I am so proud to be part of a company made up of so many inspiring mothers. I started Epicure in 1991 to provide more healthful food options for my young children. It’s amazing the small business I began out of the back of my blue station wagon now offers so many other mothers the opportunity to provide for their loved ones.

I am who I am today largely in part to my mother, Julienne Jauvin Rochette. Many of my fundamental beliefs stem from her, including “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Mother’s Day has always been a memorable time each year for me, from when I was little to now, with my own two incredible children: Amelia and Liam (who always spoil me on Mother’s Day).

Poached eggs and asparagus have been a Mother’s Day tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. Happy Mother’s Day, and bon appétit!

Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Herb & Garlic Breadcrumbs

So simple and delicious. Steam your asparagus in the microwave for 2–3 minutes.

Poaching an egg in the microwave is so easy using our 1 cup Prep Bowl. Just put about ½ cup of cold water in the Prep Bowl.

Drop in an egg.

Cover the Prep Bowl with the Silicone Lid (but don’t seal it). Microwave about 1 minute or until the egg is set.

While the eggs are in the microwave, combine the breadcrumbs and Herb & Garlic Dip Mix and sprinkle over steamed asparagus.

Place a poached egg overtop.

Sprinkle with a little Smoky Bacon Topper and enjoy!

A few of my favourite asparagus recipes:

Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Herb & Garlic Breadcrumbs

Steamed Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar and Pesto Herbs

Asparagus Primavera

Lemon Chicken with Asparagus

Spa-Style Salmon

Roasted Asparagus

Peking Duck (Kaoya), the most famous duck dish from Beijing, has been prepared since the Yuan Dynasty and is considered a Chinese national dish. I couldn’t leave Beijing without feasting on it! Both the foodie magazine “The Beijinger” and the hotel concierge agreed the best place in Beijing for Peking duck is DaDong, which has repeatedly been named Beijing’s best restaurant of the year.

Journey to the Plate

Fattened on grain and soy, Peking ducks are slaughtered after approximately 65 days. A small hole is pierced under a wing of the bird and air is blown between the skin and flesh to separate them. The duck is then scalded with hot water and the skin basted in a honey sauce cut with rice wine, soy sauce and water.

Before roasting, the duck is filled with boiling water. The skin is then seized by the heat of the fire and the flesh is cooked from the inside by vaporization of the boiling water. Depending on the wood chosen, one will obtain different flavours.

Beautiful facade of the restaurant DaDong.

Named best Beijing Chinese restaurant of the year.

One of the large dining rooms.

My Peking duck. Before being cut, the whole duck is presented to guests.

Here’s a close up.

The cook is illustrating his talent by demonstrating his "art of the knife."

This chef has done this many times. Nothing beats experience!

This scene is repeated throughout the restaurant, same ability and care with presentation.

The crispy skin and meat are thinly sliced and served accompanied by a wheat pancake.

Condiments and veggies.

Nicely layered.

Another one....

Legs and a few surprises. Every part is eaten, nothing is wasted.

We were so pleased to have a lesson and demonstration. She too has done this demo before…

After spreading some hoisin sauce on the pancake, you dip the pieces of duck in sugar.

Then you add your choice of veggies and condiments.

You roll or fold the pancake using chop sticks.

Hot duck bouillon is drunk at the end of the main course. A great way to close the meal.

There’s always room for a strawberry or two…

One billion sandwiches are eaten in a day worldwide. Arguably the most popular street food, they can be bought at food trucks across the globe. The modern concept of the sandwich as we know it is claimed to have been invented by John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich in the late 1700s. It is said that during his lengthy gambling hours (often without breaks for meals), Lord Sandwich would ask his servants to bring him slices of meat between two slices of bread. The trend caught on and the ‘sandwich’ was born!

Lucky for us, the trend has now become a household staple. I love sandwiches – What could be more delicious than using in-season fresh veggies, delicious proteins, wholesome whole grains, and your own creative twist?

They can be simple, like sloppy Joe’s-style or the classic pb & j; or they can be fancy, dressed up with smoked salmon and capers. As an added bonus, sandwiches can be easily packed up and taken anywhere for a mid-adventure meal! Sandwiches are so popular and trendy, you can now find food trucks across North America exclusively selling sandwiches.

Here are a 7 of my favourite sandwiches:

Egg Tea English Sandwich.

Shrimp and Avocado Sandwich.

Italian Meatball Sandwich.

Easy Steak Sandwiches.

Tex-Mex Club Sandwich.

Onion & Bacon Cheese Ball Chicken Sandwich.

Parmesan and Dijon Mustard Chicken Sandwich.

Egg Tea English Sandwiches

Shrimp and Avocado Sandwiches

Italian Meatball Sandwiches

Easy Steak Sandwiches

Tex-Mex Club Sandwich

Onion & Bacon Cheese Ball Chicken Sandwich

Parmesan and Dijon Mustard Chicken Sandwich

Bon Appétit!

Today, 13 billion burgers are eaten everyday worldwide. The history of the hamburger spans many centuries and continents. In the 13th century, Genghis Khan’s Mongol soldiers tucked crude patties of tough bits of mutton under their saddles. The meat tenderized as they rode (buns wouldn’t have survived the ride)! When Kublai Khan invaded Moscow, the crude patty underwent a chef makeover to become the minced raw-meat delicacy “Steak Tartare,” named after the Mongols (also called “Tartars”).

Skip to the 1600s, when Germans took ‘tartare’ to North America, but cooked it and renamed it “Hamburg steak.” New world harbours attracted sailors from the old world with this “steak cooked in the Hamburg style.” It wasn’t until the 1800s at an American State Fair (in Hamburg, New York, fittingly enough!) that the modern hamburger was born.

As urban America expanded, so did the taste for burgers. Starting in the 1920s, hamburgers became a household name and the darling of the fast-food industry. Today, the burger is all grown up: many top restaurants feature gourmet-style burgers, and they can even be a delicious, healthy meal at your table!

Tops in Toppings

Lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard and mayo: move over! I’ve got the perfect topping for your next burger. You may be familiar with a large fast-food restaurant featuring golden arches… they have been topping their burgers with a delicious sauce for years. Inspired by their recipe, I challenged our chef’s to develop a better one – tastier, healthier and easy to make!

The result: Big Burger Sauce. This excellent sauce is a much better option than the alternative, if I do say so myself. It’s a fabulous accompaniment to your favourite burger toppings.

Classic Beef Burger

Ultimate Burger

Tutti-Fruitti Chicken Burgers

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

West Coast Grilled Salmon Burger

Nutty Lentil Burgers

Quinoa Burgers

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Tzaziki

Best Burger Recipes

Classic Beef Burger

Ultimate Burger

Tutti-Fruitti Chicken Burgers

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

West Coast Grilled Salmon Burger

Nutty Lentil Burgers

Quinoa Burgers

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Tzaziki

Dean Martin was right, “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore.”

For me, pizza is “the street food” par excellence. Pizza (as we know it) began its journey on the street; it first entered a pizzeria in Naples in the 1830s, but before then it was sold from open-air stands.

Pizza: A Short History

Pizza has been a part of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine for what seems like forever. Pizza, bread, and donuts all share the same roots, born more than 6,000 years ago, and further refined in Egypt when the principle of leavening was discovered – making bread more digestible and tastier.

In 16th century Naples, a galette flatbread was known as a pizza. A dish of the poor people, it was sold in the street. The ancient Romans also favoured this delicious flatbread (flavoured with olive oil and aromatic herbs such as oregano and basil). Romans imported the art of making dome ovens from Greeks, thus improving pizza forever.

The discovery of America marks another important step in pizza’s history. Many new fruits and vegetables were introduced to Europe from America, such as: corn, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, peppers, and zucchini. The tomato was used at first in the kitchen as cooked sauce with some salt and basil. Only later, someone had the idea to put it on pizza and in so doing invented “the pizza”.

It wasn’t until the 1950s that North Americans really started noticing pizza. Celebrities of Italian origin, such as Jerry Colonna, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, and baseball star Joe DiMaggio all devoured pizzas. It’s said the line from the famous Dean Martin song; “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore”, set America singing about and eating pizzas.

Down to the Dough

Every good pizza starts with good pizza dough.

Whether you’re going traditional (I recommend our Basic Pizza Dough) or whole-wheat (try our Whole-wheat Pizza Dough), making it yourself is the way to go! If you’re not sure you can do it, check out this post where I walk you through the easy steps to perfect grilled pizza.

Top it Off

There are so many fantastic ways to top pizza. It can be overwhelming deciding between all the flavour options. A great rule of thumb: keep it simple – less is more. I couldn’t choose a favourite, so here are my top 6:

Margherita Pizza. Margherita is a classic – kid friendly and grown up, too.

Pizza Bolognese. Modern and timely. Simple and delicious. Take out would cost a fortune; make it at home instead.

Grilled Vegetable Pizza. With or without tomatoes, this is one of my faves.

Veggie Pesto Pizza. Pesto with some favourite veggies and you’re set.

Grilled Smoked Salmon Pizza. Need I say more?

Steak, Mushroom and Cheese Pizza. Perfect for slicing up as appies when entertaining.

Recipes:

Margherita Pizza

Pizza Bolognese

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Veggie Pesto Pizza

Grilled Smoked Salmon Pizza

Steak, Mushroom and Cheese Pizza

Bon Appetito!