(Caramel cinnamon crème brûlée , white chocolate preserved strawberry mousse -- 2 of 4 desserts prepared by Chef Bertrand Alepee) Food porn alert! A few weeks ago Elana of HGTV.ca and I attended an elegant opening luncheon for the sales centre of ART Condos here in Toronto’s trendy Queen West neighbourhood. Elana has written all about the project from her field of expertise – design and décor -- which leaves me to talk about our exquisite lunch. It was prepared by Chef Bertrand Alepee of Toronto’s Amuse Bouche Restaurant. This Parisian native has worked with the likes of Guy Savoy so I knew we were in for a treat. He’s also big on cooking with local produce which is always nice to see. The wine pairings were provided by Stratus. As a treat we got to sample their Tollgate brand which is only available in a few select Ontario restaurants – you can’t buy this wine even if you wanted. Who knew a condo launch event would provide me with one of the best meals I’ve had in awhile. Check out the gallery below and get ready to drool my friends. You need to upgrade your Flash Player to 9 or greater Chef Bertrand even provided a recipe for his heavenly Almond Macaron, Roiboos Tea Milk Chocolate Ganache . See recipe below. Makes 25 macarons Ingredients: INGREDIENTS: • 100g ground almond • 160g icing sugar • 80g egg white • 50g sugar For the ganache: • 100g 70% chocolate in chips or finely chopped • 140ml 35% cream • 1 bag of tea DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven @ 150C/300F Mix the ground almond and the icing sugar and pass through a sieve, place in a mixing bowl and make a well. Whip the egg whites in a mixer and add the sugar slowly once the whites start stiffening Place the whipped egg white in the well and using a rubber spatula, fold everything slowly together. The mix needs to be uniform and shinny. Using a piping bag, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe some of the mixture the size of a quarter, spacing each one and let it rest for 30 minutes – the top of each “quarter” must dry and form a thin crust. Bake in the oven for about 25-30min (the macarons must get a nice light golden color). Let it cool down on the trays then peel the macarons off the parchment. Prepare the ganache, boil the cream, remove from the heat and add the tea bag. Let it steep for 5 minutes then strain. Bring the cream back to a boil then pour on the chocolate and...

Last week, I told you about some unique Masala Christmas cookies and as promised here’s that Garam Masala Hot Chocolate demo I’ve been talking to you about. A pinch of the savoury spice elevates the everyday hot chocolate into something really spectacular. Try it, you won’t be disappointed. It's the perfect antidote to the harsh weather. Preena Chauhan’s Garam Masala Hot Chocolate Serves 1 This Indian-spiced hot chocolate is a balance of savoury and sweet spices including cumin, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon. Add a hint of black pepper for a touch of heat! Ingredients: 1 cup 2% milk 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (use good quality cocoa) 2 tsp. raw cane sugar ½ tsp. Arvinda’s Garam Masala (or any good quality Garam Masala) 1 cinnamon stick to garnish (optional) Directions: In a non-stick pot, add milk, cocoa powder and sugar. Using a silicone or plastic whisk, mix ingredients together until milk is frothy and cocoa powder is well dissolved. Add Arvinda’s Garam Masala and bring to a boil. Serve in a mug with a cinnamon stick to garnish. Enjoy! Related: Merry Masala Christmas Cookies