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.
Bagna caude is a warm dip from the Piedmont area that traditionally uses olive oil, garlic and anchovies. I like adding roasted tomatoes and a touch of lemon juice to balance the olive oil. To make this dip more substantial, you could include cooked shrimp as a dipper.
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Using healthy edamame gives an Asian flavour to this spread. I use baked dumpling skins for some crunch with the creamy filling. Dumpling skins also work for any kind of spread or even little quiche-like tartlets.
Read MoreIf using fresh chestnuts takes too much time, buy a can or vacuum pack of unsweetened chestnuts and use about 2 cups.
Mashed potatoes are a given for Christmas dinner and these are creamy and full of flavour even with no butter, milk or cream. The answer is lots of garlic and a touch of truffle.
Read MoreRoasting Brussels sprouts gives them exceptional flavour and they are never soggy. This recipe even appeals to those who hate Brussels sprouts because they taste so different.
Read MoreA deeply satisfying chocolate cake without butter, eggs or milk. Use the best bittersweet chocolate you can find and read the ingredient list carefully to make sure it doesn't contain any milk solids.
Use escarole, frisée, Swiss chard, beet tops, arugula, rapini, bok choy or a mixture, removing any tough stem ends. These greens are slightly bitter, but the flavour mellows when they're cooked.
Read MorePolenta can be soft and creamy or very firm depending on the amount of liquid you use. If you make this dish ahead of time, cover with a damp cloth and add in 1/4 cup whipping cream when reheating.
Read MoreBrining will improve the flavour and texture of most pork, even if the meat is inadvertently overcooked. But it isn't necessary with Berkshire pork, which is already tender and flavourful. Make sure the butcher frenches the bones on the rack of pork for you (i.e. cuts away the meat and fat from the bones). Ingredients
Top this soup with a few shrimp and, optionally, a crispy parsnip chip (see recipe for chip below). The potatoes give the soup a thicker texture, but you could replace them altogether with parsnips.
Read MoreTop this soup with a few shrimp and, optionally, a crispy parsnip chip (see recipe for chip below). The potatoes give the soup a thicker texture, but you could replace them altogether with parsnips.
Read MoreThese zesty gelée cubes make a unique topper for oysters.
Read MoreThis cake would be delicious at any time of the year, but I like to serve it instead of Christmas cake because it's so light and moist. Spring form cake pans come in odd sizes, but any size from 9 to 10 inches will work. Store the cake at room temperature in a cake tin.
This take on traditional trifle includes panettone, the Italian holiday cake, which gives it an unusual texture and flavour. Roasting the pears with port and pomegranate juice gives them a richer taste and darker colour.
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 MoreMy son-in-law's friend made a version of this soup for us on our first night in the chalet. If you serve it without a pasta course following, add noodles to the soup to make it a meal in one.
Read MoreBaked pasta (or pasta al forno in Italian) is very easy to make. Combining sauce, cheese and pasta couldn't be simpler, but produces a taste that is greater than the sum of its parts. In terms of additional ingredients, such as meat or vegetables, simply use what you have on hand. The cheese I used, pecorino, is a hard, salty sheep's-milk cheese that is used for grating.
Read MoreA decadent dessert, this cake disguised as an easy quick bread makes a great breakfast the next day, too. The alcohol in the rum burns off with the cooking, but you could substitute apple juice if you prefer.
The secret to this healthy, flavourful soup is to bake all the vegetables unpeeled, then peel and add them to the spices and stock. For the best flavour, I prefer Hubbard squash; other types are more watery.
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© 2018, Lucy Waverman.
