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.
Heston Blumenthal at Home is a cookbook for foodies, yet the mouthwatering recipes are well-chosen and not as daunting as you might think. This sea bass with vanilla butter is one of the easiest but delivers unbelievable flavour.
Read MoreLoose mince
Read MoreGrowing up, kale was about the only local green available in winter. Even though there is much more to be had today, kale still holds a place of honour. Scottish bacon is meatier and smokier than our Canadian version; I find thick-cut double smoked is a good substitute
Read MoreThese sweetbreads have a spicy kick and make the perfect appetizer for ringing in the Year of the Dragon on Monday.
Read MoreAs the fin-to-tail trend takes hold, whole fish are becoming a staple in restaurants.
Read MoreI use canned beans here but you can cook your own. Serve this exceptionally tasty dish with greens. It also makes a good first course.
Read MoreHarira is the thick, wholesome Moroccan soup eaten at sundown on Ramadan and it includes lamb, sometimes chicken, spices and herbs. This is my much quicker vegetarian version, lighter but still full flavoured. Soak the chickpeas overnight so they cook in the time available or use a drained can stirred in 20 minutes before the end of cooking. If the soup gets too thick, add a little extra water, as needed.
Read MoreServe as a side dish with sautéed spicy pork or combine with pasta for a main course. I sometimes process them into a purée and serve as a side with meat or chicken. You can use fava or broad beans too.
Read MoreToasted cheese sandwiches are a comforting favourite and this take, as a heart-shaped accompaniment to salad, makes a impressive first-course option. Plus, you can make it all ahead of time.
Read MoreThis is no ordinary chocolate mousse. The spiced syrup lifts it from the mundane to the spectacular.
Read MoreHere’s a Valentine’s Day dessert you won’t have to fight over: The warm cardamom-spiked sauce over icy berries will satisfy a white-chocolate lover, while the crunchy dark-chocolate almond bark is a cocoa-driven classic for the purist in your pair.
Read MoreThis fondue is made without oil. The beef and seafood is simmered in flavoured stock – rather like a Mongolian hot pot. You can change the flavourings to your taste.
Read MoreThis dish is a composed salad with all the elements served separately. Until you’ve tried pickled fennel you don’t know what you are missing. Leave the fennel in the pickling liquid for up to a week if you’re not using it right away.
Duck breasts take well to Italian seasonings. Serve with a mixture of sugar snap and snow peas. Slow-cooking in the oven gives the breast a more delicate texture.
Read MoreTo make this gluten-free, replace the flour with rice flour. You can toast almonds at 375 F (190 C) for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. With Demerara sugar, cornmeal and almonds, the topping has a nice crunch.
Read MoreCasa Mun is a serene restaurant in Buenos Aires that serves outstanding Asian food with a dash of Californian cuisine. Chef Mun Kim is a former banker from Los Angeles who was obsessed with creating fine food.
Read MoreA few times a month, Karen Viva-Haynes, a Cordon Bleu trained chef, serves dinner in her catering kitchen. She cooks seasonal, local food with great skill. The night we were there, the conversation flowed among the 14 guests along with the incredible eight courses of food. This is the appetizer she served us.
Read MoreThis recipe was an instant hit to the taste buds – we all begged for more. Dan Perlman of Casa SaltShaker suggests serving this as an appetizer. One egg per person is sufficient but use two eggs per person if you want to make it a main course. The bottled tomato purée called passata works best.
Read MoreThis is one of these desserts that separates into layers giving it a crust, a filling and a topping. It is easy to make and always impresses. It makes an extra one for second helpings or eating out of the fridge next morning.
Read MoreThe butter poaching gives a luxurious taste to the salmon and moistens it as well as self saucing. Serve over wilted baby spinach and pair with crunchy sugar snap peas to contrast with the richness.
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© 2018, Lucy Waverman.
