Garlic Basil Pesto

Okay, so I realize I'm trying to make this pesto sound fancy by calling it garlic basil pesto, when really, that's what pesto is made of. But I couldn't just call it pesto, it looked lame.

So here is a delicious recipe for garlic basil pesto. Complete with toasted pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano and extra virgin olive oil!

Damn. I did it again.

All the basic ingredients for pesto, no special ingredients added, but they sound special don't they?

You know what...

Maybe that's what makes pesto so freckin' delicious. Because it does have special ingredients. They are all fresh, flavourful ingredients and when pulverized together they make this simple and aromatic sauce that is used for more than just pasta.

Not to mention that Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts and good olive oil are also not the cheapest things to buy, I guess that also makes them special....

I have also discovered a way to keep pesto sauce by freezing it in ice cube trays which allows you to keep the pesto in the freezer for months. They are the perfect serving sizes (1 cube per person) and you can have home made pesto ready whenever you need it.

Enjoy!

Garlic Basil Pesto

Makes 8 servings

• 2 cups of packed fresh basil
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts (toast them at 350 degrees F for 3 minutes, watch at 2 minutes, if they start to turn light brown, take them out, they will continue to toast even out of the oven)
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper

1. In a food processor place the basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, garlic cloves and a splash of the olive oil to moisten the ingredients.
2. Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped. While the machine is running drizzle in the olive oil. You may not need to use all the olive oil, but add until desired consistency. Scrap down the sides to make sure all the ingredients are well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. In an ice cube tray, scoop about 2 tbsp of pesto into each section. I was able to fill 8 cubes. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until you need some pesto.

*To prepare the pesto you don't need to thaw it, just throw into cooked pasta and let it cook with the heat of the pasta. Add a splash of pasta water if desired to thin out the sauce.

*Add a splash of cream for a pesto cream sauce and diced tomatoes for a little freshness.

Frank's Kitchen

When was the last time you had a memorable dining experience?

And I'm not talking memorable like, you ordered ice cream but got frozen butter instead, and the server tried to cover it up by saying that it was special maple butter ice cream.

This didn't just happen once, but twice.

These are not the memorable experiences that I'm talking about. What I'm talking about are those experiences that not only take you back to the food, but every single moment that surrounded the food. The setting. The music. The quite chatter in the background. The swooshing of your wine and the bold flavours that escape out of the glass.

This, is what dining is all about and unfortunately, it is rare.

Why are these places so rare and what makes them so special?

Love.

Love is truly what makes Frank's Kitchen so special. Every staff member here truly cares about the food being served. And no restaurant can have passionate staff without passionate owners leading them. Both Frank Parhizgar and his partner and wife, Shawn Cooper have the passion and experience that makes this restaurant sparkle among the many restaurants in Little Italy on College Street.

Dinner began with freshly baked artisan bread with green olive tepenade and sun-dried tomato tepenade followed by Frank's own salami, cured in house, topped with Parmigiano Reggiano.

Next came a three part amuse-bouche, all this, compliments of the chef.

After three plates of Frank showcasing his craftsmanship and artistry as a chef, we received our salad made with buffalo mozzarella, roasted tomato and red pepper with cured black olives in an aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil $15.

Once our palettes were cleansed from the sorbet, we were finally ready for the main course. We ordered the beef wellington wrapped in a truffled mousse with a foie gras jus $40. The beef was done to perfection and the foie gras melted in my mouth. We also ordered the crisp gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream with pancetta $17. Crisp gnocchi, need I say more?

It would seem that I would be full at this point, but how could we possibly turn down dessert at this point, we had to experience every little bit of this wonderful place.

We ordered the mini chocolate souffle with soft molton chocolate inside served with a vanilla milkshake shot and strawberry sorbet. And of course, who doesn't order crème brûlée at such a fine establishment. It is after all, my absolute favourite dessert.

For two people, our entire meal comprising of all these delicious things and wine, cost $135 with tip included.

I have attached a bit of an interview I did with Chef Frank Parhizgar on Roger Mooking's blog.

He is, by far, the most interesting chef I have interviewed. And the coolest.

I highly recommend you make a reservation for this place as soon as you can.

Me: How did your interest in cooking happen by accident?

Frank: I was an athlete. I ran track and field, 400-meter hurdles. I used to travel Europe, going from city to city like a tennis player, following the tournaments and trying to compete and trying to get better. In between seasons I used to come back to Canada and save up money. One of the years I decided I wasn’t going to come back. It was in between the outdoor season and the indoor season and I decided to get a job. It really happened by accident, I had no intentions to be a chef or cook or anything, but I found this fantastic place, a chateau in France, with lots of rolling hills. I was thinking if I could get a job here, it would be great, I could exercise here, use what was around me, get myself back in shape, get some money. I thought, I’m already here, I don’t have to spend another $2000 on flights. The money could go towards cheap motels where I could stay and wait for the next tournament to start. So I went in, asking for a job and they literally told me f*** off. I wasn’t a trained chef, no culinary background, no idea. It’s like going to a mechanic and just saying I want to be a mechanic, I had no clue. But I finally managed to be a pest enough and not get rejected, and got the job. So when I started, they wanted to teach me a few lessons. They would say, you see the stacks of potatoes, take them down to the cellar. And these are old Parisian buildings, where the steps are tiny and there are hundreds of them. I had to take the potatoes, put them on my back and go down these stairs and then for fun I would do squats and they would be like who is this guy? But for me it was physical exercise, it was fantastic. And I would do it faster than any of the other apprentices and better than any other apprentices. But I was a prep there and as a prep you come in, clean the restaurant, help with the prep, peel the potatoes and when the chefs were done at night you would stay there and clean the entire kitchen from top to bottom. Every time I would finish my task I would go to the head chef and the chef would get so angry with me because I wasn’t following the chain of commands. So, I would finish at 1:00-2:00 in the morning and as punishment the chef would say, you come tomorrow at 4:00 am and I thought great! More exercise! They could not understand. So at 4 in the morning I would come and they would think okay, this time we are going to break this guy, he’s going to leave. But this was a time when you saw all the butchers, the bread bakers, the guys that would smoke the fish, butchering all the fish and you saw everything from scratch. That was it, I fell in love with it. So I would help prep, but I had no knife skills. I would be cutting things and bleeding and they would say faster, faster! Putting pressure on me, but I was directly with the chef, with the coach and all of a sudden, I accelerated a lot quicker by being directly there and I guess somehow they started to take a liking to me. And one important thing I learned about kitchens, is that the person who knows where everything is, is very valuable. So when service would start, even though they were main chefs, they wouldn’t know where the ingredients were and I would know where it was. I put them away from morning to night, and I just got more involved, more efficient, you move up, you learn. And that’s how I fell in love with it, it consumed me so much. That team atmosphere, the sights, the smells, the art of it, it all made sense, for me it was a perfect transition into it.

Find the rest on Roger's blog.

Reservations can be made by calling 416 516 5861

Frank's Kitchen
588 College Street (College and Clinton)

Toronto, Ontario

Devil's Food Cake

Devil's food cake, probably the most "wicked" name given to a cake.

Why such a wicked name?

Well it's the exact counterpart of the white, light, and airy angel food cake.

This dark, dense and sinfully chocolate cake is the perfect dessert for any chocolat lover and the perfect cake for Halloween.

Enjoy!

Devils Food Cake

Makes one 9-inch cake

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups of cake flour
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1/4 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of buttermilk at room temperature

Frosting:

• 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 cups of whipping cream

1. To make the frosting, place chocolate chips and heavy cream into a saucepan. Cook over low heat stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until combined and thickened, 45-60 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Once cooled transfer frosting to a large bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or until thick enough to spread. Stir the frosting one more time before you chill to keep the consistency.



3. While your frosting is chilling in the fridge, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
4. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
5. In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.
6. Add 1 egg at a time and beat until well incorporated. Beat in vanilla. Add half the flour mixture to the bowl and stir together with a large spoon; stir in milk, stir in second half of the flour. Stir until all is well combined but do not overstir.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
8. Leave cakes in pan for 10 minutes before removing onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting the cake.
9. To frost the cake, place 1 layer of the cake onto a platter, level the top of the cake with a serrated knife so the second layer can lay flat.
10. Cover the top of the cake completely and generously with frosting. Place the second layer on top and continue frosting the entire cake with as much frosting as desired. Best served the day of.

Cake Recipe adapted from Food and Drink Magazine

Frosting adapted from Martha Stewart

Apple Pie

This weekend I attended Food Network's Delicious Food Show, where I was hoping to spot celebrity chefs and test out some tasty new foods.

I had just missed Padma Lakshmi, the host of Food Network's Top Chef, however, I did have the chance to sample quite a bit of food. Before I even got to the food show I was hoping someone would be serving oysters. I've never had them before, so I was pretty excited when I found a stand at the show. John Petcoff, who was running the Oyster Boy exhibit said I was his favourite "first timer", which I took as a great compliment. I think he was more entertained by how awkward yet excited I was about eating the oyster.

Another great "first time" food I tried was a fruit cake that I actually liked. I'm not a huge fan of fruit cake and I'm not sure if anyone is. But after trying Grandma Deb's Rum soaked Fruit Cakes I immediately thought, this is the kind of fruit cake that needs to go around during the holidays, not that gummy crap at the grocery stores, this is the fruit cake that is fit for the Queen. And after sending 2 1/2 pounds of her fruit cake to Prince William and Kate Middleton to mark the celebration of their wedding she received a thank you letter in the mail from St James Palace, confirming that her cake truly was fit for Royalty.

Now you're probably wondering how this food show is connected to my apple pie. Well, Whole Foods was also exhibiting at the show and they were giving away free organic apples. And just like any normal person, I probably should have taken one apple. But I wanted to make an apple pie. So I asked the Whole Foods guy if I could take enough apples to make a pie and to my delight he said yes. I only asked for four but he insisted I needed six, I wasn't about to argue with the Whole Foods guy.

So here is my scrumptious apple pie made with hand-picked apples from the Delicious Food Show.

P.S. If you don't let your pie sit for at least 3 hours, you'll get the runny filling in the photo below. There was no way my pie was going to sit safely for 3 hours without being eaten by one of my roommates, so for picture purposes, I had to cut into it sooner than I preferred.

Apple Pie

• 2 9-inch pie crusts (follow steps 1-7)
• 6 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin slices
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp of all spice
• egg wash (1 yolk beaten with a tsp of water for brushing)
• turbinado sugar (raw sugar) for sprinkling on top

1. In a large bowl mix together apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice. Set aside.
2. On a floured counter, roll out one of the pie disc into a 11 inch circle. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling the dough over a rolling pin and rolling it out onto the pie plate. Fill the pie plate with the apple filling and dot with butter. Set in the fridge while you roll out the next dough.
3. Roll out the second pie disc into a 11-inch circle. To make a lattice crust follow these steps, for a normal crust you need to cut several slits for steam vents across the top. Using the same method, roll the pie crust over a rolling pin and unroll onto the pie plate over the filling. Seal by crimping edges. Cover the pie and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees F.
4. Once chilled brush the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if desired, transfer the pie onto a baking sheet (in case any filling spills over) and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350 degrees for another 40-45 minutes, or until the pie is golden brown and the juices bubbling.
5. Transfer pie to wire rack and let cool for 3 hours before serving.

Filling Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Apple Cheddar Muffins

You know when you're hungry and you get a muffin at the coffee shop, because you're looking for something sweet like a cookie but more "umpf" than a donut and when you eat the muffin you find yourself deeply unfulfilled because that muffin was sweeter than expected or it just had no substance to it at all?

I totally get it.

And I have the solution. An apple cheddar muffin.

This is the muffin that is going to satisfy that sweet and savoury craving your having. It's gonna satisfy that "I wanna meal but don't actually need a meal" craving. Unfortunately they are kind of addictive, so you may end up eating a meal of muffins. But let's solve one problem at a time fellas!

Enjoy!

Apple Cheddar Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 cup of grated cheese (reserve 1/4 cup for topping muffins)
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 apples, peeled, cored and grated
• turbinado sugar (for on top of the muffins)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line muffins pans with paper liners.
2. In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in 3/4 cup of grated cheese. Set aside
3. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together. Once mixed add eggs, one at at time. Mix in grated apples.
4. Combine the flour mixture into the large bowl and mix until just combined.
5. Divide batter among muffin cups, you may have left over batter, this is when you take the opportunity to eat the extra batter... or make one big muffin!
6. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar cheese (1/4 cup) over the muffin tops and generously sprinkle turbinado sugar over each muffin.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes ( I did 22 minutes in my oven) or when a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer muffins to cooling rack.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Icing

I love fall. It's such a beautiful season.

I also love Thanksgiving. And although I didn't get a chance to see my family in Winnipeg, I was able to see my Ontario family in Guelph.

Well technically they are my roommate's family, but I feel they have adopted me as one of their own. Guelph is such a wonderful place to visit and it's only a short bus ride from Toronto, making it a great getaway from the city life.

And as much as Toronto is a part of Canada, I really feel like it's the smaller cities that make up Canada. It's the smaller cities and towns that inspire those Molson Canadian commercials where people are drinking beer on the deck in their spacious backyards, chillin' in their cottage chairs, and every now and then, checking the score of the hockey game.

Sometimes I forget how much I love Canada. It's good to be reminded every now and then.

As for the food this weekend.... well, there was food. A 30 pound turkey, that needed to be carved by three people, stuffing galore, potatoes, cranberry sauce, wine and oh yah... the desserts. Never underestimate the power of a potluck dinner.

30lb turkey... dessert...

Like mother, like son...

I decided to bring pumpkin cupcakes, and I must say, these flavourful and moist cupcakes will make you think second about baking that pumpkin pie. And of course you can't forget the sweet brown sugar cream cheese icing that top off the cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Icing

Makes 12 cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cup of cake flour or all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp of Chinese five-spice powder (pumpkin spice also works well)
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of unsweetened pure pumpkin
• 1/2 cup of milk

Frosting

• 1/4 cup of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1 cup of icing sugar
• 1 tbsp of dark rum or vanilla
• pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners. In a small bowl, whisk flour, Chinese five-spice, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar until very creamy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, scraping down sides if needed. Beat in pumpkin (don't worry if it curdles a bit). Then stir in flour mixture alternatively with milk just until blended.
4. Divide among lingers. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside on a rack to cool.
5. Meanwhile prepare frosting. Beat cream cheese with butter until very creamy. Add brown sugar and beat until creamy. Then add icing sugar and rum, beating until light and fluffy.
6. Spread the icing among the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds if desired.

Recipe from Food and Drink Magazine

Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn

I have a funny story about this kettle corn.

I went to see the movie Drive the other day with a few friends. Great film by the way, I recommend you go see it with a group of people so you don't feel silly when you laugh at the "gory" parts.

So one of the girls who came to watch the movie with us was from Chile. I noticed that she didn't get the regular popcorn from the concession stand but instead got this sweet chocolate popcorn already made in a package. She saw me eyeing up her popcorn and I'm sure felt obliged to give me some, because she did, and then proceeded to tell me about her first movie popcorn experience in Canada.

" When I first came to Canada," imagine this in a fantastic Chilean accent, "I went to the theater and got popcorn with butter in it and when I ate it, I spit it out! The butter was not butter! It was so gross! We have sweet popcorn at the movie theaters in Chili, none of this fake butter!"

I then told her that the majority of food in North America is crap, and she intensely gripped my shoulder and said "Yes! Yes it is! I'm so glad you agree with me!"

I thought that was pretty funny, but at the same time sad. She's not the first person to complain about American food to me, and when I say American I mean North America. When I ask my European friends what they miss most about Europe, they all say the food. And it's not just the food served at the restaurants but the ingredients at the grocery stores as well.

So this funny story led me to make this sweet kettle corn, as a reminder that not all food in North America is bad and that it is possible to eat well here.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn

Makes a big bowl

• 1/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt

1. In a large pot mix together oil and popcorn kernels on medium heat. Once the oil starts to sizzle, wait a few seconds (20-30 secs) and then mix in the sugar and salt. Cover the pot with a lid.
2. When the popcorn starts to pop shake the pot while holding onto the lid. Shake every few seconds to make sure the popcorn does not burn and the sugar does not caramelize, it burns pretty easily so just be careful.
3. When the popping begins to slow down (2-3 pops per second) take it of the heat and continue to shake until you hear no more popping. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl and break apart any clumps. If you are not going to eat all the popcorn let cool and keep it in an air sealed container.

*Note: Adding the sugar in just before the kernels are about to pop will prevent your sugar from caramelizing and burning.