Lemon Tart Recipe
On those occasions I like a nice simple lemon tart; not too sweet with a palate cleansing acidity.
This recipe for Lemon Tart is quick and easy, and produces a filling that I really like - somewhat loose like a ripe brie. Now you can cook it at a higher temp, or for longer, and it will give you a sturdier centre, but I like it a bit drippy like a butter tart.
As for crust we use a sweet tart dough which is essentially a short crust, that has been blind baked.
Now as for tart pans... I don’t have one that is the right size. Don’t know why, other than perhaps I don’t have room for more dishes - or I just can’t be bothered to get one. In the end use what you have available, a regular pie plate, or even a square cake pan. It’s going to taste the same! I’ve even found myself without pie plates, and ended up making individual pies in tea cups.
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Whipped Cream Recipe - Really?
Now all the foodies (a term I despise by the way) may think rather smugly that this is child’s play, but I don’t. I shop in the supermarket, and hang out in my friends kitchens when they are cooking dinner - even the kitchens of my family, and I witness something that each and every one of us falls prey to: marketing. Yes advertising that drones on about how hard or time consuming a certain task is, so why not buy product ‘X’ and restore the good life! I know that there have been times leading up to Thanksgiving dinner when I think “I’ll just get a spray can of whipped cream, save some time and no-one will notice”... Or maybe someone in your family buys the tub of ‘edible oil product’ you know who they are.
So we thought, let’s just show how easy it is; you don’t need any special equipment - at the bare minimum two forks and a bowl! That’s it that’s all, but most people would have a wire whisk, some will have an electric hand mixer, and a few will have a stand mixer.
So I’ll get down off my soapbox now, and I encourage everyone who visits the website to send us a note about a technique you’d like to learn. If we don’t know how then we’ll learn right allow with you, even the basics.
Here is our whipped cream recipe.
Robert Mondavi Discover Wine Tour
When we found the tent, all of my apprehension dissolved. Picture this: beautiful sunny Saturday + Free wine + Central location = Small crowd and no line-up. We were there for about an hour, 1:30-2:30 pm and each time we ‘lined-up’ for a re-fill there was maybe 1 or 2 people in front of us.
- Started off with ‘Private Selection Cali Sauvignon Blanc’, this is their mid range Sauv Blanc and it didn’t work for me...
- Next up ‘Robert Mondavi Winery Napa Valley Fumé Blanc, this is from their top level range and I found it intriguing. Fumé Blanc is a type of wine that I need to explore more.
- I then moved on to the reds with their entry level Cab Sauv, not big or bold enough for me, but I completely understand that most people who are afraid of reds would enjoy this.
- Last up was their top level ‘Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cab Sauv’ This had the tannic, mouth sucking pucker that I love.
Jules tried 4 wines on the list that I didn’t... but I was only able to grab the Pinot Grigio glass out of her hands. This is another white variety that I need to explore further as well.
Now if you’re reading this in Toronto, you’re out of luck; they’ve rolled up the tent and moved on. This was the only stop in Canada, but if you live in Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, or San Diego check out the schedule here to see when this will be in your town.
You might be interested in our interview with sommelier Taylor Thompson about Fumé Blanc.
Summer Evening Tasting Series
“Isn’t that the pottery place?” I hear you say...
Well yes, sort of. The Gardiner Museum is devoted to ceramics, which may not be your thing, but the architecture is also one of the city’s best examples of the modernist aesthetic. You don’t have to pay for the museum to reach the third floor where you find the Gardiner Cafe, with a fantastic terrace overlooking the ROM and downtown Toronto. Starting tonight and running Friday evenings throughout the summer, Jamie Kennedy will be offering an afterwork experience of small plates combining local ingredients seamlessly paired with The Balvenie range of single malt whisky.
- Spot Prawn Bisque with Tangle of Prawn and Greens.
- Grilled Oysters with Sweet and Sour Chive Mignonette.
- Crispy pain d'epices with seared duck liver and candied apple in cider.
Prawns, oysters, goose liver, and whisky! Three days later and there is still a smile on my face.
Each of the plates was paired with a different expression of The Balvenie, but I have to admit that my favourite whisky right now is TheBalvenie Signature 12; so I drank that with each course. This is yet another example of where you can learn about whisky, taste a range of expressions, and have one of Toronto’s great culinary minds talk you through why the flavours work together. A great point about the pairings is that Jamie himself admits that the idea of whisky and food is all new to him. Wine is more in his comfort zone, but he’s a pro...
This pairing of Jamie with Balvenie, is a bit deeper than just food and whisky. Everyone was talking about commitment to quality and craftsmanship, something that is lacking in so much of our hyperfast consumer society. In the end what do you need to know? The food is great, the whisky brings out the flavours, the view is terrific, and it’s an incredible way to end the week.
See you there!
For more info:
The Gardiner Museum.
Jamie Kennedy Kitchens.
Our own video series of interviews about The Balvenie.
Tasting Scotch
Two years ago when I started working on this website, I knew nothing about whisky. Couldn’t tell you what the difference was between Canadian Rye, Irish, Scotch or Bourbon. I did know that I wanted to learn, so Jules and I grabbed the camera and picked up press passes to Whisky Live in Toronto. We were determined to ask all the ‘dumb newbie’ questions so you at home wouldn’t have to. That first show we learned a lot and were able to interview some of the more knowledgeable people in the world of whisk(e)y.
Some great sources of whisky info:
scotchblog.ca
The Companions of the Quaich
And of course our own video interviews of whisky masters
Brewing in the 1860's
Everything old is new again...
For those of you who are new to Le Gourmet TV you might notice that we cover pretty much all of the major drinks: Coffee, Wine, Tea, Whisk(e)y, Gin, Vodka; but beer is missing.
What gives?
Well, I’m not sure. Back when the site first went live (2 years ago) we had a beer section, hosted by a really knowledgeable beer geek. We visited micro and craft breweries, did tastings, talked about the brewing process, and how ingredients / methods changed the brew. We even went outside our own backyard, doing pieces on breweries in the PNW, and Alberta.
But it didn’t work out, views were low and we decided to re-tool the section. As time went by and we didn’t shoot anything, we ended up pulling the videos down. Which is too bad; beer (not the mass market stuff) is on par with or better than wine when it comes to pairing with food and cooking into recipes. Just take a look at these Beer Brownies, beer makes the chocolate taste better. Are you making a Flemish Stew. or any slow braised meat dish? BBQ Ribs perhaps? You need beer.
What went wrong? I have a few theories:
1) Beer is a commodity to most - we buy what’s cheapest, and only a handful of beers hold 95% of all sales in North America.
2) Craft beer is very geo-local, with poor distribution. If you don’t live in the ’hood, you can’t taste it.
3) You didn’t like the host? Maybe, but you seem to put up with me cooking.
4) We didn’t blow anything up, have fast cars, or pool parties while tasting the beers.
Today though we take our first tentative steps back into the arena of beer. And there is no better place to start than the newest old brewery in town: Black Creek Historic Brewery at Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto.
This is a real working brewery circa 1860’s located in the basement of the halfway house - just like it could have been in any town in Ontario during this period. This is as far from mass market brew as you can get, it’s even quiet a distance away from most craft or micro breweries. The reality is during this period all the ingredients would have come from within a day’s travel (20 miles or so) and the beer would have been consumed by people in an area that was even closer. So the operation doesn’t need to be that large, in fact it would fit in most suburban garages neatly with room left for the car.
The first thing you’ll notice is that it’s all copper and wood; no stainless steel, no pumps, no steam jackets, no computer control or refrigeration. Fermentation, and aging happens in oak barrels, with a final product that tastes like... Beer. There are 4 beers currently being made, and there are tours that explain the process and allow you to taste the fruits of their labour. Or sit down in the restaurant and enjoy a beer paired with local cuisine.
The plan for this brewery is to eventually have most if not all the ingredients grown and milled on the property - a 1 mile beer.
So watch our 3 part interview and tour of the brewery; part 1 is up now, with parts 2 and 3 rolling out on July 1st and 8th.
For more info on the Brewery, Tours, Tastings and Black Creek Pioneer Village - check out their website.
To watch our interview and tour of the Black Creek Brewery check out the videos here.
Also, tell us what you want to see in beer videos.
Home Made Strawberry Jam
So here on the site our video recipe for strawberry jam is the boiled with added pectin type.
So summer just arrived here in Ontario, and the remaining berry farms are loaded with fruit - time to go out and make some jam.
Our Recipe for Home Made Strawberry Jam.
Home Sausage Making
However we don’t just stick to one kind of sausage, they are so easy to make and the flavours you can add are limitless: some of the recipes we come back to time and again are these Beef and Mustard Sausage, and of course Pork Breakfast Sausage which can be made in links or as patties.
Of all the things I’ve learned about sausage making, the key points seem to be: Keep everything extremely clean, and keep everything extremely cold. Now keeping everything clean should go without saying... you do keep your kitchen clean right? And most people would say that of course they keep their meet cold; but I mean ICE COLD, only steps from frozen.
Cold meat grinds better, stuffs better, and you end up with an easier time making the sausage with the added bonus of much better texture when they are cooked.
Now if you’ve never had to prepare natural sausage casing before, don’t fret we have a video series on Preparing Sausage Casing, and on threading casing onto the stuffer.
As for equipment... Uncle Carmen’s family will get together, drink some wine and make 100+ pounds of sausage at a time. They split it up between them, and then do it again when their freezers are empty. So they have a pretty heavy duty industrial type grinder and stuffer. We join in on this, because it’s a great time to get together with friends and family - but it’s no place for experimentation so we started playing around at home.
At first we used a hand grinder, which works for very small amounts and wears you out very quickly, but it’s cheap and gets you started. Next we tried a grinder attachment for our stand mixer; again this works it’s not very big and is fairly inexpensive if you already own the mixer.
Now we've started using a dedicated grinder, pretty heavy duty, takes up storage space, fairly expensive, but in the end well worth it if you make sausage every couple of months or so.
Here are links to some recipes that we talked about:
Sicilian sausage recipe
Beef and mustard sausage recipe
Breakfast sausage recipe
Marsala sauce recipe
Summer Cookware Contest
This cookware set has proven to be a very popular give-away, so we are doing it again.
Calphalon Cookware Give-Away
To enter the contest, watch the video: Maple Yoghourt Cheese Recipe, and answer the skill testing question on the entry form below - Can you ever have too much Maple Syrup?. No Purchase necessary. Must be age of majority in your home province, state, or territory.
Residents of Quebec, and Florida are not eligible.
Contest runs from about noon (EST) June 19 2009 to 6 pm (EST) July 31 2009. (the contest closing date)
Win this great Calphalon One Cookware set!
Set Includes: 10" fry pan 12" fry pan 3 qt. covered Chef's Pan 4.5 qt. covered Sauce Pan 11" covered Chef's Skillet 8 qt. covered Stock Pot
Features
• Heavy-gauge, highly conductive Calphalon One Infused Anodized sears food quickly and evenly.
• Infused with an advanced release polymer, the Calphalon One cooking surface not only sears food perfectly - it also lets you control when foods release from the bottom of the pan.
• Hot, soapy water and a dish cloth --that's generally all you need to keep Calphalon One sparkling clean. The infused anodized cooking surface releases food as easily during clean-up as it does while you cook.
• Deglazes beautifully.
• Handles stay comfortably cool during stovetop cooking.
• Compatible with gas, electric, and ceramic top stoves.
Make sure to pass the link along to all your friends!
Enter the contest here, and good luck.
Summertime Drinks
Just in time for summer weather a box arrived at our door, filled with R.W Knudsen Sparkling Essence. Now I have a soft spot for pop, one brand in particular... but as I get a bit older I’ve realised that I just can’t (shouldn’t) drink it as often as I would like. So a few years ago I switched to club soda; refreshing and bubbly without the sugar and chemicals I can’t pronounce.
Problem is, I still want some flavour in the bubbles. Easy enough to do at home, where I can cut up a lemon, lime, or some other fruit, but harder to do at a corner store. I’m sure you’ve been there - standing in front of a glass wall of refrigerators, filled with sugary pop or equally sugar filled ‘juices’. The only other choice in this scenario is flavourless bottled water.
Solution: R.W Knudsen Sparkling Essence.
4 flavours of all natural, sugar free (0 calorie) beverage. Just a hint of flavour, nothing overpowering or in your face and no chemicals.
Lemon first caught my eye, as being the flavour I would probably most enjoy; but I was taken in by the Mint and Blueberry. The fourth flavour took me a little while longer to get my head around - Cucumber. Don’t get me wrong I love cukes, but a bubbly water infused with Cucumber Essence? As the office gathered around, it became clear to me that Cucumber is apparently all the rage as a flavour right now so maybe I’m in the minority?
Enter a great idea, “Isn’t Hendrick’s Gin infused with cucumber?”.
And so it was born (we think we invented this) the ‘Cucumber Slumber™’. A super refreshing summertime drink consisting of 1 ounce of Hendrick’s Gin, 1 can of R.W. Knudsen Cucumber Sparkling Essence, and a cucumber wedge for garnish.
So if you are looking for a low cal, all natural, refreshing drink this summer that doesn’t compromise flavour; give this Sparkling Essence a try.
Father's Day Five - Part 2 The Grill
Father’s Day, what a great day to get out and grill.
Here are some of my picks for great Father’s Day gifts, for your ‘Grill Master’.
German Grill
So some time in the early ‘70’s my dad bought a gas grill; it was an ARKLA and it’s arrival sounded the death knell of charcoal around our house. When I moved out on my own I bought a gas grill as well, and since then several more as they wear out - fall apart. (The ARKLA is still going strong some 30+ years later)
Then a year ago the German Grill showed up, and I will never gas grill again. I can’t believe that I bought into the negative hype around charcoal! This grill is a dream to light, because it has an integrated ‘chimney’ and can be ready to cook in about the same time as it’s gas cousin.
It’s also the most solid grill I’ve ever used, this will be the last grill I ever have on my deck. Period.
So get in touch with Pat and Ron at German Grill, and get your father the Rolls Royce of Grills.
Some recipes we’ve cooked on the German Grill:
Cooking Yakitori
Mint Leg of Lamb
Bacon Explosion
Every grill master no matter how skilled, will need some inspiration from time to time... Grill Guru Ted Reader has more than enough inspiration to go around.
Ted’s been grillin’ food and writing cookbooks that will blow away even the most savvy backyard pro. Nothing is off limits when it comes to what can be kissed by the flames of your grill, and this experimentation to push the boundaries will make you a better cook.
The photography alone makes you want to eat the books.
Watch Ted cook up some great recipes:
Intro to Ted Reader
Cedar Planked Salmon
La Strip Steak
Bradley Smoker
There’s grilling, and then there’s smoking! Cooking low and slow for hours, imparting subtle and sometimes not so subtle smoke flavour to meat and fish.
What’s that? You say “Dad won’t want to stand around all day watching the fire, adjusting the temp, and making sure that the smoke is just right.”.
Well with the Bradley, all of that is automated. Temperature, and smoke level can be set with a timer; leaving you to enjoy your day secure with the knowledge that whatever you are cooking will turn out right - every time.
Sausage Grinder
What’s a great grill day without some sausage? So why are you still buying sausage in the Styrofoam tray, when Dad could be making the best sausage right at home?
Once you start making sausage with the Chef’s Choice there is no going back! You can now be in control of ingredients and flavour.
It’s really easy, just watch us making some sausage here in the Le Gourmet TV Kitchen:
Hot Italian Sausage Recipe
Breakfast Sausage Recipe
Beef and Mustard Sausage Recipe
Grilling Planks
You can cook anything on a grilling plank, anything and everything.
Salmon? - Goes without saying.
Burgers? - Why yes of course.
Cheese cooked on a cedar plank on the BBQ? - You haven’t lived.
They are available in a variety of different woods, each type adding its own flavour to the party.
Check out some of these recipes where we grill with planks.
Cedar Planked Brie Cheese
Kama Sutra Saki Teriyaki Salmon
Planked Beerlicious Baseball Burgers
Father's Day Five - Part 1 Spirits.
Father’s Day...
What do you get dad? Usually I got him things that he wouldn’t buy himself, and in this post I’ll concentrate on spirits he might have enjoyed. My Dad had 3 go-to drinks: Rum and Coke, Rye and Coke, or 50 (a Canadian beer, more on that another time) in each case the rum and the rye were middle of the road or lower. He never splurged or saw the need to buy anything more than what would make do.
If your dad is the same, how about adding a little splash to the day and getting him something that is higher up the ladder than his regular brand.
So here we go (in no particular order):
Here’s the thing, I could wax poetic all day long about this great Canadian Whisky. How smooth it is, how incredible the flavour (yes flavour with a ‘u’, it’s from Canada after all). I could even tell you about the way it is hand crafted in small batches using very unique methods: each grain is distilled separately, then barrel aged separately, only melding together at the end before a final finish in sherry casks. Maybe I could tell you that maker John Hall made sherry himself so that he could age it in oak casks - so those casks could then be used for the whisky.
Or I could just let whisky maker John Hall explain 40 creek whisky himself.
Woodford Reserve Boubon
Bourbon, not really a mixing drink and perhaps miles away from the Rye dad would usually drink, but hey isn’t that the point? This Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a particularly fine example of what’s out there, it’s triple distilled in copper pot stills and aged in new American Oak Barrels. The Woodford Reserve Distillery dates back to 1838 and is set in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky.
On second thought, why just buy your dad a bottle of bourbon when you could take him on the Woodford Reserve Distillery Tour? Don’t have time for the tour? Le Gourmet TV took it for you and you watch the video tour here.
Gin is not my fathers drink, but Father’s Day is in summer, and a great summer drink is Gin... in my opinion a solid gin is Hendrick’s. Infused with cucumber and rose petals this is fabulous for all sorts of mixed drinks. Watch as global brand ambassador Xavier Padovani tells us what sets this gin apart and he mixes us a Hendrick’s Martini.
White or Golden rum? What’s your poison, why not try something a bit different and get both? These two rums will please those who like to pull something a bit different out from behind the bar once in a while. White Sand is great for mixing, while Golden Sun makes for a nice sippin’ rum as the sun sets over the lake with you sitting at the end of the dock listening to the waves lapping at your boat. Well that’s what I’d do if I could get up to the cottage once in a while. No video about these yet, but we’re working on it.
Distilling and blending rum since 1749, it has to be good doesn’t it? Yes it is, and the Reserve is a particularly fine example of what Appleton produces. This is a blend of 20 aged rums and is best for sipping, but you could still mix a cocktail or two with it.
This is so good that we’re trying to figure out how to get down to the distillery in Jamaica so we can do a video tour and interview with the master blender.
So get your dad one of these, or hoist one in his memory this Father’s Day.
June 2009 Waffle Baker Contest
Time for our newest contest here at Le Gourmet TV!
This month we are giving away a Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Baker.
To enter the contest, watch the video: Sweet Tart Dough, and answer the skill testing question on the entry form - What temp is the butter we use in the recipe?. No Purchase necessary. Must be age of majority in your home province, state, or territory.
Residents of Quebec, and Florida are not eligible.
Contest runs from about 11:59pm (EST) June 14 2009 to 6 pm (EST) July 14 2009. (the contest closing date)
Win this great Waring Pro WMK300 Belgian Waffle Maker!
The Waring WMK300 professional waffle maker brings a new level of performance to making Belgian waffles at home. The unique 180-degree rotary feature of this heavy-duty waffle maker ensures consistent baking and even browning. The result is a perfect, large, round, restaurant-style Belgian Waffle with extra deep pockets to hold fruit and syrup for breakfast, or ice cream and sauce for desert. A 6-setting browning control, LED indicators and audio signals ensure foolproof performance, waffle after waffle.
Features:
- Extra deep waffle pockets allow for thickest Belgian waffle in industry
- Rotary feature ensures even baking on top and bottom
- "Power" and "Ready" extra large LED indicators
- Audio beep tones indication when waffle is ready
- Rotary thermostat/browning control knob
- Brushed stainless-steel housing and brushed die-cast base
- UL/CUL approved
- Limited 1-year appliance warranty
- Measures 16-1/4 by 9-1/4 by 7-3/4 inches
That’s it watch the video, fill out the entry form and answer the question.
But since you’re hanging around, why not watch some of our great Recipe Videos, Baking Videos, or BBQ Videos.
Pie and Tart Dough
Of all the recipes that we can make, it seems that pie dough strikes the most fear in our hearts. I have to tell you I don’t know why... Most dough or pastry recipes contain only 3 or 4 ingredients: Fat, Flour, Water. In an easy to remember formula (by weight): 3 parts fat, 2 parts flour, 1 part water. Couldn’t be easier, right?
Well, yes and no.
First off what fat to use? in our kitchen Lard is number one; I know that over the years it’s got-ten a lot of bad press but that was mostly just hype by the shortening marketers. On the box of lard in my fridge there is only one ingredient - Non-Hydrogenated Lard, the ingredient list on shortening is significantly longer... Our second choice is butter, and this is usually used when we add sugar for a sweeter crust.
Some recipes will call for an egg, sugar, and sometimes vinegar; these are all personal preferences with everyone claiming that their Grandma did it this way or that so it must be best. So who are we to argue?
By hand vs food processor? I now fall squarely in the food processor camp, you just need to make sure you don’t over process.
Once you’ve made the dough, you need to roll it out. I’ve been baking pies for 26 years or so, and usually I can roll it out OK but sometimes there is still a disaster. So don’t worry if it doesn’t look pretty, I prefer to think of it as ‘rustic’ or ‘hand-made’, in the end it will taste better than anything you can buy at the store.
Here are some great recipes to get started with:
3-2-1 Pie pastry recipe using butter
3-2-1 Pie pastry recipe using lard
Sweet Tart dough recipe
Rolling pie dough
How-to blind bake a pie shell
Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Date Custard Pie Recipe
Common pie crust problems, and solutions.
Crust is tough & rubbery: Too much water and / or overhandling
Too tender & falls apart: Undermixed, too little water, too much fat.
Dry & mealy: Fat mixed in too finely, too little water
Desserts for two
Most nights around our house, somewhere between doing dishes and making a cup of tea, discussion turns to making a sweet dessert. We don’t buy cookies or cakes at the store - nothing wrong with them, it’s just a matter of preference and self control.
You see a bag of cookies just screams out to be eaten, we comply and then wish we hadn’t. So our pact is: if you want sweets for dessert you need to bake them after supper. Not a problem, actually. Cookies, cakes and other treats can end up on the dessert plate quite quickly when you are motivated. Jules can have any number of cookies ready from scratch in 20 - 25 minutes. On the nights without motivation, we are saved from eating something we probably don’t need.
My vote is always for brownies, my current fave is this recipe for Black and Tan Brownies.
Problem is leftovers. I work from a home office, and try as I might the leftover brownies usually don’t make it to supper on the second day.
Enter this Molten Chocolate Cake Recipe for Two.
In the video Julie whips it together in no time, and it uses very few ingredients.
So when is a molten chocolate cake not a brownie? I’m sure that the lack of a leavening agent might have something to do with it, but it’s probably just in the cooking time. Follow the directions and you get an oooey goooey mess that tastes great - if you don’t burn your tongue because you couldn’t wait for it to cool.
If you cook it a bit longer the centre firms up and you have something that’s just like a brownie, dense and chocolately.
The video goes live on Friday June 12, we hope you enjoy it.
Eat Local
Yesterday was the launch of that change; the day to day operation will become a simple cafe offering sandwiches and salads. But don’t despair... The main space will now feature a ‘Weekly Lunch with Jamie Kennedy’, a taste of which we were treated to during the launch. Every Wednesday Jamie and his team will serve a prix fixe lunch of 3 courses featuring local sourced and seasonal produce - cost $25. The space will be set-up communal style with one seating and an eye on the clock to ensure everyone makes it back to the office. Each week they will focus on a specific product from a specific producer, and Jamie will be on hand to talk about the menu and his choices.
The press lunch featured Steamed Asparagus with Kozlick Mustard Sabayon and Crisply Shallots to start, followed by Braised Dingo Farms Beef with Lovage Broad Noodles and Pickled Wild Leek Herb Paste. I understand that during regular operation there will be a choice of two mains.
The meal was great, and Jamie spent some time explaining his reasons for changing the Gardiner Cafe and his overall focus on not only local food, but how we could deal directly with the producer of that food.
Keep watching this space, as we hope to get the cameras into the kitchen with Jamie at some point in the near future.
Also announced was the kick-off of ‘Cocktails on The Terrace’ which will be a Friday after work event throughout the summer featuring a range of small plates and cocktails featuring The Balvenie Whisky. The terrace at the Gardiner is a great place to sit back and watch below as the city goes by.
Finally... After lunch we were treated to Butter Tarts and a wee dram of The Balvenie. Now butter tarts are a tough one, ‘cause everyone’s grandma makes the best and you are either in the runny or firm camp; apparently Jamie is in the firm camp. Which is fine by me, and it was made even more pleasurable when paired with the whisky.
So look out on our Chef interviews and cooking pages, for upcoming segments with Jamie Kennedy.
Interested in the weekly lunch? Visit Jamie Kennedy online, or call for reservations: 416.362.1957 ext 2
Eating Hong Kong
2009 is “Hong Kong Food and Wine Year”, but I’ve been travelling there for years and it would seem that HK is all food all the time.
On our last trip (paid for by the Hong Kong Tourist Board) we took pleasure in 8 days of non-stop eating. We would shoot in 4-5 restaurants a day, where we would eat what the chef prepped, plus a sit down lunch and dinner that we didn’t film. Along the way we would stop to eat at roadside stalls and stands as well. The crew was well fed - overfed in fact.
Some of the stories are already posted: Eggy Tarts, Clay Pot Rice, Snake Soup, Stinky Tofu, Hairy Crabs, Market Food Court, Mak’s Won Ton Noodle Soup can all be found here.
We also ate in some high end places and the first video from the fine dining restaurants is Isola Italian Restaurant in ifc mall. OK, OK, Fine dining in a mall? Italian food in HK? Yes and Yes, if you find yourself in Hong Kong get yourself a table on their patio with it’s spectacular view of HK Harbour, order a pizza and hand made pasta. You’ll love it.
In the coming weeks we’ll start releasing more videos from our trip. We’ll visit a tofu factory, Bo Innovation, The Conrad, Hotel LKF, and the Flight Kitchens for Cathay Pacific Airlines.
So watch this space for some exciting Hong Kong culinary tourism videos.
G.
Choosing Knives
We are sent a lot of kitchen gear here to try out, and one of my favourite things to receive is knives. One of the latest is this Ergo Chef 7” Santoku ($79.00).
When I first picked it up I had to get over how light it seemed for this size of knife... and how nice the ergonomic handle felt in my hand. Yes the handle looks a little wonky on that angle, but it really does seem to help out with wrist strain. Over-all a solid mid-priced, mid-range knife, that would do great duty in any kitchen.
Does it beat out my favourite knife? Nope. You might think that with our pick of the litter, I might enjoy cutting with the more expensive knives on the market... but you would be wrong.
Yes, that’s right - my favourite knife is decidedly downmarket. I’ve had it now over 25 years, and it just feels right in my hand. Sure it takes way too much to maintain the edge, I’m constantly out in the shop with a waterstone keeping it true. I have strayed a few times over the years to other knives, but I keep coming back because it’s comfortable to use and I feel confident using it.
In our video on choosing knives, we learn that there are so many choices it can be really confusing. But one thing that the expert kept coming back to: the knife needs to feel comfortable in your hand!
Other Tips:
-Bring in some fruit and veg to try out cutting. If the retailer doesn’t allow this? Go elsewhere.
-You don’t need to buy a matching set, each manufacturer will have strengths in different categories.
Happy Cutting!
Wine Tours
So maybe you aren’t very good with a video camera, and the idea of running a website full time doesn’t excite you, but you still want to learn about wine... Organised wine tours may just be the thing for you.
Our friends over at iYellow Wine Club run some great tours out of Toronto to the Niagara wine region. On these tours you get great access to the wineries, and structured tastings. You get to ‘feel’ what the wine is all about, and learn more than just what is written on the label. At a lot of the stops you can talk to the winemaker, and find out what they are hoping you will taste in their wines. Ange and Pax run their tours focusing on emerging oeniphiles, that’s not to say that if you have a bit more ‘experience’ you won’t learn anything - but the crowd skews a bit younger.
Just about every wine region has regular wine tours, just do a little digging and ask questions to make sure that the tour suits your personality.
Not into organised tours? Well, there are a lot of great guide books to the worlds wine regions, my current fave for the local area is: ‘Crush on Niagara’. The book details directions to the wineries, history and back-story, types of wine they produce, best buys, and of course the hours that they are open.My copy isn’t that old - a month or two - and already it’s dog eared with lot’s of notes in the margins. I’m looking forward to a great summer of touring and tasting wine.
Pupusas and the elusive taste.
Sometimes (most times, all the time?) it’s all about location and the experience of the day. Battered and deep fried maple leaves will never be as good as that day in Mino Japan, Chai! Chai! Chai! you need to be on a train in India or Pakistan otherwise it just doesn’t work. Everything else pales in comparison.So here is my dilemma... I live in Toronto, not exactly a bustling hot bed of Central America cooking, but in Kensington Market there are a bunch of stores that cater to a growing population from that region. There was a Pupusa stand at the back of the Perola supermarket, where every Saturday and Sunday you could get Pupusas made to order. There were a couple chairs that sat in the aisles among all the groceries, and while this could never be mistaken for haute cuisine... it was incredible. There was a charm, that you couldn’t replicate and the Pupusas were great.
Or were they? I don’t know. For years this was the only place I knew to get them, and when other places opened I had built a relationship with the people behind the counter.
All good things must end, and the cook retired to be replaced by someone who makes tacos...
So this started my search for another Pupusaria. I was at another place this weekend, don’t remember the name, it was in Kensignton but somehow didn’t live up to my memory. Will I ever find what I’m searching for? Maybe I need to take a trip to El Salvador.
To that end, here is a recipe that I “made up” after eating a similar dish in a restaurant somewhere in Kentucky. The food wasn’t so great, but this recipe rocked. Citrus pickled red onions recipe.