April 12, 2015
Labne is common in middle eastern cuisines and easy to make at home. It is made by straining the liquids out of the yogurt over a couple of days, thickening it in the process and what’s left is a soft cheese with texture similar to goat cheese. Labne’s lemony flavour goes well with the tart sumac in the za’atar and fruitiness of olive oil. In the middle east you often buy it in small round... View Article
March 8, 2015
I have been searching out movies that have food as part of their theme to watch now that I am done binge watching season 3 of House of Cards. There is a significant number of food movies out there, some well known, other more obscure. Here is my starter list of foodie films. If you know of or have a favourite food movie please pass on the name in a comment to this post: Chocolate... View Article
March 6, 2015
It’s always interesting to see what other food bloggers write about. I have looked around on the internet and it seems the trend at the moment is to reflect about the change of season. It’s very tempting to talk about the change in weather and how one is emerging from winter hibernation. Some are still writing about making soups and curling up on the sofa with a cashmere blanket and a good (cook)book, others are... View Article
September 21, 2014
My last meal would have to include bread. It’s one of those thing I would not want to do without and I am not talking about the gluten free versions. Good, hearty, country style loaf with thick, chewy crust and dense, moist crumb, that’s what I am talking about, the kind of bread you’d bake in a community oven in a village in Tuscany or Provence. Needless to say there is always bread at our... View Article
July 20, 2014
Every now and then I make pastry dough, both sweet (with sugar) and savoury (without sugar) and keep them in the fridge for a few days so when I get in the mood to bake tarts I have the dough all ready to go. I make a full recipe but cut the ball of dough in half and wrap each individually before refrigerating. This way I can make only 4 tarts at a time if... View Article
July 13, 2014
I consider gougères the ideal appetizer to serve with drinks. Gougères (or cheese puffs) are light and flavourful (it’s the cheese) and lend themselves to various flavours using herbs, spices and different cheeses (caveat: only dry cheese type). They are made from the same pastry as eclairs but you make it savoury instead. They are easy to make and even if something goes wrong you can still serve them. What can go wrong? the most common mistake is... View Article
June 20, 2014
If I see figs at the store I have to get them, provided they are ripe of course. Figs are one of the fruits that do not continue to ripen once it has been picked. If it is not ripe when you buy it it will not ripen in your kitchen. The figs should be soft to the touch but not mushy and should not ooze the syrupy juices. Here is a simple but so... View Article
February 26, 2014
I haven’t been posting many recipes lately so I thought I’d offer this simple one to go with my last post since we drove through date palm groves on the way up from Marbella to Barcelona. Here is a simple but delicious way to make a different kind of “tapa” that I have seen served here and sold in food stores. You can serve it as part of a tapas offering or with a cheese... View Article
November 21, 2013
I don’t care what anybody says, these are just the best flavour combination ever. Juicy, sweet seedless grapes wrapped in creamy and salty gorgonzola rolled in a coating of caramel crunch, heaven. It’s as simple as that. I can pop a chilled one of those into my mouth any time. It’s refreshing (the grape) sophisticated (the gorgonzola) and salted-caramel sweet. I rest my case (I am a lawyer, it’s a habit). I used to make... View Article
October 20, 2013
I recently jumped on the bandwagon for spoon appetizers, I wonder where they started. I liked the idea right away, when they first came into vogue, but it took me a while to follow this trend. Once I begun making them though, I was hooked. Yesterday I had the opportunity to make some pre-dinner appetizers and my inspiration was a lunch at Noble Ridge Vineyard and Winery prepared by Chef Darin Patterson of Bogner of Penticton restaurant.... View Article
September 20, 2013
One of the most luxurious experiences is a leisurely breakfast and we have made quite a ritual of it at home or wherever in the world we are. Good food, beautiful table setting, freshly squeezed juice, a steaming cup of coffee, this is my idea of luxury. It doesn’t happen everyday, but I do make a point of carrying out this ritual now and then, creating moments to remember for my family, friends and myself.... View Article
June 25, 2013
Radicchio and endive are slightly bitter salad greens (or reds) that combine wonderfully with the creamy gorgonzola. To bridge the flavours I like it with honey vinaigrette and a scattering of crunchy walnuts. It’s truly a treat. When making this salad I prefer to chop both radicchio and endive with a knife into ribbons. I find that it’s easier to eat this way and with every forkful you get some of each of the leaves,... View Article
