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Another one from the “I’ve been meaning to try” files, this time prompted in part by a recipe in the latest issue of Lucky Peach. Microwave sponge cakes, pioneered by Albert Adrià, had a brief surge of popularity a few years ago, before retreating back to the relative obscurity of “just another pastry technique.” There [...]

Are there any dishes more Canadian than split pea soup? Certainly Canada isn’t the only place it can be found, but pea soup is definitely part of the fabric of Canadian, and especially Québécois, cuisine. I mean, the brand I grew up with was called Habitant! It’s a great dish for a region with a [...]

When working on a homemade cocktail ingredient, I always find it helpful to try someone else’s version first, to establish a basis of comparison, so I know what I’m aiming for. Take Swedish punch. Despite having read about it many times, I never had the chance to try it until this summer, when I found [...]

At times, I have a certain compulsion around food: when I read about an ingredient enough, I eventually have to try it, no matter the cost. (OK, within reason.) In this case, it was myoga, a Japanese ingredient related to ginger. Nearly every Japanese cookbook I have mentions it, but I had never seen it [...]

So far, all the cocktail syrups I’ve discussed in my Summer Syrup Series have come from the classic bartending tradition. Today’s, however, is drawn from an altogether different branch of the mixological family tree: Tiki drinks. The Tiki tradition calls on a wide array of different syrups, from plain old simple syrup to orgeat to [...]

I have no personal connections to the Caribbean, but some flavours are bigger than their borders. Jerk sauce is one of those flavours. I do have a strong connection to jerk chicken, though, because it was one of the first dishes I ever cooked for my husband. I was living on my own in a [...]

Before there was grenadine, there was raspberry syrup. Okay, maybe that’s not literally true, but if you read early cocktail books, like Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide, you’ll see plenty of references to raspberry syrup… and none to grenadine. It’s an indispensable ingredient in the East India Cocktail and Clover Club, and makes a pretty fine [...]

Like everyone else, lately I’ve been reading the first issue of Lucky Peach, the new quarterly food magazine put out by David Chang and Peter Meehan, and it reminded me of the incredible flavour combination that is miso and butter. I find it so amazing that these two staple ingredients from two wildly different culinary [...]

Since my first taste of bianco vermouth (not to be confused with dry white vermouth), I’ve wanted to make it into a sorbet. I finally managed it, but took an interesting path to get there: I calculated it. I was first introduced to the idea of formulating frozen desserts mathematically by Michael Laiskonis, and the [...]

My past Friday Night Cocktail posts have more-or-less reflected simply what I’m drinking at the time, with no particular overarching theme. For the next few weeks, that’s going to change, as I launch the Summer Syrup Series. Syrups are an indispensable part of mixology, and have been ever since the days of Jerry Thomas. Early [...]