I survived the first one, and I barely survived the second one. But I lived to see another day after yet another legendary Meatluck two weekends ago hosted by my friend Joel.
Meatluck 2.0 was bigger and everyone seemed to have raised the bar since the last one. By the time I had arrived, tables were already laid out with about a dozen different dishes, and more food continued to arrive as the night wore on.
About 3,500 eager fans gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre last Thursday, November 18 to see Jamie Oliver as part of The Art of Cooking series. The powers of a star chef. The crowd was about a 50/50 split between men and women, so it speaks volumes as to how admirable and inspiring a person Jamie is to everyone (and not just a cutie who can cook damn good food). It's no surprise from a previous post that I'm a big fan of Jamie myself, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see Jamie live and in person.
As part of the "Cook Like a Gold Medal Plate Chef" challenge, hosted by foodiePrints, Whisk: A Food Blog and Rachelle Eats Food in honour of the Ottawa Gold Medal Plates that was held last week, bloggers were invited to create their own interpretations of Chefs Matthew Carmichael and sous chef Jonathan Korecki (of Restaurant E18hteen) two dishes they had created in last year's "black box" competition as part of the Canadian Culinary Championships. For the first half of the challenge, I made pan-fried Arctic char with cauliflower puree and fennel confit.
The other main ingredient that was found in their black box was quail. Chefs Carmichael and Korecki lacquered the birds with Indian Pale Ale and soy sauce, served with risotto and garnished with cubed dragon fruit. Us home cooks were allowed to substitute the dragon fruit for a hard Asian pear, which is what I opted to do in order to incorporate more texture and flavour to my dish.
This whole post can really be summed up in four words: I. Love. This. Recipe.
I haven’t been able to stop raving about Dorie Greenspan’s Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flan all week because it’s that good. I’m sure many French Friday with Dorie followers will also agree.
I'm all for dishes that are fast, easy and delicious, especially when I'm trying to juggle a busy work schedule with, well, life! But there are days when I just want to slave away in the kitchen for the whole day to make an incredible meal. Chefs make it look so easy (when I well know it's not, but chefs are great illusionists, no?) Me? I just create a complete disaster in my kitchen that would easily get me kicked out of any chef's kitchen. But I always love the challenge of it all, as it pushes me to hone my cooking skills, use my creativy and trust my instincts.
The place: Menchie's Frozen Yogurt Bar.
The event: The first ever Bloghurt Fest.
The challenge: To create the ultimate frozen treat.
I was definitely ready to let the yumm begin when I stepped into the newly opened Menchie's Frozen Yogurt Bar in Toronto. Fifteen food bloggers and writers gathered together in the tiny but colourful and welcoming shop on Bloor West, ready to taste some frozen yogurt and have a little fun in creating a winning combo.
Thank you to all who entered in my Art of Cooking contest to see Jamie Oliver on Thursday, November 18!
Congratulations to Liana, who was randomly selected by Random.org as the winner. I'll be contacting you soon Liana via Twitter to work out the details regarding the ticket.
Despite what meat-lovers may say, a completely vegetarian meal can be filling and incredibly satisfying, especially when it's filled with all your favourite vegetables. Okay...almost vegetarian, as there was a sprinkle of bacon in one of the dishes.
There were two birthdays going on this week (a co-worker's and a friend's) and that was good enough of a reason for me to whip up a batch of cupcakes to celebrate the occasion. I love making cupcakes filled with a little something extra in the middle—a nice little surprise with every bite. So, inspired by the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (which ironically I absolutely can't stand), I made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with a sweet surprise inside...
Let's rewind the clock a bit to 1998, when I was first introduced to a skinny young man with shaggy blonde hair and a charming smile, who occasionally banged the drums and rode on a red scooter. Oh, and who also cooked on the side. Just a little.
There's something very satisfying about a good curry, especially around this time of year when the weather is transitioning and the cold is starting to settle in. The warmth and spice of curry really does warm you up. This curry made with chickpeas, pumpkin and spinach is quick and easy, and a great meal for the weekday.
It's hard to believe that it's already my 200th post! Kind of puts things into perspective as to how much food I've been stuffing in my face. And what better way than to celebrate with more food! These gorgeous cookies are a celebration of butter, browned to give a sweet, nutty flavour to the shortbreads.
I thought I had found an awesome oven-fried chicken wing recipe two months ago with this recipe. Until I came across these wings, courtesy of Korean American Mommy. Sweet. Tangy. Spicy. Super crispy. These wings surely are finger-licking good and so irresistible.
The flour coating makes for an extra crispy and gorgeous golden-brown skin, plus the hint of curry goes so well with the sweet, tangy and spicy sauce. Five-spice powder or, if you love heat, a mix of cayenne and chilli powder would also be a great substitute for the curry to add some flavour to the wings. Try these. You'll love them!
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