August 28, 2018
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
August 25, 2018
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
August 19, 2018
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
August 5, 2018
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
August 3, 2018
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
August 1, 2018
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
July 30, 2018
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
July 28, 2018
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
July 26, 2018
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
July 24, 2018
Summer beets are a special treat, especially when you get them small and tender. This is a pretty and refreshing salad using the beets in a few different ways. I cooked the beets sous vide but you can roast them to equally delicious results. I then marinated them in a little olive oil and balsamic crema to impart sweet and tangy flavour. I then made a light mayo style dressing to which I... View Article
July 21, 2018
So we are back at home from a hiking adventure here in BC and I am in the mood to cook again after eating out for an entire week in the mountains with varying degrees of success (more on that later). Since I am addicted to Australia Masterchef and was catching up on a few episodes I missed while I was gone I noticed that they often make fondant potatoes that look beautiful on their... View Article
July 6, 2018
Bread baking is incredibly satisfying, making something so delicious and soul-satisfying out of “nothing” (other than flour water yeast and salt). True, it takes a bit of skill and experience but isn’t this how it is with everything worth doing? Bread takes time to make, require rest between kneading or stretching and even an overnight slumber in the cool refrigerator benefits the dough and develops flavour and texture. The fridge can also help if you have... View Article
