Authenticity and Approximation

Howdy!

People all have their personal favourites when it comes to flavour profiles. For some, it's the sour tang of a dill pickle, or the salty richness of cheese curds, or the clean sweetness of a really good vanilla ice cream.

For Kari, one of them is the always popular Thai-style Satay chicken with peanut sauce. Satay basically means meat on a skewer, rather than the peanut sauce itself (which is something wikipedia JUST taught me). But due to the popularity of the sauce that goes with the meat-on-a-stick, it's generally just called Satay.

Anyhoo, it was my night to cook and Kari wanted the Satay Chicken w. Peanut Sauce goodness. Easy enough, right? Well, as it turns out, there is almost never an exact universal version of some recipes or standards in the food biz. Maybe basic poutine (fries, curds, gravy), but not much else. And God help you if you try to find THE authentic recipe for something, because every household, from Vietnam to Vermont, has "THEIR" version of the local standard and while they all have similarities, none are usually the same. So, finding the "authentic" version of anything can be a snipe hunt.

And this is why I personally scoff at the notion of "authentic" cuisine. Frak authentic, give me TASTY!!! Perfect example: I was talking to a buddy about BBQ in Ottawa and how it compares to his buddy's in Georgia. And, as it turns out, the "authentic" Georgian way is little seasoning on the meat, all flavour comes from an array of BBQ sauces (which is completely different from the other BBQ styles that I tend to emulate, but you get my point). If I personally think I can make something better than the "authentic" version, I'm gonna give tradition the two-fingered salute and forge ahead. In the case of BBQ, make both rub and sauce as flavourful and complimentary as possible and you can't go wrong.

Another example: a colleague of Mexican descent once lamented to me about the use of tomatoes in guacamole being "blasphemous", which I think is ridiculous. Tomatoes are delicious and compliment avocado perfectly!

So, all this to say, when I started looking at different recipes for the "traditional" peanut sauce, I figured the only way to go was make it my own and *approximate* the flavour profile as best I could. This, to me, is pretty much the essence of good cooking and the greatest challenge. It isn't a recipe that's going to make something taste the way it "should", it's your palette as a cook. If it's supposed to taste bland or safe or who-knows-what, then change it!

So, that's what I did. Most recipes I saw called for the use of peanut butter, chillies and a variety of spices. I had a vision of coconut milk, peanut butter, curry paste, Sriracha and lime juice. Luckily, someone else in Internet land was able to confirm that I was able to confirm that I was on the right track:  http://shesimmers.com/2009/03/how-to-make-thai-peanut-sauce-my-moms.html

Now, since it's me, I did not adhere to the above recipe exactly. I never do, it's just not my style (with some exceptions, like Doomsday Bars). Also, instead of making it a dipping sauce, I thought it might be fun to make it a marinade for the chicken. So I did! Here's how:

"Satay" Chicken

Serves 2-4, depending on appetite

- 1 lb. (1/2 kg) skinless, boneless chicken. I go with chicken thighs usually, mainly because they have more flavour and are much cheaper than breast.

Marinade

- 1 400 ml (14 oz.) can coconut milk (just under 2 cups)
- 2 tbsp chunky peanut butter
- 1 tbsp red curry paste (I used store-bought stuff, but it's always better to make your own if you can)
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger or galangal




Piecing together the marinade

- Whisk all ingredients together. Place chicken in a zipper bag with marinade and toss to ensure marinade covers all the chicken. Let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Marinate, my pretties, marinate!

- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Grill chicken for about 6-8 minutes per side, turning once, until cooked through. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the meat. If you're cooking a large breast, it'll take longer.

Now, all good protein needs a side. In this case I whipped up an Asian-style slaw using cabbage and mango:

Asian Mango Slaw

Serves 4, at least

Dressing

- 4 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- juice of 1/2 lime (and some zest if you like)
- 3-4 drops of fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce
- pinch smoked paprika

- Whisk ingredients together in non-reactive bowl and let sit in fridge while you make the Slaw.

Slaw

- 1/2 white or Napa cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 red cabbage, shredded
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 mango, diced
- 2 green onions, trimmed and finely sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

- Mix ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in Dressing and serve.

Tasty vegetative goodness!

And there's one man's approximation of a Thai feast!

Tadaaaaaaaa!

And you'll notice nowhere is there a dipping sauce! Crazy!

Enjoy!

A Toast to my Hometown's Better (and Newer) Eateries - Union: Local 613



I sometimes think that I was born under the astrological sign of "Lucky-ass Foodie" (with it's cusp in Venus of somesuch silliness). It was just a random Tuesday (that I happened to have off work) when I got an email from Kari showing that there's a new restaurant in town with some pretty intriguing menu choices direction. At least their Web site made it seem that way.

That restaurant is Union 613 and we just happened to show up on opening night, July 17. Their "vision" is "an Ottawa take on Southern hospitality" with a lot of interesting-looking takes on some of my favourite food. If you can get Southern food right, you'll make me a happy man!




The paint's barely dry!

 

Now, there was talk of the place being mainly "communal seating", but Kari and I were given a booth to ourselves. Admittedly it was pretty late on a school night, so the place had died down somewhat. But there was still a good crowd and you could see the owners were still feeling some opening night pressure.

Luckily, our server didn't seem too affected. He was a really friendly guy who took very good care of us. I'll be damned if a month later I can remember his name.



The decor was pretty cool with a lot of old pipes and an oddly industrial-yet-homey aesthetic. The drink-in-mason-jars was a nice touch too... But what mattered most, as with all restaurants I eat in, was the food.



 Mason jar of beer = claaaaaaassy!



Well, as a kind of complimentary starter, they provide you with a small dish of Boiled Peanuts. Basically, imagine your standard peanut in the shell, boiled. They're tasty, but a little weird in texture.

As we snacked on the nuts, we perused the menu. It's one of those ever-changing menus, so don't let the Web site fool you. There's a good chance what they have listed on there might be different from one night to the next. That being said, I'm sure there'll be some items that stay on all the time, like their "Yard Bird" (more on that later). The menu's divided into Snacks, Appetizers, Mains and Sides, but how they served it was the Snacks and/or Appetizers first, then everything else at once on a giant platter (actually, a baking sheet lined with butcher paper, which was kind of awesome).

So, first off was our Snack, and I couldn't freaking believe one of the items that was on the menu. If you've ever owned a dog, you know that Pig Ears are a treat for your pooch. So why they're on the menu of a hip new resto? Beats me, but you can bet your arse I was trying them! They came with a homemade Thousand Island Dressing that was super-tasty (lots of relish or pickles in it) and were AMAZING! Basically they had the flavour profile of bacon, but with a bit more crackle and firmness in the bite, almost like a potato chip. They were devoured in less than 5 minutes...



Pig Ears! Not just for dogs any more!



Next was time to order our Mains and Sides. Since we were sharing, Kari and I had to figure it all out together. There were a couple of sides we each insisted on getting (her the Cheddar and Roasted Garlic Grits, me the Lobster Macaroni Salad). We also figured we should get the Cornbread, because, well, Cornbread is kind of super-awesome goodness! And it came with Bourbon Brown Butter!As for the Mains, we decided we needed to try the "Yard Bird" (which is a Southern/Soul Food term for chicken, in this case, Fried Chicken) which comes with their in-house Pepper Vinegar. We weren't sure what else to try but they had a nightly pork special (Tenderloin cut in medallions with Tomato Gravy, I believe, but don't quote me on that) so we gave that a shot.

So how was it all? Well, there were some highlights and some disappointments. The Macaroni Salad was oddly disappointing in that it tasted EXACTLY like the Macaroni Salad we'd get with a bucket of KFC back in 1983, but with chunks of lobster in it (which itself was succulent). If that's what the chef was aiming for, he got it spot on. I personally was hoping for something more unique. The "Pork du jour" was slightly disappointing in that it had a bit of an overcharred quality on the outside (the inside, however, was moist and perfect) and it was WAY overpriced (20$ for three small-sized pieces). The Tomato Gravy that topped it was really good though. The Grits were good, but not my favourite. I found them a bit heavy. Kari, on the other hand, was in love, so it was a good choice. The Yard Bird was EXCELLENT! Moist and flavourful on the inside, crunchy and sizzling on the outside and not drowning in its own seasoning. Basically the way Fried Chicken should be. It came with the Pepper Vinegar, which was basically a better tasting ode to traditional Tabasco Sauce. The combination was pure Soul Food heaven. But what I enjoyed the most by far (well, after the Pig Ears) was the Corn Bread. The Bourbon Brown Butter on top helped it achieve a kind of decadent pudding-like quality. It was rich and delicious and buttery and just pure tastebuds-a-dancin' perfection!

 

 


Where to begin!?!? Clockwise from top left: Lobster Macaroni Salad, Cheddar and Roasted Garlic Grits, Cornbread with Bourbon Brown Butter, Pepper Vinegar, Yard Bird, Pork du jour with Tomato Gravy




Union's Pepper Vinegar, a homemade version of Tabasco Sauce


And that was that! The bill was fairly reasonable (just a little bit over 100 dollars for two people, including the food, two drinks each and tip), the food really good and the atmosphere a perfect combination of trendy and welcoming, with a very cool decor. I foresaw good things after this first visit and the subsequent reviews I've read seem to agree. All things considered, the quality of our meal and lack of major boo-boos for opening night demonstrated to me that they have a good thing going at Union 613.

Now I just need to try their lunch!


UPDATE: We went back last night (August 24) and indulged in some Bourbon Lemonade (probably the reason my head hurts today), Devilled Eggs (WITH BACON! GENIUS!) and Chicken Liver Mousse (totally like Grandmaman used to make, but with grilled peaches on the side!). Kari had Beef Brisket for her main and I had their Crawfish Boil (!!!!!). I got about halfway through before tossing in the towel and getting the rest to go... I foresee making a crawfish stock in the future. We also indulged in their Corn Bread (missing the Bourbon Brown Butter, major bummer) and Coleslaw, which was excellent (dill in slaw? Who knew?). The plating was more traditional, with everything coming on its own plate. Whether the "baking sheet" presentation is still around on request, I don't know. I hope so!
 Cheers!

MOAR BACON!

Hi there!

Alright, alright, I'll admit it, bacon is pretty much the most popular food in the world, at least it is definitely so online - it's all-frakking-pervasive. It's been written about ad nauseum and used in crazy, over the top food creations featured on Web sites like Epic Meal Time and the former This Is Why You're Fat, it's been the bane of vegetarians everywhere (seriously, it's the only meat product I know that hardcore vegetarians and vegans ever express missing), and it's probably making an entire generation of girlfriends a little crazy hearing odes to cured pork from their significant others...

Now, that being said, it's one thing to spout on and on about the stuff you buy at the store, it's quite another to talk about bacon made in your smoker and all its neat applications! As I've demonstrated before, I can make my own bacon from scratch *puffs out chest* and I like to do it once or twice a month. What can I say? Almost everything you make yourself tastes better!

An intrinsic quality of bacon (and really, any similarly cured/smoked/dried pork product like pancetta, prosciutto, speck and many others) is its versatility. Bacon is used in any the day's meals, at any time of the day and can be included in all courses, even dessert. Ever have Candied Bacon on a scoop of really good vanilla ice cream? Neither have I, but I betcha THAT is a dessert worthy of remembrance. (Note to self, make Candied Bacon. SOON!)

So, in order to celebrate the versatile goodness of our favourite pork product, I present to you three different applications that I put together using a slab of home-smoked bacon.


Application 1 - Spinach Salad w. Bacon, Strawberries and Maitake Mushrooms

One way to eat bacon that's a little more healthy than a plate full of strips is to add it to a salad. And a "traditional" application is in a Spinach Salad. Now, back in my salad days (i.e. when I was a salad cook), Spinach Salad was a mix of spinach, walnuts, sliced white mushrooms, strawberries, bacon bits and a raspberry vinaigrette. My version is similar, using Maitake mushrooms, pecans instead of walnuts and adding Parmesan cheese over top.

My dressing was a combination of blueberries (1/2 cup), balsamic vinegar (3 tbsp), olive oil (3 tbsp), salt and pepper (to taste), smoked paprika (pinch), lime juice (2 tsp) and lime zest (1 tsp). I just tossed it all in a food processor and that was that!

Spinach Salad

Application 2 - Bacon-Poblano Butter

Compound butters are a really neat way to express your culinary creativity and they're quite easy to make. Normally, a compound butter is a mix of butter and other ingredients, such as herbs and wine, that is then refrigerated, cut into rounds and goes on top of a steak. In this case, I broke from tradition and kept the butter soft so we could spread on some delicious Bread and Sons Sourdough Baguette. So here's how it was made:

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tbsp cooked bacon, minced
- 2 tbsp smoked or roasted poblano pepper, minced (to smoke poblano, coat in oil and smoke at 225-250 degrees Fahrenheit for 2-3 hours, until flesh has softened and skin can be peeled with ease. You can roast the poblano in the oven at the same heat for the same time or increase to shorten cooking time, but you'll have to watch to ensure there are no flare-ups from the oil)
- 2 tbsp white wine
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- salt and pepper to taste (you shouldn't need salt, enough comes from the bacon)
- 2 tsp cilantro, minced (optional)

- Mix all ingredients together with a fork or in a food processor until well-blended.
- Spread on warmed bread

Bread and Bacon-Poblano Butter

Application 3 - Bacon Nachos

Now, one final awesome aspect of bacon is its ability to, if you're brave enough, be used substitute for ground meat. At least one restaurant chain has used ground bacon to make a hamburger. Ow, my arteries. But I do think a smattering of uncooked bacon mixed into the ground beef used in a burger would be an excellent touch. I'll have to put that on the to-do list...

In the meanwhile, I was somewhat obsessed with the next item in our bacon-o-rama: Bacon Nachos. It's no secret that I'm a HUGE pro wrestling fan and there's really no better way to enjoy freakishly large people pretending to beat each other up than with nachos and beer. So, it was Monday night, time for WWE Raw, and I wanted me some Bacon Nachos, goddammit!

Only problem was that there was no salsa in the house. Not to worry though! I made my own! Now, the following is a quick, in-a-pinch recipe for what I call "Pan Salsa" and it really only makes enough to one decent baking sheet full of nachos (a little over a cup). If you're looking for a more prolific salsa recipe, move along...

Pan Salsa

This is a fairly mild salsa suitable for just about all but the wimpiest of palettes for spice.

Ingredients

- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 small onion, diced

- 2-3 ripe tomatoes, diced
- 1 small bell pepper, diced (I prefer red)
- 1 tsp chili powder (I used a home made mix of powdered arbol and guajillo chilis, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika)
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tsp tomato paste (optional - if you like a thicker salsa)
- 2 tsp fresh cilantro (optional)

- Heat oil in a small saucepan on medium-high heat and sauté onions and garlic.
- Add tomatoes, pepper, seasoning and vinegar (and paste if using). Stir together and let come to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, if using.

OK, moving on, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for, BACON NACHOS!!!!!!

Ingredients

- 4-5 strips of cooked bacon, minced into "bits" size (add more if you like, be my guest!)
- 1 300g bag of tortilla chips (I like to use Neal Brothers Organic Blue Corn)
- 1 batch Pan Salsa (see above)
- 1 cup each grated Monterey Jack and Extra Old Cheddar cheeses
- 1 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
- hot sauce to taste

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Set out a layer of tortilla chips (don't feel compelled to use the whole bag, I never do).
- Spoon salsa over chips, then spread bacon out evenly across chips.
- Top with cheese and bake for about 15 minutes, until top of cheese starts to turn golden brown.
- Serve how you like (on plates, on the baking sheet, whatever) and top with as much hot sauce and cilantro as you like.

Bacon Nachos. 'nuff said

 So, there you go, just a few ideas on how to get your bacon fix outside the same ol' BLT or bacon n' eggs.

ENJOY!!!!!!

Not Your Average Sandwich - GRILLED CHEESE!!!!

Let's face it, it's hard not to like a sandwich. A good sandwich often incorporates your four basic food groups and even the simple Peanut Butter and Jam has three of them (OK, well, maybe jam isn't exactly fruit, but it's close!). They're quick, easy to make and easy to make tasty! Sure, they can get pretty complicated, but simplicity is usually the name of the sandwich game.

There is, however, one variation of the sandwich that's maybe a bit more complicated than slapping some meat and bread together but might be the pinnacle of comfort food and is probably one of the first things we ever cooked as children using heat. I'm talking, of course, about the Grilled Cheese sandwich (I'll ignore that any suspense about that fact was ruined by the post's title).

I find it funny how we've tried to 'pretty up' the grilled cheese by using fancy machines and calling it a "panini" (just teasing, I know paninis aren't quite the same thing, but there is some correlation). When I was a kid, we'd use the flat end of a waffle iron, slather white bread with butter (because, thankfully, margarine was something my mother would simply not accept in her kitchen) and throw on processed cheese slices (ok, so we avoided margarine yet used plastic cheese, I'm still confused about it).

Since then, I've seen numerous sandwich presses come and go, none of which I could figure out how to use properly, and had basically given up on the grilled cheese as more trouble to make than it's worth.

But somewhere along the line, I was shown the simplest and best way to make grilled cheese and the only implements you needed were a pan and a spatula (and a stovetop, obviously).

Here's the basic formula for Grilled Cheese:

For one sandwich:

Ingredients

- 1 tsp softened butter
- 2 slices of bread (I'm a fan of multi-grain or rye bread)
- 4-5 slices of Old Cheddar (or whatever cheese you like, but this is the most common cheese I use)

Directions

- Spread softened butter on one side of each slice of bread.
- Heat pan on medium-high heat.
- Place one piece of bread butter-side down in the pan.
- Add cheese and top with other slice of bread, butter-side up.
- Brown bread until crispy and golden. Flip and do the same on the other side. During this process, your cheese should be melting nicely.
- Once both sides are golden brown, remove from heat, cut in half and serve.

Fairly simple, right?

Now, while this might be sufficient a snack for any of us, who doesn't want to pimp their sandwich a little?

Case in point, I made a Grilled Cheese featuring Pulled Pork, Blue Cheese and Smoked Cabbage.
Let's see how it went!

First layer - cheese! Old Cheddar on one side, crumbled Blue Cheese on the other. The bread is a light rye.

Next, the Pulled Pork.

Layer 3 - the Smoked Cabbage.


Then I fried it up as normal and served it with a salad of mixed greens and pickled veggies.

The finished product!

Needless to say, it was decadently delicious, but I recommend only having one at any given time (unless you enjoy a protuberant belly).
And if you're thinking I'm being a Grilled Cheese show-off, I got nothing on this blogger: http://www.grilledcheesesocial.com/

Alright, that's it for today! Enjoy the cheesy snarfing!

A Toast to my Hometown's Better Eateries - Brothers Beer Bistro

It's a good time to be a beer lover in Ottawa!

It first started about 20 years back with local restos introducing micro-brewed beer here and there. Then the Clock Tower opened its doors in the 90s and there were a few little microbreweries that opened in the early 2000s. In the past 6 or so years, however, it's like a floodgate has opened. This region has seen several new breweries open their doors: Beau's Brewery opened in 2006 as a fairly small mom n' pop operation and is now renowned across the region, Brasserie du Temps opened their brewpub in 2009, Kitchissippi is a recently opened local brewery, but they too are growing. More and more "micros" are opening across Ontario and Quebec every year. By the end of 2012, three new brewpubs will have opened in Ottawa: Mill Street Brewpub, Big Rig in the West End and Montréal standard Les 3 brasseurs will open a brewpub right in the heart of the government district in November.

Stemming from this "Beer Renaissance" is a renewed respect for beer as a worthy contender in food pairing to wine. Beer is no longer just for frat boys and NASCAR fans, it's come into its own as a beverage of depth, variety, quality and flavour. So, surely there's a market need for be a restaurant that caters to the beer-drinking gourmet and offers more of a variety to sample than the in-house product provided by most brewpubs (not saying what the brewpubs provide is bad or inadequate, it's simply limited by their own unique approaches to making beer). Enter Brothers Beer Bistro.

This place is fairly unassuming with a very bare-bones decor that's nicely accentuated by art on the walls, but it's clear that they're looking to attract the more casual upscale diner. I was also impressed that our server was a tattoo-sporting charming young Acadian lady named Marie (if you've ever spent time with Acadians, you know they're pretty much the coolest people in the country, even if you can't quite understand their French). Clearly, even though the menu looked pretty high-end (conceptually at least), pretension was not on it.

So, we got a couple of drinks to start our meal (Kari is one of those occasional beer drinkers, so she decided on a vodka-soda for her first drink, what can you do?). A nice touch at Brothers is their wide selection of beers; they have both a bottled and draft beer menu but it doesn't go into the "100s of beers" selection that some places have, which I always thought was a bit tacky... That being said, it is a fairly fluid menu as there are items on the restaurant menu that aren't on the Web site. Oh well...

I was lucky to find Cameron's Rye Pale Ale on the menu. Cameron's is one of those breweries that makes super-tasty beers that I don't drink nearly often enough, probably due to an instance many years back of ingesting too many too fast and getting extra-messy as a result. So, I figured I was due.

Now this was the second time I'd ever had a "Rye Beer", the first being at Pain Béni in March. That beer tasted like gingerbread, this one tasted more like a very light rye bread that somehow was baked with a lot of hops. It was freakin' delicious either way, but VERY hoppy, which when pairing with food can be a bit heavy-duty on the palette.




Cameron's Rye Pale Ale



Now, moving onto the food. We ordered a bunch of small plates, mainly because they tend to be more interesting fare and it's more fun to share, right? We went with the Asparagus Salad, the Pierogies, the Tuna Crudo and their Cheese Plate.

Marie started us out with bread and two kinds of butter. One was made with hops and it was a little sour but not remarkable. The other one, though, was a Roasted Malt butter that tasted of chocolate and angel kisses. SO GOOD!

Roasted Malt butter... droooool...

We got everything all together and shared so I'll review it a plate at a time.

Pierogies w. Confit Pig Cheek, Sauvagine Cheese and Potato Broth

This was a fairly simple rendition of a staple of Slavic cookery. The pierogi dough itself was perfect, tender with just a little bit of elasticity and a slightly sweetish flavour reminiscent of pancakes. The cheese filling was tasty, if a bit understated and we both found the broth a little bland. All of this matters not a whit because of two words: Pig Cheek. Imagine the Food Gods decided to make bacon-flavoured perfection. Well, I think this was a pretty decent approximation of that divine concept. It was luxurious and buttery and utterly delicious. So, just for that element, the plate was a winner.

Worth it if only for the pig cheek!

Tuna Crudo (Radler Cured) w. Pig's Ear Crackling, Tarragon Remoulade and Dulse

OK, so you might be looking at the write-up on this one and wondering "what the eff does all this mean?", and I don't blame you, because I was wondering the same thing. So, I'll break it down for you. Tuna crudo, is essentially cured raw tuna. OK, that was simple enough. What do they mean by "Radler cured"? Well, Radler is (according to wikipedia) a German drink consisting of beer mixed with soda pop or lemonade, kind of like a Shandy. So, the tuna was cured in that, which nicely corresponds to the Bistro's vision of preparing a lot of their food with beer. The cure lent a nice brightness to the fish (making me think it was beer and lemonade they used in it). Next is the crackling, which is basically pig skin crisped up. This added a big dose of prosciutto-like saltiness to the dish. It was delicious, but kind of elbowed the delicate tuna in the face. The tarragon remoulade (the whitish little dots all over the plate) was a nice creamy touch and paired perfectly with the tuna. The dulse is a kind of algae (I KNOW, CRAZY!) that adds a nice salty, but complimentary, crunch to the plate. I found that the plate didn't actually need the crackling as an element (maybe on the side as a bonus?) simply because the dulse took care of the salty requirement. Oh, and the little pink dots were pickled radishes that added a fun little tang to the plate. In the end, I really enjoyed this one. Extra bonus points for the gorgeous presentation.

Tuna Crudo - So pretty!

Asparagus Salad w. Smoked Parmesan, Artisan Lettuce, Crispy Capers, Preserved Lemon and Anchovy Vinaigrette

As you read through the might be noticing a trend here: The Beer Bros. chef (Exec. Chef Darren Flowers) likes his saltiness! Well, it does make some sense considering that beer and salty food pair well together (more salt leads to more beer drinking!). But also, consider this: the salty elements of each dish are actually part of ingredients that make up the dish (capers, anchovies, cured pork) rather than the chefs just dumping a bunch of salt in the food.

OK, so as it relates to this salad, I found that it was a really fun play between the tangy citrus flavours in the vinaigrette and preserved lemons and the salty anchovies, capers and cheese. The mix of flavours was in danger of overpowering the flavour of the asparagus (which is supposed to be the star of the dish, after all), but it was just restrained enough not to. And then there were the Crispy Capers. Move over Doritos, potheads have just found a new best snack!

All kinds of fun going with this salad.

Next up was the Cheese Plate, featuring Tomme de Savoie (a semi-firm cow's milk, brie-like but creamier), Magie de Madawaska (sharp and creamy, very tasty), Valdéon (Spanish blue, smooth but potent), apple compote, and pickled ramps. It was all very good, as a proper cheese plate should be.



Not sure what the burn marks are for...



By this time, we needed a new round of drinks. I decided to give the Spearhead "Hawaiian-style" Indian Pale Ale (IPA). It was a very nice brew with a strong hoppiness, but countered with the sweetness of pineapple. A really good summer beer, I wager!

An added bonus on the wine menu was Kari's next drink: a glass of Velvet Devil Merlot out of Washington State. I've mentioned this wine before, but I feel the need to repeat: GODDAMN THAT'S GOOD WINE! Too bad you can only get it at certain restaurants. Methinks a bootlegging run to the Pacific Northwest is in order...

After we had our drinks and finished our food, we got the bill, which came out to around 100 bucks total. Not too steep at all considering the quality and variety of the food and drink. I won't say Brothers is my new favourite establishment, but it bridges the gap between 'pub fare' and gourmet very well without being "gastropub" expensive, and that's always a good thing! So, give it a shot, chances are you'll be well pleased, especially if Marie serves you! (What? Acadians are hot!)

Cheers!

Mill Street Brewpub's 3rd Brewmaster's Dinner - June 21, 2012

Round 3 - FIGHT!

Seriously though, this is the 3rd installment of Mill Street Brewpub's Brewmaster's Dinner, and after the first two, my expectations were pretty freakin' high. Said expectations were also fed by the fact that the Brewpub posts the menu ahead of time on their Web site to get the ol' mouth watering. Par for the course with the 1st and 2nd Brewmaster's Dinners, the second (appetizer) and fourth (main hunk o' meat course) courses were the ones that were most intriguing for me. The app was a Trout Cake with pickled veggies (a new passion of mine) and the main was Braised Beef Short Ribs (DROOL!).

Needless to say, I'm a pretty big supporter of the Brewpub and as long as they keep putting on these Brewmaster's Dinners, I'll be there! Another bonus was that this Dinner was in honour of Ontario Craft Brewing Week. So, as might be expected, Brewmaster Joel Manning had a lot to say about the recent growth of craft brewing in Canada. In a nutshell, Canada had its brewing industry decimated by the temperance movement and prohibition in the 1920s, leaving only a few stragglers who learned to make beer that is, as Mr. Manning put it, "extraordinarily OK". Luckily, restrictions have eased in the past ten or so years, allowing for far more interesting and tasty Canadian-made beers to hit the market. And that makes me a very, very happy little drunkard!

OK, time to move on to the food! Before we get started, here's what was on the menu:

Looks tasty, eh? So, let's get into it!

1st course - Meatball in pastry w. Blueberry-Shallot compote - with Blueberry Wheat Beer

Ah, the amuse-bouche. There's been a kind of humorous chaos in each of these dinners where the service and presentation of this course seems a bit slapdash, probably because there are always stragglers filing in while the servers are trying to get things underway.

But, how's the food? Well, in this case, I was quite pleased by two out of the three elements, a little ambivalent towards the third. The pastry shell in which the meatball was served was spot-on: buttery, crisp and flaky, but still light-tasting. The sauce was totally delicious: bright, sweet, tart with the undertone of umami that can only come from a shallot. As for the meatball, well, it was good, but not great. There was a nice bite of fennel, but no spice and the meat itself was a bit dry.


Oh, the blueberrific goodness...

As for the beer, it was an absolutely perfect pairing. The blueberry in the sauce brought out the blueberry in the beer without making it too sweet or cloying. This will certainly not be the last glass of Blueberry Wheat Beer I'll be consuming this Summer! Oh wait, as of this writing, I've had at least two bottles of it...

2nd course - Trout Cake topped with Pickled Vegetables w. WeissBier

Oh yeaaaaaaah, now it's getting interesting! As you may or may not know, I loooooooooove fish, I also loooooove crab cakes, and the resulting fusion was a beautiful rendition of an old classic that was moist and flavourful, and not nearly as rich than one would expect from a crab cake, probably because of the use of such a light-tasting fish. That was not a bad thing (keep in mind, 3 courses remain!) The addition of pickled vegetables also added a nice tangy element to the dish, giving a pleasant, almost refreshing, balance.

Almost too pretty to eat. Almost...

Then there was the beer... The WiessBier was a refreshing Summery white German-style beer with all kinds of freaky little flavour notes. The tasting notes on the menu made mention of a bit of clove flavour coming from the yeast they use, but on top of that there were hints of turmeric, fennel, and even banana chips!

When paired with the Trout Cake, the result was a kind of flavour explosion that blended into a beautifully creamy finish on the palate. All in all, it was a very well done pairing. Once again, the second course was one of the meal highlights. I'm beginning to wonder if there's some of tradition in the 5-course meal that courses 2 and 4 are meant to be the standouts, or is it just how Mill Street's Chef Shawn Jackson operates? Regardless, he and his staff three-for-three on epic appetizers/soups!

3rd course - Salad w. Apples, smoked cheddar and prosciutto w. Pilsner

Next up was the salad course (an absolute necessity on this hot Summer night). Now, last time, I was disappointed by how small the salad was. Clearly, my mental projection of dissatisfaction was heard by the powers-that-be in the kitchen. This was a very simple salad, only 3 elements other than the lettuce (not counting the dressing): apples, crispy prosciutto and smoked cheddar, but they came together to provide a whole range of flavour combinations: sweet, salty, smoky, creamy, tangy and bitter. The apple-honey dressing was a simple flavouring that highlighted the apples and made the whole thing come together very well.



Now THAT's a salad!

The Pilsner beer pairing was an added bonus in this dish. It really served to tie all the salad elements together and make a very well-rounded course. And now, a little something about Pilsner. As someone who lived in the land where Pilsner was invented (the Czech Republic), I can tell you that what we have here called Pilsner beer (e.g. Labatt Blue) is a poor imitation of what the real thing is supposed to taste like. So, when Mill Street starting putting out a Pilsner at the Brew Pub, I was intrigued to see if I'd enjoy it. Turns out I do! They very capture the Czech flavour profile very well.

Unfortunately, the menu writers made a small mistake when printing the beer menu. They say the beer is in the "German style". Not even close! German-style beers are usually much more bitter and less tasty (in my opinion). I was glad Joel the Brewmaster cleared up the mistake and pointed out that this is in the "Bohemian style" (Bohemia is a region of the Czech Republic). So, as a good Czech beer fan, I couldn't let the typo stand:



Making a critical correction.

 
4th course - Braised Beef Short Rib w. Stilton jus, potatoes, grilled asparagus and crispy onions w. Brown Ale

Main event, I mean course, time!

Oh man, did they ever get this one right! This was a symphony of beefy goodness. Stilton jus? Crispy onions (think onion rings without batter)? Asparagus? Drooooooooool...

The beef was fork-tender, coming off the bone effortlessly (all I really had to do was look at it) and so rich and salty (but not too much so)and delicious! The jus added even more depth of flavour and richness. It was like the best elements of a pot roast done to the nth degree.

The asparagus was a perfect bright contrast, giving the plate a bit more lightness and making it easier to justify all that meat.

If I have one complaint, it's that I found the potatoes a little dry. Luckily, there was a lake of gravy deliciousness to soak 'em in!


Image slightly blurred due to meatgasms

Oh, what's that next to my beefy masterpiece? A Brown Ale you say? How did you know that's one of my favourite styles of beer? You peered into my dreams? OK, well thank you for invading my brain, Beer Faerie! You're kinda the best!

Yeah, the beer pairing took the Short Rib home run and turned it into a grand slam. The beer's deep caramel colour and flavour, with nutty, chocolate elements all served to bring a fantastic mouth-feel. One comparison I made to my table-mates was that the combined elements were like God's Bovril. Another bonus to the Brown Ale is that, while have a deep rich flavour, it's actually a pretty easy-drinking beer and not at all as filling as a dark beer can tend to be.

All in all, they totally nailed the main course.

5th course - "Banana Split" - Spice cake and banana ice cream w. praline and vanilla-beer sauce w. Ambre de la Chaudière

I have to admit it, the dessert courses from the first two Brewmaster's Dinners were good, but they didn't blow my mind. This one, however, came pretty damn close! The cake was moist and tasty but not overpowering with the spices (not even close to the painfully overflavourful fruitcake-type dessert one thinks of when they hear 'spice cake') and paired very well with the banana ice cream, which was also made with the Ambre de la Chaudière beer, but I didn't taste too much of the beer in it, more a sort of a nice complimentary richness. The vanilla-beer sauce (the dark spots on the side of the plate) evoked my beloved Vanilla Porter, so that was a win also. The only flub was in the pralines, which were delicious, but a little to hard to bite through. I kept thinking I was going to crack a molar!


Beer and ice cream? Why not? Beer in ice cream? Even better!

Moving on to the pairing, well, it was Ambre de la Chaudière, which had also been the dessert beer at the first Brewmaster's Dinner. I didn't much care for it then, except when tasting it alongside the dessert, and it was the same case here. The beer was really only good when tasting it with the cake and ice cream (and it was pretty darn good then).

I know the Mill Street folks are really jazzed about their Ambre de la Chaudière and if you're a fan of that style of beer, I'm sure it's the cat's PJs. I simply don't enjoy the "bière de garde" style on its own. It does pair very well with sweet food though!

And there you have it, another grand ol' time at the Mill Street Brewpub! If I was to rank all three dinners Olympic-style, I'd say the April one gets the bronze, this one gets the silver, and the first one in March narrowly gets the gold, mainly due to the Lobster Bisque (best. soup. EVER!).

On the "sad trombone" side of things, it appears that the next Brewmaster's Dinner won't be until October, in celebration of Oktoberfest. Let's hope it doesn't conflict with Beau's Oktoberfest!

Until then, I'm going to have try a beer and food pairing dinner of my own! If you do the same, please let me know how it turns out via comment.

Cheers!

Pickle now, crunch later...

Hi there!

I've talked about my love of pickled foods more than a few times, but I haven't really had a chance to go crazy with the pickle-making until a couple of weeks ago.

Pickling veggies for me is almost the culinary equivalent of making art from garbage. I was on a mad fridge cleaning mission and was getting a bit frustrated with all the dairy and other food going into the trash (note to self, cottage cheese is only a good idea if you KNOW you're going to eat it right away). When I got to the crisper drawer, I was faced with shrivelling cucumbers, wrinkling peppers, limpening carrots and (very slowly) imploding golden beets. It was too late for the liquified celery, but I was determined to salvage as much of this vegetable matter as possible. Best way to give new life to old veg? Pickle those suckers!

Now, traditional store-until-zombie-apocalypse pickling is basically the same process as "fridge pickling" with an extra step: You bathe the full Mason jars in boiling water to create a seal and disinfect the jars. Now, that doesn't work for me for two reasons: first, I don't have that many Mason jars, and second, I'm terrified that the boiling water will somehow cause the jars to shatter (I admit it, I have a bit of a neurosis about broken glass ever since I was a kid and had a tiny shard of glass stuck in my foot for months and finally had to dig it out with a pair of scissors. Eep). So, until I get over my glass neuroses,  it's a fridge-pickler's life for me, yo-ho!

It was also a grand opportunity to do some vinegar clean-up, using bits of nearly empty bottles of white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, plain ol' white vinegar, tarragon vinegar, cider vinegar, and even a little balsamic for good measure. Now, this was done mainly out of necessity since I was low on the white wine vinegar I'd normally use, not to mention the white vinegar I would use if out of white wine vinegar, and in the end I had to buy more anyway...

But for the sake of putting out a recipe that makes some sort of sense, I'll stick with only two kinds of vinegar in these recipes, but trust me, they'll still turn out great!

Also, since the most common form of pickled veg are cucumbers, I'm calling those 'pickles', because we all do.




These jars were much fuller two weeks ago...



Pickled Golden Beets and Carrots

Makes one small jar's worth.

Ingredients

- 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2-3 golden beets (instructions for beets to follow) - you can use 'regular' beets, but everything will be tinted by the beets - I find the colour profile of golden beets with carrots very bright and cheering.
- 1 half onion, peeled and sliced
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/2 tsp pickling spice (the spice mix I had included allspice - probably too much of it, coriander seeds, cinnamon pieces, cloves, mustard seeds, and peppercorns) - you might want to pick through the spice to make sure you aren't using too much of one element over the other.
- 1 tbsp kosher salt (depending on how salty you like it - you can add more if you want it industrial-strength salty)
- pinch of red chili flakes (a little heat makes this even better)
- 1/2 tsp sugar (or more if you want it really sweet)
NOTE: As with most spice blends and trying new things out, sometimes it's best to try your own ideas out and see how they go. I'd love to do some pickling using various dried chilis like guajillo, pasilla and mulatto.

Directions

 - First, you want to roast your beets for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees farenheit. Once cooked, set the, aside to cool. Once cool enough, peel the skins off beets. You may get orange fingers as a result. Live with it.

- Next, slice your beets. A lot of recipes call for whole beets, but this is small batch pickling and slices are better for this recipe.

- Place carrots, beets, onion and thyme in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- In a saucepan, combine remaining ingredients to make pickling liquid and bring to a boil.

- Remove from heat and carefully pour pickling liquid over veggies in the jar. If there's too much liquid and not all the spices are coming out, spoon them out and add to the jar.

- Let cool without a lid until lukewarm. Close lid and refrigerate for an hour or so before serving.



Pickled Orange and Yellow Peppers

Ingredients

- 1 orange Bell pepper, cleaned and sliced into rings
- 1 yellow Bell pepper, cleaned and sliced into rings
- 1 half onion, peeled and sliced
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

The rest of the Ingredients and the Directions are exactly the same as with the Beets and Carrots.


Garlic Dill Pickles

I made a different pickling liquid for the cucumbers than the first two, mostly because dill pickles aren't supposed to be sweet!

Ingredients

- 3-4 Kirby cucumbers, cleaned and cut into spears (quartered length-wise, you may want to cut them in half, depending on their size)
- 3-4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh dill
- 1/4 tsp pickling spice
- 1 cup tarragon vinegar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
- pinch red chili flakes

Directions

It's the process is the same as the other pickles, but I have a couple of notes. First, you might noticed that garlic shows up twice as an ingredient. That's because you want the garlic slices in the jar with the cukes and dill before adding the pickling liquid, but you also want to flavour the liquid with more garlic, hence the crushed garlic clove. Because more garlic! Secondly, you might be wondering what's up with the tarragon (vinegar and herb). Well, all I can say is try it. I think it adds beautiful flavour to the pickles.

Otherwise, it the same process of: slice veg, put in jar, boil pickling liquid, pour into jar, let jar cool, refrigerate to give veggies crunch and that's that!

Clockwise from top left: Pickled Orange and Yellow Peppers, Pickled Golden Beets and Carrots, Garlic Dill Pickles


As an added bonus snack on ridiculously hot days, you should toast some rye bread, spread some plain yogurt on top, and put some of the Beet-Carrot Pickles and/or Pickled Peppers on top of that and enjoy!



Awesome Summer snacking

 And there you go! Get out there and turn your old veggies into deliciousness!

Cheers!