Bark gets unanimous approval as a great treat. This recipe is from our colleague Elaine, executive assistant and office manager, who makes this classic once a year. Put the saltines on a baking sheet, then cover them with homemade caramel and bake them in the oven. Then just add melted chocolate and almonds for a sweet and salty treat reminiscent of childhood sweets. Put a few pieces of bark in a metal container, then wrap it in a pretty cloth.

Potatoes steal the show in this side dish that we make at Café RICARDO restaurants for special events. Give some style to your plate with this noble vegetable by layering it with garlic cream. Its “millefeuille” look will impress everyone at the Christmas Eve table.

Every self-respecting holiday table has its “little green salad.” But forget any memory of that heavy dressing on delicate leaves with this recipe that favours finesse and texture. Mix crunchy veggies with a light marinade made with cider vinegar, dill and mustard. Present the salad in a flat serving dish highlighting lettuce and radicchio leaves on which the marinated vegetables will never get soft or drenched.

When you can’t choose between mashed and baked potatoes, choose a dish that’s in between! These stuffed vegetables are garnished with an exquisite velvety mixture of aromatics—garlic, shallots, Gruyère and diced bacon—combined with mashed potatoes. This way, you’ll get the best of both worlds in terms of carbs: the baked skin, whole, and the generous flesh, full of flavour.

Raspberry Jam

This variation on the crusty pies of the holidays takes you away from the ordinary. Stuff these turnovers with a mixture of ground pork, thyme and fennel seeds, adding blue cheese and fig jam before closing the little packages and baking them in the oven. This refined dish is perfect for this occasion and its original flavours will make an impact.

This pasta dish will be very successful on weeknights. The creamy pasta is garnished with canned tuna and kale, as well as caramelized onions to add a delightful sweet flavour. Add it to your collection of recipes to make regularly.

When your meal can be cooked quickly and will make everyone happy, you’ve got a winner! Mediterranean-style chicken thighs are slowly stewed in a sauce combining zucchini, eggplant, kalamata olives and tomatoes. The finishing touch includes bocconcini and mozzarella, for just enough unctuousness.

This full meal in a bowl is both fragrant and lightly spicy. It puts the spotlight on chorizo, celery, onion, garlic and sweet potato. Plunge these colourful, tasty ingredients into a broth, then garnish with kale and white beans. Serve with cheese bread croutons. A hearty soup that’ll charm you from the first spoonful.

These savoury chops are coated in a velvety sauce in this revisited Italian recipe. “Piccata” describes a way of cooking meat, which is quickly pan-fried, then served with lemon and parsley sauce. A simple weeknight meal that requires few steps and that will easily find its way into your speedy menu options.