Food

NEW YORK — In recent years all manner of unassuming foods have endured high-end makeovers. Mac and cheese was spiked with lobster and truffles, hamburgers got serious slider treatment, and cupcakes morphed into an industry dripping with retro-cuteness.
Now pizza is enjoying its own artisanal moment.

Peanut butter recalls. Spinach scares. Contaminated meat.
Is it any wonder Americans are jittery about their food? So much so that when The Associated Press recently ran a recipe for traditional spaghetti carbonara — complete with its only barely cooked egg — emails poured in.
Had we forgotten the step in the recipe about cooking the egg?

The skill and agility of the Olympic athletes is not only a result of their strenuous training. It’s also important for them to follow a regimen of sound nutrition.
“And that doesn’t mean bland meals,” says John Berardi of St. Catharines, Ont., who has worked with a number of Canadian Olympic athletes.

The world’s best athletes are thrilling spectators and television viewers alike as they perform amazing manoeuvres on alpine slopes and various ice surfaces as they go for the gold at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
You may marvel at their preparations and intense focus, but have you ever wondered what they ate for breakfast?

Wherever in Canada there is a Chinatown, there too you will find dim sum, small dishes such as savoury dumplings, fluffy steamed buns and fried squid in batter.
Increasingly, non-Chinese living in cities are gravitating to restaurants for these enticing small-dish meals.

Treat your special Valentine to this decadent dessert. A little cherry juice goes a long way in this cream brulee and will add a punch of antioxidants as a bonus. Cherry Creme Brulee
550 ml (2 1/4 cups) heavy cream
75 ml (1/3 cup) tart cherry juice concentrate
6 egg yolks
120 ml (8 tbsp) sugar
30 to 45 ml (2 to 3 tbsp) sugar, for crust