July 24, 2014
Persimmons are quite special. I have seen them at the produce sections many times but didn’t really get to know them until we went to Spain recently. Although it is an Asian fruit, Spain has adopted it and it is now rising in agricultural importance and popularity there. What I heard in Spain is that the persimmon production “saved” their agricultural export. They are grown mainly in Valencia but also in Castellon and Andalusia and... 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 17, 2014
Fava beans have a distinct flavour. Although they are available here in the summer I find that many are not familiar with them. They are common in Italy, Spain, France and the middle east. There are different ways of preparing them and I usually opt for the simplest: boil the shelled beans in salted water, peel the outer layer and enjoy them drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt. I sometimes use vinegar... View Article
July 16, 2014
Note: header image is a recent update, made with frozen strawberries cooked with a bit of sugar and pureed with an immersion mixer. This post goes with the previous one about cherry compote. I made the compote and served it over these waffles. It’s an easy, no-fail recipe that you can mix by hand in no time. Ingredients: 2 cups flour 3 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs 2... View Article
July 16, 2014
I have had cherry compote on at least three occasions in the last week or so. One was at a picnic at Ancient Hills winery catered by Basket Case Picnics who served it over a melt-in-the-middle mini chocolate cakes. The next was served over ice cream and the third was spooned over a frozen cheesecake at Blackhills Estate Winery (their restaurant is operated by the top notch catering company Joy Road Catering). This last one... View Article
July 15, 2014
Here is the recipe for the salad I made for the Diner en Blanc. I make a lot of potato salads over the summer and change them often, depending what vegetables are best at the time. This salad holds well for picnics or boat rides and is not too acidic so the greens will stay vibrant even after the pesto is mixed in. I made it with small new potatoes but any variety would do... 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
July 10, 2014
One of my favourite summer salads is a grilled romaine. There is something about the charred edges and crisp greens that works beautifully and I tend to grill a few of our summer salads on the outdoor grill. I have posted a grilled romaine salad before and served it with halloumi cheese. Halloumi has a high melting point and it can easily be grilled without melting. This time I had beautiful small heirloom tomatoes and... View Article
July 9, 2014
You must have heard me write before about the “other woman”. She is a fourty somethin’ year old beauty with soft curves and a strong built that takes to the water like I take to the kitchen. Her name is Isa Lei and yes, you know that she is a sailboat. My husband just loves this craft and lovingly works to restore her beauty. I don’t begrudge his attachment, this is what he always dreamed... View Article
July 8, 2014
My daughter who dines at all the trendy places told me about a whole roasted cauliflower they had at a middle eastern resto in Toronto, Fat Pasha. I have steamed a whole head of cauli before but never roasted it, so of course I had to try it. It was kind of fun to make and serve. I roasted it on the outdoor grill and it didn’t really take as long as I thought it... View Article
July 7, 2014
Oh so delicious and easy roulade to make and serve with seasonal berries. There were only four of us for dinner but I made two roulades because I knew where this was going. I had some leftover to share with our lovely neighbours and for my husband ( “is there some more of that cake left?”) for whom one piece is never enough. The recipe is adapted from Laura Calder’s Hazelnut Roll in her book... View Article
July 6, 2014
Part of my modus operandi (MO) in the kitchen is to have various foods already cooked in the fridge that I can pull together to create a flavourful and hopefully fun and nutritious meal. Running a vegetarian kitchen means that I often cook with grains and legumes and almost always have a couple of containers with these items on hand. Last week I went for lunch at the Eldorado Hotel and I had their cauliflower tacos.... View Article
