Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

01/30/2013 06:34 PM

8 views

Sliding into the Super Bowl: Chicken and Apple Sliders

Growing up in Windsor, a small Canadian city in southwestern Ontario just across the border from Detroit, you could not help but be immersed in American culture, no matter what your passport said. Mega American malls, with their low prices, huge selection and a Target at every corner, were just 30 minutes away. Grocery stores beckoned with seemingly endless aisles, ful

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

01/22/2013 12:21 AM

4 views

Taking the Chill out of Winter: Apple-Ginger Hot Toddy with Calvados

Brew me a cup for a winter's night. For the wind howls loud and the furies fight; Spice it with love and stir it with care, And I'll toast our bright eyes, my sweetheart fair &

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

11/18/2012 05:13 PM

7 views

Autumn Canning: Two-Step Carmelized Pear-Ginger Marmalade

In canning, there are no mistakes, only opportunities. But that wisdom is hard-won, and not so obvious the first time you burn a batch of jam, or over-process the marmalade until it's as stiff and unyielding as hardened honey. These seeming failures can be transformed into something quite wonderful by the addition of one simple ingredient: imagination.&nbs

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

11/12/2012 02:58 AM

10 views

Seasonal Sensation: Maple-Baked Lady Apples with Herbed Goat Cheese

“What are you going to do with those? Decoration?” said the cashier as she eyed my purchase dubiously and weighed the bag. “Not for eating, right?” I was in one of those small and chi chi produce shops where every gleaming pristine piece of fruit is placed just so, where tomatoes are always in season, and where you can pay a king’s ransom for strawberries the size of

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

10/11/2012 11:08 PM

13 views

Fruitful Baking: Buttery Peach Brioche

Just about a year ago at this time, I was making my way to an old stone villa in Pistoia, 45 minutes outside of Florence. I had made plans to meet a perfect stranger at the airport, and we would drive together to Il Salicone, sharing a room for the weekend, and more importantly, sharing meals and community together with 14 other people who were just about as obsessed with food as

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

08/15/2012 05:10 AM

13 views

Happy Birthday Julia! A Summer Dinner with Julia's Chicken Salad and Peach Tarte Tatin

It would have been the utterly fabulous Julia Child's 100th birthday today, and to honour and celebrate her life, there have been hundreds of extravagant dinners served this month, featuring some of her best known and loved classics. While it's true that Julia introduced the wonders of rich, complex French cooking to millions over her lifetime, she was also the

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

08/10/2012 04:57 PM

14 views

BSP3 Part Two: Peachy Keen Canning - Peach-Plum-Ginger Jam

Do you know Food in Jars? It's the absolutely wonderful blog authored by that genius of jam, Marisa McClellan. Marisa's warm and inviting writing style welcomes you into her kitchen as she shares her preserving adventures, experiments, successes and near misses. No matter what's bubbling in the pot, Marisa's blog makes you want to take a peek inside, dip a spoon in, and tas

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

08/05/2012 12:54 PM

7 views

Big Summer Potluck 3 Part One: Water Bugging

This morning I did something rather unusual. I started my day by not water bugging. No matter what day of the week, my mornings unfold in more or less the same way. Make tea, coffee for Richard if he’s not travelling. Feed Trixie, and whatever neighbourhood cats show up at the front door. Turn on the radio. And finally, impatiently, eagerly, sit down

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

07/20/2012 07:39 AM

12 views

Summertime Baking: Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

fleet·ing (fle’ting) adj. Passing quickly; ephemeral There is the slow, snail-like wait. Daylight encroaching into darkness at an ever-later hour; the thermostat rising in degrees haltingly like a cranky mid-century oven. Closets in between sweaters and shorts; shoots barely breaking the soil to reach for the sun. And then suddenly it's summer - b

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

07/11/2012 05:00 PM

15 views

Peas Please: Sweet Pea Summer Soup with Marjoram

Is there anything more delicious than a simple bowl of sweet pea soup? The variations are infinite, needing only imagination and whatever the garden or cupboard will yield. Pick a herb; parsley for freshness, basil for bite, mint for green coolness. Choose a base: something from the allium family; liquid as simple as water or as complex as rich chicken stock.&n

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

07/04/2012 10:48 PM

15 views

Toasting Spain: Spanish Style Stuffed Prunes

European football isn’t usually my thing. I’d be hard pressed to tell you who plays for Manchester City or Manchester United, or what the difference is between A.C Milan and F.C Internazionale Milano. But I do love championship football. The athleticism, the speed, the elaborate hairdos and drama – all of it combines for high octane entertainment. Living in Toro

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

04/07/2012 05:00 AM

15 views

Nutty About Butter: Easy Homemade Walnut Butter

I am a firm believer that everything's better with butter. No, not margarine, or butter substitute (do you remember I Can't Believe It's Not Butter? Yep, they still make it). The soft creaminess, the rich flavour, the inimitable depth that even a small pat of butter can impart cannot be replaced. The amazing thing about this most elemental of ingredients is just ho

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

03/18/2012 05:54 PM

18 views

A Winter Cheat: Roasted Tomato Soup

Just about this time of year, I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. The symptoms are all there: lack of energy and the ability to concentrate; slow, lethargic movement; social withdrawal; irritability. Except the cause is not what you might think. I'm perfectly fine with grey skies, and every day after the winter solstice gets reassuringly longer. No, it's not the weather, tempt

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

03/12/2012 08:30 AM

15 views

Simply Supreme: Blood Orange Marmalade with Star Anise and Ginger

Cooking is full of oddities. Funny measures, like a a pat of butter or peck of peppers. Archaic techniques and even stranger ways to describe them. Baking a pie crust blind. Bringing water to a rolling boil. Coddling eggs. I love the specificity of these words, carrying with them the collective wisdom of hun

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

02/14/2012 12:05 AM

21 views

Sweet Valentine's Treat: Lucia's Amazing Walnut Bars

There are some things that are genetic. Loud laughter. Blue eyes. Dark hair. An insatiable love of figs. Normal 0 false false false EN-CA X-NONE X-NONE

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

12/18/2011 08:39 AM

25 views

Holiday Open House Countdown Part Three: It's the Little Things

Every year, when I’m cooking dozens and dozens of hors d’oeuvres for the Open House, I’m reminded of Mrs. Flax, the mother in the movie Mermaids. Played brilliantly by Cher, Mrs Flax only cooks finger food because anything else, she proclaims, is too much of a commitment. I know what she means. A marshmallow kebab is assembled in a matter of seconds, while a lasagne takes time, pat

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

12/10/2011 05:00 AM

22 views

Holiday Open House Countdown Part Two: Gingerbread Cookies

Holiday Pop Quiz:Gingerbread originated in which country? a. Sweden b. Armeniac. France If you’re anything like me, random facts, stats, historical footnotes and unusual bits of information intrigue and stick with me. For some reason, I can conveniently forget to pay the phone bill but miraculously remember that the name Wendy was made up for the play Peter Pan, or

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

11/29/2011 07:25 AM

24 views

Holiday Open House Countdown: Part One

I used to adore Christmas. I was the one who got up before all my siblings, going down the stairs on my tippy toes to scope out the presents piled high beneath the tree, checking to see if the milk and cookies were gone, biting down a squeal of delight if there was magical snow on the ground. My older, wiser sisters slept more peacefully, knowing that the thrill of anticipation is best cultivated

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

11/02/2011 09:36 AM

25 views

Plate to Page - Eating and Drinking in la Bella Toscana

How many days does it take, I wonder, to get perfectly accustomed to having wine at every meal? In la bella Toscana, it seems the answer is barely two. Just days into the Plate to Page workshop and already I’m anticipating the wine we’ll have with lunch at Il Salicone winery. Il Salicone is not your typical Tuscan winery. It’s an artisanal operation, producing small batch Sangioves

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

10/23/2011 07:19 PM

50 views

La Bella Italia: Panzanella Salad from la cucina povera

Always the freshest produce at the Italian market Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. Born to Italian immigrants, I saw this first hand growing up. We reused and recycled long before it was fashionable; everything was saved and nothing went to waste. Nowhere was that more apparent than around food. The parmigiano rind went into the soup, adding depth and richness of flavour. Dr

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

10/20/2011 01:00 PM

26 views

La Bella Italia

It's been so long since I've updated duckandcake, but it's not a shortage of stories that's stopping me. In between life, which has been full tilt and non-stop busy, Richard and I escaped to Italy for a blissful two week holiday. Stay tuned as I share stories, great places to stay and visit, recipes and most of all our wonderful food experiences. Pranzo in Spoleto a

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

09/03/2011 08:44 AM

44 views

Just Peachy: Homemade Peach Salsa

I can’t believe it’s already September. It’s the time of year that becomes measured by the retail count-down calendar. Back to school is barely over before Halloween candies and Thanksgiving turkeys creep into the grocery aisles. And when I hear that first Christmas carol on the radio, I know that snow and short dark days are not far behind. But I know I'll forget all of that when I see what’s

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

08/28/2011 04:29 PM

35 views

Made in Japan: On-Line Auction for A Fund for Jennie

On March 11, we all watched with horror as Japan experienced first a devastating earthquake and then an even more destructive tsunami. Amidst the tragedy and uncertainty, what happened next was truly inspiring, as the world gathered to take the Japanese people in its arms and give them comfort, in whatever way it could. The tsunami was on my mind this week while I was in Tokyo on business. On

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

08/08/2011 06:16 AM

39 views

BSP2 Part Two: Who Made the Quinoa Salad?

For someone who travels as much as I do, you'd think I'd be a light packer. I consider it a success if I can manage to pack for a week with just five pairs of shoes (I’m counting my running shoes as part of the five, mind). While I do plan ahead, and know exactly what I’ll be wearing when, I like to have options, shall we say. And then there’s the matter of the “shop opp”. Even with the

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

08/03/2011 07:24 AM

48 views

Big Summer Potluck 2, Part One: On Becoming a Food Blogger

A breakfast feast at BSP2, featuring fresh peaches, gluten-free muffins and homemade jam from Sugarcrafter ?I remember the first time I wondered if I was really a bona fide blogger, even a part-time one, which was all I was aspiring to be. I was having that most perfect of Saturday morning indulgences – a pedicure – and as the aesthetician and I chatted, I mentioned I had a food blog.

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

07/14/2011 11:19 PM

37 views

Dinner Tonight: Braised Halibut with Cherry Tomato-Caper Sauce

There are certain distinct advantages to having a husband who works from home. Pesky errands that can be done during the day. Laundry that magically appears, folded and clean (really!). A back up plan for unexpected emergencies (like the time that a heel broke off my shoe at work and Richard delivered another pair to me). And best of all, dinner ready when I com

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

07/02/2011 02:05 PM

43 views

Summer Canning: Strawberry Jam with a Thai Twist

Of all the summer fruits, strawberries always struck me as being a bit prosaic, and slightly disappointing. Maybe I've been jaded by years of eating out of season flavourless berries, pristinely perfect under their cello wrappers, but without a smidge of sweetness. Or maybe it's the memory of those big jars of Kraft jam, brimming with sugar and big blobs of fruit that tasted like nothing r

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

06/21/2011 10:57 PM

55 views

In Season: Risotto with Spot Prawns and Asparagus

Seasons are fleeting. And so their bounty is all the more precious for being so ephemeral. Two of my favourites, spot prawns and asparagus, are already towards the end of their peak. And although it's true that a good fishmonger will have frozen spot prawns throughout the year (Fisherfolk for example), and that asparagus is a staple in every grocery store year round,&nbs

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/28/2011 01:56 PM

26 views

On the Lamb: Harissa-Rubbed Lamb Chops with Charmoula

As a part-time food blogger and full time food freak, my antenna is always up for delicious things to make, eat and blog about. More and more, I’m cooking and posting original recipes that I’ve either perfected or – through pure blind luck and some modicum of skill – managed to create from the season’s best. But sometimes, the clamour for a recipe outweighs my desire to be original. And that

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/28/2011 01:56 PM

52 views

On the Lamb: Harissa-Rubbed Lamb Chops with Charmoula

As a part-time food blogger and full time food freak, my antenna is always up for delicious things to make, eat and blog about. More and more, I’m cooking and posting original recipes that I’ve either perfected or – through pure blind luck and some modicum of skill – managed to create from the season’s best. But sometimes, the clamour for a recipe outweighs my desire to be original. And that

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/28/2011 01:56 PM

24 views

On the Lamb: Harissa-Rubbed Lamb Chops with Charmoula

As a part-time food blogger and full time food freak, my antenna is always up for delicious things to make, eat and blog about. More and more, I’m cooking and posting original recipes that I’ve either perfected or – through pure blind luck and some modicum of skill – managed to create from the season’s best. But sometimes, the clamour for a recipe outweighs my desire to be original. And that

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/28/2011 01:56 PM

33 views

On the Lamb: Harissa-Rubbed Lamb Chops with Charmoula

As a part-time food blogger and full time food freak, my antenna is always up for delicious things to make, eat and blog about. More and more, I’m cooking and posting original recipes that I’ve either perfected or – through pure blind luck and some modicum of skill – managed to create from the season’s best. But sometimes, the clamour for a recipe outweighs my desire to be original. And that

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/17/2011 05:00 AM

26 views

In Season: Orrechiette with Fiddleheads, Wild Ramps and Spot Prawns

Although it's been wet, rainy and just too darn cold for spring to feel like it's really here, it hasn't stopped all the beautiful green things from breaking ground. At last week's farmers' market, amongst the cold cellar apples and farm fresh eggs, there was spring bounty to be had: asparagus big and fat and firm, sandy ends still damp; fiddlehead ferns, tightly coiled and emerald green; and th

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/17/2011 05:00 AM

24 views

In Season: Orrechiette with Fiddleheads, Wild Ramps and Spot Prawns

Although it's been wet, rainy and just too darn cold for spring to feel like it's really here, it hasn't stopped all the beautiful green things from breaking ground. At last week's farmers' market, amongst the cold cellar apples and farm fresh eggs, there was spring bounty to be had: asparagus big and fat and firm, sandy ends still damp; fiddlehead ferns, tightly coiled and emerald green; and th

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/17/2011 05:00 AM

26 views

In Season: Orrechiette with Fiddleheads, Wild Ramps and Spot Prawns

Although it's been wet, rainy and just too darn cold for spring to feel like it's really here, it hasn't stopped all the beautiful green things from breaking ground. At last week's farmers' market, amongst the cold cellar apples and farm fresh eggs, there was spring bounty to be had: asparagus big and fat and firm, sandy ends still damp; fiddlehead ferns, tightly coiled and emerald green; and th

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/17/2011 05:00 AM

39 views

In Season: Orrechiette with Fiddleheads, Wild Ramps and Spot Prawns

Although it's been wet, rainy and just too darn cold for spring to feel like it's really here, it hasn't stopped all the beautiful green things from breaking ground. At last week's farmers' market, amongst the cold cellar apples and farm fresh eggs, there was spring bounty to be had: asparagus big and fat and firm, sandy ends still damp; fiddlehead ferns, tightly coiled and emerald green; and th

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/02/2011 05:32 PM

37 views

Just Ducky - Duck Prosciutto and Rapini Crostini with Buratta

My niece is a declared vegetarian. Starting first with meat, and not much of a seafood eater, it’s been a process of food group elimination, driven as much, if not more, by personal taste as by philosophy. Things got complicated when, at 13, she expressed an interest in a career as a chef, as she knew that going through culinary school would be well nigh impossible without eating – or at le

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/02/2011 05:32 PM

30 views

Just Ducky - Duck Prosciutto and Rapini Crostini with Buratta

My niece is a declared vegetarian. Starting first with meat, and not much of a seafood eater, it’s been a process of food group elimination, driven as much, if not more, by personal taste as by philosophy. Things got complicated when, at 13, she expressed an interest in a career as a chef, as she knew that going through culinary school would be well nigh impossible without eating – or at le

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/02/2011 05:32 PM

31 views

Just Ducky - Duck Prosciutto and Rapini Crostini with Buratta

My niece is a declared vegetarian. Starting first with meat, and not much of a seafood eater, it’s been a process of food group elimination, driven as much, if not more, by personal taste as by philosophy. Things got complicated when, at 13, she expressed an interest in a career as a chef, as she knew that going through culinary school would be well nigh impossible without eating – or at le

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

05/02/2011 05:32 PM

32 views

Just Ducky - Duck Prosciutto and Rapini Crostini with Buratta

My niece is a declared vegetarian. Starting first with meat, and not much of a seafood eater, it’s been a process of food group elimination, driven as much, if not more, by personal taste as by philosophy. Things got complicated when, at 13, she expressed an interest in a career as a chef, as she knew that going through culinary school would be well nigh impossible without eating – or at le

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

04/02/2011 11:54 PM

20 views

Toronto Bakes for Japan - Spread the Word!

Thanks to the fabulous work of Heena and Niya at Tiffin Tales, the entire city is banding together to bake and raise funds for Japan in the aftermath of the terrible tsunami. I'll be participating on April 10 by baking up a storm of mini fennel-olive oil bread loaves to sell. You can participate too - even if it's by buying some of the delicious products that will be available for sale at fiv

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

04/02/2011 11:54 PM

27 views

Toronto Bakes for Japan - Spread the Word!

Thanks to the fabulous work of Heena and Niya at Tiffin Tales, the entire city is banding together to bake and raise funds for Japan in the aftermath of the terrible tsunami. I'll be participating on April 10 by baking up a storm of mini fennel-olive oil bread loaves to sell. You can participate too - even if it's by buying some of the delicious products that will be available for sale at fiv

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

04/02/2011 11:54 PM

24 views

Toronto Bakes for Japan - Spread the Word!

Thanks to the fabulous work of Heena and Niya at Tiffin Tales, the entire city is banding together to bake and raise funds for Japan in the aftermath of the terrible tsunami. I'll be participating on April 10 by baking up a storm of mini fennel-olive oil bread loaves to sell. You can participate too - even if it's by buying some of the delicious products that will be available for sale at fiv

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

04/02/2011 11:54 PM

66 views

Toronto Bakes for Japan - Spread the Word!

Thanks to the fabulous work of Heena and Niya at Tiffin Tales, the entire city is banding together to bake and raise funds for Japan in the aftermath of the terrible tsunami. I'll be participating on April 10 by baking up a storm of mini fennel-olive oil bread loaves to sell. You can participate too - even if it's by buying some of the delicious products that will be available for sale at fiv

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

03/08/2011 05:00 AM

74 views

Salad Days: Spanish Green Salad with Tuna and Beans

I dream about having the perfect pantry. One that produces, as if by magic, exactly the right ingredient when I need it. Walnut oil, say, or canned escargots. Clam juice, hearts of palm, Picholine olives. That je ne sais quoi needed to finish a dish, add an unexpected touch, make a dish genius instead of just good. And then I make something simple for dinner, with every ingredient on hand, and

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

03/08/2011 05:00 AM

25 views

Salad Days: Spanish Green Salad with Tuna and Beans

I dream about having the perfect pantry. One that produces, as if by magic, exactly the right ingredient when I need it. Walnut oil, say, or canned escargots. Clam juice, hearts of palm, Picholine olives. That je ne sais quoi needed to finish a dish, add an unexpected touch, make a dish genius instead of just good. And then I make something simple for dinner, with every ingredient on hand, and

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

03/08/2011 05:00 AM

27 views

Salad Days: Spanish Green Salad with Tuna and Beans

I dream about having the perfect pantry. One that produces, as if by magic, exactly the right ingredient when I need it. Walnut oil, say, or canned escargots. Clam juice, hearts of palm, Picholine olives. That je ne sais quoi needed to finish a dish, add an unexpected touch, make a dish genius instead of just good. And then I make something simple for dinner, with every ingredient on hand, and

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

03/08/2011 05:00 AM

22 views

Salad Days: Spanish Green Salad with Tuna and Beans

I dream about having the perfect pantry. One that produces, as if by magic, exactly the right ingredient when I need it. Walnut oil, say, or canned escargots. Clam juice, hearts of palm, Picholine olives. That je ne sais quoi needed to finish a dish, add an unexpected touch, make a dish genius instead of just good. And then I make something simple for dinner, with every ingredient on hand, and

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

02/22/2011 12:09 AM

32 views

The Pig and I: Pancetta Cups with Duck Eggs for Charcutepalooza

I guess you could say my relationship with the venerable pig began when I was kid. I can’t remember exactly how old I was when I saw my first dead pig, but I can say with certainty where it was: in our basement. Every year, my father would buy a pig, sharing the cost with several friends. Without warning, there it would be: hanging in the basement, mute and huge and, well, dead. Funny abou

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

02/22/2011 12:09 AM

22 views

The Pig and I: Pancetta Cups with Duck Eggs for Charcutepalooza

I guess you could say my relationship with the venerable pig began when I was kid. I can’t remember exactly how old I was when I saw my first dead pig, but I can say with certainty where it was: in our basement. Every year, my father would buy a pig, sharing the cost with several friends. Without warning, there it would be: hanging in the basement, mute and huge and, well, dead. Funny abou

	Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake
	A backwards look at the kitchen renovation that changed our house and our lives, sprinkled with cooking adventures and and spiced with commentary about life, musings about food, travel, husbands and wives and Sunday dinners with great menus from sometimes wacky cookbooks

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