I hate writing that—"simple, quick, healthy." It feels as though I'm suddenly connecting myself with every mom-friendly cookbook thrown into the bargain bin at Chapters. But it's a meal that you put down in front of people and there's nothing scary involved. No blood sausage. No … [Read more...] about Chicken Dijon with Leeks Vinaigrette: Simple, Quick, Healthy
Risotto Cooking Class Montreal: Seafood Risotto and Wild Mushroom Risotto
Slowly. Stir. Breathe. Stir. Blending hot stock into wine, letting the starch create a thick sauce as you coax it from the grains, making sure the bottom doesn’t stick. This isn’t Korean bibimbap. This isn’t Indian biryani. This isn’t Chinese congee. There’s nothing like this, … [Read more...] about Risotto Cooking Class Montreal: Seafood Risotto and Wild Mushroom Risotto
“13 French Desserts”: A Cheater’s Guide to Tradition
What do you do when you find out that France has this crazy tradition of making 13 desserts for a single Christmas meal, you desperately want to add it to your "International Christmas traditions menu" but you really don't feel like making a buche de Noel in addition to 12 other, … [Read more...] about “13 French Desserts”: A Cheater’s Guide to Tradition
Top Travel Trends for Foodies for 2014
My most popular article on Fine Dining Lovers to date, "Food Travel Trends for 2014" is all about taking that exotic vacation you've always (or have never) dreamed of: Trujillo, Peru Amalfi, Italy Goa, India Flushing, NY Ningxia, Taiwan San Francisco, CA Helsinki, Finland Taguig … [Read more...] about Top Travel Trends for Foodies for 2014
Japanese Kentucky “Fried” Chicken
This was by far the crowd favourite at the annual Christmas party. Turns out that KFC is a traditional Christmastime treat in Japan, so I reinvented it for the "International Christmas" menu. If you have time, marinate the chicken overnight instead of 10 minutes beforehand and … [Read more...] about Japanese Kentucky “Fried” Chicken
Jamaican Black Rum Cake
This is a Jamaican version of fruitcake is usually just called "Black Cake," with the dark colour coming from burnt sugar and/or molasses. I decided to do the traditional burnt sugar version. Boy did it burn. That was a bit of a gong-show. And having played in a lot of … [Read more...] about Jamaican Black Rum Cake
British Trifle: Strawberries, Custard and Dairy-free Cream
I've secretly always wanted to make trifle. It's such a rich, creamy, heavenly, luxurious (...) dessert. The ultimate treat. But once lactose intolerance hit about 9 years ago I figured I was SOL. Even when I figured out that coconut cream could be whipped into something that … [Read more...] about British Trifle: Strawberries, Custard and Dairy-free Cream
Bacalhao No Forno: Portuguese Baked Salt Cod
I really thought this was going to be less than spectacular. How great can a recipe seasoned with basically nothing but a sprinkle of parsley and a single bay leaf be? It was awfully silly of me to forget how amazing salt is—even after a day and a half of soaking this fish (my … [Read more...] about Bacalhao No Forno: Portuguese Baked Salt Cod
Dutch Letter Cookies and the Family Name
In the Netherlands, one special Christmas tradition is apparently to make a big cake in the shape of the first letter of the family's last name. That got complicated in my family, where my mom's name is Volk and my father's is Watson. Instead of making two cakes, I figured … [Read more...] about Dutch Letter Cookies and the Family Name
How to Make a Smorgasbord
Gravlax, cheese, cucumber, sweet mustard, pickles, boiled beets, and rye bread - check. Reindeer? Yeah, I couldn't find any of that, but I did find some French Rosette de Lyon sausage that worked alright. And I threw in some Dijon while I was busy being so French. Lutefisk? … [Read more...] about How to Make a Smorgasbord