TIM TANZ I JOI DE VIVRE
Relax — shortcuts are just fine for spring entertaining.
Many of us entertain in the summer, or may need to bring a meal or dessert as a guest, but if you’re all thumbs in the kitchen (or just don’t feel like cooking) relax, leave the cooking to a pro, and come out looking like a champion.
With an emphasis on classic recipes, these professional chefs are your “secret weapon” — because all is fair when it comes to summertime entertaining. JUST DESSERTS
Do you love dessert but would rather buy one than make one? Then Klara Johnson is your go-to. No newcomer to the area, Klara has been in downtown Cambridge for more than 10 years, creating spectacular wedding cakes as well as offering lessons in cake decorating and the “sugar arts.”
Now Klara has expanded her offerings and opened The Bake Shop on Main in old downtown Galt — an old-fashioned bake shop showcasing classic desserts.
Available in the shop are her signature desserts such as the Opera Cake – a rich chocolate layer cake with coffee ganache and mocha butter cream; blueberry, apple or sour cherry filled “Hand Pies;” Grand Marnier meringue chocolate tarts; and, new for >>
>> summer, a kiwi, passion fruit and mango entremet — a multi-layered mousse-based cake.
Classics such as Gâteau St. Honoré, Croquembouche, petit fours or almost any beloved cake or favourite dessert can be special ordered. I recently gave Klara a coconut cake recipe from a favourite hotel in Hawaii and she produced a cake exactly like the original.
The Bake Shop On Main, 31 Main St., Cambridge; 519-620-8585
TIM TIP: For desserts such as chocolate mousse or trifle, take in your own serving bowl when ordering, and your guests will swear it was made “in house.”
SAVOUR THE SUMMER
Classically trained chef Moe Vidotto was born in Italy, raised in Port Elgin, and is now based in Guelph.
A self-confessed “forager,” Moe is offering his services as a caterer and personal chef with Savour The Season – specializing in artisanal foods using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Classic Italian and French cuisine dishes can be ordered, such as Risotto Milanese, ossobuco, coq au vin or sole paupiette, but Moe can also design a menu based on the season or a client’s personal tastes and preferences. Recently, as hors d’oeuvres for a Canadian-themed menu, Moe created lobster rolls on bannock bread – a flat bread brought by Scottish settlers and taught to the Cree in northern Quebec several hundred years ago. Condiments and preserves such as zucchini relish, Nona’s Antipasto and peppered concord grapes, produced in limited quantities, are also available for purchase.
Savour The Season, www.savourtheseason.ca; email: info@savourtheseason.ca.
TIM TIP: Order an easy-to-transport dish and one that is easy to heat before serving. such as a manicotti, seafood crêpes or chicken pot pie, and take it with you when you are hosting or as a (very welcome) cottage guest.
Discovered!
BRAND NEW on the market and the golf green this summer – Biion Footwear is old-world Brogue styling in a high-performance spikeless golf shoe.
But this is more than a golf shoe. This is a go-anywhere shoe, meant to be worn sockless on and off the green. They are stylish enough to wear at the clubhouse, on the city street or in a restaurant.
Moulded EVA uppers mean no seams or laces for barefoot comfort that moulds to your foot, making them great on a boat, by the pool or in the garden – they’re also washable.
Think of them as Crocs you’re not embar- rassed to be seen in.
Available in a dizzying array of colour and pattern combinations, they can even be custom ordered in club or corporate colours or printed with a logo. Men’s Brogue styling is of the moment for both men and women so these are offered in unisex sizing.
Priced at $80 to $120, you don’t have to choose just one pair. They should be available at local golf retailers in May. For information, check: www.biionfootwear.com.