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The ninth B.C. Shellfish Festival takes place soon. Reading about this tasty series of events immediately made me want to cook local shellfish. Today’s recipe is the result.

Dear Eric: About eight months ago my appetizer at a lovely place called Les Retrouvailles in Lyon, France, was a flan-like dish with pears and Roquefort.

It’s still May, but it has felt like early summer the last while with the weather being so pleasantly sunny and warm. It’s the perfect climate to offer main-course salad recipes you could serve for lunch or dinner.

Dear Eric: Could you offer some side dishes using kale? Sarah Dear Sarah: Nutritious kale has been a trendy food the past few years, so much so that even McDonald’s is now serving salads made with it.

It’s lean, boneless, tender and moderately priced. You might think I’m talking about boneless, skinless chicken breast, but in this case, the meat is pork tenderloin. I don’t cook with it often, only because I don’t think to use it.

Maple syrup has been in the news recently and it was not to remind people that it’s good on pancakes.

Dear Eric: I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find the noodles that my wife cooked for me almost daily in Vietnam.

In a retirement mecca such as Victoria, with so many the-kids-are-gone couples living here, it’s not surprising I get requests for recipes that serve two.

Dear Eric: I feel like I want to eat more lamb, but I don’t know what cuts to buy. Can you help? Jill Dear Jill: Despite being widely available in Canada, lamb still plays second fiddle to other meats, such as beef, pork and chicken.

Dear Dr. Roach: I recently had a screening mammogram, and received a letter from my doctor saying the results were normal.