Photography by Megan Sadd
With 30-Minute Vegan Dinners, Megan Sadd, of the popular plant-based blog Carrots & Flowers, shows how anyone can enjoy incredible plant-based meals every night of the week.
This inventive cookbook reveals the secrets to cooking dinners that you crave―the kind that comfort, nourish and inspire you, without a ton of work. With every recipe clocking in under 30 minutes (prep included!), anyone can enjoy incredible plant-based meals every night of the week.
Photography by Christian Lalonde
Marc Lepine’s debut cookbook, Atelier, is a celebration of fine-dining culture in Canada. It begins with “Origins,” which traces Lepine’s expansive career-from his relationship with food at an early age to his formal training in Europe and, eventually, the US at Michelin-starred Alinea to the opening of Atelier. (more…)
Open-faced sandwiches in all of their chef-driven, cutting edge interpretations are the ne plus ultra of casual-chic comfort food. They are having a moment, and that moment is not going to be over any time soon, if ever.
Open Faced crosses international borders to bring fresh, creative flavours to your toasted breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Located in the northeast of Spain, Catalonia borders Frances’s Pyrenees mountains and has a heritage and scenery like no other. In Catalonia, José Pizarro travels from the impressive Gaudi architecture in buzzy Barcelona, to the Roman and Greek ruins in Girona and secluded beaches in Costa Brava to create some of the best-loved dishes.
I’ve never brimmed with excitement at the thought of onion rings. But when the server enthusiastically praised this usually humdrum starter, I thought I’d give it a go. Who knew that onion rings would become an object of my obsession for weeks to come?
These ‘Playful Onion Rings’ are coated in chickpea batter and puffed quinoa which lend them their crunchy texture. I found myself ingesting one and then succumbing to the temptation of another and yet another. Crispy, airy and never greasy, this is a superstar dish all on its own. Sauced with a refreshing chipotle avocado dip as well as a spicy mayo dip, these vegan and gluten-free onion rings transformed into something unmistakably scrumptious.
This dream inducing and divine creation is courtesy of Pure Kitchen Ottawa. And it was the best thing I ate this month.
Once a year I like to feign that I am a real chef. Maybe Thomas Keller or possibly David Chang or perhaps even Daniel Humm. I spend a solitary night in this make believe world channeling their talent and artistry. Although I unabashedly admit that I do possess one minor ability. I have no fear in the kitchen. I am absent of any anxiety or worry of failing. While other areas of my life leave me hiding under the covers, I see the kitchen ripe for trial and experimentation. Not certain why I exude such culinary confidence but I don’t question it much. No thinking allowed, just doing. So with the help of some cookbooks to guide me and some close friends to come along for the ride, I attempt an annual fancy dinner party with the goal of honouring some of the great chefs and restaurants of our time.
First up, Duck Confit Croustades. This dish is from the Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook. A baguette smeared with dijon, topped with duck confit, fleur de sel, olive oil and parsley. Simple and delicious.
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| Croustades with duck confit |
The next course was foie gras with a maple balsamic reduction. This recipe is by Daniel LaGarde, Chef
Instructor at Le Cordon Bleu. Foie gras (with black truffles) set on sautéed apples, strawberries, shallots and basil and served with a maple balsamic reduction. This was my favourite dish of the night.
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| Seared foie gras with black truffles and maple balsamic reduction |
The third course was from the Eleven Madison Park cookbook. This restaurant currently sits at #10 on Restaurant Magazine’s list of best restaurants in the world. The recipe of Beet Salad with Chèvre Frais and Caraway was by far the most challenging dish of the night. It took a while to bring together the roasted beets, the goat cheese mousse, the caraway tuiles, the beet raspberry vinaigrette and the rye crumble, but it was certainly well worth the effort as my guests raved about this creation. The variety of textures and tastes made this dish unique and memorable.
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| Beet salad with chèvre frais and caraway |
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| A side view of the beet salad |
My second favourite chef of all time is Thomas Keller, he of French Laundry and Per Se fame (Julia Child is my favourite). I’ve turned to the The French Laundry Cookbook on numerous occasions and it has never let me down. For the the main course, the recipe I chose was the Butter-Poached Lobster with Creamy Lobster Broth and Mascarpone-Enriched Orzo. Some of the interesting features of this recipe included the lobster broth (made form scratch), the beurre monté (emulsified butter), the coral oil (canola oil infused with lobster roe) and the parmesan crisp (mine were a bit oversized but I have trouble resisting their appeal). I do hope that I was able to bring some French Laundry justice to this dish. My guests were rather pleased with the results.
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| Butter-poached lobster with creamy lobster broth and mascarpone-enriched orzo |
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| A top view of the lobster |
Dessert is my favourite part of the meal to eat but my least favourite to cook. Finding something to complement such a rich repast was not easy. I went with a recipe from LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine, Coconut Lime Mousse with Berries. It was a good counterpart to the other dishes and a bang-up way to end the meal.
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| Food & Drink’s Coconut Lime Mousse with Berries |
Another year passes, another fancy dinner party is now under my belt. I am forever grateful to have friends that endure my culinary experiments. It could all go horribly wrong and yet they are forever willing to weather the gastronomic storm with me. The great chefs of our time are my inspiration. But the people in my life are truly what drive me to do better and be better.