"michael smith" news and stories

• Chef Michael Smith talks about the struggles of food banks and offers a recipe for beef stew.
• A run-down of Vancouver's 2008 culinary highlights, from celebrity chefs to memorable meals.
• Will 2009's leading beverages include savory fare like rosemary sprigs and ... bacon?
• With tight purses, drinkers are flocking to cheaper booze, home-grown flavor, and affordable Argentinian wine.
• French chef Anne-Sophie Pic grabs an honorary doctorate from the University of Montreal.
• Rob Mifsud discusses the rising trend of high-price cookbooks from signature chefs.
• And if you're gearing up for another Christmas celebration on the 6th, try these dinner twists.

After watching an episode of Chef at Home, I've been experimenting with chef Michael Smith's recipe for salmon and potato cakes. The Food Network Canada website has his recipe here, but it looks like they've jumbled a few of the steps around or perhaps left a step out. Step two reads, "Meanwhile heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and when it's hot, add oil." Step three: "Using a potato masher, mash them together." Obviously something is amiss. At any rate, if you have salmon leftovers (not to be confused with these guys), this is a good way to use them up. Let's assume we're starting from scratch, however. Smith suggests pan-frying a salmon fillet, which I did the first time I made this recipe. The second time, I broiled it, which I think is more convenient and I didn't notice too much of a difference in the taste of the final product. So, either pan-fry or broil a skinless 1 pound salmon fillet until it's just cooked through and flakes easily. When I broiled the salmon, this took between 15 and 20 minutes.