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.
Surround 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 MoreI have taken some licence in calling this a bouillabaisse because it has no fish in it, but it does have some of the same seasoning. It can be served hot or cold, but the dumplings taste better in hot soup.
Read MoreYou can use canned tomatoes instead of fresh and chicken breasts instead of thighs, but the thighs remain juicier. Include peppers or other vegetables in this recipe if you want. Bayonne ham would be the right ham to use here, but Black Forest is a fine substitute.
Read MoreAccording to recent feedback, many readers feel that strawberries today are tasteless and woody. I agree - about imported varieties that are not in season. But I always advocate local berries, which are full of flavour and fruitiness. Using local fruit from whatever province or state you're in makes a huge difference to a dish. I also make strawberry jam at this time of the year and freeze strawberries crushed in baggies to make strawberry sauces or other dishes later on.
Read MoreMarinate the ribs first, then cook with water in the oven until tender. Glaze when ready and finish on the grill.
Read MoreIf you are making corn on the barbecue, add a few extra ears to make this salad. It can also be made with cooked corn rather than grilled, but that doesn't have the same smoky flavour.
Read MoreThis flaky/tender shortcake is quick to make. To drain the yogurt, place it in a paper-towel-lined strainer and allow to sit for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
Read MoreA riot of flavours, this recipe calls for lots of fried bread, but use only as much as you need. The rest will keep for two weeks in a plastic bag. You can also turn the crusts into dry breadcrumbs. If white anchovies aren't available, soak the regular jarred ones in milk for 15 minutes before chopping.
Whole chicken breasts are ideal for grilling, as the skin doesn't burn and the chicken cooks on the bones. I usually cut the bones away with a small sharp knife when I take them off the grill. Don't worry about the amount of ancho chili powder - it is not as hot as regular chili powder. If you can't find ancho chili powder, replace with two-thirds the quantity of regular chili powder. Serve with sweet potatoes and green peas.
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Full of real cherry flavour, these tarts are my new favourite summer treat. Pitting cherries is a hassle but absolutely worth the effort. The tarts do not freeze well but the pastry does.
Read MoreRubs give added character to beef or chicken, but won't tenderize already tender cuts of meat. Use lots of rub for a spicy zest, less for a more subtle taste.
Read MoreIf you don't have a smoker box, line a metal baking pan with aluminum foil, fill with soaked wood chips, cover with another piece foil and punch holes in the top to let smoke escape.
Read MoreYou can always use a good-quality store-bought barbecue sauce, but this tangy homemade version is a great alternative.
Read MoreThis salad is easy to make and provides an excellent way to use this season's fresh, local green beans.
Read MoreThis salad may be simple to make, but it has lots of great flavour.
Read MoreThese quick-to-make streusel-topped squares melt in your mouth.
Read MoreThis recipe is quick and easy to execute and makes 30 crostini bases, but you can make more if you're serving a hungry group. The slices will keep up to 10 days well sealed in a plastic bag but not refrigerated. If you absolutely do not want to turn on the oven, you can buy excellent crostini at the supermarket.
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This is the hottest dish in New York right now. It was on the menu at Le Caprice and also at April Bloomfield's buzzing new gastropub The Breslin. Now that strawberry season is nearly over, I'm making this dessert with raspberries. You can buy the meringues to make it extra easy. Originally Eton Mess was a famous dessert at Eton School in Britain. It developed because a cook made a meringue that she broke and in trying to figure out some of way serving this to the students, she layered it with cream and fruit.
Read MoreSliders - usually three little meatballs on three little buns - are a huge hit in New York. They are also the most popular dish at Little Owl, the West Village restaurant that serves tasty Mediterranean-influenced food at affordable prices. Since the restaurant has only 32 seats, it takes forever to get a table, but it's well worth the wait. While I was there, chef Joey Campanaro was kind enough to give me the recipe for his gravy meatball sliders. Buy jars of passata (tomato purée) for the puréed tomatoes.
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© 2018, Lucy Waverman.
