Author: Sharon Yeo

Sharon is an Edmonton-based blogger who has been writing about food since 2006.

Food Notes for December 27, 2010

I hope everyone had a good Christmas! We’ve been putting our feet up over here…we haven’t had this relaxing of a holiday in some time. Much of that relaxing has been in the form of watching Mad Men from the beginning – it really is dangerous having access to an unlimited trial of Netflix, with the first three seasons of the show available. Though there’s not too much happening in the blogosphere, here are a few notes anyway:

Viphalay

Viphalay’s pad thai

  • I love freshly baked bread, and Mack was sweet enough to feed my habit with a loaf this week.

Bread

Mack’s bread!

  • A few weeks ago, we agreed to sign up to try out an indoor composting system called Bokashi, which instead of using worms, utilizes microorganisms to break down organic material by fermentation. It’s been about two weeks, and still, there is little to no odour! We’ll be writing more about it in the new year.

Composter

Indoor composter

  • We had our second Christmas dinner over at Mack’s grandparents’ house on Saturday. Besides being treated to a delicious meal, I had my annual visit with Peanut.

Peanut!

Isn’t she adorable?

Enjoy your week!

The Cooking Chronicles: Holiday Potlucks

Potlucks were so much a part of my childhood holidays that it wasn’t until much later in life that I realized some families didn’t celebrate the way that we were used to. Never did any one family make all of the dishes; instead, each family was responsible for one or two sides, while the host prepared the turkey.

As such, I marvel at those families (like Mack’s grandparents) that do put all the food on the tables themselves, but I have to say, I am very happy that the potluck tradition continues – both in my family, and at work.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

One of the teams I am a part of at the office decided to put on a holiday lunch for the rest of the staff, in recognition of their service to the agency. Most of my colleagues volunteered to bring mains or side dishes, so I figured the dessert table could use some additions.

I chose Trish Magwood’s recipe of buttermilk chocolate cake for the base of my cupcakes. Her recipe should really be called the one-bowl, no-fail wonder, for how reliable it is in producing a moist, fluffy product. It’s a fabulous chocolate cake (and with cocoa powder from Kerstin’s, just chocolate-y enough).

I topped them with Ina Garten’s peanut butter icing and a sprinkle of chopped peanuts (my office is void of anyone with peanut allergies – probably an anomaly in the city).

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cookies

Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing

I’m happy to say they were a hit with the staff, with several people asking for the recipe the next day. A special thanks to Jill and Kat for transportation help – it would have been a rather comical trudge through the snow with 50 cupcakes in hand!

Scalloped Tomatoes

I turned to another Ina Garten recipe for our annual Christmas Eve potluck with family friends. I borrowed her newest book, How Easy Is That? from the library a few weeks ago, and after seeing her recipe for scalloped tomatoes, thought it would make a good vegetable side dish for the dinner.

Mack did most of the grunt work for the dish, which involved dicing 15 plum tomatoes. After that, it was really easy to pull together – sautéing the tomatoes with crisped-up bread crumbs, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper, then baking it off with some basil (we threw in almost two cups), parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Scalloped Tomatoes

In the pan

Our condo smelled of summer while the tomatoes baked, and the dish came out beautifully, with a crust of golden-brown cheese on top.

Scalloped Tomatoes

Scalloped tomatoes (of course, running late, I didn’t get a chance to take the photo at our place)

I thought the dish could have used a little more sugar (the tomatoes were a little tart for me), but as a whole, it was a solid vegetable side, and one I would consider making again.

Do you have a go-to potluck dish?

The Cooking Chronicles: Holiday Baking

My Mum always does a ton of Christmas baking. She makes a variety of cookies like clockwork every year – from almond crescents to jam pinwheels to butter balls, our house was always full of good things to eat and give away this time of year.

My baking routine isn’t so measured – most of it is last minute (I finished a batch of cookies for my coworkers at midnight last night). That said, I wanted to make sure we included some homemade treats tucked in among the gifts to Grandma Male and Mack’s parents, which meant some necessary planning.

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Brownies

To satisfy Grandma Male’s sweet tooth, I thought Anna Olson’s recipe for cookies ‘n’ cream brownies would be perfect. The layer of snow white cream cheese icing on top had a nice winter feel to it, and speckled with crumbled Oreo cookies, how could one go wrong?

They turned out quite well, with a soft, chewy brownie base thanks to the cream cheese inclusion and a balanced icing from a combination of butter and cream cheese. Mack had to taste test them (of course), and declared them gift worthy! And Grandma Male enjoyed them too.

Cookies 'n' Cream Brownies

Cookies ‘n’ cream brownies

White Chocolate and Cranberry Drops

For Mack’s parents, we made sure to pick a recipe with full nutritional disclosure (nearly the same as it appears here), and a cookie that included red and white fillings seemed to be a good fit for the holidays.

The good news: the dough was easy to work with (shortbread doughs are hit or miss for me), and didn’t require any refrigeration before baking. The bad news: I didn’t pay attention to the fact that it was a shortbread to begin with – not a problem if we were just delivering the tin ourselves, but since we had to mail them to Yellowknife, cookies at risk of crumbling + rough handling should not mix.

White Chocolate and Cranberry Drops

White chocolate and cranberry drops

The story does have a happy ending though – the cookies reached Patti and Martin in good shape!

Culinary Q & A with Andrea

AndreaWhat did you eat today?

Gruel for breakfast 🙂 salmon w/sesame sauce for lunch and shepherd’s pie for dinner.

What do you never eat?

Blue Cheese!

What is your personal specialty?

I can make a mean pasta sauce.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Parmesan Cheese.

What is your weekday meal standby?

Fajita’s.

What is your favourite kitchen item?

My burr grinder, I couldn’t have a great cup of coffee without it.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

My moms turkey dinner with all the fixings, home made buns and cheesecake for dessert.

Where do you eat out most frequently?

Teriyaki Corner.

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

Guru! It is in the west end, the best.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

Smoken Bones Cookshack in Langford B.C and I would order the beef brisket Po’ Boy with collard greens on the side. Yum!

Check out Andrea’s blog, GourmAndrea.

Guests of Honour: Istanbul Restaurant

On the snowiest of nights last week, Vicki and I made our way to Istanbul Restaurant, the location of our volunteer appreciation dinner (we’re so fortunate to sit on a committee that chooses to highlight different ethnic cuisines every year – last year, it was Ethiopian).

I can’t say it was the easiest place to find (it would have been helpful if we had been told to look for the shining beacon of a Tim Horton’s sign along 82 Street), though our indirect route plagued with wrong turns was scenic – who knew Balwin had such a nice community league?

A sign just inside the door made us feel welcome the moment we stepped in, which read, “Once you enter our doors you are no longer a customer you are our guest of honour.” The warm ambiance – created from a combination of Christmas lights, neutral wall colours, and a hearth (albeit an electric one), was mirrored in the service, which was attentive and personal (each person, arriving separately, was immediately greeted at the table upon arrival).

Istanbul Restaurant

Interior

We opted to order platters to share, which suited the group quite well, and enabled us to sample several types of their kebobs and included hummus, salad, rice, pita bread and a nice bonus – dessert.

The platter was a mixed bag – the beef was overdone, and was difficult to pry off its skewer, let alone enjoy. The chicken fared better, and seasoned well with a spicy finish, was the favourite. Vicki liked the salad, but we both thought the hummus was just okay (I much prefer the version at Tazza).

Istanbul Restaurant

Istanbul mixed platter (for three)

The best part of the meal arrived near the end – dessert. We had the choice of either baklava or rice pudding. The latter won out, and based on the comments around the table, was a good choice. The top had been baked, resulting in a slightly browned “crust”, which gave way to a custard, thinner than I anticipated, but with just the right amount of sweetness. The grains of rice had settled at the bottom of the ramekin, which was nice as an extra layer of texture.

Istanbul Restaurant

Rice pudding

Vicki and I both decided to try a cup of Turkish coffee. Made tableside, the coffee was poured into delightfully tiny porcelain teacups. The proportions threw me off – about 1/3 of it was actually drinkable (albeit strong) liquid, and the rest of the cup was filled with silt-y grounds. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I found out later that this preparation is traditional, and that the remaining grounds can be dumped out onto a saucer to be “read” like tea leaves.

Istanbul Restaurant

Turkish coffee

I wasn’t blown away by the food, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to return. But if I find myself lost in the neighbourhood again on a snowy winter day, Istanbul might be that shining beacon for a weary traveler.

Istanbul Restaurant
12918 82 Street
(780) 478-8881
Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm, closed Sunday

Food Notes for December 20, 2010

Christmas indeed snuck up on us, didn’t it? I’m looking forward to Christmas morning and all, but there are still a few days of work standing in my way! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday full of family and good eats. On to this week’s food notes:

  • Daniel Costa, formerly of Red Star, opened Corso 32 (10345 Jasper Ave, 780-421-4622) last week. Anyone tried it yet?
  • Queen of Tarts (10129 104 Street, 780-421-4410) is finally poised to open the first week of January. I know many are looking forward to accessing Linda’s delectable pastries year-round, but I’m looking forward to fresh, artisan breads baked right on our street!
  • The next round of local restaurant excitement surrounds Bistro La Persaud, a French restaurant tucked in La Cite Francophone – a Journal review, a CBC review, and a food blogger review all in one week. Though the reviews all claim that the restaurant is still in “soft opening” mode, I’d say the doors have been blown wide open now.
  • Lea reviewed a new Indian restaurant on the south side of Edmonton, called Shafi Tandoori Grill.
  • I know Edmonton will never be big enough to have the critical mass to generate a post like this one, but a girl can dream, right? Eater tracks the taco explosion that hit New York in 2010.
  • Though I know the trends projected in the US/New York take several years to land here (if at all), they’re still fun to read: here are two great roundups from Grub Street.
  • For trends that are more likely to hit closer to home – check out this list of supermarket trends.
  • And though this time of year is all about trends – what about the trends that weren’t?
  • I spotted this 2011 Calgary Dining Guide, published by Calgary’s Avenue Magazine, at Chapters this weekend. Though I know their editions are routinely double the size of Edmonton’s version, I wonder if we’ll be lucky enough to have a similar guide produced for our fair city?

Calgary Dining GUide

Calgary Dining Guide

  • Sweet Lollapalooza, the Commerce Place-based chocolatier, opened up a second small storefront around the corner from its original shop, just for the holidays. The second shop sells pre-boxed versions of their popular truffles for those without time to select the bonbons themselves. I’m a big fan of their buttercrunch toffee…yum.

Sweet Lollapalooza

Sweet Lollapalooza

  • Speaking of chocolate, I tried the hot chocolate from Credo last week, made with Jacek Chocolate. It had a depth and subtle cocoa powder sweetness that was the perfect accompaniment on our winter walk – I’ll be back for another cup soon! Also, it was awesome to read that Jacek sold out of all of their chocolate for the holidays – you snooze, you lose (that would include me).

Credo

Jacek hot chocolate from Credo

  • We stopped by Duchess this weekend to pick up a few gifts. It was also a good excuse to check out Garner’s gingerbread Notre Dame cathedral in person. It is stunning, and from the photos on Facebook, even more so after dark.

Duchess

Gingerbread cathedral

  • Amanda managed to score us a pair of free tickets to the Oilers game on Thursday night, where we watched the Blue Jackets get rocked. Man, Linus Omark is going to be a star, isn’t he? This was also our first time seeing the newly-minted Octane dance team. They were underwhelming.

Oilers

Thanks for the tickets, Kelly and John!

Taste Alberta Launch

On December 1, 2010, the Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald launched Taste Alberta, a series to be featured in both papers on a weekly basis. Journal staff, local foodies, and area farmers were invited to the Shaw Conference Centre’s beautiful River Valley Room that evening to help celebrate the launch of the series.

Taste Alberta

Taste Alberta

Taste Alberta has been designed to become a central gathering place for those in the province who are interested in local food – reading about the food that is grown and processed in Alberta, where such products are available, and how best to prepare it. The series will run for thirty weeks.

Taste Alberta

Journal Food Editor Kerry Powell welcomes the hungry crowd

Based on their first few articles – featuring turducken, local company Mighty Trio Organics, and Bernard Callebaut’s new company, Papa Chocolat, to list a few – I can see the potential; there are so many stories that need to be told.

But content alone isn’t what sets it apart, nor could it – stories featuring Alberta producers are the core of the weekly Food section regardless. Taste Alberta seeks to be more than that: a go-to online resource that amalgamates everything food. They have links to local food and drink blogs, an event calendar, and a Twitter widget that imports food-related tweets. I know from Mack’s experience developing ShareEdmonton, it will be a challenge for them to collect everything – there is just too much information out there. That said, it’s great that the Journal and the Herald are attempting this Herculean task, and with their reach (and requests for reader submissions), it may be easier to do so.

Kerry acknowledged that they series would not have gone forward without the support from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA), as well as Save on Foods. While ALMA makes sense as a sponsor (given the number of livestock producers in this province), I’m still not sure where Save on Foods comes in. Great on them for supporting this initiative, but I hope it means that they are also working on bringing in more locally-sourced product in their stores too.

The night really was a celebration of local food though, with stations around the periphery of the room offering hot and cold dishes prepared using ingredients sourced from area farmers. Several of my food blogging colleagues (Evonne, Karlynn and Chris, among them) did a better job of capturing the food than me, as I didn’t get to all of the stations, but here are a few highlights:

Taste Alberta

The miniature Lola Canola honey crème brulee, with a Berry Ridge Orchard Saskatoon berry compote set the bar pretty high – silky texture with a perfect balance between tart and sweet, it was the best (or worst) way to start off the sampling.

Taste Alberta

Thankfully, the Big Rock braised Sunterra bison short rib could handle the pressure – a knife would have made eating it slightly easier (it wasn’t quite fork tender), but the meat was nicely cooked. And the potatoes underneath? Creamy, garlicky goodness.

Taste Alberta

The mini Ardrossan free-range chicken burgers with roasted garlic mayonnaise weren’t bad either. The patty was moist and flavourful, and really could have been served on its own for that reason.

Taste Alberta

We are rarely without Irvings Farm Fresh pork products in our freezer, so there was no doubt we would enjoy their sausage, served with a barley risotto.

Thanks to the Journal for hosting the launch, and treating us to some great local food! I am looking forward to seeing what else Taste Alberta has in store for us in the coming weeks.

The Cooking Chronicles: Kale Two Ways

We’re really lucky here in Edmonton to have greens year-round, due to some greenhouse magic – butter lettuce from TR Greenhouses, spinach from Peas on Earth, and mixed heritage greens from Greens, Eggs and Ham, to mention a few. Of course, sometimes hearty greens are what we crave in the dead of winter – like kale.

North African Chickpea and Kale Soup

We had a couple of kale bunches from Kuhlmann’s. Most of the leaves went into a North African chickpea and kale soup.

We used chicken instead of vegetable stock, but that was the only change we made to a recipe that resulted in the most flavourful broth we’ve ever made – flavoured with cumin, paprika, chili powder, saffron, ground ginger, bay leaves and a cinnamon stick. The contents of the soup reminded us of Mark Bittman’s carrot, spinach and rice soup, but this one was so much better, and it simmered only for an hour!

Chickpea and Kale Soup

North African chickpea and kale soup

It’s definitely a soup that we are adding to our rotation.

Kale Chips

Kale chips are touted as a healthy alternative to fattening potato chips – kale drizzled with olive oil, baked in the oven, then tossed with seasoning (we like salt and paprika). We made kale chips earlier this year, but used a flat-leaf kale, which seemed to work well. We were curious about how curly kale would turn out.

Kale Chips

Kale chips

It seemed not to work as well, perhaps because I didn’t do as good of a job drying the leaves before putting them in the oven, so they weren’t as crunchy as the flat leaves. The seasoning did its job, but both of us had to admit – given a choice between kale chips and their starchy, deep-fried cousin, the latter would win…every time.

A Shared Experience: Skinny Legs and Cowgirls

On a Monday night a few weeks ago:

Me: Do you want to go for dinner tomorrow night?
Mack: What’s the occasion?
Me: No occasion. We just haven’t been out for a while. [pause] Okay, you got me. I have a coupon that expires tomorrow.

So goes how occasion has been dictating our decisions to dine out lately, since we’ve been enjoying the simple pleasure of preparing meals at home.

But after receiving a $25 coupon from Book a Table (curiously, from the name, one would assume the website is similar to Open Table, but the group is actually comparable to Original Fare – an assembly of local restaurants that seek to benefit from collective advertising power), it was an offer too good to pass up.

Skinny Legs and Cowgirls edged out Guru by just a smidgen due to transit accessibility, and the remembering from my previous visit that their prices were on the high side. A coupon would help take the edge off.

In December 2009, the restaurant moved from its tiny storefront in River Valley Kinnaird to a larger building in Oliver. Funny that we were only taking the time to visit it now; we used to live just a block away.

Walking in, it was love at first sight. It’s probably one of my new favourite dining rooms in the city, intimate with dim lighting, chic with a pressed tin ceiling, but comforting with warm fall shades of orange and red. Seated next to the fireplace, a single rose on the table, it instantly felt like a date night.

Skinny Legs and Cowgirls

Interior

The menu hadn’t changed much since my last visit, somewhat surprising given the length of time that has passed. That said, our server did inform us of a most attractive special of the day, which we ended up ordering. We added a Nova Scotia scallop ($25) dish – scallops are one of Mack’s absolute favourite things.

While waiting for our appetizer, we gushed over the warm(!) bread and soft(!) butter. We were dying to know if it was house-made, or if not, from which bakery it had come from. The server candidly admitted it was from Costco.

Given the price, I wasn’t sure how many scallops to expect, but the serving was much larger than I anticipated. The scallops were perfectly cooked, nicely browned and with that telltale spring still intact. In a creamy leek and bacon dressing (that would also be fantastic tossed with pasta), Mack was in absolute heaven.

Skinny Legs and Cowgirls

Scallops in a leek and bacon dressing

There were only three other parties in the restaurant when we arrived, two of them who were towards the end of their meal. For that reason, it was curious why our food took so long to arrive – over twenty minutes for the appetizer, and another twenty for our entrée. Given the restaurant’s penchant for organic, hearty dishes, I know diners should be patient for well-prepared “slow food”, but it made me wonder how the kitchen would do with a full house.

Thankfully, our main made up for the wait. Everything at Skinny Legs is served family-style; it was great to be reminded how disarming it can be to share food from the same plate. It’s been a while since we’ve eaten anything family-style (individual plates and bowls are always dished out from the stove before reaching our dining table at home, and the restaurants we’ve visited recently aren’t communal in nature), so it was refreshing to enjoy a meal that seemed that much more personal.

Of course, it helped too that the braised lamb shank ($54) was lovingly prepared – meat falling off the bone tender, swathed in a rich jus. We loved the accompaniments just as much – roasted baby vegetables, sweet potato puree, and a risotto that rounded out the dish texturally. There more than enough to satisfy both of us, with a price point that was more than reasonable, given the quality (and quantity) of the food.

Skinny Legs and Cowgirls

Braised lamb shank

 

I was still curious about their affiliation with Book a Table, given that for the philosophy behind Skinny Legs and Cowgirls, Original Fare seemed like a better fit. I asked our server about it after we paid for our meal, and though he answered my question (essentially, that Book a Table was cheaper), it seemed to us that he couldn’t get away fast enough. A shame – because throughout the meal, he was quite conversant; it tainted our experience ever so slightly to end on such a note.

Skinny Legs and Cowgirls

Complimentary chocolate truffles

As a whole, however, I would recommend Skinny Legs and Cowgirls – this meal was certainly more memorable than my previous visit, and probably more closely aligned with the experiences that have helped them build a loyal clientele. Not only was it good value for our dollar, it ended up being a great excuse to get out on a Monday night – we’ll be back.

Skinny Legs and Cowgirls
12202 Jasper Avenue
(780) 423-4107

A Taste and Tour of Amber’s Brewing Company

On a Saturday back in November, Mack and I met up with Thom at Amber’s Brewing Company for a tour. Thom works for Liquor Depot, and in part because of a recent deal between the company and local brewers, Liquor Depot staff were invited out for a friends and family day.

Mack and I are not as familiar with Amber’s as we are with the other two local brewing companies, but seeing as we had already made the rounds at both Alley Kat and Yellowhead, we knew it was only a matter of time before we crossed Amber’s off our list too.

We have tried Amber’s products a few times in the past, most notably during the intermissions at Hey Ladies. I remember being amazed when I was first introduced to Grog, their lime cooler with no artificial ingredients – in fact, the list of ingredients reads like any homemade cocktail. Or, sampling their cinnamon and cardamom beer, which they developed exclusively for New Asian Village, I was sceptical that the spices would come through, but hey, there they were.

Having seen Jim Gibbon up on stage, we knew he was a personable guy. But we didn’t know quite how personable until the tour. He claimed it was because he was on his third tour of the day (which, of course, involves gratuitous beer sampling every time), but we suspected his outgoing personality would shine regardless of blood alcohol content.

Amber's Brewing Company

Thom and Jim (I really should have taken more pictures, but the tour went fast – Jim condensed the normally two hour tour into half an hour)

I’m sure someone, somewhere, will eventually compile a list of “Jim-isms” such as, “Wine sucks ass.” Why? “It’s just rotten grapes.” Or, “Beer is the foundation of humanity,” his statement that preceded one of his “thirty second stories” that once humans adopted a sedentary civilization, that water purification, through the creation of beer, was our saviour. His obvious passion for beer, weaved with his humour and sarcasm, made him a fun tour guide.

In addition to historical insights, the tour highlighted the environmentally-friendly aspects of the brewery, which included recycling of plastics and cardboard, donation of expended malt and hops to farmers for feed, and even heat recycling, which decreased their need for external heat units down from eight to two.

And then, the beer. Jim wasn’t shy about letting us taste whatever was brewing. The Sap Vampire Maple Lager (the #1 seller at Amber’s) was served to us directly from the vat, unfiltered. The Kenmount Road Chocolate Stout (best, Jim said, served as a float with ice cream), was uncarbonated. I can’t comment too much about taste (not really being a beer connoisseur), but my fellow tasters were floored.

Amber's Brewing

Where the beer brews

Jim was really excited about the deal with Liquor Depot, the largest Canadian-owned liquor store by both number of stores and sales figures. The agreement will see four Amber’s brews, four Alley Kat brews, one Wild Rose and a percentage of Big Rock sold at all Liquor Depots in Alberta – a reach totalling over 175 stores in 25 communities across the province.

Amber's Brewing Company

Australian Mountain Pepper Berry (Jim’s favourite)

It’s great to see a trend of local beers increasing their distribution venues (Local Public Eatery of the Joey’s Restaurant Group being another example). I hope to see this trend continue!

Thanks to Jim for sharing his afternoon with us, and to Thom for letting us tag along!

Amber’s Brewing Company
9926 – 78 Avenue
(780) 628-2305