If you have ever been to Israel you’d know that the pita bread there is nothing like the dried disks of pita we get here. In Israel the pita is smaller, fluffier and so delicious it’s hard to stop eating it. I just returned from a short excursion to Israel where I indulged in some amazing foods both at restaurants and while visiting family. Let me tell you, Israeli food is worth a special foodie... View Article
You may have noticed that I am a tartine fan. If it’s on bread, I love it. Tartine is simply a slice of grilled bread with a topping and you can find a few of the tartines I have posted here. I mentioned in another post that Holt’s Cafe in Toronto has some lovely tartines on their menu made with Poilane breads from Paris and whenever I am in Toronto I go to Holt’s for one of... View Article
A beautiful salad is a work of art. The colours, textures, composition and flavours are appealing to both the eye and the palate. Whether you serve it on individual plates or pile it on a large platter for guests to helps themselves, always consider these elements when composing your creation. When dressing a salad, less is more. You don’t want to overwhelm the greens with too much dressing, too strong flavours, too much acid or... View Article
I am not very good at using the freezer but my fridge always has some cooked items ready to be incorporated into my daily adventure in the kitchen. Any time you’d look in my fridge you are likely to find a container with cooked grain or legumes, homemade dressings and sauces in little jars, store bought sauces that I like, creme fraiche etc. These items make it easy to quickly assemble a lunch or dinner... View Article
Just in case you think I am holed up in here and cook-photograph-write and never go out, that’s almost but not always the case. Yesterday my foodie friend Val and I went on a foodie excursion south of here and had a blast. We call these the “two foodies and a hummer” excursions and we do them quite often. We stopped for coffee and pastries at Bliss Bakery in Peachland, photographed golden delicious apple harvest at... View Article
Here is something to do with the abundance of prune plums at the markets. Plum kuchen is a simple, one bowl cake topped with plums and I think it may be the original coffee cake. There are many versions for this recipe. Some are made with yeast, others are similar to tarts and still others look like a crumble. I think originally plum kuchen was made with yeast dough and it is a worthwhile undertaking,... View Article
I find that I keep referring to this recipe so often in my posts (using it in other recipes) that I thought I’d dedicate a separate post to it so it’s easier to refer to. I have this huge flat leaf parsley herb growing on the patio and I constantly chop off armfuls of stems to make this versatile pesto. I keep it in small jars in the fridge or freeze it for longer life.... View Article
On Wednesday this week I was among more than one hundred guests from the culinary and wine industry here in the Okanagan invited to celebrated the official opening of the BC Wine Information Society Sensory Centre at the Okanagan College Penticton campus. The $650K centre was built thanks to a grant of $300K by the Wine Information Society that was matched by the Jim Pattison Foundation and was built at no cost to the college.... View Article
Just like in fashion, the culinary world also has trends (kale, anyone?) and quinoa was a trend that took the culinary world by a storm. Unlike some other trends that come and go, quinoa is now comfortably embedded in the culinary repertoire of chef and home cooks alike, and for good reasons. It is easy to cook, adaptable to many preparation, packed with good nutrients and for those of you who are gluten intolerant, it’s... View Article
Here is a way to use the last of the stone fruits at the end of summer and early fall. Roasting the fruits doesn’t dry them, rather it concentrates their flavour and softens them to a nice texture. I toss the fruits with sugar, drizzle pure vanilla extract over and roast at 400℉. You can make it in advance or put it in the oven just before you begin dinner and by the time you... View Article
I am not quite ready to give up summer and open my kitchen to fall foods but you know how it is, I was in the mood to make a soup. My kitchen is still full of late summer tomatoes, ripe stone fruits, potatoes of every kind, beets, pickling cucumbers and even some summer zucchini and I am trying to make the most of these ingredients knowing they are on their way out as the... View Article
If you have been following this blog you would know that I am a big fan of the breakfast ritual. I consider a leisurely breakfast a luxury and indulge in it whenever possible. Not every day. Most mornings breakfast is a steaming bowl of oatmeal with seasonal fruits enjoyed on the patio when the weather is good or indoors when it’s too cold outside, but even then, simple as it is, I try to enjoy... View Article
