Nature is waking up from a long hibernation, which means it’s time for fresh ingredients and new recipes that will soon become favourites. Celebrate the colours and optimism of the season by gathering friends and family, setting the scene with bloom-filled table settings, enjoying colourful produce and toasting to a new beginning.
Roast with the Most
The fading winter is reason enough to celebrate. Gather the whole family for a meal inspired by warmer spring weather and seasonal produce.
Mediterranean Style Barley Salad
Add colour to the table with a tender and nutty pearl barley-based salad that gets a Mediterranean flavour boost from crumbled feta, kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes.
Spiced Lamb Leg & Pineapple Salsa
Lamb is now in season. The aroma of the classic roast is enhanced with a warming ginger-cinnamon spice rub and served with a cilantro- and red onion-flecked salsa.
Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto
This colourful dish takes the often underutilized carrot tops and blends them into a vibrant pesto with Parmesan and walnuts. Served over fennel seed-flecked roasted carrots, this dish is great warm or at room temperature.
Chocolate Beet Cake with Ricotta Icing
Rich and deeply chocolatey — the Easter bunnies’ chocolate eggs have nothing on this seasonal delight. Grated beets add moisture and nutrients while remaining incognito in this luscious, ricotta-topped cake.
Patio Premiere
Sun-soaked spring days are rare, but we know how to make the most of them! Whenever you get a chance, embrace the Canadian spring and enjoy a meal in your backyard or on your balcony.
Lemon & Ginger Fizz Serve the colours of spring in the form of a bubbly virgin cocktail. This colourful, tart lemon soda gets a hint of heat from freshly sliced ginger and sweetness from pineapple juice.
Roast Chicken with Leek Sauté Tender leeks, zucchini and spinach bring green to the table. Lightly seasoned with lemon zest and fresh thyme, this dish brings spring to the table.
Mini Potatoes with Brown Butter & Herbs Crunchy toasted almonds and nutty brown butter coat warm mini potatoes. The addition of freshly chopped thyme and parsley brightens your bowl.
Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Icing Light and fluffy with a delicate crumb, our spring-perfect cake is cloaked in a tangy cream cheese icing naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Expect guests to be filling their plates (or baskets) with seconds!
Elegant Lunch
Though it’s often less formal than a dinner, there’s no reason lunch can’t be an elegant affair.
Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon Flaky salmon gets brushed with a generous amount of a sweet-sticky pomegranate and maple syrup glaze to bring a colourful main to the table.
Sicilian-Style Sautéed Cauliflower The hunt is over for your new favourite cauliflower recipe. Mild in flavour, this veg gets a salty bite from anchovies, olives and capers. The best part: we use the whole cauliflower!
Banana Coconut Cake with Seven-Minute Frosting A truly beautiful dessert, this layer cake is sandwiched together with sweet vanilla frosting and showered with shredded coconut. Serve the season with a slice of this decadent cake.
Springtime Table Settings
Get guests into the spring spirit by bringing the vibrant colours of the season indoors.
- Take a cue from your meal when decorating the table. If radishes are used in the dish that you prepare, make the centrepiece a big bowl of beautiful radishes.
- Keep floral arrangements low so you can easily see and chat with guests. A few lilacs trimmed from your backyard and placed in a cup and saucer make a sweet and creative presentation. In-bloom bunches of tulips and daffodils can also be used — just trim them down to size.
- Skip flowers entirely. Add small bud vases or mason jars of fresh herbs that were used to season the meal for simple, aromatic dinner-table decor.
- When it comes to choosing the tablecloth and napkins, keep the colour palette seasonal with pastel shades of soft greens and pinks.
