Snacky things for Oscar

I just returned from vacation and I’m still on Club Med time, but since the Oscars are tonight I thought I’d be as uncreative as traditional media and do a quickie post about snacky things you can serve to guests while watching the big show.

Leafing through past blog posts, I had almost forgotten about my new favourite olives, while these lemony mushrooms have been part of my regular repertoire for a decade.

Feta red pepper dip? So easy! (Tip: Why not make some hummus while you’re at it?)

Shrimp are both tasty and fancy.

And everyone loves homemade caramel corn.

Meanwhile, a party can only be improved upon with the inclusion of Ritz Bits.

Oh, and offering something sweet is a must.

So, that's it. Good luck on your Oscar pools, and here’s hoping that the big show won’t be as lame as this blog post! (But seriously, there's a lot of good info tucked in here.)

On eating with a cold

This week it finally hit: I got a cold. But not just any old cold. This one woke me from a deep sleep at 3:30 a.m., filling my sinuses, ears and throat with such pressure that I thought my head would pop off. It was the most sudden cold onset ever! I hopped out of bed, popped an Advil, blew my nose and it was game on. About four days, 1.5 boxes of Kleenex and a few envelopes of delicious NeoCitran later, the cold is basically gone. But with a busy schedule this past week, what with a food shoot and finishing up at one job before starting another tomorrow, I had to push on through.

I tried to sneeze into the crook of my elbow while trying to enjoy my nights out, and along the way devised some tips on how to eat with a cold. Here they are:

1. THINK TEXTURE. I was invited to dinner at Colborne Lane at the height of my cold and it was too late to cancel. So on the one hand, I couldn’t taste a damn thing -- what a waste. But on the other hand, I took more notice of the gorgeous-looking dishes being served and reveled in all of the amazing textures. Crunchy, airy, smooth, cold and warm, my tastebuds may have been dead but my tongue was alive! At home if you feel like snacking, think apples, celery, popcorn, whole grain cereal and other good-for-you foods that will fight hunger and boost your system without you caring whether or not they taste great. Because you can’t taste them anyway!

2. EAT ORANGES. I had been expecting this cold for about a month. Everyone at work had been sick and I was convinced that my seasonal mandarin orange habit was keeping the cold at bay. Sure enough, the day after my third crate ran out my cold stormed in. I honestly feel if you OD on vitamin C you will not get a cold. If you don’t want to eat them, juice ‘em.

3. NO FINGER FOODS. Now is not the time for sharing. Keep your mitts off the chips and M&Ms at get-togethers and don’t indulge in shared fries or finger foods because you’ll just lick your fingers, then on spreads the virus. Ask your host for your own plate and fork even if none are being offered, then keep your food and germs to yourself. No hugs or air-kissing either. Don’t even clink wine glasses. Wash your hands often, with soap. Try to be thoughtful and soon enough your cold will be gone -- and your friends won’t blame you for passing it on to them.

And that’s what I learned this week. I’m heading off to sunnier climes next weekend so I’ll report back in two weeks time. Adios amigos!

Trend Alert: Canadian Eats

The more I travel the more I learn that every area in Canada has its signature dish. From Acadian country’s Rappie Pie (pictured here) to Thunder Bay’s Persian doughnuts, while these recipes are everyday eats within a town’s borders, they're mystically almost unheard of elsewhere. Still, they are all part of the edible social fabric of Canada, where a tasty new chapter has just begun.

No ifs ands or buts about it, Canada is having a moment. It started with our winning ways at the 2010 Winter Olympics and continued when our economy didn’t tank as badly as the rest of the Western world's. Now, part of the trickle-down effect is our blooming indigenous culinary scene.

Canada is a young country with no true old guard to speak of. For this reason, our chefs tend to be youthful, multi-ethnic, homegrown, experimental, and their food, proudly delicious. Which is why right now is an exciting time to be a Canadian chef, or (better still) a Canadian restaurant-goer.

The first Bannock restaurant launched in the flagship Hudson’s Bay store in Toronto this fall, with a focus on traditional Canadian comfort food (everything from bannock pizzas to poutine and chicken pot pie). Then there’s chef Michael Stadtlander’s off-the-grid woodsy dream that is Haisai in Southhampton (the godfather of Canadian cookery, chef Stadtlander has also spearheaded the important cause of stopping a proposed mega quarry.) Vancouver has the Oakwood (try the Nanaimo bar custard for dessert) while other Canadian anthems include Martin Picard’s seasonal Caban au Sucre, as well as his meaty Quebecois comfort food temple, Au Pied de Cochon.

There’s also Edible Canada, which opened on Vancouver’s Granville Market, and Halifax’s Chives Canadian bistro, which just celebrated its happy 10^th. These are just a few examples; the good news is that there are many more.

But for money, the restaurant that has it all – great looks, creativity, hot chefs, and overall deliciousness, is chef Aaron Joseph Bear Robe’s aboriginal Keriwa Café. Judging from brunch alone, from the basket of freshly baked goodies and homemade preserves to the brown butter eggs Benny (why have I never had this magical take on hollandaise before?) with its local Red Fife biscuit base, crispy homemade bacon, not to mention the cleverly tasty roasted root veg tossed with salad side, I’ll be shocked if someone can find a better brunch in town.

Or, a more Canadian one.

Eat Here: Bestellen

While it’s months behind schedule (oh City of Toronto, why must you mummify restaurateurs in red tape?), I had the opportunity to dine at Top Chef Canada runner-up Rob Rossi’s soon-to-open restaurant, Bestellen, at a Visa Infinite exclusive dinner (la dee da) this week. And let me tell you, this place can’t loose. In a word: Delicious. In two more words: Animal fat.

It was by far the heaviest meal I’ve ever eaten, and let the record show that I’ve spent plenty of time in Germany, have judged a competitive barbecue competition, and was a contestant in a pie-eating contest.

From the quivering pork belly starter on a silky chestnut puree, to the butter-poached lobster sided by a lobster doughtnut, to the 40-day dry aged ribeye and bone marrow, the sidecar pommes aligot (so full of decadently stinky cheese to be rendered almost stringy), button mushrooms doused in parsley butter, a mega Canadian cheese course, and a finishing jar of pudding choumer, it took me two days to fully digest the meal (not to mention the six creative wine pairings.)

The room is warm, the service is sprightly and everything was prepared to a turn. And I can only assume when the true menu takes shape, there will be a leafy green of some sort, for those of us with weak gallbladders.

Either way, I can’t wait to return and eat my face off.

Mushroom and Barley Potpie

Regarding last week’s promise of a kale recipe this week: I lied. But check out the National Post in a couple of Wednesdays for perhaps my best rapini recipe, ever.

For now, feast your eyes on this.

This is the year that vegetarian mains take centre stage: So long meatless Mondays, hello meatless any old day of the week. But if you’re going to serve your normally carnivorous family a meat-free main it’s got to be filling and it’s got to be flavourful. Here’s where whole grains, mushrooms and cheese come in handy.

Mushroom and Barley Potpie


(serves 8)

To make a hearty mushroom and barley potpie you will need 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed in a strainer, drained, then placed in a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water and 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 garlic cloves, minced, I bunch green onions, trimmed and finely chopped, 1 454g package sliced white or cremini mushrooms, 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced, salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 cup dry sherry, 1 475g container whole-milk ricotta, 1 square (from a two-square package) frozen puff pastry, thawed, 1 egg yolk, beaten.

Bring rinsed barley, water and salt to a boil then lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 35 or 40 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside. While barley is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet, add garlic and green onions and cook for several minutes. Add mushrooms, rosemary, and a generous amount of salt and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, or until mushrooms are soft. Add sherry, stir around for another few minutes, then transfer to a bowl and add drained barley when done. While filling cools, roll out puff pastry on a lightly flowered surface to fit on top of the baking pan. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine cooked barley and mushroom mixture with ricotta cheese. Stir to combine. Butter a large (9x13) baking dish and add mixture, smoothing to even. Top with puff pastry, sealing to edges of baking dish, brush with egg, sprinkle with salt and cut a slit in the middle so that steam can escape. Bake in preheated oven until puffed and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes then slice into squares and serve your vegetarian delight.

Remembering Rapini

Just when I thought my Jewish guilt couldn't get any worse (or better?), I'm lumbering down the produce aisles this week when I spot the bundles of rapini.

Rapini! My old friend; I hadn't given you a second thought in months, not since I fell in with the curly kale crowd.

Remember how much time we used to have for each other? I'd bathe you and blanch you, I'd stir you and steam you. Oh what fun.

And then along comes kale and you're yesterday's news. Shame on me!

Let's let bygones be bygones and start anew. I just picked up an emerald green bunch of you, and by this time next week, you'll be featured in a brand new recipe here.

Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold. And also, green.

Happy New Year, rapini. (And you too, kale.)

Stark and sweet

It's that time of year again, when people go away to sunny locales and return to a cold and brooding Canada and wonder why it is that they live here. Why miss out on vitamin D when it's sunny all day long in Mexico?

Why freeze when you could be in Belize?

Personally, I love the change of seasons; bundling up in winter leads to welcoming the warming rays of April. Shvitzing during Toronto's humid summers means looking forward to September's autumnal bliss. (Pores get smaller, hair defrizzes, etc.)

Besides, winter has a lot going for it, including the Niagara Icewine Festival. Around this time last year I was coiffing at an ice bar in Jordan, Ontario, munching on Canada's first raisin harvest and roasting homemade marshmallows over an open fire.

Just like anything in life, you can either hide from it or embrace it.

Me? I plan on pulling on my toque and going skating -- if it ever actually snows this winter.

We need Trader Joe’s!

On a recent trip I had a few minutes to duck into Trader Joe's to pick out a bag of delicious sounding and reasonably priced items we can't get here, including a pumpkin pancake mix, which I thought would come in handy at the cottage during the holidays. Fast-forward a couple of weeks, and with the addition of melted butter, eggs and water; a few minutes later it was nothing but “Mmms” and “Wows” from the usually hard-to-please breakfast crowd. Then someone new would lumber down the stairs late and add to the chorus with a heartfelt "Yum."

This boxed mix comes by its deliciousness honestly. It's not full of bad stuff (no hight fat or sodium trickery) -- just friggin awesome, flavourful pumpkin-spiced pancakes, made even better when I toasted some pecans and poured on the maple syrup.

For five brief morning minutes, all was right with the world.

One of my brothers vows 2012 is the year he brings Trader Joe’s to Canada, even though he is not involved in the import/export business nor the food industry in any way. Understand this: He will not succeed. So if anyone out there knows someone who is already in the process of bringing Trader Joe’s to Canada or has the ability to bring Trader Joe's to Canada, please let me know so I can pass the good news along. (We really, really loved those pancakes.)

Happy New Year to one and all!

The year in review

This year I travelled, I cooked, but mostly I ate. Herewith I present my top 10 memorable food trips of 2011.

1. There are no two ways about it. Copenhagen is awesome.

2. But you know what’s even better? Baiersbronn!

3. And Tofino? Forget about it!

4. Meanwhile, Cleveland was a revelation.

5. I drank so many cocktails and so much tea in Victoria that I almost floated away.

6. I finally made it to Calgary during Stampede, and when I wasn’t eating my weight in funnel cake, I was eating dozens of doughnuts.

7. Freshest seafood ever? Try the east coast.

8. It was my first time in San Antonio, but it won’t be my last.

9. Boston’s food scene is on the upswing. Watch for it.

10. Finally, who says you have to travel far to experience the best? Niagara never fails to impress.

Let us all raise our forks and glasses to a great 2012. Happy New Year everyone!

Donna to the rescue!

Chef Donna Dooher is the owner of the fabulous Mildred's Temple Kitchen, an airy cream and green apple room in Toronto's Liberty Village, where they dish out dependable blueberry buttermilk pancake brunches, chicken avocado club lunches, and gnocchi poutine with oxtail gravy dinners. And now they're getting into the holiday spirit by dishing out advice to those in need. Mainly, skittish home cooks.

Since chef Dooher has planned her fair share of holiday parties over the years, she's decided to lend her expertise to timid hosts, and has opened up her email line for those stumped for ideas or looking for the answer to culinary questions.

Simply email her at mildred@templekitchen.com with the subject heading "Ask Donna" and she'll get back to you within a day. She launched the "helpline" December 14th and will close it December 21st, so best to start that menu planning now, lest yea be out of luck later.

P.S. This photo is of the butterrific traditional shortbread available at Mary Macleod's. (See? I'm helping too.)