The Sweetest Heaven

I may now be known for sweet puddings, but in the end, I truly am a chocolate guy. And yes, guys can have a weakness for chocolate too. But like a true chocolate connoisseur, it's never something that I eat a lot of. But when I do, I want it to be the most indulgent experience that I can possibly get onto a plate.
Chocolate is fun to learn about. I've read a few books on the history and process involved in chocolate over time, in numerous cultures, and its relation to the history of food. And like coffee and wine, it becomes even more amazing when you start exploring the richness of real chocolate... trust me, you'll never go back to processed junk again.
One of the great things about a real rich dark chocolate is that you just need a few milligrams of it and your sweet craving is satisfied. Much better than indulging in the bucket of ice cream or the bag of cookies.
But when I'm really craving decadence, this is my favourite go-to, and chances are, you might have all the ingredients on-hand.

BRAD'S BREATHTAKING CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE
(for 4) 8 ounces of 72% dark fair trade organic chocolate; 1 cup unsalted butter; 1/2 cup premium cocoa powder; 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 2 whole eggs; 2 egg yolks; 1 tsp baking powder; pinch salt; whipping cream (optional); vanilla (optional) sugar (optional)
Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer and create a double-broiler by laying a large metal or tempered glass bowl over the pot. Put chopped chocolate and butter into the bowl and stir constantly to melt, until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375F.
With an electric hand or stand mixer, beat eggs and egg yolks on medium-high speed with brown sugar until thickened and pale (about 12-15 minutes). Pour in just a little of the chocolate mixture, whisking briskly but gently, gradually until combined. Then add the rest and combine fully. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and fold the batter together with a wooden spatula until just combined.
Butter 4 ramekins and dust with cocoa. Pour batter evenly among them. Bake for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, if you like to cut the intensity a little with some whipped cream, pour 1 cup heavy cream into a bowl, and beat on high speed, gradually adding about 1/4 cup of sugar and a splash of vanilla until soft peaks form.
While milk is often the standard beverage with many desserts, for this, I highly recommend a really good quality rich dark red wine. Specifically a Chilean Merlot would be a match made in heaven.

Oh, the things you can do with bacon fat

I always refer to animal fat as liquid gold. And I avoid throwing it away. The sad part is there is a misconception that animal fat is worse than other fats health-wise. In fact, the opposite is true. Gram for gram, all fats are the same in calories. There are some differences in trans and saturated fats. But the food science consensus is starting to move away from processed fats and oils (especially hydrogenated vegetable oils) and more toward butter and other animal fat, because essentially, they're more naturally recognised and metabolised by the body and are loaded with vitamins and amino acids.
So for those reasons, the fat I pour off the pan when cooking wild boar bacon goes directly into a mason jar for the fridge; not the compost.

BRAD'S FRIED SKILLET CHICKEN AND POTATOES
(for 2) 6 free-range chicken legs; 4 tbsp bacon fat; 1 chorizo sausage diced; 3-4 medium white potatoes cubed; 4 cloves of garlic, peeled; 1/4 cup sour cream; 1/4 cup milk; micro greens or clovers; fresh parsley; Kosher salt; fresh pepper
In a steam pot, cook potatoes and garlic until soft
Brown the chicken on medium-high heat in 2 tbsp of bacon fat, then add sausage, transfer to a pre-heated oven at 425F for about 10-12 minutes or until juices run clear.
Remove the chicken and plate under foil to rest 5 minutes, keeping the empty pan hot.
Toss another 2 tbsp of bacon fat to the pan and toss the potatoes and garlic and quickly mash with a potato masher. Add sour cream and milk and season, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon. Plate up and top with micro-greens and parsley.

What's Better Than Fresh Summer Tomatoes?

Why, fresh summer tomatoes preserved and opened months later of course!
This was my first summer attempting to preserve vegetables. I quickly realised I was limited owning a ceramic top stove, so can only preserve acidic produce... and thankfully that includes tomatoes, or I wouldn't have tasted the best pasta sauce of my life! If you have access to locally grown vegetables, I highly recommend preserving, as not only does it reduce your costs and ecological strain, but they taste amazing!

BRAD'S SAUSAGE-TOMATO PASTA
(for 4) 400g premium quality spicy sausage sliced (I recommend Balkan or Chorizo); two jars of preserved tomatoes; two medium white onions diced; 5-7 cloves of fresh autumn local garlic sliced; 2/3 cup red wine (your favourite); fresh roughly chopped parsley; fresh torn basil; Kosher salt; fresh pepper; extra-virgin olive oil; package of dried spaghetti or spaghettini; Parmesan

In a heavy skillet, heat oil to a light smoke on medium, sauté onions until translucent. Add sausage (adding a little more oil if necessary) and cook browning on all sides.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta (reduce to medium, stir occasionally).
Add garlic to the sausage mix, keep browning. Deglaze with red wine, raise heat to high, bring to a light boil, then reduce to a simmer until reduced (about 3 minutes), then add tomatoes. Stir well on medium- high heat, then add herbs.
Drain pasta and add it to the tomato mix. Plate up and garnish with Parmesan.

Interview about Recipe to Riches

Tracey Padmore from 102.3FM in Montreal on Tracey's cuisine with guest Brad Gash, Sweet Pies and Puddings contestant from Recipe to Riches. Enjoy! http://www.divshare.com/download/16076775-f4e

Maple Pudding Chômeur - Brad's Original Recipe

(pic to come)

Brad’s Detailed Recipe for the Best Maple Pudding Chômeur

2 1/2 cups heavy (35%) cream
2 1/2 cups maple syrup (preferably medium to amber)
3 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter AT ROOM TEMPERATURE (leave out for at least 2 hours)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs AT ROOM TEMPERATURE (leave out for at least 2 hours)
1 ½ cups milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt


STEP 1: BATTER

In one bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
In another bowl, combine butter and sugar, mixing together with an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment until smooth.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time (be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula frequently).
Add flour mixture and milk, alternating between the two, beating on very low speed just for a few seconds at each addition (ideally, add about ¼ of the mixture at each addition). In the last addition, add the vanilla. [This process will yield a smoother and moister batter.]
Scrape the sides of the bowl and set the batter aside.

PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 375F

STEP 2: SAUCE

In a sauce pan, place the maple syrup over high heat and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer rapidly for about 10 minutes [This step is crucial in getting the perfect thick sauce. If you like it even thicker, add a tbsp of corn syrup.]
Remove from the heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking briskly. Return to the heat and bring just to a boil, and pour into a large ceramic or iron casserole or baking dish.
Using a large serving spoon, or an ice cream scoop with a soup spoon, scoop large mounds of the batter into the sauce. [Don’t worry if it looks messy or if the mounds stick together, that’s how it’s supposed to look.]
Bake for 45-50 minutes uncovered. Let stand 2-3 minutes covered.

STEP 3: TO SERVE

Scoop up a piece of the cake and smother it in an extra large spoonful of sauce. Best served hot next to a scoop of real vanilla ice cream.

The best uses for Beets!

With beet season in full-swing, I'm getting so many from Bryson Farms that the creativity with this under-rated vegetable is booming in my kitchen as of late. Growing up I only ever tasted pickled beets, which I still love, but they have limited usefulness and most often wind up as a side to a savoury dish to add a bit of acidity. But I've been reading all kinds of crazy dishes (even desserts!) that you can use beets in (just google it).

One of my all-time favourites is the maple-beet glazed pork tenderloin (a recipe from Ricardo Larivée). This is truly the best-tasting pork dish you will ever taste in your life!! Even if you're a not a fan of pork, you will make this regularly if you try it once, so I invite you to check out his website: www.ricardocuisine.com.

A bit of important info about pork: Any of my European readers will know that North American factory pork does not taste like pork... it doesn't taste like anything really. But if you can track down the right supplier who raises free-range hogs, you've hit the jackpot. The second problem with pork, and probably people's number 1 reason for not liking it, is that so many people tend to overcook it. Contrary to popular belief, pork (especially tenderloin) is supposed to be enjoyed medium-rare to medium. Beyond this it turns to leather - and anyone who grew up with "pork chop night" in the 90s knows what I'm talking about. But a word of caution, I wouldn't trust standard factory pork producers enough to cook their product to medium rare, so if springing the extra cash for free-range pork is not in the budget (it costs about 4 X that of factory), then it doesn't get on the menu.

But I digress, I'm here to talk about beets. One thing to be ready for is the mess if you're working with a standard red beet. I highly recommend having vinyl gloves on-hand (ah, a pun!). But if you're lucky enough to find heirloom beets you needn't worry, they don't stain your hands.

Of course you can grate raw beets for slaws and salads or put it in Borscht, but I recommend a beet salad like that pictured above, which is made by trimming and washing heirloom (or any) beets and boiling them for about 45 minutes. Let them cool and then the peel will slide off. Slice them and you have salad-ready beets. I like to serve them with autumn greens and a maple-balsamic vinaigrette. This is made by mixing 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar with Kosher salt and pepper, and 1/4 cup amber (late season) maple syrup. Then slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil. This will keep for about a week in the fridge.

The Best of Beef

Normally I post pics of finished meals, but I just had to show my readers the amazing quality meat I'm working with. This is supplied by Elevage Cataraqui farm, just 15 minutes north of my house, which supplies seasonal orders of free-range lamb, beef and goat. Raised with such care, you can truly taste this in the meat, and you know as soon as you open it up and smell the raw meat that it's unlike anything you'll ever find in a grocery store. Hormone-free, and organic-fed, these animals are bred for a normal period and you can truly see, taste and smell the difference.

The stewing beef is one of my favourite cuts. And wherever you get your beef, a little side note: when paying for more expensive cuts of beef, you're not paying for greater quality - you're paying for ease of cooking (and thus higher popularity). In truth, the cuts of meat that cost the least very often have the most flavour, as long as they're given proper love and care. With stewing beef, which is often the product of the shoulder, a little care the night before, and slow cooking are truly the secret ingredients to the best beef stew ever.

BRAD'S RED WINE BEEF STEW

(For 4)

500g stewing beef; 3-4 carrots (preferably heirloom if you can find them) sliced 1/2 inch; 2-3 medium white or red potatoes cubed 1 inch; handful of thyme sprigs; 3 tbsp butter; one medium white onion peeled, trimmed and cut into 6-8 wedges; 1/2 cup rich red wine (ideally a Cabernet Sauvignon or Carmenere - I recommend Bontera Cabernet Sauvignon from California or Arbolleda Carmenere from Chile, but whatever you like); water; Kosher salt; fresh pepper; 2 bay leaves; 2 tbsp flour

DAY BEFORE: Pat dry the meat and season generously with Kosher salt. Be sure to massage meat gently with the salt. Lay out on a dish evenly and spread thyme sprigs over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Don't discard thyme sprigs,.)

With a heavy roasting skillet or slow cooker pot set over stove-top at medium-high, melt 1/2 the butter to a light smoke and add 1/2 the meat. Stir frequently, really browning the meat on all sides. Remove from the pan, add the rest of the butter and repeat with the rest of the meat. Toss the onions in flour and add to the pan, stirring constantly (add more butter or oil if it looks too dry) until nicely browned. Then deglaze with the wine. Simmer for a minute and remove from the heat. Add the rest of the ingredients including the meat and thyme sprigs and pour water into the pan until it almost covers everything, and place in the slow cooker on low or if you're using a roasting skillet, cover and place in the oven pre-heated at 275. Cook for 6 hours, stirring every other hour. Season to taste. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.

Autumn Comfort 5

While most of us in Canada are certainly getting off easy this autumn with the mild weather, one could say those frosty days are overdue, and I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get those comfort food cravings again.

So at the peak of root vegetable season, soups, chowders and stews are finding their way on my table, and you'll see some of them here in the coming weeks. To start off, here's a simple one that's quick and perfect for a weeknight.

BRAD'S WHITE FISH CHOWDER

(For 4)

400g (or two large fillets) of your favourite firm white fish such as cod, halibut or haddock, cubed into bite-size pieces (TIP: look for sustainably-caught fish where you can); 4 cups chicken or fish stock (homemade is always best, but otherwise try and go for a low-sodium organic); 1/2 cup milk; 3 tbsp butter; one medium-large white onion finely diced; 1/2 bunch of dill frawns roughly chopped; 1 large or 2 medium white potatoes cubed (about an inch); 2-3 large or 3-4 medium carrots sliced (about 1/4 inch); 3-4 cobs of corn (raw, kernels shaved off; or if not available about 1 cup of frozen corn); 1 tbsp flour; sea salt; fresh black pepper

In a small pot or large sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter until almost to a light smoke and add onions, sauté until translucent (TIP: when sautéing onions, immediately season with coarse or sea salt to bring out the best texture.) Then add carrots and potatoes and sauté, stirring until nicely browned. Add the flour and stir, then deglaze the pot with a splash of the chicken stock, stirring to loosen any brown bits off the pan. Pour in the rest of the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer a let cook for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are quite tender. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the fish and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes and then add the milk, corn and dill and simmer 2 minutes more. Season to taste. Like most chowders and stews, this is even better left-over if you make it a day ahead.

Bell Pepper Season!

One of the great things about August is that it's the in-between growing point where pretty much everything is in season. You can still get the tail end of July strawberries and corn and on top of it blueberries and bell peppers are coming in full swing. So my farmer's Saturday morning deliveries are now including the season's first baby bell peppers in a multitude of colours.

Peppers are very versatile and there's a multitude of ways to cook them. You can also preserve them, which is awesome. One of my favourite ways is to stuff them. There are a few ways you can do this. More traditionally they can be stuffed with a mixture of rice, meat, onions, garlic and whatever else you like and then stewed in a broth. If you're like me and like a crispier pepper that can stand on your plate, pre-cook your stuffings and roast them.

BRAD'S BISON-STUFFED PEPPERS

8-10 mini or 4-5 large local bell peppers (variety, but whatever you like); 1 lb free-range bison meat (or any rich ground meat like beef or venison); one yellow onion chopped; 7-8 cloves local garlic finely chopped; Kosher salt and fresh pepper; extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp smoked paprika; 2 large handfulls of a variety of local mushrooms (whatever you can find); Parmesan to garnish.

Cut the bell peppers in half, seed and arrange on a baking sheet brushed lightly with olive oil. Preheat oven to 400. In a cast iron or steel skillet, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent, then add meat. Break down and sauté. Season generously. Add smoked paprika. When meat is about 2 minutes from done add garlic and mushrooms. Stuff peppers generously and bake for about 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh Parmesan to taste. This pairs amazingly with a rich sweet red like Syrah.

If you find small enough peppers they make for great finger foods too!

Ottawa's Steak and Montreal's Seafood

How lucky am I to be a short distance from an incredible steak house, and one of the best seafood experiences I've ever had.

For my next round of restaurant reviews, I'll start with Ottawa and head over to Montreal and say "hey" to Chuck Hughes - real food guru extraordinaire and definitely my new favourite celebrity chef.

"STEAK", Ottawa, ON
Dress: Semi-casual
Reservations? During events and large groups yes, but otherwise not usually necessary
Price: For complete three course with wine, probably anywhere between $55 to $85 per person

I like that they kept the name simple and to the point. This bar and bistro is one of Ottawa's newest and coolest places. And they cover pretty much every pallet. But my rule of thumb with restaurants is always start with what they take the most pride in. Certainly their fillet mignon is second to none in the restaurant scene - and I've had my share. And their wine selection is one of the best in Ottawa's Byward Market. Great for a fancy evening dinner, or a late night cocktail or wine tasting. And of course the kitchen is open late so there's never a shortage of exquisite munchies, from their fantastic beef tartar, to their best-in-the-world chocolate lava cake (note - order this 30 minutes before you actually want it because they make each one from scratch!). This is definitely an ideal choice for couples or groups that want a trendy, urban and sexy dining experience. If you happen to be there and not in the mood for steak, I highly recommend the lobster ravioli. Generally though, stick to steak, red wine and chocolate, and you'll be dreaming about the dinner you had.

http://www.steakottawa.ca/

"Le Bremner", Montreal QC
Dress: Semi-casual
Reservations? Always. Call as far ahead as possible and only call after 4 pm
Price: Large range - anywhere from $65 to $150 per person on average I would guess, but higher if you go crazy with the bottles of wine ;)

Last year I reviewed Chuck Hughes' incredible restaurant in the Old Port, Garde Manger. I would definitely put Le Bremner as a complete tie with this, because while it has a generally different focus (seafood), it's still clearly a Chuck Hughes restaurant with the earthy coolness, trendiness and downright food euphoria that Garde Manger is known for.

Le Bremner is also in the Old Port. Again, true to Hughes' style, no signage or website. You just have to call way in advance (a few weeks) and look for it. Tip - Reserve your seats at the bar!

The dishes are small enough that they allow you to sample several. We mostly stuck with the seafood theme, and oh... my... God! The spread of chilled marinated and raw oysters (from both BC and PEI), scallops, and lobster altogether combined to be one crazy delicious experience. We asked our servers to walk us through wine pairings, and oh man... bull's eye every single time. The Kimshee snow crab was definitely the highest peak for me in this experience, so I highly recommend it. And talk about creative presentation - ever have a lobster parfait? You can here. And from a distance you wouldn't know but it was a dessert, even complete with the "blackberry" on top that turns out to be a little cluster of caviar.

One surprising note about the dessert menu is that it didn't look like your typical fancy restaurant selection, especially with items like "cookies and milk" and "jelly donuts." I just had to try the donuts. And now I can say that before that evening, I had never tasted donuts... at least it's just as well that I had never. Four giant round crispy glazed donuts filled with a variety of berries and caramel, glazed and covered in powdered sugar... and even a wine pairing to go with that that was eye-poppingly dead on.

If you're looking for 5-star quality and true originality, you'll want to go here.
http://montreal.about.com/od/foodwine/ss/le-bremner-montreal-restaurant-chuck-hughes-seafood-diner.htm

Big News Coming Soon!!

Stay tuned! Details to come this October!

For the Love of Lamb!

The great thing about lamb is that even the free-range organic grass fed heritage lambs are shockingly easy to work with.

And the taste! I knew I found a gem when I first opened up a pack of lamb chops from my farmer and the first thing I smelled was clovers.

Here, I won't give a recipe, because it's completely unnecessary... just an approach. I will post some stellar lamb recipes this fall when I get my next year supply from the farm, but for now, the simplest and most delicious way to enjoy heritage lamb.

Plate - season with coarse or Kosher salt - cast iron skillet - melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter on medium until lightly smoking - sear - 2-3 minutes per side - tent under foil for 3 minutes.

Whatever you're serving this with, make it in advance because once you're ready to go with the lamb, it should have your undivided attention. This is for a couple of reasons - a) it cooks fast and b) it would be truly tragic to ruin one of the best quality (and possibly expensive) meats you'll buy. You truly want to enjoy this rare to medium rare, so be cautious. Better to take it off a bit too soon and refire if it's too rare for your taste, than to have an over-cooked chop that you can do nothing to salvage. [Here's a helpful tip - you should be able to tell doneness by touching the meat with your finger. Blue feels like your cheek; rare-medium like your chin; well-done (or ruined) feels very firm.]

This hit my table at least three or four times this past year. I remember the first time I delicately cut into the meet with my knife and tasted that tender, buttery goodness, dropped my utensils and ate the rest like a neanderthal. Why does food always taste better when you eat it with your hands?

Summer Simplicity

Next to the bright sweet variety of tastes it offers, my favourite thing about summer cooking is the simplicity of the food. After all, on a hot summer day, it's not like we really want to be in a hot kitchen cooking. But if you have the right ingredients on-hand and plan ahead, you can be full and have clean dishes with hours of day light left.

Certainly it helps if you have some pre-cooked chicken on-hand, or meat that cooks quickly like fish or steak. But for me the most important aspect of being prepared for a work week in summer is a fridge stocked with local vegetables. Taking an hour or so once a week can make all the difference and will ensure everything gets eaten.

Right now, I have a local farm that happens to do weekly deliveries, so not only is the veg delicious, bright and nutritious, it's also sustainable. But wherever you get your fresh produce, wash and dry in advance - you'd be amazed how much easier this makes week night meal time.

When you're not interested in spending time in the kitchen or prepping the BBQ, a simple cold or hot salad is always the best way to feed everyone and only have a bowl or a pan to clean. You can even add a simple carb to your salad by mixing together flour, water, oil, herbs, salt and pepper to a dough, roll it out on a floured surface and make little tortillas or naan bread, and either cook it in a dry pan or in the oven on a greased baking sheet (a process that takes 20 minutes from start to finish).

A cold salad is simply a matter of finding your favourite combination of ingredients for a quick dressing (i.e., oil, lemon, salt and pepper), fresh veg and a quick steak, shrimp or some left-over chicken. Personally I love a quick hot salad, for example, a fajita-style salad (sautéed local onions, white peppers, garlic, mushrooms; topped with sprouts with some quick home-made naan bread).

When you have fresh seasonal produce washed and ready to go, it allows for some playfulness and creativity, because you know the veg is that much easier to just toss in.

The Real Shepherd's Pie

Can you really get any better than meat and potatoes? Sure, if you "Brit" it up a bit and bake the works in a hot, gooey, buttery casserole. This 200 year old classic is certainly one of my favourite autumn comfort foods and is easy as........ ah, you thought I was really gonna go there!

I would hazard to guess that, if you're like most people, and me up until a year ago, you've only ever experienced this with beef, which is truly the classic Shepherd's Pie, but Shepherd's Pie with lamb (or more accurately, mutton pie) will take you from that home comfort experience to the next level. So as my year's supply of free-range organic lamb dwindled this past spring, I decided to work on perfecting one of my childhood favourites.

BRAD'S CLASSIC SHEPHERD'S (MUTTON) PIE

(For 4-5) 1 lb ground free-range lamb; 6-7 medium russet potatoes roughly chopped; 1 1/2 cups green peas (preferably fresh, or the larger frozen peas); one white onion finely chopped; 3-4 medium carrots finely diced; 1/2 cup beef stock; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 3-4 tbsp unsalted butter; tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; 2 tsp smoked Paprika; Kosher salt; fresh pepper

Prepare a deep baking dish (preferably 8-10 inch) by greasing with butter. Preheat the oven to 375.

Steam potatoes until tender, set aside. In a cast iron or steel skillet, melt a tbsp of butter and sauté onions and carrots until the onions are soft and add the lamb. Season well. Once the lamb is cooked, add the 3/4 cup of the peas and cook for a minute. Then add the flour and stir. Add the tomato paste. Then add just a splash of the stock and scrape the pan to deglaze. Then add the rest of the stock, bring to a boil and and reduce to a simmer for 5-7 minutes or until you like the consistency (should be the thickness of lava). Stir in 1 tsp of the paprika, and spread the mixture in the baking dish.

In a bowl, mash the hot potatoes by hand with the butter. If they're too stiff, add a splash of milk and even some sour cream for even more flavour. It should be creamy. Stir in a good bit of S&P (to taste) and add the rest of the peas. Spread over the meat mixture and grate fresh Parmesan. Sprinkle over the rest of the paprika.

Bake this off for about 20 minutes. If you like a crispy top, pop the temperature to 475 for the last 5 minutes.

Compliments to the Sea

There are few things that have an effect on me in the same way as pan fried cod. Served with just the right kind of crispy batter is so tantalising, mouth-watering, and nostalgic to me that this will make its way into heavy rotation during the peak cod season. And it goes awesome with mash potatoes.

BRAD'S TRADITIONAL PANKO PANFRIED COD

(For 4)

4 fresh cod fillets; 2/3 cup all purpose flour seasoned with sea salt and fresh pepper; 1 1/2 cups Japanese panko bread crumbs seasoned with paprika, sea salt and fresh pepper; 2 eggs beaten with a small splash of milk; grapeseed or other vegetable oil; fresh lemon.

Set up for three stations - moving progressively closer to the pan, in dish 1 put the flour, dish 2 put the egg mixture, and dish 3 the panko.

Preheat a heavy skillet on medium with oil. Once hot to a very light smoke, start dredging. Roll the fish first in the flour, then the egg, then press on both sides in the panko making sure it's completely coated. Add to the pan. Be sure not to crowd the pan. If you can only comfortably fit two at a time, do it in batches. As soon as they're done, season with extra sea salt and serve with a fresh cut lemon.

BRAD'S AMAZING DILL MASH POTATOES

3 regular organic Yukon gold (or your favourite) potatoes - or if you feel like it, one Yukon gold and one sweet potato - all peeled and cubed; handful of fresh dill frawns; 1/3 cup 14% local organic sour cream; tablespoon of real mayo; Kosher (or sea) salt and fresh black pepper.

Steam potatoes until soft. Drain off water and return to pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and hand mash - finish off to get a nice texture by stirring quickly with a wooden spoon.

AMAZING side to fish.

Easy Alfredo

You can make Alfredo sauce your own way - and in less time than it takes to cook the chicken.

BRAD'S CLASSIC CHICKEN ALFREDO

(For 4)

1/2 box fettuccine or your favourite pasta; 2 free-range chicken breasts (preferably bone-in, skin-on); 1/3 cup organic local cream (your choice - anywhere from 10% to 35%, depending on how bold you're feeling); 1/3 cup organic local milk; 2 tbsp organic local butter; 5-7 cloves organic garlic, sliced; Kosher salt and Fresh black pepper; 1/2 bunch fresh Italian parsley chopped; Parmesan to taste.

Roast the chicken in a pre-heated 400 degree oven drizzled in olive oil and seasoned well until 170 degrees at the interior or until juices run clear when pricked (about 35-40 minutes). Let rest 5-10 minutes after it's done before cutting.

Meanwhile, boil pasta in generously salted water.

In a saucepan, heat butter to a light smoke, and add garlic - sauté for about 1-2 minutes. Season generously and then add milk and cream. Whisk and simmer low for about 2-3 minutes. If you like thick alfredo sauce, mix about a tbsp of corn starch with a splash of cold water until dissolved, and whisk that into the simmering sauce.

Toss sliced cooked chicken into sauce.

Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Dump in the sauce mixture and toss. Toss in some parsley and garnish with fresh Parmesan and extra salt and black pepper to taste.

Note - this is not for the waist-watcher ;)

Caesar can be Health Food

Most people love caesar. But there are two important misconceptions. One is that it's a salad and therefore healthy... if you think that... oh, we need to have a talk. When it comes to restaurant Caesar salad this packs more of a punch for calories and fat than a burger and fries. The second misconception though, among people who know that Caesar is often some nasty stuff, is that this is a given. There are a few culprits: 1) the bacon; 2) the chicken - it's often deep fried, low-quality (or dry and overcooked); 3) the croutons; and 4) the dressing. Well, good news. My Caesar finds ways through those dilemmas and what you get is a healthy, satisfying salad meal.

BRAD'S CHICKEN CAESAR

(for 2)

1/2 head of romaine; chicken meat (your choice; about 4-6 oz); 1/2 a day-old baguette or your favourite bread cubed; 4 strips bacon; fresh Parmesan

Dressing: 1 free-range egg yolk; tbsp finely chopped capers; juice of a lemon; 1/3 cup olive oil; 1/2 tsp anchovy paste; S&P.

For dressing - whisk egg yolk, and whisk in capers, anchovy paste and lemon juice - season well. Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking vigorously. Let sit while you make the rest of the salad.

In a heavy skillet, sauté bacon, draining off the grease until crisp. Remove it from the pan. Sauté the bread cubes in the same pan until crisp and golden (add extra olive oil if necessary). Season well.

This is a great use for left-over chicken, but if you're making fresh chicken for this, I recommend bone in, skin-on (roast at 400 degrees with olive oil, S&P for 35 minutes or until 170 degrees / when juice runs clear), or if you prefer, boneless skinless (same, only for 25 minutes).

Roughly chop, wash and dry the lettuce. Toss everything together in a big bowl when you're ready to serve. Grate fresh Parmesan over each serving and generous amount of fresh black pepper.