April 12, 2012

Mustard Vinaigrette

Classic vinaigrette made with Dijon mustard, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. Use the best ingredients you can find. Extra virgin olive oil from a reliable producer and good quality vinegar. What you put in is what you get out in flavour. Ingredients: 1 garlic clove, mashed or finely grated 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons wine vinegar, red or white 1/2 cup olive oil, best quality extra virgin Directions: ... View Article

April 12, 2012

Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette

Here is a simple but good vinaigrette recipe made creamy with the addition of an egg yolk. If you’d prefer it without the egg just leave it out of the recipe. A tablespoon of cream can replace it if you feel better about cream than an egg. 1 egg yolk 2 teaspoons coarse grain mustard 1 clove garlic, grated 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 teaspoon white wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil To... View Article

April 12, 2012

Chopped Leaves Salad with Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette

I call this chopped leaves salad because I cut the greens with a knife into bite size pieces rather than break them by hand. It’s a good salad to make when you want to use the crisp green outer leaves of the romaine lettuce or larger leaves of red leaf or other salad greens you have in your fridge. I usually try to use the tender inner leaves for most salads but in this case... View Article

April 12, 2012

Pizza with Figs and Gorgonzola

When figs are in season I use them in every way possible. Their sweetness pairs well with the salty and creamy gorgonzola so I combine them in this pizza recipe. The dough is the quick method that I use when I don’t have time to prepare the dough overnight. I will set out my overnight pizza dough in a separate recipe soon. Ingredients: 6-8 ripe figs 3-4 oz Gorgonzola 1 tablespoon honey   Quick Pizza... View Article

April 12, 2012

White Bean Spread and Dip

Bean spread makes a lovely appetizer spooned on top of crostini, or serve it as a dip with pita wedges or thin slices of grilled bread. Leftovers, if any, are good on a sandwich or a tartine. You can use home cooked beans or open a can of organic low sodium beans. Both would work fine. If you cook beans you may as well cook more than you need and keep the extra in the... View Article

April 12, 2012

Beans, Barley, Pistachios and Radicchio Salad with Roasted Tomato Oil and Sherry Vinegar

This salad features both grains and legumes, ingredients that I often combine. The soft beans combine nicely with the chewy barley and can be served hot or at room temperature as a substantial salad. I flavour this with roasted tomato oil that I make and often keep in the fridge. The tomato oil is so flavourful that you don’t need much more other than combining it with sherry or wine vinegar for a flavourful dressing.... View Article

April 11, 2012

Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Broccoli

Israeli couscous is really tiny pasta balls but it may be easier if you think of it as a grain. To cook this couscous you sauté it first in a bit of olive oil until golden and then add hot liquid (proportion is about 1 couscous to 1.5 water), cover and cook until tender. You can add vegetables to the couscous as it cooks although I tend to cook it by itself and add it... View Article

April 11, 2012

Couscous with Feta and Oregano

Couscous is a Mediterranean grain that requires no cooking, only soaking in boiling water. It is versatile as it can be incorporated into hot or cold preparations and served as salad, main course or a side dish. This recipe is for a quick and flavorful salad made by soaking the grains in the dressing ingredients to fluff them up and then tossing in a few additional ingredients to add layers of flavours and textures. Don’t... View Article

April 11, 2012

Roasted Pears with Butterscotch Sauce

Pears lend themselves beautifully to roasting. Their natural sweetness condenses as they bake and their sugars caramelize, yet they retain a nice texture and look gorgeous on a plate. I have written about pears in the fall section of the What’s in Season page on the top bar of this blog. There are many pear varieties, and it is important to use the right variety for the right cooking method. Not all pears roast the... View Article

April 11, 2012

Crepes with Dulce de Leche

We have a few rituals when vacationing in Mexico: fresh salsa and tortilla chips after a day at the beach, whole fried snapper for dinner and crèpes with dulce de leche for dessert. I have an “assembly line” for making the crèpes in two pans, to keep up with the demand. I even flip them in the air to turn them over, and have the video to prove it. Latin American cuisine has this wonderful... View Article

April 11, 2012

Banana Pancakes with Caramel Sauce

Who doesn’t like pancakes for a leisurely weekend breakfast now and then? Light and fluffy, sweet and satisfying, weekend breakfast at my house often includes pancakes of one kind or another. The key to making pancakes is to not over mix the batter. Mix it lightly and allow some lumps to remain. You can also separate the yolks from the whites, beat the whites to soft peaks and then incorporate them into the batter. I... View Article

April 11, 2012

Roquefort Grapes

This is adapted from an old recipe in Martha Stewart’s Entertaining, a book that made her famous and launched me on my pre-law catering career back then. That book made me think about food in a different way. I use red grapes to make this recipe as I find that they are generally sweeter and pair better with the Roquefort. I pick the larger grapes in the bunch because they are easier to work with.... View Article