Salt Fat Acid Heat | Four Elements | Four Epitourists

Mastering the elements of good cooking!

This is not "your typical cookbook". Colourful charts and whimsical illustrations (rather than photographs to free the reader from the idea that there's only one perfect image for every dish!). The hows and whys content truly reflect Samin's energetic and creative self!

Menu

Pasta alla Puttanesca

Salad of Roasted Beet, Preserved Lemon and Tahini-Yogurt
—with Smoked Mackerel

Maiale al Latte with Roasted Squash, Sage and Hazelnut Panzanella

Amalfi Lemon Tart

Theme cocktail: Caesars!

The four elements celebrated!

Kaarina | SALT

Samin's Pasta alla Puttanesca

I settled on Samin’s own recipe for Pasta alla Puttanesca to showcase layering of salt in a dish. This Italian classic features salt in several guises — anchovies, capers, olives and (optional) parmigiana — each delicious in small doses. All together, all at once, they make a big statement. Huge umami delicious, salty statement.

Having spent the last 30 years searching for ways to reduce my salt intake, drawing Salt as my assignment was a challenge. Yes, of course I agree that salt is essential in good cooking, the basic seasoning for pretty much everything. But little goes a long way. I experimented for a month, following Samin’s directions but never quite got the knack of it. I found her approach with salt way too heavy handed and will return to using the salt grinder, shaker and a measuring spoon.

There’s nothing subtle about Pasta alla Puttanesca, so a bold wine is in order. California’s Seven Deadly Zins was up to the task. A rustic Primotivo from Puglia would be equally appropriate.

California's Seven Deadly Zins Old Vine Zinfandel!

Caroline | ACID

"Acid is salt's alter ego. While salt enhances flavours, acid balances them." 

Roasted beets with preserved lemon and tahini-yogurt from our beloved Ottolenghi's Simple (and he's on my menu two nights this week)! The preserved lemon and tahini-yogurt blanket the roasted beets with layers of acidity. As per the chef's recommendation, I serve this with a smoked mackerel. Wine pairings are Sancerre -- Henri Bourgeois Les Baronnes and a Mailly Exception Blanche Grand Cru Brut Champagne 2007! After all, Christmas is just around the corner. The acid component of the salad pair well with the Sancerre and highlight the wines butteriness. The Champagne takes the smoked mackerel to heaven! Interesting exercise in pairing.

Roasted beets with preserved lemon and tahini-yogurt

Diane

Michael Pollan, one of my favourite food writers, wrote the introduction to the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and revealed Samin gave him some cooking lessons after she attended his class on food writing. His observations on sauteing an onion: "...there was an intricate evolution unfolding in that pan as the rectangles of onion went from crisply acidic to clean and sweet to faintly smokey as they caramelized and then bittered slightly as they browned. Samin showed me how half a dozen distinct flavours could be teased from that humble ingredient, all depending on how you managed principle number four, heat."  

That insight motivated me to buy a copy of Samin's book and choose the element of Heat for the Epitourist feast. 

At the end of every one of her Heat classes, Samin shares a finished braise with her students. The book dedicates more than a few pages on classic braises and stews from around the world, however the dish I ended up preparing was a braise of pork in milk: Maiale al Latte, as it seemed we were trending to Italian flavours. Slow cooked over two and a half hours, the aromas wafting from the oven created a wonderful background to festivities.

Maiale al Latte!

Laura

I really enjoyed this month’s theme, which diverted from our usual focus on regional cuisine. All four of us really enjoyed Samin Nostrat’s Netflix series and wanted to delve more into the themes and recipes.

I was tasked with exploring fat. In her book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat Samin writes, “Fat adds its own unique flavor to a dish, and it can amplify the other flavors in a recipe. Simply put, fat makes food delicious—and one of the most important things any cook can learn is how to harness its magic.” I wanted to explore this idea by detouring from the obvious meat fat. I chose to make a salad and focus on using butter instead of oil in the dressing.  I wanted to make a hearty salad that would reflect the season as well as working well as a side dish, so I chose her Roasted Squash, Sage and Hazelnut Panzanella. Browning the butter adds another element to the flavour of the fat, and it stands up well to the bold flavours in the salad. The recipe for the croutons and vinaigrette is here https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/warm-winter-panzanella-d-is-for-dinner-1.4983972. You’ll have to borrow or buy the book for the rest of the recipe. Failing that, just roast squash in the oven, sauté chopped kale in olive oil with some onion and garlic, toast some chopped hazelnuts and fry some sage leaves. Then put the salad together using the method in the link above.

Roasted Squash, Sage and Hazelnut Panzanella

Caroline

As this was a sleepover dinner, dessert was in order. I stick to my assigned element and opt for an Amalfi Lemon Tart from Oliver's Jamie Cooks Italy. The crust calls for 1/3 cup of Greco di Tufo white wine. It is a new wine for us. And as Jamie suggests: "If you're feeling the Italian vibe, a little slice for breakfast with a black coffee is a real treat." And so, the next day for breakfast, a little tart was enjoyed with an expresso and a tasting of the Greco di Tufo.

Andalusian Fall Feast

A salute to Jerez!

Kaarina
 
Our late October feast opened with a salute to Jerez, Andalusia’s most famous wine region, in the southeast corner of Spain. A tasting of three dry sherries, accompanied by toasted almonds and orange-stuffed olives, segued to mushrooms in sherry, braised pork cheeks, spinach and chickpea “stew”, braised bulls tail and culminated in sweet tortas and Spanish cheeses. The three sherries — Lustau’s Almacenista Fino, Manzanilla Deliciosa en Rama from Valdespino and an Amontillado, also from Lustau — are all dry, although the Amontillado might be considered a little less so. Oxidization imbues it with nutty and dry fruit flavours appealing to red wine drinkers, which indisputably we are.

 

As the meal progressed, we learned to appreciate the contribution this golden libation plays in Andalusian culinary tradition — not just as a sipper but as an indispensable ingredient.

¡Hola! ¡Olé!

 

Roasted almonds and olives are the most common tapas offered — often gratis with a drink — in tavernas across southern Spain. We were fascinated how each changed the taste of a sherry.

Diane

 

Although I didn’t hop on a plane and ramble la Alhambra, I did explore the recipes of Spain to prepare for the Epitourist gathering. Hola Foodie was a great source for salivating over the possibilities. Sunny Andalusia, home of Seville oranges and olives, inspired this natural pairing for Orange Stuffed Olives  I let the olives marinate several days before stuffing them, and although they were wonderful pops of flavour, I can't help but think our readily available ingredients pale in comparison to the real thing.

Laura

 
It’s no secret I love mushrooms, and living across the road from a gourmet mushroom farm is close to nirvana for me. I often sauté them up in butter and some white wine and serve them with crusty bread. When researching my Andalucian tapas contribution, I came across several references to mushrooms cooked with sherry, or Jerez to be properly Spanish. 

Blue oyster mushrooms, olive oil and sherry!

 

There’s not really a recipe, it’s more of a cook-by-feel thing. You’ll know what I mean when you’re making it. Here’s what I did: Thinly slice one large onion. Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion until it’s turning golden brown. Then add one pound of mushrooms. I used some beautiful blue oyster mushrooms from Kelly’s Gourmet Mushrooms on Wolfe Island. Oyster mushrooms just need a bit of a trim on the stem and then can be pulled apart into pieces if the caps are large. Smaller ones can be left whole. Keep the heat quite high and don’t crowd the mushrooms in the pan. The aim is to sauté them until they are golden. Then add in sherry. I used Emilio Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado. I’m not sure how much I added. I started with about a quarter cup, let it evaporate, and then kept adding more, along with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat to low. Cook, allowing the flavours to meld together for about 20 minutes until it’s a lovely soft, golden mixture. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with sliced baguette or other crusty bread.

Caroline

 

With their bull fighting tradition, Rabo de Toro (bull’s tail stew) is deep-seated in the Andalusian food repertoire. I looked to Chef José Andrés to guide me. Kaarina introduced us a couple of years back through his 

Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America cookbook.

 

Unlike most Rabo de Toro recipes that I came across, Chef Andrés’ calls for half a bottle of sherry as well as the usual full bottle of Spanish wine. The addition of the sherry is well worth it, making the sauce both sweet and savoury. Typically, fried potatoes would be served with this stew. For a lighter “more tapas” fare, I opted for Chef Andrés suggestion of fresh bread as a side to sop up the rich sauce. ¡Buen provecho!

 

Rabo de Toro

 

Laura

 

We rarely have room for dessert at these feasts, so I decided to try making tortas de aceite. These slightly sweet, crispy cracker-like biscuits are a specialty of Seville. They are often served with a glass of sherry. They were the perfect end to our meal paired with Diane’s Spanish cheeses, more sherry and wine. 

Torta de aceite, a perfect finish!

 

Diane

 

I couldn’t resist a visit to Alex Farm Fresh cheese for Spanish cheeses.  Strong flavour profiles appealed. The product notes for Montenebro read: "A rind composed of ash and mold means insistent flavor... the damp, cakey, acidic paste near the rind is fierce, with unmistakable overtones of black walnut. Inside the core remains salty, lactic, and soothing." I also selected  Valdeon, "a Spanish blue cheese, wrapped in either sycamore, maple, or chestnut leaves. It has a very intense blue flavour."

In addition to the sherries, we enjoyed an elegant Rioja from the old vine master Marques de Riscal and a full-bodied Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Balbas Reservas 2006 from Ribera del Duero.

 

Balbas Reservas 2006

 

Boat Food

Diane

If Rob and I are Yondering...

Even when I have my cooking mojo working for me, I appreciate the ease of pulling together an appealing plate without needing to turn on the stove or fire up the barbecue. Especially if Rob and I are Yondering for a ten hour day, or have just dropped anchor after a long sail, I'm glad to have some cold cured meats, cheese, crackers, nuts and pickles for a refreshing quick bite.

So for my course, I chose a charcuterie board. As this was the Epitourists, I provisioned at St. Lawrence Market, with stops at Scheffler's Deli, Future Bakery, and Kozlik's mustards, to pull together a charcuterie platter:  saucisson (truffle and blueberry); salami (hot and not); provolone wrapped in sundried tomato; prosciutto wrapped feta; marcona almonds; pickled garlic, onions and mixed vegetable; hot gherkins; roasted artichoke; pretzels; and a selection of mustards (dijon, honey mustard, balsamic fig and date, triple crunch).

 

To accompany, a quick cocktail with lots of ice: Whisky Soda.

Kaarina

Medina, our 30-foot Ticon Sailboat

I learned early on that we like to eat on the boat the same kind of food we eat at home. But that hasn’t cured me. Spring after spring I carry a carefully curated supply of cans and packages of dried foods onto the boat. And every fall I carry the same cans and packages off the boat. Most of the stuff simply doesn’t get eaten.

We like our food fresh.

On Medina, our 30-foot Ticon sailboat, dinner has become a ritual, especially when we’re at anchor. I plan, shop and prep. Mike barbecues. The menu is simple: Meat and a salad, mini potatoes or fresh corn in season. Lots of tomato salads. Grilled peppers. Guacamole.

Wilted Spinach and Carmelized Onions with Feta Dressing was this summer’s new favourite. It’s quick - 10 minutes - to make. Simple, fresh and quick! No fancy ingredients required. Except for the sherry vinegar, everything is available in most supermarkets. Onions, spinach, olive oil, feta cheese. (You can substitute balsamic for the sherry vinegar, which has become hard to find. I picked it up at St. Lawrence Market, lower level.)

 

Wilted Spinach and Carmelized Onions with Feta stands up on its own as a salad course, which is how Epitourists had it on Ruby Tuesday. I also like to serve it together with a steak, pork or lamb chops and I’ve carted it off to potlucks on land and on the water.

Caroline

AB is a good ol' boat!

Seven consecutive weeks on the water this season! The more you do, the more things happen. And happen they did. A small shroud popped while I was under sail. It was more like a very loud bang. Needless to say, it scared the bajesus out of me. That put an end to the race around Waupoos Island. We managed to duck out without incident, lower the sails and limp back to the anchorage. Dang. Good thing she's keel stepped. Dave, the owner of Marine Outfitters had her fixed up in no time. He even gave me the keys to his car so I could re-provision. And then, she sprung a leak in her exhaust pipe. Carbon monoxide is a bad thing in a confined space like a boat. Had to get that fixed too. What can I say. AB is a good ol' boat. I will admit that madness overtook me and I put her up for sale and bought me a trawler. Yup. A trawler.

I do digress. This is suppose to be about Boat Food. Yes. I looove to cook onboard. The space is small and like a maestro conducting an orchestra, I can put together a fine meal while standing in one spot. I have, over the years, compiled a yummy repertoire of boat foods. Some from scratch while others are just plain cheatin'. And plain cheatin' is what I chose for our September Epitourist lunch onboard ma new trawler Ruby Tuesday (semi cheating... I did bake dessert.) This boat food is a no-brainer. It comes ready made. In a box. Requires no refrigeration. Keeps forever. Will overwinter nicely inside your galley pantry. Calls for a glass of ruby wine or two, fresh bread and a simple salad and like Bob's your uncle, dinner is served. What is it you ask? It is cheese fondue in a box! Dipping ingredients consisted of fresh sourdough bread, grape tomatoes, roasted baby potatoes and cauliflower florets, Granny Smith apple slivers. For libation, I experimented with cider but must say that the ruby won hands down!

Our Epi Lunches go on for a forever long time! After five hours of sipping and noshing, dessert is the last thing on your mind. BUT, I was very excited about this finale. I will admit that Ruby Tuesday is lacking a decent oven. Decent ovens on boats are hard to come by. On AB, I had an oven but could only cook/bake ingredients that stood no taller than 4 inches. Well, Ruby has, wait for it, a toaster oven! HA! Yes. I kid you not. Have oven will bake (but only when connected to shore power 😶). So, in my little toaster oven, I baked an Orange and Black Olive Chocolate Cake. Rich, moist and a flavour combination that will blow your mind! Try it. You will like it.

Literary Spring

Of course the Epitourists love to eat, but we also love to read. May’s gathering on Wolfe Island was a melding of food and literature welcoming the green of spring.

Menu

Spring Soufflé with Creamy Mixed-Cheese Sauce

2016 Alsace Pinot Blanc L'ami des crustacés classique

Kaarina's Sprout Salad and Elizabeth on the 37th Crab Cakes

Kunde Chardonnay from Sonoma County

Rhubarb Spritz

Chinese Pork and Shrimp Dumplings with Scallion-Soy Sauce

Madeleines



Caroline

The bones of my dish came form Jamie Cooks Italy / Spring Soufflé with Creamy Mixed-Cheese Sauce. I struggled with which spring vegetables to use. His recipe includes asparagus, peas, mint and sadly, zucchini. At my first attempt, I included the zucchini and found that it made things watery (besides, save the zuke for fall!). I excluded it the second time around. I must admit that Oliver’s spring trio of choice makes for a lovely mix: asparagus, peas and mint. But when Emilio-the-forager handed me a kilo of freshly picked fiddleheads, things changed again. Would a trio of fiddleheads, peas and mint work? No doubt it would.

We wait for them with excitement: Ontario grown asparagus! Upon seeing my first bunches “…tinged with ultramarine and pink, finely stippled in mauve and azure…”, I couldn’t resist: asparagus, fiddleheads and spring onions it would be. Forget the peas. And without peas, what’s the point of mint?

We wait for them with excitement:
Ontario grown asparagus

What makes this soufflé SO delicious is the sauce served on the side for pouring over. I chose whole goat’s milk, parmigiano reggiano and taleggio cheese to make mine. Divine! I paired my dish with a Pinot Blanc 2016 from Alsace: L’ami des crustacés classique.



Le soufflé et sa sauce!

 “…but what most enraptured me were the asparagus, tinged with ultramarine and pink which shaded off from their heads, finely stippled in mauve and azure, through a series of imperceptible gradations to their white feet–still stained a little by the soil of their garden-bed–with an iridescence that was not of this world. I felt that these celestial hues indicated the presence of exquisite creatures who had been pleased to assume vegetable form and who, through the disguise of their firm comestible flesh, allowed me to discern in this radiance of earliest dawn, these hinted rainbows, these blue evening shades, that precious quality which I should recognise again when all night long after a dinner at which I had partaken of them, they played (lyrical and coarse in their jesting as the fairies in Shakespeare’s Dream) at transforming my chamber pot into a vase of aromatic perfume.” — Marcel Proust In Search of Lost Time: Swann’s Way

My Spring Soufflé with Creamy Mixed-Cheese Sauce



3 spring onions

3 tbs olive oil

250 g asparagus

250 g fiddleheads

6 tbs pinot blanc

6 large eggs



Sauce

1 1/2 tbs unsalted butter

3 tbs all-purpose flour

2 cups whole goat’s milk

100 g parmesan cheese

freshly grated nutmeg

100 g Taleggio cheese



Preheat oven  to 350 F. Finely chop the onions and asparagus. Place in a large frying pan on medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine. Cook for 5 minutes.

 For the sauce, melt the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir in the flour until combined, then gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes. Finely grate in 75 g of the Parmesan, nutmeg and Taleggio. Season to taste. Pour half the sauce in with the vegetables and mix, then leave to cool to room temperature. Put the remaining sauce aside for now. 

Separate the eggs, stirring the yolks into the vegetable mixture. Beat the whites until stiff then fold through the vegetable mix. Generously butter 4 ramekins and divide soufflé mix. Garnish with blanched asparagus spears and one fiddlehead. Sprinkle with the remaining 25 g of parmesan. Bake 25 minutes or until golden and puffed up. Warm the remaining cheese sauce and serve on the side for pouring over.

Kaarina



The Book Of Negroes by Lawrence Hill inspired my crab cakes. Sam Fraunce prepared them for Aminata when she arrived in Manhattan on the first leg of her journey to freedom.

"He said the way to make a decent crab cake was to roll just a touch of bread crumbs, melted butter and cream into the crab meat. It was so good that you wanted to treat it tenderly.
 (...) 'Crab is not something to overpower with energetic spicing,' he said. 'Crabmeat wants to melt quietly on the tongue.' "

I’ve never forgotten that advice.
 I rejected dozens of crab cake recipes trying to find one that met Sam’s exacting standard. My crab cake recipe is based on one from a Savannah, GA restaurant — Elizabeth’s on 37th.

The challenge is keeping the crab cakes from falling apart. I can never do it. Now I just push them back together to reshape and serve. I’d rather preserve the taste and texture than the shape.



In a salute to Wolfe Island spring, we picked dandelions from Laura’s Back 40, where just that morning I spied four deer grazing on the dew-kissed grass. The dandelion leaves added a bitter kick to the sprout salad accompaniment to the crab cakes.



The dandelion leaves added a bitter kick to the sprout salad

Kaarina's Sprout Salad

1 tsp garlic finely chopped

1 tsp fresh tarragon finely chopped

1 tsp honey

3-4 tbsp champagne vinegar

1⁄3 cup (125 mL) canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups of sprouts (such as pea and radish) and bitter greens (arugula, dandelions, escarole, watercress

3 green onions, thinly sliced

A dozen violas for garnish (optional)



MEASURE the first  6 ingredients into a small jar and shake hard to emulsify (or use a blender). Toss with greens.



A lightly oaked or unoaked Chardonnay, such as the Kunde from Sonoma County, pairs well with the crab cakes. And a rhubarb Spritz is just the ticket if lunch runs into cocktail hour!



Rhubarb Spritz

 (from our very own mixologist, K)

1 tbsp rhubarb compote

1 oz Hendricks gin

2-3 oz Prosecco

In a champagne glass, stir rhubarb compote and gin. Add 3-4 ice cubes. Top with Prosecco. Stir.

Rhubarb Spritz

Laura

“Back home, I told the cook girl to boil enough pots of water and to chop enough pork and vegetables to make a thousand dumplings, both steamed and boiled, with plenty of fresh ginger, good soy sauce, and sweet vinegar for dipping.” – The Kitchen God’s Wife, Amy Tan

I love dumplings! They’re easy to make but time-consuming. The filling and pleating is relaxing when you have a chunk of time to devote to the process.

Dumplings and Scallion-Soy Sauce

And no literary feast is complete without a nod to Proust’s madeleines.

A perfect end with madeleines!

From Grain to Loaf: A Tour of Three Toronto Bakeries

Laura

Rustic Brodflour loaves!

One half of the Epitourists are sourdough bread obsessed. Caroline and I have been nursing starters and practising our leaven, autolyse, proofing and baking skills for most of the winter. Stand-by for a blog post soon. On our recent Epitourist adventure in downtown Toronto, I put a few bakeries on the itinerary.

Brodflour

This recently-opened bakehouse is tucked into a back alley in Liberty Village. They mill their own flour on a huge stone mill that is prominently on display in the space. The mill is from New American Stone Mills in Vermont. They source rye, red fife, spelt and hard spring wheat from Ontario and Manitoba. Head miller and partner, Jesse Saldana, gave us a great tour and explained how the mill grinds the whole grain between two huge granite stones. The flour is then sifted to remove some of the bran and germ.

There is not a lot of seating in the bakery but we sat down on the couple of benches and tasted a sampling of slices of some of the breads they bake: Dark & Sweet is a heavy, oblong loaf of rye with dark molasses and caraway; Heritage Hearth, a traditional style sourdough batard made with red fife and spelt; and Whole Grain sourdough with rye and whole prairie hard red. Needless to say we all left with loaves to take home. They were also offering samples of sweet Cardamom Knots. Their consulting baker is Swedish, so much of their offerings along with the Hygge-style décor is Scandinavian inspired. Caroline and I also purchased some of their freshly-milled flour to test in our own sourdough loaves. 8 Pardee Avenue, Toronto

Brodflour... such a cool place!

Forno Cultura

This Italian bakery is located in a basement on King Street. It’s a narrow space jam-packed with breads, sweet and savoury baked goods and there’s even a fridge full of pasta sauces, soups and cured meats, and a wall of olive oils and preserves.

Cultured ovens!

The owner is a third-generation Italian baker who wanted to preserve artisanal baking methods. They make beautiful sourdough breads, but it was easy to get sidetracked by all the other goodies. A glass-fronted case runs along the length of the bakery, full of biscotti, croissants, cakes and other beautiful sweet treats. There’s also an assortment of deep-fried arancini and stuffed croquettes. Caroline purchased a few of these home for a quick dinner upon her return home from our gourmet adventure. I left with one of their beautiful biscuit-style cake made with ground almonds and filled with a lemony pastry cream.

Cliffside Hearth

A sourdough baguette is an art to shape

I made a little side-trip on my own to my favourite Scarborough bakery. It just happens to be up the road from Kaarina’s place and very close to our yacht club. It’s run by the husband-and-wife team of David and Camelia. David worked in bakeries for years before starting to bake sourdough bread in their backyard brick oven. After neighbours kept asking to buy his loaves, the couple decided to open up a bakery.

Handsome red...

Since my move to Wolfe Island and my own foray into sourdough baking, David has been a great resource, graciously emailing back and forth with me answering all my sourdough questions. So it was great to be able to spend an hour with him that morning to talk sourdough in person. It was 9:30 am and the end of David’s work day. He’s up and in the bakery in the wee hours of the morning to get the breads proofing and baking.  Unfortunately I was so caught up in my learning that I forgot to take any photos. But you can have a look at their website and Instagram for some drool-worthy pics.
I’ve been struggling with baker’s math and how to ramp up my bread production. David shared his excel spreadsheet with me. It makes it easy to figure out the ratios of starter, flour, water and salt. He also showed me his big bucket of starter that he keeps in the fridge and feeds once a day. He laughed about the “blogger bakers” who name their starters and baby them with twice-daily feedings at carefully monitored temperatures. David said he hasn’t got time for that and it’s impossible to control temperature in the bakery. He says he’s trained his starter, much like a flea circus, to live in the fridge and deal with hot water poured over it. I’m not going to question his methods. His bread is the best I’ve tasted. And don’t get me started on his croissants. I don’t know how Kaarina can live so close by and resist eating them every day.

Assembly Chef's Hall Epi T.O.

Caroline

A place where talent assembles

The doors flew opened and he invited all in. "Welcome to the Assembly! Is this your first time here!" And he proceeded to give us the spiel about the Hall. Located in the financial district of Toronto, in the building where Google T.O. lives, the Assembly Chef's Hall is a sprawling, multi-tiered eatery showcasing 17 local chefs, restauranteurs and baristas. Our ACH greeter took us from one venue to the next highlighting their best. From a barista champion to a Cinnamon Bomb king and finally to the gnocchi guru, Ivana Raca.

And food lovers gather

I had read about Raca in Edible Toronto: Going All-In which talks about her involvement in the movement to change "the near absence of female chefs from Toronto restaurant kitchens." Feisty lady. I thought I'd look her up if ever at the Assembly. Looked her up we did and found a modest, vibrant and friendly gal. A sign at the restobooth boasts the fact that she beat Bobby Flay in a gnocchi competition. Well, that settled that. We had to have the champion gnocchi. Gnocchi two ways please: 1. the Mushroom Truffle Cream, and 2. the Boho Gnoc in a chorizo red sauce. Raca's gnocchi is 90% ricotta. How about that! In a heart beat I would go back for the gnocchi... the question is, could my heart take it? Deliciously rich, to be enjoyed in moderation. Sharing them made it less of a guilty pleasure.

Gnocchi two ways at Chef's Table by Resto Boemo

We ran into our ACH greeter and let him talk us into trying a Cinnamon Bomb from the Short and Sweet Bakeshop: "Only one left! You gotta try it!" Take all the cinnamony goodness of a cinnamon bun and a few other decadent ingredients (sweetened crème fraîche comes to mind) and wrap it in an ever-so-light ball of dough and deep fry it. Oozy cinnamon delight washed down with a Cortado from Bulldog Coffee.

The bomb and his cortados!

I would definitely recommend the Assembly Chef's Hall for a fun time. It offers something for every taste. I cringe at the reviews that compare it to a food court but, if truth be told, ACH is a glorified food court, a very good one at that. Everyone can grab the bite that they like and enjoy it at a common table. If I had my druthers though, I'd do away with the bumping soundtrack...

Assembly Chef's Hall, 111 Richmond Street West, Toronto

Black Art

Caroline

Winter 2017

Inspired by an article called Black Magic from a back issue of Food and Drink magazine, I chose black as the theme for our October lunch. Yup, black and nothing to do with Hallow's Eve. As the date approached, I amassed a number of black ingredients to build my main. Fermented garlic jam, mullet and herring roes, black truffles, black fermented garlic, French blood pudding, charcoal sea salt from Spain and cuttlefish ink (commonly known as squid ink).

Black is the colour...

A lot of thought, planning and testing goes into the preparation of our Epitourists lunches. After much thought, I settle on an amuse-bouche and a main to utilize as many black ingredients as possible.

Menu

Amuse-bouche of pan fried French blood sausage with black garlic jelly

Mexican black bean soup

Squid ink risotto, seared scallops, wild mushrooms
with all sorts of bells and whistles

Dilano's Black Lemon cheese and Leinala's Bakery potato bread 

Ginger cake and lemon curd whipped cream

Amuse-bouche of Pan Fried
French Blood Sausage with Black Garlic Jelly

Who would have thought that this unlikely combination of sweet and savoury would be so tasty not to mention dramatic. A quick flash is a hot pan was all that the sausage needed to be ready. A smear of jelly on a plate, 1, 2, 3 morsels of blood sausage and let your taste buds be amused!

Mexican Black Bean Soup

Kaarina delighted us with this delicious black bean soup with sophisticated toppings. First the dried black beans were soaked 12 hours and simmered for 3-4 hours along with chopped onion, 2 garlic cloves and salt. She excluded the chorizo, used two Poblano peppers, half a jalapeño and toasted corn kernels instead of tortilla strips.

En route to our Epitourists' lunch, I got word that a friend was offering a pound or so of freshly picked, wild mushrooms for our lunch. How exciting! How exotic! How wild! How wow! I was thrilled to detour in his direction.

Wild shrooms!

After many oohs and aahs over the wild mushrooms, we cleaned them as best we could, sliced them and fried them in olive oil, seasoned with charcoal sea salt and finely sliced green onions. After removing the lovelies, the pan was deglazed with 1/4 cup of sherry and a generous cup of veal stock. Once reduced to half, I plopped in a heaping tablespoon of butter to finish. Now, for the rest of the main... I had decided on Black Squid Ink Risotto with Seared Scallops topped with Charred Shallots and Black Garlic Aïoli. And for a splash of colour, a slice of lemon dotted with mullet and herring roes. Phew! 

My lessons learned: 1. Risotto is not photogenic. 2. The Thermomix is not risotto's best friend. 3. "...less can be more and abundance can still be achieved with fewer ingredient." ❧ Yotam Ottolenghi 4. The mixing of too many exotic ingredients can cause certain tummy malaise.

The not-so-photogenic risotto and his friends

Paired wines: Anselmi San Vincenzo, a Garganega blend from Veneto, Italy and Colomé, a 2017 Torrontés from Argentina.

In keeping with our theme, Laura brought a wedge of Dilano's Black Lemon cheese which, as the packaging states, was "excitingly different". I think we would agree that it was so more in look than in taste. And to keep the dutch gouda want-to-be company, Kaarina offered some lovely sour rye from Milbree-Viking in Newmarket.

Rye and charcoal!

To finish, Laura plated an elegant dessert of moist ginger cake topped with lemon curd whipped cream — David Lebovitz recipes which I will definitely be making this holiday season.

Elegant!

Les épitouristes à Montréal

J'ai trop mangé! 

Voyage fantastique!

Diane

My friends the epitourists planned a trip to Montreal and I managed to finagle my way along. At first it sounded too extravagant, so I dithered. Fortunately Kaarina, Laura, and Caroline are an understanding bunch so welcomed my change of mind. Also luckily, the Via ticket agent found me a seat with them, so we were able to enjoy a picque-nique en route.

Being in Montreal felt like being in Europe. Mon français est pauvre so it was wonderful to have the fully bilingual Caroline there to help us navigate and translate.

We stayed at a great Air B&B in the Montreal Plateau neighbourhood, and managed to fit side trips in to Notre Dame, the Jardin, the Marche Jean Talon, and even get some fashion shopping in... however the real purpose of the trip was to eat and enjoy. Which we did. J'ai trop mangé.

Breakfasts were at the Air B&B. One morning fresh eggs that Caroline had brought from her "girls", another morning St-Viateur bagels with salmon carpaccio fresh from the market.

Otherwise we were checking out the local restaurants. This trip brought lots of new experiences and tastes on the menus. I am not an epicurean, just epicurious. I am no restaurant critic but I do love food, and trying new tastes, and seeing what tastes go together well - all the better with friends. I dine at fine establishments probably one or two times a year, favouring bacchanals with foodie friends to dinners out. Mainly I object to paying too much for the alcohol.

The WoW factor for restaurants starts with great-tasting and great looking food, but it is of course, so much more. Years ago I had a friend in the restaurant business and she said when you opened an establishment, you needed to concentrate on two of three things... it was impossible to have all three of these: ambience, service, and price (or value for money). That was back in the eighties, though, and when I asked Chef Laura whether she had heard the maxim she said no. I think times have changed, and people want and expect all three.

True nourishment feeds you on many levels, so I also have another requirement - how I feel after the meal. Within the hour, and the next day.

These are my ratings, 5 stars for my experiences, based on the criteria above: food; ambience; service; value; after-effects.

Restaurants

Iberica ****

Loved these little tapas! Especially the oxtail croquettes served on an actual oxtail. The waitress was patient with our questions and attentive; the ambience was ok but a tv was on, which although in Spanish totally detracted from the experience.  Lots of choice and a good wine selection. We enjoyed our morsels with cava.

Joe Beef *****
Number 3 on Canada's Best. Only 30 seats in this establishment! I counted myself lucky to get a reservation for a late Thursday evening, 6 weeks in advance. Definitely my favourite meal of the trip. Great vibe and a wonderful experience - the best service of any of the spots we visited, with Andie taking her time to speak to the details on the chalkboard and answer questions about preparation. The chef briefs front of house every day about ingredients and dishes which is why they are so well informed. Gorgeous plating and perfection in the preparation. I regret not having room for dessert.  We didn't go for the Lobster pasta or Beef, but thouroughly enjoyed the appetizers and main (lamb brisquet). I have no idea how such a small restaurant manages to have such a huge choice of offerings, it is a magic trick! One of the best value meals, too, as Laura and I shared our plates. I will definitely return and might even be able to talk Rob into accompanying me.

Maison Christian Faure ***
We had lunch at this patisserie - of course it was the dessert we came for! The server brought a plate over for us to choose what we wanted. Talk about a tough choice! We lingered over tea before heading back out in the rain. Really delicious, great service, but a bit pricey. I also found all the hard gleaming surfaces to lack a certain welcoming.

Restaraunt L'Original  ****
Loved the ambience - very early Canadian and woodsy, complete with a canoe used for the bar. Quirky embellishments in the decor. Excellent food and fine service. My favourite thing about this meal was the original preparation of bone marrow. A bone, sliced open, with pickled sashimi and red wine sauce. Deeply satisfying. If I ever return I would skip the wine and substitute a cocktail. Aside from this, no regrets.

Caribou Gourmand ** .5
Where else could you find caribou and seal tartare on offer? Who wouldn't be curious? It was an experience however I wouldn't say the flavour was exceptional and the texture was like liver. Having satisfied this curiosity I wouldn't likely order it again. I ordered the wild boar chop with polenta as my main - it was delicious at the start, but before I had even finished the meal I was feeling over-stuffed and a bit queasy. I took my leftovers to go and was astounded by how heavy the little package was. Extremely tasty however lost marks for the after-effects (just how much butter was there??) and remarkably poor service. They also didn't have the wine on their own list, or the dessert that was on the menu (although we were on the first seating). Highly disappointing, however this was one of the most anticipated meals so perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh that it didn't live up to expectations.


Jardin Botanique Restaurant ****
The lunch counter at the botanical gardens was one of my favourite restaurant experiences of the trip. The counter service was quite friendly. Not only were we able to eat outside in a beautiful setting in the sun, the salad and sandwiches were colourful, nourishing, tasty, great value, and left me feeling entirely sated. Just dizzy from a fine spring day.

Cocktail Bars
Cocktail bars do not have entirely the same criteria for me as restaurants. I don't expect great value - I want a bit of theatre + great service + great vibes/fun + lots of choice So maximum four stars.

Flyjin ***
I thought this was Flying Gin when the epitourists were saying the name and so was a tad disappointed it wasn't all about gin cocktails, being such a devoted fan. The Queen Bee concoction, my second drink, was the best - but that is likely because as Kaarina says, anything with Veuve Clicquot has to be good. We sat right at the bar and chatted up the bartender, who was entirely entertaining.

La Distillerie ****
Best drink menu ever! Lots to choose from: A Yoda cocktail that looked just like the master, limes placed for ears; a phenomenal Caesar. A server that suggested they leave out the sugar for someone and add it in later if required. Fantastic bartender, dressed up geisha style and rocking the cocktail shakers.  Good thing we had reservations elsewhere otherwise I could easily have overstayed my welcome.