There's a surfeit of new speakeasy cocktail bars in Montreal of late, and the first one I checked out was Nhâu Bar, which is the subterranean lair of Hà, the Vietnamese place on McGill St. in the Old Port. There, bartender Tao Zrafi has created an Asian-inspired drinks menu … [Read more...] about The Banana Miso Cocktail by Tao Zrafi at Nhâu Bar in Montreal
Cooking With Booze
Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Risotto
"Rice, say the Italians, is born in water and dies in wine," writes author Margaret Visser in her book Much Depends on Dinner. Would that we could all be so lucky? Hmm...that makes me sound a bit like an alcoholic, when I really just meant that I like swimming... Point … [Read more...] about Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Risotto
Tender Pressure Cooker Calamari with Red Wine-Tomato Sauce (aka a Messy Sunset and How to Clean Squid)
I'm standing at my kitchen counter. Late afternoon light is streaming in through the windows as I take my uncleaned squid tubes and tentacles from the fridge. It was $1 less a pound to buy them uncleaned, with the inky skin, entrails and plastic-like clean quills (it's actually … [Read more...] about Tender Pressure Cooker Calamari with Red Wine-Tomato Sauce (aka a Messy Sunset and How to Clean Squid)
Slow-Cooker Chicken with Fennel, White Wine and Black Olives for Breakfast Television (Plus Malaysian cooking classes and Montreal-made salads from Ma Vitrine Bio)
If you missed my segment on BT Montreal this morning, I was talking about ways to eat healthier, which has nothing to do with endless kale and everything to do with slow-cooker chicken, Malaysian cooking classes and pop-up dinners and shake-and-eat organic grocery store salads … [Read more...] about Slow-Cooker Chicken with Fennel, White Wine and Black Olives for Breakfast Television (Plus Malaysian cooking classes and Montreal-made salads from Ma Vitrine Bio)
How to Make Homemade Crème de Cassis or Blackcurrant Liqueur
This looks kind of gross, I know – kind of like milking blackcurrants. I can also see why you'd think it's blood all over my friend's hands. And yes, our hands were died reddish-purple for the next few days. But the beautiful bottles of homemade crème de cassis in my fridge were … [Read more...] about How to Make Homemade Crème de Cassis or Blackcurrant Liqueur
Bouchées à la Reine: Alsatian Savoury Pastry Stuffed With Chicken, Veal and Mushroom Sauce Suprême
When an Alsatian man told me that the food he missed most from Alsace was Bouchées à la Reine, a buttery pastry filled with a béchamel-type sauce called a sauce suprême, I figured my chances of ever eating it were slim... ...but when his eyes filled with nostalgia and I saw … [Read more...] about Bouchées à la Reine: Alsatian Savoury Pastry Stuffed With Chicken, Veal and Mushroom Sauce Suprême
Inspiration and Bacheoffe: Alsatian Meat and Vegetable Stew
I don't eat a lot of pork or beef, which is why it's a bit strange that a conversation with a recently arrived Alsatian in Montreal inspired me to both buy a Le Creuset casserole (second hand...I don't have that kind of cash) and scour recipe books to get to the heart (pun … [Read more...] about Inspiration and Bacheoffe: Alsatian Meat and Vegetable Stew
Jiro Dreams of Sushi and So Do I: How to Make Nigiri, Sashimi and Aburi Torched Sushi
This sustainably farmed New Zealand salmon was the most beautiful fish I've ever had the privilege of filleting and eating. While famous sushi chef Jiro doesn't demo making salmon sashimi in his book Sushi Chef: Sukiyabashi Jiro, he does go in-depth on the virtues of marbled … [Read more...] about Jiro Dreams of Sushi and So Do I: How to Make Nigiri, Sashimi and Aburi Torched Sushi
Creamy Wild Mushroom and Shrimp Risotto (Dairy Free)
Lactose intolerant? Can't eat Parmesan? Not feeling like drowning yourself in dairy and suffering from a heavy-stomached post-risotto feeling of regret? I love the idea of slow-simmering rice in broth until the starch of the rice makes the dish creamy. The traditional cheese … [Read more...] about Creamy Wild Mushroom and Shrimp Risotto (Dairy Free)
Teriyaki BBQ Unagi (aka How to Cook an Eel)
Did you know that unagi on a sushi menu means eel? There sure ain't no Caterpillar in your Caterpillar roll. Instead, that's generally eel that's been grilled, slathered in teriyaki sauce, vacuum-packed sous vide in plastic, frozen, shipped half way around the world, defrosted … [Read more...] about Teriyaki BBQ Unagi (aka How to Cook an Eel)