Category: International meals

Limoncello Tiramisu

Now that all of the hub bub of the holidays is over, we can resume Monday Night Dining. This week also marks our return to rehearsals, as we start to learn Elgar’s – The Apostles. We are about to head up up and away, on a new musical journey, and this one is gonna be HUGE!  For me it’s always exciting, and a bit scary starting a new work, but I have the rest of the choir and Steph to help me.

Since it is our first week back, we decided to take it easy, with an Italian meal and just our trio and Luke. Once we were all gathered and had a moment to catch up, we started our meal with Duck confit ravioli, with thyme velouté. read more

Our history with Moroccan food started quite a few years ago, when Shawn’s work was celebrating “diversity day”. His team picked Moroccan as their theme and we in turn learned a bit about the culture and flavours.  It is a great summer food and this night we invited some of our Pax Christi friends, Diane, Dan and Deborah.  We started of in the yard under the pergola, with a standard of ours, Moroccan cigars.

Moroccan cigars

Moroccan cigars

Phyllo pastry and butter wrapped around a goat cheese filling, containing paprika, parsley and garlic, what could be better? Crisping them of course. We opened some wine, while Deborah made us ankle bracelets and talked about the pending choir tour to England. All very exciting. read more

I must admit, we often think of Indian food as a fall or winter food, because we love the stews, but then again it really is a hot country, so we should enjoy it in the heat….  Plus I have been hankering for Indian food for a while, so let’s go for it!  So this week, we had 2 of our favorite guests Brian and Luke joining us. When we had some time off, one of our excursions took us to little India. This gave us a chance to pick up a few ingredients, and just wander around.  So with some incense, spices, and beautiful table clothes, we are ready to make an Indian feast. read more

Rasberry, vanilla, chocolate Pandoro

This past weekend Pax Christi Chorale got together with a volunteer orchestra, soloists and the choir of St Mary Magdalene church, to sing the Children’s Messiah. This annual event presents the hits from Handel’s Messiah, geared toward families, and all of the proceeds go to charity.  For me, this finally put me in the holiday frame of mind.

This week, is our last Monday with our trio together, before Christmas, so we decided this would be our official Christmas dinner.  We had turkey last week, so we needed to mix it up a bit, with the menu.  I think the prep for this week was a lot of fun, as we got to try something we have had on the books for a while…. But I’ve told you enough….. read more

Hachis Parmentier with Waffle fries

So a funny thing happened on the way to the cottage….  We stopped for some food and of course wine.  My wine guy (that is his real name) asked where Shawn was. I replied “he went to buy lobsters.” My wine guy said “you can never have to many”  I shot back “we already have lobsters in the cooler…  for some reason we need more!”  I now regret my misgivings.

This week, we decided to invite someone who has been missing singing beside Shawn, and may want to convince him to join Pax again…  Jaymar!  We met our guest with a little tipple of wine , so we could get caught up.  Then we sat round the table to sample our first course, Lobster Bisque. read more

Blood moon

On Sunday, before this week’s Monday Night Dining experience, it was both the super moon and the blood moon.  The  super moon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to the earth or (perigee-syzygy ) and looks 7-8% larger.  The blood moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse, when the light reflecting off the moon has already passed through the earth’s atmosphere, which filters out much of the blue light and makes the moon appear red.  This night was the combination of both of these phenomenon.  Some believe this is a sign of the apocalypse, or the next coming of Christ. Also werewolves….  Don’t forget werewolves….  Whether this marks the end, or a new beginning, or as I believe just a cool astronomical anomaly, we want to celebrate, and how better to do that than share beautiful food with dear friends??? read more

Fall Sunflowers

This week marks another milestone for our Monday Night Dining crowd.  As the days grow inexorably shorter, and the nights become cooler, it is the inevitable cycle, that leads us to….   Pax Christi Chorale rehearsals!!!  Tonight was our first rehearsal, for the 2015 season, which means we need to get back into a more rigorous schedule.  We have had the luxury of adding extra courses at a whim, or stretching out our evenings, with conversation, music, or sparklers.  Now we must buckle down and find the roots of Monday Night Dining. How to serve a dinner in an hour and a half and make it to rehearsals on time…. read more

fresh Mexican ingredients

Now gather round my friends and I will regale you with the tale of the mysterious chicken-dog…   One spring evening, while sitting in Steph’s back yard,  I heard a sound…. Part bark and part crow. When I asked what it was, I was regaled with tale of the infamous chicken-dog. Half dog, half chicken. This creature is known to haunt the streets of North York. Many tell the tale, but to this day no one has managed to get solid evidence to prove its existence. We have found a mock-up of what he may look like, from an eyewitness. read more

Turkish Table

This time of year is amazing, with all the fresh produce, being pulled, from the gardens.  So often we use this produce as side dishes and add-ons.  Sometimes these side dishes become the stars of the night, due to their vibrancy.  This week we wanted to truly feature what we have grown, and what better cuisine to feature it in than Turkish?

Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Caucasian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other neighbouring cuisines, including those of Western Europe. Best of all we found recipes that could truly feature the freshness of the ingredients at hand. read more

Savory Scallion Pancakes with Hoisin sauce

This week marks 2 special anniversaries. Tonight would have been Steph’s 25th wedding anniversary. So this was a night of warm memories, but also leaves an empty space in our lives.

Later in the week is the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, one of the most lethal events in human history, but ended one of the bloodiest wars ever. You may want to check Steph’s blog, for her insights. In remembrance of this event we decided to try our hand at our first Asian themed Monday Night Dinner. read more