kayaksoup

September 11

2011-09-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

This is How i felt in 2003...

-I will never forget how beautiful the day before was.

-I will never forget waking up in a motel room thousands of miles away from home, family, friends and watching in horror as it all unfolded on CNN.

-I will never forget the flags.

-I will never forget telling the gas station attendant in Petaluma what had happened. He had no idea, just kept saying "sweet Jesus" over and over.

- I will never forget Ten days of CNN every night in our Motel rooms, me curling into a ball and crying.

-I will never forget any of it.

I still feel that way 10 years later....

2010 - a whole lot of stuff happened

2011-01-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

2010 started with a bang - the Olympic Games came to Vancouver. For me, it passed in a blur of Russian, stress, phone glued to my ear, more Russians and some hockey. I worked at Sochi house and things were never dull around there.

My little sister got married in June and crazy person that I am, I offered to cater her wedding. Rob and my parents helped out with the food and the rest of the Olson family present at the wedding were a huge help with setting up tables etc. I think that they had a great time. Yes, I am wearing a chefs jacket and two aprons over my formal dress!

I had some free time after that, so I decided to take a little trip to Seattle. I ate great food and visited the SciFi Museum/EMP. I took the train home and I can't recommend it enough - the most beautiful scenery ever.

Of course, the highlight of this year came for me in August. Rob and I went to Vegas for our 10th anniversary and while there, we made it official. Yeah, we got married. It was so fun and so easy. We stayed at the Venetian and the concierge arranged everything for us.

Looking forward to 2011 and excited for what the New Year will bring. My sister is expecting a baby and we have Montreal and Newfoundland on the books....

pirohe

2010-12-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

Somehow, I was the lucky recipient of some pirohe handmade by a friend of mine. We indulged in this treat as our Christmas Eve dinner. Served them fried with sausage, caramelised onions and sour cream. Thanks Tanis!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas has come and gone, way too fast for my liking. I wish Christmas was more than one day - its the one day of the year I never feel guilty about not accomplishing anything.
This year, we started the day in style with my special mimosas

Blue Mountain Bubbly, fresh squeezed mandarin orange juice and a splash of cassis. Perfect companion to Rob's traditional breakfast ; Brie and strawberry stuffed french toast...

We basked in the warmth of the faux fire and just relaxed. Dinner this year was a total cheat...

Sliced meats and pate from Oyama, cheeses from Les Amis and desserts from Culinary Capers. Another fabulous christmas day with Rob...

Operation Cupcake Continues....

2010-05-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

I am still toying with flavours for my sister's wedding cupcakes. These were super tasty, although I need to improve on the texture of the topping

Blueberry Cupcakes

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

2010-05-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Need to drown your sorrows? May I suggest cupcakes. I think they pretty much cure anything! Particularly these ones.
My sister is getting married next month and mentioned that she wanted a vegan option on her cupcake tower, so I picked up Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World from Barbara Jo's Books to Cooks to give to her. Only now I can't give it away. Thank you Allison for the suggestion.

Buy this book, even if you aren't vegan.

For the sake of research, I decided to try a couple recipes: Banana Split Cupcakes, Golden Vanilla Cupcakes, Vanilla buttercream and Peanut Frosting
Of course there were adaptations made. I filled the golden Vanilla Cupcakes with morello cherry preserves before topping with the fluffy vanilla buttercream.
The recipe for these can be found here.

The Banana Split Cupcakes are my favourite though.

Banana Cupcakes
adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

Ingredients

1 cup very ripe banana
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup soy milk
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350.
Get cupcake pans ready with liners.

Blend the mashed banana for a few seconds in a food processor to get rid of any lumps. Add the remaining wet ingredients and blend until totally smooth

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

Fold the wet ingredients into to the dry ingredients and mix to combine; don’t over mix.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.

Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup margerine
4 tbsp vegan shortening (I used Earth Balance)
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1-2 tablespoons ricemilk, soy milk etc

With an electric mixer, cream together margerine and shortening. Beat in Vanilla and peanut butter, then beat in sifted confectioners sugar. Thin if needed with rice milk.

Eggnog Recipe

2009-12-09T18:12:00.001-08:00

After some tweaking, here is the eggnog recipe.
Incidentally, this uses a standard "2litre" carton of milk, so I saved the carton and poured the eggnog back to store it in the refrigerator. This does not taste store bought, it is much spicier. And that is a good thing....

700 ml milk (i used whole milk)
18 egg yolks
360 ml sugar
1.4 l milk
5 cinnamon sticks
7.5 ml nutmeg

Combine the first amount of milk with the spices and simmer over low heat.
Heat the second measure over medium heat.
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Once the milk is heated, slowly add the milk to the egg yolks with the mixer running at medium.
Return egg mixture to the pot and cook until it thickens. Add the milk with the steeped spices and immediately chill. an ice bath is the best way to go here. Once chilled, strain and decant into a suitable container. Enjoy. Ideally with lots of rum....

Pig Industry Dinner

2009-11-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

Last night, I was very lucky to be in possesion of a ticket for a special dinner at Fuel. It was an industry (meaning food industry) event, so it started at 11pm. It was so worth the wait.

We started with predrinks at Maenam. The service was spotty at best. 20 minutes to get a drink from the bar?? The server kept blaming the bartender, but I think they shared the blame...

A glimpse of what was to come in the window.

The room was set up with 5 long tables and it was packed. Silver pitchers of cold beer from R&B Brewing sat on every table and the room was humming as people caught up with old friends and made new ones.
The dishes started to come out of the kitchen. First a bowl of roasted red and yellow beets with toasted almonds. Next, a mound of baked beans with pork meatballs and pork lardons. Cabbage, the best cabbage I have ever eaten, creamy, braised cabbage with (I think) bacon. A crisp salad of arugula, apple and Montreal smoked tongue. My plate was filling up rapidly and there was still more to come. Buttermilk fried onion rings and roasted potatoes and then, finally, the star of the evening, the roast suckling pig.

Yeah, I was that happy.
As we enjoyed the feast, servers came around with platters of the good bits... jowls, brains, trotters and ears. Having tried all those good bits before, I took a trotter and left the other bits for my table companions.
Just when we thought it was over, the plates were cleared and more came out ~ a selection of cheeses with honeycomb and crisp bread, bacon ice cream and something called pudding Chaumard (basically cake cooked in a maple syrup concoction).
We were begging for mercy by the end of it. I stumbled home full of beer and found, with a big smile on my face. It was 1:30 am when I got home.

Unfortunately, Fuel will be closing Nov 29th. Fortunately it will be reopening as refuel Dec 2nd. And Fuel is doing some Whole Hog Dinners Tonight (Nov26) and tomorrow night..<

Remembrance Day

2009-11-11T09:03:00.001-08:00

Every year, I post this poem. in my mind, it will forever be linked with November 11th.

Spicy Cauliflower and Peanut Soup

2009-10-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

This isn't a recipe, it's the realisation of an idea.
When I worked at the Stock Market, one of my favourite soups was a spicy cauliflower and peanut with cilantro.
I found a huge(really, its the size of three heads) head of cauliflower in the 1$ bin on Granville Island, it was a cool fall day, so I decided to give it a shot.
I started by throwing 2 cloves of garlic and couple of cups of cauliflower florets in a pot with a tough of water. I steamed it until the cauliflower was tender, then threw it in the food processor with some milk, water, salt and pepper, peanut butter and sambal. Once the soup was smooth, I adjusted peanut butter and sambal levels, thinned it a little more and reheated it. Right at the end, I threw a generous handful of finely chopped cilantro.
The result? a huge success. Warm, rich, spicy and very satisfying.

A tale of two films

2009-10-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Vancouver International Film Festival ran for the last couple of weeks and I was fortunately able to take in several movies. Two that I chose ended up being interesting complements to each other. I promise, this is about food...

The first was HomeGrown, an interesting look at an american family and their attempts to live off the land. Check out the details here and their own website here.
The second was eatrip, a Japanese documentary looking at people's relationship to food. A trailer here, but no subtitles, and a summary here.
HomeGrown was a fascinating look at what can be accomplished if you just but your mind (and back) to it. An inspiring film, I was ready to leap up out of my seat and run home and plant things...
Eatrip was a visual love letter to food. Every person interviewed was passionate about eating and all for different reasons. My favourite was a 90 year old priest who said
"We eat 3 times a day. I have eaten three times a day for 90 years and I am still not sick of it." All the interviews were interspersed with beautiful footage of cooking, stark photos of food and the places it comes from.
One of the interviewees was a homemaker from Okinawa, a woman who raised her two children on a homestead, growing all their own food, not using a refrigerator, living the simple life. As I watched her speak with joy about eating the seasons, enjoying what her garden gave to her, I was reminded of the Dervaes family (HomeGrown) gently complaining about eating the same thing day in and day out when it was in season...
I would reccommend both of these movies to anyone who cares about food and where it comes form, as well as the impact that we have on our planet.

SF Notes: Dotties True Blue Cafe

2009-10-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realise I have been home from San Francisco for 3 months. But I can pretend that it hasn't been that long by looking through my trip pictures and notes. Its like I was there only yesterday..
I ate at Dotties with a friend. It was her choice, I was just along for the ride and what a ride it was! We waited in line for aprox 30-40 minutes (I didn't mind, I was on vacation) and ended up with seats at the counter. Which meant we were about 4 feet from the griddle. The daily specials all looked fabulous, but I settled on housemade pork sausage scramble with jalapeno cornbread toast and hash browns. Lisa ordered eggs with black bean cakes and toast and we also tried a blueberry pancake. Everything was delicious, but the standouts were the cornbread and Lisa's black bean cakes.
Would I go back again? Absolutely... but if I lived in San Francisco, I probably wouldn't bother to wait in line for breakfast that long....

English Style Breakfast

2009-10-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

English style breakfasts are usually found in B&BS. This isn't everyday fare, this is I don't plan on eating for 8hrs kind of breakfasts. I posted about the one that we enjoyed on our recent trip to England.
Today, disheartened by the sad offerings of our farmer's market, I was wandering around Granville Island trying to decide what to make Rob and I for breakfast. I bought a few Pine mushrooms on a whim and that is when I decided to go full english. With a Linda twist of course..

Free range eggs sunny side up, Gammon bacon from Oyama Sausage, homemade baked Rancho Gordo beans, fried heirloom tomato from my garden and sauteed pine mushrooms. The kind of breakfast I would serve in my fantasy B&B.

Not food: art

2009-10-08T17:34:00.001-07:00

Look at that, another 2 months with no blog post... I still cook, really I do! I just don't feel like writing about it all the time...

Today, I swung by the One of a Kind Show at the convention center. Its on till Sunday and full of, well, one of a kind things.
I stopped by the Hob Snobs booth and picked up 3 adorable cards by The Beautiful Project. I was also eyeing the laptop bags by Track and Field and was thrilled to hear that she makes netbook bags as well. I will be picking one of those up when I have a chance to make it to Cambie and 13th.

After that, I was drawn to the Luved Clothing booth, where I ended up purchasing the wrap hoodie (left) in a dark green. So warm cozy and comfortable. I decided after that I was cut off from purchasing, but that didn't stop me from ogling all the other wonderful objects/jewellery/art/fashion.
Check it out!

SF Notes: Pizzaiolo

2009-08-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

If you ever find yourself in Oakland, or San Francisco, looking for a place to eat, I cannot recommend Pizzaiolo enough. This was my second visit. The first, four years ago fueled an obsession that stuck with me.
Walking distance from the BART in a fun neighbourhood, the place is usually packed.
Four of us went this time and ordered a selection of items to share. We started (and kept going) with bread from Acme bread company. So addictive, chewy goodness.
Off the antipasti menu, we had Blue Heron Farm little gems Caesar, Hand stretched mozzarella with spicy gypsy peppers, little yellow beans and salsa rustica and Padron peppers and okra from the wood oven with seas salt and olive oil.
I had been dubious about the choice of Caesar salad (how good can a Caesar salad be??) but it was the best caesar I have ever had; lots of anchovy and garlic. The hand stretched mozzarella was decadent and the yellow bean salad a nice change from a usual accompaniment of basil and tomatoes. As for the Padrone peppers, well they are always a hit with their smokey sweet spiciness and the okra was a surprisingly delicious addition.
From the Primi, we ordered Spaghetti with Manila clams, housemade sausage and hot pepper. Perfect al dente pasta with just the right amount of sauciness. The clams were nicely done, no hint of rubbery toughness.
From the Pizze menu, we ordered two items. For me, the pizza is what makes this place so special. Their beautiful wood oven yields crusts with just the right balance of crispy and chewy with a hint of charred smokiness. They also have a light hand with the toppings, so the pizza do not end up overladen and soggy. The rapini and housemade sausage and the wild arugula, prosciutto and grana with an egg cracked on top were our choices. I wish i could have ordered them all.
Amazingly, we stilled had room for dessert and split an order of panna cotta with roasted nectarines and wild blackberries and one of chocolate walnut cream cake with espresso caramel sauce. Both desserts were well executed. The panna cotta was a little soft, but that was more than compensated for by the roasted nectarines intense flavour and natural sweetness.
We shared a bottle of Old Vines Zinfandel from Sausal Winery that one of my dining companions had brought and I started with a delicious tequila cocktail. The bill was roughly 40$ each.

Farmer's Market Bounty

2009-08-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

I have been so lucky lately, having Thursdays off and getting to hit our Granville Island Farmers MArket. Two weeks ago, Rob and I went a little crazy on our Thursday night dinner, piling on the fresh produce.

Tomato Salad with fresh goats cheese and basil, Potato Salad made with 3 kinds of organic potatoes from Pemberton, Fresh Corn on the cob and fresh broad beans. Tastes like summer!!

Rob has been completely fixating on my potato salad, so I am going to try and write down the recipe next time I make it.

Summer refresher

2009-08-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

I was shopping on Granville Island the other day and noticed this in the display case at the Stock Market. I couldn't resist.

Once at home, the first glass was mixed with a generous splash of Gin and a twist of lemon. Instant summer refreshment.

I couldn't actually taste the chili, but the thai basil and lime leaf flavours were very present and the sweetness level was perfect. I wish it had a wee bit more of a citrus zing to it though, hence the twist of lemon.

Harvest

2009-08-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

These are the first tomatoes we have evr grown. We ate one standing at the counter with salt and pepper. The other one is going with our flank steak tacos tonight.

Lumiere

2009-07-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

This is a brief overview of our meal at Lumiere. It is not an official review, but you should know that the meal did not disappoint. Okay, that is an understatement. The meal was phenomenal. I am still waiting on a confirmation of the actual wine pairings.

Tomato Amuse Bouche
tomato vol au vent, tomato consomme and some sort of a cream cheese topped with roasted tomato gelee and Pine nuts

This was the amuse of the night and each miniature bite packed a serious flavour punch. There was no wine pairing with this and we were finishing off our refreshing Hemingway Daiquiris.

Dungeness Crab with Champagne Mango
Pickled Papaya, Piquillo Pepper Coulis, Coriander

Paired with a spanish or perhaps brazilian white.

Qualicum Bay Scallops
with cornmeal crust, fresh creamed corn, crispy okra and a chicken and scallop jus

I had this dish instead of the foie gras course as the foie had hazelnuts on it. The wine pairing was a pinot blanc, but I also had a glass of the riesling served with the foie and it made an excellent match with the dish. I LOVED this and I am no fan of cooked scallops.

Foie Gras Terrine
Napoleon of Plum and Hazelnut, House Cured Duck Pastrami

BC Spot Prawn and Pork Belly

With Heart of Palm, Pickled Ramps, Radish, Smoked Hen of the Wood

Paired with a chenin blanc I believe. (too much wine, my memory is so foggy).

Oh, look...

Yeah, that would explain why I can't remember the wine pairings so well...

Uni Crusted Halibut

Green and White Asparagus, Buddha Hand, Black Garlic

paired with an amazing viognier from California

Pea Ravioli with a Champagne "veloute"
Sugar Snaps, Oyster Mushrooms, Pearl Onion, Mint

This dish was had by two out of the four at our table, paired with a chenin blanc although it worked with the mystery viognier as well, I got to taste one of the ravioli and they just exploded in the mouth, with a very smooth filling and an intense fresh pea taste.
Sadly, the pictures are starting to suck at this point. I blame the lighting in the restaurant. Or maybe I should blame the wine.

Seared Duck Breast
Glazed with Hennessey XO and other good things, served with spinach, a warm cherry and daikon with a cherry sauce.

Paired with??

Quail with Lentils
Pureed and whole french lentils, cubes of foie

I think that is what this dish is. It wasn't one that I got, and I didn't even taste it because there were hazelnuts in it. And yes, the picture is really bad. I did warn you...

Pistachio Crusted Lamb
Chickpea Panisse, "Cannelloni" of Braised Shoulder, Bulgur, Apricot and Pistachio

Paired with something red from Chateauneuf de Pape. So good, the lamb was perfectly cooked, but the ravioli made my night.

Duo of Beef
Red Wine Braised Short Rib with Potato Fondant and Rosemary Soubise
Seared Rib Eye with Braised Romaine and Shallot

This was the alternative to the lamb course. It was paired with a red from the Tannat grape. Very punchy, but worked beautifully with the beef.

Cheese Course

paired with Madiera
Sadly, I can only remember a few of the cheeses. There was a Morbier and a chevre and a fabulous blue.

Summer Strawberry Pavlova
Lemon-scented Strawberries, Vanilla Cream, Pink Peppercorn Meringue

It was the perfect summer dessert with an unbelieveably delicate meringue. Paired with a sauterne

Opera Cake

The alternative to the pavlova. I think pavlovas won this course....

Chocolate Fondant
with Peanut Nougatine Ice cream

Pavlovas have been knocked off the podium in the dessert contest with this one. It was a warm chocolate cake that wasn't too sweet and made for a very happy match with the Graham's port that we were served.

A selection of dainty desserts that followed our meal. The finger is to give an idea of scale.

After all that eating and drinking, a certain member of our group decided the party wasn't over and asked for some more beverages. We successfully polished off a bottle of Canados, a BC made apple brandy.
And then the aforementioned member of our group ordered one more drink for the night.
So we also polished off a bottle of the Blue Mountain Brut.
Five hours after we started, we rolled (or poured) ourselves into cab. What an amazing meal.

A Teaser

2009-07-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

The sky

2009-07-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

I took this photo a while back and promptly forgot about it ~ one of the drawbacks of having an 8GB memory card in your camera. I have not photoshopped this, the sky really did look like the picture. Taken on a sea wall walk.

England Part The End

2009-07-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Its only been 3 months since we returned from England and a mere three weeks until my next trip : San Francisco, 5 days. Can't wait.

Cast your mind back, way back. I left you all with Saturday night in Worcester....
We were awakened the next day by the peal of church bells and it just didn't stop. It was actually a beautiful sound, but it was also the only sound that echoed through the streets of Worcester. As we wondered around, marveling at the emptiness of the city, it dawned on me that it wasn't just Sunday morning, it was Easter Sunday! Nothing was open, so we hit the Tesco express for supplies and headed back to the boat.
Cruising through the city was a little disconcerting ~ dead rats floated by, the bottom of the boat scraped on sunken mystery objects. A boat trying to pass us going the other way ended up stuck for a few minutes on something submerged, etc. A big sigh of relief for us once we left the city behind and started to climb into the country side. By this point, we were actually very close to our home base, so we decided to take every opportunity to stop. A canal side pub in Tibburton afforded us a good opportunity for a lunch break. With the boat tied, we enjoyed a long and very leisurely lunch

After returning to the boat, we continued up the canal for an hour or so, stopping at Dunhampstead for another couple of beers before settling in for the night.
The next morning was misty and still as we continued our ascent towards Stoke Works. We stopped mid morning and headed off down a right of way towards Hanbury Hall. I loved that we could stumble through farmer's fields, arriving at a heritage property. An appetite worked up from our traipsing through the fields, we turned back and headed down to Hanbury Wharf where we stumbled on an excellent carvery pub lunch. The carvery featured roast pork with crackling, roast beef, roast turkey and all the sides ~ I think Rob was in meat coma heaven. Thankfully, we had a long hike back to the boat to work off all that food. Continuing on up the canal, we stopped at Stoke Works for the night, a mere fifteen minutes from our home base. It was a beautiful day and we luxuriated in the sun sipping pints at a local canalside pub.

The afternoon was bittersweet, as we knew our idyllic vacation was coming to an end. The next morning, we were up early, had the boat returned by 10 am and began the next phase of our adventure; getting to London...
This was more difficult than you might think. First, a cab had to be called to get us to Bromsgrove train station. and of course we had just missed the next train to Birmingham, so there was an hour wait. Then we were crammed like sardines into the train cars for the 20 minutes or so trip to Birmingham. Upon arrival, a quick glance at he departures board told me that the next train to London was leaving in two minutes from a platform far away from us. I told Rob to just follow me and took off through the crowds. We made the mad dash from one end of the crowded station to the other, only to discover that the London train was delayed by 10 minutes. Poor Rob had never experienced anything like that station before; he said it reminded him of Brazil with the loudspeakers squawking incomprehensible announcements into the chaos. He also told me later that all he could do was focus on my rapidly disappearing back as I took off through the crowds; he had no idea where he was going or how to get there.
Once on the train, it was a short, uneventful ride into London, where we took a black cab to our hotel, Grosvenor House. I cannot recommend this hotel enough. I managed to score a really sweet deal on Priceline, getting a room for 150$/night.

After 14 days of sleeping on a piece of foam over plywood, it was all we could do to drag ourselves out of the room for some sightseeing instead of just collapsing on the luxurious bed. We didn't have much time, but we wandered around the area surrounding our hotel, checking out Oxford Street and Marble Arch/Hyde Park before returning to our room to freshen up for dinner.
As a belated birthday treat, we ate at Corrigans, in the hotel. The meal was very good, but the highlight for me was the beautiful fresh rhubarb souffle for dessert.

We were also blessed with a very loud an entertaining snob at one of the cetral tables in the room. It was all I could do to keep it together as the woman made various proclamations to her dining companions
" He was such a lovely gentleman, but it was so unfortunate, he wears a BASEBALL cap.."
Or
"I just saw (insert name of play here). Really, I have no idea why Judi Dench wasted her time on it, it was just abysmal."
Or
"Oh yes, we met them on the cruise. Such a lovely couple..." and so on

We strolled back into the hotel and enjoyed a deep sleep on our comfy bed. THe next morning, we took a car service to Heathrow (a Mercedes, totally worth it) and said our goodbyes to England. We were lucky enough to get three seats together fro the flight home so we could stretch out a little..

England Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Dinner for Rob

2009-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures of a special dinner I made for Rob and I last night...

poached quail eggs, new potatoes, creme fraiche and salmon roe
final product was actually garnished with watercress from our patio garden instead of chives

The greens from our garden that later became a salad course.

Chilled pea soup with mint and lemon
I used fresh peas from my garden to add texture and the mint was also growing just outside our window.

Stellars Jay Brut with raspberries ~ the first of many wines we drank

Foie gras ~ One of Rob's special requests

Ravioli with a truffle white wine butter sauce
The ravioli are stuffed with duck confit, sage from our garden, truffle and chanterelle mushrooms. Garnished with mini chantrelles and crispy duck skin.

Duck breast with new potatoes and wilted swiss chard from our garden

creme brulee, another of Rob's requests

cheese plate

the aftermath

Fresh from the garden

2009-06-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have been busy with my little patio garden and tonight we enjoyed some of the "fruits" of our labour. I made fresh pasta with some pesto, feta, tomatoes and some of the purple peas from our garden.

I suspect the peas are more of a shucking pea, but it was fun to eat the first ones like this. The downside to the purple peas? They share their colour with whatever they touch after they have been blanched. Case in point: my fingers.

England Part 6

2009-05-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Tewkesbury. After a rocky start, we were ready to explore the town... except there didn't seem to be a whole lot to see. The high street could be walked in five minutes or less and the surrounding streets that we tried out were devoid of anything of interest. I didn't mind, however as all I really wanted to see was the Abbey. I have an obsession with old buildings and the older and more majestic they are, the better. Tewkesbury Abbey did not disappoint. Preparations were under way for Easter Celebrations so the church was a hive of activity making sureptitious picture taking almost impossible.

We wandered the aisles, poking our noses in little nooks and crannies, running our hands over centuries old tombs. A chantry chapel drew me in, with unique detailing on the ceiling. As I stepped back to take it all in, my foot came down on 4 inches of empty air. There was some staggering backwards, some flailing of arms in a desperate attempt to stop the inevitable. I found myself flat on my back on the stone floor of Tewkesbury Abbey with a bruised elbow and ego. Yay me!
After righting myself , we made our way to the exits and walked back to the boat, keeping our eyes peeled for a restaurant or pub to eat dinner at. The selection was not ideal; a choice of "2 meals for 9.99" form the English Equivalent of Dennys or an outrageously pricey dinner in a tiny (and way more upscale than us) cafe. We settled on greasy fish and chips wrapped in paper from the local fish shop.

I just have to note that this was my first fish and chips of the trip, but I think it was Rob's 6th.
The next morning, we wandered back into town in the hopes of picking up a few groceries for the road (or should I say river). Somehow, culinary gold was struck. A local butcher shop AND a local greengrocer were open and we picked up a beautiful pork shoulder roast and some good looking produce before hurrying back to the boat so we could lock out of the Avon onto the Severn. A gaggle of eager power boaters, one other narrowboat crew and Rob and I were all clustered around the lock keepers shack in the hopes of being the first through. Somehow, the narrowboats won the lock lottery and we were sent down together.

The morning was clear and calm, sun shining. A short waterway lead from the last lock on the Avon to the junction with the Severn. The view of Mythe Bridge as we swung out wide on the river to avoid the sandbar was breathtaking.

This day rated as one of the most idyllic yet as we cruised calmly up the Severn taking in the sun, the wide calm water, the fresh air. I could hear birds singing, fish jumping. Once in a while, a boat would pass us going the other way, but we were largely on our own. This was also the day that I truly enjoyed driving the boat the most.
WE ate lunch on the run again and reached the first lock on the river sometime around 2, maybe 3. The gates were huge and incredibly daunting, the lock keeper's shouted instructions almost impossible to understand, but we made it up without incident. From there it was a few hundred yards to the bottom lock of the Worcester and Birmingham canal, the one we had started on 11 or 12 days earlier.

We locked up without incident, tied up near Diglis Basin and headed for the cathedral (see previous mention of obsession).
Worcester Cathedral was even more majestic than Tewkesbury and I managed to avoid any embarrassing incidents.

There was one small problem. I had done no research on the layout of Worcester, it was a Saturday afternoon and we had no idea where to find a grocery/liquor store. I got the pork shoulder roast started low and slow, with some onions, bay and Strongbow, left Rob in charge and set out. After roughly 30 minutes of walking, I found a Tesco Express. It would have to do. In hindsight, I should have done a little more sightseeing/tourist shopping, but I had no idea what day it was....
Dinner was oh so good (I heart British Pork)

Rob and I needed some exercise after that so we set off for a walk along the Severn to take in the amazing sunset.....

Next time: The bells! The Bells! Plus some dead rats. Also, taking our time drinking, some more drinking and Stoke Prior again.

England Part 5

2009-05-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

Rob and I said our goodbyes to Louise and Lorna and headed through the bottom lock and onto the river for the last time. The weather was a little overcast, with spotty drizzle, but we were in good spirits. The very first river lock was less than five minutes from Stratford and as we approached, I realised that we were dealing with a whole new thing here. First, the weirs. The weirs divert the flow of the river so that the lock doesn't disrupt the normal flow of the river. They are large, and fast moving and all the guidebooks say that the current can suck you in if you aren't careful... Great, one more thing for me to stress about (needlessly). My favourite is when the weirs are not marked. Here is a picture that I did not take...

Then there are the river locks. These are twice as wide as the canal locks, allowing the wider river barges to navigate or for two narrowboats to go down together. Twice as wide means twice as challenging when there are just two of you. It also means that the gates were a heck of a lot heavier to open and close... Another picture I did not take..

Despite the challenges, we survived the first lock without any issues and I gradually relaxed into enjoying the river. I even sucked up the courage to try navigating the boat and I realised it was actually a lot easier to deal with on the river.

There are not a lot of places to stop along the river Avon, so we pushed through, eating a sandwich of VERY mature cheddar and ham on the go and drinking copious amounts of hot tea and coffee. Around 4pm, we passed through our first ever manned lock at Evesham. The lock divided the Upper and Lower Avon Navigation Trusts and the lockkeeper was a wealth of information (also, it was so nice not to have to deal with trying to man the lock by ourselves...) We were concerned about finding a secure spot to stop for the night and the lock keeper said we could go for another 2 or 3 hours to tie up in the one spot that was in the middle of nowhere or we could stop just around the bend in the river at Evesham. We opted for Evesham, worried that we might not be able to make the next stopping point before dark.
Evesham was a market town, but in the late afternoons watery light, it was a little depressing, evidence of economic woes everywhere (so many vacant shops). We walked for a good 20 minutes trying to find a pub for dinner. On the verge of giving up and returning to the boat for a dinner of soup and sandwiches, we finally found a place - the Royal Oak Inn. They weren't serving dinner yet, but we had a few beverages while we waited.

Rob had (surprise) fish and chips while I settled on local sausages and mash. OMG, the best sausages and gravy I have ever hed. Perfectly seasoned, perfect texture, abundance of gravy and good mash. Rob was so jealous, even though his fish and chips were the best ones he had enjoyed so far.

We stumbled back to the boat and enjoyed an evening of crib before tucking in early so we could get up early and make the final push to Tewkesbury.
We were under way with the dinner. THe day was even more dreary than the previous one and the locks seemed more challenging. We encountered a diamond shaped (!) lock that was a real challenge for us and the nerves were starting to fray. Rob stumbled on the roof of the boat, trying to jumb out at another lock and help me. I tried to push the boat off as I leapt on and almost got my leg caught between the wall and the boat railing. We were trying to reach Tewkesbury before nightfall, so it was another lunch on the go, this time a hot beef stew I had prepared the night before. It was cold, windy, the sky was heavy with threatening rain showers...

We reached the last lock before Tewkesbury (still at least an hour out) and there was a traffic jam of power boats ahead of us, then the exit of the lock was super awkward and we almost got stuck trying to get out. More fraying of nerves...
The threatening clouds made good on their promise and it started to rain as King John's bridge came into view. We had finally reached Tewkesbury, the end of the navigable portion of the River Avon. Just through the bridge was the lock that led out onto the River Severn, so we quickly attempted to tie up. Yeah attempted. The spot was just not quite the right size for our boat and we couldn't get both ends secured properly. The rain was starting to really come down and because 54ft and an engine seperated Rob and I, we were having communication issues. For the first time, we found ourselves snapping at each other. There were a few angry tears from me and we finally got the boat secured. Inside, out of the rain, we sank into our respective chairs, maintaining the angry silence for about 30 seconds before we started laughing hysterically at the ridiculousness of it all. Oh, and the rain stopped once we were inside...
We dried off, cleaned up, paid the lockkeeper our very small moorage fee for the night and headed out to explore Tewkesbury.
Next time, falling for the Abbey, Fish and chips, the River Severn and arriving in Worcester....

England Part 4

2009-05-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I updated on England. Life is busy, I have been enjoying my patio garden, books and the gym in my downtime and the computer just seemed to take a lower priority. But its a cloudy holiday Monday, I am in my PJs and intend to stay there for the rest of the day and I have some spare time....

Right, where were we? Oh yes, Stratford upon Avon. The morning of April 7th, Rob and I took the boat through the bottom lock of the Stratford Canal and out onto the River Avon so we could fill up with water. We actually toyed with tying up on the river bank for the night, but the sheer width of the river made me nervous, so we opted to return to the Stratford Basin and tie up at the public docks for the next two nights. There was a lot of construction going on, but it was still bearable...
Anyway, safely tied up, we ventured out for some grocery shopping and then some sightseeing. Rob was amazed by the town.
"it looks like a movie set." he said to me. "I can't believe that this is all real..." That was the payoff for me. I knew Rob had been skeptical of my obsession with seeing the history of England, but once he experienced it for himself, he was hooked. HE even said it would be neat to go to Italy or maybe Greece just to see the history of those countries in person. (Yesss!!)

We walked to the train station where we met Lorna and Louise, my friends from high school. They had come down to spend a couple nights with us on the boat and I was so excited to see them.
Heading back to the boat was all about catching up on each others lives for the last couple years. We dropped their bags and then went to find lunch. We ended up at a pub that made us wait 30 minutes before we were allowed to place our order for food!
After lunch, we wandered some more stopping at Marks and Spencers for an easy dinner of pizza and salad.
After dinner, Louise, Lorna and I went to a few pubs for a few drinks before crashing far too early. The sleeping didn't last long for me as a storm blew in and I spent the night peering out the window every 15 minutes to see what the strange noises were, if we were sinking or if the dock had detached itself from land and we were free floating in the Stratford Basin. What can I say, I can be a bit of a worrier. Of course everything was fine...
The next day, April 8th, was my 30th birthday. I was treated to some sparkly gifts from my friends and then we took the boat back on to the river for more water and a very short cruise

before we walked out of town to Anne Hathaway's Cottage, looked at the outside and walked back to town. (We saw the inside the last time we were there, about 15 years ago). Lunch in the sun, more sightseeing then back to the boat to commence celebrations. Rob prepared an amazing dinner of lamb shanks, minty potatoes and purple sprouting.

Another walk was decided on after the meal as we were too full to do the Champagne (50% off at M&S) and trifle justice. It was a beautiful evening and the riverfront around Stratford was so idyllic. Much laughter was enjoyed over the brass rubbing center (don't ask).

Trifle, chocolates, Champagne.. it was all so decadent and over the top. It felt strange to turn 30, but I am glad I did it in style and was able to celebrate it with friends.

Next time...down the river, dealing with scary new locks, the best pub meal ever and reaching Tewkesbury (and very nearly reaching our breaking points)

Oh and Rob got me a little surprise for my birthday (the trip was the main gift). A little shoe to add to my collection....

Garden Greens!

2009-04-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

These are the first greens from my container garden ; watercress, radicchio, spinach and arugula.

They went into this delicious salmon sandwich on Terra Breads Pizza Bianco Bread (new and o so delicious)

England 2009 Part 3

2009-04-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday April 4th, we got up early, packed ourselves up for a day trip and headed out to the train station. The train to Warwick from Lapworth was a 12 minute ride and cost us 3.60GBP (wish I could figure out how to do a pound sign) round trip. While waiting on the platform for our train, a proper steam train sped through ~ so cool to see!

Once in Warwick, we hiked up the hill from the train station to the castle. I lived in England for a while and I have been to a lot of castles, but none of them were as intact as this one. Also, none of them charged as exorbitant a fee to get in (70$CAD for the two of us). It was worth it though. We passed an archer warming up for his daily show and then entered the main gate. Several hours were spent wandering through, around and up and down the castle, including a climb to the highest tower as well as a climb up to the oldest section of the castle.
Once we had exhausted ourselves with everything that Warwick Castle had to offer, it was time to find a bite to eat and then do some grocery shopping. We found a fancy pub just off the market square called the Rose and Crown. Rob had the seemingly inevitable fish and chips and I had a charcuterie board with some cheeses, meats, chutney and bread.
Everything was top notch, even the tartar sauce with Rob's fish and chips was obviously housemade (and very good).
As we enjoyed our lunch, we looked at the train schedule to return to Lapworth. Being a weekend, the train only ran every two hours so our window of opportunity was pretty small. After lunch we hit the Saturday Market, scoring some of the best (and cheapest) produce yet including my new favourite vegetable, purple sprouting. From there, it was on to Sainsburys for the basics. We wrapped up the shopping and noticed that we had exactly half an hour if we wanted to catch the next train. Thinking it was totally doable, we stepped up the pace, but my legs were not doing to well on the uphills after the 500 stairs climbed at the castle in the morning. Still, we tried. It was 13:58 as we arrived at the train station and watched a train pull away. You guessed it, the 13:59 that we wanted to catch, missed by literally 30 seconds. We found a nice quiet garden to sit in, enjoyed some ice cream and tried to keep the groceries in the shade until the next train.
Back at the boat, we unloaded and then cruised up the canal for an hour or so, found a turnaround point and tied up for the night.

THe next morning found us up and cruising back on to the Startford Canal where the locks going down seemed so much harder than that first day going up. We did get to cross two aqueducts, one very short, the other a little daunting for me in its length and height.
As we tried to tie up for the night in a beautiful section of the canal, we found we had run aground. Fortunately, we were in a spot we wanted to be in, so we just left it till morning ~ it only meant that the boat didn't rock every time one of us rolled over in bed...
Pushing off was easy in the morning and we continued our run down to Stratford. An older gentleman was running one lock ahead of us and doing it all singlehanded with a much larger boat than ours ~ I was so impressed.
Because of our early start, we were in Stratford by lunchtime and tied up just before the basin that leads to the river Avon, setting off on our mission to find a very rare landmark...... a laundromat! On the edge of downtown, we found one called Sparklean Landrette where we had the pleasure of paying 8GBP to wash our large load of laundry and 50p/minute to dry it. Time went fast as we chatted with a couple from New Zealand who were also on holiday before wandering off to find a butcher and a pint to kill the last few minutes.
The butcher talked us into some Old Spot pork chops and we decided to eat dinner in instead of trying out one of the 3 restaurants that were heartily reccommended to me...

Next time old friends, getting older, heading out on the river and much much more...

England 2009 Part 2

2009-04-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

It is now Thursday April 2nd. We moored overnight near the town of Alvechurch, and in the morning we walked back into town to explore the local church, graveyard and butcher shop. Rob managed to score a beautifully aged spring lamb shoulder and then we returned to the boat. Or pace was much more leisurely than the first day, only 4 locks in the whole morning. Then I noticed Wast Hill tunnel on the map. I had to do a double take at the length ~ more than 2400 metres!!! That means 40 minutes underground, in the dark with only a weak headlamp and your interior lights to illuminate the situation. It was probably the least fun part of the whole trip. The ceiling constantly drips on you, the air is a little hazy from the diesel fumes of boats that were there before you...

Once we cleared the tunnel, we were on the distant suburbs of Birmingham. The canal was full of garbage, the occasional shopping cart and the views were none too picturesque. We waited until we were well away from the city before we stopped for a lunch of ham and mature cheddar sandwiches and beer looking out over the horses on Dickens Heath.

On with the day, we completed a few more locks before mooring for the day. Dinner was slow roasted lamb shoulder, minted potatoes and fresh peas.

The next morning, we decided we were going to change our plans slightly and veer off the Avon Ring briefly and onto the Grand Union, just for a few days. We tied up around lunchtime and walked into the village of Lapworth to get supplies. Everyone was so friendly; the owner of the village shop wanted to emigrate to Victoria, the woman working at the post office had to show me pictures of Grizzly bears from her recent trip to BC. We also scoped out the train station as our plan was to take the train the next morning to Warwick and visit the castle. Errands finished, we had a delicious lunch at the Navigation Inn, which featured a cozy fireplace. I had a ploughmans lunch and Rob had Fish and Chips.

After the hearty lunch, we needed some exercise, so I gambled a bit and used my canal map book to plan a trek to a local National Trust site, Baddesley Clinton.
We walked on a part of the Heart of England Way, a public right of way footpath that took us through farmers fields. The manor house and grounds were beautiful and the walk invigorating. Back to the boat and a simple supper of roast chicken legs, salad and potatoes.
Next time, Warwick Castle, missed trains and the ever exciting Laundrette....

England 2009 Part 1

2009-04-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Heathrow Airport 10:30 am on March 31st. A driver was there to meet us and he whisked us off to our B&B in Bromsgrove. Arriving at the Wellington Lodge at 12:30, we unloaded our bags, tipped the driver, waved him off and went to ring the bell. No answer. We are in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, no maps, no cell phone and no innkeeper. Also, no food and no toilet. After travelling for ten hours.... So we waited. And waited.

3:30pm, now almost 24 hours since we last slept, the car crunches into the gravel drive. Ros, our hapless host, is surprised to see us. "I wasn't expecting you till 4:30" she says. I am exhausted, so being nice is a challenge, but I do my best as I suggest that I may have made an email agreement with her for an early arrival, but perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. She immediately shows us to our (sumptuous) room and disappears. When I search her out to try and make a dinner plan, she is apologetic and completely mortified. Our email conversation had slipped under her radar. A taxi is arranged to a local pub serving food, she calls ahead to make sure that they actually are serving and we head off to find some eats. I can't say enough about how nice and friendly the driver was. But the good times were not to last. After being dropped off at the pub, Rob and I pushed our way inside and asked about having a bite to eat. "We don't serve food till 6" was the reply. I felt tears coming....
Another taxi was called and we ended up on the Bromsgrove high street. Our culinary options were seriously limited and we found ourselves at the Slug and Lettuce. I have no idea what I ate, Rob had fish and chips and we both had a pint ( Strongbow for me Guiness for him). The food was terrible, but the company was entertaining. I have to relate the conversation I had (remember, I am overtired, hungry and frustrated).

Bar Patron to me: "You look like you're from Redditch."
Me: "ummm, no, I am from a lot further away than Redditch"
"Really!! You look like you're from Redditch. Where are you from then?"
"Canada"
"Canada! Well, you look like you are from Redditch. Do you want to sit with us?"
"ummm no, I am actually here with someone." at this point I gesture to Rob sitting at the table.
"Oh, who's he?"
"my husband"
"really? is he from Canada too?"
"Yes"
"Well, he could sit with us too I guess."
Thank you, but we are really tired and wouldn't be any good for conversation."
"If you change your mind, we are sitting over there. You sure look like you are from Redditch..."

Back at the B&B, I was asleep before 6:30.

Up bright and early the next day, we enjoyed our full English Breakfast before taking a taxi to the Black Prince boatyard. The taxi driver was the same nice one we had from the day before. Our boat, Angela, was already for us and we got a quick tutorial from Tony the engineer before being turned loose on the unsuspecting English countryside.

Locks can be physically demanding to work and as I refused to drive the boat initially, I was stuck doing most of the grunt work. This would be a typical lock routine for me:
Check that the lock is in our favour. If it isn't, drain or fill lock as needed.
Open gates (gates could weigh anywhere from 1000 kilo to 4500 kilo, depending on their size).
Close gates after Rob pulls boat into lock.
Use my windlass to open paddles to drain or fill lock (this is a lot harder than it sounds, brute force was often required to get the paddles up)
Open top gate so that Rob can pull the boat out (see previous comment about weight of gates)
Close top gate behind him.
Repeat as needed. (after the first day, we had to rethink the routine so that Rob could help a little)
Our first day, we did roughly 37 locks. I spent more time on land than on the boat, as it is easier to walk from lock to lock when they are close together in a flight as they were that first day (Tardebigge flight and Stoke flight).
After finishing the lock push, we made our way through two tunnels and stopped at the town of Alvechurch around 5pm. Famished (breakfast was a long time and a lot of locks ago), we discovered the local pub didn't serve till six, so we hiked into the town centre first and bought some groceries for the next few days.
The pub meal was delicious, but I think the Strongbow went to my head a little faster than usual because I managed to throw some in my eye.... Don't ask.

Next installment: local butchers, simple lunches and the tunnel of terror, plus much much more....

First First Thursday Attempt (Failed)

2009-04-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is prerecorded. As you read this, I am floating on a canal somewhere in England, exhausted from tackling the 34 locks of the Tardebigge flight

I am terribly addicted to thursday night smackdown. I love the way she writes, honest, funny and painful. Months ago, I had this great plan to play along with her First Thursday event. The challenge that month was to actually follow a recipe, no cheating, no tweaking. A REAL challenge for me!
I chose my Les Halles Cookbook. I have never cooked from it, although I do enjoy reading the recipes, and its about time I gave it a chance.
Today's recipe is palette de porc a la biere. I will be honest, I couldn't get a bone in pork shoulder. The recipe as written below is totally simplified from the book; I would recommend picking it up if you are interested in traditional recipes with an irreverent prose style.

Of course, I never got my @#$% together and here it is almost 3 months later and I am finally getting around to posting the results...

Palette de Porc a la biere

Ingredients
4 to 6 lb pork shoulder, bone in
salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 small onions
2 carrots
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup cider vinegar
12 oz beer
1 cup chicken stock
4 tbsp dijon
2 tbsp breadcrumbs

Season the pork and sear in 2 tbsp of oil and 2 tbsp butter. Discard the fat and add the remaining oil. Saute the vegetables until soft and slightly caramelised. Add flour, cook 2 minutes. Stir in Vinegar and beer and reduce by half, then add teh chicken stock and bring to a boil. Return pork to the pot and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for two hours or so.
Preheat the oven to 450F. Remove the pork from the pot and place on baking sheet. Brush with half the mustard, then press the breadcrumbs on. Brown for 15 minutes, then allow to rest for 5
Strain the cooking liquid into a sauce pan. Simmer about 15 minutes, check seaoning. Remove from heat, whisk in mustard and serve with the sliced pork.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the results were delicious...

England here we come

2009-03-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Nine months of waiting are finally over. Rob and I leave for England in a few short hours. Aggie gets her own holiday from us with lots of people coming to stay with her at our place.
Details when I return.

660 Curries ~ Tart-Hot Beef with Malt Vinegar and Cayenne

2009-03-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have had this book languishing on my shelves for almost a year now (maybe 6 months)and poverty finally made me dig it out. I had some frozen beef stew meat in the freezer and no budget. I have almost every spice you could imagine, but this recipe only requires a few. And I had some time on my hands.
The effort was minimal but the result was spot on. I served it with fresh mango, coconut rice, peas and cauliflower and my own homemade flatbread.

Gosht Vindaloo
Serves 4
1/2 cup malt vinegar (umm, I am poor right now, so I used what I had on hand. Coconut vinegar).
2 teaspoons cayenne
1/2 teaspooon ground turmeric
1 lb boneless beef stew, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tbsp canola oil
4 oz pearl onions, peeled cut in half lengthwise ( again with the budget. Regular onion, 1/2 inch dice)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 dried red thai chilis or cayenne, stems removed (only had fresh on hand)
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish

Combine vinegar, cayenne and turmeric. Toss with meat and allow to marinate for 2hrs or overnight.
Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium high. Add onion, garlic and chili and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add beef and marinade. Cook until marinade has evaporated, 12 - 15 minutes. Add spices and salt, cook for a minute or two.
Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook until meat is fork tender and sauce is reddish brown ~ 40-45 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Meatballs

2009-03-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, every time I make meatballs, I think of Sher. Weird, I know, but we all have our ways of remembering...
Anyway, Mission Use Food From The Freezer Because we Are To Poor To Buy New Stuff (heretofore known as Operation FreezerRaid) is underway. This easy dinner came from a pound of ground pork lurking in the freezer.

Pork Meatballs in Gravy
Serves Four

1lb ground pork
1 onion, finely diced, split
1 egg
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
herbs, to taste ( I used sage and oregano.)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Combine ingredients, using only half of the onion. Cook a small piece to test for seasoning. Form meatballs and sear in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Set aside meatballs. In the same pan, using the fat from searing the meatballs, cook the remaining onion till soft and sweet. Add 2 tbsp flour and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add 1 cup of red wine, cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add two cups of chicken stock and return the meatballs to the pan. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. (Longer is better.) Season sauce and sdjust for thickness.

Maple Soy Salmon

2009-03-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

It has been months since I have had salmon ~ I went through this phase of not enjoying. I know, sacreligious when you hail from BC. Anyway. Rob made this for dinner the other hight and it brought me back to the salmon loving fold...

Maple Soy Salmon

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh ginger
2 salmon fillets

combine ginger, soy and maple syrup. Marinate salmon for 2-3 hours. Strain marinade and reduce to a glaze.
Sear salmon for 1 minute, turn and transfer to a 400F oven for 5 minutes or until just cooked through. Drizzle with glaze and serve with your favourite sides (we had bok choy and rice).

Sablefish with Miso Butterscotch and Braised Leeks

2009-03-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Last year, on my New York trip, I experienced a flavour combination that I could never forget. At Tailor, I had pork belly with miso butterscotch. The salty and sweet were so perfect together, I kept wanting to try it at home. Finally, I got brave.

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup of packed brown sugar
¾ cup heavy whipping cream

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over low to medium heat. Then add all dark brown sugar at once and stir with wooden spoon until sugar melted. Cook for about 3-5 mins until sugar resembles molten sand. Whisk in Cream (off heat and be careful, bubbling happens) and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occaisionally. Finish with miso paste to taste.

The sablefish is simply seasoned with salt and roasted. The leeks braised with ginger. The result was decadent and every bit as good as I imagined. Rob wanted to eat the butterscotch straight up, but I wouldn't let him. There would be pork belly for dinner the next night.....<

Life

2009-03-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

This is embarrassing! How long has it been since I posted??
Well, I have been busy ~ I took Level 2 First Aid, I .... okay, fine, I haven't been busy, I have been lazy.
A mere 8 days from now, I will be taking off for my holiday in England and 17 days from now, I will be turning 30. I will admit to some trepidation as I eye 30 ~ realizing that I am not invincible, I will not remain forever young is a little bit of a reality check. I never really thought about the future before, but it seems to be all that is on my mind these days.
I am very much looking forward to this holiday. For the first time since 2001, Rob and I will be enjoying more than a long weekend together (16 days) AND I will be returning to the UK for the first time in 4 years ( I think, it may have been 5). Rob and I are hiring a narrowboat from Black Prince for 14 days and cruising the Avon Ring. I will get to meet up with my friends Louise and Lorna and hopefully eat some good food, drink, shop for old stuff etc.
I am very grateful that several of my friends and family will be staying with Aggie the cat while we are away, making the trip even more stress free.

Rob's Birthday

2009-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

Every yaer, I cook a dinner for Rob's Birthday. He picks a few items that he really wants and I try to build a menu around that. This year, his picks were creme brulee and pork belly.
I start off by setting the table properly and writing up a menu for him.

The first course was butter poached spot prawns in a bouillabaise-style bisque. I started by poaching and peeling the prawns, building a tower with them and then I topped it all off with a crouton and some rouille. At the table, I poured the hot bisque around the prawns. The bisque was made with a homemade fish stock, tomatoes, onions, fennel and saffron. The wine pairing was a 2005 Pinot Noir from Bourgogne, courtesy of Kitsilano Wine Cellars

A tomato and brie tart was served on a fresh herb salad lightly dressed with olive oil and balsamic.

The least successful course was the pork belly. Rob still enjoyed it, but I wasn't happy ~ totally overcooked. I strayed from what I know and followed a recipe, even though it felt wrong. The flavours were great though and I have already been toying with some ideas as to how I could make it better. The wine pairing was a Nichol Vineyards Gewurtztraminer.

The final course, creme brulee, was excellent. I made one totally traditional creme brulee and then I made an Early grey custard, folded in a meringue made with the leftover egg whites and hot simple syrup and froze it in individual ramekins. At dinner, I bruleed the top of both and I had one cold and frothy creme brulee and one warm and decadent one. Rob was in heaven and ate four creme brulee in total. We enjoyed this with a 1996 Sauternes ~ heaven in a glass.

"Keep Calm and Carry On"

2009-01-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

That was the motto that greeted us as we stepped into Cascade on Main St. I think I may need to adopt that for my own personal use...
I was having a catch-up/birthday dinner with M and Cascade happens to be so close to her place, we ended up there by default. The cocktail lists were impressive, lots of old school cocktails, lots of creative new cocktails, I went with a Clover Club (gin, raspberry, egg white lime and something else delicious) and M had a hemingway daquiri.

I want to go back just to drink my way through the cocktail menu!
After much deliberation, I settled on the oxtail and M went for the veggie burger.

The oxtail was decadent... lots of bacon, tender oxtail. I also loved the little pot they brought it in. I picked a glass of red to drink with it and it turned out to be an excellent choice. Of course, when I sat down to write this post, I couldn't actually remember the name of the wine. I fired off a quick email to the restaurant and received a prompt and detailed reply with a link to the liquor store listing. I will be scoring a bottle of this for nice dinners...

I tried a bit of M's burger patty and I found the flavour/texture to be interesting and appealing, but I am not sure I would like it in a bun - too much starch on starch. Of course, I am not a vegetarian, so perhaps not the best choice to judge a veggie burger...
All in all, an excellent dinner and I am sure I will find myself back there sometime in the future. I was also happy with the service and will be recommending this place to others.

Christmas Dinner

2009-01-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, Christmas was weeks ago. But I was lazy and didn't feel like posting even though I was snowed in. So here it is. No recipes, no break from tradition.
Prime Rib with Yorkshire pudding

Apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

I am heading to Cascade tonight for a friend's birthday. I will take pictures; she is used to it now and maybe I will have something interesting to talk about tomorrow!

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T17:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2009; here's hoping it is a good one...
My first dinner of 2009 is in the oven after a long day of movie watching (complete with several trips to Videomatica to return a defective dvd). We took in Tropic Thunder and Burn After Reading and tried repeatedly to finish STardust. Unfortunately, every single copy the video store had was defective. Enough about today: the picture posted above is from our dinner two nights ago. I have discovered a very affordable seafood - squid! I prepared it very simply, slicing the tubes into thin strips and seasoning with salt and szechuan pepper. I tossed it in panko crumbs and quickly fried it until just cooked - any longer and you will have well seasoned rubber bands. After the squid was all cooked up, I tossed the remaining panko in the frying pan with ginger, lemongrass and red thai chilis. A quick browning and that was pured over the squid.
I served this on a bed of glass noodles with a crisp vegetable salad and fresh cilantro and thai basil. Refreshing, delicious and under 5$!

Cheap and Easy

2008-12-29T07:14:00.000-08:00

Money seems to be on everyone's minds these days and things are no different in our house. Less hours for me as catering enters the slow season means that I am trying to be a little more budget aware. Yesterday's dinner fit the bill. All I had to do was raid the freezer for my homemade yam gnocchi, some pork chops and sweet peas. I pounded the pork chops out, seasoned with salt and nutmeg, dredged in egg and then breadcrumbs, and fried in olive oil.
The yam gnocchi were blanched in a pot of boiling salted water. Once the pork was cooked, I tossed the gnocchi into the skillet, sauteed til crispy, then added half a bag of peas, a splash of Zinfandel and a grating of nutmeg. Easy. Cheap. And you know what? It also tasted good.

Menu For Hope

2008-12-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

I was disappointed when I discovered that the deadline fro Menu for Hope was looming and I hadn't posted anything. But the deadline has been extended to Dec 31st! Please, check out the wonderful prizes up for grabs and make a donation. I know this is a harder year than previous ones, financially, but I like to remind myself that I am lucky to have a roof over my head and enough to eat when there are so many other without those necessities. Just don't pick the ones I bid on. I particularily want that culinary tour of London ; I will be there in April and would love to take advantage of a prize like that.

Cool Find

2008-12-22T19:06:00.001-08:00

From Online Edits

I have been snowed under with work (and actual snow), but I had some free time tonight and while editing some photos, stumbled across this one, taken by my dad.

This photo barely survived my parents' fire and my mom scanned it along with over 500 others. I think the fire damage actually enhanced the beauty of this picture....

Guanciale

2008-11-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

What is it? One of the best pork products yet! I picked it up from Oyama on Granville Island ~ I just cannot resist fatty hunks of pork and since my recent cholesterol test was mindblowingly good (the doctor laughed in surprise at the results), I figure I can give in to the occasional pork whim.
I googled guanciale before I went to write this post. I stumbled across a website called FXcuisine which discussed the magic of the pig jowl along with how difficult it is to find outside of Italy Now I feel really lucky!
Basically, Guanciale is a cure pigs cheek. It isn't smoked and the flavour is pretty incredible and porky. I have already explored several different uses. One was slicing it like bacon and serving with eggs sunnyside up for a lazy Sunday breakfast.

Delicious Duck

2008-11-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

Remember that foie gras with cherries and Apricot Nectar? Well, I saved some of the sauce and the fat from the pan of foie gras. A week later, seared duck breast with the sauce spooned over it, wild rice and yellow beets with honey and cardamom.

The Much debated Foie

2008-11-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

Rob loves his foie gras. I enjoy it as well, but I can only eat so much of it, but Rob could probably gorge himself on it until his own liver resembled it! It is one of those hotly contested foods; considered cruel and disgusting by some, pure joy by others. I recently watched an episode of The Wild Chef where he travelled (yes, Em, if you are reading, that is how we spell it here)to a duck farm to check out production of foie gras. I am not going to rationalise or demonise the eating of foie gras, nor will I be swayed from my own personal take on it. Just this.

Brandy. Dried Cherries. Apricot nectar. Crisp brioche. A treat for Rob (I passed this time).

Lest We Forget...

2008-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

A day to remember those who have fought and are still fighting in service of their country.

For Mindy

2008-11-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

Here, as requested, photos of a Westcoast fall. And Aggie, of course.

Congee Success

2008-11-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I am obsessed with congee. Whenever I am at Hon's, I order it for lunch ~ there is something so comforting about the warm rice "porridge" loaded with fresh ginger and green onion. At the Hon's in Chinatown, they add tangerine peel as well. And I always get it with chicken added ~ I should really try branching out...
Anyway, I always suspected I was capable of making my own version of congee, but never sure where to start. I have been battling a cold and Nov 4th found me at home with a box of kleenex, the US election coverage and a vat of chicken congee ~ homemade.

I started the day before by removing the breast and thighs from my chicken and throwing the rest in a pot with dried mushroom, onion, garlic and ginger and water. I made a stock which I then used as the base for my congee; 8 cups of liquid to 1 cup of shortgrain rice. I also threw in julienned fresh ginger, dried chinese mushrooms and some dried orange rind.
After simmering for about an hour (it may have been more) my desired texture was reached. I added strips of raw chicken and simmered till they were cooked through.
The first bowl was pretty good that night but the best was saving for the next day and reheating it. The flavours had mellowed and developed and I ate nothing but congee that day. Well until the results poured in and I broke down and had a celebratory glass of wine.

West Coast Fall

2008-10-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

Wild Salmon, Pine Mushrooms, Celery Root and Parsnip Puree and Sauteed Red Kale

Cooking for Priests

2008-10-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

I was called back to do a couple of shifts for the priests and I was hunting for the perfect dessert. Some over ripe bananas on the counter were the jumping off point. They prefer food that is homey and simple, so I actually pulled this recipe from a book that I have had for a few years now: Kitchen Sense. A good basic cookbook that would be favourably compared to the Joy of Cooking. Recommended for those classic family pleasing recipes. I loved how the caramel Cream Cheese frosting was not too sweet. And the priests loved it as well. One asked me were I bought it.....
I have paraphrased the recipes as Davis' writing style is extremely detailed.
Here is the amazon link just in case.

Kitchen Sense

Banana Cake
Kitchen Sense, Mitchell Davis

1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan, at room temp
3/4 cup buttermilk ( I used the vinegar/milk sub)
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups ap flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I also added 1/2 teaspoon maple extract)
3 very large ripe bananas (about 1 1/4 cups

Preheat your oven to 350F Butter and flour one 9x13 0r 2 9 inch cake pans.
In a small bowl, combine baking soda and buttermilk. In another bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar to form a smooth paste. Add eggs, one at a time, beating as you go. Stir in vanilla or whatever other extract you chose.
Stir in half of the bananas, half of the milk and half the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated. Repeat. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for about 30 mins (mine took longer, but I think it was because of the sucky ovens at the priests) until the cake has risen, browned, pulled away from the edges and springs back from the touch. Let cool for 20 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto rack, allowing to cool completely.

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 2.5 cups

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups cream cheese at room temp
6 taplespoons unsalted butter at room temp

In a saucepan, combine sugar with 1/4 cup cold water. Set over medium high heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until the bubbles get slower, the syrup thickens, and the sugars start to darken. Swirl the pan to ensure that the caramelization is even. Keep swirling until the sugar has reached a dark mahogany colour. Remove from heat and immediately (CAREFULLY) add the heavy cream to stop the cooking. The caramel will bubble and froth, but keep swirling and stirring and it will settle to a rich thick sauce.Stir in salt and allow to cool to room temp (this will take about and hour).
In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat together the cream cheese and butter, scraping down the sides, until smooth and light. Beat in cooled caramel. Icing can be used as is or chilled to stiffen somewhat before putting on the cake.

Wild Rice and Celery Root Chowder

2008-10-14T06:44:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I do still cook these days. Just not as often or elaborately as I would like to. This soup was a warm and comforting meal in a bowl and I had plenty of leftovers for the freezer.
Thank you to Lisa for sharing the recipe

Celery Root and Wild Rice Chowder

Ingredients:

1/2 cup wild rice
1 pound celery root
2 large leeks, white parts only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 celery rib, diced
1 cup thinly sliced russet potato
1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 bay leaf
1 large Thyme sprigs
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water,
2 cups half-and-half or milk
truffle oil, optional

Directions:

1. Cover the wild rice with 5 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Cover and simmer about 45 minutes until tender.
2. Thickly cut away the celery root skins, then quarter and chop the root into bite-sized pieces. You should have about 3 cups. Chop and wash leeks.
3. Melt butter in soup pot. Add the veggies, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Cook over medium-high for about 5 minutes, then add stock. Bring to boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the milk and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Taste for salt and season with pepper. To give soup a creamy background, puree a cup of the veggies and return to the pot. (I actually added the wild rice at this point, then pureed a bit. That gave the soup a lot of body and really brought out the nuttiness of the wild rice.)
4. Divide the soup among 4 or 6 bowls and then add a mound of wild rice to each (See above, totally did not garnish w/ rice.) Garnish with parsley and a drop of truffle oil. (I did not have truffle oil on hand and it was just fine without.)

The Sandwich was made on Terra Bread Fig and Anise Loaf with 8 year old cheddar and Grand Fir Prosciutto from Oyama Sausage on Granville Island and was the perfect match to the meal.

Day 7 ~ The longest day

2008-10-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

Morning of my second to last day in NY. I got up early, fighting my desire to loll about in my nice hotel room, and went for a walk looking for breakfast. I actually made it as far as the museum of Natural History, before turning back and eating at the Moon Rock diner a mere two blocks from my hotel (nothing like a 40 block trek to whet the appetite.)

.

I headed back to the Hilton, packed my bag and checked out, checking my bag at the luggage room. It was a little overcast and to be honest, I was getting tired. For days now, I had been walking the length of Manhattan and it was starting to get to me. So I cheated and grabbed a cab to the Museum of Natural History. Less than a minute after pulling away from the hotel, the sky darkened ominously. Another minute and thunder rumbled. By the time we passed Columbus Circle, the sky had opened up and thousands of gallons of water poured out. You think I am exaggerating?? I live in Vancouver, one of the wettest places around and I have never seen rain like this. It was 10 in the morning and it looked like 8 at night. Thunder shook the cab and lightening would brighten everything for a few brief seconds.

As we made our way to the Museum, I could see pools filling on the side of the road. It took less than 10 minutes to get there (maybe 15). The street in front of the museum was two way, so the cab driver had to pull over across from the main entrance. I paid him and jumped out. It was like leaping into a cold pool. I gasped for breath, my feet sunk up to my ankles in a puddle, water streamed over me. I tried to get my bearings and dashed across the road and into the safety of the museum. Less than 30 seconds and I was soaked to the skin. I stood in the lobby dripping, trying to decide what to do. I ended up buying a sweatshirt from the museum shop and changing into that. I wrung my hair out in the bathroom, emptied my shoes and wrung my socks out. I coat checked the shirt I had been wearing, hoping that a few hours of hanging would dry it out. Then I went to check out the museum.
I opted for a guided tour and I was glad I did. I think I got more out of it for that reason. But the Met is still my favourite and I wish I had spent more time there than the Natural History museum. Lunch was had in the bowels of the building at the museum cafeteria.

Some sort of mexican type meal....

I grabbed my shirt from coat check and stumbled out of the building. The sun was shining!! I walked back to the Hilton, grabbed my suitcase and took a cab to my final hotel on Washington Square Park. Beautiful building and I felt a little frisson of excitement as I noticed Babbo across the street.

I checked in. The room was small, but clean, comfortable and attractive, but I didn't have any time to enjoy it as I realized how fast my time in the city was coming to an end. I walked down to the Hilton at Ground Zero to pick up my cell phone charger (left it there when I stayed), then headed off for another ramble through downtown, sticking more to the east side of downtown. Then I wandered through Chinatown, Soho, Noho, Greenwich Village and West Village. I wish I had stayed in this neighbourhood the whole time; so alive and interesting. I found myself at a wine bar, sipping a glass of white, planning my first move for the evening. I remembered the recommendation for Kittechai, so I went back to my room, changed and made my way there. It was SO trendy it hurt.

trendy people at Kittechai
But the cocktails were fabulous and the food delicious. I ordered a drink with vodka, muddled pink grapefruit and red thai chilis, the food was an order of Kampachi sashimi. The service sucked, but I suspect that had more to do with my singularly not cool presence. From there. I wandered till I found an Italian restaurant. Another glass of wine, two more appetizer, obsequious service.

My appetizers were a tomato salad with burrata and some sort of octopus dish. Both well executed and tasty. I was starting to feel all warm and fuzzy at this point. I remembered another reccomendation, from my friends at Blue Hill. I had seen the oyster bar they suggested in the neighbourhood, so I made my way there. Lenny & Joe's, I believe it is called. The maitre'd was hilarious, some over the top flamboyant performer. He seated me at the bar and I ordered half a dozen oysters and a virgin mojito (what can I say, I was getting a little tipsy at this point.) I got to chatting about oysters and the west coast with the couple next to me. I told them about my indulgent eating and drinking ramble through the area. He asked me why I hadn't been to Babbo yet. I mentioned my distinct lack of a reservation. He told me I should be able to get in at the bar. I paid my bill and slowly ambled over to Babbo, psyched myself up and opened the door. From the outside, it looks so peaceful. Inside, it was warm, packed, loud. I asked about a possible seat at the bar. Half an hour wait. So I ordered a glass of prosecco, made my way to a corner and tried to make myself as small as possible (we are talking CRAMPED here.) I just watched people come and go for closer to 40 minutes. At one point, a group showed up 1/2 an hour late for their seating. The Maitr'd berated them and made them stand in a corner for ten minutes while he tried to find them a table. Then, a space at the bar and I was in. I ordered a half litre of red wine and a plate of beef cheek ravioli. The bartender was surprised that was all I wanted, but to be honest, I was pretty full and it was now roughly 10:45pm. The pasta was perfect. I cannot put it in words. Lets just say I reached ravioli nirvana. After that, I ordered dessert ( no idea why, or how I managed to eat it.) strawberry crostada with balsamic zabaglione amd balsamic syrup. As I had been enjoying my meal, the couple from the oyster bar appeared, obviously regulars as the bartender hailed them by name. A table was found for them, near the bar and jokes were bandied around. I loved sitting at the bar, what a FUN place to be.
I staggered out, drunk, full and delirious. I had to walk around the block a few times before pouring myself into bed. it was 12:30am

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-10-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Glaze, Yam Gnocchi, Brussels Sprouts

New York Day 6

2008-10-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

Remember me?? Yes, I know it has been a month since I updated. Life can get very busy here...

Where were we..... Ahh yes, day 6, New York City. I had spent the night in CT with Kathryn and her family. We got up early Sunday morning and took the scenic route to the train station (beautiful countryside). A few short hours and we were back in the city, heading for brunch at Sarabeths in Central park. Kathryn and I were joined by Greta and Stephanie and were seated promptly (thanks to Greta getting in line for us!). The portions were huge ~ I ordered an omelet with potatoes and bacon (or was it ham).

After a wonderful breakfast, chatting, watching the crowds go by, etc, we wandered through Central Park for several hours. It was a beautiful day and much more crowded than the last time I was there. The time flew by and before we knew it, Stephanie and Greta had to return to their families. (It was so nice to finally meet you both!). Kathryn and I made a token effort to do some shopping, but we were both suffering from some feet fatigue, so headed back to my hotel so I could check in. Imagine our surprise when we tried to cross Broadway only to discover a huge parade blocking the way. Apparently, it was a Dominican Days parade (loud and colourful). After managing to fight our way across, I checked into the Hilton in Midtown. My room was on the 20th floor and not bad considering the price. But the longer we were in the room, the more I noticed things. Like the black tape holding the shower head on OR the empty coffee station. Beggars can't be chosers though, so I was resigned to my fate. As we set out again for Penzeys and an early dinner, I noticed it was raining. Thinking that there might be a complimentary umbrella in the closet (there was at my last Hilton) I opened the door and looked around. No umbrella, but some stripey fabric on the top shelf.... I pulled it down to discover a pair of mens boxer shorts. On the way out, I stopped at the front desk;
"I was wondering if I could get the coffee station in my room refilled. And umm also could someone come pick up the mens underwear from the floor of my closet."
The desk clerk was mortified;
"Ewwww. Would you like us to move you to another room?"
"No, I don't want to be too much of a bother. If someone comes and gets it, that would be good."
"no, I insist, we will move you."
And just like that, I was on the 30th floor with a swanky suite that was obviously much newer and much nicer. I love the Hilton.
After a brief moving around of luggage, Kathryn and I set off again. On the way to the Grand Central Penzeys, we discovered this adorable Japanese pastry shop where I picked up a few snacks for later.

We ended up having dinner at a little Thai place near Grand Central, then I said goodbye to Kathryn as she headed home to CT and I went for a wander up Madison Avenue, looking in all the pretty stores along the way.

LAter that night, I left my hotel after dark and made the trek to Times Square. It was probably 10 or 10:30 and the streets were packed. The sky was lit up by all the signs and I could only take a few minutes of it before I had to duck away down another street. I ended up finding a little Japanese place and enjoying a late night glass of wine with a gorgeous looking (and tasting) hotpot.

Day 5 ~ New Haven

2008-08-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Oatmeal for breakfast; all that pork belly was starting to catch up with me! A crazy early morning taxi ride uptown to Grand Central Station and I was on the train to New Haven. The ride was an agonizing two hours trapped next to couple alternating between irrational fights and makeout sessions, compounded by the fact that I had coffee, juice and a grande latte before I boarded the train. And had no idea that there were bathrooms onboard. I was so happy to arrive at New Haven and see Kathryn and her gorgeous son Henry. We dropped Henry at home and then headed to a local farmers market. I scored a necklace from a local artisan and we picked up some veggies from one of the stalls for dinner.

From there, we went in search of lunch ~ a lobster roll

This was my first time eating one of these and I take back what I have said about not liking lobster in the past. So decadent and sweet. THis particular roll was just lobster meat drizzled with hot butter...
After lunch, we lounged for awhile before heading out for a little tour of Yale. I am a sucker for old buildings, so I really enjoyed wandering around the campus. Especially when Kathryn pointed out all the filming locations for Indiana Jones....

I took so many pictures of Yale ~ they are all up on flickr.

After Yale, we headed back to Kathryn's and made a wonderful dinner of grilled salmon and farmers market veggies, enjoyed al fresco. It was such a wonderful, relaxing day and such a nice contrast to the craziness of the city....

New Blog

2008-08-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to flog a new blog that I enjoy very much (disclaimer; the blog is from my favourite local cookbook store)

Cooks with Books

I heard a rumour that there may be some deals to be had as well.....

Day 4 !

2008-08-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

I slept in for the first time. After my trip to Blue Hill and all the walking in the 3 previous days, there was no way I was dragging myself out of bed at 6 am... It was also my last night in Chelsea, so once I had showered dressed I slipped out for a breakfast at a local cafe called Dish. The breakfast was just what it should be and the service was good. The best part was the price ~ cheapest breakfast since arriving in New York. I checked out of my room and started the walk to my next hotel, the Millennium Hilton ~ found on Priceline for 120$ a few weeks ago because my plans had suddenly changed.
I have no idea what possessed me to walk there ~ I should have been conserving my energy for later! My suitcase did a wonderful job, bouncing off of a curbs and out of potholes. I was particularly cranky as I reached the neighbourhood of Canal Street ~ hot and bothered and people keep shoving pictures in my face trying to sell me handbags, watches and sunglasses!
I finally reached the Hilton at 11 am and decided to check on the off chance that my room was ready early. It was and I was so happy to be in a full size room on the 17th floor. After my last place, it was luxurious. It had a bath! A huge flat screen tv! And earplugs to block out the 24 hour construction noise. My view was quite chilling.

I admit, I had a bath, then crawled into bed for an hour. I just needed to refuel. Slightly refreshed, I headed out to explore Downtown Manhattan. My first stop was the beautiful church next to my hotel. THe gravestones were for the most part completely worn away over the years, but one jumped out at me, probably because of our close proximity to ground zero.

I stepped into the church itself, a shrine to the workers and others of Ground Zero. After a minute or two, it just became too much and I fled, with a painful lump in my throat. I headed out into the maze of Downtown streets, the beautiful mix of old buildings and gleaming new ones. I was halfheartedly looking for lunch, but nothing was grabbing me. Without knowing how I got there, I arrived at the Staten Island Ferry. What the heck, its free, so I boarded and enjoyed the views of the statue of Liberty on my way over.

At the Staten Island end, we had to disembark and missed the return trip, so I grabbed a hotdog while I waited for the next ferry.
The return trip was all about the views of the Brooklyn Bridge and The Waterfalls, which I understood to be an art installation.
Back in Manhattan, I wandered some more, checking out Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and grabbing a photo of Les Halles for my friend Mel.
Back at my hotel, I had a shower and a nap, before putting my party shoes on and heading down to catch a cab. My dinner reservation for tonight was at Tailor, recommended by one of my coworkers. I decided to cab it and had a thrilling ride, stuck in traffic for 10 minutes at one point. I turned out I was mere 2 blocks from my destination, but not knowing exactly where I was going, I just waited it out in the cab.
Tailor was wonderful! The decor was a very country asthetic ~ rough wood beams, stuffed chickens, rawhide on the tables, bare bulbs wrapped in wire ~ the food was anything but. I ordered a Kaffir Collins while I perused the menu. Settling on Marinated Fluke and Pork Belly with Miso Butterscotch and a glass of rose. I sat back and watched the room. I couldn't take pictures because the light was way too low and they would never have turned out. I also refuse to use flash in restaurants.
An amuse was presented to me, but as soon as the word "apple" came out of the servers mouth I was disappointed. "was the apple raw?" "yes". Damn, I had to gently turn it down. Seconds later, the server returned to inform me that my pork belly dish contained copious amounts of raw apple. I said I would just push it to the side (I had been looking forward to this dish since I first read the menu 3 weeks earlier).
THe fluke was delicious ~ a creamy salty sweet combination with shards of pineapple paper. The portions were generous and I wished I could share this meal with friends ~ I knew we would enjoy ordering almost everything on the menu and sharing little tastes.
The couple next to me were debating their choices and somehow, I found myself chatting with them. The next thing I knew, The woman was giving me her phone number "for next time" if I ever needed restaurant reccs. "Do not hesitate to call me" she said. People have been so incredibly friendly and helpful on this trip!
Finally, My pork belly arrived. The apple had been removed for me, so it was simply the pork belly and the miso butterscotch. My notes are funny at this point;

Oh. My. God. This pork belly kicks all other pork belly ass. For the record, this is the 3rd time in 3 days that I have eaten pork belly. I may turn into a pig...

I really had no idea until that moment that I had been loading up on the pig ~ probably a good thing I was walking so much every day! Anyway, the pork really was the most tender piece of meat I have ever eaten ~ so many people don't quite hit pork belly, but this had it all, including the crisp of the skin and the creaminess of the meat. And the miso butterscotch? I could eat that on everything! A perfect balance of salty and sweet. I could also see where the raw apple would be a perfect foil to the richness of this dish.

Brave (foolhardy) woman that I am, also ordered dessert and a dessert wine. I selected a Banyuls Dessert wine and the "French Toast". A single stick of perfectly crispy brioche with a creamy interior. Raisin puree very thin on the plate with raisin paper draped over. Brown butter ice cream. Warm maple gelee. Caramelised bacon bits. I could feel my heart seizing at the richness, but it was so damn good!

A wee bit tipsy on food and drink, I set out to explore the neighbourhood a little (Tribeca/Soho). The woman next to me had recommended a place for an after dinner cocktail called Kittechai. I couldn't find it (probably a good thing) it turned out later that I had walked right past it within a minute of leaving the restaurant. After about half an hour of walking in my sexy shoes, I had enough and sat down to switch to the flip flops in my purse.

Then back to the hotel to call Kathryn and set up my trip for the next day.

The Omnivores 100

2008-08-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

a post to break up the over the top New York action.... I got it from Wandering Coyote

Here’s what to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or Head Cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam Chowder in Soudough Bowl
33. Salted Lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac
37. Clotted Cream Tea
38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more (
46. Fugu (AKA pufferfish)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. kaolin just wanted to clarify. I don't think I have tried this, but I suspect we all have "A more recent, and more limited, use is as a specially formulated spray applied to fruits, vegetables, and other vegetation to repel or deter insect damage. A traditional use is to soothe an upset stomach, similar to the way parrots (and later, humans) in South America originally used it.[6] Until the early 1990s it was the active substance of anti-diarrhea medicine Kaopectate."
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost or brunost
75.<~~Roadkill~~
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose Harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole Poblano
96. Bagel and Lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Blue Hill at the Stone Barns Farm

2008-08-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

If you ever have the opportunity to eat here, seize it. I am so glad that I decided to take the chance and book something that was a bit of a trek from the city.
I think I left you all at the table as I decided to have the Farmer's Feast. I also threw myself at the mercy of my wonderful server and asked him to bring me whatever wine he deemed appropriate. I polished off the Elderflower Royale and swapped it out for a glass of Riesling from the Finger Lakes area of New York State. (I just want to add as an aside that I carried a Moleskin City Diary with me on this trip and I used it at every opportunity. The notes from my Blue hill dinner are a little hard to read, but i can feel the xcitement just reading the little half phrases I scribbled on the page...)

The first item at the table was the signature Vegetables on the Fence. I swear they were dressed with a light vinaigrette. The baby carrot was smaller than my baby finger, just to give you an idea of size. They tasted like the earth, the way vegetables should., And it made me laugh...
I didn't get a photo of the face bacon, the next offering, but Ed Levine of Serious Eats has a great shot of it...

The corn that I saw the chef smoking earlier? It arrived at my table in the form of a beautiful chilled smoked corn soup. I will admit to a geeky thrill as I realised that I had actually seen this prepared earlier...

The next offering didn't wow me quite as much, probably due to the fact that I ate it all wrong and ended up with smoked kale shrapnel all over myself and the table....

The mini tomato burger was out of this world and a harbinger of what was to come... Pure tomato flavour, what I suspect was chevre and an almond flour based burger bun. I could have made a meal out of these alone.

The final amuse was a miniature summer squash wrapped in pancetta, coated with sesame seeds and fried. Like a little piece of meaty salty candy....

As I finished up my amuse, a couple was seated at the table next to me. The guy had obviously been here before and I started eavesdropping a little to see what he had to say about the restaurant. He told his wife they had to order the charcuterie and I silently kicked myself for not having thought of that..

My disappointment was quickly forgotten as the first dish arrived; marinated bluefish with pigs ear and caviar. The bluefish was at once creamy and salty and the pigs ear and caviar added a wonderful crunchy texture. I tried to savour each bite, but it was gone way too fast, along with my lovely riesling. Mindful of the fact that I had to navigate the train back to NY that night, I told my server that I would have a different wine, but I wanted to just have one more glass. He presented me with a wonderful Gewurztraminer.

THe next course was a warm tomato tart. The base was watermelon, topped with goast cheese, bacon and chunks of beautiful heirloom tomatoes (another server had brought a platter of tomatoes around moments earlier and given me a mini lesson on varieties... very cool). My first bite was delicious, but the second... welll, I hit the hidden nugget of tomato water sorbet. The tomato flavours exploded with the shock of the temperature change. I think I may have giggled to myself....

During this time, i had also struck up a conversation with the table next to me. Turns out they also loved food and he was a produce supplier for a lot of manhatten restaurants...

Another tomato dish arrived from the kitchen ~ a salad with water cress, tomato gelee, fresh tomatoes and creamy fresh burrata cheese. It was somewhere around here that I realised that the Gewurtz that I had switched to was made for tomatoes..

A soft boiled egg, panko'ed and deep fried, floating in a flavourful broth with the last of the season's peas.

Eggplant Parmiggiana with a rich tomato caper sauce ( I actually broke out the bread at this point to soak up the wonderful sauce).

The delicious looking Berkshire pigs from the field finally made an appearance on my plate., The quartet of pig (loin, sirloin, boudin and belly) were accompanied by tiny little nugget potatoes and fresh ratatouille. (scribbled in my book? WOW. Underlined three times...)
Dessert came in two parts. I had finished the Gewurtz, so asked my charmingly perfect server fro a dessert reccomendation. He presented me with a Tesauro Recioto Di Valpolocella 2004 (it was so good, made him write it down for me).

First dessert was a plum soup with apricot sorbet.

Second dessert was Roasted apricot with basil sorbet, yoghurt and blueberries....
I was so happy, so content and SO FULL. I happily signed my life away on my credit card and stumbled out to my waiting taxi. I can only hope that I will be able to eat their again one day....

As a bonus, my cab driver for the return trip was wonderfully gregarious and took me on the scenic route back to town and the train station. I got to see the beautiful Pocantico hills countryside and it cost me a dollar less than the trip out to the farm.Somehow, I made it back to my little room in Chelsea to collapse, on sensory overload and completely exhausted....

Day Three

2008-08-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

I started the morning with an early breakfast at Empire Diner (open 24 hours, great staff) in Chelsea, then I strolled up 10th Avenue to 59th and over to Central Park. I wandered throught the park for several hours, snapping shots of all the usual suspects.

By the time I got to the reservoir, the feet were starting to protest. Bear in mind this is day three of a LOT of walking. I walked a little farther, coming out at East 91st and walking back down Fifth Ave. I wasn't planning to check out the Met as I was on a deadline, but I saw that the featured artist was Turner and I caved. The gallery is overwhelming. Do not go here unless you (a)know exactly where and what you want to see and have incredible willpower, or (b)you have a day or two to kill. Unfortunately, I have no willpower or the requisite skill needed to navigate the museum and I spent 3 hours in there without seeing a stitch of Turner's work! I still enjoyed every minute.... But time was ticking. I needed to get back to Chelsea, eat lunch, shower and change and get back to Grand Central in the early afternoon. Every stop was agony. I am not exaggerationg. It was hot, I had switched to running shoes in an effort to ease the fatigue on my feet, but they were just shredding my poor toes. Somehow, I made it to Chelsea. Within a few blocks of home, I spotted brgr. Yes, another beefy lunch! The burger was better than the one from Better Burger, ironically. And the Blueberry Pomegranate milk shake was gone in 60 seconds. Refreshed, I made it the last few blocks and crashed in front of my air con for 15 minutes.
I was out the door again before long. I switched to flip flops to let my swollen feet breathe and packed the gold flats fro my dressy restaurant look. I was so excited.... Stone Barns Farm, here I come...
I successfully purchased a ticket to Tarrytown and found the right platform for the 2:54 train. The ride itself was pretty, coming up along the Hudson River, about 40 minutes or so. A 20 minute cab ride and I was there

It was a peaceful oasis in the country after my 3 days of nothing but New York. I ambled through the gardens, checking out the beautiful tomatoes and eggplant, flowers, chickens, pigs, cows... Well you get it, its a farm. I spotted a chef smoking corn in a back parking lot. I hoped the corn would make an appearance at my meal.
at 5 pm on the dot, I was ushered to my table. The room is beautiful, light with high, heavy beamed ceilings. The service was impeccable. I think there was a body for every table in the room. I ordered an elderflower royale (their take on kir royale) while I waited to hear about my meal. I was offered a menu which was simply two pages of food. Everything that is in season and available right now. THe server asked me if I had any allergies or dislikes. Was I adventurous or conservative? Did I want the 5 course or the Farmer's Feast. Considering I had been planning and anticipating this dinner for several weeks, I opted for the Feast.....

Day two continued + Hearth

2008-08-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

After doing some damaged to the credit card at Macy's and H&M, I headed back to my neighbourhood. I had promised Rob I would buy a pretzel, so I stopped outside Penn station and purchased on. It was ok, butI only ate a few bites because I wanted to have a real lunch. Once I was back in Chelsea, I made a beeline for a place I had spotted in the morning, Better burger. I figure that if I am going to eat burgers for lunch, I might as well go with the happy organic grass fed whatever ones! Fries were extra, so I took a pass and paired my deliciously beefy burger with a cranberry hibiscus iced tea.

After lunch, I decided to scope out how far away my dinner destination was ~ walkable or not? I headed South East, crossing Union Square which had a wonderful farmers market in full swing. Although I looked, I did not purchase anything ~ the whole pesky not living there issue.... At the far end of Union Square, I discovered heaven ~ DSW AND Shoe Mania AND Filene's Basement AND Whole Foods. I still had a ways to go, so I kept on walking, just soaking up the scenery. Right on the edge of the Lower East Side, I found my restaurant, Hearth, and deemed it walkable from my hotel. Heading back, just exploring streets, I found myself standing in a place called Balducci's ~ gourmet food everywhere. I caved and bought myself a few beverages to try to counteract the heat, before heading back to my room to change. Feeling entirely fromby in my walking shoes, I threw a pair of pointy toed gold flats in my purse and headed back the 30 or so blocks to the restaurant. Once I was in eyesight of the place, I did a quick change, chucking my walking shoes in my purse ~ i love having big purses!
I was a little early, so I sat at their bar for a few minutes, ordering a fascinating cocktail with Rum, sasparilla, ginger and other interesting ingredients. Dinner was good ~ nothing mindblowing, but very well executed. I terrorized the kitchen staff by sitting at the kitchen bar. The chef (I think her name was Liz) was super friendly and accommodating; when I couldn't make up my mind between two dishes, she suggested I go with the octopus and she would make me a sampler of the fava beans. The octopus was the better of the two for sure. So melting and delicious, perfectly seasoned....
For my main. I had Berkshire pork loin with pork pelly and yellow beans. Again, very well made, delicious, nicely seasoned.

After dinner, I ambled slowly home, stopping in used bookstores and thrift shops. I discovered The Strand (book heaven) and spent an hour in there. As I wandered home, I fell in love with the city "I could live here." I thought to myself "Except for the fact that I would be broke, crippled from all the walking and seriously sleep deprived!"

The night finished with a stop at Pinkberry for a refreshing dessert before I crawled into bed.

New York City - First Days

2008-08-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

There just isn't room to fit all the pictures in... I took over 450, narrowed it down to just under 300 and posted them to flickr, if you want to check them out.
I arrived at LGA 4:30 pm August 5th. Walking out of arrivals, I was hit by a wall of heat, sound and activity. Cab drivers shouted offers of taxis, people packed the sidewalks, waiting for their rides. Horns blared as a minor fender bender blocked two lanes of traffics. Amidst all this chaos, I was so happy to see a car cruising by with a sign in the window with my name on it ~ my car service. I am so glad I booked this, it made my trip so easy!
I arrived at my "hotel" in Chelsea. A simple brownstone, with no outward indication that this was a hotel. My room was on the second floor, thankfully- not so sure I could have handled many more flights of stairs with my suitcase! The room was tiny - a teeny twin bed, a shower, a dresser and a TV. And air conditioning. It was perfect though, everything I needed, clean and comfortable. I unpacked and hurried out to see what his city was all about, hoping to find dinner along the way. I walked around CHelsea for a good two hours before I settled, wobbly from hunger and exhaustion, on a little place called La Grainne.
A glass of white wine and a fortifying sandwich only served to remind me just how tired I was, so I paid the bill, stopped at Billy's Bakery for some cupcakes and made my way back to my room.

Day two dawned rainy and warm ~ The rain was warmer than the closet sized shower in my room! I decided I wanted to try out Bouchon for breakfast, so set off from Chelsea, through Midtown to Columbus Circle. I passed beautiful churches along the way, Rockefeller Center, the New York Public Library, Bergdorfs and the Plaza Hotel. When I arrived at Bouchon, I was extremely disappointed to discover that the bakery adn Per Se were closed for two weeks... no wonder I couldn't get reservations.
Now very hungry, I wandered around for a few minutes, looking for breakfast. The Brooklyn Diner appeared to fit the bill and I was rewarded with a delicious and yet very expensive meal. I liked the polenta instead of hashbrowns option!

After breakfast, I moved on to Grand Central Station (huge!) and then to Macys.... oh, the shoes. I spent two hours in the shoe section at Macys ~ thankfully I came away with only one pair of shoes!

After I am done posting my round up, I will have a post with ALL of the New York City information (Business names and addresses.)

Happy Anniversary....

2008-08-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

to us.
On August 15th, Rob and I celebrated 8 years together.
Well, we did the actual celebrating yesterday, as I had to work a double shift on the 15th.
I know people thought we were crazy when we first got together, age difference and all, but here we are, still together and still happy. I am very lucky to have met someone like Rob...

We celebrated with a dinner prepared by me ~
Oysters With Gewurtztraminer Granita
Heirloom Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella
paired with a Calona Vineyards Gewurtztraminer
Beef Tenderloin with Port Jus, New Potatoes and Provencale Yellow Beans
paired with Chateauneuf Du Pape Domaine Charvin
Individual Pavlova with Blackberries, Blueberries and Almond Chantilly Cream
Paired with Clos des Capucin Muscat Domaine Weinbach

Farewell ~ For Sher

2008-07-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

I will miss her "voice".

Tofu Goodness

2008-07-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

I am so lax with the blogging lately. But truth be told, I have been supremely lax with the cooking as well. I seem to be gripped with a general funk when it comes to the home cooking and phone it in on a daily basis!
Today was another one of those phone-it-in days, but I managed to make it look like I made a serious effort.
I knew I was going to make tofu and an asian noodle based salad for dinner (too lazy to shop for an alternate meal). I was browsing through some websites when I stumbled across this recipe, which I quickly made my own with a few subs (again, inspired by laziness.) Good eating!

On a side note, the clock is ticking down for my trip to NYC (only 19 days) and so far I have made on restaurant reservation : Tailor. Cannot wait. And if you have any suggestions, feel free to throw them my way.

Songs of the Summer.

2008-07-16T15:35:00.001-07:00

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A few songs this summer have grabbed me. This one in particular (Coldplay)
Also loving Duffy ~ anything from the Rockferry album.

Chilled Fennel Soup, Killer Fish Cakes

2008-07-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

It was hot the other day ~ by Vancouver standards that is. I wanted to make a simple soup, with some seafood and salad. THis is what I came up with.

I didn't write a recipe for any of this as it was so off the cuff. THe Soup was a garlic clove, some mint, a handful of almonds, half a cucumber, a fennel bulb ( blanched) and some seasoning thrown in the food processor. I strained the resulting mixture, yeilding a silky broth. Just before serveing, a spoonful of yogurt was stirred in. The soup kicked ass. I was so happy with it that I am having a fennel oriented dinner tonight.

The fish cakes were also absurdly simple; I poached a small piece of cod, flaked it and mixed it with some diced smoked albacore tuna, mayonnaise, lemon juice and crushed stoned wheat thins. Formed patties, dipped them in more crushed crackers and pan fried. Yum. I will write a recipe for them next time as they were worth repeating.

Happy Canada Day!

2008-07-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

The savoury Mmmmm Canada roundup is here.

Boneta

2008-06-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Mmm Canada

2008-06-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

I seriously suspect I missed the deadline on this, but I will post anyway.
(as it turns out, I am actually the early bird!!!!)
Jasmine and Jennifer organised a blog event; a sweet/savoury taste of Canada and I thought it would be the perfect way to kickstart the blogging. I made this meal LAST WEEK, photographed it and then proceeded to work four doubles and two singles. So I never got around to posting it. Here it is, better late than never...

Canadian cuisine is pretty hard to pin down, in my opinion. We have so many cultural influences to draw on and so many geographical differences that affect what foods are available to us. I have a couple of posts about what Canada tastes like to me, from previous years, and I didn't want to replicate too much. This year, I am obsessed with sablefish and fiddleheads (okay, I have been obsessed with fiddleheads for a while); two ingredients I would say qualify as Canadian Content. Sablefish is harvested off the coast of British Columbia and is (at the moment) a very sustainable fishery. I would suggest checking the Canadian Sablefish Association webpage out for more information. I was concerned to read that Sablefish aquaculture is being looked at right now...

Sablefish on Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Fiddleheads and Arugula

The sablefish was prepared simply ~ no recipe. I sear the seasoned fish, add a splash of white wine and lemon and cover the pan, allowing it to cook stovetop.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Fiddle heads and Arugula

Serves 2

1 sweet potato ( I didn't weigh it, it was probably around 500-700grams)
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup flour

300 g fiddleheads
250 grams arugula
olive oil.

Roast sweet potato until completely soft (40 minutes or so)
Rice cooked sweet potato and allow to cool a little. stir in egg yolk and then flour. Season with salt and pepper. The gnocchi dough will be extremely soft and slightly sticky. Flour your work surface very well before rolling gnocchi dough into logs and cutting off bite sized pieces. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi until it rises to the surface. This step may be done ahead of time.

Blanch fiddleheads in boiling salted water until tender. Ice to cool. (nb. According to many websites, fiddleheads may contain toxins and therefore should be very THOROUGHLY cooked. I like living on the edge, but due care and caution should be taken when preparing them.)

Heat a saute pan and coat with olive oil. Once the pan is hot, saute the gnocchi till it is golden brown. Add fiddleheads and arugula and heat through.
Serve and enjoy.

Goodbye to one of my Culinary Icons

2008-05-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I attended a memorial service for Soren Fakstorp. THose of you who know me well may remember that he was my chef-instructor for basic culinary and later my boss, giving me my first post-culinary school job.
He was young; only 54 years old. I was not prepared for how emotionally overwhelmed I would be.
Chef Soren was one of the best teachers I ever had. He made me have confidence in my own abilities and inspired my desire to learn everything I could about food and cooking. I remember his passion, the way it translated to the lectures he gave. I remember him teaching some of us how to make gravalax from a whole salmon. I remember the tour of Chinatown, standing in the street, eating crispy duck and roast pork with our hands. I remember him using my work computer to play solitaire.
Although I rarely saw him after I quit working at the school, I would think of him often. And it is so hard to think that he isn't here anymore to inspire the next round of students.

May 7

2008-05-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

Bellhead

Demented Dummy

Red wing blackbird

The Valley

May 6

2008-05-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

May 4 and 5

2008-05-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

May 3

2008-05-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

May2

2008-05-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

I worked today, so no truly interesting pics...
Aggie

One of my post-work guilty pleasures

May 1

2008-05-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Pictures of my day...

2008-04-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

live from the seawall...

2008-04-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

would love to insert photo here... just stopped for a break on my trek around the sea wall ...

Trip Planning

2008-04-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well. four months to go to NEw York!
I have started to panic about the cost of the hotel, I will admit it. I know it is going to be smoking hot when I stay there, so I want a place with air conditioning! Also, I am travelling alone, so I want a nice, safe place. I keep trying priceline..but I think I will wait another month before I up my bid.
I bought myself a Moleskin diary with a cheque my parents gave me for my birthday last week. Its geared specifically to NYC and I am so geekily excited to have it.
So far, it looks like I will be staying in New York from the 5th to the 8th, then taking the train to New Haven, CT, returning on Monday the 11th. My flight leaves the morning of the 12th. Looking at it written down, it seems like hardly anytime at all.

Evolution of a recipe; Fennel Crusted Tuna

2008-03-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

I think I have covered this ground before, but I just wanted to show why all my recipes end up in freeform territory. I selected this one from Epicurious at the beginning of the week and penciled it in for Wednesday night.

fennel-crusted ahi tuna with lemon aioli over couscous Bon Appétit | August 2005
This is the running commentary in my head as I prepare the recipe.

Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy small skillet. Toast over medium heat until fragrant, shaking skillet occasionally, about 3 minutes. Grind spice mixture in spice grinder. Transfer to bowl; mix in 1 teaspoon salt. (So far so good)

Whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, ( oops, no chives, scratch that) and half of garlic in small bowl. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store spice mixture airtight at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate lemon aioli.)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot and onion and sauté until crisp-tender,(@#$% forgot to buy carrot and onion. I'll just leave it out. Next?) about 3 minutes. Add thyme and remaining garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add 2 1/4 cups water and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to boil. Add sugar snap peas (wha? Sugar snap peas!? I'll use green beans instead I guess. I'll blanch them and serve them on the side) and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer peas to plate. Immediately add couscous (couscous!? oh forget it, I'll just make a batch of lemony quinoa) to water in skillet and stir to combine. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Transfer to bowl and cool completely. ( why am I cooling? I want to have it hot for dinner. I'll just ignore that step) Mix in sugar snap peas and dill. Season to taste with pepper. (Couscous can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)(blah blah blah, quinoa it is)

Prepare barbecue (high heat). (oh come on, really??! BBQ, I think not. Hot cast iron skillet will do just fine, thank you.) Coat tuna with 6 tablespoons oil.(ignore oil measurement as totally ridiculous) Sprinkle with spice mixture. (Liberally, as I just realized this is a recipe for 6 and I have two portions of tuna steaks)
Grill tuna until seared outside and rare in center, about 4 minutes per side. (try sear tuna less than a minute per side in hot skillet) Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour (again with this refrigerate thing. I am eating it NOW), then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices(1/2cm slices would be far more elegant). Spoon couscous (quinoa) onto plates. (Plate Green Beans as well)Top with tuna and drizzle with lemon aioli.

There you have it! my crazy and disorganised kitchen brain at work. And here is my take on the recipe, in full, sans running commentary.

Fennel Crusted Tuna

Makes 2 servings.
ingredients
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
kosher salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced,

Quinoa, prepared, with fresh lemon zest
Green Beans, blanched and tossed with olive oil and salt.
2 tuna steaks

Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy small skillet. Toast over medium heat until fragrant, shaking skillet occasionally, about 3 minutes. Grind spice mixture in spice grinder. Transfer to bowl; mix in 1 teaspoon salt.

Whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic in small bowl. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store spice mixture airtight at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate lemon aioli.)

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Coat tuna with spice rub, then sear a minute per side. Slice and serve with quinoa and green beans.

Savoury Orange Roasted Tofu

2008-03-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

I served this over glass noodles. And I wish I had more sauce!!

Savory Orange-Roasted Tofu & Asparagus
From Eating Well
Makes 4 servings, scant 1 cup each

Ingredients

1 14-ounce package extra-firm water-packed tofu, rinsed
2 tablespoons red miso (see Ingredient Note), divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
¼ cup orange juice
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Pat tofu dry and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Whisk 1 tablespoon miso, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 teaspoons oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add the tofu; gently toss to coat. Spread the tofu in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes. Gently toss asparagus with the tofu. Return to the oven and roast until the tofu is golden brown and the asparagus is tender, 8 to 10 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon miso, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 teaspoons oil, basil, orange zest and juice, and salt in the large bowl until smooth. Toss the roasted tofu and asparagus with the sauce and serve.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

2008-03-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

The highlight of this dish is the sweet potato gnocchi I made. It was inspired by a CL recipe, but I didn't have pre packaged gnocchi on hand, or many of the other ingredients, so a new dish evolved; Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Italian Sausage, Mushrooms and Asparagus.
I will share the recipe for the gnocchi; everything else is freeform...

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

1 large sweet potato
flour as needed
salt
1 egg

Roast sweet potato until soft. Peel and process with a ricer or foodmill. Add one egg, salt as desired and a cup of flour. Start mixing by hand. If mixture seems to wet, add more flour; you want a soft pliable dough. Be careful not to overwork or you will get tough little gnocchi. Divide dough and roll into logs roughly 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Cut and shape into little gnocchi ( I wish I had a better picture of the shape; basically, I press and roll, creating a little cupped shape.) Cook in boiling salted water until they rise to the top, then set them aside for your desired use.

In my case, I sauteed Italian sausage, then gnocchi, mushrooms, onions, and asparagus. Seasoned with a squeeze of lemon, ad sprinkling of fresh parsley and a dusting of freshly grated parmesan.

Just a few pics

2008-03-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

The pictures I took that never got themselves a blog post

Saint Patricks Day, Corned Beef and Cabbage

Goat Curry

Roast Lamb with New Potatoes and Creamed Peas

Shepherds Pie

2008-03-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

I know have made shepherds pie before, but this one is different. The mash layer on top is made with cauliflower and parsnip, yielding a lighter smoother topping. Plus a bonus for anyone avoiding the carbs!
For the topping, simply steam a whole head of cauliflower plus two peeled and rough chopped parsnips. Once tender, transfer to food processor and season liberally with salt and pepper. Puree to smooth, add one egg and top your favourite sheperds pie filling. Once my pie was heated through, I browned it under the broiler. It was delicious, even Rob, my meat and potatoes guy, loved it!

Chili Roasted Chicken THighs With Pineapple

2008-03-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

The New York Time via the cooking light boards. A great recipe that can stand to be repeated. My changes are in brackets and I served this with coconut rice and a sesame ginger coleslaw.

Rum (Whiskey) and Chili Roasted Chicken Thighs With Pineapple
Time: 40 minutes plus optional marinating time

1 tablespoon fresh lemon (lime) juice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 scallions, trimmed and chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons safflower or canola (olive) oil
2 tablespoons rum (whiskey), preferably dark or amber
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chili pepper, seeded and chopped (dried chipotle)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 chicken thighs, rinsed and patted very dry
3/4 pound pineapple pieces, diced into 1/4-inch chunks or very roughly chopped
Lemon wedges, for serving.

1. In a blender or food processor, combine lemon juice and salt, and blend for 5 seconds to dissolve salt. Add scallions, garlic, oil, rum, thyme, brown sugar, chili pepper and spices, and blend until mixture forms a paste.

2. Rub chili paste all over chicken pieces. If you have time, let marinate for up to 45 minutes at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in refrigerator.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put chicken in a large baking pan and scatter pineapple around it in one layer. Roast until chicken is cooked through ( juices will run clear when pricked with a fork), about 25 minutes.

4. Broil chicken and pineapple until chicken skin is crisp and dark brown all over and pineapple is singed in places.

5. Serve chicken and pineapple coated with pan drippings, with lemon wedges.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

Dim Sum

2008-03-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am still so full I can hardly breathe. There was so much food, I couldn't even photograph it. Instead, I give you the aftermath and the group of friends I went with.

FromYour Blog To Mine

2008-03-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of blogs, but seldom comment. When I do, it is because I am truly interested and I have probably bookmarked your recipe. Last week, I commented about this post on everybody likes sandwiches. Last night, this dish made an appearance on my table. Easy, tasty, I cannot recommend these salmon cakes enough. My only changes were the use of fresh dill and fine diced red onion instead of shallots. Thanks for the great recipe.
I served them with mashed red potatoes and a broccoli/cauliflower salad.

Monkfish

2008-03-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

It was really hard to get pretty picture of this seabeast in its finished state; it is almost as unattractive in living colour

I first tried monkfish last summer in Portland (unfortunately I was in a blogging slump, so never wrote up my fabulous evening at Fenouil). It played second fiddle to a killer lentil side, but was still tasty. As I wandered through the market the other day, I saw monkfish fillets on offer and just had to try them.
No recipe today, just another one of those "freeform" dinners. The monkfish was wrapped in serrano ham, seared and baked. i served it with a blood orange zest beurre blanc. Red lentils with sauteed fennel was one of the sides and a salad of blood orange, roasted beets and julienned fennel was the other, adding to the colourful plate.

Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce and Sweet Potatoes

2008-03-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from the CLBB, but the original source was Shape Magazine. I made very little modifications and it was an excellent week night dinner. I will post my modified version.

Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce
Over Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Shape, January 2004
4 servings

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled
and cut into 2-inch chunks
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
salt
black pepper
1 pound extra-lean ground sirloin
(about 90%-95% lean)
1/2 cup diced shallots
1/4 cup panko
1 egg
worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup sliced fresh shiitake
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sherry

Bake sweet potatoes until tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and smash together with a fork until lumpy.
Meanwhile, to make the meatballs, combine salt and pepper with next 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Form mixture into 16 2-inch meatballs.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and saute 5 minutes, until browned.
Add mushrooms and saute 3 minutes, until tender and releasing juice. Add thyme and stir to coat. Add beef broth and simmer 3 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through.
Dissolve cornstarch in sherry and add to skillet. Simmer 1 minute, until sauce thickens.
Spoon smashed sweet potatoes onto individual plates and top with meatballs. Spoon mushroom sauce over top and serve.

Nutrition score per serving (4 meatballs, 1/4 cup mushroom sauce, 1/2 cup sweet potatoes): 411 calories, 24% fat (11 g; 3 g saturated), 44% carbs (45 g), 32% protein (33 g), 5 g fiber, 66 mg calcium, 4 mg iron, 628 mg sodium.

Lasagna with Lamb, Spinach and feta

2008-03-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

The same day that I made sushi, I made lasagna for dinner. It turned uot to be one of the best lasagnas ever!

Lasagna is admittedly a freeform dish for me (okay, most dishes are freeform in my world). I used a very simple recipe for the pasta dough, which I then took quite thin on my handy KitchenAid pasta roller.

Pasta Dough

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups semolina flour
6 whole eggs
olive oil
salt

sift salt and flours together on the counter. Make a well; add your eggs and olive oil. Mix then knead until desired consistency is reached (this took me about 10 minutes from start to finish). Wrap and allow to rest for a couple hours.

Roll out sheets; use in lasagna

THe filling came out of that crazy head of mine. I sauteed 2lbs of ground lamb in olive oil, but before it was fully cooked, I added a whole can of crushed organic tomatoes, some oregano, salt and pepper and cinnamon. I let that simmer for a couple hours, adding the rest of my ingredients as they were ready. I sauteed 1 japanese eggplant with lots of garlic and salt, then simmered it in a half cup of red wine. Once the wine was absorbed/reduced, I added the eggplant to the lamb. I also thawed one package of frozen spinach and added that.

I wish I could write a recipe, because this lasagna was the perfect density; but so much of it was made up as we went. The layers included mozzarella, the lamb filling, sheep feta and a bechamel made from about 1l of milk. It was then baked for an hour and allowed to rest for 20 minutes...<

I made it!

2008-03-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Sushi, that is... And it is the easiest thing in the world...

The most important part of sushi is the rice.. I am sure that my method is not "the right" way, but it is what works for me.

Sushi Rice enough for 2 rolls

1 cup sushi rice
1 1/4 cups water
seasoned rice vinegar

First, set yourself up with a steaming apparatus. I put a ring mold in the bottom of my widest pot with lots of water, then balanced a bowl on top of the ring mold (a cookie cutter would work, or a short tin can with both lids removed). Get the water boiling.
Then, rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Add the measured amount of water and place in the steamer; cover and let steam for 25 minutes.
Remove the rice from the steamer and add seasoned rice vinegar to taste. Stir in and allow to cool.

After the rice is set up, the rolling is easy. Just make sure you have a bowl of water handy to dip your fingers in before pressing the rice onto the sheets of nori.

The fillings are easy too, make what tastes good. I did a california roll (crab, avocado) for Rob and an asparagus, sesame ginger chili avocado roll for me.

Bubble and Squeak part II

2008-03-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I was playing with bubble and squeak and I felt like my technique needed a little refinement. Plus, Rob was loving it and insisted I make it again. Last night we had it with lamb and spinach meatloaf and green beans.
I can't really write a recipe; I think the nature of Bubble and Squeak is that it changes every time you make it.
Last night I cooked red potatoes, turnip and brussels sprouts till they were tender, mashed together and added lots of salt and pepper. I heated a cast iron skillet over medium to medium low heat, lubricated with duck fat and added my mash. I flipped and stirred every ten minutes or so until the mash was all crunchy caramelised bits...

Joint Effort

2008-03-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

A rare occurrence yesterday... Rob and I were both home from work at a decent hour, so we prepared dinner together. Rob cooked a couple of perfect filet mignons, and suggested a fennel salad. I made a barley risotto and prepared the salad. Crisp fennel, baby greens, olive oil, salt and a delicious honey vanilla balsamic courtesy of Mindy ~ delicious. And Rob absolutely loved the barley risotto.

I didn't have chicken stock, so added flavour with bacon.

Barley Risotto
4 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup diced uncooked bacon
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
juice of half a lemon
1/8 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper

Bring water to boil. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

Sweat bacon in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 2 minutes. Add barley and season; cook for 3 or 4 minutes, then add white wine. Once white wine has been absorbed, add water a bit at a time, stirring after each addition. this will take 40-45 minutes.
Stir in parsley, parmesan and lemon juice. Serve

Sunchokes

2008-03-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Sunchokes, or Jerusalem artichokes, are one of my favourite little tubers. I know they have been done to death, but I just love the way they taste and I picked some up at the Farmer's Market. Last night, I was not feeling the cooking vibe, but I did it anyway, preparing garlicky lamb chops with a red wine sauce, green beans and a sunchoke and yam gratin. Rob raved about it and, very sweetly, thanked me a million times over for making him dinner every night at such an "ungodly hour" (he gets off work at 9 pm. I get off at two.)

Please bear with me, the recipe is in rough development, but here it is.

Sunchoke and Yam Gratin

1 small yam, peeled, sliced thin
Sunchokes, enough to yield 2 cups, thinly sliced.
1 cup cream
bay leaf
salt
peppercorns
pinch of lavender

Simmer cream with salt, pepper, bay leaves and lavender for 10 minutes. Strain off herbs and pour over yams and sunchokes. Layer in a small ovenproof pot, than bake for 20-25 minutes.
Serves 4 (Or two if one of them is my boyfriend).

Gratitude

2008-03-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you just need a friend to listen to you, to distract you, to share their own stresses. I was very lucky on Saturday, as K and R took me off to the farmers market. I know, a farmer's market in March, crazy! It was a lot of fun, featuring a couple of interesting performers

The view from the farmers market was incredible as well and this photo does not do it justice.

After we shopped, R dropped K and I Cafe Barney on Granville and we had a good breakfast and a wonderfully therapeutic chat. (Thank you!!)

Anyway, two days later, Rob and I reaped the benefits of the market trip with Organic potatoes from Helmers, Mushrooms from somewhere else, greens from Langley growers and a nice free run chicken breast from Tenderland.

This is the mushroom saute action...

And the finished product:

Indian Comfort Food

2008-03-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

I know, two days in a row, my heading features the term "comfort food". Today's title refers to the name of a little stall on Granville Island where we enjoyed a meal.
Picture the scene....
You are having many drinks with friends at a lounge on the island with abysmal, overpriced food... You are starving, you need an alcohol soaker, your server offers to guard your table, drinks and all. You run over to the market, looking for something fast, tasty and reasonably priced. Enter Indian Comfort Food.

All five of us ordered the Dehli Wrap, filled with butter chicken, rice, mango chutney and other yummy things, served with a side of vegetables and extra butter chicken sauce.
It was enough to fortify us for another four hours of catching up and generally frightening other patrons of the lounge with our "kitchen language"...