Lights, Camera, Action!

Over the years, I've had many guests tell me I should teach cooking classes. Hmmm. I love to cook and bake, and I love to talk food and recipes, but how would I do at passing that on to others? Well now we have a chance to find out!

I've entered the Real Women of Philadelphia cooking competition. Every week, for eight weeks, I'll be submitting one or more videos of me demonstrating an original recipe -- featuring Philadelphia Cream Cheese, of course. At the end of the competition there will be four winners selected to share in hosting a website and contributing to a cookbook. Plus each one wins a cool $20,000. It's not too late for you to enter too!

My first entry is in. The category was Appetizers and I came up with a Curried Cauliflower and Philly Dip made by mixing roasted cauliflower into a cream cheese based dip, topping it off with mango chutney and cashews. The combination of flavours and textures works beautifully together and is anything but boring.

Shooting the video was a lot harder than I expected. I didn't realize talking to a camera would feel so different than talking to a person! Poor Jim, my camera man and video editor extraordinaire. He had (and has) his work cut out for him. But with seven more weeks to go, I'm confident the process will get easier and that I'll get better at sharing my love of cooking with you and the rest of the world.

I hope you enjoy my video. Constructive feedback is very welcome!

Curried Cauliflower and Philly Dip

This is a warm, savoury appetizer. Chunks of cauliflower add texture to the creamy dip and the topping of mango chutney and cashews provide interesting contrast. Serve this flavourful dip with wedges of naan or other flatbread, crackers or crudités for dipping.

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 2 cups cauliflower florets (from 1/2 a head)*
• 8 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese (250 gram brick)
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip or mayo
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp. mango chutney
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped cashews

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together olive oil, garlic, curry powder, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add cauliflower and toss to coat. Spread on baking sheet in a single layer and roast, flipping once halfway through, until fork tender and edges are brown, 20-25 minutes. Let cool before mixing into dip.

In the bowl of a food processor, blend Cream Cheese and Miracle Whip. Add roasted cauliflower and pulse just to combine. Add parsley and pulse again. Taste and add more salt, pepper or curry powder if you like.

Spread the dip in a heat-proof serving dish. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (can be made a day in advance). Spoon mango chutney over the dip and top with cashews. Heat in a microwave for a few minutes or in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes until hot.
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Serve with breads or vegetables for dipping. Enjoy!

* If you've never tried roasting cauliflower, you are missing the best of what this vegetable has to offer! The recipe calls for half a head of cauliflower but go ahead and roast the whole thing (with or without the curry powder). You'll find yourself nibbling away at the extra florets and wondering why you didn't try this sooner.