An Entertaining Menu: Girls’ Night In from The Atelier Table

by Lauren Kyle McDavid
Curtis Comeau photography

Lauren McDavid‘s new cookbook, The Atelier Table,  is a handsome, well-set up book, with cooking tips, ideas for table settings and lots of inspirational photos. Lots of tasty recipes too, for beginners and experts alike. The cookbook is organized by menus for different occasions; we have pulled from these to create a holiday-themed girls’ night in.

“Cooking is my meditation,” says Lauren. “It feels like a reset, a bit of calmness, to shut everything off, you can get out of your head. I love having it in my everyday routine.”

Food and cooking have always been a part of Lauren’s life.

“I connect with my heritage over food. Italian, Polish, my Finnish grandmother’s pulla bread. Big inspirations were my Ukrainian baba and my mom. There were extravagant dinners with beautiful collections of plateware and napkins to create an atmosphere.

“My style depends on who I’m cooking for and the season I’m cooking in—healthy meals for a weekday night or splurging a bit on occasion. It depends on what tools I have, the pizza oven at the cottage, for example. I don’t cook the same things over and over, I’m always trying new things and experimenting by taste. I’m really liking fermenting things, sauerkraut, kimchi. Connor is getting into the art of fermenting things too.”

All recipes from The Atelier Table, copyright Lauren Kyle McDavid.

Book production and design by Savvy Beautiful Books, book photography by Paul Swanson.

Pomegranate French 75

I love a classic French 75 cocktail, and the addition of pomegranate, which is available readily in winter, makes it a perfect seasonal twist. The pear syrup from the Spiced Pear Coupe recipe gives it a wintry feel and carries the fragrant winter spice and pear flavour theme.

Fill a medium-sized cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add gin, pomegranate juice, and lemon juice. Cover shaker with the lid, and shake, shake, shake.

Strain into 6 cocktail glasses (stemmed if you have them), dividing it equally. To each glass, add 1 oz each pear syrup, Champagne and ginger beer. Stir gently. Add 1 or 2 ice cubes to each glass. Top with a rosemary sprig and 2 cranberries per cocktail.

Makes 6 cocktails.

Pear Syrup

Peel the pear and remove the core and stem. Slice the peeled pear into chunks and place in a blender. Add the lemon juice, ¼ cup water and agave syrup. Pulse for about 10 seconds until it is a smooth consistency.

In small saucepan, add the sugar, the remaining water and the pear purée. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool. Strain through a fine wire mesh strainer into a glass jar with a lid.

The syrup, covered and refrigerated, keeps for a couple of weeks.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Pear Salad with Lime Vinaigrette 
I crave this salad. The thinly shaved Brussels sprouts are just so light, and the lime vinaigrette so refreshing. Omit the bacon to make this dish vegan.

Salad

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place hazelnuts in a baking dish and roast for 15 minutes. Shake the dish several times as they cook, for even roasting. Take them out as soon as they smell nutty and fragrant. Transfer to a heavy tea towel, fold the towel over the hazelnuts and gently massage to remove the skins. (Discard the skins.) Let cool. With a rolling pin or pestle, bust up the roasted hazelnuts in halves or quarters, but don’t break them up too fine.

Cook bacon in a heavy skillet on medium until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool, then dice bacon roughly into medium-small bits.

Put the shaved Brussels sprouts into a shallow serving dish. Halve and core the pear, and slice into slivers. Add the pear slivers, hazelnuts, bacon and dates to the sprouts. Pour the vinaigrette evenly over the salad and toss to coat.

Lime Vinaigrette

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, agave syrup, salt and pepper. Set aside, covered, until you are ready to dress the salad. Refrigerate, covered, if making the dressing ahead.

Makes 6 servings.

Sriracha Lemongrass Sticky Wings
This recipe is all about that caramelly stickiness, which is everything you need in a chicken wing. Make sure you have extra napkins on hand.

Combine all ingredients except the chicken wings and garnish in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth, then reserve 4 tablespoons of the marinade, cover and refrigerate.

Separate whole chicken wings into 3 pieces at the joints. Save the tips in the freezer to make a stock another day. Place the drumettes and the flats in a shallow glass or non-reactive bowl. Pour the rest of the marinade over the wings and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate the wings for at least 2 hours, but overnight is better.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Line a baking sheet with foil, then parchment paper. (You’ll thank me later.) Arrange the marinated chicken wings in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with 2 T of the reserved marinade. Return the wings to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove them again and brush with the rest of the marinade. (Use a clean pastry brush both times.) Return wings to the oven and cook for another 10 minutes. (Total cooking time is 45 to 50 minutes.) They will be nicely caramelized, with black crispy tops and edges. Inside, the meat should be firm and white, not pink at all.

Transfer the wings to a serving dish and garnish with the green onion.

Makes 6 servings.

Carrot Cake Cups with Cinnamon Frosting
Carrot cake is a classic. And making it in individual servings makes it so fun and easy. You’ll need 6 shallow ovenproof cups or ramekins (8-oz) The addition of cinnamon in the cream cheese icing really kicks it up!

Carrot Cake

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the inside of 6 ovenproof cups or ramekins with butter, and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cardamom. Mix well and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, ginger and vanilla together well. Blend in eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth.

Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix together with a hand mixer or whisk, scraping the sides with a spatula, and folding everything together until uniform. Add another ⅓of the dry ingredients and repeat. Add the final ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. Stir in the carrots until evenly incorporated.

Divide the batter between the 6 ovenproof cups or ramekins. Bake until the tops of the cakes are dark golden, springy when touched, and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool completely, and add cinnamon frosting.

Makes 6 servings.

Cinnamon Frosting

Combine the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter, cinnamon and vanilla in a mixing bowl. With hand mixer, mix for about 1 minute until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a spatula.

Spread a generous layer of icing on each carrot cake cup. Drizzle with maple syrup and add a small carrot end as a decorative garnish (optional).

Makes 6 servings.

Bonus Atelier Table Recipes

Spicy Pomegranate Mezcal Margarita
You can adjust the heat of this wintery margarita by removing a few or a lot of the seeds from your jalapeño slices. More seeds mean more kick. You’ll get more juice from each lime if they’re a little warm, so place them in a sinkful of warm water for 15 minutes before you start.

Start by juicing your limes and measure out 3 oz into a cocktail shaker. Add the mezcal, pomegranate juice, and agave syrup.

Add the jalapeño rounds, and crush them against the bottom of the cocktail shaker by pressing and twisting with a muddling stick. Add the 6 sprigs of mint and muddle some more.

Prepare 6 rocks glasses with one oversized ice cube in each. Fill the shaker halfway with ice. Fit the lid on the shaker, and shake, shake, shake. Strain evenly between the prepared rocks glasses through both the shaker strainer and a fine mesh wire strainer. Top each with a splash (about 2 oz each glass) of ginger beer. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary, mint garnish, a slice of jalapeño, and a few pomegranate seeds.

Makes 6 cocktails.

Pea-Prosciutto Arancini with Vodka Sauce

I took the classic combination of pea and prosciutto risotto and transformed it into crispy, panko-crusted arancini. The addition of fresh mint boosts the flavour, while a spicy vodka tomato sauce provides the perfect acidic counterpoint. When it comes to choosing wine for the arancini base, don’t overthink it—any dry white wine like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or unoaked Chardonnay will work wonderfully.

Arancini

Bring the chicken stock to a low simmer in a medium saucepan and keep warm.

Add the olive oil to a deep, large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just to soften. Stir in the rice to coat it with oil, about 2 minutes, so that it develops a slight golden colour, but you don’t want the garlic to brown. Adjust the heat as necessary.

Add 1 cup of wine, stirring as it absorbs. Add 1 cup of stock, stirring as it absorbs. Continue alternating between wine and stock by the half cup as each liquid absorbs. Keep cooking and stirring, for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is thick and creamy. There should be a subtle bite to the cente1r of the rice grain. Stir in the peas. Cook for 5 minutes. Add more hot stock or water if necessary. Stir in the prosciutto strips, the mint leaves and the cheese. Add salt and black pepper. Set aside to cool.

Heat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop ⅔ cup of the cooled rice and form into a ball with your hands. Roll the ball in a dish with panko crumbs, coating evenly. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat. You will end up with about 13 or 14 rice balls. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the panko has started to toast to a golden brown. Serve on a shallow serving dish prepared with a thick puddle of vodka sauce.

Makes 6 servings.

Vodka Sauce

Add butter and olive oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, followed shortly by tomato paste. Give it a stir. Add shallot, cream, passata, and vodka, stirring. Turn down the heat and cook, stirring often, until the alcohol has cooked off, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in oregano, honey, cayenne, and salt. Cover and set aside until you are ready to prepare a serving dish for the arancini.

Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
This the epitome of a mouthwatering dish. It’s inspired by the Mexican street food staple of tacos al pastor, a marinated pork tenderized with pineapple. An overnight marinade for the pork is ideal, but if you are making the tacos on the same day, marinate for 4 hours at a minimum.

Pork Tacos

In a medium bowl, combine the above ingredients (minus the corn tortillas). Mix, cover, and refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 hours.

To cook: After marinating, transfer the pork and the marinade into a cast-iron or heavy skillet. Cook over medium-high, stirring often. Cook until the marinade is mostly evaporated and the pork is still juicy, not dry. When the pork starts to stick to the skillet, remove from heat.

Heat a large, flat griddle or 2 cast-iron skillets on medium-high without any oil. Lay tortillas on the griddle and heat until the bottom of the tortillas toast lightly. Flip to warm the other side. Remove and wrap in a tea towel on a plate in a low-heat oven until you have all 24 tortillas toasted.

To Serve: Scoop about ¼ cup of the cooked pork into the center of each tortilla. Fold lightly and serve 4 loosely filled tortillas each to your guests on 6 shallow serving bowls or rimmed plates. Pass around the pineapple salsa.

Pineapple Salsa

Makes 24 tacos (6 servings).