Divine Cooking

Divine Cooking Passionate food educator
Foothills of Alberta
Lifelong learner + sharer of all things delicious
Exploring the world through food, one bite at a time.

Chef Darren teaches hands-on cooking classes in peoples' homes with their participation in all aspects of the meal.

09/03/2026

Late Summer Salad Inspired by my in laws garden

I really don’t think I can call this a recipe by any means, but rather a happy blend of seasonal items inspired by a food gift of a few garden veggies. When I do this kind of thing, I blanch, roast or grill any vegetables that need cooking and then cool down. Then the fresh veggies get tossed with the cooked veggies and tossed in a very simple vinaigrette.

Quick Dijon-Honey Vinaigrette

2 T white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1 -2 small garlic cloves, grated
6 T olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
A few grinds black pepper

Method: Whisk together the vinegar, Dijon, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.

08/22/2026

Vietnamese Inspired Chicken & Noodle Salad
1 package of vermicelli rice noodles or your favourite noodles
½ cup grated carrots or pickled if you have’em
½ sliced cucumber
½ cup cherry toms, halved
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
½ yellow pepper - julienne
A good handful each of fresh cilantro and mint, washed and any woody bits removed
1 cup whole roasted peanuts
¼ cup crushed peanuts

Nuoc cham
¼ cup fish sauce
2 T cup lime juice
2 T rice vinegar
¼ cup water
3 T white sugar
1 T finely gated garlic
2 birds eye thai chili - finely minced
Combine all in a bowl. Let sit for a few minutes for flavours to mingle

08/18/2026

Creamy Mushroom pappardelle
Serves 3–4
Ingredients
400–450 g pappardelle
500–600 g cremini mushrooms, sliced fairly thick
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2–3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small shallot, finely diced
½ cup dry white wine
¾–1 cup heavy cream
½ cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more to finish
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pappardelle until just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until deeply browned and their moisture has cooked away. Don’t crowd the pan.
Add the shallot and cook 2–3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook for about 30 seconds.
Deglaze with the white wine and reduce by about half.
Lower the heat and add the cream and Dijon. Simmer gently for 2–3 minutes.
Add the pasta and Parmesan, tossing well. Add splashes of pasta water until the sauce becomes glossy and clings beautifully to the noodles.
Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Finish with more Parmesan.

08/17/2026

Charred Alberta Corn (Esquites Style)
Esquites is basically Mexican street corn off the cob. Creamy, tangy, a little smoky, with the sweet crunch of charred corn in every bite.
Pile it all into a warm tortilla, have it with tortilla chips or literally eat it with a spoon. It tastes like peak Alberta summer with a little Mexican inspiration.

1 cob of corn - grill until you get some blackened spots. Then cut it off the cob.
Mix with:
½ jalapeño, finely diced
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 T lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
¼ cup crumbled cotija or feta
2 T mayo
2 T sour cream
I tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp Tajín

08/16/2026

Sweet Corn Ice Cream
Makes about 1 litre
Corn infusion
4 ears very fresh sweet corn
500 ml heavy cream
250 ml whole milk
150 g granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
25 g skim milk powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract or ½ vanilla bean
Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cobs.
Break the cobs into 2–3 pieces and put them in a saucepan with the cream and milk. Bring just to a simmer, turn off the heat, cover and let them steep for 30–45 minutes.
Remove the cobs, scraping with the back of a knife to remove all of the pulp. Blend this mixture and strain through a fine sieve.
Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, milk powder and salt.
Reheat the corn cream mixture until steaming. Slowly whisk it into the yolks, then return everything to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches about 175°F or coats the back of a spoon.
Do not let it boil.
Add vanilla and chill overnight .
Churn according to your ice cream maker instructions. When done transfer ice cream to containers, adding blueberry balsamic ripple throughout. Give it a gentle mix with a spoon before freezing
Blueberry–Balsamic Ripple
300 g blueberries
70 g sugar
20 g honey
25 g water
15 g lemon juice
15 g good balsamic vinegar
1 small pinch kosher salt
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water
Put blueberries, sugar, honey and water in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until the berries burst and the mixture reduces slightly, about 5–7 minutes.
Add lemon juice, balsamic and salt.
Mix cornstarch with cold water and stir it in. Cook another 30–60 seconds until just thickened.
Cool completely before adding to the freshly churned ice cream

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Okotoks, AB

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