Food

Decadent and delicious, chocolate is loved by aficionados everywhere. Here are some tempting recipes to try your hand at making this delicious treat.
Basic Dark Chocolate Ganache
This basic ganache recipe can be used to make dipped chocolates or as a filling for petit four cups or truffle shells.
500 g (1 lb) 35 per cent cream
60 g (2 oz) good-quality honey

This exquisite dessert provides a velvety chocolate finish to a Valentine’s Day meal. The sweet and spicy blend of honey mustard and chocolate makes for a simple yet sophisticated treat.
Chocolate Fondant
60 ml (4 tbsp) 15 per cent cream
100 g (3 1/2 oz) white chocolate
30 ml (2 tbsp) honey mustard
60 g (2 oz) butter
200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate
3 eggs
125 ml (1/2 cup) flour

No matter how delicious a caesar salad is, chilly temperatures tend to be a turnoff for all things leafy green.
Which is why I decided to tinker with the basics of this classic salad, to see whether I could make a winter-friendly version that was true to its tangy, cheesy roots, but also hardy enough to be desirable on a snowy night.

As so many avid grillers continue to fire up the barbecue in the dead of winter, why not put together a treat for guests gathering around the television to watch the Super Bowl game this Sunday?
Hot Dogs With Chili
8 all-beef hot dogs (each about 125 g/4 oz)
8 hot dog buns
250 ml (1 cup) grated sharp cheddar cheese, for garnish
2 slices bacon, finely chopped

I like the classic look of dark chocolate, so I used dark brown chocolate melts. But they are available in numerous colours. You also can get creative with this. Use one colour to coat the bonbons, then melt a second colour to drizzle over them for a decorative look.

The key to ensuring that dinner is both substantial and healthy? Fibre.
Adding plenty of whole grains and vegetables not only provides piles of nutrients, it also fills you up and keeps you full for long after the meal has finished. As well, these foods tend to be lower in calories, which means you can load up without getting weighed down.

TORONTO — Bacon is sizzling among foodies as chefs, recipe developers, bloggers and home cooks all tout the meaty little snack.

Bacon spread or marmalade imparts a smoky flavour to these recipes.
Bacon Jam Stuffed Potato Skins
Chef Josh Henderson of Skillet Street Food in Seattle said he made this recipe for his Super Bowl party last year. “It was a huge hit — I thought I had overprepared, but everything was gone and I have the feeling that our guests would have finished the rest had I made more!”

Enchant the children at a winter birthday party with these white chocolate and jam snowball pocket pies.
Decorate the pies with multi-coloured sprinkles or a colourful icing.
Snowball Pocket Pies
2 frozen deep-dish pie shells
50 ml (1/4 cup) raspberry jam (or another favourite flavour)
75 ml (1/3 cup) white chocolate chips
7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) finely diced cold butter
15 ml (1 tbsp) milk

Warm and creamy, au gratin are perfect for a cold winter night. And what better way to say “I love you” than with a little indulgence of seafood and cream.