Eating in Ontario farm country

We spent a day in Ontario's farm country this week, starting with a visit to the St. Jacob's farmers' market - an annual ritual for us.   We arrived just in time for an early lunch at one of the best fish places in the area - Vandijk's Fish truck offering Alaskan pollock in a light crunchy batter at the fantastic price of $6 served on your choice of multigrain or white bun.  This is topped off with the yummiest apple fritter ever - this comment from someone who wouldn't go near a donut.  There is usually a lineup out the door for this treat on weekends.   A weekday visit makes this a more pleasurable experience - you head straight to the cashier, pay your dollar and a freshly made fritter is in your hands!

Fried fish from Vandijk's

Vandijk's truck

Apple fritter!

On the way out, as the market neared closing time, we got great deals on cantaloupes (look at the size!), big juicy peaches, and leeks, cherry tomatoes and potatoes.  

We next headed to Stratford for the afternoon performance of 42nd Street followed by a leisurely dinner at a new restaurant at the Mercer Hall Inn in the old location of the former Tango restaurant.  It was a complete makeover - all tastefully done, in more ways than one - and best of all, the focus is local.

Reminded of the California ban on foie gras, we decided to "indulge" as the menu suggested on the foie gras appetizer.  You can see how puny each of the 2oz servings were - they looked like sides with the ample serving of crustini.  My rating - serving too small to provide meaningful "indulging" - although it was uniquely good, as only foie gras can be!  What was actually a better deal were the seared scallops - done to perfection.  The seared duck on pulled duck and rice was excellent.  The schnitzel, a bow to Mennonite farm country, was an unexpected delight - two pieces of thin moist pork in light batter served with a warm potato and bacon salad with fennel and green apple slaw.  It was one of the best schnitzel we've had, certainly comparable or even better than the ones we tried in Berlin, if only because it was a more delicate serving size and likely local.  It was a wholly satisfying day for the palate!

Diinner?!

Foie Gras (on the side!)

Seared scallops

Seared duck and pulled duck confit with wild and red rice

Local pork schnitzel

Can't go wrong with chocolate ganache finish

Table Service at home

How hard is it to do table service for twelve guests at home?!  No mean task!  I was one of the lucky guests at a recent dinner and couldn't not talk about this fabulous treat.  And may be you can get some ideas for a simple but elegant menu that is easy to serve, timing of preparation suitably staggered to allow you time to enjoy the dinner yourself.

It was a special dinner celebrating the 45th anniversary of a group of people's arrival in Canada - certainly significant, definitely worth the effort, but still a lot of work for the hosts.  But through careful planning, smart organization and detailed preparation, our hosts achieved a seamless service without imprisoning themselves in the kitchen.  They were actually able to sit down and eat with us!

The guests all felt pampered.  Buffet style had been the norm for the last 45 years as families grew - and shrank.   Empty nests provided an opportunity for a more civilized way of eating.  Civilized, that is, for the guests...

Perfectly grilled scallops and jumbo tiger shrimp on a bed of chives

The popular tomato, avocado, basil, hearts of palm salad from an earlier post on this blog - can be made hours ahead

Our hostess spent two hours making the pasta sauce, sieving basil and garlic so it came out smooth and flavourful for our palates.  If you don't have two hours, maybe you can use ready-made pesto.

meanwhile the rack of lamb and quail sizzled on the BBQ - smashing when matched with an oaky cabernet sauvignon from Elderton

finishing with a melt in your mouth lemon panna cotta (made ahead and refrigerated) perfectly paired with a smooth Amarone 

and more desserts as we relax with Oolong tea:  contributions from the guests - 
rich tiramasu beside dark chocolate dipped strawberry

Finally,  this huge fruit contribution was passed around - we regressed back to helping ourselves - the only way to go when you've had too much...

In-flight Meals

Until recently we would expect free food, if only peanuts, when taking a commercial flight. In-flight meals came a long way when in the beginning, with unpressurized cabins and the planes flying low hitting turbulence was a given. The main concern with passenger flights was deciding how many air sickness bags to carry and not what food to serve. My parents fled to Hong Kong in 1949 where I was born upon arrival. Life was difficult and it took a few years before my father found a job with Hong Kong Airways. In 1956 the airline introduced a new Viscount V.700 series plane and arranged a test flight over Hong Kong for publicity. My father brought me along, and was able to sneak me on board and signaled me to sit in back. Some time into the flight a very pretty lady came by, smiled at me and gave me some water in a wine glass and a finger sandwich, probably left over from the service up front. It was a plain butter sandwich and it tasted really good. I don’t know whether it was the sandwich or the pretty lady, but from that moment on I became fascinated with airplane food… I have a photo of that flight. Please note the large oval window. You won't find that in modern planes.

 

Lots of Shrimps

Mr. A went to market in the morning and found two kinds of live shrimps.  There were large spot prawns (red shrimps with a white spot on each side of the abdomen) and the small coonstripe shrimps (red brown shrimps with irregular dark striping on the abdomen).  The coonstripes were not quite the length of a finger from head to tail.

Mr. A was in the mood for blanched shrimps.  He bought almost four pounds of coonstripes, which were more suitable for blanching because of their size and texture.  For lunch, he boiled a large pot of water, and put most of the shrimps in after turning off the heat.  Mr. and Mrs. A peeled and ate the shrimp meat with a  simple dipping sauce of soy and Thai chili peppers and drank sparkling wine.

 

Live coonstripe shrimps

Cooked shrimps, soy sauce with Thai peppers, sparkling wine

He saved some shrimps for making an egg dish in the evening. 

Shrimps and slow cooked eggs

Mr. A used the shrimp heads and shells to make “shrimp butter” and shrimp stock.  

To make “Mr. A’s shrimp butter” which, unlike the usual recipes, contains no shrimp meat:

·         Cut up shrimp heads and shells into small pieces;

·         Add a stick or two of butter (salted or unsalted, your choice);

·         (Optional) add seasoning and spices if so desired; sometimes I put in a couple of red chili peppers for heat;

·         Cook over low heat until the butter turns rosy orange with shrimp aroma and flavor;

·         Drain the butter and store in refrigerator. 

-    Use it for pasta and seafood dishes.

"Shrimp butter"

Shrimp heads and shells with a stick of butter

·         

Chicago Eats

I have never been to Chicago.  I would like to go there, if not for its architecture, at least for its good restaurants.  

I had three on my mind – Charlie Trotter’s (new American cuisine), Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill (Mexican) and Alinea (“molecular gastronomy”).

But it is too late to eat at Charlie Trotter’s.  It will close after celebrating its 25^th anniversary at the end of August of 2012.  Mr. Trotter will be going back to school to pursue a master degree in philosophy.  He said he would open another restaurant after school.  We will see.

Senor Rick Bayless lived in Mexico to learn Mexican cooking.  In recent years, he follows the path of many celebrity chefs to run an empire of restaurants.  He also appears on television often.  Can I expect him to be at the helm of his kitchen?  I am not sure.  

Alinea has been a success since its opening – Michelin-starred, World’s Top 50, etc.  The owner-chef, Grant Achatz, has survived cancer and stays on top of everything.  Reviews are always raving.  The pictures in his coffee table cookbook and on the restaurant website are artistic and inviting (an example is placed at the end of this post).  But, being a traditional eater, I am no longer sure about eating there after I realize that Alinea is as much art and theater as food and dining there is “an experience”.  That's just me.  Watch the video “Lamb 86”, released by Alinea in May this year, and see for yourself.  The video has been circulated on the internet, so you may have seen it already.  If you have not, here is a link http://alineaphile.com/2012/05/garnish-key-for-alinea-restaurants-lamb-86-recipe/.  “Lamb 86” is a course of sous-vide lamb three ways, served with a rich jus and an accompaniment of 60 condiments on a plexiglass tray.  Altogether there are 86 ingredients, thus the name.  The diners choose the condiments from the tray for the lamb.  The dish has a great visual impact.   It also poses a challenge.  What condiments would one choose?  What would one’s dinner companions choose?  Has one made the “right” choices?  I suppose there are no right choices; I don’t think the chef would include anything that ruins the course.  "Lamb 86" is fun.  But, if I am eating that dish, my three small pieces of meat would be long gone by the time I get to the 10^th condiment.  I would not know what to do with the untouched condiments.

May be I should just go to Chicago for its architecture.  (I am only kidding.  Chicago is a good food city.  There is no lack of wonderful restaurants.  Alinea should be experienced.  An eating trip is warranted.)

Candycap (Alinea)

Tastes of Greektown

This is the weekend of "Tastes of the Danforth" in Toronto, an annual food fest in Greektown which we had been in a habit of visiting in recent years.  For me, it was the draw of roasted quails and the yummy Greek dessert - Bougatsa.  There were many restaurants selling quails - I just went with the one that had the quails roasting on an open fire.  The quails all looked plump on the spit but the one that was handed to me always looked small!  But truly, it's all that's needed for lunch!  And I still had to leave room for the roasted corn and of course, the dessert.  

Choice of quails, chicken, pork and calamari
Those are not the only choices of course, all along the street there were all kinds of food, even dim sum!

Bougatsa - layers and layers of phyllo with a custard filling;  for me, the best and the least sweet of Greek desserts 

We arrived just before noon with plenty of time to look around and eat before the lineups like this began around one o'clock.  By that time, we were sitting back at Second Cup with our coffee and "take-in" dessert watching the crowds go by...

Souffle Souffle

I am sharing my soufflé here as well.   

It was a tiny one.  A warm Edam cheese soufflé with crispy bacon on top, paired with fromage blanc sorbet and a white sesame tuile to end my dinner at La Folie in San Francisco when we visited that city in late June.

It was a good dinner.  Mrs. A ate frog legs, escargots bone marrow gratin, seared foie gras, and foie gras torchon.  Mr. A had goat cheese tatin, a pig feet sweetbread and lobster terrine, seared foie gras before his soufflé.   

Our friend’s dessert was a huckleberry Baked Alaska, basil ice creams, served with lemon biscuit and huckleberry panna cotta.  It looked good, didn’t it?

Souffle!

One of the culinary delights on our California trip was a perfect souffle served with Gran Marnier cream.  This was dessert at the Beausejour Restaurant in "downtown" Los Altos.  

Souffle is one of those things like profiteroles - there is no 100% guarantee that they will turn out the right way.  I've had souffle at a four star restaurant before; it looked great on the outside but I had to return it to the kitchen because it was watery inside.  In this case, it was perfect inside and out - a repeat performance too!   We were there two years ago and already decided then that we will return if only just for this dessert.  

The rest of the meal was okay, reasonably priced, attractively served but mediocre.  The souffle, however, is priceless!  Worth the trip!

Server poked a knife into the centre and poured in the Gran Marnier cream at the table

Love Apple Farms

Since we're on the theme of tomatoes, I have to tell you about my visit to Love Apple Farms when I was in California recently.  "Love apple" is apparently an old French name for tomato so it is obvious that this is the star crop at the farm, which specializes in heirloom tomatoes, producing more than 100 varieties.  This is a biodynamic farm using an organic farming method that emphasizes the holistic interrelationships between soil, plant and animals.  It would be interesting to hear Akujiki's opinion on these tomatoes when he gets a chance to visit.


The farm is also the kitchen garden for the Michelin star restaurant Manresa in Los Gatos nearby.  We were at Manresa for a pre-wedding dinner several years ago.  It was one of the most refreshingly tasty meals we have had and obviously a focus on fresh organic ingredients was an important factor.

I was pleasantly surprised when these "Golden purses" were served as an appetizer at the dinner.  It was clearly an import from Chinese cuisine.  These were exquisitely done with mushrooms inside.

Roast suckling pig at Manresa, not quite Chinese style but certainly Chinese themed

This time around, we were at Love Apple Farms for a post-wedding brunch which was supplemented by a Chinese style roast pig.  The meal was delicious.  We were eating food right at the source.  I can literally taste the freshness in the fruit and vegetable salads; the berry scones were melt in your mouth.  

Fresh fruit and flowers from the farm

Melt in your mouth scones

Bring your own roast pig and get a discount!

After the brunch, the owner, Cynthia Sandberg, took us on a tour of the terraced farm sitting on the slopes of the Santa Cruz mountains.

View from the entrance

Farm tour with owner, Cynthia Sandberg

This is stevia, which can be used as a sweetener.  We were told to break off a part of a leave to taste it - it was like eating candy!

Early Girl is Here

Last week I received a phone call from the produce lady of Bi-Rite Market.  She said that Early Girl tomatoes would be in the store for a month or so.  That was happy news.  I had been asking grocers at my favorite markets for weeks about Early Girl, and all they could say was “they are coming soon”.  Early Girl ripens early in the tomato season, but weird weather in recent years makes it difficult to forecast its availability.  Last year I missed it altogether; I checked every week in early summer to no avail, then one day a junior grocer at the Co-op rolled her eyes and said impatiently, “Early Girl was an early tomato.  This is already August.”  Bitch!

Why am I so crazy about Early Girl?  Because it is the only sweet tomato that I can find in markets these days.  Okay, I have exaggerated a little: there are some orange colored cherry tomatoes that are sweet too.  Interestingly, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, even those from the same source as the orange ones, are not tasty at all.  I have no idea why that is the case.

Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when heirloom tomatoes from small local producers were sold at some farmers’ markets and special stores, they were expensive but delicious.  Starting in mid-2000, with big producers entering the market, heirloom tomatoes were available everywhere.  When I saw them in supermarkets, I knew that the end had come.  While the price dropped by half or more, and the look was the same as before, their taste was bland.  Even the ones at farmers’ markets (where not all vendors were farmers) did not guarantee taste any more.  My conclusion is that heirloom or not is not important; what matters are the production and distribution processes.  Only your local small farmers, or yourself if you are a gardener, can supply fresh vine ripe tasty tomatoes in season.

It was around that time that I found Early Girl.  It is a hybrid developed in France.  Its seeds were sold in the U.S. since 1975.  It is usually dry farmed, meaning that the vine is planted deep and it is not irrigated after planting.  The process results in small tomatoes with a concentrated flavor.   

Anyway, the day after I got the call from Bi-Rite, I drove there for the long awaited tomatoes.  On my way, I stopped at Monterey Market.  They had Early Girl too, and Odoriko as well (Odoriko 踊り子卜マト is a Japanese hybrid similar to Momotaro 桃太郎卜マト, a tomato that is very popular in Japan).  There were also Turkish figs, Washington Rainier cherries and Santa Rosa plums.  I got some of each.  At Bi-Rite, I bought more Early Girl tomatoes.  They filled up two bowls at home.

The Early Girl tomatoes from Bi-Rite were sweet and tasty though the skin was a bit on the thick side.  I ate some as is, and also make my usual tomato corn basil salad.  I need to go to Bi-Rite again for more. 

Those from Monterey Market, and the Odoriko, were not as sweet.  I cooked them to make a tomato broth for now (I cut the tomatoes into halves and cooked them in a covered pot over low heat.  There was no need to add water.  Toward the end, I added a little bit of sugar and black vinegar for flavor and complexity).  I may turn it into a tomato jam later.