Recipes
HO-HO HOLIDAY HOSTING HANDBOOK MasterChef Canada winner and cooking show host Mary Berg shares entertaining favourites fit for the festive season.
T
HE HOLIDAYS ARE a time when we put our kitchen skills to the test and channel the master chefs inside of us. Whether you’re contending with a wonky oven at your in-laws, ad-libbing ingredient replacements for your cousin’s latest food intolerance or quadrupling your favourite appetizer recipe, holiday meal prep can feel like we’re competing for some unidentified crown with our most discerning family members serving as the judging panel. But Mary Berg, a MasterChef Canada winner herself and host of the cooking show Mary’s Kitchen Crush, promises us that hosting a celebratory meal doesn’t have to be as daunting as an on-air cooking competition. With her new cookbook Kitchen Party: Effortless Recipes for Every Occasion
($32, chapters.indigo.ca), Berg shares recipes that’ll impress a crowd while still being approachable to those of us that don’t consider ourselves expert chefs. Kitchen Party is inspired by Berg’s notion that dinner parties revolve around the kitchen with friends popping in to help, chat or grab another drink from the fridge. In our experience, the best parties end in the kitchen too with that nth bottle of wine getting uncorked while guests fork at leftovers of your tasty creations. Although, given Mary Berg’s delectable recipes, there might not be any leftovers to pick at. Divided into sections like 'Cocktail Parties' for indecisive hosts and 'Special Occasion' menus, this cookbook is a gift that will keep on giving long after the holidays are over. f
FOLLOW
VINACASABLANCA
FOODISM RECIPES, IN ASSOCIATION WITH VIÑA CASABLANCA Viña Casablanca is a boutique winery, and one of the first to be established in Casablanca Valley, a world-renowned wine region. The vineyards, located on the easternmost end of the Casablanca Valley, have a reputation for slow-ripening, balanced wines with an intense flavour. The Pacific Ocean's morning sea-breeze and cool
temperatures create the perfect environment for iconic Chilean wines like the acidic, handpicked Sauvignon Blanc, which took home 91 points at the Decanter Wine Awards. Meanwhile, in the Alto Maipo region, pickers select only the best grapes to make Vina Casablanca's Cabernet Sauvignon; a brambly, rich red that's both elegant and approachable.
33
