Weekend calls for summer staples

We are not trying to jinx this weekend by talking about the potential for warm weather. We are Canadian, it is the May long weekend and right now snow does not seem to be in the forecast … we are still keeping our fingers crossed though!

This week we have two recipes for you: guacamole and black bean salad. Enjoy them with your favourite …Read more

A salad that will wow them

Here’s a first course that is sure to wow just about anyone: who doesn’t love a good Caesar salad? The intention of a first course is to open your taste buds with some spice, and to set the mood for the rest of the dinner. This Caesar salad recipe is full of amazing flavours: the anchovy gives it its necessary body, while the capers add a ‘je ne sais quoi’ of earthy flavor. We use canola oil because it’s neutral in flavor, where olive oil can overpower the dressing.  Use a very fresh egg, as that will take away any concern …Read more

A great Mother’s Day tradition

A little relaxation, a warm sunny day and well behaved kids – I do not think that I am asking for too much this Mother’s Day! Some moms will be taken out for brunch, some will be served breakfast in bed. But I will have the pleasure of making buttermilk pancakes with my kids. They are super easy to make and so much more satisfying than the boxed varieties …Read more

Vinaigrettes drizzled over spring

Our feet are now firmly planted in the spring season. The first asparagus, wild leeks and soon-to-be-seen fiddleheads are (in a chef’s world) definitely the most exciting part about this time of year. And what better way to celebrate this than combining grilled vegetables and fresh Spring Onion Vinaigrette.

In most grocery stores we see an entire aisle dedicated to pre-made processed salad dressing, which, in …Read more

Time for some salty language

This week we thought we would take this column in a new direction. Our other articles have focused on a recipe and the inspiration behind it, but this week we would like to answer the number-one question that is posed to us on most nights that we work, the salt question: What kind of salt should I use? Kosher, table, or sea salt? When and where should I use a …Read more

Where gourmet meets fast food

Is there really such a thing as a gourmet 30-minute meal? Can a meal made at home be faster than Chinese take-out? The answer is a resounding ‘yes!’

We are always on the lookout for something a little different than the usual cycle of beef-pork-chicken-and sometimes fish. We also enjoy exposing our clients to meats and vegetables that they have never tried …Read more

This sandwich brings life to a party

When not cooking fabulous four-course meals at our clients’ homes for interactive dinner parties, Jody and I are always looking to use up what is in our refrigerator, producing something that is homemade, delicious and can keep well or be frozen to take in the kid’s (or husband’s) lunch the next day. It is an economical way of eating, using up leftovers in a unique way.

We needed an idea for a ‘party’ sandwich to bring along to picnics, luncheons and brunches, and in the back of my mind I remembered this ‘rolled sandwich’ that was sold at a place I worked at in Calgary many …Read more

There’s always room for chocolate

Easter weekend is upon us. A time for families and friends to be together and, as far as our families are concerned, the weekend revolves around food, from fish and chips on Good Friday to village sausage and homemade Ukrainian Easter bread on Sunday. Be it the Easter ham, the spring turkey or whatever meal you enjoy with the family, one thing will be certain: this weekend the Easter Bunny will come calling and with his visit there will definitely be mass quantities of chocolate in all of its amazing forms:  bunnies, chicks, mini-eggs …

So what to do with that extra chocolate bunny that seems to stick around for the next couple of weeks? This triple chocolate bread pudding will take on any type of chocolate bunny that you want to devour. I would even be tempted toss in a few mini-eggs. If by chance there are no leftover bunnies use some good quality chocolate; our favourite is Lindt, which you can find a great selection of at Vincenzo’s in Waterloo.

Bread options include croissants, sour dough or leftover sweet egg bread.
Feel free to make this dessert and freeze it, then you can enjoy it when you are ready for chocolate again.

Triple Chocolate Bread Pudding

• Butter, as needed
• 4 L cubed bread (see options above)
• 6 whole eggs
• 750 ml 10% cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup milk chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup white chocolate, chopped

For Chocolate Sauce

• 1 cup of milk chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup 35% cream
• 2 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350F;

Generously butter oven proof baking dish (9×13) and fill with cubed bread. Set aside;

Whisk together cream, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg;

Sprinkle chocolates over bread cubes, and then pour custard mixture over the entire dish;

Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes until golden brown. Let stand 10- 15 minutes. Serve with chocolate sauce.

Chefs Kirstie Herbstreit and Jody O’Malley are both Red Seal certified chefs. Together they run the company YouCanCook2, specializing in interactive dinner parties. You can also find them cooking at Entertaining Elements in St. Jacobs, where they hold private dinners for eight people. To contact the chefs, visit their website www.youcancook2.com.

Steak-ing a claim on the BBQ season

We were thinking that we should keep cooking on our “Spring” kick, even though the weather really does not feel like it yet. We have hung up our winter jackets and replaced them with spring coats. It might be a bit much to sport our shorts and hold a beer coolie in the backyard to barbeque but we can take a beautiful steak and pan sear it indoors. Put some beer in a cooler, invite over some friends and enjoy this Red Wine Marinated Top Sirloin and wait for the warm weather to come around! …Read more

Bring some spring into the kitchen

It might be a bit premature to announce that “spring has sprung,’ but it is not too early to feel that way when preparing dishes in the kitchen. This time of year, we are all getting sick of long, slow cooking, heating up the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good braised dish, but I like to switch up my heartier meals with something a little lighter … a little something that reminds us that barbeque season is just …Read more