A Valentine’s Day Table with Chocolate Raspberry Heart Cakes

by Helen Kain | Feb 9, 2021 | Cakes, Sweets, Valentine's Day, Winter Recipes

Chocolate and roses are traditional Valentine’s Day fare. Combining them in a cake is the best of all possible worlds – served with tea, and augmented with pink champagne, of course! Add in pretty pink china and we have a lovely (albeit chilly) setting for...

Phyllo Tart with Chicken, Spinach, Feta and Pine Nuts

by Helen Kain | Jan 30, 2021 | Appetizers, Chicken, Fall Recipes, Mains, Winter Recipes

Spanakopita was a mainstay at neighbourhood get-togethers back in the day, and the offerings ran the gamut from soggy mess to succulently, crisply delicious. Elena’s were the gold standard to which we all aspired. One year, just before Christmas, Elena got a...

Cranberry, Pistachio & Orange Biscotti

by Helen Kain | Jan 13, 2021 | Breakfast, Cookies & Bars, Fall Recipes, Food Gifting, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes, Sweets, Winter Recipes

Our virtual baking session just before Christmas produced more than Orange Chocolate Cake. My friend Leanne had assured me her recipe for biscotti was quick and easy, and she was right. We whipped it up in no time. Biscotti means “twice-baked” in...

Chicken Pot Pie

by Helen Kain | Dec 29, 2020 | Chicken, Fall Recipes, Mains, Winter Recipes

Claridge’s Hotel has been providing luxury accommodation in the heart of Mayfair since the 1850s; Martyn Nail, the executive chef of Claridge’s, has been overseeing the kitchens for more than 30 years. There is something very comforting about the...

A Festive Chocolate Orange Cake

by Helen Kain | Dec 13, 2020 | Cakes, Christmas, Sweets, Winter Recipes

This cake is the result of a happy collision of ideas. First, the plates (as so often happens around here). They’re Woodland Berry by Williams Sonoma – a combined gift from daughter Lauren and daughter-in-law Annie for Christmas last year. I’ve been...

Winter Vegetable Chili

by Helen Kain | Dec 7, 2020 | Mains, Vegetables, Winter Recipes

The weeks leading up to Christmas are fraught with opportunities for overindulgence. This vegetable-packed chili is a healthful antidote to a surfeit of sweets. Our family loves it, even the die-hard meat eaters and small children. It’s warmly spiced, without...