24

No, not the super spy show. An intense 24 hours of foodie geek out with P, who let me invite myself over while I was out in his area. 11 dishes, 7 wines, 5 cheeses, 3 grocery stores, recipe blogs, technique websites, calorie evaluating software, magazines, gadget talk, ingredient tasting...it was an intensely satisfying time.

With my other foodie friends having left the city last summer, I was badly in need of a fix, and P came through in spades. When flight availability meant I would be there for another 5 hours, P's response was "I get to figure out another menu for you!"

We started it off with a really gorgeous bruschetta, with heirloom tomatoes, great bread and good parmesan. Simple ingredients at their prime. It was a beginning suggestive of all the deliciousness to follow.

P then moved on to his crispy pretzel crusted tilapia, served with

fresh greens in his reverse-engineered 'Sudbury Snowstorm' dressing. It was partnered with another sideline of his, alternatives to carb-y sides, in this case, spaghetti squash tossed with lemon juice and zest, resulting in one licked plate.

I'd been tapped to ante up some french toast for the morning, so in the interest of sleeping as long as possible, I prepped it before bed. P rounded out our decadent little breakfast with crisped pancetta and spiced rum macerated berries over lemon yogurt.

The biggest surprise in P's well stocked and smartly gadgeted kitchen was his use of - steady now - Becel. It was a butter-absent kitchen. Shocking, I know. A taste test revealed a very buttery flavour but there was still a hint that margariney texture, a hyper-smooth slickness on the tongue. P uses Becel as a heart-friendly reducer of saturated fat, which I can totally get behind but...I just can't get over it being margarine. I prefer to use the real deal when I want to taste rich buttery flavour - and use canola or olive oil when I simply need a fat. It's okay, P - we can agree to disagree.

My send off dinner was sensational - braised pork tenderloin with blackcurrant-mustard sauce, bok choy sauteed with garlic and green onion, and fauxtatoes. Yes, that creamy looking pile is

pureed cauliflower with roasted garlic which is astonishingly not cabbagey in flavour and has a smooth mouthfeel very like mashed potatoes. They were yummy - and again, a delicious carb alternative that I'll be using with my personal cheffing client.

Although my check in time was looming, we managed to enjoy dessert as well - a luscious poached pear, infused with vanilla and lemon peel with a lovely herbal note from rosemary. Drizzled with a hit of dark chocolate syrup, I savoured every bite. Try it for yourself: http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/RecipeController?language=EN&recipeType=1&action=recipe&recipeID=2834

Here's P's recipe for Fauxtatoes

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp margarine (you know what kind he'll recommend; I'd use butter)

1/4 cup potato flakes (or white Veloutine to thicken)

1/4 cup 2% milk

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp roasted garlic (P uses the jarred version from President's Choice)

Steam cauliflower until completely cooked through but not mushy, about 10 minutes. In a food processor, add cauliflower and remaining ingredients. Puree only until smooth, adjusting consistency with a bit of extra milk or potato flakes. The potato flakes are optional to give more potato flavour.

These can be rewarmed in the microwave or oven.

Thanks, P. What an amazing day.