Alex Prud'homme had a special bond with his great aunt, Julia Child. I found Alex an affable and warm person. Perhaps that's because we both had a special connection to Julia – I was her dear friend. In 2016, I interviewed Alex Prud'homme while he was on a book tour promoting The French Chef in America. You can listen to our conversation here (and I highly recommend it – Alex is delightful!):  https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/julia-childs-act-alex-prudhomme/  There are two staples from Julia in my cooking repertoire: Potatoes Anna and Lemon Loaf Cake. You'll find both of ..read more

Eloquent Toronto restaurateur Jen Agg is a strong woman. Her book “I Hear She's a Real Bitch” relates how the media has not always been kind, mischaracterizing Jen's feminine strength and ambition as pushy and bitchy. As a strong woman, who also had a career in a male-dominated field, I can relate. I don't find Jen to be a bitch. When I interviewed her in 2017, I found her to be passionate, principled, caring, creative and a credit to her profession. Listen to my interview with Jen Agg here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/patriarchy-pate-jen-agg-tells/ Follow Jen on Instagram: https://www ..read more

Old-school fast food is in Sean Brock's blood. The Nashville-based, James Beard award-winning chef recently opened Joyland - a burger-fries-fried chicken joint that hearkens back to the 1950s. We can see Sean's love of diner food in Charleston episode of Parts Unknown clip of him with Anthony Bourdain to the iconic Waffle House. In this funny and nostalgic video, Sean waxes poetic about the virtues of scattered, smothered chunks while Anthony declares the food is better than French Laundry. Since this was filmed, Sean has found sobriety and we have lost our great Anthony but the charm of this ..read more

The Waldorf Salad – named after its birthplace, Manhattan's legendary Waldorf Astoria hotel – has evolved since it was first created in 1896. In my 2013 interview with the hotel's then executive chef David Garcelon, we talked about the enduring popularity of the famous salad. At the time of this interview, the Waldorf Astoria was serving 20,000 salads/year! Hear David and me chat about the evolution of the world's most famous salad here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/youre-a-waldorf-salad/ I also wrote a blog post based on my interview with David, which includes my recipe for Waldorf Sal ..read more

My friend pastry chef Joanne Yolles made Tarte Tatin together at least six times before we perfected the recipe. We went through a lot of apples and butter - but oh my, was it worth it! Practice makes perfect. Tune into this episode to learn the recipe the hacks we discovered after baking this ultimate apple scrumptious dessert: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/talk-tarte-tatin-joanne-yolles/ Here is the Ultimate Tarte Tatin recipe: https://www.marionkane.com/recipes/recipe-tarte-tatin/ and the story behind it https://www.marionkane.com/recipe-2/pastry-chef-joanne-yolles-core/ For more rec ..read more

Apples are my favourite fruit, and I particularly love the McIntosh. It's truly part of Canada's culinary heritage, originating as a wild seedling in the Ontario village of Dundela. The story of the McIntosh is compelling, with moments of triumph and tragedy. Listen further to learn about the dramatic history of the McIntosh: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/core-mcintosh-apple-story/ My recipe for Apple Crumble works best with tart apples. Try making it with a mix of McIntosh, Northern Spy and Cortlands: https://www.marionkane.com/recipe-2/apple-crumble-crisp-crunchy-and-delish/ For more ..read more

BBQ guru Rob Firing taught me two important lessons about grilling steak. First is to use a coulotte cut of beef; for the uninitiated, the coulotte is boneless, has the flavour of a flank steak but is less chewy. (Bonus: Coulotte is usually reasonably priced). The second piece of advice Rob gave me was to reverse-sear. This method requires slow, low temp cooking before briefly searing the juices in. Trust when I say that reverse-searing guarantees a tender, juicy steak, every time! Listen to my podcast episode with Rob Firing here: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/grill-rob-firing-barbecues ..read more

Should peaches be crunchy or soft? What is the best peach dessert? Are peaches an aphrodisiac? Find out these things and more when you listen to my podcast episode about the Winona Peach Festival which takes place this weekend August 25-27. https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/sleuth-ultimate-dessert-annual/ Visit the Winona Peach Festival website for more information: http://winonapeach.com/ I have an outstanding recipe for Peach Galette. It uses a trick I learned from chef Jacques Pepin - layering ground almonds to prevent a soggy bottom crust. https://www.marionkane.com/recipes/recipe-pea ..read more

Today is the birthday of my mentor and friend Julia Child. In 2014, I interviewed Julia's long-time assistant Stephanie Hersh. She confessed to me that she told a fib to get her job! She also shared a story about a time Julia made her break the law. Stephanie affectionately thinks about Julia every day: https://www.marionkane.com/podcast/stephanie-hersh-talks-beloved/ After Julia passed, Stephanie Hersh sent me the most warm, beautiful reflection on our dear friend. You can read Stephanie's touching email here: https://www.marionkane.com/julia-child-100/raise-a-toast/ For recipes of all kind ..read more

Newly elected mayor of Toronto Olivia Chow has long been an advocate for social reform. In 2015, I visited Olivia in her downtown home just weeks before she announced her NDP candidacy in the federal election. We chatted about our mutual passion for food and cooking, in particular our wish for a Canadian national program offering nutritious food for all schoolchildren. Like her late husband, Jack Layton, she had a message of hope ..read more