Strawberry Sour Cream Scones

I finally tried my hand at making scones and they turned out even better than I expected. 

I used this recipe from Completely Delicious but tweeked a few things. Rather than plain yogurt I used sour cream. I found it added an extra bit of richness and flavour. I also decided not to make a glaze and instead just sprinkled a little bit of sugar over the egg wash before baking. I don't have time for glaze. 

It's a very simple recipe and they really don't take long to make. Perfect recipe. These are best when they are warm out of the oven! 

And of course you can play around with the fruit as well. I think next time I'll try blueberry...

Baked Salmon with Shallots & Asparagus

This is by far one of my favourite meals we've made. Fresh, simple, delicious & healthy. 

We talked to Janice at the Salmon Shop on Granville Island and she recommended the Spring Salmon for this dish. 

In a parchment round, we placed the spring salmon fillets on a bed of sliced asparagus & shallots, topped with lemon zest & fresh dill.

Season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Fold up in the parchment paper, and bake at 400F for about 12-15 minutes.

Dinner is served! Eat it right out of the parchment paper. 

Enjoy!

Meat Veggie & Cheese Platter with Bocconcini Skewers

We had some friends over for dinner the other night (one of who is gluten-free) and decided to make several appetizers, rather than one whole meal. Since we knew bread was out of the question we decided to focus on fresh simple appetizers that complimented eachother. No oven used!

We went all out for our first appy: meat veggie & cheese platter. For meats we had duck prosciutto, ox & wagyu beef. Our fresh veggies were fresh new carrots, broccolini & asparagus, and the cheeses were fontina & gouda. I made some hummus and a dill yogurt for dipping. The crackers are gluten-free black pepper, and who can go without some mixed olives. 

(Credit to Marg and Jim for our lovely dipping trio!)

This platter went over very well and it was agreed that the wagyu beef prosciutto was a big favourite. 

Second in line was our tomato bocconcini skewers; baby heirloom tomatoes with mozzarella, basil leaves, & thinly sliced prosciutto. Before we skewered them, we tossed the mozzarella cubes in an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. The saltiness from the prosciuttto really made it even more delicious.

Next was a tuna tartar. Small cubes of fresh ahi tuna, chili, green onions, black sesame seeds, all tossed in a lime, (gltuen free) soy sauce, and sesame oil dressing. We served it in frosted cocktail glasses with chopsticks. Seconds were most definitely had. 

Similar recipe here: Tuna Tartar

Last appetizer was a watermelon salad. I used a round cookie cutter to cut out a thick disc of watermelon, topped with thinly sliced shallots, goat feta & mint, then drizzled some balsamic glaze overtop. So easy and so good. It is such a fresh and light dish, but all the flavours work so well together. It's a perfect summer salad.

Recipe here: Watermelon Feta Mint Salad

And of course we had drinks! I made simple cocktail of gin, ginger ale, and mint. Very refreshing.

For dessert we had greek yogurt and berries drizzled with a touch of honey. Perfect way to finish off the night! 

Watermelon Raddish Salad and Rum Glazed Cornish Hen stuffed with Sweet Plantain

After we made this we realized neither of us love cornish hens. However, we had fun making this, and were glad we tried something new.

In a blender, we prepared the marinade for the hen: garlic, onion, lime juice, grated lemon rind, sugar, cilantro, salt & pepper. Then blend in olive oil until smooth. Rub over cornish hen and marinade for 2 hours.

Then we put the plantains in the oven for about 20 minutes until they were soft. We mashed them with melted butter, brown sugar, garlic and rum. Oh my.

Once the 2 hours was up, we patted the hen dry, seasoned them with salt & pepper, and then stuffed them with the sweet plantain mix. We brushed it then with a butter rum glaze, and cooked for about an hour. They look beautuful with the caramelized skin.

The salad we made with savoy cabbage, walnuts, thinly sliced watermelon raddish, and a lime olive oil dressing, with a touch of salt & pepper to season. So good! 

Everything turned out great, and it was such a colourful and flavourful dinner. 

Cheers!

Halibut with Mango Salsa and Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Pear

Tonight we went for a winter meets summer dinner. Roasted brussel sprouts mixed with onion, thyme, and pear, and mango salsa with onion, cilantro, and cucumber. 

First we washed and halved the brussel sprouts. Then we tossed them in a large bowl with chopped red onions, sliced pears, and a few leaves of thyme. 

Toss with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and place on a roasting pan until brussel sprouts are tender and golden brown.

Mince mango, cucumber, red onion, and cilantro and mix together with salt and pepper to taste. 

Only thing left to do is cook the halibut. We fried ours on the stove for a few minutes each side.

Great mix of winter and summer flavours! I love the freshness of the salsa with the halibut. 

Enjoy!

Roasted Duck with Arugula and Citrus

My mister made us this for an early Valentine's dinner. What a guy. It was such a treat and I think I love duck even more now. 

As fancy as it looks, it was quite a simple dinner. Just one sauce to enhance all the flavours and bring them together. It was so delicious.

First we scored the fat and seared the breast for a couple minutes on each side before putting it in the oven to cook.

We made the sauce by melting sugar slowly in a saucepan with red wine and chicken stock.

When the sauce was heated through and mixed together, we removed it from the heat. We had slices of red navel oranges and grilled slices of mango on the sides. We sliced the duck and sat it on a bed of arugula. Then we drizzled the red wine sauce over everything. All such amazing flavours. 

And of course, red wine went perfectly with the whole dinner. Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's! Cheers.