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The Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet - Best Canadian Entertaining Cookbook

Thursday, December 21, 2006

I had my annual Christmas lunch yesterday with my girlfriend whom I have known since I was one year old (so let's just say it's been going on for a few years now!!). We have always exchanged presents at this time of year and this year was no exception. Although we also exchanged birthday presents at this time and considering our respective birthdays are in May and June it goes to show we haven't seen each other for a while! Anyways we had a wonderful pub lunch (good stick to your ribs beef dip sandwich loaded with mushrooms and thinly shaved beef!) and exchanged presents. Much to my surprise and pleasure she gave me two wonderful food products I have not tried before - The Herbery's Spiced Oil and Blueberry Balsamic Zest. It was to my surprise because it was the first food product gift given to me in quite some time. It's amazing that once food, cooking and entertaining become part of how you make your living people shy away from giving you gifts that have anything to do with food! It's like when I started my company The Cook's Companion a girlfriend gave me a new cookbook as a congratulations present. Her husband thought it was a ridiculous present to give to an owner of a cooking school. How wrong he was. Like most foodie's I need to find new inspiration daily, not just to make the nightly dinner but to inspire and motivate my clients. New products like food products and cookbooks can help provide that inspiration! So if you're still searching for that gift for that certain foodie in your life you can't go wrong with an exotic selection of products from your local gourmet food shop or browse the food section of your local book or magazine shop!
Happy holidays to you all and special thanks to my friends who help to keep me inspired!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

How do I know it's winter time? Not by the wreath that I just hung up on my door nor the pristine white snow from our first snowfall last night and not even from my son heading off with snowpants to school for the first time this year. Although all of these are indicators that we can finally stop kidding ourselves it's only fall, it's the smells eminating from my kitchen that put me firmly into the winter wonderland spirit. On tonight's menu....cottage roll, sauerkraut and whipped potatoes. It's been cooking since 9am this morning the house smells so good I could eat dinner now at 3pm! I know the snow will probably melt by tomorrow but tonight I'm going to light the fire, pour a glass of wine and enjoy a hearty family meal! Won't be so pretty tomorrow morning when the house still smells like sauerkraut but I'll just have to brew an extra strong pot of coffee to cover the smell!

Here's my easy recipe for winter warmth!

Ingredients:
  • 1 cottage roll, size is up to you depending upon how many you want to feed (these are found in the refrigerated butcher section in your local grocery store usuall next to the hams)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4-5 slices of salami, diced (or other smokey type meat - bacon, pancetta, pepperoni etc)
  • 2 cans sauerkraut (you can rinse them with water if you don't like it as sour as I do)
  • 1 cup (250ml) of water
  1. In a large stock pot, add the onion, bay leaves, salami, sauerkraut and water.
  2. Make a slight whole in the middle of the sauerkraut and nestle the cottage roll in the middle.
  3. Cover and simmer over low heat for 5-6 hours or until the meat is fork tender, turning meat over periodically and spooning the sauerkraut over top to keep it moist.
  4. Remove meat from pot. Slice thickly and serve with sauerkraut and whipped potatoes.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006


Black Gold Banned!
If you're an Australian or know someone who is then I'm sure you've heard of Vegemite before. That foul smelling, tar-like colour, Vitamin D packed spread that has made so many Australian's "happy little Vegemites"! Having lived in Australia for 5 years and having my first son there I know a thing or two about this country phenonmenon. It's a breakfast staple for kids on a piece of toast with melted butter. Or as a "cure" for one too many ales for big kids! In fact I think there was a time when my then 2 year old son wanted nothing more to eat than vegemite and toast for breakfast, a vegemite and cheese sandwich for lunch and vegemite on mashed potatoes for dinner! And his wish was my command!
So it was with some concern that I read recently in Maggie Ruggiero's blogpost in Gourmet's Choptalk that Kraft had ceased the importation of this black gold into the U.S. Apparently since 1999 Vegemite has been fortified with folate which is a no-no according to the Code of Federal Regulations 172.345. For those of you who are addicted to this stuff then this is serious business. Both my two sons are hooked (one of which wasn't even born in Australia - go figure the addiction!) Vegemite as part of their staple diet! I'm not panicking yet as I have not heard whether or not Vegemite will be banned in Canada (stay tune you little Vegemites as I try to find out) and I still have my 3 HUGE jars of the stuff that my Aussie visitors so kindly (ok so I threatened them!) brought to me this summer but my supply is dwindling.
Apparently there is no issue with personal importation so I may have to start saving up those airmiles in the event that I need to fly over to OZ to keep the pantry stocked. Sounds extreme but you try explaining to my two boys why a $2500 plane ticket is not a good spend for this $4.99 jar. Now you know why I call it Black Gold!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Well I said I was hoping for a view and I certainly got it. This is me (looking a bit tired after a long day walking and eating in Florence!) looking out over the wall that surrounds the castle I was lucky enough to stay in. Castello di Montalto is a wonderous 1000 year old castle situated on 700 acres just outside of Castelnuovo Berardenga. This is the heart of the Chianti region of Tuscany Italy and was beautiful. Not only the sights but also the people and their love of food and wine. Their passion for feeding people made me feel right at home. Traditional tuscan fare is not complicated, in fact it's quite simple. But that is the beauty of it. Few ingredients in each dish and the true flavour of the food is unspoiled. Only here can you truly taste a tomato as it should taste - like a mixture of soil and sun!
For ten days my husband and I ate and drank and explored to our hearts content. The most memorable 2 meals for me though were also the most simplest. Our first night after flying into Milan and then taking the 4.5 hour drive down to the castle left us a bit weary so we decided to stock our little mini fridge with a few delicacies and a good bottle of Chianti for dinner. Now to me, grocery shopping is an experience and to do it in a small town in Tuscany - it's an event. I love to see what new fruits and vegetables they have on display, the 18,000 types of pasta available and of course to check out the mind boggling aray of cheeses. So with my little Italian and the store clerks sparse English it was great fun. Fun for me anyways. My husband was happy to hover in the background with the cart ready to thrust some Euros out when required (it takes him a day or two to be comfortable enough to try his hand at a foreign language!). That night we dined on melt in your mouth Proscuitto di Parma, the most decadent marinated artichoke hearts, ripe tomatoes, stuffed olives, a fragrant soft cheese (which for the life of me I couldn't get the name of) and a great big glass of soft Chianti. All of this layed out in front of the fire in our little one bedroom "Scuola" on the property of the castle. Dinner never tasted so good! No fuss, no preparations, just honest tasting food.
The second most memorable meal was in a little small Enoteca (wine bar) that we stumbled across in Castelnuovo Berardenga, The Saint and The Sinner (sorry no website yet as it's new and very small). It had 3 tables inside and 2 outside and the owner welcomed us in with great fan fare. Being the only patrons we at first thought that perhaps we had made a mistake and had come across the town dud. But we were wrong and am I ever glad we stayed. The restaurant filled with locals, laughter and great jazz music. After an indepth olive oil tasting, gnocchi with truffles, veal shanks and a spinach side dish and a bottle of Chianti we were satiated and thrilled with "our" discovery. The owner who managed the front of house and his wife, the cook, kept us enthralled with an explanation and story on each dish, wine, oil that we tasted. It was definately a warm and enjoyable experience, one where you felt like you had been invited into someone's home for a Sunday night roast! And in a way I guess we were.
So much food to talk about but it truly doesn't compare to experiencing it yourself. If you ever get the chance go to Tuscany. Look up Dianna and Giovanni at Castello di Montalto and enjoy. Here's a website that I think will help you get started. www.welcometuscany.it

Thursday, October 05, 2006


What a view! Can't wait to see it for myself. My husband and I are off to Tuscany tomorrow afternoon so by this time on Saturday I hope to be sitting in the garden at Montalto Castle with a glass of wine in my hand and looking out over the hills! For 10 days we'll be soaking up all that Tuscany and the surrounding areas have to offer. I have a few private cooking sessions lined up with some great Italian cooks so I no doubt will come back inspired with new and exciting recipes and techniques (plus probably a few extra pounds on the hips!).
Until next time.....ciao!

Friday, September 29, 2006

It's a tough job I have testing recipes everyday! Well okay not really but somedays it can be. There are days that I just feel like making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner but I can't because I have to test the new duck recipe for Monday night's class (and it's Sunday and I've run out of time!). But last night was sheer heaven! After the kids went to bed I tried a new Gingery Panko Crusted Salmon and it was wonderful but what really blew my socks off was a recipe from the most recent Gourmet magazine; Apple Puree with Crisp Apple Skin and Spiced Syrup. Gorgeous! The recipe was adapted from Claude Colliot, well known Parisian chef who is now operating a high-end catering business and cooking classes. What I like about Claude is that he uses everyday ingredients and each dish usually only has about 3 or 4 ingredients. Recipes a home chef can duplicate quite easily. This apple recipe peeked my curiosity because it had these exact qualities - ingredients I had on hand and only 4 of them. Actually I didn't have star anise so I substituted 1 tsp of allspice and it worked out beautifully. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Oh and by the way...tonight I really do have to get going on that duck recipe!

Apple Puree with Crisp Apple Skin and Spiced Syrup
Adapted from Claude Colliot
Serves 4
Active Time: 20 minutes Start To Finsh: 2hr (includes chilling)
Cooks Note: Puree, syrup and apple skins can be made 3 days ahead. Puree and syrup can be chilled separately, covered, and skins can be kept, layers separated by wax paper, in an air tight container.

1 cup plus 2 tsp sugar
4 Gala apples (left unpeeled), quartered and cored
1 whole star anise or 1 tsp pieces (I substituted 1 tsp allspice)
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  1. Spread 1 cup sugar in an even layer in a 10-inch heavy skillet. Arrange apples, cut sides down, on sugar, then cover and cook over low heat, stirring sugar occasionally to ensure that it liquefies evenly (without caramelizing) and turning apples once (to other cut side), until apples are very soft, 30-40 minutes.
  2. Transfer apples with a slotted spoon to a plate to cool. Add anise (or allspice) to syrup in skillet and simmer 2 minutes, then transfer syrup to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Discard anise if using.
  3. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchement paper.
  4. When apples are cool enough to handle, gently remove flesh from apple skins with a thin-edged spoon, leaving skins intact. Put apple flesh in a bowl with butter and mash with a fork until pureed. Chill until cold, about 1 hour.
  5. Put apple skins on lined baking sheet, then sprinkle both sides of skins with remaining 2 tsp sugar. Bake until almost crisp and just caramelized, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer skins on sheet to a rack to cool. (Skins will continue to crisp as they cool).
  6. Using 2 spoons, form a quenelle (egg-shaped mound) of chilled puree on each of 4 plates. Drizzle plates with syrup, then top with crisp apple skin.

Monday, September 25, 2006


Having spent the summer at the cottage, our garden at home has been looking a bit pathetic lately due to lack of water, neglect and energy (sounds like me on some days!). So we decided to stay down from the cottage this weekend and throw ourselves back into it to prepare for the upcoming winter. It was a glorious day for garden work and we managed to get everything done but come 6pm the family was hungry and I was too tired to cook. I suggested we pop out to a new restaurant in town (Via Mia) that I was assured was kid-friendly. We had the 17 month old, 5 year old and 8 year old neighbour with us so we cleaned ourselves off and headed out. The kids were delighted to find a Bambinos menu and quickly zeroed in on the pasta with butter and cheese - even at this age they know that as long as the ingredients are fresh - the simplest preparation can sometimes be the best! I went for a good class of Chianti and a tri coloured ravioli while hubby had the spicy sausage penne. Everyone's choice was a hit and plates were quickly emptied. In between mouthfuls, my neighbour's child was eyeing the dessert menu and remarked that he'd like to try the Speedometer ice-cream but he thought the $5 cost was too high! After determining he meant the Spumoni ice-cream we told him we'd splurge on him and order his choice. While waiting for dessert the 5 and 8 year old wanted to know why ice cream would cost $5 a bowl. So not to shrug them off I went about explaining the costs associated with running a restaurant. It turned into a great time killer and learning experience for them as we looked around the room to see what could be added into our cost. I explained costs associated with the actual food, the chef, the dishwasher, the server, the building and all the way down to the actual bowl it came in. They were amazed at all the things that had to be paid for before they could sit down to that bowl of ice cream they were now slurping down! As the owner (whom I know well) approached our table to thank us for our patronage - the 8 year old shouted out..."Hey Mike, I'd pay a million dollars for this Speedometer ice cream but if I bring my own bowl and get my mom to wash it can I get it for free?" Ah, from the mouth of babes! They might have been a bit young to understand it all but was a fun way to finish off a great Saturday - that and the Chianti!

Friday, September 22, 2006

Because of my line of work (but more because I'm addicted to them) I read and subscribe to a great many food magazines, follow certain websites and food blogs. Often I catch up on my reading early in the morning as I'm making breakfast, packing lunches and doing the prep for that night's dinner. Dinner? Yep! Often dinner before my morning coffee! With 2 small boys, a busy husband and a business to run, dinner can get lost in the shuffle and when it comes time to the witching hour (5pm-7pm in our house), if dinner isn't ready at the right time then this mother can find herself amongst 3 cranky boys! Anyways, this morning as I was wadding through raisin toast, orange segments, drinking my instant coffee (blah - don't even ask why!) and blanching the dinner vegetables I was scanning the latest online edition of Canadian Living. There I found once again a validation on why I was slicing leeks and fennel so early in the morning over a cup of weak brown sludge. Dr. Joey Shulman's article entitled The Benefits of Family Meals speaks to the lost art of the family meal. Like Dr. Joey I too remember sitting down as a family most nights and discussing the days events and eating food we helped cook with my mother. We might have done it with a scowl on our face as we heard our friends playing in the street but we did it anyways. And looking back I'm so glad we did.

In my own family, I know we don't sit down everynight together but we do make a point of sitting down at least 3-4 nights a week as a family. It may mean that my husband and I have to rearrange the rest of our daily meals to make sure our appetites are ready for a 6pm meal but it's a small sacrifice for us in order to gain wonderful benefits. Like listening to our 5 year old wax poetic about his first month at school as a "full day boy" complete with stories on how Sam's mom packs more interesting lunches because he gets gummy bears everyday! Or how we have noticed it seems like overnight our 17 month old has mastered the art of feeding himself with a spoon (okay so there's still more yogurt in his hair then in his stomach but he's doing it himself!). For those 30 precious minutes or so, there is no tv, no radio, no electronic toys that make way too much noise and most importantly there is no arguing! I love it!
Now maybe things will be forced to change a bit once afterschool programs enter into our lives more but for now it's something that I will continue to hold dear to. Think about the last time you had a family meal together that wasn't on a Sunday and maybe you might find yourself chopping leeks and fennel at 7am tomorrow morning! If you do, just make sure your coffee is at least freshly brewed!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Back from a summer at the cottage with my two boys where our food focus was on simple, fresh food with little fuss. Lots of bbqs, simple salads and not an oven or stove in sight. Great way to experience all that Northern Ontario farmers have to offer during this season! Pure and simple!

Alas, it's time to come back to reality and get back into the swing of cooking, entertaining, teaching and luckily I get to do this on a regular basis. As the owner of The Cook's Companion I get the chance to interact with clients from all walks of life that are just as passionate about food as I am. Sometimes however in my 3 hour classes there just isn't enough time to discuss all that's going on in the food world and how it affects our lives. That's why I've started this blog in the hope to converse with foodies, share recipes, ideas and new inspirations.

So join me in what should be a on-going recipe for success!