Las Vegas: Le Cirque at Bellagio

A gastronomic landmark, Le Cirque is the acclaimed Michelin-starred French restaurant located inside Las Vegas' renowned Bellagio Hotel. Le Cirque features a superb menu and an elegant, yet whimsical circus theme designed by Adam D. Tihany, who has created the designs for many upscale Las Vegas restaurants. 

Bellagio — home to Le Cirque Las Vegas

The cuisine is described as Classic French with contemporary influences, and Executive Chef Gregory Pugin is an innovator, offering cold and hot appetizers that titillate the taste buds, and delicious amuse-bouche. Our evening started with a wonderful Martini at the Le Cirque back-lit onyx Bar, followed by a glass of Pink Champagne once we were seated a our table. The evening's amuse-bouche arrived — a small plate with a succulent Lobster Cake and Glass of Minted Pea Purée.  

Minted Pea Soup Purée

Lobster Cake Amuse-Bouche

Signature dishes include Le Cirque's Lobster and Avocado Salad with black truffle vinaigrette, which I ordered. It was very delicately flavoured and full of large morsels of lobster. The Tartare du Boeuf was a real winner though — Australian Wagyu 'Kobe' Beef Steak Tartare with Heirloom Tomatoes and Lotus Chips. The tartare had been mixed with a spicy dijon mustard that provided a real kick to the robust Kobe beef. Entrées included L'Agneau du Colarado, an espelette crusted Colorado Lamb Chop garnished with taggiasche olive panisse, piquillo purée and farcie of spring vegetables, and Le Canard de Barbarie, a honey glazed Barbary Duck Magret with Szechwan Roasted Mango, Fig and Turnip in a Ruby Port Sauce.

Le Cirque's Lobster and Avocado Salad with black truffle vinaigrette

Australian Wagyu Kobe Beef Tartare with Heirloom Tomatoes and Lotus Chips

L'Agneau du Colorado

We finished with a Citrus Panna Cotta, Mandarine & Champagne Sorbet, Kefir Lime Leaf and a bowl of Le Cirque Coffee Iced Cream. The service and cuisine were impeccable — one of the best meals I've ever enjoyed. My husband had alerted them to the fact that we were in Las Vegas for a special birthday, and as a parting gesture, the Maitre D' presented me with an exquisitely crafted custom red box with 2 hidden drawers concealing Belgian Chocolates. It was a beautiful end to a magical evening — one I'll never forget. Thank you HB xo

Speck & Goat Cheese Rolls

Speck is a lightly smoked and seasoned dry cured ham from the Tyrol, a mountainous region where Austria, Switzerland and Italy come together. Like prosciutto, Speck is made from the hind leg of the pig, and is a delightful alternative to Pancetta. Wonderfully delicate and tender with a rich savoury flavour, Speck pairs beautifully with goat cheese, and is absolutely delicious in this easy recipe for Speck and Goat Cheese Rolls, which can be served with some fine mustard, chives or a squeeze of lemon. A simple and tasty appetizer, these Speck & Goat Cheese Rolls can be made ahead of time and simply chilled until you need them!

Speck & Goat Cheese Rolls

Makes 12-16 appetizers

1 cup soft goat's cheese

1 tbsp chopped chives (optional)

1/2 lb Speck smoked ham, sliced

Mix the goat's cheese and chives in a small bowl until well blended and smooth. Place a slice of smoked ham on a work surface and spread 2-3 tablespoons of the goat's cheese mixture on the ham, then roll up into a fat cigar shape and chill, covered with cling film, for at least 15-30 minutes. Once firm, slice the rolls into 1/2" bite size pieces by slicing on the diagonal and serve.

Grilled Quail with Buzz Buzz Sauce

If you've ever wondered if cooking a bird as small as a quail is worth the time and effort, just remember that good things do indeed come in small packages. As far as time and effort goes, it requires very little of either to serve quail. Its small size means that it takes just a sprinkle of seasoning or a brief amount of time in a marinade to add tons of extra flavor. Not that you need to; even with just a dash of salt, quail meat is tender and succulent. And quail cooks very quickly — 10 minutes or so on the grill and dinner is ready. The daintiness of quail makes it seem like a fancy meal, but it's also the perfect finger food, so drop the knife and fork and dig in. 

Should your butcher give you a choice, semi-boneless quail with the rib cage removed, are easier to eat than un-boned quail. Grilling quail with a brush of olive oil, a little salt and a dollop or two of hot sauce (my husband makes his own homemade Buzz Buzz sauce), makes the outside nice and crispy, and the slightly charred flavor of the skin is scrumptious with this lovely Portuguese-inspired dish. You can have the grilled quail served in about 15 minutes, although it will taste like you slaved over it for hours. Enjoy!


Grilled Quail with Buzz Buzz Sauce
Serves 6 as a main; 24 as appetizers


12 Fresh Quail
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup Buzz Buzz hot sauce

Using poultry shears, remove the back bone from each of the quail and place in a large bowl with the olive oil. Add some salt and pepper and toss to combine. Add the Buzz Buzz and mix together thoroughly. Cover with cling film and chill until ready to grill. You can prepare this up to a day ahead. Place the quail on a med-hot barbecue grill and cook until done and they have attractive grill marks, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with a some lemon wedges and tzatziki or extra hot sauce if you wish.

Buzz Buzz Sauce


12 fresh red chillies, depending on how hot you want it
1 tbsp garlic, blanched and chopped
1 tsp salt flakes
½ tsp oregano
½ tbsp paprika
3½ oz olive oil
1¾ oz red wine vinegar

To make the Buzz Buzz, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chillies on a roasting tray and roast them for 10 minutes. Cool and roughly chop the chillies. Place the chillies, garlic, salt, oregano, paprika, olive oil and vinegar in a saucepan, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool, then blend it to a purée in a jug blender or food processor. Store in a lidded container at room temperature; it will keep for about a month. Shake before using.

Berrylicious Summer Pudding

Summer Pudding is the quintessential English dessert, and one of my personal favourites! A triumphal end to many summer lunches and dinners I've hosted over the years, Summer Pudding has also become an eagerly anticipated summer treat for many of my friends. Summer Pudding is as easy to make as it is outstandingly delicious. Packed full of fresh summer berries that have been simmered with brown sugar and framboise, then poured into a bread lined bowl and chilled overnight, the pectin in the berries react with the sugar in the bread, and as the pudding chills, it firms up into the most fabulous crimson coloured berry-licious pudding. Served with a dollop of creme fraiche, Summer Pudding is heaven on earth.




Summer Pudding
Serves 12


1 lb strawberries
1 lb raspberries
1 lb blueberries
1 lb blackberries
1 package frozen mixed berries
1 cup light brown sugar
1 loaf white bread
1/2 cup framboise


Remove the crusts from the bread. Wash and trim all the fresh berries, and add them to a large saucepan with the frozen berries, framboise, brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water, and cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the berries have released their juices, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove 1 cup of the juice and set aside. 


Lightly grease a medium sized bowl with some vegetable oil, then line the bowl with the slices of bread, covering the bottom and the sides. Using a large spoon, ladle the berry mixture into the bread lined bowl, then top with the remaining slices of bread. Lay a flat plate on top with a heavy weight to squash the fruit down, and chill 12-24 hours. 


When ready to serve, place a large serving plate on top of the bowl and gently invert. Shake gently to release the pudding onto the plate and spoon the reserved juice over the top, garnishing with some sprigs of fresh mint. Serve cut into wedges, with a bowl of thick creme fraiche on the table. Heaven!

A Classic Cobb Salad

The Cobb Salad was invented at The Brown Derby in Los Angeles in 1926, and named for its creator — Robert Howard Cobb. This main dish garden salad is usually made up of mixed salad greens, tomatoes, crisp bacon, roasted chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocados, chives, Roquefort cheese and a red-wine vinaigrette. Stories vary as to whether the salad was invented by Cobb or by his chef, Chuck Wilson, but legend is that Cobb had not eaten near midnight, and so he mixed together leftovers he found in the kitchen, along with some bacon cooked by the line cook, and tossed it with their French dressing. And so, the Cobb Salad was born.

Using local organic green and farm-fresh eggs from Brooklands Farm in Muskoka and smoked ham from Cosmo's Smoked Meat at the Bracebridge Farmer's Market, we enjoyed this lovely heart-smart Cobb Salad over the July 1st long weekend, along with a warm baguette and a bottle or two of chilled Rosé. One of the lovely things about a Cobb Salad is that it is, by it's nature, a spontaneous creation — so do what Chuck Wilson did, and grab whatever tasty leftovers you have in your fridge, and create your own Cobb. 

Muskoka Cobb Salad

Serves 6

1 lb cooked chicken breast, sliced

1 lb cooked smoked ham, sliced

8 oz Cheddar cheese, sliced

8 oz Swiss cheese, sliced

1 ripe avocado, skinned, pitted and sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

3 eggs, hardboiled and quartered

1 head of boston lettuce or local greens

3 greens onions, chopped

2 tbsp chives, chopped

vinaigrette:

2/3 cup olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, garlic, vinegar, Dijon, and salt & pepper to taste. Whisk the dressing until it's emulsified. 

In a large salad bowl, toss together the mixed lettuces, green onions and 1/2 cup of vinaigrette and mix well. Compose the salad. Arrange the chicken, ham, cheeses, and tomato decoratively over the greens and garnish with the sliced egg, avocado and chives. Drizzle the remainder of the dressing over the composed salad and serve.

Smoked Salmon Mousse on Cucumber Rounds

This delicious Smoked Salmon Mousse recipe is easy to make, can be prepared well ahead of time and simply piped onto some trimmed cucumber rounds. Smoked salmon, cream cheese, sour cream and dill are placed in a food processor and whizzed into a smooth paste. The mousse is then spooned into a piping bag with an #8 startip nozzle, and chilled until ready to be used. Once you're ready, all you do is carefully pipe the mousse onto the cucumber rounds and garnish with a small sprig of dill. It looks great and tastes lovely, fresh, creamy and chocked full of smoked salmony goodness.



Smoked Salmon Mousse on Cucumber Rounds
Makes 30-40 hors d'oeuvres

8 oz. smoked salmon
8 oz creamed cheese
4 oz sour cream
2 tbsp fresh chopped dill
2 english cucumbers
salt and white pepper to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a #8 startip, or even a plastic bag with the corner cropped off, and chill until you're ready to proceed.

Using a vegetable peeler, create long stripes along the length of each cucumber, them slice into 1/2" rounds. Then using a melon baller, scoop out a small bowl in each round and place on a decorative plate. Remove the mousse from the fridge and pipe a small mound into the centre of each cucumber. Garnish with a small sprig of dill and serve.

Canada Day

Happy Canada Day!

July 1st marks the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada. 

Canada Day also means fireworks and enjoying a day off work to be with family and friends.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Canada Day long weekend!