Category: food

The Cooking Chronicles: Sausages Braised in Red Wine

I won’t soon forget the day we decided to make our first recipe from We Eat Together, the locally-produced cookbook that has been taking Edmonton by storm. A series of unfortunate events took place, involving a garage door frozen open, burst pipes, a flooded garage and ultimately, no water in our apartment building for two days. It was an inconvenience to be sure, but one that in the end reminded us how fortunate we are to have access to clean, running water most of the time.

Fortuitously, the recipe of sausages braised in red wine required minimal water, besides having enough to wash our hands and vegetables. We had picked up a package of leek sausages from Irvings Farm Fresh, as well as a bottle of en Sante Campfire Strong (sour cherry) wine at the Old Strathcona Market the day prior, and had some Valbella pepper bacon left over in the fridge. The recipe was easy to pull together, particularly because the majority of the work was done on the stove unattended, allowing the sausages to simmer and the flavours of the sauce to meld.

The result (even without the jelly, which I only realized we had mistakenly left out as I write this) was fantastic. We ate the plump, juicy sausages straight out of the pan, along with the meltingly tender mushroom and shallots that still had some bite to them. A side of rice would have been great to soak up the sauce, but on that night, we did without. The remaining Campfire Strong wine was, as expected, a fine accompaniment, but more so for me as I found it to have less of the aftertaste I usually associate with red wine.

Leek Sausages Braised in Red Wine

A great cold weather dish, I will be making this again, hopefully with some rice next time!

Now on Brunch Rotation: Artisan Resto-Cafe

Artisan Resto-Cafe, tucked on the lower floor of the beautifully-restored Garneau apartment building on Whyte Avenue, is another one of those restaurants that I’ve been meaning to visit for some time, but just haven’t. Knowing we would need to eat before the matinee performance of It’s A Wonderful Life at the nearby Varscona, we finally planned a trip there.

We didn’t think to make a reservation, but though the restaurant was fairly busy, there were luckily a few tables free. We ended up with a window seat (our favourite kind), with provided a good view of the restaurant. The decor successfully combined old with the new – the lovely brick accents and warm yellow walls made for a very pleasant interior. The “Artisan wishing tree” that stood in the middle of the room was a whimsical touch.

Mack at Artisan Resto-Cafe

The large mugs of coffee were a good start, eliminating the need for frequent refills (I tend to down my coffee really quickly in the mornings). The vast breakfast menu (served all day, no less) was another plus – beyond the typical egg/protein/toast plates, omelettes and eggs benedict were waffles and crepes. Artisan-Resto even has a kids menu! It took some deliberation, but I chose the Country Harvest ($10.89), with 2 eggs, beef sausage, grilled potatoes and a slice of either French toast or a pancake. Mack selected the bacon and cheddar omelette ($10.69), served with toast, grilled potatoes and fruit.

We anticipated a bit of a wait given the large crowd, but the kitchen was right on top of things, with our food arriving only shortly after our order was placed. I enjoyed my breakfast – the sausage was meaty and flavourful, and the pancake, though it could have been a touch warmer, was easily the best part of my meal – crispy on the outside, but perfectly fluffy on the inside. I knew what I would be having next time…

Country Harvest

Mack’s plate was just heaping with food. He liked the grilled potatoes, but his omelette needed more salt.

Cheddar and Bacon Omelette

Overall, we had a great experience, and will be back. I would recommend Artisan Resto-Cafe without hesitation, and look forward to slotting it into our Edmonton brunch rotation.

Artisan Resto-Cafe
10732 82 Avenue
(780) 413-8045
Monday-Tuesday 6:30am-5pm, Wednesday-Friday 6:30am-9pm, Saturdays 8am-9pm, Sundays 9am-5pm

Kerstin’s Chocolates’ Name That Origin Finals

A few weeks ago, I participated in the Name That Origin contest at Kerstin’s Chocolates, more to be able to sample different single origin chocolates for free than to actually attempt at securing a spot in the finals. As I was only able to correctly identify one out of four samples, my only chance at entering the finals would be as a wildcard. And wouldn’t you know it, they chose me.

As this was the first Name That Origin contest Kerstin’s has ever held, Cyrus was sure to explain the rules – the prize was a $400 gift certificate to Kerstin’s, after all. In the first round, all contestants would taste six single origin varieties, with the task of matching them to a supplied list of six possible countries of origin. Based on our responses, four would be selected to move on to the semi-finals, with “lighting round” taste-offs. Two pairs of contestants would square off, alternating their answers until the correct answer was given. The finals would see the last two contestants face off in a similar manner. To ensure no foul play, Jennifer Cockrall-King and Scott McKeen were on hand to monitor and observe the proceedings.

Cyrus introduces the monitors

Water and crackers were provided as palate cleansers, but regardless, I knew there was no hope for me – my single origin palate is not refined at all, as evidenced from my poor showing in the preliminary round. Still, I was happy to be included – it was nice to be among fellow chocolate lovers!

Readying our ballots

Possible countries of origin

The eight contestants were given about 15 minutes to taste samples of the six chocolates, and were allowed to try multiple pieces. I did my best to jot down notes on the distinct flavours of each piece, but with no real point of reference to match it to, it was a fruitless task for me.

Sampling!

My guesses

Cyrus called time, and the ballots were collected and tallied. Though I wasn’t dead last, I was only able to correctly identify one chocolate (SaoTome & Principe, which had a smoky flavour and a grainy texture). Kristina, Erin, Jason and Jessica were onto the semi-finals.

Kristina and Erin were up first, and had to taste and identify one of the six varieties from the first round. Erin was the winner, correctly naming the origin on her first try.

And…go!

Jason and Jessica were up next, with Jessica emerging as the winner.

Tasting chocolate is very serious business

Though the final was originally meant to include a previously untried chocolate, Cyrus said that the possible countries of origin would be too numerous and thus too difficult to identify. So, one of the remaining four chocolates from the first round was chosen for the last taste-off.

Erin vs. Jessica

The winner? <drumroll please> Erin, who was able to identify Papua New Guinea as the origin of the chocolate. She attributed her success to a website called All Chocolate, which has a guide of tasting notes by country, and she had also purchased several single-origin bars to try at home.

Erin collects her prize from Kerstin

The seven runners-up were each given a box of Ghost Chile Salted Caramels by Theo Chocolate – not a bad consolation prize at all (I had one afer I returned home – delish).

Delectable consolation prize

Cyrus said that they would be holding more Name That Origin contests in the future, and that the contest really helped them fulfill one of their original intentions of the shop – to help spread awareness and educate people about chocolate.

Thanks again to Kerstin’s for the invitation to participate, and I look forward to continuing to learn more about single origin chocolates!

You can check out my photoset here, and Jennifer Cockrall-King will be uploading a video of the finals soon to her website.

Food Notes for December 21, 2009

Christmas is my favourite time of year, but it really is flying by faster than I’d like. We’ll be in Yellowknife in less than a week, but at least I’m now officially on holidays! On to this week’s food notes:

  • Though the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market will be closed on December 26, they will be open on December 23 for those needing to pick up a few things.
  • Still looking for a last-minute gift for a foodie friend or family member? How about a monthly wine subscription from Bin 104? Or there’s always the Beer Club at Sherbrooke Liquor Store, or Transcend Coffee’s monthly coffee subscriptions.
  • Liane had a great piece about three new “superstar” chefs in Edmonton – from Skinny Legs and Cowgirls, Von’s and Blackhawk Golf Course.
  • Liane also visited The Bothy last week.
  • An early review of Guru Restaurant on Chowhound, the new Indian establishment in the west end.
  • See Magazine interviewed Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals, a sort-of manifesto for vegetarianism, this week.
  • One of the committees I volunteer for held an appreciation dinner last week at Rendezvous (10810-95 Street, 780-756-8902), an Ethiopian restaurant in Little Italy. I would never have wandered in on my own, so was really happy for the opportunity to be introduced to their cuisine. It was fantastic! The injera, which I am normally not a fan of, was not sour at all – apparently, that was a testament to its freshness. The friendly owner also conducted a coffee ceremony for our group, freshly roasting green coffee beans and brewing the result for us. I will definitely be back on my own sometime soon.

Rendevous platter

  • Mack and I attended the last Tweetup of the year on Friday at Original Joe’s Varsity. I had the Sicillian Burger, which featured a whole Spolumbo’s sausage – it was a lot of meat, but was an interesting combination, even though I think the sausage overwhelmed the beef and the rest of the toppings.

Sicilian Burger

Happy Holidays!

Latkes 101: A Cooking Tweetup

A few weeks ago, Tamara Stecyk invited Mack and I to a “cooking Tweetup” she had organized, centering around a lesson in latke making. As it combined our two great loves, Twitter and food, respectively, how could we turn down the offer?

Would you like spanakopita with your latkes? (they were delicious)

Because of Tamara and Bill’s hospitality, it was also another opportunity to socialize with some of Edmonton’s most avid (and community-minded) Twitter users, including Paula, John, Debra and Jerry.

A “community” kitchen

Tamara graciously demonstrated how to make latkes using her generations-old recipe. It all started with a ten-pound bag of potatoes – washed, peeled and grated. By the time we arrived, the first two steps had already been taken care of, but we did help somewhat with the grating (and have the cuts to prove it). Though we thought using a ricer or a food processor might simplify procedures, Tamara said that neither shortcut yielded the desired results.

Mack grating potatoes

Tamara expertly took care of grating the onions, and proceeded with adding the other ingredients, which included matzo meal, eggs and salt and pepper. The mixture loosely resembled oatmeal, both in appearance and consistency.

Latke mixture

Then, in very hot oil, large teaspoon-sized dollops of batter were dropped in for frying. Tamara said they were ready to turn over once the edges started to bubble and change colour. Oil had to be continuously added to the pans (being soaked up as it were by the latkes), and she had to work faster as the oil became hotter and hotter. Had I been in front of the stove, I would have surely burned myself numerous times, but Tamara’s 20 years of latke-making experience definitely showed!

Tamara at the stove

I helped pile the finished latkes on a decorative platter as the table was set for a full meal. Where I had expected just a latke lesson, Tamara had a full meal in mind, with matzo ball soup, roast, and even babka for dessert! We were a very fortunate group indeed.

Dishing out latkes

Finished latkes

Matzo ball soup

 Babka

Thanks Tamara (and Bill) for a lovely meal, and for the lesson!

You can see the Cooking Tweetup photoset here.

The Cooking Chronicles: White Bean Dip and Pita Chips

It’s been pretty busy at work this week, but I was still really looking forward to participating in a lunch potluck with my colleagues. I didn’t have too much time to make a dish, and wanted something that could be easily transported on the bus, and served either straight from the fridge or at room temperature. Giada de Laurentiis’ white bean dip and pita chips fit the bill.

I was able to pick up all of the ingredients I needed from the Italian Centre (hurrah for one stop shopping trips), and with a food processor, it was a cinch to combine the cannellini beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. I liked the texture of the dip, and though I overdid it with the lemon (it was a bit too acidic for my taste), the citrus did provide a welcome freshness to a dish to be served in cold weather.

White Bean Dip and Pita Chips

I am very fortunate to work in a multicultural office, and the diversity is no more apparent than at a potluck. Today, for example, there was everything from sabaya (Somali flatbread) to burek (Bosnian meat pie made with phyllo pastry), plantain, crispy pata (Filipino fried pork dish) and well, Kraft Dinner casserole.

Potluck spread

My plate

And yes, everything was as delicious as it looks.

Food Notes for December 14, 2009

It really sucks for Top Chef watchers in Canada – not only do we get a delayed finale (five days late), but there are ample opportunities for us to be spoiled of the result, as I was watching Conan O’Brien last week (“…and the Top Chef winner, __!”). Worse than that, they just aired part one of the finale a second time! Arg. Anyway, on to this week’s food notes:

A veggie rainbow at Riverbend Gardens

  • A quick stop at Flirt Cupcakes for a gift resulted in a cupcake each for Mack and I. I’ve said it in the past, but I’ll say it again – Flirt really excels in choosing whimsical embellishments for their cupcakes. I liked the cinnamon cake base of the Sweet Georgia Brown, but the icing was actually a bit sweet for me this time around. Mack liked his Eggnog Spice, but would have preferred a stronger eggnog flavour in the icing.

Cupcakes from Flirt

  • We also ran a few errands in the west end, including a trip to the Doggie-Style Deli to pick up some dog treats for a few furry friends. It was our first visit, and more than anything, I’d compare it to an indoor play area for dogs. Apparently they are a popular location for dog parties, and while we were there, a pug group had gathered for their weekly play date. They had an extensive freezer of food as well as dry biscuits. We bagged a half dozen, and the owner was nice enough to waive the charge, saying we should simply come back if the dogs liked the treats. It was a very nice gesture!

 

Doggie-Style Deli

  • St. City Roasters has been on our coffee rotation for the last number of weeks. Although we just picked up our third variety (their festively-packaged Holiday Blend), my favourite so far has been Tica Toucan. I really had no idea they had such a variety until we were looking through the shelves at Sobeys Urban Fresh.

St. City Roasters’ coffee tree at Sobeys Urban Fresh

Stay warm everyone!

Limited Options: Health Fare

Mack and I finally made it to the Art Gallery of Alberta on one of their Thursday free admission nights to check out the exhibition on Museums in the 21st Century, and right in the nick of time too – the temporary gallery located in Enterprise Square will be closing up shop on Sunday in order to transition to the new building (I’m super-excited for the new facility and of course, the new restaurant inside).

Afterwards, we crossed the street to have dinner at Health Fare, Mark Bakker’s response to unhealthy fast food choices.

Health Fare interior

I did think it would be busier than it was, with only one other party inside when we arrived, but I would assume lunch time is their rush hour. Residents and late-night office workers in the area could take some time to warm up to the restaurant, particularly during the busy holiday season.

The menu options weren’t terribly deep – soups, salads, sandwiches and rice bowls ran the gamut of our choices. Mack opted to upgrade his Health Fare club to a combo with a side of soup and a non-water drink for $13.64, while I ordered the roast beef & Swiss ($8.99) and a side of baked sweet potato skinny fries ($3.99).

Our food was brought to us shortly after we sat down. I liked the fries, and didn’t think the fact that they had been baked instead of deep-fried hurt their flavour at all. The garlic dip was a nice accompaniment, and the plate satisfied my craving for something salty. Mack liked his spicy tomato soup (one of four options available that night), even though the heat was more than he anticipated.

Sweet Potato Skinny Fries

Spicy Tomato Soup

As for our sandwiches – larger plates would have helped, for starters. Also, it turned out our sandwiches had been slightly warmed in a Panini press, and though I appreciated the crunchy texture this lent the multigrain bread, it was a bit jarring to bite into a warm bun only to be met with layers of still-chilled meat and vegetables. The caramelized onions were a nice touch on my roast beef and swiss, but other than that, it was just an okay sandwich. Mack liked his club for the most part as well (which contained, in addition to the usual tomato and lettuce, avocado), but found the bacon (billed as “crispy”) to be a little limp.

Roast Beef & Swiss (thinly shaved peppercorn-crusted beef, Swiss, arugula, caramelized onions, horseradish dressing)

Health Fare Club (crispy turkey bacon, sliced turkey, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, light mayo)

The last I heard, they have installed their system to allow patrons to order by text, but are still testing it out. Once it is available to the public, I’d like to come back to see how it works, and perhaps try out their savoury rice bowls. Still, I hope they add some more exciting items to the menu, or at least have some feature dishes in the future.

Health Fare
101A, 10279 Jasper Avenue
(780) 990-1231
Monday-Friday 6:30am-9pm, Saturday 9am-7pm, Sunday 10am-5pm

Kerstin’s Chocolates: “Name That Origin” Contest

I popped over to Kerstin’s Chocolates after a meeting in the area late this afternoon. I had heard about their Name That Origin Contest a few weeks ago, and was intrigued.

Kerstin’s all decked out for the holidays

Anyone can enter the free contest by simply going to the shop. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, besides being provided four different single origin chocolates to try (and really, who could turn down free chocolate?).

Chocolate samples

Kerstin walked me through the process – I would fill out an entry form and if I was correct in identifying all four chocolates, I would be given a container of Kerstin’s Drinking Chocolate, as well as invitation to their final tasting challenge to take place on December 22. If I failed, I would be given a 20% discount card for the shop (bonus!).

Preceding the spaces where my answers would go on was a paragraph highlighting tasting notes to look for in cocoa from a certain region, whether it be citrus, floral or fruit notes. It was a good place to start, even though only one of the chocolates had a flavour distinct enough for my palate to identify. Regardless of my limited success though, I really appreciated the opportunity to taste the different chocolates (I have attended their formal tastings before, and I highly recommend it as a fun way to learn more about chocolate).

Of course, I put the discount card to good use, and picked up a few bars of Chocophilia. The shop is just bursting with decadent gifts for the chocoholic on your list, with beautifully packaged Kerstin’s gift packs, tiny bundles of Valrhona squares, and amusing Michel Cluizel confections like this one:

Good thing they’re not sardine-flavoured chocolates

The Name That Origin Contest runs until December 22.

Kerstin’s Chocolates
10139 112 Street
(780) 990-0011
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 11am-5pm, Thursday 11-7pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Closed Sunday and Monday

The Cooking Chronicles: Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

I suggested vegetable pasta for dinner one night. Mack suggested macaroni and cheese. He won.

We headed to the Italian Centre to load up on asiago, romano and cheddar, the cheeses that form the base for a recipe in the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives cookbook. And though we searched high and low (read: the Italian Centre and Superstore) for panko bread crumbs, it just wasn’t our night, so we gave up and used homemade breadcrumbs we had in the cupboard instead.

As expected, this is not a low-cal recipe. The sauce was the colour of Cheese Whiz and had the texture of Velveeta, and lovingly enrobed the macaroni, with a lot to spare. After 15 minutes in the oven with the breadcrumb topping, we really felt like we could have been sitting at the counter of a diner. Super-cheesy, with the crunch of the breadcrumbs and just a hint of cracked black pepper, even a small bowl was almost too rich.

Three-Cheese Macaroni

We both had seconds.