Recipes, tips and reviews
These recipes are developed, tested and re-tested until perfect. Try one at home tonight.
I used the Japanese Kuri squash which is a fiery red colour. It roasts well. You can use any drier variety of squash for this curry.
The best Scottish shortbread handed down through my family. Crumbly, sweet and buttery.
This dish has a salty, savoury sauce with a little bit of a kick. If you don't want the spice of the jalapenos, leave it out, and finely diced onion can be used instead of the shallots.
This is the one hors d’oeuvre that I keep being asked for time and time again. It’s crunchy, creamy, spicy and hits all the high spots.
Mushrooms and squash have a real affinity and this soup proves it. I like to use oyster mushrooms, but chanterelles, which I found at the supermarket this week, provide the best flavour.
The fifth taste, umami, has much to do with glutamate, an amino acid found in such foods as prosciutto, soy sauce and a number of cheeses. Umami can show up in your glass, too (fermentation is glutamate’s old friend).
When this recipe originally ran in The Globe and Mail, I received a lovely note from reader Barbara Zuchowicz. This dish reminded her of a wonderful meal she had in Italy: "It brought back joyful memories of a trip to Italy my late husband, an exceptional cook, and I took a number of years ago.
Sue Devor – Gail’s honorary aunt – is an extraordinary baker. During Gail’s childhood, Sue would make her favourite decadent chocolate meringue cookies every Passover. Today, no Passover is complete in Gail’s home without them. These addictive cookies are a little crispy on the outside with a gooey, chewy chocolate centre.
Read MoreFor the best stock, use chicken backs and necks and add a few wings for extra flavour. (Remember to save and freeze any uncooked necks or bones from other chicken recipes; they will keep in the freezer for up to six months.) You can also throw in stalks from any kind of mushroom, which enriches the flavour. To keep your stock light in colour, use uncooked chicken on the bone; stock made from cooked chicken (such as a roasted chicken carcass) will be deeper in colour.
Read MoreThis is a very simple but full-flavoured mousse. You could also make it with strawberries, wild blueberries or cherries.
Read MoreGinger lemon meringue tart is a festive twist on the classic pie. The big challenge when it comes to making a meringue tart is the meringue's tendency to separate from the filling and ooze liquid. To ensure that this won't happen, avoid making the topping too far in advance. The way of making a non-weeping meringue by cooking cornstarch and water together comes from The Baker's Dozen Cookbook . You will need most of a 350-gram package of ginger cookies or can use pre-baked short-crust pastry if you wish.
Read MoreSurround the brownies on this platter, which can be used to serve four or 44, with fruit and sauces in separate bowls. I like dulce de leche, chocolate sauce (recipe below) and a fruit purée (recipe below), usually strawberry. Choose three different types of ice cream and place them in chilled containers. Use berries too if they're available.
Read MoreThis is not only a good example of a drop cookie, but it is also the definitive chocolate cookie - with chocolate in the dough and chocolate chunks distributed throughout the cookie. It is always first to go on a tray of mixed cookies.
Read MoreMade with pancetta, eggs, cheese and cream, carbonara is soaked in tradition. Young chefs, such as Francesco Apreda at the stunning Imago restaurant in the Hassler hotel (the best meal we had in Rome), are putting their own spin on this quintessential Roman dish. I adapted this recipe from the dish he made for us with quail and quail eggs. If you can find boned quail, use 12 ounces finely chopped (instead of the chicken) and the yolks of 12 quail eggs.
Read MoreThis recipes come from chef Marcus Samuelsson's new restaurant Red Rooster in Harlem. In the South, yardbird refers to a chicken that has never been cooped up.The shake will enhance beef, potatoes, rice, roast chicken, cooked vegetable mixtures and corn.
Read MoreHand pies are the name for individual pies folded into triangles or half moons. When folding, make sure that you don't get the blueberry filling right on the edge or you won't get a good seal. These may leak slightly, but are still mouthwatering.
Read MoreWhile there are many versions of chimichurri, it's always spicy, herbal and fresh. This version is used both as a baste for the lamb and as a finished sauce. Use a bone-in lamb leg for maximum flavour. The thickness of the meat affects the timing so have a meat thermometer handy. For medium rare, it should read 140 F at the thickest part.
These moist, chocolaty squares have a welcome hit of raspberry for contrast. They freeze well and only take about 30 minutes to come back to room temperature, which makes them ideal for packing in lunchboxes.
Read MoreThis is the definitive chocolate monster-chunk cookie, with chocolate in the dough and chocolate chunks distributed throughout, adapted to be gluten-free. It's an irresistible combination of chocolatey tastes and textures.
Read MoreThis recipe is adapted from one provided by Danielle Locke (www.deelishdesserts.com), who sells her gluten-free baked goods at the farmers' market in Belleville, Ont. This is her most popular cake, slightly adapted for home bakers.
Read MoreDensities, a one-step square, taste like a super-rich, moist brownie, only denser and even more luxurious. The intense chocolate-y taste gives a real high to chocolate lovers. My kids rate this an 11 out of 10.
Read MoreAfter many rich meals over the holiday season, a light and spicy one-bowl soup is just the thing to refresh and restore the overindulged body. If you wish, you can use salmon or shrimp instead of chicken. The garnish is important for both the look and taste.
Read MoreIn his travel guide/cookbook /restaurant guide, Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making and Delicious Food Wherever You Are, Ed Levine delves into everything from pizza ovens to chocolate chip cookies.
This is no ordinary chocolate mousse. The spiced syrup lifts it from the mundane to the spectacular.
Read MoreThis is a French version of lemon meringue pie. It is lighter and more tart than the familiar one we all know and love. The difference is that a tart lemon curd is used as the filling and the meringue is cooked on a slow heat rather than a high one.
Read MoreThis mousse is not only mouthwatering but it stays together beautifully. I usually make it a week ahead of time, freeze it and defrost slowly in the refrigerator.
Read MoreThis pastry is very rich but the lime zest cuts the richness and works well with the cherry flavour.
Read MorePowered by Squarespace.
© 2018, Lucy Waverman.
