Last time on The Hot Chocolate Adventure Tamara Green explained why she has taken to the streets of Port Perry to find the number one hot chocolate! And made her first stop at the Durham Homestyle Gourmet.

Now we find our hero awing at... a dusting of fresh snow glittered off all the trees in Palmer Park as I passed, on my way to my next Hot Chocolate destination, The Pantry Shelf. This cute little shop on Water Street, has relaxing jazz music streaming outside there doors so you can sit out front sipping your Hot Chocolate while listening to the jazz. Inside it's equal as tranquil, with beautiful decorum. While I waited for the waitress to serve the one other early morning customer before me, I stood at the country "drinking in" the home style feel and studying there menu. Two dollars for a hot chocolate it said. Yet when I received my warm hot chocolate topped with the optional whip cream I was in for a surprise. It didn't cost $2 but $1.75! Now that's the kind of price shock I like!

I thanked the waitress, turned around and took a few steps toward the door and then she asked me "You don't want a lid for that?" Oops! I hadn't received a lid so I assumed maybe they had run out. She kindly directed me to the table set up beside the cooler that had the lids, straws, napkins, and sweeteners. Terrific! Now I had my lid snapped on and was ready to try out this promising hot chocolate.

Last time on The Hot Chocolate Adventure Tamara Green explained why she has taken to the streets of Port Perry to find the number one hot chocolate!

Now we find our hero... rosie cheeked and thirsty for my first hot chocolate adventure, I head south down Water Street to the newly established Durham Homestyle Gourmet.

The none fastuous little shop boasts an ever increasingly diverse menu as it buds into the world of ethnic dishes. However, right now my main concern is the self-serve beverage and breakfast bar to my right, where I find a surprising selection of the delightful drink, hot chocolate. Original, White, Mint, and Coffee Crisp. My choice is mint.

Although, this hot chocolate is at a self-serve bar the owner/chef generously offers to mix it up for me with a fresh pot of hot water. Despite the water being freshly boiled the suggested addition of cream, for a smooth texture, cools the drink back down to a pleasant casual sipping temperature.

A few weeks ago I was walking to work and I felt like picking up a Hot Chocolate on the way. However, I was in for a dilemma as I couldn't figure out where to buy it. There was to many place to get a hot chocolate! I counted nine of them. There is the: Durham Homestyle Gourmet, The Pantry Shelf, Cafe Mocha, Millar's Market, Queen Bean's, The Piano Cafe Hanks Pastries, Country Corner Coffee, and last but not least the Community Living/Library Cafe.

So yesterday I decided to scope one the establishment a day every day I'm in town until I've found which place has the best hot chocolate!

This comfort food is a traditional French Canadian Christmas pie called: Beef Tourtiere. All though it's called All Beef Tourtiere it's commanally made from a combination of pork and beef, and traditionally with carrier pigeon. But to offer a heartier and healthier alternative I offer my version of this wonderful winter dish, with no pork just beef. However, if you like pork go ahead and use half pork and half beef!

This pie is best suited for the cold seasons because it's loaded with what are termed warming spices. Warming spices are those spices which actually do warm your blood. Here are some examples of warming spices: ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamon, allspice. I offer my humble alternate definition of warming spices: heart warming spices; i.e. those spices which a reminiscent of what mother used to make on a cold day (e.g. applesauce cake, gingerbread, and pumpkin pie)!

Between hearty beef and heart warming spices this is a sure crowd pleaser.

The wonderful array of flavours all coalesce in this warming dish. The ingredients are many but the taste is divinely simple, and in fact the recipe is quite easy to compile.

Anyway enough of my chitter-chatter go ahead try the recipe for yourself, and please when you get a minute let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

Double Crust Pie Dough (SEE RECIPE HERE)
2 lb. Ground Beef (Blade Roast is adds a deep beef flavour!)
1 medium Onion, Diced
3 sm. Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/4 cup Celery, Diced
1 1/2 cup Beef Au Jus Sauce or Beef Gravy
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
6 Whole Cloves or 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Sage
3/4 cup Mashed Potatoes
1/4 cup Lightly Packed, Fresh GF Bread Crumbs

Preheat an oven to 400F. Roll the pastry dough into 2 equal-sized circles to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Line the bottom of the pie pan with 1 circle and set aside the prepared pie pan and remaining pastry for later.

Using a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the beef, onion, garlic, and celery until the vegetables are tender and the meat is mostly cooked.

Drain any excess fat from the pan. Add the beef stock, herbs, and spices to the meat and vegetables; simmer the mixture over low-medium heat, covered, for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir the mashed potatoes and dry breadcrumbs into the mixture. Allow the meat filling to sit for 3 minutes. Spoon the filling into the prepared pie pan and top with the remaining pastry dough. Crimp the dough shut, flute the edges, cut vents in the top, and bake the pie for 12 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 350F and continue baking the pie for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

Sift flours together. Add salt. Cut the butter and shortening into the flour mix using a pastry knife or a potato masher. Cut until the butter is pea sized (approx. 1/4 inch). Add water as need to form dough into a moist yet firm ball. Flatten the ball with the palm of your hands and fold in half. Flatten and repeat at least two more times. Gently form the dough into a disc and refrigerate for 1 hour or over night. Cold pastry makes for flakier pastry.

Remove dough from fridge. Roll out between lightly floured sheets of parchment/wax paper, until it's 1/8 - 1/16 inch thick. Cut a 10" circle from the center of the dough. Put aside excess dough. Transfer pie 10" circle to a 9" pie plate.

Quickly form excess dough into a ball. Flatten the ball with the palm of your hands and fold in half. Flatten and repeat at least two more times. Either return ball to fridge to re-chill or quickly roll out into a 9" circle; this will be your top crust. Chill pie dish and 9" circle in the fridge until you're ready to fill the pie.

This year the joy of Christmas has struck me early so from now until January I'm devoting every Life After Gluten post to Christmas.

I'd like to kick off this Christmas series with a proposition; that being: suggesting you host a GF Christmas Bake Swap!

Any holiday poses the greatest temptations to compromise your GF lifestyle, what with pot blessings, buffets, parties, and gifts of food. You don't want to reject the gift or be limited to your one or two GF treats when ten plus sit "begging your name."

You may only have one or two recipes for really good GF Christmas delights, so why not get together in a room with a few others who also have one or two good GF treats and organize a baking swap? This way everyone gets variety!

Follow the steps in the file below right now or download to view later by right click the image and selecting "save image as."

Thanks for reading this weeks post, please don't forget to share your favourite Christmas recipes with me and the other followers of Life A.G. (After Gluten).

Merrily signed,