Well folks, it’s the dead of winter. It’s below freezing. You’ve just shoveled 50 feet of driveway and your thumbs are numb.

It’s time to warm up with the ultimate in comfort food. Our mac and cheese recipe is the result of years of testing and tweaking. The recipe is dead simple and we’ve added a few extra twists (borrow from classic french cuisine) that truly do reinvent the dish without losing any of its’ original charm. I could keep blabbering on about this recipe, but it doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment. Give this recipe a try and we’ll let it do the talking from here on out.

We’ve long been believers that the key to a good soup, sauce or gravy begins with a good stock.  In this world of convenience and instant gratification it can be hard to find the time to gently simmer flavor rich ingredients in order to create the proper base for your masterpiece….and in this recipe we’d like to show you that with time, some patience and delicious ingredients you too can have healthy and delicious brown stock to help you in your sauce like culinary adventures.

If you’ve ever wondered how restaurants achieve that extra degree of silky, smooth taste to their dishes, look no further than the kitchen’s Saucier. A Saucier is responsible for sauces, stews, soups and sauteing within the kitchen. Crucial to the Saucier‘s success is the creation of flavorful stocks for his use in the kitchen. Stocks are extremely versatile and can be used in nearly every area and stage of the kitchen.

• Do you want to jazz up some wild rice? Boil it in stock.
• Do you want to scrape up the tasty bits from a saute pan? De-glaze with stock.
• Do you want to make a great autumn root soup? Start with a delicious stock.

We think you get the point. Since stock is so important to the end result in a kitchen, we thought it was time for us to share with you our favorite brown stock recipe. We’ve been making this brown stock for years now, and we’ve truly come to love it’s robust flavor and versatility. Plus, the stuff freezes perfectly, so there’s no reason not to make a massive batch once in a while.

Things to keep in mind

• Use the highest quality ingredients you can find. You’ll be simmering this for 4-8 hours, then using it later in other recipes. Any imperfections will be amplified by the time it reaches your mouth, or worse yet, your guests’ mouths.
• Use the finest and purest water you can get your hands on. We normally use the equivalent of 5-6 full Brita water jugs. You want to stay away from using normal tap water (unless it is filtered before you use it)
• When using beef bones, only use beef marrow bones for stock making. Mad cow disease is found in the marrow of bones closest to the cow’s spine, and beef marrow bones are cut from the cow’s legs.
• Don’t peel any of the vegetables, the peel has a lot of the flavor we want.
• Brown stock is stock made from bones that have been roasted. White stock is stock made from bones that have not been roasted. Simple enough?
• Get a large stock pot. To make a double batch of the recipe below we use a 12 Quart stock pot. We’ve got some recommendations for you to purchase below.
• Do not let the stock pot boil. If the stock is allowed to boil it will cloud the stock, and we want the stock as crystal clear as possible. We posted a video below demonstrating the how much the water should roll.
• Do not salt the stock. Stock is never salted, the seasoning of salt can be done when you actually use the stock later on. This is important because the stock can be used for a multitude of things, and you’ll need to customize the saltiness on a per recipe basis.

The holidays are a special time. You have traditions that are so deeply programmed into you that you often wonder how you could ever do things differently. In our family we celebrate late into Christmas Eve (the French Canadian in us), eat chocolate letters for Sinterklaas (the Dutch in us) and Boxing day is spent with family and shopping (the Canadian in us). These traditions aren’t universal, but some are. Can we all agree that a large portion of celebrating the holidays involves eating desserts? Yup, it sure does. And we’re hoping you’ll include us in your holiday tradition with a new cookie recipe. This deliciously chewy ginger chocolate cookies recipe is our gift to you during these holidays.

We spent months perfecting this recipe, and let us tell you it was both tasty and painful. We went through versions that were nearly paper thin and hard enough to use for skeet shooting. Versions that burned your tongue they were so jam packed with ginger. Some had too little chocolate. Some had too much chocolate (is that even possible???). Eventually we nailed it.

This recipe for ginger chocolate cookies is the perfect recipe. It is light and fluffy. It remains chewy for days after baking. It has chunks of chocolate you can’t wait to bite into. We’ve balanced sweetness, decadence and the sharp flavor of ginger into little dessert parcels you won’t be able to stop eating. I know we rarely ate less than 4 each at a time.

We love delicious treats around the holidays and we hope you decide to share these cookies with those you hold near and dear. And don’t worry if you find yourself reluctant to share after you’ve made them. They can be your very own gift to yourself.

This year our household kitchen discovered that we do in fact love beets. We decided to cast aside our preconceived notions about beets. You know those boring old pickled purple stumps your mom used to try and get you to eat? Yeah, those things. Surrounded with gorgeous dark and golden beets this year we decided to re-invent them with a traditionally Italian flare in this beet carpaccio recipe.

The theme of Italian food is a constant presence in our house, and with fall in full swing, we wanted to fuse hearty beets with a taste of typical summer Italian, and so our beet carpaccio was born. This recipe is not overly complicated, is visually appealing and a great addition to any fall harvest or Thanksgiving table. You’ll need to get a few ingredients together, leave yourself a bit of time to oven roast the beets (and let them cool) and plating the dish can take place in less than 10 minutes. We’re confident this beet carpaccio will find its way into your repertoire of fun fall dishes.

Notes

• Find the freshest beets possible, you will get the sweetest beets once roasting them. Remember folks, quality in, quality out.
• Feel free to use any color of beet, if you can find some golden beets to roast along with the deep purple beets it will add a wonderful contrast to the final plate.
• The pesto can be used to toss with pasta later on in the week. We’ve had success keeping the pesto for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
• Feel free to substitute the pecans for any nuts you prefer. Walnuts are popular, but we find them a little bitter. It’s your call though.

It all started with a chili cook off, at which I was a judge (how lucky!), and since then we’ve been driven to master the art of chili. It’s not to say that we’ve actually mastered chili, but over the years, and more recently this year, we’ve taken special care to understand and integrate the key elements that go into a proper chili. The chili recipe we outline below details our approach to great chili, but by all means, use it as a guideline. Customize it where you see fit, especially since you know your taste buds better than we do.

In researching this recipe we discovered that folks tend to like chili that has the following key elements:

• some sweetness
• a subtle smoky flavor
• lots of meat
• some color (via beans, corn, peppers, etc)
• medium heat
• good aroma and aftertaste

We found, with resounding success, that by combining these key elements our chili was much loved by almost everyone we shared it with. Hey, you can`t please everyone now can you….

We chose to pair this chili with bite sized cheddar and jalapeno corn bread muffins. Years of first hand experiments have yielded this recipe, and we know above all that a satisfying post-meal burp can make or break a recipe. This recipe shines well past the last bite, prepare yourself for some of the tastiest burps you’ve ever had.

Notes

• Be sure to taste as you go. The key is to taste about 1-2 hours before removing the chili from your heat source (be it crock pot or stove) and adjust the salt and heat levels.
• If you feel the chili is getting too thick too soon, toss a lid onto the mixture and let it steam itself for some time. We used a fancy self basting dutch oven, but the key is to make sure you’ve got something saucy, thick and not too runny.

Ever been stuck returning to a cuisine time and time again, vowing to put it aside for the next meal and allowing yourself to venture into other tasty worldly cuisines? We’ve been stuck on what we consider the finest of cuisines for well over a year. It’s great for hot summer days, cold winter nights and snacks late at night. The cuisine of course, is Italian cuisine and ever since our 2 week trip to that wonderful land of olives, tomatoes, grapes and lemons we’ve been enjoying everything it has to offer. This month’s recipe is a slight twist on a caprese salad, combining homemade focaccia with caprese salad to create the perfect mid day lunch for those dog days of summer. This caprese panini can be whipped up in just a few minutes with fresh local ingredients.

We used a cast iron griddle with a panini press top (both from Le Creuset), but any regular griddle (or pan) will do the trick. You’ll want to cook the panini till the cheese is nice and gooey, but you don’t need to. If you prefer a more refreshing texture, simply warm everything through and devour.

If you are feeling adventurous we highly recommend making your own loaf of focaccia. This typical Italian bread is very easy to make and can be used for a variety of things. Got left overs? Grab some fine balsamic vinegar from Modena and some extra virgin olive oil and dip away. Yum! The best recipe for focaccia that we’ve found is from Bake!: Essential Techniques for Perfect Bakingand we cannot recommend the book enough. You can find it on Amazon.ca for $20 as a hardcover.

Your lives are busy….real busy. And you know what? So are ours. July just flew by and here we are, August 1st, and we barely had time to dream up an elaborate recipe for July. So we dug deep into our ‘go-to recipes’ box and found something we’ve been wanting to share for some time. This healthy and delicious Banana Cranberry Oat Muffin recipe is dead simple and the perfect way to use up over ripened bananas.

We originally discovered the recipe on another blog, Homemade Happiness, and since then we’ve made a few adjustments that you’ll certainly love. We cut the sugar in half, added walnuts and blended some whole wheat flour into the mix. A splash of cinnamon adds a little extra pizzazz to the muffins, rounding things out nicely.

May and June are the happiest month of the year for us. Summer is in full swing, we’re rocking our Birkenstocks and Ontario grown strawberries are in full season providing endless dessert opportunities like this delicious Strawberry Rhubarb Tart. We originally tried a similar tart to this many years ago, I think it may have been a Daring Bakers challenge that Melanie picked up. Since then we’ve been making it every summer as strawberry season rolls into Southwestern Ontario. Every year sees us tweak something different, and we’ve finally got a product we’re proud to present to you.

The tart’s crust is not your typical flaky pastry crust, in fact its more like a thin and sweet layer of cake. It does remarkably well with the juicy fruits, soaking up the flavors without making the entire tart a soggy mess. We topped off the tart with a light dusting of icing sugar, it does more to please the eye than anything else. We recommend some freshly whipped cream to top off the tart, it’s well worth the extra calories.

If you’ve missed the rhubarb season, feel free to substitute any other seasonal fruit such as raspberry, blackberry, peach or nectarine. Try and get them while they are still a tad tart, the baking will bring out their natural sweetness.

If you’re looking for the tastiest source of locally grown strawberries in London (Ontario), look no further than Heeman’s. They are just outside of London (in Thorndale), a short 5 minute drive from the airport.

Gone are the dreary winter months, dragging on for what seems like an eternity and more. We’re ushering in the Spring season, and in some parts of Canada Summer seems to have arrived. It’s hard not to gravitate to a patio, a lakeside cottage and memories of camping seasons gone by. With warm weather comes the art of grilling, and this Ultimate Beef Burger recipe is the culmination of nearly 3 years of hard work that involved many hours of trial, error and eating.

With most things in life, you get out what you put in and it’s with this in mind that we set out to create our perfect burger. I know what you’re thinking….everyone’s got THE PERFECT burger, so what’s so special about this one? Well, for one, we’ve kept it very simple, from the ground rib eye patty to our homemade burger buns. We were careful not to overload the burger with toppings, these burgers are trim and proper. This is the kind of burger you’d bring home to meet the family, you know?

We chose to do everything by hand in this recipe, and we think you should too. It’s a simple enough recipe that you can get great ingredients, take the time to treat them right and never get stressed out. Every component of the burger, the patty/bun/toppings, are easy-peasy, so focus on getting the greatest results from them.

We’ve listed out the ingredients and directions for everything below, but here are some tips to keep in mind while working away in the kitchen.

Tips & Tricks

• Looking for the ultimate burger experience? Keep one thing in mind: Don’t overdo it. Keep it simple! Remember you have to get your mouth around this sucker, and you want to keep your hands as clean as possible.
• Want the perfect burger bacon? Simply bake it twice. Bake once at 375F for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool completely, then bake once again at 325F for 6 minutes. Voila, the perfect bacon. If you are using thin sliced bacon, reduce the cooking times to 10 minutes and 5 minutes.
• If you’re going to hand make the patties, you may as well hand make the buns too. That way you can properly control the proper bun to meat ratio. We recommend the recipes in this cookbook: Bake!: Essential Techniques for Perfect Baking
• Don’t be afraid to under cook the meat. A little pink is optimal, but no red! No one wants a dry and gritty patty, and above all, don’t burn the meat. Keep the flames under control at all times.
• Don’t press on the burgers to release the juices, leave those in there.

So, you’re attending a Sunday brunch and you’re wondering what to bring. Let’s face it, we’re not all Julia Child and your schedule is jam packed as it is. There’s no need to add extra stress to your week. But what dish could be simple enough to save you time, and wow your crowd at the same time?

Look no further than the Quiche, a classic French savory tart made of short crust and eggs. Sadly, quiches were never popular in our families while growing up, so we had very little to draw upon when we dreamed up this recipe….but we knew exactly what we wanted in the quiche. So we set off to deliver the tastiest, healthiest and easiest quiche recipe you can find. And we succeeded.

So what exactly did we set out to accomplish?

We wanted our crust to be just the right balance of sweet and salty, with a crisp crunch that would complement the rich and creamy consistency of the eggs. We wanted the flavors within the eggs to be subtle, to allow them to play off each other, and we wanted just the right egg to ‘stuff’ ratio. We also knew we wanted bacon. Nom nom nom. Bacon.

And so today, on the 1st of May 2012, we present to you another In Our Kitchen original recipe: A Leek and Bacon Quiche recipe. In France this dish is known as Quiche aux Poireaux avec Lardons. There isn’t much more to be said about the quiche recipe, so read on past these pretty words and images and make yourself a most delicious quiche courtesy of In Our Kitchen.

Notes

• Feel free to substitute the leek and bacon for just about any other ingredient. Make sure you keep the ratio the same, about 1 cup of ‘stuff’ for every 6-8 eggs. Make sure the ‘stuff’ you end up using has low water content, you don’t want a watery or runny egg mixture.
• Make sure to use pie weights when pre-baking the pie crust, this will ensure the crust does not bubble up and does not shrink.
• Our crust recipe was one of many we tested and our final version was simply sourced from Larousse Gastronomique: The World’s Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia