You can’t avoid salmon if you travel to Canada, especially in a coastal community like Gibson’s in British Columbia where we spent 2 fabulous weeks. There are six varieties of Pacific salmon – Pink, Sockeye, Coho, Chum, Chinook and Steelhead. While in Gibson’s we visited a salmon hatchery and learnt about the salmon life cycle. This…… Continue reading salmon in Canada
pie
While in Pittsburgh I took part in a cooking and baking day. We all cooked food that we had grown up with which resulted in a delicious array of savoury and sweet dishes from Australia and the US. The final dish was the star – a blueberry pie made by Jon. Pie is the quintessential American…… Continue reading pie
Pittsburgh
Still travelling – this time in Pittsburgh. Here’s a little taste of some of the food. Amazingly delicious ribs from Fine Smoke at the 2018 Heinz Field RibFest; Tacos with grilled shrimp, rice and beans, guacamole, pineapple and black beans on the side from Bea Taco Town; KFC (Korean fried chicken) with a wasabi and honey dipping sauce,…… Continue reading Pittsburgh
dumplings
New York’s second-largest Chinatown in Flushing, Queens, is worth a visit. It really feels like you’ve been transported to China. We headed for the Golden Shopping Mall, home of Xi’an Famous Foods, where we intended to try Xi’an noodles. But the call of dumplings was too strong and I have to say they were some of…… Continue reading dumplings
travelling and eating
I love to travel the world and one of the pleasures or travelling is new food experiences. Amanda (who shares the same name as the head chef) recommended Dirt Candy, an innovative restaurant in New York serving tasting menus made entirely with vegetables. Beginning with a dirty corn martini we launched into the 10-course menu…… Continue reading travelling and eating
sultana yoghurt cake
Just part of a wonderful lunch with friends, Caroline baked this cake from Turquoise: A Chef’s Travels in Turkey by Greg and Lucy Malouf. Dotted with plump sultanas, the texture was somewhere between custard and cheesecake with a subtle not-too-sweet yoghurt flavour. Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and grease and line a 20cm (8″) springform cake…… Continue reading sultana yoghurt cake
soda bread
What to do when you’ve run out of bread and can’t get to the shops? Soda bread is an excellent quick bread which doesn’t require any special bread flour or yeast. Traditional Irish soda bread has only 4 ingredients: plain flour, bicarbonate of soda (the raising agent), salt and buttermilk. These days we don’t churn…… Continue reading soda bread
lamb shanks with rice and lemon
These Greek-style Lamb shanks, one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s one-pot-wonders-recipes, are packed with flavour. If you can get the lamb shanks to stand up they look pretty amazing too. Heat some olive oil in a large casserole over medium heat and fry 200g of peeled and halved shallots for three to four minutes until well browned. Remove them…… Continue reading lamb shanks with rice and lemon
hazelnut, apricot and mascarpone layer cake
I saved this recipe so long ago that I’ve forgotten where I found it. I’m glad I finally made it. The hazelnut cake was a little chewy and meringue-like and the combination of flavours was wonderful. It looked good too! I made the four layers of this cake in two 15.25cm (6″) cake tins. To make…… Continue reading hazelnut, apricot and mascarpone layer cake
huevos rancheros
Here’s a great wake-up breakfast – fried eggs served the Mexican way. If you want to make your own fresh tortillas (and there’s nothing better!) see how to do it here. These ones were made with blue corn masa which is a little coarser than white corn masa and therefore results in thicker tortillas. To…… Continue reading huevos rancheros
michelle picker cooks 