An absolutely foolproof cream sauce adds a special touch to tender-crisp asparagus spears. It's also excellent with other vegetables, such as broccoli, green beans, sugar snap peas and new potatoes.
Get your dose of winter greens this season by making this wonderful salad topped with toasted walnuts and apple, tossed in a flavourful horseradish dressing.
You'll be the star of your cookie exchange with these cute little mittens. To make the polka-dot pattern, apply the dots with a toothpick just after the white icing is spread on the cookies.
For this all-dressed-up occasion, it's better to cook and halve the lobsters in the kitchen so all the messy cracking is done before guests arrive. Then it's a short steam and the lobsters are ready to serve with the Flavoured Butters for dipping.
Heat Rating: Medium The sweet-and-sour flesh of the tamarind tree seedpod is the flavour base for this lively yet mild sauce. Okra, a popular vegetable throughout South and Southeast Asia, thickens the sauce without starch. If you want a little extra heat, make a cut in each hot pepper from the base to the tip without breaking the tip.
My family is very fortunate to have a "sugar bush" in Northern Ontario, where we make our own maple syrup every spring. As a result, it is usually plentiful so we use it pretty much everyday in baking and cooking. We think that everything tastes better with maple syrup! I serve the ribs with a side of long-grain brown and Canadian wild rice blend that I make up (3/4 brown to 1/4 wild), oven roasted squash and steamed green beans with toasted walnuts. Tip: this is a terrific recipe to make earlier in the day (up to the point of cooking it for one hour). Just cover the baking dish with foil and keep refrigerated until ready, then you can visit with your guests while it bakes. I also put the rice on at that time as it takes an hour to steam and the squash can go right in the oven, at the same time and temperature as the ribs as well. You just have to steam the beans for the last few minutes before the meal. I have been making this recipe for over eighteen years and everyone of every age loves it.
Serve with Broiled Tomato Halves (see recipe below)
