Recipe: Surreal Chocolate Wontons

Recipe: Surreal Chocolate Wontons

This is Bob Blumer, aka the Surreal Gourmet. I had the pleasure of meeting him and tasting his fun food at The Drake in Toronto recently. If he looks a bit blurry it’s because he moves too quickly for my camera. He thinks quickly too. As 

How to make decorative chocolate drizzle

How to make decorative chocolate drizzle

During the chocolate demonstration, Derrick made this decorative chocolate drizzle for Emily. As in Emily Richards. I’m not jealous. Really. After all, my name’s too long. And too hard to spell. So demonstrating chocolate script with “Emily” makes sense. I guess. After Derrick showed off 

Recipe: Plum Frangipane Tart

Recipe: Plum Frangipane Tart

Little Jack Horner’s got nothing on me. What’s he got? A corner, a thumb and a nursery rhyme no one understands. Me? I’ve got fresh plums and frangipane. That’s right. You heard me. Frangipane. I know. It sounds like a resort cocktail, but it’s really 

Recipe: Pear and Chocolate Tart

Recipe: Pear and Chocolate Tart

When you do nothing to your pear tree but leave it be, you can expect trouble. And trouble came to my friend in the form of dozens and dozens and dozens of bug-free, blemishless, picture perfect pears. Her punishment? Driving some over to me. That’ll 

Pink Angels – A Devilishly Sweet Square Recipe

Pink Angels – A Devilishly Sweet Square Recipe

Pink. I hate it. It’s yet another carry over from my childhood. Every time I wore any shade of fuschia, magenta or bubble-gum some well-meaning adult would put a hand to my forehead and ask me if I was feeling all right. Classmates? They’d just 

Stone Fruit Galette

Stone Fruit Galette

This recipe is enough to make me eat my words. I don’t like marzipan, I find Emeril Lagasse’s TV persona annoying (his toothpaste commercials were the final straw for me) and I avoid pre-packaged items on principle. And yet, this recipe, which  became a favourite 

Peach and Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

Peach and Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

If you drop an upside-down cake on its head does it revert to plain old cake? Sadly, no. It just becomes yet another item to file under “Kitchen Disasters.” The only advice I can give you, other than not to drop the final dish, is 

Browned-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Browned-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

A while ago I solicited recipes for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. A lot of suggestions rolled in. Conflicting opinions on walnuts, oatmeal and chefs flew through cyberspace. Some people loved Alton Brown’s recipe. Others called it “cakey” and touted the ever-popular David Lebovitz. Thomas 

French Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

French Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

It’s official. We are the neighbourhood hillbillies. The stove, doormat, counter top, sink and fake plant have been in the back patio for two weeks — or a fortnight as the British would say. Doesn’t “Our unwanted kitchen items have been sitting about for a