Introducing my new Vibrant 100 % UDSDA Organic Extra Virgin Olive oil.  This buttery soft oil features fresh green herbal notes and a mild peppery finish.   It is available for sale at the following specialty grocery stores across Canada or from the retail section on my site, click here.

For more information on this new organic olive oil or my familiar D.O.P. oil from the sunny isalnd of Crete , now in new bottles called ’ Bold’ , click here

Retail Locations:

la Grotta Del Formaggio – Vancouver

Navelli’s European Deli – Sarnia

Whole Foods Market – Toronto and Oakville

Highland Farms – Ellesmere- Scarborough, Matheson

Blvd.- Mississauga, Dufferin St. Toronto- Rutherford Rd.Woodbridge

Harvest Wagon -Toronto

Piccone’s Food Market Inc. – Dundas

Pastissima- Yonge St.

Scheffler’s Deli – St. Lawrence Market – Toronto

Bruno’s Fine Foods – Yonge St. Toronto, Etobicoke

Marilu’s market Fine Foods – Burlington

Angelino’s – Guelph

The Village Olive Grove – Elora

212 Fine Foods –Haliburton

Noah’s natural Foods – Toronto

La Salumeria – Yonge St. Toronto

Fresh and Wild – Bloor St. Toronto

The Cheese boutique – Etobicoke

The Village Grocer – Markham

Coming soon to Loblaw’s Great Food locations

Apple Pie 201

Back before being a loud and abrasive British chef got you a t.v. show, I worked in a hotel kitchen for just such a crazy Brit.  I admit that he is still one of the best pastry chefs I had ever met, but at the time I wanted to slap him every time he stormed into the kitchen freaking out about the soufflé batter or the pie pastry.

That is where my pie journey began and has continued to evolve over the past twenty years.  I can’t even believe it’s been that long and I’m not even counting any of the pseudo pies I passed off as acceptable when I was a teenager. 

Every year since then I’ve been adapting, honing and modifying my process for making pies.  I want to share some of the best techniques that I’ve learned about pie making and for today,  I’ll focus on the apple pie, which is my favourite and happens to be perfect in the fall. 

The Pastry

I prefer butter to lard or shortening.   In short, butter makes a crisp crust that has a delicious sweet flavour and shortening makes a short or flaky crust this is too tender for a double sided pie.  Some people like to combine the two but I prefer both the texture and the taste of just butter with the apples.   

I like a combination of all purpose and pastry flour at a ratio of about 3 : 1 .  Just all purpose flour will also work, but pastry flour alone will yield a pastry that is too soft.  No matter what I am making I always chose unbleached flour because who wants to eat bleaching agents ?   Mmmm, bleaching agents.

When making the dough, I always use ice water and cut the butter into little squares, that are very thin and chill them in the freezer while I’m measuring the rest of the ingredients.  Then I work as quickly as possible to toss in the water with a fork. The key is to work as quickly as possible and not fondle the dough.  It has to be said.  The pastry must be chilled at least 30 minutes before rolling and 30 minutes after rolling for crisp results.  So if you’re in a hurry, apple pie is not the thing to make.             

The Filling

I have made my best apples pies with Mutsu  aka Crispin, Spy and/or a combination of these two varieties.  The bottom line is, you want an apple that is firm but crisp with a slightly tangy finish.   Some people find the Crispin a bit too tart for them but I love it. I peel, core and cut it into eighths , then into thin slices.  The dilemma of the gap between the pastry and apples is just chemistry- the pastry begins to set before the apples fully cook and as they continue to cook and steam escapes,  they keep falling inside the pie.  I reduce that by slicing the apples thinly , so they soften more quickly.  I’m not a fan of precooking the apples and thickening with starch or flour to prevent the gap.  I also make sure I mound them super high and press them firmly down before sealing the top layer on. 

The spice accents sweetness of the pie, are also up to you.  If you follow my advice, your pie will not be too sweet or spicy but the apples will be the star.  My mouth is watering right now at the thought of my next apple pie.  

Let me know how yours turns out or if I can help trouble shoot.  

Be Fearless,

Christine

Right around this time of year I ask myself the question “ I wonder if the local strawberries are out yet?” Even though the supermarkets are full of pseudo strawberries year round, I hardly pay attention to them. When my eye catches even a peripheral glimpse of a little sign that says something like “ local …first of the season strawberries”, I’m all over them. The first thing I do is check for the scent. Call me insane, but fruit should smell of something other than the box it was delivered in.

So this week, I saw my first box of local Ontario strawberries in a small shop in the east end and I couldn’t help but pick it up. They were nestled in their little green box looking less than perfect but giving off that sweet aroma that I anticipated. I’ve often thought of planting my own strawberries in pots so that we can pick them right off the plant when they are perfectly ripe. I’ll probably have to fight off the squirrels, among other creatures in the back yard and think of planting them before May.

For now, I’ll think of new and delicious ways to use this year’s local harvest ( that someone else nurtured ). First, here’s a little local strawberry 101 that you may find useful.

Strawberries do carry some sand, so they need to be thoroughly washed. The trick is to wash them just before eating or slicing etc. This reduces the soggy factor and helps keep their shape longer.
Adding a little lemon or lime juice will actually bring out their flavour.
To make homemade preserves, follow a trusted recipe and don’t reduce the proportions of sugar and pectin or your jam will not set.
Store them in the paper or plastic boxes they came in . Do not transfer to plastic bags or they will get soggy .

One of my most recent discoveries is to slice the washed berries and drizzle with a little vin cotto ( grape must reduced into syrup). This is somewhat like balsamic vinegar but has much more of a defined grape flavour that is more balanced. I sprinkle with just a whisper of sugar and let them stand for fifteen minutes. These are delicious on their own, over ice cream or on a sponge cake with whipped cream or yogourt.

Perhaps next year I’ll start growing my own strawberries in containers in the backyard- if I can figure out how to keep my rosemary alive inside during the winter first.

A few days ago, as I did my last set of sit–ups at the gym; my mind became fully fixated on what I was going to eat afterwards. In my life revolving around food even when I’m supposed to be focused on my workout, I’m weighing the evils of fats vs. sugars. To make matters worse, there was a fleeting thought of how Heidi Klum did the Victoria Secret show several months after giving birth to her third child. Never mind doing the Victoria Secret catalogue, I just have to get through this last set of abdominal crunches. My workout complete, I had to really get some food to satisfy my hunger.

What will make the most sense after a workout? The fat versus sugar question has been debated over the years and yet we don’t fully understand it. Way back when I started my cooking career, I worked at a beautiful health spa where everything had to be low fat. It was common to suggest bagels, as long as there was no cream cheese on them. One of the favourite dessert options was meringue because it had zero fat. Somehow, the sugar didn’t seem to be a culprit.

After all the research and many debates I conclude that we need to go back to what our body requires. It is a simple equation of balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Dah, we’ve heard that a million times, you might be thinking. I know but why do we continue to search for low calorie, low fat processed food instead of eating an apple? An apple grows on a tree, it’s easy to store in a desk drawer and you eat it exactly the way it grew on a that tree, more or less.

Oh and don’t get me started on the diet sodas! What is the purpose of that garbage? Yes, it has no calories but there is some evidence that the body behaves as though it is having sugar because of the sweet taste. It just keeps you craving more sweet flavours.

To summarize: Eat about 20- 30 lean protein, about 20 -25 % natural fats and 50- 60 % carbohydrates – not in the form of white /processed sugars or flours. In short, the less processed the better. It’s better to a piece of multigrain toast with butter , than a breakfast bar, loaded with sugar and processed ingredients. If the thing can sit in your desk for 2 years and you can still eat it . Don’t! If mould doesn’t like it , you should not either.

And further more , the body needs fat for many of its functions but it does not need simple sugars. These are man made and our bodies are struggling to understand how to process the vats of sugars we eat every year.

Sugar is definitely worse than fat. Just for the record.

As I patiently keep watch over my tomato plant blossoms to transform into big fat juicy tomatoes, I notice that the bees are going crazy over the lavender blossoms in my herb garden this summer – if you can actually call what we are having in the north east this year a summer. I guess the herbs love the abundance of water, although in Provence and in Crete, where herbs grow wild, the summers are so hot and dry that you don’t generally see a single drop of rain all summer long. I don’t get it. Perhaps the North American varieties are adapted to wet, soggy roots.

Anyway, I planted this herb garden not only to be able to sit on my patio and admire its beautiful blossoms, but more importantly to have fresh herbs to cook with just outside my doorstep, for the entire summer. I love the fact that by planting several little green roots in the month of May, I can actually cook all summer long without having to purchase one single bunch of herbs from the grocery store. It makes every single thing I cook, taste that much better.

This past weekend we had friends over and I decided to make a few French style grilled lamb chops. I realized that I had every herb necessary to make my very own fresh herbes de Provence blend. I snipped bits of rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram and finally a little sprig of lavender. Oh man was it delicious!

Here is how I arranged my garden and what kind of herbs I decided to plant, for no particular reason other than what I like to cook with and what the bees might like. The herbs can be divided into two different categories for the garden: annuals and perennials.

I like grouping the annuals together because I know that will be the area that I have to replant entirely the following year. These are herbs like, parsley and basil . Basil loves full sun , so make sure it’s not in a shady corner.

The perennials, like thyme, marjoram, chives, oregano- the Greek variety of course- seem to be really hearty and mint I cannot kill if I tried. So I like putting mint in its own pot , so it doesn’t completely take over the garden.

The other perennials like lavender and rosemary are a bit more delicate and I’ve only managed to keep the lavender around. I tried to bring my rosemary inside for the winter but the only sunny spot is not really working out. I’ll try again this year.

Since the only herb that I prefer dried is oregano, last year I tried drying it and putting it into glass jars for cooking all winter. It’s a bit tedious to cut all the stems just before they flower, rinse them thoroughly and tie them into bundles to dry in the sun. That’s assuming we get some sun this year! Once they are fully dry, I pull the dried bunches off the stems and transfer them to glass jars in my pantry.

The best time to snip the beautiful herbs is just before they flower. That way the plant will recover and sprout new growth. The leaves also tend to have their best flavour before energy goes towards blossom growth.

Does a simple tube of toothpaste need a plastic lid the size of a frizbee? Is hazelnut / chocolate spread really a part of a healthy breakfast, anymore than a doughnut is? If someone stopped at the intersection in front of you throws an empty coffee cup nonchalantly out their car window, will you go to jail if you jump out and slap them? These are the questions that plague me more and more these days as I realize how insane we have become. And with Earth Day coming up this month, I feel more compelled to share the notion that all of the little things we do add up, positively or negatively.

Bringing it back to my sphere of food, we recently took our Fearless in the Kitchen cook-in-training on an excursion to Olliffe Butcher in Toronto to shake up her normal food routine. The purpose of this segment of the show is to get people excited about food and experience something fun first hand. I’m trying to steer people away from the processed, packaged foods and jump start their curiosity and show them there is a world of food out there and we should know where it comes from and how simple it is to use. Butcher Ben Gundy created a unique but simple burger recipe to illustrate how starting with great quality raw ingredients and having a little fun makes for an awesome dish. Anna( my newest trainee) told me she loved meat, so when she realized she would be making burgers from scratch, she was so excited. Ben handed Anna super lean hunks of Bison meat to hand grind. Then she added pork fat (because bison meat is very lean and would have been super dry without it as a hamburger) and Spanish spices. This took me back to my inspiration – cooking school in France- where our chefs taught us that hand grinding meat was the best way to ensure flavour and optimize texture. It is also there that I learned to buy meat from a small butcher who could really teach you about what you’re buying. I’ll never forget how the butcher’s window looked like an art gallery of meat, beautifully arranged and showcased for sale.

At Olliffe, the guys take meat seriously. Local farmers have their names splashed about the store like celebrity newsflashes. And that’s good to see because if you’re going to eat meat, making sure it comes from a good, sustainable, reliable source is key to feeding your body as well as thinking about the earth. Also eating a variety of meats, doesn’t put a strain on one particular source and introduces variety. If you want proof, let me just tell you that one bite of that Bison Chorizo Burger with smoked paprika, chile powder, garlic and herbs, was all it took to give Anna a real ‘ aha moment. She was floored.

This year, I challenge you to make a small but significant Earth Day change. Maybe that means buying from a local meat producer instead of the usual “mystery meat” cello-packed, or shopping in season at farmers’ markets this summer. What ever you do, just remember, one drop at a time, you fill an ocean and that’s the power behind Earth Day, no matter where you live.

You’ve heard me go on about our Easter lamb, or in this year’s case, goat-on-a-spit stories. So I wanted to give you a post spit wrap of our day as well as a few details on my favourite thing to make during Easter: Tsoureki Paschalino or Greek Easter Bread.

My Greek family takes our Easter feast very seriously and for another year it turns out that my uncle Kosta is still the king of the spit and no matter how we try to “ advise” him on these charring matters, he’s always right. Let me add though, that he is still quite old-school in his system of spit roasting, which is why not a single person can match his process and succulent end result. It’s not that he isn’t a relatively modern guy,( internet savvy, brand new coupe bmw driver …) but when it comes that spit, we can’t figure him out. The spit , and you’d have a tough time calling it that, is a half a barrel, rotting out massive holes in several spots. He’s been using this freakin thing for thirty some odd years. It must just be as comfortable as an old pair of socks.

Now my other uncle, Mike , who is also quite modern ( digital music junkie ) came up with his little solution to a problem we’ve been having yearly: how to slice off tender pieces of goat/lamb and not have it fall right into the ashes. This seems like a no brainer but it’s hard to put your hand over a hot glowing coal pit and slice meat off. He introduced, the plate shovel. No really, he took a shovel, put a plate on it and placed it under the spot that someone else is carving from. That way the person going in to cut can just take a quick slice and the meat drops right into the shovel plate. Gyro anyone? It was hilarious.

Easter is not about meat alone, and I’ve been working my golden, braided loaf since I was thirteen years old. Challah like, but shaped in the form of a wreath, this bread took years to perfect, but it was worth it. And it’s my special contribution to the family’s Easter table. What’s the big deal? For starters, it’s the unique flavour and smell that perfumes the kitchen when I bake this bread that I absolutely love.
You need two key exotic ingredients to make a proper Greek Easter bread.
First up is the Mahlepi or Mahlebi- the small cherry tree stones that are ground to a powder to give this bread a nutty, almost apricot-like flavour and scent. I’ve read that Mahlebi was once used in perfumes in the Middle East and Turkey- and I can smell why. This spice is in fact perfumey, floral and in my opinion, a beautiful baking ingredient. Secondly, there’s Mastic in this bread. Mastic comes from a tree that’s related to the pistachio tree and grows only on the Greek Isle of Chios (pron. Heeos). The crystalline resin forms drop-like shapes known as “tears” – I know, how poetic, and has an almost piney, cedar-like flavour. These two ingredients- used sparingly, give Greek bread that “je ne sais quoi” that makes it unique, fragrant and delicious.

Apart from being delicious, this bread symbolizes the rebirth or Resurrection. In the middle, you’ll find red-dyed Easter eggs (the blood of Christ) – and the circular shape of the bread reminds us of the never-ending cycle of life. All religious symbolism aside, some families choose to lacquer and “save” their breads to hang as decorative ornaments. Not a chance in our house. where my recipe has been worked and reworked until I got it just right! At our place, this bread is gone before it has a chance to see a freezer. And that’s just the way we like it!

As the Winter Olympic games come to a close I am still in awe at what the athletes have accomplished in these very memorable games. I could never have imagined that four years ago, when James Chatto – the head judge of the Gold Medal plates Olympic fundraiser, asked me to be on the judging panel to help raise funds for our Olympic athletes, we would end up raising $4 million dollars to help support our Canadian Athletes! Fundraisers can be tedious and difficult and require so much effort on the part of a huge number of people , although I learned that if each of us does something small, collectively it does add up. Watch this video message from founder Steve Leckie here: http://goldmedalplates.com/leckie/leckie.html

Being Greek , every time I hear the word Olympic I somehow feel I should get some invention ownership. I’m trying not to imagine myself at the ancient games with an olive wreath around my head, but this time I am more inspired than ever to push myself to maintain my fitness regime during my grueling 12-14 hour work days. Well maybe not that tough compared to what the athletes endure but television is a lot more time consuming that it looks. So it’s my mission on the heals of such amazing athletic performances, to have a few personal best moments.

Here are the things my trainer – says I need to work on : staying hydrated, and eating the right kinds of food on set and doing a minimum of three days of cardio per week.

I will drink a lot of water as soon as I wake up, between takes, with any meals or snacks-there’s always a water bottle nearby so I can stay hydrated. And when it comes to lunch, I need to eat foods that aren’t loaded with fat and sugars so that my energy stays with me throughout the day instead of spiking and crashing. I’ll graze if possible, so that by the time I get home and don’t feel like cooking because I’m bushed and have been cooking all day on camera, I won’t have to.

In between shoot days, I’ll find at least two days a week to devote to the gym and working out. If there’s a day off, I’ll be doing cardio exercises and working on my core. Keeping that area strong is one of my biggest fitness challenges. I stand for most of the day, especially when we’re shooting, so keeping the stabilizer/abdominal muscles (you know, the ones that wrap around your waist and run along your lower spine) strong is crucial to my overall health.

My personal goal regarding food when my schedule is packed and I need to stay on top of my game is to keep the inspiration. Once food starts becoming mere fuel (carbs versus proteins etc..), I don’t feel the excitement anymore of eating well. I need to be passionate about the food I’m eating- all the time. Even if the soup is low fat- it has to taste great and give me a warm, fuzzy feeling to really enjoy it. When I enjoy it , I have more strength to stay fit and keep the energy levels up. I feel on top of the podium when I am having fun, excited about the next thing I’m going to cook and helping someone else conquer their fears and find their passion in the kitchen.

past featured recipes

Thai shrimp/herb salad

If you’re rushing down the produce aisles like a maniac( aren’t we all ), looking for something seasonal, delicious and quick,  you’ll love these three quickie no-recipe recipes.  These are the kinds of recipes that are more of a list of ingredients with a short suggestion on how to prepare them, rather than a very scientific prescription of exactly what to do.

Yes, you do need to have a basic cooking skill level to master these simple spring quickies but nothing too serious.  If you can drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and some sort of flavour booster like, lemon juice or fresh herbs you’ll do what almost every human in the Mediterranean has done for centuries:  Let the ingredients do all the heavy lifting.  By that I mean , chose fresh, seasonal ingredients prepare them will lots of love and enthusiasm and don’t mess with them too much.

My Case for Roasting….

If you’re like most people, roasting a bird or a big hunk of meat is something you would only do on a weekend or holiday. If I gave you a few options for roasting any day of the week, would you consider this alternative to the stove-top dinner? I’m not sure why I’m playing advocate to this method of cooking things in a vessel at high heat with all those caramelized drippings pooling and the homey aromas wafting all through the house. I just love it , I guess that’s why.

The 20 minute roast

If you have a limited time available I suggest roasting a pork tenderloin which takes a whopping twenty minutes to cook, including the searing time in the skillet to brown the outside. Pork is very versatile and lean and I like to cook it, depending on my mood, either with Asian, French or Canadian ingredients. To go Asian, I use grated ginger, tamari and hot chilies. For a French preparation, I use fresh thyme, chopped garlic and Dijon mustard. For a Canadian classic pork combination, I use fresh chopped sage, maple syrup and granny smith apples with bacon.

The 30 minute roast

Who says that you have to roast meat? Maybe when you roast vegetables you can’t technically call it a roast, but you are still taking advantage of the roasting process and capturing all those intense flavours in the pan. Try an easy sweet potato and fennel roast in slathered in peppery extra virgin olive oil with fresh rosemary , ground allspice and smoked paprika .

The 40 minute roast

If you have a bit more time and you’ve never made Cornish hens, outside of special holidays, you will not believe how easy they are to cook and how moist and delicious they taste. I simply rub them with my favourite herbs, place a few cloves of whole garlic in the cavity along with some salt and pepper and make a quick dried apricot and cranberry compote . They are yummy.

The 60 minute roast

The beauty of the roast, in general, is that you put your favourite meat or vegetable in a big roasting pan and pop it in the oven and then the oven does all the work. It’s all passive. I have pulled off numerous roasted chickens on weeknights, so I’m suggesting you try it. Besides, the pan drippings and leftover bits make great leftover pasta the day after. So in a way, you already have a head start on a second dish.

Here are a few options for roasts , depending on how much time you are available to roast.

Moroccan spiced leg of lamb

My Favourite Roast Chicken

Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin

past featured recipes

Thai shrimp/herb salad

Ginger chicken lemon soup