In the world of food pairings, cheese with chocolate probably isn’t the first one that comes to mind. These fancy-looking lollipops have maximum wow factor for very little effort. One of the cornerstones of this recipe is the best-available ingredients to ensure the tastiest results. Try these lollipops as a fun hors d’oeuvre with a glass of full-bodied red wine or as a dessert.
If you’re a fan of spice, try jazzing up Parmesan Chocolate Lollipops by omitting the black pepper and substituting a pinch of your favourite smoked paprika or spicy chili pepper powder for a sweet, spicy, and salty bite.
Per serving:
With oven rack in middle position, preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
Place 6 medium-length wooden skewers on baking trays, leaving at least 4 in (10 cm) between each. Place 1 Tbsp (15 mL) grated cheese at alternating ends of each skewer. With your fingers gently spread cheese into 3 in (7.5 cm) circle, ensuring that part of the circle lays over the skewer. Season lightly with black pepper.
One tray at a time, bake Parmesan circles until cheese has melted, spreads slightly, and is lightly golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. It’s important to keep an eye on the lollipops as they cook. If undercooked, they won’t be crisp; if overcooked, they’ll taste bitter. Let Parmesan lollipops cool on baking tray. Repeat baking process with remaining tray.
While Parmesan lollipops cool, in heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate while stirring constantly with rubber spatula. Make sure water in saucepan does not touch bottom of bowl or you run the risk of burning the chocolate. Once chocolate has melted, remove from saucepan and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Lightly drizzle chocolate over cheese lollipops on baking trays and transfer trays to refrigerator, allowing chocolate to set for 10 minutes.
To serve, gently remove lollipops from baking trays and enjoy. If not ready to enjoy right away, they will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.