Food Fusions toy drive!

We have begun our seasonal collection of gifts to donate to local families in need through the Christmas Season.

Each year, my family hosts a big Christmas Brunch - we keep our friends and family well-fed and merry in exchange for them bringing a gift for the Christmas Bureau. This weekend we collected about 20 toys - but you can see that there is still room for more!

If you'd like to pitch in, just let me know. I'll come by and pick your unwrapped toy up. We are aiming to deliver a week today - Dec 18th.

Thanks for joining me in brightening up some little faces this year!

More here: www.lmcb.ca

Delicious ideas from the Okanagan

If you recognize this photo, you've probably spent time in B.C.'s gorgeous Okanagan.

So you'll know why it's called our province's Fruit Basket. And here's a simply tasty way to enjoy your favorite Okanagan fruit.

It really is painless: just take your selection of the Okanagan's finest, accompanied by your own homemade syrup, a dash of mint and vanilla ice cream. In fact, it's such a simple and popular recipe, that our own local experts at Granville Island feature it on their website. Check it here.

Ripening schedule: when we went up a few weeks ago, the cherry harvet was in full swing. Peaches and apricots are ready to go about now, with pears, plums and apples just around the corner.

Enjoy!

Richard Ford
604.767.1580 / richard@foodfusions.biz

Eggs, the Equinox and a Tasty Tip

Legend has it that there are just two days each year when eggs balance on end - the spring and autumn equinox, when the sun is directly over the equator and day and night are nearly equal.

Although skeptics (including Albert Einstein) tell us that it's all hogwash, we reckon folks all over Vancouver ought to celebrate the beginning of spring by dedicating some quality time today to your egg-balancing techniques.

But if you're just not having any luck, and your desk is overflowing with the results of your foiled efforts, we've dug out a great recipe for post-modern devilled eggs: the perfect way to use up your almost-scrambled equninx eggs!

First. The key to perfectly boiled eggs: it's all in the ice: Place your eggs in half a pot of water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before transferring carefully to a bowl of ice to cool.

You can make and serve devilled eggs the traditional way, slicing them in halves. Or you slice a quarter of the rounded fat end off the bottom, and just enough off the pointy end to allow the egg to stand on end once you've de-yolked it. Using that method, be sure to keep the egg carton to place the eggs in - you can even use it to serve them!

Devilled eggs with smoked trout (salmon, or mackerel)

All you'll need: hard boiled eggs; a mixture of your favourite seasonings (paprika, cayenne pepper, cracked black pepper, salt); mayo; whole grain mustard; lemon juice; and smoked trout, mackerel, or salmon.

Directions
Take your hard boiled, cooled eggs and slice about a quarter from the fattier rounded end. Very gently with a small spoon remove yolk. Cut just enough off the skinnier end so that the egg can sit upright (even when it's not the equinox). Place back into egg carton with this skinnier end down. You will pipe (or spoon) your filling into the open end from whence you removed the yolk.

(Note - if this seems a bit fiddly, go ahead and use the simpler method: simply cut your hard boiled eggs in half and scoop out the yolks, folks).

In either case, save your yolks and mix together with mayo, cayenne pepper, salt, mustard and lemon juice.Either mix your shredded smoked trout right into the mixture, or save to lay over top.Spoon the mixture back into (or 'onto') the eggs where the yolks used to be.

Top with remaining trout (or other smoked fish) and paprika, et voila - a perfect spring equinox or Easter treat.

And .... welcome to Spring!

Your Weekend Delicious Idea for March 25

What do Mitch and Cameron have to do with this weekend's Delicious Idea?

Well, if you saw the Modern Family episode 'Two Monkeys and a Panda' a few weeks ago you might be able to guess what this week's recipe is about. It went something like this:

Mitch: "You'll never believe what the new broccoli is. Kale!"

Cam: "Kale? Kale's a garnish. It's not ready to anchor a meal!!"

Mitch: "I kno-o-o-w....!"

Cam: "Well, I guess we need to ADOPT (clap clap) a new attitude toward kale!"

(It's funnier in person .... seriously, watch it).

But back to Kale. A fantastic food that doesn't make chefs like me have to choose between healthy and tasty. As it's a bit tougher than other leaves, it's usually used in soups and stir fries rather than salads, but here's a great way to serve this nutrient-packed vegetable as a snack.

Roasted Kale

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim your kale (try folding in half first, and get rid of stalk)

Toss with a really good extra virgin olive oil and sea salt

Lay out on a cookie sheet and bake for about 7-10 minutes each side.

You'll know you're done when it goes a little brown and crispy.

GREAT alternative to chips and your body will love you for it.

Now back to Modern Family ......

Your weekend Delicious Idea from Food Fusions

One of my favourite weekend pasttimes at the moment is visiting the Winter Farmer's Market on the Plaza of Nat Bailey Stadium (Ontario and 30th).

Open every Saturday from 10am until 2pm until April 30th, the Market is full of friendly vendors selling fantastic fare - to indulge in on-site or take home.

A few of my favourites are Bean Boys for their tangy humouses, the Wild Jam man with lovely jams from Williams Lake, B.C., Creperie La Boheme for delicious crepes - sweet or savory, and the Thai Princess. There are also a number of vendors who sell a huge variety of wild mushrooms. Following is an easy way to use wild mushrooms to jazz up your weekend brunching. For more on the Farmer's Market visit http://www.eatlocal.org/

Scrambled Eggs and Wild Mushrooms

Here's an easy way to Michelin-star your Sunday scramble.

Beat your (organic, free range) eggs with a little bit of whipping cream. Pour into a small non-stick pot over a teaspoon or so of butter, and stir occasionally (but not so much they break into little pieces) on a low heat.

At the same time, fry off your wild mushrooms with rock salt or sea salt and organic olive oil.

Get yourself a stainless steel chef's circle and put it in the middle of your plate. When the eggs are cooked, press them firmly into the chef's circle, and gently remove. Lay your mushrooms around the outside of the eggs, and dribble Louisiana hot sauce over eggs and shrooms.

Add your favourite toast (mine is currently whole wheat sourdough) and there you have it - a cheffed-up scramble to start your Sunday.

And don't worry too much about the butter and cream - there's still plenty of time to jog the seawall before the weekend's over.

Enjoy!

Cooking with Halloumi

After a long hiatus, a wintry comfort recipe to make it through this rainy week.

Nothing better to beat the winter blues than grilled cheese. And no cheese better to grill than Halloumi. Grilled (or even pan fried) and served with a lemon dressing and steamed asparagus, it's a delicious, substantial cheese.

Another great way to serve Halloumi is as a stuffing for grilled peppers.

Ingredients:

4 large peppers - I prefer red or orange

250 g halloumi, cut into cubes

50g cous cous

300g chopped marinated olives, mushrooms, or artichoke hearts (or a combination of all)

100 ml veggie stock

Directions:

I rarely measure ingredients exactly, but these measurements will be a good starting point and should let you stuff four large peppers. But get stuck in there, and adjust to suit your own tastebuds!

Cut the peppers in halves through the stocks. Scoop out seeds and discard. Lay the peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle with a good virgin olive oil, then bake for 20 minutes or so on 250 degrees C until tender.

To make your cous cous, you can either cover (in a bowl) with the warm vegetable stock, or cold fruit juice. Let stand for 15-20 minutes (covered tightly with saran wrap), and fluff up.

Stuff peppers with your halloumi and olive mixture, and put them back in the oven for 15 minutes or until the halloumi has begun to melt. Delicious!

Makes a great main course for your vegetarian friends, but also delicious enough that everyone will love them.

Enjoy!

Get your tastebuds ready for Christmas!

"Silver and Gold, Silver and Gold."

Think back - wayyyy back for some of us - and you can almost hear the snowman narrator in Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer singing.

The words, of course, mean more than just the object of Yukon Cornelius' desire (yes, we watch a lot of Christmas specials at our house). They also refer to dear friends both new (silver) and old (gold).

My Christmas catering menu this year features many silver and gold dishes. Traditional favourites, classics with a twist, and more modern yuletide treats. For example:

Star-shaped parmesan shortbread with goat's cheese and sweet onion chutney

Baked brie en croute with cranberries

Devil's on horseback (bacon wrapped figs with stilton)

Crab and celery remoulade

Pumpkin, red onion and spinach salad

Orange, pistachio and sage turkey breast

Old fashioned pecan pie

In the Christmas spirit yet? Just book Food Fusions for your Christmas party, meeting or event (big or small, corporate or personal) - and all this could be finding its way to your plate and palate very soon!