It's springtime, and even though I might have a bad back, I'm a die-hard gardener. Some of the most simple and rewarding treasures of a garden are the ones taken for granted. Possibly because they are so easy to grow they are often over-stepped. Take ...
Of course this time of year just about any spring greens from the market will be great, but baby spinach is something I always have on hand. Where it's not exactly your throw it together tossed salad, the onions are pretty much low maintenance to ...
View Baby Spinach Greens With Grilled Pears and Caramalized Onion Dressing
Yesterday was my daughter's birthday. It's become a bit of a tradition and now her birthday dinner consists of her year's list of favourite things. Apps, entrée, sides, beverage, heck, even the dinner music is chosen by said truly. Amazing thing is that the family ...
Mmmm. Hopefully this is the post worth waiting for. Since being whisked off for a quick French get away, I ate my way through all of Montréal's renown food samples. Squeaking a flight through a crazy snowstorm, even for Québec standards, ...
I used to be one of those people who would see those enormous tubs of spinach, you know the ones that are at least a pound, and not imagine what sized family could possibly consume that much salad in a week. Seeing that baby spinach weighs ...
Who doesn't like pizza? I am yet to meet a single soul who would turn down a slice.... Except when it was going to be me with the notion of no cheese. I was always of the mindset that pizza had but one basic construction - a crust (perfect blend of thin and chewy ), sauce (very important) and cheese. - Everything on top of that is really up to an individuals discretion and craving. That was until I had a bite of my first "real European" pizza experience. Being 15 and at the height of my pizza connesseur training, I was in the south of France on exchange. My host mother would pack my lunches complete with a little Mom note, a chocolate and something often mysterious to try; there was infrequent PB&J in Provence. While out in the countryside, our group was left to remark on the construction of Romanesque Aqueducts. Removed from any civilization able to spare me of my brown bag filled with cold and cheeseless pizza with peppers and black olives (with pits!) Starving and only armed with my Orangina, I dug in and discovered a new, old, delicious world of pizza. From that moment, my eyes were opened, my pallet was cleansed and my nose had been lifted to new a pizza snob height never known before; and I was yet to arrive in Italy! Flashing forward 15 some odd years, when trying to capture the best vegan version, I knew that one of those important and very expected elements - cheese, would be missing. Making up for the lack of gooey dairy was actually easy and created a more flavourful pizza than I'd usually eat. The secret of a good crust is always important and the hint for vegan pizza is just to pre-bake the crust a little longer to insure the crispness and then you're free to go to town on virtually any topping you could imagine. Pizza for breakfast? Check out 80 Breakfasts, who is hosting HHDH. I'm sure it will be quite the round-up.
As fantastic as it is shaken in a French Martini, upon discovering the delightful liquor of Chambord*, I could hardly wait to also cook with it. Chambord is a deep red black raspberry liquor which dates back to the rein of Louis XIV in 1685. It is a concentrated fruit flavour with raspberries, currants and hints of spice which I thought would match with pear and of course, chocolate. I chose the Asian pears since I just love the juiciness and texture. I don't find them to be as grainy as some varieties and I really wanted the softness of the poaching and satiny jelly of the raspberry reduction to combine well. The dessert is rich yet light and not too sweet. If I had the tins and the time, I think this recipe would be a elegant as individual tartlettes. Large or small it's a great way to end a Holiday meal.
I love latkes. It's almost bad, how much I like latkes. A holiday tradition usually brings sharing and that might be my biggest problem. To date the best solution I've had is to make them smaller so I have more. That way it takes me a little longer to eat them and gives others a chance to snag one. Usually served on their own with a choice of apple sauce or sour cream on the side, I wanted to offer something with them to dress them up, especially when served as an appetizer. Slathered on a plate, I like the sour cream option, but there's something about the salty grease that goes so well with a little tartness. For platter passing, otherwise known as sharing, I conjured up my own applish sauce, just a little fancier for the Hoildays. I added the glimmer of pomegranate to quince to make this tart and spicy relish. It was pretty good. I ate the whole plate. ... But after I was done, I thought I might just make another batch, maybe even double it - to share. The relish in a little jar tied with a red bow, might just make a pretty sweet hostess gift.
I'm currently tearing off the layers as I write this. It's tough to believe that it's Thanksgiving, here in Canada, that is. You see, it's 90ºF and I'm really thankful I cooked our "Appreciate The Turkey Day" feast yesterday when it was cloudy and chilly enough for a cozy fire. I went outside to try to find any scratch of this great Holiday going on. Any cars gathering for visits, the scent of roasting goodness traveling through a window screen, a football cheer, or the screech of a fork on a plate, but nothing. Nothing but cyclists, lawn mowers buzzing, the summer smell of the backyard grill, fans blowing and kids giggling with their dad on his day off. I made soup last night, with feast leftovers, two kinds! This time of year, mind floods to comforting, feel good, stick to your ribs meals. But today, as I'm about down to my skivvies, I just can't imagine any more hot and sticky. Together with a little roasted pumpkin and grilled tofu, left over from yesterday, I whipped up a creamy spinach pesto to go over some quick, brown rice fettuccine. It was perfectly satisfying and didn't add heat to the house. Oh well, shouldn't complain, it could have been snowing.
I'm not sure when I first had a sweet potato with tomato, but I do know I've always liked it. The sweetness combined with the slight tang of tomato sauce creates such a delicious balance. When I first decided I was going to make this for presto pasta ...
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