Porcini and kale risotto

For now, here's an amazingly flavoured dish with the earthy taste of mushroom and fresh kale.

Chanterelle and Pea Risotto

Sweet peas and savoury mushrooms make this risotto a winner.

Shiitake and sweet pepper Risotto: How-To

First: start a stock (or you could use prepared stock).  Do not salt the stock, or it will make the final result unpleasantly salty.

Risotto needs a particular sort of rice: Abborio

Rinse the rice, otherwise it gets sticky.

Saute diced onions until transparent, then add the rice and continue the sauteing for a few moments more.

Then add the vege stock one ladle at a time and continue to saute.

The rice is ready when the rice is "toothsome" - al dente.

Baked Acorn Squash with Quinoa

First, wash, cut-in-half, place on oiled baking sheet.

Bake about 45 minutes or until the squash becomes softened.

While it's baking, prepare a filling mix of cooked quinoa, pine nuts, sauteed: parsnips, cranberries, peppers and onions.

Season the squash with salt and fill with the quinoa mix.

Split Pea Soup

  Start with some onions, herbs, celery and pepper.

After adding the peas and chanterelle mushrooms and cooking until the peas become soft, it doesn't look very glamorous.

It can easily be given a nice green colour naturally, by adding pureed greens.

Garnish and serve:  Split pea soup with chanterelles

Soufflé au chocolat

It's got whipped egg white, sugar, dutch process cocoa, salt.  I'll probably add vanilla and cayenne, next time.

It's so fluffy!

I didn't use a recipe, or a guide - I'd only seen souffle made on tv once, but it seemed to be a straight forward process.  I'm just blessed.

Sweet and Savoury Gruyère, Pecan and Apple Tarte

Sweet, savoury, roasty and smooth flavour!  Since there's no real baking that has to be done - this is a quick and easy dish.

Add sliced apples and grated gruyère to a tortilla.  Broil until the cheese just begins to brown.  Remove from oven and add pecans.  Broil again for 2 minutes.

Concept: Double Breasted Cardigan

I designed this as I was on a train, leaving the Alps.  I found myself rather chilly, so I was inspired to make something warm.  This will be a lined cardigan, cotton inside and out.

Apple Pie

This is one of Chloé's recipes.  Rather than the typical pastry top crust, this pie is covered with a crumble of brown sugar, cinnamon, oats and butter. It's one of the most flavourful and rich pies I've ever tasted.

Muddy Grits

Warm, sweet and rich cinnamon flavour makes these grits the perfect addition to a breakfast.

Yellow Grits

A rich mince of grilled yellow bell pepper and onion make this roasty-flavoured dish a delight.

Green Grits

A smooth mellow puree of okra and spinach give this Southern dish a verdant hue.

Red Grits

The addition of blended pimiento and tomato make these grits a savoury delight.

Hot & Sour Soup

The broth is made from veg stock, lime juice and red curry paste. The vegetables consist of napa cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, tomotoes and garnish with Thai basil.

Happy Coffee Day!

Here's how to celebrate Coffee Day: Start with some fresh whole bean:

Grind them in a burr grinder:

Brew in a French press:

Savour with a fresh pastry:

Complete: Asymmetrical Henley

Finally done!  The cotton slub knit asymmetrical henley.The original design:  http://jlamode.com/concept-asymmetrical-henley/ [You may say it's backwards from the design. On the contrary - it's exactly what I see in the mirror]

Composed with diverse methods; I used a chisel and mallet to cut out the button holes.

Peaches and Cream

Parslied peaches with organic vanilla youghurt; served over homemade granola.

Avocado Bisque and Lemongrass Rice

If you love avocado, this zippy preparation will hit the spot. The bisque is prepared by pureeing:

• avocados
• parsley
• key lime juice
• salt
• spinach

The rice, white jasmine, is simply cooked with the addition of prepared lemongrass as well as coconut oil and salt.

The fragrant, sweet rice meets the mellow, mild zest of the bisque in an unexpected and delightful experience.

Brioche!

This is nearly more of a cake than a bread; heavy on the sugar and eggs.

I'm often asked about the recipe, but I merely mix things together until it seems right.  That said, here's some basic guidance:

Follow the typical bread ingredients: Flour, water, sugar, salt, yeast and some sort of fat.  Again, add more sugar than normal, and a couple of eggs.

First, in a mixer, not a bread machine, cream butter and sugar.  Then add the normal amount of water, yeast,  salt and half the normal amount of flour.  Pitch in some eggs and the mixture should be like a thick batter.

Let raise and then add in the proper amount of flour to make a soft dough.  kneed and portion the dough for a loaf or rolls.

Brioche is a cool raise bread, so it should experience its final raise in a cool room, or the refrigerator (overnight).  Bring it to room temperature before baking in a 350F degree oven for ~20 minutes.  Remove from oven and apply an eggwash before returning to the oven until it's finished baking.

It's mindblowingly good.  And rightly so!  A traditional brioche is ~25% butter.

Fresh Fruit Skewers with Lavender-Vanilla Youghurt

The perfect summer treat!

Garden fresh cantaloupe with strawberries and blueberries.  Served with a Vanilla Greek youghurt, flavoured with fresh lavender flowers.