Men in the Kitchen: James Franco

Does James Franco like to cook? I don't know but I don't doubt it. As the resident I-can-do-anything-you-can-do-better! man of popular culture, I can completely imagine that Franco's kitchen skills are blow-you-away good. Maybe not, but either way, this photo should be inspiration enough for you to get in the kitchen and have some fun (I'm looking at you, guys). James will see you there.

The Great Canadian Wine Match

Natalie MacLean's Great Canadian Wine Match is in full swing. This playful competition takes Canadian wines, pairs them with food and pits them against each other for your vote! The ultimate match in each food category (beef, chicken, seafood, cheese, pizza, dessert) wins. Sounds fun, right? It is! And the competition is heating up.

We're now in the finalist round and my nomination for beef pairing is in the top five (very exciting)! I nominated Luckett Vineyards' Phone Box Red 2010*. Why? The bold, ripe-fruit flavour in this wine is perfectly matched to beef dishes of every season. Try it with spicy grilled hanger steak in the summer or comforting braised beef short ribs in the winter. It's sublime all year round.

I first tried this wine while enjoying the INCREDIBLE view of Nova Scotia's Gaspereau Valley from the Luckett Vineyards patio. A must see and a must drink.

So, what are you waiting for? VOTE! And vote for Phone Box Red! You can vote once a day, every day until the competition is over.

*While I nominated the 2010 Vintage, I'm told by the winery that they have very few bottles left and they are now on the 2011 Vintage. They assure me that the 2011 is even more complex and I cannot wait to try it.

Rhubarb Crumble Tartlets

Farmers markets are my playgrounds. Whether at home shopping at my local marché, or seeking out stranger markets in foreign cities, I could very happily spend every Saturday morning of my life walking from stall to stall, stand to stand, market basket on my arm (growing ever-heavier).

In the month of May, my local market, the Marché Atwater, really comes to life. The market remains open all year but the fun food stands and beautiful flowers don’t show their shining faces until spring is in full bloom. I sometimes find the frenetic activity of the Saturday morning market crowd a bit overwhelming but this past Saturday I arrived at the market during a wonderfully sleepy lull. The tourists seemed to have stayed at home and there were no lines at my favourite stands. Magic, truly.

And the best part? Rhubarb! One my top five favourite ingredients. I grabbed a huge bunch and promptly rushed home to create something sweet.

I’ve always been a fan of Rhubarb Crisp (I’ve even been known to call it my favourite dessert) but on this particular Saturday I felt like trying something new. I combined a classic – Rhubarb Pie – with a favourite – Rhubarb Crisp – and baked it in tiny tartlet pans to give it flair. The result? Flaky pastry, crunchy-sweet topping and an orange-scented rhubarb filling that is “to die for.”

Domestic Deborah’s Rhubarb Crumble Tartlets

Makes 4 tartlettes (with leftover filling for drizzling on vanilla ice cream later in the week)

For the Crust:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose (unbleached) flour

½ tsp flaky sea salt

½ tsp granulated sugar

½ cup icy cold unsalted butter (cut into 1-inch pieces)

½ cup ice water

For the Filling:

4 cups rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces

¾ cup granulated sugar

Zest and juice of 1 orange

½ tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

For the Crumble Topping:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup rolled oats

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl using a wire whisk. Combine flour and butter using a pastry cutter. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal (there may still be large pieces of butter – that’s okay). Stir in ¼ cup ice water using a large wooden spoon until mixture begins to come together. If mixture still appears too dry, add remaining water (the dough should not be sticky but you should be able to clump it together with your hands). Form into a ball and pat into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400.

Once chilled, unwrap and roll out on a floured surface until crust is 14 inches in diameter. Cut dough into four even pieces. Lay and fit each piece of dough on a tartlet pan. Cut off access dough. Chill dough in pans in freezer for 15 minutes.

Line pans with parchment and fill with pie weights. Blind bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile combine all filling ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until softened (about 5 minutes). Allow to cool slightly.

Combine all crumble ingredients in medium bowl and, using your fingers, rub butter into flour mixture.

Remove pie weights and parchment from tartlets. Fill with rhubarb filling and top with a generous amount of crumble topping (about ¼ cup).

Bake for 20 minutes until rhubarb is bubbling slightly and crumble is golden. Allow to cool before serving.