Finely chopped mushrooms are sautéed in butter with shallots, garlic and fresh thyme, then finished with a splash of white wine (or sherry), a little balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese. Served warm on crisp baguette slices, we enjoyed this savoury appetizer with a bitter Campari-based cocktail the Italian Gentleman. The savoury flavour was an excellent… Read more »
Italian Gentleman
We went back and forth on how we were going to wade into our first taste test of this cocktail. Should we go Campari heavy, or play it safe and lean into the Bourbon. In the end we decided to go with the traditional 50/50 recipe. I quite enjoyed the bitter notes and can see… Read more »
Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits with Candied Pecan Crumble
My family prefers pecan pie over pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and our gathering is too small to make two pies. I, however, love pumpkin pie. For a fall Saturday dinner I decided to give in to the pumpkin craving by making a pumpkin cheesecake parfait. While not a low-sugar dessert, this parfait recipe is not… Read more »
Chicken Piccata with Chicken Thighs
This recipe is based on Alton Brown’s chicken piccata recipe from his chicken thigh YouTube video. I’m writing the ingredients and steps here (simplified) so I don’t have to watch the video for the 9th time! INGREDIENTS 6-7 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 cup flour 1-2 t freshly ground black pepper salt, as needed to… Read more »
Boursin & Caramelized Onion Puff Pastry Bites
These Boursin cheese and onion puff pastry appetizers are perfect for a cocktail hour or party. They’re simple to make but look and taste like something you’d order at a restaurant. I made these for our Saturday evening cocktail hour, and they were a definite keeper. Using store-bought puff pastry made preparation easy, and I… Read more »
French Gimlet
The first time we had a French Gimlet, we did a taste test, comparing it with a Gin & It. We really didn’t care for the Gin & It, which is basically a gin martini made with sweet vermouth. That makes sense, since we are not fond of martini’s or all alcohol cocktails. The French… Read more »
Aviation Cocktail
I think the first true cocktail I ever really liked was an Aviation. I’m not counting the Vodka Collins I drank proficiently (prolifically?) in university, which was mostly spiked lemonade. Our version is made with Empress Indigo Gin, a popular choice for giving the Aviation its beautiful purple colour. INGREDIENTS 2 oz indigo gin ½… Read more »
Clover Club
I went back and forth on choosing one final gin cocktail for our 1930s-inspired cocktail party and settled on the Clover Club. Dating back to the early 1900s, it fit the vintage theme, while offering guests another sour cocktail that was a little more approachable than some of the stronger classics. It has a beautiful… Read more »
Lavender Bee’s Knees
When I decided to host a 1930’s inspired cocktail party, one of the drinks I wanted to include was a Bee’s Knees. Then we visited Spirit of Niagara Distillery in Niagara-on-the-Lake and loved the Lavender Bee’s Knees on their cocktail menu. While there, we picked up a bottle of KVAS Lavender Jasmine Syrup, also made… Read more »
The Sidecar
This was a fun one in our house. The first time we made a Sidecar cocktail we made it with Hennessy XO (Extra Old) cognac because that was what we had on hand. It was smooth and bold at the same time. When planning our cocktail party, we thought that the XO might be on… Read more »