Spring has arrived in Montreal … so now mixed in with the snow we get some very cold rain. On days like these, there’s nothing quite like hot, cheesy French Onion Soup to warm you up!

I’m going to show you how to make this restaurant favourite right in your own kitchen. Get ready to be a superstar!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 large Spanish onions
• 4 oz of shredded or sliced Swiss cheese
• 4 oz of shredded Gruyère cheese
• 2 cups (one box) beef stock
• 1 slice of baguette per bowl (toasted or day old)
• oven proof bowls or crocks

In this post I’m going to prepare 2 bowls, but the soup is actually enough for 4 bowls

Melt butter in a medium sized pot on the stove

Chop and add the onions to the butter

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the onions start to get translucent

Here I added a pinch of herbs de province … just season to taste (pepper is good here)

Add the beef stock.  Now … let’s add something special I didn’t talk about at the top!

Semi Dry Sherry!

Pour in about as much as you would for a shot (1 oz). If you don’t have sherry, try some wine … white or red will give different flavour profiles … play around!

Let this soup simmer on the stove top for about an hour

Get your oven proof bowls and place them on a baking sheet

Laddle soup into each bowl

Fill to about the 2/3rd full mark

Place one slice of baguette on top of each bowl of soup (alternatively, you can place the baguette at the bottom of each bowl and pour soup over top)

Cover each bowl with shredded or sliced Swiss cheese

Sprinkle the Gruyère on top of this

Ready for the oven!

This is gonna be good!

Set the oven to broil

Broil until the cheese is bubbling and golden, just starting to brown

Carefully take those bowls out, it’s ready to eat!

So there you go, nice, warm, cheesy French Onion Soup

Bon Apetit!

Two things I think most of you want to hear about a recipe … it’s easy and it’s delicious. Well, here you go … melt in your mouth Peanut Butter Bars that require no cooking and can be made in just a few minutes!

Here’s how we do it

You’ll need:

• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup butter (melted or softened)
• 1 cup + 4 tbsp of peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

You’re not going to believe how easy this is … and just how amazing the bars are!

Add the graham cracker crumbs to a medium sized mixing bowl

Add the sugar

Mix these together

Add the butter

Mix again!

Add 1 cup of peanut butter

Mix until you have a nice, smooth batter

Pour this mixture into a 9 x 13 pan

Spread evenly to cover the entire pan

Looking like this? Great! Now, put this pan in the fridge for about an hour …

Internet magic and it’s an hour later! Your base should now be solid

Melt those chocolate chips!  I like to just use the microwave … less clean up, really easy to do as well

Add in those extra 4 tbsp of peanut butter and mix well. This step is going to keep the chocolate from becoming too hard. If you miss this step,  once cooled the chocolate layer on top will just come right off the peanut butter bottom! (This is quite tragic when you are about to eat a lovely peanut butter bar …)

Pour the chocolate over your base

Try to get it evenly spread across the entire surface.

Place it back in the fridge to cool (about half an hour to an hour)

Chocolate should be solid, but not hard

Now grab a knife and cut into squares!

Place on a plate and serve!

So there you have it … simple yet delicious Peanut Butter Bars!

Bon Apetit!

Seems one day around the turn of the century, someone in Paris looked at the simple grilled cheese sandwich and thought “I should make that way more complex!”. Thing is, it’s also way more tasty … and versatile.  If you add a fried egg on top, you have the Croque Madame (named because the egg apparently looks like a ladies’ hat). A few more tweaks, you have the classic Reuben.

Let’s see how to makes this Parisien bistro classic

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4 slices fresh bread, one that is light and airy
• 3 tbsp butter
• 4 oz shredded Gruyère cheese
• 2 slices Gruyère cheese
• 4 oz sliced ham
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp flour (all-purpose)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Our first step is creating a Béchamel sauce, as we’ve done before!

First, we melt 2 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan

Add flour to the melted butter

and the nutmeg

Stir together to create a roux

Slowly add warm milk until you have a smooth sauce.

I find a whisk is ideal for this!

Melt the remaining butter and bush it on one side of each slice of bread

Add 2 slices of bread, butter side down to a skillet over med-high heat

Get that Béchamel and spoon some on each piece of bread

Place the ham on top of the bread

now add the slices of cheese … see, this isn’t too hard!

Place the other slices, butter side UP on top

Grill both sides until nice and golden

Transfer the sandwiches to a baking pan or sheet

Spoon the remaining Béchamel sauce over the top of the sandwiches

Cover with the shredded cheese … use it ALL! (you will thank me for that)

Place this in the oven to broil …

Keep an eye on them … broil until the cheese has fully melted and started to brown slightly

Transfer to plates … eat!

So there you have it, the Croque Monsieur

Bon Apetit!

This Swedish treat, usually enjoyed during lent, is a wonderful cardamom bun filled with marzipan and whipped cream!

These are good … these are so good that King Adolf Frederick of Sweden was said to have died on February 12th, 1771 after having eaten 14 of them at one sitting!

Now, if this isn’t making you want to try them, I don’t know what will!

Let’s get started, it’s a big recipe

What you’ll need:

• 5 cups of flour (+ 1 cup later)
• 2 eggs
• 1 package of yeast
• 1 tsp of ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 cup milk (warm) (+ approximately 1/2 cup later)
• 2/3 cup butter
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 5 oz marzipan (we’ll show you how to make it later on if you can’t find it)
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Add milk to saucepan on low heat

Heat to between 70F – 80F

Pour milk into large mixing bowl

Melt the butter and add

Add the eggs and whisk together

Sprinkle the yeast over top

Let yeast sit for about 5 min

Sift the sugar and cardamom with 5 cups of flour

Add to the egg mixture and mix well

Once done, cover and let it sit for 30 minutes

After 30 minutes uncover and add 1 cup of flour sifted with the baking powder

Knead the dough!

Get a couple of greased baking sheets. Roll the dough into small balls, enough to make approximately 16 buns. Big or small, you decide!

We did a mix of both

Cover and let them rise for about 40 minutes (should just about double in size)

Once done, place in a 375F oven for 10-15 minutes

Take them out once they’re golden …

Place the buns on a wire rack to cool. We want them room temperature for the next step

In the meantime, let’s make some marzipan!

You’ll need some ground almonds (about a cup), another cup of confectioner’s sugar, a teaspoon of corn syrup, 1/2 tsp water and almond extract!

Sift the almonds and sugar together in a medium sized bowl

Add 1/4 tsp of almond extract to corn syrup and add it to the mixing bowl

Add the water and start to combine by hand. If the marzipan isn’t forming together, add another 1/2 tsp of water. You should end up with a firm dough

Now you want to take each bun and slice off the top about half an inch

Hollow out each bun, putting the scooped out bits in a bowl

Add 5 oz of marzipan to the bowl and milk to soften. Mix until you have a texture slightly like a pudding

Look like this? Good!

Fill each bun with your marzipan filling

Cover with generous amounts of whipped cream!

Put the tops back on … almost done!

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar!

Semlor! Try not to die eating 14 of them …

Some Swedes like to have a Semla bun in a bowl with warm milk poured over top … I don’t do it, but you might like it!

Bon Apetit!