Lemon Tart

2011: The Year in Food

Yes, I'm aware 2 months of 2012 have already passed, so it might seem a bit late for a retrospective. But I don't think there's ever a statute of limitations on memories and a day like today seems to perfect day for looking back.

An original salad that never made the blog.

Looking back at 2011, I've eaten truffles in southern Oregon and Bone Marrow in London, and sampled the finest oysters from Northern France to Seattle, Washington. Back home I've eaten more of those ribs I long for, sticky and covered in bourbon and brown sugar and dry spice encrusted ones, oh so tender from hours of slow cooking all thanks to some kitchen savvy friends. I started my first vegetable garden and with my tiny plot of land enjoyed my first homegrown French Breakfast radish, and marveled at green beans eaten right off the plant, remembering my Gramma and the bushels of beans in her garden. I fell in love, once again, with Paris and its patisseries, markets and historic streets, and fully understood the passion so many have for that great city of London. My wine glass was full of Oregon Pinot Noir and simple Portuguese Vinho Verde (so underrated!), and my oven cranked out buttery Breton cakes and I finally mastered the Levain Bread I've been striving for all these years of baking bread. And these highlights too:

 

A Grand Dinner Party

Le Menu

My birthday falls 8 days after Christmas, which is not the ideal time of year to yearn for a big party. Everyone is just over their New Years hangovers and is already starting their January cleanse. I took matters into my own hands and threw myself a party. My Grand Dinner Party, as I termed it, included an intimate gathering of 8 and 9 courses cooked by myself and my hardworking sous chef, DG.

 

La Table

As "It's my party, and I'll "dine" if I want to...", I set the stage for my dream dinner party. I went old school, snail mailing  invitations, instilled a dress code, bought the loveliest linen napkins with blue silk embroidery, pretty handblown candle holders, brought out my Florence menu stationary and personally selected all the wine pairings. We dined past midnight. It was just as I had envisioned. My single greatest joy is feeding friends, especially in a special occasion kind of way. This evening was a memorable way to bring in the new year.

 

 Field Trips

Restaurant in Portland

We ventured to Portland and Seattle for food filled long weekends. 3 nights, 3 days and you'd be amazed the assortment of dining experiences we can pack in. In PDX we fell further in love with the cocktail, as this city can really mix it up, drinking in such establishments as Teardrop Lounge, surely a bartenders dream, and Clyde Common where I had my first wood aged cocktails, a revelation of a technique involving charred planks of wood, a mason jar, some booze and time.

 

In Seattle we finally dined at Canlis with the ghosts of Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire. A mid century architecture dream overlooking Lake Union, a family business for over 50 years, this American fine dining superstar certainly comes with expectations, all of which were met. There are few places like this anywhere. A gem.

Ju Jubes to Meat Candy : The Year in Food

Here's a look back at 2010 one more time, specifically how it relates to the food I ate. Here are the highlights.

Best Sweet: Cannelles, Ken's Artisan Bakery, Portland OR.

I remember my very first Cannelle vividly. It was our first time to Paris and the magic of the Patisserie windows were enchanting. We came across an old fashioned and well loved looking pastry filled window just around the corner from our hotel in the 15th, a line is often a good sign. I purchased  a couple mini cannelles and readiest myself for this new treat. My first bite was a revelation. Slightly crispy and deep caramel on the outside, then a resistant chew, leading to a heavenly moist, interior, custardy but open, with just the right amount of sweetness. The taste was that of flavours that magically transform when the simplest ingredients like eggs, milk, sugar and flour come together in a hot oven with just the right kind of pan. I was delighted. It was like nothing I'd had before, yet there was something familiar. Creme brulee baked, perhaps? Since then I've come across them once in awhile. But nothing would rival that Parisian Cannelle moment and for the most part I pass on them, like pain au chocolate and macarons, not able to withstand the infuriating emotions that erupt when my disappointment becomes unbareable. That was until Ken's Artisan Bakery in Portland, Oregon. While enjoying my obligatory orange flecked "Morning Bun" and Oregon Croissant (turns out they are better with blackberries!) my eyes caught sight of a plate of cannelles, of all things. It was as if a French soundtrack started to play. I can spot a worthy pastry from quite far away, a handy trick when confronted with too many options for this not too tiny tummy, and I could tell these were a must from their consistently deep coloured exterior and just the right amount of shine and texture on the surface, with just a tiny pool of cooled, melted butter in the indendation on top.  One bite into these caramelized, eggy, sweet little scalloped pastries screamed perfection, which is no small feat since these beauties are pure technique and just plain fiddly. While that first in Paris will always remain close to my heart, this cannelle was certain to hold its place in my Pastry Canon, holding its own with a Seattle Pain au Chocoalate and a Gerard Mulot Macaron.

 

Best Dinner at a Friends house: Meat Candy

While 2010 wasn't the first time I had this dish, it was a year I was fortunate to realize I had found my "death row meal". These Bourbon Glazed Ribs, originally adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe, have become, whether she likes it or not, a specialty of my friend Ruth.  Plenty of smokey muscovado sugar and so much bourbon the oven door is blown open during cooking, make a sauce that  caramelizes into a sticky candy coated lollipop of pork, which is why I've coined it Meat Candy. Those finger bowls are a nice touch, but I don't remember using them much, since there's no way I'm washing away the sticky coating of bourbon, brown sugar and meat juices from these fingers with anything but my tongue! I recommend being vocal about your love for that special dish a friend makes. It gets you invited back! I've never made ribs in my life and don't plan on it. I have a friend who gives me the gift of these Meat Lollys enough times in the year. How lucky for me!

  Best pizza : Delfina, San Francisco and Delancey, Seattle

Coming from a city with a wasteland of exceptional wood fired pizza, a good piece of pie is always on my radar when travelling and our fall "foodcation" was full of credible options. Upon arrival into San Francisco we went straight to Pizzeria Delfina. There were very high expectations surrounding this lunch and it did not disappoint. Seated in a sidewalk table in the colourful Mission neighborhood, I literally gasped when this pizza arrived. The only thing thing missing was a spare stomach to try more of their unique pizzas, including one with broccoli raab and several options with housemade sausages. We had a vibrant pie covered in local, fresh cherry tomatoes, bursting open from the ovens heat and fresh ricotta cheese, the tomatoes adding acid and sweetness to the creamy, salty cheese. The lack of a traditional sauce let the pizza dough itself shine through, allowing a chewy, flavourful dough the chance to really be tasted. And all the beautiful charred bubbles were crackly crisp. The second one was one of the most interesting pizza I've ever had, covered in generous guaincale, unsmoked bacon, sliced torpedo onions, plenty of whole black peppercorns and a coating of cream. Think spaghetti carbonara on pizza. This really was my most memorable pizza experience and this place alone will get me back to San Francisco sooner than otherwise. And while I may complain that I can't get pizza like this at home, I'm glad because it makes it that much more special.

 Twice last year we had another memorable pizza experience at the much lauded and blogged over, Delancey, tucked away in a residential neighborhood of  Seattle. I had been following the progress of this opening all year and was quite excited to see what this highly anticipated newcomer to Seattle food scene would deliver. Brandon, the chef, had spent time across the US studying pizza and he obviously came away with quite the education. I was ready to cry with my first bite as DG and I ate in silence. The pizza being the only thing in the room. Plenty of charred bubbles, a dry, crispy crust, lots of cavernous chewy holes, restrained sauce and a simple menu of classics to show off the time and effort that have gone into creating a perfect pizza pie. A pizza bianca was the essence of simple and beautiful covered in excellent ricotta cheese and wild leeks, another tomato sauced version speckled with house made fennel sausage. So enraptured by this little spot we managed to plan our schedule to arrive in Seattle at opening to enjoy one last meal on our way home across the border. Bravo, Delancey. I am in awe of you attention to detail including your popsicles and fresh made chocolate chip cookies for dessert!

 

Edible Seattle: Part 1

Well, now that I've made you wait a whole week to hear about our weekend... Sorry about that delay. I was busy on the treadmill.

I love Seattle. On a good day you can be in a different country and another major city in less than 3 hours from Vancouver. We always seem to have bad luck with favourable currency exchange, so with the Canadian Dollar at a recent low, we wasted no time crossing the border. In recent years, we've spent a couple weekends a year in Seattle , which has made each visit better than the last as we become more familiar with  the city, its restaurants, shopping and people. I certainly have enough restaurants to keep me occupied here at home, but of course its always nice to get away and experience a different cities food culture!

Seattle feels a bit like a place I could live- it feels a little like Vancouver. I suppose city planning wise its doesn't actually have a lot in common-waterfront views, high real estate (well, not so much now) and lots of new condos. But for some reason the whole "Pacific Northwest" thing, being on the Ocean, living in lush beautiful surroundings, living in rain for so much of the year, feeling a bit separate from the rest of our respective counties.... well, all those things have something to do with the citizens of Vancouver and Seattle having similar constitutions.  That being said, the sign in the trendy Belltown wine bar we were in on Friday night, "No Minors, No Firearms",  let us know loud and clear that we weren't in Canada anymore.

My favourite place to visit when traveling is the grocery store or farmers market. You learn a sense of the place and its culture by visiting the places where locals buy their food like no other public arena. These days its harder to find uniquely American food stuffs in major supermarkets with the whole global marketplace thing. Canadian grocery stores now have all the same familiar brands and logos. But there are still some treasures, and I'm pretty good at sourcing them. This photo shows the variety of souvenirs I came home with. Highlights include a turquoise Fiestaware pitcher, chocolate bars from a new American chocolate maker, Askinoskie and a limited edition Theo ghost chile bar,  cultured butter from Vermont Butter and Cheese company and the infamous Mo's Bacon Bar.

My Little Piece of Earth

Something amazing happened to me recently, and I forgot to mention it, what with the being all giddy over my acquisition.  I'm thankful to have this public way to share my joy with you.  What what what?  Well, I'll be honest, for most people it was a small joy, which are usually the best kind for a food lover like me.

I bought my first black winter truffle! Yes this is cause for jumping up and down excitement for me.  If you've been following this blog recently you've have already seen my beautiful darling, enjoyed on a very special Valentines dinner.  And it was bea-u-ti-ful!  I cannot overstate this fact.  The smell was intoxicating, with its rich deep wild mushroomy aroma and an overwhelming reminder of earth and dirt.  All of that along with a floral pungency. This is the best way to describe the sensory nature of such a unique gift from the earth. 

It traveled a long way from the chalky soiled forests of the Perigord region in Southwestern France, sniffed out by a well trained dog likely, who was hopefully rewarded with filet mignon.  The truffle hunter perhaps would have been a weathered old timer who knows how to find a truffle by a shadow at the base of a tree or the sound of the earth as his trusty hound pitter-pattered about on his task.  This may sound overly romantic but given that we are speaking of a part of the world that I'm already head over heels in love with you can understand my desire to paint an idyllic picture of how this little nugget moved about its way towards me. Of course, deep down I know that its likely a very different story, hopefully not one full of danger and darkness and shifty characters, which has been known to happen in this high priced high demand world truffle trade.   Soon after harvest it would have made its way to a raucous truffle market such as Sarlat or Carpentras where it was purchased and eventually made its way here to Vancouver.

So what's the big deal, you ask?  You might never have had the opportunity to enjoy a truffle, or even given them a lot of thought.  Well I have, which is why I went to the trouble of calling a local specialty food distributor that supplies the finest restaurants in Canada and the US with such things as truffles and other wild products. They don't normally sell to the public, but with an appointment and some cash in hand, he was kind enough to let me come by.  An address error which left me unable to find the location of this nondescript, signless warehouse space almost evaporated my anticipation.  But after persevering I made it, not willing to give up on this opportunity.  My contact gave me a quick tour of the tickle trunk that is their warehouse.  This utilitarian space is packed with the kinds of specialty products most of us only enjoy on a restaurant plate.  There were boxes full of the finest aged risotto rices from Italy, fresh chickpeas, wild mushrooms galore, unique greens, gorgeous French green beans, nut oils and hard to find Provencal olive oils from France, barrel aged maple syrups and every kind of truffle product you have imagine.  If I knew I wasn't taking him away from his very busy job I could have spent hours in there.  I thanked him for the gracious tour and left with a beautiful black truffle carefully wrapped in paper towel and a plastic bag to preserve its aroma and flavour, sneaking whiffs at every traffic light on the way home.  My little glorious bit of earth that was worth the adventure and the hefty pricetag. I left like a kid with a new kitten- gloriously excited, dreaming of the best scrambled eggs and pasta I would ever taste.

A Dinner Pictorial

   Well, that Valentines dinner I spoke of yesterday was indeed lovely.  Plenty of very special ingredients and drinks, lots of candlelight and the best company I could ever hope for now and forever.  Here is a photographic menu to share with you.  I apologize for the less than perfect photographs.  But since it was Valentines Day, the atmosphere simply had to be dim and romantic, hence the low light conditions. I think you can get a feeling for the very romantic and indulgent evening that it was.

A little aperitif...
Blood Orange Martinis
Parmesan shortbread with pepper jelly
Locally made red wine prosciutto and merlot saucisson sec.

Our Valentines gift to each other...
One amazing, intoxicatingly aromatic French black truffle.  To be seen later in the evening.  Eat local you say?  Not today and no apologies necessary.




The First Course:
Oysters of course!  The ultimate aphrodisiac, right?  Well, I don't know about that...I just know they are super tasty.  These ones are Kushi oysters from Vancouver Island and Shigoku Oysters from Washington. Both were sweet and succulent, with the real taste of the ocean.  Washed down perfectly with a glass of Champagne.

Dinner with Friends

Setting the Scene:

A beautiful pre-Christmas Saturday night.
Four comfortable friends.
A cozy room.
A lovingly set table with candles, flowers and plenty of utensils.
Three enjoyable and affordable bottles of wine.
Al Green on the stereo.
This, the only photographic record of it.


Saturday, December 6

Gougeres, Dry cured cognac sausages, Home pickled Zucchini
Raspberry Kir Royale

Creamy pumpkin soup with pumpkin seed oil and creme fraiche
 Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Quiche Lorraine with oil preserved oven dried tomatoes, mixed greens

Spice rubbed seared Northern BC salmon, sauteed fennel, barley risotto
Stoneleigh Pinot Noir

Coronation Grape sorbet

24 month Comte, plum paste, Raincoast Crisps
Sumac Ridge Pipe

Gingerbread Stout Cake, Pear Caramel ice cream, brandied cherry
Quince Liqueur

Angelwater Tea