Apricot and Olive Focaccia with Honey & Pistachios

Apricot and Olive Focaccia with Honey and Pistachios
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Summer may be winding down but I’m going to keep the picnic and patio food coming. As a Canadian, I am hearty when it comes to cold weather. I will gladly sit on a patio deep into November. And if apricots were in-season that far into the fall, I would happily eat this Apricot and Olive Focaccia while I did it. This bread is studded with fresh apricot wedges and Kalamata olives before being baked to golden perfection. It is then glazed with honey while it’s still hot and sprinkled with crushed salted pistachios. Focaccia may be traditionally billed as a starter but this focaccia eats like a meal. In fact, I ate half of this for dinner and it was a solid choice all around.

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Puttanesca Potato Salad

Puttanesca Potato Salad with Olives and Capers
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Today I bring you a briny, creamy hybrid of a dish, that I’m almost shocked worked out so well. Say hello to the Puttanesca Potato Salad. What you’re looking at here is tender baby potatoes dressed with a sauce of blistered cherry tomatoes accented with anchovy and dry vermouth and studded with black olives and capers. The salad is finished with a dollop of mayo and fresh parsley and dill. The result is a pitch-perfect mash-up of a rudely named pasta dish and a much beloved and indulgent BBQ side. This is such a good one, so let’s dive right in.

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Matcha Pistachio Icebox Cake

Matcha Pistachio Icebox Cake
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We are emerging from another heatwave here in Toronto. The humidity and 30°+ temperatures were kind enough to stick around long enough for me to shoot this Matcha Pistachio Icebox Cake. If you’re finding your life is a little too chill I highly recommend doing a photo shoot of an ice-cream-anything during a heatwave. It really elevates the heart rate. But if you’re making this icebox beauty for you and some pals, you’ll be fine even in 30°C weather because this cake is surprisingly simple to make. All you need is a couple of pints of ice cream, a batch of homemade cookies, and a little patience. There are quite a few chilling interludes in this recipe. So let’s dive right in!

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Peach Cobbler – Overthinking Classics

Peach Cobbler - Overthinking Classics
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When I started the Overthinking Classics series a little over a year ago, it was with dishes like today’s Peach Cobbler in mind. Like any professional(ish) food person, I like to experiment with my chosen medium. But the experimental dishes aren’t the foods that got me into cooking and baking in the first place. Pies and cobblers were some of the first recipes my grandmother taught me. These are the dishes that got me addicted to the act of making food and feeding people. And while it’s fun to fiddle with nostalgic treats and turn them into something unexpected. Sometimes you just want the classic, straight-up and unadorned. And that’s what today’s Peach Cobbler recipe is. Easy, approachable, and incredibly delicious.

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