As many of us know, acid is a main component in cooking and a curious one indeed. One drop of lemon juice can transform a soup, vinegar balanced against olive oil makes a salad and in my new career as a mustard maker I use it in gallons. Acidity brings food alive.We are still so […]
Sous vide cooking with Anova Nano
Time to play I have had some fun playing with my new Anova Nano precision cooker lately. If you are at all culinary inclined you have probably heard of sous vide cooking, the method of vac packing or bagging a food product and then cooking it in a water bath. Precisely controlled The water can […]
Provisions – a book review
Dark and Dreary months During these dark and dreary months here in the Pacific North West it was like a ray of sunshine when I opened my copy of Provisions a cookbook with roots in Caribbean cooking. Written by sisters Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau, very successful restaurateurs in Kingston Jamaica with their groundbreaking restaurant Ciao Bella, fusing classic […]
Movember: men’s health month
A lifetime ago It seems like a lifetime ago since I have written something about what we are actually doing with ourselves. The truth is pretty simple and by normal standards quite boring. As we have said before, we travel on our own terms which usually means on our own dime and it takes a […]
Breakfast in Bedface
Vancouver blues It’s October and in Vancouver the weather has changed like a light switch from glorious sunny summer to low thick clouds and dark rainy mornings. It’s cold and wet and with the rain come the blues and the need to nest and be cosy seems as natural as the geese flying South for […]
Seasonal treat – Pappardelle with roasted corn and peppers
Seasonal treat One of my favourite times of the year is when I see those huge bins of freshly harvested ears of corn at the market. Corn on the cob, a great Canadian (and American) tradition that thankfully remains a seasonal treat that we can look forward to every year. It means fall is on […]
Fermented foods at every meal : a book review
Which fermented foods are in your pantry? Just about every serious cook or foodie has one or more fermented foods in their pantry. Whether it be kombucha, sourdough bread or a mason jar filled with sauerkraut burbling on top of the fridge. Fermented foods could not be more in the spotlight, inspiring today’s cooks to […]
The Extraordinary Italian Taste
The extraordinary Italian taste Have you ever returned home from the grocer only to discovered that the expensive bottle of what you thought was Italian olive oil is actually not Italian at all? The label sure looks Italian and the name sounds Italian, but what’s in the bottle has never set foot in Italy. It’s not […]