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Peach Mousse
A peach mousse is s a fairly easy dessert that is awesome to make because it can be made way in advance and you have quite a bit of variety in how you garnish it.
The ‘2024 Menu’ Recap
The 2024 menu was headlined by duck confit: I wanted to make something 'common' (poultry) but at the same time, 'uncommon' (going with duck as opposed to chicken).
Toasted Wonton Cups
A super low-stress appetizer that is so easy to make, you can start it after the guests have arrived. There’s a contrast of colors, texture and a burst of flavor this appetizer is super scalable — you can make them 6, 8 (or more!) at a time — you’re only limited by your muffin tray
Lemon Posset
This dessert is so much win: it’s super easy to make, can be done way in advance and almost certainly guaranteed to be a winner.
Duck Confit
With a 30-40 hour cook time, duck confit is definitely my longest “in advance” dish I’ve made. And it’s 100% worth it.
Thankfully, I have a vaccuum-sealer and sous-vide setup so this is actually a very low-effort dish to make.
Shiitake Risotto
This is a fun accompaniment to make but unlike most things I make, there’s not a whole lot you can do in advance. While not hard by any means, the biggest takeaway here is to give this dish your full attention.
Fondant Potatoes
This side is super low-stress to make and most of the prep can be done well in advance. Nominally, you leave this in the oven for 1-hour but you could very comfortably leave it in there for 2-hours — you only really have to check the oven every so often to make sure the stock hasn’t boiled off.
Cauliflower Chowder
Cauliflower chower is a nice soup that takes heat/spice well, is super easy to make, doesn’t require any fancy ingredients and can largely be made in advance.
And as much as I like a clam-chowder, I really enjoy that this is something different.
Sourdough
I have a love hate relationship with sourdough. Freshly made, warm sourdough is wonderful but for a non-baker, it also represents a ton of work, prep and uncertainty — it’s over a day before I know if all that hard work came out right or not.
That being said, it’s pretty awesome when it does come together. I’ve been slowly trying to collate my notes and document the steps and conditions and I think I’ve got to a ‘checkpoint’ where I can bake a somewhat predictable loaf.
Cheesy Ciabatta Buns
I went down the rabbit hole of making cheese ciabatta buns and then all the wonderful sandwiches that can follow. For me, I found ciabatta to be far less stressful and far more repeatable than something like sourdough. And ciabatta sandwiches definitely are a lunchtime highlight for me!
Easy Pumpkin Soup
A really tasty soup that pairs well with a lot of main courses but with an awesome secret: you can totally used canned pumpkin for this to make it super easy.
Wicked Thai Soup
I stumbled upon Wicked Thai soup as a wine-pairing during an icewine festival. Unfortunately (for icewine sales), I was far more interested in the soup rather than the icewine. I tried a few variations of this soup and they are all wonderful and belly-warming in the winter!
Epic Triple-Cooked Fries
Every time I’ve made these fries, it’s been a total hit: they have just the right amount of outer-crunchiness vs inner-softness. It’s definitely a bit more work than throwing some frozen fries in the oven but one thing is for sure: once you go down the path of making fries like this, you won’t be able to go back!
Berry Flognarde
A super easy dessert that really follows the ‘set it and forget it’ school of thinking, this berry flognarde is a hoot to introduce to guests purely on its name alone. Most will do a double-take on the name and some might even proclaim that you are pulling their leg.
Pork Wellington
Everything about the pork wellington feels off — the steps are fairly straightforward, ingredients list is simple (and much cheaper than the mighty beef wellington!) and it’s still a crowd-pleaser.
Tonkotsu Ramen
Tonkotsu ramen was always a dish I wanted to try out but I was afraid it was going to be super-involved, super-intricate and require a lot of ‘hands on’ work. Turns out I was wrong and there’s actually a lot of waiting around. Which is great as it makes this so much more approachable.
Mango Chicken Wings
Unless I’m in a specific mood for it, I’m generally not a fan of super sticky/saucy wings. Even when I’m in the mood for sauce, I’ve never been a fan of the sauce packets - so this was a first attempt at trying something slightly saucy and a step up from sauce packets.
Lobster Bisque
Made using leftover lobster shells, this soup is rich, creamy and might taste more like lobster than lobster. The best part is that lobster shells are very affordable and most of the effort involved in this recipe is sitting around a simmering pan.
Cheesy Beer Bread
If you're a fan of bread, cheese and butter (let's be honest - who doesn’t?) check out this easy to bake loaf! Having a mixer is convenient but totally not necessary -- I made this for years mixing by hand: this is a super beginner friendly bread to make and is great for munching, as a potluck or as a gift. As you get more comfortable, there's a lot of experimenting you can do to make this loaf your own!
Meatballs with Coconut-Lemongrass Sauce
If you like your meatballs on the softer side, these meatballs are perfect for you. After the initial sear, these are effectively steamed in broth and all of this is served on a bed of rice making for an easy, filling meal.