A Farmers' Market Inspired Menu

 

Menu

Leek and Mushroom Soup with a Goat Cheese Crostini
❧
Pippa Goat Crottin and Chive Omelet with Steamed Green Beans
❧
Red Fingerling and Smoked Trout with Asiago Cheese
❧
A Salad of Radishes and their greens with Baby Kumatoes

Caroline

Fall is upon us and so is the desire to get back to a slower pace, a comforting routine and menu. So with this in mind, I decided to resume the MasterClass with Alice Waters, founder and owner of California’s renowned Chez Panisse.

It is surprising that this woman has no formal culinary education yet, she has influenced the paths of so many young chefs, food writers and founders of notable food-related businesses. Her love of bringing people together around a table with the freshest of ingredients is the base of her philosophy. And her class is about a philosophy of food. She encourages her pupils to “cook with spontaneity, building your confidence so that you can leap away from a script.” Her teachings are those of our “grandmothers and our grandmothers’ grandmothers”. Fresh. Organic. Harmonious. Natural. Biodiverse. Sustainable. She balks at the fast food culture that has taken over our lives but, she is hopeful. 

“Don’t go to the market or store with a shopping list. Buy what looks alive and inspiring, and plan your menus when you get home.”
— Alice Waters, The Farmer’s Market / Learning from the Source

With this quote as our shopping guideline, we headed to the Uxbridge Farmers’ Market.

I blazed through the market and quickly filled my basket: butternut squash, local ginger root, fresh farm eggs, fingerling potatoes, leeks, pectin free sour cherry jam, black olive sourdough bread, two cheeses (Pippa goat cheese crottin and Shepherd’s Harvest aged sheep cheese), garlic and ears of fresh corn.

I had a couple of soup ideas in mind or maybe a simple herb and cheese omelet.

When we got back to the kitchen, we laid out our market purchases and began jotting down ideas: soups: butternut squash and ginger, leek and potato, broccoli and leek with blue goat cheese, leek and mushroom with a brie on black olive sourdough crostini, Pippa goat crottin and herb omelet, salads: radish and their greens with tomato,  beet on a bed of spicy greens with chèvre, mushroom on a bed of spicy greens with chèvre, fingerling potatoes and smoked trout with Asiago … so many inspired ideas!

Kaarina ❧ Leek and Mushroom Soup with Goat Cheese Crostini

I came home from the market with enough red and golden beets, radishes, white Sicilian eggplants, zucchini, broccoli and bitter greens to feed an army of vegetarians for a week. And I didn’t use any of them in my Alice Walters Market Lunch. The leeks and mushrooms, Shiitake and Cremini, were the clear winners. They found their way into the soup pot for our first course. A few tablespoons of crème fraîche stirred into the pot at the end and goat cheese crostini floated on top finished the dish. The recipe was a riff on this Leek Soup with Brie Toasts . I did not use any flour to thicken.

The bloomy cheese — Mason’s Delight from River’s Edge Goat Dairy  in Arthur, ON — delivered just a bit of zing while the dark vegetable ash veins running through it added all kinds of visual appeal. So artsy I wish I could take credit for planning it.

Caroline ❧ Pippa Goat Crottin Chive Omelet with Green Beans

 

A simple goat cheese omelet is so satisfying. The tangy filling is a perfect match for eggs. I questioned the market fromager about using a bloomy rind cheese. He responded that they “use it all the time in omelets”. Although the Pippa was delicious, I wished I had gone with a spreadable goat selection, say a caramelized onion and green peppercorn.

The omelets quickly came together and Diane steamed some green beans which when ready, were tossed into the empty omelet pan with a generous amount of butter, salt and a sprinkle of hot pepper flakes.

More about the Pippa Goat Crottin: “From Grey County, this is Wild Meadows Farm’s most exclusive cheese, inspired by the classic crottin style cheeses found in the south of France. This style of cheese is a rare find in Ontario. Pippa is creamy, with some firmness, and has woodsy and mushroom notes, complete with a gentle bite. It is made from WMF fresh chèvre. It is hand rolled and aged until a soft white mold rind grows on the outside.”

Oh how we love thee cheese!

Diane ❧ Red Fingerling and Smoked Trout with Asiago Cheese
and Salad of Radishes and their Greens with Baby Kumatoes

 
The Sunday market was filled with colourful produce and offerings from local artisans. My first stop was a garlic producer who had 6 different types on display, each with different colours, sizes, and smells.

In addition to fresh squash, beets, cherry tomatoes and herbs, my arms were laden heavily with meats, smoked fish, cheese, and some gin from a local distillery called The Durham. 

The only preparation really required for my first 'dish' was to boil the red fingerlings. I tried using Caroline's InstantPot, just to see if it would help retain the potato's flavour more than a regular boil. They were delicious! The smoked trout was served alongside, with a dollop of crème fraîche and fresh parsley. The Asiago was smooth, semi-soft, and slightly aged for a sweet and nutty flavour. All the tastes and textures worked quite well together, although next time I would add some crunch with crackers or pickles. 

When Alice raved about her Japanese Suribachi ("grinding-bowl") in her MasterClass I was inspired to buy one for myself. It's a beautifully crafted bowl, with ridges perfectly designed for grinding spices and pressing garlic; the bowl has a gentle lip to make it easy to pour the finished dressing over the salad. Here's a quick demo of Alice Waters using the suribachi to prepare a garlic vinaigrette with Martha Stewart.

It really is a  pleasure for all the senses to prepare a vinaigrette and simple salad. The sound of the knife chopping on the wooden cutting board and friendly chatter in the kitchen. A small taste of the bitter greens told me they wanted a touch of honey added to the dressing.  The tomatoes calling for pepper and the radish wanting some salt. All the veg were colourful and beautiful — the black radish dark as black pepper on the outside and porcelain white inside, and as soon as they were cut open a zesty scent burst from the skin. A few tiny watermelon radishes were stolen from Kaarina, because they added such a pretty element to the plate with their blushing centres. Music garlic enlivened the dressing, along with aged sherry vinegar. The fresh greens sat in the dressing for awhile to soften them up. Alice Waters mixes her salads with her hands, gently tossing and arranging, so in addition to sight, smell, and taste, there is the added pleasure of touch. ❧

Elevated Home Recipes from Gordon Ramsay's MasterClass

Menu

Lobster Ravioli

Seared Sesame Crusted Tuna Steaks

Hoisin Glazed Crispy Shredded Chicken Salad, Pickled Daikon, and Honey Mustard Vinaigrette 

Cauliflower with Shiitake and Olive Pistou 

****

In this time of Covid we have continued our culinary adventures. During full lockdown, our gatherings are via Zoom. Although not the same thing, it is better than no thing. 

Dining with each other virtually adds new twists and possibilities. Those of us who live within an hour's drive can share our food, although it entails some delivery logistics.  Caroline, Kaarina and Diane can taste one another's offerings, while we drool over Laura's Wolfe Island dishes from a distance (and she over ours). 

Food delivery also means menu choices need to take into consideration offerings that can travel the distance; recipients must plate and finish the food in the oven or on stovetop once it arrives at its destination, so instructions are also included with each meal. 

In March, we continued the Masterclass theme we've enjoyed these past few months, with Gordon Ramsay as the inspiration. The classes include video demonstrations, so we got a glimpse of his (wOw!) kitchen. Ramsay's passion for food and fine ingredients comes across in his lessons, as does his blunt expression. We definitely learned a thing or two from his MasterClass.

Laura: Lobster Ravioli

Gordon Ramsay sure thinks a lot of himself. But with good reason, I guess. He’s quite an accomplished chef. I was surprised how much I enjoyed his MasterClass. I found I could endure his manic cockiness because the information he presented was actually worthwhile. 

I made the Lobster Ravioli. It was a heck of a lot of work for a couple of plates of ravioli, but it made for an entertaining day of cooking. I had some lobster tails in my freezer, leftover from my gig cooking for a duck hunting lodge this fall, so it was the perfect opportunity to make this over-the-top dish. The filling was quite simple—cooked lobster chopped up into a salmon and egg white that I puréed in the food processor to a mousse-like consistency. The pasta dough turned out well, although I stopped short of rolling it on the lowest setting on the pasta machine. Chef Ramsay says it’s essential to get to that final setting to make the almost see-through delicate sheets. Mine started to shred, so I gave up. Although it wasn’t transparently thin, it was still very delicate and tender. 

To make sauce, I boiled the lobster shells in chicken and beef stock along with a mirepoix of vegetables, straining, saving half to cook the ravioli, then reducing the rest down until it was thick and glossy, and then adding cream. There is a also tomato chutney to rest the ravioli on when plating, but I found that got a bit lost in the eating. The sauce is drizzled over the pasta, and the plate is garnished with microgreens with a lemon vinaigrette. I had forgotten to dig out my squeeze bottle for the sauce, so it wasn’t quite so delicately drizzled as Chef Ramsay’s version. 

I would definitely use the pasta recipe again. It is a lovely dough. However, I think I will stick with simpler fillings and sauces for my next batch.

Caroline: Sesame Crusted Tuna with Cucumber Salad 

I chose to prepare this dish for its use of tuna, a somewhat of an occasional treat ingredient, its ease of preparation and because it can be served at room temperature therefore eliminating the reheating hence diminishing the chances of compromising the desired end result.

Ramsay emphasizes the need to respect ingredients: “Treat tuna like you would an amazing wagyu steak — they deserve that respect.” I bowed down to my tuna, lined up the ingredients and began. 

Following chef Ramsay’s dandy recipe timeline, I set the finely julienned cucumber and sliced radishes to pickle in a 1:1:1 ratio of rice vinegar, water and sugar. It was pleasantly surprising to discover that cucumber holds up very well to being pushed through a mandolin on the delicate julienne setting. While at it, I quickly pushed through the radishes on the regular slicing setting, paused, counted my fingers and moved on to the Yuzu-Sesame Seed dressing. Yuzu, I learned (it’s the best thing about our Epi events, we’re forever learning new things), is a sour Japanese citrus fruit that has a very unique flavour and aroma. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to come by. Fortunately, the chef proposes a substitution of lime and lemon juice at a 2:1 ratio. Yuzu and lime juice, sesame and olive oil, all combined with salt, pepper and chopped up coriander make up this bold dressing.

Bowing to my tuna for one last time I lightly seasoned it with kosher salt and lime zest, brushed whipped up egg whites onto it, dipped it in the black and white sesame seeds (so beautifully dramatic) and delicately set it in the pan of hot grape seed oil: 30 seconds per side while scooping tablespoons of hot oil onto the top. Flip. Scoop. Scoop. Scoop. Finally tuna is set onto a cooling rack, hot oil from the pan poured over it. Zest. Zest. Zest of lime to crown it. Slice. Voilà, le tour est joué. 

Chef Ramsay’s MasterClass II present recipes based on dishes from his flagship, three Michelin starred restaurant, so plating is very important. The chef obliges beautifully and I must admit that following his detailed plating instruction, I created one of my most beautiful plates yet.

To summarize, I will admit that I wasn’t overly excited about doing Gordon Ramsay’s MasterClass because of what I had briefly seen by happenstance on Hell’s Kitchen. I will also add that his “watch and watch f*#@!n carefully” introductory comment really put me off 😳. I watched and carefully learned how to prepare this delightful tuna dish.

Diane: Hoisin Chicken with Pickled Daikon and Ginger 

As Gordon said, "F%#@king delicious." This dish was fun to eat, because you tear the lettuce leaf and then wrap the chicken and pickles for casual bites you can eat with your hands. 

Part of our ongoing Epi challenge is to try something new. I have always avoided deep frying anything at home, for both dietary health and home safety reasons. Gordon demonstrated a shallow frying technique and explained how to control temperature by easing on and off the flame or adding additional oil. Now, I have added a new technique to my repertoire.

Rob assisted with the kitchen prep by pickling the ginger and white turnip (substituted for daikon). These bright flavours held their own and added a welcome acidic note for contrast.

I also had to figure out the best way to deliver the different salad components so Epis could assemble and plate at home. Pickles were easy: toss them and their liquids in a jar. The fried chicken was more of a challenge: transported in carryout tins, wrapped first in paper towels; and plenty of holes punched in the lid. Reheated just before serving in a pan or in the oven to keep it from getting soggy.

I used a mix of living butter lettuce and baby gem romaine for individual servings. You take each mini-head and peel the leaves down to create a flower for presentation. 

I would definitely make this recipe again, and I think deep frying is a nice touch. Even better when it can be served while it it still hot.

 

Kaarina: Cauliflower with Shiitake and Olive Pistou

The cauliflower steaks bathed in olive oil and harissa (a North African blend of spices and smokey hot peppers) are first charred in a hot cast iron frying pan with foaming butter, then roasted in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, the mushroom, shallots and garlic are sautéed. The Olive Pistou, lemon zest and capers are folded into the mushrooms, the mixture is piled on top and finished with edible flowers or microgreens. Find the recipe at Cook Your Life.  

It doesn’t sound that complicated, but the various moving parts can be a challenge to an amateur (like me) so it’s smart to do the prep a day ahead. Chef Ramsay says the cauliflower steaks can be cut and refrigerated in ziplock bags with the harissa and olive oil marinade. Mushrooms, shallots and garlic can be chopped and refrigerated in air tight containers and the olive pistou can be made three days in advance.

Serve an entire steak as a rich, satisfying main course or share along with other small plates or as a side to fish, chicken or pork.

Oooooooo-la-la! Grillade française

 MENU
Moules Grillées
Asperges Grillées avec sa Sauce Maltaise
Carré d’agneau Pistou avec Vinaigrette aux Poireaux 
Salade de Steak Bistrot
Crème Fouettée et ses Petits Fruits de la Saison

We rose to the challenge of Covid-19 again with a social distanced outdoor lunch under the shelter of my backyard Bamba Shack roof.  Having caught the French cuisine bug at Caroline’s delightful spring picnic in May, I chose French BBQ as our June Epitourist theme.

 

Who knew the French have a passion for BBQ? Apparently masters at the charcoal grill, they insist that nothing but wood charcoal will do, with fruit and nut wood chips or woody branches of herbs like rosemary or lavender contributing a delicate smokey flavour. Sadly, we had to make do with a plain old Canadian gas BBQ. But never mind — the garden was bursting with herbs and local asparagus was at its peak.

 

Laura : Moules Grillées

Mussels are quintessential French bistro, so I knew I wanted to grill them as part of our BBQ theme. I’d never done it before, but it proved to be so easy. If you have a grilling basket, putting them in there makes it a bit easier to get them on and off the grill, but I didn’t have a basket, so I just set them right on the medium-high temperature grill and closed the lid—minutes later the shells were open and they were ready to pop into a bowl and serve with Caroline’s beautiful baguette and a simple garlic-scape aioli made with garlic scapes from my garden. I garnished the dish with some bronze fennel fronds, also from my garden.

I chose Vineland Estates unoaked Chardonnay, as well as a Rhone Valley Ventoux Rosé, to pair with the dish. Chardonnay is a nice match with mussels, but you can’t beat a glass of rosé on a summer’s day.

Caroline : Asperges Grillées et sa Sauce Maltaise

I anticipate Canadian asparagus season. When Kaarina announced that she was happy to continue with a French theme and that it had to be cooked on the Q, I immediately thought of grilled asparagus. There's nothing more French than asparagus with sauce maltaise and what better way to grill these little green soldiers than on the BBQ. 

I must admit that, while researching my dish, I learned something about the French"aise" group of sauces. First comes Hollandaise Sauce which is the mother of the "aise"sauces. Add tarragon and you have Béarnaise Sauce. Or add zest and juice of an orange (preferably a Maltaise orange) and you have Maltaise Sauce. All of them made rich with copious amount of butter and tempered egg yolks. What's not to like. For added dimensions, I sprinkled Maldon sea salt flakes for a bit of crunch and umami. 

Sourdough baguettes were also calling to me. I had yet to try my hand at making them and thought it would be the perfect opportunity. I turned to Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread. I was humbly happy with my first attempt.  In these Covid days and to fit in my oven, I made individual baguettes. Approximately 30 cm in length, their shape was worthy, crust crunchy with a good colour and with a dense and tasty crumb. A perfect vehicule to sop up all those delicious sauces.

Kaarina : Carré d'Agneau Pistou avec Vinaigrette aux Poireaux

I managed to procure a rack of spring lamb from a sheep farming acquaintance in eastern Ontario and set out to frenching it with help from a You Tube video.

I turned to Patricia Wells for inspiration on infusing the lamb with French flavours, choosing a Four Herb Pistou from her Bistro BBQ book for both the marinade and serving sauce.

Makes two cups: Process a half a cup of each — chopped parsley, basil, chives and mint — along with a half a dozen cloves of roughly chopped garlic. With the motor running, add a half a cup of EVOO through the feeder tube. Season with salt and pepper.

The lamb shared the plate with a classic French starter, Poireaux Vinaigrette, leeks in a vinaigrette.

This recipe reminded me of the pure joy to be had from a simple, properly constructed vinaigrette. All you need is Dijon, a good wine vinegar, S&P in a large bowl. The key is in beating it continuously with a large balloon whisk as you slowly drizzle in the oil until the dressing is perfectly emulsified. Smother your steamed leeks with this!

I chose Saint Roch, a lighter bodied blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan from Rousillon in the South of France for the lamb although I much preferred Diane’s wine choice, the Gerard Bertrand Languadoc, which is a spicier Syrah blend from neighbouring Languadoc. The bolder classic Bordeaux Argaden does not go amiss either - and it takes you effortlessly into a cheese course.

Diane : Salade de Steak Bistrot

Sensationel!

 

When the theme was named I did some quick research before settling on French Bistro Steak, a triple-tested recipe I found online from Canadian Living. Dijon, thyme and tarragon vinaigrette poured over grilled steak and lightly roasted vegetables, with soft-boiled egg on the side. Ease-y! What surprised me was the lack of a marinade, something I always assumed was essential for this cut of meat. A little more poking around revealed there is a school of thought to marinade proteins after you grill, because the moisture and sugar in most marinades can actually cause a protein to simultaneously steam and burn without ever truly searing.
 

I also brought a selection of Italian cheeses. Why? "Leftovers" from our February visit to Eataly. We were so stuffed at our February feast we couldn't manage another bite; of course, I didn't really save them, I don't have that much self control! So I pre-ordered from Alex Cheese Farms, doing my best to match our Eataly selections. Over the phone, I would name the cheese and then he would describe what was on hand. Oh, how I wanted to taste! He laughed and explained they weren't offering counter tastings in the store either. When I asked him to pre-cut into one ounce portions so I could minimize food handling, he gladly complied. On the plate: bosco tartufo with truffle (sheep and cow), montasio (cow), taleggio (buffalo), and pecorino moliterno (sheep and goat).

Whipped Cream
and Seasonal Petits Fruits

 

 

Lobster Boil

If you could stop the hands of time, how would you wile the suspended moments away? I would cook up a feast, invite cherished ones and gather around a beautifully appointed table to enjoy for hours! Delicious decadence, rustic French linen, white china plates awaiting for the colours of food to descend upon them, a myriad glasses for carefully thought out wines and other libation, a hint of soft music in the backdrop, the gentle clank and clink of cutlery and the constant flow of talk and laughter. The idea of a lobster boil came up at our French pique-nique during which we had a very pleasant and successful outdoor lunch, all the while respecting the social distancing order. Starving for social interaction, we put the plan in motion. What can be more sanitary than boiled lobster and oven roasted baked potatoes?

Kaarina kindly offered to pick up everyone's lobster order from Diana's Seafood in the city. I would look after the potatoes. But as theses things do, the planning snowballed (a bit). Diane brought a delicious salad with a champagne, shallot and walnut dressing. The dessert most worthy of mention was most certainly Rob's homemade, chocolate Babka! Oh and I must not forget Diane's A.O.C. Camembert de Normandy!

The sun was shining oh so brightly and not a single cloud cast a shadow on the afternoon. Delicious decadence of sweet lobster meat dipped in butter, a mix and match of cloths weighed down with river rocks covered every table carried out of the house, white china plates, wine glasses and petite champagne flutes, yes, the clank and clink of cutlery and the constant flow of long awaited chatter and laughter. And who knows, maybe the hands of time did stand still...
 

 

Pique-nique français

Caroline

Pique-nique printanier français or French picnic was the theme for our May lunch. It was up to each and everyone to create their garden picnic look. Tables were set out on the patio allowing for proper SD. Everyone was asked to bring:

1. Tablecloth, napkin 

2. Place setting: cutlery and all necessary dishes and glasses

3. Prepared French spring picnic (up to each individual to put together a menu)

4. Menu must contain egg as an ingredient

We patiently waited for spring to warm up and jumped at the first sunny and warm day to set our date. 

My pique-nique consisted of smoked salmon, grilled asparagus crêpes with a twist on béarnaise sauce (tasty and butter free!) and a side salad dressed with a traditional French vinaigrette and poached egg. 

Diane

Being somewhat pressed for time I ended up curating my plate to create a classic French meal with ingredients from my favourite grocery store, McKewans. Grilled salmon on top of salad niçoise with a Normandy camembert, and fizzy lemonade on the side. I packed everything into a cooler so it was wonderfully chilled when served.

I so look forward to time together and the time to savour each other's company. This month's get together was definitely fun, but I really did want a taste off my Epi's plates as the food looked absolutely delicious! Now I will simply have to make their recipes at home.

Kaarina

 

 

Pan Bagnat — the famous Provençal tuna sandwich — is tough to improve on as picnic fare, French or otherwise. It travels well, can be made the day before, and is bursting with the bold flavours of the south of France.

For me, however, the most delicious part of this bring-your-own-everything social-distancing picnic was simply the getting together with good friends and spending a sunny afternoon chatting about food and wine, gardening, books and boats. That was the real tonic for our souls. Sitting 10 feet apart at our separate bistro tables, we were able to put behind us for a few happy hours two months of self isolation.

Now — where was I? Pan Bagnat. Mine started with the best baguette in Toronto, which is baked by the Cliffside Hearth at 3047 Kingston Rd. in the Scarborough Bluffs. I followed — quite religiously, I might add — Patricia Wells directions from her Bistro Cooking cookbook, although there are many, many versions of Pan Bagnat online.

Slice the baguette lengthwise, and brush both sides generously with garlic oil (6 cloves minced into quarter cup olive oil.) Stir 2 tbsp of capers into a can of undrained tuna. Spread the tuna on one half of the baguette, then layer on sliced onion, tomatoes, egg and strips of red pepper. Pile on rinsed and dried anchovy fillets (yes, the whole can) and top with a half a cup of roasted red pepper confit (recipe follows) and the second half of the baguette.

Wrap the baguette tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate and place a heavy weight on top for at least four hours, even overnight. I used a cutting board and a cast iron frying pan. This pushes all the yummy juices into the bread. It’s a bit messy to eat, as sandwiches go, so be prepared with lots of napkins.

Makes four servings. I sliced my quarter sandwich into one-inch slices at the table to facilitate eating.

A favourite rose, La Fage Miraflors from Roussillon, is a perfect match but you can’t go wrong with any dry rose from Provence.

Red Pepper Confit

Paraphrased from Bistro Cooking
by Patricia Wells
- 2 to 5 oz hot peppers (depending on the peppers and your tolerance for heat) cut into strips or 1 tsp hot pepper flakes
- 5 large red bell peppers, cut into thick strips
- 2 heads garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F. Layer everything into a shallow roasting dish. Cover with foil and bake for 45 to 60 min. Remove foil and bake for another 45 minutes. Serve as side dish or spoon into a jar and refrigerate to use as a condiment.

For more picnic fare, stir Red Pepper Confit into fusilli at room temperature for a no-fuss pasta salad. For cocktail hour, pile on baguette rounds and top with anchovies. For a garden brunch, dress up a cheese omelette.

Lunch in the Time of Covid-19

Virtual crêpes!

Kaarina

With Covid-19 at large, Epitourists were all staying put: Safe in our homes — Laura on Wolfe Island, Caroline in the Durham Forest, Diane and I in Toronto. Yes, we were all social distancing, in self isolation, but we were not about to cancel our March Epitourist lunch.

There was no getting around it. If we wanted to eat and greet, we had to get over ourselves and our antipathy to seeing ourselves and being seen on video. It was time to dial up a video conference call. Of course, we couldn’t share the taste or smell of the dishes we each prepared in our own kitchens but we could see them and enjoy our own creations in virtual companionship.

This was more a social call than a culinary happening. The idea was to cook from ingredients that are pantry staples in most people’s kitchens. No special trips to the store required.

Caroline

 Opa!

An hour before our virtual lunch I decided on Greek Egg-Lemon Chicken Soup, or Avgolemono, to use up the chicken thighs from the freezer. This five ingredient soup is comforting and delicious. The eggs act as thickening agents. The lemon zest and juice bring a delightful zing of acidity to the savoury chicken broth. 

It was nice to have lunch with my epicurean friends. Life as we know it today has put a stop to the touristic aspect of our group. Trips are being cancelled and we give going out the door a second thought. 

Kaarina

Pasta, pesto with potatoes and green beans.

The great late Marcella Hazan who taught the world to cook Italian declared in her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: “When all its components are right, there is no single dish more delicious in the entire Italian pasta repertory.” This was not the case with my Pasta and Pesto with Potatoes and Green Beans. Unfortunately, I forgot Marcella’s cardinal rule. Seasonal. Perhaps if my potatoes really had been new small potatoes and the green beans fresh from the garden or a local farm market ...  Instead the potatoes were pantry staples at the end of winter, and the green beans were not even green beans but frozen edamame, and the pesto was the last of the pesto I made from my garden basil and froze in September. Well, you can’t freeze pesto for six months and expect it to taste like summer.

Diane

Crêpes Suzette!

Personally I have found extra time to tinker in the kitchen and spend a bit more time experimenting. Ruth Reichel started my quest for perfect crêpes with her recipe for German Apple Pancakes, making them seem deceptively simple in her book, Save Me the Plums. On my first attempt they were certainly not thin enough to be stacked three high, layered with filling and rolled. Try again. The secret to thin crêpes seems to be to refrigerate the batter and let it rest. I turned to the more classic crêpes Suzette for the Epitourist lunch, having simple ingredients at hand. I have to say, I did like flaming the crêpes with Grand Marnier, with the liqueur adding a taste of torched caramel. Delicious! Paired with a glass of the same liqueur.

We've all seen the internet memes showing the ten pound gain "before" and "after" self isolation. All this time on our hands and the fridge so nearby... I will have to seek out more recipes with a bit less butter, but why deny the occasional extravagance?

Laura

Having a well-stocked pantry is a regular fact of life when you live 20 minutes away from a 20-minute ferry ride to the closest grocery store. There’s never any popping out to pick up an ingredient you don’t have on hand. We are fortunate to have neighbours on the island who provide us with eggs and beautiful grass-fed beef and pork. During he summer I have land to grow vegetables. But at the moment I have my son and his girlfriend, who is vegan, living with me. The fresh summer veggies are not around yet and I don’t always feel like preparing meat and non-meat lunches. So I had to get creative. 

Hhmm... cauliflower bolognese!

There was a cauliflower lurking in my produce drawer, and I had most of the other ingredients on hand to make a cauliflower bolognese. I used olive oil instead of butter, and I kept the parmesan out of Mira’s portion, replacing it with a bit of nutritional yeast, which is a good umami substitute for cheese. I didn’t have rigatoni, so I substituted gemelli pasta. I didn’t have fresh parsley, so I snipped a few of my kale sprouts that I have growing in my little indoor microgreen garden. 

My little microgreen garden!

Vegetarian

A salad worthy of an impressionist painting!

Diane

My turn to choose the theme! Since I’m always on the look out for healthy alternatives to meat-based meals, I picked Vegetarian.

We are packing more into our Epitourist get-togethers. Our lunch was preceded by a day of foodie excursions to Aloette and Eataly. Sunday’s courses felt relaxed and restorative in contrast to the previous day’s pace.

When Diet for a Small Planet was published in 1971 it was a radical book that chronicled the harmful environmental impacts of meat production and its compounding effects on food distribution across the globe. Today the trend toward plant-based diets is also supported by people with concerns for the ethical treatment of animals and those who want to improve their own personal health. Change often takes time. When Canada revamped the Food Guide in 2019, the government still faced a strong lobby from meat and dairy interests threatened by the move away from animal proteins.

Today there are so many cookbooks and advocates for plant-based meals it’s hard to choose a definitive source: Michael Pollan, Jamie Oliver, Dr. Michael Greger, Angela Liddon… the list continues to grow.

Our own Epitourist menu was a wonderful mix of colour, comfort, simplicity and elegance. Didn’t miss the meat whatsoever!

Menu

Starter | Laura

Muhammara roasted red pepper dip with focaccia and goat chevre 

paired with Prosecco

Salad Course | Kaarina

Five-Spice Peach and Raspberry Salad

paired with Riesling

Main | Diane

Russian Carrot Pie  

paired with Golden Milk

Main | Caro

Steamed celeriac and mushroom pudding with Madeira sauce

paired with Madeira

Dessert | Laura

Lemon Pudding Cake

Digestif | Diane

Pousse-Café / selection of  liqueurs

Muhammara roasted red pepper dip ❦ Laura

Syrian Muhammara Dip

I was last to announce what I would make for our vegetarian feast. As often happens at these long lunches, we get so enthusiastic about what we want to make that we end up with way too much food. The others had already proposed hearty courses, so I thought an appetizer dip would be fitting. But I didn’t want to make a run-of-the mill hummus or cream-cheese based dip. Ottolenghi never fails to offer interesting flavour combinations. I chose his Muhammara/roasted red pepper dip. Muhammara dip comes from Syrian cuisine. I loved the idea of combining red peppers with pomegranate molasses, walnuts, and aleppo pepper. Diane has gas burners, so charring the peppers was easy on her stovetop. The resulting dip was spectacular. We served it with some foccacia and flatbread crackers purchased during our Eataly outing. 

Five-Spice Peach and Raspberry Salad ❦ Kaarina

A true chef d'œuvre!

Thinking outside the pot, I looked for fresh raw colour and bite to add to our menu. I didn’t need to look far. If anyone knows how to pull together a great vegetarian spread, it’s Ottolenghi and I had been reading and cooking from both Jerusalem and Simple this winter. I settled on Five-Spice Peach and Raspberry Salad from Simple:

In a large bowl, whisk together

1-1/2 tbsp. cider vinegar

1 tsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, thinly sliced (1/4 cup)

1/4 tsp salt

Just before serving, add

3-1/2 oz raspberries

3 firm peaches, not too ripe, cut into 1/4 inch wedges

2 cups watercress

2 cups radicchio, cut into 3/4 inch slices.

Toss and serve.

What made this salad visually extra spectacular was the rosy radicchio we found in the produce section at Eataly, which was on our Epitourist winter tour of downtown Toronto the day before. The rosy leaves were so beautiful I couldn’t bring myself to tear them, so I tucked them in whole amongst the watercres and peaches. This loose leaf radicchio is less bitter than the tightly packed leaves of a standard radicchio but the watercress along with the shallot had enough bite to balance the sweetness of the fruit.

Wine can be a challenge with salads. What to pair? The peach? The bitter greens? Or the sherry vinegar dressing? Cave Springs off dry Riesling did the job brilliantly.. 

Russian Carrot Pie ❦ Diane

A very creative pairing!

Oh how I loved Molly Katzen’s Enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook! Hand written, with simple instructions and whimsical illustrations, it inspired me to make some of my first vegetarian meals. Published in 1974, it may be dated when compared with some of today’s titles, but it still brings a smile to my face. I thought the Epitourists would enjoy Russian Carrot Pie, and they did, although next time, I would cut back a bit on the dill.

Delightful!

For this course, instead of pairing with wine I chose a concoction of coconut milk, oat milk, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. The decision to serve Golden Milk was made on colour alone, but happily the taste nicely complemented the flavours in the pie.

Steamed celeriac and mushroom pudding with Madeira sauce  

❦ Caroline

Savoury Pudding!

  
I turned to Dani Valent’s In the Mix — Great Thermomix Recipes for Diane’s vegetarian theme. Australian based cook, Valent sourced recipes from chefs and bloggers far and wide to put together this beautiful cookbook. Steamed Celeriac and Mushroom Puddings, is British chef Madalene Bonvini-Hamel’s creation. Completely vegetarian, it is elegant, comforting and deliciously savoury.
 
Filling

50 g butter
70 g mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
20 g flour
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic
1/2 stalk of celery, cut into 1 cm dice
1 small carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
250 g celeriac cut into 1 cm dice
30 g Madeira
150 g vegetable stock
1 tbs chopped parsley
1 tbs chopped chives

Melt 25 g butter in a frying pan. Cook mushrooms with a little salt and pepper for 8 minutes at medium-high temperature. Set aside. Melt remaining butter, add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, celeriac and flour. Cook 10 minutes on medium-high until nicely caramelized. Add the Madeira. Cook for 4 minutes. Add the stock and cook on medium heat to reduce for 5 minutes. Return the mushrooms. Stir in parsley and chives. Adjust seasoning. Allow to cool on a cookie sheet.

Pastry

300 g flour
15 g baking powder
150 g frozen butter
salt and pepper to taste
100 g chilled water

Mix flour, baking powder, butter, salt and pepper. Add the chilled water. Gently knead. Lightly oil 6 ramekins. On a slightly floured surface, roll the pastry to about 4 mm thick. Line the ramekins with the pastry. Spoon the cooled celeriac filling into each ramekin, filling it to the top, dampen pastry rim with cold water and seal each pudding with a pastry lid. Make a team hole in the centre of the lid. Pour 1 litre of water into a pot. Set steaming basket in. Place the pudding ramekins on basket. Cook for 60 minutes on medium-high. Make sure that there’s sufficient water at all times. Keep a kettle of boiling water handy to top up.

Madeira Sauce

50 g dried mushrooms
30 g olive oil
1 sprig of thyme, leaves only
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
1 shallot
100 g madeira
500 g vegetable stock
100 g 35% cream
50 g butter

Pulverize the dried mushroom in a food processor. Add the olive oil, thyme, garlic and onion and chop. Transfer the mixture to a frying pan. Add bay leaf and cook on medium-high for 5 minutes. Add the Madeira and cook for 3 minutes. Add vegetable stock and continue to cook until stock has reduced by half. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Discard solids. Pour sauce into saucepan along with cream. Heat for 3 minute until it just begins to boil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Before serving, add the butter and whisk.


Lemon Souffle Pudding ❦ Laura

Because I can never resist making something as a sweet end to the meal, I chose to make a simple lemon souffle pudding. This is an old family recipe from the mother of Jason, my neighbour on Wolfe Island. He always makes it for impromptu neighbourhood potluck get togethers.

Digestif ❦ Diane

Lovely colours of a pousse-café

I came across Pousse-café when I was searching for a digestif to finish our meal. Literally "coffee-pusher" in French, it is an alcoholic beverage consumed after the coffee course. Pousse-café has now evolved to mean a layered drink composed of different  liqueurs.

I thought this would be a fun twist and an appropriate reminder that although people sometimes equate vegetarian with healthy and virtuous, it’s not always the case.

Besides, I have a cupboard full of different liqueurs to experiment. The heaviest liqueur is poured first on the bottom, and so on. We had the most success with a trio of grenadine, chartreuse and then Cointreau. Use a bar spoon and steady hand to pour the liqueur. Choose liqueurs that are actually palatable if you intend to drink your creation.