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp brown sugar
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Heat butter in a pan over medium heat and add onions. Saute until translucent. Add salt, chile flakes and coriander and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook until the onions are very soft and creamy.

Soba Noodles with Zucchini Ribbons

I extremely love edamame. There was a time where I viewed them cautiously in all you can eat Japanese restaurants, but now I can sit and easily eat a bowl full, popping the beans out of their pods. And I love buying frozen shelled edamame to add to anything, including edamame hummus (which I've yet to make).

I love how this dish looks - the dark soba noodles contrasting with the green zucchini, edamame and green onion. (Soba noodles are usually made of buckwheat and can be found in Asian grocery stores.) As for the taste, it's something a bit different (in a good way) but the flavour could be punched up a bit. Make sure you have everything prepared before you start!

I'm sending this to Gay for Presto Pasta Nights.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Portabello Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto, Roasted Peppers & Romano Cheese
Balkan Roasted Vegetable Salad
Santa Fe Pasta Salad

Soba Noodles with Zucchini Ribbons
Modified from Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook

Makes 2 relatively small servings.

4 oz soba noodles
1 large zucchini
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, or to taste
3 tbsp mirin, or to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup shelled edamame
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 green onion stalks, thinly sliced for garnish

Heat a pot of water over medium heat and when it is boiling, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain.*

Use a vegetable peeler, and carefully slice the zucchini into long, thin strips. Set aside. Combine the soy sauce, mirin and cornstarch in a bowl, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the garlic for 30 seconds, and add the edamame, mushrooms, zucchini and soy mixture, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds more, or until the vegetables are heated through**. Remove from the heat.

To serve, put equal portions of the noodles in individual bowls or on plates, and spoon the vegetables and sauce over top. Garnish with scallions and serve.

*My package of soba noodles says to cook it for 6 minutes, but they're completely cooked after about 2.
**I used frozen edamame so I stir-fried for a few minutes until the edamame were hot.

Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Mustard Wine Sauce

I know I know, this doesn't look like the most exciting dish ever but it really was! Well the part that was really special was the wine mustard sauce - yum yum. I love mustard and I love wine in sauces so this was the perfect combination. I would use the sauce again and try out different vegetables.

This post is quick & brief because things have been really busy this week. We found an apartment! Hopefully. We have a week to check things out and then make our final decision. I'm impressed with myself that I had already prepared the photo and typed up the recipe for this days ago!

Other pasta dishes I've made:
Audrey's Deluxe Mac & Cheese
Santa Fe Pasta Salad
Portabello Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto, Roasted Peppers & Romano Cheese
Spinach Walnut Pesto with Smoked Tofu & Whole Wheat Rotini

Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Mustard Wine Sauce
Adapted from Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook

2 1/2 cups small dried pasta shapes
2 tsp oil
8 oz portobello mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (about 2 mushrooms)
1/2 tsp salt*
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Cook pasta according to pasta directions. Drain and set aside.

Set the wok (or frying pan) over high heat, and add 1 tsp of oil. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 tsp of salt, and stir-fry until tender, for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

Return the wok to high heat, and add the remaining 1 tsp of oil. Add the garlic and onion, and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt and crushed red pepper, and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the wok. Add to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Return the wok to high heat. Add the wine and mustard, and stir with a wire whisk to blend. Bring to a boil, add the reserved pasta and mushroom mixture and cook, stirring for 2 minutes (or everything is heated through). Toss in the pine nuts and serve.

*I always reduce the amount of salt so you may want to add more.

Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup

I'm submitting this soup to Food Blogga's Beautiful Bones event. Since May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, Susan is hosting this event to promote awareness about osteoporosis. Check out her post which mentions the risk factors and many examples of calcium rich foods. I had no idea that tomatoes and spices have calcium! Anyway, the calcium rich foods my soup has are lentils, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, and potatoes.

This soup is good, filling, healthy and I plan to make it again! The flavour combination of cumin, coriander and lentils was really good. For a while now, I've been really hooked on red split lentils (which cook really fast and are so delicious). I haven't ventured out and tried many other types of lentils though, which I should.

Other soups I've made:
Baked Bean Soup
Corn Chowder
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

1 1/2 cups dried red split lentils, rinsed
6 cups water
1 tsp oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 fresh chile, seeded and finely minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 potato, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3 cups (28 oz can) undrained canned chopped tomatoes
3/4 tsp salt

In a nonreactive soup pot, bring the lentils and water to a boil; then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the onions, garlic, and chile for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, coriander and cumin and saute for another minute, stirring to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the lentils are tender, stir the canned tomatoes into the soup pot. Add the salt and sauteed vegetables. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender. If you like, take 2 cups of the soup out and puree them, then add back to the soup.

Pan-Fried Onion Dip

Alright so I know the photo is not that great and the dip may not look that awesome but believe me when I tell you your life is not complete without it! Especially if you let the onions caramelize longer than the recipe suggests. It's extremely addictively good. While I was making this, I had deja vu. So I went to one of the Best of Bridge cookbooks and looked up the recipe for "Caramelized Onion Dip". That's odd - it's exactly the same, except the Barefoot Contessa recipe uses 2 onions (which admittedly does make it better). But I was just really surprised to see that it's literally the same, including cooking method and times.

Anyway, delicious. Make it! We ate it with baby carrots, celery, and toasted whole wheat pita cut up into little triangles. It's a heavy dip (with the mayo, cream cheese and sour cream) so I think vegetables are the perfect thing to eat it with.

Pan-Fried Onion Dip
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Yield: 2 cups

2 large yellow onions (about 3 cups)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Put the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Serve at room temperature.