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Finished in the Geo Fo, and served with a red potato and a...

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:10:07 -0700

Finished in the Geo Fo, and served with a red potato and a simple salad topped with more fresh berries and a lot of the sauce - it was absolutely ruh-tahded. Experimentation FTW!

An experiment is in the oven right now - pork chops with garlic...

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:30:00 -0700

An experiment is in the oven right now - pork chops with garlic and rosemary on a layer of bacon, some red pepper jelly, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a splash of rum and some of the rasp and gooseberries. This merits a before and after. I’ll keep you posted.

I just had a yumgasm. Free-range organic Chicken a la Hez...

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:03:08 -0700

I just had a yumgasm.

Free-range organic Chicken a la Hez (pan-seared in a bit of butter with fleur de sel, cracked pepper, fresh rosemary and a squeeze of lemon) served with steamed green beans tossed with some toasted garlic and a nice red potato.

Here’s what I made tonight: Grilled chicken (seasoned with...

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:45:00 -0700

Here’s what I made tonight:

Grilled chicken (seasoned with fleur de sel, cracked pepper, fresh rosemary and lemon juice) on romaine lettuce with avocado, white nectarines, blueberries and crumbled maple bacon. It didn’t need any dressing - just a final squeeze of lemon.

Served with a nice dark Irish soda bread from Uprising Breads bakery, it was seriously out of this world.

Cherries, cheese, crackers and chardonnay! Mmmm!

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:43:00 -0700

Cherries, cheese, crackers and chardonnay! Mmmm!

Anna makes an amazing chicken soup!

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:21:16 -0700

Anna makes an amazing chicken soup!

Fresh sage, oregano and rosemary from Shelley’s garden....

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:05:31 -0700

Fresh sage, oregano and rosemary from Shelley’s garden. I’m going to cut them up, mash them into some butter and they’ll be smeared on the roast chicken she’s making for my belated birthday dinner! More pics to follow!

Tom Yum Hez

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:25:18 -0700

My first solo soup, and I decided to be brave and improvise something using the ingredients and Thai spices I had on hand, and miraculously, it worked!

I began by heating some chicken stock I’d been given and mixed in a spoonful of Better than Boullion (because it roullions) to give it even more flavour. Then I added water and half a can of coconut milk, as well as a drizzle of truffle oil for some earthiness. Next, 3 or 4 tablespoons of powdered coconut (more if you have it), a good handful of dried lemongrass (leaving it long rather than cutting it was both an aesthetic and convenient choice - since I don’t eat them, they go back in the pot when I get to the bottom of each bowl), a handful of dried kaffir lime leaves, a few pinches of saffron, a pinch of ground galanga and a handful of slices of dried galanga root, about a tablespoon of sugar, a sprinkle of seasoning salt and fleur de sel, but not more than a sprinkle of each.

Because there was no lemon or lime or cilantro in the fridge, I settled for an envelope of lemon dill flavoring meant for a vegetable dip, which wasn’t as horrifying as I thought it might be. Dill is a serendipitous compromise, because I don’t really like cilantro, I didn’t miss it in the final product, and it went beautifully with the peanut flavours I added right at the end.

When it was time to be bold and add some heat, I spontaneously threw in a whole tablespoon of garlic chili paste, which is significantly hotter than I have ever made anything before, but it ended up being the right choice and balanced the sour flavours perfectly. I let the mixture come to a nice boil stirred in a bit more coconut milk before turning the whole thing down, putting the lid on and letting it quietly simmer overnight (this would be an ideal recipe for a crock pot).

This morning, I turned the heat back up to a low boil, put in the last of the can of coconut milk (a second can would rule) and then stirred in the finishing touch - about two tablespoons of old fashioned peanut butter (regular creamy-style would do, but be much sweeter, obvs).

The end result? Spicy, full of terrific Thai flavour, and amazingly delicious! A resounding - and IMPROVISED - Hezful success!!

This exquisite dish of poached lobster, asparagus, herbed...

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:23:53 -0700

This exquisite dish of poached lobster, asparagus, herbed potatoes and baby veg at Blue Water Cafe followed an equally amazing starter of Kumamoto oysters, tuna goma-e and a glass of Tattinger. Divine!

Ingredients for smoked salmon pasta, as shown below

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:35:03 -0700

Ingredients for smoked salmon pasta, as shown below

Smoked salmon pasta with garlic, lemon and rosemary

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:21:55 -0700

Smoked salmon pasta with garlic, lemon and rosemary

Yesterday’s steak meets yesterday’s salad with a...

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:32:22 -0700

Yesterday’s steak meets yesterday’s salad with a splash of that unbeatable Little Creek dressing and a few frozen blueberries for a fresh, cold surprise in the mouth and a beautiful frosted effect on the plate.

New York Grill with a K-Town Twist

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:23:00 -0700

George Foreman and I are going to have a good time over the next 10 weeks while I’m catsitting at my old elementary school friend Sue’s place as she gets herself acclimatized to her new home in England and prepares to bring over her pets.

I have a couple of New York steaks seasoned with fleur de sel and fresh ground pepper, now marinating in a mixture of truffle oil, the phenomenal Little Creek dressing (something Sue and I both love to cook with, from the town where we both grew up), a sprinkle of Dean & Deluca Herbs for Meat and a bit of unpasteurized honey. Those are going to sit in the fridge for a while and then it’s grillin’ time. I’m going to attempt fancy sear marks - wish me luck.

I’m just going to have a simple side salad topped with some carrot, walnuts, a bit of apple and a dollop more Little Creek. That stuff is amaaazing. Next place I move, I’m bringing as many bottles of the stuff as I can carry.

I sipped a nice glass of 12 yr old Bowmore whiskey as I worked, and here’s the final photo…

The walnuts in the salad went amazingly with the marinade on the steak and the whiskey… it was divine!

Valerie’s after dinner cheese and fruit offering

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:19:38 -0700

Valerie’s after dinner cheese and fruit offering

Lisa’s Ultimate Pork Chops and Gravy with mashed potatoes...

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:15:21 -0700

Lisa’s Ultimate Pork Chops and Gravy with mashed potatoes and mixed veg (serves 4)

Preheat oven to 350 or 375 F

Ingredients: 4 large pork chops, olive oil, 2 chicken oxo cubes, 1 beef oxo cube, 3 cups of water, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 green pepper, a dozen large mushrooms, salt & pepper and one teaspoon each of thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram & rosemary.

Season chops with salt & pepper, then brown in ovenproof pan coated with olive oil. Add stock to chops in pan (or transfer to casserole dish, remembering to add water to pan to loosen the browned bits). Cut onion & green pepper into large pieces and add all seasonings. Garlic cloves may be cut in two or left whole.

Cook covered at 350 for 1/2 hr, then uncover and cook for an additional 1/2 hr, turning chops to brown evenly.

Remove pan from oven, remove chops and strain gravy mixture, making sure to press all the juices from the onion & peppers. Return gravy to pan and thicken with cornstarch.

The recipe says quite clearly, “makes Heather groan”… and it did!

Ham, Cheese, Mushroom and Broccoli Casserole a la Hez (serves...

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:35:00 -0700

Ham, Cheese, Mushroom and Broccoli Casserole a la Hez (serves 4, with leftovers)

Oven should be preheated to 350 F

Mix together 2 cans of condensed mushroom soup, another can of sliced mushrooms (normally I eschew the cans, but casseroles are an exception because everything is mushy) a pressed clove of garlic and I added about a cup of well chopped broccoli (and a lot of the stalk - it’s a casserole, who’s going to care?), season with salt and freshly ground pepper, a dash of onion salt and celery salt each, some grated parmesan, and a couple of splashes of this very nice Vidalia Onion dressing from Oak Hill Farms. Normally if I had some white wine I would also have added this. Heat this mixture in a microwave safe bowl until warm.

At this point I added a bunch of minced up black forest ham that had been bought for sandwiches and needed to be used, and about a cup of grated cheddar and Havarti. I mixed this with the boiled noodles (I only had penne) and spooned it into a greased 2 1/2 qt casserole dish. I topped it with the remaining bit of cheese and a crushed layer of Scandinavian sour cream flavoured kettle chips from IKEA’s Swedish food market.

Bake for 20 - 30 mins, or until topping is golden brown, serve with green salad. Great for using up leftovers!

Beef tenderloin, Yorkshire pudding, yams, potatoes and...

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:53:33 -0700

Beef tenderloin, Yorkshire pudding, yams, potatoes and asparagus. Happy anniversary, Krista & Graeme!

Rosemary and pepper crusted beef tenderloin

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:52:23 -0700

Rosemary and pepper crusted beef tenderloin

Krista’s Yorkshire pudding, piping hot from the oven

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:50:00 -0700

Krista’s Yorkshire pudding, piping hot from the oven

I wish I could remember the name of this wonderful black-wrapped...

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:09:57 -0700

I wish I could remember the name of this wonderful black-wrapped sausage my pal Eddie brought me