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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 [...]

In Canada, maple syrup is classified into three grades and five colours: Canada No. 1 syrup is divided into “extra light,” “light” and “medium” colours; Canada No. 2 is also called “amber” and Canada No. 3 is “dark.” Unlike the USDA classifications, we have no grades “A” or “B”, though USDA Grade A is essentially [...]

One of the things that makes cassoulet seem so monumental is the variety of meats included in it. But there’s no reason you have to make them all the same day as you cook the beans. Then again, you can… and in this case, I nearly did. The “set it and forget it” sous-vide duck [...]

“Do you want to make the candied orange zest garnish?” my husband asked me, about our next round of truffles, filled with an orange butter ganache. “Why not?” I replied. “The devil is in the details, and candied orange zest will make them that much nicer. Anyway, candied orange zest is easy.” And so it [...]

When it comes to foams, the lightest style you’re likely to come across is known, very appropriately, as an “air.” This is another Ferran Adrià invention, and although he makes a strong distinction between “foams” and “airs” (I remember watching him correct his interpreter on this point at an event in Toronto a couple of [...]

Although there are many culinary preparations that fall into the category of foam, when you say the word “foam” today, especially in the context of avant-garde cooking, what often comes to mind is a piece of equipment: the whipped cream siphon. The idea of using a siphon to make foams other than whipped cream is [...]

Occasionally, things work out just as well in my mouth as they sound like they’re going to in my head… How to make a quince upside-down cake 2 quinces 2 cups water 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1.5 cups cake flour 2 tsp. baking powder Large pinch salt 1/2 cup [...]

OK, let’s face facts. French fries are the best preparation there is for potatoes. Sure, I love creamy, comforting mashed potatoes or a smothered baked potato as much as the next guy, but the supremacy of fries must be acknowledged. They’ve got it all: salt, grease, a crispy exterior and a fluffy interior (or a [...]

This recipe is the fruit of a discussion on eGullet about ways to incorporate pumpkin into cocktails without ending up with sliminess in the glass. It occurred to me that the problem is essentially one of filtration: you want all the flavour of the pumpkin, without any of the particles. In other words, it was [...]

In Anglo-Saxon culture, chestnuts are strongly associated with winter, especially Christmas, but in Japanese cuisine, they’re harbingers of fall. Many Japanese ingredients that are considered to be evocative of a specific season are featured in a simple rice dish, and chestnuts – kuri, in Japanese – are no exception. (Ayu, sweetfish, is a similar ingredient [...]