Classic Quebec Torchiere.

Classic Quebec Torchiere.

Classic Quebec Torchiere. My dad once worked along side a hotel chef from Quebec City. He once came to visit one December for dinner at our house. With emotional pride he brought an offering of his Grand mothers French Canadian holiday favourite meat pie. This torchière pastry crust was made using suet a trans fat lard and was had a texture that made this meat pie a classic. You’ll need; 1 lb. ground pork 1 ½ lb. ground beef 1 cup onion, minced 2 cloves russian garlic, minced 2 bay leaves 1 tsp celery salt ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp fresh ground...
Steamer Clams Fresh Oysters and Caviar with Dennis Hopper

Steamer Clams Fresh Oysters and Caviar w...

Meeting Dennis Hopper! I just finished my last shift before some holidays working at the Hotel Vancouver.  I covered lots of shifts from early am till after midnight. It was time for a break and this spring time was mine to do whatever I wished and I figured about a months of traveling in B.C. and eating someone else’s cooking was all I would need to build up my cooking spirits and strengths again. I made it back to Ontario for a quick visit but couldn’t wait to get back to Beach Ave: 1976 I took on a chef position at the Kettle of Fish on Pacific Blvd. My bbq grill...
Ruby Red Grapefruit Cake

Ruby Red Grapefruit Cake

My dad being a chef had lots of his pre 1950’s retro recipes that were handed over to me as I mastered them to his specs. He was more concerned about the flavour quality obtained and was not as finicky in the way it’s final presentation. I like to describe my way of being taught baking by my dad as colonial style. Now don’t get me wrong, my father was a very tolerant baker and over his 40 years as a Hotel Chef taught lots of lady bakers to be personal when it comes to making a cake. The fancier you like if you have artistic abilities or the time allotted standard approach...
Gingerbread Person Cookies

Gingerbread Person Cookies

Ginger Bread Cookies. One of the first cookies that I remember my great aunt would bake was gingerbread men. Every Christmas she would make a full array of seasonal holiday cookie treats. I like the taste of ginger and it is most satisfying to the taste bud. When I was baking Xmas cookies in mass amounts for a restaurant bakery. The traditional Christmas baking was all done with hands on passion following original family recipes. Each batch of dough was hand crafted and the cookies that came from the dough batch were all slightly different with no two cookies looking the...