Leith's Stilton Soup

My favourite restaurant in London, when we lived in England in the 1970s, was Leith's in Notting Hill Gate, considered to be one of the top restaurants in the city at the time and a Michelin star to prove it. My absolute favourite dish was Leith's Stilton Soup, an unbelievably silky smooth and creamy celery-based soup simmered with a big lump of Stilton cheese, puréed until smooth then pushed through a sieve for good measure. Prue Leith started out in 1960 as an event and party caterer with Leith's Good Food, followed by Leith's School of Food and Wine in 1975, in addition to being an accomplished food writer, television cook and columnist in her spare time!

She also wrote a series of cookbooks that came out in 1980, an offshoot of her articles which appeared every weekend in the Sunday Express. Not only did I religiously collect those recipes, I am also the proud owner of her original three-volume set, Leith's Cookery Course: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Apart from Graham Kerr - The Galloping Gourmet - Prue Leith was one of my early role models, and her cookbooks a culinary inspiration as I was growing up. Even to this day her writing continues to inspire me. Passionate about food, Prue Leith believed that food should be fresh and uncomplicated, prepared with only the finest ingredients to the highest of standards — and quite reflective of her motto, 'Simply Better' — just like her.

"I have always been addicted to cookbooks, tending to read them in bed in preference to novels or poetry. A lot of the books I accumulated when I was a food writer for, variously, the Daily Mail, Guardian, Sunday Express and Mirror, and subsequently I could not bare to part with them. I used the books in my collection as all writers do, for inspiration! I sometimes think there are no new recipes, only new versions of old ones. I once thought I had invented a Stilton Soup, because I went to Denmark, ate a Samsoe soup, thought "This would be even better with Stilton", came home and made a celery soup heavily enriched with Stilton Cheese. It became famous in my restaurant, Leith's, and was copied by chefs all over London. And then one day, flipping through a 19th Century English cookbook I had just bought in Hay on Wye, I found a near-identical 'Derbyshire Cheese Soup'. So much for originality!"

Prue Leith OBE - Patron, Oxford Gastronomica

Leith's Stilton Soup
Serves 4


1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
2 oz butter
1 1/2 oz flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup whole milk or light cream
1/2 lb stilton cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp cream
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tbsp chopped chives, for garnish


Soften the onion and celery in butter over low heat, about 8-10 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the wine and stock. Return to the heat and bring slowly to the boil, stirring continuously until the soup thickens. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Add the milk and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the stilton until it has melted. Using a hand blender, liquidize the soup, then push it through a sieve, discarding all solids. Add the cream, and season with salt and white pepper. Gently reheat the soup, taking care not to let it boil or else it will curdle. Stilton Soup can also be served chilled, with a little cream streaked on top and a garnish of chopped chives, for an added touch. This delicious silky smooth soup would be a perfect starter for Christmas Dinner — light enough so you have room for the rest of the holiday meal, and a festive touch with the traditional English stilton. Yum-yum.

Savoury Cheddar Shortbread

Deliciously rich and wonderfully crumbly, these Savoury Cheddar Shortbread make the perfect party appetizer or holiday hostess gift, if they last that long! The shortbread really benefit from the best quality sharp cheddar you can find, and combined with fresh unsalted butter and a fragrant blend of spicy cayenne, smokey Hungarian paprika and finished with a light dusting of Herbes de Provence or Maldon Sea Salt, these savoury little nibbles add a touch of elegance to any get-together. 

Also, versatility is their middle name. To make a Pecorino Shortbread, substitute 1/4 cup each grated pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheese for the cheddar, or to make a more exotic shortbread, you can add 2 teaspoons of curry powder for an outstanding Indian flavour - my favourite! - caraway for a decidedly Eastern European touch, or toasted cumin seeds for a North African twist. They're all delicious, but the intoxicating buttery-cheese aroma that infuses the kitchen as they bake, means they don't last long once they're out of the oven! There, you've been warned.


Savoury Cheddar Shortbread
Makes about 48


1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
8 oz extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp dried thyme, crumbled


Using electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, salt, black pepper, paprika and cayenne at medium speed, just until blended. Add Cheddar, flour and thyme and mix at low speed just until smooth. Split dough in half and shape into two sausage-shaped rolls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place rolls of dough on a lightly floured surface. Slice into 1/8" thick coins, then arrange 1" apart on the baking sheet. Bake until the shortbread are lightly golden and beginning to brown on the edges, about 11-13 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet. Repeat with the second roll. Serve warm or at room temperature with cocktails. The shortbread can be stored in an airtight container, or frozen until needed. 

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes make my mouth water just thinking about them. Beckoning sweetly with a luscious creamy richness, they're sure to make any pancake lover swoon with delight. This is by far my favourite pancake; soufflé-like in it's feather lightness, perfumed by bold citrus zest, and sweet enough to be eaten on it's own with nothing but a dusting of powdered sugar or dollop of yoghurt. Incredibly light and delicious, these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are like fluffy warm pillows of sunlight — crispy on the outside and delicately creamy on the inside with little melted pockets of fresh ricotta, they're as decadent as having a rich and comforting dessert for breakfast. 

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Makes 6-8 petite pancakes

5 egg yolks

5 egg whites
Zest of a lemon & orange
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1/8 tsp vanilla
1 cup cake flour, sifted
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
Dash of salt

4 tbsp butter

In a large bowl beat the yolks with the sugar, ricotta and citrus zest until it's light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, or using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until they hold firm peaks. Then add the vanilla and set aside. Add the dry ingredients and combine with the egg-ricotta mixture, folding together until completely incorporated. Then gently fold in the egg whites.

To cook the pancakes, preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Adding one tablespoon of butter at a time with about 1/4 cup of batter, cook the mini pancakes on each side, flipping once, until golden brown. Serve immediately with a light dusting of powdered sugar and lemon & orange zest. A bowl of crème fraîche, Greek yoghurt or blueberry compote would be absolutely delicious on the side.

Blueberry Compote

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp sugar

1/8 tsp vanilla

Place all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture thickens, and the blueberries just begin to pop. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, before serving with the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.

Lemon Curd

1/3 cup lemon juice, strained
2 tbsp lemon zest
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick of butter, divided into small pats

Fill a small sauce pan 3/4 full of water. Bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a large metal bowl until smooth. Add lemon juice and whisk until it turns a lighter yellow color.

Once the water has come to a simmer, place the metal bowl on top of the sauce pan without the bottom touching the water. Whisk the egg yolk and lemon mixture until it turns a pale yellow, resembling hollandaise sauce, about 7-9 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in the pats of butter one piece at a time. Transfer lemon curd into an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Lemon curd will thicken as it sits in the refrigerator. This can be made a day in advance and will keep for up to 2 weeks in your fridge. This can be served with the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes or even scones for afternoon tea.

Orange Butter Sauce

1/2 cup freshly sqeezed orange juice

1/3 cup sugar

4 tbsp butter

1 tsp grated orange zest

2 tbsp Grand Marnier

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, bring to a boil orange juice, sugar, butter, lemon juice and orange zest, stir to help dissolve the sugar. Boil for about 2 to 3 minutes until mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the Grand Marnier and return to a boil for 20 seconds. Set aside and keep warm over lowest heat possible while making the pancakes.

Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Rich, moist and delicious, this double layer Banana Cake with fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting is one of my favourite desserts, a beautiful culinary creation that envelops luscious layers of cake with an indulgent creamy frosting. A sweet symbol of celebration, you don't need a special occasion to make this simply divine dessert. Layered with cream cheese frosting and slices of fresh banana, this recipe is what happens when banana bread goes to the dark side. It's also an excellent way to use up over ripe bananas — the browner they are, the better. The same recipe can be used to make banana bread and muffins, but the delicate cream cheese frosting and layers of fresh sliced bananas, make this dessert irresistible.

Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 1 split-layer cake

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1 whole banana, cut into thin slices
5 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9" round cake pan and set aside. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into the cake pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes. Let rest in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool. Using a long knife, slice the cake in half though the middle, making 2 layers. Remove one half and set aside.

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese until smooth; then add the sugar and vanilla, and mix until light and fluffy. To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake on a serving platter and spread with cream cheese frosting. Arrange one layer of banana slices over top, then cover with the second layer, and frost the top and sides of the cake. Garnish the sides or top with chopped nuts; slice and serve.

Cheddar, Scallion & Chive Biscuits

Moist, savoury and delicious, these Cheddar, Scallion & Chive Biscuits are wonderful with a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter day, or served on their own, slathered with butter as they come out warm and fragrant from the oven. Quick and easy to prepare, this recipe calls for a handful of dry ingredients that are blended together with butter then tossed with cheddar, chopped scallions, minced chives and buttermilk, to form a stiff batter. The dough can be made ahead, covered and set aside until needed, then simply dropped in small mounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet and baked for about twenty minutes, until they become puffed up and golden brown. Lovely and crispy on the outside, with a moist, cheesy and pillowy centre, these heavenly little biscuits are way too easy to make and completely addictive. 

Cheddar, Scallion & Chive Biscuits
Makes 12 biscuits

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups Cheddar, coarsely grated
3 scallions, finely chopped

3 tbsp chopped chives
1 1/3 cups well-shaken buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in Cheddar, scallions and chives. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined. Drop dough in 12 equal mounds about 2 inches apart onto a large parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in the middle of the oven until the tops are golden brown and the biscuits are cooked through, about 18 to 20 minutes. Serve hot or warm with some fresh butter close by!

Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny is Kramer's favourite soup in the infamous Seinfeld 'Soup Nazi' episode. "No soup for you!" This classic golden coloured Anglo-Indian soup, which translates literally as 'pepper water' in Tamil, is an accurate description, because it's a wonderfully spicy soup with a big personality. Perfectly balanced and intoxicatingly fragrant, this luscious curry-flavoured dish combines an aromatic blend of Indian spices, garlic and chicken simmered to perfection in a fragrant broth of diced leeks, carrots, celery, apple and potato thickened with rice, yoghurt and heavy cream. Hearty, delicious and absolutely divine, Kramer isn't the only one who adores this soup. It's pretty hard to resist. 

Mulligatawny Soup
Serves 12

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground cloves
4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup unsalted butter
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 lb chicken, whole or breasts & thighs only, cut into serving pieces
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 large onions, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 leeks, thinly sliced - white part only
11 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup rice, uncooked

2 tart apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup plain yoghurt
2/3 cup heavy cream
chopped cilantro, for garnish

Naan bread, optional

Combine the garlic and the spices (cumin, cloves, curry powder, ginger, cayenne pepper and garam masala) then set aside. 

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and sauté until lightly brown on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a large pot, cover and set aside.

Drain all but 1 tbsp of fat from the skillet and add the celery, onions, carrots, leeks, and the garlic-spice mixture and blend well. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Then add to the chicken.

Stir in the remaining chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring just to a boil, then cover, lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the rice to the soup and continue cooking 15 minutes. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, tear the meat into bite size pieces, discarding the bones and skin.

Return the chicken to the soup and blend in the apples and yoghurt. Simmer another 10 minutes. Degrease soup if necessary. Stir in lemon juice, and then the cream. Ladle into warmed soup bowls or a heated tureen, and serve garnished with some chopped cilantro and a basket of warm naan or crusty bread on the side.

Queen's Pasta Café in Bloor West Village

Queen's Pasta Café is a Bloor West Village institution that has been serving freshly made pasta to a dedicated clientele for more than two decades. With a charming awning-covered outdoor patio in the summer, this pretty little restaurant at the corner of Bloor St. West and Durie, is also a welcome haven, particularly on a chilly winter evening. As night falls, a fountain of twinkle lights drape the front windows, framing a pair of festive amphorae detailed with ornament-trimmed boughs — a warm invitation to the cold and hungry fortunate enough the get a table in this popular Bloor Street restaurant. The backdrop of small candle-lit tables, congenial staff and extensive pasta offerings, makes it understandable why Queen's Pasta Café has been an intimate part of the Village landscape for over twenty years. 

Queen's Pasta — an intimate space with friendly service and delicious pasta 

Wine specials are highlighted each night

A large blackboard above the bar announces the restaurant's daily specials and seasonal wine recommendations, which this evening featured a 2008 Grazano Chianti Classico plus many other wines by the glass. We decided on a bottle of Prosecco to start the evening from our waiter Matt, who brought us a plate of delicious Bruschetta with Roma Tomatoes and Asiago Cheese, for us to share, compliments of the house. 

Our waiter Matt brought us some delicious Brushetta — compliments of the house

With over sixteen entrées to choose from, there's something for everyone. In addition to the popular favourites, which include Angel Hair pasta tangled up with moist smoked salmon, tomato dice and dill in a light vodka-infused cream sauce, the menu also features Black and White Fettuccini served with grilled tiger shrimp, black olives, fresh tomatoes, garlic, tossed in olive oil and asiago cheese, Ricotta Gnocchi which is tossed in a gorgonzola tomato sauce with portobello mushrooms, Penne a la vodka served with red onion, bacon and fresh tomato and Butternut Squash Striped Agnoloti served with grilled vegetables tossed in a sun-dried tomato pesto olive oil.

Angel Hair pasta with smoked salmon, diced tomatoes and dill in a light vodka-infused cream sauce

Penne a la vodka served with red onion, bacon & fresh tomato

Butternut squash striped agnoloti served with grilled vegetables 

tossed in a sun-dried tomato pesto olive oil

If you prefer to make your Linguine Alfredo at home, no problem. There's Queen's Pasta Take-out, which is located just around the corner from the restaurant on Beresford, and carries an enormous variety of fresh pasta and homemade sauces — all made by their parent company, Queen's Pasta Products. QPP sells over 100 types of pasta that they ship to restaurants and hotels around the world. Two large chalkboards on the walls list all the fillings, shapes, flavours and sizes from which to choose, from 5 kg boxes of Mixed Cheese Tortellini, Spinach and Cheese Agnoloti, and Sicilian Gnocchi to sauces like Porcini Cream, Black Olive Pesto and Roasted Red Pepper. They've even started a line of low carb pasta. With orders over $150, they deliver anywhere in the GTA, which makes it very convenient to cater your own pasta party without making you 'Pazzo' — crazy.

Chicken with Cashew Linguini

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Queen's Pasta

1/4 cup raw cashews

2 medium whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 tbsp soy sauce 

1 tbsp sherry

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts

1 large green pepper

1 large red pepper

1 cup fresh mushrooms

1 lb of Fresh Linguini

Roast cashews by placing in a 300°F oven, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cut the chicken into 3/4 inch strips and marinate in soy sauce, sherry and cornstarch. Halve the peppers, remove membranes and cut into strips the same size as the chicken. Slice mushrooms in half.

Place pepper and chicken on an indoor or outdoor grill, and cook until grill lines appear. Flip, add mushrooms to the grill and finish cook time. Once fully cooked, remove from grill add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, wrap chicken, peppers, mushrooms and cashews in tinfoil and place in oven at 250°F. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and a dash of salt. Cook pasta to desired texture. Drain water and place back into large pot. Stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.

On warmed deep plates place pasta. Remove foil from oven and turn over a few times - this will allow the marinade to mix. Remove contents from foil and place on top of linguini. Pour the remaining marinade sparingly over the linguini, and serve with your favorite Chardonnay.

Queen's Pasta Café

www.queenspastacafe.com