MissWattson

I'm finally back with the results of the Chile paste. I got to try the Guizhou chile paste on a lot of different foods - a Chinese New Year noodle dish, on a mild thai chicken dish, and on potatoes. The verdict? Flaming lips-hot. Not a whole lot of flavour to the heat, but very, … [Read more...] about Chile Paste Verdict

"Cooking is an addictive game, one that is gourmet and so very sensual....Enjoyment is the key word of this book, one I've wanted to write for a long time and which is my own way of receiving you all at my table." -Josée di Stadio, À La di Stasio Before I moved to Montreal I met … [Read more...] about Lentil Stew: “À La di Stasio”

Getting a new cookbook makes me really excited. Opening it is like waking up on Christmas morning again and again because with each page turn there's a new recipe you didn't see before. I actually did get this book for Christmas, though, thus making Christmas even better. … [Read more...] about Guizhou Chile Paste: “Beyond the Great Wall”

Funny, none of my recipe books have a recipe for rabbit. Or wabbit...Not even, ironically, my Looney Spoons Cookbook. So I figured it's a white meat, but maybe closer to veal than chicken and looked for appropriate recipes. Basically I had red wine left over so I looked for a … [Read more...] about Slow-Cooker Rabbit with Smashed Potatoes and Swiss Chard

On my last chance, I added another 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder and another tsp. of dijon mustard. It made everything better. On the downside, I have about a tbsp of kozlik's dijon left and no way to sample my next dijon mini-investment until I get back to Toronto, whenever that is. … [Read more...] about I fixed the potato salad!

You know how potatoes kind of taste like nothing? It's a sad fact that most people probably don't think potatoes have a flavour besides maybe "starchy", and I hardly call that a flavour. The fact that you need to coat them in a large amount of some kind of fat to make them worth … [Read more...] about Potato Salad with Flavour

This is a variation on my favourite salad dressing/rice noodle/sweet potato noodle dressing/vegetable dip or sauce. Versatile? Yes: 2 tbsp. green onions (white part only) 1 tbsp. miso (I use white, but every kind adds a different flavour to your dish) 2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce … [Read more...] about Miso Vinaigrette

This is a variation on Judith Finalyson's "Slow Cooker Recipes". You don't have to use New Mexico Chili Pepper for this but, it works really well. Ancho might giv you more of a chocolatey taste. This was probably the best soup I've ever made, and I've made a lot of … [Read more...] about Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

This is a wonderful way to roast a chicken. A little more complicated than Mireille Guiliano's 4 ingredients (chicken, shallot, champagne, herb of choice), but oh so very much worth it. As huge as the ingredient list is, though, I didn't have to buy a single thing, except the … [Read more...] about Murgh Musallam: Whole Chicken Baked in Aluminum Foil

I've been living in my apartment for 4 months, but not until now was there a dinner party. I wanted it to be simple, elegant and relaxed. So it started with cremini mushrooms, sautéed until their liquid evaporated, then drizzled with lemon juice and tarragon, and finally placed … [Read more...] about Chicken au Champagne with Mashed Celeriac, Balsamic Braised Fennel, and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette