Friday, December 10th!! Mark your calendars and register

The Wait is Over!!!

Savour the Art of Food's One night only Christmas Event :)

Friday, December 10th from 5:30-11pm (approx.)

Menu:

1. 4 jars of Homemade Salsa
2. Pre-Seasoned Vaccum Sealed Maple Bacon Wrapped Turkey ready to go into your Freezer for the Holidays
3. Herb & Citrus Crusted Pork Tenderloin, vaccum sealed and ready for your Freezer
4. Savour the Art of Food's Signature Lemon Lime Cilantro Shrimp ready for your Freezer
5. 4 jars of Red Pepper Jelly

Everyone will be able to go home with all of this yummy goodness. You'll be making everything listed above, can the salsa and jelly, and...take the printed recipes home with you.

Only 10 SPOTS available for this SPECIAL class.

Cost includes:
registration, all supplies and ingredients for all 5 items, recipes to take home, and beverages and snacks to enjoy through out the evening.
So pre-register. Come and join us for this one time only special event.

Cost is $160/person
for pre-registration - 50% of class cost is required
email me at carla@savourfood.ca if you are interested

You don't want to miss out on all of this great food. Just in time for the holidays, entertaining, and gift giving.

Merry Christmas
from
Savour the Art of Food

until we cook again:)

Savour the Art of Food's Special Christmas Cooking Event

I know lots of people have been following my company blog, and I truly appreciate it.
I have to apologize to everyone for letting so much time go by without a post. Moving, building and moving again, just took up a lot of time.
But I am so happy to be back at it again. I've missed posting.

So as a thank you to all of those who continue to follow my blog I am putting together a
SPECIAL CHRISTMAS COOKING EVENT :)

I am in the final stages of putting together the details, and will have a huge post with all the details.
Where, When, What and Who

So stay tuned and check back often.
You won't want to miss this one!

Until we cook again:)

Ask Away??

What would you like to know in regards to cooking?
Is there anything you've always wanted to know how to cook?
How about that unique grocery item that you are curious about, but just don't know what to do with?
Anything,Just Ask Away.

Taste of Home Cooking Class

I realize this post comes very late, but with summer holidays being just around the corner from this class, and moving in the process, it's better late than never :)
This class is one of my favourites.I am a true believer of supporting local growers.In Calgary, there are so many. Too many to mention, and I'd feel bad leaving anyone out.But that was the purpose of this particular class. To educate people of the many wonderful, colourful, organic and beautifully grown fresh produce right here in our own backyard.
The group loved learning about where the best Local Farmer's Markets are located, and who some of my favourite growers are.
Enjoy the pictures from the gorgeous produce and food, as well as some of the dishes created from the very same produce :)

(fiddleheads-not too common here in alberta, but with some extensive looking around, you can find them) Delicious sauteed in butter and fresh garlic with a sprinkle of sea salt and cracked black pepper

(Purple and Yellow carrots-absolutely gorgeous on a plate next to any protein of your choice)

(Baby Heirloom Tomatoes-these have got to be some of my favourite colors) When I look at all these amazingly stunning colors...nothing says SUMMER and FRESH more than these :)

(Just some of the local ingredients used for this great cooking class)

(Locally grown Fresh Herbs-the smells are hard to walk away from. A sprinkle on a salad adds a whole new dimension of freshness)

Roasted baby Heirloom Tomatoes, with garlic, fresh oregano, parsley and finely diced red onion, served over Angel Hair Pasta.

is your mouth watering yet? mine is :)

Beet Salad. Stem the beets or roast them, add some thinly sliced onion, a fresh earthy vinaigrette and some fresh dill and you have one of the best Summer Salads ever!

Pulled local Pork and Chorizo Crostini and garlic butter sauteed crimini, oyster and shitakie mushrooms with a sprinkle of fresh chives.

mouth watering isn't it?

There is always fresh locally grown produce and ingredients to be found. It may take a bit of an effort to find it, but once you do...I promise you you'll never want to go back. Nothing compares to the feeling of supporting all that is locally grown.

Fresh Beet Salad Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 fresh beets
• 1 small onion
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Wine vinegar
• Fresh lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper

Preparation:

1. Slice greens from one bunch of 3 or 4 beets (I make another salad with the greens.), or use trimmed beets. Scrub beets well with a vegetable brush and water, but don’t peel.
2. Put in a pot with plenty of water, bring to a boil, and simmer 30 to 45 minutes, or until just easily pierced with a fork or knife tip. Drain (if you save some of the bright red water, it adds great flavor to soups.)
3. Meanwhile, finely dice one small yellow, white or red onion. Make a dressing of ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 T (tablespoons) red wine vinegar (cider vinegar will do if necessary), 2 T lemon juice (at least partly fresh), ½ t (teaspoon) kosher or other salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
4. Let beets cool enough to handle gingerly—they must still be warm when you dress them. Wear rubber gloves if you don’t want dyed hands. The skins will come off easily. Cut off the ends and slice thinly (for ease, cut in half and then slice flat side down).
5. Put beets, diced onions and dressing in a pretty bowl. Refrigerate, but take out a little early so it won’t be icy cold. Taste and correct for salt.

Until we cook again :)

Stayed tuned in the following posts for cooking class schedule for fall of 2010

Thanks for a GREAT cooking class...

I love what I do!!!

A big shout out to Adoption by Choice!

What an awesome group!

We had such laughs, and of course soooo much food...

Thanks for coming out and taking this Tapas Cooking Class :)

The class had barely started and they were already posing for pictures. Lol's

As you can tell...they enjoyed their Artichokes :)

Ohhhhh, and the laughs

As soon as they walked through the doors, the jokes started.

We can't forget about the nicknames, right

"Princess"...hahaha

I know it's looking like we really don't learn much in my cooking classes,

but I promise, along with the joking, nicknaming, laughing and much eating,

there is a lot of hands on cooking and learning to be had

Yummy Asparagus Wraps

The recipe will be at the end of this post

Learning how to plate our Delicious Asparagus Wraps

they look so pretty :)

I think my awesome photographer had a blast with this group.

funny faces, smiles, and poses...what more could you ask for

You guys made my night. I don't think I've laughed so hard in a cooking class yet.

Hope we get to this again for you guys.

An extremely memorable night! And I don't mean in a bad way.

THANKS!!!!

It's groups like this that make me love what I do

Asparagus Wraps

Ingredients:

12 pc’s of Asparagus

1-2 Thin pieces of Steak

Olive oil

1 garlic clove (crushed)

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Steam Asparagus and Crushed Garlic to still crunchy. Remove from pan, and shock in cold water bath to stop the cooking progress. (also helps keep the asparagus a nice green colour)

2. Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 350 degress

3. Place piece of steak in between two layers of plastic wrap and pound out thin

4. Take three pieces of asparagus, (3 pieces for each thinly pounded out piece of steak) and wrap inside pounded out steak and secure seam side of meat with toothpick forming a nice little bundle

5. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan

6. Place asparagus bundles in hot pan and sear on all sides. Be sure not too crowd your pan, you will loose some heat

7. Remove from pan, and place on lightly sprayed baking sheet and bake for approx. 5-10 mins depending on desired doneness

8. Remove wraps from oven, and let rest for about 5 mins before serving or cutting into them

9. In the same pan used to sear the bundles, place 4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and simmer until reduced by about half and somewhat thickened

Serve warm with drizzle of balsamic reduction

Until we cook again:)

What's your Culinary Question?

So...it's that time again. I know I wanted to do this post once week, but life has been really busy, so it may not happen that often, but it will happen.
With that said...Ask Away!!What is your Culinary Question?What would you like to ask?
I'll do my best to answer.
Until you ask again :)
ps...stay tunned for pictures and posts from my latest cooking classes. They were a huge hit!!!

Culinary Questions Answered

Some good questions were asked.
Now to do my best to answer them.

1). How do you choose Sea Salt? (Thanks M for asking)

Some may say that Sea Salt is a healthier option to Table Salt. Is that 100% true. To a degree it is. The main difference between the two is the texture. Sea Salt has larger, more irregular grains, Table salt has fine granules and dissolves quickly making it ideal for baking. Back to healthier or not. Sea Salt is harvested from evaporating seawater and is very minimally processed. Leaving behind more of the natural ingredients. Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits and processed much more than sea salt is.

Some types of Sea Salts:

Black Salt - an indian mineral actually pinkish gray color. It has a sulfurous mineral taste and often added to chutney's, raitas, and other savory snacks.

Grey Salt - is light grey, somewhat pink in color. Collected by hand and is very moist and because of that and that fact that is unrefined, this salt is considered the best quality available.

Fleur de Sel - (or flower of the sea) is a condiment salt made of young crystals that naturally form on the surface of salt evaporated ponds. Often used in salads, vegetables and great for grilling meats.

Hawaiian Sea Salt - contains some red clay. Being rich in iron oxide gives this salt a pink color. It is mellow in flavor compared to regular sea salt. Great for seasoning and preserving. Especially great on Prime Rib and Pork Loin.

There are many types of Sea Salts and it is hard to sometimes choose one that is going to work perfectly with your dishes. In addition to regular sea salts, there are infused sea salts to make the decision process harder. The best thing is to experiment with ones that tempt your pallet. You'll quickly find out which one's will become a staple in your pantry.

2). Do you have to use yeast to cook bread? Is there a way to make bread without yeast? Where do you find yeast in the grocery store? How in the world do you calculate enough food for big groups? (Wonderful questions Bree)

Yeast is a plant and is capable of reproducing itself. Just by adding sugar it will grow, and heat will kill it. (starve it) The function of yeast is to supply carbon dioxide gas which inflates the dough during the proofing time and early stages of baking in the oven. Without yeast, bread will be flat, and hard, but that doesn't mean we can not make bread without it.

We can make unlevened bread, flatbreads, soda breads, sourdough breads or quick breads which often require beer or ale instead of yeast. I found a wonderful recipe for a soda bread that does not require yeast.
Soda Bread Recipe:Whole Wheat - 3 1/4 c (or gluten-free)Baking Powder - 5 tspSea Salt - 1/2 tspWater - 2 cOlive Oil - 1/4 cSeeds: poppy and sesame seeds (optional)Mix together the dry ingredientsAdd WaterAdd SeedsKnead until smooth but don't knead too much. Should not be too sticky. Form into about 8 small buns and place on greased pan for baking. You do not need to let it rise before baking because the dough does not contain yeast but baking powderPlace in oven and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 mins or until bread is light brown
Yeast can be found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
And calculating food for large groups. To be honest, I don't have a tried and true method. I know that doesn't help you. I guess after you do it for a while, you become comfortable with figuring it all out. (sorry, i know that is not a good answer) I've done a lot of reading and spoken with lots of caterer's and chef's which has helped.

3). How do you decide which spices to add to a dish? (I love spices. Thanks Kristen)
Spices are one of the most intimidating ingredients you will ever use. There are so many out there, we don't always know what it tastes like when asked for in a recipe. So we sometimes just end up leaving that certain spice out of a recipe and end up with the same spices in our spice racks. I know...not very adventerous, but we can be. So how can you choose spices that work for your style of cooking, and better yet how do you choose spices that have the best flavor? Simple once you learn a few tips.




Here they are:
1). Consider the types of cooking you do most often. Certain spices are needed for different types of cooking. Example, if you love Cajun-style cooking, you would choose hot spices like cayenne pepper. If you prefer French cuisine, you want to use Herbs de Provence.
2). Anytime a recipe mentions a spice you've never used, look it up. The internet is a wonderful addition to finding out information. This way you can find out what to expect in the way of flavor.
3). If you can, buy whole spices rather than ground. Reason behind that is that whole retain the most amount of flavor. Ground on the other hand, start to loose their flavor as soon as they are ground. I suggest buying an inexpensive coffee grinder that you can use specifically for grinding your spices. And when you can...when they are in season, purchase fresh.
4). Grocery stores have a large selection of herbs and spices, but try visiting a Gourmet Food Store which may introduce you to new tastes and smells. (Love walking into those stores and smelling everything) I find those smells really inspire my cooking.
These are just a few tips that will take you from your tried and true spices on your spice rack to adding so many different spices, you just won't know where to begin once you get them all home.
I hope these answers will help you and inspire you to be creative in your kitchen!Thanks and I look forward to next month when Savour's blog will have another Culinary Question Period.
Until we cook again :)

Question Period??

When I had a bit of a facelift to the new company blog my idea was to every once in a while have regular posts. One of which I wanted to call Culinary Question Period.
So without further ado, What is your Culinary Question?Ask away. Don't be shy.Leave your question in the comments, and next post I will answer as many as I can. I am not promising knowing the answer to everything, but will do my best with the knowledge I have. And if I don't, I will find out.
Until you ask :)

In love with ARTICHOKES!!

Oh how I love my Artichokes...

How to go about choosing the perfect artichoke:

• The leaves of the bud should be tight, not 'blooming'. You can test this by running your thumb over the top of the bud. If the leaves separate, do not choose it. (the imperial star variety, the leaves on the buds are a little bit more separated)
• Squish the artichoke lightly...if it makes a squeaking noise it is fresh
• The artichoke should have some weight to it. A heavier weight usually indicates more water and thus a fresher artichoke
• Good artichokes should have a little bit of a glossy sheen to them

- the larger the artichoke doesn't necessarily mean it has a bigger heart.

The choke is what you want to get rid of. The heart is where all the great tasting meat is at.

So delicious :)

I grew up eating artichokes a lot. One of my favourite ways to eat them is plainly steamed, dipping each of the outer petals and inner petals in a lemon dressing. Then enjoying the best part...the heart dipped in the same dressing.

OH HOW HEAVENLY!!!!

But here is another of my favourite ways.

I hope you enjoy and add artichokes to your meals.

Carla's Grilled Artichokes

Plan for 1 medium sized artichoke per person ( i can honestly eat 2-3 by myself...i know...i'm crazy)

Pot of boiling water, salted

Fresh lemons

sea salt

olive oil

Cracked Black Pepper and Lemon Aioli:

1/4 tsp Black Cracked Pepper

1-2 tsp lemon zest

1 cup mayonnaise

1-1/2 tblsp lemon juice

Preparing the artichokes:

Take the artichoke, with a sharp knife and cut the top off.

Cut the stem off close to base, but not totally off (makes for nice presentation)

Take a lemon, cut it in half and rub the lemon all over the artichoke(s)

Place the prepared artichokes in the boiling water, along with the lemon you just used cut into wedges

Tip: artichokes float, so to keep them immersed in the water, weight them down with a couple of smaller plates

Cover and let boil for approx. 45-50 mins

Tip: you can tell the artichoke is done by taking one of the inner leaves, and if it pulls out easily, and the flesh is soft, it is done

Pull the artichokes out and place on a tea towel or paper towel cut side down (upside down) to drain and cool

Meanwhile prepare the aioli by combing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside

Once cool, cut the artichoke in half lengthwise

Using a small spoon, carefully remove the choke. Should remove easily

Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt

Place upside down on grill - you are grilling just to add some color and smokiness

Remove, place on a platter, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve with prepared aioli.

So Good. I promise!

Until we cook again :)

Julie and Julia Class

This class was an absolute blast to teach :)Probably due to the fact that when I saw this movie...I knew instantly that I wanted to do a class featuring some of the recipes.
You can't have a Julie and Julia class without having the movie playing in the background. What a great way to enjoy the whole experience.

lemon - raspberry bavarian cake

couldn't have done this class without preparing some delicious bruschetta

grilled artichokes with lemon (these were fabulous! everyone enjoyed them)

lemon herb roasted chicken

the class sitting down to enjoy the fruits of their labour

Thanks everyone for a great evening of laughter and even greater food!

Food is truly meant to be shared!

Thank you VR Photography for the beautiful pictures taken so that I can share them all with you!

Until we cook again :)

Tapas Cooking Class

This class was fantastic!! Thanks to all who attended.

In every class there is a 'class clown', in this particular class I think the 'class clown' was me

:) After introductions, getting everyone comfortable and started on the first of 5 tapas...we were all laughing before long.

Everyone was willing to get their hands right into everything. Especially the men!

So YUMMY, so DELICIOUS, and so MUCH FUN!

Can't wait for our next class.

Julie and Julia. Stay tuned for pictures and update on that class.

A special Thank you goes out to Vanessa Ross Photography for the great images from this great class. Thanks V.
Until we cook again:)

Chef Lynn Crawford

I sometimes get asked which chef do I get my inspiration from.

Chef Lynn Crawford Canadian BornExecutive Chef of the Four Season'sRestaurant MakeoverPitchin' In
I've been a long time watcher of the FOOD NETWORK! It's on 24/7 in our home. I have wonderful memories of watching it with each of my children and watching as they too get excited for the dishes that are being prepared by the various chefs. My husband has also been found watching a couple of episodes with me too.
As with any show on tv, I have my favorites on food network, but Chef Lynn is...well, I guess you can say my mentor in the industry, even though she has no idea that through her career, she has been my mentor. :)
I remember clearly the episode that I feel in love with her love, style of food and appreciation for food. It was an episode of A Restaurant Makeover. She was revamping the current restaurant's menu, and working with someone who didn't really have the "schooling" behind being a chef, but clearly had a love for food and of food. Helping them see that taking fresh ingredients and a passion for them, can help you create that amazing dish. "I will take anyone who has a true passion and love for food and teach them"...ever since I heard her share that statement, I secretly wish she'd somehow find me and take me under her wing. Wow!!! Learning from her would be a dream come true!
She, as I do, believes that "the creation of a delicious meal requires passion and quality ingredients...". Local farmer's markets is where she has built an appreciation for the difference that fresh makes. Walking the farmer's markets is where my creativity takes place.
Her philosophy "food needs to be celebrated and shared with family and friends...not kept to oneself but shared amongst many as a means of enjoyment".
I truly believe that food has a way of bringing people together. Growing up I had the best conversations with my family and friends around the dinner table. And that's where it all begins! Sharing, laughing and enjoying one's company around great food!!
Thanks Chef Lynn for being such an inspiration in the way I view, share, create, and love food :)
Until we cook again :)

Announcing!!!!!! :)

I realize it's so past Saturday when the draw was actually going to take place, but better late than never, right? (okay...maybe not...)
The winner of the latest draw is
TANYA WOODRUFF!!!!!
I am away on a short little get away, but will contact you when I am back to make arrangements for your prize!!! Congratulations...
Thanks to everyone who is now a follower, and for blogging, sharing and facebookin' about my company and new service. There will be more opportunities for winning...I promise!!! :)