Creole Surf and Turf Gumbo w/ Hush Puppi...

  Creole Surf and Turf Gumbo w/ Hush Puppies; I have wowed a lot of people with these abilities to create some great Cajun recipes. I would fry up big batches of fresh caught seafood for shore lunches and back yard parties. Gathering the fresh ingredients for a good Seafood Gumbo is using what fits your personal tastes. I like using all kinds of available seafood and adding in some good artisan smoked sausages. I use a Wok or a steamer Pot to get all the flavours to be added and times for the proper cooking. Once the Gumbo is on it’s time to make the star of...

Bread and Butter Pickles.

Bread and Butter Pickles. The season for small pickling cucumbers are ready for old family recipes. This year I will be doing extra canning duties because of the current situation. Time to make as many condiments and side entrées ease the food costs having to buy and because you can prepare using such good ingredients. This retro Rockton’s Fair Cook Book is just chock full of Blue Ribbon winning recipes. Later I will be posting the ones I have tried and found to be rewarding for the effort like this most excellent Bread and Butter Pickles recipe. I learned to love a...

Almond and Cherry Dutch Baby

Almond and Cherry Dutch Baby. The Cherries are coming on strong here in Ontario Farm Country. I love cherries and once cooking for Ann Margret she told me her secrets to beautiful skin is adding pure cherry juice to your diet. I’ve eaten them from my aunts farm since I was a kid and must say my 73 year old face is still looking youthful if I must say. While looking through my dad’s old recipes that he made for summer weddings and BBQ’s, I found this old German Dutch Baby recipe. I remember how it tasted so good and my dad made it in minutes. It reminded...

Calamari Squid and Shrimp Salads.

RRRRRR! Billy! Calamari Squid and Shrimp Salad. Cold seafood salads make a nice light lunch. Also make a good share plate. I try to find the best items like fresh micro greens and garden veggies. Option is to make a creamy hot sauté seafood salad dressing or make individual cocktail shooter salads. Ingredients needed are; 2 lbs. squid, cleaned and cut 4 oz. cooked small prawns or shrimp 4 cups of a good salad green mix with some fresh veggie sprouts and shoots 6 grape tomatoes halved. 1 cup sliver sliced red or green pepper 1/2 cup sliced Nero or green olives 1/2 small...

Zesty Orange Asparagus

Zesty Orange Asparagus. Blanche the asparagus in a cup of some fresh squeezed orange juice. Chill down in an ice water bath. Squeeze of some fresh lemon juice, 2 oz of water and a tbs of washed orange peel zest and simmer till aldente, [slightly crisp to the tooth]. Chill down in an ice water bath. Segment an orange and lay out on a plate in a crescent shape for best presentation. Toss the chilled asparagus in some white balsamic vinegar, light extra virgin olive oil, dash of sesame oil, and fresh ground white pepper, a little sugar and a sprinkle of toasted rice salt....

Expresso Bourbon Chocolate Cake:

Expresso Bourbon Chocolate Cake; Apprenticing to become a cook/chef takes years of theory and practice. Baking is one area that I only studied when time allowed back in college. I was tutored by Conestoga’s Peter Basin an Olympic medal winning pastry chef. He taught me on how to prepare all the required items that being a resort/hotel chef would need to know. I soon learned it was very demanding and tedious work to pipe fillings into thousands of bite size sweets for a buffet or decoration extraordinaire show pieces. Making layered cakes, flavoured mousses,...