Monday, October 25, 2010

Fig Tarte Tatin

We luckily had a week long run of sunny weather which provided just enough warmth for some of the figs from our backyard tree to ripen. I mentioned in a previous post that seven years ago I picked out and planted a beautiful brown turkey fig tree that is a prolific producer of richly flavoured figs… as long as you live in California. The Vancouver summers are just not long or warm enough to guarantee an ample and consistent crop. Over the years my yields have increased (slightly) and on a good year I might get enough of these beauties to make jam, fig sauce for chicken and pork, figs for a half dozen pizzas with prosciutto and blue cheese and a fig tart or two. Continue reading →

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Mushroom Lasagna with Radicchio and Rosemary

My trip to the Trout Lake Farmer’s Market this past Saturday morning was the highlight of the weekend. The weather was beautiful, both Max and Glen happily agreed to walk there with me, and once we arrived Glen even stood in line (he usually hates lineups) to buy me a ham and cheese buckwheat crêpe from the crêpe guy.

In addition to the great company there were all of the amazing fall fruits and vegetables on display.  I always like to do one walk through the market and check out what everyone is offering and then go back and do my buying on round two. I noticed that in addition to the the lady who sells the organic cultivated mushrooms there were two other guys selling some really wonderful wild chanterelle and pine mushrooms. I bought some from each vendor. Then I spied the most beautiful, vibrant elongated radicchio and it reminded me of a recipe that I used to make fairly often, a mushroom and radicchio lasagna with rosemary. Continue reading →

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Monday, October 18, 2010

A Trip to the Farmer’s Market

Quince, destined for jam.

It was a truly glorious weekend here in Vancouver. Sunny skies, time with my beautiful family, our dog happy to be home after a two day stint at the vet, dinner with friends and an inspirational trip to the farmer’s market on Saturday afternoon. Here are some photos of what I picked up, all of which will be making an appearance in some upcoming recipes… soon!

Butternut squash, destined for ravioli with mascarpone cheese and fried sage leaves.

Trevisio radicchio destined for a wild mushroom lasagna with rosemary, cream and Parmesan cheese.

Celeriac destined for a celeriac rémoulade.

Cipollini onions destined for cipollini agrodolce with roasted chicken.

Chanterelle mushroom destined for a mushroom lasagna with radicchio, rosemary and cream.

Happy Monday! Happy cooking!

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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Salmon Provençal

Sorry that it has been a bit quiet around here the last while. Truth is, I have barely cooked in two weeks so there was very little to share.

Last week Glen had a hiatus from work and so the two of us took a mini vacation to Las Vegas. Now, Las Vegas is not at the top of my list of vacation destinations. However…  Glen loves Vegas. And I love Glen. And so I go with Glen to Las Vegas. Continue reading →

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Monday, October 4, 2010

Upside-Down Italian Prune Plum Cake

My neighbourhood in Vancouver is fondly known as “The Drive” and living just off of Commercial Drive has a number of culinary perks. For one, there are 19 coffee bars in the span of 22 blocks and so a very good espresso is always just a block or two away. The very best Parmigiano Reggiano in all of the city (in my humble opinion) can be found a mere 5 blocks from my house and then there is the amazing array of imported pastas and prosciutto, smoked meats and fragrant olive oils to be had. At Norman’s Market, which is just a block away, the fall figs are now in great abundance and the tiny artichokes and bulbs of fall fennel and fuzzy, fragrant quince are beginning to appear. And then there are the Italian prune plums. Continue reading →

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Friday, October 1, 2010

Onion Tarts with Tomato Confit, Goat Cheese and Pesto

The birthday party for my parents on Sunday night was a big success. They invited some very lovely friends, and there was plenty of animated conversation, lots of laughs, a few cocktails, and some good food. Mom and Dad were happy.

We started out with some drinks and a few hors d’oeuvres. As I get older I have come to realize that less really is more when it comes to the appetizers. You don’t want people to be so stuffed from the array of snacks presented that they feel overwhelmed by the time the first course arrives before them. You really do want people to feel a bit hungry when they sit down at the table. Continue reading →

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Tomato Confit for a Birthday Dinner

I am hosting a dinner party tonight to celebrate the birthdays of my Mom and Dad. My Dad turned 70 (!) last Wednesday and my Mom was right behind him with her 69th on Friday. They have invited three couples to join them for a low key dinner at my house.

Happy birthday Mom and Dad! Continue reading →

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Monday, September 20, 2010

Seared Ahi Tuna with Green Olive Relish and Smashed Scallion Potatoes

Last weekend was the first weekend in months that we were actually in the city and had no outside commitments. On Saturday it was great to start getting caught up on things around the house and in the garden as well as take care of a whole bunch of errands. By 5:00 pm we were finally on our way to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner. It needed to be healthy, not too pricey and quick to prepare as we wouldn’t be home until after 6 pm and by that time the three of us would be starving.

I think it is always good to have a few stand-by recipes, stashed in your head, that are so straightforward and simple to make you can shop and cook without needing to consult a recipe .  I’m not a huge advocate of every meal being a super simple “30 minute meal” as I believe that good food often takes some time but sometimes I need something quick and easy to prevent me from pulling out my file of take-out menus! Continue reading →

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