Tag: food

No Cooking Required: Charcuterie, Cheese and Wine

I had picked up some duck breast ham from Greens, Eggs and Ham earlier in the summer, and was intent on saving it for a special occasion. That went out the window when I decided that Saturday would be occasion enough.

The plan was to assemble a Proof-worthy charcuterie and cheese board that would include, among other things, the duck breast ham and Mack’s favourite, garlic chicken sausage from Sunworks Farm. Where better to shop for fine meats and cheeses than the Italian Centre and Paddy’s International Cheese Market?

It was insanely busy at the Little Italy location of the Italian Centre, but the many optimally efficient staff on hand managed to pare down the line quite quickly. We picked up some parma prosciutto and speck, and headed to High Street.

Though I’ve purchased cheese from Paddy’s before (12509 102 Avenue, 780-413-0367), they were always familiar commodities. This time, our visit was blind and we relied on their guidance. A friendly staff member expertly directed us to two varieties based on our specifications – allegretto (a sheep’s milk cheese from Quebec) and rougette (a creamy, mild cheese). We also bought some applewood smoked cheddar, a recommendation from Adam.

Our last stop was the Wine Cellar. We requested help to find a bottle of semi-sweet white wine – a staff person provided a few suggestions, and we settled on a German Spatlese (it was a little sweeter than we wanted, but was a smooth, easy-to-drink wine overall).

While we could have provided some accompaniments to the board – honey, applesauce, fruit – we kept it simple, and just served it with some toasted sourdough from Tree Stone Bakery (8612 99 Street, 780-433-5924). It was an indulgent (and relatively expensive) dinner, but so worth it.

Charcuterie & Cheese Board

Our charcuterie and cheese board (click through for the Flickr photo containing embedded notes)

Edmonton Folk Music Festival 2009

It took Sarah McLachlan’s first Edmonton concert appearance since 2004 to drag me to the grassy knoll of Gallagher Park to finally experience the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Endowment concert ticket

I’ve seen the massive line-ups, winding their way down Connors Road. I’ve heard the stories about the great grub that volunteers feast on. I’ve viewed the photos of patrons doing their best to stay dry under impossible circumstances. But I didn’t understand, until Wednesday, what the draw was of a festival that is a summer tradition to many since its first incarnation in 1980.

Tickets were a pricey $70 for non-pass holders, but May and I decided it was worth the splurge. We had attended Sarah’s last concert at Rexall a few years back, and had enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

I met up with May downtown after work, and we took the bus down the hill. We had checked the website FAQs for some guidance as to what to bring. Besides ruling out our camp chairs that were probably too high, friends advised us to bring a tarp, comfortable shoes, and layers. I know those who have been to festivals past are likely well-versed in the lottery/line-up procedure and what to bring, but I would have appreciated a more blunt guide for newbies (perhaps similar to what the Fringe has developed) – complete with photos of acceptable chair examples (yes, I am very much a visual learner).

Off the bus, we encountered patrons that seemed to be wandering aimlessly, and without any signs to guide us, we approached a volunteer to direct us to the appropriate line. She told us that there were two possibilities with a sort of half-laugh, so we joined the line that we could see – the one that wound its way down Connors Road. We hoped it was the right choice.

Entering the grounds in an orderly fashion

After this pre-entry confusion, I am happy to say that the rest of the night went much more smoothly. Yellow ropes marked thoroughfares down the hill and towards the concession area at the bottom, and though there was the chaos of thousands of people jostling for the best spot, it was controlled by civility and a respect for personal space.

Our view of the stage

We lay down our tarp, while others more keenly prepared pegged their tarps into the ground (seriously, why didn’t we think of that?). And though the sky threatened to rain a few times, we were blessed with a dry first experience. Still, throughout the night, we added to our growing Folk Fest Survival List:

  • Low-to-the-ground folding chairs (examples here, as sold on-site at the Campers Village tent for upwards of $45)
  • Tarp and pegs
  • Colourful space marker, and/or flare gun (we nearly couldn’t find our way back to the tarp after our visit to the concession)
  • Umbrella, hat and poncho
  • Shoes with good grip
  • Snacks and lots of water
  • Sweater, scarf, gloves and blanket or sleeping bag
  • Flashlight (though we never used the porta potties, we wondered if they were lit inside)

After setting down most of our stuff, we joined the crowd flow down the hill for some sustenance. There were quite a few food vendor tents, but only a handful open on this special concert evening. We opted for butter chicken from India Palace, a booth that had travelled all the way from Winnipeg. It was a pricey $11.99, but offered quite a full serving, and the samosa in particular was very good. On a side note, I had no idea that the Folk Fest instigated a $2 plate deposit on the main days, mandating a sound environmental policy – I have to wonder why other local festivals (Taste of Edmonton and Heritage Days in particular) haven’t followed suit.

 

Butter Chicken with Naan and a Vegetarian Samosa

The view from the bottom of the hill was a sight to see – in daylight, thousands upon thousands of colourful specks, and after nightfall, waves of candlelight, all the way up the slope.

 

So many people!

 

May and I

It was definitely a family-friendly event, with more children than I could count. The festival, at least from where I was sitting, also seemed to be less overtly corporate than, say, the Fringe. Some advertising was present on the columns next to the stage, but every tent and seating area hadn’t been renamed to include a sponsor name.

Besides being my first time to the Folk Fest, this was also my first time at Gallagher Park. It is a great venue for an open-air concert, with the natural stadium seating provided by the hill, and a spectacular view of downtown Edmonton. I’m sure more than a few come for the picturesque setting alone.

 

Downtown Edmonton from Gallagher Park

And the concert? Wonderful. Tracy Chapman surprised me with her sense of humour, imagination, and oh, her voice. I am glad she chose to sing one song acapella – it absolutely hushed the crowd. Compared with Sarah McLachlan, she was actually the better entertainer in terms of providing richer anecdotes and song introductions. At one point, she mentioned how cold she was, and someone from the top of the hill actually tried to pass down handwarmers – unfortunately, they never reached her, but it was a thoughtful gesture.

 

Tracy Chapman

 

Candlelit ovation for Tracy

Having seen Sarah in concert before, she delivered what I expected her to – haunting and soothing melodies that almost always sound better live. She was particularly self-deprecating that night, without need to be.

 

Sarah McLachlan

I am happy to have finally experienced the Edmonton Folk Music Festival – I will consider joining the throngs of happy music lovers again in the future.

The Cooking Chronicles: Zucchini Muffins

With baby zucchini languishing in the fridge, I decided to make some muffins using a Company’s Coming recipe I have never attempted myself, but have enjoyed many times. My Mum is always whipping up baked goods in between meals, ensuring our caloric intake isn’t bound by breakfast, lunch or dinner. As a result, my family usually has access to fresh muffins, loaves, or whatever else my Mum has decided to tempt us with, requiring no effort on our part.

Over at Mack’s, unless my daydream does come true one day and he has a rack of freshly-baked goods waiting for me on the counter after work, the task for supplying us with treats falls to me. Having recently procured my own copy of Muffins & More, I set to work.

The zucchini muffins recipe isn’t a difficult one – my only point of uncertainty was whether or not I had overmixed the batter. It turns out that I did, and my hope of obtaining a muffin consistency as light and fluffy as my Mum so easily creates was lost. It also dawned on me that there was actually a point of the whole wet-into-dry-well thing – to try and incorporate the two masses into one with the least number of turns. What you learn by actually trying something, eh?

Zucchini Muffins

Mack thought they were good (turns out, they freeze like a charm too), but I know of a higher standard that can be reached. Next time.

Al Fresco on the Boardwalk: Sabor Divino

Sabor Divino is the latest restaurant to join the downtown fray, with a prime location on the Boardwalk along 103 Street – close enough for mall shoppers, theatre goers and festival revellers on the Square to access on foot, but far enough from main traffic thoroughfares to allow for a patio experience shielded somewhat from noise.

Although many (myself included) have labelled Sabor Divno a Portuguese restaurant, co-owner Christian Mena refuses to pigeonhole his eatery, and instead prefers to say their cuisine is inspired by a multitude of flavours, including those from Portugal, Spain, and the Mediterranean.

My first meal at Sabor Divino was a part of Fork Fest, an eight day celebration of Original Fare independent restaurants in Edmonton, offering pre-fixe meal deals for $20 or $35 (Mack had dined there once before, with his colleagues for lunch). The Fork Fest menu that Mack and I enjoyed at Sabor definitely seemed to sample a bit from each of the above regions, with the overall consensus being the kitchen was heavy on both balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

We opted to take advantage of a warm Edmonton day (which seems to be rare this summer), and chose a seat on Sabor’s small patio made up of three two-person tables complete with parasols. I loved that the ground level of the restaurant opened up onto the street, inviting a feeling of al fresco dining even for the tables technically tucked inside. And though the seats on the main level looked sumptuous, befitting the presence of a grand piano in the centre amongst a dark wood and dimly lit setting, I didn’t regret our choice of table.

I spy Mack’s BlackBerry…

The tapas menu was tempting, and one I’d likely consider more closely on a non-Fork Fest occasion. As it were, Mack and I built our individual meals from a $35 fixed menu comprised of two appetizers, two entrees, and four dessert options. I chose the pasta fagioli soup, black cod Mediterraneo, and Leite Crème “Dona Irene”. Mack, in an effort to supply me with more blog fodder (even at my explicit objection), ordered the mista salad, chicken in red wine, and cheesecake with black cherries.

While enjoying our bread, the pair seated behind us were accosted by a passerby looking for a smoke. They began talking, and we couldn’t help but listen (yes, we’re eavesdropping diners – but in our defense, their raised voices made it difficult not to do so). It turned out the wayward pedestrian was a bartender at the nearby L’Azia, and invited the pair to the restaurant. She described it with the following gem: “It’s an infusion restaurant. Like Taste of Edmonton, only year round.”

Bread with olive oil, butter and balsamic vinegar

I thought our appetizers came much too soon after our bread basket had been delivered (I barely made it through two slices), but Mack didn’t mind getting right to the meal. The pasta and bean soup was a hearty way to start off, though the beans were on the too-soft side, permeating the broth with a chalky texture. Mack’s salad was beautiful as it was a towering achievement, with the even larger achievement being that he managed to finish all of the greens. His only comment was that it was overdressed.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Mista Salad

I expected the entrees to interrupt our first course, but I was pleasantly surprised – the rest of the meal was timed quite nicely. My black cod was a visually stunning dish that screamed freshness – a bed of bright green kale accentuated with bursts of rouge tomato and ink-black olives. The fish had perfectly crossed char marks, and, though I’d been warned that the kitchen often undercooked their seafood, found no unwelcome rawness inside. The pops of sprinkled salt pockets were a welcome touch, and my only flavouring complaint was the heavy balsamic pour.

Black Cod Mediterraneo

Like mine, Mack’s chicken in red wine was also generously portioned, with a theme of red throughout – red onions, red grapes and red pesto sauce. Though enjoyable, it was the less unique of our two entrees.

Chicken in Red Wine

Dessert was presented as a “taster”, which, after the preceding plate, was just the right size. My Portuguese version of a crème brulee was fired fresh to order, with a richer, more flavourful custard than usually encountered. Mack enjoyed the cheesecake portion of his dessert, but could have done without the cherries, which tasted to him like the canned variety.

Leite Crème “Dona Irene”

Cheesecake with Black Cherries

At the end of our meal, I asked our waiter if the restaurant was considering any sustainable seafood choices (guided by, for example, Blue Ocean or Monterey Bay). He said that he himself used to cook, and that sustainability was very important to him personally. As a result, he would be bringing in samples from Ocean Odyssey Inland for the chef to try very soon.

With solid service and a seafood focus that differentiates it from other mid-range establishments, Sabor Divino is a welcome addition to the family of Original Fare restaurants as well as Edmonton’s food scene.

Sabor Divino
10220 103 Street
(780) 757-1114
Main dining room: Monday-Friday 11:30am-10pm, Saturday-Sunday 5-10pm; Cafe lounge: Monday-Friday 2:30-10pm, Saturday-Sunday 5-10pm

The Cooking Chronicles: Braised Tilapia with Leeks and Tomatoes

One of my favourite cooking blogs of late is The Wednesday Chef. Beyond the recipes, it’s Luisa’s stories behind the food that sets her posts apart. Take, for example, her recipe for braised tilapia with leeks and tomatoes. What led her to create such a dish? Why, love of course.

Even though they are no longer together, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the recipe. Mack and I picked up all of the necessary ingredients at the City Centre Market (cherry tomatoes from Gull Valley Greenhouses, leeks from Sundog Organics, and Honduran tilapia from Ocean Odyssey Inland), and used some white wine we had kicking around.

The dish was fantastic – this was our first time cooking with leeks, and it won’t be our last. We were a bit afraid our “glug” (Luisa’s measurement) would overwhelm everything, but between the sweetness of the leeks and burst tomatoes, we welcomed the additional sauce. Be careful not to overcook the fish as we did – we left the pot with the lid on as we waited for the rice to finish cooking. As a whole, this dish was leaps and bounds above the other one-pot meal we had tried a few days earlier – Mack enthusiastically put this recipe in the “keep” pile.

Braised Tilapia with Leeks and Tomatoes, served with rice

Thanks Luisa for the recipe, and keep up the great work!

Food Notes for August 3, 2009

  • The downtown location of the Italian Centre is celebrating its grand opening on August 22, 23.
  • Transcend Coffee is offering free shipping on coffee orders containing 2lbs.!
  • The new southside Superstore (near my house, actually), besides offering a large selection of ethnic products, boasts a room that can be used free of charge so long as Loblaws products are served – it’s an interesting move for the large retailer to be more community-friendly.
  • Julie & Julia will be released this Friday! Anyone else going to check it out? The NYT published a behind the scenes look at the film’s food last week.
  • A must read: Michael Pollan’s New York Magazine article on the allure of television cooking shows and the decline of cooking at home.
  • On the heels of Food, Inc. – the U.S. House of Representatives voted to delay a bill that would allow the FDA more authority and funding for regulation of the food industry.
  • A study was released this week that seems to show that organic food is no better nutritionally than conventionally-grown food.
  • I read about Vancouver’s VinoCamp, an opportunity to learn about and taste wine in a casual way and wondered why such a thing isn’t happening in Edmonton.
  • Cupcakes Take the Cake compiled a great list of Twitter tips for cupcakeries – but it would apply for any food establishment in general as well.
  • This is only marginally food-related (the store sells some housewares), but it’s too cool not to mention – a new vintage store opened up in the core called Swish (10180 101 Street, 780-479-8408), having relocated from their former location in Highlands. Tucked in Manulife Place, but only accessible via 102 Street, the store is filled with cool finds. Check it out!

 

Inside Swish

The Cooking Chronicles: Basa with Greens and Lemon Pepper Oil

You’d think I would know by now to research potential substitutions online before employing them, but the mealtime scramble always seems to win out over logic.

Though I wanted to recreate a Food Network recipe for tilapia with escarole and lemon pepper oil, I ended up substituting both of the main ingredients. Basa stepped in for tilapia, and romaine lettuce for escarole. I found out later that escarole is in the chicory family, greens that are heartier and stand up to cooking better than others. As a result, the romaine came out limp and way overcooked. Thankfully, the brown and crispy potatoes and perfectly steamed fish redeemed the dish as a whole. We found the lemon pepper oil a tad too strong for our taste (even after cutting down the quantity of lemon), and borderline unnecessary.

Basa with Greens and Lemon Pepper Oil

We loved the one-pot nature of this recipe, and now that I’ve learned what not to substitute, perhaps we will make this again in the future with the proper ingredients.

A Labour of Love: Soul Soup

There are a handful of eateries I wish I could patronize more often, but due to short operating hours or hard-to-reach locations, I am unable to. Soul Soup falls into the first category, only open from 11-6pm from Monday-Friday, which is convenient to those in close proximity to the core, but becomes a destination spot otherwise.

As a result, I’ve only been to Soul Soup a few times, even though I have enjoyed my past experiences there. As the name suggests, the restaurant primarily serves soup (although they were also offering one rice bowl alternative during my last visit). With numerous varieties on endless rotation, the magnetic menu board above the order counter changes daily, displaying one type each of vegetarian, fish and meat soups. A small 8 oz. serving is $4.75, a medium 16 oz. is $7 and a 32 oz. sells for $11. Each bowl comes with a fresh roll. For those looking for a post-work meal, Soul Soup also sells containers of frozen soup, as well as Culina’s TV dinners.

The interior is chic, brown neutrals accented by pops of pink. I particularly love the light fixtures fashioned out of ladles.

Interior

Between the day’s mulligatawny with apple and pistachios, tomato and shrimp with tarragon and Asian ginger braised pork with rice noodles, the latter won my vote. And though I did feel somewhat hungry that day, I decided to order the small, thinking that the bread would help fill me up. I asked for my order to stay, and settled in on one of the high tables to the side of the counter (the table was even equipped with a built-in purse hook!). Three other stools along the narrow divider that doubled as a table were still up for grabs, but nearly all customers who walked in took their meals to go.

My soup was delivered to me almost instantly, on a retro-themed tray accompanied by the aforementioned roll. The plastic cutlery had been neatly tied up, with a small fruit candy tucked inside – a nice touch. The soup itself was lovely – creative to start with (not your usual beef-and-pasta variety), it was clearly a labour of love. The carrots were tender and soft, and the broth had a full flavour to it, something only attained from lengthy low and slow simmering. Later in the afternoon, I did regret ordering the small, however – I should have upgraded.

Soup

I did have a chance to ask the owner whether or not Soul Soup plans to join Twitter (I’ve mentioned in the past that they are the ideal restaurant to do so – a tweet before lunch about their 3 soups du jour). She said I was the “eighth person” to ask them that question recently, but because they are only a two-person operation, she doesn’t have the time to update their status. She said their phone line recording system was working just fine as a way to provide information to customers. I don’t think the “time” excuse is valid, but with Mack’s help, was able to locate an unofficial Soul Soup account which seems to do a pretty good job of listing the day’s soups.

If you’re looking for a fast but homemade lunch downtown outside of the food court recesses, I’d highly recommend giving Soul Soup a try.

Soul Soup
140-10020 101A Avenue
(780) 409-8272
Monday-Friday 11am-6pm

The Cooking Chronicles: Pizza Stone Attempt #1

Have you ever been wooed at the store by a kitchen gadget only to bring it home and allow it to gather dust? A pizza stone I had picked up at Winners last year fell into that category, even though I had the best of intentions when I bought it, with visions of crunchy, thin-crust pizzas overtaken by the reality of time and effort. Well, I hoped to reignite some of those visions and made it a point to finally make use of it.

The stone itself came with a serving rack, but Mack and I weren’t sure if the rack itself was meant to be put in the oven. We decided it would be safer to avoid potential melting and put the stone directly into the oven. The instructions directed us to preheat it for 40 minutes in a 450 degree oven.

We assembled the pizza using a tried and true recipe (Giada de Laurentiis’ dough base, though I wish I could toss dough like Chris instead). As instructed, we sprinkled some corn meal on the hot stone, lay our rolled pizza dough on top, and assembled our favourite assortment of toppings, including prosciutto, roma tomatoes, mushrooms and fresh basil. And into the oven it went, for about 15 minutes.

Out of the oven, the pizza was looking good – the crisp brown edges were just beginning to curl. When we dug in though, we found the crust to have an odd consistency. While crunchy on the bottom, the centre of the crust was chewy, almost undercooked. We weren’t sure if this was attributed to our mangling of the dough recipe, or perhaps a mistake of our first pizza stone try, but we were disappointed the pizza didn’t quite taste as good as it looked.

Pizza stone + pizza

We weren’t disheartened though – we will be making use of the stone again (with a different dough recipe), optimistic for better results!

Food Notes for July 27, 2009

The countdown to the 28th annual Edmonton International Fringe Festival begins – programs go on sale Tuesday at noon! I’m looking forward to it. Onward with this week’s notes:

  • News was released this week about Loblaws acquiring T & T. I actually shop at Superstore less than I have in the past, so I can’t report firsthand whether or not their distribution has improved as they had set out to do, but if not, I hope it doesn’t affect T & T’s ability to be a reliable source of Asian goods.
  • Paula tweeted about a new bubble tea shop in Chinatown called, well, Bubble Tea Cafe located at 97 Street and 106 Avenue. It seems Flirt Cupcakes on Whyte will also have a new neighbour called Bubble Juice, which is coming soon.
  • Liane posted about the new cafe in the recently renovated Muttart Conservatory. On that note, I can’t wait until the new Art Gallery of Alberta opens in the fall with a brand new restaurant/cafe. Places to dine without need to pay admission will make age-old city attractions appealing again to residents and not just tourists.
  • Richard Helm reviewed a new-ish Turkish restaurant called Istanbul Mediterranean Cuisine (12918 82 Street, 780-478-8881) on Saturday. A “rebuttal” of sorts was posted on Chowhound the same day.
  • Anyone know what happened to Cargo and James in Edmonton? Though the Whyte Ave store looked closed indefinitely, I just passed by the “for lease” signs in the window this week.
  • The Greater Edmonton Alliance is currently looking for a local food systems research intern, to help, among other things, prepare a presentation to Council and expand the Good Food Project.
  • Cupcakes have officially jumped the shark in Vancouver: the W Network is casting for a reality show about the pint-sized treats at Cupcakes by Heather and Lori.
  • Elana Safronsky over at Food for Thought posed an interesting question about “unladylike” food, and shared her experience about being chastised for having a big appetite.
  • I have to admit I don’t know much about the subject of food irradiation, so I appreciated this primer.
  • I must admit I like to occasionally wander through supermarket aisles just to see what new products are greeting our aisles. When confronted with smiling images of Wolfgang Puck on cans of soup, I had to wonder – cookware lines are one thing, but soup at $3 a can?

 

Wolfgang Puck soup – seriously?

  • I also noticed that Safeway has started labelling “organic” products with small white text tags. I wonder if stores will begin migrating towards using the new CFIA-sanctioned logo as markers at some point?

 

Organic labels at Safeway

  • And just for fun – this sign outside Polly Magoo’s made me laugh. I wonder if any restaurants would instigate such a discount?

 

Cluck like a chicken, fool!