I have a saying: "You can't choose your family, but you can choose your dinner guests. I do think my family makes up the majority of my blog readership, however, so I'd better be careful what I say! So let me tactfully start by saying honestly that I love cooking for family. As … [Read more...] about Dinner Party Menu Ideas, from Indian Ven Pongal or Lamb Saag to Ancho Chili-Rubbed Salmon with Sweet Chili Hollandaise
Desserts
Double Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Gluten-free and dairy-free do not mean delicious-free. In my case it certainly doesn't always mean pretty. I mean, did you see my photo above? But with vanilla cupcakes filled with sticky butterscotch and topped with a caramel buttercream, dairy-free and gluten-free are … [Read more...] about Double Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Anise Biscotti with Chickpea Flour
I'm not sold on these...I was hoping the nut flavour of the chickpea flour would work with with biscotti, which are often made with almonds, hazelnuts or other toasted savoury options. And I was hoping the anise flavour would work with fennel seeds. I was wrong on both … [Read more...] about Anise Biscotti with Chickpea Flour
Gluten-free Dairy-Free Vanilla Bean Jelly Roll Cake with Maple Marshmallow Frosting
Every now and then life needs a little whimsy, and nothing does it for me better than over-the-top cakes. Now, I can't actually eat of the incredible concoctions on my favourite eye-candy blog, Sprinkle Bakes, but I sure am good at adapting the recipes for when I want a sugar … [Read more...] about Gluten-free Dairy-Free Vanilla Bean Jelly Roll Cake with Maple Marshmallow Frosting
Thumbprint Cookies and Slow-cooker Sugar-free Raspberry Jam
What I learned from a rotary evaporator was that reducing liquids at very low temperatures saves their flavour. Not that the rotary evaporator stood in front of a classroom of able-minded cooks and told me that. Instead, I tasted it in the spherified orange juice that looked like … [Read more...] about Thumbprint Cookies and Slow-cooker Sugar-free Raspberry Jam
Thanksgiving 2012 – The Photos
Wow. What a dinner. The brined turkey tasted like amazing pho' broth soaking into the most tender meat. The stuffing with gluten-free bread absorbed it all too, with just a little smokiness (others said. I couldn't taste the smoke), maybe from the oven, which was smoking, or from … [Read more...] about Thanksgiving 2012 – The Photos
Bourbon and Maple Syrup-Soaked Japanese Pears (and Peaches)
At the Columbia City Farmers Market in Seattle I met a man selling Japanese cucumbers. Now, I have a friend in Montreal who asked me to grow him Japanese cucumbers once because they're impossible to find there. So when I saw them at the market, I was intrigued. They're less … [Read more...] about Bourbon and Maple Syrup-Soaked Japanese Pears (and Peaches)
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
What the heck is apple butter? Is it apple-flavoured butter? What do you do with it? These are all valid questions. Here are the answers: Apple butter is just apple butter cooked down to a spreadable, sort of butter-like consistency. It is not butter at all, thus is not … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Sleeping Problems, My Roommate, and Apple Pie in a Jar
One of the problems with making a lot of jam is you end up with a lot of half bottles of jam in your fridge, and if you're any good at making jam, you'll want to eat them. Now, I'm not a toast-in-the-morning kind of person because of the whole gluten thing, so I've discovered … [Read more...] about Sleeping Problems, My Roommate, and Apple Pie in a Jar
Homogenizers, Pacojets, and Other Things You Only See Online
You can buy lots of amazing gourmet food online. You can also choose to buy the equipment online that makes it amazing, and make your own. Well, sometimes you can. Like a dehydrator. You can buy a dehydrator to make crackers or fruit jerky, for example, but a pacojet and a … [Read more...] about Homogenizers, Pacojets, and Other Things You Only See Online