Chef at Home

Michael is inspired by the flavours of Italy as he makes meatballs and a menu of Italian favourites. He whips up a speedy tomato sauce, chocolate chip biscotti, and fennel arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette and Parmesan crisps. For dessert he makes affogato: espresso poured over ice cream.

Michael hosts a dinner party and shares a few entertaining secrets along the way. The party begins with Parmesan proscuitto puff pastry pinwheels and a bowl of celery root soup. Smoked salmon crusted salmon gets top billing until a spectacular dessert arrives: flaming baked Alaska!

Michael shows how you can use your sense of taste to help you cook. He explores the difference between taste and flavour as he creates creamy mushroom soup, a smoked salmon bagel sandwich and chocolate crusted ice cream balls.

Michael is inspired by the local corn harvest to create a meal with lots of local flavour. He simmers a traditional farmhouse soup, corn and bacon chowder. He stirs sweet raw corn into guacamole. Blueberry shortcake with sour cream biscuits finishes the meal.

Michael’s garden is overflowing with fresh dill so he cant resist stirring some into everything on the table. It flavours a batch of seafood chowder and a loaf of freshly baked bread from his bread machine. He even tosses some dill into a simple honey yogurt dressing for a greens salad.

Michael explores the bright, vibrant flavours of Louisiana. He fills his soup pot with traditional gumbo and serves it with dirty rice and cornbread. For dessert he makes a beautiful banana bread pudding with bourbon sauce.

Michael treats himself to a brand new BBQ grill and enjoys playing with his new toy for the first time. He creates a menu of steak house classics: juicy grilled rib eye with mushroom sauce, Parmesan smashed potatoes and grilled zucchini.

Michael shows that making healthy food choices can mean adding new flavours to your table. He creates classic meatloaf with ground turkey, bakes a beautiful peach pie in a whole grain crust, smashes potatoes with chicken broth and olive oil and celebrates the worlds most perfect ingredient: quinoa!

Michael explores the bright, balanced flavours of Thai cooking revealing the simple secrets that make it fun to cook and fun to eat. He creates a classic five part Thai meal with jasmine rice, a relish, a soup, a salad and a curry. Shrimp paste relish, sweet and sour soup, three herb chicken salad and red curry coconut beef round out the menu.

Michael decides to share some provocative flavours with his dinner party guests. He whips up a rich beef stew and flavours it with dark chocolate then serves it with mashed celery root. For dessert he poaches drunken pears and serves them with goats cheese whipped cream.

It’s game day and Michael has invited his buddies over to watch. They’re bringing the beer and he’s cooking a menu of classics with a twist. Chocolate Chip-less cookies, authentic Buffalo chicken wings with mojo sauce and his famous burgers, complete with a secret ingredient that will level the playing field!

Michael satisfies his craving for classic flavours that have stood the test of time. Buttermilk fried chicken, potato salad with bacon and corn, cinnamon scented snickerdoodle cookies and iceberg lettuce tomato salad with ranch dressing all prove the point. The classics are classic for a reason: they taste great!

Michael explores the world of spices as he creates a weekend brunch for family and friends. Memorable spice flavours warm up cardamom coffee cake, cinnamon baked granola, spice baked fruit salad and smoked salmon eggcups.

Michael shares his passion for the flavours of India. He explores the vibrant role that spices play in tandoori chicken with butter sauce, aloo gobi potatoes and cauliflower and even makes a batch of his own garam masala spice blend!

Michael explores the world of recipes and reveals how to use them to your advantage. Whether they’re written or verbalized recipes are how cooks share ideas and insight. Like a crusty loaf of aromatic olive Foccacia served with chicken Parmesan, simple tomato sauce and pasta.

Michael finds himself with a Sunday afternoon to spare and decides to try out some new flavours. He begins with Sunday ham, which always makes its own sauce and always tastes different. Red onion relish goes with the ham along with twice-baked sweet potatoes, flowering onions and orange brown butter glazed Brussels sprouts!

Michael explores the role that texture plays in great cooking. From tough pork ribs tenderly baked with barbecue sauce to hard beans softened by maple baking texture is a part of every meal. The ribs and baked beans share the table with crispy cole slaw and southwestern fruit salad tossed with a few twists.

Michael celebrates Valentine’s Day in style and creates a special flourish-filled dinner for Rachel. They begin with a salad of baby greens with warm goats cheese then enjoy Halibut Provencal with stuffed zucchini before finishing with chocolate. Michael mixes his homemade chocolate liqueur into a festive martini and shows how easy it is to customize your own chocolate dipped strawberries!

Michael shows off a unique way of cooking salmon. He marinates it with maple and mustard than cooks it over a live fire on cedar planks. The aromatic results are perfect with a dried tomato pesto and a tomato onion tart baked in Parmesan pastry.

Michael takes the time to tune up his kitchen. He shows off some cook ahead projects and reveals how he keeps his kitchen in tip-top running condition. A large chicken becomes a pot of simmering chicken broth, a bunch of ripe bananas become banana brownies and banana pops, apples become applesauce and the fridge gets a full cleaning with lots of organizing tips.

Michael shows how relaxing cooking can be as he fries a batch of crisp halibut ‘fish n’ chips’ with sweet potato fries and chipotle tartar sauce. He can’t resist frying up a special treat for dessert either: batter dipped candy bars!

Michael shows off some of the ways that new recipes are created as he cooks dinner. He tosses pasta with a unique pesto of spinach, walnuts, sage and Parmesan and grills ratatouille. For dessert he cant resist playing around with a simple pudding recipe and ends up making Earl Grey Honey Pudding!

Chef Michael is inspired by the local apple season to visit an orchard and get cooking. He can’t resist including apples in every dish and ends up with a classic apple pie, a chicken roasted on a bed of apples, brown rice simmered with apples and a simple salad dressed up with apple slices.

It’s Gabe’s birthday and Michael has to deliver a dump truck birthday cake. It arrives just in time and so does a kid friendly menu featuring spaghetti sauce full of lots of hidden vegetable flavour and fish sticks crusted with tortilla chips!

Michael cant resist mixing tricks into his treats! He bakes brownies in ice cream cones and tops them with homemade marshmallow. Candied apples and peanut brittle both take advantage of sugars unique candy making ability. But it’s the roasted eight-winged bat that looks the scariest!

Michael shows how easy it can be to roast a juicy turkey. He shares a few tricks including brining, a unique way to carve and present the turkey, lickety split cranberry sauce and tasty gravy. And while the turkey roasts he shows how to make vegetable sides dishes on top of the stove, a spectacularly simple whole cauliflower and glazed root vegetables. Recipes from this episode Thanksgiving Brown and White Cauliflower Glazed Root Vegetables Brined Roast Turkey and Gravy Speedy Cranberry Sauce