Emma Waverman writes about life with her mom, Lucy, and growing up in a family with three generations of famous foodies.
“For me, the scent of a bubbling pot of chicken stock is the smell of home. I grew up in a house where food was the language of love, and where the preparation and presentation of meals was the lifeblood of family connection. So, naturally, my most enduring memories of childhood are in the kitchen. The taste of a slice of roast beef straight from the oven with crackling bathed in mustard and rosemary is as associated with family celebration as candles on a cake.
My mother, Lucy Waverman, is the third generation in a family that has made food the center of their professional lives, which, in turn, made it the heart of their personal ones, too. Her grandmother, Sophie Geneen, ran the only kosher hotel and restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland, and her mother, Pearl Geneen, owned the (much-missed) eclectic kitchen store The Compleat Kitchen in Yorkville, Toronto. My mom’s by-the-numbers bio is that she’s the author of 10 bestselling cookbooks, has had a food column in The Globe and Mail for 25 years and, for 20 years, ran a cooking school. But the larger influence she’s had over generations of home cooks is harder to quantify. I, too, am involved in food media as a writer, cookbook co-author and a columnist on CBC Radio.
Some families have precious heirlooms or cottage properties that tie them together. Our family has a love of flavor. At our table, we talk about the flavor profiles of a hot sauce, or the complexity of a grass-fed steak. All food has a flavor profile at its core, such as sweet, earthy, salty or spicy. It sounds simple, but defining a dish by its central flavor can help focus the dish and help find the right balance of accompaniments.
Our menu hits on all our favorite autumn tastes, using recipes from the bestselling cookbook The Flavour Principle by Lucy Waverman and Beppi Crosariol. Fall is our favorite season for cooking and eating because we can enjoy the bounty of our local harvests and the sweet, salty, earthy and umami flavors of the cooler season.”
“One of the reasons restaurant food always tastes better is the use of salt. Learn from chefs and use salt as an ingredient, and to finish a dish. A quick pickling of the fennel makes for a salty note that tones down its licorice taste. If you can find a fresh burrata, it’s a more than worthy substitute for mozzarella.”
Get the recipe for Buffalo Mozzarella & Pickled Fennel.
“This soup is a base for reinterpretation — just keep the natural sweetness of the carrot and riff on it. You can add cream to make it richer, other root vegetables such as parsnips or rutabaga, or even toss in an apple or pear for more sweetness.”
Get the recipe for Carrot, Ginger & Coriander Soup.
“My mom and I will always choose a braise over any other dish. The long and slow method brings out the earthy taste of meat and aromatics in a way that everyone loves. This can be made up to four days ahead — just skim off the fat before reheating and warming up the sauce. Argentinian or British short ribs are on the long bone, not divided into sections as other short ribs are. Ask for long-bone when buying.”
Get the recipe for Argentinian Short Ribs.
“Umami is the fifth taste on your tongue after sweet, salty, sour and bitter. Its savoriness fills your mouth and lingers on. Chefs chase umami with a variety of ingredients — old cheese, anchovies, cooked tomatoes, fish sauce, etc. A well-known secret is that neither my mom nor I are good at fancy pastry creations. But that doesn’t matter at our family table. A good old-fashioned pie crust with the surprising addition of cheddar cheese makes this pie an award-winner for its umami flavor.”
Get the recipe for Umami Apple Pie.
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