September 28, 2012
If you follow this blog you probably know that I make a lot of pizzas. I do have some favourites (Roasted Peppers with Goat Cheese is one) but I also have new surprises every week. I get my inspiration from what is in the market, in my fridge or on my kitchen counter. This week I had a bunch of beautiful nectarines hanging around wondering what’s to become of them. Some made it into a... View Article
September 25, 2012
Pizza is one of the signature dishes in my kitchen. I love to make it, eat it and serve it. On weekends I always have pizza dough in the fridge, ready to be stretched, rolled and made into an impromptu snack or main course. Sometimes I buy fresh pizza dough from Mercato or Lina’s and keep it in the fridge for a quick pizza but mostly I like to make my own dough. I cook... View Article
August 2, 2012
So, we are still in Kelowna for a couple more weeks before going back to reality at home, which isn’t so bad either. We eat pretty informally, making the best of what I find in the local markets. I am having fun preparing all kinds of patio snacks and the latest was these mini grilled cheese sandwiches that I am serving with leftover raw vegetables from the open house the other night. I had quite... View Article
June 3, 2012
Baguette sandwiches are such a treat. They have bread, they have cheese, what more does one need? I recently had a couple of good ones on great bread, one in Seattle at Le Panier and another in Calgary at La Boulangerie bakery cafe on 4th street. I bought a baguette from them yesterday and I am making baguette sandwich for lunch with their sourdough baguette today. I happen to have tomato chutney in the fridge... View Article
May 29, 2012
Now we are talking, leave it to the Italians to make a salad with bread in it. So authentic you’d think you are in Tuscany. Known as panzanella this salad was created in Italy traditionally to use up day old bread (real cooks never waste any food). I believe that they don’t even grill the bread as it is crisp already from being a day or so old. I tend to grill or sauté the... View Article
May 29, 2012
One of the thing that made its way back from Seattle with me is a lovely loaf of Yukon Gold Potato bread from the Three Girls Bakery at Pike Place Market (post about that trip coming up). The bread was delicious with just unsalted butter but I wanted to grill it so I made this tomato-basil panini with fresh ricotta in a grill pan on top of the stove and served it with a little... View Article
April 13, 2012
I make this bean spread often as an appetizer to spoon onto small crostini. Here I use it to top grilled bread for a lunch or a light supper. Serve accompanied by a small salad with crisp vinaigrette. For a vegan version leave the pecorino out. Ingredients: Long slices of country bread Olive oil Parmesan or pecorino, shaved or chopped roasted peppers Purple basil Bean spread: 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 small... View Article
April 13, 2012
For this tartine I roast the fennel first and then pile it on a long slice of Poilane bread between layers of crumbled goat cheese. I then bake it in the oven for a few minutes to lightly melt the cheese and warm up the tartine. The fennel can be roasted a few hours in advance and kept at room temperature until you are ready to proceed. Save some fennel fronds for garnish, or use... View Article
April 12, 2012
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 11, 2012
This is a basic bread baked in loaves of any shape. The nice crust is the result of two factors: a hot and humid oven. The bread needs a hot, humid environment for the first few minutes, and then slightly lower temperature to finish the baking. To get the heat I bake the bread on pizza stones that I place in the oven and heat at least 30 minutes before the bread goes in. The... View Article
