Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve is usually a night to invite friends over and cook too much food. This year, we were invited to a party at a friends-of-friends. The idea was simple - each person/couple would bring a course to create a five-course meal. We were assigned the amuse-bouche and the appetizer courses. It was also a themed evening, with everyone following a James Bond dress code. I don't own a tuxedo, so I chose casual Bond. Something he might wear on a night off, when he's tired of the suit and tie. It was lame, I know.



In the background, classic Bond films were playing and I snapped a pic of the original Dr. Evil from Dr. No. The drink of the evening was a Vesper, shown above. For the record, I'd like it to be known as a 'Kick to the Head.'


Here are the courses in order:
1. Duck in Endive w/ Orange Chipotle Sauce
2. Oysters Rockafeller
3. Taramasalata, Tuna & Scallop Ceviche
4. Arugula Salad w/ Roasted Figs & Goat Cheese
5. Mushroom Agnolotti in Beurre Blance w/ Shaved Truffle
6. Ribs w/ Rutabaga Mash
7. Cheese Course
8 & 9. Inappropriate use of Marzipan, compliments of Fusilli.



Of course, after a huge meal and numerous drinks we did the obvious thing... dancing and jumping! I'm amazed that no one hurled. Happy New Year!

CONTINUE READING...

Cheese & Boredom

It's holiday season, and that means I'm sitting around eating cheese. While I'm eating cheese, I'm usually thinking about why I haven't been smart enough to book a trip somewhere far from the pull of seasonal/family obligations. Obligations like eating turkey and driving around in bad weather. Call me crusty, but I don't like to celebrate "designated" holidays. There's just too much pressure to have fun and get into the spirit. Why can't acts of kindness, baking and binge drinking be part of our day-to-day routine?

The holidays aren't just about uncomfortable moments with family, it's also about being bored. When I'm bored, I like to bake. I'm stocked up with holiday cheese like Riopelle and Manchego so I made walnut bread to go with. This version has a seven-grain cereal mix and a blend of whole wheat and white flour. It tuned out light and fluffy.

I've also included a pic of the Marimekko apron I got for Fusilli. It's the classic poppy pattern and I decided to wear it while I was doing the messy flour/kneading bit at the beginning. I think pink is my colour?

CONTINUE READING...

Cheese & Broccoli Soup

I've got a fridge full of veggies from Herrle's, so tonight I made broccoli soup. This is a combo of two recipes (1) from epicurious (2), with a dash of improv. 

It turned out great, but in the end, the only thing I would have liked is an oven proof dish to broil the cheese a bit. That, and some crispy bacon to sprinkle on top. If you make this, don't forget the bacon.

CONTINUE READING...

Socksy

Come September, I start craving cheese, wine, bread and going to bed early. It's not unusual to put out a selection of cheese and snacks, toast some bread and call it a night. Today it was more of an appetizer, but I'm just getting warmed up for when it's dark at 4.30 pm.

This is called Mouton Rouge, and it's an excellent, locally made sheep milk cheese. Like wine, there's a vocabulary to describe the aroma and subtle mix of flavours. Grassy, nutty, earthy... socksy.

Seriously, this has been sitting around ripening for 8 weeks in a damp, dark place. It stinks, it's fuzzy, and most people would only eat it under duress. Which is too bad, because some things that smell bad, taste really good.

CONTINUE READING...

Burrata

Burrata's the kind of cheese that's hard to stop eating. It's not as heavy as creamcheese, has a moist, smooth, buttery texture (burra = butter) and subtle creamy flavour. We've heard of some burrata binging incidents that didn't end so nicely so it's best to stop while you still want more.

CONTINUE READING...

Road trip with a cheesy pit stop

PREFACE: This post written by foreign correspondant Carlo

Ever since the garbage scandal in Naples followed by the Bufala mozzarella scandal, we were curious to find out if we could actually taste the dioxin in the cheese. As far as we're concerned, this was some Grade A bufala mozzarella. Actually, maybe the dioxin made it taste better. If anybody's interested, or heading to Italy anytime soon, this little cheese laboratory is located just off the A3 highway at the Battipaglia exit. Follow the roundabout approximately 1/4 of the way around until you see a sign that says Mozzarella di Bufala on your right hand side. The place is called La Mediterranea. If you have a hankering for a mozzarella and tomato salad it's worth the stop, especially since that's all you're going to get. Other goodies we picked up were caciocavallo and burrata.

CONTINUE READING...