I must admit, I stewed for a day about what Canada Tasted Like To Me. I questioned my partner. His response: pemmican, maple syrup, salmon, back bacon. I tried to think of quintessential Canadian ingredients and I slowly formulated my menu. We started with Sweet Petit Oysters, eaten over the kitchen sink, completely naked (the oysters) and gloriously salty sweet.
The main dinner: Soy and Rice Vinegar Marinated Steamed Wild Salmon with Hijiki and Morels. Salmon, although not confined to Canada, just seems so very Canadian. I chose the rice vinegar and soy because, for me, Canada is about a seamless blend of cross-cultural culinary experiences. The Hijiki, or sea asparagus tastes like the ocean, and for this west coaster, Canada IS the ocean ( I know, that is utterly blasphemous, but apart from a week long visit to Winnipeg, most of my life in Canada has been spent this side of Golden, BC). And the morels ~ god, morels. I get slightly manaical about these fungii when they are fresh in season. Morels taste like early summer, the season I wish would stay forever. I served the Salmon with roasted Organic Local baby potatoes and carrots.
And finally, dessert. I wasn't going to do dessert, but I was in the market today and the Local Blueberries had arrived! A sucker for fresh fruit, I scooped up a generous amount for $2.50 and served them up with very gently whipped cream flavoured with maple syrup.
And that was My Taste of Canada. Now I just need a photography lesson to do the meal justice!
6 comments:
It looks wonderful! The blueberries with maple infused cream would really hit the spot right now.
I've never had hijiki. I will now be on the lookout for it!
Thank you Jennifer! I have come to love Sea Asparagus ~ like I said, it tastes like the ocean to me.
Wow, that looks great, Linda! My current obsession is raw oysters -- I like mine with a squeeze of lemon and one dash of Tobasco.
I'm a student at Dubrulle too! I only just came across your blog today through the Taste Canada event. I started Dubrulle in October and I'm about to start my final semester next week, a practicum placement at Pearl in White Rock.
Are you taking pastry next semester or advanced culinary? I took pastry in Jan-March, and I just finished up advanced culinary (working in the school's restaurant Culinaria).
We dont get too many oysters here in the middle of North America.. it makes me want to travel to the coast. Thanks a bunch
templar, I don't want to knock Winnipeg (my beloved is from there), but I spent a week there one June. The city is beautiful, but nothing beats that coastal air. And fresh oysters.
Linda - your entire meal looks and sounds fantastic and just as Canada should!
Thanks so much for being part of Taste Canada - hope to see you again soon!
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