Category: Edmonton

City Market Report: Week 4

It was a glorious day for the City Market – and besides not needing rain boots, an umbrella, or gloves this morning, I was able to walk to 104 Street, along lush, grass-lined paths and under the generous shade of trees just bursting with green.

En route

The crowds were back, mirroring the opening weekend in their numbers and frenzy for fresh produce.

And, they’re back!

Patrons and vendors alike seemed to be in a lighter mood with the fair weather, though I have to say I did have an unfortunate run-in with a steely-eyed gentleman who thought I was encroaching on his morel territory at the Mo-Na Foods booth (some people take their mushrooms seriously, I guess).

Morels and chanterelles

I was happy to run into a few familiar faces, including BruleeBlog, who shared the same instincts to make a run to the Edgar Farms booth first. We both checked out a new vendor, called A Taste of Brazil, with curiosity. Just in time for the start of the World Cup, they offer several Brazilian sweets, and while I was busy taking a photo, BruleeBlog overheard the staff say they will be opening up a Brazilian restaurant located somewhere downtown in September.

A Taste of Brazil

I’m really looking forward to the next month – with all of the rain (and with luck, sunshine), new produce items should be showing up every week.

Beautiful onion bunches from Kuhlmann’s

 

Lovage (used mostly as an herb) from Sundog Organics

In addition to the asparagus, I also picked up some heirloom tomato plants for my Mum from Inspired Market Gardens (they carry over a dozen varieties!), duck eggs and mixed heritage greens from Greens, Eggs and Ham, rhubarb from Sundog Organics, and cookies from Confetti Sweets.

 Heirloom tomato plants from Inspired Market Gardens

Mixed heritage greens from Greens, Eggs and Ham

Next week, the second cultural festival of the season will take place, with Portuguese dances and other performances to look forward to. See you there!

Food/Service Dissonance: New York Bagel Cafe

May and I met up on Victoria Day to catch up over brunch. While holidays are a lovely opportunity to linger with a friend over coffee, it was easier said than done. Most of the independent restaurants I could think of were either closed for the holiday, or closed on Mondays, so we resorted to options across the river. We ultimately ended up at New York Bagel Café (8430 Gateway Boulevard), the charming and cozy eatery a stone’s throw away from the bustle of Whyte Avenue.

My only previous visit was an exercise in patience, in both the wait for a table and the delay in getting our food at the table, and this experience was no different. We were second in line, but it took staff more than ten minutes to even acknowledge our existence, and no one so much as stopped to provide a ballpark estimate of the wait time. Granted, I did not envy the job of the two servers on the floor, run ragged and only halfway through the afternoon, but for such a well-established restaurant, it surprised me that they presented such a poor first impression.

After we were seated (about forty minutes later) away from the entrance and with a view of the still-shuttered patio, we were finally able to relax. Our server was friendly and she was thankfully calm at the table where she was frantic in the lobby.

While I still have qualms about their lack of drip coffee on the menu, I was satisfied with my espresso-based house coffee ($3.25) this time, served piping hot and made creamy with the addition of a side of steamed milk.

House coffee

The food was quite good as well, living up to their reputation of having great bagels and benedicts. My cheddar bagel was cheesy and toasted perfectly, and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my classic breakfast ($13), including my perfectly cooked scrambled eggs and well-seasoned potatoes (where a morsel of coarse salt would occasionally burst forth). The fruit accompaniment, while not necessarily rivalling Cora’s in quantity, definitely strikes a prettier note.

Classic breakfast

May equally delighted in her eggs benedict with duck ham ($19), a rich and savoury way to start the morning (my taste of the duck ham led me to believe it would make a steadfast rival to traditional bacon). Though she found the sweet apple an unusual inclusion, she still declared it among the best benedicts in the city.

Smoked duck breast and grilled apple benedict

The only other blemish during our stay came when we asked for our bill. It took the server more than fifteen minutes to bring it by. Though we didn’t mind drinking in the sunshine and ambiance, we assumed her lengthy time away meant the demand for tables had died down. However, when we later approached the door, bill in hand to pay at the register, we were surprised to see that the line was even longer than before. For New York Bagel Café’s sake, I’m hoping that day was a blip in their service delivery, because their food deserves better.

New York Bagel Café
8430 Gateway Boulevard
(780) 432-2003

Wild Fungi 101: Learning All About Edible Mushrooms with the Alberta Mycological Society

Three weeks ago, Slow Food Edmonton members and their guests packed Culina Highlands one evening, all eager to learn more about mushrooms.

No, not those kind of mushrooms – but the edible, wild varieties that are treasured by chefs and foodies alike. In fact, it is estimated that twelve to twenty-five thousand different fungi grow in Alberta, with new species found and recorded every year. That was only one of the many, many things we learned that night from Martin Osis, amateur mycologist and President of the Alberta Mycological Society (AMS). His passion for mushrooms was evident, and though we probably reached our personal mushroom knowledge threshold by the end of the two hour lecture, it was a pleasant ride because of his enthusiasm for fungi.

Prior to the session, my orientation to wild mushrooms was one of extreme caution – growing up, who didn’t have a parent who instilled an acute fear of deadly fairy rings? Unfortunately, after the session, I feel much the same. Though Martin showed us photos of a vast array of edible mushrooms – from the beautiful comb tooth to the western giant puffball (it apparently tastes like tofu) – fungi appear to be like the English language: ripe with exceptions to the rule! It seemed every generality Martin provided (such as, all Portobello mushrooms are edible…), he later countered with an exception (…except those with a yellow stalk and a bad smell).

Still, there is hope for fungi neophytes like myself! Martin recommends going with an experienced picker (the AMS organizes forays, for example) and enrolling in a mushroom course (offered locally by the Devonian Garden). Of course, joining the Mycological Society would be a great start as well, in order to connect with other interested individuals.

Martin and Thea pose with dried morels

What fascinated me the most was how a mushroom foray seemed comparable to a treasure hunt. Martin listed several visual markers that signal the beginning of morel season (which was right around the time of the lecture, actually) – blue violets start to bloom, dandelions appear, fiddleheads multiply – and I could see how exciting and caught up one could get looking for the clues. In June, oyster and red tops (soon to be Alberta’s provincial mushroom) can be found.

As Thea noted at the end of the evening, Slow Food and the Mycological Society share similar values and goals, and of course, a love of learning more about what we eat, which makes such partnered events such a natural fit. Thanks to Darren for putting the session together, and to Culina for hosting!

2010 Highlands Street Festival

I think street festivals – an event to highlight area businesses, to create a gathering space for neighbours and others, and to, in other words, celebrate a neighbourhood – are fantastic. Alberta Avenue’s Kaleido Festival (commemorating their fifth anniversary in 2010) and the East Meets West Festival (put on by Little Italy and Chinatown) are great examples of neighbourhood festivals.

When I stumbled upon details about the Highlands Street Festival (organized by the Highlands Community League) in a recent E-SAGE newsletter, I was surprised to read that this would be the fifth incarnation of the event. Centering at 112 Avenue and 65 Street, business, musicians and artists would be highlighted. Mack and I made plans to check it out after our weekly trip to the City Market on Saturday.

Between the abysmal weather, and an ETS bus completely passing us by at our stop, getting to Highlands was a bit harrowing. We eventually made it though, and found that thankfully, the festivities had continued in spite of the downpour.

Welcome to Highlands!

Festival central

Poor puppies

Most of the activities were relegated indoors. We started at Mandolin Books and Coffee Company, where a musician was entertaining a small crowd. We also happened to run into one of our old high school principals, who not only grew up in Highlands, but resides there still now. She’s been attending the festival since it began five years ago.

Inside Mandolin

We stopped in Sabrina Butterfly Designs and Chickies, a charming little antiques store. While we didn’t buy anything, it was the first time either of us had been inside these shops. The storekeepers were friendly, and very open to people just passing through to take a look.

Inside Sabrina Butterfly Designs and Chickies

Lovely connecting yard

I was most looking forward to visiting the retail location of Catfish Coffee, which just opened at the beginning of April (you can also buy their coffee every Saturday at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market, and at Mandolin down the street). The shop is clean and spacious, with a full view of the roasting machine, and set up on that day with carafes of all of their coffee varieties available for patrons to sample (with collected donations going towards the 2011 Highlands Beautification Project).

Catfish Coffee

Roasting machine

Though the owners aren’t able to run a full-scale cafe in the space, it was set up that way on Saturday, complete with music provided by Kristilyn Robertson.

Enjoying the ambiance

It was great to chat with the staff (they’re hoping to extend their retail hours over the summer). Of course, we couldn’t leave without picking up a bag of coffee too – the Guatemalan Highlands variety seemed fitting.

Though I’ve been to Culina Highlands a few times, this was my first trek through its neighbouring businesses. I was glad to have the excuse of the Highlands Street Festival to do so! I’ll be sure to look for it next year.

City Market Report: Week 3

Boy, it was the weather miserable today. The rain was non-stop only until it became snow (that may have been a blessing in disguise, as the reservoirs of water that gathered in the tent crevices had me pegged today). I really hope next weekend brings sunshine – after the beautiful opening weekend I think we all deserve a day at the market without the need for gloves or a hat.

Empty street

As expected, the crowds seemed even thinner than last week, but it was good to see those who made it out regardless of the temperature. The vendors we talked to, always good humoured, stayed upbeat in spite of the cold. Patty Milligan of Lola Canola (in her first market day of the season!) said she was dressed in about eight layers. We picked up a jar of her summer honey that we’ll be using to make granola.

Patty Milligan, always smiling

Though the wet conditions this year have delayed the seeding plans for some farmers, visiting the market in the spring still means that patrons may happen upon a new seasonal produce item every week. Today, Riverbend Gardens had a different, spicier variety of radish, and Sundog Organics had lettuce and spinach available.

Radishes from Riverbend Gardens

Beautiful pea tendrils from Sundog Organics (I picked up a bunch, as well as some green onions)

These flowers looked so cheerful among all the grey

In addition to bell peppers from Doef’s, carrots from Kuhlmann’s, asparagus from Edgar Farms, sausages and ground pork from Irvings Farm Fresh, we also restocked our supply of GMO-free canola seed oil from Mighty Trio Organics. After buying my first bottle a few months ago from Planet Organic, I can’t imagine using anything other than their rich, amber-coloured oil for cooking.

Products from Mighty Trio Organics

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for warmer weather next week!

Teatro la Quindicina: “On the Banks of the Nut”

Two weeks ago, Mack and I headed to the Varscona Theatre to check out the first production of the season from our favourite company – Teatro la Quindicina’s On the Banks of the Nut.

“…a plucky temp and affably inept federal talent agent [are] on a hare-brained talent quest in rural Wisconsin in 1951. Theirs is a madcap undertaking which involves pie, Mahler, bird-watching, embattled star-crossed lovers, a hapless lady tourist, and the abruptest civic election in history- all at the curiously appointed Nut River Lodge astride the noble banks of the River Nut.”

This play is another revival – from 2001 – and means that Teatro is drawing closer to restaging a play I may have seen in its original inception, as I started to follow the company around that time. I am also proud to say that we are season subscribers for a second year in a row.

Anyway, On the Banks of the Nut was most definitely a screwball comedy, and really asked the audience to suspend reason and logic on many levels. While I didn’t enjoy the storyline as much as other Teatro productions (though I had to chuckle at my favourite line, “Nut-ward ho!”), Kristen Padayas, who played the aforementioned temp Norine Cuthbert, was the shining star. I first saw Kristen in a mostly-forgettable role as a wealthy heiress in a Stewart Lemoine-penned MacEwan play, The Addelpated Nixie last March, then again a few months later in Space, a fun Fringe romp where she revelled in the role of a junior crew member. She was even better in On the Banks of the Nut – her comic timing and deadpan delivery put fellow cast member Eric Wigston (as the federal talent agent Pinkerton Sprague) to shame. I imagine she will be cast in more Teatro shows in the future, and I think she is a wonderful addition to the company! Mack and I also enjoyed Jeff Haslam (when don’t we?) – his hilarious accent and lovesick demeanour was fun to watch.

Next up for Teatro la Quindicina, the premier of  The Ambassador’s Wives, July 8-24, 2010, set in the French Riviera. It’s a great opportunity to get your feet wet in time for the Fringe in August!

A Taste of Cellar Door Cake & Catering Co.

Earlier this month, I mentioned that The Cake House (12415 107 Avenue) was no more. A sign posted on the door said that a new establishment would take its place soon, called Cellar Door Cake and Catering Co. I was curious as to what they would be offering – more savoury or sweet items? I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

Cellar Door

A few weeks ago, owners Darren Zwicker and Maria Chau extended a tasting invitation to us. Darren is the Executive Chef with over ten years of cooking experience, and has worked with the Canadian Pacific and Westin Hotel chains, and most recently, for the Royal Mayfair Golf Club as Banquet Chef and Executive Sous Chef. Maria is a lawyer by day, but fully supports Darren in his first solo venture.

Darren and Maria

Darren had started catering about two and a half years ago, and at some point decided that he wanted to pursue the business full-time. He and Maria started looking for spaces downtown so he could be close to office towers, but rent was prohibitively expensive. They eventually came across this location just off High Street, with previous tenant Silvia Salas rendered unable to work due to an injury and thus looking to end her lease.

The new tenant

While Darren’s main focus is on catering, Cellar Door does offer take out items, including two daily soup options ($6) and a chicken caesar salad ($8). They also carry a half dozen desserts, from lemon, blueberry and strawberry tarts ($3.25), pecan tarts ($3.50) and a mini blackforest ($5.50). Though they had considered selling coffee and tea, without a publicly-accessible washroom, they are unable to do so. Cellar Door offers specialty cakes as well.

 

Specialty cake and pastry case

Though we expected a more informal tasting – perhaps a glass of wine, and casual plates of appetizers, it turned out that it was an intimate affair, with only two other people invited. Darren and Maria had set-up a full sampling of Cellar Door’s different catering options.

Simple but pretty set-up (I love the warm brown space and the white curtains)

Twenty minutes passed and we realized they weren’t coming – it would be just the four of us. Having just met Darren and Maria, it could have been a really awkward evenning, but I am happy to say it wasn’t. Darren and Maria are easygoing and not surprisingly, love food, so we had a good time chatting about favourite restaurants (Darren’s pick is the Red Ox Inn), travel (they most recently trekked to Hawaii), and our mutual love of hot dogs (convincing them that they need to check out Calgary’s scene of Tubby Dog and Le Chien Chaud).

Cool parting knives Darren had received as gifts from the Royal Mayfair

We started with a duo of soups – caramelized onion in a red wine broth and a hearty minestrone. The red wine broth was nicely flavoured and not overwhelming, but our favourite actually turned out to be the minestrone. Naturally thickened with softened beans and chickpeas, it was brimming with tender vegetables and pasta.

Caramelized onion and hearty minestrone soups

The crostini, topped with chipotle-marinated chicken and an apple slaw, was a great example of simple ingredients done right. The chicken was fantastic, seasoned well, and I loved the subtly-sweet addition of the julienned apple.

Chipotle-marinated chicken and apple slaw crostini

Darren’s puff pastry flatbread is a favourite of his catering clients. I loved the presentation on the wooden paddle, and though it was a bit greasy, the trade-off of biting into a buttery base topped with cheese, tasty Italian sausage, and the perfect amount of caramelized onions was worth it.

Puff pastry flatbread with caramelized onion, Italian sausage and basil

The sample entree was a meal in itself, starring a Boursin-stuffed chicken breast, accompanied with a potato-bacon hash, green beans and a white wine velouté. I wouldn’t have thought to use Boursin as a savoury stuffing, but it worked well, lighter than ricotta and a good match with spinach and onion. Mack agreed that the star of the plate, however, was the sauce – creamy and rich, we didn’t hesitate to swathe every bite in the velouté.

Stuffed chicken breast in white wine velouté

For dessert, Darren prepared apple galettes as well as his signature ginger molasses cake, containing a layer of pear compote and iced with cream cheese. Made with a short crust, the rustic tarts were delectable, with a beautiful glaze on the edges. With the cake, Maria had warned us that the ginger flavour would be quite pronounced, but as a non-ginger fan, I didn’t notice it. The molasses, on the other hand, made the dessert quite dense, so between our dinner at home that night and this second meal (I felt like a Hobbit), I unhappily admitted defeat.

Ginger molasses cake and apple galette

With their warm hospitality, we felt well taken care of, and grateful for the opportunity to taste Darren’s fare. I am sure their business and profile will continue to rise, if tonight’s food was any indication. Best of luck Darren and Maria, and I hope to stop by again soon!

Cellar Door Cake & Catering Co.
12415 107 Avenue
(780) 451-8882
Store hours: Monday-Friday noon-6:30pm, closed weekends and holidays
Call anytime for catering and consultations; e-mail Cellar Door for a copy of the catering menu

Come One, Come All: Freewill Shakespeare Festival Picnic Contest

The Freewill Shakespeare Festival (formerly known as the River City Shakespeare Festival) is one of Edmonton’s most popular summer events, presenting live theatre at the Heritage Amphitheatre at Hawrelak Park. There’s nothing quite the same as taking in a play outdoors on a warm evening – between the story and the venue, I find I’m easily transported elsewhere, ushered away on a cloud of beautiful language and the calm of night.

The 2010 incarnation of the festival will see, as with every year, a comedy and a tragedy: Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth will be returning to the stage. It looks like Macbeth is getting a Cold War-era makeover, and with James MacDonald at the helm, it’s sure to be a powerful production.

This year, in an effort to reiterate the outdoor nature of the shows, the Festival has come up with a novel way of combining two of my favourite things: theatre and food.

FREEWILL Foodie Picnic Contest

Calling all foodies! The FREEWILL Shakespeare Festival is thrilled to partner with Sunterra Market in the search for the perfect picnic to bring down to the park this summer.

Post your perfect picnic details on the FREEWILL Facebook page, or include it in a post on your personal blog, to enter to win a great prize pack including: two Festival Passes, a $100 gift certificate to Sunterra Market, and reserved picnic seating on the date of your choice. Marianne Copithorne, Freewill Artistic Director, and John Kirkpartrick, Guest Director, will be judging the contest.

All entries must include the opening line:

“The FREEWILL Shakespeare Festival celebrates its 22nd season, June 29 – July 25 at the Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park. My dream picnic from Sunterra Market…”

Entries must be posted to the FREEWILL Facebook page no later than 4:00 PM on June 28, 2010. If you are posting on a personal blog, please paste the URL link to the post on the FREEWILL Facebook page or email the link prior to the closing date.

I think this contest is a great way to remind people that the Freewill Shakespeare Festival is an opportunity to have a different night out – not only to take in wonderful productions in a beautiful setting, but also to make it a full experience with your favourite nibbles and snacks.

I look forward to seeing your picnic basket creations!

The Cooking Chronicles: Mother’s Day Duck Confit

Between Media Camp and volunteering for Homeless Connect over Mother’s Day weekend, Mack and I didn’t have the time or energy to prepare a special meal for my Mum. So instead, we promised her supper the following Sunday – great timing not only because my parents were fresh from a short holiday to Vancouver, but also because it allowed us to finish up our ingredient shopping at the City Market.

Though I didn’t set out to cook a meal made up almost entirely of local ingredients, it ended up that way – being more conscious about where your food comes from tends to do that. On the menu: braised lentils with confit of duck (from Grainworks and Greens, Eggs and Ham); roasted root vegetables (from Kuhlmann’s, Sundog Organics, Greens, Eggs and Ham); and mixed heritage greens (from Greens, Eggs and Ham).

Knowing that the confit of duck would take the longest (the recipe indicated 45 minutes), we started with that. Of course, with Murphy’s Law, the entire dinner took about two hours to complete – I always seem to overestimate my adeptness in the kitchen.

The recipe is printed in The Food Lover’s Grail Guide to Alberta, by Mary Bailey & Judy Schultz, and is courtesy of Chef Kelly Strutt, who worked at the Deer Lodge at the time of the book’s printing. The instructions directed us to cover the duck legs with fresh thyme, rosemary and salt and refrigerate for 48 hours. To cook the duck legs, we rinsed off the salt and herbs, then simmered them in duck fat (also from Greens, Eggs and Ham) for thirty minutes. It was my first time cooking confit-style, and for whatever reason, I thought the fat would retain its solid consistency, but instead, it melted into a thin yellow oil.

In the meantime, we had prepped the carrots, parsnips and baby potatoes, tossed with some dried herbs, salt, pepper, honey and Mighty Trio Organics canola oil, and had put them into the oven. I also started on the braised red and green lentils, cooked with sautéed shallots and chicken stock.

To toss with the mixed heritage greens (our first bag of the year!), I whisked up my favourite vinaigrette – lemon juice, olive oil, grainy mustard (from The Bison in Banff), honey, salt and pepper.

The last task was the most difficult – to “flake” the duck meat from the bone. The recipe made it sound easier than it actually was – Mack and I fought tooth and nail to separate the meat from both skin and bone. I actually resorted to tearing with my fingers instead of using a knife and fork. In the end though, we were able to wrench a fair amount of meat from the pair of duck legs, and definitely enough to feed the six of us, with accompaniments.

Braised lentils and duck confit

I am happy to report that my mom enjoyed the meal. The duck meat was tender and flavourful, and though the lentils probably could have used another ten minutes on the stove, I didn’t mind that they still had a little bite to them.

Plated with roasted vegetables and mixed heritage greens

For dessert, we purchased the show stopping Duchess from the eponymous bakery. I’d been looking for an excuse to try it, and a meal for my Mum seemed like the perfect occasion.

The Duchess

Chiffon cake layered with pastry cream and raspberry, then topped with a dome of vanilla bean whipped cream and encased in a marzipan shell, it is no doubt a dessert made with skill and care. My favourite part was the light and airy chiffon and the delicate raspberry filling.

Inside the Duchess

Family and good food – what more could you ask for?

City Centre Market Report: Week 2

What a difference one week can make at the City Centre Market – thirty degrees and several thousand people, to be exact.

Market Day

Three degrees, spitting rain and the first long weekend of spring meant many less patrons than last week’s blockbuster opening day with an estimated attendance of 20, 000.

No crowds this week

Today was probably a more typical shopping day for us – by the time we made it to the market by foot, it was already near noon. Because of the smaller crowds and the exceptional weather earlier in the week though, the selection of fresh produce was still pretty good when we arrived.

Radishes at Riverbend Gardens

Spinach at Green Valley Farms

Rhubarb at Sundog Organics (they also had pea shoots!)

On Wednesday, Edgar Farms sent out an e-mail saying that they would have a healthy quantity of asparagus available, as they were harvesting the crops every day. They weren’t kidding.

Crates of asparagus!

There was no need to fight over the stalks this week. Besides not having to wait in line, I think Edgar Farms had enough to last until 3pm – not always possible with Edmonton’s voracious appetite for spring vegetables.

Buying asparagus

In addition to asparagus, I also picked up some tomatoes and bell peppers from Doef’s Greenhouses, onions from Green Valley Farms, quick-cook barley and mushrooms from Mo-Na Foods and eggs from Sunshine Organic.

I’m really looking forward to getting back into the routine of weekly visits to the market. See you there next week!