Quick business trip to Victoria

  Vancouver - Victoria  for a business meeting 

 Lunch at Bliss Victoria so goodGreat vegan restaurant

 Victoria all in spring bloom 

  Dinner at bliss again  so Good 

  Well it time to get back to Vancouver what a beautiful spring day to get back home

 Lot of foot space at the door but a cold breeze for the 35 Min ride and this is the reason I love hoody's 

Super beautiful British Colombia 

Nougat! Recipe

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

Scroll down for our Nougat recipe. So this bunny laid  an egg... ...and filled it with corn syrup and palm oil. Hmmm...I can taste the ensuing sugar high and subsequent brain drain as we speak. I like it sweet, I do, but I like the slow, flavorful kind, because sugar isn't a flavor. We have been working for the last couple of years to recreate childhood and modern favorites without the plasticized ingredients that commercial products use to manufacture candy. We've replaced those sticky sweeteners with honeys, molasses, agave nectar, coconut and date sugars and industrial fats with Straus butter, olive and coconut oils.  Hadley put up two Easter-ready classes for next week. Ruth's Spring Confections will focus on Homemade Peeps, some insane PB chocolate eggs (I love adding rice krispies to the recipe) and Fruit jellies, while Hadley'sGrain, Nut and Dairy free Candy class will make every kid in your life enjoy Caramel Chocolate Eggs, Gummy Candies and more. The recipes in these classes are simple to execute, totally customizable and leave you with the bright flavors that nature intended you to enjoy. We've mastered the art of coloring with natural and fruit colors and ordered some sweet bags and boxes for your adorable confections. Nougat! Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place a piece of wafer paper (about 6"x10") over the parchment, reserving another piece of wafer paper nearby. Made from rice, wafer paper can be purchased at Surfas, online or in cake and candy supply shops. In a small saucepot, place: 1/2 cup honey 1 1/2 cups sugar In the bowl of a stand mixer, place: 1-1/2egg whites Set aside: 1/4 cup powdered sugar Wafer paper Set aside (you can use any combination of dried fruits and nuts): 2 cups toasted whole almonds 1 cup dried apricots, sliced 2 cups toasted whole pistachios 1. Heat the sugar and honey to 310 degrees F. Remove from heat and cool to 290 F. 2. While cooling, beat the egg whites to soft peak stage.  Add powdered sugar and beat to just before stiff peaks. 3. Pour the sugar syrup, slowly, while the egg whites are beating at medium speed. 4. Beat for 3-4 minutes, or until very thick and sticky.  Fold in nuts. 5. Pour over wafer paper and press the second wafer over the nougat, pressing the top with another flat cookie sheet or flat, opened hand. Let set for an hour.  Cut with warm bread knife. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley

Yesterday a Men end his life by jumping the Granville bridge

Yesterday a Man end his life by jumping down from the Granville Street Bridge to land on a car before it final drop on the pavement of Granville Island, his reason are unknown to me. No mentions of this event in any media & life have continued as it supposed to be, I do not understand what kind of pain this Men was to plunge to his death but today I did have a moment thinking about you.

requiescat in pace

Wonderful gifts again from my best friend from Hong kong

Yu you are the best 

Maison Cote Edible made in Vancouver ® on Granville Island Public Market

We are back on Granville Island Public Market till Sunday open at 9 AM close at 9 PM

Individual Pavlovas with Figs and Peaches & Pistachio-Fig Macaroons

Easter falls on Sunday, April 20 this year. California Dried Figs enjoy great popularity this time of year because they work so well and taste so good in many Easter and Passover recipes. Did you know that Palm Sunday is also known as Fig Sunday? Tradition has it that after Christ's entry into Jerusalem, he came upon a fig tree. He cursed the fig tree because he was hungry and there were no figs on the tree, only leaves. Because of the cursing of the fig tree, eating figs is customary to this day. Here’s one of our newest recipes fromAmerica’s Test Kitchen. We think it’s perfect for Easter. Don’t forget to keep a bowl of dried figs on hand, too. Individual Pavlovas with Figs and Peaches This recipe works with either fresh or frozen peaches. Substitute 2 cups frozen peaches for fresh. Makes 6. Meringue 3/4 t. vanilla extract 1/4 t. cream of tartar 1 c. (7 oz.) plus 1 T. sugar 4 ea. medium peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1/4-in. slices 1 1/2 c. Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs, stemmed and sliced thin Yogurt Sauce 1 c. Greek yogurt 1/2 t. vanilla 1 T. sugar 1/2 t. lime zest For directions click here.

Passover is the Jewish spring festival that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. It lasts seven or eight days from the 15th day of Nisan. This year Passover begins on the evening of April 14 and ends on the evening of April 22. Our Pistachio-Fig Macaroons make a nice sweet treat for Passover. They have no flour or leavening. Pistachio-Fig Macaroons 1 c. Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs 1 1/2 c. raw, unsalted shelled pistachio nuts or slivered almonds 3/4 c. plus 2 T. granulated sugar 1 large egg white 1/4 t. vanilla extract (or almond extract with almonds) For directions click here.

Chicken with Mushrooms and Baby Artichokes

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

Got Charcuterie? Wednesday, April 9th @6pm with Red Bread's Rose Lawrence. The sun is shining... ...and our menus are changing! Our chefs have just turned in their summer class ideas and Hadley's been busy putting these up on our June schedule, making sure that every week has at least 4 evening courses to choose from. Hadley's also been recipe testing hergrain-free series (scroll down for teaser recipe), covering everything from breakfast to dinner and building a GF pantry. Our July and August classes will be posted the third week of April. If our calendar looks more varied than ever, it's because we have a delicious new roster of chefs on tap. Joseph Shuldiner, director of the Institute of Domestic Technology, will be teaching a three-week series based on his Pure Vegan book (included in the classes), Chef Lauren Cartmel, formerly of Comme Ça is bringing her smooth approach to dinner with aWhole Fish class and her take on date night with Je T'aime; A Night in Paris. Our sunshine and bountiful markets have attracted some chefs from the other coast- we're excited to host Ashton Keefe of NYC's Haven's Kitchen for a delightful Pink Sips & BBQ class on June 12th (book with your friends)! Your favorite staff Chefs from Christianne to Senthil will round out the month with Couples Night: Steakhouse  and a Passage to India. Once you've mastered these techniques, feel free to give yourself time and space to play in your kitchen by sending your Jr. Chefs to us for summer camp. Chef Christianne was charged with creating a challenging set of menus, so for three weeks in July, your 6-12 year olds can choose from ourJr Julia and Jacques week to 3 Course Meals or our International Culinary Passport. Sweet on summer? We've got one week of Pastry Camp and just a few spots left for Bakery Bootcamp! Whew! We're so excited for all this activity- stop in to say hello or meet our staff, and don't forget to call the hotline with any sweet or savory questions. 310.656.8800. Chicken with Mushrooms and Baby Artichokes 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1/2lb mushrooms, sliced 12 oz artichoke hearts, quartered or baby artichokes peeled trimmed and quartered 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 sprigs thyme 1 tsp cumin, divided 1 tsp coriander, divided 2 tbsps white wine 1/4 cup chicken broth sea salt and pepper 4 bone in skin on chicken legs 1 lemon, sliced 1 tsp red pepper chili flakes Pre heat oven to 425˚. Coat a large casserole dish with the coconut oil. Add mushrooms, artichokes and garlic to the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp, cumin, coriander, thyme, and salt and pepper over the vegetables. Pour chicken broth and  wine over vegetables and toss to coat. Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Then sprinkle with the remaining cumin and coriander. Nestle the chicken on top of the mushroom and artichoke mixture. Top chicken with lemon slices and chili flakes. Cover baking dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes, remove cover and continue to bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165˚.   Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley