Mothers, sisters, daughters, this is for you….

Behind every great woman there are about three or four other great women.  Since before the history books were written, women have come together to share wisdom, support and even resources.

The miracle of technology has extended my female network beyond my immediate family.  With Twitter, Facebook, IM and e-mail, my female network spans three continents and I now am blessed to call them all sisters and friends.  And while modern life and luxuries may have eliminated many of our needs for support, no amount of technological “advances” can take away from our need to connect, share and inspire one another.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2010, women from all around the globe are invited to attend W.I.S.H. Women’s International Summit for Health – a series of free on-line interviews with leading health and wellness experts who answer the most pressing questions faced by women today.

Whether it’s the kids, the cellulite, the hot flashes or steamy romances, W.I.S.H. brings women together to find solutions and recharge their batteries.

W.I.S.H. promises to be the world’s biggest empowerment party for women and I invite and encourage you to sign up and be a part of this extraordinary event.  I signed up a few months ago and have been waiting for the right time to share it with you.

Today, my WISH for you is that you take one item off your endless to-do list and out yourself first.  Register for the WISH Summit now!

I love watching smarmy love stories.  I look forward to when my honey man goes on his boys’ weekends because it means I can sit in my jammies all afternoon and watch one sappy love story after another on t.v.

Last night, they showed PS I Love You and I would have been more than happy to watch it snuggled up on the sofa upstairs with a bag of popcorn on my own but my honey man was home and he said “I’ll watch it with you.“  I was surprised because he rarely wants to watch a “chick flick” and even more surprised that he volunteered to watch it without my having to ask.  LOL

I made us a nice dinner of roast chicken and potatoes and salad and settled in to watch our movie.  Today, I turned the leftover roast chicken into a yummy club sandwich which I made solely for him (I don’t eat bread so I just nibbled on a few slices of leftover bacon).

PS I Love You Chicken Club Sandwich

3 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 pound Chicken breast, cooked and thinly sliced
3 to 4 slices tomato
4 slices cooked bacon
1 leaf lettuce
pepper, to taste

Spread the mayonnaise on one side of each of the slices of bread. Lay one piece of bread on a plate, mayonnaise side up. Lay the tomatoes on the bread. Season with fresh ground pepper, to taste. Top with the bacon slices and lettuce.

Top with second slice of bread, mayonnaise side up. Spread the sliced chicken on top. Top with final slice of bread, mayonnaise side down.

Insert four long toothpicks about 1-inch in from each of the sides of the sandwich. Carefully slice the sandwich on the diagonal into 4 triangles.

Kitchen Table Talk…

If you try one of my recipes, please let me know what you thought by sharing a comment in the area below.  Or if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.

I just realized that the Oscars are on tv this weekend.  I love watching the Oscars.  It’s a holdover from when I was a teenager and dreamed of one day standing on that stage and accepting my own Oscar (I still have that dream LOL).

Once I was out on my own in University, a few friends would get together at my place every year for an Oscar Party.  The first year we just decided to meet at my place because I was the only one with cable and had such a blast watching the show and eating great food that we decided to make an annual event out of it.  For the next six years, we met at my place and even dressed up in our Red Carpet best for the occasion.  One year we had a full sit down meal.  Most years, though, we just ate finger foods and appetizers.

I’ve since moved away from my University town and my hometown crowd just wasn’t into the Oscar Party idea.  Well they might be because everyone loves to eat but for me it won’t be the same without the glam of my Oscar Parties Past.

I may just whip up some old recipes just for me and find my best red carpet dress (I don’t have too many party dresses left. They’ve all been replaced with yoga clothes!) and have my own Oscar Party.

Here are a few recipes that were a hit with my old Oscar Buddies.  Enjoy!

Mini Red Carpet Cheesecakes

I call these Red Carpet Cheesecakes because of the raspberry topping and the black bottom (like the little black dress, I know I’m a little odd!).

Vegetable oil spray
24 Oreo Cookies, separated so that you only have the cookie
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves, warmed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups and spray the cups with vegetable oil spray. In a food processor, crush the oreo cookies. Add the butter and process until fine crumbs form. Spoon the Oreo cookie crumbs into the prepared baking cups and press with the bottom of a shot glass to compact. Bake for 5 minutes, or until almost set. Remove from oven and set aside. Leave oven on.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, then add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Pour or spoon the cheesecake batter into the baking cups, filling them three-quarters full.

Bake the cheesecakes for 15 minutes, or until slightly jiggly in the center.  Remove from the oven and spread 1 teaspoon of the warmed raspberry preserves on top of each cheesecake (warming the preserves makes it easier to spread without breaking your cheesecake). Transfer the muffin tin to the freezer and chill the cheesecakes until set, about 15 minutes.

Remove the cheesecakes from the pan and peel off the baking cups. Transfer the cheesecakes to a platter and watch them disappear before the Stars have finished coming down the red carpet.

Parmesan “Chips”

I’ve always been a potato chip junkie.  So much so that I can’t keep them in the house.  I rarely have them on hand, even at parties, a habit I developed in University.  I know my weakness and I try to stay away from chips.  These pita chips satisfy my cravings and no one will notice that chips aren’t on the table.

3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoons ground cumin or cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoons paprika
5 whole (5 to 6 inch) whole wheat or white pitas with pockets
1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix oil, cumin and paprika in a cup.

Carefully split each pita in half with a knife. Brush 1 side of pita halves with oil mixture. Cut each half into 8 wedges. Arrange wedges, oiled-side up, on an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan, and salt (optional – parmesan can be pretty salty on it’s own).

Bake pita wedges 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Cool in pans on wire racks. Serve with dip or salsa for dipping.

Sweet & Savory Popcorn

What’s an Oscar Party without popcorn?!?  That’s why I always had two types on hand: sweet and savory.  And I would make the popcorn the old-fashioned way: with a pot on a stove.  Growing up, we didn’t have a microwave and my mum would always make us popcorn in a big pot on the stove.  She would top it off with parmesan.  My savory twist is a variation of the popcorn I used to eat growing up.

Sweet Caramel Corn

2 tablespoons Canola oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar

Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to a large soup pot. Heat oil over medium heat. To test if oil is to temperature, add 1 kernel popping corn as soon as you add oil to pot. When kernel is popped, oil is heated. Add your popcorn (be careful not to splash yourself). Cover the pot and shake it to coat the popcorn with oil. Continue to cook, covered, and shake the pot every 20-30 seconds. Keep shaking the pop until the popping basically stops. Remove from heat.

Prepare the caramel. Combine the butter and the brown sugar in a sauce pot on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture boils. Turn off the stove and remove the sauce pot from the heat.

Pour the popped corn into the serving bowl. Drizzle the caramel mixture over the popcorn. Mix with the wooden spoon to distribute caramel (don’t use your hands – it’s really hot!). Let cool before eating.

Savory Garlic Parmesan Popcorn

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 whole garlic cloves, split
3/4 cup popping corn
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 whole garlic clove, minced
dash cayenne pepper

In a large heavy pot, heat corn oil and olive oil over high heat until the oil smokes. Again, add 1 kernel popping corn and heat until kernel pops. Add split garlic cloves and rest of popping corn, cover pot, and shake gently until corn starts to pop. Shake vigorously until popping subsides. Remove from heat and remove garlic. Prepare butter topping. Combine butter and minced garlic in a sauce-pot on medium-high heat. Stir until melted. Stir in Parmesan and cayenne pepper.

Pour the popped corn into a serving bowl. Drizzle the butter-parmesan mixture over the corn. Toss until coated.

Kitchen Table Talk…

If you try one of my recipes, please let me know what you thought by sharing a comment in the area below.  Or if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.

Yesterday was my Daddy’s birthday.  In honor of the day, I thought I would post a few recipes from the region where my dad was born: Veneto. Other than pasta, risotto is one of the most famous of Italian foods.
Risotto is a specific way of cooking rice. To make a true risotto, the rice must first be cooked in olive oil or butter.

The rice must be stirred so that it is evenly coated with the oil or butter, and cooked until it starts to become translucent. Another hallmark of a great risotto – the creaminess comes from the cooking process, not by adding heavy cream to the recipe (as I was just served in a restaurant last week). The famous texture of the risotto is achieved by adding the broth slowly (and I mean slowly, one spoonful at a time is traditional). The joke around my kitchen is that there’s a lot of love in risotto.

Authentic Wild Mushroom Risotto

Although a variety of wild mushrooms are often featured in traditional Venetian fare, I use what I can find easily at the grocery store: porcini, shitake and cremini, but any type of mushroom will do.  I don’t remember if my mum ever made risotto when I was growing up.  I’m sure she must have but I really don’t remember.

1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound wild mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 whole shallots, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a saucepan, warm broth over low heat.

Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  A large electric skillet also works well for this recipe.  Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

Add remaining tablespoon olive oil or butter to skillet, and stir in the shallots.  Saute until translucent. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is nearly absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente.  You may not use all of the stock called for in the recipe.  The amount of liquid requires varies based on your cooking temperature and the age of your rice (older rice tends to require more liquid).  The rice will take about 25 minutes to reach the desired texture but again, cooking temperature and age of rice will be a factor.  The only way to truly judge if the rice is ready is to taste it.  It should be firm but tender to the tooth (al dente).

Once the rice is al dente, remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid and parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pair with red wine (Amarone is my favorite Venetian wine) and serve.

This recipe yields 6 servings (1 cup servings)

Venetian Fusili with Peas, Bacon & Ricotta

The Veneto region is known for its heavier fare and beans are a common ingredient.  One of my favorite dishes growing up was pasta e fagioli, made with beans (fagioli) that we grew in our backyard garden.  Or maybe I just thought we grew them in our garden because my mum and I would sit on the back porch and shell a bushell of beans.  One of my least favorite dishes was pasta with peas and yet as the head of my own kitchen, ironically, it’s the one dish I make quite often.  My mum would use ham instead of bacon and I don’t think she would add ricotta but here is my version of a recipe from my childhood.

1 cup frozen peas
2 cups fusilli pasta (I use rice fusilli for a gluten-free variation)
6 strips of bacon
3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese, crumbled

Cook peas in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 minute or until bright green. Drain and set aside.

Cook pasta, following packet directions, until just tender. Drain. Return pasta to saucepan.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp.

Add bacon, peas, ricotta, and salt and pepper to pasta. Toss over low heat until well combined. Spoon into serving bowls. Serve.

Kitchen Table Talk…

If you try one of my recipes, please let me know what you thought by sharing a comment in the area below.  Of if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.

I don’t do this too often but every once in a while I stumble across something truly worthy of breaking from my routine and doing something completely different.  Now before you go and think I’ve gone off my rocker or some guest blogger has hijacked my site or that I’m being paid gobs of money to talk about this, rest assured my sanity (such as it is) is still intact, no one has hijacked my site (they really would have a hard time cracking into my iQuanSite) and I’m not being paid to talk about Tim Brownson’s and John Strelecky’s Million Book Giveway (though I do hope this post will assure me a place in heaven).

I’ve been following Tim Brownson on Twitter for a while.  Lost track of how or why I started to follow him but I did.  His tweets eventually led me to his site where I immediately signed up to receive his witty notifications in my inbox so I would never miss another brilliant post again.  I mean who wouldn’t want to hear if the dog would do something unfortunate again.

At some point, Tim started blathering on about his new book and then he did something truly unique: he announced and he and his co-author would give away one million copies of their book “How to be Rich and Happy”

And it wasn’t some airy fairy promise to give away books.  They have a plan and they’ve identified a core group of people who will benefit from their book.  People who, if they take the message of the book to heart, will transform their lives and truly learn the joy of living life on their own terms.  It’s because of who they want to help (high school / University kids, single parents, the unemployed and the homeless) that I’m breaking from the ordinary and telling you about Tim & John and their One Million Book Giveaway.

Head on over to Tim’s blog now to read more about the one million How to be Rich and Happy Give Away

One of my least favorite Winter treats growing up was when my mum used to make roasted apples.  I don’t know how she prepared them but it seemed to me that she would just take apples and stick them in the oven and roast until there was nothing left but a pile of mush!  It wasn’t until I was in charge of my own kitchen that I learned to appreciate roasted apples, only I pan roast them rather than oven roast.  And the trick is to start with firm apples and pears!  I still prefer my fruits raw but will occasionally mix up this treat for friends and family members who cannot eat raw foods.

Pan-Roasted Spiced Apples & Pears

2 whole apples (Granny Smith or Honey Crisp are my favorites)
4 whole pears
1/3 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
2 tablespoons salted butter
1/3 cup apple juice
whip cream to serve (optional)

Peel and core the apples and pears.  Cut the apples into quarters and the pears into halves.

Sprinkle sugar over bottom of heavy non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir slightly to allow sugar to rest in an even layer on bottom of pan.  Add a little bit of water and stir until sugar melts and begins o caramelize at the edges.  Add the spices and butter.  Stir gently with a wooden spoon to mix the caramel and butter together.  Be careful: the mixture may spit and bubble!

Once the butter and caramel are incorporated, turn the heat to high and add the apples and pears to the skillet cut side down.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes, turning them every minute, until evenly caramelized.

Pour in the apple juice and cook until reduced and thickened.  The liquid should thicken into a syrupy sauce.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Serve fruit in warm plates with the remaining caramel sauce and a dollop of whip cream or ice cream, if desired.

Kitchen Table Talk…

If you try one of my recipes, please let me know what you thought by sharing a comment in the area below.  Of if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.

Well we made it!  Today is the last day of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.  The past two weeks have been filled with so many inspiring moments and I feel lucky to work from home and be able to catch as much of the Olympic coverage as I possible could.

The 2010 Vancouver Games have been a hot topic of conversation for Canadians across the country, and we have shouted with pride every time we brought home a medal, of any color.

Today the games cap off with the Mens’ Gold Medal hockey game: Canada vs. the US.  The Canadian Womens’ team brought home the gold earlier this week and the men are set to repeat the event this afternoon.

In honor of this historic event on Canadian soil, I decided to host an Olympic Fondue Party featuring Canadian and American cheeses in their own Olympic face-off.  A few friends and family will be here this afternoon to watch the game on the big screen and share in the festivities in the medal ceremony, no matter the color.

Canadian Pride Cheese Fondue

2 cups Brights dry white wine
1 clove garlic, minced
5 1/2 cups Canadian Oka cheese, shredded
3 cups Canadian Balderson extra-old cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Pinch each grated nutmeg and cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Crown Royal whiskey
2 whole baguettes, cut in 1-inch cubes
3 each apple and pear, cored and cubed

Pour all but 2 tablespoons wine into fondue pot; add garlic and bring to simmer over medium heat on stove top.

Add Oka and Canadian Cheddar cheeses; stir with wooden spoon until melted.  Dissolve cornstarch in remaining wine; stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne.  Add to fondue pot and bring to a simmer, stirring; simmer for 1 minute.  Stir in whisky.

Place over medium-low heat of fondue burner on table, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain low simmer.  Serve with bread, apple and pear pieces to skewer and stir into cheese mixture.

Recipe serves six.  Adjust quantities as desired.

American Cheese Fondue

1 1/2 cups diced processed American Velveeta cheese
1 1/4 cups milk
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby
6 to 8 whole Vienna Beef Chicago style hot dogs, cut into bite-sized pieces

Mix American cheese food, milk, Worcestershire sauce, cornstarch and mustard in fondue pot.  Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until blended and smooth.  Stir in Colby cheese.  Serve with Chicago style hot dogs for dipping.

Serves 6.  Adjust as necessary.

Charlie’s Chocolate Factory Fondue

2 cups Canadian milk chocolate or dark chocolate squares, broken up
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons cherry brandy
1 tablespoon brewed espresso
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Break chocolate into small pieces and drop into fondue pot.  The best Canadian brand of chocolate is Bernard Callebaut but is a bit pricey.  You can also use Purdy’s chocolate or even Charlie’s Chocolate Factory (based in Burnaby BC).

Add cream to fondue pot to keep chocolate from going lumpy.  Add brandy, coffee and cinnamon to fondue pot and melt over a low flame.  Heat until melted, stirring occasionally.  Serve with a selection of bite-sized strawberries, thick banana slices, pineapple chunks, cherries, peeled kiwi slices, pear or apple cubes or even cubes of cake like pound cake or angel food cake.

Serves 6.  Adjust as necessary.

Going For Gold!

In honor of the Gold Medal Canadian Men’s Hockey game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, varieties of Canadian cheeses were pitted against American cheese varieties and we’ll be awarding the hold to one of the fondue recipes.

Once you’ve tried each recipe, be sure to come back and vote for your favorite by sharing your thoughts in the comment area below.

I cleaned out my freezer today and found a forgotten container full of frozen blackberries.  I had gone to visit a friend in the summer who grew blackberries and raspberries in their backyard and had completely forgotten that I had set aside a few pints to get me through the winter.  What a treat!  I left a pint out on the counter for about an hour to defrost a little and whipped up a delicious batch of blackberry smoothie.

Blackberry Surprise Smoothie

3 whole bananas
1 pint blackberries
2 cups baby spinach
3 to 4 peppermint leaves
1/2 to 1 cup water

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender and enjoy!

My honeyman loves beef vindaloo.  In fact, whenever we have a special occasion (read: his birthday) it’s the meal I always prepare for him.  Last week, he was feeling a little blue so I prepared his favorite meal for him.  It’s sure to pick him up, whenever he’s down.  He’ll have a smile on his tummy, even if he doesn’t have a smile on his face.

The recipe does take some prep but it’s well worth it.  I use whole seeds for many of the spices and toast them in the oven and then crush using my grandmother’s pestle and mortar but if you’re unable to find the raw seeds, you can use pre-ground spices.  I’ve made the same recipe using pre-ground spices and it works just as well – just has a little less heat but still very tasty.

Authentic Beef Vindaloo

2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon fenugreek seed (can be omitted if you’re not able to find)
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
1 teaspoon coriander, ground
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
5-10 dried red chillies (to taste)
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 whole onions, diced
1/2 cup water
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 1-inch cube fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
1 kilo beef meat, cubed
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 cups beef stock

To make the spice mixture: Spread cumin, mustard, fenugreek and cardamom seeds on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 °F until dark.  Using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind toasted seeds, peppercorns, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne pepper together.  Transfer ground spices to a small bowl.  Stir in salt, brown sugar and vinegar. Set aside.

To make the onion paste: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add onions.  Cook onions, stirring constantly until a rich molasses brown.  Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions from the saucepan draining the oil back into the pan.  Transfer the onions to a blender.  Puree the onions while slowly adding water (about 3 teaspoons) to make a smooth paste.

To make the vindaloo paste: Mix the onion paste into the spice mixture and set aside.

To make the garlic paste: In a clean blender, blend garlic and ginger.  Add water slowly (about 3 teaspoons) while blending to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

Marinate beef chuck in the vindaloo paste for 3 to 4 hours.  Reheat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic-ginger paste.  Stir constantly until the paste turns a light brown.  Add beef chuck browning lightly on all sides.  Turn heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon ground coriander and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and stir to mix.  Add water (or stock).  Stir and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender (about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours).  ??Serve hot over basmati rice.

VARIATION: If you’re pressed for time, you can skip the paste step.  Just combine all your spices, the vinegar and water in a large bowl and marinate your beef chuck for 3 to 4 hours.  When you’re ready to cook, heat the oil and saute your diced onion and minced garlic until the onion is translucent, add your beef chuck and brown and then add your water or stock and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

One of my very good friends, Stephan Moccio, has penned the Olympic Theme Song “I Believe”  He’s written over 200 different variations of the theme to capture the mood and the spirit of the different games.  Another of my friends, Marguerite Laquinte Francis, is involved with the Concord Place Exhibition space for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. To top it off, my cousin is involved with ticket sales for the Games.

I have always loved Vancouver.  It is a place of special memories for me.  The last time I was in Vancouver, we stayed at the beautiful Fairmont Vancouver and I spent an afternoon nursing my bruises at the spa in Fairmont Whistler after a run in with an overzealous ski boarder.

The food at the Fairmont is delicious! We ordered room service for breakfast and the Eggs Benedict were the best I’ve ever had.  In honor of my friends who are involved with the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, here is an eggs benedict recipe for you to enjoy.

Vancouver 2010 Eggs Benedict

2 whole eggs
2 slices bacon
1 whole English Muffin, halved

For the Hollandaise sauce

2/3 cup clarified butter
2 egg yolks
5-6 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
squeeze of lemon juice
pinch cayenne pepper

To make the hollandaise sauce, melt the butter in a pan over a gentle heat, then carefully skim off and discard the milk solids and pour the golden oil into a cup.  Set the clarified butter aside to cool until lukewarm.  Place two tablespoons of vinegar and the peppercorns into a small saucepan. Boil to reduce the vinegar by half.

Put egg yolks and one tablespoon of cold water into a heatproof bowl and fit snugly over a pan of gently simmering water. Whisk vigorously until very light and frothy.

Remove the bowl from the heat and continue whisking for a couple more minutes. Slowly trickle in the clarified butter as you continue to whisk. Don’t add the butter too quickly or it will curdle. When all the butter is incorporated, season with salt and add the reduced vinegar, lemon juice and cayenne. Set aside and keep warm. You can set the bowl back over the pan of hot water (but off the heat) to keep warm. Be sure to stir occasionally to stop a skin forming.

Grill the bacon slices and toast the English Muffin.

To poach your eggs, fill a saucepan with 3 inches of cold water. Gently break each egg into a ramekin or small cup. Once water reaches boiling point, remove from heat and allow the water to simmer. Add two tablespoons of vinegar to the water. Slide the eggs into the water with care, holding the cup or plate as near to the water as possible before allowing the egg to slowly slip into the water. Once the eggs are in the water, do not move them around. Let the eggs cook for 2½ – 3½ minutes. Once done, removed with a slotted spoon. It takes a while to master poaching a perfect egg. You can trim any stringy bits before serving, no one will be the wiser! Poached eggs cool quickly and should be served while still warm.

To serve, place the bacon on top of the muffin halves, followed by the poached egg. Season with salt and pepper and then pour over the sauce. This recipe serves two.

Variations: Grill sliced tomato in place of the bacon, for a vegetarian option. Substitute toasted rice bread for the English muffin, for a gluten-free option.