It all started more than a month ago, on a hot Sunday afternoon as my friend Joseph from Seattle was picking Toronto as his first sabbatical destination.

We were sitting at a park and chatting over many things including our philanthropic goals. Then we started talking about Steve Jobs’ recent post on “Thoughts on Flash.” Joseph bursted out laughing when I said “the kerfuffle between Apple and Adobe…” He thought I had made up the word. To my protest, he conveniently pulled out his brand new Kindle from his backpack, and we looked it up. So here I was, a Canadian boy, for whom English is not his first language, teaching an American an English word! I asked him if “conundrum” would be a better choice, but he agreed that “kerfuffle” is the perfect word to describe the situation. I was glad that I managed to expand a friend’s vocabulary!

Another week had gone by, and I found myself at an alumni event where my friends and I debated once again which word to choose between “kerfuffle” or “conundrum”. So I posted a question on Twitter:

productionteams: Which one is bigger “kerfuffle” or “conundrum”? …

Then Y N responded:

ynq25335: … When you modify any noun with Apple or Adobe, it becomes MUCH BIGGER! Apple Kerfuffle sounds like a pastry! Yum?

Lucy said:

Lucers: Mmm, apple kerfuffle sounds good! Could it have cream cheese, raisins & cinnamon in it? Maybe lemon zest. On puff pastry?

My Twitter friend Lucy and I have been swapping recipes and exchanging foodie tips for a while now. She has given me her infamous carbonara recipe and I’ve become her “Toronto food concierge”.

Fast forward a month, this Wednesday Lucy and I met for the first time where we each brought our very own versions of Apple Kerfuffles. We met at a downtown Starbucks and I was nervous as I waited. Having never baked any dessert pastries in my life, I had told her not to judge me by my pastries. Like a blind date, we each brought a friend to make sure the meeting didn’t go weird. Lucy brought Stuart, and they are one of the nicest couples I have ever met.

So we unveiled our creations. Lucy’s on the left and mine on the right. With plastic forks and knives in our hands, four of us sampled the kerfuffles à la Iron Chef.

Lucy’s was delicious and filled with cream cheese and different kinds of apples. I loved the pastry itself and colour of the kerfuffle.

Here’s a closer look at my version, made with granny smith apples and a special topping (Kit Kat).

Recipe (Makes 3):

• One peeled, ripe granny smith apple
• 2 tsp of cinnamon brown sugar
• 5 tsp of sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp of butter on each kerfuffle
• 1 tsp of flour
• 1 bar of Kit Kat
• Frozen puff pastry

1. Thaw puff pastry overnight. Set aside eight sheets of puff pastry and lay them on a flat, dry surface.
2. Layer three sheets and cut into 3″x3″ squares as the foundation of the pastry.
3. Layer one sheet and roll them up as a tube. Bent the tube into a 3″x3″ square as the pastry walls.
4. Fold any excess from (2) to cover the walls. Set aside.
5. Cut apples into thin slices. Add both kinds of sugar, flour and salt. Mix well.
6. Gently pour apples into the well. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar. Use a cheese grater and grate Kit Kat on top. Brush butter all over pastries.
7. Put pastries on cooking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Take out when pastry turns golden.

Thanks to Twitter, I’ve met a new friend! Lucy and I became so inspired that we decided to start our own food revolution. Next month we will be making Blueberry Brutality, followed by Cherry Conundrum – this is our way of expressing our feelings towards what happened with the recent G20 summit in Toronto. We need a name for our food exchange!

Until then…

Update: The dinner was a hit. It went well into 2am. We did have a small incidence of smoky oven. But at least we didn’t trigger the smoke detector like our neighours did (close to midnight). Otherwise the food was well done. Turkey is always juicy and tender (thanks to Brandy!), Katherine’s deep fried dumpling was fantastic. I’m glad my butternut squash soup and philo pastries turn out very well.

Thanks everyone for bringing the food!

Group picture

Roasted turkey with brandy

Tonight’s menu:

Entrees
1) Roasted Turkey (with Brandy)
2) Steamed baby carrots and green beans
3) Scallop potato
4) Collard Greens

Appetizers
1) Butternut Squash Soup
2) Flio Pastry (Smoked Salmon, Spanish, Feta Cheese)
3) Olives, artichokes.
4) Warmed Brie with cranberry focassa
5) Homemade deep fried dumplings
6) Special salad

Desserts
1) Croquembouche
2) Francois’ mean mean Chocolate Brownie
3) Carol’s rice cake

Philo pastry with smoked salmon and prosciutto

The food in France is exceptional. Just about anywhere in the town you can find good food, shall I thank the authors at Lonely Planet (France) as well?

The Adventure

This is “Andouillette with Fries” I tasted in Monte Carlo. It’s a speciality dish in France.
It’s pork intestine. Guess, the French could be like the Cantonese in terms of the exotic food. The bad taste of the intestine is suprisngly not there thanks to the strong pepper seasonings and the sauce.

I also ordered the Rock Fish Stock Soup to start. It’s the best 16 Euros I spent on soup!

A Suprise

Dim Sum Plate in Nice! Can you believe it? The round dumpling located at the “4-o’clock” of the steamer is a dumpling I like a lot, but even I couldn’t find that in Hong-couver!

The sweets

Of course the day cannot end without desssert! It’s fruit Clafoutis. It’s a different rendition of the one I had at Provence Marinaside in Vancouver. It’s made out of eggs (like quiche but sweet taste) with lots of exotic fruits and a light tart base. On the topm it’s like creme brulee, it’s burnt a bit. It’s exceptional. Thanks to the recommendation from Lonely Planet.

The Snacks:

We brought this Smoked Salmon cone at Monoprix (I think it’s like a supermarket giant that sells just a bit of everything. It’s like a upscale Safeway with London Drugs and Winners all in one!). Inside the cone, it’s a pate of Smoked Salmon topped with some cream and the gello with chieves.

A Regular Lunch in Nice

We went to a nicely decorated place on Boulvard de Jean Medicine in Nice. I guess the French will call this place “sympthatic”. It’s the Combo I picked to satisify my eggs craving. It’s a Sandwich of American Style and with the toxically delicious White Chocolate Raspberry Tarte!

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, optional
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chicken broth
1-2 cups water, as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream and parsley for garnish

Cut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Arrange the halves cut side down in roasting pan that has been sprayed with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Bake squash in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until very tender. Set aside to cool. When the squash is completely cool, scoop the flesh from the skin. While the squash is baking, cook the onion and the ginger in the butter in a saucepan, over moderately low heat, for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened, Add the broth and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, covered. Add the squash pulp to the sauce pan. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, in batches, and puree until smooth. Add enough water to achieve the desired consistency, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the soup to the sauce pan and cook over moderate heat until it is hot. Garnish each portion with the heaping teaspoon of low-fat sour cream.

Ingredients (serves 3):
12 x 2″ crust (get the pre-made Tenderflake crust from Safeway)
1 pack of maple-leaf pre-made bacon (100g)
3 eggs
250ml whipping cream + 100ml 2% slim milk
100g Gruyère cheese, grated
salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Pour the grated Gruyère cheese into a big bowl, then add the milk/cream, and the beaten eggs, and salt and pepper to taste
2. Pour the bacon onto the crust, then add all the ingredients in (1).
3. Bake in the oven at 350 F for 30 mins. Serve the quiche warm.

Can easily change it to use mini tarts for tapas, like the picture above.

Ingredients:
One lbs chicken wings
One can of regular cola (355 mL)
70 ml of soya sauce

Steps:
1. Marinate the chicken wings for 30 minutes with two tbs of soya sauce, two tbs of Chinese cooking wine (can be substituted with Brandy), white pepper, salt and sugar.
2. Sauté chicken wings with two- to three cloves of freshly diced garlic in medium heat. Cook both sides of wings until they turn golden (approx ten minutes).
3. Add cola and soya sauce (the soy to cola ratio must be 1:5). Turn to mid-heat and cook it for 30 minutes. Add sugar/salt to taste.

Katherine and the 3 other sous chiefs spent 4 hours preparing for this. It turned out it’s worth every single minute of it. The rice is juicy and seafood is sweet and tender.

Recipe

Quick Skillet Paella

1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces chorizo sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 inion, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 can of (8-ounce) of clam juice
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1 dozen clams or mussels, scrubbed
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, then season with the chili powder and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the shrimp and cook until curled and pink on both sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover with foil.

Add the remiaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chorizo and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to the bowl with the shrimp, leaving the fat in the skillet.

Add the onion and thyme to the fat in the skillet and return to medium heat. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the rice and cook until the grains are sizzling and lightly toasted, about 1 minute.

Stir in the clam juice, tomatoes, and saffron, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in the cooked shrimp and chorizo. Arrange the clams over the top and sprinkle with the peas. Cover, return to medium heat and cook until the shellfish have opened, about 7 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients
3 dried scallops
3 dried mushrooms
1/4 lbs of sweet peas
1/2 lbs skinless shredded chicken breasts
1 serving of rice

Instructions

1. Marinate chicken with 2 tbsps of chinese cooking wine, 2 tbsps of soya sauce, some white pepper, and some sesame oil for 30 mins.
2. Soak dried scallops and mushrooms into hot bowl of water for 30+ mins. Then marinate the mushrooms with 2 teaspoons of soya, sugar, and sesame oil.
3. Add oil onto a saucepan. Sauté the mushrooms, scallops, and sweet peas with garlic for 2 mins. Add in the chicken until it become golden. Set aside.
4. Cook rice.
5. Heat a chinese terra-cotta pot. Put the cooked rice on the bottom of the pot. Then pour the chicken, peas, mushrooms, and scallops on top. Add 1/3 cups of water. Covered and cook for 20 mins.
6. Heat up 2 tbsps of oil and 1 tbsp of soya sauce on a saucepan. Add the sauce onto the rice. To serve.

Homemade Spicy Sausage Penne

Ingreidents:

• Spicy Italian Sausage from Granville Island.
• Fresh Penne also from Granville Island.
• Organic Snow peas in a BC farm.
• Butternut Squash sauce with a hint of curry.

First, boil the penne + snow peas (separately) with a hint of salt and set aside.
Then, pan-fry sausage, set aside. Cook up the butternut squash sauce and add the penne and snow peas and serve with sausage.

In German: Geschnetzeltes!

My friends from Berlin were trying to do something homemade on the Labour Day long weekend. What a plesant suprise it was. Geschnetzeltes is a lot better than the english description – Beef Stew in a white cream sauce. Perfect for a cold winter night.
Ease: 3/5

Ingredients:

• 500 g Sliced beef
• Sour Cream
• Fresh Cream
• Chives
• Green onion
• Butter

Sauted beef then seasoned, added Sour cream and fresh cream and slow cook for 30 mins.