Souper aux Abats

The Montréal association of food journalists held a Souper aux abats last Monday and I was the guest of honour. This is the best way to attend a dinner as you get credit for the food, but it's the chef who does all the work, a big thank you to Patrick. The menu was loosely based on recipes in my book Odd Bitsafter a discussion with Chef Patrick Plouffe of Chez Bouffe, Gildas Meneu,  Mario Hinse from L'Epicerie. The matching wines were chosen by Guénaël Revel, don't ask, all I remember is a zinfandel that I liked because I usually don't.

Cookbook Awards

I'm not sure how I feel about awards, but I know I love to be nominated and love it even more when I win. Single subject is always a tough category and this year I am shortlisted with my friend Molly Stevens and Yotam Ottolenghi who I don't know personally, but I do like his recipes. This is an interesting mix of cookbooksw All About Roasting: New Approach to a Classic Art, Odd Bits and Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes From London's Ottolenghi. Whoever wins, I think we are all winners if we have encouraged our readers to cook.

Saint Valentine

In honour of Saint Valentine's day I'm posting a chocolate bar. Of course I know you'll all be eating heart either as tartare or Peruvian heart kebab, what better way to declare true love? However, as I've already posted heart it's chocolate for today, but not just any chocolate. 

This is blood chocolate, that's right chocolate with blood in it, a health bar. So you can see I'm not the only one who combines chocolate and blood in a pudding or ice cream, they do it in the Baltic countries and Russia.

Alas this chocolate bar is not made with the highest quality chocolate. So I am challenging all chocolate makers, how about a high quality blood chocolate bar or a truffle for next Valentines?

Beef and Kidney Pie

I've eaten some very interesting kidneys in the last month. Mild, almost sweet lamb kidneys, veal kidneys and much stronger beef kidneys that Laurie from Hawk Hill Farm sent me. Now, I must state upfront that the real kidney lover in this family is my husband. I eat kidney, but I don't love them like he does. It's been quite some time since we've cooked beef kidneys.