Condiments & Accompaniments

Bacon Cheese Potato Cups

Do you have a repertoire of appetizers that you make for every small plates occasion or one that friends and family ask you to make for SuperBowl parties and TGIF events? This recipe for Bacon Cheese Potato Cups is one of those appetizers that seems to fit that bill, suits every occasion and is just darned delicious. This particular appetizer was probably the hands-down favourite in my Appetizer classes.

The appetizer class is a hands-on lively three-hour jam-packed course where we make an entire sample menu of appetizers. Typically, we then debrief with a glass of wine and enjoy the feast together at the end of the class. These Bacon Cheese Potato Cup appetizers never, ever made it to the table at the end of the class. We hovered over the baking sheet as they came out of the oven and demolished them in seconds. Luckily, I took a photo or two before they disappeared.

Bacon Cheese Potato Cups are super easy to make and do not require any obscure ingredients. The trick is finding the perfect size potato – these potatoes fit in the palm of my hand, so small but not as small as nugget size. The reason is you will be working with half of a potato for each potato cup with the intention of a two or three bite appetizer.

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Versatile Dried Apricot Paste

By Denise Pare-Watson

Versatile Dried Apricot Paste: If you have followed my blog for a while, you know that enjoy making UrbnSpice confitures, chutneys and compotes and that this is a fun part of what I create in the UrbnSpice kitchen. Every once in a while, when inspired by an idea for a condiment to accompany a particular cheese, main dish or dessert, working with seasonal ingredients is rather challenging.

So, what do you do when that idea Will.Not.Leave.Your.Head? You come up with an alternative – in this case, dried apricots. Dried apricots are one of those lovely pantry products that I think are sadly undervalued. Did you know that dried apricots provide substantial health benefits? They are excellent sources of soluble fibre, potassium (helps maintain healthy blood pressure, and balance of cellular water levels) and antioxidant carotenoids (Vitamin A, which functions as an antioxidant and helps with cell growth, immune system, and eye health), as well as providing a source of iron.

In my pretty UrbnSpice Confetti Pepper Jelly, I use dried apricots as a base, which in turn helps to keep the medley of colourful peppers beautifully suspended in the jelly.

Confetti Pepper Jelly: a medley of sweet bell and jalapeno peppers is suspended in a dried apricot base

I also use dried apricots in many savoury dishes, such as stuffing, cauliflower rice tabbouleh, chicken tagine, rice pilaf, or as a baking ingredient.

In the kitchen, I use the prepared Dried Apricot Paste as a compote with pork dishes, as a glaze for ham, or as a filling for cakes, pastries and cookies, and even on my cheese platter to serve with Brie or Cream Cheese. On charcuterie platters, I often serve the apricot paste with rillettes de porc or country paté. The balance of tangy apricot with creamy cheeses and rich meat is absolutely epic.

On bistro menus, I have noticed apricot paste accompanying foie gras on a small plate or appetizer offering. I have always wanted to duplicate that dish as a starter. I even imagine how I would serve it – a luscious little slice of freshly seared foie gras with a gorgeous spoon of dried apricot paste beside it, together with crunchy crostini and a glass of crisp Sauternes or Pinot Gris. I must try that soon.

CHEF TALK: The recipe for my Versatile Dried Apricot Paste is very versatile. It is easy to make and it stores very well in the refrigerator in a sealed container for several weeks. This recipe makes about 1 litre of apricot paste. Typically, I double the recipe to preserve it for pantry storage (I ladle the paste into small jars and process them in a water bath) so that I can use the paste all year around.

Versatile Dried Apricot Paste

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups dried apricots, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup white wine or apple juice
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar or maple syrup
pinch of fine salt
Zest of 1/2 of a lemon
1 – 2 Tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Brandy

METHOD:

In a heavy saucepan, bring the apricots, wine, water, sugar, salt, zest to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Lower the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the liquid reduces and starts to looks more like syrup. The apricots will start to break down and become soft. This will take about 20 minutes. Add more water, if necessary.
Remove from the heat and add the brandy. Cool slightly.
With an immersion blender (or a food processor), puree the fruit mixture until it is very smooth. Add more water if necessary to achieve a nice paste.
At this point, you have two choices. Either ladle the mixture into small sterilized jars and process for longer storage, or place into containers with a sealed lid and store in the refrigerator for several weeks or freeze the containers for up to three months.
Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Try your hand at making this very easy Dried Apricot Paste – you will find a multitude of uses for it. My granddaughter and I spread the very same paste as a filling in between baked cookie-like disks of Vinarterta layers (you can find the recipe for this lovely vintage cake recipe here). If you make this recipe for Versatile Dried Apricot Paste, please leave a comment – I want to hear how you used it.

Other Urb’n’Spice Recipes you might enjoy:

UrbnSpice Confitures, Compotes and Jellies

How to Pair Cheese and Charcuterie with UrbnSpice Confitures

The Story behind UrbnSpice Confitures

Urb’n’Spice Books:

Urb’n’Spice Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

By Denise Pare-Watson

This recipe was made for Easter breakfast when my two daughters were very young, and it has been a favourite ever since. I am unsure of the origin of the recipe – it has been adapted several times over the years. Try this recipe for Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins – they are ‘yummy in my tummy’ as my daughters often said.

Apple Streusel Muffins with Creamy Cinnamon Spread

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Parmesan Pita Crisps

By Denise Pare-Watson

Have you heard of Parmesan Pita Crisps? They are addictive. You cannot buy anything that tastes like them. They are better than chips. They are so good you will want to devour the entire bowlful. You will want more than you have made.

Every. Single. Time.

They are so good that family members ask for them in their annual Christmas baskets – truly! So that means, I have made enormous amounts of pita crisps. I would say that they keep well, however, I cannot say that these crispy bits of goodness have lasted long enough to test that theory. As a matter of fact, I had to make more just so that I could take a photograph for this post – really.

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Urbnspice Confitures, Compotes and Jellies

By Denise Pare-Watson

Let me tell you a little about the UrbnSpice kitchen. There is often a gently simmering bone broth, a recipe or two in development stages, a course outline on the writing desk, cookies baking in the oven or jar labels being printed off for Urbnspice Confitures, Compotes and Jellies. It is a busy place where my background as a chef, pastry chef, administrative and office technology is extremely useful in putting together high-quality products and training.

I have been making confitures (jams), jellies and preserves since I was a little girl helping my Mom preserve food from our market garden. There was something inherently satisfying looking at shelf upon shelf of multicoloured jars brimming with preserved fruit and vegetables, jams, jellies and sauces. I will always fondly remember the spicy fragrances of chilli sauce and apple butter simmering away on the stove.
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Caramelized Onion Dip

By Denise Pare-Watson

Do you remember the post about How to Caramelize Onions? It is an important technique to learn in the kitchen. Let’s use your new skill to make this recipe for Caramelized Onion Dip. Preparation time to make this Dip is about one minute. Get the chips ready and dig in!

Caramelized Onion Dip

I use huge quantities of caramelized onion in my kitchen. I make pans and pans of caramelized onion for the most popular of the UrbnSpice savoury Confitures – Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Confiture. When you consider that the yield achieved from 100% raw onion to caramelized onion is approximately 20%, it takes a great deal of sliced onion to make just one small batch of this confiture. But, again, so worth the effort.

Caramelization of Onions | urbnspice.com

Caramelization of the Onions is almost complete – Time to Make Caramelized Onion Dip

CHEF TALK: Once you know how to caramelize onions, there are hundreds of ways of using them. One of the best is a recipe for Caramelized Onion Dip. Once you make this delicious dip, you will never buy the store-bought version again.

Caramelized Onion Dip Ingredients

CARAMELIZED ONION DIP

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of prepared caramelized onion (See How To here)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste

METHOD:

Mix all of the above ingredients together.
Season to taste.
Enjoy with crudités, crostini, of course, chips. (or use it on the Wats-On Sandwich)

“I like salty, creamy foods. I could sit down with a bag of chips and French onion dip and go to town!

That would be on my last-supper list.”

Christina Hendricks

You Might Also Enjoy Reading About:

How To Caramelize Onions – Step by Step

Rock Star Veggie Burgers

Tweaking – A Study in Flavour Amendment

As always, if you give this recipe for Caramelized Onion Dip a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

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Grilled Chicken Breast with Roasted Strawberry Salsa

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Confident Kitchen Series

In a recent article called Tweaking: A Study in Flavour Amendment, I describe how to make each dish that you make flavourful and perfectly seasoned. I included the following recipe in that particular article, however, I am reposting separately to make sure that you can access the recipe for Grilled Chicken Breast with Roasted Strawberry Salsa easily and practice your new ‘tweak-ability’.

In summary, it is now your turn to try some of the flavour boosting tweaking ideas from the article mentioned above. Don’t forget to taste, taste, and then, taste again; even if it means that you have to buy a few extra teaspoons. It will help you build your ‘tweaking’ capabilities and in turn, build confidence in the kitchen.

Roasted Strawberry Salsa on Grilled Chicken Breast

This tweaking process is often ignored until the dish is finished and on the table. In professional kitchens, the tasting ritual is encouraged by having containers of fresh spoons available for the cooks and executive chef for continual tastings while food is being prepared. It is an important element in cooking and one that is stressed in good kitchens.

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TWEAKING; A STUDY IN FLAVOUR AMENDMENT

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Confident Kitchen Series

Are you familiar with the word tweaking? The term “tweaking” is sometimes used in technological communication, but chefs have used the expression as part of their kitchen terminology for years to describe the path they take to perfect flavours. This is called a Tweaking: A Study in Flavour Amendment.

Roasted Strawberry Salsa on Grilled Chicken Breast

During a recent cooking class, one of the students asked the question, “What do I do to flavour my food if it needs a little ‘something-something’? I don’t know where to start to fix it and what would I use to fix it?” The other students joined the conversation by asking, “what do I do if my dish is too salty, too sweet, or ends up being too bland?”

The focus of this article is to address these questions in a number of practical ways; for example, the proper use of seasonings such as salt and pepper and more sophisticated ones such as smoked paprika or reductions. I will discuss how to “tweak” a dish until it is pleasing to your taste.

The three most important steps in developing flavours are:

“taste,
taste and then,
taste again”.

This process is often ignored until the dish is finished and on the table. In professional kitchens, the tasting ritual is encouraged by having containers of fresh spoons available for the cooks and executive chef for continual tastings while food is being prepared. It is an important element in cooking and one that is stressed in good kitchens.

My husband is the tweaker in our family. He has the refined palate of a ‘saucier’ – one of the most important and coveted roles in a professional kitchen. When tasting, they can readily identify what the dish needs in order to balance the flavours. They understand what sour, sweet, or acidic addition would correct, enhance or brighten the flavour of a dish. If the balances of sour, sweet and acid in the dish are not in harmony, it is difficult to bring the flavours of the dish together….

Tomato Herb Salsa

By Denise Pare-Watson

This is one of the most versatile salsas that I have ever made. This Tomato Herb Salsa has graced our table through many types of events, from Happy Hour to Block Parties to many summertime meals and Back Yard BBQs.

Fresh Tomato Herb Salsa

I have served this Tomato Herb Salsa for appetizer parties to accompany pita crisps (do you know about pita crisps?); for flatbreads; for bruschetta; for quesadillas; for pizzas; to top hubby’s famous hamburgers; and most recently, to garnish the top of Home Welcoming Hearty Black Bean Soup. It will be a welcome addition to your appetizer repertoire. Pour a glass of wine for your guests while you prepare this quick and easy salsa. Grab a bag of sturdy chips and enjoy this fresh salsa.

Hearty Black Bean Soup with Fresh Tomato Herb Salsa

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The story behind my UrbnSpice Jar Collars

By Denise Pare-Watson

UrbnSpice Jar Collars: I have been creating UrbnSpice confitures, chutneys, compotes and specialty jellies for many years now and these little gems have gone through quite a transformation from a simple labelled jars at the local Farmer’s Markets to uniquely collared stacking jars (the collars become tent cards to display the product on your cheese platter or charcuterie board). So here is the story behind my Urb’n’Spice Jar Collars.

My speciality confitures, chutneys, jellies and compotes are lovingly created in small batches, using the highest quality ingredients, as natural as possible, with no preservatives. All of my products are gluten-free.

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