A perfect dinner date is where those involved leave happier than when they first walked in
Ohh…the importance of romance. I was invited to a casually elegant little “nest in the city” the other night. A delightful evening.
Il Nido at 780 Thurlow St (just slightly off Robson) in Vancouver, BC
It may be Friday, but enjoying a romantic dinner date can be any day of the week. And it should be! It doesn’t mean you have to go out but if you do I recommend a cozy place with friendly service, attention to detail and delicious tasting food. A good wine list always helps and Italian is always high up on my list. I’m talking about Il Nido which has been around for a long time in Vancouver, a little off the beaten path.
Starters: grilled calamari in rich tomato sauce, 2 year aged proscuitto with melon & pickled garnish and meatballs in sauce. Of course, Prosecco.
Owner Franco Felice (who’s last name joyfully translates to happy in Latin) has been providing Northern Italian fare in the same location for 28 years. Sometimes we have to refresh ourselves and revisit one of Vancouver’s little hidden gems.
Grilled Salmon, homemade Gnocchi and Osso bucco Lamb with a nice Malbec.
Sure, we can try the latest crop of trendy spots which there seems to be no lack of in this city, but sometimes we want something tried and true, something with integrity and staying power. A place that won’t let us down. A place like Il Nido.
In house made Tiramisu & Torta al Cioccolato with vanilla gelato, raspberry coulis & a perfect cappuccino.
I met some very intriguing people who offered thought-provoking conversation and sampled an excellent menu there. So like I said, they were the perfect dinner dates – it doesn’t have to be just one!
Something else to consider:
an app to help youchoose your “perfect” date night or evening out with friends– https://tangoo.ca/
The Dinner Party is a weekly affair where lovely host Andrea connects fabulous singles of like minds, in Vancouver and beyond. First date stress and pressure, be gone!
Be charming, be engaging, but most importantly, be yourself. So she says!
Photo credits: Lady & the Tramp; Disney. Restaurant; d. king
Aside from Tamales, Mole (MOH-lay) is one of my favourite Mexican dishes.
my mole sauce on one of the plates I brought back from a day trip from San Diego to Ensenada (a pretty coastal city in Mexico, the third-largest in Baja California) for great Mexican seafood
Mole is Mexico’s national dish although many Mexican restaurants don’t even have it on their menu. It may simply be a sauce but one that is not so simple to make.
NEVER say NEVER!I said I’d never make it again but I did, just the other day. I made the most delicious Mexican Mole with chicken in my slow cooker. I have to brag about it because it was really as good as any I’ve had before. Wow…what a statement to make. I’m good with it though because it really was. The only other time I made mole was when a Mexican friend came to my house and instructed me how to. It was a lengthy process that I wasn’t prepared for with too many ingredients, too much assembling, washing, soaking, chopping, frying, blending, mess and cleanup involved. When I told another Mexican friend that I recently made mole she was surprised. She said, “hell, I just open up a can of DOÑA MARÍA® and serve it over chicken and rice. Too much work to make it from scratch.”
but then;
I found a recipe that intrigued me because it involved making it in a slow cooker. My slow cooker has made it out of the garage and occupies priority space on my countertop now as I’ve re-discovered some fantastic flavourful dishes to make in it. Anyway, I adapted the original recipe slightly (see my notes, it helps to be resourceful) using only what I had in house. I didn’t go out to pick up any ingredients as I had pretty much everything on hand including the chicken breasts and I felt lazy. I was ready to attempt it again. It was worth it. Here goes:
INGREDIENTS
4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12) *my notes: (I used a package of 8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in half but gave one of them to my dog sans chipotle, so actually 7)
Coarse salt
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped *my notes (I used good quality dehydrated chopped onion instead which worked well when rubbed onto the chicken).
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed *my notes (didn’t have ancho – used extra chipotle chile in adobo sauce instead – you can find the cans in the exotic food section of almost any store and once you open it, it tends to keep a long time refrigerated).
1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce *my notes (see above – I used less than half a can in total).
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup raisins
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (1/2 cup) *my notes (I only had unsweetened, semi-sweet and 70% so I used semi-sweet chocolate chips but just a bit less than ½ cup since they’re sweeter). Later I added a small handful of the 70% (melted first in the microwave) to make the colour darker & add richness. “I prefer my men, chocolate, and coffee to be rich.” Ha, couldn’t resist saying that.
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled *my notes (I used good quality minced garlic from California – also rubbed on the chicken).
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving *my notes (I used chopped green onion)
DIRECTIONS
Recipe says to first season chicken with salt *My Notes (I rubbed coarse kosher salt, minced garlic, chopped dehydrated onion and a bit of *McCormick Cocoa Chili Blend “great new find” on the chicken pieces) and place in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.
In a blender (or preferably food processor), puree tomatoes, onion, ancho and chipotle chiles, almonds, raisins, chocolate, garlic, oil, cumin, and cinnamon until smooth.
Add tomato mixture to slow cooker, cover, and cook on high until chicken is tender, 4 hours (or 8 hours on low). *my notes (I started 2 hours on high, and switched to low for 4 hours). I added extra dry garlic & onion sprinkles to the mix to make up for the lack of fresh. This coming from someone who just finished using fresh garlic braids from Gilroy, the garlic capital of California.
Serve chicken and sauce over rice, topped with cilantro. Tortillas optional.
COOK’S NOTES
As you can see, i adapted the recipe quite a bit for what I had on hand – but it worked out fabulously. be careful to use the *right chocolate though. you can substitute semi-sweet for bittersweet but only if you must, never with unsweetened or milk chocolate. I served it over rice with tiny tortillas (warmed up in the oven) on the side. You may want to try the original knowing that you can do either.
*Substituting Chocolate
The good news is this: bittersweet and semisweet are very similar. Bittersweet chocolate is often now labeled “dark chocolate” and clearly lists the percentage of chocolate. That percentage tells you how sweet the chocolate will be: chocolate labeled “70% chocolate” contains 30% sugar, “60% chocolate” contains 40% sugar, and so on. Semisweet chocolate tends to be higher in sugar than bittersweet or dark chocolate, but there can be overlap.
The bottom line: if your recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate, you can use dark or semisweet, and when using semisweet, you can go just a little light on the sugar (for baking purposes that is).
A good but blurry beginning to the start of this week as I was invited to a media event at Secret Location in Vancouver’s trendy Gastown district.
Pouring Port
A MASTER CLASS! The event was to promote and educate those in the room about the different wines of Portugal. And I never miss an opportunity to drink learn more.
Secret Location is a concept store that offers thought-provoking fashion and food. They’ve covered all their bases. They describe themselves as one part lifestyle boutique, one part restaurant. The elegantly prepared food was excellent along with the wine pairing accompaniments. Cheers to the chef!
A lingering, mingling finish
In short: get these people liquored up, fed well and maybe they’ll write something nice. In all fairness it was a very enjoyable afternoon sitting at a fun table with exceptional food, pleasurable wines, and an informative presentation by Marta, the lovely sommelier. It’s interesting to find out how the grapes are selected, harvested and then fermented to obtain the desired body and structure – a caring, lengthy process. Well done.
We sampled 7 wines and a port. Of course we all expected nothing less than greatness from the Port, but we were a bit unsure of the wines because many people are only familiar with the pretty in pink bottle called Mateus (remember, we all drank this when younger) which has been around forever. I have a somewhat funny but embarrassing Mateus story to share at the end. “I get juiced on Mateus and just hang loose.“ – lyrics from Elton John’s “Social Disease”
Hey, I think they’ve improved it over the years.
The thing to note is that Portugal has less grapes than other European wine growing regions but they have some special ones, notably the Touriga grape which is used to make port – that’s why they’re famous for producing the finest port known to man.
In short, the wines were very drinkable and were superb with the food pairings. The price points are excellent. All cost under $20 including the Port. If you haven’t tried any of them, I recommend doing so for a change.
Of special note:
Periquita Reserva 2012 – a soft & balanced red with medium/long finish. $15.79 Quinta do Crasto Douro Doc 2013 – a fresh on the nose red with intense berry fruit aromas and elegant floral notes. $17.49
There is a lot to note about each particular wine we tested so the best thing is to write all the pairings with a short tasting note on each.
Aperitif – grilled octopus with celery hearts, fingerling potatoes, crispy wheat berry, lemon dressing. Wine Pairing: Mateus Rosé Original (it brought a smile to my face)
Appetizer – duck sausage, slowly poached egg, local carrots, black truffle puree. Wine Pairings (yes, two for this one): Vale Do Bomfim – Douro Red (fresh fruits, plum and blackberries, full bodied, fresh, good balance, length and finish) & Periquita Reserva Vinho Regional Red (intense ruby, vanilla, coffee, cassis, blueberries).
AppetizerMain
Main – stout braised bison short ribs, caramelized onion, parsnip puree. Wine Pairings (again, two): Duas Quintas – Douro Red (flavourful, concentrated, elegant, silky, long finish) & Cresto, Quinta do Crasto – Douro Red (elegant, balanced, well-structured on the palate, lingering finish).
Dessert
Dessert – chocolate & sour cherry dense chocolate cake, sour cream ice cream. Wine Pairing: Pedra Cancela Seleccao de Enologo – Dao Red (not your typical dessert wine but given the intensity of the dessert it was surprisingly perfect) Intense red fruit, ripe plum and hints of cacao, final taste is very soft, nice and long.
Wait…it’s not over just yet.Finally a local cheese platter (Smits & Co. aged gouda, Kootenay cheese company Nostrella, Farm House goat pyramid, Salt Spring Island Cheese Company Romelia paired with Sandeman Porto Ruby – Port Wine (brilliant ruby colour, full rich flavours of fresh plums and red fruits, very well balanced.
I forgot about the fruit plate. I forgot about everything else I had to do today.Local Cheese Sampling
And that was the end of my day! It was only 3:30 p.m. (it might as well have been a.m.)
there was a lineup at the bar
My Mateus story: when I lived in Montreal my BFF (at the time) and I were friends with a music promoter and he gave us tickets to some shows and then we got to go backstage and meet the musicians and sometimes hang out (it must be noted we were not groupies in any way, shape or form – they disgusted us). One evening we were invited to after party with a very famous singer (I won’t say who) and he said something about liking Portuguese wine…so the very next day we decided to send him a bottle of Mateus tied with a ribbon and a note that we enjoyed the concert and the visit. We were not so wine savvy and that was the only Portuguese wine we knew of. We may not have impressed him but I’m sure it brought a smile to his face. We meant well. We didn’t break the bank either. We were young.
What’s a FOODIE? We hear the word a lot but what does it really mean?
It started out innocently enough standing in line waiting to sample Torafuku’s slow braised ox tail and tomato ragout paired with Burrowing Owl Estate Winery’s Cabernet Franc. This was at the Chef Meets BC Grape Arts ClubFundraising evening at the Vancouver Convention Centre. My third year in a row and my sister was my date.
A new label I really like – their Rosé became a favouriteAn older label I really like
Minglingis all part of this evening and a gentleman in line ahead of me struck up a conversation or did I? can’t be sure, doesn’t matter. And then I tell this person I’m here because I’m a foodiedidn’t really want to say wino. He asks if I’ve been to the restaurant where we’re now waiting to sample food from called Torafuku. I say no, not yet. I cook at home a lot come to think of it. Then he asks if I’ve been to a few other fairly new trendy you’re nobody until you’ve been there places. I say no once again. He says “look, give me your booklet.” I hand it over and he scribbles down six restaurants all new to me, three of which are at this event (but it doesn’t count because we don’t get to choose from the menu). He then tells me “until you’ve been to all of these restaurants please do not refer to yourself as a Foodie.” So now I’m stuck because I pride myself on knowing a lot about food I think and I love to cook and thought a Foodie was someone who enjoyed good food, sophisticated or otherwise. No?
Then I looked up the word in wikipedia really?? which goes to explain:
A foodie is a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food and alcoholic beverages. A foodie seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out of convenience or hunger.
I don’t know what this guy is talking about….it describes me perfectly! Plus I eat out of convenience as well as being hungry!
Then I met a guy who represents “Dine Out Vancouver” and showed him my list of restaurants and asked him which ones he’d been to (restaurants seem to be popping up almost as fast as cannabis dispensaries – soon I won’t be able to keep up). He replied no, none of them so far. Ha! Sigh of relief mixed with disbelief on my part. Maybe I’m a food snob after all…which I really equated with being a Foodie all along. Here’s the real clue …I’ve been making bone marrow broth before it became a trend and didn’t even realize it.
Here were some of my favourite food/wine pairings that were at Chef meets BC Grape:
Chicha Restaurant served Coconut Scallop Ceviche on house made Amarillo Peruvian Chili Rice Crackers paired with BC VQA JoieFarm Winery Riesling 2013.
La Pentola Restaurant (the chef is really cute by the way which also garnered points for this) served Burrata with Grilled Peaches, Crispy Speck, Sungold Tomatoes, Basil semi-gel and Pickled Mustard Seeds (imagine going to the trouble of pickling mustard seeds?) paired with Maverick Estate Winery VQA Sauvignon Blanc 2014.
Tableau Bar Bistro served Pheasant Boudin blanc (oh; I scored a foodie point – I know what boudin is because I’ve been to New Orleans) with Organic Garlic Veloute (a rich French sauce), Sapphire Basil Pesto & Pine Mushrooms paired with Dirty Laundry Vineyards VQA Naughty Chardonnay 2013.
Provence Marinaside Restaurant served Lamb Sirloin slider, grey baby cheese (they didn’t say which kind only that it’s grey and I suppose real foodies would already know what kind), smoked tomato relish (imagine smoking a tomato?) & beet chip paired with Upper Bench VQA Estate Grown Merlot 2012.
The one that got away:
Lift Bar Grill View served Beet Juice Cured Wild Salmon Gravlax, Candy Cane Beets & Foraged Wild Mushroom paired with Haywire VQA Okanagan Crush Pad The Bub NV. I was told it was delicious.
Lift on Thursday evening. I picked up a generous gift certificate for the 65 Roses Gala to be held on Saturday, November 7th at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel to benefit Cystic Fibrosis (CF).
Once again; take everything with a course grain of gourmet fleur de sel (unless that’s last year’s seasalt.
If museum worthy art can be exhibited in shopping malls then it seems only fair that restaurants follow suit. This could be a new trend but one that not every restaurant can afford. Which comes first, the art or the food?
The ART
At the Atlas restaurant in Atlanta (located in the St. Regis hotel, Buckhead) you might wonder if you’re eating in a museum. Hanging on the walls are original works by some artists you may have heard of – Francis Bacon, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh, all from the Lewis Collection, one of the largest private art collections in the world.
If you look closely you will also see two of Atlanta’s historic artifacts: a program from the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize dinner honouring Martin Luther King, Jr., (the youngest person and first Georgian to receive the prize); and a letter from President John F. Kennedy to Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr., recognizing his leadership during the Civil Rights movement.
The DECOR
From the green-tiled exhibition-style kitchen and outdoor terraced garden to the elegant private dining space and polished bar, every detail of Atlas has been carefully planned.
The FOOD
*Bone marrow tenderloin
This chef-driven restaurant brings an unparalleled culinary experience to the Capital of the South with a focus on curating fresh ingredients from local farms. Atlas celebrates the very best in seasonal American cuisine with European influences. Together, consulting chef Gerry Klaskala and chef de cuisine Christopher Grossman have crafted a daily changing menu driven entirely by partnerships with a collection of more than a dozen farms.
Cobia with beans and risotto
Atlas’s menu covers various regions. The potato-leek clam chowder offers a taste of New England, and ginger-marinated black bass takes Asian inspiration. There are Southern dishes as well: braised leg of Alabama rabbit, roasted White Oak Pastures chicken, and oat-crusted Blue Ridge trout, to name a few. Sounds impressive!
Olive oil cake with basil gelato
*Anything bone seems to be the old-meets-new trend of late, worthy of a post of its own. Bone broth and bone marrow (my grandmother used to make this) and I’ve been doing the same lately. But getting back to the restaurant…
The menu appears like the food may not be outdone by the art, but we’d have to make a trip out just to be sure. I may be doing exactly that so I’ll let you know.
A collective kitchen with an enviable art collection – you’ve got to love it!
A friend prepared these delicious salad rolls shown in photo. She did not have a specific recipe however I found one that you can follow and add chicken or prawns to if you like. They’ve got the three essentials – that is they’re delicious,healthy and low fat. What was really nice is how she served them with lettuce leaves lining the plate – presentation, presentation ladies and gents!
Photo: d. king
Don’t you hate it when you ask someone for a recipe and they say “I don’t have a recipe, just use whatever you have on hand – they’re so easy to make.” Said friend made the best sukiyaki (again, no recipe and who makes sukiyaki anyway – you’re lucky to even find it on the menu at any Japanese restaurant) but believe me I took mental notes and I’m making it and will follow up for you on that dish at a little later date. When it starts to get a bit cooler out maybe even tomorrow. I need to buy another appliance before doing so. For now make this & cut them up smaller for appetizers:
MAKES 4 ROLLS (regular size)
You can try different dipping sauces – why not have options? In photo the wraps are made with chicken and the dipping sauce is thai sweet chili which can be store bought if you don’t have the time to make it from scratch.
for the peanut sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I prefer low sodium)
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
juice of 1 lime
1 shallot, roughly chopped (1/4 cup)
1 small garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
¼ cup sesame oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup
for the rolls:
8 rice paper spring roll wrappers
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated and washed
12 fresh mint leaves
12 fresh basil leaves
8 sprigs fresh cilantro
½ English cucumber, cut into sticks
1 small avocado, thinly sliced
About 2 cups cooked rice vermicelli cooled down (optional)
fresh bean sprouts (optional)
To make the peanut sauce, blend all ingredients until smooth.
Meanwhile, cut or tear the hard rib from each butter lettuce leaf and prep all other filling ingredients.
Fill a bowl large enough to hold the spring roll wrappers with warm water. Soak one wrapper for about 1 minute, or until just pliable, then lay flat on a cutting board. Layer in lettuce leaves, folding large ones in half, then fresh herbs, cucumber, and sliced avocado. Then rice vermicelli, meat (if using) and bean sprouts.
Carefully roll up the wrapper, leaving both ends open. Soak another wrapper and wrap existing roll inside to secure ingredients.
Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling ingredient. Then, pack in an air-proof container, layering in a damp paper towel to keep the rice paper moist.
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red chili paste, such as sambal
Source for chili sauce: Food Network
I’ve made traditional Vietnamese salad rolls in the past using lettuce, rice vermicelli, prawns, green onion and bean sprouts with peanut dipping sauce. They’re actually pretty easy to make. At first you might break a few of the wraps because they’re so thin but when you get the hang of it they’re fun to make. It just took my friend making these to remind me that they’re a BIG HIT at parties! Everyone loved them. Everyone asked for the recipe. You’re welcome!
Upcoming Vancouver Event:
Join me at one of my favourite Fall fundraisers – the annual Arts Club eventCHEF MEETS BC GRAPE featuring up to 90 BC wineries pouring over 350 award-winning wines, delectably paired with locally inspired dishes from top British Columbia restaurants. See why BC food is designed for BC wine!
Signature Tasting
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Vancouver Convention Centre East
999 Canada Place, Ballrooms A, B and C
7–9:30 PM
If you saw my post yesterday then you saw the photo of the big barrel of peaches from the Okanagan – soon to be out of season. They were the tastiest, juiciest I can ever remember having. What to do with them all?Of course I gave some away but can’t possibly eat all the rest before they start to go bad. I decided to make peach crumbles instead of pies. Why? You can cheat on not having to make pie crust which is more time consuming and finicky especially if you like using real butter instead of lard (as I prefer, per Martha Stewart). Also crumbles are lighter, you get to taste more of the ripe fruit which is in season this way and then you can eat twice as much (ha). Top with vanilla or caramel ice cream for perfection. If you want to add liquor (as some people like to) then add some rum or brandy to the filling. I prefer it just as is maybe a shot of brandy on the side. Peachy clean!
What they fail to tell you in many recipes:
You must first remove the skin. The easiest way is by blanching. First you need to cut an X into each peach with a knife as in the photo above. Have two pots ready. One with boiling water, another with ice water. Take one by one by slotted spoon into a pot of rapidly boiling water for about 15 seconds each. With same spoon drop gently into another pot filled with ice water. This cools it to make it easier to peel and also stops the cooking process. See how easy it is? And to think I invested in a soft fruit skin peeler!
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FILLING
2 pounds peaches or nectarines, cut into 1/2-inch wedges (6 cups)
about 6 -7 large size peaches
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
FOR THE TOPPING
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup light-brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: Combine peaches, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish or pyrex pie plate.
Make the topping: In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium until light and fluffy. Add flour and salt and, with your hands, mix until large pieces form. Scatter over filling.
Bake until center is bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes, tenting loosely with foil after 30 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.Square or Round? I did both but prefer the round shape. I think it tastes better.
COOK’S NOTES: the topping freezes well, so why not make a double batch and save half for another day?
CONFUSED between Crisps, Crumbles and Cobblers? You’re not alone.
Inquiring minds need to know:
Crisps– Crisps have a bottom layer of fruit, but their topping is much more crunchy than cobblers. Instead of a dough-like pastry that rises, the crisp is topped with mixture of butter, sugar and flour that is mixed together until ‘crumbly’ and is briefly browned in the oven. Crisps might include oats or granola in their topping as well.
Crumbles– The crumble also begins with fruit at the bottom, but is topped with a different butter-flour-sugar mixture called a ‘streusel’. The three ingredients are mixed just until crumbly and then poured on top of the fruit. This dish is very similar to a crisp but the crumble originated in Britain whereas the crisp is seen as more American. Crisps are also more rich than crumbles with higher amounts of sugar, butter and flour.
Cobblers– Cobblers also have a bottom layer of fruit but are topped with biscuit dough. The result is a dense, rich dessert. Most popular cobbler ingredients include apples, peaches and cherries.
Call it a crisp or call it a crumble but it’s not a cobbler…and all I can call it is good!
Recipe: courtesy of Martha Stewart (maybe not her personally, but on her website) Photos: d king
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar and fennel seeds on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg until combined. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and beat just until combined. Stir in raisins and chocolate.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough (or use a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop) onto parchment-lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets once, until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks at least 10 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. Cooled completely, cookies can be stored at room temperature up to 3 days.
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
These rich cookies should seem a bit soft when you take them out of the oven. They firm up as they cool, so be careful not to overbake them.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Melt coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Transfer chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks.
Scoop batter using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop; place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces begin to crack, about 15 minutes. Transfer on parchment to wire racks. Let cool 5 minutes. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Source: Martha Stewart Living
Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
Yield: about 3 dozen regular size or 2 dozen large (I prefer large) after-dinner cookies
Photo: d king
INGREDIENTS
1-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup dutch-process cocoa-make sure to use dutch process for a rich/dark flavor
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and room temp
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 bag of mint chips-I used Guittard
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line baking sheets with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and 2 tsp. water and beat until smooth.
Sift dry ingredients together. Add to the butter mixture and mix well. Fold in oats and raisins. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, leaving enough space for the cookies to spread out. Bake approx. 10 minutes, until golden.
Thought I’d share some photos of meals my friends prepared last week. Starting with Bill’s Food on Prospect Lake: It helped that we ate outside and had an amazing view but that did not overshadow this chef’s creation of: charcoal grilled wild salmon with macadamia oil, dusted with magic dust from “The Hitching Post” from “Sideways” fame, creamed corn with chanterelles, onion & bacon and hand picked wild rice from North Western Ontario. Bill, did you pick that rice yourself? It was magical!
The salad of baby arugula, beets, blueberries, goat cheese and avocado in a vinaigrette of hazelnut oil, lime juice & a drop of honey.
THEN moving over to Piers Island:
Mel’s Meal:
It started with an appetizer of Bill’s (he gave me some to take over) venison tenderloin stew with chanterelle mushrooms & gnocchi. Rich, smoky & tasty.
The star in this dinner goes to the succulent giant prawns sourced from a local supplier and barbequed with butter, garlic, s+p and crushed red dried chillies from India stuffed with yogurt & masala spice. Amazing! Again, barbequed wild salmon (you know we can never get enough of those omega 3’s) but this time marinated with olive oil, maple syrup, lemon, s+p. Green beans with garlic chunks, olive oil & shaved parmesan. Mel, you killed it!
Took’s Terrific Thai dinner:
Our Bangkok evening – oh, we’re spoiled! We helped ourselves to the most delicious home cooked Tom Ka Gai Coconut Chicken soup, Panang Curry, Thai Rice & Took’s secret sweet recipe of pork with tufu & veggies. All this while watching Thai gogo dancers, wild music & goings on in Bangkok on an IPad. Didn’t go with the view but we watched for a little while before deciding to just enjoy the quiet. We had a cherry pie for dessert but ended up having Lychee fruit instead because we were too full. Took also made a beautiful spicyThai salad with tuna for lunch.
BEST PART: I got a private cooking lesson the next day on how to make Panang Curry from scratch. That’s how much I loved it. I’ve made Thai curry pastes & curry before but not like this. Took walked me through the whole way, all the while with a watchful eye. I was tearing & chopping the leaves all wrong for garnish before this. My sister came for dinner the night I got back to sample my new creation – successful review!
Kaffir Lime Leaves
What did I make? Nothing. Well, nothing like this. My little contribution was an assortment of baked goods – cookies, muffins & a blueberry/lemon loaf. More breakfast/snack based items although we had breakfast cooked for us too. Not sure I can invite any of these people over for dinner…unless they like hot dogs. I have tons of condiments.
BC Blueberries are in season and aside from eating them as is I’ve been incorporating them into recipes like blueberry pancakes, loaves and muffins. My next door neighbour was nice enough to bring me some hand picked berries (that someone else other than she hand picked but it was still nice) so the least I could do was bake a blueberry cake and give her half. Here are two recipes that are easy enough to make and trust me; Berrylicious!
BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES FOR TWO (or 3-4 people if you add an omelette and sausage/bacon):
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda, a little salt,
¼ cup coconut powder (optional)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla bean paste
1 ripe mashed banana (optional)
1 cup of mixed fruit (blueberries + mango, blueberries + raspberries or just blueberries)
1 cup of buttermilk, shaken
Mix all together
Spray grill with coconut oil spray (or if you don’t have it, use butter)
As soon as the grill is hot drop in small batches – 3,4 at a time. You can tell it’s hot when you add a bit of water to grill and it makes a sizzling sound.
Fry gently turning once (about 1 ½ minutes per side when it just starts to bubble). I sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on the up side before turning over – as in the photo)
Dust with icing sugar (always optional) when done. Serve with pure maple syrup naturally.
Makes about 10 medium size pancakes
BLUEBERRY LEMON BREAKFAST CAKE
You can bake them in 1 regular size Pyrex loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans like these super cute ones
RECIPE:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 ¾ cups Blueberries (Stir 1 Tbsp. of flour to the berries so that they don’t all settle to the bottom on the pan).
¾ cup sugar
½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup sour cream (14%)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice – approx. 1 large lemon)
In a small bowl add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, soda & salt)
In a medium bowl cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla extract & beat with an electric mixer
Then in three intervals add your dry ingedients to the wet mix adding 1/3 of the sour cream & 1/3 of the lemon juice – beat until smooth
Then fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.
Add a few fresh berries to the top of the pan
Bake at 350F until done – about 45 – 55 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean).
You can dust with icing sugar if you like – it always looks prettier. They also freeze well so you can thaw them when the weather gets cold to remember the warmth when you made them.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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