Cottage Feast

Garam Masala Spiced Nuts recipe

November 26, 2011

This easy spiced nut recipe is inspired by one from Vij's restaurant in Vancouver, with an idea (using egg white as a binding agent) I picked up from Oprah and Martha. As in Vij's recipe, this uses garam masala with mango powder, which is dried and ground green mangoes. It's...

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Black Cardamom Garam Masala recipe

November 26, 2011

Black cardamom is related to the more familiar green cardamom, but is dried over an open fire, so it has a rich smoky scent. You can find black cardamom in South Asian grocery stores; while you're there comb the spice aisle for many other interesting flavourings. This spice...

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Herbes de Provence recipe

November 26, 2011

I'm at the Great Outdoors and Do-It-Yourself Show this weekend. Here's one of the blends I'm featuring in my cooking demos. I use herbes de Provence on roasted vegetables and lamb, or in shortbread cookies. It's a versatile, easily made mix—the only unusual ingredient is...

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Braised Red Cabbage with Star Anise Recipe

November 21, 2011

Braised red cabbage is a terrific cold-weather side dish—warm comfort food that goes very well with wintry roasts, such as pork, beef, or duck. It's also a natural next to spaetzle, the delicious German cross between dumpling and pasta. (I'm working on a spaetzle idea. Stay...

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How to peel a head of garlic in 10 seconds

October 19, 2011

Just in time to ward off Halloween vampires, Saveur magazine has a fantastic tip for peeling garlic fast--and without stinking up your hands. By the way, if you do get garlic stink on your hands, just rub your hands with a stainless steel spoon or other utensil under...

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Making dragon’s beard candy

October 18, 2011

Here's what I did last weekend. While I didn't do any hypnotic dancing with an announcer singing "Rainbow Connection" and a woman in a red dress waving feathers, I did make dragon's beard candy. (The video doesn't follow through to the end product, but bear with me; it's in the...

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5 easy variations on Cranberry Sauce

October 6, 2011

My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner, hosted by two friends, will be two vegetable dishes and the cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce is so easy to make, I don't know why anyone buys the canned stuff. Classic cranberry sauce, made with cranberries, sugar and water, is a great...

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You are when you eat

October 5, 2011

Those who advocate for three defined meals a day say it's better for family cohesion, conversational skills, and nutrition, and may explain why the French are thin (they don't snack). Everyone sitting down for a big breakfast, light lunch, and main meal at the same time, same...

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Toronto erupts in mild annoyance

September 29, 2011

The Toronto edition of The Onion launches today, so the editors are on the lookout for local absurdities to skewer. Here are two recent events—wonderful in intent and execution, but with a quirky, mildly annoying but very Toronto twist. On Tuesday night, about 400...

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