The Okanagan is prime location for growing many produce and herbs, lavender included. There is lavender everywhere you look and it grows beautifully on our rooftop patio as well. It is a pretty, fragrant herb and I love getting a whiff of its scent as I reach over it to work in my garden. Lavender fields are a sight to behold. If you have ever seen them in France you know what I mean. I... View Article
I first saw a version of this recipe on the Laura Calder Food Network show years ago. The recipe is for simply cooked peas and shallots in butter, to which you add torn leaves of butter lettuce, stock and dill. Simplicity itself. I serve this dish on its own with good crusty bread, over grilled bread or alongside other foods. I have seen variations of this recipe and it is a dish that is quite... View Article
I love the flavours of south east Asia but I find making the recipes difficult as I seldom have all the ingredients on hand and I usually cook with what’s in my fridge. To make up for this I always have green and red curry paste jars in the fridge along with small jars of grated lemongrass and even ginger in case I need it. I use these to make Asian style dishes that are... View Article
In the previous post I suggested serving eggplant salad with bread crisps. here is an easy recipe for crispy bread that would be nice any time you need a carrier for dip, a base for a salad or just something nice to snack on.
Before Covid I started inviting friends over for a glass of wine and some bites instead of a multi course dinner. It’s easy to prepare, I can sit and enjoy the company and there isn’t much clean up to do afterwards. This does not mean they have to go home hungry. You can prepare a few salads to serve with breads, a couple of dips (hummus, tzatziki etc.) a few fruits, a nice selection of... View Article
When visiting Cancun, as much as I enjoy going out for breakfast at one of the beautiful beach restaurants in this area, once in a while I have to put my cooking skills to use and make something at home other than the routine oatmeal that I usually “have to have”. Chilaquiles, a classic Mexican breakfast dish, is one of my favourite Mexican style breakfasts. Although it is seemingly a quick dish to make, it... View Article
Risotto is an all-year dish, you can make it hearty in the winter with root vegetables and light and fresh in the spring and summer with peas, asparagus and like here, with tomatoes. Inspiration for this risotto was a NYT recipe but I did my thing and we loved it. To make start with the oil, shallots, and rice, then add wine and cherry tomatoes and reduce. Then start adding the stock, a bit at... View Article
Whenever I make or refresh my starter I end up making overnight discard waffles. I leave the batter overnight and in the morning add a bit of oil, sugar and oat milk but no eggs. I imagine eggs may make them more fluffy but I like them the way they are and you can always add a teaspoon or so of baking powder or baking soda. These were baked in a small heart shaped waffle... View Article
What kind of salad do you like? This is a bitter greens salad with ripe fresh figs, Gorgonzola dolce, caramel walnuts and a honey vinaigrette. Not too bitter…not too sweet…it is just right….Use radicchio, endive and some other mild greens for balance and colour (not arugula, it will be too much bitter). Toast walnuts with a little sugar in a skillet until sugar melts and caramelizes around the walnuts. Let them dry on parchment .... View Article
Not much kitchen work this morning as we were planting a few more herbs and edible flowers on the rooftop patio. I did fire up the grill briefly for this grilled romaine with croutons, Parmesan and capers crunched up in a skillet, all nicely married with a simple vinaigrette. Going to enjoy it outside. To make, heat up a grill or a grill pan (preferably ridged) to high heat. Cut the romaine in half vertically... View Article
Morning, have you had breakfast yet? Here is a fun one if you eat eggs. I know it as a French dish, oeufs en cocotte but it’s aka shirred eggs. Basically it’s eggs baked in cream with cheese and some additions. I added asparagus and goat cheese. There is a story behind the dish. Oeufs en cocotte is a French dish named after the dish it is cooked in. A cocotte is a flat individual baking dish... View Article
Roasted whole eggplant is a beautiful dish that not too many people know about. It’s very middle Eastern and in season you’ll find it served in many restaurants. Let’s first start with how to buy an eggplant. It should be heavy (ie full of moisture), with shiny skin and few if any blemishes. Lighter eggplants are already dehydrated and not advised to buy. Once you buy it don’t let it linger in the fridge to... View Article
