The shop was turned into ‘Studio One’ last week as we hosted a trio of interviews with Sheryl Mackay for CBC North by Northwest. First up at the microphone was Anna Olsen to talk about her fresh release, Back to Baking. With this book Anna felt she got back to her real passion in the kitchen and shares the joy in the process of baking. With all new recipes, created, tested, and photographed at her home using her own dishes, it is her most personal book yet. Anna prepared a lovely Apple Crisp Trifle that is a new and distinctly Canadian twist on a classic holiday treat. Anna encourages home bakers to have fun improvising with the recipes and their presentation – no trifle bowl? A tall glass vase is a good substitute; it’s elegant looking and allows room for a few extra layers.

When asked which book she most turns to for inspiration and ideas, Anna chose a well-worn and beloved classic, Joy of Cooking.

After morning trifle we turned to meatier fare as author JenniferMclagan joined Sheryl to share the wonders of culinary odd bits. Third in her ‘trilogy’ of books for unabashed carnivores, Odd Bits is an inventive, informative, and humorous cookbook that celebrates those often overlooked, yet downright tasty cuts of meats. She made believers of us all as she plated a delicious serving of beef tongue with salsa verde. 

Moving on to afternoon cocktails we next welcomed authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.  This charming husband-and-wife writing team— he is a chef, she a journalist — has produced four books in the past six years, and their latest, A Food Lover’s Guide to Wine is sure to be another bestseller. They shared some of their own food pairing ideas with Sheryl, along with some of their own more memorable wine moments (Valentines Day…champagne…chocolate…). Andrew and Karen encouraged readers to have fun trying new and different wine pairings and recommended we all keep our fridges well stocked, as they do, with Reisling as it is a good go to wine for most cuisines, and goes particularly well with spicy dishes. Their cookbook choice for Sheryl was also, The Joy of Cooking.

Check back to the CBC website to listen to a complete podcast of each interview in the coming weeks.