July 30, 2014

Summer Potato Salad

If it’s summer, I make potato salads and so far no one is complaining (don’t start:). Here is another potato salad version from my kitchen. The new potatoes cook quickly and combined with other beautiful vegetables and a simple dressing make a beautiful salad. What can be better? You can serve it as a whole meal or with other foods. It keeps in the fridge nicely and travels well to the boat or a picnic... View Article

July 26, 2014

Quail’s Gate Visa Infinite Dinner Event – It Takes Three

  On July 19th I was invited by my friend and fellow blogger Laura of The Culinary Travel Guide to join her at the sold out Visa Infinite event at Quail’s Gate winery. This was the place to be that night for culinary and wine enthusiasts and the place was packed.  Visa Infinite holds more than 60 events across Canada throughout the year featuring anything from dinners to wine country events to hotel collection and... View Article

July 25, 2014

Cherry-Berry Smoothie

Since I bought the new Vitamix blender I can’t stop blending things. It does such a good job and creates a wonderful texture. Earlier in the spring before the seasonal berries were in I made smoothies with frozen fruits and ended up with a sorbet, not quite what I intended but good anyway. Now that fruits are in season I use fresh fruits to make various smoothies and they are fresh tasting and refreshing. If... View Article

July 24, 2014

Farro with persimmons and herbs

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

Zucchini Tarts with Feta

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 with poached egg and pecorino

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

Buttermilk waffles with pink cherry compote

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

Cherry Compote

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

Potato and Green Bean Salad with Parsley Pesto (from Diner en Blanc)

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 14, 2014

Diner en Blanc – the Chic Pic(nic)

I must say it was easier the second time around. For the second year in a row hundreds of local food and fun aficionados from around the province and beyond converged on a secret location in Kelowna dressed in the whitest of whites to participate in the international ritual of the now famous Diner en Blanc. This “by invitation only” event has swept through the Okanagan in the past two years generating requests for invitations... View Article

July 13, 2014

Gougères (Cheese Puffs) – and Okanagan wine trivia

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

Grilled romaine with heirloom tomatoes

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