I don’t make too many pies here, mostly tarts or free-form galettes for me, but now and then I crave a peach pie and when my friend B can’t make one for me I have to resort to making one myself (how is that for guilt-inducing?). When I made this pie the first time the bottom crust dissolved from the juice of the peaches. It was still good with a flaky, buttery top crust, but not really a... View Article
Zucchini takes well to grilling and looks beautiful when cut into long ribbons and grilled. I had two yellow zucchini from a recent trip to the market and thought that grilling them would be nice tonight. The smoke has cleared over the valley after settling here for several weeks and we finally see the lake, the sky and can take a breath of fresh air for a change. So it was fun to be on... View Article
Radishes and butter is a classic French “thing” but I have never had them with za’atar before. I found this recipe in Alison Roman’s book Dining In from which I have been cooking lately and thought I’d share it here, slightly adapted to my own kitchen. Za’atar is a middle eastern spice blend made with fresh thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, sumac and salt. You can make your own or buy a good za’atar at a middle eastern... View Article
One of the recent food trends is serving vegetables in both a cooked and raw form. Sometimes the raw vegetable is quick-pickled and in this recipe it is simply served raw, thinly sliced into ribbons. The combination of crisp and roasted works particularly well with carrots and fennel but slice them very thinly on a mandoline. The beautiful heirloom carrots in this dish are from Sunshine Farm Seeds here in the Okanagan (find them at the... View Article
Dal is my go-to dish when I want the flavours of India at home. It is a simple dish of red lentils (or other legumes) cooked with spices and water to a creamy consistency and served with rice and other dishes. Ingredients: 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola, sunflower) 1 teaspoon cumin seeds1/2 teaspoon cumin powder 1 onion, halved and sliced 1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained 1 teaspoon turmeric 1... View Article
I had a couple of lunches at 50th parallel’s winery Block One restaurant and came back with a few food ideas to make at home. One of the items on the menu is either wings or cauliflower with Korean sauce, which was a nice way to offer a vegetarian version of a dish. I had the cauliflower and enjoyed it so here is my version of this dish. If you have summer fresh cauliflower be... View Article
Once in a while I get out of my comfort zone and try cooking a different cuisine. Today is flavours of India and with the help of a couple of cookbooks I came up with this dish as well as a red lentil dal that I will post next. The curry is inspired by Vij’s at Home cookbook, I had to simplify as I didn’t have all the ingredients and anyway, I always adapt recipes. This... View Article
Ingredients: Cake: 5 oz dark chocolate, chopped 6 tablespoons butter 5 tablespoons brown sugar 3 egg yolks 1/2 cup walnut pieces 3 tablespoons all purpose flour 3 egg whites 2 cups pitted cherries for cake Cherry sauce: 2 cups pitted cherries for sauce 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice Kirch cream: 1 cup whipping cream 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon kirsch Directions: Butter and flour an 8 inch cake pan with removable bottom and... View Article
Needless to say, I can eat pasta every day, love it and I never tire of a good pasta dish. One of my favourite sauces is a nut based pesto. In the summer, while I have beautiful fresh flat leaf parsley growing in my rooftop garden I try to use it as much as possible and a pesto is one of the best way to feature it. The combination of walnuts and parsley is perfect in this recipe.... View Article
Summer garlic is wonderful to roast and use in dips or mix with butter for garlic butter. It has a fresh flavour, different than when it is dried for winter storage. I use it as a base for pizza , not too much, just a few smears on the dough before drizzling with sauce, on crostini, in pasta dishes, add to cheese platter or serve on its own with bread and let people squeeze out the... View Article
Potato salad is a signature item for me and when I have company I almost always have a big dish of potato salad ready to serve when family or friends arrive. It’s an easy dish to make and flexible in terms of the ingredients you put in it. This time I had green and yellow beans so I used them but have used other ingredients in other salads. I also like adding crisp romaine to the... View Article
I have been having a lot of fun in the kitchen and lately also trying dishes I have never made before. We recently spent a week in the BC mountains hiking and biking (Sun Peaks, post to come) and our days consisted of all day hikes (or biking) and then dinner at night at one of the several restaurants in the small Austrian style village. Food mostly left some to be desired except for one... View Article
