Laura Calder's Party Slaw!

I had the great pleasure of having a six-course French dinner with Laura Calder last week......with 80 other guests. It was a sold out event, hosted by Barbara-Jo of Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks, for Laura's Vancouver launch of her latest cookbook, Dinner Chez Moi: The Fine Art of Feeding Friends.

Did you know: Laura loves to draw so her latest cookbook Dinner Chez Moi is filled with her cute and whimsical sketches.

Held at Le Crocodile, in one of the city's most revered restaurants, my good friend, Debbie, and I feasted on six courses of scrumptious French fare. The recipes from all six courses were borrowed from Laura's cookbook including buttery onion, blue cheese and walnut tartlette, duck confit citrus reduction, carrot and cheddar cheese souffle, just to name a few. The menu was good sampling of luxurious meals nestled inside Dinner Chez Moi.
A Food Network host of "French Food at Home", I've always admired how Laura approached French cooking - with simple delicious elegance. She introduced me to fennel and how it tastes wonderful uncooked with fresh oranges and that eggs are just as lovely for dinner baked with tuna in a phyllo pastry. So needless to say, I was thrilled to finally have dinner with her, even if it was with 80 other people.

We also had the honour of being the first guests to meet her. It was a shared carpe diem moment for Debbie and I when we miscalculated the start time for the dinner and realized we were an an hour early. No guests were around, not even a waiter in sight, but we felt inclined to interrupt Laura as she sat solo enjoying a glass of white wine before the flurry of guests arrived.

She warmly greeted us and humoured me as I took photos of her with my iphone while asking her about her favorite dishes. We chatted for 15 minutes and learned Dinner Chez Moi includes many dishes that go beyond the France border. Laura did recommend the "party slaw" for Candice's Cusina which I made over the weekend for my boyfriend and I. We both can attest that this salad is a beautiful bounty of colours and textures with bold fresh Asian flavours that can be enjoyed as an appetizer or hardy main course. So try it and I'm sure you'll fall in love with my new favorite salad discovery.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage, large ribs removed
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced fennel
A handful of broccoli sprouts, pulled apart
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
2 generous handfuls of shredded fresh mint
Salt & pepper
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cups roasted, salted cashews, chopped

Preparation:
1. Place the carrots, cabbage and fennel in a large bowl. Scatter over the sprouts and toss.
2. Whisk the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt & pepper.
3. When ready to serve, drizzle dressing then add mint, green onions and cashews. Toss, serve and party!

Try this: Add crumbled feta cheese, pan fried hard-tofu and sliced avocado for added delight to this party slaw.

Recipe adapted from Dinner Chez Moi

Maduros Plantanos (sautéed sweet plantains)

I was introduced to maduros plantanos and tostones (twice-fried unripened plantains) when visiting a Cuban restaurant in Florida. I instantly fell in love with these little golden wedges and knew it was my mission to search high and low to find these back home in Vancouver, BC.

So what exactly is a plantain? Plantains are used in many Caribbean dishes and treated as a vegetable and not a fruit like it's cousin, the banana. Plantains are rich in starch but low in sugar content, making it a good source of carbohydrates. They're considered the "potatoes" of the Caribbean, yummy!!

Did you know: Plantains, unlike bananas, are always cooked and rarely eaten raw, even when they're ripe. The reasons are because of their low moisture, high starch content and firm texture making them unpalpable to eat raw.

Just this week, my colleague, Veronica, who's originally from Guatemala brought some plantains to the office. Sensing my excitement, she gave me a mini cooking lesson and pan fried them for the office to immediately enjoy.

I was so delighted to learn how easy to was to cook maduros and that plantains can be found in most grocery stores in my neighborhood. So after work that day, I bought some plantains and tested Veronica's recipe at home that night. Success!! Now I'm sharing with you that they're quick and simple to cook and most importantly, eat. Delicioso!!

Ingredients:
- 2 very ripe plantains (the plantain skin will look brownish black)
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 tbsp white sugar (sprinkling)
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:
1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Drizzle olive oil when the skillet is hot.
2. Peel the plantains then cut at an angle, about 1/2" thick.
3. Add plantain to skillet and brown each side, about 1-2 minutes per side.
4. Once plantains are caramelized, remove from skillet. Then shower with sugar and toasted sesame seeds.

Try this: You can jazz-up maduros as a dessert by drizzling over them with scrumptious dark chocolate sauce. Or switch it up with some savory goodness by serving them along side a plate of rice with some spicy chorizo sausages and fried eggs. Yummers!!

Snickerdoodle

Well, if you haven't fallen in love with these little babies just by their adorable name (snickerdoodle!) then you definitely will once you've tasted them. These soft cookies are of German origin and known for its cracked cinnamon-sugar surface.

Did you know: What's in a name? The term "snickerdoodles" apparently was the mispronunciation of the German name "schneckennudeln" (or snail dumpling) for this pastry.

My first snickedoodle encounter was during a visit to New York City's iconic bakery, Magnolia, a few years ago. After just one bite, I made it my mission to find and master the recipe so my family and friends in Vancouver could enjoy these cookies as well.

Guess, what I did! I found the snickerdoodle recipe in the More from Magnolia cookbook by Allysa Torey, the original owner of Magnolia. I highly recommend that you add this to your cookbook repertoire (if you haven't done so already) as it's one of my favorite cookbooks because it features 74 classic baking recipes that made Allysa's Greenwich Village bakery world famous.

Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 tbsp milk (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp sugar mixed with 2 tsp cinnamon (for sprinkling)

Preparation:
1. In a small bowl. combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add eggs, milk and vanilla and beat well. 3. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Drop the rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
6. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from More from Magnolia

Spicy Corn & Black Bean as Salad, Salsa or Dip!!

I was so excited to share this recipe because it's incredibly tasty and versatile but so easy and quick to whip up! Also, it's guaranteed crowd pleaser that won't break the bank.

So make this simple seasonal side dish at for your next beach picnic or lazy Sunday afternoon al fresco fare with beloved friends and family.

Did you know: Out of 10,000 items in a typical grocery store, at least 2,500 items use corn in some form during the production or processing! Corn can be found in cake mixes, instant coffee, chips, Aspirin, toothpaste and yogurt (just to name a few).

Ingredients:
- 3 corn ears
- 1 can of black beans (rinsed & drained)
- 4 tsp Italian parsley chopped
- 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced medium
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil 
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional)
- salt & pepper 

Preparation:
1. In a large pot with boiling water, slowly add the 3 corn ears and cook until tender (about 10 minutes). Remove corn ears from boiling water and cut kernels off cobs.

2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the corn kernels and cook, stirring occasionally until browned in spots, for about 3 minutes.

3. Transfer corn to a large bowl and stir in black beans, freshly chopped parsley, lime juice and avocado. Season with salt & pepper.

Try this: This side dish would be delicious with corn chips, toasted pitta chips, pork tacos, baked chicken or quesadillas.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food.

Arturo's Mexico to Go!!

Candice's Cusina visited Arturo's Mexico to Go, an impressive food truck parked on West Cordova & Howe Street serving authentic Mexican cuisine made from scratch. Got to love salsa and guacamole made fresh daily, two of my favorite condiments.

I was warmly greeted by Kurt, one of the managers at Arturo's who generously treated me to his favorite dish on the menu, Tacotino, but with a twist. He let me try his "pimped out" version with chorizo, pico de gallo and sour cream on top of what's comes in a Tacotino, rotisserie pork, lime and chipotle sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla. Well, now I'm hooked on these tasty bundles!

The lime and chipotle sauce bring out the robust flavours of the pork and chorizo which are both so tender and delicious while the flour tortilla is a warm luscious blanket that brings the whole meal together.

When I asked Kurt how they came up with this food truck concept, he proudly replied that Arturo befriended a retiring Mexican cook who willingly gave him her recipes so that they could continue on her culinary legacy in Vancouver. With some minor recipe tweaks to incorporate local ingredients, Arturo's Mexico to Go was born.

So visit Arturo's to get your Mexican fix, andale!

Arturo's Mexico to Go
Corner of West Cordova and Howe Street
http://arturos2go.com

Soba Noodles with Sesame Seeds

I love eating soba, thin noodles made out of Buckwheat, when dining at Japanese restaurants and frequently order my one of favorite dishes Zaru soba, boiled noodles topped with shredded nori seaweed. Recently I watched a Nigella Lawson episode on her cold Soba Noodles with sesame seeds. It looked like it would be simple to make and delicious! Since it is served cold, it would be perfect for summer picnics or for lazy Sunday quick-fix dinners.

Did you know: Soba means buckwheat in Japanese. The noodles are roughly as thick as spaghetti and prepared in various hot and cold dishes.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• salt
• 8 ounces soba noodles
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar (the sweetened kind is just fine)
• 5 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey (I use buckwheat honey for a little added depth of flavor, but any variety works)
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 5 scallions

Preparation:
1. Toasted the sesame seeds in a dry pan over a high heat until they look golden brown, and tip them into a bowl.

2. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add some salt. Put in the soba noodles and cook them for about 6 minutes (or according to package instructions) until they are tender but not mushy. Dump the noodles into a colander and just run cold a water over them for a moment or two.

3. In the bowl you are going to serve them in, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, honey and oil. Then finely slice the scallions and put them into the bowl with the cooled drained noodles and mix together thoroughly before adding the sesame seeds and tossing again.

4. Leave the sesame seed noodles for about half an hour to let the flavors develop, although this is not absolutely necessary or sometimes even possible. Serves 4 as part of a meal; or 2 when eaten, gratifyingly, as they are.

Try this: Add some pan fried salmon, tofu and edamame beans for some extra texture and protein!

Antipasti Loaf

Antipasti (singular, antipasto) is a traditional Italian dish served as a first course or appetizer. Typical antipasto dishes include few delicious bites of cured meats, cheeses and marinated grilled vegetables.

I adore antipasto even as a simple meal all by itself. There is a sense of epicurean bliss when I top those intensively flavoured morsels onto a thick crusty Ciabatta slice then drizzle this mini open-faced sandwich with sweet extra virgin olive oil. Yummers!!! So here's a recipe that gives the best of both worlds, antipasti gently layered and tucked into a round loaf of rustic bread.

My idea of the best picnic sandwich because it's neatly packaged and can be enjoyed cold. Plus you'll win points when cutting through the loaf and unveiling the multi-coloured antipasti, it's a show stopper!

Did you know: Antipasto means "before the meal".

Ingredients

• 2 (250 ml) jars of assorted marinated grilled vegetables (roasted bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, etc.)
  
• 1 loaf round sourdough bread, about 8 inches diameter
• Softened butter
• 4 thin slices each of assorted cold cuts such as black forest ham, salami, proscuitto, capicollo, beer sausage, etc.
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 1 cup baby arugula
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Remove marinated vegetables from the jars & drain.
2. Cut the top off the loaf and scoop out enough bread to leave a cavity with walls about 1 inch thick. Save the removed bread for another tasty dish (breadcrumbs, panzanella salad, etc.).
3. Spread the butter on the inside of the loaf and underside of the cap.
   
4. Layer the ingredients in the cavity until filled to the brim: Black Forest ham, Red Pepper, Prosciutto, Zucchini, Salami, Capicollo, Eggplant, Mozzarella slices (salt & pepper on cheese to taste), Arugula, Salami, and Beer Sausage, for example. Place the cap on the loaf. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Try this: Get fancy by replacing the cured meats with seafood like smoked salmon, seared tuna, sardines, anchovies, cream cheese, capers and marinated onions. Oh Mama Mia!!