I went to a BBQ yesterday and discovered Joy the Baker. No, she was not at the BBQ, but her pretzels were. When someone I know whose baking I respect tells me there's a great baking blog I should check out, I'm no fool. I check it out. This is not her recipe. Her recipes all … [Read more...] about Hero Worship and Birthday Cake: Chestnut Meringue Cupcakes with Beet Buttercream Frosting
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100% Successful Pouding Chomeur
I love pudding cakes. You take all the wonderful things about cake, heat it up and let the icing soak through the cake, giving a higher icing:cake ratio. You can't mess up the consistency of the icing since it's liquid, but it can turn into a gooey, caramel-y sauce when all you … [Read more...] about 100% Successful Pouding Chomeur
“It’s a Jambalaya-laya”: Spicy Lamb Sausage and Chicken
When I lived in Newfoundland my family billeted a choir from Louisiana. Two girls came to stay with us for a few weeks and as a thank-you, the choir threw a big Mardi Gras party for all the host families. That meant tons and tons of food that I'd never seen before. I'd heard of … [Read more...] about “It’s a Jambalaya-laya”: Spicy Lamb Sausage and Chicken
Candy Garlic and Salt-Roasted Zucchini With Deep-Fried Onions: Tiau
What the heck is a tiau? Nobody seems to know. I googled and googled, and then gave up and asked people, and still I have no satisfactory response. Chefs are always coming up with elaborate names for dishes, but I'm sure this one has a history. It's from Josée di Stasio's "A la … [Read more...] about Candy Garlic and Salt-Roasted Zucchini With Deep-Fried Onions: Tiau
One-Ingredient Ice Cream
Know those cookbooks that are called "5-Ingredient Dinners!"? It's the exclamation market that really does it for me - I don't get how people can get so excited by cream of mushroom soup, because inevitably Campbell's is called in to play in these poor excuses for well-rounded … [Read more...] about One-Ingredient Ice Cream
A New Farmers’ Market: Almost “Raw” Banana Cream Pie
You might think I'd be getting farmers' market-ed out by this point. How can I keep up my frenetic pace of purchasing fresh produce? Well, it's not like I buy a week's worth of groceries everywhere I go. I buy one or two items, and only what I need for specific recipes I have … [Read more...] about A New Farmers’ Market: Almost “Raw” Banana Cream Pie
The Peppermaster: Blueberry Miso Vinaigrette
I sampled every single maple- and dairy-free vinegar and sauce at the Peppermaster tent in the Plateau Farmers' Market. That's about 20 different condiments. Afterward, everything burned, and I hadn't liked any of the hot sauces at all, "peppermaster" though he self-proclaimedly … [Read more...] about The Peppermaster: Blueberry Miso Vinaigrette
Refried Beans: “Southwest Slow-Cooking”
How can you slow-cook refried beans? I have a cookbook I never use. Everyone has those, I know, but for me to own a cookbook and never use it there has to be something wrong with it. This one looks so beautiful. I had such high-hopes for it when I got it, but nothing that I've … [Read more...] about Refried Beans: “Southwest Slow-Cooking”
An Experience In Life: Tamale Pie With Chili-Cornmeal Crust
We all have those days, the ones when what should go perfectly smoothly turns into a disaster. I co-host a podcast on Midnight Poutine. It's kind of the highlight of my week. Probably better even than co-hosting the Friday Morning Show After on CKUT Radio (I have some audio … [Read more...] about An Experience In Life: Tamale Pie With Chili-Cornmeal Crust
Vietnamese Hmong Spicy Eggplant
I found a new, wonderful website. It's not new, but it's new to me: VietWorldKitchen. I was reading about pho', but then I saw this recipe, and it basically made my day. Maybe it was a slow day, but, oh, how I love eggplant. I didn't have any scallions or cilantro, and I only … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Hmong Spicy Eggplant