Tidings Magazine

The secret to this dish lies in choosing a Cajun seasoning that is not too salty, with just the right balance of sweet spice and heat. I use Paul Prudhomme’s “Seafood Magic,” a great Cajun blend from the famous New Orleans chef, but you can experiment with other brands or make your own. If you have frozen shrimp on hand, you can whip up this recipe for unexpected guests in no time. Enjoy an apéritif while the shrimp roast in the oven.

Executive Chef Jason Lloyd of the revitalized Terminal City Club in Vancouver served this dish at a recent winemakers’ dinner. It was delicious. Caramelized onions, with fresh thyme, butter and a touch of Noble Sour — a sippable vinegar of very low acidity — were layered on a puff-pastry shell with grilled pear slices. This was served with a small salad of baby greens tossed in a wild-mushroom vinaigrette, garnished with a quenelle of Devon cream and a drizzle of fresh chive oil, and paired well with Crowsnest Vineyard’s Chardonnay Stahltank 2004 Family Reserve.

Somewhere in the back of your cupboard you have a can of crabmeat. Tonight’s the night. Lemon wedges and hot pepper sauce are the ideal condiments, with steamed green beans and potato salad to round out the meal. Or whatever you have. 

Skip takeout and start making easy-breezy sandwiches at home. This steak wrap couldn’t be simpler and comes with way less attitude than the teenager rolling up your sub sandwich at the strip mall.

My friend John Ash, a great writer who founded his own restaurant twenty-four years ago in California’s Sonoma County, says that one of the simplest and best ways to cook asparagus is to give it a light coating of olive oil and grill it. Grilling, says John, brings out the sweetness and more of the “vegetal” notes. It may also diminish that other unmentionable asparagus attribute! Add some good olives, thinly sliced prosciutto and maybe a sprinkling of fried capers for a delicious antipasti course. Wine? I’m sure that John would suggest a Russian River Sauvignon Blanc.

Go back to the future with a retro White Castle sensibility — petite hamburgers for the chi-chi crowd, designed to down in a bite or two, pinkies raised. These little wonders can be embellished with blue cheese, roasted tomato, grilled onions, minced and sautéed Portobello mushrooms, hot peppers and the fantabulous “Secret Sauce.” Vary this recipe according to your taste with ground veal, pork or sausage and your own mix of spices and seasonings.

This has been a mainstay at any number of restaurants for years, a dive-in dip that can be made ahead of time and heated for the appetizer moment. Invite one of your guests to pour the Champagne, while you uncork a big red for later. (And remember, the trick with Champagne: after you’re unwired the cork, covered it with a napkin and pointed the bottle in an innocent direction, hold the cork and twist the bottle.)