Kitchen Staple fresh from the Garden

Burnt chive or scallion oil is a “must have” in any kitchen.  I keep a staple of it in the pantry and use it on a variety of applications from salad dressings to soup garnishes to sautéing vegetables or noodles. Very simple to make.  Heat up a simple flavoured oil like canola or sunflower until … Continue reading »

Secrets to cooking perfect Spot Prawns.

May 5, marks the official start of the Spot Prawn season here in BC for 2012.  Much anticipation builds for this short 6-8 week season that is usually finished by the end of June.  Spot Prawns are indigenous to the Pacific NW and can be found from Alaska to San Diego but account for the … Continue reading »

Secrets to the best wild mushroom soup.

Cloudy days were calling for some comfort foods and wild mushroom soup was the perfect solution.  The market still had some hedgehog mushrooms and I easily rounded up some criminni and shitake’s and the shimeji looked so cute and small.  I still had some dried morels and pine mushrooms that only needed a simple rehydrate … Continue reading »

London Firsts

Visiting london for the first time held almost as much anticipation as visiting Italy.. Those that know me, would argue the jet lag must be in full effect, but London held curiosity to my family tree. I think the food scene is very progressive as they have fought hard to break away the old stereotypes … Continue reading »

Animals eating Animals – Episode 4 – Face Burning Curry

Face burning curry. I love the dialogue, if you love spice you know the pain Jeff is going through.  Priceless. Animals Eating Animals: Episode 4 from ANIMALNewYork.com on Vimeo. http://www.animalnewyork.com/2012/animals-eating-animals-episode-4/ For the fourth episode, Jeff and Jan dropped in on Brick Lane Curry House and competed in the East Village eatery’s notorious Phaal Curry Challenge. … Continue reading »

Espana – Vancouver newest Spanish Restaurant

I have been looking forward to trying out Espana since I heard about it.  Really enjoyed Neil Taylor’s food at Cibo and was anxious to see how he would put his signature on Spanish food. The wine list was tight and focused and true to its spanish roots.  I  started off with a flight of … Continue reading »

Did someone say Burrata?

If you have never tried this cheese before, Burrata is worth finding.  Les Amis du Fromage receives it in fresh every Thursday and its a cheese that needs to be consumed within a day of purchase.  Burrata has a very short shelf life and is at its best when enjoyed fresh. According to Wikipedia: Burrata … Continue reading »

Simple Comfort Food

We had decided to taste some rhone wines to kick off the cooler weather and I was excited to embrace the seasonal savoury comfort of earthy foods once again. I decided on doing some braised leeks and sausage. I love the versatility of leeks as they can impart the needed onionness of a quick sauté, … Continue reading »

Dim Sum by Animals eating Animals

I would definitly want to try the ducks tongue, not too sure about the duck blood dish?  The boneless chicken feet look interesting, and frog is frog.  Cool video. Animals Eating Animals: Episode 3 from ANIMALNewYork.com on Vimeo. http://www.animalnewyork.com/2012/animals-eating-animals-episode-3/

Perfectly cooked Pigs Head, Love it

Great video, its on my list of must try’s. I know The Fat Dragon has this on the menu here in Vancouver. Animals Eating Animals: Episode 2 from ANIMALNewYork.com on Vimeo.

Fois Gras Donuts

I like the video’s these guys are making.

Another use for your fresh BC peaches..

Don’t get me wrong, I love my BC cherries, they’re the opening act on our short lived fruit season.  Then along come peaches, that golden fleshy goodness that happily drips down your chin and highlights the fact our summer is a little too short. The best way to enjoy a fresh ripe peach is to … Continue reading »