Grilled tenderloin Nicoise with Lemon Dill Olive Bernaise

Much to the chagrin of white tablecloth restaurants, great steak is not always about the steak, it’s about the rest of the dish. In this presentation, the steak sits on a bed of sauteed vegetables and is topped with a custom bernaise-style sauce mixed with chopped black olives.  I added a few leftover hash browns…

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Bistro Halloumi and Warm Olives

This is one of our favourite mid-summer simple suppers but since Spring has started early this year, I thought I’d pull it out and, Wow! what a treat to start the warm season off with. Halloumi doesn’t melt quickly so you can grill, saute, bake, etc. and it holds its shape reasonably well. When combined…

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Veal Scallopini Fettuccine

Sometimes you just visualize something that you haven’t seen before and based on your knowledge of what does and should go together, you create something special. This dish is one such experiment and it was amazing! INGREDIENTS 2 fillets of veal scallopini, cut into long, 1/4 strips long shaved strips of carrot fettuccine cooked al…

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Caramelized Scallops with Fresh Green Pea Vinaigrette

I’m always on the lookout for a new way to cook and present scallops. This one was definitely different. The olive oil-soaked peas and crystallized scallops were a perfect combination. All we had with it was crusty bread and a complementary dip. Delicious. INGREDIENTS Pea Vinaigrette: 1 cup fresh peas kosher or large sea salt…

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Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon in White Wine

Looking for a great side veggie dish to go with your turkey? Nothing beats this family staple, though this year I changed it up, switching vermouth for white wine and porcetta for maple bacon. And don’t be stingy with the butter; it makes the dish. The aroma would be perfect for open houses! INGREDIENTS 1/4…

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Romantic Chicken with Artichokes and Mushrooms

  Not sure why it’s called romantic chicken but the combination of artichoke heart marinating juice and a dry white wine is, at the very least, swarmy. It’s served with buttered linquine and sauteed broccoli. INGREDIENTS 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsn olive oil 2 tbsn butter 1…

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Official launch of my debut novel!

After seven years of effort, my debut novel is finally here. New York Fried, the first in the Tales of the Artichoke Hart series, is a spy thriller full of international intrigue, suspense, character shenanigans, and a little humour. You can get a digital copy right now, immediately downloadable, to read on your Kindle, smartphone, tablet…

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