I’ve noticed a trend going around lately of having small, personal desserts. Gone are the days of a piece of cake, everyone wants their own miniature dessert. We no longer have just the cake for dessert, we have dessert stations with individual miniature trifles, pies, cakes and cookies.
Archive for the ‘Mizuna’ Category
06.16.11 /
Pie-In-A-Jar
06.09.11 /
Kids and Cooking
Once per year, I have the amazing opportunity to teach cooking classes at a middle school in Surrey for a week. I have long believed that children should be in the kitchen from an early age and learn not only everyday recipes but be educated on how our ingredients come to our tables and why it is important to make food from scratch. So, when I set out to put together my curriculum for this year, I determined that the kids would learn difficult recipes and that it would all be hands on.
06.02.11 /
Spot Prawn Festival
One of the joys of living in BC is that once per year we get to enjoy seven blissful weeks of spot prawns. They are a local delicacy and for good reason! Spot prawns are caught just off of our coast and they are sweet, flavourful and a beautiful pink colour. I haven’t tried this yet, but I have heard that they are so good you can eat them raw right off the boat!
04.07.11 /
A Perfect Amuse Bouche
At a lot of our plated dinners, I offer an amuse bouche (a little something to amuse your taste buds with before the meal begins). My favourite one is our pan seared Digby scallop served over kale with double smoked bacon and sherry. This is always a great way to start a delicious meal.
Here is a recipe for Bacon and Kale Seared Digby Scallops (serves 4)
4 Digby scallops*
1 bunch of Kale – leaf removed from stem and cut into bite size pieces
3 oz of double smoked bacon, small diced
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
*If you are unable to get fresh digby scallops, buy ones that have been individually quick frozen. Once thawed, place between paper towels so that all excess liquid is removed from them.
03.31.11 /
The Food Culture in NYC
As mentioned in a previous blog, at the end of February I took a trip to New York City to work with a local catering company for a few days. The great thing about this trip is that I got to stay right in Manhattan in the Meat Packing District in a small studio apartment. I feel like I got the true New York experience this time around. I got to choose my favourite places and not be the “tourist” that goes to the Statue of Liberty and Times Square (although I did indulge in these things as well).
What really struck me about Manhattan, is that there is such a strong food culture. New restaurants pop up and close daily. It seems like no one eats at home. Every restaurant I went to was packed, even at odd hours of the day, and there was always a waiting list. People stay for hours and eat a ton of food. It’s never about a quick bite. In a way, the whole thing was very European. Eat late, have a few courses, enjoy good conversation, be loud!
