Poor, neglected and rejected cauliflower -    steamed or boiled into tasteless mush that no amount of cheese sauce can rescue.  Is it any wonder so many people are cauliflower haters.  This recipe is pure magic.  Roasted at a high temperature caramelized florets of cauliflower becomes intensely sweet nutty morsels that are highly addictive, and incredibly versatile.  Blistered cauliflower as a side dish shines.  Add it to a salad – bravo! Toss it with pasta – bellissimo!

It is really quite wonderful how simply nursery food, like custard, can be transformed into the most delicious of desserts – FLAPPER PIE.  This recipe is my mother-in-law’s recipe and has been made and served at hundreds of suppers.    It has few ingredients and it is really easy to make.  FLAPPER PIE is a Canadian prairie favorite.  I have no idea where the name came from – perhaps because it is so easy to make one doesn’t get into a flap.

It is pure alchemy.  How could such simple ingredients  – eggs, milk, cream, sugar – bring grown men to their knees.  This recipe for crème brûlée  was always on the menu at our restaurant, Roxy’s Bistro.    We made it five days a week for seven years.  Do the math.  Repetition makes perfect, and I perfected this recipe so it is right every time.   This recipe is perfect for six generous servings, but if you are having a large dinner party it doubles beautifully and serves twelve.

Whisk until very hot BUT NOT BOILING

Take to 165F or until the sauce thickens enough to coat the spoon with a light, creamy layer.

Set pan in oven and pour in boiling water about half way up the ramekins.

This recipe differs slightly from most crème brûlée recipes.  I use both whole eggs and egg yolks.  The custard is cooked before it is put in the ramekins. You don’t have to skim off foam.  The custard does not have to be strained.  The results – perfect custard every time.

This is a divine pickle recipe you can eat-right-away.  It’s perfect when you have a craving for sweet/sour flavor.  It gives a wonderful lift to your favorite deli meat sandwich.  It is positively addictive on a grilled hamburger.  I also add  this to chopped salads.  Plus it looks so beautiful in the jars in your refrigerator.    It only takes 15 minutes to make.  It’s ready to go in eight hours, and it will last, refrigerated, for up to 5 days.  This is such a favorite in our house I usually double the recipe.

Saturday night in our home means pizza and a movie.    The heavenly aroma of baking pizza drifts through the kitchen.  We pour a robust glass of red wine and  put this absolutely outstanding pizza together.    We have probably made several thousand pizzas in our time.  (We owned the award winning  artisan Vancouver pizzeria PASSIONATE PIZZA).  Of all the pizzas we made this is hands down our favorite creation.    The sweet potatoes add texture and sweet undertones, and the eggplant is so tender and delicious it melts in your mouth.

PASSIONATE PIZZA – pizza recipe and instructions

BASIC TOMATO SAUCE for pizza

This the tomato sauce you want tucked away in your refrigerator.  It will keep for up to one week.  Or stash it in your freezer where it will keep for six months.  Like the little dress that can take you anywhere  this basic TOMATO SAUCE is wonderfully versatile.  Use it on pizza, toss it with pasta  or use when preparing antipasto or brunch dishes.  The best part is it contains just a few ingredients about cooks in about 30-40 minutes.  Remember too long cooking of your tomato sauce turns it a tad acidic.

This excellent and easy cake is incredible  moist and very rich tasting.   Serve this for Sunday Easter brunch and the adults will forget to nibble the ears off the chocolate rabbits.  To be even more indulgent top the cake with a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

You will love this recipe.  It is so easy to put together – you use just two bowls (no mixer required).  It is has a wonderful lemon flavour, and all you have to do is add a scoop of your favorite ice cream and you have a dazzling dessert.    If you have inspiring young cooks this is an excellent recipe for them (with adult supervision).

Here’s an unusual  little cookie that will have you swooning with delight. A cookie with black and red  pepper!  Bittersweet chocolate mellows the ground peppers’ heat.  A little sprinkle of Malden salt to finish and your taste buds will  do a Mexican Hat Dance with delight.

Crisp and crunchy!  Soft and chewy!  The secret to knowing how your cookie is going to come out is in the recipe.  All cookie recipes provide clues to the final results.  It’s all in the butter, shortening and sugar ratios.

All butter  recipes tended to produce a thin and crispy cookie.

All shortening recipes yield a soft, plumpish cookie.

Brown sugar also helps produce a soft cookie.

If you want a crisp cookie on the outside and chewy-soft cookie on the inside, use a mix of butter and shortening – and a combo of brown and white sugar.

If you want a supersoft cakey cookie skip the butter and use all shortening and all brown sugar.

It’s about science.  Butter melts faster than shortening, so – in a hot oven – buttery cookies spread more quickly so they are thinner and crisper than shortening-based cookies.

Then there’s the secrets that the professionals and really good cookie bakers know.  Almost every cookie  will taste better if the dough is put in the fridge for at least 24 hours before baking.  This lets the buttery and brown sugar flavors saturate the dough.

Here’s   another secret I will share with you.  You can make your favorite chocolate chip cookies even better by doubling the amount of chocolate chips.  Stashing the dough in the fridge  overnight, and just before putting the cookies in the oven, sprinkle each one with a smidge of coarse sea salt.