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Even before you buy the ingredients, walk.. no, run to your local store to buy a blow torch. Now the purists will say that you should only use a butane torch as it’s the only thing that is safe for food. Apparently, if you use a propane torch, it will leave all sorts of residue on your creme brulee which is bad.

I look at things a little more pragmatically. For $40, you can buy a little, and I do mean little, creme brulee torch that will take forever to caramelize your sugar or you can buy a big propane torch from a hardware store that’s so powerful you could do some welding while waiting for your creme brulees to set. Given that I’ve seen the propane torch used in some very good restaurants, I have no qualms about using it for my own cooking. It’s also very convenient when you just want to be a pyromaniac.

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Prosciutto as we know it in North America refers to raw ham that has been cured using a combination of salt and/or nitrate. In Italy though, prosciutto is a general word for pork cut. If you want the dried stuff, you would ask for prosciutto crudo (”raw ham”) . If you want ham, then you would ask for prosciutto cotto (”cooked ham”). (more…)

Joel Robuchon has been cooking fine meals for longer than I have been alive. Starting with a single restaurant in France, he has slowly built up an empire with restaurants around the world. In Tokyo, he is the only foreigner to have received the coveted Michelin Star – an exclusive award whose criteria makes as much sense as a flying-purple wombat. The last time I was in Tokyo, I decided to see just how good his L’atelier de Joel Robuchon really was. Little did I know what I was walking into. (more…)

Superstars are the key to building great legacies. What would happen if Jordon didn’t lead the Bulls? Would the Oilers have been the same without Gretzky? Could Yamaha dominate MotorGP without Rossi? No!

The same thing applies to food. You need a little Mojo to make things taste better. With regards to French Toast, that secret ingredient is Rum. Lots of it.

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I’m a big fan of one pan dishes because they’re fast and they facilitate easy clean-up. Miso in this dish is used to add a bit of a Japanese flair to the dish, but it’s entirely optional as it is a pain in the ass to acquire if you aren’t in a town with a Chinese Supermarket. What’s more, it only comes in this rather large tubs that take forever to go through. Down the road, I’ll be writing an article to explain the different types of Miso, but for now, just pick up whatever strikes you fancy.

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The brainchild of Justin Joyce and Sara Urbauer, the premise of Burgoo is simple - serve good hearty stews and soups at reasonable prices. Drawing inspiration from around the world, Burgoo’s menu reads like the hiding places of Carmen Sandiego. From Ireland to Canada to Morocco, we have foods hailing from four different continents. Now if you’ve ever been to a Chinese cafe, you’ll know that having this many types of cuisines is a recipe for disaster as everything ends up tasting… Chinese. Burgoo thankfully is about as Chinese as Michael Jackson is black. (more…)

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I came up with this when I got annoyed at the recipes out there that call for a million and one ingredients. Pancakes are supposed to be simple comfort food! Nevertheless, this base recipe gives you a lot of room to experiment and play around. I’ll probably post derivatives of this recipe down the road, but for now, enjoy! (more…)

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If you’re in a hurry, then this recipe will help you eat right in only 10 minutes. This dish uses no salt instead relying on the ingredients to provide the flavor. (more…)