To reveal the second mystery from yesterday’s post is to reveal that what you saw were garlic “scapes” aka the ‘spring’ shoots of the garlic plant. Where garlic is commercially cultivated, these fine morsels are often just clipped and discarded and never see the market. The scape is the young stem and budding “flower” of…
Scalloped Fennel-Potatoes au Gratin
Cooking with a twist … that’s how a lot of my ideas form: take an idea, an ingredient, a ‘classic’ creation and then ask the question “What if …?” As you’ve seen from my previous post, I had prime rib on the brain and one of the comfort foods I love to serve alongside this…
Indian Butter Chicken
Leftovers never looked so good…. This is my take on the classic Indian butter chicken, a dish that certainly gives other classics like Alfredo a serious run for their money in terms of how to tantalize the mouth with the full-fat richness of butter … and cream. Similar to, but different from, tikka masala or…
Eggnog with Forty Creek Whisky
Mmm, what better cocktail to ring in the holidays than eggnog? Unless you are allergic to eggs or lactose intolerant, eggnog is probably pretty high on your list of winter indulgences … and judging by the run on the store-fresh organic stuff from our local produce chain, Farmboy, there are a lot of people who…
Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese Soup
We are definitely into a season of comfort foods … and it’s a time for soups to steal the show. As part of my final CSA share last month, I received two cauliflower. One came with a forlorn and sleepy traveler attached and the other was a beautiful bright orange. Both heads were looking a…
Coleslaw
Few salads scream fresh and summer as well as the perennial summer favourite, coleslaw. While the ingredients in coleslaw — which are hardy and store well — make this a great year-round salad, there is something truly exceptional about making this supremely creamy version when the ingredients are young, fresh and in season. So when…
Fettuccine Carbonara with Sweet Peas
The sweet peas that arrived in my CSA share this past week have been screaming “do something different with us.” And really, who’s to argue with talking veggies? For some reason pasta came into my head and when I added the bacon and then the lemon zest in my brain, I had arrived at the…