EpiCurious Generations

Inspiration:  This amazing Pecan Pumpkin Butter at Williams Sonoma

Inspiration:  This year's Octoberfest and baseball season. When I am looking to create a recipe I usually go through the same process:  If it is something new that I have never made before, I will study different recipes on the internet.  I also study the why's of how something works and one of my favourite sites to get information is Serious Eats  (seriously, this is an exceptionally good site).  I will then use my intuition and experience and try to create something that is tailored to my own likes and preferences and that hopefully will work.  Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I can get a recipe right the very first time but often, it is a trial and error process that requires a lot of fine tuning and taste testing.

Inspiration:   Crux Comptoir  Buddha smoothie I often have this smoothie for lunch when I am working.  It gets its beautiful green colour from the kale but don't be fooled - it is sweet, decadent and delicious.  Top with some hemp hearts and puffed quinoa for a little extra texture and crunch.  I hope you enjoy!

Inspiration:  It's apple season!   After spotting these beautiful little pies on Pinterest a few years ago, I have been wanting to try my hand at making them for quite a while.   Turns out, this was a fun project that I imagine kids would love.  The effect is really quite stunning. The pies are not too sweet and I decided to add a little cinnamon caramel to flavour them.   I used green apples because it is what I had on hand.   You can also use a red apple for colour but just make sure your apples are very hard.  They will need to stand up to being cooked twice as they initially need to be softened to a bendable state to roll and then baked in the oven. Shower them with some powdered sugar and serve with some rich vanilla ice cream and extra caramel sauce.  Guaranteed oohs and aahs.  Enjoy.

Inspiration:   Throwback to Saturday mornings when I was a kid. I recently saw a post on Pinterest for pop tarts and boy did that bring me back to my childhood.  When I was young - I'm gonna say around 8 years old - we were allowed to have chocolate pop tarts on Saturday morning while we watched cartoons.   This was such a treat and I remember vividly the taste and texture of those breakfast delicacies that we waited all week for.   

Inspiration :  Fresh Market Corn

Inspiration:  Tasty, creative summer project for kids It took me three tries to get the sweet sushi rice for this recipe to the perfect consistency.   The result is a delicious and not too sweet summer desert that is a fun project for kids during the summer months.  Let your imagination go wild with different fruit combinations.  Add a little puffed rice (Rice Krispies) to mimic tempura flakes, or maybe a drizzle of nutella, chocolate or salted butter caramel sauce (try the ones from Williams Sonoma - they're delicious).  

Inspiration:  The ham with brown butter served at Vin et Papillon in St-Henri (Montreal) - right now my favourite restaurant with wonderfully inspired dishes (a lot of emphasis on vegetables and seasonal products). Delicious pulled ham served with potato, onion perogies , poached egg ,  maple brown butter and roasted cauliflower

Inspiration:  Julia Child's recipe - the best! Poached Eggs:   makes 4 4 very fresh, large eggs salt and pepper I have just recently discovered Julia Child's technique for cooking the perfect poached egg and I have to admit it is amazing.  Much easier than what I have traditionally done (swirling water and vinegar) and it allows you to cook many eggs at one time in one pot.  This method helps the whites adhere to the yolks to form a nice uniform shape.  

Inspiration:  Le temps des sucres - maple syrup time in Quebec. As the snow begins to melt in the Spring, we inevitably start thinking of visiting a cabane à sucre (the sugar shack).

Inspiration:  Pets de soeur - a French Canadian treat. I have an old binder that is filled with recipes that I have collected over the years. Some have been torn out of magazines and some have been generously shared by friends and family.  Every once in a while I will pull out to take a look and, although some of the recipes date back over 20 years, they always serve as great inspiration. This recipe for cinnamon swirls or "pets de soeurs" as they are known in French, was given to me and even though I can't be certain of whose recipe it was, I'm pretty sure it was a family member.  Originally created using the leftover trimmings of pie crust dough, they became a staple in the French Canadian culture during the Holidays when tourtières (meat pies) were being prepared.     

We recently had one of the best meals we have had in a long time at  l'écrivain  in Dublin.

Inspiration:  Discovering Colcannon in Dublin at KC Peaches  and the excellent brunch at EVOO in St-Henri (Montreal) !   Traditional Irish staples of potatoes and cabbage come together in this recipe. What seems like a very simple dish is really quite amazingly delicious. Roasting the cabbage and cauliflower makes them sweet and adding them to the creamy mashed potatoes creates a surprisingly good combination of flavours and textures. Try to use the Yukon Gold potato if you can - they have the best flavour.  For some reason, they seem hard to find in Montreal these days- don't know why because I used to be able to buy them at the grocery store - but I was able to find them at the Atwater market.   

Inspiration:  Pannekoeken (Dutch pancakes) and Yorkshire Pudding It took me three tries to get these right.  Sometimes, what seems like the easiest recipes can be the most difficult to perfect. Time:  Active time: 10 minutes, cooking time:  20 minutes

Inspiration :  Favorite after school treat as a child When these come out of the oven, they are crispy on the outside and fluffy and tender on the inside.  Delicious!  Make a big batch and freeze them.   Not overly sweet, they make an easy, ready-to-go snack or breakfast. 

This tastes like the sun in a bowl!  This has to be the easiest thing to make but it ALWAYS gets rave reviews - especially from my dad! (Keep in mind it's easy but the prep takes a little time).  

I have been wanting to post this recipe for a long time. I made some baked beans a little while ago at the cottage and the house smelled so amazing that everyone who came in commented on it.

When we lived in France, I learned that every dish you create, prepare and serve must tell a story.  This way, when you offer something to someone, you share with them a little piece of who you are and a little bit of your own life story.   The meals and dishes you choose to create always reflect happy, enjoyable moments and this, in turn, infuses the dish with love.   This is very important to me and is what inspires me when I cook.  I think if you cook this way, it will be hard to create a bad meal.

This is another great brunch recipe to try along with the  Leek and Pepper Boursin Quiche .  I love mushrooms and bacon and this combination, along with some herbes de provence  in the crust, was delicious.   You can make this ahead of time, freeze it and save it for when you don't have much time and need a quick lunch or dinner.

We celebrated Easter a few weeks ago with a family brunch buffet.   One of the easiest dishes to make for this type of meal is a quiche.   It's a great way to add eggs to the menu and can be prepared in advance and frozen until ready to use.    The traditional quiche is made with bacon (lardons), onion and gruyère cheese.  This leek and pepper quiche is just a combination of  ingredients I like.  The natural sweetness of the leek balances the spice and salt of the cheese very well.  You can use your imagination to create combinations that suit your palate (sautéed mushroom and bacon is also very good).