January 13, 2020
You know I like to play with my food and of late I have been interested in this charcoal idea. I made charcoal burger buns a while ago that I thought looked spectacular, but it’s not an everyday thing. I was in Toronto last week visiting our daughter and her husband who just had their first baby boy, our first grandchild. As you can imagine we are all head over heels in love with the... View Article
November 12, 2019
Grilled cheese sandwich is a classic. I don’t make it often but throughly enjoy it when I do. My favourite way to grill the bread is in a panini maker. I like the grill marks and it crisps the outside while keeping the inside soft and chewy. I brush both sides of the bread with olive oil before grilling, to enhance the crisping of the outside. This time I had sage pesto in... View Article
May 27, 2018
I picked up a head of black garlic at the market the other day. It is one of those exotic ingredients that have been popping up on restaurant menus and food literature and although I bought it before, this was my first attempt at using it. The head of garlic is completely black and soft to the touch. When you break it open the cloves are large and black and taste caramelized and tamarind-tangy.... View Article
January 21, 2018
For some reason I am not cooking this year on the Mayan Riviera. Other than a couple of simple pasta dishes and grilling a few vegetables I haven’t even messed up the kitchen once. This means, since we need to eat, that we are exploring the culinary treasures of Tulum and the Mayan coast with, happy to say, a great deal of success. I have gotten to know the Tulum hotels and their respective food... View Article
January 18, 2018
A cooler day is an invitation to stay at home and cook some good food. Although it’s not cold, it is a cooler day on the Mayan Riviera and even if I am not cooking, at least I am thinking about it, hence this post. I made this souffle at home before we left and just getting to post it now. Souffle is not an everyday dish. It is rich and doesn’t keep well. The... View Article
November 6, 2017
I have been in a baking mood for some reason and this morning got up and made these brownies before 8:00 am. I had to stop myself from making a torta di mele (Italian apple cake) as well, must save that for tomorrow. What’s up with that? Brownies are usually delicious and when you swirl cream cheese into the batter they are even better. I also added fine zest of a small orange, orange and... View Article
September 19, 2017
So I never make (or buy) one of anything and when I made the previous pizza I also made this one. I bought beautiful firm pears at the market the other day (yes, it’s fall produce) and thought they would be beautiful on pizza. Usually pear and gorgonzola is the flavour combination I like but I didn’t have gorgonzola and blue cheese worked just fine. I sliced the pears paper thin on a mandolin and... View Article
September 15, 2017
Halloumi is one of the only cheeses I know that doesn’t melt and keeps its shape when grilled. This white cheese with firm texture and salty flavour originates from the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean and found also in Greek and Middle Eastern cuisines. Halloumi keeps its shape when cooked because of its high melting temperature but once fried you need to serve it immediately, it does not benefit from sitting around. In... View Article
July 31, 2017
We are lucky in the Okanagan to have winery restaurant chefs that pride themselves on creating dishes using local produce that are beautiful to look at and packed with flavour. One of my favourite is the Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill winery. Not only the Tuscan architecture, the bell tower, the view and the beautiful wines, but the food at their Terrace restaurant is always outstanding. My gal friends were visiting from Calgary last week... View Article
July 14, 2017
One of the culinary treasures of southern Italy (Puglia) is the burrata: a creamy, perishable cheese that is shipped daily to vendors and restaurants in other parts of the country to be consumed the same day. Burrata means “buttered” and in the categories of cheeses it is not a mozzarella, nor a mozzarella di bufala, although it is made with buffalo milk. To make burrata cheesemakers fill a thin skin of mozzarella with a mixture... View Article
July 5, 2017
After watching an entire season of Masterchef Australia where home cooks prepare amazing foods and seeing them make ricotta within a short time frame to use in ravioli and other dishes , I decided to give it a try and make the cheese myself. Now, considering that I try to stay away from dairy in my daily cooking, this is a pretty adventurous move for me. The process is very simple and the cheese really... View Article
April 17, 2017
What is it? Raviolo al uovo is a single large raviolo filled with ricotta and containing a soft egg yolk that oozes out when you cut into it (“raviolo” is not a typo, in Italian “ravioli” is plural, “raviolo” is singular). You would serve one per person drizzled with butter, hollandaise, light tomato sauce or whatever else you think would go with it. Serve it on its own or with a little topping such as... View Article
