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The latest buzz on restaurants, chefs, bars, food shops and food events. Sign up for the Dish newsletter for weekly updates. Send tips to thedish@torontolife.com

DIY Gourmet

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December 15, 2009 | 2:15 pm

Cooking classes: the gift that gives back to the gifter

(Photo by xiaofeng17)

(Photo by xiaofeng17)

Unsurprisingly, cooking class registration increases in the weeks after Christmas, as wannabe chefs redeem gifts of culinary education. Those shopping around for just the right present will find options for any taste and talent level, with seminars on everything from making chocolate to tasting cheese or learning how to fry an Indian dosa. For romance, try a couples class; for kitchen newbies, there are beginner chef series. Below, our list of nine Toronto teaching kitchens and the gift-worthy classes they offer this December.

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DIY Gourmet

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December 9, 2009 | 3:46 pm

Just Ducky: chef Jason Inniss shows us how to make Amuse-Bouche’s honey-glazed roasted duck

duck_amuse-bouche__If pigs could fly, they’d be ducks, according to Jason Inniss, chef and co-owner of the endearing west-end restaurant Amuse-Bouche. As with pork, every bit of the bird is usable, and Inniss cooks them beak-to-pope’s-nose, from confit to rendered fat to roast breast to stock. He’s a stickler for conscientious thriftiness. He serves his honey-glazed, roasted duck breast with Swiss chard cannelloni, and even the discarded chard stems have a purpose; he sautées them with house-made spaetzle as a side.

• Get the recipe »

DIY Gourmet

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November 9, 2009 | 12:36 pm

Nice rack: how to make Didier Leroy’s unapologetically decadent lamb Wellington

(Photo by Edward Pond)

(Photo by Edward Pond)

Classic French cuisine is enjoying yet another buttery comeback. And no one makes it quite like Didier Leroy, the chef and owner of Didier, this city’s most unapologetically Gallic restaurant. His lamb Wellington is decadence wrapped in more decadence. While he makes his own puff pastry (a process that takes two days), he suggests buying a quality butter-based version. A word to the wise: take the Frenchman’s advice.

• Continue reading for Didier Leroy’s full recipe for lamb Wellington »

DIY Gourmet

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October 7, 2009 | 9:39 am

How to make Ceili Cottage’s unspeakably decadent sticky toffee pudding

Pour some sugar on me (Photo by Naomi Finlay)

Pour some sugar on me (Photo by Naomi Finlay)

With its deliberately pocked and pitted decor, the Ceili Cottage looks like it dates back to the days of the Loyalists. But Patrick McMurray’s new gastropub is clearly tapping in to Torontonians’ hankering for all things cheap and soothing. Our favourite dish is chef Kyle Deming’s unspeakably decadent sticky toffee pudding ($6). The place has been hopping since day one. For sweet tooths unable to snag a table, here’s how to make it at home.

• See the recipe>>

DIY Gourmet

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July 22, 2009 | 4:22 pm

Cooped up: A woman is in hiding as she fights for Torontonians’ right to keep chickens in their backyard

Fowl play: Sally (right), Ayr and Goldie (left) get some free time in their owner's yard

Fowl play: Goldie, Ayr and Sally get some free time in their owner's yard

A Toronto mom is in a cat-and-mouse game with bylaw officers who want to capture her illegally kept chickens and send them back to the farm. The accidental activist—known only as Toronto Chicken—is fighting to have her feathered friends legalized, saying that they are clean, quiet and environmentally friendly. Authorities disagree, saying that the chickens’ droppings could be used by terrorists to make a bomb; if Toronto Chicken isn’t stopped, organic egg grow-ops could sprout up in backyards from Rexdale to Riverdale. What’s a chicken lover to do?

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DIY Gourmet

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July 21, 2009 | 3:07 pm

Constant gardeners: Young Urban Farmers shows us how to cheat at backyard farming

Backyard bounty: Tomatoes are just one of the 17 plants on offer from YUF (Photo by jeremiah)

Backyard bounty: Tomato plants are just one of the 17 types offered by YUF (Photo by jeremiah)

Most urban foodies would love to grow their own organic spinach, but most of us barely have time to stop at Sobeys on our way home from work. Recognizing Torontonians’ collective lack of time (read: laziness), three recent business grads started Young Urban Farmers, a service that turns clients’ yards into produce departments. For $155, YUF plants a vegetable garden of the customer’s choosing, then builds a shelter to keep out the raccoons. For $495, they’ll weed, water and even harvest the bounty. This means that naughty hosts can claim their organic salad greens are from their own garden, without ever lifting a spade.

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DIY Gourmet

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July 15, 2009 | 10:55 am

Farming 101: Five ways for Torontonians to experience country life

Nature calls: Farming experiences are available to those looking to get back to the land (Photo by Peter Firminger)

Nature calls: Farming experiences are available to those looking to get back to the land (Photo by Peter Firminger)

Shopping at farmers’ markets has a way of making agriculture seem like a peaceful and tasty career path. In the daydream version of rural life, there are no painful commutes or layoff threats, just friendly barnyard beasts and bountiful produce. This is not the whole story, of course, so for those Torontonians looking for a way to get back to the land, we’ve dug up some unique opportunities that will let them try their hands at growing, without getting them too dirty. Here are five, arranged from green dabbler to committed farmhand.

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