Cassoulet is a classic comfort food from the south of France. I never had it or even heard about it until just a few years ago. I guess having a french husband helped a little. If you’ve never heard about it, I could describe it as slow cooked beans and meat. In fact, the recipe and origin of cassoulet is very disputed. The recipe changes from cities to cities, the biggest difference being the type of meat used.

Having cassoulet when you don’t live in France is not easy, let alone good one. We tried to come up with a recipe that would be simple to make at home with easy to find ingredients. The result is close enough to the real cassoulet and most importantly it is tasty!

I use pork sausage but any kind would do. You could use meat like duck confit but I would rather use it in other ways. Really, the star of the dish are the beans. A nice thing to do is to drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on the side of the plate to eat with the cassoulet. If you’re looking for a great fall or winter comfort food recipe, then give this a try, I promise it’s super easy!

Nico’s wine pairing: A red wine with enough tannic structure to cut through the richness of cassoulet. A wine from the Languedoc region would be perfect. Think Minervois, Saint-Chinian, Côtes du Roussillon.

What I remember the most from our trip to Seoul few years ago is the food. We both liked Korean cuisine before going but even more after. We spent most of our time eating. Well, it’s hard to resist when streets are filled with vendors offering spicy rice cakes, grilled seafood and other delicacies. One night we were invited at my best friend’s for dinner. Her parents who are the kindest people prepared us a real feast. Among many delicious dishes, we each had a bowl of ginseng chicken with a whole chicken. Yes, a whole chicken per person. For some reason, we still had room for ice cream later that night.

Once in a while, we cook our own Korean food. That usually includes kimchi and red pepper paste. A great way to use the leftovers, as it’s often the case with asian food is to make fried rice. To make this kimchi fried rice, I prefer to use short grain rice which is traditionally used in Korean cuisine. I did not use meat but instead topped the rice with a fried egg. I like the way the rich and soft yolk contrasts with the heat and spices. Feel free to add meat or even seafood though. I used leftover rice but if you cook rice, let it cool down beforehand. Kimchi gets more sour after some time in the fridge so you might need to add a little sugar to balance out the sourness.

Every couple has their classic recipes. This quinoa salad is one of ours. Nico actually came up with the recipe. It has rich flavors yet it is light and refreshing. I find it perfect for a quick lunch but you can also serve it as a side (it’s great with barbecue ribs!). I can hear you thinking “great, another quinoa salad”, but I really think you’ll enjoy it if you give it a try.

It’s made with simple ingredients: tomato, garlic, parsley. Nothing too fancy here, except maybe for the pine nuts. The tomatoes and garlic are first roasted which brings a nice sweetness to the salad. I know some people are afraid of garlic but raw and roasted garlic are miles away. Then you have the toasted pine nuts for added texture and richness. And finally parsley, which is almost the main ingredient. Yes, you’ll need a big bunch, and preferably the flat kind.

Nico’s wine pairing: You could probably go with any color as long as it’s not too powerful. I would go with a light juicy and spicy red like Morgon (Gamay).

I am an apple chip addict! They are so irresistible. Once I start eating them, I just can’t stop. I made few batches last weekend, trying different flavors and I found one I love: Spicy Fleur de Sel Apple Chips! Okay, this might sound like a crazy idea but fear not!

It is not uncommon to find salt in just about everything in Asia, especially in foods that are supposed to be sweet like candies or soda (I’ll give you my recipe for salty lime coke one day!). It helps a lot balancing out the sweetness. For example, Chinese preserved dried plum which is a popular candy among Asians. These chips remind me of that. How can I describe these plums? First, there are many kinds. Dried, candied, sweet, sour and the list goes on. But our favorites, and the ones I’m referring to, are the classic dried ones that are sweet, sour and salty at the same time. These chips have a similar taste, although less extreme.

For this recipe, you will need good quality apples. I prefer to use Macintosh. They are not the type of apple I like to eat on its own but they are perfect for baking. I preserve the natural sourness of the apple by not adding too much maple syrup. Some recipes require you to brush the apples twice with the syrup throughout the baking. I only brush the apples once before baking. The slices are then topped with a pinch of fleur de sel which is less aggressive and more flavorful than regular salt. Adding cayenne pepper makes the chips pop. It’s optional but you should give it a try, although beware, you might become an addict like me!

I wish we could live by the ocean. That way I could get fresh seafood everyday from the local fishermen. What is better than buying seafood that is fresh off the boat? When we were in Shanghai, we use to get seafood from the local market. As long as you get there early in the morning, you are guaranteed to find the freshest seafood of the day. Agh. . . we really miss it. It has been rather difficult for us to find good seafood around the city. You can always find local markets or fishmongers offering good quality produce in China or France. I’m sure Toronto has a few good spots, I mean the best restaurants must get their seafood from somewhere. . .but it’s just not as convenient.

This dish just takes 20 minutes and I guarantee you’ll be licking your fingers while having it. The combination of the garlic and the browned, almost caramelized butter is just magic. The best way to have it is to leave the prawns whole (with the shell on) so I recommend getting fresh or even better, live ones. Unfortunately, this is hard to come by in Toronto so I had to get frozen prawns. I removed the shell because I was making a salad but the recipe stays the same.

It doesn’t take long to cook (no more than 5-6 minutes, depending on the size of your prawns) but timing and heat is important. The goal is to get a good caramelization without burning and overcooking the prawns. It’s not hard but pay attention to the pan. Oh, and if you cook the prawns whole, do yourself a favor, use your fingers to eat them, you won’t regret it.