Jak’s Kitchen

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Jak's Kitchen is a quaint little restaurant on the corner of Bronson and McLeod. It used to be the old Stoneface Dolly's a while back. I was afraid when they first opened that their breakfast wouldn't be as good, but it is. As was the old restaurant, you have to show up early for breakfast or you'll be waiting a while for a seat. But the wait is well worth it. They even serve you coffee outside in the meantime. This morning I ordered the Popeye Benedictine, poached eggs on a buttermilk biscuit, baby spinach, roasted red peppers and diablo sauce. It comes with homefries and choice of fresh fruit or kitchen greens. I went with the greens. Their coffee and juices are also very good. They even have peach or blueberry mamosas. With some of the other breakfast dishes, you get your choice of bread, and all are amazing - Molasses-oat, Rye Bread, Sourdough, Buttermilk Biscuit or Sesame Bagel. Not that my benedictine on the biscuit wasn't enough, but I just had to order a side of sourdough toast so that I could enjoy the homemade jam on the table. So as usual, I left very full. Their breakfasts range from $6 to $11 and the service is very efficient and friendly. I've never been for dinner but i'm sure it's equally good. Definitely a regular.

Jak’s Kitchen

David Eyre’s Pancake and Smoked Bacon

I believe my husband got this recipe from the New York Times last year. It's always a big hit for breakfast with company. It's simple to make, yet very impressive as it rises to a puffed state when you remove it from the oven. It can be served with any of the following toppings, fruit, whipped cream, cinnamon, or the way my husband made it today, with lemon, icing sugar and maple syrup.

What you’ll need
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of flour
Lemon
Icing sugar
Butter
Maple syrup
Smoked bacon

What to do
Preheat oven to 350. Crack the eggs in a bowl and add the milk and flour. Beat lightly and keep it slightly lumpy. Heat butter in a cast iron pan and grease the bottom. Pour in the mixture and then put it in the oven for 15 minutes. It will look like a big puff when it comes out.


Squeeze some lemon juice and sprinkle some icing sugar on top. Bring to the table before it deflates. Serve with maple syrup and bacon.

Beet and Goat Cheese Tartelettes and Veal Chops with Risotto

Despite an evening of unfortunate events (getting stuck behind an accident for 30 minutes on his way to get a missing ingredient from a store 5 minutes away, to the alarm going off and the dog freaking out, to the microwave blowing up part way through the meal prep), my husband still managed to pull together one of his best meals yet. Friends of ours were down from Mont Tremblant (you may recall our weekent at Zoya's). And this was our chance to thank them. I still can't stop thinking about how exquisite and mouthwatering this meal was. Unfortunately I didn't get the recipe from him as I didn't want to disturb him while he was cooking. We started off with a warm, melt in your mouth beet and goat cheese tartelette with a balsamic glaze and chives (I would seriously eat 100 of these). Then for our main, he served veal chops in an ambrosial cream, cognac, thyme, shallot and chive sauce with morel and king eryngii mushrooms and an amazing, rich tasting risotto. Served with a dry, medium-bodied Masi Campofiorin (thanks Zoya!) this meal was fine dining at it's best.

Coconut Curry Chicken on Basmati Rice

Tonight's dinner was fabulous and with not too much effort. Although anything that requires more than the microwave is an effort to me. Before getting the details on cooking this dish, I would have thought even more time and effort would have been required. Or maybe my husband just makes it look easy. God he's great! This dish has tons of flavour and is topped with my favorite herb, cilantro!

What you’ll need
Chicken
Chopped onions
3/4 can of tomato paste
1 can of coconut milk
3-4 tbs of curry paste
Chopped cilantro
Basmati rice

What to do
Cook the chicken in a frying pan or cast iron pan. Once cooked, add the onions and fry. Remove the chicken and cut into smaller pieces. Dump the tomato paste, coconut milk and curry paste into the pan with the onions, mix together and heat. Add the chicken back in. Serve on top of the rice and top with cilantro.

Breakfast Smoothie

I'm the kind of person who, if I really like something, I can eat it day after day for months and not get bored of it. Excluding weekends, here's my regular morning breakfast. It's a tasty smoothie that gives me all the antioxidants I need to ward off colds. It also gives me the energy I need to bike to work and fuels my brain productivity, until about 10am anyway.

What you’ll need

Mixed frozen berries

Banana

Plain yogurt

Vanilla hemp milk

Green tea powder

Ground flax

Orange juice (and/or any other juice like pineapple or grapefruit – if you use grapefruit, add some honey)

What to do

Blend it all together and enjoy. YUM! 

Steak with Balsamic Glaze

Since summer ended we haven't eaten much beef. When BBQ season starts so do the steaks and burgers. I briefly worry about my health and then I just say screw it and enjoy every minute, it only lasts so long after all. The rest of the year is spent mainly with chicken and fish. Except the odd occasion, like tonight. My husband made a savory sesame encrusted steak with a balsamic glaze and served it alongside a yummy mesclun mix and mâche salad with blue cheese dressing. Blue cheese and beef have to be the best combo. If you're not a fan of blue cheese, start off slowly, it's an acquired taste. The first time I ate it and enjoyed it was in a pasta combined with steak. Now, I love it, on anything or on it's own with a glass of red wine.

What you’ll need

Steak

Sesame seeds

Balsamic vinaigrette

Sherry

Honey

Garlic

Chili flakes

Soya sauce

Mesclun mix

Mâche mix

Green onions

Blue cheese dressing

What to do

Coat steak in sesame seeds and fry. Set aside. Fry up some garlic and add the sherry. Boil off the sherry (reduce it), then add the other ingredients in the same pan and heat. Spoon over the steak and serve with salad.

Sausage and Five Cheese Multigrain Pizza and Spinach Salad

Ok, so this is partially a packaged meal. BUT, no matter what it is we eat, packaged or not, my husband always makes it so much better than I ever would. How? By either adding ingredients to the packaged food or adding an awesome side dish. This McCain pizza looks all fancy schmancy next to this delicious spinach, onion, olive, sunflower seed, toasted walnut and balsamic vinaigrette salad. Amazing what a little bit of effort will do – my husband excellent at making good things great. These types of meals are the best for evenings when you don't get home until 8:30 or so.