Style & Decor Blog

Fans of TLC’s Take Home Chef take note – the small screen does Aussie food phenom Curtis Stone no justice. The guy’s unnervingly good-looking in real life. Not to mention extremely talented at what he does: taking everyday ingredients and whipping them into something truly spectacular.

Curtis was in Toronto recently to introduce his stunning new cookbook (with a slant towards simple cooking methods and ingredients that are easy to come by), Relaxed Cooking With Curtis Stone, and a stunning line of kitchen aids at The Bay. While here, he also offered a cooking class at the lovely Dish Cooking Studio for the press (a group that’s likely more familiar with microwave meals than the nuances of pretty plating).

The first course? Tuna tartar – a brilliant balance of sweet (yummy palm sugar), sour (lime), salt and spice. The tuna was marinaded in the lime juice, which actually has the effect of “cooking” the tuna without ever exposing it to the grill. (It was so good, I ate half of it before I remembered to take a snap.)

Each course was paired with the perfect wine, selected by Curtis. (Which is why the snaps might become blurrier with each passing course…) His linguine was accompanied by a lovely chardonnay, and the lamb ratatouille with a delightful chiraz. “Wine is just another ingredient,” Curtis says. “You wouldn’t put anything into the dish that would conflict with the other ingredients, and the same applies to wine pairings.”

The last time he was in Canada, Curtis toured Niagara wine country, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “You have great wines here,” he says.

For the second course, Curtis prepared linguine with pesto and shrimp. This is a little more my style.

If you’ve ever watched Take Home Chef, you may have wondered how it actually works on a logistical level. On the show, Curtis seems to randomly approach a stranger at the supermarket (who always happens to be a gorgeous gal, strangely enough), who proceeds to take him back to her house to cook dinner. Surely it can’t be as random as it appears on-screen? “The producers have a chat with potential girls as they walk into the supermarket,” explains Curtis. “If they’re interested, they’ll tie a ribbon onto their shopping cart to let me know I can approach them in the store.” Aha! 

But has there ever been a case where the show’s set-up backfired?

“Has anyone every seen the show Cheaters?” Curtis laughs. “Every now and then, the girl’s boyfriend would come home from work, and see a film crew set up in their kitchen. They’re very relieved to find out it’s Take Home Chef and not Cheaters – they think they’ve been busted. That’s always fun.” He’s only been kicked out of a house by a jealous hubby once.

And then there was the time when Curtis followed a shopper back to her house, only to find out that she hadn’t paid her gas bill, and the kitchen was without power…

But what’s Curtis’ entertaining style at his own LA home? “The best sort of host is a relaxed one,” he says. “An air of formality can make people uncomfortable. Just like with cooking, you can’t take it too seriously. A relaxed approach makes it personal; a much nicer experience.”

And here’s that lamb ratatouille I was talking about. Basted in dijon, this was definitely my fave course of the evening, and even won over an avowed vegetarian in the crowd (for reals). Right before serving, Curtis burned fresh rosemary to fill the room with the mouth-watering aroma – the perfect sensory complement to the dish.

Ooh, I’m getting hungry all over again just looking at these shots… For these recipes (and hundreds more), check out Curtis’ new cookbook, Relaxed Cooking With Curtis Stone. And for my full Q&A with Curtis, check out the September issue of Style At Home, on newsstands next week!

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