Recipes, tips and reviews
These recipes are developed, tested and re-tested until perfect. Try one at home tonight.
I used the Japanese Kuri squash which is a fiery red colour. It roasts well. You can use any drier variety of squash for this curry.
The best Scottish shortbread handed down through my family. Crumbly, sweet and buttery.
This dish has a salty, savoury sauce with a little bit of a kick. If you don't want the spice of the jalapenos, leave it out, and finely diced onion can be used instead of the shallots.
This is the one hors d’oeuvre that I keep being asked for time and time again. It’s crunchy, creamy, spicy and hits all the high spots.
Mushrooms and squash have a real affinity and this soup proves it. I like to use oyster mushrooms, but chanterelles, which I found at the supermarket this week, provide the best flavour.
The fifth taste, umami, has much to do with glutamate, an amino acid found in such foods as prosciutto, soy sauce and a number of cheeses. Umami can show up in your glass, too (fermentation is glutamate’s old friend).
When this recipe originally ran in The Globe and Mail, I received a lovely note from reader Barbara Zuchowicz. This dish reminded her of a wonderful meal she had in Italy: "It brought back joyful memories of a trip to Italy my late husband, an exceptional cook, and I took a number of years ago.
The crisp crackle of Peking Duck skin is one of my favourite tastes and textures. My mother used to make Peking Duck at home. She would hang the duck from a hook, place a fan near it and leave it until the skin dried out (usually 24 hours).
Read MoreServe either hot or cold, cut in wedges. You can vary the fillings—try leek and bacon, smoked salmon and chives—but the method stays the same. Use your largest skillet. Smaller ones work, but the mixture takes longer to cook.
Read MoreYou can make this crumble with one fruit or with as many as you have available—peaches, apricots and plums are a wonderful combination. When the sauce is served with the crumble, the result is outstanding, but for an even more delicious sensation, top with vanilla ice cream.
This makes lots of filling. Serve some over rice for dinner. Serve samosas as an hors-d'oeuvre with chutney or combine grated cucumber and yogurt together with some coriander to make a raita dipping sauce.
Read MoreThis brunch dish is inspired by a sublime dish from Thomas Troupin of La Menuiserie in Belgium. He competed in this year’s S.Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year Cooking Cup in Venice and walked away with the People’s Choice Award.
Read MoreThis dish was inspired by a Spanish rice, lobster and truffle dish I tasted recently. Since truffles are very hard to come by, I substituted them for a drop of truffle oil.
Read MoreBlack chickpeas are grown in Puglia, Italy and have an earthier taste than the white ones. They are generally available at specialty stores. Use regular chickpeas if you can’t find them.
Read MoreQuenelles are an oval shaped, delicate fish mousse often served as a first course.
Read MoreThe addition of celery root with the mushrooms gives this risotto extra layers of flavour. If celery root is unavailable substitute fennel.
Read MoreFresh tomatoes are abundant at this time of year and when cooked make a superb, savoury tomato sauce. When buying ground beef remember, the more coarsely the meat is ground, the more flavour the ragu will have.
Read MoreSour cherries are easy to pit. Just squeeze the pits out with your fingers. If you use frozen, pitted cherries, drain them well after defrosting.
Read MoreWhen I was in Singapore recently, I sampled some lovely curries. They were Indian in flavour, though not entirely, with some spicing from other parts of the Asian world.
Read MoreBasmati rice flavoured with raisins, allspice and cinnamon is the perfect accompaniment. Okra is in season right now and roasted okra (10 minutes at 350 F) is terrific with this, too.
Read MoreIf you cannot find the small blue or prune plums, then use apples. I have been disappointed in the prune plums this year, which are large and very sour. The small ones have been much better.
Read MoreA great cheesecake with a hint of pumpkin. Cooling in the oven prevents the top from cracking. However, if it does crack, spread whipped cream over the whole top instead of piping rosettes.
Read MoreHave the butcher remove the backbone and breastbone of the turkey. Laying the turkey flat makes it cook much more quickly and evenly. It also carves much better.
Read MoreI can now say from experience that it is very difficult to cook on the water and keep your equilibrium. Smiles, however, remained steady as he prepared this memorable seafood soup. He didn’t win, but he made Canada proud.
Read MoreA superb fall tart served as a first course with a small salad or as part of a brunch or lunch menu. Ideally, use a Sicilian eggplant as it has a soft custardy texture
Read MoreA great vegetable combination, which all cooks together. Make ahead of time and reheat in an oven at 350 F for 15 minutes.
Read MoreToasted quinoa adds a nice crunch to this dish. (Panko would also work well.) Serve with wilted spinach if desired.
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© 2018, Lucy Waverman.
