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Posts from the ‘Menus’ Category

Jan 13

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A January Menu for 6

Baba Ghanoush & Crackers
Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Christmas Salad
Red Wine Braised Duck Legs
Fennel, Celery Root and Potato Purée
Arugula Salad
Grand Marnier Soufflée with Crème Anglaise

With busy schedules it is difficult to find the time to entertain friends at home, but with this menu plan you can spread the work out over several days. Following each recipe here you will find suggestions for advance preparation and at the end I have added shopping lists. I hope you enjoy this winter menu and time to relax with your guests. Read more

Jul 3

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Italian Dinner for 6

Mixed Mushroom and Gorgonzola Crostini
Arugula and Mint Salad with Watermelon and Feta
Duck Ragù with Potato Gnocchi
Grilled Asparagus and Raddichio
Vanilla Bean Gelato, Chocolate Madeleines and Strawberries

The cookbook that I am currently enamoured with is Nancy Silverton’s The Mozza Cookbook, which brings to the home cook some of the specialties from her popular restaurants in Los Angeles. She writes that she “wanted the recipes to include all the information the reader would need to successfully replicate our food at home”. With this goal in mind, she and her team painstakingly adjusted the recipes so that they work in a home kitchen. Her attention to detail which has contributed to making her such a successful chef, restaurant owner and writer, is reflected throughout the book.

I used this book to guide me in producing an Italian dinner recently, with the duck ragù and potato gnocchi as the centrepiece. Read more

Oct 27

Fall Dinner for 6

When I am planning a dinner party with friends and aiming to create a memorable experience, I begin the process at least 3 days ahead. Designing the menu with guest preferences in mind, shopping for most of the ingredients and preparing dishes in advance makes this kind of entertaining possible. For this menu, the soup, potato cakes and ice cream were all made in the days leading up to the party. Instructions are also given here for preparing some of the main course early in the day to reduce time in the kitchen after the guests arrive.

Blini with Crème Fraiche and Salmon Caviar
Roasted Butternut Squash and Fennel Soup
Steamed Smoked Sablefish with Herb Horseradish Sabayon
Potato Cakes, Swiss Chard and Chanterelles
Rustic Plum Tart with Plum Ice Cream Read more

Oct 23

Thanksgiving Dinner for 9

Guacamole with Tortilla Chips
Brined Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing
Our Traditional Potato Casserole
Tomatoes Stuffed with Creamed Spinach
Roasted Root Vegetables
Spiced Cranberries
Plum Crumble with Plum Ice Cream

It seems as if every year I try a different way to roast a turkey and I’m usually not very happy with it. The turkey is dry, over or undercooked, etc. etc. Each year I swear I’ll never cook one again, mostly because of the number of dirty dishes a turkey dinner creates. But, like most things, time makes me forget all that and I’m again craving the aroma of a roasting turkey in the oven and looking forward to having family and friends around the table. Read more

Sep 1

A Late Summer Dinner Party for 8

Guacamole with Crunchier Tortilla Chips
Heirloom Tomatoes with Burrata Cheese and Basil
Short Ribs with Potato Puree and Swiss Chard
Pecan Torte with Nectarine Ice Cream

We’re being treated to summer weather here in Vancouver but I am still feeling the familiar transition into Fall. ‘Back to School’ is in the air, leaves are beginning to change colour and sprinkle the sidewalks, and I’m getting ready to put away the barbecue and crank up the oven.  Read more

Aug 3

A Summer Menu for New Parents

Chickpea-Eggplant Dip
Grilled Flatbread with Za’atar
Chicken Marbella
Couscous Salad with Mangoes
Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Dear friends of ours had a baby boy on August 1st.  This menu was intended to provide them with their first at-home meal after they brought him home from the hospital.  I anticipated that they would have many friends dropping by to see the baby and therefore planned a menu that could be served cold or at room temperature for lunch or dinner and that would keep over a few days.  Read more

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