A simple salad appetizer topped with slippery liver that's been sautéed lightly and finished with a little shallot-wine sauce thickened with crème fraîche. Nothing too tricky and everything is delicious…except the liver.

If I had used foie gras, the perfect substitute, I could tell you all about how foie gras is made and possibly get into trouble from activists about how geese are force fed for the last few weeks of their lives. Do the geese mind the funnel-feeding? Does the liver of ethically-raised geese who naturally gorge themselves taste better than geese that have been force fed? Unfortunately, I didn't have time to run out to buy this delicacy as I had intended to. But I do have a bit of time to think, read and ponder foie gras. Before I knew much about it, I had tasted it and found it smooth, custardy, salty, rich and good. Pan fried lightly in a touch of butter, ending with a bit of a crust and a smooth, velvety center, it was memorable. It was served as part of the main dish at a restaurant that was paying tribute to Julia Child shortly after she died. I ordered Tournedos Rossini (Filet Steaks with Foie gras, Truffles, and Madeira Sauce) found on page 299 in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I: 40th Anniversary Edition. But the fois gras is what stood tall in my memory banks. And how different is fois gras (besides cost!) from chicken liver? I wish I'd had the time to source some fois gras this week just to compare the two offals. Working through this curriculum, I've made several dishes that I wouldn't normally come home from work and choose to make. Frog legs, chicken liver, caul fat encased sausage and soon rabbit are examples. Why does the vision of Hannibal Lecter whispering in my ear linger each time I'm about to sample something unfamiliar, causing me to take a deep breath before taking a taste? Why don't I feel guilt or discomfort when I put a piece of beef tenderloin in my mouth? Is it any different? No, it's just more familiar. Recipe

Serves 6 (I halved the recipe.)

1 head escarole
1 head red leaf lettuce

For the Vinaigrette:
¼ cup sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chervil or parsley, chopped

1 pound chicken livers
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
½ cup port wine
¾ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream (or sour cream)
1 tablespoons chervil or parsley, chopped
You can find the recipe for Salade de Foies de Volailles Tiedes (Salad of Warm Sautéed Chicken Livers) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home or here. To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!

Serve with Chianti.

Tasting Notes
I did a tasting and confirmed that chicken liver is not for me. The vinaigrette was tangy and the pink color of the sauce on the liver was pretty. But next time I'll use regular chicken breast or foie gras instead.

"My idea of heaven is eating patés de foie gras to the sound of trumpets." — Sydney Smith, English writer (1771-1845)

Links
• Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations, Foie Gras Not Cruel
• Bay Area Bites: Foie Gras: Duck, duck, goose
• Salon.com: Relax, it's just foie gras
• TED Talk: Dan Barber's foie gras parable

My Bucket List

Taste fois gras from Eduardo Sousa's farm.

Next Class
• Longe de Porc aux Pruneaux (Roast Pork Loin with Prunes) and Mousseline de Céleri Rave (Creamed Celery Root Purée) pages 122-123

. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $1,341.87 + $5.04 = $1,346.91
($1.68 per serving)

Butter used so far: 12 pounds, 3.5 tablespoons

. . . . . . . . . .

::Whisk Wednesdays::
We're cooking our way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, we try to find a suitable substitution. Find out more here.

This recipe is brilliant. It combines the best of both worlds by putting chocolate chip cookie dough on top of brownie batter and baking them together. The cookie forms a crust that hides the soft, moist brownie underneath.

Recipe

Makes 24 brownies (I made 48 minis and one 8x8 pan.)

Brownie Layer:
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Cookie Layer:
1¼ cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
You can find the recipe for Chipster-Topped Brownies in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or here. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Beth of Supplicious who chose the recipe for this week.

Tasting Notes
Chocolate-y, crunchy, chewy, tender, cake-y all in one bite.

Recipe for Next Week (June 2)
Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures chose Cinnamon Squares on pages 210 and 211.

The Greek Celebration Breads are sweet breads served at holiday times such as Christmas, Easter and New Year's. This week I made the Greek Christmas Bread called Christopsomos Bread. The holiday recipes are generally made using the base "Greek Celebration Bread" and then fruit and nuts are added.

I chose to make the Christopsomos bread in part because I'm a big fan of raisin bread and hot cross buns, and also because of its curly cue appearance. Today though I was in the mood for something a little different, so I replaced the fruit with raisins and swapped walnuts out in favor of pecans. Yum!

This recipe suggests that authentic Greek spices can be used. Spices such as Mastic and Mahleb (which is extracted from Santa Lucia cherry pits) could replace all the spices found in the recipe.) Unfortunately, I couldn’t find either locally, so here is the North American version.

Recipe

Makes 1 loaf

For the Poolish:
2½ cups unbleached bread flour
1½ cups water, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon instant yeast

For the Dough:
1 cup poolish (not the entire poolish above)
3½ cups unbleached bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon minced orange zest
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup honey
¼ cup olive oil
¾ cup whole milk, lukewarm

My Christopsomos Variation:
1 cup dark raisins
½ cup chopped pecans

For the Glaze:
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
You can find the recipe for Greek Celebration Bread in the book The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. To see how the rest of the BBA (Bread Baker's Apprentice) Challenge group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! I'm not listed there since the group grew to 200 (the cutoff point) too fast. I'll join in now and then, though.

Tasting Notes
First of all the appearance of this bread is amazing with its Christmas cross in the center and then swirls reminiscent of the elaborate columns found in ancient Greek architecture decorated with sesame seeds and honey glaze. Appearance-wise alone, this bread would draw out a chorus of oohs and aahs if served at a big family brunch.

So, what about the taste? Sweet and delicious! The raisins fit very nicely with the complex combination of spices in this bread, which was very reminiscent of hot cross buns. In all, I really enjoyed this bread and can't wait to serve it next Christmas!

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Since I started using Twitter (and yes, it's a bit of an addiction), I've met some other people with the same passion for food. Although many are from other countries, I have met several Canadian foodies who twitter and have a food blog. I thought I'd share the ones I know about, and I'll continue to add to this list as I make more twitter connections. Here are my coordinates:

@Whisk_food_blog
Ottawa
Shari – Interested in food, curious about food stories, cooking, baking, photography, eating, learning, connecting.

And here's some #FollowFriday love...

@amandalaird
Toronto
Amanda - Communications Coordinator at CNW Group by day; food-lover by night. Okay, food-lover all the time. I also tweet at @CNWGroup

@AngieQuaale
Langley, BC
Angie - Angie is the owner of Well Seasoned in Langley - the teaching kitchen and store full of specialty ingredients offers culinary inpiration

@charmian_c
Ontario
Charmian Christie - I'm a food and travel writer who loves to eat and explore.

@CheapEats Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
CheapEats Ottawa - a guide to good inexpensive places to eat

@clivia_gardens
Toronto, Ontario
Clivia - Basset owner, baker

@creampuff1
Toronto
Ivonne from Cream Puffs in Venice

@dailyuncooking
Vancouver
Katerina - I like to cook, and am interested in all things food.

@DanaMcCauley
Toronto
Dana - Canada's Food Trend Expert

@DragonsKitchen
Waterloo, Ontario
Welcome to my kitchen. I hope you can stand the heat. :)

@eatingoutloud
Vancouver
dot-com veteran who loves all things web by day and all things food by night

@EdibleVancouver
Vancouver
Edible Vancouver: a print magazine about local food. Tweeting about tasty happenings, wine sips, recipes, gardening and food issues.

@Epicuriadotca
Ottawa
Take-home food store and full service catering. Weeknight dinners, cocktail parties, weddings and more.

@fdelap
Ottawa
Frédérique - 28 y. old, Ottawan, Foreign Service Officer, Lawyer, confused soul (not necessarily in that order)

@foodiePrints
Ottawa
Don - I blog about food, cooking, and eating in Canada's capital, Ottawa.

@foodtvdotca
Toronto
Official tweets from the team at Foodtv.ca about food news, recipes and more

@HighChair
Montreal
Aimee - WAHM of 2, avid foodie and former chef, I blog my culinary adventures at www.underthehighchair.com

@hoyummy
Vancouver
Gigi - Hoyummy is a very yummy Vancouver food blog.

@iancapstick
Ottawa
Ian - Media coach. Trainer. Planner. Former press secretary. Local Food devote. Writer. Dog guy. Communicator by day, cook by night.

@Imagelicious
Toronto
Julia - Imagelicious is a Toronto-based food photography studio run by Julia Konovalova specializing in food photography, still life photography and product photography.

@jlamk
Vancouver
Joyce - Local foodie in search of good food and good restaurants. Check out my food blog for my latest food adventures!

@jo_jo_ba
Ontario, Canada
Sarah from What Smells So Good?

@Kalofagas
Toronto
Peter - Greek Food & Beyond...Hi, I'm Peter, a Canadian-born Greek who runs a nifty little blog about Greek and other delicious foods.

@kickpleat
Vancouver, BC
Jeannette - i'm a web designer (matchboxcreative.com) who likes to cook, bike around the city and craft. I also have an etsy shop: thebeautifulproject.etsy.com

@kitchenmischief
Toronto, Ontario
Irene - love food, love music, love traveling

@kitchenpuppies
Ontario, Canada
Natashya - Home baker and cook, who's life has gone to the dogs.

@LaCuisineHelene
Vancouver Island, BC
Hélène - I'm a foodie. I blog about food. I also like yoga, photography, travel, camping, reading, hiking, skiing, just to name a few. I'm doing the BBA Challenge.

@LordoftheWings
Ottawa
Chicken Wings: Reviews Recipes News - looking for THE best Chicken Wings

@lovecooking
Orangeville, Ontario
Roger - I'm a German and new in Canada, learning the language, passionate about food (married with a chef), love traveling and my cat ;-)

@madcapcupcake
Marika - vegan freak with a mean sweet tooth, writer, photographer, activist, wordsmith, dreamer, crafty lady, coffee fiend, geek. have pen, will travel.

@MadsAdaptations
Vancouver
Madeleine - I'm a newly married woman, terrified of losing my ring, adjusting to my new name and I have a fierce passion for food. I'm also a wanna be gardener.

@matthewharris
Toronto
Matthew - Founder at Foodea.com. Where food lovers connect to share their passion... Interested in food, cooking, eating, filmmaking, writing, music, and graphic design.

@melobee
Vancouver

@NatalieMacLean
Ottawa
Natalie - Join my free wine e-newsletter at www.nataliemaclean.com. Lots of delicious wines and food pairings.

@nerakmugnet
Cranbrook BC
Karen -Wife to a computer nerd, mother of a future computer nerd.5 pin bowler, Scrapbooker and Lottery ticket seller.

@NiagaraWine
Niagara, Ontario
21 Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake....one unforgettable place.

@NicolinaPics
Montreal
Nicolina Servello - Love everything food related and discovering and sharing all the fabulous jems out there. {Although Nicolina doesn't have a blog, her tweets are definitely worth following!}


@OliverRanch
Toronto
Carrie - Psst. It’s not about the marbling. Like to help folks discover what artisan meat really is & connect you to the good people who raise it.Yes, I’m a Beef Geek.

@plumcakebaker
Ottawa, Ontario
Melissa from Plum Cake.

@TOfoodie
Toronto
Andrea - Restaurant reviews, food-related thoughts and musings in 140 characters or less. Also @foxymoron

@UberFoodie
Toronto
Recipe magnet, Fridge filler (have 3 teenaged fridge emptiers). YogaChick, Urban tree hugger.

@zestycook
Prince Edward Island
Cory - Whether it is about food techniques, food tips, recipes or meal suggestions in a rush - this is your one stop food shop. Everything simple and easy!

Anadama bread is a traditional New England sweet bread characterized by flour, molasses and cornmeal. It has an unusual name whose origins are explained by local folklore. The story has several variations but most of them go something like this: a fisherman, angry at his wife for serving him little more than cornmeal and molasses porridge, decides to take matters into his own hands, adds flour and yeast, then bakes it. As he eats the resulting bread, he mutters “Anna, damn her!” and the name stuck. Or at least the kinder, gentler version, Anadama, stuck! The recipe demands your attention because it requires several more steps than traditional versions that tend to be of the direct bake variety. The first two steps draw out the flavor from the corn as well as soften it to improve its digestibility. In these steps, you first create a cornmeal soaker and leave it overnight, and then you mix that into a sponge, leaving it for another hour. Next you mix the dough and allow it to rise for about 90 minutes, followed by shaping and proofing for 90 more minutes. Finally, the cooking time is around 40-50 minutes. So, in all (if we don't include the soak overnight), it takes about 5½ hours from start to finish.

Recipe
Makes 2 loaves of bread

For the Soaker:
1 cup cornmeal, preferably coarse grind (also known as polenta)
1 cup water at room temperature

For the Regular Sponge:
2 cups unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup lukewarm water

For the Final Dough:
2½ cups unbleached bread flour
1½ teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons molasses (lighter is better)
2 tablespoons shortening or unsalted butter at room temperature
You can find the recipe for Anadama Bread in the book The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. To see how the rest of the BBA (Bread Baker's Apprentice) Challenge group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! I'm not listed there since the group grew to 200 (the cutoff point) too fast. I may join in now and then, though.

Tasting Notes
I enjoyed this bread. It's tender and sweet but not overpowering. I was surprised to find that the gritty cornmeal texture wasn't apparent as I was eating it. Thinking back, softening the cornmeal was part of the purpose of the soaker and sponge stages, and it really worked. Anadama bread's somewhat dense structure pays off in the crust. The slightly chewy texture is easily the best part of a slice and lightly toasting it really brings that chewiness to the rest of the slice.

This is the first time I've made Anadama bread, and next time I try it I'd like to see how a more traditional, less involved, recipe compares. Also, I would like to try it again with a lighter molasses (as recommended by the recipe). I used a dark molasses this time and I think a lighter molasses would allow the corn flavors to be more prominent. All in all though, I highly recommend this bread.

Sabayon (or Italian zabaglione) is a pudding, or custard, served on its own, or with fruit. For this quick dessert, the fruit is macerated, the sabayon is whisked, and the two are broiled before serving.

This is the third time I've made sabayon in this curriculum. First it was a traditional fruit zabaglione. Then we made a savory sabayon to top poached oysters. Now, we're making a sabayon that's browned under the broiler before serving.

Before making the sabayon, you macerate the fruit in liqueur. Macerating is done at room temperature. (Say that five times fast!) Whereas, marinating is generally done in the refrigerator. So, the fruit is soaked in the liqueur for at least 20 minutes. Then you make the sabayon.

The key to sabayon is constant whisking over simmering water to avoid scrambling the eggs. After making the sabayon, you broil it for a few minutes until it's lightly browned.

Recipe

Serves 6

3 mangoes
6 figs (I used papaya.)
2 tablespoons maraschino liqueur (I used cherry brandy.)

For the Sabayon:
2 egg yolks
½ cup confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons maraschino liqueur (I used cherry brandy.)
You can find the recipe for Gratin de Fruits au Marasquin (Fruit Gratin with Maraschino Liqueur) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home or here. To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!

Tasting Notes
You actually don't need to spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen making this dessert. Although the sabayon requires a light touch, it is an easy recipe once you know that you're working with "diva" eggs and handle them properly. The sweet custard with the macerated fruit is delicious, and browning just adds even more flavor.

Links
• Bonbini!: Orange Sabayon
• Culinate and David Lebovitz: Zabaglione Gelato
• Dhanggit's Kitchen: Apricot Gratin in Sabayon
• :pastry studio: Oranges with Rosemary Sabayon

Next Class
• Salade de Foies de Volailles Tiedes (Salad of Warm Sautéed Chicken Livers)

. . . . . . . . . .

Running total: $1,332.38 + $9.49 = $1,341.87
($1.58 per serving)

Butter used so far: 12 pounds, 1.5 tablespoons

. . . . . . . . . .

What's better than banana bread? Fresh mango bread. I used the champagne of mangoes: Ataulfo mangoes. As well, I ground up ginger and cinnamon from Montreal's Philippe de Vienne’s line of épices de cru (small-production "estate" spices). The difference between using freshly dried ginger and cinnamon and the one that's expired on your shelf is incredible. To top it off, I used farm fresh eggs from a local farmer.

Recipe

Makes 12 servings (I halved the recipe.)

3 large eggs (I used 2 for half a recipe.)
¾ cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 cups diced mango (from 1 large peeled and pitted mango)
¾ cup moist, plum golden raisins (I used dark raisins.)
Grated zest of ½ lime (I used lemon.)
You can find the recipe for Fresh Mango Bread in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or here. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Kelly of Baking with the Boys who chose the recipe for this week.

Tasting Notes
I have flagged this recipe as a keeper. Many recipes from this cookbook have been keepers, but this one incurred a lime green stickie note to identify it as one to make again soon. In fact, it took too long to photograph and complaints were bellowed from the other room that it was getting cold and would be better enjoyed warm from the oven rather than cooling under the lens of my camera. Oh, the bane of food blogging.

Recipe for Next Week (May 26)
Beth of Supplicious selected Chipster-Topped Brownies on pages 94 and 95.