Cooking is ...

Cooking is beautiful and beauty manifests itself in cooking. Personally, I think if you make a so-so dish then it is bound to taste better based on the presentation. Right? Right. Take Gordon Ramsey for example. He is forever going on about proper 'plating' of a dish. And it is all about height ... the higher you 'plate' things the more dramatic the impact. Colors play an important part too and high contrast eventually leads to a more appealing dish. What I don't get is the tiny morsels of food 'plated' on a huge dish ... why not use a smaller plate? It just seems like there is too much wasted space if you don't fill it up with something.

 I guess food is like art ... there are abstract presentations and more traditional displays which you can throw in to the mix. Remember when we were little and our parents warned us not to 'play' with our food? Well I think any self-respecting good cook out there ignores that advice because you have to play with your food if you want the proper look and especially if you want it to behave the 'right' way.

So bottom line for food presentation is to:
1) Add height
2) Use contrasting colors
3) Play with your food


But most importantly, enjoy the experience.

Cajun Catfish with Sweet Potato Fries

This meal cooks in an instant and is so delicious. Season about 1/4 cup of flour with 1/2 teaspoon thyme,

1/4 tsp ginger, 1 tsp. salt, dash of pepper and1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning. Coat catfish (can use halibut, cod or sole if you want) in seasoned flour and shake off excess. Fry until golden brown.

Cut sweet potatoes into strips and boil until tender. About 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tsps. olive oil a dash of salt and pepper and fresh herbs. I like to use rosemary or oregano. Bake at 400C for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a fresh salad.

Chocolate Kiss Cookies

I made these cookies by using a simple shortbread recipe and sticking a chocolate wafer in the middle. Way, way easy if I may say so myself. I bought the small ones from Bulk Barn but they also have these huge babies that are about 3 inches in diameter. Those I found were a bit too decadent. I could just see these in a box with a pretty ribbon for a certain someone special. Me!

I found a great way to enhance the taste of cake or bars is to add a little berry sauce and top it off with cream. Just add 2-3 tsps of water to your favorite fresh or canned fruit, the same amount of sugar and cinnamon. Umm!

Superbowl a Super Buffet

The Superbowl isn't just about rooting for your favorite team to win or grooving to the tunes of the Who during the half time show, it is about celebrating culinary works of art. Every year I make it a tradition to get busy in the kitchen and this year was no exception. I whipped up some tasty snacks. Not all perfect but tasty none-the-less. Last year it was smoked salmon hors d'oeuvres and honey glazed turkey wings. This year I wanted to go more traditional so I did a pizza from scratch topped with olives, feta, sundried tomatoes, hot peppers, mushrooms and lots of sauce. My family insisted that I add whole wheat flower to the dough to make it more healthy. I compromised and did half whole wheat and half white flour. It was good. The dough was very wimpy but it was good. I did some sauerkraut as well, buffalo wings, cornbread and pita wedges. I also sliced a potato as thin as I could without the help of a mandolin, brushed melted butter and placed a rosemary twig on top. Sprinkle salt and pepper and cover it with another potato slice and throw it in the oven. The taste was amazing. I baked it until it was tender but I think it would have worked just as nicely if it was a little crisper. It was about 5:30 and I still hadn't done dessert so I boiled some apple slices in cinnamon and sugar and popped that inside a pillsbury crescent dough with sugar on top.

All in all the game was okay. I nearly fell asleep from all the food and the slow pace of things but the Saints turned things around. In fact it really picked up in the last quarter. I can't wait for next year's game. I think I'll do a Tex-Mex menu.

Five 2010 trends to watch: we ask Jamie Kennedy, Anthony Walsh, David Lee and other chefs what to look for in the coming year

As with everything, there are trends in food. Here are few great ones.

Five 2010 trends to watch: we ask Jamie Kennedy, Anthony Walsh, David Lee and other chefs what to look for in the coming year

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Avocado Spread

I was experimenting with avocado dip recipes. The usual guacomole needed a twist so I checked out what was in the refrigerator and found a bottle of horseradish. I mashed up and avocado with about 2tsps. of horseradish, spread on my melba toast and bang I was liking it. You can add some garlic and lemon juice, salt and pepper to spruce things up a bit but I liked it without all that other noisy stuff. The great thing about the horseradish is that it has an added bonus --it clears up sinus congestion too.