February 22, 2015
I am on a bit of a roll here in the kitchen. I should spend as much time exercising. I had pizza dough that I purchased from a local Italian market in the freezer and took it out last night to thaw overnight in the fridge. This afternoon I rolled it out and made a simple pizza with tomatoes and basil and this little pear and gorgonzola flatbread just for fun, no special occasion. Pear... View Article
June 20, 2014
If I see figs at the store I have to get them, provided they are ripe of course. Figs are one of the fruits that do not continue to ripen once it has been picked. If it is not ripe when you buy it it will not ripen in your kitchen. The figs should be soft to the touch but not mushy and should not ooze the syrupy juices. Here is a simple but so... View Article
December 14, 2013
A couple of nights before I left for Paris Val and I attended a cooking class at the fabulous Mission Hill Estate winery. The topic was Tour de France and it was a culinary journey through the provinces of France. The first dish was, you guessed it, a cauliflower soup. The soup was so creamy and delicious, my favourite dish of the evening (and also the only vegetarian one). Executive Chef Mathew Batey, who taught... View Article
November 21, 2013
I don’t care what anybody says, these are just the best flavour combination ever. Juicy, sweet seedless grapes wrapped in creamy and salty gorgonzola rolled in a coating of caramel crunch, heaven. It’s as simple as that. I can pop a chilled one of those into my mouth any time. It’s refreshing (the grape) sophisticated (the gorgonzola) and salted-caramel sweet. I rest my case (I am a lawyer, it’s a habit). I used to make... View Article
October 26, 2013
Figs must be perfectly ripe when you buy them. Unlike other fruits that may ripen on your countertop in a few days figs do not continue to ripen once they are picked off the fig tree. This necessitate touching them before buying to make sure they are a little squishy, indicating the inside is nice and ripe. Figs that are firm are not ripe. Figs that are wet and oozing are overripe, but they can... View Article
September 15, 2012
Appetizers (Hors d’Oeuvre in French, Antipasto in Italian) are some of the most fun things to make in the kitchen.This is where you can show your creative side, both in the preparation and presentation. When having company for dinner I tend to offer a selection of them, usually set out on a counter in the kitchen not far from the wine and let the guests help themselves to both while I put the finishing touches... View Article
September 2, 2012
Summer beets are completely different from what we get here year round. Summer beets are soft and sweet and take hardly any time to cook, whether roasted in the oven or cooked on top of the stove. I make all kinds of things with beets (even pickled beets) and will post a few of them over the next while. I am trying to limit myself to a post a day for now so I have a... 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
