The Ultimate Hershey's Chipits Cookie

I love going out and exploring our vibrant city of Toronto, but it had been a long time since I had invited a friend over to watch movies and have dinner. It's the little things in life like spending time with my dear friend and just catching up on the details of our lives that make our bond special.

For dinner, we shared a pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut and had the chance to try their Ultimate Hershey's Chipits Cookie. Both pizza and cookie were piping hot and fresh. We were looking forward to trying the cookie, which is shaped like a pie, made with Hershey's Chipits chocolate chips and cut into eight sweet slices.

We opted for one slice each with a tablespoon of vanilla bean ice cream. The warm and gooey texture mixed with creamy, cold ice cream was an excellent combination. Although we were craving more, our bellies were saying no, as we were quite stuffed! The Ultimate Hershey's Chipits Cookie is a treat that is best enjoyed by small groups, but we definitely appreciated having leftovers for the next day! 

There is nothing quite like the taste of soft, warm and chewy chocolate chip cookies. The Ultimate Hershey's Chipits Cookie is available exclusively at Pizza Hut, but if you would like to nibble on homemade goodies, I have the perfect recipe for Chipits Chewy Milk Chocolate Cookies. As the quintessential classic snack, the treat is easy to make and easier to enjoy!

Ingredients:

•         2/3 cup melted butter
•         2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
•         2 eggs
•         2 tbsp hot water
•         2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
•         1 tsp baking powder
•         1tsp baking soda
•         ¼ tsp salt
•         12/3 cups Chipits Milk Chocolate Chips

 Directions:

 1.       Heat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2.       In large bowl, beat melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and hot water until smooth.

3.       In medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into butter mixture until blended. 

4.       Stir in milk chocolate chips. Drop from small tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.

5.       Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 1 minute; remove to wire rack. 

Makes 5 dozen cookies.

The Ultimate Hershey's Chipits Cookie was complimentary. The opinions expressed in my post are genuinely my own. 

Burger Time at The Harbord Room

Meat lovers rejoice! Today is National Burger Day. Toronto boasts many restaurants with excellent burgers. My favourite burger, in particular, can be found at The Harbord Room. The narrow and intimate restaurant prepares select international dishes from charred leek and eggplant borani with za'atar, pomegranate seeds and crispy pita ($9) to house-made rigatoni with spicy sausage ($17).

However, the dry-aged 'West Grey Farms' beef burger ($19) is the pièce de résistance. Served on a fresh egg bun with sharp cheddar and caramelized onions, the medium rare burger is juicy, tender and seasoned to perfection. The delectable burger is accompanied with crispy fries and tangy slaw. While it can be quite messy to eat, you won't be bothered, as here, taste is king! 

For dessert, try the sweet brown butter cake ($9) with house-made vanilla bean ice cream and panna cotta, which is perfect for sharing. Service and food are exceptional at The Harbord Room.

For more information, visit theharbordroom.com

Discovered Chef Culinary Competition

I am a big fan of the Food Network's show, Master Chef, which features home cooks competing for a chance to win prizes and the title of Master Chef. While watching the show, I have wondered if the stress and pressure that the chefs face are as intense in real life as they appear on television. 

A friend of mine told me about the Discovered Chef Culinary Competition which I recently attended. Similar to Master Chef, the competition was created to find Canada's great undiscovered chef. Chefs compete to showcase their culinary skills in front of a live audience. I was very curious to see how they would exercise their creativity and handle the pressure of making multiple dishes in a short amount of time. The competition was held at Nella Cucina, where I had my first professional cooking class just a few weeks earlier.

Jamie Drummond, a sommelier, was the entertaining host for the night. The chefs had to each cook an appetizer, main dish and dessert over the course of two hours using ingredients given to them in mystery boxes. A panel of judges sampled and scored the food and eliminated one chef after the appetizer, main course and dessert until they had their winner. 

The Chefs

Cesar Andocilla - Cook at Harvest Kitchen

Taylor Sweet - 1st Cook at Keg Steakhouse & Bar

Magda Sylvestre Louis-Jean - Chef at La Creole

Kira Whittaker - Sous Chef at Jack Astor's Bar & Grill

The Judges

Zane Caplansky - Owner of Caplansky's Delicatessen
Alexa Clark - Blogger & Co-Chair at Second Harvest 
Christian Fontolan - Executive Chef at 7 Enoteca 

The judges were looking for creativity, playfulness and most importantly, flavour and taste.

Round 1 - The Appetizer

The mystery ingredients for the appetizer were mussels, ramps and Thousand Island dressing. Chef Whittaker struggled with the appetizer round, as she is allergic to seafood and was unable to taste the food that she was preparing. Chef Sweet also does not cook with seafood, so it was quite challenging for him, too. After the judges tasted and deliberated, Chef Whittaker was eliminated in the first round.

Round 2 - The Main Course

The chefs had to cook with breakfast sausage, duck eggs, Cap'n Crunch and collard greens. After observing the chefs in action, I could see that they were under a lot of pressure, as they were working against the clock and the chefs had never cooked with some of the ingredients before. With a live audience scrutinizing their every move, they were certainly feeling the heat. The competition had a lot of high energy and Chef Andocilla even cut himself, but like a trouper, he kept going. The judges both praised and criticized the chefs' skills and abilities. With Chef Andocilla, they wanted to see beautiful presentation of the food. They praised Chef Sylvestre Louis-Jean's creativity in use of the Cap'n Crunch ingredient as a garnish as well as incorporating it in her sauce. Chef Sweet was eliminated in this round, as his frittata was undercooked and flavour was lacking.  

Round 3 - Dessert

Chef Sylvestre Louis-Jean and Chef Andocilla went head to head to prepare a dessert, which had to include unique ingredients such as kombucha, meringues, blueberries and agar-agar. The judges did not like that Chef Andocilla used store bought cookies in his dessert. They loved Chef Sylvestre Louis-Jean's pudding and her use of the meringue. After the judges deliberated, they named Chef Sylvestre Louis-Jean as the winner of this week's Discovered Chef Culinary Competition. She was beaming and it was wonderful to see her supported by her family.

This experience was something out of the ordinary for me, as it made me realize that I can exercise more creativity in the kitchen. On my next grocery shopping trip, I am going to challenge myself by picking up an ingredient that I have never cooked with before.

If you would like to be a part of the live audience of the Discovered Chef Culinary Competition, visit facebook.com/discoveredchefs for more information. 

An Evening of French Food and Drink with Barton & Guestier

I enjoy watching the Food Network and seeing both professional and amateur chefs getting to exercise their creativity in the kitchen. Since most restaurants have their kitchens behind closed doors, it is rare to see chefs executing their signature dishes or sharing personal tips with curious guests. So when I was invited to take a culinary class hosted by Barton & Guestier (B & G) at Nella Cucina Kitchen, I jumped at the opportunity to work with an experienced chef in a professional kitchen. 

What's more is that special guest, Clementine Queraux, the Export Manager and Global Brand Ambassador for B & G guided us through wine and food pairings. Founded in 1725, B & G is the oldest wine merchant in Bordeaux, France. 

As I mingled with my peers, I was offered a glass of B & G Passeport Bordeaux Blanc. This light wine had floral notes combined with vanilla and fruity aromas. Served with fig and cheese crostini, it was the perfect prelude of delicious indulgences to come! 

Brianne Nash (of Chopped Canada fame) led our team in preparing the entree, which was grilled organic New York strip loin from Beretta Farms. 

Under Nash's instruction, we salted and grilled the steaks to a perfect 120 degrees. 

She also taught us how to make a flavourful wine reduction using B & G's Domaine La Gardie. The combination of wine, shallots, beef stock and rosemary produced a heavenly aroma while simmering away. I really enjoyed the hands-on and interactive component of preparing a meal with the other guests. I could not wait to sample the other dishes that were prepared. Once we finished cooking, we sat down and enjoyed the fruits of our labour together. 

Growing up on her family's vineyard in the Bordeaux region, Queraux has seen firsthand what it takes to produce high-quality wines. So it is a natural fit that she imparted her knowledge of B & G wine to usand did so in a most charming and entertaining manner.

The first course on the menu was a fresh beet, fennel and apple salad with honey-mustard dressing made by my peers. The wine pairing for the salad was a medium-bodied B & G Partager La Gardie Merlot, which had hints of herbs and the sweet scent of raspberry and currants. It was the perfect complement to the crisp and refreshing salad. 

I eagerly anticipated sampling the main course that my team and I prepared. The steak was served overtruffle roasted fingerling potatoes and glazed beans. Although not as tender as other cuts of beef, strip loin is arguably the most flavourful. It is best cooked medium rare, so that it does not become tough in texture. I thoroughly enjoyed the steak, as it was juicy and bursting with flavour, even though it was sparsely seasoned. The vegetarian accompaniments provided a fine balance to the meal. Paired with a glass of dry B & G Partager La Gardie Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium bodied wine revealed notes of blackcurrant, cherry and plum aromas. 

To end the experience, we enjoyed a dark chocolate brownie with sour cherry compote. Dessert was paired with Les Charmes de Magnol Médoc, a Bordeaux blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. Fruity aromas wafted from my glass of the smooth, tannic wine. Aged in French Oak for six months, it had a bold and distinctive flavour. 

My first foray in cooking French cuisine and learning about recommended wine pairings was an excellent learning experience thanks to Nash and Queraux. I look forward to hosting my next dinner party with an air of sophistication and French flair! 

To learn more about Barton & Guestier, visit barton-guestier.com/
To learn more about Nella Cucina Kitchen, visit nellacucina.ca

Let's Be Frank

The newly opened hot dog bar at College and Spadina, Let's Be Frank serves up gourmet franks with bold flavours and ingredients. I was invited to sample their inventive hot dogs and after doing so, I don't think I can ever eat a regular hot dog with plain ketchup and mustard again. The humorously named menu items include The Dogfather, Tijuana Danger Dog and Mac Daddy, which are all unique and tasty. Tenacious entrepreneurs Simon Colyer, Julie Ford and Christa Muio began their venture with a food truck at festivals five years ago. Experiencing trials and tribulations along the way and learning all about the food industry, they sold their food truck and opened their restaurant just late last year. A gourmet hot dog bar is a rarity in Toronto and the owners have certainly found a welcomed niche with their menu offerings. 

Let's Be Frank's hot dog are sizzling hot! The meat lovers will enjoy the pulled pork po'boy, which is a hot dog topped with slow-cooked pulled pork, tangy coleslaw, zesty homemade barbeque sauce and hickory sticks. 

They hit it out of the park with their scrumptious katsu dog. The crispy panko crusted, deep fried hot dog with wasabi mayo, sesame barbeque sauce and green onions is inspired by Japanese flavours and is among my favourite. 

The classic corn dog is simple, yet fresh, chewy and evokes memories of my summertime childhood. Spicy bite-sized hot dog wings are a take on Buffalo-style chicken wings that are accompanied with a tangy blue cheese sauce for dipping. The hot dog bites are breaded, fried, and tossed in Buffalo sauce.

Side dishes include creamy mac & cheese topped with bacon bits, Southern Blues BBQ sauce and hot dog gravy poutine. The seasoned fries are topped with gravy and fresh curds from Kensington Market's Cheese Magic store.

I sampled 3.5-inch sliders of each hot dog, and they also come in the 6 inch regular and 8-inch big dog sizes. Let's Be Frank uses Nathan's Famous beef hot dogs and Silverstein's buns. You can request to replace your hot dog bun with a bed of fries, which is quite enticing. If you're not ready to take a bite out of these novel hot dogs, you can opt for the Naked Dog, without any of the fancy fixings.

For dessert, I had the Ivana banana dog, which is a deep-fried banana with peanut butter, jelly & Nutella. I am told that this dessert dog is a very popular choice with kids. It is crispy, warm, melt-in-your-mouth goodness!

Let's Be Frank aims to be a fun destination, where you can bring your own vinyl on Tuesdays and listen to your favourite tunes while indulging in tasty treats with family and friends. With patio season just around the corner, Let's Be Frank will be opening both their front and back patios soon, which can accommodate 30 people each. If you think hot dogs are boring, think again. Visit Let's Be Frank, eat one of their hot dogs and let that myth be quickly dispelled!

460 Spadina Avenue

416-519-7256

lets-be-frank.ca