My time at Cowbell

A couple of years ago, when I was toying with the idea of going into the kitchen, I ate at Cowbell.  It had been open for a while and  making waves in the Toronto dining scene.  Fresh food, whole animal butchery and a commitment to farmers and producers in the local area.  Now, these concepts …

Pickled Asparagus

Here we go with our first pickling date of the season! Asparagus is out in full force and on a pretty solid whim, we decided to stock up and rip into a pickling frenzy. Goal: 12 jars of pickled asparagus. Method: 1. Trim asparagus of woody ends.  Each stalk should be about two inches shorter …

Urban Gardening II (Heirloom Tomatoes)

As a housewarming gift, we received heirloom tomato seeds from a good friend of ours. I’ve never actually tried starting tomatoes from seed before now, so it was a bit of a learning experience. I think I may have started them too late, but the plants are in the ground now, so we’ll see how …

May

So I have returned with another update for the Vegetable/Fruit of the month club. I would like to officially dub May as “LEEK” month, regardless of this vegetable’s ability to be harvested from mid-fall until early spring. Also, the true gems of the leek family that spring up (bad pun) around this time of year …

Lemon: The New Bacon

Recently I can’t stop thinking about lemons and how I could add them, the juice, zest, slices, wedges, and whatever amount from a teaspoon to a few ounces and the result would only be a positive to the desired dish. Its just as versatile as anything else out there and gives bacon a run for …

April

Seasonal and organic food is very rapidly making a comeback in today’s culinary society, so I figured it would be absolutely necessary to discuss (at least once a month) the fruit or veggie that is being celebrated at that moment. Since it’s almost mid-April and the weather’s been exceptionally nice this year, I’m considering this …

Chef School Essentials Part 1 – Knife roll

So here we are, at the end of the whole chef school experience and a great time to talk about what was absolutely required and what pieces of kitchen paraphernalia are completely useless and shouldn’t be bought! And this is more than an open post so feel free to post your opinions and feedback! This …

Book Review: Les Halles Cookbook

Anthony Bourdain is pretty well known. Unlike some of his contemporaries, he has done a good job of keeping close to his personality. While some other celebrity chefs have poured their efforts into reality shows, toothpaste commercials, prepared foods, gimmicky food appliances and dumbed down chain restaurants, Bourdain has kept his efforts focused on food. …

Homemade Pasta

Again ….. I know we’ve already had a post about homemade pasta. I just wanted to add a couple of more points and some pictures. I agree with everything my food blog contemporary has said about making pasta. Its easy, enjoyable and the stuff you buy at the store is crap. Don’t get me wrong, …

DIY Sous Vide Challenge

Evan and I are looking to build a DIY sous vide machine.  We are sourcing the parts and are just about to ready to rock and roll. If anyone is interested in playing with us, drop us a line… Here’s what we’ve come up with so far: -in principal any body of water can be …

Food Scan 1: You and Your Kitchen

Our first food scan takes us into the modern kitchen. Here, finally, in one place, are all the items a modern chef will need to get cooking… All joking aside, not much has changed when you really look at it.  But my god, look at the colors! Click on the image to see it in …

New Feature: Epic Food Scans!

I was recently over for dinner at a friends house.  He brought out a few books that his dad had rescued from a local thrift store.  One giant and slightly off smelling tome, called “The Creative Cooking Course”, is an opus to haute cuisine of the late 60’s and 70’s shown through the jaded eyes …